Losing Time + Courage Boost

 I'm sitting here just watching the clock tick the minutes away... and really wishing I could just stop time completely.  I feel like that's what I need in order to get everything done.  Literally watching that time slip away right before my eyes just makes me think about all that stuff that I've either been too lazy to do, or just haven't had the time to even start.  It would help if I could win the lottery or suddenly find myself swimming in money so that I wouldn't have to work at all!  Let's face it, that in itself is a major time-killer. 😅  Usually feels like it's all for nothing also.  Just the same old shit, different days.  I'm really not meaning to sound so bitter though.  Lol.

So I'm working from home today because my office building will be testing out security alarms all day... I really miss the times when we did this for at least 50-75% of the month.  I felt like I could get so much more stuff done around the house, along with updating this blog as well.

I do feel like I've been more productive when it comes to reading though.  I don't have the specific amount of books that I've read this year, but I think it's been more than my previous attempts.  Have you ever been... scared to read a book?  Scared isn't the right word... maybe "apprehensive" describes the feeling better.  See, there's this brilliant TV show called The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart that I saw in 2023... and it just absolutely resonated with me on a deeply personal level - in both good and 'bad' ways (some particular scenes are VERY difficult for me to watch).  I found out that it was a book... and had it on my radar to read for awhile afterwards (because you know how much detail they have to omit for television/film adaptations), but I guess I had to build up the courage to actually buy it (which sounds ridiculous, I know).  And now that I have, it is slightly scary to me, because of how much I know it's going to bring up some old memories that I would rather leave buried in the past.  I'm still working up that same courage to start reading it...

One Down, Twenty-Nine To Go

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Well, the first day of the month that I hate the most is almost over now.  The fact that it was April Fool's Day didn't really cross my mind too much today either.  Usually I'm wary of everything I hear on this day, because of that simple fact, but today I just didn't let it bother me at all.

No prompt today, because I need to be getting to sleep soon...

I felt like today was... productive.  I finally updated my 2019 Reading Challenge page to reflect the most current books I'm in the process of reading, as well as the ones that I've already completed this year.  I'm really hoping this is going to be the year that I don't fail.  Because I don't consider myself a 'readaholic' for nothing! 😊

I'm going to be introducing two new types of entries this time around... on Tuesdays and Fridays.  I'm excited to test this out for tomorrow's entry.  I just hope I can remember to actually set aside some time to get it done.  I almost forgot to do that today, because other things on my mind were distracting me.  There was also an (intro) event that started today in Nexus, plus a community event where one of my characters helped out (really, more like got suckered into helping) a friend with decorations, since I'm a flower hoarder in the game.  [who am I kidding, I'm the same in real life... 😂]

Anyway... I should probably call it a night here and go to bed.  Goodnight, world. 💤

Laziness & Lake Tahoe

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So March has just turned into not-so-much of a good month for me, regarding this blog and also reading.  I've hit a bit of a snag, because one of my current books is just so difficult to come back to every day... I'm having trouble with how the dialogue is written and it's annoying me, but I'm really trying to overlook it in favor of the actual storyline.  I'm not one to give up on a book so easily though, so I'm just attempting to give it all the chances I can.

As for writing blog posts... I'm sure you noticed that I missed another few days again... ugh.  Some of that is because my pinky & ring fingers on my left hand is in a state of near-constant numbness and it makes it difficult to actually type at times.  The rest of it is simple laziness and being spontaneously busy.

For example, we took a somewhat spontaneous road trip over to Lake Tahoe on Monday, as a belated way to celebrate our one-year anniversary last Friday.  [Head over to my Instagram feed to view a few of the photos that I took while there, since that laziness has kicked in again and it will be a fair amount of time before I can put together a photoblog post] I was bummed that we didn't get to go to Seattle, but I still had a great time being in the presence of all that beautiful snow!  I definitely got my 'snow fix,' but I didn't wanna leave, and I wish we could have spent much more time there.  But alas, the hubby isn't as much a fan of playing in the snow as I am, and he wanted to go to Cabela's in Reno, which is the closest location to us.  And also to a few gun stores, so that was his portion of the trip.  Haha.

Anyway... that's all I've got for today so until tomorrow... (Maybe!) 😼

New Month, New Book

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So I started out my day with the new selection from B&N Readouts, which I've updated on my 2018 Reading Challenge page.  It's a book about Sherlock Holmes and an adventure that takes him (and Dr. Watson) to Paris to investigate a possible kidnapping of a cabaret singer's son.  I actually have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories before (though I do have some in the library of my Nook account), and the extent of what I know about Mr. Holmes is from the movies starring Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law, which I LOVED!  The banter they share and chemistry the two of them displayed was great to watch.  However, this book starts out pretty dark, with Holmes reverting back to the use of cocaine after a difficult case and a stint in jail ("gaol" as it is referenced in the story, via the 1880s setting), after he was accused of tampering with evidence.  Anyway, I'm giving the story a chance, despite the low reviews it has received on Goodreads.  I never let critics influence my interest in things, as they don't know me personally and can't possibly know what I would like.

Mid-Week Humdrum

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Still trying to wrap my head around the whole grandmother thing from yesterday.  Haha.  People already never believe that I'm actually 34, now I can only imagine that look of shock deepening when I tell them I'm a grandmother also.  It's probably the same look that's been on my face ever since yesterday morning.  My brother's having fun with it though, as he says that I cannot call him old, since I'm now a grandma. 😝  (I'll still say he's old.)

So I'm off to a great start on my reading challenge this year, as I've now finished 7 books and it's not even March yet!  Though I hate this part because I don't know what to start next... I've fully completed the Odd Thomas series so there's not another book to immediately start reading.  This is why I like using B&N Readouts as one of my books because they do the choosing for me, each month.  And if it's a really good one, I look forward to reading that chapter or two every morning.  Although I do have some books already "on deck" so I'll probably just end up choosing something from there, leftover from old reading prompts that I didn't get done for last year's challenge.  I should probably do that, at least before starting anything new, just to finish up loose ends.  I am determined to get through all 30 books this time!

That's about all for today, nothing else really special to report.  Until tomorrow! 😉

New Fridge + Mom's Birthday + Left Out

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Whew, so today has been pretty busy.  We started out the day sleeping in until around 9:00am.  The hubby wanted to go to the gun range today (actually, yesterday but my neck was hurting too much) but decided instead that we needed to go looking for a new refrigerator, since ours is on its way out, as it is not pushing cold air as it should be.  It'd take a few hundred bucks to fix it, but we just decided to upgrade the whole thing instead.  Six years ago, we settled for that fridge, instead of getting what we really wanted, because we were not as financially stable back then.

So after a visit to The Home Depot and Lowe's, we ended up getting our new fridge at Best Buy, a 28 cubic feet GE model in black slate.  They didn't have it available for delivery until March 8th though, so I have to wait as patiently as I can for the next three weeks.  I can't wait to see it in our kitchen!

Just Tell Me It's Over Already

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So today has been a day of escaping the reality of my life... completely.  Whether that is through reading, playing SWTOR (I'm currently working on leveling my Jedi Knight) or just randomly staring into space, while I try to give myself a neck rub, the best that I can, because the husband won't help me whatsoever. (so much for that "in sickness" BS, huh?)  This whole neck thing is really annoying me.  It was especially difficult last night, attempting to pretend like nothing was bothering me, while we had the company over for dinner.  But alas, I am pretty much an expert at that.

Pain, Pain, Go Away!

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Ugh.  I knew today was going to be bad, from the moment I woke up.  Seriously, the meds I've taken haven't worked AT ALL today.  If I didn't feel like I'd be wasting my whole day, I would have just stayed in bed. 😶

In an attempt to ignore the constant pain I'm in, my day so far has been focused on reading.  I did end up finishing my book this morning, as predicted last night, (the review is already up on my "reading challenge" tab up there!) and I've read the first page or two of the last Odd Thomas novel.  He finally goes back home in this one, after his journey led him all around southern California for a few months, and I'm happy to know that his old friends are (hopefully) coming back into the story.  I've missed them.  Funny how you get so attached to these fictional characters in a book and they really start to feel like close friends whom you've known all your life.

Anyway, I've also spent some of my day scouring the internet for some reading prompts, because sometimes after I finish a book, I have a difficult time choosing what to read next.  And this general "outline" of what to read will help me in making a decision.  So I've compiled a list of my favorite prompts, in the following graphic:

If you're participating in a reading challenge this year, feel free to grab some of these prompts if you're stuck on what to read!  It really helps for that.  Plus, I like these because all of them can be used for multiple books, not just one and then you're done with the prompt.  I've got a PSD version that I'm going to be adding check marks to the boxes whenever I finish a specific prompt.  Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm a dork. 😜

A Day of Pain

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The biggest news to come out of today is that my brother-in-law had another stroke. 😟  He just can't seem to catch a break lately.  I'm not sure what exactly caused it, because medical jargon tends to go in one ear and out the other with me, but the main thing is that he was still able to put a shirt on by himself and move around semi-normally, though his eye is tilted and his left arm is still slightly numb.  The doctors are conferring with a neurologist, I think the hubby said, in another city, at the moment.  I was really hoping he'd be better by now, as I know it's a strain on my hubby's mind, since he and this brother are fairly close.

Happy, But a Little Lost...

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I started out my day with The Scorch Trials playing in the background while I worked, in preparation for tonight's "date night" in going to see the final movie of the Maze Runner trilogy that comes out today, The Death Cure.  We saw the first movie back when it came out in 2014, without having read the books, or even hearing of the series.  And I was hooked, because it's an intriguing storyline that kept me interested enough to want to see what the maze was all about and why they were stuck there.  I plan to read the books also, maybe making it part of my reading challenge, once I've gotten through the Odd Thomas series.

One of my current favorite songs came on the radio earlier when I had to run a small errand.  It was Sir Sly's &Run.  It's one of those songs where the instant I hear it, I can't help but move, in an attempt at dancing, although I know I probably look ridiculous because I can't dance, but when that song's on, I just don't care! 😝 The only other songs that really get me feeling like that have been Finger Eleven's Paralyzer and Walk the Moon's Shut Up and Dance.  There's a more sentimental reason behind Paralyzer, but I won't go into that now.  Back to &Run... I love the lyrics.  Specifically: "Happy, but a little lost..." because that is sometimes exactly how I feel about my life.  Word for word.  And "sometimes the world feels loud."  Which needs no explanation, really... I like the world quiet, and I can't quite deal with it being too loud.

Obsessed with Quotes

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   Between birth and burial, we find ourselves in a comedy of mysteries.
   If you don’t think life is mysterious, if you believe you have it all mapped out, you aren’t paying attention or you’ve anesthetized yourself with booze or drugs, or with a comforting ideology.
   And if you don’t think life’s a comedy—well, friend, you might as well hurry along to that burial.  The rest of us need people with whom we can laugh.

—pg 35, Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz

I love that quote.  There's a reason that they say laughter is the best medicine. 😁  And if you don't have any of that in your life... well, I'm truly sorry to hear that. 😞 I've been lucky enough to always have had at least one person in my life that makes me laugh, and for that I am remarkably grateful, even if they ended up hurting me in the end.

Be Wary of the Backseat

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So the majority of my Saturday was somewhat eventful.  I tagged along on a trip out to San Francisco (technically Daly City, but close enough!) for the gun show at what is known as the Cow Palace.  My husband and brother-in-law were wanting to go there mainly to attend a CCW class, which took about 2 hours to complete.  In the meantime, I sat in the food court area and started a new book, while waiting for them.  Then we walked around and the guys bought a few things.  I almost had an EMS (electric muscle stimulation) unit demonstration forced on me, until the guy finally understood that I did not want it and then talked the hubby into it, claiming that he could relay to me what it felt like.  We already have a TENS unit so I had a pretty good idea anyway.  Those pads have to be placed directly on the skin, so I just would have felt awkward having some stranger reach under my shirt, in the middle of the building.  So sue me. 😋

Temporary Setback

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So I finished my first book of 2018 this morning!  Ironically, it is the self-help style book that has no relevance to my life (haha) but it was an informative & amusing read that left a smile on my face after every reading session.  (More detailed review listed on the 2018 Reading Challenge tab up there at the top)

Anyway, Jacques will be here all this week doing at-home training classes for work, which will give me a small taste of what it would be like if he worked from home.  Definitely a plus in the gas department, as he wouldn't have to drive those 90 miles every day.  Since I'm slightly 'kicked out' of the office until he finishes at 1PM, I was planning to start up my 4-mile-daily-walk again... but of course, I woke up to find that it's raining heavily outside, with no plans for it to stop anytime soon, not to mention my stomach attempting to kill me. (Nothing to worry about, there's a reason.)  Ugh.