Monday Morning Meme and more

A hearty laugh gives one a dry cleaning, while a good cry is a wet wash. ~Puzant Kevork Thomajan



1. What book is on your nightstand right now? What was the last book you read? How many books do you think you read in 2008?

Um... "Seduction in Death" is what I'm reading that is fiction, and "Total Money Makeover" is my non-fiction (I usually have at least one of each going). The last book I read was "Betrayal in Death" and I probably read somewhere between 50-100 books last year -- I don't keep track. I mean to. I even set up an excel spreadsheet for it... I have about three books in there. *sigh*

2. Name three blogfriends that have inspired you. Now please tell us how these blogfriends have inspired you.

Dru, for her upbeat attitude, her pictures, her quilts (!) and so much more.

Groovy, for her ability to put a humorous spin on even the most un-funny things.

Suzanne McMinn for her photo-stories, recipes and tips on country living. I seldom comment, but I read her blog every day!

3. How far do you live from the place where you grew up as a kid? Tell us about the place you grew up - would you choose to go back there and raise your own family (if you have one)? Why or why not?

According to MapQuest.com I live 3054.48 miles from where I lived when I was in high school. Where I "grew up" is tough because we moved so much (though, all in the same 60-90 mile radius).

I went to school in Rancho Cordova, CA and no, I wouldn't go back and raise my kids there. When the air force bases there and near there were closed in the 90s, it really destroyed the town. It's a little "ghetto-y" and run down, but also tremendously populated and overcrowded. I miss California something fierce, but it's been a while since I've been there, so really I'm missing the California of my childhood, not how it is now. Whenever I go back to visit, I'm reminded why I left.

Still, I WOULD and HOPE to move back out west, somewhere a little more rural (Wenatchee, WA for example) but still close enough to my family and friends to visit more easily (a 15 hour drive as opposed to a 50 hour one).

4. Finish this line: Absence makes the heart……
(please do not say “grow fonder”.) How long do you think is ‘too long’ to be away from your loved ones?

Depends on who you're talking about! LOL... Absence, IMHO, makes the heart grow distant. My DH and I both lived through that -- being engaged (not to each other) and being separated from our respective intendeds for long periods of time. By the time we were in the same time zone again, his fiancee was married and mine was living with someone.

And any time away from loved ones that has a day and a night is too long (**MOM**)... just saying.

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I had a nice birthday, yesterday. DD got me two dark chocolate Dove candy bars (can I just say "YUM") and gave me a coupon that said the following:

This is for you. You may use it as often as you like. When it expires you can get another one. I don't think it will expire soon. I hope you like it and use it wisely and also when you're sad.

COUPON: Free hugs for the next 500,000,000,000,000,000 years.

And then, after I opened and read it, she said, "You could use it right now."

I'm not sure if that coupon was really for me or for her...

I also got a couple Amazon.com gift certificates! WOOT! I am so using part to preorder "A Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading".

We had lunch at Shorty's -- a Mexican food place. DD had a taco and shared my portabella mushroom fajitas with me. DH had Polla con Espinaca -- and, oh MAN did it look good. It may just have been the spinach and cheese sauce over the top but I was drooling.

And, we were all so stuffed from lunch that no dinner was necessary!

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I really hate Google reader. Really. It locks up my computer every-freaking-time. I'm trying to move everyone into bookmarks, but since it locks up every time I try to retrieve your URLs it's time-consuming, and time is one thing I am extremely short on. I don't know WHY it does this. No on else seems to be having trouble. But, I am.

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I'm not terrifically enthused with either of my stories for JaNoWriMo. Wait, that's not entirely true. I LOVE the idea of them, and the fantasy especially excites me. But... writing them isn't exciting me right now and I don't know why. I'm desperate to write, but I can't seem to find the words.

I may try to do another short for Woman's World (as an aside, I had a dream the other night that they sent me a check for $885 to publish my story -- it's supposed to be $1000, but they took out taxes, lol) or another short for somewhere else. Maybe that will get me excited? I don't know. Color me frustrated.

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You Are a Hooded Sweater

You are active, casual, and laid-back. There's not a pretentious bone in your body. You are very humble. You have a very giving spirit. Whether you're dealing with friends or strangers, you tend to ask very little of people. You are honest and open. You believe that if you are truthful with people, they will be straight with you.

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

Um... some is right, some isn't. I'll let you guess which is which! LOL...

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