So, you know how you're always tripping across lists of books that people have just or recently read? Well, I gotta list sort of like that. Only mine is piled up next to my bed.
Someday that pile will be transformed into a list of books I too have found the time to read. But not today. Today the best I can do is to list the books I'm waiting to crack open. The top 10 closest to the bed and therefore, at least theoretically, next in line are:
1) Love Monkey by Kyle Smith. A novel that had me by the end of the second page read on Amazon.com (Go to the website and read for yourself... ) And actually this one I've already started on.
Update 3/22: finished it. Not as good as I'd hoped... sort of a Nick Hornby wannabe. Better off reading "High Fidelity" or "About A Boy"
2) Find More Time by Laura Stack. A book chock full of ideas to get more organized and get more done. If only I can find the time... Ironic, ain't it?
3) The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. I've read a few of her historical novels (The Other Boleyn Girl, my first and so far favorite). This is the book I've borrowed from Lain and have to get done with so she can pass it on to Daria who is waiting for her turn. Oh, the guilt. Oh, the pressure.
Update 6/2: Finally finished and passed on. A fabulous book, like Phillipa's others, which I was sorry to see end.
And now we move from the nightstand to the pile on the floor next to the bed.
4) Is it hot in here? Or is it me? by Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz. Two editors from Newsweek who decided to tackle the myths and secrets of menopause. Written with wit and a sense of humor- two critical tools to getting through the subject as well.
Update 5/20: Haven't finished the book yet, but we've started planning the "Is It Hot in Here? Cruise" and invited Pat and Barbara along... Wanna come along?)
5) What Comes After Crazy by Sandi Kahn Shelton. Another novel written with a hefty helping of humor. Key to getting me to 'charge it please' and order it on up on Amazon.com I'll let you know, someday, if it lives up to its promise.
Update 4/24: Cindy says: Five Stars!! And oh boy, what a fabulous book... funny and engaging. Once I finally started it, I couldn't put it down. Now I gotta get the rest of Sandi's books... and start reading her blog at http://www.sandishelton.com/)
6) I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. See #5 only this one is by Nora, who has a pretty good track record on books I actually have read. See #3, another book Lain is waiting for.
Update 3/23: This was to be my follow up to 'Love Monkey' (see number 1) but... well, I feel bad about this book. If I want to hear somebody whining and complaining, I'll just call one of my friends and invite them to vent. At least then I could maybe help them feel better...
7) Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Odds are I'm not going to finish this one, but the movie trailer looked good and the pile wasn't quite big enough yet. And yes, it's Lain's but I think Daria got it before I did. There's a relief.
8) How to Want What you Have by Timothy Miller. A book that promises to help me 'discover the magic and grandeur of ordinary existence' which, come to think of it I'm already pretty in touch with. Maybe I can just pretend that I've read this one.
9) Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley. He had me at Thank You For Smoking and I've pretty much (eventually) read just about everything he's done since then.
10) Princess Bride by William Goldman. Of course, this one I have already read. Twice. But I found myself unable to resist buying the 25th anniversary edition with shiny book cover and now it taunts me... Plus, if you're reading this with a thought of taking a crack at any of these books, I'd really recommend Princess Bride. Charming, funny, engaging, magical... and then some.
Hopefully now that I've put these all down, maybe I'll be better motivated to get 'em all read. And then I can move on to the pile next to the pile next to the bed. Which I won't list now cause that would be just getting too silly.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
FAKE CHECK SCAM (But I wasn't fooled)
Okay, so now for something completely serious- Got a special delivery letter (by a bonafide delivery service, I should add, who required my signature for delivery). The day of the delivery, I got a phone call at home from a woman who identified herself as being from "Zagat" and explaining that I had been chosen to help them in a marketing survey and would be compensated for my time.
Long story short, the package included a cashier's check in the amount of $3,875.00 and made out to me. I was being instructed to cash the check, take out $500 for my trouble and then go to a Money Gram location and, posing as a customer, wire the remainder of the money to an address in Canada, thus giving me the opportunity to evaluate the business...
Okay, so I didn't fall for it because I'm from New York and because I'm naturally cynical and because I knew nobody was going to blindly mail out a check for $3,875 and assume they'd get most of it back.
Did some on line checking (well, by Bob- I was too busy notifying Zagat that they're being misrepresented) led to the National Consumers League website (nclnet.org) which says fake check scams with wire transfers are the number one telemarketing fraud and 3rd on the list of internet-based scams.
I don't know how they got my name, home address and phone number (and am none to pleased about that) but I do know that the one thing all these scams seem to have in common seems to be a lack of mastering the English language.
We have seen this when we've looked closely at the emails notifying us that 'your ebay/PayPal, bank account has been suspended and again, in this case, it held true.
So how do you protect yourself? Do some research to see what's out there, keep your antenna up, look for grammatical errors, but mostly remember the age old adage 'if it seems to good to be true, it is".
Check out: www.nclnet.org/fraud
And good luck.
Long story short, the package included a cashier's check in the amount of $3,875.00 and made out to me. I was being instructed to cash the check, take out $500 for my trouble and then go to a Money Gram location and, posing as a customer, wire the remainder of the money to an address in Canada, thus giving me the opportunity to evaluate the business...
Okay, so I didn't fall for it because I'm from New York and because I'm naturally cynical and because I knew nobody was going to blindly mail out a check for $3,875 and assume they'd get most of it back.
Did some on line checking (well, by Bob- I was too busy notifying Zagat that they're being misrepresented) led to the National Consumers League website (nclnet.org) which says fake check scams with wire transfers are the number one telemarketing fraud and 3rd on the list of internet-based scams.
I don't know how they got my name, home address and phone number (and am none to pleased about that) but I do know that the one thing all these scams seem to have in common seems to be a lack of mastering the English language.
We have seen this when we've looked closely at the emails notifying us that 'your ebay/PayPal, bank account has been suspended and again, in this case, it held true.
So how do you protect yourself? Do some research to see what's out there, keep your antenna up, look for grammatical errors, but mostly remember the age old adage 'if it seems to good to be true, it is".
Check out: www.nclnet.org/fraud
And good luck.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Chicago Bears cupcakes on the 30 Yard Line. Ah well, sorry my kitchen voodoo didn't help them grab the trophy and those big winner t-shirts (which, I understand are now being shipped off to dress poor children in third world countries. Poor tiny kids indeed, forced to dress in sportswear made for giant men.) At least the cupcakes were tasty.
