A Lar by any other name

Don't ever say that Twitter didn't produce things of use. @Selestial has some writerly things to say on her blog that I found interesting. Thought I would share them with you.

And now to the real reason I opened this blog up today.

My family is going to kill me. Slowly. With smiles and laughter and garbage bags full of things that Doodle doesn't want anymore or need to be moved to Noodle's new house.

I haven't had a flipping weekend to myself in too long to count. I don't know why I thought I could get some alone time this weekend with Doodle home and starting to set up "Bridal Central" (her words, not mine) in her old bedroom. I'm in my room with the music up yet they keep yelling at me from that room. "Do you want these books?" If I wanted those books, why would they be in that closet and not in mine? "Do you want to help?" If I wanted to help, I would be in there and not in here where I can barely hear you. "Would you like Teddy Ruxpin?" Why would I want Teddy Ruxpin when his eyes aren't even THERE anymore. He was a scary toy when we were little (and he wasn't mine, in the first place) and he's still a freaky little piece of junk. "Have you seen..." No. I haven't. Once again, I haven't seen anything and I don't want anything and I don't want to help and please quit giving me grief when I don't seem excited about what YOU decided to do today. I'm excited about what I decided to do today. No one gave me the itinerary.

Seeing as the BRIDAL SHOWER TO END ALL BRIDAL SHOWERS is tomorrow, I did clean the front room and I will probably go down at some point and clean the dining room up a little. See? Good sister/bridesmaid!

Have you looked up bridal shower games online lately? There isn't ANYTHING of interest. Most of them are the same game with a different title. I did find a great site that wants you to buy everything but it gave me some good ideas and I just modified them for my own use from what I could see on the screen. Boo-YAH! So if you need some ideas, let me know. I've got like five games I like. We'll probably play three. I have 7 gifts. Hmmm...

It's been raining here so much we're under a flood watch. This doesn't worry me so much but if Silver Creek floods it's going to be impossible for me to get to work. Boo... hoo... *grins* I doubt we get THAT much water but it could happen. The skies are gray today but that isn't anything new.

Spencer and the cat both got baths today and I still haven't cleaned up from that experience. The cat is getting old and she doesn't fight me nearly as much these days so I don't get as wet. I'd leave her in peace but she's an outdoor cat and STINKS in the summer because of all the stuff she gets into. I don't even want to know!

A book I enjoyed lately:

The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein. Yet another vampire book but it was really interesting and some new twists to an old story. I do wish there were more werewolf books that I could find out there. I'm tired of vampires. They were never my favorite, anyway.

A book I'm not really enjoying but I haven't given it a lot of time:

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells. I'm still not halfway through with it but it's one of those vampire/mage cross things and I like my paranormals to be of one breed at a time because being a mix just seems like a too-oft used cliche these days. It makes them special, yada yada yada.

Starting to read the Kathy Reichs Bones series. Finished the first one. It was okay... definitely not like the Bones on the TV series but a good book characters, nonetheless. I'm looking forward to number 2.

Must go rescue some books from the other room. Grrr...

At the moment, I have the computers on (Dresden Files DVD #3 on the MAC and four or five tabs up and running on Pixie)and it looks like I might be able to spend the day on the internet. If my mom asks, I'm folding my clothes. Good thing she never comes upstairs to know that while the clothes do need to be folded from last night's run at the washing machine, I haven't even started folding anything. Not that she's harping on me to fold them. No, our roles are no longer like that. Of course, if I don't have a reasonable explanation of what I plan to do with the day (and "on the computer" doesn't count as a reasonable explanation), I will be cleaning something downstairs... far away from the computer.

Since I deal with Twitter on my phone during the week, I lock posts that have interesting lead ups to web pages that I can't see on my phone. I will share them with you now. They're well worth a click!

...The ever wonderful and witty Neil Gaiman pointed us in the direction of a blog that gives insight to what it takes to be a writer's personal assistant. It is HILARIOUS... and I'm pretty sure that I don't want to BE a personal assistant any time soon but one always needs to know what other people do in their job. Mine may be quite horrible but at least I don't have to answer the phone every minute of the day. *grins*

And I should point out that Neil is on Twitter quite a lot and he's quite funny in 140 chars. If you don't really think you want to follow famous people, he might change your mind. He's @neilhimself and a rollicking good time for all!

...Have you ever wondered where exactly your chosen screen name has been used before? Or, like me, where you've used your screen name and promptly forgotten you ever went to that site? I give you... Name Check! Not only does it tell you were it's been used but gives you a good idea of other places you need to be checking out online. It also might be utilized for stalking purposes but you didn't hear that from me. Go forth and use it well!

...And speaking of protecting yourself online (now that you know where you are), madamminnie posted a really interesting link to an article about using Google profile to protect your identity so that people know it's you and not someone else entirely. I haven't gone through the steps yet to utilize Google Profile but I found the article interesting.

...On a side note, because I just thought of it again and need to document it - If/When I get another dog, I would like one a similar color to Spencer and I would like to name her Saffron. I was watching Spencer play the other day and it hit me that a good name for her would have been Saffron. Not that I don't love her name and the story (oh my god the story) that goes behind it but she would have made a good Saffron. I like the name. Haven't given a lot of thought to a new playmate for my current precious because of the commute back and forth to work would keep me away from a new loved one most days of the week but I would like to eventually when I get things ironed out again. Right now Spencer is looking at me through mostly closed eyes, trying to figure out why I am staring at her while she's, ahem, sleeping thank you very much. It's quite fun to stare at her while she's sleeping because she's so lovely and peaceful but then she finds the staring to be too much and she JUMPS up and licks my face and begs to play and I do because I love her and think she is amazing.

...Facebook is an amazing entity. Have I said that before? I love it for one main reason... it keeps me connected. Not only to friends and relatives (namely, my little sis while she is all the way across the country and my cousins who I see every five years but adore just the same) but to the insanity of the world at large. By searching and joining and playing and just being a general user, I have found some great things to read and do and be. One of them is near and dear to my heart and I believe that it will be something the majority of my friends here will like as well...

READING. MORE. BOOKS.

It starts here, at a blog from MoonRat (love that name, btw) about a plan she has to find 100 books that she hasn't read to fill in the gaps of classic and contemporary literature that weren't forced down our throats at such an early age that we hadn't begun to appreciate them yet.

It's spread to here, a blog set up for other people who would like to do the same thing.

That being said, I don't know if there is anything here at LJ that is doing the same thing but if anyone know of such a community, please direct me to it as I would very much like to duplicate my efforts in as many different places as possible to get as many good ideas for books to read as possible!

...A talk about books wouldn't be complete without a nod at my list of "have reads" and "must reads" at GoodReads.com. I haven't put them here on my LJ like I said I would but they are in my reading notebook AND here at GoodReads. Once again, I like it because it gives me an idea of what other people are reading. Every once in awhile I go lurking to see what books are being talked about at the communities or I sit down for a stint at the Trivia section (where a couple of my questions have stumped and puzzled many, many people... which makes me sad because I didn't think they were hard but that just goes to show you that most people can't comprehend what goes in my head) or I just skulk.

...Last but now least - HEROES!!! Have you been to NBC's website to see the ALL ACCESS AREA they've been talking about? I WANT that backpack... and the shirt... and the hat. I want it all! I don't know if I want to pay $50 for it all but I want it. I would really like to see what the other special stuff is going to be like because it's not like I can jet down to LA for things like the Heroes for Autism event (which I heard via Twitter was AWESOME) but if it's online stuff, I think I would like that. Anyway, I would really like to know spoilers but going to the ODI is taking care of that so it's not like I need to pay for spoilers!

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I believe that concludes my browsing through my Twitter feeds. Thanks for joining me!

1. The boss bought us all pedometers. I got mine at 11:00 this morning. I am at... 4486 steps. Not ANYWHERE close to 10,000. Tomorrow, I'm shooting for 7500. It's something! Besides, I'll be at home and can use the treadmill. I know Dad will bring up the fact that I can take Spencer out for a walk but winter is getting to the icy point and I don't feel like blindly walking around the block, trying NOT to find the icy spots. Maybe I can convince her to come of the treadmill with me?

2. I have discovered that I love broccolini microwaved with a little bit of butter, some lemon pepper and tomatoes. It's really good! My new vegetable of choice. I have some for lunch tomorrow IF I remember to bring it to work.

3. The book I'm reading is really good. Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk. I'm too lazy to find a link. It's a new one from ROC and I'm really liking what I'm reading so far. The only problem that I see... she mentions magic being in " strands"... DAMN! That was going to be an idea that I used. Does anyone else find authors writing their ideas and then you feel that you can't use them because someone might think you took it from that particular author? No? Just me?

4. Winter. I don't like it. I never do. It comes back anyway.

5. My little cousin/niece came over to Gramma's this morning with my uncle before I left for work. She was playing with Spencer and kept calling her a boy. This is typical of anyone it seems but she's at that age where she's trying to figure out the difference between boys and girls so I kept correcting her, saying "No, Spencer is a girl. Just like you." She looked up at me with a perplexed face which cleared as she said, "Maybe she will be a boy when she grows up!" I couldn't help but laugh. She looked so proud of herself for that observation!

6. I love Twitter. Can you tell? Any time of the day, I can pick up my phone (for that is how I update) and send off a text that winds it's way through the intrawebz and ends up here in this journal. I can't use them as my Facebook status because "coworker" is on Facebook. I'm sort of scared that she'll someday come looking for this journal just because I've mentioned it a few hundred times. May have to lock some of the "funnier" posts just to keep the friendship.

7. Yep. Still not liking winter. Liking it even less now that I can't feel my toes... which are in socks so that isn't the problem. Besides, it's late and I need to walk the 30 or so steps to bed so that I get to 4500 for the night.

First, my dragon eggs...





Have seen them around and then platyg had one so I thought "Why not. It's already past my bedtime but who cares!".

Staying with Gramma is like living in a haunted house. I know she's there but I so very seldom see her that she sometimes takes me by surprise. Often, I talk to Spencer more than I talk to her. She carries on with her life and I carry on with mine. Now that the back room is heated, I very seldom leave except to scrounge around in the fridge or heat up water for tea. We see each other at dinner and she tells me Good Night as she's walking to her bedroom.

All in all, can't beat it with a wooden stick!

It looks like I'm going to be staying at my Gramma's house two nights a week for the forseeable future. Her legs are getting steadily worse and it makes my Mom and Uncle happier knowing that someone is there a few mornings (when she's the worst) a week. I told them I would NOT be a solution but am more than happy to be a stop gap for now. If this doesn't get better she'll need more than just me there two mornings making sure she's steady before I leave for work. Otherwise it's just me sleeping somewhere different and living out of a bag of stuff. The rule is that I MUST have at least five new/different books with me for those two nights even though I have yet to get through more than one while I'm there. I have yet to write while I'm there although that WILL change next week. We have a portable DVD player at work that I borrowed on Thursday so I could watch my Netflix movies (got the second installment of the Doctor Who Season 3 disks and Flushed Away which was HILARIOUS) instead of boring TV. I didn't figure Gramma would appreciate the British humor of both and knew she'd agree to watch if I asked but I didn't feel like doing that to her.

SF! starts on Tuesday. Hooray! I'm no longer doing the first idea I had but am choosing to work on some continuing Allen Street stories. Now that I've envisioned them as drawings, I can't get them out of my head! They're much more real in pen and ink than any photo adaptation I had of them. Now to find someone to draw these people! Doodle is out... she is an ARTIST and NOT an ILLUSTRATOR. We just recently had this conversation. You see, her soon-to-be-real degree in ART will mean that she has attitude about this sort of low-brow thing. *sigh* I should have known this sort of thing would happen.

But surely I can find an illustrator to help me out. SaraJo pointed out that there have to be a COUPLE in Idaho. *grins* I do need to get out more and find new people. Might as well see if I can't find some illustrators! *grins*

Next week is coming up quick! Friday the Fam is on the road to Boise where we will attend the PBR. For those of you who are out of this particular circle... it stands for Pro Bull Riding! yep. That's all they do. Ride bulls. It's big time! Not just Idaho. No, we're just a weekend stop for them. Looks like there will even be an Idaho rider as Wiley Peterson is recovered and rode in Albuquerque yesterday. Hooray! See, I'm trying to get super excited about this so that I'm having some fun. I plan on bringing a book with me (but then I bring a book everywhere with me so that's not anything different) and I'll people watch (and people mimic but only to myself as my Mother thinks I'm being mean when I mock) and hopefully get a little writing done from my uncomfortable stadium seat. But I'd like to enjoy it to. I've asked multiple questions about the sport every time we watch it on TV (every Saturday and Sunday night, to be sure) so I think I'm ready. And did you know there is a bull named Doctor Who? Yep! I haven't seen him lately so I don't know if he's currently working. There's always Chicken on a Chain (real name, I kid you not). He's the current top bull... or was last time I checked but that was a couple of weeks ago.

But I'm just excited to be going to Boise again. We got Starbucks cards from the Arizona family for Easter and I'm eager to get my hands around a hot cup full of Chai with whipped cream!!!!! Oh, the little comforts I miss! And maybe, if I'm a good girl, Doodle will let me take her to a movie while the rest of the family is busy (we'll be on our own one night). Oh, how I miss multiple movie oppurtunities! We have a theater that has four to choose from but that's still slim pickings!

Okay, I'm off. Time to see about making my bed!