It's Getting Hot in Heeeeerrrrrreeeeee

So take off all your clothes. Anyone remember that song? Repetitive is an understatement. *sigh*

It's hot. I'm hot. I feel like I'm going to melt any minute now. *sigh* Summer sucks. That is all.

I've had a sinus headache all day. My brain hurts.

Tomorrow I HAVE to clean. I've had a fruit fly flying around my head for the last couple of hours. Just one, but those little buggers like to multiply and how. :(

Really grumpy. Think 99% of my problem is the heat. Seriously tempted to take a shower, but would only irritate the parents. Boo!

Bored. Hot. Grumpy. This is so not a good combination. *snort*

Thoughts of Things & Other Things

First of all, I have to say that I am sick to death of my head and hot weather. Portland has been hit with stifling weather for the last week. I do not do good in hot weather. Ugh! Clouds came in last night, my head decided it hated me and I have another sinus headache today. Seriously, it's like my head is its own barometer. *sigh*

After writing my list of books from May yesterday, I sat down and tried to figure out A. how on earth I read that many books and B. why I spent so much money on books. Honestly? I don't have an answer for either. :P Evil book publishers putting out books by favorite authors. That's the only excuse I can think of. :D

My dad drives Sunday school bus for the church my parents attend and there's a family that loves my dad. The mother provides him with food on a regular basis. :) She gave him this really yummy pound cake dessert thingy and I'm eating a piece. I'm so bad! LOL!

My buddy KB had an interesting post about the BEA yesterday (book expo). She attended a workshop on blogging and the comments she came away with really struck me. I have two blogs. I've been blogging accumutively for about 5 years now. I don't get very many comments on either of my blogs, but I've been told by multiple people that my blogs (esp G&BB's) are insightful and give them a lot to think about.

Do I think my blogs mean anything? They do to me. This particular blog allows me to air my frustrations and other things in a healthy manner. My book blog has given me the opportunity to read and review books I never would have come across otherwise.

Am I envious of blogs that have a ridiculous amount of blog traffic? Sometimes, esp. when I write a blog entry that I think is extremely insightful or focused on something and I don't get any comments at all. It's like I'm begging for them. That's not it at all. Blogging is something I do for fun. It's never been about who comes by or how many comments I get. It's all about expression and the ability to say what I want, when I want, about what I want. Ha!

Yes, there are blogs out there that get an insane amount of traffic every day. But, these are the blogs that really focus on the writing industry and other things. Mine really don't, which is weird since I am a writer. I guess my thoughts on the whole thing are more along the lines of "I'm going to be real and talk about things that matter to me. If you have an opinion and want to share it, that's great, but if you just want to stop by, read my posts and move on...that's fine too."

I dunno, I guess in a roundabot way I'm trying to say that I would love to have more comments, but I'm also not going to beat myself up over the fact that I don't. I have my fair share of people who drop by (thank you!) and that's all that matters to me. :)

And I don't keep track of my stats. I used to, but got a bit obsessed with it all and it ended up taking away some of my enjoyment. I have no idea how many of you truly do come by. But I thank you for coming by all the same. :D

Ciao, Au revoir and all that good stuff. :)

Books Read for May 2009 (new books...not including rereads)

*ahem*

Okay, the month of May scares me. You'll see what I mean in a minute.

1. Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian-I still need to review. Would give it a C-

2. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley-Gave it a C+

3. At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh-Would give this a B-. It was a very sweet love story and a great continuation in the Huxtable series.

4. Seducing An Angel by Mary Balogh-This one deserves a B. Almost done. Con's story comes out next month (I think).

5. Witch Fire by Anya Bast-I'd give this a C. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't phenomenal either. The heroine was kind of an idiot. The sex was hot though. :)

6. Witch Blood by Anya Bast-C+. Better. Still not perfect. Will be getting the others in the series though. My curiosity won't let me not finish. Bad Bridget!

7-9. The Black Jewel Trilogy by Anne Bishop-Wow. That is all I have to say about this series. I count this as 3 books though, just an FYI. I'd give it a B+. Excellent, but I had some issues. Will need to review this one too. *headdesk*

10. Confessions of a Little Black Gown by Elizabeth Boyle-Eh...C. Wasn't great. Didn't even realize I'd read the previous book in the series until I read the next one. Not very memorable.

11. Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress by Elizabeth Boyle-C+. This is the same issue I've had with the previous books I've read by Ms. Boyle...they're all very much of the same "type."

12. Under Fire by Jo Davis-After reading book 1 and really enjoying it, hoped I'd like this one just as much. Yeah, not so much. It wasn't awful, but it just didn't have the sizzle book 1 did. Give it a C-

13. Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham-Need to review for Sourcebooks. It was very unique. Enjoyed it. Wasn't like reading a book though. Will review on Monday.

14. The Art of French Kissing by Kristin Harmel-I really liked this. Simple and sweet. Give it a B-

15. Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison-Need to review. Off the top of my head would give it a B-/C+. It was good but definitely had some issues. Will review shortly (probably this weekend).

16. This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James-B+. Really enjoyed it. I love this series. Need to review to go into more details. Lovely story and I can't wait for Villiers. :)

17. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James-B

18. A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon-Review here

19. Fatal Shadows by Josh Lanyon-Review here

20. Loving Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan-Will review in a few months (when I'm supposed to). That being said...loved it!

21. Lord of Pleasure by Delilah Marvelle-Will be reviewing shortly. It was an E-ARC. She loves me. :D

22-29. The Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning-My thoughts here

30. The Betrayal by Pati Nagle-DNF. Could NOT get into this book to save my life, which I find very sad. Interesting premise, boring execution.

31. Revealed by Kate Noble-Really enjoyed it. The Book Smugglers were right...again. I'd give it a B+

32. Compromised by Kate Noble-Liked this one as well. Not as much as Revealed though. I'd say B.

33. Desire Untamed by Pamela Palmer-C-. It was one of those books where I knew I shouldn't enjoy it as much as I did and yet I did...if that makes sense. It definitely had its issues, but I'm curious what book 2 will be like

34. Nemesis of the Garden by Cricket Starr-Eh...C-

35. Lover Avenged by JR Ward-B-

36. Dream Machine by Jane Rylon-E-Book. Wasn't all that great. C

37. Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston-Interesting. I'd say B-

38. Go Fetch by Shelly Laurenston-B-

39. Here Kitty Kitty by Shelly Laurenston-C

40. Sexy by Design by Avery Beck-Talk about a disappointment. Could have been something and ended up being not-so-good. The sex was mechanical at best and the plot dragged. D

41. Faefever by Karen Marie Moning-A-. LOVED it!
And there you have it. My reads for May 2009

*yawn*

Need to go to bed soon...VERY soon. I'm exhausted and the heat is killing me. Bridget + hot weather = grumpy Bridget. *sigh*

I've been reading a LOT. I'll be posting my end of month list on Sunday. You will just end up shaking your heads at me. Trust me, I know you will. :)

This week has been uber-stressful. I finally had enough today and ended up having kind of an emotional breakdown at work. Ended up walking away for a good 10 minutes to get myself under control and all that good stuff. *sigh*

Just having a bad week all around. Oh well, what else is new?

Thunks & Thinks & Stuff

Okay, I'm completely & totally fed up with me, myself & I. Also, I'm pretty sure my dad wants to kill me.

Here's the thing, I have had a seriously annoying, kick-me-when-I'm-down, *headdesk* (but it'd hurt too much) sinus migraine since Friday. Worked on Saturday but felt like crap. Didn't get to sleep until 5:30 yesterday morning due to sinus pressure and couldn't get to sleep last night (again due to head). My dad has been harping on me to clean my room for a couple of months now, but I kid you not, I've either been sick or busy.

He's the kind of person who doesn't realize that harping and antagonizing me is NOT the way to get me to do something. Yes, I realize my bedroom is a complete and total disaster. Yes, I know I've got to clean it. However, calling me a liar and constantly making snarky remarks about it isn't the best way to go about getting me to clean. In fact, it annoys me so much I think I keep it dirty on purpose. I know, it's sick and wrong, but there you go. *sigh*

I hate being a slob, but I've been like this for years. I have no idea how to organize and I think I could be one of those sadsack people on the World's Messiest houses. Of course, when I get my own place...not so much.

I don't know what it is about me. I know it's gotta be something. It's not like I like living like this. I just get overwhelmed. Yeah, I know, if I kept it clean I wouldn't have to clean it. Trust me, I KNOW! *sigh*

I don't want to go to work tomorrow. I don't want to go back ever, but I DO have to pay bills, so there you go.

I read a lot this weekend. Even with a killer migraine I can still read a book. Playing on the computer and stuff? Not so much.

However, did get on youtube last night looking up something and started watching Friends episodes. Man, I forgot how much I loved that show! I can't believe its been of the air for 5 years already. Seems like just yesterday.

My favorite on there was always Chandler, esp. when he was delving into his emotional background. He was always funny and had just the sweetest insides. When he and Monica first hooked up I was wondering if the writers were smoking crack, but I actually think they ended up being the perfect couple. Her neuroses w/ his sarcasm really worked. I thought the final season with them wanting babies so badly was kind of stupid, but in the end, it worked.

I think my all-time favorite episode was the one where they got engaged. It was so perfect and so totally them. Or when we found out Rachel was pregnant & didn't know who the father was...well, we knew, but the characters didn't. When Ross grabbed his red sweater and the expressions on everyones faces was hysterical.

Phoebe and her songs. Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you? *snicker*

I'm over on Renee's blog. She's over on G&BB. We did a dare. It was fun!


My head really hurts. I will leave you with this. JenB (love her!) keeps trying to corrupt me. This is a blog she introduced me to. At this point, 90% of them are fake, but some of them are absolutely hysterical. I am so thankful I don't drink. :)

On Writing...

And other things. I have to say this last week was interesting to say the least. My lunch with Ciara was a blast, plus I ended up buying some really good books. Always a plus. Tuesday I had an unexpected day off and for the most part, the rest of the week flew by.

One of my new responsibilities at work is being the main email go-to for a particular department. I was talking to a friend of mine about it and said that I was answering a particular amount of emails per day and that our boss was questioning me on why I was doing them so quickly. My friend said that he'd purposefully slowed down because he was getting questioned too and was getting tired of being questioned for doing a GOOD job.

Here's the thing, I have never figured out why the company I works for doesn't seem to want to acknowledge good work. When I was hired on I was told that they purposefully hired from within to promote good work. Um...no. I've been there for almost 5 years and I am basically in the EXACT same position I was in when I started. When I do a good job, I basically get nothing. I've tried getting hired on in different positions throughout the company, but it never happens. Is it because I'm TOO good at what I do? If that's the case, shame on them! You'd think they would want their employees to succeed, but I guess that's just fantasy. *sigh*

Yesterday during an EXTREMELY slow work day, I did some writing. Though I've been focusing primarily on Kara & Jamison's story, I'm also writing scenes for the other three (maybe four) books that I've got planned. Since I am NOT a linear thinker, this allows me to get what's in my head done before I lose it. I can usually hold a plot-point in my head for a long time, but sometimes I'll have a scene or piece of dialogue or whatever pop into my head that I know is good and I want to keep it. That happened to me yesterday.

See, when this whole story idea happened, the first story that came to me was actually book 3. I had the heroine down, knew 90% of her backstory and had the hero basically fleshed out. Unfortunately, because there was so much history between them, I needed to go back to the beginning to show what had happened in the past and why there were so many issues that needed resolving between them before they could get their HEA. That's where Kara & Jamison come in.

I don't know about other writers and the way their minds work. 99% of the time I don't know how MY mind works, but since I really started focusing on my writing I've noticed some very bizarre quirks. I have little...I don't know if I want to call them rituals per se, but definitely some things I do to get into the writing mood. Sometimes it's reading a book that I know will get me in the right mindset for the scene I'm working on. Sometimes it's a movie. Other times it's talking to friends and automatically recording it in my head for future reference.

I've also been doing a lot of research, especially on wolf packs. I'm not writing werewolves, but shapeshifters. People who were born with two shapes; one just happens to be animal. I've always been fascinated by wolves especially and with the way pack hierarchy works. I love the concept of an Alpha male and female working together to make their pack strong.

That's why I'm having so much fun with these stories. I'm trying to twist the usual ideas behind paranormal romances and tossing some of the tried & true ideas aside. Instead of a Pack Alpha being male, I've got it being a female. Instead of Pack unity (to start with anyway), I've got mutiny and other things. Instead of the immediate "I scent you, so therefore you are my mate," I've got the "I know you're my mate, but we haven't quite decided if that's how we're going to do it. I want to get to know you as a person and a wolf before I spend the rest of my life with you."

Instead of the typical wolf-shifter/human mate thing where the shifter bites the human and changes them, I've got it all genetic, so that no matter how many times the shifter bites his/her human, the human stays human.

I just find it fascinating how the mind works. At least how mine works, anyway. A very basic concept will strike me and then the whole "What if" thing comes along. Twists, turns, etc. and the next thing you know, I've got 4 (maybe 5) books calling out my name. Who knew?

Life & Stuff

And stuff. Boy, oh, boy! You know, it's funny. There are times when my life is so far beyond boring that it's downright depressing. And then I'll be busy and wonder where my quiet life went. LOL!

Yesterday was way too much fun! I met up with Ciara for lunch and we went to La Caretta. Yum! Ate too much and talked, talked, talked about books and writing! After lunch we went out to the B&N at Clackamas Town Center to look over books. I bought two Anya Bast books and The Black Jewel trilogy omnibus by Anne Bishop. Once we were done w/ that, I decided to show her around my city. We stopped at Dairy Queen for something cool to drink and I showed her my 'hood. :D We spent a couple of hours together and I had a blast!

After I dropped her off downtown, it was quite an adventure just getting over the bridge to go home. Ever since they put in the tracks for MAX, you can no longer turn right for quite a few blocks. I had to do some creative driving not to end up in Timbuktu! LOL!

This morning was interesting. Got a call from my boss at 9:30 this morning telling me I had the day off. Turns out our computer system crashed and nobody was coming in. My carpool buddy texted me and said he thought it sucked. I admit I agree since it was an unpaid day off, but hey...it's a day off! Not complaining. :)

Spent most of the day either reading or playing with the nephews. It was lovely. Yesterday was icky and hot, but today it was cold and rainy. Man, I love Oregon! :D

I have a bit of a headache tonight, but that's typical. Sinuses hate me. I'm pretty tired though, so that's good. I hope I'll sleep good tonight. *crossing fingers*

Over on the DIK blog we're choosing a new Hero. Unfortunately, to do that, I had to give up one of my heros. *sniffle* I ended up giving up Bones, which makes me sad, but I couldn't get rid of any of the others! It would be like giving up an arm. I emailed Tracy with my pick just in case I can't be around. He's delish! Nobody's probably heard of him, but that's good. Means nobody will try to steal him from me. :D


And I think I'm off. I'm pretty zonked. Have a great night everyone! Ciao!

Today Was...

One of those days. Got off work at 4:30 (2 1/2 hours early! Whoo-hoo) and decided to drive over to the B&N in Clackamas. I'd usually go to the one at Lloyd Center, but I felt like a salad from Chili's. Stopped and bought Confessions of a Little Black Dress by Elizabeth Boyle (was good...need to review), Under Fire by Jo Davis, The Betrayal by Pati Nagle, and Eve of Darkness by SJ Day. Also stopped by See's Candy for my raspberry and blueberry truffles. Yum!

Whilst at B&N though, I came across this super interesting tidbit. On June 5th at 7 pm, Kelley Armstrong, Claudia Gray, Kim Harrison & Aprilynne Pike will be there for a meet & greet signing (and panel). Color me going. I need to ask boss if I can get off work early (*crossing fingers*). Anyone else going? :)

I'm really out of it this week. I think I'm PMSing, which isn't helping anything either. Grumpy and all together ARGH! It's so not pretty.

Trying to find the time to do anything and the WANT to do anything is what's getting to me, I think. I'm kind of stuck in a weird shade of limbo that's threatening to make my head explode. I just feel...stuck! Like I have no way of getting out of where I am. It's sad & depressing. *sigh*

I Can't Believe...

It's only Wednesday. This week is taking forever. It doesn't help that we're extremely slow and yet I am scheduled for excess hours today. Plus, even w/ sleeping pills I'm not sleeping very well. Been having really weird dreams & such.

Today the weather was awful. Rained hard all day and the clouds were so thick that it looked like twilight all day. *sigh*

I was able to get some writing in, so that was nice. I've basically got all of my scenes finished and now it's connecting them and making sure it all makes sense. Me? Make sense? Surely you jest! :P

Things on the guy front are...pathetic at best. The carpooling thing is working exceptionally well which actually surprises me. I don't know why...just does. We chat as we head to work and on the days he drives he always stops by Starbucks so I can get my tea and bagel. Can we all say AW! :) He's a sweet guy.

I was texting to my buddy as I took the bus home last night and we got on the conversation of guys. She knows I like him and was asking me how things were going. When I told her, she just shook her head. She's having guy issues too, so we're in the same boat. Except that she KNOWS her guy likes her. *sigh*

My brother had surgery last week, so we had the boys overnight Thursday. That was an adventure. Then my mom and SIL took an impromptu vacation to the beach, leaving me & my dad alone. Oh dears! Worked out fine though. I bought my mom a pretty card and angel figurine for Mother's Day and made sure I'd done most of the laundry, so that worked out okay.

Went over to my brother's on Saturday to watch movies. It was all right. We watched Transformers. Liked it better the first time. Shia Lebouf (or however you spell his name) really surprises me on just how hot he's growing up to be. He was such a doofy guy on Even Stevens and not he's all hot and stuff. Weird and makes me feel like I'm robbing the cradle when I see him on the screen and think "Wow, he's hot." *shakes head*

Work is work. I go every day, but I've gotta say at this moment in time I'm there specifically for my paycheck & nothing more. One of my coworkers told me today that she resigned and her last day is at the end of this month. In a lot of ways I'm sad since she's been such a big support for a lot of things, but the one thing I won't miss about her is the fact that she freaks out easily over the simplest of things. But, I wish her well and I hope she enjoys the time she's taking for herself. She just recently got married and I think it's great that she's taking the time to spend time w/ her new husband and her kids.

I wish I could just get away from it all. I get so sick of all the interoffice issues and the fact that I've been there for as long as I have and I've gotten absolutely nowhere. You'd think that a company would want to promote someone who is good at their job, but I guess that's a lie. I am good at my job and they know it, but they won't let me move up or on. I really want to go to the CEO of the company & ask if that's what they do to all of their good employees. It drives me totally up the wall. And honestly? It hurts my feelings. Kind of. It's hard to explain but it's so not fair. I know, life isn't fair in the corporate world, but it would be nice if they actually wanted to promote someone with skills instead of the ones whose noses are brown because they got too close to the butts they're kissing. *sigh*

I've been reading a lot. Some of the books I've read this month have been really good and some have been horribly disappointing. I have a ton of books coming out between now and the end of the year that I CANNOT WAIT to read.

The Book Smugglers had a fascinating blog today about reader expectations. I suggest you all go over and read it, because in a lot of ways what they bring up are good points. I've got a lot of favorite authors, most who write series and there are times it is extremely frustrating as a reader to have to wait for months and sometimes years for the next installment. For instance, I love PJ Tracy, but there can be 3 or 4 years between books. Because I KNOW that, I'm all right with it. Yes, it's still frustrating, but I expect it so I can live with it.

What's especially annoying is an author who is known for writing quickly and then all of sudden disappears for three or four years. I can understand it if they have a reason (taking time for family, whatever), but when they do it with no explanation or anything and just disappear, that drives me nuts.

And the worst are the ones who start a series and yet "retire" before they finish. Those are the ones who drive me nuts. You are the ones who wanted to create a series and establish your readers expectations. Therefore, you have an obligation to fulfill that expectation. *sigh*

Sorry, I'm ranting, but it's a huge pet peeve. I'm pretty patient actually. There are some authors I'll wait years for.

Anyhoodles, I'm going to go now. It's just been a long, long day. I'm reading At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh...book 3 in the Huxtable series. I'm really enjoying it. :)


Ciao!

I've Been...

Going thru a funk. I don't know what my problem is, other than the fact that my life seems to be stuck in a neverending loop of...well...crap! Work is going thru a weird transitional stage that I don't really want to talk about since I'm not sure how it'll affect me as of yet. I'm trying to keep my mind off it and move on (so to speak).

My reading AND writing are both suffering right now. I don't know what my problem is. Though I did read Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James and really liked it. I have a couple more books to read. I'm hoping they'll be pleasant surprises like that book was.

One of my friends asked me if I was stressed. I answered her truthfully and said no...just have a lot on my mind. It's been nice not being stressed. Usually when I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed I kind of let it take over my life and I'm not actually doing that this time. Much.

Yes, I'm slacking on the blog-front, which is okay for the moment. Until things are resolved work-wise, I'm thinking that's the wisest course.

I've been carpooling with "him" and things seem to be working out. That makes me happy. And very relieved. Yay! We've got our routine down and that's nice. It's still a weird relationship though. It probably always will be.

And with that, I think I'm off. I've got a bit of a headache and I took a sleeping pill. I'm hoping I'll get some sleep tonight. *crossing fingers* Thanks to all of you who've emailed and commented. Your thoughts and comments are wonderful.

And congrats to my buddy Jana who's getting a house! I'm so proud of you, girlie! You must email me and tell me more! :)

I Know

My blog has been pretty skimpy this last week and will probably remain so over the next week or so. Things are...really weird in my neck of the woods right now. A lot of things are up in the air and I'm just lying low until the dust settles.

Outside of that, not much going on. Need to just curl up in corner until it's all over.

Uh.......I Got Nothin'

So...how's it going? Everybody doing okeydokey? Me? I'm swell. *eye roll*

Went back to work yesterday. I'm now positive my work is trying to kill me. *snicker*

Monday was great fun. Went out to lunch with a friend. She brought me books! We talked writing and books. How fun is that? :D

I've been writing again. I kinda hit a wall right before my vacation. I've supposedly recharged my batteries. Kind of. Maybe. :~P

Got a postcard from Ciara today. I love my friends.

Tired. Frustrated. Annoyed. But...not bad. Yes, it's a conundrum!


PS. I won! Anna chose me! I get the Mercy Thompson graphic novels. *happy dance*

'Twas a Lovely Day

Got books in the mail, went out to lunch w/ a friend, got more books (free!) and have had a lazy evening. I am NOT complaining. :)

So...yeah. :D Will blog more later. Right now I'm working on a challenge Renee gave me. I challenged her to read a Nora Roberts book. She challenged me to read Josh Lanyon. Whoot!

Thoughts & Such

Hi all! So, I've got one more day before my vacation is over. I'm torn, because as much as I liked my vacation, I'd like to get back to doing...something. But, I've learned NOT to wait so long for my next vacation. *shakes head*

"He" texted me tonight and asked me if I'd go driving with him. I said I would and he drove over to my house (bad boy!). We drove all over the place so A. he could show me how well he was driving & B. so he could get more practice. *shakes head*

Okay, here's the thing (I know, I say that all the time in regards to him. *sigh*), as we were driving he stopped by a store to pick up something and his phone rang. He came outside and answered it. He's on the phone w/ someone and tells his friend that he's driving around w/ a chick from work. I kind looked at him like "seriously?" After he hung up the phone and pulled out of the driveway, I looked at him and said "Chick from work? It's a good thing it takes a lot to bruise my ego." He told me he hadn't wanted to explain. Now I want to know what he would have had to explain about me. *sigh* And...this is the part that peeved me. As he was talking to his friend, he said he'd texted all kinds of people, but basically had to settle for me.

After we got home and he got home, he texted me and asked me if I'd be willing to go with him tomorrow. I texted him back and said "Would I be his first choice?" He texted back and said yes. He also apologized. *eye roll*

I dunno, he drives me nuts. And yet, for the life of me, I still like the man. *shakes head* I know, it's like I've got some sort of masochistic/sadistic side to me where I can't seem to avoid the torture. Argh! *headdesk*

I think it wouldn't be so bad if I had some sort of prospect OTHER than him....not that he's a prospect. After that little convo, I can basically say that'll never happen. *sigh* I wish it would...even if it was just once.

And okay, I know I'm not the most physically attractive person in the world. I can deal with that. But, I also know I'm not the ugliest woman in the world. Why is it that I cannot get a man to notice me? Is it THAT difficult? Sometimes I wonder. It's like I'm cursed or something. :(

Tomorrow (today) should be lots of fun. I'm going out to lunch w/ an author-friend of mine and I can't wait. It should be tons of fun and I can't wait to see her again. We met back in September when I went to the book signing at Powell's and hit it off. We haven't seen each other since then but we've emailed and sent each other Christmas cards. She's an absolute doll and I can't wait to hang out!

I reviewed Lover Avenged. It was a very....conflicted review. Seriously this series is like crack. No matter how much it disappoints me, I just can't stop going back to it. Argh!

And that's it. I'm off to bed. Night & all that good stuff.

My Trip & Other Things

Wow, all I can say is that I am sooooooooo glad I decided to get away for awhile. I knew I was getting near the end of my rope, but didn't realize just how close I really was. My vacation was...lovely. Peaceful, quiet and exactly what I needed. The sad thing? I did absolutely NOTHING! My parents had given me $150 for my trip and I was able to bring it all right back to them. Yeah, I'm that pathetic. LOL!

I forgot my camera, but got to use my phone. To say I'm impressed by the pics I took is a bit of an understatement. :)



This is a pic from my second night there. I was standing in my hotel room pointing my camera out the window. :) It was so hazy, but very beautiful.



The same night. The sun had just decided to try to make it through the clouds. I was wondering if it would be sunny at all. With the Oregon Coast? That's always questionable. :)



Right before sunset that second night. All of these pictures were taken from my hotel room. Yes, I was THAT lazy. :D



Sunset my last night there. The day cleared up right before the sun started to go down.



Another view...kind of to the side. Gorgeous!





Probably my favorite picture. :) I love the triple reflection of the sun. This is what I love about the coast. Since we're as far west as we're going to go, there's no obstruction to the view. :)



I drove down Monday afternoon and it was a really nice, peaceful drive. I had my CD player blaring and driving down I5 was wonderful. I'm never trusting Mapquest ever again though. The directions were so bad that I ended up going by memory. I'm a genius. :) It ended up working out just fine. :)

Once I got down there, I stopped by Dairy Queen for lunch. Got a hot dog, a thing of onion rings and a lemonade for $4. Took it to this parking area and pigged out. Checked into my hotel and hit a brick wall. :) I ended up taking a two hour nap. Slept like the dead and it was wonderful!

And that's pretty much all I did. Sleep and catch up on HGTV. I cannot begin to tell you how much I miss HGTV. We downgraded our DirectTV and got rid of it. I miss it! I don't watch much TV, so when a station I actually watched is gone...well, it's amazing how much you miss it. :)

When I wasn't sleeping, I was eating. *sigh* I completely & totally pigged out. Shame on me! But, the food was so good! Aw well, it was vacation. Right? :)

I left on Thursday & drove home. Stopped to get some stuff for the boys and that sort of thing. Got home around 2:30 and that was it. It was lovely.

I don't think I've slept that much in a LONG time. I got home and all the stress came right back though. Don't get me wrong; I love my nephews very much, but they are just sooooooo much to handle. They're good boys and very well behaved, but they're just so busy & into everything. And LOUD! Oy!

I told my mom today that I'd just gotten to the point where I couldn't deal with it anymore. *sigh* I really, really need to get my own house. I don't know if I can handle this stuff anymore. I'm getting old, you know. Peace and quiet after a stressful day would be more than enough for me. :) Oh, well, we'll see what happens.

"He" texted me on Thursday to ask when I was coming back to work. I told him not until Tuesday. Poor boy was disappointed because he wanted to drive. He's got his learner's permit and wants to get as much driving in as he can before he takes his test. We were going to go driving last night, but he got dumped by his "not-girlfriend" so he decided to go out with his friends instead. I just shake my head at him. LOL!

I bought some books while down at the beach, but didn't read them until yesterday. I also bought and read Lover Avenged by JR Ward. I'll have get about writing a review here. I will say that it was...interesting. Very interesting. :)

Um...that's about it. I hope y'all enjoyed my pictures and my boring vacation. :) Ciao!