Holy Cow! Deja Vu!! Also, the tale of a stain...

You may have noticed that today's blog features more than the usual number of illustrations.  You might, in fact, be wondering what that one over there is supposed to be. -->> Far be it for me to leave you in suspense: the other day, I looked at Barnes & Noble online (as you do when you're an author, but not obsessively of course, because that would be sick and wrong)—and what did I see?? THE SECRET TO SEDUCTION has already made an appearance in the B&N Top 10 Historicals — on preorders alone! It was number 5!! My eyes just about boinged out when I saw that. I actually saw it go as high as #167, rank-wise, which struck me as so crazy I had to pester my agent and editor about it, because I thought something might be malfunctioning over there at B&N. LOL. But no. Apparently I'm just wildly, wildly popular. (I'll give you a minute to finish laughing hysterically, while I bask in the rays of my happy delusion. Done yet? OK, then. I'll continue.) The book won't be released for another month and a half—May, specifically—and God only know what this means in terms of actual numbers preorders—ten books? Twenty? A zillion.5?—and we'll never know how truly meaningful this is, but after some mulling, I've decided to assume it's a good thing. It sure looks good, doesn't it?? I've never seen one of my books ranked quite this high this far in advance of publication. Though WAYS TO BE WICKED made it up to #30 in their Top 100 after it was released, so heck, let's root for TSTS to make it up even higher.  This might be as productive as...as...rooting for a dot in those dot races at baseball games (ever see one of those?? where different colored dots go round and round on those big screens and you root for one color?? Absolutely hilarious and surreal), but maybe we can get a pool going. :) If it cracks the Top 10, for instance, I'll give stuff away. (I can dream.) I also like the way my very pink book coordinates nicely with Gaelen Foley's very pink book. Must be a spring thing, the pink.

Meara, our blogger in Germany, also shared a tragically hilarious story with me. It involves alcohol, naturally, and her "Free Thaddeus Morley" JAL T-shirt. Here you see Mear modeling it, but you can read the whole sorry tale, replete with step-by-step illustrations of the events of that fateful evening, on her blog. What's the moral of the story here? That my t-shirts cause one to imbibe red wine with reckless abandon, so you should wear them at your own risk?? That you're bound to have a very good time when you're wearing a JAL t-shirt? Yeah, I think I'm going with that last one. :)

All those t-shirts look pretty cute on, by the way. I was pleasantly surprised. I had to order one of each, you see, to test them out. I particularly like the "Julie's Heroes" one—the heart on the design serendipitously falls in just the right place on my sternum. :) (OK, so it's actually really situated right in the middle of my rack, but I rather like the word "sternum.") I'll model it for you all and take a photo when I can get my camera phone to send photos to me again (are you listening to me, Cingular??) or rope a friend into taking the photo.  Believe it or not, I don't own a digital camera.  Or rather, Comcast sent me this tiny, freaky little free one that worked for about five minutes and then stopped, so I no longer have a functioning one. (It's on the shopping list.) Anyway, a few people who aren't even related to me have bought the t-shirts, which is always gratifying. All proceeds through May of this year go to the HumanE Society of the United States. 

How is everyone?? Spill anything lately?? :) I'll blog something later this week, too, but I couldn't resist sharing these things. And now I have to go finish my taxes. (((((sigh))))).

Comments

[meardaba]

Just so everyone knows, baking soda is my new friend.

[Julie Anne Long]

Does this mean you don't have to dye the shirt pink, Mear?? Clorox also makes a very handy bleach pen. You can target your bleaching areas quite nicely. It's so cute it almost makes me want to go over every square inch of my grout between the tiles in my kitchen. Almost.

[Lareign]

Those shirts are cute. I'll have to remember those. I've lost six or seven pounds doing Weight Watchers, though, so I'd like to lose a little more, haha.

Things are going okay. Some grim stuff has happened at work (I do the police beat two days a week, and there were two fatal shootings in those two days, including an officer shot and killed) but it's nothing to have to cover it compared to the families who lose someone.

But congrats on the book. I'm reading Simply Love now, but afterward I'm thinking of doing up a little Amazon order or something on the credit card. To celebrate the new job and stuff. I've been here a month now, wow.

And oh, not to go all editor on you, but do you mean Humane Society? Because Human Society sounds like a place where cats go pick up humans...haha, that was weird. Sorry. I've been that way all day, cracking myself up over not-very-funny things. It's a lack of sleep thing.

[Julie Anne Long]

ROFL re the "Human" Society, Lareign!! Your description makes it sound like a Far Side cartoon. Actually, I did see that typo earlier, laughed, then got distracted and forgot to change it. Do you remember the Seinfeld Episode where George invented The Human Fund, and made donations in the names of his coworkers to it?? Anyway, I'll fix it now...

Sorry work has been a bit challenging... guess it comes with the territory. I can't imagine you ever get really used to it, but part of what makes journalism so compelling is that you're potentially exposed to every aspect of life, and what an education it is. Can't believe you've already been in the new job for a month!! Congrats!!

Indulge in a new t-shirt, and you'll star in your own blog, too, if you send photos. LOL.

[Diana]

I haven't spilled anything recently, I don't think. I have, however, been home sick since late Thursday. :( After lunch at work on Thursday, I started to feel headachy and sort of like vomiting, so I went home. I took a nap and felt a little better after. But then the next day, Friday, I felt bad again and vomited that evening. I felt better after, which usually happens after I throw up, although my stomach hurt a little. The next day, Saturday, I felt better, but son Sunday I was feeling bad again--just really tired and sitting up was a chore. I was beginning to get worried because I usually bounce back from illnesses fairly quickly, but this time seemed to be different, so I went to the doctor yesterday. She said she thinks I have/had a viral thing that I may have caught at work and that my glands were swollen. She recommended that I stay home until this Thursday so I can rest up and get my energy back. I feel okay at the moment, not 100% good, but I'm glad I have some time to recuperate. The sucky thing is that I had to cancel my trip to Los Angeles, which was planned for this past weekend. I just didn't want to get stuck in another city feeling like crap, so I decided it was best to nix the trip. I was telling my doctor how in the last six months, I've gotten sick three times and asked if that's normal because some of my family are like, "Why are you always sick?" and my doctor asked, "Well, do they work with little kids because you work with kids and it's not abnormal for you to get sick being around them." That made me feel a little better, although I do still think I get sick more often than the average person who works with little kids. Are you ladies a fairly healthy bunch, and if so, what do you think is the secret to your good health? I know getting enough sleep and eating healthy are contributing factors in general, but do you take any special vitamins? I had a cold recently and had trouble sleeping two Sundays in a row, so I think those things might've contributed to my weaker immune system and in turn susceptibility to illness.

Julie, one day I'll have to take a picture of myself wearing your T-shirt and send it to you. Thanks again for the shirt. :)

[Julie Anne Long]

Diana!! Oh, sweetie, that's awful!! I'm so sorry you're sick. YOu know, truthfully, I AM pretty healthy these days. Almost never get sick, and when I do, it doesn't last very long. Part of it, I'm convinced, is the fact that I don't ride MUNI to work anymore. :) The other part is that a few years ago I got into the habit of washing my hands immediately after I got off the train, and immediately when I come home from the grocery store, etc. -- in case I touched something touched by someone ill -- this way I won't somehow transfer it to my nose or whatever. LOL. I also don't drink coffee anymore, unless I'm REALLY desperate -- I drink green or white tea mostly, or Earl Grey when I'm feeling in the need of the hard stuff. LOL. I try to get enough sleep, and if I start to feel a little off, I take an Airborne, which I SWEAR by. It's miraculous stuff. In fact, you might want to look into taking an Airborne fairly frequently. It was designed by a school teacher, after all. :) She knew all about the germs. Also, wheatgrass juice. It's vile stuff, but I get a shot once or twice a week, and I feel like Superwoman. :) Loaded with vitamins.

So that's all the wisdom I have to dispense at the moment. Hope any of it helps.

Get better!! It'd be fun to have a t-shirt gallery going. LOL. Send pics when you can!!

[Kathy K]

Congratulations Julie!!
I posted yesterday, but it seems to have been eaten, never to be seen again. LOL

Spills.. uh, yeah, unfortunately I have a rep for spilling stuff. My husband often teases me about my "drinking problem"; you know, the kind where what you're drinking you end up wearing?? That's me... not ALL the time, thank heaven, but often enough that no one is surprised when I do so.
And because I drink a lot of water and coffee, I can be decorating my shirt with either ~ although water is preferable 'cause it doesn't need to be washed out... *sigh*

And lately I've been having just a *ton* of fun with liquids / semi-liquids and my shirts ~ NOT the one from you Julie ~ but I recently (like two weeks ago) ended up wearing barbeque sauce ALL over the front of my shirt, and spraying it on the table, my daughter's chair and the floor: My daughter, thank heavens, wasn't in her chair yet. At least I got *some* on my food. But I've become the standing joke; and I solidified my position as the family klutz when the very next dinner, I proceeded to liberally sprinkle myself with soya sauce. Man! You think I'd have outgrown all that by now, sheesh!

But my most famous spillage incident(s)? When I was a teen: I was travelling with my family (parents & 5 siblings) when we stopped for dinner / lunch at a nice restaurant. We all ordered and I got a strawberry milkshake ~ YUM! I was sitting beside my brother Chris, and as we were eating I managed, somehow, to knock my shake into his lap; my very cold, very pink milkshake. Poor Chris; he had to go to the car and get a change of clothes before he could finish his meal.
Then about a year later, once again we were all travelling and stopped for lunch ~ I bet you know where this is going, eh? ~ and Chris, being the smart guy that he is, sat *across* from me. Again I ordered a strawberry milkshake and, very shortly after getting it, managed once again to spill whole thing in his Christopher's lap. Needless to say, it became the family joke; if I had a strawberry milkshake, Chris sat at another table. Poor guy!

Anyway, those are my famous, or should I say infamous, spilling episodes.

And Diana, sure hope that you get better soon... and stop getting sick. I just got over my yearly bout with bronchitis, but getting sick like you are sounds much, much worse! I don't have a lot of health tips; moderate exercise, lots of sleep... I'm not big on vitamins, but I do eat a LOT of fruits and vegetables.

Once again Julie, Congrats!! And you should having yourself a real big celebration!

[Diana]

Thanks for the advice, ladies.

Julie, I think you may be on to something regarding the link between riding MUNI and getting sick. I now take two buses to and from work, whereas in the past, it was just one bus to my former job. The buses I take are the 1 California and 30 Stockton. The 30 is almost always crowded with people. It's one of those buses that usually puts me in a bad mood. I'm going to look into switching my bus route and taking a different bus, but it requires a little walking, which would be good for me because I don't exercise regularly.

I am pretty good about washing my hands after riding public transportation. Working around kids, I wash my hands a lot at work.

I switched to decaf soy mochas recently, but I think I should cut coffee out totally. It's just sometimes when I don't get enough sleep, I think I need some caffeine.

Sleep is another thing. I think I need to regulate my hours of sleep. I've been trying to go to bed by 10:30pm on weeknights, but on the weekends I tend to stay up late and sleep in, which messes with my internal clock, I think. That may have had something to do with my trouble sleeping two Sundays in a row recently.

I am familiar with Airborne and have taken it. I think it helps. Sometimes I'll drink some Emergen-C. I've heard that wheatgrass juice is good, but have never tried it.

Does anyone here take vitamins? I'm going to ask my doctor about that.

[Julie Anne Long]

You're making me laugh, Kathy!! I'm so exactly that way with spills. I get distracted, is the thing. I have a friend who refuses to sit next to me at meals. She'll never let me live down what I'll call "The McDonald's Incident," which happened in high school, for crying out loud. LOL. But she was the innocent victim of it, so I can hardly blame her. :) (and it's really rather appalling, so I won't go into it here. LOL.) Another time I was admiring a cute waiter while lifting a forkful of rice to my mouth, and I missed my mouth, stabbed my cheek, and the rice went *everywhere.* Very sexy. LOL. At the same meal, I managed to sit on and smash a bean while wearing white pants, and didn't notice until it tumbled off my rear later on. LOL. (A rear I was hoping the waiter was admiring. LOL.) Not one of my finer evenings.

Now I totally want a strawberry milkshake, though, thanks to your story. LOL.

Oh man, Diana, the 30 Stockton is the WORST. LOL. It's totally a diseasemobile. Seriously -- wear gloves on that thing. Airborne has 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C in it, which is part of why it works so brilliantly. And wheatgrass, green tea and dark chocolate will boost your immune system, supposedly. Even one shot a week of wheatgrass might help a lot. And yeah, like Kathy said -- exercise is great. I exercise every day now, at least a little, and miss it if I don't, because I can sense the change in my energy levels -- and my job as a writer requires me to do a lot of sitting. I don't really take vitamins, per se -- most of them aren't very good, in that they don't dissolve properly into your system. And the very good ones are quite expensive. I get good nutrition in my food, I think -- I generally have a pretty healthy diet. I can feel the difference in my health, and see it in my complexion, etc.

Poor baby! I'm sorry you're sick. But you know, I developed healthy habits as a result of being sick or tired, so there's a silver lining, perhaps. I wish we didn't always have to learn our lessons the hard way!! LOL.

[Julie Anne Long]

LOL. Well, apparently I lied when I said I would blog something this week. I'm all immersed the MySpace world this week -- getting my page set up over there. Come visit me there, too! http://www.myspace.com/julieannelong. Seems like MySpace would be right up your alley, Kathy, but like me, I know you have tons of things to keep track of. LOL. I do have a fun blog topic, though, so maybe later this weekend. Hope you're feeling better, Diana! Wow, we're having beautiful weather today!! Have to go take my cat out for his walk. LOL.

[Diana]

I am feeling better, thanks. I went back to work today. I took a cab to work--didn't feel like dealing with the buses--and my coworker gave me a ride home. Nice. :)

I'm on MySpace. Julie, I checked out your page recently, but not since you've fiddled with it, I don't think.

The weather is absolutely mah-velous. :D I have spring break coming up. I hope the weather stays nice. .

[Julie Anne Long]

Diana, did you friend me at MySpace?? I can't keep track!! LOL. i used to LOVE getting a ride to/from work! LOL. What a rare luxury. Glad you're feeling better, too!

[Haven Rich]

Oh I can't wait to get this book! I'm so excited about this, but also saddened, as it's the last book in the series. I hate the end of series...because of the "the end" part lol.

Julie, I feel sorry for a dear, you're always soo busy! However, I can't wait to see you in Dallas! Maybe you'll have a free moment for a photo hehe.

[Diana]

Julie, I have not friended you on MySpace yet. I will do it soon, though. :)

I'm so excited. I just found out that my favorite chef, Curtis Stone (host of TLC's "Take Home Chef"), will be signing his book at the Union Square Williams Sonoma tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn't even have known about this if I hadn't been channel surfing. I'm going to see if my sister wants to go with me.

[Julie Anne Long]

OK, so I've been friended by Kathy and Diana!! LOL!! How on earth is everyone going to keep track of all this stuff -- MySpace, blogging, etc? I confess I AM having fun, though. Maybe i'll post blogs in two places. This blog is currently prettier than my MySpace blog, however. :)

Haven!!! How the heck are you?? Look for TSTS in the mail. :) Did we ever firm up our blog schedule?? I was looking through our correspondence, and though I thought we settled on a date, I can't find a record of it. SLAP me. LOL. Did I lose something??

Yay, re Curtis Stone, Diana!! I need to get some work done tomorrow, dang it, so I'm glued to the house. But that sounds like fun. AT least it should be sunny around here, still.

[Haven Rich]

Nope, you said you'd get back to me when you knew you're calendar better hehe. I sometimes fight with mine and it refuses to speak with me for weeks!

Sooo sorry I've been AWOL lately, but I've been writing up a storm! I have planned on entering the Beau Monde Chapter's Royal Ascot contest (say THAT five times fast!). I've made my synopsis, my first ever, printed off my pages and it's going in the mail in the morning. I know, I'm cutting it really close, but I paid for it last night...had to wait on a paycheck.

OH My Gosh! I can't wait for it to arrive. I'm going to be flirting with that mail man of ours again. Have I ever mentioned he's a bit on the other side of the age hill? Poor man is going to have heart failure with me greeting him daily with big wide hopeful eyes. Can you tell I've been writing? haha

BTW if I were a nail chewer, right about now I'd need nail implants. I'm so nervous about this contest!

[Diana]

I hope it's okay to do this, but I wanted to put in a plug for my good friend's roommate, Tessa, who will be one of the bachelorettes on the new season of "The Bachelor." It premieres tonight on ABC after "Dancing with the Stars." I don't usually watch the show, but I will tune in to see how Tessa does.

Yay, Haven, re the Beau Monde contest!! ANd congrats on that first synopsis -- that's definitely an acquired skill, synopsis writing. :) You're cracking me up re the mailman and nail implants!! LOL. Good luck!!
I'll contact you offline re blogging.

Diana, plug away! That's so fun about your friend! what a trip! Go ahead and comment on MySpace page about it, too, if you want!!

[Diana]

Thanks, Julie. Tessa was one of the fifteen selected, so she'll be back next week. :)

[Haven Rich]

Julie, you should see what I look like when I'm waiting for my favorite book to come out and the book store hasn't opened yet. Packs of wolves have nothing on me! My husband once used the word rabid when referring to my love for books, I'm not sure if that was a complement or not. I swear I'm not that mean though, I've never hurt anyone in my search for a book.

*mumbles to self, "unless you count that one old lady with the walker".

Haha, have a good one!

[Ranurgis]

Sorry long time no see. I've hardly touched blogs at all because the computer is so iffy and because I've been trying to translate an English furniture care warranty into French. Unfortunately, 2 weeks ago when my brother finally brought me an all French dictionary, I managed to lock myself out of my apartment. The new owner did not get a set of keys for this apartment from the previous owner and so, since it was Sunday, it took me 5 and a half hours to get back into my apartment and a check for CD$63.60 when I had only $1.58 to my name and a week to go in March. All that so thoroughly demoralized me and got me all het up because I have to pay still more due to what the former owner neglected to do. And someone still owes me at least $800 for hydro I didn't use: I was given the wrong hydro meter. The problem is to prove it to everybody's satisfaction. And because of that I'm constantly short to begin with.

I'm also proof-reading an English thesis by a European student, just as a favor, as well as trying to unpack and finally get everything set up in a more presentable way in this new apartment.

So I've pretty well cut out blogs for the time being.

I even had to borrow $60 from my sister today to cover that cheque. So far he hasn't cashed it yet and if he doesn't -- well, I might just go to find him and give him a big hug and a kiss even though he's a little old wizened man. But I'm just assuming that he's misplaced the cheque or forgotten about it because he had told me to date it for March 29. So those have been some of my adventures lately.

Today we went to my sister and brother-in-law's farm--we being my brother, sister-in-law and their oldest daughter. My nephew was close to Georgian Bay with a friend and came from there (along the way he got a $375 speeding ticket) and my youngest niece drove from here to the farm with her boyfriend and from there to her community college to finish her training as EMT. On April 21 the two sisters are heading to London and Paris for a week.

We had an outdoor Easter Egg Hunt in sub-freezing weather and snow. But the little ones, 5, 2 and a half, and 19 months as well as I got a kick out of the 10-day old Highland calf with its fluffy brown fur and little tiny horns. In this breed even the females have horns though this calf is a male. Too bad the rest of Stewart family and ours couldn't make it.

[Microsoft Office]

I’ve been opened to listen and understand what the bible says..god