So many Dragons and attempting to blog again after almost 3 years

 

A lot has happened in the last couple of years and I'm not sure where to begin. So, maybe I'll start with dragons. I'm reading, at a snail's pace, The Hobbit. A friend lent it to me because the last time I had seen the actual text, I was pretty little and my Dad was reading it to me before bed every night. Of course, I enjoy the movies, the music and Smaug is one sexy beast! But, reading it as an adult is a fun adventure- when I remember to pick up the book. Normally, reading isn't a problem for me. Okay, I'll admit that I have had some struggles with some books in that they have actually put me to sleep- there were two in college and one in high school (I am looking at you My Antonia). Some of the books on Kindle have had pacing issues or maybe the story wasn't holding me- which I feel it is important to note that I have a high tolerance for a great deal and more so for the tedious and slow moving story, depending, more so than most people I know. 

Anyway, my struggle is not any of those things with the Hobbit, Tolkien is the kind of word porn that I enjoy. It is simply that I have been busy and set the book down and it got moved into the office/craft room, and just recently discovered where it had been tucked away to. The Hobbit is now out where I can see it and the sooner I get to read about one of my favorite arrogant dragons, the happier I will be- especially given events as of late. 

The second dragon item is that I started the Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon series tonight. I was not happy with how Game of Thrones ended. I could rant about that forever and a day, but I think that is best saved for another time. I am tired and its getting close to my bed time. Yes, I know how the story is going to go and like Rogue One of Star Wars, we get the gist. However, I do enjoy the court/political intrigue and well, DRAGONS! 

My third dragon item is that Selene- aka Amanda, aka my wife, and I, along with two cousins and a couple of friends, have been playing D&D A LOT! I'm finally getting to have characters that start at level 1 and actually level up, not just one level, but several. I'm finally getting to see what higher level characters are like, actually enjoy a story, learn more about and how to play the game. I understand some games fizzle out, but damn, it was disheartening. I tend to get excited and invested. If the character dies during session, fine, I will get over it, and that's one thing, but the whole campaign? That's shit. Unless the people who are playing are shit, but there are horror stories about that kind of thing on the internet. 

On a slightly shifted dragonesque topic, I've made some D&D and dragon centric things for my Etsy store. If anyone remembers, I kept talking about wanting to start a store. I finally did it! It is called Shadow Fox Witchery. I will most likely talk about the store more in depth later. Anyway, I embroidered two dragon designs on tote bags today. And I spent half my day ironing. Which leads me to the next topics. 

We've been busy. I didn't think the pandemic was going to take much toll on me, not like it did for a lot people. I'm introverted so staying home wasn't too out of the norm for me. Selene's work moved to remote- work from home- during the pandemic and that has now become permanent. We did get Covid and it was awful. I had had a fever so high I probably should have gone to the hospital, but we managed it. Our sleep schedules were sufficiently screwed up for a long time, and the Covid really took a toll on both our depression and anxiety. Then, trying to go back out into the world when things began to open up was a struggle. I am still ordering groceries online and picking them up. 

What's helped with that is that we have done some updates on our home. We redid the bathroom and are very shortly going to be redoing the kitchen. That has been a kind of a cluster fuck. We tried to do the online design thing with Lowes and the guy we were working with was okay, but he didn't stay within our budget and nothing was really going to change with the kitchen. Worse, everything is on back order and the wait time and how long we were going to be out of a serviceable kitchen was getting longer and longer. We can't not have a functioning kitchen for several months.  So, we went into our local store and just asked some questions of the kitchen designer there. We're doing this shit ourselves. She not only answered every question, talked us through how to do stuff we weren't sure about- because she's actually done it all herself, gave us resources, ect... And it was all significantly less than our max budget! We will be doing everything except the plumbing, that we need a plumber for, but we need one anyway to hook up the dishwasher and take a look at a leak in the basement. 

But we are having other issues with the house aside from a leak. Our oven door broke. Selene fixed it, twice. We are finally getting the pine trees removed in September and we were damn lucky that one a very windy day the one that fell miss both our car and Kat, our cousin's car, by mere inches. The fireplace was looked at and cleaned and has a great bill of health. However, when we tried to get two extra electrical outlets installed in the house, the electricians who came out to look into doing it, said we really shouldn't. And they were pissed for us. We have that great old knob and tube wiring. It hasn't really been too much of an issue until recently. The fuse for the main level blew four times tonight in the space of an hour. Apparently we can't have the ac running while the dishwasher is going and watch tv. Which is troubling, because we've done so just fine before. Odd combinations of stuff seem to trip it. Selene wanted to do solar panels on the roof not only to save on electric but to give us more of a buffer against the sun beating down on the roof. Because there's a good lack of insulation. I'm starting to think we are going to have to rewire the whole damn house sooner rather than later and am dreading that, especially if walls have to be torn into.

And if we get into more of the mundane problems, we spent a nice chunk of change on getting our car worked on. They were supposed to have fixed the ac in the mix of things we needed done. The front blows just fine, but the back is still blowing hot air, so they will be fixing that. And we have to take it back in, after this weekend, so they can replace the motor mounts and I forget what else they needed to do. 

Aside from dealing with all of those things. We have been to the Seattle area for vacation, albeit short and kind of packed full with places to go, it was so nice to get away. I forgot what a vacation actually felt like. Don't get me wrong, driving down to visit my family is a kind of vacation too, but it is stressful in that I'm the only viable driver out of Selene and I- we suspect she has narcolepsy but to be tested for it is so freaking expensive we can't afford it so she'll be getting no help for that anytime soon- and then there is the stress of family. I can't tell my Grandmother half of the things I do or am involved in, we don't discuss that Selene and I are married. My mother's health is worse than it has ever been, I'm certain she'd had a stroke, her episodes are so bad and she's afraid she will have one and won't wake up. My Dad is exhausted. Everyone is sure they can get some kind of help be it disability or medical help but every time my Dad does the paperwork, he makes too much on paper. I want to help, they won't really let me. Dad always has to work every time I am down there so I hardly get to spend time with him. My cousin Shi-chan is almost a shut in, her anxiety is through the roof. I don't even want to get into the drama of the rest of her family. I always leave a little more heartbroken and frustrated, defeated than when I arrived. But I still find my time with the people I love a treasure. 

As for the rest of it. We've been planning public community Sabbats with some friends, we joined a coven, are on the board and organizing Northwest Pagan Fest. Selene is still doing her Magickal Moot. I started doing my Pagans with disabilities support group again. I'm making stuff for my shop and vending every so often at public events. I will be at the Fairy Fiesta this coming weekend, Northwest Pagan Fest, and Witch's Night Out. Somehow we have managed to do some 'for the house' shopping to help us get better organized upstairs. The main level is next. Kat is working on the basement. We've watched some anime, tried some new places in town to eat at, played some D&D, and I have had a whole bunch of bad days intermixed from fibro flares, depression and anxiety, and being heat sick or exhausted. 

And I am not done. I've been looking at doing a podcast as well as a twitch channel. I thought about being a Vtuber, because it looks like a lot of fun and learning the set up to do looks fun too. Plus I really miss gaming.  The podcast is mostly just for fun, but hey, if it turns out to be even marginally successful, that's a bonus. 

AND I must be a masochist because I'm gearing up to really start writing again. I haven't been, not really. But last night I took 14 little notepad pages of notes for a short story I've wanted to turn into a book. Other stories I have let sit are flaring up again, and I'm just tired of wanting a thing and being too scared to do it. I'm sure, like with everything with me, it will be a slow crawl. But baby steps are better than no steps. 

Oh and lastly, I joined the Conqueror Challenges- The Lord of the Rings Shire one. I even ditched my old knock off fitbit for a real one. the old one wasn't actually counting my steps accurately, but the fitbit does and it is actually correctly logging my sleep- at least, it's getting the hours right. I don't know what crack my old one was on. Anyway, I am half way to Bree in the Challenge and when I get there, I will sign up for the next part of the journey. I'd probably be closer to the end if I'd had a real fitbit, but meh, it's fine, just means I will get more walking steps in. 

Well, I have written a small novel, probably riddled with grammatical and spelling errors aplenty that I won't bother editing- because I am lazy and actually trying to stay awake. I need to go to bed. 

So, see you later. 

Maybe. 

Hopefully. 

 

 

Kettle Corn and book annoyances

Pretty much my expression last night.

So I helped my friend with her Kettle Corn stand at the farmer's market the other day. It went well for the most part. The set up and tear down takes 45 minutes each and I am just not able to do that yet. I tried, I really did, but I felt like such an ass hat for having to sit down every couple of minutes. It still makes me angry. But for the rest of it, I did okay. I got to sit and sell her kettle corn, up sell her punch cards, and I reminded her to go take a picture to post on Instagram and Facebook saying where she was to help bring herself business. 

That's the good news. The bad news is that I was exhausted by the time I got home and suspect a little heat exhaustion to be part of that. I didn't even try to sleep in bed, just stayed on the sofa. Yesterday was spent on the sofa for most of the day as well. I was tired and slept off and on through the day. I think my body needed time to recover not only physically but also because my allergies were aggravated and I was in the heat all day the day before. I do not do well in the heat and having a kettle heating the area behind you doesn't help that much.

While I was camped on the sofa yesterday evening, I decided to finish Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost, the last in her Night Prince series. I love this series and i did enjoy the end but I was a little annoyed with the end. While I had put the book down for a week or two because I wanted to prolong the ride- I didn't remember the main character explaining so much before. That pretty much ticked me off. I was like "I know, Leila, they just said that," or "I got it, you don't have to tell me,". It was weird and I did not like the stuff with Marty. Then again, I never really liked Marty, he was annoying to me, but with that said, I did like his relationship to Leila. I think Frost could write another novel with Leila and Vlad, there are some things that were left open and unresolved, things I want to know more about.

After finishing Into the Fire, I picked up Princess Dracula by John Patrick Kennedy. This is a self published novel I found on Amazon. The risk you run with self published novels is that a lot of times they aren't edited or edited very well. I've only read three chapters and have found several typos and some grammatical errors. The pace feels a little bit rushed but I have reminded myself that it is only a 200 page novel. So far the story is interesting and I am curious to see where it goes.  

Bat Fit 2017 Update pt 2., Long Way Round

Picking up were I left off, I've got one final portion to the beauty health section and that's what I do for my hair. 

Herbal Essences Color me Happy has been a constant for several years for obvious reasons. 

I used to just use Pantine Pro-V conditioner, the classically clean stuff for a long time, but one day I saw this coconut hydration conditioner. Wary at first, because my hair is a little oily, I decided to do a test run with it. I love it. It made my hair so soft and easier to comb through after a shower. That's a big deal to me, I love having long hair, but I have a tinder head and hair that likes to tangle. And I found that I didn't have to wash my hair as often when using this. I used to go ever other day between washes, now I can extend that two- sometimes three days- depending. 

Now because I have been bleaching my hair, sometimes I feel my hair needs a little extra something. My friend Felicia found this stuff and loves it. I tried it. I don't like the idea of leaving anything in my hair, its gross, so I put this stuff in about every other time I wash my hair, let it soak in, then rinse the majority of it out. I don't get the gross, unclean, greasy feel, and my hair is even softer. 

Now as far as hair spray or gel, I don't use any of that except on a really big occasion. I might use a little mousse on wet hair before I roll my hair up in rollers for the night, but I've done that so few and far between that I've had the same can of mousse for 2 years and it's not half gone. 

2. Writing 

Since my desk is now in a proper place in the living room and has been cleared off- thank you, Amanda- I have a more situated and designated place to work on writing. Previously I had made myself a writing manifestation board but it didn't feel right by the time I was finished with it. I set it aside thinking it was just one of those perfectionist moments, but when the feeling didn't go away, I decided to make another one. I am happier with this one. It has some quote from other authors, some affirmations, as well as some things that inspire some of the things I write. 

Second on the writing progress, is that I am going to actually start planning and contacting people I want to form a writing group with. It is going to be a fairly small group and meetings will be done online. There are a couple of groups here in town but call me paranoid, I don't know any of those people and don't trust others with my writing easily. That and I am just not ready to go hangout with a tone of people that may or may not work out when I can do a small group of people I do know and can trust. 

3. Wedding

We have a location. We have more solid ideas. We have an idea of what we want for dresses and unless Torrid wows us, then I will be making them. Last night our friend Rachel asked us if we had a photographer and offered the services of her boyfriend when we said we didn't. So we have a photographer. 

4. Crafts. 

I am making little fairy balls and will post them when they are finished. Other than that I picked up some elastic for a grocery bag holder project. 

5. Heathen and Witch Study and practices

Not much going on here other than the continuation of the book we are reading.

6. Reading

I decided to stop waiting on Amanda to finish reading Monster Hunter International, and picked that up again. 

7. Quiet time for myself and for Amanda and I together.

We had our friend Fiona up for a visit, but she went home yesterday. Today we are spending a little time together. We are going to nap, probably watch something on netflix, and pick up the house before dinner, showers, and bed. Amanda has been throwing around the words date night, so I am hopeful. I've done the writing manifestation board for myself, started the fairy ball craft, and colored half a picture. That's about all for Bat Fit right now.

My Dad told me about the show Long Way Round where in Ewan McGreagor and his friend Charley- also an actor- ride motor bikes from London to New York heading east. So far I really like the show. But then again I really enjoy travel shows. Long Way Down is about their trip from the Northern tip of Scotland to the southern point of South Africa. I am looking forward to that. Getting to hear Ewan McGreagor's music in some of the show is nice as well. Check it out, it is fun.. 

And now for a post that makes sense, Bat Fit 2017, mouse fails.

We have a bit more snow than this...quite a bit more. In fact, I was taking a friend to her doctor's appointment today and Amanda's Kia Optima got temporarily in the snow, going up a hill. It was exciting- apart from the old man yelling at me. A note on that, it is more effective to calmly give me instructions than to scream them at me.

Okay, because I am unsure how much I got into my last post about Narcisa and all my attempts to read said post have been unsuccessful, I'm going to update her situation now. Amanda and I took our furry princess to the vet because her voice sounded awful and we had suspicions that she was sick. There was also a fear that she was really sick due to her penchant for eating whole pawfuls of fireplace ash. Seriously, we were fighting her to stop, moving the ash bucket, covering the ash bucket. As it turns out the Vet thinks Narcisa is a freak for eating the ash, has never had a cat who has done that, and considering her love of eating random things, she has pica. Further, he thinks that she may have caught the little cold that Throin brought home with him when we adopted him and it was wearing off. But because she growled and hissed so much on top of eating ash, her throat is basically just aggravated and if she doesn't get better in a week or so, we are to take her back in. She is getting better though.

Bat Fit 2017 Link

Bat fit is something that I have been interested in for the last couple of years. Some of my blogger friends have participated in that time and it just seemed like something kind of out of my reach, per se.  Well this year, I am going to take a stab at it with a sharp stick and see what happens. So to revisit my list from a previous blog addressing something similar to this, I'm going to go into more detail about what those things mean and a little of my action plans on how to work on them. These are not really resolutions, they aren't even really goals, they are just things I want to work on so as not to set myself up for failure. The idea is to have positive experiences, not stress myself out and tear myself down trying to achieve things outside my limits. 

1. Health

While my overall health appears to be good- at least according to my blood work, minus anemia, I am over weight. In fact, if I were to use the clinical term "Morbidly obese". I have been struggling with my weight for over the last decade, clear back to the end of high school. From depression to fucked up period patterns and horrible heavy bleeding, and medication, none of this has been easy. Thrown in fibromyaliga and a herniated disk plus an affinity for sedentary activities (reading, writing, movie watching, sewing, and other various crafts), I've been fighting an up hill battle. Actually, I fight it even when I've gone to the gym and swam every day or done an mile on the elliptical every day.  Do I want to lose weight? Yes, of course, there are far too many lovely Goth fashions I want to wear. Plus making and buying clothes would be cheaper too. But I am not going to make myself miserable trying to lose weight. I could run myself ragged and never get anywhere.  

Instead, Amanda and I are going to start the weightloss hypnotherapy disks left over from a few years ago. It had been working a little bit but then we lost control of what food we ate when we lost our food stamps and her mother was buying and cooking our meals. I kind of just said fuck it and threw in the towel. So, back to that and eating smaller portions. We don't typically eat too terribly anyway. I try to maintain a high protein diet with veggies and fruit. We are also going to start a yoga regimen with a friend of ours. I will do that until I have my hysterectomy, take some time off for that, and then once healed, go back to doing it. 

2. Writing

Writing is hard for me. I've had really negative thoughts about it. The joy of it has been sucked clean from it and it became more of a chore than anything else. There are several reasons why, most of which stem from crippling lack of self esteem, self loathing, self doubt, and outside factors beyond my control. When that went, one of the foundations for my personal "joy" was snuffed out. I've been trying for the last year to get it back and that in and of itself has been an internal fight. I've thought many times that maybe I'm just not supposed to be a writer anymore, that that ship had sailed, and that I am desperately holding onto something that was never meant to be. Those thoughts hurt me in ways I can't describe. So, maybe there is hope yet. 

I would like to begin a writing group. I'm also going to write at least 6 hours a week as prescribed by Brandon Sanderson (author of the Mistborn series) from his college writing course. It is on Youtube and the link is here  . 

3. Wedding

We don't have a lot of money for this venture in our lives, but we we want to make it as nice as possible. I'm going to start a Gofundme page to help get my parents up for the wedding just as soon as I get over my hang up of begging other people for money to make something good happen in my life. Because that is what this feels like.  Secondly, I want it to be as easy and smooth as possible. We've enlisted one friend to help with some projects and will probably be enlisting a couple of others.  As for one of our big stumbling blocks, dresses, If I can't find what I like on Torrid come prom season, I have patterns to make what I want and have informed Amanda as such. She said okay. 

4. Crafts

In general, I'm going to work on various craft projects in various mediums, as the year progresses. From sewing, paper crafts, painting, and crochet, I want to get a couple of big projects finished by next Yule. 

5. Heathen and Witch Study and practices

There are books I have been meaning to read that I feel I am ready for. There is a lot I wish to learn and I do have some ideas of what I want to explore where I feel drawn to go spiritually. Frankly there are also somethings that I have always wanted to do- like learn to read Tarot and Runes and so forth. I also want to explore Seidr. 

6. Reading my usual 20 books a year and hopefully more

Ever since high school I have had a goal to read 20 books a year. I don't always achieve that goal, some years I only get 5 read and some years I manage 42. Reading expands knowledge and helps to hone writing and vocab, shows style and so on. Plus it is really fun. 

7. Quiet time for myself as well as Amanda and I, together.

I need self care time that I don't beat myself up about. I am terrible with that. In fact, I often feel guilt for taking time to myself when I should be doing this or that. It only keeps the self hatred cycle going. So, I am going to try and do some things for myself whether coloring a picture, taking time to do crafts or read, watch a show or movie, or just sit and listen to music. I also want to get back to doing things that make me feel pretty, like putting on make up and doing my hair every day. Painting my finger nails, plucking my eyebrows and so on. 

I also want to have time just for Amanda and I. We need time to watch movies together, to talk, to go out and do things even if it is just to go for a drive. So much of our lives is surrounded by other people and while we love our friends, sometimes, we just need time to be together. 

Anyway, those are things I'm working on for Bat Fit 2017. If they all happen or they all go anywhere good, I will be pleased, but I'm not going to beat myself up about not getting everything done. 

Lastly, I bought a new gaming mouse so I could play Eveonline a little easier. It seems that this mouse and I are not getting along very well at the moment. I am going to do some trouble shooting and if it doesn't work like it is supposed to, I can hopefully send it back.

For now, I need to work on making fruit sushi and chicken teriyaki sushi for dinner. Amanda was supposed to do it but she's fallen asleep... again. 

Impromptu date night, chills, some reading

More Joseph Vargo

Yesterday there was a message in my e-mail holding a really generous gift from my friend Fiona. She sent us a gift card for our anniversary to a restaurant we like, which was very sweet of her. She didn't have to do that, but she did and we appreciate it so very much. Since I wasn't feeling the greatest yesterday, I decided that we would use it last night for an impromptu date of sorts. We had a nice time and on the way home, we drive up the hill to see what the Elk's Club was about. We discovered several cats running about and a couple of RV's were parked. I think it is just a club for retired people with a bit more money than we have, where they can hang out and kind of camp with a nice view of the valley. 

After we returned home, we watched some list videos on youtube, Hercules the Disney movie, and an episode of School for Little Vampires.  I, of course, fell asleep on the sofa, as I usually do. I have this thing where the moment I get comfortable, I fall asleep, especially at night. 

This morning I awoke to  a chill in the air and that is something I really love. Had I not needed to get up, I might have stayed in bed for a little bit snuggling in the blankets and I might toddle off later to do so since I am having a hard time staying awake. 

PCOS problems are in full force this morning. Bad cramps, bleeding heavily, and exhaustion are really wiping me out today. I am hoping that a short nap will help. Sometimes it is just better to give in, instead of trying to write a bog for the last hour only dozing every few minutes, as I have been. There is some serious reading I need to finish today and I know I can do it, but I need to be awake and less foggy brained. 

I think that is is for today. I have other things to share, but I think I will wait until tomorrow for Haunted Humpday, because they fall more into that category anyway. 

Books, because I need too, and late morning.

Yesterday, I finally finished reading Gothic Charm School by Jillian Venters. This book is an interesting read which stresses things like being being polite and kind to others, especially if you are part of a minority subculture that people are kind f freaked out or afraid of. But people should be being kind and polite everyday regardless. But aside from that, the bulk of the book feels more geared toward those outside the Gothic culture such as a parent of a baby goth or baby bat, or a coworker, boss, family, and or friend, and even has some tips for those just beginning their exploration. I felt that there could have been more information into the history of the Gothic culture, a little more about the different Gothic subcultures, but it really is an overview. It is still a good book and one that I would recommend. Wish it had been around when I was growing up and that I could have shoved a copy under my Grandma's nose. 

I went into the library/ Bowie room this- well it was morning for me- and looked at my book shelves. There are a ton of lore books I want to read, some writing books, and several pagan books, but like I said, I am just kind of burnt out on "informational" stuff at the moment. The need to get lost in a different world feels kind of imperative at the moment, not sure why, maybe I just miss the feeling. So, instead of starting a new book series, I thought I would pick up one of the books that got interrupted for whatever reason and give it a go, hence the picture of The Vampire Narcise. I only got 40 pages into it when I last read and I liked the story well enough, so it is time. 

Last night, well this morning when I went to bed after 3 am, I tried to start a book on my Kindle. Once Upon a Curse is a grouping of 17 dark fairy tales said to be less Disney and more Grimm. However, I was tired and had a very needy cat in my face. Of course the moment I out my Kindle away, Narcisa declared victory and trundled off somewhere else. I was too tried to get out of bed and chase after her, to make her come back and deal with cuddles, and fell asleep shortly thereafter. When I awoke this morning and checked the time, I had that moment of almost panic and most assuredly disappointment. It was after noon. But then I got over all of that because I am sick and feel like crap. In fact I feel so crappy, I am have barely left my bedroom, and while I have managed to get some things done on my page long to do list, I'm calling it an early day. Which means I am probably going to go make myself some Miso soup from a packet, a cup of tea, have those, and curl up on the sofa if not back in bed and watch tv or youtube. Amanda wanted to go to the fair tonight since she won free tickets at work, but I just don't see myself making it. I was really going to try, but I think doing that will just make things worse.

What do the sofa, a heating pad, a laptop, and a book on Germanic Religion have in common?

So what does the sofa, a heating pad, a laptop, and a book on Germanic religion all have in common? 

Me.

That's right. In lieu of all the sewing projects I had lined up for this break, I am just not feeling up to them. Yesterday I spent most of the day in bed and in the bathroom. Today, things seemed better but I made it to the library and after about half an hour I had to leave and come home to clean up. I really hate this PCOS period crap. So, now I am curled up on the sofa with a heating pad on my stomach for the cramps. I've played around on facebook for bit and will be picking the above book back up with the hopes of finishing it today. I'm not going to let my break go to waste! If I can't sew, then I will study things of my choosing. Also, I really do need to get this book back to the friend who lent it to me. I've had it for months!

The book itself has been an interesting read. I think every thing the author write about Freyja I already learned from another book. But, it is always good to have refreshers and I am learning more about Njord and Freyr. So far I have really enjoyed it. I'd buy the book myself but the cheapest I have seen was 74 dollars on Amazon. So I'll just enjoy it, take my notes, and return it to my friend. 

Also, the rest of this week is going to be busy. 

Narcisa was up to her antics again this morning. She likes to jump up and hang from the curtains in our bedroom. She's pulled the curtains down before but this time, she managed to bend the curtain rod. So now we need to go get another curtain rod. Amanda thinks if we tried to bend it back it would only break. It looks like we need to trim Narcisa's claws again. Oh and yesterday, she couldn't get enough of me. She had to be with me and on me all day. Today, I am chopped liver. Galen is off hiding because he doesn't want us to give him pills and Ellie is curled up on our bed. 

Lazy day, cats, sewing projects, studying of happier things.

Welcome to homework with Narcisa. She's the reason I'm constantly having to sweep cat hair out from between my computer keys and this was a day she was behaving. Most of the time she tells me that I don't really need to take notes and walks over my pen while I am writing only to sit on my hand. She loves to stand on the mouse pad or lay across the keys or better yet, to knock everything off my desk and steal my pens. She's ever so helpful! The video was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Galen is still sick but we've talked to the vet and he's got another round of antibiotics. He is still eating, drinking, and using the litter box, and even gets excited for treats, so I am hopeful. I went to a candle magic class and a girl there talked about how she rolled a candle in catnip and did a spell for her cat when it was sick. Apparently it worked pretty well. So, yesterday I got out a tea light candle, carved Galen's name and the word Heal into it, sprinkled some catnip and added a few of his hairs to it. I then focused my energy and asked Freyja, if it was to be, if she would be willing to help Galen heal. Then I burned the candle. I thought about doing it this everyday but maybe once a week would be better. 

I have officially finished this school term. Thank the Gods! I'm coming out okay, passing both classes with better grades than I was shooting for. Frankly I am so happy to be rid of that term I could dance. I have a week off and then I start the next term, which is critical thinking in philosophy and the english language- grammar. Both look like lots of intensive homework, but I am okay with that. I am sure I will have a grievance or two later on, but for now I am choosing to be excited for the new classes. 

I have some sewing projects that I wanted to get accomplished. Mostly its shirts and I wanted to start Amanda's and my t-shirt quilt. I even did the design mock ups last night for my shirts. But I don't know that any of my sewing will actually happen this time around. For one, we have to take the car down to Fiona's so her Dad can look at it and see what needs to be repaired. Fiona, Amanda, and I are going to Seattle in the middle of March. More on that in another post. Anyway, we are doing that Tuesday and coming back on Wednesday, and bringing Fiona back with us. Thursday is my birthday and a Full Moon Ritual with our group. I'll probably spend the rest of the week after that getting ready for the next term and I have a feeling it will be extremely slow going. 

I'm having trouble with my period again. I've been having it for the last two months and the day before yesterday it decided to go into overdrive. So I get to wear the big monster pads that are almost like diapers, sit on a towel, and stay close to my bathroom, which is starting to look like a crime scene again. I'm trying to keep it as cleaned up as possible but sometimes, I only have enough energy to wash my hands and get back to the bed or my desk chair. I haven't even had anything to eat today. And I am so very tired. So, I am going to lay in bed today and watch a couple of the movies I've been wanting to watch for awhile and get some reading, of my choosing, done.  And if anyone is wondering, yes, I am eating lots of iron rich food and protein and taking an iron supplement. 

Egg Rolls, little scratches, OCD, Lana Del Rey, and books...

 Some time ago I heard "Dark Paradise" by Lana Del Rey, in a Hasting's in Spokane Valley. I fell in love with it and when Skoora and I got home, we looked it up. Since then I've heard "Summertime Sadness" and loved it too. So, I went to Youtube to see if I liked some of Lana Del Rey's other songs. I think my favorites aside from the two aforementioned are "Ride" and "Blue Jeans".  Poor Skoora has had to listen to Lana Del Rey for the last couple of days intermittently. I am very eclectic in my musical tastes but I tend to gravitate toward Darkwave, Gothic, Folkmetal, ect... Skoora is more of Rock and Punk or Glam Rock person. David Bowie is her favorite! But sometimes, we just hear stuff that's different and really strikes a chord.

Narcisa is fitting in quite well. Galen and Ellie are both playing with her and there had even been some tentative grooming between them. However, Narcisa, no matter how cute and lovable she is, is kind of a little bitch. She's managed to push Galen off the kitty tower, is kind of a brat to him every time he's on it, and loves to go for his tail. She also bitches if we pick her up and hold her when she wants to play and make a mess. She's managed to repeatedly knock over two different stacks of Skoora's books. She's also scratched us both up (we will be trimming her little claws tomorrow). Her favorite thing to do is attack our legs and feet when we are in bed. Did I mention that she's pretty much ruined the sheer curtains in the living room? But in doing that she also gets excited and runs head first into the patio door. I'd say it's Karma for my legs and curtains if I wasn't worried about kitten brain damage.

I've been reading a lot lately. It's about the only thing that really distracts me from everything that's bothering me, things I can do nothing about and have to continue to deal with, ect... I am in love with Vlad Tepesh in Jeanine Frost's Night Huntress and Night Prince Series. He's just a fun character.

I am having trouble donating plasma lately and we really need the money from it. Skoora hasn't been getting a lot of hours at work so we are hurting pretty bad again. It seems like every time I have gone to donate the last 3 or 4, maybe even 5 times, there has always bee something they use to turn me away. It's not their fault or even really my fault. I'm anemic, my heart rate is sometimes up too high, or my blood pressure. I think the latter two go hand in hand with the stress in our lives at the moment, but the anemia is really worrying me. I'm even taking Iron supplements.  The nurse on duty told me how to kind of get around the anemia issue, but I don't know if that will work, and if it does, will I get turned away for being too stressed over worrying about that and everything else? And when I go with Skoora and get turned away, I always have to sit in the waiting room to wait on Skoora to finish. The staff always watch me and I can here them talk about me and why I am sitting there. It's quite uncomfortable.

Lastly, because Skoora is making all the motions of getting into bed, I made a huge dinner tonight. I made cream cheese and onion won tons, egg rolls, and chicken chow mein. I used the left over won ton wrappers to make a strawberry tart thing with a yogurt rum sauce (that was surprisingly good). Sometimes I get in the kitchen and just throw shit together and bam, surprisingly delightful food. Skoora calls me her Macguiver chef.

Anyway after we'd eaten far too much, I had an ocd moment and decided I was going to clean the kitchen. Really clean it. Skoora's Dad usually does the after dinner clean up and he doesn't always do what I would do if I didn't feel like crap by the time dinner is finished. I still have to clean the top of the refrigerator, wash down a couple of cabinets, clean the bar, and mop the floor, but everything else has been done. And, subsequently, I feel shit, my back is screaming obscenities at me, and I just don't have the wherewithal to even look at my homework. So, I am going to bed and will deal with the rest of it tomorrow... or rather later today since it's after 1 am now. Oh and one more thing, my Mom's birthday was yesterday. I called her but I really wish she could have been here or that I could have been there to celebrate with her, even though she doesn't really like to celebrate anything...ever... My Mom can be a stick in the mud that was sometimes. So, I make her.

Wackadoo

After stressing out, having OCD-like moments, and generally feeling the need to tear my hair out over my Math class- which was more write about how you feel and felt while me made you feel like a complete idiot while you try to decipher mathematical theories- I contacted my adviser Sunday night, and asked to be withdrawn from the class. I told her this class just wasn't a good fit, that it was more upsetting than revealing (other than grinding in the fact that I'm not a math person), and that I really wasn't getting anything out of the class but more stress than I really wanted to deal with at the moment. I asked if I could be switched to a regular math class, like algebra. Unfortunately, I can be placed in a regular math class at this time, but I was able to withdraw from the current class and got that all taken care of yesterday morning. I now have more time to focus and devote to my WW2 class, sewing, and other little projects I need/choose to do over the next few weeks.

Whoa, the library just got a sudden wave of noise and conversation. A few minutes it ago it was so quiet that I could hear a cranky man fussing about the cost of his print outs up at the front desk. I kind of wanted to throw something at him for giving the librarian trouble. But, sadly, that ship has passed.

Yesterday, since I was one class less, I decided to sort of celebrate. I finished the last book in the Elemental Witches series by Anya Bast, Witch Fury. I still don't like her writing style but I really liked her ideas and the main plot arch and I liked the last book much better than the first. After I was finished with it I read the short story she wrote that follows the series. It was my favorite, but then again Micah is probably my favorite character.

Tonight there is a class on developing psychic abilities with the IEPG (Inland Empire Pagan Guild). I was set to go but Skoora asked if I would skip it since she is leaving for Boston tomorrow and will be gone for two weeks. She's on a low residency MFA program and twice a year she has to go to the college to do said residency. I always hate it when she leaves for two weeks, but I always manage to keep myself occupied and fall into an alternate rhythm. Who knows, maybe this time I will manage to actually get some stuff done. Since I have some extra time, I kind of want to plow into a some writing. Here it is the 8th of the month and I haven't written a damned thing for Camp NaNoWriMo and I decided to participate again.

Feeling kind of Wackadoo today. I came into the library to pick up a book and decided to sit down and write a blog before going home to deal with homework. I had other stuff I wanted to blog about but I can't seem to remember what it was. At this point, it probably wasn't too important... And I just remembered that I forgot to take my allergy meds before leaving the house and that is why I've been sitting here with itchy eyes and skin. Time to go home!

Sick Kitties, homework, and getting crafty again.

All three of the cats are sick. We suspect the recent changes in food. Skoora's Mom decided to get the cheap stuff since we couldn't afford the food Yoda is supposed to be eating. So they had Fancy Feast and when that ran out, they had to ear Iams. That's where the trouble started in that the boys began to have diarrhea and vomiting. We were finally able to get the good food, the low carb food for Yoda (the diabetic kitty) but now it seems that Ellie is sick too. I am really beginning to worry about them. Aside from be awoken from an already restless sleep the last couple of nights (back and body pain make it difficult for me to sleep a lot of the time) due to being hot, I really don't enjoy the stench from the litter box. But can we move it from the hall way? No, that's where Skoora's mother likes it to be and of course we are forced to deal with the smell if we want any air conditioning. Also, I couldn't shut a door to save my life. Galen and now Yoda both cry if the door to the bathroom and bedroom are closed. We are going to give the cats a few more days on the good food and if they don't get any better, then I am going to have to call the vet.

Homework. What can I say about it, I have nearly half of it finished for this week. I am a bit peeved because we've started the unit in my humanities called on Postmodernism. Yuck! I will sum this chapter up with a wise saying from my Great Grandma Ireland "An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure". I find most modern and postmodern art to be nonsensical, packed full of pretension, and completely annoying and worthless. Sorry, that's just how I feel. Now I am not talking about everything. Especially since there seems to be a debate about whether or not recent art can be umbrella-ed under postmodernism. I honestly don't think it can. Nor would I insult some of my favorite artists of this time with such a label. 

On the Fiction writing workshop side of things, I have to read my text book and rewrite my story again. Shouldn't take too long to do either, a day for the story and half a day to read the text-assuming I don't lose my patience with it (I will get to that in a minute). 

I've haven't been working on too man crafts lately, mostly because I've been trying to crochet two separate afghans. I get a little burnt out after a day or two of that but I am feeling another crochet day coming on. I have also been working on a making a small scrapbook for my Grandparent's 61st or 62nd (I have to ask my Dad or my Grandma) wedding anniversary. I've got the background paper glued down and I think the cover is finished. I also did a page for my Grandma when she was younger and I've mostly mapped out the rest of the pages. I still need to print some things out and see if I can't find a few more pictures for the book. And I need to have it done pretty soon so I can send it to them. I won't have it done by their anniversary but I want it to at least come that week! I can't post picture of the book just yet because I need to ask Grandma's permission first. She said something once about not wanting her picture on the internet. But if it is an old one... We will see. 

Now, for the awful mood swings. It's that damned birth control the doctor gave me to stop that horrendous period! I've got three more days of this medicine and it's no picnic. I'm more nauseated than usual, the mood swings border on ridiculous- I cry over to stupidest of things-, and I have no patience whatsoever for just about anything. When I was bleeding, I could barely get through homework because I could't focus and stay awake. Now, I can't focus and and get pissed and impatient because there's more to read than I want to read, or I have to answer stupid questions over something I could care less about... Normally, I this kind of stuff wouldn't bother me so much. But I'm at the point where I have to read things out loud to make them stick and if I come across a word that looks funny, as they often do (I have a kind of sister form of dyslexia where I switch letters and number around, sometimes whole words- like 456 might look like 465 me), I just get down right pissed because I have trouble pronouncing it. Well duh, if the letters aren't in the right order then it's going to sound funny, haha. No, it's not really funny because then I have to repeat everything and that takes more time and I want to cry all over again because I can't read aloud effectively, at least not like I usually can. Really, it's very frustrating. So, I'm not really having a good time of it at the moment. But, I am trying to get at least most of my homework finished tonight so I can go watch Game of Thrones with a friend tomorrow.  

Packed week, the treacherous garage, light heat stroke and sun burns, and the damned cat won't stop talking! Oh and a craft/bake/garage sale?!

So, it's Saturday. Half of me can't believe it while the other half thinks it took long enough to get here. How that manages to work, I will never know. But, I suppose I should start off with the beginning of this rather hectic week.

Sunday I went to my friend's house with plans to be there until Tuesday afternoon. My visit was great until Tuesday when I awoke with a splitting migraine. Knowing that I was either going to have to go to the ER for a migraine shot (which I can't afford) or camp out in front of her toilet, I opted to clear out and head home, because at least the hospital is closer to home if I needed it. My friend lives about 45 mins from a decent hospital, the one in the valley in which she lives has a reputation for being terrible. When I came home, I took a hot shower in the hopes that the water would help soothe the tension, then I ended up in bed, in the dark, with a cold rag on my face, and the fan blowing on me. Took some Advil too and ended up falling asleep. That helped so much and I was feeling well enough to work on homework for the rest of the evening and into the middle of the night.

Wednesday we picked up a another friend and went to the U.U. Church to spend some time with the pagan group and participate in the full moon ritual. It was wonderful and I had a lot of fun. Also met someone who reminds me so much of a friend from high school that it's almost scary, in a good way. Maybe. After that we came home and watched Game of Thrones. I also did a lot of homework that night too.

Thursday we took our friend home and came home and went through the garage. Did I mention that Skoora's parents are terrible about keeping stuff separated? Well, if I didn't, they are. We had a hell of a time trying to even get to half of our stuff and ended up dragging half the garage out to even begin to make sense of anything. I managed to hurt my back a couple of times and by the middle of the afternoon, the wasps were finding me far too interesting. I don't know if I am allergic to them yet or not, but since I don't have a new epi pen, I wasn't about to take that chance. I also got sunburned in the few minutes I was actually out in the direct sunlight. Not cool! We went through a few things inside the house after that and then I tackled the rest of my homework and turned it in. Went to bed early because we had to get up early the next morning.

Which brings me to yesterday, Friday. We took things over to an Aunt's house for a big park wide garage sale. More sun burn for me, despite how much I tried to stay out of it. There was a lot of back and forth of errand running. Skoora and I managed to find a really nice desk from another sale in the park for ten dollars. We snatched it up quick and the best part, we can both work at it and still have some room to spread out stuff out a little, not much, but a little. I also managed to get mild heat stroke, which happens far more often than I would like.

Today, I skipped going to the garage sale at the park. I was just too tried and I'm still not feeling so great. Skoora did come home to pick me up for a small lunch date at Denny's where I learned that she, her mother, and her aunt have conspired to have another garage sale, this time with baked goods and any crafts I want to sell. I don't have any at the moment. Skoora suggested I make double sided tote bags like the one I made her. Sewing the tote bags are the easy and fast part. The embroidery, not so much. But I could do some without... maybe. Not sure what else I would do at the moment but I will be thinking about it.

I got online to check my messages from school and my grades. I'm doing okay, but it seems like I can't seem to make my damned writing teacher happy and on almost everything I turn in or any posts in the discussion boards I do, he tells me to look at the rubric. Really? He gave me a 15/15 on an assignment and still told me to look at the rubric! Now, as far as the story goes, I don't mind his criticism, I'm just really disappointed. I really worked my ass off on that story, picked at every single sentence and he's still bitching about how it begins like a 'long leisurely novel'. This is me tapping my foot in annoyance. No shit! I want to be a novelist, I am writing novels, novels are kind of my thing. I am not a short story writer and I have never wanted to be. Rawr! Well, now I am going to have to destroy what would have been a decent story. I just get the feeling that I'm going to ruin it.

I don't know what's going on with Yoda-chan. He has been so incredibly needy and he will not shut up! I love my cat, don't mistake me, but holy shit! He started to lick my eyelids in the morning to wake me up a couple of months ago and it's kind of cute... except that he bit my eyelid yesterday! He acts like that's okay, like this is the new status quo, but I beg to differ and since I am the Mommy person, I win... most of the time.

The good news is that I have been keeping track of how many books I've been reading this year since Good Reads is broken and can't do it right. So far, I've got 14 read and am almost done with the 15th. Yay! maybe I will get 30 read this year instead of my usual almost 20. I usually shoot for 20 a year.

   

Books: The Sleep Killers, the Enemies of Cats

Last night I was up until 6 am reading, finishing this book. Granted I was also doing a written role play with Skoora, but I was reading while waiting for posts. Of course, I'd been reading this book all of last week, mostly in the bathroom and occasionally in bed, but the last couple of days I was happily moving toward the end.

The only thing I don't like about this book, happens toward the end but I'm not going to spoil it. Speaking of spoilers, if anyone checks out this series, DO NOT go to the Author's website else you might accidentally see a spoiler like I did. Unless you like that kind of thing. Well, okay, one more thing, I'm not a fan of 1st person point of view, but with so many damned books out there in 1st person... sigh.

I loved everything else about this book. The characters were believable, the dialogue felt natural, and after reading the book before this one, Halfway to the Grave was like a continuous breeze of fresh air. Really, the writing was really good. I think I purred.

My cat, Yoda, is not happy with me. I was yelled at more than once to get my ass in bed so he could curl up on my pillow and get his night time pets. He finally gave up on me somewhere between five and six am and went to his little space beneath the bathroom sink. Much to his chagrin, I picked up another book! My cat is going to kill me! Galen, the other cat couldn't give a shit.

So far this one is good too. I've only read the first chapter and it's only because I am waiting for my library to get the next in the previous book's series in. Really, I shouldn't be reading either of them. I should be reading my text books... but school doesn't start for a week... Or actually, I should be writing... Damn it!

Aside from all of the book fun, I got a call from my doctor's office today. The pharmaceutical company that makes one of my meds stopped their, oh I don't know what to call it, I suppose we can call it the "free med deal for low income patients" program with my doctor's office. I'm not really complaining, I was able to get one of my medicines for free for several months and that was a blessing. My doctor called in my prescription to another pharmacy, not the one I usually go to, because it does discounted meds. That will help out a lot.

Now, I have to be responsible and go read all the rubrics and what not for my classes. After that, I'll probably stick my nose back in a book and subsequently get chewed out by a fluffy feline.

Peppermint Tea, Waking Heartburn, and We're going to be back at the Kroc Center soon.

I take antacids on regular basis and actually started having trouble with heartburn and acid reflux when I was in high school. Of course then I didn't really think much of it except what a pain in the ass it was. Now, I am a little more concerned. My Grandma and my Dad both had problems with heartburn and hiatal hernia and I am more than a little worried that I might develop the same problem. 

Last night while I was doing some reading for my witchy blog, I read that peppermint leaves are really good for heartburn. I am so glad that I happened to read that because I awoke a little after 3:30 am coughing and choking on heartburn. It was so awful and my throat still hurts. I drank two cups of milk and sat up for a little bit reading. Then, when I went back to bed, I propped my pillows up and while those two efforts didn't stop the heartburn, it helped enough for me to get some sleep. Unfortunately I still woke up tired and still had some heartburn but nothing like last night. 

I asked Skoora if we had any peppermint tea (because I am sometimes a compulsive tea buyer) and we do! She made me a cup. I don't know if it is going to work but I am certainly drinking it. Oh and I also saw the apple cider vinegar works for heartburn as well. I'm not sure if we have any of that left... I'll have to check the fridge next time I go into the kitchen. 

Skoora and I applied for a scholarship (a discounted membership) to the Kroc Center. It's like the YMCA only run by the Salvation Army. Anyway, they have two swimming pools, a river walk, and two large areas full of exercise equipment, a recording studio, a play area for kids, a couple of smaller gyms, and some class rooms along with a church sanctuary. There's more in the building, but it's a lot to list. Anyway, we were approved for the membership and instead of paying 60 dollars a month we'll be paying 21 dollars a month. I almost talked Skoora out of it because it is just one more bill, one more worry and headache. But she is looking for another job and we are hoping that using to Kroc Center will help me get physically stronger so that I may return to work and  not hurt myself any further. 

On a side note, I read a little bit to Skoora last night before we went to sleep. She doesn't really like romance novels but I happen to really enjoy them and enjoy them so much that I want to make a career in writing them. Anyway, this particular one I was at yet another sex scene. (I swear the two main characters spend most of their time having sex. There is less plot and more sex) Skoora didn't really like it and frankly, I was pretty annoyed with it to. I keep reminding myself that I love the story idea but don't like the style of writing or the voice. Also, Skoora thinks it would be much more effective to just say  "She came" than to explain in three sentences that she came. I agree with that too, at least in this case, especially in this case. I kind of feel that if I wanted to read almost constant sex, I'd go read some fan fiction that catered to specifically to that or just read straight up erotica. (frankly, there's fan fiction out there that's far better than this) 

Also, I don't feel like some of these sex scenes are very realistic. I feel that the author kind of went overboard with the scenes and the descriptions. It's just... Well, when I read that they are about to have sex, I sigh ad hope that it's over quickly. I just want to finish the book and get on to the next one. I know I could quit reading it, but I am hooked enough and really interested in the plot idea enough, to begrudgingly stick it out. 

I will say this, I feel that if you are going to write romance novels contemporary, urban, paranormal, historical or otherwise, you have got to find a balance between the sex and the plot else you are just going to leave people like me dissatisfied.     

Whew! time to get my butt in gear.

The last week or so has been filled with people and events. As most of you know, I took Skoora to the air port for her MFA residency in Boston. I couldn't sleep very well with her in the air during bad weather or her being alone in the airport. Then I was having some trouble sleeping because she wasn't home. But we had her cousin Amber over to stay for a few days and the day she left my friend Christine came to stay. She went home today and like usual, she left something behind. She's so silly!


While Christine was here we watched some movies and she started the 2nd season of Supernatural. I took her shopping and out to lunch one day. We also played in the dinning room with the craft supplies. I made a 'good things' jar in which I am going to put all the good things that happen or things that make me happy on a piece of paper to put in the jar for later review. It's a positive reinforcement sort of thing. I also picked up a wooden and glass box that was in the tub of 'things to be painted'. I didn't have much success with this box despite all the of the precautions I took to keep paint off the glass but I have managed to fix nearly every single problem and made the box look cute. Christine decorated a few hair clips and a box she bought. I also crocheted a little on the afghan I am making my parents (which I am sure my Mom will claim solely as hers).


Yesterday I had my first hypnotherapy appointment. It went well, I suppose. I have some reading to do, some workbook pages to complete, and some cds to listen to. I think the hardest part is cutting down meal portions. I didn't really think I ate that much but when you are only supposed to eat 2 cups of food per meal and you like to make full dinners, that can get a little tricky. I don't think I will be cooking as much as I am used to. The good thing, I eat three meals a day and two snacks. The down side is that she wants me to exorcise. Normally that wouldn't bother me but with my back the way it is and the fibromyalgia, there are days I don't move very well much less have the energy to exorcise. But my therapist more than understands this, she lives with the same pain and she is going to try and help me learn to channel and deal with the pain, which in my book is awesome!


At the moment I am at the library, had to pick up some books on jewelry making that I want to look at. Since I wanted some time out of the house, despite the migraine I have pounding my head, I thought I would update my blog. When I get home I need to do some laundry and clean the bathroom and after that, read. I have so much that I want to read. However, tonight I am going to kill beasties in Guild Wars and try to just relax.  

Witch Blood and Vampire Academy: Frostbite

About a month ago, while I was waiting for Skoora to finish up at the library, I was poking around in the romance section and came across Witch Blood. I hadn't ever read a paranormal romance novel that dealt with Witches. I tend to read Vampire and Dragon paranormal romances. So I picked this up, not knowing it was the 2nd in a series, and brought it home.

Even though this is the 2nd in a series it stands alone just fine. I really liked the concept of how Witches came to be, how witches are attracted to each other, and so forth. I don't want to go into details or spoil it for anyone. However, it was a good book and I really want to read the rest in the series.
Unfortunately my library and the others in the library network only have the 2nd and 4th books in the series. Since I think that's a shame and really dumb, I've decided that I will speak to one of the librarians about it.


At the moment I am reading Frostbite, the 2nd in the Vampire Academy novels. I liked the first novel well enough and like a lot of the secondary characters. I didn't really like the main character but I think she grew on me a little in the first book. I'm not sure I like the writing style but the plot is good enough to keep me reading. Also, the first book is a fast read. I read it in two days and expect I will do the same with Frostbite.

I am curious to see what happens throughout the series and apparently there is going to be a movie made. According to IMDB it will be out in 2014. That should be interesting.

Spring is here!

Happy belated Ostara! I hope everyone had a great start to Spring. Nature had a very bizarre fit and decided to give us rain, snow, thunder and hail, sunshine, and a windstorm all in one day. Not only that but it was a such a strange cycle of each throughout the day.

Skoora and I spent Ostara with a friend down in the Sliver Valley. We had dinner with her and spent the evening chatting into the midnight hours. Yesterday we spent the day talking and we watched a fun movie but I ended up dozing through most of it. Happily, I got the chance to kidnap my friend and bring her up to spend the night at our house, which was nice for her as well since she isn't able to get out of the Sliver Valley very often. Unfortunately I have to take her home tonight.

That was this week.

Last weekend and the week and weekend before it, we spent going back and forth to Moscow. We spent some time with Skoora's cousin, Kat. We also spent some time with some friends and had a little joint birthday party for our friends who are twins and myself. It was a lot of driving, fun, and getting out. And I really over did it every day. It makes me so angry that I can't just get out and go shopping and walk around places with friends when they come to visit or we go to visit them. I always end up in so much pain I feel like I am either going to pass out or vomit or both. But I keep pushing and trudging along, hoping that things will get easier even though they never really do. Still, I just can't give in and give up.

I haven't done any crafts or made anything new as far as culinary items go. I do feel the urge to do many of those things and I think it has to do with the fact that its spring and we're getting warmer weather. I find that I want to go play out in the bit of woods near my house and clean it up from the hooligans who trash the area. Ooo and I really want to go sit out there on nice afternoons, listen to music, and write. But I will have to find a chair that I can sit in comfortably for a long period of time.

I haven't written much in the last couple of weeks since we've been busy. I will begin making a list of blogs that need to be written and then execute the list in the coming weeks. I have a whole back log of stuff that needs to go up for both of my blogs and even for the Detangled Writer's blog. I will also be working on my novel and the plots for a couple of other novels.

But for now, for today at least, I am going to have the dinner my friend is helping to make and then when Skoora gets off work, we have to take her home. After that, I'm going to play Guild Wars and watch a movie. Tomorrow, I'll probably be cleaning as much as I can and start decorating for Easter. 

It's just that kind of day

First let me post a nice video from Youtube Misty Mountians (Hobbit OST)

I actually own this soundtrack, I've kind of mentioned it a time or two on Facebook and to my Dad, and have been listening to it off and on. It's a little hard to really listen to it but a little at a time because my laptop is wonky and on the down slope. Any time I open a new program or something is loading on a webpage, the speakers crackle. It's very weird and pretty much held together by gorilla tape, hope, and regular maintenance to software and basic cleaning. Come to think of it, I need to back up said sound track and recent writings from the last few days.

Anyway, it's the kind of day where I feel sluggish to the point that I am having trouble keeping my eyes open. but new medicine will sometimes do that to a person. So, I think I will toddle off bed for a little bit, get some reading done, as much as I can do, and get up in time to make dinner, then tackle some writing and update blogs I am behind on.

Galen Gladamir

Oh and weirdly enough, the cats have been bickering, all day, all three of them. I've had to corporal cuddle Galen. Corporal Cuddling is just holding him and petting him. He doesn't like to be held or petted very much by anyone, for those who do not know him in person and he's quite the little punkass. So when he's being mean to the other kitties, we give him love.