"Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas"

I was at the library yesterday, wandering through the fiction, and discovered James Patterson's "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas." I took it into the doctor's office when I went for my post-op check-up, and finished it early last night. It's unusual for me to read a book in an afternoon, but the story pulled me along. Also there was a lot of white space, which sped things up considerably!

I really enjoyed the story. It should be a movie. (It would be a chick flick, of course; there were no explosions, no murders, no hidden treasure to race for.) I could feel Katie's heartbreak, Suzanne's hope and joy for her future. There were a few twists that had me flipping back pages to make sure I'd read it all right. All in all, it was a fine way to pass the time. I was almost disappointed when the doctor came into the exam room and I had to put it down! This is a great beach/plane/train story.



Disclaimer: I have not nor will I receive any form of compensation for the content of this post. My reward is being about to express one of my many my opinions freely for consumers to accept or reject as they see fit. Thanks, PBW, for letting me know I had to tell the FTC about non-payment. Perhaps I should contact the IRS, too?

*cough*gasp*

Y'know that 90-second procedure I had two weeks ago? The one where I got to the hospital at 5:30 a.m. and was home before noon? The insurance company hasn't paid the hospital yet. We got the bill yesterday.

$7,549.75

Sunny beaches! That's not including pre-surgery lab work or diagnostic testing, and oh by the way, the doctor will bill us separately. Jeez, no wonder so many people put off going to the doctor. This little foray is almost $9,000 total, and I spent less than half an hour total in a state of at least partial undress. I'm glad Eric is compulsive about paying our premium.

I could look at it from the flip side. I spent a total of about nine hours at the hospital, either the day of the surgery or in preparation. That means my time was worth about $939.00/hour. I've never been worth THAT much before!

*whimper*

I've been having web site issues for a while now. Eric bought me Namo for Christmas, and I decided to use it to rebuild the site for The Day Job. I've been trying to get it to publish for almost three hours. I've been e-mailing back and forth with Jatol. I called Namo Customer Support. I'm getting a headache and I feel queasy. It should not be this difficult. Lucky for me, Alex forgot he wanted to start going to the gym this week.

Hereditary Procrastination

Today is Back To The Grind day. We're all so happy!

Yesterday morning, I was minding my own business, cruising the 'net and drinking coffee, when I realized I had math to check. It's one of my 'really must do better' things; if I don't do it right away I put it off. When I got up to go do it, Alex asked if he could use the computer. I didn't think too much about it when I said yes; I figured he was looking up guitar tabs to print.

Nope. He was doing homework. The last day of Christmas break.

Of course, Eric was mystified. Eric always did homework first thing when he got home, whether he was going to school the next day or in two weeks. It was always finished neatly and packed in his backpack, ready to go out the door. I did my homework when I got home, too, but I usually saved the subjects I hated for last. I had a snack and talked to my friends on the phone first, just to decompress, relax a little, strictly for concentration purposes.

When Eric called Alex on it, Alex just shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's not that much, and at least I'm doing it in the morning. I could wait until after dinner." (I really did try not to laugh!)

Procrastination wasn't a trait my kids were supposed to inherit from me. I guess the chromosome must be strong, though. When I was a kid, my grandparents had a plaque hanging over the kitchen sink; it was round and black, with yellow letters that said, "Round Tuit"--as in, "I'll do it when I get a round tuit." It was a family joke. The funny thing is, I don't remember them putting off a lot of stuff. The house was always maintained and neat, we always ate right on schedule, they gardened and cut the grass. True, the attic and basement needed to be mucked out for years and didn't get done until Grandpa died and Grandma decided to move into town. Maybe it was Grandpa who needed the Round Tuit; all I know for sure was that he always had time to hang out with us kids, and his lap was available whenever we wanted it.

Eric didn't know about this stuff when he married me. I don't know that I was really aware of it myself, but I'm sure he's kicking himself today. He'll read this and realize that his only son is a 4th generation procrastinator, and that there's really no hope. He got my procrastination chromosome and Eric's hair and eyes, and there isn't much to be done about it. That banging you hear will be his head on his desk. Sorry, honey, I still love you.

Oh good grief....

Live global media coverage is a double-edged sword. The media that allowed us to watch the twin towers fall and the latest successful space shuttle landing gets bored when nothing noteworthy is happening. In short, if there is no drama, they go out and find it.

We have two years before the next Presidential election, and already we have a candidate: John Edwards of North Carolina. I have to admit to a little soft spot for him; we lived in North Carolina when he was first elected to Congress. I have a geographic loyalty, much like I do for the North Carolina Panthers and Duke University. I spent a large chunk of my life there and left with a husband and two kids. I didn't vote for Edwards; I was still technically a Michigan resident, and it takes a lot for me to vote for any Democrat. As much as I don't want to listen to campaigning for two whole frigging years, I'll be checking his website occasionally and trying to pay more attention. It's the only way I'll catch it when he contradicts himself.

Also in the news, Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed when someone opened fire on the stretch Hummer he was in. Jeez, if you're not safe in a stretch Hummer, where can you be safe?

Speaking of finding drama, typos in your resume won't get you hired, bosses are human beings and therefore just a capable of being jerks as the rest of us, and the nic fits have begun in our nation's capital.

It's a double-edge sword. How long before we fall on it? (Thanks to WorldNet Daily for the blog fodder. Yep, all that from one source.)

Goals

I decided this needed it's own post, or the other would have been too long. Don't want to overtax anyone!

I stopped doing resolutions several years ago because I start them with great enthusiasm, get bored, and quit. However, when I was in therapy last winter to learn to deal better with ADD I made a list of long-term goals. I've updated them twice since I wrote them; they get printed on neon paper and posted inside a kitchen cupboard so I see them on a fairly regular basis. Some of them have been on there since the first list (not saying which ones!), some marked off and replaced by two or three more!

Here is the current list for perusal and consideration:

House:

- Neat, warm and inviting with minimal clutter
- Functional and organized
- Finish painting
- Organize books
- Spend more time gardening and preserving so we have healthier food

School:

- Grading kept current
- Grades entered in computer regularly
- Capability to calculate grades on demand
- File/storage for projects
- Place slightly more emphasis on areas which Vicky thinks are weak so she’ll be more confident when she goes to school

Personal:

- Write five days a week on a consistent basis
- Find creative/fun ways to exercise
- More consistency in personal devotions; pray daily for peace, here and abroad
- Read at least one book per month for pleasure
- Learn to knit
- Work through stash of cheap yarn so I can work with better yarn
- Take more pictures, digital and film; organize pictures in categories so I can maybe use them and not lose them
- Keep web pages updated
- Finish Book 2 and Rogue Pawn (again)
- Write and snail mail letters to loved ones, especially Grandma

It's a lot, I know, but it isn't meant to be completely accomplished in a year. It has been and will continue to be on-going, and I might possibly run out of things to add before I die. Maybe not; keeping busy keeps one young, right? So in theory, when I run out of things to do I'll die?

Welcome, 2K7!

Happy New Year, y'all! Last night was relaxing, unless you are 14, and then it was boring. We were short a kid last night. Alex went to a lock-in at the youth center up the street. My knee-jerk reaction was to say, "No! You have the be HOME on New Year's Eve!!" Then I remembered, he's 16, not 6. There's another thread of the apron strings cut; aren't you proud of me?

We got some very interesting news from Scott last night. His brother has made the acquaintance of a NYT Bestselling Author, mentioned 'The Dragon's Lady' and the Author offered to read and critique it! We're very excited. If it actually works out, at the very least we'll get some feedback from someone in the industry, and at best maybe we'll have made a good contact who can give us a little help. It's too early to name names, but to have this come on New Years Eve, unsolicited, was a kick in the pants at the very least!