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September 30, 2009
Contributor Copy of The Lorelei Signal Anthology
Just got my contributor copy of The Lorelei Signal's "best of" anthology for 2008. It's gorgeous. Plus it contains my story "The Thoughts of Cats."
You can buy a copy of your very own by clicking here.
Posted by Selena at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2009
"Dream Dance" by Kaethe McIntyre
A new poem to start your week off right. Enjoy!
"Dream Dance"
by Kaethe McIntyre
While everyone is sleeping, the fae gather to dance.
Posted by Selena at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)
Story Accepted!
I just had a story accepted by All Things Girl. The story is called "Aidan's Cat." I think it will be published sometime in October.
(This story is not scifi or fantasy; it's mainstream fiction.)
Posted by Selena at 07:34 AM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2009
Fav Music: "I'm About to Come Alive"
Maybe I love this song because I so often feel like giving up. Even at those defeated times some part of me is always holding out hope for transformation, that instead of drowning under the weight of my many failures I will finally "come alive."
Posted by Selena at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
"Mistress of Magic" by Karen L. Kobylarz
A new story to enjoy...
"Mistress of Magic"
by Karen L. Kobylarz
The war has ended. Caesar has triumphed over his rival, Antony, and that "serpent of old Nile," Cleopatra. But for Caesar's sister, Octavia, the battle is just beginning.
Posted by Selena at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2009
Changes at MindFlights, plus a Plea for Help
"Changes at MindFlights, plus a Plea for Help"
by DEP Staff
Upcoming changes at MindFlights.
Posted by Selena at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2009
No More Comments
Sorry, I had to turn off the comments function because I was spending too much time deleting spam comments.
If you want to comment (or contact me) you can do so at my FaceBook page or my ShoutLife page. Thanks.
Posted by Selena at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2009
"Cyborg Renaissance" by Jakob Chapman
Here is our first poem for September. Enjoy!
"Cyborg Renaissance"
by Jakob Chapman
(A Student Contributor)
What happens when a cyborg dreams?
Posted by Selena at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2009
Mimi's Brunch = Yummy
Had a great brunch at Mimi's Café this morning. (Huevos y Papas = Yum.) The food was fantastic, as usual, and the service was good.
Overall, the experience was positive, but it annoyed me that the server brought our check before we had even finished eating our entrees. Come on! That's not polite. I know there are people waiting, but at least let me finish my meal before you start shoo-ing me out the door.
Still, who am I kidding? I'll be back at Mimi's in no time. I just can't stop myself. Already I'm craving their French Onion Soup.
Posted by Selena at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2009
Olive Garden: Three Quick Reviews
Blogging about Crispers reminded me that I never did post my reviews of a few recent visits to Olive Garden. So here they are...
Olive Garden Lunch 8/5
I ended up at the Olive Garden in Pinellas Park at about 11 a.m. and the place definitely had that “just-opened” feel. I hadn't really planned to go in there at all because I was traveling on a budget and thus was trying to eat cheap. But I kept seeing this huge billboard saying that there was an Olive Garden just a little further down the road. (Brilliant move that! 'Cause there are a half-dozen restaurants right there and if I hadn't known there was an Olive Garden just around the corner, I might have stopped at one of those instead.) Plus I was somehow reminded that they had an unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks special for lunch. (Maybe I saw an ad. I can't remember.) So, I figured: “hey that's just as cheap as Panera or Five Guys, (other places I had patronized that week), so why not?”
Not only was I not disappointed, I was so blown away by the great food and stellar service that I immediately started plotting to come back that night for dinner. (Which I did, but more on that later.)
For lunch I ordered the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, which turned out to be a little more expensive that I remembered. (I had it in my head as $4 and something, but it was really $6.95. Still, a very good deal.) I wanted the Pasta e Fagioli (soup) but also wanted to try the Chicken and Gnocchi soup. Since it was unlimited refills, I had both. In the end I liked the Chicken and Gnocci, but not as much as the Pasta e Faioli.
The salad and breadsticks were also delicious. I can't remember the last time I liked a salad so much. (Really, me and healthy foods have a somewhat strained relationship.) The breadsticks were exactly the right consistency—soft with a slight crustiest on the outside—and nicely flavored.
While the food and the ambiance were great, it was the service that really blew me away. Throughout the meal the server was attentive, friendly, and efficient. But the real test came when I was paying the bill. The check was $9 something and all I had was a $20 and a couple ones. I paid with the $20 and waited to see what sort of change she would bring me. She proved to be the consummate professional by returning my change not in the $10 bill I so often get—(Duh, people, how am I supposed to leave you a decent tip if you don't give me any small bills?)—but in a five and five ones. That alone earned her an extra dollar on her tip, bringing the tip total to $3 on a $9 check. Not bad.
I enjoyed lunch so much that I spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to get back for dinner. Then a little extra money came my way and I knew I would be back at Olive Garden for dinner. Huzzah!
Olive Garden Dinner 8/5
When I went back for dinner that night, the experience was again excellent.
I had the soup and salad again. With just Pasta e Faioli this time. (No second soup.) It again came with breadsticks. (Yum.) I also ordered an appetizer that I had noticed on my previous visit: Lasagna Fritta.
Again, everything was delicious and the service was great.
If pressed, the only thing I would point to as being "not quite perfect" was that one of the breadsticks was a little overdone—just a little too crusty and not nice and soft in the middle like it should be. But what did I care? The other breadstick was perfect, as was the rest of the meal.
When it was time for the check, the server informed me that the manager would be bringing it. Turns out I was the lucky winner of a survey invitation. (Which is lucky for the restaurant too because I was certainly gonna give them all A's after two stellar experiences in one day!) The manager gave me the news with my check. (He looked exactly like you would expect for the manager of an Italian restaurant: a big guy with a warm face and happy disposition, dressed in a personalized chef's jacket.) I assured him that I would be giving them a good report.
I filled out the survey that evening. I could hardly wait to use the $4-off coupon that came with it.
Olive Garden lunch sometime later in August
Once I got home I decided to try my local Olive Garden. Although the food and atmosphere was just as good as I had experienced in Pinellas Park, the service wasn't up to the same standards. Don't get me wrong, the server was efficient and kind of friendly. But here's a helpful hint for all you servers out there: complaining to your customers about how tired you are and how much you can't wait for your shift to be over doesn't increase your tip as much as you might think it does. Come on, guys! How am I supposed to feel good about being in your restaurant if you are so obviously resentful and angry about being there? I'm just saying.
I've been meaning to go back and give the local Olive Garden another chance, 'cause it was only one server and maybe she was just having a really bad day. But I haven't been back yet, and honestly I'm not so anxious to try again. I may just save my coupon for the next time I'm in Pinellas Park. After all, it's not that far away.
Posted by Selena at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)
Crispers
It was so rainy today that I really had a taste for meatloaf flatbread and potato soup at Crispers. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered they no longer served meatloaf flatbread. (First they get rid of baked potatoes, and now this! Aargh!)
I ordered the Margherita flatbread instead. It was good. (Although the recipe seemed different than I remembered.) The soup was good too. Hubby liked the Italian sub.
All in all it was a nice lunch.
Posted by Selena at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2009
"The Gremlin Gambit" by Alastair Mayer
A fun story to kick off September...
"The Gremlin Gambit"
by Alastair Mayer
Earth's magical creatures tend to avoid humans, but when Earth is attacked by aliens, humans and faerie folk have to work together.
Posted by Selena at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2009
Malapropism
Malapropism is Dictionary.com's word of the day.
Which got me thinking...I wonder what other words are derived from character names. I can't think of any. Faustian maybe, but that's capitalized so it's kind of cheating.
(In case you didn't know: "A malapropism is so called after Mrs. Malaprop, a character noted for her amusing misuse of words in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy The Rivals.")
Posted by Selena at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2009
New Music Favs
Here are a couple of my new favorites in music. I liked the songs so much I bought them on iTunes.
First, "Just Go" by Lionel Ritchie and Akon. Every time I hear this on the radio I wish it was me being whisked off on an impromptu vacation where the man in my life promises to prepare my meals and make my bed. Hey, some girls like diamonds but for me it's all about not having to do the loathsome chores.
Just be careful buying it through the Shazam/iTunes route 'cause the Shazam tag sent me to some dance mix version that I don't like. But I forgot to preview and bought it before I realized it wasn't the recording I wanted. Grr.
My other new favorite is "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down. I discovered the song when I found this Spuffy video on YouTube. Now, even with the iTunes version I just purchased, I can't hear the song without remembering the accompanying dialogue and images from the video. "Can we rest now? Buffy? Rest?" Great stuff. It's got me re-watching Spike highlights from Season 7.
Posted by Selena at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2009
Column Reprinted: "Sitting Still"
One of my columns has been reprinted at Fear & Trembling.
Please stop by and check it out if you can. Thanks.
Posted by Selena at 07:52 PM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2009
"Closer" by Alaena HaiLing
This illustration won an Honorable Mention in our recent cover art contest. Enjoy!
"Closer"
by Alaena HaiLing
(A Student Contributor)
The world lies clear and beautiful all around us and sometimes it seems it could not possibly be any clearer. But perhaps, if you lean down and look closer, you'll find that wonders can lie behind wonders.
Posted by Selena at 04:59 PM | Comments (0)