With RWA running this week and weekend I figured nobody would miss me if I was too busy to post and well, I was!
My Dad is home from Malaysia so we were there Saturday night for a BBQ and then last night (Sunday) Bob and I took the family out for dinner at Boston Pizza. Sure I had to chew some panic pills but I did it and I'm bloody proud of myself! (small note to newbies - I have panic attacks and my biggest triggers are my parents and food so restaurants with parents in tow are dangerous places for me).
Today was the first Cindy day in about 14 days. Poor Bob had to go back to being a working man after his one week vacation. I told him I didn't get enough Bobby time (he put up fencing and is still custom building wood sections which take about 2-3 hours just to build) so I want him to take a week off in August so we can do day trips and hopefully spend time by the pool and hide from people. Yeah. Sometimes I just want it to be Bob and I and I'm spoiled rotten most of the time so I know I'll get my Cindy week with Bob yet!
I'm going to post a few before and after pics here of the backyard. Keep in mind that Bob did most of the fencing by himself and fencing is usually a two - three man job. Thing is, Bob rarely quits when he's on a roll. I'm also hoping by the mid point of August he'll be closer to finishing up at his family's home.
This week I should get some reading done for sure. Okay, I have Dad to visit and make sure he gets plenty of family time but I can't see why I can't pull out a book every once in a while.
We (most of Southern Ontario) are hoping that we do get the promised heat wave this week cause I so want to go swimming more often. I dove in tonight and swam for bear/bare (?) to warm up. It's the time after (the past two hours) that you sit with a chill all over. Bob just got up to go to bed and mumbled that he is freezing. Yeah, me too!
Dang I was going to load photos but there are every where in my computer and I have one spot where there are no previews so you end up having to go through hoops and I'm not in the mood to jump.
And finally, there is no food in the house.
Sure, there are crackers but no peanut butter. There's bread but no PB, meat, etc. There is not one potato in this house (I'm a potato addict and not having any in the house is making me queasy with hunger), I drank the last coke hours ago and the stuff I did find had mold starting. So I found a lonely frozen dinner in the back of the freezer and I'm heating it up. I told Bob we had to go food shopping tonight but he was tired after a day at work.
So he's sleeping and I'm up like normal and starving. The things I do for love.
And no, I'm not heading to McDs or anything although I'm dying to just so I can stop thinking about food!
I'm in my jammies and lazy to boot so no going out at 2am for me.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Cooling the Jets
I've been scrolling through a bit of the RWA coverage (AAR and Kristie J's so far) and figure most of you will be busy catching up for the week so rambling will now commence.
Did you know painting your own toe nails is hard?
I had no clue. I don't normally polish cause I have that 'Oh, shiny!' factor and get distracted by my own hands. The feet however are fun to catch every once in a while but I've only ever had it done at the spa (one time). For two weeks I would be doing something and would catch a colour out of the corner of my eye and see my toes. Stupid stuff makes me smile so yeah, I would smile.
So my Gorgeous Cousin came to stay overnight with Bob and I and shopping was done in the extreme.
Side Trip!
My cousin can shop. OMG can this girl shop. Even as a teenager and young adult I could not have done the kind of shopping my cousin can do. She will shop an entire mall and then decide what she wants to buy. Me? I buy stuff as I see it. So halfway through everything I'm the only person who has dropped some major coin. Grrr.
Poor Bob decided to come with us (I told him he could stay home and continue building the fence but he chose to come) and the poor guy would find a chair in the mall and fall asleep only to have us poke him awake to move on to the next set of chairs. Geez, he even got two new shirts without moving out of those chairs!
Then he followed us into a few stores because he had had a good snooze and discovered what shopping with women can be truly like. Gorgeous Cousin finds 12 things to try on and then comes out to pose while I laugh and point, thumb up or OMG NOOOOOO! her. Bob was quite impressed and asked if his job was to give the thumbs up. I asked him how old he was (51) and told him he had no business telling a young woman what she could wear. He agreed.
OMG - Train of thought off the track, run for your lives!!
Can you say 1980's? Every where I looked were the clothes that I shopped for when I was a teenager. Seeing my 23 year old cousin get all excited about stuff I have seen before and was terrified of has put a new spin on my getting old. I just never thought the 80's fashion would come back in style. I actually grabbed a dress and put it over my head and sang Love is a Battlefield cause seriously, it was the dress! Obviously, my cousin didn't know what to make of me.
Even if I were a skinny mini (I wish), I wouldn't wear the stuff again.
Back to the side trip:
On the way out of the mall (stores were closing all around us) Bob keeps on with lines like 'I'm not sure I can make it, I've aged years while being in here!' and 'you tried on 43 outfits and you didn't buy anything!?' get outside 'Holy crap, the seasons have changed while we've been in there.' and continuous witty comments ad nauseum.
Dang, I'm so off topic - what I was planning to say was that my cousin has worn polish on her hands and feet since she could wield one of those little brushes. So like, 5 years old.
Okay, how'd we do? Everyone still conscious?
I have a bit of a head ache so we'll list that as a side effect of reading the above. Ooops, should have put that in first, ah well, we'll take some Tylenol together.
Let's get this cart back on the path already!
I don't like most nail polish colours. Bright red? Forget it. Pink? Ugh. I tell my cousin I'm looking for something with a hint of purple in it. She intreprets this to mean PURPLE. Yikes. I thought her head was going to explode while I hummed and hawed over the colours but I finally picked one. (I think I'm more in the brown tones)
My big toe looks like an anvil was dropped on it.
Me, thinking it would take about 10 seconds to put on some polish learned the hard way that that shit has a mind of it's own! So I was able to wipe most of it off but it's all in around the edge of the nail and on my toe.
It looks like a dead zombie toe. Course, my cousin has gone home and I have no one (and no I'm not asking Bob) to put the polish on.
Can you tell I learn on a curve?
Onwards!!
Purse Porn for Ames:
You got me with your latest purchase and I had to find the perfect purse for my wallet, keys and a book without it looking like a purse (cause I feel like I'm playing dress up and everyone knows).
The pictures aren't doing the bag any justice so go here to see it professionally photographed in all it's cuddly goodness.
The leather is like budda!
And it came with it's own cozy sweater that is called a dust jacket for when the purse isn't in use!
Seriously. That's just too funny.
So my keys, wallet and a book will fit nicely and maybe I won't forget any one thing while out shopping like I did last week.
Did you know painting your own toe nails is hard?
I had no clue. I don't normally polish cause I have that 'Oh, shiny!' factor and get distracted by my own hands. The feet however are fun to catch every once in a while but I've only ever had it done at the spa (one time). For two weeks I would be doing something and would catch a colour out of the corner of my eye and see my toes. Stupid stuff makes me smile so yeah, I would smile.
So my Gorgeous Cousin came to stay overnight with Bob and I and shopping was done in the extreme.
Side Trip!
My cousin can shop. OMG can this girl shop. Even as a teenager and young adult I could not have done the kind of shopping my cousin can do. She will shop an entire mall and then decide what she wants to buy. Me? I buy stuff as I see it. So halfway through everything I'm the only person who has dropped some major coin. Grrr.
Poor Bob decided to come with us (I told him he could stay home and continue building the fence but he chose to come) and the poor guy would find a chair in the mall and fall asleep only to have us poke him awake to move on to the next set of chairs. Geez, he even got two new shirts without moving out of those chairs!
Then he followed us into a few stores because he had had a good snooze and discovered what shopping with women can be truly like. Gorgeous Cousin finds 12 things to try on and then comes out to pose while I laugh and point, thumb up or OMG NOOOOOO! her. Bob was quite impressed and asked if his job was to give the thumbs up. I asked him how old he was (51) and told him he had no business telling a young woman what she could wear. He agreed.
OMG - Train of thought off the track, run for your lives!!
Can you say 1980's? Every where I looked were the clothes that I shopped for when I was a teenager. Seeing my 23 year old cousin get all excited about stuff I have seen before and was terrified of has put a new spin on my getting old. I just never thought the 80's fashion would come back in style. I actually grabbed a dress and put it over my head and sang Love is a Battlefield cause seriously, it was the dress! Obviously, my cousin didn't know what to make of me.
Even if I were a skinny mini (I wish), I wouldn't wear the stuff again.
Back to the side trip:
On the way out of the mall (stores were closing all around us) Bob keeps on with lines like 'I'm not sure I can make it, I've aged years while being in here!' and 'you tried on 43 outfits and you didn't buy anything!?' get outside 'Holy crap, the seasons have changed while we've been in there.' and continuous witty comments ad nauseum.
Dang, I'm so off topic - what I was planning to say was that my cousin has worn polish on her hands and feet since she could wield one of those little brushes. So like, 5 years old.
Okay, how'd we do? Everyone still conscious?
I have a bit of a head ache so we'll list that as a side effect of reading the above. Ooops, should have put that in first, ah well, we'll take some Tylenol together.
Let's get this cart back on the path already!
I don't like most nail polish colours. Bright red? Forget it. Pink? Ugh. I tell my cousin I'm looking for something with a hint of purple in it. She intreprets this to mean PURPLE. Yikes. I thought her head was going to explode while I hummed and hawed over the colours but I finally picked one. (I think I'm more in the brown tones)
My big toe looks like an anvil was dropped on it.
Me, thinking it would take about 10 seconds to put on some polish learned the hard way that that shit has a mind of it's own! So I was able to wipe most of it off but it's all in around the edge of the nail and on my toe.
It looks like a dead zombie toe. Course, my cousin has gone home and I have no one (and no I'm not asking Bob) to put the polish on.
Can you tell I learn on a curve?
Onwards!!
Purse Porn for Ames:
You got me with your latest purchase and I had to find the perfect purse for my wallet, keys and a book without it looking like a purse (cause I feel like I'm playing dress up and everyone knows).
The pictures aren't doing the bag any justice so go here to see it professionally photographed in all it's cuddly goodness.
The leather is like budda!
And it came with it's own cozy sweater that is called a dust jacket for when the purse isn't in use!
Seriously. That's just too funny.
So my keys, wallet and a book will fit nicely and maybe I won't forget any one thing while out shopping like I did last week.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Vacation!
Bob's off this week and I have already inked in my 'Bobby time'.
See, he's putting up a fence and then I told him to go help my Mom with some stuff and then my Gorgeous Cousin is off this week also and wants to get together and then....
HE'S MINE!
Yes, I'm a wee bit feral on this point.
The weather is holding up but it's cool again, as in the pool should be 83 so that I don't jump from cold air into colder water. Seriously, I have a pool heater for a reason and this brisk summer is the exact reason for it!
Oh, I cooked dinner tonight too!
I know I'm shocked also but then I really just threw some frozen burgers on the grill with some hot dogs, boiled up some Ontario potatoes (crack as I like to call 'em) and tossed a pre-packed Caesar salad that I add tons of bacon bits and croutons to. And some pepper/onion pack for the BBQ that was new at the store. I was the only one who at the veggie stuff so I'm guessing that part wasn't a hit.
I finished the book and I have the Great Book Blues.
Yep, I'm having a tough time breaking from Singh's world as there are a few characters I want to see stories for TODAY.
Ahem.
I'm fine.
No really, I'll figure this one out.
I just don't think massive reading will get done this week but I can still try, right!
I put an exclamation point on that sentence to see if I could get my sorry butt to pick a book to read.
Not working.
The GBB's suck when you don't have 17 more books in the series to grab at.
Just saying.
See, he's putting up a fence and then I told him to go help my Mom with some stuff and then my Gorgeous Cousin is off this week also and wants to get together and then....
HE'S MINE!
Yes, I'm a wee bit feral on this point.
The weather is holding up but it's cool again, as in the pool should be 83 so that I don't jump from cold air into colder water. Seriously, I have a pool heater for a reason and this brisk summer is the exact reason for it!
Oh, I cooked dinner tonight too!
I know I'm shocked also but then I really just threw some frozen burgers on the grill with some hot dogs, boiled up some Ontario potatoes (crack as I like to call 'em) and tossed a pre-packed Caesar salad that I add tons of bacon bits and croutons to. And some pepper/onion pack for the BBQ that was new at the store. I was the only one who at the veggie stuff so I'm guessing that part wasn't a hit.
I finished the book and I have the Great Book Blues.
Yep, I'm having a tough time breaking from Singh's world as there are a few characters I want to see stories for TODAY.
Ahem.
I'm fine.
No really, I'll figure this one out.
I just don't think massive reading will get done this week but I can still try, right!
I put an exclamation point on that sentence to see if I could get my sorry butt to pick a book to read.
Not working.
The GBB's suck when you don't have 17 more books in the series to grab at.
Just saying.
Friday, July 10, 2009
In Just A Minute
So many things going on you lose track of time.
1. I finished the book and will have a joint review up with Nath at Breezing Through as soon as we write it. Aside: I'm so excited to write a buddy review as I've never done one and hey, I get to be a guest over at BT!!
2. You think I'm a slow reader, you should see how long a review takes to write!
3. I have no idea where the week went.
4. I think I have a video of Emma that I can upload for ya. If you haven't seen her in her new 'cropped' look be prepared to laugh.
5. One of my best buds is coming for a visit and I haven't cleaned the house. Like, at all.
6. My sleep is weird. I'm going to bed at 5am and waking up before noon. That's just not right. Then I wake up tired and spend hours sleepy but I can't fall asleep. Jacked up is what that is.
7. Bob's off on vacation next week so we'll see how my reading goes. Although if you know me you know I'm in the GBB (hint to my grade for the review but if you don't know what GBB means you'll have to wait)
8. Oh, and since you know Bob you probably won't be surprised by how many projects he has on the go. Helping at his brother's house (I can show you a video of where they are at) building the apartment they need to rent, putting up fence at our house, plans to rip off existing deck and build a new one and my favourite - an ensuite bath. The ensuite bath thingie means I have a bathroom I can't use but there is no progress as Bob is working outdoors at the moment.
The more I think about it the more I realize this could become a separate blog post so I'll leave it at that for now.
8. You poor bastards, I do have a video of Em!
1. I finished the book and will have a joint review up with Nath at Breezing Through as soon as we write it. Aside: I'm so excited to write a buddy review as I've never done one and hey, I get to be a guest over at BT!!
2. You think I'm a slow reader, you should see how long a review takes to write!
3. I have no idea where the week went.
4. I think I have a video of Emma that I can upload for ya. If you haven't seen her in her new 'cropped' look be prepared to laugh.
5. One of my best buds is coming for a visit and I haven't cleaned the house. Like, at all.
6. My sleep is weird. I'm going to bed at 5am and waking up before noon. That's just not right. Then I wake up tired and spend hours sleepy but I can't fall asleep. Jacked up is what that is.
7. Bob's off on vacation next week so we'll see how my reading goes. Although if you know me you know I'm in the GBB (hint to my grade for the review but if you don't know what GBB means you'll have to wait)
8. Oh, and since you know Bob you probably won't be surprised by how many projects he has on the go. Helping at his brother's house (I can show you a video of where they are at) building the apartment they need to rent, putting up fence at our house, plans to rip off existing deck and build a new one and my favourite - an ensuite bath. The ensuite bath thingie means I have a bathroom I can't use but there is no progress as Bob is working outdoors at the moment.
The more I think about it the more I realize this could become a separate blog post so I'll leave it at that for now.
8. You poor bastards, I do have a video of Em!
Friday, July 03, 2009
Bruce Willis Baby!
Why are you all messing with me?
Why was I not alerted to the next hottest movie starring my Bruce?
Not only does it star Bruce Willis, it's like a sci-fi movie. Matrix on crack if you will.
SURROGATES trailer in HD
Just a little summa-summin.
Back to reading. Shhhhhh.
Why was I not alerted to the next hottest movie starring my Bruce?
Not only does it star Bruce Willis, it's like a sci-fi movie. Matrix on crack if you will.
SURROGATES trailer in HD
Just a little summa-summin.
Back to reading. Shhhhhh.
SQA - WHEEEEEE!
Edit: THEY HAVE ARRIVED!!!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!
I didn't want to say anything on Wednesday but uh, yeah, Amazon.ca had Branded by Fire showing as IN STOCK!!
I was floored so what did I do? I bought 40 bucks worth of books to fill out an order and bloody hell, it shipped today and if I'm really lucky it'll be here tomorrow!!
Loretta Chase is a hit or miss author for me. While she has written one of my favourite romances of all time - Mr. Impossible, she's also written Miss Wonderful and Lord Perfect - ow, ow. Still, I'll keep coming back hoping for another hit hence, Don't Tempt Me.
Meredith Duran's Bound by Your Touch is a book I have only heard good things about and hey, it was also in stock so one easy click and it was in the online basket.
What Happens In London by Julia Quinn also fell into the virtual cart but this is another hit or miss author with me. I'm not a lover of the title but I think it's because it's contemporary - course, maybe the book is contemporary - yeah, I don't normally read back blurbs. Still, I was able to buy this one despite the title (amazing how that 39 bucks and it ships free can work out).And, of course, I have to mention Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh. I love this author and have been waiting too long for this one. Sure enough, after ordering the book online on Canada Day (Wednesday stores were closed) I checked stock at my local bookstore late tonight and they now have 38 copies.
So yes, I will admit it to one and all, if I don't have a book package in the mail tomorrow I will end up at the bookstore to buy Branded by Fire. I'm not proud of my inability to suppress my 'gotta have it now' impulse but obviously I'm not horribly shamed by it either.Where I know I'm crazy is that I won't actually have any reading time until Sunday night when Bob has to leave on business. Reading palooza begins immediately afterwards, which is why I will have the book in the house on Sunday night even though the mail might not show until Monday morning.
Bad Cindy.
But I'll have the book.
And in my brain that makes all things equal.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Reviews and Different Media
I know book reviews are often discussed, yelled about and eventually sobbed about in romance circles. I find it such an odd occurrence but then I was watching movies long before I became a romance reader.
How does this relate?
I don't know how it works in other countries but here in Canada, if a movie reviewer pans a movie as the most horrid thing to have ever been made for the big screen, I know I have to get my ass to the film as soon as possible. In fact, if a movie that I have been really looking forward to gets a good review from any of the Canadian media I'm almost beside myself with disappointment.
Most sci-fi movies before now have been panned by movie media and I smile knowing I'm in for a treat. I'm pretty sure I've seen horrid reviews for all the Indiana Jones movies including the one with Sean Connery and have been personally insulted by the idea that a viewer would have to be a moron to enjoy such films.
I learned early on with movie reviews that the reviewers were looking for something in the film that I myself was not the least bit interested in. The Oscars only furthered this conclusion with such winners as Fargo (hated the film), American Beauty (seriously, the whole film was ridiculous) and The English Patient (bleck). Also, if anyone can explain to me the meaning of the movie The Virgin Suicides, I would greatly appreciate it.
Onwards!
So, seeing today's Yahoo story on the most recent Transformers movie made me laugh.
Now for some honesty, I didn't care for the first Transformer movie and thought it was quite juvenile and since it is about toys that were created for young boys back in the 80's I understood my 'meh' feeling about the film.
Silly me now thinks I have to see this sequel.
But I'll wait until it's out on DVD, just in case.
I do have to say however, that I think movie reviewing has finally started to change over the past few years. Not all critics aren't looking for that artsy fartsy film that'll make me gag (although they still love those things) to fall all over. New reviewers are popping up here and there, probably sick of the blood bath of normal movie reviews, and adding in a voice of the person who is just looking for a grand time at the movies.
I just don't need a moral lesson from every film I watch, in fact, I would prefer not getting any kind of lesson from a film!
Still, it takes some getting used to, for example, the latest Star Trek movie received great reviews from critics and I almost fell to my knees in horror. What saved me was that normal everyday people were also saying it was a great movie and thankfully it was a great movie.
How does this relate to romance books and their reviews?
Good question. You know me and how my train of thought unravels in mid---
Basically, romance reviews years back were the complete opposite of how movies were reviewed. I remember the first time I saw reviews for romance books and was surprised at just how many were 'gems' and 'perfect reads'. A few purchases later I discovered that romance book reviews were not to be trusted.
Please keep in mind this was the mid-90s before blowing your load in the comments. Just saying.
We've come a long way in regards to reviews for romance books.
There's that dark part of me that wants to do a test like the movie one above. How many positive reviews are written for a book that most people think is horrid or even how many 'OMG NOOOO' reviews are written for a book that sells like hotcakes. (and how well do hotcakes sell?)
Keep in mind it's a statistical thing in that out of 100 reviews 93 were rave reviews or whatever, we all know a review is only one person's opinion but group 100 together and you have some information to draw from.
Okay, I'm boring myself now.
Thoughts, rants, name calling?
Damn, I lost you at the word 'review' didn't I?
I knew it.
How does this relate?
I don't know how it works in other countries but here in Canada, if a movie reviewer pans a movie as the most horrid thing to have ever been made for the big screen, I know I have to get my ass to the film as soon as possible. In fact, if a movie that I have been really looking forward to gets a good review from any of the Canadian media I'm almost beside myself with disappointment.
Most sci-fi movies before now have been panned by movie media and I smile knowing I'm in for a treat. I'm pretty sure I've seen horrid reviews for all the Indiana Jones movies including the one with Sean Connery and have been personally insulted by the idea that a viewer would have to be a moron to enjoy such films.
I learned early on with movie reviews that the reviewers were looking for something in the film that I myself was not the least bit interested in. The Oscars only furthered this conclusion with such winners as Fargo (hated the film), American Beauty (seriously, the whole film was ridiculous) and The English Patient (bleck). Also, if anyone can explain to me the meaning of the movie The Virgin Suicides, I would greatly appreciate it.
Onwards!
So, seeing today's Yahoo story on the most recent Transformers movie made me laugh.
'Transformers' sequel could become worst-reviewed $400 million blockbuster ever
Basically this movie has received horrible reviews yet it's making a killing at the box office. Those reviews that have praised the movie have the added caveat of 'check your brain at the door'.Now for some honesty, I didn't care for the first Transformer movie and thought it was quite juvenile and since it is about toys that were created for young boys back in the 80's I understood my 'meh' feeling about the film.
Silly me now thinks I have to see this sequel.
But I'll wait until it's out on DVD, just in case.
I do have to say however, that I think movie reviewing has finally started to change over the past few years. Not all critics aren't looking for that artsy fartsy film that'll make me gag (although they still love those things) to fall all over. New reviewers are popping up here and there, probably sick of the blood bath of normal movie reviews, and adding in a voice of the person who is just looking for a grand time at the movies.
I just don't need a moral lesson from every film I watch, in fact, I would prefer not getting any kind of lesson from a film!
Still, it takes some getting used to, for example, the latest Star Trek movie received great reviews from critics and I almost fell to my knees in horror. What saved me was that normal everyday people were also saying it was a great movie and thankfully it was a great movie.
How does this relate to romance books and their reviews?
Good question. You know me and how my train of thought unravels in mid---
Basically, romance reviews years back were the complete opposite of how movies were reviewed. I remember the first time I saw reviews for romance books and was surprised at just how many were 'gems' and 'perfect reads'. A few purchases later I discovered that romance book reviews were not to be trusted.
Please keep in mind this was the mid-90s before blowing your load in the comments. Just saying.
We've come a long way in regards to reviews for romance books.
There's that dark part of me that wants to do a test like the movie one above. How many positive reviews are written for a book that most people think is horrid or even how many 'OMG NOOOO' reviews are written for a book that sells like hotcakes. (and how well do hotcakes sell?)
Keep in mind it's a statistical thing in that out of 100 reviews 93 were rave reviews or whatever, we all know a review is only one person's opinion but group 100 together and you have some information to draw from.
Okay, I'm boring myself now.
Thoughts, rants, name calling?
Damn, I lost you at the word 'review' didn't I?
I knew it.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures!
I've fallen off my reading train and I'm so not being left behind without a fight.
Deciding that somehow, the book I was reading had become a block for my reading mojo I picked up a book that would be fast, easy and done lickity split.
Yes.
It had to be done.
MaryJanice Davidson can always be counted on for a fast read and I picked up her latest one while shopping with my book peeps (Lea, Mary, Nath and Kristie). I just couldn't help myself and I'm glad I bought the book because it's going to get me my reading mojo back again!
Small problem is that there is something fairly major that has happened in the previous book and I have no recollection of it. I mean, I'm thinking I would have remembered 'this'. All the same, I can't find the previous book (so maybe I don't have it) or I haven't exactly exhausted myself looking for it.
Cause usually, I have read the previous book, and my memory is becoming a holey mess which makes me fear too many things so let's not think too hard on it.
That said, the book also does not show up anywhere on my blog. The last reference to MJD was Undead and Uneasy and I think the last one was Undead and Unworthy.
Ah well, this book is pretty much re-capping everything that happened in the last book anyways so no worries.
By tomorrow I will have finished a book and I'll move on to the next without over thinking it.
And my reading mojo will stay put!
Deciding that somehow, the book I was reading had become a block for my reading mojo I picked up a book that would be fast, easy and done lickity split.
Yes.
It had to be done.
MaryJanice Davidson can always be counted on for a fast read and I picked up her latest one while shopping with my book peeps (Lea, Mary, Nath and Kristie). I just couldn't help myself and I'm glad I bought the book because it's going to get me my reading mojo back again!
Small problem is that there is something fairly major that has happened in the previous book and I have no recollection of it. I mean, I'm thinking I would have remembered 'this'. All the same, I can't find the previous book (so maybe I don't have it) or I haven't exactly exhausted myself looking for it.
Cause usually, I have read the previous book, and my memory is becoming a holey mess which makes me fear too many things so let's not think too hard on it.
That said, the book also does not show up anywhere on my blog. The last reference to MJD was Undead and Uneasy and I think the last one was Undead and Unworthy.
Ah well, this book is pretty much re-capping everything that happened in the last book anyways so no worries.
By tomorrow I will have finished a book and I'll move on to the next without over thinking it.
And my reading mojo will stay put!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Just A Little Bit Longer!
It's noon on Thursday and I'm doing all I can to stay awake.
Fair warning this post could wreck your brain.
I was still awake when those groomer people were open and I called and darn if they couldn't shave Emma today. Since I have been worrying about it for too long now, I bit the bullet and dropped her in. They were hoping she would be done around 1pm.
Lord, let her be done at 1pm. Cause staying up any later is going to take more than I might have stored up.
I should also mention that while I'm typing this up thunder is rumbling here and there and has been moving closer over the past hour. I can only hope it holds off long enough for me to pick up the Miss.
And, of course, Bob is way too busy today to get home before the vet closes. Not his fault, I was just hoping he might have to work from home this afternoon and could zip over to pick her up - it's like a minute drive - but nope, I refuse to crawl into bed in case I fall asleep and miss the alarm.
45 more minutes and then I'll call.
Tomorrow there could be pictures. Depends on Her Majesty's mood.
Dang. That thunder is close now.
Curses.
Crap, I just Googles lion cut and found this:
I am so dead.
I never thought to tell them to leave her legs alone!
Armageddon.
This cat is imagining it.
Fair warning this post could wreck your brain.
I was still awake when those groomer people were open and I called and darn if they couldn't shave Emma today. Since I have been worrying about it for too long now, I bit the bullet and dropped her in. They were hoping she would be done around 1pm.
Lord, let her be done at 1pm. Cause staying up any later is going to take more than I might have stored up.
I should also mention that while I'm typing this up thunder is rumbling here and there and has been moving closer over the past hour. I can only hope it holds off long enough for me to pick up the Miss.
And, of course, Bob is way too busy today to get home before the vet closes. Not his fault, I was just hoping he might have to work from home this afternoon and could zip over to pick her up - it's like a minute drive - but nope, I refuse to crawl into bed in case I fall asleep and miss the alarm.
45 more minutes and then I'll call.
Tomorrow there could be pictures. Depends on Her Majesty's mood.
Dang. That thunder is close now.
Curses.
Crap, I just Googles lion cut and found this:I am so dead.
I never thought to tell them to leave her legs alone!
Armageddon.
This cat is imagining it.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Nocturnal Doings
I don't know that I've ever used the word nocturnal in a title.
Wait. I'm sure I did when I explained why this blog exists and well, that's from eons ago and who cares.
Tonight it's hot. Stinking hot.
Bob couldn't sleep which is extremely odd since he's off the sugar and caffeine and usually drops like a marionette getting it's strings cut at 8pm. Okay, some days he makes it till 7:58. Before the sugar and caffeine drought he made it till 10pm.
Anyways!
I do go on.
Bob was up way past when he normally sleeps and he went to bed at about 11pm. I had asked him if he wanted to go for a night swim but no. (Note for newbies: I used to have a pool that was 4.5 ft deep every where and it was nothing for me to go swimming at 3am by myself. Now, we have a pool with a deep end and I have been forbidden to go swimming alone. Actually, I can't be forbidden to do anything so I was made to 'swear' and dammit I take oaths pretty seriously. So night swimming is rare, rare, rare and I miss it)
Bob gets up about 1am and can't sleep. I figure he'll have a tea and go back to bed. An hour and a half later he's up working (working!!!) and I say, that's it, let's go for a swim.
And he said YES!!
So out we go and the hot night turns out to be quite breezy outside. Yes. This means the pool will be all warm and toasty.
I dive in expecting a warm embrace and do everything in my power to not come up screeching.
Definitely on the cool side but a couple fast laps and it's warm.
We lasted until the pool light blew out (damn thing is supposed to light up for 4 hours and lasted maybe 11 minutes) and Bob started the Jaws theme song. Nothing gets me out of dark water faster.
Never claimed sanity here.
So we're back in and dry and Bob's back where he's supposed to be at 3:34am.
I just have to remember what I'm usually doing at this time and damn if I'm not pulling a blank.
And finally, this will sound nuts after my major book shopping there just a week ago but I'm in need of Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh.
I'm haunting the online Chapters site checking stock every night. Nath was laughing at me for looking for a book 6 weeks before it's even meant to be on the shelves. But don't we all just hope we'll stumble across that 'OMG MUST HAVE' book on a whim?
Yeah you do. Don't be hiding. I've met you.
So what book are you hoping to stumble across?
Wait. I'm sure I did when I explained why this blog exists and well, that's from eons ago and who cares.
Tonight it's hot. Stinking hot.
Bob couldn't sleep which is extremely odd since he's off the sugar and caffeine and usually drops like a marionette getting it's strings cut at 8pm. Okay, some days he makes it till 7:58. Before the sugar and caffeine drought he made it till 10pm.
Anyways!
I do go on.
Bob was up way past when he normally sleeps and he went to bed at about 11pm. I had asked him if he wanted to go for a night swim but no. (Note for newbies: I used to have a pool that was 4.5 ft deep every where and it was nothing for me to go swimming at 3am by myself. Now, we have a pool with a deep end and I have been forbidden to go swimming alone. Actually, I can't be forbidden to do anything so I was made to 'swear' and dammit I take oaths pretty seriously. So night swimming is rare, rare, rare and I miss it)
Bob gets up about 1am and can't sleep. I figure he'll have a tea and go back to bed. An hour and a half later he's up working (working!!!) and I say, that's it, let's go for a swim.
And he said YES!!
So out we go and the hot night turns out to be quite breezy outside. Yes. This means the pool will be all warm and toasty.
I dive in expecting a warm embrace and do everything in my power to not come up screeching.
Definitely on the cool side but a couple fast laps and it's warm.
We lasted until the pool light blew out (damn thing is supposed to light up for 4 hours and lasted maybe 11 minutes) and Bob started the Jaws theme song. Nothing gets me out of dark water faster.
Never claimed sanity here.
So we're back in and dry and Bob's back where he's supposed to be at 3:34am.
I just have to remember what I'm usually doing at this time and damn if I'm not pulling a blank.
And finally, this will sound nuts after my major book shopping there just a week ago but I'm in need of Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh.I'm haunting the online Chapters site checking stock every night. Nath was laughing at me for looking for a book 6 weeks before it's even meant to be on the shelves. But don't we all just hope we'll stumble across that 'OMG MUST HAVE' book on a whim?
Yeah you do. Don't be hiding. I've met you.
So what book are you hoping to stumble across?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Good for Now
1. It's allergies and taking one benadryl seems to make things easier - so no more whining.
About that.
2. I didn't make it to the groomers because - nocturnal. I don't believe in risking other people's lives and limbs to head out my driveway when I should be crawling into bed. So Emma is still fur-a-licious.
I'll re-schedule her for next week.
3. I haven't finished my book yet but that's on tap for next week some time.
4. Movie reviews?
Thought you would never ask!
Revolutionary Road and Quantum of Solace were rented out of sheer boredom. Nothing left on TV to watch and at least a few hours a day to be burned up.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed both of these movies.
Quantum of Solace - I've talked of my lack of love for James Bond a few years ago when the last one came out. As I kid I never saw the appeal of a man who would sleep with any woman at a drop of a hat and who didn't seem to take anything seriously. It was probably my need for HEA and Bond is not a HEA character.
Let's just say that Daniel Craig can be James Bond forever as far as I'm concerned. Although I imagine the credit has to go to the writers of these scripts for realizing finally that the James Bond of my youth was really just a one note character and he needed a good scrub up.
In the last movie you discovered how James Bond had found love and been viciously betrayed. In this film you get more closure on that but also some insight into how Bond becomes a man who refuses to be entangled emotionally in the future. Even still, he can't seem to stop himself from caring and I found that part of Bond appealing.
All the same the movie does not really tie up loose ends within the suspense sub-plot. I think it was more about Bond proving himself to his boss M and getting at least one of the bad guys out of the picture. As far as I'm concerned there were another 6 baddies that didn't get their finish but whether this will be an ongoing plot for a few more movies or whether I'm supposed to assume that the Quantum fails, I can't say.
I did find a few scenes to be a little slow (the scenes at dockside - until the boats come) but the technical stuff with the touch screens and such played brilliantly. In that I mean there were something new and the actors who interacted with the computers didn't feel the need to over-exaggerate their hand movements (think Minority Report with Tom Cruise) so the interest in that kind of technology, at least for me, was peaked.
I might be the last person to actually watch this movie but if not, I would say it's a nice night in.
Revolutionary Road was a surprise for me.
Turns out I did understand every thing in the movie but I did re-watch certain scenes with the director's commentary to see if I was right. In the end, I thought the director should have left some of the deleted scenes in the film as they would have added more texture to how the characters were feeling and given the viewer more insight into the heroine's impulses at the very least.
Apparently the novel (according to all who worked on the film) was brilliant and had some scenes that were the best of any literature ever read. Since I've never read the book I can't say. I did however notice the repetition of dialogue and I guess that was a trademark of the writer. All the same, if it pulls you out of a movie and makes you wonder why Alice and Frank are constantly saying each others names even when they are screaming at each other, maybe some repetition can be taken out.
Is the movie happy? No. But I do think it shows how life was in the 50's and doesn't hold back in telling a tale of desperation. We grew up hearing about the 'good old days' but in reality the good old days weren't as free or wonderful as people have made them seem. This movie also translates to modern life in people wondering if this is all there really is. Is this what life is? Where's the excitement, the adventure?
Maybe I was just in a good enough mood to handle this movie cause normally, movies like this just piss me off and make me mad. Or maybe it was this particular movie.
So there you have it. Two movies that I didn't feel were a complete waste of time and yes, I have rented many in the last month that I did think were a waste of time. Problem is I can't remember any of their titles.
Maybe I've blocked them out of self-preservation.
About that.
2. I didn't make it to the groomers because - nocturnal. I don't believe in risking other people's lives and limbs to head out my driveway when I should be crawling into bed. So Emma is still fur-a-licious.
I'll re-schedule her for next week.
3. I haven't finished my book yet but that's on tap for next week some time.
4. Movie reviews?
Thought you would never ask!
Revolutionary Road and Quantum of Solace were rented out of sheer boredom. Nothing left on TV to watch and at least a few hours a day to be burned up.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed both of these movies.
Quantum of Solace - I've talked of my lack of love for James Bond a few years ago when the last one came out. As I kid I never saw the appeal of a man who would sleep with any woman at a drop of a hat and who didn't seem to take anything seriously. It was probably my need for HEA and Bond is not a HEA character.Let's just say that Daniel Craig can be James Bond forever as far as I'm concerned. Although I imagine the credit has to go to the writers of these scripts for realizing finally that the James Bond of my youth was really just a one note character and he needed a good scrub up.
In the last movie you discovered how James Bond had found love and been viciously betrayed. In this film you get more closure on that but also some insight into how Bond becomes a man who refuses to be entangled emotionally in the future. Even still, he can't seem to stop himself from caring and I found that part of Bond appealing.
All the same the movie does not really tie up loose ends within the suspense sub-plot. I think it was more about Bond proving himself to his boss M and getting at least one of the bad guys out of the picture. As far as I'm concerned there were another 6 baddies that didn't get their finish but whether this will be an ongoing plot for a few more movies or whether I'm supposed to assume that the Quantum fails, I can't say.
I did find a few scenes to be a little slow (the scenes at dockside - until the boats come) but the technical stuff with the touch screens and such played brilliantly. In that I mean there were something new and the actors who interacted with the computers didn't feel the need to over-exaggerate their hand movements (think Minority Report with Tom Cruise) so the interest in that kind of technology, at least for me, was peaked.
I might be the last person to actually watch this movie but if not, I would say it's a nice night in.
Revolutionary Road was a surprise for me.Turns out I did understand every thing in the movie but I did re-watch certain scenes with the director's commentary to see if I was right. In the end, I thought the director should have left some of the deleted scenes in the film as they would have added more texture to how the characters were feeling and given the viewer more insight into the heroine's impulses at the very least.
Apparently the novel (according to all who worked on the film) was brilliant and had some scenes that were the best of any literature ever read. Since I've never read the book I can't say. I did however notice the repetition of dialogue and I guess that was a trademark of the writer. All the same, if it pulls you out of a movie and makes you wonder why Alice and Frank are constantly saying each others names even when they are screaming at each other, maybe some repetition can be taken out.
Is the movie happy? No. But I do think it shows how life was in the 50's and doesn't hold back in telling a tale of desperation. We grew up hearing about the 'good old days' but in reality the good old days weren't as free or wonderful as people have made them seem. This movie also translates to modern life in people wondering if this is all there really is. Is this what life is? Where's the excitement, the adventure?
Maybe I was just in a good enough mood to handle this movie cause normally, movies like this just piss me off and make me mad. Or maybe it was this particular movie.
So there you have it. Two movies that I didn't feel were a complete waste of time and yes, I have rented many in the last month that I did think were a waste of time. Problem is I can't remember any of their titles.
Maybe I've blocked them out of self-preservation.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Miserable? Me?
Thankfully I'm not wallowing in complete misery. I'm just doing every thing I can to keep what I thought were allergies from turning into a summer cold.
Seriously.
Summer colds are the worst. In the winter, fine, it's crappy out anyways and I have plenty of cold meds to knock me out.
In the summer though I don't want any down time. None.
And I have a pool.
Ever gone swimming when you don't feel well.
It sucks.
It could be much worse though, I could have a full fledged cold.
So I'll lay low this week.
Now I just have to decide - NyQuil the mother or let it be.
Oh crap, I just remembered I have to take Emma to the groomers where they will shave most of her fur off on Thursday morning. She'll be put out at first but once I remind her she is the most beautiful kitty ever she'll settle down.
Aww, here she is with George the squirrel. See all the beautiful fur? Gone on Thursday. For the best over the summer as she gets too hot and we remember what happened with the 'poop' a week ago.
Definitely don't want a second act with that.
So if I NyQuil it has to be tonight. Cause NyQuil don't hold no punches.
Down. For. The. Count.
Seriously.
Summer colds are the worst. In the winter, fine, it's crappy out anyways and I have plenty of cold meds to knock me out.
In the summer though I don't want any down time. None.
And I have a pool.
Ever gone swimming when you don't feel well.
It sucks.
It could be much worse though, I could have a full fledged cold.
So I'll lay low this week.
Now I just have to decide - NyQuil the mother or let it be.
Oh crap, I just remembered I have to take Emma to the groomers where they will shave most of her fur off on Thursday morning. She'll be put out at first but once I remind her she is the most beautiful kitty ever she'll settle down.Aww, here she is with George the squirrel. See all the beautiful fur? Gone on Thursday. For the best over the summer as she gets too hot and we remember what happened with the 'poop' a week ago.
Definitely don't want a second act with that.
So if I NyQuil it has to be tonight. Cause NyQuil don't hold no punches.
Down. For. The. Count.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
For Nath
What all cat lovers know is that their precocious little critter is highly offended by closed doors.
I had guests this weekend and knowing in advance that Nath was allergic to cats I washed down the book room, washed the bedding and closed the bedroom door.
That was Wednesday night.
Nath left Sunday at 3:30pm.
And this was taken at 5pm.
Once upon a time you would trip over Amber right at the door but now that she is blind she's not aware of closed doors. She only knows a door is closed if Bob or I are on the other side. Then there is some crying to let us know she wants in NOW.
Anyways, Kristie is safely home and Nath I think is still on the train. She'll e-mail me when she gets in.
And with that, I'll sign off after a wonderful weekend. I'll post a few pics later but I know Nath has many and she might want to put them up on her blog.
Oh! And Nath and Kristie taught me a few things about the sidebars so hopefully I can put up some books in the sidebar like 'Keepers' 'Currently Reading' etc.
And GOOD DAY!
Update: Lea has posted pics and re-counted the day. The first two pics were taken by Bob and he was trying to get the 'Chapters' sign in the picture which explains why we look like ants ;) Go here for a visit.
Update 2: Nath has made it home with all her books intact! So everyone is snug as a bug in their own homes. I will now sign off and fall into my sleep coma.
I had guests this weekend and knowing in advance that Nath was allergic to cats I washed down the book room, washed the bedding and closed the bedroom door.
That was Wednesday night.
Nath left Sunday at 3:30pm.
And this was taken at 5pm.
Once upon a time you would trip over Amber right at the door but now that she is blind she's not aware of closed doors. She only knows a door is closed if Bob or I are on the other side. Then there is some crying to let us know she wants in NOW.
Anyways, Kristie is safely home and Nath I think is still on the train. She'll e-mail me when she gets in.
And with that, I'll sign off after a wonderful weekend. I'll post a few pics later but I know Nath has many and she might want to put them up on her blog.
Oh! And Nath and Kristie taught me a few things about the sidebars so hopefully I can put up some books in the sidebar like 'Keepers' 'Currently Reading' etc.
And GOOD DAY!
Update: Lea has posted pics and re-counted the day. The first two pics were taken by Bob and he was trying to get the 'Chapters' sign in the picture which explains why we look like ants ;) Go here for a visit.
Update 2: Nath has made it home with all her books intact! So everyone is snug as a bug in their own homes. I will now sign off and fall into my sleep coma.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Exhaustion, I Know Thee Well
Short, sweet and to the point.
We had a ball.
If you had told me years ago when I was in the midst of my agoraphobia that I would be meeting up with people I have talked to on the internet I would have pointed and laughed. For me, back then the internet was a way to interact with people *without* leaving my house.
How life works, eh?
Today I met two new people, Lea and Mary and what wonderful women to spend a day with. They didn't even mind that I needed my Bob to be with me.
There was food, lots of chatter, lots of laughter, shopping & buying of books (think we kept the local UBS open for at least other month with our purchases), more food, chit chat and laughter.
And Bob. My wonderful Bob who makes sure I can get where I want to be.
I don't think I mentioned it but if I did just skip this part. Bob, at his last docs visit, was borderline diabetic and he freaked. He stopped drinking pop & cut way back on chocolate (probably his biggest source of sugar and caffeine) and only drinks water or de-caf tea now. Since he has done this I notice he gets tired faster. So Bob took moments here and there during the day to put his car seat back and rest his eyes.
I used to call Bob the 'energizer bunny' cause he just never stopped and didn't know what a nap was. Now he still gets things done but he is now more susceptible to dozing if he is sitting in a chair. He came over to me at the first bookstore and said:
Bob: I'm going to go nap in the car.
Cindy: Okay. You all right?
Bob: I nodded off in the chair over there and scared the person sitting next to me.
So yeah, I was laughing. Poor guy.
Anyways, I'm exhausted but in that 'I've been busy and had a full day' kind of way so I'll sign off now while I *think* I'm still making sense.
See ya!
We had a ball.
If you had told me years ago when I was in the midst of my agoraphobia that I would be meeting up with people I have talked to on the internet I would have pointed and laughed. For me, back then the internet was a way to interact with people *without* leaving my house.
How life works, eh?
Today I met two new people, Lea and Mary and what wonderful women to spend a day with. They didn't even mind that I needed my Bob to be with me.
There was food, lots of chatter, lots of laughter, shopping & buying of books (think we kept the local UBS open for at least other month with our purchases), more food, chit chat and laughter.
And Bob. My wonderful Bob who makes sure I can get where I want to be.
I don't think I mentioned it but if I did just skip this part. Bob, at his last docs visit, was borderline diabetic and he freaked. He stopped drinking pop & cut way back on chocolate (probably his biggest source of sugar and caffeine) and only drinks water or de-caf tea now. Since he has done this I notice he gets tired faster. So Bob took moments here and there during the day to put his car seat back and rest his eyes.
I used to call Bob the 'energizer bunny' cause he just never stopped and didn't know what a nap was. Now he still gets things done but he is now more susceptible to dozing if he is sitting in a chair. He came over to me at the first bookstore and said:
Bob: I'm going to go nap in the car.
Cindy: Okay. You all right?
Bob: I nodded off in the chair over there and scared the person sitting next to me.
So yeah, I was laughing. Poor guy.
Anyways, I'm exhausted but in that 'I've been busy and had a full day' kind of way so I'll sign off now while I *think* I'm still making sense.
See ya!
They Made It!!
Nath and Kristie made it right on time today!
I have to say I was antsy with anticipation and the two of them were lucky to only get a regular hug instead of the running leap of a hug my excitement wanted to give them. Yep, I was bouncy.
They both look great and I could see they had been having lots of fun.
First we chatted and caught up with each other and poor Bob was hovering waiting to see if we were going to Burlington (read Rona Home Hardware) and when we were going to eat.
Hours later we went to a local pub style restaurant that has a cute courtyard to eat in. I took pics so I'll post them next time (sorry, I'm achy and making potato salad for tomorrow and I have to get to bed so I can keep up with the ladies!)
We came back and Nath and I took a quick dip in the pool. I was worrying it was going to be too cold for me but I came up from my dive marveling at how comfortable the water was. Yay! Then the bugs started biting. Boooo.
We came in and then we video chatted with Ames for 3 hours.
I'll give you a minute.
3 HOURS!!!
I have to say it was fun but then I'm a huge nerd. At some point we wondered if we could all video chat with each other. Nath was on Kristie's brand new laptop and I had my laptop which also has a webcam. So we first tried gmail but it would tell me Ames was busy.
Then of course, I was all 'what about Skype' and dang if Ames and I didn't have the program loaded and running. Then Nath tried to join in the video chat but instead it just let us all talk without video. At one point Ames could see both Nath and I because Nath went through gmail while we were still in Skype.
Okay, so if anyone is still with me - do you know how to connect multiple computers up to see each person visually?
Cause I'm a dork.
But we were the first to see the new puppy Ames' mom got! I'm jealous. Both my cats were in hiding so I couldn't show Ames.
Oh and for those three hours of chatting Nath, Kristie and I were sitting on the floor.
Apparently 38 year olds are not meant to sit on a floor for that long. Bad floor.
Okay, I have to sign off. The potatoes and eggs are cooked so I should get that going and then I need to wind down.
My plan is to take 2 benadryl and a sleeping pill. This will have one of three results:
1. I wake up footloose and fancy free ready to take on the world. *cough*NOT*cough*
2. I will black out for 3 hours and wake up totally buzzed and unable to sleep.
3. I fall into a drugged sleep, my alarm will go off and I won't hear a thing, Bob will come up five minutes before we are to meet up with Lea and Mary to tell me I should get up, C-Rex will slaughter Bob and hide the evidence and try to act like getting up in the morning is a natural thing.
Thinking on it, I'm betting on 3 so I'll just take a sleeping pill and one of my anxiety pills (the normal way for me to sleep). At least then, if C-Rex pops in for a visit it won't be my fault.
No really.
I think I may have a legal loop hole I can jump through.
I have to say I was antsy with anticipation and the two of them were lucky to only get a regular hug instead of the running leap of a hug my excitement wanted to give them. Yep, I was bouncy.
They both look great and I could see they had been having lots of fun.
First we chatted and caught up with each other and poor Bob was hovering waiting to see if we were going to Burlington (read Rona Home Hardware) and when we were going to eat.
Hours later we went to a local pub style restaurant that has a cute courtyard to eat in. I took pics so I'll post them next time (sorry, I'm achy and making potato salad for tomorrow and I have to get to bed so I can keep up with the ladies!)
We came back and Nath and I took a quick dip in the pool. I was worrying it was going to be too cold for me but I came up from my dive marveling at how comfortable the water was. Yay! Then the bugs started biting. Boooo.
We came in and then we video chatted with Ames for 3 hours.
I'll give you a minute.
3 HOURS!!!
I have to say it was fun but then I'm a huge nerd. At some point we wondered if we could all video chat with each other. Nath was on Kristie's brand new laptop and I had my laptop which also has a webcam. So we first tried gmail but it would tell me Ames was busy.
Then of course, I was all 'what about Skype' and dang if Ames and I didn't have the program loaded and running. Then Nath tried to join in the video chat but instead it just let us all talk without video. At one point Ames could see both Nath and I because Nath went through gmail while we were still in Skype.
Okay, so if anyone is still with me - do you know how to connect multiple computers up to see each person visually?
Cause I'm a dork.
But we were the first to see the new puppy Ames' mom got! I'm jealous. Both my cats were in hiding so I couldn't show Ames.
Oh and for those three hours of chatting Nath, Kristie and I were sitting on the floor.
Apparently 38 year olds are not meant to sit on a floor for that long. Bad floor.
Okay, I have to sign off. The potatoes and eggs are cooked so I should get that going and then I need to wind down.
My plan is to take 2 benadryl and a sleeping pill. This will have one of three results:
1. I wake up footloose and fancy free ready to take on the world. *cough*NOT*cough*
2. I will black out for 3 hours and wake up totally buzzed and unable to sleep.
3. I fall into a drugged sleep, my alarm will go off and I won't hear a thing, Bob will come up five minutes before we are to meet up with Lea and Mary to tell me I should get up, C-Rex will slaughter Bob and hide the evidence and try to act like getting up in the morning is a natural thing.
Thinking on it, I'm betting on 3 so I'll just take a sleeping pill and one of my anxiety pills (the normal way for me to sleep). At least then, if C-Rex pops in for a visit it won't be my fault.
No really.
I think I may have a legal loop hole I can jump through.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
They'll Be Here Soon!
As Nath and Kristie may have mentioned, we're having a Canadian Blogger meet up this Saturday.
Sadly Ames can't make it this trip and we won't get to see Seneca but, we get to meet two new people Lea and Mary!
Now you all know I've met Kristie a few times and Nath just once but hey, she lives like 8 hours away! So Kristie and Nath will come to my house on Friday afternoon to stay over for 2 sleeps.
I'm thinking on Friday we'll head into the city of Burlington to visit two used bookstores that do have a decent (or used to) romance section and then dinner and then to the big box bookstores. The Burlington Chapters romance section is screaming hot. It's probably one of the best kept romance sections I've ever seen in a bookstore. I haven't been there in a wee bit so hopefully the buyer there has remained!
Oh wait, the World's Biggest (formerly) Bookstore (that's us on the last meet up) once upon a time had the best romance section and we did clean them out the last time we all were there but we aren't hitting Toronto on this tour.
Saturday morning here in my sleepy little town is apparently Heritage Days. Yeah, I just found out yesterday because of road closure signs. Easy. Bob reads the local paper and even he didn't know it was Heritage Days so be gentle on me. Anyways, I figure it Kristie and Nath get up way earlier than me they can easily walk up and see the sights and sounds.
The plan so far is to meet Lea and Mary at a local restaurant away from the busy main street. (Makes me sad because I found the greatest little patio on the main drag just this past week to go and eat at but I'm betting it will be packed). Hit Chapters and then if they want to hit another we can go up to a new Indigo that was just recently opened.
Then we come back and sit by the pool.
Yeah, that's right, the pool.
Sweet!
On that note, maybe you guys can send up some hot air from where ever you are. Seriously, I've been in the pool 3 times this year and each time getting out was a nightmare because it was so cold. 20 C is not as warm as you all might think!
The pool will be 83 F.
Yeah, baby.
So afternoon of shopping, fun and sun.
Then a BBQ. Which reminds me I need to buy some rum so I can make up my bucket of Pina Coladas that you put in the freezer and eat like slushies. Yum.
At this time there are no set plans for Sunday. I'm not sure if Nath and Kristie are going to be poolside women or be looking to do something else.
So yes, I'm excited and can't wait!
And yet, I have more chores that need to be done. Bedding in the house is currently being washed and more dusting must occur. Then the floors will be done. And finally the main upstairs bathroom needs to be de-cluttered.
Tomorrow night I invited Bob and I to my mother's house for a meatloaf dinner. Yes, I'm that kind of daughter.
What?
She was mentioning how she had made up a meatloaf and put it in the freezer but she couldn't imagine making all that food just for herself. So I said, great, Bob and I will be there for dinner on Thursday!
You know I don't normally cook.
I have mentioned my Mom is lonely, right?
We were out with her Tuesday night for dinner and some shopping so I'm doing my daughterly duty. I hear my brother may make an appearance this weekend. About friggin' time!
Oops. I said that out loud.
Ah well, so if on Monday you are cruising around blog land and wondering where I am - coma.
Until then, I'm thinking there will be lots of little updates from us as we play through the weekend!
Sadly Ames can't make it this trip and we won't get to see Seneca but, we get to meet two new people Lea and Mary!Now you all know I've met Kristie a few times and Nath just once but hey, she lives like 8 hours away! So Kristie and Nath will come to my house on Friday afternoon to stay over for 2 sleeps.
I'm thinking on Friday we'll head into the city of Burlington to visit two used bookstores that do have a decent (or used to) romance section and then dinner and then to the big box bookstores. The Burlington Chapters romance section is screaming hot. It's probably one of the best kept romance sections I've ever seen in a bookstore. I haven't been there in a wee bit so hopefully the buyer there has remained!
Oh wait, the World's Biggest (formerly) Bookstore (that's us on the last meet up) once upon a time had the best romance section and we did clean them out the last time we all were there but we aren't hitting Toronto on this tour.
Saturday morning here in my sleepy little town is apparently Heritage Days. Yeah, I just found out yesterday because of road closure signs. Easy. Bob reads the local paper and even he didn't know it was Heritage Days so be gentle on me. Anyways, I figure it Kristie and Nath get up way earlier than me they can easily walk up and see the sights and sounds.
The plan so far is to meet Lea and Mary at a local restaurant away from the busy main street. (Makes me sad because I found the greatest little patio on the main drag just this past week to go and eat at but I'm betting it will be packed). Hit Chapters and then if they want to hit another we can go up to a new Indigo that was just recently opened.
Then we come back and sit by the pool.
Yeah, that's right, the pool.
Sweet!
On that note, maybe you guys can send up some hot air from where ever you are. Seriously, I've been in the pool 3 times this year and each time getting out was a nightmare because it was so cold. 20 C is not as warm as you all might think!
The pool will be 83 F.
Yeah, baby.
So afternoon of shopping, fun and sun.
Then a BBQ. Which reminds me I need to buy some rum so I can make up my bucket of Pina Coladas that you put in the freezer and eat like slushies. Yum.
At this time there are no set plans for Sunday. I'm not sure if Nath and Kristie are going to be poolside women or be looking to do something else.
So yes, I'm excited and can't wait!
And yet, I have more chores that need to be done. Bedding in the house is currently being washed and more dusting must occur. Then the floors will be done. And finally the main upstairs bathroom needs to be de-cluttered.
Tomorrow night I invited Bob and I to my mother's house for a meatloaf dinner. Yes, I'm that kind of daughter.
What?
She was mentioning how she had made up a meatloaf and put it in the freezer but she couldn't imagine making all that food just for herself. So I said, great, Bob and I will be there for dinner on Thursday!
You know I don't normally cook.
I have mentioned my Mom is lonely, right?
We were out with her Tuesday night for dinner and some shopping so I'm doing my daughterly duty. I hear my brother may make an appearance this weekend. About friggin' time!
Oops. I said that out loud.
Ah well, so if on Monday you are cruising around blog land and wondering where I am - coma.
Until then, I'm thinking there will be lots of little updates from us as we play through the weekend!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Awards! For Me? OKAY!
The Lemonade Award
I got this gem from Amanda at Bookwormom - Yep, I was awarded the Lemonade Award. This is a real feel-good award for blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
I love it!
1) Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.
2) Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
3) Link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let the nominees know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5) Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.
Rosie - Nobody Asked Me
Holly - What Were You Expecting
C2 - Csquared's All Around Blog
And the usuals ;) Kristie J, Nath, Ames, Sybil, Megan, Marg etc - seriously, I read your blogs for a reason!
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Nath gave me the Lovely Blog Award and I'll take it!
Course, I've known and met Nath for a while but I'll send this one to three new blogs I've just started reading.
Lea - Closet Writer
Amy - Amy's Corner of the World
Book Thingo - I found this site through Kat O+ as she is a contributor!
All the blogs mentioned are along the side bar on the left hand side. Go and take a look around!
Friday, June 05, 2009
Busy? Me? Yep
Bob's off for the next two days (Fri/Sat) so it'll be a Bob and Cindy palooza!
Bob's been working at his brother's house every Sat for the last few months so it's nice he'll be here for two whole days in a row. Since it's supposed to rain on Sunday he decided to go to the bro's on that day instead.
So yeah, I'll be busy.
Also, AAR's Favorite Books by Favorite Authors is running so I'm counting up ballots and such.
Got my mom out of the house tonight (she's not been feeling well for the past week) so she ate an actual meal for the first time. It's funny, we go to her house after dinner and Bob will fall asleep in a chair. At 10pm I knock Bob's foot and tell him it's time to go and my Mom says 'why'd you wake him, he was just going down for the count!'
Yeah, my Mom is lonely. And Bob was down for the count for 2 hours already!
Must be a better daughter.
It's just tonight we managed to stumble onto 2 awkward discussions.
1. My mother wanting me to get an education so I could take care of myself. (I guess I could take care of myself but I have Bob and he loves me the way I am) I have the fancy education I just never did anything with it. Bad Cindy.
2. My former best friend's other friend she no longer keeps in touch with. Since I won't talk about former BF, I can't say why another of her childhood friends got left in the dust.
So after 2nd awkward moment I decided it was time to go home. Lord knows what could have come up next.
1. No such thing as panic attacks.
2. Laziness is not a real hobby.
3. You lead a charmed life. (yes I do but pot is calling kettle - just sayin')
4. What if Bob leaves you. (yep, I always get out the door before that one. Sure to have me crying on poor Bob for an hour)
Ta-da.
That was my night.
I think it was much better than poopy kitty night so I'll take it.
Bob's been working at his brother's house every Sat for the last few months so it's nice he'll be here for two whole days in a row. Since it's supposed to rain on Sunday he decided to go to the bro's on that day instead.
So yeah, I'll be busy.
Also, AAR's Favorite Books by Favorite Authors is running so I'm counting up ballots and such.
Got my mom out of the house tonight (she's not been feeling well for the past week) so she ate an actual meal for the first time. It's funny, we go to her house after dinner and Bob will fall asleep in a chair. At 10pm I knock Bob's foot and tell him it's time to go and my Mom says 'why'd you wake him, he was just going down for the count!'
Yeah, my Mom is lonely. And Bob was down for the count for 2 hours already!
Must be a better daughter.
It's just tonight we managed to stumble onto 2 awkward discussions.
1. My mother wanting me to get an education so I could take care of myself. (I guess I could take care of myself but I have Bob and he loves me the way I am) I have the fancy education I just never did anything with it. Bad Cindy.
2. My former best friend's other friend she no longer keeps in touch with. Since I won't talk about former BF, I can't say why another of her childhood friends got left in the dust.
So after 2nd awkward moment I decided it was time to go home. Lord knows what could have come up next.
1. No such thing as panic attacks.
2. Laziness is not a real hobby.
3. You lead a charmed life. (yes I do but pot is calling kettle - just sayin')
4. What if Bob leaves you. (yep, I always get out the door before that one. Sure to have me crying on poor Bob for an hour)
Ta-da.
That was my night.
I think it was much better than poopy kitty night so I'll take it.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Visitors!
Okay, I have to admit that I have lost my book. I think it's in a car (we have 4) and I haven't really looked hard but I'm calling it a day.
Don't matter now anyways because in two weeks I'll be having special guests for the Canadian Blogger get together!
Now some of you might wonder why I'm not worried about reading for the next two weeks.
Cause I'll be doing a bajillion other things.
And by bajillion I mean 12.
Things will be cleaned and dis-infected.
My best friend needed some money and bless her she called me and said 'I'm working for you so I need 60 bucks'. She knows if I couldn't afford it I would say no but hey, I knew what was coming up. So she's going to come and help me clean and damn, when you are paying that woman she works like a beast. I'm telling you objects that were never meant to shine will be spit polished by my BF.
I may even pay her more if she can help me with some of the 'other' stuff that is not on Bob's mental to-do list.
Right now though, I'm treading water and going under every few kicks.
See, now that Bob's mind has gone to the outdoors, things inside the home get left behind.
Where my husband was thrilled by the glossy white sink he put in just before Christmas, it is now a dull comparison to the new mulch he is trucking in for the gardens. So dishes that were once hand washed daily by hubby, are now being stacked in the sink and drown in water.
Pet peeve alert.
I hate dishes in a sink. I hate dishes in a sink splashed with water. I hate dishes in a full sink of water. I hate having to touch them and reach in the sink to get to them. My husband (whom I love dearly) does not scrape his dishes. Not scraping a dish means that the crust of pizza hubby wouldn't eat gets some water on it and it expands.
GROSS!
He puts his oatmeal pot in the sink with water. Guess what happens to burnt on oatmeal? It expands and looks like beige puke.
*GAG* SUPER GROSS!
I would rather he leave the dishes on the counter right by the dishwasher because it's easy and I'm not dealing with water dripping on the floor or splashing on other food stuffs on other dishes in the DAMN SINK!
AND, if you leave the oatmeal pot on the stove for the day the oatmeal dries and just flakes off. No pukey gelatinous sheep intestine like floating stuff in MY FRIGGIN SINK!!
End Pet Peeve
Phew. I think I'm good.
On that gross note here's a little story of my night last night.
*ahem*
Once upon a time Cindy's most beautious long haired kitty Emma had a problem.
Cindy realized that there might be a problem brewing in her home when the noticeably strong smell of poop hit her in the face while playing on the computer. Knowing this was not a good sign she went looking to find out where exactly her most beautious kitty Emma (yes, we know which kitty can peel paint) had had an accident.
After pacing through the house Cindy realized the problem was going to be much bigger than she thought.
She couldn't find the poop.
Princess of Gorgeous Locks Emma meanwhile was mewling and looking quite upset.
Now those of you with long haired kitties might know that they can get cling-ons every once in a while.
This however, was not Emma's problem. So much.
No, Emma had diarrhea. And it hadn't quite left her bum section.
Aside: *GAG*
Cindy filled the bathroom sink with warm soapy water and quickly dunked Diva Emma's behind into the water. Sadly the water turned to poop. Sadder still, Cindy had not been able to find even 1 of the 14 pairs of rubber gloves she normally keeps in the house and was forced to launch her hand into the vessel sink and let the water out.
Much crying and mewling was heard. We'll leave it to you, dear reader, to discern who exactly was making such a racket. Cindy continued to clean the poor disheveled princess Emma until her mewling turned to muttered growls. Time was up.
Cindy barely had time to wrap a towel around Emma before she took off with a drenched sorry looking tail.
Cindy then washed her hands at the very least 8 times with soap and hot water.
An hour later the precious Emma was in the living room trying to clean her saturated fur when Cindy came in to murmur to her how she was the most beautiful kitty in the world.
It didn't take much longer for Emma to realize that even after this near tragedy, she was still the most beautiful kitty of them all and fell into a purring nap.
Cindy sighed knowing that the princess was content and no longer upset.
And she went and washed her hands again.
And one more time, just in case.
The End.
Don't matter now anyways because in two weeks I'll be having special guests for the Canadian Blogger get together!
Now some of you might wonder why I'm not worried about reading for the next two weeks.
Cause I'll be doing a bajillion other things.
And by bajillion I mean 12.
Things will be cleaned and dis-infected.
My best friend needed some money and bless her she called me and said 'I'm working for you so I need 60 bucks'. She knows if I couldn't afford it I would say no but hey, I knew what was coming up. So she's going to come and help me clean and damn, when you are paying that woman she works like a beast. I'm telling you objects that were never meant to shine will be spit polished by my BF.
I may even pay her more if she can help me with some of the 'other' stuff that is not on Bob's mental to-do list.
Right now though, I'm treading water and going under every few kicks.
See, now that Bob's mind has gone to the outdoors, things inside the home get left behind.
Where my husband was thrilled by the glossy white sink he put in just before Christmas, it is now a dull comparison to the new mulch he is trucking in for the gardens. So dishes that were once hand washed daily by hubby, are now being stacked in the sink and drown in water.
Pet peeve alert.
I hate dishes in a sink. I hate dishes in a sink splashed with water. I hate dishes in a full sink of water. I hate having to touch them and reach in the sink to get to them. My husband (whom I love dearly) does not scrape his dishes. Not scraping a dish means that the crust of pizza hubby wouldn't eat gets some water on it and it expands.
GROSS!
He puts his oatmeal pot in the sink with water. Guess what happens to burnt on oatmeal? It expands and looks like beige puke.
*GAG* SUPER GROSS!
I would rather he leave the dishes on the counter right by the dishwasher because it's easy and I'm not dealing with water dripping on the floor or splashing on other food stuffs on other dishes in the DAMN SINK!
AND, if you leave the oatmeal pot on the stove for the day the oatmeal dries and just flakes off. No pukey gelatinous sheep intestine like floating stuff in MY FRIGGIN SINK!!
End Pet Peeve
Phew. I think I'm good.
On that gross note here's a little story of my night last night.
*ahem*
Once upon a time Cindy's most beautious long haired kitty Emma had a problem.
Cindy realized that there might be a problem brewing in her home when the noticeably strong smell of poop hit her in the face while playing on the computer. Knowing this was not a good sign she went looking to find out where exactly her most beautious kitty Emma (yes, we know which kitty can peel paint) had had an accident.
After pacing through the house Cindy realized the problem was going to be much bigger than she thought.
She couldn't find the poop.
Princess of Gorgeous Locks Emma meanwhile was mewling and looking quite upset.
Now those of you with long haired kitties might know that they can get cling-ons every once in a while.
This however, was not Emma's problem. So much.
No, Emma had diarrhea. And it hadn't quite left her bum section.
Aside: *GAG*
Cindy filled the bathroom sink with warm soapy water and quickly dunked Diva Emma's behind into the water. Sadly the water turned to poop. Sadder still, Cindy had not been able to find even 1 of the 14 pairs of rubber gloves she normally keeps in the house and was forced to launch her hand into the vessel sink and let the water out.
Much crying and mewling was heard. We'll leave it to you, dear reader, to discern who exactly was making such a racket. Cindy continued to clean the poor disheveled princess Emma until her mewling turned to muttered growls. Time was up.
Cindy barely had time to wrap a towel around Emma before she took off with a drenched sorry looking tail.
Cindy then washed her hands at the very least 8 times with soap and hot water.
An hour later the precious Emma was in the living room trying to clean her saturated fur when Cindy came in to murmur to her how she was the most beautiful kitty in the world.
It didn't take much longer for Emma to realize that even after this near tragedy, she was still the most beautiful kitty of them all and fell into a purring nap.
Cindy sighed knowing that the princess was content and no longer upset.
And she went and washed her hands again.
And one more time, just in case.
The End.
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