Moira Keith

Okay, not that I have heard that one, let alone any  of the other thousands of horrible pick up lines any time recently, but they are still funny to hear/read. So to start off this week with a smile, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of these little gems. Take a look at these little pearls-

1. Are your legs tired? ‘cause you been running through my mind ALL day long. (Overdone, yet still a classic)
2. Look at you with all those curves, and me with no brakes.
3. I’m new in town. Can you give me direction to your apartment?
4. I’m feeling a little off today. Would you like to turn me on?
5. You can forget about going to heaven because it’s a sin to look that good.
6. Baby you look so sweet you’re giving me a cavity.
7. Be unique and different, say yes.
8. I’m fighting the urge to make you the happiest woman on earth tonight.
9. Gee, that’s a nice set of legs, what time do they open?
10. Should I call you in the morning or nudge you?

I can just see the hero in a romance novel making off with the heroine’s heart and some hot and heavy entanglements after delivering one of these lines. Surely she would swoon after hearing number nine. What are some pick up lines you have heard, used, or written? Come on, play along….you know you want to.

Sláinte!

My mother sent me an email today with the following story attached. I found it so poignant, that I thought I would share for those of you who may not have seen or heard the story. The link to the original story reported in The Washington Post follows.

~*~*~

..something to think about…

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was
repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common
place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. what else are we missing?

~*~*~

If you would like to see the story please visit The Washington Post. Whatever else you may take away from this story, please take at least this… live in the moment, do not rush through it.

some of the best stuff to entertain me when I am in need of a laugh. This did it for me. I had never seen this before and couldn’t stop laughing. Hope you enjoy.

And for once it is not with a pair of shoes.

I kid you not.

At the ripe ol’ age of ‘I’m not telling’ I have discovered a love for baseball. I come from a family of football fans. Niners fans to be exact with a straggler or two rooting for some other team. My twins… well somehow at the age of four they decided one was a Packers fan and one was a Cowboys fan. Needless to say their grandfather and aunt have not disowned them yet and it has been almost two years since they decided who they were cheering for.

One of my boys is a huge fan of baseball on the wii. So being the mom that I am (and having a best friend who is a HUGE Cubbies fan), I decided that the only thing I could do was learn a little about the sport. Low and behold I fell in love. Not with the guys in uniform, though I will admit they do add a little something to the game. I actually enjoy the game. Vegas has no claim to a major league sport of their own, however we do have sports here. We have hockey with the Wranglers, arena football with the Gladiators, and then we have baseball……where our beloved (even though they are not performing well) 51′s are currently the official farm team for the Toronto Blue Jays. But to my darling Cub-loving best friend, I will let you guess what team I root for.

Yep, that’s right ladies and gents. It is a Red Sox hat I am wearing. No the photo is not from a Sox game, but a local game before the 4th of July. Regardless it was a blast and we had awesome seats compelete with entertainment two seats over. So as my nephews are headed to watch the Angels play the Stankees… I mean the Yankees tonight, I am hoping the Angels can pull a little West Coast magic out of their hats and help keep the Sox ahead. Oh come on Yankees fans you’ve heard worse than that I am sure. Boston fans do too. It’s all for the love of the game. Hmm story idea brewing here….better get outta here.

Sláinte!

You ever have someone totally surprise you? It doesn’t happen often for me which is a shame considering how I love a good surprise. Though the few I have had the pleasure of receiving were quite memorable. One will always stick out in my mind from my childhood. When I was in junior high, I wanted a ten speed. My parents gave me a card. A card! Okay, well there was more to this card than met the eye. In the very corner of the envelope was a paper clip and a string was tied to it. I had to follow the string to find my gift. In between our house and the neighbors….yep you guessed it! My ten speed was waiting tied to the end of the string. There were other surprises, but that one in particular is one that sticks out for me. Now years later, I have another memorable one to add to the list.

I am a HUGE Laurell K Hamilton fan. (I have all the Anita Blake and Gentry series in hard back if that gives you any indication to my level of appreciation for her writing.) Laurell K Hamilton was here in Vegas about two weeks ago for a book signing at the local library. (Not entirely surprising seeing as Laurell is a woman of great taste and she appreciates the draw the Vegas valley has. ) Well, I was unable to make this book signing, much to my disappointment. A co-worker was planning to attend and told me if I brought in one of my LKH books, she would have it signed for me. I didn’t have any of my books at the house where I am currently staying. So Friday came and went, as did the weekend and Monday, with an occasional thought on how much I might have garnered from attending an event with an author I hold in high esteem. Truly both fan and writer in me would have benefited. Tuesday I got to work and there on my desk sat Laurell’s brand new Anita Blake book, Skin Trade, autographed to yours truly with a special little inscription:

“To M, best wishes from a fellow writer, Laurell K Hamilton”

Now if that isn’t just pure awesomeness topped with awesome sauce I don’t know what is. I have adored LKH since I picked up my first Anita Blake. I know there are fans out there who do not like the direction the series has taken, but as a writer, I can see and appreciate the growth Anita has undergone in the series and no one can deny the talent that Laurell posesses. A special and very heartfelt thank you goes out to Carol for giving me another surprise to add to my memorable surprises list.

Yes, implementing such a day may just bring a smile to my face. (I know it will please my darling Row more than words could ever say.) Here’s how it will work. I will randomly select a quote from the current WIP. Obviously out of context, some may not make sense, but I never promised sense? This is me we are talking about right? Oh did I mention I have three WIPs at the moment? Just kidding, although I do have three in the works, I am focusing all (well almost all) of my attention on one. So without further adieu… I give you a slice of my current WIP ~ Chosen.

“Uneasy?” The brogue lacing his words elicited sinful and unwelcome thoughts from my mind. With a slight flare of his nostrils, he sniffed the air and smiled as he raked a hand through his short, mussed, raven colored hair. His gaze rested on my desk and he picked up the overturned picture of my mother. “Miss Morgan, your unease is understandable. However, I’m here to speak on your father’s behalf, not to get shot.”

That is from Devlin, my hero in this tome and that is all I am giving you. I will do this once a week until I finish the novel. Sorry, begging and chocolates will not garner you story quotes on off days, though I do appreciate them.

Sláinte!

After many long and tedious hours, I have wrestled my book trailer into submission. Now the only question is… did I nail it? Well, I find fault in everything and will likely do so here as well, but for now, I am going to revel in the fact that I actually completed the task I set before myself for this weekend. Success! It is a wonderful feeling.

Update: There is a new and hopefully improved version of my trailer under the link for Trailers on the side menu. 

Yeah, everyone needs one right? So thanks to the fabulous Margay, I found another way to distract myself from the task at hand. So without further adieu, here is my comic cover-

Ok, it is time for me to get back to work. Later… unless you care to make one of your own and post it to your blog… you can do so by going to The Hero Factory and then just leave your link here in the comments and I will go check it out.

Sláinte!

Okay, so ever since my night out on the town with my best friend, I have had this reoccurring scene and dialogue running through my head. As I have children and a husband who isn’t much into the nightlife scene, it was quite interesting to spend a girls night out partaking in activities I’ve always enjoyed, such as dancing and more importantly people watching.

Funny how my mind treated this scenario. There was a guy with us, visiting from out of town, who had decided that on his last night in town he wanted to end his trip with a conquest. Now, as I look back on the events, it is as though I am watching an episode of Wild Kingdom. I now have the pleasure of sharing with you, a little peek into the inner workings of the mind of Moira. Ready? Hold on tight because here we go….

“The mating rituals of humans are quite fascinating and it’s every male for himself. The nightclub is a typical hunting ground where the human male seeks a female to mate with. Let’s watch as this young male stalks his prey.”

He’s cautious. Slow to move. In this ritualistic dance of life only the strongest and fearless will prevail and as our young male tries to work up his courage, another more virile male sweeps in from the left without hesitation, quashing all hopes of mating our young male may have had.

Our young male will live to pursue others, but will he learn from this experience? Only time will tell. This has been Wild Kingdom. Thank you for joining us and good night.”

It is a sad state of affairs when you people watch and your mind relates it to an episode of Wild Kingdom (Which by the way I barely remember ever watching, though I do remember my father being quite fond of the show.) Yes, the inner workings of my mind astound you I’m sure. Now as you either:

a) pick your jaw up off the floor and put your eyes back in their sockets, or
b) are holding your sides from laughter because you too can see where I am coming from

Know that I would like to blame an alcohol induced imagination for this bit of entertainment I have provided for you, but I can not deceive my loyal readers in such a manner. No, this is truly how my mind reflects back on that particular portion of the evening. Yes I am twisted, but then again, you already knew that and have apparently come to terms with it. For that I thank you.

Sláinte!

Funny how story ideas will strike you at moments when you are immersed in fun activities such as people watching at a cafe prior to a show, or playing tourist in your own home town. I had an idea, not quite sure how to pull it off or where to work it in since I’ve rarely participated in the rich nightlife Las Vegas is known for. As y’all know if you read last Friday, I took my best friend to see Phantom Las Vegas. It was a total blast which lasted well past showtime and into the wee hours of Saturday morning where we finished off our evening here - 

Club Rain was a blast! God I hadn’t been dancing in ages and this venue definitely provided me with some ideas to pull off some ideas I had for my latest manuscript. Granted I am putting my own spin on it, but all it ever takes is that tiny seed to be planted and the right amount of water to make it grow. Well Row, thanks for taking me to the club and filling my head with great ideas for my dear Cheyenne, she is much obliged.  

Have you ever had ideas come while out on the town, doing something fun, no cares in the world other than living in the moment?  Do tell, I am always fascinated by where people find their inspiration.