Pocket Full of Wishes

I've blogged about it before, but will probably be blogging about it again... and again... and again. I'm a purse-addict. I love pocketbooks. I love expensive leather, mid-priced cloth, and everything in between. And part of the reason is, I guess, my infatuation period with each new purse.

It all starts off dreamy. I am currently shlepping around with a very nice Gianni Bernini in black leather. I've had it for 4 months or so, and I've loved it for 3 of them. But something strange ALWAYS happens around the 4th month.

I need two inches more horizontally and perhaps an inch more vertically. Or one inch less. Or better outside pockets. Or a zipper rather than a snap.

Then it begins. Today I tried out Vera Wang's new line and hated all the strap lengths. Lately, it seems, every designer is insisting on providing shorter straps with no option to lengthen. Nope. Sorry, I have a very specific shoulder comfort zone.

I am not a fan of that Kathy person with a cheesy Claddagh rip-off symbol on everything. Ugh.

Tignanello is great, but they always seem either too stiff, or not firm enough. I love hobo bags, but need more structure. I had an Anne Klein leather that I liked, but found a tad too small. I had Stone Mountain, Saddleback, and Coach. I still have a lot of Vera Bradley.

Right now? I have a headache. And I hate my bag.

If You Are Goint to RT, Don't Miss Angela!

If you plan to attend the RT Convention, I recommend you check out Angela James while there.

Details:

Join Angela James and Ron Hogan at RT this Wednesday from 11:45-12:45 to "Polish Your Pitch". Angela got left off the official RT schedule so please help spread the word!

"Samhain Executive Editor Angela James and publishing industry commentator Ron Hogan of Beatrice.com lead an interactive workshop on creating a great story pitch. Come prepared to tell us what your novel's about; we'll take your description apart then help you rebuild it better, stronger, faster. Don't be afraid...we'll be gentle."

Ron Hogan is well known as a savvy,fair book reviewer and knowledgeable commentator on all aspects of the publishing industry, both digital and print.

http://beatrice.com/wordpress/about-ron-hogan/

Angela James is the Executive Editor of Samhain Publishing. Her mission is to drag readers (and authors) to the digital dark side, one reader at a time.

Tea Bag Your Leader

If you, like many of us, have had just about enough of the irresponsible crap going on in Washington, you can send them a message online. Tea-bag em!

Get your mind out of the gutter.

The GOP has set up a site for you to send your president, VP, and a few others a "virtual teabag" to make it clear you are tired of taxation without representation. None of us signed up for this crap.

Let em have it! JOIN THE TEA PARTY HERE

Amazon Is In Yer Search, Savin' Yer Soul

If there were any doubt that Amazon is getting too full of itself, please lookie here:

SBTB's Post on Amazon Ranking Censorship

Shut up. They know what's best for you.

Please Vote for Oh Goddess

If you were among the lucky and smart people to pick up Gwen Hayes' Oh Goddess, a really great read contributing to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, please consider giving her your vote at Long and Short Reviews:

VOTE HERE

All votes will reward Gwen for her generosity, support her incredible work, and help the Coalition battle this deadly disease.

Plus she deserves it. The book was awesome, as is Gwen!!

The Tax Thing

A recent discussion about taxes, and how many middle to upper-middle income folks have paid in rather than receive a refund, led to an expounding among some friends. The notion that the rich are going to bloody-well-pay is such a silly one. Wealthy people have money because they know how to keep it.

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal recently on just this topic. It said:

...the global rich shuffled more money last year than at any period in the history of private banking...

It estimates that they moved $1 trillion from one manager to another. Some moved the money because they were upset over losses and decided they weren’t going to take it anymore.

Recently Ahmed dragged me off to our accountant for the yearly beating. A great deal of the family money has been moved, recently, overseas. It will stay there. Ahmed now works only 2 to 3 days a week in the US. He conducts a funded study in Canada, where he spends one week a month. The study is not a profit venture, so there is no income from it. But there are also absolutely no benefits to the US economy from it, either. And he has moved nearly all his investment activity back to England, where it is managed by his brother.

Consider, as well, the fact that we won't be giving generously within the US any longer because donations are now penalized ridiculously.

Those laboring under the delusion that Obama is helping the poor are fiscally clueless. The wealthy know how to hang on to wealth. Who pays their share when they move it off-shore?

Got a mirror?

Don't Miss This

Amanda Brice posted a very important, brave, and helpful post today at Fictionistas. Please reward her courage by swinging by and commenting:

READ IT HERE

I Smell

It's been a terrible week for my skin due to many forces: medical treatments, stress, the change of seasons. So last week I stopped wearing perfume (which I love) and started using honey-milk lotions by Burt's Bees and my own home-made honey products: body scrub, shea butter and honey balm, etc. So I smell like honey. It's a nice scent-- soft, powdery, and warm.

Now, one of the things I like to do for my little nephews, god-children, and friends' kids is cook. And one of the things they love most of all are a pair diabetic coma dishes. Captain Crunch Waffles and Captain Crunch French Toast. I crush the cereal to make a bread crumb base, use it outside the battered french toast, or add it into the waffle batter before pouring it into the irons. It gives an incredible, sweet, caramel-ish crunch. Plus you add crunch nuggets and honey syrup... err... and whipped cream because... well, I am trying to kill the children.

This morning I was heading for Boston to be mangled and abused by the torture artists at the PF clinic when my phone went off. I was running behind, but when my BFF Roxy calls, I answer. She's like my own EF Hutton. Sort of a BFF Hutton.

Her son, John, was home sick and wanted to borrow a computer game of mine. So I took a side trip, pulled in, ran into the house, and delivered the goods. Before I left I got a huge hug. But the best part of my day so far?

As I was leaving I heard John say to his mum "I love Chrissy. She smells like Captain Crunch waffles."

K. That was made of the warm fuzzy stuff, right there. :)

It Never Fails

Iswear I looked good for most of the NEC conference. I mean it. I packed heavy, took lots of clothes to change in and out of for emergencies, and even discovered you can, in fact, get creases out of your slacks with a Conair mini flat-iron. It's not just for jaunty curls and smooth tresses!

But were any of my respectable outfits caught on camera? No. No, that would be... oh, I dunno... fair?

So somebody tell me. Who's the fat frat boy with the cute chicks?

Thanks to Mima for the photo. Yeah. Thanks.

Shut up. It was raining.