It's Christmas Eve!

The snow has pretty much melted, but all the presents are bought and wrapped and "Die Hard" is scheduled for today. We're ready for the big day. How about you?

It's a nice feeling knowing I have nothing to do but wait. And because of all my "free" time, this past weekend the husband and I have been hitting our "To Be Watched" DVD stack. Saturday we watched "Australia" and "The African Queen." I had never seen the first and really liked it. Seen the second numerous times (it's one of our favorites), but never owned a good copy.

On Sunday, after watching our Steelers LOSE, we decided on a Bourne marathon with the first three movies (although, the fourth one doesn't really count as a Bourne movie, now does it? Plus my son said it sucked, so we won't bother getting it). We really enjoy this series and it was nice seeing them back to back to back. I didn't even mind staying up until 1 am!

In between two of the movies, I even got my brownies baked. Nothing like multi-tasking!

Sometime before tomorrow we need to get "While You Were Sleeping" watched. Can't celebrate the holiday without it (I really love that movie).

Hope you and yours have a splendid Christmas however you spend it!

 

Merry End of World?

I found this little box sign (and it is little – 2"x3") at a Barnes and Noble and couldn't resist buying it. I want a huge one for my front yard. It would be perfect because there are no decorations out front, and there won't be either.

It's not like I don't like the season. I do. I just don't like to decorate.

So, is the end of the world? Are you planning anything fun or interesting? Well, let me warn you. Do not watch the following movies. My husband and I did last night, and let me just say – what a waste of time!

"Hanna." My son asked for this movie last Christmas. My husband wanted to watch it, so we borrowed it. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett, it's one bizarre movie. Blurb: Raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's (Ronan) upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative (Blanchett) with secrets of her own. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence. Now, based on this blurb, it sounds kind of interesting. It is not.

So, after we cheered the ending of this movie (the fact it was over, that is), I decided I wanted something more fun to watch. Well, I thought it would be fun.

"Love Happens." The cover on my copy stated it was a "Rare Hollywood Romance." That should have been my first hint to stay away. I bought this in the $5 bin at Wal*Mart. That should have been my second. Blurb: Jennifer Anniston and Aaron Eckhart star in the romantic drama "Love Happens." When self-help author Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) arrives to Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets florist Eloise Chandler (Anniston), the one person who might be able to help him help himself. But will two people who may have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love a chance? If they can, they'll find that sometimes, when you least expect it, love happens. This should have been titled "Death Happens." It was one depressing movie. At the end, when the husband and I were in tears, I started laughing. "We really know how to pick 'em," I said. He cracked up with me (with tears in his eyes, no less). He said he wanted to watch a western next. At least then he knew what to expect!

I sure hope this isn't the end of the world. I'd like to go out smiling. These movies didn't do that! Well, except for the cracking up at the end part. Ooh boy!

 

 

What I Finished Reading Since Last Wednesday

I figured I should revise the title of my Wednesday blogs, since I may eventually add some anthologies, which took more than a week to read (like, maybe a month??). So I finished three books since last Wednesday - I even impressed myself!

Dec 12: "Abandon the Night" by Joss Ware. This is the third book in a paranormal romance series (I received it free at a convention) in which I did not read the first two. Probably my fault for reading this out of order, but by the time I realized my mistake, I'd already started it. I liked the couple, but I'm guessing they were introduced in an earlier book, so I felt a little cheated. Blurb: Quentin Fielding had everything. Money. Power. Women. But now that civilization is all but annihilated, Quent wants only one thing: revenge. Harnessing a strange new "gift," he embarks on a deadly mission to find the man responsible for the chaos and destruction, the man he should have killed years ago: his father. Only one thing stands in his way – a mysterious, arrow-wielding beauty… Zoe Kapoor is on her own quest for vengeance, searching for the monstrous fiends who murdered her family. Soon she and Quent join together, journeying through the ruins of the world they once knew as a desperate desire builds between them. Drawing closer to an enemy they never imagined, Zoe and Quent must abandon all fear, abandon all regret, abandon the night… I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed the romance and I liked the couple, but I really didn't care for the world and do not wish to revisit it. It was just too depressing to me.

Dec 14: "Wild About You" by Kerrelyn Sparks. This is one of my most favorite paranormal romance series and this book did not disappoint. I'm amazed how the author can keep the series fresh and wildly entertaining, and it was such joy to actually read a fun book (especially lately). Blurb: It's not every day that Elsa Bjornberg feels delicate, not when she hosts a home renovation show where she can effortlessly demolish a kitchen. But from the moment she meets Howard Barr, this bear of a man makes her feel like a woman. And the way he looks at her, as if she were a pot of honey he'd like to lick… Howard is not like most men. For one thing, he's a shapeshifter. And he always thought his celebrity crush would never amount to anything more than drooling at Elsa on TV. When his meddling vampire employer gets involved, the star is suddenly within his grasp – and within a hair of her life. For an ancient curse forbids their newfound love, and Howard is suddenly torn between his desire for her and his desire to keep her alive. I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads and I recommend the series to anyone who likes humorous, paranormal romances! Because like all her others, this one was a hoot. Loved, loved, loved it!

Dec 18: "Stalking Susan" by Julie Kramer. This is a mystery I received for free at the 2010 Romantic Times Convention and the author signed it for me, too. Since it was RT, I thought maybe the book would have some romance in it. It does not. I did actually groan when I started reading it, because it's in first person (not my favorite), but it did catch my attention rather quickly. Blurb: Inside the desperate world of TV news, a reporter discovers a serial killer is targeting women named Susan. Riley Spartz is recovering from a heartbreaking, headline-making catastrophe of her own when a Minneapolis police source drops two homicide files in her lap. Both cold cases involve women named Susan strangled on the same day, one year apart. Riley sees a pattern between those murders and others pulled from old death records. As the deadly anniversary approaches, she stages a bold on-air stunt to draw the killer out and uncover a motive that will leave readers breathless. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads. Yes, it's the beginning of a series, but ended (yay!) in a way I don't feel the need to go out and buy the next. However, I may eventually do just that, because I did like the character. Just wish it weren't in first person. Oh well…

 

So...how's your reading coming along?

 

Going to the Movies?

Going to the movies on Christmas has almost become a family tradition for us (us includes me, hubby, and the kids). I don't know if we'll be able to go this year (we'll be spending the day with our friend), but if we do, "Les Miserables" is at the top of our list. Heck, maybe we can talk her into going with us. We'll have to play that by ear.

My husband will be taking vacation between Christmas and New Year's (use it or lose it), so I thought it would be fun to spend some of that time at the movies (since we won't be going anywhere). "Jack Reacher" is on our list to watch. Tom Cruise isn't my favorite actor, but I do enjoy his films. I know it's based on books (which my husband now wants to read – it makes me happy to see him reading more!).

We're also interested in "This is 40." Yeah, I'm waaay past 40, but I like funny movies and this one looks cute. It might even be better than "Knocked Up" (which I also enjoyed).

I want to see "Silver Linings Playbook," but it's not playing around here – yet. Husband probably won't want to see it, though, so I might have to watch that one with the daughter. That's if it ever shows up around here before coming out on DVD.

Any movies coming out this holiday season you're itching to see?

 

Traveling Can Be Funny

Yep, the husband took another business trip to Kentucky (along with a co-worker, who used to be my co-worker and is our friend), and I again followed him down here. When a different friend pointed out I was actually SAVING money (by not using my own electricity and water), well, how could I NOT go?

Granted, I had some things to accomplish before I would take the trip. Namely – finish decorating the Christmas tree, sending out the Christmas cards, and get my parents' presents mailed (since they live in California and I'm not visiting during the holidays). Well, I accomplished that and more – got ALL my Christmas shopping done. Yay!

(**pats self on back**)

Okay, so how is that all funny? Well, it's not. But this is:

We had to stop for gas on the way down, so the husband did that and filled up. When we headed back to the freeway, something was clunking against the car. My husband looked in all the mirrors (basically wondering if he ran over someone – he said, later, he pictured the guy holding on for dear life). I told him the gas cap was hitting the side of the car (no I didn't see it; the cap was on his side). He groaned. Our friend and I laughed (and laughed and laughed).

He hates it when I'm right. So now I'm wondering if he'd rather he ran over someone. Hmmm…

Ah, but it doesn't stop there. Last week our friend complained about her room. Said the crack in the door was so wide, you could see through it (in this, my husband jokingly said anyone peeking in would probably get sick), so she got another room, where she never did get any hot water (in this, she jokingly blamed my husband for stealing it all). When it came time to make reservations for this trip, my husband told her he thought long and hard, but was getting a room at the same place (pretty much saying – tough toenails).

She got him back, though, when they were getting ready to leave for the manufacturing plant and the car was all covered in frost (yeah, it was that cold down here). My husband said it wasn't a problem, his friend went out there and cleaned the windows. She told him she thought long and hard, but decided to stay indoors (they crack me up).

Still, there's more. When checking in, she made sure to get a room on a different floor (no more unseated doors or cold water), but when she went to blow dry her hair, it only spit out a little bit of air. I asked her was it set on LOW. She said she didn't realize it had settings until after using it for 40 minutes when she accidentally hit the switch and the air came out faster. Yeah, I cracked up. She did, too. Good thing, or I wouldn't be sharing this with you all.

Yep, you can have fun on business trips, even when you aren't there for the business!

As for my writing project, got lots accomplished. I'm taking this awesome, free class through the RWA University, and it's given me some great pointers, which I've already put to good use. I can't wait until I'm finished and give this story back to my daughter to read. I hope she notices all the improvements (I certainly am anyway!).

Oh, I do have a mini-poll, if you don't mind answering. Book 1 is originally titled "The Uncommon One." I'm thinking of changing the title to "Bite Me, I'm Yours." If you want to know what the story is about, you can always read the query (on the tab, above). Anyway, do you think that title sounds better? That maybe it's more sellable? It's really starting to grow on me, but I'd hate to get attached and find out it sucks.

Thanks so much. I'll be checking back later tonight (I won't have internet until I get home). Have a super-duper Friday!