Thursday Thirteen #38 (If I counted right)

Thirteen Pictures of the Waterways around Hampton Roads This TT is for Rhi. I've talked about how I live surrounded by water (and bridges and tunnels), and she asked me to post pictures. So here they are: 1) Back Bay Wildlife Refuge- I know if you say Virginia Beach, this is what everyone thinks, white sandy beaches. This however is as far south as you can get from the tourist beaches and still be in Virginia. It's also a very nice place to walk, and after storms to pick up some amazing seashells (anybody want any- I've got tons). 2) False Cape- Back Bay Wildlife Refuge- this is a great place for more than just the beach. They have wild horses, osprey nests (up on tall poles), and trails to hike or even bike. 3)The Dismal Swamp Canal- George Washington surveyed parts of the waterways in this area. I think this was part of it. 4) The Great Bridge Lock- the water in the background is, I believe the Great Dismal Swamp (right direction, just not sure about distances). 5) Great Bridge Bridge- yah, I know- funny name. I got to see this bridge being built (they brought the bridge down the canal in two sections by barge). If the angle of this picture were a little different, you'd be able to see the locks. 6) The Gilmerton Bridge- as long as I've been here, there are still times when they name bridges on the traffic reports that I don't know which one they're talking about (yes, there are that many- I just couldn't find pictures of them all). 7)The Jordan Bridge- not sure why it's names that- the river it crosses is the Elizabeth, not the Jordan (I think). 8) James River Ferry- this is near Williamsburg, and crossing the river takes you past the Jamestown Landing with the replicas of the three ships, including the Susan B. Constant (I got to go on this during OpSail 2000- which brought all of the tall ships to Hampton Roads). 9) The James River Bridge- I could have sworn I've gone over a bridge to get from the Penninsula to the South Side, but this isn't it, so I could be delusional. Or seriously confused (I could have sworn the bridge I went on was higher than the High Rise Bridge with a lift in the center). 10)The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel- two things to point out- that little piece of land just before the bridge veers to the right is called Willoughby Spit, and the water to the right of the bridge is not the ocean but the bay (Chesapeake Bay, that is). 11)Monitor-Merrimack Memorial Bridge Tunnel- Did you ever study about the Moniter and the Merrimack fighting (and sinking) during the Civil War- these waters are where they fought (they brought one of them up from the bottom of the river a few years back- I think the Monitor). Anyway, they named this for them. 12) The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel- a 23 mile long bridge. And no, I haven't been across this, yet. I probably will at some point. 13) Hampton Roads- from space- working left to right- the first line across the water is the James River Bridge, the one that goes straight, bends to the left and stops is the Monitor Merrimac, and the shorter one is the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. The river that comes out between the two bridge tunnels is the Elizabeth River, I'm not sure about the one between the Elizabeth and the James. And don't get me started on military bases, I could do several TTs on that alone. The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Someone else needs a day off

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Memes- the Ultimate Procrastination Device ...

Other than reading Dear Author or perhaps Smart Bitches (I still blame Shiloh for getting me addicted to them both). I've seen this meme on several sites and decided to give it a shot.

A - Age: 41 (Eeeeeek!)
B - Band listening to right now: First the Beatles, not Clannad
C - Career future: ideal: novelist. likely/interim: Librarian.
D - Dad’s name: Alfred
E - Easiest person to talk to: Larissa
F - Favorite type of shoe: sneakers
G - Grapes or Grapefruit: grapes, don't like grapefruit- even when we had a tree in the backyard.
H - Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL (not there anymore)
I - Instrumental talent: piano, flute, trumpet, Baritone (for one year), and susaphone (once- during a parade and never again).
J - Juice of choice: Pineapple-Orange (yum).
K - Koala Bear or Panda Bear: Polar Bear
L - Longest car ride ever: either from south FL to Beaufort, SC (10 hours) or Eastern VA to Gainesville FL (11-12 hours- alone).
M - Middle name: Elizabeth
N - Number of jobs you’ve had: too many to count
O - OCD traits: when starting to read a new series, I always start at the beginning, and frequently go back and reread before reading the newest edition.
P - Phobia[s]: large crowds, very tall buildings, falling.
Q - Quote: Lately for some reason the quote I've been saying the most is "well alrighty then."
R - Reason to smile: friends. Friends to go places with and do things with. :)
S - Song you sang last: the day off song
T - Time you wake up: as late as possible
U - Unknown fact about me: I can't think of any
V - Vegetable you hate: Brussels sprouts, lima beans, and cucumbers (they're all evil).
W - Worst habit:
X - X-rays you’ve had: teeth, both arms, right foot, oh and a chest xray (once).
Y - Yummiest food your belly likes: definitely baked goods - cookies, brownies, bagels, scones (especially cinnamon scones- I blame Larissa for those) :)
Z - Zodiac Sign: Western: Pisces. Eastern: Horse.

Lolcats and a good laugh (or two)

First, for the funny picture:

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Now for the laughs: 1) I am actually hosting my very first Super Bowl Party (I don't know who's playing, and frankly Scarlet...). We might even watch the game.
2) See the new Library Thing on my sidebar, and how it has 8 books on it, that's 2/3 of the books I've entered so far.
I'm off, I'm trying to find a new place for the ficus, one that won't involve me walking into it on a regular basis (I can't put it back on the deck yet, the temp tonight goes down to 20). Wish me luck.

TT- the late edition

13 things I’ve been doing instead of blogging I know, I'm late. But hey, it's still Thursday, so that should count, right? I've been a bad blogger lately. I've been crazy busy and when I sit down to blog, I've got nothing. So this week's TT tells you what I've been up to (and it doesn't include all I've done this week at the day job- we're so not going there). Have a great weekend (I have tomorrow off- Yay!). Oh, and yes, I did borrow this idea from Joely, but the schedule was all mine. :) 1) Thursday- Gave a speech in front of 130 middle school kids and their parents (for the dayjob- after a full day of work). 2) Friday- Lunch with friends- one of whom lives an hour and a half away, the other lives half a mile away. 3) Shopping for books and calendars 4) Went to the outlet malls… and didn’t find anything. 5) Saturday- was a total sloth and made it to level 15 on Puzzle Quest on my PS2. 6) Sunday- Shopping for clothes- (and I actually found some- yay). 7) Went out to dinner and a movie (same place) and saw The Game Plan. 8) Monday- Scrubbed the kitchen from top to bottom (literally), and then hosted a going away party for a friend (wah). 9) Tuesday- 3 loads of laundry (having schlepped the clothes halfway across the apartment complex), and then went walking around the pond in my apartment complex (while waiting for the laundry). 10) Wednesday- Attended my Tai Chi class, and then went out to dinner (and actually got a salad). 11) Today- Cleaned my apartment in preparation of having the rugs cleaned (Yay!!) 12) Worked on my WIP (slowly but surely), read some books (I’m working on 3 at the moment), read some blogs (I blame Shiloh for getting me hooked on Dear Author and Smart Bitches, et al.). 13) Going through my stuff and getting rid of books I no longer need, clothes I no longer wear, kitchen stuff I don’t use. The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

May It Be (aka the Music Meme)

I found this on Stephanie Tyler's blog, and it looked interesting so I gave it a try.

Directions:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
The Promise (Michael Nyman (awesome pianist) Piano Music from Pure Moods album)

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Do I Love You? Aztec Camera from the Red, Hot, and Blue album)

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Return to Innocence (Enigma from the Pure Moods album)

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Don't Know Why? Nora Jones (awesome song)

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Pachalbel Canon in D (aka the Taco Bell Canon)

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
The Promise (again from the Pure Moods album)

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Adiemus (Adiemus- yes, also from the Pure Moods album- honest it's not the only one in my media player) :)

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
The Breaking of the Fellowship (from the soundtrack)

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
May It Be (Enya- Lord of the Rings soundtrack- my shuffle also seems to like to repeat songs- sigh)

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Overture #3 (J.S. Bach)

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR EX?
Clair de Lune (De Bussy- Van Cliburn's DeBussy album)

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Into the West- Annie Lennox from the LotR soundtrack)

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Minas Tirith (LotR soundtrack again)

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Both Sides Now (Clannad with Paul Young)

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Do I Love You? (again from the Red, Hot, and Blue album- but I could listen to that album anytime).

16. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Reverie by Debussy (also from the Van CLiburn album)

17. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Ev'ry time we say goodbye (Annie Lennox from the Red, Hot, and Blue album)

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
The White Tree (LotR soundtrack)

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Orinoco Flow (Enya- for the longest time my mom thought she was signing- save the whales, save the whales, save the whales).

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Do I Love You? (honestly, I have over 120 songs on my Windows Media Player, and it pulled this one 3 times)

Now press Next one more time and use it as your title.
May It Be (Enya with Lord of the Rings).

Feel free to borrow this meme, if you let me know you've done it, I'll come and check out your blog. Gotta go now, I've got three loads of laundry waiting to be folded- bleh).

Temporary Insanity and Plotting

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Okay, so I've just had a four day weekend, which hardly ever happens in the life of dayjob workers, and Friday I went shopping, Saturday I veged and played my new PS2 addiction (Puzzle Quest- I'm on level 15). And then today I went nuts.
That's the only way I can explain it.
I slept in, had a late breakfast, and went in to do the dishes...and proceded to scrub the kitchen from top to bottom. I washed the wall above the cabinets, the cabinets, the wall between the cabinets and the counter, the counter, the stove, the refigerator. I even moved the fridge to mop behind it.
And then I went out to dinner.
But somehow while scrubbing my brains out, I figured out how to fix my WIP. My main character and I were both having the same problem, so I figured I could give her the same way of thinking things out. Good hard work. I even came up with a story to explain it: her mom used to find some project to work on while she was trying to think about something, something involving lots of elbow grease and not much active thought, and she taught Grace that method (she's not one of those idle hands spouters, but growing up she found that this was the only way she could get some privacy to think). So when Grace needs to think about something she works in her garden or cleans the kitchen from top to bottom. So Grace offers to clean anything, and they show her an abandoned green house that needs a lot of work. She spends her time cleaning the glass panes, and figures several things out. Now to work this into the book.
I don't have a poem today, but I have started writing again. Hopefully I'll have something for next week. Have a great week everyone!
P.S. I had to post this picture, they had called for snow in my neck of the woods, and of course people panicked like they'd be snowed in forever, and we got maybe 1/8 of an inch. The kitty in the picture looks just like my psycho. The last time she ever tried to run out of the house she jumped off of the patio onto the walkway... and into 3 inches of snow (when we lived in the mountains) she walked back into the house shaking her paws with every step and looked at me with total disgust as if to say, "I'm not sure how, but This Is Your Fault! All OF It!" :)

No TT- Oops.

Hey everybody, no TT today. I had to work today, and then give a talk to a room full of teenagers and their parents (for the dayjob and about the dayjob- oh joy). So while my brain and my eyelids are both still twitching, instead of a TT i'll leave you with this (I got this from Gabriella Hewitt's blog- it looked interesting). Tomorrow I shall attempt to shop (wish me luck).

What Ann Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Monday Poetry Train- Apologies

No poem today, all of my writing time (and quite a bit of my blogging time) is being spent on finishing my WIP. To quote the Lolcats, I Has a Dedline (I want to have it done and polished and submitted as soon as possible, so I might have an answer before RT- okay I want it submitted before RT), so I'll be popping in to check on everybody, but probably won't be blogging much, for which I will apologize in advance. But hey, I am going to RT, so I'll see some of you there (I can't wait, it's gonna be a blast). Have a great week (It's going to be a short one for me, for some reason the state of Virginia is giving me a four day weekend, for which I say thank you very much. I will however leave you with a lolcat, and a good laugh (a good response to the poem, don't you think?).


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Tuesday's Taste Temptation, a Lol, and a few books

Tomorrow is my day off, and I am going to go buy books and have lunch with Larissa, so I am posting all sorts of things here: a recipe, a few book recommendations, and a good laugh. The laugh first (otherwise it messes with the HTMLs).

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Now the recipe: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
I've read that if you make spaghetti sauce in a cast iron skillet the tomato absorbs some of the iron, making it more healthy. My skillet isn't that big (making it more messy), so I just use my largest pan, it makes quite a bit of sauce.
Pour a little olive oil in the pan, add one diced onion and a couple cloves of diced garlic and let sweat, add one package of ground beef (anykind depending on what's on sale that week), and simmer until the beef is cooked. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste and a medium can of tomato sauce (or two depending on consistancy). Add two or three bay leaves, a few pinches of Italian seasoning, a few pinches of thyme and oregano, salt and pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar. Cover and let simmer, the longer the better but keep the temp low and stir frequently so it doesn't burn. It's great with any kind of pasta: lasagna, ziti, rigatoni, spaghetti. I've started using the whole wheat pasta, and can't tell the difference.

Now the book recommendations:

The first has just come out. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this a while ago, and have been waiting ever since. I intended to do a great big honkin' blog blowout bragging about this, but we all know... I plan and god laughs. Anyway, it's an awesome book, by an equally awesome person, so go out and buy a copy of Evermore by Lynn Viehl.

The next has been out since September, but I only recently bought a copy for download with a gift card someone very generously gave me (Hi Shiloh *g*). It's an awesome story, a great setting (I once worked at a ski resort and this almost made me miss it), and two totally believable main characters. You can buy a copy of Snowbound by Larissa Ione from My Bookstore and More (aka MBAM).

I'll leave you with one last funny: I had to call my dentist's office today to set up an appointment...to have a bitguard remade. I had one, but my mom's dog ate it.

Monday's Poetry Train- New Year's Edition

Hey, everybody, I'm back from vacation, I've made my new year's resolutions (posted as the most recent tt if you're curious), and am back at work. So for this week's poetry offering, I give you a haiku. I'm also including a print of Ansel Adam's in today's entry, I've decided I need more art on my blog, and this is a good way to start. Enjoy.

The old year is done
The new year's moon rises full
Hopes for a new year.

Thursday Thirteen- the New Year Edition

Thirteen Goals for the New Year Yup. I'm back home and slowly getting back into the swing of things. I liberated psychokitty from the vet yesterday and spent a good bit of time this morning with a cat perched on me. Okay, I checked last year's resolutions and didn't do too good meeting them (I did get more exercise and blog more, but that's about it). Despite this lack of total success, here are the things I hope to achieve this year (goals not resolutions- although there probably isn't much difference). What do you think? 1) Get more exercise- I started walking last year and managed to keep at it all year, this year I would like to increase the number of times each week, the distance walked, and add some variety to my routine. Say 3 times a week. 15000 steps a day, and maybe go on some hiking day trips. 2) Get more writing done- again I've managed to keep up (for the most part) with what I intended to do last year, but this year I would like to increase my output and write on a regular basis. 3) Submit two manuscripts and work on two more (not sure if I could finish them, but get them started- I have one that is started that I should be able to finish a first draft). 4) Attend the RT Conference in Pittsburgh (and get to meet my blog buddies). 5) Lose weight (I figured I'd start with a reasonable number- as soon as I come up with one). 6) Organize my apartment (again I've started this, just going to continue working on it) 7) Not spend all of my writing time blog hopping- when I sit down to work I will set a reasonable goal and complete it before I go online and read everybody's blogs. 8) Read more nonfiction- need to widen my horizons, and stretch my brain more. I'm thinking of starting the History of the English Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill (of course I left the first volume at my mom's house but I'm sure the library has it). 9) Keep better track of how I spend my money- there are a few big ticket items that I'm looking at and I think if I kept track of what I bought I'd be able to swing a few of them. 10) Limit the number of meals I eat out- this would help the budget and the diet. 11) Update my work wardrobe- sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go clothes shopping (bleh). 12) Get in touch with people I haven't written or called in a long time. 13) Try not to let the dayjob drive me totally bonkers, and possibly work towards one day not needing to work a dayjob (I can dream- right?) Anyway, there they are. Did you make any New Year's Resolutions (or set any goals for the new year)? Good luck. The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!