A Good Mail Day

I got 4 books in the mail today.

Can I get a woot for that?

Cos you know I need more books. (Kinda like I need a hole in my head)

I can't wait to dive into one of them. Unfortunately I've got a TBR pile extending around the globe, so I'm not sure when I'm getting to these three, but oh look how pretty they are.

What books have you bought recently?

Look At My Shelfies

Blame this post on Bilbo. He's lucky, he has pretty bookcases. Mine are, well, they are the $19.99 variety that you pick up at Ollie's Bargain Outlet whenever they have them in stock.

As you can see, there's a little bit of everything lurking about on my shelves, but the one case is dedicated to Doctor Who and Terry Pratchett's Discworld. (I sadly don't have the whole collection there).

Before I go any further with this, I want to say something.

My name is Andrea and I'm a book a holic. I am nowhere near the road to recovery. I'm most likely on the road to a book store or on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

This is one of my "neat" book shelves. Notice the lovely cat statue with glowing eyes sitting on top of this one.

I had to remove the books from the top shelf for him and put down a piece of cardboard so his little leggies didn't get stuck.

My Mokey isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Nope, he isn't.

I originally had my Stephanie Plum novels on top, along with the True Blood series. (One series I've read all of, the other I keep telling myself I'll read one October in celebration of Halloween)

Yeah, I'm crazy like that.

My TBR (to be read) pile is out of control and I don't care.

I just love books.

Here's further proof that I do indeed have a problem.

And yes, I even donated a lot when we moved last year. I'm not even showing you the inside of my walk in closet, that has more books than clothes.

Food Snobbery

Where to begin...where to begin.

1. I hate click bait recipes that say..."You'll never use spaghetti sauce in a jar again."

Let me tell you people. I work. I don't have time, or the inclination to make spaghetti sauce from scratch. Plus I can get some pretty awesome sauces for much less.

2. Overzealous housewives: You know who I'm talking about. The kind that make fancy cakes and cupcakes and decorate everything. Seriously, I don't have time for that. My cakes get made in a 9 x 13 pan, m'kay.

3. Not everything is going to be plated perfectly. Life is all about comfort food, and comfort food is seldom gorgeous, but it is tasty.

4. Chain restaurants are good, so Food Network guys, F-off. I like Applebees, Outback etc....

All in all, most of the time, I eat because it tastes good.

I could go on an on about this, but this is enough for now.

Andrea 0 Car 100

I have a headache.

Sway bar went in my car.

At 4:00 pm.

I was lucky to make it to the shop and have it fixed before they closed.

I was even luckier that it was under $100.00.

Now if someone could tell my head that it could have been much worse, because I have a splitting headache now.

Its at times like this when I wish I had a horse.

Have I mentioned lately that I want, no need a vacation.

Beauty Around Me

I don't get out much anymore but that's no excuse not to find something beautiful in this world.

There are pretty things out there, even if the rest of the world seems to be going crazy.

(cough, cough, Donald Trump supporters)

Today I found beauty in the butterflies that were having a lovely time on the thistle outside of my office.

It may not be a beautiful beach or someplace new and different, but it is beauty that is around me every day.

I challenge you to find something beautiful in your world each week.

The Grandma Bunny

Little bunny rabbits make me think about my grandma, which is nice,  because I've been haunted by the last image I've had of her for a very long time.

See, I was the one that found her after she passed.

The first time I saw a bunny in her yard, I could see her smiling face again.

My grandmother loved to see bunnies in her yard. Her face would light up like a child's when there was one bouncing around the yard.

This bunny has been hanging around near my office for awhile. What's special about this little fluff butt is that he lets me get pretty close. Close enough to get a decent picture with minimal zoom.

I know if my grandma could see this little guy she'd be beaming.

Love you grandma, and I miss you so much.

I Wish I Could Be A Better Blogger

It seems like only yesterday when I could write a blog post a day. Now I'm lucky if I can get one or two a month.

That makes me sad.

I look up prompts and they do nothing for me, or I start them and I somehow lose interest mid month.

I don't know what it is that has just sucked the fun out of it.

I'm open to suggestions to get my blogger mojo back because it really seems to have gone for good.

On that note...here's a cat picture

Why I Won't Wear The Suit

One of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner, has started a campaign called #wearthesuit, and by suit she means swimsuit.

I love the idea. I don't think anyone should feel ashamed to get in the pool or go to the beach if they want to, no matter how much they weigh.

This campaign has really taken off and I think that's absolutely wonderful. No one should be kept from doing something they love to do because they are scared to put on a piece of clothing.

As for me, I won't be wearing the suit. It has nothing to do with weight, though to be honest, I don't wish to find out what size I'd be wearing these days.

When I was stick thin, I hated buying a swim suit. They always looked awkward on me. Plus I'm one of the few people that absolutely hates anything to do with swimming.  I don'I t think I've had a tan in years. (At least since I used the tanning bed in the Curves that I used to work at back in the day when I was a skinny bitch)

So don't worry about me when I won't wear the suit. Its not because of any body issues I have, its because I have no desire to get out there in a swimsuit.

What I'm Listening To

My musical taste has changed a lot in the last few years. I blame it on my advancing age.

LOL

Lately I've been listening to my Irish Boys (Celtic Thunder) and their various solo projects.

My favorite Celtic Thunder CD is Heritage which seems to be required listening on Saturday afternoons. My mom, loves "Home from the Sea" and "Place in the Choir." My favorites are "Whiskey in the Jar" and "Galway Girl." Great listening, even though they are a prefabricated band.

The other album I totally love right now is Keith Harkin's (the Justin Hayward clone from Celtic Thunder) latest solo album On Mercy Street. His style is hard to pinpoint. Its rockin' folk music. His songs are fun, thought provoking and downright pretty.

I shouldn't forget to mention Byrne and Kelly's (More Celtic Thunder boys) Acoustically Irish. They do wonderful versions of "No Man's Land" "Back Home In Derry" and "Brown Eyed Girl."

If you like Irish music or voices, these are albums you really should give a listen to. All of them are fabulous!

Politics Will Be The Death Of Me

I don't think I've ever been so frustrated with what's going on in Washington D.C. Most of the time one can almost pretend that that little city doesn't exist.

Unfortunately this is an election year and we have some slim and scary pickings.

I'm not a fan of either candidate but one is far more frightening then the other in my eyes.

Personally, I think we need to have some new rules for people running for president.

1. You can only make an attempt at running once. If we don't like ya once...you don't get a shot at making our lives hell again.

2. You should have some idea of how government works. Erm...Trump I'm looking at you. For all your supposed business acumen (Do you even know what that word means?) You really don't seem to know anything about how things are done.

3. Candidates should stop making promises that there is no way in hell they can keep. Just an FYI to everyone, Congress is the body of government that actually does stuff. That is assuming they ever stop hating on the other party to actually accomplish something.

4. If you don't show up to your job. (Hey Rubio...we're looking at you....)You shouldn't be able to run for re-election)

Anyone else have anything to add? Now I'm going to wait for The Daily Show and Nightly

Remember When?

TV networks are cheap.

We can see that by all the reality crap that they put on every day.

Yuck.

But what really gets me is when talk shows are reruns.

Come on? Are we that cheap? Apparently so.

I hate when stuff like the Tonight Show etc aren't new. I mean why can't they get guest hosts when Jimmy is off? They did it for Johnny Carson back in the day. Surely there are enough people that can do the job?

These shows involve pop culture and world news. Reruns are just...blech!

Its bad enough we don't get any good tv in the summer.

Dear TV execs, some of us can't afford to go on vacation. I know I never will see another one in my life...yeah and I'm just 42.

Blech.

So could you at least give me something to watch, besides Ancient Aliens.

Oh and a side note to Stephen Moffat, screw you for keeping Doctor Who off my telly until Christmas

Death By Reassessment

The county that I live in just reassessed our property values.

The world is coming to an end.

They assessed my new home at $20,000.00 more than it was appraised at last year when I bought it. I'm scared to death of what the new taxes are and how much its going to cost to appeal.

I'm probably going to have to get a second job somewhere and start eating ramen noodles on a daily basis.

It doesn't help matters that I lost $70 from my review job that folded this year and I never got paid for my final reviews.

Every little bit counts.

I give up.

Plus I can understand people living on netflix and hulu, because I'd do anything to get away from political ads.

I swear to god, all the candidates suck..presidential and otherwise. (sorry Bernie, I do loves ya) I can't even get away from Trump and the NRA's nasty ad on Antenna TV, which is the only channel I can stomach watching these days.

A Very Nice Birthday

I got to go out today, which is a first. I spent some quality time at Barnes and Noble at South Hills Village.

Can I just say, I love that fresh book smell.

I got a tenth Doctor bobble head, a new cookbook and two other books for my reading enjoyment

I had a wonderful snack at the Cafe in Barnes and Noble

And then a fabulous drink at T. G. I. Fridays

We stopped at Trax Farms on the way home and got some corn for the holiday and saw this cool fountain.

All in all, a very nice day

42nd Birthday Mix

This is the first year in awhile that the birthday mix has flitted around in my head. Maybe it is because this is the first year in awhile that I've been able to enjoy music, so I'm going to make the mix/playlist.

These are 42 songs that have meant something to me in my life so far. I know that many have appeared on other mixes, but when I think of songs that are a snapshot of my life, these are the songs that I think of.

Walk The Moon - Shut Up And Dance
David Bowie - Strangers When We Meet
Elvis Costello - Man Out Of Time
Celtic Thunder - Whiskey In The Jar
The Monkees - Our Own World
Diana Krall - Narrow Daylight
Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind
Josh Groban - Brave
Miranda Lambert - Mama's Broken Heart
The Moody Blues - Steppin' In A Slide Zone
Byrne and Kelly- No Man's Land
Gorden Lightfoot - Race Among The Ruins
The Beatles - I'll Follow The Sun
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - Lady Willpower
Herman's Hermits - If You're Thinking What I'm Thinking
Stevie Nicks w/Tom Petty - Stop Dragging My Heart Around
The Smithereens  - The House We Used To Live In
Traveling Wilburys - The End Of The Line
Laura Bell Bundy - Giddy On Up
Keri Noble - I Won't
Julia Fordham - Hope Prayer & Time
Billy Bragg & Wilco - California Stars
The Byrds - I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
Susan Werner - St Mary's of Regret
Grey Eye Glances  - Halfway Back
Mika - We Are Golden
Mitchell Musso - Hey
Glass Tiger - I'm Still Searching
Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
Three Dog Night - Shambala
The Wallflowers - Sleepwalker
Matchbox Twenty - Last Beautiful Girl
Justin Hayward - The Way of The World
Gloriana - Wild At Heart
Feargal Sharkey - Cold Cold Streets
Erasure - Sunday Girl
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
Billie Myers - Am I Here Yet (Return To Sender)
Geri Halliwell - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
Oingo Boingo - Try To Believe
Keith Harkin - Orange Moon
Zac Brown Band - Knee Deep

I Have An Evil Floor

We've been in this house for about a year now and I swear I've not been able to get the dining room floor clean once.

The problem.

Its a porous floor.

Which means that any normal floor cleaners make it look awful. I know I need to get a finisher on it to make it shine, but I'd like it to look clean first and no matter what I do, that just doesn't seem to happen.

It is terribly frustrating.

I can use my swifter wet jet on the kitchen floor, but not in the dining room. It totally screws it up.

My floor is 100% evil.

Any hints as to how to clean this bastard would be greatly appreciated.

Men Who Look Good In Period Costumes

Hugh Laurie

Colin Firth

Ioan Gruffudd

Richard Coyle in Steampunk fashion

Aidan Turner

Hugh Grant

Back to Dear John

OK, so I've been watching the US and UK version of this show, as most of you know. We all know I huge Old Man Crush on Judd Hirsch.

I absolutely adore the US version, but after seeing the UK one, I find it more disappointing, because they tried to make the US version more sophisticated. Of course, even when Judd Hirsch plays a schmuck, he plays a smart schmuck.

The problem is, the original John Lacey was a little bit of loser, not the smart kind hearted guy that Hirsch played. The John Lacey in the UK version is more "real" to the ridiculous. He's a lot more self deprecating.

The Kate and Kirk banter is much more amusing in the UK version too. A little nastier, but that is what makes it funny. Especially as Kirk isn't really good looking. Jere Burns who plays that part, is actually very easy on the eyes.

Louise is fabulous in the UK version too and that's saying a lot because Jane Carr who plays the part in the US version is great.

Much more sexual innuendo too.

I really wish these shows were available on DVD so I could totally binge out on them.

Sad Stories

The last two books I read were tear jerkers. The first book, Forever Beach by Shelley Noble was actually a really good read. The cover gives it an illusion of being a beach read, but it was anything but. It dealt with children in foster situations and a young woman who was once in the system trying to adopt a child.

The second one was Saving Abby by Steena Holmes. This once was a tear jerker and it was depressing at the same time. It was also the kind of book that you knew what the outcome would be at the end, however you will wan to know how you got there. I enjoyed this book, but there were parts that I didn't understand as it was about a young woman who couldn't conceive after having one child in her teenage years, that she gave up for adoption. She then gets pregnant but has horrible headaches and fatigue that she tries to brush off as pregnancy hormones.

So you see where I'm coming from. If a friend of yours slept most of their day away and then had migraine type headaches, wouldn't you be likely to assume it was something more than pregnancy hormones? And when she is diagnosed she doesn't see anyone other than her general practice doctor? Huh?

Befuddling.

Both books left me with a desire to read something happy. I was burned out on romance before reading these two books. I can safely say I can probably go back to that genre now...or any other genre, because these two books have definitely been downers.

Randomosity (The Things I Wonder About Edition)

~ My niece is getting married in a few weeks. She's just finishing up college. In fact, she still has her student teaching to do.  I don't know why people want to get married that early in life. You haven't a job yet. You really don't know what life is about. Note to women...stop encouraging the belief that your daughters are not a whole woman unless they are married.

~ The election....how did we come down to these two godawful candidates, with one very orange one being even scarier than the other.

Every time I turn on the news I feel sorry for my father who fought for this country in WWII. Look at what we've turned into. A hateful bunch of people that really don't give a rats ass about anyone else. The worse part of it all, is most of the hatred comes from these so called Christians that don't behave like Christians in anyway. Except maybe to say they love Jesus.

A word to them..."Love your neighbor as yourself." and another "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."

If you don't know where those words come from...well...you obviously sleep through those church services you go to on Sunday.

~ Why can't there be good tv in the summer? My life has turned into a bunch of classic tv show reruns and The Daily Show/Nightly. Some people can't afford a vacation and we need to be entertained. That goes for you BBC America.

~ ebooks: I read a lot on my ereader. That said, I've been writing a fanfic based on the old show Dear John. (Don't ask) and my mind brought Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives into the story. I read it years ago and no longer have the book. Would you believe it isn't available in ebook form? Oh and none of the libraries in my area have it? I really don't want to have to buy a copy, but it looks like I'm going to.  The weird thing is that all of Ms. Collins' other books are in ebook form. WTF

Hump Day Hunks a'la Numb3rs