The Friday List (nice things you did for yourself this week)
For the past two days I’ve been indulging in the strange and wonderful pleasure of hearing a total stranger read my book out loud to me.
She’s Kaili Vernoff, and she’s the actress Listening Library/Random House hired to do the audio book.
At first it was really hard for me. The book and the characters didn’t sound the way they always have in my head. But once I got over that, and just settled into listening, I LOVED it. Kaili did such a great job! She had me laughing all the way through–especially when reading any of the dialogue involving Kayla. And even though I can recite a lot of the lines from memory after seeing them so often during all the various stages of edits, I kept finding myself surprised by so much of the book because Kaili made it fresh and new for me. She even made me cry! How great is that?!
So that’s my personal pleasure for the week. How about all of you?
[P.S. Thank you to Kaili Vernoff, producer Jacob Bronstein, and director David Rapkin for putting together such a fabulous audio book. What a total treat.]
[P.P.S. There's a bonus feature at the end of the audio book with me talking to Professor Kenneth Miller. You can tell how nervous I am because I'm lisping. Always a dead giveaway. Sigh.]
Technorati Tags: The Friday List, Self-Kindness, Pampering, Self-Sweetness, Audio Books, Evolution Me and Other Freaks of Nature, Kaili Vernoff, Jacob Bronstein, David Rapkin
Well, this week, I flew to the desert to get TWO Signed books by some really cool authors.
And there were cupcakes, too.
I also got strawberry cheese cake for my birthday this week.
Ooh, you lucky lucky puppy! I’ll be sacrificing CDs to the audio gods until my turn comes….
I got a new car. I cried trading in the old one, even though the new one is nicer. It made me realize my kids are never going to be car seat small again.
I recieved my copy of Heroes:Season One on DVD and have already watched the original unaired pilot for the show. Between that,the film version of Peyton Place(courtesy of Netflix)and a scary new thriller called Heartsick by Chelsea Cain,my Labor Day weekend is all set to go.
I am headed today to do a little school clothes shopping to start the new school year. I ate tomatoes from my garden that were oh so sweet. I bought my ticket for the AASL (American Assoc. of School Librarians) Conference in Reno. Have a great weekend.
Heather, you got a CAR???? Woo-hoo!!! How cool! Sorry about the sentimentality over the car seats, but how very nice for you to have new, reliable wheels. Excellent pampering.
Sarah, it will happen for you! You’re such a terrific writer, and MISS SPITFIRE is such a great book! If not this one, the next one.
Patrick, you didn’t tell me it was your birthday! Hap Birth! Those cupcakes were for you!
Lady T, you live a good life. It’s SO much fun to hole up and watch movies over a holiday weekend. Have fun!
Jone, fresh tomatoes–mmmm. And how fun that you’re going to AASL! Good for you!
My nice thing happens TONIGHT when I sit in the trenches at the Stoneboro Demolition Derby. While eating fair food (likely something fried). Nothing like letting my inner white trash out to play once a year.
Well, I did get to take a sweet vacation, and get a mani/pedi, which I certainly enjoyed with all of the shamelessness of the pampered…
But it’s good that you’re reminding me to do something nice for myself. Sometimes nice things don’t just happen, and need to be done.
Two writing dates and a coffee date. Because the kids were back in school and I could!
Also, swooning over your audio experience, Robin. Waaaaaay cool…
Molly: “Nothing like letting my inner white trash out to play once a year.” BRILLIANT!
Let’s see… did I do anything nice for myself this week? Oh yeah, I went to the Poconos and stayed in a huge suite that had a pool in the room. Plus a jacuzzi and a sauna and a steam room. The pool was the best part though. Now I need one inside my house.
I also bought myself nostalgia movies and music, which arrived yesterday. Monday will be my movie day once I’m back from current travels.
At the current moment I’m being bad to myself because I’m sitting in a horrible chair at my mother’s computer (ostensibly working at my day job) and it’s killing my back. SO I’m going to be good to myself and go take a break on the couch… in front of the TV.
Happy week all!
Hmmm.. Think I told someone. I’m twice the age I graduated high school at. Weird.
BTW – Listening to you read was cool. I was thinking you could have read for your own audiobook.
I’m never going to want to read from my own book in public.
Robin: I’m so happy for you, that you love the audio and that it made you laugh and cry. You’re so brave. Me? I think I would’ve had a nervous breakdown listening to my own words.
My nice thing: two more movies. (I’m on a “let’s watch all the movies I’ve missed” kick) This week it was Art School Confidential and Thank you for Smoking. Both dark comedies, both fun to watch. Oh, and I bought myself a cappuccino muffin from the bakery down the street. (The dark chocolate in it seemed to go with the dark comedies.)
Molly, hope you and your inner white trash have two tons of fun. Be sure to eat a lot of fried food–that’s pretty much a requirement.
Emily, good job on the mani/pedi! Very girly and pampery. Splendid.
Thanks, Liz! And kudos on the double writing dates! What a great use of your time!
Nancy, you had a pool in your room? Not just a big tub? I think you might win at pampering this week (not that it’s a competition, of course–we all need as much sweetness as we can find). Have fun with your movies! You and Lady T have the right idea for this weekend.
Patrick, thanks for saying that. I did audition to read my own book, but I think that whole nervousness thing kept me out of the running. My voice gets so weird when I’m tense. And why won’t you read your own books in public? Don’t you think people want to hear you? It’s so much more personal!
Sara, it is really weird to listen to. But I think hearing myself read it would have been far too hard–then you have the double whammy of your words, your voice. Ugh. As for the movies, didn’t you love Thank You for Smoking? I’ve seen it three times–so hilarious. But I never tried it with a cappuccino muffin–wow, what an experience that must have been.
We had this installed in our dining nook today (it was a 20th-anniversary gift from my parents) and it’s sooooo beautiful. The faux alabaster glass glows all subtle and swirly, the downlight is bright enough for paperwork and crafts, and the uplight is gentle and artsy, casting overlapping oval shadows on the ceiling. The walnut blades and fake-weathered metal finish are much warmer than the photo looks. The fan’s quiet, and the whole deal has a remote.
I recommend getting one nice little thing done by a professional — it’s motivated me to move forward and gradually make a lot of small grunt-level improvements to the room that I’ve wanted to do for years and years. Today: reconfiguring tables and seating, and finding out where to order the vintage-style L-bottom chrome dinette chairs they have at Pei Wei.
So cool, Robin! What a nice thing for a week.
Heather: I’m facing the 2nd generation car thing too. Luckily my little one is skinny, so he still needs a booster at almost 7
I am dreading the ol’ car exchange even though we’ll be going from an older Toyota Camry to a new one. (Yes, we’re adventurous folks, can you tell?)
Nice things: Finally sent Robin a check for the conference. That’s the best I can come up this week. This was the first week of *my* school and I wasn’t nice to self at all. In any way.
I got 3 great books signed by 3 terrific authors/people and am deep in one of them. Met in person a bunch of really fun people. Ate the first honeydew melon out of my garden. Rode my horse all morning. Am halfway through my hole in my garden for my new rosebush-digging a big hole is somehow very satisfying. Bought (deeply discounted) a mama and 2 baby piggies outdoor planters and planted parsley in them for my real-life guinea pig and rabbits-these piggy planters are way beyond cute and make me giggle every time I look at them.
This week me and the fam truly did Niagara Falls. For most people, it’s enough to see the Falls, do the boat ride, and then hit the wax museums Not us. We walked all around the state park, did the boat ride, the movie, the history/geography center, the Niagara Aquarium, and walked up the side of the smallest of the falls and got totally soaked. Oh, and viewed the Falls from the Canadian side. And went to Marineland. So the nice thing I did was give myself totally over to the experience, and it was wonderful.
I just got a new book to read…Patrick brought it to me from Arizona, so I am going to go read it now.
AND I got some good revisions done on my WIP…am totally rewriting a whole section of it. AND I am enjoying it…much better than writing it the first time!
have to chime in with patrick and deborah, tuesday night, tempe, such a treat. albeit an expensive treat, cuz that’s a killer bookstore.
rb, hope you have a totally chillin’ weekend, you deserve it.
bj, question–where is the flippin’ editor (aka spell checker) on this blog?
Annette, I’m the flippin’ editor. I fixed the typo in your comment above. I used to moderate these comments, but I decided you all do fine on your own, and I didn’t want to hold up the discussion, so the downside of that is I’m not fixing spelling anymore, either. But I still really prefer having the conversation keep going without me having to click you on through–don’t you agree?
Judy, good job getting revisions done! Revisions are so hard!! But it sounds like you prefer those to the first draft, so maybe you don’t suffer over those the way I do.
MotherReader, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!! I LOVE it when people actually give themselves over to their vacations! How wonderful that must have been for you, the husband, the kids. YAY!!!
Deborah, it was so great to finally be able to meet you in person! You’re so damn cool. And how sweet about the planters–little details like that can make you smile every day.
Kelly, I am not satisfied with your report! You are not allowed to let a whole week go by and only do for others and not for yourself. Shape up! You deserve better! Please don’t let another day go by without treating yourself like the queen you are!
Kittymama, nice! It’s so true that getting an upgrade to one part of a room makes you want to redo it all–both the curse and the gift of home improvements. Good luck finding those chairs!
@robin “I used to moderate these comments, but I decided you all do fine on your own,”
Ahem!
Yeah, that’s ALL that was involved…
Fine, Barry. You’re absolutely right–I should always give credit where credit is due.
Everyone, Barry saved my life when I came back from vacation, SO overwhelmed by all the e-mails waiting for me and all the action going on on all my various websites (oh, yes, there are others), and he’s the one who suggested I cut out at least one job by taking off the moderator requirement on my blog. What a breakthrough! So yes, it was Barry’s genius, not mine. Thank you, Barry.
I hate it when people have to “ahem” me because I haven’t been a proper human being.
Everybody needs a friend who can pick something to say “no” to. Even when you’re good at saying it yourself, there are weeks you need to let go of that one more thing.