Sunday Update - Week 39

Yay, I remembered!  Not that I have a whole lot to talk about, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

I actually wrote something fictional this week.  240 words.  They are totally lame, but they're on a page, so I have that going for me.

I read three books.  And I finally got my reading wrap-up posted yesterday afternoon, so there's that, too. Unfortunately, I started this coming week with a DNF.  Blerg.  Read all about it next Saturday.

We won't talk about weight or activity this week.  I didn't do anything and I came back up a little.  :shrug:

Yesterday, I went to the thrift store and actually bought some overpriced books.  The first hardcopy books I've purchased this whole year.  :jawdrop:  I also bought some more clothes for work.  I found a pair of pants that had never been worn - still had the tags on.  And the tags were from like the '80s, I think.  Totally cool for me, since the '80s are coming back and I loved the '80s anyway.  They fit great at the waist, but I think they were made for a giant.  I'll try to hem them.  We'll see how that works out.  

In baking news, the only thing I baked last week was scalloped potatoes with breaded pork chops.  Total yummers.  In other cooking news, last night I did bacon cheeseburgers that were awesome.  And we ate store-bought cheesecake for dessert.  It was okay.  I do a better cheesecake in my sleep, but who's got the time?  Meh.

So, Hurricane Ian.  We have family in FL, so we were watching the news a lot.  Hubs has a brother in Fort Myers and his mom is north of Tampa.  They're both fine.  MIL was far enough inland that it was a non-event for her, and BIL didn't even get water in his house, so it's all good.  I also have a cousin in Ft. Myers.  Haven't heard about him yet, but no news is good news.  We would've already heard if something bad happened there.  Farther along the hurricane trail, I have a niece with her husband and kids in VA Beach.  I haven't heard about them either, but I assume again that no news is good news.  I'll probably get confirmation of that tomorrow.

I had a pretty good week at work.  Nobody yelled at me in a whiny voice.  Friday afternoon, all hell done broke loose, but it was outside my scope and above my pay-grade.  Since there was nothing I could do and I was at 40 hours, I clocked out and went home.  I mean, I felt really bad about going, but me standing around being supportive (and nothing else), and then getting my ass chewed for working overtime wouldn't have done anyone any good.  I'll hear all about the fubar tomorrow.  And hopefully I did the right thing by leaving.  I'll hear about that, too, I guess.

Other than that, I got nuthin'.  How was y'all's week?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 10/1/22

Oops.  I totally forgot to post this earlier.  Sorry about that.  Anyway, at least it's still Saturday.  And to think, this was a week when I actually have more stuff to talk about than usual.  Derp.

 I only got one new ebook this week and I've already read it - Seal Moon.  On the other hand, being late today, I get to tell you that I bought some hardcopy books today at the thrift store.  First time this year.  Yep, I'm as shocked about that as you are.  I picked up 3 fantasy novels (Hogfather, Eragon, and Eldest) and one I thought was SF but turns out to be a compilation of Robert Heinlein's letters - Grumbles from the Grave.  :shrug:  Should still be interesting from a writer standpoint.

Books Read: 

53) Seal Moon by Silver James (9/30/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*- 5 stars.  Not new to me, but recently re-released because the author got her rights back.  She had to remove traces of stuff because it was formerly part of a 'Kindle Worlds' series not her own, and she added some more stuff to make it extra yummy.  Yay. Paid full price: $2.99
Review: I just wrote it and I forgot to copy before submitting, so now I have to wait for Amazon to approve it.  Derp.

52) No One's Safe by CJ Grayson (9/28/22) - Suspense*3 - 5 stars.  Not new to me, but underappreciated.  Paid full price $1.19 
Review: "Brilliant. Full of twists and turns, and I never quite knew who to like, who to hate, or who to trust. I mean, other than Max and Ori. Awesome read."

51) Rescue Moon by Silver James (9/24/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense* - 5 stars.  Not new to me, but recently re-released because the author got her rights back.  She had to remove traces of stuff because it was formerly part of a 'Kindle Worlds' series not her own, and she added some more stuff to make it extra yummy.  Yay.  Paid full price $2.99
Review: "This new re-release - revised and expanded - is amazing! I mean, I loved it before, but there so much more to love now. Deeper and stronger, now with more excitement and suspense and all the feels. I love Hawk. I love Dana. Heck, I even loved Lucky. If you read it before, read it again. If you haven't, that's cool because you get all the awesome on your first read. Lucky dogs."

No DNFs.

Currently reading... Not sure what I'll pick up next.  

What was on your reading plate this past week?

Thursday This n That

 Eh, hair's good enough... don't need to wash it.  So now I have time to write a post.  Yay.

My Skechers arrived.  And they seem to be doing the trick.  

The other day, I wore a white shirt to work the other day and promptly dribbled coffee down the front of myself.

Same day, I was presented with a large box full of new-old stock covered in filth that I need to try and sell.  Luckily, I had gone home and changed my shirt to a black one, because I spent the afternoon washing the gunk off those clamshell packages.  Yay.  A co-worker told me the box had been in storage since before he started working there... ten years ago.  I have one more small box of parts to wash today.  I'm dressing down for it.

I answer the phones all day every day.  One day, a gentleman called twice in the morning, and had called frequently in the intervening days.  At the end of the second call when I asked for his phone number, as I always do, I told him that as often as he called, I'd probably have his number memorized soon.  He called again that afternoon and instead of asking for his phone number, I read it to him off the readout on the phone.  He was shocked and amazed that I'd remembered it.  I let him off the hook by telling him what I had done.  We both laughed.  

Ya gotta find your happy spots where you can.

And with that thought, I'll leave you for the day.   Have a good one, wherever you are.  :hugs:

Monday Update - Week 38

 Yep, I missed the update again on Sunday.  Not that I have a lot to talk about, but I like to keep my toes in the pool, so to speak.  

I didn't do much reading, but I did finish a book.  Yay.

Not much baking either.  Yesterday, I made scalloped potatoes with breaded pork chops.  Super yummy.

Let's not talk about activity.  I'm a bag of loose meat at this point.  However, the bag is still getting smaller.  Weight: 166.8.  I was feeling gross Friday and Saturday, so not much eating occurred.  Is it any wonder that Sunday I was lighter?  :shrug:

Work is still work.  I rolled past my 90 day mark with nary a whisper from anyone about it.  :shrug:  I think I'm doing awesome, all things considered.  Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but with as many things that are chucked at me on any given day, and still maintaining my sanity, I'd say I'm awesome. 

I also did 6 spreadsheets last week.  I rock.

It's nice not to have to work my magic to keep expenses from slopping over our budget every damn month, I'll tell ya that.  If I want to buy steak, I buy steak, dammit.  I mean, we're still staying tight, because one never knows what'll happen with the economy, but now it's a choice, not a necessity.  

Speaking of expenses, I went to Wallyworld yesterday.  Most things are up again.  Suet - 8 bricks - was $6.98, now $9.98. (I didn't buy the 8 pk, they had some singles on sale that brought the price down and then I only bought 5. I still paid almost $5.)  Eggs - 18 ct - was $1.78, now $3.02,  Kraft singles - was $2.98, now $4.98.  Donuts - 6 - was $2.97, now $3.76.  Hershey's miniatures - was $9.98, now $11.98. Frozen chicken tenderloins - was $6.79, now $9.68.  Ice cream - 1.5 gal pail - was 4.88, now 6.24.  I spent over $200 on what used to cost me just over $100.  Bideinflation.  yay.

On a  happier note, I bought myself some new shoes.  Skechers - which my mom swears by and the reviews were great.  I also ordered a new bra.  They should be here today.  They're actually on a truck headed in my direction.  Let's see if they actually arrive.  UPS is coming from a different city than they usually do and if they're using GPS, they're screwed for finding me.

And that's about it.  How was your week?

  

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 9/24/22

 Not a whole lot going on in my reading world these days, but hey, at least I still have a reading world. Right?

I picked up two new books last week - a fantasy and a paranormal romantic suspense.  I still have a suspense and a paranormal mystery left from the week before, so it's all good.  No new hardcopies.  I really need to hit the thrift stores.

Books Read:

50) The Miser's Dream by John Gaspard (9/18/22) - Mystery*3 - 5 stars.  Not new to me, being a 3rd book and all, but it could use more stars.  Paid $4.99.  
Review: "I loved the first two books in this series and book 3 didn't disappoint. I love the characters, of course, and the premise is always fun. Like the first two, the mystery here was excellent."
Available in audio format.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... that paranormal romantic suspense.  I've read it before, but it was re-released with changes and added material after the author got her rights back.  I can't wait to see all the changes.  So far, so awesome.

What was on your reading list last week?  

2022 - Books Read

Hello!  Welcome to the list of all the books I've read so far this year.  It's in order so the most recent one is at the top.  * means ebook and # means it's both new to me and underappreciated (as in it has less than 50 Goodreads reviews).  Feel free to follow along.

New for this year: When I know it's in audio format, I'll add an exclamation point (!).  Oh, and I never mentioned this before, but if the book is in a series, I don't usually put the series title.  This post would take on behemoth proportions if I did that, too.  Sometimes, I'll put a number indicating where the book is in the series, if it's not the first.  

Oh, and my goal for 2022 is 75 books, same as last year.  Here's hoping I make it this year.

53) Seal Moon by Silver James (9/30/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
52) No One's Safe by CJ Grayson (9/28/22) - Suspense*3
51) Rescue Moon by Silver James (9/24/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
50) The Miser's Dream by John Gaspard (9/18/22) - Mystery*3
49) Faytown Calling by E. Nathan Sisk (9/15/22) - UF Noir*3#
48) Shadow Stitcher by Misha Handman (9/5/22) - UF Noir*#
47) Order Bound by E. Nathan Sisk (9/4/22) - UF Noir*2# 
46) Seashells, Spells, and Caramels by Erin Johnson (8/28/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
45) Sorcerer Rising by E. Nathan Sisk (8/26/22) - UF Noir*#
44) Last Train to Nowhere by KC Sivils (8/14/22) - SF Noir*2#
43) Sins of the Fathers by SW Frontz (7/31/22) - Suspense*#
42) Fastening the Grave by LA McBride (7/29/22) - UF*#
41) Tapas, Carrot Cake and a Corpse by Charlotte Denver (7/24/22) - Cozy Mystery*
40) Crossed by Death by ACF Bookens (7/22/22) - Cozy Mystery*
39) The Daemoniac by Kat Ross (7/17/22) - Paranormal Historical Mystery*1
38) Death Warmed Over by Kevin J. Anderson (7/10/22) - Paranormal Noir*
37) Blood Water Falls by TG Reid (7/9/22) - Suspense*2
36) Dead Ringer by Kat Ross (7/3/22) - Paranormal Historical Mystery*5#
35) Murder on a Silver Sea by LouLou Harrington (6/26/22) - Cozy Mystery*3!
34) Murder of Angels by Jack Gatland (6/17/22) - Suspense*2
33) Dead & Buried by TK Eldridge (6/12/22) - Paranormal Suspense*#
32) The Hash Knife Outfit by Zane Grey (6/9/22) - Western#
31) Web of Lies by Sally Rigby (6/3/22) - Suspense*
30) Unlucky Charm by Kimberly Gordon (5/29/22) - UF*
29) Feels Like Home by Evelyn Adams (5/27/22) - Romance*
28) Murder by the Cup by Abigail Lynn Thornton (5/26/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
27) Cry From the Grave by Carolyn Mahoney (4/30/22) - Suspense*
26) Grimstone by Brad Magnarella (4/27/22) - UF*#
25) Letter from the Dead by Jack Gatland (4/24/22) - Suspense*
24) Witchy Reservations by Stephanie Damore (4/22/21) - Paranormal Mystery*
23) Space Murder by NL Haverstock (4/20/22) - SF Mystery*
22) The Golden Gate by Alistair MacLean (4/19/22) - Thriller
21) The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (4/14/22) - Literature*
20) A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina (4/10/22) - Historical Mystery*
19) Magical, Murderous Cupcakes by Skylar Starx (4/6/22) - Paranormal Mystery*#
18) Murder in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth (4/5/22) - Cozy Mystery*
17) Rebel Tribe by Ramy Vance / Michael Anderle (3/27/22) - SF*#
16) The Redemption Man by James Carver (3/25/22) - Suspense*#
15) The Breaking Point by Daphne du Maurier (3/21/22) - Suspense/Short stories
14) Song of Shroud and Storm by B.E. Sanderson (3/20/22) - Epic Fantasy*#
13) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (3/12/22) - Literature
12) Dark is the Grave by T.G. Reid (3/7/22) - Suspense*
11) A Spell in the Country by Heide Goody, Iain Grant (3/4/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
10) True Blue Murder by Elise M. Stone (3/2/22) - Cozy Mystery*#
9) Once Upon a Crime by Mona Marple (1/23/22) - Cozy Mystery*
8) Faking It with the Demon by Rhiannon Hartley (1/22/22) - Paranormal Romance*#
7) The Side Hustle by Colin Conway (1/20/22) - Suspense*
6) The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss (1/18/22) - Cozy Mystery*
5) The Preacher's First Murder by KP Gresham (1/12/22) - Mystery*#
4) Murder in White Lace by Karen Sue Walker (1/11/22) - Mystery*
3) The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey (1/9/22) - Western!
2) Never Say Duke by Erica Ridley (1/4/22) - Regency Romance*
1) Black's Beach Shuffle by Corey Lynn Fayman (1/2/22) - Noir Crime*#

Thursday This n That

I woke up way too early.  Like 4:30 early.  Hubs was up before me, so at least there was coffee waiting for me.  Yay.

Last night, after dinner, I got a hankering and made cookies.  Big ass cookies with plenty of chocolate chips.  I took one while it was still hot and slid it into the bottom of a bowl.  Then I covered it with vanilla ice cream.  Then I drizzled caramel sauce and chocolate sauce over the top.  It was awesome.

By the way, I accidentally bought sugar-free chocolate syrup.  It doesn't taste bad, but it's super runny and it freezes weird on my ice cream.  :shrug:  I bought it, I'm going to eat it.

Every once in a while, one of the guys in the office brings in food his lovely girlfriend has made.  It's pretty awesome.  The smoked steak was to die for.  The beef and mushroom thing with loads of gravy was yummers.  (Not as creamy as stroganoff. Could've been bourguignon.  Dunno.  Duncare.)  Yesterday, he wandered through and offered me sushi.  Umm, nope.  It was probably most excellent sushi, but I don't do sushi.  I also don't do spicy, so the chicken enchilada dip was a big no.  Didn't even bother to try it because he said it was a little spicy, and his 'little spicy' probably would've burnt out my o-rings.

I'm down 13 pounds now.  The unfortunate aspect of this is that my clothes are starting to not fit.  I know I know, what gal doesn't like shopping for new clothes, right?  I love new clothes.  What I don't love is the expense of new clothes.  Anyway, I had to order a new bra.  The old ones still fit, but almost not.  I'm back down to a 38D.  Luckily, I had saved one of that size from the before times when I was thinner.  Playtex all the way, baby.  They're the only brand I could order online and be certain it would fit right.  In the back of the closet, I also have a 36D I bought in a weird fit of optimism back when I dropped from 194 to 180.  I'm 168 now and that one is still a long way from fitting.  

Like I said, my clothes are starting to not fit.  It's mostly a pants issue.  All my cool comfy work pants are falling down.  But I'm not quite to the next size down.  (I was an 18... who knew?  When all you wear is sweats and elastic waist bands, it's hard to tell.)  So, the 18s are sliding, but the 16s are still a bit too tight.  So, I'm alternating swimming in pants or strangling in them.  Might have to hit the thrift store this weekend and see what I can find that fits.  When you're losing weight, it doesn't make sense to pay full price for clothes.  

Wild Heart Ranch rescued a coyote.  The poor thing had the mange.  It was horrifying.  They got its skin all cleaned up and on the mend.  Then it was just pitiful.  Poor little bald thing.  Now its fur is starting to grow back and this morning I saw a picture of it where it's covered in all this lovely, golden-brown fuzz.  It still pretty shocking to see, but it's on the road to recovery and release.  Yay.

Okay, that's probably quite enough out of me.  Got anything on your this n that radar today?