Thunderstorms a'brewin'

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Oh the audacity! The Nerve! I can't even...*splutter* ...it's....humph...

*Rant ahead*

Not much gets under my skin more then people who bully. People who assume their situation is the only space in the universe that matters. I know I don't usually (ever) talk about my job here...but I had a very frustrating phone call happen the other day and I needed to clear the air.

First of all. Is it even conceivable, in this, for lack of a better term, Day and Age, that someone NOT have access to a computer with internet capability? Seriously? If all else fails, the Library? But I get ahead of myself.

There was a "person of interest" quick article of me, in a local here. :) Just a quick bit. On the last page the story gave my contact info for my business. (This is important, trust me.) My phone number, email, and webpage. All good information to have! Yay!

I get a phone call, while I'm driving, from a woman who wanted information about the type of massage I do. Easy enough. She had read the article but couldn't find the FIRST PAGE of the article. The Second page was where all the contact information was so I told her about the webpage. She interrupts me and says very annoyed that she won't be going on to a computer to get any information about my business. Not that she doesn't have access but almost like she won't be bothered. Then she asks me to send her information about my business to her through the mail.  Um, ok? Now I'm confused a bit. So I told her I was driving and could I please call her back in a bit. Sure no problem. She was fine with that.

A couple of hours later, in the midst of a big thunderstorm, which I didn't think anything about, I tried calling her back.

Call 1: Her: Hello!! Yes! Do you have a piece of paper you can write on?
Me: (I'm catching about every other word of this...) I'm sorry you're breaking up...Did you say you needed information on the type of massage I do? (I'm thinking I can just simply answer her questions over the phone...)
Her: Yes! You need to mail it to me!
Me: I need to...
Disconnected

Call 2: Her: Hello? Hello! Yes you need to write my address down. I need you to send me information about your business.
Me: I can just answer your...
Disconnected

Call 3: Me: Are you on a cell phone?
Her: I don't understand why you keep hanging up on me. Do you have a pen and paper there to take down my address?
Me: *Sigh* Sure. Go ahead.
Her: It...Disconnected.

At this point I thought maybe it was my phone so I called my mother in law had a great perfectly crystal clear conversation with her for about 5 minutes . Then put my big girl panties on and called this...person...back.

Call 4: Her: Yes. I'm sorry this is NOT a good time for ME right now. And Obviously you are having a really hard time taking my information down so...good by. *Hang up*.

I had a really REALLY hard time not calling her right back and saying something not very pleasant to this woman.

Oi. People. Sometimes. Sometimes it's just a thunderstorm, you know?

Goin's On's

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This week I am over at Unicorn Bell posting about how we write culture into our stories.

Which sounds way more snobby then it really will be.

Mainly I'll be discussing the background noise that goes into the writing of a book. The 'stuff' the reader doesn't notice, but will if it's wrong.

I'll also be discussing the interesting phenomenon that happens along with this when readers bring their Own culture to your story. When they assume they know what the 'rules' are. But don't. I read a very quick snippet of an article on this in Writers Digest (I think) about how readers will Assume your world is male dominated, unless otherwise specified. How your readers will assume a pregnant woman has a husband, unless otherwise specified. How your readers will assume all sorts of things. It was rather interesting. And frustrating. And explained the old way of doing 'info dumps' at the beginning of fantasy and sci-fi books. Problem is. We don't do that now. So how do we get the rules of our worlds across without boring the pants off our readers?

Head over to Unicorn Bell! :) This is what we'll be exploring this week! Politics! Art! Religion! Weapons! All sorts of fun stuff.

Meanwhile...

WRiTE CLUB is still going on! Don't forget to head over there and vote! Vote! Vote!

Mesopredator Release Comic

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As I mentioned in my last post, I've been doing a little drawing, mainly geeky-science comics. I enjoy the process and how important it is to tell a story in just a few words. It's a blast.

Before you can get my comic, you need to know a little bit about the biological concept known as "mesopredator release". Basically, this theory states that when large predators are removed from an area (bears and wolves for example) populations of small and medium sized predators  (like foxes and racoons) will increase, often to the detriment of their prey species (small herbivores like mice and rabbits, for example). You can read more about it here.

That being said, my comic doesn't actually have anything to do with mesopredator release. It's just a play on words.

So without further ado, here is my first science-geeky comic titled "Mesopredator Release".


I hope you like it.

P.S. - If you're a science-geeky type that likes my comic and wants to use it in a presentation or something, you're welcome to. Of course, I'd love to hear about it so let me know at adamg73 (at) juno.com. Thanks!

Lollipop and Grandpa's Back Garden Safari - Penelope Harper and illustrated by Cate James

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Summary:
Back gardens have never been this exciting! Lollipop and Grandpa are intrepid explorers, always on the lookout for the next adventure! It’s often just the two of them against the world in their expeditions, armed only with ham sandwiches and imagination. In this book they set out on an exciting expedition in the back garden where they encounter Chimpan-trees, a Hippo-potta-compost and even a Croco-logus. They’re prepared for action, but will Lollipop and Grandpa make it back home safely?~~~

I was given this book a little while ago and I completely fell in love with it. The story is charming, imaginative and heart-warming. It's great for kids who want to have some adventures in their garden or in the park - instead of a boring patch of grass, they can discover a world full of danger and scary creatures like the Chimpan-trees or the Croco-logus. Any corner of the garden can transform into a scary creature and there really isn't a peaceful place to eat ham sandwiches!
The illustrations by Edinburgh-based illustrator Cate James are simply fantastic. They're very stylish and evocative and play on textures as well as colour. The font is really easy to read and Penelope Harper's story is well-paced, funny and an amazing springboard for children's imagination. 
This is an adorable book for grandparents to read to their own little explorers and this is the start of an amazing picture book series about Lollipop's adventures with her Grandpa. Thumbs up from me!

Lollipop and Grandpa's Back Garden Safari, by Penelope Harper and illustrated by Cate James | 2012 | Phoenix Books | Age 3 to 5 | Gift

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal - Jeff Kinney

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal - Kinney, Jeff

Summary: Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.


Fabian's Review
The book is great. This book is a fun book to read. And it is a funny book and it is also a great book for kids that who really do not like to read. When you start reading this book, it is going to be kinda hard to put it down. I loved it.

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You're the One that I want - Cecily Von Ziegesar

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You're the One that I Want - Von Ziegesar, Cecily 
Summary: After an agonizing wait for college acceptance letters, Blair, Serena, Nate, and their classmates at elite Manhattan prep schools discover that their college choice depends a lot on relationships--old and new. 


Cecilia's Review It's spring on the Upper East Side and all the senior girls and boys are finding out which colleges accepted them. Serena van der Woodsen goes off to the schools that accepted her and falls in love with every school (tour guides included). Will she be able to make the right choice? Blair Waldorf has her eye on Yale and only Yale. Nate Archibald decides to test how bad each school wants them but, will that help him to choose the right school? Vanessa Abrams and Dan Humphrey decide to take a big step in their relationship by moving in together. Dan is debating whether or not to stay in New York for college. Dan's little sister, Jenny, idolizes Serena and pursues a modeling career. Decisions, decisions. Who knows if they will make the right ones. Most of the characters find spots at colleges or universities in the northeastern United States, conveniently within watch of the Gossip Girl, who will no doubt be reporting on them for many volumes to come. This series is quite addictive, and as the other Gossip Girl books, you wont be able to stop reading it. I definitely enjoyed reading this book. 
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Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

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Charlotte's Web - White, E.B. 
Summary: Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. 



Jinnee's Review A little piglet, Wilbur, was saved from a horrible fate by a little girl named Fern. When he's all grown up, his life was in danger again. He met a spider named Charlotte and she is trying to save Wilbur's life by using her web. I think this is a good book because you can learn about friendship, trust, love and how important they are. Interest readers need to understand how writers uses metaphor to express their message of the book. I loved it. 
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