tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86021534611209302592024-03-05T07:11:32.059-08:00NotthedaddyReader ExtraordinaireShellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-21094455410504580212016-01-30T13:18:00.003-08:002016-01-30T13:18:50.942-08:00Books, Books, BooksWell! Seems like I was trying to go TWO years without posting, huh? Looks like blogging is making a comeback, though, and I'm nothing if not on trend (lies. am never on trend.)<br />
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Anyway, I've thought of a couple topics to blog about lately, but the one that actually got me to the keyboard was my favorite: books!<br />
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I've never been much of a fantasy nerd. I mean, I love <i>The Hobbit</i> and <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, but I really haven't even read much fantasy beyond those two. Unless you count Harry Potter, but everyone who matters loves HP.
However, I have recently discovered three awesome fantasy novels. One is a two (hopefully someday three) part series, the other is a stand alone novel (although there is great clamor for a sequel!)<br />
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I think I discovered them both from a list of the "Best Fantasy Series"....hang on, I'll go find it....hmmm....maybe it was more than one list....<br />
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Ah yes, it was the number one entry from this list: <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/fantasy-forever#.cu2M8QMl3">http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/fantasy-forever#.rbLXKYXmJ</a> <i>The Name of the Wind</i> by Patrick Rothfuss and the number one entry from this list: <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/best-fantasy-books-of-2015#.jn2vrDv26">http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/best-fantasy-books-of-2015#.jn2vrDv26</a> <i>The Library at Mount Char</i> by Scott Hawkins.
And there is a reason that they are number one on their lists.<br />
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<i>The Name of the Wind</i>, and the sequel, <i>The Wise Man's Fear</i>, are both excellent. There's a bit of a Harry Potter feel, in that the main character becomes orphaned and travels to a school to learn magic. The frame story is that Kvothe is now middle aged, seemingly powerless, and living a quiet life as a tavern owner. He's discovered by a scribe, however, who wants to document his life. He spends three days telling the scribe his life story.<br />
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<i>The Name of the Wind</i> was also featured on this article: "13 Fantasy Novels that are Good Despite Their Covers" <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/fantasy-novels-that-are-good-despite-their-covers#.we8NLlNYZ">http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/fantasy-novels-that-are-good-despite-their-covers#.we8NLlNYZ</a>, as I knew it would be. That article shows a super cheesy cover with the main character, Kvothe, who has red hair, carrying a lute on his back. The description of what the cover looks like is, "What you expect: Carrot Top finally does a porno. A lute is involved.
What you get: The (hands down) best high-fantasy series written in the last 20 years. If you haven’t read it yet and you like fantasy, immediately start reading it now."<br />
You do also have to ignore the cheesy series name, which is "The Kingkiller Chronicles". But then again, we've been overlooking "A Song of Ice and Fire" for how long now? I think we can forgive "The Kingkiller Chronicles" as well.<br />
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The second is <i>The Library at Mount Char</i> by Scott Hawkins. Buzzfeed sums it up the best I've seen anywhere:
"Hawkins’ fantastic debut novel <i>The Library at Mount Char</i> is the story of a deeply strange, highly unsettling family—the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Years ago, Carolyn and the other children were adopted by a cruel, powerful man they called Father, and spent years learning some of his secrets and how to develop their own brand of magic. But now Father has disappeared, and the siblings are pitted against each other—and the rest of the world, which has no idea what it’s up against—in their fight for dominance. A wild ride of a novel, fierce and totally bonkers yet moving and humane, <i>The Library at Mount Char</i> will stun you on every page."<br />
The only thing I would add to that description is that it is laugh-out-loud funny at times, which I truly didn't expect.<br />
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So tell me....what is the best novel you've read lately?
Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-77088421250617195172014-04-22T06:25:00.003-07:002014-04-22T06:25:48.249-07:00Twitter!So, I'm officially on Twitter! @shellyslaw - Do stop by and say hello!
And if you see me making any stupid rookie mistakes, let me know!Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-69652219082024033292013-10-23T09:38:00.002-07:002013-10-23T09:38:56.191-07:00Please forgive my delay in posting this - not much computer time these days! haha!<br />
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Bear Notthedaddy<br />
Born 10/11/13 at 10:13am<br />
7 lbs 10oz<br />
21 inches long<br />
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We are all at home (only spent two days in the hospital - quite long enough, thank you!) and doing great! <br />Hope you are all well!Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-87617193023607207322013-09-26T11:00:00.001-07:002013-09-26T11:00:46.738-07:00Update (or More Details)Whoa you guys, where did the last few months fly off to? I swear it was July a few days ago.<br />
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Well, anyway, I've started writing this post in my head about a million times and never have been able to get it right. But I've got about half an hour right now and my goal is put something else up here to let y'all know what's been going on.<br />
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The biggest thing is that everything is going well! I've been a nervous wreck this whole pregnancy (did I mention that before?!), but it has seemed like the more I worried, the smoother everything went. There have definitely been some times that I panicked and went to the doctor and they looked at me like I was nuts for coming in because I was completely fine. (Swollen ankles for the win!) But no complications, no pre-eclampsia, no bedrest, no nothing. I've been more tired and have had a lot more aches and pains and this one has been sitting on the nerves in my back for about a month now which is really getting old, but overall, my health and the health of the baby has been great!<br />
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The biggest news with a baby is always whether it's a boy or a girl, right? And yes, I do know. And yes, I will tell you. Having one of each already, one of the doctors joked with us that we should let this one be a surprise. Yeah, no, dude. Having a baby is surprise enough, thank you! I need as many other things nailed down as possible. And, having one of each, we were FERVENTLY hoping for a boy! Not that Supergirl is not a wonderful kid and that we don't love her as much as possible (she's 11 and going through puberty right now, so possible has its limits these days!). But Wildman is definitely the easier and sweeter of our kids, so we were hoping for another snuggly little boy. And we got our wish! This one is a little boy. We do have a name picked out, which I can't share here, of course, but his nickname will be Bear, which starts with the same first letter. <br />
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And this pregnancy is almost over, too! I'm at 37 weeks and we have a c-section scheduled for October 11th, so little Bear will be here in just a few short weeks. We are all getting very excited. The big kids were a little hesitant at first, back when we first told them about the baby. We didn't wait very long to tell them, even with the risk of miscarriage, just because we generally include them in most major family things. Wildman even regressed a little - he wouldn't sleep in his own room anymore. (He had just moved into his own room from our room about four months earlier, so that was still a fairly recent change.) So for several months, he slept on the living room couch like the world's smallest couch surfer. But now, he's back in his own room and his own bed and seems to be just fine. Supergirl is absolutely crazy about the little bitty clothes, especially the little hats and mittens and booties. One of my friends gave us an adorable bootie and mitten set and I think Supergirl is going to put them on Bear the second he is born! <br />
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I will definitely post an update when little one arrives and post pictures as soon as I can! Cross your fingers for us to make it to the 11th with no drama!Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-39653751386454542942013-06-13T11:10:00.000-07:002013-06-13T11:10:36.357-07:00Hi There!Well, so! I really didn’t mean to be absent from this blog for nearly a year! (But then, does anyone ever intend to not write anything for a year?!)<br />
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And…well, I kind of have a big announcement….<br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>We’re having a baby!</strong></span><br />
<br />I’m about five and a half months along, and my official due date is October 21st. <br />
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We are SUPER EXCITED, but I’ve been really slow to tell people this time around. Since I had a miscarriage the last time, I’ve been…well…paranoid would probably be a good description. Superstitious would fit, too. Scared. (Yeah, okay, you can stop now.) But yesterday, I bought my first item of baby clothes (little hats – one of which is an EAR HAT!) and today, I posted that I’m pregnant on Facebook, so I must be starting to believe in this thing!<br />
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Also, NOTHING will make you feel your age like being pregnant. Omg, is it naptime yet?<br />
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Anyway, hi again! I’m having a baby! OMG!<br />
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Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-29328052091416204412012-06-26T06:57:00.000-07:002012-06-26T06:57:09.878-07:00Help Me Be a Nicer PersonSo help me out here, you guys. I have a close friend at work who is driving me a little nuts. She's a really sweet girl and I do like her a lot, but she has some annoying habits.<br />
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Is there a polite way to say:<br />
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"If you can't stop yawning every two seconds, can you at least cover your mouth?"<br />
"This music blows goats. If you don't turn it off, I may go postal."<br />
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Also, what is the proper response to "I just can't seem to keep any weight on!" (She's a skinny blonde, of course)? Because here is how that conversation goes in my head:<br />
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Barbie: I'm letting myself eat anything I want, because I just can't seem to keep any weight on!<br />
Me: *eyes narrow* *growls low in throat* *pounces on Barbie, ripping her limb from limb*<br />
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Since that's prohibited by law, and I do genuinely like the girl and would miss her if I ripped her limb from limb, I usually just stare at her and blink a few times. Then I try to remind myself that we all have body issues, whether we're dealing with too much weight, too little weight, or weight not in the right places and her body issues are just as legitimate as mine, as annoying as they may sound to me.<br />
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Help me stay out of jail here, people. <br />Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com133tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-10558797931898446222012-04-06T14:08:00.002-07:002012-04-06T14:12:05.996-07:00Books!Hey, remember when we used to talk about books on here? Let’s do that again! Here are some books that I have read recently that stand out in my memory in a good way:<br /><br /><em>Moneyball</em> by Michael Lewis – Yes, the movie is excellent, too. But seriously, this is a book about baseball, which I hate, and even worse, it’s a book about baseball MATH, which I hate even more than baseball. (You can also reverse that sentence – “it’s a book about math – even worse, it’s a book about BASEBALL math!” and it would still adequately convey my hatred.) AND YET! It is interesting, compelling even. I think it helps that it is a) a true story and b) an underdog story. “Everyone loves an underdog.” “I don’t.” (If you’ve seen the <em>Hunger Games</em> movie, you got that quote, yes?) *ahem* Back to <em>Moneyball</em>. The whole “Oakland A’s vs. the way baseball has been managed forever and ever, amen” is an awesome storyline. Also compelling are the notes at the end of the book, telling how much traditional baseball managers and scouts hated the book. And how they kept claiming that Billy Beane wrote the book! It’s hard to take those guys seriously when they don’t even realize that it’s an actual book, written by an actual author, and not some Billy Beane self-promotion stunt. Anyway, even though I did not expect to, I totally LOVED it. And the movie is terrific, perfectly cast. Seriously, I watched two movies in the same weekend with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in them, and they could not have been more different (<em>Moneyball</em>, obvs, and <em>Ides of March</em>), yet he was stellar in both movies and completely believable in two very different roles. What an awesome actor.<br /><br /><em>Prayer for Rain</em> by Dennis Lehane – This is the fifth book in the Kenzie/ Gennaro series, and the strength of their storyline made me order the first, second, third, fourth and sixth books in the series from Barnes and Noble immediately. I don’t usually read series books out of order (because I am an anal retentive nerd), and I don’t know that I recommend doing that with this series, however, this is a really good book. There are lots of great plot twists and the interaction between Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro - formerly a couple, still a lot of feelings between them – make this book hard to put down.<br /><br /><em>The Sparrow</em> by Mary Doria Russell – When I pitched it to my book club, my comment was, “Aliens and religion, people, what more can you ask for?” No description of this book will ever do it justice, and while I understand the title, it is the least descriptive, least helpful title ever. This book is a heartbreaker. If you’re like me, and can’t resist the books that tell you up front that they are going to break your heart (think <em>Bel Canto</em>, <em>The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar</em> <em>Wao</em>, and <em>What Came Before He Shot Her</em>), then there are not words for how much I recommend this book to you. It jumps back and forth in time from a group of friends (including a Jesuit priest) who wind up traveling to another planet to meet a race of singing aliens to the Jesuit church’s efforts to get the whole story of what happened on that mission from the Jesuit priest who is the lone survivor of the mission. So yes, you know right up front that almost all of the main characters are going to be killed off. And yes, you will cry. But! The totality of the book is wonderful. There’s also a sequel, <em>Children of God</em>, that is every bit as good as <em>The Sparrow</em>, and how often can you say that about a sequel?<br /><br />So tell me, what have you been reading lately?Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-53148981514269960782011-12-02T06:35:00.000-08:002011-12-02T08:30:40.151-08:00The Days are Long, but the Years are ShortSo when I posted my little rant yesterday, I noticed that all the ages in my profile were wrong. I'm *gulp* 35 now, Supergirl is 9 and Wildman is 5. (We all have Fall birthdays, so we've each had a birthday since my last post.) I just changed them, and it reminded me of this idea from the book The Happiness Project - that the days are long, but the years are short. Incidentally, I really liked The Happiness Project. I had heard of it, but I wouldn't have picked it up except that my local book club chose it as their book for November. What's funny is that I REALLY liked it - like took notes (which I NEVER do), planning my own Happiness Project - liked it. And the rest of the group (y'know, the people who chose to read it), didn't like it. In fact, several of them REALLY disliked it. It's so funny, I like this group, but I am often out-of-step with them. The books they love, I generally dislike, and the books I love, they generally dislike. Oh well, it's still fun to go talk about books.<br /><br />Anyway, the idea in The Happiness Project, that the days are long but the years are short - it's basically saying that sometimes we can barely drag ourselves through the day (and by "we", I mean "I"), but the years fly by like nothing. Ain't that the truth?! I cannot believe that my kids are 9 and 5 now. It seems like no time has passed since I was pregnant, or holding a little teeny baby. When I think about how long it's been since college, or high school, or being a teenager, or my childhood - well. It's surprising, is what it is. The other day, we were at lunch and there was a tv with some news program on and they were talking about John Hinckley's request to spend more time out of the mental institution that he was sentenced to after he shot President Regan 30 years ago. And it was so shocking to me that the shooting was 30 years ago. I remember when that happened. Granted, it's the first national news story that I can remember, but holy cats! That's 30 years ago now. I remember in my mid-twenties when I realized that some of the things I remembered had happened 20 years ago and it was so surprising because 20 sounds like such a huge number. I'm having the same feeling now with 30 years. It is WEIRD to realize that something I remember happened 30 years ago. I guess it's that, in the abstract, the phrase, "30 years ago" sounds like ancient history. And when I put it into perspective and realize that something I remember personally happened "30 years ago", it's a little shocking. But, life goes on, right? I don't have a problem with being 35, I'm happy with my life and what I'm doing with it, but it does sound like a long time when I think about it. (So I shouldn't think about it, right?!)Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-41306814082976638102011-12-01T05:38:00.000-08:002011-12-01T06:04:21.213-08:00We Need a Little ChristmasThis is entirely too nerdy to be said in real life, but I need to get it off my chest. So I'm going to tell y'all! How lucky are you?!<br /><br />Are you all familiar with the song, "We Need a Little Christmas"? Cheery little song that gets played throughout the holiday season, right? (It's playing right now because my Christmas obsessed co-worker has had Christmas music playing for the past two weeks. In totally related news, my homicide level is rising.) But, here's the thing: That is not a Christmas song. It's from the musical Mame, which is not very well known because it kind of sucks. And it's not even a Christmas song in the musical, either! Auntie Mame starts singing, and drags out a bunch of Christmas decorations, in the SUMMER, because she and her nephew are having a hard time, and everything they try to do is falling apart. So they pretend that it is Christmas time to cheer themselves up. And yes, I guess it kind of CAN be a Christmas song, in that it's saying we need to channel the Christmas spirit even if it isn't Christmas time, so when it IS Christmas time, we need the Christmas spirit even more, but still. It bugs me <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">literally</span> every time I hear it.Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-14667240730865763802011-09-22T15:00:00.001-07:002011-09-22T15:15:37.030-07:00How I Spent My Summer Vacationby Shelly Notthedaddy.<br /><br />Hey so, that was a long break, huh?! Sorry about that. This summer was great. Here's what we did:<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 269px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655308750727635586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQStPSWq3ow9V7tKL0hFd3-fNdxkcbxZ2vQsrGBReWhAEVx5nhOG55wDQO9GcuUNFoWOEedUx2gMmp1131Px48Ja6a5-1sab2CE2Ype3e7gXk3-jHsDOnF8KBBQ4RVTRd49-H1y8X4WJA/s400/Pool4.bmp" /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 269px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655308584934047938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaEbLEXYadI3GrOyLY0XKDbIHMmjBZ-b3xUZNj6x8hfvdjYbUj3eHE0BtDmGnxqSDO2pR0kb7vMam1DLiEzyErRviOIGMTMyG9KWQc6i-6C5zWjLiPLXrRd4zW57RIB3Sv9rWOUB3Tis/s400/Pool2.bmp" /><br /><br /><br /><p>Fun fact: That's my mom in the background, talking to one of her friends. </p><br /><br /><p>My mom and I split the cost of a pool membership and all of us went swimming almost every weekend. We had such a great time. </p><br /><br /><p>Things are really going well with getting along with my mom. We're both trying really hard to get along. This summer has helped us a lot. </p>Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-82116969274529957342011-04-08T14:22:00.000-07:002011-04-08T14:39:47.144-07:00Eye of HorrorOh hey, so guess what fun-filled adventure I had THIS week? I had pinkeye! Yes, that lovely little eye infection that kids get, but I had never had before. It was a delight. My family has been sick for about the last month, first with upper respiratory infections and then with pinkeye. I got the upper respiratory first, and was the last to kick it, and Rock was the first to get the pinkeye, and the last to kick it (in fact, his eyes are still red). My pinkeye started on Monday, after lunch, at work. At first, my right eye was just red, and a little oozy. But then, after an hour or two, it was swollen to about half the normal size, blood red, watering constantly, and oozing green pus. My co-workers were completely horrified. So I called in sick on Tuesday. Because my eye was swollen shut Tuesday morning. So I took pictures! Here, want to see some really gross pictures of my eye all swollen up and nasty? What do you mean, "no"? That's not the fun answer! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdWVNZvxxUUvfh4iYVUpqgDCNfYzc_ZyW1UVZWdC-xqrVIF50Wo7zIhbgfZ-ozFOaVQOxXDBDLYAoMfNJjA_2zxD8Rkr66pmNc4727BsJpUYHveeEplzTpHXMkK4wLjsbaa0b825Y3hM/s1600/Eye+of+Horror+2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593329184767114178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdWVNZvxxUUvfh4iYVUpqgDCNfYzc_ZyW1UVZWdC-xqrVIF50Wo7zIhbgfZ-ozFOaVQOxXDBDLYAoMfNJjA_2zxD8Rkr66pmNc4727BsJpUYHveeEplzTpHXMkK4wLjsbaa0b825Y3hM/s400/Eye+of+Horror+2.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here is the eye by itself. I particularly liked how the undereye indention completely swelled out.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqeh4iKHUZuZ0i1uz7d0TQpyc5DDLpJIRdBuhyp7YlkZQkaO3SCYBInmeR1nIUAgDXdVRtuHvVjtasRmL2nmVVdP-Iy0yc2TXtronRDgBQITZtbrNWyH5nzk68axeCu7hyRdHKU_W5Jo/s1600/Eye+of+Horror.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593329607286064370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqeh4iKHUZuZ0i1uz7d0TQpyc5DDLpJIRdBuhyp7YlkZQkaO3SCYBInmeR1nIUAgDXdVRtuHvVjtasRmL2nmVVdP-Iy0yc2TXtronRDgBQITZtbrNWyH5nzk68axeCu7hyRdHKU_W5Jo/s400/Eye+of+Horror.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And this is the EYE, with the uninfected left eye for comparison.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Somehow, the infection stayed localized to just my right eye. I was surprised, because I expected it to spread to the left eye immediately. I went to the doctor on Tuesday, of course, and got a z pack for the upper respiratory and antibiotic eye drops for the Eye of Horror. Both are working really quickly, and I'm not a cyclops anymore. </div></div>Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-78199395095045275882011-03-31T14:55:00.000-07:002011-03-31T15:19:07.462-07:00Progress. Oh My God, People, We Have ProgressWell, if this keeps up, I'll be a regular blogger again! My mother called me last night. I was on the other line when she called, so I didn't answer, and she left a very nice voicemail. She said that she just wanted to let me know she was thinking about me. So I called her back, and we had a really nice little chat. It was about 7:30 and I was driving home (I had gone to a Zumba class after work), and when I told her that, she laughed because she had waited to call, thinking that I would be home, have dinner over with and be free to talk. (HA to the HA. If only my life were that orderly.) We talked about regular stuff, my job and her job, and her family. (My great-aunt is still alive, thank God. I was really worried that she had passed away and no one knew how to get in touch with me. Which is a situation I created, but still. I was worried.) And I invited her to come visit sometime. We didn't set a time for her to visit, but still. Baby steps. And at the end of the call, I told her I loved her. Um, because I didn't the last time. The call lasted about 20 minutes, and then we ran out of things to say, so I guess that means that my mom and I can get along in 20 minute increments. It's a start. I still feel really conflicted about all this. I feel like I'm waiting on the other shoe to drop. Sure, she's being nice now, but how long is that going to last? Part of me is really pissed off that I'm being so naive as to let her back in. That part of me feels like I'm going to feel like a huge fool when she hurts me again. But part of me is a little hopeful that maybe we can have a decent relationship. I'm not saying I think we'll be besties and go shopping together on the weekends, but maybe we can talk and not hate each other. She sounds old on the phone, you guys. She has one of those brittle, old lady voices. I didn't recognize her voice when I called her last week. It makes me kind of sad to hear it. And my dad looks older every time I see him. That's one of the reasons I decided to call her again after all these years. Neither of them will live forever. Might as well at least try to make peace with her now.Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-32200166521174442652011-03-23T14:48:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:57:55.952-07:00Breaking NewsNews, this time posted within the week it happened!<br /><br />I called my mother Sunday night. For the first time in seven years.<br /><br />There were a lot of different catalysts for it. I'd been thinking about writing her a letter since before Christmas, but I never got around to it. I'd talked to a few friends and my dad about getting back in touch with her. Most seemed to think it was a good idea, but that I should be careful so that I don't get hurt again. <br /><br />You know how sometimes an idea or a word keeps popping up, in lots of different contexts? I've had that going on lately about the idea of standing up for myself. And the main person I have always needed to stand up to was my mom. So I called her, and it went okay. It started off rocky, she started trying to argue with me and I kept blocking her and getting more frustrated and finally, when I was really feeling like the whole damn thing had been a huge mistake, I just asked her, "Look, what do you want? Do you want to be friends with me?" And she backed down and said yes, she did and that she was glad I called. She suggested that when she says something hurtful, I call her on it immediately and I said I would be willing to try that. After that, we had kind of a normal conversation, very stilted and awkward, of course, but not too bad. I gave her my phone number, so we'll see if she calls.Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-27767918979587532942011-01-14T13:53:00.000-08:002011-01-14T14:32:23.463-08:00Slightly Old, but Still Exciting News!I got a new car!!!! I bought it on October 3oth. It's the first car solely in my name, which is kind of exciting. And it's the first brand new car I've ever owned. I got a 2010 Volkswagen diesel Jetta, and I love it only slightly less than I love my children. KIDDING! <em>(mostly.) </em>Here are some pictures:<br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTvh8lF-PZ5oO7FXXosZl7mKwJi7JJrAyaZz9zzLZcK26IEr1fWk1uZu_Gqcal6HL6harHovsmY0zyyxS69tQp7eF5WTHJ5Q1_JjqBfwu-XeAc-GjMHZ4aEePThx7BQSPtAoxnw7bCO4/s1600/Car3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562165834553418898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTvh8lF-PZ5oO7FXXosZl7mKwJi7JJrAyaZz9zzLZcK26IEr1fWk1uZu_Gqcal6HL6harHovsmY0zyyxS69tQp7eF5WTHJ5Q1_JjqBfwu-XeAc-GjMHZ4aEePThx7BQSPtAoxnw7bCO4/s400/Car3.JPG" border="0" /></a> Why yes, it did snow here. That was four days after Christmas, which wasn't exactly a white Christmas, but pretty damn close. It started snowing about 8:00 on Christmas night and didn't stop until sometime the next day. (No, I'm not a meteorologist, why do you ask?)</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU50pcQERsJj_KHOABihVRJyoXh1rUGNqaCHDfbAVz-cHzpj_CidyjuvbWApQuGULF6wbudcNZHuctxtbJVHupwTKYDISpBEUZv5UA42oQCKFfm0U_Wu5cRUUKEP5sGMIsWAUo3fl6RzI/s1600/Car2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562172217378816994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU50pcQERsJj_KHOABihVRJyoXh1rUGNqaCHDfbAVz-cHzpj_CidyjuvbWApQuGULF6wbudcNZHuctxtbJVHupwTKYDISpBEUZv5UA42oQCKFfm0U_Wu5cRUUKEP5sGMIsWAUo3fl6RzI/s400/Car2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>Front view! Doesn't it look like it's smiling? Such a happy car. It also gets really great fuel mileage and has satellite radio and bluetooth capability, which works some of the time. But hey - I live out in BFE, so I'm pretty accustomed to things not working all the time. </div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And then, not two months after I bought it, I made the mistake of going to a popular and very crowded shopping center 3 days before Christmas. And a dumbass with a freaking huge dog in her car wasn't paying attention and bumped into me at an intersection. (No offense to my friends who own dogs, but y'know, they can be kinda distracting when you're driving.) I was at a stoplight, turning right from a lane in which you could turn right or go straight through the light. Once the light turned green, I pulled off the line and started to make my turn. She came up from the next lane, the right turn only lane, slightly behind me. I guess veered left, trying to cut across so that she could make a left at the next stoplight, because she ran into the back passenger door and rear quarterpanel of my car. She was totally clueless and kept asking me if I had made a left at the light or gone straight through the light. She had no idea I was in the lane beside her! Anyway, here is how the passenger side of my car looks now:</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYks1CVNSGiOjkuw0bHbsBQz25APP4zzp4qNa-V_e88GCPYlIzzdxpbaHQTGLlaAOKFcKs889Go8RqTl3jKycYXad68VeKcMBvbHwunsHz9FtQ0thRAUfNaoVyFpRRFWDIBleUUwVS7g/s1600/Car5.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562168946304861586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYks1CVNSGiOjkuw0bHbsBQz25APP4zzp4qNa-V_e88GCPYlIzzdxpbaHQTGLlaAOKFcKs889Go8RqTl3jKycYXad68VeKcMBvbHwunsHz9FtQ0thRAUfNaoVyFpRRFWDIBleUUwVS7g/s400/Car5.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>WAMP, WAMP!<br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>But, the damage is fairly minor (although the body shop is planning to replace the rear door panel), my insurance is paying to fix it, and I just called and scheduled the repairs for the first week of February, so then my car will be back to its brand new beauty! I'm really glad they're replacing the door panel - that dent is pretty deep. All in all, still pretty damn happy with the new car.</div><br /><div></div>Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-57930702448982553522010-10-18T10:01:00.000-07:002010-10-18T11:03:56.425-07:00Happy Day!Well! It's been a while, hasn't it? But, today is my birthday and I love my birthday like a little kid, so I thought it would be a good time to say hello and tell you all what I've been up to!<br /><br />So, let's pick up where we left off, shall we? I chose not to go to the high school reunion. There really weren't many people I would like to see, and I don't feel any need to show them how I'm doing. Plus, I haven't seen, heard from, talked to, heard about, ANYTHING, the Awful Ex, so I decided to leave that situation exactly as it was. I'm a little afraid that he'd "want to be friends" or something ridiculous like that. As Ebeneezer Scrooge so aptly put it, "I wish to be left alone." So I skipped it. (I did look at the pictures on FB though, and there were some people I would not have recognized. And I don't mean that in a good way.)<br /><br />Did I tell you that my car died? Yes, sadly, my beloved 10 year old Honda Civic passed to that great parking lot in the sky back in July. It quit in about 15 minutes, too, which is kinda scary and kinda good. I told one of my friends that it was the car equivalent of having a massive heart attack and being dead before you hit the floor. It was kind of good, in that we didn't spend tons of money fixing a million little things before the big one hit, and it was also good that I was close to home when the service engine soon light came on, because by the time I got to our driveway, there was steam pouring out from underneath the hood. We changed the oil and hoped it was fixed, so I drove it a little to make sure it was alright before work the next day, and I didn't even make it the three miles out to the highway. The engine temperature pegged out at the hottest point and stayed there, so I turned around and went home. A few days later, we tried to move it from that parking spot and it wouldn't even shift into gear, so the transmission and motor are both shot. We've been taking our time to decide what to buy next (and save up some money, since we were hoping that the Civic would last a couple more years until some other things were paid off), but we've pretty well settled on the Volkswagon diesel Jetta. It's a really cute little car and the gas mileage is unbelievable. Now it's just a matter of time while we get our finances in order to buy one. I can't wait because right now I'm commuting in a Ford Excursion, which is basically the biggest SUV EVAH, and you can imagine how maneuverable that thing is on city streets and parking lots.<br /><br />One thing delaying the car purchase is the fact that our house is falling apart in large chunks. Remember back in May when the stove caught on fire and the well pump quit <a href="http://notthedaddy.blogspot.com/2010/06/still-alive.html">ON THE SAME DAY?</a> Would you believe that the well pump died again, this time quickly followed by the hot water heater? And that this time, it rained the entire week after the well pump died so that we couldn't fix it (electric pump + rain = bad idea), so that we spent an ENTIRE WEEK without water in our house? Yep, THAT was a fun week. Fortunately, Rock's mom and stepdad live right in front of us, so I could go to their house to shower in the mornings, so at least I could still go to work. (I refered to my office as The Land of Running Water that week and I wasn't at all unhappy about working some overtime!) This time, we replaced the well pump, the pressure tank and the hot water heater, so hopefully it will be more than 5 months before we have to replace anything again. Aren't you dying to visit my house?<br /><br />So tell me, what's new with you?Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-11580813870170825002010-08-30T14:37:00.000-07:002010-08-30T14:51:37.958-07:00Oh right - that blog thing!So! Long time no talk, eh? The culprit is my job, of course, but since I want to stay gainfully employed, that's all I'll say about that.<br /><br />So let's talk about something else, shall we? How about my 15 year high school reunion? Seems it's in a few weeks. (Which - WTF? How has 15 years gone by so fast?) On the one hand, I'm tempted to go. Which is a total change of heart from the 10 year reunion, to which, I believe I said, wild horses couldn't drag me. But somehow, the ensuing 5 years have mellowed me a bit. (Or finding people on Facebook has convinced me that most of the people I went to high school have also put on weight, and have crappier jobs/ lives than I do. Which may not be the purest reason for wanting to go to a high school reunion, but I take what I can get.) There is a small handful of people I'd kinda like to see (and by small handful, I mean less than 5). It's also a family oriented event, at a local park, during daylight hours, so I don't think there's much danger of getting drunk and making a fool of myself. On the other hand, that means there is no alcohol to ease the social tension of seeing a bunch of people I didn't like 15 years ago. And I'm not sure I really want to go. There are lots of people I really don't want to ever see again. Which brings me to the big reason why I don't want to go: my really awful, abusive, high school boyfriend is one of the organizers. He sent out an email about it over the weekend, and just seeing that email made me feel a little sick. <br /><br />So, tell me your opinions and your high school reunion stories! Should I stay or should I go?Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-7954166380174870152010-06-18T05:38:00.000-07:002010-06-18T05:44:52.761-07:00Marshall KarpJust a quick post to let you guys know that one of my very favorite authors, <a href="http://www.lomaxandbiggs.com/">Marshall Karp</a>, has a new book out! It's called <em><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Cut-Paste-Kill/Marshall-Karp/e/9780312378226/?itm=1&USRI=marshall+karp">Cut, Paste, Kill</a></em> and the early reviews sound really good! I plan to pick it up this weekend and can't wait to read it. <br /><br />If you do pick it up, you might just recognize a character or two. ; ) Blogging about books and emailing an author can have awesome and surprising results!Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-43479188937521379172010-06-10T14:44:00.000-07:002010-06-10T15:03:40.765-07:00Still AliveOh my god, you guys! I have SO MUCH to tell you. First of all, we did get an intern! She's a friend of a friend, and she is SO MUCH HELP. She only works two days a week, but they are my busiest two days and she just makes everything run so much more smoothly. I'm still busy and working late most nights, but at least I have a little help on the most stressful days. AND, I have a half day off tomorrow (if I can get out of here at lunchtime!) and I plan to take Supergirl to the movies. I'm really looking forward to that.<br /><br />Secondly, I met <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Falls-Richard-Russo/dp/0375726403">Richard Russo</a>! He came to North Carolina for a reading and book signing, and he was so incredibly nice. He took lots of audience questions, and was gracious enough to take questions in the book signing line. I asked him a question in the signing line and he laughed and answered my question and told me a little story about his family. He was awesome. Such a genuinely nice man. And look, I met a famous author and managed not to <a href="http://notthedaddy.blogspot.com/2008/01/pat-conroy.html">piss him off</a>! Major accomplishment, that. I did miss Jen Lancaster's NC signing due to house issues (as in, the stove caught fire and the well pump broke and my house had no water ON THE SAME DAY), but we won't dwell on that. I don't even want to know what was wrong with that day. Two days later, just after we got the water fixed, lightning struck our house for the third or fourth time. No major damage this time, it just burned out a few light bulbs. So what I'm saying is that you REALLY don't want to come visit.Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-9965095481380956802010-05-06T05:52:00.000-07:002010-05-06T08:57:05.959-07:00Things Making Me Laugh TodayOn Facebook:<br />Friend <em>"is praying for family in transition, friends who continue to grieve, coworkers to know Jesus personally, military members abroad, their families at home, missionaries abroad & those who still wait, students who are graduating & those who still search for answers, those in leadership & those who criticize their leaders. Most of all...peace in the waiting...."</em><br />Is it wrong that my first instinct is, "Jeez, give God a break!"<br /><br />Overheard in my office:<br />Co-Worker A to Co-Worker B: <em>"You must have a photogenic memory!"</em><br />(She realized her mistake and corrected herself, but still.)<br /><br />From inter-office newsletter:<br /><em>"Moving to quickly makes my work sloppy, usually contains errors and I tend to feel scattered."</em><br />Yay, irony!<br /><br />So tell me - what's making you laugh today?Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-31560285803309375172010-04-29T05:48:00.000-07:002010-04-29T05:49:45.224-07:00Things That Make Me SmileI got up this morning and noticed what book my husband started reading last night - <em>The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.</em><br /><br />That totally made my day.Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-55998683887590027632010-04-26T09:16:00.000-07:002010-04-28T11:00:01.931-07:00Oh HAI!Right, so that whole "month of April" thing...I've been around, hopefully commenting on most of your blogs. But at work, oh my God, at work, I've descended into the fourth circle of Hell. My closest co-worker gave her notice at the end of March (why yes, right around the time I stopped blogging!) and left our office the second week of April. At first, they were going to replace her as soon as possible, but yet not hire the first person off the street and asked me to take on her responsibilities for a short time. Which, yeah, I wasn't thrilled about, but as long as they were actually working on replacing her, I could probably deal. Then, a few days later, they were going to hire someone part time to replace her. Which, no, was not my first choice of options, but I knew she had a good bit of downtime, so maybe it could be a part time job. My biggest worry was that they would hire someone who wanted part time work, and then, when we get busy enough to need a full-time person, wouldn't want to go full-time. But then - oh dudes, THEN. Boss' Boss came into town on the next to last day my co-worker was working, sat down with Boss and me, and announced that he had no plans to hire anyone to replace co-worker, that I would be taking on both jobs, and that they expected outstanding performance in both roles OR ELSE. The OR ELSE was more subtle, but the message was loud and clear. So I've been working overtime and busting my ass for the last few weeks. It seems to be going pretty well, though, and I don't think the OR ELSE is going to come into play. Now, though, they are talking about hiring an intern to come in a couple of days a week to help me out. So there may be light at the end of this very dark tunnel.<br /><br />In other news, I saw the movie <em>The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</em>, and it was seriously wonderful! DO NOT be put off by the whole "it's in Swedish with English subtitles" thing. You can totally follow the plot and dialog. Rock, who has not read the book, went with me and he loved it, too, so you don't even have to have read the book. But really, you should, because as good as the film is, the book is even better. But the film stays true to the book, following the very complex plot very closely. I was really impressed. If it's coming to a theater near you, do go see it.Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-27485311743592895592010-03-29T11:07:00.000-07:002010-03-29T11:45:21.094-07:0040 Things<div align="center"><strong>40 Things</strong></div><strong></strong><div align="left">Stolen from <a href="http://hotfessional.com/">the Hotfessional</a>, because she's awesome.<br /><strong>1. Do you like bleu cheese?</strong> </div>OMG, no. When we were in Vienna, my friend and I ordered a pizza to share that was listed as a "Four Cheese Pizza". Because we couldn't read German, we didn't know that one of those cheeses was bleu cheese. The pizza was completely inedible, and one of the leaders of the trip swapped food with us because he liked bleu cheese. <br /><strong>2. Have you ever smoked?</strong><br />No. I dabbled with smoking a bit in college, and I still almost always have a pack of clove cigarettes in my car, but I hardly ever smoke one. I think the pack that's in my car now is more than a year old, and still mostly full.<br /><strong>3. Do you own a gun?</strong><br />Yes. This is what happens when you marry a military man. I'm also a surprisingly good shot, given that I never practice.<br /><strong>4. Favorite type of food?</strong><br />Mexican. I could eat Mexican food every day and not get tired of it.<br /><strong>5. Favorite type of music?</strong><br />Classic rock. Zeppelin, the Stones, the Who.<br /><strong>6. What do you think of hot dogs?</strong><br />Love them! I don't even care if they're the brown ones or the red ones. I like them all. With mayo, ketchup and chili. Yummmm.<br /><strong>7. Favorite Christmas movie?</strong><br />National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which I will watch anytime of the year. I do not consider it a Christmas movie. It just happens to be set at Christmas time. <br />The George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol. (He shared my birthday, a fact I bring up every time George C. Scott is mentioned.)<br />How the Grinch Stole Christmas - the Grinch's dog Max makes me laugh every time.<br /><strong>8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?</strong><br />Water while I'm getting ready for work, coffee on the way to work.<br /><strong>9. Can you do push ups?</strong><br />HAHAHAHA!!! No.<br /><strong>10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?</strong><br />My diamond earrings. Present from hubby a few Christmases ago. <br /><strong>11. Favorite hobby?</strong><br />Like you have to ask? Reading. And photography.<br /><strong>12. Do you have A. D. D.?</strong><br />No.<br /><strong>13. Do you wear glasses/contacts?</strong><br />Contacts during the week, glasses sometimes on the weekend, sunglasses if it's the least bit bright.<br /><strong>14. Middle name?</strong><br />Alicia. Technically, now it's my maiden name, but I don't want to put that out here.<br /><strong>15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment:</strong><br />I have so much work to do. Oh. Wait.<br />Damnit, my nose is running again.<br />I need to stop at Target on the way home.<br /><strong>16. Name three drinks you regularly drink:</strong><br />Water, coffee and sweet tea.<br /><strong>17. Current worry?</strong><br />Wow, I can't really think of anything. I must be far luckier than I realize.<br /><strong>18. Current hate right now?</strong><br />My cold/ allergies/ what-the-hell-ever is making my nose run and making me feel like crap yesterday and today.<br /><strong>19. Favorite place to be?</strong><br />At home, with my family<br />Followed closely by - in bed, asleep<br /><strong>20. How did you bring in the new year?</strong><br />Rock and the kids and I stayed up talking, wished each other a Happy New Year, then went to bed. Yes, we ARE the most exciting people you know.<br /><strong>21. Someplace you’d like to go?</strong><br />I want to take my dad to Scotland, which is where our family is from.<br /><strong>22. Name three people who will complete this.</strong><br />Eh, anyone who wants to. I don't believe in tagging people.<br /><strong>23. Do you own slippers?</strong><br />Own them, yes<br />Wear them, no<br /><strong>24. What color shirt are you wearing?</strong><br />Orange<br /><strong>25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?</strong><br />No, I prefer high-count cotton<br /><strong>26. Can you whistle?</strong><br />Not well.<br /><strong>27. Where are you now?</strong><br />At work.<br /><strong>28. Would you be a pirate?</strong><br />Hell yes! Arrrh, you're going to have to walk the plank, matey!<br /><strong>29. What songs do you sing in the shower?</strong><br />I get up too early to sing in the shower. If I did, though, it would be showtunes.<br /><strong>30. Favorite Girl’s Name?</strong><br />Eva<br /><strong>31. Favorite boy’s name?</strong><br />Nicholas, which Rock doesn't like and I will never get to use. Sob.<br /><strong>32. What is in your pocket right now?</strong><br />Nothing, these pants don't have pockets.<br /><strong>33. Last thing that made you laugh?</strong><br />Lunch with a work friend.<br /><strong>34. What vehicle do you drive?</strong><br />Ten year old Honda Civic, Represent! 260,000 miles and going strong. I love that car.<br /><strong>35. Worst injury you’ve ever had?</strong><br />That would be my <a href="http://notthedaddy.blogspot.com/2007/11/series-of-unfortunate-events.html">broken ankle</a>.<br /><strong>36. Do you love where you live?</strong><br />Yes, but I don't love my commute. <br /><strong>37. How many TVs do you have in your house?</strong><br />One<br /><strong>38. How many computers do you have in your house</strong><br />Zero<br /><strong>39. If you changed your job, what would it be?</strong><br />I really want to look into moving into the publishing industry. Or photography, but that would definitely require going back to school.<br /><strong>40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be??</strong><br />New job (or lottery win. Also acceptable.)<br />Better figure<br />Husband to not be allergic to cats (yeah, that's pretty random.)Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-43925811066735575552010-03-22T13:32:00.000-07:002010-03-22T13:42:06.011-07:00Heh. Well, I'm still glad that I got that rant out of my system on Thursday. Posting that allowed me to go back and get that project on track. It is now done and waiting on review, which I hope will be positive. For the most part, I really like my job and I do a very good job here. It's just that sometimes I get frustrated and writing about it helps. <br /><br />Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend! The weather here was gorgeous! We even managed to get outside and enjoy it both days this weekend. On Saturday, we prepared two flower beds and on Sunday, we planted some flowers in each of the beds. I'm so excited and can't wait to see all the bright, happy flowers in a few months. The kids loved picking out the flowers (things they did not love: helping to prep the flower beds!). I'll try to remember to take pictures to show you guys when the flowers start to bloom!<br /><br />So tell me: what did you do over the weekend?Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-13978518979474580302010-03-18T11:25:00.000-07:002010-03-18T11:33:42.835-07:00Small RantOh my fucking God, you guys. How did I wind up in a job that requires this much math? Because math skillz, I does not has them. I don't mean addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc - those I can do. I mean, looking at the situation and going, "Oh, but wait, if there's a fee, you have to take that off the top before you can use this handy dandy formula (that I keep written down and hidden in my bottom desk drawer)." I'm working on a project that I should be rocking, and instead I'm stinking it up. I realized before lunch that "Oops. All those times where I thought the program had the wrong answer and I had the right answer? Yep, the program answer was right and the Shelly answer was wrong." I might as well just start over. Crap.<br /><br />Seriously, I report to an Accounting department?! What is up with that? How did I get here, yo?Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602153461120930259.post-72958143408615040232010-03-11T14:01:00.000-08:002010-03-11T14:37:31.123-08:00Judging Books...Open letter to authors, publishers, marketers, etc:<br />If your book has a major plot twist that should shock or surprise your readers, do not discuss it in the synopsis in such a way that makes it absolutely obvious WHAT the plot twist is. The book jacket for a novel I read recently discussed a plot twist by saying, "Then, decades later, another unimaginable piece of information turns up. For the reader, it is an electrifying moment, a joyous, fall-off-the-couch-with-surprise moment. For Patsy [the main character], it is more complicated. Blame must be reapportioned, her life reassessed." The way the story is set up, if blame has to be reapportioned, then that "piece of information" can only be one thing. I knew what the twist was before I even started reading the novel. My point is this: if you truly wanted to make it a "fall-off-the-couch-with-surprise moment", you should have camouflaged it better in the synopsis. Saying, "Decades later, Patsy discovers something shocking about her crime that causes her to reassess her life." is more vague and leaves more possibilities open. <br /><br />Much love,<br />Shelly<br /><br />I'm currently reading <em>Water for Elephants</em>, which has been sitting on my shelf for a couple years for one simple reason - it had no synopsis at all, so I didn't have any idea what it was about. I only started it now because the book club I just joined is reading it this month. Otherwise, it might have sat on my shelf indefinitely, because I had very little interest in it. I'm not very far into it, but so far it's fantastic. The first chapter grabs you and pulls you in. It's as good as John Irving, back in his Garp days, only maybe a little better. <br /><br />I'm also listening to the first Harry Potter book on cd. I've just about finished it- in fact, I'll probably finish it on the way home, and I've already got the second one checked out of the library to start as soon as I finish the first. I've been thoroughly enchanted with the first book. I have a major apology to issue to all my friends who told me, over the years, how much I would enjoy the Harry Potter series if I read them. Not that I disrespected my friends, or didn't value their opinions, but I just didn't have any interest in the HP series. And I never really knew why until I started planning this post. I remembered a few years back, when Supergirl first got curious about the books I read, she asked me what one of my books was about. And, because I hadn't yet figured out that the plot lines of almost all the books I read aren't really suitable to explain to a small child, I told her. She immediately started asking a bunch of questions about why the people did what they did, why they weren't good, etc., etc. Rock chimed in and said, "Because Momma doesn't read happy books. Nice, happy things don't happen in her books." He was joking, in part, but I was a little stung, too. And I realized yesterday that I was stung because the criticism is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. I don't really read happy books. And that's exactly why I resisted the Harry Potter series for so long. They sounded really sweet. And wholesome. And I don't really do sweet and wholesome. Give me a good serial killer, or a dysfunctional family and I'm happy. But I've been pleasantly surprised by the HP series. They are sweet, and wholesome, but they are also fun and really, really entertaining. (Oh, and I've also learned to PG my book descriptions for Supergirl. So now, my descriptions are more along the lines of "Oh, it's about a family." "And what do they do?" "Well, they do family stuff, you know." Instead of saying, <em>Well the teenage daughter drops the baby down the stairs giving him permanent brain damage, then has a nervous breakdown, accuses her father of molesting her, and gets packed off to a special school for crazy teens. And the parents split up.</em> Of the <em>True Blood</em> series, my description was, "It's about a girl and her boyfriend." "What do they do?" "Oh, they go out to dinner and talk a lot." <em>Well, see, he's a vampire and she's a mind reader, so they get into lots of trouble, and they also have lots of sex</em>. Much better, all the way around.)Shellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252114894311470243noreply@blogger.com16