Another Entry for “Random Thoughts”

~ I celebrated 15 years sober on Sunday.  My actual sobriety date is 2/23, but the group celebrates everyone’s day together during the last meeting of the month.  So yeah, I celebrated 15 years on Sunday.  Brought back lots of memories, good and bad.  Joyful and sad.  Kind of like life in general.

~ Overheard: “My solution to putting a square peg in a round hole is to get a bigger hammer.”  I empathize.

~ Jacquelin L. Berl (terrific artist, btw) posted the following quote on Facebook, and I thought it was worth sharing.  It’s from Rainer Maria Wilke:

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answers.”

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Randy-isms

I love my husband dearly, but he often speaks before he thinks.  He blurted 2 gems this week.

The other day we found out that his childhood best friend was just diagnosed with breast cancer.  We were on the phone with her for awhile as we tried to boost her spirits.  When she mentioned that she was leaving for vacation, Randy innocently said “At least you’re going to a better place.”

It’s a good thing she knows him and has a great sense of humor!

Then today we were watching a movie about a heroic dog named Lucky.  We often tease the cats, threatening to bring home a dog.  Can you see where this is going yet?  Randy turned to Wheezy and said, “Do you want Mommy and Daddy to get Lucky for you?”

Man he makes me laugh!

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Call Me Jack Sprat

I’m never around anymore, am I?  I haven’t felt like I had anything new to share.  Probably because, as far as I know, I haven’t.  Everything has been pretty much the same.

One new thing is that with rare – and extremely uncomfortable exceptions – I haven’t eaten solid food since New Year’s weekend.  What I thought was a stomach bug turned out to be the symptoms of my gastroparesis finally kicking in.  For the most part, since being diagnosed, I haven’t had most of the symptoms.  Now I do.  The loss of appetite, the nausea, feeling full almost immediately, all of which has led to rapid weight loss.  And by that I mean I think I’ve lost about 15 pounds since that weekend, if not more.  Now, while I definitely appreciate the weight loss, this isn’t the way to go about it.  I also can’t tell you how much I want a steak right about now…

I’ve been living on Ensure, smoothies, tea, etc.  I’ve tried mashed potatoes and gravy, but that left me feeling sick and like I had a huge lump in my stomach.  On my birthday I tried about 1/2 cup of gluten-free spaghetti.  My stomach hurt badly before I was done.  So, yeah, no solid foods.  At least for now.  I need to make some dietary changes, maybe consult with a dietician.  I’ve been taking extra vitamins also to help keep me somewhat healthy.  I’ve spent a great deal of time feeling tired and woozy, but I seem to have adjusted and am not so out of it anymore.

At least the loss of appetite means I don’t feel like I’m dying of hunger.  My taste buds are protesting, but otherwise I’m not suffering.

What I am doing is reading.  Bet you’re surprised to hear that, right?  Didn’t think so.  I haven’t updated my Now Reading or Book List 2012 in forever (I’ve rarely been online at all), but mostly I’ve been re-reading some things, so I haven’t felt a burning need to update.

I’m also feeling vaguely artistic again.  *insert starving artist joke here* There may or may not be a painting in the future.  We’ll see.

I guess that’s it for now.  I’m behind on Big Bang Theory episodes and feel like I need to rectify the situation immediately.

 

Posted in Creativity Expressed, My Viewing Pleasure, Random Thoughts, Reading Room | 3 Comments

Twas the Day After Christmas

And I was supremely happy.  After all, I was given $150 worth of gift cards to B&N!

Far less happy, though, is my brother.  He went snowboarding with his friends yesterday and hit an ice patch as he was approaching a jump.  He fell 10 feet and landed on more ice.  Now his sacrum is broken in a few places, and they’re not sure but he may have a hairline fracture on his hip.  There doesn’t appear to be any permanent neurological damage.  It’s hard to tell for certain because he already has some peripheral neuropathy related to his diabetes.  They kept him overnight for observation and pain management, but released him today.  He’s staying with Dad whose apartment is all one level; he won’t have to negotiate stairs.  He’s mightily pissed off, though.  He looks forward to snowboarding season all year, but because this happened at the beginning of it, his season appears to be already over.  I feel horrible for him but grateful at the same time.  It could have been much worse!

Here’s hoping he recovers quickly.

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A Question of Time

Yesterday Randy received a voicemail from his mother.  The high school, she said, was compiling alumni news and putting it on a cd prior to an upcoming reunion.  She couldn’t remember whether or not that was the year Randy graduated but if so, he should contact the school with whatever information he wanted to share with his classmates.

The school year in question: 1961

The year Randy was born: 1968

His mother wanted to know if he graduated high school in 1961!  Then, to make matters worse, she asked if I had graduated that year!  I’m 3 years younger than Randy.  She has always been bad with dates and ages, but this takes things to an all new level!

When I was done laughing – and believe me, it took a long time for that to happen! – I suggested to him that his mother could really use a vacation.  She obviously hasn’t been getting enough rest lately.

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Education Delayed

I received disappointing news tonight.  Despite earlier correspondence with the school and his grad student assistant, the MA in Counseling dept. head wrote to tell me that I can’t start school until Fall.  The program is full for the Spring semester.

To be honest, I was sort of apathetic about going back.  But I had finally started to get psyched up for it, and now I have to wait again.  I’m feeling a bit lost and drifting again.  I guess I’ll sleep on it.  I’m sure everything will be clearer in the morning.

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Never Trust a Duck*

I’ve just finished reading Clockwork Prince, the second book in Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices trilogy.  Man, I did not want to come to the end.  I milked it.  Even now that I’ve set it down, I can’t let go yet.  It’s a great Young Adult/Steampunk series.

Almost all of the characters were fleshed out, human (those who were, and even some who weren’t), both strong and flawed, and often funny.  I come away from reading these books feeling as though I know and care about them.  If one must include a love triangle – and let’s face it, most books lately seem to insist upon it – this is the way to do it.  There are no frustrating “Are you stupid???” moments because the right person is so obvious; it’s hard to know who to cheer for.  You kind of want to cheer for them both.  The nice thing about this, too, is that the next book is the last book, so one way or the other the love story is going to get resolved.  It isn’t going to be dragged on interminably through several more volumes, for which I can only say “Hallelujah!”

As for the ongoing problem with The Magister (i.e. The Bad Guy, for those of you not in the know, which I suspect is all of you), I have my hunches.  Some things were dropped in almost in passing which I believe were actually clues for the final book.  I can’t wait to see if I’m right or not.  Sadly, I have to wait another year for that last book book, Clockwork Princess, to come out.

*tapping fingers impatiently*

* The conclusion Will Herondale draws upon observing ducks become cannibalistic by eating poultry pie.  From Clockwork Angel

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A Year’s Worth of Reading

Time for the end of the year book tally.  This may seem premature, but I began the count on December 2 last year (my first day of freedom from school!) and so must end this year’s count as of the same day this year.  In the end, I read 281 individual books, but the equivalent of 288 altogether because I read some books twice in order to refresh my memory before reading the next book in the series.  Some books were novellas, so in those instances I counted 2 novellas as one book.  Otherwise my count would be much higher still.  Not all of the books I read are listed publicly, but most of them are.  You can find them here.

Among my favorites?*

- The Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy (both of which are still ongoing) by Cassandra Clare.  Shadowhunter nephilim, Downworlders, and demons struggling with each other and themselves.  Oh, and lots of humor and romance, too.  These are among the books that I read twice.  The first book is currently being made into a movie.  Clare likes to make you fall in love with her characters, then rip out your heart and stomp on it a few times before (usually) putting it back in your chest.  Warning: not all characters make it out alive…

- Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore.  These are companion novels, not really a series.  A third companion novel, Bitterblue, is set to release next year and I can’t wait!  Great fantasy without being too heavy-handed about magic, especially “Graceling.”  Katsa is one of the strongest female characters I came across this entire year.  She is always true to herself and to those she cares for.  These are books that I read twice, and would read again.

- Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman.  These were excellent and, more than most of the books I’ve read, would appeal to male as well as female readers.  Heavily Asian in feel, but it’s a fantasy realm, not ours.  Dragons, Dragoneyes (the dragon rider who works with a dragon), political intrigue and, yes, romance.  But the love story isn’t the focus at all.  Survival is.

- The Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.  Bean sidhes (banshees) instead of werewolves and vampires.  What’s not to love?  Toss in some reapers, demons, maras, incubi, and dumb jocks with mean cheerleader girlfriends and you’ve got a great series.

- The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter.  A super secret spy school for teen girls.  Lots of fun!

- The Study Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder.  This is another that I feel would appeal to both genders.  It starts with The Poison Study.  Yelena is slated to be executed but is given a choice: become the Commander’s food taster, or hang.  If she becomes food taster she will be fed a poison which will require daily receipt of the antidote in order for her to continue living; there will be no running away.  She accepts, and the story takes off from there.  She discovers that she’s not who she thought she was, and who she is could land her right back in the noose!  Magic, political intrigue, some romance, great plots. Excellent trilogy!

- Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon.  Intricate world-building that can be a little confusing, but worth the effort.  Command of elements, secret societies, ancient battle between those who would use powers for good rather than evil.  Yes, all old concepts.  But this was done in a refreshing way.  This was the first in a trilogy.

- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.  I strongly recommend this one.  Would appeal to both genders, is a bit of a psychological thriller with a twist ending that, for once, I didn’t see coming!  It’s the first in a trilogy and given the very beginning and ending of the first, it’s killing me to wait for the second!

- Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.  Both of these allow the reader to get to know the characters, and let the characters get to know each other.  The characters are flawed and human, but not irritating.  Secondary characters are fleshed out and entertaining.  Until you’ve read 50 gazillion books from the same genre, you have no idea how important these elements are!

- Hourglass by Myra McEntyre.  Clever time-bender story, first of a series.  Different characters can affect time in different ways, and learn about their abilities with the help of Hourglass, a secret group devoted to the subject.  But a suspicious death hangs over the place and a series of events are triggered that have terrible consequences.

- The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff.  One of Lucifer’s daughters (the one who’d rather watch t.v. than harm humans) goes to earth to find her half-brother (son of Lilith and Adam, and a good guy) when he goes missing.  Along the way she recruits the help of a suicidal young man, someone she and her brother once saved.  Her kind are being brutally murdered and she believes her brother is being held captive by the killer.  There’s a twist or two in this one that worked.  Told from multiple viewpoints, I could especially identify with the young man helping her.  Been there.

- Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst.  A vampire grows a conscience after being stabbed by a were-unicorn!  What’s not to love about that?  Loads of snark, but that’s balanced out by other characters.  A couple of secondary characters were like the two Coreys in The Lost Boys.  *G*

- The Yara Silva trilogy is excellent so far.  She sees ghosts and must help them cross over (though she’d rather not be bothered), but there are those (both human and non-human) who want to stop her.  Her Brazilian grandmother teaches her the ropes, so there’s a little cross-cultural heritage included.  There will probably be much more of this in the last book as at least part of it should be taking place in Brazil.

- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is another angel/demon story, but it’s very different from the usual fare.  Great world-building, no black-and-white absolutes, and includes exposure to different cultures.  This was the first in a trilogy.  Again, I’m stuck waiting for the next book to be released.  Story of my life this year!

- The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.  This was different because it plays with the notion of what happens when technology and fairy collide.  Iron is toxic to the fae, but technology is taking over fantasy in the real world, and that has bled over into the NeverNever.  I loved the gremlins, and of course Puck!

 

There should be honorable mentions.  As many as I listed above, I feel like I’m being negligent in not listing others as well.  There were some really good books.  Legend, Matched, Dark Parties, and Divergent were excellent dystopians.  I didn’t bother mentioning The Hunger Games because with all the hype many of you have probably already heard about the trilogy already.   I’m excited about the upcoming movie of the first book!

Unearthly was a great angel story and I’m looking forward to the release of the next book in the series, HallowedClarity was a fun psychic story/mystery.   Touch of Frost (The Mythos Academy series) and Wildefire (from Wildfire series) are both promising starts to new trilogies.  Both deal with ancient, cross-cultural mythologies and are fun to read.  The Shift Trilogy is unique and the Bodyfinder Series is awesome.

There were just some great books this year providing many happy hours of entertainment.  I have to stop looking at the list because I keep seeing something and thinking, “Oh, I should say something about that one!”

Then there were the books that sucked.  Yes, I’m looking at you House of Night series, Witches of Santa Anna series, and the hot mess that was Oddily.  The latter especially should come with a warning label: Stab out your eyes before reading!

(note: I’m not providing links to those here. You can find them on my list page, except for Oddily because… just no)

I discovered indies (independently published authors) this year after purchasing both a Nook and a Kindle.  Yes, those ereaders are expensive upfront.  But I can’t tell you how much money I saved on book purchases!  Buying books online is cheaper than in stores, and ebooks are cheaper than physical copies bought online.  I’ll always prefer the tactile experience of holding a physical copy of a book in my hands, but now I’m more selective about which of those I buy.  This saved me enormously on shelf space as well.  The indies often have grammar, spelling, and/or homophone errors.  The authors need proofreaders or editors.  However these writers can’t afford to hire the help they need.  But the books usually only cost .99 cents and are sometimes more creative and interesting than mass market books.  Big publishers tend to choose books based on trends, not originality, because they’re looking to ride the gravy train of whatever is hot at the moment.  Don’t get me wrong- most of the books I’ve listed above were properly published.  But I did read and enjoy a ton of indies, once I accepted the troubled writing quality.  And sometimes they surprised me by being about as perfect as professionally published books.  You just never know.

So that was my year.  I’m going to start a new tally for this year now.  I don’t expect it will be nearly as long because I intend to return to school in January.  I’ve yet to figure out precisely how I’m going to post it.  Many of the books I’ll read this year are continuations of series that I read last year.  I like to keep them together, but I don’t want to mix up the 2 years.  I’m still considering how I want to handle it.  When I know, you’ll know, whether you want to or not.

*For listed series or trilogies, the link provided goes to the first book in the series.  You may also look on my Book List page for listings of each book in the series in order with individual links to each.

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Need a Laugh?

I just read the funniest summary of a novel that I’ve ever seen.  Author Sarah Rees Brennan blogged about Gothic novels, and focused on Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher.”  I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.  It seems she’s going to feature a different Gothic novel every month.  I can’t wait to see what she does next time.  For now, though, you have to go check it out.  Even if you’ve never read the story, you’ll get this.  Here’s a sample:

HERO OF USHER: Just going to visit my old school friend Roddy, it’ll be a jolly lark!
HERO OF USHER: … Goddamn this is a creepy house.
RODERICK USHER: I feel extremely unwell.
HERO OF USHER: Well, a name like ‘Roderick Usher’ would get anyone down. Buck up, old chap!
RODERICK USHER: No, seriously. I might be a vampire. And I think the flowers are out to get me.
HERO OF USHER: … Ooookay. You want to do some fingerpainting or something, Roddy?

Read on…

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Too Big for His Furry Britches?

I’ve been shedding so much hair lately that I can’t help but be glad that humans do not bathe in the same way cats do.  If we did, I could probably beat Wheezy in a hairball contest.  Now, I like a good competition as well as the next gal, but where’s the prize in that battle, eh?

Speaking of cats’ mouths and what goes in and out of them, I’m afraid that Stuart’s bike did not save the latest victim.  Though I could swear I heard it move, it still sits in its corner.  Unlike the mouse that wound up being Patches’ snack.  Now here is the thing about Patches.  He’ll hunt, catch, and play with mice all over the house.  But when he’s had enough, he always takes them to the same place to eat them: the bath mat.  Randy says that it’s because Patches has refined tastes and eating habits; he wants a proper place setting.

I think he’s right.  Patches is a bit of a dandy these days.  For example, he no longer responds to “Patches,” not that I blame him.  Instead, he only reacts when we call him “Handsome.”   I kid you not.  I called “Come here handsome” once or twice, and since then he ignores any other moniker.

Fathead.

At any rate, there’s one good thing that comes out of his penchant for eating on the bath mat: it makes post-bloodbath cleanup a cinch.

Hunting in the kitchen

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