Julia London's Blog, page 71

Bad Starbucks. Bad. Bad.

Alas, poor Starbucks, I loved you well…..

And, yeah, I still do. But my darling Starbies has irritated me. What? you say. Can it be so? Indeed it can.

What horror hath Starbies wrought? Two, actually. Little green sticks, and green tea lattes that ain't so green tea after all.

Let's start with the sticks. These little green thingies (apparently they're called splash sticks) go into the hole in the lid of your coffee. Okay, that's fine. IF you want one. Personally, I don't. And yet I noticed that for a while there I was getting them at the drive through window no matter what. That means I have to immediately take it out. Now it's icky and wet. Where am I supposed to put it? (Okay, yes, that's a stupid question. I put it on the floor with the rest of the crap in my car. But that's sorta the point. These hard plastic thingies are, I repeat, PLASTIC. Isn't Starbucks supposed to be all about the green? Recycling? Health of the planet and all that? And yet they're shoving these stupid green sticks off on me whether I want them or not?)

And that's the real problem–you get them whether you want them or not. If I were in an office, walking a drink carrier of four drinks back to my boss and co-workers, heck yeah. Or trotting down a street, not drinking yet, and wanting to make sure it doesn't squirt onto my silk blouse (a brief pause while I glory in the fact that I can now work in ripped up t-shirts and sweats), well, then one would come in handy.

But I'm in the drive through because I want to DRINK the dang thing, not add to a landfill.

I asked the guy at the window the other day if a corporate edict came down. Did someone get squirted with hot coffee and sue? No. Apparently the district manager decided that "the customer wants them" and now the baristas are required to put them in all drinks. Yeesh.

(I was googling the name of these puppies, and the first blog that came up was in line with my way of thinking. I also ran across another site that noted that the thingies got their start from a virtual suggestion box. I want to find that person and give them a wedgie!)

And as if that weren't enough, I discovered that I was fooled by green tea lattes! Yes, in the interest of health, I've gotten on the green tea bandwagon. So I've started switching from nonfat lattes to nonfat green tea lattes.

Now, a latte is expresso mixed with steamed milk. So it seems reasonable to me that a green tea latte is green tea mixed with steamed milk.

You know what they say about assuming, right?

Anyway, the green tea lattes come with "classic" which is this sickly sweet syrup. So I always got them without classic, and wondered why people would want it, as the version without is naturally sweet just from the tea and milk. (You see where this is going, right?). Keep in mind, my husband and I are doing the Sugar Busters diet. (Him, per doctor's orders. Me, because I'm just that great a wife.). So that means no refined sugar (among many other no-nos).

After umpty billion of those drinks, I finally am chatting up one of the baristas commenting on how I don't want to try something they're sampling because I'm not supposed to have sugar. She eyes me funny and says that the green tea latte I just ordered has sugar. I comment that I ordered it without the syrup. She said, "But sugar is the main ingredient in the matcha."

Say what?

Turns out, the GT lattes are made with this powdered yuckness. Now, I'll take some responsibility. Maybe I should have read the ingredients. But come on! It was a green tea latte! Not a Matcha Latte!

Needless to say, I was irritated. And am back to my regular venti nonfat lattes. Those who know me should be happy to hear that. The world has not actually shifted out of balance after all.

Any pet peeves or recent irritations in your lives? Come on, vent. Don't make me be the only one griping today!

Tumblr and F__k Yeah Hunger Games

No, I wasn't just looking for an excuse to work a curse word into the header (though it was a fun first here at the Whine Sisters, tee hee).  At the urging of my daughter, because my next book Grave Expectations has some Young Adult appeal, I joined Tumblr… because apparently all the kids are on Tumblr these days.

What's Tumblr? It's like a blog, Twitter, and an online scrapbook all wrapped up together. You follow people. People follow you. You post interesting things, and people reblog what you've blogged– it's all one big community. And it's addictive! And apparently, fan sites of popular books, actors, musicians, movies, tend to be labelled "F__k Yeah!" Like, F__kYeahHungerGames, for instance. Also, F__kYeahSimonLeBon.

Before I caught on about the F__k Yeah phenomenon, I was playing around with my new Tumblr and decided to make two more sites, one for each book. So if you're one of the cool kids on Tumblr, you can follow me at:

Sherri Browning Erwin

Wolfish Young Gentleman (A Grave Expectations site)

Jane Slayre

But if I'd made the sites after I had been around Tumblr a bit, they would all have a F__k Yeah in front of them. Because who doesn't want to be that awesome?  And speaking of awesome, back to Hunger Games and the movie casting news.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss? I was hoping for Abigail Breslin, but now that EW has put JL on the cover in her Katniss look, I'm warming up to her. The latest surprise is over Lenny Kravitz  as Cinna. Wild! I pictured Jude Law, but this gives Cinna some more edge, I think, and I'm loving Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. Inspired! I think the movie version is going to be almost as awesome as the book.

And in other news, tonight is my daughter's prom night! Will report in later on that.

What do you think of the Hunger Games castings? Who do you picture as President Snow? Finnick (thinking ahead)? Are you on Tumblr? Do you generally keep up with internet fads or avoid them as long as possible? If you follow me on Tumblr, I will follow you back. F__k yeah!

Bucket List and Cherished Memories

[image error]A Bucket List is by definition about things you want to do but haven't done yet.  And cherished memories are the result of all the things on the bucket list you have already done—and loved. So I was thinking about all of that in terms of books the other day and realized that the To Be Read Pile is the Bucket list and the Keeper Shelf comprises our cherished literary memories.  And don't pretend that you don't have them.  I downsized from a house in Texas to an apartment in Manhattan and I still have both –so I know you do too.

My TBR pile (or my Bucket List) is actually divided into two locations.  My bedside table (Nook)—which holds the top five in the pile and a shelf which continually grows and contains the rest.  There are books I got at conferences, books I've ordered, books I've had forever but swear I really will read.   There are research books, romance novels, romantic suspense novels, chick lit, and a varied collection of "you've got to read this" books.   Currently in my top five pile:   Bossypants, Tina Fey (because I really love her work).  Public Secrets, Nora Roberts (nuf' said).  What would Jane Austen Do, Laurie Brown (a book I've been trying to read for months now, but always seem to forget).   Death Angel, Linda Howard (her newest, I think).  And the Bourne Objective (the newest—not written by Ludlum Bourne book—but I hear it's his best friend).

On my keeper shelf (okay there are also boxes in storage in Queens), there are a few authors.  The complete works of Mary Stewart (my all-time favorite author and comfort read—Moon-Spinners anyone?), Barbara Samuel/O'Neal (writes amazing characters and wonderful imagery), Christina Skye (Draycott Abbey), a growing collection of Julia Quinn (Romantic, witty and the Smythe-Smith musicale), All Susannah Kearsley's books (modern day gothic), most Linda Howard books (seriously sexy romance) and Michael Crichton's greatest hits (amazing writer).  But in all honesty I tend to keep books rather than authors.  Stories that moved me beyond the norm.  So a quick sampling of romances on my shelf:  Kiss and Tell, Cherry Adair (hot guy and great dam scene).  Haunting Rachel, Kay Hooper (eerie, twisting plot that stays with you).  Dove's Way, Linda Francis Lee (lyrical writing and lovely story).   Once a Pirate, Susan Grant (great fun, and hey, I love pirates).  And It Happened One Night, Leslie LaFoy (super time travel with Irish hero – what else do you need?).

So gang, spill… what's a at the top of your TBR?  And what one-offs do you have in your keeper shelf.

 

 

Seven Things to Like About BEA

1. It has lots and lots of books! New books, old books, blue books, ebooks. There'll be books with maps and books with snaps, and books for heart-wringing squeezy saps.

2. Today's signers include: Caroline Kennedy, Ice-T, Eoin Colfer (The Artemis Fowl dude), Kristan Higgins, Julianne Moore, and KATHLEEN O'REILLY! (Yes, there are lots more, but those are the highlights).

3. I get to see my agent.

4. The train ride to New York City is awesome, filled with sights of blooming flowers, river towers, Yankee blue, and bridges, too!

5. Books. Did I mention the books? And a lot of them are FREE!

6. I've never been inside the Javits Center. It's always fun to explore a new-to-me convention center.

7. I'll actually get dressed in normal clothes and wear my writerly hat (not an actual hat, but a metaphorical one).

There's actually a gazillion reasons to like BEA, mainly all the books and upcoming titles, and I think it's going to be a blast. If you're at the Javits Center today, please stop by the Harlequin Booth at 1:00 today, or the RWA booth at noon tomorrow, and say hello!

So, does anyone else like conferences? Funnest conference you've ever been to?

A WHINE ABOUT…WINE!

Another short blog this week—still have a house full of company (it's been a whirlwind of activities!), but I recently discovered something I must share with all the Whiners.  I've always wanted to be wine connoisseur—someone who could speak intelligently on the subject and swish a bit of golden liquid around in a crystal glass and pronounce it "oaky" with "floral undertones" or words of that nature.  Alas, I am nothing of the sort, can't tell a cabernet from a merlot, and all white wine is chardonnay to me.

I actually don't care that much for wine–I much prefer champagne.  Love the bubbles and the festive air that goes with it.  But last week I was introduced to a wine that I'd never tried before and I think I'm now a convert.  The wine was a sauvignon blanc—it's a white wine with a very light, crisp taste and I really liked it.  To me it tasted like summer and sunshine. It doesn't have bubbles, but I'll definitely be trying again!

Do you have a favorite wine?  Or are you more a champagne person?  Or maybe your favorite drink is more along the lines of a Diet Coke or maybe Yoohoo?  What are you pouring in your glass?  Hope you had a great weekend!

Material Girl

The first contemporary novel I wrote was Material Girl.  It was the first in a trilogy (The Lear Sister Trilogy).  It was a lose spin on King Lear, where the three daughters of a wealthy dying patriarch try and measure up to what he wants and to their own expectations for themselves.

Material Girl is about Robin, the oldest child.  She has tried to follow in her father's footsteps in the family company (transportation) and while she hasn't exactly learned those ropes, she's learned how to be arrogant.  She is attractive, she's rich, and she is accustomed to being catered to.  When she meets Jake, the architectural student who is renovating her Tudor mansion, she begins to learn about herself and just how out of touch with the world and herself that she is.  She discovers a better version of herself, and in a man with a less than perfect past, with a less than perfect family.  But they are perfect for each other.

I was surprised in re-reading this book how many issues I touched on.  But I think its the kind of issues a lot of people have in their family–an overbearing mother, siblings with major problems that get them into trouble, surly teenagers, the unspoken class differences in this country.

This book was first published in 2003.  I have the rights back to all three books in the series and will be reissuing them as ebooks in a month or so.  If you want to read more about Material Girl, you can read here. You can also find Beauty Queen and Miss Fortune there, as well.

Enjoy!

COMPANY!

Going to make this a quick blog because we have a house full of company!  My DH's parents, his sister and her significant other are visiting for a few days (and our son is home from college) and we're having a blast!  Everyone arrived Wednesday and it's been an absolute whirlwind so far.  We've toured the area, driven around in the golf cart, taken a boat ride, gone in the hot tub, eaten dinner at our favorite restaurant, had a jam session with the DH on the keyboard, me on piano, and the boy on the drums, gone to the fitness center, the pool, and played tennis, pickleball and billiards.  We've also done line dancing.  Still in store for this weekend is a block party, our anniversary party, shopping, and a play. Whew! A busy, busy weekend, but lots of fun and lots of laughs. 

So—what are your plans this weekend?  What do you like to do when you have company?  Are you planning to visit anyone this summer, or have guests to your house?  I hope whatever you're doing, you're having fun! xox

Vampires gone bad (tiny spoilers ahoy!)

Spoilers re last week's Vampire Diaries season finale. Be forewarned!

I've mentioned before that I don't watch a ton of television, but both my husband and I have become addicted to The Vampire Diaries, and now I'm bummed because I have to wait an entire summer to see if Stephan's going to stay bad!

The basic story for those who don't know is that Stephan is the "good" brother and Damon is the "bad" brother, and they both love a human girl named Elena. Well, in the last episode, Stephan got his blood lust back on, and vowed to work for the evil Klaus (who I'm already tired of–I really wanted them to get rid of him!) I've been told that in the books, Stephan does go bad and goes off on a spree of evil, and I'm hoping that they do that in the show, but I fear that it will be resolved in 1 or 2 episodes.

Why do I want him evil? Him being the peacemaker is getting a little old. We need some serious conflict b/w him and Elena, and while him being bad isn't really that conflict, it does set her up to become closer to Damon, who's in love with her. Thus making her have a terrible choice when Stephan inevitably returns to her, good and remorseful.

Not only that, but it's gotta be more fun for the actor.

And, hey, I was always much more of a Spike fan than an Angel fan.

Do y'all watch Vampire Diaries? What do you think is going to happen next season? It (and Real Housewives of Orange County and NYC) are the only shows on TV I watch regularly, other than reruns of iCarly. How's that for an odd mix?

And as for Real Housewives….has Sonia gone completely off her rocker, or what????

Real Men Don't!

Real Men Don't used to be a fairly regular feature of the Whine Sisters Blog in the early days. Every now and then, we would find examples of things Real Men Don't do and share our thoughts. Real Men Don't… cheat on their wives, for example. We would, of course, have a handy example in Arnold Schwarzenegger this week. Real Men Don't… lie, steal, fabricate a Presidential campaign just to get more attention for a TV show… you know, that kind of thing.

Well, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher apparently like the Real Men Don't concept because they chose to use it in public service announcements to call attention to human trafficking/slavery. [image error] In April, they launched a series of ads to highlight their cause, Real Men Don't Buy Girls, starring some Hollywood names like Justin Timberlake, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, and Jamie Foxx. The problem was that once ads hit the airwaves, critics blasted Demi and Ashton for dumbing down the cause, because they used humor to bring awareness to the issue. According to Kutcher, there are 27 million slaves in the world today, most of them women and children.

One of their chief critics, Nora Ramos, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, said: "This is what happens when celebrities do an issue divorced from the movement. Once you choose an issue and don't do it in collaboration with people who have been doing this for a long time, this is what you end up with. There is a general dumbing down that is going on and this is an example of dumbing down a social justice movement with the narrowest message possible." (Source: Fox11)

But Ashton defended the PSAs to Hope140.org (via E! news): "We came up with the concept of the 'Real Men Don't Buy Girls' campaign, which aims to engage people, specifically men, in the issue. To do so, we filmed short, funny videos about things 'Real Men' do, starring high-profile influential men and women," he explained. "The concept of the campaign is that real men do a lot of silly, even foolish things. But one thing they don't do is buy children for sex. That's not funny, and real men don't do it."

See for yourself? 

Click here to view the embedded video.

I'm on the fence. Yes, it's a serious issue and the approach seems a bit light-hearted. On the other hand, we're talking about the issue.

So what do you think? Dumbed down, in poor taste? Or bringing attention to an issue, engaging and educational? Have you heard that Ashton will be joining Two and a Half Men as a new character to replace a recently departing leading cast member who shall not be named? Will you watch, don't care,  or bad idea? Have any Real Men Don't additions for us?

Also, if you've ever wanted to see the Whine Sisters (almost) all together in one room, please join us for a Conversation with the Whine Sisters at RWA's National Conference (registration required) at NYC's Marriott Marquis, Thursday June 30 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Moderated by the fabulous Molly Harper (author of the very funny How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf).

Best Friends and Hollywood

[image error]Okay, living in NYC I tend to save my money for Broadway, so don't go to as many movies here as I did in Texas.  With Netflix and a big HD TV, I can almost have the same experience at home.  But for the last two weekends (and this coming one as well, since I'm going to see the new Pirate movie) I've been to the movies.  And interestingly enough the main storyline of both movies I saw involved two best friends with one of them getting married.

The first—Something Borrowed (which we've discussed already a bit) was bleh.  The second—Bridesmaids was fabulous!  I mean really really good.  I actually laughed out loud which for me is a rarity (I even snorted a bit which is embarrassing and my ultimate compliment to something funny).

Written by and starring Kristen Wiig (from Saturday Night), this movie could have followed in the footsteps of so many other SNL people who starred in forgettable movies.  But instead, she joins the best of the best with a beautifully written, fabulously cast, and hysterically funny and touching portrait of two best friends and the weeks leading up to a wedding.

The writing was of course the key in both movies.  One a failure and the other a success.  With Something Borrowed (and I'm talking the screenplay here which was adapted from the book) there[image error] was nothing to like about any of the main characters.  The movie left you wondering why we were supposed to care about any of them.  Dex as a –well I can't write it here.  Rachel was a doormat and Darcy was thoughtless and shallow.  (Ethan—was the saving grace.  A fun character with nothing much to do except prop up the supposed hero and heroine).

On the other hand Bridesmaids not only had well written heroines (the two friends) but fabulous secondary characters as well.  Every move made sense, and even when the movie was at its zaniest with sometimes quite base humor, it made sense for the story.  Which is something I often fail to see in comedy.  Each new plot development built on previous ones until we reached the fever pitch that led to our heroines black moment (if you'll excuse the romance writing jargon) and the subsequent redemption and resolution.

It was beautifully written, and I cried as well as laughed which for me is the mark of a really good comedy.  And I think one of the most impressive things, was that the film was written by a woman, which meant that the characters rang true.  All of the characters resonated with me in some way or other.  I've been there-maybe not quite so much over the top, but still the emotion rang true.  And that's not always easy to do.

[image error]Women writing about women—in a movie—go figure.

Truly, fabulously funny movie.  I predict good things for Kristen Wiig.  And as to Darcy and Dex?   Who cares.

What about you?  Have you seen either movie yet?  Did you love it?  Hate it?  And most importantly, are you going to see Johnny Depp this weekend in Pirates?