Tilly Greene's Blog, page 51
December 1, 2010
My 5 Goals for 2011
1. Family and Friends. We're lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, and while they're spread across the globe, I'd love to spend more time with them. So, be it a meal out or a trip, we'll touch base with as many as we can this year.2. Writing. I love sharing the saucy tales of romance racing through my head and plan to continue do this with more twists along the way. There are no new genres I want to play in, but they could change. Never is not really in my vocabulary.
3. Travel. In November my sister and I plan to take our mom on a special trip - fingers crossed nothing happens to mess it up. Because the cutie and I are half way between both families, we travel to them, but hopefully we can get a couple extra jaunts into the mix.
4. Home. There are many projects that are in the must do column, but weather put them on hold. They can't be delayed any longer. Back patio/kitchen, garage, and bathroom are the main priorities, now we just need to find a contractor.
5. Health. I'm going to stay focused on lowering the sodium intake and stick to the eliptical schedule.
These aren't in any particular order, they're all important, it's just how they came to mind.
How about you? Do you have something you'd like to give more time to in 2011?
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
Contest Time!
13 Days of Bloody Kiss'mas Extravaganza 2010 is on!
There are many great prizes to be won and daily giveaway, but here's a small hint of what you're playing for from me:
It's going to be a frolicking fun ride to the end - so says the "Red Hot Erotic Fiction Mistress" - ME! Love that title!
Go read the directions, share the contest, and enter, often, at Paperbackdolls.com!
There are many great prizes to be won and daily giveaway, but here's a small hint of what you're playing for from me:
It's going to be a frolicking fun ride to the end - so says the "Red Hot Erotic Fiction Mistress" - ME! Love that title!
Go read the directions, share the contest, and enter, often, at Paperbackdolls.com!
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
Let's Talk About Art and Things
Expert is defined as "a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority: a language expert." [1]
Simple definition that is easily understood.
Let's take it a step further. You have something you know nothing about, let's say an old vase, and decide to take it to a person who knows everything about it, or enough to give you an idea of where to go next for more information before giving it away or selling it. Such people might be a professor, teacher, someone who works with such items - maybe sells them. So, you take your old vase to an auction house, and they say:
"Lovely piece, looks authentic and old. If we were to put it up for auction it would most likely go for around $1.3-$1.9 million."
WOW! That's much more than you ever imagined, but hey, they're the experts. You do it because we have no attachment to the old vase and up for auction it goes. The hammer finalizes the sale and it's $85 million dollars. That's right, 85 million dollars!
So how did the auctioneers get the appraisal price so wrong?
Well, they were right the piece was authentic and old, very old actually and had been created specifically for royalty, but what the auction house didn't take into consideration was the person and/or people who would want the piece.
The Chinese.
Back in 2000 there was a big uproar from China against two major houses for auctioning traditional Chinese treasures. They, like the Greeks with the Elgin Marbles, Egyptians with the Rosetta Stone, and others want what was taken, given, and sometimes sold in years past, returned for visitors to enjoy in situ.
The funny odd part of all this is that I, an art lover but definitely not an expert, knew the Chinese, government and their wealthier people, want their cultural pieces reinstated on their soil and will go to any length to see it done. Money is no object. That was the odd part, the funny, it seems as if they were bidding against each other for the honor of returning the vase to China. Go figure.
ArtInfo gave me the facts and photo of the vase [above].
Simple definition that is easily understood.
Let's take it a step further. You have something you know nothing about, let's say an old vase, and decide to take it to a person who knows everything about it, or enough to give you an idea of where to go next for more information before giving it away or selling it. Such people might be a professor, teacher, someone who works with such items - maybe sells them. So, you take your old vase to an auction house, and they say:"Lovely piece, looks authentic and old. If we were to put it up for auction it would most likely go for around $1.3-$1.9 million."
WOW! That's much more than you ever imagined, but hey, they're the experts. You do it because we have no attachment to the old vase and up for auction it goes. The hammer finalizes the sale and it's $85 million dollars. That's right, 85 million dollars!
So how did the auctioneers get the appraisal price so wrong?
Well, they were right the piece was authentic and old, very old actually and had been created specifically for royalty, but what the auction house didn't take into consideration was the person and/or people who would want the piece.
The Chinese.
Back in 2000 there was a big uproar from China against two major houses for auctioning traditional Chinese treasures. They, like the Greeks with the Elgin Marbles, Egyptians with the Rosetta Stone, and others want what was taken, given, and sometimes sold in years past, returned for visitors to enjoy in situ. The funny odd part of all this is that I, an art lover but definitely not an expert, knew the Chinese, government and their wealthier people, want their cultural pieces reinstated on their soil and will go to any length to see it done. Money is no object. That was the odd part, the funny, it seems as if they were bidding against each other for the honor of returning the vase to China. Go figure.
ArtInfo gave me the facts and photo of the vase [above].
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
November 30, 2010
Are You a Fan of GBS?
Who, what or where is GBS, you ask?
It's George Bernard Shaw and I am a fan of his. I took a course in college on Irish Literature and fell in love with his plays. They were witty, intellectual, and thought provoking. Major Barbara and Caesar and Cleopatra will often pop into my head. Sadly, when I moved abroad and had to widdle my books down to 1 tonne [very hard], the collection of his plays was passed on to the local Friends of the Library and I've never purchased them again.
That may change because I just found out something new about GBS that has me wanting to rediscover his work. He loved collecting and taking photographs. A new side to the man and you can view the first images of his collection that is being put online at London School of Economics and Political Science [or http://lib-1.lse.ac.uk/archivesblog/?tag=bernard-shaw].
My recent edition of the National Trust Magazine had some and they showed a new side to the man. The picture [George Bernard Shaw in Long Johns] above is from the LSE archives - thank you, for putting these online. I will be enjoying the revelation of the photographer GBS and what it reveals of him.
It's George Bernard Shaw and I am a fan of his. I took a course in college on Irish Literature and fell in love with his plays. They were witty, intellectual, and thought provoking. Major Barbara and Caesar and Cleopatra will often pop into my head. Sadly, when I moved abroad and had to widdle my books down to 1 tonne [very hard], the collection of his plays was passed on to the local Friends of the Library and I've never purchased them again.
That may change because I just found out something new about GBS that has me wanting to rediscover his work. He loved collecting and taking photographs. A new side to the man and you can view the first images of his collection that is being put online at London School of Economics and Political Science [or http://lib-1.lse.ac.uk/archivesblog/?tag=bernard-shaw].
My recent edition of the National Trust Magazine had some and they showed a new side to the man. The picture [George Bernard Shaw in Long Johns] above is from the LSE archives - thank you, for putting these online. I will be enjoying the revelation of the photographer GBS and what it reveals of him.
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
November 29, 2010
November 28, 2010
Time to Decorate!
As I mentioned yesterday, the cutie and I get each other an ornament for our Christmas tree as our anniversary pressies. That is as far as we go when it comes to decorating for the holidays. However, don't think we aren't all that festive in the Greene household, because we are. We have the Sideshow Bob of trees and it happens to stay up all year round - the chili lights make it perfect for summer.
Something that was added to our tree in September was a pressie from my sister. We both hate, seriously hate, birds. A few years ago I bought her the Extraordinary Chickens calendar - not to be mean, but because we had it and thought it was [and still is] one of the best calendars around! Well, she got her revenge this year. She handed me my birthday pressie to open. I took the lid off and there was a horrific looking black crow bird thing. Scary! The cutie found it so funny, he put it on top of our tree!
I live with a Hitchcock The Birds moment happening above my head every day!
So disturbing.
The Holidays have begun :-)
Something that was added to our tree in September was a pressie from my sister. We both hate, seriously hate, birds. A few years ago I bought her the Extraordinary Chickens calendar - not to be mean, but because we had it and thought it was [and still is] one of the best calendars around! Well, she got her revenge this year. She handed me my birthday pressie to open. I took the lid off and there was a horrific looking black crow bird thing. Scary! The cutie found it so funny, he put it on top of our tree!
I live with a Hitchcock The Birds moment happening above my head every day!
So disturbing.
The Holidays have begun :-)
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
November 26, 2010
Another Twist on Black Friday
I think it was last year I rethought Black Friday because it's a day I never think of shopping. That kind of thinking might have come from how, since I was 16 or 17, I worked it! Nothing better than having to deal with the chaos behind the counter to make you not want to get out into the mix of it all.
So, another way to think of Black Friday is to think Black Gems.
In Whitby, near where I lived in England, and also where Bram Stocker wrote
Dracula
, comes a type of black stone called Jet. The peak of Jet jewelry was the Victorian era, although you can still find some beautiful pieces today. Each time we go to visit there, I think about coming home with something. Maybe this is the year. I'm pretty sure we'll be going there for fish & chips [chip butty for me] at Magpie's Cafe and pick up some Fortunes Smoked Kippers for the cutie and his dad - definitely not for me!
Obsidian is another black gemstone and has unique properties. Laurell K Hamilton also wrote a book in her Anita Blake series called Obsidian Buterfly and that's the first one I bought - yup, midway through a series. I mentioned in Comeback Time about how the cover of that book encouraged me to buy it where the one in England turned me off. It didn't matter that the blurb sounded interesting.
Now for something personal. Tomorrow is the cutie's and my 17th anniversary and while we can't walk down to share a moment with the sea lions that barked through the ceremony, we will celebrate. Our pressies for each other have, since the beginning, been Christmas tree ornaments. When you're young and have none, it's a good place to start, and even better when you have travel 6k miles with them. Why am I telling you this? Because the "Onyx is the anniversary gemstone for the 7th year of marriage. Black Onyx is the anniversary gemstone for the 10th year of marriage."(1) 7 + 10 = 17 and a odd coincidence. [On a side note, the gift for the 17th anniversary is furniture, and the cutie and I have been talking about getting a new stand for the tv - another weird coincidence or should we do it?]
While a black diamond can refer to a ski slopes range of difficulty and a rare gemstone, which many of the rare diamonds are named. Many have heard of the Hope and Cullinan [or Great Star of Africa] diamonds, but what about the Amsterdam Diamond? I hadn't heard of it, but apparently in 2001 it sold for $352,000, which was the highest price paid for a black diamond at auction. Wow, that's a lot of money for 33.74 carats / 145 facets!
Now, sand is not a gemstone, it is part mineral so I'm putting it on this list because if you ever get a chance to go to a black sand beach, you will think it is just as prescious. The cutie and I went to one when he had a conference on Maui. I drove the Hana Highway and at the end was a black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park. It was stunning and we promised we'd get back there one day and stay a few days. We haven't, but thankfully there's time.
And on that note, hope you enjoyed my twist on Black Friday - go have fun making your own day of Black!
Although, if you do want to go shopping, then I heard a while back that Best Buy were going to be selling the Nook wi-fi for $99, not $149 on . That's a really good price.
So, another way to think of Black Friday is to think Black Gems.
In Whitby, near where I lived in England, and also where Bram Stocker wrote
Dracula
, comes a type of black stone called Jet. The peak of Jet jewelry was the Victorian era, although you can still find some beautiful pieces today. Each time we go to visit there, I think about coming home with something. Maybe this is the year. I'm pretty sure we'll be going there for fish & chips [chip butty for me] at Magpie's Cafe and pick up some Fortunes Smoked Kippers for the cutie and his dad - definitely not for me!Obsidian is another black gemstone and has unique properties. Laurell K Hamilton also wrote a book in her Anita Blake series called Obsidian Buterfly and that's the first one I bought - yup, midway through a series. I mentioned in Comeback Time about how the cover of that book encouraged me to buy it where the one in England turned me off. It didn't matter that the blurb sounded interesting.
Now for something personal. Tomorrow is the cutie's and my 17th anniversary and while we can't walk down to share a moment with the sea lions that barked through the ceremony, we will celebrate. Our pressies for each other have, since the beginning, been Christmas tree ornaments. When you're young and have none, it's a good place to start, and even better when you have travel 6k miles with them. Why am I telling you this? Because the "Onyx is the anniversary gemstone for the 7th year of marriage. Black Onyx is the anniversary gemstone for the 10th year of marriage."(1) 7 + 10 = 17 and a odd coincidence. [On a side note, the gift for the 17th anniversary is furniture, and the cutie and I have been talking about getting a new stand for the tv - another weird coincidence or should we do it?]
While a black diamond can refer to a ski slopes range of difficulty and a rare gemstone, which many of the rare diamonds are named. Many have heard of the Hope and Cullinan [or Great Star of Africa] diamonds, but what about the Amsterdam Diamond? I hadn't heard of it, but apparently in 2001 it sold for $352,000, which was the highest price paid for a black diamond at auction. Wow, that's a lot of money for 33.74 carats / 145 facets!
Now, sand is not a gemstone, it is part mineral so I'm putting it on this list because if you ever get a chance to go to a black sand beach, you will think it is just as prescious. The cutie and I went to one when he had a conference on Maui. I drove the Hana Highway and at the end was a black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park. It was stunning and we promised we'd get back there one day and stay a few days. We haven't, but thankfully there's time.And on that note, hope you enjoyed my twist on Black Friday - go have fun making your own day of Black!
Although, if you do want to go shopping, then I heard a while back that Best Buy were going to be selling the Nook wi-fi for $99, not $149 on . That's a really good price.Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
Thanksgiving by John Currin, 2003 I'm off to do a 2 mile Turkey Trot Walk to support a local group that has been around for 40 years providing employment and related services to disabled and disadvantaged members of the community, and helping them achieve financial independence through a paycheck.
A great way to get the day started. Later it's turkey and football at the neighbors, with a nap or two interspersed throughout.
Enjoy your day, family and friends while giving thanks.
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
November 24, 2010
The Day Before the Big Day
What happens in the Greene household on the day before Thanksgiving?
Well, normally we'd be to the left of us, at the beach, relaxing with family and helping [by staying out of the way] my sister prepare for the masses to decend. Masses? Yup. There'd her and BIL, four+two kids, my mom, the cutie and I, as well as BIL's mom and probablly sister, husband and two kids. 16 = masses in my book.
However, this year is different. For the first time in quite some time we aren't going to the left and the two eldest neices are hostessing the event in their territory - brave souls! I will miss them all and plan on making phone calls throughout the day to keep tabs on it all. But not to worry, we're going to our neighbors for turkey, and shall be great fun. I'm in charge of the devilled eggs [even though I don't eat them, I can make them :-)] and the cutie is preparing a mashed potatoes, onion, cheese mixture in a lovely pie/tart crust - yummy! We're thinking of also bring sausages wrapped in bacon, only because we love them and want to share some of what we like. We'll shop and prepare for this today, and also walk into town to get a special card and ornament.
Today, the cutie and I will also be going into the city [NYC] to watch some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons get blown up. It's a fun couple of hours checking it all out with a hot chocolate in hand, and then going home. This is one of the few holidays that feels like a real holiday to me. When we lived to the right of us and there was no Thanksgiving, so I would take the two days off and treat friends to a Turkey meal. A few were serious disasters, but I'll leave the sharing of those for another day.
Something else on my list for toady is that I'll be opening the door to reveal something rather personal on the Samhain Publishing Blog, so go over and comment - I have a seriously sweet treat to giveaway to a random commenter over there!
Today is going to be great day of pre-holiday festivities - ENJOY!
Well, normally we'd be to the left of us, at the beach, relaxing with family and helping [by staying out of the way] my sister prepare for the masses to decend. Masses? Yup. There'd her and BIL, four+two kids, my mom, the cutie and I, as well as BIL's mom and probablly sister, husband and two kids. 16 = masses in my book.
However, this year is different. For the first time in quite some time we aren't going to the left and the two eldest neices are hostessing the event in their territory - brave souls! I will miss them all and plan on making phone calls throughout the day to keep tabs on it all. But not to worry, we're going to our neighbors for turkey, and shall be great fun. I'm in charge of the devilled eggs [even though I don't eat them, I can make them :-)] and the cutie is preparing a mashed potatoes, onion, cheese mixture in a lovely pie/tart crust - yummy! We're thinking of also bring sausages wrapped in bacon, only because we love them and want to share some of what we like. We'll shop and prepare for this today, and also walk into town to get a special card and ornament.
Today, the cutie and I will also be going into the city [NYC] to watch some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons get blown up. It's a fun couple of hours checking it all out with a hot chocolate in hand, and then going home. This is one of the few holidays that feels like a real holiday to me. When we lived to the right of us and there was no Thanksgiving, so I would take the two days off and treat friends to a Turkey meal. A few were serious disasters, but I'll leave the sharing of those for another day.Something else on my list for toady is that I'll be opening the door to reveal something rather personal on the Samhain Publishing Blog, so go over and comment - I have a seriously sweet treat to giveaway to a random commenter over there!
Today is going to be great day of pre-holiday festivities - ENJOY!
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
November 23, 2010
Thanksgiving Edition of Book Talk
Not to long ago I mentioned in a Book Talk and eBook Talk about not liking to read holiday set romances and I also mentioned not understanding why, when I loved the picture book side of the holidays.
Well, I still don't know, but thought I'd share some of my Thanksgiving related picture and pop-up books that I truly enjoy revisiting every year.
Macy's on Parade by Pamela Pease is a pop-up with all the details of what goes into the parade on the side panels.
Milly and The Macy's Day Parade by Shana Corey and illustrated by Brett Helquist. You might recognize his work from the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events series and Blue Balliett's fantastic YA mysteries, but this is where I first discovered him and bought A Christmas Carol edition he illustrated and The Lump of Coal treat of a book - love his work!
A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley and illustrated by Jim LaMarche may not be Thanksgiving specific, but with us having to deal with leaves falling, it's a perfect book to read, especially to others. And on a personal note, it also is one we tend to get for family and friends who have a baby. That's right new borns are given a couple books to get their libraries started and for the parents to start reading to them. Very important.
Just love books!
Well, I still don't know, but thought I'd share some of my Thanksgiving related picture and pop-up books that I truly enjoy revisiting every year.Macy's on Parade by Pamela Pease is a pop-up with all the details of what goes into the parade on the side panels.
Milly and The Macy's Day Parade by Shana Corey and illustrated by Brett Helquist. You might recognize his work from the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events series and Blue Balliett's fantastic YA mysteries, but this is where I first discovered him and bought A Christmas Carol edition he illustrated and The Lump of Coal treat of a book - love his work!
A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley and illustrated by Jim LaMarche may not be Thanksgiving specific, but with us having to deal with leaves falling, it's a perfect book to read, especially to others. And on a personal note, it also is one we tend to get for family and friends who have a baby. That's right new borns are given a couple books to get their libraries started and for the parents to start reading to them. Very important.Just love books!
Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
