Sorting Myself Out

I need to do that thing where I sort out my priorities and budget my time again.

I know, I know.  I've done it before and it's always helped, but somehow I can't manage to stick to it for any length of time. Which is all on me, of course.  It works well for me, I just need to work on my sticktoitiveness.

But with the reviews, and the writing, and the yarning, and all the little things in my life I need to get done, things are crashing in again and falling by the wayside, and I need a little structure.  Sis says I need someone to tell me what to do, and she's probably right, but I'm the one who has to tell me what to do, so I need to get on that.

So with my coffee this morning, I'm writing out all the things that I need/want to accomplish and then figuring out when they need to get done by, and sorting out my list.  Of course, I have to take into account how plans never go according to, well, plan, and I'll need a little cushion.  And one of the important things I need to remember to schedule is downtime.  Because without it, I go nuts.  There has to be some time in there when I do whatever I'm feeling like doing, or else I really go off the deep end.   

But I just might go there anyway if I don't get myself sorted out.

Book Comfort

Alder and Helena: drop me an email and you get a prezzie!  A $10 gift card to the e-tailer of your choice!  Huzzah!

For the first time ever, I actually have books in my TBR pile.  Normally, you see, I buy the books and then read them right away.  I only buy when I'm looking for something to read, and I make a note if there's a title that I want but don't have a chance to read yet.  Some of that is due to money, I can't go crazy buying ALL THE BOOKS, but mostly it's just personal preference.  When there's a book sitting unread on my Kindle, it's like it's taunting me, and I have a desperate need to read it.

In the last couple of months, that's changed.  

Now that I'm reviewing, I get the books directly from Jay to read.  And she sends them when she gets them from the publisher or author.  And even though there's a part of my brain that's like "Books!  Read!" I do have other things going on in my life, and I have to be responsible and manage my time.  Not to mention there are other books that come out that, though I'm not reviewing them, I want to read.  lol.  So, there are books waiting for me to read them.

And weirdly, that's sort of comforting.  Knowing that I can pick up my kindle and have something new to read whenever I want.  When I need a break from all the "other" going on, I can start reading.  

I am enjoying the hell out of that.  

4th of July

What are you doing for the fourth?

I think I've heard that question about seventy million times over the past week.  It seems like that's what everyone wants to know.  And when I answer honestly--reading a book and having lunch with the BFF followed by chill time--they stare at me like I'm crazy.

No, I'm not barbecuing.  No, I'm not going to the lake.  No, I have no intention of going to a fireworks display.  

Yes, it's the celebration of the declaration of independence.  Let me be independent and do my own thing.

So in this case, I'm mostly just looking forward to having the day off from work so that I can get some much needed hang time with the awesome BFF.  I don't need any more than that.  I don't have a particular hankering for grilled meat products and the sun and I don't get along at all.  Why would I do something I don't enjoy just because that's what everyone else is doing?  Doesn't make sense to me.  

So that's what I'm doing today.  Lunch out, hanging out, enjoying the relaxing time.

But if you're celebrating, I wish you a lovely holiday.  

Feeling A Little Lost

It feels like there's been a lot going on in my life, but when I look back on it...well, not so much.  So I think that I'm going to have to chalk it up to feeling a little lost.  And now that I'm aware of it, I need to get it back on track, right?

Not this upcoming weekend, but the one after that, there's a road trip.  Nephew is finally getting christened.  And as much as I adore that adorable little bug--he really does have the best smile on the face of the planet--I'm not looking forward to that trip at all.  That's part of the unsettled feeling I'm having, I think.  Because, if I'm being starkly honest, I don't do well when my routine is upset.  Traveling, spending the night in a hotel, being surrounded by a fuckton of strangers...yeah, this is not ideal for me.

To combat the lost and the unsettled, I've come up with a list of things that I intend to work on:

--I need to get the yarn out again.  A few weeks ago, I put together the squares on that lapghan and I started working on the border, but now that it's all together, it's too hot on my lap to work on.  So that's siting on the back of my futon so I don't forget it, but it's not getting worked on right now.  Other than that, there is very little that I've done.  Yarning grounds me, and I need some grounding, so, there will be yarning in my near future.

--I have a short story brewing in my head, and I'd like to get it done in time to submit it for a sub call.  I very much intend to try.  But at the same time, I'm not getting myself all worked up about it if I don't.  There's not much time, and I haven't actually started it beyond a few sentences, but I think that I can do it.  

--I've been reading a lot, and some of it has been to review.  I'm really having a great time doing that.  It's a bit of a challenge, and sometimes I have to remind myself to be a bit more objective, but it's fun.  And the crew over at Joyfully Jay is pretty fantastic.  Plus, I'm not going to lie, free books are awesome.  That being said, I need to manage my time a little bit better there, so that's why this is on the list.  Manage my reading and reviewing time better.

All in all though, things have been pretty okay.  There are some dark days and some gray moment.  They are a little more frequent than they've been in the past.  Hence the feeling a little lost.  But now that I've recognized the issue, I can work on making it better for me.

At Least I Tried

Saturday morning when I woke up, I was bitten by the need to clean bug.  But I had a book I needed to read and review, and I had a few other books I wanted to read, and I tried to ignore it.  I tried and failed.

So after coffee, I cleaned and then I moved furniture.  I moved a lot of furniture.  Because sometimes I get in this mood where I just can't stand the configuration as it is, and I need a change.  And after I moved the furniture around....I moved it all back.  Because I hated it.  So it's all back the way it way, and I'm sort of upset that there isn't a better arrangement to be had.  But at least I tried.

Of course, all I really got out of it were sore hamstrings.  

I did change the sheets on the bed and wash the blankets and let me tell you, there's nothing better than getting into bed at night with fresh sheets and sweet smelling blankets.  That was good.

But after the disaster that was the furniture moving, I settled down to read.  I read a lot this weekend.  Some new, some old.  I read until the battery on my Kindle died.  And then I wrote.  And then, when my Kindle was charged again, I read some more.  

All in all, it was a pretty damn good weekend.  

Lazy Weekend

Happy March everybody!

I had me a fairly lazy weekend.  I did get conscripted to some impromptu babysitting while kind of wrecked my plans (of course).  And I was a bit upset by that for a while.  And two-year-old would not take his nap, which is strange because he's usually really, really good about that.  Of course, when Sis took over again, he fell asleep in five minutes.  Don't know why he was fighting it so hard for me!

But, pretty much, it was a lazy weekend.  I took a nap on both days (seriously one of my guiltiest pleasures) and read some books.  I watched a couple of movies.  I wrote a little.  Drank tea.  I didn't yarn.

It snowed some more and I just grumbled at the sky.  Usually, winter doesn't affect me so much, but this year, right now, I'm over it.  I don't even need it to warm up so much as for it to stop dumping snow on us.  Guess it's my own fault for living in one of the snowiest cities in the US.  Last I heard, we came in at number 20.  I suppose that means there are 19 places in the country that have it worse than I do.  

But I'm ready for longer days and no snow. I'm ready for it to consistently be in the the 30s and 40s.  I'm ready to not have to wear socks to bed...only to lose them in my sleep. :)

But it's March, and that means hope is on the horizon.  We'll probably get snow on and off for at least the next month, but the end is in sight.  And then it'll just be rain to deal with.  I like rain.  I like the way it sounds and smells.  And you sure as hell don't have to shovel it!

It's still winter, but spring is coming.  I'm not the most patient of people, but there's nothing I can do but wait.  Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long!

The Week Ahead

Wow.  Big day yesterday.  And I'm still sort of riding high.

I have the week off and I'm super happy about it.  I didn't actually manage to sleep in, which is okay, but I'm drinking my coffee in my pajamas and that feels like a luxury.  

Sis decided to make some Christmas decorations for her desk at work.  She's actually figuring out and crocheting them herself.  I'm incredibly proud.  She's not one to figure out how things work and though she's been asking my opinion on what and how, I'm just telling her what I think and she's figuring it all out on her own.  We raided my yarn stash so she could get all the colors she needs.  She said it was like going shopping.  I had to grin.  

I have to make a trip to the post office at some point today.  And also make banana bread (because the bananas are overly ripe and need to be turned into bread) but other than that, I have to get yarning.  Izzy's birthday is in a couple of weeks and I haven't made much progress on her shawl.  Needs to get finished, especially because I know she suspects what it is.  Which is fine, but I need to get on it!  I've only got one repeat done.  But I'm making it it with a slightly heavier yarn and a bigger hook than the pattern calls for so I don't think I'll have to do as many repeats as the pattern calls for to get a full sized shawl.  

Really, that's my plan for the week, pretty much.  Spend the whole time in various version of comfy clothes, yarn, write, read.  Maybe do a little cleaning.  A bit of decorating. I might end up having to spend some time babysitting my goddaughter but that would be a treat too.  All in all, just planning on relaxing and taking it easy. 

Hope everyone enjoys their week as well!

Yesterday

Work has gotten, in a word, crazy.

Yesterday was the epitome of that.  See, we got this new system for part of what we do and it's full of problems.  Remember?  A while ago, I was supposed to learn the new system so I could show other people.  That didn't end up happening because they moved the training and I had to stay in the office that week because someone else was out and Ro was back so she went instead.  But anyway, we went live with it last week and it's been a hot mess ever since.  It doesn't work like it's supposed to and it was a push to make it go live and nothing, nothing, is turning out right.  So there's that.

And then, for some reason, all the whack jobs came out of the woodwork and have been calling and I had to spend most of my time on the phone explaining the same thing over and over again because they just can't seem to understand the words that are coming out of my mouth.  It's frustrating and I don't blame them, not really.  But it's making for stressful times.  

All in all, I'm very glad it's Friday and there is weekend to look forward to.  And breakfast with the BFF at our place tomorrow.  And a trip to the farmers market. But also? Amy Lane's Ethan in Gold is out today and I can't wait to get home and read it.  I've been waiting for this boy's story since he showed up in Chase in Shadow and even more so once we got to know him better in Dex in Blue.  I just know my heart it going to be torn up and put back together again.

I just need to make it through the next 8 hours.  And then I can relax.

Recommended

I don't normally do book recs.  I'm well aware that my taste is not the same as others and some of the things that I find awesome others don't.  And I'm cool with that.  I'm a big proponent of the "people like what they like, and there should be no judging" mindset.  But this book?  This one I have to tell you about.

Last December, I won a copy of The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney.  I would have probably gotten it eventually anyway, but I won a copy and so, read it immediately.  I loved it.  Boney had a way of making the characters feel so damn real, I felt everything along with Ben, and the story as a whole was just so good that I had that happy satisfied sigh when I finished the book.  And I knew that whatever came next, I would read without hesitation.

The next came out about a week ago. The Return was phenomenal.  Seriously.  I'm not going to give a synopsis, because it's hard to do that without giving anything away.  But I will say this;  it's basically two parallel stories, the past and the present, and the way they intersect, all the little nuances, the similarities and where they show up and why...I really, really loved this book.  I was completely and totally impressed.  And when you find out why, you believe it, because of all the groundwork Boney laid down for you. It's easy to believe.

Now, technically, you can read The Return as a stand alone.  But you'd be doing yourself a great disservice.  Not only would you miss out the wonderful tale that is The Nothingness of Ben, but the characters from that book are a part of The Return as well.  And when it all comes together, and you see everything, you'll be happy you've read them both.  

And when you're done, check out Mr. Boney's blog and see what's coming up next.  You'll be as excited as I am.

Now, please keep in mind that this is just my opinion and you may not agree.  It's okay if you don't.  But for me?  Yeah, I loved it a real lot and I can't wait to read The Eskimo Slugger which will apparently come out sometime next year.

**Just there is no confusion, both these titles are M/M**  

Coffee with Cole

No work today!  I took the day off!

I wanted a day off anyway, right?  And when Rhys Ford posted that the next book in The Cole McGinnis series was being released today, I said I was going to take the day off of work so I could read it.  And then I thought, why the hell not?  So, I took the day off.  And I'm going to get my coffee and then I'm going to download Dirty Laundry.

This morning, I'm having coffee with Cole.  And Jae.  And Neko.  And Bobby.  And whoever else shows up.

By the way, if you haven't read any Rhys Ford I highly suggest you remedy that quickly.  Excellent writing.  Good story lines.  Freaking awesome characters.  She's on my automatic buy list.  Btw, there's a link to her blog at the bottom of the page...her's is one of the Places I Go.

And then after Dirty Laundry, I'll yarn.

Universe Conspiring

I think, for some reason, the universe doesn't want me to yarn.

It's not a secret that I am a voracious reader.  It's my first love, before the yarn, and I sometimes find it hard to balance the two.  Riptide Publishing has this awesome feature that if you pre order a book, you get it 48 hours before general release.  I think it's awesome, of course.  Covet Thy Neighbor will be released on Monday and because I pre ordered it, I get it today.  I've been waiting for Seth's story since the very first Tucker Springs book Where Nerves End.  I'm a fan of L.A. Witt, Marie Sexton, and Heidi Cullinan and when I found out that they'd be co authoring a series, sometimes co authoring books, I was thrilled.  I've read them all as they have come out.  And now, finally, Seth's story.  So that's what I'll be doing for he next few hours.

Of course, that does leave plenty of hours to work on the yarn after that.  So, tentatively, that is the plan.  Read the book and then make some adorable (and gruesome) amigurumi.  I don't want to make the plan too solid because then I'm afraid it'll get interrupted or something.  That happens with alarming frequency.

After that, I'm going to work some on Spell Break. Whether that's later today after yarn or tomorrow, we'll see.  I have the next two "episodes" plotted out with notes.  Tune in Monday to see episode two.  

But first?  More coffee.

Recap

OK.  So, the BFF and I went to our favorite diner for our favorite breakfasts.  I couldn't finish all my home fries, but that's nothing new.  It was nice and quite in there so we got our food pretty fast and stared off into space while we ate.  We do that.  We can have comfortable silences while our individual minds wander...and then randomly say something out loud when we think of something to share.  We left the place a little overly stuffed and headed over to the mall and the theater.

On the way there, I realized that we had talked about stopping at Barnes and Noble.  We had time to kill before the movie so I quick swung over into the right lane and pulled in.  We didn't shop for long, we both knew what we wanted.  I got the latest book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.  It's something that I've been reading since pretty much the beginning.  I adore the series and this latest one was no disappointment, though I was a little wary after having read the blurb.  I should have known she would have handled it in a way of which I would approve.  


We got to the the theater, bought our tickets, then wandered the mall for a bit because we still had time to kill.  The movie was...well, it was predictable.  And also a little cheesy.  The effects were very impressive but the story line was nothing that you couldn't figure out.  I don't regret seeing it but I probably wouldn't watch it again.

After that, I dropped the BFF at her car and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading the book.  

All in all, it was a very good, relaxing day and I enjoyed it immensely.  I kind of needed it.  And now there are only four days left to the week!