Week #3 - Pound a Week and 6-month Moon Walk Challenge

This has not been a good week. I only logged two hours in the pool, seven miles walking and the numbers on the scale are still rising. Since starting the moon walk challenge in June, I've gained nearly twenty pounds. I joined the pound a week challenge determined to reverse the trend. To say I was angry this morning when I checked the numbers would be quite an understatement. On the bright side, I did decide to behave like a grown-up and not throw the scale through the window. I didn't even throw it in the trash. Instead, I gave myself five minutes for pouting, followed by ten minutes of planning. Next week will be better.

I have a big decision to make. One of my co-workers in Chicago has started training for a triathlon. Swimming is his weak spot, so every day we're in the hotel, he'll spend time in the hotel pool. Another co-worker may coach him. Do I dare squeeze myself into a bathing suit and swim along? I love swimming, but no one I work with has ever seen me in a swim suit. The closest they've come is seeing vacation photos of me in my dive gear. I don't think I can do it, but maybe I can find out what time they're training and log some hours at a different time. I have to do something different. Walking alone is obviously not working.

Steve's tip this week is about Isometric Exercise. Check it out.

Has It Happend to You Yet?

When I started down the writing path, it never occured to me that strangers might recognize me. But, that's what happened yesterday. A lady I never met stopped me in a parking lot to tell me she recognized from a news article on a book release. She congratulated me on the book and continued on her way.

I was speachless.

Has this happened to you yet?

Did I mention that I met Paula Poundstone?

Really!

Okay, perhaps "met" is too strong a word. It all happened like this -

After rushing around at to leave my house at O dark thirty, so I could arrive early and find a good seat, I found myself sitting still on the freeway, not once, but twice. Two different groups felt a need to stage freeway clogging accidents. Each problem was magnified by the presence of various emergency vehicles blocking one lane and, of course, hundreds of tow trucks blocking two more. So, instead of arriving early, I was late. The main parking lots were all full, so I had to search for parking and hustle from a surface lot a few blocks away. Needless to say, the prime seats were taken. But seats were available. I sat in a smallish area off to the side of the stage, not the best seats, but close enough so I could watch the people on the stage, rather than the giant monitors.

My butt was in the seat for approximately 2.5 seconds before the session began, not because I managed to arrive on time, but because our Mayor was also late - thanks Bill!

So I did hear the entire session. I learned that Capstone is a family owned business, Mayor White's wife is a Blue Bonnet Award-Nominated author, and a women's leadership group started the Texas public library system. Mayor White thanked the Houston librarians who quickly set up a day care system for city employees in the days following hurricane Ike. City employees were required to report for work long before the private sector.

Awards were handed out. I was amazed at the accomplishments read off for many of the librarians, support staff, and volunteers.

Finally, the master of ceremonies introduced Paula! The TLA board asked Paula to address the Texas librarians because Paula is a long-time supporter of public libraries and an author. Paula says it took her nine years to write There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say. Paula went on to entertain us until the master of ceremonies stepped in to announce that our time with Paula had come to an end. Paula was surprised, we were disappointed. Once Paula left the stage, the hall emptied quickly. Those of us in the overflow area were directed to a separate exit.

And that's where I met Paula!

I walked out the exit, turned the corner and found a librarian waving a camera in front of her. She wanted someone to take a picture. I volunteered, then noticed that the second person was Paula Poundstone.

Before I could speak, or focus the camera, Paula said, "just a minute." Then she shouted to someone at the other end of the hall. That woman has some lungs.

While Paula conducted her hall-length conversation, one of the librarians friends stepped up to take the picture. I handed of the camera as requested, and said "you're welcome" when thanked.

I glanced at Paula. I wanted to thank her for speaking to us. She was still talking to the person at the other end of the hall. I smiled and stepped away.


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Read an E-book Week

As e-book readers become more affordable, more like real books, and more feature rich, the attraction of e-books is growing and the numbers of books available in e-format is also growing.

But did you know that some e-books don't require a special reader? Some formats can be read on any computer.

In honor of Read an E-Book Week, I added a number of links to the right panel that will take you to different e-book sights and e-book reader sites. I'll add to the list thoughout the week.

To learn more about e-books, e-book readers, and e-book sites, check out this informative article. To read about the trends that are helping this format into the mainstream, check out this one.

Happy Read an E-book Week!

Throwing Books

Have you ever read an entertaining blog post that generated ideas for a post of your own? That happened to me a few weeks ago. I was over at Write First, Clean Later reading Lj's post about why she puts books down, doesn't finish reading something she started. As I read, I had this vision of myself hurling a book across the room. I can't say I remember ever doing such a thing, but I've wanted to --- more than once.

What makes me want to throw a book across the room?

• Mysteries that introduce the culprit in the last chapter
• Any book that seems to end in the middle of a story, like the author just got tired of writing
• Books that are not clearly identified as being part of a series that stop in the middle of the story and then tell you the next installment will be out in about a year
• Any book in a series where a beloved character is killed off for a cheap theatrical moment

Have you ever stuck with a book until the end and then thrown it across the room in frustration (or at least wanted to)?