Last night I attended my first write-in. It was held at this cute little place called The Chocolate. It's an old home that's been converted into a restaurant. I only knew about it because I attended a book launch there a couple of weeks ago. Holy cow. The place was packed! Since it used to be a home, it's full of lots of small rooms with small, intimate tables.
It was kind of distracting trying to write because real life was going on all around us. Seriously! It was hilarious listening to these young couples who'd come to this dessert cafe. One of the discussions going on next to us made me think about Melanie Jacobson's book Not My Type. The main character gets roped into doing an online series about dating. She's got a snarky, witty edge and many of her dates are disasters. I'll have to ask Melanie where she got her ideas. The Chocolate would have been a great resource.
This morning I needed and wanted something to make me laugh. Someone on Friday suggested that I should go to Google and type in the word askew (no quotes)
Go ahead. Do it yourself.
Did you smile?
Now type in do a barrel roll (no quotes--or words in parentheses).
So do it.
Are you dizzy?
That got me thinking. Dangerous on an early Sunday morning. But I decided to check out what other quirky things those folks at Google have been up to.
Google's Top 10 Hidden Treasures
Google Earth: Top ten fun things to do
I love #3's second option.
Anyway, it's time to get back to work. The general municipal election is Tuesday, so it's going to be a crazy, crazy week. Tuesday I'll be in the office at 6 a.m. and if things go well will be home before midnight.
It's amazing to me, however, the number of people who vote but do so uninformed. No candidate will ever represent your views on every issue, but do a little research and make sure you're at least on the same continent on issues that mean a lot to you.
Local elections are where the rubber meets the road, by the way. You have the greatest chance at making a difference in those.
Fine. I'll get off my soapbox.
What about you? Do you vote? Or does the ugliness that's so much a part of the national news taint even your local elections?
I took a look at The Chocolate link, what a charming place to get some writing done! And congrats on your NaNo word count, Happy Writing to you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the fun links! The Chocolate sounds lovely :)
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the busy week ahead!
Happy writing, I know I couldn't do that. Good Luck.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
I vote! And I do my research.
ReplyDeleteThe Google tricks were cute and they did make me smile. However, I'm not sure they make up for the little box on my Gmail trying to get me to switch to "the new look" -- which my husband informs me involves changing most of the word tabs (forward, archive) into indistinguishable symbols.
ReplyDeleteI think the people who work at Google must have too little real work to keep them busy!
That didn't just make me smile, I laughed out loud. It's great when people can have fun at their jobs.
ReplyDeleteAlmost fifteen-thousand words in a week? You are on a roll.
ReplyDeleteI did type in both, but don't get the barrel roll. It just showed me the normal screen.
I vote but always along the party line. Do most people do that?
ReplyDeletethat place sounds fun, there used to be little bars like that in atlanta. i think they're gone now
ReplyDeletethanks for the fun & vote promotion, i vote =) smart i hope!
I drive by The Chocolate all the time. It's pretty close to my house--I've always avoided it because I have no off button. I would probably consume the entire store. Can't wait to try the google searches.
ReplyDeleteAnd can I just say, you are on fire my friend! I don't think I've written that much in a year. You're my inspiration. You go girl, go!
That askew google was fun. I didn't do the barrel roll right. Me and my spelling issues.
ReplyDeleteI vote but at the same time, the ugliness does taint things. Such a nasty business.
Holy Cow that is some word count! I'm so impressed :) Thanks for the voting reminder I needed it.
ReplyDeleteA write in,I'm jealous. I'll bet that was fun. Not sure if I could concentrate on anything else in a place called 'chocolate'. Having a blast and loving Nano. Of course,that's because the story is flowing.
ReplyDeleteVOTING - Did you seriously ask me about voting? I'm a US citizen, if you're a legal resident of this island in the Caribbean you are too. The US issues my passport but when it comes to voting in your MAJOR elections, we are second class citizens. We have no vote. We send a representative to Congress, but they get no vote either, only there to observe.
Life in the Territories. Oh well,the water is blue and warm. The trade winds cool you off at night. It is beautiful, not to mention my choice to live here.
Just a word to you guys in the States. When you pick a President next year, could you pick a good one. He'll push us around in the Territories too, we just don't get to choose(or even have the illusion of a choice).
Holy...! That's a lot of words, well done:)
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a write in. I'd like to go, and just listen and watch. :0
ReplyDeleteYes, I vote on the bigger elections, but not usually on the smaller ones - I do not know enough about the issues, and haven't made the time. :/
Sorry I'm just stopping in! I'm on deadline. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteAsk away about ideas. Do you mean the dates? That's from sixteen years of dating experience. Gah.