FlightTrack Pro + TripIt = Travel Made Easy

I've been using the FlightTrack app on my iPhone for quite a while. The app, which used to be free but is now $4.99, makes tracking flights super easy. Since Mike and I travel so much, it is a real time-saver to just open the app and see not only when the flight is scheduled, but also where it is. There is a live map that shows the approximate location of the plane! Here's the skinny from the iTunes Store:

I recently upgraded to FlightTrack Pro ($9.99 new, or $4.99 to upgrade from the lesser version). I love, love, love it!!! It uses push alerts to notify you about flight updates, predicts flight delays, and gives weather forecasts on top of all the regular features. But, the coolest, coolest, coolest thing (note to self: I seem to write something 3 times when I am super excited) is that it integrates with TripIt.

??? What is TripIt? I asked that, too. Let me tell you, TripIt is nothing short of spectacular. Once you have set up a free account, simply forward flight confirmations from your registered email address to plans@tripit.com and presto magic, they get added to your future trips. You can merge trips, rename them, share them, etc... I've included some screen shots below.

Home Page

Trip Details

This is a great way to share trips with family members and friends, and keep track of future travel. I was putting all the info in my Google Calendar before (and will continue to do so), but I like this as a nice overview.

But wait, that's not all... It integrates with FlightTracker Pro so that everything automatically syncs with my iPhone. Check it out:

All my trips are available on my iPhone

Trip Details

Map of trip (updates with location when flight is in progress)

I'm excited to see how this works with the push notifications, letting me know gate information and delays. I'm also looking forward to getting more familiar with TripIt and how I can use it to its fullest.

Happy travels!


p.s. I wrote this post last week and scheduled it to be posted. Yesterday I got this article from Yapta. Even more reason to use TripIt!

Today we’re happy to report that Yapta has struck a partnership with the popular travel planning site TripIt.  The news was alluded to in a panel discussion at the PhoCusWright Conference in Orlando featuring Yapta’s CEO, Tom Romary, and TripIt’s CEO, Gregg Brockway.

For over a year, Yapta has received many requests and suggestions for Yapta and TripIt to merge their services.  Well, the two companies have listened and will now be working to pair TripIt’s travel planning capability with Yapta’s price tracking expertise.  This means travelers will be able to build price assurance into all of their travel plans simply by forwarding their airline confirmation email to TripIt.

Here’s how it will work:

1.   Forward your airline confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com

2.  Organize and share your itineraries on TripIt

3.  Get automatic refund alerts for all your flights from Yapta

It’s that simple.  The click that organizes your travel plans with TripIt will now also protect you on price with Yapta!

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

This was emailed to me by a friend today. It is very nice, so I wanted to share.

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com   you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in  Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!    It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?    Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you.    Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.  We can never say enough thank you's.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

The Help

I recently read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It had really high ratings (at last look on Amazon, 5 stars from 1,114 reviews), so I knew it would be good.

I had no idea how good.

It was amazing. I loved it. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me so sad for black domestics and the way they were treated. At one point Mike looked at me (sitting there sniffling and trying to keep the tears from overflowing out of my eyes) and said "Why are you reading that if it makes you that upset?" I told him, "Because it is really good."

The book is Kathryn Stockett's first. Memories her housemaid Demetrie prompted her to write the novel. I hope she writes more books, and that they are as good as The Help!

Bethos? What's that?!

Well, I am back from Kansas City. I had a great time at Dad and John's reception Saturday and had a nice dinner with Mom and Brian on Sunday. Dad and I watched Up on Sunday afternoon. I'm still thinking over if it is too grown up for Connor and Fiona. I think it may be ok.

So, on to the subject of this post: bethos. I turned on CosmoRadio and they were talking about bethos. Apparently the term was either created or made popular by a guy named John in NYC. Here's a good description from his blog, Bethos:

Bethos: That's Embarrassing...

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They say a pictures worth a thousand words, but when it comes to this picture only one comes to mind; 'BETHOS'.

Take a closer look at this picture for a moment and you might begin to feel a slight sinking feeling in your gut, perhaps an urge to cringe or just look away. This feeling, my friends, is 'bethos'.

You may have never heard this term before, but you've felt it! 

Watching someone crash and burn in a social setting, or being part of your own awkward and embarrassing moment elicits feelings that can only be described as...'bethos'.

The exact origin of the word 'bethos' is not specifly identified. However we do know that it was created amongst college friends in Bristal Rhode Island, circa - 2005. Since then the term bethos has spread like wild fire across the north east, slowly penetrating the vocabulary of society, as a discreet, exact way to define a moment, person, place or thing that is the source of your own embarassement.

Some of these 'bethotic' moments you'd like nothing more than to forget, others you wish you could replay for people to be able to share in your bethos.

We'll share away! Let us hear the stories, and see the bethos in your everyday day life!

Send the stories, pics and videos to sharebethos@gmail.com.

Isn't it a great word, this bethos? As they pointed out on Cosmo, you can even say "Ooh, that is so bethos" right in front of people... I've added John's blog to my reader. I can't wait to read others' bethotic moments.

Meow!!!

Well, everybody, here I am. Home alone. Again. Mom's out in Kansas City, wherever that is. Dad's out with my favoritist kids, Connor and Fiona. And I'm left here at home. It's ok because I have all the computers and the remote. Heh heh heh...

Anyway, its been raining all weekend, but I am having a fun time meowing at Mike and trying to trip him.

Hope you are having fun, too!

I'm baaaack!

I'm back, I'm bad, and I am sassy as all get out.

My tantrum is over, my irritation is put to bed, and I THANK YOU ALL for being such great friends, family members, and of course the best husband in the universe. I'm over the hump, and back to being me. The cheery me (though the bitchy one is still hiding inside, God help us).

I'm off to KC today to see mi familia for the weekend. It's gonna be good times!

Smiles and hugs and thanks again for believing in me and giving all your support. You guys rock!!!

Conflicted

So you may have noticed my lack of posts lately. Or maybe not; maybe you don't really care...

After a multitude of emotions and a lot of thought, I have decided to suspend posting to this blog and to Facebook (for the most part) for a while. I'm pretty sure I will post again at some point; maybe soon, maybe not.

But at this point, I am not feeling warm and fuzzy. Here's the rub: all the social networking has made it easy for some people to see what is going on with me, but those folks are not taking the time to share what is going on with them. Friendship, for this small number of people, has gone from interacting to social lurking. My feelings are deeply hurt by the lack of effort being made toward the relationship. Those are not the friendships that I am willing to maintain.

I've wrestled over putting this in the blog or not and how to write it. There are a lot of ways I could have written my thoughts, and I have rewritten this several times, but in the end it is the sentiment that is most important.

Guide to Restaurants Where Kids Eat for Free

Kids Eat For is a database of restaurants that offer free meals or specials for kids. Use it to help you figure out where to save money with your family—or where to avoid being surrounded by kids. It's also available as an iPhone and Android app. [via Neatorama]

Make Cookies in 90 Seconds with Your Waffle Iron [MacGyver Tip]

This is so cool!!!

Make Cookies in 90 Seconds with Your Waffle Iron [MacGyver Tip]:

Baking cookies in your oven is fine and all, but if you want to turn out some tasty cookies in a very short time, consider turning to your trusty waffle iron. Turns out you're only 90 second away from crispy, chewy, cookie-goodness.

Photo by Fine Living & Martha Stewart

Although your oven will still have its place for making large batches of cookies, using your waffle iron can bake up a cookie in just 90 seconds. It's the perfect solution for previously prepared dough when you just need a quick sugar fix instead of an entire pan hanging around the house to tempt you.

It's a simple process of heating your waffle iron (no matter what shape or size it might be) on high and coating it with a non-stick spray. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, spoon batter into each section of your waffle iron. This will ensure even baking and that all your cookies will finish at the same time. All that's left is to remove them from the heat and chow down!

We ran across the idea on food weblog The Kitchn, and after a little more searching found two tested and approved recipes to try your hand at—one from Martha Stewart and the other from recipe weblog Fine Cooking. If you'd like to see the process in action you can head over to Martha Stewwart for a short video (with a slow load time) to see them made before you go all MacGyver meets Cookie Monster on your own. If you've tried this method before, let's hear how it worked out for you in the comments.

A Fast Way to Bake Cookies: Use a Waffle Iron [The Kitchn]

"

DeadCellZones Shows Real World Carrier Coverage in Your Area [Cell Phones]

I apologize for my absence. I have no excuse, so I won't give one.

I ran across this today. Very interesting...

DeadCellZones Shows Real World Carrier Coverage in Your Area [Cell Phones]


Sure when you go to a carrier's website you can see a map of their coverage and it usually looks pretty awesome. What about in the real world? DeadCellZones catalogs user-reported dead zones to show you real-world coverage.
Plug in a zipcode, city, or street address into DeadCellZones and it scours the 100,000+ entry database of user-submitted dead zones. You can filter the results by viewing all carriers, individual major carriers like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, or you can—less helpfully—see a generic "other" category for smaller carriers.
You can zoom in and click on individual dead zones and check for additional information like whether or not the zone in inside, outside, and other details. DeadCellZones is a free service and requires no login or registration to use or submit dead zone reports. Have a favorite resource for digging up the dirt on cellphone companies, coverage, and equipment? Let's hear about it in the comments.

Sephora Love

Sorry, boys, this will be a boring post for you. But, it is an exciting post for me!

We were at the Cambridgeside Galleria on Monday so I stopped into Sephora. My skin is way too tan for the Bare Escentuals (BE) foundation I had, so I asked one of the sales associate to help me pick the right shade. I ended up with Medium Tan. It looks sooo good, I just love it. It is so perfect.

I was also looking to replace my eyeliner brush. I've been using powder eyeliner from BE and really like it.  I had been using the eyeliner brush from BE (below), but some of the hairs were starting to go off in all directions, making it difficult to line, well, in a line.

After talking with the salesperson I decided to change to an angled eyeliner brush made by Sephora (below). Ooh, I really like it. It is much easier to apply my eyeliner with this and my eyes look fantabulous.

I don't care about impressing other people (which is good), but it sure it nice to be excited about a couple of easy purchases. I guess I am relatively easy to please!

What are your favorite beauty tools?

Ghosts of Cupcakes Past

Serious Eats linked to this post today. OMG --- I love it!!!! These look like they would be so easy and fun to make!

Ghosts of Cupcakes Past

Posted by A Baked Creation at 5:27 PM

S: We've eaten a lot of cupcakes in the past months.
H: Ahem!
S: Okay, I've eaten a lot of cupcakes in the past months. Much were bought at bakeries that boasted selling cupcakes made from scratched, free of this and that. So this Halloween, let's try something a little bit scary. Something seen as a big no-no in the world of baking.
H: (in a scary voice) Ccccake Mixxxx.
S: That's right. There seems to be an ongoing debate between bakers who use cake mix and those who bake from scratch.
H: We for one don't see a problem with either camp. We've come in peace!
S: For this spooky season, we are going to try using a cake mix enhanced recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor.


A Better Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake
Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!
(Makes about 22-24 cupcakes)

1 package of plain yellow cake mix (I used Golden)
1 package of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup of milk
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 package of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and have all ingredients at room temperature. Also have your cupcake liners and pans ready.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated. About 30 seconds.
   
3. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and mix on medium for 1.5-2 minutes. The batter should look well blended.
4. Set aside 3/4 to 1 cup of the cupcake batter.
5. Using the rest of the batter, evenly scoop the batter into your cupcake liners/cups - filling them two thirds of the way.
6. Cut the pieces of frozen cookie dough in half to make 24 pieces.
7. Place a piece of frozen cookie dough on the top of each cupcake and push it down into the batter.
   
   
8. Using the 3/4 to 1 cup of batter that was set aside, evenly distribute them (about 1 teaspoon for the 22-24 cupcakes)
9. Place the pans in the oven and bake the cupcakes until they are golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. This should take about 23-27 minutes.
10. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool before frosting.

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting
Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!
(Makes about 3 cups)

1 stick of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups of sifted confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1. Place the butter and the cocoa butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until well combined. About 30 seconds.
2. Add the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
3. Mix on low speed under the frosting is light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of milk if the frosting is too thick or more confectioners' sugar if the frosting is too thin.

The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!
Written by Anne Byrn

ISBN 13: 9780761129615

ISBN 10: 0761129618

Publisher: Workman Publishing

Hardcover: 502 Pages

The cupcakes we tried were light and super moist, but during the cooling session, some of the tops caved in - my fault. I shouldn't have added the extra pudding (since Betty Crocker already has pudding in it, but I couldn't find a plain cake mix - Anne Byrn explains the difference in this book). I also think this might have to do with the cookie dough! The recipe allowed for extra batter, so as you can see, we made some mini cupcakes too. Don't want to waste it! I think to improve on this recipe, next time I will cut the cookie dough even smaller. Even though the frozen cookie dough we bought were already divided into 24 pieces, smaller ones might work better.

It was interesting to alter the cake mix instructions. I've seen chefs do it on Food Network, so I'm glad I had a chance to try it with the Cake Mix Doctor!

The cookbook includes a coloured table of contents that includes a photo of what the cake, cupcakes, brownies, bars, and cookies look like. Yes! That is so helpful and all cookbooks should include a photo of the finished outcome. It doesn't have to be fancy styled photographs, The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! kept it simple and informative.

This cookbook also includes side columns for you to write Recipe Reminders and Notes for each recipe instruction. There are clear instructions for the different types of baking you can do with this book. I like how Anne provides background information and is honest in her recipe introductions. She tells you where she got the recipe from and what she did to improve on it - what works and what doesn't.

I would recommend this for bakers who want to move a step up from using only cake mix. The recipes are almost similar to baking from scratch, except it is usually missing the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

Thank you to Laura from Workman Publishing for the copy of The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrn.


Ghost Toppers
(Makes as many as you want!)

Jumbo gummies
White-coloured fondant
Cookie cutter
Rolling pin
Modeling stick
Wilton's round piping tip #3

Have your jumbo gummies laid out to be ghostified!

Materials used: rolling pin, modeling stick, cookie cutter, round piping tip #3.

Roll out a thin layer of fondant. Use your cutter to cut the fondant.
It doesn't have to be such a wiggly cutter, if you prefer a smooth circle - go for it!
I didn't do a clean cut, I've never met a ghost, but I think some would have that wispy look on the edge.

Using the round piping tip as a cutter, make two eyes!
If they get stuck, use the modeling stick to poke out the excess fondant.

Next, carefully drape the fondant over the jumbo gummy.
Have fun folding and creating indents to make the ghost's body and "arms."

And you're done! Simple right?
Have these dry for an hour before putting them on top of your cupcakes.

Poledancing…

This is funny for more than reason, and if you know me, you know both of the reasons...

Too Good Not to Share

Thought you might enjoy this story.  Dogs are allowed on public transport in all of Europe, but generally with their master. This is interesting.
  
                 Moscow Dogs 


           

Canine  commuter ... wild dog waits on the platform

STRAY dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps.

The clever canines board the Tube each morning. After a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

  Experts studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.. 

The dogs choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train. They have also developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food on the streets of Moscow 

Scientists believe the phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia's new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs. Dr. Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses.

Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people.


Well trained ... dog enjoys a nap on  the underground


Dr. Poiarkov told how the dogs like  to play during their daily commute.
He said: They jump on the train  seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed They do  it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.

Dog  tired ... mutt naps on tube seat in Moscow

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr.  Poiarkov. 
And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow.
They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food. 

With children, the dogs play cute by putting their heads on youngsters' knees  and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy and scraps. Dr.  Poiarkov added: Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists..

The Moscow mutts are not the first animals to use public transport.. In 2006 a Jack Russell in Dunnington, North Yorks, began taking the bus to his local pub in search of sausages. And two years ago, passengers in Wolverhampton were stunned when a cat called Macavity started catching the 331 bus to a fish and chip shop.

Getting Ready for Halloween

I soooo love this (video embedded below)!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

To Treat or Not?

Okay, I have a scenario and I really want your input... I've made the scenario as generic as possible so this doesn't come back to bite me in the butt, however, if you are reading this blog I am NOT describing you. At least I don't think this person knows about the blog. Well, anyway... Read on!

Out of a sizable group of people, only one drives me insanely crazy. I am not alone, as this person drives many other people crazy. However, our interactions are more tenuous because we are both strong willed and the other person fancies themself as superior to me (in every way possible). So here's the question: would it be wrong for me to somehow track each time this person irritates the sh*t out of me (not just regular irritation, that doesn't count) and reward myself with something when I reach a specified threshold? Or does that just give a negative interaction more attention than it deserves and turn into an juvenile behavior? I'm seriously torn, because I'd like to treat myself with a drink (at the least) or something else (lip gloss, eye shadow, a blouse, whatever) as a reward for not killing [not literally, obviously, figuratively] said person, but I don't want to a reward system to make me devolve into a childish bitch.

Any thoughts?





see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Busy Time, Quiet Times

We had a busy Columbus Day weekend. I posted some photos on Facebook (link to photos here, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114225&id=705851667&l=9d317e4b55, even if you don't have a FB account) to show the summary, so I won't duplicate here. Anyway, we cut the grass, cut back plantings, and started cleaning the barn on Friday. We continued progress on Saturday by getting and unloading a ton of pellets and then sealing the driveway. On Sunday we completed the barn and worked on screening some of our giant mound (7 yards) of compost from the neighbor.

We celebrated our hard work by dinner out at PF Changs on Sunday night. It was our first visit and we really enjoyed the food. We got the Chang's for Two ($39.95) which included 2 soups (our choice: egg drop), 1 starter (our choice: calamari), 2 entrees (our choice: Mongolian beef and Almond & Cashew chicken), and 2 desserts (our choice: carrot cake and chocolate layer cake). Yum!

Monday was technically our day off. We took a quick trip up to Tougas Farm (named one of the top 10 apple picking orchards in the US by USA Today) and got some doughnuts, apple cider, and pre-picked apples. I was feeling a bit under the weather, so napped while Mike finished shoveling compost.

And now we're back to a regular work week ;)

Even though I haven't blogged lately, I have been thinking about it. The post below from Hooked on Houses caught my eye today. We all know of the Curtis family. I really enjoyed the pictures of their house -- what a great place to live! So, here I am back on action, and sharing little tidbits. Enjoy!

Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh’s House in Palm Springs:

Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh were one of Hollywood’s Golden Couples in the 1950s and early ’60s. Who could forget Tony Curtis in movies like Some Like It Hot (a personal favorite of mine), or Janet Leigh in Psycho? This old Life magazine photo was taken of them in 1959 at home with their daughters Kelly and Jamie Lee. The contemporary California home they lived in–which they nicknamed “Camp Curtis”–is on the market for $1.295 million.

According to the listing by Marc Lange of Capitis Real Estate, the 3,204 square-foot house is in the Movie Colony neighborhood of Palm Springs. There are 5 bedrooms and 5 baths.

Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz. Janet Leigh was born Jeanette Morrison. Bernard Schwartz and Jeannette Morrison don’t have quite the same ring as Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, do they?

Tony Curtis was Janet’s third husband. She married her first husband when she was only 14 (!). Curtis left Janet in 1962 for a 17-year old German actress named Christine Kaufmann.

Janet Leigh died in 2004 at the age of 77. Tony Curtis is now in his 80s and married to his 5th wife.

Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh’s daughter Jamie Lee Curtis is an actor, photographer, and a children’s author.

It would be hard to beat these views:

For more photos and information, check out this article from the LA Times or see the real estate listing. (Thanks to Nita for telling me about this!)

Check out my Celebrity Houses page for links to all the famous houses I’ve featured. Most popular this week: Star Stylist Rachel Zoe and Coco Chanel.

Looking for something unique and beautiful for your table? I’m loving this Crumpled Porcelain Collection and Sapling flatware from My Sparrow.

The End of the Camp Season... And Things are Moving Along

We closed up our campsite last Saturday. We were a little leisurely about it this year, working off and on Friday and finishing up by noon on Saturday. We did things a little different this year. Many of the clothes and towels stayed at camp this winter, neatly tucked away in space bags inside of totes. We also left all the plastic cups, cutlery, and plates behind. Dirty laundry (every piece of fabric out an in use, including all bedding) came home along with some things we'll use over the winter.

The way things usually go is that we get home and unload. I do some laundry. After about three weeks the camp stuff gets moved to the areas where it belongs (but not put away). About a month after that I finally get around to storing stuff away. If you are doing the math, that would be around Thanksgiving.

This year I am way ahead (woo hoo!). I had all the laundry done by Sunday. I unpacked the non-perishable food on Sunday and wiped down and tossed old items on every shelf in the pantry and cabinet with food before putting the camp stuff in. Yesterday morning I moved things from the big stack to their appropriate spots, thus freeing up the mud room for vacuuming. Today I not only organized and moved stuff into the attic, I also cleaned up stuff on our landing that had been there since last Fall and created a big pile of trash. Whew!

The camp stuff is now all put away, the landing is organized, and the big guest room is emptied of unnecessary detritus. And the day is still young... I hope to get our queen bed back into the big guest room (it was at Mike's mom's house for the past 2 years) and get the bed all made up this weekend.

Tonight I plan to run a couple of errands, then head home to do the floors (or, rather, have our Scooba do the floors), wash the guest room sheets, and switch out my summer clothes/shoes for winter ones.

It sure is a nice feeling to get things done!

Have a happy day

The Girl Who Played with Fire

Last night I finished reading Stieg Larsson's second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire. OMG... It was so fantastic. It picks up shortly after the last book and focuses on Lisbeth Salander with Mikael Blomvist as a secondary character, and a host of supporting characters. In this installment, Lisbeth returns after over a year of traveling abroad and begins settling in to a new life. Her dreams of a quiet, happy existence are shattered when she is attacked by a hired thug and then three people turn up dead. The fast-paced story had me turning pages like an addict, wanting to know what would happen next. I began reading it on Tuesday, September 29. I read bits and pieces Friday and Saturday and then worked to plow right through starting Monday. At 512 pages, it was another long book, but I didn't care. I was an obsessed woman, anxious to know what would happen.

The book was a real treat. It took me a little while to get into the first thriller in the series, The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, mainly because I started it in a crowded airport. After the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. I was so anxious to read TGWPF (this one) that I actually went to the store and bought it (GASP!!!). I was completely unwilling to wait for the other 410 people wishing ahead of me on PBS. I am soooo glad I bought it.

The sad part in all of this is that Stieg Larsson passed away after delivering four manuscripts (three related with Salander as the main character) to his publisher. He was obviously a gifted author and would have had a huge and faithful following.

I wonder how the audio book versions are for those who don't want to read it... They're selling on iTunes for $18-$30 and on Audible for $21-$27... My local library also seems to have the first book available for download (which uses their proprietary player). Hmm...

Whip It

Mike is going away, again, this week. The poor guy is traveling his butt off. I've gotten a wild hair and decided I really want to go see Whip It. The preview is embedded below:





I think it looks hoo-larious. I'm going to see it tomorrow night at Showcase North... Wanna come? Let me know!

p.s. My derby name is Bitty SOB. I love it!