Time Off

I'm all for a little time off. Even my regular days off. I'd just like them better if they weren't split up throughout the week. Two days off IN A ROW would make me all kinds of happy right now.

Anyway, new blogness for consumption : Paperback Writer

It is all good.

Do Something!

Ah, dear Internet, how I've neglected you. Truth to tell darling, I've been busy with other pressing business. I've found that my One True Love has been wasting away from my lack of affection and I have been striving to correct that oversight.

(In other words, I've been reading. And having a wonderful Anniversary (9 years now!) with my hubby this weekend. Oh, and helping assorted family members with moving various heavy furniture items.)

But you've been so patient and wonderful and here I am! Ready to relive all my daily anxieties and frustrations for you. My ups and my downs. It will be fantastic! I've missed you so much and I'm glad to be back, lit by your magical glow.

Author is feeling whimsical and amused today.

All the Things I Have Read...

In the last two weeks. Sorry I've been gone so long, I needed a break from the world so I retreated to my imagination. Anyway, it seems my imagination needed some quality reading time. I ended up reading around eight books this week and I think I've finally finished my marathon run.

Monday Mourning, Murder List, Talk to The Hand, R is for Ricochet, Shadow of Sagnami, Druid's Sword, Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness. There is another one wriggling around trying to get me to remember its name, but for the moment this list will have to do.

I think I'll go start a series I've got the whole set around so I have something else to occupy my time until work tomorrow.

"All words are pegs to hang ideas on." - Henry Ward Beecher

Books For My Pleasure...

Finished "Throne of Jade" and I can't wait for number three, "Black Powder War." This series is a fast and fun read. I also like what she's done with the ideas of dragons and riders. Fascinating.

Also finished my reread of Anne McCaffrey and I remember why I liked these so much. I read them when I was younger, junior high - high school, when my reading tastes were more . . . immature. The story is there and the characters, but it is almost like an outline. I want someone to come along and fill in all the details. Everything just seems to move too fast. Still, a good light read, which is what I needed after all the cleaning and cleaning and cleaning.

3. R is for Ricochet - Sue Grafton

4. Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey (I hate to only read one of a series.)

Starting a 50 Book Challenge For My Amusement

I saw this pop up on several blogs and I figured since I do read profusely, why not?

1. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

2. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

I've really enjoyed Mrs. Novik's "His Majesty's Dragon" and I'm really looking forward to reading the 2nd book in this series.

Dragonflight is a re-read for me but since I haven't picked this up in ages I thought it'd be nice to visit where I'm getting my Final Fantasy Character names from. : )

I'll jump back by on how TofJ was in a few days.

Messing Around on Colors Yet Again

I realized I had not explained my current profile photo. Google "Laughing Man". I thought it oddly appropriate since I'm not terribly keen on letting the world know who I am and where I'm at. It's always nice to have a little anonymity. I'd rather not be "Dooced" for talking about my numbskull job and I'd rather not have an audience of people I know reading about how life and everything peeves me some days.

Anyway, back to the blog colors and maybe getting fancy one day. I think that is the best estimate on when I'll have graphics in the background. One day. As soon as I actually sit down and plow through the programs that'll help me figure it out and the books and the sites....yada yada yada. The red is nice enough for now. Besides, messing with my template colors gives me something other to cuss at than the landlord or work. Isn't that exciting?

"To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer." - Anonymous (Farmer's Alamanac for 1978

More Quizzy tastic ness

What Subversive Alternative Paradigm Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

True Alternative 90% Mystic 75% Otherkin 70% Magician 55% White Lighter 45% Discordian 45% Aimless Eclectic 35% Spiritualist 35% What Subversive Alternative Paradigm Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as True Alternative. You are a True Alternative! Labels do not suit you well, particularly as you tend to strike your own path and to grow purely via experience. No armchair quarterbacking for you! Originality and creation are your specialities, and sometimes you can even articulate what the hell just happened. Someday you may find yourself drawing the maps for other people... lots of other people.

What Subversive Alternative Paradigm Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Fae? Hmph.

What type of Fae are you?

Frustration

I just haven't been in a writing kind of mood, at least not since I got a tax notice from the state about how they are going to garnish wages. Oh bugger. So I've been stressing trying to make sure that I can swing it and cover everything else too. I think I've got it figured out but thats not concrete.

I also was messing around on myspace and found one of the gals that I used to work with. I'm not surprised by what she's done with it, but I definitely have the feeling that others will be. This should be interesting.

X-Files Season 5

I've just spent the last two days catching up on my tv shows of the past. I'm watching 'The End' which is the season finale for Five. I like. I like lots.

Late Nites and Long Stories

I'm forever and always staying up late at night. I just don't get tired until one or two in the morning. I've been fairly productive tonite, I created a myspace.com account so that I can hook up with my sisters. Hooha. And I've decided I hate html code even if I do "get it." It's still frustrating and time consuming to deal with. I've also explored photobucket and have found the joy and wonder of pictures. So, enjoy my new profile picture. (hehe)

Crayons

I haven't been feeling very well for the past two days. It's that not-quite-sick-muddled-brain feeling so I've been coloring in my coloring books with my industrial box o' crayons. I have to say nothing is quite like making pictures come to life and you don't have to have great manual dexterity to do it. Just me, my crayon stuff and a big cup of juice. Life is good.

"Art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos. A stillness which characterizes prayer, too, and the eye of the storm....an arrest of attention in the midst of distraction." - Saul Bellow

Ant Farm

I watch them crawl.
Under the door and across the floor.
Over the washer ...Look! theres some more.

Up the cabinets to the sink,
I'm not quite sure what to think.
There's nothing there,
I've checked it out
But yet they move all about.

The little buggers, they just won't leave
I'm not quite sure what they think to acheive.
I think they just want to drive me bats,
They think its fun (the little rats!)

I scrub and I scower,
they've even driven me to cleaning the shower.
But yet they keep coming and wandering around,
like kitty litter covering the ground.

One of these days I'll go on a spree,
killing them madly and laughing with glee.
Just right now I'm in despair,
I can't get rid of them - it's JUST NOT FAIR.

Death To All Ants! It is my war cry.
Death To All Ants! Die, Die, DIE!

MediEvil

My hubby bought me MediEvil for PSP. w00t! It's actually very fun and with a little help from GameFAQs I'm making progress. I'd be pretty sunk if I didn't have a guide to hold my hand throughout many of the games I play. Well, except FFXI. That one doesn't really need guides, just good friends.

My Eyeballs Might Just Implode

Or explode. I've been playing on the computer all day and keeping track of Mr. Wheaton's poker progess. GO WIL!

In other exciting fun-filled news I worked in the yard. Write it down on the calendar because that happens like once a month. I guess since the landlord has decided to put the places she owns on the market (with no notice) I might as well make the jungle look like you can walk through it. The grass may look even but I know the ground has holes deep enough to swallow the UPS delivery guy whole should he roam off the path from the gate to the door. I have a sneaking suspicion the yard has gobbled up more than one small animal who dared trespass in the wild unknown.

There's also nothing like getting paid and being completely broke at the same time. Every once in a while it'd be great to know there was a little left over but at least the lights are still on and the house is still warm.

"Money talks, but all it ever says is goodbye." - American saying

The Elements of Style

I finally found a copy of "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. It is a bit of a boring read on the front section - well, it wouldn't be if I knew my grammar. I would really like to write, but I read these books and realize how little I understand. It discourages me.

"Language is the dress of thought." - Samuel Johnson

Mommy blogging?

I don't understand the "Mommy Blogger" bashers. In fact I'm not sure I really understand the phrase "Mommy Blogging." I read Dooce on a regular basis. To me she is a wonderful, sarcastic, intelligent woman who seems to be married to a fantastic man and they have a daughter whom they love very much. Mrs. Armstrong doesn't come across to me as a mommy-blogger, just a lady who wants to share whats going on in her life.

Why would spending more than a sentence on a person with whom you are sharing the majority of your time loving and teaching be considered over the top mommy - ism? Mrs. Kennedy of Fussy.org is also a fantastic writer of the everyday and ordinary. And she writes in such a way that the ordinary makes me feel how she was feeling, makes me laugh or want to cry. These ladies to me are good writers. Good bloggers. Wives, mothers, and all around great gals.

Labels don't suit. They are not right. But if these ladies want to stand up and claim "Mommy blogger" then go for it. Make it positive.

"To be nobody-but-myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." - e. e. cummimgs

Interesting things Happening in the Book World

Terry Brooks has something coming out in late August and it looks to be a prequel of Shannara. Harry Turtledove has several books coming out this year in 4-5 months intervals. Raymond Feist has a new Riftwar Trilogy starting up in April and Anne Bishop has Sebastian coming out in February. Sara Douglass looks to be starting up a new series along the Tencendor lines - old characters and new places. (w00t!)

Out of Sci Fi for a second, it also looks like Janet Evanovich will have a new Plum novel in June. I've never laughed so hard at any other book, they are fantastic.

I enjoy my books and I'm glad to see that there's a bunch of stuff coming out by the people I enjoy.

X-Men Legends 2

Psp version is what I received for christmas and it's pretty alright. At least, I'm enjoying it so far. My only irritation is the fact that some of the areas are just to damn dark for me to navigate in easily. Not dissing the game there, could just be me too so who knows? Other than that, I've really enjoyed fighting my way through Acts 1 & 2 and if I didn't need to snowshovel a path throught the laundry, I'd probably be playing it now.

I am Finally done...

I have officially given out all the gifts, covered all the bases, sent all the cards. It's done. I picked up my new Tolkien calendar for the year and of course, Winnie the Pooh. Happy New Year everyone. I got paid time and a half for today and it was a productive day (which makes me happy). I've reached a creative stumbling point with my writing and have decided to scratch what I've got for now and go with something new and different to see if I can get the ole' mind churning again. Oh, and I got Battlestar Galactica Season 2 for Christmas! WOOT!