Natasha Deen's Blog, page 92

Thursday Time: Me & the Dragonfly: Part I

I was on the corner of 149th and Stony Plain, waiting at the stop light when a dragonfly flitted past my windshield. He was on odd thing—obviously caught in wind gusts I could neither see nor hear, his straight path would take a sudden, traumatic dive left or right, and I watched him constantly, valiantly trying to get back to his original flight.

And I wondered about the significance of this.

This quarter of 2011 has been particularly hard on everyone. Everywhere I look, I see or hear...

Wednesday Whoa: 5 Stars to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In two words: MUST READ.  Rebecca Skloot's research and documentation is incredible.  While the writing can be dense at times, this non-fiction accounting of the medical system in the '50s and today is eye-opening (and a little creepy).

For people who don't like non-fiction or science books, don't worry, it's not dry or full of terminology, and the human element involved gives this book a unique narrative.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor...

Wednesday Woe: Plot Holes

Nothing against the movie Limitless, but when the solution to the story's premise is apparent from the first-thirty seconds, that's no good, and it's even worse when the character jumps from one thing to the next, and only arrives at the solution after months of taking a drug that's supposed to make him super smart.
Guys. Really. He's supposed to be super smart--he should've have had the answer the first time he took the pill.

Ohio Girl Gives 5 Stars for Vegas

Ohio Girl Talks Review:  I about died laughing in a few areas…My favorite part of this book is when Binda takes down a Mob Boss I laughed so hard I cried!

You are going to have to read this book—I highly recommend it! This is just right for a plane trip, Beach, or a late night read.

I rate Natasha Deen's "What Happens in Vegas" a 5 out of 5! Please check out Natasha's site for more info and updates.

Fashionable and Functional, Too

The downside of being a long-hair, dwarf dog is that when it rains, your sweet belly scrapes up all the dirt and mud.

Enter Mom with a oh! so clever idea: put them in shirts…and not think about the fact that me and my dogs have the same size when it comes to t-shirts.

Still, it worked. The shirts are dirty. Furry bellies (while wet) are clean.

You know what's super cute—they're SO furry, they look like little sausages and their back ends looked huge in comparison.

Tuesday Technique: Getting Around the Block

Ah, writer's block. For the next few weeks, I'm going to blog on it every Tuesday (because I'm wrestling with it right now).

Cause #2 for WB: You seriously can't figure out what happens next.

Solution: This is why you play the "And Then" game: there's a girl AND THEN her mom tells her to deliver a box of food to her grandma AND THEN she puts on her cape AND THEN she goes…you keep "and thenning" until there are no more "and then" left.

It's fast and easy, and even though it won't give you...

Monday Mechanics: Period

Yep, pretty simple. A period is that wonderful dot at the end of a sentence that indicates the writer's thought is complete.
It's handy with simple sentences (noun & verb: John ran.), and (noun, verb, and anything else you can think of: Heart beating, muscles screaming, John raced down the path, away from the monster's fiery breath).
It's also handy with fragments of sentences--which should be used judiciously:
John walked down the pathway. He was almost to the end of the street when he felt it....

Super Cool!

Just found out the library is ordering in a copy of SNEAKERS, SANDALS & STILETTOES.  How cool is that—I really should get into the branch and take a photo of me with my book…

Friday Freebie

A sure sign I need time off:

Get to my location. It's pouring rain—pat self on back for remembering to bring umbrella. Realize (when I try to open it) umbrella is broken. Try to unstick button. Fail. Try again. Realize I probably shouldn't point umbrella in such a way that it will break my nose when it opens. Reposition umbrella. Try to fix it. Finally (minutes later) fix it. Emerge from car, victorious and ready to walk in the rain. Realize door is two feet...

Thursday Time: Even Oprah Gets the Blues

My husband says the O Network isn't doing well. This makes me happy and brings me comfort—not because I like the idea of Oprah failing at something (failing sucks for everyone)—but because it's a reminder that in every risk there is a chance of failure and that's okay.

She left a secure job because she thought there was something else out there for her. And now, that venture is on rocky ground and she's doing what she can to fix it (she's fired the CEO and taken over running the...