Murphy Needs the Boot

It is an experience common to all men to find that, on any special occasion, such as the production of a magical effect for the first time in public, everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Whether we must attribute this to the malignity of matter or to the total depravity of inanimate things, whether the exciting cause is hurry, worry, or what not, the fact remains. - British stage magician Nevil Maskelyne

In the "anything that can go wrong" corner....

When Mom tried to move into her apartment yesterday, they told her the date was wrong. It wasn't 7/7 as her move in date, but 7/8. Never mind that she had all her deliveries scheduled for 7/7, and I was there with a full UHaul that needed returning by 3 pm.

Speaking of UHaul -- their $19.95 deal for the small truck? Not so great a deal. It's $19.95 for a "day" (and it's not even a full day), plus $0.79/mile + you have to fill it up with gas or get a $30 fueling charge PLUS pay $4.49 / gallon. After all was said and done, one trip with a half full truck going very few miles (24 miles) ended up costing me almost $60.

THEN, when the apt complex finally agreed to let her move in (and offered us an empty garage to put stuff until the apt was ready -- it needed to be cleaned), we realized the UHaul "pod" that she'd filled and had shipped with ALL her other stuff hadn't shown. She called (Three times to finally get a human) and they started with, "We don't have that pod here." When she insisted, they said, "Oh, well, we have it but don't show you called to scheduled delivery." When she mentioned that the final charge was ALREADY on her credit card, they finally said, "It was a mistake on our end." and will deliver it today.

The problem with that, is today was supposed to be MY day to spend alone and working like a dog to get caught up on all the stuff I'm so far behind on. DH and DD will be out boating and I would have no interruptions.

Now, I'll have to go help Mom unload her pod.

Of course, as it turns out that may not be such a big deal because, when I got up this morning, my internet was down. I called tech support and they confirmed an outage in our town, with NO ETA on when it will be fixed. No worries, I can hook up my mobile hotspot on my phone right?

When I went to hook it up, it popped up with a "To use this service, you must subscribe for $30 / month." WTH? No one ever mentioned this to me. EVER. And I specifically told the guy at the phone store that one of the biggest reasons I was getting the phone was for THIS reason. He failed to mention that it was a promotional offer...

I called Verizon and talked to "Joe" who apologized profusely, but basically said there was nothing he could do. It was what it was and that's all there is to it.

So... I sat here for a good 30 minutes deciding whether or not I wanted to subscribe. I finally did (hence the ability to post this blog), but I'm still steaming.

So not only is my full "alone" catch-up day not a full day because of UHaul's screw up, but I don't have reliable, high-speed internet to work on all the stuff I need to. The mobile hotspot it nice, but it's a lot slower than my usual home internet and it's incredibly frustrating.

Folks, I'm telling you right now -- Murphy has moved in and is a very unwelcome guest.

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Your Tropical Fruit Flavor is Mango

Your heart is carefree, wild, and irresponsible. You let your heart lead you, even when it leads you astray. You love freedom above all else. You think everyone could do with some liberation. If someone plays hard to get with you, it makes you all the more interested. You love a challenge. You love to talk for hours - whether it's sharing a story or teaching someone something.

What's Your Tropical Fruit Flavor?

Um... not really -- and more, I don't like mangoes.

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Frustrating Reading

The time to read is any time: no apparatus, no appointment of time and place, is necessary. It is the only art which can be practised at any hour of the day or night, whenever the time and inclination comes, that is your time for reading; in joy or sorrow, health or illness. ~Holbrook Jackson

So lately, I've really been trying to support smaller presses and ePresses. But, I gotta tell you, I haven't been overly impressed (well, except for Carina Press -- everything I've read from them so far has been great!).

These are the things I've seen from other small presses who shall remain nameless:

* A short story that spent at least the first seven pages describing the town in which the heroine worked. I say "at least", because after seven pages I gave up and deleted the book off my Nook.

* A short, paranormal story that spent at least the first ten pages using odd, short vignettes to tell what might be going on (I say "might" because even the heroine thought she might be dreaming). They were about 300 words long, hopped around in time and were so confusing they frustrated me. And again, I say "at least" the first ten pages, because after ten I gave up and deleted it from my Nook.

* A short paranormal story wherein the heroine falls in love with the hero (who's a ghost, yet oddly corporeal in that he can do things like carry wood, cook meals and start a fire) before she even carries on a complete conversation with him. I'll be honest, when I saw the words, "She was in love." I shut the document and deleted it from my Nook. That wasn't the only issue, but I'd managed to put aside the rest to see if the story ever got better. It didn't, and the love thing was the straw that broke the camel's back.

* A short cozy mystery where the heroine sees a man -- one she proclaimed "a good friend" but who had apparently died five years earlier -- in a public venue. He sees her and runs off. She does nothing. Goes home. Goes to bed. Gets up the next morning and goes to work. The only thought pertaining to the fact that her "good friend" had come back from the dead was that it wasn't her business. Maybe it's me, but I found that so incredibly unrealistic that I ... yes... closed the document and deleted it from my Nook.

These were from four different publishers, two of whom I have good author friends published with. It makes me crazy, because I KNOW there are good stories from small presses out there, but to have to shovel through so much crap is both annoying and costly. I have one more story from a small press on my Nook to start. I found reviews on this one, though, from sites I respect including Dear Author, who gave it an A-. I have high hopes.

Who has stories from small presses they can recommend to me? I've been on a romantic suspense and parormal romance kick lately (but please no shifter stories where the H/H are "mates" and destined to be together... that trope drives me wonky).

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You Are Old Fashioned

You are a quiet and peaceful person. You always think before you talk. You are reserved about expressing your true self. You need to know someone a long time before you open up. You are highly principled in your actions. You have an ethical code that you live by. You are thought to be a perfectionist. You hold yourself to high standards.

The Funky Front Door Test

HAHAHAHA... that's SO right, except for the "peaceful" part. All that from a door?

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Homeschooling

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Brooks Adams

It's that time again ... the time when kids go back to school, and the time when -- if I take DD to run errands with me, she's asked, "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Seriously?

I told her I was going to make her a BIG RED BUTTON to wear that says:

I'M HOMESCHOOLED!!!

It's just not that uncommon anymore. Millions of kids are homeschooled in the United States. It's not weird, it's not illegal, it's not bad for kids. Homeschooled kids have friends, have brains (and better... know how to use them). They can speak intelligently, have many outside interests, and are quite well-rounded.

Yes, I get frustrated. Yes I get tired of idiots like Joy Behar saying stuff like this:



And so, I found this video that I loved... it is exactly what I would say had I thought to make a video on the subject.



In any case, yesterday's school day went well. DD didn't hate her day, which was good, and she woke up in a pretty darn good mood today.

Today, though, we have to run errands. Lots of them. Post office, library, UPS, grocery story and gas station. I have to fill up all the vehicles AND our gas cans because Earl is headed our way... they aren't sure where/if it's going to hit here, but if it does the winds where I am will be pretty brutal. We just want to be prepared in case we lose power (oh the joy).

So ... that's my day. Any big plans for you?

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You Are an Indoor and Outdoor Person

You are equally comfortable indoors and outdoors - and you prefer a good mix of both. You are fun loving and open to lots of activities. You are always up for trying something new. Maybe you'll hike in the morning, read in the afternoon, swim after dinner, and take in a movie at night! While you have a broad range of interests, you may have trouble turning these interests into passions. You're the type of person who likes to dabble.

Are You an Indoor or Outdoor Person?

Yep :-D

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Frustrated...

Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors. ~ Joseph Addison

Twice in two days I've started reading books that I ended up putting down after just a chapter or two. While it's a shame these books didn't have better editors -- editors who would tell the authors what NOT to do and help them fix it (because I think both stories had potential) -- reading poorly constructed books really helps me write my own stuff. It's always easier to see errors in other books.

The first book was chock full of telling. I remember when I first started writing, I didn't understand what people meant when they'd say, "SHOW, don't TELL". I had to have it spelled out for me (very slowly and using one syllable words). Now, though? When I come across it, especially when it's as blatant as this book (which surprised me, honestly, because the publisher usually sends out good stuff), it drives me wonky.

In this case, we'd see something like the H/H having dinner. Sexual tension sparks are flying back and forth despite their distrust of each other -- all nicely written and SHOWN. And then, in case we're too stupid to get that, the author would write something like, "Martha was terribly attracted to Jed, but simply couldn't trust him because of his job."

If this had only happened now and then, I probably could have overlooked it. But it was constant and I finally couldn't stand being hit over the head with the obvious any more. Book was closed and deleted from my Nook.

The second book, a romantic suspense novel, had great potential The author is clearly talented with wordsmithing, which is the only thing that kept me reading past chapter two.

In chapter one, we start with a bang. It's interesting and exciting as a good suspense should be. It introduces the Big Evil -- in this case a wacko stalker -- and it all takes place in the dark which really made it even scarier.

Then came chapter two. This one? A day in the life. La-de-da. She did this, she did that, got a Christmas tree, put it up, decorated while listening to music. The next chapter? Her friend shows up for Christmas. They have a snowball fight. The go out for dinner. ... ...

:::bangs head on keyboard:::

I kept waiting for something to happen. Oh, the heroine would occasionally think she saw something in the shadows, but that would take one line and then be gone and we'd return to a moment by moment run down of her very average day.

Broke my heart, because I really wanted to like this book.

IMHO, in a suspense book you need to keep the tension high. Maybe you don't have to have it front and center on every page, but it needs to be just behind everything, poking now and then, rearing its ugly head and keeping you waiting for the bogeyman to leap out of the shadows.

So, this book was closed and deleted from my Nook.

Why has a book disappointed you recently? And, any good newly released romances you can recommend for my reading drought?

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All is quiet in Pillar Place: Monarch. Well, actually, it's pretty noisy -- they're LOUD when they eat! -- but not much is happening except eating, pooping, and growing. Just like human babies. *G*

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You Are Brilliant

You see patterns and meaning where other people see nothing. You have an amazing mind. You are often the smartest person in the room, but you don't let it go to your head. You are quite humble. You like to think, analyze, and challenge. For you, there's nothing more boring than people not open to ideas. You are always changing your beliefs and theories. Your brain is extremely flexible.

The Sand and Surf Test

Hmmmm... That's about 60% right. At least that's the number my amazing mind came up with. *G*

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Growing a Salad Bar

Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise. ~Michael P. Garafalo, gardendigest.com

So, yesterday I went out to check my garden, excited that we've had this rainy / steamy weather that plants seem to love. I had visions of ten foot tomato plants covered in blossoms, cucumbers for days, squash plants taking over the garden...

... what I found instead were deer prints and 6" high nubbins.

Yep, it's true. The deer came and pretended my garden was a salad bar. All but three of my tomatoes were eaten down nearly to the ground, the cucumbers are half the size they were, and even the squash had a a few bites taken out of it. The also trampled my baby lettuce, and I lost about half of what was planted.

So, I guess my grand harvest will have to wait a while.

I swear, I'm going to move into the middle of the city.

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In Pillar Place, we have one more pillar on walkabout: Beta hit the trail last night. There are two more in The Box: Theta and Eta, but I don't think they'll be quite ready to start baking for another day or two.

Alpha should be bursting free of his chrysalis early next week, and I'm excited to see our first butterfly of the season.

Speaking of butterflies, Maria Zannini emailed me about a great Monarch site I hadn't visited before. It's www.livemonarch.com and they have all KINDS of cool information about monarchs. I know Groovy is planning to host monarchs up in her neck of the woods, and there might be others of you. You should check it out.

Even cooler, they offer monarch eggs for sale. I'm seriously considering buying some... but they aren't cheap. We had such a shortage of them last year, though, I think it might be a great idea.

Again, I say to anyone who has some space: GROW MILKWEED. The loss of habitat is one thing that has affected the monarch population more than nearly anything. I have some milkweed seeds now and will have more in the late summer. It's common milkweed, indigenous to pretty much the entire USA, so you wouldn't be introducing a non-native species to your part of the country.

I will send it to you at no cost... just plant it if you can.

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You Are a Delight

You are easy to get along with and easy to be with, but you're definitely not a doormat. You'll cheerfully ask for what you want, and you're almost always ready to compromise. You are comfortable speaking your mind, and you're also willing to admit you may not be right. You know how to work well with others. You can bend in the wind, but you don't break.

Are You Dominant or a Doormat?

Actually... I think I'm a little pushier than that, lol.

You Win Some...

“Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is” - Vince Lombardi

First the good news about our agility competition: Dakota came in with the fastest final run of the day: 22 seconds! The next closest was 38 seconds! Here's a video of (most of) her final run. My camera isn't holding a charge, so I couldn't leave it on while waiting for them to do their run, AND it's taking longer to start up, so all three videos I took are missing the first couple of obstacles :-(

Anyway, here's the run:



Now the not so good news about the day...

On Wednesday at our class, the instructor announced that the dogs wouldn't be allowed in the room with us and that they'd have to be crated. This was because there are a few dogs who raise a ruckus when there are dogs on the course, and there are dogs who are dog aggressive. Once, a dog even jumped over the fence and chased the dog on the course.

So... did I understand WHY she opted for what she did? Sort of. I absolutely believe that problem dogs should be required to wait outside. She knows these dogs, they're all in class with her. She knows their habits and behaviors. But instead of standing up and saying, "You. Your dog barks every time another dog is running the course, so your dog has to wait outside." she punished everyone. Many of our dogs, including Dakota, simply lie down quietly and wait their turn.

Dakota doesn't mind being crated ... at home. But she doesn't like being away from us elsewhere (unless we leave her in the car, which is probably like a crate-away-from-home.

Regardless, we gave it a try. I asked to put her in a different room, away from the other dogs who were barking and howling and scrabbling at their cages and she settled in okay. When I peeked in, she was just laying in the crate quietly, so I thought it might work out.

Then I went to get her a few minutes before her first run. I opened the door and she slithered out, tail tucked deeply between her legs, head down, ears down. I gave her to DD at the entrance door and went inside to watch.

Dakota took her first obstacle, a jump, and then ran PAST the next one (poles) and to the exit of the course, trying desperately to leave. She has NEVER done that in the whole time we've done agility. She loves to run agility. DD got her back on course by holding her collar and pulling her through the poles, but she lost a ton of time.

And DD burst into tears when they finished.

So, we opted to put her into a friend's car, with her dog, thinking that might work better. She drives a Prius and can run her A/C without running the car (it was pretty hot out yesterday). I waited until about 15 mins before Dakota's next run and checked on them... Same thing. She was a wreck. I took her out, walked her around a bit, got her some water, let her pee ... but the damage was done.

Her second run was a mirror image of the first. She took her first jump and then tried to leave the course.

And DD burst into tears again.

Here's the thing. Nearly everyone was angry. ALL the dogs were off their game. None of the stronger dogs did well at all. The Border Collie -- typically the "dog to beat" didn't even have a fast enough time to make it into the final runs. That's NEVER happened.

The owners were stressed, the dogs were stressed.

After Dakota's second run, I chose to take her out into the play yard and just miss the rest of the dogs running (she ran third, so the majority of dogs ran after her). She played with several other dogs whose owners had opted to the do the same thing. There was much grumbling and anger and frustration.

After the end of the second round, points were tallied and Dakota's team won first place! YAY!

We brought her in for pictures and then I simply took her to my seat with me, without asking. She laid at my feet, content. Apparently others opted to do the same, because when the instructor looked up from taking the picture of the last team, everyone still had their dogs.

She sighed and said, "Okay, but if your dog barks you have to leave."

There were final runs of the highest rated dogs in advanced, intermediate and beginning.

Dakota ran second, and had her best run of the day: she did all the obstacles, didn't try to run off course, was accurate and fast -- and I credit it to the fact that she was able to settle in with me like always.

If they insist on crating all the dogs at the next match, I don't think we'll attend. The frustration and stress was over the top. DD was a mess, I was exhausted.

In other agility news, DD ran two other dogs -- one of who won her final match as well. The other one actually ran against Dakota in the final match and did well, but not quite enough (she was a small dog and just can't run as fast as Dakota when Dakota's on top of her game).

Also, DD whacked her left pinky finger on the wall, bent it back until she heard it pop and it puffed up like crazy. This happened after the first run. We iced it, and worried that it was broken. She couldn't use it -- too painful. After we got home I gave her ibuprofen and more ice and by bed time she could wiggle it a little bit and it was at least bearable.

So, yeah, not such a stellar day. But Dakota did add a first place team ribbon and a trophy to her collection.



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You Are a Soothing Latte

You like to take good care of yourself. You believe that you deserve to be pampered. You don't deny yourself much. You know if you don't treat yourself, no one else will. You tend to savor your morning coffee routine. You take your time with your latte. Plain old black coffee just wouldn't be the same. The latte is about so much more than the caffeine for you!

The Coffee Oracle

Uh... not so much.

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My Pebbles...

Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain. ~Author Unknown

I have almost 200 blog posts in my Google reader. I'm afraid, very afraid. If I haven't visited, it's not because I don't want to... swear. And, in all honesty, I may end up deleting everything in Google Reader and starting fresh soon.

Oy.

My DH is proving to be the straw (bale of straw, perhaps?) that broke the NaNo camel's back. Today, he decided we would spend Fri/Sat/Sun tiling the bathroom and putting down the last of the hardwood in the little foyer thingie at the top of the stairs.

Yes. All three days.

And the simple fact is this: I have other duties that I MUST do before I can write. I have all the LASR/WC pages to build, just for starters. That is my "day" job and isn't negotiable.

The story is bouncing around in my head, but I just can't find time to get more than a couple hundred words a day (which is better than nothing, but still...), and it makes me want to scream.

DH is off quite a bit in December, too.

Anyone up for a January NaNo?

**sigh**

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What Your Home Says About You

You don't come across as very intellectual or serious. You seem like a bit of a goofball. You have amazing hygiene, and it shows. You are sparkling clean! You are a very domestic person. You enjoy decorating, cooking, and making things homey. You are not a nurturing person by nature, but you can easily take care of someone you truly love. You feel settled in your life. You have enough time to focus on little details. You are a somewhat self sufficient person. You can do fine on your own if you have to. Your friends see you as honest, humble, and responsible.

What Does Your Home Say About You?

Some, yes... some, no.

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