what do you think of my book. its finished and im getting it published.

By on July 1st, 2009

OK, here’s the first chapter. I co-wrote this with a friend over the school year for a gifted education project. our teacher is currently editing it and we are then going to send it to several different publishers. All my friends like it, but i wanted total stranger’s opinions. you dont have to read the whole thing if you dont want, its kinda long. here it goes.

Tori’s story has a common theme: Shy girl finds herself in the midst of devastation. You’ve probably read other books like it. Loss, pain and suffering, and unexpected joy are key parts in any good story. If you believe in the unexpected, the crushing pain, and the hidden beauty; listen to her story…

“Binder, Math book, Social Studies book, French horn, lunch money…” Tori Orkis mumbled to herself, making sure she had everything for school that day. Whenever she forgot her homework or her French horn, the teachers threw a fit, and she didn’t want that happening. She dumped all of these things into her favorite bright green backpack. She didn’t know what she would do if she ever lost that backpack, it was so precious to her. It was also the only one she could afford.
Her best friend, Emilevi Jules, was waiting in her kitchen so they could go to school together. Although they were so close to each other, Emilevi and Tori looked nothing alike. Emilevi’s curly, soft blonde hair was more memorable than Tori’s long and plain, straight red hair. But compared to Tori’s vibrant purple irises, Emilevi’s shone a dull gray. Wherever she went, people gazed in envy into her eyes, but never seemed interested in getting to know the shy girl behind them. Tori and Vi were both 5’ 4”, but this was one of the only similarities of the features.
Getting to Westing Junior High was a long and complicated process- Every morning, Tori and Vi had to take a series of subway rides- as none of the subways went far enough- and then from the last station walking the 4 remaining blocks to their school (Which also happened to be a school that was very cheap). The tiny, bleak school was located on the east side of Chicago, whereas their neighborhood, Persimmon Point, stood on the farthest west outskirts. Being overshadowed by such a large city like Chicago, the neighborhood had many wannabes, whether from acting to writing to architecture, you name it. Tori was ashamed to admit it, but she was a wannabe, too-she wanted to be a poet. But she didn’t let that fact get her down often.
Tori’s family had a small house- only one story, 2 bedrooms, and one bathroom. Tori, no surprise, had the smallest of the three rooms. The only odd thing was that the outside of the house was painted subdued but still noticeable green, in effect with the family’s crazed love of the color; though Tori’s mom, Linda, vowed to paint it a nice shade of beige. One bedroom was going to become Tori’s, since her brother, C.J, was leaving for college next August. Tori was not very happy about that, contrary to what everybody else thought. She loved her brother, though she never admitted it.
When Tori got home, she listened to the sounds of her empty house. The sink- drip, drip, drip. The pre-mankind computer- whir, whir, eeeeeeeeep. She was used to an empty house, no conversation, no company. Her family was just close enough to be called that- a family- but rarely spoke to each other unless there was a reason and barely saw each other during the day. Tori’s mom had never tucked her in at night or stand waving in the street when Tori went to school or to a friend’s house. Granted, her mom was at her early-morning shift at the nearby diner, ‘The Tip’ before Tori woke up. C.J. usually went home with a friend after school, thus leaving Tori alone in the house that only seemed un-cramped when it was just her.
She flopped down, backpack and all, on her oversized bean-bag chair. Pulling a shocking orange-and-green binder out of her lime-like backpack, she began trying to decipher her homework for her worst subject- math. She hated it so much that had tried to ditch it several times, but hadn’t been brave enough to go farther than think of the idea.
Tori’s family consisted of her mom, Linda Orkis, who was small and delicate with long, brown hair and piercing blue eyes that always seemed to have a sense of utter grief and sorrow to them. There was Tori’s brother, C.J, who was Caucasian, seventeen and going to college at Full Sail University, to be a video game designer. His long, floppy brown hair was constantly getting into his eyes, forcing him to flip it out of his eyes at five-second intervals. C.J’s eyes were a deep turquoise and were flecked with happiness and relief. Tall and extremely muscular, C.J was always being followed home by a gaggle of hopeful girls. But, he paid no mind to them; just on walking or whatever he was doing. Tori would never admit it, but C.J to her was an attractive gentleman. These things irritated her slightly; she o
Tori would never admit it, but C.J to her was an attractive guy. These things irritated her slightly; she only really had
Then, there was the issue of their father. Tori’s family’s number one rule was no one would speak about their father whatsoever. It was considered confidential information, and no one would ever speak even his name (which was George Alexandrovich Orkis). He had run off before Tori was born for unknown reasons, and was to be thought of good as dead. Well, maybe he was, they didn’t know.

Linda had returned home. The clicking of her typing away at their prehistoric desktop, trying to relieve some of the debt the family was in, could be heard from down the hallway. C.J. would be home sometime in the next hour, headphones on in his room, not emerging until supper was ready.
Tori sighed.

Coordinating cabinets with trim.

By on June 30th, 2009

I am strongly considering painting my cabinets as my kitchen needs an update but I’m on a strict budget. However, the only thing holding me back is wondering if it would look right with the trim.

EVERYTHING.cabinets, trim, pantry door, etc is a red oak (or cherry.) color. Like this: http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp.productId=1826&categoryId=418&sectionId=4&subCategoryId=0

I’ve decorated in neutral tones

Here is my question: I hate the color in that mass amount but was wondering if the kitchen will look okay with off-white cabinets and everything else in red wood.

Removing grout from pebble tile backsplash.

By on June 29th, 2009

So here’s my issues:
We did a self DIY on our kitchen backsplash and 3 out of 4 walls turned out well. However the final wall the grout dried to fast to work with and now we have too much grout and a gouge on the bottom where it meets the countertop.

What can you do to: 1) remove excess DRY grout that has been sealed 2) change the color of the grout from a silver to a light beige or brown 3) will using selphuric acid hurt my granite countertops if we use it to try and strip the grout down with it.

What colors should I paint my kitchen/dining room.

By on June 28th, 2009

Both rooms are small and the dining room is a nook in the corner it only holds my table with six chairs and that is it. I was thinking of lavendar and trim with french heirloom but in the kitchen reverse the colors with the cabinets being painted a nice light tan. My living room is in a color called icing rose. It looks white with a very soft tint of pink. It usually shows up in the evening sun. I want all of the colors to be bright as the colors before were very dark. Olive Green, Burgundy and Deep Tan each wall painted one color(Yes that is what I said. could you imagine.) It was gorgeous when I viewed the home because of the way the lady decorated it but with my decor it was way too dark and depressing. If anyone can give me some ideas I would be happy. There is one thing that I did not like. They painted the cabinets Olive green so I have to find a color that would match well with the lavendar as I cannot afford to replace them or have them sanded.
Thank you so much for the ideas. I was thinking if not lavendar then a rose color shades darker than the living room but still light to allow more sunlight .

Weird handy-man experience.

By on June 27th, 2009

Ok, so I got an estimate today to resurface my kitchen cabinets for an extremely SMALL kitchen, it was $6000 from Home Depot. Weird part is besides the fact that it is waaay too much is the guy really freaked me out. I can’t really describe it but from the moment I opened the door something was a little off. He showed up an hour early, came from another state, came in w/no samples, and just chatted it up w/out showing me anything. Finally, I was like well can I see some samples. He was like well does anyone else live here. I was like my parents and he was like well are they are on vacation. Do you have a dog. Said my parents would be home today and no we did not currently have a dog. He said that was relevant to which type of cabinets I picked.ok so I was like whatever(no kids, no pets, whatever). Went to his car, came back in w/ big brief cases and then LOCKED my front door. Headed toward the kitchen and I completely freaked.I ran up to the front door, unlocked it, and opened it. Told him to give me a ball-park and he said $6000. So I said thanks for coming but thats way more then I was looking to spend and walked him out after going through a few samples. Is that weird or is it just me. I mean what excuse do you have for locking someones front door infront of them. I feel like I was lucky nothing happened.

Okay, 3 dirty short jokeys for you all .

By on June 26th, 2009

Jokey 1
Mark Hoffman (a well known weirdo in Utah) was sent to prison and placed in a cell with a huge, burly guy. When lights-out occurred, the big guy got out of his bunk and said to Hoffman, “We’re going to have sex. You want to be the Mommie or the Daddie.”

A very terrified Hoffman replied,

“Uh, well, I guess I’ll be the Daddie.”

Then the burley guy said,

“OK then, get down here and suck your Momma’s dick.”

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Jokey 2:

One night a man walks into a bar looking sad. The bartender asks the man what he wants.

The man says “Oh just a beer”.

The bartender asked the man “Whats wrong,why are you so down today.”.

The man said “My wife and i got into a fight,and she said she would’nt talk to me for a month”.

The bartender said “So whats wrong with that”.

The man siad “Well the month is up tonight”.

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Jokey 3

Mangled Manhood
A man was in a terrible accident, and his “manhood” was mangled and torn from his body. His doctor assured him that modern medicine could give him back his manhood, but that his insurance wouldn’t cover the surgery, since it was considered cosmetic. The doctor said that the cost would be $3500 for small, $6500 for medium, and $14,000 for large. The man was sure he wanted a large, but the doctor urged him to talk it over with his wife before he made any decision. The man called his wife on the phone and explained their options. The doctor came back into the room, and found the man looking quite dejected. “Well, what have the two of you decided.” asked the doctor. The man answered, “She’d rather remodel the kitchen.”

Small, irritating black flies.how do I get rid of them.

By on June 25th, 2009

Small black insects, twice as big as fruit flies and sort of like flies, have invaded our house. It started near the guinea pig cage, then quickly spread to the kitchen and pantry. We have tried using apple vinegar, but it’s only effective in killing a few fruit flies. Is there a better way to get rid of these things.

kitchen, bath and a patio.

By on June 24th, 2009

i want to remodel these in a small house in a small town because they are 1960’s era. i am not to imaginative on this kind of thing and i don’t know where to start. what kind of business do i look for to help me design it, to do the work or whatever. where do i start.

Need advice and opinion in this relationship.

By on June 23rd, 2009

I Met Larisa June of 2008 online. We chatted through Yahoo for many hours. Very soon we both stopped accepting correspondence from other people. I fell in love with her very quickly. I was surprised how quickly. She had magic way with me.

We both took our profiles off the marriage site where we met . We liked each other very much. We had the same goals and desires and passion for life. We talk about meeting in her city of Minsk. I was like a little boy . I was very, very excited to meet this lady that I had fallen so deeply in love with . We had not set any date to meet. In my calendar I had blocked off 2 weeks in mid April to go visit her.

Then.

In December, 2008 (approximately the 21st ), a worker noticed that she still had profiles and photos on internet MARRIGE AGENCIES. He noticed, t because I had photos of her in my office. Also, a few of my close friends that work for me also sought a bride in Russian agencies. I also talked about her very much, so they knew her photos and much about her because of my fondness of her.

It seemed that they were registered on October or November, 2008 , just a few months previously(exact date I do not remember). This shocked me very, very much and it was very painful to even think about that she had intentions to seek another man. I notified her and explained to her what I found. I told her that I did not want to talk to her as I couldn’t believe that she had done such a thing. So that December, I left to be alone down in California.for approx 20 days. I loved this woman very much, so of course I was not able to concentrate on work or anything else. I returned 3 weeks later.

When I returned home, around January 15th , I opened up my e-mail. I almost deleted all her e-mail, but there were so many letters I was curious what she had to say.so I opened them. She explained that it wasn’t her that put the new registration and photos on the MARRIAGE AGENCY. She denied that she did this new registration.and I believed her.

We were happily reunited and our former joy and happiness returned to each other. I arranged work so that I could go visit her. I canceled meetings and building trade show to meet her. The date I was to meet her was March 8th . (notice: this is almost 2 months after I returned home from California on January 15th.

I spent approximately 3 glorious weeks with her, from March 8th-30th. I have never been happier in my life.than those 3 weeks. Except for one situation, that still bothers me. One day, approximately March 14th, I came into her kitchen. Larisa had just gotten off the computer and I noticed that she had been texting a man named Sergei. She left the messenger box open and forgot to close it. When I asked her who Sergei was, she told me that she met him in Skype, while trying to find me when I disappeared from her in December.

I do not mind that she was texting another man to find information about me.because I disappeared from her life for about 20 days. But, we had reestablished communication 2 months before and there was no reason to be chatting with this man.especially when I was living with her for 3 weeks in Minsk. She never told me that she continued to talk to this man. I did not know she was chatting with him.or writing e-mails.except for the time I found his message on her screen. Perhaps if she had told me that she communicated with him, it would have been ok. But I had no idea she continued to correspond with him.

I got angry with her and confronted her about it. But I decided to believe in her and not let that incident become a problem. I did not hold grudge and forgot this fault.

I left Larisa to go home, March 30th, and we continued to communicate through the internet. I was very anxious to be with her again, very soon. She also talked about this and many times talked to me about a summer meeting. I told her also many times, that a summer meeting would be very difficult for me, due to my summer schedule. I many times, looked at the possibilities, but knew it would probably be the fall before I could have her come to stay with me. If she came in the summer, I would be only able to spend very little time with her. We had talked about this in Minsk and recently on Yahoo Messenger.

Then.

One day, in the first week of June, I was on the phone with a very boring customer. He always talks a very long time. While he was busy talking.I saw an ad on my screen while I was listening to customer. The ad said.” DO YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS” . The ad told me to type in a name.so I typed in Larisa’s full name just to see what would happen. I was totally shocked and horrified to find many.many registrations and photos. Once again I was shocked and angry.feeling hurt and used. Again, I did not want to talk to her immediately, because I need time to think. I rememb

How much lighting do I need in my kitchen.

By on June 22nd, 2009

I am remodeling my kitchen and I need some help with lighting. My kitchen is appox. 150 square feet. Currently there is a light fixture (an ugly one) with 2 24in florescent bulbs ( i believe 28 watt.) and the room is still really dark. I purchased a light fixture that has 4 48in 28watt bulbs. I am afraid it might be too bright. Can someone help me. I need to know what kind of light to put up. Thanks.
This is the light that I bought.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn.action=productDetail&productId=146538-1390-GL21004-SN-I&lpage=none