Childhood TV Shows

I was reading a NY Times article about how Sesame Street is on DVD now but some of the early episodes are not suitable for today's children. LOL. Crazy. Now I want to go back and watch those. I was ADDICTED to that show as a kid.

Anyway, I thought I'd look up on YouTube to see if I could find a clip from one of my other favorite shows - 3-2-1 Contact. Specifically the mystery segment "The Bloodhound Gang" that aired in the last five minutes of the show. (Except on Fridays when they did a recap show.)

So here's an episode for those of you who might have missed this classic TV drama!! LOL.

Mar

Blog Slacker Update

Hey all,

Sorry I've been a total blog slacker! Let's see, what have I been up to? On Friday went out to Necromantic with some friends for a little dancing. Ended up out til after 3am so needless to say I slept most of Saturday. Worked on my revisions for Karma Kitty novella over the weekend. Went raiding with my new WoW guild and did Kara. Got some nice tanking gloves and a tanking ring. Tonight I’m going to the East Village’s Landmark Theater to see Blade Runner, The Final Cut. Should be awesome. Haven’t seen Blade Runner on the big screen since college days when they came out with the director’s cut. I really want the DVD box set that has ALL the versions, including the first one with the tacked on happy ending.

I’ve decided not to go home over Thanksgiving. I don’t really feel like dealing with the crazy crowds on the busses and trains. Plus most of my friends will be away. Seems like a better plan to pick a weekend to visit when everyone’s around. I’ll enjoy having the four days off in a row though!

Finished reading Life as We Knew It, a YA apocalyptic novel about an asteroid hitting the earth and one family’s dealing with the end of the world as we know it. Everyone raved about this book, but I got to say, I found it a bit slow. It was probably very realistic, but all of the chaos happened off screen. It’s kind of like an apocalyptic Anne Frank, where everyone’s cooped up in a house for much of the book with little news about what’s happening in the outside world. It was more about family relationships, which is fine, but I guess I was hoping for more looting and chaos and volcano eruptions instead of slow starving to death and accounts of what the characters had for dinner every day. Also, the ending was a bit weak – very dues ex machina, in my opinion. But everyone else seems to love this book, so maybe it’s just me.

Now I’m reading Isolde, Queen of the Emerald Isle, by Rosalind Miles, which I know I’ll like cause I’m a huge fan of her Guenevere series.

I’m looking forward to next week when Liz moves to NYC. And then the week after that a bunch of us are attending the NY Anime Convention. Cosplay time! Woot!

Marianne

Hey all,

Continuing to enjoy my week off of writing. I really need to buckle down starting tomorrow and work on those novella revisions. They're not major so no big deal, but I have to finish them before I can start the new book! Time's a wasting.

Last night I went to see one of the After Dark Horror Fest movies. It's like a film festival for independent horror movies. We saw Crazy Eights which was fun. Definitely one of those ones where you just have to laugh. Then went to Zanzibar for dinner/drinks. Turns out they serve my favorite wine -a New Zealand Sauv Blanc called Noblio. Yum. Got home way too late for a Tuesday, but oh well. Tonight I had to work late on a night shoot in Queens. It wasn't too bad though. And I got to walk through Queens for the first time.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. I don't think I'm going home for it this year. But I will enjoy the 4 day weekend. Maybe I'll go check out the Macys parade. I used to always watch that as a kid. It would be cool to see some of it live.

Well that's about it - just wanted to do a quick update. Time for bed!!

Mar

Random Stuffz

Nothing too exciting going on here. Had a pretty uneventful weekend. Did go to see Saw IV, which was enjoyable, but not as good as the first three. A lot more confusing and they didn’t explain the twist in the end very well, which was disapointing.

Went out for dinner/drinks with my friend Stacy last night down in Union Square and St. Marks. We visited my favorite goth store - Trash and Vaudville - while down there. I really wish I had money for boots! I still totally want a new pair of docs.

In WoW news, I finally got my Netherdrake mount! So I get to fly around on my very own dragon from now on!! Woot! It was a pain to get – saving up 5,000 gold and then doing a long series of repeatable daily quests until I was exalted by the Netherdrake faction, but it was all worth it!! Weird how things in WoW feel like real accomplishments. I know they’re really meaningless, lol. Still, it’s fun and I’ll post a picture when I get a chance.

Now that I’m done my Gamer Girl edits my goal is to join a gym and work out more. I’m too busy this week, but I swear next week I’ll do it. We have a deal through work where it’s like $20 a month for a great gym so I really don’t have any excuse!

Any Malomar fans out there? They’re like my favorite cookie ever! And we learned how to make homemade Malomar like cookies yesterday on our show. It’s super easy, too – I think even cooking challenged me could do it! They were totally yummy as well. They’re from a Ladies’ Home Journal recipe, but I don’t think they’ve posted them yet. I’ll link when they do for those of you who are interested.

Speaking of cookies – I’m ready for lunch. Which will not be cookies, sadly, but more likely salad. Oh wellz.
Mar

Gamer Girl Done! Woot!

I'm happy today cause I was able to send in my revisions for Gamer Girl to my editor. I have been working like crazy on them all week - morning, noon and night - and am so glad to have them finished. The book is also a lot better for doing them - I'm thinking my editor is pretty brilliant at this point. (And I'm not just saying that on the chance she reads my blog, lol.) I cannot WAIT to see the cover for this book. I've seen a mock-up with stock art already so I know the direction they're going in, but am waiting for the custom art to be created for the final product. It'll be a manga cover and there will be manga artwork inside at the top of each chapter as well - so cool! I can't wait to see the book all put together. Sadly, I must since it won't be out for another year. **sniff**

Leanna's still too sick to go clubbing tonight - boo!! Not sure what I'll do instead. Maybe just play some WoW. I think we're joining a new guild and that means we'll start raiding again. I really would like to cause I miss it and also it'll help me get better gear. (Just in time for the 2nd expansion which will make it all useless again, lol.)

Oh special shout out to Diana Peterfreuend who got married this week! Congrats, girl!

Gotta run. Have a great weekend!

Marianne

Busy, busy!

Been a busy week for me, working hard and trying to finish up Gamer Girl revisions in my spare time. They’re going well, though—will be ready to pass them in to my editor on Friday. Then a few quick tweaks on my novella for the boots anthology (which my editor said he LOVED – yay!) and I’m free to start on Razor Girl! Can’t wait. Feels like I’ve been revising forever…so ready to start something new.

It’s crazy that I have three books and one novella out next year. I am so cutting back from now on. I just can’t take the work load with my current day job schedule and I’d rather spend more time on a book and enjoy writing it then to be always pressured to get finished.

For those of you American Idol fans out there, we had Elliot Yamin on the show yesterday. He was really very sweet. Of course, I’m the only person on the planet who doesn’t watch the show so I’m not sure how far he got in the finals or what kind of music he plays, but he seemed genuine and nice.

That’s about all that’s going on here. Not very exciting, I know! But I must be lame for a few more days for the good of my book. :)

Marianne

Go Liz!!

I'm "wired" this afternoon after hearing some great news! My friend (and partner in crime) Liz Maverick's Shomi book "WIRED" received a BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR (!!) award from Publisher's Weekly. They only picked five romance for the entire year and hers was one of them. I am sooo psyched for her!!! Go Liz!!! An honor totally deserved.

Here's what they said:

Wired Liz Maverick (Dorchester/Shomi)
Told by a sassy female computer programmer pursued by two strange men with the power to alter reality, this suprising mashup of romance and cyberpunk may be the blueprint for romance's next generation.

By the way, for those of you who don't know, Liz is also signed up for another round of Shomi next year. She's writing a yet-to-be-titled sequel to Wired, starring Roxanne's best friend Kitty. Can't wait!

Marianne

Busy Friday

Today was a crazy busy day at work. I'm already exhausted and yet I have a whole night full of fun ahead of me. Red Bull anyone? :)

We did a couple stories with Brenda Cooper, an Emmy award winning Hollywood stylist. She actually created the whole look of The Nanny back in the day. And she hosted one of the original reality shows - E's Fashion Emergency. I used to watch that show religiously (before I gave up TV) and so it was really cool to work with her. She was so sweet and nice, too. The first segment we did was on finding your "true colors" - you know, like are you a summer, winter, fall, etc. But it's much more sophisticated these days. Turns out I'm a soft autumn. Which means it's better for me to wear grays and browns rather than black. Guess Mom was right all these years.

Then we went to the White House, Black Market store on 5th Avenue and did a segment on building a complete wardrobe (work, evening, comfy) starting from a basic black silhouette. I stood in as one of the models and it was a lot of fun trying on all the outfits. I wish I had a Hollywood stylist to go shopping with all the time! My wardrobe would be so much more functional instead of all the odds and ends I have that never match.

In the afternoon we interviewed plastic surgeon Dr. Rey of the E show Dr. 90210. He was quite the character-- a little crazy, but a lot of fun. He is promoting his new line of body shapers. Good way to skip the plastic surgery and look good. He drew a naked woman on our celebrity signing wall. Boss is going to freak about that, come Monday!!

Here's a pic of he and I on the Better TV set.

Tonight I'm going to a booksigning for Kathryn Smith over at Posner's in Grand Central, then to NYC RWA president Elizabeth Mahon's bday party. And late night, Leanna and I are hoping to hit the Knitting Factory for some dancing. Fun, fun.

Then the rest of the weekend I need to be a good little girl and work on my Gamer Girl edits!!

Marianne

Halloween Pics

The Village Halloween parade was such a blast!! There were so many cool costumes and it was so much fun parading up 6th avenue. We danced and frolicked and generally had much too much fun.

As I think I mentioned, we went as the 4 Elements. (I was fire.) Here we are in all our elemental glory!

I definitely think marching in the parade is more fun than just watching it! Already trying to decide on a costume for next year. :)

Marianne