Day: July 17, 2016

National Ice Cream Day

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It’s the third Sunday in July. . . and that means it’s National Ice Cream Day!

I blogged about my favorite flavors last year. Not much has changed since then.

I have a friend who hates fruit flavored or fruit in her ice cream. How can a person not like a banana split?

I will confess, tho’, I’m not fond of crunchy things in my ice cream. Except peanuts or almonds.  I recently tried two new-to-me Ben & Jerry flavors: Everything But the . . . (A Collision of Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams mixed with Peanut Butter Cups, Fudge-Covered Toffee Pieces, White Chocolatey Chunks & Fudge-Covered Almonds) and Stephen Colbert’s  Americone Dream (Vanilla Ice Cream with Fudge Covered Waffle Cone Pieces & a Caramel Swirl). The toffee pieces turned me off, as did the waffle cone pieces.

Is there something you don’t like in your ice cream?

Purse Project (Reprise)

Purse project 01

Remember this purse? I really like this purse because of its outside pockets.  But it wasn’t quite big enough.

My portable keyboard didn’t fit.

portable keyboard (1)

I couldn’t carry a magazine.  Or a file folder.

mag and file

So for my birthday, I decided to buy another purse–if I could find what I wanted. I wanted the same purse, only bigger. Only by an inch or two.  Just enough to accommodate my portable keyboard or a file folder.

X-Chromo told me I should check out JC Penney. We went to the Maul together. She guided me through parts I’d never seen before (I am not a fan of the Maul). Nope,nope, nope. Then we went to JC Penney. She went directly to the purse I wanted.

purses 01 (3)

I am delighted. The new one (on the right) has a pocket on the back (although the keyboard also fits inside very nicely).

Purse with keyboard

National Random Acts of Kindness Day

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, which brings to mind the times I’ve been the recipient of kindness from strangers. Here’s one instance.

I was on the old RWA forums, talking about something–I don’t recall what–when another person private messaged me, asking if I had entered a particular title in a particular writing contest. When I admitted I had, she messaged her phone number and asked me to call. Having nothing to lose, I did.

The woman had judged my entry in the aforementioned contest and had tried to obtain my contact info from the contest coordinators, but was unable to do so. She had told her agent about “an amazing entry” and wanted me to submit to her agent. She set up everything for me. Ultimately, my work wasn’t right for that agent. No hard feelings. I remembered to send thank you notes to everyone involved.

Have you ever had something wonderful happen to you out of blue?

Tantalizing Trivia: Paisley

I’ve always had a fondness for paisley.

My grandmother made my Barbie doll a gorgeous Persian pickle jersey dress. (People of my grandmother’s generation referred to paisley as Persian pickle.)

I’ve had two memorable pieces of clothing in paisley–a peanut butter-colored tent dress when I was very young, and a turquoise, fuchsia, and yellow (on white) blouse as an adult. I miss them both.

paisleyAlthough the pattern has its roots in Iran, the name “paisley” comes from a town in Scotland where shawls using these motifs were produced.

Yes, I recently purchased a coloring book with paisley patterns in it.

Tiffany!

Sometimes I’ll mention “Tiffany” in my blog. Maybe I should explain who–er, what–“Tiffany” is.

Many years ago, I’d picked up my children from day care and was driving home when Y-Chromo–about 3 years old at the time–asked me about that “holiday after Christmas.”

“New Years?” I asked.

“No. It’s one Christians celebrate.”

He kept trying to explain the holiday to me, but my work-drained brain wasn’t making connections. And X-Chromo (8 or 9 months old) might have been fussing, too. This went on for several blocks. The he popped out with, “Oh! I remember what it’s called. Tiffany!”

Considering he was only three at the time, I was pretty darned impressed he was discussing Epiphany.

Several years later, I shared the story with my writing friends. They thought it was adorable. (I thought so, but I might be the tiniest bit biased.) And from that moment on, whenever one of us has a breakthrough while plotting a book, writing, or anything else in life, it’s a “tiffany.” The mispronunciation/misunderstanding has become so much a part of our language, we use it without thinking, forgetting other people might not know what we mean.

I had several tiffanies over the past weekend while I was on a two and a half day writing retreat.

Early morning on Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in upstate NY.

Early morning on Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in upstate NY.

My WIP, the next book in my Toke Lobo and the Pack werewolf series, is just flowing. When one is typing along and a plot point or incident you hadn’t consciously planned falls into place and it all makes sense–Tiffany!