Good luck with the Feng Shui! About 10 years ago I read everything about Feng Shui I could get my hands on, and then I...did nothing. Doesn't work if you don't actually do any redecorating, I guess. :)

Soba: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

We always say we have funky shui. Translation: messy house. Are you copying me?

Hey, wait a minute! Weren't you gonna announce a book tour today? Or is that next week?

Have fun Feng Shui-ing! Although, I though having cats would give any room plenty of Fang Shui. Heh.

i iz in ur baskit
waitin for mai bakin!

Be careful that you don't wind up following the principles of Fang Shui. It really bites....

Ok, I'll stop punning now.... It's an interesting concept, but I think the most freeing thing about it is the concentration on the use of empty space. For instance, my feng shui is bad, since I basically live in a cave made of yarn baskets and bookshelves - there's nothing free-flowing about my living space. When there is empty space, room for the chi to travel freely from one part of the room to another, your something improves, and when it is able to travel to certain places, something else gets better or worse, I don't remember. But yeah. Wine. Sounds good.

Mary, not until next week, probably the 12th. Thank you for asking! Although sadly, no stops in Boston are scheduled just yet.

"Be careful that you don't wind up following the principles of Fang Shui. It really bites...." BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!

dagnabit. No stops in Boston? How about New York? I could make it there.

Okay, I'll be a bit more patient.

*waits*

Croissant feng shui--now that's up my alley. I dream of that every day in my fungy shui cubicle.

I once read a book on FS. It reminded me too much of Algebra. But I am totally onboard with the magic windchimes! I would totally buy any device which has magical transportational powers.

Fungy shui? Does that have anything to do with mushrooms?

What shui does Bob have?

Do the people who organize your tour have any *idea* how many knitters there are in the Boston area? I'm just sayin' is all. (Oh no, I'm not supposed to say that. Oh well. Un-shui, that's me.)

I need that same type of feng shui. If you figure it out - let me know!

Hi Christine!!

Mary, nothing in the East at all right now. Part of this is that the publisher is trying to work around my very very limited time off issues, and then again it's completely unheard of for them to tour a first-time unknownish author, so it's surprising that it's happening at all (even on a small scale). I've heard all this will be re-evaluated depending on how well things go ("money" and "sales") but for right now I think it's just six or seven cities. I'm actually really happy right now with how things are lining up because I get to go to a few places I've never been before, and then again it's not too crazy so that I won't have a mental breakdown. Last night I was thinking about all this, about how impossible this would have been to envision even two years ago. Three years ago I was basically agoraphobic. I hadn['t realized that until I realized how much I had changed, that even though this is scary it's also exciting.

And who knows, I may come to Boston on my own just to show up and say hey :)

Fridays DO have excellent feng shui! Mondays, however, have feng suck...

My cat is a feng shui expert. He knows when the energy is out of whack and moves things around, knocks stuff off shelves, claws at clutter - his heroic efforts to balance the energies of our home are legendary. The other cat never cared; Tommy must have memorized my feng shui books or something.

Have an awesome weekend and please post! I'm hangin' by a thread here and need infusions of Crazy Aunt Purl-ness. Purl-osity?

Austin, perchance?

Well, you've progressed amazingly to get to this point in time, Laurie! Yay for you!

If your publisher asks (not that they will) tell them to come to the DFW area (not that I'm telling you what to tell them...okay, maybe I am). Yeah, Houston is bigger but the Metroplex combined population far outnumbers Houston. Also Austin. Which means more Laurie fans! How fun is that? ;)

Aw, kitty cats! I think having a cat is good feng shui to start with but with your herd they are all kinds of good luck! And windchimes, I love them! Magic or not, I love their sounds. I have several hanging from my balcony but they are smallish. I'd like the bigger ones, too, but my neighbors maybe not so much (I live in an apartment).

i don't know that you want croissants in your shui (your water).

I have been using Feng Shui in my house for a few years. It all started with a book called, "Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui".

Have fun with it! :-)

Northern California?
If you find those magic windchimes, please clue me in.

We have great feng shui in our early sixties A frame with an addition (HA, HA). I am not sure anything flows in an A frame!

Soba in the basket, hmmmmm....doesnt' that floor look FABULOUS!

Any chance of coming this far north? How about Seattle? Portland?

You would be most welcome in Boston anytime you care to show up here, Laurie. There would be a lot of people happy to see you visit!

Boston is a fun town! Great nightlife (not that I know anything about that) and lots of historical sights, if you're into that.

And awesome shopping too!

I'll have the most complete list to post next week, probably Wednesday. I CANNOT BELIEVE OCTOBER IS ALMOST HERE. It's like exciting and scary and exhilarating and anxious all at the same time. I just hope people like the book. Next time Lord help me I better write FICTION because it's too stressful wondering how people will read your own life. So, word to the wise: Start with fiction!! hee.

Laurie, if you come to the Boston area, you can visit Gloucester ... you know you want to ... and we have some rockin' yarn stores, too ... what, do I have to beg or something?

I must warn you not to take Feng Shui lightly. I don't mean that you shouldn't try it or play with it, just don't take it lightly, make sure you know what you are going to do before you do it. A few years ago, I took an "Accessing Your Intuitiveness" class and we learned about Feng Shui and I did some tweaking to my apt that had some immediate changes (such as removing my pictures of Marilyn Monroe from the relationship wall in my bed room and I got some long lost action) and long term changes (new neighbors) and told my mom about what happened. She wanted to jump on the Feng Shui bandwagon and I suggested putting crystals up on her front porch to "disperse" the negativity coming from the across-the-street people. She said she wanted something stronger. So we found a "mirror cure" which told us to be VERY careful where we placed them. She placed a mirror to reflect the people across the street right back and within 3 months those people had bad luck like you wouldn't believe and I found it hard to believe even though I was seeing it happen before my eyes. The husband got a back injury and soon afterwards got laid off, the wife had some health issues and she lost her job, their son had deliquent friends over (smoking during school hours and having sex), a tree fell on their roof, squirrels found a way into their hours, car issues, money issues, and within 2-3 years they moved away. Don't take the impression that this all happened at once, but it was one after another. Very scary. I had Mom remove the mirror and when I moved into my new house, she gave me the mirror which I had forgotten had been an "instrument of evil" and hung it in my bedroom. I developed insomia, had job problems, had to leave one job, had to leave the second job, waited months to get re-employed, and once I put two and two together and Mom reminded me of the mirror's role, I took the damned thing down, covered it with a towel so it won't reflect anything now, stuck it in the basement, and have plans to bury the glass part sometime soon. I found a great job and great co-workers soon after the mirror came down. So, don't take it lightly. That being said, the poop neighbors might "benefit" from some mirror-age.

mmmm...handsome rob (italian job) - i wouldnt mind being transported to that place either.

have a great (and hopefully cooler) weekend.

Croissants. mmmmmmmm.

Those *are* cute shoes!!!

At first glance I thought Leeny was recommending you go to the DSW area, not DFW. You should definitely look into that one, too, though.. cute shoes!

Hey Laurie, I didn't know if you still loved Patons Up Country, but if you do, Smileys Yarn has it in stock. I dunno how much, but when I seen it, I thought of you.

Miami, FL?

Feng Shui rocks. I'll add my 2 cents. Just go with your gut about what feels right in your house/area. I have a friend who is extremely into FS and that's what she recommended to me when I asked her abt it. It can get very overwhelming to a first-timer to read all the info on it. You're on your way with the decluttering!

Cats are good feng shui, as long as you keep them out of your wine corner.

The Transporter guy is SO effin hot!

Hope to see you in Minneapolis, but I won't hold my breath. I would probably get all sweaty and want to hug you. :)

If you figure out how to make tumbleweeds of cat hair cooperate within the confines of feng shui, let me know!

Hey, I have furry shui... yarn fuzz all over... that counts, right?

I'm an absolute skeptic. Give me windchimes any day! Have a lovely weekend...

Dis clearly not mah bucket.
Iz see-thru.

His name (the transporter guy) is Jason Statham. He's unbelievably hot, and plays a large role in most of my daydreams. He's not traditionally handsome. But isn't it incredibly sexy how he always does his fight scenes in a suit!?!?! again, sexy. Oddly enough, i have my husband to thank for all that. He loves the guy and just keeps on buying all his movies...

Have an awesome weekend!

Mmmm... Jason Statham. I have an awesome picture of him on my screensaver. :-D He has a new movie out (or it will be out really soon) with Jet Li that I need to see.

Good luck with the feng shui!

Also- If you should ever find yourself in rural MN, you can come knit with me!!! I'm pretty sure i'm actually the ONLY knitter on this side of the state! and i'm only 24!!!!

So sad, no stop in Boston.....there are lots o' SnB's around the city..and did I mention we have wine?

There was an article about The Transporter guy in last week's Entertainment Weekly, with a whole bunch of pictures.

I'm pretty sure my shui had a showdown with the dust bunnies and were run out of town.

Feng Shui?

Ya man, I went to high school with that dude!

We used to do some crazy chi back in the day.

I am not super into feng shui, but I did page through a book once and tried a few things.
I am a fan of it for this reason: it said my bed was in a bad position, it was across from the door and my feet were pointing out the door.
I moved it to see how I liked the arrangement, and you know what?
It feels VERY nice to be over away from the door. Very secure. I think the old position was called coffin position (ugh!) and I think the new "best way to sleep" was called...emperor's position? Something fancy like that...

mmmmm, Jason Statham

Soba's eyes are SO green! Wow!

I think Jason Statham (the Transporter) has good Feng Shui all by himself. Add ihm to your house, and BANG! Done.

And if you like him in the Transporter, I highly recommend "Snatch", "Crank" and the new one, (which came out last weekend, and I haven't seen, but my friend Shannon says is positively drool worthy) "War".

As a side note, do you think he is in any movies (besides THE Transporter, with two words) that have more than one word in the title? Talk amongst yourselves. :)

he's also in the italian job.

sorry. now i can't stop thinking about him. *HOT*

I would be happy with him in a single-word movie called "Nekkid." hee.

oh god yes. I saw the second transporter, and it was pretty awesome. but only recently did i see the first one. TOPLESS fight scenes!!! I Mean, a suit is hot....but...

I have not feng shuied. I can't imagine my kids following it at all. i would settle for picking up shoes.
Is Frankie on fire?
Detroit? I know you must be dying to visit...

Also- If you haven't seen the movie "300" yet, i suggest you do so right ...NOW!

300 gorgeous men, running around with hardly any clothes for 2 hours....whats not to like?

I hear there were fight scenes, and dialogue in the movie as well, but I think that might be a rumor...

Love Soba's air-conditioned bunker!

What about cool Bob? Schwingin' shui?

Yah, I've tried Feng Shui and it really seems to work. I've even done a post about it (for kids' rooms- basically you make sure they see happy pictures of themselves as they lie in bed. Common sense, but good advice.)

I suggest putting up the following pictures somewhere you can see from bed... 1- you with friends, 2- you doing something physical and enjoyable.

My daughter has a picture of herself doing the long jump on field day. She even has a Popsicle in her hand; not safe, but happy.

Just came across your website for the first time...you are hilarious and your book looks terrific!

You know, Feng Shui CAN help you find men...(I found my husband with help from Feng Shui) but it is more than the Bagua map.

You also need to clean your place, remove clutter and organize...get energy to flow nicely...then you can place stuff.

If you want to read more, go to my blog, http://harmoniousenvironment.blogspot.com/. There are all kinds of posts on it--including recipes--but also stuff on Feng Shui.

If you are interested in learning about Feng Shui, my book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, is an easy to understand, 21st version of the ancient practice.

I need some feng shui in my house to help me deal with all the clutter. I've been sleeping on my hide-away bed for the past week after I discovered one of the cats had a few "accidents" on the piles of clothes in my bedroom.

Then last night a hard rain caused a bunch of ceiling damage in the kitchen so we're going to have to have that repaired. Plus, that means I need to CLEAN the house so the ceiling people/plumbers/roof people can maneuver around in my bedroom if they need to. They'd have to walk sideways right now the way things are...

Every time I hear someone mention Feng Shui, I just answer, "Geseundheit"

Nikki: I've seen 300. I liked it but it is super gory. Made me a little queasy. Some of the dialogue gets really cheesy BUT, Hotties in Undies, OH HELLS YEAH.

I'm also a little in love with the guy who plays the king. Gerard Butler. He's yummy, and Scottish. And yummy ;)

I know a bunch of people named Fong, we call it fongsway. LOL Not entirely. I like open spaces where my eyes aren't banging into things all the time. I can't stand my place looking like a furniture factory, everything shoulder to hip around the room. hmm...Frankie's basket has lots of squeezie-breezie and the floors are terrific!!

Uh-huh, Jason Statham. Turkish.

Also, the ab muscles in 300 need to sue the union, because they are definitely a character in the movie.

Libby -- JS is also in "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels".

Maybe that title was so long that he had it put in his future contracts that all titles must be one word!

I gotta look up that Transporter guy. Uh huh. Also, did you know knitwear (among other things) designer Veronik Avery's husband was in The 300? So I have been informed.

Does Bob have Fuzz Shui?

I'm a believer...

Me, I swear by those little Japanese beckoning cat sculptures. I think they're called Maneki Neko. I have black ones by my computer at home and at work, and dang if my career prospects haven't drastically improved as of late.

The pink ones are supposed to be good for the love life - I put one in my bedroom, and met Frank soon after, so who knows? I've got one as a piggy bank and one that's sort of a garden sculpture too.

We're giving them out as favors at our wedding - because we want our guests to be as happy as Frank and I are.

I've looked at books on Feng Shui and they made my head hurt, so good for you for getting Drew to help you out.

Mmmm, croissants.
Why is it every time I read your blog, I get hungry?
;)

Cats in war rooms, croissants and hot men. The places your mind goes. Can I come?

Frankie is the epitome of funky shui.

I once tried this feng shui "fix" where you move 27 items for "major change". (Why 27? I have no idea, that's just what the feng shui lady said.) I literally just picked up and moved 27 random objects around the house- put some away, traded spots, etc. Within a few months of that I had a new (and far superior) apartment, and within a year and a half I had a new job and a new (and way far superior!) relationship. On the other hand, my "very bad" first husband (who was w/me when I moved the stuff) had a 2-3 year long bout of pretty bad luck. Not to say he didn't "earn" that, but I kind of felt sorry for the guy after the hate wore off! And he seems okay now... but my point is (and I'm really quite sure I have one here somewhere...) that (like others have said above) this feng shui stuff can be very powerful!

Now ya'll are scaring me a little... because what if I get it wrong?!

My friend WorkJennifer let me borrow her copy of "Feng Shui For Dummies" which sounds right up my alley :) Anyway, I'm going to try some of it this weekend. We'll see.

And Bob has Duh? Shui. hehehehehe

WorkJennifer is still too long of a nickname. Wennifer? Workifer? Eugene?

So, it may not be feng shui but...As a published author, you must learn to do what all professional authors do, you must put your book in every picture you have on your blog, have a stack of them behind you in every picture of yourself, etc. Scatter them through the house, in the cat bed. You know, advertise. Have little tiny pictures made to hang on the cats' collars.

Feng Shui has a lot of odd superstitious stuff in it, but there's a lot that's either good psychology or basic common sense. Like -- if your house is cluttered, it gives you a different mental outlook than when your house is neat and orderly. That kind of thing. If it works, it works. Why not?

Maureen. hehehehe.

You suppose Stephen King makes his dogs wear little sweatshirts with his newest book imprinted on the back? Because... you know, THAT would be funny!

Hey, nice floor!

Mmmmmmmm Transporter....
I went to see that movie once during a long dry spell, and nearly melted the theater in the white-hot passion of my lustful thoughts. >
Ah well- we've all got our little lusts.....

the whole "shui" of it, is try not to let your fear of moving furniture around, stop you from ........moving your furniture around. most folks slam all their furniture up against the walls, and leave a dance floor in the middle of the room...every room. and yes we may boogie now and then, but really, a more intimate conversational cluster is truly the more useable arrangement. unless you use a wheelchair or walker or somesuch, you really dont need huge amounts of space around things. about 3.5 feet for a main walk through path is all you need.
hey can you tell i did this for a living once? hee,hee,hee....now go back to all those pages you ripped out of magazines, and see what the arrangements are... you can put other things on the walls if needed. like prints, mirrors, chests, bookcases....git the sofa and chairs off the walls if possible. *please note* if you are living in a matchbox size room the above may not apply....
btw, have you tried Tangueray and tonic? a most delicious mixed beverage for hot weather. light and refreshing. packs a whallop after two. its lighter than wine, if you want to branch out a bit. it does effect typing though. is causing me to take much time fixing errors here. but i dont seem to really mind at all! nice.

Jason Statham! Aieeee!

And that scene, where he's covered in motor oil! Skating around on those whatever they were! Kicking ass! Aieeee!

Feng shui-all I can fixate on is that FAB wood floor in the photos!!!

I really, really, really thought I was the only woman in the world who watched the Transporter movies. Gawd but that man is hot. ;-)

I love Soba's beautiful green eyes in that basket! So pretty.

BTW...um those people who keep posting stuff about buying prescriptions online need to quit!

I've never tried feng shui but I think somebody gave us a book about it once. I'll have to look for it. I didn't realize removing clutter was an important part of this...now I wonder if our friend was trying to tell us something, LOL!

BTW, Pieranka's recommendation for the "infinite cat" website isn't spam - check it out, it's really hysterical if it's the one I came across before. It's people taking pictures of their cats looking at the computer, looking at cats looking at the computer, looking at cats looking at the computer, etc.

Never tried feng shui but might someday. Sounds like powerful stuff according to some.
Love Soba's lookout point and your floors.

Just have to add my 2 cents: I love picturing the Transporter carrying my luggage. Thanks Laurie! Another non-traditional hottie is Clive Owen. Owieeee!
(goes off to look and see what's on cable later!)

If you can procure magical Jason Statham producing wind chimes..... I want em.

That would be right up there on my feng shui list

1. The Gerard Butler encouraging fountain
2. The Hugh Laurie Bamboo arrangement
3. The Jason Statham magical windchimes

Jason Statham has Hunk Shui. But now I feel like I am being disloyal to Captain Sig and Mike Rowe.

Laurie, any chance of a down-home, country-fried book tour stop in the Houston/New Orleans area? Or did my dyslexic self skip over something about that in one of your posts?

Seriously, about Feng Shui? It works. The hard part is trying to have good feng shui when you live in a small house, because keeping clutter down is SO important. I am no expert, but I have read several books and the consistent thing I see is that it is best to try to make ONE major feng shui change at a time, at most one room at a time (not your whole house). Decluttering your house all at once is always fine, but strategic object placement is best done one thing at a time, especially mirrors.

Maneki Keko is a powerful symbol and you should be careful where you place her. The calico is considered the luckiest and red is for good health. One of the many legends is that an elderly potter had to give her cat away because she was too poor to feed it. The cat came back to her in a dream and said, "make my image into clay figures and sell them, and you will have wealth." In the end she was wealthy and her cat was returned to her. In another legend a monk in a very poor monastery with few monks has compassion for a hungry cat and gives her his food, and the cat speaks, and tells him to make her image and sell them. Soon the monastery had many new monks and donations of money, which they used for the betterment of their village.

Drew drew.

Who knew?

I put a mirror in my front hallway, and it is reflecting a closet door.

Is this bad?

Now I'm all worried.
.

Zucchini Shui.........the positioning of the vegetable in the garden (or office) to enhance your love life.....

Oh

and Frankie says "Relax"

and quite spamming the blog

Quit

not quite.......

I'm such a nerd

Laurie:

I read you with a lot of pleasure, especially when you address the week-end issue. You are funny and witty and I thank you for your niceness Any news from Allison and her son who went through an operation recently? Unfortunately I lost the lien to her personal blog. Have a great week-end!

Giulietta (from Montreal)

I just wanted to de-lurk to tell you that I love your blog. You crack me up, and have somehow inspired me to crochet a bolero for my cat. So.. thank you.

A bolero for your cat!?! That is sooo awesome! Laurie - will we get to see all the entries because my curiosity is seriously piqued.

Also, while I am all for drugs and sex toys I am NOT clicking on any of those evil spammers. BAD BAD spammers.

Laurie, Can I just point out that you have hundreds and hundreds of positive replies on your blog(ok some are hocking Clomid but STILL) and you're still worried about how people will read your life? Sweetheart, it'll go great. But then again I'm kind of a perpetual worrier so I can see where you're coming from.

I'd also like to mention that not only does Cape Cod HAVE wine, we make our own wine. And some of it is organic. You know... just sayin' is all... not to mention it IS close to Boston...

Jason Statham? Mmmmmm!!

I NEED that exact same magic windchime! If you find it, let me know. I need croissants, strong coffee, a beach and Jason Statham. :P

Ok- honestly, i sort of have a tiny crush on Hugh Laurie. Howver- i don't tell many people that. mostly because he's so much older than me. i'm only 24! THen again, i had a crush on sean connery when i was like, 12! but yah. for some reason, Hugh Laurie is hot.

Matthew McCaughney...(sp?!) - that guys body...gorgeous. not the face so much. he could win a hot body/weird face contest, that's for sure.

But really, anyone carrying luggage for me, and complementing my shoes will look about 10% hotter. It just helps to be hot to be begin with.

mmmmm....shoes....

Uh oh, your blog has spam shui!

What if I sang "Please come to Boston?"

Please come to Boston in October,
We know where all the good yarn stores are
And they have lots of yarn
You can sell your book in all the bookstores
Next door to bars where we hope to be drinkin' soon...

Just pretend I am a really hot 25-year-old guy with an excellent singing voice... can you hear me? You are getting very sleepy... you are going online... you are buying a plane ticket...