Alyssa Goodnight's Blog, page 18

Just Back

I was on the 7:20 p.m. flight out of Honolulu last night after eight lovely days in Hawaii, and rather surprisingly, slept (fitfully) for most of the eight hour flight that got into Houston at 8:00 a.m.  But I'm dragging.  And slurping down caffeine-laced sodas to keep myself coherent.  So a Hawaii post will have to wait.  My impressions… 

Traffic is insane
Hawaiians enjoy a very laid back lifestyle
Island breezes are divine, and the flowering trees are gorgeous
Sunset is the most important time of the day
Sand gets in absolutely everything
Pineapple is KING

 

 

 

Adventures in Eating

We went to Austin last weekend, mostly to visit my seven-month old niece, but partly because I just missed the city.  I lived in Austin through most of college (I went to UT Austin) and then worked there for five years before moving to Houston, and I must say, it's like a whole new world out there.  I believe that during my time in Austin, the South Congress (SoCo) area was a hotbed of prostitution, but now it's one of the quirkiest, hippest parts of the city. 

We got into Austin at about lunchtime on Sunday and headed straight for Hopdoddy Burger Bar in SoCo, which I had read was very gluten-free friendly.  I have yet to encounter another burger restaurant that carries gluten-free buns, so they got points for that.  Then, when I saw The Goodnight burger on the menu, complete with Sassy Sauce, they got big points for that too.  My burger was delicious (the gluten-free-bunned burger was yummy too), and the Maine Root rootbeer was delicious.  A+

Dinner doesn't much bear mentioning in my opinion, except for the fact that my boys discovered they don't like watermelon aquas frescas.  And I discovered what horchata really is.  But after that, we hit Amy's Ice Cream, an Austin institution, where GFB ordered a scoop of vanilla with M&M's and PFB ordered white chocolate with gummy bears (ugh!)  Butters and I split the The Hunt for Chocolate Orange Chip (don't really get that…) , which was delicious!  I almost wished I had my own…almost.  A+  (See those Keep Austin Weird shirts hanging in the back?)

Fast forward to Monday morning.  Seeing as the hotel was charging $12 for breakfast buffet stocked with foods my kids either wouldn't or couldn't eat, I decided to take them out for breakfast.  PFB wanted a McDonald's hashbrown (breakast of champions!), but I wanted something Austin-esque, so we went to Taco Deli, which my sister had raved about after her recent visit to Austin, and which was billed as being gluten-free friendly.  I discovered that my knowledge of Austin streets is pathetic at best.  It took us for-ever to get there and when we did, we discovered that location wasn't quite open yet.  Instead, they had a taco cart available to make a few specific tacos.  But they couldn't make anything gluten-free because they only had a single grill.  (Probably deserved a mention on the website…)   So GFB ate a peach and some dry granola in the car.   It was good, but I didn't get my taco of choice.  A- with potential.

Lunch just gets crazy.  The Schlotzsky's on South Lamar has one of those touch-screen Coke dispensers that lets you flavor your drinks, for thrilling combinations like Peach Sprite, so naturally both boys wanted to go there.  Well I don't know of anything that Schlotzsky's has that GFB could and would eat, so I decided to swing by Freebird's World Burrito first, which is gluten-free friendly, and then back to Schlotzsky's to eat, so that they could get refills on their wonky drinks. 

Number one problem:  I made the mistake of thinking that Freebird's was on South Lamar just like Schlotzsky's.  It's on South Congress.  I was already on South Lamar when I realized this, so I had to navigate to South Congress knowing two facts:  South Congress runs parallel to South Lamar to the east.  On my way, I took in the line for Home Slice Pizza, which was down the block and around the corner, outside…in 95 degree weather.  Crazies!

Number two problem:  There was no parking in the Freebird's lot.  None.  I circled twice before finally finding  a space.  We ordered our gluten free tacos and got back in the car.  With my recent experience to guide me, the trip back to Schlotsky's was a piece of cake.  And the boys were in heaven with their Vanilla Barq's and Raspberry Sprites and all manner of other drinks.  I was exhausted.  And my sister-in-law, to whom I'd offered to bring lunch, finally got fed about an hour later than she'd probably expected.

I have to admit, Austin does have a lot of gluten-free options, but my kids are such picky eaters that it's hard to take advantage of them.  Instead I have to resign myself to eating lunch at a Schlotzsky's when there are so many other untried options available. B+

Austenland…

It's been a litle while since I've read Shannon Hale's debut adult novel, AUSTENLAND, but I remember being really psyched about the book and the concept…and then loving it.

From Publishers Weekly, via Amazon:

In 32-year-old singleton Jane Hayes's mind, no man in the world can measure up to Fitzwilliam Darcy—specifically the Fitzwilliam played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Jane is forced to confront her Austen obsession when her wealthy great-aunt Carolyn dies and leaves her an all-expenses-paid vacation to Pembrook Park, a British resort where guests live like the characters in Jane's beloved Austen novels. Jane sees the trip as an opportunity for one last indulgence of her obsession before she puts it "all behind her—Austen, men, fantasies, period," but the lines between reality and fiction become pleasantly blurred as Jane acclimates to the world of Spencer jackets and stringent etiquette rules, and finds herself torn between the Darcyesque Mr. Nobley and a forbidden tryst with Pembrook Park's gardener.

Doesn't that just sound lovely?  I definitely need to read it again, as much of it has faded from my memory.  And I want it all to be fresh, just in case the sequel MIDNIGHT IN AUSTENLAND, an homage to NORTHANGER ABBEY, draws on the original story line.  I have a second reason too…AUSTENLAND is being made into a movie starring Keri Russell, Jennifer Coolidge, and a bunch of other actors I'm not familiar with but whom I'm sure are great!  I just got caught up on Shannon's blog…she co-wrote the screenplay and is now in England with one third of a movie trailer to call her own!  I'm vicariously thrilled, both jealous and super-psyched!!

Oodles of Creativity

I was casually thinking about possible blog post topics today while working on a couple other side projects on the computer.  I happened to need a Google search, and guess what I discovered?

St. Basilica's Cathedral is 450 years old, today, July 12th!

I love these ever-changing Google banners!  Each time I see one–either in a full page window or as a teensy little jpeg–I can't resist sweeping my mouse over the image to see what prompted the special graphic.  Just like that, I decided to write a post that highlighted a few of my favorite Google banners.  So I went looking…and found a WHOLE PAGE dedicated to past Google banners in the U.S. and all over the world.  I loved browsing through these Google Doodles…

Here are a few of my (recent) favorites…

America's Independence Day, July 4th

Earth Day, April 22nd

119th Anniversary of the First Documented Ice Cream Sundae, April 3rd

Thomas Edison's Birthday, February 11th

Jules Verne's 183rd Birthday, February 8th

(The last two actually have animation if you check them out on Google.  Soooo cool!)

I've previously posted Google Doodles celebrating Sesame Street and Jane Austen's 235th Birthday, on December 16th, 2010.

Anyone else have a favorite??

Nostalgia & Anticipation

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately.  Honestly, I think this happens every summer, when I spend a lot of time at the pool with my boys and remember to the trips I took every summer to visit both sets of grandparents in Tucson.  Oh, those were the days!  Particularly when we flew out by ourselves and stayed by ourselves for two weeks.  There was swimming, shopping, mini-golf, roller skating, bowling, and penny blackjack.  And there were trips to the library where, invariably, I checked out an Agatha Christie mystery or two…

Guess what I'm reading right now?  Agatha Christie's Murder on the Links.  And the nostalgia is beginning to cover me like kudzu.  Everywhere I look there is some fondness for days past.  In movie news, Harry Potter 7, Part 2 is at the theaters (or coming), and I feel like I should read the books all over again.  On Pinterest, I was skimming through the weekly preview and saw a photo of one of my favorite toys as a kid.  Who else had the Weeble Tree House??  The smell of nectarines and peaches reminds me (every summer) of my grandmother's kitchen, and the longing for cooler summer weather has transported me back to several recent visits to the Adirondacks.  And naturally, the process of preparing for my upcoming book release is bringing back LOTS of fond memories tackling the learning curve with UNLADYLIKE PURSUITS.  So much the same…so much different.

It feels a bit like I'm living in the past.  But…I'm also thrilled for the future.  Butters has work in Hawaii, and I'm going to fly out after he's done!  This will be my first vacation this year and my first visit to Hawaii.  Currently the beach-to-beat (based on my limited travels) is on Sanibel Island.  I'm wondering if there's a new winner on the horizon… 

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What about you…what's your Best Beach?  or what are you nostalgic for??

Book Review Club ~ July 2011

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@Barrie Summy
 
 

Well the 4th has come and gone, all without me getting my fireworks fix.  And suddenly it's time for Barrie Summy's Book Review Club all over again!  Almost half the summer is gone (speaking from a school calendar point of view), and I feel like it's just started.  I've been to the pool plenty, but I haven't been to the beach once.  I've made watermelon lemonade sorbet, but no homemade ice cream.  I've tubed at the lake, but I haven't laser-tagged or bowled.  There's so much still to do!  And so many summer books to read…

But for this month's installment of the Book Review Club, I'm reviewing Earlene Fowler's SPIDER WEB.  This book is # 15 in the Benni Harper mystery series, and I've read them all.  In a nut shell Benni is a ranch woman living in San Celina, California, along the central coast, dividing her time between her job at the Folk Art Museum, her cattle responsibilities, and her family.  She' s married to the Chief-of-Police who, for obvious reasons, likes to follow protocol, but she somehow keeps managing to stumble into the middle of local murder scenes, and then naturally she can't help but sleuth around a bit until the crime is solved.

In this particular book, a sniper is tormenting the citizens of San Celina, and while it's naturally causing quite an uproar in the city's police department, it's also taking a personal toll on Benni's husband Gabe, as it's triggering post-traumatic stress syndrome from his time in Vietnam.  So while Benni is trying to plan the town's first annual Memory Festival downtown, she's caught up with the stress of having a sniper on the loose, dealing with Gabe's traumatic and violent nightmares, not to mention her grandma's decision to set her father up with a love interest, and a mysterious woman who has recently come to town and is rather suspiciously interested in Benni.

What's to love about this series?  Number one, I'd say the community that Ms. Fowler has created.  From Benni's feisty grandma Dove, to her sassy fashionista best friend Elvia, to her pure-country cousin Emory to her deep and mysterious husband Gabe, I feel like I know them all.  And San Celina is painted with such love and vibrancy that I feel like I could live there.  (In fact, I included it in a blog post a few years ago: fictional places I would like to visit…)

I also love that the stories are not too intense.  There are some stressful moments reading them, but those are nicely balanced out by good family, good friends, and good food (Benni is a good eater!).  Ms. Fowler has an easy writing style, and Benni is a spunky, adaptable narrator that deals well with everyone.

Finally, I enjoy how in each book, Ms. Fowler weaves in just the right amount of history on a chosen subject.  For SPIDER WEB, the topic was the devastating effects of Vietnam on the survivors and the stories of the unsung heroism of  field nurses in various wars.  That extra element of realism drew me even further into the story.

I truly hope there will be more Benni Harper mysteries.  But if there aren't, you can bet I'll be reading the series all over again each time I need to visit San Celina.

For plenty of other reviews…click on the typewriter above to swing by Barrie Summy's blog!

Reading Ninjas

Somehow I got sucked into volunteering to be the Literacy Chair on the PTA board at my son's elementary school.  Somehow being that no one else stepped up.  So basically that means I'm the liasion between the school library and the PTA.   I think it's going to mean a lot of organizing volunteers, sending out library-relevant flyers, planning the end of year bookfair, etc.

Then there's the good part…

Our PTA has a REALLY COOL program, the gist of which is like this:

1.  Kid reads a book

2.  Kid takes online test on the book (10-20 multiple choice questions) to confirm comprehension.

3.  Kid earns points that translate into bookfair credit…

4.  Scholastic books sponsors a buy-one-get-one free bookfair at the end of the school year, and PTA offers each kid $0.10 per earned point, up to $25 at the bookfair.

5.  Kid who has earned 250 points walks away with $50 worth of books.

Isn't that AWESOME???  What's crazy is that so few of the kids earn out their potential.

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So this year, I'm hyping it all year long!  My theme (assuming I can get approval) is 'Reading Ninjas: No Book is Safe!'  And I plan on offering some sort of ninja-related incentive for significant point milestones:  50/100/150/200/250. 

I'm thinking 50 could be 'Ninja In-training,' and my younger son suggested 250 should be 'Ninja Mastah.'  Not so sure about his suggested spelling…  I need to fill in the blanks for the rest.  ('m open to any suggestions.)  I'm considering those bottlecap/capster trinkets that can be put on a necklace or bracelet, or even buttons, so they can proudly show off their ninja level.   Naturally the more awesome the weapon, the higher the level…  I will be using this tutorial to create the graphics.  Aren't they so cute?  Intimidating scary-cute?  I may have to sneak a book in their hands…

I think it has the potential to be NINJA AWE-SOME!

Gettin' Crafty

I have to admit, I've been wondering what's been keeping visitors from commenting on my posts since I've switched my blog over from Blogger to WordPress.  Is the content not thought-provoking?  Is the math problem that proves you're a real person just a little too challenging?…we can switch to single digits, just say the word!  Is it the extra effort of typing in your name and email address?  Seriously people, what is it?  Please comment and tell me!

While I wait, I'll let you in on what I've been doing.  No writing yet.  I've been testing out Scrivener just a little bit, trying to write a proposal, and…collaging!  I had my doubts, but it worked so well with the last book that I thought I'd give it another shot.  (I will tell you that several elements on Book 2′s collage didn't make it into the actual book, but they all served their inspirational purposes.)  So I spent a good bit of my free time last week mapping out a high level story line for Book 3 and casting all the characters.  Then I printed off pictures, pulled out my scrapbooking supplies (which have not been used for scrapbooking in a good long time), and started taping things down.

Here's what I came up with.  It's actually supposed to look a little scrapbook-y.  Like it was created as a sort of bulletin board (or scrapbook) by the twelve year old daughter of the protagonist.  I'm pretty happy with it, and I think it will serve nicely as a bit of inspiration.  I would literally LOVE your comments.

Machu Picchu…Who Knew?

Up until quite recently, my only exposure to Machu Picchu was the typical National Geographic style photo in 'Places to See Before You Die' sort of articles.  Suddenly I feel vaguely like an expert.  I say vaguely for two reasons:  one, because I've never been, and two because while I have read an entire book on the subject, I probably couldn't speak on the subject of Machu Picchu without correcting myself thirty times.  Some of the spelling are a little surreal, and I can only imagine the pronunciations…

I was approached by Dutton Books with the offer of a copy of TURN RIGHT AT MACHU PICCHU by Mark Adams with the suggestion that I consider it for review.  I took that offer and am glad I did.  Rarely do I read nonfiction, and generally when I do, it's a history book that I end up enjoying despite the textbook nature of the writing.  But I could tell this book was different from the beginning. 

1.  Love the cover–love it.  If you know me at all, you know I'm very big on covers.  This cover has a little bit of everything…it's a smorgasboard of images layered with pops of color that draws your eye to every corner of the intricate detailing.  It seems to encompass the vastness and variety that is (at least by Adams' account) Peru. 

2.  It's part history book, part travelogue (and very funny).  With talk in the news of the approach of the 100 year anniversary of Hiram Bingham's 'discovery' of Machu Picchu (July 24, 1911), Adams' curiosity and sense of adventure sparked, and suddenly he was anxious to see the Natural Wonder for himself.  This book is Adams' whirlwind tour on the subject, and I think it beautifully balances the history of the Incans and Peru with Hiram's century-old search for Machu Picchu and Adams' own, modern day trek through the mountains, canyons, and Amazon jungles of Peru.

3.  I am a tourist (defined in the book as someone who likes to see things but who is, ultimately, a slave to his own comfort), but I like the *idea* of being a traveler.  As I read this book, my thoughts were yo-yo-esque.  "Oh, that must be beautiful…I'd love to do that!…Yikes, that sounds painful…I don't want to do that…"  I very much enjoyed living vicariously through Mark Adams' hardcore trek.

Having avidly read this book, I feel like I know 100% more about Peru and the Incans and Machu Picchu than I did before I cracked the cover.  But at the same time, I also feel like so much is shrouded in mystery.  How on earth did the Incans manage, without steel tools (or GPS), to create such  precison walls and buildings that aligned with other buildings on other mountaintops miles away??   I'm confounded.  I want to go to Peru and see it all for myself…and yet…maybe I don't.  One thing is for sure though: next time I see a National Geographic picture of Machu Picchu, I will examine it more closely and feel a certain sense of being "in on" the secrets.  And that, my friends, is priceless.

Definitely recommended!!

The Nice Girl & the Perp

This website has some drama surrounding it, and I'd like to tell the tale in hopes that I can get a little cathartic relief…

Once upon a time there was a nice girl who wanted a nice website.  She did a little research, checking out other websites, making notes of the things she liked, deciding on her own personal style.  Then she approached a website designer whose work she admired, and asked about pricing.

Right about this time, a close personal relative of hers decided that he wanted to pursue a career in website design and asked if she might consider letting him do her site.  After some careful consideration, she decided it was best if she stepped back from the website designer she'd approached and give her relative a chance.

Things started out great–he was very responsive and quick to make changes, offer up new suggestions, and generally get the job done.  The banner design above (which I love) is his work.  But then, life threw him an opportunity and he took a job that left him no time to work on my project.  So he asked me if I'd like him to liaise with a guy he'd worked with before to finish out the web page. 

* * SPOILER ALERT * * This 'guy' is the 'Perp,' but I didn't know it yet…

His price seemed reasonable, and as my relative had worked with him before, I agreed, and he created the template in WordPress in a timely manner.

Well, I still needed the rest of the website done: all the pages besides the blog, so my relative (knowing what I needed better than I did, in the correct terminology) went back to liaise and make a deal.   I agreed to pay him $200 to finish the site, and I did so up front and was told it was a relatively quick wrap-up.  I paid via PayPal on Feb 27th.

After that I waited about three weeks without hearing from him.  I assumed he was working on other projects and even wondering if he might be working on mine, even though he hadn't asked me any questions about what I wanted.  Nevertheless, I forwarded him all my photos, blurbs, summaries, etc. so he wasn't waiting on me.  After three weeks, I sent him an email.  He confirmed he'd been swamped and would get back to me that day.  He didn't. 

He promised to have something for me by Friday.  (Literally promised).  He didn't.

I checked with him again.  Same promises.  Not delivered. 

Finally I asked if he even had time to work on my site, because I really wanted to get it done and if he didn't have the time, I'd like to find someone else who could do it.

He promised me (literally promised) that he'd have something by the end of the day.  As you can probably guess, he didn't.

So I sent an email outlining our history and asking for my money back.  He agreed to pay it back, and told me that I should 'hit the Refund button.'  I tried explaining that I didn't have a refund button showing up because I hadn't been paid, but he ignored me.  So I tried billing him for $200.

About a week went by and I hadn't seen anything, so I emailed again.  No response.  And again.  No response.

I asked my liaison if he could step in, thinking that maybe THE PERP might be more responsive to someone who could send him future work. Another email was sent, and this one got a response.  He would pay the money back just as soon as possible.

No money was refunded.

Well now I couldn't decide what to do.  Butters decided that I call the local sheriff in his area (I'd easily found both his address and phone number on the web) and report it as a theft.  I didn't have a lot of confidence in this working, but I decided to give it a shot.

Last Friday I called and reported him to the local police.  The cop that I talked to was THE BEST.  He warned me that this sort of thing typically goes through small claims court, but that if he could get a business address on this guy, he'd go talk to him.  Friday afternoon he called me back, with THE PERP standing right next to him!  THE PERP tried to tell him that he was ready to pay the money back, but that I hadn't 'requested a refund,' and that he didn't want to just pay me back the money because then that would screw up his taxes.  ?!?!?  Really????

So while the cop was standing there, he paid me back $150, with the promise that he was going to 'calculate the fees before paying me the rest back.'  [Insert eyeroll]  I think everyone knows that PayPal fees are not in the 30% neighborhood.  His reply to a reminder from me?  He'd already refunded the majority of the payment, and 'he'd look into it.'  You can guess how much confidence I have in him.  So I researched the fees myself and sent him an email back with some simple math equations indicating that he still owed me $43.90.  No response yet.

I'm thinking to give him till Friday and call the cops again, just to file a second formal complaint.  If I'm lucky, they'll swing by his place of business again, but I'm not holding my breath. 

Deep breath…and release.

While all this was going on, I went back to the original website designer I'd approached months ago and asked if she'd take my project on.  She did, and I LOVE it.  She is everything the PERP is not, in all the best possible ways.  Super responsive, flexible, creative, friendly…  I think she did stunning job and would recommend her highly.  She is Jenny Medford of Websy Daisy.

I feel better now.  Slightly.

*****UPDATED AS OF 1:45 CST******

He's paid me the final $43.90!!  Huzzah!  This hard-hitting blog post must have done the trick.  Now I'm just out the fees and my trust.