Posted by
Leslie on
January 30th, 2008
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Not so sure I want to see the back part of a hermit crab as shown in this photo. My daughter has two hermit crabs and while I’m not at all bothered by their claws (except when pinched), I know that the rear portion is kinda icky.
Oh, and that blog is holding a competition to caption the photo. So go forth and be creative. I’ll stick to the regular painted shell ones we have at home.
Posted by
Leslie on
January 30th, 2008
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12 Comments
This weekend I’m going to New Orleans for the first time. It’s right at the time for Mardi Gras. Luckily, I’ll be with friends who are from the area and know just what to see and when to go. I was digging around for some facts about Mardi Gras and thought I’d share them on this week’s T13!
{Edition XIV}
Thirteen Trivia Facts about Mardi Gras
1. In 1857, members of a Mobilian mystic society brought Mardi Gras to New Orleans.
2. Mardi Gras day was the last day before Lent, when Catholics would give up a certain food until Easter. Therefore, they would feast the day before.
3. Mardi Gras literally translates to Fat Tuesday. It was called so because of the feasting that took place on this day.
4. Mardi Gras is known as in the Christian calendar as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts. The following day, the first day of lent is known as Ash Wednesday.
5. The earliest and latest dates that Mardi Gras can occur are as early as Feb. 3 and as late as March 9, since it is backed up 47 days before Easter.
6. Historically the first recorded celebration of Mardi Gras in what is now the United States occurred in 1699, on a Mississippi River island just downstream from modern New Orleans.
7. The colors of Carnival were chosen in 1872 by that year’s Rex. By some accounts, the colors were chosen because Rex thought they looked good together. Twenty years later, for the 1892 parade, Rex declared that the colors had meaning: purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power.
8. Carnival (different than Mardi Gras) is a long season between Christmas and Lent.
9. Mardi Gras Indians: Its exact history is difficult to determine, but most agree the ritual song, dance and costuming began as way for African slaves brought to America to celebrate their heritage.
10. The king cake traditionally was served on “Little Christmas” or “Kings’ Day” other names for the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated Jan. 6.
11. In New Orleans, the person who receives the piece of cake containing a “baby” must provide the king cake for the next gathering of the season.
12. Since 1837, only 13 Fat Tuesdays have been cancelled, mostly due to wars.
13. Mardi Gras generates more than one billion dollars in spending.
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Posted by
Leslie on
January 30th, 2008
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Pop on over to Writers At Play today where agent Christina Hogrebe is our guest! I bet you’ll be glad you did! Oh, and while you’re there, read some of the previous posts. We’ve had some great and varied discussions going!
Posted by
Leslie on
January 27th, 2008
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Dear Author has a great post today on the stigma of ebooks. The contention is that most readers assume an electronic book is erotica. Or that epublishers only put out erotica books. While this is how the industry started, it’s not where it is today. My novel at Samhain THE PRICE OF DISCOVERY is not erotica. It is sexy, but so are many other romances. My novel A TARNISHED HEART being released in a few months is also sexy, but it’s not erotica.
The electronic publishing industry exists to promote stories that the bigger publishing houses (with a huge overhead) aren’t able to take the chance on. With lower costs, there is a greater ability to give readers a bigger range of plots and characters.
Of course, I had to comment over at the site. Go check it out and throw your two cents into the ring!
Posted by
Leslie on
January 26th, 2008
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Our new website and blog over at Writers At Play has really taken off! To celebrate, we’ve created some cool items at CafePress. I’ll be giving some of these away some time in the future (the mug is up for grabs now if you comment on Sheila’s post)!
By the way, on the bag, I’m the Meez on the bottom right, next to the “Little Birdie.”
Posted by
Leslie on
January 26th, 2008
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Whatever you do, don’t go over to Cracked.com and read about the five most horrifying bugs in the world. Seriously, you’ll regret it.
Posted by
Leslie on
January 25th, 2008
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1 Comment
So my conference messed up my week. No Thursday Thirteen or Frisky Friday. Too much to catch up on to put a lot of thought into my blog! However, someone just sent me this joke so I thought I’d share. Enjoy!
Last night my sister and I were sitting in the den and I said to her, ‘I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all, If that ever happens, just pull the plug.’
So she got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine.
She’s such a bitch.
Posted by
Leslie on
January 22nd, 2008
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Heading into Washington DC for a work conference! So no new posts for the next few days and my Thursday Thirteen will be late (if I get to it at all)…but I should be back to normal (well, as normal as I get) on Friday!! 
Posted by
Leslie on
January 21st, 2008
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1 Comment
Respectful Insolence blog has a post about the bizarre Victorian custom of post-mortem photography. It was very popular back in those days to take pictures of loved ones who had just died. Sometimes the dead were posed in a beautiful manner or even a normal family photo might be taken. It is both creepy and yet heart-wrenching.
It seems that there is a resurrgence of these photos, especially for infants or young children. The website Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is capturing these images for grieving families. While the children look to be only sleeping, it is with sad realization that they are no longer alive. Look only if you can bear it….
Posted by
Leslie on
January 17th, 2008
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8 Comments
Over on my Jordanna Kay blog, I’ve talked a bit about the “Organutan Island” show on Animal Planet and then about how to adopt one (more on that later). So I figured I’d continue the discussion for today’s T13.
Thanks to the Orangutan Outreach site for the information below.
{Edition XIII}
Thirteen Facts about Orangutans
1. Orangutan translates literally to “man of the forest.”
2. They are extremely intelligent and can reason and think.
3. They are very similiar to humans: babies cry and whimper with hunger and pain; they expression emotions of joy, fear, anger and surprise.
4. Orangutans spend the majority of their time high up in the trees, only descending to the forest floor when they have to.
5. They once lived throughtout Asia and as far north as China. Today they are limited to a few areas in Borneo and Sumatra.
6. Numbers in the wild have gone from 12,000 in 1993 to only about 6,500 in Sumatra today. There are less than 40,000 in Borneo.
7. Males weigh 200-250 pounds, females 100-150.
8. At standing height, males are about 4 1/2 feet, females a foot shorter. Their arms are longer than their legs and a male’s span can be up to 8 feet.
9. Lifespan is estimated at 35-40 in the wild, but they have lived into their 50’s in captivity.
10. They have only one baby at a time, about every 6 or 7 years. Babies will nurse for that long. They have the longest dependence on their mother of any animal on earth!
11. Males will leave their mothers when they reach puberty. Females may stay with their mothers longer, even after she’s had another infant.
12. Their diet consists of bark, leaves, flowers, some insects and fruit - even unripe ones.
13. Organutans can make and use a variety tools, including “sponges” and “umbrellas.”
Find out how to adopt one!
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(This is my 350th blog post!)
