If you participated in the Winter Wonderland contest - Winner's have been announced. You can see where you placed here.
Thank you to all the authors who participated - it was so fantastic being involved in something so fun with all of you. And even more importantly - Thank you to all the participants. We had a great turn-out and I hope to see you around again.
Now for the sad news. I now have to take down the one and only cool graphic on my site. Thanks for Stella Price for creating it for the contest. She's awesome. If you ever need a graphic, she's the woman.
Well, ta ta for now.... Collin and Justine are calling.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Chance to WIN FREE STUFF!!!!!
The time is running out on the Winter Wonderland contest!!!! Click the above link and learn how you can enter - hint: look down toward the bottom of this page for a flying snowman and you're already on your way to entering.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
DBSK rumblings...
I have a little, tiny obsession. On most days, no one would ever guess but today I have to share.
I LOVE DBSK.
This five-member group rocked my world in 2006 with "O" and needless to say there are few days I don't listen to them at work. For those uninitiated DBSKstands for Dong Bang Shin Ki or Tohoshinki (THSK) in Japan. I've got all their albums and if you do a search for Mirotic or DBSK Wrong Number on youtube.com you will be hooked.
Oh, and their accappella is to die for.
I don't indulge myself in fanfiction often but I'm always imagining who would be the perfect girls for these sexy, talented guys. Here's some of what I've written (Don't worry Justine and Collin are getting along fine... poor Collin's a bit distracted at the moment but no worries... She's got a surprise for him)
Yunho looked at the men surrounding him. As a team, they were strong, nearly impossible to beat down. Even if they had to walk the streets again, they would survive.
It hadn’t been easy – getting where they were now. A lot of tough work and struggle, time spent honing their unique skills and learning how to blend in and become who they had to be to survive.
They were one of the best teams in the world – on and off the stage. Most people just didn’t know how good. And he was set on keeping it that way.
Yeah, being caught and taken off the streets had been one of the best things to happen to them. Now, they traveled the world, played the biggest stages, and quietly between sets did their real work – keeping the world safe.
They were Dong Bang Shin Ki in Korean, Tohoshinki in Japanese, or in English “Gods Rising from the East.” It was a name they had picked themselves but it seemed more appropriate the higher their fame took them.
But tonight, it was just the five of them doing what they’d been trained for. Jaejoong hung back locked into the power grid and security system via his Metabox 740 – sweetest custom job he’d ever seen. Man, what he wouldn’t give for a few minutes with that. JJ wasn’t going to let anyone near it though. The man slept with it under his pillow. Said he didn’t want anyone messing with his equipment.
Changmin hung out at the bottom of the stairs appearing to jam to his ipod. He won that job by default… it was just too hard to look at him and imagine he could be up to trouble. And while he was the tallest, he looked so innocent and harmless. Yunho could see that changing soon – but for now he was their best bet for look out.
Besides, the boy could charm the pants off just about anyone if you gave him a chance.
Micky on the other hand was the quiet one. He could melt into the background or play the joker. He ran point and recon, keeping Yunho informed. He was a man with skills and his deep voice allowed him to keep up a line of information without hardly a peep escaping beyond the mic. It was amazing. Truly he was their hidden weapon.
Xiah stood beside him, hyped and ready to rock. He was their monkey. If you needed to get into something or get up to something, Xi could get there. He also was incredibly fast, able to get in and out of the trickiest situations without anyone the wiser.
As for himself, he was their leader. Somehow by default he’d ended up with that position, maybe it was because he was a quick thinker. Or maybe it was because no one else wanted the job. No matter. He’d taken the tasks before him and kept his boys together. That’s all he cared about.
Just then Micky’s deep voice registered through his ear piece. “It’s a go.”
Signaling to Xi, he moved into position next to room 333. Rolling his eyes, he contemplated harassing JJ on his choice of room numbers but JJ got to it before him.
“I know Yunho but seriously, this was the best room for entry into the ventilation shaft. I can’t help it if it’s my favorite number. ”
“Yeah, right.” Yunho mumbled into his earpiece and waited for Xi to pick the lock. A few seconds later they were in. A click on the mic told everyone they were a go. Visually in his mind he imagined Changmin moving to their hallway beginning surveillance there while Micky moved in closer to their target.
A few clicks later, Xi removed the air vent and wiggled into the air shaft. Yunho followed legs first, closing the vent behind him.
“Jaejoong?”
“Yeah…”
“Please tell me we don’t have to go back out this way.”
“I figured it would be tight. Hold on a sec. No, that’s it unless you can get out the window the door.”
“Damn,” Yunho muttered under his breath trying to ignore the tight space surrounding him.
The seconds ticked by as he listened to his breathing and the noise of the air shaft. He shuffled himself toward the place where Xi silently waited. Noises filtered out from the vent Xi had stopped at. Crap, someone’s in there.
Signaling to Xi, he began to move back toward the other vent. But Xi could hear better and signaled him to stop. Seconds ticked by and the voices got farther away. Then he heard the faint sound of a door shutting.
Xi popped open the vent and slid into the room. A small squeak on the earphone told him all was clear. Sliding out into the open air, Yunho looked around briefly then focused on Xi.
One quick signal from Xi put him on the floor again as someone treaded down the hall toward them. Jeez was this grand central station or what. Ducking under the bed he was surprised to see
Micky lying there so quiet he wouldn’t have known he was there if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes. In seconds the man was gone again and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Another all clear and Yunho went into action. Xi and Micky would check the offices and drawers. But his job included the safe. Break in, take the photos and get out.
“It’s in the north wall.” JJ said in his ear. “I see an electronic signature there on the grid but it doesn’t match the visual I’m getting from you guys or the original schematics. I’ll localize the shut down. There, you’ve got two minutes.”
Sure enough, behind the padded wall there was a safe. Simple number combination. They must have been relying on the electronic backup alarm. Not very smart. Within seconds, the safe was open. Unfortunately there was nothing there but a small box.
Opening the box, he found a small scrap of paper.
“Got You!”
“Hey, guys, we’ve got trouble,” Changmin whispered. He could tell by Changmin’s breathing that he must be running.
Yeap, they were in trouble.“Everyone out now. Abort.” Yunho said through the mouth piece.
**********************************I have four chapters written and would love to finish - do you think SM will buy them off of me and sell to US, Europe, South America and Asia to get the fans hyped? Sigh, I could hope. **************************************
I LOVE DBSK.
This five-member group rocked my world in 2006 with "O" and needless to say there are few days I don't listen to them at work. For those uninitiated DBSKstands for Dong Bang Shin Ki or Tohoshinki (THSK) in Japan. I've got all their albums and if you do a search for Mirotic or DBSK Wrong Number on youtube.com you will be hooked.
Oh, and their accappella is to die for.
I don't indulge myself in fanfiction often but I'm always imagining who would be the perfect girls for these sexy, talented guys. Here's some of what I've written (Don't worry Justine and Collin are getting along fine... poor Collin's a bit distracted at the moment but no worries... She's got a surprise for him)
Yunho looked at the men surrounding him. As a team, they were strong, nearly impossible to beat down. Even if they had to walk the streets again, they would survive.
It hadn’t been easy – getting where they were now. A lot of tough work and struggle, time spent honing their unique skills and learning how to blend in and become who they had to be to survive.
They were one of the best teams in the world – on and off the stage. Most people just didn’t know how good. And he was set on keeping it that way.
Yeah, being caught and taken off the streets had been one of the best things to happen to them. Now, they traveled the world, played the biggest stages, and quietly between sets did their real work – keeping the world safe.
They were Dong Bang Shin Ki in Korean, Tohoshinki in Japanese, or in English “Gods Rising from the East.” It was a name they had picked themselves but it seemed more appropriate the higher their fame took them.
But tonight, it was just the five of them doing what they’d been trained for. Jaejoong hung back locked into the power grid and security system via his Metabox 740 – sweetest custom job he’d ever seen. Man, what he wouldn’t give for a few minutes with that. JJ wasn’t going to let anyone near it though. The man slept with it under his pillow. Said he didn’t want anyone messing with his equipment.
Changmin hung out at the bottom of the stairs appearing to jam to his ipod. He won that job by default… it was just too hard to look at him and imagine he could be up to trouble. And while he was the tallest, he looked so innocent and harmless. Yunho could see that changing soon – but for now he was their best bet for look out.
Besides, the boy could charm the pants off just about anyone if you gave him a chance.
Micky on the other hand was the quiet one. He could melt into the background or play the joker. He ran point and recon, keeping Yunho informed. He was a man with skills and his deep voice allowed him to keep up a line of information without hardly a peep escaping beyond the mic. It was amazing. Truly he was their hidden weapon.
Xiah stood beside him, hyped and ready to rock. He was their monkey. If you needed to get into something or get up to something, Xi could get there. He also was incredibly fast, able to get in and out of the trickiest situations without anyone the wiser.
As for himself, he was their leader. Somehow by default he’d ended up with that position, maybe it was because he was a quick thinker. Or maybe it was because no one else wanted the job. No matter. He’d taken the tasks before him and kept his boys together. That’s all he cared about.
Just then Micky’s deep voice registered through his ear piece. “It’s a go.”
Signaling to Xi, he moved into position next to room 333. Rolling his eyes, he contemplated harassing JJ on his choice of room numbers but JJ got to it before him.
“I know Yunho but seriously, this was the best room for entry into the ventilation shaft. I can’t help it if it’s my favorite number. ”
“Yeah, right.” Yunho mumbled into his earpiece and waited for Xi to pick the lock. A few seconds later they were in. A click on the mic told everyone they were a go. Visually in his mind he imagined Changmin moving to their hallway beginning surveillance there while Micky moved in closer to their target.
A few clicks later, Xi removed the air vent and wiggled into the air shaft. Yunho followed legs first, closing the vent behind him.
“Jaejoong?”
“Yeah…”
“Please tell me we don’t have to go back out this way.”
“I figured it would be tight. Hold on a sec. No, that’s it unless you can get out the window the door.”
“Damn,” Yunho muttered under his breath trying to ignore the tight space surrounding him.
The seconds ticked by as he listened to his breathing and the noise of the air shaft. He shuffled himself toward the place where Xi silently waited. Noises filtered out from the vent Xi had stopped at. Crap, someone’s in there.
Signaling to Xi, he began to move back toward the other vent. But Xi could hear better and signaled him to stop. Seconds ticked by and the voices got farther away. Then he heard the faint sound of a door shutting.
Xi popped open the vent and slid into the room. A small squeak on the earphone told him all was clear. Sliding out into the open air, Yunho looked around briefly then focused on Xi.
One quick signal from Xi put him on the floor again as someone treaded down the hall toward them. Jeez was this grand central station or what. Ducking under the bed he was surprised to see
Micky lying there so quiet he wouldn’t have known he was there if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes. In seconds the man was gone again and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Another all clear and Yunho went into action. Xi and Micky would check the offices and drawers. But his job included the safe. Break in, take the photos and get out.
“It’s in the north wall.” JJ said in his ear. “I see an electronic signature there on the grid but it doesn’t match the visual I’m getting from you guys or the original schematics. I’ll localize the shut down. There, you’ve got two minutes.”
Sure enough, behind the padded wall there was a safe. Simple number combination. They must have been relying on the electronic backup alarm. Not very smart. Within seconds, the safe was open. Unfortunately there was nothing there but a small box.
Opening the box, he found a small scrap of paper.
“Got You!”
“Hey, guys, we’ve got trouble,” Changmin whispered. He could tell by Changmin’s breathing that he must be running.
Yeap, they were in trouble.“Everyone out now. Abort.” Yunho said through the mouth piece.
**********************************I have four chapters written and would love to finish - do you think SM will buy them off of me and sell to US, Europe, South America and Asia to get the fans hyped? Sigh, I could hope. **************************************
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Seperation of Church and State at school... nope.
After the fiasco of my son having bullets on the bus on the ride home - email me if you want details... it was bad...
I feel my anger over a current assignment at my son's school is put into perspective.
Basically, my son's teacher is requiring that my son read a Christmas story and do a book report. All in all it sounds innocous enough. No problem.
But she sends home this form. Now, unlike most parents I can't just sign and return. No. I have to analyze it. Pick it apart... First off, what the heck??? Why do you have to have the only book report due this year so far be on Christmas? What if we didn't celebrate? What if we were Pagan or atheist? She offered no other options and they have to dress up. WTH.
Then she has this bogus form talking about making a commitment to do it, write it up, dress up, and give an oral presentation. It's a required assignment. Hello... there's no discussion... you don't NEED my child's commitment. You're requiring it - there's no discussion or debate. So don't act like this is a mutually agreeable decision and a commitment was made.
And don't even get me started on how the form also states that the writing is the most important part of this process when only 15 points go toward independent writing and over 25 points go toward the oral presentation and basically the rest are on following the directions on the form.
UGH. Is it just me? Is it just my dislike for the teacher? Did anyone else get weird reactions to this form?
Oh, why can't I be like other parents and just keep my mouth shut, smile, and nod.... Oh why?
I feel my anger over a current assignment at my son's school is put into perspective.
Basically, my son's teacher is requiring that my son read a Christmas story and do a book report. All in all it sounds innocous enough. No problem.
But she sends home this form. Now, unlike most parents I can't just sign and return. No. I have to analyze it. Pick it apart... First off, what the heck??? Why do you have to have the only book report due this year so far be on Christmas? What if we didn't celebrate? What if we were Pagan or atheist? She offered no other options and they have to dress up. WTH.
Then she has this bogus form talking about making a commitment to do it, write it up, dress up, and give an oral presentation. It's a required assignment. Hello... there's no discussion... you don't NEED my child's commitment. You're requiring it - there's no discussion or debate. So don't act like this is a mutually agreeable decision and a commitment was made.
And don't even get me started on how the form also states that the writing is the most important part of this process when only 15 points go toward independent writing and over 25 points go toward the oral presentation and basically the rest are on following the directions on the form.
UGH. Is it just me? Is it just my dislike for the teacher? Did anyone else get weird reactions to this form?
Oh, why can't I be like other parents and just keep my mouth shut, smile, and nod.... Oh why?
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