Sunday, July 16, 2006

Odds and Ends

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately. My schedule is berserk and I just haven't had the time. But I'm feeling guilty that people click in here and there's rarely something new, so here are some random thoughts ...

  • If you want to drive an author completely crazy, tell her you're sure you saw her book mentioned in People magazine ... or maybe Newsweek ... or something.


  • Lately, my kids are insane over this website called ClubPenguin.com. They're begging me to pay the annual fee, but so far I've held out, and they're doing lots of fun stuff there for free.


  • Hey, if Oprah can recommend products, so can I. Here's a haircare thing I can't live without, Bed Head Shine Junkie. It's getting harder and harder to find, and I've resorted to ordering it online. Yeah, it makes your hair super-shiny. But also, if you have color-damaged hair, it smoothes it out. Fantastic!


  • I hate Capri pants. I just HATE them. If you're a fashionable female, you probably have at least a few, and maybe they don't look bad on you. But for most people, they just make you look shorter and squatter. Ick. Who needs that? Certainly not this 5'4" woman.


  • My talented friend Mark Ebner, a New York Times bestselling author, says some nice things about me and my book on his Hollywood Interrupted site.



  • If you do a search on George Clooney at Barnes and Noble or Amazon, my book comes up. Cooool!







  • If you want to read an excerpt of Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, click here.


  • File this under Another Reason It's So Hard to Age Gracefully. I exercise and diet and diet and exercise and I'm still ... not thin. The only women my age who stay really trim are either runners or smokers. Alas, I don't have the knees for running. As far as smoking, the only thing I fear more than being fat is being dead. Sucks.


  • As long as I'm whining, can I just tell you that I'm suffering from allergies that make my sinuses swell, and I'm in pain practically all the time? The medications help, but I hate the idea of taking decongestants, antihistimines, steroid nasal spray and painkillers every day. Hot wet compresses help, but not enough. I'm open to suggestions, friends.


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  • 8 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    I went to my local Chapters store (way out here in western Canada) yesterday and asked when they would be expecting your book in. They don't have any on order so I preordered it. Will this preorder encourage that store to bring some copies in? How does this work? I want to make sure readers in Calgary don't miss out :)

    Ellen said...

    That's so nice of you, Anna! I appreciate that. I can't say for sure that your request will pique their interest enough to prompt them to order more than one, but it certainly could. Thanks!

    Anonymous said...

    Oy...allergies. I found something called Hydrasense that has changed my life. Well, my nasal life. It's pure (and purified) sea water from France and you whoosh it up your nose. It heals inflamed sinuses and clears out the allergens. Feels like you're being hit by a wave and may or may not be drowning, but I love it AND it's steroid, antihistamine-free. I get it in Canada, but I think it's made in France as well.

    Good luck, I so know what you're going through!

    xo
    Tish

    Katie said...

    I hate capri pants too. On me anyway. And as for your diet, exercise, smoking and running worries, you've got a pretty hot set of legs, so I wouldn't worry too much.

    Amy said...

    I'm psyched to get your book!!! And my 8 year old has been bugging me about Club Penguin, too. So far I've been holding out, too, though she's trying very hard to wear me down...

    Ellen said...

    Tish! Thanks so much for that allergy tip. I'll see if I can find that Hydrasense in the U.S. Meanwhile, I wonder if it's very different from something like Ocean, a saline nasal spray. Perhaps I'll ask my doc ...

    Katie ... thanks! Didn't Helen Gurley Brown once say the legs are the last thing to go? Ugh. I hate that quote. Anyway, let's start a Capri pants boycott!

    Amy, thanks for the kind words about the book! Is your daughter playing the free part of ClubPenguin, or are you banning it altogether? I think it's pretty innocuous for the most part. I know for a fact that it's closely monitored, because my 11-year-old decided to see what would happen if he tried to type in a dirty word, and got booted for 24 hours. *sigh* I hope he learned something.

    kittysweet said...

    the story i read from your book is fantastic....im going to try and get my hands on it xx

    Ellen said...

    Thanks, Kittysweet! Are you in the U.K.? If so, you should be able to order the book from amazon.co.uk. Hope you like it!