Susan Boyle

Now I'm now convinced it's a good thing Susan Boyle lost "Britain's Got Talent." I'm predict (hope?) she'll return to her quiet little life. If she can't take the stress of competition, how would she cope with the rigors of a professional singing career?

Plus--as psych nurse--I'm pretty sure we're only getting half the story here.

I Rant About This At Least Once a Year

Once again it was Bull v. Matador in Madrid and the bull clearly WON. I can't believe that so many people not only enjoy bull fights but worship it as a traditional part of their culture. I also can't believe these horrific animal-torture acts haven't been outlawed.

Judging from the irate comments posted on multiple sites I'm not the only one devoid of sympathy for the matador. Too bad, either way, the bull loses its life.

I am NOT Worf

Which STAR TREK CHARACTER are you?

Like I watch the show. ;)

My Results

New STW Giveway

Thanks to the fabulous DEBBI MICHIKO FLORENCE, author of CHINA: A Kaleidescope Kids Book and the upcoming JAPAN (July)--there's another chance to win a signed copy of SAY THE WORD. Check out Deb's LJ and LEAVE A COMMENT between now and June 7th. Winner will be drawn at random on June 8th.

Debbi also came up with some great interview questions which are now posted on her website.

Thank you, Debbi! And good luck to everyone.

So far today:

Watched 2 biopics: "Lady Sings the Blues" (Billie Holiday) and "Star" (Gertrude Lawrence). I love Julie Andrews but "Star" was hokey and beyond boring--why haven't they made a *real* movie about the life of Gertrude Lawrence? And while I'm not a huuuge Diana Ross fan (not since her Motown years) I see why people screamed racism when she lost the Oscar that year to Liza Minnelli. Her performance was phenomenal!

Drank coffee.

Then I had ice cream for breakfast.

And coffee.

Then I emailed, Twittered, the usual stuff.

Then on one trip outside I had to pry a fresh dead bird out of puppy's mouth--headless, warm, soaked with blood. Thank you, little kitty who lives right behind us whose Idiot Owners let him roam the neighborhood at will. Eli charged him once. Next time I'm letting go of the leash. Message to cat: This here's a huntin' dog, buddy, and he's hankerin' bad for some free fee-line @$$.

More coffee.

Read 50 more pages of OpheliaLaughs's outstanding manuscript which BY ALL RIGHTS BELONGS ON A BOOKSTORE SHELF!

Fell asleep for ten minutes. Hey, I've been up since 5:30 a.m.

Decided against a second serving of ice cream; there's only a smidge left at the bottom of the carton, so I'll be thoughtful and leave it for someone else to lick out.

Now I have to get ready for work so I can get there early and VOTE on a contract issue even though the contract isn't up and this whole thing ticks me off. But hey, that's another story.

I'm revising tomorrow if it kills me!

IDIOCY

I assume this school is teaching sex ed by sixth grade. If that's the case, I'm sure those same kids already know what "gay" means. So what's with THIS?

"Theresa Grace, principal of Mt. Woodsen Elementary School, which Natalie attends, decided that before Natalie's fellow sixth graders could learn about Harvey Milk's life and death, they'd need permission from their parents."

Nobody asked MY permission when our school district forced my children to watch the freaking OJ trial! Please. Because if I'd known about it ahead of time, no way would I have allowed it.

I'd have let them stay home those days and read a few banned books.

Good Luck!

Attention all writers looking for some quick cash, please respond to this exciting new opportunity, courtesy of Craigslist:

"I am looking for not just ANY writer to complete what I have...this
writer needs to be well versed in writing true life story's, they need
to have a spiritual depth to them as the story I have revolves around
true life happenings and God's intervention. I already have an 8 page
draft of the complete story, but it needs to be flushed out to where I
am happy with it, at the moment it portrays certain people as what they
truly are not.

"If you think you can write this piece, then please tell me about
yourself, send some samples of your work, tell me your fee, let me know
your turn around time, and let me know who would own the piece if it
was written by you."

Sorry I don't have the exact link but if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'll find it. Good luck to all of you! No stampedes, please.

Thanks, Kathie. =D

American Idol Finale LIVE!

My Immediate Impressions of the American Idol finale, recorded live while show in progress (warning--minimal proof-reading):

Two cute guys in glittering Elvis suits. Looove Adam's boots.

I've heard that "Rock Star" song so many frickin' times in the past few months--did they have to open the finale with that?

David Cook forgot to shave. If you're gonna look that scraggly, why bother with the haircut?

Outstanding Male Performance Nominess

Will: faker!
Michael: L.D. I wish their families wouldn't let them do this.
Guy: so bad I forgot his name in 3 seconds. Sang with his mouth shut.
Dean Anthony: Can't get past the fugly coat so who cares what he sounds like?
Nick: Needs Haldol, preferably the injectable variety.

Winner: Nick

If Queen Latifah can wear THAT (yikes) in front of a gazillion people, I'm wearing shorts this summer.

I wish I could see the rest of Paula's dress. The top looks like it's made of armor.

I love this song and I don't know the title or who the dude is that sings it and I can't understand the lyrics--but I love it!

(I just googled it: Jason Mraz--"I'm Yours")

Keith Urban + Kris. You know, this has got to be one of the BIGGEST thrills for these kids, singing with the stars. :)

It's 8:39. If I smoked I'd be having a cigarette at the next commercial break.

In my lifetime, I just want to see one single commercial about a household product (laundry detergent, Pledge, etc.) that has a GUY doing the laundry, dusting, vaccuuming, etc. with NO female in sight. I fear this may never happen.

Fergie looks fabulous; not so much the Black Eyed Peas dude with the crotch of his pants down to his knees. My gangsta patients wear their pajama bottoms like that. "Boom, boom" indeed.

I Already Forgot What This Category Is:

Katrina: (bikini girl): annoying.
Alexis: OMG, don't wear out those fingers.
Tiffany: Simon said she sang like a donkey. THAT was rude. True, but rude.

Katrina wins? Pleaase. Simon only liked her b/c she was, uh, mosly naked (and still is). But hey, she can sing!

Almost 9:00. How much longer can I keep this up? Puppy's snoring. I'd like to join him, except...not in the crate.

Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time"--lovely! Is that a zither she's playing?

I love seeing Kris's and Adam's parents.

Danny Gokey and David Cook have matching face scraggle. But Danny's performance is beautiful--and now he's singing with LIONEL RITCHIE!!! How can he not faint?

(Rats, now I wish I'd bought those buy-one-get-one-free Rainbow Twizzlers I passed up this morning cuz I am jonseing for something, anything--!!!)

Randy looks spiffy. Why can't I remember that new judge's name? Niiiice gown, girlfriend. Still haven't gotten a good look at Simon.

OMG, looks like Adam's auditioning for the part of Edward Scissorhands. But he's singing "Beth" which means...

YESSSS! KISS!!!

(whyyyy do they have to bust a perfectly good guitar at the end?)

Kara. Her name is KARA.

Santana's "Black Magic Woman" segued perfectly into Adam and "Smooth." Pure awesomeness. :) :) :)

Note: I'm rooting for Adam if you haven't figured that out by now.

Simon, as usual, looks like he wishes he were somewhere else...

Sometimes I'm so entranced by the instruments I pay no attention to the singers. Or even to the people playing the instruments. Did I notice it was Steve Martin playing the banjo? Nope.

9:35. Ice cream might be nice. Too bad I don't have any. Too bad nobody'll run out and buy me any.

OK, the guys are singing Rod Stewart. Does that mean...?

...waiting...

OMG. OK, this show ROCKS!

Although...*cough* Rod's plaid jacket kinda reminds me of the coat I made fun of above. You know I got tickets to see Elton John and Billy Joel this weekend, right? Now if I can just see Rod one of these days before one of us croaks.

You know in shows like this, they only let the young, cute, hip people up front near the stage? Yep. I know because I saw Paul Simon and John Mayer at the Rock Hall where they were taping a special for VH1. There were people looking everyone over and telling them exactly where to sit. Groups were broken UP! Er, it goes without saying I ended up waaaaaaaay in the back.

Outstanding Female Performance

Girl that sounded like cat jumping off Empire State Building: don't insult dead cats.
Irene: sang 4 lines before I realized it was "Over the Rainbow."
Girl in hat: hahahahahaha!
Tatiana: why tasers were invented.

Winner: Tatiana

Adam and Kris singing "We Are the Champions" which means--yeah, I figured this out all by myself, haha--that Queen's coming on. Not quite the same without Freddie Mercury, though.

They still made me smile. I don't know if it was nostalgia or the sight of these old dudes ROCKIN' their a$$es off!

9:58. No results yet. It's gonna be ADAM, right? Right?

Ryan says: "THIS IS IT."

The envelope is at hand, the results verified. Drag it out some more, NOT.

The winner is: KRIS

Well.

It was the eyeliner, right?

The Moral of the Story is...

...pretty non-existent, which is what I posted in my guest blog for Bookluver-Carol's Reviews. This is also a contest, so be sure to leave a comment after you read. I'd love some feedback from you guys on the subject matter. :)

Contest: Two for One

Ohhh, God. Keep me away from Twitter--it's more addictive than blogging which is "one" reason I haven't, um, been blogging much. Not Blogging is ba-a-ad. Bad, baaaaaaaad, BAD! Down, girl. Play dead. Go eat a worm.

Today, hubby said: "You need to figure out how to work your writing back into your schedule." I guess he realized I'm actually hanging around here lately.

"Dad! Dad! Who's that stranger in our living room!" "That's your mom, son." "My what?" "Your MOM. And be nice to her--she's cooking dinner tonight."

I am, too: a meatloaf...though I might trade it in for a mixing bowl-sized portion of Coco Puffs. Have I mentioned how much I dislike meatloaf?

OK, for lack of any excitement in my life at the moment, I'll self promote: For a chance to win a copy of both Say the Word and Before/After, please check out BOOKS BY THEIR COVER and leave a comment. This contest will run through the end of the week. Say hi to Yan!

Guest Blog and Review of Say the Word

For an inside look at one of the reasons I wrote Say the Word, here's my guest blog plus a very nice review by BOOK CHIC. If you post a comment you may win a signed copy. :)

Warning: one spoiler in my piece, but hey--go!

Monday!

1. I rescheduled my scope for the first week in June. Unfortunately this means juggling my schedule at work.

2. Beth has a thingy on her eyelid which means an appointment at 11:30 tomorrow. It might be a good day to drop Eli off at CBW even though I'm working and will have to pick him up at 1:30. If I do, though, I might be able to squeeze in some writing (or, more likely, cleaning).

3. Got an iTunes card and box of candy for Mothers Day--"In spite of your evilness," is how Nate affectionately put it before he handed it over, lol.

4. I just realized I've never had the flu in my life. According to one of my fave doctors at work (yeah, I have them) you don't vomit with the "real" flu. I've never had the flu and *not* thrown up...which means I evidently never had the flu.

Why do do I bring up "vomit" so often on this blog?

5. Can't wait to see The Soloist. Nathaniel Ayres, who lived in Cleveland before he move to the west coast, was well known to several of my coworkers. They described perfectly how, when hospitalized, he'd sit on the floor in the hall and play his two-stringed violin.

P.S. Hubby says, "Don't you get enough of that at work?"

Please

Mia Farrow needs to adopt another kid. She has waaay too much time on her hands.

OW OW OW

How many TUMS are considered "too many"? Like, what's the overdose ratio? More than 10 in 4 hours? Cuz I just ate another 10.That's right: another 10. I'm supposed to be "scoped" in July--don't you love that expression? like someone's gonna douse me in minty fresh mouthwash?--but something tells me I better get in sooner before I start spewing blood.

Okay, I'm a drama queen. I promise not to spew blood. But I swear I've got the esophagus of a hard-core alcoholic and I barely toss back three drinks a year. Stress. I'm convinced.

So...anybody out there ever OD on Tums?

A Happy Reunion

3 months later, Elijah and his "godfather" Brandon--who rescued him from the side of the road, and gave my family one of the greatest gifts imaginable--finally get to meet each other again!



Eli recognized him! I swear!

Thank you again, Brandon. xox

New REVIEW

Thank you, Becky, for the GREAT REVIEW of SAY THE WORD!

In the meantime I still struggling with revisions of my paranormal. But, funny enough, it's a "happy" struggle. :)

Ultimate RETCH of the WEEK

OK, I am OFFICIALLY GROSSED OUT.

Elijah just puked. I thought he swallowed a rubberband.

Then the rubber band grew longer...and longer...and started...

SQUIRMING! 

Eew, eew, eeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

As a nurse I've seen my share of worms, maggots, etc. But this is BEYOND GROSS!!!! Now I have the little critter doubled-bagged so I can drop it off at the vet's and beg him NOT to reopen in my presence or there'll be more vomit to clean up, thank you very much!

P.S. Beth bagged it for me. Don'tcha just LOVE that kid???

Monday Catch Up

1. I stayed off the computer all weekend which I think is going to be my rule from now on. Usually I stay off only on the weekends I work, but I got much more done by avoiding the internet. Of course that means I had 67 emails waiting...

2. I'm 2/3 of the way through my hundred-page revision. I already performed 2 character abortions and eliminated a whole storyline. Down to 118k (first draft-wise) with a goal of 90k (or less) by the time I finish.

3. HAY FEVER! I'm dying here. Nothing works except Benadryl which is one of the drugs we use at work to knock out-of-control people down a few notches. I'm drugged, drugged, drugged, and I haven't been this miserable in years! I'm leaving a trail of snot rags wherever I go.

4. Elijah caught kennel cough! Yes, he'd been vaccinated but only a month ago so I don't think he built up a full immunity. The vet says it's only a mild case. He's on antibiotics now, and hasn't coughed since Saturday. Or puked up his dinner because he was coughing so hard. BTW, it's amazing what you can find in a puppy's puke. Ever look? ;)

5. Doctor's appointment today that I'm not looking forward to because she's gonna yell at me...for a variety of reasons.

6. Grandma's 85th birthday was Saturday! We took her to Dairy Queen for her favorite hot fudge sundae (while Beth and I snarfed down fat-free ice cream sandwiches) and hubby had a chicken sandwich and a chocolate milkshake. Whoa, are Beth and I made of steel or what?!? BTW, after 3 years Grandma has a new roommate--and it's Miss Ruth! I hope it works out. It's one thing being best buddies with someone, and something else entirely when you're sharing one room. Her last roommate was mute, wheelchair-bound, and mostly out of the room, so Grandma essentially had the room to herself.

Friday 5

1. A few words about My Good and Evil Sides posted on Books By Their Cover.

2. I have the amazing good fortune to have an agent who doesn't mind digging her hands into my earlier drafts (thank you, Tina). With a 3-day weekend coming up I plan to get a lot done, never mind that the weather's gonna be beautiful and the house is a stay and we're out of food and my oil light's on and...

"Shut up, Jen."

"Thank you."

3. I love when you're asked by The Powers That Be what can be done to Make Improvements. And when you tell them what Seriously Needs To Be Done, they say Oh THAT Will Never Happen...and then they ask So What ELSE can be done? Um, I already told you, you said it ain't gonna happen, ain't nothing gonna change, so why continue the conversation?

4. Elijah rarely barks. However, when two Church Related Stalkers showed up this morning I seriously thought he'd go through the door. Good boy, Elijah! Have a cookie! Have three!

5. I'm watching John Carpenter's Village of the Damned. Kirstie Alley is thin. Chris Reeve can walk. Mark Hammil is young. Totally surreal!

Sneakin' a Peek

"Tagging up the walls, hanging with the homies..."




"Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.."

Oh, I wanna be a dog just for one day! Feed me, play with me, rub my belly, throw me treats. Siiigh.

Friday 10

1. Nothing like posting a link to an event and not mentioning the fact that 8:30 p.m. means EST! Sheesh.

2. Another nice blogger review. Thank you, Alea. :)

3. Toe is improving. Thank goodness for Crocs because the surgical shoe they gave me is a PIA (I don't think it fits and I'm too lazy to go back). I am, however, going back to work tomorrow. Seven a.m. I'm depressed just thinking about it.

4. Elijah is sleeping through the night a bit better. But the only way to get him to do that is to wake him up and take him outside later at night--10 or 11 when I am home, or 12:30ish when I get home from work. He's trying to figure out door knobs now. He likes licking worms frozen to the sidewalk in the morning. He peed on the floor for no reason at all the other day after being essentially continent for 3 weeks or so. I know you shouldn't "shriek" at dogs--but he did stop peeing as soon as he heard me and finished up outside. What a good boy!

5. My agent likes the way my paranormal's going and gave me a few good suggestions. Even with my Latvian/Bulgarian/Albanian/whatever keyboard, I've already had a chance to get to work on it. Yay, BEACHMO!

6. I knocked my jaw out of whack in my sleep last night. Yeah, I swear. I have awful TMJ and my bite was off--it felt like biting down on a marble on one side of my mouth. That is so, so, sooo not right. But it popped back into place. I blame this entirely on my own orthodontist who I'm sure received his training in eastern Europe during WWII. I believe he also made keyboards in his spare time.

7. Did I mention my dog eats frozen worms? Oh, yeah, I did--number 4. I think it's significant enough to mention again. Particularly when he scrapes them up with his teeth and tries to bring them into the house.

8. Straaaaange movie, a musical that should NOT have been a musical. But I was riveted: Dancer in the Dark. Lately, though, it doesn't take much to entertain me.

9. Yes, I am reading high fantasy (don't pass out) because I'm currently addicted to the Legend of the Seeker show on Saturday nights:



(Pam? Holly? You still standing?)

10. For those of you I don't see in the chat tonight, have a great weekend! I won't be on again till Monday, though I may drop a Twitter or two. Bye!

Steph Su Interview

Check out STEPH SU READS for an interview with yours truly, and for more great interviews from other authors.

Great blog, Steph. Thank you!

Operation Teen Book Drop

Today, April 16, is Support Teen Literature Day and OPERATION TEEN BOOK DROP! READERGIRLZ: "Inciting all to participate in Operation TBD in its drive to spur reading on a national scale, readergirlz invites teens and YA authors to leave a book in a public place on April 16th. Participants can download bookplates to insert into the books they'll leave behind. The TBD Post-Op Party is open to everyone at the rgz blog (http://readergirlz.blogspot.com) at 6:00 PM Pacific/9:00 PM Eastern. Come rock the drop in 2009!" Thanks to ReaderGirlZ, and GuysLitWire, and YALSA for promoting teen literature. NOW GO DROP A BOOK! ;)

i guess i should have explained what happened to my foot. no, i wasn't stomped on by a psychopath. i grabbed the phone and headed out of the room to talk in private and whacked my foot on a table leg on the way out. i might add that this is about the fourteenth times i've broken that same toe. i might also add that although it is indeed fractured, it's not nearly as bad as the last time this happened--when that same toe stuck out at a NINETY DEGREE ANGLE. in those first few seconds when your endorphins kick in and you are actually pain free--you know, before you starting screaming and swearing and sobbing, etc.--i grasped that toe and snapped it right back into place. hubby nearly barfed.

word to the wise--do NOT relinquish your laptop to anyone unless you know they already have the needed part in hand. after waiting 5 days i finally demanded it back. they said when the keyboard comes in they will bring it to the house and install it here. if they don't so it by friday i'm getting my deposit back and going elsewhere. i understand that they had to order the part but they should have told me this first and given me the option of checking out other places. this is fully my fault because when they said if could have it back the next day of they have the part, all i heard was NEXT DAY. however, they had the model number and everything and should have checked their stock. of course when they brought it back, the guy said, oh i fixed it--you don't need a new keyboard after all. so i check it out when they hand it over, and no, it's still broken. HELLO???

notice i am not naming names.  yet.

i think i'm an idiot for not demanding my deposit back. but they keep swearing to me that the keyboard is on the way.

i wonder if companies realize how much power bloggers have. how, if we're not satisfied with the service, it's so easy to post about it.

and name names when we want to.
 

Starred Review for Say the Word!

I'm happy to be able to share a STARRED REVIEW from Booklist for SAY THE WORD:

Issue: April 1, 2009

"Ten years ago, Shawna’s mom Penny came out, moved out, and never looked back. For 10 years Shawna aspired to be everything her protective, perfectionist father Jack wanted her to be, distancing herself asmuch as possible from the shame that Penny’s abandonment caused her. But at 17, her mom’s death pulls Shawna into contact with Penny’s partner Fran, and their sons, Arye, 17, and Schmule, 10. Jack, who legally remains Penny’s next-of-kin, financially ruins Fran’s family, and then goes after Schmule...  Shawna finds herself questioning her allegiances, but is powerless in the shadow of her domineering father. The more Shawna tries to connect with Schmule and to make amends with Fran and Arye, the more vicious Jack becomes, leaving Shawna alone to deal with the dawning realization that Schmule is a great danger to himself.

"There are many issues at play in this powerful and compelling novel—gay rights, acceptance, shame, first love, domestic violence, harassment,depression—all swirling around Shawna, whose thoughts and emotions are not always politically correct, but are always genuine. This sensitive and heart-wrenching story slowly unfolds into a gripping read featuring realistically flawed characters who undergo genuine growth." — Heather Booth

Thank you, Caroline, for sending this to me!

He's a Big Boy Now!

I dropped Elijah off this morning at doggy day care for a trial visit, so what do I do?

I come home and watch him on the webcam, of all things:







I know, right?

No, seriously...I'm hard at work!

Book Signing at Joseph-Beth

Well, I finally I got the pictures to cooperate (no nose hairs here!) and here are a few of them. You can now put a face to some of the LJers:



Pam (eldheni on LJ) and me on arrival at Joseph-Beth Booksellers



Cool cake, eh?



A better picture!



Calondra, the event coordinator who was an absolute doll!


Reading



Signing books for friends (Jan and Noreen)...



...and relatives (Molly and baby-to-be)



Miss (mela_lyn) and hubby


Leisa (fandoria) and family



Kathy, (a Columbus librarian who made the trip up) Pamela, and her daughter Ashley



Ladyeye and Brian_Ohio on LJ



Flowers for Tante from Corey who shared the day!

Warrior of Worry (LJ)came too (Yay, Karen!) and I don't seem to have a pic, but she was there, i promise! :)

1. What a great response for this contest, over 30 entries, plus doubles b/c some people posted in more than one place. As noted before, winners will be announced early this week (notice I am not committing to a particular day as my 

                                                   l  i   f e
    i  s 
                                                                                                                            a  s 
                                                                                                                                                         n  u  t  s 
                                      a  s 
                                                                               e 
                                                                                      v 
                                                                         e 
                                                                                 r

but it'll probably be Tuesday or Wednesday. Definitely not Monday (see # 5).

2. Elijah is up to 23 lbs! (he was 8 or 9 lbs when I brought him home) --and totally insane. He has an "interview" for doggie day care on Thursday so I can keep him socialized with other dogs AND take a "break" every once in a while. He still eats like a pig, is 90% housebroken (he brings me shoes and rings the bells on my door knob when he has to go--and just this morning he actually brought me his halter) but he still can't be trusted as he occasionally slips up (he is, after all, only 4 months old). He can sit and lie down on command, we are working on "stay" and he comes when he's called...when he feels like it, that is. He's fun, but being a puppy he likes to bite and chew (including human flesh) and he has terrible separation anxiety when I leave the room and he can't get to me. He does wear me out and I get NOTHING done! Walking him is an experiment in terror. Not because he "pulls"--because he stops every five seconds to look at dirt, smell dirt, paw dirt, eat dirt... No, I don't have to lug doodoo bags around because he only likes to do that in his own yard. Go figure.

3. Because I get nothing done I remain in seriously writing withdrawal. I'd planned to go to Borders yesterday to work on interview questions and to revise a bit, but ended up conking out at SEVEN p.m. and sleeping through till FOUR a.m. when the "baby" woke me up to go out. I'm going to try again this afternoon and stay till they close. I'm also in blogging withdrawal and haven't read blogs in days. Uh, weeks, actually. I miss my LJ friends! I'm going to make a point to read DAILY even if only for 30 min or so.

4. Speaking of reading...I'm not reading anything, either. What happened to me???

5. Tomorrow I have to go into work early for a 3 hr workshop to learn how to defend myself without actually fighting back.

O-kaaay...

This blog disappeared

And now, miraculously, it's back again! WTH happened???????

New Year 2009!

I didn't make my "goal" of finishing my first draft, but I did reach my goal of 90K by the end of the year:

91,000 / 90,000 (101.1%)

It's been an interesting year which started out pretty bad--hubby was unemployed and I lost my job of 10 years at the end of 2007--but ended well, thank goodness.

I lost my editor, Jill, but then fell in love with Caroline, her replacement.

I revised and edited Say the Word which will be released in this year on St. Patrick's Day.

I still have my wonderful agent, Tina.

I've met so many new friends here on LJ, including those I had a chance to either meet or talk to IRL.

Hubby's working again.

I started a new job in psych which I was SURE I would hate, but it turned out to be the one of the best jobs I ever had (yes, I wrote that with a straight face).

I survived surgery and I'm doing well.

We still have Grandma!

We also have Charlie, a new addition to the family, and now a new brother or sister for him on the way.

My family is healthy and we're all as crazy as ever. :)

No point in making any bogus New Year's resolutions like vowing to keep my house clean (haha) or write at least one hour a day (hahahahahaha!). I'm only going to work very hard at being the best person I can be. What more, after all, can I possibly ask for?