RIP Corey Haim

Another teen idol has fallen victim to drugs. Fellow children of the eighties remember the Two Coreys craze, the rocket to stardom, and the inevitable crash that followed. Some folks just can't, I suppose, overcome their demons.



I wonder if "The Lost Boys" is on....

*sigh*

RIP John Updike

The loss of another literary master.

Good Night, Circuit City

Circuit City officially announced plans to close its 567 remaining stores. I admit, I've shopped in CC all of twice in my lifetime (both within the last year). The first time was when I bought my digital camera last spring, which now makes my 2-year service warranty seem a tad superfluous. The second time was last fall, because we'd earned a gift certificate rebate for...something. I think for one of our package Comcast deals when we moved.

The closings are sad (not quite as sad as closing KB Toys, because I used to love wandering their aisles as a kid), but particularly annoy me because of this quote from the linked article:

Credit Suisse analyst Gary Balter told investors that Circuit City's demise will help Best Buy cement its position as the market leader.

Best Buy makes me want to spit nails. Their customer service sucks--probably because they can't seem to hire anyone but nineteen year old boys. I went to a BB last spring during my digital camera hunt, because they had a good sale going on. Three salespeople stood chatting less than fifteen feet away from me for the entire five minutes I perused the camera section. I played, I tested, I read about the features. I even shot a few questioning looks their way. Not a single person approached me. So I left.

Back in December, I was tasked by my dad to buy a digital camera for my mom (since he was fresh out of heart surgery, he couldn't go shopping). For some reason unknown to me, I decided to give Best Buy a second chance. The camera section in this one was directly across from the front desk where there is always someone stationed. I looked and browsed and tested, and I finally picked one I liked. I stood there, looked around, waited for someone to notice me. Two people were chatting with the kid assigned to the information counter, but no one made eye contact with me.

I finally had to go over there and ask for help. The kid at the desk said he'd call someone over. I went back to wait. Stood there. Saw several of the same associates pass by me, but no one came over. I was getting seriously pissed at this point, and was tired of being ignored. I finally gave a glare at the next person to walk by me, who actually stopped and asked if I needed help. At the end of all that, the camera I wanted wasn't in stock.

So I went across the street to Wal-Mart. I found the exact same camera ten dollars cheaper, found someone to me right away, and I even got a free $10 gift card out of the deal. All in less than ten minutes.

Moral of the story? There really isn't one. Only that it sucks CC is going out of business, because I won't shop at BB again.

R.I.P. Michael Crichton

After a private battle with cancer, author Michael Crichton passed away at age 66.

I admit to having only read "Jurassic Park" (a copy of "Timeline" has been sitting on my self ever since the movie came out), but I've been a long-time fan of "E.R." Some of his forays into television producing have been hit-or-miss, but the realism and humanity of "E.R." has lasted a decade and a half.

We've lost a great storyteller.

It Only Took 28 Years...

...but the Phillies finally won another World Series!!!!

I had just finished watching a movie and jumped over to FOX to witness the final two pitches of the game. Top of the ninth, two outs, Phillies ahead by one. It was pretty cool. I called my dad, whom I knew was watching. When he answered, the first thing I said was, "It only took them twenty-eight years!"

I don't really follow MLB (or any sports, for that matter), but my dad has been a dedicated Phillies fan my entire life. Delaware doesn't have a Major League baseball team, so for those of us who lived there, it was pretty much the Phillies or the Baltimore Orioles (my uncle was an Orioles fan). The Phillies won their first championship in 1980, when I was about four months old. I love that they won again this year, when the thing I wanted most in my life (a publishing contract) finally came my way.

So here's to the number TWENTY-EIGHT!!!!

GO PHILLIES!!!!!!

Mutton Bustin'

I don't watch the news very often, because, let's face it, if it isn't about the election or the economy, it's about someone getting murdered/raped/beaten/robbed. Life is depressing enough.

Once in a while, though, there's a story featured that makes me bust a gut laughing. And last night was one of those rare times.

I present... Mutton Bustin'.



Children that weight under fifty pounds, riding a sheep like a cowboy. These kids are adorable.

Hollywood On Demand

According to Publishers Weekly, Patricia Briggs' novels have been optioned by Hollywood. More good news for us paranormal authors, especially after the success of HBO's adaptation of Charlaine Harris' novels.

Although I'm mad at both HBO and Comcast. Why in the world would my On Demand service list premium channels and their programs, if I can't friggin' access them? Is it some hellish method of teasing us hapless, basic package user? A way to trick us into subscribing by taunting us with programs we can't watch?

I was all excited to sit down and watch "True Blood" last weekend via On Demand, and then the screen told me I didn't have permission. Grrr!!!! So not cool.

Reading Round-Up

When I logged on this morning, I realized it had been a couple of days since I'd made the rounds of my favorite sites and blogs (usually an everyday thing, but I've been so busy with edits this week....). So I thought I'd link to all of the things I found amusing, education, and just plain bizarre.

Half-Pint on Twitter. I grew up reading the "Little House on the Prairie" series, so this little feed is beyond giggle-worthy. I like the one about the corn cob doll that won't stop staring. Hehe.

Asking the Right Questions. I don't write YA, but best-selling author Ally Carter does. And she's blogged a list of the right questions YA authors should be asking. It's informative and a good read for any aspiring author.

Updated Want-List. Agent Jessica Faust (BookEnds, LLC) blogged about what she's currently looking for. Query her, if your book fits. She's awesome!

Lindsay Lohan has a girlfriend. I don't know why this amuses (or surprises) me, but it does.

And last, but not least, a thread on AW pointed me toward a blog I'd never heard of and a post that just made me laugh out loud/scratch my head/roll my eyes. I'm not linking to it, because this poor delusional soul doesn't need anymore blog traffic. I'll summarize by saying 1) Don't ever try and trick an editor into thinking they know you, because it won't work; 2) Advance checks don't come with unsigned contracts; 3) Editors don't send contracts without first offering a deal, be it by phone or email or other apparatus; 4) Beware bloggers who say they want you to help them write their second contracted novel as a "group project."

Hari Puttar vs. Harry Potter

Seriously? Warner Bros. needs to find something better to do with their time. Suing an Indian film company because they used the character name "Hari Puttar" in the title? Yeesh.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7580941.stm

Maybe it's because I've been reading a thread on AW in which someone is super-paranoid about beta readers stealing their golden words, but wow. I don't get it.