Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Preditors and Editors Poll Results

The Preditors and Editors Poll results are in!

I'm excited to say my romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams by Morgan Mandel, came in #4 in the romance category. To celebrate, I added the Top Ten Finisher graphic to my sidebar.

I couldn't have done this without the support of all my wonderful friends and readers. Thanks to everyone who voted for me.

Maybe you have a favorite you voted for and would like to see where it landed. Here's the link for the romance category:

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/votenovelrom08.htm

For other results, here's another link. You'll need to scroll way to the bottom of the page there and look for the 2008 results in the different categories.
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/perpoll.htm

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Fitness - Do You Do Anything to Keep Fit?

Last Saturday I finally got back to my Step Class at the Park District. Prior to our savage winter, I'd gone to class every Saturday. Too many excuses kept me from attending for almost three months - snowstorm upon snowstorm, icy roads, conflicting events, you name it. I could have made up for missing class by working out on our eliptical machine, but it was easier to get wrapped up in writing or blogging instead.

For those blustery months, I also missed out on my twice daily walks with Rascal. I opened the back door and let her out into our fenced yard instead. Also, instead of walking to the train station, I let my husband drive me there. I couldn't chance slipping on the ice or freezing in the zero weather.

A partial solution came to me a few weeks ago. That Saturday, plus this past Saturday and Sunday, the DH and I parked in the parking garage in our village's downtown, where the sidewalks are clear. We then were able to safely walk Rascal to her favorite hangout, Bentley's Corner Barkery. We finished our trek by picking up a DVD at the library five blocks away.

I'm not a gunho fitness fanatic, but I couldn't believe how good it felt to move around and exercise again after so long without it. I'm hoping to get more opportunities to do so in the coming weeks as the weather gets better. Another conflicting event will keep me from exercising again this coming weekend - the 11th annual Love Is Murder Conference. I'll have to settle for walking from panel to panel for that occasion.

I know I've put on weight. I really want to get back into the exercise routine. I can't ignore my health. What about you? What do you do to keep fit? Have you had trouble exercising this winter? Please share.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Super Bowl - Bling

Faith Hill, Chesley Sullenberger, Jennifer Hudson - What a great start - I had no idea Jennifer had such a wonderful voice.
If you missed the Super Bowl Commercials, you can still catch them at:
http://hulu.com/ or
http://nbc.com/

I thought I knew which commercial I liked best, but when I kept watching, I saw even more I liked.
Dorito's - with the crystal ball landing you know where!
Dorito's - with the money spouting from the ATM
Bud Light - with the guy flying through the window in his chair - super funny
Pepsi - with all the dancing
Pepsi Max - with the klutzy guys
Audi - great action
Pedigree - with the exotic animals
Budweiser - with the retriever Clydesdale and one of Rascal's half relatives, a Dalmatian
Budweiser - with the same Clydesdale following his girlfriend, Daisy to the circus, and the Dalmatian - a real riot!
Castrol Edge - with the real grease monkeys
Hyndai - with the other foreign car guys mad
Teleflora - with the talking flowers
Jay Leno - driving his Corvette
Careerbuilder.com - with the mean boss and the guy crying and the kuala bear
Transformers trailer - looks like a great action flick

Bruce Springstein - I couldn't hear him too well on a few of the songs, but he really belted out Glory Days!

Do you remember any of the commercials? Do you have favorites? What did you think of the half-time show?

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Why do you watch the Super Bowl - For the Game or the Commercials or Both?

My husband loves sporting events. Needless to say, he's watching the Super Bowl for the game. He wants the Cardinals to win, since he remembers when they used to be a Chicago team.

Yes, I'm old enough to remember that time in history also, so I'd like the Cardinals to win. Still, that's no reason to watch an entire football game, not for me, when I really don't like sports. I could just as easily watch the last few minutes and find out who wins.

Still, I'm watching the Super Bowl, but not for the sporting aspect. You may have guessed it by now. I enjoy the spectacular commercials.

What about you? Do you like the Super Bowl? If so, do you watch it for the Game? For the Commercials? For Both? Please share.

More From Morgan - Do You Make Your Characters Sick?
at http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/