Livin' On A Prayer

Last night I was lucky enough to go and see Bon Jovi in concert. I would describe myself as a fan on Bon Jovi, but not a die-hard fan. Strangely, both of my best friends are die-hard fans, but me? I know all of their big songs, and know them well. My formative years were spent listening to 80s rock, of which Bon Jovi was a huge part. But I would never have bought tickets to one of their concerts. I was invited to be a guest of a Convention and Visitors Bureau to go see them last night when they played at the Verizon Center in DC.

The opening band was Daughtry, who was fantastic. This kid has a really great, big voice and his music has that kind of hard driving beat. I'm sure that he'll be headlining concerts very soon, considering that he's had 3 or 4 top 25 hits recently. But he was a pitch perfect opening band for Bon Jovi. Same type of music, and really fun to listen to. He started promptly at 7:30 and used Bon Jovi's set, so there wasn't a big long change-over when he left the stage.

Bon Jovi came on right about 8:20 or so. I have to say that this is probably the very best live show I've ever seen. They are an incredibly high energy band and they're what I'd describe as "the real deal." All of the band members can play multiple instruments and sing. Richie Sambora is really an amazing and talented guitarist. But Jon Bon Jovi is what I'd call a consummate showman. They appreciate their fans and truly give them what they came for (unlike some acts, :cough:MADONNA:cough:). Within the first 10 notes of the opening song, the crowd was on their feet and dancing. For the most part, until they slowed down the music in what I would call part 3 of the show, the crowd was on their feet, singing along and dancing. It was great.

For me the highlight of the show was Jon Bon Jovi standing in the middle of the crowd (literally!) and singing Bed of Roses. It is my all time favorite song by them, and he moved me to tears. That entire section of the show was great because it really showcased just he and Richie singing together.

Anyway, I loved the show SO much, which is great news. The not so good news is that Amy, who usually counts on me or my Roommate (who was a big giver last night) to babysit Mr. Incredible when they go to the concert, has lost me for sure. I'll be gladly plunking down the ticket price to see Bon Jovi again next time they're in DC.

What Would YOU Want to See??

So, I have a wonderful group of friends who are coming to DC in May to visit. Many of them have never been to DC, and we have exactly ONE day to tour around. Well, some are coming early, so they might have more time, but as a group, we've got just the one day.

My instinct is to take them to the National Mall, which is the green grassy area in the center of DC. Most of the big Smithsonian museums surround the Mall, and you can visit those for free. Also, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Capital and the White House are all within viewing distance. It's the best way to see the big stuff in one fell swoop. There's also the National Zoo, which is lovely and in May will be fun with lots of babies and of course, the cuteness of our baby panda, Tai Shan cannot be overstated.

Thing is though, if it were up to me, my instinct would be to take them to the Washington National Cathedral. The Cathedral is far and away in my opinion, the very best tour in DC. The stone cravings are detailed and gorgeous, and some of them are very sly. The Cathedral is breath-taking in the sunlight and it's one of the most quietly beautiful places I've ever been in my life. But, if you only had one day in DC, I'm not sure the National Cathedral is the place to go.

So, I'll ask those of you who visit here. If you had only one day in DC, what would you want to see?

Getting Your Fix

LeeAnn is blogging yesterday and today about comfort food. I'm a HUGE fan of comfort food. Before I lost the weight, I was guilty of eating to comfort myself. When I felt bad, my mouth would immediately begin watering for chocolate, or something else yummy.

Don't get me wrong, I still have that, and sometimes I indulge it. But if I've learned anything over the last year or so, it's that there are some smart choices out there that will work.

I love the flavor of Mint Chocolate Chip anything. I consider Baskin-Robbins' Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream to be among the world's most perfect food, and when you mix it with milk and dump it into a cup with a straw, I'm in heaven. I'll admit that just the other night I stopped in at B-R and bought a shake. I hadn't had one in probably six months, and it was just as yummy as I remembered. And now that I think about it, I was maybe a little more upset about a remark someone had made to me earlier in the day than I realized.

Anyway, sometimes if I need a MCC fix and I'm feeling diet conscious, I go for the pudding. Jell-O makes sugar-free mint chocolate flavored pudding that is pretty darn fantastic. Top that with some fat-free or low-fat whipped cream, and you are in business for about 3 Weight Watcher points. It's a terrific and low-fat way to get your sweet fix.

How 'bout you? What are your favorite yummies? And if you're being diet conscious, what treats do you love best?

Oscars Round-Up

I didn't mean to stay up for the entire show, but somehow did. I thought that Jon Stewart did a nice job with his hosting duties. And I thought the Marion Cottilliard's acceptance speech was the best of the evening. There were also some nice wins like the kids from Once winning. More importantly, we had a ton of really good fashion on the Red Carpet (except for Cameron Diaz). My deeply insightful insights below.

I like the circle on Katherine Heigl's shoulder, but she had way too much blush on. But otherwise, she looked quite glamorous.

Jessica Alba looked lovely, I thought. The color of her gown was fantastic. Moment of the Red Carpet for me was Ryan Seacrest asking her if she was planning to breast feed. She smacked him down practically without blinking.

I adore Jennifer Garner, and I think she's got a banging bod. But this outfit goes wrong about mid-thigh. Love the hair and the choker necklace though.

I thought Hillary Swank looked lovely, but I wish she'd do something new. I just feel like we see her more or less in something exactly like this every Red Carpet.

I would say Helen Mirren was among my best dressed last night. She looked incredibly fabulous and SO age appropriate. Sexy as hell, but giving nothing away. There are many, many stars who could take a page out of her book. Meryl Streep, I'm talking to you!

Ugh. Train wreck. It's like she pulled her living room curtains off the wall and wrapped them around her. Made her hips looks wide, and clearly, she yanked her hair back with a pony holder in the limo. Giuliana Rancic, ever the diplomat, was like, "Well, it's a look that the girls at home can emulate." SNORT! Right. South Lakes High School Senior Prom, here we come.

Anne Hathaway wins my best dressed of the evening. This color makes her skin luminescent. Her make up is flawless, her hair is gorgeous, and the gown is exquisite. Plus her cutie-pants boyfriend who was totally terrified and overwhelmed was just lovely.

All pictures were pulled off of the People.com website.

God Help Us All

Heaven help us when comedians get into a war with each other. Yes. It's true. Jimmy Kimmel is f*cking Ben Affleck. I wonder how Jen feels about the whole thing. She's at the Oscar's getting felt up by Gary Busey, and her hubby is doing the nasty with Jimmy Kimmel.

So. Awesome.

PS - It's bleeped, but probably NSFW.

A Little Friday Pretty

I give you, my boyfriends. First, David Beckham. OK, he's metrosexual. But look at how beautifully he wears that suit.

And Jeffrey Dean Morgan, big, brawny, gorgeous.

When "Good" Books Go Bad

So, as I've been documenting, I've been in a bit of a reading slump. I've been re-reading a lot of stuff kind of trying to get the juices flowing again. Probably a year or so ago, I got rid of almost all of the Christine Feehan books I'd collected. I kept Dark Prince (Book #1), Dark Magic (Book #3) and Dark Fire (Book #???). The rest were all given away.

The Carpathian series was the first vampire series I read. And the first glom I ever conducted. I think I read all of the books (of which there about 5-6 at the time) in a period of about a month. And I loved them -- loved them SO much. But after reading more of them, and after reading some other vampire romances (the BDB and others), I began to realize that this series was repetitive and it irritated me. So anyway, I gave away most of my collection, but kept the three that I remembered most fondly. Last night I pulled out Dark Magic. Wow. Just wow.

The hero in this book features almost every single characteristic I hate most in heroes. He *is* alpha, I'll give him that. But he's dictatorial, he comes within a hair's breath of raping the heroine the first time, he subjugates her demands all in the name of "keeping her safe", he's dictatorial, manipulative both verbally and physically. Wow. And the heroine, Savannah, well she's what I would describe as "feisty on paper." She spends a whole lot of time stomping her foot, punching him with her feeble girl fists and crying about how unfair it all is. Until she gets to the sexing. Then, whoo boy is she the queen of "unwilling fire in her loins." The whole thing made me want to urp.

I'm just flabbergasted because I remembered this book with deep affection. I remember wallowing in Gregori (the hero) and how much he loved Savannah.

Huh. Not so much now.

I'll give you that I spend a lot of time bitching about JR Ward, but I'll take Lover Unbound (which I hated) over this book any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Amazing how my tastes have changed.

Has this ever happened to you? You pick up a book you read in the distant past and realize upon the re-read that well...it's not quite what you remembered? What book was it??

Favorite Movie Lines

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."

It's not my favorite movie line. Nor is it a favorite movie of mine (I've never seen the whole movie). But it is an iconic line from a movie.



I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about movie lines. Our favorites of any sort. I have lots:



"I'll have what she's having." - When Harry Met Sally

"I suspect your version of romance is anything that will separate me from my panties." - Doc Hollywood

"Face it, you're a neomaxizoondweebie." - The Breakfast Club

"You've bewitched me body and soul." - Pride and Prejudice (2005)

They're the things that stick with me after a movie. And the movie doesn't even have to be good for them to stick (see The Breakfast Club). But a good line, either a zinger, or something sentimental said in a moment of passion will linger with me, and perhaps make me want to see a movie again.

What are your favorite movie lines? Why do they stick with you? What makes them memorable?

Being In the Mood

I've been in a reading funk for a few weeks now -- which discombobulates me to no end! I can't seem to find a book that has really captured my imagination. It all started with a little book I like to call The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne. This is a book that I devoured in about six hours. It was one of those books that I pretty much never put down. I read it in slack-jawed wonder at Bourne's talent and marveling over this being a debut book. I won't say more about it, since pretty much everyone has read it and knows what I'm talking about, except to say that this is easily at this point in the year, book of the year for me. I have yet to read a single new release that even remotely measures up.

Anyway, after finishing the Bourne book, I read a few new books, and not a single one has rated higher than a B- for me. I've gone back, and read some "sure thing" favorites: Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas, Key of Valor by Nora Roberts, Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh, heck, last night I broke out The Windflower, which is my "only read in dire emergencies" book. Nothing. I still am kind of burnt out and "meh" about each book I read. I'm slightly panicked over the whole thing.

I decided to take a break from straight romance, which is practically heresy in my life. I'm reading The Secret of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig. I'm hoping that perhaps this book will put me back in the mood for my books that I love. If that doesn't work, the new JD Robb comes out today, maybe that will help. If not, I guess maybe I'll just download a couple of movies to my iPod and watch something rather than reading on the Metro in the morning.

But I'm seriously irked over this whole thing.

Have you ever had a reading slump? What are your go to books to snap you out of it?? Maybe one of them will spark for me.

PS- A year ago today I put my beautiful kitty, Zut Alors, to sleep. She was among the first true loves of my life and even though I have the devil, I mean Stella, living at my house now, I miss Zooty every day. You were loved gorgeous kitten.

Why a Book Works

I've read a couple of books lately that have been what I'd call "near misses." The most recent being Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave. This book had a hero who I should have liked. He has most of the elements I like in a hero, but he had this faux-British thing going on that makes me nuts. It was like the author had a word count of "British-isms" she had to get in, so she'd throw in a "blimey" or "sodding" every 35th word he said. This is a conceit that makes me crazy. Especially after recently reading an author who *SO* mastered writing dialect, Joanna Bourne. The second element about the book that didn't work was that I thought the heroine was written just, really, really young. Irritatingly young. She has mind blowing sex with the hero and literally leaps out of bed, jumps into her clothes and bolts. And frankly, the why of it wasn't explained anywhere near to my satisfaction. The thing is, the book ended pretty well, and so I'll probably by the next one just to see what happens. But overall, I'd grade the book a C, and that's grading it up -- despite the heroine, who I'd liked to have smacked on about six occasions. Unfortunately, this was a book several people had recommended really highly to me. So, it got me to thinking, what makes a book work for me?

In this case, it goes without saying, that I'm talking about romance, since that's mostly what I read. And also, *smiles* this gives me another reason to make a list. Yay! It's been, what? At least a week since I've done a list.

So, what makes a book work for me:

1- The hero. I'm a hero girl. I'd say 90% of the books on my keeper shelves are there because I have a thing for the hero. Generally speaking, I like my heroes alpha. Strong, autocratic, determined, a leader of men. Could be because I come from a father who is most of those things. But I need a hero who is a strong guy, but who has that soft gooey inside that he shows to those he loves. My latest hero crush is Gage Travis from Lisa Kleypas's Sugar Daddy. Here's the thing, everything about Gage screams "alpha male." And yet, he takes the heroine by surprise very often by being sensitive to what she needs or wants, and by taking an action that seems to go against his personality. He's probably my favorite hero of 2007.

2- The heroine. I have to like the heroine. I have to understand her motivations. I don't necessarily need to become girlfriends with her, but I have to understand where she's coming from. If she behaves like a ditz or a ninny, I can't stand her. If she's a poseur hoyden, it turns me off. I like a heroine with backbone. Easily my favorite heroine is Merry Patricia Wilding from The Windflower. She starts as this weak, proper, somewhat simple girl and becomes a serious force to be reckoned with. And the reason she works is because the authors take the time to show the evolution. They don't just "tell" you it happened.

3- The connection. I have to believe the connection between the h/h. I have to believe that they'd fall in love. There have been several books that I've read where at the end I've thought, "No way does she deserve him!" (Or vice versa). If one of them has wronged the other, I have to believe the apology that follows. I've read books where I've thought, "Oh, you're SO not sorry!" Anyway, the point is, I have to believe that these two people are meant to be together. There was a recent movie that came out starring Jennifer Garner called Catch and Release. I walked out of that movie pissed because she'd PICKED THE WRONG GUY! Not good, friends. If the readers don't believe the connection, you've failed as an author.

4- The writing. Boy, nothing will pull me out of a story more than an anachronistic phrase, bad grammar, or poorly written dialog. I'll forgive a full host of issues with a book if the writing is good. An example would be Anna Campbell's Claiming the Courtesan. I found this book very difficult to read on many, many levels. But the writings was so superb. Some of the best prose I've read in ages. I finished that book, where the story so disturbed me, when I would have tossed it into the give-away bog immediately, because the writing was just so good. Her followup to CTC was outstanding and one of my favorite books from last year, Untouched.

There it is, I don't think that I'm particularly tough when it comes to reading. I fully understand that when you read as much as I do, very often books aren't going to "do it" for you. But I don't think that liking the characters, believing their connection, and using good grammar are too much to ask.

Or maybe it is.

What about you? Why do your favorite books work for you? What makes you connect to a book or character?

Shiny!

I bought a new laptop today. It's a Sony VAIO CR. And look, it's all girly and pink.

My current laptop is a Gateway, and frankly, I hate it. I always have. It's heavy, it's slow, and the screen flickers, and always has.

So, I did a bunch of research and read up, and found that this computer would fit all of my needs. It's got all of the bells and whistles and it's got Windows Vista, which I'd never used before. Plus, well...it's pink.

I'm weak, what can I say.

Also, what do you think of my new header?? I'm playing with new ones.

Amy Loves Cha-Chi

OK, so, Amy is totally trying to work today, but thus far I've called her three times. The first to check in (mainly because Ame and I don't go more than about 24 hours without talking), the second, I called her to tell her that Jane Fonda TOTALLY said "c*nt" on the Today show this morning, which frankly, I think is awesome...and hilarious. And the last time, to tell her that the PopWatch on EW.com (which I'm a total slave to) has a blog up about The TV Character You'd Date in Real Life.

So, I call Ame, and tell her about the blog and ask her who her choice would be. Seriously, without skipping a beat, she blurts out "Cha-Chi."

I'll give you a moment to absorb that.

No, I can't explain it either.

Anyway, I left her pondering who she'd REALLY date.

My answer? Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights. Reasons?

He's a football player.
He's hot.
And what makes him the most likely to date me? He's more likely than not a Republican. (I'm a Republican magnet even though I come from an extremely liberal family and am liberal myself).

But, back to Amy, I'm giving her a moment to collect herself and call me back with a "real" answer. Sadly, it might still be Cha-Chi.

I love ya, Ame!

Now it's your turn. Who is the TV Character that You'd Date in Real Life?

*Also, I highly recommend that you don't google "Cha-Chi" at work and then click images. Apparently that word is also a euphamism for something else. EEEEwwwww!

Stupid Red Hearts Day

So, it's Valentine's Day again. Honestly, because I'm single this "holiday" used to bug me a lot more than it does today. Really, I think Valentine's Day is what I'd call a "hallmark" holiday. A pretend one with no real purpose but to make the flower growers, chocolate sellers, and card manufacturers happy. Even when I was in a serious relationship I thought it was pretty stupid.

Don't get me wrong, I love romance as much as the next girl. I love receiving flowers at work, I love being wooed. I'd prefer to have someone do it on a day other than this. It just seems stupid that there's this one day where guys are somehow supposed to be romantic. Really, it's a stretch for a lot of guys, and I've got to imagine that the pressure of trying to deliver on a prescribed day is tough. I just think that romance should go on with a couple all year. Not just on one day. And romance takes a lot of shapes.

I've always thought that my parents have a very romantic relationship. It was never unusual to walk into the kitchen and find them having a hug, and they pretty much never go anywhere without giving a goodbye peck. They've been married for 50 years, and are still able to keep the romance alive. My friend Megan got married in August, and my roomie commented to me on their wedding day, "Every woman deserves to be looked at the way Joe looks at Megan." You know, like she's the only and best thing that ever happened to him. Now, I realize with years and comfort, these things can fade. But my point is I think that designating one stupid day to force your man to do something "romantic" for you is silly. Don't you find it much more arousing to come home and find that he's cleaned up the house, or vacuumed, or put the kids to bed and fixed dinner? Just seems to me like it's the little stuff that reminds us that we're loved. Not a bunch of flowers that he "has" to send.

What about you? Are you a fan of Valentine's Day? What's your idea of romantic?

Random Thoughts

I have no really good blog topics, so I'm just gonna ramble. Lucky you!

TV news! The Writer's Strike is finally over. Yay! This means my TV will be coming back soon, probably in April. Thank you TV-gods! It also means I can finally download some TV onto my iPod, which I was holding off on doing until I could be sure that the writers who wrote the shows were getting paid. I'm still deciding what to download. Any suggestions??

What I'm reading: I'm currently reading Joey W. Hill's The Vampire Queen's Servant. It's this incredibly hot and spicy erotic romance. It's also not for everyone. In this one, the heroine, Lyssa is definitely the dominant in the relationship, and frankly, she puts the hero, Jacob through the wringer. She's got every reason to do so, and I clearly understood the reasons, but their relationship is not a cut and dried one, and it's full of emotional and physical games. I'm loving the book, but my guess is there will be plenty of people who will not like it. When I finish that, I'm on to Halfway To the Grave by Jeaniene Frost, which was recommended by katiebabs. We'll see Kate -- I'm looking forward to trying it.

Westminster: A Beagle named Uno won Westminster last night. It certainly wasn't a surprise for Uno to win, but it was still fun to watch. I "ooohed" and "awwwwed" with the best of them. I love Westminster!

Bloggy Stuff: Also, I finally loaded "Site Meter" onto my blog. It's so much fun to see who is looking at the blog. Very cool little widget. I also added a link to Best Week Ever's effort to save one of my favorite shows on TV, Friday Night Lights. And look how pretty Taylor Kitsch is. Pretty, pretty child. Yes, he's over 21, so while it's kind of icky that I'd let him give me a pedicure, it's not illegal.

Work Out: I really was going to go to the gym last night, but DC actually got hit by a relatively nasty ice storm. It took me over an hour to get home from the Metro. Since the Metro is less than 3 miles from my house, that gives you an idea how bad the roads were. In fact, the Federal Government is opening two hours late today. The weather has to be really, really nasty for the Fed to open late. So, I'll go tonight.

What have you been up to? What are you reading, or watching, or what's new in your life?

The West Wing

I was a huge fan of the television show, The West Wing, during its first four seasons. It was written and executive produced by Aaron Sorkin, who is a genius at writing smart, insightful dialog.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been revisiting the first two seasons of the West Wing, culminating in my viewing of the final episode of Season 2, an episode called "Two Cathedrals." The episode was made famous by the president's rant against God in Latin. The scene in a poignant one, and is pitch perfectly played by Martin Sheen, who should have won an Emmy for his portrayal of President Josiah Bartlet. The scene flashes forward and backwards to fill in Jed's backstory of his relationship both with his father (who was not a very nice man) and with Dolores Landingham, first his father's secretary, then his. Mrs. Landingham's death in the previous episode to the season finale was one of the most shocking moments in television history.

One of the things that made The West Wing so amazing was that it was shot very cinemagraphically. The show always looked like a movie. This episode is one of the finest examples of that. They lit the inside of the National Cathedral in Washington, where Mrs. Landingham's funeral was held.

The other thing the show did consistently was pace itself like a play, which should be no surprise, as Sorkin wrote for the stage before moving to television. He wrote both the stage production and the screenplay for A Few Good Men. What does this mean? It means that the show almost always had three distinct acts that built upon each other, with the climax happening towards the end of the second act (in this case, President Bartlet's rant against God), and with the resolution coming at the end of the episode. Of course, this wasn't always true, but most times, you could count on an incredibly cinematic experience watching the West Wing. There are very good reasons why the show swept the Emmys most years it was up and why it won a Peabody Award. It's among the finest dramatic television produced.

Did you watch the West Wing?

Photo credit Warner Brothers television.

The Wonder of Westminster

It's a tradition with me. As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing that Valentine's Day brings is the airing of the Westminster Kennel Club Show. It's the big daddy of dog shows, and never ceases to entertain me. I simply adore watching the dogs compete. They're gorgeous and just so natural and fun. Plus, I always end up learning something about different breeds. The dogs don't compete against each other, but against the breed standard, as prescribed by the American Kennel Club. It's how dachshunds can compete against Irish Wolfhounds.

As most of you know, I'm a doxie owner, so I always root for the hounds, but I also have a strong affection for the sporting group, as I grew up with Golden Retrievers, and my parents and my sister own them now. To my recollection, a dachshund has never won, but Ame and I are always rooting for them.

Westminster airs tonight and tomorrow night on USA, if you can catch tomorrow's show, you'll see the Best in Show be selected. It makes for really fun television if you're a dog lover.

Do you watch Westminster? If so, which dogs do you root for?

10 Things About Me...

I got tagged by brilliant author of some of the hottest romances going, Monica Burns, and darn it all, she tagged pretty much everyone I "know" on the net, so I'm going to defer the tagging until a later date.

So let's see 10 Random Things About Me:

1- I'm deeply anal retentive. I alphabetize my DVDs. My books are organized (in alphabetical order by author then by release date). My underwear drawer is organized by undie type. The list could go on and on and on. I won't even start on work, I'm beyond hyper organized at work. In my business, you have to be.

2- I'm a *RABID* professional football fan. I haven't missed seeing a Redskins game either in person, on TV or on the web in almost 5 years. Not one. Some of my guy friends have me diagram the Cover 2 defense as a party trick at bars. I'm the only person I know who watches the Scouting Combine in its entirety.

3- I average reading 6 books a week. Which accounts for my prodigious pimping of books to friends. My sister actually mentioned that she was worried about how much romance I was reading the other day. Which was sweet, but most everyone I know on the net reads as much or more than me. I do know that I'll never be a writer, and always be a reader. Every writer I know has pretty much known all their lives that they were a writer. Me? I've never been a writer. Composing a business letter is a birthing process for me.

4- I am ambidextrous. When I was 6, I sustained a really nasty break in my right elbow (I'm right-handed), I had to learn how to write with my left hand, and kept the skill.

5- I can double-dutch. I learned while I was in college and was the only white person teaching at an AME Zion Black church in Anacostia. The 11YO girls taught me how to double dutch. At one point, one of them said to me, "Miss Kati, you so white!"

6- My all time favorite dessert is chocolate eclairs. I love them. They're what I want for my birthday cake every year.

7- I once lit JFK, Jr.'s cigarette. And yes, he was perfectly splendid in person. Handsome as all get out.

8- I've seen every episode of Friends. I also own all of the DVDs in the fancy box that they sold several years ago. I can pretty much tie anything to an episode of Friends.

9- I speak French fluently. I have a B.A. in French and yet, do nothing with my degree. Which is a source of much consternation to my father. He can do 20 minutes on my wasted college degree.

10- I have incredibly neat handwriting. If I had a dollar for everyone who has commented on my handwriting, I'd be loaded now. I maintain that your handwriting messiness is in direct proportion to how smart you are. The smarter you are, the messier your handwriting. Go figure. My penmanship is exemplary.

This was a ridiculously hard assignment, Mon! I must not be a very interesting person!

Sawyer's Nickname Generator

For those who watch LOST a cute widget on the ABC site.

"Sawyer's Nickname Generator" - Mine is apparently "Avalanche"

Although, honestly, I wish he'd call me "Sweetheart."

Romance for Smart Chicks

I've been reading romance a long time. I've read a lot of authors, and therefore have developed pretty strong opinions about what I like and what I don't like. One of the things I like best is a well written romance that doesn't insult my intelligence. What does that mean? I like a book that has a complicated mythology (as long as the author adheres to the mythology they've created -- JR Ward, I'm looking at you), a book that has characters that have shades of grey, a book that uses beautiful prose, or smart, sly dialog. You get my meaning. Smarty pants books.

My favorite romance of all time is such a book. The Windflower by Tom and Sharon Curtis features gorgeous prose, incredible character evolution and sparkling dialog. Eloisa James very often writes books that have close ties to Shakespeare or other famous authors. In fact her titles often hearken back to Shakespeare -- which makes excellent sense given that James is a professor of Shakespeare at Fordham University.

I've just begun another such "romance for smart chicks." It's Meljean Brook's Demon Angel. This is a book that plays on the story of the War of Heaven. It features an incredibly dark and intricate mythology. It's deftly written with "big girl" words and complicated characters. The story is in fact complicated enough that I won't endeavor to try to explain it here. What I'll say is that Brook has created a fascinating, inventive world and she doesn't insult her readers by scrimping on her mythology or her prose. I'm fascinated by the story. It's epic in nature, which I love, and obviously is setting up a storyline that will continue over a course of several books. I spent quite a bit of time today poking around her website, which is incredibly comprehensive. It offers a primer (which I quite appreciated), FAQs and bios of critical characters. All of this adds up to Brook escorting us through her mythology while fully expecting that her readers are smart enough and capable enough to understand what she's getting at. Why is this? Because the central story is a love story. And while there is an epic battle going on throughout the story, it is the love story that weaves throughout the book that for me as a reader, carries it.

I love the idea that a romance author has created a complicated, layered world that pushes us as readers to work our brains and our imaginations as we read.

Works for me!

Give me some suggestions! What romances do you consider to be for "smart chicks"?

PS - Thank you SO much, Stacy for a terrific day yesterday. I loved reading about your online history and thanks too, everyone for visiting and commenting!

Guest Blog - Stacy!

Kati: Stacy is one of my all time favorite e-friends. We share similar taste in men, romance and movies. I wish she watched more TV, but hey, no one is perfect!;oP A few weeks ago I emailed her and told her I was "sick of myself" on my blog and proposed that we switch blogs for a day. So I'm blogging with her, she's blogging with me. *I think I might have had it easier, since many of Stacy's blog readers are romance readers, so I could indulge myself by blogging about romance. Anyway, here's my good friend, Stace:

Hi all. I "met" Kati about 2 years ago, when I discovered Michelle Buonfiglio's "Romance B(u)y the Book" blog - I believe Clive Owen, the hottie from "King Arthur", led me there, but I digress. Since then, I've laughed my ass off from her humor, experienced her generosity first-hand, spent numerous dollars thanx to her awe-inspiring book pimping, and shared in some really great times online.

Online relationships are rather unique. I first hopped onto the internet around '99 or '00, I think it was. I didn't do chatrooms or anything like that, but I was looking to connect with others who had similar interests. When you really love something like I loved romance novels, you want to talk about it with others who feel the same way you do. Well, none of my friends read romance novels, so they have no clue why I love them so much. Eventually I stopped mentioning the latest Lisa Kleypas or Brockmann that kept me up all night, caught up in the addictive rush of the happily ever after. So, taking a deep breath, I hit the 'net.

One of my first stops was Lori Foster's Yahoo group. I've been a fan of her books for years, and slowly joined the group environment, lurking before finally getting up the nerve to comment. That sounds silly now, but back then, I was sure someone would laugh at my comments. But they didn't. Amazing. Instead I found a whole new world had opened up, and it was wonderful. Since then, I've met several people in person, like at the annual Lori Foster reader/writer event in Cincinnati, and have made some special friends that I keep in contact with on a regular basis. People I send Christmas cards to, and birthday cards, and on occasion, books. I've met authors who have been generous enough to give me ARC's! (advance reviewer copies). It's a beautiful thing.

Can't forget blogs. Blogging is like a yahoo group in a way, or a message board, only this time, the reader can have their own blog and discuss their thoughts, much like a journal. As personal or as eclectic as you want it to be. I started mine on January 1, 2006, and it's still going strong. I tend to veer away from my personal life, but love to talk about some of my favorite things - books, friends, movies, and hotties: the good things in life.

The online community is a strong network where you can learn so much, meet wonderful people, and talk about anything under the sun. Since blogging, I've also come across people from many different countries and walks of life. A lot of it is for fun, some of it is of a deeper nature. Some blogs make it a point to talk about serious topics on a regular basis like domestic violence, plagarism, or the troops. Others deal with their day to day fight against illness. Still others are support systems for those losing weight, or a loved one.

Blogging may be the only way some people can interact with others. I know women who are stay-at-home moms who don't get out much, and need contact with others besides their kids from time to time. Or people who can't walk very well and tend to stay indoors. Blogging can be a way to reach out, to connect, to feel a part of something.

As for myself, it's not all I do, because never leaving the house is not an option, but it's a part of me, a part that satisfies the introvert in me yet keeps me from letting myself become too isolated. It also motivates me to go out and experience a new restaurant, or the latest movie, a fabulous romance (ahem Kati) or a face-to-face gathering with other bloggers. It's about feeding that need to connect with others.

How do you connect with others, and how has the internet impacted your life? Love it, hate it, addicted to it?

Thanx MK, for letting me blog in Katidom, and I can think of anything of interest to say, maybe I'll do it again :)

Stacy ~

Mercy Thompson

As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, I've been reading the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. My pal, Vivi has been talking about this series for ages, and I finally, as I should have done long ago, listened.

I know you're going to hate me for pimping another series, but I *loved* these books! LOVED them! Let's see if I can set up the premise: Mercy is a VW mechanic, but more importantly, she's a walker. She's someone who can change forms into a coyote meaning she has great hearing and sense of smell, but also, she's relatively impervious to other creature's magic.

She lives in a trailer on the land of Adam Hauptman, who is the local werewolf alpha (and SO delicious!). Anyway, Adam has claimed Mercy as his mate, mainly (she thinks) so that she won't be harassed by his wolves as she goes about her business. Anyway, of course, Mercy has a nose for trouble, and each book is a stand-alone episode in Mercy's life. But as her life moves forward, it becomes more and more intertwined with Adam's and Sam's (the werewolf she loved and might have mated with when she was a teenager).

What I love about Mercy is that she's actually *smart* enough to be darn terrified of the forces around her. She's dealing with were wolves, vampires and the fae. And she has a healthy terror of all of them. It doesn't stop her from doing the right thing, but it does make her reactions very realistic. I simply LOVE this heroine. She's smart, and a smartass. I found the series in the fantasy section of my bookstore, but it's definitely got a very strong romantic theme running through it, although there is NOT an HEA at the end of each story. The books build upon each other, and I'm glad to say that by the end of book 3, Mercy has picked a man. Anyway, if you're looking for a deeply entertaining, action filled urban fantasy, these are the books for you! I loved them!

OK, that's the end of my pimping for the day.

PS - Happy Birthday to my sweet niece, Abby. She turns 15 today. Love you Abby-girl!

Mr. Incredible

This is my best friend, Amy's son kissing up appropriately to his Aunt Kati. That's a Redskins helmet he's wearing.

How freakin' cute is he???

Super Bowl Party

Well, I'll say this, H. and I can throw a party! We had all together probably about 25 people at our house for the Super Bowl. Here are some shots of the party. We missed you like crazy, Tracy!

Tracy's Super Adorable nephew, Josh. Up-Down, Up-Down.

The spread (and that's before anyone else brought food).

Part of the group (L-R): Becky, Judy, Cameron, Warren, Laura G. & Gabriella, Steve G. , Rachel & Josh)

You can see the finished construction project on the wall back there. For those who don't remember, we mounted the TV and added the mantle. And when I say "we" I mean H.
(L-R) Scott T., TJ & Christine (back of heads), Jonathon Gupton (Caroline B.'s brother), Jenny F., Cameron, Becky and Andrew (kneeling in the background).

Anyway, the party was great. Easy to do and clean up was super easy, and now I'm really happy because my house is SUPER clean, which is nice, since we're having company this weekend too.

Hope everyone else had a SUPER weekend!

Work Perks

Often when I tell people that I'm a professional meeting planner, they immediately think that I must have the cooshiest job in the world. And yes, there are plenty of extremely cool perks about my job. Yes, very often I do get to stay in a very nice hotel, and yes, very often, I get upgraded to a suite. Which would be fabulous except for the fact that usually when I'm onsite working, I'm working an 18 hour day. I get up at 5AM, and very often am falling into bed sometime around 10PM. There's no time to appreciate the suite. Once I was in a hotel and somehow ended up getting gay porn on my TV. Did I watch?? Oh you bet. It was...a learning experience. One I don't need to repeat, but it was interesting, that's for sure. Of course, my conference services manager was appalled when I told him, but I got a huge kick out of it.

Anyway, on Thursday I got a very, very cool work perk. On February 28th, I'll be a guest of the Denver CVB (where I am most likely taking Defenders' largest conference in 2009) at the Bon Jovi concert here in DC. We'll be going to Rosa Mexicano for dinner, which is a pretty la-ti-da Mexican restaurant and then heading over to the Eagle's Nest suite at the Verizon Center to see the show. I've never been in a box at the Verizon Center, and I'm sure it's going to be quite an experience. Either way, I'm really looking forward to going. This *IS* a cool work perk.

Do you get any cool perks that come along with your job? If so, what are they?

PS - Amy, the photo is for you!
PPS - Happy Birthday to Meghan Dev, my sweet cousin, who I adore! Hope it's a fantastic day!

Sarah Silverman Might Just Be My Idol

Seriously. She made this video for Jimmy Kimmel (for those not aware, she and Jimmy Kimmel have been a couple for about 5 years) to celebrate his anniversary for his show. And Matt Damon might just be my boyfriend.

A Plethora of Nothin'

No, I still haven't watched LOST. I meant to, but after my workout yesterday I was pooped, so I went home and was in bed with the lights out by 9:40. You have to be awake to watch LOST, so I'll watch tonight.







It's Lauren's 22nd Birthday today. I can't believe it! My beloved oldest niece is 22. How fast the time goes and what a gorgeous, smart, funny woman she's turned into. Happy Birthday, Nernie! I love you and am so proud of you!






I read this morning in the Washington Post that one of my all time favorite sports writers, Michael Wilbon, host of Pardon the Interruption, participant in Redskins Report, damn fine columnist for the Post and generally the voice of absolute reason when it comes to Washington D.C. sports-mania had a heart attack on Monday. I love Wilbon and really hope that he'll take his close brush with death seriously. From the sounds of his column, he will.



I finished Nalini Singh's Mine to Possess, which was as usual, an A read for me. I've now started on Book Two of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, Blood Bound. The books are somewhat urban fantasy, but I really like them. Mercy is a heroine who is smart enough to be scared to death of most of the evil she encounters. And yet, she perseveres. She's smart, fiesty and has quite a dilemma on her hands with regard to the men in her life. I've really enjoyed this series. Many thanks to the gorgeous Vivi Anna for pimping them to me. UPDATED TO ADD: I just read that Vivi's magnificent Dark Lies was nominated for a P.E.A.R.L. Award. It's an incredibly well written and imaginative book, if you haven't read anything by Vivi, you should! As those of us who know Vivi already know, Vivi seriously rocks. I'd like to be her when I grow up.



This weekend, H. and I will be having lots of company to watch the Super Bowl. H. is feverishly completing a home improvement project that involved redoing our fireplace in the family room and mounting her LCD TV up over the fireplace. As usual, I couldn't picture it at all when she started talking about it, but now, I can see that it's going to be lovely and really smart addition to the house. Anyway, we have a group of 25-30 coming to watch the game. So there will be lots of food and drinks and little kids running around my house. But the best part will be watching my friend Beth, a die-hard Giants fan, and our friend Steve, a die-hard Patriots fan duke it out over the game. In hand-to-hand combat, I'd take Beth, but I'm sort of afraid the Giants don't have enough in the tank to beat the Patriots. Don't get me wrong, I hate the Patriots enough that I'll be rooting for Giants (who, as a Redskins fan I'm duty bound to hate), but I'm not sure that the Pats are beatable.

What are you up to this weekend?