Hashtags

I've been seeing a lot of twitter speak being used in other places and I was wondering if someone could explain this to me...why?

On blog posts I see things like #likethis or @books or #friends in the titles and in the post itself. I checked to see if the blog post was being put on Twitter and it wasn't. So I don't get it.

I also see it in fb posts that aren't being tweeted, so wth?

Astronaut Ice Cream

I heard about something called Astronaut Ice cream and found it on Amazon and decided to try it for myself.


This is what the package looks like.

It's freeze dried ice cream ready to eat for astronauts. Seriously..

It comes in a small brick and is wrapped in white paper when you take it out of the foil package.

When I opened mine up, it was already in pieces ready for me to eat. *I'm sure the box getting tossed around going through the mail had nothing to do with it*

I ate a couple of pieces and even talked my daughter into sharing a piece or two with me. It tastes just like ice cream...just warm and hard...lol It does melt in your mouth while you are eating it. All in all, not bad.

Similar Covers

I don't know if you've ever noticed seeing a book cover you liked and then a while later while scanning the book shelves you see the same cover or a similar cover on the shelf but it's for a completely different book. I feel a little cheated by this and think of the book as cheap when I see this. Like the publisher didn't care enough about the book to give it an original art work cover or just tweaked a few things in a used cover so it looks a little different...like we as readers wouldn't notice. makes me think that the publishers think we are stupid or just won't care.

Now I want to say I know this in no way reflects on the author because they have very little say most times on the covers, cover art, cover models.

Don't believe me? Go to any authors website, blog ect..on the day they see the cover for the first time and read what they write. They are excited to be seeing it for the first time...they don't have a lot of say in the cover most times.

So this is to the publishers of the books..not the authors.

To me when the publisher has an original cover it says to me that they believe in the book and they know they money the put into the cover they will be getting back ten fold because they know the book is going to be great. I don't really know why they choose cover stock for some covers, I really don't. All I know is I don't like it.

Why I may Follow You on Twitter

..and some reasons why I may not.

It's just recently that I've been doing more Tweeting on Twitter. At first when I signed up, I just didn't get it. Probably because I had no followers and had no idea how to get any. So I put out a few tweets and ...nothing.

So I left it alone for months, tweeted nothing and then while entering contest and giveaways I saw there was a "tweet about my giveaway" option and at first I scoffed at it. I was like, I don't even know how to do this and secondly, how to I find the link to post so someone can see that i tweeted about their giveaway. Thankfully, I figured it out and can now Tweet as well as most and have even added a few pictures of my ratty boys using Twitpic.

But lately I've been getting followed by people who are...spammers..or have links in the profiles to porn sites. Spammers are sending me links that thankfully I am not stupid enough to click on. All I don't need is another computer virus. I know how to block and report these people but the numbers keep climbing.

Reasons I don't follow you.
You follow 1800 people but only have 5 followes. This says to me you are a spammer.

You follow me and send me a direct message with a link to you site or link to where I can buy your book and then do it every week even though I haven't responded. If I wanted to see your site, book, blog ect..I would have. The fact that I haven't should tell you something.

You don't have an avatar and bio is missing. Please fill it out and let us know something, anything about you.

If I look at your twitter feed and see that you have a propensity to argue or belittle others, I will not follow you and if you get out of hand, I will block you.

Following family. At first I didn't have any family that I was following and now I have a few. Their not up on tweet etiquette and will sometimes tweet things that are just silly and sorta inappropriate. Gotta love family on social media. lol

So now I follow those who have similar tastes to me, things we have in common or people who follow me who actually have something to say, not just want me to read their blog, book ect..

I'm a Creeper...

I was having a conversation with my daughter the other day and she was telling me about something that happened on facebook with her friends..I said, "Yeah I know, I read what they said."

She stopped and looked at me and said, "How?"

I told her that I have my facebook set so that I can see what others 'like' 'comment on' ect and that I routinely check out profiles of friends, friends friends, her friends, my friends friends, their friends..ect..anyone who has a public profile and is connected to anyone I chat with on facebook, I check out their profiles.

Then she asked me who of her friends I have checked out..I told her all of them that have public profiles. I started naming names and describing their pictures in their albums and she looked at me and said "Omg, your a Creeper!"

I started laughing and said, "Hey if someone on fb has a problem with their profile getting seen by a stranger they should change it to private.

Then I get on facebook the other day and see this on my daughter's page....


LOL!!!


So, my secret is out...I'm a Creeper. I didn't even know there was a name for looking at strangers profiles. But hey, if you have a public profile...I might just be creeping a peek of it soon....

Kimberly's Bloomin' Reviews: Blossoming Blogger Giveaway

Kimberly's Bloomin' Reviews: Blossoming Blogger Giveaway: One lucky winner will win a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card on this blog! That's a great giveaway! Go join her blog and show her some bloggy love.

The Insanity of Protecting Rats

I had to share an article with you and let you know I wrote to the man who wrote the article and got a response. I was surprised by the article and even more surprised by this guy's response to my email. I thought I would share them with you. First click on the link and read the article...if you know anything about me at all you'll see why I had to write to this guy.

The Insanity of Protecting Rats

Here's my email to him:
"Hi,

After reading your article I felt compelled to write to you and express another side to this story. My name is Mary Kirkland and I write articles about how to care for small animals such as rats, hamsters and mice. I teach people how to humanely remove rats, mice and other rodents from their property with humane traps and relocate them or call people who will do it for them.

There are those of us and I do mean a lot of us who adore rats, all rats including the wild ones. I myself have 4 pet rats and seeing articles like yours makes me sad that you cannot see that there's nothing wrong with not killing every living creature you see as a pest just because they invade your space. There's nothing wrong with humanely trapping a family of rats and relocating them.

Oh and I also wanted to let you know you have some facts wrong about rats. You say in your article that the life span of a rat is approximately 9 months...that's inaccurate, an average life span of a rat is 4 years...even in the wild.


Mary Kirkland

My Published Articles- http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/37985/mary_kirkland.html "

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is his response to me:
"Worldwide, rats and other rodents tons of food that would otherwise feed humans. You are free to hold your beliefs and care for your rats, but I assure you that you are a distinct minority was regards what most people feel about them.

Cheers,

Alan Caruba"
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now I kept the emails just in case someone doesn't believe me. Because this guy writes articles just like I do and I was a little surprised that he didn't check his response to me and catch the glaring mistakes in this response.

Oh and I don't believe that I am a distinct minority in my beliefs because it was another ratty lover that showed me the article in the first place and there are more and more people who think not all animals should be outright killed just because they are unlucky enough to share the same space with a human.

If you agree with me, you can also send an email to Alan and let him know. Here's him email address ACaruba@aol.com

Are There Any Books You Won't Read?

I read a lot of books, probably around 50 a month. There aren't a whole lot of books that I won't read. I've read self help books, although I really don't read them much anymore. I'm old enough now that I am stuck in my ways and don't really want to change. lol

I like cookbooks of all kinds but have come across a few that I would not read. Ones like..The Afterbirth recipe book. O.o Yes, there really are recipes for your afterbirth. Yecht! How about a nice afterbirth meatloaf..Yeah, I don't think so.

Or another cookbook I saw was the big book of road kill recipes. Now of course these are not the names of the cookbooks..I made them up. At least I hope these aren't the names of the cookbooks because seriously just made them up. lol

And yet another cookbook would be the Let's Eat A Bug cookbook. Yummy ways to deep fry, bake, and saute all the bugs in your garden..lol Oh yum!

Oh and lets not forget cooking with Sperm and cooking with mother's milk. I'm seriously not making this up..it's real. Google it.

Yeah, it's a real book. Aren't you looking forward to that sperm flan? Me either.

It's not the cookbooks that really get me laughing or gagging..*No pun intended* there's also books about hair..like mullets, bee hives, how to shave your head, how to keep people from pulling your hair or keep insects from invading your hair.

Then there's the one's that think they are funny...farting dogs, the big books of farts. The big book of pimples, hairy nipples or piercings. Oh and the amount of circumcision books will boggle the mind. There's one called, "I Want My Foreskin For Christmas"...seriously.

Don't even get me started on the bathroom humor books. I won't even go there. *Again, no pun intended*

Then I was surprised by the amount of books about Crafting With Cat Hair.



Blurb From Amazon:

"Got fur balls?

Are your favorite sweaters covered with cat hair? Do you love to make quirky and one-of-a-kind crafting projects? If so, then it’s time to throw away your lint roller and curl up with your kitty! Crafting with Cat Hair shows readers how to transform stray clumps of fur into soft and adorable handicrafts. From kitty tote bags and finger puppets to fluffy cat toys, picture frames, and more, these projects are cat-friendly, eco-friendly, and require no special equipment or training. You can make most of these projects in under an hour—with a little help, of course, from your feline friends!"

There's also Crafting with dog hair and I can only imagine how many other animals are listed as well.

So there you have my list for the types of books that I don't want to read. What would you say No to?

How to Cure Aggressiveness in Pet Rats - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Since I wrote an article about rats I thought I would add a picture of my boys here. This picture cracks me up because what you see is three little ratty butts and then the smallest rat in the middle sticking his head out. Little Brodie is all about the cuddles here. lol


Here's my latest published article. if you take a look and read it please feel free to let me know what you think about this one or any of the others I've written.

How to Cure Aggressiveness in Pet Rats - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Cotton Candy Reviews: Spontaneous giveaway!

Cotton Candy Reviews: Spontaneous giveaway!: If I get 200 followers by midnight tomorrow I will giveaway 3 books by Aussie authors of your choice up to $30 from The Book Depository! So ...

Sure, I Can Do That..

Hubby's insurance finally approved a new medicine that he talked to his doctor about. The meds he is taking are notorious for adding belly fat to the person taking them and since he started getting a belly he wanted to try the medicine that is supposed to help with that. The box was shipped to us and he found out it's actually an injection he has to give himself daily..in his belly.

They sent a large box of supplies and instructions and left it up to him to figure out how to add the sterile water to the vials and fill the needle and give himself an injection. Neither of us have a problem with this because it's pretty straight forward and we can figure it out with the instructions, but I really think they maybe should have sent a nurse to show him how to do it, or at least have one available for those who are sent this and don't have a clue. I was a little surprised they did this and just left it up to the patient to figure out. I know if these supplies had been sent to an older person like my mom or dad...they would have been freaking out and probably would have missed one of the steps and done it wrong.

As it turns out...I am going to be doing the mixing and giving Ken the injections because he'd rather have me do it, which I have no problem with. I gave him the first injection last night and he said he didn't even feel it..because I am just that good...LOL *Or the needle is just that tiny, yeah it could be that too*

I remember my doctor telling me that if my diabetes test results came back positive that I would have to take a class through the health department before they would give me the blood sugar meter and my first month's supplies. I wonder why that wasn't the case for this.

My Favorite Movie Quotes

We all watch movies and some of them have the best movie quotes that stick with you forever. The one that has always stuck with me is " You're gonna need a bigger boat" Of course that's from Jaws.
I love that movie..

Others would be..

"Go ahead, make my day" Sudden Impact.
"It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told." Silence of the Lambs.
"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape." Planet of the Apes.
"No wire hangers." Mommy Dearest.
"Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Dirty dancing.
"He's not brooding, or lovesick, he's the fucking shark from Jaws." Fright Night Remake.
"Welcome to Fright Night! For real." Fright Night ..original.

Those are some of mine, what are some of yours?

My latest article was published

You all already know how much I love to share my articles as they get published and hope that someone who is looking for an answer to some of the questions I've answered in my articles is helped. Well this is no different. I wrote an article titled How To Care For An Older Rat and you can read it by clicking the link.

I used a picture of Hades for this article. My 4 rats are a little over a year old now and so cuddly and lazy. My big squishy rats. lol

Vampires or Werewolves?

I'm a huge Vampire fan and I blame my mom for that one. When I was young..I mean really young like 5 years old she had me watching the black and white Dracula with her. Then when I didn't have nightmares and I liked it she would let me stay up on Friday and Saturday nights to watch horror movies with her. I later found out that she let me stay up with her because she was too scared to watch them by herself. LOL So she had me out there for moral support and my love of all things horror was born.

My little brother and older brother also loves to watch Horror movies and when my daughter was born I let her watch horror movies with me and now she loves them as well. My favorite horror movies have Vampires in them...I'm sure I've seen about 99.9% of all vampire movies ever made...even the old black and white ones that were made before I was born and I loved them all.

I recently watched the remake for Fright Night..which just happens to be my favorite vamp movie of all time and the remake was so good. I liked it because you can watch it as a stand alone movie and it doesn't follow the original word for word, which really irritates me in remakes.

Now Werewolf movies are great, they come in a close second for me. I think I've probably watched 98% of all werewolf movies ever made. Yes, I am that much of a horror movie fan. One of my all time favorites is The Howling. The transformation scene where the werewolf starts becoming a werewolf in front of the woman in the room is just so cool. They do close ups of his face bubbling and that grossed me out so much I remember when I got the vcr I would reverse and fast forward a few times so watch and re watch it. lol

There are good movies and bad movies...but if you are a vampire and or werewolf fan do you watch them anyway? I know I do..I have to so I can say it was either good or bad.

Rats: Pests or Pets

I have a family friend on facebook that does not like rats and he is always making comments about how rats are not pets they are pests. Now the last time someone said something bad about my rats...I deleted them...and he was my nephew. But the nephew was rude, and immature about it..this guy is just ignorant and I feel a little sorry for him because he will never know the love of a small animal such as a rat or hamster.

I think there is a way to explain your feelings towards something you don't agree with and then there's the way that will get you deleted from your aunt's facebook page...the rude way. I am able to see others opinions, everyone is entitled to their opinions even if I don't agree with them. But be an adult and express your opinion without putting the other person down, there's just no call for that.

Book Review: Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

I just want to say that I don't write a lot of book reviews even though I read at least 50 books per month..the reason being I don't think I do as good a job as most other reviewers do at writing them, but after reading certain books I feel the need to share my opinion of books that really left an impression on me. This is one of those times. I should let you know right up front... I did not like this book so this will not be a gushing review..

I read the 1st and 2nd books in this series and while they both had good story lines, the plot was getting a bit thin. The interaction of the characters wasn't all it could be and while it kept me coming back hoping for more from this series..I can see after reading this book that I'm not getting my money's worth at all. I bought the first two books and won this third book in the series. I have to say I'm really glad I didn't have to spend the overpriced amount this book is being sold for only to read it and be disappointed. I'm glad this book was won and not bought because that would make me ever more irritated than I already am.

I've read a lot of reviews for this and so many people love this story..I tried but I just didn't and that being said, this will be the last book in this series I will be reading. I wanted to see more of a romance blossom between Merit and Ethan and while the storyline does develop...when Merit is put in danger Ethan has a freak out sort of emotional melt down and breaks things off with her. I wanted to see their relationship evolve, not be flushed down the toilet. This story needed the evolving relationship of some couple..any couple..just to make the storyline palatable.

The action in this story is good, it really is. But I want more story line than action that lets an author think that character development isn't needed if there's enough drama. I wanted less action and more interaction between the characters and this books just didn't deliver.

I thought I knew where this story was going and thought I would read the synopsis for the 4th and 5th books in this series just in case things do get better. I was shocked at the reviews and after reading some of the reviews with spoilers in them..I am now sure I won't be reading anymore. While I hoped things had gotten better I found the series took a direction I didn't see coming nor that I wanted to read about. I'm not paying these over priced prices for books in a series whose story lines take a turn I don't think any of us saw coming or really wanted to read about.

Save your money and read another series because this one just took a nose dive off a steep cliff.

How To Make Bill Collectors Stop Contacting You

Here's how you get debt collectors to stop calling you. Write the collection company a letter, telling them that you are requesting they cease and desist any phone calls to your residence or business.

*Don't* make any threats. *Don't* acknowledge the debt. Just tell them to stop contacting you. They *have* to stop calling you or they're in violation of federal law and you can then get the Federal Trade Commission after them.

Even if you're on the Do Not Call list, a collection agency can still call you if they think you owe them money. But writing a letter to them should stop that foolishness. You can file complaints all day and they won't listen until you've written that all-important letter. And it has to be in writing.

Just print this form, fill it out and send it to them. They are allowed to call or write to you one time to let you know they received the letter and will not contact you again. The only problem is with most collection agencies, they will just hand the bill over to another collection agency and you will have to send another letter to the new one as well. But at least you will not have the phone calls.

Here's what to write in the letter.

Date
To: *The name and address of the collection agency*
Re: Account with *The original creditor*
Account Number from the original creditor

Notice to cease communication

This is to advise you that pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are hereby notified to immediately terminate any contact with me, or any member of my family or household, regarding any matter concerning the collection of a debt you allege is owed to your company or to your principal/company/client the original creditor noted above. This notice shall include but is not limited to written correspondence, as well as telephonic communication. You are advised that I simply wish you to cease all communication (Mail, phone calls or other) with me or any member of my family or household. This includes my place of employment. I do not admit any debt or deny any liability on the debt. I just want you to stop contacting me.

I intent to keep a log of any phone calls or other contacts you make to me after today. I am aware that further communications by you will make you liable for sums up to $1000, plus actual damages and counsel fees. You may contact me to tell me you are ceasing communication, once.

sincerely,

*Your name*

My Address is:

My Rat Hades

You Have A Lot of Nerve

I recently received an email from an author who wanted me to review a book for him...and I should say I probably would have done so...but in his email he tells me I can download the book for just $1.99.

Wait..what?

You want me to pay for a book that you want me to review?
*face/Palm*

Are you out of your mind?

Yes, yes I think you are..

That is all.

Turning 42!

Yes, I know this spring chicken has hatched, been scrambled and is now just a shell of her former self...LOL *Omg I crack myself up*

That's right in February I'll be turning 42 years old and this month I got my very first pair of reading glasses. *hangs head in shame* It was starting to get really hard to read the fine print on bottles, magazines, my 48" tv screen. lol so reading glasses it was. They really help though I have to say.

I thought I would share some of the other things you youngun's have to look forward to as you get older. *Omg I just said youngun's..I totally sounded like my gramdma*

A few years ago I found my first gray hair..I knew right then...it was time for Nice & Easy..I have very nice Black hair now..no grays.

I am old enough to say things like, do as I say, not as I did.
Because I'm older than you and I know better!
Been there done that.
When I was your age...

I can also do things to embarrass my grown child...lol

Now I already had a 10% hearing loss in my left ear...from listening to music too loud when I was younger is what my doc told me. *Tell your kids to turn down their music or we'll have a bunch of deaf 40 year olds in 20 years* but it seems my hearing has gotten even worst in the past few years. Yea old age..thanks so much.

My hair is falling out more and more...my husband went so far as to tell me my falling hairs are attacking him, stalking him and when he walks by POW, they wrap themselves around his feet and scurry into his underwear to wrap around his manly parts. I should tell you, my hair is down past my butt, so when one falls out, it can wrap around the darnedest things several times. lol But I seriously doubt they are stalking him...O_o

I found a 2 inch long hair on my face...i kid you not..it was the thinnest hair I've ever seen and I pulled it out but you know what...it just keeps coming back. I can only hope it doesn't bring brothers and sisters with it.

I also found a gray eye brow hair. Eye brow hair...lol yeah I was a little freaked out that my eye brows were turning gray..

My skin is getting drier..good grief I should just buy stock in a lotion company right now.

I have Osteoarthritis in my knee's. I am creaking and cracking more than a wooden carriage.

Did you know that as you get older you can have light bladder leakage? Yeah, me either...getting old is so much fun.

Oh and the best thing about getting older is I don't want to leave my house because I get tired easy. Decreased activity? Check!

In the course of natural aging there are many things that may or may not affect you, but it's the normal course of things and not much we can do about it.