I am caught unprepared!
First of all, I stayed up all night to finish my Undone. You know, the one you all helped me with on 11/24/08. (janegeorge, I still promise to write about my writing routine…..someday).
Now before you feel sorry for me; it was my own fault that I didn’t use my time more efficiently. This story was only 10,000 to 15,000 words and I should have been able to write that in a week or two. 
And I didn’t spend a great deal of time on the holidays except for one marathon 5 1/2 hour binge of shopping for everything last Tuesday.
New Year’s resolution–MAKE BETTER USE OF MY TIME!
Anyway I wound up pleased with the story and here is hoping Linda Fildew likes it, too. At least this time I did not accidentally delete it before sending it, like I did last summer when I stayed up all night to meet a deadline.
BUT…What I really wanted to blog about was my very favorite Christmas gift. My IPhone!
On Christmas eve my husband decided to get himself an IPhone for Christmas, which was fine with me, because what I got him was very unexciting and I was sick of hearing him discuss the pros and cons of various phones. To me this was an extravagance that we didn’t really need, but, let’s face it, I caved.
He came back with an IPhone for me, too!!!
Mine is white (as you can see) and I’ve fallen in love with it.
I can read my email anytime, anywhere, and even answer it, although the keyboard is a bit tedious. I used it to respond to Megan’s and Amanda’s blogs! I can read our Risky Regencies blog anytime, anywhere. It already has my calendar and my addresses and my ITunes. It has GAMES and YouTube! Plus it is a breeze to use.
Needless to say, I spent a lot of time playing with my IPhone when I should have been writing. I also enjoyed my family who all came for Christmas dinner here, my kids, my sisters, my brother-in-law and niece. My sister said the magic words a few days before Christmas, “Why don’t you get a ham?” Yay! No turkey to cook!
What was your favorite Christmas gift?
By the way, The Wet Noodle Posse will be back after Jan 1.
There is still a contest on my website and updates to be made very soon.
Congrats on the new acquisition, Diane. Though I’m not especially big on gadgets this one looks nifty.
My favorite gift? Hard to say but CAPTAIN OF THE 95th RIFLES, the memoir of Jonathan Leach, is up there. Most people would think I’m weird for saying that, but I’m guessing at least a few of you will understand! 🙂
I love that pic of your iPhone, Diane!!! We look so cool. (They should use that pic to advertise the phone!) 😉
BTW, Todd will be dead jealous about the iPhone. He’s been drooling at the commercials since they came out, but he decided it wasn’t a reasonable thing for him to get considering how little he uses his phone, so he didn’t…
I think my favorite gift this holiday season came from my cats: they didn’t rip up all the presents!
Cara
Ooooh, I would like such a gift as a Captain of the Rifles! I must look to see if I have that one (and get online if I don’t!)
New Year’s Resolution: put all my books on Library Thing.
I forgot to say that you can also download books to the IPhone. It gives you a teeny-weeny page but in a pinch I’ll always have something to read. I downloaded A Tale of Two Cities from the Gutenberg project.
Tell Todd that he really NEEDS this!!
My grandcats are visiting so we have six cats here. They are leaving me all sorts of gifts.
Congratulations on your new phone, Diane! Everyone I know who has one loves it.
My favorite present was a game of Shut-the-Box. It’s described as a classic English pub game but dates back to 12th c Normandy (acc. to wikipedia). Here’s a description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shut_the_box
There’s something addictive about this game, in the same way solitaire and minesweeper are addictive. It’s simpler, but I feel I’ve got centuries of wind at my back as I’m playing.
Also: it’s a great pick for young kids who need help with basic addition skills. Even more fun when you tell them you’re playing the World Series and go for best-four-of-seven.
Now you could say that game has stood the test of time, couldn’t you, Greta!
(did I mention I can play games on my IPhone????)
Happy iPhone, Diane! You make it sound quite enticing. But I’m too ornery to buy any product with a contract. My teenage son is drooling over the G-phone.
My best present came in July when my husband supported (literally) my decision to leave my toxic day job. I’m still waking up thrilled I don’t have to go to that office. Almost 4 years there did me a lot of truly funny material. I can say that with some hindsight, now. And I’m using it in a current WIP.
That’s my New Year’s Resolution: minimum daily page goal of two pages on each of the two manuscripts I’m working on. Four pages a day minimum may not sound like much but if I set the bar too high it’s likely to fall and crush me. 🙂 Hey, I can always write more if I’m on a roll!
Grandcats! How cool is that? Yesterday we got a cat climby-thing for our crew. They love it.
I would love to have an iPhone–it would be great when traveling especially! I’d also like a Kindle. But mostly what I got for Christmas was books. 🙂
Jane, I set goals like that, too! The hardest thing for me is just sitting down to get started on writing–once I get into it it’s usually fine. So I tell myself “just do 2 pages for now”, and usually end up doing much more, but I don’t feel pressured to do so. Good plan!
I’m a new iPhone user, too! In fact, I’m using mine now during our layover in the STL airport going from my MIL’s to my mom’s. It wasn’t a Xmas gift, though. I decided I had to have one after 11/4–if I’d had one, I could’ve checked election returns on my bus commute home. I left work right after they called PA and NH, and the suspense of no news for an hour was killing me. (I am a sad, sad geek.)
Best gift was my new complete Austen, with the collection of Wellington quotes a close second.
Ooh, congrats! 🙂 Me, well, somewhere along the way I started collecting Monopoly games in themes that I like, so I added to that collection this year with Star Wars The Clone Wars and Indiana Jones. 🙂
Lois
Ooooo, how fun, Diane!! Especially that hubby thought to buy one for you, too!
Love the director’s cut of 1776, and a beautiful clear cube with a horse’s head etched in the center. I’m still trying to figure out how that’s done! This year, I had more fun finding the right gifts.
Two pages? Hmmm… maybe I could actually do two pages…
~Judy
Lois, do you have the LOTR Monopoly?
~Judy
Cool phone, O Divine One! As I just got my first cell phone in August I think I need more practice on it before I go for something really complicated!
The funniest gift I got was the DVD The Mummy – Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The only reason it was funny was because the niece I got it for got me one for Christmas too! We do tend to like the same movies!
As practical as it sounds my favorite gift is the oil-filled radiator heater my brother got me. It is always so cold in this house and he got it for my writing studio so I can spend more time writing!
Oh and the CDs I got – Il Divo’s newest and the CD set released after Pavarotti’s death were real hits with me too.
The best gift of the bunch, however, was the one I got my Mom. A rescue group I know was looking for a home for a precious 2 and half year old miniature chihuahua named Minnie Mouse. I took her, didn’t tell Mom and showed up on Christmas Eve with Miss Minnie Mouse. It was love at first sight and my Mom already says she doesn’t know how she got along without Minnie’s company! Made my Christmas!
Gosh, I don’t know where to begin!
Janegeorge, I can write because my husband has the day job so I know how wonderful it is. Your two page plan is brilliant.
Amanda, Jim and I want a Kindle, too. We are definitely gizmo people. And I think getting books for Christmas is almost as good as getting an IPhone.
Susan, I totally understand the need to be “in touch” at all times. As someone who was glued to the TV set on election day, I can feel your pain at not knowing what happened in those crucial hours.
Lois, what a hoot! Monopoly games! And wouldn’t you know that Ladyhawk would know of a Lord of the Rings one!
Ladyhawk, I’d love to see that horse’s head cube. It sounds fascinating.
Louisa, I wanted the Il Divo CD too. Didn’t get it though (but I can order it through ITunes and have it come to my IPhone!
I think you win the prize for Best Surprise Gift. Just the name Miss Minnie Mouse makes me want to smile.
Well my Mom came down Sunday to have lunch with me and brought Miss Minnie Mouse with her. I had to go with Mom to pick out a bed for Miss Minnie, an automatic waterer, an automatic feeder, food and cute little sweaters and coats. This is one spoiled little dog. And she absolutely adores my Mom already so I am SO glad I made her Mom’s Christmas gift!
Congrats on your iPhone! I must admit, I do long for one, but it just doesn’t seem to make that much sense, at least right now…maybe I’ll cave in the future. 🙂
I must admit, a more demoralizing event was when my 13-year-old niece got an iPhone last Christmas. But she is much cooler than me anyway, so I guess I shouldn’t care. 🙂
Don’t know what my favorite gift would be. My dad and stepmom got us a Bonsai tree, which is very pretty, and which I hope I don’t manage to kill right away. And I got some fun books and CDs. Cara gave me David McCullough’s John Adams, which looks very fun indeed, and I also got Michael Stephenson’s Patriot Battles. I’ve been on a bit of a revolutionary war kick for the last few years…
Todd-who-really-really-doesn’t-need-an-iPhone-he-is-almost-positive
Dashing in here real quick on a borrowed laptop to wish the Riskies and Friends a very happy new year!
Oooh, the new iPhone, Diane!! Your husband’s a good egg.
Cara, Todd just needs to figure out how to run Matlab on the iPhone and then he’ll be able to justify the cost.
My phone has a pull-out keyboard for text messages, which I thought was ultra cool. So yes, you can see how far behind I lag in these techie matters. No Kindle for me either.
Diane, I’m going to appropriate your New Year’s Resolution: Put all books on LibraryThing.
Some of my favorites this year seemed to be foot-oriented. Daughter #3 got me a fabulous pumice stone. Daughter #1 got me ice creepers to attach to my shoes so I won’t slip and fall again in my driveway, and Daughter #2 got me a magazine subscription (Victoria—if only they published Regency) so I can put my feet up and relax and read! I got tea and scented candles too to set the mood.
I’m sure I’ve seen the LOTR one, but it’s not something I’m a fan of, so I never picked it up. What I do have is. . . ready. . . I know no one actually asked, but still. 😉
A regular Monopoly game
a retro looking one
Astronomy Edition
Night Sky Edition (which is 99.9% the same as Astronomy, just didn’t know it until I opened it)
Indiana Jones
Disney Movies
Star Wars Saga Edition
Star Wars The Original Trilogy
Star Wars Clone Wars
Star Trek The Next Generation
The New York Mets
Sesame Street
and that looks like that’s it for now. 🙂 On my amazon.com wish list, I think I have I Love Lucy, Cat Lover, Here and Now US and World Editions, James Bond, and whatever else there is on the wish list. 🙂
Lois, who can’t actually play any of them (lack of players) so I play the computer version against the computer. 🙂
My sister said the magic words a few days before Christmas, “Why don’t you get a ham?” Yay! No turkey to cook!
I cooked a ham for xmas thinking it was some sort of easy option. Ugh. Obviously I got the wrong sort of ham. All that horrible skin and fat, and in my house glazing = burned. But it tasted great!
My favorite xmas gift was a wonderful pashmina scarf that matches my Regency gown. Very yummy!
Lois, that list is either totally inspirational, or rather disturbing…
Cara
Probably disturbing. Especially since I can’t actually play them, which would be nice. . . sigh. 🙂
Lois
Keira wrote:
Cara, Todd just needs to figure out how to run Matlab on the iPhone and then he’ll be able to justify the cost.
Ooooo, great idea! But Mathematica would be even better. 🙂
Todd-who-is-cackling-and-rubbing-his-hands