It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It’s been looking a lot like Christmas actually.

It’s November 18 and two weeks ago I found myself humming along with Silver Bells as I shopped for a curtain rod. Most of the stores have had Christmas merchandise since Labor Day, and some even began putting it out while the temperatures and humidity were in the nineties.

I still have leftover Halloween candy but I’m bombarded with boxes and bags of Christmas treats. Printer paper is hidden behind gift wrap. My face cleanser has disappeared in a sea of red and green gift sets of bubble baths and scented lotions. The garden shop has hidden the potting soil to make room for tinsel and trim.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas. I especially love my granddaughter’s reaction to Christmas and I have an idea she’s really going to be into the whole Santa and gift thing this year. But Christmas doesn’t seem as special now as it did when I was a kid. I don’t know, but could it be that after 57 Christmases, it’s lost its glow? Or could I just be in a bad mood this year? Or maybe it’s because Christmas isn’t just a month-long season like it used to be. It seems to stretch for half a year now.

I know why merchants put out their Christmas wares so early. As a former retailer, I know that you have to compete. And Christmas is your make-it-or-break-it season. Most retailers strive to make enough profit between Black Friday and December 26 to keep them solvent til the following Christmas season.

And if you’ve ever wondered why the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, it’s not because it’s the busiest shopping day in the year that puts stores in the black. Here’s the real story:

The Friday after Thanksgiving has become known in the last few decades as one of the busiest of the year for retailers, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. One of the names used for this day is Black Friday, which some say comes from the fact that it is the biggest shopping day of the year, putting stores firmly in the black. This is false, as the days closer to Christmas generate more in sales. For the true origins of the term, we have to dig back a few decades.

Laurence H. Black was one of the best floor men in town, working in the men’s department of the old Osberger’s Department Store for over thirty years. He had been with the store since its humble beginnings as a menswear store on Richmond Avenue in the late 1920s. Except for a very brief stint in the service during World War II, he remained with the store as it grew, eventually settling into its later eight-floor retail palace on North Geary Street. Black was a fixture in the store, presiding over the suits, shirts, ties and millinery in his ever-present black suit (”That’s how they remember me. Black suit, Mr. Black, see?”) with a red carnation in the lapel. In a very cutthroat industry, his was one of those rare cases in which he was respected by everyone in the city’s retail trade, regardless of store affiliation. His reputation was even cemented throughout the region, as Osberger’s expanded in the 1950s and Mr. Black would often be called upon to train sellers at the various stores.

But it was the downtown store he loved the most. He was typically one of the first there in the morning (just behind Wharton Osberger) and one of the last to leave, which is exactly as it was on November 27, 1964. Toward the end of his twelve-hour shift, as the massive brass clock overlooking the restaurant in the store’s Grande Center Court read 7:48 pm, Laurence H. Black collapsed, felled by a heart attack. Old man Osberger closed the store the next day and clerks at the city’s other retail palaces wore black in tribute.

The following year, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, all of the employees wore black suits and dresses, highlighted by a single red carnation, with a moment of silence at 7:48 pm, a tradition that carried on year after year and was picked up by many other stores in the city. But, through many consolidations and sales and employee turnover and whatnot, the reason for the tribute and the tradition itself has been lost, save for a few old-timers who still remember. The small Osberger chain was dissolved in the early 1990s and the old parent company is now the owner of a chain of movie theaters in Australia. If you trace back through approximately fifteen mergers and acquisitions you’ll find that the old Osberger stores themselves are all now Macy’s. The central Osberger’s store on North Geary was converted to office space in 2001, after sitting vacant for a number of years. They’ve kept the central court and clock, however.

by RJ White from www.thecitydesk.com

Interesting, huh?

So, are you in the Christmas spirit already? Got your Christmas shopping done? Ready to behead a stuffed Santa before December’s even begun?

Just to keep this on a positive note, here’s a nice Christmas decoration I thought you’d enjoy.

Wednesday Wow

This is my new favorite TV show.

Castle is about a crime novelist who helps the New York police department solve crimes. Rick Castle, played by the yummy Nathan Fillion, is sort of a rock star in the literary world. He plays poker with James Patterson, Stephen J. Cannell and the mayor of NYC. But after he kills off the main character in his novels, invoking the wrath of not only his readers but his publisher (who is also his ex-wife), he struggles with writer's block. He needs a new character for his next book, and when the NYPD calls him in to help solve a series of crimes that are copies of murders in his books, he finds his new character in Detective Kate Beckett.

She's a fan but won't admit it and is constantly annoyed by Rick butting in to help with cases. She's especially annoyed when the police chief says Castle will be observing as part of his research for his next book. It seems playing poker with the mayor has its perks.

The show is light unlike most other crime dramas, and the screen simply explodes with romantic tension and witty repartee between Castle and Beckett. I also adore Susan Sullivan as his mother Martha. And the fact they've made Castle a single father with a teenage daughter makes him all the more lovable and brings out his vulnerabilities.

Check it out on ABC on Monday nights. Or you can watch episodes online at abc.com.

And here for your viewing and drooling pleasure is Castle star, Nathan Fillion, who just might become the inspiration for my next book.














Have you watched Castle? Do you like it? Can you believe how they left things hanging Monday night, which was the season finale? Please, ABC, bring this show back in the fall.

To Boldly Go Where PM Has Never Gone Before

Some things are as reliable as the sun rising every morning. Then there are things you never expect, like me suddenly going over to the dark side and developing an interest in vampire romance.

While you are picking yourselves up off the floor and/or laughing hysterically, let me explain. Several years ago I wrote a scene about a TV reporter who receives a DVD from her ex-husband. She views the DVD and on it he alludes to having information that would destroy her career. And he's going to turn it over to her competition if she doesn't find it first. Then she watches as he puts a gun to his head and blows his brains out. The scene was for an online contest and went nowhere.

Great opening for a romantic suspense, but as you may or may not know, plotting is not a strong point of mine. And a good romantic suspense requires as many twists and turns as an unpaved, one-lane mountain road.

After reading Smarty Pants's submission for the new Nocturne Bites line, I remembered the scene and wondered if it might be re-written with some sort of woo-woo element. I was thinking maybe the hero or heroine could be psychic. Then I ran the idea past a friend who emailed me back and said "...how about once she composes herself, she realizes that her ex's little brain splattering is just for show, because the secret he holds--the secret that's both terrorized her and kept her alive--is that he can't die. He's either a demon or a vampire or an immortal or something evil. Maybe she is a vampire or shapeshifter or witch or something."

My first reaction was not only no, but hell no. But the idea just wouldn't go away and the more I thought about it, I realized it might could work. The only problem is that I know squat about anything to do with vampires. Last winter I read two Christmas vamp novellas and shuddered at every mention of blood. Beyond that, I knew nothing.

So I've been immersing myself into all things vampire. Well, maybe not ALL things, but some things. I read a vamp romance by Caridad Pineiro from the Silhouette Nocturne line and now I'm reading one of Kerrelyn Sparks's single titles. I watched an MSNBC special from a few years ago about a teenage vampire cult that murdered a couple in Florida (nothing valuable there) and Sunday afternoon I drooled over Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing (which I call "Frankenstein and Dracula meet James Bond and Indiana Jones).

I've done research online and learned that while there are some things that most vamp romances have in common, there are basically no rules. I can create my own world and as long as I explain it well and have things make sense, I can be in charge and run things my way. Oh, if the real world were only that way.

Vampires have appeared in books and movies for a long time. We've had Dracula on the silver screen for ages and in various incarnations. Kids have Sesame Street's Count to help them learn numbers (One bat hanging in the steeple. One bat flies in through the door. That makes two bats in my belfry, but wait. There's more. Two bats hanging... well, you get the picture).






There's even been a cereal named for a vampire.






And where there's a vampire, there's a vampire slayer such as Buffy. I never watched the show but PC has offered her Buffy DVD collection. Despite PC's warnings, I tried to watch the Buffy movie and promptly fell asleep. It's no longer using up space on my Tivo. My Tivo "To Do" list includes a History channel special on vampires and "Queen of the Damned" as well as something else I can't remember at the moment. And I have a couple more vampire romances to read.
I'm beginning to get a feel for my hero and heroine, and have some ideas for the villain (Mr. SplatterBrains). But there's more that I don't know. Isn't this guy superbly hawt for a hero?

So my question to you is, if you're a fan of vampire romance, what are your favorite story elements? Do you like the vamp to have all the traditional weaknesses, or are you willing to compromise on some for the sake of the story?

What are some of your favorite parts of vampire mythos? Do you think the hero and heroine have to both be mortal or immortal by the end of the book for them to have a HEA? Can a woman live happily ever after knowing her husband will live for centuries after she's gone? Or knowing she'll turn into an old crone while he still looks like Mr. Hawt Guy above?

What's your favorite vampire romance and movie? These are research questions, you know. I have a good excuse to pile up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and read or watch a movie.

I know -- I'm just full of questions, but I'm trying to build a world here and well... it's hard work. Help me build it.

P.S. The Spoil Me Silly contest is still open. Be sure to enter!

It's Not Easy Being Green

You can't go a day without reading an article or seeing something on television about being green. The earth has finite resources and landfills everywhere are overflowing with things that won't ever decompose.

But just what is "being green?" There's not enough space on this blog to go into all the different things you can do to help the environment, but I'm going to hit on a few that we've incorporated at our house.

* Recycle and Freecycle. We have curbside recycling in our town and we've participated from its inception. Every item that's recyclable through our system goes in the blue bin and then out to the curb once a week. Items we no longer need are donated to a thrift store. Or another option is something I just learned about: Freecycle.org. This is a nationwide organization that operates through Yahoo groups and is a place where people can offer or request items. The only hitch is they must be offered free. We had an old computer monitor that had conked out during the warranty. The company replaced it but the old one had been in our attic for a year. Last week I pulled it out, posted it on Freecycle and had a dozen folks ask for it. Freecycle is a great way to get rid of items without putting them in the landfill. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

* Insulate your home. Double pane windows or storm windows, caulking and weatherstripping, proper floor, ceiling and wall insulation can reduce your heating and cooling costs. It's an inexpensive solution with big returns.

* Turn down the thermostat. In winter, set your thermostat to 68 degrees. Put an extra blanket on the bed. Wear a sweater in the house. A two-degree adjustment to your thermostat setting can reduce heating costs by 4%. In summer, set it to 78. Use ceiling fans to circulate the air and keep rooms cooler. Depending on the type of heat you have, a programmable thermostat that automatically turns down the setting at night and/or while you're at work may work for you. Heat pumps don't benefit from them, but other types of heat do. Also, remember to change your furnace filters regularly. If you use the cheap ones, change them monthly. If you use the more expensive ones or the ones you can wash, follow the manufacturer's suggestions for when to clean or replace.

* Use the power of the sun. If solar power is available to you, use it. But you can use the sun's power to your advantage without ugly panels on the roof. Open curtains and blinds in the winter to let the sun heat your house. Likewise, close them in summer to keep out the hot rays.

* Wash only when full. Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when full. Use cold water when possible to wash clothes. Obviously, the dishwasher won't work with cold water, but you can turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees and still safely clean your dishes.

* Paper or plastic? Neither. Many grocery stores now offer inexpensive reusable shopping bags for around $1. This, of course, is the no-frills model. You can buy all styles and colors for more, but they all accomplish the same goal -- to keep plastic out of the landfills. Of course, remembering to take them is my biggest challenge. I've also started using cloth napkins at the dinner table. They are a dark color so they don't show every little thing. And the DH and I aren't that messy either. I keep lots of cleaning rags on hand to use instead of paper towels. I've discovered microfiber towels and they rock! I can clean a mirror and leave it streak-free with nothing but a little water. We do use facial tissues and toilet paper. I'm not fond of carrying a snotty hankie around and well... they don't make the Sears catalog anymore. ;-) Use resealable plastic containers to store leftovers instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Use them to pack lunches instead of resealable plastic bags

* Watch those miles. Drive a car that gets good mileage whether it's a regular gasoline burning engine, bio-diesel or hybrid. Consolidate your errands to minimize the number of trips you make from home. Carpool if you can and if available, use public transportation.

* Be cyber-green. Use your ATM card and online banking and bill paying to reduce the number of checks you write and bill payments you mail. And if you use a program like Microsoft Money or Quicken, your bank transactions will download straight to it, which helps a lot at tax time since you can categorize your expenditures into deductible and non-deductible items. That will feed into most tax software programs, most of which allow you to file online, again saving paper and postage. And if you're getting a refund, you can opt to have it deposited directly to your bank account.

* Don't take a bath. Bubble baths might be fun and relaxing, but showers use less water, especially if you've installed a low-flow shower head.



Are you trying to be green? Wouldn't you like to shower with Matthew McConnaughey? Give me your best "being green" tip and I'll pick one commenter and mail them $2 to buy a reusable shopping bag. That will use less packaging than mailing you a bag. *g* But you gotta promise to buy and use the bag.

P.S. Our winner from yesterday is Rita. Please contact Problem Child with your full name and snail mail info to claim your prize.

Good-bye Jon, Hello...

Dermot

*sigh*

I had an upset tummy last night and watched "The Wedding Date" with Debra Messing and the hunk below. Where has he been all my life (or maybe the question should be "What hole have I had my head in)? Hubba hubba!