Linking Ho
In more than one sense of the word. I've been playing around over on Squidoo for a while--that's
Seth Godin's most recent attempt at "LOOKATMEI'MACRAZYMARKETERLOOKLOOKLOOK." I fell for it, and added a couple of lenses that have to do with my area of expertise (
audio books, obviously!). My "lens" on
downloading audio books even has useful information! But the traffic's been dismal, and few of the people who have visited have taken the time to rate them--which is rather key to the whole concept.
New Blog!
This was largely a testing ground for
the corporate blog I was planning to launch at work. It worked! Now there's a new space for me (and a few co-workers) to talk about
audio books,
new media and
marketing. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
I'm still not smoking
Unfortunately all other resolutions have fallen flatter than the earth (in Thomas Friedman's estimation).
So I think I'm going to rewrite history for myself and call quitting smoking a New Year's resolution, because then I can at least claim a 33% success rate.
New Year, New Resolutions, Right?
This year's reality has come crashing down at last, now that my party-bleared eyes have finally cleared. And with that reality have come a resolution or two. Highly uncharacteristic, for those of you who know me at all in real life. *But* that same group are also aware of how stubborn I can be, and therefore will maybe have a little bit of faith in me.
Resolution #1: Figure out where my money is going, then try to redirect some of it towards some kind of savings. It is ridiculous that I've been at my day job for almost a year and am still living from paycheck to paycheck. Whenever I manage to put a little aside, a new cost pops up, either a recurring cost that I was avoiding before, or an unexpected one time expense.
The new rule for me is to expect the unexpected when it comes to expenses. I'm thinking maybe Suze Orman books can help somewhat-- back in the good old days when I lived in a cheaper apartment and therefore could justify having cable TV, I actually really liked her show... I think it was on MSNBC? Anyway, it always made me feel better that there were so many people who were even more clueless than me.
Suze Orman audio books on CD.
Resolution #2: Some kind of physical exercise on some kind of regular basis. The twin foes of quitting smoking and dating a guy who considers going out to nice restaurants an excellent basis for a relationship (and I am
definitely not complaining, nor do I disagree with him), have conspired to push me into the next weight bracket up. It's not an entirely bad thing, but it seems logical to take some steps in order to
avoid it becoming a bad thing.
Holidaze...Bah.
Excuse the cheesy post title, but it's been that kind of couple of weeks.
I'm usually one of those really obnoxious people that has all their shopping done by mid-September, with maybe 50-70% of my shopping done during the Boxing Day sale season.
For those non-Canadian readers unfamiliar with our Northern Vernacular, Boxing Day is December 26th-- theoretically a day of rest and recuperation, but actually the day that we've all been training for all Christmas shopping season... it's like the Festivus Maximus of holiday shopping.
Okay. Enough whingeing. Back on point, a very specific point, actually, which for this particular independent media outlet is audio books. Tying our two somewhat divergent topics together, here are the official Ninja Kitten picks for what audio books to give to whom, assuming that you are like me and have no freaking clue what to get for your nearest and dearest. Bah. If you really have some dough to blow, or if someone's been very, very nice this year, you could also buy them an MP3 player, then preload it with a couple of
downloaded audio books, and you're done.
For your Mom: As I've mentioned before, my moms listens as she quilts. Maybe your mom cross-stitches. Maybe she decoupages. Maybe she fixes carburetors. Listening to a great story like
Colleen McCullough's Morgan's Run while she drives to work or indulges in whatever it is she does to avoid strangling your dad (maybe I'm projecting here, but you know what I mean) will keep her happy and less likely to care that you're still single.
For your Dad: Middle-aged guys seem to be universally fascinated with great men-- and most seem to have a renaissance of their childhood astronaut fascination. Or perhaps it's just that they are less good at self-editing. Try a biography like
John Glenn's audio book for him to listen to while he putters. He'll get a faraway look in his eye, and you can buy him a telescope for his next birthday. Or some nice Superman pj's. Definitely one of the two.
For your Brother: Maybe switch it up a little and get him a DVD or something. Or get him
the Daily Show audio book.
For you Sister: You can't go wrong with Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice. You just can't. Period. When her and her friends are all gushing over the movie, she can throw in some haughty remark about its faithfulness to the novel in a supersnotty tone. This will make her very, very happy. Plus, you can borrow it when she's done!
Fashion Sense for Those Who are Not Meant to Be Seen in Public
Have you ever wondered what an audio book narrator looks like?
I only do when they are maybe not doing such a terrific job at the actual narration. So, to be specific, I generally only wonder what bad audio book narrators look like. Sorry,
Nick Landrum (he's read a bunch of books by a bunch of authors) it never occurred to me that you might, like, have fashion sense.
Thank you, Gawker Media, for telling me more than I ever needed to know about how to dress like a person who's profession requires physical anonymity...
how to dress like an audio book narrator.Okay, it's not a how-to exactly. It seems more concerned with prevention than instruction, to be honest-- I'd recommend skimming most of it, but snap back into focus for the bits about Fruit Boots.
Fruit Boots?
The Hazards of Listening in Public
I got my mom into audio books by signing her up for a CD rental club-- and picking a bunch of books for her queue. She's been a bit spoiled by having my sister work at a bookstore and constantly ply her with new books, all pre-picked out and perfectly designed to suit my mom's taste.
To get her into audio books, I had to do the same thing... unfortunately I don't know my mom's tastes quite so well and kind of had to guess based on what she could remember of titles she'd liked recently (and she does not have a good memory).
Eeek... I slapped a
Nora Roberts book on tape on there, since they seem pretty popular and had a high recommendation rating.
A few days later, my sister called me, and I could practically hear her blushing. She'd gone to visit Mom unannounced and found her busily quilting in the dining room, while a steamy love scene played on the CD player.
Patches and straight pins flew wildly through the air as Mom dove for the "Stop" button and sis slammed into reverse. After the awkwardness subsided, when they next had a moment alone, my mother leaned over and clarified, in a hushed tone, "What you heard wasn't
actually happening, it was just what one of the characters was
thinking."
I went for lunch with my mom last week, and she told me she hadn't been too keen on the Nora Roberts, and she'd prefer to stick to
Colleen McCullough audio books instead.
