Lunch Confusion

Working from home makes meal times just flexible enough to cause all kinds of confusion. At what point have I missed lunch? I mean, if it's after three and before six... is it still lunch? Or do we need a new word, like lunner? Dunch is more fun, but since dinner comes after lunch, I don't think it works.

And if you work in an office, just how late is too late to go to lunch? I mean, at what point does your boss just say "To bad. So sad. No soup for you!"?

My 100 Day Challenge

So I'm doing this 100 day challenge with some friends on twitter (I believe WritingSpirit started this) where we each create a writing goal for the next 100 days. It started September 23, so I'm just finishing up day three. My challenge is either 1000 words in English, 1000 words in Spanish or 500 words in French. Sounds reasonable, right? I thought so, too.

I gotta say, the French is kicking my butt! I've only gotten 308 usable words down for the day, and it took forever. It seems I've taken to using the first spelling that comes to mind based on the how the word is said (je, j'ai... whatever). And the result is some funky crack-fed jambalaya that needs massive proofreading since no one outside my brain can decipher what on earth I mean.

For the challenge, though, the idea is just to push the writing habit, so I definitely can't allow myself to edit my 500-word bits in French or it's au revoir to that part of the challenge, 'cuz the French posts will just never happen.

People, if you've ever doubted that lack of use will atrophy your language skills, IT'S TRUE! C'est vrai ! I'm a poster child for this. Don't let frightening French (or Spanish or German or whatever) happen to you.

My First Promo Video

Just finished my first promo video for my book. How did I do?



Kindle Readers for Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, and Android here.

Book here.

Drive Friendly

Scene: You're in crazy traffic. A car one lane over and just ahead clicks on its turn signal. You make space. They hesitate. You wave them into the space you've created in front of you. The car slides in ahead of you and its driver waves a thank you (usually with their right hand, just under their rearview mirror).

What happened to this tiny exchange? I've been actively seeking it out for months and am sad to say the thank you wave looks to be extinct or at least seriously endangered. This isn't a matter of national security or cause to alarm environmentalists or anything, but I miss it. That small detail made the roads nicer or at least friendlier.

Fair Warning

I've done it: a blog full of posts en français. That's right, people: this is me foisting my foreign French on an unsuspecting public. Vive l'audace ! 

And 'tis only the beginning. Blogging in my third language is freaky cool and makes me feel a bit like a superhero, an Adèle Blanc Sec of the blogosphere! I'd get a cape, but it doesn't seem like a very French ensemble.

Science: Lady Birds Know That It's All About Working With What You Got

Ever since the Guyana bird racing discovery, I see birds all over the place. This time, it's zebra finches. Cute, aren't they?


"Apparently, zebra finches (above) understand that it's not about the coloring or the shape of a potential mate's tail feather, but how one shakes it..."

Read the full article here, in Bust Magazine.