Category: Meanderings

Good morning 😀

I am feeling a bit handicapped today – I went in to have the large obnoxious cast taken onn yesterday and instead it was replaced with a bigger – more obnoxious cast.  😦  Apparently my wrist is not strong enough yet and my fiongers need to be more stabalized.  *sigh*

 

But I am not the only thing in my household that is on the blink…

First off…. my bike has been in the bike shop for over a week.  I hate that.  It’s not that it is that banged up (I hope not anyway)… it’s that they have been too busy to love on it.  I am sure they are thinking that a girl in a cast is in no hurry to get her bike back.

They would be wrong.  😀

Secondly… Laptop caught a Virus Sunday evening and hit the black screen of death.  I took him in on Monday and they hope to have him ready to go again some time today.  This is the same Laptop that died for two days a couple months ago and came back to life… not once, but twice.  I know soon I am due for a new one. 

Currently I am using hubbies laptop which I just do not like as much as my own.  For one – he only uses Internet Explorer and I never use Internet Explorer…. my blog and everything works differently with Explorer.  It’s also slower than mine… to comment, takes me twice as long to submit. 

So that is what is happening here… everything is getting repaired…including me.  Hopefully soon we will all be well running machines again.  😛

 

 Good Morning!!!  😛

Do book lovers influence your reading?  They sure can for me!  A good enthusiastic talk about a book and really – I start to crave it.  If it can make someone else excited…. I want the experience.  Here is an example:

I am in New York last month having dinner with a lovely group of bloggers.  Suddenly someone mentions a book I have never heard of before.  Night Circus. 

 “It’s about a circus that only appears at night”

“It is going to be awesome – very YA – this will be a hit!”

“It is said to be the next Harry Potter!”

Whoa.  Stop the presses.

I want this book.

The Book Expo is out of the ones they handed out.  I come home and I email the publishing company of my interest explaining my conversation at BEA… and then I wait.

Packages come… not it.  not it.  Not it.

And then…

it arrives.

All beautifully packaged in Circus striped paper and a lovely red ribbon addressed to me. 

Now…

I do not want to open it.

Too pretty.  😛

So I finally feel like I am over a blogging funk.  Yesterday I wrote 5 reviews.  It felt awesome.  For the last week and a half when I went to write a review I suddenly was exhausted just thinking of adding the pictures, the synopsis, my thoughts, linking to Amazon, Good Reads, my Reading Map….. GAH.  I usually closed the laptop and went to bed instead of writing anything.

BUT – yesterday for the first time since before my bike accident I came home… did a couple minor housecleaning things… and CHILLED.  Yup.  Sat in the recliner with a cup of chicken soup and a bottle of water and I wrote the afternoon away.  I even prepped all my posts for my current reads and listens.

Today I hope to write the two interviews I have ready to go, and hopefully just read this evening.  Ahhhhhh….. just read.  I like the sound of that.  😀

Mornin’!

First of all let me say…. this is not a life blog. 

Although….

it does seem like it recently….

😯

Hmmm…..

Ok… lately I will admit it may be one. 

“Where are the book reviews Sheila?”

I am reading…. I just have been flying through the days from morning to night lately and quite literally have had no time to write reviews.  I plan on it, every day… then… I just do not get in to the house on time.

Currently I am in Chicago with my “life sisters”, Heidi, Sara, and Cindy.  What is a life sister?  Sisters I chose.  Girls who are as close to me as sisters. 

Oh… and the dork meter is set on high today so let’s have a little music shall we…

Heidi I met 20 years ago at Wal-Mart.  We were Customer Service Managers together.  Cindy came to work at Wal-Mart 16 years ago, and Sara I hired in the Housewares Department 13 years ago.  We are a motley crue, but we try to do something once a month, many times just dinner to keep in touch. 

Ok… back to Chicago.  Yesterday was highly busy – we drove into Chicago at 9 am and spent the entire day (and evening) on the Navy Pier.  We were on a Pirate ship, went to the top of the Sears Building, took the water taxi, seen the Buckingham Fountain…. had my first Chicago hot dog….

We pulled into out hotel at 9 pm and then, after we were settled in.. went out to dinner.  Back at midnight… 

And now we are off again.

I guess temporarily this is a life blog.  Books are coming… they are … I promise.  I have things to say 😛

Good morning!  This morning I am in a hotel in Michigan WI. This is where we landed after out 10 hours in the car yesterday between stopping and checking out small towns and shops and driving to our destination.

I slept A LOT.

I told my friends I felt like a baby in the car seat… the car starts moving, I fall asleep.  😛

Our morning had started out with a stop in Clearwater Minnesota for breakfast…

Ok… we didn’t actually eat that but what a picture right? 

We traveled all day – I read (unfortunately)  little.  We stopped at a few cool shops to check out local fare… and its funny how small towns have these giant “photo-op” spots such as….

 

There was also a giant chicken, a mouse house, turtle, mermaid, the Mousehouse, etc…

I  think these large statues… tourist attractions are hilarious!  Do you have any where you live?  In Brainerd all we have is Paul Bunyan… 😛

(Hopefully back later today with a review…)

Mmmm….

Good morning.  I am having peanut butter toast and COFFEE this morning.  Peanut butter toast because I can not take the meds without food (learned that the hard way).

I am having a love hate relationship with the pain killers.  I love them because when I take them I no longer feel the ache of my shoulder, arm, wrist, fingers and leg…. hate them…. because I don’t like to take anything. 

Last night I had book club.  I had book club which I love.  I have book club which I love AND I did not have the book read.  GAH.  😛  The book is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.  I just picked it up from the library yesterday.  It is a short read a couple of hours to read – 4 hours on audio.  What was interesting about this review is that it is a true story, an actual lecture of a dying man.  Not our usual genre and that is what excites me.  I love to see us branch out as a group.  The discussion was amazing and tearful.  I can not wait to get it read so I can review it and share with you this incredible group of women.

One of the girls in our group brought her mom which was so much fun!  I love that others want to join us!  We also picked out t-shirts last night for our group which I am excited about.  They will be in next month so I will get group pics then.  I love that this group is growing in so many ways!

As for friends… I sit here this morning fully packed and other than packing up LAPTOP, I am ready to go.  My friends Cindy, Heidi, and Sara are meeting here at 7 am where we will load up and road trip to Chicago.  No reason other than we planned a road trip last fall and now… here it is.  I thought about cancelling with my arm all wrapped and my body beaten… but Al (hubby) and I decided i should still go.  It will be good to go on a relaxing trip.  This time of year his schedule is busy and he is gone from morning until night anyway.  So…. here I am… ready for new adventures (although thinking June 2011 has been enough of an adventure already…LOL)

I have soooo many reviews to write and two interviews and I plan to do so as soon as I can.  I hate being behind but each night when I sit down to do it…. I get sleepy and decide it will have to wait. 

Anyhoo… the girls said that as long as I am not on LAPTOP all the time… he can come with – so yay!!!  (I will try not to abuse my rights… ;))

Have an awesome Wednesday…. I will be on all week to update you on the who, what, and where…. 😀

Good morning.  At some point I will post a couple positive bike pics…. maybe yet this morning… I don’t really know what I am doing now.  The scars are starting to dry up which means…. itchy.  Itch all night and nothing I can do..

This morning I am anxiously anticipating the weird shower of not getting the cast wet – yet not taking so much time that I am late to work. 

Worse than the shower is the shaving….. one handed shaving…. frightening!

The road rash under my nose has now dried into a crispy ugly half mustache scab which I can feel every time I talk. 

Tomorrow morning I leave for 5 days to Chicago and I am looking forward to…. and dreading the “being on the go” at the same time.  (more on this tomorrow)

I want to read but seem to always be tired.

Tonight is book club  – and I am helping out with VBS registration… hoping I will be able to both somewhat successfully.

I have reviews to write, and an audio interview yet that was planned to go up Saturday…. but yeah, instead I dove into the pavement…. always the life of the party….LOL

Ok so lets talk about my dog Elmo for a minute as this makes me smile (yes, even with the crispy mustache)…   Elmo is 15 years old and a shih-tsu (after all these years I shill can not spell it and do not have time to look it up… so know this about me… sometimes… words elude me.)  😛

Anyway – in Elmo’s old age… he has taken to sleeping with his tongue hanging out – which does nothing for my heart as I keep thinking perhaps he has passed…  ANYWAY he is also afraid of the camera (I think he thinks it will steal his soul), so I can never catch a picture of him with the tongue thing… its like he knows I am coming…. 

YET the other day, there he was…. sleeping in the bed… tongue out.  I grabbed the camera and got him!  (Of course immediately after he got up surprised and left the room… (possibly soulless)

LOL…. 

Here are my current statistics:

Biking:  172 miles

Rollerblading:  18 miles

Broken bones:  1

One more random pics and then I have to go:

Got to go!  Hopefully a review will be up later…. hopefully.  My one fingered typing takes a wee bit longer to get across what I am trying to say.  😀

Good morning.  It is super early here in Duluth this morning.  4:20 a.m. to be exact.  I am the first one up in my room as I hate waiting to get ready to go somewhere so I got up early, got ready…. and am now in the lobby.  I need to go wake my roommates pretty quick here and at 5 a.m. we all will be shuffling our tired bodies to the starting line up for the MS 150 bike ride.

A friend of mine, also named Sheila, has a dad who had MS.  This is my second year participating in bike rides for MS, my first time doing this big one.  It will be two days, 75 miles a day…. late afternoons are filled with food and fun.  (I believe my late afternoon may include  a nap.) 😛

Current temp in Duluth, MN:  46 degrees.

yay.  *sarcasm*

Anyhoo – I am out, have a great day….  pictures soon

Good morning. 

*sips coffee slowly…. rubs back of neck*

Hopefully you were able to stop by yesterday for the all day blog party.  It was a lot of fun and as usual your comments make laugh… and smile.  Great job fellow book lovers! 

This morning I am announcing the 4 winners from yesterday in this post – but first need to cover a couple of other things so hang in there…. these tib bits of life may be interesting. 

1.  Audiobook Week sadly, ends today over at Devourer Of Books.  It has been a blast and if you have not checked it, go and do so.  For me however, it does not end today as I have a narrator interview going up tomorrow.  Kate Reading has chatted with me about narrating books, how it all began, and how it works for her, posting tomorrow.

The question on Jen’s blog today was – what are our best audiobook resources.  For me, I find I use audible.com frequently.  I had first heard about it on Twitter about a year ago and went over and checked it out.  The prices are good, they offer frequent sales, and they download to ITunes and then right on to my IPOD.  I use audible constantly as I always have a book downloaded on my IPOD (I call my IPOD Milton Podricker).  *Fact…. embarrassing fact:  I have no music on my IPOD.  I bought it strictly for books.  😯  Yup.

(I do however have a nano that I call Podette, and Podette has all my music for working out, riding bike, etc on that.)

See?  I am not completely goofy 😛

Today I leave in ummm…. about an hour for the cities.  About 20 of us are doing a bike ride this weekend called the MS 150.  I am pretty excited about that and whelmed at the same time.  The whelmed part is that there goes my entire weekend…. as I will not be back until Sunday afternoon and then I have to help with an event Sunday eventing.  GAH.  I hate being over scheduled (all on me, I do this to myself I know…) 

I am taking Laptop with me and hoping he survives the trip as a truck carries our luggage for us each day to the next stop where we stay in hotels and I am a little worried about Laptops well-being, but really…. can’t bear to leave him.  (ok, I see now I am back to being goofy…)  😀

Ok… finally… yesterdays winners.  I have to say – I wish you all could win.  You are so fun to chat with and I love to come home and see who had what to say.  You…. complete me.  (Oh man…. I really have the goofies bad today…… :razz:)

Ok… the winners are:

#1.  Lydia from Lost Entwife

#2.  Dixie from Reader Of The Pack

 

#3.  Deb from Debbie’s Book Bag

 

#4.  Hannah from Word Lily

 

Random.org has spoken!  😀  Winners please email me your shipping info to journeythroughbooks@gmail.com and I will get these out to you early next week. 

Thanks again everyone… I have to get a movie on it here but have an awesome post coming up later today with Heather from Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books.  😀 

Good Morning!  What a week huh?  So much going on but I am working hard to keep on top of it all….  Audio Week (woo hoo!!!) is happening and if you did not see my giveaway you can still check that out, and the current mid-week audio thoughts are here:

Current/most recent audiobook:  I listen to 3 at a time (different locations people…. don’t be afraid! :razz:)  In my car is Every Last One by Ann Quinlin.  In my IPOD is Bossy Pants by Tina Fey (hilarious!), and in my kitchen CD player is the Maltaise Falcon (which honestly is freaking me out a bit… is is performed by The Hollywood Theater Of The Ear…. and it takes a bit of getting used to.)

Impressions:  One good, one great, one ummmm….. (you can guess which is which :D)

Current Favorite Audio:  So touch to choose but I really enjoyed The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein.  (*sob)  That’s all I’m saying. 

One narrator I wold choose over print:  I am not “there” yet.  When it comes to narrators, I am still a rooky.  Sitting on the bench waiting for the coach to let me in the game.  😛  (It’s early yet – first cup of coffee….)

Genres I most often listen to:  I really am all over the genre field.  I think with audio I am more daring… a classic or what looks to be a hard read I may try in audio and have had good luck with that. 

If given the choice I will always choose audio when:  … When I am traveling.  I am actually bummed when I have to ride with someone somewhere as most will not tolerate my “do you mind if we listen to hours of audio?  😛

If given the choice I will always choose print when:  If it is a book I really want to know well, I need to be able to go back and forth… and repeat as necessary. 

 

Ok – BUT the real real REAL reason for this post title is that tomorrow is……My Blogiversary!  SQQQQUUUEEEEEEE!!!!!  Seriously SSSQQUUUEEEEE!!!!   😀

If you have been around here for any length of time you will know that I go all out for my blogiversary and I have HUGE giveaways as thank you to my awesome readers (YOU!).  If you are new to my blogiversary madness you can get a sneak peak of what happened here in previous years:

Blogiversary  Year One

Yup….. soooooo much fun.  AND tomorrow it is happening again so please stop by!  I have awesome giveaways thanks to incredible authors and publishers.  I will give yo a hint I have a copy of the not yet released __________________!!!!  (I know right!)  And if you were drooling over this one I picked up at BEA, know that I have a second one that will also be on the giveaways!  As always there will be books, coffee, and chocolate too.  All you have to do is come to the party 😀 

I am soooo excited but have a busy day ahead of me….. need to have the blog cleaned, the decorators arrive late this afternoon, caterers will be here in the morning…  oh I should check on the giant  ice sculpture too!

Have an awesome day – a book tour yet to come and later…. an awesome audio review.