Election Year Politics & Gas Prices
Current mood: strong
Category: Blogging

Have you noticed how the price of gas is going down?

It really makes me wonder. I mean, here we are heading into elections, and suddenly, gas is going down. It's almost as if there's an oil man in charge of things, you know, in the White House. It's almost as if he's so entwined with the oil companies that he's able to ask them to just drop the prices, just to make the people feel happy, so that his party can get re-elected, and then go ahead and raise them right back up again. And it's almost as if the oil companies go along with this because he's done so much for them that they owe him a favor. And are expecting a lot more in return for their cooperation once elections are over.

That's how it seems to me anyway. It seems like proof positive that our oil-men-in-charge actually have quite a bit of power over the price of gas. Which makes me wonder why they're content to let it skyrocket, right up until election time.

It's food for thought, anyway.

3:00 PM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Supreme Court, Abortion and the NRA
Current mood: contemplative
Category: News and Politics

I'm going to take a big risk here, but for anyone open minded enough to entertain various opinions, please take a read. Get mad if you want to waste your energy. I'm just posting my thoughts because I feel like we need some reason.

I'll start with the NRA. For years the NRA has campaigned for the rights of gun owners. They feared that ANY limitations to those rights would lead to more limitations and would eventually erode the right to bear arms until it was gone entirely. Fear is not a good reason for a stance on any subject. As a result of that fear, the NRA came out in ferocious support of things like automatic weapons, armor piercing bullets (known as cop-killers,) and no regulation or licensing or background checks whatsoever.

Any rational person can see that those things are unreasonable. Surely we can keep our right to bear arms in a sane, logical way, even while realizing and admitting that some limits are really necessary. We don't need armor piercing bullets or machine guns for sale at Walmart, to people with criminal records and/or mental illnesses, in order to protect our right to bear arms. And honestly, I don't think the NRA was ever really in favor of those things. No sane person could be. They only defended those things in order to keep the rights they do want, from being gradually eroded. And any limitation or effort at sane gun laws was seen by them as the beginning of that erosion.

Agreed?

Okay. So now let's take that same logic and take a look at abortion rights. I totally believe it is the woman's right to choose. I am terrified that the recent Supreme Court decision banning "partial birth" abortions is going to be the first step toward those rights being eroded. And given the current administration and the judges it has appointed to the bench, I think that's a very legitimate fear.

However, that fear is not a reason to refuse to look at the actual acts involved. Is it, honestly, wrong, to push for abortions to be performed in as humane and as painless a manner as possible? Is that really a bad thing to wish for? Is there ever a case where such a late term procedure is really necessary?

I'm asking, I don't know, but it seems to me the woman, by that point, has had tons and tons of time to exercise her right to choose, and has failed to do so. At the point where the fetus is actualy in the process of being born, and we decide to crush its skull rather than give it up for adoption, well, come on guys. Be reasonable. I think by advocating the availability of this procedure we wade into territory that's way beyond the rights we're trying to protect, and make ourselves look as extremist and unreasonable as the NRA looked when fighting the ban on automatic rifles (aka machine guns) for everyday Joes. And I think the well meaning activists fighting to protect this particular procedure are doing so for the wrong reasons. It's not because they feel this procedure is moral or ethical or even necessary. It's because they feel ANY limitation to a woman's right to choose threatens that right in its entirety. And again, that's not enough reason.

A woman's right to choose is sacred. But being humane is sacred too.

I think we can protect a woman's right to choose even while conceding to one sane, humane limitation--this procedure being the only one of those I can think of.

I think we can protect the right to bear arms even while conceding to sane, humane limitations--like admitting we don't really need machine guns and armor piercing ammo to go hunting--only to kill cops.

I'm a pretty extreme left winger. But even I can see that in some issues, seeing both sides and making a decision based on logic and reason, rather than fear and emotion, is necessary. Women in this country will never allow their right to choose to be taken from them again. There would be an uprising the likes of which no one has ever seen if it were even attempted. I think (and hope) we have enough power to be reasonable on this issue, despite the makeup of the court, and despite the current administration, which is on its way out anyway.

Now I'm ducking and running for cover, because I'm sure to be pelleted for this one. However, be aware, I'm not the type who thinks my opinion is right and everyone else's is wrong. I totally respect all opinions and everyone's right to hold and share them.

Maggie

Currently listening : Greatest Hits By Pat Benatar Release date: 07 June, 2005

6:27 AM - 6 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

TV News
Current mood: annoyed
Category: News and Politics

Hell, they call it TV news, but I have to tell you, I fell asleep on the couch the other night (I do that alot) and woke up to CNN, about 4 a.m. I lay there too sleepy to flip the channel, just sort of observing, and shortly realized they were running the same few stories over and over, in a twenty minute loop.

And that's my first gripe. Why, on a 24 hour news station, can I hear the same stories, word for word, three times, by tuning in for even one single hour? Are you telling me there's nothing else going on in the country--in the world--worthy of coverage?

Onward. The stories they DID deem newsworthy were as follows, in this order.

1. Anna Nicole Smith died and someone got a photo of the inside of her fridge and there was :::GASP::: Slim Fast in there!

2. Barrack Obama declares candidacy. (We already knew that.)

3. It snowed, a lot, in upstate NY.

4. Donatella Versace says Hilary Clinton shouldn't wear pant suits.

Scrolling across the bottom of the screen were the news tidbits deemed not important enough for the anchor to read outloud. Including the fact that three more Marines had been killed in Iraq. Let's not talk about that, though. Let's instead, send a seasoned reporter out into the streets to ask bystanders what they think about Hilary Clinton's pantsuits. Yes, let's do that.

Nevermind real news. Nevermind that Senator Clinton (who is called Hilary or Mrs. Clinton 9 times out of 10 on CNN and MSNBC, rather than Senator) has a platform, opinions, a record, a mission, and a career. They should ask bystanders their opinion on the Senator's wardrobe only when and if they are also asking about Senator Obama's wardrobe, and Senator McCain's, and Senator Edwards', and so on. Do they not even know how sexist they're being?

But that's beside the point. The big story for a solid week was the crazy lady astronaut. Then it became Anna Nicole. And the whole time, our president is conniving to start yet another war, with Iran this time, and it's barely being covered, much less questioned.

Okay, so I'm ranting a bit. This drives me nuts!

But I'm only allowing myself to vent for a few minutes. Then I'm refocusing on my good mood and upbeat attitude. I'll blog about that more soon. Meanwhile, it's a sad state of affairs when the hardest hitting news on the air, comes from Comedy Central.

Maggie

Currently watching : The Secret (Extended Edition) Release date: 01 October, 2006

11:42 AM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

What Burns my Cookies!
Current mood: aggravated
Category: Slightly grouchy Life

You know what bugs me most in the entire universe? Incompetence. People who are being paid for doing jobs, but who can't seem to do them right. And I know, I know, my last blog was all positive energy and sweetness and light and Maggie of Sunnybrook Farm, and trust me, I'll get right back to that after I vent about this. I swear. I just need to piss and moan and maybe swear and stomp my feet for a minute or two and then I'll be fine.

So I moved, and I opened a new DSL account, moving my old user names here. The old one was shut down. Then my ex, after three or four months, decided to turn on DSL, brand new account, with his own user name and password. And they turned his on, and my entire account disappeared, and they had no record that it had ever existed.

Took me four hours on the phone to get my email accounts back. I lost a day's worth of emails, never to be found, and all the contents of my address book, saved emails, and a ton of other stuff.

Then, one of my daughters was at her dad's, helping him figure out the email he'd just set up. She signs him in with HIS user name and password, and finds 79 emails to ME, including some from my lawyer regarding the split we're going through. Hello? So I call Frontiernet again, and they tell me it's all straightened out. (That was about a month ago.) And then today I learn that same daughter sent a test email from her dad's account to her own address, and it arrived, but claimed to be from me at my email address. I called again, but this time no one can find a problem.

Here's another one. I ordered a substantial sized gift card from Home Depot for a Christmas gift. It never came. I checked my order history at homedepot.com, no record of my order. I checked my credit card. It hadn't been charged. This around 2 or 3 weeks after I had placed the order. So I reordered. The card came, I gave it away. Today I got another one, with a huge amount, apparently charged to my credit card at long last. But I only wanted one. I phoned the number on the gift card where it says, "call this number with questions about your gift card," to try to fix it, but got a girl who said I would have to call the gift card department, which I thought I had, but apparently hadn't. She said to call back on Monday during business hours, then couldn't find the correct number to give me. (Why doesn't she have it? Why isn't the correct number on the card, where it says, for questions about your gift card call this number?)

Here's yet another. I bought a Samsung Flat Screen HD TV--paid 900 bucks for it. It was hooked up for one week before the sound went out one day. It didn't come on again until I turned the set off, then back on. That's happened three times now. And then it started another little trick. It turns to fuzz, then shuts off. Did this twice. Once I turned it back on and it worked. The second time, it wouldn't turn back on for a good twenty minutes. The third time, it turned itself back on. Whoever made it was incompetent, or maybe the company is.



And to top it off, today I ordered mild wings and got spicy ones, and the cook insisted they were mild.

I really like people to know what they're doing. I like them to know their job, and do it well. I like them to take pride in their work and get it right the first time, because when they don't, it tends to fill other peoples' lives with irritation and inconvenience.

So that's my vent. I promise I'll be all sweetness and light again by the next blog!

Tell me some of your stories of incompetence, folks.

Currently watching : An Inconvenient Truth Release date: 21 November, 2006

4:36 PM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

2007 Will Kick Ass!
Current mood: happy

Maggie doing the Elfish Dance

Click the above link to laugh your ass off. That's my holiday card for you, and as it turns out the only one I sent.

So I've been doing all this work that involves quantum theory and creating your own reality over at Effortless Healing.com with Heather McCauley's "Destination Transformation" program (forty days of almost effortless work and meditation that is TRULY transforming!) and I finally get it. =) (And I'm only on day 36. Didn't take long, did it?) You focus, really focus on positive things. You feel happiness and joy every day. You believe the things you want to happen will happen. And BAM! They do. Just like that. Simple.

Sort of. That little voice deep down, the one that says "No freakin' WAY can this work" tends to sabotage the entire thing. But you can train it to shut up and die.

Okay, so I'm focusing on the positive and thinking about all the fantastic freakin' stuff to look forward to in 2007.

It's the last full year of the Bush administration!
My son in law will be home from Afghanistan!
I'll have the most naked cover art on a book in the history of my books!
It's the last full year of the Bush administration!
My youngest daughter is getting married!
It's the first full year in a very long time when we'll have a democratic majority in both the Senate and Congress! (Let's hope they make good use of it.)
I'll have a new vampire book out, and it's going to kick ass!
It's the last full year of the first American Theocracy!
It'll be my first full year as a single, independent woman in my own new house!

Yep. 2007 is going to ROCK! I'm starting it out in the best possible way. Happy.
Remember, if you're not in your joy, you have nothing to offer to anyone. Your happiness is the greatest gift you can give. Remember, what you focus on, you create. Remember, the harder you push against something, the more you attract its essence.

I have, my friends, discovered the ever elusive meaning of life, and babe, it's so freakin' simple it'll blow your mind. We are here to have fun.

Period.

So now go forth and fulfill your life's purpose. And have a fantastic 2007.

Maggie

Currently reading : Sheer Pleasure By Maggie Shayne Release date: 06 February, 2007

4:15 PM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Ho-Ho-Heatwave
Current mood: nostalgic
Category: Life

Welcome to the holiday season! It's in full swing, folks, and while I know darn well I'm probably going to curse myself with a blizzard by saying this, I'm going to say it anyway. What the hay is up with this weather? Okay, November 30th, 6 a.m. in central New York state should NOT bring you a temperature of 60 degrees. It's just wrong. I mean, I love it. I'm enjoying it. I can go running, in shorts, and still get too warm. The predicted high today is 67. That's almost 70. On December Eve!
Yesterday it hit 60, the day before 59, and tomorrow, on December 1st, it's supposed to get that warm again.

However, there is sanity in the near future. Late Friday afternoon the change will come swooping in, in the form of a cold front, bringing heavy, possibly damaging winds, plunging temperatures, and maybe even some snow flurries. It's supposed to be pleasantly miserable for the entire weekend, highs in the 30's, snow, ice. Now THAT'S more like it. I mean, okay, it'll be uncomfortable, but I gotta tell you, it's tough to go Christmas/Solstice shopping, or get excited about the hunt for the perfect tree while dressed in shorts, a tank top, and flip flops, and wondering if you applied enough sunblock. Yeah, I'll complain and moan about the weather and the snow, as loud as anyone else and maybe louder. But griping about the weather is just one more of those wintry traditions I've come to know and love. I'd miss it if it were gone, so we really need to do something about this global warming thing.

Despite the tropical climate of late, though, I have managed to do some holiday shopping. Almost 100% of it online. I love the convenience of it. I can finish my pages for the day, hit the reclining chair with a cup of coffee, turn on Comedy Central, crank up the air conditioning, and buy holiday gifts all at the same time. Although, again, there's something off about it. Like the gorgeous weather, it's great, but it's not tradition. Tradition is crowded malls, no place to park, rude shoppers with screaming babies, guys in Santa suits ringing bells for the Salvation Army, and not being able to find the item you need in the right size or color.

So here's my plan. As soon as it snows, I'm going to spend a day in the mall, shopping. I'm going to buy a toy for the Toys for Tots barrel, empty my change into the Salvation Army kettle, hand a five spot to the homeless guy on the corner, and buy presents for people who aren't even on my list. The second snowy day we have, I'm going to head to the cut-your-own Christmas Tree farm, and spend an hour, maybe several hours, trekking through the place in search of the perfect tree. And while they're bundling it and loading it for me, I'm going to grab a cup of hot cocoa and take it with me while I browse the gift shop and find the perfect special ornament to mark my first Christmas in my new house.

On the way to and from these journeys, I'll have my favorite holiday CDs playing in the car; John Denver and the Muppets being number one among those. I just cannot sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" without adding Miss Piggy's trademark "Ba-dum-bum-bum" to the "five golden rings" part. Although I have a minor complaint about that too. My old CD wore out, and I bought a new one, and it's missing two songs; Little Saint Nick and When the River Meets the Sea, two of my faves. So if anyone out there knows where I can get a version of that CD that includes those songs, let me know, send me a link. It's not Christmas without the full CD.

I need some wreaths and wreath hangers for my doors. I need some decorations. So far I haven't done a single thing to decorate for the holidays. I've been a regular humbug. But okay, it's time to get in the mood. So that's my goal for the week--work up some holiday spirit and show it. And I'll do it, too. Even if it kills me.

Now, since I've cursed myself to a certain snowstorm, I need to go get oil and gas in the snowblower, and I think the instructions said something about a spark plug wire that needs to be attached. Hmmmm......

Merry, Merry, everyone!
Maggie

Currently listening : A Christmas Together By John Denver & the Muppets Release date: 01 August, 1996

4:00 AM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Miss Snark
Current mood: calm
Category: Blogging

Okay, so there's this blogger known as Miss Snark. Or maybe it's Miz Snark, or Ms. Snark. Damned if I know or particularly cared, until recently, when her attack blogs targeted an author who was first my idol and then my friend, and probably one of the most honest, hard working, down right talented, kind and giving human beings I've ever known. (But even before I knew all those things about her, I was so enamored of Anne Stuart's books that I studied them to teach myself how to write well.)

So anyway, recently, this Snark person posted an attack against my friend on her blog--not just a critique or anything. This was an attack that could have career damaging repercussions to an author.

So I wondered, who would want to do something like that to such a decent, caring, warm, giving person? And I thought maybe she just didn't know how harmful her words could be. So I ran a Google search that says Snark is really a literary agent by the name of Janet Reid.

Now I was REALLY horrified. Because for a literary agent to do things that could damage an author's career suggests a real conflict of interest! It's unethical, immoral, and not too bright. I mean if your career depends on making money by taking a cut from authors' incomes, wouldn't you want authors to like you? You certainly wouldn't want to alienate the industry's top stars. And there was no question now that she knew exactly how much damage her words had the potential to do.

Or would have had the potential to do, if the author she attacked had been anyone else. As it is, Anne Stuart is so beloved (by other writers as well as by her readers and most of the industry's movers and shakers, most of whom she's worked with) that it would take a lot more than this to make anyone doubt her. As it is, I believe all this brouhaha and controversy is increasing Anne's sales as we speak, and that's just such poetic justice that I can't help smiling. (COLD AS ICE, Mira Books. it's out now, buy it to show your support! And don't confuse it with COLDER THAN ICE, my own MIRA title from November 04.)

I can't figure out why an agent would do something like this. Lots of times, authors get skewered by people who want to write, haven't been able to break in yet, and take it out on us out of jealousy. (We help aspiring authors all the time, so those attacks are unwarranted, but they do happen.) Sometimes we get attacked by other authors who perceive us as a threat to them. But that's pretty rare among romance writers. We're more like a sisterhood. A support group. We love each other, celebrate every success together. But I've never even HEARD of an agent attacking authors. It's just bizarre, honestly.

It makes no sense, unless one thought they could make more room at the top for their own clients by trying to take down the industry's most beloved writers. That would never work, and anyone with any clue about this business would know that, but I suppose someone might try it all the same. And maybe that's not the motive, but it's not one I would want people speculating about if I were an agent.

You know what, Google can't be right. It has to be a mistake. Janet Reid can't be Miss Snark, can she? If anyone knows, email me. Tell me I'm wrong and restore my faith in this industry and the people working within it.

Anyway, I'm angry with Snark, whoever she is, and that's a pain, because I'd sworn off negative emotions for forty days, and this is setting me back a bit. But the thing is, she's pissed off a lot of very very high ranking, very very influential, very very successful authors. Not a good thing to do if you're in a business where your income depends on them. So I'm trying to let go of my anger (it's working) and just trust in karma to take care of the matter, as it always does.

Critiques are fine. Trash our work. (It hurts like you wouldn't believe! But that's still fair game.) Personal attacks and attempts to hurt our careers or reputations are out of bounds, and I guess my feeling is that, while we have to smile and be polite and keep quiet about bad reviews, we have to stand up and draw the line when people resort to foul play.

So I'm joining the crowd of authors and other industry professionals crying FOUL at Miss Snark. And in fact, just for the record let me say that anyone brave enough post their opinion, good or bad, ought to have the ovaries to put their name to it. Anonymity being used as a shield while clubbing your fellow humans over the head is just wrong.

Now, everyone, here's the real thing. Negativity is destroying our world. It's the very foundation on which bigger, badder things are built. Things like war and genocide and disease and all the rest. (Check out www.effortlesshealing.com and sign up for the free 40 day course, Destination Transformation, to learn how you can begin to change the world just by changing yourself. It's amazing.)

If you spend your time spewing negativity, attacking people who are your sisters and brothers, spreading dislike and distrust, you are contributing to the ills of the world. Spend your time instead defending the wronged, standing by your friends, and spreading as much positive energy, love and peace as you can. Fill yourself with it, spill it onto everyone you meet, pour it into everything you do, and not only will you become a better person, your life will improve, your health, your well being, your finances, EVERYTHING, will improve. And the world will benefit!

One of the things the website recommends is to block yourself from everything negative for a week, including news reports, gossip, and anything nasty. What a cleansing experience that would be. I'm going to try it, though being a news junky, I'm not sure I'll make it work. I won't have any trouble not viewing snarkiness for a week, though. Actually, I've pretty much made that one a vow of forever.

Blessed Be!

Maggie Shayne

Currently reading : Cold As Ice By Anne Stuart Release date: 01 November, 2006

1:04 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

My New House and Me
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Life

Good news, folks! Not only does the Sentry security system in my new home work like a charm, but the fire department..s response time is about five minutes. Isn..t that great? You see, I burned some pancakes the other morning and uh..yeah, you guessed it. The alarm sounds like something you..d expect to hear if your local nuclear power plan blew a gasket. As it went off, I quickly ran to the spot where the former owner had left me a note telling me exactly what to do if this should happen. Punch in the code, hit RESET, and stay off the phones. Okay.

I punched in the code. The alarm stopped. I hit Reset. WEEE-WOOO, WEEE-WOOO, WEEE-WOOO. I hit the code again, it stopped. I hit Reset. It howled. I guess I hadn..t cleared out all the smoke yet. Meanwhile, the company was trying to call to verify the fire, but they still had the former owner..s number, not mine. We hadn..t switched things over yet. Yikes. I finally hit the code, and did not hit reset. I just let it go. It stopped, and stayed stopped, but that meant the system wasn..t active. And five minutes later, the fire department was knocking on my front door. As I explained what had happened, they laughed, and I asked if the entire town was going to know every time I burned breakfast, and they laughed some more.

I think from now on, I..ll disarm the device anytime I plan to cook. My kids used to joke that the smoke alarm was the dinner bell at our house. I have improved, mind you, but it..s probably still best to take precautions.

I got that issue all worked out with a call to Sentry, a tutorial, a cleaning of the smoke detector and a new battery for the system since I..d worn mine out by making it scream so many times.

The next fun issue was when the power went out one afternoon, just before dusk. I sprang into action, quickly noting the things I needed to do. First, go down cellar and see if a breaker had kicked off. But it was already pitch dark down there. Okay, revisions are my forte. First, get a light, because it would be dark upstairs as well soon and I wouldn..t be able to find one. So I located a battery powered lantern, made sure it was charged and working. Second, find a phone that works without electricity. Fortunately, there were several older phones around the house. So I found one and plugged it in. Third, call the power company and find out if this was widespread, or my own personal problem, which would tell me if I really HAD to do down into the basement. So I located the number, which took awhile because I couldn..t remember the power company..s name..it..s not the same as my former one. But I finally did, and phoned them, and learned that yes, this was a real outage, and I could expect my power back in about 4 hours.

Okay, four hours. I could deal with that. I had light. I couldn..t cook, but I wasn..t going to starve in four hours. And as for heat---ahh, yes. I have a fireplace. Heat, I have covered. And only the day before I had asked the former owner if there was anything that needed to be done, activated, cleaned, or opened before lighting a fire, and he said no, just go for it, so that..s what I did.

And the smoke came billowing into the living room. Uh-oh. Clearly there was some reason the smoke could not go up the chimney, and I had such a lovely fire going I couldn..t exactly stick my head up there to see why. I grabbed the poker, and, well, poked until I knocked against the issue, a damper which was closed. I poked it open, the smoke whooshed up the chimney, the fire took off, and all was well. Well, sort of. I still had to open all the windows to air the place out, which meant my fire ended up making me colder instead of warmer.

Now the entire incident, from the power going out to the fire burning merrily, took up the space of about 45 minutes. And no sooner had that time ticked past, than the power miraculously came back on. Not four hours at all, not that I..m complaining.

So yes, there have been a few bugs to work out, but no harm done, and I..m learning as I go. I..ve mastered the fireplace and the security system. I..m sure there will be other things for me to get a handle on as I go along, cooking on an electric stove being among them. But over all, Serenity (my name for my new home) and I are getting to know each other, and having fun doing it. The screw ups make us laugh. I swear this place has a personality. It..s playful, and warm and it loves me as much as I love it. So the snafus don..t stress me out or make me crazy. I just shake my head and giggle at myself, and move on to fix the problem. It..s an incredibly healthy new attitude.

I..ve been ordering furniture, a few pieces at a time, and will soon begin some decorating touches, starting with my bedroom, where I..m going to paint a green border on the walls, and accent them with autumn leaf patterns. I..ve already done window treatments in that room. It..s all coming together nicely, and gradually as I let the house tell me what..s going to work where and make it more and more a reflection of myself and an image of the inner energy of this place.

This morning, it snowed. Oh, there have been a few flakes mingled in with the rain once or twice over the past week or so, but this was the first real snow, that gave a sugar coating to the lawn and trees.

Life is good here in Serenity. And it occurs to me that we can all create our own serenity, if we really want to. I highly recommend it. Serenity is a good place to be.

Maggie

6:38 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment