Crimes of Carelessness

OMG! I happened across this clip the other day and now I’m too scared to go out the house…well, okay, not really, but boy this is funny. I can’t get the clip to embed so the link is below

The 1950s were a dangerous decade. Back then you could be killed by nearly anything, and you frequently were. It was a different time. People were tougher. Today you get killed once, that’s it. Back in the ’50s you could get killed literally hundreds of times and it weren’t nothing.

 

THE LINK

 

Goodnight Kiwi

Before the advent of 24 hour TV here in NZ the network used to show this cute little clip before going off air. Now it seems parents in general don’t know when AO content programming commences in our green land so the broadcasting people are looking at reintroducing ‘Goodnight Kiwi’ as a reminder that what follows is not recommended for children’s viewing.

 

Personally, I love the clip, and when I did my TV interviews down at the Avalon studio in Lower Hutt last year I have to admit I looked up to the tower and the broadcasting dishes etc and wondered what ever happened to the little guy

 

So, here for your viewing pleasure… Goodnight Kiwi

 

Thunder and Lightning–love it or hate it?

Personally, I hate it. Ever since I was a kid, and I don’t know exactly why, but a flash of lightning is enough to totally set my nerves on edge because I know that shortly after comes the clap or roll of thunder. I think the only time I’ve never been scare of thunder was summer ‘07 when I was sitting on our deck, it was a sunny day and there was this bank of black rippling cloud that crackled and rumbled with a really different sounding thunder (or maybe it was aliens from outer spaces.) Whatever, this week in NZ we’ve had some interesting weather, not least of which has been the threat of thunder storms which has made me very edgy.

 

For me, there’s nothing worse than being awoken by a flash of light and the bang of thunder shaking the house. But I know there are some of you out there who aren’t fazed by this. I envy you, deeply.

 

So which are you? A hide-under-the-covers kind of person? Or do you embrace the storm and relish it’s power?

 

 

Writer’s Doubts

I spotted an excellent blog, by Nicola Marsh, on the Pink Heart Society blogsite last weekend. To read it, click here!

There’s some excellent advice and suggestions.

 

I think too often we let our fears hold us back from what we’re truly capable of. Kate Walker once told me, “Be Brave!” So I challenge any of you who like to write to do the same.

When batteries run flat

Sometimes I wonder how we ever coped in our lives when just about every person didn’t have a cell phone and when land lines were used through big clunky phones with dials rather than push button key pads. At least back then we never had to face the horror of a flat battery.

 

My cell phone and the cordless phone in our bedroom both always seem to go flat on the weekend. Now, knowing that, you’d think that I’d charge them both on a Friday evening or night. Same with the man about the house, his cell phone always goes flat on a Saturday. I’ve turned off the warning tones on my cell phone because there’s nothing worse than being woken by a persistent beep to say “hey, I’m running out of juice here,” in the middle of the night–which brings me to an aside, why do these things never run flat during the day? Why, as with smoke detector batteries, is it only ever at around 2am that they start to beep.

 

Last night the man about the house had to stagger out of bed, extricate his cell phone from his pants pocket and plug it into a charger. Time? 1:50 am. That was a bit rough since he had to get up at 4:00 am to go on a fishing trip this morning. Anyway, I cast a bleary eye at the cordless phone on my bedside cabinet and guess what, it was flashing to warn me that it was running flat too. Get up this morning and check my cell phone and yep, bingo, ‘battery low.’

 

Do you have similar cycles in your household? And if you don’t, how on earth do you combat the curse of the dreaded middle of the night flat battery?

Busy busier busiest!

Boy those words look odd when you type them one after the other!

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say that I am BUSY! And I love being busy, especially when it’s writing busy. This week I accepted a new contract offer to do an online read for eHarlequin! I’m really excited about the opportunity, and the prospect of writing a romance that’s only 10,000 words long

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it) I’ll probably be a little scarce on my blog as I juggle my current deadline and the new online deadline.

At the moment I’m trying to finish one book and thinking hard out about how I can incorporate the setting and introduce the characters of my August release (Claiming His Runaway Bride) in the online read. I’m open to suggestions on story themes so if you have any favourites feel free to run them past me.

Stranger things just keep on happening…

The road of true love is never smooth. Seeking distraction today, from a poor page count of my own, I surfed others love stories and happened across this one.

 

To be totally honest with you, I love what he came up with, but what a crying shame that he couldn’t hold onto the string just that little bit longer!

What would you do in his loved one’s place? The same as she has done or would you forgive and forget and say “yes” anyway?

I’m inclined to think that perhaps the bride-to-be is not as harsh as has been depicted in this item, however, if she really is then perhaps the groom-to-be should be rethinking who he wants to spend the rest of his life with!

Something for nothing?

I’ve had some interesting comment on my book piracy blog and yes, there will always be conflicting views over what is perceived to be right (or acceptable because hey, it’s not murder), and what isn’t.

This guy sums it up for me. Sure, it’s not exactly the same thing, but it’s not so far removed either. 

What I’m watching: JOHN Q

Tagline: Give a father no options and you leave him no choice.

I saw this movie a few years ago, and since it came out in 2002 it was quite a few years ago, but it’s the kind of theme that never dates. Intense, powerful, emotional–John Q delivers it all as far as I’m concerned. And Denzel Washington is ‘the man’ when it comes to bringing tortured John Q Archibald’s father’s love, and just how far he’s prepared to go for his son, to the screen. Mind you, DW is pretty much ‘the man’ in every performance he does, don’ t you think? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a movie that I haven’t liked. As one reviewer on imdb pointed out, “Denzel usually played well-educated, intelligent lawyers and/or businessmen (with the obvious exception of TRAINING DAY), but here Denzel is playing an average Joe…a working stiff, struggling to pay bills and keep food on the table and a roof over his family’s head who is driven to extreme measures to protect the family he cherishes so dearly.”

Here’s the short plot synopsis from imdb:

John Quincy Archibald’s son Michael collapses while playing baseball as a result of heart failure. John rushes Michael to a hospital emergency room where he is informed that Michael’s only hope is a transplant. Unfortunately, John’s insurance won’t cover his son’s transplant. Out of options, John Q. takes the emergency room staff and patients hostage until hospital doctors agree to do the transplant.

For me, as a parent, this movie hits on so many fears. You have adversity in a difficult financial situation but you’re making ends meet, then wham! Out of the blue something threatens your child and you will do anything, ANYTHING, to make things right in your child’s world again. Of course the financial situation worsens, your child’s health worsens, your desperation increases. How far would you be prepared to go?

Great story, great performances and terrific ending. If you haven’t seen this yet, and you love a good drama, then, in my opinion, this is your thing.

Which are you? Early bird? or Night Owl? or Something In Between?

I’ve never been an early bird person. My eyes and my thought processes just don’t want to take it. The earliest I’ve ever willingly dragged myself out of bed to start the day was 4:00 am and then only to catch an international flight (the jetlag starts from the minute I wake up, I swear!) This week I had the questionable delight of getting up at 5:40 am as youngest progeny is trialling for an Open A netball squad at her high school. This wouldn’t be a problem if eldest progeny didn’t have an early class at Uni and had to take the kids car into Uni for the day, or if eldest progeny had her full licence and could take her sister up to school in time for 7:00 am training. And, since the man of the house came in early from night shift and was already in the depths of sleep (lucky fellow!), it fell to me to get my youngest up to school on time.

Now, you’d think that an hour and twenty minutes would be sufficient time for a sixteen year old to get ready and get up to training on time, wouldn’t you? Especially when she’d packed her bag with uniform, books, towel, bathroom gear, sandals, etc. last night. Well, wouldn’t you?

Suffice to say, my darling youngest child is not an early bird either. We made it at 6:59 am and as I drove back home, in the dark, listening to the news bulletin that I usually lie in bed and listen to before I get up in the morning I realised she must really really want a place in this squad to get up this early.

Of course there are benefits to getting up early. By rights, I should be able to get more writing done, and since both progeny finish school and Uni later, on this wretched early start day, I get a bit more time in the afternoon as well. But I’m so tired! Maybe I should nap instead

On the ‘bright’ side–I got to watch the most beautiful sunrise through my office window. There’s a bit of a cloud base and I could see golden/pale apricot rays in broad strokes breaking through the cloud here and there. If only the digital camera wasn’t in the bedroom with the sleeping man of the house I could have shared it with you all too. Maybe next week…yawn. But that will be my last shot because (yay) after next week eldest progeny will have her full licence and guess who’ll be chivvying youngest along to training in the morning! Ha! If that doesn’t get her ready in time, nothing will :D

I used to be a night owl, and there are times I still make it (usually deadline times) but now I think I’m very definitely something in between. So which are you, early bird, night owl, or something in between?