Homeward Bound

If I were a high school science teacher, I might find this video helpful to interest (more boys, at least) in science. :-)

On my way home today. Had a great time with friends in Denver, but I have a deadline looming in my near future. Plus--another challenge I'll tell you about tomorrow.

Have a great day!

~~Angie

By Angela on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 @ 7:00 AM

for this post

Patti G. Says: 10:31 AM

I wouldn't mind finding a housekeeper hair.

Kay Day Says: 11:05 AM

That always backfires.

At least on Jimmy Neutron.

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Denver wrap-up

Our retreat wrapped up this afternoon, and we had a wonderful time. This retreat is different than most--it's not a conference per se, but a retreat of encouragement, edification, sharing, and prayer. Plus, we laugh and cry--a lot!

I've included the group photo, a tradition we've had for the last ten years. Enjoy! You can click on the picture to enlarge.

P.S. The secret to getting so many bright smiles on so many faces? You have people say an energetic "yeah!" on the count of three. One, two, yeah!

~~Angie

By Angela on Monday, July 13, 2009 @ 12:51 AM

for this post

Mocha with Linda Says: 9:08 AM

Love the picture, and I love actually recognizing a few and feeling like I "know" them a little from the Expo and their blogs!

Sue Says: 10:05 AM

Looks like a great group of people and I bet it was so inspirational. Glad you were able to get away to "recharge". What are you working on now?

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Checking in From Denver

I posted lots of photos from our novelists' retreat on my facebook page. Just look at the photo albums. :-)

~~Angie

By Angela on Sunday, July 12, 2009 @ 7:00 AM

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Linda g Says: 11:10 AM

I guess I am going to have to get with it and join Facebook. :)

Mocha with Linda Says: 7:27 PM

Looks like fun, but I feel like a kid on the wrong side of the playground fence since I don't do FB!

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West Side Story redux

This is too cute! If you liked West Side Story, check out this modern version--it's actually GOOD!

~Angie

By Angela on Saturday, July 11, 2009 @ 7:00 AM

for this post

Ruthie Says: 8:16 AM

The kids are really talented. But there is just something a bit strange about getting all mushy over Pandora!

Mocha with Linda Says: 11:31 PM

I've been traveling all day, but I just have to say, watching the live blogging of the Christy Awards just now was the coolest thing ever! It was such fun to find out the winners as soon as they were announced!

And even Tracey Bateman found out via the live blog that she won!

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LOL!

Okay, this is too cute. If there's one thing cuter than puppies, it's babies. :-0

Enjoy!

~~Angie

By Angela on Friday, July 10, 2009 @ 7:00 AM

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Mocha with Linda Says: 8:11 AM

I saw an article about that last night - that Evian put it on You Tube for a test run before buying ad time and it got something like 5 million hits in just a few days. Amazing what computers can do.

Just saw a darling picture of you and Harry Kraus at your retreat over on Brandilyn Collins's blog. All those authors in one place. Sigh!

Leslie Says: 10:26 AM

That was hilarious! I can't believe how real they looked - one can still see its not real, but the technology is getting so much better than it was years ago.

Linda G Says: 12:02 PM

That was cute and strange at the same time.
OK, last call for the Heavenly Daze Cruise with Angie and Lori Copeland.

Angie, are there any of your writer friends who would like to come along? We still have two cabins remaining.

Anonymous Says: 4:22 PM

How fun and clever. Thanks, Angie.
Mary Kay

Sue Says: 1:26 PM

That is just about the cutest thing I've seen.

Anonymous Says: 10:40 PM

I personally have enjoyed watching this more than once. Does it remind you all of the Dancing Baby on Calista Flockhart's old TV show, the name of which has just blown away from my brain? She was a lawyer whose bio clock was ticking away. Clyde

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Great article online

Be sure to check out this article--it's a great picture of God's grace.!

I'm off to Denver today for my annual novelists' retreat, followed by the Christys and ICRS, formerly CBA. I'll try to file some reports. :-)

Be blessed today!

~~Angie

P.S. Let those who have been hint-hunting pause and reflect. :-)

By Angela on Thursday, July 09, 2009 @ 7:00 AM

for this post

lv2scpbk Says: 8:47 AM

Thanks for visiting my blog. I am on the 3rd book now of the Fairlawn Series and I love it because it is different than other books. After that one, I have Unspoken lined up to read and I have Elevator on it's way. Keep up all the great books. I have the other girls in our book group reading your stuff now. We have about 12 to 14 girls in our group.

Linda G Says: 9:50 AM

Have fun rooming with Lori in Denver! Is there anyone else who want to go on the cruise with Angie and Lori? Please contact me today or tomorrow!!!
Lindag@mei-travel.com

Kay Day Says: 11:22 AM

I wish I had known the Christys were here in time to make reservations! That would be so fun!

Have a great time!

Lisa Says: 12:56 PM

Hey Angela,
I have to tell you that you have made this time of recuperating after major surgery bearable! I recently bought The Silver Sword and enjoyed it immensely. I'm about half way through The Golden Cross (probably finish it today as I'm still supposed to be taking it easy.) Thanks for being an incredible author! When I start to get down because I can't do the things that need to be done around the house, when I can't go out and celebrate a friend's birthday, and when I just feel grumpy, I can lose myself in a world you created. Thanks so much!

Lisa

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The Sims

I had a video about Twittering up here, but as I was vacuuming the house, I decided it was stupid. And since I'm committed to bringing you the best of the trivial, I decided to delete it.

And talk about The Sims instead. :-)

I have to confess--when I finish my work quota and am looking to relax, I either watch a movie or play The Sims. The other day I sat down with the Sims, and the next thing I knew, three hours had gone past!

What is it? Sims stands for "simulation," I suspect, and the game has been around for ages, but the latest and greatest version recently released. I tried to play it on my old computer, but the grahics were so intense that the two-year-old machine just couldn't handle it. But my new desktop handles it just fine.

It's so detailed that you can see incredible facial expressions if you zoom in. And if you hang a mirror in your Sim's room, you can actually see reflections of the furniture you've placed on the other side.

In The Sims, you can either play with an already-established family, or you can build your own Sims and go from there. These Sims are remarkably life-like. They have to eat, take a bath, use the toilet, and go to work. (They don't get sick, though. Hmm.) They have babies; they die of old age (suddenly, without much warning, the Grim Reaper appears and hustles your Sim's ghostly outline away.)

And to create a baby--well. Clearing throat. You have to have two Sims, one male, one female, and they can't be gray-haired. You have to move through the stages of friendship and hand-holding and affection . . . and then half the time one Sim will throw up his hand and declare he's "not in the mood" right now. LOL. I tell you, it's just like real life!

About the only things missing from The Sims' lives are 1) religion and 2) illness. Although I have heard some characters sneeze, I've never heard one pray.

The Sim's television sets--you can change the channel to different programs. And the commercials, though spoken in Sim language, are amazingly real! Too funny.

I love the babies. They need their diapers changed and they need bottles and high chairs and proper cribs, or they'll end up sleeping on the floor and being grumpy.

I could say more, but I need to get going today, so let me sign off with this. The Sims has given me an obvious solution to those who can't seem to reconcile man's free will with God's sovereign ordination. When you create a Sim, you choose his personality and attributes. And, knowing those, you can pretty much predict how your Sim will behave in any given situation--unless you step in and command him to do something. (And even then, your Sim will wave his hands and loudly complain.)

So . . . what's the problem with free will AND sovereignty? I see it play out every night. :-)

Enjoy!

Angie

By Angela on Wednesday, July 08, 2009 @ 8:52 AM

for this post

Connie Says: 11:05 AM

I love how you can design the furniture in that game, change the fabrics, etc. The problem with free will is these silly Sims rarely do what they need to do when they need to do it! They are falling down hungry, but yet go play in the sprinkler. But I've been guilty of not doing what I knew I needed to also, so...

Bonnie Doran Says: 11:10 AM

Interesting game. It might give writers some fodder for their characters. I may look at it someday after I conquer my blog, email, Twitter, Facebook, and cat (good luck with the last one).

Kay Day Says: 12:50 PM

I'm just surprised that you have free time.

I loved the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the old Willie Wonka one, too.
But one thing that came across more clearly in the new one was the idea of free will and sovereignty/ foreknowledge. Willie didn't create these people, but he knew themand their personalities.
He let them make choices, but you could tell that he already knew what they were going to choose. And he set them up, too. So there you have all of those things working together.

I played an old version of Sims and couldn't get interested. I already have people begging me to feed them all the time. Maybe I would like the new one better.

Sue Says: 2:14 PM

I love it... and I love my Sims3 game too. I've been a Sim fan for YEARS, since the first one came out and have somewhat of a little addiction to it. I mean, I never have to move my real home because all my housing fantasies become real when I play my Sims game. I live in my dream house & when I get bored of it, I just move or reconstruct. I even can have children in my Sims world which I can't do in real life. Gotta love it ... although I do feel convicted when I play too much and ignore God in the process :-(

Love how you made me think about the whole free will thing though... I see myself in that analogy!

Leslie Says: 11:43 AM

I get to jump in about the Sims too :) I had been looking into buying the Sims for awhile and managed to get a deal on it - I was hooked (very addicted) for several weeks and then finally weened myself off so that now I play at a reasonable rate (about once every two weeks for an evening). I too love it and also see the theological implications. The funny thing is... you CAN turn the free will off where they don't go and doing something else. But I chose not to.

I also figured out its a great tool to use if you want to create a character or a setting when writing.

I'm not going to shell out the money for Sims 3 yet... my computer probably can't handle it... but I'm enjoying what I've got.

The fun part? I started out with a family of sextuplets... LOL. And the eldest daughter kept having twins when I married her off.

Leslie Says: 11:44 AM

Oh - and YES they do get sick.. I'm surprised this hasn't happened for you before because it happens to mine on a regular basis - they get a cold or the flu and have to stay bed-ridden or lying down until they are well. Let me tell you sometimes that's a pain cause they refuse to do so sometimes and it takes forever to get them well again.

Angela Says: 6:53 PM

They DO get sick? Can't wait to see that! Thanks, Leslie, for giving me something else to look forward to. The game is so complex, I learn something new every day.

Tonight I told Brandilyn Collins about the Sims--she didn't know about them. I've just opened an entire new world for her . . . :-)

Angie

Leslie Says: 8:35 PM

Oh my goodness! Well it is possible to kill the characters off (starve them) and there are lots of times they want to be saved from death... so I can just imagine what she'd do to them!

You also mentioned you never see them pray....but (and this is stretching it) have you ever had them look towards you and throw a temper tantrum? Similiar to some folks version of praying.... "Why AREN'T you getting me what I want/need!"

Connie Says: 11:18 AM

The most I have seen them get sick in Sims3 is from eating bad food or being pregnant, although I did have an older Sim grandma who kept throwing up for no apparent reason. I have though, ummm, accidentally electrocuted and killed a Sim. I was traumatized the first time I saw that happen! I haven't seen them want to be saved from death is Sims 3 either, only in 2.

Angela Says: 11:26 AM

LOL! I would love to know how you electrocuted a Sim! Standing in a pool of water while using the food processor? The imagination boggles!

Angie

Leslie Says: 11:48 AM

Connie, in Sims 2, do you know how to save them from death? I keep getting characters who want to be saved, but I have no idea how to try to kill them off besides starving them....

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: Name: Angela; Location: Florida, United States

In no particular order, Angela Hunt is a novelist, teacher, mother, wife, mastiff owner, reader, musician, student, aspiring theologian, and bubble gum connoisseur. The things that enter her life sooner or later find their way into her books, hence "a life in pages."

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