Reading Update

Looks like I’m slacking again. I’ll blame the Penguins game. Watched it last night and was super happy they won. And then forgot all about it being Tuesday and that I should have posted this. And I wouldn’t have even remembered if I hadn’t just finished the next book I’m reading. So guess I’m posting two books today.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #12

Dates read: February 23-28
Title: Ghost Town
Year of publication: 2010
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Morganville Vampires #9
# of Pages: 335
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased used
Blurb from book: Despite their obvious differences, the human and vampire residents of Morganville have learned to coexist, but that doesn’t stop genius student Claire Danvers from keeping up her guard. While developing a new system to maintain the town’s defenses, Claire discovers a way to use the vampires’ powers to help keep outsiders from spreading news of Morganville’s “unique” situation once they’ve crossed the city limits.
    But the new system has an unexpected and possibly deadly consequence: People inside the town start forgetting who and what they are—even the vampires. And when Claire’s boyfriend, Shane, and her best friend, Eve, start treating her like a perfect stranger, Claire realizes she has to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment—before she forgets how to save herself…and Morganville.

My thoughts: So glad those nasty cliffhangers are gone. Oh, it has unresolved story lines (this is a series), but nothing making me scream “What!!!” I’m glad I have all the books so I can finish reading this series to see how it will all end.

Book #13

Dates read: February 28-March 3
Title: Bite Club
Year of publication: 2011
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Morganville Vampires #10
# of Pages: 337
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased used
Blurb from book: After discovering that vampires populate Morganville—and surviving a number of adventures with her new night-dwelling friends—college student Claire Danvers has come to realize that for the most part, the undead just want to live their lives.
    But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.
    There’s a new extreme sport being broadcast over the Internet: bare-knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against one another—or, worse, against humans. Tracking the out-of-town signal leads Claire—accompanied by a loyal group of friends and frenemies—to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville. And if they want to survive, they’ll have to do a lot more than fight…

My thoughts: Quite the page turner. And no pesky cliffhanger! Yay!

So… I finally got around and bought a pair of shoes for my step aerobics. Boy, what a difference they make. I also bought a second pair for my everyday wear, since both sets of old sneakers were pretty worn down. I really hate buying shoes, but I found a local, independent store that actually measured my foot last time and kept a record. It was so easy to buy these shoes this time around. Sometimes buying local/independent is soooo much nicer. Don’t you agree?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Advertising

Update from last post: I got my four replacement cakes of yarn from Herrschners. One was defective. Figures! I’ll just have to do with what I have (which is hopefully enough). And I got my $5 from Kroger! Apparently it works better if you CALL them than e-mail them. I will remember that the next time.

So… I’m experimenting with advertising. I’ve been advertising on Amazon since April and I’m finally making money. Not a lot, but then I wasn’t making much of anything before. My Amazon royalties in 2020 was over $700 compared to about $300 in 2019. Wish I could say my profit from advertising was $300, but it wasn’t. I have better hope for this year, since I updated my blurb/description and the back matter to each ebook (with links to the next in the series). It’s because of those changes that my advertising started to earn money instead of just spend it.

Since I was doing better on Amazon, I decided to venture out to other venues. Like BookBub (advertising, not book deal). I heard it was fairly easy. And it was…sort of. But I think it’ll be awhile before I go back there. They just eat my money (pretty much like Facebook does). I might try again when I release my next book.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #6

Dates read: January 25-28
Title: Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires Vol. 3)
Year of publication: 2009
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Morganville Vampires #5
# of Pages: 220
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Borrowed from daughter
Blurb from book: In  Morganville, violent black clouds promise  a storm of devastating proportions. As student Clair Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against the elements—both natural and unnatural—the unexpected happens: Morganville’s vampires begin to vanish one by one. Discovering why leads Clair to one last choice: Swear allegiance to Bishop—or die…

My thoughts: I really hated the “ending” to this one. I don’t think there was even a book story in it that was resolved. I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t started reading this series. But I have the next three, so I will continue.

Book #7

Dates read: January 29-February 1
Title: Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires Vol. 3)
Year of publication: 2009
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Morganville Vampires #6
# of Pages: 217
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Borrowed from daughter
Blurb from book: An underground resistance is brewing in Morganville. In order to contain it, Bishop vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants—the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules after having such a taste of power?

My thoughts: Wow! An actual ending! I’m shocked. And a little afraid to read the next book in the series (since I only have access to up to #8 and there are 15 books in this series). But read it, I will, because apparently I’m a glutton for punishment. Don’t get me wrong, the stories are fun to read. It’s just the endings I’ve hated. Except for this one. This one I liked.

So… Were you surprised by the groundhog yesterday? I wasn’t. I woke up to lots of snow on the ground and a bright, shining sun. Super cold out, too. But I celebrated the day by watching “Groundhog Day.” I love that movie. Do you?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Having Issues with Stores

You ever feel like stuff happens in bunches? In my case, two, but still, it makes me wonder what’s gonna happen next.

First: Kroger. I “clipped” an on-line coupon for a 5X event (which means you can use the coupon 5 times), $1 off each item. I even got five of the item shown in the picture. Did the coupon take? No, of course not. Unfortunately, my daughter was doing the shopping for me (on my account) so she didn’t know to go to customer service while she was there. So I contacted customer service on the app instead and complained.

First they told me that I would receive $1 credit on my account. I promptly thanked them, but said I had purchased five of the items and should get $5. Then I got another e-mail saying that the coupon was for one item and that I had purchased something other than what the coupon said. I had captured a photo of the coupon (just in case), where it states clear as anything “5X Event” with a picture of the item I had purchased and sent it to them. I’m still waiting to hear back.

I know it’s only $5, but it’s the principle of the matter. And this isn’t the first time they’ve done this to me, either.

Second: Herrschners. I buy my yarn from them since there isn’t a yarn store around here that has their kind of selection (even if I were brave enough to go to one). I had decided to make an afghan for someone (for their birthday) and found the perfect yarn (the kind that changes colors after a few rows instead of after a few stitches). Unfortunately, I had miscalculated how much I would need and bought 5 cakes (which is what they are called now instead of skeins—I have no idea why). Turns out I needed 13 (yep, I really miscalculated!). They had a sale for free shipping, so I ordered the other 8 cakes which arrived rather promptly.

As I was reaching the end of one of the cakes, I started searching for another one that was closest to the color I had ended (since not all the cakes start and end on the same color). I then noticed that four of the cakes only had four colors and all the others had five.

Boy, was I steamed. This would be totally noticeable on an afghan. I contacted them. They are sending me four at no charge but they said the manufacturer said the color “varies.” Their version of varies and mine are apparently totally different. I can understand each individual color varying a bit in shade, but to lose an entire color, when they advertise FIVE COLORS? That’s not varied. That’s sloppy.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #4

Dates read: January 17-21
Title: Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires Vol. 2)
Year of publication: 2007
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Morganville Vampires #3
# of Pages: 230
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Borrowed from daughter
Blurb from book: Claire Danvers has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. But being under Amelie’s protection doesn’t offer much comfort when people start turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons at his secluded home in Midnight Alley. To what end, Clair will soon discover—and it will give a terrifying new meaning to night school.

My thoughts: If you plan on reading this series (and they are enjoyable stories with suspense and a bit of romance—all teenager-safe), you might want to plan on reading them back-to-back like I am. The cliffhangers are really annoying!

Book #5

Dates read: January 21-24
Title: Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires Vol. 2)
Year of publication: 2008
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Morganville Vampires #4
# of Pages: 209
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Borrowed from daughter
Blurb from book: In Morganville, vampires and humans have learned to live in relative peace, but the tenuous good-neighbor policy is abruptly turned on its head with the arrival of Mr. Bishop. The ancient old-school vampire is bad to the bone, and what he wants from the town’s living and dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball attended by vampires and their human dates that Clair realizes Bishop’s plan—and the elaborately evil trap he’s set for the warm-blooded souls of Morganville.

My thoughts: It’s the never-ending story! Oh yeah, I’m enjoying it, but man, can any of these books actually end for once? I’m beginning to think they won’t. I have up to Book #8 on hand. Don’t know if I’ll bother buying the next ones if it just keeps going on like this, though. And there are a LOT of books in this series.

So… Do you do most of your shopping on line nowadays? I really miss having a yarn store in town. Michael’s doesn’t have a large selection, and neither does WalMart. And frankly, shopping for yarn on line leaves a lot to be desired. I like to feel the yarn. I miss Super Yarn Mart. There was one in Santa Barbara that I frequented a lot (when I lived there). That place was huge! Sadly, it’s been long gone.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Car Shopping

Spent Saturday test driving cars. It’s been almost seven years since our last car purchase (my 2010 Nissan Xterra), and the car we’re replacing was bought 12 years ago, used (2003 Ford Ranger). Hubby loves his convertible (2008 Toyota Solara), but considers it our “fun” car. He wants it to last so he tries to only drive it during nice weather (like when he can put the top down). The Ranger is horrible in the snow, though, which forces Hubby to drive the Solara when he doesn’t want to (since it has front-wheel drive). Plus, Hubby hates (HATES) my Xterra on long trips (you know, when we drive to ports for our cruises and such, which is usually during the winter, so—possible 4WD), because you can feel every bump in the road (plus he hates the seats). Which means he wants a car that can drive in the snow, gets good mileage, holds our luggage, AND is comfortable.

Prior to our test drives, we narrowed it down to three: Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Subaru Forrester. All in AWD. According to Consumer Reports, these were the best small SUVs and they got the best gas mileage.

After our test drives, we narrowed it down to two: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Honda CR-V. The Forrester just didn’t meet our comfort needs. Those seats were kind of hard! We were comfortable in both the RAV4 and CR-V. Even in the back seat.

Now, the plan was to figure out what we want and buy next year. But now I’m not so sure I want to wait that long. We’re driving to Florida in December for a cruise and I wouldn’t mind having that new car. I told Hubby it was his decision, though (since this will basically be his car) and that I didn’t want to hear him complain if we have to drive the Xterra to Florida. For 18 hours. Only getting 18mpg (The RAV4 Hybrid and CR-V both get about 30mpg on the highway).

Right now (in June) Toyota is offering 0% financing for 60 months on the RAV4. Will they offer that again next year? Who knows? Honda isn’t offering any such deal (and probably never will), but the CR-V is about $5,000 less than the RAV4. Finance charges would have to be over 5% (which I don’t believe they are) to make the RAV4 a better deal.

Still, I’m leaning toward the RAV4 Hybrid. Man, that car was QUIET! Even while running. The CR-V has a totally digital dash, which I’m not fond of (I like my speedometer to have a needle, since I’m visual that way). I could get used to it, though, if Hubby decides he wants to go cheaper.

As for the Ranger… our mechanic at Goodyear doesn’t think we’ll have any problems selling it (even though it’s manual everything (stick shift, windows, door locks), it’s got low mileage (80,000) and we’ve kept it in good shape). I wouldn’t mind getting rid of it now (I hate driving that thing). Of course, when we do get the new car, my Xterra has to give up the garage spot (we don’t want to park the convertible outside and the new car gets dibs). I could live with that, though.

Tonight is Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and the Predators. I don’t know if you watched Saturday’s ugly game, but man, are the Predators fans rude or what? I just don’t ever remember hearing that kind of crap from other teams’ fans. Not even from Columbus, and they’re pretty bad. I certainly hope our fans don’t stoop to that level when the game goes back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 (and hopefully a final winner, since we’re up 2-1 now). Let’s go Pens!!

So… Do you like car shopping? Hubby hates it. I like test driving cars, but don’t necessarily like negotiating the price at the end (which you have to do or else you’re paying too much, right?). Do you think there will ever come a day when the price on the car is non-negotiable? I mean, you don’t negotiate the price on your groceries. If you find it cheaper elsewhere, you just go elsewhere. Right?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Shopping and Selling

I was shopping in Walmart the other day and got stopped by a young girl. I knew she was selling something, just not what at the time, but I obliged and answered her questions (because apparently I didn’t have anything else better to do!).

Young Girl: What provider do you have for your TV?

Me: Time Warner.

YG: How long have you been with them?

Me: Twenty years (actually, it’s been longer, but I went by how long we’ve lived in our current home).

YG: Wow. How many televisions do you have?

Me: Three.

YG: You have one DVR?

Me: No. Three.

YG: Three? How about your phone?

Me: Yes, and internet.

This is when I noticed the little sign on the table behind her: DirectTV.

YG: Would you be—

Me: No. I’m not switching providers. So forget it.

YG: May I ask why?

Me: I don’t want satellite TV.

YG: Because you think you’ll lose the signal during bad weather?

Me: Because I KNOW I’ll lose the signal during bad weather.

She tried to tell me their system is better now. I counter attacked that I didn’t believe her, since many restaurants have DirectTV and lose their signal during a storm. She said they probably have the old equipment.

Probably? Yeah, right. I walked away while she thanked me for my time. Sometimes I’m glad to be stubborn.

Did you watch any of the football games? Talk about stressful. So glad to see Seattle and Dallas gone! Yay for the Steelers!! But man, that was just tooooo close!

I’m hosting Sizzle and Sass on Facebook this week. If you’re there, please say hi! I could use the likes and comments. It gets kind of lonely at times.

So… How do you watch your TV? Do you think someone could sell you to change?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

I Don’t Like Getting Ripped Off

Wednesday was almost as bad as Tuesday. I discovered someone had absconded with my Ulta points. All 2000 of them. I was just getting ready to cash them in (via shopping), too. Talk about being pissed! I was sure this whole week was going into the sewer.

I don’t know how this person in Wichita could have gotten my phone number or ID # because I never gave out my phone number at the store. I would use my card whenever I purchased something and the card was still in my wallet. But my points (and free money) were gone, so I contacted Ulta to find out how something like that could happen.

While they had no idea how it happened, they couldn’t apologize more. Told me to set up another account (with a different e-mail and phone #) and they would restore my points. I hadn’t expected that, so that’s why the day was only ALMOST as bad.

Yesterday I went to Ulta and spent my points before someone else could abscond with them ( I like that word: abscond!). I wasn’t asked for an ID when I used my points. Doesn’t that seem wrong? Hmmm… Maybe my experience will cause Ulta to rethink their reward system. I can only hope.

And if this happens to me again, I don’t see how I can set up another account. I only have two phone numbers.

In other news… Yesterday I finally figured out how to get my radio to display the band/artist playing (instead of displaying the station’s name). It had been 6 years since I bought my vehicle, so forgive me for not realizing I had changed it that way, way back when. Thank goodness I still have the owner’s manual (and a brain telling me to look in it!). There were the instructions to do just what I needed. Yay! It’s amazing how such a little thing can make me happy again. J

Tonight Wayne plays in the region semi-final. Today’s temp is expected to reach in the mid 70s; however, tonight the temps are supposed to drop. Rain is coming, along with some wet snow (UGH!). I just hope it waits until AFTER the game. I’d like to enjoy the last of the nice weather!

So… Have you ever been ripped off? What did you do?

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Cooking, a Library Event, and a Christmas Tree

I cooked last night! Okay, I sort of cooked last night. I only heated the ham in the microwave, but the boxed cheesy scalloped potatoes had to be prepared and put in the oven. That’s cooking, right? Hee hee J

We also cut into our last Kringle (which do freeze well, by the way). I’ll be sorry to see it go. Those suckers are GOOD!

Today the hubby and I are going down to the Centerville library to see Tess Gerritsen. I gotta remember to take her book. And hopefully I remember to get my picture taken with her.

I forgot to do that when I had dinner with Meg Gardiner in Austin. D’oh!!

I’ve decided to shop for a new Christmas tree. Maybe I’ll do it today, after the library event. Our current pre-lit tree only half-lights and trying to find the culprits for the dead strings is pretty fruitless—maybe if just one light went out instead of the whole string… But nooooo!

I see that Lowe’s has a slim 7-1/2’ tall tree. With 800 lights! I’m thinking that’s the one I want. It’ll just barely clear the ceiling. Not sure if I’ll be able to put a topper on it, but if it’s narrow, then I don’t care. I just want something narrow. And pre-lit. Can’t forget that important feature!

 

Saturday is the big football game. I'll be at the OSU Horseshoe rooting for our Wayne Warriors to win. I really feel like this is their year. Can't wait for the game. It's supposed to be sunny. No rain!! Yay!

So… Have you put up your tree yet? How big is it? If it weren’t for all the dated ornaments, I’d get a really small tree, but I’ve been collecting dated ornaments since we got married (meaning #37 is going up this year) and I’m not quitting!

 

Have a great weekend and Go Wayne!!! J

Stacy

And the Results of Saturday’s Football Game…

We’re going to State! We’re going to State! We’re going to STATE!!

That’s right. The Wayne Warriors beat Colerain Saturday night in the Division I Region 2 Final. They will meet the Division I Region 1 champion (Lake St. Edward) on Saturday, December 5th to determine the Division I State Champion.

Wayne played against this team last year for the championship and lost. This year I say it’s our turn to win! And I believe we have the team to do it.

But let me tell you about Saturday’s game. It wasn’t cold-cold. Probably in the 40s. But it was raining. All. Game. Long. The front of my coat was soaked (I wore a plastic blanket around my shoulders, which kept the rest of my coat relatively dry—thank goodness). While my boots kept my feet dry and my rain pants kept my pants dry, my gloves were soaked before the game even started, so I ended up taking them off and using my pockets, which were wet, but at least warmer than the gloves. Still, my hands pretty much turned into prunes. But you know what? I’d do it all over again to see them win.

But man, I sure hope the next game is warmer and drier, or at least just DRIER. We play at 3pm and so far the forecast calls for sunny and temps in the 50s. I can only hope it’s accurate. **fingers crossed**

“Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” was a very good movie. I think the whole movie series covered the books pretty well. Of course, it’s been awhile since I read them, and I did only read them once, so maybe I’m not remembering correctly. I do remember not having the same response to the ending that most people did. I thought it ended okay—it was an ending. Was it happy? I guess it just depends on how you go about looking at it.

So… did you do any Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping? I did some Black Friday shopping on line. I’m hoping to finish up the big shopping today. Hopefully the prices didn’t go up. If they do, then I know not to wait until Monday next year!

Happy Monday (and happy shopping, if applicable)!

Stacy

We Were Only Going to Buy One Mattress

Yesterday ended up being an expensive day.

After breakfast, the hubby and I decided to head over to the furniture store and see about replacing the mattress on the guest bed. That mattress is apparently hard, or super-firm. I haven’t slept on it, but others have and no one seems to like it.

While checking out the mattresses (because they expect you to lay on them even though we aren’t the ones who are going to sleep on the sucker), my hubby decided he wanted to replace our own bed (which is a king size).

Now, I knew he wanted to replace it. He’s been complaining about our bed for years. In fact, when we were at the JW Marriott in New Orleans (for the RT Convention), he fell in love with THEIR bed, but couldn’t pull the trigger and purchase one (and yes, they do sell them on-line!).

So I went along with him, trying out other beds (unbeknownst to the salesman, I think) until he thought he’d found “it.” And it was a nice bed; called a hybrid (mix of foam and springs). $1500. We still wanted the full size mattress for the guest bed, though (we picked out a plush—a lot softer than the old mattress). $700.

But…. When my husband told the nice salesman (and he was nice) about our experience at the JW Marriott, the salesman waved hubby over and asked him to try out this other hybrid bed.

It was nice. A little firmer than the one my hubby had been sold on, but he liked it better. $2600. He didn’t know if he liked it THAT much better. I told him it wasn’t my shoulder that was keeping me up at night; he had to choose. He asked if it came softer.

Oh boy, did it ever!

We tested that mattress and practically fell in love. Of course, it cost more. $2800. Hubby didn’t care.

Sold!

Thank goodness Morris Furniture was offering 48 months same as cash.

We did get a $200 gift card in our purchase, which we used for the frame and mattress cover/protector/whatever. And the $700 mattress we originally came in for ended up only costing around $550.

Our old bed is not even 7 years old and will be transferred to my son’s former room (which is currently used to store gift wrap and my TBR books—the books will stay, the gift wrap…I don’t know yet). Meaning we’ll have TWO guest rooms now.

Everything will arrive next Tuesday. Looks like I’ll be doing a bit of cleaning!

The rest of the weekend was pretty nice. Weather was absolutely beautiful. Drove around in the convertible a lot and loved it. We’re back to having storms tonight. Figures. Better on Monday than the weekend though, right?

So…have you gone into a store expecting to buy one thing and coming out with way more than you expected?

Stacy

 

Today I am Shopping

I will finish my Christmas shopping today. That is my goal. That is my vow. Wish me luck!

This past weekend was CRAPPY for my sports teams. Ohio State loses the one game they NEEDED to win and the Steelers and Rams were basically embarrassing. So much for my magic shirt. It’s done for, apparently.

I got some good news on Saturday. My editor likes Bite Me! That’s one step in the right direction. Next step will be the contract. Hope to see it soon (then I can really squeal). But my editor likes it!!! She said my resolution in removing a character was clever. I LIKE being clever! I’ll keep you posted as soon as I hear more.

I won’t be on line all that much today. And I’ll be lucky if I get any writing done. Mondays are the pits for writing anyway. But I will get my shopping done. I will!

What will you do today?

Stacy

 

Wednesday Reads and Other Stuff

I did it! I bought new shoes. After walking 6.5 miles (round trip) on Monday (destination: lunch with my husband), my feet said, “Enough!” That’s what I get for using older shoes (which are still fine for bumming around the house). So I gave my feet a break on Tuesday and stayed inside. I wore the new shoes only to get used to them. It was hard, too. Tuesday morning was warm enough to walk and today it’s raining (figures). Oh well…I did enjoy that Monday walk, though. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day!!!

Now on to what I’ve read in the past week:

Apr 19: “Hunted” by Rebecca Zanetti. This is book three in the Protector series, a paranormal romance. Blurb on back: Moira Dunne is a witch--the quantum physics kind. Time and space are her playthings. Which might explain why her one-night stand from a hundred years ago has burned up to “claim” her--and request her family’s assistance with the war he’s brewing. But the more she learns about Connlan Kayrs, the more she comes to think this is normal behavior for him… When Conn and Moira tumbled on the moonlit grass, Conn hadn’t meant to mark her as his mate for all time. She was only twenty! But it wasn’t easy to wait for her. It was even harder to forget her. So when he finally returns for his wicked-hot witch, he’s ready to let the sparks fly. Even if he burns up in flames… Funny thing: I had this book on my shelf to read and was given it to judge! I enjoyed the previous two books (there is a novelette out there, too--book 2.5--but I haven’t read it), even though the heroes in those books were a bit on the mean side. Alpha bad boy to the extreme, I guess. However, I didn’t get that same vibe from Conn and I liked him a lot more. And the couple for the next book has been featured a bit in the past two, so I won’t have any problems picking up the next one in the series. Once I own it, that is. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

I’m now in round 3 of my content edits. Doesn’t appear to be anything major, so I expect to get it done in the next day or so. Still puts a hold on my revision project, and ultimately my writing project, since the edits aren’t all that taxing to my brain. At least, not YET.

 

Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

 

Another Rant on Technology

Well, I've been bad! Last night I forgot to write today's blog. Guess I got so caught up in watching the rest of Season 4 of Torchwood (which was good, by the way) and editing (while I'm getting closer to the end, I'm also at the point where more work is needed since the ending is changing), and then talking to my hubby (he had to go to KY on business – without me this time), that it completely slipped my mind!

Not that what I have today is all that interesting. Just a rant. And is it any surprise it has to do with technology? Probably not!

I hate those self-check lines at the store. No, I mean really HATE. So much so, I will purposely wait in a line of 10 people for a regular register than wait in a line of 2 for one of those self-checkouts. I avoid them like the plague.

But then there comes a time where I don't have any choice. Like at Kroger at 6:30 in the morning, when they don't have any regular registers open. Yes, I should be thankful the store is open that early (although if it wasn't I could have easily waited). Instead, I inwardly groaned.

I didn't have much (thank goodness), but it still took longer than it should have. I started with the easy stuff first. An apple pie and a box of cookies (my husband wanted these to take down to KY as gifts – yes he likes to wait until the last minute to tell me these things). Then I got to the items I knew would cause me problems. Why? Because they don't weigh anything.

And that's the problem with those stupid self-check lines.

Don't you think the computer should know that a gift card doesn't weigh anything and if you stick it in the bag, as it says, there's no way in HELL it will register? Yet, the computer will keep telling you to put the item in the bag and won't let you scan the next one until you do. I had four of these suckers!

And it's not just gift cards. I've had the same thing happen when I've bought tweezers, or chapstick, or anything that is small and lightweight. Anything that won't hit the bottom of that plastic bag. And what if I didn't want to use their bag? What if I brought my own?

I know, I'm probably the only one around here who complains about technology. And for the most part, I guess I do like things simple, but not at the expense of making me feel miserable. And that's what those self-check lines do to me. Every. Time.

So, what kind of technology stuff sets you off?

 

Six Shopping Days Remaining

Have you finished your Christmas shopping? I can say YES!

Hurray!

This weekend went much better than I hoped. I even got all of my husband's gifts wrapped. Well, all except the one that hasn't been delivered yet.

But I'm ready. Wrapping is NOTHING! Buying was the hard part.

So… are you ready? Or are you one of those who like (or LOVE) to wait until the last minute? Which means you won't shop until this weekend, right?

I don't think I could take that much stress.

Have a good day – however you spend it!