Bad Day

I am in pain. Took 3 tylenol, & though it helps a little, it also makes me slow & stupid. Will be 2 or 3 days before this problem corrects itself. The lists are late, my reader is over-flowing, I'm cranky, tired & cold. Days like this suck.

Are You A Zombie?

Are you a zombie? So many people are. They go through their day without thinking. They don't see the beauty around them, don't hear the words being said, don't feel the great & glorious joy that could be theirs. They go through the motions doing the things they always do because they always have.
When was the last time you literally couldn't breathe because you were overcome by awe? Or felt such overwhelming love for some one that you were just sure your heart would break from it? Have you ever felt connected to the incredible boundlessness of the entire universe? How about the last time you saw something from somebody else's point of view, not just in your head, but in your heart & soul? Do you really see the people in you life, as they really are, or are you seeing them through a filter you've defined them with?
No one can feel these things all the time; it would be too overwhelming. That's why children need naps, why they get frustrated & frightened & cranky. Because each moment is so bright, so filled with something new. Stimulus overloafd.
But as we grow older, those moments become rarer, life becomes everyday. Mundane. Unless we actively seek out the beauty & joy & love in life, we loose them.
I am becoming a zombie. My heart has grown callouses where it has been hurt. My soul is folding in on itself. Anger is replacing love; fear is replacing joy. Obsessive Compulsive behavior has become a poor replacement for passion. But I am aware, and that is the first step.
So here's the thing. For the next year, I'll be setting goals for myself. Each Sunday I'll set a new goal or set of goals. I'll give myself a certain amount of time to reach each one. I'll share my progress, and along the way I'll tell you some of the things that helped to contribute to who I am right now.

Sunday #1
I'm overweight. Oh, not terribly. About 20-25 pounds. But it terrifies me. There is a history of diabetes on both sides of my family. A large number of my family members are very large people. And my eldest sister died at the age of 31 from a massive heart attack. She weighed over 500 pounds. Her death left 3 children motherless & a husband without a wife. These are the things of which real nightmares are made.
So, for my first goal, a relatively easy one. I am giving myself 6 weeks to loose 17 pounds. My scale said 157 pounds this morning, so my plan is to get down to 140, which puts me within 5 to 10 pounds of my ideal weight. Any less than 130 I have a tendency to bare a striking resemblance to a prepubescent anorexic boy.
Sunday goal #2
Slightly more difficult, as this one involves a small amount of cooperation from others. Get my house clean. I live with packrats, people who can't get rid of anything. Ever. So we live in clutter. I hate it. I hate clutter. I have some sort of genetic imparetive that requires me to get rid of things every 3-4 months. I need clean, uncluttered spaces for good mental health. It's time to let the garbage go. If we don't need it/use it, it goes. Alright, this one may be very very difficult. I will let this one run for 4 weeks.

Well, those are enough for now. It's a small start, but a start none the less.

My Reader is Empty!!!

I've finally caught up. Read, emailed, or posted everything backed up in my reader. Woo Hoo me!
It was getting a little clogged because yesterday I spend three incredibly productive hours reading I Can Has Cheezburgers & Failblog. OK. Perhaps "productive" is a bit of a a stretch. Maybe "a complete waste of time but at least it was funny" would be a better description. Plus, Kitten really enjoys the LOL Cats. And on Wednesdsay I actually watched a movie. Oh, yeah. Doesn't happen very often. In fact, X-Men Origins was so good, I watched it twice. {And as an aside, in my personal opinion any movie with Hugh Jackman AND Liev Schrieber should be labeled "porn for women" and sold in a plain brown wrapper.}

Blog Addict Award

From Rachy at ParaJunkee's View, another award for my blog, Just Contest Stuff. Thank you, Rachy!
Blog Addict - the award goes to the blogs that fosters my addiction.
Thanks for all your hard work! It pays off - I read your posts. Great blog design and content! You can pass this one on if you want, but no obligation. Make it worth it!

Another post I'll have to think about & get back to. I will do so.

Where Have All The Followers Gone?

If your Google Friend Connect widget (followers) has gone blank, please go to Missing Followers?
and Complain. Get all of your blogger friends to complain. Re-post this link on your blog. Perhaps if Blogger hears from enough people, they will make an attempt to fix what is obviously a problem that has been going on for some time. There is also a form to fill out to help Blogger "debug" the issue. Thanks!

My Second Award!

Another award for my blog, Just Contest Stuff! Thank You to CC Chronicles for this award. (and as an aside, doesn't she do lovely work?)


The Heart of a Dragon Award is a very special award for the blogger who inspires you and/or others to go above and beyond or the blogger who helps keep us all connected.

Here are the rules:
1. Post the award on your site with a link to the person who gave it to you.
2. Pass it on to the blogger(s) who inspire you and list why they are receiving the award.
3. Post a comment on their blog.




1.Henrietta at A Hen's Nest, because she's the one who got me into blogging in the first place.
2. Trisha at Trisha's Book Blog, because she's a really nice person, helping out other beginning bloggers & holding out and holding on against the few *brats* out there.
3. Lady Hightower at Psychic Mama*Indigo Child, because she helped (technologically challenged) me out with a few things I had no idea how to do when I first started.

OK. I've been thinking about this for about 9 hours, and I just can't come up with anyone else right now. Not because there aren't great blogs out there, but because CC already gave this to SEVERAL of they blogs I would have chosen! So I'm sticking with these 3.

My First Award!!!

Thanks So Much to CC Chronicles for my first award for my other blog, Just Contest Stuff.

The Dragon's Loyalty Award is an award for the loyal fan/commenter, whether the recipient is a fellow blogger or just a someone who follows and comments regularly.

Here are the rules:

* If you have a blog, post it on your blog with a link back to the site who gave it to you.

* Leave them a comment on their site, email, etc. to let them know.

* If you don't have a blog but have a website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back.

* Pass this on to 3-10 loyal fans.

OK. So... I only have 8 followers as of this morning, so I'll be passing this along to each of them

Shelley at Book Fanatic
Carter at CC Chronicles (yup, I'm shootin' it back at ya!)
Rachy at ParaJunkee's View
Michelle at red headed book child
J Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog
Amanda at Amanda's Fun Stuff
Henrietta at A Hen's Nest
hayden392 (if anyone has any idea how to get in touch with hayden392, let me know?)

OK. Off to notify people of this beautiful award. Thanks again to CC Chronicles for not only giving me this award, but designing it as well.

A Trip To The ER

SO...I was just about ready to make dinner when Kitten comes in & tells me, "I put a rock in my nose." Then she shoves her finger in there & pushes it deeper!!! Almost all the way to the bridge; I couldn't see it but I could feel it. Well, off to the Emergency room. But, of course, she's starving, so a rare trip to McDonald's Drive-Thru first. We get to the ER, and who knew? Those jokes about having to wait f-o-r-e-v-e-r in the waiting rooms are NOT jokes. 2 hours later & the (Very small) stone I couldn't see when we left the house is an eighth of an inch from the outside world. It had worked it's way out! The doctor was in the room with us, no kidding, maybe two minutes. Plucked it right out. He asked me if I wanted it for a souvenir. Um, no? Any way. The stone is gone, Kitten is sleeping, & I am so glad I have children. And how was your day?

Much Love, Henrietta

This is just a quick Thanks Much to Henrietta from A Hen's Nest for offering to design a button for my other blog, Just Contest Stuff. Thanks!!!!

A Win Today

I was starting to get a little discouraged, as it's been a week since I've gotten a win. Today, thanks much, I received an email informing me I'd won a copy of Dark Hunger by Rita Herron from Found Not Lost. Go check it out, there's a few book contests up. Go ahead, enter them, you know you want to. I like competition. Good Luck, and watch for a coming review of Dark Hunger.

The Manhattan Prophet

From the cover:
Set in the near future in New York City, The Manhattan Prophet picks up in a world where the doomsayers predictions have come true,where a limited nuclear exchange between the West and radical Islam has traumatized society and left civilization in a new Dark Age.

Salem Jones is the Manhattan Prophet, emerging from his life long imprisonment in Rikers Island Prison. His message is one of hope & faith for the survivors. Maria Primera is the beautiful, privileged journalist slated to be the first person to interview him. And Herbie Lipton is the surprising key to humanity's salvation.

This is, without a doubt, the best new book I've read this summer. The story is one of spiritual redemption, rather than one of religious dictates. All of the main plot points are definitely well within the realms of possibility. Terrorists attacking with nuclear devices? Easily believable in this day & age. An over reaction in the Middle East which causes localized nuclear war? Yup. A mutated AIDS virus? Not really a stretch. Even Herbie's family history is completely believable, given the hippy culture of the sixties. Oh, yes, the story IS GOOD!

Now, let's talk about the writing. In a few places in this book, the author stumbles just a little & the writing goes a little down hill. However, over all I'd have to say the writing is very good. I like that the author wrote this book on the presupposition that the reader had access to a higher than fifth grade education. Details & back story are deftly woven in with the action. The author obviously understands the writers' adage "show, don't tell."

This book will stick in my head, and I will be rereading it soon.

The Manhattan Prophet is Jake Packard's first novel. For more information about the book & it's author, visit www.themanhattanprophet.com.