Wake Up and Sniff the Kopi Luwak Coffee

If you’ve read my blog or talked to me for any length of time, you already know that I wake up early to write. My alarm goes off, I roll out of bed, dress in sweats, and grab a cup of coffee. I’m not fully awake until I take my first sip of java, usually at the top of the long flight of stairs leading to my office. So it stands to reason, that coffee plays a crucial role in my life. Therefore, I am always game to give a new bean a try. But I doubt I'll be trying this one:

Kopi Luwak from Animalcoffee.com

The Kopi Luwak Coffee bean is harvested from Indonesian forest floors only after it has been eaten and shat out by a three toed marsupial called the Paradoxurus.

Paradoxurus also known as Luwak by the natives.

Kopi Luwak before processing.

Bet you're thinking, no wonder Gabe's taking a pass on the coffee. Well folks, that's not the reason. Truth be known, I'd probably give it a sip or two. The aroma and taste are supposed to be divine. The reason I will probably never try this coffee is the price. This shit is expensive! Retailing for a whopping $120.00 to $600.00 a pound, the only way I'd be giving this one a try is if I received it as a gift.

Quarter pound arabica gift box us$90.00.

So tell the truth, if given the opportunity, would you give this a try?

Me and My BFF ( best friend forever)Sheryl Swoopes

Greetings from P-Town,

Today was thrilling thanks to some of my overzealous friends. We decided to see Sheryl Swoopes being interviewed by Vikie Shaw. If you’ve seen Vikie Shaw’s stand up routine, then you already know how funny the interview was. What you couldn’t know unless you were there was how teary-eyed Sheryl got when she talked about lack of support from the WNBA. My heart really went out to her.

My friends figured that Sheryl would be interested in the fact that I was an author. To my surprise, she asked for the name of my books and said she would come to my book sining at Now Voyager that afternoon. Sadly, she didn’t make it, but I meet a bunch of other nice women and I was able to send an autographed copy of Such a Pretty Face home with Sheryl. She said she would take it on her Olivia Cruise with her. If one of ya'll see her with Such A Pretty Face, help a girl out and snap a pic.

(edited and note to self...don't post after a glass of red)

Appearances --Women's Week--P-Town, Masschusetts/Update

The following are my scheduled appearances at Women's
Week. This will be my first year there as a Bold Strokes
author so I am incredibly excited. I'm also ready for a
vacation. A working vacation is better than none, right?

October 11, 2007– Women’s Week— P-Town, Massachusetts
Vixen -336 Commercial Street – 12:00 – 1:15—Read & Chat
with Andrews and Austin, Kim Baldwin and JLee Meyer.

October 11, 2007– Women’s Week— P-Town, Massachusetts
Fairbanks Inn - 90 Bradford Street – 4:30 – 6:00—Reading favorite scenes with Andrews and Austin, Kim Baldwin, JLee Meyer, Jane Fletcher, KI Thompson and Radclyffe

October 13, 2007—Women’s Week— P-Town, Massachusetts
Now Voyager – 357 Commercial Street— 2:30-4:00— Reading
with Radclyffe, Andrews and Austin, Lee Lynch, JLee Meyer,
KI Thompson, Jane Fletcher, Kim Baldwin and JD Glass

Wall of Silence 2nd ed. is now available for purchase!

It should have been an average bust. Minimal trouble. Minimal backup.

But when police detective Foster Everett witnesses the unspeakable, average becomes deadly. A cover-up ensues and Foster escapes from her remorse at a neighborhood bar. There she meets Riley Meideros, the one person strong enough to hear Foster’s painful secret and not turn away. But like most secrets, Foster’s refuses to stay hidden. And like even the most carefully built walls—walls that Riley effortlessly seems to breech—the barricades surrounding Foster soon begin to crumble. Fearing that she has put Riley in danger and fighting against the powerful attraction growing between them, Foster vows to uncover the truth. But someone is determined to keep the truth buried, even if it means silencing Foster and Riley permanently.

Read an Excerpt here: Wall of Silence @ Bold Strokes Books

Another Reason to Keep the Day Job

I could win the lotto tomorrow and I think I would keep my day job. Why? Where else would I get my WTF? moments. I had two last week and I’m in a sharing mood.

Exhibit A

I was talking to a visiting engineer about his vegetarianism. He mentioned he drinks a lot of milk to make sure that he gets protein. I explained that I was slightly lactose intolerant, however I seem to be able to eat yogurt and cheese with no issues. He looked at me quite concerned and told me that it was good that I didn’t drink milk. Drinking milk and yogurt within eight hours of each other causes leprosy. Honestly folks, I was all set to crack the hell up, but the man was serious. WTF?

Exhibit B

I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business, when the maintenance guy asked if he could speak to me outside. I go outside with him and he proceeds to tell me that he saw one of my employees go behind the dumpster. My first thought was, oh shit, the guy is stealing stuff and hiding it behind the dumpster! The maintenance guy assured me, that as far as he knew, my employee wasn’t stealing. When he’d looked behind the dumpster, all he found was a large pile of human feces and used toilet paper. WTF?

ASK THE AUTHOR FEATURING GABRIELLE GOLDSBY AND SUCH A PRETTY FACE

All,

I'll be hanging out at BSBauthorsconnect all week to talk about my newest book Such a Pretty Face. Have questions about me or my writing?Here's the opportunity you've been waiting for, but were to shy or uninterested to ask :-).

Gabe

Crumpler—The Moderate Embarrassment—Review

Every gadget hound/writer knows it is essential to have a good gadget bag. Whether you use a paper and pen or a laptop (I use both) to write, you’ll need a way to carry those items around. There is nothing worse than finding yourself with unexpected free time, but no writing tools.

I decided not to carry my laptop on my last trip, so my Timbuk2 Blogger bag seemed like overkill. I started looking through my bevy of bags for something a little smaller, but just as durable. I came across Crumpler’s—The Moderate Embarrassment. I was bequeathed the bag by a friend who moved up to the larger Considerable Embarrassment. Since I have a fondness for messengers she gave the practically brand new bag to me. I jumped at the chance to give Crumpler a go, but found myself shying away from carrying it. Why? The thing was— no joke— embarrassingly green.

Don’t get me wrong, I like bright colors. I just prefer them on other people. This bag was the perfect size though: small enough to fit under the seat of an airplane, but big enough to carry some essential gadgets, a notebook, a file folder, a fiction book, a magazine, and a few high protein snacks. I decided not to worry about the color clash and give it a try.

As I already mentioned, my particular bag is a lime green color( they call it Olive/Light Olive), but The Moderate Embarrassment also come in less eye popping colors such as black/gunmetal, grey/light grey, red/dark red, purple/light purple and dark brown/oatmeal.

EXTERIOR

The exterior is made of a water resistant 900D Nylon: an absolute must for keeping those expensive gadgets dry when you live in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike the Timbuk2 messengers that I usually carry, Crumpler includes a padded shoulder strap. Nothing like finding red marks on your shoulder from lugging around an eight pound laptop (I have since lightened my load) to make you realize how important a padded shoulder strap is. One feature I would have loved was a center grab handle, preferably padded. It’s a lot easier to pick up a loaded bag when you have a grab handle. Imagine trying to move a laptop bag to your passenger seat while you get into your car. Picture the clock striking quitting time at your mortgage paying job, just as you hear someone walking toward your office. A grab handle will get you out of there just that much quicker. Trust me, I know.

Bet you're thinking, dang Gabe sure has ugly furniture. Not mine folks.I took these with the work camera on my lunch.

SECURITY

Crumpler provides a couple options for keeping your goodies secure. Two swatches of Velcro and two sturdy plastic buckles. I have been carrying this bag for a few weeks now and I have yet to use the buckles. Why? The Velcro is all the security I need. It’s hard as hell to open and impossible to open quietly. I would hear someone sneaking a hand into my bag from a mile away. True story: I was sitting on a panel in Atlanta and I remembered that I had taken some notes that I wanted to consult. I tried to sneak into my bag while another panelist was speaking. I had the bag half open before I decided to forget about the notes because the Velcro was so loud. From the reaction of the attendees you would have thought I had just ripped a maxi pad out of my boy shorts.

INTERIOR

The inside of my particular Moderate Embarrassment was made of a tan waterproof material. “The better to see your gadgets with,” said the wolf. But since this bag is meant to actually carry a laptop it also has a padded laptop compartment made of a velor like material. This too, comes with a protective flap that is secured by more Velcro. It’s important to note that the Moderate Embarrassment is meant to hold a 12 inch laptop. My friend purchased it when she was thinking about getting a 12 inch PowerBook. She ended up getting a 15 inch Macbook instead, so the bag didn’t work for her. It doesn’t exactly work for me either, as I have 14.1 inch Dell Latitude D620. I have discovered that the laptop compartment works well for sectioning off my manuscripts and loose notes folder.

An organizer pocket is sewn into the wall of the laptop compartment. One part is zippered and one part is open. The zippered area is perfect for carrying small objects or loose change. The organizer also has two slots for pens and large and medium sized pockets for gadgets. The large and medium pockets are secured by, you guessed it, Velcro!

The front of the bag has three more pockets, the largest of which is secured with Velcro. And finally, there is one spacious zippered pocket in the front of the bag.

CONCLUSION

I was very much tempted to dislike this bag, but I found nothing to dislike. It did everything I asked it to do, plus some. I did however dislike the Crumpler website. I thought it was cute at first, but it quickly became annoying. Turning off the sound made it a bit more tolerable. Despite my ambivalence toward the website and my personal preferences for a gear bag, I could not find fault with the quality of this bag. I recommend this bag for people with smaller laptops. If you’re looking for a simple gadget bag, this might be overkill.

Name: Crumpler –The Moderate Embarrassment

Purchased: Ebags.com

Price: $49.99-80.00

Size: 13.75" x 9.75" x 5"

Weight: 1 lb, 13 oz

Laptop Size: 11.02" x 7.87" x 1.18"

Pros: padded shoulder strap; waterproof; lots of pockets

Cons: Crumpler website is annoying; too much damn Velcro; no center hand grip; no external pocket for a wallet or keys.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Such a Pretty Face is now available for purchase!

Truthfully, it’s been available for at least a week now, but my editor had me chained to my desk and I was unable to write you about it. To be honest, I enjoyed every minute of it. The work not the chaining…well the chaining was kind of fun, too.

On a completely related note, a friend and I were having lunch at the mall and decided to peruse the lesbian and gay section at Borders bookstore afterward. Check out the lucky chick nestled right between JD Glass and Ellen Hart. That's right, yours truly on a bookshelf in Borders. Yes I took a picture of it and yes I acted like a complete fool when I saw it.

The Perfect F*ck You!

Yes, it has taken me almost two weeks to recover from the GCLS convention. I got my drank, dance, and all that good stuff on. It wasn’t a pretty site and the scary thing is—there are pictures. Suffice it to say, I loved every moment of it.

The con wasn’t all fun, some of it was work. I had a sit down with my editor and I was able to discuss some of my concerns and goals surrounding my next project. Yes, I could have had the same conversation over the phone, but the eyes don’t lie and I truly think my editor was being honest with me in every way. It was both gratifying and exhilarating. The meeting was private, so I won’t go in to any detail, but that half hour was worth the price of airfare to Atlanta

If you haven’t had a chance to visit a convention, I strongly recommend doing so, if only to meet some of your favorite authors. If you have a story to pitch, go for it. If you’re told that your story is not interesting, pitch it to someone else. But try to listen and do ask questions. Behind every harsh critique is a grain of truth, which might just make you a better writer. You’ll know you are a professional when you take that critique and use it to write a story, so good that they regret passing you up. You won’t find a more perfect "f*ck you" than success.

Back from GCLS

and I am exhausted. What a wonderfully stressful event! I met new friends, reconnected with old, drank and danced. Oh and I learned an awful lot, too. I'll try to post more later, but suffice it to say that I felt the con was a hit.

BTW to anyone that lost an eye on the dance floor...my bad ;-)

Today I like men...

Some of you may know that I pay the mortgage by administrating to the needy.

IE I'm an Administrative Assistant for 17 engineers-- all men. Anyway, I was really surprised when my boss handed me a card and inside was a Powell’s gift card for a hundred bucks. Powell's claims to be the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world. The main location stretches one Portland Oregon city block. I still can’t believe they picked out such a nice card, as well as, the perfect gift. I am sooo not a flowers girl, but I am a book girl.

By the way, to those of you who also administer to the needy-- Happy Administrative Assistant day!

God's Hairball take 2

As an update to the God’s hairball story Tara was kind enough to share some of her extraordinary photos.




How's that for a miracle appetite suppressant?

God’s Hairball

I was having dinner with my friend Tara when she informed me that she had plans to go see the world’s largest hairball. Based on what comes out of my own sink periodically, I could only imagine the size of said hairball. Tara further informed me that the hairball resided at Mt. Angel Abbey and Seminary right here in Oregon. Now, I do have a cat. So, I have some experience with hairballs. They are not meant to be looked at. They are meant to be flushed down the toilet (after they have significantly cooled, dried and are no longer gag educing). Tara was helpful enough to send me a link to an article in the Portland Mercury written by John Dooley. I have snipped the most interesting paragraph for your enjoyment.

World's Largest Hairball John Dooley, Portland Mercury

“Presented to visitors as a miraculous example of God's mysterious ways, God's Hairball was unbosomed in an Oregon City meatpacking plant in the late 1950s, cut from the swollen belly of a 300-pound swine and donated to the museum soon after, where it has been on display ever since. Weighing in at two-and-one-half pounds, the calcified, gut-polished lump of hog bristle and plaque is considered the heftiest known hairball in the world. Pinched at each end like a turd, the disturbing, retch-inducing wad is sickening in its putrid grandeur, and is a must-see for the quirky tourist!”


I don’t know whether I was more horrified by the authors use of the word unbosomed in this context or the words “Pinched at each end like a turd...”

Lambda Literary Awards Announces Finalists

Would you freaking look at the talent on this list!!
I am a little biased so I'm going to keep my mouth shut but um...
BSB ROCKS!!!
*****************************************

March 1, 2007--Finalists for the 19th annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced on March 1 by the Lambda Literary Foundation . Awards are presented in 25 categories, and winners will be announced on Thursday, May 31, at the Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony in New York City .

Finalists were chosen by a jury of judges who come from all walks of literary life: journalists, authors, booksellers, librarians, playwrights, illustrators. In all, 87 judges participated in the selection of finalists from the pool of 381 books that were nominated.

Please note: Finalists are listed alphabetically by author. The publisher appears in parenthesis.

Nominees for ANTHOLOGY

Confessions of the Other Mother, edited by Harlyn Aizley (Beacon)
From Boys to Men, edited by Ted Gideonse & Rob Williams (Carroll & Graf)
Love, Bourbon Street , edited by Greg Herren & Paul J. Willis (Alyson)
Charmed Lives, edited by Toby Johnson & Steve Berman (Lethe Press)
No Margins: Writing Canadian Fiction in Lesbian, edited by Catherine Lake & Nairne Holtz (Insomniac)

Nominees for ARTS & CULTURE

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin)
Cinemachismo by Sergio de la Mora ( University of Texas Press )
Sex Objects by Jennifer Doyle ( University of Minnesota Press)
GAY L.A. by Lillian Faderman & Stuart Timmons (Basic Books)
Blood Beats: Vol 1 by Ernest Hardy (Redbone Press)

Nominees for BISEXUAL

Eros by Serena Anderlini-D' Onofrio ( Harrington Park Press)
Affirmative Psychotherapy with Bisexual Women & Bisexual Men by Ronald C. Fox ( Harrington Park Press)
Three Sides to Every Story by Clarence Nero ( Harlem Moon/Doubleday)
Bi Guys, edited by Ron Jackson Suresha (Harrington Park Press)
Bi Men, edited by Ron Jackson Suresha & Pete Chvany (Harrington Park Press)
The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe, Michael Szymanski & Nicole Kristal (Alyson)

Nominees for CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT

The Manny Files by Christian Burch (Simon & Schuster)
Full Spectrum, edited by David Levithan & Billy Merrell (Random House Children's Books)
Between Mom & Jo by Julie Anne Peters (Little Brown)
Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan (Simon & Schuster)
Erik & Isabelle's Junior Year at Foresthill High by Kim Wallace (Foglight Press)

Nominees for DRAMA/THEATER

Questa by Victor Bumbalo (Broadway Publishing Inc.)
Confessions of a Mormon Boy by Stephen Fales (Alyson)
1001 Beds by Tim Miller ( University of Wisconsin )

Nominees for HUMOR

Queen of the Oddballs by Hilary Carlip (HarperCollins)
My Lucky Star by Joe Keenan (Little Brown)
Roy & Al by Ralf Konig (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Nominees for LGBT NONFICTION

Hello, Cruel World by Kate Bornstein (Seven Stories)
GAY L.A. by Lillian Faderman & Stuart Timmons (Basic Books)
Different Daughters by Marcia Gallo (Carroll & Graf)
Behind the Mask of the Mattachine by James T. Sears ( Harrington Park Press)
Unspeakable Love by Brian Whitaker ( University of California )

Nominees for LGBT STUDIES

Every Inch A Man: Phallic Possession, etc. by Carellin Brooks (UBC Press)
Gay Power: An American Revolution by David Eisenbach (Carroll & Graf)
Their Own Receive Them Not by Horace Griffin (Pilgrim Press)
Crip Theory by Robert McRuer (NYU Press)
Beautiful Bottom, Beautiful Shame by Kathryn Stockton (Duke University Press)

Nominees for SCI-FI/FANTASY/ HORROR

Carnival by Elizabeth Bear (Bantam Spectra)
Mordred, Bastard Son by Douglas Clegg (Alyson)
A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day (Iris Print)
Izzy and Eve by Neal Drinnan (Green Candy Press)
Spin Control by Chris Moriarty (Bantam Spectra)

Nominees for SPIRITUALITY

Sex & the Sacred by Daniel Helminiak ( Harrington Park Press)
The After-Death Room by Michael McColly (Soft Skull Press)
Spirited edited by Lisa Moore & G. Winston James (Redbone Press)
The Singing of Swans by Mary Saracino (Pearlsong Press )
Mobius Trip by Giti Thadani (Spinifex Press)

Nominees for TRANSGENDER

Transgender Rights edited Paisley Currah, Richard M. Juang, and Shannon Price Minter ( University of Minnesota Press )
Drag King Dreams by Leslie Feinberg (Carroll & Graf)
Supervillainz by Alicia E. Goranson (Suspect Thoughts)
The Transgender Studies Reader edited by Susan Stryker & Chris Whittle (Routledge)
The Testosterone Files by Max Wolf Valerio (Seal Press)

Nominees for LESBIAN FICTION

Punk Like Me by JD Glass (Bold Strokes)
Slipstream by Leslie Larson (Crown)
Outrageous by Sheila Ortiz Taylor (Spinsters Ink)
Rose of No Man's Land by Michelle Tea (Macadam Cage)
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (Riverhead Books)

Nominees for LESBIAN ROMANCE

Fresh Tracks by Georgia Beers (Bold Strokes)
Wild Abandon by Ronica Black (Bold Strokes)
Finders Keepers by Karin Kallmaker (Bella Books)
Chance by Grace Lennox (Bold Strokes)
Turn Back Time by Radclyffe (Bold Strokes)

Nominees for LESBIAN MYSTERY

Sleep of Reason by Rose Beecham, Rose (Bold Strokes)
Night Vision by Ellen Hart (St. Martins)
The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King (Bantam)
Idaho Code by Joan Opyr (Bywater Books)
The Weekend Visitor by Jessica Thomas (Bella Books)

Nominees for LESBIAN POETRY

Domain of Perfect Affection by Robin Becker ( University of Pittsburgh )
Days of Good Looks by Cheryl Clarke (Carroll & Graf)
The Truant Lover by Juliet Patterson (Nightboat Books)
Lemon Hound by Sina Queyras (Coach House Books)
Touch to Affliction by Nathalie Stephens (Coach House Books)

Nominees for LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

Intimate Politics by Bettina Aptheker (Seal Press)
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin)
Queen of the Oddballs by Hilary Carlip (HarperCollins)
Hit by a Farm by Catherine Friend (Carroll & Graf)
Incognito Street by Barbara Sjoholm (Seal Press)

Nominees for LESBIAN EROTICA

Walk Like a Man by Laurinda D. Brown (Q-Boro Books)
Glamour Girls edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Harrington Park Press)
18th & Castro by Karin Kallmaker (Bella Books)
Master Han's Daughter by Midori (Circlet Press)
Best Lesbian Erotica 2007 edited by Tristan Taromino & Emma Donoghue (Cleis Press)

Nominees for LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION

The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery (Riverhead)
Black Marks by Kirsten Dinnall Hoyte (Akashic)
Erzulie's Skirt by Ana-Maurine Lara (Redbone Press)
Slipstream by Leslie Larson (Crown)
Origami Striptease by Peggy Munson (Suspect Thoughts)

Nominees for GAY FICTION

Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey (HarperCollins)
Izzy and Eve by Neal Drinnan (Green Candy Press)
Alternatives to Sex by Stephen McCauley (Simon & Schuster)
Now Is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer (Houghton Mifflin)
Suspension by Robert Westfield (HarperCollins)

Nominees for GAY ROMANCE

Someone Like You by Timothy James Beck (Kensington)
When the Stars Come Out by Rob Byrnes (Kensington)
Two Boys in Love by Lawrence Schimel (Seventh Window)
Surf 'N Turf by Scott & Scott (Romenticc)
Going Down in La-La Land by Andy Zeffer ( Harrington Park Press)

Nominees for GAY MYSTERY

Mardi Gras Mambo by Greg Herren (Kensington)
The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon (I-Universe)
The Back Passage by James Lear (Cleis Press)
Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues by Randall Peffer (Bleak House Books)
The Lucky Elephant Restaurant by Garry Ryan (NeWest Press)

Nominees for GAY POETRY

Gutted by Justin Chin (Manic D Press)
The Album That Changed My Life by Jeffrey Conway (Cold Calm Press)
A History of My Tattoo by Jim Elledge (Stonewall)
Other Fugitives & Other Strangers by Rigoberto Gonzalez ( Tupelo Press)
When the Eye Forms by Dwaine Rieves ( Tupelo )

Nominees for GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

Untold Stories by Alan Bennett (FSG)
The Bill From My Father by Bernard Cooper (Simon & Schuster)
Tweaked by Patrick Moore (Kensington)
History of Swimming by Kim Powers (Carroll & Graf)
My Father's Keeper by Jonathan Silin (Beacon)

Nominees for GAY EROTICA

Best Gay Erotica 2007 edited by Richard Labonte & Timothy J. Lambert (Cleis Press)
A History of Barbed Wire by Jeff Mann (Suspect Thoughts)
Hot On His Trail by Zavo (Alyson)

Nominees for GAY DEBUT FICTION

A Scarecrow's Bible by Martin Hyatt (Suspect Thoughts)
Send Me by Patrick Ryan (Dial Press)
The Zookeeper by Alex MacLennan (Alyson)
Suspension by Robert Westfield (HarperCollins)
5 Minutes & 42 Seconds by Timothy Williams (HarperCollins)

For more information, contact asklambda@earthlink .net.

Picture if you will...

Picture if you will the quandary faced by a young man out on a stroll at 3:00 in the morning. The young man’s name doesn’t matter, nor does the name of his home town. What does matter is that this young man is hungry, thirsty, and in need of a few hundred cigarettes. What happens next ladies and feme – men, must be viewed to be believed.

Editing

Just a quick note to say I am now mired in the depths of hell editing. I’ll be back— bright eyed and full of useless chatter— after the 23rd.

Interview: The L-Word Fan Site

Lynne Jamneck did an interview of yours truly for the L-word fan site. If this blog didn't already tell you too much about me here's a little bit more to help you fall asleep. I think Lynne did an excellent job. I'm told I'm a very hard person to interview.I can be a bit shy ;-).

Now you too, can pee standing up...

Believe it or not, I start thinking about my camping and hiking gear around February. Mostly because you can grab up a bunch of equipment at rock bottom prices. So,imagine my surprise when I came across a mention of an um "sanitary item" that allows girls to pee standing up. Now least you think I'm interested in purchasing this product for myself, let me assure you that you couldn't be further from the truth. I enjoy the exercise my upper thighs get from squatting outdoors. I'm a seasoned camper/hiker. I also did my fair share of club hopping in my early 20's. I'm no more shy about peeing outdoors then Spanky is, but I find the existence of a product that allows women to pee standing up mind boggling. A quick Google search turned up at least three other variations of the same type of product.

Exhibit A The Travelemate Urinary proucts

Exhibit B The Incredibly Easy Pee-Zee

Exhibit C The Whizzy

And for the paz de la resistance give special attention to the chick standing by the side of the road with one leg of her sweat pants hiked up. Come on sister, most guys would go behind a freaking tree for gosh sake.

KATU - Portland, Oregon - Local & Regional - Snow possible but don't bet on it

KATU - Portland, Oregon - Local & Regional - Snow possible but don't bet on it

I woke up this morning to a lovely blanket of snow. The above weather report led me to believe that I had nothing to worry about,so I went to work. Mistake number one was listening to the dummy in the above link. Mistake number two was continuing to work after the back of my car slid into a gutter. I had considered going down to a smaller car with no four wheel drive, but todays weather just put that thought to rest. My good old 1992 4x4 did the job. I'm off to soak in a hot tub to calm my nerves.

Test Mobile Phone: Spanky

Spanky got in the trash

Winter Reading

I finally finished my short story and sent it in yesterday morning. I beat my deadline by a day. I suspect that I won't hear from my editor for another week so I'm going to get started on my winter reading list. I'm also going to have to chose my next project. I have lots of idea's for once, I just have to find the one that wants to be written the most.

Winter reading:

The Art of Detection –Lori King

Hunters Way – Geri Hill

Infinite Loop-Megan O’Brien

Fresh Tracks – Georgia Beers

Grave Silence –Rose Beecham

Pipeline -Brenda Adcock

Next- Michael Crichton

Lisey’s Story- Stephen King

Hannibal Rising-Thomas Harris



This is not a complete list. These books are all just sitting on shelf waiting for my attention. If you have an author or a particular book you’d like to recommend go ahead and shoot me an email.