A to Z Challenge – E is for eBook

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Lori Crane

Blogging from A to Z April 2013 Challenge

E is for eBook

The invention of Nooks and Kindles has transformed my little universe. First, I don’t have boxes and boxes and shelves and shelves of books that I don’t really want anymore but can’t seem to part with. My books are now in a handy and convenient electronic device. I really think digital print is one of the best inventions ever. I do however miss thumbing through the pages of a real book on occasion, but not very often. Second, the cost of books has come way down since ePublishing. Third, I can obtain a book instantly through my computer from the comfort of my couch. Fourth, the ease of publishing an eBook has opened up the market to a plethora of talented writers, instead of the handful the big publishers tell us we are supposed to read. Fifth, you don’t even need to buy a Nook or Kindle. The apps are available for FREE for just about every electronic device. Not too many downsides there.

Fast forward twenty years.

Do you think the children of today will ever thumb through a real paper book? The possibilities of multi-media integration are endless, and I’m really disappointed it has not already come into fruition. Imagine sitting in 5th-grade biology and reading about the human heart. You could click on the picture and the whole circulatory system would come to life, showing you how the blood pumps, where it goes, and what happens when arteries get clogged. How about sitting in history class and clicking on a link that takes you to History Channel-esque story about the pyramids or the Aztecs? You could actually watch a CGI version of Washington crossing the Delaware. If I had half the technology savvy of my imagination, I would have already turned this idea into a living creature, but alas, I do not. In my imaginary world, schools, career training, and the text books that go with them, would all be amazingly different. There are a few companies putting out books resembling this idea, but they are in their infancy, and are light-years away from the future I imagine.

Here’s to the eBook and to the future!

A to Z Challenge – D is for Dog

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Lori Crane

Blogging from A to Z April 2013 Challenge

D is for dog, for life without a dog is sorry indeed ~Lori

A dog is not “almost human” and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such. ~John Holmes

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Coming home to a dog

Coming home to no dog

Snuggling with a dog

Snuggling without a dog – rocks are not fluffy.

Playing with a dog

Playing without a dog – mud is almost as fun as a dog – Not

Eating with a dog

Eating without a dog

Sleeping with a dog

Sleeping without a dog

Life with a dog

Life without a dog

A to Z Challenge – I’m late – Here’s A, B, and C

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Lori Crane

Blogging from A to Z April 2013 Challenge

Apparently people around here are doing fun things, and I’ve been so busy I’m missing out.

The challenge is to blog alphabetically from A to Z through the month of April – excluding Sundays. That makes 26 blogs in 26 days using 26 letters. Okay, I got this! I need to catch up on A, B and C though, so here it is.

A is for Ancestry

I’m an ancestry and genealogy nut. It is a time-consuming hobby that takes over your life and causes you to spend more time with dead people than living people. You voluntarily give up sleep, food, and going to the restroom. The most amazing thing I’ve learned is that life is about those around you, which is in contradiction to the whole researching-your-ancestry process, but we all end up in the cemetery, and we all end up forgotten as time passes. What you do in the very short time between your birth and the cemetery is up to you.

B is for Bars

I spend every evening in bars – not partying, though it is always a party, but playing. I’m a dueling piano player. I tell raunchy jokes, I sing songs with incorrect lyrics, and I lead massive, drunken sing-a-longs. My favorite part of the night is when the audience is hot, and their applause and cheering is deafening. Favorite song: The one with the most tip money on it. Favorite drink: Crown Royal. Favorite toast: “Here’s to relationships. They’re a lot like garage sales. They look good from the outside, but once you get in, you find it’s just a bunch of shit you don’t really need.”

C is for Children

I have two. They are older now and are dating and on the brink of multiplying, so I will have more very soon, I’m sure. That’s enough on that subject.