Tuesday, September 30, 2008

see ya next week


So, I watched True Blood episode four again today while I folded laundry and such....here is the actor who is playing my fav vamp, Eric the Viking....yum!

Going to take a short hiatus from my daily blog entry as between the book sale and the soccer schedule, I just don't have anything to blog about right now except the book sale and the soccer games!




Later.




Monday, September 29, 2008

book sale week

This week is all about getting ready for our big fall book sale. It starts today with the store, which is closed this week, and swapping out inventory. Going to be a busy four days for me.

Watched episode four of True Blood last night. Darn that Alan Ball...only had a few minutes of Eric on screen. Quite the smoldering, powerful Viking vampire, and I hope next week's episode has him on screen longer.

Speaking of Sookie and co., the interview last week went really well. The reporter and I talked for an hour. It was fun. She interviews Charlaine Harris on Tuesday, so the article should be in the paper later this week. I hope it runs before I leave with the family for the soccer tournament this weekend. Guess I can always check it out online.

No books in the tbr pile. Although I never know what I will find when we start unpacking the stuff for the sale. Sometimes a treasure or two gets stashed away.

Friday, September 26, 2008

a bit of this and that

After I got home from the library, I tackled flower beds. I managed to get the front of the house done and started on the back. Before I began, I greased up with my anti poison ivy lotion and donned some oh so attractive elbow length gloves. You see, I fell victim to poison ivy about three years ago after weeding one of my backyard beds. Now I am hyper sensitive to everything that is green with leaves. Shortly after I bagged up the last of the 'stuff,' I noticed small red bumps on my arms. Yep, the clear sign I needed to quit for the day.

Into the shower I went and then the antihistamine lotion was applied followed by a benedryl. So, the rest of the afternoon was spent in front of the TV.

I still have two more beds to clean out for fall. They will have to wait until next week now. I like to do yard work on trash day so the stuff doesn't sit and stink for a week. Next week is going to be cooler, so I can wear long sleeves and the gloves and be more protected. I hope.

Now, for the fun news. One of my reporter acquaintances emailed me yesterday about an article she is writing. She landed an interview with Charlaine Harris and was looking for me to hook her up with a devoted reader or book club. After I raved about all things Charlaine, she decided she'd found her devoted reader. So, I'm being interviewed this morning for the article. How totally awesome is that??!!

Tonight is girls night out for a few of us. Off to the deli and the movies. We may see either Ghost Town or Eagle Eye. I'll post my thoughts after the show.

Enjoy the weekend.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

telling stories

Last spring I got sucked into the world of genealogy. I spent hours each day sifting through ancestry.com in search of my 'roots'. It was a blast. It was a compulsion. It finally faded. Until now....I just ordered family tree maker 2009 from the website. I do have a plan, you see. I'm going to organize all the information I gathered and put it in this program, print it out and give it as Christmas gifts to my parents and brother. I've only worked on my side of the tree, but I do plan on working on the hubby's side at some point.

Beyond telling family stories, I also need to get back to my fictional stories. Hasn't been a good week for that. I've not been home for any significant length of time. Perhaps today will be better.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

what is up with that?

Sometimes I just have to shake my head and bite my tongue. Other times I can't help from saying 'what is up with that?' I'm not really asking a question, you see, I'm usually commenting on the totally inane activity, position or quip I've heard or seen on the tv.

The latest is Palin's remark about Tina Fey's 'spot on' performance on SNL, which she watched, but had the volume turned down. Yep, 'wtf.' Oops, yes, I meant 'wiuwt.' Oh, heck, wtf is shorter and that is what I really mean.

Of course the whole bailout mess my grandkids will be paying for is another example of wtf.

To totally switch gears, the oldest kid's team, the Dragons takes on St. George's today. How funny is that! Most likely George won't be slaying a dragon today. Middle kid learned her character, Patty Simcox, has more lines in Grease than Frenchy, the character she originally wanted. Youngest kid is getting ready to do a cereal box book report. Let's not teach kids how to write, but gluing is all the rage.

I'm in a really weird mood, so I better stop while I'm ahead. wtf.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

and so it goes

I spent two hours yesterday training some new folks on how to run the register in the bookstore. When we were done, I knew I had two good workers and two who will never get it. That is usually how it shakes out. The soul is willing, but the mind just can't give the right directions to the fingers. I counseled those two to be 'seconds' to a veteran volunteer; which means they bag up the sales, straighten shelves and chat with the customers.

Once I got home, I finished reading "Masquerade" by Melissa de la Cruz. The book was entertaining, but not as good as the first novel in this series. The teen vampire theme is still going strong because when I was at the library yesterday, the YA gal was stamping a cart full of teen vampire themed books. Think I will stick with my evil faery motif for the YA wips.

Today the store is open for business and I will be manning the register along with one observer who needs to brush up on her skills. Always good to have company for those three hours.

Monday, September 22, 2008

things to do

I wound up taking an eight mile bike ride on Friday. It was the perfect way to sort through the noise in my head. The weekend was really calm. No madcap rushing from one event to another. Just what I think we all needed.

I finished reading a trilogy of books over the weekend. "The Faerie Path" books by Frewin Jones started off pretty weak and although they did get better, these books are more geared towards J-fic instead of YA. After reading such YA fantasy titles from O.R. Melling and Holly Black, these three books just didn't hit the mark for me.

On the nightstand right now is the YA vampire book "Masquerade" by Melissa de la Cruz. It has been a while since I read the first book, "Blue Bloods", so I struggled a bit to recall the world de la Cruz built. But, I'm humming right along now and enjoying the story.

This week I have bookstore training to present today, a shift to work tomorrow and then I may finally get around to painting some trim in the house. Three windows need a coat as well as the baseboard trim in the kitchen.

I'd also like to get back to the wips and perhaps clean out the flower beds.

Just a real assortment of things to do in the next five days.

Friday, September 19, 2008

sis bah boom

My head is filled with so many oddball thoughts today. It sounds like a middle school band warming up. Nothing is in tune. Nothing has any sort of melody. The week was sort of like that. So much going on, but everything seemed disconnected and random. And today is Friday and I wonder just how I got here. The house is clean, the laundry caught up, the kids were delivered and picked up, writing was even thrown into the mix.

I think I need some quiet, sit outside and listen to nature time. May have to sneak over to the park today and just veg. Too much noise in my head and not enough clear thinking.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

sort day

Thursday is the day the Friends group meets at the library to sort, shelve or box the donations. I'm always interested to see what titles are donated to the library. Of late, our nonfiction donations are outpacing the fiction donations. Self help is the biggest nonfiction category we receive. I guess we have lots of people out there trying to fix themselves.

After self help, we receive a lot of books on religion/inspiration. Not sure if that is a reflection of where I live, the buckle of the bible belt, or another larger trend.

We do receive a fair number of professional/trade books. The how-to sort of stuff ranging from computers to management. Quite a few medical books as well.

History books, political science books, travel books etc are also usually represented. We do receive more fiction books than these last nonfiction categories.

I'm not a nonfiction book reader. I read to be entertained, to be taken away, to escape the humdrum day to day routine. Apparently, more folks out there read nonfiction. Or, do they just hold onto the fiction titles and collect them? Right now we need romance books for the store....and for our big book sale coming up in a few weeks. Guess those romance readers are reluctant to part with their books.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

something is in progress

Something is in progress, which is better than nothing in progress. Not sure if I would label it 'work', but I did open MB yesterday and ended up spending a few hours in that world. I began real revisions. I cut passages, created a new document and plopped the deleted scenes in there. I began to think about beefing up one plot thread I'd neglected. I nudged, tweaked, polished and massaged four chapters.

Then as a treat to myself, I started something brand new. A new story came to me, all fresh and shiny. I'm stuck with the Lani story and am not sure how to fix it, so I began something totally different. I even took the laptop with me to the soccer field so I could work in the 45 minutes before the game kicked off. I've never done that before. Not sure why, but I tell you what, I enjoyed sitting in the van with the laptop balanced on my knees while I typed away.

Yep, something is in progress.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

the trip to europe

I checked out Paris for Dummies yesterday at the library. Yep, we have our tickets to Germany and we have a hotel lined up for Paris. My brother is taking care of other details of this trip for us including the leg of it we are spending down towards Salzburg.

So our itinerary is such...arrive in Frankfurt, collapse. Get up the next day and visit Triere. Collapse. Get up again and visit Strasbourg, come home and collapse. Enjoy Christmas. Get on a plane or train and head to Paris. Paris, Paris and then back home. Get in the car and drive to Garmish, Salzburg, Neuschwanstein etc...have New Years...get back home. Rest and repack. Catch a plane back to the States and resume normal life. We will be gone exactly two weeks on this trip and I'm already thinking of how to pack, what to pack etc. I feel like I'm coordinating a small military campaign. I've read Rick Steves travel blog boards until my eyes crossed.

This is the trip of a lifetime and I don't want to blow it! Good grief, why do I put so much pressure on myself to make sure everyone has a spectacular time??

I'm sure I've spelled the names of the town wrong...I need more coffee.

Monday, September 15, 2008

I'm not here, I'm here

Check out today's blog entry over at Murder by 4....a very cool blog run by some very cool writers.

www.murderby4.blogspot.com

Have a good one!

Friday, September 12, 2008

the week that wasn't

Nothing like a vicious virus to trash plans. I didn't do anything I wanted to do this week and settled for accomplishing what I had to do. Not much to recap as a result.

I feel much better today. The cold is a lingering annoyance at this point. The oldest has a soccer game at 3:00 and she and the middle kid referee tomorrow one game a piece. So, our soccer activities will be lighter than normal.

I intend on hitting B&N today and getting the Sookie book I'm missing. I also need to keep an eye peeled for the latest from Michelle Moran, "The Heretic Queen." Her first book, "Nefertiti" was an excellent read and I have confidence this new one will be just as good. You know me and historical fiction...after the Tudor dynasty, give me some ancient Egyptians or Romans and I'm a happy girl.

Speaking of reading, my favorite hardcore urban fantasy author, Lilith Saintcrow has put up a serial book on her website. It is all about Selene and Nikolai, the nichtvren from her Dante Valentine series. Scrumpdillyicious reading indeed.

No post here on Monday. Instead check out Murderby4blogspot.com and my debut there....all about how libraries order books.

Good weekend ya'll

Thursday, September 11, 2008

oh crap

I'm missing one of my Sookie books. I can't remember if I loaned the book out, never bought it or have it stashed somewhere other than my bookcase. Yep, I'm up to "Definitely Dead" and it is definitely not with the other Sookie books.

So, I may be hauling my mending body over to B&N to purchase it. Good thing a discount coupon arrived in today's email. I do love my membership privileges:)

I know my mom has the most recent Sookie as I took it to her this past May. She is returning it in October when we meet up at the oldest kid's out of town soccer tourney.

Kim, I'm still working on the library book ordering post. I promise. I just can't sit for too long and think in any sort of coherent manner.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

loitering viruses

Kim, bring on the chicken soup, babe. This cold is a doozy. I can't remember the last time I've been down for three days with anything!

Whatever virus found its way into my body, it has decided it really likes the place and is staying for a spell. Current place of residence, my throat and upper respiratory tracks.

The only good thing I've done, other than slog through my three hour shift yesterday, is to reread all the Sookie books. I'm on book four as of last night. That series is such a joy to read. Makes me want to write again....if I could stop hacking, blowing, sniffing.

Which reminds me, I need to disinfect my laptop. Lysol wipes, here I come.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

half full

Slept like crap last night between blowing and coughing. The cold has morphed into a constant tickle in my throat and a dry cough. Argh. So, I'm tired right now, but over all I do seem to have improved some over night.

I'm off for the bookstore today to work my shift. We have a rainy day thus far. I guess I must have missed that forecast. If it keeps on raining, the store will be slow.

I haven't had that first cup of joe this morning, so I'm calling it an 'entry' right now.

Monday, September 8, 2008

head full

One of the more lovely things about the kids going back to school is the germs they bring home. Yep, it never fails that within a month of school starting the cold germs infect all of us. It was my turn this weekend and although I feel better this morning, I still have a head full of gunk. My nose is a lovely shade of red and very sore.

Beyond the cold, I had a decent weekend. I finished reading Alison Weir's book, "The Lady Elizabeth." What a good historical fiction read. Now, I truly enjoy reading about Elizabeth's early years, so this book wasn't a hard sell for me. Weir did a great job of exploring the inner thoughts of the future queen from her relationship with her father to the involvement she had with her final stepmother's husband. She took some literary license, which is to be expected in a novel, but everything was very plausible. Thumbs up on this one.

I also watched True Blood last night on HBO. I'm a huge Charlaine Harris fan and own every Sookie book published. When I heard this series was in the works, I didn't go back and reread the first few books. Best to watch a TV treatment without a fresh memory of how the books unfold. I enjoyed episode one and got to hand it to Alan Ball for leaving us all hanging at the end of the show. I've enjoyed the actors cast as the characters and can't wait to see Eric brought to life by young Mr. Skaarsgard. You know where I'll be every Sunday for the next several weeks.

Not a short week this week, but a busy one with three soccer games, a cub scout meeting and assorted other stuff. I do hope to get some editing and writing done, if my nose stops dripping and I can type without blowing every few minutes!

Friday, September 5, 2008

recap

Short week with the holiday, but a very busy one. The oldest kid won both soccer games and as a result of the lopsided competition was able to work on receiving drop passes from the defense and putting the ball back into the field of play.

I read a couple of books and started a new one, "The Lady Elizabeth" by Alison Weir. So far so good, but I'm a sucker for historical fiction.

Didn't do any of my own fiction writing, but I did manage to get a few more words down on the column for Kim.

Made multiple meetings for the Friends with the final one coming this morning. I also get to read to the youngest kid's class today.

Up for the weekend, more soccer of course...going to be a good one weather wise as Gustav is long gone and is now dumping rain up in our old neighborhood.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

best to be prepared

Once I learned that my library successor would approach our Friends group to appeal for funds to purchase gaming equipment for the YA department, I started researching. I learned a lot.

Did you know that 100 years ago kids weren't even allowed in libraries? Or that fiction books were not shelved in libraries because they were viewed as entertainment? Or that the Library of Congress catalogs video games? Or that the ALA has endorsed gaming in libraries?

Boy, things have changed. And I'm happy to say that my research did not have to be used to convince anyone, only to reaffirm what many of the ladies had already decided. We need to get those teens in the library and if it takes a Wii or a guitar hero game to do it, then so be it.

On other fronts, I need to finish my article for my friend Kim about how books get onto those library shelves. Haven't forgotten about you, girl, just been swamped with meetings and such.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

crap, it's wednesday

I love/hate three day weekends. They usually arrive in the nick of time to give a respite from the hustle and bustle of school and soccer, but then before you know it, the week is half over. And nothing is done or on schedule!

I did manage yesterday to clean the house and get some laundry done, but the next few days will be busy with meetings for the library and soccer. Or at least some soccer if the rain continues to keep away from my corner of the county. Right now the remnants of Gustav are making their way into my region and for some reason the bands are narrowly avoiding our small town.

The computer was turned on all weekend, but no word documents were opened. I did some surfing on hotels and apartments in Paris for our trip, but that was about it. I didn't write and will probably not write this week.

I did read "Hunter's Prayer" by Lilith Saintcrow and started "Ironside" by Holly Black. Thumbs up on both.

Off to rouse the troops, the school bell looms dead ahead.