OH NO! I’m stranded on I-290!

This experience is not one that I am likely to forget I will tell you that! At 9:30pm on November 28, 2009, I was subjected to the worries of car problems coming home from Solomon Pond Mall. It can definitely be classified as an adventure. My friends Megan and Liane were in Laine’s car with me as we we’re driving home from Olive Garden for Liane’s birthday. (I had fetachinie alfredo, sooooo good!) Suddenly, in the middle of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, a snap came from under the car and then a wirring sound was emitted from the vehicel’s depths. Let’s just say, we freaked. Liane pulled over on the side of the road and had to take multiple deep breaths while Megan and I (we had some experience with car knowledge, but very limited) got out the owner’s manual and looked for the latch to the hood. I called my brother when we got it open and asked him what to do. (He’s the family mechanic.) He told me that he couldn’t really help me because he couldn’t look at the car through the phone. (Way to be a smartbutt when I’m in trouble.) So we hung up after I had a long discussion with my mom telling her I was fine. Then, me being the only one how could suddenly speak English had to call AAA for my friends. We arranged for someone to come look at the car. We didn’t want to start driving and then have it go BOOM and bye bye us. While we waited for a tow truck, we looked under the car and saw something that looked like a clamp hanging down from the car. We were sure that was what had caused the noise, but we didn’t know if it was an important part or not. (Might I add that we were using the flashlight on my cell because my friend didn’t have a flashlight. And that I was the only one who could get on the ground and look under the car.)

While we waited for the tow, we sat in the car. We all called our parents to tell them what was going on. My mom, I must add, is afraid of car accidents to the point of paranoia. So when I told her we were waiting in the car, she told me that we should be sitting in the bushes so if the car got hit, we wouldn’t die. I decided the inside of the warm car with light (it was pitch black outside by 10:30) was better than the dark woods that could hold wolves and any assortment of evil things. I was not alone. Then, as we waited, two people stopped by for a chat. Again, needless to say, each time we freaked. One I will call the Good Samaritan because he pulled over to make sure we were okay. It was a little scary because we didn’t know who he was or what he wanted. Really he was just trying to make sure we were okay. Then a nice officer by the name of Weincheck (sp?) stopped by to tell us he had received 911 calls about us. We informed him about our tow and then went on his merry way. He was a bit gruff but all around nice.

Then Megan brought up the point that if we needed a tow, most tows only had room for three including the driver. We were trying to figure out what to do when the guy showed up 40 minutes after we called. (they promised less than 3o, liars.)

We told him about the thing hanging down. He told us that it was the heat guard. We didn’t need it. There defiantly would have never been a Boom and bye bye us. I feel like I wasted an hour of my life. Great.

P.S. I get home and my dad calls as I walked into the door at 11. He asks if I’m okay because he felt like something had happened to me. Wow. I have a psychic dad.

So over all, this has taught me that I know nothing about what to do if I get stranded somewhere. I’m going to include this site which has some tips on safety and prodedure if this ever happens to you: eHow

NANOWRIMO!!

So just recently, I finished this writing month called NaNoWriMo.  It’s this cool website that issues a challenge. The challenge is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Yup, 30 days. Should you choose to accept, then you under take something many may call impossible. The struggle can be immense for some. First is the challenge of figuring out what to write about. Do you want to write a romance? Adventure? Comedy? Then there is the struggle with the characters. Then you have to figure out what is the challenge the person(s) face in order to grow or even make the story entertaining. How can you make them real? My personal favorite is figuring out names. I spend hours on my favorite web site Behind The Name  to find the exact name to fit my characters. One of my biggest problems was making the storyline long enough for 50,000 words. I started running out of steam at 30,000.

Another challenge not related to the novel itself is the job of getting it done. Who has the time to sit in front of a computer for that long?  On average, you have to write at least 2,000 words a day to make it. That can be a lot when you can’t bring yourself to be creative that day. I have the worst trouble writing if I don’t want to. It comes across in what I’m writing.

One tip that I learned while writing is that using description take up tons of words. Instead of saying the blue flower was wet a person can turn that into the newly sprouted flower opened its silken blue petals to great the sun and dry away the cool feel of morning dew with the gentle heat of spring. It may be wordy, but I went from four words to twenty eight. Neat, huh?

The site also has writing forums that can help the participants if they need it. You can talk to other people doing the same thing as you and get advice on what to do if you’re stuck. Everyone is willing to help everyone else.

Is there a prize, you ask? Unfortunately, no. But it does give you the sense of completing something that you didn’t think you could do. You can be proud that you wrote a novel for the first time or for the hundredth. It ends up that you have something that you created. A part of yourself that you can choose to do what you will with. Some have moved on to publish their books. It opens up new possibilities.

Check it out: www.nanowrimo.org

Re: Coca-Cola Co. and Costco Wholesales Dispute

Although Costco is trying to give their customers a break with the prices and they are trying to still maintain a profit, I can see why Coca-Cola would want to sell their product for a higher price. They must also make a large enough profit to keep their workers employed. If they are not able to sell their product for enough, they won’t be able to take it. Some people may say that they are at least selling their product to Costco but sometimes in business, in my opinion, it is better not to sell if the price can’t be gotten. Think if they lower the price for Costco, then the other retailers will want the lower price as well which will end up decreasing their profit margin.

I see the two companies at a deadlock because they can’t agree on the price. In the end one side is going to have to give, but it probably won’t be the Coca-Cola. The customers of Costco will have a demand for the product. The people willing to buy will end up buying it and spending the extra money. Therefore, Costco must supply the demand. Simple rule of supply and demand applies to the situation.

The Perfect Crime: A Book Review

The cover to the fourth Jack Reacher novel.

There is no better mystery writer, in my opinion, than Lee Child. It may be because I am half in love with Jack Reacher, the main character of his new series. It was one of the few mysteries that I have read that kept me guessing. I had no idea at any point who the killer was and how they were committing the crime. But, I’m jumping a head of myself. Let me start from the beginning.

Jack Reacher is ex-military police/army brat. He grew up constantly moving around, from base to base. It is ingrained in him to move and experience the people and spend time away from the stationary. He is quiet, but very intelligent and analytical. He knows has an incredible recall of minutia, brave and always looking out for those in need. He prefers to solve problems with his fits and… let’s face it, he’s a man’s man.

The story opens where he had just inherited a house, left to him by a well respected commander. He is, also, dating that commander’s daughter, who is on the fast track to being a partner in a law firm. He is uncomfortable with his sedentary life and longs to be back to his traveling ways, but his love for his girlfriend keeps him there. One night, he is sitting at this new restaurant that he has taken a liking too and he sees the owner getting shaken down for protection money by two thugs. He quickly steps in and takes care of them, but unknown to him, he is being observed by the FBI. The reason you ask? Well, he is under suspicion for being a serial killer and he didn’t do it. He finds himself cuffed in the back of an SUV while they search his house and then stored until they decided to interrogate him. It is only when he is sitting in front of a panel of people who question him, that he finds out why they arrested him. He claims his innocence, but they don’t believe him. They have proof, contradicting their convictions that it is him, but they are under a lot of pressure and want to wrap up the case.

Eventually, they blackmail him into becoming their consultant so they can solve the crime. Even Jack is baffled. The victims are four women who have been victims of sexual harassment in the military before they retired. They are found, floating in a tub of military issue green paint with not a mark on them. There is no DNA evidence or signs on their body indicating how they were killed.

Through many red herrings, Jack finally discovers the killer and how s/he does it. It all ends as a huge FBI cover up. I can honestly tell you that only thing I figured out was that hypnotism was involved. (I refuse to tell you the ending. You just have to read it.) I couldn’t put the book down because all I wanted to do was find out how the women were murdered. It is unbelievable and well written, keeping me on the edge of my seat. One thing that defiantly took away from the book was that it could get almost too analytical. I just wanted to get to the end to solve the mystery. It might have been too long in some places and although I didn’t like that Jack had a girlfriend (he’s so much more fun when he’s single!) or that he wore the same clothes over and over again without even washing them (a slightly distracting pet peeve!) I still enjoyed every moment.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

For more about Jack Reacher and the other books in the series, I suggest Barnes and Noble. (Be sure to watch the video with the author!)

Smoke Free Campus

I was looking around and I saw “Smoke Free Campus”, written by Ginny. She had a lot of good points about the smoking on campus. I agree that the rules they have installed such as the 25 foot rule and no smoke in the buildings or around people sitting. See I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke. It makes be feel kind of sick so I like having the exposure to smoke limited. I also think designated smoking area would be a great idea that the school could do. Their is no way that the school can really keep the campus smoke free. It would be good, because people like me could avoid those areas and then people who smoke will have a place to go and relax. It would make it easier for everyone.

I don’t think I agree about the argument of the school not being able to tell us what to do. It is a persuasive argument, but I feel as though in order to make the campus better for everyone, the school has some right over what we can do or not. It also gives order where there would be chaos. It ensures the safety to everyones health. I think that if anyone has a real problem with the school’s rules, then they can pay the thousand’s of dollars someplace else that won’t care.

I do think that compromise can be reached and smoking area is a great way to find a solution.

Is It Just Me, Or Does Everyone Hate Spiders?

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the Pope’s sleeve!

Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl! How that man didn’t jump ten feet in the air, I will never know. One minute, you’re trying to deliver this serious speech-in a different language no less!- and a bug starts to crawl all over your ceremonial garments. Do bugs have no respect for anything?

The self-control he must have exerted to stay so monotone and serious must have been all-consuming. If you watch the video, a person can follow the spider’s progress up the Pope’s sleeve, around the shoulders and appear again on the other side. It even dared to climb the side of his face! All the while he remained composed and focused.

It must have been incredible for the spider to realize he was crawling on the voice of God. I wonder if someone tried to catch the spider and is now trying to sell it on eBay. “Holy Spider! Starting bid: 1 million Euros.”

 It would seem like Colbert said it best with his Spider-Pope video.

Then there is the Presidents run in with the fly of doom:

I wonder if it is a new form of terrorist attack, death by bug annoyance.

I don’t understand how they get in. I can see them crawling on the wall in the background, but on a person? And in Obama’s case, you just don’t see flies on TV! It isn’t done. If it was trying to catch a break in Hollywood, it only accomplished getting squashed. It was so nice that Obama picked it up though. No one wants a dead fly on the ground that they could step on.

 Where is the Secret Service? Their job is to protect and serve. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see any of them stepping in to save him from the fly. What slackers.

Seriously though, it’s interesting to compare the two reactions. The Pope remains poised and unflappable while the spider crawls on him. Obama must stop what he’s saying and kill the bug before he can go on. Was the variation because of the insect itself? Or was it the differences in culture and position?

It relates back to my Chinese class today. My chinese teacher didn’t flinch or swat at a fly in our classroom when she was speaking, but everyone of my classmates, including me, moved to get away from it. What is it about people that want to swat away the bug and others can live in peace with the bug? 

Another thing to think about is their position. What does it matter if the President kills a fly? What would people’s response be  if the Pope, a man of god and peace freaked out about a spider? I don’t think people would look at it the same way.

Anyway, I’m just rambling. Food for thought. Keep up with me and feel free to comment.

Oh, and beware of ….Spider-Pope!

-Blogger.

My First Post!

Welcome to Blogger’s Bites!

I’m Ellen and I will be your hostess.

Enjoy your bites!