Sunday Update - Week Does it Really Matter?

Well, it was the last week of May.  May is usually my favorite month of the year.  This year?  Not so much.  And it only got worse over the last few days.  If you're looking for a cheerful, positive, life-affirming post today, you can wander away now.

With all the shit going on, is it any wonder there hasn't been any writing?  There hasn't been any editing because you have to have written something to edit it.  And there hasn't been any marketing because I can't muster the will to do that either.  Today was the o-fficial last day to get Sleeping Ugly for 99c and Ugly and the Beast for $2.99.  I've set Amazon in motion to raise those prices to $3.99. 

I finished a couple good books early last week.  Then I spent the rest of the week reading a book I ultimately did not finish.  I started a book yesterday that shows some promise, as long as they stick to the murder and don't get bogged down in personal angst.  There's enough of that in reality right now, I don't need it in my fiction.

For the record, I am fine.  Hubs is fine.  Everyone I know and love is fine.  The country I love is under attack.  I mean, it has been for some time, but now the abstract is becoming concrete. 

The last couple of days, Hubs and I have been attacking the weeds.  Finally.  The yard once again looks like the people who live here give a damn.  (It's a joke between Hubs and I.)  There will be more of that today.  And then I'll get to work on my landscaping block project.

I feel the need to bake something.  Unfortunately, we're out of ice cream again.  Yes, I don't need ice cream to bake, but I need ice cream to eat what I baked.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Okay, that's enough out of me.  Other things happened, I'm sure, but meh.  What's up in your world?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 5/30/20

Hello again. Not a big banner week this week.  I mean, I read a couple of good books, but I wasn't burning up the pages with new reads or anything.

Last Saturday, I snagged 5 new ebooks - YA fantasy, 2 UF, a SF, and a paranormal mystery.  I still have a UF and a suspense from earlier in the month.

Books Read:

45) The Wild Hunt by Ron C Nieto (5/24/20) - UF?* - 4 stars.  New to me but not underappreciated.  Free from Freebooksy.
Review: "Awesome book. Well written. Intriguing premise. Action packed. And then it just ended with very little really resolved. Which I found a little irritating. If you're prepared to jump right into the next book, this shouldn't be a problem for you, though, so enjoy."

44) The Body Lovers by Mickey Spillane (5/23/20) - Hard-boiled crime - 5 stars.  The last of my unread Mickey Spillane paperbacks.  I've had it for years.  Rationing, doncha know.
No review.

DNFs:

5/29/20 - future thriller - 99c.  I had a tough time deciding to DNF this one.  I mean, I paid for it.  Plus, it was well written and kind of thrilling and I was over 50% through it.  But it had so many things that weren't original about it that it stank of a certain popular movie franchise thrown into a blender with crime noir and set to chop.  You can get some great ideas from movies, but you really need to puree that shit so it's no longer recognizable in the plot of your book.  In the end, I realized I couldn't give this book a good review, so I stopped reading it.

Currently reading... nothing and no clue about what's next.  I DNF'd that thing yesterday and then couldn't muster the will to start something else. Maybe I'll read another paperback.  Tune in again next week for the thrilling answer.  ;o)

What was on your reading list last week?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/29/20

I placed an order with Amazon for a couple of simple things - a printer cartridge and a bottle of glucosamine pills - which I had either forgotten on my last trip to Wallyworld or they were out.  Expected delivery 6/3 at the time of order placement.  It shipped on Saturday, so plenty of time to get here on time.  Except when I went to track the package, it said something about the package being delayed due to 'weather or natural disaster'.  D'oh!  Of course, it's coming out of California - which is a walking natural disaster of its own making.  Who knows when it'll actually get here.  Probably after my next trip to Wallyworld, so I should've just tried again there.

In other chaos related news, my thrift store is open for business again.  Except they posted that in order to shop there, you MUST wear a mask.  I don't need to shop at a thrift store bad enough to put myself through that, so I guess no thrifting there yet.  =o\

Don't get me started on masks again.

The mayor of Minneapolis has said it's okay to riot as long as you're wearing a mask and social distancing.  Umm....

We're seeing a slight uptick in confirmed cases in the area.  Which, for here, means we now have 11 cases total in my county, with the majority of those no longer 'active'.  Three new cases in the last week - one of those being a person who tested positive for the antibodies.  Ten new cases in the county where I shop.  :shrug:  Still not worried about it. 

Nitwit-mer extended the lockdown in Michigan to June 12th(?) because people were naughty over Memorial Day weekend and she's punishing everyone.  Mom's pissed.  She needs to get back to the office.  She needs to get her hair cut and her teeth cleaned.  I think if Gretch was standing in front of my mother right now, she'd get bitch-slapped.  Don't piss off the mama.

I would give my left tit for everything to go back to normal.  Don't give me this 'new normal' crap.  What we're experiencing now should never be taken for anything resembling normal.  I think they're selling the phrase 'new normal' to get people to accept the unacceptable.  Don't buy it, folks.

There are other things I could rant about, but I'm about ranted out right now.  We're still all fine.  Everyone we know is still fine.  I'll let you know if things take a shit here.  How are things where you are?

Thursday This n That

As soon as I sat down to write this all the ideas I had for this post scurried back into the shadows of my mind.  That's pretty much how writing fiction feels right now.

I'm out of ice cream again.  Hubs was all like 'didn't you just buy ice cream?' and I was all like 'on the 18th'.  Two people - Owl and I - eating ice cream every day tends to make the ice cream disappear quicker.  Blerg.

Amazon finally shipped my order.  There are only two things in it - a bottle of glucosamine pills and a printer cartridge.  Luckily, we aren't out of ink and I've been rationing my pills.  I forgot to buy ink when I was at Wallyworld and they were out of the glucosamine.  Why they were out of those escapes me.  It's not like it combats the 'rona.  Sheesh.

I woke up this morning to a world gone madder. 

I really need to go fishing.  Unfortunately, the lake levels are so high, there's really only one place I can fish right now - the driveway to the parking lot of my normal fishing spot.  The parking lot is now full. 

That's it when the lake is at 930 ft above sea level.  In case you missed it, here's what it looked like on the 21st when it was 925ft.

They're supposed to have started dumping water out of the dams, but we're also supposed to get more sky water, so I don't expect to see much of a change any time soon.

I could probably still fish.  The problem comes when other people are trying to put their boats in there and those that have put in will have taken all the remaining parking spots along the road.  =o(

I could also maybe fish here...

I've fished that road before, there's just no place to park.  Only one person lives along the non-floody part on the east side, and I know her, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind me parking in the road, but parking in the road makes me nervous.

We'll see.

Anyway, that's all I can think to talk about today.  Got anything on your this-n-that today?

It's Monday... Umm, no.

I hate Monday holidays.  I wake up knowing it's Monday and begin thinking about the Monday things I have to do, then I realize the office isn't open and the mail's not coming.  Then I spend the rest of the day thinking it's Sunday and when the next day arrives, I can't wrap my brain around the fact that it's Tuesday.

I know, I know... I'm a writer and therefore the days of the week don't matter as much.  I am also a data grunt for a real company that has real workdays.  Monday comes and I open my work email and get ready to start the week.  Like I did yesterday before I realized no emails would be coming and I would have no work to do. 

Also, I sat down yesterday to pay bills before I realized I would not be able to take them to the post office because no mail.  I still paid the bills, but I prefer to take them right to the post office than leave them sitting on the dining room table waiting for me to send them on their way.

Once I realized all that, it was Sunday to me.  Except Monday television was still on.  Blerg.

So, this morning, I was all like 'It's Monday' and then I realized 'Umm, no.  It's Tuesday.'  Derp.  Like I don't have a hard enough time figuring out what day it is on a regular basis - worse now than before - and here's a holiday to make it worse. 

Happily, there are no more Monday holidays until September, when we get to do this all over again for Labor Day.

How about you?  Were there Monday things you tried to do yesterday?  Are you stuck in the 'what the hell day is it' mode?  

Sunday Update - Week 20

Well, it's Sunday again.  I did stuff last week, but it's all a blur.  Let's see if I can piece it together...

No writing.  No editing either.  And no marketing.  Well, that wasn't hard. 

As for other stuff, I did do some reading.

The week started off with our wedding anniversary, followed closely by my 50th birthday, both of which were about as exciting as cold oatmeal, so I left them alone.  The 'rona killed the urge to celebrate.

Monday, I took Owl out to the store for the first time since she got here.  She had a happy, I think. 

My activity level was okay.  Got in a couple walks, a little fishing, some yardwork, and some housework.  Weight: 175.8

I made myself a post-birthday birthday cake.  Chocolate oil with fudgy frosting.  It's almost gone now.  Today, Owl wants to make a honey cake. 

It's been raining a lot here.  Thus, the lake is high.  Here's a pic of the parking lot of my favorite fishing spot:

The tree line on the right is where the edge of the parking lot usually is.  The shore is typically at least 5 feet from the line of trees.  This was taken when the lake was at 925ft.  It's two feet higher in elevation now, so I expect the rest of the parking lot is under water today.

In happier news, my lilies are blooming.  And the deer haven't eaten them yet.

Pay no attention to the fact that I have to weed.  Yes, those are little oak trees.  I might try to transplant them elsewhere.

And that's all I've got.  What was your week like?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 5/23/20

Let's get right to it this week, shall we?

I didn't pick up any new ebooks.  I still have three left unread - a future thriller, an UF, and a suspense.

Books read:

43) To Kill a Labrador by Kassandra Lamb (5/19/20) - Cozy Mystery* - 5 stars.  New to me, but not underappreciated.  Found on FB through the Mystery, Thriller Publicity Book Club page. Free.
Review: "Cute and fun cozy mystery with a dash of suspense and a smidgen of romance. Plus, dogs!"
 
42) Flea Market Magic by Bella Falls (5/16/20) - Paranormal Cozy Mystery* - 5 stars.  New to me, but not underappreciated.  Picked for free off the Fussy Librarian newsletter.
Review: " Cute and fun little paranormal cozy mystery."

No DNFs.

Currently reading... my last unread Mickey Spillane paperback.  :sniffle:  Not sad because it's a bad or depressing book but because it's the last one.  I have to find some more, but the thrift stores are still closed and I'm too cheap to order old paperbacks online.  Not that it's easy to find old Spillane novels anyway, but there's always the thrill of the hunt.

What's been on your reading plate this week?