I Am Insane...

Or Why There is no snippet this weekend.
I have been informed by no fewer than two separate and unrelated people that I am insane. Friday is my day off, so I emailed Larissa to see if she can have lunch and do shopping, only to remember that Friday is also the Relay for Life day. So I am going to do both, and then work the whole day Saturday. Yes, I probably am insane. But this also explains the no snippet. That and preparing to start all three summer reading programs...On Monday, thank you very much. With all of this, my insanity is pretty much guaranteed (actually we're almost ready, all I have to do is type up the instructions for the three programs for the staff). And then there's programs for the summer, a writer's retreat in June, another trip home in August...(I'll stop now, before my brain explodes).
So, yup, I'm doing the Relay again this year. This will be our last year doing the relay, so if you feel like donating a couple bucks, the link is on my side bar (and I'm the only Ann on the team). Wish me luck (my feet will need it). :)

Thursday Thirteen #49

Thirteen Books on my To Be Read Pile Not just on the list of books to be read, these books are actually stacked on my new bedside table. Most of these books I got at RT (one way or another *g*), and I should probably confess now that it will take me quite a while to read all of the books I brought back (and considering the number of duplicates I've been finding as I organize my books- it looks as if I'll be running a few contests in the future). I will try to post reviews of these as I finish them, along with a couple of other books I owe reviews. I had intended to post the pictures of the covers, but my contacts are drying out, so I think I'm going to finish this list and hit the sack. I'll be around tomorrow to visit everybody's blogs. 1) Satisfaction Guaranteed by Charlene Teglia- I'm reading this now, am on the second story and am enjoying it very much. 2) Seduced by the Storm by Sydney Croft (not out yet)- Larissa gave me this, and I can't wait to read it. I've enjoyed everything of hers I've read. 3) The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason- She beat Nora in the Dear Author March Madness, now she's got me curious *g*. 4) Doctor's Orders by Jessica Andersen- I found a copy of another of her books in the Friends (of the Library) booksale and bought it. It was very interesting and well written, I'll read this, but I'm really waiting for her new series to come out (Mayans, gods, and preventing the end of the world- sounds great). 5) Boy Next Door by Amy Knupp- I did get this at RT, Maya gave it to me. Now I have all three of her books. 6) Dark Lies by Vivi Anna- I met her at RT, so I had to get a book of hers at the Book Fair. 7) Wild, Wicked, and Wanton by Jaci Burton- I got this in the gift bags that Maya handed out at the pizza party the first night at RT. I've read Surviving Demon Island and Hunting the Demon, so this should be interesting. 8) Colter's Woman by Maya Banks- Maya gave me this one and the next, and I've read other stories by her (plus the reader's group keeps saying those of us who haven't read this, really should read it). 9) Her Majesty, My Love by Sharon Long (aka Maya Banks) 10) Hunter's Salvation by Shiloh Walker- I read Shiloh's blog, and was glad I had the chance to meet her in person, and at some point I might even try to read these in order. 11) Forbidden by Lila Dubois- I won this in a drawing and have been going nuts busy ever since, so I'm putting this on the pile to make time to read it. 12) Girls that Growl by Mari Mancusi- I met the author when she was on the panel of a YA program at RT, and she gave me a copy of her book. Can't wait to read it, it sounds great. 13) The Ruby Key- Holly Lisle- I've been reading snippets of this whenever Holly posted them on her blog, and have been waiting for this to come out. The cover is amazing, the story is awesome, and the writer is my hero. What more could you ask for. Well, there's my list. I'm going to be now, the ringing in my ears is clashing with the music I've been listening to (it's not making the headache worse- it's just annoying me). I will be back tomorrow to check out the other lists, and try to post a snippet for Friday. Good Night. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! 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! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

I'm Back!

Hey everybody, I'm back (did you miss me? *g*). I had a good time, I had a chance to relax and to see some of the extended family that I hadn't seen in years (and met some of the newer members). I also visited the Biltmore Estate with my mom and my sis, and took some pretty good pictures of the gardens, which I will post as soon as I can find the usb cable for my camera (I think it came home with me, just not sure which bag it is in).

The reason I went home was that just before Christmas my great-aunt died, and a week ago Sunday we all got together to celebrate her life. She was an inspiration to everyone who met her, living her life to the fullest and leaving with no regrets. She did some amazing things in her time (teaching yoga into her 80s, taking up art after losing her eyesight), but some I only learned about after she had gone- I only wish I'd known before and could have asked her about them (growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, she took her first trip abroad- with her new husband- to Europe, including Germany, in 1938). She will be missed.

P.S. I'll try to get back into the swing of things and post more poems on Mondays and Thursday Thirteens, but I might have to put off the Friday Snippets for a while. I'm going to do a heavy revision on the first book so I can submit it to another publisher, and when I've done that I'll polish up book 2 so it can be sent out into the world. Wish me luck.

So long, farewell, toodle loo...

Sorry, once again there is no Friday snippet, I haven't written a bloody thing since I got back from RT (not that I'm blaming RT, I've just been running ragged since I got home), but Saturday I am on vacation and I am Going Home (Yay!). I'll be gone for a week, without internet for the most part, but while I'm gone I hope to start writing again. We'll see. Once I have a chance to relax, I should be able to string a few sentences together and have them make sense. So I hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing weekend (and if this bloody thing doesn't post and show up, I'm gonna drop kick something).

I've been Memed!

more cat pictures
Nicole got me with this one,and I couldn't think of 7 more random facts, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The rules: Posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer. Play nice, children.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? 10 years ago I was graduating from grad school.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today - get up, go to work, work, come home, and...Feed the Cat (in her opinion, the last one is the only one that matters).

3. Snacks I enjoy - Cookies, scones, and coffee (hot, iced, ice cream).

4. Places I’ve lived, in no particular order - Orlando, Fort Lauderdale (close enough), Keystone, Colorado (ski resort), London (England).

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire - Pay off my debts, buy myself a nice cabin in the mountains, and quite my job to write for a living.

6. Peeps I want to know more about - Let's see. How about Joely, Susan, Cora, and Larissa (only if you're not crazy busy).

Happy Bloggiversary to Me!

Yay! The blog is two years old today. And to think I only started it because I couldn't seem to get my comments posted on other blogs without it. I've met tons of wonderful people through my blog (and you all know who you are *g*), and have had some great experiences because of it (it was a blast meeting authors at RT and have them recognize the name of my blog). I would make this a long post full of deep thoughts, but my lunch break is over, so I will leave you with a lolcat instead. Have a great day, everyone.

more cat pictures

Happy Mother's Day

Thursday Thirteen #48

Thirteen Things I did to help stimulate the economy I know, lame topic. But I've been a bad blogger, and I felt really guilty not having posted since last Thursday Thirteen, and I've been wicked busy with the dayjob (but don't like to blog about it), so I thought I list 13 things I bought with my refund check. 1) A 1 gig flash-drive- yup bigger is better. :) This thing holds pdf files like nobody's business. 2) A new toaster over- this one has a removable crumb catcher, making it possible to clean, and less of a fire trap as my old one (so old it went into the dumpster instead of the Salvation Army). 3) A wire media rack- for my dvds, so I can use the wooden one for the extra paperbacks that came home with me from RT. 4) A neti pot- it's supposed to help with sinus problems (which I certainly have)- I jsut haven't gotten up the nerve to try it. Yet. 5)Gas- I do seem to do a bit of driving, but I try to carpool whenever possible. 6)Lunch and Dinners Out- the schedule has been really weird since I got back from Pittsburgh, slowly though I'm getting back in the swing of things. 7) Groceries- Boy, was that an eye opener, don't go shopping for a month, and it takes a lot of money to get caught up. 8) Books for me- I can't help it, people keep putting out great books, so I keep buying them. 9)Books for giveaways- Yes, I will be holding giveaways on my blog, most likely this summer, so keep a look out. 10)A new mattress pad- always nice to have, helps keep the mattress nice and clean. 11)New sheets- a soft butter yellow color, which should go well with... 12)A new quilt set (quilt and pillow sham)- lots of blues, and the perfect size for... 13) A New Bed (Yay!)- this one is a full-sized bed with a pillow top, and not one of those no-flip kind (which wear out twice as fast) and is being delivered Friday. I can't wait (Of course, I also have to clear a space for it, but that's a different list). Gotta go, I have a ton of stuff to get ready for my new bed to be delivered, I'll try to post my snippet tomorrow, but if I don't, have a great weekend. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! 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! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants