black holes and other obsessions

I must be the queen of avoidance via becoming obsessed with new hobbies. I started to mess around with some genealogical research and have become hooked on the high associated with finding an ancestor's death certificate. Scary.

There is a method to my madness, namely, finding an American Revolutionary War ancestor so I can wiggle my way into the DAR and nab some scholarship money for the daughters. Every little bit will help. Especially after I sat with hubby last night in the high school auditorium and listened to the college advisor lecture us on honors/AP classes, college costs etc. as it applies to our current middle school students. Scary, again.

Needless to say, the wip is languishing due to my inattentiveness. I have, however, a boatload of census records, death certificates and family tree stuff to print off today. Yes, I've been sucked into the black hole of ancestry.com and see no way out.

Not much else to report here...February is a crazy busy month in our house with birthdays and such.

On the writing front, I'm just not expecting much from myself right now.

I like it, hey mikey

After the dissappoint of the weekend's book, I snuggled down with Melissa Marr's debut novel "Wicked Lovely" and read the whole darn thing in one sitting.

Not quite as dark as Holly Black's urban faery stories and not quite as light as the O.R. Melling novels, Marr delivers a 'just right' story complete with an evil villainess, amoral faeries and a tough girl trying to balance her humanity with the other-worldliness she knows is seeping into her life.

The book has a nice romantic touch, it may be a bit much for some middle grade readers, but for older YA it should be fine. Her main heroine, Aislinn, is well developed and authentic. The supporting cast is well drawn, except for Aislinn's grandmother. I was left a bit curious about her after a big plot 'reveal' in the last third of the book. The positives far outweighed the negatives in this novel, I'd read more from Marr.

I really wanted to like it

I almost put this book down for good before I finished it. I was close. It sat on my nightstand for a good couple of days after I first cracked the cover and slogged through the first fifty pages. You see, I really wanted to like it. What is not to like? Girls in fancy dresses, the whole 'upstairs-downstairs' motif, rakish young men, looming poverty, scheming frenemies...this is the stuff to read on rainy days with a box of chocolates and a warm blanket.

Instead I looked for laundry to do because I just didn't like it. It had all the elements, but it never soared. Too many points of view, too many cliches, too few plot twists, too much inane dialogue. I could go on....but it is too painful. YA really needs a good historical chick-lit series, but folks, this isn't it. It makes a brave attempt, but falls way short of the mark. Don't believe all the reviews on B&N etc.....bypass this one. And yes, I did finish
it.

sound the alarm

We actually had some bad weather in our county yesterday, but as the storms moved across, our town was spared the worst of it. Other folks weren't as lucky. Nothing really happened until well after all the kids were home from school and with some of the schools dismissing midday, they were home well ahead of even the first rain drop. Several tornadoes crossed over and made it as far east as Nashville. So, the weathermen were right, but they really need to tone down the hype early on. It makes folks numb to it. One of them actually came on the tv and told everyone in his audience to calm down. When you have to say that, something is seriously out of whack.

I think we've become so use to the alarms sounding that we are nearing tone deafness. The whole fear factor thing sets my teeth on edge.

As my state was one of the Super Tuesday participants, I've been treated to phone calls from both parties asking for my vote. Because my hubby likes to yank chains, we've had everyone from McCain to Obama calling plus anyone else running, including the candidate for local dog catcher. That's what happens when you answer the first few polling calls with not quite honest answers. We both voted early and split our support. By the time the calls started in earnest, it was a mute point.

I don't even want to tell you the number of calls that said the words 'islamofascist' or some other hot button phrase. Frankly, I lost track. I'd be interested to know if the politics of fear were targeted to my state's contest or if it is the national tactic of some campaigns.

Fear is an amazing motivator. Which leads me to writing. Enough politics. I find I'm experiencing a bit of fear when it comes to finishing this round of edits on the wip. I've been doing the nut and bolts sort of stuff and should finish this week. Then comes the big tweaking, the slash and burn of several sections I know need an overhaul. I fear the whole 'making it worse before it gets better' thing because I fear I will make such a mess I'll never be able to whip it back into shape. Make sense or are my neurosis showing?

I think this fear has held me captive and kept me in nuts and bolts land instead of in major rewrite land......not a good thing. I need to get over it.

On a totally different note, I checked out "The Luxe" from the library. It is a YA historical/chicklit book that hit the NYT bestsellers list. I just about closed it for good and set it in the stack to return to the library today, but made enough progress to actually have a shot at finishing it. I haven't quite figured out why this book made a bestsellers list...so many better YA books out there. I'm going to do some investigation into the agent and the publicity firm behind this one. They must have really pulled out all the stops. The book just isn't very good.

freaking out

Okay, the weathermen only have themselves to blame for the utter nonsense going on today. Good Grief. People are pulling their kids out of school because there is a threat of bad weather....after school activities are cancelled, some schools are letting our early and the sun is shining in as I type. Now, granted, weather can whip up in a minute, but the radar shows nada...zilch, zippo.

Maybe it is my frame of mind today. I'm in the 'no idiots on my planet' mode. Hormonal...hell yeah.

On a positive note, the garage door was fixed yesterday in record time. The bill was reasonable and I got my checkbook and taxes ready to roll. I am woman, hear me roar. To top that off, I edited my way through a major portion of the wip and should be able to wrap that part of the process in short order. Like maybe tomorrow.

Today I helped man the bookstore...sold a boatload of stuff and vented to a willing listener about assorted bookstore/library issues.

Picked up Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely and Ian McEwan's Atonement while at the store....yeah me...nothing like two books for under $4.

Reviews to come.....

weekend update

We hosted a Super Bowl party yesterday. About 30 folks congregated in front of the various tv viewing areas the hubby had set up around the house. We ate a ton of food, had some interesting conversations and enjoyed a good game.

Today I was all set to run some errands, only to discover I can't get my garage door open. The darn thing is making some nasty sounds and won't work. So, here I sit waiting for the repairman, on a rainy Monday. I've already balanced the checkbook and am ready to tackle our tax packet.

I may actually get a chance to open the wip file today. Had a few 'ephiphanies' yesterday during church...yeah, I should have been paying attention to the homily, but it was either let my mind wander or take a snooze. I chose to let my mind wander through the wip plot.

But, first things first, I have to get the tax stuff out of my hair and sent back to the accountant.

friday recap

Sort of a weird week around here....just a strange vibe in the air. I've really been busy doing a whole lot of nothing, but I don't feel like I've wasted a bunch of time. I did manage to keep the house functioning, the kids fed and the regular routine stuff under control. Had a productive meeting on Wednesday with the bookstore committee, had good chats with several folks about the store...one of which garnered us a nice little article in the local paper. So, all in all, quite the successful week.

Except for my editing. Crap. Didn't ever get around to doing that....I've avoided that file on my desktop like it is the plague. I've got a major mental hurdle going on of late....and a huge amount of lazy brain. I have no excuse. I'm a slacker.

I am reading two books right now. One is the YA novel "The Luxe." Think Gossip Girl time traveling back to the 1890's. So far, so okay. I'm also reading the latest Aisling Gray book from Katie MacCallister. Now, she is a bona fide hoot and a half. That girl has a seriously wicked sense of humor.

That is it for me folks. Better go stir the pot. Not the metaphorical one I'm usually stirring to cause trouble for the poor souls who know me, but a geniune soup pot full of chili for our big Super Bowl Party on Sunday.