Every Woman Dreams…

I found this out on the internet. I’m not sure of its source, but I loved it immediately. How about you?

THE GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN:
Between 18 & 22, a woman is like Africa, half dicovered, half wild, fertile & naturally beautiful.
Between 23 & 30, a woman is like Europe, well developed and open to trade, especially for someone with cash.
Between 31 & 35, a woman is like Spain, very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.
Between 36 & 40, a woman is like Greece, gently aging but still a warm and desirable place to visit.
Between 41 & 50, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and all conquering past.
Between 51 & 60, a woman is like Israel, has been through the war and doesn’t make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.
Between 61 & 70, a woman is like Canada, self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.
After 70, she becomes Tibet, a wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages… only those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge visit there.

These schools are given a “clean slate,” so to speak. Is yours among this list? Notice the military academies on this list.

Stone-cold sober schools

1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.

3. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga.

4. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.

5. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

6. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

7. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.

8. Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.

9. Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif.

10. City University of New York _ Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, N.Y.

11. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, N.Y.

12. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y.

13. U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.

14. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Mass.

15. City University of New York _ Queens College, Flushing, N.Y.

16. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.

17. University of Dallas, Irving, Texas

18. Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Ga.

19. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Mo.

20. Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minn.

Top party schools from Princeton Review
Published – Aug 01 2011 11:55AM EST

By The Associated Press

The nation’s top party schools, according to Princeton Review’s survey of 122,000 students, include:

1. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (a former MAC rival of my beloved Thundering Herd)

2. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. (last year’s winner; notice that the top two schools are in a town called “Athens”)

3. University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.

4. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

5. University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.

6. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Va. (cross state rival for my Thundering Herd)

7. Penn State University, University Park, Pa.

8. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.

9. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

10. University of Texas, Austin, Texas

11. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

12. Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

13. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La.

14. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis.

15. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.

16. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.

17. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.

18. University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

19. University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.

20. University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.

Is your school on the list?

The month-long celebration of Jane Austen begins today at Austenesque Reviews with “Recommendation Monday.” What are some of your favorite Jane Austen adaptations/variations/sequels, etc.? Leave your comments for opportunities to win.

http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-recommendation-monday-1.html?showComment=1312204636827#c8996231888641940527

Artist Tracy Ann Lister specialises in creating incredibly life-like baby dolls, a process which is known as “reborning.”

But it is her latest series, inspired by the Harry Potter movie franchise, which is attracting headlines. Lister’s shop on eBay now features a range of baby dolls based on Harry Potter characters – from a cuddly Hermoine to a baby Lord Voldemort that will haunt your nightmares.
Traditional purchases of reborn dolls are older women, who purchase the dolls from online ‘nurseries’ which mimic the process of adoption. The dolls often come with fake birth certificates.
Each doll is painstakingly hand-painted and fitted with real hair and weighted to feel like a human baby.
So if you’ve ever wanted to parent a baby wizard, this may be your only chance.

To see more choices, go to Essential Baby.http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-style/family-entertainment/harry-potter-newborn-dolls-cool-or-creepy-20110722-1htis.html#utm_source=FD&utm_medium=rainbow&utm_campaign=harrypotterremus

One of my favorite writers of Appalachian literature is launching a new book in September. I absolutely love Sharyn McCrumb’s ballad series, especially The Ballad of Frankie Silver and The Songcatcher, but I also used to have fun with Saint Dale (a “retake” of Canterbury Tales, but based on the death of Dale Earnhart). McCrumb is earning money for the Wilkes Community College (Wilkes, NC) with the book’s launch.

The Truth About Tom Dooley
Noted Appalachian Writer Sharyn McCrumb Launches New Book in Wilkes September 12
Story by Anna Oakes

The publisher of The Ballad of Tom Dooley used a photo McCrumb took of the site where Laura Foster was killed in creating the backdrop for the novel’s cover. McCrumb views the high mountains in the background—which cannot realistically be seen from the Wilkes County locale—as symbolic of Foster’s optimistic thoughts about her future just before she was murdered.
“The stories people have been telling all these years wouldn’t stand up to cross examination from a Siamese cat.”
—Sharyn McCrumb, author of the forthcoming The Ballad of Tom Dooley

Author Sharyn McCrumb took this photograph at the site of Laura Foster’s 1866 stabbing in Wilkes County.

McCrumb To Visit Black Bear Books September 13

For those who cannot make the trip to Wilkes County for the offical book launch of Sharyn McCrumb’s newest novel The Ballad of Tom Dooley on September 12, you’re in luck. The author will visit Black Bear Books in the Boone Mall for a book signing on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:00 p.m.

Author Sharyn McCrumb holds the fiddle that belonged to Tom Dula at the Tom Dooley Museum of the Whippoorwill Academy in Ferguson.

A historical marker indicates the site of Tom Dula’s grave. Both Dula and Laura Foster’s burial sites are located off of N.C. 268.

This map was used in the trial of Tom Dula, indicating locations related to the murder of Laura Foster with the Yadkin River serving as the most prominent landmark. Courtesy of Sharyn McCrumb

Ann did it. That’s on page 1. But that’s not the point.

“I didn’t really set out to see who killed Laura Foster,” said Sharyn McCrumb, author of the forthcoming novel The Ballad of Tom Dooley. “What I wanted to know were all the little things that didn’t make sense.”

The celebrated, award-winning Southern writer, author of New York Times bestsellers The Ballad of Frankie Silver and She Walks These Hills, lends her reputation for crafting narratives true to Appalachian culture and history to the most famous mountain murder legend of them all—that of Tom Dula of Wilkes County, hung in 1868 for the stabbing of Foster although many suspected his lover, Ann Melton, of the crime.

It’s fitting, then, that the official book launch will take place on Monday, September 12, at Wilkes Community College, only 15 miles away from the site of Foster’s death. One of the most event-filled releases of any of her books, McCrumb noted, the day will include a seminar, a guided tour of local sites related to the murder story, a banquet, talk and book signing.

For more information, visit http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2011/07-28-11/the-truth-about-tom.htm

Authors, Bloggers, and Publishers in Austenesque Extravaganza

Austenesque Extravaganza begins Monday! Personally, I am scheduled for August 18, and I would love for you to join me on that date. However, there are many more involved in the month long celebration of everything Austen. The authors, bloggers, and publishers that are a part of this event are simply the best in the industry.

(I copied and pasted Meredith’s list from her website. Hopefully, she’ll forgive my “borrowing” her words.) Want to know who these wonderful people are??? Here is the very long list of authors, bloggers, and publishers that are participating in Austenesque Extravaganza. Next week you will see these lovely people writing posts, chatting it up on twitter, and giving away some fabulous Austenesque prizes! (A complete schedule can be found at http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/authors-bloggers-and-publishers-in.html ).

AUTHORS and BLOGGERS
Alexa Adams – First Impressions
Susan Adriani – The Truth About Mr. Darcy
Marsha Altman – The Darcys and The Bingleys Series
Sara Angelini – The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy
Stephanie Barron – Being a Jane Austen Mystery Series
Jennifer Becton – Charlotte Collins
Diana Birchall – Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma
Marilyn Brant – According to Jane
Skylar Burris – Conviction
Jack Caldwell – Pemberley Ranch
Sylvia Chan – Blog Mistress of My Love For Jane Austen
J. Marie Croft – Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge
Barbara Tiller Cole – White Lies and Other Half Truths
Rebecca Ann Collins – The Pemberley Chronicle Series
Victoria Connelly – A Weekend with Mr. Darcy
Barbara Cornthwaite – George Knightley, Esquire Series
Cheryl Cory – Must’ve Done Something Good
Karen M. Cox – 1932
Joan Ellen Delman – Miss de Bourgh’s Adventure
P. O. Dixon – To Have His Cake
Karen Doornebos – Definitely Not Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth Eulberg – Prom and Prejudice
Monica Fairview – The Other Mr. Darcy
Amanda Grange – Diaries of Austen Men Series
Maria Grazia – Blog Mistress of My Jane Austen Book Club
Jan Hahn – An Arranged Marriage
Syrie James – The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
Regina Jeffers – The Phantom of Pemberley
Cindy Jones – My Jane Austen Summer
Nancy Kelley – Blog Mistress of Austen Aspirations and Author of His Good Opinion
Meg Kerr – Experience
Tracy Kiely – Murder at Longbourn
Kaydee Kildow – Blog Mistress of For the Love of Austen and Author of Saving Grace
Sharon Lathan – Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy Series
Lory Lilian – Remembrance of the Past
Kara Louise – Darcy’s Voyage
Gail McEwen and Tina Moncton – Twixt Two Equal Armies
Fenella Miller – Miss Bennet and Mr. Bingley
Mary Anne Mushatt – Darcy and the Duchess
Laurel Ann Nattress – Blog Mistress of Austenprose and Editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It
Vera Nazarian – Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons
Kathryn Nelson – Pemberley Manor
Jane Odiwe – Mr. Darcy’s Secret
C. Allyn Pierson – Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister
Abigail Reynolds – The Pemberley Variations
Laurie Viera Rigler – Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Heather Lynn Riguad – Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star
Belinda Roberts – Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard
Kaitlin Saunders – A Modern Day Persuasion
Mary Sherwood – A Marriage Worth the Earning
Mary Lydon Simonsen – A Wife for Mr. Darcy
Emily C. A. Snyder – Nachtstürm Castle
Isabelle Solal – In the Past Imperfect
Margaret C. Sullivan – Blog Mistress of Austenblog and Author of There Must Be Murder
Mitzi Szereto – Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts
Karen Wasylowski – Darcy and Fitzwilliam
Emma Campbell Webster – Being Elizabeth Bennet
Ola Wegner – Realisations
Linda Wells – Imperative
Lewis Whelchel – Rocks in the Stream
Kerri Bennett Williamson – Sensing Jane Austen

PUBLISHERS
Meryton Press

Sourcebooks

Ulysses Press

Looks like a good group, doesn’t it?

I told my friend Bonnie the other day that I expected the new film by Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom to go to DVD first because it had been a couple of years since it was filmed. It was 2009. Now, the Raleigh-Durham news outlets are reporting just that. This is from

DURHAM (WTVD) — The 2009 movie filmed in Durham starting Colin Firth, Orlando Bloom, Ellen Burstyn, Patricia Clarkson and Amber Tamblyn – to name a few – will be released on video before hitting theaters. “Main Street” will be available to the public in August, a month before its big screen release.According to online articles, the movie has received less than favorable reviews following a screening at Cannes Film Festival.

“Main Street,” is a screenplay written by Horton Foote, who died a month before filming began. He allegedly wrote it after a visit to Durham several years before filming began.

For the full story, visit http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=8274062

Call me a literary geek, but I got really excited when I saw this on Twitter.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/96792/the-road-to-canterbury

Game description from the publisher:

Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Luxury, Idleness, and Envy – the infamous “Seven Deadly Sins”. For the faithful, they instill horror. For you, on the other hand, they present a wonderful business opportunity!

In The Road to Canterbury, you play a medieval pardoner who sells certificates delivering sinners from the eternal penalties brought on by these Seven Deadly Sins. You make your money by peddling these counterfeit pardons to Pilgrims traveling the road to Canterbury. Perhaps you can persuade the Knight that his pride must be forgiven? Surely the Friar’s greed will net you a few coins? The Miller’s wrath and the Monk’s gluttony are on full public display and demand pardoning! The Wife of Bath regales herself in luxury, the Man-of-Law languishes in idleness, and that Prioress has envy written all over her broad forehead. And the naughty stories these Pilgrims tell each other are so full of iniquity they would make a barkeep blush! Pardoning such wickedness should be easy money, right?

Not quite. For you to succeed as a pardoner, you’ll need to do more than just sell forged pardons for quick cash. To keep your services in demand, you will actually need to lead these Pilgrims into temptation yourself! Perhaps some phony relics might help? There is also one big catch. The Seven Deadly Sins live up to their name: each sin that a Pilgrim commits brings Death one step nearer, and a dead Pilgrim pays no pardoners!

So much to forgive, so little time. Will you be able to outwit your opponents by pardoning more of these Pilgrims’ sins before they die or finish their pilgrimage to Canterbury?

Part of Main Street, a new film with Oscar winner Colin Firth, was shot in North Carolina. It is the tale of a dying Southern town which makes a controversial deal with a stranger to save it. I was fortunate to brief meet Firth during its filming. The movie also features Orlando Bloom, Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson, Andrew McCarthy, and Amber Tamblyn. Oscar winner Horton Foote wrote the screen play.

Go to http://collider.com/main-street-movie-trailer/104363/ to see the trailer. (Firth’s and Bloom’s Southern accents are worth the peek.)