Don't Quote Me On That

Merry Christmas!

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:36:37 GMT

Here is my Christmas update for 2009 (instead of sending cards, because we all know I won’t do that).

To start, here’s a little holiday greeting that I made myself using my ultra-beginner skills in Flash (a new skill I learned recently):

2009 has been a year full of ups and downs, but overall I won’t complain. Bill and I are both still employed and very thankful for that. We are still doing well, we’re healthy and having a lot of fun together. My sister gave birth to my nephew, Ethan, in early January. Hard to believe he’s almost 1 already.

Today marks the Winter Solstice and is also the anniversary of the day I first brought home my beloved chow-chow Kody who passed away last month. He is still sorely missed. Bill and I do plan to rescue a dog sometime next summer.

We didn’t go to as many concerts this year. If you count Lollapalooza as 1 concert, we only went to 11. The good part is, 5 out of 11 of those were Wilco/Jeff Tweedy. That’s a record year for us seeing Wilco! And the best part? At our Cincinnati concert we got to meet half the band. Sadly Jeff was not among them, but we are now close personal friends with Pat, Mikael and John. The other notable concerts this year were the Decemberists at Lollapalooza and Dave Matthews Band in Detroit.

Bill and I did take several trips this year. Our week-long trip this year was to California. We rented a great house in Napa with 3 other couples and spent a wonderful week tasting all kinds of fabulous wines. We drove to Kalamazoo, Cincinnati and Ann Arbor for Wilco concerts and went to Toronto to see The Hold Steady. In July we visited a bunch of Bill’s college friends in Pittsburgh. In August we did our annual trek to Lollapalooza in Chicago and saw around a dozen bands. In September I went to Dragon*con for the 2nd year in a row for another crazy weekend as Xena. And we went up north a few times for relaxing weekends at some of our favorite places (like Shorts Brewery).

I did perform in another belly dance production in the spring, followed by an intensive but fun 2-day workshop with the belly dance superstar Aziza. I have not done much with the dance since then. Instead I’m working with a personal trainer to whip myself into shape. So far it’s working great!

And what was my craziest adventure this year you ask? That would be skydiving. Yep, you read right. I did it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a great 2010!

A little bit of a lot of things

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:28:08 GMT

First, I think my brain is still decompressing from Monday and Tuesday. I spent all day both days in a seminar to learn Flash, which is a vastly different program than my usual design programs. It was challenging, but in a good way. It left me feeling seriously depleted mentally and I hope I can remember everything I learned (ok, at least most of it). So initially this was going to be a longer post, but I think part of me is still babbling incoherently in a corner.

Second, I got a bit derailed on my fitness goals starting when Kody died. That first week I didn't care about what I ate, so didn't make the best choices. The next week was my birthday, then Thanksgiving and the eating & drinking went on and on. The good news is as of this morning I not only got back to my 10lb weight loss, but lost an addition pound (YAY!). That's a good thing. I'm getting to the point where I notice the difference. I've had people compliment me, but up until this week I couldn't really see anything myself. I'm still getting my butt kicked by my trainer twice a week, which is a continual challenge. In the last few sessions, he's been complimenting me on my progress and continually pointing out things I can do easily now that I couldn't do at all when we started. And on Sunday I had a random stranger at the gym tell me she could tell I've been losing weight and how good I look. All that makes me feel good.... and sigh as I see all the Christmas events looming starting tonight. My goal is to make it through the holidays without gaining. I will be happy with that.

Speaking of Christmas, sometime soon I will post a year-in-review Christmas blog. Like wheezinggirl , I'm too lazy to send out Christmas cards and I don't see the point in wasting the paper. I don't even pretend that I will anymore. I will post that soon instead (when my brain recovers).

And lastly, more Books:

#88: X-Rated Bloodsuckers by Mario Acevedo
#89: The Undead Kama Sutra by Mario Acevedo
#90: Jailbait Zombies by Mario Acevedo
I posted about the first book in this series last time. These are the rest that have been published. The author left plotlines open in books 3 & 4, so I'm guessing there will be more. And just like with the first book in this series, the titles are deceptive. Yes, the books are about what the title suggest, but they're not the slightest bit steamy. They are about a vampire detective who keeps finding his way into all kinds of bizarre situations. They are easy reads (obviously since I read all 3 in a week) and I enjoyed them.

I Did It!

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:35:06 GMT

50 Book challenge 09 update. Yeah, obviously I already hit the 50 book mark. That's not why I have the subject header that I do. This post makes it official that I beat last year's record of reading 86 books.

#84: The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
This was an interesting read. It's not something I would normally pick up, but was loaned to me by a friend. It's the story about a book. It's a fifteenth century Jewish Haggadah, a type of prayer book. The story starts in the 1990s and is about a rare book expert who's job is to study the book and try to figure out it's history. She finds different things in the book, which then cause the story to jump back in time to various points to explain where that item came from and how it got in the book. It's a fascinating look at how a simple object can be part of so much history. Good read.

#85: Bag of Bones by Stephen King
Yeah, I know, another one. So far this is one of my favorite by him (The Stand being my other fav). It tells the story of an author who gets mixed up in a mystery surrounding a town and the haunted house he lives in. It's a large book, but reads quickly. King doesn't spend the first half of the book with unnecessary detail, which is probably why I liked it so much. You jump right into the story and it keeps hold of you until the end. I didn't find it scary. It's meant to be a thriller, but not the can't-sleep-without-the-lights-on kind.

#86: The Helmet of Horror by Victor Pelevin
The book was recommended by wheezinggirl and I'm glad she recommended it. It tells a version of the Theseus and Minotaur story, but told from the viewpoint of the sacrificial people in the labyrinth. The whole story reads like it's a chat room log and the labyrinth is a type of alternate internet reality. The book was a lot cleverer than I expected. It made you think. This may be another of my favorite books that I read this year.

#87: The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo
Don't let the title fool you. It's about a vampire detective who's on the hunt to figure out why a bunch of women working for the department of energy turned into raving nymphomaniacs. With a title and premise like that, you'd expect the book to be steamy. I did. Well, it's not. Not even slightly. Take that expectation out of it and you have a pretty good story. I like how the author writes. He's not very wordy, but is very descriptive. Short, yet visual. Just no steamy scenes. There are lots of vamps though. It's a fun read.

How many more books can I read in 22 days?

A Little Holiday Cheer

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:14:02 GMT

I couldn't resist this one...

You Guessed It...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:47:00 GMT

More books, who would have guessed? At this rate I will beat last year's total.

#81: Mortal Love by Elizabeth Hand
A friend recommended this to me. This is the author who wrote Waking the Moon, which is one of my all-time favorite books. My friend said she liked this one even better. So I went into it with high expectations. Maybe too high. I liked the book, but it was no where near as captivating as Waking the Moon. It took about half the book for me to sort of figure out what was going on and piece together who fit with who. The story jumps through time several times with some characters being the ancestors of other characters. Similar names and places in both times confused me. Then it all clicked and I was able to follow along and enjoy the story. I liked it, but it's no where near my top 10 list.

#82: Carrie by Stephen King
Yes, another one. And no, it's not a reread. I've never seen the movie either. Still, this is one of those stories that everyone just knows whether you've read/seen it or not. It's about what I expected. Not my favorite of his, but a quick, easy and entertaining read. The one thing that bothers me about a lot of his books is he seems to take about half the book to set up the story and the first half is filled with a lot of unnecessary detail. The stories are good once all the pieces are in place, it just takes a while to get there.

#83: The Margarets by Sheri Tepper
I haven't read much by this author. In fact, the only other book of hers that I remember reading is Beauty (which I loved and still own). My friend (same as above) loaned me this one and I'm glad she did. She said it took a little while to understand the concept and get into the story. I understood this one a lot quicker than I did Mortal Love. It's a futuristic story where one woman is split into seven versions of herself. Each live on a different planet and have completely different experiences. There is a reason why she was split, which wove together quite satisfying in the end. All around a really clever book, in my opinion. This one might be one of my favorites for this year.

Most Awesome!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:09:03 GMT

This just needs to be shared. Cross-posted from theweaselking .
Gotta love the muppets!

Books, books and more books...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:59:36 GMT

What can I say, books are comfort food.

50 book challenge update:

#77: The Hand of Isis by Jo Graham
I read her other book, Black Ships, earlier this year and loved it. This one is Cleopatra’s story told through the eyes of one of her handmaidens. I found this book to be equally as well-written and wonderful. This story is based on the idea that Cleopatra and her 2 handmaidens (who are her half-sisters) are the literal hands of Isis, as in the goddess is working through them to rebuild Egypt. It was an interesting idea and a highly romanticized version of the history.

#78: Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
#79: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I reread KoD so I would remember who’s who and what’s what in this incredibly epic saga. The Gathering Storm is the 12th book in the Wheel of Time and is the first book that has been released after Robert Jordan’s death. I don’t know how much of it he wrote before he died and how much of it is Brandon Sanderson’s words. The book definitely feels different than the 11th book, both in tone and in events. Things happen much quicker in TGS. That’s not a bad thing though, as the story seemed to drag on and on and on in books 8-10. KoD picked up quite a bit, but it still seems that TGS is flying at a much faster pace. And while the tone is a bit different (as was expected), it wasn’t so different that I was put off by it. I still very much love the world and the story being told and look forward to the 13th book.

#80: Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
My friend audrey_cooper decided I needed to read more Stephen King books and loaned me a few of her favorites. This is the first I read, mostly due to the subject matter. We all know I love books about vampires (except for Twilight). I found it fun & scary to read about the monster-variety vampire. These aren’t the sexy, suave, yeah they’re dead but they’re still hot kind of vampire. These were the monster type, the kind you hide under your covers, chewing on garlic, hoping they don’t come by your house type. As with the few books of his I have read, this one takes about half the book to set up the story. I think that’s one of the reasons I haven’t read more of his to date. He seems to take a long time to ramp up, but once he does, they’re usually worth the wait.

Kody

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:37:44 GMT

My beautiful Kodybear has moved on to a better place. He passed away early Sunday morning. It happened fairly quickly and both Bill and I were with him when it happened. The good part is he was at home and passed on his own terms, so we didn't had to make the decision for him. He had a great day leading up to it. We had a very rare wonderful weekend weather-wise. It was a sunny and warm fall day, one of his favorite kinds. He spent most of it in the backyard sunning himself and chewing a bone we'd bought him earlier.

Sorry that this is a repeat to some, but I think it's worth sharing. A friend of mine captured it wonderfully when he told me our lives are diminished by his absence, but filled with the memory of the joy he brought us. And he did bring great joy. He was a magnificent animal, pet and friend and will be greatly missed.

Maybe sometime soon I can share some of my favorite stories about him. Right now it's too raw and I am too heartbroken.

Victory Dance! ...of sorts...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:43:44 GMT

Somewhere in early September I decided it was time to get serious about my health and weight again. I'd tried earlier in the year and then gave up all attempts over the summer when I was on vacation every other weekend. So in September I got back on the healthy foods kick, cut back on my alcohol intake and got more serious at the gym. It was also around that time that I switched personal trainers. I like my new trainer. He kicks my ass twice a week, but in a good way. And I'm seeing results. As of this morning I've lost 10lbs! Go me! That's half of my weight loss goal. In addition to that, I've had to buy belts because without them my pants fall off. Literally.

I'm only halfway to my goal, but I'm feeling great about my progress.

A week with a few favorites

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:22:37 GMT

50 book challenge 09 update:

#73: Beauty by Robin McKinley
This is one of my favorite books that I always forget about. Then one day I find it tucked in my bookshelf and think to myself how much I love it and how long it's been since I last read it. I have a thing for fairy tales. I always have. I used to collect them until I ran out of space. I don't care if they are old, new, disney versions, dark, twisted, etc... I read whatever I can get my hands on. My favorite has always been, and probably always will be, Beauty and the Beast. It's my favorite fairy tale, my favorite Disney cartoon, and for a long time my favorite tv show. It was the show that probably started me on the beauty & the beast craze. I was the perfect target age for the tv show's audience - a hopeless romantic and angst-filled teenager. I fell in love with Vincent and had several posters of him in my room. I even dressed up as him for Halloween one year. Now that I'm older, the tv show has lost a lot of its charm. Vincent seems whiny and full of self doubt. Catherine seems cold. Still, I will always keep it in my top 10 favorites just for nostalgia factor. Now that I have shared a brief history of my love for the fairy tale, I can tell you about the book. It's a retelling of the beauty and the beast story. It's a quick and easy read. I breezed through it in less than a day. It's predictable. We all know how the story goes and how it ends. Still, the book is magical and once I start reading it, I can't put it down.

#74: The Initiate by Louise Cooper
#75: The Outcast by Louise Cooper
#76: The Master by Louise Cooper
These are more easy reads and all-time favorites that I forget about. I first read these when they first went into print in the 80s. The books I own are from then and are quite worn. This is one of those series I pull out every once in a while and reread. It's a dark tale about a land where Order has overthrown Chaos and created a hellish situation that sounds a lot like the hold the Christian church had on the MIddle Ages. It's about a Lord of Chaos who forgoes his immortality to be reborn as human in attempts to bring the Chaos lords back into the world. All three books are about his struggle in realizing who and what he is and what to do with the power he is born with. It's the kind of series that once I start I can't put down until I've read all three.

It's all in the music

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:14:33 GMT

I'm proud of myself, so I have to share. Remember about a month ago when I mentioned that I was writing again? At that time I was working on a short story based on a dream I'd had. At the time I posted about it the story was 23 pages long. By the time my October deadline came around to submit it to wheezinggirl I had hit 50+ pages (though only sent her 45, it was a good chapter break). Well, I'm happy to say that this week I hit the 100 page mark and the 30,000+ word count. I guess it doesn't qualify as a short story anymore, and that's just fine with me. And yes, I'm still going. It feels so good to write like this. I haven't done that in probably over five years.

There are several things keeping me going. One is just sheer stubbornness. Many days trying to write feels like I'm pulling teeth. Actually, today is one of those days, which is why I'm here right now. I just have to force myself back to the story with the promise that I only have to write a page. Most days that one page turns into 3-5. It's getting started that's the hardest part. Usually.

Another thing that helps is having the right music. I follow several authors on lj and many talk about the soundtrack that they have while writing certain novels. It makes sense. My mood is susceptible to whatever music I'm listening to. It means I have to be careful. The right music can put me in a good mood. The wrong can turn me into an irritable bitch. I have a good soundtrack for this story though. First, let me describe the mood of the story. It's dark, depressing, angry, and hopeless. It also involved an alien society that near-completely wiped out our world. The story is about the human survivors. My main character is quiet, introverted, tough and distant from her fellow humans. She gets her ass kicked, physically and mentally. Also so far most of the story takes place in tunnels with very low light. So it's physically dark, along with emotionally dark.

So to help me write, I needed music that evokes that atmosphere without pissing me off. There are 2 albums that have the perfect tone. They are:

1. The Flaming Lips: Embryonic. It's their new cd. From the reviews I've read, this cd is very similar to their early stuff. I haven't heard the early years though, so I can't say. What I can say is this band is one of the most surreal bands I listen to. Doesn't matter which cd you listen to, they are strange. Their concerts are unlike anything I've seen. Picture dancing santas, dancing aliens, a giant human-sized hamster ball, confetti and surreal music and you begin to get the picture. This cd sounds darker to me, more ethereal music, more haunting, more exotic than their others. Perfect for setting the mood of dealing with aliens and completely rethinking how to survive in your own world.

2. The Ravonettes: In and Out of Control. The name of the cd alone fits very well with the mood I need. Their cd has an edgy, dark sound to it. They remind me of Jesus & Mary Chain (who would also be a good choice for this soundtrack). It's moody, but not angry or depressing. We saw them live last weekend and the whole time I had the next chapter flowing through my head as I watched them.

They both work great. Maybe almost a little too well. For the last week when I get caught up in writing and listening I catch myself sinking deep into that world. I sometimes have to stop and look out the window and marvel at the fact that the sun is shining and aliens haven't attacked. As far as I know.

More Books

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:43:29 GMT

50 book challenge 09 update:

#69: Winter Moon by Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee & C.E. Murphy

This is a collection of novellas, one by each author, all relating to the power of a winter moon. The first story is by Mercedes Lackey and is the first thing of hers I’ve read in a very long time. She’s one of those authors whom I used to read avidly in high school, but lost interest in as I grew older. Subsequently, the story was my least favorite of the three. That’s not to disparage it though as it was a well-written story. When I got to the end, I wanted to read more. The second story was by Tanith Lee. I love her books, although I admit I have not read many. One of her books, Delirium’s Mistress, is in my top 10 favorites. This story had the same haunting elements that I love about her work. The third story was by C.E. Murphy, of whom I think I have read everything she has published to date. This story featured my favorite of all her characters, Joanne Walker from the Walker Papers who is a Native American/Irish shaman.

#70: Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

This book falls into the “vampires, witches and werewolves” category that my boyfriend teases me about. Surprisingly the main character is human. Not so surprisingly the other main characters are a half-demon, a werewolf, a necromancer and a ghost. This is one of her Women of the Otherworld series. I like this series because the author set up an elaborate urban-fantasy world and the way she did it allows for her to write from different characters point of view in almost every book. I have my favorite characters and a few I don’t care for at all. This book features some characters I have grown to really like. I hope to read more about them in future books.

#71: The Patriot Witch by C.C. Finley
#72: A Spell for a Revolution by C.C. Finley

These books are more of those that I kept seeing at the bookstore and finally decided to read. They’re set in and around Boston during the American Revolution. The concept is that there is a secret society of witches that are aligned with England and trying to destroy the colonies. There are some American witches who try to stop them, despite being far less powerful and outnumbered. The story weaves the urban fantasy with historical events and people (George Washington, Paul Revere, Thomas Pain, Betsy Ross and more make appearances). Both books featured key battles, which I found myself skimming over. I did so not because it was poorly written, but rather because it’s not what I typical enjoy reading. But they’re not just war novels. A very interesting story is woven into it. There is a third book in the series that eventually I will read.

Too funny

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:25:18 GMT

I stumbled across this site today and I have not had to try so hard to *not* laugh in a long time (because of course I'm reading these at work).

I thought about pulling an image to post here, but just can't pick one.

Just check it out.

More Books

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:35:19 GMT

50 Book Challenge 09 update:

#65: Warrior by Marie Brennan
I review this along with it's sequel down below.

#66: An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe
I don't often do this, but for this book I checked out the reviews on amazon before attempting to write this review. The reasons for that was I'm not quite sure what to say about it. I guess it all comes down to by the end of the book I had a hard time figuring out exactly what happened. It felt disjointed, as if there were key plot elements that got taken out last minute. It starts off as one story, twists into this almost completely irrelevant story, and then twists again into something entirely different. After reading some of the amazon reviews, I'm glad to see that I am not the only one left a bit confused by this one. Yet I finished it. By far not my favorite book this year.

#67: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
I didn't set out this month to read everything by this author, but somehow managed to. It's hard to review this without talking about the first and last books here, so I'm going to skip to the next one and then come back to this.

#68: Witch by Marie Brennan
Ok, Warrior and this book really go hand-in-hand. You do get a full story with just Warrior, but there is a very essential key element plot that doesn't really get resolved until Witch. It's an interesting premise - there is a fantasy world where women who are born as witches undergo this ritual that splits their bodies into 2 halves and up until now the doppelganger is killed. In Warrior we read about a woman who's doppelganger did not die, but instead grew to maturity, leading a completely different life than the witch. The witch and the warrior meet each other and have to figure out a different way to exist than the norm, which would involve the witch killing the warrior. Interesting premise. Not real believable, but entertaining. The issue gets resolved by the end of Warrior, but the result throws the world into chaos of people who want to follow their normal religious beliefs vs the people who want to change the fundamental structure of their beliefs and be stronger for it. Truthfully, I thought Warrior read as a better book. It seemed more cohesive than Witch. But you do need both to get the whole story and they are worth the read.

Now back to Midnight Never Come. If I hadn't seen that it was the same author, I would have thought they were separate writers. This book felt completely different than the Warrior/Witch ones. It has a completely different storyline and was such that I found much more interesting and believable. This book is set in Elizabethian England. The reason Elizabeth gets her throne is because she makes a pact with a faerie queen. Elizabeth becomes the queen of light & the above-ground London, and the faerie queen becomes the queen of shadows, ruling the faerie court underground. Of course this has dire consequences and it's up to a human and a faerie to figure it out. This story was very well thought out and fun to read. I hope she writes more in this world and along this style.

Getting Into the Spirit

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:57:10 GMT

Of Halloween, of course. It hit me a little later this year, I don't know why. Normally my house would have been decorated by now. Sadly, it's not. If I have time and energy tonight I will do so. Otherwise it will wait until this weekend. But the main reason I finally got in the mood is I figured out my costume for this year. Yay! I can't say what it is because I always leave it as a surprise for my co-workers (yes, I dress up for work). I can say it is one of the less expensive costumes I've put together and it does involve face paint. And feathers.

Beyond that, you'll have to wait until Halloween...

The Latest on Books

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:10:12 GMT

50 Book Challenge 09 update:

#61: Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks
#62: Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
I read the first book in this series a few weeks ago and raved about how much I liked it. So I had to go buy the rest of the series and read it. This is the series about an assassin-like figure. The second book I loved just as much as the first. The third book... well... It wasn't my favorite. It started off ok and ended great, but the middle felt sadly lacking the punch that the other two books had. Overall though, I enjoyed the series (like I said, it ended well) and I hope the author has more books in the works.

#63: Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman
This book was given to me by a friend and is the first in a series. It took me some time to get into it. The story is set from many different characters POV. I felt really drawn into the story of one of the characters. The others didn't interest me as much. By the end of the book two of the main characters meet, which is enough of an interest to make me seek out the rest of the series. Overall a decent beginning, but definitely left you hanging at the end.

#64: Redemption Alley by Lillith Saintcow
This is the third book in her Jill Kismet series (love reading a book with my name as the main character!). I have said this before about her books and will say it again here. This author kicks the crap out of her characters and I love it. She pulls no punches. Her main character in this series and her Dante Valentine series repeatedly get their ass kicked. Over and over and over. And yet they still pull through and save the day. I like how aggressive she writes, I don't see that much in other books (at least not at the same level as these books).

I guess I'm not feeling very chatty today.

Just because

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:13:00 GMT

I know so many people this applies to. This is cross-posted from theweaselking .

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:06:20 GMT

It's taken a week, but I think I've finally come off from the post Dragon*con depression. No, wait. That's not the right word. It's the word all the D*C people are throwing around but that implies melancholy, sadness and longing. That's not what I had. I had more of a strange time with the incredibly surreal 4 days of D*C meeting abruptly with reality. Surreal vs Real. Do you know what I mean? It took me about a week to put the Xena costume & attributes away and embrace the real world again. Though I confess, there are moments that linger and likely will for a while.... and that's not a bad thing...

But.. Since I'm back in the real world, I thought I'd sum up a few things that are going on. Mostly because I'm in a good mood today and don't feel like jumping into the next work project just quite yet. My good mood has been helped immensely with the music I'm listening to (hence the comment on facebook for those who saw that). A coworker loaned me the Owl City cd "Ocean Eyes." I'm in love with it. it's fun and whimsical and catchy and quirky and more. I liken it to The Postal Service (whom I also love).

Here's the one Owl City song I've heard on the radio. (youtube won't give me the code to embed it today, sorry)

Last week I learned that my personal trainer was switching professions. Boo! I had been working with her since January and I liked her a lot, so I was sad to see her go. Fortunately she gave me the name of another trainer at my gym whom I met with last night. So far so good. I think he will work out well. I meet with him tomorrow for the first real session. I've signed up for 10 sessions with him, which is 1-2 times a week for the next 2 months. Yay me! Overall fitness is on track. I seriously fell off the wagon this summer, mostly due to being gone every other weekend for six weeks straight. Now I'm back on the straight and narrow and am already seeing some results.

In other really good news, I've been writing again! YAY!!! wheezinggirl and I started this story trade a few months ago and it's wakened all kinds of creativity in me. In fact, wheezinggirl you're in for a lengthy one this next round. I'm already 23 pages into it and still have quite the story to tell. It's sort of a War of the Worlds meets The Last Starfighter story that's based on a dream I had about a year ago. I have 3 short stories under my belt so far thanks to this (not counting the one I just mentioned) and it feels good. I think it means I will feel confident to jump back into the novel, Dreams Remembers, soon. Remember that? It's been ages since I mentioned it, I know. I actually have been thinking about it lately and what it is I don't like about the point I'm stuck at.

Ok, I could keep rambling, but I won't. I'll go back to listening to my whimsical cd and ride the wave for the rest of the day...

It's Been Found!

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:26:06 GMT

Yay to Jason for finding the picture of wheezinggirl and I with Felicia Day! Check us out, it's on her flickr page:

Dragon*con 09.... The Recap

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:22:22 GMT

Oh yeah, Dragon*con 09 totally rocked... Thanks to wheezinggirl, I'm already planning my costume for next year. It will involve me getting much more serious about my time at the gym & watching what I eat, but that's ok. D*C is a good motivation.

I briefly thought about not doing the recap because Wheezinggirl did a great one over on her lj, but since not everyone reads hers I figured what the hell.... Here goes...

Thursday night I flew out to Atlanta and met up with Wheezinggirl. She took me back to her & Matt's house where I *finally* got to meet radiantbaby and mtn_hermit (**waves virtual hi**) and have a fantastic dinner out in their gazebo. After dinner we watched a few episodes of the live action version of The Tick, something I had not previously seen, but enjoyed. Then it was time for bed.

Friday morning Wheezinggirl had to go to work for a while so Matt and I headed to Dragon*con to check into the hotel, lug large quantities of luggage up and down stairs and through mazes to get to the room, and pick up our D*C badges. Once all that was squared away we met up with thunder24 for a few pre-lunch cocktails while we waited for wheezingirl and lerg to show up (they were inadvertently heading down to meet us together). Once the whole gang met up, we headed to the food court for lunch. After that I decided I needed to be wearing my costume. Thunder24 was already in his Ultimate Thor costume, so I decided he needed to be joined by Xena and Gabrielle. So Wheezinggirl and I got changed. We made a fabulous Xena and Gabrielle! It was great to have my sidekick with me this year instead of wandering alone like last year! It was a blast and we both looked great (thanks mom!).

We ended up seeing 2 panels on Friday. The first was with author Charlene Harris, which was great. I am a fan of her books and the Tru Blood tv show that's based on them, so it was fun to hear her talk about what she had in mind versus how things are progressing in the series (she seems pretty happy with it so far). The second panel we saw was about Warrior Women in YA fiction. We chose to go because Wheezinggirl's friend dancingwriter was part of the panel. It was fun and interesting and we're still dressed as Xena & Gabrielle, which made that specific panel even more fun.

In between the panels we walked around a bit, including my only trip through the Walk of Fame. for those who remember last year, I ended up somewhat stalking a celebrity (not on purpose). This year I had no such encounters (boo!). We did run into one celebrity - Felicia Day. We saw her standing outside the walk of fame. We wanted to take a picture with her, but didn't really want to intrude. Fortunately for us, she spotted us and wanted her picture taken with us! Yay Xena & Gabrielle! Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of her with any of our cameras, but we're hoping she posts it on flickr. Also, in the walk of fame, I was told Richard Hatch was checking me out. lol...

Back to the timeline, after the second panel we had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants and then walked around the lobby to pose for pictures. That was Friday.
Saturday almost deserves a post all to itself. It ended up being sort of the epic fun day that involved a whole lot of alcohol and partying. We started off the day fairly casual. We skipped watching the D*C parade in favor of standing in line for the BSG panel featuring Mary McDonnell, Alessandro Juliani, Michael Trucco, Kate Vernon, Michael Hogan, and Luciano Carro. Midway through the panel they were joined by Aaron Douglas. He got a lot of attention for that because no one noticed he came in until he took one of the microphones in the audience and asked the panel a question about his own character. It was funny. The panel was great fun, but frakking cold!!! All the panel rooms seemed to be set at a freezing temperature.

After the BSG panel we walked through the dealer's hall, got lunch at a deli at our hotel, and changed into our costumes. Wheezinggirl and I dressed as Xena & Gabrielle again. Matt went as a Star Trek captain and Thunder24 went as death-scene Comedian from the Watchmen (I do have pictures of all this that will be on flickr eventually). Thunder24 wanted to go to a Watchmen meet-up for photo ops at one of the hotel bars, so we headed over there and ended up staying there for several hours. This specific bar was at the Marriott, which had the best view for people-watching and being seen for pictures. We were joined by several of wheezinggirl & Matt's friends while there. All around it was a lot of fun and a whole lot of drinking.

At some point we realized we needed to leave and headed to The Shindig, which was a Firefly-themed party. The party was crazy fun, mostly due to the high-energy level of the band Emerald Rose and the crowd who thoroughly enjoyed being there. I could have stayed there all night, but we had more fun to do. We went back to the hotel room so wheezinggirl and Matt could get out of their costumes and back into real clothes. Thunder24 and I kept ours on. We ended up having a minor room party. Somehow we ended up with a few random strangers in the room and we did have a cooler of beer. It was fun. Matt got us an invite to an exclusive invite-only after hours party at one of the suites in a different hotel. It was the type of party you needed the password to get into, had security outside and had color-coded wrist bands. We had the VIP bands, although I'm not sure what the difference was. We spent most of the time on the balcony talking to other people and drinking really nasty home-brewed beer. I think it was about 3 or 4am when we finally called it a night and went to bed.

Sunday started a wee bit rough. After only 4 hours sleep and 3 times as many drinks as hours (at least) most of us were not feeling our best on Sunday. I rallied just long enough to eat half of the world's most expensive grilled ham & cheese sandwich before deciding I needed to crash for a while. Wheezinggirl and Matt headed to another panel and more looking around. I went back to the room to go back to sleep. Thunder24 had never left the room and was watching D*C tv. So I ended up watching parts of about 4 different panels (Heroes, Buffy, Leonard Nimoy, and part of a Patrick Stewart panel) all the while trying to feel human again. Sometime after 4pm wheezinggirl and Matt came back to the room to take naps. Both Thunder24 and I were awake and human again by then, so we left them alone and headed to the art show. After that I met up with Wheezinggirl to go to the YA fiction costume contest where 4 of her friends were dressed as characters from The Last Unicorn (they looked great!). We ended up killing time at the Marriott bar after that while the guys went to a few gaming panels. We (that being me, Wheezinggirl, Matt, Thunder24 and Lerg) all met up again for a tasty dinner at Trader Vic's. We then had to rally to go see the band I Fight Dragons, who didn't come on until after midnight. I could barely keep my eyes open, but made it through. The band was good, I was just tired.

Monday we packed up, checked out, and lugged the large amount of luggage up and down stairs and through mazes back to the car. Then we went to our last panel of D*C, which was a Q&A with Felicia Day. She was a hoot, so the panel was a lot of fun. Then Wheezinggirl, Matt and I had lunch at a Mexican place at the CNN tower. They dropped me off at the airport and I had a surprisingly on-time flight home.

That was Dragon*Con!

Ok, LJ is giving me a hard time about tagging other lj users in this post. I've tried several times and I give up....

I'm running out of subject headers to describe reading books

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:06:26 GMT

50 book challenge update:

#58: The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
This is one of those authors whom I know I should be reading, but haven't. I did read the first Dresden Files book a long time ago and have always meant to pick up the rest. Everyone I know who has read them has enjoyed them and I did like the short-lived tv show. Another friend of mine recently recommended this series to me, so on a whim of buying new authors, I picked up the book. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. I will likely pick up the rest, but I won't rush out to do so. I think I might enjoy the Dresden Files more, so I may go back to that series instead. He does do a good job in setting up an interesting fantasy world in this series.

#59: The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
#60: The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller
This is another one of those books I picked up along with the previous book. I had been seeing these books in the bookstore every time I went in for quite some time. I always picked it up, read the back and put it down. I'm really glad I finally bought & read it. I liked it so much I had to run out and by the sequel. These books together tell the whole story of an unsuspecting and uncouth hero. I thought there was a lot of buildup towards the final event and when the final event came it seemed a little rushed. But beyond that, I enjoyed the story. She has another series out that I have also looked at frequently and I will be buying those.

In a completely random side note:
4 more days until Dragon*con!!!! I can't wait!!!

More Books!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:55:39 GMT

50 book challenge update:

54: Demon Mistress by Yasmine Galenorn
This is the sixth book in her Sisters of the Otherworld series and falls into my “vampires, witches and werewolves” category. This is the series about 3 sisters: a witch, a werecat and a vampire. Each book is from a different sister’s perspective. This one was from the vampire sister. Overall, she is not my favorite of the characters, but the book has enough of the charm & fun that the others have that I enjoyed reading it anyway.

55: Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
I admit, I took my time getting around to reading this book. It’s the third book her second set of trilogies. The first trilogy I absolutely adore. This second trilogy, which is about the next generation, I haven’t been so thrilled with. This final book though was a notable exception. In this book I felt Carey recaptured what I loved so much about the first trilogy. The main character seems incredibly selfish in the first two books. In this one, we see him evolve quite a bit and I loved it.

56: Walking Dead by C.E. Murphy
This is the book that I won from the author herself that I posted about a few posts back! I got the book in the mail (it’s not available in stores yet) and promptly set down the book I was in the middle of to read it. It’s the 4th book in her Walker Papers series, which is by far my favorite of her books. Walking Dead was just as captivating as the previous books in the series. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait for the next one to come out! But given I had the rare chance to read the book before it hits the streets, I have to wait a while for the next one. This series is about a shaman who doesn't know her own powers or what she's really doing. She's a great heroine though.

57: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
This is one of those books I picked up at the store several times and debated about buying. I’d not read anything by the author before, nor knew anyone who had. I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did I devoured it. There were a few things that took me a while to get, as I felt the author didn’t really explain all the different societies within the structure of the city this takes place in. I felt kind of like I was jumping in head first with no clear direction on where the jump would take me. Eventually though I figured it all out and thoroughly loved the story. I will be buying the next 2 books in the series very soon!

Books!

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:02:46 GMT

Well, I think I jinxed myself on my last book post when I commented about how many books I'd read already. Here it is almost a month later and I only have 4 new books to post.

#50 Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor
#51 Dreamdark: Silksinger by Laini Taylor
These books are absolutely delightful to read. They are geared towards early readers (maybe 12+), but don't let that stop you. They are about the adventures of fairies. And by that I mean the tiny, size of a bird, living in the woods kinds of fairies. The books are adorable and so well-written I couldn't put them down. They read as though there will be more in the series. I certainly hope so! If you're looking for fun, easy reads about the world from a totally unique perspective, these would be great!! A big thanks to audrey_cooper for giving them to me!!

#52: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke
This is the reason it's been so long since my last book post and why there are so few (in comparison). This is a very large book and the writing style is much denser & dryer than I normally read. All that aside, it's an absolutely wonderful story. It's about two magicians living in England around the time of Napoleon. It's about how they rise to power and what they do with that power. The end was not at all what I expected. The book starts out with a whole lot of background, which is a very dry read. Once you get beyond that, it's a much more engaging story. I read it at a slower pace than normal because it's so jam packed with detail and side notes. It's quite the challenge to get through, but well-worth the effort.

#53: Blood Noir by Laurel K Hamilton
Yeah, I'm behind on the Anita Blake books. The reason is I refuse to by her hardcovers anymore, so I wait a year for them to be released in paperback. That being said, I liked this book. This and the last Anita book, Harlequin, were the first books by her I have liked in a while. This book actually has a plot! And it's interesting! You still get some of the same arguments over and over with some of the characters. You also get some inconsistencies that LKH throws in just to keep the story moving. But overall, much better than the last few books of hers have been.

Jumping out of a plane and the best band ever.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:41:32 GMT

Hi. Remember me? I used to post here once in a while. It's been 3 weeks since my last post, but somehow feels longer. Facebook makes it way to easy to do quick updates and news, so I find myself less inclined to type long entries. That and my job is trying it's damnedest to drive me stark screaming mad off the nearest high ledge. **deep breath** At least I still *have* a job. That's what I keep telling myself. Enough of that...

I meant to write a few weeks ago when I went skydiving. Yes, you read write, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. Why? Well, I've always wanted to try it. A friend of mine wanted to do it to commemorate her 40th birthday, so she, her husband and I went. My boyfriend tagged along, but stayed firmly on the ground to take pictures and shake his head at how crazy we were. Trust me, it was crazy. And scary... and exhilarating... and thrilling... and amazing... and terrifying.... and more all wrapped in to one package. It's really hard to describe it because it's such a unique sensation and experience. I did a tandem jump, which meant I was very securely attached to someone who knew what he was doing and did all the work. I basically was along for the thrill. The scariest part was the plane ride up. You have nothing to do but think about what you are about to do and my brain was trying to scream that this was unnatural. We are not meant to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Fortunately, the tandem jumper is in control and really gives you no time to think about it once it's time to jump. It really felt like ok, open door is getting closer... closer.. oh shiiiiiiiii.... and you're out.

The free fall part lasted roughly 75 seconds and we were falling at roughly 140 miles per hour. It felt like complete sensory overload. A very cold wind is whipping at your face, there's a monstrous roar in your ears, and you're falling so damn fast that it literally stole my breath away. My friend screamed the whole time, but I had a hard time remembering to breath, let alone scream.

About the time I started to wonder if the parachute failed, it went up. You feel like you're being jerked up, but really it's an illusion caused by suddenly slowing down. I got the world's largest wedgie from it too (much to the amusement of the tandem jumper because yes, I told him that). Then you're just floating calmly down. It's surreal and a little scary, but not as scary as the freefall. We floated down for about 4.5 minutes. I had one helluva view of the surrounding area. I was nervous about the landing, but that turned out to be a piece of cake. We literally slid in on our butts.

Once all three of us were safely on the ground, we had to proceed to the nearest bar to celebrate. It was amazing & fun! The adrenaline rush from it was indescribable and lasted for a few days.

So that was my skydiving experience....

On to the second part of my subject, WILCO! (come on, you can't have been expecting anything else, right?) Yes, I did just see them a month ago in Cincinnati. Well, I got to see them again last night at the Royal Oak music theater (for you non-natives, that's 5 minutes from my house). The concert was sold out and we went with 3 other couples. Even though we walked in only a few minutes before they started, we managed to squeeze our way up pretty damn close to the stage. It was the closest we've ever been to the band while they're on stage. For one song, one of my friends and I squeezed even closer so that we were almost in the front row. I was close enough to see Jeff sweat, which was my goal.

Wilco played for an amazing 2 hours & 40 minutes! It's the longest concert we've seen them do. The combo of the long concert & the close proximity made it the BEST...SHOW...EVER!!!! I screamed so much my voice is hoarse and throat is sore today. I sang, I danced, I laughed. I had an absolute blast!!!

I don't know how it is that every time we see them they get better and better, but they do. If you have not experienced them live, I shake my head and say you absolutely must try it sometime!! I seriously think they are the best band to see live. Even better than my beloved Police. Yeah, they're that good....

So I'm dragging ass today. I didn't get to bed until 1:30am, which way past my bedtime on a school night. But it was totally worth it. I'm still basking in the afterglow...

Yet another book update

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:36:07 GMT

50 Book Challenge 09 update:

46: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
What can I say? It's Neil Gaiman, so of course I liked it. The book was cute. A little dark & spooky for a kids book, but cute. It would make a good Tim Burton film.

#47: Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot
This one was a challenge to get through. It's a graphic novel, so I figured I'd breeze through it. The book is so jam packed with facts and other information that it took a while to read. Alice in Wonderland isn't one of my favorite stories. I've always thought it to be really creepy. This book was a fascinating look at everything surrounding the Alice story including Lewis Carrol, Alice Liddell, and city they spent much of their time in. The narration wanders all over the place, but I was so fascinated by both the words and the pictures that I didn't mind. I loved the art in it. It was a blend of traditional comic drawing, photographs, and painted images. All in all a very unique read.

#48: Shadowbridge by Gregory Frost
#49: Lord Tophet by Gregory Frost
These books are a two-part series and were given to me by my friend audrey_cooper . I probably wouldn't have picked them up in the story, so I'm glad she made me read them. They told a fascinating story about a world built on bridges. There are a few islands, but most of the world seemed to be on these bridges that were said to be created by the gods. The books are about a storyteller. She wanders the world collecting stories and ultimately living her own story (which is a continuation of her parents epic story). The book was full of colorful characters and places. Now that I think about it, some of it was very Alice in Wonderland-like. It felt very dream-like.

Hmm.. that means my current book is #50 and it's July 1. I know I read a lot of books, but I didn't realize just how many I'm capable of reading.