Crazy for Words

Upcoming Holidays for Writers - Mark your Calendars...

2012-05-20T13:19:02Z

Here are some interesting "holidays" for writers and readers...Check out Brownilocks for more fun days to celebrate!

June
June 2 - Pencil Day
June 10 - Ballpoint Pen Day

July
July 6 - Take your Webmaster to Lunch Day
July 30 - Paperback Book Day

August
August 11-15 - National Scrabble Week
August 18 - Bad Poetry Day

September
September - Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month
September - Sign up for a Library Card Month
September 6 - Anne Bradstreet Day
September 8 - International Literacy Day
September 18 - Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day
September 22 - Dear Diary Day
September 22 - Hobbit Day
September 22 - READ in America Day
September 24 - Punctuation Day!

Whack-a-Mole

2012-05-20T12:53:47Z

The Jack puppies have a new sport. It's whack-a-mole in the backyard. There are also several new holes in my back yard.

So far... Jax 2 Moles 0

"Who? Us? We would never dig in the yard..."

Crais and Parker - Airplane Mysteries & Dynamic Duos

2012-05-06T16:40:24Z

I went to Chicago last week for QAI's QUEST2012 conference. It was nice to be around so many software testers and QA managers. I didn't know that there were that many of us.

On the flights, I read two good mysteries, Robert Crais' Taken and Robert B. Parker's Sixkill.

Taken is Robert Crais' new novel with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. Cole is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young twenty-something and her rich boyfriend. They went with friends to see an old airplane wreck in a secluded spot. The story mixes illegal aliens, smuggling, and California's underworld. In his attempt to find the girl and her friend, Cole also disappears, and it's up to Joe Pike and associates to rescue them before it's too late. This one is hard to put down. Crais does a good job building the suspense.

On the way back from Chicago through Philadelphia, I read Robert B. Parker's Sixkill. This one has the usual cast of characters, Spenser, girlfriend Susan, and Pearl the wonder dog. Spenser's partner Hawk is in southeast Asia for this novel. Spenser is hired by a law firm to investigate a sleazy Hollywood star who ends up with a dead girl in his bedroom. Spenser befriends the star's body guard, native American Zebulon "Z" Sixkill. Spenser embarrasses Sixkill in a fight and gets him fired. Throughout the novel, Spenser befriends him and introduces him to another side of life in Boston. When Spenser and the law firm are fired, Sixkill helps Spenser continue the investigate for the sake of finding the truth.

Parker does a twist at the end. It was interesting, and it wasn't quite what I had expected. Sixkill was an interesting new character, but I missed Hawk.

Stuck in the Middle Again...

2012-04-29T16:47:11Z

Help! I'm Gen X, and I feel like I'm the bridge some days between the Gen Y-ers and the Boomers. And I have a feeling that the generational differences will be even more noticeable as more Gen Y-ers take the place of soon-to-be retirees.

I'm fascinated by all the generational studies. Here's what I've encountered lately.

Leave a Message at the Tone...
The Boomers expect you to send an email or leave a voicemail if you need something.

The Gen Y-ers expect you to check your missed call list and call them back when they leave no message. (And if you check the call list and call Boomers back, they want to know why because they didn't leave you a message to return their call.)

Texts/Instant Messages...
Boomers with kids or grandkids are learning to text, but they don't get the abbreviations/short-hand. The technology is not globally used. Though some are adapting.

The Gen Y-ers get in such a habit of texting that they think the short, incomplete sentences work ever where. It's not acceptable for formal business reports or documents.

Proofreading...
Boomers and others were taught to proofread and that you are judged by what you produce. Spelling counts.

The Gen Y-ers are used to dashing off quick thoughts often with mobile technology (small keyboards and autocorrect). The thought counts more than the presentation. This is the biggest rub that I've seen lately in the workplace. Spelling does count. (I've not interviewed folks because of multiple typos on their resumes and cover letters.)

I'm curious to see what the next few years will bring...Have a great week!

CALICO JOE by John Grisham

2012-04-22T13:50:13Z

I am not a huge baseball fan. I love to go to games, but I don't follow a team regularly, and the myriad of stats just go in one ear and out the other. But John Grisham's Calico Joe is a story about redemption and righting wrongs that just happens to have characters who are professional ballplayers.

The story is told by Paul Tracey, the son of Warren, a mediocre pitcher for the Mets and a terrible father. In 1973, a young Paul idolized ballplayers and lived and breathed baseball. He spends hours watching and listening to games and maintaining meticulous scrapbooks.

Grisham juxtaposes Warren with Joe Castle, a phenom from Calico Rock, Arkansas. Castle, or "Calico Joe," is on fire in 1973, and young Paul is over the moon to see his father's Mets play against Castle's Cubs. Then the unthinkable happens, and it changes all their lives forever. I don't want to give away the secret because Grisham does a great job of revealing it through Paul Tracey's narrative.

I enjoy Grisham's novels about sports, as much or more than I do his legal works. The novel is a fun, summer read that is perfect for baseball season.

Pair of Jacks Diggin' Spring...

2012-04-20T20:11:42Z

Our pair of Jacks love spring in the back yard, but they've been caught digging a lot lately...Here is some of their latest adventures...

Riley can't wait to get outside and chase the big, red ball, squirrels, birds, airplanes...

Caught in the act...

Freeze! You have the right to remain silent...

Jennifer van der Kwast's POUNDING THE PAVEMENT

2012-04-20T19:58:11Z

Add Jennifer van der Kwast's Pounding the Payment to your summer reading beach or pool bag. Her character, Sarah Pelletier, is a twenty-something, who loses her job unexpectedly, and the novel follows her unconventional job search. It traces her ups and downs with interviews and networking events. We have all been there at one time or another, and van der Kwast a way of making the dreaded job hunt humorous.

Throughout the book, van der Kwast includes a copy of Sarah's resume. It's very funny to watch the tweaks that the character makes to "fit" possible jobs. The same job descriptions take on new lives as the job search progresses.

It's a fun, quick read!

RVA Street Art Festival

2012-04-15T13:24:40Z

We went to the RVA Street Art Festival in downtown Richmond yesterday, and it was incredible fun. More than a dozen artists created a street gallery along the floodwall in what is left of an old power plant. We watched as artists painted on the second day and talked about their work. They also have booths and food vendors. We enjoyed a nice spring stroll down the Canal Walk.

If you're in Central Virginia, go and see it. I hope they continue this. We need more ways to showcase the creativity and talent in RVA.

Tina Fey's BOSSYPANTS

2012-04-13T13:45:33Z

I am slowly getting through the backlog of books that I want to read. Tina Fey's Bossypants is funny and witty and well worth the read. Her anecdotes give us insight into her life as writer, comedian, and actress. The chapter on her portrayal of Sarah Palin is hysterical.

It's more than a biography with a lot of funny stories. We see Fey as a young writer and her battles with career challenges. Her comments, equal parts smart and snarky, are the things we've all wanted to say. She's the girl next door who we all want to be our best friend.

Bossypants is a fun read that I had trouble putting down. And her middle school 70s pictures are a scream And most of us of the same age have ones of our own just like them.

Triskaidekaphobia, TITANIC, and Other Fridayness

2012-04-13T13:22:34Z

Triskaidekaphobia? Not here. I was born on the 13th, so if I had a favorite number, that would be it.

I am also fascinated with the Titanic (not the movie). I love mysteries, and it was one until 1985, when they discovered the wreck. The latest pictures in National Geographic are amazing. I grew up in a beach community where shipwrecks and recovery were always in the news, and so were romantic hopes of finding Blackbeard's treasure.

The Smithsonian has some interesting articles on the remembrance of the disaster's 100th anniversary. My favorite is the one on the seven famous people who missed the boat. The world may have been a different place is Theodore Dreiser, Milton Hershey, and J.P. Morgan had made the maiden voyage.

The Week of Typos...

2012-04-06T15:00:52Z

I had to turn off the Auto-fill on my Blackberry. It was substituting some really strange words when I typed on that tiny little screen, so I know it's easy to make more whoopsies these days.

Here are some typos that I ran across this week...

Our menu this week had Salom Cakes on Wednesday.

I was invited to this session. I hope proofreading is one of the competencies.

I saw this on TV during the finals of the NCAA tournament.

Random Sunday Musings...

2012-04-01T17:25:57Z

Happy Palm Sunday and April Fool's Day!

Here are some things that I ran across this week...

1. The USGS has an earthquake notification list for alerts on earthquakes and aftershocks. (We had one here last Monday morning. It woke us up, but I didn't know what it was until someone tweeted about it the next morning.)

2. My sister sent me a link to the Museum of Hoaxes. There are some quite elaborate ones out there!

3. The Smithsonian has a fun video about the history of April Fool's Day.

4. A friend sent me a link to Read Write Web. There are some interesting articles about technology.

CHANCE by Robert B. Parker

2012-03-31T12:12:19Z

I became enamored with Spenser and Hawk in Dr. Magnuson's "Mystery and Detective Fiction" at VWC. I love when I find a Robert B. Parker novel that I haven't read.

In Chance, a Boston crime boss and his daughter appear in Spenser's office and hire the hard-boiled gumshoe to find the daughter's missing husband.

Not everything is as it seems. Spenser, Hawk (Spenser's usually large, but silent partner), Susan (Spenser's witty and charming girlfriend of many years) chase down leads in Boston and Las Vegas. And even Pearl the Wonder Dog makes several appearances.

Spenser's job ends when the Mafia princess ends up dead in Las Vegas, but he decides to stay on the investigation. He learns a lot about the rival syndicates in Boston and the Romanian mob that is trying to edge its way in.

It turns out that the missing husband ran off to Vegas with a rival mob boss' wife. Spenser unravels the mystery, and everyone (except a couple of mob types who didn't survive the turf wars) end up back in Boston.

Michael Palmer's MIRACLE CURE

2012-03-18T17:02:06Z

Michael Palmer is a master at pacing his thrillers. His MIRACLE CURE, has so many twists and turns, you don't see what's on the horizon next.

Palmer's protagonist, Brian Holbrook, is a cardiologist who had his license revoked because of an addiction to pain killers. At the beginning of the novel, he gets a new lease on life with the opportunity to practice medicine again and participate in a research study for the world's next wonder drug in Boston. It appears that this new drug, Vasclear, makes heart disease disappear. And there are a lot of political and economic pressures to release the drug to the public.

At the beginning of the novel, Dr. Holbrook's father is suffering from heart disease, and Holbrook manages to get him into the study group by a slick trick. Sadly and quite puzzling, he doesn't respond to the drugs, and dies on the operating table. Holbrook starts piecing together things that don't look and sound just right, and it leads him on a trail that involves prestigious surgeons and researchers, Senators, FDA, and the Chechen mob.

Palmer's books are worth the read. They are hard to put down once you start.

THE ZAPPOS EXPERIENCE - Joseph A. Michelli

2012-03-09T22:15:54Z

I am always on the hunt for good leadership or work culture books. Joseph A. Michelli's The Zappos Experience: Five Principles to Inspire, Engage, and Wow! is amazing. I am so impressed with this book. I read an electronic version, but I bought the book to share with others at work.

Customer Service, fun, recognition, and relationships are key to your business. Here are 12 things I learned...

1. Zappos seeks a culture fit before a skills fit for prospective employees. "Falling in love with an applicant's skills can predispose some companies to settle for a less-than-desirable or event toxic personality" (Michelli 44).

2. All new employees, regardless of role, undergo strenuous customer service phone training. Customer service is important, and it's treated as such.

3. Zappos has unique team-building and recognition events. Every employee can propose or host these types of events. "...it's not what you do - it's that you took the time to do something to create fun and connection" (72).

4. Exceed your customers and employee's expectations.

5. Encourage random acts of kindness.

6. Celebrate mid-range accomplishments!

7. Your managers should be willing to be silly to provide incentives for employee performance.

8. "People who are having an enjoyable time on the job tend to have more positive relationships with their peers, make better decisions, are tardy or absent less often, and use fewer sick days" (251).

9. "Innovation emerges from casual contact between diverse work groups" (251).

10. "Long-term enjoyment comes from helping staff members grow in the direction of their passion" (251).

11. "Employees find workplace happiness when they are allowed to do what they enjoy, even if that means they don't chase management positions, but instead function as culture leaders" (251).

12. "A small investment in workplace fun will produce tangible and profound benefits for you and your staff members, your customers, and your brand's equity" (252).

Michelli's book is one to keep on the bookshelf and to refer to every so often for creative ideas. I'm buying my next pair of shoes from Zappos, and when we go to Las Vegas, I'd love to tour their headquarters!

HIGH PROFILE - Robert B. Parker

2012-03-09T21:55:28Z

I love the Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. I decided to read some of his others. I started with High Profile, featuring Police Chief Jesse Stone. The small police department in Paradise, Massachusetts is forced to deal with the murder of an infamous talk show host. A second body turns up in a dumpster behind the diner, and it is the pregnant girlfriend/personal assistant of the talk show host. Two victims with connections are thrust upon the sleepy little town.

The story twists and turns, but Stone and his staff are eventually able to solve the crime. I love secondary characters Molly Crane (who gives the best press conferences) and Suitcase Simpson. They add quite a bit of humor to a story of a police chief with baggage, a dark history, and a damaged ex-wife.

Random Saturday Thoughts before 7:00 AM

2012-03-03T11:41:30Z

It's Saturday, and I woke up at 5:30. That's not supposed to happen on the weekend. I was too awake , so I caught up on that never-ending pile of email.

Here are some random links that I ran across this week that are fun...

For people who love photography, you have to see this. NPR did a story this week on the Lytro. This camera is amazing. It allows you to change focus once you download the picture to your computer. Check out the blog link. There are sample photos that show how it works. This is amazing.

For writers, I found the Query Shark blog this week. This is an incredibly helpful site if you're trying to query an agent or editor.

March 14 is coming! It's Pi Day. This site takes Pi to 1 million decimal places. (That makes my head hurt.) We're having a pie contest at work that afternoon to celebrate.

Mystery for Your Summer Beach Bag

2012-03-03T11:29:39Z

Dorothy Howell's Shoulder Bags and Shootings is a mystery to add to your summer beach bag (or pool bag) collection. It's a fun, quick read that is light and sparkly. Howell's flawed sleuth, Haley Randolph, works for $7 at a department store, and she spends most of the book sneaking out of work to solve the mystery. She and her friend also sell knock-off designer purses in their spare time. Despite all the dates, shopping sprees, and girl talk, she manages to solve the murder.

Social Media for Writers - SinC-Central Virginia

2012-02-20T18:46:14Z

SinC-Central Virginia is hosting "The Tweet Smell of Success: Social Media for Writers" at the Glen Allen library in Henrico, VA on Saturday, March 31 at 11:00 AM. The guest speakers will focus on marketing and social media and ways for writers to publicize their works. The event is free, but there is a charge for the catered lunch. Email me if you want the details.

Michael Palmer's A HEARTBEAT AWAY

2012-02-20T17:01:25Z

I really miss Michael Crichton. I'm on a hunt for similar writers, and recently, I found Michael Palmer's A Heartbeat Away. It's a good scientific/medical thriller. A bioterrorist group, Genesis, unleashes a deadly virus at the State of the Union, and chaos ensues. There are rifts in the government, murder, and mayhem as fear about the attack spreads across the 700+ attendees at the Capitol.

It turns out that the virus was originally government-sponsored. One of the researchers, Dr. Griffin Rhodes, was accused of stealing samples. In this emergency, he is freed from solitary confinement to help President James Allaire find an antidote before chaos takes over in the streets. Dr. Rhodes, angry about being falsely accused as a terrorist, negotiates to have Washington Post journalist, Angela Fletcher, present to document his attempt at finding a cure. He neglects to mention that he and Angie had a fling earlier in their careers. While the crisis is going on, Angie and Griffin dig for clues separately that lead to Chinatown in New York and to global security firms. While all of that is going on, the members of the President's cabinet and Congress are vying for power, even if it means murder.

The novel is slow going at first, but the pace picks up at the end. Stick with it; the ending is exciting.