How Bored Am I?

Yep, I'm this bored.

I didn't even really have to try all that hard to change the template (usually lots of swearing, lost links, erased HTML etc).

I liked this one although I remember seeing one that took my breath away but meh, I'll look again later.

You're all off having wonderful lives and I'm here being all mopey.

I have a party here in one weeks time and well, I'm not exactly cleaning up a storm. Bad Cindy.

I'm guessing this is my February Blahs showing up in March.

I friggin' knew it!

Other than my boring self I can't wait for my fav shows this week. I'm worried however, as Battlestar Galactica's final show forever is this Friday. How they are going to answer all the questions is beyond me. I own all the seasons up to this one and I better be blown away cause these series rocked until the last few episodes which were maudlin and sappy without any movement towards a goal. Just my opinion of course but hey, I have one so I'm using it.

And I want my LOST fix already.

Blew My Mind

I know you're hoping for a book title but sadly no.

Lately (okay, for a few years now) I've come to realize that I'm not that in touch with world events. Well, thank goodness for boredom and Yahoo.

1.5 Million year old footprints have just been found in Kenya. There's a picture of the print on the site so do go read. There's even a child's foot print! Think about it, a million and a half years ago a human ancestor was walking in the sands of Kenya.

Now I would have to go look at all the Homo erectus stuff to figure out who is whom (I wouldn't know how to use whom if a gun were to my head) but they (scientists cause seriously, who are 'they' usually?) say the ones before the Homo sapiens (that'd be us) walked with the same stride that we do now.

I'm telling you, my mind is completely blown. I read this one out to the hubby and even he was awe struck.

So imagine the feeling of stupidity that washed over me when I get to the bottom of the article.

They (seriously, who?) found footprints 3.75 million years old! These were from a previous incarnation of homo sapiens - CRAZY!

Sidetracked : So did they ever find the missing link? I didn't make that up, right?

Updated Sidetrack : Uh, never mind. I decided to go and look and I found the crazy and the sane and all the in between. It'd take me another 4 years of university to read every single person's thoughts on the subject so I'll just stick with mine.

My brain can't even comprehend that kind of time. That we have ancestors that walked the earth so long ago. Makes you realize we're just a blip.

So I'm going to enjoy my blip of time!

Uh, Did I Do That?

At this time I'm on daywalker hours. Or better known as 'normal people' hours.

I'm always intrigued by those who stay up all day and have normal sleep cycles. I wonder what it's like and if I will ever fit into the 'normal' way of life.

Well.

I HATE IT!!!

I'm never truly awake except for those first 3 or 4 hours. After that it's a battle to stay awake and boredom is a constant companion. I have tons of stuff I need to get done but I can't seem to get up the energy to do anything about it. It's like I'm a zombie!

With this concrete scientific evidence I've decided normal people are zombies.

Hey, we can't all be wacky nocturnal-ites.

Get this, whenever I turn to day hours Bob's sleep cycle gets all bent out of shape. It's nine PM and the poor guy just crawled into bed after falling asleep on the couch around 7pm. The problem comes when he wakes up at 2am and has to get up for a few hours because he's wide awake.

So basically, Bob has stolen my nap mojo and staying awake for all hours of a day are killer boring.

I truly am meant to be nocturnal. I get so much more done and napping is such a glorious sensation. When I'm daywalking I don't dare nap or I will throw it all out again. Blergh.

I'm trying to stay on zombie hours because Bob wants to do some day trips over the next week and I would rather be muggy headed than out right screaming bitch tired.

I think.

I'll let you know if casualties abound.

Until then I hope you are enjoying a great book and eating some chocolate.

Just Blasting In

I'm using the word 'blasting' because it's going to rain here for the next three days and it's miserable. Of course, I'm awake now during the day and I am bored out of my skull. My body went around too early - Bob has a week off starting this coming Wednesday so I'm hoping I will still be on daylight hours.

Never fails, I'm up in the morning and Bob has committed to something somewhere else tomorrow. I don't begrudge that because I'm not usually awake in the early mornings on a weekend but then he's not usually elsewhere either. Funny how those things always meet when we least expect it.

Lots of world events have been twitching in my brain but I'm blaming my chain like fixation to my TV for most of it. I need to get out!

My brain is constantly jumping around and I have a few fairly funny stories for ya and yeah, they deal with all the animals in my home. I swear they have declared a revolution. Thank God they don't have opposable thumbs or we'd be cooked.

Then there is my hubby. He's always good for a laugh. I either laugh or I'll go nutty.

Okay, I'm already nutty but he'd put me in the padded cell realm.

Hey! Only one wall is padded!

I've really missed you guys. I woke up crying yesterday which had me wondering when exactly I became that person. Crying? While waking up? My one very best bud is 3000 miles away living her new life and I'm so happy for her but I miss her like crazy. Then my best friend has been decidedly absent of late which had me waking up feeling like the only person who cared about me was Bob. Poor guy was home when I woke up and ran from the room to get the phone so I could hear the message my friend left while I was sleeping.

I've loved this winter but I need to get out now. I'm ready for spring. I've been sleeping like crazy the last few days because I opened the windows in our bedroom and the fresh air clocked me out.

Ooops.

ATTENTION!!

All About Romance is polling for Favourite Books by Favourite Authors and Lee, LinnieGayl and I would love for you to jump over and send in a ballot. Go here. We have some heavy hitters like Lisa Kleypas (oops, we just lost Kristie), Patricia Gaffney and Madeline Hunter mixed with some great new comers like Hope Tarr, Cindy Holby/Colby Hodge and Gena Showalter. The poll ends April 20th so if you need to look at that keeper pile you have some time.

Have fun!

Yet another piece of evidence that my brain is one wacky place to be.

So I might be around or I might be gone just a few more weeks. Yesterday Bob pulled something and I yelled down, 'I'm going to blog about that!'.

Looking For The Passion

So you know I'm in a rut (I've decided to not call it a slump today) but I seem to get my 'romance' fix from TV lately. That said, there aren't too many shows with crazy sexual tension (X-Files) or enough romance. Heck, even LOST has 'lost' some of the romance.

Anyways, I've been watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

I loved the Terminator movie except for the gory parts where I hid behind my hand - hey, I was young at the time. Even though it was an action movie, for me it was a great romance and no, it doesn't end HEA (just in case you've never seen it and you're thinking 'cool! Gotta See!!'). There is a scene in the movie that was so beautiful and then, kapow, some seriously hot kissing followed by really hot sex.

Since, for me, Terminator started with a love story (and with the show, it is clear that years later Sarah still loves the father of her son) I decided I should go on YouTube and see if I can find the scene that has always stayed with me in my mind.

Now, I should say, the ones I found have edited out an important moment in the film where Reese is packing up his gear and avoiding Sarah's eyes after admitting that he didn't travel through time to save the human race, he traveled through time for her. I'm telling you, heart pounding, sigh inducing it was.

Even though I can't find a clean cut of the scene I thought I would post some that I thought were good. Oh, and in case you don't know, the movie was done in the late 80's so that's what's up with the hair.




Of course, the only full version of the scene I can find is in French. Grrr. At about 2:48 start to watch and you can see what I mean about him getting up and walking away. Wish I could find the full English version!



I'm thinking I can thank Kristie for my new Youtube obsession.

It's All Good

Made it through the weekend but then who was worried.

Cody seems much better now that he is on more powerful pain meds. We doped him up yesterday only to worry we had given him a stroke. He was all droopy eyed and dragging his butt around. He perked up again in the afternoon so we figured that the pain meds were making him tired. Today we gave him 1/2 dose at night and then we'll do 1/2 dose in morning and night. Tonight he wasn't as affected but he wasn't in pain either.

Perfect!

Then my best bud out west was having a hell of a day so we ended up on the phone about once an hour - today was much, much better for her. Phew!

My mom came over for dinner tonight which meant we had to clean. Bless Bob cause he was on his hands and knees washing the floors - this with a back that's not quite right. We managed to get the house as de-furred as possible (and got most of the blood from Cody up off the hardwood).

Now I'm trying to relax and I am getting tired which is great but I figured I'd come and bore you all.

Gah. My face is making me crazy! The doc gave me this cream and I use next to none of the stuff on my chin and on my nose. Well. My chin is a friggin mess. I can't tell if I've burned the skin or if I have a billion pimples that are trying to break through to the surface. I told myself I would give it a full month but I worry. Needlessly probably, but when it looks like you have water blisters under your skin, well, I get antsy. I'm hoping it's just pulling a bunch of crap from below and dragging it out.

Fun, eh?

And quickly, I've watched 3 movies this weekend.

Margot Goes To The Wedding - a more worthless piece of crap I have yet to see. If this was a 'day in the life' thing or whatever then I don't get it. Pick a better day.

Eastern Promises - meh. I was expecting more and instead it was all predicable and boring.

Feast of Love - Yeah, check please. I'm done. Another movie that was just 'blah'

Where's the passion? Where's the drama? Where's the cohesive plot with plausible twists and an ending that is surprising? I'm not asking for much.

And that's what's brewing around this side of the park.

How's it in your area?

WooHoo!!! And Pimpin'

I am a survivor!! I still have sniffles and such but I am so much better!

Bob now has it but he is ten times the trouper I am. He plans on going to work today. Course he has been doping himself up with Contact C. That alone lets me know just how bad it is as Bob won't take ONE tylenol for a headache.

So a few things are going on.

1. Nath, Ames and Chantal have opened up a group review site!



Looks like one of their goals is to do joint reviews. I have always enjoyed Nath's, Ame's and Chantal's blogs and their separate reviews. I actually think they read many different books so it will be interesting to find out what three different people think of a book I just might want to buy!

I added the link to the sidebar but I need to have the colour change or make it so you can find it easier. I'm on it!

2. AAR's Annual Reader's Poll is winding down. It's the 15th of February and you have until midnight of the 17th!!! That gives you the weekend to nail down those favs. Just do it for fun! That's what it's all about. To find out what others read and how you matched or didn't.

Click here to get to the ballot and VOTE!!

3. Keishon's back!! I wouldn't have the first clue how to back up my blog so I'm antsy BUT, if you want to read about the TBR Challenge than click here. Like Keishon says, it's totally for fun and for those wanting to play, encouragement is always the way! Also - Keishon will put up a 100 dollar Amazon Gift Certificate that she will draw for for those who do the challenge every month. I don't know about you but that there is some incentive!

With Keishon's permission I might do a monthly reminder the week before TBR Challenge Wednesdays. That way those who are forgetful (ME) will have a week to get a book read. I wonder if I can get my computer to remind me? AND it starts in March so we have a month to organize ourselves.

4. And Karen's blog is also back up!! She watched North and South and Kristie(J) is going to swoon with delight cause she liked it, she really liked it!

All great news! I tell ya, blogs start disappearing and I get antsy so I'm glad they are back and that there are new blogs coming along all the time!

Finally:

This weekend will probably be a laze about kind of weekend if I know what's in store for Bob. The good news is there is plenty of painting that can happen and I'm very pleased with the colour I picked for the hallways and loft of the house - it's called Hiking Trail by CIL but if you look at it on the computer it just looks black. It's a beautiful dark grey with a purple undertone. Gorgeous!

Okay, sickie Bob is up. I must go and be sympathetic.

Poor Bobby.

Round Up

Good news is I decided to blog before taking the sleeping pills tonight.

That last post was a killer on re-read.

This post is just the usual clutter.

I rented something like 7 movies today. I watched two tonight 'The Invasion' and 'The Brave One' so I can return them before midnight tomorrow and get a dollar credit on each. I had to do something after getting nailed with an 8 dollar late fee at Blockbuster. Yeah. That place that no longer has late fees? The sad part was I didn't get around to watching the Prison Break series so I had 4 disks at 2 bucks a pop for late fees.

I'm tellin' ya, they are making a mint off me.

THEN, I had a docs appointment today and all's good in the hood. The lump on my inner thigh is not a tumor like my brain started thinking and is some really deep zit. I was all, can we just drain this thing and she was all 'nah, it'll deflate or it'll blow up and then you might need antibiotics'.

Sounds delightful.

Then I asked to go to a dermatologists cause of the breakouts on my face and instead the doc looked at my face and prescribed a cream. She said family doctors are very good with acne. Yeah? What about anti-aging stuff? You know about that? Cause I got some questions.

She thought that was funny.

Bob came home and wondered about my black eye.

I don't have one but my one eye gets darker when I get sick (I had a black eye as a kid and there is a blue blood vessel that will pop up when I get really sick so it looks like a black eye). I've never 'seen' sick on my face. The only person who seems to notice is my mom but I guess you get to know your kids' face.

This past week is the first time I have seen 'sick' on my face - I was paste white and my eyes were crazy glassy and slightly red. I was looking for little puncture marks on my neck cause I was sure I had finally turned vampire. Would explain the ugly and the body rejecting absolutely everything I've put in it. Hell, I didn't look this bad when I had pneumonia!

And finally - and this is where I am just excited - I started Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh!!

I'm hoping tomorrow will be a sit on my butt day where I finally feel well enough to visit other people.

At least in books.

Bits and Bites

Have you filled out your AAR Reader's Ballot yet? You have another 17 days but I figured I'd give you some fair warning. I filled mine out last weekend when I realized this slump from Beelzebub wasn't going to go away.

It's 5:30am and I'm heading into daywalker territory. No clue. Just weird sleep which I figured would mess with my WW (weight watchers).

I'm going to a weigh in and meeting this morning - they have one at 8am! So I can get that out of the way and go eat some fries with gravy all ready!!

I have pictures on my new camera of the fancy new french doors that my hubby put up last night while I was sleeping. They look awesome except for the fact that everything else needs to be done. Then I guess we'll decide on whether to stain them or paint them. I'm definitely a white trim kind of gal but I have seen dark stained doors with white trim a few times and I'm thinking it looks good. So I have to load in my camera and I'll post some pics.

LOST was finally on. Finally! And I'm more confused than ever but I do so love that. It was great to see them all again and to remember what they have been through. Eight episodes this year. I guess they better get their work on when they writers get back.

On that note, I really, really hate TV shows without a 24 episode season. All those HBO shows would be so much better if they just did more work! I mean really. And if these shows think I'm just going to go and buy their DVDs with their puny 8 episode season they are wrong. I might buy it when every stops caring and the price is a dollar but I'm thinking by then I won't care either.

(I know that LOST only has eight because of the strike but it just triggered that rant)

Eli Stone - what a great opening show. I love the humour of this one and can only hope people will see the charm of it.

Oh!

Last night I watched 3:10 to Yuma.

What a friggin' awesome movie.

I'll qualify that with a background. I grew up with westerns because of my dad and I think I will always love them and since this one was so well done I just can't give it enough high praise. I'll have to ask my dad about the ending - I'm sure he'll have the insight.

Hmmm, my brain just stopped. I think there was more but it's gone.

Not surprised, are ya?

Good Intentions and All That

Tomorrow we are with my mom for the evening and then I have the week to myself.

Okay, I already know I will want to visit my best friend and then there is the WW meeting and stuff. My brain is really working weird lately but I'm working on not being overwhelmed by the small stuff. I'm not really sure how to go about that but I'm really trying.

My intentions for the week are to read everything I need to know about my ebook reader and see what's out there for purchase. Did I mention Bob now wants one?

Bob: You know, that reader is awesome. I want one. What else can you do on it?

Me: It's a reader so you need to be a reader - hence, you need to be like me.

*silence*

Bob: Could I get something like Popular Mechanics on it?

So I don't think Bob will become an avid reader like me but I'm wondering what kind of mischief he'll get into once I find a permanent home (I want a place where it will stay for charging and downloading) for it. The good news is if a website asks for credit card information he backs right out.

Sometimes having a hubby who is a conspiracy theorist works out for me.

My next intention is to work out a 'tag' rule for my posts and possibly go back and re-tag things. I'm worried this might bugger up some of you who have google reader or something that alerts you to new posts. I figure you'll get a sign that says I have 500 new posts. Let me know if that would be a problem or if there is a way that you can click 'already read' so they disappear.

Finally, I started reading Lara Adrian's Kiss of Midnight. I have been carrying the book around with me for a month and a half. Today I took my friend downtown for a doc's appointment and read for an hour and I may be hooked. It's still early and those damn doc's chairs are not conducive to reading. I got up to stretch and move and the lady a few chairs over decided this meant I was ready to stop reading and have a conversation with her. Being the chatty Cathy I am I indulged her.

I know, I'm a sweetie.

Since it's only the opening of the book I think I understand why a certain action was allowed to happen - you need it to basically get the H/H to meet each other. BUT, the hero knows there are Rogue vampires and he allows them to feed (kill and mutilate a man) so they will be easier to kill. At this point I'm wondering exactly who this guy is and why he doesn't even attempt to save the human. Actually, the more I think about it, it's not about humans, it's about keeping his people safe and hidden.

So we'll see how it all plays out but at least I have cracked a book open. If I keep this up I may actually read a book this month.

Comments and Such

Bloggers have mentioned how they will write a post and expect a bunch of comments and get nothing. Then they will post something they consider maybe mundane and get comments out the wazoo.

I'm paraphrasing.

So in the interest of helping those who wonder about why comments are such wily buggers I thought I would tell you how, why and why not I may choose to comment.

You write something brilliant and wait for those comments to come.

I get to your blog and think 'Holy Hell!! It's brilliant!!' I sit and ponder and realize that you have already said everything I could ever think to come up with AND you have done it much better than I.

Much better.

In fact, commenting might let others know a moron visits the site. Best to keep quiet.

You have written a rant and aren't sure what to expect.

I get there and your rant is worthy of an award. Trying not to look like a fangirl by saying 'you rock' (and hey, I have been known to post that when I forget I'm 37 and too old for that) and not having anything that is worth adding, I don't post.

I get there and your rant is wonderful and award worthy and you ask what your reader's think.

Well, hell, that there be an invitation for Cindy to flap her yap. Unless what you ranted about is too intelligent for me to follow and thus, I may lurk to see what others come up with. Screw that you have all read my crazy comments that you are too kind to say 'uh Cindy, apples and oranges dude'.

I get there and your rant is wonderful but I feel differently.

I may comment if I have time or can find the right words. Sometimes the blogger's brilliance is enough for me to keep my yap shut cause 'nah-uh' is not an informative reason for why I don't agree.

You write up a post on your day at work or some weird thing that happened to you while in transit. You figure no one will care.

Pretty much gonna comment. It's not like you asked me a question but what you thought was a mundane post may have caught my funny bone or something in your day triggered a memory that I think you might find funny etc.

Some general rules that I made up in my head about commenting:

If someone else has already said what I was going to say then I usually won't comment.

If the post was on a topic or a book/author I don't know enough about I will probably not comment.

If I read the post and come away with too many thoughts and I can't get them in any sort of order that makes sense, then I may not post. Sometimes I do and wonder if others think a crazy person is stalking them.

I guess this was covered by if I have nothing of value to add to the conversation then I won't comment.

If there are already more than 10 comments and it was a post a few days old I probably won't comment cause everyone else has moved on.

And finally, I sometimes don't have the time to comment and seriously, you guys come up with some crazy intelligent stuff that usually has me scratching my head and realizing I'm out of my league.

Being the stealthy woman I am, I bob and weave to keep you all wondering if I am brilliant or just down right scary.

So, anyone want to share why they sometimes choose to comment or not?

Wack-a-Doo!

I think I'm making a dent in my 'to-do' list which is taking some of the pressure off and I'm looking forward to sitting my arse down and reading already.

Apparently there is 47 days until Christmas.

Hey, panic attacks are my 'thing'.

I got most of the leaf debri out of the pool and Bob will finish closing it on Saturday. On Sunday we have an over night guest coming and I need to get his room as 'pet hair' free as possible. Then I need to clean the 'go-to spots' in the house.

I'm hopeful by Monday the pool will be closed, I know my AAR work will be done (pre-mini-party!!) and I will just have to concentrate on buying gifts and somehow stocking our house with food. I have nothing and have been living on toast and peanut butter for about 2 weeks now.

Oh, part of the problem was Bob needed to pick a company vehicle which would have been fine if they had told us the dollar amount to look for. No, they told us the amount the leasing company would pay after rebates and blah, blah, blah. In other words, the price on the show room floor meant nothing and no one could tell us which vehicles would be in our price range. Add to that it's a fleet vehicle and the sales people scatter (no commission).

So there's two weeks of my life I'll never get back thank you very much.

At least it's on order now and I don't have to wake up, shower and fly out the door to multiple car dealers for the night. Hard to get normal errands done when your sleep doesn't allow for it. I'll post a picture of it when it finally arrives. I think Bob is excited about it and it's something I never thought we could afford and the employees are offered the vehicle after the 100k mark at the buy out so I'm pretty sure we'll buy this one.

Anyways, today I was too wired to go to bed and stayed up until 4pm. Finally crashed and woke up at midnight. Lord only knows what's going to happen next I tell ya but again, can't go out shopping at this time of night.

By Monday I should be back to my old, blogging self and hopefully a bit lighter in the 'holy Mary, I have a ton of crap to get done' department.

I hope you have all been reading great books because I'm going to do the rounds and start buying some books. Hey, I need some sort of a reward before I start buying a ton of gifts for other people!

Now That Wasn't So Bad, Right?

Batshit crazy showed up at 9:30pm on Friday night.

No warning. Just came out of no where. The bitch.

I'm sitting with Bob and suddenly I can't take it anymore, pick up the phone and call my cousin's house praying she answers. She's familiar with Crazy Cindy. Did I think up a reason for calling if my Aunt answered? Nope.

Guess who answered.

Ding, ding. That is correct.

'Uh, hi. How ya doin'?' Blah, Blah 'Are you going to Dad's for dinner tomorrow?' 'Of course.' (Why is it my brain wouldn't accept that 'of course' they would be there. It just wouldn't settle) 'Okay, uh, what time you going to be there?' Blah, blah. 'See ya there! Bye'

I get off the phone and turn to Bob.

Me: 'Do you think I'm getting more crazy?'

Bob: 'No, but that was weird. You knew they would be coming'

Me: 'No, I didn't *know* for sure and I wouldn't have been able to sleep and I would have worried and OMG do you think I need to change my anxiety meds and ...'

Bob: 'Okay, now you're acting crazy'

That conversation happened a few more times over the course of the night. And I was mad at myself for calling and I knew my Aunt would be wondering what I was doing.

Batshit Crazy Cindy don't like people looking at her funny!

So we show up at the time my Aunt said only Bob and I were the only ones. Uh, oh. Bob and I are usually second to last to show up. We go in and I'm fine but 45 minutes later I've decided someone has definitely canceled so I pop two of my anxiety pills. (Supposed to stop anxiety in it's tracks - I wasn't overly anxious at the time but I know to take them about an hour before we eat). Luckily the rest show up - hooray!! And I get to helping my mom with dinner.

We finally get everything done and we sit to eat and I realize uh, I'm loopy. With a capital 'L'! Normally two pills just keep me calm but for some reason these two knocked my on my ass. Again, since my family is known for their wine consumption I figure I just blended in with my bleary eyes. At one point I was sure I was going face down on my plate but nope, I was able to have two helpings instead. Mmmmm, turkey dinner.

Oh and get this. You all know my sleep schedule and I'm not sure what we were talking about but my Aunt turns to me and says 'is that why you called last night? To see what time you had to get up?'

Uhhhhh, YEAH! That's exactly why I called!

And she had a good laugh.

Phew.

So I was definitely mellow and in the end I worried about nothing but that's usually how the monkey on my back works. Bastard.

Next!

Lee, LinnieGayl and I are in the early stages of getting the poll results analyzed so it'll be at least another week of working instead of reading books. I have been carting around a McCarty book every where I go but so far I have read the first paragraph.

Yeah, yeah. Poor Cindy.

And once again I should be awarded the 'Power of Procrastination' because I have yet to close the pool. Every year you guys are riveted by my pool travails I tell ya.

You. Are. Riveted. (Don't burst my lame bubble)

I'm just saying. Be prepared for some stories of frozen blue hands.

Hopefully once the write-ups are done I will further amaze you all with reno pics of the house I'm living in.

It's a disaster zone.

I'm off to shop the internet for unique french doors for my dining room and den. I figure some shopping therapy is definitely called for!

Christmas shopping? Haven't even started. I'm pretty sure the nightmares are only going to get worse.

Any ideas for places online where I can buy something unique and fun?

Play Through!

Good news - our 30 year old concrete pool is not leaking and is all air tight so no crazy money needs to be spent. (I'm talking 10s of thousands)

Bad news - the leak is by the pump and I'm trying to get the company that moved it to come and do the work for free. Yeah. We'll see if that flies but seriously, they did the work wrong.

Good news - the AAR Polls are closed and Lee reports there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So far I'm in the tunnel seeing double. Maybe I'll see two lights soon!

Meh news - I'm edgy because Saturday I'm having a fancy dinner with my parents. If the extended family shows up it's all good in the hood but if it's just 4 of us I'm going to be chewing my panic pills like candy. I could call and find out if any one else is coming but if I know no one else is going to be there I'll start panicking now. I know they were inviting others but I don't know if they are coming. This way I have hope until I must absolutely know.

Anyone want to borrow my crazy for the weekend?

Didn't think so.

Fantabulous news!!!!!!

Bobby called me this morning to tell me that Chapters (Canada's big box book store) has announced they will be reducing prices by 10-20% because of the strength of the Canadian dollar.

YEAH BABY!!!!

It better be closer to 20 % cause some of us live close to the border and can do a hop over to the States!

So, uh, looking for titles to buy cause I suddenly have a burning need to go shopping!!!

Whatcha reading? And can I buy it NOW!! No ARCs need apply.

A Sitch Post

First

AAR AID ENDS by Noon Today

So if you were waiting till the last minute consider this your wake up call!
There is a link to the right, that flashing AAR cube will take you where you need to go.

If you noticed the title on this one you will see the word that Ward uses that grinds through my brain like broken glass.

Anyways, I'm obviously reading Lover Unbound and I"m on page three hundred and something so only like a million and a half pages to go. I'll finish before Christmas. So far nothing about the story has bothered me but I know from spoilers that something big is coming. Maybe having next to no expectations helps.

I'll tell you this much, Ward can weave one hell of a tale. I started the book feeling 'meh' and a chapter in and I was hooked. Hopefully I'll finish the book tonight and then I'm going to go through and read every ones take on it.

Renee, dear reading twin, have you read this one? I would like to read your thoughts if so or were you waiting for mine?

On a completely different front I have a question. Any of you have reading glasses?

I went about a year ago and had my eyes tested and the doc said the peepers were perfect (peepers, tell me I'm not being influenced, true?). Being a prospecting kind of doc he put up these lenses to show me the difference if I got reading glasses. Ohhhh, ahhhhhh, I can see the pretties even better! I asked my obvious question which was, 'would the glasses weaken my eyesight?' He told me no, they would just be like a power boost for my eyes.

The good news is I only need the glasses when I'm reading Ward (the small print is beyond tiny) but I can only read for about two hours and then my eyes start to blur. Right now, I can barely see the computer screen so yeah, I'll apologize now for any wacko things that are in this post.

Hey! I'm partially blinded not deaf and I totally heard that.

If I had to stay up for the next few hours and try to be normal (watch TV, drive) I wouldn't be able to because everything is blurred and almost double.

So if you have reading glasses, does this happen to you? Bobby has worn glasses since he was very young so he doesn't know what it's like to not wear them. I swear my eyes can't breath which I know is stupid but, it's the only way to explain it.

Oh and another wonderful moment? I went to the doc for that rash that popped up on my throat that was like the one on my tummy and was told that the cream I was using had too many steroids for use above the neck. Side effect? Acne.

Oh. My. God.

I'm a pimple person.

The damn rash is gone but the acne is brutal. Here's hoping it passes soon because it's ugly.

And docs know nothing about rashes. Yep. My doc said that even dermatologists don't know rash from rash so I got the 'can't cure it but we can tame it speech'. Of course, other symptoms would mean something but a rash, is just a rash is just a rash.

Wonder what blurred vision would net me. Khidding!

If you haven't been to Ames, she's getting a new puppy! Squeeeeee!!! You have to go check out the teeny tiny little pumpkin of love. She's looking for help with names. So far Esmeralda and Natasha are hitting my brain. Must be in a traditional frame of mind. I wonder if she would like Pumpkin?

All right, that's me for the day. I'll either post my pitiful Top *mumble* list for all to laugh at or I'll have finished Lover Unbound and feel the need to rant or just say 'hey, it worked for me'.

Shout out to the Southern California bloggers - you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

And where the fuck is Mailyn!!!????

Has anyone heard from her?

I just want to know she's still with us. I know she gets into creative surges but I haven't seen anything posted on the blog but maybe she is working on her other sites.

If you hear from her tell her Cindy is thinking of her.

On Tap For The Week

Alrighty then, I managed to survive Thanksgiving with a bit of tummy rumbling but hopefully that part is now past me. Can't really say what causes that kind of upset but Lord ha'mercy, I wish I knew so I could bloody well avoid it. Ugh.

Today was officially the last day of the pool. Bob and I got in and it was very warm out. Problem was, the aforementioned tummy was bothering me and I wasn't quite awake enough to bask in the glory. More like I just wanted to get in and get it over with already. That's how I tend to get after a long weekend.

I just need some me time.

Selfish bitch that I am.

The great news (which is not at all like me because I hate rain) it's supposed to piss rain for the next week. I'm telling ya, the stars have finally aligned! Can you really feel all that guilty about not being outside when it's miserable? Hell no! Thus, reading is a perfectly logical activity to those who would like to assail me with other plans.

I'm very excited.

I'm wondering if I could read more than two books this week. I mean, Anne Stuart will be done by tomorrow night cause I'm ripping into that one tomorrow at the crack of my eyelashes. Yeah baby!

Then Lover Unbound which is HUGE and will take me much longer than normal people to read. So maybe I'll get that one done by Friday. I'm a little worried by those who didn't really think of this book as a romance.

I WANT A ROMANCE!!!

Okay, I want to read a ton of romances. All wonderful and angsty and sensually sexy. You know, not too much pressure.

I'm tempted to just go and read all the spoilers and then count it as read. Bad Cindy. No cheating with that 20 books to read goal.

I'm glad I made that list of books there a few weeks ago because I'm blanking on what else to read.

OH! Singh's latest is out in an Anthology so I should see if it's at my local bookstore yet.

Mini-squee!!

Another thing I need to do is maybe buy one of those flash drives. Bob has now taken down a second wall in the house. Super cool let me tell you. I would post pics but I'm on the laptop and the pictures are on my PC and I'm thinking there has to be an easier way.

So be prepared for some 'before' and 'OMGBobwhathaveyoudone!' pics. Nah, it's all good but there isn't a room in the house that is safe from Bob. Since Bob is an Aries I see a melt down in his sorta near future.

He claims he's fine but Bob is not one for visual clutter and seeing as how he can't stand my painting supplies being out for more than a few hours without saying 'when are you gonna be done?' I'm figuring it's only a matter of time before he looks around and freaks out.

I'll try to get it on video.

Hey, I'm sympathetic but I didn't tear all the walls down. Thus, fun blog fodder should soon commence.

Poor guy.

Totally oblivious to what about to come.

Bad Cindy

Sorry, the last few days have flown by.

No books read.

Lots of new TV shows that I've been watching when I'm up and about.

I think I finally found my sleep mojo yesterday. The fall weather is here and it seems to agree with me. That said, the next week is fairly mild - mid 20s so we're getting the pool ready just in case.

For the Canadians, can you believe that Thanksgiving is next weekend!! I'm not sure the apples are ready for me to make pie with but I'll at least try to make one for dessert.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Top 100 Romances poll at AAR and I have to admit I'm a little afraid.

As an aside, I have told you guys before about how I watch real life murder mysteries. I'm a person who is easily upset by violence and some of these shows have been horrifying in showing me the darkest side of humanity. I'm currently watching a 48 Hour Mystery about a wife who is on trial for killing and dismembering her husband. What is drawing me is the wife has done video diaries while on trial and I'm pulled by the fact that I know I'm watching not only a liar but a murderer. Watching this person try to force tears is painfully ridiculous and I'm sometimes surprised by the sheer audacity of those who have committed murder. It's like they really believe that the rest of us are stupid. The evidence is so overwhelming but this woman seals her fate just by her act. They show video of her wedding and I'm watching it and thinking 'what a complete actress'.

I recently saw another show where a man was up on murder who took the stand. It was so obvious this guy thought he could charm everyone it was shocking. This guy truly believes that others can't see the very real person he is. Scary.

Onwards.

House is cleaner as I'm taking it in smaller chunks. I keep this up and I may just have the entire house clean by the end of the week.

Bob did all the laundry so now I just have to get it all put away but that's for tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to sleeping today as the last few days I've had to set the alarm and get up. Tomorrow it's all good.

I probably shouldn't have said that. Whenever I think I'm free to be me, something pops up and I'm up at some horrible hour that's painful. Ugh.

Hope you are all reading something fabulous. I'm still adding books to that list of books to be read before the end of the year.

Now I just have to READ!!

Lazy Days

Well, really, what else kind of days do I normally have? All the same today was a nice, easy relaxing day.

I'm starting to stay up later and will soon be back on nights. It's a weird fear I have of going to bed and not being able to sleep so I stay up until my eyes burn so we're looking at 3:30 am right about now. By Saturday I'll probably be back in my nocturnal pattern.

So I went to bed last night thinking today would just be indulgent because no one was expecting me and Bob was at work so I could just veg. Imagine my surprise when I decided to answer the phone (yes, if you call my house 10 to 1 you'll be talking to a machine cause I don't answer to no master. Yeah, yeah, it's because I'm too lazy to run to the phone to catch it in time) at 11:15am to find that Bob was taking lunch and wanted me to get up and go out with him.

All Right!!

So I was showered and prepped when he got home and he took me to Paris.

Paris, Ontario.

Now it ain't much but he wanted to take me to a little restaurant that had a back deck looking over the Grand River (which is low now cause no rain). I love water and eating by water is just a dream for me. One of my favourite places is a restaurant in Huntsville, Ontario (I've been going to Huntsville since early childhood so I get weepy whenever I go but I just love it there) that has a gazebo hanging over the river. Today I may have found a place 3 hours closer to home which is peaches because I haven't been to Huntsville in years but I'll happily hit Paris.

The food wasn't great and they didn't have potatoes on the menu and well, I need potatoes for a meal to reach even a remote chance of getting a good review.

Hey! On that note, what is with the salads that look like someone went into my backyard and started plucking whatever was growing. Uh, yeah. Half the salad on my plate looked like weeds I had pulled from my garden and after a few bites I was done. I never used to eat salad because when I was young all salads were made with lettuce - okay there's a name but I can't remember. I hated salads with a passion. Then I discovered Caesar salads and thought it was a good compromise. Until Bob told me I might as well order the french fries if I was going to eat a Caesar. Since mama didn't raise no fool I bloody well ate the fries. Then I decided to use romaine lettuce in a normal salad. I'm telling you a beam of light struck. I could eat salad all day long as long as it's made with romaine. Anything else and you might as well put a plate of twigs in front of me.

You still here?

I know. Where half the crap in my brain comes from I'll never know.

Onwards!

Then Bob just hung out and we had a nap. He made himself something for dinner because I've been feeling sick to my stomach (okay, why do I always spell stomach with an e at the end? Is that Canadian? Spell checker makes me wonder if I know what I think I know - yeah, it's like that!) around dinner hour so I tend to scram. I ended up going out and getting fries and chicken nuggets. Yeah. Not proud.

The next few days in my neck of the woods are supposed to become HOT. I'm hoping it's true (can't trust those weather people) so I can get in for my final swim of the season. Like I said before, if I had known the last time I was in the pool was the LAST time in the pool for the year, I would have basked in it a little more.

So here's hoping.

Oh and Bob can't afford for me to be up during the day. I spent 500 bucks in two days. Normally I couldn't do that kind of damage cause stores are closed but oooops! 200 was spent on my Godkids back to school stuff and the rest was spent on two pairs of Nike shoes (I'm going to see if I can return a pair because there is a joint that's painful and for a hundred bucks they should feel like angel wings on my feet) and a heart rate monitor for when you are working out. Since I only buy sneaks about once every three years I'm okay with the money but still, it was a shock when she rang it up. As for the heart rate thingie, I have one but it stopped working thus, a new one needed to be purchased.

Hmmm, I've been very good about not googling 'overheating while working out' but I'm extremely tempted to see if there is a solution.

As to other things did you hear about this?

I could totally see it if he was on a romance reading binge but computer games?

Oooooh, Scrabble just popped up, gotta go!

Am I Still A Reader?

When is a slump not a slump?

When I first started reading romance I couldn't really afford to buy many but I did borrow from the library. I seem to recall easily reading three books in a week. Now I didn't do that during school because I knew myself enough to know I would pick reading a romance over reading my history text book and I already had enough procrastination issues.

So I remember my summers off from university as very much romance reading packed. I used to get annoyed because I would have to go in to work and all I wanted to do was sit and finish my book. I remember laying on my bed for hours and reading well into the night - Hey! Does that mean I can blame romance books for my nocturnal ways? Nah. That's pushing it. - I didn't know I was a slow reader at the time, I thought every one took a good eight hours to finish a typical book.

The Kinsales that I read back then nearly did me in time wise!

Then I got out of university, and landed my first full-time job which turned out to be a nightmare of epic proportions. During this nightmare I met and fell in love with Bob. Why he fell in love with a weepy mess of a woman I'll never know but I'm grateful! I cried all the way into work and all the way home and reading time? Forget it. I barely had time to eat with Bob before I had to go home and crawl into bed so I could get up at 5:45 in the morning.

Every spare minute of my weekends were spent with Bob. I'm not sure if I told you guys this but my parents refused to meet him the entire first year we dated. Bob was still married although he and Sue had filed for divorce, he was 12 years my senior and my boss (for a time). My mother said it was her Catholic nature that wouldn't allow him to come into her house (I don't know, something about divorce). Amazingly I hadn't seen anything Catholic about her in my 23 years but okay. So basically, I woke up, showered and left the house and didn't come home until I was ready for bed.

Also, not so much time to read when you are being courted ;)

Finally a year and a half after meeting we got married and we started our life together.

Anyone who tells you the first year of marriage is bliss is LYING!!

Having never slept in the same bed as someone else, I was shocked to find this very big heat sink rolling over every ten minutes onto what should have been my side of the bed. I barely slept for the first three months of marriage and no, it wasn't for a good reason! Then there was the worry that I wasn't a good wife. Luckily I outgrew that. Poor Bob.

Anyways, I hadn't read a romance in about 2 years when I finally found time to pick up a book again. I didn't have as much time to read as I did when on summer break but I probably read a book a week in between work and home. I think also, I am more mobile than when I was younger. Bob and I like to get out and go shopping and sometimes we go out for an hour, come home for an hour and then out for another 3 hours and then home.

Then the panic attacks got out of control and I couldn't sit still because I was always thinking that I should be forcing myself out of the house. That was three years of whoop-de-doo and I only read auto buy authors during that time. I had also discovered AAR and if a book got lots of buzz I would pick it up usually to a good result. Still, maybe a book every three weeks.

Then the slump hit and I'm pretty sure I didn't read anything except Anne Stuart and Suzanne Brockmann, oh, LKH and Janet Evanovich for two years. Nobody else. So Stuart and Brockmann maybe have 4 books released in a year, and LKH and Evanovich had one each about? So 6 books in a year. Yikes.

So how is it, 18 years after reading my first romance book I feel like I shouldn't be allowed to call myself an avid reader anymore?

I'm definitely above 6 books a year so it's not like I'm at my worst. (In all honesty, I'm glad that I had someplace like AAR to go to because it was there that I found out there were such things as slumps. I mean, if I hadn't had a word to put to what was happening I'm not sure I would have done well)

I think part of my problem is I go to the 16' romance section and while browsing the books I'm thinking 'have it, read it, read her and ain't going there again, never heard of her, really bad grade at AAR, I know the name but was the book panned or recommended by bloggers?'

I definitely have a 'been there, done that' kind of feeling when I go to the bookstore nowadays. Nothing like when I first started reading and the bookstore had maybe a 4' section of romance books. Every book was shiny and new and a potentially great book. Now I have had my share of 'meh' books and 'crap, I really wish the author hadn't done that' books and then there are the authors who decided to move on.

Maybe I've become jaded. Maybe it's a world of too many options.

How can I walk into a bookstore with the biggest selection of romances available and find nothing new that peaks my interest? Why am I not making the time to sit and read instead of plunking myself in front of the TV to watch the latest and greatest? Course, I'm having a hard time sitting still for any length of time lately so half hour shows on the DVR keep me amused for a length of time before I have to pop up and do something my brain won't stop going on about.

On that note, I have been renting movies and then not watching them which is not like me either.

Hmmmm.

I don't know. I thought maybe my readership card needed to be revoked but maybe something else is going on. Let's hope I figure this out so I can sit and read like the book lover I truly believe I am! I mean, if I'm not a romance reader, then what the hell am I?

Bagged - The Dark Highlander

Not sure how much sense this post will make - I've been up since 3:30am and it's now 8pm.

Bob had to go to Montreal so I've been staying awake to get his calls. I like to know when he gets to the hotel and we'll talk on the phone while he is on the train. (Remember, he no longer flies - he learned from me that I will never fly and he decided he could live life the same way. I don't fly because of good old fear - Bob used to take planes but I think he thought it was a mandatory part of life - not so my friend - I told him this on our first date - I got all my crap on the table so he would know what he was getting into) Anyways, I'm going to crash in the next little bit but thought I would give you a brief update.

Brief.

Yeah, right.

I bought booties for Cody's paws yesterday because he's been climbing the walls and it's way too cold for him to be out without protection on his wee paws. Sure enough today he is not himself (has been sleeping like a baby all day and limping a bit) so we didn't venture out. I'm a little worried that now that he has slept all day he is going to keep me up all night. Oy!

I decided to try a new to me author from my TBR pile and discovered a dud.

I picked up The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning.

Are you ready for this?

I stopped at page 36 because I thought my head was going to explode - not from rage, just from sheer 'you have got to be kidding me' shit.

1. The hero is from the past and has a Scottish brogue with all the 'Och and lass' words swirling around him. Blergh.

2. The book opens from a woman's point of view who is not the heroine but the current bed partner of the hero. You know that he is all man and lust inducing but you know, scary. Yep, this scary man calls her 'lassie'. Double Blergh.

3. The heroine finally shows up and she is obsessed in a very bad way with all ancient artifacts. There is some back story about her Scottish grandfather and such.

Oh, oh, I forgot to mention that the hero catches a glimpse of her getting out of a cab and thinks 'She was the kind a man kept'. Yak.

4. And here is where I decided this book was definitely not about to get better. This obsessed heroine gets distracted by all the flashy artifacts in the hero's house while he is not home. She basically ransacks the place (not really) in her eagerness to look at all his loot and goes into the man's bedroom and climbs under his bed (where he has hidden stolen books - don't ask). At this point the author has made her character so unappealing to me because at that moment all I can think is that she deserves anything that is coming her way. I can't think of anyone who would act in such a manner and yet, the author has decided I would believe this woman has not a wit of sense or for that matter has any clue about personal boundaries. Yetch. Sure enough the hero finds her and drags her out and has to tie her to the massive bed to keep her from telling on him.

I dropped the book when the next scene opened with the hero thinking 'She was the kind a man kept'.

I don't think there is enough money in the world to tempt me into finishing this book.

Feel free to make offers though.