Funny cat video

By now you should know I'm a cat lover. Big time. I was thrilled to find out the theme of next year's Halloween anthology at my publisher is "Feral" (Cats). Count me in! I found this hilarious cat video at Nicole McCaffrey's blog and I don't think she'll mind if I share it. It's originally form You Tube. My kitties have done several of the things captured in this movie. They constantly amuse me. I can't imagine life without them and wouldn't want to. So enjoy! Another friend, Sandra Cox, is another cat lover. Visit her for lots more funny cat pics and cat stuff. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

What makes you want to read a blog?

I have a question: What makes you want to read a blog? I don't mean just once, but to frequently visit? Like returning to a favorite vacation spot, such as Miami Beach? Sometimes I blog hop - when I'm blocked from writing or just want see what everybody's doing. If I find a new blog I really like, even if I've never met the blog's author, even if we have no friends in common, I'll add it to my blog roll. My requirements for this is: 1) There are frequent recent blog posts. If the last post was a month ago, or worse, monthS ago, I probably won't bother to check it out again much less add it to my blog roll. 2) The posts have to be interesting. They don't have to be earth-shattering, just pleasant or fun to read. One thing I'm not thrilled with even if there are frequent and recent posts, is if the blog is only promotional. For instance, some authors only post excerpts and reviews of their books. There's no other meat to the blog. I might as well visit a book review site or a publishers' for sale pages and read them. I don't mind, and even like to read excerpts and reviews - IF there's more than ONLY that. That's pretty much my only requirements. I don't think that's being too hard on anyone. Or do you? I don't only read mommy blogs, or author/writing blogs, or how to blog better blogs. I like some variety. Heck, I even (sometimes very much) enjoy reading blogs about the gay lifestyle even though I'm not gay. So, what do you like to read/see in blogs and on the flip side, what don't you like to see or read on a blog? Does something annoy you? Is there something you'd like to see but don't see enough of? Or that you require to return? Do you ever lucky enough to find a blog where you can't wait for more? Where the entries are so enticing, you get addicted and go back for more and more? After I wrote this post (I usually pre-schedule my posts as I'm a big believer in being prepared and with the day job demanding lots of overtime, often without warning, and with being the Mom Taxi to several kids, there are some nights I can't blog or do anything I planned) I found this really cool blog that's talking about the same subject. In fact, it offers a valuable service: critiquing your blog. The name is: Critique My Blog You don't have to ask - yes, I put my blog in the queue and hope to receive a critique. And I hope he'll like my blog or at least not find much that needs to be fixed. Inquiring minds want to know :) You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :) You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

I don't care who started it...

I can sooooooooooooo relate.

So very often I feel just like this parent.

DD1 and DD2 fight with DS3 all the time. At least it feels like it.

Everybody except my kids think I'm pretty easy going. But my kids can really get me going when they're yelling and fussing at one another. It can ruin the best day when I come home from this. If it's already been a crappy day, then the kids had better watch out. I probably look and sound just as bad as this lion when they get me going. You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

TV remotes and DVD players

This looks sooooo like our house. Hubby's always complaining that the remote is missing and it's always close by like in the couch cushions or on his nightstand or on the floor by his side of the bed (never by my side of the bed, um...) The hubby's really mad this week. The new DVD player is broken. he blames DS#3 but as I keep telling him, there's 6 people in the house, he can't just assume without proof. Plus electronic things sometimes break on their own. It's not always human doing. Anyway, the DVD player is on its way to Pennsylvania to be repaired so we'll have to rough it without. Now we only have the choice of 500+ satellite stations until it returns. Poor, poor us. Like I watch that much TV anyway. Hubby usually monopolizes it anyway plus I'm usually writing or reading and I need to get back into my nightly walking. You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

I not has a PMS!!!!

Um, this lioness pales in comparison to DD#2 when she's PMSing. Hint, the poor lion should throw chocolate at the lioness. That's the only thing that helps my daughter. I don't think I suffer from PMS, at least not often and not nearly as bad. I feel for DD#2, though. Poor lion. Poor lioness. Yikes! I thought I scheduled this to post at 7 AM this morning. But I see it was onlhy saved as a "draft". Good thing I checked. Not that this is any world-enlightening wisdom but I like to have a daily post. It also gives me the chance to add something else on my mind. Why are the gay and menage romances so popular right now? Why are women eating up gay (or as we call them in the industry "M/M") romances? I came out of the closet a few months ago for those of you that remember. I admitted I was once engaged to a man, "D", who came out to me as being gay and how shocked and hurt I was. That experience, that individual, tainted my view of this group of people for years. It wasn't until I met my friend M at my current day job that I got a better, hopefully more acurate glimpse, of gay men as people like everybody else. M is a great person. He's loving and caring to everybody. He's funny and smart and a good friend. He's in a committed and loving long-term relationship, probably one of the strongest I know. When he talks about his SO "K" it's always with love and adoration. When I'm with them, I can feel the love and respect between them and for others. M and K are universes apart from D. So after all these years I finally realize that it was just D's personality, to me he was sleazy - sleep around, lying and cheating, that was the real issue. I feel terrible for judging other people on the basis of him. I can only say I was very young, 17, and that that situation with D set off a horrible chain reaction in the rest of my life that also added to my bad feelings. Anyway, getting back to the topic in general, one of my writers' groups is discussing why they think women like M/M and menage romance. I think they're off base and so I'd like other opinions. At least one of them think it's because the women who read them (or any romance) is because they're too old and too scared to go after a real man for themselves, so they fantasize with our books. I don't buy this. When my mom found herself single in her fifties, she dated a lot. She joined groups of other singles her age and they all dated a lot. I also know a lot of married women who like to read and write romance books and watch romantic movies. Just because I'm married doesn't mean I don't melt at the prospect of a good romance. I still adore them. I don't like to peg people anymore. I feel badlyl I ever did. I'd like to think I've finally grown up. What do you think? Why are M/M and menage romances so popular presently? You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Thursday Thirteen: edition 16 - 13 funny cartoons and pics

Thirteen Funny Cartoons & Pictures I'm not feeling very well today so I'm going to do this the easy way. Following are 13 cartoons and pictures I think are funny. Enjoy!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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At least I've not had a donor do this to me...yet.

That's all 13, but here's one more bonus picture, just because I love it. :)

Next is the picture of a man with mere seconds to live.

You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Author pics - to glam or not to glam

You may (or may not) have noticed that I changed my author pic on blogger a few days ago. Heck, you may never have noticed my author pic even if you visited every day. Not that you needed to. But IF you did, you'd see that my glamor shot photo has gone bye bye. Oh, it's still saved on my hard drive and still on one of my many web pages somewhere. However, it's not here, on my main web page (www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com). Why not? A famous author has been giving me some suggestions and one is to lose the glamor shot. Supposedly it's not professional and isn't something the bigger name authors do. Is this really so? I'm not sure. Usually, I'd research by going web page to web page of the best selling authors at the big publishing houses and do a survey. I probably will soon and post the results here. But I've been a bit busy between overtime at the day job and edits out the ying yang. Anyway, I changed it. I was tired of that pic anyway and personally I do prefer pictures showing us as our normal selves in our every day attire and make-up. I didn't hop to change it right away. I wasn't being reluctant or obstinate any more than I was rushing to comply. But I didn't have any good recent shots of me. Then I finally (duh!) remembered I had my MySpace pic I could use for blogger. So, I've finally done it. I hope this is more acceptable. Let me ask you, other authors and readers: Does it matter to you what kind of picture an author posts of herself (as long as it's not criminal or immoral?) Would it affect sales to readers or getting a contract with a publisher? Does it bespeak of professionalism? Opinions are welcome. If you're an author, what kind of picture do you have posted of yourself? Or do you post your pic and if not, why not? I see that a lot of authors don't post any picture but instead, they post one of their book covers. You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirsch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

The many uses of an ordinary brick

I'm continuing this discussion from Brynn Paulin's Litergasm chat last Friday night, when the chatters got a little creative and a whole lot raunchy. LOL, it was fun. Brynn asked the question: "Give me five uses for a brick." Sooooooo, what were some of the answers? 1. pillow 2. foot warmer (if it could be heated) 3. weapon 4. birth control ??? (one said to threaten her hubby away with it) 5. sleep aid (as in hit yourself in the head and knock yourself out so you can sleep) 6. tie it around a man's balls??? (what the??? MAJOR OUCH!!!) 7. decoration 8. hold up tv 9. book mark 10. hat 11. door stop 12. paper weight 13. spider killer 14. extra chair (why not an entire couch or table? throw a cloth over it and use gingerly) 15. husband and teenager motivator (sadistic???) I'll add a couple. How about: artwork? you could do tole painting on them or build statues build an entire couch or table (my idea) build a tower and see how many bricks it takes till they fall? an outdoor oven (let food cook on them in the sun???) shoulder pads shoulder straighteners (to make them even if you're hunchbacked) shoes (tie them on with string - they'd look like wedgies, be all the rage) sound effects door knockers musical instruments (percussion of course) Okay, it's your turn. What other uses can you think of for bricks that's out of the ordinary? You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirsch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

What my names mean - according to an Internet blogthing

What Elaine Means

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Elaine is the name my mama gave me. So here's Ashley, the name I gave me.

What Ashley Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Um... I see a lot of similarities between the meanings of "Elaine" and "Ashley". So does this mean the quiz says basically the same thing about every name, just moved around? (probably - like in horoscopes). Or if I were to test a few other names would I truly find others to be a lot different?

Thursday Thirteen - You know you're living in 2008 when...

You Know You're Living in 2008 When... 1.... You gave up your land line phone in favor of a cell phone. 2.... Every member of your family, including your eight year old, has a cell phone. 3.... If you want to speak to two or more members of one household, you have to call each of them separately on their cell phone. 4.... You email the pizza delivery place when you have a pizza craving. 5.... Your kid texts the person sitting next to him. You're not totally surprised when one of your kid's friends parents end up with a $1,000 phone bill because the child went over allotted texts. You're sorry this happened but relieved if wasn't your bill. You update your cell phone plan for unlimited texting just in case your kid also becomes a crazed texter. 6.... You know who David & David are. 7.... You follow at least one reality tv show. 8.... You have a blog. 9.... You talk to your friends more on blogs than in person or in email. 10... You watch tv in your car. 11... Every other person you see is wearing New Balance gym shoes. 12... You use your cell phone as your alarm clock. 13... Everyone fights for the closest parking space at work but then spends breaks power walking.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Don't forget to read my interview with romance author Sandra Cox and her excerpt if you missed it yesterday. It's just below.

Guest Blogger: Author Sandra Cox

I'm very pleased to welcome my blogging friend and fellow awesome author, Sandra Cox.

Please join me in a big round of welcome for Sandra. Please ask her a lot of questions and also visit her blog at:

1. What type of books do you write?

I currently write paranormal romance and YA fantasy. I also have out a western romance and a metaphysical nonfiction coming out.

How many are published, what are their titles, and who are they published with?

The Crystal, Boji Stones, Silverhills and Rose Quartz are published through cerridwenpress.com

Shardai, the YA fantasy is through wings-press.com

2. When did you start writing fiction and what inspired you to write in your specific genre(s)?

I started writing more years ago than I care to admit to:)
I write what I like to read, romantic suspense with a paranormal angle.

3. Where do you like to write? Is there anything you like to listen to while you write?
I'm a mole. I write in the corner of the basement. Okay, only half mole, I do have two windows. I listen to fairie music, Norah Jones and Leonard Cohen

4. Do you have a website(s)? If so, what are they? If any are a blog, are you an avid blogger and why?

sandracox1.com

sandracox.blogspot.com

I started out as a lacksadaical blogger. I've been nudged toward the avid blogger side of the spectrum by Ms. Amarinda Jones who makes every effort to keep the froggies in line and hopping toward the finish line:)

For any of you out in blog land that may be head scratching at the froggy remark,

our Cerridwen Press editor's yahoo group is called The Pond.

5. Do you have any critique partners or writing buddies and if so, tell us a bit about them. Mona Risk: To Love a Hero, critiques my CPs. I've got a couple of buds from FTHRW that take a gander at my cat fantasies.
All the buds excel at their craft.

6. Will you be making any author appearances in the near future on or off line and if so, where and when?

I'll be Beverly Bateman's site the first part of June.

www.beverleybateman.com
www.myspace.com/okwriter

And I'll be visiting with Jennyfer Matthews May 30th.

7. Besides writing, what do you like to do and what are you passionate about?
Like all writers, I love a good book. I also enjoy going to the movies, settling back and munching on popcorn while a good flick is rolling. And I love to shop. I'm a bottom feeder. Deep clearance racks draw me like magnets.

8. Where were you born and where do you live now? Have you traveled much and if so, where, and how have your travels enhanced your writing?

I was born in Kentucky, my husband was born in Illinois, my daughter in Ohio and my son in Wisconsin. We've pretty much toured the Midwest but now reside in North Carolina.

Oh yes and my daughter was married in Italy.

As far as traveling enhancing my writing, it helps broadens one's writing base.
Sabina Comte, Black Opal, is from Italy
Maureen O'Hare, Boji Stones, is from Wisconsin

9. What is your household like? What is your typical day like?

A typical day in the life of Sandra Cox. Hm, a bit boring but here goes. Up at 6, shower, get ready for work, feed six cats and play lunch room monitor while they eat. Do the work thing, come home in the evening, grab a diet pepsi and head downstairs to the computer to write. Whew.

10. What are your goals and dreams for the future?
I would like to be successful as a writer, for people to know who Sandra Cox is and what she writes.

11. When you were a kid, what did you imagine the year 2008 would be like? Is it anything like you imagined?
When I was a kid, I never thought about the future. Lived solely in the present. Nothing past 1999 was imaginable.

12. If any of your books were made into movies, who would you like to play your leading men and why?
Good question. Not just one person comes to mind. I would like the option of sitting back and seeing the eye candy try out for the lead rolls. Don't you think that would be fun?:)

13. If you weren't a writer, what else would you want to be?

An animal behaviorist.

14. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? If so, please do so now.
Black Opal, the third in the amulet series is released this Thursday. It can be purchased at cerridwenpress.com
Thanks to everyone who stopped by.


Thanks for having me, Ash. Appreciate it. It’s been fun.

You're so very very welcome, Sandra. Good luck on your book. Many happy sales and reviews!

Y'all run, don't walk, to get your copy of Black Opal by Sandra at www.cerridwenpress.com




Awesome cover, isn't it? Love it!

Excerpt from Black Opal:

She stared intently at the computer screen. She¢d broken the code and figured out her father¢s password. It¢d been easy. The warden said her father had written her name and the word amulets in his own blood before he died.

Scanning the screen, she read:

¢Legend has it that out of all the mortals on earth five women found favor with the gods:

Sophia whose face was pitted and ravaged by pox,

Pelagia who had the body of a woman and the mind of a child,

Olympia a poor widow with children to feed,

Helen, who lost four of her children to the plague and begged the gods to spare her remaining child, and

Zoe, a young queen whose village was razed and plundered and, she herself taken as a slave.

Moved, the gods created five special amulets in the form of armbands for the women to wear on their forearms.

For Sophia an amulet forged with beauty and creativity.

For Pelagia an amulet forged with knowledge.

For Olympia an amulet forged with wealth.

For Helen an amulet forged with healing and

For Zoe a golden amulet, with a black opal at its center, forged with power.¢

The air conditioning in the room was cold enough to leave goose bumps but Victoria Price didn¢t notice. The black leather chair creaked in protest as she leaned back, her breath leaving her lungs in a hiss.

The pain in her hands made her glance down. They were fisted so tight the moon-shaped crescents in her palms, where her nails dug in, were filling with warm red blood.

Don't miss my other blog for the day: About American Idol of course - spoiler - I do name the winner.

How things were

Sandra Cox just gave me a laugh over at her blog http://sandracox.blogspot.com about how hard we had it when we were kids. Pop over and enjoy a few giggles. She sounds like one of my contemporaries, maybe even a bit younger. I was a kid in the 60s, a teenager in the 70s, and a young married wife and mom in the 80s. There was NO cable. Perish the thought. Most towns had 3 TV stations, NBC, ABC, and CBS. Maybe one local station. We were lucky. My dad put up a rotating antenna and we lived high on a hill so we were able to pick up several other stations, too. So we had about 10 stations and counted ourselves fortunate. The TV stations went off at 11 pm or midnight. On weekends, some of the stations stayed on till 1 or 2 in the morning. That was it. There were no VCRs or DVDs or Tivo. If we weren't home to watch a TV show, we missed it. HBO didn't come into existence until after I was married. Toaster ovens were all the rage in the 70s. My aunt bought one for us for our wedding gift. Gas was about 50 cents a gallon when I started driving. There were NO video games. We had pinball games and Skeet. I first saw Pac Man when I was an Air Man in the Air Force. Electronic ping pong, too. Fun fun fun. (not) I played 45s and LPs. When I was a teen, cassette tapes became popular. We had a brief flirtation with 8 track tapes. Did you ever have those tapes unwind and get all ruined? Not pretty. My first camera was a Brownie. Polaroids were invented around the late 60s, I think. I thought McDonald's was the new place across from the mall with the cheap, nasty hamburgers. White Castles were preferable although we made fun of them. Skyline Chili was also popular in my town. We walked a mile down the road to the Pony Keg to buy penny candy when it really cost only a penny. My grandma was scandalized that my older cousin Connie wore hot pants or when I wore a halter top. Movie theaters had only one cinema but movies only cost a couple bucks. On the real plus side, we had a lot of great drive ins. Those were GREAT! I miss them, even though we have the Thunderbird/Swap Shop Drive In where I live now. But now they've taken out the radios and so everybody races through the parking lot and its not safe so I rarely go. My mom drove a station wagon. Vans were only for construction workers. We didn't have computers. My dad designed one of the first. My cousin took one of the first computer classes in our high school when the computers stood floor to ceiling, and stretched wall to wall with huge tape disks and binary cards. Phones were all rotary and attached to the wall. Walmart didn't exist. Kmart was the popular discount store. Most stores were closed on Sundays. None of the stores stayed open all night. We didn't have central AC. I had a window air conditioner in my room. That was okay for Cincinnati, but I'd have died with only that in Florida. Sandra mentions a lot more and her wit's a lot more biting than mine. I'm sure I've forgotten a ton of things. But I didn't suffer for missing these things. I was having too much fun rollerskating, bowling, water skiing, bicycling, swimming, dancing, reading, listening to music, and playing outside. I twirled flags. I had FUN.