www.marilynbrant.com

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Going Green

Yeah, I decided to make a few color palette changes to my blog as well as to my website :). Thanks so much to all of you who visited the new site, offered advice, hunted down typos and weird coding things or simply sent encouraging words. I appreciated every bit of that help and support!

A few tidbits of news:

1. A HUGE whoo-hoo!!! to Lainey Bancroft on the release of her latest novella, ACTION & SATISFACTION! The premise is both sizzling and fun--check it out!

2. Many schools in our area are cancelled for tomorrow due to the subzero temps plus the freezing windchill. This kind of weather always makes me wish I'd relocated to California or New Mexico when I had the chance...and, I swear, every day I have fantasies of Maui. What about you? Anywhere you'd love to live during your least-favorite season in your respective climates? Or, have you found your perfect place?

3. Speaking of fantasies, I was sad to hear of the passing of Ricardo Montalban yesterday. I used to watch "Fantasy Island" (after "The Love Boat," of course) almost every weekend when I was a kid. The idea of there being a Mr. Roarke out there, with the power to fulfill anyone's wishes, was naturally intriguing. That fact that those fantasies were often paired with the moral, "Be careful what you wish, for you may get it," only added to its charm for me.

And, in keeping with my vow to keep this post shorter than the last, I'll end with this: Have a wonderful (and long, for many of you) weekend. Here in the States, a new Presidency begins. May it usher in only good things...

20 comments:

Pamala Knight said...

Ooohhh, Pretty! I love the new blog design too, Marilyn. The old one was totally cool too, but this is very nice and it ties in with your website quite nicely. Great work :-).

Anonymous said...

The new colors look great, Marilyn! And anytime you want to visit Southern Cal (it's um, been in the 80's here), you've got a place to stay and a tour guide! :)

Have a great weekend!

Marilyn Brant said...

Pamala~thanks for checking them both out. I was trying to color coordinate, for once :).

Robin~in the 80's?! Oh, man... Why did I move to Illinois?? What was I thinking with all of this, "I want to be near my family" stuff? (sigh) If these temperatures keep dropping, I might appear on your doorstep!

lainey bancroft said...

I love the green, Very romantic and inviting.

I used to watch Fantasy Island and the Love Boat every Saturday night!

(((Thanks for the shout out.)))
(oh, and Cozumel Karma will be in print Valentine's Day. Whee)

And finally...let's go to Robin's!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yup--I remember the back-to-back Saturday Night Special of Love Boat then Fantasy Island. Ah, those halcyon days of youth...

Woo Hoo to Lainey! Woo Hoo to Marilyn's new site! And party at Robin's!!!

Marilyn Brant said...

Lainey and Pam~so, Robin doesn't really know what's gonna hit her, but here's the plan: We fly to her house, camp out in her 80-degree backyard with mango mojitos and a bunch of old Love Boat and Fantasy Island episodes, and sing "Love...exciting and new..." very loudly until the neighbors call to complain. Sounds fun, right? :-)

Anonymous said...

Hey, Marilyn! It's Lindsey from the library. I'm finally getting around to commenting here! I keep up pretty often but I'm a lazy commenter. Speaking of warm weather, I finally booked the Disney trip for my brother and me. It's not until May 19th but with the weather the way it's been, I want to leave IMMEDIATELY! Also, my parents tell me Washington doesn't get as cold as it does out here (I have yet to experience this because I've only been there in summer). It must be a coastal thing. I've never been to Maui and I've love to do Hawaii in general. Someday! Anyway, I hope you and the boys/men are doing well and I hope to see you one of these upcoming Tuesday nights!

Marilyn Brant said...

Lindsey!!!! I'm so glad you finally de-lurked :). Hey, I don't blame you for wishing you could leave on that Disney trip now. I can take or leave the mouse-ears part of it, but I want that weather...

Looking forward to seeing you on a Tuesday soon and getting the full scoop on the library goings-on ;>).

Middle Ditch said...

I used to watch them too and am also sad that he passed away.

Nancy J. Parra said...

Hi Marilyn,

Your has been awarded A Butterfly Award- please go to my blog for more information.

Cheers!

Morgan Mandel said...

Yes, not only was Ricardo famous for Fantasy Island, but also for car commercials with the phrase, "Rich Corinthian Leather."

Great job with your new look here.


From a fellow Arctic sufferer,
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
http://www.morganmandel.com
http://twitter.com/morganmandel

Marilyn Brant said...

Middle Ditch~I'm so glad you stopped by! I listened to a couple of your episodes and really enjoyed them :). Looking forward to hearing more on your blog...

Nancy~oh, thank you!!! I've just added the cute butterfly to my page and will post more about it this week.

Morgan~LOL!! I'd totally forgotten about "Rich Corinthian Leather"--ha! Thanks for the reminder (and stay warm :).

Middle Ditch said...

Marily, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It is always much appreciated. I'll try and keep in touch.

Anonymous said...

OMG! I so want you all here! Seriously. Anytime. We would have so much fun. I'm thinking maybe I should get rid of of my family for a weekend and have a little writer's retreat. What do you think? Mojitos, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat (loved them), and some plotting. Sounds like a plan to me!

Anonymous said...

Subzero temperatures? NOT fun. I don't envy you in the slightest. And I do wish you'd move to New Mexico, because then I might actually see you from time to time. Wouldn't that be fun? Plus it's really pretty. And, yes, warmer than what you're dealing with!

Marilyn Brant said...

Thanks, Middle Ditch :).

LOL, Robin! Your hubby and kids might be slightly offended by the "I'll just rid of my family" plan, but I have no doubt it'd be a fun weekend! Don't know how much writing we'd get done...

Caryn~my aunt and her family lived in Albuquerque, NM for the longest time and I thought the area was so pretty...then I wanted to live in Colorado (esp. when I heard that some cities got 350 days of sun/year :), so I was always drawn to that area of the country. And, yeah, getting to see you would make it even more appealing! Chances of me actually moving are, like, nonexistent, but you know there's this party at Robin's... (hee!!)

Anonymous said...

The sun makes such a difference, too. I'd much rather have a very cold sunny day than a chilly cloudy one. The former somehow seems warmer, and it's much better for my mood!

Marilyn Brant said...

Exactly, Caryn! I know I'm affected by the weather. It's the gloom of winter that gets me down even more than the freezing temps. Or, in the immortal words of John Denver, "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy..." :)

Anonymous said...

The new colours look great! I put your blog in my blogroll, finally, which means I should be visiting a lot more often. I get very lazy about checking blogs that are not in my blogroll, I've discovered.

Marilyn Brant said...

Cindy, thank you! I just saw this and will do the same... I usually need those blog roll reminders, too :). Hope you're having a great weekend!