Life is good.
~*~
Hello, all. *sheepish grin* Yes, I’m still alive and kicking. I don’t know whether to be chagrined because I haven’t posted in so long or chuffed because I could remember my password after so long. Let’s say I’m both.
I think I got off track or sidetracked in December. During that last part of 2008, I really couldn’t get in the holiday spirit, most likely due to our family being two members less. For the newer friends on my flist, that would be my Uncle Clayton and my cousin Debbie. So, while not really in a funk (cause I did celebrate the season, just more low key than usual), I was just really glad when Dec. 26th rolled around.
Some health updates: My mom is doing well, fully recovered from both knee replacement surgeries. It’s wonderful to see her bound down her front steps ready to go shopping. My brother’s situation (epilepsy/memory/equilibrium) has stabilized for now with no new medical solutions available. I can see his health gradually declining. He’s staying with my parents for now but hopes to try moving back to his house this summer.
I just finished my eighth round of antibiotics since December 1st. I’m seeing my ENT specialist tomorrow morning and going in with a chronological summary listing the numerous occurrences of sinus infections, along with the meds list of prescriptions I’ve tried but haven’t worked. Bah. I’m so sick of sinus pressure/pain.
Okay, enough of my whining. To update you a bit on what’s going on with me, here are some of the things that have been or will be keeping me happy/occupied. :D
~*~
Flooring Project
In 2008, I re-floored five rooms in my house (living room, dining room, kitchen, utility room and guest bathroom) and in 2009, I’m going to do the other four rooms (three bedrooms and my bathroom). Good riddance, nasty old carpet. During the last project, with the help of a friend, it only took us five hours to remove 579 sq. ft carpet/padding/staples. That was in December; then my brother-in-law and I laid laminate flooring in the living room and dining room. We worked a few hours each evening a couple of days through December 20 to 26. Yeah, my house was torn apart during Christmas. I guess I really was avoiding the holidays, wasn’t I? Still, laying flooring on December 25th kept my mind off how I spent the previous year’s Christmas Day. Hopefully, next year will be much different and more festive.
Sunny California
Earlier this month I traveled to California and spent five nights in San Diego. It was a great opportunity for a low cost trip to sunny California that I couldn’t afford to miss. My cousin was attending a conference there for work and wanted to take her two teenage daughters but also wanted someone responsible along to take them sightseeing while she was attending sessions. Evidently she couldn’t find anyone responsible so she asked me! *g* The hotel cost was covered and her boss had no problem with her taking family members. I shopped around and found round trip airfare for $284. That was my cost, plus food/souvenirs. So, no way was I missing that trip. We had a blast. We saw the Plain White T’s at the House of Blues, visited the San Diego Zoo, explored different sections of the city - Old Town, Little Italy, downtown, Gaslamp District, etc., took two harbor cruises, toured museums and ships, rented a car and visited three beaches. So much fun!
Also, it’s long past the four day incubation period for swine flu so I didn’t contract anything while airport hopping April 8th through San Diego - LAX - Dallas/Fort Worth - Louisville. I wasn’t concerned about it but am glad I didn’t take a trip down to Tijuana a few weeks before the travel warnings.
Harry/Hermione
Yes, these two characters still make me happy. I grin every time I walk by my bookshelf and see Harry and Hermione playing footsies in front of my EWE-compliant set of HP books. I need to post pics of the display cabinet full of Harry/Hermione collectibles I’ve happily accumulated post-DH. Of course, I’ll do that in the appropriate community. I’ve always said if everyone’s shipping preference makes them as happy as H/Hr makes me, then it’s all good.
Room for Rent
My boss dabbles in real estate and recently renovated a nice house in town. He intended it to be a rental but he casually mentioned to me, he had always wanted to own a bed & breakfast. I responded I had always wanted to run one. He said okay; he would pay all costs and split the profit. *blinks* I still want to keep my day job so we’ve worked out an arrangement with a mutual friend of ours. It will be more like a guest house and she and I will split the work/time keeping the house going/ready/booked. This is such fun stuff - any extra money will just be a perk. My inner Lorelei Gilmore is very happy, which is funny now because the friend I’m doing this with has always called me Lorelei. She says my quirks/quips remind her of Lorelei Gilmore and she thinks my relationship/conversations with my son are very much like Lorelei/Rory’s. I guess that makes her my Sookie!
Road Ahead
The Road_Ahead RPG has been my daily escape for quite a while now. It was a much needed refuge when I needed one while dealing with all my family’s medical drama during those long trying months. I began reading because of the strong Harry/Hermione bond, still only friends at that time, and then kept getting wowed by all the storylines and other character interactions. The writing in this game made me fall in love with the HP characters all over again. I really wasn’t expecting that. As much as I’ve loved reading this game, I’ve also had the pleasure of playing along the last seven months. I’ve been playing Cho Chang since 8/29/08 (or rather 3/29/1999 in-game) and then took on Marcus Flint in February. So the announcement that the RPG will be closing at the end of May (New Year’s eve, 1999 in-game) was sad news because I will miss everything about the game and the post-war world created for Harry and company over the last eighteen months. I’ve met some incredible people through RA and it’s bittersweet now to read/write these last RPG entries for these beloved characters. Srsly, even DH's finality didn’t make me this verklempt.
LJ Meet-Ups
In January, I met up with three others players writersblock76, penelope78 and rainbowwishers.dream from road_ahead. We found a great deal on a hotel in a central location and spent Friday evening through Sunday morning on our laptops playing the game with other players from all over. We had thirty HP characters interacting at a beach party in North Yorkshire, set in 1999. So much fun! I’m so glad I got the chance to meet these three lovely friends in person. I think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting 18 people now from my flist, and numerous others from my flist’s flist thanks to the Equus trip last October.
Speaking of that Equus trip, which I still say was amazingly perfect in every way, in a few weeks I’m going to again see the rest of the southern contingent who made that road trip to NY. I can’t wait to see abigail89, lnalvgd and queenb23more again. A large part of why that Equus trip was so wonderful was sharing it with such incredible people. Seriously, I would jump in a car with these three again for any road trip, anywhere, anytime, no questions asked. Prepare to be tackleglomped, y’all.
Dating
My family and friends always want to set me up with guys and every so often, I’m agreeable to the idea. Three of my friends each had a guy they wanted to introduce to me and I chose Bachelor Number 3. I’m still seeing him. Huh. Surprised myself there. He’s originally from this area and moved back from Miami last year. He’s a little younger than me. Just 6-1/2 years so this doesn’t technically qualify me for ‘cougar’ status, although the boy toy does like to call me cougar sometimes. Ahem. I have run into the issue where he’s already declaring ‘feelings’ which makes me panic and issue a declarative statement of my own. I really need to share some of these dating stories which are amusing my family so much.
Dibley!
Thank you, victoria_tonks! I had bought The Vicar of Dibley: The Holy Wholly Happy Wedding upon your recommendation and then took it to my cousin's house for one of our movie weekends. Several times a year, my cousins converge at one’s home and we spent the weekend in our pajamas watching movies, eating way too much and catching up with each other. We laughed so hard at the hilarity of that BBC sitcom. I then ordered the entire series from Amazon and we’ve already had many a fun gathering as we enjoy episodes and specials from the Vicar of Dibley series. I especially enjoy those last scenes after the credits in each episode with Gerry, the vicar, trying to tell a joke to her dim-witted friend/verger, Alice.
Book Releases
Two books I’ve been eagerly awaiting will be released on May 5th. I will finally get to read the fifth and final installment, The Last Olympian, in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I’m expecting great things from this story of a half-blood and a prophesy.
Tomorrow will also bring the ninth book, Dead and Gone in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Last year I read the first eight books in just a few weeks and now it’s time for more Sookie Stackhouse. I know I read at least 15 vampire books last year.
Now the question is which book should I read first? It’s so nice to again have that lovely anticipation for the next book in a series.
~*~
I had started this post a hundred times and though I keep thinking of more to add, I’ll just post as is and try to do better with more frequent future posting.
Love you all,
Sherry
Hello, all. *sheepish grin* Yes, I’m still alive and kicking. I don’t know whether to be chagrined because I haven’t posted in so long or chuffed because I could remember my password after so long. Let’s say I’m both.
I think I got off track or sidetracked in December. During that last part of 2008, I really couldn’t get in the holiday spirit, most likely due to our family being two members less. For the newer friends on my flist, that would be my Uncle Clayton and my cousin Debbie. So, while not really in a funk (cause I did celebrate the season, just more low key than usual), I was just really glad when Dec. 26th rolled around.
Some health updates: My mom is doing well, fully recovered from both knee replacement surgeries. It’s wonderful to see her bound down her front steps ready to go shopping. My brother’s situation (epilepsy/memory/equilibrium) has stabilized for now with no new medical solutions available. I can see his health gradually declining. He’s staying with my parents for now but hopes to try moving back to his house this summer.
I just finished my eighth round of antibiotics since December 1st. I’m seeing my ENT specialist tomorrow morning and going in with a chronological summary listing the numerous occurrences of sinus infections, along with the meds list of prescriptions I’ve tried but haven’t worked. Bah. I’m so sick of sinus pressure/pain.
Okay, enough of my whining. To update you a bit on what’s going on with me, here are some of the things that have been or will be keeping me happy/occupied. :D
~*~
Flooring Project
In 2008, I re-floored five rooms in my house (living room, dining room, kitchen, utility room and guest bathroom) and in 2009, I’m going to do the other four rooms (three bedrooms and my bathroom). Good riddance, nasty old carpet. During the last project, with the help of a friend, it only took us five hours to remove 579 sq. ft carpet/padding/staples. That was in December; then my brother-in-law and I laid laminate flooring in the living room and dining room. We worked a few hours each evening a couple of days through December 20 to 26. Yeah, my house was torn apart during Christmas. I guess I really was avoiding the holidays, wasn’t I? Still, laying flooring on December 25th kept my mind off how I spent the previous year’s Christmas Day. Hopefully, next year will be much different and more festive.
Sunny California
Earlier this month I traveled to California and spent five nights in San Diego. It was a great opportunity for a low cost trip to sunny California that I couldn’t afford to miss. My cousin was attending a conference there for work and wanted to take her two teenage daughters but also wanted someone responsible along to take them sightseeing while she was attending sessions. Evidently she couldn’t find anyone responsible so she asked me! *g* The hotel cost was covered and her boss had no problem with her taking family members. I shopped around and found round trip airfare for $284. That was my cost, plus food/souvenirs. So, no way was I missing that trip. We had a blast. We saw the Plain White T’s at the House of Blues, visited the San Diego Zoo, explored different sections of the city - Old Town, Little Italy, downtown, Gaslamp District, etc., took two harbor cruises, toured museums and ships, rented a car and visited three beaches. So much fun!
Also, it’s long past the four day incubation period for swine flu so I didn’t contract anything while airport hopping April 8th through San Diego - LAX - Dallas/Fort Worth - Louisville. I wasn’t concerned about it but am glad I didn’t take a trip down to Tijuana a few weeks before the travel warnings.
Harry/Hermione
Yes, these two characters still make me happy. I grin every time I walk by my bookshelf and see Harry and Hermione playing footsies in front of my EWE-compliant set of HP books. I need to post pics of the display cabinet full of Harry/Hermione collectibles I’ve happily accumulated post-DH. Of course, I’ll do that in the appropriate community. I’ve always said if everyone’s shipping preference makes them as happy as H/Hr makes me, then it’s all good.
Room for Rent
My boss dabbles in real estate and recently renovated a nice house in town. He intended it to be a rental but he casually mentioned to me, he had always wanted to own a bed & breakfast. I responded I had always wanted to run one. He said okay; he would pay all costs and split the profit. *blinks* I still want to keep my day job so we’ve worked out an arrangement with a mutual friend of ours. It will be more like a guest house and she and I will split the work/time keeping the house going/ready/booked. This is such fun stuff - any extra money will just be a perk. My inner Lorelei Gilmore is very happy, which is funny now because the friend I’m doing this with has always called me Lorelei. She says my quirks/quips remind her of Lorelei Gilmore and she thinks my relationship/conversations with my son are very much like Lorelei/Rory’s. I guess that makes her my Sookie!
Road Ahead
The Road_Ahead RPG has been my daily escape for quite a while now. It was a much needed refuge when I needed one while dealing with all my family’s medical drama during those long trying months. I began reading because of the strong Harry/Hermione bond, still only friends at that time, and then kept getting wowed by all the storylines and other character interactions. The writing in this game made me fall in love with the HP characters all over again. I really wasn’t expecting that. As much as I’ve loved reading this game, I’ve also had the pleasure of playing along the last seven months. I’ve been playing Cho Chang since 8/29/08 (or rather 3/29/1999 in-game) and then took on Marcus Flint in February. So the announcement that the RPG will be closing at the end of May (New Year’s eve, 1999 in-game) was sad news because I will miss everything about the game and the post-war world created for Harry and company over the last eighteen months. I’ve met some incredible people through RA and it’s bittersweet now to read/write these last RPG entries for these beloved characters. Srsly, even DH's finality didn’t make me this verklempt.
LJ Meet-Ups
In January, I met up with three others players writersblock76, penelope78 and rainbowwishers.dream from road_ahead. We found a great deal on a hotel in a central location and spent Friday evening through Sunday morning on our laptops playing the game with other players from all over. We had thirty HP characters interacting at a beach party in North Yorkshire, set in 1999. So much fun! I’m so glad I got the chance to meet these three lovely friends in person. I think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting 18 people now from my flist, and numerous others from my flist’s flist thanks to the Equus trip last October.
Speaking of that Equus trip, which I still say was amazingly perfect in every way, in a few weeks I’m going to again see the rest of the southern contingent who made that road trip to NY. I can’t wait to see abigail89, lnalvgd and queenb23more again. A large part of why that Equus trip was so wonderful was sharing it with such incredible people. Seriously, I would jump in a car with these three again for any road trip, anywhere, anytime, no questions asked. Prepare to be tackleglomped, y’all.
Dating
My family and friends always want to set me up with guys and every so often, I’m agreeable to the idea. Three of my friends each had a guy they wanted to introduce to me and I chose Bachelor Number 3. I’m still seeing him. Huh. Surprised myself there. He’s originally from this area and moved back from Miami last year. He’s a little younger than me. Just 6-1/2 years so this doesn’t technically qualify me for ‘cougar’ status, although the boy toy does like to call me cougar sometimes. Ahem. I have run into the issue where he’s already declaring ‘feelings’ which makes me panic and issue a declarative statement of my own. I really need to share some of these dating stories which are amusing my family so much.
Dibley!
Thank you, victoria_tonks! I had bought The Vicar of Dibley: The Holy Wholly Happy Wedding upon your recommendation and then took it to my cousin's house for one of our movie weekends. Several times a year, my cousins converge at one’s home and we spent the weekend in our pajamas watching movies, eating way too much and catching up with each other. We laughed so hard at the hilarity of that BBC sitcom. I then ordered the entire series from Amazon and we’ve already had many a fun gathering as we enjoy episodes and specials from the Vicar of Dibley series. I especially enjoy those last scenes after the credits in each episode with Gerry, the vicar, trying to tell a joke to her dim-witted friend/verger, Alice.
Book Releases
Two books I’ve been eagerly awaiting will be released on May 5th. I will finally get to read the fifth and final installment, The Last Olympian, in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I’m expecting great things from this story of a half-blood and a prophesy.
Tomorrow will also bring the ninth book, Dead and Gone in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Last year I read the first eight books in just a few weeks and now it’s time for more Sookie Stackhouse. I know I read at least 15 vampire books last year.
Now the question is which book should I read first? It’s so nice to again have that lovely anticipation for the next book in a series.
~*~
I had started this post a hundred times and though I keep thinking of more to add, I’ll just post as is and try to do better with more frequent future posting.
Love you all,
Sherry