Monday, January 30, 2006

At RR!

It's Monday, so of course I'm posting at Risky Regencies! The topic if winter blahs and melancholy today, quite a laugh, so come check it out. :)

In the meantime, I'm recovering from a belated Australia Day party I attended this weekend. Eeek!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Once Upon a Romance

I have an interview up on the Once Upon a Romance site. http://www.onceuponaromance.net/AmandaMcCabeinterview.html

Since I've been working the early (TOO early!) morning shift this week, this will have to count for a post until tomorrow. :)

Monday, January 23, 2006

Over at RR today

I (or rather my alter ego Lady Cordelia) am over at Risky Regencies today! Check it out and send Lady C. your most burning etiquette questions. :) http://www.riskyregencies.blogspot.com

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Help!

One aspect of writing I am not good at is coming up with eye-catching titles. Now, I need one for my historical fiction proposal before it goes winging on its way, and nothing is coming to me. Any ideas here??? It's set in Renaissance Italy, features art, murder, and, well, all kinds of Italian things. :)

Any help deeply appreciated.

Friday, January 20, 2006

7 Meme and winter blahs

I think I've had the mindwinter doldrums the last few days, because I haven't felt like doing much except reading (Rita books mostly) and watching pointless movies. And that doesn't add up to much exciting blogging! But I've been meaning to answer a post Kelli made on her blog waaaay back on December 30 (wow--have I been in the doldrums THAT long?). The 7 Meme. So here goes.

7 things to do before I die:
1) Go to Tahiti (actually, most of these ended up being travel-related. This will stand in for all of them)
2) Learn at least the basics of a musical instrument (my disastrous elementary school experience with the piano doesn't count)
3) Learn some Italian (besides what you hear in the ladies' room at Macaroni Grill)
4) Remember to breathe!
5) Take surfing lessons (hopefully with some blond god on Tahiti)
6) One of those audited classes at Oxford (no, not Oxford, TX!)
7) Orlando!

7 things I cannot do:
1) Like Kelli, I can't watch the president on TV. Or listen to him on the radio. Just can't.
2) Get my grandmother to use her $4000 hearing aid, so she can actually hear us (no one can. Impossible)
3) Sing. Much as I would like to. My cats start howling at me when I try.
4) Fly a plane. Or sail a boat.
5) Cook a chocolate souffle
6) Pet a snake. Ew.
7) Watch most reality TV (except for Dancing With the Stars. Or Project Runway)

7 things that attract me to my best friends/significant others:
1) Intelligence
2) Curiosity
3) Acceptance
4) Caring-ness (is that a word?)
5) Compassion
6) Humor (a biggie--they need a sense of humor to put up with me!)
7) Their appreciation of Guiness

7 things I say most often:
1) "So, anyway..."
2) "If you would just do what I say..."
3) "**** computer!"
4) "OK then. Chapter One. Really this time"
5) "***slow driver!" (Note--I usually only curse when alone. But I do hate slow drivers)
6) "You're listening to the choice for classical music..." (at work)
7) "Abigail, stop it!" (I think that the dog must believe her name actually is "Abigailstopit")

7 books I love:
1) Gone With the Wind
2) Persuasion
3) Pride and Prejudice
4) Middlemarch
5) Laura Kinsale's For My Lady's Heart
6) Confederacy of Dunces
7) Killer Angels

7 movies I watch over and over:
1) Shakespeare in Love
2) Breakfast at Tiffany's
3) Romeo and Juliet (the Zeffirelli version)
4) Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow version--it's just so darn cute)
5) Phantom of the Opera (since I got the DVD for Christmas! OK, so the music sometimes gets on my nerves, but it does have #2 boyfriend...)
6) Gone With the Wind
7) Roman Holiday

People I want to join in (not 7--Kelli snatched most of them! If you don't have a blog, just list 'em here):
Kay and/or Bill
Megan
Cara
Betty

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Happy Birthday to Me!


OK, it's official--I'm one year older! Will report on giftage tomorrow. :)

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Over at RR...

I posted today at Risky Regencies--go answer the question and win a copy of one of my books! :) http://www.riskyregencies.blogspot.com

I'm pretty much over my nasty cold now, and back at work, which is nice but cutting into my reading time! And, in regards to my movie post a few days ago, I got an email from a friend in LA who actually got to see the "director's cut" of Kingdom of Heaven. It's over an hour longer than the theatrical cut, and he said it fills in so many plot holes it's not even the same film. It's much deeper and full of character and philosophy. For just one example--who knew that the priest at the beginning, the one who bit it in the forge, was Balien's brother??? What were the execs thinking to butcher it like that? Anyway, now I hope that cut makes it onto DVD very soon.

And tomorrow is Friday! My birthday weekend! (Actual date of the anniversary of my 29th birthday is Sunday). Something to look forward to...

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Back again!

As you may have noticed, I've been gone for a week now. I flaked out on blogging, I know, but I've been sick witha cold/sinusitis/who knows what. I feel a bit better now, aside from the medicine head. I'll miss that when they take the cough syrup away. :)

The plus side of being down, and not feeling like writing/researching, is I got some reading done. I read a couple really enjoyable things I picked up at the library:

Kate Harrison's "Starter Marriage", a Brit-chick-lit story. Once all the American pubs started coming out with all their chick-lit lines, their RDIs and Strapless and what-have-yous, I realized something important about this sub-genre. It's the "Brit" part I like the best. The heroines living in the "grotty bed-sits" and popping down to the pub with their mates to gripe about "blokes" and bosses. The American variety just isn't as much fun (IMO). This was a fun read, a bit predictable in the plot but an enjoyable journey.

Maria Snyder's "Poison Study", a hardback from Luna I picked up at the library because (shallow again) I liked the cover. It was a very intriguing fantasy read, and I can't wait for the sequel.

I also read an anthology of summer camp stories called "Sleepaway" (more about that one in a later post) and a travel narrative about Bhutan.

In other news (beyond books and meds), there's a huge Regency House Party week of fun and contests going on at Risky Regencies! Make sure and check it out, there are some fab prizes (if I do say so myself!). And Kelli has worked some of her online magic on updating my website. http://ammandamccabe.tripod.com

Now, I'm off for more cough syrup.