Happy Halloween!

Got any plans for the holiday? Do you like to dress up? Party? Go out trick-or-treating with the kiddos? I don’t celebrate it all that much. If I’m home (which a lot of the time we’re not, for one reason or another), I’ll hand out candy (or rice krispie treats—which is what I bought this year), but I don’t bother to dress up. We don’t get that many “beggars” around here anyway (I’ll be surprised if we get 20).

Does your neighborhood/city call Halloween “Beggars’ Night”? They call it that around here. Apparently it’s more prominent in Ohio, but I don’t know when it happened (I’ve only lived here since 1991). I always went trick-or-treating or took the kids trick-or-treating on Halloween. Around here, you’re lucky to do that on Halloween. Guess that’s why they call it Beggars’ Night. Or maybe they call it that everywhere now. I can’t tell.

(^^) (^^) (^^)

I think I finished. The novella, that is. I sure hope I finished, anyway. I won’t celebrate until I’ve read it over again today. I’m sure I forgot something. Haha!

It came in just under 24K words, though. Not too shabby.

(^^) (^^) (^^)

Hey, would you believe I cooked last night??? Yeah, I shocked myself. I am trying to start cooking a few nights each week. Not only to save money, but hopefully to save calories. We'll see how it goes.

(^^) (^^) (^^)

Tonight is the last regular season high school football game. Wayne is playing their rivals, Centerville, for the GWOC (Greater Western Ohio Conference) Central championship. At home (yay!). Win or lose, Wayne is guaranteed to play in the playoffs. Centerville needs the win to make it (I think). I hope Wayne crushes them. I’m greedy like that! J

Have a great weekend and don’t eat too much candy!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads

Here’s what I read this week (and I just barely got this one in):

Oct 27: “Chalvaren Rising” by Paula Millhouse, a romantic fantasy at 318 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: Twenty-five years ago, Theo Ansgar abandoned the Kingdom of Chalvaren for a hiding place on another world. Some called him traitor. Some, thief. Now his fully grown daughter Mia must return to the land of her birth…and their war. It was the elf prince Kort Elias who brought her back. Theirs was an instant connection, an inescapable union of body, soul and sorcery, reminding Mia of what she truly is, and what she must become. There is also Magnus, destined to be more potent than any wyrm Chalvaren has ever seen, a three-day-old dragonlet Mia must nurture and then ride. And then there is the Dragonstone, an artifact of power nonpareil. Joined, they can tip the scales of battle against the wraith-possessed forces of darkness, of Mia’s own embittered kin. Redemption will be offered, the protected will become the protector, and an ancient prophecy will come to fruition, but only righteous love can conquer all. If you like a fantasy world, elves, and dragons, give this one a try. But start with the short story, Dragonstone, first. A fun story in itself, and it might help ease a little confusion at the beginning of this book.

I was surprised I didn’t get as much reading finished this past week as I thought I would. But the drive from Cleveland was so pretty this time of year and I wanted to see all the fall colors! Since I drove to Cleveland, dark and early, I got no reading in then, either. And then, when I did have time to read, my Nook had died on me. Wouldn’t have had that problem with a paperback. I think I’ll stick to paper for awhile. It’s not like I’m going anywhere anyway. Homebound for the rest of the year!

So…do you like to read fantasies?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Good News? Not Really.

My surgery has been cancelled indefinitely. Some people might see this as good news. I don’t, necessarily.

It’s strange that I feel a little pissed I won’t be having the surgery. I was under the impression that when they scheduled it, the doctor had looked at all the tests I had gone through back in May. And that the only reason I went through some of the same tests again was to see any differences. But no, that wasn’t the case at all.

It’s like they just looked at the tests I had done last week. And now I’m told that the surgery isn’t a slam dunk. That my mitral valve prolapse isn’t like others. Apparently I have a funky flap (doctor’s words), where the bottom flap is leaking (instead of the top flap) and that the surgery wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t even think the valve could be repaired (I’ve got some calcium thing going on in there that really baffled him), which means it would need to be replaced. A replacement valve would not do me any good now. In fact, it could make things worse (a mechanical replacement valve would put me on blood thinners for the rest of my life). So… since I’m not feeling any symptoms yet, it would be best to wait until I do.

How long will that take? Anywhere from 1-10 years.

FYI – A replacement tissue valve only lasts about 10 years. Another reason to wait.

At least I now know my condition is NOT life threatening. That did concern me. I may get weaker and have trouble catching my breath (the symptoms I’m to expect), but I’m not at risk for a heart attack and I’m not a “ticking time bomb.”

I feel kind of stupid telling everyone about my upcoming surgery now. Makes me think I should just keep quiet about these things. But if I can’t talk about what’s going on in my life, then I might as well not blog. Because I can’t see me blogging just trying to sell my books. No one would stick around for that. I wouldn’t.

Now to change the subject, here are some pictures I took while up in Cleveland. These were taken in Westlake, Ohio, along Lake Erie. I loved seeing some fall colors.

That's Cleveland in the distance.

Wayne High School won their football game Friday night. Still undefeated. We’re playoff bound. Yay!

So… Who’s planning on watching “Supergirl” tonight? I’m really looking forward to that show. Looks fun!

Have a great Monday. J

Stacy

Now I Can Say I’ve Done THAT

Well, I had my heart catheterization procedure yesterday. The procedure itself wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was the recovery that stunk.

I was given a sedative during the procedure, so I was awake during it all, just kind of loopy. Not such a bad state to be in when you don’t want to know what’s going on around your groin area.

But then the nurse had to remove the tube from my groin. Even that was painless. It wasn’t until she had to push down with all her might (I swear it felt like it) to keep the artery from bleeding. That hurt. A lot. For 20 minutes.

Then I had to lie on my back, keep my leg straight and still, for FOUR HOURS. Okay, they lifted my head up a little (very little) so I could eat (they provided me dinner, which my husband had to feed to me). I wasn’t allowed to lift my neck or move my leg. You try doing that for four hours and see how you feel. It’s especially bad when you have an itch.

Then you have my husband, who decided to have some fun. I was told I had to drink plenty of water to flush the die out of my system. I asked him for some water. He proceeded to dip his fingers in the cup and flick the water in my face.

Now, is that the sign of a loving husband or what? Of course, I laughed (which he knew I would) and I told him if he even tried that sh*t after my surgery, I would take a baseball bat to him. I don’t know if I want to laugh after the surgery. It’ll probably hurt!

Anyway, you should have seen the way he fed me dinner. Kind of hard to eat while laughing AND lying on your back.

Oh, and by the way, the catheterization went well. I have no blockage anywhere. My arteries are AWESOME! It’s just my valve that’s broken. It was nice to hear how HEALTHY I am otherwise. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, though (allergies, knee, feet).

Today I get to see my surgeon and then get cleared for surgery. We’re hoping to get out of here in time to see the football game, but it’ll be cutting it close. My last appointment is with admitting at 2pm. We’ve got a 3+ hour drive ahead of us. Our luck, we’ll hit rush hour traffic!

Have a great weekend. I’m certainly going to try. J

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and a Busy Week

Home for a few hours yesterday, only to leave bright and early (or would that be dark and early?) this morning for Cleveland. At least I’m getting some reading done. I’m now six books ahead of schedule with only 12 left to reach my goal. I have a feeling I’ll meet it this year, no problem!

Here’s what I read this week:

Oct 14: “About a Vampire” by Lynsay Sands, #22 in the Argeneau Vampire series, a paranormal romance at 357 pages. Blurb from book: With immortal good looks and scorching charisma, Justin Bricker has yet to meet a woman he can’t win over. His potential life mate should be no different. But instead of falling into his bed, Holly Bosley runs away and ends up mortally wounded. To save her, he has to turn her. And then Bricker learns the shocking truth: Holly’s already married. Holly wakes up with a bump on her head, a craving for blood, and a sexy stranger who insists they belong together. She needs Bricker’s help to control her new abilities, even as she tries to resist his relentless seduction. Choosing between the world she knows and the eternity he offers is impossible. But Justin is fighting for his life mate—maybe even his life—and he’ll break every rule to do it… When I saw Justin was finally getting his own book, I was happy. He’s been in so many of the other books, usually the comic relief, and one of my favorite characters. But poor Justin. Even I wouldn’t have dreamed how cruel he’d be treated. He might have harassed a few dozen people, but he never sabotaged their love life. And really, I would have thought he’d realize what was happening well before he did. Still, it was a good romance and I enjoyed his story very much. This is one of my most favorite series. Always a good time reading these books.

Oct 16: “Kiss Chase” by Danica Avet, #3 in the Crushes to Cravings Tale, a contemporary erotic romance at 57 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: Falling for Hyde Parker was easy to do—Ava Boudreaux managed that feat before the second grade—but making him see her as more than a friend seems next to impossible. Desperate to start a new life somewhere Hyde-free, Ava is on the verge of accepting a job in a new city when the opportunity of a lifetime falls into her lap. It’ll mean staying in Grand Terre and using every ounce of willpower she has to keep from making a fool of herself over Hyde. Hard enough to do when they live in the same town, how’s she going to manage when they work together? Chasing and kissing Ava was a lot easier when they were in grade school. Back then all he had to do was run and tackle. Now that’s considered stalking and assault, leaving Hyde needing more subtle means of showing her how much he loves her. Being her protector, watching from afar and hoping that one day their relationship statuses would match up hasn’t worked well so far. Now Hyde knows it’s time to step up his game before he loses Ava for good. It’ll take some maneuvering, a little manipulation and lots of scorching hot kisses to bring this extended game of Kiss Chase to an end. I really enjoyed the story and the sex scenes were especially steamy, but I didn’t like how it ended on a cliffhanger. Then again I despise cliffhangers! I didn’t read the first two in this series and maybe it would have helped understand why there was a cliffhanger. I didn’t realize the title was the name of a kid’s game. I’ve never heard of it before (although, back when I was 9 or 10 I did chase some boys around and kiss them. Hmmm…).  

Oct 19: “Myth and Magic” by Mae Clair, a romantic suspense at 252 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: Veronica Kent fell in love with Caith Breckwood when they were children. As a teenager, she was certain he was the man she was destined to marry. But a traumatic event from Caith's past led him to fear a future together. He left Veronica, hoping to save her from a terrible fate. Twelve years later, Caith, now a P.I., is hired to investigate bizarre incidents at the secluded retreat Veronica manages. Returning to his hometown, Caith is forced to face his nightmares—and his feelings for the woman he’s always loved. After the callous way Caith broke her heart, Veronica isn’t thrilled to see him again. But strange occurrences have taken a dangerous toll on business at Stone Willow Lodge. Forced to work together, Veronica discovers it isn’t ghostly apparitions that frighten her, but her passion for a man she has never forgotten. Or forgiven. Can two people with a tarnished past unearth a magical future? Something made me think this was a ghost story, but it’s not and that ended up being okay because it turned out to be a romantic suspense. I love those, too! Got caught up in the story right away and had a hard time putting it down. But reading this right after Kiss Chase kind of messed up my mind. They both start with a couple who knew each other as kids, so of course, I kept getting them mixed up. Ooops.

Oct 19: “Felt Tips: Office Supply Erotica” edited by Tiffany Reisz, a collection of erotic short stories at 306 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: The World’s Greatest Charity Anthology of Office-Supply-Related Erotica! This might have been a charity book, but I got it free when I attended RT2014. I’ve been reading this book for awhile (since August). Usually whenever I just wanted to read something quick. It’s good for that. You’ll find almost any kind of erotica in this collection—m/f, m/m, f/f, f/m/f—and there are LOTS of stories. After awhile I skipped through the f/f (they just don’t interest me). There were some good ones in this collection but most of them were just okay.

I expect I’ll be getting more reading in this week. At least I’ve been warned to bring a book during one of my procedures. Fun! Not. 

So… how’s your reading coming along?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Traveling, Footy, Fan Girling, and Ugh

I’m spending a long time in the car today without access to my phone. Why? Because we’re using it for the GPS—Waze. Have you ever used that app? I think I like it better than the Garmin. Plus, people will report when they’ve spotted the police, as well as accidents or hazards in the road. Kind of stuff that comes in handy when you’re traveling.

Anyway, won’t have my phone, so I won’t be able to check messages or this blog. I tried to use my laptop and connect via the hotspot on the way to Austin, but trying to read anything on the laptop screen when the sun is shining on it is pretty much impossible. That, and the laptop just gets me HOT. I have enough trouble with hot flashes as it is.

Of course, driving north, I might want some warmth, huh? I’ve heard it was kind of cold back home. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Weather in Austin was WONDERFUL, though. Sunny and warm. The warm probably wasn’t so good for the footy players, but I enjoyed it. As for the tournament…

My daughter’s team won their first game, lost their second game just as time ran out, and got their socks knocked off in their third game by the eventual winners of their division (although my daughter was kind of proud that they scored the most points against that team – 12). They performed much better as a team this year than last, when they lost all their games and scored a total of 1 point. Yeah, you read that right.

Oh, and my daughter did NOT break her foot again. Just don’t ask about her ankle. I know I’m afraid to.

While in Austin I was able to meet up with Meg Gardiner Saturday for dinner. She’s not only one of my favorite authors, we went to the same high school, having graduated the same year, even. We lived a couple of blocks from each other (my parents and her mother still do!), but never hooked up in school (although our sisters were friends). We met several years ago when she was in Dayton for a book signing (she was living in England at the time). Since then I’ve been stalking following her via her blog and Facebook. J And I’ve read ALL her books. You should too. They’re great reads.

It was so neat to talk to her and I’m so glad we were able to finally get together (I tried when I discovered she was in Santa Barbara the same time I was in March 2014, but it didn’t work out).

This is going to be a busy week for me, and one that won’t involve a lot of writing. After we get home on Tuesday, we get to leave bright and early on Wednesday for the first of my pre-surgery appointments, when I get another EKG and echocardiogram. But the not-so-fun thing is the heart catheterization on Thursday. Supposed to determine how much they’ll cut me during surgery (if I have any heart blockages or something like that). Since I have appointments on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we’re just staying up in Cleveland Wed & Thu nights. I’m hoping we’ll be able to leave early enough on Friday so we can make the Wayne HS football game at 7pm. I’d like to go to the game. We’re still undefeated!!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, it’s about a 3-hour drive (depending on traffic). I can’t imagine what that drive will feel like in November. **groan**

I think that’s what scares me the most: how much pain will I feel? I don’t want to get hooked on pain meds or anything like that. I hate taking pills!

Still… I feel the same facing this surgery as I did when I was pregnant with our first born. Not looking forward to all the pain, but knowing there was no way around it. J

Thanks for sticking around. I’ll reply to comments (if any) eventually (probably Tuesday). Happy Monday!

Stacy

Can You be Sick and Not Know? Yep.

I’d like to think I wasn’t sick, but I am, even though I feel fine (well, except for my knee, but that doesn’t count). I’ve had mitral valve prolapse since I was a kid (I remember going through all the tests at the UCLA Medical Center). I was always told my heart murmur was just an extra heartbeat, so I never worried about it. Heck, the U.S. Army let me in with it. Then back in April I went to the doctor because of my cough (which turned out to be allergies, remember that?). I even mentioned HERE that he’d heard my heart murmur and suggested I have another EKG -- which turned into an echocardiogram -- and that I wasn’t worried one bit!

Except… Those tests determined that the valve is leaking, and in the severe range. I didn’t even know I’d been in a mild range. So when the doctor said the only way to fix it was through open heart surgery, and that I would need it within the next 5 years, I went into shock a little.

This news tanked my writing a bit. Okay, maybe a lot. I went to a retreat, RT, and RAGT with this weighing on me. I didn’t want to tell anyone until I had all the information.

I needed some questions answered and my cardiologist on base suggested I get another opinion up at the Cleveland Clinic (because they do these surgeries all the time). He said if they could fix it, I should have the surgery now. If they thought it was beyond fixing and needed to be replaced, then I should wait until I start having symptoms. That’s because replacement valves only last 10-15 years, requiring another surgery in my future. Plus, I’d be on blood thinners the rest of my life. Yeah, I don’t want that!

Turns out they feel it can be fixed. I’m scheduled to have surgery on November 2nd. Talk about motivation to get my novella finished this month. I have no idea what kind of shape I’ll be in after. They’re gonna have to break my breast bone. That can’t feel good!

I should be in intensive care for a couple of days after the surgery, but should (SHOULD) be released in 5 days. Yeah, that shocked me, too. But I sure hope that’s the case. I don’t want to stay in the hospital any longer than I need to. In any case, my daughter will have access to my blog and Facebook page and will post the results of the surgery (since I’m pretty sure I won’t feel like blogging for the first couple of days after).

And this is why I feel I won’t be continuing with my exercise routine this fall/winter. I’ll be on cardiac physical therapy (hubby will have to take me—I won’t be allowed to drive for about 8 weeks), but I’m sure it won’t include weight lifting (at least what I’m used to). Heck, I was told I shouldn’t lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for several weeks after. It’s a bummer, but I sure hope all this exercise I’m doing now will help in the healing process.

I hope you don’t mind me sharing all this with you. Hubby doesn’t like to talk about it so much (can’t blame him; sometimes I think he’s freaking out inside more than I am) and sometimes it makes me feel better if I can rant (and I have some pre-surgery appointments coming up that I might want to discuss).

One thing I was surprised when informing some people, was finding others who have the same condition I do. I’m letting them know not to ignore it like I did. That they should get tested regularly. Maybe they won’t need surgery, but if they do it’s better to find out sooner than later.

Hopefully I haven’t bummed out your weekend. I plan on having fun watching my daughter play Footy in the USAFL Nationals in Austin, TX. I hope she wins some games and doesn’t end up with another broken foot (yeah, she did that last year!).

Thanks for reading. See you on Monday.

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Undeliverable Comments

I’ve noticed recently that almost every blog I comment on, my comments are undeliverable (at least I’m getting a Mailer Daemon for them). Guess it’s that aol account I have. Thing is, that account is tied to my blog, so I’m not about to change it. Does anyone else have this problem? Did you find a solution (short of changing e-mail accounts)? If so, please share.

Here’s what I read this week:

Oct 7: “Brighter Than the Sun” by Darynda Jones, #8.5 in the Charley Davidson series, an urban fantasy at 106 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: All his life, Reyes Alexander Farrow has suffered the torments of the damned. Only one thing has given him hope: the woman who radiates a light that no mortals can see; a light that only the departed can see... Told from his point of view, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN chronicles the first time Reyes ever encountered Charley, and how their relationship has been the one thing that can either save him or doom him. Even though it doesn’t have the humor the rest of the series has (since those are told from Charley’s point of view and she’s a hoot), I love reading Reyes’ point of view. This one is a darker story, but still, it’s Reyes! I do love him so (even though he is the son of Satan) and I zipped right through this prequel novella. I just hope it eventually comes out in print so I can add it to my collection. I love this series!

Yes, my reading has slowed a little. Probably because I’m so close to the end of my novella. Yay! I’m hoping to get that thing finished this week. I have, like, maybe two more scenes to write. And then I have to hope I didn’t write garbage. Because sometimes I wonder…

TV watching update: Quit watching “The Grinder” and getting really close to quitting “Quantico,” too (that show is a confusing mess, but hubby wants to give it one more try). However, I finally watched the first three episodes of “Rosewood” and I’m enjoying that one.

So… Is it getting cooler where you live? Does that make you happy or sad? Last year it made me sad. This year it’s not bothering me too much. Yet. Then again, it hasn’t gotten really cold. Yet. J

Happy Reading!

Stacy

My Exercise Routine

Wasn’t sure if you all would be interested in this, but I thought since I have mentioned that I exercise, that maybe you’d like to know exactly what it is I do when I’m at the fitness center. I usually work the weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and walk 3-4 miles (depending on knee) on Tuesday and Thursday (preferably outside, but on the treadmill when the weather isn’t nice).

Before working the weights, I usually warm-up with a 20-min walk on the treadmill. Of course, if I’m reading a really good book, the walk will be longer and if my knee is bugging me, the walk will be shorter. I do try to get around a mile walked, though.

As with all my weight routines, I started out with a weight I could do 4 sets of 8 repetitions without killing myself. As the repetitions become easy, I increase them by 1 or 2. When I reach 15 repetitions, I increase the weight and start over with 4 sets of 8 (unless that’s too easy). I’ve been doing it this way for awhile, but then something happens (like winter or an illness or an injury) and I stop going. When I eventually return to the fitness center (and I do—I refuse to pay for it and not use it, plus I’ll gain weight!), I then have to start all over again. I’ll probably have to start all over again after this fall/winter, but that’s another story I’m saving for Friday.

Here are the exercises I currently work (I started going back to the fitness center regularly in April (after stopping in Dec) and I’ve been good in continuing!):

Chest Press & Chest Fly (2 separate exercises, but I’ve been advancing at the same time): Now: 20-lb dumbbells, 4 sets of 6 reps. April: 10-lb, 4 sets of 8.

Bicep Curl: Now: 15-lb dumbbells, 4 sets of 8. April: 10-lb, 2 sets of 10.

Reverse Flyes: Now: 12-lb dumbbells, 4 sets of 8. April: 10-lb, 2 sets of 10. This works my shoulders.

Lying Tricep Extension: Now: 10-lb dumbbells, 4 sets of 8. I started this exercise in August (10-lb, 4 sets of 4). It’s harder than it looks, that’s for sure!

Sit-up Crunches (no weight involved): Now: 1 set of 100 reps. April: 4 sets of 40. In July I attempted leg lifts to work the stomach muscles (since I’d gotten up to 4 sets of 100) and ended up pulling one! I didn’t start up again with this exercise until last month. I’m taking it easier now.

Seated Abdominal Crunch (machine): Now: 45-lb, 4 sets of 15. July: 40-lb, 4 sets of 12 (this is the exercise I started after my stomach muscle healed).

Leg Press (machine): Now: 80-lb, 4 sets of 15. April: 35-lb, 4 sets of 10.

Butt Blaster (actually, a standing hip extension machine): Now: 50-lb, 4 sets of 11. May: 30-lb, 4 sets of 15. This is a killer exercises and my least favorite! I used to do the kneeling hip extension, but my knees couldn’t take it anymore.

Seated Leg Curl (machine): Now: 100-lb, 4 sets of 12. April: 50-lb, 4 sets of 10.

Seated Leg Extension (machine): Now: 90-lb, 4 sets of 9. May: 70-lb, 4 sets of 12.

Seated Hip Abductor (machine): Now: 100-lb, 4 sets of 8. April: 70-lb, 4 sets of 10. This works the outside hip muscles.

Seated Hip Adductor (machine): Now: 110-lb, 4 sets of 14. April: 70-lb, 4 sets of 10. This works the inner thighs.

I’m thinking I should probably do some kind of high-intensity exercise, but not sure if I should bother right now. My knee might not be able to take it anyway. I used to attend a step class way back in 2008 (man what a workout that was, too), but the class is only offered in the early evening and I go to the fitness center in the morning now (between 6:30-7:00am). I like exercising in the morning a whole bunch better than the afternoon/evening. I’m more motivated then.

So… Did you find this interesting? Do you exercise? What kind of routines do you do? Or is this a crappy thing to talk about on a Monday? J

Have a great day!

Stacy

I Watched Hockey Last Night and Fell Asleep

True story. I might have stayed awake if the Penguins scored or something. Boo!

Last night was busy. Met with some friends for dinner. Always love getting together with them. We all used to work in the same department (cost accounting). I swear, we were the best team ever. Then the company decided to break us up (actually, they broke up cost accounting, which turned out to be a huge mistake). It all went downhill from there. But we still get together occasionally even though only one of us still works there.

So, that’s why I didn’t post anything for this morning’s post. You just ignore the fact I had all day yesterday to write something, okay? J

Tonight is football night (for high school, that is). It rained last Friday (cold and windy, too…brrr). Tonight looks to be a little better. Warmer, for sure. But rain is forecasted. I hope it doesn’t rain. Grrr… Our football team is doing really well this year, though. Undefeated so far. Barring a catastrophe, we should be playing in the playoffs. I hope we make it all the way to state again this year. That was fun!

So… Do you ever get together with former co-workers? This is the only bunch I’ve ever done that with. That’s how much I love them!

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Exercising Pains

You know, when you’re trying to get into shape, it doesn’t help when your body decides to fight back. At least that’s what seems to be happening to me. On Monday I worked out at the gym for nearly two hours. TWO. HOURS. That included a 30 minute warm-up walk. My knee was fine on Monday night. I got up Tuesday to walk. Stupid knee starts acting up before I even reach the end of my street. Instead of walking 4 miles at a 17 min/mile (a brisk pace for me and a goal I’m trying to obtain), I walked 3 miles at a 20 min/mile. And my knee hurt for the rest of the afternoon. How can I expect to get in shape if my knee protests?

Now, this has been happening to me on and off for the past couple of months, so I got my knee checked out. It’s possible I’m getting arthritis. Doesn’t seem fair. I know, I know, nothing in life is fair. Tell me about it! ***grumble, grumble, grumble***

Here’s what I read this week:

Oct 6: “Hard To Come By” by Laura Kaye, #3 in the Hard Ink series, a romantic suspense at 366 pages. Blurb from book: Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there. When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the sibling she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting their desire and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust. As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let it slip away… Great story. Even though there are only the two points of view (Derek’s and Emilie’s—duh), it’s still a suspenseful read with lots of action. Along with lots of sexy stuff. Love the sexy stuff.

So…Have you ever had a body part sabotage your plans? Because I swear, it does seem like sabotage to me.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Blogging Temperatures

Hot—lots to blog about. Cold—not so much. Last month it was hot. Right now it’s cold (meaning boring). So what do I blog about?

Hmmm… Did you watch 60 minutes last night? What did you think about the self-driving car? Do you think it’s the car of the future? I remember way back in the 60s, when I was in elementary school, my teacher said we (meaning our class) would experience self-driving cars. Seems she wasn’t too far off, huh?

Would you ever “drive” one of those cars? I’m not so sure I would feel comfortable in one. Probably because of this dream I had, but still… That’s a lot of trust to put into a computer.

Have a great Monday. Hopefully I’ll finish the book I’m reading so I have something to blog on Wednesday! J

Stacy

Striking Out on the New Season and Some Hockey Fun

I’ve finally watched some new series this year. I’m beginning to wonder why I bother. These are the shows:

The Muppets – I think I laughed at one thing during the first episode (I’ll tell you what, later). It’s supposed to be a comedy, right? I miss the old Muppets.

The Grinder – I fell asleep through part of the first episode. Not a good sign, huh? But I like Rob Lowe, so I’ll give it another try. But if I fall asleep through the next episode… CUT!

Quantico – Really confusing beginning, but I’m willing to give it another episode or two.

Scream Queens – Couldn’t even get through the first episode. It wasn’t scary. It wasn’t funny. It was just bad.

Blindspot – The first episode wasn’t awful, but it just didn’t interest me. Then again, my husband is the one who wanted to record it in the first place, not me. I’ll probably end up watching it because he is.

Rosewood – Haven’t even watched the first episode yet. Wondering if I should, now. Hmmm…

It’s probably just as well I’m striking out. It’s not like I need to add to the long list of shows I currently watch. What do I watch? Well, here’s the list (in no particular order):

Madame Secretary; Sleepy Hollow; Masters of Sex; Rizzoli & Isles; The Big Bang Theory*; 2 Broke Girls*; Hawaii Five-O; Elementary; Mom*; NCIS: New Orleans; NCIS; Bones; Amazing Race; Survivor*; Castle; The Vampire Diaries; Arrow; Flash; Gotham**; Masters of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Agent Carter (if it comes back) and New Girl***

*Not a fan of the show, but Hubby watches it and I’m usually in the room with him (I’ve told him he can watch without me, though).

**Lost Season 1 of Gotham on the DVR (when that thing fried), but liked what we saw of the first couple of episodes, so we’re waiting to see it on DVD (we’re like 90th on the library wait list) and will record & save Season 2 until we can watch it.

***I’m not so sure I want to watch this show anymore.

Hmmm… Did I say I WASN’T a TV junkie? Looks like I am, doesn’t it? Most of the time the shows pile up and we watch them during the winter or spring breaks. Or my husband just likes watching particular series all at once (like Masters of Sex—we have yet to watch the first episode). When he teaches a couple of nights a week, or there’s a hockey/football/baseball game on, we get behind in a lot of our series watching.

Now for that joke from The Muppets: A female Muppet said to a male Muppet, “Did you know the band’s original name was Imagine Dragons?” He said, “That is their name.” She said, “I know. They kept it.”

For some reason it made me laugh. Too bad the rest of the show didn’t.

Last night I watched “Slap Shot” for the first time. Heck, I’d never even heard of the movie until Tuesday (and if you’ve never heard of it, it’s a crude hockey movie starring Paul Newman made back in 1977). The Penguins were playing Tampa Bay (on TV!) in Johnstown, PA, the winning city of the Kraft Hockeyville contest. Well, Johnstown’s War Memorial Arena is where “Slap Shot” was filmed, so of course they were showing lots of clips from the movie. I told my daughter I wanted to see the movie. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she owns a copy. Fun movie! Don’t know if I would have appreciated it as much before I became a hockey fan, though, so maybe it’s good I didn’t watch it until now.

Still, I’m shocked I didn’t know about this Paul Newman movie. Shocked, I tell you! J

So… Do you watch any of the same shows I do? Which ones? Have you ever watched “Slap Shot”?

Have a great weekend! I think I’ll be watching some football. Go Bucks! J

Stacy