Dancing in the Halloween spirit

Some of the photos aren't the best since I wasn't a very active photographer that night, but I tried my best...and here is the result.

Little Pocahontas, the ultimate hippie, and the gorgeous gypsy were of course all attending...

And here's tonight's most dangerous (humpf humpf) vampire.

Tarane was the cutest little housewife á la Wisteria Lane.

Oscar didn't wear a costume, so he had to dance his way in. :P

Yeay, two hippies were posing for peace that night.

Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Tonight I am going to follow mami to the cemetery to light up some candles and then I will probably be back to upload some pictures from yesterday. So you'll get to see my last night's attempt to look like a vampire...Too bad I didn't find a real one (i.e. Edward Cullen like) though...

LAST MINUTE

Honestly I don't have that much time for blogging right now, since I'm getting ready for a last minute Halloween party at one of my friend's. And let me just tell you - it was really LAST MINUTE. So I had to find a last minute costume just now, or it's more of an upgraded outfit really. Because a real costume I had no time to find...Anyhow, I'm suppose to be a vampire so we'll see if the people there can figure that out without me pulling the line "I want to suck your blood", with that Italian accent Lewar thaught me a while back...

OK, I should really get ready now before my bus leaves. Here are some pictures from today's earlier yummi-yum-yum stuff. Oh, and by the way, have a great evening! ;D

Had a Storkens specialare (Storken's special) with Maria today at Storken.

And this was what my little angel Vicki came home with after work: chicken skewers á la satay/teriyaki.

Subway debut

The company was great and Subway was y-u-m-m-o. Unfortunately Shilan couldn't make it because of a family thing, but you all know what I think about such circumstances: FAMILY FIRST (good lord I sound like Dr. Phil! But hasn't he go a book called that? ^^). Anyway, here are some pictures from my Subway debut...

Me and Hanna, very happy about our subs. ;D

Lewar's hair was so lovely today...envy. -.-

Grand opening...

First bite and I was already in bliss.

Looking through the window made me think that Uppsala is pretty cozy sometimes after all...

-Yes, I'm a SUBWAY virgin ;)

Time to take a quick shower before I meet up with Shilan, Lewar, and Hanna for a lunch date at Subway. Actually we were planning to go for some kind of Asian food/buffet, but I simply had to decline because at the moment I just want to puke thinking of Uppsala's supply of Asian food. It's not that it's bad IN THAT WAY, it's just that I've just had too much of it in the previous weeks and it almost tastes the same everywhere, so no thanks! However, that was when I got the idea of going to Subway because embarrassingly enough I'm still a Subway virgin...hehe. When I told my friends that the other day, they just went crazy.

They: "Wait, wait...WHAAAT? You haven't been to Subway!?"
Me: noo...
They: EVERYONE has been to Subway...Hey, don't worry, we'll take you to Subway. You have to eat at Subway!
Me: haha...well that was the idea since you're like the "Subway experts"... ;)
They: hehe...yes we are :)

That's how it went down, and now I'm finally going to have my first sub at Subway. See you later!

Don't know if I dare to eat that meatball one though, haha...

Fojol Bros. of Merlindia - Insights from Guest Blogger LB!

[Note: I know, more food from trucks?  Even though I don't work downtown, I don't want to keep you all from being informed about your options on wheels here in the District.  Below, the fabulous and generous LB guest blogged her recent food truck experience. Thanks, LB!!!! And thanks to Fojol Bros. Twitter Page for the picture.]

If you're anything like me, then deciding what to eat for lunch is the most difficult decision of your day.  No later than 12:01 p.m., M-F, the emails start filling up your Outlook inbox, asking about your lunch thoughts, or, if the time is getting late, offering up a hunger-themed haiku (or does that just happen at my office?).

Then the negotiations commence: "Not again--we just ate there last week!"; "The weather isn't cold enough yet for soup"; "I am so sick of sandwiches." ; "That place is too far to walk in this rain." "I am not paying 9 dollars for another crappy salad!"

Today's decision was made remarkably easy by the arrival of the Fojol Bros. of Merlindia, a self-described "Traveling Culinary Carnival."  That description is fairly accurate, if your impression of a carnival involves being served curry from costumed, mustached men in a food truck while your body involuntarily moves to the catchy music blaring from the speakers.

They have three size options: a "dingo" (one pick--$2), a "meal" (two picks--$6) or a "feast" (three picks--$9).  You make your picks from a rotating selection of offerings, and each includes basmati rice.  Today's meat options were curry chicken and chicken masala, and the vegetarian options were lentils and chickpeas.  I opted for an all-veggie meal of lentils and chickpeas, and one of the Fojol brothers said my mother would be proud.  

I'm no expert on Indian food, but I did spend three months in London, which makes me sufficiently credentialed.  The chickpeas were my favorite--great texture and flavor.  The lentils were a little mushy, but once I mixed them into the rice, I didn't notice the mushiness anymore.  However, I do like my Indian food spicy, and this meal was on the mild side--it could have used more heat. I also missed naan, but I guess that's too hard to prepare from a truck. Overall, though, it was a solid meal--one option I'll definitely suggest again, when next Tuesday's lunch negotiations begin.

Fojol Bros.

Location: changes daily

http://twitter.com/fojolbros

My way of doing it

I can proudly announce that I payed Centralbadet's pool a visit today. One hour of constant swimming and another one in the sauna left me exhausted...and I still am. It feels good to get a decent work out, but you're not suppose to feel half dead at the same time huh? Maybe that's why I don't work out "for real" that often, hehe.

I know that it might be better to divide your training routes into smaller parts, and thereby follow it as a weekly routine. However, my way of doing it isn't really built on the same basis. First of all, I don't even have a specific training routine. I just do it when I feel like it...kind of, haha. Secondly, I don't have the time to hit the gym every week (blaming it all on the IB of course, hehe - but don't get me wrong, it is true!). Thirdly, training can be soooooo boring sometimes! I really don't understand how some people just love doing it. I mean, it's the feeling afterwards that you might love. When you feel so good, and are so proud of yourself, not the actual "Oh my god, it feels so great to sweat! I really love the adrenaline kick you get when the heart is on the edge of jumping out of the throat!". OK, maybe hat was a bad example of enthusiasm, but you get my point right?

Anyhow, in the end when I actually do a real work out, I tend to do what is considered over training...But it's only because I feel like I'm compromising for the times I haven't. Besides, I haven't got any symptoms of it hurting me so...Well, I won't be working out like this forever. It's just temporary. However I am glad that I don't go swimming that often too, because then I don't end up with pink knees as often -.-.

Banned Books??

A few years ago, a group of parents protested the book, The Goats. I watched them march and carry protest signs on the evening news. I recalled that I had a copy of that book in my 7th grade classroom. Curious, I read the book during the next few days. It was about some kids who got bullied at summer camp. I guess those parents thought it might give ideas to kids interested in bullying. Actually, no one had been interested in the book on my shelf until the fuss was made about it. Then it became a very popular book among my students. The book was banned in a nearby city.
Another book that comes to mind is Go Ask Alice, which is the actual diary of a young girl who became addicted to drugs, which took her life. The mother found the diary and had it published hoping it would deter other young people from following her daughter's footsteps. In the diary, the girl gave explicit examples of her reactions to drugs and dependence on them, how they ruined her life, and how her addiction destroyed her family. This book was one of many books sent to our school by the Dept. of Education, as books young adults should read. Many girls told me how the book opened their eyes to the dangers of drug use. I heard, "I'll never use drugs after what happened to Alice," more than once.
One day I received a complaint from a mother whose daughter had taken the book home to read. I told the mother it wasn't required reading; the girl had chosen it for a book report. She was free to choose another book. However, the mother didn't just not want HER daughter to not read it, she didn't want anyone to read it. She went to the principal and threatened to take it before the school board unless the book was taken off the shelf. The principal removed the book from my classroom library. That is book banning. It made me sick.
by Marlis Day, author of The Secret of Bailey's Chase
Visit me at http://wwwmarlisday.blogspot.com

Magic, Mayhem, Mary & McPhee

by Pam Ripling

I’m late. What else is new? Would that I was Samantha Stephens, and could twitch my nose and turn back the clock so that I’d be on time. Or Mary Poppins, just open my umbrella and lift myself right out of this predicament. One of my favorite magically-mayhemic characters is Nanny McPhee, who can create—or diminish—chaos by the slamming down her wooden walking stick. I could wield one of those lovely canes about now.

Yes, I’m talking about video magic when we are supposed (?) to be talking about books. But being a somewhat visual person, I cannot help but thrill to the enchantment of television and movies, and the incredible magic they create on the small—and silver—screens. It all starts out as an idea in a writer’s mind, right? Written into text, stories, novels, screenplays, television scripts. From Tolkien to Jackson, the magic of “the one ring” certainly creates dark, diabolical mayhem for Frodo and his band of hairy hobbits. I won’t even begin to touch on the super-natural, the paranormal, the other-worldly… and please don't forget dear Harry Potter.

Maybe I’m oversimplifying, but I equate fantasy and much of sci-fi with magic. I mean, flying dragons are definitely magic, but couldn’t you choose to believe that “the Force” used by Luke Skywalker is just a little bit of magic, too? I do. (But to me, even a cellular phone is magic.)

With Halloween just a few days off, I’d best go find my broom. Have a magical week!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Bushman of the Kalahari

I have mislaid a week of my life!

Not really, but that's what it feels like. I was sitting at the SASA Annual Exhibition at Kirstenbosch last week until Thursday, then Friday first thing, it was on the 'plane to Johannesburg for a friend's daughter's wedding. Only got back last night, so have done nothing with a brush for over a week!

This painting is of a Bushman, one of those incredible hunter gatherer people who are the original inhabitants of this country. They owned no land (they believe only God owns the land) and lived off it in much the same way the Aboriginal people of Australia and the Red Indians in America did.

Their ability to live in desert conditions is amazing and in this painting he is using his bow and arrow as a musical instrument.

The Bushmen, often referred to as the San or the generic term Khoisan, are the remnants of Africa's oldest cultural group, genetically the closest surviving people to the original Homo-Sapien core from which the Negro emerged. They are small in stature generally with light yellowish skin, which wrinkles very early in life. Despite the later massive expansion of the pastoral and agrarian tribal cultures, those Bushman groups that utilised environments that were unsuitable for farming, survived until fairly recently with a high level of genetic purity.

Magic and Mayhem in Cynthia's Attic!

Cynthia and I may not have understood the term, "magical mayhem" before our time-travel trips through the old trunk in her attic. But, that all changed when we met our 12-year-old grandmothers in 1914, encountered a shape-shifting Puma named SuRana in the Louisiana Bayou, and ran our "invisible selves" all over a steam ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Our latest adventure, "The Magician's Castle," has taken mayhem to new heights. Here's a little background:

Sebastien the Great, a magician whose fiancée, Kathryn, disappears through the magic trunk, vows revenge. If Cynthia and Gus don't find a missing page from the “Book of Spells,” Cynthia’s family could face financial and personal ruin.

Follow this time-traveling duo as they journey back to a 1914 Swiss castle where Eva, Sebastien’s grandmother, gives them clues on where to begin their search. Their journey takes them through miles of tree tunnels, an enchanted garden ruled by a cranky rock monster, and even high in the Alps. They get the surprise of their lives when they're sent 50 years into the future, have a shocking encounter with another set of best friends, and receive a fresh set of clues that could lead to Kathryn's return. But, at what price?

So, as you can see, magical mayhem is getting pretty ho-hum for Cynthia and me. Evil pirates? Bologna-loving alligators? All previous journeys must've been leading up to the latest one. Time-traveling into the future? Nothing prepared us for the face-to-face surprise we discover in 2014! No, I'm not gonna give it away.

Discover the Magical Mayhem for yourself!

I'm proud to announce the release of Book Four in the award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" will be released by Quake (Echelon Imprint) DEC 2009!

Buy the first three books on Amazon and pre-order "The Magician's Castle." Echelon Press

Mary Cunningham

Sunday happiness

Usually I would be quite bummed about it being Sunday, because I have always seen Sundays as the day when things come to an end. However that's not the case tonight, because I know that I have one week of freedom in front of me - fall break! Yeay for that! I will probably have some errands to run, some studying to do, and some reading to keep me busy with as well (meaning I PROMISE I will start reading New Moon). Nevertheless, I will make sure that I have time to catch up with my girls. I need it, we need it.

Alright, now I'm off to bed. Will probably be dreaming about Ed Westwick for your information, haha...Nights.

Come on, he's Chuck Bass need I say more?

Author Bans His Own Book

Free speech is so misunderstood these days. To many believe it gives everyone the right to say whatever they like, whenever they like and to whomever they like. This is not true. Most of us are familiar with the rule about how you can't shout fire in a crowded theater. However, this is about a single word that came to me when I was thinking of this topic:

Rage

I read this book in high school, as part of the Bachman Books, a four-pack of twisted tales from the mind of Stephen King. It has always been one of my favorite collections, and the memories of the stories have all been vivid. The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man stood out, but none so much as Rage.

Charlie Decker, a senior in high school, brings a gun to the classroom and launches a horror-filled episode where teens are forced to face the ugliness within each of them. The better known book and movie Carrie covered some of the same concepts of peer cruelty. Today, these themes are still relevant, maybe even more so in a society where both parents are forced to work longer and longer hours and children are often left to handle the world on their own.

The book Rage became an issue of controversy after a number of school shootings were perpetrated by teens who had read and perhaps recognized their own pain in the character of Charlie Decker.

After a time, and too many deaths, Stephen King chose to pull the story from print completely. In a speech on violence, he said: "That such stories, video games (Harris was fond of a violent computer-shootout game called Doom), or photographic scenarios will exist no matter what--that they will be obtainable under the counter if not over it--begs the question. The point is that I don't want to be a part of it. Once I knew what had happened, I pulled the ejection-seat lever on that particular piece of work. I withdrew Rage, and I did it with relief rather than regret."

Everyone faces the choice, sooner or later, what they're willing to accept, what they're willing to promote. These choices define who they are as a person. I may find banning books by Mark Twain or Maya Angelou laughable, but I deeply respect Stephen King for his choice to remove his own work. I respect his decision not to shout fire in a crowded theater.


J.R. Turner is the author of the Extreme Hauntings series. The first book, DFF: Dead Friends Forever is available at Amazon.com, Kindle, Fictionwise, and Echelon Press.com

Jeez...

Sometimes you just got to ask yourself how you ended up in the place where you are.

For my part the day started at 10 a.m. where the family gathered around the kitchen table for our “traditional” weekend breakfast. Then in the middle of me sipping coffee, the phone rings. And from looking at the display, it’s shockingly my godfather! I answer and directly ask him “You’re in Sweden, aren’t you?”, he laughs and says “Yep, like 100 m away from you”. So I met him for coffee at Gränby Centrum (Uppsala’s biggest mall, just 5 min from our house) where we sat for a while just chatting. I haven’t seen him since my Budapest trip in May-June so it was really nice to see him again. Also, it struck me that I’ve never had a chance to just spend time like this with him. But it was definitely fun, and the best part is that he agreed on contributing with a couple of thousands for a new hand phone ;D. See why we just LOVE godfathers!

Then I went home, passed some time by studying etc. till mami said she was ready, and we headed out for her delayed birthday dinner; let me just tell you, I was wearing a pink (of course, haha) belt around my waistline. 40 min into the dinner I had to loose it up by one hole. Another 30 min, I had to loose it up another hole. 10 min before leaving, I was just like “Arrgghh, screw the belt”.

Now I’m sitting here, wondering how I got to this point. I mean the day had started out so good, and now my stomach makes me look like I’m 5 months pregnant. Jeez…

Ban the Books! Oh, yeah, that works...

The concept of banning books cracks me up. It's hysterical. Obviously, whoever came up with the concept never actually met a child or teen, or talked to one at any length. I can tell you definitively that every single thing my parents told me not to do, I did. If this wasn't a family show here, I'd run down the list, but it is. Not to mention most of them were illegal and possibly punishable by fines, jail time, or deportation. Like that stopped me.

The primary contraband of the girls in my middle school wasn't drugs or alcohol...it was V.C. Andrews. One girl would be assigned "lookout" at the cafeteria table, while another read particularly entralling passages out loud. This wasn't the first group of 7th graders these teachers had dealt with, and they could spot a shiny, cutout cover and an overworn spine clear across five tables.

I was an avid reader, but these were the only non-assigned books I ever saw come out of anyone else's backpack. Other than Go Ask Alice, that is. A rather free-thinking teacher of ours assigned that in Reading. Only time you never caught anyone trying to nap in class.

But sex, drugs and rock n' roll aren't the main reason books are banned, at least in my opinion. It's ideas.

Take a look at the banned authors list. Maya Angelou. Steinbeck. Shakespeare. Benjamin Franklin. Kurt Vonnegut. Great thinkers who encouraged people to look at things from a different viewpoint, to challenge the accepted ways of thinking, the ways pressed on them by the government and the church. People are scared of thoughts, because thoughts turn into actions, and actions can become revolution. Martin Luther (not King, Jr.) nailed a paper to a church door, and it not only changed the course of Western civilization, but was also used almost 500 years later to fuel the Nazi's war on Jews. Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, started another revolution. If it weren't for his pamphlet, we Americans might still be paying for our morning coffee with British pounds.

Librarians, teachers, and parents will use excuses, like language, sexual content, etc. for banning a book, but if you look more closely, actually open the book and read, you'll find those few scintillating passages mostly obscured by the revolutionary thoughts they inspire.

In one of my favorite books, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which, along with its fellows, has spent a fair amount of time on certain schools' banned lists), Hermione is thrilled when a magazine containing an inflammatory interview with Harry is made contraband by a professor. Harry is confused, until Hermione says, " If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!"

So grab yourself a banned book, and Viva La Revolution!

Jacquelyn Sylvan is the author of Surviving Serendipity, a YA Fantasy novel. Click below to get your copy...before someone bans it!

Books Which Should Be Banned

Ban these books! Ban them now! Protect our children (whom we all know can’t think or formulate ideas all by themselves) from the influence of these so-called ‘authors’, who obviously have an nefarious agenda beyond simply entertaining the youth of America and encouraging them to drop the XBOX controller for a few hours in order to read:

The Harry Potter series. How dare J.K. Rawling! She has the audacity to inspire grade school kids to read 600+ page novels when that time could be better spent watching TV, not to mention the number of young readers who select wizardry as a career choice afterwards.

The Twilight series. Of course, we all know vampires are evil, but that’s not why Stephanie Meyer’s books should be banned. It’s for selfish reasons, because her novels have disrupted my sleep patterns. My oldest daughter insisted on attending the midnight release party of Breaking Dawn, which meant I had to drive her and her friends downtown in the middle of the night so she could be one of the first to get a copy. I had to stay awake until 2:00 AM to pick them up, and was grumpy all the next day from lack of sleep. To make matters worse, my daughter didn’t clean our cats’ litter box because her face was buried in the book all day.

Every other teen vampire novel. They teach impressionable youth that vampires aren’t monsters to be feared, but simply teen emos (teemos?) in love. That ain’t gonna help them much if they ever come across a real vampire, who probably won’t look like Robert Pattinson.

Everything by Edgar Allen Poe. He’s just too weird to be trusted with our children.

Halo (and any other book based on a video game). I’m actually half-serious here. You know you are obsessed when the time you spend away from your favorite game is spent reading about them. See that shiny orb in the sky outside? It’s called the sun. Go enjoy it.

Captain Underpants. This popular series could influence kids to imitate the actions of its hero. And there reaches a point in a child’s life when running around in his underpants is no longer cute.

Green Eggs and Ham. Oooh! Stay away from this one, kids! It might encourage you to put weird-colored things in your mouth that don’t belong there. What’s next, Bleu Cheese and Drano?

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Now I know why I have currently a problem with rodents in my house. My kids are giving them chocolate chip cookies! Well, there goes their allowance. I need that money to pay for an exterminator.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Poor Cindy Lou Who, waking in the middle of the night to see a man without pants hovering over the Christmas tree.

Hop on Pop. Kids, why would you want to jump on your dad? You know he has acid reflux and digestive issues. Or is this book encouraging you to slowly kill him for the insurance? Did your mom put you up to this? Just for that, I’m revising my will to leave everything to the dog. At least he leaps on me because he’s simply happy to see me again.

Goodnight Moon. Talking to inanimate objects, such as mittens, bowls of mush and socks, is a tell-tale sign of insanity. Do we want our kids to talk to articles of clothing just before they go to bed? If Edgar Allen Poe (see above) wrote for children, he’d have come up with something like this, only the baby bunny would have killed the old lady whispering hush, then stashed her remains under the floorboards.

Killer Cows. My upcoming novel. I can’t think of any reason it would be banned, but if any of you can, that’s a lot of free publicity for me. After all, nothing says ‘buy me’ more than a media product which sparks moral outrage in a few loudmouthed individuals who think their own personal values will save the world. Thanks in advance.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author, who doesn’t really believe anything he just posted.

D.M. Anderson
http://dmanderson.blogspot.com

Man v. Food

I got an email from a PR person asking me to tell all 14 of my readers about this Wednesday's Man v. Food episode in Washington, where crazypants Adam will try to eat way too much way too fast (Travel Channel, 10pm).

But that just REMINDED me that I wanted to tell you (yes you!) that in December Man v. Food will be going where Guy Fieri has never been (much to my dismay), but where every good, scarlet-blooded American has felt outrageously full at 3am.

Obviously I'm talking about the Grease Trucks at Rutgers University. We all have our Trucks stories, a few summarized below.

1. Overnighting a Truck sandwich to a friend/boyfriend for birthday/just to say hi
2. Wee hours post-party sandwich
3. The time you thought you wanted a second sandwich
4. Post-rehearsal dinner snack with out-of-town guests
5. Pre-8:10 class on Voorhees Mall breakfast of egg & cheese on a bagel and a $1 (delicious) hot chocolate.

Do you have a good Trucks story? Leave it in the comments.

Confused? Click the links, read up. Basically, at the Trucks you can get a sandwich with your sides on it. So you're not sure if you want mozzarella sticks, fries, or chicken fingers. Why not put them all on a bun? No really, why not? There's no good reason why not. As they say in the parking lot where the trucks permanently reside: Just do it.

Other facts:

-That sandwich I mentioned is the Fat Darrell, and it was voted Best Sandwich by Maxim magazine. Wonder if the Travel Channel is gonna tell you THAT! 

-You can read about them on "This Is Why You're Fat."

- Vegetarians are welcome (a falafel sandwich is available). 

- I know Barry of the Fat Barry.

- This one time, there was drama.

Grease Trucks
Parking lot across from Voorhees Mall, corner of Hamilton & College Ave
New Brunswick, NJ

Image is probably the copyrighted R of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Ban This Book - I Dare You!

Being one who talks a lot, I can't fathom anything beyond free speech. And book banning? Yes, while some books have no useful purpose other than to cause anarchy, harm others, or create chaos, it's the other books I'm more concerned with - one person's banned book may be someone else's fun read.

Take The Witch Tree, a perfect little Halloween read. It's a dark little tale. A story of man vs. nature, good vs. evil. There're some yucky parts, too, perfect for a horror tale. Definitely not some people's cup of tea. I like to read scary stuff. I grew up with Stephen King. I like scary movies. I like to write scary stories sometimes too.

So, maybe it's not your cup of tea or coffee. I understand, but I hope it is! If you want to ban it, however, go ahead. It'll only make it more desirable. So, someone ban it, please! (Hint-hint!)

Excerpt from THE WITCH TREE by C.A. Verstraete:

What he noticed first was the sound.

Jimmy Grayson lifted his head from the grimy pillow, stared at the open window, and cringed. The onslaught seemed to come from every direction. He placed a hand over his ear to try to block it out. No such luck. High-pitched screeches, nonstop chattering, the endless wall of freaking sound was making him crazy.

In one swift motion, he threw off the dingy, worn quilt, catapulted from the bed, and rushed to the window. "Shut up!" he screamed, not caring how unhinged he sounded. "Shut the hell up!"

It stopped.

Ahhh. A deep sigh escaped him; an appreciation for the quiet filled him. He exhaled in a soft whoosh of air. The muscles in his neck relaxed as the tension left. His eyes closed almost of themselves-then popped open as the cacophony started up again.
The endless, unendurable shrieks, chirps, and chatters surrounded him from all sides like a blanket. With each passing second, the sound from hundreds of blackbirds increased in volume.

** I dare you to read on! Turn the lights low, or fire up the laptop and read THE WITCH TREE. Oh, don’t forget to lock the door!

* Buy THE WITCH TREE at Fictionwise

Unintelligent Design

Last week, I found myself in the most amusing of discussions with a proponent of the so-called Theory of Intelligent Design. I've enjoyed arguing against this watered-down little brother of Biblical Creationism since I first came across it, and certainly jumped at the chance to do so with Grinning Devotee.


The conversation followed the normal gyrations - first, he put it to me that evolution was "just a theory", which didn't comprehensively account for the complexity of the human body - a creation so marvellous that it must warrant a designer. Ignoring the logical follow-up question ("who designed the designer?"), I argued that there was no real evidence against the theory of evolution, other than the spurious claim that anything complex must have been consciously created or designed rather than having painstakingly evolved via natural selection. Finally, he turned the accusation around. "What evidence is there, looking at the extraordinary complexity of the human body, that it wasn't designed by a higher intelligence?", he challenged.

And this is where it got fun. The human body is a veritable laundry list of unintelligent features, just a few of which are provided below for your consideration.

Appendixes: First on the list would have to be an organ which, despite serving no discernible function, can explode, flood our bodies with poison, and kill us in a matter of days. Intelligent Design disciples have consistently had difficulty providing any explanation for the inclusion of this vestigial organ in an intelligently-designed human body.

Hemorrhoids: Yes, hemorrhoids. Apart from being painful, the humble hemorrhoid is renowned for occurring exclusively in humans. As the only truly bipedal mammals, humans have evolved in one distinctly unintelligent way. Think about it - can you name another mammal whose anus is directly below its centre of gravity?

Semen Allergy: Referred to in medical circles as Human Seminal Plasma Hypersensitivity, this condition causes around 5% of women to have an allergic reaction to proteins in their partner's semen. The reaction can involve anything from redness and itching, to hives, blisters, and even anaphylactic shock. It's hard to think of a less intelligent factor to include in human reproduction.

Maternal Mortality: On the note of women's health, the WHO estimates that the lifetime risk of death caused by pregnancy and childbirth is a whopping 1 in 16 for women who don't have access to modern medical techniques such as Caesarean sections and blood transfusions. This rate is a great deal higher in humans than in other mammals. It's easy to see why. Our brains and heads have evolved rapidly to become much larger than the heads of any other ape, whilst our pelvises are disproportionately small.

Wisdom Teeth: This item should come as no surprise to anyone who's visited their dentist for the painfully expensive, and just plain painful experience of having these yanked out of your head. These teeth are thought to be vestigial remnants of a larger human jaw, containing more teeth for crushing and chewing plant matter, but now they essentially serve the function of creating wealth in the dental industry, and providing mortifying pain and infection to a large proportion of human adults. Archaeologists examining mass graves from the middle ages have surmised that the majority of (non-accidental) adolescent deaths from the period were probably caused by major impaction of the third molars. In terms of the debate at hand, it seems ironic that they're called wisdom teeth.

The Human Spine: In the course of their lives, up to 90% of adults will experience back pain. For many, the pain will be severe, and debilitating enough to cause significant problems with mobility, work, leisure and sleep. As far back as 1951, the late-great anthropologist and anatomist W.M. Krogman argued that the high incidence of vertebral problems in humans, which is not observed in other animals, can be attributed to the failure of the human spine to adequately adapt to walking upright. As he noted in Scientific American "the result is some ingenious adaptations, not all of them successful".

and finally...

Cancer: It's hard to argue that there's anything intelligent about cells which can be genetically programmed to turn into fatal tumours.

Grinning Devotee was amused, but unconvinced by the evidence of poor planning entailed in the human body. He said;

"You can't get pissed at God for everything that can go wrong with a good design."

"On the plus side", I said, "if you believe in evolution, then you don't need to get pissed with God at all."

"Ah," said Grinning Devotee. "Now you're just trying to be clever."

How intelligent is Intelligent Design?

Banned Books

Here's the question I want to pose: Should books be banned?


I believe this question that is present in a lot of mind with a lot of strong opinions on the topic. There are people who strongly believe that books should not be banned while there are others who believe that certain books should not be and should, therefore, be banned. Then, obviously, there are the people in the middle, who are unsure or who simply do not care either way.

According to the first amendment, our country grants the right of free speech. A book is an author's form of his or her own speech. If as citizens we have the right of free speech, why should books be banned based on what they authors have written? Do they not have the right to free speech as is stated in our Constitution?

On the other hand, there are certain things that should not be spoken. There are times when it is important that a book be banned. There are topics that are simply taboo to be spoken about in society and, if an author wishes to discuss them, that author should know that it could land them on a list of banned books.

The first argument is made by one against the banning of books while the second argument is made in favor of banned books. People have their opinions, as exhibited by these separate arguments, and they are entitled to their own opinions. So this entire subject dwindles down to a matter of opinions and whether or not a person chooses to allow his or her opinions to show.

Banning the Bat

I was sitting at a book signing, my books spread out on a table in front of me. A boy walked by, maybe twelve years old, thirteen... I can't tell ages of kids much anymore. His mother was standing back a bit.

Anyway, he was drawn to the covers of my Adventures of Guy series. The book covers are lively and cartoonish, and they often are mistaken as books for the younger'uns.

But my Guy series is filled with a bit more mature of a theme, and as you know I don't like to corrupt the critters (It's okay to corrupt everyone else).

"Actually, that's for a bit older crowd," I said, and then I gestured towards my new book, Fang Face, which was written for his age. "You might like this one more."

He reached out, but before he could take it, his mother grabbed his arm and pulled him away. As she hurried him away to safety, she shot over her shoulder, "We're Christians, we don't support that kind of book."

My mouth dropped open.

Not like that's anything new, but mostly because I'm talking.

But this time no words came out. I was stunned.

She obviously took offense at the topic of Fang Face... vampires... and somehow felt vampires were a threat to her religious views, and that it might taint her vulnerable, young, sensitive son.

Even more, judging from the sneer on her face, she obviously took offense to me, as I am the creator of the book that so offended her sensibilities.

She knows nothing of my religious views.

She knows nothing of my moral compass

She obviously knows nothing of vampires either, because if she'd have given it a thought, she would have realized that the best way to fight a vampire is ... a cross.

You know, a cross. She was probably wearing one.

So how does this diminish her religion? What possible offense can she take to the symbol she holds so dear being held up as the bastion of protection to the threat from the dark side, the undead?

Most of you who know me know I'm rarely at a loss for words. But it wouldn't have helped me to argue with this lady. Obviously, she uses her religion as a platform to lift herself above other people. She uses it in a way not intended. She could have hustled him away without making a loud moral pronouncement on me.

Will this help her son as he casts about for his own moral compass? Will her strict indoctrination lock him into her feeling on the world, or will he turn away from her, rebel and push away from her black and white views on evil?

Will she drive him to seek out the very thing she tries to shelter him from? Forbidden books. Banned books.

There's a reason that some writers try to write books that will be banned. They are popular. People want to read them.

So bring it on, lady. Get my book banned. And I'll see you on the Best Seller lists!

Norm

www.fangface.homestead.com
www.normcowie.com

(exciting day today, It's my anniversary ... 24 years!)

Insomnia

I did so enjoy painting this one, but I battled with the photograph.

I picked up on Dean's tip of using black gesso and then just painting with Prussian blue/Cad red and a bit of white mixed in in varying degrees.

Painting the negative shapes was a total challenge and sometimes I had to double back and constantly check where I was going with those tree shadows.

But the title! I finally settled on Insomnia, but am not 100% happy with it. Anyone got any other suggestions?

Be Lucky to have an Attitude

My attitude is an important part of my personality. One could go as far as to say it’s a definitive part! It’s what sets me apart from other people. Other peoples’ attitudes are also what draw me to get to know them, and what make them heard in a crowd.

A great example of someone’s attitude setting them apart from the crowd is my cousin. He is six-and-some months younger than me, but what he lacks in age he makes up for in attitude. At first glace he might seem like your typical blonde-haired, bespectacled trumpet player and DnD player extraordinaire, but once you get to know him his intense personality overshadows (almost) all of that.

My cousin is the type of person who speaks his mind. Always. He will also spend hours arguing his opinion until his adversary admits defeat or simply gives in. He doesn’t seem that he stresses too much about what others think of him because of it. And while this does get him some enemies, it also earns him respect. In certain groups, that which he has uttered is now law.

This incredibly assertive and cynical attitude also comes with incredible loyalty. He will defend a friend with the same fervor he possesses when debating about politics (and that is something you do not want to get him started on). Also, he is one of the most amusing people I know.

I often find myself wishing I had an attitude like that. Something about my personality that would make people say, “Ah, here comes Kieryn!” like they do when they see my cousin. But then I realize I’m still not sure how to define my own personality. And until I am, I’ll just have to be content having friends with attitudes.

Kieryn

www.kierynnicolas.blogspot.com

www.kierynnicolas.com

Find me on Facebook!

Dining Guide - My thoughts

Here you can find Tom Sietsema's 10th Dining Guide, for 2009.

My quick thoughts (because you care, really):

YAY!!!
- Poste. Love it.
- Corduroy. Obvi.
- Rasika
- 2 Amys
- I've never been to Volt, but I <3<3<3 Bryan Voltaggio on Top Chef. And that's enough for me!

HMMM...
- I don't love Jaleo. Maybe I've picked the wrong dishes, maybe it's inconsistent, or maybe it's just not the kind of food I like (I doubt the last one because I love love love most kinds of food).
- Eventide. Yep, I just can't really agree with you there, Mr. S.
- The service at Zaytinya can be spotty, and S confirmed that I'm not crazy when I say that sometimes dishes are CRAZY salty! And other times they aren't (I've made 7+ trips). So it's been weird, I actually stopped recommending it to people. But maybe I'd still rec for brunch, when it's quiet. It used to be one of my favorites, but it's turned love/hate. Not sure if Mike I. has anything to do with it sort of subconsciously.

ADDITIONS
A few amazing restaurants that would be on MY dining guide list but aren't on Tom's: Vermilion, Brasserie Beck.

And if Inn at Little Washington gets on, where is Town House in Chilhowie? Not worth it? Too far? How far is too far? Ethical questions, people. We're going to Town House next week, and I can't WAIT to tell you what we think about it!

COOL PLACES: I WANT TO GO TO THERE(S) (on the sooner side)
The Inn, Komi, Minibar, and Present. Prob Present is the one we'll go to soon--we drove by it the other day and did a forehead smack, "Ohh that's where it is!"

Keeping a Good Attitude

Sometimes, it can be hard to keep a good outlook on life. Bad days happen, and sometimes, it can feel downright impossible to smile when your hair looks scary on the night of your big date, your dog died, or you got in a fight with your best friend. Sometimes it's all you can do to not hide from the world... (I would have had an image here of my husband's cat, hiding under blankets, but I couldn't get it to load)

I've been told I've got a really good outlook on life. Most are surprised when they find out I've had depression because apparently I'm "always sunny."

Part of keeping a good attitude, in my humble opinion, is making yourself crawl out from under that blanket and do things. From the writers' perspective, bad days can be especially knarly. When I feel down, I have a hard time writing. Words evade me, and I find myself picking out flaws in my work (regardless of if they're true flaws at all). But I sit down at that computer anyway and try to put down something, and it helps. Often, all it takes is one decently crafted sentence to brighten my day -- silly and simple as it is.

When I'm with friends who feel cruddy, I drag them out somewhere with a "c'mon lets go get ice cream," or a "Let's go take a walk" or "Let's go check out that exhibit at the museum." Doing things, no matter how small, helps get your mind of the bad stuff. The main thing to remember is that life doesn't stop on a bad day -- life keeps rolling.

Make the choice to roll with it, because, tomorrow is a clean slate. :)

GROUP PROJECT

Krysia explains..

http://krysiakordecki.blogspot.com/2009/10/word-up.html

WHITE

Autumn

I keep finding these wonderful challenge blogs, and the latest on my list is Dana Marie's Inspiration all Around us. That is where I got my last posted painting of the horse from .

Dana Marie runs her blog a little differently in that you have to do your own posts. All you do is email her and she lets you have the details, and off you go!

This is the latest one from the blog - just a reminder of Autumn to all of you living in the Northern Hemisphere!



Oh I'm as pleased as Punch and so honoured! The inimitable James Parker, who lives in Texas, has a wicked sense of humour, also runs a challenge blog called Windows to the Words.

Last month he posted pictures of cats and my drawing of Michelle's Figaro was given 2nd place and a prize to boot!Thank you James, for doing what you do, and being who you are.

Attitude is in the Eye of the Beholder

Has anyone ever told you that you have an attitude problem? Did you know that if that has happened to you, I probably envy you?

Attitude is a huge catch-word in this culture. "You need an adjustment in attitude." "I don't appreciate your attitude." "You'd get much farther faster without that smart attitude." "Your attitude is your biggest problem." If it's true that attitude is such a problem, how come it's such a celebrated character trait in so many of our TV shows, movies, and books (not to mention our celebrities and rock stars)?

Back when Harry Potter was still in awe of being at Hogwarts, who provided a lot of the fun? The Weasley twins, of course, with their flippant, humorous attitude toward the world at large and Hogwarts in particular. Anybody out there think Wolverine doesn't have an attitude? Or how about Spiderman? On TV, the Winchester brothers, particularly Dean, survive because of it, and if you want the man whose picture is in the dictionary next to the A-word, try watching House.

In real life, attitude is corrected, quashed, curbed, and sometimes punished. But everyone must be sporting a little bit of rebel in them, or all of these characters would have faded into the woodwork or been tossed onto the scrap heap of the soon-forgotten, and that's just not the case. In the anonymity of a movie theater, or in the privacy of our own homes, we celebrate people with attitude. What else could possibly explain Eminem?

And I, with my polite, old-fashioned, all-girls-Catholic-school education, not only celebrate attitude along with the rest, but also admire. I sometimes wish I had that kind of attitude -the quick razor wit that's a weapon when need be, the thick skin that would allow me to let put-downs and unkind comments slide off my back like so much water. Sigh. I probably wouldn't want to work in the same department as House, but boy, I sure could use some of what he's got. Attitude? Me? Don't I wish.

Stribling Farm & Chateau O'Brien Winery

When we went to Stribling Orchard for some last-minute apple picking, we had NO IDEA that Travel + Leisure had rated it one of America's Best Apple Picking Farms! Wowzers. Talk about impressive.

This place is great for kids and adults alike--and it doesn't hurt if the weather happens to be a perfect 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky. Just about an hour from the stressful, hustle-bustle city life is a place where your biggest problem is picking more apples than you can comfortably carry. Thirty acres of apples to roam around, marked by a color-coding system so you know what's in season and what's for baking v. eating.

Other things: Bring a picnic! And if you arrive in the early afternoon, please get in line for a pie BEFORE you pick--we waited more than a half hour on line in the store (which had treats like jams, preserves, honeys, bbq sauce (!!) not to mention the pies, breads, and turnovers) only to watch the last pie get sold. One mom pre-paid for 2 pies, and she was prepared to make her family wait 45 minutes until they were cooked and cooled. I KNOW that earlier the line wasn't nearly as long and they were not out of pies.

The only baked item left when we got to the front was this apple raisin bread. Darn.


I'm kidding about the darn, of course. This "bread" was like an enormous fluffy pastry. If you squeeze the loaf, it squished for you, then slowly rose back up. It was filled with fresh apples--not apple "flavor."

And did I mention they let you use adult tools?!

Stribling Orchard
Markham, VA
Getting there: You take 66, and then just hop off. Directions on the web site.

NEXT! Just like our previous U-Pick experience (Bluemont Vineyard after strawberry-picking at Great Country Farms ), tired out from our farmwork, we headed to the closest vineyard. About 2, maybe 3 minutes away is Chateau O'Brien.

The tasting room was CRAZY--there are two, one for the regular $5 tasting, and one for the $10 cellar tasting. We had enough standing around after the major line for our apple bread, and we were in need of a snack. A crusty baguette and cheese plate later, with a glass of apple wine (the owner said it's too sweet for him--on this beautiful day, especially after picking, I thought it was just right) and a glass of the Northpoint Red, and we were set up juuuust fine on the amazing patio.

What views! Also, we usually only go to wineries in the summer--an exception for the mulled wine at Swedenburg. So this is one of the few times we've really seen the grapes hanging on the vines.

They are pretty into Tannat--I'd like to try it on my next visit. Is it the grape that will make Virginia wines great, as the CO proprietors claim? Maybe. But it's not native, like Norton.

The inside space at Chateau O'Brien is also really nice--a lot of places in the NoVa wine trail are all about their outdoor space, with plenty of room for picnicking, etc, but very little indoor seating. Understandable, because mostly people come for a tasting. But I can see curling up in the coziness of Chateau O'Brien on a winter weekend afternoon, sipping a deep red wine in a big comfy sweater. Almost makes me look forward to winter...almost.


Chateau O'Brien
Markham, VA
Getting there: We just followed the signs after the exit for Markham.

True Life Mysteries - The Bermuda Triangle

*No, it's not Ground Hog Day and I'm not Andie McDowell (I wish!) or Bill Murray, so in case you think you're seeing double...you are! Pam Ripling and I must have great minds, because we think alike! Therefore, we both posted on the same subject. Enjoy this 2nd story about...

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as The Devil's Triangle, has been the subject of controversy and mystery for decades. The most familiar boundary has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Miami, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Bermuda with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.

According to legend, strange happenings have been documented as early as Christopher Columbus who reported his compass showed unusual readings in the Sargasso Sea, and have continued through the centuries.

Perhaps the most famous story has been the DEC 5, 1945 disappearance of Flight 19, a group of 5 TBM Avenger Navy bombers that took off from the coast of Fort Lauderdale, FL. It is claimed that the flight leader was heard saying, "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." Although wreckage of similar planes have been found, whatever happened to Flight 19 remains a mystery.

Many explanations have been offered from UFO's, to methane gas, to rogue waves. The only things more plentiful than the number of disappearances of ships, planes and people, are the number of explanations!

Everything you'd ever want to know about The Bermuda Triangle!

What are your favorite theories? Got any new ones??


Mary Cunningham Books
Cynthia's Attic Blog

I'm proud to announce that Book Four in the award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" will be released by Quake (Echelon Imprint) DEC 2009! Buy the first three books on Amazon and pre-order "The Magician's Castle." Echelon Press