Saturday Reading Wrap-up: 2022

 It's the last day of the year and since I didn't finish any books this past week, and I'm not likely to finish the book I'm reading today, I thought I'd just go ahead and wrap-up my Year in Reading.  

I started the year with a goal to read 75 books.  I missed it by 3.  Which actually isn't that bad, considering that when I started the year I had no clue that I would be spending the last 6 months of the year working full time.  

If you want to browse through the books I read in 2022, go here: 2022 - Books Read.  (And there's always a link to all my years' Books Read posts on the left side of this blog, underneath my book links.)

Nothing really surprising in the list.  What's surprising to me is how few of the books on my list I actually remember reading.  I mean, I totally forgot that I read The Three Musketeers this year, but it's on the list, so it must be true.  (Wait, I think I remember reading it now.  Derp.  It was read on the Kindle.)

Toward the end of the year, I read a lot of hardcopy books.  Since I was working again, I had the extra scratch to feed my used-book habit.  Loads of unread books on the shelves and it takes less time to grab one of those than sort through ebook listings to find books I want to read.  

I ended the year with two unread ebooks and an unread e-short story sitting on my Kindle.  Maybe I'll start the new year with those.  

In book buying, I picked up 109 new books in 2022.  80 of those were ebooks, leaving 29 hardcopies.  I read or attempted to read most of them.  There are 6 I haven't touched yet and one I don't intend to read because it's for my collection of old writing books (English Grammar and Composition, c1963). Two of those I might not read any time soon - a Hemingway and a book about Frederick Douglass.  I bought those for my collection of literature.

On the 'attempted to read' side, I DNF'd 31 ebooks and 7 hardcopies.  3 hardcopies are going back to thrift stores - 2 because I either had another copy of the title and one because I decided I didn't want to read it.  (Having already DNF'd the first book, I did not want to start the second.)

I could go through and sort all the genres I read, like I've done in the past, but I don't want to.  Suffice it to say, there's a ton of mystery, crime, suspense, etc.  Feels like I read more SF and literature than usual. 

And that's about it.  I'm not sure what 2023 will bring in reading.  Maybe I'll set it for 50 this year and hope for reading a book a week.  We'll see.

How was your reading year?  Did you reach your goals?  

Thursday This n That

 Yes, I am aware that it's Friday. 

I woke up late yesterday. I drank coffee, smoked a cigarette, took a shower, made my lunch, got dressed, and headed to work. Woo.

I'm doing genealogy again.  For some reason, I'm drawn to death certificates. I find it interesting to see how people died.  So, I already knew about the one grandfather who was crushed between two trains on Thanksgiving.  I found out one of his brothers was strangled to death by an overhead door.  Another grandfather was killed in a mine collapse in the salt mines in Detroit.  (Yes, there are salt mines in Detroit.)  He was one of six men trapped.  They got his and another two bodies out, but three guys are still down there.  Like I said... interesting.  Or I'm just morbid.

There are three bald eagles that hang out near work.  I regularly see them and hear them as they're flying in lazy circles over the woods.  It's pretty awesome.

The area hit record highs yesterday.  It got to like 70 degrees.  After last week's negative 6.  I expect another round of the crud to hit the area shortly.  I haven't gotten any of it yet.  Knock on wood.

I was so pooped after work yesterday, we had TV dinners.  Banquet has upped their game from the last time I bought those.  Better flavors and textures.  Last night, we had chicken fingers with macaroni and cheese and corn.  Yum.  Last week, we had Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, and the potatoes weren't like sawdust.  Yay.

I desperately need to go fishing.

Well, it's 7 o'clock.  I should probably go get dressed and make my lunch. I hate going to work.  Oh, I don't hate working... just the going.  I'd really rather just sit around in my jammies than get dressed, hop in the car, and drive to the office.  :shrug:  But who wouldn't?

And on that note, I'll let you go.  Have a great day, wherever you are.  

Monday Update - Week 51

Obviously, no update yesterday because it was Christmas.  Yeah, that's the ticket.  We actually did something a little different this year and started celebrating Christmas on Saturday.  Three whole days - because I have today off - of eating ham.  I also made a pineapple upside down cake. Yum.

Yesterday, I gave myself a present.  I paid for a month of Ancestry.com and spent most of the day swinging in the family trees.  Got one branch of Hubs' tree back to a man born in 1548 Manchester, England.  Woot.  Also, I think I found Mom's one cousin who she lost track of years ago.  And I found a picture of Great, Great, Great Grandpa Homer.  

Yes, he's holding a rather large snake and sitting next to what I think is a buffalo skull.  (If the pic blows up big enough, you might see those aren't paintings around him - they're display cases full of dead critters.)  He was a lawyer before the Civil War and after, he became a taxidermist.  I also learned he was severely wounded at Antietam, which might explain the change from law to stuffing animals for fun and profit.

The big news of the past week, you know other than Christmas, was the cold snap.  It got down to negative 6 degrees F here.  Thursday, we had ice and then snow.  I went to work and ended up coming home after only 90 minutes because I didn't want to get trapped at the office.  I made it to work on Friday and worked a whole day, so it's all good.  Of course, when I got to the office and stripped out of my layers of outdoor clothes, I discovered it was FREAKIN' 52 inside the office.  We got the heater working in short order (lucky my co-worker knew what to do), but it didn't warm up the office enough to shut off again until almost 2.  Our own 'furnace' (it's a heat pump), ran non-stop for like 72 hours and couldn't get the house above 66.  Enough, Mother Nature, you're drunk.

I have to spend some time today getting spreadsheets ready for 2023.  Other than that, not much else is going on.  How was your holiday weekend?  

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/24/22

 It's Christmas Eve.  Know what that means?  I have one week left to finish enough books to reach my goal.  Unfortunately, I started the week off with two DNFs.  Blerg.

I picked up a suspense and a romance this week in ebooks.  And I have a Christmas short story waiting for me to read, too.  No new hardcopies this week.

Books Read:

72) Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard (12/24/22) - Kids' Literature - 5 stars. I hadn't read this one before, but I love BIG RED.  I've had this one for years, and I don't remember where I got it or what I paid.
Review: "Not quite as awesome as Big Red, but still a very enjoyable and positive book. Get a copy for your kids! (And read it yourself. LOL)

71) The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells (12/17/22) - Literature - 5 stars. I hadn't read this before, but it's Wells, so yeah, not exactly a new-to-me author.  Picked up for a dime from a thrift store.

DNFs:

12/20/22 - mystery. 25c.  What happens when a mystery is written by a stifled literary genius, a soul crying out to write flowery prose but forced to write stuff that will sell?  Gale force boredom of the long-winded variety.  No need to get all poetical there, dude, just give it to me straight. 

12/18/22 - suspense. 50c. Yup, I gave up on Hammer of Eden.  I didn't like any of the characters, so I really couldn't care less what happened to them.  :shrug:

Currently reading... I didn't start a new book yet.  I need to download those ebooks and the short, because we we without internet for a couple days.  Blerg.

What was on your reading list this past week?

Monday Update... Since I Keep Forgetting Sundays

It occurred to me on Saturday that I had forgotten to do a Sunday Update last week. I had every intention of rectifying that yesterday.  And then I went and forgot again.  Derp.  So here we are on Monday morning with not a whole lot of time and not really that much to talk about.

It's gonna be a weird week at work because I volunteered to change up my shifts a little.  No biggie.  But instead of going in at 9 today, I'm going in at 8. Tomorrow and Wednesday are 9am.  Thursday 8, Friday 9. :shrug:  You probably didn't need to know that, but typing it out helps me remember.

I picked up Christmas dinner yesterday.  Ham.  It's not exciting, but it gets the job done.

For reading news, see Saturdays.

In baking news, I made chocolate cake cookies with mint patties pressed into them.  I'm taking some to the office and leaving some for home.  

The weather is supposed to be gross this week.  Snow and frigid temps.  Blerg.  Oh well.

No activity.  And I gained a few pounds, which is weird, but it is what it is.  Maybe I'm finally past the stress reduction.  I'd rather not gain it ALL back, though.  Weight: 164.2.

I heard from Owl yesterday.  She's doing well and sounds happy.

And that's about it for the excitement that is my life.  Now, it's time to take a shower and start the 'getting ready for work' process.  Have a great day, everyone!

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/17/22

 Not the most exciting of wrap-ups, but hey, it's somethin'.  

I have 5 books left to read in the next two weeks to reach my goal.  I'm skeptical.  I know, reading 5 books in two weeks ought to be a breeze for me, but working has severely limited my reading time and gumption.  I'll make a valiant effort, though.

No new books this week.

Books read: 

70) The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven (12/13/22) - SF - 5 stars.  Larry's not new to me and this book has loads of reviews.  Bought for 25c at a thrift store.
No Review.  What could I possibly say about this that hasn't already been said?

No DNFs

Currently reading... The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett, in hard cover.  I'm not sure I like this one, so this might be a DNF on next week's list. I'll figure out today whether I'm going to finish it.

What was on your reading list for the week?

Thursday This n That

I'm going in late today, but I'm running late anyway. And I forgot it was Thursday.  Derp.

Well, the moms both got and opened their Christmas gifts.  They're both happy with them.  Yay.  I found these neat mugs on Etsy with states on them. Each mug has two states - the one we're in and the one they're in - connected with flowers and filigree stuff.  Very pretty.  So they're there and we're here, but we're still connected.  :sniffle: 

And the cards I sent out should be arriving at their locations.  I know one of my nephews in Michigan got his.  Yay.

Yesterday, on my way home, I saw one of my neighbor's dogs running down the road.  I stopped and yelled her name and told her to get home.  She turned and headed right for their front porch.  Good girl!

I was out smoking the other day and heard eagles.  When I looked up, there were three of them circling.  Awesome.

And that's all I've got for today.  Mostly because I need to get ready for work, but partly because I don't lead that interesting of a life anymore. LOL

What's on your list today?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/10/22

I got a little distracted this morning.  On FB, I saw one of those List Challenge thingies that was called Confessions of a Book Hoarder and it asked which books you'd read of the lister's 735 books.  I was all like 'those are rookie numbers'.  But since we moved, I don't really know how many books I actually have.  And I thought 'what a fun rainy day activity!'and I am in luck because it is raining!'.  Being the totally book nerd I am, I grabbed a notepad and a pen and got to work.  I finished the west wall shelves - 385 books.  With the 5 shelf case sitting at about 150 books, I can guesstimate that the north wall (two 5 shelfers) has another 300 books.  There's probably like 200 in the living room and another 100 in the spare room.  So, I'm guessing around 850.  (I'll let ya know if my guess is right once I finish counting.)

GRAND TOTAL = 952 (not counting my 'stock' or books set aside to donate, which would probably be another 80-100)  Hubs says if I can keep it under a thousands, it's good.  ROFL.

Anyway, here's my week in reading...

No new books.

Books Read:

69) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (12/4/22) - Legal Thriller - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated. Picked up for 25c at the thrift store.
No Review.

68) Sea of Untold Stories (Ghost of Pinkerton #2) by Andy DeJong (12/4/22) - Paranormal* - 5 stars. Not new to me because I read Book #1, but definitely underappreciated.  After the author contacted me to let me know this book existed, I scooped it up at full price: $1.99.  If you're reading this, Andy, I would've paid more.  Raise your prices. Do at least $2.99 and get the higher % royalty at Amazon.
Review: "This book is AWESOME. Another genre-bending romp with all the gang. Twists and turns abound. Loads of fun for everyone. Is it weird? Yup. But the writing is sound and the plot flows, and that makes it easier to wrap your brain around the weirdness. Too cool.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven.  

What's on your reading list this 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.

72) Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard (12/24/22) - Kids' Literature
71) The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells (12/17/22) - Literature
70) The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven (12/13/22) - SF
69) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (12/4/22) - Legal Thriller
68) Sea of Untold Stories (Ghost of Pinkerton #2) by Andy DeJong (12/4/22) - Paranormal*
67) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (11/29/22) - Mystery
66) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (11/26/22) - Fantasy
65) Enter the Witch by Andris Bear (11/20/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
64) Under the Assassin's Moon by Silver James (11/20/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
63) The Time of the Hunter's Moon by Victoria Holt (11/19/22) - Romantic Suspense
62) Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy (11/4/22) - Cozy Mystery
61) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (10/30/22) - YA Historical Romance
60) Cop Out by Ellery Queen (10/29/22) - Mystery
59) Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein (10/28/22) - SF
58) Murder, She Knit by Peggy Erhart (10/23/22) - Cozy Mystery
57) Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christe (10/21/22) - Mystery

56) For Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster (10/16/22) - SF
55) Assassin's Moon by Silver James (10/9/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
54) Grumbles from the Grave by Robert A. Heinlein / Virginia Heinlein (10/9/22) - NF
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 this morning with a swoop in my hair.  I could do something about it, but it's raining today and my hair is going to freak out anyway.  :shrug:

Let's talk for a second about the extreme myopia of some people. You say there were no female action leads before your pampered self wandered onto the screen.?  Sigourney Weaver was kicking ass when your parents were still playing with dolls.   And by the way, sweetie, it wasn't you.  It was the story.  You're no action hero.  Sigourney kicks ass is whatever movie she's in, even if she's not actually kicking ass. 

Ooo, that reminds me.  Have y'all ever seen the movie Copycat?  Just watch it.  I caught it on TV the other day and it's still as good as the first time I watched it.  Sigourney kicks ass.  And Harry Connick, Jr. is a delightfully creepy villain.  Yep, that's right, I said villain.  Watch it.

Apropos of nothing, it's a tight spot when your sense of self-preservation comes up against your sense of justice.

I have this weird quirk where I'll say something and then repeat myself. 

... and then repeat myself.

Since 2020, I've been making myself orange juice with tonic water. I'm not sure if the quinine is actually doing anything, but I haven't been sick, so I'll keep at it.  Two bouts of the crud and one pass of the 'rona have swept through my office and I haven't gotten anything.  :knocks on simulated woodgrain:  So, I started jokingly saying 'shut up and drink your tonic' around the house.  And now that's what I call the beverage. I kill me.

When I was in college, I had a friend who would, instead of saying 'knock on wood', say 'knock on simulated woodgrain'.  (Because his car has a simulated wood insert on the dashboard.)  Thirty years later, I'm still saying it that way.

I sometimes wonder whatever happened to that dude.  Unfortunately, he has such a typical name, ton of hits come up and none of them are him.

I've found others of my old gang.  One of them owns a bar in the city where we went to school.  The heavy metal thrasher who introduced me to bands like Jane's Addiction is a teacher now.  I wonder if that last guy still wears two different colored contacts and earrings in all the holes in his ears.  ;o)

Ah, the old days.  Some of them were good.

Got anything on your this n that today?

Sunday Update - Week 48

We're on the homestretch of 2022.  Not that I'm anxious for 2023.  I'm just stating the obvious.  I have a flair for the obvious.

Nothing much new going on here.  I didn't write, I didn't bake, I didn't do anything active.  I did read some, but I talked about that yesterday.  Basically, I worked a lot.  I worked the day-job and when I got home, I worked the pay-job. (End of the month, lots of spreadsheets.)  

Yesterday was Wallyworld.  When I arrived, the parking lot had an inordinate number of police vehicles.  For a split second, I wondered if there was something awful going on inside, but then my brain went 'Shop with a Cop'.  Sure enough, the second thought was correct.  And it gave me a happy to see all those police officers shopping with all those kids.  My favorite part was seeing an officer with a boy of about 9-10, strolling in the camping/hunting/fishing gear.  The burly officer with the little girl in the clothing section looked awkward.  For the most part, though, it was all happy and joy.  I smiled through most of my shopping experience, despite the store being packed.  

I did not smile at the end of the checkout.  $239.  And some kid behind me touching all my stuff on the conveyor belt while his parents did nothing.  Dude, not cool.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the decorations we put up at the office last Friday.

Oops... I started this like 3 hours ago and then I got distracted.  Oh, well.  Not really much else to talk about.  Have a great day and an awesome week, everyone!

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/3/22

 Four weeks left in 2022... 28 days... And I still have 8 books to read to hit my goal.  Looking at it another way, I only have 8 books left, which isn't too bad considering when I made the goal I hadn't dreamed I'd be back to work full time.  Go, me.

I picked up a new ebook this week.  A few days ago, I woke to find a strange email in my inbox.  Turns out it was from an author I'd read in 2018 and he'd seen my gushing review. He wanted to gift me the sequel.  Well, I hadn't even known the sequel existed, so I rushed right over to Amazon and bought me a copy.  (Then I went back and thanked him for his offer and for letting me know the sequel was there. He seems like a cool guy.)  Anyway, I'm all kinds of excited to read this. 

Books Read: 

67) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (11/29/22) - Mystery - 4 stars.  I've read Charlaine before, but not any in this series, and it's not underappreciated.  Picked up from a thrift store for 25c.
Review: "Fun story and thoroughly enthralling until like the last page when it felt sort of flat. All in all a good read, though."

66) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (11/26/22) - Fantasy - 5 stars.  I read quite a bit of Pratchett when I was younger, but I never read this or any of the other 'Death' books.  Not underappreciated.  Picked up from a thrift store for $1.
No Review.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.  But I'm going to set it aside today so I can read that ebook I snagged.  

What was on your reading wrap-up for the week?

Thursday This n That

It's amazing how the absence of one toxic person can lighten the tension for so many other people.  Don't be the toxic person.

I still have turkey leftovers. We've eaten turkey for lunch and dinner every day since Thursday.  Hubs wants to freeze the rest.  Sounds like a plan.  I am about turkey'd out here.

Okay, so today's the first of December.  Where'd the year go?  Now I have to start thinking about Christmas and year-end.  Blerg.

I did already find a couple of neat things to order, but they don't have delayed shipping, so I need to order them so they arrive at just the right time.  I am not good with planning this kind of stuff.  I may just order the stuff this weekend and the moms will get early present delivery.  

The young gal at the office is getting married this month.  She invited me to the wedding.  I passed the invite along to Hubs, already knowing the answer because his answer would be the same as mine - nope.  I thanked her yesterday for the invitation and let her know we wouldn't be coming.  And explained why - we are hermits.  She's cool with it.  I mean, it was super nice of her to invite us.  I'll get her something nice as a present.

Which reminds me that I need to pick up assorted cards when I hit Wallyworld on Saturday.  I need a card for the wedding and one for a birthday, and probably more xmas cards. (I need to do xmas cards this weekend.  Blerg.)

Okay, is it just me or does it seem like it was just June???  How did we get to December here?  

I heard geese yesterday.  They sounded like they were pretty far up, but I couldn't see them.  And the sky was exceptionally blue yesterday, too, so I probably could've spotted them.  :shrug:  Head along south goosey-bros.  See ya in the spring.

And on that note, I'm gonna let ya'll go.  Have a great day!

Sunday Update - Week 47

 At least I think it's Week 47.  :shrug:  Anyway...

How did the week shake out?  Hmm...

Well, we started out last week with a walk in the woods.  First time since the Spring, so yay.  Nothing major to report down in there.  All the paths are leaf covered.  Not much new deadfall.  

I read some last weekend and finished two books.  I finished another one yesterday.

I didn't bake anything, which was weird because, for the first time, we had Thanksgiving with no dessert.  :sadface:  Well, I did have ice cream, but I always have ice cream.  Hubs roasted a most excellent turkey, though.  

In addition to our walk in the woods, I got active on Friday when we cleaned and decorated the office.  Total exer-cleaning day there.  I haven't weighed myself since Thanksgiving, but at last check... Weight: 158.8.  I haven't been in the 150s since like 2006.  

Speaking of weight loss, my new sweat pants arrived.  They fit.  But it's weird wearing sweats that fit now, so they seem too tight.  What I really need is a pair with a large waist and XL legs.  Ma legs need room to breathe, doncha know.  And before you remind me about the drawstring, there comes a point when no matter how much you pull on the drawstring, your pants still fall down.

Okay, so cleaning and decorating, I got to work at 7:30, slapped some Christmas music on, and got right to it sweeping.  I started on the right, and swept every room but one.  (And that's because the other gal was doing her own office.)  Then I dusted damn near everything.  I took breaks to answer the phones (they weren't ringing that much) and to do a few actual office things that needed doing.  After lunch, we decorated.  Then I went back to work on that big box of filing.  Then the mail arrived, so I dealt with that.  And then I got back to filing - which I finished with a few minutes to spare before clock-out time. Yay.  The office is so merry and bright.  And tidy!  (I still want to wash the windows, but cleaning time is over.)

I spent yesterday reading and relaxing.  And recovering from my exer-cleaning. Who-waa, I found muscles I'd forgotten I had.  We're also working our way through all those turkey leftovers.  Yay.  Today will be more of them same.

How was your week?  Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 11/26/22

 Hello again.  Not a bad reading week overall.  But I'm back to two books behind schedule.  :shrug:

No new books of any kind.  I really need to spend some time this weekend looking for new ebooks, but I still have scads of unread hardcopies, so it's all good.

Books Read:

65) Enter the Witch by Andris Bear (11/20/22) - Paranormal Mystery* - 4 stars. New to me but not underappreciated. Picked up free after a recommendation from a book page I follow on FB.
Review: "Good writing, likable characters, awesome plot and interesting world. The problem? Too darn short. And the teaser at the end. I mean, I know they exist to sell the next book, but ARGH!"

64) Under the Assassin's Moon by Silver James (11/20/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense* - 5 stars.  Not new to me but underappreciated.  These books are awesome and more people should be reading them. Bought at full price - $2.99.
Review: "I read this book when it was under the Kindle World thing, and I have to say this new version is even better. I loved Brody and Zeta before. Ms. James has delved even deeper and made their story richer, so I love them even more now. Great book!"

No DNFs.

Currently reading... Hogfather by Terry Pratchett.  It's strange, but fun.

What was on your reading wrap-up for this week?  Find anything good?

Thursday This n That - Thanksgiving Edition

Despite what you and the folks at WKRP might think, turkeys can fly.  Wild turkeys can anyway.  I think the big, white, domestic turkeys have been bred to have such large breasts that they can't fly anymore, hence the carnage at the Pinedale supermarket.  

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I am sad for you.  Go forth and find the episode online* and watch it.

This is a wild turkey:

This is not:

Both pictures taken the same day (11/27/14) and both are hens.  The top turkey went on to live her life.  The bottom turkey went into our bellies.  And there was much rejoicing.

Hubs really does make the best turkeys.  Today, he will be using his magic on a 14.5 pound Honeysuckle White.  It's been thawing in the fridge since Saturday and is ready to go.  Mmm, turkey.  

I was telling the folks at work the story of the one Thanksgiving where we had a whole rafter of turkeys in the yard while our own turkey was in the oven.  They were all like 'I'm not sure I'd be able to eat a turkey with all those turkeys watching'.  We had no problem with it.  And neither did the turkeys. LOL

Speaking of turkeys, here's another picture.  It looks like that big ol' turkey is about to attack that poor, defenseless squirrel.

Don't be fooled.  This was taken a second after the squirrel had attacked the turkey and that tom is trying to get away while the squirrel acts all innocent.  Shortly after, the turkey left to find easier food to eat.  

Anyway, I hope you all have a glorious Thanksgiving Day, with loads of food and the people you love.  :HUGS:  And that neither the turkeys nor the squirrels give you any trouble today.  ;o)

* I found it for you.  (Actually, someone on FB posted it.)  It's not the whole episode, just the good part.  You're welcome.

Sunday Update - Late, Too. Oops.

In my defense, I was working on fighting off the crud yesterday.  Since I seem to have won, it's was worth it.  I didn't actually have it yet, I could just feel it coming on.  The best offense is a good defense and all that, doncha know.  

Now, let's see... what did I do last week?  I worked.  That's a given.  I read some.  Naturally.  The rest is a blur.

As for the weekend, I read a lot.  Finished two books.  Yay.  You'll read more about that on Saturday.

I also went into the woods.  Yay.  We were looking around at what may have occurred in there since the last time it was cold.  The good news is that not much looks different.  Not that many newly dead trees.  Not much more new deadfall.  We were also looking for the back neighbor's property pin.  We know where it's supposed to be - 30ft south of where our old pin is.  It wasn't there.  Perhaps it wasn't surveyed when she bought that extra stretch.  :shrug:  

That's about it for activity for the week.  I have now lost 23.4 pounds since the beginning of the year (22.6 since I started work).  Hubs says he can really see it, especially in my face.  I attribute this to stress and eating a whole lot less than I used to.  This has happened before.  The job I had in Florida, where I got down to 110 from like 150.  And, of course, after my accident when I went from like 160 to 120 and then had a devil of a time putting weight back on.  

Of course, I'm getting to where none of my pants fit.  

Speaking of pants, I ordered two pair of new sweat pants.  I only have one pair that doesn't slide off anymore.  Drawstrings and elastic can only do so much.  =o\  Thankfully, I bought plenty of work pants in smaller sizes so I'm okay there, but I need to hit the thrift stores again before these start wanting to drop around my ankles.

And that's about it for me.  Pretty boring week here.  How was yours?

Saturday Reading Wrap--up - 11/19/22

Hello again.  Sorry I'm late, but I was finishing a book.

Last Saturday, I stopped by the thrift store and picked up a bunch of books - three cozy mysteries, two suspenses, and a romantic suspense.  Oh, and I also snagged a paranormal romantic suspense yesterday in ebook, so yay. 

Books Read:

63) The Time of the Hunter's Moon by Victoria Holt (11/19/22) - Romantic Suspense - 4 stars.  I loved another book by Victoria Holt, so not new to me and not underappreciated.
No Review.  

DNFs:

11/14/22 - SF - 50c.  It was by a well-known SF author, but it was just weird.  And it jumped all over the place, so by like 100 pages in, I still couldn't figure out what the plot was supposed to be or even who the main characters were.  Meh.  Back to the thrift store for you, bub.

11/13/22 - mystery - 10c.  Yawn.

Currently reading... I just now finished that last book, so I haven't started anything yet.  I'll start that paranormal romantic suspense this afternoon.  =o)

What was on your reading list last week?

Thursday This n That - Late Again

Yep, totally forgot yesterday was Thursday.  That's okay, though, because yesterday morning, I was busy making this...

German chocolate cake.  My first.  My last.  I don't actually like German chocolate cake. But it's not for me anyway, so it's all good.  Next up will be a triple chocolate cake with strawberry frosting.  Cuz that's what mama needs.  LOL

I don't know.  It looks kinda short to me.  9" round pans instead of 8" round.  :shrug;  Eh, it eats the same.  Hey, it was my first layer cake in like 25 years.  Cut me some slack. LOL

I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to transport it.  :shrug:  As long as it doesn't slide around in the car and I don't drop it in the parking lot, it's all good.

Anyhooway... 

It snowed last night.  I haven't looked yet, but Hubs told me, so it must be true.  Blerg.

I'm reading Time of the Hunter's Moon by Victoria Holt.  One of my favorite books from my youth is by Victoria Holt - The King of the Castle - so I snagged this when I saw it at the thrift store.  Do I love it? Not so much.  I mean, it's okay, but it's not thrilling me the way the other book did.  Maybe I'm just older and less likely to be thrilled.  

On my way to work on the other morning, I saw a doe in the road not too far from the house, so I slowed down to a crawl.  She moved and then another doe walked out of the woods into the road.  Still crawled.  She moved off.  Seconds later, a buck popped out of the woods, so I stopped.  He stood on the side of the road staring at me. Finally I started to crawl forward again and he startled like my slowly moving car had spooked him and he raced across the road in front of me.  THIS this is why when you see one deer cross the road, you never assume it's alone.  If I had I would've hit that buck.  

He was magnificent, by the way.

Okay, I think I'll call it.  I've gotta get cleaned up and ready for work now.  Plus, I've run out of things to say and I still have a couple blogs to visit.  Later days, dudes.

Sunday Update - Week 45

 Well, hello again.  Let's see if we can rebuild this past week, eh?

No writerly things.  To my amazement, I sold a book.  Woo.  Which meant I needed to update my book sales spreadsheets.  (They were still on September, even though I sold a book in October, too.)  I did that yesterday.

I didn't finish reading anything.  I DNF'd two books before yesterday's post.  I'm DNF'ing the book I started after the post.  It's just weird and I'm tired of trying to make it make sense.  I'm sure it probably does at some point, but meh.

In baking news, I made an apple cranberry crisp last Sunday, then nada.  I do have plans to make a layer cake this week.  I bought pans for it and everything.  I haven't made a layer cake since Owl was a baby.  Wish me luck.

On the activity front, we walked last Sunday and then we went fishing.  Friday, I cleaned the bathrooms at work.  Took me like 20 minutes.  No weight loss this week.  I mean, I got down to 164.4, but then yesterday, I was 166.4, so up and down.  :shrug:

No one made me clean the bathrooms, btw.  I have a low tolerance for scudge in bathrooms. Rather than whine about it, I clean it.  2 bathrooms - each with a toilet and a sink.  I did the floors and the mirrors, too.  Are they perfect?  Nope.  That would take longer and I didn't have longer.  Are they presentable?  Yep.  I also take the garbage out on Fridays because the thought of garbage sitting over the weekend makes me gag.  They're my quirks and I own them.

As for fishing, we didn't catch anything but it was nice to just be at the lake drowning worms with my favorite person.

We got snow Friday night.  It was just a dusting.  Barely enough to make the grass white and leave some on the car.  I can handle that.  No more, though, please.

I went to the thrift store yesterday.  I was looking for an overcoat, but since they didn't have one of those, I picked up 6 books.  4 paperbacks and 2 hardcovers - $2.  Yay.

Work is work.  Like my weight, it's up and down.  The creeping crud is making its way through the staff.  I spent the last two hours of Friday by myself in the office because all the other office staff went home sick.  (I am fine, by the way.)  It was awesome.  I threw a rave.  Hundreds of people showed... :shudder: I can't even joke about that.  I enjoyed the quiet and got some stuff done.  I finally organized the surplus inventory room so it doesn't look like a tornado went through there.  All my filing is done.  Score.

I might zip down to the Wallyworld this morning and see if I can find a turkey that doesn't cost a wing and a drumstick.  (See what I did there? ROFL)  Seriously, though, I've heard turkeys are hard to find and that they're REALLY expensive this year.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Okay, that's probably enough out of me.  Nothing much else is going on.  How are things in your world?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 11/12/22

It wasn't a banner week for reading for me.  :shrug:  It goes like that sometimes.  

I didn't get any new books this week.  Maybe today, I'll do something about that.  I am down to one unread ebook, after all.  

Books Read:

Nope.  I didn't finish a single damn book this week.

DNFs:

11/12/22 - 99c - supernatural mystery.  The writing was fine and the characters / plot were interesting.  Then the author had to go making it an 'issues' book, trotting out the same ol' tired crap - you know the old song and dance... 'all conservatives are racist and all racists are conservative'.  :eyeroll:  And yes, I did dump this one first thing this morning.  

11/9/22 - free - fantasy.  I thought it was the first book, but it was the first book in a spin-off series to another series that I hadn't read, so that left me lost right from the start.  (Even though it did say it would stand alone.  Right.)  Plus, some of the stylistic choices left me flat.  

Currently reading... Since I DNF'd that thing already today, I haven't started anything else.  Maybe I'll read the one unread e-book.  Maybe I'll just go pick up another paperback.  We'll see.  Tune in next week.  ;o)

Thursday This n That

I just realized it's Thursday.  Blerg.  

I got an attaboy from the boss for thinking outside the box.  Unfortunately, my thinking didn't apply to the situation. But go me yay.

Ages ago, in another life, my boss set me to the task of finding out why our shipping bills were so high.  I researched all the shipping and discovered the sales department was overnighting damn near everything.  Flyers, postcards, marketing materials of every sort.  Stuff that would get where it was going next day using plain ol' UPS ground.  And stuff that didn't even need to be there next day.  It was just easier and they weren't the ones who had to think about the costs.  But the VP of Operations was thinking about it and since I was his admin asst I was thinking about it.  I saved the company hundreds of dollars a month.  That's a 'Go, me. Yay!"

If you ever you wonder why CEOs and VPs make the big bucks, remember they have to think about everything to make certain a company thrives and all the employees get to keep their jobs.  Just sayin'.

Since the time has changed, I now get to drive home after sunset on Mondays and Tuesdays.  I discovered that in the dark, I can't see the end of our driveway to turn in.  Hubs is putting a solar powered light out there this morning. LOL   Oh, and Tuesday night, I saw a bat.  Cool.

FedEx sucks. Jus' sayin'.

And that's all I've got today because I dinked around too much and now I have to get ready for work.  But hey, I made an effort and got it on the right day, so that's gotta count for something.  Have a good one, everybody!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Since a friend of mine asked, I thought I'd post this recipe today.  Enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

6 medium apples

1.5 cups whole fresh cranberries

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 T white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp Apple Cider mix

---

1 cup brown sugar

2 T white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp Apple Cider mix

6 T butter (cold)

 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Peel, core, and slice apples to about 1/4" slices.  In large bowl, stir together apples, cranberries, both sugars, cinnamon, and cider mix.  Set aside.  In medium bowl, stir together both sugars, cinnamon, oats, flour and drink mix until well combined.  Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly.  Pour fruit mixture into 9x13" pan, spreading it out so it's evenly distributed.  Sprinkle topping liberally over fruit, making sure you get it into the corners and along the sides.  No fruit should be visible.  Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until topping is browned along the edges and the fruit is fork tender.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Finding My Zen Place

I started the weekend off in a funk.  Oh, not so much of a funk that I couldn't function (funk-tion... lol), but I was definitely in a funked-up place.  

I talked to Mom on Saturday morning, which always helps.  She's seen and done so much in her life, she always has a wise word or an understanding ear or just finds a way to commiserate.  And, of course, Hubs is always supportive.  But this was something I needed to find a way out of from within myself. To get zen*.

Yesterday morning, Hubs and I went for a walk.  We did the loop, wandering the leaf-covered roads, looking at the lake, and enjoying the quiet of our neighborhood on a Sunday morning.  

After lunch, I did some baking.  Peeling and slicing apples, adding them to cranberries and sugars and cinnamon to make the base.  Cutting together flour and sugars and oats and butter to make the crumbly topping.  Throw it in the oven and 40 minutes later, out pops heaven.  What could be more zen than that?

While it was cooling, Hubs and I went fishing.  It was a gorgeous fall day.  The lake was like glass.  The site was devoid of other people.  Just us and our bobbers, basically feeding the little fishies who were too small to catch but were happily devouring our worms.  Total zen.

By the time we got home, I didn't feel like cooking dinner.  Hubs made himself a bowl of fruits and granola.  I had apple cranberry crisp with ice cream.  (Hubs had that, too, but it was dessert for him. LOL)

Despite the time change, we stayed up and watched our Sunday night shows - Miss Scarlet and the Duke, followed by Magpie Murders.  (I'm pretty sure I figured out the whodunnit on that last one, but I won't say what it is in case anyone else is watching. We'll find out if I'm right next week, I think.)  

This morning, I'm feeling pretty zen.  We'll see if that holds up.  I'm gonna try and make it hold up.   I am centered.  I am calm.  I am wearing my Teflon force field - nothing sticks and nothing penetrates. Ohmmmm.

And if I keep telling myself that, maybe it'll be true. LOL

*I'm probably using that word wrong.  I don't care.  That's how zen I am.  =op 

Sunday Update - Week 44

It was a week, lemme tell ya.  Mostly work related and mostly stuff I can't talk about online.  Wednesday was weird.  Friday sucked.  Details will not be forthcoming.

Anyway, I read some stuff.  I'm only one book behind schedule now.  I still have to read 13 books between now and the end of the year to reach my goal, though, so I'm not sure that's possible.  We'll see.

I made zucchini bread last Sunday.  I might make cranberry apple something today, because cranberries were on sale at Wallyworld, so I couldn't pass those suckers up.

Not really much activity this week.  I swept the office again.  The other half this time.  Woohoo.  Still lost 1.8 pounds since last Sunday.  Weight: 164.6.  I'd like to stop at like 150 or thereabouts, but we'll see if it's possible to stop.  I worked a job in FL that got me down to 110.  I was ugly-skinny at that point, trust me.  I might have to switch off diet dew (Wallyworld brand, of course) and start eating breakfast.

On the upside, the two pairs of pants I bought last month that were a little tight fit now.  I look smashing in the red pants with a sheer red shirt and a tank top underneath that.  The pinstripe pants are yet to be worn because I can't quite figure out the best tops to go with them.  Maybe tomorrow.

Oh oh oh, my sleeveless turtleneck tops arrived!  Took them long enough.  I love them.  They look and feel awesome on me.  We'll see how they fare after they're washed.  One is black and the other is purple like deep amethyst.  I do love me some gem colors.

Last weekend, I bought worms in a spate of optimism.  I still haven't gone fishing.  Maybe today.  We really should put new line on all the reels, though.  And we need to rake the yard.  There are too many things to do on my days off to spare a few hours for fishing.  Of course, my weekends now typically consist of sitting and reading and watching TV.  After a week of work, I don't really want to do anything else.  :shrug:

Of course, last night was the time change.  As always, we didn't change the clocks before we went to bed, so right now half the clocks are right and the other half are an hour ahead.  I'll go change those in a while.  Every clock thing in the kitchen and the one in the bedroom don't change themselves.  On the upside, it'll be light when I go to work.  On the downside, it'll be dark when I come home.  Turds.

Everything else is fine.  The family is fine.  The critters are fine.  The world isn't fine, but there's nothing I can do about that.  We'll vote on Tuesday before I have to head to work.  I'm not sure it'll do any good, but not voting definitely won't.  So go vote.

And on that note, I'll let you get back to your day.  Have a great one!  And drop a note to tell me how your week went.  =o)

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 11/5/22

Good morning.  I hope everyone out there is having an awesome morning and the coffee is flowing for you all.

No new books this week, but that's okay.  I still have plenty to read. =o)

Books Read:

62) Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy (11/4/22) - Cozy Mystery - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated.  Picked up for a quarter at a thrift store.
Review: "Super cute, loads of fun, and plenty of potential killers to keep you guessing in this snappy little whodunnit."

61) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (10/30/22) - YA Historical Romance - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated.  10c at a thrift store.
No Review.

60) Cop Out by Ellery Queen (10/29/22) - Mystery - 5 stars. Neither new to me nor underappreciated.  50c at a thrift store.
Review: "This is a most excellent read. It bills itself as 'Different from any detective story Ellery Queen has ever written' and it's totally true. Except for the fact that like Queen's other stories, it's a page-turner. I inhaled this in a day, flipping pages like mad to find out what would happen next. The resolution was brilliant. The characters were true. The writing was amazing. Overall, an awesome book."

No DNFs this week.

Currently reading... I finished that cozy mystery close enough to bedtime last night to not start anything else.  No clue what I'll feel like reading next.  

What reading type things did you do this week?

Thursday This n That

Yeah, I realize this isn't Thursday.  Unfortunately, I didn't think yesterday was Thursday, so you're getting this today.  

Yesterday, I was listening to music on my lunch break and this one video started out with an attack ad against both the Republican and the Libertarian candidates for Senate.  Everything 'bad' they were saying about the R turned out to be lies.  Everything 'bad' they said about the L made me want to vote for him.  I wish I could find the ad and share it, but alas, I cannot.  I'm still voting for the R on Tuesday, though, because if the conservatives here split their votes between R & L, we'll get the damn D again.  Maybe that was the point of the commercial.  She knows she can't win if the conservative voters don't split their vote, so she's making the L look more attractive than the R.  

Sometimes it's hard to not talk about things going on at work.  

I've been screwing around taking these 'list challenge' things I see on FB.  One of them was 'so you think you're well read'.  It had like 1460 titles on it.  I've read like 175 or so and I shared it on FB.  Someone commented pointing to Sturgeon's Law on Wikipedia.  Back in the '50s, science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon postulated that 90% of everything is crap.  Yep, that seems about right.

Speaking of crap, I saw another challenge on there of 'woke' books.  It said something about the average # of those books that participants have read.  It was 3.  LOL

One thing I hate about book challenges on there is that they list a whole series of which I read only one or two, so I can't claim it.  Harshes my groove, man.

I've already bought a 2023 date book for work.  I haven't written in it yet, but I need to plan some stuff out for next year already, so I should probably get crackin' on that.  I am not one for planning that far ahead.

I think we're having leftovers for dinner tonight.  Or burgers.  We need to eat the leftovers, but I'll probably want a burger by the time I get home.  :wanders into the kitchen to take burger out to defrost:

Yesterday morning, I was on my way to work and not far from the house when a chipmunk darted across the road in front of me.  Lucky for Chester, I was paying attention and hit the brakes.  I would've had a sad if I'd squashed the little dude.  Probably not as sad as he would've been, though.

Okay, I've probably bored you enough for now.  Have a great day and an awesome weekend. :hugs:

Sunday Update - Week Somethin' Or Other

 I'm too lazy to look up the week # this morning.  

Anyway, it was a week.  Not much different from the week before.  

I did a fair bit of reading, all things considered.  I inhaled a book yesterday and finished it last night.  Woohoo.  I also hit another thrift store and came home with 7 books for a dollar.  Most of them for the shelves and not strictly for reading, but hey, a book is a book.  I have a little collection of old books on how to write, and I found another one of those.  Not super old - like 1955 - but it looks good sitting with the others.

I made Hubs' granola bars before work one morning and that's it for the baking.

On the activity front, we took a walk last Sunday.  Just under a mile.  Which puts me at a measly 32.3 miles for the year.  On the other hand, my weight is still inching down.  As of yesterday... Weight: 166.4.  That's 15 pounds down since I started work and 15.8 down since the start of the year.  I can almost fit into those slightly too-small pants I bought last month.  They fit awesome when I'm standing up but they still cut into my stomach sitting down and since I spend most of my day sitting, they're going to have to remain int he closet.

My wrist is not exactly 100%, but I've gotten to the point where it only really bothers me first thing in the morning.  Both of the braces I bought are duds, as far as I'm concerned.  I wore the new one at work for about a half hour before it started to irritate me.  This reminds me of the time I broke my foot.  I wore the 'cast' thingie for about a day at home, then I had to not wear it to work because I couldn't drive with it.  I bought a pair of crutches to use instead and dumped those at the end of the first day because they were bothering my arms.  I spent the rest of my recovery limping around the plant.  :shrug:  I don't got time for no medical impedances.

Earlier in the week, the leaky spot on our roof from a ways back started leaking again.  We woke up to a puddle in the smoking room.  Yesterday, I picked up two gallons of roof repair, and then it spent most of the day raining.  Not a single drop came through.  Near as I can figure it, that last puddle was created because we got 3.5 inches of rain and it was really windy, so the wind drove the rain up under a loose shingle.  Hubs will still paint the roof with the repair gunk, but it's not as critical anymore.

Work is still work.  Not much changed about that.  The only problem I can see is that I am now comfortable in my position.  (Or as comfortable as anyone can be in a busy environment.)  This is a problem because when I'm comfortable, the little voice in my head that reminds me 'don't say that' starts to goof off.  I'm an opinionated person... yeah, stating the obvious to people who stop here regularly... and when those opinions start dropping out of my face at work, it's a problem.  Need to rein that in.  I need to keep those thoughts for when I'm talking to Hubs or Mom, or in private emails to a certain friend of mine.

One awesome thing about working, my mom and I are connecting on a whole new level.  She understands what I go through at work because it's similar to what she did for years, and I better understand what she went through for all those years many years ago when I was too wrapped up in my own junk to listen to what she needed to talk about.  Dad was not a great listener.  Anyway, I've been close to Mom most of my life, but I feel closer now.  Which is awesome.

I wish I had that kind of relationship with my daughter, but I think Owl has written me off.  =o(

Anyway...

The birds are migrating.  The deer are doing their things.  We haven't seen Sebastian the fox in a while.  A few mornings this past week, there has been a hawk sitting in the same place when I'm on my way to work, and the time I leave puts it so the first rays of the sun are hitting the hawk as I drive by.  It's pretty cool.  I'd stop and take a picture, but I have a feeling if I stopped the car, it would startle him and he'd fly away.  I think it's a red-shouldered hawk.  So pretty.

And that's about it for me.  How went your week?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 10/29/22

Hello again.  Thanks for stopping by.  This week I have some things that might actually make your stop interesting.

I picked up one new ebook this week - a paranormal mystery I saw in my FB feed.  I still have two unread ebooks leftover from September - a paranormal mystery and a fantasy.  Plus, I have scads of hardcopies.  Yay.

Books Read:

59) Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein (10/28/22) - SF - 5 stars.  I hadn't read this one before, but it's Heinlein, so not exactly new to me and not underappreciated.  Picked this one up for 25c at the thrift store.
Review: "Awesome book! A perfect blend of science fiction, action/adventure, and literature. Now, Heinlein probably wouldn't have considered he was writing literature, but I do. This book entertains while giving you reasons to think. Rod, Jack, Jimmy, Caroline... they are heroic figures. And the end made me want to cheer. "

58) Murder, She Knit by Peggy Erhart (10/23/22) - Cozy Mystery - 4 stars.  New to me, but not underappreciated.  25c from the thrift store.
No Review.

DNFs:

10/23/22 - fantasy - 25c.  I picked this one up thinking it was something other than what it was, so when I tried to read it, I was expecting something else.  I stopped about 30 pages in and put it back on the shelf.  I'll try again another time.

Currently reading... well, I didn't finish that Heinlein until after my bedtime last night, so I didn't have a chance to start anything else.  I'll probably start that Ellery Queen I picked up a couple weeks ago today.

What was on your reading wrap-up for the week?

Thursday This n That

I just saw a recipe for butternut squash / pesto pizza.  Umm... no.  More like 'what are three things that should never go together, Alex.'

My second wrist brace arrived in the mail yesterday.  I am dubious.  But I'll try it.  If this doesn't work, I'm going back to my old standby of just wrapping the damn thing with an Ace bandage.  They aren't pretty but they get the job done.

The super cute tops I ordered must be on a slow boat from China.  They shipped before the brace.  Aannnd I just looked up the shipping company.  Yep, China.  Why do the only cute tops I could find come from China?  Derp.  I blame the unions.

We had Stouffers French Bread pizza for dinner last night.  I haven't had those in years.  And they are NOT what they used to be.  I mean, they were better than no pizza, but I was definitely disappointed.  :sadface:

On a different note, I also picked up Banquet frozen dinners, knowing full well that they are not great, but they were cheap and they were quick.  Surprisingly, they were way better than they had been in years past.  Go, Banquet.  

Which reminds me... I need to defrost something for dinner.

So, a few people in the company have gotten the 'rona.  They aren't in-office people, so I'm not worried.  But it makes things more interesting when we have several people out.

Which reminds me, I saw a meme thing morning with the boss guy from Office Space... "Yeah, we're going to be short-staffed forever, so if you could just work yourself to death, that'd be great."  ROFL

In my head, I still pronounce meme 'MEM' and not 'MEEM'.  Yeah, I'm ancient.  Bite me.

I also pronounce ROFL as roffle. And LOL as loll.  But OMG gets the whole thing spelled out.  :shrug:

Well, it's about that time.  I should probably shower and then make my lunch, get dressed, etc. so I can get to work on time.  Have a great day, everyone.

The Birds are Fine

Ya know, it is entirely possible to love nature and try to be responsible about it without turning into a raving eco-freak.  Derp.

One of the sites I follow is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, cuz, like I'm a bird nerd.  This morning their headline was all about birds and how they're 'a multiplier for environmental justice'.  No clue what a multiplier is in this context, but :shrug: these people like to make up words or use words to mean other things.  

Anyway, the lead-in blurb talks about creating green spaces in cities so weary birds have a place to rest.  As if cities cover a bigger portion of the planet than they do.  Bird wants a place to rest?  They can easily steer left or right, avoiding whatever city is its path.  Or they can stop on the rooftops of whatever buildings they're passing by.  Derp.  Birds are versatile that way.

I just did a search - how much of the planet is covered by cities? Wow, the numbers are all over the place when you just look at the blurbs on the search page.  However, I think I found a more rational estimation.  It's .3%  Point three percent of the land mass.  Not the total planet.  (You know, because a big percent is covered by water, which would make that percent even smaller.)  

So, yeah.  

Even the larger estimates are only .6, although one obvious eco-freak site says 3% without the point.  Taking the hugely inflated number, that means that 97% of the land is city free.  

Basically, what I'm saying is don't worry about it.  The birds are fine.  They stay away from the cities whenever possible.  Like I do.  ;o)

Sunday Update - Week 42

It was a week.  Things happened.  I haven't had nearly enough coffee yet to rebuild what those things are, but I'll try. 

I worked 40 hours... I know that.  And just to set things straight, in case anyone stop by this blog who knows where I work and cares, they fixed the stuff they'd passed over at my 90-day mark.  All is well.  I'm still liking the job.  For the most part.  Say like 90%.  Which is better than most people get and more than I could've asked for.

I read... but I detailed that yesterday.

No baking.  Although, I probably should make Hubs some granola bars today.  

No exercising.  Well, I did sweep the office Friday afternoon, so that's something active, I guess. Weight: 168.2.  Hubs and I are planning to walk today, as long as it isn't super windy, and it's supposed to be super windy.  Derp.

My wrist is still wonky.  Typing and mousing are interesting.  I rearranged my desk at work to give my arm more support.  Yesterday, I bought a wrist brace at Walmart.  It fits good and it would work, but t's too tight around my thumb, so I order a different one online.  It'll be here Wednesday.  I think I know what the problem is - not carpal tunnel - and a brace should help.

I also ordered two sleeveless turtleneck tops.  In black and purple.  To go under my myriad of blazers.  They're cute.  And I got a super cute sweater at Wallyworld.  In olive green.

Speaking of Wallyworld, I did that yesterday.  The cupboards and the fridge/freezer are once again full.  Yay.

I saw a bald eagle yesterday!  I was driving home and it swooped down toward my car, so I got to see it in all its glory.  Big white head, big white tail, big black body.  Stunning.  So, the balds are back in town.  Sing it.  You know you want to.

Other than that, life is what it is.  Anything happening in your world?

Saturday Reading Wrap- up - 10/22/22

Okay, so I totally forgot to do a reading wrap-up last week.  So, here's what I've done since last I wrapped up...

First, last Saturday, I picked up twelve hardcopy book at a thrift store I'd never been to before.  I got four hardcovers and eight paperbacks - 4 mysteries, 5 SF, a fantasy, a suspense, and a NF - with loads of big names like Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Vince Flynn, Robert Heinlein, Gordon R. Dickson, Alan Dean Foster, Arthur C. Clarke, Larry Niven.  Cost me $4.  Yay.

Books Read:

57) Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christe (10/21/22) - Mystery - 5 stars. Neither new to me nor underappreciated.  Picked up for 25c from the thrift store.
Review: "I read a different edition of this one this time. I can never seem to remember which of Christie's novels I own when I'm strolling through the thrift stores. Eh, it doesn't really matter. They're all awesome and the search continues to own them all. In old book form, of course. This was excellent, of course."

56) For Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster (10/16/22) - SF - 5 stars.  I love Alan Dean Foster, but I hadn't read this one.  Still, not new to me or underappreciated.  25c at my new favorite thrift store.
Review: "I'd never read any of these before, so I guess it's best I started with the prequel. Awesome stuff."

55) Assassin's Moon by Silver James (10/9/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense* - 5 stars.  Not new to me but certainly underappreciated.  Paid full price $2.99.
Review: "Another amazing re-release by Ms. James. This was an awesome book before, but she's made it deeper, stronger, better... with more feels. Most excellent!

54) Grumbles from the Grave by Robert A. Heinlein / Virginia Heinlein (10/9/22) - NF - 5 stars. Neither new to me nor underappreciated, but I don't understand the people who gave it low stars.  :shrug:  I paid $2 for this at my former favorite thrift store.
No Review.

No DNFs.

Currently reading...  I think I'll pick up one of the cute cozies I snagged from the thrift store next.  Fun!

What's on your reading wrap-up this week?  Last week?  What's ahead for you?

Thursday This n That

When your job requires a great deal of typing and mousing and other hand work, it's probably best to watch that you don't hurt your wrists.  Eh, my wrists were screwed years ago.  They wanna hurt?  Well, fuck 'em.  I've got shit to do.  So there. =op  Like the job I had where I had to be on my feet all day, but my legs are screwed.  Did I hurt?  Hell, yeah.  Did I do my job anyway?  Well, of course I did.  I'm not independently wealthy for pitysakes.  I think even if I was, I'd still be doing something.  Like writing, which lord knows is not easy on the wrists.  Can I get a what-what?

Why yes, I am full of vinegar this morning.  Why do you ask?

If you type FUCK or F*CK, it's the same thing.  You're not fooling anyone.  People don't think you're meaning FACK or FICK.  They know there's a U there.  Yeah, it's not a nice word.  That's the point.  Derp.  Fly and be free.

I try not to swear at work.  It's unprofessional.  So, I try to be creative.  Son of a motherless monkey is my favorite.  When I rack my knee on the edge of my desk... SON OF A MOTHERLESS MONKEY.  Although, I still catch myself saying 'shit' under my breath when something goes wrong.  It's sounds more like ssht but anyone within hearing distance knows what I'm saying.  

I got home from work to 4 spreadsheets that needed doing and today is payday at the side job, so if I wanted to get a check, I needed to get them done before the office opens at 7 (my time) this morning.  I did three last night.  Another one came in while I was doing those, so I finished the last of that and the new one this morning.  Yes, I am a working machine.  Got my timesheet in on time. Yay.

One good thing about the job is that although I am super busy, so is everyone else.  It would royally piss me off if I was this busy and someone was sitting around playing Candy Crush.  I've been in jobs like that.  I'd be there busting my hump while Little Miss Entitlement sat on her ass, doing her nails.  Know what effect that has?  Eventually, I stopped busting my ass.  Then I felt guilty.  Then I found a job where everyone was busting their asses, like they were supposed to, and the previous employer was stuck with no one busting their ass.  Good luck with all that.

Okay, it's getting close to time to get ready for work.  Have to make my lunch, and get dressed, and sundry other pre-work things.  Have a great day.  And feel free to drop your comments.  I'll approve them when I get home.  

Have a great day!

Not Dead

It was pointed out yesterday that, since I haven't been posting, people might be concerned.  No worries.  I just kept forgetting.  Then when I did remember, the time to post had passed.  I was going to post yesterday, but then I tweaked my wrist and typing hurts, so I'm trying to rest it in order that I will be able to type at work.  

All is well.

How are things with you?

Minor Rant

 I tried to cancel a service today.  I mean, it's not like I use it anymore and their policies have become decidedly questionable.  To the point where I do not want them having access to my information anymore. But every time I click the Close Account button, it gives me a message that I still have money in my account and therefore I can't close the account until I do something with the money, so I click the link and it takes me to a broken link page.  I try to do a go-around, but I don't see any money anywhere.  I think the fuckers just don't want another person to cancel their account after the recent mass exodus.  I did remove my CC info, but it won't let me delete my bank info without putting another account in there to replace it.  (Which they then have to verify, of course.)  

If there's money in there, it ain't mine.  They put it in there due to some promotion or other, so they can have it back.  

Eh, I'll mess with it when I have more time.  And the patience to deal with 'customer service'.  Blerg.

(If you can guess which service it is, keep it to yourself.  I'm trying to fly under the radar here.)

Sunday Update - Week 40

Wow.  40 weeks into 2022.  Twelve weeks from 2023.  :shrug:

No writing this week.  Unless you count writing the same verbiage over and over in an endless stream of emails.  Yes, I could copy and paste, but there are sufficient spots where I have to make the emails customer specific and I type fast enough, that no time would actually be saved.  

I didn't finish reading a single book this week.  I'm pretty close to getting that Heinlein thing finished.  Maybe today.

Also, I didn't really do any baking this week.  I did make a big vat of chili yesterday.  Just right for fall weather, I think.

Yesterday, Hubs and I took a 2 mile walk.  I actually don't feel too bad, considering it was the first walk we'd taken in two weeks.  It was a lovely day and we didn't push it.  I was feeling it on the way home, though.  Oof.  Getting up that last hill to the house was a bugger.  

I also did Wallyworld yesterday.  Big fun was had at the pavilion.  (Bonus points if you know the movie that was paraphrased from.)  A while back I discovered the Wallyworld versions of several Little Debbie snacks.  Way cheaper and super yummy.  Not like we actually need Nutty Buddies, Swiss Rolls, and chocolate cupcakes, but who cares?   

Earlier in the week, I was helping move a box through the office.  I was walking backward and bashed my left wrist on a door molding, then about ten feet further on bashed my right wrist on a door knob.  I'm not even sure why there's a door in that spot.  My wrists now look like I was being held hostage.  Fun times.  

Ooo, we have a fox!  We saw him Thursday night, Friday morning, and Saturday morning.  Cool.  He's beautiful with a big fluffy tail and a lovely coat.  (Confession, I don't know if it's a male and I'm not even sure it was the same fox all three times.  Wouldn't it be great if it was a fox family?)  The only issue with having a fox in the neighborhood is it drives the dogs nuts in the middle of the night.  Eh, I'll learn to sleep through the barking.

It's so dry here.  We haven't had any rain since the beginning of September.  They've teased that we would get rain, but it never happened.  Bastards.  The stock ponds in the area are either dry or in full algae bloom.  Hubs is done watering the gardens though.  What lives lives and what doesn't wasn't meant to be anyway.  We're still filling the water pans for the critters, though.  

The bird migration should be coming.  We're already starting to see some of the little birds - warblers and such.  I'm keeping an eye out for eagles.

And that's about it for me today.  How was your Week 40?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 10/8/22

 Hello again.  Not the most interesting post this week.  But here goes...

I bought four new hardcopy books last Saturday, but I talked about those in last week's late edition of the wrap-up.  I also bought one new ebook - a paranormal romantic suspense.  

Books Read:

Umm... I got nothin'.  

DNFs:

10/1/22 - fantasy - 50c.  I was thoroughly disappointed with the quality of the writing in this thing that so many others have loved.  These days, I have so little time to read I didn't want to waste it on something that was making me mentally edit it as I read it.  I tried to lose myself in the story, really I did, but I couldn't.  =o\

Currently reading...  I've been reading that compilation of Robert Heinlein's letters this week and I'm about 2/3rds of the way through, so I will have something next week.  I'm finding it really interesting.

What was on your reading wrap-up for the week?

Thursday This n That

I could've sworn today was Friday.  Bummer.

Long ago, I was a serious Negative Nelly.  And an unpleasant person to be around.  I wasn't happy unless I could find something to bitch about.  One day, way back in college, a co-worker and semi-friend gave me a wake up call.  He told me I'd never get anywhere if I didn't change my attitude.  With way more words and in his pervasive jokester way.  I looked at myself and my life, where I was and where I wanted to be, and l changed my attitude.  Oh, I still get cases of the negatives from time to time... who doesn't?  But I am a way happier person.  Now, there's a negative person in the building where I work.  Not a co-worker, but I see her from time to time and it seems like she's always bitching about something.  I see a bit of my old self in her and I don't like it.  I'm using it, though, to make sure I stay on a more positive track.  

Toxic people... Ugh.  They aren't who the mainstream want you to believe they are.  

Anyway, let's be happy.  Let's be positive.  Spread that shit everywhere.  I think the next time I encounter the negative, I'm going to positive all over it.  Say 'isn't it a BEE YOU TEE FULL day?'.  Or something.  I have to work on my delivery.  

Hubs is driving me to work today so he can take my car in to get the new squeaky brakes replaced by newer not-squeaky brakes.  Warranty work.  Yay.  And thus will end the brakes saga that's been going on for-EVER.  (Okay, so mainly just a lot of this year.  It just feels like forever.  First, the old brakes squealed because they were going bad.  Then the new brakes squeaked because they weren't adjusted right, supposedly.  Now, they just squeak because they were manufactured with a flaw.  Derp.)   Anyway, three cheers for Hubs!  And fingers crossed the mechanics get it right this time.

I don't have to pack a lunch today because the office is buying lunch.  Yay.  I guess it's a kind of thank you for the good job we're doing.  

It's finally cool enough for me to wear all the old work clothes that have been hanging in my closet for ages.  Yesterday, I pulled out a sport jacket (blazer?) that I didn't even remember owning.  Once I brushed the dust off the shoulders, it was quite nice.  Just your basic black blazer.   I also have one in dark blue with burgundy accents.  And a gray one.  And a black one with light nubbies.  And a tan and black one that's done in a very tiny plaid.  Dude, I was all about the blazers 20 years ago.  Thank goodness they're back in fashion.  I'd wear them even if they weren't, though.  They're my style.  But the 20-yr-old in the office assures me they're very cute, so I'm hip.  Or 'gooch', as the kids these days are saying.

Okay, it's 7 o'clock here, which means I should probably get moving in a workerly direction.  Have a great day.  And remember to stay positive!