Monthly Archives: March 2010

Randonymity

Revealing the Portable Ubiquitous Resource Storage Environment

49 Comments

Today I have a very special treat for all of you. Based on a discussion Bron and I had, I have decided to show you all my Portable Ubiquitous Resource Storage Environment… aka my purse. 🙂

“Surely this is a new low, even for you, Mom?!” -Mayhem

Not so, May! Back in August of 2007, we toured my then-purse, which was actually a small piece of carry-on luggage. This time, backpack straps notwithstanding, it’s actually a shoulder bag – the Eagle Creek Hitch. (Oh, Eagle Creek, how I do love thee and thy clever bags with so many pockets and features…)

*sniff sniff sniff* -Chaos

Chaos included for scale. Also because I couldn’t keep him out of the picture.

Let’s start with the electronics, shall we? I notice that this category is significantly larger than it was in 2007.

*sniff sniff sniff* -Chaos

Clockwise from the left, we have my ebook reader, Kuroi Neko (my netbook), my camera case (since obviously the camera was in use), my un-smart cell phone in its case, my Palm Tungsten E2, my access badge for work, a mini surge protector, and a case containing two USB drives (8 and 16 gb, respectively).

Next is everything else.

*gnaw gnaw gnaw* -Mayhem

Not sure I’ll get everything, but I’ll give it a try. Clockwise from the bottom left corner, UnPetroleum lip balm* attached to a carabiner for easy access, glasses cleaning cloth in a case, gloves and ear covering, a glasses strap, Motrin, my blog card case, earplugs, hand lotion, a notebook (with pens and a permanent marker), two Chico shopping bags, a book stand/holder, Mayhem gnawing on said book stand/holder, a GorillaPod tripod, several coffee clutches, migraine shots, decongestant (the kind you have to show ID for!), a purple hairbrush, clip-on sunglasses in vintage case, hair clip, USB to mini-USB cord (whoops, wrong photo, but very handy for charging my ebook reader and mp3 player), Swiss Army knife, hemp wallet, checkbook, crazy black kitty pocket mirror, inhaler still in box, travel lint brush, toothpaste and travel toothbrush, and sunblock. (And hey, MamaTulip, I did throw away that powder from 1997! Although… I just noticed that I have the same sunblock now as in 2007… suppose I should throw it out and start fresh, huh?)

*gnaw gnaw gnaw* “Hey, Mom, this gorilla thingy is pretty tasty!” -Mayhem

Really, May. I notice that you were chewing on it the last time I did this feature, too.

*Please note that all my backup lip balm was excluded from these photos because having eight backup lip balms just seemed sort of crazy. So why am I telling you about it?! Hmm. Also excluded were hair ties (Chaos kept stealing them), my purple hankies (just because), and my mp3 player (it was in my jacket pocket and completely unaware of this photo shoot).

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Ya wanna know the funny part? I didn’t think I’d have enough links to do linkity….

44 Comments

Contests

Books & Reading

Learn Stuff

  • ModernCat has some great pictures of a cat table (sort of an outdoor garden/platform for your cats to enjoy on your deck or patio), plus a link to how to make one.
  • Ugh. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to eat bagged salad again…

LOL

Teh Cute! It Burns!

Reading Update
My Fair Captain (Sci-Regency, Book 1) by J.L. Langley. ebook. Another book for Kris’ m/m rut challenge. This was a scifi m/m romance, with a Regency flair to it… and I totally loved it. (I’m really glad I totally loved it, because if I hadn’t? I’d be afraid, as this is a very popular book.) I was a little frustrated during the prologue and first few chapters, as I tried to pull the bits and pieces together (that world-building stuff), but after I hit the breakthrough point (where you absorb the background and it doesn’t interfere with the story anymore), I was transfixed. Very steamy, yet very romantic and highly recommended read. (Kris is gloating. I can hear her.)
The Englor Affair (Sci-Regency, Book 2) by J.L. Langley. ebook. Not quite as good as My Fair Captain, but still a very good m/m scifi romance.
Friction by J.P. Bowie, Jenna Byrnes, Jude Mason, Kim Dare, Ashley Ladd, S.L. Majors, & Cassandra Gold. ebook collection. This was an enjoyable m/m romance collection. I thought of all the stories were, at the very least, decent, with one exception. And there were definitely a couple that were excellent.
Running Hot by Stephani Hecht. ebook short. Nicely done short m/m romance about a paramedic and an ER doctor.
GPS by Leigh Ellwood. ebook short. Cute m/m romance about a guy who gets a GPS for his birthday, but what the heck is up with the darn thing?! (Yes, you’re right – that is Candy Cane Guy in the background.)
Sea of Sin (Creatures of Sin, Book 3? Book 2.5?) by India Harper. ebook short. Ok m/m romance short about a police commander who lives a celibate, closeted life except for the one week during which he goes on a gay cruise vacation. Based on the sort of non-ending to this story, I suspect it’s part of the setup for the next book in the series.
629 Miles To Love by Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe. ebook. Ok m/m romance about two former lovers on a drive, talking about what went wrong. (Lost points for lack of condoms and lack of discussion of same.)
Skin Deep by S. W. Vaughn. ebook. Quite good urban fantasy m/m romance that was a bit hard for me to read at points, due to graphic violence in a domestic abuse situation. I am glad I persevered. (No condoms here, either…)
Falling (Hawkins Ranch, Book 2) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about two ranchers, one of whom happens to be a demon, which I would’ve enjoyed more if it had had a bit less torture. Those parts were hard for me to read and I definitely skimmed the more graphic violence.
ReneCade (Hawkins Ranch, Book 3) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Another good m/m romance (no paranormal this time) about a deeply closeted sheriff’s deputy who’s attracted to the sheriff’s son, but very afraid of the potential consequences of that attraction. I’m glad that this was less brutal than Falling, but the angst was flowing more freely and there was cheating, so maybe it was a draw.
Do You Believe in Magic by Drew Zachary. ebook short. Very steamy short m/m romance that was a good antidote to the brutality of Skin Deep and Falling.
Slap and Tickle by Drew Zachary. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a possessive cop and the stripper he’s in love with. I found the nicknames (“Big Daddy” and “Candy Pants”) annoying and the sex-to-story ratio was so skewed I skimmed a lot to find the tiny bits of plot scattered amongst the nudity. Plus a plot point that was played up throughout the book wasn’t resolved so much as dropped, which was odd and rather unsatisfying.

“Fine, Mayhem. Be that way. I was only trying to help. Now you will be shunned because your ears are dirty!” -Chaos

“Whatever, big kitty. I think you have OCD issues.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

LB Gregg’s Catch Me If You Can “Catch My Review” Contest [CONTEST CLOSED]

38 Comments

Many thanks to the delightful LB Gregg, who has offered an ebook copy of her brand new m/m romantic suspense, Catch Me If You Can (Romano & Albright, Book 1), to one lucky SoC reader!

I had the outrageous good fortune to win an advance copy of Catch Me If You Can a few weeks ago. It was a steamy, fast-paced paced romp of a read that I can happily and highly recommend. Also, everyone who reviews Catch Me If You Can (on Amazon, your blog or LiveJournal, GoodReads, or LibraryThing) by midnight EST, March 16, and leaves a comment for LB with the link to the review will be entered for a chance to win one of two gift $15 certificates to your choice of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, MBAM, or Fictionwise. That winner will be announced March 17.

So, if you are the lucky winner of this contest and read/review your book lickity split, you could win again. How cool is that? 🙂

Lowly art gallery assistant Caesar Romano is freely out of the closet. Now he’d just like to get out of his Nana’s guest room. Everything – his reputation and his financial freedom – is riding on the success of tonight’s gallery opening. If only he could shake free of the past so easily.

A mysterious gatecrasher, Dan Green, looks like a promising addition to his pending new life – until Caesar’s ex shows up and suddenly the opening disintegrates into a half-naked dance melee. When the glitter settles, a missing sculpture of Justin Timberlake has Caesar up to his eyebrows in extortion, intrigue and a wild sexual adventure underneath, inside, and on top of a variety of furnishings.

As the cast of suspects piles up, so do the questions. Like who’s really blackmailing whom? And what does a stolen paint-by-numbers clown matter when Dan is so outrageously capable of blowing Caesar’s resistance to smithereens?

About LB Gregg

LB Gregg began writing in the spring of 2008 at the encouragement of author pal, Josh Lanyon. She never once looked back (although occasionally she looked down and tripped over her own feet). 2009 saw the publication of her best selling Men of Smithfield series.

LB lives in the Connecticut hills with two lazy dogs, three above-average children, and a smoking hot husband who, thank the good Lord, loves to cook. You can find LB at her blog, Nose in a Book, or by visiting her website.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CST, Wednesday, March 10.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only luck and counterintuitive espionage will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Hey! Big kitty! Let me go!! My ear isn’t that dirty!” -Mayhem

“…mwmph…” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Twelfth: Guys in Ties*)

39 Comments

Meet Tie Guy (on the right below). His impeccable professional image has been invaluable for him in his

and has contributed to his reputation as a

. Deal closers look a little lonely, don’t they? But wait, he found another headless torso to keep him company! Probably headless torsos can’t get into too much trouble, right?

Apparently I spoke too soon… Um, Tie Guy? What happened to your nice torso friend and why do you have this partial lady tied up?!

And why are you taking off your suit at the garage? Was your credit card declined or something?! (But hey, more complete bodies with every picture! Woot!)

(Okay… I don’t know about you, but this wasn’t the face I was expecting on Tie Guy’s torso.) Look out, Tie Guy – that lady does not look happy. At all. And hey, another guy in a tie! You’ll see him in a future Misadventures post. 🙂

Now here’s where things get a bit dicey. I think the guy on the left below is Tie Guy, sans tie (and apparently unwilling to go back to TorsoLand, preferring to, um, hang out with the guys and the partial blond lady).

If you agree that’s Tie Guy, then this is probably Tie Guy, too… right? Pay very close attention to his jawline. There will be a test.

Were you paying attention? Time for that test. Do you think the torso and jaw on the left below belong to a slightly faded Tie Guy? Now scroll back up to that Four Play cover and look at his jaw in that picture. I’ll wait… Got an eyeful? Good. So, guy on the right? I think it’s Tie Guy, too.

And if you agree that the guy on the right above is Tie Guy, then the guy on the right below is also Tie Guy.

Now, scroll back to the Table for Three. Picture it as a mirror image, then add an exuberant redhead, blond hair, and, um, faery wings. Yes?

Oh, Tie Guy, the shame!

So, do you agree or disagree that these are all the same guy? Discuss and feel free to speculate wildly.

“Mom, nothing really matters except that I am starving to death here. I’m pretty sure you forgot to feed me this week. Maybe last week, too. I am willing you to feed me right now.” -Chaos

*With apologies to the Therapy Sisters for shamelessly stealing one of their song titles for part of this post’s title.

Contests, Reading

Ebook Bundle Giveaway: Addison Albright [CONTEST CLOSED]

44 Comments

Many thanks to author Addison Albright for donating two ebook copies of the contemporary m/m romance short stories she has revised and reissued with new covers as second editions! (click the collage to embiggen)

Born to Be Wild: A social fraternity house of pranksters is next door to a house full of GLBT club roomies. Hi-jinx abound. It’s a double cross… or is it a triple cross? (5,113 Words / 16 Pages)

Dropping Quarters: “How they met” might be a story Luke and Cato would just as soon keep to themselves, but when they keep running into each other, they figure it’s time to stop dodging fate. (4,777 Words / 13 Pages)

Moving On: Brandt’s been trying to rebuild his life, but it’s been a difficult year. On this special Halloween night, maybe Graeme can help both Brandt and himself move on. (5,496 Words / 15 Pages)

Moving Along: Brandt’s new relationship with Mark has been moving along nicely, but they’d like to make this, their first Christmas together, extra special. (3,581 Words / 11 Pages)

Photo Shoot: Eddie’s a good guy who’d do anything for a friend, especially Trent, but that good-nature is sorely tested when Trent asks Eddie to be the model for a nude photo shoot. (3,524 Words / 12 Pages)

King Kong vs. The Skinny Pirate: Blaine is a well dressed, high priced attorney, and George is a hairy mountain of an auto mechanic. Can this odd couple put aside their misgivings and do what opposites do best? (4,121 Words / 13 Pages)

Now and Forever: Darryl and Warren are planning a wedding reception – their own. After twelve years of love they deserve a special party. Will Warren be able to give Darryl what he wants? (3,248 Words / 11 Pages)

Cow Pie Bingo: Evan is just coming to terms with his attraction to men. Will he have the nerve to follow through when Gary flirts with him from his seat in the dunk booth? (5,148 Words / 15 Pages) (Please note that Cow Pie Bingo will not be re-released until April 10 – this is an advance copy!)

Here’s a bit more about Addison:

Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with her husband, son, and four peculiar cats (and, at any given time, various boomerang children and step-children, along with their assorted children and pets). Her stories are gay erotic romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education, which pretty much doesn’t get used these days, includes a BS in Education with a  major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Addison loves her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

Addison: What am I working on writing-wise? Actually, my life has gotten incredibly busy lately so I haven’t been working on any new projects. I’ve been spending what time I do have available reworking my first editions as their contracts expire, then formatting them as required for upload at various distributors such as Smashwords, 1 Romance Ebooks, and Amazon Kindle. I’ve also had fun making custom covers for my short stories that were previously released with publisher stock covers. Still to come this year are Cow Pie Bingo in April, Nevermore (previously published in Taste Test: A Day at the Beach) in July, and The Straggler (previously published in Taste Test: Shades of Autumn) in November. The first two stories in my Dream series are a larger project I’ll be working on throughout this year for their 2nd editon releases in February and July of 2011. First editions of all these stories are still available in the meantime. Should an actual block of time that would allow me to sit down and truly concentrate on a new project fall into my lap, I do have a couple story ideas rattling around in my mind that I’d like to try writing out sometime in the next two years.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CST, Friday, March 5.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only luck and counterintuitive espionage will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Your ear, it is dirty, Mayhem. Stay still while I clean it for you.” -Chaos

“Hey!” -Mayhem

Stop back tomorrow for your Misadventures in Stock Photography fix!