271. Missing

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

I was writing an update in here about seven hours ago, when my dad told me our oldest cat had run out, but he was sure he ran back in. He was cooking dinner, and things got a bit smoky in our kitchen, so he opened the front door. I began to look for my cat in the house, just to make sure he was indeed in here, and I couldn't find him anywhere.

I began to search for him outside, and still nothing. A neighbor said a cat ran in to their apartment, but they threw him back out and locked their door. I described my cat, and they said it sounded like the one that ran in.

It's been seven hours now, and my baby still isn't home. We've put some of his things right outside the front door, and we're hoping he comes home. I've had him ten years now, and he's like a kid to me, and my best friend all rolled into one. He needs to be by me at all times.

I can look over my shoulder or by my feet, and there Bobo is sound asleep. If I get up and leave the room for longer than five minutes, he comes to find me. Please keep his safe return to me in your thoughts. I love my cats more than words can say, but Bobo is extra special to me.

I just want him home. My brother says that cats are the best at finding their way back home, but Bobo is a totally indoor cat. He doesn't go out without one of us with him or nearby. He has never run away in the ten years we've had him. I feel weird even without him here. The house feels empty.

I'll keep you all posted. I'm hoping when I wake up in the morning, he's back. if not, I intend to search all I can. Hopefully the light of day will make things easier.

270. Sweet Release

Friday, January 27, 2006

Happy Friday everyone! This week has been crazy a bit, and I know my daily blogging ritual has suffered because of it. I never imagined things could get so busy, but they have. This week has been hectic to say the least. I'm still fully behind this blog because it allows me to talk to all of you out there. Daily posts might be a thing of the past however because I was only able to do those because I had the time to blog here everyday. Now my two entertainment blogs need daily updates, and it becomes a matter of enough time in the day. If only you could find all the energy and time to do each and every single thing you wanted to do each and every day. It would be nice.

This weekend I need to pull out the WIP I've been working with my mentor on, and get cracking. I'm really seeing some weeks I'll get nothing done between Tuesday and Thursday. Those are my busiest television nights, and I need to stay on top of things. Never thought I'd be happy to see a show have a repeat airing, but it eases up the workload on me a bit. Thank God for my brand new DVR. It certainly is making things a bit easier on me too.

Earlier I was talking to my brother about releases. That thing one does to make the stressful moments not all that bad because you know once its passed you can calm and relax yourself doing this one thing that always seems to settle your mood. For him, it is sports. He watches sports. He coaches several youth teams here in the area, and just watching a game on television or going to see one live in the area relaxes him.

He asked me what mine was, and I had to think about it for a second. I couldn't say writing because sometimes it is writing causing the stress, as much as I love to do it. So I was stumped for a second, and then I thought of it. My release is music. I can't really sing, but I love listening to music. I have my favorite artists and my obsessions. I have mentioned in this blog the love I have for the band Bon Jovi.  This week, I found two rare extended live performances of theirs online that I had known of for a long time, but I hadn't been able to find. Well, I finally did, and once I had them in my possession I've been listening to them non-stop. I love Bon Jovi live. I wish they were coming here on tour, but they decided to not make Phoenix a stop. I've gone the last two times they did.  In 1996, I was sixth row center.

Music just helps my mood. I have songs or CD's that I listen in certain moods. I have songs to help me feel better. I have songs for when I'm angry or upset. I look for the right CD, and the song starts to play. Like an old friend it helps the pain, the happiness, and even when I want to just party all by myself it is there.

What is your release?

269. You never really know who is reading ...

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Do you ever get one of those emails or phone calls that throw you totally for a loop because it just comes out of nowhere? A little over twenty-four hours I received one of those very emails, and then I received a phone call today that just continued the shocked feeling. I can't say anything really right now, but I can say that if things work out my entertainment writing career could go through the roof and quick.

I think if the email follows through to a solid offer, it might be just as important as the all important call from New York writer's hope for. I'm being cautious though. Even if it doesn't follow through, it is was just exciting to know I'd even be considered for the position I was emailed about.

I see so many positives in my life. My writing is improving, or I can see some chance for real improvement. My new mentor is wonderful and truly supportive. She's pointed out some areas that need work in my writing - some verb issues, passive vs. active and deep point of view. I knew passive vs. active was an issue of mine, and I can never get verbs right to save my life. However, deep point of view is something new to me, and I'm trying to get it set in my mind. Thankfully there is a workshop this week over at divas on this very topic. I printed out today's lesson, and I plan to read through it tomorrow.

Today my mind so hasn't been focused on my fiction. The call through me for a loop, and I had to work to get my web cam working for the next four hours, so I had that ready for whatever was next. I had bought it years ago, and it never worked. I couldn't even find the install CD for it. Luckily, I was able to find the install program and drivers online, and then I was able to find another program to use with the webcam.

I really had planned to write tonight too. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day. Over on my sidebar, you'll find an all new Blog of the Week. This week it is The T Stop. Check that blog out for another woman's perspective on all kinds of things! I hope you're all well. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

268. Life rambles

Monday, January 23, 2006

Well, I'm still having those crazy dreams. The one the other night actually bordered on nightmarish with the end of the world as the theme. Somehow an asteroid hit the east coast, and I sat and watched as Washington D.C. and New York City were turned to rubble. I was on the other side of the country watching as the asteroid fell from the sky, and then hit. Some how an Oceanic airplane fit into the equation, so we even had my obsession with All Things Lost coming into play.

This weekend, I've been hard at work setting things up at my all-new forum. I'm really excited about things over at Media Village. I really see things moving in a positive direction, and I hope to work for the site for some time to come. I never imagined getting paid to talk about television and entertainment. Watching television is something I've always done. I'm an admitted television junkie. Some nights, the writing is a struggle. That is a part of any writer's life, but I push on and forward because I know it is what I have to do.

I haven't been all that happy on the personal front. Things are really going good writing wise. I guess with the New Year, I started thinking a lot about my life, the changes I've made in my own self, the changes in those around me, and the changes in life in general. Do you ever notice how much you've changed, and then you look at some in your life and they really haven't changed all that much? In fact, in some cases they are exactly the same person they were when you met them.

Then they seem to poke at you for stuff or show a total like of care for things. You hope it is just a temporary thing. We all go through rough patches you know? Life isn't always easy. If anyone knows that, it is me. Last year, I was in a totally different frame of mind than I am now. Last year at this time, I wasn't very happy at all, and I know I drove some of my friends batty. They don't have to tell me I did because I know it. They stuck by me though, and some continue to stick by me. Some even wonder why I still have some of the people in my life that I do now.

I don't give up on friendships easily. I'm one that definitely believes friendship is a two way street, and you get back what you put into it. However, if you see yourself being the only one putting in the effort, after awhile you really start to ask yourself if all the effort you put into things was really even worth it.

What's sad is that this doesn't apply to just one thing in my life. It seems to be an on-going theme, and it is really getting tiring for me. I'm to the point where I had it in some cases, but I know that if I make the attempt to approach the other party, it will only cause more harm than good. I've seen that happen in more case than one, and I've even seen it recently. I guess it is in my nature to not look for conflict. Instead I bite my lip, and I hope that things end up changing. They never do though do they? It's just frustrating.

I really liked this Meredith Grey voice over from last week's episode, and part of it applies to what is happening with me I think.

It's not a day on the calendar. Not a birthday, not a new year. It's an event, big or small, something that changes us. Ideally, it gives us hope. A new way of living and looking at the world. Letting go of old habits, old memories . . . What's important is that we never stop believing we can have a new beginning. But it's also important to remember that amid all the crap . . . are a few things worth holding on to.

I guess I'm looking and hoping for that new beginning, while also wondering if I held onto the wrong things.

Speaking of Grey's Anatomy, I have reviews of this week's episodes of Grey's Anatomy and The L Word check on my review site. I had planned to talk about my writing more this post, but I think I'll do that next time. I hope you're all well. Have a great night everyone.

267. Restless dreams

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Do you ever have one of those dreams that stays with you long after you had it? I had one of those dreams last night. Here I am about to go to bed tonight, and it is still playing over and over in my mind.  It wasn't even that big of a dream, but perhaps the fact that it is still on my mind is telling me something.

I've been really on edge lately. Not in a bad way, more restless than anything. I see things happening, and I want them to happen faster. I want things now. I don't want to wait, but then you also have the saying that good things come to those that wait. Do you ever get tired of waiting though?

I think I'm at that point, but there isn't much I can do other than wait. Another saying is that patience is a virtue. Thing is being patient hasn't been one of my stronger points. I'll work on that. Right now I'm off to work on some sleep.

226. Good news!

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Hi everyone! I have some exciting news to share with all of you. I have hinted at something being in the works over at Media Village, the site I work with, for about a month now, but I wasn't able to give details until now.

Media Village has given me my own forum. The forum will work in conjunction with my blog on Media Village, Thoughts from the Couch, and my review site, One Couch Critic. On my forum you can find topics for all the series I watch on a weekly basis. In addition to the show topics, I have fun topics in which you can discuss your favorite movies, quotes, couples and so on. I'll also keep everyone that visits my forum up to date on celebrity, television and movie news.

I'm very excited. I had hoped to have my own home on the message board, and now that hope has turned into a reality! So hop on over to my forum and check it out! To post, just join the main forum and go back down to my sub forum for Thoughts from the Couch.

265. The power of words

Friday, January 20, 2006

Do you ever think about how small the Internet world can be? Yes, there are millions of sites, blogs, and forums all over the World Wide Web, but it can be a small place to. With the addition of search engines, you can find posts and sites on any given topic. Just plug in the topic of your heart's desire, and you'll be directed to millions of sites on that very topic.

What got me thinking on the smallness of the World Wide Web? Well, I'll tell you. Last night, I was working on my latest review of last night's episode of The O.C. when my email alerted me. I decided to check it, and I found a comment to one of my past reviews from earlier this week on American Idol, the sister of a contestant from the series commented my review. I was a bit shocked to see the comment, but it got the old wheels in my head turning.

You never really know who is going to end up reading the words you write. Almost anyone can stumble across something that you wrote, and yes sometimes even those words can cause you trouble. Sometimes you really need to be careful of what you say because sometimes harsh words have a way of coming back to bite you later on. If you're catty or downright rude to someone, those very words seen by another person can make you look bad in the long run.

What if your boss sees those words? People have been fired for posts they have made on their own personal blogs? What if you're a writer, and an editor or an agent you are hoping to work with sees you in a not so favorable light after seeing something you've said. Anything is really possible. There are ways of getting your point across without being rude about it. In my mind, professionalism is important.

The wise old saying of do unto others as you would have others do unto you also applies. Carry yourself just as you would if you were meeting the person face to face. Just because you're online doesn't make the power of the words you choose to use any less. Sometimes they can carry even more power when the person can't see the person in front of them. It is hard to know the tone of what is being said when the words are no more than fonts or letters on the screen. I've seen more than one case where words have been taken out of context and cause pain to another person. I'm sure we all have seen this happen from time to time.

I guess we all just need to realize the power our words have. As writers, we have even more of a responsibility because words are a part of our daily lives.

Hope you're all well! Have a wonderful evening.

264. Wanting more

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Oh wow it's been awhile since I posted in here. I apologize. As I mentioned, Monday was my birthday. I turned 30, and I decided to take the day off. Then things just got crazy work wise this week. I've been on the go nonstop since Tuesday morning. I've also been waiting to see who my mentor would be from the Romance Divas mentor program. At first, there was a small problem trying to find me someone because of the genre I write, but I am happy to report I now have a mentor, and I couldn't be happier. I think this might be the thing to get me from unpublished to published fiction wise. Someone who has been there, and can spot the things in my work that I'm missing. I really want to succeed with my fiction like I have with my nonfiction.

I've also been giving things a lot of thought. I guess I saw turning thirty as a big turning point in my life. Thirty is some huge number to me for some reason. It crosses some boundary from young adult to true adult. I'm still young at heart, but I just seem myself wanting more out of life. I want to push myself to succeed. I want to do more with my life than I have done up to this point. I need to.

I think when I was younger I imagined myself being further in my life than I am now. I'm not unhappy with my place in life because I think this is where I'm meant to be. The ups and downs, the highs and the lows had to happen to make me the person that I am today. I wouldn't change a single bit of it really. Not all of it has been pleasant, but it's my life. I like my life. I just want more out of it now, and I'm the only one that can get the more that I want.

I hope you're all well. I'll be better about updating. Things have just been a bit crazed as I said. Check out my review for new recaps of this week's Supernatural, Lost, American Idol, The L Word and Grey's Anatomy. Also check out my new Blog of the Week, Miss Ann Thrope!

263. Heartbreaking football!

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Well as most of you know I'm a huge football nut, so with this weekend's divisional playoffs, my attention has been glued to the television screen. Two of my teams I wanted to see do well have been kicked out this week. It's actually been a nail biting weekend with injuries and players not performing up to their normal abilities.

I also ate something that just didn't agree with me, and I'm shockingly going to bed at earlier than normal hours for me, which is usually around 5am. Last night I was in bed just before 3:30, which is still late, but early enough for me. I just don't get much done at all during the weekends. I have two new reviews up on my review site this weekend. One a CD review on Sugarland's, Twice the Speed of Life, and the other a movie review on Vin Diesel's The Pacifier.

I think I have a plan of attack fiction wise, but with my stomach going south on me last night I wasn't able to implement it as I planned. Today, my father is preparing my birthday dinner, even if my birthday is officially tomorrow. He is making me a roast, and he already brought me home a chocolate cake, which happens to be my favorite.

Yesterday, I went book shopping and I picked up a copy of Suzanne McMinn's The Beast Within which I have wanted to read for awhile. Last week, I received an ARC of Larger than Life by Alison Kent, and last month I received a copy of Maria Isabel Pita's, Cat's Collar. These books are on top of my two assigned books to review for Romance Divas, A Bit of Sass and Nocturnal Urges. Both of which are pictured on my sidebar. There are so many books to read, and I don't have the time to read them all at once.  Am I the only one that has to be in a certain frame of mind to read? If  I'm stressed, I just don't enjoy it as much.

I hope you're all well. Have a great Sunday. Don't forget to check out my Blog of the Week! Today is its last day, and I'll be picking a new blog to list on my sidebar by Tuesday!

262. The cough that won't die ...

Thursday, January 12, 2006

That's what I have now. I'm feeling better, but this cough has settled in my chest, and it isn't going away. I know one day I'll wake up and it'll be gone. For now, I'm dealing with it because I really am feeling better. Things are really starting to pick up work wise with entertainment news coming out every which way most days, and the shows are also making their return. This all makes for a busy girl.

I'm knocking on wood here, but I'm hoping COX has fixed their connection issues in my area.  I haven't had any noticeable problems in forty-eight hours. Back on Tuesday, the system went totally insane for a couple of hours, others even noticed it and made mention of it on one of the cable boards I go to, but once that was done things seemed to work. I had no problems yesterday, and today so far so good. I'll probably bug the billing department in a few days to see if they can help me out for all the time and problems I had the first month of service. It's worth a shot anyway.

On the writing front, other than my assigned writing, things are at a halt. I actually tried to write something in one of my WIP's the other night too. I felt well enough, and I wanted to. Then I sat there staring at the screen, as I tried to decide which story to work on, and nothing jumped out at me. I was a total blank. I have three or four WIP's I've started since the summer, and the stories are all ones that I love to death. Things just seemed to come up in real life, and I got distracted. Then I started something new, and I never went back to the story I started in the first place.

I want to stop that cycle, or at least lessen it somewhat. That is why I made finishing a story one of my goals for this year. It is a big problem. Plus, during the week things are just insane with my writing gigs that I know between Tuesday and Thursday every week, I probably won't have any time at all to devote to my fiction. I'll have to make an extra push during the weekends, and I'm going to start this weekend.

I am going to go through my current WIP's, and I am going to go through and look at the current calls for submissions and I'm going to make a plan of attack. I know I need to. I'll have my mentor from the mentor program at Divas assigned to me sometime this weekend, and I want to take that seriously. I'll have to explain to my mentor about my schedule and what I need to have done each week, and then go on from there.

I just know I need to get back on track. The muses are just awfully quiet right now. Thanks to everyone for the get-well wishes. I knew it had to happen sometime. It's been awhile since my last cold. Hope you're all well. Tonight is my busiest night of the week with three shows on for me to review. Check out my review site for recaps and reviews of this week's Supernatural and Lost.

261. Marching to the beat of my own drum ...

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Jeez, I hate being sick. Good news, I am mostly better. Don't you hate those final days of a cold or flu where you just tired and getting out the last bit of the junk from the virus in your body? You need to get it all out of you somehow. I seem to sweating it out. The palms of my hands have been sweating all day, and it makes it hard to type, but typing is what I've been doing.

Things are definitely picking back up work wise, and I even sent an application for a company looking for resume writers to work from home. I've written a lot of resumes, and even had a bit of a side job doing them for other people in the past, so I'll wait to see if I hear back. Pay looked nice so that would help.

Entertainment and television stuff is speeding back. Tonight I have a review of an all-new episode of Supernatural over on my review site. Tomorrow night, Lost is back, and you have no idea how much I missed that show. Tomorrow's episode really looks great. Thursday night is a busy television night with a lot on, so I'll be busy trying to keep up with it all for my site.

Do you ever realize when you're sick how much you just lay there and think? Mind you some might be delirious thoughts because of fever, but I wasn't all that feverish when I was sick this time. I did think a lot though. I spent almost two entire days in bed, and it that is a lot of time for me to just lie there and do nothing. A lot is changing, and I feel it. This time the change isn't with those around me, but it is me. I'm becoming even more determined and focused on the tasks and goals I have in mind for me to complete.

I have a lot I want to do, and I see myself changing because of it. A lot of the same things I used to spend all my time doing don't bring the same joy as they once did. I don't mean the little things like watching television or listening to music. I thought by having to write about television I'd get burnt out on watching it, but I've always loved television. That hasn't changed really. Music is my other love. I can always listen to music, and have it improve my mood.

I think what's changing is how I interact with others mostly. When I got sick, I sort of drifted off to get better. I usually sign onto AIM to talk to my friends every day, and I just didn't when I was sick. At first it was odd, but then I kind of liked it. I liked the silence. I liked having my own thoughts to occupy my time with. I liked having to depend on myself for my own entertainment instead of waiting for that little IM box to open on my screen to entertain me.

Instant messaging can be so fun, but it can take so much time away from other things. I'm just so driven now. I'm focused on things, and all my friends say they love my determination, but what if that determination ends up meaning I'm not always around for them to talk to anymore. Will they still like my determination so much?

Next week is my birthday, and it is one of those scary numbered ones that everyone looks at and they start thinking about their lives and where they are at in it. I've been doing that the last couple of months, and I just find myself wanting to drift and do my own thing. Writers always seem to march to the beat of their own drum, and I'm really finding that to be more and more true as time passes.

260. Anonymous posting and Cyberstalking made illegal?

Monday, January 09, 2006

I just saw this post at The Blog Herald. It states the following:

US President George W Bush ratified a new law last Thursday that makes it illegal for people in the United States to post anything to a blog that could be deemed “annoying” anonymously.

The law, which was buried in the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act, titled “Preventing Cyberstalking” rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet “without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy.”

Now in essence it would block comment spammers, and Internet harassment. If you have something mean to say to someone, you have to stand behind your words with an identity. No hiding behind some kind of anonimity. I've received a few not so please anonymous comments on here, but I see the real problems with this happening on the more enclosed in journaling sites where you have friends lists and communities that form. Bashing people while hiding behind some kind of anon comment seems cool and the in thing to do on some of these sites, and I've seen it happen before. I've had it happen to me and my friends.

I've never really understood the whole concept behind bashing someone while not using your identity. If you have something to say, good or bad, use your name. Perhaps this new law will help change things. It might also help ease the loads of comment spam here in the blogosphere because these comments will also be made illegal. The trick here is - how will the authorities find out who to prosecute if it goes that far? The comment is - anonymous. HMM - good question.

259. And I return ...

Well, I've been terribly missing in action since my last post. Soon after I wrote that last entry, I ended up in bed. The next morning I was ten times worse sick than the night before, and I spent most of Friday and Saturday in bed, part of Sunday too. I'm feeling a bit better, but I think I'm at 85% normal capacity. I'm trying to not have it keep me down as much. I've done my best keeping up my assigned responsibilities, but I decided to let this blog slide a bit while I was terribly sick.

My mind isn't running at full speed yet. I've tried put my mind toward fictional pursuits, but it always seem I draw this big blank. So once I'm fully recovered, I plan to look at some contest deadlines in the months ahead, take a look at my WIP's, and then I'll go from there. I should also have an idea who my mentor will be from the mentoring program Divas has set up, and that should hopefully get me back into the gear of things.

As for my on-going connection issues with my new high speed, I still have them, but I've found a daily way to work around them so they don't occur. I love being technically minded. After some research, it turns out it might be a city wide problem here in Phoenix that started in December. I've spoken to two people with COX here in the area, and they are experiencing similar problems. COX should hopefully be aware of the issue and I hope they are working to correct it. No amount of tech visits to my home is going to fix the issue. For now it looks like I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

In other news, last week I had mentioned that BlogTraffic.org had been shut down. Well, today in my email I received the fortunate news that the site had found new life after some drastic changes. Hopefully, this site will be able to pick back up where it left off. I was really enjoying the results I had seen from it.

I don't see myself waiting so long before my next update, so I'll leave off here. I have Surface on in a bit, and a review of that episode will be up on my blog sometime tonight. Right now, I have a review of last night's premiere of The L Word up, so if you're a fan check that out!

I also have a new Blog of the Week. Check out the blog at cat with a pen dot com for some insights from one woman living and writing in Colorado!

Hope you're all well. More soon.

258. Well this isn't how I planned it to start ...

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Well this year certainly isn't turning out how I planned it to. Between the problems with my Internet connection, and my now coming down with a cold, this year is definitely not starting as planned. I know these are temporary roadblocks in the grand scheme of things. I'm hoping the connection issues are now resolved. After five visits in house with different techs, they finally said it wasn't a problem with my wiring in here.

I could have told them that two visits back, but they wouldn't listen to me of course! Finally, this last tech that came out Tuesday afternoon said the signals were too high, and COX needed to do maintenance at the main box because he wasn't allowed. He did a reading check, and then scheduled for COX to come out. Well, the guy from COX was here this afternoon, and the signal levels are better, and I haven't been kicked off today.

However, the problem mostly occurs in the early afternoon to evening between noon and six. If I play with the wires a bit, I can get it to stabilize enough not to kick me, but I shouldn't have to jiggle any wires or do anything of the sort to get a reliable connection. I'll see how things go tomorrow and through the weekend. I'm hoping the small line tweaks the tech said he did from the main box down to my box outside my apartment fixes the issue. The tech did mention that the main line was cut here in the last month, so the problems I am experiencing are probably related to that. He checked everything, and he said he replaced something as well. So hopefully this fixes it like I said.

I'm just very frustrated with the whole situation, and my connection works wonderfully each and every night. I have a great high-speed connection that blows my dial-up out of the water. I just want a stable connection. It is only the afternoon hours that seem to like to play with me, and that is when I try to get a lot of my work done. Today, before the tech showed to check the box, I was knocked off five times in ten minutes. Then I jiggled the wires a bit, and it stayed on mostly. I think I was kicked once that hour. I'm thinking if this doesn't work, I'm just going to have to deal with jiggling the wires every afternoon. There is nothing left for them to do at my ISP.

I'm also sick, which only adds to my frustration today. Had a bit of a blowup with my father over my writing and how I'm being lazy. He sees me sitting watching television, and to him I'm being lazy. He doesn't honestly understand the fact that I'm being paid in a sense to watch those television shows because I'm paid to write about them. I was hoping with the nice little check I received after Christmas things would click in his head, but after today's discussion I see that isn't the case. He says I'm wasting my talents, but he doesn't understand that by writing I'm actually using the talents God gave me. He gave me the power to write, and I am using it. It just isn't easy to get things going, but there is progress. More and more progress as each week passes. My horoscope for this year even looked promising.

Capricorn: You first since it is your birthday month.Caps have the publishing planet (Jupiter) in their House of Dreams and Wishes . The Big Sale, Acquisition, or Merger is more likely in '06 than in any year in the last 10. I've seen true miracles ( pinnacles at least) happen with this house position, so expect the best outcome in all your ventures. Congratulations in advance.

I really hope my horoscope is true; I really want to make 2006 a big year for me. I just wish one of the most important people in my life saw how well I am progressing.

257. A Few Quick Things

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

I wanted to drop in real quick because there was something I forgot to mention in my post last night. In my email yesterday, I received notice that one of the blogging exchanges I recommended on this site has been shut down. BlogTraffic.Org is no more. It was a newer site that just opened in the last month or so, and they had some problems, so they shut down. I need to go edit them out of my sidebar and my traffic exchange report here in a moment. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on that.

Also, this morning, I redid the layout on my fiction blog, so hop on over to Eroticisms to take a look. Things have been a bit quiet on my fiction blog the last few months, but I'm really hoping to change that in 2006. I still had a base layout from Blogger, and things just looked a bit blah there to me. I like the new layout a lot more, and it is still very simple. I like simple.

Lastly, check out my new Blog of the Week on my sidebar! This week we have Mystical Incense & More. The blog for the company Mystical Incense, as well as a personal blog for its owner Stephanie Davies. Check her blog out for more about the candles, bath & body products and incense she makes!

257. Heartbreaking story ...

I know I've already updated once tonight, but I've just turned on the news in the last couple of hours, and I've been following the story of the miners trapped in West Virginia. This story is just totally heartbreaking. 13 were trapped, and it looked for a period of three hours earlier tonight that 12 of the miners had survived. Then news broke that in fact one miner had survived and 12 had died.

Families had been led to believe their husbands/fathers/sons had survived. This story is still breaking, and I just feel totally heartbroken for those families. I'm watching the news now as it breaks, and there are really no words for what is happening there.

This story is still unfolding, and my thoughts and prayers are with those families affected by this tragedy in West Virginia.

256. So now its 2006

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Since my New Year's Eve post with my yearly goals I've been a bit remiss in my blogging duties. My Internet connection is still giving me fits, and the tech came out yet again today. Now he has scheduled my ISP to take a look at their system because the problem happening is not here. It's been frustrating though, and the problems seem to occur mostly during the daytime hours when I'm trying to work, so it makes working hard. Nighttime hours seem a bit better, so I try to do what I can then.

I'm not sure why the signal is so crazy earlier in the day. Usually between one and five in the afternoon. It is really quite perplexing, and I'm pretty tech savvy here, as most of that read this know. I've done all I can. I just need to deal with the problems and hope the maintenance call scheduled for later this week fixes it.

I'm trying to get back into gear with my assignments writing wise. Things are still a bit slow this week, which I'm thankful for. If all my shows came back this week I might cry out mercy and fall faint. Or not – it sounded good in any case. Surface was on last night, and I have a review of last night's episode up on my review site here. Great episode. I really enjoyed seeing the show again, and they added some more new twists that are really making the show interesting. I'm going to miss it when its season ends next month.

As for my fiction, that is once again dead in the water, but I'm hoping once the frustration of dealing with cable connection blinking for three to four every day, I'll be able to get back into gear. I think the holidays threw me all out of whack, and I was a bit worried they would do that. I still have things that need doing. I'm just trying to get them done one thing at a time.

I hope you're all well out there. Have a lovely night, and a great day.