Scoop it Up! It's Your Doody!!!!

Hey all,

We're here in Cordoba, Argentina and so far it's been a great place to visit.  Cordoba has a beautiful downtown square where you can sit and listen to music and sip a drink.  Lots of shopping, museums and parks.  We are looking forward to checking them all out.

We spent the first few days here driving around outside the city checking out the smaller villages.  Got some beautiful pictures and already are planning to go back to one area we want to visit again.  We've discovered a park where you can watch the Andean condors soar, and a German town where you can celebrate Oktoberfest all year long.  

I'm researching the area to decide what I want my Argentina book to be about.  So far I can write about Gauchos,  the awesome wildlife or landscapes that are some of the most beautiful in the world.  Or maybe all three.  LOL  Choices, choices...

Anyway, today's blog is about something of a pet peeve.  Now you know that we've lived in many different countries.  And all have their good and bad about them.  But when I was online this morning checking things out, I discovered something that Argentinos here in Cordoba could really learn from.

April 24th through 30th is National SCOOP UP THE POOP month!!!!!!

Like I said...a pet peeve.  People NOT picking up after their dogs.  Some countries are pristine, not a dog doody anywhere.  But other places, not so much and unfortunately, Cordoba is one of them.

When we walked yesterday, it was like going through a bloody minefield.  Some places were worst than others, but the sidewalks were dotted with piles of poop.

We even saw it happening.  People walking their puppies, letting them poop and then walking away as if nothing had happened. *grrrr*.  How hard is it to bend and scoop?  It may be your shoe that gets crapped next time!!!!

I guess I just don't understand.  The downtown area, justice square and parks are really beautiful and well kept, yet just outside of them the streets are filthy.  You can't walk a block without doing the hop and skip over the dog poop.  

And they love their dogs here.  It is easy to see.  There are a lot of them, both domestic and stray.  In fact, the stray dogs are everywhere---dozens and dozens of them and may be the ones responsible for most of the doody around the city.  It actually reminded Jonathon and I of being in Nepal where the cows are sacred and wander around free.  And they had a manure problem as well.  Hmmm.... Are dogs sacred in Argentina?  Is that why there are so many trotting around and leaving "gifts" for the faithful to step in?

I wonder?????

Of course, there is an upside to all the dogs.  If this article I found is true, maybe a few piles of doody is worth it.  Check it out and let me know what you think... STRAY DOG HEROES

Have a great week!

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
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Reality Leaves A Lot To The Imagination

Hey all,

As you read this I will be in the process of moving from Brazil to Argentina.  Getting all our stuff together to go from one country to the next is a PITA job, but necessary.  *smile*  After all, the adventure is such a blast.  We've seen so many marvelous things.  No more armchair exploring for us.

Of course that's the way our adventures started out.  I read about so many wonderful places and cultures it became my dream to visit as many as I could.

That's why I love books and being an author.  I can not only read about the world and what is out there, as an author I can create worlds and what make the people in them do what they do.  In fact one of my favorite things to do is read other people's works and see how that author gets things done.

I try to read a bit every day, just before I head off to bed.  Sometimes more, sometimes less, if we're busy.  If I don't, I feel seriously deprived.  LOL

But when you read as much as I do, you begin to notice things.  Really good things and really weird things.  So, I thought I'd share some examples of a few of my pet peeves as well as my all time favorite delights.

Pet Peeve One

Let's talk sex.  Well, not really sex, but what leads up to it.  Now I don't know about you guys, but when I wake up in the morning, if Jonathon wants to get his jig on, I don't immediately go all hot and bothered and thrown myself into his arms.  I mean I want to...ALWAYS, but there are some things that get in the way in reality that RARELY seem to be addressed in a romance novel.

I mean how many of you wake up with sweet minty breath and an empty bladder?  How many of you have perfectly coiffured hair and smooth shaven legs?

Yet, how many books have you read where sex is perfect and immediate in the morning.  No one has to pee, and morning breath is just bad dream.  There is no bed hair and the ladies are smooth and sexy all over.

Really?  On what planet does that really happen?

Though some contemporary books now DO mention these problems.  Albeit in a humorous way.  Most of the time I like that, though sometimes it does pull me out of the moment.  So I guess I do understand why some authors (myself included) ignore the everyday uglies that come with the new day.

Pet Peeve 2

The Cinderella Complex.  A classic plot for a romance novel, one I actually really like.  IF and I do mean IF it doesn't go too far.  That prince (or princess) who comes and sweeps their mate off their feet is all well and good, yet should we really expect someone else to come in and take care of all our problems for us?  I like the story only if the sweepee can give something just as precious and lovely back to the sweeper.  Not in a quid pro quo way, but rather because of love and respect.  You know what I mean?

Besides, how often does this happen in the real world?  There are very few Pretty Women standing on balconies watching millionaires climb up their fire escapes.  Hmmm...I'd actually like to see that.  Richard Gere on my balcony.  Yum!!!

Pet Peeve 3

Forced Seduction.  This one is REALLY more than a pet peeve.  I hate it.  Really hate it.  I'm not talking about role playing or even giving your partner a little extra push when it's warranted.  I'm referring to those stories where the hero forces a lady to feel arousal when she's already said that two letter word.  NO!!!!

I know I may be in the minority here, but I've come to totally dislike this plot device.  To me it's too close to rape.  If not of the body, of the mind.  And IMHO, forcing someone's body to do what their mind doesn't want to do IS the same as rape.  I grew up on those "bodice ripper" type of romances, and when I look back on some of the ones I read, I want to cringe.  A man who uses force to make a woman have sex (or make love if it comes to that) isn't a hero to me.  Not any longer.

And if you tried to find this same "plot" in the real world, I don't believe the heroine would be as starry-eyed about the guy who forced her to give up her virginity.

So, there you have it.  A few ways reality doesn't find it's way into romance novels.  Luckily, most authors know when a plot device is over the top and they've learned to keep things real in the books they write.  Because even though most of us read romance to "escape" from reality, we'd prefer to be able to believe what we're reading!!!!

Do you have a personal pet peeve you think is so far out of reality you only shake your head when you read it?  Let me know in the comments below.

Until next week,

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
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A SWEET Goodbye to Brazil

Hey all,

Thanks so much for all the ideas on how to get the news.  Came at a great time, too.  I was able to read up on what happened in Washington state when the mudslides hit last month.  Thirty-three people dead.  That was so scary!!!!

Down here we are getting ready for our move to Cordoba, Argentina.  It's a big move, crossing into another country, so we have to deal with packing lists, customs and airports.  I truly hate that part of our life.  And the next few moves after Buenos Aires (which is after Cordoba) will each be country to country.  *sigh*

To make our hotel room a home, I've got a lot of ~stuff~.  Makes it wonderful to live in, but a PITA to move.  Frustrating, but a choice we've made.

Anyway, I'll try and keep the blog up, but I'm not sure how the internet will be in Argentina.  We usually have good hotels, but I never expect much until we're there.  Even the best hotel can have sucky internet.

This last weekend we said goodbye to the Rio Sul area.  Rio Sul in the state where Porto Alegre is.  We love it here.  And it's one of the places we'd come back to if we ever did another tour with Cirque to South America.

We took a long weekend to the mountain town of Gramado and Canela.  Two sister towns that are heavily influenced by their German ancestors.  Beautiful architecture and some really fun things to do.  We visited Lago Negro (Black Lake) where you can laze away a Sunday afternoon riding swan boats. 

We visited a wonderful zoo where you an walk among the animals.  The Gramado Zoo has only Brazilian critters in it, and has extensive breeding programs for endangered species.  A small zoo, but worth it.  We loved the places where you could be nose to nose with the birds.

Another interesting place was the Parque Gaúcho where they show you all the history and fun surrounding this culture.  They had dioramas of the men and women who rode horses, herded cattle and lived the land.  It was fascinating.  Unfortunately we went on a weekday, so they didn't have any of the presentations of skill we were looking forward to, but since Argentina is another place we can see the Gaúcho culture, we'll look for another place there.

We also went to one of the prettiest national parks we've seen in Brazil.  The Parque do Caracol (Snail Park) has a tall waterfall (130 meters - that about 426 feet for us Americans) and lovely walking trails.  It also had another waterfall (see fourth pic below), which I thought was even prettier.  Remember my pics of Iguazu falls?  This was similar, but much smaller.  Still, better, IMHO than the tall cascade which gives the park it's name.

 At the base of the Caracol cascade.

831 steps down to the base of the cascade.  831 steps up.  Whew!!!!

A beautiful set of falls, it's called the Corredeiras, which means rapids.  And many of them, too!!!

One of the prettiest churches I've seen in Brazil was in Canela. Stone inside and out, and the stain glass windows were gorgeous.  Absolutely visit worthy if you're ever around the area.

These stain glass windows were in the stone church in Gramado.  Absolutely beautiful!!!

And best of all???  Guess what we fell into?  On Sunday when we arrived, we happened to be in town at the beginning of CHOCOFEST!!!!!!  That's right.  A chocolate festival!  Just in time for Easter, these people go CRAZY!  Chocolate and bunnies everywhere you look.  So many rabbits, I think I've got a phobia now.  But the chocolate made up for it.  I made myself sick, I did.  Nibbles all day long and ending with Swiss style fondue and you guessed it, chocolate fondue for dessert.

 

 

Sweet!!!!!

So, a great way to end my Brazilian experience.  We'll be happy to adventure on to the next tour site, tucking away some truly great memories of an awesome country.  Tchau, Brazil!

And see you next week, in Argentina!!!  WooHoo!!!!!

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

Uninformed or Misinformed?

Hey all,

 How are things on the home front?  I have to admit, one of the most difficult things about being on tour is that I so rarely know what's going on back in the United States.  I know I can go online and figure it out, but I don't have time to surf the news reports.

And while we get CNN here, it's the European version, so it only touches on the top US news stories and then only rarely.  So I miss a lot of the smaller stuff that's going on.  *sigh*

I don't know enough Portuguese to listen to the local news, though I can sometimes pick up on some of the stories that are happening, but it just isn't the same.

So, when I go online and check my email, I always check the yahoo or google news.  And read the headlines to see what's happening.  But it's frustrating.  Sometimes I don't know what's going on for days.

For example, I didn't know about the plane that went down in the ocean for over a week.  Which really bugged me.  It was such a sad happening, and I would have prayed for the victims to be found.  Not knowing it happened really upset me.

Then there is the weather in the USA.  Last year there were some horrible storms--Noreasters--and I had no idea until someone mentioned it on my list.  And then this year?  Again, freezing cold weather, and if I hadn't caught a pic of Niagra Falls frozen, I wouldn't have known about it.  So I asked on my list and my readers told me just how COLD it was.  Again...frustrating.

And you don't even want to get me started about politics.  Obamacare?  I want to gnash my teeth over it.  I'm so glad my insurance is taken care of through Cirque, but it makes me absolutely crazy knowing that fatcat politicians think they can force people to do this thing.  

Yet, because I'm so out of the loop, I don't know why exactly I hate it so much.  I just do.  And my instincts are usually right on the money!

But, even though I can't follow the news like I would if I were in the states, I do try and keep somewhat informed.  I just don't feel as if I'm in the know as much as I'd like.

So here's a question for all my USA readers.  Do you have a specific newsfeed or service that you follow to get your daily bit of news?  I'd like it delivered to my inbox, so I can scan and see exactly what's going on.  Not just USA news, but important world news as well.

If you have a suggestion, please put it in the comments below.  I'd be ever so grateful!

Until next week,

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/luckbealady/luckbealady.htm

http://cjengland.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/