Finished Reading “The Killing Edge” and Happy July 4th

Happy Fourth of July! People are celebrating all over and not just on Tuesday. Our city had fireworks last night. I think downtown Dayton is having theirs on Monday night. Does anyone actually celebrate ON the day anymore?

Hubby and I are spending Tuesday morning at the movie theatre to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Then… nothing. Might have to figure out what to cook for dinner, although I’m sure restaurants will be open. Guess we’ll just celebrate quietly. Well, as quiet as the neighbors make it. There’s always someone, somewhere close, setting off fireworks.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 34

Dates read: Jun 27 – July 2, 2023
Title: The Killing Edge
Year of publication: 2010
Author: Heather Graham
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Series: Harrison Investigations #10
# of Pages: 366
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased used
Blurb from Book: Chloe Marin was lucky. She was just a teenager when a beachside party mansion turned into a bloodbath. According to authorities, the killers were later found dead in the swamp. Chloe’s not so sure.
    Ten years later, as a psychologist consulting with the cops, she gets drawn in to the disappearance of a swimsuit model. Everyone assumes the girl ran off for some fun in the sun—everyone but Chloe, who’s been visited by the model’s ghost.
    Someone else is interested in the dead girl: Luke Cane, a P.I. investigating the disappearance for her father. Chloe and Luke barely trust one another, but they agree on the important things—they will bend the law to catch these killers, and there is an undeniable attraction between them.
    When another mass murder occurs, Chloe’s beginning to think her presence is no longer a coincidence…
My thoughts: Good story (although I think I figured out whodunnit—sort of—early on). This appears to be the end of the series, not that the books were all tied together. I could have read them out of order, but why would I? I enjoyed this series a lot. Loved all the ghosts! Sorry to see there aren’t any more.

Daughter and I went to a concert at Riverbend (Cincinnati) last night to see Metric, Garbage, and Noel Gallagher. I went to see Metric, Daughter went to see Garbage (although, I like them, too!). Noel Gallagher used to be in Oasis, but I didn’t recognize anything he played (neither did Daughter). We were amused at how many people left after Garbage’s performance and didn’t return for Noel.

Oh, and we barely made it back home before the storms hit. It was like a race! One I’m glad we won. The sky opened up just as I finished parking and headed for the garage. Whew!

So… are you celebrating on Tuesday (or some other day)? Been to any concerts this year? Please share!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Merry Christmas!

If you celebrate the holiday, Merry Christmas! If you celebrate something else, Happy Holidays! Yesterday was the first day of winter and now I can expect the days to start getting longer again. Of course, I have to suffer through snow and cold before the longer days bring warmer weather, but I have to look at the positives here!

Our Christmas should be warm and wet this year. Warm being near 60 degrees. And that’s a lot warmer than it is today (at 30). Doesn’t matter if it rains, it’s way better than snow, so I’ll take what I can.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 57

Dates read: December 10-20, 2021
Title: The Way You Bite
Year of publication: 2017
Author: Zoe Forward
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Blood Wars #1
# of Pages: 223
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from the Goodreads: When King Werewolf shows up in veterinarian Vee Scarpa's ER, she's livid.
    Her father, North American head honcho vampire, has threatened a chilling or else if she "accidentally" helped a wolf again, especially since they're at war. But she's tempted by the sexy wolf. And his deadly blood calls to her in a way that should set off warning bells...
    A promise to his brother in arms obliges Lexan Dimitrov to rescue the aristocrat vampire before her family discovers her secret—a secret Vee herself isn't even aware of. What he didn't expect was to find her sexy-as-hell. He's not into vamps, yet the inescapable heat building between them is a delicious temptation guaranteed to end in total disaster.
My thoughts: This is book 1 in a series, so there are some loose ends to the overall story (basically about the war between vamps and wolves), but the romance is contained in this book with a satisfying ending, so all’s good there. I enjoyed this for the most part. I had a few issues with the plot, especially at the end, but others might not even realize the issue. Will I get the next book in the series? Probably.

So… do you go to the movies on Christmas day? It’s a good possibility we may, but finding a movie everyone wants to see will be the issue.  I know what I want to see, but not everyone is into football movies (Kurt Warner fan, here). Got any recommendations?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

There’s Still Time to Vote!

The Strut Your Stuff Contest is still open for voting. Ghostly Interlude is included in the paranormal/sci-fi category. If you’ve rated it, thank you! If not, it’s not too late. Contest runs through May 3^rd.

Here’s the link again:
http://www.maineromancewriters.com/p/book-cover-contest.html.

The weather has been warm (and dry) enough to go walking outside. I’m not going far, yet, but it’s a start. I’m certainly walking faster (and farther) outside than I was on the treadmill. And I enjoy exploring my new neighborhood. Especially since it’s growing with new construction.

So… Do you plan on seeing Avengers: Endgame this weekend? I wanted to, but most of the seats are already sold out for this weekend. Have to see if Hubby can go into work late during the week and get tickets for the first showing (since it’s cheaper then). So I do plan on seeing it. Looks good!

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Movies

Christmas time is movie time for us. In the theater and on DVDs. On Christmas Eve our daughter came over and we watched “Love, Actually,” “While You Were Sleeping,” and “Lethal Weapon.” I hadn’t seen “Lethal Weapon” in years! Still love it. Then on Christmas the whole family went to the theatre and saw “Mary Poppins Returns” (which was a very good movie). Came home after dinner and then Hubby and I watched “Donovan’s Reef” (one of Hubby’s favorites—John Wayne—which is also set during Christmas).

Here’s what I finished reading this week:

Book #55

Dates read: December 18-20
Title: The Crooked Staircase
Year of publication: 2018
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Series:  Jane Hawk #3
# of Pages: 462
Paper or plastic: Hardback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: “I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.” Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—and free will—of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead…or make her wish she was.
    Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.
My thoughts: Have you ever watched “The Stepford Wives”? That’s what this series kind of reminds me of. Only worse. Much worse. I ripped through this book, and was a little disappointed that it left me hanging a bit. I have the next one to read, and I want to read it, but now I wonder if I should wait. The fifth (and supposedly final) book in the series isn’t due out until May. One way or another I’m waiting. But what if the next book has an even WORSE cliffhanger? Yeah, I think I’ll just wait until the last book comes out.

Book #56

Dates read: December 21-23
Title: Waking the Dead
Year of publication: 2014
Author: Heather Graham
Genre: Paranormal mystery romance
Series:  Cafferty & Quinn #2
# of Pages: 360
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: They say a painting can have a life of its own… In the case of Ghosts in the Mind painted by Henry Sebastian Hubert, that’s more than just an expression. The characters are reputed to come to life—and to kill. The artist was a friend of Lord Byron and Mary Shelley, joining them in Switzerland in 1816, and now, almost two hundreds years later, the painting appears in New Orleans. Wherever it goes, death seems to follow.
     Danielle Cafferty and Michael Quinn, occasional partners in solving crime, are drawn into the case. They begin to make connections between that summer in Switzerland and this spring in Louisiana. Danni, the owner of an eccentric antique shop, and Quinn, a private detective, have discovered that they have separate but complementary talents when it comes to investigating unusual situations.
    Blending their personal relationship with the professional lives they’ve stumbled into, they confront this work of art…and evil. They have to discover what brings it to life. And they have to destroy it—before it destroys them.
My thoughts: Very good mystery with lots of creepy stuff. It had been awhile since I read book 1, but I managed to get back into this world easy enough. No cliffhangers, either!

So… Do you find yourself watching a lot of movies during the holidays? Which ones?

Happy Reading! And I hope your Christmas was splendid!

Stacy

Cleaning, Nibbles, and My Teams

A cleaning we accomplished

Hubby and I actually got the garage straightened up. Was able to actually get TWO cars in there, too. Problem? You can’t walk between them (or get out of the car all that easy). This garage is a bit narrower than the one at the old house (although the driveway is wider, which is really nice). Until we get a shed, it looks like only one car (the fun car) will get parked in the garage.

But we accomplished what we set out to do, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Nibbles but no bites
Got an offer on the house. Turned it down (we want to sell it, not give it away). They came back with another offer. We countered that. That was last week. Don’t know if they’ve reconsidered or if the delay is due to the holiday. Hopefully we find out this week. No one has scheduled to see the house since then.

I’ll blame the holiday for that.

My teams and other games
Ohio State massacred that team up north. It was awesome.

The Penguins beat the Blue Jackets on Saturday. That was awesome, too. Even better, I got to watch it on TV (thanks Fox Sports Ohio!!). Not happy they lost on Friday to the Bruins, but at least it was in OT, so one point is better than none.

USC fell again. I was really hoping they’d beat Notre Dame. I’ve never liked them.

LSU and Texas A&M went into 7 overtimes! SEVEN!!! I was going to watch it after the USC game (only because it looked to be a good game), but it wasn’t telecast here. Probably just as well. I don’t know if I could  have lasted that long anyway.

The Browns actually won another game? And against the Bengals? Yeah, I had to laugh at that. I’m okay with that outcome, though. It helps the Steelers. Because…

The Steelers lost! Ugh. I really thought they were going to pull another one out of their ass. They can be so frustrating to watch. But I love them anyway.

So… Friday was movie day for the family. We went and saw Robin Hood. This is a completely different type of Robin Hood story. But I enjoyed it. Lots of action and adventure. Do you like it when people “change” the story of an iconic character? Even though I’ve seen a few Robin Hood movies, none of them are like the book (or so Hubby says). Neither is this new one, so there’s that.

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I’m Writing

I think I reported earlier this year that I was writing. Unfortunately, that didn’t last. And I’m only on day four of a streak, but I truly believe it’s different this time. I may actually meet my goal of writing 5000 words this month. I credit it all to that brain-storming meeting I had last week. Those ladies really helped me figure out two of my characters (or at least gave me some great ideas) and apparently it was all that I needed. I still need work on my hero, but I’ll let him come to me slowly. It was my heroine and villain which needed the most help, because I came to realize that they’re pivotal to my story.

Don’t you love it when a story starts taking root?

Here’s what I finished reading this week:

Book #9

Dates read: March 5-10
Title: “Wicked Kiss”
Year of publication: 2017
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Realm Enforcers #4
# of Pages: 261
Paper or plastic: Paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: Working as an informant for the DEA, Victoria Monzelle is used to living on the edge. But she’s not a big fan of getting kidnapped. And definitely not by a bunch of bad boy witches with fancy-colored fire to shoot at people. So when Adam Dunne shows up and claims to be a witch enforcer she’s not going to put her life in his hands based on his word, no matter how smooth and smart and beautifully Irish his words sound. But on the run from a tribunal of witches, she isn’t going to make it far…
    Before she knows it, Adam’s word is all that stands between her and execution. Sophisticated, just-gotta-ruffle-him Adam has vowed to make her his one eternal mate, wild and unpredictable as she is—to save her from a sentence of certain death. But Tori isn’t interested in being anyone’s pity date. And if they think she’s unpredictable now, they should see what’s coming next…
My thoughts: Fast-paced, lots of action, and romance to boot. What’s not to love?

I watched “It” (the movie) last night. Since the mini-series was six hours long, I wondered what was being cut out of the movie. Exactly what I thought: the grown-up part. I guess that comes in Chapter 2? It’d been decades since I read the book last (and yes, I’ve read it more than once), but the movie seemed pretty close to what I remember, so I’ll give it a thumbs up.

On Sunday and Monday I binge-watched Wonderfalls. My daughter had brought over the DVDs for me to watch and since Hubby is away on business (he returns late tonight), I thought it’d be a good time to watch it (after reaching my writing goal for the day). What a quirky show. Have you ever seen it?

So… What do you do when your significant other is away on business? 

Happy Reading! Oh, and Happy Pi Day!

Stacy

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Eight years ago yesterday (not date, but holiday) I posted my first blog. If you’re curious to read it, click HERE.

Hard to believe how quickly those eight years went by. And how much has happened in my publishing endeavor during that time. I’d written my first novel in 2009. And now, eight years later, my sixth book is due to be released and I’m working on my eighth book.

What happened to book #7 (well… actually book #5)? That’s my alien story. I LOVE it, don’t get me wrong, but I’d feel better having written the next book in that series before releasing it (and no ideas are popping into my head!). Of course, I’d had hopes of getting an agent with that book, but now I’m not so sure I want to go that route. I think it would add too much pressure for me to write more often and frankly, I don’t need it! If I write slow, I write slow. It’s not like I’m doing this to make a LIVING. I just want to do it for supplemental retirement income (you know, when Hubby finally retires and we lose that big paycheck). And if my publishing career takes off, I wouldn’t mind owning a second home someplace warmer. But that’s all in dream land and I live in the real world.

For now.

Today is movie day for the family and we’re going to see “Murder on the Orient Express.” Actually getting the whole family together for this one. I’m hoping our granddaughter (who is 11) enjoys it. But we asked before picking the movie, so it’s not like a total surprise for her.

Then later I’m hoping Hubby, Daughter, and I will get out to see the Thor movie. With all the football going on this weekend, it’s the only time we can go and not pay premium prices.

I can’t believe matinees on the weekend end before 4pm. I refuse to pay $12.25 for a movie! I can buy the DVD for the price it would take both of us to go.

So… What are you up to this day? Did you get up early to shop? I do most of my bargain shopping on line, but I’m sure I’ll get out and do some regular, idea-churning, shopping later on. Or just wait until the cruise and hope inspiration strikes then.

Happy Friday!

Stacy

No Wednesday Reads But I Saw Wonder Woman

Gosh, with the way I’ve been reading lately, I didn’t think this day would happen. But it has. I haven’t finished a book in the past week. I am reading one, but I just haven’t had the time. Too much other crap is going on and, sadly, it’s not writing. Oh well…

I did get to the theatre yesterday (Tuesday Discount Day) and saw “Wonder Woman.” I liked that movie a lot. Lots of kick-ass women. Some humor. Lots of action. Very entertaining. Can’t ask for more than that, really. I was disappointed that there wasn’t any kind of little ending after the credits. Hasn’t DC learned ANYTHING from Marvel? Haha!

I still haven’t downloaded the pictures I took at Mammoth Cave & the Corvette Museum from my phone and camera yet. Maybe by Friday? Oh wait. Game 5 is Thursday night. Maybe not. I’ll be lucky if I even remember to post something. This Stanley Cup Final is getting me awfully nervous.

The Penguins just haven’t been playing that good and it’s sooooo frustrating to watch! And why Sullivan didn’t take Murray out and put Fleury in for the 3rd period in that last game is unbelievable. He wouldn’t have hesitated (wait, he didn’t hesitate) to pull Fleury. I just don’t get it!

I’m almost afraid to watch the game on Thursday.

I said almost.

So… Have you seen or plan to see “Wonder Woman”? I’m thinking I need to watch “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” now. That’s right. I haven’t seen that movie yet. Got the DVD added to my wish list, though.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Favorite Movies of Each Sport and We’re in the Finals Again!!!

Oh. My. God. Double Overtime (and it’s a good thing I wrote most of this post earlier)! I think my heart gave out. But the Penguins did it. They’re going to the finals two years in a row. I’m so HAPPY!!!

I saw this request go around on Facebook and thought it would make a nice blog post, especially since I’m so gung ho on hockey right now. What am I saying… I love sports (well, most sports), so of course I would love movies featuring a sport.

So… Here are my favorite movies of each sport:

• FOOTBALL: Necessary Roughness; The Blind Side; The Replacements; Remember the Titans; Jerry Maguire; The Longest Yard (w/Burt Reynolds)
• BASEBALL: Bull Durham; A League of Their Own; Major League (I & II); Field of Dreams; The Natural; The Rookie
• HOCKEY: Mystery, Alaska; Slap Shot
• BASKETBALL: Finding Forrester
• BOXING: Rocky
• GOLF: Caddyshack; Tin Cup
• SOCCER: Bend it Like Beckham
• SURFING: Soul Surfer
• OLYMPICS: Cool Runnings; Chariots of Fire

As you can tell, I love football and baseball movies. Basketball? Not so much, but then I’m not a fan of that sport (except during March Madness). I tried to find a tennis movie, but there wasn’t one I watched.

Out of all those sports, though, want to know which ones I played in? Baseball (softball, actually) and golf. I think if my high school had a softball or golf team for girls, I would have been on them. But they didn’t exist way back in the dark ages. J

Wednesday night we were hit with some major storms. Actually, our phones went off with a tornado warning. Never got that before. Quickly turned on the TV just as their live feed showed a tornado touching down…in my daughter’s town! Which is next door to our town. We’re all fine; her work place suffered minor damage, though (2 blocks away from her apartment!). But dang… That was just too close.

So… Doing anything fun this weekend? I’m gonna go see some caves. Hope to take some pictures and share. And it’ll be a fun weekend, too. Because the PENS WON!!! Yay!

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I Went to the Movies

Finally got around to seeing “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2.” I enjoyed it (although it wasn’t as good as the first one), but Hubby thought it was boring. That kind of surprised me. Yeah, it had some slow parts, but I wouldn’t have called it boring. Just goes to show you everyone sees things differently, huh?

Here’s what I read the past week:

Book #33

Dates read: May 8-11
Title: “Beautiful Bastard”
Year of publication: 2013
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Erotic romance
Series: Beautiful Bastard #1
# of Pages: 305
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Free (possibly from RT in Dallas)
Blurb from Book: Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
   Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.
   As their appetites for each other increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win.
My thoughts: Book is in first person and at first I groaned. But the book is popular and I wanted to know what the fuss was about, so I kept reading. Then the next chapter was in Bennett’s POV, also first person. Cool. Thing is, where I once thought this was neat, now…not so much. At least for this book. Bennett is a douche! It was very hard for me to continue reading because he really was a bastard (stuff he did could be considered sexual harassment). I guess I just don’t understand how two people who clearly HATE each other can’t keep their hands OFF each other. But by the end of the book, I was having difficulty putting it down (had to know how it was going to end). Dang authors (yes, two of them make up Christina Lauren) had me rooting for this couple.

Saw my cardiologist on Monday. Good for another six months (when I get to go through another stress test—ugh). But hey, the longer I can put off surgery, the better!

Also, Hubby is on the mend. He’s eating more foods now—three meals a day, even. Still needs to gain some weight, but I think he’s stopped losing it, so I’ll take that as a positive.

Game 3 between the Penguins and Senators is in Ottawa tonight. So glad the Penguins played well on Monday and got that win. Now they need to win the rest! Yeah, I'm greedy that way.

So… What’s on your reading radar for the summer? Goodreads has asked me that question and I’m not sure how to answer it. Besides wanting to read Unsub by Meg Gardiner (due out in June or July), I don’t really have a summer list. I pretty much look at the stacks I have around the house and then just pick a book to read! I also got some more freebies from RT—some of which I actually want to read. J

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Walking, Movies, and Books

It’s been awhile since I last did any kind of exercise. I’m hoping to get some walking in this week. Hubby’s appointments are all at 11:15 this week, meaning we don’t need to leave the house until 10:15. If I get up at 7:00 and walk for an hour, I’ll still have plenty of time to eat and clean up.

Of course, that’s provided I get up at 7:00. And then feel like walking.

See… it’s really hard to get back into a routine once you’ve fallen out of it. But if the weather is nice in the morning, I will go out walking.

I will, I tell you! J

I saw a movie preview for My Cousin Rachel, which is due out June 9th. Wow, that looks interesting. And it’s based on a book? But I want to read the book first (it’s by Daphne du Maurier). When it becomes available at the library, I might just do that. Or break down and buy a copy. It’s not like I don’t have a stack of books to read as it is!

Then I noticed she wrote The Birds, too. That’s one of my favorite movies, but I’ve never read the book (or rather, short story/novella). Someday I’ll rectify that.

So… Have you read any books by Daphne du Maurier? Think you'll go see this movie? I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to actually take notice of her books! They all look so interesting.

Happy Monday!

 

Stacy

The Dark Tower? No, Thank You

Over on Facebook I saw the poster for the upcoming movie, The Dark Tower. The poster was cool, and I loved (loved, LOVED) the books, but I don’t think I can watch the movie. Why? Here are some reasons:

• Most King movie adaptations suck. Heck, I can say that about most movie adaptations.
• I have nothing against the actor, but he’s not Roland. I find it strange (well, maybe not, he was probably paid well) that King didn’t think Roland was any race. So why did he write him white? I mean, there’s a big conflict between Roland and Susannah because he’s white and she’s black. Don’t see how that can happen if Roland is also black.
• Matthew McWhatchamacallit. Need I say more? Ugh.
• This movie is some sort of sequel, and not really about the books. So why call it The Dark Tower? Talk about confusing.

Heck, it’s not like I get to the theatre all that often anyway. But I’d much rather see The Dark Tower turn into a television series (but not like Under the Dome—TV ruined that book, too!).

The movie I hope to see next is Beauty and the Beast. Tuesday is bargain day at the theatre. I’ll have to see if Hubby is up to going.

So… Are you a fan of movie adaptations? Which King film is your favorite?

Happy Monday!

 

Stacy

Feeling Frustrated

My book, My Sunny Vampire, is currently on sale for 99 cents (e-book version, that is) during February. When I found out about the sale in early January, I looked into advertising.

Book Bub was too expensive, even if they would have accepted my book. I just couldn’t see a good ROI on that (because frankly, the book has gone on sale for FREE before AND was on Book Bub (via the publisher) and it didn’t do much for sales on the other books).

Other newsletter advertisements (i.e. E-Readers News Today and Fussy Librarian) were all booked up in February for me to even consider. Which probably meant so was Book Bub, but I hadn’t gotten that far to check.

Facebook seemed promising. I was basically boosting a post I had made earlier. Request was rejected. They deemed my cover too suggestive (or something to that nature). I’ve seen them reject covers that showed less skin than mine, so what can I say? Still, I didn’t think showing the back of a guy in an embrace was all that suggestive.

That pretty much left Goodreads. They at least accepted my ad. Unfortunately, it’s not getting seen by that many people. No clicks, either (and I’ve got it up to $1/click hoping it will be seen by more people). The one good thing about that is I can get my money back from them once the ad finishes running this month, basically running what little it ran for free.

The sad thing is, I was told my publisher would do some pushing on social media. If they’re doing that, it’s not happening on Facebook. I haven’t seen anything.

So here is a good book on sale and no one knows about it (or those people who DO know have already read it). It’s kind of frustrating.

In more interesting news… Last month I was talking to my son about movies and he said he wanted to borrow “Air Force One” because he didn’t have it. I went to my DVD case and couldn’t find it. What? I was sure we owned it. Well, Hubby has a birthday coming up (tomorrow, although we celebrated it on Saturday), so I went and got it for him. We watched it last night. You know what? It’s still a great movie! And it’s 20 years old this year. Yikes!

So… Have you ever looked for something you could have sworn you owned, but didn’t? Even my daughter thought she owned “Air Force One.” We must have just owned the VHS version before and never replaced it. It’s the only explanation I can think of!

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Hoping Life Gets Back to Normal Soon

Last week was hectic. This week is looking to be the same, but for a whole different reason.

Last week I was hosting the Sizzle and Sass page. I decided to just give up and dedicate my time to Facebook for the week (and ended up forgetting to post here Friday—oops). Did it get me any sales? No, but then I didn’t really expect it to. I did gain some likes on my own Facebook page, so that was nice. I might have even gotten a new subscriber to my newsletter, too.

Because of Facebook, I didn’t get much writing done. Then again, I find it hard to write when Hubby is home anyway. That could change this week if not for one thing:

Taxes

Yesterday I completed the LLC taxes (Hubby’s formatting business). What. A. Pain. The H&R Block software isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I tried to file electronically. It said I had to scan some form and add it to the pdf file. Of course, it doesn’t tell you HOW to do that. So the return is getting mailed today.

Next up, the 1040.

UGH!

I can only imagine the headache this will give me. But the taxes have to be done, so I might as well get them over with and do them this week. And yes, I expect it’ll take me all week. Most of my time will be spent getting the stuff together so I can easily enter it in the software.

I sure hope it’ll be easy.

I really must think about getting an accountant one of these days. I just don’t have any idea how to go about getting one. I’m so afraid of getting ripped off.

Last Tuesday Hubby and I actually made it to the theatre to see “Hidden Figures.” Wow. What a great movie. It’s kind of sad what those women had to go through, though. I’d like to think we’re a different country now, but sadly, I don’t think I can. The “stuff” just shifts. Seems like there is always some group who will be treated badly because of how they look/act.

Whoever said “the more things change, the more things stay the same” got it right, huh?

Hubby returns to work today. Tomorrow he has another doctor appointment where we hope to get some news. Hope it’s some Happy Valentine good news. Sure could use some of that. We just want life to get back to normal.

 

So... Have you filed your taxes already? If so... I might hate you. Just a little.

 

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Movies I Won’t Be Watching

While watching the game that won’t be mentioned (grumble, grumble…I hate the Patriots…grumble, grumble), there were a couple of movie previews that made me go…WHA?

The first one was of CHiPS.

I loved that series. I grew up with that series. I lived in the land of CHiPS. Now it’s a comedy. A comedy! Really? Gosh, can’t people think up new stuff anymore? Which leads me to the other movie preview I saw during that horrible, horrible game.

Kong: Skull Island.

Have there not been enough King Kong movies? Create a dang new monster, will you? Like the killer stink bug or something.

Because stink bugs…. UGH! I hate those things!

And yes, I did find one in my house last week. Why do you ask? J

So… What movie do you refuse to watch that’s coming out this year?

Happy Monday and Go Falcons! (**sniff, sniff**)

Stacy

Oops, I Watched the Golden Globes

I had a busy day yesterday, in which I ended with watching the Golden Globes. Completely forgot about my blog! Bad me. Good thing I’m not blogging toward any goal, although technically I’m still blogging on Monday. Just later.

As for the Golden Globes… I thought I watched a lot of movies. Watched a lot of TV. Apparently not. I didn’t even know most of the shows that were up for awards. At least I recognized the actors. Mostly.

I remember when television series from cable networks (e.g. HBO & Showtime) would appear as award winners on the Emmys or Golden Globes and people would say they weren’t really television shows. At least they were ON the television. Netflix and Hulu and Amazon and whatever are not ON television. They’re on the internet. Maybe they should have a separate division for them: Internet Series. If the Golden Globes are going to differentiate between a “television” movie and a “theatre” movie, why not differentiate between an internet series and a television series? Better yet, separate all the paid channels/services together from the free-based (or commercial-based) ones. The commercial-based category has a big disadvantage to the internet and cable when it comes to content. Just saying…

Yesterday was a good day sports-wise. Steelers won (YAY!). Penguins won (YAY!). My daughter was at the Penguins game (yeah, a little jealous, but then they probably would have lost if I attended). It was originally scheduled for 1pm, but because the Steelers were playing, it was moved to 5pm. She got home super late (or rather, super early this morning), because she had a 4-5 hour drive home via Cleveland (dropped off her friend) and had to be at work this morning. Zzzzzz.

I set up my writing goals for the week (on my to-do list). But since I got such a late start this morning  (7:30! I never get up that late!), and came home from the fitness center later than usual (9:30!), I hope I’m able to complete some of the stuff I had planned on accomplishing today. And since writing a post wasn’t one of those items… Oh well, I did create the list for items to accomplish this WEEK. I just hoped to have certain stuff done today.

So… Did you watch the award show? Do you want to see “La La Land” now? I’m thinking I do. Daughter saw it over the weekend. I’ll have to ask her how it was.

Happy Monday! And if it’s not happy, kick its butt! J

Stacy

Cruising Update

Wednesday I had hoped to take lots of pictures at Mahogany Bay (Roatan). We arrived to the island while a nice, heavy, rainstorm decided to hover around. It didn’t keep us from going on our excursion, but sure made taking pictures hard.

Luckily, it did not rain while we were at Gumbalimba Park, where we got our pictures taken with parrots and capuchin monkeys. Well… Hubby got his picture with the monkey, I felt I was brave enough to have the parrot on my arm. But it rained a couple of times during our stay at the beach, which was a much busier beach than we expected.

Yesterday we docked in Belize. I was able to get lots of pictures, so be prepared when I get back home and I’m able to upload pictures easier. This was our second trip to this country. Last time we enjoyed the cave tubing. This year we picked a trip to a Mayan ruin. I actually climbed the tallest one, too. 136 feet. Whew. What a trek.

We’ve been taking advantage of seeing some movies on the ship. They usually show one or two on the Lido deck’s big screen, so you watch the movie under the stars. We saw “Suicide Squad” on Wednesday night and were looking forward to finally watching “Star Trek Beyond” last night. Guess we’ll still look forward to seeing that movie. Must have been a mix-up or something, but they showed a different movie instead. Bummer!

Today we’re in Cozumel. Don’t know how many pictures I’ll get. We’ll be riding in a speed boat and dune buggy (called Surf and Turf). Looks to be lots of fun!

So… What’s with the strange colors on last night’s football game? Seattle looked like lime popsicles and the Rams’ helmets just looked…weird. I like my gold. Give me my gold! I was able to catch the last minutes of the game (due to the movie mix-up). Wish I could say I enjoyed it, though. Maybe the Rams will be better next year. At least they aren’t as bad as the Browns! J

Have a great Friday!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I got a new Phone

First off… I realized I never told you what I thought about “Arrival” (the movie I went to see on Black Friday). I left the theatre a little bewildered and wondered if Hubby and Daughter enjoyed the flick. I found it funny that they both loved it. Okay, whew. But me? I liked it, but didn’t quite get it. At least, not until I discussed it with Hubby and Daughter. It is a thought-provoking flick, that’s for sure. And very quiet. Really. QUIET. Hubby liked how “real” it seemed—like that’s what we could expect upon first contact.

Here’s what I read the past week:

November 25: “The Chemist” by Stephenie Meyer, a thriller at 518 pages. Blurb from book: She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning. Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon. When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires makes her situation even more dangerous. Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talent in ways she never dreamed of. I don’t know how Stephenie Meyer does it, but she managed to get me obsessed with another book. I did not want to put this one down. I’ve read some snarky reviews that compare the main character to Jason Bourne, but I didn’t see it. I thought it was well written. Enough so, the characters stayed in my head long after I had finished.

November 29: “Switching Hour” by Robyn Peterman, Magic & Mayhem Book One, a paranormal comedy novella at 116 pages. Blurb from book: Released from the magic pokey and paroled with limited power is enough to make any witch grumpy. However, if you throw in a recently resurrected cat, a lime-green Kia and a sexy egotistical werewolf, it’s enough to make a gal fly off the edge. Not to mention a mission…with no freaking directions. So here I sit in Asscrack, West Virginia trying to figure out how to complete my mysterious mission before All Hallow’s Eve when I’ll get turned into a mortal. The animals in the area are convinced I’m the Shifter Whisperer (whatever the hell that is) and the hotter than asphalt-in-August werewolf thinks I’m his mate. Now apparently I’m slated to save a bunch of hairy freaks of nature? If they think I’m the right witch for the job, they’ve swallowed some bad brew. I enjoyed Robyn’s first book so much (which was a contemporary), I’ve been trying her paranormal stuff. The first book in the vampire series ended on a cliffhanger and I gave that up. At least this one doesn’t do that, although the story is clearly the beginning of a series. Thing is, I’m not so sure I want to read any more. It’s possible I just don’t get her humor (I apparently don’t get a lot of people’s humor), but it might have helped if I liked the main character more.

Monday was a busy day for me. I was at the fitness center for a little over four hours doing my best to be seen with my books (a couple of ladies showed interest, so not too shabby). Then I headed to the mall to get new iPhones for me and Daughter. I’m glad I made an appointment for 3:30. I could have waited for hours and I was meeting friends for dinner at six.

Both of our iPhone 5s were unreliable, what with the battery draining too quickly or not charging sufficiently. Now we’re owners of the iPhone SE (hers in slate grey because—BLACK, mine in rose gold because—PINK) and our old covers even fit (no new expense there). It’s been a pain getting the phone set up, though. I have to upload all my apps again, then log into them (and hope to remember the passwords!). And then OCD me has to have them in the same order as before.

This is why I hate changing phones. TOO MUCH WORK!

Oh wait. Daughter said she knows how to copy old phone data to new phone. We’ll see. Regardless, I hope to own this phone a good long time, since it’s not a hand-me-down.

So… How’s your reading coming along? Do you read more during this time of the year? I think I do. It’s not like you can go outside and play in the dark. Well, you can, but it’s COLD out there! Plus, it’s DARK! J

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Movie Day

I’m pretty sure I ate too much for dinner yesterday. But the food was good and I couldn’t resist. Thank goodness we ate at Bob Evans. No leftovers. At least from me. Hubby apparently knows when to stop eating!

I don’t know about you, but the day after Thanksgiving isn’t a shopping day for me. Nope. It’s movie day. A day the family goes out to the theatre. And the movie we’ll be seeing today is… “Arrival.”

I haven’t seen many previews for the film, but since I have no wish to see “Fantastic Beasts” or “Doctor Strange,” I felt this was the best option available. Didn’t hurt that it got outstanding reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, either.

Keeping my fingers crossed that everyone likes the flick! We’ve seen enough stinkers, that’s for sure.

So… Do you have any traditions on this Black Friday Movie Day? If you shopped, did you get any super deals? And can you believe Christmas is only a month away? Aaack!

Happy Friday!

 

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Miscellaneous Stuff

Wasn’t sure I’d have anything to report this week, but when you can’t sleep at 3am because you ate too much at dinner and dessert, reading is in store. Here’s what I read the past week:

August 14: “End of Watch” by Stephen King, the third book in the Bill Hodges trilogy, a thriller at 429 pages. Blurb from book: In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetable state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room. Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara . Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge, not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city. I told Hubby he could read this trilogy, that there wasn’t any “woo woo” in it. Oops, was I wrong. This book has plenty of “woo woo.” Hopefully it’s not enough to turn him off, though (he does watch “Sleepy Hollow”!). I enjoyed this book (and series) because I really like the characters. Specifically: Bill, Holly, and Jerome. Brady, not so much!

Today Hubby gets the official results of his PET scan, along with the results of the tumor board. Hoping for good news all around. Kind of expect it, but then you never know… I’ll report the results in the comments. Just so you know, Hubby is doing EXCELLENT. Still doesn’t like the feeling of carbonated beverages and spicy food in his throat, and he still can’t open his mouth as wide as he used to, but says he can live with that.

Tonight Hubby and I are going to see the Go-Go’s in concert. Supposedly their farewell tour. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. You just never know nowadays, huh? Anyway, we’re expecting a fun evening. Or at least, I am! Haha!

So… Have you seen the new Jason Bourne movie? Hubby and I saw it last night. Has all your typical Bourne stuff in it, so yeah, I liked it. We could have seen the Star Trek movie, but I let Hubby choose. Oh, and $5 Tuesdays has been increased to $6. Boo.

Happy Reading!

Stacy