Monday Gripes…But Not Really

Today I’m supposed to gripe. But I’m feeling so good, due to finding out I don’t need a biopsy after all (long story that I won’t go into here), I just can’t find anything to grumble about. The sun is shining, the weather is fine, and I’m healthier than I imagined.

I can, however, find something to laugh about! Here’s a sign we saw on a recent drive, at a combination gas station/convenience store/food stop. See if it gives you a laugh too:

It made us laugh so hard, we had to stop and take a photo.

What has made YOU smile today?

Friday Happies…and Stocking Stuffers!

Like many Americans, my “happy” for today is remembering yesterday, gathered around a Thanksgiving table with my husband, mom, sister, daughters and grandchildren. When we can be together, problems fade into the background as we enjoy each other’s company. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving also, with lots of family, friends, food and fun.

And for those of you braving the Black Friday crowds today, I have a terrific alternative gift idea for you that won’t require leaving the house and fighting the crowds: an e-book!

It just so happens that two of my books, MIRROR IMAGES and PENUMBRA, have been recently re-released for sale in many e-book formats, so you can read them on just about any electronic device you choose. MIRROR IMAGES and PENUMBRA are short story collections, tales you might encounter in the Twilight Zone.

PENUMBRA:

Travel deep into unknown territory, where life and death are not as they seem; where machines dominate your days; where you have to be careful what you ask for, because you might get it; where magic is the norm, and stars really do grant wishes. These stories will take you beyond the realm of the solid and real, into the deepest, darkest corner of your imagination. Don't forget to bring your flashlight...

MIRROR IMAGES:

When Cassie buys an antique compact, little does she know it can foretell the future--her future. Marjorie, a Florida girl unwillingly transplanted to Vermont, learns there's more to fear from the alien snowfall than just the cold. Neil Dallas's jagged descent from rock and roll singer to drug-addicted has-been is unstoppable...or is it?

Let these eerie tales take you to a place where nothing is as it seems--where the only thing you can rely on is unexpected.

* * * * *

For more info or to order  your copies, visit the Books We Love Publishing Partners blog: http://bwlpp.blogspot.com/2010/11/sweet-holiday-specials.html Only $1.99…how can you beat that?

Let the holiday shopping begin!

Monday Gripes, 11/15/10

Another gray day today. I don’t think it causes my anxiety and worry, but it sure complements it.

I am SO sick of feeling anxious and terrified and worried about things that either don’t deserve worry, or that can’t be controlled. I want to be strong. I want to be tough. I want to be happy. Not hysterically happy…just calm, pleasant, relaxed. I’d gladly give up those infrequent glorious highs in order to get rid of the frequent depressing lows. No question.

I wonder why mornings are so rough. Maybe it’s because during the day, I worry for  a while and either finally make peace, or just run out of adrenaline. Whereas when I’ve just woken up, it all hits me anew after a night of peaceful sleep.

(sigh) Oh well. I’m still in there swinging, and that’s something.

Got my mom moved up to my sister’s place over the weekend. I wasn’t allowed to do much because of my back, so I did small things and paced a lot. She’s moved in now, not unpacked of course. That will take time. But the hardest part is done.

Regardless of all my worries, I’m so grateful for my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my parents and my sister. Family is one of the best things you can have in this world, and I hit the jackpot with mine. Definitely something to counteract the woes!

What are YOU grateful for in your life?

Blogging is sooooo complicated...

Trying to import (export? copy?) this blog into the blog on my Amazon author page. There used to be a unique blog there, but I guess they got rid of it.

Anyway, it asks me to put in the address to the feed. To me, "feed" is when I sit down to dinner. :-) I know in the vaguest sense that there are different types of feeds for different blogs. I believe this blog uses atom. (Which I learned about in high school science class. Hah.)

But. I have no idea how to find the correct address to use. So I took the blog address, added "atom.xml" to it as they showed in an example, crossed my fingers and gave it a shot. Supposedly it's done...we'll see if it works. I guess I'll know if/when this entry shows up on my Amazon page.

I desperately need a course in the technical aspects of blogging, creating and maintaining a website, creating book trailers, etc. Anyone have a great suggestion?

Monday Gripes, 11/8/10

I have a confession to make. I fell off the exercise wagon over the weekend. Admittedly, I was busy; Saturday helping my sister paint in preparation for my mom moving up there this weekend, and Sunday doing all the work I didn’t get to do on Saturday. Besides, painting is exercise, right?

Apparently, my nervous system doesn’t agree. Had a few twinges of anxiety over the weekend, but nothing big. Today, though, was worse. Getting out of bed to start my day was a Herculean effort. So I guess it is true that exercise helps chase the anxiety away. Got back on the treadmill today and will try (again) to keep going.

But tell me this: why is it that I have to do something I hate to avoid something else I hate? Exercise is, at best, the lesser of two evils.

Of course, it only added to my problem that it’s a gray, rainy, cold, blustery day. And because of turning the clock back Saturday night and being on the edge of a time zone, it’s 4 p.m. now and nearly dark. Oy!

So I’m griping in fine form today. And hey, never let it be said I’m not good at it.

What’s your best negative talent?

Windows Live Writer

I just downloaded Windows Live and am trying out the Writer component. But to tell you the truth, I don’t know why I would use this program over going to my Blogger dashboard and posting a new blog entry there. Does anyone have tips?

 

A sunset image. I played with it a bit with the Photo Gallery app, but can’t get it as colorful as it was in person. Still, it’s improved.

I do like the ease of inserting a photo here, rather than going through an upload process, and also how simple it is to resize the photo.

Okay, will try hitting the “Publish” button and see what happens.

Hmm. I wonder if I could list all my blogs, and publish to all of them at once?

Friday Happies 10/29/10

Sometimes it's not a question of happy; it's a question of laughing at yourself, or crying.

I bought a new windbreaker jacket a few weeks back. Have worn it several times, most recently yesterday morning while taking a walk.

Today I passed it, hanging in the laundry room, and saw it still has a price sticker prominently displayed, hanging from the back of the left arm.

Hahahaha. At least it wasn't toilet paper stuck to my shoe, right? (eye roll)

But I do have things to be happy about. I'm looking forward to seeing my grandchildren in their Halloween costumes and going trick-or-treating with them (and my daughter).

I'm happy to be able to watch the Steelers play on Sunday night.

I'm glad my Christmas knitting is coming along!

And I'm delighted to have a house to live in (even if it is teeny), food to eat, a place to sleep, safety, and love. What more can you ask for? (Besides a big bag of money. Still working on that one...)

Monday Gripes 10/25/10

I'm trying to think of a gripe, but I can't because I'm still on a humor-induced high.

My daughter Helen and I had an awesome time in Concord on Saturday at a booksigning for Red Green, real name Steve Smith, the star of the long-running PBS comedy, "The Red Green Show." Set in the fictitious Possum Lodge, the show features Red and his friends, always good for a laugh and ready to fix anything with a roll of duct tape, "the handyman's secret weapon."

I can't believe how many people were there...we waited in line an hour and there were as many people behind us when we got up to him as had been in front of us at the start.

My husband couldn't come, but he had given me a good question to ask. So when I went up to Red, after shaking his hand and saying what a pleasure it was to meet him, I said, "My husband says the Man's Prayer every day, and he'd like to know if there's a Woman's Prayer." (For those of you who have never seen the show, the Man's Prayer goes like this: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess.")

He looked pleased and smiled and said, "You know, there was one episode where a woman's group took over Possum Lodge and they did have their own prayer."

I asked what the prayer was and after our picture was taken and while he was signing our books, he said the prayer was: "I'm a woman, hear me roar, I'm in charge, get used to it." Then he laughed and said, "You know, at one of these events, a woman showed up with the entire thing written out on her t-shirt."

I told him I'd never seen that episode, and he said, "You will." I told him how we'd loved watching his show in Kansas, but it wasn't on when we moved here to NH. Then it showed up recently. He said that was because he'd starting touring and part of the money for each appearance went to the local PBS stations. ;-) So I said, "Please keep touring, then! We want the show to stay on."

And then the store employees who were handling the whole thing hustled us on so the next in line could move up.

He was very pleasant and friendly, and didn't seem at all tired although he must have been, from all the pictures, signing, and smiling.

So there you have it...the story of the event! And the reason why I'm still smiling today.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the home handyman (or handywoman) in your life, pick up a copy of Red's book, How to Do Everything, From the Man Who Should Know". And to check out his Facebook page (doesn't everyone have a Facebook page these days?) go here: Red Green.

As Red would say: keep your stick on the ice!

Friday Happies 10/22/10

What is there to be happy about today? Well, let's see. First, although some trees are leafless now, there's still enough color to make any view rival a Monet. It's cold (45 degrees right now), but sunny and a perfect fall day.

Another happy: going to lunch and to a booksigning with my daughter tomorrow. That should be fun.

Whose signing are we going to? Why, Red Green, of course! Check it out:

How to Do Everything.

Red Green is the star of a long-running hilarious show on PBS, set in the fictional Possum Lodge in Canada. Do yourself a favor and watch it if you can find it on your local public broadcasting station's schedule. If it's not there...write them to demand they show it!

For more info on the show, visit the Red Green News website.

Okay, off my soapbox. What are you going to do with YOUR weekend?

Keep your stick on the ice.

A Spooktacular Halloween Contest from BWLPP

Books We Love Publishing Partners is committed to bringing to our readers new and vintage books that meet the criteria for quality and desirability that has long been the hallmark of the Books We Love community.

We invite you to visit our website and browse the genre index for all the titles currently available. More books and short stories will be added weekly until our official Grand Opening, Jan. 2, 2011. Books We Love Publishing Partners

Enter our Spooktacular Halloween Contest by visiting the BWLPP Blog and either subscribe to or follow the blog via Google Follow or Facebook. Each subscriber/follower will be entered for a chance to win the ebook of his or her choice from the BWLPP available titles, plus a Halloween Tower from Rocky Mountain Chocolates!

BONUS ENTRY ~ Visit the Books We Love Author group site and vote for your favorite Books We Love Author. Receive one additional entry into the contest for every vote submitted.

Hurry, you must enter by midnight C.S.T. on Oct. 30.

Winner will be announced on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2010.

Monday Gripes 10/18/10

It's hard to find anything to gripe about when the day is sunny and brisk, and the leaves are so gorgeous, they make you cry. But you know me...I found something. :-)

As a writer and editor, some of the things that bug me the most are grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. No one's perfect, but some things should be obvious.

For example: the word "nuclear." This word is NOT pronounced "nuke-you-lar." Pronounce it with me: it's "nuke-lee-ar." Say it three times, or until the urge to mispronounce it goes away. Because pronouncing it incorrectly really does make you sound uneducated...

And another word I find particularly irritating when it's misspelled, as that means it's also mispronounced. That word is "probably." Meaning, "it's probable." I can't tell you how many people write that word as "prolly." It's like fingers on a chalkboard to me. Aarrgghhh!

So it's "pro-ba-blee," spelled "probably," and "nuke-lee-ar," spelled "nuclear."

There. I feel so much better now!

Friday Happies 10/15/10

This is what keeps distracting me out my office window. What more can I say? Fall in New Hampshire makes me happy.

Friday Happies 10/8/10

Okay, it's not Friday, it's Sunday and my happies are late. But, better late than never, right? It's always time for happies. ;-)

It's GORGEOUS out, cool sunny weather with the leaves changing into a myriad of brilliant fall colors. I can't drive anywhere or even look out the window without gasping in delight. I do so love fall in New Hampshire!

Saw a funny bumper sticker the other day that made me smile: "My karma ran over your dogma." Heeheehee!

Went on the New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour yesterday with my two daughters and my sister, and my sister's friend. We had a lovely time driving the gorgeous back roads, and of course buying lots of beautiful yarn! And a lovely lunch out as well.

Here's info about the Wool Arts Tour, which is going on today and tomorrow as well: NH Fall Wool Arts Tour.

And here's where we had our lunch: Tooky Mills Pub.

Then, we came home to where my husband was on grandchildren-babysitting duty, and they had made pumpkin and pecan pies. Yum! So we forced in a bit more food and had a lovely dinner, with delicious pie and whipped cream for dessert. Can't beat a day like that!

How is your holiday weekend going? Take some time out for yourself!

Monday Gripes 9/27/10

Well, it IS raining today, while makes me a bit glum. Though I know we need it, so I'm trying hard to be okay with it.

It's also kind of chilly, but that just means it's time to pull out a comfy shawl. Right?

I was up in the middle of the night, sick as a dog, no idea why. That's my main Monday gripe. Thus today I've been eating very, very light. Not that it's a bad idea to eat light...but the house is full of lots of yummy birthday goodies, none of which will sit well on a sick tummy. (sigh)

So I'm trying to focus on other things, like work, and knitting. With mixed success.

Another gripe: just when I get to like a new show, they pull it. Last year I really enjoyed "Eastwick," for instance. It doesn't appear to be on the fall schedule, so I assume it's not returning. Why not? It was SO much better than many things that are returning. At least, so says Liz. ;-)

I also loved Flash Forward. A very clever show, that left me wanting more each week. And don't you just hate it when a show ends, never to return, and they don't tie up all the loose ends during the final episode?

I guess that's it for grumping today. Hope you all are having a tolerable Monday!

Friday Happies 9/24/10

Happies are often made up of many little mini-happies, rather than one large one. Here are mine for today.

My blood pressure is back to normal. Yay!

The leaves are starting to change and gorgeous color is popping out everywhere.

Seen on the road: license plate frame saying, "Once a Marine, always a Marine." The license plate itself read: "TNKRBL" Heeheehee!

Koko the parakeet has become a regular chatterbox, letting loose streams of words, whistles and chirps that last five minutes or more. In there I sometimes pick out new phrases. Today's new phrases: "You are the best boy, Koko" and "It's me, Koko" (the latter usually said when I enter the house, so he doesn't freak out).

Last but not least: licking the frosting spatula for the Shaker Pie my wonderful husband just finished making for my belated birthday celebration on Sunday!

Hope you're having a happy-full day too.

Friday Happies 9/17/10

Today is my birthday, so that's a reason to be happy right off the bat, right? I'm one of those folks who's never grown up in terms of holidays and celebrations. I love 'em all.

I've also been feeling better the past few days, so that helps my long-term outlook as well. Maybe I'm climbing up out of the pit I've been in and getting back into the sunlight. Yay!

With that improving mood, I am trying to get back into the things I care about, like knitting. And writing. I hope it's a self-feeding cycle where the more I do, the more I want to do.

I'm continuing regular exercise and administering reading, chocolate, music, knitting, and loved ones as needed.

I have found, though, that my taste in some things has changed. For instance, although I've always enjoyed romantic comedy movies, they are much more helpful and enjoyable to me now. I need to laugh, and to have a happy ending. That gives me hope. Suspense and mystery movies I'm less interested in now, and horror is right out! I watch TV and read books to get away from the negative aspects of real life, not to immerse myself in them and get depressed all over again.

And those endless medical lawsuit/OTC medication commercials? I mute 'em. I have my own issues to deal with. I don't need to start worrying about someone else's. ;-)

Monday Gripes 9/13/10

Well, it's Monday. That's gripe-worthy all by itself, isn't it? Especially after a nice, if rainy, vacation.

It's gloomy here today, but I hope we DO get rain because unlike the northern part of the state, we sure need it. The rivers and ponds are quite low, some nearly dry, and some towns are putting water restrictions in place. While that was quite common in Kansas, it's unheard of here in New Hampshire, at least since we've been here.

Of course, I don't want it to go the other way and then we end up with floods. Yeah, I'm picky.

Today's gripe is road work. They've been working on the road I have to travel on to get to...well, just about everything except the yarn store. (That's one bright spot, at least.) At first they were just working on the bridges, of which there are several, but now they're repaving everywhere.

What irritates me is, they have repaved the lane going in one direction, but not the shoulder. Since they're paving the lane going the *other* way now, those orange cones direct us off onto the shoulder so the oncoming traffic can drive on "our" lane. But the shoulder isn't quite large enough in spots where there's a guardrail, so I end up driving with one tire on the new pavement and one on the old shoulder, with all that loose tar flicking up under the car. (eye roll)

Today I took the long way home from physical therapy, just to avoid it (though that involves navigating a traffic circle--a stupid invention if you ask me). And I drive a small car. Wonder how the 18-wheelers manage? I just hope they're done paving soon.

And the other related gripe is about people who feel that even though we're driving on the shoulder, half on and half off the new lane, with orange cones all around and oncoming traffic a few inches away, not to mention construction workers and their equipment, we should STILL be able to go at full normal speed, and they get irritated when I have the audacity to follow the construction zone speed limit. Sheesh.

Okay, back to work. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Friday Happies 9/10/10

Okay, I'm a little late with the happies. But bear with me. We just returned from vacation yesterday, and if you look at this photo, it pretty much tells you about two of the three things our trip involved:



One of the two things is a little subtle, so I'll point it out. It was raining. It rained the entire time we were there, and rained on poor Dan on the few days of his bike trip the previous few days. I was starting to worry it was ark-building time.

But the second item--the moose!--was the end of a multi-year quest to finally see one. We were beginning to think they were mythical and only mentioned to entice tourists to visit.

We took a long drive Thursday morning out in the middle of nowhere, getting our so-not-made-for-muddy-dirt-roads car all messy, and after two+ hours were ready to give up. But we tried one more road and, voila! A moose! He looks like he's lying down, but really he's standing down in a water-filled ditch, eating watery plants.

Obviously, the rain didn't bother him a bit.

After we watched him for a while, he got annoyed with our presence, turned around and started walking away. We followed him slowly, and he began to trot. He whipped around a corner and when we got there, he had disappeared into the woods. This was the last we saw of him:



The other two things we did a lot of during the vacation were read, and eat. Well, what else IS there when you're stuck inside due to inclement weather?

But despite that weather, we had a nice, relaxing time. Maybe more relaxing than it would have been had the weather been sunny. So, happy time!

Friday Happies 9/3/10

Well, I'm happy the pre-recorded message from State Farm, telling me Hurricane Earl was headed my way and to board up the windows, was wrong. (eye roll) I need more stress like I need a hole in the head.

However, my mom, who might actually live near a spot that will get hit (i.e., Connecticut coast) and who is a State Farm customer, didn't receive a call. Go figure.

I'm happy to hear from my doctor that not only does exercise up my dopamine level, which should make me feel better, but she confirmed my belief that so does chocolate. She said it would take about an hour to kick in...but somehow I think eating chocolate has an instant soothing effect. I'll gladly do a study of this myself and see how it turns out!

I'm glad the Internet provides me a route to contact friends and family who don't live nearby. I wrote a lot of letters in my youth to family members, but friends I'd moved away from usually fell by the wayside as letter-writing was laborious and lengthy before you'd get a reply. Because kids just aren't that motivated to hand-write letters.

I guess we are the society of instant gratification.

So at least now, a friend can stay a friend for life. More contact beyond the annual Christmas card and those newsletters no one reads.

And now, beyond the magic of cell phones, we also have Skype. So you can call a friend on your computer, and see her too! Reminds me of the good old days of TV when a picture-phone was all the rage in all the sci-fi stories. And didn't Maxwell Smart of "Get Smart!" have a watch phone? I know he had a shoe phone...

Phew. Glad I don't have to take off my shoe to make a phone call.

Monday Gripes 8/30/10

It's hot here. 90+ degrees. And we all know how much I love heat, right? NOT. I am perpetually thankful for the invention of air conditioning. Thank you, oh wise inventor, whoever you may be.

But even before the heat hit today, I woke up feeling really blue. No particular reason...just, that's what I got today in the dice-roll of life. (sigh) After a few hours moping around in my bathrobe, I'm finally up and doing fine. I don't know why mornings are so hard. They ARE getting better, but darn it, I just want everything to be happy. Is that so much to ask?

So I'm still working at the happiness-creating. Chocolate works sometimes. Knitting works once in a while. Music can work. Having my husband here, or some other family member, definitely helps. Koko the parakeet helps too! Even though he doesn't know it.

I just have to find the way to inspire myself to TRY those things when morning seems like it's not worth facing. Because some days, lying in bed until I fall back to sleep seems like the only reasonable option.

What do YOU do when you want to improve your mood? All suggestions gratefully considered!