The Taiwanese Love Me

It's like Christmas all over again.

Yesterday I arrived home to find a box full of books from my publisher (Ten Speed Press/Random House). The cool part? The books were all the foreign editions of Who Moved My Mouse? A Self-Help Book For Cats (Who Don't Need Any Help). Just for the record, seeing what the words you wrote look like translated into another lanugage is a hoot. I'm loving the look of my author profile in what I think is Chinese? The only big one still missing is Russia. Must track down the Russian version of my book! 

I'm going to go curl up with a Taiwanese dictionary and work my way through some cat humor.

Cheers,

Dena

Smug Marrieds: What's In The Box?

He got me again.

When I arrived home today, there was a huge cardboard box leaning agains the front door, addressed to one Mr. Blair Harris. 

"Whadcha order? " I asked when he got home. 

"Oh man, yes!" he said. "I've been waiting for these to come in. New D&D figurines." 

"Are you serious?" I asked. "We're trying to sell the house, you know."

"I know!" he said. "I better get these guys set out pronto!" 

He disappeared upstairs with the box and a few minutes later I heard him cursing. 

"Damn it," he said, coming downstairs, carrying the opened box.  "This isn't what I ordered." 

"Aw, did they send you a Yoda figurehead by mistake?" There may have been a smidge of derision in my tone.

Read More

Commit To Your Life

This is a slightly modified blog post from my other blog at www.PaleoVegetarians.com. If you haven't checked out that site yet, take a look and tell me what you think. 

I spent the better part of today in a local coffeehouse, typing away on my laptop as I nursed a large decaf coffee. At one point the shop was filled with the tantalizing smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The owner, whom I'm friendly with, stopped by my table with a large, gooey cookie. 

"On the house," he said. 

"Oh, thank you," I said. "I appreciate it, but I'm going to have to pass. I'm trying not to eat grains." 

Read More

What To Look For In the New Year

It's that special time of year when I skip workouts, avoid scales and revert to my college wardrobe of sweatpants and t-shirts regardless of what the social occasion calls for. God, I love the close of a year. 

Bad personal hygiene habits aside, I also enjoy the end of the year because it signals a chance for a fresh start in the new one. That's right, I'm a resolution girl. Nothing makes me happier then to pull out pen and paper and catalog the ways I will be not only better but PERFECT in the New Year. 

Here's a glimpse into my "Dena, only better" goals for 2013.  

  1. Write Every Day. Could be 50 words, could be 5,000. I will write new words every day and blog posts don't count. No time off for holidays, birthdays, weekends, etc. either. Write, Dena. W-R-I-T-E.
  2. Publish 4 Magazine Articles
  3. No TV for January. I know I can't go all year with no TV, but I'd like to spend less time zoning and figure cold-turkey is the way to go. 
Read More