Grrrrrr

Today was my first day back to work after a week-long vacation & it was really, really difficult. As much as I love vacations, I hate going back to work after they're over. *sigh*

I know things in the "real" world are stressful for everyone. Stressful for you and for me, but if I go to one more blog and have to read about it, I think I shall scream! I go to blogs to escape. I want to read great book reviews or hear about good things that are going on in peoples lives. I'm tired of political rants and people telling me who I should vote for. I wish people would just keep their opinions to themselves. And that's all I'm going to say about it.

I actually ended up getting off work early today. We were really slow, my mind was whirling from being back and I was having a horrible time consentrating. I don't know if I'm getting sick or if it's just an overabundance of stress, but I've felt weird all day. Most of the stress is from grief, I think. I haven't cried since finding out about D's passing, which makes me feel weird. I should cry, but I just don't have it in me at this point.

I'm also tired. Here I was, hoping I'd end up with a lot of sleep and I didn't. Now, I just feel whipped. I'd take a sleeping pill, but don't want to depend on them to help me sleep. I'll just suffer through and go on from there.

One good thing about today is that I was able to pick up Seduce me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn. Two books I've very much been looking forward to. :) I also bought Heartmate by Robin D. Owens. I'll be reviewing that here shortly.

I've been thinking about friendship again. Feeling very blessed in the online friends I've accumulated over this past year or so. Wonderful things people have done for me and things I hope I'm able to do for them. Received a wonderful gift in the mail from Tracy. Was very happy to receive it. Thank you, Tracy! :)

I think I'll go write my review and then go read MC,IP. I need to escape for awhile. Night!

*Sigh*

Today was D's memorial service and I didn't go. I thought about it up until today & realized I just couldn't handle it. My parents went & they said it was nice.

Since hearing the news, I've been going thru a mini-depression. Not really depressed, per se, but not happy either. Dealing with grief is a strange thing. I haven't even cried, but I feel like I am deep inside.

I'm really not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I wish I could just stay home. I don't want to think about it, but it's there, hovering over my head. In fact, I'm going to be taking a sleeping pill here shortly to knock myself out. I want to get a really good night's sleep tonight. I've been really cranky this past week, which is just sad. *sigh*

I'm really looking forward to my new books tomorrow. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn and Seduce me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas! Whoo-hoo! I'm such a geek. :)

I actually took a nap today, but it didn't do me much good. In fact, it made me even more tired (if that makes sense).

I was hoping that by the time I got back to work I'd be relaxed and cheerful. Instead, I'm almost more stressed out than I was when I left. If that's not sad, I don't know what is. :(

So, that's what's going on in my little world. Nite!

Whoo-Boy

First of all, wanted to thank the DIK ladies for the lovely birthday wishes. Such pretty mens and I loved the 2nd birthday cake! :)

I've had a lovely week off, though I didn't get as much accomplished as I had hoped. I'm a lazy bum and I'm ashamed of myself. *sniffle*

The whole kerfuffle with the AAR thing really hit my hot button, but I'm trying to be a grown up and keeping my nose out of it. It makes me mad, but I'm not going to say anymore than that.

I've read a LOT this week. I bought the first four books in Stephanie Laurens Cynster novels (read about them on Nalini's blog) and really enjoyed them. However, I noticed this weird word trend with her that got to the point where it drove me nuts! She loves to use the word Humph as in Hmph...spelled incorrectly and used way too often! I counted it used about 30 times in 4 books. That is a ridiculous amount of hmphing or actually saying it. Anyway, still greatly enjoyed the books, so I can't complain too much. I also read Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard and Untamed by PC & Kristin Cast. I will be reviewing them shortly over on my review blog.

I don't know what is up with me, but I've been craving cucumbers like they're going out of style! I kid you not, I've eaten probably six big ones over this weekend and since I don't even really like them all that much, it makes me wonder why. They're fresh from the garden though, so maybe that's why.

D's funeral is tomorrow. Actually, it'll be a memorial, because she was cremated. I'm not sure if I'm going to go. I really, really hate stuff like this and though I loved her dearly, I don't know if I could handle it. My parents are going, but I just don't know.

The idea of going back to work on Tuesday is just depressing. I really, really, really don't want to go back. *sigh* When my mom & went out on Friday, we had a good talk about me and my future. I've been stuck in a rut for a long time and haven't really had any idea what I want to do with my life (other than writing). My mom made an excellent suggestion that has got me thinking. She thinks I should either get into publishing as an editor or become a modern literature teacher. She said that as much as I love to read and all that, it'd be a waste of my God-given talents to not do anything with them. When my mom speaks, I listen. So, I just might go to PCC and talk to an advisor there to see if I might have what it takes to do...something.

I finally got my signed copy of Colleen's book. For some reason, the first one got lost in the mail. I'd already read it, but I'm so happy to have my own signed copy! I also got my signed copy of Grimspace by Ann Aguirre. I've got unsigned copies of both, if anybody is interested. Shoot me a line (or comment).

I'll be interviewing and possibly giving away a copy of Delilah Marvelle's book. I met her at the signing a week ago and really enjoyed her book. Now I've just to come up with some intelligent questions for her. :)

Well, I'm off to go review! Have a great night, everyone!

AAAAAAHHHHHH!

Phew! Okay, got that out of my system. :) After the news about D this morning, I was feeling the need to escape, so I went to B&N...again. It's a sickness, I tell you. After meeting Samantha James at the signing on Friday and reading her book (which I greatly enjoyed), I decided to go buy more of her books. I bought all the ones I found at the bookstore. As I've said in the past, I'm an author's wet dream. LOL!

I called up a friend from work and asked her if she wanted to meet for dinner. I sat in the Starbucks at Lloyd Center waiting. She stopped by and we decided to go to Chang's for dinner. Yum! We didn't leave until the restaurant closed. She's really a sweetheart and we had a good time. She's only been a temp for a couple of weeks, but we've really hit it off. We had a bunch to talk about and we've come to the conclusion that the guys who work the night shift are a bunch of geeks. Hence the name the Geek Squad.

I kid you not! Every day at work they talk about one of three things: comic books (the big one), Star Wars, or Dungeons & Dragons. These are grown men (some over 40) and I wonder A. how on earth they're getting laid when I'm not and B. how they can keep rehashing the same conversations over and over and over again. It's annoying and boring and I wish they'd just stop talking! Argh!

A friend of mine had given me a gift card to Bath and Body Works. Wasn't sure what to get, so I never bought anything. When I went shopping yesterday, I stopped in there. They had these super yummy candles and I bought the cinnamon bark. Smells so good! Makes my mouth water. :)

I'm laying here listening to pandora radio and writing on here. I'm so disgusted with myself. I'd promised myself I'd do two things this week: clean my room and write. As of this moment I've done neither. Shame on me! But, tomorrow is my day to clean. I'm bound and determined to get this disaster of a room clean. I'm sick of living in squalor and I want to be able to walk around without tripping over something. *sigh*

Friday we're flea bombing the house. Poor Chloe is so infested that she can barely move without scratching. Because of that, we can't be in the house for about three hours. My mom asked me if I wanted to spend the day with her and I said of course, so we're going to get out of the house for awhile. I'm looking forward to it. I really love hanging out with my mom. We usually end up having a blast. We haven't done a girly day for a long time, so I'm really excited.

My brother called up my mom the other day to discuss babysitting with her. Since my mom is the full-time caregiver to my nephews and she's down and out due to her surgery, my brother and SIL were struggling to figure out how on earth she'd be able to take care of them. It was pretty stressful. Anyway, my SIL's mom called up out of the blue and told them that she wanted to take Dylan back to Texas with her. So, she's coming up this weekend and taking him back down to Texas for the month. It's the best solution for this situation and I think it's actually a good idea.

For one thing, she lives on 3 acres and has horses and all kinds of stuff for him to explore. For another, it'll give my mom a chance to really bond with Cooper. My dad is really upset, but whatever. He's not their father and it's time my SIL's mom got a chance to play grandma to her grandson.

All in all, things are not too horrible. We have the memorial service for D next week, which sucks, but is okay. She was a wonderful woman and had a lot of friends. It'll be a big service.

And that's what's been going on in my neck of the woods. I'm going to go read now. Have a good night, everyone!

I Has a Sad

Today we found out our next-door neighbor passed away last night. I've known D since I was almost 6 years old. We moved in that summer before first grade and D welcomed us with open arms. She was always so sweet and such a wonderful person.

On the day I moved out, she sat on her front porch and cried. She told me it was like losing a daughter.

She had been sick for such a long time that I think it was a relief for her to finally just let go. She was so tired and so sick that I think the thought of having to deal with more drugs and other things was just too much for her. It was time to move on.

I don't know what her family has planned for a memorial service, but I'm definitely going. She was like an aunt to me and I will miss her very much.

*Yawn*

Man, what a day. I can't get over the fact that I'm now 32. It's just plain weird. And the fact that my little brother turns 30 tomorrow? Even weirder. LOL!

Got up this morning to find a card from my grandma and one of my aunts. Got some b-day money, which is always good. Took my mom grocery shopping, which was a bit strange. Haven't done that with her since I was a little girl. We had a good time though.

After that, channel surfed and played on the internet. My brother called me around 4 to tell me that my SIL wanted me to meet them at Stark Street Pizza for a get together. Got there and had some food. Left about an hour later. Here's my thing. Most of the people that were invited were my brother's friends. I felt really awkward, but also started feeling a bit sick. Sometimes I get to feeling a bit claustrophobic in situations where I don't really know any of the people I'm around. Also, the restaurant was pretty hot and I just wanted to go home. So, if my SIL reads this, it has nothing to do with anything. If I'd been in the right mood, I probably would've had a blast. I'm just not a super social person (most people would tell you that was a lie! Ha!).

Brother and SIL bought me a pair of flannel sleep pants, a t-shirt and fuzzy slippers. Now I've got more loungy stuff. Whoot!

Tomorrow I'm off to the DMV. Got to go pick up my birth cert though. Don't have the right one. *sigh* Shouldn't take all that long and then I'm going to go to B&N to pick up my books! Whee! I CANNOT wait to read Untamed! I've been waiting for it since the end of Chosen. I love me some PC & Kristin Cast. *sigh*

I wanted to say thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes I received both here and on myspace. Thanks for making me feel loved. :D

Well, I'm off for now. Got to get up relatively early tomorrow. *sigh* Nite!

Me & Meljean

Told you I got a pic of the two of us together. Bwahaha! he-he

After looking at these pictures of myself, I feel very, very fat. LOL! The one thing I have to say about Meljean is that she looks JUST like she does in her pictures. :)

Whoot!

It's my birthday today. Have no real plans today, but need to go take my mom grocery shopping in a bit. Might be going out with a friend tonight. Other than that...not much.

Got happy birthday wishes from most of my friends. Made me feel good. Whee! :) So, thank you for the wishes! Love you all!

My Very First Book-Signing! Whoot!

First of all, I have to thank Ciara for even telling me about this! :) I was lucky enough to get off work at 5:30 and drove out to Beaverton to the Powell's out there. Now, I have to tell you all that Powell's is basically on my poopy list, because they treat romance like it's dirt. *ahem*

So, I got to Powell's early and went browsing in their itty bitty romance section. It's pathetic. However, their paranormal section isn't bad at all. :)

I bought Colleen Gleason's latest book (never got mine in the mail *sniffle*) and was going to go find a quiet place to sit while waiting for Ciara. However, that didn't happen. LOL!

I wandered over to where the signing was happening and there were already a few people there. 90% of the authors at this signing were people I'd never even heard of, but I was willing to give it all a try. :)

The first author I met was Dina James who wrote a story in the Mammoth Book of Vampire romance anthology. She was super nice and I loved her red-streaked brown hair. :) We got to talking about books & she showed me her super awesome Acheron-inspired tattoo. Super cool.

The next author was erotica author Lacy Danes who was also super cool. The three of us ended up talking for quite awhile about anything and everything.

Lacy is on the left, Dina is on the right. Both super, super sweet. :)

I then talked to new author Delilah Marvelle who was an absolute delight. She was super sweet and very supportive when she found out I'm also a writer. Actually, the three of them together were awesome & super supportive. Talk about cool ladies!

This is me & Delilah...I always end up looking stoned, but she is very pretty & very nice. I'm also bent down quite a bit because I was quite a bit taller than she is. LOL!

After them, I went onto the other side and got the opportunity to chat with Meljean Brook. Here's a funny bit. I told her that I'd won a copy of Demon Night (can't remember on whose blog) and she asked me what my name was. I told her my real name and she gave me this blank stare. I said "I'm online as Bridget Locke." Lightbulb. LOL! She knew exactly who I was and we chatted for a few. *Ciara took a pic of us, but she said she'll email it to me later. Meljean is almost as tall as I am, so I didn't have to lean at all! :)

Now the funny thing was that Ciara was standing right next to me talking to Samantha James, but didn't know who I was. She looks just like her pictures. After Meljean & I were done talking, I nudged Ciara and said Hi! LOL! We started talking and she introduced me to her friend.

We chatted for a few and then split up, with a promise to meet up after the signing. She went one way & I went the other.

Samantha James. I really liked her jacket. It was nice. :)

The next authors I talked to were Samantha James & Elizabeth Boyle. I had heard of both of them, but have never read either of their books. They were really nice, though Samantha is pretty reserved. Between them sat author Mary Vine who is published through Black Lyon publishing. She and I actually met while waiting for the bathroom. She's my bathroom buddy! LOL!

Elizabeth Boyle, Mary Vine and Samantha James. You can't see it, but Elizabeth had this really pretty necklace. I didn't compliment her on it (I should've), but it was green and it matched her top. I love jewelry. :)

We had a great conversation about sex in books and also about what people do when they're trying to decide on a book. I always read the first few pages. I did that while looking over Samantha's stuff and she told me she couldn't look. LOL!

After we were done talking I met author Minnette Meador. She writes fantasy & some other stuff. Very nice and also very supportive when she found out I'm writing my first book. She was sitting next to Alexis Morgan.

Rebecca Goings who writes erotica for Samhain publishing. Megan Clark who writes erotica for Kensington. And finally Terri Reed who writes Inspirational books.

I spent a total of $129.71 on new books tonight. I have a sickness. Sad, sad, sad! LOL!

It was well worth it though. Even if I end up not liking the books, I don't care. I had a blast, it was all for my birthday and I look forward to doing it again sometime! :)

After the signing, Ciara, her friend and I stopped at this little cafe so that I could eat. Hadn't eaten anything since around 1, so I was STARVING! We chatted and had a great time. I'm afraid I talked their ears off...like I usually do when I'm nervous. I need to learn to shut up. *sigh* Great conversation though. It's nice to talk to fellow book lovers. :)

So, that was my night in a nutshell. I have 12 new books to go look at! Whoot! :) Super, super fun time! Yay me!

My new stash! I must be out of my mind! LOL!

I'm Brain Dead

That's just all there is to it. Brain dead and want to just run away from it all. *sigh*

Get to meet Ciara tomorrow night! Whoot! There's a book signing over at the Powell's in Beaverton. We're meeting there & then maybe going out for food or something. Should be fun. :)

My mom got out of surgery around 9ish. It went well. Everyone is thoroughly exhausted & just wants it all to be done and over with. Trying to keep up on laundry. I hate laundry. :(

Going to go write for awhile. Wish me luck! :)

Wasn't Going To

Write anymore, but just feel like venting about life in general. Or not. Haven't made up my mind yet. LOL!

Just wrote a ridiculous amount on my WIP. At this point I've got 30-something pages. It sounds like I haven't written much, but I actually went back, took a bunch out and rewrote bits and pieces to get it tweaked the way I wanted it. So, I'm happy with that now.

Here's a question for the writers out there. Don't you hate it when you ask someone a question in a research capacity and they either laugh at you or look at you like you're nuts? I don't drink alcohol at all, but my heroine goes to a bar to drown her sorrows and I asked my coworker (and kind-of friend) what type of drink she should have. I was looking for something smooth tasting, but fast acting. He basically laughed at me. So, I guess I'll have to ask y'all. Can you suggest something? I'm thinking a whiskey or something, but since I'm not going to go drink to figure it out...need your help!

Got an email from B&N letting me know that the new Cindy Gerard book is available to pick up! Now, I LOVE her Bodyguard series & am looking forward to reading this one too, since it's some characters that were introduced in the last book of that series. Ms. Gerard writes some hard-core tough guy Alphas, but boy, when they fall for their woman, they fall hard. My favorite book of that series is To The Brink, which is the third in the series. The romance in that one is...hawt. It's one of the few books where flashbacks are used very, very well. Yum! :)

The other book is Untamed by PC & Kristin Cast. I can't pick that one up until Tuesday, so I might just wait until then to pick them both up. Whoot!

I wish I didn't have to go into work until 1 tomorrow. I don't know how well I'll sleep tonight and would just like to sleep in. *sigh*

Well, now I'm done. Going to go try to sleep. Nite!

Argh!

I try really, really hard to be a positive person, but with the way things have gone lately, I'm just not sure if I have it in me anymore. *sigh*

Got a call from my brother about 4:30 asking me which hospital my mom was in. Since I had no idea she was in the hospital, I told him I didn't know. He said my dad had taken her into emergency & that my brother didn't know which hospital they would have gone to.

So, I find out by accident that my mom is in the hospital. Also, I think my dad has forgotten my existence, because he hasn't called me once. I'm getting everything second hand thru my brother. Very frustrating day. After I found out, I went into the bathroom and basically lost it. I'm stressed to the max and just fed up with life in general.

Now, it sounds like it might be her gallbladder & she'll have to go in for surgery either tonight or tomorrow. I still don't really know what's going on & hate being left out of the loop. Argh!

And that's what's happening on my end. *sigh* Please, someone have some good news out there. Please????

*Yawn*

I'm tired. Too many nights of not sleeping well. Grr. Going to take a sleeping pill in a little while and hopefully get a decent amount of shut-eye tonight. Here's hoping anyway. :)

Work went by quickly, which was nice. Talked to my boss about getting off early Friday & I get off at 5:30. So, Ciara, if you still want to meet up, email me & we'll figure out the deets. :)

I love getting a work schedule with no hours on it! :) Whee!!! *happy dance* I love vacation. One of the first things I'm going to do? Get a pedicure. Yup-yup!

I tried to write last night and it was like my brain died. How weird is that? I had all these thoughts & ideas, opened up my Word document & it all just...disappeared. *sigh*

Gorgeous weather earlier today, but by the end...not so pretty. Wet weather is coming our way. *sniffle*

Bought myself a pizza for dinner. Yummy! Ate too much of it. I really hate it when that happens. Now I'm stuffed. Ugh!

Not much going on really. Tired and a bit cranky. Grr. Might bite someone's head off. Thankfully, it's not PMS. Whoot!

I've Been Thinking

About all kinds of things. Sometimes I'm amazed I can sleep at night when my brain gets to going. Last night was one of those nights. It got so bad that I got back up, read a book and playe on the interenet. Finally fell asleep about 3. I hate it when that happens.

Had to babysit for a bit this afternoon. My mom had a doctor's appointment and since I was available... Anyway, it was Cooper, so it wasn't like I had to handle both boys. However, the poor little man is teething something fierce and all he did was scream. *sigh* Me + Babies = Not for me. I love kids, but I don't. Does that make sense to anyone?

Reread Lord of Scoundrels today. I love that book. Especially the scene where Dain is in the tub trying to figure out where Jessica should fit in his internal check list. It's just so sweet and so him. :)

Not looking forward to work tomorrow. *sigh* Tired and grumpy. I hate weather changes & am looking forward to my vacation. :)

Need to just get away for awhile. *sigh*

Leaving y'all with a yummy picture. Nite!

Random Bits & Pieces

*Work was INSANE this past week. Exhausting, cranky, annoying, etc. etc. Thankfully this week should be less intense. Here's hoping.

*Got more writing done. Nowhere near as much as I did last weekend, but was able to work out what I wanted to change and add/switch it in my WIP. Very excited about that.

*Might get to meet Ciara on Friday! Now, she just needs to email me & let me know if she's coming down to Portland or not. :)

*Had a horrific headache today. Horrific. Ended up sleeping in until 3:30 and still didn't get rid of it 100%. Spent most of my day having a Lisa Kleypas love-fest. I seriously love that woman's writing. I think I've only read one book by her that really didn't do anything for me and it was her first book (I think). Each book since has had something about it that I just love. :)

*My mom's not doing well. I won't go into details as of yet, since it's her business, but I would really appreciate thoughts and prayers if you've got them.

*Starting next Saturday at 4 pm, I have a week-long vacation calling out my name. Whoot! Here are my plans as of this moment: cleaning my room THOROUGHLY, going shopping for books & clothes (notice how books get first priority), get rid of books I don't want, and finally...nothing at all! Whoot!

*Katie(babs) started her own blog! Here's the link. :) She's so sweet & very interesting to read. Her first offering is all about names. Mine gets all confusing, since I do not write under my real name. Some people know me by my real name, but I prefer some anonymity. :)

*Changed my random hotness this week. Eric Bana is one of those changeling types. Sometimes he is super hot and other times...not so much. Russell Crowe is another one. :)

Well, I'm off, I think. It's almost midnight, but I'm not tired. Well, I am, but not enough to go to bed. *sigh* Hope everyone has a happy Monday! :)

FYI

Just took a sleeping pill about 20 minutes ago, so if I start to ramble, I hope you understand. :)

First of all...September 11. Wow, I can't believe it's been 7 years. In my head, it seems like it was just yesterday. A moment of silence...

I am completely & totally exhausted. This week has been a big fat ball of ugh. Tired, grumpy and fed up. Not a good combination in my little world. *sigh*

Got off work a bit early today. Was going to go get my eyebrows done, but just couldn't get up the gumption. *sigh*

Nothing much else going on. Will blog more tomorrow maybe.

And this seemed appropriate considering today's date.

Uh-Huh

Yeah, not so much...I mean, it's true that I don't care if a guy is ripped, but the guys they say I like the best? Not so much. Enrique & Nick? Nope!

Your result for The What type of MAN turns you on Test...

Exotic Lover

You want a man who doesn't need the muscles to be a hottie. You love a sexy, exotic face and someone who takes care of himself. You like a clean look, but very masculine and yummy. Someone like.......Enrique Iglesias. (on the right) But let's face it, the whole point of this was to look at a bunch of hot guys. If you liked what you saw, please rate my test!

Take The What type of MAN turns you on Test at HelloQuizzy

My Brain Hurts

Boy, oh boy, today was a bear. Busy, busy, busy! My brain is full of crap and I just can't wait to sleep for about a week. Oh, wait! I can do that in a week & a half! Whoot!





Nalini Singh has this great reader interview thingamajig going on over on her blog. :) Here's the link. I mean, come on! Your favorite book(s)? I'm so there! :)





Other than that, not much going on. Just very tired. Going to go write now. For your viewing pleasure....

Mr. Gerry Butler (as he prefers b/c most of us dumb Americans don't know how to pronounce it like Jarod...yes, we're idiots. LOL). Just looks yummy. But is it just me or does he look like the lead singer of Depeche Mode in this picture?

*Yawn*

Tired, so tired. I would love to say I slept good last night, and I did, but it took FOREVER to fall asleep. *sigh*

Today was really, really busy. Work was insane, customers were cranky and I'm thankful the day is over. Stopped by B&N to see if I could find something to order w/ my gift card to amazon. Nothing. :( 99% of the suggestions I've gotten from people I've either already read or tried and didn't like. *sniffle*

One good piece of news though. I wrote 36 pages over the weekend! Whoot! Very, very excited about that. I do have to go back and change something, but if I don't, what I've got planned is going to seem very odd. So, a bit of tweaking and then I hope everything will fall into place. Here's hoping. :)

Only a week and a half before my vacay! Whoo-hoo! Happy days, happy days. I'm really looking forward to it. I think I'm going to scour my bedroom from top to bottom, go through books I don't want anymore and just clean up all of this nonsense. I need to purge. So hard to do, but I've really got to do it. *sigh* Keep your fingers crossed for me, huh? :)

Well, I'm off. Going to go be productive and write. Ciao!

LA-LI-LA-LI-LAAAAAAA!

Hi, hi! :)

This weekend has been lovely, except for the allergic reaction I had to moth balls. Yes, you heard me correctly...moth balls. *sigh* Poor Chloe dog picked up fleas the last time she got groomed and has been absolutely miserable. The fleas got so bad that my mom was worried we wouldn't be able to get rid of them. She read somewhere that moth balls are good for killing fleas and since they're cheap, she thought why not? She's got them all throughout the living room. They seem to be working, but oh, did they give me a horrendous migraine. It got so bad I had to go shower to get the smell off of me. Ugh! But, I'm doing much better now. :)

Spent yesterday writing & playing the Sims 2. I'm a lazy bum. Today I did very little. Went to Fred Meyer awhile ago to buy lunches for this week. Also bought some chocolate sorbet. Yum!

I've been trying to figure out what to do with my $75. It was an amazon gift card, so I can basically buy anything there that hits my fancy. What to buy, what to buy? Hmm...I was thinking maybe a copy of Jane Eyre? Wives & Daughters? Anybody have any good suggestions?

I've got a busy week coming up. It's expected to be busy. I dunno...last week was pretty dead, so I'm not really expecting much. We shall see.

This latest Sims 2 installment has been a blast. I still have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to building an apartment complex, but it's fun to go in and redecorate the ones that are already pre-made. :) My inner interior designer is coming out. :)

Not much else going on, really. I'm pretty tired. Should go to bed, but it's not late enough, if that makes sense. LOL! Yeah, I'm weird.

Well, I'm off. Have a great night, everybody!

I WON! I WON! I WON!

Phew...sorry about that. :) I won Nalini's contest! Happy days, happy days! $75 burning up my pockets. Now, I just have to figure out what to buy. Any suggestions? :)

I've Lost My Mind

Wait, I'd already done that. he-he

Sitting on my last break, minding my own P's & Q's. My day is almost over & then my weekend will start. I plan on doing NOTHING! And it's wonderful! Whoot!

Trying to figure out finances for my vacay. I'm using this particular paycheck for all of my big girl (snicker) stuff like paying bills & the like. I'm hoping to use my next paycheck just to spoil myself. Whee! :) I really, really need to buy some new clothes. I've lost enough weight that nothing I own really fits anymore. Whoo-hoo! I mean, I feel great about that 99% of the time, but I really, really don't have the money to buy a bunch of new clothes. At this point, I'd be happy to find some comfy new bras and some great tops. Here's hoping. :)

I cannot believe I wrote 23 pages the other night. If I keep that up, I could maybe finish this book by the end of the year! I think it has a lot of potential & I'm very excited. It's about time!

Well, I must be off. Time to go back to work. Nite, everyone!

Just a Quickie

Oy...TIRED! :(

Finally got my game downloaded! Happy days!

Work was interesting.

Have to be up at 9. :(

Running around in circles (or so it seems).

Ended up writing 22 pages yesterday! And they were good! Whoot!

Um...that's it. Oh...pretties! :)

I just love this picture. Beautiful beach, gorgeous body, peaceful setting. *sigh*

And this guy's abs totally freak me out. He has the body of a Greek God. And he's also a gym rat. :) Not that I mind...not in the least. he-he

Hi, Peeps!

Oh, what a day today was. Ugh!



This is going to be about being a girl (period), so if you don't want to read it...skip down to next bolded line.


Okeydokey...so, I'm having my usual monthly issue. Except with me, it's usually not monthly. It's more every few months or so. Now that I've lost a lot of weight it's going more into a normal cycle, but my periods are really, seriously awful things.

I have a headache to end all headaches and I'm cramping so bad that Midol's not even touching it. I've been having a period since I was 10 years old. So, it's been almost 22 years that I've had to deal with this nonsense and I'm sick of it.

When my mom had her hysterectomy, I seriously considered just having one too. I'm not planning on having children, it'd save me from dealing with this nightmare and I could live a "normal" life. *sigh* I don't even know what normal is. :(


Start here>>>>


Today was a good day. Got to work a bit early, so I played online for a little bit. I had to stop at Walmart to pick up some things. I was in a bit of a hurry. It's a good thing I'd left early, because traffic was really, really bad. When I got to the Hawthorne Bridge to cross into downtown Portland, traffic was backed all the way across. I don't know if a boat had just gone thru and the drawbridge had been up, but man. What a disaster that was.

I'm thinking Portland should pass a law to ban being on cell phones while driving. I had a perfect example of why talking while driving is a bad thing. Yesterday as I was driving to work, this guy pulled in front of me. He stayed in front of me until I reached my exit. I'd speeded up to pass him, but some instinct made me slow down. Sure enough, without putting on his blinker or looking, he pulled over. Missed my car by mere inches. I laid on the horn and he looked over at me like "What?"

My mom walks w/ the boys in their stroller almost every day. She said it's a miracle they arrive home in one piece. People chatting on their phones run red lights, turn without looking, etc. People like that just drive me up the wall. *sigh*

Work wasn't too bad today. We were pretty slow, so I spent most of the latter part of my shift writing. :) Yay! I'd been working on Wil & Gideon's outline for awhile, stalled and had gone back to it, but something was missing. I had Wil's sister married to the Alpha of the Pack, but had no backstory. I decided it made sense (duh) to write their story first. It's going to be all about Kara and Jamison. Should be fun. As of this moment in time I have 12 pages written. Woot! :)

I'm trying to download that stupid game again. I think I should just cut my losses and get my money back, but the IT guy I talked to from EA suggested I try again. He said I'd missed a couple of key steps the last time I tried. It's only taking 14 hours this time. *eye roll*

I've been trying to delete a lot of surplous programs here on my laptop to make more room on my C drive. Half the stuff I've never even touched, but I'm afraid to get rid of it until I know I can. I think I'm going to take it to Best Buy and ask one of the Geek Squad what programs I can safely get rid of. I want to only have programs I want to have on here...if that makes sense.

Two weeks and a couple of days before my week long vacation! Whoo-hoo! I'm definitely looking forward to it, even if I can't go anywhere. :~( My dad was supposed to be gone that whole week to on a hunting trip, but part of it fell through, so he'll be home too. My poor mom was so looking forward to her vacation and all of us will be home. I told her maybe she should take a couple of days and go to the beach or something. I think it would do her a lot of good to get out of the house for a change. She has my nephews anywhere from 12 to 14 hours a day with very little down time. I'm thinking she should go do something to recharge her batteries. :)

I should have a better than decent paycheck for my vacation. Still not enough to go to the beach, but enough to go shopping! I need to buy so many things, it's not even funny. This is almost embarrassing to admit, but I'm the kind of person who wears underwear until they literally fall apart. Since no one is going to see me naked, I'm a big believer in comfort over sexiness. I've found that the best undies are made by Fruit of the Loom. Their high cut briefs are to die for. No wedgies and minimal panty lines. Whee! Actually, I'm so into comfort, I don't even think I'd care if I have VPL. :)

No plans for the weekend. Might vegetate. Might clean. Depends on how I'm feeling and all that good stuff. *sigh*


The weather was absolutely stunning today. It's now officially Indian Summer here. Even when it's really warm there's a bite to the air that's not there during the summer. The nights cool down fast and it's just gorgeous! The fall in Portland is so pretty. My favorite time of year.

Guess what?!? I won an autographed copy of Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre over on the DIK blog! Woot! I've already got a copy that I think I'd be willing to give away...maybe. :) Which reminds me...I need to email her.

Well, I think I'm off. Going to go write some more. My muse is back with a vengeance and I couldn't be happier! Whee! Nite everyone!

Eye Candy & Other Stuff

Did anyone else out there watch Roswell or is that just me? This is Jason Behr who played Max. Who knew? He's over in my sidebar too. I always thought he was kind of hot, but his ears just freaked me out. Ears that stick way out just do nothing for me. I'm superficial...sue me. :~P

The game never downloaded. :( I'm super unhappy about this, but what else is knew? I've been in contact w/ EA, so hopefully this little hiccup will be rectified soon. *crossing fingers*

Work went by super fast today. I was training a new temp, so 6 hours went by fast! Yay! I got to go home at 6 cuz we went dead. Woot! :) Stopped by the Dollar Tree to pick up some yummies for tomorrow and came home. Been online ever since. Not quite an hour, so I'm not too bad. :)

Thinking of all the new books that are coming out during the rest of 2008. If I'm not careful, I will be bankrupting myself when it comes to buying books. *sigh* How depressing is that?!? Way too many books and I have no willpower. It's a sickness I tell you. :~P

What else? Not much, really. I get paid on Friday, but this paycheck is going to nothing but bills. I have to make sure I've got fundage on my vacation. I'm trying to come up with fun things to do during that week. As of this minute...I'm drawing a blank. Sad, isn't it?

I've been getting a lot of compliments on my review blog. People like Mr. Newspaper Reader. What do you think?

I shall leave you with another of many pictures. Enjoy!!!

Grr...

Heya! Hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend. Since mine was 2 like usual, didn't seem to be any different. *sigh*

Had a good day though. It went by fast. I got to work a couple minutes early and caught up on emails. Yay! :) Got home from work, ate dinner and have been playing online since I got home. Whee!

My parents bought me The Sims 2 Apartment Life...but get this. It's taken over 24 hours to download. So, there are a couple things it could be. 1. I don't have enough memory and it's just deciding to take it's own sweet time. 2. It's cursed. 3. I dunno. We'll see what happens when it finishes downloading. If it doesn't work...I'm getting my money back. And just to give you an idea of what geniuses EA are...they didn't tell anyone that our computers had to be DVD compatible to get the game to work. We've never had to do that before. So, a lot of people who bought the game couldn't take theirs back b/c most electronic stores have the policy that once open they can't be returned. What a bunch of bunk.

Not much going on in my neck of the woods though. Just tired. Had a horrible time sleeping last night. If I don't sleep well tonight, I might take a sleeping pill tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm training a new temp from 11 to 5. I'm hoping I can get off work at 5:30 so I can come home and chill.

Since I can't go on my beach trip as planned, I've been trying to come up with some cool things to do at home. And I'm drawing a complete blank. *sigh* All the new books I want come out at the end of the month, so that kind of puts a damper on things. I wish I could get more ARCs for books I'd LOVE! :(

Um...Oh, I know! My list of birthday wishes. If I could get anything, this would be it. :)


1. DVD of Jane Eyre w/ Ruth Wilson & Tobey Stephens
2. DVD of Wives & Daughters
3. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
4. An ARC of Angels Blood by Nalini Singh
5. A Trip, fully paid, anywhere in the world. Now that one is DEFINITELY wishful thinking. LOL!
6. Nora Roberts autograph
7. The ability to shapeshift so I could be slender without having to struggle to lose the weight.
8. A gift card to Barnes and Noble
9. New clothes
10. The chance to meet my blogging buddies, wherever they may be.
11. Not sure what else, but these are the ones on my mind. :)

So, anywho, I'm going to go now. Here's hoping that stupid game will be downloaded soon. I'm crossing my fingers it'll work. Please? :)

Hope everyone has a great night! Ciao!