Long week...and it's only Thursday

What an insane week!

• The plumbing backed up (Easter) Sunday morning - into the living area of the basement nonetheless - and I couldn't get it fixed until almost 4pm on Monday.
• Had to take a day off on Monday to deal with it. Had a 32-hour panic attack while I went to the neighbor's every time I needed to go to the bathroom. Had an anxious, barking dog for the 6 hours there was a plumber in the house. Ugh.
• As I sit here and type this at work (because I'm bored), I have accumulated 6.15 hours of work in three business days. I am making quite a dent in Walking Disaster, though.
• I am forced to say good-bye to a friend and co-worker tomorrow as her life takes her on a new journey. 
• Did I mention I'm so bored at work???
• I was able to do wheel pose in yoga again yesterday. This is a pretty big accomplishment. However, my arms, legs, back, and knees screamed at me when I attempted to do yoga today.
• The stress from the first part of the week has taken its toll on me, and I'm just exhausted...even after getting close to 8 hours of sleep each night.

The good news is that we are celebrating new journeys and birthdays at work tomorrow, and there will be a never-ending supply of food. Also, it's freaking Friday!

Next week, I get one of my fave friends and co-workers back from maternity leave. I have missed her immensely.

Here's to hoping for a gluttonous day tomorrow and a weekend full of recently added Bond movies on Netflix.

Shinedown, 3DG, P.O.D.

March 29, 2013
La Crosse Center
La Crosse, WI

Can I just say thanks to the La Crosse area for coming out and supporting rock music in this area?

According to 95.7's Facebook page, there were 6000 people at the P.O.D./Three Days Grace/Shinedown show last night. It was reportedly the biggest crowd since Motley Crue in 2006. (I don't know if that's for any concert or any rock concert. Regardless, the turnout was fucking amazing!) I knew we were in for a good turnout when I arrived 5 minutes after the doors opened and couldn't sit anywhere near where we wanted.

So, this is what I saw when I walked in. The background music while waiting for the show was the Beastie Boys. Hell yeah!
P.O.D. started the night out. Personally, I neither love nor hate P.O.D., and I really only know the songs I hear on the radio. I knew probably 75% of the stuff they did. However, I really wasn't impressed. Not sure why. I did find their guitarist hilarious. He was a short, stocky fellow who basically just screamed into the mic throughout various songs. He totally didn't scream "rock god."

Next up was Three Days Grace. Now, quick history lesson for folks who don't follow this kind of music. About 2 days after I bought these tickets, the band announced that the lead singer (Adam) was leaving the band. Then, a few days later, it was announced that the lead singer of My Darkest Days (Matt) would be filling in for this tour. Drama ensued. I like My Darkest Days (MDD), but Matt's voice is nothing like Adam's. The internet lit up for weeks with complaints and suggestions for a better replacement. I was mostly worried that the La Crosse area wouldn't come out to support this show because you really didn't know what you were going to get. However...

Picture "borrowed" from the La Crosse Center's Facebook page.

Three Days Grace (3DG) was awesome! Matt did a really great job. There was a mic set up center stage that had some kind of effect on it that I felt he went too way too often and ruined parts of songs for me. One of my co-workers thought he did a great job but expressed concern for his excessive use of gestures. I can attest this was a bit annoying. Overall, though, they rocked it. I feel better now that I know I'll be seeing them again at RockFest in July.


The best part of the whole night, though, was probably when 3DG performed Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff." Seriously...there aren't words. Our local radio station has a compiled video of some of the show on YouTube. A part of this performance is on there, and I would encourage you to go watch.

Shinedown was up next. Once of my favorite parts of going to concerts is the "in between" music. Beastie Boys greeted me when I walked into the venue; a little Rage Against the Machine while waiting for 3DG; then...a mixture that included Journey and House of Pain while we waited for Shinedown. It made no sense, but it was funny as hell as the place was singing out loud to all of it.

All of a sudden the lights went down and all eyes turned to the stage. There were spotlights on the bassist and the drummer, but there was a moment of "wait...isn't there something missing?" All of a sudden I turn to look directly in front of me...

Yep, they had completely set up two risers in the sound/light area without me ever realizing it. Oh, and security moved the guys in without me every seeing it, too. (The video I linked to earlier has their "secret"entrance and about 2 minutes of them singing the opening song, "Enemies.")

Sorta like P.O.D., I neither love nor hate Shinedown. Thanks to a co-worker sharing some music with me, I have a fair amount of it in my library, and satellite radio plays a fair amount of it. However, I know nothing about the band. Like, I was shocked they all came out in some sort of suit attire. They stayed in those outfits until they came back out for the encore. Weird, but pretty cool.

The circle thing is where the videos played.

They had a video playing behind them on stage almost the entire time. (It reminded me of Rob Zombie.) I guess I never really paid attention to the meanings of their lyrics. This is a pretty emotional, issues-oriented band.

They were phenomenal live. No joke. The music was spot on, the performance was great, the lights weren't overboard (like 3DG's were), and the videos were pertinent and moving.

So, aside from people standing in front of us, blocking our view, and a random drunk whose ass I thought I might have to kick, it was a great show. I really hope Mr. Fahey paid attention to the attendance last night. Mr. Fahey: La Crosse can support a rock show!

An "aha!" moment

So, no shit, I had the most amazing "aha" moment last night. I was having trouble falling asleep - which NEVER happens - and my mind was wandering.

<digress> For some that were following my book reviews on Facebook, you might remember one I read maybe 4-6 weeks ago that I thought could be my high school life story. The amazing thing I took away from that story was how much of that part of my life I had repressed. I think after reading that book, it unlocked a door in my mind. </digress>

There's a question I ask myself every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. That question is: "When was the last time I was happy?" Well...AHA...it came to me last night!

I don't remember exactly what age/grade I was. I'm guessing it was somewhere in the 16-19 year-old age range. Here's what I do remember. I remember a time when I was part of a large group of friends...mostly guys. (Let's face it...always was and always will be a tomboy.) I remember hanging out at Mark's house with him and Thad and Wobs...and probably tons of other people I'm forgetting. I remember feeling like these guys were my family. They were my brothers, BFFs, and boyfriends all wrapped up into one. I remember telling these guys I loved them every day and not thinking anything of it. Because it was true. Then I remember an entirely different set of friends that I had a similar relationship with. Matt and Bryan were my choir/theater brothers/BFFs/boyfriends. I had the same relationship with these two (and I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting) that I had with the other group.

What's the common denominator in all of this? I MISS MY BOYS!!!

How many times do I hear something like "aren't you lonely?" or "don't you want a man in your life?" or "would you like me to set you up?"? I always have a hard time answering these questions because I am lonely; I do want a guy in my life; and I DON'T want to be set up. I miss having guy friends. The drama is so much less, and I have way more in common with guys.

The last guy friend I remember having was Mike. Here's what I remember about one of our last conversations. "So, [new girlfriend] doesn't understand why I have to be friends with you." WTF? I would like to think that if this situation were reversed that I would NOT be like this. Mike and I "dated" for maybe 4-6 weeks. And I put "dated" in quotes not because it's code for "did the nasty" or "friends with benefits" but because it was obvious early on that we had NO physical attraction for each other. It was kinda like kissing my brother. YUCK. So, that said, I don't know why [new girlfriend] would be concerned or jealous.

So I guess maybe that's why I'm struggling. How many 40-year-old guys are there that are "allowed" to be friends with a girl? I've been in touch with a couple of really good guy friends that I've known for...well...ever, and I always feel better when we talk/text.

So if you know of any guy in my age range that is allowed to have a girl for a friend, please, send him my way.

Latest weekly book update

So, I managed to get through 4 books last week. I'm pretty much all over the place when it comes to subject matter these days. In an attempt to eliminate my HEA (happily ever after) romance book phase - which is driving me insane - I attempted to branch out.

1. Touched by AJ Aalto: This was full on paranormal with vampires, witches, magic, etc. I think this would have been a good story except that all the main characters were introduced in, like, the first chapter without any back story or explanation. I had a hard time keeping up. And while most everyone is still alive (or undead) at the end, it wasn't a super happy ending. I won't read it again, and I probably wouldn't recommend it...unless you can find it for free.
2. Reign of Blood by Alexia Purdy: Undead apocalypse but with vampires and not zombies. I was all for this based on the summary, but it was sorta a weak story line. I felt like it could have gone in so many different, and better, directions. However, I found the basic theme interesting considering I just finished Season 2 of The Walking Dead. In my opinion, the "aha" moment of Season 2 is sorta what this book is about...just swap zombies for vampires.
3. Collide by Gail McHugh: This was a really good book. I finished this one in a day (thank you Kaplan for giving me NO work to do so I could read). This was a romance with a HUGE cliffhanger ending. I didn't realize this was a series when I started; I might not have chosen this to read until after the next book comes out if I had known ahead of time. My biggest issue with this book is that the female lead is weak...and I HATE that! So, we'll see what the next book brings.
4. True Love Story by Willow Aster: As I woke up Saturday morning and scrolled through my Kindle looking for a non-romance to start, I realized the book I borrowed with the Kindle lending library for March was still sitting there unread. So, I had to put my jones for a paranormal book on hold for another romance. This book was really good...and sad and emotional in parts. Some will categorize this as a "rock star romance" because the male lead is a guitarist, but other than him being on tour and that causing the main couple to spend time apart, his music career isn't really a thing. I cried during parts of this, I'll admit it. Maybe it was because for once, the guy screws up and has to BEG to be forgiven. And when she doesn't acknowledge his presence on Earth, he faces reality and backs off and stops trying. Say whatever you want, but a gorgeous rock star who pours out emotions in poems, letters, and songs is HOT! This one I recommend.

So, this week will bring my re-read of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire in preparation for Walking Disaster to come out next week. I always knew I would re-read this one, and this is the perfect opportunity. :-) 

Almost Spring, my a$$

As I prepare to officially and indefinitely suspend my Facebook activity on Friday, I have decided that I will instead try to blog more often. This, perhaps, will not be a problem as I seem to have ample time available at work these days to at least start a post (as I am doing now)

So, things are pretty stressful. It would seem that winter is going to be around FOREVER here in Wisconsin, and my seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is at a level I’ve never felt before. I’ve added good ole Vitamin D to my diet (in place of real sunshine), but it apparently interacts with my anxiety meds. So now I’ve taken to feeling drunk every morning and needing some 5-Hour Energy just to stay awake. It’s neat.

Between being mentally and physically ill from the SAD and my lackluster career, I’ve started to think again about moving. A quick web search of where people with SAD would benefit living from turned up Albuquerque, NM and Charlotte, NC, just to name a few. I have a friend who used to live in or near both, and he voted for Albuquerque. In 2007, Tempur-Pedic opened a huge mattress factory in Albuquerque, so perhaps I found my new career.

I continue to read quite a bit. I finished a book this morning that was not fantastic, so I’ll refrain from any sort of recommendation/review. I am taking a short break from HEA (happily ever after) romances and trying to focus more on the paranormal. I believe the next book in line for me to read is about a vampire apocalypse. (Don’t fret…there are zombie books waiting right after this one!)

Best (& worst) books of 2012

I wanted to do this really in-depth blog about everything I had read in 2012, but let’s face it. I read A LOT in 2012. So, I’ve decided to try to just do a top 10 of what I loved. Or maybe top 20. Ugh! So many to choose from. Also, I was asked to also include my “duds” of 2012. I can tell you now that there weren’t many. I read many books that held my attention ‘til the end, but didn’t make me think about them long after I was done, but I don’t think that makes them “duds.” So those will not be included here.

If you are an avid reader, or become one in the future, I highly advise you to subscribe to Pixel of Ink. I follow them on Facebook, but I believe they also have a website. Every day, they post two updates (morning and evening) with freebies for the day. (If you aren’t on Facebook, I think they send the deals via email.) It also includes any Amazon bargain deals for the day. Please note that when it says a book is free at the time it was posted, it is entirely possible it won’t be free by the time you go out to get it. Always verify purchase price.

If, after reading my choices, you think some/most/all of these would be up your alley, I also encourage you to follow Maryse’s Book Blog. I follow her on Facebook, but she does a blog that can be updated as often as five times a day. (Also, she posted her top 25ish books of 2012 today, if you're interested.)

Disclaimer:

• I read my books in a Kindle Fire. Any reference to price or book site or blog is specific to a Kindle reader and books purchased through Amazon. I cannot guarantee that Nook or other e-readers will be afforded the same specials.
• Most of the authors I read are classified as indie, self-published authors. In many cases, these will not be available in any format other than an e-book, and finding them through your local library will be next to impossible.
• Other than #2 on my list, I paid no more than $3.99 for any book in my entire Kindle carousel. And there are so many…
• I am a firm believer in the supernatural and paranormal. If you are not into that genre, you will probably not be sold on this list. I will try to note when books fall into this realm.
• I am not going to provide summaries of the books. I’ll give my opinion and brief commentary, but you can go out and read more about each if you’d like.
• While some of these books may have been released in 2011, I read them in 2012, so…

The first two books I’m giving you are, in order, my two faves from this year. The rest could be in any order because I really enjoyed them.

1. The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

   I am not going to even explain this book to you. Just read it. It was phenomenal. And there is absolutely NO paranormal aspect to it. It’s just real people and real emotions and a totally real plot. I recommended this to my mom's book club. I hope this author gets an agent and a publisher QUICK because she deserves it.
2. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

   Again, words can’t describe this one. Nothing paranormal in this one. Hot, tattooed guy (Travis…yummy) tries to get the good girl. It takes place in a college setting. This also just got picked up to be made into a movie. The only way they can screw it up is by casting the wrong actor as Travis. Also, the “sequel” will be released in April 2013. It’s called Walking Disaster. It’s not really a sequel; it’s the same story told in Travis’s point of view. Scrumptious...
3. The Providence Trilogy by Jamie McGuire
   
Notice the repeat of the author’s name? Amazon has the trilogy bundled into one e-book purchase. That’s how I got it. This one has a supernatural aspect to it: angels, demons, and a bit of religion. The story (and love story) is well thought-out and beautifully written.
4. Blood Reaction by D.L. Atha

   Not surprising that this one is about vampires. This is probably the first e-book I read this year that I recommended to others. The story was very original. I encourage anyone who enjoys the vampire genre to indulge. I will say that it’s pretty dark. I also want to caution anyone with kids. Sounds weird, I know, but one of the underlying storylines is about what a mother would do to keep a child safe.
5. The Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle
   
I have also been pushing this one all year. This one is mostly about ghosts and ghost hunting. There is an underlying love story between the two main characters who are in their mid-20s. This series is interesting because you’ll find that there are “tweener” books, as I like to call them. Like, if you go looking for them, you might see Book 4.5. These are usually short stories that either are standalones to hold you over until the next book in the series, or it’s the story up to this point told in a different character’s point of view. Finally, the editing on these books is not great. The story is pretty good, but you should be aware of the poor editing going into it. Darkhouse is the first book and has been free almost the whole year. It is a super slow read, but if you attempt it, stay with it. The rest of the series gets better, but you need this for back story.
6. Fall from Grace series by Christine Zolendz

   There are two books in this series. This series was one of my faves because it had rock stars and paranormal aspects. The paranormal in this series is angels. However, with angels come demons. This series is very well written.
7. Reunion and Twisted Vengeance by Jeff Bennington

   These are two separate books, but I found one because I read the other and liked the writing. Both of these books involve ghosts and hauntings. If you enjoy that topic or believe in ghosts, both are really great.
8. Just Breathe series by Kendall Grey
   
I believe this is going to end up being just a trilogy. The first two books are out, and the third is scheduled to be released 1/8/13. (Seriously, I can’t wait for this one!) This has some pretty supernatural aspects to it that require you to open your mind and think outside the box. I can tell you that the lead character, Zoe, works with whales and can communicate with them. That’s one of the storylines. Sound odd? Perhaps. But note that a huge portion of the proceeds of the book sales goes to whale research and rescue.
9. Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

   I think I get to count it because I finished Mockingjay in January. Seriously…if you haven’t read these yet, just do it. The first movie was actually really good compared to the book. However, the books are always so much better!
10. Flesh by Kylie Scott

    I am constantly being mocked at work by my love for this book. This is listed as zombie apocalyptic erotica as the “genre” on Amazon. Oh, and that’s what it is all right. Here’s my synopsis: It’s 60 days past the zombie apocalypse. There’s a group of people that have survived that come together for safety in a small community. The ratio of men to women is something like 10:1. As a female, unless you want to be kidnapped, raped, and fed to a zombie, you might want to open up your sexual boundaries. There is a “sequel” to this one coming out on 2/1/13, which I have already pre-ordered for the low price of $1. Same post-zombie-apocalyptic erotica but not the same characters…and it has now been 6 months since the apocalypse and supplies are low.

Rock star books, rock star books, rock star books! Holy crap, I couldn’t list them all. I am so into these right now. I think it has something to do with my secret fantasy to date…um, “have fun with” a real life rock star. Regardless, I have a ton, and they are all basically the same. Somehow, some girl gets to go on tour with a band. She falls for a band dude, thinking she can “change” him, he screws up, she leaves, he begs, she comes back, happily ever after. These are kinda played out for me right now, but they sure are fun! (If you are curious, message me and I can send you a list.)

O.K. Time for my list of duds. It’s really not going to be much.

1. Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James

   Guilty pleasure, but not the best writing of all time. I say read the first one to say you’ve experienced Christian, but read reviews/summaries of the next two and move on with your life. And, for the love of Pete…if you get through the second one, DO NOT start the third one. Ugh…so many hours of my life I can’t get back. However…if you do want to experience them all…I suggest getting the audio book for the third book. I was having a difficult time getting through it and had a long road trip ahead. The audio book was AWFUL and made me giggle out loud in inappropriate places.
2. Have You Seen Her? by Rich Silvers
   
The only reason this is on here is because this is one of the only books in my entire life I started and could not finish. 40% of the way through, I could already tell the ending. It was SO FRUSTRATING to know what was going to happen when the whining, crazy main character didn’t get it. Per a suggestion from a friend, I jumped to the last two chapters to confirm my belief and called it good.
3. Savagery by Emma Mackenzie

   (sigh) Do I have to? This is the one I “won” and got an advanced copy of. This was billed as erotica. The story was awful, the writing/editing was awful, and a few tame sex scenes (and one tame threesome) does NOT make an erotica. I mostly hate this book because after my negative review on Amazon, the author emailed me privately and ripped me for my review. Whatever. It’s awful. It was also free a few weeks ago. Don’t do it.

In closing, I also want to push a site call Smashwords. I have visited but never stayed long. Since I'm hooked on a ton of self-published, indie authors, they have more release control on Smashwords. From what I've read this year, B&N is AWFUL in picking these books up. However, you can buy the format on Smashwords and it'll tell you how to load it onto your Nook. I'm assuming if you have a "generic" e-reader, this would work as well.

Happy reading in 2013! I know I can't wait. :-)

2012 Recap

So, it’s New Year’s Eve. I’ve never really understood this need to make a big deal about the end/beginning of a year. It’s just another day. Maybe it’s just the excuse to have fireworks, drink excessively, stay out late, and prepare for a few days of college football. Whatever it is…it’s just another day for me.

That said, I wanted to try to put down on paper (metaphorically speaking, of course) my 2012. Consider this my version of a Christmas letter. With social media, I feel like most of my friends already know all of this, but here goes.

Honestly, I can’t even believe 2012 is over. I feel like nothing happened in 2012 for me. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe that’s why I feel like it’s gone so fast. Let’s find out.

Let’s start with the most fun of my 2012. My concert attendance! The La Crosse Center welcomed Volbeat, Megadeth, and Zombie; some random small-town festival in Arcadia brought in Trapt, and a trip to Iowa of all places gave us the Tresspass America Festival. The Tresspass show had, like, 8 bands, but the important part of that was seeing Five Finger Death Punch. My concert buddy, Ashley, and I had said early this year that we were getting tickets if they came anywhere near us. Who know that Waterloo, IA would be that place! (Side note: 5FDP's American Capitalist album was my fave of 2012.)

Also in 2012, my spoiled rotten, 4-legged little buddy decided he was no longer going to tolerate and eat food purchased at the store…even really expensive food. Thus started us on our journey of a homemade diet. It kills my bank account every week and eats up about three hours out of every weekend…BUT…he loves it, he seems happy, and we’ve not had to go to the vet in a long time. I know my time with him is winding down, and so we will continue down our homemade diet path.

The majority of the work on the house was complete. Finishing the basement was my last big project, and that was done somewhere around Memorial Day. I have been informed that I will be receiving a small sum of money from my grandmother’s estate, so the wheels are turning with a possible additional project. Or I can make a bigger house payment. Or I can travel with it. Or I can save it. Who am I kidding…it’ll be a house project!

One of the biggest things 2012 brought me was a restructuring of finances, which included the canceling of cable. This was a super big decision for me…mostly because I gave up a lot of sports. However, what I gained was this immense amount of time I never recognized I had lost. I can still access every single sporting event I want…on the radio. A little satellite radio or the TuneIn Radio app and I’m good to go. While I’m listing to a game or race, I can be doing something else. The best situation is when I can be sitting in a lawn chair in the back yard with a beer doing nothing but listening. If I had cable, I’d be trapped on the couch. Of course, the other big advantage to ditching cable was the sheer amount of books I can now read. In October/November, I was averaging four books/week. (Stay tuned for my 2012 fave book blog to hopefully come very soon!)

I’m finding reading even easier to add to my life now that I have my own treadmill in the basement. Yes, exercise still is a very important part of my life. Now I can walk the treadmill any time I want. I still have access to the gym at work for free. I do yoga twice a week and also try to fit in an abs or pilates class. This summer, I took advantage of Yoga in the Park. Two Friday evenings a month throughout the summer, the three biggest yoga studios in La Crosse rotated teaching a 45-minute class in Cameron Park in conjunction with the farmer’s market. The turnout was amazing, and with the unusually warm summer we had, they added three additional dates to the schedule. There were a total of nine classes, and I attended all of them. I was the only one. (Please wait while I pat myself on the back for that one…)

Yoga remains an important part of my schedule to help me remain relaxed and calm. 2012 also brought about more panic attacks and an actual diagnosis of anxiety. The pills help, but I welcome a more holistic approach to treating more of a mental disorder. I find that I really rely on my yoga classes for that. In November of 2011, La Crosse became the proud owner of a hot yoga studio. While it’s a little too expensive and high impact for me to do on a regular basis, I love it. When I had busy weeks and couldn’t make it to my yoga classes at the gym, I really loved that I could drop in and attend a class. What an amazing way to experience yoga!

Much of the anxiety I experienced this year was a direct result of my job. Without getting into details many of you wouldn’t understand, I became the project manager of a new product line at work back in March. I can actually remember the date, and it was a Friday. I know I had been chosen for a reason, but as I look back now, I can’t remember what that reason was. The following Monday, the department received the best news it could have ever hoped for. My supervisor of 4+ years was being transitioned into a new position. She was a horrible person and violated many ethical laws at work. I were glad to see her go. However, it was almost two months before they hired a replacement, and the project managers were really left to fend for themselves and make decisions. With that amount of responsibility and the addition of a flailing new product line on my plate to manage, it became a lot to handle.

Skipping ahead in the career story, a lot of things changed during the summer for product lines I worked on. People were more/less involved; people were eliminated/moved; expectations were shifted. An opportunity presented itself to 1) free me from the level of stress I had been under and 2) perhaps give me the opportunity to actually use my master’s degree. In early October, I accepted a different position within the company. It was very exciting. I was going to be part of a team of people I enjoyed working with and respected. We had the chance to do something really great…to create something out of nothing. However, seven days after I started my new position, the bottom fell out. The company decided to “downgrade’ the product, thus not needing as many staff. I was informed my position would be ending at the end of 2012 and I would be heading back to my old department.

So, as I say goodbye to 2012, I try to look forward to 2013. I turn 40 in 2013. Normally I feel about birthdays the same I feel about NYE: just another day. Turning 40, though, seems to be a different monster. I feel like there are all these things I haven’t achieved yet. I feel like I’m not as happy as I want to be. That said, I don’t really know what I want or how I want to change to make that happen. So, I will take baby steps and focus on the things I can control and things I can look forward to:

• Starting a new, old job
• Many new books and music arriving in January/February
• Cars on the track in Daytona in February
• Shinedown/3DG/POD show in March
• Tulips in April

I’ve been thinking about what I want out of 2013. I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to become a roadie with a band. I feel like that solves many of my issues at once. (Did you know there are even instructions online on how to become one? HA!) Check back with me in a year to see if that dream came true!

Here’s to a great 2013!