By Kirsten Scott
You're reading this blog, so you're obviously a fan of the internet, and you know that there's something special about on-line communities. We've heard it said many times that the internet is making the world smaller, bringing diverse people together who wouldn't have interacted otherwise. I now count as friends people from all over the world--people from remote, barely civilized places like Australia, and distant, foreign lands like North Carolina.
(Snort.)
Seriously, I know I've learned a ton from internet chat rooms, email loops, and blogs. But is it really all good?
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is open the computer. I read and respond to email. I blog.
A friend of mine gets up every morning and writes down five things he's grateful for and then meditates and get centered for the day.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
How many times have you sat in front of the computer and mindlessly surfed the internet? It's all one big free association--you start by checking email perhaps, then hit the blogs, then remember you wanted to look up a recipe, then search for an old high school buddy who used to make the recipe, then research flights to go back to your hometown to visit said buddy...You get the picture. Suddenly two hours have gone by and you have no idea what you just did.
I know and love the internet, but is it possible it can be both friend and foe? A little like chocolate? Some is yummy, but too much hurts the tummy?
What do you think? Do you spend too much time surfing the web? Did the internet introduce you to a group of unique, incredible, like-minded women who you might never have met otherwise (hint, hint)? Do your internet friends ever get in the way of making real life friends? Is there a difference?
73 comments:
Kirsten, what a thought-provoking post. I actually think the Internet is just a thing like chocolate - you can use it for good or for ill. But it's a temptation certainly always to be on it. I've actually gone back to trying to write the first draft of this new book in longhand so I'm not on the computer and continually checking over to my emails. You Banditas are just too dang fascinating! I love that I can have friends all over the world and, yes, that I've come to know a bunch of incredible people, principal among them being my Bandita buddies.
By the way, the rooster is giving me the cold shoulder because he said I spent all day flirting with a porcupine. He's a huffy little chicken! Did you guys see how the Jaunty Quills girls dressed up their mascot in honour of their first Bandita visit? It's hilarious and SOOO clever. http://www.jauntyquills.com/
And thanks for so many of you coming over to say hello when I guested there!
You lil scamp, Foanna!
Kirsten, OBVIOUSLY I think online friends are just as important (maybe MORE important) than face-to-face ones. Where would I be without all my wonderful Banditas and our buddies?!?!
VERY LONELY, that's where!
AC
Okay, that porcupine is seriously cute! Anna, cover the GR's ears...er...does a rooster have ears? Anyway, don't tell me I said this, but I think I've got a crush!
Oh goodness, it's late and I'm sitting here waiting for the Nyquill to kick in so I can sleep. Damn cold! And I don't have on my glasses so i can't even see the computer screen. So nothing I say right now can be held against me...
AC, you take long lovely cruises and leave the Lair for week at a time--with NO internet access! So you may love us, but you don't seem to suffer too much separation anxiety when you go. ;-)
Well done Anna and the interview with Jaunty was wonderful.
Kirsten loved the post and I love the intervet first thing I do of a morning is turn the computer on as well I don't start work till 1000am but get up between 5-30 and 6-00am so as I have time to spend on it before I go to work and the first thing I do when I get home at about 6-45pm is get on the computer and check emails and blogs and if someone else is on it when I want it I keep asking them how long they are going to be. But in saying that I have "meet" some of the best people in the world and my TBR pile is just over the top at the moment even now I am so tired I have just come home from a BBQ for my sons birthday and instead of going to bed I am on the computer. But you guys make it so worthwhile and I still have lots of other friends.
Have Fun
Helen
The internet means everything to me, and yes, it is both really good and bad.
My day job in the schools has all paperwork on line now, so when there's no access, you can't get anything done. Not good.
I wouldn't be writing--no, I've always been writing, but I'd have no clue about pursuing writing professionally if it weren't for the internet. I had never heard of RWA, had no clue that such a thing as "crit groups" even existed, and then that Avon Fanlit appeared, and that changed everything.
I'm still dreadfully behind as to how most things "on-line" work, but I do believe on-line friendships are just as valid as in-person ones, and demand the same level of consideration as well.
Congrats on the rooster, Anna :)
Have a great Saturday, guys!
OMG--that porcupine is frame-worthy!
Okay, so I spend two hours of the day neglecting my children to "surf the net"! :-)
It's not too bad. I just look at it as a form of entertainment. Instead of watching TV for two hours, I'm broadening my horizons.
I am grateful for the internet, despite the amount of time I sometimes spend on it. I have met so many wonderful people that share my love of romance novels, including authors and readers. :)
~Andrea
And Anna C snatches the GR faster than she would a date with Teddy Tahu Rhodes! Ladies, you MUST ask her about baritone porn!
I have to echo my buddy, Gillian's sentiments. I have always written, but without the internet, Avon FanLit and all of the terrific people (Anna C and all of the Passion's Slaves!) and concepts it introduced me to I would not be where I am with my writing.
I get up every morning and turn on the computer so I can see who got the GR and what is going on with everyone. I come home from horrible days at work and the blogs always make me laugh.
Yes, I think it is like chocolate. Just enough is great. Too much and you will end up being in a coma and not getting a thing done!
I think the internet has helped me to strengthen my friendships with people whom I met without internet help. I have friends from my singing days living all over the country and the world and the internet makes it easy to keep in touch. My husband's shrink friends still keep tabs on me thru the internet.
But, I don't know what I would do without The Banditas, the Goddesses, the Riskies, the Hoydens and the Wet Noodlers and of course my dear, dear Passion's Slaves. You all keep me sane and keep my butt in the chair!
Another catch, Anna! Congrats!
Baritone porn, Doglady?! 'Splain yourself, woman!
Timely and provocative topic, Kirsten.
The technology that's given us the internet is amazing. I love the freedom of being in the middle of a WIP and switching to the net to give me a quick answer to a research question. I, too, adore all my Bandita buddies, who wouldn't be such w/o the internet connection and the resources at hand to become a better writer.
For sensible, disciplined people, the net is a wonderful tool. But in the hands of less experienced ones, it's a lure to wasted time and idle conversation. Many teens spend far too much time surfing the net rather than socializing in more productive ways.
We all know the physical dangers possible from the internet, but isolation from reality and a false sense of connection with people you don't really know are other dangers especially to young users.
Still, my husband thinks my laptop is glued to . . . well, my lap!
Helen, I also get up at 530 so I can have some internet time before work, and god help my husband if he's on the computer after the kids go to bed! Luckily, we've got two laptops now (my present to myself when I "sold"!) so the fist fights have diminished somewhat...
Gillian, we had a power outage at work the other day and we were completely helpless. I can't do ANYTHING without a computer anymore. Rather terrifying, actually. And I agree as well that having the computer has really helped my writing--i've done online classes, I have incredible resources to ask questions and bounce answers off of.
And then there's my CP, the incredible Susan Seyfarth, who I correspond with mostly by email. I'd be lost without her.
brownone--my kids resent it whenever I'm on the computer. I pretend it's work, so I'm justified in ignoring them. But I suppose it would be more honest to just say I'm watching TV. You're a better person than I am! :-)
Andrea, I agree completely--I can't believe how many lovely friends I've made here in the Bandita Lair. Now that I'm a writer, I love to connect with readers, but I'm also a reader myself, and I love the chance to connect with writers! I remember when I first found Squawk Radio, and I would just stare in awe at comments made by Eloisa. Like it was impossible to believe she would be on the internet, chatting to mere mortals!!
doglady, I am so very glad the Bandita Lair can make you laugh. I feel the same way--when my day's been crappy, I come online and laugh and feel better.
But I've got hear about this Baritone Porn--does it have to do with Il Divo?
Jo, I wish I was a little more disciplined when it came to the internet. There are definitely times I look back and wish I could have simply closed the lid on the laptop and done something else. But the benefits are so huge, it's worth it.
And I do worry about some people that spend so much time on the internet they lose touch with flesh and blood friends. Though I adore and cherish my long distance friends, I do think it's important to connect with flesh and blood.
Oh, Kirsten, touchy subject. People raise their eyebrows at me when I say I don't have time to watch TV. Truth is, I spend any time a normal person would spend watching TV corresponding with fam & friends over e-mail and reading and posting to blogs. And, as you pointed out, spending far too much time on Google chasing rabbit trails!
I have to be very aware of my time online, or I would completely neglect my life (and work) and, most of all, my WRITING! I love to work on the AlphaSmart because I have nothing to do but put words on the screen for my own amusement.
Foanna, congrats on the GR. And the porcupine was a doll! Sorry I didn't get over to Quills yesterday. I didn't even make it over here. Ack!
I think it's both friend and foe. I love the communities that I am now a part of, and I love meeting so many different people from different locations. When the dh is looking through the email from the day, he always asks "where's this one live?". But I have to say that I do spend too much time on the computer. Of course I am on it all day long at work -- everything is computerized, even communication with clients in India. Then I tend to spend a couple hours a day viewing my pleasure sites and chatting away. And that time does come from somewhere -- some from my family time and some from my sleep time. Am I the only one who finds herself waking up earlier so she can check the web before waking the house?
Wow. Now here's a topic that lands close to home for me. I've had an "internet presence" since 1993. I'm like "Neo" from the matrix. I have an entire online identity. More people know me by my online handle (not "P226" btw) than know me by my real name. Is that sad? I have to admit, maybe it is. Though, the internet for me, serves as so much more than a social tool and all-around time-waster. As a systems security professional, and computer forensic analyst, nearly all of the knowledge in my field is found here. It is my job to understand the guts of all things digital. I may have to testify about them on the witness stand. I'd better know what the hell I'm talking about, or the opposing side's expert will. And they'd tear me to shreds if I got it wrong. A potentially career-ending little problem there.
The internet is also a challenge. Back in the days before most countries and states in the US had laws against cybercrime, my buddies and I may or may not have taken turns breaking into various networks and systems just to see if it could be done. And if so, how. And how did those systems work? And what neat code did they have running? Hypothetically, of course. The technology that powers most of what we do here on the 'nets is taken for granted by most of us. For example, the code running this blog is probably approaching (possibly exceeding) a million lines. That code is probably written in a fourth generation language, meaning, at the bottom, where the silicon meets the metals, it's likely hundreds of millions, if not a billion potential individual computer instructions. All of that effort just so you and I can talk about writing and other stuff.
The technology is mind boggling if you stop and think about it. And as far as trying to understand it, for all intents and purposes, the internet represents an infinite technical challenge. You can learn your whole life. You'll never understand all of it.
*g* If I were using my real name, I have no doubt some enterprising attorney or their expert would excerpt that previous line and present it at trial as an admission that I don't understand the intarwebs. Heheh. Weasely bunch, those lawyers. Wait... don't the banditas have some attorneys in their midsts? I mean, uh... ENTERPRISING bunch, those lawyers!
But back to the social aspect. One of the things the internet has done for me socially, that would never have occurred in its absence, is open my eyes to an entire political and philosophical spectrum to which I would have gotten zero exposure otherwise. If you think about what the old-school mass-media pipes down your TV, it doesn't take long to realize that it's all politically sanitized to meet the media holding company's agenda. I would have never been exposed to dissenting views without the internet. Certainly not at the volume available here.
Likewise, I've been able to virtually meet, network with, and exchange information and views with many others from all over the world. Some of these people, I've met in person and consider them fairly close acquaintances. (remember my very narrow definition of "friend.") Some of these folks strike me as good people. And what's really nice, is that they strike me as incredibly intelligent people. Some examples of such are present right here among your very ranks. So for me, the bottom line is that the internet has provided me economically, socially, and intellectually with net gains across the board. Thank you so very much DARPA.
I can definitely see both sides of the internet story. As for me, this is where my friends are, I don't know any dedicated readers in real life other than one lady at work that does ask me about some books, her tastes in reading don't match mine though. So here is the only place I have to talk to other romance readers (and now authors). I sign on in the mornings and sip my coffee (occasionally spewing it out onto the keyboard), sign off and go to work (often with a smile on my face because someone in the lair tickled my funny bone). Isn't that a great way to start the day? When I get home from work I determine if I have to feed my son, see what is happening in the snail mail, check for phone messages (I actually had a message once LOL), then settle at the puter to see what else has happened in the lair while I was at work. I run through all the posts (make notes of the books I would not otherwise have known was out there), check email, then sign off. By the way, my email is another communication with readers I would not otherwise have had. I would be very lonely and woefully uninformed without it.
Oh, oh, and JQ is adoreable! Anna, you do know that the GR can read (why else would he be hanging with the Banditas?), I think you really need to do some serious sucking up to get out of the "dog house" (read as chicken coop).
@$#$#! darn thing ate my post and it was long!!!!
short version - I have to say it's definitely both. Discipline is definitely the key - just like TV but at least it's more interactive. Actually, I do both at the same time lol.
Good morning everyone! Congrats on both the GR nab and the Quills interview, Anna. (I did visit and read it, just too tired to comment coherently yesterday! Too many damn babies being born this week!)
Thoughtful post, Inara. I have to say I love the internet. It lets me talk to my mom and sister over IM, as well as my kids while I'm writing! (We won't discuss that I have IM conversations with my son on the other end of the house.) Speaking of son, he met his fiance on the internet. They met a few weeks later at a coffee house and fell in love. Happy sigh. Romance in the modern age.
I've bonded with 9 of my Dallas friends by using e-mail and then starting a Foxes only loop. (Named after the Fox & Hound pub we meet at for fun nights out).
Then there's the Banditas! Funny thing was, we "sort of" met at Nationals in 2006 as GH finalists. And we had some conversations while waiting to pitch our books, (I think 5 of us all pitched to Kate Duffy...right in a row). But it was the zany loop conversations, then the blog that cemented our friendship. Then at the Dallas conference we realized that we liked each other in person! How great is that?
Do I spend too much online? (Uh, I do have to clean toilets and run the sweeper today). Maybe, but I've been making myself walk for 30 mnutes every day. I eat lunch out at least twice a week with my friends. I work 3 12 hour nights each week. I've been helping with the new grandbaby and have started 3 new books. (UGH, I know). So, I'm thinking I could spend more time than I do, and dh should be happy I don't!
Caren, it is painfully easy to spend your "writing time" surfing the web. I now have to go to coffee shops that DON'T have wi-fi, just so I will actually buckle down and write! This is a fabulous thing about the Alpha Smart, no doubt.
Oh, and I don't have time to watch TV either! I know exactly what you mean. :-)
Buffie, you are definitely not the only one waking up early to check the email and the blogs! I would think it would be particularly difficult for you to separate out your work and pleasure when it come to surfing the web. (We're the pleasure part, right? ;-) )
First of all, p226, I AM A LAWYER. So watch what you say. ;-)
(And I must admit, cross-examining expert witnesses is one of the most fun things EVER. I don't get to do it very often, but it ROCKS. Seriously fun. I've never made anyone cry, though. A gal can dream can't she?)
Seems like you and Buffie have the same issue--when work and internet collide, how do you rip yourself away? And I am also astounded by the technology behind the internet. I have no idea how any of it works and my tiny brain probably couldn't handle it if I did.
And thanks, by the way. I will count myself as one of those intelligent ones (snort!) you met on the 'net. It is incredible when you realize the skills and smarts of the folks who hang out here. I'm rather awed by it myself.
Oooh... Kirsten, you so hit on one of my top uh... "concerns" this year--I do find it horribly easy to fritter away hours online. Some of it is totally awesome--I've really enjoyed visiting author blogs and getting to know the communities around them. That's been tremendously fun, not to mention good/bad for the TBR pile :)
On the other hand, it IS really easy to spend a ton of time also doing only that, and not focusing enough on either real life or other projects that I want to give some time to.
I don't intend to give up hanging out in the Lair, but I'm trying to make sure that I don't spend the entire day here :)
And congrats on the GR, Anna! What are you doing to get back into his good graces? (That Jaunty sure is a cutie, too ;))
Dianna, I loved your post, and I'm just tickled that we put a smile on your face and are a part of your morning routine! We love you too!! And as for that TBR pile, it is rather dangerous to be introduced to new authors all the time, isn't it?
Catslady, I wish I could have seen the long post, because I definitely agree. It's a tool and a treat, but must be used with caution.
Oh, and I absolutely surf and watch TV at the same time! I get way too bored to sit through a TV show otherwise.
Interesting post.
I definitely use the computer more now than I did a couple of years ago before I discovered that there were sites for romance fans like me. Since no one around here reads romances I am thrilled to be able to talk about them online with others.
The Internet has also caused my TBR Mountain to grow...when I think back to what it was a couple of years ago and then look at it now, I am amazed. I have discovered so many authors and books I would have missed if it weren't for the Internet so for that I am grateful.
It is not really that bad though...I spend a couple of hours a day probably online...I check e-mails and a few blogs in the morning and then again before bed.
Suz, I love that story about your son! I think the electronic age has definitely changed the way the younger generation interacts. My husband was just telling me the other day how not only the students at his school IM (he's a principal) but the younger teachers IM all day long. He's got one teacher who IMs her husband several times a day. This is sort of mystifying to me--what do they say to each other? And why?
The nice thing about the internet for introverts like myself is you can close it up when you want and go hide out by yourself somewhere. Unlike real live people, who tend to get annoyed when you lock your door and won't let them in. LOL.
Fedora, I certainly hope you don't stop visiting us!!! But I guess it's probably a good thing not to be here all day long. *g* I mean, we are intriguing and delightful and witty, but there are limits.
Seriously, I think being deliberate about the internet is a great goal. I am big on the idea that we live by the priorities we have in our heads, whether we express them or not. Being thoughtful about those priorities (is it more important to check that blog again, or to get some exercise?) is crucial to a fulfilling life. IMHO.
But we do love you. Don't even think about not hanging out with us! :-)
Yes, it's true, Pam and I swap pictures of gorgeous baritones. http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2008/01/michael-todd-simpson.html
We are officially VERY tragique! Sorry, Pam, but it had to be said!
Thanks, Kirsten! Now that I've found the Lair, I couldn't imagine NOT hanging out here--you are all wonderful!
Now seriously, I've got to go wrap a couple baby presents and go see a new baby, so see y'all later ;)
Jennifer, I think being a part of an on-line community that shares your interests, especially when you don't have those kind of kindred spirits around you in the flesh, is the absolute best use of the internet. (That, and googling ex-boyfriends, naturally.) It sounds like you've got the perfect balance, and you make time to visit us and keep up your own fabulous blog, so I know you're a very smart lady! But that TBR pile. Sigh. There's just nothing to do about that, is there? Too many books, too little time.
Oh Anna and Pam, that is a very naughty site! Holy moly, those guys are HOT! Now why wouldn't I have connected baritone and hotty before? What was I thinking! I've been missing out on this all my life!
Fedora, I paraded myself in front of him in high heels a feather boa (thought he'd relate to the feathers). But he's still not speaking to me. I thnk I'll have to eat CROW - groan! Either that or elope with the porcupine. He was seriously HAWT! In fact, Buffie wants to use him as her next avatar ;-)
And Kirsten, the best thing is they sound like BARITONES!!! Love Amy's descriptions yesterday about voices. I love a man with a really nice voice and frankly, the baritone is my favorite vocal register. All that power and depth. Yum! Those spectacular sixpacks on the site are clearly supporting some wonderful diaphragms ;-)
Okay, I'm watching shirtless Teddy Tahu Rhodes singing and doing push ups and I'm growing faint! Bring me my smelling salts, quick!!
Oh, and I absolutely surf and watch TV at the same time! I get way too bored to sit through a TV show otherwise.
Me too!!! I have to be busy it seems...can't just sit there...and since I record everything, if I miss something important, I can rewind...LOL. I also read and watch tv...I need the tv for background noise really.
Too many books, too little time.
Yup...and you can blame/thank Suzanne Welsh for bringing me to the lair...LOL.
Just think, if not for the Internet I would not have discovered Sandy Blair's website and would not have discovered Sandy Blair's online fan club and would not have "met" Suzanne and would not have discovered this blog and I would have missed out on a lot of fun!!
And to think, I thought a computer was just for research and e-mails until a couple of years ago...LOL.
And thanks for the compliments on my blog...I am enjoying myself over there...it helps that I have other readers and authors who visit.
And like books, some of the blogs I read (yours among the top) help put a smile of my face and make me feel better each time I read them. Y'all give me a happy feeling...does that make sense? Or do I sound sappy? LOL
The nice thing about the internet for introverts like myself is you can close it up when you want and go hide out by yourself somewhere
You keep describing me...LOL
Oh Jennifer, it totally makes sense! I definitely get a warm, fuzzy, and sappy feeling when I get an internet hug from my buddies in the Lair.
And LOL on describing you--I think there's probably a reason we all like to hang out and chat! We're probably ALL a lot alike. :-)
Kirsten, this will make you green with envy - TTR who is utterly gorgeous and sings like an angel as you now know (or perhaps a devil), spent a couple of opera seasons living just around the corner from me in Sydney. I used to get swooning fits when I saw him walking along the road or at the post office. I love em tall and lean and muscly like that. Even before we start talking about that beautiful resonant voice...
Anna, I am as green as the cover of Untouched. *g* I can't even imagine that man in person. And that voice! Ahhhh!! But did he ever do shirtless pushups for you? Now THAT would send me over the edge.
Kirsten, just the thought almost gives me a heart attack! Gasping for air here! I've been lucky enough to see him in a couple of operas (would you believe he used to be an ACCOUNTANT???!!! Sorry, Donna - g). He's extremely charismatic on stage and it actually skews the stories because the heroine always ends up with the tenor and believe me, you sit there thinking, "I'd rather be with the baritone!"
Kirsten, you are quite right, the TBR pile is climbing and I am reading as fast as I can but I don't think I will ever catch up, and if I do, I know where to come so I can start another TBR pile. Yesterday I found Surrender to the Highlander and I have the first one on the way so now I will sit and stare at the cover (and drool a little) until I get the first one. I also found Deb Marlowe's Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss. Just color me happy!!
Foanna, you've won a hat-trick today. The GR and -- I'm so thrilled about this -- two nods from Michelle Buonfiglio of Lifetime.tv's Romance: B(u)y the Book. She published her list of the Hottest Reads of 2007 and guess what CtC won? The Best Book of the Year and the Debut Romance of the Year!!
http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-b-u-y-book/hottest-romance-books-2007
Thanks, Keira. That was a really nice one to win! Still shocked that CTC came in as book of the year - but I'm certainly not demanding a recount! ;-) Yay for Michelle!
Anna-I definitely couldn't imagine anyone NOT falling for that voice. Gah.
Kirsten, I would NEVER say that you get in the way of my making real-life friends, even if not a single one of them has talked about going commando.
Seriously though, I have made some of the best friends in this past year and a half of hanging out on the Intry-webs. I have always been a fan of pen-pals and letter writing. These days, I have far more in common with the friends I made online than the ones I met otherwise.
Foanna, I'm pink with embarrassment. Clearly everyone, but I, was aware of your two mentions by Buonfiglio.
Dianna, it sounds like your weekends will be full for some time to come. I'd take all those lovely books into the bath and emerge weeks later, happy but prune-like.
Keira, thanks for calling out Anna's success! I haven't met her in the flesh yet and if she keeps winning all these award, by the time we get to SF I'll be too star-struck to actually talk to her! :-)
Keira, its funny you point out the letter writing, because I am reminded that our Regency ladies would spend hours every day writing letters. So we're really just carrying on a great tradition, right?
And I must also say that I am so excited to meet as many of my Bandita friends as possible in SF. You are going to be there, aren't you?
Snork! Yeah, sure, Kirsten! Commando woman is such a shrinking violet! I'll turn down the power on the halo if you promise to talk to me - g!
Keira, don't you be pink with embarrassment for one single second, you hear me? I think it's lovely that you're so excited for me. Believe me, I was excited for me too! I still am!!! And the RWA enotes announcement came absolutely out of the blue so it's even nicer. Right? No Regency blushes, my delicate chit!
Ah, I was just saying this earlier today. I spend soooo much time on the internet. Though to be fair, I do take college classes online so some of the time it's very productive.
I was never a big internet person (didn't even own a computer) until the summer of '06 when I joined an author's bulletin board. That was it, I was hooked.
Since, I have met incredible women and am now a part of this giant community that I can't imagine living without. I prefer my internet friends (many I've met in person) to most people I see everyday.
I know I spend more time on blogs and boards and in email than I should, but I used to spend too much time watching television so I prefer to say I've just changed where I spend my time and it's a change for the better. *g*
terrio, it sounds like it is definitely a change for the better. Because we love having you hang out here, and you've got a great little blog yourself! I've never taken a college class online, but my husband is, and he's actually lamenting that people don't comment enough on their loop! Clearly, they are NOT writers. You can't shut us up!
I have taken classes through various RWA chapters, and they've all been great. It's amazing how much you can learn just from seeing the questions other people ask.
anna and pamela, you would appreciate the fact that right now I'm watching Bugs Bunny torment an opera singer by conducting him into the ground. it's fabulous.
Just a quick trip into the world of cyber friends after 12 LONG hours with real people...patients and staff.
I have a pattern of surfing but I love the way the internet affords me the ability to see and book my accomodations in Ireland! Or shop for clothes to take to Ireland. (VBG...sorry Fo)but you get the picture.
And p226. Whoa! Reading your post my eyes started to spin along about the fourth sentence. Did you use the word gizillion? So much to know or not to know, hypothetically speaking.
Off to read an old fashioned book and prop my tired tootsies up!
thanks for stopping by Joanie! I love planning virtual vacations. But I suppose taking a real one is even better. :-) Enjoy putting up the toesies!
Dianna, I'm so jealous you found Deb Marlowe's book! The North American release date is Tuesday and I haven't found it yet!
Deb will be here blogging with us on Tuesday to celebrate the official NA release of Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss. Make sure you come by and say hello!
I'm a web addict and pretty happy about it.lol
My DH will tell you that I spend too much time,but I have met many wonderful people and who would I go to to find a great book?:)
Kirsten, I LOVE that cartoon! Bugs and the opera singer is one of my absolute favorites. I introduced many of my Austrian singing buddies to it and they howled. Is Teddy not one gorgeous hunk of musician!! Yes, La Campbell, we are tres tragique, BUT we do surround ourselves with some lovely scenery and the audio ain't bad either!! That site is my own little bad day pickmeup!! I am afraid had Teddy done push ups for Anna he would be locked in a room somewhere in her house with the GR.
Caren, I was soooooo excited that I found it, I think this will be the first time I have got to read a book BEFORE an author got to the lair. I am here almost every day, I don't always make a comment but like I said earlier today I am always reading the comments and often spewing coffe, coke, milk, whatever on my keyboard LOL. I really hate it when it comes out my nose though :-(
doglady, I wonder if Anna is out of the chicken coop yet? The last comment regarding her relationship with the GR didn't sound so good, she was making some heavy duty overtures and he was still pouting.
Does anyone else find it ironic that we're talking about spending too much time online and Anna keeps giving us more links to check out? LOL!
Kirsten - thank you so much but I have to say it's totally my pleasure to stop here everyday. It's not always easy or even possible to read every comment (too time consuming...lol) but everyone here is so great.
And Anna - instead of halo don't you mean tiara? LOL! Have we mentioned Anna also won Best debut book over on Singletitles.com? Huh?! That was fan voted and by golly, she deserved it! Whoohoo! Tim Tams and hunkie baritones on Anna at SF.
danette, don't worry, you're in good company! I think today's blog has proven that we're all web addicts around here. ;-)
pamela, that site is very very bad. now i"m going to have to go back through and find all my favorites and look for youtube videos so I can hear them sing! how funny that you know that bugs bunny video. it's awesome. my kids burst out laughing--
which reminds me, dianna, as the lawyer in the crowd you should know that the Banditas cannot take responsibility for any computer failures due to spewing. Read the blog at your own risk!
terrio--funny you should mention that about Anna and the excessive links...she was asking JQ for a PROD yesterday to get back to writing. I think we need to give her a POKE!
anna! stop ogling baritones and get to work! you've got fans who want the next book ASAP!
Kirsten!! Of course, I'm going to be there!!
Hi Kirsten, commenting woefully late but I agree, the internet is best used in moderation! It's amazing how often I go online, determined only to do a designated list of tasks, only to wander off at a tangent, just as you described.
On the other hand, I feel isolated when I have to do without it for a while. I think writing is such a solitary occupation, it's nice to know you have friends an email away. And if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't have discovered the RWA or be able to communicate so easily with my publisher. I probably wouldn't even have considered trying to get published in the United States. So really, the internet has done a lot more good than harm for me. And of course, the banditas! Where would I be without you all?
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