Wednesday Reads and Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you’re spending it alone or with family, I hope it finds you in good health. And maybe snow-free. Unless you’re one of those freaks who actually LIKES the snow (like my son does).

Here’s what I read the past week:

November 21: “The Lost Girls” by Allison Brennan, #11 in the Lucy Kincaid series, a crime drama suspense at 439 pages. Blurb from book: Photojournalist Siobhan Walsh has been searching for two sisters who disappeared two years ago in Mexico, so when she receives a call from a priest in Texas about an abandoned baby holding a locket with her name, she calls her friends in the FBI for help. The infant obviously belongs to one of the sisters, but how did she end up in Texas? And why did she abandon her newborn? Lucy Kincaid and her mentor, Supervisory Special Agent Noah Armstrong, track the missing girls and uncover a human-trafficking organization that leads to a seedy underworld in which nothing is as it seems. The bad guys seem to stay two steps ahead of them, leaving a trail of dead bodies and Lucy with more questions than answers. Meanwhile Lucy’s fiancé Sean Rogan has a crisis of his own. An old girlfriend returns with shocking news: not only does Sean have a son, but Jesse and his stepfather have disappeared. The last thing Sean wants to do is leave Lucy when she’s investigating a horrific case, but his son is in grave danger. Torn between impossible choices, he makes a decision that has far-reaching consequences for Sean, Lucy, and everything they hold dear. I practically cried on the treadmill as I raced through the end of this book. Very emotional. I love Lucy and Sean and will eagerly snatch the next book (due out in March, I believe).

 

By the way, this was my 65th book read during the year, officially reaching my adjusted reading goal. Guess I adjusted too low, huh? I don't care. I REACHED it! Yay!

So… Do you have big plans for Thanksgiving? Or maybe just little plans? We have little plans here. Our Columbus friend had to cancel due to other commitments (family comes first—even new family), our son is spending the holiday with his future bride’s family (he was with us last year, so we kind of expected that), so our daughter will come over and the three of us will head to Bob Evans for our Thanksgiving feast. Then maybe later I’ll force my daughter to watch the turkey episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Because… FUNNY.

Happy Reading! And gobble gobble.

Stacy

Making Lists and Getting Things Done!

I’ve started making lists and I’m actually getting stuff done. Imagine that, huh?

My mind had been filled with a flurry of tasks, but I wasn’t accomplishing anything because as I went to do something, I’d get side tracked.

Every. Time.

Then I remembered something I was told in this class I took about dealing with stress and life issues (which I took because I thought it would help me when the day came I needed heart surgery). Teacher suggested I write down four things I wanted to accomplish that day and how good it would feel to mark stuff off. I figured I had nothing to lose by trying.

Boy, does that list making thing WORK. I feel so much less frazzled. And it DOES feel good crossing stuff off. Really good.

Since making my lists, I finally sent that e-mail to the Santa Barbara Visitor’s Bureau to request brochures on their beaches. I want these for a convention in May, but if I can’t get them, I need time to figure out another plan. I can’t afford to procrastinate here. I’ve been meaning to do this since September, but kept forgetting or would tell myself I’d do it after such and such thing, which never happened. But I put it on my list and BAM! It got done.

Since making my lists, I finally got my post cards ordered for that same convention (I can’t sell my books at the book signing so I want to give away post cards of the covers). So glad to get that over and done with. I have Vista Print to partially thank for kicking my butt into gear. If not for their sale (which ended yesterday), I might not have listed it. But I did and I finished it. Yeah!

Since making my lists, I finally called my mom to tell her I’m coming out to visit and to make sure she heard about my son’s upcoming wedding (I told my dad, but sometimes he forgets to pass info on). You’d think I wouldn’t need to write this down, but every time I remembered to call her it was either too early or too late (I cannot interrupt her soaps, you see, and she’s in PST and I’m in EST). Seeing “Call Mom” on the list over and over reminded me at the right time! Whoo hoo!

I tend to write down more than 4 things each day, but look to accomplish at least 4. And so far I’ve only included non-writing issues. Next I need to try and include writing. But my problem has never been about writing. It’s been about the stuff that’s keeping me from writing. So if I can keep a list for completing non-writing stuff and get that done efficiently, it will certainly clear up my mind to write. At least, that’s my hope. **fingers crossed**

Football Update:

• High School: Wayne lost in the Region 3 final. What a shocker. They did not play like they played all season. Passes were missed. Mistakes were made. It was a very stressful game. I was hoping we’d at least go into overtime (we’d been tied what seemed like forever), but the other team scored a field goal with no time left on the clock. At least most of our team will return next year and they certainly went farther than we even dreamed at the beginning of the season.
• College: OSU Buckeyes squeaked by with a win. I wasn’t able to see this game, and it was probably just as well. USC Trojans beat their rivals, UCLA. Very happy about that one and if the game hadn’t started so late (10:30pm my time), I would have watched it, too.
• NFL: Steelers finally won, but then they were playing the winless Browns. Hey, I’ll take the win. Rams could have won their game, but apparently they only know how to play 3 quarters. What a disappointment.

So… How do you manage to accomplish tasks/errands? Do you make lists? Have a To Do jar and pull from that? Does your system work? Please share!

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

Wednesday Reads and one Sucky Tuesday

Tuesday officially SUCKED and I had such high hopes for that day. First, I took my car to Nissan for them to replace my satellite radio. Now the display only shows the channel, not the artist playing, like it used to. Grrr… Second, I went to get my new glasses. I normally have issues with new frames. This time I have a HUGE issue with the lenses. The reading lens is way too narrow, plus the two bottom lenses are too low. I have to lift my head way up just to read my laptop through the middle lens. FAIL! I’ll be going back today to get them fixed (what a pain). Third (I guess things DO happen in threes), I go to open the document I started for today’s blog post only to find out it’s gone. Of course it is, because the day SUCKED! Needless to say, I got NO writing done on my WIP. Just not in the mood. Hopefully today is a better day.

Here’s what I read the past week:

November 10: “Closer Than You Think” by Karen Rose, #1 in the Cincinnati series, a romantic suspense at 678 pages. Blurb from book: Psychologist Faith Corcoran is desperate to escape the stalker who’s made her life a nightmare for the past year—desperate enough to run to the one place that has been her nightmare far longer. Both boon and bane, her recent inheritance of her grandmother’s old house in Cincinnati offers sanctuary in which she can start her life anew, but requires that she face the dark memories that still resonate to this day. But she has no idea how close to home her fears still are. Two college girls have gone missing in the area, and FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak is called to work on the case. When his inquiry unexpectedly leads him to Faith, he finds a beautiful and brave woman he can’t help but fall for. Soon they’ll discover that this seemingly simple investigation is anything but. Reaching back decades into Faith’s own past, it will shatter everything she believes in to be true and will give terrifying new meaning to flesh and blood. This was one whopper of a book. Lots of twists and turns and hard to put down. I didn’t figure out who was responsible until the end.

I have to admit, though, I don’t know if I would have enjoyed this book as much if I had read it on an e-reader. I had to go back numerous times to re-check stuff, which I could easily find because I knew how far along I’d read. I just can’t do that with an e-reader. And while I took my Nook on the cruise, I never used it. I brought two paper books with me, which turned out to be the right number for the short cruise. Next time I might need to use the Nook, though. It’ll be a longer cruise!

So… Do bad things happen to you in threes? They certainly seem to happen in bunches though, don’t they? Hopefully all my bad mojo was contained in one day—yesterday. I don’t think I could stand two days (or worse—three days) in a row like yesterday.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Video and Pictures from my Cruise

Apparently nothing can be easy. I plugged in my iPhone to my computer and couldn't see it anywhere (no D drive, no nothing). I even made sure to open the phone (because I have made THAT mistake before). So I unplugged the device and plugged it back in (you know, like rebooting the system--isn't that was all the computer techs say to do?). That's when I saw the little notification pop up saying to click here to see what to do with the device. I must have missed it the first time and when that notification disappears, forget about finding it again! So frustrating.

Ahhh, but then I get frustrated easily with electronics. They don't always like me so much.

Anyway, here's the video I promised of the tide coming in (Nassau, Bahamas). Afterward, I realized I didn't have to go to all the trouble of putting it on YouTube. I probably could have just uploaded it from my computer. I'll try to remember that the next time I film something. Of course, by then it'll probably change again. Ain't that always the case?

Here are some pictures I took. If you click on the photo, it should enlarge.

This sign cracked me up!

 This was our ship (taken at Freeport, Bahamas)

Took a panoramic view of Paradise Island (Nassau, Bahamas) from our ship. That is Atlantis off to the right.

Normal view, with Atlantis off to the right.

While on Paradise Island, we stopped for some ice cream. This isn't the FIRST time we've visited this particular store, either. Found it two years ago. Glad it was still there!

Football Update:

• High School: We made it to the game in plenty of time and promptly froze our faces off (temps dropped into the 30s and it was windy!). But it was worth it. Wayne easily won (55-10). We play in the Region 3 finals next week, back in London, OH. Whoo hoo!
• College: OSU Buckeyes were awesome again. And my USC Trojans even helped by beating the #4 team (yay!!). With Clemson (#2) and that team up north (#3) also losing, OSU moved up to #2! Yay!!!
• NFL: Rams won! But the Steelers lost. Gah! I just want to kick them. Stupid errors (penalties). Stupid plays. They could have won that game, but they were STUPID!

So… Do you like the beach? If so, do you have a favorite? When I lived 5 miles from the beach (growing up in Southern California), I didn’t visit so much. Now that I’m miles and miles away, I wish I were closer. Guess it just makes me appreciate it more when I do get to visit.

Happy Monday!

Stacy