Friday, December 5, 2014

Happy December!

Thought for the day:  Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson from how this utterly unique and exquisite crystal turns into an ordinary, boring molecule of water just like every other one when you bring it into the classroom. And now, while the analogy sinks in, I will be leaving you drips and going outside... [Bill Watterman]

[Courtesy of  Morguefile]
Nah, we haven't had any snow here in the Atlanta area. Matter of fact, temperatures have hit seventy the past couple days, and I for one hope they stay there a while longer. Oh, and I'm not calling you guys drips, either. I simply like that quote from good ol' Calvin, (from the old cartoon Calvin and Hobbes) and wanted to share it with you.






So how are y'all doing? Sorry this old flake didn't post last week. It wasn't because I was still sitting back, digesting our Thanksgiving dinner, either; I simply played hooky didn't make time to write a blog or visit the blogosphere. But I did write. (What a concept!) I finally got around to ripping a niggling short story out of my head, and got that pesky thing subdued on paper. Edited it, too. Woo HOO! Sure did feel good.

[Morguefile]

Now that I'm back and absolutely clueless as to what to write about, let's just take a gander at today's date... December 5... and see what happened on this day in history.

Ready? I actually found a surprising amount of stuff, but am only gonna share a short list of goodies. (You're welcome.)

In 1492, Christopher Columbus "discovered" Hispaniola. Nice of him, huh? Otherwise, all those people who'd been living there might still be lost.

In 1766, the famous London auction house Christie's held their first sale. I wonder what that first sale was, don't you?

[Seniorark}


In 1776, the first U.S. fraternity... Phi Beta Kappa... formed at William and Mary College. How long do you reckon it was before they had their first keg party? Par-TAY!

In 1840, Napoleon was finally honored with an official state funeral in Paris... nineteen years after his death.

In 1868, the first American bicycle college opened in New York. (I'm still trying to figure out what this means.)

In 1893, the first electric car was built in Toronto. It could travel fifteen miles between charges.

In 1929, the first U.S. nudist organization was established, the American League for Physical Culture. In New York  City, of course. And that's the naked truth. Yep, just the bare facts. (sorry)

In 1933, billions and billions of bootleggers (Okay, a slight exaggeration there.) went out of business when prohibition got the legislative boot with the ratification of the 21st amendment, which revoked the prohibitive 19th amendment. I'll drink to that!

[Wikipedia]

This picture shows a soldier loading a propaganda bomb with pamphlets to drop over Korea during the Korean War. Air drops, for both propaganda and humanitarian purposes, have been fairly common since World War II, and on this date in 1942, chocolate and coffee were dropped to the occupied people in the Netherlands. Sweet!

In 1945, the Lost Squadron disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. Five U.S. Navy Avenger bombers, carrying fourteen airmen, began their training mission from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station, and were never heard from again.

In 1967, the Beatles' clothing store Apple opened on Baker Street, in London. Didn't last long, though. It went out of business the following year. I guess the Fab Four weren't as fab at business as they were at making music.

In 1985, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose past 1500 for the first time. To put that into perspective, it is now above 17,000.

Okay, now that I've told you a little bit about some of the things that already happened, how'd you like to know about something that's about to happen? It's a NEW BOOK! Coming out on December 8, just three little days from now...


But guess what? If you pop over to Amazon within the next couple days, you can pre-order this e-book for the paltry sum of ninety-nine cents! The price will be going up a couple bucks once it's officially released on Monday, so why not snag a copy now, and save yourself a bit of Holiday cash? Plus, pre-orders will give T.B. a much-coveted boost in first day sales. A win for her, and a win for you. I've already ordered mine, and can hardly wait to read it. So, whatcha waiting for?

Huh? Oh, you want to know what it's about. Sure. Okay, here ya go, the official blurb:

Claudia doesn't feel like herself anymore—she feels like prey. Her husband's hired goons have stalked her all the way to Boston and will only stop their pursuit once she is dead.

Divorce is not an option. Instead, she has stolen a bunch of her man's money to disappear into another life. 

In order for Claudia to live, someone else must die. A lookalike college student becomes the target capable of freeing her from an awful marriage.

The plan goes horribly awry. Instead of murdering Claudia's double, the assassins shoot the woman's lover, who is the cousin of a powerful Irish mobster. Claudia becomes hunted by all involved. 

Can she survive? Should she?
***

Sounds good, doesn't it? I'll be reading it soon. Will you???

Happy weekend, y'all. Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.






87 comments:

  1. Drat you. Soften me up with Calvin, further soften me with trivia - and then wave temptation in my weak-willed way. Off to Amazon.

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    1. HA! Sounds like I've got your number, huh?

      Have a wonderful weekend, sweet Sue.

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  2. That 1868 bicycle college is bugging me. I think Madison Square Garden was originally a velodrome but I'm not sure there's a connection. I have a cold and can't sleep good, so I shouldn't have read your post til tomorrow. I wonder if there's work for me writing propaganda rollups for the military. No, I'm just going back to bed. G'nite (sniff).

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    1. Sorry to give you something else to bug you when you're already dealing with a "bug" of your own, dude. Get well soon.

      Absolutely! I can just imagine what kind of propaganda you would write... the bad guys would throw up their hand in defeat!

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  3. The Bermuda Triangle is intriguing ... a co worker I know grew up there and travelled back and forth to the mainland without incident...

    I'm taking my exam tomorrow then I'll be back to blogging... I had a free moment on the way to work... Have a great weekend Susan ;-)

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    1. Look at you! LOVE the new picture.

      Thanks for stopping by. Good luck with that exam. (Not that you need "luck"...) You have a super weekend, too.

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  4. I think we're all entitled to a week off here and there, plus, you accomplished some writing stuff so it's all good :)

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    1. Yeah, I think breaks do us all a world of good. Trouble is, at my age, whenever I stop something, it's a lot harder to get kick-started again.

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  5. ooooooh, that book looks yummy. Must have, except I don't have a way to read it on ebook. Is it going to be released for realsies? Like hard/soft cover?

    And sure, take a break - you're deserving, yah slacker. giggle Miss you Sis - hope the holidays are shaping up nicely for you and yours. Love ya' 12:34

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    1. Gee, I dunno if that book is gonna come out in paperback or not. I've read her other books in e-version, but never checked for hard copies.

      Ha, yep. I'll take my relaxation time seriously. A true slacker at heart. Love you, too, kiddo. 12:34

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    2. @SkippyMom; download it to your computer and read it there? I've read several this way.

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  6. Playing hooky isn't bad once in a while. Sometimes you don't want to write the bare minimum. Just bare your soul. Hopefully I don't fall on naked ears, hmmm yeah that one didn't work lol

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  7. Calvin and Hobbes is always a good place to start. Happy December to you. It's going to zoom by fast. Avoid dropping propaganda as well as snowflakes.
    Cheers to a good weekend

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    1. I know! Didn't you just LOVE Calvin? Ever see the cartoons of the snowmen he made? Classic!

      Here's to a great weekend for you, too!

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  8. That is a great peak at the new book! I'm in. Gotta get that on my Kindle. I hope it does really well!

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    1. Great! I hope T.B.'s book does really well, too. Have you read her book "Marionette'? Reeeeally good.

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  9. Waiting for the first snow flurries to arrive any minute. Hopefully they will come when I'm done with my cycling tonight! :-)

    Oh, yes, happy December is here.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Yes, December is a happy month. I hope you got your dusting of winter magic after you were back home, all safe and warm.

      Greetings back atcha.

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  10. I just ordered it!!

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  11. "Nice of him, huh? Otherwise, all those people who'd been living there might still be lost." O, that made me laugh!

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    1. I'm glad it tickled your funny bone. All the grandiose claims re "discovering new lands" always kill me.

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  12. Curious about your story, girl.

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    1. It's different. I'm toying with the idea of expanding it into something longer and more detailed. Bottom line, it covers the first face-to-face meeting of a returning soldier and the woman who's been writing to him while he was away at war.

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    2. Oh, Sus. I'm already stirred.

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    3. That's because you're such a sweet little softy.

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    4. Oh...that sounds like it will be a great story!

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    5. See. I'm with Pixel, there.

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  13. the naked truth

    Groan....

    the bare facts

    Ouch!

    The bicycle college has me curious, but so far all I can find when I google it is the same sentence you posted...

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    1. HA! Sorry. Some puns just beg to be released.

      Yeah, that bicycle college is a bit puzzling.

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  14. Hi Susan - as always enough to keep us laughing for a week .. and good to come back to to read. We didn't get any snow yet - still 'warm' .. and lots of interesting things happening on the 5th ... love the turkey!!

    Well done on writing out another story ...

    Cheers and have a good weekend - Hilary

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    1. Hi, Hilary. No snow here, either. Smarticus and I just got home from our daily walk, and there's a nice little chill in the air. Not cold, just enough to make your cheeks feel a little rosy.

      Cheers back at you, and here's to a terrific weekend for you, too.

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  15. Hey... I got here before the comments was up to 50 !
    Love Love Love this post today. Calvin is always a great way to start any day.
    After the wildfire, every night before I went to bed I would read a few pages of Calvin and Hobbs. It gave me some happy before I went to sleep.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Yes, the world according to Calvin is a terrific way to start or end any day. There's a strip I ripped from the paper in 1986 (!) that's still on the bulletin board in my office. It shows him, naked, standing in the toilet. He flushes it and laughs; then you see him dressed, talking to his mother. He says, "I'm done with my bath." That strip still tickles my funny bone every time I look at it.

      Cheers!

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  16. Oh, well done, story author! Congratulations. Does it have a title yet? December 5 is my bro's birthday, so that's what usually comes to mind, but for some reason it's not listed in the history books.

    So there's really a bicycle college? Wait, there's a FIRST bicycle college?

    I've only experienced one white Christmas in my life, and it was in Atlanta—ok, Duluth—2010. It wasn't a lot of snow, but it was very exciting.

    VR Barkowski

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    1. Thanks. Nah, no title yet. I'm still kicking around a few ideas, including maybe turning it into something a little longer and more substantial.

      HA! Yeah, I know what ya mean. Our birthdays go unmentioned in the great tomes of history, too.

      I have a feeling the odds are in your favor for seeing a REAL white Christmas this year... not that piddling little dusting you saw here. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

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  17. "Otherwise, all those people who'd been living there might still be lost." LOL. And maybe they wouldn't have all died out, either. I am pretty sure the native population of every island he visited was soon decimated by disease and slavery. What a guy, that Chris Columbus!

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    1. Well, Chris wasn't alone. Lots of European explorers destroyed the native populations (or subjugated them) while in the process of "discovering" and claiming "new" lands.

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  18. I used to know two people who were graduates of William and Mary. They were absolutely obnoxious.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. HA! They probably didn't go to enough keggers. (Or maybe they went to TOO many...)

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  19. I lived about 100 yards from the 'Apple' shop. The outside was all painted, and the local authority made them re-paint it 'plain white'.

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    1. Super! I was hoping someone with first-hand knowledge of that store would check in.

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  20. I like all your tid-bits, esp. the one about Columbus. Uummm, think I'll take a boat ride and discover Spain.
    Your book review is compelling. Sounds like kind of a "Fargo" mishap. LOL
    Enjoy your warm week-end weather.

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    1. HA! Heck, if I'm gonna "discover" someplace, I think I'll go for Australia. Might as well think big...

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  21. I love Calvin and Hobbs! :) Glad to hear you got that story out of your head and down in print. It can be troubling when a story gets stuck in your brain and won't go away. Have a nice weekend!

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    1. Me, too. :)

      Thanks. Yeah, I have enough stuff going on inside my head... don't need something hanging around in there that slows everything down and causes traffic jams.

      You have a super weekend, too!

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  22. Happy December to you, too! Huge Calvin and Hobbs fan here - my boys have all the books.

    Air drops of chocolate and coffee? I'd follow anyone, over shards of broken glass, for those kind of air drops!

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    1. Nice to know so many other folks around here are Calvin and Hobbes fans.

      HA! Yeah, I know whatcha mean. Chocolate and coffee probably struck (hopefully, not literally) the right note with a lot of people.

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  23. Like Napoleon, I'm afraid my family will wait 19 years after I die to have a party. I guess they'd want to make sure I was dead.

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    1. HA! I think my family will start the party right away. Since the plan is to be cremated, they'd better be darned sure I'm dead!

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    2. My plan is to be cremated, then buried at sea. I told my family that they MUST have a party. Although, "have fun with it" sounds a tad morbid.

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    3. There's nothing morbid about fun.(You obviously missed my post about immortal humor... ya know, putting the "fun" in funeral.)

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  24. After reading that, I'm on information overload. I hope you have a good week, and don't get killed!

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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    1. Take a deep breath and watch a few minutes of some inane TV show. It'll settle your brain right down.

      You have a good week, too, and don't kill any more salmon than you can eat.

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  25. P.S.: List of available foods has changed. We're out of sweet potatoes and into yams. Naturally, I think of you, often.

    BBh

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  26. The first electric car was built in 1893??? So much for innovation.

    I' m glad to hear that you had a great holiday and that you got some writing done. :)

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    1. Yeah, it's kinda surprising the first electric car was developed so many years ago, isn't it? I have a feeling Big Oil interests steered development away from that to better fill their pockets, though.

      Thanks. :)

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  27. Interesting stuff. I wonder what a bicycle college really is and when fraternities started with their wild parties.

    I loved Claudia Must Die.

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    1. Thanks.I'm glad it piqued your interest.

      I should be able to say the same thing about "Claudia Must Die" in a couple days.It should be popping up on my kindle tomorrow.

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  28. December 5th: my mother is born, paving the way for me to be born. Why this isn't in any history book is beyond me. Maybe they just aren't reporting the facts anymore.

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    1. Well, dang, such an oversight is downright inexcusable. I hope she had a wonderful birthday.

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  29. The new book sounds interesting. Sadly, I won't be buying it. I promised myself no more books until I've made a fair dent in the 1500+ already on the kindle, not to mention the 100 real books stacked all over the place here.

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    1. Such restraint! I know what you mean, though. I got "Claudia Must Die" on my kindle today, and "The Canary Room" arrived in the mail. It's nice to know you have so many books on your kindle, though. I still have LOTS of room on mine for more books. :)

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    2. Me too, the kindle will hold about 3,000, but I can't spend every minute reading, so no new ones for quite a while.

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    3. Cool! I had no idea it could hold that many.

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  30. I'm a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan. I remember when I couldn't start my day until I read it. And loved the history. I'm a bit of a history nut. Thanks for mentioning Claudia. I hope you enjoy.

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    1. Sounds like we have a lot of Calvin and Hobbes fans here. It was a lot better than most of the cartoons still running today.

      Claudia showed up on my kindle today, as expected. Can't wait to read it!

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  31. Interesting and informative post as usual Susan!

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  32. Great fun with the snowman banner. Good stuff.

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    1. Thanks! I love your new profile pic. (You sure do pick some good ones!)

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    2. Thanks. I drew the Halloween one, the skeleton with Santa hat, and the one above. Hubby got me a tablet for my Halloween gift and now I can draw cartoons.

      Happy Christmas.

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  33. You can never go wrong starting with Calvin!

    Thanks for the trivia, and for telling us about CLAUDIA MUST DIE -- it sounds intriguing.

    And I hope you're having a fantastic December! May you have the merriest of Christmases. :)

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    1. I hope you and you whole family have a fabulous Christmas, too. And Hannukah... if I remember right, you celebrate that, too...

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  34. Everything was informative and interesting but wait, I too don't get the Bicycle College, matbe it's where they learn how to assemble bikes or learn how to....ride it? :)

    When I was in China, there was a Golf College and I asked students if they learn how to pick balls back. Of course I was joking but they said, yes, some of them will end up with that while others will be coaching those who'd like to learn.

    Claudia's story seems exciting.

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    1. HA! No telling what that bicycle college was, but it doesn't sound nearly as intriguing as a golf college! That's something else.

      Doesn't it?

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  35. I mean thrilling but exciting to read.

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  36. I think you spoke too soon! It was freezing this morning in Atlanta!

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    1. HA! Yeah, I think you're right. When will I learn to keep my mouth shut...?

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  37. I'm sorry, I'm still pondering things like was the nudist colony established before or during prohibition? I need to go Googling.

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    1. Interesting point. Seems to me, it'd take the consumption of adult beverages to make getting nekkid en masse to run around in the woods or play volleyball, or whatever they heck they do, seem like an appealing idea. (Or maybe that should be a-peel-ing?)

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