Zoomin' Down the Highway

By the time this posts, the ship should be docking in Charleston. Hopefully an hour or two later, we’ll be getting off. Then the trip home begins.

Or rather, the trip to the football game.

Yep, we’re going to do our best to make Wayne’s game tonight (zoom-zoom). Their game is in London, OH, so if we’re lucky, the GPS won’t take us through Cincinnati. Going through there will severely slow us down. Construction! Ugh!

I’m gonna miss the warm weather. The beaches. The water. But I don’t think I’ll miss this ship so much. It’s not my favorite of all the ones we’ve been on (our dining companion feels the same way, so it’s not just me). I’d say it’s because it’s small, but we’ve been on small ships before and liked them much better.

Oh well. We wanted to try a new ship and did that. I’ll just knock it off my list of ones I want to go back to.

To answer Maria’s question from the last post… The Spa holds sales/specials on port days because most people get OFF the ship. I doubt they’d get much business if they didn’t have the sales.

The trip in to Nassau on Wednesday was nice. We rode a taxi over to Paradise Island (where Atlantis is located). Walked over to the free beach access (about a 25 min walk). When we got to the stairs that led to the beach, the bottom step had just gotten washed away in the rising tide. The people in front of us were in the process of climbing back onto the steps and one got hurt.

I was disappointed I didn’t get to walk along the beach, but it was nice to sit on the steps and watch the waves come in. I even took a little video of it, which I posted to Facebook. Once I figure out how to post it here (meaning once I get home), I’ll share it with you. Same with the few (very few) pictures I took. Trying to upload them through the ship’s wi-fi (when I have access—our account only allows one device to use it at a time) takes FOR-EV-ER!

 

We took the water taxi back to the port and had planned to walk to another beach, but by then I got a blister on my foot, so we just went back to the ship. Dang blisters! Kind of put a kink into my exercise routine, too. I HAD planned on exercising on the ship (they have a nice fitness room), but not with a blister.

So… While I’m flying down the highway, what are you up to? Maybe avoiding our car? Haha!

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and My 1000th Post

That’s right! This is my 1000th post!! I started blogging the day after Thanksgiving of 2009. Who knew I’d be sticking around this long?

Here’s what I read the past week:

November 2: “You Belong to Me” by Karen Rose, #1 in the Baltimore series, a romantic suspense at 494 pages. Blurb from book: Baltimore homicide detective J.D. Fitzpatrick has seen a lot of horrific violence both as a cop and during his deployment in Afghanistan, but nothing like the trail of tortured bodies turning up throughout the city. He’s up against a brutal killer with a very personal vendetta, and J.D. is beginning to suspect that his medical examiner may be shielding some crucial evidence linked to the case. Medical examiner Dr. Lucy Trask is intrigued by J.D.’s compassion, but she isn’t about to mix work with pleasure. Not while there’s a ruthless killer on the loose. And definitely not while she’s keeping a dark secret that could connect her to these vicious killings—and put her next on the killer’s hit list… Wow. If you love romantic suspense and haven’t read any of her books, go out and read one. I’ve got two more in my TBR stack and I have a feeling I’ll be buying the rest. Yep, that good. And there wasn’t even any paranormal stuff in it! Haha!

November 7: “Pairing Off” by Elizabeth Harmon, a contemporary romance at 380 pages. Blurb from book: American figure skater Carrie Parker’s Winter Games dreams were dashed when her philandering partner caused one of the greatest scandals in skating history. Blacklisted for competing in the United States, her career is over…until she receives a mysterious invitation and is paired with the most infuriating, talented—and handsome—skater she’s ever met. Russian champion Anton Belikov knows sacrifice. He gave up a normal life and any hope of a meaningful relationship to pursue his dream. And he’s come close—with a silver medal already under his belt, the next stop is the gold. All he needs is a partner. While he’s never forgotten the young American skater he seduced one long-ago night in Amsterdam, he never expected to be confronted with their past…never mind share the ice with her. When what starts as a publicity stunt grows into something real, Carrie and Anton’s partnership will test their loyalties to family, country and each other. With only a few months to train for the competition of a lifetime, can they master technique and their emotions, or will they lose their footing and fall victim to the heartaches of their pasts? This book was a Rita (RWA) finalist and I can see why. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about these figure skaters. Heck, I’m a fan of the sport. But I have to admit, I won this book and wasn’t sure I’d read it, until I saw it was situated in Russia (I’ve got this fascination with that country because one of my vampire characters is from there). So glad I wasn’t disappointed.

I tried commenting on Monday’s post, via my iPhone, but it wouldn’t post because Blogger said I entered the wrong password (I hadn’t). I tried another account and got the same message (but in that case I had entered the wrong password). Finally got around to commenting when I posted this, via my laptop. Just know I’m able to READ your comments, even if I can’t comment right away. Thanks, too. I love comments.

Cruise activities (so far):

• Monday: Sailed to Freeport. Wrote some. Read a lot. J
• Tuesday: Docked at Freeport (a boring port), so I stayed on ship and had a massage (they’re cheaper when ship is docked). My first one. Loved it!
• Today: Docked at Nassau. Hope to walk along the beach.

Overall, the weather has been BEAUTIFUL. And I’m getting a lot of REST. It’s been great.

So… What was the last book you read? Was it your favorite genre or something different that caught your eye? Good or disappointing?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

The Problem with Goodreads

I was going through my e-mails before I left on the cruise and, like always, opened the one from Goodreads to see what my friends had read, or marked to read. One friend gave 5 stars to The Chemist. That’s the new book from Stephenie Meyer.

Oooh! I quickly looked to see if it was out now. No, it’s not. But soon (Nov 8). I hadn’t added it to my wish list, so I fixed that right away (I always hit that list first whenever I get a coupon from B&N). Then I went over to Goodreads to see if I had added the book there.

Again, I hadn’t (how that was possible, I don’t know—I knew the book existed!). It already had 57 reviews there (nothing on Amazon or B&N because they won’t let you post them until the book is released). Or so I thought. There were no reviews. These were all comments on their perceived notion of the book (yes, this one is a totally different genre—for one it’s not YA). Some were happy to see another Stephenie Meyer book (like me). Others? I’m shaking my head.

I don’t know why people feel the need to bash an author if they have NO INTENTION of reading their book.

Now, I love Goodreads, don’t get me wrong. I love adding the books I’ve read or will read. I love keeping track of my reading. I love seeing my own books listed there. But I think some people just like to use it as a way to feel superior.

Yeah, like on Facebook.

Except on Facebook you have to use your real name. On Goodreads you don’t.

Those snarky reviews (well, more like comments marked as reviews) won’t dissuade me from reading The Chemist. I loved the Twilight series and I liked The Host. And when I finally get the book and read it, I’ll post something real without all those GIFs.

In other words… I try to use Goodreads as it’s intended. Post something that says to me what I liked or didn’t like and recommend it, if I feel it’s worthy. I will not bash a book before I’ve read it. That’s just silly. And uncalled for.

Oh well, just my opinion. Apparently other readers don’t feel the same.

Football Update:

• High School: Wayne won their first playoff game. Yay! We’re hoping we’re off the ship in time to make it to this Friday’s game. We did it two years ago, so know it’s doable! Hopefully the game is located in a place so we don’t have to drive through Cincinnati to get there. I hate driving through Cincinnati during rush hour (and it always seems to be rush hour!).
• College: OSU Buckeyes were awesome. Loved how they played. USC Trojans and WV also won decisively. Awesome Saturday night (gee, do they even play day games anymore??).
• NFL: I had to post this before the games ended (and I ran out of battery on my laptop—no plugs at Buffalo Wild Wings), so I can’t report on the Steelers and Rams. But we were able to watch all of the Steelers play since we weren’t allowed to check in at the ship until after 6:30pm (last minute cruise delay).

The Penguins also won decisively on Saturday AND I won a Stanley Cup Champion license plate holder on the Angry NHL Fans-Pittsburgh Facebook Page! Angry, the admin of the page, is always giving away Penguin stuff by having us guess stuff like who will score first or how many shots are in a period/game, etc. Saturday she asked for first period shots (for both teams). I picked the correct number of 18 (along with a bunch of other people) and she drew my name. Yay! A nice way to start my vacation. J

So… Do you use Goodreads? How so? If not, why not?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

What a Week

I’ve had so many errands and stuff, I barely had time to write. I hate weeks like that.

• Monday: Eye appointment followed by a headache. Got nothing done.
• Tuesday: Cardiology appointment in the morning (heart’s still ticking and I’m good for another 6 months!) and Nissan appointment in the afternoon (my satellite radio is on the fritz—grrr). Still managed 265 words, so not too shabby.
• Wednesday: I hosted the Sizzle & Sass Facebook page. It’s more time consuming than it sounds. Really. Got -3 words written (remember: revising!).
• Thursday: Laundry, bank, eye doctor again (I didn’t like the frames they had and she ordered more, they came in, and I liked one of them), then…PACKING. We leave on vacation tomorrow. Yeah, I wait until the last minute, but this time I couldn’t wait until the last-last minute. I did manage to get 156 words written.
• Today: I have a board meeting with my local RWA chapter (I’m the treasurer and it’s an hour drive away) and then a football game tonight. That’s why I had to do the laundry and bulk of the packing yesterday. Wouldn’t have had time tonight. I’ll be surprised if I even open my WIP today. Surprised, I tell you!

Guess it’s a good thing I start my vacation tomorrow, huh? Yay!! So looking forward to it. We’re cruising to the Bahamas again. It’s a short one, but I don’t care. It’s a CRUISE! I still plan on posting and commenting while I’m gone (Hubby will get the wi-fi package so his work can get in touch with him—ah, the price we pay for “free” internet: his work is paying for it). Hopefully I’ll get some good pictures to share. That’s always fun to post.

So… How has your week gone? Hopefully less hectic than mine.

Have a great Friday!

Stacy

P.S. I tried posting this via Edge instead of Internet Explorer. Ugh. How UGLY. Guess I'll stick with IE for Blogger. Too bad Yahoo hates IE, though. It's all messed up. **heavy sigh**

Wednesday Reads and Good Riddance to my Newspaper

Here’s what I read the past week:

October 25: “Defy the Dawn” by Lara Adrian, 14th book in the Midnight Breed series, a paranormal romance at 286 pages. Blurb from book: Daywalker Brynne Kirkland survived a hellish upbringing as a product of a madman’s lab. Tough, driven, and devoted to her work in law enforcement, Brynne has never dared to risk opening her heart to anyone—least of all a handsome immortal from a world on the verge of a war against hers. Atlantean warrior Zael left the intrigue of his realm several lifetimes ago, along with the battles he fought as one of the queen’s legion. As a free-spirited loner walking the fringe of two worlds—that of his secretive and powerful people, and the outside world belonging to mankind and the Breed—it was never his intention to return to combat and bloodshed. Nor had he imagined that he might ever be tempted into anything stronger than desire…until he meets Brynne. Thrust together as allies of the Order in the fight against a diabolical enemy, Zael and Brynne embark on a mission that will ultimately force them to decide between duty to their people, and a passion that defies all bounds. I’m still engrossed in this series, even after fourteen books! Wonderful romance. **heavy sigh**

I got a notice in the mail yesterday that my newspaper (Dayton Daily News) is raising rates…AGAIN. I finally got fed up with the increases and cancelled it. How bad did it get?

• In November 2014 I was paying $21.44/mo.
• In July 2015 they raised it to $24.99/mo.
• January 2016, $30.52/mo.
• July 2016, $35.49
• December 2016, $43.49!! That’s over $500/year!!!

Rates have more than doubled over the past two years. Ridiculous! I truly believe they WANTED me to cancel. Why else raise it so much, and multiple times a year? I'll miss getting the paper, but not at those prices.

I do have some GOOD news. Seems the construction crew is just about finished with widening the road my road connects to. Lines were painted yesterday so it would make sense that I should be able to turn left off our street today. Would you believe they actually PARK the equipment in the middle of the road so no one can get through? It’s been a pain to have to go around, but at least the end is in sight! Yay!

So… Do you subscribe to a newspaper? Think I waited too long to cancel? I’m thinking maybe I have. Oh well…

Happy Reading!

Stacy