Me and my big mouth!

This time I got tagged not once but TWICE! Val and Jean both got me with the Ides of October meme that Holly started. OK, y'all, that's cute. Don't make me start one so I can tag both of you!

The mission was to search my blog for the word 'joy'. Suggested synonyms were also acceptable. Oddly, there was only one reference to 'joy', but it wasn't exactly 'joy'. It was 'Joy'. Even more oddly, it was in another meme on July 14 and was the answer to the question, "What is your mother's name?"

It wasn't used sarcasticly, so it counts!

Just to be fair, I did search for synonyms, too, and came up with 'comfort' on September 2 in reference to Quilters Comfort America. No, I didn't finish the quilt. I never even finished cutting the squares. Follow-through is not my strong suit.

OK, so now I'm supposed to tag someone else. Again:
Gemmack
Claire
Let's get Zette in on the fun

(Obviously I need more joy. I also need more readers.)

Technical difficulties fixed

For now.

(Don't tell it, but I think my computer might be possessed.)

I have finally lost my mind

The weather has finally cooled off, and I'm redisovering things that I wanted nothing to do with when it was 95*+ for weeks on end. I decided the other day I was going to make a latte. I got my trusty moka out of the cupboard, set it up, and put it on the stove to brew.

If you've never used a moka before, it's not a complicated process. (I've done it first thing in the morning, so it can't be that hard.) You fill the bottom chamber with water, put the espresso grounds in the basket and drop it into the bottom, screw on the top, and cook it on the stove. While you can brew espresso in a coffee maker, it's stronger when brewed in a moka, and everyone who knows me knows I like my coffee to kick like a mule! The moka is very similar to Grandma's percolator, and usually takes under five minutes to do its thing.

The other day was a different story. I put it on the stove and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, since we had to go to some class or another, I brewed some espresso in the coffee maker, made my latte in a travel mug, and away we went. The moka was left on the stove to cool, and was later moved to an obscure corner of the counter to contemplate its failure.

This morning I decided to try again and, to my amazement, the espresso grounds from the other day were dry. I'd chalked it up to a bad seal or something. Turns out that, while I had cleaned out the bottom chamber (dust and such, you understand), I'd forgotten to fill it with water before I put in the coffee and plunked it on the stove. Operator error strikes again! I'd love to be able to chalk this up to the cold I think I'm getting, but I just can't. It's too typical of my life lately. Don't worry, though, I already have an appointment to have my head examined. I need it straight before November or I won't make my NaNo this year.

Computer problems

This is EJ's hubby and we are experiencing slight technical difficulties. If this would have been an actual emergency you would have been notified via e-mail. Oops that is part of the technical difficulty. I should have this back up and running in a couple of hours.

EJs Hubby

Omigosh, speaking of birthdays!

Happy birthday to my 'little' brother Rob. He's, well, over 30. I won't so how much older, and maybe he won't talk about how old I am!

And he's single, ladies, with no attachments except my canine nephew Max.

My birthday present

It's not for another month, but I'm getting a writing retreat for my birthday. Just me and my laptop in the Red Room. I've never stayed in a B&B before so it should be interesting. It's in an area similar to where I'm setting my NaNo novel so I can do some writing and sight-seeing/research, and it gives me a weekend away, all by myself. If I check out early enough, I can get back in time for church, too. Maybe I'll sneak in a little late and sit in the back. :)

In other exciting news, I entered a drawing at PBW. Long story short, we were to leave a comment about what we covet, and she would choose randomly. My name was drawn and I won a copy of Talyn, signed by Holly Lisle! Yeah! I'm really excited, especially since Borders has had this book back-ordered for two weeks and I just don't have time to haunt other book stores. Besides, that would mean having to go to the mall where I worked last Christmas. *shudders at the flashback* That one will go to the top of the to-be-read pile when it gets here!

EEK! I've been tagged!

OK, this was not what I wanted to write! I changed it, but evidently blogger ignored me. I'm updating now. *friggin frackin friggin frackin*


This is a first! Thanks, Val, I think. My consolation is that before I was tagged, so were various published authors, all of who's blogs I read!

OK, here's the deal.

1. Delve into your blog archive.

2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).

3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).

4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas...

5. Tag five people to do the same.


The 23rd post was made July 17, 2005. Sentence #5 was: "Somehow, Borders forgot to let me know when my reserved copy of Last Girl Dancing came in."

I can forgive Borders for this one. I reserved it before we moved and used the old phone number instead of my cell phone, like an idiot. However, I updated my info so they should have been able to call me when Talyn came in. They didn't; I got a post card, and it was a few days before I could get to the store. They sold it mere hours before my arrival.

It's ironic that the required post was a review of Last Girl Dancing by Holly Lisle. Hers was the first blog I read this meme in. I love Holly's writing, not just for the entertainment factor but also for research purposes. She's really blossomed since moving into the paranormal suspense realm. Not that her science fiction isn't worth reading; it definitely is.

In any case, I gushed for a few paragraphs about how fantastic the book is, but on a deeper level I was writing things that I hope someone will write about me someday.

The last part of this is to tag five people, but most of my readers don't blog, and most of the ones I read have already been tagged, so Claire and Gemmack, if you read this, consider yourself tagged! (That explains why Val asked who I tagged; it didn't publish the right version!)