Friday, March 30, 2007

Lord G Does His Homework

My youngest son, G, brought home an assignment for Social Studies this week. They're studying the discovery and plunder... er, exploration... of the New World. He had to write a paragraph using the vocabulary words fleet, explorer, fortification, and representative government. Here's what he came up with:

One year 3 werewolf explorers came running to their king, Lord G. They told him that a fleet of ships had arrived with an army of humans. Lord G ordered a fortification to be bulit around his territory. After 5 months, the wall was finished. The humans thought indians would live here but seeing a wall they started to climb. After they were inside the palace they were kaptured and brought to Lord G. The leader got them out of trubble but asked where his army and representative government was. Lord G roared silence! There is no silly representative government here. Throw him into prison with his men!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that his was the only paragraph dealing with werewolves defending against an invading army of humans. Gee, I dunno where he gets it from...

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Thursday Thirteen Things I Love About the Harry Potter Books! (very mild SPOILERS for books 1-6)


Thirteen Things I love about the Harry Potter books!


1. Dumbledore. He's one of the ultimate characters in any book, in my opinion. He's super powerful, yet still kind and caring. He's brilliant and, in the wizarding world, one of the biggest big-shots around, yet he's often far less than serious. In a nutshell, he's the grandpa we all wish we had.

2. House elves--who doesn't want a house elf? C'mere, Dobby, you can have all the clothes and wages you want if you keep my house presentable...

3. Ron Weasley. He's not the smartest kid, not the most powerful wizard, not the funniest or the most athletically talented or... but he is the best, most loyal friend you could want. Most of the time.


4. Fawkes the phoenix. I have a great love of the phoenix myth--have one tattooed on my right hip, actually. Love their symbolism.

5. The artwork--especially the little black-and-white drawings at the start of every chapter. Whoever does those, absolutely nails what I think Harry's world looks like.

6. Jim Dale. He's the incredibly talented voice actor who reads the Harry Potter audiobooks. I just found out that he's doing Book 7, and it'll be released on the same day as the print book. Yay! I swear, the Harry Potter CDs have done more to keep the peace between my boys on long car trips than anything else in the entire world, including sleepy-making Benedryl and Dramamine for the carsick son...


7. Snape and the potions lessons. Okay, I'll say it... I think Snape's going to come out as a good guy in the end. I love to hate him, I really do, but... somehow. He'll have been consistently loyal to Dumbledore. You wait and see.

8. The owls. They're such beautiful birds, and many of them are endangered. Not only are they great characters in their own rights, I think JK Rowling has done a great thing in increasing awareness and love of these birds in young people.

9. The wands! I like how they're all individual, just like the witches and wizards who use them. That's a great touch.

10. Hogwarts Castle. It's so well described and plays such an enormous role in all the stories, it's practically a main character in itself. At the end of HP6, Harry said he's not returning to Hogwarts for his final year of education, and I'm really biting my nails. A Harry Potter book without the castle???

11. Aunt Petunia. She's got some 'splainin' to do! Is she in contact with wizards? Was she writing to Dumbledore before his death? Is she going to show her own magical powers in Book 7? Enquiring minds want to know...

12. Hermione... you didn't really think I'd forget her, did you? She's changed so much since the first book--and for the better. She's a walking library, an intensely intelligent and strong-willed young lady that is still cool.

13. Harry. Yes, I know, it's obvious, but who could love a book series without adoring the main character? He's made glasses cool--as a mom of a boy who wears 'em, I appreciate that. He's brave, but can usually admit his mistakes. One thing I'd like to see is Harry learning how to control his impulsive nature. Yes, you do have to save the world, but it never hurts to plan things out first...

And since I didn't seem to leave a spot for it--#14, the new Harry Potter 7 cover!


Ain't it pretty? Voldemort is on the back, reaching for Harry... very, very dramatic.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Wordless Wednesday




These things are far too addictive...

I can spend hours doing these little quiz thingies. That's not really a good thing when you consider I'm past deadline and coming up on another deadline... aaack!

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"

You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love.
You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart.

Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!)

Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic

What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays

Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

Heh, I'm hot! And hard to get! And... wait a minute... is this why I haven't had a date in longer than I'd care to contemplate? No fair!

Your Lust Quotient: 55%

You are definitely a lustful person, but you do a good job of hiding it.
Your friends would be surprised to know that you're secretly very wild!

No, they wouldn't. My friends have read my books.



You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat



You are a nice blend of cat and dog.

You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful.

And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.


Mewoof.

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system.

You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent.
Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down.

You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future.
Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

If you rule an entire frickin' planet, how sensitive to the needs of others do you really have to be? Honestly?

... someone please stop me from doing seven thousand more of these...

It must not have been the glow-in-the-dark kind.

There was this couple that had been married for 20 years. Every time they made love the husband always insisted on shutting off the light.

Well, after 20 years the wife felt this was ridiculous. She figured she would break him out of this crazy habit. So one night, while they were in the middle of a wild, screaming, romantic session, she turned on the lights. She looked down. and saw her husband was holding a battery-operated leisure device... a vibrator! Soft, wonderful and larger than a real one.

She went completely ballistic. "You impotent bastard," she screamed at him, "how could you be lying to me all of these years? You better explain yourself!"

The husband looks her straight in the eyes and says calmly: "I'll explain the toy . . . you explain the kids."

Monday, March 26, 2007

And the finalists are...


The Romance Writers of America has released its list of finalists for the Rita (published author competition) and Golden Heart (unpublished author competition) awards for 2007. The winners are announced at RWA's annual convention, in a formal ceremony not unlike the Oscars. Congratulations to all the authors who made this list of the best of the best, especially my good friend Bronwyn Parry who finaled in the Golden Heart Best Romantic Suspense category!

In other news, today marks the inaugural post on the Passionate Prose blog, written by yours truly! It's a new blog created with the joint efforts of around fifteen erotic romance authors, and it promises to be a lot of fun. Check it out by clicking the banner below!

Friday, March 23, 2007

VITALLY IMPORTANT--Rat Poison Contaminated Pet Food, FDA Recall Information

I can't imagine there are many pet owners who haven't heard about this yet, but it's still worth reposting this information from the FDA regarding the rat poison contamination of many brands of canned or "wet" pet food. As anyone who's looked at this blog for more than three seconds might've noticed, I adore my pets and am so thankful right now that they don't eat wet food! But for the sake of all the pets that do eat it, I'm reposting this.


Love your furbabies--read the information and CHECK THAT FOOD!

(Copied from the FDA website, all rights reserved by copyright holder)

Recall of Pet Foods Manufactured by Menu Foods, Inc.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been informed that Menu Foods, Inc., a private-label pet food manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada, is recalling all its "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food produced at its facility in Emporia, Kansas between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The products are sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The recall was prompted by consumer complaints received by the manufacturer and by tasting trials conducted by the manufacturer. There has been a small number of reported instances of cats and dogs in the United States that developed kidney failure after eating the affected product. To date, Menu Foods, Inc. has reported 14 animal deaths to the FDA. Nine cats died during routine taste trials conducted by the company. Consumers reported deaths of four cats and one dog. The firm has undertaken extensive testing of the pet food products in question, but to date has been unable to find the source of the problem.

The products are packaged in cans and pouches under numerous brand names and are marketed nationwide by many pet food retailers including Ahold USA Inc., Kroger Company, Safeway, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., PetSmart, Inc., and Pet Valu, Inc.

Menu Foods, Inc. has identified the potentially contaminated products on the Internet at www.menufoods.com/recall. Consumers who have any of these products should immediately stop feeding them to their pets. Dogs or cats who have consumed the suspect feed and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should consult with their veterinarian. Menu Foods, Inc. is notifying retailers by telephone and mail and is arranging for the return of all recalled products.

FDA is conducting an investigation and working with Menu Foods, Inc. to ensure the effectiveness of the recall. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-866-895-2708. Consumers who wish to report adverse actions or other problems can go to http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html to contact the FDA complaint coordinator in their state.

However, this information from the FDA website is just a little bit old--today's news stories bear that out. This is from Yahoo News, directly copied, all rights reserved:

ALBANY, N.Y. - Rat poison was found in the pet food suspected of causing kidney failure that killed at least 16 cats and dogs, but scientists still don't know how it got there, state officials said Friday.

The toxin was identified as aminopterin, which is used to kill rats in some countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.

And just so no one has to look too hard to know what brands are included:

Recalled Cat Product Information

Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

Recalled Dog Product Information

Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

Please feel free to forward this along! Just make sure you don't alter the FDA article or change any part of it--we don't have permission to do that.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Thursday Thirteen--Things On My To-Do List


Thirteen Things Things On My To-Do List


1. Write, write, write! This is just about always the #1 thing I have to do, am behind on, am stressing over, etc. The glamorous life of an author, doncha know.

2. Train the laundry. (A joke between myself and Laura Hamby--we've both shown the laundry how the washing machine and dryer works, and how folding happens, so very many times, and the stupid laundry STILL can't seem to remember and do itself...)

3. Clean the house. Argh. What's this about authors being rich and having maids and personal assistants and stuff? I wish. I hate cleaning, and have often said that all I really want out of life is a maid.

4. Check on the chickens and make sure they all have food and water, then gather the eggs later this afternoon. (If you want to see the fascinating chickens, have a peek at my other blog on myspace.) I'm such a geek, but I actually like them! When I was in my teens and my parents kept chickens, they drove me absolutely batshit crazy with their crowing. Now I sorta like it... does this mean I'm getting old?

5. Spend some quality time with the spoiled Elias pets, Simi and Pharaoh. They get cranky if they're not fawned over frequently.

6. Clean off my desk. (Yeah, like that's gonna happen--I once had a sign that said "A clean desk is the sign of a disturbed mind." Only it got lost under the clutter.)

7. Find some wrapping paper to wrap my future sister-in-law's birthday present. Her actual birthday was on the 19th, but I wasn't done crochetting this until yesterday.

8. Make hummus. I cooked garbanzos last night, and the left-overs always turn into hummus. It's yummy.

9. Mail a package to Australia. Can't tell you why, cuz the recipient might read this blog...

10. Find all the movies I've got rented and send 'em back. I've had these far too long, but can't find the stupid things... this might be filed under "clean the house" and "clean off the desk," actually.

11. Play with the baby chicks. I saved some stale bread and I'm going to try to get them to eat out of my hand. The big chickens will, sometimes, but they tend to pinch me!

12. Waste time on myspace, my blog, eHarlequin, email, IM, etc...

13. Do the Thursday Thirteen... well, at least I can check one thing off my list!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Monday, March 19, 2007

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Thursday Thirteen Best Gifts I've Ever Received


Thirteen Of The Best Gifts I've Ever Received


1. Nosy
When I was sixteen, my cat Ziggy Stardust had to be put to sleep. He had FIV, the feline version of AIDS, and his liver failed. I was crushed, and I knew I couldn't get another cat because I was going to graduate in a year's time and leave for college. My father surprised me by taking me to Austin to get me another cat, and we came home with Nosy, a very funny-looking Siamese. He's still here, arthritic, cranky, and still very, very funny-looking!

2. An electric guitar
I wanted this so bad, I casually mentioned I'd like it for my birthday about seventy times. A day. So my parents got it for me two weeks early, just to make me happy. It made me cry!

3. A chocolate easter bunny
I got married in February of '96, and happened to mention to my then-husband that I'd never had a chocolate easter bunny. He got me one, a huge, painted, iced, delicious bunny... mmm, now I'm craving chocolate...

4. A garnet ring
I'm a big fan of getting myself birthday and Christmas presents. I bought that ring for myself (from the Home Shopping Network, haha!), and I get tons of compliments on it. More than that, I just love it. Best $22 I ever spent!

5. Word 2003
From my brother, who said an author shouldn't be using a Word program almost 10 years out of date.

6. The nickname "Aimless"
Because it came from an online community of authors and writers who mean the world to me. They're the most supportive and snarktastic people I've ever met, and when I got dubbed with my "cavename," it meant I was one of 'em.

7. Bunkbeds
These came from my best friend's mother, and were given to me right when I was starting to establish myself after nursing school. I'd bought a house, gotten a job, and then my vehicle died before I could get nice beds for my sons. The money I'd saved up for beds had to go toward a new car, and I was in a panic! They gave me these heavy, sturdy, high-quality oak bunk beds that can be separated into two twin beds, and I was--and am--immensely grateful.

8. Self-confidence
Some might not think this is a gift, but I disagree. My family gave this to me by always believing in me. I hope to pass it on to my boys.

9. Many computers
I am very, very fortunate to be the daughter of a computer freak, and the sister of an even bigger computer freak. Whenever their computer wasn't the bestest and fastest and mostest ever, I got a hand-me-down system that still kicked large amounts of ass. I didn't have to buy my own computer until two years ago!

10. Letters
After high school, I joined the Navy. (I was injured in boot camp and discharged after about 11 weeks.) The first few weeks of boot camp, recruits aren't allowed to get mail. My father wrote a short letter for every day of those first weeks and hid them in my luggage so I'd find them when I arrived. I still have them.

11. Meteorites
From my father--three of them he's found over the years. I'm fascinated by space, and I love those things!

12. My sewing machine
From my ex-husband. I wasn't wild about it at the time, but man, I use the heck outta that thing now. Why did I ever think I didn't need a sewing machine?

13. My sons
I tell them frequently that they're the best toys I've ever had!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Wordless Wednesday


Tales From The Spam Crypt

1) Do Your Grants Need Funding In? (no, I prefer the unfunded grants. Bouncing checks are so entertaining!)
2) Get latest real tones--PARTICIPATION REQUIRED! (I'm not participating. Will they come arrest me? And how do you know the tones are real? I want to see the fake tones.)
3) Of or deliquescent trading Opportunity 4U (... huh? Can I trade this email for one that makes sense?)
4) look and the workers together (and save that will do--ye also (Again with the wtf?)
5) Sex can be one of the most enjoyable parts of your live CIALIS (I'm not a man, and therefore am unlikely to take any kind of Cialis, but if I did, I wouldn't take live Cialis. I prefer my medications to be dead.)
6) Its never to late to continue your education (Yes, written just like that. Perhaps they should continue their education with remedial Its, It's classes and To, Too, Two lessons?)
7) We can have you covered! (With what? Jello? Sunscreen? Guys named Guido who want to break my kneecaps? No thank you...)
8) It as rising to be equal... or unequal (I love these ones. They're so randomly delicious. What is the point of these spams, I'd like to know?)
9) Exclusive Chinese Relationship Analysis! (Um. I'm not Chinese, nor dating anyone who's Chinese. Is this like a sneak preview of the fortune cookie I'll get on our next dinner date?)
10) Enjoy the company of others with $100k Platinum Visa! (This may be the first credit card spam I've seen to specifically target the frequent-prostitute-visit set.)

Monday, March 12, 2007

Spicing up my Sunday with attention-seeking behavior

You see, I need attention. I crave it. So since the friend I chat with all day is currently on vacation (five days at a spa, I hate you, Cat Marsters!), I have decided to act like a little kid and do some attention-seeking behaviors.

Yesterday's was running outside during a tornado.

In my defense, I didn't actually know there was really a tornado on the ground a block or two away at the time. I did know that the weather was getting really craptastic, with swirling dark clouds, hail, and insane gusts of wind. I knew we were under a tornado watch.

I also knew that these two were still in my house:
(Yes, he's a very dignified cat, isn't he?) Anyway, since my family lives right next door, we had all vacated to their sturdy brick house with the storm shelter under the stairs, but my furbabies were still in my much less sturdy house--and Simi was OUTSIDE.

So I lost my sanity a little and ran to get them.

Okay, it was dumb. I realized this when the wind blew so hard it actually knocked me to the ground, and then blew me off the porch stairs, too. (SO lucky Pharaoh didn't decide to scratch and claw me during that!) Also, very lucky that there wasn't much damage done here--some bird feeders blown to who-knows-where, a couple of busted clay pots and a chiminea, and the doghouse blown across the yard and turned upside down. The school, 5 blocks away, had a little more damage done to it, but luckily it's spring break so they'll be able to fix it before the boys go back.

So. Are you looking at me yet?

edited to add:
More damage reports--the neighbor across the street lost their roof--their entire roof. And our patio table shattered. Apparently the damage to the school is just the track. They have that slightly squishy, exercize-mat like stuff around the track to run on, you know? Easier on the joints stuff? All that stuff got ripped up and tossed into the air.

Oy. I'm so dumb for going out in that! *blushing*

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Congratulations, Kelly!

Yesterday The Romance Studio featured my upcoming release, CHOSEN, Book 3 of the Guardians' League, as their Book-A-Day Giveaway. In a highly scientific and randomized drawing, involving Youngest Son and Eanie Meanie Miney Mo, Kelly Grant was chosen as the winner. Congratulations, Kelly, and I hope you enjoy your copy of CHOSEN when it is released on April 17th!

Meet Simi, the spoiled dog

Well, I couldn't think of anything else to blog about, and since Simi's the most spoiled dog in creation, she got the nod. She's in her favorite spot right now--lying beside my desk chair, within easy reach for random scratches and pats. Which she frequently gets.

So without further ado, admire my baby girl!
She's so stressed. I should be ashamed, subjecting this poor dog to such a harsh and stressful life. (See the edge of my desk up there in the corner? Told you it's her favorite spot.)
"I might want to go out... but then again, you might be about to pet me. Are you?"
On her first birthday, with what remains of her present--a nice, meaty, disgusting-smelling smoked bone. She didn't offer to share it with me.

Friday, March 9, 2007

It's Spring Break!



Myspace Graphics



The birds are singing, the sun is shining, the air is filled with the scent of antici........... pation. It's Spring Break, baby! I don't know who's happier about it--the kids, or me.

Of course, it's probably them. I remember when I was a kid and Spring Break rolled around. A full week of no homework! Sleeping late! Playing games and climbing trees! (Alas, at the new house, there's only one tree big enough to climb and since it's in bloom, it's filled with bees. Oh well! I'm sure they'll climb something--these boys are monkeys.) We don't have any plans to go anywhere, although I wish we could. Well, staying at home can be fun, too, right?

Last year we took a trip to Houston and spent a couple of nights. That was a blast. The boys had never stayed in a hotel room before, and they thought it was awesome. Ain't it great, the things that thrill kids? We hit the Houston Aquarium and the Natural Science Museum. Oldest boy, who's a complete freak for T Rex, was thrilled by their special T Rex exhibit. Youngest boy loved it all. Mama was sad that the Egypt exhibit had to get moved to make room for T Rex, but hey, when an 18-foot-tall predator with teeth as long as your index finger comes to town and wants a space, are you really going to say no?

So, is it Spring Break where you are? In South Texas, it comes early, just like the warm weather--it's 80 degrees today. What are your plans? *imitates Mike Myers on SNL* Talk amongst yourselves.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Thursday Thirteen Things That Are Annoying Me Right Now

ttholiday9.gif


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

Yeah, not a terribly inspired Thursday Thirteen, but what the heck, it's been one of those days, I'm cranky, and it's time for a whine.

1--BEDTIME. Argh! Am I the only mother in the world who can't get her kids to go to bed when I tell them to? Do I need to start dosing them both with Valium and a rum chaser to make them go to sleep?

2--Getting the car inspected. What's the point? It's all in one piece, it runs, why do I need to pay someone to look at it and tell me it's functional? I prove that it is every time I turn the key.

3--The dog and cat ALWAYS fighting. I swear, it's like having another pair of kids. Pet the dog, the cat gets jealous. Pet the cat, the dog flips out. Try and pet them both at the same time and wind up getting buried under competing furry bodies. Which then fight. On top of me. *eyeroll*

4--Wearing glasses. This one's my fault, though, in two ways. One, I only have one bad eye, because I was hit in the left eye by a rock when I was a child. And I stared that game so I really can't blame anyone else. Two, I used to wear one contact lens, but I got the protein-remover bottle and the eye-drops bottle mixed up, and, well, protein remover in the eye makes me say really bad words. Now I can't wear a contact because of the aftermath of corneal burns.

5--Putting away the clean laundry. Don't ask me why, but I don't mind washing it, hanging it out to dry, folding it, hanging it... but putting it away bugs me. How petty is that?

6--The little pink window that keeps appearing at the bottom of the blogger screen as I type, that vanishes too fast for me to read what the stupid thing says! Is it a spell-check? Grammar check? Message from an alien civilization? Winning lotto numbers? COME BACK AND STAY FOR MORE THAN HALF A SECOND, LITTLE PINK BOX!

Ahem. Sorry.

7--The way my desk always gets so incredibly messy, even when I'm trying to keep it neat. It's like some kind of supernatural crap-magnet. I should just stop fighting it, but then I'd never see my keyboard again.

8--The fact that I'm out of chocolate, and even if I had some, I'm on a bridesmaid-dress-diet and couldn't eat it anyway. Grrr. I can tell this diet won't last long, but do they ever, really?

9--Ah ha! The pink box came back and I read the first couple words before it vanish. "Could not" So apparently it means... er...well, anyway. Moving on...

10--Daylight Savings Time starting early. I wouldn't mind if it was the "Fall Back" one where I'd get an extra hour of sleep--who doesn't love that? But I'm not ready to lose an hour this weekend. At least my boys have Spring Break next week, so it shouldn't be too brutal.

11--My cell phone company. Nuff said.

12--The speakers on my monitor. It's one of those flat-panel monitors with the teensy little built-in speakers, and they've always sucked, but now they don't work at all. Makes it hard to watch funny stuff on YouTube without sound.

13--And finally, it bugs me that I had to think so hard for the last 4 or 5 things to gripe about. It really interrupted the flow of my ranting, and it's so hard to recover from rantus interruptus.

Have a Thursday Thirteen on your blog? Feel free to link yourself here!

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Heaven help us

Thanks to Laura Hamby, I now am on Myspace. Or maybe we won't thank her. It's already eaten up hours of my evening and given me a headache, for which I place the blame firmly on her. Bad Laura, bad bad bad.

Anyway, check it out, because right now I'm pitifully friendless and that's starting to depress me. Sniffle.

Isn't this fun?

Hello, world. I've got a blog. Thanks, bye.

...

... all right, all right, I'll think of something else to say.

For reasons possibly related to insanity and inadequate medication, I've decided to dive back into blogging again. (I attempted to set up a Myspace page as well, but damn, I can't figure out the template thingies. I'm just not computer literate enough for that, apparently. I'll have to get help!) So here will be the fascinating minutae of my daily life, full of riveting details. Or something. (Probably or something, because my life's really not all that fascinating, alas!)

I'll do the official kick-off tomorrow with a Thursday Thirteen, even though that's been "officially" discontinued. Yeah, like I really follow rules? And we'll see what happens from there.

However, right now I'm trying to finish a short story and need to get cracking on that, so here I leave you. Adios.