Back Among the Living

Here, sort of. Feeling MUCH better today. Got knocked on my rear Tuesday afternoon. Was tired, dizzy, congested. Unfortunately, the worst hit when I was picking up the kidlet from school and I swear I wasn't sure we'd make it home safely -- I was unfocused, blurry-eyed. I truly shouldn't have been driving.

I came home and did a couple things that I *had* to do and went to bed. At 5:30.

Felt more human yesterday, but still massively congested and coughing. Thankfully not as tired.

Today, the congestion is down a bit. Still coughing a little, but definitely on the mend. Yay.

Being sick makes me cranky.

So far, DD has managed to stay healthy. Hopefully it'll stay that way.

Really not much else happening here at the casa. Who has news? My life is dull... let me live vicariously!

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Your Sunglasses Say You're a Realist

You are down to earth, stable, and practical. You see the world as it is. You accept facts easily. You need to be shaded from overly dramatic and problem prone people. You feel sunniest when things are calm and peaceful

The Sunglasses Test

That's mostly right.

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Sick Day

Thief!

I've decided the best part about having a son as opposed to a daughter is that a son won't TAKE YOUR CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES.

Got up this morning, showered, dressed and went to grab a scrunchie for my hair off my scruchie holder which, up until recently, was jam packed with the things. This morning? Here's what I found:



I'm willing to be if she actually owned green clothes, those last two would be gone as well.

A few days ago, I went to put on my sneakers to take the dog for a walk... and they were missing. When DD got home from school, I saw them on her feet.

"Why didn't you wear YOUR sneakers?"

"Because they were upstairs and yours were right there by the door."

Of course .... makes perfect sense now.

A boy wouldn't do these things. Right? Or, at the very least, he'd be stealing from my husband and it wouldn't be my problem.

I think I'll commission my mom to make me some scrunchies. And then, some day I should probably invest in my own sewing machine ...

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You Are Goal Oriented

You've figured out systems that work for you in life, and you rely on those systems for stability. You don't dislike alone time... in fact, you savor it. You grow and learn the most when you're by yourself. Focused and super charged, your instincts are a good guide for your next step. Sometimes you wish you could express yourself better, but you don't feel like you know how to do it.

The View Test

ROFL... this is just about spot on.

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The First Time

So, my friend and fellow author, Charity Tahmaseb, was part of an anthology released recently. It's a YA about firsts (all kinds of first including, if I'm not mistaken, your first zombie *G*).

You never forget your first...

In THE FIRST TIME, 25 young adult authors contribute 25 stories all about firsts: first loves, first kisses, first zombie slayings, and more. Featuring New York Times bestselling authors Carrie Ryan and Jessica Verday, plus a host of others. From humor to horror, and everything in between, these stories will make you laugh, cry, cheer, (and maybe even scream) as you experience something brand new from the authors that you love.

I have a copy on my Nook, but haven't had a chance to start reading. Still, it got me to thinking about some firsts of my own.

My first "ma'am": Seriously, don't we remember this? For years I was "miss" and then WHAM! suddenly I've aged, and out comes the "ma'am". I was bartending in a family style restaurant (ala Applebees of Chilis) called "Wood'ys Grill and Bar" (yes, that's where they put the apostrophe ... dare to be different). We had a game room with four or five pinball machines and video games and the kids tended to come to the bar for change. One night, a couple teenaged boys came over with their dollars and ... they MA'AM'd me! They did... right there in public. "Excuse me, ma'am, can we get quarters?" I was traumatized for life.

My first car accident: I made the mistake of driving through "the cruise" one Friday night en route to a friend's house. I can't imagine what I was thinking, but it was the quickest way... or maybe "shortest" way is more accurate since the roads were clogged with kids driving around staring at each other. So there I was in the only new vehicle I've ever owned (it was about 6 months old at this time), with my friend Mary (who was drinking a cherry Slurpee -- yes, this figures in), minding my own business in the left turn lane waiting for the light to change. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this car coming at me and knew she wasn't going to stop. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything but brace myself.

BAM! She hits me. And I hit the car in front of me, and so on and so on. It ended up being a five car accident, during which my bright, shiny new truck was totaled. Mary ended up with cherry Slurpee drenching the front of her (and freaked everyone out because they thought it was blood). The stupid girls left two perfect head prints in the shattered glass of their windshield ("Of course we were wearing our seat belts, officer.") and then said that *I* had hit the car in front of me, bounced back and hit them.

*sigh*

It went to litigation since everyone sued whoever hit them and I wasn't going to take the blame for a sixteen y.o. who was too busy looking at some cute guy to pay attention to traffic.

Since my truck was new, the insurance company pretty much only paid off the loan, and I had nothing for a new car. I ended up with a friend's '77 Toyota Celica (which is the whole reason I met my DH ... another story) and a bad back.

My first job: My senior year in high school I participated in "work experience" since I had all my credits (but Mom wouldn't let me graduate early, which in retrospect was probably good since I was only 16). Senior year was crazy easy for me. I had Yearbook, Drama III, Jazz Choir, and work experience. Tough times.

It was cool, though, because basically the school found jobs for you. You still had to interview, but I got the first one I applied for (and YAY never had to work fast food!). I was a cashier at a restaurant and that's where I learned how to make change in my head, carry four plates of food without dropping them and to ALWAYS ALWAYS pass on the right. To this day, I struggle passing anyone on the left, even if I'm just in a store or on the street.

I loved that job.

I'm still waiting for my first zombie slaying.

What are some firsts you remember?

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You Are Ma'at

You believe in doing what's right. You have the inner strength to stick to your guns. You have a quiet spirituality and balance to you. You don't preach; you lead by example. You are peaceful and serene. You try to make life go as smoothly as possible. You have a reassuring nature. Your friends find you to be both soothing and comforting.

What Egyptian Goddess Are You?

I'm thinking this is about half right.

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Happy Veteran's Day!

For my father, my husband, my brother who served and for my nephew, a new Airborne soldier who's following in the family tradition.

On a side note: Applebees is letting Veteran's eat free today. And I imagine there are other specials in your local area (I know there's a car wash here that is giving free washes to veteran's).

Take a little time to remember them today and appreciate what they've fought to give you.

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Booking Through Thursday: eRevolution

E-readers like the Kindle and iPad are sweeping the nation … do you have one? Do you like it? Do you find it changes your reading/buying habits? If you don’t have one, do you plan to?

I have a Nook "classic" (read: old, outdated Nook -- but then, what electronic device isn't outdated five minutes after you buy it?). I also have the Nook and Kindle apps downloaded on my Droid.

When I first got the Nook, I did it because of the sheer number of books released in eFormat that I was reading and reviewing for LASR. It hurts my eyes to read on the computer and, besides, my preferred reading spot is in bed, and the laptop is a bit clunky for that.

When I bought the Nook I thought I'd still read print books whenever they were available. I loved print. I couldn't imagine switching over to eBooks as a preference.

But I did.

The Nook was actually easier on my eyes than print. Lighter. I read faster on it. I loved the instant gratification of finishing a book and opening (or buying!) a new one without getting out of bed. I love being able to borrow from my library (as a side note -- the books there almost always have waiting lists, so I'm clearly not the only one using an eReader).

When I don't know what I feel like reading, but know I'm going somewhere I'll want to read, it's so simple to tuck the Nook into my bag and go, and have hundreds of books at my fingertips.

I prefer the eInk eReaders and have no interest in a tablet. The backlight hurts my eyes. It's why I read on my Nook more than my Droid -- though the Droid has come in handy for reading now and then. Should I replace my current Nook, I'd get the Nook black and white. I played with one at Barnes and Noble and love how small and light it is -- even smaller and lighter than my current Nook. And since I have WiFi capability from my Droid, it doesn't matter that it's not got a 3G hookup.

So ... do I have one? Yes. Do I like it? YES. Did it change my buying habits? Absolutely -- I now have complete access to pretty much every book in the world and am not restricted to print only.

I still buy the occasional print book. But I'd say that 95% of the books I read now are in eFormat.

What about you?

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You Are The Warrior

At your best, you are brave, intense, and fearless. You have guts. You have no problem standing up for what's right and asserting yourself. You'll fight for what you believe in. You face the abyss head on, an you challenge your friends to do the same. You have the guts to be who you are. You believe that you are important and special.

What's Your Personality Archetype?

And because this quiz gave me an earworm ... I'll share it with you (and dear dog the 80s were really strange ... this video is just ... nuts -- and yet, I think I have this song on 45):



Happy Thursday!

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Missing: One Happy Place

Not a lot to say today.

DH starts his next batch of vacation today, and he's sick. This doesn't make him a pleased person. He can't hunt when he's sick, which is the entire reason for his time off.

We got the results of Lexie's fecal exam, and it looks like she has worms. Remember our flea problem? I'm still fairly certain they came in on her. And, for cats, fleas mean worms. Despite using Frontline on her when we first had our problem just over a month ago (and reapplying when the next month started), she had flea dirt at her appointment on Monday. *sigh*

My contact at the shelter doesn't seem to think they can do anything.

So, not in my happy place right now.

In other news ... it's been nine weeks since I submitted my story to Samhain. Three more weeks equals the twelve they ask us to wait. *sigh*

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Your Persona is Elegant

You are wise and thoughtful. You are very philosophical about life. You love to have fun, possibly more than most people. You have your own kind of fun though. You are the master of new ideas, techniques, and ways of looking at things. Your thoughts may seem scattered to you, but they seem strong and passionate to those around you.

The Elegant Chandelier Test

Oh yeah, that's me: elegant. From head to toe. :-P