There's nothing better than getting advice from professionals in our desired field. Sometimes it's even important to get advice from something that doesn't involve our field at all. This is the case with this snippet from the television show Extras. This clip makes me laugh every single time. I hope it does the same for you. Ian McKellen on Extras by Victor_Bugle When Sir Ian says acting is all illusion, he's right. This also holds true for writing. When we write, we're creating our own universe. As a writer, our job is to make sure that we don't shatter that illusion.

It's a known fact among my group of friends that I don't really rock the Christmas spirit. If there's not a sense of tacky, chances are I'm not into it. I mean, there is a reason why I own a six-foot royal purple tinsel tree. So imagine my utter happiness when Bestie Danielle told me about the chicken nativity scene. Credit Credit That's right. There's a chicken Jesus and a chicken Mary. It can't get more better than that. Well, it can and you can see more here . Confess, Lurkdom! What's your favorite Tacky Christmas item? ____ Last.fm hit of the day : Graveyard Love Song by Miguel and The Living Dead

After a year spent revising, last night I started querying again. A good chunk of The Lurkdom knows the ups and downs of querying: how it's a waiting game where you can go from super manically happy to downright suicidal in the course of the day*. This being the case, let's have a laugh at rejection today on The Pie. Disclaimer: The staff at The Pie does not endorse writing snarky, rude response letters to industry professionals or ranting about said rejection in a public forum. We at The Pie understand rejection is part of the road to publication. As yours truly said to her father during her first driving lesson: "Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." * We won't even go into how many times I've checked my email since I woke up this morning. OCD doesn't even cover it. _____ Last.fm hit of the day : Bereit by Panzer AG

Daschunds. Hot dog dogs. Weiner dogs. Whatever you call them, I find them hysterical. They're the perfect combination of long torso and short legs so they always look like they're in a hurry. And the ears are usually floppy which adds to the amusement factor when they run. Image courtesy of Bay Area Dogs In fact, I'm smiling right now looking at this handsome little feller. They crack me up so much that Hubby is aware of my conditions if I was to become a dog owner. Must be a daschund. His name will be Sparky. He will have his own doggie treadmill and wind machine. We will buy him a cape. This is all so I can have a superhero dog named Super Sparky so I can watch him run and his ears flail. Now that I've probably condemned myself to the looney bin, watch this cute dachshund puppy play with the mirror version of himself. ________ Last.fm hit of the day : Dreaming Light by Anathema

We all have those little things on the internet that crack us up; I'm no different. There's a lot out there that gets me into a giggle fit. Things that Amuse Me will be an irregular feature where I'll share these things with you. I love new features. What can we expect? A hodge podge of things. One day it might a link, other times it might be a paragraph explaining why I laughed like a loon during Casablanca*. No matter what, it'll be something short and sweet. It'll also probably be way more insight into my brain than you need**. Are we getting one today? You bet your ass you are! Today it's all about the spoofs on the periodic table. Like this: Image courtesy of Shalotka at deviantart. Or this: Image courtesy of The Big Picture . Or this: Image courtesy of Woman's Day . What fake science-y thing amuses you? Don't forget to enter to win a signed copy of Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance ! * True story. ** But it's my blo...