The Not-so-deep Thoughts

…then a business trip in Houston (oh, the exotic places I get to see).  I’ll be back in two weeks!

In 1989, a 23-year-old University of Kansas student died from injuries suffered when a soft drink machine fell on him. He had rocked the machine after it took his money but didn’t release a drink. He was the 9th American killed by overturned vending machines in a 3-year period.

In 2001, a bungling armed robber threatened a bank teller with a pistol in Bordeaux, France, and demanded $13,700. When the teller said he didn’t have nearly that much, the bandit lowered his demand to $6,800. When the teller again refused, the robber asked to withdraw a small amount of cash from his own account. The teller asked for his identity card. Police captured the suspect at his home.

Earlier this week, I told someone I’m not easily offended. I always believed this to be true. People mock my reading material, my philistine movie collection, my staid little car, my limited wardrobe, my personal appearance (I tell my boss he’s lucky I take that extra ten minutes each morning to put on makeup), my tendency to grocery shop in my mom’s pantry, and all of it rolls right off my back. These things don’t bother me in the least.

However, as I dwelt on my original statement, I realized there are a number of topics I’m familiar with and a wee bit passionate about and, when handled incorrectly, can make me lift a single brow and murmur, “Oh, really.” What this means is I avoid books that feature hockey, Canadians, geeks (mainly of the computer variety), martial arts (but only by authors who say they’re experts in Korean karate and thought Tom Cruise’s character was practicing karate in The Last Samurai), and French-speaking characters who don’t know the difference between sur and sûr.

That’s not too long a list, right?  Do other readers have a do-not-read list?

I was introduced to Loretta Chase after reviewers in Romancebloglandia gushed about Lord of Scoundrels. I bought the book, devoured it in one night, and methodically went through her back list. She FINALLY has a new release on Friday and I can almost feel the book in my little hands.

Dear Author will have a contest to give away 5 copies and if I was someone who entered contests, I still wouldn’t enter this one.  Why? Well, to enter I have to read the excerpt and answer a question.  I, however, love this author’s books so much I do not want to tease myself with a measly excerpt and not be able to read the rest of the story right that moment. Nope. No way. No how.  It’s cruel and unusual, people!

(Yes, I need help.)

Only two more days…

I was going to do something for Mother’s Day, but since my mom never goes on-line and she already knows I’d be lost without her, I scrapped the idea and compiled a list of books I can never write.

Strange But Real Book Titles Number 1 Bombproof Your Horse (Can you imagine writing the proposal for this book?) Number 2 The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification (Why was Western North America excluded? Or will there be a sequel?) Number 3 The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories (I have no words.) Number 4 The Making of a Moron (Watching too much American Idol?) Number 5 Elephants in Pink Tutus (A Fantasia guide?) Number 6 Advice from a Failure (Is he a failure if he landed a book deal?) Number 7 Across Europe by Kangaroo (So, do you hop on its back or in the pouch?) Number 8 Be Bold with Bananas (No, this one’s not porn.) Number 9 How to Make Love While Conscious (I don’t want to know where the author got the idea.) Number 10 Six-Legged Sex: The Erotic Lives of Bugs (I wonder if this book is popular with the current crop of paranormal romance writers.) Number 11 The Devil’s Cloth: A History of Stripes (So, what does that make the American flag?) Number 12 Cheese Problems Solved (There are enough cheese problems to fill a book?!?) Number 13 Steal this Book

Vew More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Can’t. Get. This. Out. Of. My. Head.

The official music video is quite funny, but it won’t let me embed, so I had to make do with the live version.