Starbucks only offers free wi-fi to card holders who keep money on their card. I shop there enough that its not too much of a hassle. The hassle is that you have to register and log-in every time you go online there.

So imagine my joy when I learned that Barnes and Noble now offers free wi-fi with no hassles. Just choose the wi-fi option, click “agree to terms” and you’re off and surfing! No registering? No logging in.

I believe the generosity has to do with Barnes and Noble online book service. You can download its eReader (for free) on to your laptop or various smartphones. Barnes and Noble has learned what many online marketers know… if you give some stuff away for free (wi-fi and eReader), people will buy (ebooks, coffee).

To be honest, I haven’t tried the Barnes and Noble ebooks yet, but I probably will eventually.  I do spend a lot their on traditional books and coffee. And I’ll be back for more now that it offers free wi-fi.

I wasn’t so surprised to hear about Ed or even Farrah. I had watched the show chronicling her bout with cancer and she didn’t look very good in the final scenes. But it was still sad. I grew up during the 70’s and 80’s and while I wouldn’t have called myself a fan, I was certainly aware of her work and had even watched some it. She was really scary in Small Sacrifices. It find it interesting that she’s most remembered for Charlies Angels when she was only on the show for one season. Its too bad that her death has been overshadowed by Michael’s as it could have been an opportunity for more awareness of cancer treatment and the need for further research.

I was very surprised to hear about Michael Jackson. I remember when I first heard Off The Wall and later Thriller and thinking how fantastic they were. Like many teens at that time, I learned the dance to Thriller and Beat It.  I enjoyed his later music, but like other people, I felt he’d become odd. Mostly I felt sorry for him; all that money, but he didn’t seem to use any of it to get counseling. I had no idea about his prescription drug use. I’m a little surprised considering the childhood he had with his father. I would have thought he’d be more conscientious about his fatherhood. But drugs have a pull that common sense often can’t overcome.

Mark Sanford is the same old story just a new politician. It boggles the mind. Do you suppose its the power that leads these men to think that the (family) values they espouse are for everyone but them? I hate these tearful apologies mostly because I don’t believe that they’re sorry for what they did. I think they’re sorry they got caught. I have to hand it to his wife for not automatically doing her “duty” as first lady of South Carolina by standing by her man.  I love her statement “His career is not my concern.”

Its not really a good time to take on a new project such as learning about video blogging, as there is so much going on with all my other work. But I can’t really complain, because all this busyness is really exciting. Last week I was on my local news. Actually the story ran twice on Sunday and at least once on Monday. I saw my website stats increase a bit for a day and then on Tuesday they skyrocketed. I couldn’t figure out why. Would there be a two day delay from when the piece ran to seeing the results?  Then Mitch English of The Daily Buzz contacted me through Twitter about doing the show. Wow! Okay, I’ll do that! The producer explained how they’d run a clip of my local interview and such a positive response that they wanted to have me on the show. That explained the huge jump in my site stats. I’m thrilled and a bit terrified about being on the show. Its done live so I hope I don’t embarrass myself.

I’m also set to do a radio interview tomorrow (Monday) with WFNR from Blacksburg, VA. I’m not sure what to expect as I received a brief note about doing the show to which I agreed. I guess I just need to be prepared to answer anything.

Having all this media exposure is awesome! A little ol’ pajama mama like me from central Virginia on state and national radio and news shows. The only problem is that thes shows are on in the morning … before 9 am. For me, that’s early. And since I’m not a morning person, I need to make sure I get up in enough time to fully wake up. Its a sacrifice I don’t make for everyone, but will certianly make in this case.

This weekend I was interviewed by the Charlottesville NBC29 news reporter Liz Nagy about working at home and my new book. The clip aired Sunday night at 6 and 11, and again Monday morning. When I walked into the gym this morning to teach my class, I got an ovation (not a standing one, but it was the gym and people were conserving their energy!). It was a bit embarrassing, but a whole lot of fun too!

I enjoyed the interview and hope to do more . Oprah hasn’t called yet, but there’s time.

1. Barnes and Noble (or any big book store) – B&N combines my favorite things…books and Starbucks coffee!
2. Starbucks – Does that count as shopping?
3. Lindt – Does that count? Its a chocolate store.
4. The Disney Store – Especially if the store is in a Disney park!
5. Office Depot – Who doesn’t love office supplies?
6. Talbots – Cashmere sweaters are beautiful and feel like soft pj’s!
7. Victoria’s Secret -It has nice PJ’s among other things.
8. Michaels – I love its Disney scrapbook section:)
9. Target – Ours has a Starbucks making it doubly fun to find cool stuff.
10. Best Buy – A great store for family fun! If only they offered little appetizers like Sam’s club we could make a whole day of it!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I’m not sure I was named after my aunts but their names were borrowed. My first name (Leslie) was my father’s sister’s middle name, and my middle name (Kathleen) was my mom’s sisters first name. Other names kicked around include Melissa and Abigail. I kind of like Leslie.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? The last time I watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I cry every time.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, Zach 14 and Hannah 11.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so:)

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Sometimes. I don’t think I’m as clever with it as other people can be.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not on purpose.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Chocolate Chex

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Sometimes.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunck. Yum!

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Face.

15. RED OR PINK? Neither (as a red head, I usually avoid these colors).

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Wobbily bits.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I miss my dad. I was raised by him and left after I married and moved to VA.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Only if they want to.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black sweats and navy slippers (I’m a Pajama Mama, remember!)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Nothing. Its quiet.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Teal Green

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Ben and Jerry’s or Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream shops.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? a client.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes.

26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Gymnastics.

27. HAIR COLOR? auburn/red

28. EYE COLOR? brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate and Mexican

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Eagle Eye

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Old white sweat shirt (its a pjmama thing:) )

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. Winter is really hard on me.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? both
36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Author’s Guide to Building an Online Platform by Stephanie Chandler, The Big Idea by Donny Deutsch, Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham, and Writer Magazine.

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD? Mine is plain with a wrist rest. The other machine has Winnie the Pooh.

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? the Grammy’s

39. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Music

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Europe

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Not really.

43. WHERE YOU BORN? Santa Rosa, California

44. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER? Set up for a college dance. Been together ever since:)

If you have bookmarked the original PJMama site, I’ll be forwarding that domain here for the time being. But links to old PJMama pages will no longer work, so if you wouldn’t mind bookmarking this new site and changing it in your RSS and blogrolls, I’d appreciate it!