Not only is Heidi Minx one of my favorite people, but she's also the queen of DIY. She's taking that DIY philosophy to India to help people build better lives. That's definitely something I can get behind. Check it out:

..

Visit the site to see Sick of It All's set from their show with the Bouncing
Souls in New York!

Okay, here we go:

1. Sarah Palin's claim that Barack Obama pals around with terrorists is absurd and everyone should be offended by it. Especially people who think it might be true. Because she's preying on you, hoping you're ignorant enough to believe her. Before you believe that kind of crap, check the facts.

2. Karl Rove projects that Barack Obama would get at least 273 electoral votes – three more than are needed to win – if the presidential election were held today. While I'm totally cool with that prediction, why is Karl Rove's opinion still relevant? Or credible? Whatever.

3. Cate already said it, but it bears repeating: noo-klee-ur. Not noo-kyu-lar. Nuclear. NUCLEAR.

4. Here's a little parking lot tip: If you're walking to your car down the middle of the aisle and a big green van (or, really, any vehicle) comes up behind you, do one of the following:

a. Walk faster.
b. Move over.
c. Both a and b.

Here's what not to do: Keep strolling along at a leisurely pace, chatting with your daughter, and acting as if the big green van doesn't exist. Not only is it incredibly rude (and kind of douchebaggy), but it increases the likelihood that the big green van will "accidentally" run you over.

5. How could you not know Clay Aiken was gay? Seriously. It astounds me that there are women out there crying that they've been "deceived" for the past five years. Because unless your gaydar is seriously malfunctioning, you've only been deceiving yourself.

5a. On a side note, his "revelation" only makes Invisible an even creepier song.

6. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. I wondered how it would translate to the big screen, but it well-written and well-acted (even Michael Cera, who would not have been my first choice for Nick) and Kat Dennings really brought Norah to life. If I were Rachel Cohn or David Levithan right now, I would be over the moon that something I'd created turned out to be so good. Congrats to them!

7. Dark chocolate Raisinets are made of awesome.



* all credit goes to Golfwidow for brain confetti. She said it first. I'm just borrowing.

My son recently made an appearance in a zombie short, made by one of his friends.

I can. And I do. The new title is...

MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY

I hadn't realized it's been more than a month since I posted. I've been working on revisions for The Book Formerly Known As Unbecoming (so, yeah, no title yet) and lamenting the fact that I don't have a laptop yet. It sucks to be a starving artist. Seriously. All I need are fingerless gloves, garret, and a candle to write by and the stereotype would be complete.

On the bright side, I've introduced a few new characters, killed off (figuratively speaking) a couple, and completely re-cast two characters in new roles. It's like a different book. Only...not.

I've also been doing a little YA reading and I recommend:

How to Be Bad - Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, and E. Lockhart

Perfect You - Elizabeth Scott

The Juliet Club - Suzanne Harper

Cruel Summer - Alyson Noel

Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson

Shift - Jennifer Bradbury

Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr

Okay, back to the garret!

I special ordered the Beat Union CD, but before the music manager told me it had arrived, my favorite friend, Katy, bought it and gave it to me as a birthday present. Which only confirms that she rocks.

Anyway, I popped Disconnected in my car stereo the second I got off work and I. Love. It. Love it!

I've read a couple early reviews of the CD that suggest Beat Union is too slick, too Top 40, and sounds like Squeeze/The Jam/Elvis Costello. Whatever. I'm tired of hipster bands that try to out-weird each other (Of Montreal, I'm talking to you). I'm tired of emo bands wailing about how not okay they are (MCR, anyone?) And I'm really tired of American idols (Chris, I thought you should win that season, but I hate your band).

So if Beat Union is slick, Top 40, and sounds like some of my favorite bands? Bring it. I might actually want to listen to the radio again.

Dear Boat God,

I sat down and attempted to list 42 things I love about you in honor of your 42st birthday, but do you realize how difficult that is? I mean, do I list the little things, like the color of your eyes, or the big things, like how you're always there when I need you? But the more I thought about it, I realized it's actually a very short list that looks something like this:

1. Everything.

I'm looking forward to 52, 62, 72, and as many other something-two's as we get.

Love,
me

A. Well, I'm waiting for my editorial letter, which tells me what revisions she'd like to see to the book. Right after the sale, we briefly discussed some of her ideas, but she's got some projects in the queue ahead of mine.

In the meantime, as I've mentioned, I'm writing my next book. But since I've changed my mind a million times about which one it's going to be, I'm just calling it My Next Book. That way no one will be surprised when the book I finish is not the one they were expecting. Including me.

...Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. It arrived in stores earlier than expected, so I took it home last night and proceeded to read the whole book in one sitting. (It’s YA. And I read like lightning.)

It is no secret that I’m an MJ fan. So odds were good that I was going to enjoy it. But... not only did I like it, I liked it more than 13 Little Blue Envelopes. And that’s saying a lot.