Random Musings

A few weeks ago, I attended the Wordstock Festival in Portland, OR. There I enjoyed the presentations of many authors and strolled through the booths. One of the exhibitors was a writing team named Dielle and Jeff. I had seen Jeff strolling around wearing nothing but a kilt and a leather vest with a horn affixed to his forehead. You tend to notice people like that. At the time I dismissed him as being one of Portland’s free spirits. Yeah, we have people who make those sorts of lifestyle choices in this neck of the woods.

Later, as I strolled through the exhibits, I saw a lady painted purple with goat legs and hooves and two little horns on her forehead. Sitting behind the woman as she talked to the kids who strolled by was kilt guy. So, I took a picture because I realized they were in costume for their booth, purpose unknown to me at the time. I didn’t want to draw attention to my photo-taking because I’ve had punk rockers in London chase me down insisting I pay them for the privilege of having taken their photos. While I didn’t expect kilt guy to tackle me and confiscate my cell phone, I was still a little nervous about taking it without asking. Plus, they were chatting with children visiting their booth.

I moved on, but I posted their picture on my blog as part of my weekly ROW80 update.

A few days later, Dielle found my blog, most likely through Googling–a smart thing for any writer to do. She introduced herself and her writing partner in the comments to my blog post and explained that she and Jeff are the authors of Sambuka Black and its accompanying activity book.

So I thought that was pretty cool and responded to her comment, thanking her for dropping by my blog and explaining the picture.

Dielle returned a few days later and offered to send me a copy of their book. I thought that was awesome too, and you never say no to a free book, right?

So, guess what showed up today?

Wasn’t that nice? The book is illustrated and features mystical creatures such as those Dielle and Jeff portrayed and also dragons! Now, I happen to love dragons, so that makes it full of win. The activity book contains puzzles and pictures, all from the book. Wonderful! I haven’t read it yet, but I certainly shall.

To Dielle and Jeff, thank you for the books and for the internet friendship. Writers helping writers is a wonderful thing, though I am not sure exactly who’s helping who here. LOL

If you’re interested in learning more about Sambuka Black, you can visit the website at www.sambukablack.com or visit the authors’ site: www.chezchampignon.com

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

: Image via Wikipedia

I love handbags, purses, pockebooks, bags…whatever you want to call them. We have a special affinity, purses and I. Maybe it’s because, like a faithful dog, a purse always sticks by you no matter whether you’re thin or fat, fit or flabby, tall or short. Your purse is always there, always happy to hang by your side or on your arm, thrilled to carry your things.

I have quite a large collection of bags, my favorites being Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Cole Haan, and my latest addition, a cute little copper Tiganello number with matching wallet. I rotate them every few months to match bag to season. I have colors ranging from your basic black, brown, tan and navy to jade green, teal, rouge (no, it’s not red but rouge…there is a difference), parrot green, lilac, purple, white with pastel colors, and olive. Most are leather but a few are cloth or coated cotton, some sporting the logos of their makers, but most not.

Aside from its beauty as a work of art, a purse is, most importantly, a functional part of any self-respecting woman’s wardrobe. Anything important I need to carry goes into my purse–wallet, aspirin, pens, business cards, toiletries–you name it, I probably got it. If I need to remember to take something somewhere, I need only tuck it into my purse. Really, everybody should carry one.

The Silverback included.

He’s always forgetting his wallet or his cell phone or pieces of paper with important phone numbers on them. When we go to movies, I am the one who has to break the movie theatre laws and risk, I don’t know what, but something heinous, if caught smuggling in candy and sodas. Why I’m so worried about some cinema staff one quarter of my age busting me over bottles of water and Diet Coke, is a story for another day. But I get to tote my overstuffed gargantuan handbag into the theatre only to have three sets of male hands (I have two teenaged sons) pawing at it before the lights even dim.

Clearly they see some value in the handbag.

If the Silverback carried one too, he’d never forget his wallet or cellphone. He’d always have his checkbook, would always have extra Tylenol when I ran out. He’d be able to carry his own car keys into sporting events and he’d have a place to stash his hat instead of losing it at a restaurant.

With his superior strength, he could not only pack an entire two liter bottle of soda in his man purse but probably a family sized pizza too.

The dog’s leash and poopy pick up bag would always be handy. He could carry coupons and save us money instead of shrugging and whining, “I had no place to put them.” He could carry a bigger wallet with more compartments in which to organize decades old photos and expired credit cards. He could carry his own pair of tube socks for trying on shoes during sandal weather. All his little spare parts he needs to take to the hardware store to replace? Yep, the man purse would allow him to move to from store to store without flashing everyone his business.

I don’t know why he doesn’t carry one. It makes perfect sense to me. He could buy one in a manly color or even camouflage print if he liked. I wouldn’t care, though I’d rather he nab a nice cordovan colored one in case I ever wanted to borrow it.