kimlajevardi

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.

It’s almost Halloween. Are you as shocked as I am to be ending October? The leaves from my trees are mostly on the ground now, and I’ve broken out the dress boots twice already. There’s no doubt summer is long gone, but not the news habit that I’ve begun. Yeah! I saw that cartwheel. 😉

First up, a heart-warming story that made me go aww…

http://news.sky.com/story/1350434/sheepdog-plays-mum-for-abandoned-lion-cub

Um, okay. Who thinks these things up?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/zombie-apocalypse-trulia_n_6018026.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Last up, another eclipse. This time, a little forewarning. Enjoy if you’re in a local where it’s visible.

http://www.universetoday.com/115319/how-to-take-great-photographs-of-the-october-23rd-partial-solar-eclipse-and-more/

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With Halloween knocking at the door, I wanted to share a great book sale that’s currently ongoing. My wonderful critique partner, Lexa Cain, has put her horror novel Soul Cutter on sale for just 99 cents through October 31st. Pick up a copy now. 😉

Amazon     Bookstrand       Smashwords       MuseitUp      Kobo     Barnes & Noble  Omnilit

Hello all! Time for another taste of the weird and interesting news that I’ve unearthed via my endless hours of online time wasting  research.

Um, this first one brought out the middle-schooler living inside me. *Giggle* I can’t help it. Toilets. Accident. 😉

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/truck-portable-toilets-crashes-california-26211903

That’s scary. Why would they do that? Make them stop. I’m not normally freaked out by clowns, but seriously?

http://metro.co.uk/2014/10/12/creepy-clowns-are-roaming-the-streets-at-night-4902998/

Now here’s a selfie I’m actually interested in. You can have your celeb nonsense. I’ll take science snaps anytime.

http://www.livescience.com/1-image-day.html 

That’ll do it for me tonight. Go forth and make some news of your own, but please nothing that involves a mugshot. 🙂

After a very busy week, I feel that I can benefit from some art and music. So… sit back and enjoy this break from the news.

This first link shows incredible street art. If I had my way, every building would have murals or art covering its exterior. Art just makes everything better.

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2014/09/28/bsa-images-week-09-28-14/#.VDYE4GddVid

This song is part of my current playlist for outlining book two. Gotta love Loreena McKennitt. 🙂

And in science news – an eclipse. How can you go wrong with a blood moon?

http://www.space.com/27380-blood-moon-eclipse-photos-october-2014.html

Goodnight all. Now I sleep. 😉

It’s the beginning of October and time for another round of Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This bloghop allows writers to connect virtually to share their insecurities and find other voices hiding behind keyboards around the world. If you haven’t already checked out the talent that lurks behind the badge above, click the image and go hopping.

Now on to my comments for this lovely fall month. Once again I’m not really insecure per se, although I must always admit to a certain level of underlying anxiety, but I’m actually more curious than anything else. I was discussing writing with someone recently that I didn’t know had an interest in writing, and it reminded me of other such conversations that I’ve had as a result of people finding out that I’m a novelist.

My initial question of the writer I was talking to was if she had begun with short stories. It’s an assumption I make because of where I began, but I was wrong. And if I were to be honest, I’d say again. Turns out there are as many types of writers as there are anything else. People who are drawn to the emotional jogs of a well-written poem, folks who want the satisfaction of learning that comes from writing nonfiction, personal journeys experienced through memoir, the satisfaction of a complete character/story arc found in shorts, and on and on.

All of this made me wonder. Where did the writers of IWSG begin?

Weekly News

This week my computer news files spit out some especially fun tidbits that begged sharing. I hope you enjoy. 🙂

Inventive, yes. Am I willing in the slightest? Um… no.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/30/wearable-futons_n_5909238.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Face palm. Some people really need… um, something more than a roll of the eyes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/diamond-for-weed-trade_n_5899840.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

And to satisfy the science part of my heart, Happy Anniversary to CERN.

http://www.livescience.com/48052-cern-anniversary-big-discoveries.html

That wraps it up for another week. Same time again next week? 😉

This week has been quite eventful in my little corner of the world. As is the case with craziness in your own personal world, it reminds you of why you value certain things. In this case, I was reminded of why I place such a high value on news and staying informed of a variety of ideas – knowledge. I frequently focus on the fun side of news, and that will not change today, 🙂 but I do want to encourage my many readers to read widely and frequently. Knowledge really does open you up to so much of the world and, ultimately, to yourself. Avail yourselves.

Serious moment over. Phew… Time for some fun.

Is it just me or is this criminal a little mistaken about the purpose of a hiding spot? If it gets too hot, you have to come out. Don’t we all learn that when we’re little?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/23/desma-kashay-brown-hides-oven_n_5867604.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

This is either totally brilliant or beyond nuts. Wow!

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weird-news/kansas-governor-sign-zombie-preparedness-month-proclamation-n209686

Yay bacteria! Um… well, kind of. There is that whole death thing. Hmm…

http://www.popsci.com/article/science/gut-microbes-take-over-your-body-when-you-die?dom=PSC&loc=topstories&con=gut-microbes-take-over-your-body-when-you-die

That’ll do it for another week. Go forth and read. When you’re finished, read some more. 😉

It’s Wednesday once again, and I’m back with a virtual pocket full of news. Many things have happened, but these choice pieces made an impression on me. I hope they’ll do something for you.

I can’t think of a better argument against cleaning. Maybe that’s just me. 🙂

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/17/alien-lookalike-found-lurking-under-kitchen-cupboard-4873099/

This app sounds worse than turning a blind eye. I don’t want to know and please don’t inform me about what’s lurking in my dusty corners. Spiders – yet another reason to write and read instead of cleaning.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/17/this-new-spider-id-app-will-scare-you-more-than-the-real-thing-4872700/

And in science news, proof that bacteria is a good thing. For those of you anti-bacteria wielding peeps out there, drop the bottles and step away. Bacteria are our friends.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140917073231.htm

That’s all folks. Go forth and soak in yet another week in your life.

Hello Virtual People! I’m having a fantastic week so far. How about you? After a great weekend taking classes and networking with local writing peeps, I’m tired but happy. And an agent requested my first fifty. Yeah!

A fabulous week deserves some equally fun and fabulous news. Are you ready? What? I didn’t hear that. ARE YOU READY?

Better. 🙂

First up – a very slow speed chase. I mean reeaaalllyy slow.

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/police-woman-wheelchair-cart-getaway-25414534

This next link is not a news piece, but a song. I’m currently obsessed with several Rihanna songs – this one being at the top of the list. Enjoy this short music break. 

To wrap things up – a taste of science. This is scary, but super cool. Ideas of how to use this in fiction are up to each of you, but I foresee a Dystopian storyline. No copying. 😉

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20140804060001.shtml

That’s all folks. I hope you have a great rest of the week.