Thoughts for the Day

The first couple are more annoyances than rants, but annoyances they are!! I don't know if they have done this in the US or not, but here in Canada, at least in London Ontario, they have converted just about every McDonalds in the city into a - pardon moi - café don't you know, with WiFi and the lot. It was handy before I FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE MY WIFI WORK (yep, I yelled that in excitement I figured it out - ME). I'm not into these smancy fancy coffees. Just give a regular coffee. And I like McDonalds coffee much better than Tim Hortons. There is a McDonalds on the way into work so every day I work, I stop and get a large coffee. But with these new cafés,
every single time, that mechanical voice asks me if I would like to try a McDonalds McCafe. My answer - NO! Now I was raised to be polite; to say please and thank you but every day it annoys me that I find myself being polite and saying no, thank you - to a canned voice. I've tried to stop. I have tried just saying no, but I'm not wired that way. Even as I know I'm adding 'thank you' to an inanimate voice not coming out of a real person, I can't stop. It just comes out of my mouth. I wish the lady voice would stop asking me. If I wanted a McCafe Mocha or Latte or Cappuccino or any of the other ones the canned mechanical voice asks me, I would order it. STOP ASKING ME LADY VOICE.

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The second annoyance, not rant level, but annoyance, is how the radio announcers have to DRAMATIZE everything! We had rain today. A lot of rain. I'm sure many, many others were also experiencing rain today. One could almost say it was raining cats and dogs.

But listening to the radio announcers one would think it was almost like a blizzard out there with horrendous driving conditions. IT WAS ONLY RAIN RADIO ANNOUNCERS! Yes, I drover slower on my way to work. Instead of driving my normal 5 kilometers over the speed limit, I drove 5 kilometers under. And not once did I worry about hydroplaning all over the road. But the radio dudes sure did warn about it. It was the lead off story on the news. Errrgggg.

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One show I've watched quite a bit of surprisingly is Sister Wives. And even more surprising is I like it. I'm very much against polygamy. I just don't think it's biblical in the New Testament sense. I really believe in "forsaking all others." But I'm hardly one to judge others beliefs. And despite what my own beliefs are, I really like these women. I would love to have the opportunity to sit around with them and have coffee. I can identify with all of them in one way or another. And the really do work hard to make this unusual life style work. They are deeply committed and they certainly do practice compromise. I was rather surprised to find myself really welling up while watching this seasons finale. One of the ongoing topics has been Meri, the first wife's inability to get pregnant. The other wives have a number of children but Meri only has one and you can really sense her pain in the situation, especially this past season when Robin, the youngest and newest wife got pregnant. So I found it very emotional at the end of the season finale, right after Robin delivered her son, that she offered to be a surrogate for Meri so that Meri could have another baby. Robin has always struck me as being such a warm and caring person and that she would offer to do this because she really loves her sister wife and senses Meri's pain, well, it made me tear up.

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And finally, I don't know what got me started this morning. And it says that there is a mean streak in my, but this morning I was telling my coworker a story about when I was a kid. For some reason, when I was playing with a bunch of my friends I got it into my head to grab a tube of toothpaste and bring it out and start eating it. And low and behold, all the other kids did the same thing. There we all sat, eating out of tubes of toothpaste. One can only wonder what our mothers thought. This one younger brother didn't have a tube since his sister had already nabbed the tube from their house. So I very generously went in and grabbed a tube. Now I could read at the time though he was a couple of years younger and couldn't. So he didn't realize that wen he squeezed that tube, got the past on his finger and went to eat it that rather than toothpaste, he was eating Brylcreem.

I don't know why, but that story struck me as particularly funny this morning even as I admitted to Becky how mean I was. I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt and tears were running down my face. The makeup I had so carefully put on at 7:30 this morning was pretty much all gone by 9:00. And to you David Hogg, wherever you are, I am so sorry I pulled such a rotten trick on you all those years ago. And to think, I laughed about it!

I haven't got a whole lot

Last week was a Very Busy Week. I had my Hospice orientation all day Monday and Wednesday and the final day today. The rest of the days I worked. I don't know how soon they will find someone for me, but I hope it doesn't take too long. It was a very good orientation and I got a lot out of it, but it did bring up memories.

I heard back from the police on the background check I had to have done. I passed and I gather I'm considered a good law abiding citizen.




One thing I don't think I've mentioned is I've been going to a chiropractor three times a week for 3 months now. I have Vertebral Subluxation. Yes, long word isn't it? What it means for those not in the know; most people's spines are an S curve. It looks weird but that's the way it's supposed to be. But in my case, my spine is straight, no curve. I've know for quite some time now that things weren't quite right, but the thoughts of going to a chiropractor scared me. But my Now Married Son and my Now Daughter in law both go to one and have said it's really made a difference. It first started years and years ago when my oldest son, let's call him Brent, the one who was responsible for me breaking my leg over a year ago now, jumped on me in a swimming pool, years and years and years ago now. The chiropractor said the damage looks like it's been about 25 years in the making and that was right around the time the son I'm calling Brent jumped on me.

By having a straight spine instead of the curved one, all kinds of nerves are being compressed and that results in all kinds of side effects. So I've been going 3 times a week to be 'adjusted'. This means lying on my stomach and he presses down on different places on my spine that make me go "ooof" and want to burp and fart - though I do resist doing those things. Then I turn onto my back and he twists my head in both directions which freaks me out every single time he does it.

I had my second x-ray last week and mine spine has moved 6 degrees. He seemed quite happy with that progress though the spine is supposed to be 45 degrees. I only have 39 more degrees to go *sigh*. But I'm also down to only two visits a week, which is a little better since his office is close to neither where I work or where I live.

I'm working on some reviews, but until I have them, I shall leave you with a movie preview I'm looking forward to off the first book of a series many of us are reading/have read. I wasn't sure when I heard this was being made into a movie, but having watched the trailer, I think I'll like it



So - Joe or Ranger?????

Recent Reads

Dancing on Coals by Ellen O’Connell

Why this one: Adoration for her previous books

Steam Level: Just about perfect

Blurb: After escaping robbers intent on murder, Katherine Grant says, "I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Before long I'll be dancing on the coals." The highwaymen were the frying pan; the handsome young Apache who saved her from them was the fire; and the coals? Gaetan.

Rage against the enemies of his people has consumed Gaetan from boyhood. The only use he ever found for any white was to test the sharpness of his knife. Forced by his brother to endure Katherine's company, Gaetan tries to deny what he sees - the white woman has a man's temper and a lion's courage. She has an Apache heart.

In spite of hate, distrust and fear, surviving in the rugged country of southern Arizona and northern Mexico forges a strange bond between Katherine and Gaetan. When the bond turns to love, can they admit it? Can they bear the consequences?

My Thoughts: One of my very best discoveries last year (or was it the year before? Hmmm – aging is a bitch) was Ellen O’Connell. I loved Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold and Sing My Name. I’ve read both 3 times now. She is a self-published author so she doesn’t come up when I check Fiction DB for upcoming releases, but thank goodness someone at AAR posted that she has a new book out now. The same day I read that, I visited my local coffee shop, since my Wi-Fi doesn’t work with my IPad at home and any e-book purchases have to be done somewhere else, which at the rate I’m buying them is for the best. I bought the book that day and started it last night.

I probably said it about EOS, EOG and Sing My Name, but wow this author awes me. She is self-published and more technical type readers may find errors, or others who read it may not be entirely happy that the story takes a while to get going, but once it does, my goodness does it pack an emotional wallop for an emotional type reader. And since I am, it did.

A bit of a note to begin with. This is an ‘Indian Romance.” Now this particular genre has gotten a bad rap in many ways because of some of the truly horrendous books written. Cassie Edwards comes immediately to mind. There are other authors who do a bad job in this job, very bad. There are also authors who write wonderful of cross cultural love stories. Of those authors, I think Kathleen Eagle and Roseanne Bittner are the best. Pamela Clare also does wonderful portrayals in her historical romances I think.

So I wasn’t quite sure where this book would fit it. I didn’t have many worries though as she had done such excellent writing previously. And I was RIGHT! This book is such another true winner. It’s everything I love in a romance.

I adored Katherine. She behaved just as a heroine should when faced with the kind of situation she was faced with. First her stage coach was robbed, then she taken hostage by an Apache raiding party, one of whom was particularly hostile to her. She’s justifiably scared but never acts stupid about it. She gives in when she needs to and stands up for herself when she can. She really is a wonderfully written character.

Gaetan, the hero is an equally richly written character. He hates whites with good reason. He and his younger brother were taken away from their people and raised in a missionary where they were looked down on and scorned. Although he does know both English and Spanish somewhat, he refuses to speak the language of the people he hates and for much of the first part of the book, until Katherine learns to speak Apache, there isn’t much verbal communication between them. But there is PLENTY of communication going on non-verbally wise. Despite the fact that Gaetan hates the white man, Katherine is different. He admires and respects her courage. And he is forced to follow up on a promise in regards to taking care of her.

This book is outstanding, outstanding, outstanding. The author doesn’t make a caricature of Gaetan, which often happens with less talented authors. He is a stoic kind of guy and stays in that character throughout the entire book. But although he keeps many of his feelings to himself, he expresses how he feels towards Katherine through his actions, even if they are misinterpreted at times.

At times this isn’t an easy book to read. It’s very realistic and true to the times. Something happens to one character in particular that almost had me in tears. But I highly recommend this book to all who are even the slightest bit curious about this often poorly written genre. At only $2.99 at Amazon or same price at Smash words, it’s a great opportunity.

Although most of me wants to give this a 5 out of 5 and in some ways I am, it gets a 4.99 only because the interaction between Katherine and Gaetan takes so long to get going, though I could understand why. It’s my own personal impatience waiting for their poignant love story to begin that got in the way. In fact, after having written up this review, I started reading it again even though it wasn't that long ago that I read it.

Grade: 4.99 out of 5

Thought for the day

Extreme Couponers are odd. I've been watching the show and yes, they are odd indeed. In the one episode I just watched, the extreme couponer would spend time in giant recycle bins looking through old newspapers and stuff for coupons. She was dumpster diving right inside the dumpsters. In the one shopping trip highlighted, she had 17 separate transactions. SEVENTEEN!! She took the entire day to do it and 2 cashiers. It took over 2 hours just to ring in her groceries alone.

I worked as a cashier in a grocery store for almost nine years and if I had had to ring through an extreme couponer, I would have flipped out. We had to add those up at the end of each shift!!

It would have been one thing if she really needed all the stuff she bought, but she had enough toothbrushes to last her for the rest of her life!! She had enough laundry detergent to last over 5 years - if she did a load of laundry Every Single Day. The other extreme couponer in the same episode had enough medicine to last years. But that stuff has a shelf life. I'm sure most of it would long be expired by the time she ever got around to using it!


Now, having said that, I won't bother mentioning the 35 BOXES of books I have sitting in my living room piled up higher than I am. I'm only 5'2". Nope - don't see the point of mentioning that.

Don't be givin me 'tude Be-yotch

sub title

A Rant

(warning - bad language ahead. A LOT of bad language. My mamma would wash out my mouth)

I've said before that I love my job. And I do, I truly do. But I think everyone including those who have the bestest job in the whole world will have a bad day or two. That was the case with me today. First off, I couldn't get on my computer and when the IT dude came over to my desk, he told me that it was my fault, that I had to have used the wrong password. I Very Carefully typed it in after the first time it was rejected. Very Carefully. And I knew I hadn't used the wrong password. Turned out it was a glitch in the system. But that was my first "fuck the hell off" thought of the day towards someone else. Arrogant IT people. Not all mind you, most are very helpful but obviously not all.

Then I was on the phone and the person on the other end was telling me in the snottiest of tones, that their records didn't match our records and what was I going to do about it? Since we had just got this client in our department and the person wasn't on my particular caseload and I was just reading the notes for the very first time as I was talking to her and she was giving me definite 'tude, that was my second "fuck the hell off" thought of the day.

Later I answered another call from the relative of a client with a concern, a legitimate concern. I told her that I would have the Case Manager give her a call as soon as she got in. Then before the Case Manager returned, I got another call on this same client and the person on the other end gave me 'tude. That was my third "fuck the hell off" thought of the day.

Because it was so Very Busy today and I wasn't comfortable leaving until I had reached that certain point where I felt I had done all I could for the day, I ended up staying an extra hour. This will be an hour without pay since we have to have all overtime PREapproved and I didn't realize it would take so long until nearly the end of the day and our manager had left for the day.

Sometime during the day, the crankies were really catching up with me and I thought I could either get cranky or in reverse physicolical (yes I know that is spelled so wrong but not even spell check can figure out the word I mean), do something to make me feel better. So I called the blood donor clinic to make an appointment to donate blood. And guess what? There was no time available!! Here I was trying to give blood to some anonymous person who needed it and I couldn't get in to donate!! The soonest time I could is on Thursday at 5:30.

So you would think a bad day was finally over at 5:30 (not 4:30 mind you) but you would be wrong. When I got to the home and up to the back door, there was this large piece of paper taped to it and this is what it said

PLEASE TAKE CARE

OF YOUR CAT

(LET IT IN) WHEN

COLD OUT OR

PLEASE GET RID OF IT

THANK YOU

NEIGHBOUR! 48

Know what I say to Neighbor 48?

JUST FUCK THE HELL OFF,

A) I called and called The Little Shit ( and I call her that in the most loving of ways) before I left for work this morning but she didn't come when I called. The reason I let her out first thing was so she could do what her name implies - shit.

B) It wasn't that cold out today and Hello - she has a fucking fur coat.

C) Who the FUCK do you think you are telling me to get rid of my cat??? You have TWO Jack Russell terriers that do nothing but fucking bark all day long so just bloody well FUCK OFF.

D) Passive Aggresive much telling me THANK YOU.


There! I feel so much better know that that's out of my system! Sometimes nothing works but using that ol' F bomb.

Oh, Those Crazy Hybrids!

One of those quirks I have that I'm sure are shared by many who catalogue their books is how does one categorize some books? These days so many can be put in a number of different genres.

Such is the case with the book I'm reading now. I'm stumped by where to put it!

Time-travel agent Collins is preparing for a routine assignment to the past when rebels kill his commander and force him back in time unprepared. With no sex-suppression drugs and incomplete training he's stranded in a strange old world.Candy was almost resigned to her humdrum life until a man in a strange black get-up dropped onto her park bench. If he wasn't gorgeous and wounded she might listen to her common sense and run. But curiosity and kindness have always been her weaknesses and the fact that this guy rouses her long-dormant libido doesn't hurt either.Overwhelmed by the novel sensation of lust Collins can't resist Candy's sensual sweetness. But every fevered joining of their bodies breaks the stringent laws to which he's sworn allegiance. Being trapped in the past is bad enough. Committing carnal crimes with an irresistible 21st century indigenous could destroy his future and hers.

I could put it under Time Travel as the hero travels through time.

I could put it under SciFi/Futuristic as the hero comes from the future.

I could put it under Erotic since Ellora's Cave is the publisher.

I don't know how to classify it! I can add tags for all three in Good Reads and the other online book catalogue places but I only have one choice in my spread sheet.

Any ideas?

And in case you're wondering, other than the Really Bad Cover (really, really bad) so far so very good!

Outrageous

I was just checking out Amazon for some good book deals and came across this. Who in their right mind would buy it. Check out the Kindle price!

OK - unless you click on it, you can't really see the price. But they are asking $19.56 for the ebook and $10.20 for the print book.

Wonderings

I happened to check in with Ramblings and discovered much to my horror that I haven't blogged yet this month!! That's terrible of me. I have any number of topics these days that come to mind, from the really hot guy who is doing my basement to fact that *sigh* I have to get rid of The Little Shit as she, well, shits in the basement and now that I have a really hot guy coming in to do the basement, I can't really have her doing what her name implies she's doing.

Or I could mention that I am very seriously considering selling my house and living the apartment condo lifestyle which means no raking of leaves from numerous trees in the fall, no shoveling snow in the winter and no mowing the lawn in the summer. But then I kind of freaked at the thought of moving out of the house so soon and realized I'm not emotionally ready to let go of it. And of course I'm getting this brand new basement....


Then there was the trip I made yesterday to our local police hangout - the police station. No, I'm not in trouble. But apparently I have to have a background check done on me in order to do volunteer work. I also stopped and had an interview with our local hospice centre. She seemed to think I'd be a real asset. I did get a secret chuckle though. It cost me $10 to have the police check me out. That's a discount since it's for volunteer work. It also cost me me money for administration type costs to start volunteering. By the time I got home yesterday I had shelled out $50. For some reason that greatly amuses me.

But the real thing I was pondering today was concerning the book I just started reading. Well not the book in particular as I've just started reading it, but more the experiences about reading the book. I can tell that it's going to be a painful book to read and I'm wondering if anyone else has the same kind of experiences while reading. I think I do because I have a tendency to jump into the deep end in some areas and reading is one of them. At times I become ONE with the book.

In this particular story, it's a medieval and the heroine has been terribly abused, first by her father, then her late husband and finally by her husband's brother. Her children were taken far away to be fostered and now her brother-in-law is threatening to do the great harm unless she goes along with his very nasty scheme to try and help murder her most recent husband, a bitter rival of the b-i-l, that she is forced to marry. And she is expecting the worst. I'm not very far into the book and already I HURT for the brutal life she has lived so far and I want nothing but good things to happen to her. Of course this is a romance so naturally they will, but at the moment I'm so immersed and feeling so hurt for her that I'm just going to take small bites of this book until things start turning around for her.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't a bad thing. In fact it's a Very Good Thing that I can get so emotionally invested in a book. But it's not an easy thing. Depending on how the author can bring me out of a painful situation is often the mark of a real keeper. If the author can make it so I'm almost brought to tears, well, this is a book I will want to read over and over.

So does anyone else ever feel this way about a book? That it is almost too painful to read, not because it's bad as in the case that Animie June recently experienced, but because you get so involved in what the author is putting her characters through. If you have felt this before, did the author manage to make you feel uplifted by the end and did it become a real treasure of a book? And can you name any book that this has happened with?

I'm discovering that many of us who are addicted to romance share a lot of the same traits, so I'm betting that this has happened to some of you. Care to share????