This post was actually written last week! I know I didn’t procrastinate…Aren’t you proud? Fine I wrote it the night before we left. But hey it’s not like I wrote the DAY we left.
I’ve been having major travel anxiety getting ready for this trip. I mean what if I forget something important I can’t replace while I’m away? You know like my meds? Sure I’ve got a list of items to pack and take with me that I’ve checked off at things go into one bag or another…but WHAT IF?? Well, that little “what if” sent me into a frenzy of what I call travel anxiety.
This is pretty much me…(but not really a picture of me)…good times!
I’m fine once we’re on the train and while we are in the air, hell I’m GOLDEN while we’re traveling. However, I do miss the three fur balls. But no it’s usually those last two days leading up to said travel were I turn into this really super anxious and crabby person. More anxious and less crabby. I’ve tried doing things like making lists, venting on Twitter, etc to try to calm those things. But it didn’t work. I was wide awake freaking out until I forced myself to go to bed at 1am. The night before we left there will be some melatonin on board.
But once we get in the car I’ll be FINE. It’s weird right? I don’t get it and I don’t know how to nip it in the bud. Thoughts? Tips? Tricks?
Another lovely reader suggested a short while ago that I write a post about how perfect my sister is. Yes, that reader just happened to be my sister. She’s just so modest. But she had a point…no not on the perfect bit. No one is perfect Little Sister! But she is pretty darn awesome as far as little sisters go. Take for example what she did for my wedding day. You see folks Little Sister works for a local (awesome) bakery. Top it off she offered as her wedding gift THE CAKE!
Nom!
Let me tell you it was delicious! Not so delicious a year later when we had a bit of the top layer on our first anniversary. But I’m told they never are…ever! Besides providing the cake as her gift to us she also served as one of my bridesmaids. A turn I was happy to do for her just last year at her wedding.
My Little Sister and her Mister are huge fans of Saratoga Racetrack. So much so that it served as the theme of their 2012 wedding! In fact if you happen to be looking for them during track season…there’s only one place you should look. Yup you guessed it at the track. One Sunday they invited us all up to enjoy an afternoon playing the ponies.
Keeping it classy…
We had a good time and heck I even walked out of there with $24 after only betting $10! But it wasn’t really about watching the races or winning any money for me. It was more about spending time with my Little Sister and the rest of the family. I enjoy hanging out with her. We don’t get to do so as much as I would like. But when we do hang out I think we have a good time. Which is all that matters, right? Right!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Are you ready? We were not always this close. Then again what siblings really are when they are under the age of 18? From what I’ve seen and heard the answer is – not many at all. It really wasn’t until my sister went to college that I think we finally really and truly got to know one another (the same is true for my brother). Of course this did not mean I didn’t love them. What it meant was they had stopped annoying me.
I think this is really how we felt about one another when we were kids.
But now we call one another. Go out to dinner together. Heck we even have each other over for interesting games of Cards Against Humanity! So interesting in fact that we refuse to share this game with our mother. If you’ve ever played you will understand why! I’ll say this about my sister…I’d truly be lost not having her in my life these days. She’s been there for me on my best days and my worst. Do we still irritate one another? Of course it is THE unwritten rule of being a sibling. But we usually don’t irritate one another to the point of calling for Mom to break it up…at least not recently.
Plus who else is going to post something as funny as this on your Facebook wall? Yeah NO ONE!
So thank you Little Sister for being you! I wouldn’t change you for the world! Love your older and wiser Big Sister.
That’s right kids…NaNoWriMo is exactly one month away! Are you ready? Do you even know what the hell I’m talking about? No? Well, allow me to fill you in.
NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month – get it? Basically you have one month to write 50K words or more! It begins at midnight on November 1st and carries on through midnight on November 30th. Also known as “Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!” Last year, for the first time EVER I finished!! I came in at a little over 50K and was so thrilled I finished!
Winner winner, chicken dinner!
What motivated me? The Hubbins was a HUGE help in this department. He would ask me about where I was in the story or sometimes even help me further the plot without even knowing it! He also made dinner quite a few nights that month. I also donated 50 big ones to the organization that puts this event on ever year. This got me some fun swag items, plus pushed me to really put my money where my mouth was. If I failed I saw it as throwing away $50 (even if it went to a good cause).
I also met a fantastic group of folks over on Facebook. We have one of those super secret groups over there. If you want in you’ll have to friend one of us. But seriously it was a great way to keep folks motivated through the month. We all checked in and shared lines from our novels. Sometimes we batted around ideas with one another. Well, sometimes we just procrastinated because that’s what writers do! In fact we’ve kept our little group going the entire year…I’m really looking forward to what this year brings!
So what didn’t I like about NaNoWriMo? My story is the only thing I really ended up not liking one bit by the end. Half way through I had a much better idea come to mind. But I was dammed if I was going to stop and try to start fresh in the middle of the month. So I pushed through and finished a story I really wish would have stayed buried in my head…. Now I have one month to really workout and think about what I really want to write about.
Be it something brand new or perhaps taking the easy way out and writing a fanfiction. Whatever it is I need to put in a little bit of work this month to get the most out of next month! Are you thinking of participating this year? If so head on over here to sign up or to log on. I hope you join in. It really is a lot of fun…even if you don’t like the end product.
I’ve got a few posts scheduled to go while I’m on vacation. I’d tell you what they are, but then why would you come back and read them later? So stay tuned!
I’ve been attempting to pack all day for our trip. I’ll say it’s been going ok, but I just don’t like doing it. Plus the added bonus is I can’t even finish packing until the morning we leave as I need the make-up, face wash, hair brush etc in order to be completely packed. Plus there’s the camera, othere electronics, and snacks to pack for the plane. I’m not paying $20 for some crap inflight meal. Nice try airline! Sigh. Someone come pack for me!
This book review is WAY overdue folks. Why? Well, I think because it was a book I had to read. Now I did want to read it too…don’t get me wrong. But because I was asked to review it I felt much like the Niece when it comes time to do homework. I didn’t want to read it, instead I wanted to read other books that came into my possession. In the Niece’s case she’d rather play her DS, but you get the idea.
I finally forced myself to sit down and finish the last 100 pages this weekend. For two reasons. I’ve had the book since the end of July! I’m leaving for vacation in two days and I really wanted to get this review done before I leave. Ok there is a third reason…I still don’t want to start packing…so finishing this book won out.
The book Mariachi Murder came out in May of this year. I have a first edition copy…how cool is that? I understand this to be the debut novel by D. R. Ransdell. First off I have to say I’m pretty impressed whenever anyone gets their first novel published.
Now about the book, I will admit this was a little slow to start off for me. But the main character, Andy was easy to relate to. Andy has trouble with women, seems to live from paycheck to paycheck, and is loyal to his friends. Basically you find yourself really pulling for him throughout the story. I was a little concerned I wouldn’t “get” the book as there was a lot about Mariachi music and the culture of being in a Mariachi Band. Never fear Ms. Ransdell explains it all in the context of weaving this story. By the end I felt like I could hear the music that Andy and the bad were playing in the restaurant.
Mariachi Murder follows Andy as he does his boss a favor….keep an eye on his wife while he’s out of town. Seems an easy enough thing to do. Trouble is the wife, Yiolanda, is young, beautiful, and a huge flirt. It would seem Andy has his work cut out for him. But for Andy things only get worse as a series of murders seem to follow wherever Yolanda goes! Question is…is Yiolanda to blame for them or is there someone else to blame? I’ll leave that for you to find out should you wish to pick up Mariachi Murder.
Enjoy!
I can only guess there are more novels planned for Andy. I enjoyed following his development as the main character in this story. I’d love to see what else gets thrown at him after this first novel. If you’d like to follow the author please visit her on the web here.
My thanks to D. R. Ransdell for sending me a copy to review. My apologies for taking so long to review!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Hats (five being the best).
If you would like me to review your book please contact me. You can find my contact information in the About/Contact tab. I promise not to take three months to review!
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. The author was kind enough to send me a copy for my honest review.
Every now and again I plan to put the spotlight on one of my favorite shops in the area. This time we’re heading to Troy, NY. I may not live their anymore, but they sure do have plenty of places and spaces that keep me coming back!
…T and J Soaps…
First up – T and J Soaps. You can find the shop’s page on Facebook, there is also an Etsy Shop, and you can follow on Twitter @tandjsoap!
I’m not really sure how I found out about T and J Soaps. But I think I must have noticed the business that used to occupy 271 River Street in Troy wasn’t there and now a soap shop was and I just wandered in. However, it happened I’m glad it did. I’ve found some great products in my many visits.
I have to say the soaps are by far my favorite. There’s always something new that wasn’t there a week or two ago. The soaps range in scent from traditional smells of Lavender and Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey (those three are in one bar kids) to wild scents like Ginger Ale, Cotton Candy, and even Raspberry Porter. That’s right, soap that really smells like beer!
These soaps are currently going through the curing process before they go on the shelf!
Right the other products sold in the shop. I must add that the shop always smells mighty awesome. Which I have to say usually helps pull folks in off the street too. You’ll find bath bombs, lip balms, lotions, and lotion bars (I call the bars perfume replacers). All of these also come in an assortment of scents too! Everything is handmade by shop owner Theresa Hovish Van Duyne. Where she finds the time I will never know. Plus if she’s tired from all the work she puts in….well you’d never know it. Theresa has always been super bubbly and just generally welcoming whenever I’ve been in her shop. I have to tell you it does have to do with the reason I keep going back! But I’ll let some more of her products speak for themselves.
I keep one of these in my purse to freshen up with.How could I forget the candles!?Plus other assorted goodies!
Tonight I enjoyed an oatmeal, milk, and honey bath bomb. It was so relaxing even the cat was trying to get in the tub. Thankfully he settled for laying down on the mat! I’ll have to pick up a few more of these bad boys when I make another run to Troy!
To be really honest I could drop a small fortune in here and I may have last Christmas. But all of her items are awesome. I haven’t found one I don’t like. Plus she’s sure to have something for everyone on your list. For example you can also find items by local artists in the shop for sale too. We scored a cute pair of Red Sox bottle cap earrings for our cousin a few months back and they were a huge hit!
So if you every find yourself in Troy, NY stop in and say hello. You can also shop the Etsy shop if you find yourself nowhere near Troy.
Next time Enchanté Whole Leaf Teas – another Troy favorite!
Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way or asked to review this shop or the product they sell. by the owner. Any product(s) I endorsed I purchased myself. However, I did let the owner of the shop know I would be writing about the shop and all photos were taken with permission of the shop owner(s).
Just FIVE little “likes” away on the Facebook page before I hold another giveaway! So share, share, share! I’d love to go away or come home from our trip to 100+ “likes” for the page.
The “you” in question is GLUTEN. I have been very good about sticking to a gluten free diet over the last year. So good that I gained 19lbs! While I felt awesome about this, I was also a little horrified. Apparently the “I can eat whatever I want” party has come to an end. But today I fell off the wagon in a big way. My mom stopped over and she had brought McDonalds eats for her and the Niece. Of course I had to have a fry or two. Which then lead to two bites of the Nieces hamburger. This of course lead me to wanting my own eats from said Golden Arches.
Fast forward three hours later and I have devoured a Big Mac, large fries, and a cheeseburger. I was hungry. I shouldn’t have eaten it. But sometimes I just have to have gluten. It seems to call me now and again like a Siren. I fall for it every time! Thankfully, every time is now once or twice a year.
Nom, nom, nom…
I’m sure I’ll be paying for this later. Then again maybe I won’t. These days when I eat enough gluten, like I did tonight, it becomes like a game of Russian Roulette between me and my stomach. Is this the time I get off scot free or will I have to pay the piper? Stay tuned…
That’s right ALL my tests came back! Finally! Top it off they all were….
All of them.
Which you know is good…because Lupus or other autoimmune things would seriously suck. Trust me I know several people dealing with such illnesses and it is NO picnic. But that still leave me wondering what is the root cause of all this joint pain and fatigue (and more) I’ve had since May 2012?? Looks like we are back at square one. But I do have a few other “places” I can look.
For example that time I had Lyme Disease. Did it really get fully out of my system? Or is it chronic Lyme? Should the doc have checked for other tick-born stuff? I’m not trying to make things up here people. Just find out how I can get rid or or better manage this joint pain business. Because as the cold weather approaches it is not going to get pleasant. Just like it was not awesome when we were in the 90’s here for a few weeks this summer.
Gal In The Grey Hat 