July 19, 2008

Now you see ‘em…now you don’t

It’s flashback time. Think of some of the things you remember from your childhood. Now consider how many of those things that you thought would be around forever (cameras with film, for example) are slowly disappearing.

WalletPop (www.walletpop.com) took a look at 25 such things that are quickly disappearing from our country. From honey bees to checks to bowling alleys to incandescent light bulbs, they counted down 25 things you may not be able to find in the U.S. for very much longer. I was surprised by some and others, well, even I could see the end is near.

Top 25 Things Vanishing from America

25. Outdoor toilets- By the 2000 Census, the number of Americans who lacked indoor plumbing was down to 0.6%. In 1950, 27% of households (and over half of rural households) didn’t have complete indoor plumbing.

24. Yellow Pages- This one surprised me. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year.

23. Classified Ads- If newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings, can newspapers be far behind?

22. Movie Rental Stores- Netflix is looking up, Blockbuster is closing stores. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have already closed.

21. Dial-up Internet Access- Dial-up connections fell from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008.

20. Phone Land lines-According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells. I actually just went to this plan…where you can receive calls on your land-line but if you call out it’s 10 cents a minute. I did it because I like being in the phone book and a lot of people have my home number but not my cell.

19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs- Overfishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame. I never had these, so I guess you can’t miss what you’ve never had.

18. VCRs- Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are hard to find…but my local Target had some for $39. I have a friend who bought a VCR when they first came out in the late 70’s….they paid $1200.

17. Ash trees- The emerald ash borer is to blame and it makes me sad to see these trees die. They’re one of my favorites.

16. Ham Radio- In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.

15. The Swimming Hole- Due to injuries and subsequent lawsuits, many property owners are posting “Keep out!” signs.

14. Answering Machines- This only makes sense. Cell phones up. Land lines down. Less need for answering machines.

13. Cameras that use film- In 2006, iNikon announced it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market — only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment. This is one change I couldn’t have imagined ten years ago.

12. Incandescent Bulbs- According to USA Today, expect a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years.

11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys- Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and gambling casinos.

10. The Milkman- Does this job still exist anywhere??

9. Hand-Written letters-In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world’s population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then.

8. Wild Horses- It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States. In 2001, National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population had decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada.

7. Personal Checks- According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two years. I rarely write checks anymore. How ’bout you?

6. Drive-in theaters- in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating. No new drive-ins have been built since 2005.

5. Mumps and measles- In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.

4. Honey bees- ‘Colony Collapse Disorder,’ or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers — and along with it, their livelihood. Have you ever stepped on a honey bee? My hand is in the air.

3. News Magazines and TV news- In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that.

2. Analog television- 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% — or 13 million individuals — who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. We have an antennae in our attic.

1. Family Farm-Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census (data from the 2007 census hasn’t yet been published). Ninety-one percent of the U.S. farms are small family farms.

Any surprises??? Which do you hate to see go?? Which ones won’t you miss at all?

July 12, 2008

Anchovies, anyone?

Although I’m not a gourmet (by any stretch of the imagination) I know what kinds of foods I like …and which ones I don’t

I read an article recently that listed the top twenty most hated foods. Some I expected, while others, well, frankly I was surprised. I’m going to count them down. See if you agree with the survey results.

1. Liver (I know, it’s gross, but I still like it…with onions–see #17)
2. Lima Beans (I like these, too. In fact they’re one of my favs)
3. Mayonnaise (what’s to dislike?)
4. Mushrooms (I like them, but I know tons of people who refuse to eat ‘em)
5. Eggs (No egg salad sandwiches or deviled eggs??)
6. Okra (Never eat)
7. Beets (these I like hot or cold)
8. Brussels sprouts (okay, not my fav but I can eat them in a pinch)
9. Tuna (I like tuna sandwiches and tuna salad casserole and…)
10. Gelatin (seems almost un-American to not like Jello)
11. Sour Cream (a baked potato wouldn’t be the same without SC)
12. Pea Soup (I like this too. Hmm, I’m sensing a pattern heres…)
13. Oysters (Okay, I draw the line at these. YUCK says it all)
14. Peas (Like ‘em, not love ‘em)
15. Raisins (Especially good on oatmeal or in cookies)
16. Cooked Carrots (I like these, too. And I even like creamed cooked carrots!)
17. Onions (I like onions. I think they add a tang to foods)
18. Cilantro (No strong feelings one way or the other on this one)
19. Maple Syrup (If you hate Maple Syrup, what do you put on your pancakes?)
20. Blueberries (I like these…and aren’t they supposed to be good for you?)

I can’t believe one of my most hated foods, anchovies, didn’t make the top twenty.

Were you surprised by what made the list? Or more surprised by what didn’t?

July 5, 2008

She’sssss Back

This week when I was picking out a 4th of July card to send my daughter…I found one that had a quote from Erma Bombeck. Well, I LOVE Erma Bombeck’s wisdom so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite quotes with you. I realize it’s a holiday weekend but I’d really like to know which is your favorite. Or if you have a quote by someone else to share I’d love to hear it. (I collect quotes and keep them by my computer)

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”

“I haven’t trusted polls since I read that 62% of women had affairs during their lunch hour. I’ve never met a woman in my life who would give up lunch for sex.”

“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”

“People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you’ll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow.”

“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, “Yes, I’ve got dreams, of course I’ve got dreams.” Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they’re still there.”

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me”.

June 28, 2008

Clutter Control

If you would come to my house, you wouldn’t see much clutter or even what my mother used to call “knick-knacks” around the house. And, unlike the picture below, you wouldn’t see disorganized open shelving with everything hanging out.

No, if you would stop by, everything would look great UNLESS you opened my sock drawer or my junk drawer or the drawer where I keep old medicines etc.

Lately I’ve been thinking that I need to get more organized. That I need to attack these hiding places and just get rid of the stuff I’ve forgotten is even in there. My worry is that I’ll find something I thought I gotten rid of years ago and won’t be able to let it go.

I read somewhere that you shouldn’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to unclutter in one day (yeah, right, as if that would happen )

So I’ve been trying to decide where to start. I’m actually thinking of doing my sock drawer because that should be simple…after all, there have to be some in there that I no longer need, right? From then I’ll move on the the drawer that holds the old medicines. That should also be easy…because if the drugs are expired, I HAVE to (for safety sake) dump ‘em….so at least those would be gone.

How about you? Is there some clutter in your house that needs to be controlled? If you could just do one bit of de-cluttering this weekend…where would you start?

June 21, 2008

Kiss ‘n Tell

width=380
alt="img 1"/>

Forget baseball…kissing is practically the national pastime. In romance novels the type of kisses the heroine and hero share tells us a lot about them and the direction their relationship is headed. Is it a chaste kiss? A tender kiss? Or a hot kiss that is deepened?

Most of us have had some experience locking lips but I wonder how much we really know about kissing.

The following article is by Laura Schaefer
Courtesy of Match.com’s Happen magazine

Think you know a thing or two about kissing? You probably do. But the facts below are so off the beaten path, we’ll bet you don’t know them all — and they could come in handy. Not only could they provide some steamy “Did you know…?” chit chat, but they’ll help you see all the benefits a satisfying lip lock can bring into your life. Happy smooching!

1. Two out of every three couples turn their heads to the right when they kiss.

2. A simple peck uses two muscles; a passionate kiss, on the other hand, uses all 34 muscles in your face. Now that’s a rigorous workout!

3. Like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two lip impressions are alike.

4. Kissing is good for what ails you. Research shows that the act of smooching improves our skin, helps circulation, prevents tooth decay, and can even relieve headaches.

5. The average person spends 336 hours of his or her life kissing.

6. Ever wonder how an “X” came to represent a kiss? Starting in the Middle Ages, people who could not read used an X as a signature. They would kiss this mark as a sign of sincerity. Eventually, the X came to represent the kiss itself.

7. Talk about a rush! Kissing releases the same neurotransmitters in our brains as parachuting, bungee jumping, and running.

8. The average woman kisses 29 men before she gets married.

June 14, 2008

June Bride? Noooooo

It’s my Anniversary!

No, I wasn’t a June Bride. But on June 17, 1999 at approximately 3:28 PM I sold my first book!

Before I go into more detail, let’s do a flashback. I started writing romance by taking a course in the Fall of 2005 appropriately titled “How to Write a Romance Novel.” In high school I wanted to be a writer, but I’d never known anyone who wrote a book and I gave up on my dream before it had a chance to get started. So I got married, graduated from college, had a baby and started on a career. Still, the love of story telling remained. I would make up different ends to movies and television shows, fall asleep not by counting sheep but by making up stories. I thought everyone did that! lol

So, I took the course and started writing my first book. I also joined a local Romance Writers of America chapter, went to a regional writing conference and then to the RWA National Conference (1996). I finished my first book in June of 2006 (six months after I started writing it) and promptly sent it to Harlequin. It was called Somebody’s Baby. It was rejected, but with a request to start it at a different point and resubmit. Stupid me…I did not redo and resubmit. Fast forward to 1999 and four books later.

I’d sent a query to Steeple Hill on my current WIP (work-in-progress) “Faith on a Harley.” The response came back quickly “Not interested.” I entered the book in the Faith Hope and Love Chapter’s Touched by Love contest. Although you just send your first three chapters, you had to have a complete book to enter (which I did). But while the judging was going on, I decided I didn’t like the book and cut it from 270 pages to novella length (100 pages) and GOT RID OF THE EXTRA PAGES. Of course it ended up winning the contest and the first prize is a critique of THE WHOLE BOOK by Patience Smith, who was then an assistant editor at Steeple Hill. If you’ve been following along carefully, you now know I NO LONGER HAVE THE COMPLETE BOOK. And to make matters worse–or better, depending on how you look at it–Silhouette Special Edition (SSE) requests a full of my 4th book!

Knowing Steeple Hill will only reject my book (remember, they’d already told me they weren’t interested in the story line) I concentrate on the SSE….which didn’t sell. Then I returned my attention to Faith on a Harley. Mostly because I was getting a push from the contest coordinator to get the book in or she’d give the prize to the second place finisher, I finally get it back up to 190 pages (80 short of Steeple Hill’s word count at the time) and send it in.

I was shocked to get a note back from Patience Smith several weeks later saying that she’d loved the book and wanted her senior editor to read it. I wasn’t stupid (even though you might think that from some of the things I’d done), I knew this was a good sign…because only the senior editors can buy for the line. But as I used to tell people, I’d been to the trough before but never been allowed to drink.

Then….on June 17, 1999…the phone rings. I’d been out of town for my job and had gotten back early. It was a nice day and instead of going into work I went home, took a book and a cold soda out on the deck to relax. The phone rings…and I hear a voice say “Cynthia Rutledge?” I think…telemarketer and almost hang up. But I don’t. Instead I say, “Yes, this is Cynthia.” Patience Smith tells me who she is and asks me how I’m doing. I say the very witty “fine” and when she says “I think you’re going to be even better when you hear what I have to say” I know this is “THE CALL” that every writer dreams of….

She bought the book and my revisions were to add 80 pages! “Faith on a Harley” became “Unforgettable Faith,” my first book for Steeple Hill!

Every year, I send Patience a note thanking her for giving me a chance and letting my dreams come true.

Thanks for letting me share my story and my anniversary with you!

I now write as Cindy Kirk, but I still have my Cynthia Rutledge web site (www.cynthiarutledge.com) so if you’d like to check out the cover of that first book and read an excerpt, it’s there for you! BTW, the book SSE turned down became my 3rd book for Steeple Hill “The Marrying Kind” It’s on the web site, too.

June 7, 2008

Test Your Inner Romantic

Everyone is different when it comes to romance. So I thought it would be fun if we tested our inner romantic this week.

Yes, I have been doing a little cleaning and came across my Harlequin Romance report for 2007. This survey comes from that report.

1) An ideal date with a significant other consists of…
A. Staying home, renting videos and ordering pizza
B. Staying up all night talking to one another
C. Twenty-four long-stemmed roses to accompany a candle-lit dinner, ending with a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park.

My choice: B
I remember when my husband and I were dating…it was so much fun to talk and get to know each other better

2) The perfect gift from your partner is…
A. A DVD player
B. Something made by your partner, whether it’s a card or cookies
C. A love letter read to you by your partner on a bed covred with roses in a room lit with a thousand candles.

My choice B
I’ve always loved impromptu gifts from the heart.

3) You show your partner you love them by
A. Doing his/her tax return
B. Leaving little notes or sending text messages
C. Tattooing his/her name on your arm

My choice: B
Although I prefer short “I’m thinking of you” phone calls to notes or text messages.

4) A song about your relationship would be…
A. A song? No way–that’s too corny!
B. “You Make Loving Fun”
C. “Die without You”

My Choice: ??
I like the idea of having a song…but we don’t. How about you? Do you and your S.O. have a song that’s “yours?”

5) It’s a special anniversary; your plans are to…
A. Do nothing. Why make a fuss, it’s just another night.
B. Take them to their favorite restaurant, followed by a concert by their favorite band
C. Have flowers sent to their house and work, have a limo take them to the best restaurant in town, followed by a private serenade by an opera singer.

My choice: B
But it our case it’d probably just end up being dinner at a favorite restaurant

6) Your partner suggests a romantic weekend getaway; your ideal would be…
A. Cleaning out the basement or garage. “There are too many things that need to get done to waste a weekend going away.”
B. A road trip, driving until you find a quaint little bed and breakfast
C. Taking a couple of extra days and flying to Paris

My choice: B
I’d love a trip to Paris but B seems more relaxing. My husband would probably pick A. lol. If you can’t guess, he’s not much of a travelin’ man.

Please calculate your score

Mostly A…Where’s the Love?
We’ve taken the liberty of calling a doctor because you’ve got no romantic pulse

Mostly B…Professor of Romance…You could write a book on what you know
You do make “Loving Fun.”

Mostly C…Romance Overload
We applaud you for embracing your inner romantic so wholeheartedly but are convinced you’re going to drop from exhaustion.

C’mon, take the survey….there are no right or wrong answers….how did you score….and if you have a favorite song, I’d really like to know what it is!

June 6, 2008

Stacie Mc - You’re my last week’s winner

Congratulations! You won a hardcover copy of Debbie Macomber’s Twenty Wishes.

Please email me from my website and give me your address and I’ll put the book in the mail!

Cindy

May 31, 2008

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

In 2006, 75% of single Americans encountered someone they were interested in but let the opportunity to become better acquainted pass them by…and later regretted it.

According to the Harlequin Romance report from 2006, rather than make conversation, most of us grab a newspaper, play with our cell phone, or look away–all reactions that dramatically decrease the chance for interaction with new people.

According to the report, men are even more inclined to look, but less inclined to act than women. Hardly as bold as we might believe, nearly 70% of men admit that they’ve encountered someone who intrigued them, but they just couldn’t act on it. Only 55% of woment indicated the same regret.

70% of singles depend on their friends to introduce them to new people. The number tends to be higher for women (78.7%) than men (63%)

42% think chance is the best way to meet someone, despite the fact that less than 20% actually met via a chance encounter. While the romantic appeal of a fateful meeting caters to our sentimental side, it isn’t always the most practical or proactive way to meet new people.

Although less than one percent believe the workplace is the best place to meet someone, in truth almost 20% (and this includes my daughter) met their significant other at work.

What do you think is the best way to meet new people?

* Through friends?
* By chance?
* At a party, bar or club?
* Online?
*At work?

How did you first meet your current or last significant other?
*Through friends?
*At work?
* By chance?
*At a party, bar or club?
* Online?

I’m going to compile the results and then we’ll compare our unscientifc sampling to the Harlequin survey statistics.

Everyone who responds will have a chance to win a hardcover copy of Debbie Macomber’s newest release “Twenty Wishes.”

I’ll go first.
I think the best way to meet new people is through friends.
I met my husband through a friend

Okay….how about you?

May 24, 2008

Memorial Day

Since this is Memorial Day weekend, I decided to set aside time to recognize some of the people I’ve loved who’ve passed on. Gone but not forgotten holds especially true for these fine individuals:

My parents: Albert and Irene
They were wonderful parents. My mother and I were best friends. She was a person with a lot of good friends….because she was a good friend in return. No matter what I did, I knew she would always support me. My father was a kind, gentle man who loved games and puzzles. When I was in high school, he was also the dad who could be counted on to take a car load of girls to out-of-town football games.

My father-in-law: Roger
Roger was a great guy. Intelligent and well educated he never met a person he didn’t like. He had a talent for drawing and loved to do impromptu sketches of people (which they always insisted on taking with them) I started dating his son in high school and he was the one who encouraged me to go to college. I ended up being the first one in my family to graduate from college.

My aunt: Orleatha
She just passed away last month. My mother came from a family of eight but I was closest to “Lee.” She was a woman who always looked on the bright side of things. She loved to laugh.

How about you? Who will you be remembering this Memorial Day? Or do you have someone in the military protecting our freedom who needs to be remembered this weekend?