Susie's Blog

What a crazy year this has been!

The best of it?...

1. My preliminary exams are finished and I passed!
2. I spent a month in England and Scotland, expenses paid.
3. I reconnected with some great friends, deepened existing friendships, and met some really great new people.
4. I went on paranormal investigations!
5. I have a Kindle!

Most important: everyone is here and we had a great holiday season.

Here is to 2009 and a great 2010!!

I LOVE my Kindle. It is the best thing I have bought in a long time. Most of the titles that I want are free and it takes no time to download them. Hooray for technology!

I won't go into too much detail about the Japanese restaurant Hokkaido, because most of the Tuscaloosa readers will know the place well. It is located on 15th St. (where the old Great Wall restaurant used to be). You have to get there by 11:15 or 11:20 for lunch because the parking lot fills up really fast! The bento box lunches are great, the grill is excellent, and the sushi is fantastic. However, these aren't necessarily the only reasons to go. The best reason: Charles. Charles is the manager and he is wonderful. My boss and her husband and I go there every week and Charles often makes a point to come over and speak to us. He knows our names and knows what we like to eat, as do the waitresses. The service is excellent in spite of the fact that they are constantly slammed. Still, Charles is the bomb. Charles is from China. He has the cutest two kids (a boy and a girl) and his wife is pregnant again--and even though we don't know her, we are all excited!

The best thing ab…

I often find myself moaning and groaning about Tuscaloosa. Most of my complaints have to do with the perils of living here my entire life...things like the annoying traffic that inevitably accompanies the return of students and football fans, the insane liquor laws, the sameness and the smallness of many aspects of the town (not just geographically), the gross misunderstanding of those new to the area, etc. Some of my complaints are valid and would apply to almost all of the United States. For example, the history and beauty of a place like Oxford, England, is impressive on a scale that isn't available here. The sense of culture and tradition associated with Tuscaloosa often revolves around football, the university, or a mistaken depth associated with certain social aspects of our town. These things do exist, but they are not always the most in depth experiences...though they can be. In other words, some of these things don't compare to something like my experiences when I liv…

I have seen the BBC Knowledge magazine in my bookstore for a while now. I thought about buying it several times, but only today did I actually pick up a copy...and I am really glad that I did. This magazine is great for anyone who just wants an eclectic mix of subject matter. I guess that in some ways I could compare it to something like Mental Floss (another magazine that I like), but the articles in BBC Knowledge appeal to me a bit more just because of the subject matter. Here is the URL, but, unfortunately, their Web site really needs improvement: http://www.bbcknowledgemagazine.com/

In this issue, there are articles about US television, Somalia, the death of language, the Holocaust, space, polar bears, etc. Basically, the magazine has sections dealing with Science, History, and Nature. The "Update" section is especially nice because it provides little bits of information about breaking news in the three major categories mentioned above.

Anyway, just thought that I would …

Merry Christmas!!!

12-7-09

ADVICE TO A NEW WRITER: There are no rules in this profession. Do what is good for you. Read books and watch films that stimulate your writing. In your writing, go where the pain is; go where the pleasure is; go where the excitement is. Believe in your own original approach, voice, characters, story. Ignore critics. HAVE NERVE. BE STUBBORN.

...ROLLL TIDE ROLLL!!!!!

Today, we played against Florida...and, holy crap...we WON!!! Ever since my mom retired, she has become a football fanatic. It is really hilarious. She can't move from the television and has to scream as loud as she can for every good play...and curse as loud as she can for every bad play. It cracks me up! So, tonight, I made dinner while she and dad watched the game. I had to take their food to them in the living room because they wouldn't move at all! All my life, we have NEVER watched football. However, starting last year, they became crazy fanatics. So, from their mouth and mine:


ROLL TIDE!!!!!!