A Blessed Christmas to you and yours!

The Christmas brunch menu is planned, the Daughter is on her way home, and the Son is beaming because he GAVE some cool things this year.

I'm happily munching on bubble gum--my gift from Santa hubby. :-) The diet has taken a vacation.

The work has been set aside, and I think even the dogs know that this is a special, reverent time.

May you--those of you I have come to know by name, and those of you who lurk--and your family enjoy the calm of eternal peace that springs from one holy night.

~~Angie

Book Review: Who Really Cares

The Wall Street Journal recently ran Wilfred McClay's review by of the new book, Who Really Cares, by Arthur Brooks. (Dec. 22, '06).

Misters Brooks and McClay confirmed what I've known for years--religious people give more than political liberals who talk a lot about giving, but would prefer that the government empty its pockets first.

I don't usually talk politics in this blog because I know it's a quaqmire from which there is no escape. But it's so refreshing to hear this news, I couldn't resist.

The following is from the review:

"Mr. Brooks speaks here with the authority of a liberal who has been mugged by the data. 'These are not the sorts of conclusions I ever thought I would reach,' . . . He fully expected to find confirmation at every turn that political liberals 'cared more about others than conservatives did.' But his empirical findings simply refused to comply with his expectations . . . Mr. Brooks concludes that four distinct forces appear to have primary responsibility for making people behave charitably: religion, skepticism about the government's role in economic life, strong famlies and personal entrepreneurship. Those Americans who have all four, or at least three, are much more likely to behave charitably than those who do not."

Specifically:

• people who attend houses of worship regularly are 25 percent more likely to give and 23 percent more likely to volunteer, and the religious give away four times the amounts of money than the secular do.


• Conservative households give thirty percent more to charity than liberal households.


• Redistributionist liberals give about a fourth of what redistributionist skeptics give.

Mr. McClay, author of the review, says, "One can hope that this debate will refresh our patterns of social thought by reintroducing some very old ideas: the importance of giving as one of the central activities of a free people and the profoundly spiritual paradox that giving is itself the ultimate source of our greatest wealth and happiness."

Can it be that one reason the country assumes that conservatives are stingy and liberals are generous is because liberals talk about giving to the poor while conservatives are mindful of the admonition to "let not your right hand know what your left hand is doing?" Some of the greatest gifts are given quietly, anonymously, without any fanfare. And those are the givers, I think, who enjoy the greatest reward.

Perhaps religious people give more because they recognize that what they have comes from God. And, mindful of their blessedness and unworthiness, they are quick to pass God's bounty on to the less fortunate. Or perhaps they are simply obeying the admonitions we find over and over in Scripture: blessed is the man who gives.

A friend of mine tells the story of Christ's advent something like this: Gabriel was planning a huge to-do for the son of God's arrival on earth--a display of shooting stars, a parade of angelic choirs, a heavenly procession through the clouds.

But God said, "No, I had something different in mind. He will come to earth as a baby, be entrusted to poor parents, and be born in a humble animal pen."

Gabriel was crestfallen. All his fantastic plans . . . would he not be allowed to do anything?

Not wanting to hurt the angel's feelings, God the Father relented. "Okay," he said, "I'll let you do something. You can use one angel choir . . . and one star."

This Christmas, let us not forget that we live . . . because God gave.

A blessed Christmas to you and yours!

~~Angie

Nativity Story Update!

Tyndale House has just released a video, recorded last summer, where I talked about the writing of The Nativity Story novelization. Click on the link below to watch.

http://www.tyndale.com/thenativitystory/videos.asp

~~Angie

Product Review: Cover Girl Outlast

Okay, so this isn't the most earth-shattering of topics, but if you're female and you speak/sing/go/eat out in public, you'll appreciate it.

When most women apply their lipstick, it remains on for a few hours or until a meal is eaten--which isn't long. When I used to sing professionally, I used to carry a tube of lipstick in the elastic sleeves of my performance clothes for a last-minute touch-up--and try to discreetly apply it at the table, which everyone knows is Bad Manners. Occasionally I'd have to throw up both arms in a choreographed move, which sent my lipstick rolling up/down my arm and into my blouse, where it was usually caught by my belt . . . you see, you never know what's going on beneath . . . never mind. ;-0

Well--now we can all be well-mannered because one lipstick stays on! I've tried other "long-lasting" lipstick products, most of which kept their promise by sort of staining my lips and leaving them dry--not the best effect.

But some of my girlfriends have been shouting about CoverGirl Outlast, so I gave it a try. Last week, before our neighborhood progressive dinner, I applied it. The application is a two step process--first you apply color and let it dry, then you apply the "varnish" (my word, not theirs), which also dries.

I told my neighborhood friends about the miracle product, and after every course/every house, we all checked to be sure my lipstick was hanging on. It did. It hung on until 11 p.m., in fact, when I had to use eye makeup remover to take the stuff off. But that worked with no problem.

So--need a long lasting, glossy looking lip color? CoverGirl Outlast.

Now I wish I'd bought stock in the stuff.

~~Angie

Movie Review: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Robin Lee Hatcher recommended the DVD of "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont," so I watched it . . . and loved it. The photo is of the book (with photos of the movie actors), and I thought it was interesting that the book was written by Elizabeth Taylor--who, I'm assuming, is not the movie star.

In any case, the story is about a restless widow who goes to live at the Claremont Hotel in London--a slightly seedy hotel where old folks go to . . . vegetate, mostly, until Mrs. Palfrey arrives and befriends a restless young man. These two form a real friendship, and each helps the other in unforgettable ways.

Joan Plowright plays Mrs. Palfrey, and she's wonderful. (Mom, this would be a good one for the next time you and your sisters have a sleep over.)

So--Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. Lovely and literary. Enjoy.

P.S. Thank you for the many birthday wishes. It feels great to be forty-eight . . . plus one. :-)

~~Angie

It's that time of year again . . .

Yesterday I filled out a form that asked my age. I firmly wrote 48.

Today I'd have to write 49.

Oy! How quickly time flies!

~~Angie

Unmentionable

Boy, it's been a busy week and I feel like I haven't accomplished a thing--not a thing on my to-do list, anyway.

After meeting a mini-deadline last week, I needed to switch from nonfiction to fiction gear this week, but yesterday I took some time to write a proposal for an idea that hit me up side the head (the result of a year's percolation) and send it to my agent.

Today I spent most of the morning and early afternoon buying my husband a car for Christmas--now, don't think that I walked into the dealership and threw a stack of money on the desk. Ha! What I did do was pick out the car (via Consumer Reports), do the haggling over the phone (not hard, since the car went on clearance), and handled all the credit stuff. Signed our lives away for the next five years, and presto! New car hassles handled by the wife. Merry Christmas.

Finally got home, where a huge stack of pages awaited me--the first pages for THE ELEVATOR, which I have to go through for the last time before publication. So I've been busy, just not doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Since I'm way off schedule, I wanted to blog about a book review I read last week in the Wall Street Journal. The review, by Danielle Crittenden, is of the book UNPROTECTED, by Anonymous, M.D.

The premise: young adults are endangering their emotional and physical lives by "free sex," yet no one wants to talk about it lest they be branded as intolerant. "Unfortunately," says Crittenden, "the young women described in UNPROTECTED have fallen victim to one of the few personal troubles that our caring professions refuse to treat or even acknowledge: they have been made miserable by their 'sexual choices.' And on that subject, few modern doctors dare express a word of judgment."

Doctors will warn people about fatty diets, but they won't tell young people that promiscuity can result in venereal disease now and cervical cancer later. They don't tell young people about the guilt and emotional trauma that can occur after a "problem pregnancy" is terminated by abortion.

The book's author, a medical doctor, treats Brian, a young homosexual man who is engaged in "high-risk sex" with several partners. But she can't insist that he be tested for AIDS. And if he were to submit to voluntary testing, and should it prove positive for HIV, she can't report the information to the local health department--even though she'd be required to do so if he had tuberculosis or some other contagious disease.

The author of the book, says Crittenden, "has published it anonymously precisely because she fears that if her employers and colleagues heard her unwelcome views, they would judge her negatively--and punish her, personally and professionally."

In this age of political correctness, we have found it easier to shut up than to be unpopular. But there are times when we must speak out. Someone, somewhere will be grateful that someone else had the courage.

Unprotected, by Anonymous, M.D. I'm going to look for a copy.

~~Angie

Make Your Own Holiday Sweater

http://www.myholidaysweater.com/

This is too much fun! Make your own holiday sweater, upload your picture, and send it to friends. So cute!

~~Angie

Don't Shoot Your Eye Out! (I love that movie!)

http://www.dontshootyoureyeout.com/

Okay, this is hilarious. Don't forget to hit the space bar before you click the mouse to shoot. What's your score?

My neighborhood is having a progressive dinner tonight, and it ends with dessert at my house. After church, I'll be home cleaning!

~~Angie

The Word of the Year

I am totally wiped this morning. I worked this past week on my current nonfiction WIP from morning until night--in fact, I was in the garage late last night and found myself staring at my poor car, which hasn't seen the sunlight since last Sunday. (No wonder my cars never have any miles on them!)

But--though I feared I'd have to work today, I finished late last night, even battling through a migraine (Of course what I wrote may make no sense, but that's okay. I have two more drafts to polish.)

Anyway--looking forward to going out in a bit to get groceries and pick up food for the doggies. BTW, Babe, the new 180-lb. girl (who's as strong as an ox) has discovered that she can BREAK the stained glass in our front door. Oh, yeah. First it was one pane, the next day she broke two more. So now I've taped a huge cardboard box over the door, hoping to shield the UPS man and anyone else who comes up our sidewalk (that's what sets her off--approaching visitors. She acts like she wants to eat them up, which is probably not a good thing.)

Other than that, she's a sweetie. And yes, I've called the woman who installed my stained glass, and she's ordering new glass as I type. (The photo, come to think of it, is of the door. I had to email photos of the damage to the stained glass designer. If you click on the picture, you can see the broken panes . . . and the fact that I love Levengers.)

Anyway, to the topic at hand. According to dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster, "truthiness" best summed up 2006, so it's the word of the year. The word was coined by Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defines it as "truth that comes from the gut, not books."

I've news for Mr. Colbert--a lot of stuff that comes from the gut is completely false (not to mention verbally flatulent), so I suppose a thing's "truthiness" is entirely subjective. A lot of books are entirely subjective, too, but I know at least one that isn't.

~~Angie

Elf yourself!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=dae990fe855e62865e9a41cG20061210

Suzanne is right, this is too cute! Visit the above link and elf yourself!

Note: I heard on Good Morning America that this site was getting so many hits it almost shut down! So if the dancing elf comes up without a face, you'll know it's just busy!

~~Angie

21st Century Idols

I was reading in Isaiah the other day and came across these verses: "Those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame . . . "

The prophet then talks about those who take a tree and use part of it for a fire and part to make an idol: "From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, 'Save me, you are my god.' . . .

No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, 'Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?' He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?" . . .

(Isaiah, selections from chapters 42-46).

Now--it's not my intention to offend, but something really struck me this morning as I read the paper. At the bottom of the front page of the Tampa Tribune was an article titled, "As Home Sales Fall, St. Joseph Sales Rise." It included a photo of a St. Joseph statue, with a prayer to St. Joseph in a side bar. This is an excerpt from the prayer: "St. Joseph, I am going to place you in a difficult position, with your head in darkness . . . and you will suffer as our Lord suffered until this house/property is sold . . . Amen."

The article was about the slow in real estate sales and the corresponding rise in "St. Joseph sales kits"--the ritual? You bury the statue on the property and recite the above prayer every day in order to sell your house.

I'd heard of this before, but I don't think I'd ever read the prayer . . . which struck me more as an incantation. How--and why--should treating a plastic statue of St. Joseph in a cruel and vindictive manner result in answered prayer? And how is this a prayer at all?

Prayer is asking God to answer your request, and most people who pray acknowledge that God may have other plans--he is not at our beck and call. We are his servants, not the other way around.

I was simply amazed at how many people are willing to place their faith in a statue instead of in God. Isn't that what idolatry is?

I can hear you now--"what could it hurt? I'm not really worshipping St. Joseph. I just see it as a harmless thing to do." Then why do it?

Scripture clearly states that God detests idolatry. He doesn't need help to answer your prayers--even if he answers no. (And if he's answering "no," are you going to a different "authority" for a "yes" answer?)

Frankly, I'm more accustomed to seeing "modern" people worship/trust in education, humanism, astrology, mysticism, or their own intellect instead of God. Contemporary idols--and there are lots of 'em-- are usually of the intangible variety.

Please don't say I'm being anti-(insert the name of group here). I know that all kinds of people buy these statues and hope that they'll work. This willingness to place faith in something other than God is not confined to any particular group or denomination.

Why not wait on God? Maybe some people would rather trust a statue because God may not want to grant them their desires. How like children we are! If one parent doesn't give us what we want, when we want it, we run to someone else.

But God alone is God, and he alone is worthy of our trust and worship. As John writes, "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." (1 John 5:20-21).

~~Angie

Odd Book Titles

From the 12/03 New York Times:

The Diagram Group's "Oddest Book Title of the Year" prize has been contested annually since 1978. The award is run by the British trade magazine The Bookseller, and is eagerly voted for by publishers and booksellers. Below are some of the winning titles:

2005: People Who Don't Know They Are Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It.

2004: Bombproof Your Horse

2002: Living with Crazy Buttocks

1995: Reusing Old Graves

1984: The Book of Marmalade: Its Antecedents, Its History, and Its Role in the World Today

1980: The Joy of Chickens

and finally, 1978's winner: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice

~~Angie

Do you Have an Accent?

HT to Robin Lee Hatcher (http://robinlee.typepad.com) for the following fascinating quiz.

I'll never forget the day last year when I was signing books at a school in South Carolina. This adorable boy came up for me to sign his book, so I asked his name. "Cly," he said.

"Clyde?" I asked, not sure I'd heard him correctly.

He shook his head. "Cly."

I tried spelling it: "C-L-Y?"

He shook his head again. "No, C-L-A-Y."

Oh. Clay. Which in my part of the country rhymes with hay, stay, and convey.

Then again, those words probably rhyme in his part of the country, too. :-)

Angie

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Northeast
The Inland North
Philadelphia
Boston
The West
The South
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

The Christmas Rush

Photo: Babe and her new Christmas tree.

I've had many Christmases, but this is one of the busiest on record--and it's been busy even without all the church musicals, rehearsals, and so many of the things that used to fill my Decembers!

Saturday hubby and son went out to get the Christmas tree. We pulled down all the boxes from the attic and spent the better part of Saturday afternoon lighting, trimming, and draping the tree. Babe lay at its feet and just gazed up at it--too cute! I think Charley's afraid of it.

Anyway, by pounding on the kitchen door, Babe got me up before the sun on Sunday morning. As I walked through the foyer, I thought something wasn't right--there should be a shadow just outside the doors of the library, but no, nothing. So I turned on the light and saw the Christmas tree snoozing at the foot of the stairs . . . amid a puddle, of course, and tons of brightly gleaming broken glass.

Eeek. Got the hubby up and began the repair mission. Had to wash and dry the tree skirt, sweep up dozens of broken ornaments (I thought I could move to glass bulbs now that the kids are grown), and reassemble everything. Hubby and I got the tree upright again, and it's still hanging on . . . for now.

As we were cleaning, I remembered last Christmas, when our tree went over at least half a dozen times. "But it never fell over in the years before that," I said. "Why?"

That's when we realized that last year was the first time we bought a tree stand--one of those plastic kind you fill with water. Every year prior, we'd always bought our tree at the Kiwanis place, where the guys NAIL a tree stand onto the thing. Not one of those babies ever keeled over.

Well . . . I suppose you get what you pay for. I figure we've already eaten up our savings in our do-it-yourself stand because we'll have to replace broken bulbs. But I'm replacing them with plastic.

A busy week ahead--working on my nonfiction project, hostessing a party Monday night, doing a couple of interviews for The Nativity Story book, trying to maintain my schedule for the novel in progress, and pressing on with my Old Testament class for my doctoral work.

Last night hubby says to me: "Well, the party Monday night will be easy. Since the caterer's cooking, you won't have to do a thing."

Not a thing, huh? I just have to vacuum, clean, and find places to sit thirty people for dinner. Then I have to find matching china for each table, plus napkins and tablecloths, plus I'll have to do a last-minute run through the house to wipe away any new dog drool . . . Oh, yeah, I'll be sitting and eating bonbons all afternoon.

But I'm not complaining because I really enjoy this party. It's for our middle school volunteers, and some of them have been with us nineteen years. They deserve a clean house.

At least I don't have to cook.

~~Angie

Bible boo-boos

From the 12/03 New York Times:

A May 2006 Gallup poll that 28 percent of Americans believe the Bible represents the actual word of God to be taken literally word for word [in the original scripts!]. But not every translation has made it through the publication process without error. Look at some of these dangerous typos:

Camels Bible: an 1823 Bible that read: "And Rebekah arose, and her camels [damsels]."

The Child Killing Bible: Thomas Bensley's 1795 Bible read: "Let the children first be killed [filled]."

The Wicked Bible: printed in 1631, by Barker and Lucas, the word "not" was ommitted from the seventh Commandment, making adultery appear compulsory.

Vinegar Bible--in 1717 the Clarendon Press printed a heading in Luke "The parable of the Vinegar [Vineyard]."

"Sin On" Bible: a 1716 King James Bible where, in John 5:14, because of a transposition of "n" and "o," readers are exhorted to "Go and sin on more."

Price of Peace Bible: the 1966 Jerusalem Bible included a misprint exhorting us to "Pay [pray] for peace."

~~Angie

Lexical-Gustatory synaesthesia

Want a little mustard with that speech?

Have you wondered if people see colors differently? If my blue is your green? Have you thought about the possibility that in heaven, sights will have sounds or sounds will have tastes?

Well, there are some folks on earth who might be experiencing a heavenly ability now. They enjoy--or suffer from--lexical-gustatory synaesthesia. What is that? Okay, class, study the words. "Lexical" has to do with being derived from words; "gustatory" usually applies to food or digestion. And "syn" has to do with absorbing, while we see "thesia" in a process.

If you have lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, you can actually taste words. These people taste specific flavors when they hear certain words or even try to recall them, says Julia Simner, a cognitive neuropsychologist at the University of Edinburgh. Her study, "Words on the Tip of the Tongue" was published in Nature last month. (I'd have called it, "You'll Wish You Could Eat Those Words!")

According to the article I read, magnetic-resonance imaging proves that these folks aren't faking--and the experience can be unpleasant. One subject hates driving because road signs flood his mouth with every taste from pistachio ice cream to ear wax. And Simner has yet to figure out any logical pattern. For example, the word "mince" makes one subject taste mincemeat, but so do rhymes like "prince." Words with a soft "g" as in "roger" or "edge," make him taste sausage. But another subject, hearing "castanets," tastes tuna fish. Another can taste only proper names. "John" means cornbread for him; "William" tastes like potatoes.

No one can explain the mystery--the flavors are just there.

Gives new meaning to the proverb about a word fitly spoken being like golden apples, doesn't it?

~~Angie

I'm Not Trying to Make Your Dog Jealous, but . . .

Since no one had any questions or answers, we'll proceed apace with our regularly scheduled blog nonsense.





All of you who have little wind-up dogs should take a look at this photo. Babe, our newest mastiff from mastiff rescue, plays basketball!





She needs to work on her technique, though, because she doesn't dribble . . . she drools. :-)





~~Angie

BOM: The Research

BTW, I have just sent out my quarterly e-newsletter. If you didn't receive it and would like to, sign up in the "newsletter" box to the right, and I'll resend in a couple of days.

Though I was working from Mike Rich's excellent script, when it comes to research, I don't trust anyone to do my homework for me. Fortunately, I have an incredible research library, most of it computerized, and I use Ask Sam, a program that enables me to organize my research texts into a word-searchable database. So I took the same database I'd used for Magdalene and expanded it to include information about Mary, Joseph, Nazareth, Elizabeth, Zachariah, the Temple, Herod the Great, the Babylonian magi, etc. I relied heavily on texts from Alfred Edersheim, and the novel includes a five-page bibliography of all my sources. I want people to know I don't make details up. If you're going to be a historical novelist, I think you should go to the best and earliest sources you can find and verify everything possible.

As I watched the movie at the premier, I was struck by how differently I perceived several scenes. The movie shows Zechariah standing in the Temple before a relatively small crowd that includes women, but the women were only allowed in the Court of the Women, so there's no way they'd be waiting outside the Holy Place. Furthermore, the Temple would have been mega-church crowded at the time of the offering of incense.

I was personally curious about how Zechariah was chosen to offer the incense. All my life I've read that this priest was among those chosen by lot, and somehow I couldn't imagine the priests kneeling as they tossed a pair of dice against the wall. So the "lots" scene in the novel--where the leader counts fingers, not Israelites--is accurate. Fascinating stuff from Edersheim!

The movie also compresses the probable timeline--Mary stayed at Elizabeth's house three months, so unless she delayed her journey to Elizabeth's house, that's not long enough for her to feel the baby move--babies don't "quicken" until the fourth or fifth month.

In any case, as I wrote I made some quiet changes and clarifications. Nothing that changes the story, of course, but hopefully some things that make the biblical account clearer.

Let's talk about Mary and Joseph arriving at Bethlehem. First of all, all the cities were walled in those days, and each city had a well inside the wall. Jewish tradition stated that whenever people went to a strange town, they would go to the well (which served as a community gathering place), where they'd meet up with someone who would inevitably invite them home for the night. Because Abraham extended hospitality to the angels "unaware," this was a longstanding tradition among the Hebrews. In an ordinary situation, Mary and Joseph would have gone to the well and waited until someone invited them to stay overnight.

But this was no ordinary time. The census had uprooted all kinds of people, and the Romans had erected "katalumas" outside the city--structures rather like an open tent. Since the city was crowded and every family had taken in all the guests their homes could hold, the overflow folks were staying in the katalumas--with their donkeys, chickens, sheep, whatever. This is where Joseph and Mary first sought shelter and found the area too crowded.

A note about "inns": the idea of a hotel/motel was foreign to the Jews (because they had a strong tradition of hospitality), so traditional inns usually served Gentiles (with whom no devout Jew would share the same roof). Furthermore, these places were usually frequented by prostitutes, another reason for devout Jews to stay away. Proper inns, however, were rarely found in small towns, so if you've always thought that Bethlehem had a hotel . . . time to adjust your thinking.

If Mary and Joseph made it into the walled city, they would have asked for shelter from people at the well. Most poor people lived in one-room houses, and they bedded down the family goat or donkey in the house with them. It is therefore possible that a manger might exist inside the house. Wealthier people, however, might have larger homes, and if they had many animals, they might have a small stable area attached to the house. This easily explains why the shepherds found the baby in a stable and the wise men found him in a house. Different ways of saying the same thing.

After the night of the baby's birth, it's entirely possible and probable that a family took Mary and Joseph in.

Now--did the wise men really arrive two years later?

I don't think so, though I'm amazed at how many people think that's gospel truth. The primary reason some people have speculated that the wise guys came much later is because of the stable/house references, and the fact that Matthew uses the word "padion," a word for older child, while Luke refers to the "brephos," the word for infant.

We do know that Mary and Joseph remained in Bethlehem for at least forty days, the time of Mary's ceremonial uncleanness, before she had to go to the Temple (a short journey from Bethlehem) for her cleansing and the child's dedication. There was no reason for M&J to remain in Bethlehem any longer than that--they would have gone back to Nazareth if the angel had not sent them on to Egypt. Likewise, it would have been silly for them to go all the way back to Nazareth between the birth and the Temple dedication, especially since Mary was ceremonially unclean during that time . . . and undoubtedly exhausted.

So it is completely plausible that the magi saw the star and followed it before the child's birth and arrived soon afterward. The movie condenses this time line and has the magi arriving on the same night, but in writing the novel, I made it clear that M&J remained in Bethlehem forty days, then went to the Temple, and then headed to Egypt. I believe the wise men showed up at some point during that forty day period . . . and how convenient their arrival was, since M&J needed money to pay their Temple taxes. God always supplies.

If you've seen the film and read the novel and have any questions about historicity, be sure to ask and I'll do my best to field an answer on Q&A day.

Tomorrow: the writing

~~Angie

The Premier . . . the details

Photos: the Tyndale gals and an Oscar

Me and Mike Rich, the screenwriter

A huge poster on the street (about 10 feet tall)

"Elizabeth," "Joseph", and Catherine Hardwicke.

The details:

I landed in Los Angeles around lunchtime on Tuesday, then hauled my suitcase over to the terminal where four of the Tyndale women were due to come in. Both our flights were delayed, so it worked out great. While I sat and people-watched, I saw this one row of seats occupied by a family who looked like they might have come from Vietnam . . . three sleeping children piled on top of one another like puppies. One little boy had one shoe off and one shoe on, with his sister draped over him and Dad protectively watching over his brood. The man looked a little anxious until I caught his eye, smiled, and said, "beautiful children." Then he grinned at me.

The Tyndale gals came in and we piled into our stretch limo and headed to the hotel in Beverly Hills. I went to my room to check email (what else?) We had about an hour before we had to get dressed.

Now, none of us five girls had ever been to a Hollywood premier before. And since it was a fund-raiser for Habitat for Humanity, Karen joked that maybe we were supposed to wear jeans "with a beaded toolbelt." But who were we supposed to call to ask?

I said that the minute I said "premier" to the folks back home, the next question out of their mouths was "what are you going to wear?", so I was pretty sure we were okay in our fancy duds.

So there we were, all of us in basic black--except for one brave gal who wore magenta. :-) It was FREEZING outside (I'm a Florida girl, remember), and I did bring an evening coat (purchased at a clearance sale), but since none of the other girls had one, I figured I'd go with my chiffon wrap. Misery loves company.

I did hesitate as I got dressed--I didn't want to dress up too much, because I didn't want to look like I was trying to be a big wig (trust me, I know my place in the scheme of things), but I didn't want to look dowdy, either. So I bravely called forth my inner Brandilyn and went with a plain black skirt and a beaded top. Easy to wear, festive, and comfortable. And freezing.

We ate dinner at our hotel, then scooted out the door in taxis. (After posing for a few pictures, of course.) As we approached the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, we saw a tuxedoed mob in the sidewalk and the spangle of camera flashes. Touche! We had dressed correctly.

We got out, walked through the freezing wind, and picked up our tickets at the "will call" window. As I stood there, shivering, Gary Busey walked by. My first celebrity sighting.

How the red carpet works: The red carpet ran along the front of the building, not necessarily into the building, and some people were being pulled out so the photogs could take pictures. As we walked by, the young actor who plays Joseph was standing there, hands in his pockets, trying to look pleasant while he probably felt awkward (or at least I would have.) No one, of course, pulled us out for pictures, so we gratefully stepped into the warmth of the lobby and went upstairs to the theater.

Note: There are huge golden statues of Oscar scattered throughout the building (which immediately bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to mind), because the Academy of Arts and Sciences sponsors the Academy awards. But this isn't the same auditorium where the Oscars are given out.

The theater was full. At the end of our row--Gary Busey. (Apparently at these things you can see lots of celebrities or one celebrity lots of times.)

The director and several of the actors were there, including the man who played Mary's father, Joseph, and Elizabeth. There were probably others, but no one made any introductions. Finally the lights dimmed and screenwriter Randall Wallace, a believer (he wrote Braveheart and We Were Soldiers, among others) introduced Catherine Hardwicke, who stood up and pretty much said, "I hope you enjoy the movie."

We watched the movie--and I've already given you my impressions. I have to admit that I watched with an analytical mind, because I couldn't help but think of the scenes I'd created for the novel and I was busy comparing fiction against film. One note: You know, movies have their pluses--you can show so much so economically--but nothing beats a novel for getting into a character's head.

After the movie, people stayed until the very end of the LONG list of credits, occasionally applauding (probably for friends in the audience.) And then we all went downstairs for the food provided by Wolfgang Puck's catering service. I didn't even go near the buffet line (too crowded), but we did spy a dessert buffet and headed in that direction.

After a while, the crowd thinned out long enough for us to pick out people we wanted to meet and greet. We spoke to Mike Rich, the screenwriter, Jonathan Bock, head of Grace Hill Media (doing promotion for the film), and some others. We desperately wanted to say hello to Catherine Hardwicke, the director, because she had admired the gift book Tyndale did for the film--and the book designers were with us. So, like a black and magenta amoeba, we sidled over to where she stood talking to some friends. We have such good manners we didn't want to just jump in and grab her, but after a while it became apparent that's what we'd have to do if we wanted to speak to her at all. But then came . . . yep, Gary Busey. And we surely didn't want to interrupt him, so we waited and waited and waited . . . and finally Karen Watson touched Catherine on the arm so our amoeba could absorb her and Gary. Catherine was very kind and gracious as we went around the circle and made introductions--including Gary B., who just said, "I'm Gary."

All in all, it was a lovely night and I got back to the hotel room at about ten-thirty--which was 1:30 a.m. on my internal clock. Went to bed, got up the next morning, and had breakfast with two dear pals who happen to live in CA. Spent all day yesterday flying back (delayed planes, missed connections), and finally got home at about 1 a.m. last night. The Hubster had roses waiting on my desk--flowers I didn't even see until this morning because I was so tired last night.

Enjoy these pictures! I'll have more coming in because we all promised to share the photos we snapped. And to my writer friends who are thinking about movie projects--when you have your premier, give me a call so I can come cheer you on. I have a dress. :-)

~~Angie

P.S. Tomorrow--the book of the month! (Where did November go?)

Just in from the premier

Wow. Saw the NATIVITY STORY movie and loved its elegant simplicity. You won't be disappointed.

You know what? I'm actually glad I didn't see the movie before I wrote the novelization, because I made some radically different choices for some scenes. I think it's nice to have the variety. (I'll explain why I made those choices when we have the BOM discussion.)

And the premier--wow again. Will post lots of pics when I get back into town, but I'm sitting in my Beverly Hills hotel and it's 2 a.m. my time, so I'm going to go to sleep. But I met the director, Catherine Hardwicke, Gary Busey, and got a picture of "Elizabeth" , played by Shohreh Aghdashloo. Said hello to the screenwriter, Mike Rich, and met his lovely wife.

And "Joseph" was there--trust me, he does a fabulous job in the movie. An amazing young actor.

Lots of details and pics when I get home. Stay tuned!

~~Angie

The Journey to LA

Tuesday morning, 7:13 am, Tampa airport, gate A 16. Got up at five a.m. to be here, but the eyelids are still heavy (of course that might be because I stuck myself in the eye with a mascara wand at 5:15 a.m.)

HT to Jeanne Wynn for sending me this link: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061128/D8LLRK9O0.html

Seems there's a town in Illionis (CHICAGO!) that isn't allowing The Nativity Story to play at its annual Christmas festival . . . even though the festival also includes a manger scene. (Shaking of the head here.) Behold the power of film! They don't want to offend anyone.

Ted Baehr, whom I interviewed a LONG time ago, has written an encouraging review of THE NATIVITY STORY that you can read here: http://www.movieguide.org/nativitystory/. He has also written an essay about the importance of this movie--must reading, and it's here:

http://www.movieguide.org/nativitystory/sfimages/TrueMeaningofChristmas.pdf.

I can't wait to see the movie tonight. If you haven't blocked out a time to see the film this weekend, do so. Or reserve a time for later in the month when you can take the entire family.

As Ted said: "THE NATIVITY STORY is a nearly perfect movie. It should be a movie that every Christian would want to see. It is certainly a movie that every Non-Christian should see. It testifies in every way to Jesus the Messiah and is clearly and consciously evangelistic. Such statements that this baby is the “greatest King” and “God made flesh,” that the gold is for the King of the world, that the frankincense is for the greatest priest of all, and that the myrrh is to honor the sacrifice, and many, many more pointedly proclaim the story of the Christ and the great news that there is salvation in none other."

I'm going with a tiny purse filled with tissues. Even the few snippets I've seen have opened the floodgates of tears. So invite a friend or two and see the movie!

~~Angie

Only a few hours until Hollywood . . .

So this morning I'm on the treadmill, trying not to think about the big premier tomorrow night, and instead trying to figure out how to order my day. Do I jump into my revisions of Fairlawn? Do I work on my theology paper (almost done)? Do I jump back into Fairlawn 2? Or do I just chuck the schedule and go shopping?

I have to interrupt my thoughts and the adventures of Syd and Vaughn when the phone rings. It's a reporter from WTSP, our local CBS affiliate, and they saw the article in yesterday's newspaper. Can they come by this morning to tape an interview? (Actually, last night I heard they would probably be coming. This morning we nailed down the time.)

So I showered (and was so distracted that I washed my hair with conditioner. Twice. Kept wondering why it wouldn't lather), got dressed, and put the dogs away. No time to clean the house.

The reporter and camera guy were very nice and put me at ease. Maybe too much at ease, because when they said they wanted to film me packing for the trip, I invited the entire watching world into my closet. :-)

In any case, if you want to watch the video, you can see it here: http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/afternoon/article.aspx?storyid=44464.

Do I really speak in incomplete sentences? I suppose I do . . .

~~Angie

Handy Woman to the Rescue

Yesterday my local paper published an article about my upcoming trip to see the Nativity Story premier. If you're interested, you can read the article here.

On to more mundane things--

A couple of days ago, the thingamagig in our attic began to vibrate every time I ran the dryer. The more I ran it, the louder the hum became, until I began to worry about a possible fire danger in the attic.

Our house is two stories and the dryer is in an inner room on the first floor. That means the dryer ducting runs up through the second floor (though a wall in a closet) and then up through the attic to the room. Because that's a long way for lint to travel, the builder installed a DBF (dryer booster fan) in the attic. It's electric, and it turns on whenever it senses hot air coming through the duct.

The DBF has worked four years without a problem, but I began to suspect that it might be dying. So I went on the Internet to first 1) identify the thingamajig and 2) figure out who to call to fix it. Should I call an electrician? A duct cleaning company? An AC guy?

I found the fan, identified it, and read that it was supposed to be cleaned every six months! LOL! This is a part of the attic I never even ENTER, let alone clean!

So I called the company who made the fans and learned that these gizmos are supposed to be installed with clamps for easy removal. Mine wasn't. It was taped into the duct line with shiny electrical tape. And the very nice man on the phone assured me that I could find a way to do this myself.

I brought the 20 foot ladder out of the garage and climbed into the attic armed with a scalpel, duct tape, a flash light, a can of compressed air, and a tiny scrub brush. Found that cutting the DBF out of the duct line wasn't as severe an operation as it seemed--in fact, the hardest thing about working in the attic is finding a place to stand--there's no flooring up there, and my husband has already fallen through the ceiling once (in another house). He doesn't do attics anymore.

So, thanks to the miracle of compressed air, scrubbing, and duct tape, I managed to clean and reinstall everything. Found that the long duct is simply sticking up throught the ceiling--next time I think I'll take it down and vaccuum the thing out. It's amazing how much lint travels a very long way from the dryer. No wonder dryers create such a fire hazard!

And now my dryer is operating normally--quietly.

God bless tech guys who can explain things over the telephone.

~~Angie

What is a Christian?

My pal Jim asked a question the other day and I'm still pondering it. He asked what I'd say if someone wanted to know if they were a Christian--how can a person tell if he or she is truly born again?

The easy answer is "well, if you believe in Jesus, you're a Christian," but that alone doesn't work for me. Even demons believe in Jesus--they know he exists and they know he's God incarnate.

There are at least three Latin words which are translated "believe," and they mean very different things. The first is noticia, from which we get our word notice--in other words, we believe something is real because it's coporeal; we can see it. (This is the kind of belief demons have.) The second is assentia, which has to do with agreement--we "believe" in someone because we agree with them. The third is fiducia (sp?), which has to do with placing something in trust (think fidicuary).

When I teach, I tell the kids that I believe in President Bush--I know he exists because I've seen pictures of him. I believed in him enough to vote for him, so for the most part I agree with his policies. But if I were taken hostage, do I believe that he'd come to rescue me enough to place my life in his hands? No.

But that's how I believe in Christ. And I think that truly being a Christian has to do with more than simple assentia or noticia belief. It means entrusting your life to him so that your life gives evidence of the indwelling Spirit: Love, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, the qualities we call "fruit."

I keep thinking of the parable of the four soils. Those seeds that fell on the second and third grounds--they grew up, they appeared to flourish. To the passerby, they looked like healthy plants. But ultimately they faded, and they did not bear fruit.

Jesus said that many would say to him in the last day, "Lord, didn't we do this and that for you?" and he will answer, "Sorry, I never knew you."

I think he says that to those who represent that third type of soil. I believe there are lots of people who think they believe "enough"--they walk the walk and talk the talk, but they're not following Christ, nor are they bearing the fruit of the Spirit. And when the heat of tribulation or trial comes on them, they wither and fade away.

I found a blog the other day written by people who describe themselves as "ex-Christians and ex-ministers." The blog exists solely to "debunk Christianity." I fear that these are examples of that third type of soil.

We often cultivate something in our churches I call "easy believe-ism." We tell folks to come down front, pray the prayer, and everything will be fine, they're saved and on their way to heaven. Well . . . no. Following Jesus is more than praying a prayer; it's repenting, surrendering, and living a life that results in spiritual fruit.

We often define grace as "God's riches at Christ's expense," but living for Christ will cost you something, too--your right to call the shots. Oh, I know we all slip into the driver's seat occasionally, but when the Spirit dwells inside a person, that driver's seat isn't comfortable for very long.

So--how do we know if we're true Christians? We are actively following Christ and seeing the work of the Spirit in our lives.

I just think we need to spell it all the way out.

~~Angie

Delaware, Nativity, and Christmas!

Wow, we're already into the Christmas season! I have a zillion things to do--when do we find time to do the cards and the decorating?

A couple of news items: first, the photo today is of me and Judy Arthur, who I met at the Delaware Book Festival. Judy and I discovered that we have loads in common--mainly our children, who are twenty-something. Need I say more? If you've been there, you'll know what I mean.

Gary Soulsman, of the News Journal in Wilmington, wrote an interview article you can read here.

I also read a review of The Nativity Story movie with which I strongly disagree--and I haven't even seen the film yet! But (as you can tell from my comments after the review) the reviewer takes this film to task for using traditional elements while he applauds The Passion, which used even more traditional elements than the Nativity movie. It's apparent from some of the other comments that people who think they know the nativity story would do well to read the Scriptural account more closely. We have assumed so many traditional things are true . . . when it's quite possible they're not.

I'll be amplifying and explaining these statements next week, when The Nativity Story will be the Book of the Month. I can't wait to tell you all about it because I am really excited about this movie and the book! And the premier--I'll be heading to Hollywood on Tuesday, going to the premier on Tuesday night, and home later to tell you all about it!

~~Angie

Thanksgiving

Photos: The Food. The Red-haired Cousins. The dessert table. Daughter and hubby.
Yesterday, hubby, daughter, and I drove over to the annual family reunion in a small town in central Florida--a town so small that all I had to do was enter the name of the town in my GPS, and the talking woman took us straight there.

I thought I'd share some pictures--there were new babies this year, new faces, and dear, familar ones, too. And we were very grateful to be alive, together, and blessed. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I quickly began talking and soon forgot all about my camera.

I hope your Thanksgiving was warm and wonderful!

~~Angie

I baked

This picture is from my kitchen where last night I --drum roll--baked! A cherry cobbler, a Kentucky Derby pie, and a hash brown casserole. (How to you bake with two mastiffs sniffing at your countertops? Very watchfully!)

My relatives always gather at this women's club in a little town in central Florida. The aunts always bring the turkey and dressing, and the cousins always bring side dishes. There's no organization to it other than that, yet we always seem to have tables groaning with all kinds of goodies.

The Daughter came home yesterday and we went shopping--again, for the elusive thing to wear on the red carpet at the Nativity premier. I keep expecting someone to pinch me and tell me it was all a mistake, but so far, so good--we found something to wear and I have my travel reservations. (The other "thing to wear" didn't work when I tried it on. The skirt was too big, so back to the store it went.)

I've always tried to live according to that proverb that says it's better to sit at the low table and be invited up to the head table . . . than to sit at the head table and be asked to move to the low. In other words, I keep my expectations low, that way I'm not disappointed. (Aside: I've met so many authors who go, for instance, to their first book signing or their first booksellers' convention and are CRUSHED when there aren't lines out the door of huge posters emblazoned with their names and faces. "Keep your expectations low, sweetie," I always want to say, "and then if something nice does happen, you can be amazed and grateful."

I know, I know--I'm not a natural born promoter. (VBG) But that's why I keep expecting to go to the movie premier and be slipped in the back door rather than be allowed to walk down the red carpet. If anything else happens, I'll be stunned and grateful.

Speaking of gratitude, in all the holiday hubbub, be sure to stop and count your blessings today. One thing I'm grateful for? A couple of weeks ago, hubby and I were at Home Depot when hubby saw a woman he recognized and they chatted. Later she came up to him and said, "I hope I didn't commit a faux paus?"

Gary said, "What?"

"When I saw you at Home Depot," she went on. "I guess you were with your new wife--you know, that young woman?"

Gary laughed. "I don't have a new wife--I'm still making do with the old one!"

~~Angie

P.S. Kentucky Derby Pie is sort of like a chess pie--made of eggs, sugar, evaporated milk. I'll let you know how it tastes!

WIP Update

I haven't said much about it, but my WIP this week and last was the nonfiction project I'm doing with Mandisa, the fabulous girl who was a finalist on last season's "American Idol." I met with Mandisa last week in Nashville and was very impressed by her sweet spirit, her talent, and her surrender to the Lord. We are going to be working on her book from now until the end of January, ping-ponging the manuscript back and forth until it's everything it's supposed to be.

But tomorrow I'm taking the day off to hit the grocery store, bake a couple of dishes to take to the family reunion, and to start decorating for Christmas! I've found that it's harder to work up the old Christmas decorating desire once the kids are grown. And time flies so quickly these days, it feels like I just took all the Christmas stuff down! But I since I have to work on Friday, I think I'll snatch the minutes I can to hang some holly and pull out the stockings.

I wish you all a calm, peaceful, and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Drive safely if you'll be on the road!

~~Angie

National Bless an Author Day

Mary deMuth has done a really lovely thing by establishing National Bless An Author Day. Visit this link and leave a comment to bless an author who has touched your life!

~~Angie

It's a . . . Bananaphone!

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgerphone.php

Okay, so it's a cold (45 degrees!) and rainy day here--the perfect day to visit the above link and sing about your banana phone!

I don't make this stuff up. I just report it.

Angie

All together, now! ring, ring, ring, ring, banana phone!

How To Read a Novel . . .

I am a sucker for book reviews. No, not the ones that sprout like mushrooms on the Internet, but those from more reputable sources like Bookmarks, PW, the New York Times, and People Magazine. (Hey, don't knock People--Francine Prose reviews for them, and she's brilliant. You need to read her book, Reading Like a Writer. It's wonderful.)

Trouble is, I read all these reviews of books that look interesting, then I go to Amazon.com and click away. Result? A sizeable monthly bill and stacks and stacks of books on my library shelves. I could lose electricity tomorrow and be unable to work (forget the longhand), but I'd have enough to read.

Yesterday I read a review of HOW TO READ A NOVEL: A USER'S GUIDE by John Sutherland. It looked so good I've just ordered a copy, and I have to pass on this tidbit from the author: the McLuhan Test from Marshall McLuhan (and I have no idea who that is). McLuhan says: "Turn to page 69 of any book and read it. If you like that page, buy the book. It works."

Ha! Maybe that's another way of saying "If the author has found a way to defeat the Sagging Middles problem, you'll know it by page 69," but I think it's hilarious in any case.

And I can't help thinking of all the effort we novelists put into our first line, first paragraph, and first page. Maybe we should all start applying that effort to page sixty-nine? (To be fair, we should be applying that effort to every page, but you know what I mean.)

So I've ordered the book. I'll let you know if it's all as good as the page 69 advice.

(Aside: ever since Al Gansky and Jack Cavanaugh taught me to format my manuscripts like a printed book page, I can actually predict where page 69 might land. Thanks, guys!)

~~Angie

P.S. Just got a note from Amazon.com that says my Alias Season Five DVDs have shipped. Whoo-hoo! Something new for the treadmill!

Is it that time of year already?

Yesterday I went to run errands on my usual errand-running day. Went to Target, PetSmart, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx (and there you have 'em--my favorite stores!)

Found bumper-to-bumper traffic at every place. The aisles were so crowded we could barely move in the stores, and once I had to stop and direct traffic around the shoe aisles at Marshalls.

Clearly, Christmas shopping has begun. Obviously, I will find another day to run errands.

I usually take Saturdays as my sabbath and I do no ordinary work on that day. I'm thinking from now until January 2007, I'm going to start taking Fridays instead. Maybe even Thursdays.

It's not that I don't like people or Christmas, but I don't like crowds. I'm a fast-paced browser who counts burning many calories as one of the health benefits of shopping. I walk fast, I shop fast, I can pull out that charge card like Marshall Dillion handling a six shooter. But Christmas crowds are not my favorite thing.

As I left Winn Dixie yesterday, the woman at the Salvation Army kettle called out "Merry Christmas." I answered in the same way, but I was thinking, Please let's just get through Thanksgiving first, okay?

Four weeks of Christmas rush is enough. Why must we extend it to six?

I have a feeling I already know the answer.

~~Angie

We haven't given up on Alias yet!

http://video.movies.go.com/rambaldi/

Okay, all you Alias fans! The link above takes you to an online game that promises to give you all the answers to your unsolved Alias questions . . . plus the game's a lot of fun. It's all to promote the sale of the new Alias DVD collection--all five seasons in a keepsake Rambaldi box.

HT to Kelli Standish for pointing me to the game. Once I got started, I couldn't quit until I'd solved all four levels. Try your memory, skill, and luck! And let me know how you do!

(HT also to Kelli for the cool Alias font in the picture!)

~~Angie

For What Shall it Profit a Man to Win the World and Lose . . . His Soul?

On November 15, the St. Petersburg Times reported that Gerald Fraller of Tampa is selling his soul. Really. The notion rose from a phone conversation with the man's only friend. Gerald was so miserable, he was willing to sell his soul in order to change it. A great idea . . . if he could figure out how to advertise this unique sale.

So he spent two months outlining an online sweepstakes. The grand prize? His soul. On Monday, the day after his 28th birthday, he quit his job as a computer technician and launched a web site: http://winmysoul.com.

For each dollar donated, you get one entry. The lucky winner will get a real lifelong contract entitling the owner to benefits including:

• a percentage of Fraller's taxable income for the rest of his life, guaranteed minimum of $500 per year.
• The power to choose the first name of all his children
• The power to make his new year's resolutions
• plan his wedding day
• and write the inscription on his tombstone.

Fraller says that since he's spent most of his life alone (he doesn't know his bio father, his mother couldn't care for him, he was in and out of foster care, his only marriage ended in divorce), he likees the idea of being bound to another person for as long as he lives.

By the second day of his soul-sale, he had gathered $404 in donations. By January 30 he'll set a date for the drawing, which will happen before Nov. 1, 2007. Oh, and he's also looking for a wife, if you're interested.

I don't know about you, but this is the kind of news story that spurs story ideas in me. What if a man really could sell his soul? What if the devil wins his sweepstakes? I could see a thriller, a chick lit, a romance, all stemming from this single idea.

But I find it sad to think that this man would sell his soul to someone for a dollar. Is that what he thinks his soul is worth? I also find it interesting that he wants to preserve his free will--unfortunately, that's what far too many of us want to do. We give our souls to Jesus, but boy, we only want to give him control over a few select things. Yet, if he is Lord, shouldn't he be Lord over all of our lives?

So . . . want to take a chance at winning a man's soul? You can find anything for sale these days.

~~Angie

One more time

Again blogging over at Charis: http://charisconnection.blogspot.com. Part 2 of yesterday's bit.

~~Angie

Skip on over to Charis

Blogging today over at http://charisconnection.blogspot.com. Visit me there!

~~Angie

What Does Google Think of You?

Ever think that all these computers are spying on you? They may be! I know that if you use gmail (I do), webbots are constantly scanning the contents of your email and placing appropriate ads on the page where you view your mail.

In any case, this is interesting. Visit http://www.googlism.com to see what Google thinks of you! You can enter your name or the name of whomever, even a place or thing. It's fun! (Hint: don't use quotation marks in your search term.)

I'm in Nashville Monday and Tuesday, doing work for my nonfiction WIP. More details to come later. It's rainy and gray here, and I'm suddenly very grateful to live in the land of almost-constant sunshine.

~~Angie

The Nativity Story to Premiere at Vatican

Nov 10, 8:35 AM ET

A movie about Christmas by the company that produced the Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings" will make its world premiere at the Vatican this month.

"The Nativity Story," which opens in the United States and Italy on Dec. 1, will be screened at the Vatican's Pope Paul VI Hall on Nov. 26, Vatican officials said Friday.

It was not yet known if Pope Benedict XVI would attend the screening, said Claudia Di Giovanni, from the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Producers said in a statement that 7,000 people would be invited to the premiere, and that proceeds from the event would go toward the construction of a school in a village in Israel about 25 miles from Nazareth, the town of Jesus' childhood. The statement said that the village, Mughar, has a diverse population, including Christians and Muslims.

Mughar is one of the towns hit by rockets fired by Lebanon-based Hezbollah guerrillas over the summer.

Di Giovanni said that the screening would be preceded by a reading from the Gospels and a prayer "to give a spiritual aspect" to the event.

The movie stars Australian-born Keisha Castle-Hughes, of "Whale Rider" fame, who plays the role of Mary, and Oscar Isaac, who stars as Joseph. "The Nativity Story" is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who did "Lords of Dogtown."

Di Giovanni said that while some made-for-TV movies have had their premieres at the Vatican, it is believed that "The Nativity Story" will be the first feature film to have its premiere there.

Note: this is not the premier I'll be attending. Lord willing, I'm heading to LA on the 28th.

~~Angie

Babe Update

Babe has an ear problem. It's nothing serious, all my mastiffs have had this at one time or another. They have flappy, floppy ears, you see, and not enough air gets up in those folds so gunky things have a tendency to grow and accumulate. Left uncleaned, the ear gunk irritates the ears, resulting in a dog that shakes her head constantly and stinks.

Yesterday morning my hubby was trying to pray with me before heading out. Babe stood beside me at the kitchen counter, and I found it hard to focus on prayer with waves of dog stink washing over me. This is pungent stuff!

So I promptly got my spray bottle of mixed vinegar and water, the perfect doggie ear cleaner. Charley doesn't like the spray bottle, but he's learned the after-spray ear rub is worth the aggravation. Babe, however, hasn't learned that, and after one squirt she was off like a rocket. I spent the rest of the morning trying to corner her in the kitchen, and every time I put my hand out to touch her ear, she ducked and even showed her teeth. She didn't snarl, but she let me know she had TEETH and she wasn't happy.

So . . . the spray bottle isn't going to work with Babe. (Who says we train dogs? They train us, truly.) So then I found one of those squishy turkey baster things you can use to clean human ears. I filled it with vinegar and water and called Babe over for a belly rub. While she was lying at my side, I squirted a little vinegar and water into her ear and proceeded to massage it in--as long as she'd lie still, which wasn't long.

By nighttime I was rewarding her for letting me touch her ears with a towel--if she'd let me do it, I'd give her a treat. That worked for a while, but now she flinches and ducks if I just move to touch her head. She looks at me like she's lost all trust in me.

Right now I think I'm going to leave her ears alone for a couple of days. I'd hope she'll forget, but I know better. Dogs have long memories.

So I have a feeling I have my work cut out for me when it comes to Babe's ears. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

~~Angie

The Perfect Purse

So SteinMart was having a sale today, and I had a card for an additional 20 percent off clearance items. (Of course, most of the things I got were not on clearance. Sigh.)

Sigh. Anyway, I got my outfit for the premier--unless I change my mind between now and then. And then, to top it off, I bought the perfect evening purse. See photo. It's tiny and cute and a splash of color on an otherwise all-black outfit, yet it's big enough for a room key, a small brush, lipstick and a camera. What more could a girl need?

What did I get? I definitely tried to remember that less is more. So I found a full skirt rather like the one in the Donna Karan photo below, except there's a little interest at the hem--a strip of velvet, I think. And then I found a sleeveless black top, scoop neck (not low), and quite simple. Then I found a wide leather belt with a LARGE round gold circle clasp. Ta da! Simple. And a black velvet wrap in case it's chilly. I have black lace shoes, I have jewelry, so I think I'm set.

All those sequins were awfully tempting--trust me, the stores are awash with sequins now--but I didn't want to do the sparkly thing. I'll reserve that for the cruise ship. (VBG).

My motto, you know, is "expect the unexpected" so the unexpected element will either be this cute little purse, or maybe a net crinoline under the skirt . . . we'll have to see. Stay tuned!

~~Angie