Mish Mash

SAY... this is my 700th post... That's sorta cool, though what's most striking is probably that I noticed...


Okay, fine friends... I have been the recipient of a wonderful blog award and meme, so that is the main blog today, but FIRST, a couple announcements.

Hey!!! Raquel Byrnes is giving away a copy of her romantic suspense book, Purple Knot, on Goodreads. Go here if you want to win!(and friend me: Hart Johnson, if you haven't already)

And Second, I am hosting Denise Verrico tomorrow for an interview and doing a book review of her fabulous MY FEARFUL SYMMETRY on Friday (that was a spoiler, wasn't it? That I liked the book... but you'll have to come see WHY), so Denise offered to give away a t-shirt that says 'I am an adept of the ancient arts' which if you read her book you will know is QUITE the bragging rights! Very likely to get you all SORTS of propositions, offers of cash and possibly cookies... So... if you WANT to win, just comment, all week long with the phrase 'Kinky Vampire sex' (or if you are a prude you can just say 'I want to win!'). To double your chances, tweet or facebook share Tuesday's or Friday's posts that feature Denise and her book! (and let me know... mind reading is not among my skills)  [Sadly, she can only ship US and Canada]

Now... Onto the meme... Michael Offutt at SLC Kismet awarded me the Blog on Fire award! (so careful not to burn yourself, eh?)... and included with the award the following meme... So THANK YOU, Michael!

1)  Are you a rutabaga? Well… if we are what we eat… then… erm. No. I mean I think I've tried one, but that's about it...

2) Who is your current crush? Crush? Not CRUSHES? Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortenson, Jason Isaacs, Bill Weasley, Chad Kroeger, Steven Tyler... erm... there are more, but I'm not so observant on names...

3)  Upload a heartwarming picture that makes you smile. (you may notice a pattern here... or two... first... my animal baby love, second, my inability to follow directions... can't do just one...)

This is my work wallpaper

4) When was the last time you ate a vine-ripened tomato?  It’s been a while. They cost more…

5) Name one habit that causes other people to plot your demise?  Probably when I let my TMI policy bleed into other people’s personal business. I TRY not to, but it happens... most often when my business and their business overlaps...

6) What is the weirdest, most-disgusting job you've ever had to do?

Weirdest? Maybe pea roguing. You heard me. At 14 my mom found me a job wandering pea fields and picking the rogues (the ones with the wrong color flower, wrong size, non-peas… it was for a split pea company and about 10 of us walked in a line. It was about crop purity or something… and I was paid $2.10 an hour for my misery because I wasn't technically old enough to have a job. I made friends with Mike Bull that week, though, who was one of the cool boys (and very nice) two years older, so that made up for it. And it was twice as much as I made babysitting, so at 14, it wasn't bad money... though it was hot and my feet hurt...

Most disgusting? Grease trap. ICK. For starters, dead meat refuse is STINKY. And it’s GREASY. And it’s ICKY. Definitely the worst job in a restaurant and there are several that aren’t particularly savory.

7) Where da muffin top at?  On the muffin bottom? Is this innuendo that I somehow don’t understand? I'm not sure how I could fail to understand innuendo, but this totally sounds dirty, yet, I don't get it...

8) What author introduced you to your genre? I am going with Cozy Mystery because I actually have an answer. I don’t remember the first Cozy Mystery I READ, but I know I didn’t know it was a separate genre until I met Elizabeth Spann Craig who introduced me formally, rather than just the informal fondling phase I’d been in prior to that… (you know... feel it up without ever learning it's name)

9) Describe yourself using obscure Latin words.  Aqua Crustulum (that's a watery cookie... apparently they didn't have tarts...) Did you know I can't find a translation for naked? Nude, either... or undressed, or disrobed... You don't suppose naked was just the natural state of things so no word was needed, do you?

The following people are being tagged for the above award and subsequent internet meme:

Christine Murry
Johanna Garth at Losing Sanity
Siv Maria at Been There, Done That
Trisha at WORD + STUFF
Jenny at Ten Lives and Second Chances
VB Tremper at All the World's in Words
Sue at Jumping Around

All of you are superstar commenters! There are others who are, but these folks are over and above and I just wanted a shout out that I notice! So you've been tagged!

I hope everyone has a great week!