Brad Meltzer gets in on the dogpile
September 6, 2008
Duck Sauce Theater brings you...
A video of Brad Meltzer's family and friends piling on to the less-than-favorable reviews of his latest book, The Book of Lies, released 2 Sep 08 by GCP. Go have a look - it's a hoot.
Makes me want to read the book just to see if those "real" reviewers know what the hell they're talking about. Anyone out there read the book yet?
The video is over there in the lower left of the Main TGTBTU Page.
Tags: 2008, Brad Meltzer, Duck Sauce Theater, Grand Central Publishing, Ponderings, September 2008, The Book of LiesWait a Minute…Stop the Presses…Hold Everything!
September 3, 2008
Did you know that Elizabeth Peters has a new Vicky Bliss book out? Did you care? Well I do. I care a lot. I know that I have expounded upon my love for Elizabeth Peters, and in particular, the Vicky Bliss books before, but here it is in a nutshell. Elizabeth Peters is really the writer who got me reading romance. My mother introduced me to her books when I was 12 or 13 or so. By that time she had already accrued an impressive backlist, as I believe she had already been writing for twenty years at that point. Plenty to keep me entertained for years. Read more
Usain Bolt Joins us on Duck Sauce Theater
September 2, 2008
Go back and look on the main TGTBTU page, in the lower left corner at Duck Sauce Theater. You'll see a short interview with "Usain Bolt" - the Fastest Man on Earth.
I swear - it's real! No really!
Tags: 2008, Duck Sauce Theater, Gwen is causing trouble, PonderingLove It or Hate It, It’s Heeeerrrreeeee
August 30, 2008
 |
What'm I talking about? Well FOOTBALL of course! One of my favorite things is college football. I'm a big fan, but not die hard. (Although my sister and I are plotting ways we can catch the game while at a friend's wedding in a few weeks. Actually, his wedding is a two day extravaganza.) Do the polls and numbers numbers mean anything to you? Good things? Bad things? Do you agree or disagree? Could care less? |  |
I don't know about you, but I went to a big football school. I think it was a combinations of things. We won the national championship my freshman year. I didn't even buy season tickets going in - because really - who cares about football? :X (Sacrilege, I know. Hey - I grew up and have lived all my life North of the Mason Dixon line.) Not to say we don't have good football up North. I mean there's The Ohio State University, and that state up North (both in the Big Ten). I suppose I have to give props to the Pac Ten as well. Otherwise, the SEC is a major power house, and everyone knows football is akin to religion (if not greater) for the Big Twelve. (Yes I know there are more conferences.)
Some of the big schools playing this Saturday are the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes, Trojans, Sooners, Gators, Tigers, Mountaineers, and Longhorns. Some schools have awesome mascots. Others are run of the mill. You have your fierce animals, the ones everyone knows - and then the interesting ones.
 |
Even if you have nothing to do with sports, there are some mascots that are recognizable to everyone. Likely everyone knows John Harvard. (*Please* tell me you can place this one.) The Ivy League is fun - it makes sports fanatics cringe, but Harvard and Yale have fun at their game, and the crazy traditions. (I know Harvard students go streaking before the game.) There's the green wave (Tulane)- but their mascot figure is a pelican. Stanford's tree has a mascot contest, I believe - which is fun (or they used to). Does your school, big or small, have a nutty sports tradition? |  |
There are the teams you love, and the teams you hate. And I haven't even gotten into pro football yet. (Don't worry, I won't. ) But other than this post being YAY YAY YAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK AND THAT'S AMAZINGLY TERRIFIC - I'd like to involve all of you.
 |
Do you like football? Hate it? Like another sport? Soccer, Baseball, Hockey? Have had friends who were on teams, managed teams, were cheerleaders or dancers for a team? Does your significant other love or hate sports? Are you sitting there with him/her or wishing you could use a crow bar to pry him or her off the couch? (Or using said crowbar to brain them?) |
I liked playing touch football well enough, but I was never big on professional spots. Until, as I said, freshman year. There was no avoiding it, and by the end, I didn't want to. I also discovered Susan Elizabeth Phillips, one of my favorite authors, and read her Chicago Stars books. Honestly- how can you not be at least the tiniest interested in football after that?
| Still, even with all the football hype, some times my favorite stories and things about the sport are the human interest stories. Like Michael Oher's. Yes, the article is long, but it's worth reading. And - tell me how you can hate a sport which makes a life and gives someone who wouldn't otherwise have them, great opportunities. |  |
And of course, to make this everyone friendly - what's a something that you absolutely love love love, that you look forward to yearly, (or whatever time period). Or, any good sports stories? Or bad- because sometimes those can be good too. 
Or a favorite character who is/was a pro athlete. (Rachel Gibson, Deirdre Martin and number of other authors write terrific stories with such characters.)
Hopelessly Devoted to Yooooooouuuuuuuuuu
August 28, 2008
Look at Me, Im Sandra Dee - Grease
Sonny: Yeah, you wish.
Rizzo: Some people are so touchy.
Next Movie Night: Groundhogs Day
Anyone read any good books lately?
Tags: Hopelessly devoted, Sybil is behind as alwaysMy peeps
August 25, 2008
My kind of guys, s'all I'm sayin'. Listen to the NPR Morning Edition short blurb here.
---
Vandals in Hot Water for 'Fixing' Typo on Historic Grand Canyon Sign
Saturday , August 23, 2008
PHOENIX -
When it comes to marking up historic signs, good grammar is a bad defense.
Two self-styled vigilantes against typos who defaced a more than 60-year-old, hand-painted sign at Grand Canyon National Park were sentenced to probation and banned from national parks for a year.
Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson pleaded guilty Aug. 11 for the damage done March 28 at the park's Desert View Watchtower. The sign was made by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the architect who designed the rustic 1930s watchtower and other Grand Canyon-area landmarks.
Deck and Herson, both 28, toured the United States this spring, wiping out errors on government and private signs. They were interviewed by NPR and the Chicago Tribune, which called them "a pair of Kerouacs armed with Sharpies and erasers and righteous indignation."
---
LOVE it!
Tags: 2008, Gwen, Gwen is causing trouble, PonderingsBack to School
August 19, 2008
Let's educate ourselves. A potentially dangerous topic, but I think much good could also come from it. So, this is a pondering that will hopefully be fueled by all of you. We all make mistakes, and life generally throws such mistakes in our face. So, we'll try to keep this as nice as possible. Of course, this will also double as a forum for venting - so really, as long as we keep personal attacks out of it, I'm good.Sensitivity - is this an issue you think about? Do you know someone who asks really awkward questions? I'm not talking about the once in a blue moon foot in mouth situation. I mean the person who makes at least three people uncomfortable each day.
A friend recently sent me this article. It's a fun column in general, but this week what I'm going to direct your attention to would be the third question. It might not seem like a big deal, but think - have you ever asked someone "what are you?" - or how you would feel if someone asked you that? My personal favorite answer I've heard is "A human." But I suppose that would be just as rude as the question. (Does a rude question excuse a subsequent rude response?)
Now I'm not saying this is something you should never ask. If you're talking about diversity, personal experiences, or the other person mentions "back home" or some other sort of lead in - go for it and ask. You could learn some great things. I'm pretty sure I've asked it myself. But I've never done it within 5 minutes of meeting someone.
| Something else I recently saw online was an ethnic label attached to something medical, and it simply grated on me. This has also been on my mind, because I recently saw a commercial that I found rather unnecessary. H5N1 is something I've been following off and on for more than five years now. H5N1 is Avian Influenza, better known as Bird Flu. The BBC has had a page on it for something like forever. Those of us in the west have been safe thus far, though governments are somewhat prepared. There was an uproar when the US government spent millions of dollars on a vaccine about three years ago. Also, there have been some more recent developments, trying back to a sad event in Spain's history. A friend of mine was 100% adamant last summer that humans could not get bird flu. Hopefully it never becomes an issue (or a greater one) for him or any of us. |  |
So, I'll leave you with that commercial I saw. What do you think? Educational, or scare tactic? (I'm ok with the "you need to be aware" intention behind it - but... geez. What's with commercials these days? Like the missing child cum battery one.)
But back to the main point - what is something people might not encounter in their every day lives that you think they should know about, or would like them to get right when they talk about it? Major or minor, I'd love to hear it.
Tags: Limecello, PonderingAnd I’m Still Pissed Off!
August 17, 2008
Ever have one of those days when nothing, not a damned thing, goes right and then to top it all off, something really stupid, irritating, outrageous and any other word you want to toss in there happens?? That happened to me just a few days ago. I was even relaxing at the time, trying to slough everything off and enjoy a good book while having dinner. And even though I pretty much laughed off the pinnacle of the bad day at the time, later I was just plain old ticked off. 
What could have happened you ask? Every time I turned around, it was something. First I had to wrap up a few books I was going to mail out to some friends. I love to share my pastime when I can. But do you think I could find all of them on the first go-round of looking for them on the shelves, in the boxes, in the cupboards, or stacked on the desks and wherever else I have to stash them in this small townhouse? No. Of course not. Why should something so darned easy be easy? I go through every box before I find a couple of them, then through three cupboards to find a few more, a stack on the desk falls over when I go through those books. I trip over the stupid flap of a box I left out the night before. At least I didn't fall on my ass, but it ticks me off even further just because. After a lot of cursing and muttering and yelling, I eventually found all the books, got them wrapped up and put in my nifty little American flag tote, and was finally ready to head out to do errands. Now, in Central California in the middle of August, it gets hot. Very hot. Sunshine galore. 115 degrees in the shade hot. This doesn't bode well for running around doing errands. You end up drenched and tired as all get-out when you're done, so you probably should have stayed home anyway.
Do ya think that even crossed my mind this particular day? You guessed it. And because I'm one who doesn't want to make two or three trips to the car in my detached garage here in the complex, I load myself and my handy-dandy rolling thingamajig up and lug everything I'm going to need in one all-inclusive trip. It's only 10 a.m. I'm already dripping just halfway to the garage. But I get the car loaded and am ready to take off. Then I remembered. I forgot something. In the house. So I trudge all the way the back, continuing to mutter that string of swearing I had started earlier. And adding a few extras for good measure. At last I'm in the car and I crank the air conditioning to high. Oh, that felt so goooooood! So good that I decide to start with my errand that's furthest away, giving myself time to cool off and then later in the day when I'm finished with everything, I won't be too far from my nice air conditioned home. A darned good plan if I do say so myself. My optimism, which I haven't seen much of so far, is finally rising. You know the old saying I spoke too soon?
I actually thought things were going well after I got on the road and got the first few errands under my belt. Of course, if I was one to make a list of things I need to do I probably wouldn't forget one or two. And drive right past where I need to be. So I cussed a little more after realizing I missed a stop. I heaved a big old sigh and decided to heck with it, I'll just do it next week. By this time I expected my car to start smoking or just come to a chugging halt all together. It was one of those types of days. I hadn't yet had lunch, so I was hungry on top of the irritation, which didn't help one iota. One more final decision. Get the last couple of errands completed and then stop at my favorite Mexican place for my plate of taquitos to enjoy while I get back into Jill Shalvis' book, Flashpoint, the new Harlequin Blaze I got when I met her at the RWA conference in San Francisco. I'd started it the night before, was really enjoying it, so figured this would be a nice way to end a really shitty day. Or so I thought.
I ordered my taquitos, my diet Pepsi, had my bowl of chips and salsa at the table, which I was thoroughly enjoying. Had my Shalvis propped open with my weighted bookmark (an absolute wonderful invention for readers!) and got lost in the story until my food came to the table. A good book, good food in an air conditioned place away from home for a couple of hours. Finally the day was coming to an enjoyable end. Then I picked up my diet Pepsi. You know what happened, dontcha? I grabbed in the wrong spot, the lid wasn't on it tight, whatever the reason, the entire soda went all over everything. Including me. Including my autographed copy of Flashpoint. Of course, that was the first thing I saved! Forget my purse. Forget the food. I had to save my book. But it was too late. I could see the pages already warping, even though it was still wet. I knew what it would look like later when it was dry. So I took the towel the gal at the restaruant offered me, dried the cover of the book, dried the inside and outside of my purse, took everything to another table and waited for the new plate of food she kindly offered. Then I started to laugh. What else could I do? I opened my wet book, continued to read about a handsome hero and his beautiful heroine, eventually enjoyed my taquitos, and that was the end of my lousy day from hell. Thank god.
I've since finished Flashpoint. Enjoyed it a lot. Reviewed it and you'll see it here tomorrow. My now crinkled copy of the book sits here next to me and sometimes I smile, sometimes I don't. But it defintely reminds me how wrong things can go, whether you're ready for it or not. What about you and that day you thought would never end? Do you have any reminders that will suddenly bring it back and make you glad it's all over with and you hope to never see another day like it any time soon? Or do you laugh instead? Sometimes when I do happen to glance at my once-wet book, I get that irritated feeling at having lost it that way and I'm still pissed off!
Tags: 2008, Flashpoint, Jill Shalvis, Pondering, Sandy MDing Dong the Cox IS BACK! Hellif we know for how long
August 12, 2008
Those of you who have been with us for a while will remember when waaaaay back in February we began having problems being "seen" by customers on the Cox.com Internet service. Well, we appear to be BACK!! Cox customers can now get to the http://goodbadandunread.com site and actually make comments! and we couldn't be happier!
Welcome back HKD! Welcome back Larissa! Welcome back all of you wonderful folks! Look - even Bowser is happy to see you and is giving you puppy kisses!
Tags: Cox is a pain in our collective asses, Cox's is only fun for puppets, Ponderings, Welcome Back Cox Customers
To Kindle or not to Kindle… That’s a query
August 11, 2008
I recently read this blog post about a reader/writer who has fallen in love with their Kindle. It's making me rethink my thunk on Kindle: No way - don't like a book retailer dictating a reader to me; feels too oligarchical to my silly American feelings; and Amazon "cheats" by releasing books on Kindle three days before print release dates. I just felt skeeved out by all of it. And then I read posts like that. Now I don't know WHAT to do and need some feedback from you folks... Read more
