The gift of music

Music and books...books and music. These are the things keeping me sane right now. Things at work are beyond ridiculous, but I guess that's nothing new. For the most part, I've been plugged in from the minute I punch in until the minute I punch out. I've been trying to keep up to date on all the new albums coming out this summer (Skillet, 5FDP), as well as trying to listen to bands I get to hear at RockFest next month.

However, I bought a new album yesterday that I am in fucking love with! It's the latest from Black Veil Brides. It's not like it came out yesterday new, but new this year, and new to me. Where the hell have they been all my life? Vocally, they don't really sound like anyone I can compare them to. They sound like another typical rock band. Not that that's bad... Musically, I think they sound like Dream Theater, which is an awesome compliment if you ask me. This album I picked up tells a story, and there aren't really breaks between songs...which reminds of Coheed and Cambria. Did I also mention there are some amazing orchestral pieces (piano, violin, cello)? Apocolyptica anyone?

Anyway...awesome. See if YouTube has their song "In The End" and check it out.

Every now and then I get so annoyed that the only thing that will make me feel better is Metallica's "One" live or anything involving David Draimen. I'll just be sitting at work, stewing in my rage about whatever happened that particular hour, and I hear David singing this to me:

I've spent a lifetime planning out your destruction...

Wow. It always makes me smile. Why? Because I plot destruction multiple times a day. Could mean anything.

I haven't done much of a book blog lately, and I apologize. I am marathoning through my TBR list before I hit Orlando in 2 weeks. (Holy shit...2 weeks? I don't think I'm halfway through my list yet!) I will say that after a few weeks of constant book "duds," I think I turned the corner last week. I read the first two books in the Love Me With Lies series (Tarryn Fisher), and last night I finished the first book in the Existence series (Abbi Glines). I believe only the first two books are out now for that first series, but the Existence series has 2-3 more books released. Once Orlando has come and gone, I'm definitely going to pick those up. I miss me some good teenage paranormal angst. This morning I started The Ivy Lessons by J. Lerman. I am only 4% through it, so no review as of yet.

Well, I have powered down all electronics in preparation for the storm, and all items have been checked off the to-do list. So, I'm going to curl up with my puppy and my Kindle and call it a night.

Post Memorial Day update

What's the worst thing about a long vacation? Coming back to work, of course!
Ugh...I did not want to put on real pants and drag my sorry ass to work today. As I said to my neighbor yesterday, "I sorta like this not working thing." Guess I need a sugar daddy, huh? Actually, I had one of those. They're not all they're cracked up to be. Never mind.

Well, the long weekend was productive but probably not as much as I would have liked. I had a migraine on and off (yes, somehow that is possible) Friday and Saturday. Conveniently, those were the two nicest weather days of the long weekend. So, I would spend like an hour or two on a project and need a nap. It pretty much sucked and zapped a lot of my energy, but that's what a vacation is for, right? I just went with it. It's hard to fight your body.

I managed to get some errands run, patio blocks laid so that I stop driving over my grass when pulling into the driveway, and I did manage to get that darn exhaust fan replaced in the bathroom. (Oh, and I fell out of the attic and did huge damage to my body. This is the only time it will be discussed.) However, as expected, the best part of my weekend was Fast and the Furious 6. Holy amazeballs! I know it's not much of a plot or complex story, but I do like fast cars, hot men, and chick fights. Who doesn't, right? And the spoiler to #7 - which apparently was leaked all over the Google machine for months and I missed it - blew my friggin' mind! I'm so excited there is already a release date for it, and it's not when I'm 50. Hell, these two movies will be out, done, and over before even half of the Hunger Games movies are released!

Otherwise, I laid low and just tried to get some stuff off my never-ending to-do list. I didn't get to everything; who actually gets to everything, though, right? The one thing I really need to get done is my author signing cards for Book Bash in Orlando. It's one month from Saturday, so I must stop procrastinating. Good thing it looks to be another slow week at work as a good portion can be done with a computer, internet access, and time.

I read two books over the weekend, and they were books 1 and 2 in a series. Another bunch of book duds! I am, like, 0-10 lately. I'll post those titles in a separate blog later. My book goals have slightly changed for the next 30 days. As I compile my spreadsheet and start doing my signing cards, I am going to try to get through any unread book on my Kindle from an author I'm going to meet in at Book Bash. I can tell you for sure that next up will be Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino. It got amazing reviews, and it was on sale over the weekend for $.99. Renee will be in Orlando, so this makes my choice much easier.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, and have a great rest of your week. If anyone wants to see Fast and the Furious 6, let me know. I might just be willing to go again! ;-)

Thanks for the memories

We all knew months ago that Brian Urlacher would not be returning to the Chicago Bears this year. Today, however, he announced his retirement from football.

Sigh

It was a fun ride, Brian, and we are glad you could be a part of it.
I believe you when you say there is no amount of money that could lure you back.
You are not Brett Favre.
Thank heavens for small favors.

Pre-Memorial Day week

So, it's the week before Memorial Day, and I'm pretty excited. See, since I bought my house, I've been taking the Friday before and Tuesday after Memorial Day and Labor Day off work. Usually I have some intense, multi-day project lined up ready to start and finish over those five days. Luckily (or unluckily?), most of my big house/yard projects have been completed over the years. So the idea of actually having five days with very little to work on is very exciting.

The only real project scheduled that I want to complete is to replace my bathroom exhaust fan and revent it out the soffit. Right now, when it's not making a horrible noise, it blows air down into the bathroom (WRONG), and it's vented into the attic (WRONG). I've tried to rig up plastic ducting to lead it out the roof vents, but that's also WRONG. I have downloaded how-to instructions and purchased my parts and pieces, so we'll see how that goes.

My big fun for the weekend will be Fast and the Furious 6! VERY EXCITED. No idea how or where this came from, but I'm obsessed with Vin Diesel and The Rock. Nummy. Now the question is if I can take a nap after work on Thursday and go to the opening 10pm show. Only time will tell...

As a side note, I finished two books since I last updated my blog, and they were both duds:

• Jaden Baker by Courtney Kirchoff - This one wasn't bad, but it was super long and not near as dark as it was made out to be. The ending was just a huge let-down. 
• Dead But Not For Long by Matthew Kinney and Lesa Anders - Here's my summary of this book...a 12-year old watches the first season of The Walking Dead and then writes a book. Some ideas are completely stolen from the show, and some are the original thoughts of a 12-year old. The End.

So, that's about it for me this week. Have a wonderful week and a wonderful holiday if I don't check back in before then. :-)

Latest book review...LONG overdue!

Here is what I've read since I last posted a book review blog update (about a month ago).

• The Wishes Series by G.J. Walker-Smith: There are 2 books out, and I think the 3rd should be out in a month or two. (There's a rumor of a book 4, but my guess is that this will center around one of the sub-characters.) This is pretty romancey and sweet. The endings aren't really cliffhangers, but you know the tale isn't done yet. It's pretty well written for an indie author, too. It's probably in the YA/New Adult category. Female lead is about 17, and the male lead is in college.
• Damaged by H.M. Ward: Meh. I actually couldn't even remember this and had to look up the summary on Amazon. It's highly rated for the NA genre, but my life has obviously not been changed as a result of reading it.
• Strings by Kendall Grey: OK. I HIGHLY recommend this one. HOWEVER...here is the warning. Heed the warning...for reallzzzzz. (So good I copied/pasted it for you below.) If you aren't entirely sure based on the book warning, read Chapter 1 as part of the Look Inside feature and see what you think (for free). The whole book is similar to that first chapter. This is book 1 of a trilogy, but each book is going to center on a different character, so no cliffhanger. It's also on sale for $.99 thru the end of the week.

 WARNING: STRINGS is not suitable for slut shamers, uptight stone throwers, Holier-Than-Thou prudes, humorless virgins, persons with chronic neck or back pain, pearl-clutching bitties, those who disparage crude humor or vulgarity in their many forms, closed-minded people with sticks up their asses, or anyone under the age of 18. The vile, base language and shocking, unholy sexual acts contained herein are not condoned by anyone with a lick of sense and should certainly not be reproduced without proper training and protection. The potty-mouthed and perpetually horny "heroine" (the term is used loosely) of this book does not resemble a normal, well-adjusted, or remotely believable person in any way, shape, or form. The author acknowledges that the characters in this book are shallow and two-dimensional; the plot is both ridiculous and insipid. She makes no apologies for any of it.

* Readers are strongly advised to wear latex gloves whilst reading to minimize contamination risks.

• The Dark Light Series by S.L. Jennings: I read the first 2 books in this series. There is at least one more book because Book 2 left a cliffhanger. This is paranormal. I liked these. I don't know they'll make my Top 10 of the year, but they were pretty good.

Currently reading...
Jaden Baker by Courtney Kirchoff.
I am at 73%. I have absolutely no idea where this book is going. The reviews I read said this was really, really dark...not an erotic kinda of way, but more in a non-sexual way. I can tell you that what I thought this was going to be about, it's not. There is a supernatural undertone to this one, but it sorta plays in the background for much of the book. TBD...

According to the countdown app on my phone, Book Bash is just 45 days away. Yay! (http://www.bookbash.net/)
For anyone who might be interested, there are two author/reader events scheduled for 2014 that I'm already planning on attending. There is one in Chicago (http://chicagoauthorevent.com/) the first weekend of May 2014 and one in Minneapolis (Pure Textuality Convention) the first weekend of October 2014. If anyone is interested, you can follow both events on Facebook for updates.

Sure signs of Spring

Blizzards in May? Ice tsunamis? Yep, it's been one of those years.
I, however, am determined to believe that we have turned the corner here in my neck of the Wisconsin woods. Here is how I know:

Again this year, my only tulip that bloomed. At least it's pretty!

Such a handsome boy posing for pictures at daycare

A race track and a beautiful sunset. (I'll not mention there were 30 mph winds and a frost warning for later that evening.)

Busy last week

For someone who rarely has any sort of a social life, I had quite a busy week last week.

Monday: The "week o fun" started out with a "passion party" at the neighbor's house. What is a passion party, you ask? Why, it's all about sex...and toys and props and stuff. It was the first time I had ever been invited to one, and it was a hoot! Three hours and a significant credit card charge later, I was walking home. I'm not sure I've laughed that hard in a long time. It was super fun.
Tuesday: While not planned, we had a horrible hail storm in the evening. The hail at my house was quarter to golf ball size. I haven't really been able to tell if I have roof or siding damage, but it knocked tiny little twigs off my trees out front, making a mess of my sidewalk and lawn. Guess it's a good thing I hadn't done my Spring raking yet. Also, it was scary as hell. It sounded like every window in the house was breaking. The tornado from a few years ago was less scary.
Wednesday: Some of you know the struggles I'm having with actually taking real life vacations this year and what that means for Lucky. I've spent a lot of time and energy stressing over finding a kennel that is affordable, close to my house, and decent. I've toured a few the past few weeks, and the last tour on my list was Wednesday. I loved this facility and the couple that runs it SO VERY MUCH. So, he is booked in Bangor for my trip to Florida in June.
Thursday: Certainly not exciting, but quite time consuming was making a batch of dog food so the pooch didn't starve come Saturday. I had the whole evening planned out, and I figured how much time I'd have left when I got done, and then my mother showed up at my house unexpected and unannounced. (sigh) Mom and I aren't really seeing eye to eye these days, and she just stood there and criticized while I prepped food. So I lost a lot of time trying to entertain her.

Weather: Have I mentioned that the weather here sucked last week and is on par to suck again this week? It's making it impossible to get a start on any sort of outdoor project (or the indoor one that will require me to also spend some time on a ladder outside). Although it is supposed to be sunny and in the 50s today, raking seems futile since we have more snow in the forecast at the end of the week. (sigh) My tulips are already halfway up and ready to bloom, so I NEED SPRING!

Books: With as crappy as the weather was last week, and as bored as I was at work last week, I got through a few books.

• Effortless by S.C. Stephens. This is book 2 in this series. It was quite good, and Kellan Kyle is my #2 book boyfriend of all time. For realz. There is a book 3 in this series (Reckless) that just came out in the last 4-8 weeks. The first chapter was included at the end of Effortless, but I'm not sure if I'm going to give Reckless a chance. All the reviews in the first week Reckless came out were that it was long and not necessary. Most readers thought the author would have done better by just writing a short epilogue to the characters' story. Effortless had a really great ending, and I might be OK just thinking that's how Kellan and Kiera's story ends.
• Fight or Flight by Jamie Canosa: This was a fairly short book, as I read it in just a few hours on Friday. It was a good story, but extremely emotional. It had a "happy" ending, but not in a traditional sense. The angst and drama and storyline were real, and that's what I liked about it.
• Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith: This is the first book in the series (not sure how many there will be total). This story takes place in Tasmania, and the main female character is 17. Again, this genre is sorta what I've been reading lately, but the story seemed very different from the "romance" I have been reading of late. The book is long, but the story is good. (The book could use some editing, though.) I enjoyed this book and opted to spend the $2.99 to get book 2 rather than wait for next month and use my lending library pick on it.
• Second Hearts by G.J. Walker-Smith: This is book 2 in the series to the book I mentioned above. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through it, and it's good so far. If it ended now, the story would have a cheesy happy ending. Since there is still 2/3 left to go, and I don't know if there will be more books, I'm guessing that there is drama and angst and maybe no happy ending. TBD.