How to Eat A Cupcake - Team Sparkle Style

The SCBWI winter conference was last week in New York. I was there, as were fellow Team Sparklers: Susan Adrian, Emily Hainsworth and Victoria Schwab… and more than a thousand other writer-people.

It was wonderful.

Just ask Susan:

Victoria:

Emily:

Or Nova Ren Suma, who we dragged away from her deadline to come conferencing with us.

In fact, because they've already done a fabulous job summarizing and describing all the wonderful people, books, laughter, wisdom, and hijinks we discovered, I don't feel the need to re-state it. Procrastination WIN! I will just add this:

How to Eat A Cupcake – Team Sparkle Style.

…because it is a widely accepted fact that all the best writing is fueled by sugar.

If you've never tried my less-mess sandwich technique, you're missing out. Run, don't walk, to the nearest bakery and procure yourself a cupcake.

Then, once the sugar-jitters have faded, sit down and write some sparkly words.

You can thank me later.

Puppy Penalty: An Excess of Adorable

My Super Bowl pick from yesterday: Anyone but Peyton Manning could win.

I'm sure he's a very nice man, but I don't like him. At all. My dislike of him is rabid in a way I normally reserve for the Yankees. That commercial where he dons a wig and refers to himself in third person as "6'1", laser, rocket arm"… *gags*

So, on a year where Peyton was playing and my own dearest Tom wasn't, I was okay with anyone but Indy winning. *

On years like this one – years where my own red, white, and blue boys aren't on the field, I tend to sulk and pout. My interest in the pigskin championship wanes to the commercials between the plays and finding ways to get annoyed at the announcers.

Enter THE PUPPY BOWL.

To the Animal Planet employee who decided America would be interested in watching hours of puppies frolicking in a green pen with football shaped toys, I salute you.

I watched the whole thing yesterday. Twice. Apparently it isn't possible to overdose on adorable.

The Puppy Bowl is also an excellent place to find additions for your List-Of-Future-Dog-Names. What do you mean you don't have a List-Of-Future-Dog-Names? Start one right now. Add Garbanzo, Tater Tot, and Yums.

I want a puppy with each of these names. Actually, I want those puppies! This is the dangerous part of Puppy Bowl. By the time the half-time kittens come on, I'm convinced I need to adopt the entire starting line-up.

Who can really resist a face like these?

Well, besides curmudgeon-y St. Matt who says "Two puggles is more than enough."

Come on! The non-Peyton team won. Doesn't that mean I deserve a victory-pup?

All photos are courtesy of Animal Planet's website, and, if you missed it or need a puppy fix, here are some highlights of the "game": http://animal.discovery.com/videos/puppy-bowl-vi/

*See, I'm showing restraint by not mentioning my compounded dislike of Indy because of Adam Vinitari. I also didn't mention the Oreo commercials.