Juncos, Middle-Aged Movie Morons, and Imputed Value at Starbucks

The other day, I heard something rustling outside my window. I couldn't see much, since I have books on my windowsill, but it reminded me that bird migration will be coming soon, and how much I love seeing the juncos in January, especially if they're on snow. Then I stood up, and the bird rooting at the base of my rose bush? A junco.

WTF? I so don't want to know what that means.

The girls and I went to see New Year's Eve Friday night. It was okay. Fun, and funny, with some good kissing and some good cameos and a couple of surprise connections. Not as good as Valentine's Day, which I now want to watch again. The clips (including outtakes) over the end credits were awesome and made the whole thing worth it.

But I gotta tell you, I don't think I've been near such obnoxious people at a movie since Twilight. When we sat down, one of the middle-aged women behind us said, "Oh, I forgot the wine." I knew we were in for it then. This group talked—LOUDLY—over all the previews. At the end of the Hilfiger commercial, the guy said "Happy Holidays from the Hilfigers." One of the women said "Say Merry Christmas, please." Why? Because only YOUR holiday is the only important one? Because you don't consider New Year's a holiday?

That's what's really wrong with the world, you know? That people are being polite and wishing you well. Jerks.

Anyway, when these women kept talking once the movie started, and STILL were talking when the voiceover began, I turned around and opened my mouth to say "Seriously? You're going to act like you're in your living room for the whole movie?" But Number One went "SHHH!" before I could. And they did. There was just the one who had a really loud laugh, but it's not like she can help that.


I was just reading this post about e-book pricing. It talks about imputed value, and uses the example of Starbucks, saying people pay six bucks for coffee because they expect that coffee to be good, and assume everyone else thinks it's good, so they buy it and drink it even if they don't like it.

I don't think that gives people enough credit. I mean, how many people really pay six bucks for coffee they don't like? I don't like coffee at all, but I love Starbucks' mochas (which only costs four bucks, actually). I make some at home, but they're a pain and I don't have time most days. I used to get them at a coffeehouse near my old job, and they were fantastic. When I left there, I got them at Sheetz, but then I started driving past Starbucks (with a drive-thru!) and suddenly, the Sheetz ones tasted horrendous. So I stopped getting them, even though they cost less and I can get one free after I buy 10.

My brother and his wife don't like Starbucks. They're Dunkin' Donuts aficionados. I tried DD's, and really didn't like it. Tried McDonald's, too, because it's a lot less expensive. Gross! (Though their peppermint hot cocoa is really good. Might get one on the way to work tomorrow...)

My point is that we all have our own tastes. Maybe way back in the beginning Starbucks succeeded on imputed value, but I really don't think it would have grown the way it did without having actual value, too. Which, to be fair, is the point the poster linked above eventually got to, with regard to e-book pricing.

I all comes down to my motto up there at the top of this blog. "Read what you want, watch what you want, and live a life that makes you happy." If an expensive cup of coffee tastes good, drink it without guilt or defensiveness.

And go buy some e-books. :)

Versatile Blogger Award

A whole long week ago, the very cool Stacy McKitrick of Stacy's Rantings and Whatnot gave me this award.

Thank you, Stacy!

I thing "versatile" is a nice way of saying "unfocused and disorganized," but hey, that's what I'm going for, so yay me! :)

Here are the provisions of the award:

Thank and link to the person who nominates you.
Thanks again, Stacy! I was excited to discover her funny and interesting blog. Go check it out! Note: She's much better at brevity than I am.

Share seven random facts about you.

Hmmmm. That's always so hard! I'm sure I'll end up repeating stuff.

1. When I was around 6 or 7 years old, my best friend David Pleau and I used to pretend to be Steve Austin and Jamie Summers (Somers?). You know, the Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman? We made my little brother Andy be Oscar Goldman. You know the phrase "scarred for life"? Yeah, that's just about the epitome. Thirty-seven years old and he's still not over it.

Speaking of my brother...

2. He and his wife just had a new baby girl! Yeah-huh, that is too about me. I'm an aunt again, for the...thirteenth time. My mother would get a kick out of that number. :)

3. My first boyfriend was in sixth grade. He gave me candy or gum at school every day, and a tarnished necklace that he sent a friend to ask for back when he decided he didn't want to go out with me anymore. I told the friend to tell him to come ask for it himself. Pretty brave of me, considering he probably broke up with me 'cuz I could hardly look at him, I was so shy. We had one "date" at a roller rink.

4. I've owned one new car in my life. My first one. After Number Two was born, husband traded my car in for his company car, and I got his year-old Toyota Corolla, which is now 13 and counting. Because of the company cars, he's on his fourth new one. Number One is going to inherit the Corolla next year, and hopefully I'll finally get a second new car that *I* get to pick out *myself*.

5. I've never lived completely on my own. For a woman as fiercely independent as I am, that kind of galls. I wouldn't trade any of my choices for anything, but it's weird when I think about it. I had roommates in college, of course, and housemates at one summer job. I rented a basement room from a woman during my National Geographic Society internship, then moved straight in with my fiancé when that was over. Ideally, I never will live on my own, but it definitely conjures some "what if" scenarios from time to time.

6. I'm a bit compulsive about my e-mail inbox. I keep things in there if they need my attention, or if I read them on my laptop and they need to be saved on the desktop. As soon as something is addressed, it's gone. So I get intense satisfaction out of that 0 on my e-mail counter. It never lasts, alas, and often I end up putting off important tasks because I just can't take having anything in my inbox anymore.

7. I'm addicted to football podcasts. Specifically, ESPN's Football Today and the podcasts put out by the New England Patriots, mainly PFW in Progress.

(I think I just accidentally typed ALT+P or something, and this published early! Dammit!)

The writers of Patriots Football Weekly are raunchy and juvenile, they fight a lot and go on and on about the stupidest things. But I love them. I get all my New England Patriots news from them, and when I catch up to the podcasts and have nothing to listen to, I pout. Never mind the 1728 songs in my music library. Gimme my talk Internet radio!

Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it!
Oy. I've been soooooo busy* I haven't even had time to read the blogs I discovered years ago, never mind found new ones. But Stacy has a really long, great-looking blog roll, so head over there and click on a few of those.

Since I can't predict which ones y'all will click on, I can't notify anyone of the award. But I task anyone who is interested with passing it along (or appropriating it!) on my behalf. Consider it a "found blog topic." :)

Happy reading!

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*In case anyone was sad that they hadn't heard me whining in a while... I'm near deadline on Heavy Metal, facing the imminent release of TWO books (Behind the Scenes on October 31, Under the Moon on November 1) and all the attendant promotional obligation, working on work for two clients currently, with three more preparing to bury in an avalanche (not complaining, really!) and dealing with all the usual day job and family obligations that never seem to get lighter even when they really should. I'm grateful it's all relatively good stuff, and I'm maintaining the balance so far. But some things I love are suffering...like this blog, and keeping up with my far-away friends. :( I miss you!

Random Thoughts on Bees, Age, and Clear Skies

• Age does not automatically make someone worth listening to. Experience can bring wisdom, but it can also reinforce prejudice and rigid thinking. I respect everyone's right to an opinion, but being 94 doesn't turn those opinions to gold.

• The horror of nature's destructive forces can't be overstated. But the flip side of a hurricane is incredible clarity and freshness. I'm drunk on the breeze coming through my window.

• We have a colony of bumble bees nesting in some old rodent holes in our backyard. If the rains didn't drown them out last night, we'll have to get them taken care of, because apparently—and contrary to what I was told all my life—they not only sting, they can be nasty about it. But wow, are they stupid! We watched them coming and going for a few minutes Saturday, and they had a really hard time finding the holes. They kept landing and trying to burrow into solid ground.

• Google "stupid ground bees," and guess what comes up? Government stuff! :)

• Last night's episode of Doctor Who was brilliant. I find myself longing to be in the middle of a past season so I can marathon new episodes again. This waiting stuff sucks. But the mind-twisty writing, the acting, the depth of emotion, and the places this storyline can go...delicious.

• Drawing is still open for a copy of Cathy Pegau's Rulebreaker! Click here and comment!

• Writing is going very well today, so I shall get right back to it. Fill my comments with your random thoughts!

Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now

But first, I forgot a couple of things that are annoying me. And it's every day, too! I can't believe I forgot.

First is the clumps of hair on the bathroom floor every time I go in there. I eliminate them whenever I see them, even scan the edges for more, and still, every time I go in! More! Maybe we need to shave our heads.

The other thing is the water here. It's town provided, but we border a rural area. I don't want to live in a big city, but when I was in NY, my hair always looked great, and my makeup came off clean with one swipe. Here, my hair looks like it needs brushing two minutes after I brush it, and I have dark smudges under my eyes, even days after I last wore mascara. The skin gets sore from rubbing at it with makeup remover swabs or cloths.

Okay, now the important stuff! What's making me HAPPY right now!

The Kids Being Home All Day
It's really nice to have the dishes always done, and I can assign chores to them every day, taking a couple of items off my shoulders.

I'm sure they aren't so happy about this one. They may even be eager to go back to school by now.

My Loaded TBR Shelf
It was getting very empty before RWA. I had maybe a half dozen books in print and half a dozen on my Kindle. Now I have at least a couple dozen in print, plus the ones I gave Number One to read first and demanded she give back.

Not that I have time to read much right now, but a full shelf makes me happy!

New Jim Butcher Coming
I never have an answer when someone asks my favorite author, but at this time of year, it's easy to say Jim Butcher. It has been way too long since Changes, and I may pull another all-nighter with Ghost Story.

Jason Manns
Jason's finally coming back to the east coast! For a while, he was here quarterly, but it's been over a year since we saw him last. As I mention that every so often, both here and on Twitter/Facebook, you can imagine the glee I feel about being able to see him sing live again. If you've only ever heard his produced albums, or even heard him recorded live, you're missing out. He's amazing in person.

I shouldn't complain that it's been too long since his last gig out here. Every time he announces one, he gets a stream of complaints that he never goes where they live. I'm lucky to live close enough to some major cities!

Captain Jack Harkness
I agonized for months about whether or not to shell out the money for Starz because I didn't want to wait forever for DVDs or streaming. Then my husband sees an ad for Torchwood and says, "This looks interesting." I say, "But it's only on Starz. We'd have to subscribe." He says, "Okay." So I did. And got to watch the premiere live, and it was awesome!

Upcoming Vacation
This has been a work-centric summer, plus the travel for RWA and my chapter retreat. I try to have focused family time, but having a week together in which I will only work when the time becomes organically available will be awesome.

Harry Potter
I guess I should put this on here. The final movie comes out this week, and like my kids, I've grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I'm eager to see the final battles portrayed on film. Even if it means three hours of sleep Thursday night, and a houseful of teenage girls, and cleaning, shopping, and chauffeuring. My eagerness to see the movie is tempered by the changes I know they've made and I'm not convinced I'll like. We'll see if the most important line remains, and is attributed to the right person. :)

Each Bit of Work I Finish
Yesterday, I focused on fiction, which felt really good. I'm on track for my deadline, but hadn't touched it since I got back. But my workload is so heavy, progress on Heavy Metal put me behind on editing work. I'll catch up today—at least, that's the plan! But it's been really difficult to balance it all, so I'm happy with every small bit of progress, whether it gives me a praising or scolding note on my tracking spreadsheet. :)

Behind the Scenes in audiobook!
I learned yesterday that my next romantic adventure from Carina Press was picked up by Audible. That will probably come out in October, too.

So what's making you happy this week?

So Random it's Got a Pattern

An article/blog post about building followers/readership/commenters said to remove the word verification from your blog, because people hate it. Doesn't seem like THAT big a deal to me, but I've never had that much problem with spam, so I removed it yesterday.

Today? Only comment was porn spam. *sigh*
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Back from New York! I'll post some pictures soon. Not ones of Lisa, because last time I said I could post it because she doesn't read my blog...and she read my blog. I room with her at RWA National, y'all, I'm not risking it again. :)

But there will be feet. And maybe some pictures with other people I didn't get permission to post. :)
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I could still use input from people who've read my books. Click here to take survey. I'm leaving the survey open indefinitely, so if you've come across this post months later because, say, I mentioned "Harry Potter," and you want to take the survey, feel free! :)
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Picked up tons of books at the conference. I'll be reading print books for a good long while now! :) Won a couple at the YARWA (YA writers group) meeting, and bought some at the Literacy Booksigning (raised over $46,000 in 2 hours!!!), and scored most at the publisher signings. My TBR pile was getting low; now I have so many choices, I can't pick one!
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Firefly was marathoning yesterday. I am DYING to watch the series straight through. Right this moment. But alas, I have copy edits and client edits and client proofing piling up, and too much responsibility.
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So here we are in July. July is Number One's birthday month, and guess what she got this weekend?

Her AAA card.

Ack!

So, yeah, getting her permit will be the big thing. Second only to a weekend at the beach and the last Harry Potter movie. She is very, very sad that it's almost over. I'm not, because I went through it with the last book. THAT was when it was all over for me. :( Anyway, I guess we're doing the midnight show and a sleepover, and she's marathoning the previous movies right before that. So it's a big month.
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Stay tuned for announcements about The Goddess Society and The Film Crew, celebrations of my fall releases, Under the Moon and Behind the Scenes.

Reasons I am Happy Today

1. First-pass edits on Behind the Scenes have been turned in to my editor.

2. It was sunny today.

3. I leave for retreat in 12 days.

4. Magnum ice cream bars are awesome, even if they're not dark chocolate.

5. New Doctor Who tonight.

6. Supernatural is living up to my expectations all season, and coming together incredibly.

7. I have a whole week before my crazy work schedule kicks in.

8. The lawn is mowed, and I didn't have to do it.

9. Our concession stand coworker today was Number One's fifth-grade teacher, so the two and a half hours passed far more pleasantly than they would have otherwise.

10. I'm not starting Under the Moon's edit analysis until tomorrow.

Why are YOU happy today? And you're not allowed to say you're not.

In the Awards I Don't Deserve Department...

Wayyyyy back on April 13th, MJ Fredrick gave me this award. Thanks, MJ! I have no idea what "stylish" means in this context. Not that it matters. No one can call me stylish in any context. :)

Anyway, the rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award on.

So, 7 things about myself that I haven't already said... Probably impossible. But I'll give it a go.

1. When I was growing up in Massachusetts, we spent a lot of time during the summer in Misquamicut, Rhode Island. Day trips to the beach, occasional one-week vacations, usually sharing a house with my cousins or a friend of my mother. So to me, THAT is what a beach is supposed to be like. High rise hotels? *scoffs with derision*

2. My preferred college was Syracuse University, but I didn't get enough financial aid to go there, so I went to Ohio Wesleyan, where my stepmother worked so I got free tuition. I was planning to transfer, but it turned out a smaller school was much better for me, and I met Jim there the first week of classes.

3. I was never an athlete, laboring under the belief that I sucked at sports and my brother got all those good genes. I played one season of U-16 coed soccer as a forward. Never scored, but I don't remember being horrible. :) I loved roller skating most of my youth, and my senior year of high school, I was in the ski club. LOVED it. Major passion.

4. I paid my weekly rental fees in the ski club by cleaning a house in the town where I lived. It was awful. I earned, like, $4.25 an hour, and the couple were horrendous slobs. They never rinsed the toothpaste they spit into the sink, so I had to clean a week's worth every time.

5. When we first moved to that tiny little town (North Chatham, NY, population less than 300), we volunteered at a festival the church held in the summer. Everyone did, even if they didn't attend that church. I was serving sodas, and they were so foamy, I had to secretly stick my finger into it to dissipate the foam or it would be half an hour before I could hand it over. (This was before the sloppy and wasteful habit of pouring the "foam" off the top of the cup.)

6. When I was a kid, and I was alone, I often found myself narrating my life. Like, walking along the edge of a lake and keeping up a running commentary as if I was reading it in a book. I thought it was a sign I read too much. Obviously, it was my writer's soul.

7. The job I most regret not getting was a summer position at Glacier National Park.

Okay, who shall I give this to?

You know what? Number Two is yelling at me to get in the shower because we have to leave soon. Since it's her birthday, I'd better do as she says. So I give this award to everyone who reads this blog, should you choose to accept it! :)

Random Catch-Up and Some Big News

Phew! That Month of the Hero thing takes a lot out of you. All week, I meant to post all kinds of stuff I'd been "collecting," but time just kept slipping...slipping...slipping...

Anyway, MJ and I had a lot of fun with all of you, and we appreciate the visits and the comments and the great suggestions of additional heroes. I hope you all had fun, too!

Wow, so much to talk about. Let's break it down into sections:

A Peek Into My Brain

How on earth do some people find something to say on a blog every single day? Especially super busy, super stressed people? I can barely think of something every week lately.

When you don't read blogs for 3 weeks, they pile up. Duh. And when you read "I can't believe it's Wednesday" and get excited, then realize it's really Monday, you're just way behind, well, that's sad.

I don't find as many stinkbugs as Vicki, but I have found one every couple of days for the last few weeks. My question: It's been 20 degrees or colder since before Christmas. Where the hell are they coming from?

I miss Doctor Who. And Supernatural. But that's coming back this week, and I have to wait wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too long for Doctor Who. And Torchwood.

I'm loving this:

It heats water so blazing fast, I've used it for a few weeks and it still delights me every time. :)

Two hours later and that's all I've come up with. :( I'm so boring.

Quick Hits

Tomorrow Susan Gourley will be interviewed here in relation to the second book in her fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles.

About Sue
I write fantasy using my real name, Susan Gourley, and romance under the pen name Susan Kelley. I've been writing for nearly ten years and have two romance series and so far one fantasy series published or being published. I read as much as I can across many genres, including YA, suspense, thrillers, and of course fantasy and romance. I love for fans to contact me at: my email address. Or connect to me on Facebook. Or on Goodreads.

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I went to an event yesterday called Chocolatefest 2011. My father-in-law's neighbor gave him free tickets that he passed along to us. It was a cool event, with TONS of chocolate stuff. Candy and pastries and, the most creative, chocolate braised pulled pork with cocoa-infused Carolina barbeque sauce served over white cheddar/jalapeno grits. I didn't try that one because of the jalapeno. :)

I felt a little guilty, because the tickets were $50. The event was not worth $155 (Number Two qualified for the kid's price of $5), though it was well worth free! :) But it was for charity. So I bought a lot of raffle tickets for the big lovely gift baskets (and won nothing).

I was pretty chocolated out by the end.

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This interminable hiatus (aka hellatus, as we Supernatural fans call it) is killing me. A few of my shows came back, then left, and other shows came back, and now they left again and the first few are back. These fits and starts... I really, really miss Supernatural. I dreamed about Sam and Dean last night. They were letting me hunt with them. I think they were just being nice because I was about to die.

We tried The Cape. I really liked some of the origin details that ground the story in reality, despite the superhero factor. His trainer is a circus guy who's a thief! I'm pretty intrigued by Orwell, and am happy to see Summer Glau again. I was also eager to see J. August Richards (Charles Gunn from Angel, but very disappointed that he's a bad guy. Kind of. He'd better get redeemed.

I deleted The Event, because I'm just not interested, unfortunately. Surprisingly, I started watching V again, though I didn't intend to. So far, okay. I'm sad that The Good Guys got canceled (and I didn't even realize it before it ended!) and that Human Target is on TV Guide's endangered list. But happy that Castle and Modern Family (and Glee?) got early renewals.

I swear, it feels like the season just started. Must be a factor of getting old. I am 40 now.

That's all for today! Make sure to check back tomorrow for Sue's interview!

Intentions

Look! I'm blogging two days in a row! Could it be the start of a trend? :)

I had all these topics I wanted to write about yesterday, and wimped out. Do you think I can remember most of them today? Hell, no! I turned 40 last week! Sheesh.

It's kind of funny. Everyone's picking on me, as they are wont to do when someone hits a "milestone" birthday. But I don't feel older. Duh. One day doesn't make you suddenly ancient.

The Gab Wagon

I'm blogging today at The Gab Wagon about what's making this week such a good one for me. Check it out! :)

Catching Breath and Catching Up

I finally feel like I'm back to a normal schedule. I don't know if that means I'll be able to post here more often, or keep tabs on Twitter or Facebook, but I'll try. Here's some of the stuff I've been wanting to talk about but didn't have time:

Found on the NEO

I wrote this post on September 2nd, then every time I saw it on the Neo, I was like, "I posted that, didn't I? Yeah, I'm sure I posted that." Then I forgot to check.

I never posted that. But I like it, so I'm posting it now, even though stuff that's a month old is hardly relevant. Some of it is, though! So...

Topping Off the Summer

On our last Saturday before school started, we took a day trip to Philadelphia and had a great day. I blogged about it Monday at The Gab Wagon.

It's been a good summer. Lots going on, many intentions that were never fulfilled, some stresses, but some good things, too, and overall, I'm happy.

Sunday Stuff

"Farther" and "Further" are both acceptable to use to denote physical distance. Some editors prefer "farther," and sometimes it's house style. But I HATE that word and will always, always use "further" unless forced to change it. Which I will do without argument, but then never read my own work again. :)
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I started reading a book on Friday that got a lot of attention recently, including bestseller status and critical acclaim. It had an interesting premise, so I picked it up, despite it being something that was way outside my usual interests. *sigh* I should have ignored all that other stuff. I got one page into the book and was bored out of my mind. The dialogue was mundane and stale and I had no sense of the people saying it, except that they both seemed like twits.

Luckily, the book I read after that was the extreme opposite, and I finished it the same day, which hasn't happened in a really long time.
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I finally caved, and I'm on Twitter. The main reason is because Brenda Novak is having a Cyber Launch Party on Twitter for her new release, and will be giving away great stuff, including iPads. I considered not mentioning who was giving the event, to avoid beefing up the competition, but that would just be wrong. So good luck! :)

Setting up a Twitter account was pretty gratifying. I followed a few people/groups, and some immediately followed back and mentioned my new account, one even saying "Hey, everybody, Natalie's here! @NJDamschroder (Finally)." I love the "Finally," as if they've been waiting for me. LOL I also got followed by some people I don't know, which was flattering.

Still, I doubt I'll use it much. It will languish for long periods of time, like Facebook does, in part because my cell phone? Is just a cell phone. And probably always will be. Also, I rarely have interesting things to say.
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So that was one thing I did this weekend. Others include such boring stuff as:

• Shopping for work shirts suitable for embroidering

• Shopping for household stuff like box spring sheets*

• Trying on shoes I didn't buy**

• Grocery shopping

• Cleaning the house

• Moving furniture out of the living room

• Reading through Soul of the Dragon to ready for publication***

*BG is our big fabric clawer. (Maya prefers gouging wood, and Frisbee enjoys picking at the screens in the front window.) BG destroyed Number One's old box spring, so I told the girls we were getting bed skirts to protect the new mattresses. The protests hurt my ears. So I decided to get cheap sheets to put over them instead. Turns out I could get an entire sheet set for $5–10 less than a bed skirt, anyway.

**After four hours of non-stop running, my feet and legs are killing me. I've tried three different pairs of my better shoes. One pair is too battered, and my feet were overall okay but the toes were tender afterward, because my feet slide in them too much. One looks best with capris, but the edges of the leather chafe my feet too much, and the unbroken leather makes them sweat, which doesn't help. One pair is the most comfortable, but even with a cushioned insole, isn't giving enough support, so I hobble out of work at the end of the morning.

I tried a few things on yesterday. The problem is that I have weird feet. They measure about a 6.5 EEE (in good shoe measurements) but I really wear a 9.5 or 10 D (wide). Not many shoes are made wide, so I end up getting them longer than I need, and they're still too snug. The most promising pair of shoes I tried on were Keds that had decent support and cushioning but looked like giant, glowing boats on my feet. I don't know if I can walk around the office like that. I'll blind patients when they lie down for lumbar stim.

***I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but I've decided to give Kindle and Smashwords a try—as an author, that is—and self-publish my first paranormal romantic adventure, Soul of the Dragon. It never found a home with a traditional publisher for various reasons, and I still love the story. I've been reading through it (editing as necessary), and it holds up, despite how long its been since I wrote it. It was the first book of my heart, and as such, deserves to see if it can find an audience. So stay tuned for more as I head toward publication!

Random Bliss

I don't work Thursdays. This makes me so happy I could roll in it (to borrow a line from the last Sookie book :) ).

I got a new mouse recently, because even though I loved the shape of my old one, it dragged, which made my hand cramp. I love my new mouse. I especially love some of the programmability of it. One feature is Smart Move, where the pointer jumps to the default button in a dialogue box. I can't get used to it! I love the feature, but I automatically move the mouse to where I know the box is going to be, which of course moves the cursor OFF the button I want. Ugh.

We finally got Number Two out of her loft bed:

BEFORE

AFTER

What's pictured is the temp setup while waiting for her new mattresses, which were delivered today. They called this morning to schedule delivery between 10-1. Not a bad range of time, but I had to pick up Number Two at school at 12:30 (she was in a Step Up to the Middle School program that apparently was boring and unnecessary). I told the guy this. He said he could wait for 15 minutes if I was gone, but I didn't trust that. I was discussing with Number One whether or not I should let her have them come in and set things up, when the truck pulled up. At 12:17. I made it to the school almost on time—she wasn't the last one to be picked up. So phew. :)

I got something really awesome this morning that I'm jonesing to show you, but can't yet. Soon, I hope. It's the topper on my blissful day, though. :)

Number Two moving her room around inspired Number One to do the same. She wasn't willing to wait until the weekend, so Tuesday I helped her move every piece of furniture in her room. It only took about half an hour, amazingly, because she'd already cleared out the small stuff. She got everything mostly set back up yesterday. So now I have two happy kids.

And I have one happy cat.


BG, on the bottom, loves that we still have half of the loft base (which is going to go in my office) and the bed part in the living room. Number Two kept the dresser part, which was easiest, and I love the shelf part, so we'll have this bed part (including ladder) that is pretty useless without the rest. I have no idea what to do with it.

I just finished watching all of the new incarnation of Doctor Who. I knew I'd like it, but it took me a while to get around to it. Which is good, because I got to watch season 5 all the way through. Thoughts:

1. I like David Tennant best, but it's a slight preference. I loved Christopher Eccleston, too (especially when he got serious), and Matt Smith is awesome (especially when he gets intense). I'm glad he gets another season, because this one felt way too short.

2. Order of preference for companions: Martha, Amy, Rose, Donna. But I have to admit, Martha and Amy are very close, and I like the current combo's chemistry best. I was very surprised to like Donna as much as I did, because I really didn't like her much in the Christmas special.

3. They really know how to do finales! My favorite has to be season 4, when they brought in Sarah and her son, Cardiff Torchwood, Rose, Martha, and Mickey.

4. The whole first few episodes were kind of goofy, especially Mickey, but I loved how his character developed over the seasons. I'm a little confused at his marriage to Martha because she was engaged to Tom, but *shrug*. I like it.

5. I hate that I have to wait until next spring for a new season, but I love the tradition of the Christmas specials so it's a) not quite so long, and b) something to look forward to in the dark days of hiatus winter 2010. :)

Okay. That's enough for now. I'm home, I have an hour and a half before I have to go to the vet, I am actually going to write for a while! :)

A Request

Why does every man in every (contemporary) novel I read have a giant flat-screen TV?

Not that there's a problem with giant flat-screen TVs. The only reason it matters is that, every single time, it's mentioned in a derogatory "all men have to have them" manner, complete with implied eyeroll.

You know what? *I* want a giant flatscreen TV. And not just to watch sports on, despite my passion for football.

Something for authors to consider when they're seeking shorthand for portraying their heroes as modern, macho men.

Just a small request, plskthx.

Random Thoughts

Today's randomness is brought to you by The Gab Wagon!

And the Random Continues

Football is over. Yah-huh, it is so over. Don't try to tell me there's a game on now. That's totally irrelevant.

Julian Edelman has definitely won me over. He's the only one who actually played today (besides Kevin Faulk, who won me over long ago). He ran hard, fought hard, even hurt. I'm thinking our whole "no third option" thing is no more. Except that Wes might not start next season...but we'll worry about that when we get there.

So, my Christmas stuff is finally put away. The tree was down last week, but yesterday the kids took down all their homemade decorations that they surprise us with every Christmas morning, and I took down and packed away the rest. Today we all pitched in to take down the outside lights, in 19-degree weather. Luckily, it was sunny and windless, so it was actually pretty nice out there. It feels good, having everything back to normal.

I drink a lot of tea, but it's your basic orange pekoe and pekoe black combo, like Lipton and Tetley do. Back in college, there was a specialty shop in town, and I exercised my first-ever credit card there quite a bit, trying a whole bunch of flavored loose-leaf teas. But when I still had some of them in my cupboard about six residences and 10 years later, I stopped trying to pretend I was cool like that. So...basic tea, cream and sugar, very boring.

Then I was in the Cornerstone Coffeehouse a week ago, waiting for my mocha, and I saw a package of tea. "Holiday Dream," it said. "China black tea with citrus peels, cloves, rose petals, almond bits, and genuine Bourbon vanilla pieces." That sounded kinda good. I picked it up, smelled it, and, after my eyes were done rolling in the back of my head from the pleasure of it, I bought the package.

And man, this stuff is as good as it sounds. I've been drinking it every night and sleeping quite poorly as a result. LOL I've barely put a dent in the package, but I want to run out and get some more, because it's "Holiday Dream," so they can't sell it all year. The only reason I haven't yet is because it's probably already gone.\

I was thinking this morning that I've seen Jason Manns more times than any other live performer (three times in one year!). But then I remembered I saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert 7 times, so he's got a ways to go. Jason, if you Google yourself and read this, please take it into account for your tour schedule. The Salute to Supernatural in New Jersey would be a good start. Or middle. :)

Okay, that's enough rambling. I'm gonna go see if I can clear a few boards at Jewel Quest.