My Own Little Bookmas Contest

I'm so excited about being a part of Bookends' Bookmas contest that I've decided to add a little something of my own to the mix.

I'll be posting Bookends Bookmas clues on this blog weekdays through December 16.

However, I thought I'd give away some of my own books, too. It'll be easy to enter to win. I'll give away one FARM FRESH MURDER every day of the contest. Anyone who leaves a comment on my blog will be entered to win. I'll draw every night about 10:00 pm my time, which is Mountain Standard time. Every day will be a new chance to enter to win. Make sure I can find you; either leave your email in your comment or make sure it's easy for me to find you through your blog identity.

Fun! Merry Bookmas, everyone!

Fun Contest

Yay!

Twelve Days of Bookmas contest begins tomorrow.
Check out Bookends blog for details:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/

Looks like fun!

Back to School?

One of my sisters-in-law is going back to school. She's fifty-three and has two bachelors degrees, but she's ready to take on a new challenge.

I envy her energy! I have no desire to go back to school. The mere thought of sitting in a classroom and taking notes or having to pay rapt attention to a professor literally gives me a stomach ache.

All I've ever really wanted to be was a writer. Even as I made my way though college and a career in advertising, all I ever wanted to do was write. Hope it works out.

However, even though I have no desire for another career, there are things I'd like to learn - or maybe there are just plenty of things I'd like to already know.

Here's my list:

Court stenographer (I've always thought they were cool)
Paralegal (I like research)
Archivist (I like research and old stuff)
Web site designer (Shouldn't everyone know how to do this?)
Physician Assistant (No med school - med school sounds horrible)
Computer Animation Designer (I doubt I'd have the patience, though)

How about you? Do you have a contingency list, wish list, or maybe something you'd like to seriously pursue?

Down Set Hike

I was talking to my dad about how happy I was that my son made it through football season with only a cut that required five stitches. Last year was a broken arm. Years before he's had painful sprains, tendon tears, etc. It's a brutal sport but my son loves playing it -- he loves all sports.

My dad is a football coach and played the sport himself. As I was telling him about how happy I was about the stitches under son's chin, he started talking about how he played before there were face masks. They started adding them to helmets when Dad was a freshman at Michigan State. The first day he wore one, another player hit him just right, ripped off the face mask and broke his nose -- a nose that had been broken a number of times before, because of playing without a face mask. As Dad sat in the hospital with blood from end to end, the coach stopped by and asked how he was doing. Dad said he was fine. The coach said, "Okay, then we'll see you tomorrow at practice."

You can imagine, but by the end of the conversation I was even happier about the stitches as well as the addition of face masks.

Changes

My husband and I don't have brand new cars. His is a newer model than mine, but both vehicles have seen their share of miles and accidental dings. We're both pretty happy with what we've got, though.

My son is almost sixteen (yeah, it's killing me) and we've been on the hunt for something he can drive. Something safe, reliable and, of course, extra affordable (read: cheap). We told him we'd match whatever amount he was able to save over the last few years, but the total budget still isn't huge. So the cars we've been looking at are old and packed with lots of miles. But that's fine if they have a good history and the safety ratings aren't bad.

This afternoon we drove something from 2001 that was in great shape. Remembering the things that were important to me when I was a teenager, I watched my son closely.
Stereo (check)
Double-check the stereo (check)
See if car will go fast (check -- well, I was right there with him, so he couldn't push it too much)

But the thing that got his attention (and held it) was the one item I didn't even think he'd notice. The one thing he'd never seen before. The cigarette lighter. It was the kind you push in and the inner circles of metal get red hot -- it was the kind my grandfather used, the kind that used to come standard in every car ever made. I have no idea when they quit putting lighters in cars.

My son was fascinated by the whole concept and though his generation doesn't seem to be interested in smoking cigarettes (yay!), the lighter brought him much joy. He had fun pulling it out after it was hot and then joking (yes, joking) about how he could use it as a weapon if someone was an unruly passenger. He didn't even say anything when I turned off the stereo.

I don't know if that's the car for my son or not, but he certainly thinks it is - I just hope he isn't being unduly influenced by the old-fashioned feature. Either way, I've got my fingers crossed that he finds he doesn't really enjoy driving, or the independence that comes with having wheels, or going fast, or listening to the stereo when he's driving, or looking at the silly red coils on the lighter.

Right.