Another cool travel contest

Tomorrow, Travel Leaders, one of the country's largest travel agency franchise organizations, will launch the Bizarre World sweepstakes in honor of tomorrow's premier of Andrew Zimmern's latest travel TV series, Bizarre World. Travel Leaders is a sponsor of the show, and the new sweepstakes will feature a grand prize 7-day trip to Munich and Berlin.

The sweepstakes begins Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 15, 2009. To enter, visit http://bizarregetaway.travelchannel.com from Sept. 1 to Oct. 15. Additionally, you can enter every day for the chance to win daily instant prizes.

Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre World will air on the Travel Channel at 10 p.m. (EDT) and will follow Zimmern as he explores the strangest "worlds" from underground cultures to outrageous ceremonies and rituals.

Through the duration of the sweepstakes, Travel Leaders agents will share their own unique, off-the-beaten-path travel experiences and recommendations on the franchise's new Facebook page. Consumers are invited to post their own "bizarre" experiences on the site. Travel Leaders is especially encouraging travelers to post videos capturing "bizarre" travel experiences. The best videos will be featured on Travel Leaders' YouTube channel.

For more information about the sweepstakes, the new show or to book your own bizarre (or not so bizarre) vacation with a Travel Leaders agent, you can visit www.TravelLeaders.com/bizarre.

An amazing resource for writers!

Since I've become more serious about writing I've found many, many helpful resources, from Web sites chock full of writing information; listservs where I can pick the brains of established writers; blogs written by published writers about their experiences; lists of books to read -- I could go on. But as of right now my favorite resource is a single person, a doctor named D.P. Lyle, M.D.

Dr. Lyle is a practicing cardiologist in California and a Edgar Award-nominated author who has written five non-fiction books, among them Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers, Forensics and Fiction and Forensics for Dummies, as well as two mystery novels.

In addition to his writing Dr. Lyle has consulted on TV shows like Law and Order, CSI: Miami, Monk, House, Judging Amy, Medium, the list goes on.

But even more amazing, Dr. Lyle accepts medical questions from writers who need help with a medical plot point. He has helped dozens and dozens of published authors get the medical pieces of their novels just right. Among the many authors who have publicly acknowledged his help are Hallie Ephron, Harlan Coben, Judy Clemens and Charlaine Harris.

So when I first thought about asking Dr. Lyle for help, I was a bit intimidated. I'm a nobody. I've never published a book. I don't currently have the skill of Hallie Ephron or Charlaine Harris; I'm not sure I ever will.

So first I decided I'd try to find out what I needed to know on my own. I need a character of mine to die of what appears to be a heart attack but is actually poisoning. I looked up poisons, did a google search on "deaths that look like heart attacks" and compiled a small list of poisons that could all do the job.

From there I tried to find out more about each poison, but let me tell you it's not easy finding specific information about how to poison someone on the Internet! (I'm not complaining really, I think that's a good thing.) However, I found enough information to determine that digitalis was going to be my murderer's poison of choice. I then wrote the scene in which the character is poisoned and dies. It wasn't a bad scene, but since I didn't really know too much about the characteristics of digitalis I wasn't sure it was actually medically accurate.

At that point I knew I needed help. Should I? Shouldn't I? Would Dr. Lyle respond to an unknown author? Finally, I decided what the heck. What was the worst that could happen? If he didn't respond, I was no worse off than before, but if he did respond... my book would be all the better for it.

And boy did Dr. Lyle respond. The day after I sent my question to him (he has a very strict format for submitting a question) I got an e-mail response with loads of information about digitalis, how my scenario wouldn't actually work, and what type of scenario could work. When I had a follow-up question he answered that too.

I now have to change that scene entirely but am happy to do so, knowing that my book will be accurate, and therefore more believable. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Lyle for his generosity in lending his expertise to authors (particularly this author) in need.

When I asked him why he did it he told me, "It's actually very simple---knowledge means little unless it's shared. I look at everything as either a learning or a teaching experience and always have."

To find out more about Dr. Lyle, to find information about forensics for writers, to learn where to buy his books, visit Dr. Lyle's Web site, The Lab (www.dplylemd.com). He also writes a blog covering medical and forensics issues, including discussing famous real-life cases. You can visit The Writer's Forensics Blog at http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/

Three more airlines to charge for 2nd checked bag on international flights

Several months ago Delta became the first airline to charge for a second checked bag on some (i.e. most) international flights -- a whopping $50. At the time, I e-mailed them to let them know how disgusted I was with their policy and that they were losing my business. I was at the time a Silver member of their frequent flier program. I made the decision to switch my loyalty to another carrier, even though I know there may be times I have no choice but to fly Delta. But whenever I have a choice, I will avoid Delta when I can.

Then last week American Airlines announced that it too will begin charging $50 for a second checked bag on select international flights. I've already sworn off flying American Airlines, as I consider it one of the worst airlines out there. I believe they are the least reliable and have the worst customer service. Any time I am forced to fly American Airlines I cringe and so far, with almost no exceptions, every AA flight has been a disaster. The last time I flew them, my flights into and out of Newark were canceled. Unfortunately, I do still have more than 100,000 frequent flier miles from AA though and do maintain my balance by using an AA credit card, but once I've had the opportunity to use those miles (I'm hoping to use them to go to Africa some day), I plan to continue avoiding American Airlines as well.

Yesterday, US Airways announced that it is both upping the amount it charges for first and second checked bags on domestic flights but will also charge $50 for a second checked bag on international flights.

Also yesterday, Continental Airlines broke my heart when it jumped on the bandwagon of charging $50 for the second checked bag on ALL flights to Europe. I had hoped they would hold out a little longer but alas they are as greedy as the other airlines. It's sad for me because Continental is the airline that I have chosen to give my loyalty to whenever possible. I made that decision because they are the only airline that still offers food onboard for free. But it is getting harder and harder to justify my loyalty to them, especially as they have made the decision to join the Star Alliance, which is headlined by United Airlines (my second least favorite airline after AA).

The thing that kills me is that I truly believe that once this new fee takes hold, which it will as Delta had no trouble with it, airlines are going to start charging for the first checked bag on international flights, as well. And the thing is, they'll all do it, so I can't even give my loyalty to the most flier-friendly airline, because, with just a few exceptions like Southwest (which doesn't fly from my home airport) and JetBlue (with a limited number of flight destinations), there is no such thing as a flier-friendly airline!

So choosing an airline truly has become an act of choosing the lesser of all evils. And there's nothing we can do about it. I can not wait for the day when a real alternative to flying is discovered or invented. Airlines will see just how fast their passengers abandon them then.

Which is your favorite airline, or least favorite airline, and why? What do you think of the baggage fees?

All those little things you want to do but never do

Do you have a list in your head of little things that you want to do, or be, or try before you die? Things that you think would make you a more well-rounded person or more fulfilled?

I do. There are so many things I am constantly deciding I'd like to add to my life in order to make my life fuller, richer, more fulfilling. For instance, today I read a post on the Women of Mystery blog, in which the poster of the day talks about a project she's discovered called the Letter Project. Very succinctly, the Letter Project pulls together authors letters (real paper letters) written about writing. Of course most of the comments then centered around letter writing, which is one of those things I've always wanted to make a part of my life.

Now, truth be told, I have actually succeeded on a small scale in doing this. I have a friend in England and we write each other hand-written paper letters about two or three times a year and have been doing so since 2004 (I think, if not, then 2005). I love writing my letters to Jennie and I love getting letters back. There is truly something exciting about opening a hand-written letter that has been delivered by mail, settling in on the couch and reading about a friend's life. It's a million times better than doing it by e-mail. I honestly believe that although Jennie and I may not know what's going on with each other on a daily basis, in some ways we know each other more deeply because we take the time to truly share the more meaningful events and our feelings with each other. Writing, and receiving, those letters has enhanced my life.

But letter writing isn't the only thing I've always wanted to make a part of my life. I'd like to learn how to make pots, on a potter's wheel, and do that on a regular basis. I'd like to garden and grow my own vegetables. I'd like to take the time to get to know my neighbors and the owners of the local businesses I frequent. I'd like to read the New York Times book reviews and the New York Review of Books. I'd like to go hiking more often on the weekends in the summer.

I could probably go on and tomorrow I'll probably think of a few more things I'd like to do. And, as with what I mentioned above, chances are I'll do none of them.

Partly its a matter of time. Although I'm not working now and have more time, I usually work (I do anticipate working again someday) and therefore don't have a lot of extra time to give to new things.

Partly its a matter of means. I live in an apartment so don't have access to a place to garden, and I don't know where there's anyplace in my local area to start doing pottery.

Partly its a matter of money. I find that a subscription to the New York Times is actually too pricey, especially now that we're living on one salary. And I'm sure if I did find a place to do pottery, it wouldn't be cheap!

Partly its a matter of "can't be bothered." Every time I go into a local shop or see a neighbor I think today is the day I should introduce myself, but I never do.

It's sad really because I think doing even one of the many things I'd like to do would make my life richer.

What are some of the things you've always wanted to do, or be or try?

Maybe on December 31 we should all make a real New Year's resolution to at least try to do one of the many things we've always wanted to. I'll let you know what I decide on.

Landmark moment in my writing

Way back in January I finished the first chapter of the novel I'm working on and I was over the moon. It was the first chapter of the first novel I had ever written, and I'd finished it. Well, yesterday I passed another landmark - hitting and passing the 100th page.

Rationally when I think about it, it's not really that impressive considering it's taken me eight months to get here, but for me it was quite a big deal.

Funnily enough, this morning a question was asked on a listserv I belong to asking authors how long it usually takes them to write a book. Well, after I read most of the answers, my 100 pages in eight months seemed pretty pathetic. Most of the authors said they write their first draft and do the editing in under a year. A few even said it takes them six to nine months to complete an entire book. Wow!

I'm so impressed with these authors' discipline. When they have extra time, they spend it writing. And if they don't have day jobs, they spend their days writing. I currently don't have a day job but I'm only writing an hour to an hour and a half a day. My first reaction to this was what a loser I am. How can I consider myself a writer if I'm not writing more regularly? But that reaction passed quickly. Rather than berate myself, I realized it would be better if I just determined to be more like them.

I'm at eight months and half way through the first draft of my book. If I kick it up a notch I could very easily hit the year mark with a complete first draft. I could probably even hit the 10-month or 11-month mark with a complete first draft. I just have to be stricter with myself.

So from now on I will dedicate at least two hours of five out of seven days to writing. I will treat myself like the serious writer I want to be and that means being strict with myself, giving myself goals that must be reached, and of course congratulating myself when goals are reached.

So, although it took me eight months to get here, I am going to pat myself on the back for 100 pages completed. I worked hard, even if not often enough, to get here.

And now I am also going to set my next goal. By the end of September I am determined to have a minimum of 150 pages of my novel written. That gives me just over a month to write at least 50 more pages.

Wish me luck -- quietly, as I need to concentrate and write now so can't be disturbed! ;)

NY State Unemployment is the worst!

Beware rant ahead...

It really makes me sick that we work and work and work, always contributing to our own unemployment funds and then when worse comes to worst and we get laid off, we have to keep working to get the State to give us the money we've already paid for!

Now I can't really compare New York State's Department of Labor to every other state in the country. I can only really compare it to New Jersey, the state in which I live and in which my husband claimed his unemployment when he got laid off. And there were a couple of snags along the way, but compared to what New York State is making me do, he seems to have had it pretty easy.

Of course a lot of the bullshit we both went through is the same. Long, long wait times to actually be able to speak with anyone. It took me five calls, each one about 10 minutes of maneuvering through the lengthy menus, before I was finally put on hold to wait for someone today. The first four times I would get to the point of being put on hold and the automated voice would say the operators were too busy and I'd have to call again. Why not just put me on hold and let me wait an hour? I'd rather do that and know I'm going to get to speak with someone eventually than have to continually call back and hope the timing is right!

My husband had a similar experience when he actually went to an unemployment office. He got there almost an hour before the office closed but because there were a lot of people waiting to speak to someone, he was told he would have to leave, even though the office was still open. How is that right?

I also don't understand why one State can offer a certain amount of unemployment and others can offer a different amount? Isn't it supposed to be based on what you earned? Because I worked in New York City, I have to claim in New York State. But New York caps its unemployment at $405 a week, no matter what you earned!! If I were claiming in New Jersey I'd be getting about $160 more per week! Again, how is that right?

New York State then gave me the runaround during my initial claim because I hit the wrong button while filing the claim, which had to be done by phone since I'm an out-of-state claimant. And of course there's no back button when you claim on the phone. I tried to communicate with a person about the mistake to fix it, but was told it would all have to be done by mail. I was sent a form asking me to explain my claim. I don't remember the exact dates but for argument's sake, let's say the form was dated July 1. I received it on July 6 and on the bottom it said the form had to be received by New York State within seven days of the date on the form. Hello! If I get the form six days after that date, how am I supposed to get it back to them in seven? In hindsight I should have overnighted it, even though that costs a lot more than a stamp. Instead I assumed (which of course makes me the ass) that there had to be a slight grace period and filled it out and sent it back the day I got it. A few days later I got a notice in the mail telling me that they've "determined" I was still employed. I had no choice except to go through a hearing process. Again, I tried to call and explain. I tried to e-mail the department and explain. In every case I was told I have no choice except to go through the hearing. I spoke to a employment lawyer who told me once it gets to a hearing it could go in either direction because the people who make the decision are underpayed and their decisions depend on their moods. I was in full panic mode for at least a week. And then, in the mail, I get a notice telling me the determination has been reversed and a few days later I get all my back unemployment payments. My guess is someone finally realized they had the form I'd sent back explaining and finally used it. But why did it take so long, and why couldn't I speak to someone?

Now I am once again waiting for my payments to be released because I declared the pay from a freelance article (which I'm allowed to do but legally obligated to declare). When my husband would work a temp job during his unemployment, he would declare the weeks he got paid and of course would not get unemployment for those weeks. If he didn't work in a week, he claimed and they sent his unemployment no questions asked. Easy peasy. In New York, if you declare that you made more than the $405 one week, the next week they put your payments on hold and send you a form to fill out in which you have to prove employment and the reason for your unemployment again. It does not apply to those who are self-employed at all! But it puts a full stop on payments anyway. I am very lucky I have my husband's salary to rely on. If I had only the unemployment, which has this wonderful tendency to stop and start, I'd be in big trouble. I'm sure there are others, having that problem. How does New York State justify this?

I will say I got to speak to a very nice woman named Jess today who was able to fill out the form on my behalf over the phone, which she said would speed up the release of my unemployment. She also told me how to fill the form out in the future, although my payments will still be held until the form is received. She did agree with me that for those of us who manage to earn a small amount of money through self-employment it is a confusing process. Jess was very nice and she was very reassuring. But I won't actually feel better until I see the money released into my bank account.

Who wants to take a guess at how long that's going to take? Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to say I'll get my money at some point before the end of the year.

Win a free MSC Cruise

I love contests, raffles, sweepstakes, the lottery, anything where I have a chance to win something. And of course I love it even more when it’s free to enter!

So of course I love MSC Cruises new "Poetry in Motion" sweepstakes – become a fan of MSC Cruises on Facebook and you could win a balcony stateroom for two aboard a 7-night MSC Poesia inaugural Caribbean season cruise.

The sweepstakes runs through November 10 and entering is free. First become a fan of MSC Cruises, then click on the "Win a Cruise" tab and "Enter Now" button to complete the sweepstakes registration form. The Grand Prize winner will be randomly selected on or about November 20.

For those who don’t know how to use Facebook or don’t want to become a fan, sweepstakes registration is also available online on MSC Cruises Web site.

Of course I probably shouldn’t be sharing this, as the more of you who enter the more competition there is for me!

Some of my favorite mystery authors/series - Part II

Continuing on with my list of favorite mystery authors and series, and staying with the theme of animals (if you haven't guessed, a lot of cozies feature animals in a big way), my next favorite is:

Blaize Clement: the Dixie Hemingway series
Blaize Clement writes about ex-policewoman Dixie Hemingway who is learning to rebuild her life after the tragic loss of her husband and daughter. Set in Siesta Key, Florida, Dixie has taken a job as a pet sitter and unfortunately her clients have a nasty habit of dying under very suspicious circumstances.

Though primarily cozy in nature, the Dixie Hemingway books (at this point there are only four) are harder than my other favorites. There is more violence and more of a sense of menace. Furthermore, Dixie goes out of her way to avoid trouble. At every opportunity she tries to go in the opposite direction, only to find she's gone exactly where she needs to be to solve whatever murder she's happened upon.

Part of the satisfaction for me in reading these books is being able to watch Dixie come back to life, partly through her relationships with the animals she cares for and their owners. The mysteries almost take a backseat to that.

So, in spite of their fanciful titles - "Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter," "Duplicity Dogged the Dachsund," "Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues" and "Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof" - the Dixie Hemingway books are not a light-hearted fun read, but instead offer solid mysteries with more than a touch of the darkness our world offers. But as Dixie learns to live despite the darkness, so too, do those of us who follow her journey. Not a beach read, but certainly an author to try if you don't want too much fluff in your mysteries.

Nancy Atherton: The Aunt Dimity series
OK, leaving the animals behind and moving on to something completely different. And I do mean completely different. Atherton's books are unlike any other mysteries I've ever come across. First of all, not a single one of her books has a murder in it, a real rarity for mysteries today I think. Even the very first book, "Aunt Dimity's Death" has no murder in it. But the mystery is compelling nonetheless.

The second big difference - the main character Lori Shepherd, is helped throughout her misadventures by Aunt Dimity, her mother's best friend who Lori never knew existed until Dimity dies and leaves a small fortune to Lori as well as a small blue notebook through which Dimity continues to communicate.

Lori is a fun character to follow as she has a habit of sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong, particularly if there's a handsome man involved (and there always is!). And she gets into the weirdest situations. Only Lori would set off in the morning for a walk through the woods on a sunny day and end up being trapped by an early blizzard at decripit old estate where something weird is going on. Only Lori would agree to help a friend catalog an old book collection and wind up in the middle of a mystery that goes back 100 years. Seriously, every book is totally different than the others.

But the think I like most (other than the fun stories and likeable characters) is that at the end of almost every Aunt Dimity book, I want to be a better person. There's just something about the stories Nancy Atherton writes that highlights the best in people and inspires me to want to be kinder, more considerate, more involved - just overall better!

I'm not sure all the Aunt Dimity books are for everyone, but I highly recommend everyone give "Aunt Dimity's Death," "Aunt Dimity's Christmas" and "Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin" a read. If you like them, you can give the others a try.

Some of my favorite mystery authors/series - Part I

In spite of the fact that I'm slowly writing a mystery novel, I am actually rather new to the mystery genre, having been a die-hard fan of sci-fi and fantasy for most of my life. But in randomly picking up a few mysteries over time I discovered I really like the mystery sub-genre known as the "cozy" and have found a few authors I can say with confidence are among my favorite mystery authors.

None of my favorites are authors who make it on to the New York Times bestseller. None have window displays in big Barnes & Noble dedicated to their books. One, unfortunately, even had her publisher drop her. But none of that matters to me. These are the authors who helped me fall in love with cozy mysteries and these are authors I'd recommend without qualm to anyone interested in giving light mysteries a try.

Lilian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who... series
There are 29 books in Lilian Jackson Braun's series about a retired newspaper journalist named James Qwilleran (called Qwill for short) and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum-Yum. The books are all light reading and fun.

In every book some type of crime (usually murder, and often more than one) occurs and Qwill gets involved in solving it through the use of his intellect, his ability to get others to confide in him and the near-psychic powers of his overly large mustache and KoKo's somewhat psychic personality quirks.

The latter books are not as well-written as the rest but considering they were written when Braun was in her late 80s/early 90s its not surprising that the latter books aren't her best. But the first 25 or so books are such a pleasure to read! The next time you need a fun beach read or something to keep you entertained on a flight, definitely think about picking up a Cat Who book.

Laurien Berenson: Melanie Travis series
The first Laurien Berenson book I read was "Once Bitten," the eighth book in the Melanie Travis mystery series (15 books total) and I liked it so much I immediately went online to get a list of the books in the series and then hit my local library to see what they had.

The books all follow the life and adventures of Melanie Travis, a single mom, who shows pedigree poodles in her spare time. The first several books all feature the dog showing world as the backdrop -- think of the movie Best In Show and throw in a series of murders and you can kind of get an idea of what Melanie's world is like.

Melanie is always a reluctant detective, most often getting strong-armed into investigating theft, murder and mayhem by her overbearing aunt Meg. But she's so good at figuring out who the bad guy is, even if it lands her in a bit of hot water quite often.

Although in reality, Melanie's problems are not mine, I always related to what she was going through and always cared about everything that happened to her, her son, her two poodles, her fiesty aunt, delinquent brother and all the fun characters who inhabit the dog showing world.

Like most cozies, the Melanie Travis books are light reads and a lot of fun. I honestly feel like I know Melanie and the other characters in her books. I even went to a dog show once hoping I'd see a glimpse of what Berenson describes so wonderfully.

Unfortunately, Berenson's publisher has decided the series no longer has any legs, so unless another publisher picks it up, I will have to accept I will never find out what other entertaining adventures Melanie embarks on. But don't let that stop you from giving the series a try. If you like light-hearted whodunits and dogs, these books are a real treat.

Carnival offers kids the chance to become Dream Godchild, donates to St. Jude

I am not a big fan of Carnival Cruise Lines for many reasons, but what they are doing with their new contest is something I thought was important enough to share with others.

On September 21, Carnival Cruise Lines will introduce its new ship, the Carnival Dream. In honor of the launch, the cruise line is inviting children, ages 7 to 12, to participate in the Virtual Book of Dreams contest. By entering and sharing their own dreams, kids will earn the chance to become the world's first-ever Godchild of a cruise ship waterslide. The winning kid will will travel with her or his family to New York City to christen the WaterWorks aqua park on the ship, and will receive a free two-night cruise on the Carnival Dream when the ship makes its North American debut in November.

While the contest is all nice and good, its not really what I care about. What I think is newsworthy is the fact that for every entry in the Virtual Book of Dreams contest, Carnival Cruise Lines will make a $2 donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Furthermore, the line will donate $1 for each vote on the Virtual Book of Dreams Web site, with a maximum contribution of $25,000.

For such a huge company, I think that's a pretty paltry amount of money but it will still do a lot of good for the hospital. And I suppose considering how bad the cruise industry has it right now, with millions of dollars in losses, $25,000 might actually be a lot of money (right now).

So if any of you have kids or know a kid between 7 and 12 tell them to enter and do their part to help out other kids in need. To enter the Virtual Book of Dreams contest, children must complete the thought "I'm always dreaming up fun stuff. Wouldn't it be awesome if..." in 250 words or less, along with a corresponding hand-drawn picture. The entries must be submitted on the contest Website by the parents or legal guardians of the children who wish to enter. Entries must be received before Sept. 18, 2009. Four finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges, and one Wild Card finalist will be selected via public online voting (remember $1 for every online vote!). The public will then vote for the winner.

Job application frustration

I applied for a job today. The job is beneath me, an assistant editor position at LIFE.com, but does sound like it could be interesting. The main responsibilities are managing the Travel and Animals channels on the Web site. I think I would enjoy that very much, even if it didn't bring in very much money.

But I know I will not get a call for an interview. How do I know? In spite of the fact that I'd be a perfect candidate for the job and fulfill all of their requirements I've got three things working against me. One, I most recently worked as a senior editor so I am over qualified. Two, I have worked primarily in the trade publishing world and consumer publications are incredibly prejudiced against trade writers. Three, my resume was most likely one of about 500 resumes Time Warner will receive for this job!

So what are the chances my resume will even get looked at? I'd say they're the same as my winning Mega Millions (I won $7 in last night's drawing by the way!).

In this new world of massive unemployment and online job applications, there is no way to make sure your resume stands out. No way to make sure that someone will even look at it. This is probably the 15th or so job I have applied for since I lost my job over a month and a half ago. I was qualified for every single job, fulfilled every single requirement, sent a great resume and cover letter for each one and, as of yet, I have not received a phone call for a single one!

What else am I supposed to do? When I'm just one of hundreds of people applying for a single job, how can I possibly expect anyone to call me? It's incredibly frustrating to know I am doing all the right things but also know none of that matters.

A Romania Post

A friend told me the other day that she still had my old blog bookmarked, and that she'd always enjoyed reading it. Truth is I had always enjoyed writing it and still missed it (especially now that I'm trying to find my footing with this new one). My old blog was written while I was living in Romania and was about my experiences, as an American, trying to navigate my way through a sometimes frustrating, aggravating and crazy country.

It's been almost three years since I last posted to that blog but I still get comments. So, I thought for old times' sake I'd write a post about a typical Romanian experience.

In late May of this year my husband and I made arrangements for a Thanksgiving holiday getaway to Antigua. Of course to go to Antigua we need passports. I have a US passport with a few years left before it expires. My husband has a Romanian passport that expired this month. So of course we realized right away that he needed to get his passport renewed. He went to the Romanian consulate in New York to find out what the renewal process is and was told he'd have to fill out some forms, which would be sent to Romania, to the city that he's from, where a new passport would be created, which would then be sent to Bucharest and finally back to New York. The whole process would take three to four months! But what choice did we have, so he sent in his paperwork.

He called the next day to find out if there was any way to expedite the process and was told no. He was also told that he had just missed the May mailing so his paperwork would not even be sent to Romania until the end of June.

Anyway, we figured we had time until November until two weeks ago when while trolling around on Delta's Website, my husband found a very good fare on a non-stop flight to Romania and we decided he should go for an extended weekend. Just before buying the ticket we realized, uh oh, his passport is expired, now what?

He called the US consulate and was told he could check online to see if his passport was available for pick up -- they had no way of checking themselves. Huh? Ok, whatever, we looked up online and found the list of people whose passports had been sent from Bucharest on July 7. His name wasn't there but it was after Aug. 7 so we thought maybe the next batch would be coming any day. My husband called the consulate again and was told the next batch would be coming Aug. 22 (he was leaving on the 21). They told him he could try and track down his passport in Romania, have them hold it wherever it was and then the consulate could give him a travel document that would let him travel to Romania on an expired passport.

So he began the task of tracking his passport down. First he called the police station in Brasov, the city where he's from. They gave him the number of the correct office in Brasov to call. The passport office in Brasov was able to look up his name and told him his passport was finished and had been sent to the Bucharest office. They gave him the name of the Bucharest office but no telephone number, so he had to look that up himself. He tried calling and got no answer. He tried again and again, still no answer (very few businesses or homes in Romania have answering machines). Mind you, my husband did all this at 3 in the morning after getting home from work (he works nights).

The next day he called the New York consulate again though I'm not sure what help he expected to get. They reiterated that he should have the Bucharest office hold the passport and then come in to get the travel document. Oh, they took his phone number and told him they'd try to call the Bucharest office. Next morning early AM he called the Bucharest number and got through. They had all the passports in a bag and ready to be mailed, though they wouldn't actually mail them until the 22nd, a week away. After looking through the bag they found his passport. Yes, they could hold it for him.

He called the New York consulate later that day. Oh sorry, they said, we haven't tried the Bucharest office yet. My husband told them he'd taken care of it, when could he come in for the document and how long would it take. Come in any time during their open hours, the document would take a few minutes to prepare.

So yesterday my husband and I drove into the City (that's New York City for those of you not in the area) on a sweltering 90-plus degree day. When we got to the consulate, it was pretty full and there was no air conditioning. Fun! One older man waiting while his wife stood on line joked with me that the consulate must be broke and couldn't afford AC.

For the next 15 minutes everyone on line waited while one man had an ongoing conversation, or argument (it was hard to tell) with the one woman behind the counter. Even though the line got longer and longer, a second person never came out to help.

It took about 35 minutes or so of standing on line before my husband finally got to the front. He handed in his paperwork, paid his $65 (cash only) and then came to wait at the back of the office with me for his document to be prepared. I expected the worst, as I'd seen several people waiting 15 to 20 minutes for their documents, and there were at least three others ahead of us waiting for their documents. But luck prevailed and 10 minutes later we were finally out the door, his travel document in hand.

Of course, my husband still has to pick up his new passport in Romania. I'm glad I won't be there with him because I've had enough Romanian run-around to last me a long while!

Outlining my novel

After I finish writing this post, I will be updating the outline for my novel yet again. This is probably the sixth or seventh time I've needed to update it and I'm only about halfway through writing my first draft.

As I'm writing the book and learning as I go along, I'm amazed at how much I thought I could get in to one chapter. I wish I had kept copies of my earlier outlines, so that I could give a couple of solid examples of just how much I thought I'd be able to cram into a single chapter. But unfortunately, I just keep updating the same document and then saving over the old stuff. Suffice it to say, the action that now occurs over the course of seven chapters was originally outlined for three chapters.

In fact when I first started writing I estimated my book would only be about eight chapters. I'm just finishing chapter nine, and as I said I'm about half way through the book. So I'm estimating about 18 to 20 chapters total. Of course, I'm also anticipating having to cut a lot of stuff when all is said and done, but there's no way the book will only be eight chapters (unless each chapter is REALLY long).

I'm trying to be more careful as I update my outlines, trying to put less action in each chapter so I have a more realistic look at how much more I have to write, but so far I haven't been able to get it exactly correct. So each time I update, some of the action predicted for one chapter spills over into the next. I'm getting better though.

I think this is one of the things I'm loving, and hating, about writing a book. I've never written a book before and I really didn't realize just how much things would change as I write, and how much I'd learn about a story I thought I'd already created.

It's one thing to read what other writers have written about the process, but to actually experience it is a whole different experience. But it's exciting and I look forward to the next burst of inspiration that forces me to change my outline. Because each burst of inspiration makes the story better (well, I think so at least!).

So I'm gonna go update my outline now, which currently stands at 14 chapters. I'd bet you anything after I'm done, there are 16 chapters outlined!

Pet Peeve Rant

Ok, I'm betting that a lot of you out there are going to disagree with me, but I've got to say it. I hate "LOL." For those of your rare few who may not know what I'm talking about "LOL" stands for laughing out loud and is used as a response in texts, e-mails, chats, etc.

I didn't hate LOL at first but now it has become overused and used in contexts where it makes no sense. Just because you agree with something someone said or it made you smile doesn't mean you need to use it. I mean did you actually laugh out loud? If you didn't don't use it.

The other day someone responded to a listserv comment I made telling me they remembered a book I had mentioned reading as a kid. And at the end of her sentence she put "lol." I was immediately bothered. Did simply remember reading this book actually make her laugh? I doubt it.

But what if you did actually laugh? Was it a loud laugh, a long laugh, a belly laugh, or was it just a chuckle? If it was just a chuckle I don't think it deserves an LOL.

Why not haha? That's only one more character and I think is more expressive of a smaller laugh.

Or should I invent a new abbreviation... how about COL (chuckle out loud)?

Maybe I'm just being a crazy Gemini, obsessing over communication. But I really want my communications with people to be clear, regardless of whether I'm talking to a person in the flesh, over the phone or via some electronic means.

Therefore, if I didn't burst out laughing, I'm not going to use LOL because to me I would actually be lying.

Ok, rant over...

US travelers are not happy with online travel agencies

Of course I'm biased in favor of brick-and-mortar travel agents (that includes home-based agents, as well) so I couldn't resist sharing the results of a new study by Forrester Research that found that US leisure travelers are becoming more and more fed up with online travel agencies.

In fact, 15% fewer travelers enjoy using the Web in 2009 than in 2007. In 2007, the tipping point was reached when more than half (53%) of US leisure travelers enjoyed using the Internet to book their travel. For travel agents, and those of us who champion them, it was a scary figure to deal with. Two years later, the balance has tipped backwards, with nearly 46% of those same travelers enjoying using the Internet to book their travel.

Why the difference? People are fed up with the navigability and ease-of-use of the sites. They're fed up with the presentation of search results. According to the study, only one in three US online travelers (those travelers that book some or all of their travel online) feels that travel Web sites do a good job presenting travel choices. Last year, that number was 39%.

Travelers are also fed up with the information overload factor. It takes too long to plan a trip that's longer than an extended week-end vacation. They want someone to help them get through the clutter and determine what the best choices really are.

While travel Web sites continue to be good resources for booking simple, short trips, according to articles in the New York Times and on CNN.com, some of those dissatisfied travelers are turning back to traditional travel agents when booking their longer, more complicated vacations.

Because after all, travel agents are the only ones out there with the time and expertise to truly research and present all your travel options in a concise, easy to understand way.

What do you think? How do you like the online travel agencies? Would you use them for a cruise? Your 10th anniversary vacation? Do you ever use a travel agent?

Want to win a trip to outer space?

There are only a few companies out there that actually offer travel to outer space, and they are all priced WAY beyond most people's ability to pay. So if you've ever wanted to visit "the final frontier" but knew you could never afford it, pay attention...

Comfort Suites, the hotel brand, is offering members of its Choice Privileges rewards program the chance to win a trip to space.

To qualify, you must go online to ExploreTheSpaceSweepstakes.com and enter the contest. If you are not currently a member of the rewards program, you must sign up before entering. All entries must be received before September 24.

Three finalists will be selected and each will win $5,000 and a trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex where they will be able to participate in an astronaut experience program. On the last day of their visit, the three will compete for the grand prize of a trip to space.

Three second prize winners will also get to indulge their astronaut fantasies with a trip for four to Space Camp in Alabama.

Fifty runner-ups will receive a Comfort Suites prize pack valued at $100.

If you fly JetBlue and have a lot of time on your hands this September...

JetBlue announced yesterday that it is offering a special $599 pass for unlimited domestic flights between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8.

Pass holders will be able to choose from 56 cities to fly to/from. The pass must be purchased by August 21 and flights must be purchased at least three days before date of departure.

So if you've got some extra time on your hands, live near a airport from which JetBlue departs and have some disposable income for the pass and any hotel stays you might need, this is the deal for you.

Keep in mind, JetBlue flights for that time period can vary from fairly inexpensive to moderate, so you might need to travel two to four times roundtrip for the cost to really pay off!

But considering that JetBlue flies to Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Fort Myers, Martha's Vineyard and other great weekend getaway spots, this pass could make the month of September a month to remember!

The Art of Speaking Vaguely

One of these days I'd like to try to spend the whole day speaking in vague terms. No matter what I'm asked I want to answer using words but without saying anything -- kind of like how presidential and vice-presidential candidates often answer debate questions.

How many of you remember Mr. H. Ross Perot? He was the business man who ran as an independent in the 1992 presidential election. He also loved to talk in strange rural metaphors that meant nothing.

For instance, he once said, ""If we decide to take this level of business creating ability nationwide, we'll all be plucking chickens for a living." In the context of a presidential debate, what does that mean? In the context of a regular conversation, what does that mean?

And let's not forget Sarah Palin's regular use of sports metaphors, but then I think that goes beyond vague communication into something else entirely.

Anyway, as part of my exercise in speaking vaguely, saying nothing, I want to use the word leverage as many times as I can. I mean, truly, what does that word mean exactly? Two jobs ago I used to interview CIO’s, vice presidents or managers of technology and other executives in charge of the technological workings behind retail companies. Invariably, at some point in the conversation somebody would say, "We leveraged the assets of the company to..."

And every time, I'd sort of scratch my head and wonder, what the hell does that mean? It's just so vague. I could use that answer for almost anything.

Gink, how did you make that turkey meatloaf? Well, I leveraged the assets of my refrigerator.

Gink, what did you do today? I leveraged my free time to accomplish my goals.

Even in the intro to the new TV show "Leverage" the term in intended to be vague. When Timothy Hutton's character says during the credits intro, "We provide leverage," he's being vague on purpose because he can't say what they really do.

Thankfully, in my most recent job I rarely, if ever, heard the term leverage. However, that didn't mean people weren't answering my questions in vague terms.

Just last week I interviewed a woman in charge of training and education at her company. Half of what she had to say was informative and useful. The other half, well I couldn't figure out what she was trying to say.

For instance, at one point in the interview she said, "We got some of their best thinking on best management practices and we put those into an online training session and delivered it out to the membership."

Uh huh. What is best thinking? And what does that mean, it was put into an online training session?

Later, she talked about a new initiative her company has started, which involved wrapping activities around an event and when I asked her exactly what the pieces (or wrappings) of the initiative were going to be. She told me "all the things I've already described," except she'd never really described anything.

I ended up with four pages of notes; about a page and a half actually had solid, concrete information I could use.

I just don't understand the common use of vague phrasing that is daily thrown around by executives, PR people, politicians. Do they think the average person they are speaking to is dumb? Is it just that what they're saying makes perfect sense to them? Is it a way of explaining things they don't even understand? Do they just not want to tell the full truth?

Yesterday, I tried to imagine conversations with friends in my head in which I spoke in very vague terms. But I couldn't do it. I realized it certainly is an art form that most likely either comes naturally or takes years of practice.

I'm not sure I really ever want to be a master of vaguery (ok, not really a word, but you get my point), but I am going to try and use the word leverage at least once a week from now on.

Who Is Gink?

I've had a few people ask me why "Gink"? Obviously that's not my real name. So who is Gink?

Gink is a cat (see the photo in the upper right corner). He is from a series of children's books about a child witch named Dorrie by Patricia Coomb.

I loved those books when I was a kid. I loved that the main character was a little girl and a witch, that she wore different colored striped socks and that she had an all black cat named Gink.

I also loved her name!

ExpressJet Kidnaps 47 Passengers

It's been awhile since the latest over-the-top airline customer service screw-up, so to make up for lost time ExpressJet went all out and forcibly kept 47 passengers on a small commuter plane for more than nine hours.

Way to go ExpressJet and for taking Continental down with you -- Continental actually markets and books the flight operated by ExpressJet, its regional partner.

According to the ExpressJet staff at the time of the entrapment, airline regulations prevented them from allowing passengers off the plane when it was diverted from Rochester, MN to Twin Cities, MN. ExpressJet said passengers were not allowed off because screening staff had already gone home for the night and without being screened passengers are not allowed in the airport. Crew, however, were allowed off because they exceeded the amount of time they were permitted to work. Wait, doesn't than mean the airplane crew weren't screened?

I love the thinking behind this "no exceptions" action. The plane was diverted because of bad weather, no one on the plane knew ahead of time the flight would be diverted to Rochester, so any terrorist with a plan to damage the Rochester airport would have to have been psychic! Plus, weren't they screened before getting on the plane. Was whoever who was in charge afraid somebody had picked up a smuggled gun onboard the airplane?

But here's where the blame game begins. ExpressJet blamed the airport saying it couldn't get permission to let passengers get off and go into the airport. The airport says that's not true and passengers would have been allowed in.

To add to the fun, when complaints and questions first started coming in to Continental, the larger airline wouldn't comment and directed people to ExpressJet. Continental has since done an about face and officially apologized saying the service was unacceptable, offered compensation to passengers and says its working closely with ExpressJet to figure out what went wrong.

And wrong it was as according to Continental policy -- adopted last year in response to several well publicized tarmac delay disasters -- no passenger may be kept onboard a plane for more than three hours without being offered the opportunity to deplane.

The US Transportation Department is of course demanding answers, though I don't know why. Legally, airlines can do whatever they want with their passengers. In spite of the fact that an airline bill of rights bill has been introduced to Congress several times, and even been debated, Congress never actually acts on it. Even in the face of blatant disregard for passengers' well-being. I guess airlines really do line the pockets of most politicians.

And the worst part of all of it is, we passengers have no choice but to accept shoddy treatment. Until an alternative form of transportation, that can offer the same travel time as airplanes, is invented we're all stuck. Airlines can treat us like crap (and they do, and then wonder what happened to brand loyalty!), charge us whatever they want for every little "service" they provide, and all we can do is... nothing.

Women keep book publishing alive

A new study by Bowker, the company that prints Books In Print, has released a new study that it calls the “first complete consumer-based research report.” The report provides a breakdown of who is buying what and how.

Though the full report costs way too much for this unemployed writer to purchase, the company did release a few takeaways, which I found very interesting.

For example, 57% of book buyers are women, plus they purchase 65% of the books sold in the U.S. So women are certainly at the forefront of keeping book publishing alive. Thank you ladies!!

Women are also more traditional when it comes to book buying, as they make the majority of paperback, hardcover and audio-book purchases. Men, on the other hand, account for 55% of e-book purchases. Again, I have to tip my hat to the ladies because I, myself, don't like the e-book trend (my personal opinion!). I prefer a real (i.e. physical) book in my hand. I like the feel of turning the page and dog earing my spot. There's something very personal aboout a real book. An e-book on the other hand seems so sterile to me. I know I can't fight “progress” but I certainly hope physical books don't disappear any time soon.

Another statistic I liked – mystery books are the most popular genre for book club sales, with 17% of all mystery book purchases coming directly through book clubs. As an aspiring mystery writer, I am very happy to hear mysteries are still very popular.

Other takeaways from the report:

Generation X consumers buy more books online than any other demographic group, with 30% of Gen Xers buying books through the Internet.

21% of book buyers said they became aware of a book through some sort of online promotion or ad.

Freelance whether I like it or not

I do not consider myself a freelancer. I do not want to be a freelancer. Freelancing is hard and I admire and respect people who make their entire livings doing freelance. I do not have the will power or desire to "pound the pavement" half of my day trying to find freelance work. I despise writing query letters. I do not want to give up free time and work on the weekends (that does not include my novel writing, which is for me and not somebody else!).

And yet I find myself in circumstances where for many reasons I need to be doing some freelance work. I suppose first and foremost it's to supplement the meager unemployment that New York State pays, but just as important, to me at least, is the desire to keep my foot in the industry I've chosen as mine. With nearly two years in the travel industry, I was just beginning to make a name for myself, just beginning to get to know people. I need my name to stay out there if I have any hope of getting a job inside the industry once the economy turns around.

So I need to freelance to make sure I'm still talking to some of the same people and ensure that my name is still visible and known.

I've been lucky enough that the editor-in-chief at what was a competitor publication values my experience and talent and has offered me some freelance work. I'm currently completing a third article for her and am hoping there will be a fourth.

But I still don't think I'd ever call myself a freelancer. I'm just an out of work editor who's writing freelance articles for the time being.

A new fad - suing others because we're unemployed

My mother sent me an e-mail yesterday with a link to an article on CNN.com - Alumna sues college because she hasn't found a job

The article details the story of a 27-year old woman who is suing the college she graduated from because she has not been able to get a job.

She alleges that the college's Office of Career Advancement did nothing to help her get a job. She is particularly upset that the staff in the office have not contacted all employers who list jobs on the college's e-recruiting web site and told them to call her for an interview. According to her, it is their responsibility to see that she is called for interviews.

She also alleges that the Office of Career Advancement is more likely to try to help students with grade point averages closer to 4.0. She has a 2.7 grade point average, but she emphasizes she has a solid attendance record.

She is suing for the full cost of her college tuition, plus (I love this part!) an additional $2,000 "to compensate for the stress of her three-month job search."

When asked by the CNN reporter if she would recommend a similar strategy to other college graduates who have not yet found work, the woman said yes. "They went to school for four years, and then they come out working at McDonald's and Payless. That's not what they planned."

I'm curious. Hasn't anyone told this woman we're in a recession? That the country's unemployment rate is the highest its been in decades? And since when does graduating from college guarantee you'll get a job, within three months?

Hey, I understand the need to lay blame. But this woman is old enough to know that life doesn't always go the way we planned. I certainly never planned to be laid off just as I was really getting a foot hold in my chosen industry.

So based on this woman's law suit I have decided that anyone who has been laid off should sue their former employers for breach of contract (regardless of whether there was a written contract or not.) All of us laid-off folks probably had solid attendance records, put in lots of hard work and effort, delivered on what was expected of us, but our employers did not come through for us. So it's their fault we're unemployed. It's even their fault we can't find another job because too many of them have laid too many of us off. Therefore they should pay us for loss of income and especially compensation for the stress we all feel from being unemployed and trying to find a job at a time when job applicants are flooding the markets.

What do you think? Can I find a lawyer to represent me?

Why I miss being a staff writer

Leaving aside all the benefits of being a staff writer than come from just having a regular salaried job -- i.e. regular paycheck, benefits, knowing my next assignment is every day, etc, -- the thing I miss most about being a staff writer is the write/edit cycle.

For the past three years I worked at publications with publication cycles. The first was a monthly, the second bi-monthly. This meant that I went through a phase every month where all I really did was research, interview and then write articles, and then went through a phase where all I did was edit and proof pages.

I enjoyed the bi-monthly cycle the most because each phase was short and fast -- one or one and a half weeks of writing, followed by a week of editing and proofing, then back to writing again. It was perfect. After a week and a half of writing, all I wanted to do was push myself away from my desk and give my mind a break... and I could, because it was time for editing and proofing. For the next week I would do very little writing (there was always the daily e-newsletter that had to get done) but most of my time was spent reading and re-reading pages, editing them until they were as close to perfect as I could get them.

After a week of that, I'd always feel like my eyes were cross-eyed and I didn't want to see another page again. I was ready to write and jumped into my next article happily.

And this cycle continued month after month after month. As soon as I was tired of writing, it was time for editing. As soon as I was tired of editing, it was time for writing.

Beautiful things, cycles.

As a freelancer, there is no cycle (well, except for the feast or famine cycle of having work!). It's always writing. Oh there's some research and interviews thrown in but mostly its writing, and writing and more writing.

Amazingly enough when I've had enough of writing my freelance articles, I turn to writing my novel for a break. While it's still writings, it is a totally different type of writing.

But boy do I miss page proofing!

Finally

Let's keep this intro short, shall we?

I've been contemplating writing a blog for quite some time now.

I had a successful blog in the past, but it was very specific to a time I lived overseas and since I've been back in the US it just doesn't apply anymore.

I had a second blog, detailing my morning and evening bus commute between New Jersey and New York City. I didn't maintain it as often as I should and when I got laid off the subject matter became moot anyway.

But I miss blogging and sharing my experiences. i miss having an outlet for all the amazing and frustrating experiences I have every day.

Right now three things dominate my world: unemployment, the travel industry and writing a mystery novel. They're each quite different, but when I thought about writing three separate blogs, it didn't feel right. They belong together, because they're all a part of me. Well, I hope that the unemployment part eventually disappears but for the foreseeable future, it's a pretty big part of my life. And each brings with it many grr and ahh moments -- and it's those moments I feel like sharing.

So to whoever might take a few minutes out of their day to read this, I hope you enjoy.

- Gink