My Reading

Since we all love to read I thought I better update you all on how I'm doing.

Not well.

I think I'm in need of just a wonderfully sexy romance. No sci-fi, paranormal, werepeople, vampires, society brothers, wallflower sisters or series of any kind. I'm realizing that my library is not quite set up for easy access. It was my fault of course, because I decided I had to find a book before I jumped in the pool. Bob's yelling from downstairs 'are ya comin!?' Well, yeah, but I have to find a book!!

I ended up grabbing a historical Kresley Cole but I'm still not sold. How weird is that?

I think I really want to go book shopping so I'm going to take a nap and then drag the hubby over to Chapters late tonight. Ah, sweet revenge.

Edited: When I woke up Bob was in his jammas and I decided not to drag him out so no book shopping yet.

I don't like having my books set out to be alphabetical but I can tell I need to at least have them sorted by author. For example, I should have all of Kleypas' books together and such. Why? Because I was looking for a Kleypas I haven't read (I know I haven't read all her Bow Street Runner books) but I didn't have time to move the books in the front to see the ones in behind. I'm afraid to try her really early books in case the sex is too sweet - I remember people were upset with Lady Sophie's Lover because there was more sex than usual for her. I thought the book was bloody brilliant!

So if you have read most of Kleypas' backlist, do you have any suggestions as to where I can start? I have heard there are other Bow Street Runner books and I know I haven't read them all. Anyways, I have not read (as far as I can recall) Only With Your Love, When Strangers Marry, and then anything published before 2000.

Where Dreams Begin 08/00
Someone to Watch Over Me 05/99
Stranger in My Arms 07/98
Because You're Mine 09/97
Somewhere I'll Find You 10/96
Prince of Dreams 8/95
Midnight Angel 1/95 (reissued)
Then Came You 6/93

I don't think I own all of these but as soon as I make time in the library I can sort out which books I do own. Anyways, you all know me, I like my books to be sexy so a little help?

You know, it's like I know what paranormal writers I like and trust so I'm not really willing to try anyone new right now. It really must just be my mood but at the rate I'm going I'll have read 2 books this month and after a banner month last month it's a bit of a downer!

I'm chalking it up to stressing over the other house and looking around here and wondering where I'm going to find the time to get stuff done! Apparently we are going to have the house 'staged' which is a good idea but I don't want to pay too much so I've been thinking that if the 'stagers' will move the furniture then they can plunder our house. Afterall, I have three beds - two of which aren't being used. I have two desks (Bob built the oak one I'm at) and then another gorgeous one in the living room. Also, since I'm not enamoured of the decor in our living room I never sit in there so they are welcome to the chairs with the ottomans. Not my leather couch though. Or my rug. Some things I can't replace ;)

So fingers crossed.

But until then, maybe I need to do some re-reading to get my mojo back.

A Little Bit of This

So Cody Bear is not well but you all know that. One of the things that happens is that he gets nose bleeds. They aren't bad but since his nose is always running there can be a stream of blood that flows with it.

Nobody panic! Other than being sleepier of late (Bob's taking him for a walk daily and I swear it's tuckering the poor lad out) he's still a happy puppy.

Anyways, we have carpet in our bedroom. I don't love it and I know it's going to go at some point so I'm not overly worried about it. Problem is there are little blood marks all over the carpet and I have a thing about 'visual oog'. I don't know how to explain it but it eats away at me even though I'm not focusing on it.

Well, the other night Cody got sick. Luckily Bob was getting up so he cleaned it up. By cleaned up I mean he got whatever chunks were there off the carpet. When I got up that morning it looked like we had slaughtered a small calf in our bedroom. First I was worried that Cody had thrown up blood but I know that's not the case now.

Anyways, it's obviously time to get out my little bisel green machine and a ton of bleach. Like I said, I don't care about the carpet but I'm not living in the dregs of a slaughter house. It took most of the day and lots of elbow grease but I got the stains out of the carpet. The blood stains had to be bleached out whereas where Cody had been sick needed no bleach. Makes me feel better to know he's not bleeding internally.

My God, why do you people come here!?

So basically, I'm working on the 'visual oog' that's all over our house. I'm trying to work from our bedroom on down to the main floor but now that Bob is in bed it looks like I'll be working on the kitchen and this room.

And bleach is always my friend.

I just can't be in the same room with it because my throat gunks up and my sinuses start to close up. So not good that way but I'm always happy to know that things are disinfected. I just usually have to leave the house for a few hours afterwards and I wasn't able to do that today and so I'm not feeling all that chipper.

Oh and the thingie inside the toilet tank broke in our upstairs toilet. Bob doesn't have time to deal with it but I'm not sure I can take looking at it anymore. The friggin' water evaporates and even though it's not being used it gets dirty. Ugh!!!

Okay, I have written weird posts but this one takes the cake!

Here's a little ditty that I enjoy and of course, my favourite line is 'the mud and the blood and the beer'. Something about that line is just poetic which might explain why I like weird words like oog or slog.




I would have told you about the blowout on the reno house from last night but the drama has already sent one person home to their mama and another has hung up on our partner. People sometimes really suck.

Open house is this Sunday come hell or high water! Johny boy is our agent (you may recognize his name as he has bought and sold three houses for us thus far) and Bob calls him the Columbo of Real Estate. He really is a great guy but he is always late (we're used to it) and he always has 'just one more thing'. I think it's hilarious. Thing is he has never steered us wrong and he isn't obnoxious or anything but he knows how to put a deal to bed. Sure you have to look over the paper work and fix his typos but he gets it done.

Three other agents had a kick at the tires so to speak but none of them saw the potential that John could see in the property. So there were lots of hurt feelings (our partner is one of those people who has lots of 'friends' but these 'friends' have been screwing the poor guy over and Bob and I don't ride with that shit) by two other agents but hey, bring your A game or get out!

So yeah, that was just some of the drama.

Bob went nuclear last night which our partner had never seen before and I couldn't get him back to calm (he took it out on a poor real estate agent who was way below the price we think we can get for the house. Her parting shot was that her boss who has thirty years in the business said if we were offered X amount (which was 20 thou below what she was suggesting) we should take it and run. At X amount we would lose money and I don't think Bob wants to come home to me with nothing. Not that I would bitch or anything, I just think he couldn't handle that he spent so much time working away from me for nothing). Bob never yells or really gets angry but his body language has an aggressive nature. Doesn't in the least affect me - I'm like those heroines who will just walk up and go nose to nose but for other people I guess it can be intimidating. I'm thinking a few people had to go home and take some Tums.

I just want to get the house sold so I don't have to buy interest in Pepto again!

Man, this post sucks but it's what's running around in my brain right now.

Aren't you glad you get to see the innards?

I didn't think so.

Griffin and Phoenix

I just finished watching this movie and Wow, it was really sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time.

This story is not a HEA romantic comedy.

Here's the deal, I didn't read the back blurb very far so I will tell you that Griffin is dying. I just read the movie blurb on the website and to me it is full of spoilers you don't want to know before seeing the film. Also, there is a bunch of stuff in the blurb that isn't in the movie! Ridiculous.

If you are in need of a good cry then I would suggest this movie. I loved the interaction between the characters and frankly, these two people had fun together and it was beautiful. Again, there are no miracles here but the viewers didn't have to be there for the 'end'.

I wish that there were more romance movies with this kind of dialogue and chemistry with the HEA. That would be a great thing to behold!

Two names you go by:
1. Cindy
2. Hon, sweety, hey you

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. jean shorts
2. cozy sweater

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1. Honesty
2. Friendship

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Bob *snort* sorry just checking if you're awake.
2. Swimming

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. a genie with three wishes to grant me
2. a clean house (that would be my first wish)

Two pets you had/have:
1. CODY!!!
2. Rocky - I miss his dopey self but I know he's playing in the doggy park in the sky

Two things you did last night:
1. re-watched The Wedding Date and discovered I liked it better the second time
2. obsessed over my lack of reading

Two things you ate today:
1. Lick's Nature Burger (yum)
2. fries and gravy (double yum!)

Two people you last talked to:
1. Bobby
2. lady at the drive thru window at Lick's (hmmm, this may be very sad for me!)

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. like Ames I'm going to go spend some quality time at the bookstore
2. maybe buying two new bathing suits

Two longest car rides:
1. Simcoe Ont to Sault Ste. Marie (my gram lived there and we went for holidays - 8 hour car ride)
2. Ancaster, Ont to Florida

Two favorite holidays:
1. Thanksgiving
2. Christmas (ahhh, the sword that cuts both ways)

Two favorite beverages:
1. Coke from a can with lots of ice
2. Cherry Kool-aid over lots of ice (a few years back when I thought I was about to die (yeah, yeah, over dramatic Cindy with the friggin' pneumonia) I just wanted to look at a glass of Cherry Kool-aid with ice. I think it had to do with wanting one more piece of summer when I was sure I was about to die at the beginning of January. Shut up.)

Four things About ME!

Things you may not have known about me:

1. I wanted to be an archeologist like Indianna Jones until I learned that you had to sit with a tiny brush and remove dirt at speeds unknown to turtles!
2. To this day I would love to find sunken treasure but I don't know the first thing about diving. If only I had been born on the ocean I may have realized my dream *sniff*
3. I think I have a martyr complex (damn, now I have to google that and see if it exists and is what I think it is)
4. I can become obsessive about TV shows - Okay, more like I get too emotionally involved

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. baby sitter
2. waitress
3. data entry clerk
4. Sales (damn near killed me)

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Matrix
2. The Star Wars Trilogy (lost count after seeing them 20 times)
3. Die Hard
4. The Bridgette Jones Movies

Four places I have lived:
1. Ancaster, On
2. In my mind
3. The world where Star Wars exists (again, in my mind people, you can't really get there)
4. Anywhere I can imagine (just wish I could see them for real!)


Four of my favorite foods:
1. Fries and Gravy
2. Turkey dinner
3. beef tenderloin
4. bacon

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. On a beach listening to the tide
2. Greece to see the ruins
3. Australia
4. Actually, I'm pretty good right here

Four people I tag:
Holly, Kristie, Rosario, Megan

Did You Say MORE?

Ah, your wish is my command.

You know, it's hard to take before pictures because there are walls that you know are coming down but you are limited to taking pictures of what is there. For example, the basement before pictures don't show the amazing transformation that took place.

From where this picture is taken, imagine that I am standing in a standard door way taking a picture of a room. That door you see is the 'walkout' to the backyard. You can see there is a wall there on the left also.


Beyond that wall is another room. At least here you can see the window and it looks out onto that great backyard. It was a creepy room with stuff every where!

I won't show you the pictures we took of the plumbing and electrical which quite frankly were scary - I was taking pics so that the guys could work out what exactly they needed to do. I walked into the basement and said 'gut it'. That's easy to say but the plumbing and electrical all had to be redone and that is not easy.


Tada!!!! Isn't it amazing! Okay, except for the fact my hubby wanted to leave the white part there to make it look like an old well loved fireplace. Uh, yeah, everything else is brand new but you want to leave the soot stained original wood fireplace there. Hmmmmmm, no.

You can see that we opened up that wall and that window you see over there is the window from the second picture. You can't see the door cause of the HUGE wooden structure there but it has glass in it so you can see the outdoors and the light can get in.


Here's one farther back that shows there is a huge window there on the right hand side - the room is friggin' huge - hey I should take a picture from the other end. Duh!








This picture was taken from the stairs heading down the basement so you can see it is a huge place. I never took a before picture from the stairs because it was a wall with one of those narrow hallways from that opening to the other side of the house.






This here though was the creepiest part of the basement. I wouldn't even go in the room because it was so cramped and I thought something was living in it. You see that weird thing on the wall?

It's a window.

To NOWHERE!!!

Super Creepy!!!





Here is that same bathroom! We had to leave it where it was but we changed everything else, bricked up that scary window and put in a shower with glass to make the room look bigger. Now I go in there all the time!

As you can see we are still waiting for linoleum to go down and then this Friday carpet is supposed to go in in the basement and after that, IT'S DONE!!

Okay, I imagine Bob hasn't bought the baseboard yet. I have been telling him for weeks to buy it but he likes to do everything last minute.

It's funny (but in a really annoying way) that I tell Bob, remember you have to order things weeks before you need them and Bob says, yeah, yeah, I know. Well, I was telling him for the past month to go and get the carpet ordered and an installation date. Bob, of course, didn't do any of this. I'm sure his excuse would be that he didn't know where the budget was and that maybe we couldn't afford to put flooring down.

Wait. I need a minute.

Not put flooring down? Yeah, so not something you do when you are flipping a house. Anyways, I finally put my foot down and we go to Depot. Bob gets the quote but the installation can't happen for another three weeks. Bob's like, 'uh, you have to do this like, now' and Depot is like 'uh, no'. So Bob went out and found someone who can install a carpet next Friday. It's a remnant place and the carpet they sold him is what they call 'silver grey'. I call it periwinkle blue. We're going there tomorrow to see if they have anything more neutral.

I should be used to Bob by now.

The worst part is when we are doing our own renovations he will ask me to come and pick out say, a tub and I'll be all, well I really like that one only to hear, 'that's not in stock'. Uh, what?

Bob: We're buying a tub and taking it home today.

Me: You realize they don't stock most of this stuff, right?

Bob: They'll have something in stock.

Me: I'll hate it!

Bob: I'm buying a tub taking it home today.

UGH!!

Course the other funny thing is that I always say 'we did ...' when I wasn't even there for most of it.

Wait.

I did paint most of the walls in the basement.

*snort*

Not Done Yet, But...

Even though the reno house is not complete I'm just itchin' to show you all the work that Bob has been doing. I tell ya, sometimes you forget just what a mess something is till you see the 'before' shots! Okay, the white is the before and the taupe is the after.







Yes, we need to do some planting but I think getting the interior of the house up and running is the part the guys are focusing on. We want to paint the front door black (there is a woman who potentially wants to buy the house and wants the door to remain wood so we are waiting until we list to paint it black), and put up black shutters to bring more curb appeal.




This is the before shot of the kitchen. Believe it or not but a wall was behind me with just a single door opening so I couldn't take a wide shot of the kitchen. Just note the beautiful cabinetry. Ugh.

I may have to do a post of the red brick vinyl floor that was in the kitchen but I'm pretty sure you get the idea ;)



Here you can see that we opened the single door up to make a huge opening to the living room. The reason we did this is the windows in the living room are huge and let in tons of light. It is a bungalow with a walkout into a ravine. So the view is stunning - I should take a picture of that now that I think on it. The fridge would be just on the right hand side but you wouldn't be able to see it while sitting at the dining room table. This was taken a few weeks ago and I need to take a new picture.

Here's the bathroom almost a year ago. Now I have to say those tiles are from the 50's and are friggin' fantabulous (no I'm not being sarcastic)! I wanted to save them and have a company come in and coat them in a white epoxy which would be stunning. Problem is that we discovered the tiles down by the tub were cracked and you can't replace these without it being obvious. Luckily I didn't have to be there when they gutted this puppy because I've had to destroy plaster walls with heavy ceramic on them before and it is pure bull labour. There is nothing you can do but keep dragging the crap to the dumpster and it's heavy as hell.

As I mentioned I wasn't as involved in this project and when I learned the guys were not going to put granite countertops in the kitchen and no ceramics I kinda lost complete interest. Hey, I figured that I would only state my reason and if they shot it down then I would let it go. So Bob asked me my opinion on the tiles for the bathroom and I said, 'sure' cause like, I'm not going to be living there. Then Bob picked a horrible tile for the floor so I had to step in and show him a colour that would work with what he had. Now, I think it turned out great BUT I hate using ceramic as baseboard. I think it was the 'boys' choice and they ran with it. I would have argued for real baseboard but again, I've decided that this house will appeal to the man of the family and I have been able to add a few touches that will hopefully allow a woman to say 'okay, I can live here'. Just so you know, it's a brand new white tub, jacuzzi jets and then Bob found bronze like fixtures for the tub and shower. Turned out really nice, just can't see it in the photo.

Okay, that's all I'll bore you with for now. Wait till you see the basement pictures. Those are sheer brilliance! I told Bob that I wanted to do a blog with the before and semi-after but he kept saying 'no, wait till it's finished!'.

Obviously I couldn't wait.

There is a whole bunch going on with the whole 'can we sell and make money' thing. Not sure yet but a house up the street went for over a hundred thousand more than what the real estate agents told us our house could go for. I told Bob to call the real estate agent from that sale because from the pictures, the house hadn't been re-modeled and except for having gas heat and A/C we can't really see how our house could list for a hundred grand below theirs. Hell, if that is the only difference and it costs say 20 grand to put in gas heat and air conditioning then by God it will be done. 20 grand to make 80? Easy math peeps. Course, I've been known to blow smoke so whatever.

If we break even all is good.

Okay, it would be good as in not the worst thing to happen but I really do want Bob to make some money on this job so that I can reconcile the fact that he chose to leave me alone on the weekends for 5 months. Keep in mind, he has done all this while working full-time.

Yeah, he is my hero.

I just need him to stop long enough so I can show my appreciate ;)

Stupid Things to Know

I just saw that MJD's newest is coming out and it's called Undead and Uneasy.

Yes, I'm pathetic and I'm buying it. So there.

Easy. I know I can redeem myself by buying Meljean Brook's Demon Moon and then the next book in Colleen Gleason's series Rises The Night (even though I haven't read her first book yet).

But that's not the point of this post. No. It's the fact that every time I have seen the title Undead and Uneasy I start singing this song.



You have to wait until the minute thirty to get to the chorus and of course, that's my favourite part.

So.

Take me down slow an' easy!

We're Level

Tonight was the season finale of LOST and wow! I probably shouldn't type anything in case others have it on Tivo and haven't watched it yet. Also, I'm still trying to process it.

So that's a great thing mixed with sadness because it's on hiatus now.

My general achy-breaki-ness is still hovering around - I'll wait another week and if I don't get better it'll be a doctor run for me. I'm worried that I'm having a form of anxiety and don't recognize it. Yeah, I know. It's hard to explain but I think people like me don't recognize signs of stress in our bodies. We go on about our lives and then WHAM everything goes wackadoo. Stupid wackadoo-thingie.

But the great news is that our pool heater works like lightnin' and we got in tonight!! So, May 23rd we were able to get into our pool and have a swim. Tomorrow it's supposed to reach 30 degrees C so the pool will be a welcome respite again! After that it looks like the temps go back below 20 for a bit but it's good to know I never have to dive into a pool at 72 degrees again - cause it's painful!!

Okay, I'm off to find some tylenol and kick back in front of the TV. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself now that all the shows are on break but I'm thinking I'll get outside more.

I mean, I can hope!

Ah, Right, Health!!

You know the saying 'As long as you have your health...'?

Boy oh boy does that saying ever hit close to home as you get older!

When I was a kid and heard that I always thougth 'wha?' cause really, money seemed pretty important and well, I was a teeny bopper and had endless amounts of energy. When I got sick it was hell but, it was like 2 days down and voila, back in business.

This past week however, has been it's own kind of misery and even though I have had a strong love of my health, it's when I'm not feeling up to par that I remember life sucks when you're sick.

I scared myself stupid on Saturday morning when I went out and ran the push mower around the areas that the tractor can't reach. I don't know how long I was out there but holy cow! I came in panting for breath, had to sit for half an hour, had the shakes and felt dizzy! After that my weekend stayed in the 'dizzy, nauseated' zone. Today I am much better with everything else but now I have a crick in my neck that I think is a pinched nerve. I can't turn my head without getting a jolt of pain!

I think everything else has gone back to normal. I wish I knew what brought everything on last week. I was so tired and overwhelmed and weepy - it occured to me that my pharmicist had changed my prescription to 'generic' which I thought meant the drug was the exact same. Thing is I don't know if this is true and I'm wondering if my headaches, nausea, lack of energy are from the drug switch. Gonna check that with my doc.

Okay, Amber just crawled onto my lap so I'm going to sign off and go blog hopping for a bit.

I have started Through A Crimson Veil on the high recommendation of Nath. I haven't gotten too far but I'm liking it.

Another Two MEMEs for YOUYOUs!!

Megan tagged me to pick 5 blogs that make me think.

Thinking hurts so I try to avoid such mental excess.

That said:

Suisan can have me taking notes and doing math. Uncool. Still I go there and read through her posts on politics and after a year and a half I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Then the posts on horses can have me googling for hours. So I figure Suisan actually could write a page from the phone book on her blog and have me leaning forward in my chair wondering if it was a new wacky code that I have no hope of solving.

Occasional Book Reviews by JMC has a little bit of everything for someone like me. Food, politics and social responsibility - then she talks about books!

Bookwormom has such a wonderfully eclectic blog that you never know what you'll get until you zap in. Poetry one day, a simple video post relevant to current events and snippets on the family and how life changes from day to day.

What Were You Expecting by Holly is a blog that celebrates everything life has to offer. And when Holly wants to talk about something like child rearing or social responsibility she does it with straight talk and most of the time I'm sitting there thinking 'exactly'.

Rosario's Reading Journal has probably been mentioned many times by other bloggers but her reviews are so detailed and precise that you know exactly what it was she liked and didn't like about a book. I only wish I could be so concise in the way I write!

Okay, that's five but really, you all make me think. Yep, there are even times when I look at your blog and think 'how did she get that 'thingie' on her blog?' and more often than not, I have no clue!

And I have noticed that my blog has not come up once as thoughtful.

You're welcome.

Jennie's Experimental Meme

The Little-Known Favorites Meme

Rules: List and describe three of your favorite books that other people might not be familiar with. Then tag five people. See, easy!

Now I think I have a post from way back where I listed 20 different books by 20 different authors that I really liked. I believe I will need to reference that list.



Renegade Love by Katherine Sutcliffe. I don't see her mentioned very often but she was the author who first sated my need for dark tormented heroes and the women who love them. This was my very first keeper and even with my shoddy memory I can remember all the great scenes from this book and it's easily closing in on 20 years. This is an American historical that introduced me to 'road' romances. Seeing as how I was a newbie I didn't know which way was up and certainly didn't know if the hero and heroine would ever find their HEA.





Fairest of Them All by Teresa Medeiros - you know how I like dark romances? Well the first part of this story is simply about two people falling in love until the deceit is uncovered and then all hell breaks loose. Don't think of this as one of those Big Misunderstanding stories because that's not the case. Something as simple as beauty tears the H/H apart. Wonderful twist on the Beauty and the Beast theme.






A Pocketful of Paradise by Kathleen Kane - historical western with a soul collector as a hero. There were scenes in this book that made me catch my breath. In all honesty, it was a toss up between this one and Still Close to Heaven and I'm still not sure I made the right decision. I have to re-read these two to find out which one has the gun fight. Both of these books had me tearing up and I've already mentioned how that's tough to do.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

I never would have picked up this author if Ames hadn't been so in love and I'm happy to say that it definitely paid off.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur has a little thing on the spine that says it is fantasy which struck me odd at first because there are the numerous characters that I would consider paranormal. Then I remembered there isn't a 'paranormal' genre in the bookstore. Laurell K. Hamilton's books are shelved in three places at my local bookstore. Horror, Sci-fi Fantasy and Fiction and really, I can understand the 'horror' label but she has the same kind of characters in her books. So obviously I'm not the only one struggling with where a book would fall in the big scheme of things.

Cindy Blurb: Riley is half werewolf, half vamp and has a twin brother named Rhoan who is a Guardian. This secret organization is like a police agency that deals with 'nonhuman' crap that can be dangerous to all beings. Riley is part of the secret agency but prefers to be a paper pusher than a Guardian because Guardians get into many sticky situations and at times are called upon to kill.

The story opens with Riley sensing danger near her home and fighting some 'bads' because she knows there are humans in danger and the 'company' won't get there in time. After everything is taken care of her senses still warn her of danger and she realizes that the feeling is for her brother Rhoan who is on a mission.

Thus begins a quest to find her brother (the only pack she has as they are both 'tainted' and thrown from their pack), thwart her boss' plans to make her into a Guardian, keep the moon lust at bay and stop being attacked by weird crossbred creatures and clones. Oh and figure out why there is a naked vampire on her doorstep that doesn't know who he is. (It's okay, he remembers before it can fall into the OMG territory)

So we have the secret police thing and yeah, that's not new.

A heroine with untapped powers and potential that is only brushed upon in this book.

And rampant sex.

*ding* paging Laurell K. Hamilton.

All the same, this was an enjoyable read and I am going to read the next few in the series (since four books were released back to back). At least until I find out if I even like Riley as a person, uh, wolf or whatever.

Since I enjoy paranormals I tend to already have a soft spot for one that might be good. That said, I don't have any tolerance for poor world building or stories that don't have a spark of something fresh.

When I try and think about what I liked in particular I can't really pin it down. Obviously being the romance junky I am, I already have a favourite hero and that potential love match kept me reading. I liked the set up of the wolf world although I didn't really understand or feel comfortable with their thoughts on sex but then, I'm human and I'm probably not supposed to understand.

I think other authors have done a better job of showing 'pack' mentality and how they have a need to be touched by their clan. This part was not as evident in Arthur's world but the story takes place during the week before the full moon and the moon affects the wolves with the need to have sex.

Constantly.

And with whoever is around.

By the night before the full moon Riley's explanation of her lust suggests that it erases any kind of will or freedom of choice. It's have sex or fall into bloodlust (which apparently isn't good). It became something that reminded me of a drug addict and it did feel start to feel wrong for lack of a better word. It also reminded me of LKH and the hated 'ardeur'.

In all honesty, I see a character like this and can't imagine a HEA because the need to mate is so overpowering that their body will sexually respond to someone they hate. I mean, that's creepy. And how do you remain monogamous (it's hinted that a wolf can have a soulmate but Arthur doesn't go into specifics on how it all works)? So even though Riley loves her life and the sex life she has, there is a part of me that doesn't really like her. Bad Cindy. Also, some of the sexual banter when with her friends and her brother (ick) felt out of placed or forced.

The story started out with a fairly strong voice but by the end, I was skived out by the overly sexual nature of Riley. I'm hoping that in the next few books we'll see what Riley is like while not being pulled by the moon.

A straight B.

OH! This is yet another 'new to me' author! Boo-yah!

Reading Is Going Well

Okay, I may be a bit optimistic on the reading front but I am enjoying the first book in Keri Arthur's series. My problem is that I know it's not a romance but I've already picked a love interest for the heroine.

Yeah.

That never ends well for me.

LOST - I wept. I really did but then I think I was having one of my 'bad' days. You know that kind of day where you just need a good sob for about 4 hours? Just me? Dammit! Anyways, Charlie's list of the 5 best moments of his 'miserable' life had me crying. I can't even believe how it ended because I was so sure he was done. So now I have a bunch of questions like did Desmond see him die in a worse way than drowning and knew he couldn't tell him or did Desmond see something else completely?

Jack's speech about 'blowing them all to hell'? Uh, yeah. We got us some rage issues. I could see Sawyer or Locke saying something like that but I was shocked to hear Jack say it because I don't remember Ben being super evil to him.

And I guess we should get used to not having answers for another few years as I have heard it will be three more years until the finale. I hope they stick with their end date. When shows go past their 'welcome' things get ugly but I'm trusting the writers and actors will want to move on to other things.

Okay, I mentioned the sobbing mess, the pool started to turn green and Bob went nuclear (fun!), it's been wet and chilly the last few days so messing around with water in the great outdoors is not my idea of fun and I want more time to read!

Oh and my best friend told me when I was blowing off some steam that she was frustrated because in five years I would still be in the same situation I am now.

Uh, hi.

Hurtful!

I just needed to vent and instead of listening and saying 'there, there' she totally bagged me. I couldn't believe she said this to me because I have been listening to the same stuff in her life for years and have never said such a thing to her.

So instead, poor Bob was blubbered on this morning before work because I didn't even have a girlfriend who would listen when I just needed to get something off my chest. Nobody's perfect and Bob and I have crap that creeps up on us that can frustrate us and I needed a friend to just listen.

Instead I got blown to smitherines!!

And just so you know, I blow off steam about once every six months (I'm sure the crying jags happen more often than that but, uh, I don't get mad often). I rarely get my knickers in a knot because I tend to bottle stuff up or let it roll off me. So colour me shocked and confused when my best friend who can talk for hours about her shit blows me off.

So I'm going to go passive-aggressive on her ass.

Yeah.

That'll show her.

Damn. I'm such a wuss.

I'm IT!!!

Nath tagged me!! I so love seeing my name in lights.

Rules:

- you need to state 8 random things/facts about yourself if you're tagged
- don't forget to include these rules in your post!
- you need to tag 8 other persons
- comment on the blog of your 8 tagged persons, so they know they've been tagged


1. I hated almost every minute of school. I wasn't popular, I didn't think I was pretty (I was darn cute though), I didn't like having to be somewhere at a certain time and well, I hate authority. What a shock I am the person I am.

2. I have an idea for a business / invention that I think would do very well - at least make me some money and I could do it from home but I don't have a clue where to start. Bob says to start with the proto-type but like, then what? Let's not even get into what it would take to get a patent. Money. It would take money. Ugh.

3. I've discovered that when things start to get tough I get cracking. I can get easily overwhelmed but I can kick-ass when everyone else starts to panic - it seems that's when I shine the brightest.

Okay, there is a thunder storm rolling in right now so I'll post this and then have to finish up tomorrow.

Sorry I haven't been blogging as much but I'm definitely in a rut and feel the need to get a few things done around here!

Added:

4. I think as I get older my reading ability actually slows down. I have started the Keri Arthur book and really enjoy it but I swear I'm reading 20 pages at a time. I would have had this finished two years ago!

5. Since the death of Princess Diana, I do not buy anything celebrity related. In all honesty, I didn't really buy that much before her death but I did buy People magazine every once in a while. For some reason I always thought the pictures taken were set up by the celebrities. Now that I know what goes on behind the scenes, I can't bring myself to buy the stuff. Hey, I'm not perfect, I think I bought or flipped through a Brad and Angelina shoot but I do think B&A had set it up for them to be photographed. Other than that, I couldn't imagine being hemmed in by people calling your name, asking questions and flashing lights. Ugh.

6. Having just declared the above, I was drawn over to TMZ.com by an AAR blog post for the very first time and now I need a shower (No, I'm not linking to it). For oh, so many reasons! I have always been of the mind that celebrities have to eat, sleep and poop too. Just saying. Nothing special.

7. Every once in a while my hair drives me nuts and I take the scissors to it. I haven't been to get a hair cut in almost a year because I was letting it grow out. Tonight I couldn't take it anymore and went out at 7:45pm in a desperate search to get all my hair hacked off. At this late a time there are only those 'hack' places open. You know, the ones who only really have about 5 hair cuts they know? Yeah. It's way shorter than I wanted but I always try to remember that it will grow back. It's just too short. Like old woman short. Ugh. I'm betting I'll like it when I'm in full swim mode. See, silver lining.

8. I'm a little on edge. TV series are winding down, the reno house is starting to get on my nerves, I want to scrub every floor in the house and then remember I'm lazy. I want more renovation shows - good ones! My face is a mess with acne, I can't seem to stop eating and I know I'm going to have to back off the sleep meds which always causes anxiety because I'm never sure what to do with myself for 18 straight hours. Also, I'm seriously considering shutting down my cable for the next six months. Let see how I do without TV.

Okay, I have to go breathe in a bag now.

LOST-ites!!!????

Where have all the LOSTIES gone!?

I mean c'mon, I'm dying over here!

Okay, yeah. I'm in denial cause Locke is not looking like he is in a good place at the moment but, egads man, were you not shocked to your socks!?

Yes, you're right. I am a bit of a Locke lover and having him die would probably ruin the show for me at this point because Jack's being an ass and Sawyer is wobbling around like a newborn fawn trying to find his legs. I guess Charlie might be a goner but okay.

OMG!!! When you saw what Ben had done didn't you let out a gasp of horror? I'm sitting in my den by myself and I whisper out loud 'he killed them all'. I was so horrified but then, who are the others?

The 'others' obviously don't age.

What happened to Amy? Does anyone really care?

And who the hell is Jacob!?

And will he save my Locke?

And they can't be dead because people have chosen to go to the island. Hell, some of the 'others' have been off the island (those who brought Julia).

So yeah, I'm still enthralled and excited but I know there is only ... wait, one or two episodes left?

Well there you have it. Just had to get that off my chest.

I'll discuss world peace or something more 'gray matter' worthy the next post.

NOT!

Just realized you may all wonder why I don't go to some forum or something - I really hate spoilers. I just don't want to know what 'may' happen next and I want to be surprised by the show I'm watching. I do just love to wonder about what it all means and where it all could be going but I don't want to *really* know before, ya know, I really know.

Bringin It Old School

I had to talk Bob down last night.

This meant going to the 'other' house, getting measurements and then spending valuable time at Home Depot setting up installation for carpet and linoleum in the basement. Basically I think Bob got to the house last night and walked out when he saw everything was a mess again. When we got back he said that maybe he just over reacted but again, we're just so close to getting this finished that I need to help keep the pace. Hey, I'll hire people at this point in order to get this house done so that Bob doesn't waste any sunny pool days at the house.

The other partner has been pulling shit like, I'm going golfing or I have my kids or my fiancee wants to see me. Uh, yeah. I want to see Bob too but I know we are so friggin' close. Bob said that he thought the other guy saw that I had showed up and done some work and thought that maybe he could start blowing Bob off and that I would fill in. I told Bob the partner would be shocked when he sees my labour bill.

Yep, I'm a bitch but for the most part I'm an even keeled person. Thing is, piss Bob off and I become this scary warrior woman who tells it like it is and that usually means I'm ready to insert my foot up someone's ass. And yes, I know who the person is. They just don't know I'm looking for them.

On another note, Mother's Day is this weekend and I'd like to crawl into a hole and come out on Monday. I have been horribly anti-social lately and I know it's not healthy but I wanted to ease myself back into it. I hate weekends that have too many activities I have to deal with. So BBQ at my Mom's and then the next day we'll be at Bob's parents. I'm just going to make Bob call before we go this time to make sure every one is healthy!

I am hoping to find time to sit and start Keri Arthur's series that Ames has been loving. Course, she mentioned that she thought Mr. Impossible was meh *gasp* and liked Not Quite A Lady Better!

*rubs hands together* So now we'll see just how in tune we are with each other when it comes to reading.

Shut up.

I have to get my kicks somewhere.

Not Quite A Lady by Loretta Chase

Meh.

Now normally 'meh' should be a C grade but I looked at the books that I graded C and they were worse than this. I guess I was just bored. I loved the way the book started and thought I was in for a treat but things went downhill early.

So, a B-.

Cindy Blurb: Lady Charlotte's story began well. She made a mistake at 16 after her mother's death and became pregnant in 1825 England. Her stepmama and lady in waiting (as I call them) hid the pregnancy (out of love and friendship) from everyone and had the baby boy placed with a good family. The last we see of the child, Charlotte is wishing she didn't have to let him go but she couldn't be a problem to anyone ever again, so the baby was sent away.

Ten years go by and Charlotte is perfect at getting men not to notice her until Darius Carsington is given the property next to hers to prove to his father he can do something other than study books. Being a man who studies husbandry for the most part he is funny in his ability to break down natural urges and thus, he is a rake for real because he knows the male animal.

Bored!

Whoops. Basically they meet, they fall down, they argue, they laugh and have a grand time. The kid shows up. Darius and Charlotte are open with each other and everything gets resolved in the end.

In the end, I was bored.

I was expecting a wonderfully new kind of heroine and got, meh.

I enjoyed the banter between Darius and Charlotte once they got to know each other but other than that, it was all standard fare.

I have had this feeling for a while that maybe I don't 'get' Chase and I think I have now confirmed it. I think in order to keep you all from suffering my 'meh' feelings on an author that you yourself may love, I will have to stop buying her books.

But then, she wrote Mr. Impossible which is all hugged and snuggled and well, ya know, George.

I really need something completely different. Something to shock and delight my senses.

No, not sunlight.

And I'm Back - Kind of

Just popping in to let you know I'll be back to blogging again in a bit.

We had a great weekend and thanks for all the well wishes!

We are opening the pool which is a bit of a nightmare because of how much water had to A) be removed from the winter cover (took 4 days to drain most of it) and B) how much water needs to be added. (The water has been on for almost 12 hours now and it's still a long way from being where it needs to be.)

My best bud with the romance problems is finally coming down for a visit today so I'm sort of trying to tidy up but then I realize it's a lost cause and go back to watching TV.

The 'other' house is becoming a thorn in my side and I'm slowly watching Bob make himself sick even though he is denying it. Looks like C-Rex needs to bust out and get some shit done over there. (The other partner is now whining because it's golf season and he wants to be anywhere but at the house. Boo-freakin-hoo! Get your ass back to work!)

I just reached the point in Chase's book where the kid shows up. I could weep.

I think that's the salient points for now.

Oh! Emma is much better and yeah, I'm thinking having a vet shave a cat would be expensive because they normally have to knock them out. (This is quite common with long haired cats) Now however, I can see her unconditional love for me and I'm thinking I could break out the clippers and give it one more go and I know I won't cut her because they are made not to do that. No more scissors!

And Bob and I don't really do gifts for anniversaries. We more or less pick something for our house and buy that as a gift. We haven't really picked anything yet so nothing to report. Bob did buy me 12 roses and I think Emma forgave me when I allowed her to eat them to her heart's content.

Just In Case

It's early Saturday morning and I'm getting ready to head up to bed.

Yeah, yeah.

Sunday May 6th is mine and Bob's 12th Wedding Anniversary and apparently he has taken Monday off as well. This is somehow the 'Linen' year or pearls but since I'm not a lover of either, I'm good.

So I might not be around but then again, I'm up weird hours anyways.

Oh! I bought that dress I liked only now I'm thinking it's too young for me and maybe a little short (it's above the knee) but then I think it's better than my baggy jean shorts and a t-shirt. My best friend who is bluntly honest said it was very pretty so I'm going with it. Now I just have to have the self confidence to pull it off. I was fine until I was paying and the shop lady said how the 80's look was coming back.

Gak!

I was a teen in the 80's so does that mean I shouldn't be wearing this? Isn't there a rule that if you wore it once you don't wear it again (although I never wore anything like this)? Lord have mercy. Then again, it's a lady's shop, it's not for young women. Whatever. Stop stressing.

Cody had a spa day today and he's all spiffy and now he's all bouncy which is cute. He wouldn't look at me all the way home in the car. I think he gets jealous that I have been home with Bob the whole time without him (wasn't the case but he was pissed about something).

Cody's jealousy has become so bad that if Bob is on one side of the couch and then I'm right beside him, Cody will crawl up over me to get to Bob. The other night he was just sitting and staring at us but I wasn't really paying attention. I got up to check something, turned around and there he was curled up beside Bob. So either I sit against the arm of the couch, Bob in the middle and then Cody on the other side or Bob sits on one side, Cody in the middle and me on the other. Yep. I'm jealous of a dog. Uncool.

Meanwhile, I tried to cut some mats out of Emma's fur and accidently cut her skin. I was so sick to my stomache when I saw the blood I was a mess for the whole night. I've only ever cut her once before and it was so weird because she didn't react at all. I was cutting these mats off her belly while she was laying belly up. She was purring and loving then I noticed something didn't look right. I about fainted when I saw the skin was separated. I used to use an electric razor but Emma is getting older and she hates having her back legs touched. So I take scissors and trim bits and pieces off while cooing at her to keep her calm. Anyways, I feel horrible and yet, she will sit by me and purr.

Since our cats are indoor cats we don't do rabies shots but I think I'll have to get her in and then they said they have to wait a month before they would take her in and cut her fur. I think they knock them out which isn't great but it's better than me cutting the poor girl. Anything not to see open wounds! Oh and we've tried everything with the matting and nothing works now. I think she can mat herself up just by trying to bathe herself. She used to never mat up but now it gets so bad the mats are right against the skin and you know it's itchy because if you poke your nails through a knot (very hard) she practically vibrates from the purring. Then when you get the mat out, a day later there are flakes of skin like dandruff all over her.

Okay, I'm just going to say it. I love my Emma and I hate seeing her like this.

There, sap session over.

I'm still early in the Chase book so I can't really comment yet. Hopefully I'll get some reading done tonight!

Hope you all have a great weekend! The weather here is supposed to be nice so fingers crossed!

Animals? Or Just Meaning Lots.

A menagerie of thoughts.

1. There is a giant Tortoise that is the rarest creature alive. As in, he is the only one. His name is lonesome George. Researchers found him in 1972 and immediately put him in captivity. He has had two ladies of another type of tortoise as company but he has shown no interest in them. Apparently, scientists have found a possible cousin of lonesome George only it's a male. So they are hoping they'll find a female and be able to breed George.

As fascinating as all this is, the only thought I have is that George has been in captivity for 35 years and it breaks my heart (they can live up to 200 years). I know that we need to have access to animals to bring them back from the brink of extinction but after 35 years, you've had enough time. It's time to let George go back to his own life. Sure, he might die the next day but one day of freedom may be all that George longs for.

2. Kathryn Falk is a complete nutter and would be better off not having access to the internet. Ever. She may also want to consider becoming a recluse. It's always better to have people wonder about your sanity than to hand them actual proof of it's lack of existence. I know of which I speak.

3. Thanks for letting me blow off some steam yesterday. I didn't hear from her today and I'm worried but Bob thinks that she is now in the bargaining stage. 'Just let me come for a bit and you'll see how good things will be'.

4. LOST - I'm not buying that they are dead. And hot damn I love Sawyer and Locke. Sawyer may be getting higher up on the scale. My dad (we talk about the show and then we'll talk about the preview for the following week) told me last week that he thought it would be Locke's father in the hatch and he was right. I figured out at exactly the 33 minute mark who Locke's father would be to Sawyer (DVR tells me the time when I fast forward the commercials). I hope the new chick doesn't get killed off. I can't believe that Kate went to Jack. Kate's really starting to piss me off but I'm guessing she'll be pregnant after all the Sawyer action. So yeah, I'm looking forward to the next three weeks.

5. I read 3 pages of the new Chase book (Bob was getting gas) and I'm already charmed. There is a threat of a kid showing up somewhere in the book so that has me a little antsy but maybe I'll get lucky. I so have a feeling about this one!

6. I discovered that motivation is really a state of mind. Nike has it right when they say 'Just Do It'. Bob got the lawn tractor out and stalled it in a nanosecond then promptly flooded it. I went out to get it back in the garage, started it and then decided 'what the hell' and cut the back yard. I think Bob's ego is a bit bruised and I think he would love to tool around on the tractor but it only likes me.

7. I just finished vacuuming the den and Lord have mercy. I pulled out the couch and scared myself stupid. Hardwood floors are a bitch to keep clean anyways but the debris under there was scary. Now I just want to wash the walls in here which is a weird thing as I rarely if ever do stuff like that.

There you be. More weird thoughts from me.

I know. You're not surprised.

Edited: And I love Bruce Willis.

Just The Crap Please

I've got more of a rundown going on in my head tonight.

I mailed the taxes because we couldn't e-file because we moved this year and me not being the brightest person alive, I totally didn't know you had to tell the tax office your new address before filing your taxes. Bloody hell.

Oh, but they are helpful.

Yes indeedy.

You can change your address online! Did we mention you have to register? Well, duh because this is pretty important information. So important that a secret code has to be mailed to your home and should show up in 5 business days.

Uh, hi. Taxes are due in two days. So don't have time to wait for the 'secret code'!

I then magically stumbled onto the fax number for the Tax office and how I could notify them of our address change that way. Phew.

Get all that done - sent Bob to work with typed up pages and signatures for the change of address and prepare to mail out our taxes. Which I haven't done in years because I have been e-filing. What did I forget? Bob's signature. So I had to drive out to the other house at 6pm and get him to sign his forms so that I could finally mail the fuckers off. Luckily I made it to the post office before they closed. I made it by minutes. I thought they were supposed to stay opened until midnight on the last day of April but apparently only a few do that.

Anyways.

I have no clue why I have to even file considering I didn't make any money this year but alas, I have to and it now costs a buck ten to mail this stuff. I'm not getting a cent back or paying them a cent but I have to pay to send in the paperwork.

Stupid.

Motivation!

I have lost pretty much every iota of motivation I have ever had. Just getting the energy up to do the laundry is too much. I'm totally off my game and I'm not sure what is going on. I think it's my lack of Bobby time - screws me up every time and it always gets bad near the end of a reno. Probably because all I hear is how it's going to be done by this weekend. Oh, I meant the first floor would be done. Okay, I really meant a 1/4 of the reno would be done.

Blergh.

What's weird is that since this is the third one Bob has done I already know that his time lines are way out of whack. I guess knowing something logically and experiencing it are two completely different things. Okay, that was a stupid thing to even type. Logically I know being hit by a baseball bat would hurt, actually getting hit by one, yeah.

Anything else?

Oh, can someone tell me how many people are posting over at Sybil's now? I'm thinking there are three including Sybil but I'm losing my place fast.

I also want a 'summer' blog template but I hate to leave this one behind. I'm telling you that front bird is totally me.

Other stuff cluttering the brain?

I have magazines that I have yet to thumb through. And I really really want to look through them and I know this because I now refuse to buy magazines just for the sake of having them. I used to buy O magazine and I loved every page but then I fell behind but I kept buying them. For two years.

Nipped that in the bud and now I only buy something if I really, really, really want to look through it and most of the stuff I buy is on design. Still I have about 12 magazines cluttering up space because I have yet to get to them.

Not good.

The TV show Drive wasn't on tonight and I'm wondering why. Okay, I may know why and if that's the reason I'm going to be pissed.

OH! I read five books in the month of April! I haven't read 5 books in a month in a few years. I would have to look that up to be sure but I'm so sure I'm not going to bother. So woohoo for me!

Also, of the books I have read this year 7 have been from authors I haven't read before.

Maybe it's not much to other readers but this is triple aces for me.

Okay, I'm off to figure out that laundry thing.