Monthly Archives: December 2010

Getting used to my Kindle

 

     I find my Kindle 3G easy to hold.  It only weighs .2 ounces more than the cheaper Kindle and is as thin as a pencil.  With the connectivity of the 3G and Wi-Fi, books download in mere seconds—amazing.  So far, I’m sticking to free books because our budget is a tad tight now.  I’ve downloaded six free books, read one, and am halfway through a second one.  This is with taking breaks to play the free word game I downloaded, cook dinner, play with the dogs, write, and do laundry today.

     I love that I can easily adjust the print size.  I find a bit larger print keeps my eyes from tiring. 

     Gavin is not amused with it because I am reading and not paying constant attention to him.  The dog thinks I have nothing better to do than cuddle and pet him.  At least he hasn’t tried to snag the Kindle from my hand as he has books on occasion.

     DH loves it because I don’t have to turn the light between our chairs on high to read.  It is easy to read in low light.

A woman’s prerogative

This what my Kindle looks like

 

     As a woman, I have the right to change my mind.  As a writer, I owed it to myself to learn all I could about E-books and E-readers.  At least that’s what an agent told me recently. 

     “You should really know everything you possibly can about E-books and E-readers.  After all they aren’t going away, they are getting better.”  She said.

     I whined, “But what about book signings and the feel of a real book in your hands?”

     “Don’t worry there will always be real books.  However, E-books and E-readers will get your books out there to more people, younger people.”

     The discussion went on for quite some time and by the end, I was still whining, but I figured that I’d better take her advice and look into the whole business.

     I checked out all sorts of E-readers and then I bought a Kindle.  It arrived yesterday around noon.  I spent the rest of the day learning about it, playing with it, dressing it in a skin, and even downloaded two free books and a game.

     I hate to admit it, staunch book fan that I am, but…I like it. 

Easy to gift

 

     G and I buy a ten-dollar or less, gift for each other every year.  We’ve done this for over thirty years.  She’s never once failed to come up with something I love. 

     This year G told me I was difficult to buy a gift for, who me?  I’m easy.  There are many things I appreciate and enjoy.  For a few years, she got me a Borders gift card each holiday.  That little sucker would burn a hole in my pocket until I could get to the store.

     G was trying hard to think of a different gift to give me when it dawned on her that buying me some sushi would be perfect.  Only a best friend would think of buying sushi as a gift.  She knows I love sushi and that I rarely get it. 

     She’s often been with me as I drooled over the case of freshly made sushi in the grocery store.  I’ve bought some for us to eat on the way home many times.  On rare occasions, she and I have treated ourselves to the finest of sushi in our favorite Asian restaurant, Bamboo. 

     She brought over a gift-wrapped sampler platter of sushi yesterday afternoon.  I enjoyed it.  Nommy nom nom.

Food of the Gods

 

     Yes, it is chocolate.  I always have some in the house.  I blame my Grandmother.  She was a true chocoholic.  She taught me the joys of dark chocolate.

     A few days ago, I was in a grocery store and spotted an irresistible display.  They had a sale on Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownie mixes.  It was a two for the price of one sale.  I’d never tried them because I no longer do much in the way of baking—don’t need the extra calories.  I read the back of the box and I bought two, one of their ultimate dark chocolate brownie mix and the other their dark chocolate brownie mix.  I would’ve bought more if they hadn’t been out of the turtle ones.  There wasn’t a single box of those left.

     Last night I made the dark chocolate brownies.  They were so good they were very nearly orgasmic.  I hope they have more mixes when I go back to the store.  I intend to keep a box or two on hand for when a chocolate crave hits me, or if I have drop in company.

     DH was in heaven when I served them up still warm from the oven  for dessert with fresh coffee.

Dogs and the theory of levitation

 

     Gavin and Patty will always try to mooch food.  DH was munching some cinnamon toast this morning and both dogs stood in front of him.  All the while he ate they never took their eyes off him.  Their concentration was so intense I swear they were trying to levitate the toast from the plate to their mouths.

     “Abracadabra!”  Said Gavin.  “To me, to me, come to me.”

     “No, no!  Alakazam, it’s mine.”  Patty moved in tighter.

     Each time DH lifted his toast to take a bite both tails would wag, more drool would drip, and four dark eyes never wavered.  If from my desk I called their names, I received no response.  The toast, oh, the marvelous toast, all slathered in butter and covered in cinnamon sugar drew their attention to the exclusion of all else.

     DH saved them each a small piece and they gulped them down with joy.  Let’s not tell them that they don’t know the theory of levitation. 

Hooked on DIY Network

 

     Now that my TV gets it, I’ve become hooked on the DIY network.  It’s my late night background noise while I write.  Although at times, it does drag me away from the computer because it catches my interest. 

     DH and I had many plans of what we wanted to do with this house.  Only one ever came to fruition and that was the pond.  Maybe if we’d known sooner that his MS was going to kick his ass we would’ve jumped on those projects.

     Now, instead I drool over ideas and projects I see on the show.  A deck or patio?  Oh, yes that would be nice.  To see the kitchen and front bedroom stripped of wood paneling and neatly wall boarded and freshly painted?  A pipe dream.

     If any of those hosts want to come in here and do the work (free of charge) I’d let them.  Tap, tap, tap…is thing on?  Can you hear me out there?

Nursing homes plunder and pillage and the Government lets them

 

     The nursing home wants DH to sign his mother’s assets over to them today even though her insurance hasn’t run out yet.  Yes, now they’ll be able to loot her checking and savings accounts with impunity.  Once they’ve cleaned out every dime, they’ll appropriate the house.  Meanwhile, we still have to pay her bills. 

     The Government doesn’t give a damn.  The fleecing of the elderly and their families happens daily.  Senators and congressional representatives have their own insurance and they don’t pay into Medicare.  When it comes to medical or nursing home care, their families have no worries.  The Government pays for it.

     Unfortunately, we baby boomers are aging and most of our parents are either dead or elderly.  Short of hitting the lottery, I see no help for any of us who are in the middle class.  We will have nothing to pass on.  We will lose our homes, savings, and worst of all we’ll lose our dignity. 

     Our Government is telling us to spend, spend, and spend some more to stimulate the economy.  Well, they certainly do spend and the problem is what they spend it on isn’t it?  Please take care of things at home and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

     The Marie Antoinette ‘let them eat cake’ attitude is alive and well down there in DC.  How many of them have to worry about the cost of necessary medications and then walk out of the pharmacy without them so they have enough money for food?

     They should walk in our shoes for a while and then let’s see how many tell us to go spend money that we don’t have.

I wonder, do Koi get the sniffles?

 

     It seems that pond heaters, when used hard in very cold weather, have a two-year lifespan.  I have to replace ours this winter.  It isn’t heating well.  Without a heater in the pond, our lovely Koi won’t last through the winter.  I was glad to find them on Amazon and ordered two so I had a spare just in case.

     So far, we’ve been lucky with the old heater managing to limp along.  The pond hasn’t frozen over completely yet.  Sunday we’re supposed to have a day in the fifties with rain.  However, the temperatures will take another dive after that.  I hope the old heater survives until the new ones arrive.

     I also hope the Koi stay healthy in the meantime.

We don’t live in a fantasy world

 

     Have you ever seen some small thing that you coveted?  I did last night.  The local meteorologist had a jacket on that I immediately fell in love with.  As my five regular readers know, I am not a fashionista, but this jacket really caught my eye.  It’s perfect for dressy and casual wear.  I was ready to kill to know where she got it.  Yes, I wanted the jacket that bad. 

     Then, as I searched the web for one like it, I began to rationalize.  With my luck, the jacket would look like crap on me and I’d have to return it.  Therefore, I say that it’s better to dream than to have reality slap you in the face over something so trivial.

     Is it no wonder that fantasy games are so popular?  They suspend reality and that’s something we all need occasionally.

     Yes, I said occasionally.  If you spend more than an hour or two a day playing games, you need a dose of reality.  You do have to put those things down, suck it up, and step out into the real world more often.

     Did I ever find the jacket?  Nope, but that’s okay I really don’t need it.

A quick recovery

 

     Gavin is feeling terrific today.  He’s been driving Patty and us crazy.  He’s even begged for and eaten cookies all day.  I think we can stop his pain pills now. 

     Last night he was back to his old self, screaming for his dinner.  He was HUNGRY!  His remaining teeth are nice and clean and he’s even been chewing on his favorite Nylabone.  Dogs are lucky in this way. 

     Last time I had a tooth pulled I didn’t bounce back fast.  I sipped liquids for over two weeks and pain pills were my best friends.

     Did I chew on anything harder than bread for at least two weeks?  No way in hell.

Almost toothless Chicken Dog

 

     No, I’m kidding.  Although Gavin did have three teeth removed, he is far from toothless.  Our vet was surprised since he only expected to remove one.  He removed the one we knew was bad and another next to it.  Then while he was cleaning the rest, he discovered a bad cavity on the other side and removed that tooth too.

     First thing Patty wanted to do was jump all over him.  It’s a good thing he was in his crate before we let her see he was home.  She drove him crazy for a while bowing and barking at him through the crate door.  However, he soon began to snore content to be home and in his own little den.

     Tonight I’ve been alternating between cuddling a still whiny dog (the sissy), taking him out, and putting him in his crate to continue to sleep off the anesthesia.  .

     Since I rarely go to bed before four in the morning, I stayed up to take him over at eight.  We made it in the door and easily weighed him.  Then the tech came out with the hospital lead to take him to the back.  I offered to do it but she said she could handle it and I could leave.  I know my Chicken Dog, so I chuckled as I walked outside.  I didn’t leave instead I stood where he couldn’t see me and peered in the window.

     A couple of minutes passed and I didn’t see the tech hauling him across the slippery floor.  Next thing I know another tech came to the door and asked me to come back in.  There was Chicken Dog Gavin backed under a chair and not coming out, no sirree not him, not for anyone.  He’d managed to back under the entire row of chairs like a rocket in reverse.  The techs were giggling about that. 

     As soon as my hand touched the lead, he obediently followed to the back room and the waiting cage.  I had him in the cage and locked down in mere seconds.  Oh, yeah that one is a Momma’s boy for sure.

The death of a theater?

 

     I finally had a chance to see the new Harry Potter movie.  The time went quickly G and I quite enjoyed it and can’t wait for the final one.

     Our favorite theater will likely close one of these days.  We practically had the place to ourselves.  We were two of six people at the show.  The attendance is bad enough that they canceled the early matinee, which we had arrived to see, and we had to go kill some time before the next show.

     That also meant we didn’t get home until after seven tonight so DH had a late dinner.  However, he did feed the dogs so Gavin got a meal before his seven p.m. no-food-after instructions for his tooth extraction kicked in.  The poor boy will shrivel up and die without his breakfast in the morning.  I wouldn’t want to be the techs at the vet’s when he wakes up hungry.  He will let them know all about it.