Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
With my beloved Mets out of post-season play (again!), I’m rooting for the NL East Champion Phillies to go all the way!
There are so many players on the Phillies that are certified cuties, but I’ll start with Mr. Dependable – Chase Utley. I just love his work ethic and his boy-next-door charm. Did I mention his good looks as well?
Here’s hoping you get another ring, Chase!
Photo Credit: Googie [email protected]
Okay – I couldn’t stay away today because I had to share this fun quiz with you that came by way of my BIL Peter! Here are my results which were spot on. Take the quiz for yourself to see how accurate it is. If you can’t see the quiz results below, you can cut and paste this link into your browser: http://gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have
Another way to tell a real New Yorker: Ask them to say, “There’s a flaw in the floor” and see how “flaw” and “floor” sound. They should not sound the same.
| What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Northeast
Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak. |
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| Philadelphia |
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| The Inland North |
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| The Midland |
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| The South |
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| Boston |
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| The West |
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| North Central |
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| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz |
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Hope you all have a great weekend.
It’s that time of year when women’s thoughts turn to . . .
BASEBALL!!
Check out today’s report on baseball fashions for women at: http://lifemythlegend.blogspot.com/.
For many many many (did you get that – many!) years of my life, I was one of the guys because there was a dearth of “feminine” sports apparel. No more! Now women can cheer their teams on in style.
Also wanted to leave you with this photo that I shot on the way to work. The flowers are up in Bryant Park! If you’re itching to get out into your garden, just remember to check and make sure you’re past getting a killing frost. Also remember that some plants – like tomatoes, basil and peppers — really hate even chilly weather. If you need to put your hands in the soil, go with pansies and other cool weather choices for now. Also think about using combos like these pinks and blue-purples. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love these particular colors.
This Fun Friday we’ve got two things going on! The first is another Tax Day Freebie, but this one runs all the way to May! If you’re near Charlie Brown’s check out their three course special deal via this link.
I had the special dinner last night after getting home an hour late thanks to NJ Transit. Another of their ungodly messes. When they announced a 25% fair hike yesterday, I guess they decided to add to the pain we were all feeling by having no service out of Penn Station. But the updside to the debacle was the Charlie Brown’s dinner courtesy of the coupon. Totally worth it!
The next Fun Friday thing is a guest blog with Lisa Pietsch. Drop by there today and leave a comment at Lisa’s blog for a chance to win a STRONGER THAN SIN T-shirt and a copy of FURY CALLS! The contest ends at midnight EST today, April 16th!
I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!
It’s that time of year most of us dread – Tax Day! So for today, some interesting facts about taxes.
In 1861, Congress passed the “first” tax on personal income to fund the costs of the Civil War. When the war ended, the tax was repealed. (For a history of the U.S. tax system, you can read this article on Tax History at the Treasury Department.) To cope with the costs of World War I, the personal income tax was brought back and it was all downhill from there.
According to Rasmussen Reports, 61% of Americans believe cutting taxes will help the economy and 66% think that Americans are overtaxed.
Kiplinger analyzed tax burdens and reports that, “the top 1% (of Americans) pay 39.89% of all federal individual income taxes. The bottom 50% of earners pay just 2.99% of those taxes.” The top 10% (those earning more than $108905 or more) bear 71% of the tax burden (also from Kiplingers).
41% of New Yorkers did not pay federal taxes last year reports the NY Post. Now this is depressing not because they did not pay taxes, but because in a state with the world’s financial center – New York City – there should be more prosperity.
The Tax Foundation did its annual calculations and indicated that most Americans will work over three months, from January 1 to April 9 before they have earned enough money to pay this year’s taxes. In New Jersey, we get to work an additional 16 days — until April 25 — to pay all those taxes. Thanks, Corzine!
So what’s the average person supposed to do?
As the old saying goes, there are two things in life you cannot avoid — Death and Taxes. Ask Al Capone. Tax evasion did him in!
But on that note, wasn’t it John Kennedy who said:
Hmmm . . . maybe the Tax Man should Cometh a little less? Or at least leave some change in our pockets? LOL! Since that seems unlikely in the near future, how about taking advantage of some of these Tax Day Freebies being offered to take the sting out of things? Click on this link to find out how to get free and/or reduced specials at Starbucks, Maggie Moos, Cinnabon, McCormick & Schmicks and others.
I want to thank all of you who dropped by on Wednesday to wish Rene Colato good luck with his wonderful children’s book! It was much appreciated.
Also – many many thanks for all the b’day wishes! I had a great day that weekend as well as last weekend when we had our first ever Liberty States Fiction Writers conference. I had a wonderful time and met so many nice people.
As for the b’day wishes, I’d like to announce the winner of my b’day contest!
Sherry is the lucky winner of a $25 Godiva Gift Card, copy of FURY CALLS and a SINS OF THE FLESH lunch bag. Congratulations, Sherry. Please e-mail your postal address to cpsromance at att dot net .
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Here in the NY/NJ Metro area we are getting a glimpse of our first taste of Spring! Bulbs are coming up, crocuses are in bloom and we’re supposed to have weather in the 60s. I so can’t wait!!
With the big Jets game just days away, it makes me think of determination and how that can sometimes overcome the greatest of obstacles. How the strength of heart can move mountains or cross oceans.
My grandparents had determination and heart. They were from a small village, an aldea, in the province of Galicia in Spain. My grandfather’s family was poor – just a small family farm. His determination for a better life was what made him leave Spain and head to Cuba, then the land of opportunity for many Spaniards. As the daughter of the village blacksmith/gunsmith, my grandmother was the wealthier of the two, but she followed her heart across an ocean to be with my grandfather.
Their daughter, my mother, had both. When she didn’t like what was happening in Cuba, she decided to try and change it. When the change was worse than what had existed before, she was determined to make it better. It almost cost my mother her life. It did cost her the country that she loved and one and half years without my sister and me. That’s how long it took her to get us out of Cuba.
But she never lost heart during those one and a half years and she always thanked this Nation for the gifts it provided. I think my mom identified greatly with this Nation because it is one of determination and heart.
Born in dissatisfaction about unfair taxation and a distant king who would not listen to his subjects, the People of this Nation have prospered due to their determination to work hard and try to do better. As for heart, look no further than the reaction of the People to crises like the tsunami and now Haiti.
It’s the People who make a Nation what it is.
Which I guess leads to the Jets and their upcoming game against the Colts. Peyton Manning is arguably one of the finest quarterbacks ever with one of the best teams in football sharing the field with him. It’ll be a tough game for the Jets to beat the Colts. No doubt about it.
But I’m hoping the Jets have greater heart and determination much like my alma mater Villanova did back in 1985 when they pulled a Cinderella upset over what had been a dominant Georgetown team throughout the regular season.
Of course, if the Jets do win, I may be faced with a difficult dilemma if Minnesota also wins (Go Vikings!!).
Why? Because it’s tough not to root for the old guy especially when Favre is probably having one of his best seasons ever.
But I grew up watching the Jets practice at Hofstra. Even saw Jo Willy Namath throwing some passes one day on that practice field during his final years with the Jets. I guess you know where my allegiance will be if it does end up a Jets-Vikings Super Bowl.
For now . . .
