kimlajevardi

Happy New Year one and all! It is the last chance to grab a bite of news from 2014, and I’m all atwitter about what I have to share. Before I begin, I hope each of reads this with a calm and peaceful end to 2014 and many bright prospects for 2015. If you’re not, then I wish for a change in circumstance.

This first tasty morsel gives new meaning to: Nice boat. Such a cool thing to tool around Venice in, even if the reason he built it is kind of sad.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/artist-carves-floating-wooden-ferrari-f50-in-venice/

Sad face for the bike for sure, but I’m very relieved the guy is okay. You just never know when life is going to turn you upside down.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/somersaulting-cyclists-miracle-escape-caught-4898965

This next one is not really super current news, but just freaking cool. Time travel! Amazing, right?

http://www.livescience.com/39159-time-travel-with-wormhole.html

That’ll do it for 2014. Enjoy your New Year celebrations, just not too much. 😉 See you in the fifteen.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nick will bring me a new car. Okay, maybe not a car, but perhaps a stack of books or a giant B&N gift card. In honor of Christmas Eve, take a few moments to enjoy the music below. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you and your families. To those of you who celebrate another holiday this time of year, Happy Holidays!

First up, a classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ2mku_DTz8

To those of you out there missing the snow… a little nod to white Christmas dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKtCM5SyGAg

My final gift to you on the eve of my favorite holiday of the year – a little ditty that I learned as a child. Rudolph and Frosty factored into every Christmas for every one of my *cough* forty years, and I couldn’t part without sharing a little red-nosed reindeer. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLf0DDt3Xiw

Merry Christmas!

Red, green, white and so many sparkles. As I sit here writing the news this week, all of those colors and twinkling lights stare back at me. Christmas is barreling towards us, and the news is filled with stories about shopping, good deeds and cold weather issues. But my eyes are focused on those lights and the beauty of a holiday which warms my heart every year. Smaltzy, I know, but it truly is one of those times of year where that is my norm. Don’t get used to it. 😉

In that vein, some Christmas-themed news and a song. Enjoy!

First up, cats and Christmas trees. What could go wrong?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/16/cats-vs-christmas-trees_n_6337836.html?utm_hp_ref=christmas

Some people just rock. I want to buy this angel a drink.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/16/layaway-50000-christmas-gifts_n_6335858.html?utm_hp_ref=christmas

I’m “All About That Space” too! Awesome job, NASA!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/12/nasa-all-about-that-space-parody-video_n_6315196.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News

If you haven’t already, take some time to soak in the holiday spirit before it’s gone. I know I will. Goodnight all!

Hello All! It’s that time again. I know you’ve all being waiting on the edges of your seats for what I would come up with this week. You can admit it. 🙂

I won’t make you wait any longer.

This first piece is cute and funny. I love the fact that this father makes his daughter a part of his business, and who can beat vacuum cleaner representatives in a nativity?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/britains-weirdest-nativity-scene-shop-4776835

Um, what? Seriously? These people were elected?

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/town-reportedly-nixes-winnie-pooh-mascot-over-dubious-sexuality-n253226

And in science news, results from landing on the comet. Very interesting!

http://www.popsci.com/earths-water-came-asteroids-not-comets-says-rosetta-mission

That’ll do it for me tonight. I hope you enjoy your week as much as I plan on enjoying mine.

It’s time for another round of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Even though I can’t believe another month has come and gone, it has (I know I’m singing my all-too-familiar-tune). If you haven’t taken a virtual ride from the image and traveled to blogs heretofore unknown to you, do it now. What are you waiting for?

On to my own insecurity.

This month, I’m practically coming out of my skin from nerves, anxiety, excitement and… I’ve been querying my first manuscript as I begin writing my second. All was going as expected: rejections, with a mix of form letters and more personalized little notes. Then – boom. A partial request. I was thrilled and repeat the litany of adjectives already mentioned above. Weeks passed and nothing. I began to think that another rejection was poised and ready to fly into my inbox.

But that’s not what happened.

I received a full request. EEEKKKK! My first one.

I sent it right away and then the email stalking began. I have checked my email over a hundred times in the week and a half since that request, even over the holidays when the agent’s assistant said they would be out of the office. Geez. I need a head slapping emoticon or one where I can roll my own eyes. I even made myself aware of the average wait times for full reads – about two months for those of you who haven’t pathetically googled every website about random such info. Every. Single. One.

Still nothing. Argh… I’m coming out of my skin waiting, even though I know the odds are long, and I’m still at the beginning of the marathon that is publishing. Did I already say argh?

Anyways, my question is:

How do other writers maintain their focus, sanity and normalcy during this process? 

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Now on to our regularly scheduled news break.

This first piece is not really news per se, but sooooo cool. I want to try this. Well, not really. But I do want to watch it done. 🙂

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/02/instant-fried-shrimp-machine_n_6256242.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News

It’s the zombies. They eat brains, you know? Zombies, I tell you.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/03/the-case-of-100-missing-brains-at-the-university-of-texas/

And in a nod to my teaching side, an explanation about how one of science’s most famous theories makes a lot of modern life possible. Thanks, Einstein!

http://www.livescience.com/48922-theory-of-relativity-in-real-life.html

Until next time. Enjoy the news.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I hope all of you have made the requisite room for massive quantities of food tomorrow. I have. 🙂 In advance of the food coma and the hours of football that makes up what I fondly call Thanksgiving, I want to share some of the news from 2014 that I’m thankful for:

• Not everyone is using the tragedy in Missouri to cause even more destruction. In fact, some people are coming together to show the value of community. http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/good-people-uniting-ferguson/
• Progress continues to happen in the realm of climate change, and it comes not from drastic headline grabbing change but from small everyday changes. Kind of like most things, huh?  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/opinion/good-news-on-energy.html
• Science and technology can add to our lives and this year was no exception. http://www.livescience.com/48932-artificial-pancreas-type-1-diabetes-treatment.html
• As a former smoker who is now one of those annoying hand-waving-in-front-of-their-nose-people, this is great news.  http://www.livescience.com/48923-usa-smoking-declines-to-lowest.html
• We’re really out there. Voyager 1 went interstellar in 2013, but it is still going. As I type this in 2014, Voyager is really stretching the reach of mankind. http://discovermagazine.com/2014/jan-feb/06-voyager-1-goes-interstellar

I can fill up pages and pages of good news from 2014. Ultimately, that’s what I’m grateful for. With all of the negative news, it’s truly important to remember how much good is really out there. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello all!

I’m back for yet another week, and I have thawed out. Yay! I hope that wherever you are, you are both safe and warm. My thoughts are with all of those in Missouri and New York. The news is rarely as light and fun as the pieces I post. Both humans and Mother Nature throw challenges that individuals and communities need to adjust to, and it can be more than tough. Positive thoughts to all of those out there dealing with those biggies at the moment.

A small reminder about something else Mother Nature is responsible for.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/10/clumsy-baby-elephants-supercut-video_n_6134820.html

People are also capable of great things, including kindness. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. Here’s just one example to remind.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-man-makes-national-news-with-simple-good-5214225.php

Science to back up the importance of human kindness.

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/the_ilk_of_human_kindness

With the holidays around the corner, take a moment to breathe in the beauty of this season and hug your loved ones.

After a very frigid couple of days, I welcome the chance to sit down and share a bit of news. How about you? Winter seems to have stormed into my neck of the woods, so there’s nothing better than sitting in my fuzzy socks with my laptop and a warm drink. I hope you all are staying warm and/or indoors. Now on to the news. 🙂

Up first, some instant karma. It says that he entered through a vent on the roof for “unknown” reasons. I think I know. I’m glad he’s okay, but some decisions land you in hot water, or in this case, in the walls.

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/man-rescued-colorado-department-stores-walls-26844478

I couldn’t resist this next one. da Vinci would be proud.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weird-news/images-showcase-wacky-inventions-yore-n217096

And in rocking science news, the probe has landed. 🙂

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141112124834.htm

Well, once again, I’m done for the night. Stay warm and take care. I’ll be back in seven.

It’s the beginning of yet another month, which means it’s time for another posting of the IWSG. If you haven’t clicked on the image and traveled to the variety of blogs that participate in this hop, do it. Treat yourself to a little pre-holiday giggle or cry, depending on your needs.

Now on to my own post for this month.

I know that many of my fellow are writers are deep in the throes of NaNo at the moment. I’m doing a modified Nano with my new project. I predict my first draft will actually take three to four months, rather than one. But, I feel a bit a part of the club at the moment; it’s a coffee-driven, anxiety-riddled club for sure, but it has more than its share of talent and benefits. Most notably, the dedication to put down words every day.  That’s what attracted me to my own modified version.

What about you? Are any of you participating in either the traditional NaNo or your own version?

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Next up, weekly news.

This first one seems more like a scene from When Sharks Attack. Guess curiosity really is bad for kitties.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/30/fish-attacks-cat_n_6073404.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

I’d love to snorkel down and see this, and it helps preserve the reef – bonus!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/01/bahamas-underwater-sculpt_n_6069662.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News

Geologic speed bumps in an earthquake zone. Cool!

http://www.livescience.com/48596-chile-subduction-zone-speed-bumps.html

That’s it for me for another week. For those of you trapped inside for the duration of NaNo, get a refill on your coffee. For those of you still able to go outside and take in the dwindling hours of daylight, send chocolate and Starbucks. Writing is hard work. 🙂

Yawn. What?

It’s Wednesday again?

Oh, sorry. I’m dragging this week. Sleepy is an understatement, but I am excited about one thing: Halloween. It’s been years since I’ve dressed up with much more than some token makeup and sparkles, but this year is different. I’m finishing outlining my second book, and I’m trying to get into my protag’s head more fully. So I’m dressing up as Kira, my new kick-ass protagonist, for Halloween.

That’s making me all kinds of excited about All Hallow’s Eve, and so here is the news through that particular lens. 😉

First up, don’t look at her. Apparently, my friends and neighbors are looking up Medusa in high numbers. A throw back for sure, but there are worse things.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/halloween-costumes-googled-most-popular_n_6050592.html?utm_hp_ref=halloween

Here’s a flashback to my childhood. What’s Halloween without a little Monster Mash?

http://youtu.be/l2PoSljk8cE

And in Halloween-related science news, a beneficial use for scientists to dress in costume. It’s not just dress up – it’s serious science folks.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141028-halloween-costumes-science-conservation-nation-animals/

That’ll do it for me tonight. Time for this writer to turn into a pumpkin. Goodnight.