Tom Hanks, move over!

Girls Play Bach on a Giant Piano

Remember in the movie BIG, when Tom Hanks played the giant piano keyboard at FAO Schwartz?

Tee hee. These two girls would put him to shame. Fascinating!

Enjoy!

~~Angie

This and That . . .

I wrote yesterday's post in faith . . . that apparently was misplaced. Yes, my new refurbished iMac did arrive at 4 p.m. on Saturday, and by 5 p.m. the Apple dude and I had declared it DOA. Dead on arrival. I spent all day waiting and prepping--moved the son's upstairs computer to the closet (decided to salvage it for parts as needed), moved my old office computer upstairs cleared and cleaned off my desk (mostly), and waited for the Fed Ex man. When he finally arrived, I pulled out the new computer, plugged it in, watched the lovely welcome screen explode into a million colors . . . and then turn green. Pixelated green.

Never got it to recognize my other files, never got rid of the green. So Apple is going to take the refurb back, and I broke down and bought a new one AND paid for overnight delivery . . . which I hope actually arrives overnight. Hope to have it Tuesday.

But I've kept working. I'm always hesitant to disclose details on the WIP unless the contract is signed and sealed, even though I keep working toward the deadline because I know deadlines are important to publishers. And I have a reputation to maintain. :-)

So I will probably soon tell you exactly what I'm working on, but for now, I'll tell you that I'm writing a woman's story--and it's one of the most amazing stories of grace I've ever heard. I hope it sells a zillion copies because I think this book will affect lives and marriages and churches. I can hardly wait to sit down at the computer and work each day.

So--for now, I must get to work. Hope your day is lovely and your computers are all bug-free.

P.S. Did you hear about Billy Mays, the Oxy-clean infomercial guy? Dead at age 50. Looks like he was hit on the head when his plane had a rough landing in Tampa. No one knows the cause of death, though.

~~Angie

The MacBook

You know how I'm always saying, "Get a mac, get a mac, get a mac, mac, mac?" (to the tune of Bethoveen's Fifth):
well, the above video may convince you though I cannot! :-) Hat tip to Deb Raney for the link.

I ordered a new Mac desktop the other day because my old one was beginning to stagger beneath the weight of the latest programs. I love it! Too cool.

~~Angie

Speaking of cats . . .

This video reminds me of that crazy young man who lived with grizzlies . . . until he and his girlfriend were eaten by them. Shaking head here. Lovely to watch, but I wouldn't try it. Besides, my dogs are almost that big, and they're tame. Mostly. :-)

~~Angie

For you cat people . . .

Oh, my. Yesterday was a strange day in terms of celebrity.

First Farrah Fawcett dies. Then Michael Jackson (who is a wee bit younger than I am).

And then I hear that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick name their new (through a surrogate) twins: Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge Broderick. "Both Hodge and Elwell are family names on Parker's side," the statement explains.

So . . . is Sarah Jessica my cousin or something?

I'm still working hard--did 10,000 words yesterday and nearing the end of a first draft of my current project.

Now to today's topic:

Moscow Cat Theatre

In honor of Clyde, Belinda, and those of you who love cats . . . enjoy. Who knew you could teach cats to do that?

~~Angie

Slow News Day

Okay, I'll admit it's a slow news day here in Hunt-ville. I'm hard at work on my project, my computer almost died, but the Apple dudes helped me fix it . . .

and I found this truly strange web page. (Hey, only the best for my readers). After scrolling through it, you'll be so grateful God designed the human body . . . right side up. :-)

~~Angie

Okay, Here's something to Unsettle your Breakfast

Visit this page: U.S. Debt Clock.

Read the background information found at the "about" link at the bottom of the page.

Now ask yourself how we can afford nationalized health care.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Back to work--

~~Angie

Got a minute?

For today's blog post, I'm sending you on a shopping spree. In Denmark. And no, you don't have to have any money.

Just click on this link, let the page load (it takes a moment), and look at the products page. Wait a minute . . . and let the products entertain you.

A hat tip to Michael Garnier for this entertaining link. :-)

~~Angie

What I'm Reading

The other day I started reading THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett, after a friend recommended it. I'm about halfway through, and it's great! It's about Southern women (from Jackson, Mississippi, to be precise) in the sixties and their relationships with their black maids.

Well, my family never had a maid while I was growing up, but I remember one family on my street did. I always thought it'd be kind of strange to have someone in the house who wasn't family--someone who would clean up your messes for you. In my house, we always had to clean up our own messes. :-)

In any case, I've always enjoyed reading about African American culture. In high school I did a term paper on "Black Literature," and had my eyes opened to a host of authors I'd never read before (and I'll bet most of my classmates hadn't read, either). I had my eyes opened to urban life, a far cry from the life I knew as a suburban white kid.

Maybe that's why I enjoy those Tyler Perry movies so much--because, to the best of my knowledge, he is accurately portraying a culture he loves and respects. And while it's a bit different from my own, I can respect it, too.

Anyway, read THE HELP. I think you'll enjoy it.

~~Angie

I'm on a Tyler Perry kick

Actually, I've been on a Tyler Perry kick for some time. The first time I saw one of his movies--I think it was "Madea's Family Reunion"--I was shellshocked. I'd never seen the juxtaposition of Jesus and real life like that--I mean, usually if you hear so much about Jesus in a movie, you don't hear the occasional curse word or bawdy joke.

But Tyler Perry movies are like real life. Real people who make mistakes, slip with their vocabulary, and go to church for encouragement. Madea is over the top, of course, but the issues in these movies are very real and very touching.

Lately I've watched all the Madea movies (Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, etc), and then I watched "Daddy's Little Girl," "Why I Got Married," and the one with Cathy Bates--the title escapes me, but it was wonderful.

I love the way his characters talk about Jesus in a natural way . . . and I love the way they are real people. If you've never watched a Tyler Perry movie, give it a try . . . and let me know what you think.

Photos: Tyler Perry as himself, and as Madea.

P.S. I am working hard on a rush project, so if I fall behind on the blog, forgive me, please. I'll catch up as soon as I'm able.

~~Angie

Ed Dobson

I knew Ed Dobson, or "Dean Dobson," in former days, when I was a student at Liberty. We all loved him--loved his Irish accent, the way he would preach, "If thou faint [pronounced 'feint'] in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."

Odd that my mind should supply that memory now, because surely his days are filled with adversity.

Thanks to fellow Liberty alum Kay Day (that's her real name) for pointing me toward this video.

Someone at the Glen Eyrie Writer's Workshop proposed a provocative idea--take one of those life expectancy tests that you find online, and then fill a bowl with the number of marbles that corresponds to the number of weeks you have left to live. Then remove a marble each week, so you can see how many weeks you have remaining.

Of course, no one knows how accurate those life expectancy tests are, but the principle is sound: we have a finite number of days in our account, and God is withdrawing a marble each week, whether we're aware of it or not. How, then, are we spending our days--thinking about trivial things or pointing people to Jesus?

Lots to think about.

~~Angie

Hummingbirds

While at Glen Eyrie, I had to step outside the castle to call my husband. (Apparently cell phone reception isn't too good inside a stone mansion.) While standing out on the porch, I spotted a tree with an empty nest inside. A moment later I saw a female robin fly down, so I assume, perhaps wrongly, that the nest was hers.

How fitting to discover this collection of photographs on the web. Adorable baby hummingbirds. The best part is the last frame, where you see how small the hummingbird nest actually is! Makes me want to run outside and grab a camera, but I honestly don't think I've ever seen a hummingbird in flight before (except in a video). God is an amazing creator!

~~Angie

Photo credit: Kevin Feldotto

P.S. I wrote the post above while at Glen Eyrie. And on our last morning, I stepped outside, spotted a hummingbird feeder, and saw three hummingbirds feeding from it! LOL! How God loves to delight us.

Post-It Pandemonium

Kudos to this design student! I wonder how many packages of post-its he used to make this video?

~~Angie

Cool crop circles

Count me in with the "human effort" group, but I still think SIGNS is one of the best--and most spiritual--movies ever made. If you ever want to see the theme of God's sovereignty illustrated plainly, rent SIGNS.

And enjoy this imaginative crop circle.

~~Angie

Face Book Apps

I have enjoyed Facebook--but I'll admit that I'm not into joining many groups or adding many of those cutesy apps to my page. First, I don't have time. Second, I worry about exposing my online privacy to too many strange computer programs.

But CNET has assembled a group of facebook applications that might actually be worthwhile. Check them out here and see if any of them are right for you.

And I'll see you on facebook!

~~Angie

The Computer Man

Before the Mac and Apple guys, there was . . . computer man? LOL!

~~Angie

Don't Try this at home . . .

I don't know if this is real or fake, but it's pretty entertaining, nonetheless. Ouch! Wonder how many times he hit himself while he was learning to juggle?

~~Angie

Home again, catching up.

Photo: Clyde's picture of our first meeting at Glen Eyrie last year. :-) She's quite the artist, isn't she?

I'm home again, and catching up on all the things cluttering my desk.

First--it looks like my agent and I have found a new publishing home for my novels. I will soon, Lord willing, be signing a contract to write three new novels that will keep me busy for at least the next year and a half (I'm forcing myself to slow down these days). So that's an answered prayer and good news.

Second--the collaborative book I'm doing on a rush deadline is coming along. I spent three days in Chicago with my client, and found her absolutely delightful. She also has such a riveting story that I find it hard to break away from it once I sit down to write. More details to come about this once I get the book handed in.

And later today, after my much-needed visit to the hair salon, I have to pack for Glen Eyrie and our annual writer's summit. This is a WONDERFUL and unique writer's workshop unlike any other, plus it takes place in the beautiful mountains and in a castle. Can't beat that. :-) Plus, we've already been given (tentative) dates for next year: June 6-9, 2010. Mark them down!

And finally, I'm thinking about getting my Th.D. --that's a Doctorate of Theology. The online school through which I got my doctorate in biblical literature is offering a new program, and it looks interesting, so I'm definitely going to check it out.

As I said on my facebook page recently--I'm so grateful I have so much to learn! I'm leaving for Colorado Springs tomorrow morning, so I'll try to post a few interesting things while I'm gone.

Tootles!

~~Angie

A tip of the hat to Clyde, for sending this link. So powerful and so true!

Angie

Squirrel Acrobatics

And you thought you had smart squirrels . . . .

I don't know who to be more impressed by--the plucky rodent or the woman who set all this up. But the next time you're grousing because the squirrels won't stay out of your bird feeder, keep this experiment in mind . . . and graciously give up. :-)

~~Angie