Surprise!

This morning, while I was tappity tapping away on my website (women writers) getting the new issue ready, I found out that my domain name registration had expired!! AUGH! This is how people snatch up these kinds of things. You have a domain for ten years and then forget to pay the renewal fee and a porn site is suddenly parked on your cool domain. Luckily, I had been working hard with the site all day and realized what was up, and renewed ASAP and now I have it for another 9 years. Whoopee! :) Take that adult industry squatters who were probably chomping to get after my domain!!! But the trouble was that the service that used to do it did not have an easy way to update contact information, and all my contact info was ridiculously old. Luckily, I had an old, still accessible email address that I never use, so I did not have to go through the pain of faxing stuff to them. Whew!

So. But the weird thing is on my laptop, I can get my site. And other people can get it. But the computer I'm on now keeps loading the "renew your domain" splash page. It has something to do with DNS renewal and stuff I don't understand, that the tech support guy explained to me when I called. I don't get it. If I whack it with a rock or stick, maybe that will fix it. Kim Smash! Kim Angry! Arrrrr!

Anyways. My website is so cool right now... the voodoo issue. It's gonna be awesome and I am so glad I thought of doing this special topic.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day holed up with the "vampire teen" book's finale (called Breaking Dawn). I thought it was very well done, very good, very gripping. I am kind of sad it's over and wish she'd write more stuff. I really liked the lack of too much information on the "eros" elements of vampire lore. Other vamp books I've read go into TMI for sure, and the fact that the author, Stephanie Meyer, is conservative was actually a plus for me. I want story, not barely disguised "adult materials" pretending to be a mystery/horror story.

Now to go upstairs and eat lunch. Ack! I can't believe it's 2 already!

Hopeful

We have NEW neighbors! Since our old ones were nice but very standoffish, we're very hopeful that perhaps these new ones will hang out with us a bit more. One thing that might help is that they don't actually have kids. I know, I know, that sounds contradictory. But I've found that couples without kids (call them child free rather than childless-- it's the new way to say it without the stigma of "less." which I never felt in the past anyway but I did catch flack once from a stranger about it-- still, I say who the heck has to define themselves by their procreative ability nowadays? Well. Other than Brangelina--but I digress) are much more willing to pop in for dinner & drinks, or whatever, than their child having peers. It's just about 200% more difficult, I think, when you either have to get a babysitter or drag the whole fam along. I remember fondly our child free days, staying out til 2 am, going to like three of the first episodes of the new Star Wars in one day (in a tired haze, yes, but still). Nowadays, if I'm up at 2 it's either because one of the babies is crabby or something similar.

Anyway. This week is going to be crazy for me cause the Hubby is out of town til Friday. It's possible (but not probable) that he can come back on Wednesday, but no matter what, he'll be gone for a bit. When he told Maia yesterday that he was leaving for a while, she pouted prettily. Then, prompted by me (yes, I'm awful) she lit up and said "A Present?!" Ah hah! Princesses need presents when daddy comes home from a business trip. That's the rule. Mommy doesn't need squat (other than, perhaps, the occasional visit from a housekeeper to do the more Cinderella-ish things in the house). But the Princess Papaya gets some kind of sparkly present this time. Or else. :)

Now, off to finish my Voodoo issue of my magazine, which, by the way, is going to be awesome. My guest co-editor & I are even thinking about pitching this one to a real book publisher. We'll see what happens. :)

chatty

I've experimented with Yahoo IM before in the past and been annoyed with it. However, I'm going to give it a shot again. I changed my name from the old anonymous one I never used to a new one that is the "real me." So. I'm making it public again.

My Yahoo chat name is daydreamsdandelions if you ever wanna IM me. :) I don't know how often I'll be on there, but just in case. I just spent ten minutes setting up my new "real me" avatar, anyway. I was amazed at how many new choices there are for clothes! Anyway. Me and my obsession with little virtual dolls.

Call for Book Reviews

My website, Women Writers is doing a special issue and needs your help. We're short on book reviews.

If anyone out there has read a book (fiction, poetry, nonfiction) that they loved or hated that had some aspect of Voodoo/Hoodoo/Conjure/Rootwork/ in it and would like to publish a short to medium length book review of that text on our special issue of Voodoo & Women of Womenwriters.net, please send it my way within the next week. For samples of previous book reviews, check here: http://www.womenwriters.net/archivesbookreviews.htm

Even if you've never written a book review before, you can do this!

If you know someone who might be interested, tell them to submit something.

Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston, Nalo Hopkinson, Emma Bull, Gloria Naylor, Maryse Conde, Maya Deren, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara, Emma Bull, *etc, etc,* would qualify. Tell us about books we don't know about! Reviews of the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot would be cool, too. Reviews (personal essay style) of your visit to Marie Leveau's house of voodoo in New Orleans would be awesome....

But really, anything goes. As long as the author of the book you're reviewing is a woman, and you keep it under 1000 words, we'll be super happy. :) The review can be previously published if the place it was published in before does not object to dual publication. Even website reviews are open to negotiation.... any website dealing with voodoo & women can possibly be reviewed.

If you want to broaden your definition and review anything with women's MAGIC or witchcraft of any sort, you can, but please ask me for approval first. :)

We're looking for things that can be ready to go NEXT WEEK. (Short notice, I know. That's why I'm posting here... come on, someone has to have something....)

It's gonna be a super cool issue... send your stuff via an email attachment (ms word or word perfect preferably) to me. Ask for my email address via comments if you're interested.

Does anybody know

Where the he77 I put my da#mne% car keys?!!! Seriously. I always, always put them in my purse. But this morning I cannot find them anywhere. Darn twin babies. I'm sure the keys are tucked carefully somewhere that a 3-year old finds amusing.