10 Things I Like That Start With "C"

Julie tagged me on this memo, so here we go.

Ten things I like that start with "C".

1. Cooper – the gold standard in canines if ever there was one.

2. Craig - My brother. He’s provided me with 40 years of entertainment so he gets the #2 spot.

3. Christian Bale – Seriously? Like there was any question he’d show up on the list?? And I’d list here what I like about him, but it would take a while and I have a meeting shortly and let’s be honest, it would just deteriorate into me blabbering and drooling and, well, that’s just not pretty any way you look at it.

4. Crap – It’s my favorite swear word and one of the few that doesn’t get me in trouble with my mother. Sometimes I like to fancy it up and say Crapola. Like it’s a foreign language or something.

5. Crayons – Especially the big box with 64 or more. I always wanted that box as a kid but all I ever got was the box of 7 or 8. My artistic vision was hindered by my mother’s thriftiness. There was simply no reasoning with her that sometimes brown just won’t do. You need sienna.

6. Catastrophe – Not so much an actual catastrophe, but the word. It’s fun to say. Try it. Throw a little drama into it. I’m telling you, it beats a mild little ‘oh no, really?’ any day of the week. Next time someone tells you something that happened to them, throw your arms up and yell ‘Catastrophe!’ See what happens.

7. Crazy – Because who couldn’t use a little crazy? And if you're going to go around yelling "Catastrophe" you might want to become familiar with the term.

8. Corneas – I especially like the fact that they can be lasered back to perfection.

9. Crisp – as in crisp autumn afternoons when the leaves have changed to brilliant oranges, reds and yellows. Or for those of you who had the 64 box of crayons – bright titian, claret and amber.

10. Cuba – Because every time I think of Cuba it reminds me of the trip Maxx and I took where on the last day after our luggage had been taken up to be stuck in the airport bus we got caught in a rain storm. Drenched we ran back to our room and tried to dry our clothes by sticking them on the ceiling fan. Want to know what a wet bra sounds like as it spins around twice and then goes flying out the sliding deck doors? Fwap, fwap, schwing!

So there you have it. Let me know if you feel like being tagged on this and I’ll send you your very own letter.

The Moaning Meme

Julia tagged me for this meme. The rules are down below, feel free to pick it up and have a go. It was kind of fun to do!

4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.

1. The Idiot Squad: Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears. Because if I have to listen to one more breaking news report about these waste of oxygen, I may go completely postal.

2.People with cell phones attached permanently to their ears: Disengage people and come back into the real world. You'll thank me for it later.

3. Telemarketers: I get 10 calls a night on average. I've stopped answering my phone.

4. Perkiness: I'm all for happy, I'm optimistic by nature, but perkiness to me just screams that you're too afraid to access your deeper emotions and have gone into plastic doll cutesy mode to avoid them. You need therapy. We have a couch reserved for you in Room 101.


3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently.

1. Incessant whining about their life while doing absolutely nothing to change it.

2. Over the top behaviour that screams, 'Look at me, look at me! I'm desperate for attention and approval, look at me!!" I want to smack you people into oblivion and send you to Room 101.

3. Not taking responsibility for their actions. If you do something, at least have the character to own up to it.


2 things you find yourself moaning about.

1. Lack of travel funds
2. Not enough vacation time.

1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself.
I don't suffer fools gladly. And I want more money and time off. Okay, maybe that's two things. But I bet if I had more time off and more money to travel I would be in a better frame of mind to suffer fools.

Eh, maybe not.

RULES
Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it's all about!
Be as honest as possible, This is about letting people get to know the real you!
Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
Post these rules at the end of every meme!

8 Things About Moi

Christine tagged me on this meme thingy.

Here are the rules:
A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.
B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1) I like to think of rules more like guidelines. That’s the great thing about being a Capricorn. We like structure. We like rules. And because of this, we have an uncanny ability to bend and twist both to our liking while still giving the appearance that we’re following both to a tee. And in keeping with that I am going to list my eight things, and I am going to leave it open to whichever 8 people feel like posting it on theirs. Which is what they tell me to do in the rules, more or less. It’s all in the interpretation.

2) I have never had a relationship last longer than 6 months. In fact, most of my relationships are lucky if they get past six weeks. Or six days. I don’t like wasting time, and I am a good judge of character. It takes me very little time to know if someone is right for me. I have a short list of qualifications and if the guy can't handle the short list, it just isn't going to work. I don't try to change people, that's not my job. I'll take you as you are, or I'll leave you as you are. Most people see this as commitment issues on my part, but in truth I view it as efficiency. Why spend time in something that isn't what you want or need? Like I said, I hate wasting time.

3) My favorite mode of transportation is horseback. Second favorite – by foot. I hate to fly, hate being on boats unless I’m actively rowing and while I love my car I never feel completely safe in a motorized vehicle. And don’t even get me started on Metro Transit or subways...

4) If I have canine companionship, I can go long stretches of time without human interaction. It’s not that I don’t like you humans, I just like my alone time and dogs just seem to give me the perfect amount of quiet companionship without all the irritating stresses humans bring to the table.

5) I am the list-making queen. Seriously. If there was a kingdom of listmakers, I would rule that kingdom. Other listmakers would bow down at my feet in awe at my ability to whip out a list at the slightest provocation. I have even made lists about the lists I want to make. Perhaps I should make a twelve step list on how to get over this...

6) I get claustrophobic when it comes to freedom. I can’t stand being somewhere I can’t get out of. Like when I’m in the office and I know I have to be there for 8 hours a day. I get fidgety. I start to climb the walls. I walk around the office all jittery like I need a crack fix or something. Sometimes I’ll just get up and go stand outside for a few minutes to keep from losing my mind entirely. I’d probably go stark raving mad in prison.

7) When I was in Grade 4 I joined our elementary school choir. After a couple of weeks the music teacher not so kindly suggested I might want to take up an instrument instead. So I became the best wood block playing/ukulele player the A.G. Baillie Elementary School had ever seen. Despite that – I still love to sing and will belt out a tune like nobody’s business although I try to restrict it to the car and the home where it will do the least amount of ocular damage.

8) I want to live on the countryside so bad I can barely stand being anywhere else.

An Archive Recycle Meme

Christine tagged me for the recycled post meme. This was kind of fun because I had to search back and got to read a lot of the posts I had forgotten about. Good chuckle there.

I’m also going to tag Tess, Melissa, Julia (since she just reached 100 posts!).

I reached waaaaaaaaaaay back in the archives for this one. Wednesday, May 18, 2005 to be exact. It was my letter to Connor and Kate of The Outlaw Bride written when they were giving me no amount of grief over their first major love scene:


Dear Connor & Kate,

It is with deep regret I must inform you that the two of you will never be having sex again. I realize this comes as a huge shock to you both, as it would reason with the way your relationship has progressed more sex would be expected, even warranted. However, it has become apparent that after your last love scene I am simply too taxed to attempt such a feat again.

Therefore, it behooves me to announce that you, Kate, shall be entering the Convent of the Never-gonna-get-any; and you, Connor, will be leaving for Tibet to train with Sensei Abstinence at the local monastery for the frustrated. I hope you both understand this has been a very difficult decision to make, but in review I believe it is the best for all concerned.

And by all, I mostly mean me.

And speaking of me, I will be leaving the world of historical romance for a career in basket weaving. I thank you for your time and wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Your creator,

Kelly

Eight Things About Me

I've been tagged twice on this so I better get it done!

Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (Okay, I broke this rule...)

Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight Things About Me

1. I spent one year writing with my left hand after breaking my right collarbone and then the fingers on my right hand. I can still write fairly legibly with my left.
   


2. Despite having been a life guard and swim instructor I have an intense shark phobia. My parents took me and my brother to see Jaws at the drive-in when I was around 5 years old. I never recovered.
   


3. Some weird cosmic force led me to my dog. I knew I was supposed to look in the classifieds that day, I knew I was supposed to go out to the middle of nowhere, I knew I was supposed to pick the quiet dog in the corner despite objections from my sister to pick one of the more boisterous ones. It is to this day the best decision I ever made.
   


4. A month before high school graduation my friend and I made a pact that if we didn’t pass all our credits we would pack a bag and head to California. When I passed all my credits and graduated I was severely disappointed.
   


5. My Dad taught me to swim at the age of two by tossing me into the lake and pointing to shore. This was of course before the dreaded Jaws viewing and I dog paddled my way without any fear, despite my mother standing on the bank screaming.
   


6. I worked with my Dad for 14 years and had a blast.
   


7. Every time I take a long distance trip by bus I feel like I am running away from home and I can’t get the Littlest Hobo theme out of my head.
   


8. I am an eternal optimist.
   

Most of you have already been tagged on this, so I won’t bother double-tagging. But if you haven’t, feel free to have at it!

A Good Ole Movie Meme

It’s been another slow news day at Casa de Kelly. I’ve been diligently working away at D&B and making a lot of progress that I’m really happy with. So since there isn’t too much to report of significance other than that, here’s a movie meme I stole from Mary:

1. Name a movie you have seen more than 10 times: This list could be freakishly long because I watch all of my favorite movies over and over again until I can practically recite them, so let’s narrow it down to the first few that pop into my mind: Pretty much any Christian Bale movie, Count of Monte Cristo, Braveheart and Love Actually.

2. Name a movie you’ve seen multiple times in the theater: I think I went to see Time To Kill about 10 times in the theatre.

3. Name an actor who would make you more inclined to see a movie: Christian Bale, Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler and Sandra Bullock.

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to see a movie: Colin Farrell, Winona Ryder

5. Name a movie you can and do quote from: Again, we get into a long list, so here are a few that I actually use in conversation: The Princess Bride – “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”; Taps - “Don’t piss off the major!”; Star Wars – “Bank it, Chewie!” And there are plenty more. I use a lot of movie quotes.

6. Name a movie musical in which you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs: Ah, I’m really bad at screwing up song lyrics but I think I’d do okay with Grease and maybe Moulin Rouge.

7. Name a movie you have been known to sing along with: The Wedding Singer.

8. Name a movie you would recommend everyone see: The Prestige and An Inconceivable Truth.

9. Name a movie you own: Hahaha...seriously? Every Christian Bale movie except for two which I haven’t found yet. A lot of historical movies. A lot of good romantic comedies, The Bourne Identity...geez we could be here all day...

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops: Gavin Rossdale from Bush.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in: Yes. That’s how we spent a lot of time in the summers growing up so the list is long but the two that stand out the most are Jaws (still not recovered from that); The Thing, and What’s Up Doc. Uh okay, that's actually three. Whatever.

12. Ever made out in a movie: No. I’m too much of a movie buff to miss the movie. You can make out afterwards.

13. Name a movie you keep meaning to see but you just haven’t gotten around to yet: Passion of the Christ. I think I need to be in the right head space for it but I’m not there yet.

14. Ever walked out of a movie: Once. It was a John Belushi movie. I forget the name.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater: Again, long list, but the worst, I’m embarrassed to say was the Titanic. It was the damn band players who refused to leave when one said he would stay. I was fine until that moment and then I just lost it. Although now, ever since a trip Maxx and I made to Cuba where they played that movie in English and Spanish over and over again and we kept making jokes all through it (Jaaaackk...Jaaaaaack...come baaaaaack), now I can’t watch it without howling with laughter.

16. Popcorn? I’d rather chocolate, but popcorn would be my second choice.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home): Once or twice a month of late. I looooooove going to the theatre.

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater: Uh...a crappy suppose to be scary movie that wasn't and that I forget the name of.

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie: I’m not sure I have one but low on the list are action like Rambo or Die Hard (but not ones like Casino Royale and Bourne Identity) and bottom of the list is horror and really stupid humor like Jack Ass, The Movie. I love period pieces the best probably and I love love stories either dramatic or comedic.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater: The Three Stooges Go To Mars. I’m not even sure if this is the right title. My friend and I were 5 years old and we got to go to the matinee by ourselves. The three stooges were in it and they were going to Mars. It was hilarious.

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen: Probably Jaws. Did I mention I’m still recovering?

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed: Hmm...I can’t think of one.

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen: The Omen (the original).

24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen: Stripes with Bill Murray. I nearly cacked up a lung I was laughing so hard. And The Sweetest Thing hit my funny bone. I thought my sister and I were going to rupture something at the theatre watching that one.

Random Five Question Meme

Christine did a meme where you get asked five questions, like an interview and then asked if anyone else wanted to. Never one to shy away from talking about myself (I know, I know), I volunteered. So here's Christine's random five questions for me, and my answers to them:

Who was the inspiration for your first hero? Well, I'm not sure anyone was the inspiration for the character's internal workings, those were my own and given where my head space was at during the time I wrote it, I'm sure there was a saved therapy bill in there somewhere. But physically I was picturing Brett Cullen from the tv show The Young Riders where he played Marshal Sam Cain. Although now that I think about it, that wasn't even my first hero. My first hero would have been in the young adult murder mystery I wrote right after graduating high school and he was based on Kevin Bacon from Footloose.

Have you ever had a lightening bolt moment with your writing where everything was clear? If so, what was it? Yes, especially with the series I'm working on now. It usually ends up being about the character's motivation or internal workings where something just clicks and I realize why they do what they do. Now why the heck they don't tell me this when I start the book and make my life that much easier I will never know. I can't pick out just one incident though, it happens fairly frequently. A lot of times while I'm driving. Which means I have to recite the info over and over until I can stop the car and write it down. You can imagine the looks I get from passing motorists.

If you could meet anyone from any point in history, who would it be and what would you say? I would probably pick either Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill. As for what would I say? Probably, "Pull up a chair, I think we have a lot to talk about."

White or dark chocolate and why? Milk chocolate. Creamy milk chocolate. Which I suppose in a way is a combination of both white and dark. See what a diplomat I am? You see dark chocolate is too bitter. And white chocolate is just...well chocolate as a color is brown. So you can't have white chocolate. It's like jumbo shrimp. It's an oxymoron. So I'll stick with my creamy milk chocolate.

What is your favourite book and why? Good lord I wouldn't even know where to start. My favorite book growing up was Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune. Our library had two hardback copies and I would just return one and pick up the other. For ten years I did this. And god help the library if the other copy wasn't available because I would sit there until they processed the copy I brought back and then take it out again. I'm a huge dog person, so reading about this dog (which was based on a true story of the author's actual dog) just drew me in like nothing else. I could practically recite it by the time I moved out of town.

Other books would be the Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith and any of Christopher Pike's earlier books. I read those in my late teens/early 20s. The Vampire Diaries was about this forbidden love and angst and all that good teen stuff. Same with a lot of Pike's stuff, only with his there was no guarantee of a happy ending, which I also liked.

More recently would be The Winter Mantle by Elizabeth Chadwick. There was a part in this book that left me so distraught (I didn't realize at the time I was reading it that it was based on actual historical characters) I nearly threw it from one end of the bus to the other. As it was, I had to clamp my hand over my mouth and stare out the window until the tears dried up. Any book that can move me to tears on public transit has my vote. The One Wore Grey series by Heather Graham. Took place during the civil war, one of my favorite historical periods and yet one of the most tragic. And probably most recently, The Time Traveler's Wife that my critique partner let me borrow and which I'm still recovering from. Oh, and The Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon because Jamie Fraser is still one of the best heroes I've ever read. I'm going to stop now or you guys will be reading this list all day...

So if anyone else wants to take part in the five random question meme, let me know and I'll give you you're five questions!

10 CrAzY Things About Me

Christine tagged me and I meant to do this the other day but it got bumped by the Booty-Kon. So here goes. Ten odd facts or habits about me:

1) I have OCD when it comes to checking things I’ve already done. Even if I know I did something, as soon as I think ‘Did you? Are you 100% sure?” I have to back and check it, cursing myself the whole way because I KNOW I did it. This hits big when it comes to locked doors, closing the vent on the wood stove, mailing contest submissions. If there is something that has to be double (triple, quadruple) checked, I’ll do it ten times over.

2) I snore. Loudly. It’s inhuman.

3) I love slow motion on television or the movies. Whenever the bionic man would start running in slo-mo, I was riveted to the screen. And that went too for animals – especially dogs and horses. So much so that whenever my family would go on long drives (that was anything over twenty minutes as far as I was concerned), I would stare out the window and imagine a horse or dog running along side the car in slo-mo. My brother has never let me forget this fact.

4) When I was five years old, I decided nobody else’s opinion mattered as much as mine when it came to me. Turned out to be a great self-esteem booster later in life, although I’m sure it annoyed many people along the way.

5) I get awaken through the night by loud bursts of static or symbols being slammed together. The static sounds like someone knocked a radio station off its mark and then jacked up the volume ten decibels. But when I open my eyes, all is quiet. Still can’t quite figure that one out.

6) I learned to swim at two when my Dad swam out to chest high water in the lake, tossed me into it and said ‘swim for shore!’. So I did. It gave new meaning to sink or swim. My Dad was quite proud. My mother, on the other hand, nearly cacked up a lung trying to dog paddle out to me.

7) My older brother is my favorite storyteller. He tells a story so well sometimes I forget I wasn’t actually there when it happened.

8) I can’t sing to save my life. Or as Dr Phil says, “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” This fact, however, is not enough to stop me from hitting some ear-bleeding notes while driving in the car.

9) I hate internet dating sites. I would rather spend the rest of my life alone than have to suffer through one more torturous email or IM from a guy who can't spell to save his life. Or use proper sentence construction. Or apparently read, since my profile clearly stated in big, bold letters that the number one thing I looked for was intelligence and he, lacking the ability to spell even the most basic of words, or use periods at the end of his sentences, does not qualify.

10) I think I can do anything if I put my mind to it.

Monday's Meme

Got this meme from Tess’s blog:

Contemporary, Historical, or Paranormal? Depends on the author, but overall historical, contemporary and then paranormal.

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback? I love the look of the trade paperback, but the mass market paperback is still my favorite because I can take it with me anywhere. And it’s lighter so less chance of me dropping it in the tub when I’m doing my soak and read. Hardback, not a fan. Too big and cumbersome.

Heyer or Austen? Austen. I haven’t actually read Heyer, but I don’t think you can out-Austen, Austen.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar? I actually have no idea what Brick & Mortar is.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? I’m a Canuck so we have Chapters. Which is my second home. But I also love the independent bookstores we have here like The Book Room, Frog’s Hollow and The Book Mark. Frog’s Hollow always has my Elizabeth Chadwick’s.

Woodiwiss or Lindsay? The one Woodiwiss book I had I couldn’t get through. And I think I only read one or two Lindsays. I think I enjoyed them but I can’t recall which ones they were. It was a long time ago.

First romance novel you ever remember reading? Bittercreek by Lisa Gregory. After that, I was hooked on historical.

Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random? I bunch my authors together and then put them in order of release.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell? I keep my favorites and then donate the others to womens’ shelters.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? Remove. They annoy me.

Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake? Right...Anita Blake looks familiar but, yeah... I dunno.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Unless my face has fallen into the book in a dead sleep, I’ll wait until I reach the end of the chapter before I stop.

It was a dark and stormy night or Once upon a time? Hahaha...okay, well I guess I’ve got to go with “It Was a Dark & Stormy Night...”

Crusie or SEP? Being a HUGE Jennifer Crusie fan, I’m going with JC. But I do like SEP as well.

Buy or Borrow? New authors I’ll often borrow from the library or have them order it in if they don’t have it. Favorite authors I stalk the bookstores on their release dates and snatch them up as soon as they hit the shelves.

Buying choice: All that I can afford.

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? I like definitive endings. Don’t give me cliffhanger unless there is a follow up book to answer the questions. It just feels like a cop out.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? I’d read all day if I could, but my reading time right now is evenings while I soak in the tub. I like to multi-task.

Series or standalone? I like series provided they can also stand alone. I like creating a family of characters you get to revisit and expand upon. But really, if it’s well written, then that’s all I need, series or stand alone.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? The Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt. Actually I don’t know if anyone has ever heard of it or not, but if you haven’t you should. Very good book.

Feel free to tag yourself. This one’s pretty fun.