Elise Allen's Blog, page 4

Screw You, Boo!

You know Boo, the so-called “World’s Cutest Dog”?

Well, the other day we were getting frozen yogurt and a woman walked in with a puppy in her arms that made Boo look as ungainly as Spuds McKenzie.

My sister took a video.  It’s a couple minutes long, but it’s worth staying tuned.  When the pup gets up and starts toddling around on its little baby paws, I defy you not to make little squealy dolphin noises.

 

So I ask you, who’s cuter: Boo… or this pup?

How Did I Miss This Movie???

My grandmother’s assisted living facility is pretty fabulous — it’s Lifestyles of the Elderly Relatives of the Rich and Famous.  There’s the mom of a longtime Tonight Show writer, the mom of a Phineas and Ferb writer, the mom of one the producers of The Help… they’re pretty tapped in to the entertainment industry.  They even have their own movie theater where they show everything from The Maltese Falcon to The Avengers.

As you can see, I snapped a photo of their activity list, which includes upcoming movies.  One of them is Dances With Wolves, which I saw when it came out… but I’m not sure I caught this version.  On closer inspection…

“Starring Kevin Costner and Roger Ebert”?  And here I thought Mary McDonnell played the inscrutable Native American who won Costner’s heart.  I might have to watch this movie again.

 

 

SCANDALACIOUS!

Yes, it happened.

I caught my husband in bed with his lover.

And I took a picture:

So illicit.

Get Back Aboard the Dinosaur Train!

I’m very excited… new episodes of Dinosaur Train are airing now on PBS!  I write for the show, and even had the chance to story edit several episodes this season, which I loved.

The other day, Miss M and I tuned in to watch, all excited for the new season… and somehow there was a glitch with the episode and the dialogue track was gone.  Missing completely.  The music played, the Pteranodon family moved their beaks… but no sound came out.  It was great during the opening credits since it was like a karaoke game — Miss M and I did the words instead of the characters.

Then it became an animated mime show.  Not quite as much fun.

But fret not!  That was a one-time glitch, and now words have returned to the mesozoic!  If you have kids who are fans and you’re aching for fresh new dinos, come on aboard and join us — it’s going to be a great season on the Dinosaur Train!

 

We Have a Winner!

The pic has nothing to do with the post... but it's me in Venice, Italy! I can't even deal!!!

Hey, everyone!  Thanks so much for playing the Paperback Prize-a-Palooza!

I’ve weighted all the entries by their number of blogger comments, visited the lovely Random.Org and had it pick a winner, and that winner is… JESSICA WU!  Congratulations, Jessica!

In addition, since this is a big thank you to the bloggers who have been so supportive of Populazzi’s paperback release, I did the random drawing of the bloggers you guys mentioned, one of whom wins the same prize pack as Jessica.  That blogger is Laura at A Novel Review!

Thanks again to everyone who entered — more contests to come!

Populazzi Paperback Prize-a-palooza!!!

Yesterday was super-exciting for me, because Populazzi came out in paperback!!!

The occasion got some great notice from Shape and Justine magazines, which you can check out here, and I’m especially grateful to all the bloggers who are now covering, or in some cases, re-covering the book.  To thank them, I’m running a contest in which both YOU and THE BLOGGER YOU LOVE can win!

Here’s how it works.  Below, I will list the blogs featuring Populazzi this and next week.  Since not all of them are live yet, I’ll update this page as more and more appear.  To enter the contest, leave a comment on the blogger’s page, then leave a comment on this page to let me know you’ve done it.  You get one entry per comment, but only one comment on each page counts.

Let me clarify.  The blog Reading, Writing, and Waiting, for example, did a post about the paperback release.  Leave one comment there and tell me about it, that’s one entry.  Leave thirty comments there and tell me about it, that’s still one entry.

However, some blogs might do more than one post.  For example, the lovely Faye at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm is doing one review post, plus one interview with Cara Leonard, Populazzi’s main character.  Comment on the review post and tell me about it, that’s one entry.  Comment on the review post and the interview and tell me about it, that’s two entries!  Make sense?

Then, on August 20th, I’ll do a random drawing from all the entries and that person will win a prize pack of FIVE BOOKS, in honor of both Populazzi, and the four amazing authors who blurbed it:

A signed copy of Populazzi
Any book by Eileen Cook
Any book by Matthew Quick
Any book by Deb Caletti
Any book by Hilary Duff

So you don’t choose just one of those, you get all five.

In addition, I’ll do a second random drawing from among all the Populazzi-featuring bloggers you guys visit and tell me about in the comments.  The winner will receive the same prize — five books, their pick of which book by each author.  Bloggers, I know you get a ton of books, so if you win and you’ve already read the entire canon of one of the writers, I’m happy to put in an alternative book.  Also, bloggers can enter the regular drawing too, just by leaving comments on other bloggers’ posts (bloggers’ comments on their own posts don’t count as entries).

Whew.  Okay, does that all make sense?  Just contact me if you have any questions, or ask me on Twitter or Facebook.

Now… here are the blogs to visit!  I’ll update as more go live, and if I’ve missed any, please let me know and I’ll add them!

Reading, Writing, and Waiting

Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm

Fire and Ice

Confessions of a Book Addict

A Novel Review

Novel Novice

That’ll get us started.  Thanks so much to everyone who has supported Populazzi over the past year, and to everyone spreading the word about the paperback!

Enjoy the contest, and may the odds be ever in your favor!  (But in a good way, not in a battle-other-kids-to-the-death kind of way.)

Girls Gone Child

This photo has nothing to do with the post; it's just Riley in his Hanukkah ruffle, and adorable.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’m obsessed with my daughter.  We go everywhere together, do everything together, and have a phenomenal time together.  Many of my closest friends are also moms of her friends, so often we all get together, play like crazy, and a great time is had by all.

But.

I’m on another trip away from home, and this time things were a little different.  Oh, I’m with Miss M, and we’re spending almost every minute together… but there were two exceptions.  In Toronto, Miss M’s BFF’s dad babysat both girls while I went out and played with one of my BFFs, kid-BFF’s mom (let’s call her Callie, just because it has nothing to do with her actual name).  Callie and I got all dolled up, went to a spectacular Italian restaurant (Sotto Sotto, for anyone looking for great food in Toronto), shared a bottle of wine, then continued to a pub to hang with several of Callie’s friends… one of whom happens to be the amazing author of the Wondrous Strange series, Lesley Livingston.  Love her.

It was a spectacular evening that never could have happened with the kids in tow, and not just because neither 8-year-old can pass for 21.  We didn’t watch our language; we didn’t avoid or whisper through topics inappropriate for the lower school set; we didn’t keep half our attention diverted away towards a small human being… we got to hang out like grown-ups, and it was glorious.

Now today I’m writing this blog post from the condo of my oldest and dearest friend, whom we’ll call Keira.  Keira bought the place four years ago… and I’m only just now seeing it.  Why?  I’m always with Miss M when I come to Philly, so Keira usually comes out to the suburbs to visit us at my Dad’s place.  This time I wanted to do something different. Miss M had a slumber party with my stepsisters while I spent the night at Keira’s place.  We went out to eat, had a drink, wandered the city, and stayed up until two in the morning talking and laughing our asses off the way you can only do with someone who’s known you most of your life.

Perfection.

I tell Miss M all the time that having her makes me the luckiest Mommy in the world.  I tell her she’s my favorite traveling partner, favorite party date (she has joined me at many a “grown-up” event), and the person I love hanging with the most (along with Pre and Riley, of course).  It’s all true, but there’s something so special, vital, and important about having adult time with my close friends, and I’m beyond thrilled we grabbed the opportunity.

Keira’s awake now.  Gonna go hang before she goes to work!

 

Today I Bring You a Marvel of the Animal Kingdom…

…a dog humping a cat.

Nope, it’s not a stock photo.  The inter-species love-fest happened right before my eyes… and I immediately grabbed my camera.

You’re welcome.

Room Service

I love pretending to be local when I travel: getting away from the hotel, eating at local restaurants. checking out local hot spots… it’s the only way to truly feel a new place’s vibe.

That said, I love room service.

In Toronto now and just ordered for myself, Miss M, and her friend.

Do you agree that room service feels deliciously decadent, even if it’s just a bread bowl?  Or do you get bummed out eating in your hotel when there’s a world of culinary possibilities just outside your door?

There’s A Hole In My Lip, Dear Liza, Dear Liza

Not sure if this translates in the picture below, but I had a boating mishap today (long story, though I like the way “boating mishap” makes me sound like someone who summers in the Hamptons and wears a skipper’s cap for no reason), and ended up putting my tooth 90% of the way through my lip.  It was a slight blemish on a spectacular day… though it’s now also a major blemish on a spectacularly swollen lip.

What I didn’t do for the picture — because I like you all too much — is peel down the lip and show you the actual hole on the other side.  But trust me, it’s there.

So here’s my question… have any of you ever done this to yourself?  What did you do?  Is this a go-to-the-dentist thing?  A let-it-just-heal thing?

Also, I’m totally in the market for great fake stories about why half my lip is swollen and I talk like Mushmouth.  Bring ‘em on!