News from the incubator!!

Something incredible has happened in our incubator.

Two itsby bitsy teeny weeny baby veiled chameleons fought their way out of their respective egg.

I know you want pictures.

Here's a shot of the deli dish in the incubator. This is the second chameleon battling his way out of his egg. It took each baby over a day to get free of the egg. The first was completely out on Saturday; the second yesterday.

Here's a closer-up shot of the photo above. For the first day or so, the chameleon drags around, from it's tummy, a little ball of egg material. I think it serves as nutrition, but it sure trips up the baby a lot. The little ball shrivels up after a day or two. In this picture, you can see that the baby's has some vermiculite (dirt stuff we put in each deli dish) stuck to him.

Here are the two babies. It's a sibling photo. They're hanging from the top of their cage, bonding and perhaps wondering if any additional brothers or sisters will be showing up. This lighting is not showing up their colors. However, the baby born on Saturday is much greener than the more recent baby, who is a boring brown.

Ahhh.....

You can how they're very cute. Probably the cutest veileds ever laid! And, no, I"m not prejudiced.


Additional details:
-There are three more eggs from this clutch. Hopefully, they'll hatch too.
-These eggs incubated for a little less than six months.
-We still have 45 eggs to hatch. Three of the eggs should hatch any day now. If you do the math, you'll see that we have 42 more eggs that should hatch around the end of Feb.

In other chameleon cage news...the female is pregnant again!! Also, we've separated the male and female. According to the reptile pet store, he's stressed and getting too thin. So, we now have three veiled chameleon cages. Our house is noisy with singing crickets. Craziness!

Oh yeah and...., the female is pregnant again!! We've separated the male and female. According to the reptile pet store, he's stressed and getting too thin. So, we now have three veiled chameleon cages. And our house is noisy with singing crickets. Craziness!
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My Town Monday: Ann Arbor, MI

I'm still in Ann Arbor. In fact, I won't be back home until late tomorrow night. DH (Darling Husband) somehow thinks I'm ready to come home. However, I'm definitely enjoying hotel and restaurant life!

The water polo is going really really well. Child #3 is playing superbly. I don't want to jinx us, so all I'll say is that our two last games are tomorrow.

I'm going to do wimp out and mostly do a pictorial visit to Ann Arbor. It's late here and I have to get up early to watch the first game and I'm on the east coast, but still on west coast time. Or some time zone in between...

From the book signing...

Robin Agnew, me, Jamie Agnew, lovely and gracious owners Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore

Clair of Bo Fexler, PI and our My Town Monday host. Clair has this terrific wry sense of humor. It was wonderful sitting and chatting with her.

Stacy of The Cat's Meow. Stacy is just as interesting and insightful as I'd imagined. I'm so happy we got to meet IRL.

From the streets...

a street near the University of Michigan

You have to really watch out for pedestrians in this town; they'll dart out into traffic anywhere, anytime.

an overly friendly squirrel

Squirrel is DH's favorite meat. And I'm not even kidding. This little guy is lucky he didn't go back to California as a souvenir.

a brick street.

Very cute and full of character, but the bricks are way uneven. You do not want to be dashing across this street.


a poster for the card game of Euchre, which I spent hours and hours playing as a tween/teen.

All in all, I'm having buckets of fun! There's something about a college town...

Click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. (Thanks Clair for hosting) Also, if you're even mariginally thinking about writing a My-Town-Monday post, please do! Fair warning, though, it's addictive! Write your post, then leave a comment here and we'll link to you.

A Book Signing and A Birthday

I will be at Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan on this coming Saturday, November 14 @ 1:30!!!



Ann Arbor, Michigan? Yes! Child #3's very talented water polo team will be competing in the Speedo Cup (top 12 8th grade and under boys' teams IN THE NATION. And the top 12 girls teams will be there as well). The games take place at the University of Michigan's pool. That would be Michael Phelps' home pool!

When I was in Ann Arbor for this competition last year (did I mention how talented Child #3's team is??!), I wandered into Aunt Agatha's, had a great chat with co-owner Jamie about mysteries and Nancy Drew and I forget what else.

And this year, I'm doing a signing there! The paperback of I So Don't Do Mysteries was released TWO DAYS AGO!

So, at the signing, I'm doing a short, fun presentation. There will also be free bookmarks, pencils and chocolate.

I'm really hoping to see Stacy of The Cat's Meow , Clair of Bo Fexler, PI and our My Town Monday host, and Patti of Pattinase. (Patti probably can't make it, but I can still hope.)

Thank you, Stacy for this My Town Monday post about Ann Arbor restaurants. I'll definitely be wanting to eat while there. Several times.

So....if you're anywhere near Ann Arbor, I'd love to see you! Aunt Agatha's is at 213 South Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 (phone: 734.769.1114)

And birthday wishes to Neil Young, whom I have loved for many years. I have worn t-shirts and pajamas proclaiming this love. Neil, my birthday is in August. Any chance you could write a song for me? xo

Sorry. No My Town Monday post.

That's me. Only less frazzled looking!

Sorry. No My Town Monday post this week. :(

I have to read the galleys for I So Don't Do Makeup. This is my last chance to make changes. Gulp.

I'm still wrestling with the outline for I So Don't Do Famous. The resolution doesn't feel resolved enough.

We refinanced and have to sign docs this week.

I'm going to Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday for water polo with Child #3.

Ack.

The Book Review Club (November 2009)

Welcome one and all to the TENTH get-together of The Book Review Club. The TENTH! I can't believe it! Although considering that last month, I posted it was the NINTH meeting, you'd think I would've realized where we were headed!

Anyway, please pull up a comfy chair. Inhale deeply; the room is filled with the friendly aroma of coffee and sugary donuts. Gaze around. Our shelves are stocked with books. Exceptional previous reviews are only a click away. Oh, but it's great to be here.



SEEING IS BELIEVING. It's the 6th book in this annual Ripley's Believe It or Not series.

How did this book go over in my house?



Well, here's child #4 reading it.



And here's Child #3 following suit.



And here's child #...oops...It's my DH (darling husband)!


The hardcover book is filled with colorful photos and odd and obscure facts. Way-out-there obscure facts. And yet I managed to relate a few of them to my own little life.

Did you know that... "the World Cube Association holds an annual contest for solving a Rubik's Cube--while blindfolded. In 2008, the winner solved the puzzle in just 48 seconds." To give you a little perspective, I once solved a Rubik's Cube by peeling off all the little colored squares and sticking them back on the right order. It took way longer than 48 seconds.

Did you know that... "at O. Noir restaurant in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, customers dine in total darkness. There are no lights, no candles, and all cell phones and glowing watches must be removed." I once went on a blind date that might've gone better in this restaurant.

Did you know that... "a dental technician from Utah is one of the world's best tooth artists, having illustrated teeth for more than 20 years...Customers can have anything they want to display on their teeth, including many famous faces from the worlds of sports, politics and entertainment." Oh, oh, oh! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?! Book covers! I could have my book covers tattooed on my teeth!

In my family of four children, three of whom are boys, Ripley's Believe It or Not! SEEING IS BELIEVING is....a coffee table book. And there really is nothing odd about that!

Onto to our brilliant reviewers and their brilliant reviews...

PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS

Sarahlynn of Yeah, but Houdini didn't have these hips: AN APPLE PIE FOR DINNER retold by Susan Vanhecke and illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee

YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Stacy Nyikos: BUTT WARS: THE FINAL CONFLICT by Andy Griffiths (middle grade)

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: FORTUNE'S FOLLY by Dave Fagan (middle grade)

Kaye of the Book Review Forum: THE BLUE STAR by Tommy Earley

Thao of serene hours: TEACH ME by R.A. Nelson

Linda McLaughlin: BABY BE-BOP by Francesca Lia Block

Keri Mikulski: THE NAUGHTY LIST by Suzanne Young

Patti Abbott: ROCK 'N ROLL SOLDIER by Dean Ellis Kohler and Susan Vanhecke

Jody Feldman: FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg (middle grade)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Sarah Laurence: THE CONFESSIONS OF EDWARD DAY by Valerie Martin (literary/thriller)

Sandy Levin of Peaceful Heart Stained Glass: STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova

Scott Parker: HEAT WAVE by Richard Castle (adult mystery)

Jenn Jilks of My Reflections: LOST IN THE BACKWOODS by Catherine Parr Traill (1802-1899) (biography)

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: HOME TO BIG STONE GAP by Adriana Trigiani (women's fiction)

From the Desk of Bee Drunken: THE GREAT LOVER by Jill Dawson


NONFICTION REVIEWS

Kathy Holmes: GODFATHER OF NIGHT: A GREEK MAFIA FATHER, A DRUG RUNNER SON AND AN UNEXPECTED SHOT AT REDEMPTION by Kevin Pappas



Note to Reviewers: Our desktop computer was carted away, comatose and ill with a trojan, to the Geek Squad. So, if I missed anyone's review, it's due to technology! Well, maybe I can't blame it all on the sick computer! So, if I missed you, leave me a comment and I'll rectify the situation straight away. And award myself one less cookie today!

My Town Monday: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

And here we are again--another My Town Monday post!

We're back in Hollywood. Fair warning--I crammed so much into my recent weekend away in LA/Hollywood/Beverly Hills that I could write SEVERAL My Town Monday posts on this area!

Today, we're at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (circa 1927) where I dragged Famous Author and Newbery Winner Susan Patron and Mary Hayward, Employee Extraordinaire of the Yellow Book Road (the children's indie bookstore near me in San Diego).

Susan and Mary were uber helpful and patient as we poked around the hotel, doing research for Sherry's fourth adventure, I So Don't Do Famous. I can be quite embarrassing and relentless with my camera (after all, I'll need all sorts of details for the book and have a memory like a sieve), but they were good-natured and helpful about it. We had A LOT of fun.

me, Mary Hayward, Susan Patron (The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky Breaks and other wonderful books)

In this photo, we're lunching at 25 Degrees (a 24/7 restaurant at the Roosevelt). Here's the description from the hotel website: "....whose name refers to the temperature difference between a medium rare and well-done burger, has a playful 'Bordello meets Burger Bar attitude..."

Is the Roosevelt haunted?

Apparently so. Marilyn Monroe's spirit lives in a mirror there, and she occasionally dances in the ballroom. Montgomery Clift plays his bugle on the 8th floor. Also, there are a couple of room with ghosts.

Guess what the staff at the front desk did?

THEY DIMMED THE LOBBY LIGHTS AND TOLD US HOTEL GHOST STORIES! It was wild!

Will the Hollywood Roosevelt be featured in I So Don't Do Famous?

Oh, I think so.

Click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. (Thanks Clair for hosting) Also, if you're even mariginally thinking about writing a My-Town-Monday post, please do! Fair warning, though, it's addictive! Write your post, then leave a comment here and we'll link to you.

Please check back Wednesday when I'll be hosting The Book Review Club. We have some great reads lined up!

Sources:
http://www.hollywoodroosevelt.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Hotel_(Hollywood)

On my nightstand....

When I woke up this morning, there was a note waiting on my nightstand.






It's from Child #4 who knows and shares my love of candy and jewelry.

Happy Halloween back at you Child #4! We are going to have buckets of fun today. You will be a beautiful Cleopatra this evening. And I will be a scary pirate.

Happy Halloween to all of you!