Now I Remember

Heh, now I remember why I haven't been reading.  Once I get going, that's all I do. 

Okay, mostly all I do.  I did get some critting done yesterday and I also got some good words out this morning, but other than that, nada.  I haven't posted, I haven't finished the critting I said I was going to do today.  I blame the writers.  The stories were too damn good for me to put down. 

Thursday night was Jen Lyon's fault.  Friday Wendy Roberts took the blame.  Of course, I know better with Allison Brennan's books.  She was certain to wipe out my Saturday, but I didn't expect Shannon Butcher to keep me on the couch for most of today.  Evil women... all of them.  For shame, for shame.  And you know something?  I started Ms. Butcher's book instead of my new Rachel Vincent because I thought I was safer that way.  I was sure I could put the damn book down for a couple hours here and there.  But Noooooo.  =op

Okay, now that I finished another book, I really should get something accomplished tonight.  I have part of a chapter sitting next to me that I didn't finish writing this morning because my hands were tired.  Tired?  Waaa.  Stupid fingers.  If only I'd kept writing, I wouldn't have gotten pulled into reading all day.

(And just in case you were concerned that I was serious about calling any of those fine women 'evil', I'm not.  I love them all, even if I don't know them.  Keep writing the way you do, ladies, I'll figure out how to exist and read at the same time.  Maybe.  One of these days. :wink:)

Weekly Update

Well, it's accountabililty time again.  Thinking about it this morning, that's really what these Weekly Update posts are about - accountability.  That and celebration of accomplishments, depending on the week.

This week was punctuated by yesterday's quarterly haul out of town.  On the road by 8am, we reached Borders around 10:30.  (The roads were a little slick, bumping my usual 2 hour drive longer.)  Books, lunch, Target, appointment, Walmart, and home by quarter to five.  As usual, I'm taking today to recover from the drive.  Fighting the roads usually takes its toll, but since the roads were nasty, the toll was higher. (That pic is of this morning.  Yesterday, it looked worse. And I heard farther down the freeway from this camera was a traffic fatality.)

Needless to say, I'm bushed.

Anyway, yesterday's book buying extravaganza was a partial bust.  I can't believe Borders wasn't stocking some of the books I wanted.  They completely pissed me off when they didn't have Allison Brennan's new book.  Thank goodness Walmart had it, or I'd be sitting here steaming.  I did pick up Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Save and the second book in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera at that stop, so my list wasn't totally wasted.  Plus, I found some books I hadn't planned on buying, so the trip wasn't too bad.  (I'll post a list of my new books tomorrow.)

In other news, I did manage to write almost 6000 words this week.  I know that's a pretty good number, but as I said last week, it's subjective.  If I hadn't taken a couple nights off, I could've done more.  "I coulda been a contenda.  I coulda been somebody."  But I tell you what...  I'll stop kicking myself for not doing more and start celebrating what I did accomplish.  So 6K!  Yay!

Oh, and I actually read something yesterday.  True, it wasn't the entire book, but one novella out of three ain't bad.  This could be the start of a renewed reading vigor.  I know it's the start of my 2010 list... better late than never.

So, how was your week?  Read any good books?  Buy anything new recently that you want to chat about?  I picked up the cutest cardigan at Target (pronounced Tarzhay, doncha know) off the clearance rack for $4!

2010 - Books Read

Since this post is going up most of the way through January, I have to admit this isn't a banner start to my yearly reading goals.  Last year I reached a total of 78 books.  With a shaky start to twenty-ten, I'm not sure if I'll reach that total, but I'll try.  As long as the books are good, though, the quantity doesn't matter. 2009 had some great titles.  Here's hoping 2010 brings more of the same.

In reverse order of date read...

The Ranger by Monica McCarty (12/31/10)
Love Me to Death by Allison Brennan (12/29/10)
Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn (12/27/10)
Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost (12/23/10)
Last Dragon Standing by G.A. Aiken (12/20/10)
Monster War: Nightmare Academy - Book Three by Dean Lorey (12/18/10)
Deathwish by Rob Thurman (12/14/10)
The War After Armageddon by Ralph Peters (12/6/10)
Alive by Piers Paul Read (12/2/10)
Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund (11/7/10)
Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman (10/30/10)
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher (10/21/10)
My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent (10/14/10)
Cold Sight by Leslie Parrish (10/12/10)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (10/8/10)
Sparks by Laura Bickle (10/5/10)
Alpha by Rachel Vincent (10/3/10)
An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire (10/1/10)
Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison (9/25/10)
Act of Treason by Vince Flynn (9/23/10)
Steward of Song by Adam Stemple (9/18/10)
Science Fair by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson (9/15/10)
Time Bandit by Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand (9/12/10)
E Pluribus Unicorn by Theodore Sturgeon (9/11/10)
The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter (9/7/10)
Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch (9/4/10)
The Hawk by Monica McCarty (8/29/10)
One on Me by Tim  Huntley (8/23/10)
Dream Called Time by S.L. Viehl (8/21/10)
Wizard Squared by K.E. Mills (8/21/10)
Madhouse by Rob Thurman (8/16/10)
Take Me Tonight by Roxanne St. Claire (8/11/10)
Chimera by Rob Thurman (7/23/10)
Term Limits by Vince Flynn (7/17/10)
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (7/9/10)
Moonshine by Rob Thurman (7/4/10)
The Battle Sylph by L.J. McDonald (7/1/10)
Carnal Sin by Allison Brennan (6/27/10)
Thrill Me to Death by Roxanne St. Claire (6/22/10)
Running Scared by Shannon Butcher (6/18/10)
Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl (6/16/10)
The Masters of Solitude by Marvin Kaye & Parke Godwin (6/14/10)
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher (6/5/10)
The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter (5/28/10)
Heart of Darkness by Showalter, Shayne, and Krinard  (5/24/10)
Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire (5/22/10)
Feed by Mira Grant (5/17/10)
Faerie Fate by Silver James (5/14/10)
Lady Dragon by Jewell Mason (5/12/10)
Changes: Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (5/10/10)
Every Demon Has His Day by Cara Lockwood (5/8/10)
Nightlife - Cal Leandros - Book 1 - by Rob Thurman (5/6/10)
Into the Dark by Gena Showalter (5/1/10)
Mind Games by Carolyn Crane (4/29/10)
The Highlander's Sword by Amanda Forester (4/26/10)
Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison - by Brandon Mull (4/24/10)
Embers by Laura Bickle (4/22/10)
The Years of the City by Frederik Pohl (4/18/10)
Romancing the Stone by Joan Wilder (aka Catherine Lanigan)  (4/10/10)
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (4/5/10)
Can't Teach an Old Demon New Tricks by Cara Lockwood (4/2/10)
Dead Matter by Anton Strout (3/31/10)
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (3/30/10)
The Chief by Monica McCarty (3/27/10)
Too Wicked to Kiss by Erica Ridley (3/21/10)
Bio Rescue by SL Viehl (3/20/10)
Shift by Rachel Vincent (3/18/10)
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (3/17/10)
The 77 Habits of Highly Ineffective People by Becker, Mayer and Maguire (3/15/10)
Fat to Firm at Any Age by Alisa Bauman, Sarf Harrar, et al  (3/13/10)
What a Dragon Should Know by GA Aiken (3/6/10)
Shockball by SL Viehl  (2/26/10)
First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost (2/21/10)
Monster Madness: Nightmare Academy #2 by Dean Lorey (2/20/10)
The R-Master by Gordon R. Dickson (2/19/10)
Passion Untamed by Pamela Palmer (2/15/10)
Beast by Peter Benchley (2/14/10)
Witches Incorporated by K.E. Mills (2/11/10)
Endurance by S.L. Viehl (2/9/10)
My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent (2/5/10)
Finding the Lost by Shannon Butcher (1/31/10)
Original Sin by Allison Brennan (1/30/10)
Dead and Kicking by Wendy Roberts(1/29/10)
You Give Love a Good Name by Jennifer Apodaca - in the 'Sun, Sand, Sex' anthology (1/28/10)

84

Books Glorious Books

Reading.  I love reading.  In fact, I've loved it since my siblings first taught me how when I was four.  I would spend hours and hours pouring over whatever books I had available - often re-reading the same few until they were falling apart.

Lately, however, I've been off reading.  I can't seem to muster the energy to pick up a book.  I'd like to blame the WIP, but I'm not sure it's 100% at fault.  I could probably blame the blanket, too.  The school schedule can also take its share.

The cause for all this not reading certainly can't be the books.  I have some awesome titles in my dusty TBR pile... 

Strange Brew - an anthology edited by P.N. Elrod that includes some of my favorite authors.
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance - another anthology, this time edited by Trisha Telep
Immortal Sins  by Amanda Ashley (Okay, so I bought this one because of the cover model's eyes.)
Passion Untamed by Pamela Palmer
Finding the Lost by Shannon Butcher
Sun, Sand, Sex - an anthology I won from Jennifer Lyon (it has a story by her as Jennifer Apodaca)
Dead and Kicking by Wendy Roberts (Book Three of the Ghost Dusters Mysteries, which I also won)

...but I can't muster the drive to read them - not with everything else hanging over my head.

And get this.  Thursday is my quarterly trip into the city.  It's the only time I'm anywhere close to a real bigbox bookstore.  Not buying books would be a worse sin that buying them and not reading them, so I've already got a list working of what I'll be picking up...

Powerless by Matthew Cody
Original Sin by Allison Brennan (due out today!)
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher (Codex Alera Book Two)
My Soul to Save  by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers Book Two)

Right now, it's a short list for Thursday.  Too bad some of the books I'm wanting aren't released yet.  I mean, if I could push this appointment back a couple weeks (which I can't), I would also pick up First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost. Two other books I was disappointed to find aren't out yet are Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl (Book Two in the Kyndred Series) - Due out in July - and Dream Called Time by S.L. Viehl (the last Stardoc :sob:) - Due out in August.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until my next trip or order them online.  I'm just impatient and I do love the experience of being in a physical bookstore. 

Any books you'd like to suggest I pick up while I'm out?  I promise I will get around to reading everything sooner or later - probably when I finish this draft of my WIP. 

What are some books you're impatiently waiting for?

Bull

He's the best bull ever. He has to be... He's outstanding in his own field. ROFL

And thus ends our stupid humor for the day. Carry on.

You Can Never Go Back

In 1987, I met a man who would become an important part of my life for the next ten years.  He was my boyfriend's best friend at the time.  We were never romantically involved.  When I broke up with my boyfriend two years later, Larry was the only one of our mutual friends who stuck by me.  Over time, he became my best friend.

And then life intruded.  He became involved; I became involved.  We tried to stay friends, but our other relationships just wouldn't allow us to even socialize.  The last time I saw him was a chance encounter at Barnes & Noble in 1997.  We went for coffee and spent the best 90 minutes just talking and being ourselves.  That was the last time I ever saw him.

I tried to contact him about five years ago.  I found a number online - and since he's the only Larry Lee Wheaton in the Flint area, I was pretty sure it was him.  I called and got his wife.  He was working second shift at the plant, wouldn't be home any time soon.  After talking to his wife, I left my number and waited for him to call me back.  He never did.

You know, I was thinking about it this morning and my friendships have pretty much been like that my entire life. 

When I was four, my mother's best friend had a little girl my age.  Her name was Carmen.  We were friends until about second grade when her family moved away.  They came back a couple years later, and I was so excited when I saw Carmen on the playground, I couldn't contain myself.  Her?  She didn't want to have anything to do with me.  We eventually became friends again, but it wasn't the same.

In high school, I had the best friend ever.  Margaret and I did everything together.  We were so close we could almost finish each other's sentences.  She was a year older, so she went off to college first.  We wrote letters and talked on the phone, but it just wasn't the same.  She had her life and I had mine.  We were no longer a duo.  Eventually, everything just drifted away.  

Oh, I'm not foolish enough to think I could regain any of these relationships after all this time.  By now we all have too little in common to support the depth of friendship we used to have.  Larry's become someone I can't fuse with the memories of our late night philosophic rants.  Carmen and I tried to rebuild a friendship as adults, but her life and mine had taken different paths.  And Margaret... Last I heard, she was married with a passle of kids, living the Catholic dream in Wisconsin.

I'm reminded of a line I heard in a movie years ago: "You can never go back."  It was said in a ghostly voice, and that's exactly how I hear it in my head.  I know I can't go back--except in my memories--but that doesn't make me long for those people I once knew.  I'm sure if I met Margaret today, the experience would be disappointing.  I'm not the girl I was then, and neither is she.  We can no longer laugh about our crushes on the members of Duran Duran, or quote songs at each other, or drool over the French foreign exchange student. 

Life moves on.  What they don't tell you is, it moves at different speeds and in different directions for each of us. 

What about you?  Do you still have friends from when you were younger?  When you move on, how do you manage to keep those friendships?  Anyone from your past you've been missing?  If you could reconnect with someone you haven't seen in years, how do you think it would go?

Weekly Update

Since last Friday, I got 6800 words rewritten and rolled over the 30K mark.  Not great, but it's progress.  What'll probably happen is I'll drag my feet and then at the end of this next week, I'll realize I meant to have this draft finished by the end of January.  Much rapid typing will ensue.  I'll burn up the keyboard and my hair will catch fire. 

But I'll finish this draft. 

I'll probably be a crispy critter when I'm done, so if you smell smoke, don't call the fire department.  It's just me.

In other news, I've completed at 3/4 of the squares for my baby-blanket.  Now I just have the rest of the multi-colored ones to do and then I have to sew 81 little squares together.  Weee. 

All in all it's been a slow week here.  How are things where you are?