Thursday 3: Don't Name Your Baby This

Pleasure to meet you, I'm Queen Biggie Mack Cubis, but you can call me Tigerlilly Grubb.

I love name generators. Here are three places you can get a different name if you don't like the one you were given.

1. Get your Hip Hop Name.

2. Find out what you'd be called if you were a Hobbit.

3. Find an acronym for your name. Mine came out to be Kilo-Access Text Engine.

Do you have a favorite generated name? Or maybe a name-generator site I should visit?

Thursday 13: The Power of Words

Thirteen Hot Words

I have a list of erotic words that I sometimes refer to when I'm writing a steamy scene. Here are 13 of my favorites.

Rhythm
Capture
Flick
Deep
Taste
Moan
Yield
Lazy
Thrust
Aching
Slippery
Rigid
Heat

Thursday 13: Crafty Me!

Thirteen Hobbies I've Had or Dabbled In
1. Decoupage - Once upon a time my mother was into this and I tried my hand at it too. I was only 7 or 8, so I wasn't too good at it.
2. Crewel - I finished several Dimension's kits which are no doubt turning yellow in my mother's garage somewhere.
3. Stamp Collecting - Oh, I was so into this when I was around 13. I spent hours floating the stamps off their bits of paper and finding where they went in my international stamp album.
4. Counted Cross Stitch - I still enjoy doing this. I have about a dozen pieces that even got matted and framed, but the decor of our house isn't so country anymore, so they languish in my closet.
5. Knitting - I am not very good at knitting anything but square shaped things, like afghans and scarves.
6. Crocheting - I rock at crocheting and am in the middle of making a large grey pineapple afghan.
7. Basketweaving - A friend of mine taught this to kids afterschool and I was her helper. While I helped, I wove my very own basket! It was pretty easy, actually.
8. Cake Decorating - A neighbor was very adept at this and she taught me some of the very basics. This came in handy with two kids in the house. The fire engine cake with the dalmatian in the window was so tempting my son nabbed a fingerful of frosting before the party!
9. Scrapbooking - This is my number one hobby. Been doing it for about 14 years. I do it about once a month with girlfriends at the homeowner's association clubhouse. We scrap from about 4 p.m. until we drop, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning.
10. Playing Piano - I hope this qualifies as a hobby. I learned to play when I was a little girl, and once in a while, I enjoy plunking out some tunes. I can sight read VERY VERY easy music.
11. Calligraphy - This started out as a hobby but became a little side business when I was a late teen. In those pre-computer days people had their wedding envelopes and place cards done by calligraphers. I charged a buck an envelope and made some nice money. I took classes in college and can do many alphabets. It's a handy skill.
12. Beading - There was a period of about a year when I went nuts making those elastic bracelets. I spent a buncha money on Austrian crystal beads and sold some of my wares at craft fairs. I still have a ton of beads in my garage. I should sell the lot on eBay.
13. Rock Painting - I bought a book that showed how to paint rocks to look like tiny little buildings. I had so much fun painting miniature thatched roof cottages, barns, A-frame Alpine homes, stores like you'd find on Main Street USA at Disneyland. My son joined in and made a haunted house. My mother took it up too and made a store for every member of the family.
13a. Silk Flower Fairies - I have another book and all the materials to make fairies out of wooden balls, silk flower petals, acorn caps and felt. They are so adorable! But I haven't managed to carve the time out of my writing to sit down and make any.

Do you have any hobbies?



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Thursday 13: Last But Not Least

Thirteen Last Lines from the Chapters of All In, my Ellora's Cave novella (in final edits)

I posted the first lines from Losing It a while ago, and it was somewhat interesting. When I consequently looked at the last lines, I realized that they were inherently more compelling. So, on the off chance that you might enjoy reading the last lines from All In, here they are.

1. But it wasn’t him. It was just another order.

2. Fuck it, he thought and leaned in and kissed her.

3. And wasn’t that pretty fucking politically incorrect?

4. When she arched back and christened the tip of his cock with her wet heat, he took that as a yes.


5. Mariah laughed again as he pulled her close and collected half a day’s worth.

6. Just like she was going to, damn it.

7. And then he decided that maybe he didn’t want to be careful.



8. “I think my number one fan deserves some dinner.”

9. Even though he was still deeply embedded inside her, he couldn’t help but feel she had closed him out somehow, and damned if that didn’t bother him.

10. “Kiddo, love is worth the risk.”

11. "So, if you say some kind of pixie voo doo brought us together, then I gotta believe you.”

12. He’d found his Mrs. Freeze.

13. “That is so not funny,” she muttered.



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Thursday 13: People I'd Like to Meet

1. The President - Even if I disagree with his policies on immigration, I would still be thrilled to meet the leader of the free world. It would have been cool to be a fly on the wall of that state dinner with the Queen.
2. Laura Bush - I haven't seen much of her, but she seems like a very classy lady.
3. Dennis Prager - This is the wisest man I know (not personally, of course.) I so wish I had his ability to debate issues. I admire his clarity and how he treats every caller and guest on his radio talk show with respect.
4. Kevin Bacon - I just like his work and he seems like a down to earth guy.
5. Carol Burnett - I loved her variety show when I was a kid.
6. Linda Berdoll - If you read this particular Thursday 13, you know why I love this author.
7. Dennis Quaid - This man's smile completely undoes me. He has the deepest smile lines and his eyes just beam. So if we met, he wouldn't actually have to talk, he could just smile. LOL.
8. Rachael Ray - I love her 30 Minute Meals show. She's just got such energy and a great outlook. I love her husky little laugh. Wish I had one like that.
9. Morgan Freeman - Again, seems like a nice guy. I read someone's anecdote once that said they had met him and told him it was a honor, and he responded, "No, it's an honor to meet you." How cool is that?
10. Tiger Woods - I'd bring the hubby to this meeting, because he'd love to have his picture taken with him.
11. Alan Silvestri - He wrote the soundtrack for the most recent version of The Parent Trap and I can't help but be happy when I listen to it. Some of the melodies make me want to cry, they're so moving.
12. John Lasseter (of Pixar) - I love his movies and judging from the special features of some of them, he also seems like someone who would be easy to talk to, shy gal that I am.
13. Sting - Love his music. He's such a poet.

Sound of Music Quiz Answers

I usually post art on Fridays, but had to give everyone the answers to yesterday's quiz. I'll hit you with the art tomorrow. :)

1. Yul Brynner was considered for the role of the captain. At first I quailed at this thought, but remembering him as the King of Siam in The King and I, I thought...okay, MAYBE.

2. Charmian Carr slipped while leaping during the first take of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." They had to bandage and put make up on her leg to film the sequence. Now I want to examine that scene carefully and see if I can see the bandage!

3. Kym Karath (Gretl) was too heavy for Christopher Plummer to carry her on his shoulders.

4. They used six guys to pull the car.

5. Richard Dreyfuss was considered, but apparently he couldn't dance well enough.

6. Maria/Julie never uses his first name in the movie. And someone commented that he was so NOT a darling, but I sort of disagree. If you read my post about Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, it's tantalizing to think of what a taciturn man might be like in private.

7. Fraulein Schweiger bows sixteen times. That poor actress must have had such a headache!

8. Christopher Plummer said that, but nevertheless, he and Andrews have remained close friends ever since.

9. Carr was actually (sixteen going on) 22 years old.

10. False. Edelweiss, the last song that Oscar Hammerstein II wrote, was written specifically for the musical. But wasn't it an amazing plot device?

11. Kym Karath (Gretl) swallowed too much water and upchucked on Heather Menzies (Louisa.)
12. Debbie Turner had to get false teeth to replace the ones she lost.

13. The real Maria von Trapp appears as the elder of the two women in Austrian peasant garb who are in the background as Maria walks through a brick archway during "I Have Confidence".

Thursday 13: The Hills Are Alive

I used to have a weekly trivia feature on my blog, but forgot about it. They weren't always quizzes, but it's my blog and I can do whatever I want. So, here are thirteen questions about the movie, The Sound of Music.

1. What bald actor was also considered for the role of Captain Von Trapp?
2. During the filming of which musical number did someone fall through a pane of glass?
3. Which actress gained too much weight during filming and ended up being substituted by a stunt double in the scene where the family is trekking across the Alps?
4. When the Von Trapps are escaping their home, how many burly Austrians did they have to use to pull the car while the actors "pushed" from behind?
5. Which actor from the movie "Jaws," was also considered for one of the Von Trapp children?
6. Maria refers to the captain as all but one of the following: Captain, Sir, Georg, darling.
7. At the end of the movie, how many times does Fraulein Schweiger bow at the musical competition?
8. Which actor said working with Julie Andrews to "being hit over the head with a big Valentine's Day card, every day?"
9. How old was Charmian Carr in reality when she played the role of Liesl?
10. True or False: "Edelweiss" is a beloved folk song in Austria.
11. Which of the Von Trapp children threw up on another after capsizing the boat?
12. Which young actor lost too many teeth during the filming of the movie?
13. Who makes a cameo appearance in the film as an extra?

I'll post the answers tomorrow.



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Thursday 13: All In A Day's Work

Thirteen Other Professions I Would Enjoy
1. Luxury hotel star-giver - I'm sure that's not the official title, but you get the idea. How wonderful to travel from high class hotel to high class hotel and rate them according to service and amenities.
2. Figure skater - All right, I STILL dream of being able to do those amazing jumps. Ideally, I'd be part of a pair.
3. Flight attendant - Talk about benefits. I love traveling, and I even like airports and hotels (see above.)
4. Animator - I took an animation class in college, but at that time animation wasn't quite all computer generated. I'd love a job at Pixar. I'll bet it's a fun place to work.
5. Film editor
6. Book editor
7. Bookstore owner
8. Chef - I love cooking, but I'm not sure I'd love the hours.
9. *Restaurant critic - Might be hard to keep my girlish figure with this job.
10. Art teacher - I love kids and art and love inspiring them to be creative and realize that everyone can make great art.
11. Family movie critic - I'd be a regular movie critic, but I'd be forced to watch horror films, and I can't stand those.
12. Floral arranger - What a wonderful job, working with beautiful flowers. The smells alone would be worth it.
13. Travel Writer

*stolen from Jennifer Colgan's blog



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Thursday 13: Movie Quotes

Thirteen Lines From Movies I Like

Points if you recognize any of these.

1. "I won't be seeing you again since I'm killing myself once we reach the honeymoon suite."

2. "I'll alert the media."

3. "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter."

4. "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue."

5. "Bad dates."

6. "But, Captain, I don't know your signal."

7. "Try not to kill my dogs."

8. "What did you do, wake up this morning and say, "Today, I'm going to ruin a man's life?"

9. "Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

10. "Someone just put deadly snake in room. Wake me when it get near bed."

11. "Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out that he'd melt my brain."

12. "If you can't be in athletics, at least be an athletic supporter."

13. "They take a sharp, red hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit, and then rip it all out through your nostrils."



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Thursday Thirteen: Children's Books That Stayed With Me

Thirteen Books I Loved as Kid
1. The Horse and His Boy - CS Lewis - This is one of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia. For some reason, this one stood out from the rest of the books, even better than The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, which I thought was also very good.

2. Nancy Drew Mysteries- Carolyn Keene - In sixth grade, my teacher had a sizable collection of these mysteries in his classroom library. I ate them up. Mystery of the Glowing Eye had a scary illustration on the front that I remember I had to put face down when I wasn't reading it. Sometimes, I STILL have to do that if the covers are too creepy looking.

3. The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster - My 11-year-old son just finished reading this. His comment was "It was weird." I agree, but I really loved it anyway. As a child, and a native Southern Californian at that, I had no idea what a tollbooth was until that book, since I'd never experienced one in the real world. They made an animated movie from this book, but it wasn't very good.

4. Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh - I loved Harriet because she was an outsider and odd. I wanted to be like her, and in fact, I think I even adopted some of her habits, but I couldn't get behind her tomato sandwiches. Sounds like a recipe for soggy bread.

5. Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret - Judy Blume - The quintessential teenage girl book.

6. The Album of Horses - Marguerite Henry - I cannot believe this book is still in print, with its original illustrations! I went through a very intense horse phase and daily cursed my parents for not having enough money for us to own equines. I spent hours and hours drawing horses out of this book.

7. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein - This is a wonderful, timeless book about love.

8. Go Dog Go - P.D. Eastman - I read this over and over. I still remember many of the illustrations.
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl - I ADORED this book when my fifth grade teacher read it to us. I begged my father to buy it for me. I couldn't believe Charlie's family was so poor they had to eat lettuce soup for dinner.

10. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White - Tearfest waiting to happen. To this day, I will cry if I read the part where the spider kicks the bucket. Was the Dakota Fanning flick any good? My kids refused to go see it with me.

11. Happy Birthday to You! - Dr. Seuss - I also read this book over and over, mesmerized by the fanciful world Dr. Seuss created.

12. Rusty - This was a story about a cocker spaniel who gets separated from his family and how he finds his way back to them.

13. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley - I loved this book so much, I wrote my very first fan letter to the author. It's a bit like Clan of the Cave Bear (in that I remember a distinct training phase in the book that reminded me of when Ayla "trains" with the horse) and romance and fantasy all rolled into one. McKinley always does an excellent job of depicting deep love, but keeping it chaste enough for teens to read. Beauty, A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, also by her, was also beyond excellent.



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Thursday Thirteen: Long Live the Epilogue!

Thirteen Reasons Why I Loved Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife

1. This book, written by Linda Berdoll, is a continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. When I thumbed through it at the bookstore, the beginning grabbed me at once and had me cracking up.

As plush a coach as it was, recent rains tried even its heavy springs. Hence, the road to Derbyshire was betimes a bit jarring. Mr. Darcy, with all gentlemanly solictousness, offered the new Mrs. Darcy a pillow upon which to sit to cushion the ride.

It was a plump tasselled affair, not at all discreet. His making an issue of her sore nether-end was mortification in and of itself. But as Elizabeth harboured the conviction that she had adopted a peculiar gait as a result of her most recent (by reason of matrimony) pursuits, her much abused dignity forbade her to accept such a blatant admission of conjugal congress. Thus, the cushion was refused.

Elizabeth goes on to regret refusing, and spends a good amount of time gazing at the cushion wistfully.

2. Wry humor like this continues throughout the book. I laughed quite a bit while reading it.

3. I adore epilogues. It's like the whipped cream on the mocha of a book, and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife was like a glorious epilogue, showing how happy they were.

4. But Berdoll did more than just tell the continuing story. She also backtracked and made up quite a bit of history for the characters. For instance, we get quite a bit on Darcy's and Wickham's growing up years and their rocky relationship.

5. I was also impressed by the realistic feel to the book. Sometimes Regency authors bring a 21st century viewpoint to their books and you have to forgive that and go along with the fantasy. But, Bertoll was able to spin the fantasy within a very accurate setting that included the norms and attitudes of their time, not ours.

6. Even though it has been many years since I read P&P, Berdoll did a wonderful job reminding me of everything I needed to know in order for her story to make sense.

7. She kept surprising me with plot twists that I won't go into here in case you want to read it yourself.

8. Some Jane Austen fans complained about the quantity of sex in this book, but I loved it. I think if Austen had been able to get away with sex scenes, she might have included them.

9. On that note, it's so delicious to see the staid Mr. Darcy become so undone behind the bedroom door.

10. The mirror under the bed. You'll have to read the book to understand.

11. I think she does such a wonderful job keeping Elizabeth and Darcy in character, as Austen started them, but giving them character growth, just the same.

12. It was 465 pages long. Oh, how I love it when a book I'm really enjoying is really long!

13. It was very clear at the end that there would be a sequel, which I'm reading right now and loving.

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Thursday 13: The Fantastic Future

Thirteen Things I’m Looking Forward To

1. Reaching my goal weight.
2. Seeing my brother and his family in July. They moved to Dallas last year and I haven't seen them since Christmas.
3. Mother’s Day
4. Hearing from Woman’s World about my latest story, “Above and Beyond.” The story is special in that the main character is based on a chapter mate who recently passed away.
5. Being a grandmother (This should not happen for at least 7+ years.)
6. The release of my first printed book in September!
7. Tomorrow. I'm scrapbooking with a bunch of gal pals. We do it every month, and it's the only time I get to try to catch up on my scrapbook.
8. Tomorrow again. I'm going to treat myself to a matinee of 300. I hear there are some awesome displays of man meat in that movie.
9. Seeing my orchids bloom again. I'm not exactly sure if they will, but I have high hopes.
10. RWA National Conference - I'm going to be rooming with Loribelle, Romance Diva friend!
11. Also at RWA, meeting Mary Altman, my Ellora's Cave editor.
12. The fabulous Diva Dinner at RWA.
13. The Passionate Ink Luncheon at RWA.

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Thursday Thirteen: Family Favorites

Main Dishes My Family Loves
1. Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy - My kids just raved about my mushroom gravy to a friend's mom and she asked me about it. I confessed with much laughter that it was just Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup.
2. Tri-tip - Just Lawry's Seasoning Salt and 50 minutes in a 375 oven.
3. "Crispy" Chicken - Chicken thighs with garlic salt and paprika, baked for an hour.
4. Sauteed Shrimp - I try to cook this when they're not looking because I use wine to deglaze the pan, and they usually turn their nose up at wine in cooking.
5. Grilled Steak - McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning and the Man's magic touch at the grill.
6. Fried Rice
7. Soy Sauce Chicken - This is just chicken pieces simmered in soy sauce, water, brown sugar, powdered ginger, and Chinese 5 spice.
8. Pasta - The Teen likes it with my homemade meatballs. #2 prefers just butter and salt.
9. Roast Turkey Breast - It's so easy to just buy the breast alone and not deal with the whole carcass, even if I like the drumsticks the best.
10. Grilled Salmon - Just dried dill and garlic salt
11. Grilled Teriyaki Flank Steak - I use Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce to marinate the steak in. It's fab!
12. Pork Roast - Another favorite. Just garlic salt and the oven. I use a meat thermometer with an alarm to tell me when it's done.
13. Baby Back Ribs - These are kinda pricey, but way cheaper than ordering ribs in a restaurant. Everyone loved these day before yesterday.



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Thursday Thirteen: Losing It First Lines

I saw on someone else's blog that they had posted the first lines from the chapters of their book, and the result was so intriguing that I had to try it myself. It really made me want to read the book.

So here are the first lines from Losing It - 12 chapters, plus the epilogue.

Chapter One - “How much pain is there when you lose your virginity?”

Chapter Two - The next day, Charlotte put on some Chopin, got herself a tall glass of iced tea, and revved up her laptop.

Chapter Three - “Ow!” Ben cried. “What the hell was that for?”

Chapter Four - “Spill it,” Kerrie said to Charlotte as they set aside the finished seating charts for the wedding reception and reached for their reward of gourmet pizza.

Chapter Five - Ben cursed himself.

Chapter Six - On the big night, Ben poked his head out of the side door of his detached garage when he heard Charlotte pull up.

Chapter Seven - The next morning, Charlotte carefully slipped out of bed and headed for the shower.

Chapter Eight - Charlotte left her parents’ house as soon as politely possible.

Chapter Nine - Charlotte woke later that night to the phone ringing.

Chapter Ten - No way was Charlotte going to leave Ben out there with Nicolette sniffing around him like a hyena in Blahniks.

Chapter Eleven - Charlotte and Ben hurried to the guest bathroom near the front of the house.

Chapter Twelve - A knock sounded at the bathroom door startling them both.

Epilogue - Charlotte leaned against Ben’s truck, waiting for his signal that it was all right to go inside her—she corrected her thoughts with a smile—their house.

Now that I look at these, they don't seem all that grabby. Only 1, 2, and 10 seemed to pull me in. The other chapter openings either rely on the ending of the preceding chapter, or the next few sentences. :)



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Thursday Thirteen: Who Let The Dogs Out?

Thursday Thirteen: Animals I'd Like as a Pet

1. I like Dobermans. There is just something about that breed that says Cool. A character in one of my books owns a Dobie named Thor.

2. Pugs are adorable. I always liked them, but really became enamoured when I saw the movie Men In Black had an alien pug character. One of my favorite scenes is when he sings along with the radio, "Who let the dogs out who, who, who, who!"

3. A chihuahua. I like these little guys, bug-eyes and all.

4. Oh, and Shar-Peis, those wrinkly dogs.

5. A Siamese cat. My son is allergic, though, so that's out.

6. I like Abyssinians, too. They look elegant and remind me of Ancient Egypt, a subject that fascinated me in school.

7. If I could afford it, I'd love to own horses. I mentioned that on another Thursday Thirteen. Of course, I'd need the property to go with them.

8. Tropical fish. I love fish, but I don't love the science of maintaining the ocean environment. I'd enjoy having a little Nemo to watch.

9. Finches. I like these little guys and the funny little beeping noises they make.

10. Okay, call me geeky, but it would be really cool to own a falcon, like they did in medieval times.

11. Again, if I had property, I might like to keep chickens, like Martha Stewart. It would be terrific to be able to have fresh from the nest eggs.

12. A tarantula. Don't tell my kids, but I think this would be a very cool pet. Unfortunately, you have to feed them crickets and that is not something I want to do.

13. Along that line, I think it would be interesting to have a scorpion, too.

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Thursday Thirteen: Things I Have In/On My Desk

1. Post-Its. Can't live without these. I have some in my purse and in my work-apron pocket!
2. Hand lotion.
3. A kitchen timer. When I write, I lose track of time and I need this to remind me to get the laundry or pick my kid up from school.
4. My sexy word list
5. A large cup of coffee that I nurse all day
6. My Siamese fighting fish
7. My mocha candle.
8. A phone which I use to ignore telemarketing contractors trying to improve my home.
9. A pile of papers, coupons, magazines, files, the kids' school pictures, that I procrastinate doing anything about.
10. My date book.
11. Nail clippers. I'm a little OCD about hangnails. If I spot them, I MUST clip.
12. Dental Floss. Another OCD idiosyncrasy. I can't stand anything between my teeth.
13. My watch and charm bracelet. I can't type with them on, so they invariably end up near my computer.



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Thursday Thirteen: Lottery Wishes

What I Would Have Done with the Lottery Mega Millions Jackpot (an topic stolen from Robin Rotham)

1. Talk with The Man (a financial planner, oddly enough) and invest most of it.
2. Cruise the world with my family and friends.
3. Buy several homes...Hawaii, Florence, New York, London, and someplace Alpine. I'd let The Man choose that one, since we'd get a place with the ski slopes in mind.
4. Buy homes for my mom and mother-in-law.
5. Buy some horses. I've always liked riding.
6. Get a tummy tuck.
7. Donate some money to my Cal State Northridge sorority house, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
8. Send some kick-ass care packages to the troops.
9. Adopt a kid or two.
10. Get The Man a Rolex.
11. Hire a personal trainer, masseuse, and live-in housekeeper.
12. Enroll in one of those amateur culinary classes.
13. Tip the guy who sold me the winning ticket.

I'm getting the linky thing soon, I hope, so I can list other TTers here.

Thursday Thirteen: So. Cal. Living

I am a native California Girl. I'm even--like totally!--a Valley girl, if you remember that song by Frank Zappa. So, today's Thursday Thirteen is about why Southern California is a great place to live.

1. The weather is terrific here near Los Angeles. Sure we don't get "seasons," but I can look at pictures of vibrant autumn leaves and be very glad I will never have to shovel my driveway.

2. Sometimes you see movie stars. I stood in line for a movie with Sally Fields. As a kid I played with Helen Reddy's daughter and went to elementary school with Jodie Foster. My mom had a long term relationship with Harpo Marx's son. David James Elliott (JAG) comes into the Starbucks where I work. Sometimes he's even sweaty and wearing a tank. Yeah, baby!

3. The beach!

4. Disneyland. The revamped Space Mountain totally rocks!

5. Pink's Hot Dogs. Oh. My. God. I saw on the Food Channel that when Tom Hanks wraps up a movie, he orders Pink's dogs for everyone.

6. If we want snow, we can get it by driving to Big Bear, or Mammoth, or Lake Tahoe.

7. Fantastic Mexican food is all over the place. There's even a Mexican market down the street now that has a HUGE hot food counter. Sure, they also sell goat parts, but I just try not to peruse meat section too closely.

8. Contrary to popular belief, the smog isn't much worse than any other metropolitan area.

9. Non-smoking restaurants.

10. Great produce, very fresh.

11. Earthquakes. I'm serious! I'd much rather have the occasional earthquake than an annual threat of hurricanes or tornadoes.

12. If you feel like visiting an alien land, Las Vegas is quite close by car.

13. We have happy cows.




The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged. If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well!

Thursday Thirteen: Shoulda Movies

Movies are an important part of American culture, and yet there are many movies that most everyone has seen that I have not. Two of them I'll probably never see (marked with an N), but some of them I would like to rent, just so I can finally understand what people are talking about when they refer to these movies.

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Breakfast at Tiffany's
3. Rocky Horror Picture Show
4. On the Waterfront
5. Rear Window
6. Pulp Fiction
7. Fargo (N)
8. The Graduate
9. Rebel Without a Cause
10. Psycho (N)
11. Casablanca
12. Dr. Zhivago
13. Citizen Kane (N)

What are some of the movies you've never seen but "everyone else" has?



The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged. If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well!