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.