One of THOSE people!

Am I becoming one of "Those People"?
I found myself writing in my journal at Starbucks on Sunday.
I wasn't trying to show off, "Hey, I'm all sensitive and arty! Look at me!!" but I get very distracted at home with dishes in the sink, dogs that need bathing, carpet that needs vacuuming, twitter that needs to be checked...etc.
So, I felt like I could plug in my iPod, sit in a comfortable chair and write without worrying about doing other things.
It was pretty good but I noticed a few people walking close by, as if trying to get a peek at what I was writing. I didn't hate on them too much; I've done that before.
But it worked out for me so I'm not too ashamed to be one of Those People.

Also, I'm becoming a Vegetarian.
My reasons might seem silly and I'm sure all the carnivores in the world will have a million answers to my reasons.
Some have actually said that I can't change anything. They're probably right.

In the past, I never understood vegetarians. How could you give up meat? Steak is so amazing and chicken is just the best. Oh and don't get me started on bacon. Sweet fucking Jebus...bacon.
How I sort of miss bacon!
But see...I just sort of miss it. I only think about bacon and beef as habit; "Bacon would be really good on that. Oh wait....".
It's been easier than I ever thought it would be.
Last night, I made a vegetable spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, spinach and mushrooms with a delicious spaghetti sauce.
No meat...and I didn't miss it.

Almost every restaurant I've been to in the last few weeks has had vegetarian options. I wonder what I would do in a fast food situation but since going meatless, I've avoided fast food which can only be a good thing.
I'm not sure I can ever call myself a vegetarian because I'm still going to eat seafood. Christ on a cracker! I live on the gulf freaking coast! I have to eat seafood!
I'm still new at this and I don't know all the labels, so what am I? Who am I going to be?
Oh right, one of THOSE PEOPLE!

Teaser Tuesday

Mary longed to say something in return, but it was not customary.  Instead, she just looked directly into his eyes to show him how deeply she trusted herself to him.
--Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George

Teaser Tuesdays is a fun weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

So, sometimes books are like junk food.  It's not nutritious but you love it anyway and in a lot of cases you eat the entire bag, box, bowl of whatever in one sitting.
From Barnes and Noble:

In this Jane Austen–inspired comedy, love story, and exploration of identity and destiny, a modern LA girl wakes up as an Englishwoman in Austen’s time.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict was like that for me.  Ok, it took two sittings but I devoured the whole thing.  It was fun and snarky and I am not afraid to admit I liked it.
I was disappointed in the end because I couldn't understand WHY a modern, 21st century woman ended up in the body of an early 19th century woman but when I was searching for the picture to add to this post, I found that there is a sequel.  This one is from the point of view of the woman who went from the 19th century to the 21st and that may be more fun and maybe I'll understand the point of the body switching.
But maybe like junk food, there is no point...it's just good.

Deep in the Woods by Chris Marie Green

This is the 6th book in the Vampire Babylon series and possibly the last.
The storyline was wrapped up but the author left us with a little bit of an opening for more.  I hope there is more because I became quite attached to Dawn, Costin and even Jonah. 
Jonah and Costin share a body and at first, Jonah was a bit of a psycho but by book 6, I sort of liked him and was rooting for him.
It's pretty cool to see the evolution of an author in a series of books.  Sometimes the evolution is for the better, like in Chris Marie Green's case or for the absolute worse, as in Laurell K. Hamilton's case. (Do NOT get me started about the unbelievable decline of the Anita Blake series!!)
In the Vampire Babylon books, we've had the opportunity to watch the characters grow and in turn we've watched the author grow, too.  Her writing has gotten better and better and her characters have developed real depth.
I won't give much of the book and storyline away but this whole series has used the usual sexy vampire schtick but with a very unique twist.  The first trilogy was based in Hollywood and used that vain industry as a front for the vampire underground.
The second trilogy took us to London and an all girls school.  One of my favorite things about it was that Green didn't rehash the same tired storyline over and over again.
I think I'd read this entire series again and that is saying a LOT!

Hey Look At Me...I'm Sick!

I don't mean to turn this into a sick person's blog but hey, it's what's going on.

I had an Endoscopy on Friday. I was a little nervous about having a toilet snake with a camera on the end being shoved down my throat.
I was surprised how quickly it was over. I was wheeled into the procedure room in a hospital bed when one nurse told me she was hooking me up to a heart monitor and another one told me she was putting some medicine in my IV to make me drowsy.
Then the other nurse said she was spraying something in my mouth to numb my throat and for me to swallow. I did and I wanted to tell her that it tasted bad but I closed my eyes for a moment instead.
I opened them again and I was in another room, staring at the back of a different nurses head.
"I'm in another room." I said, obviously.
"Yes, you're in recovery."
"That's weird", I said.
And it was over. I was groggy most of the day and for the first hour I had a little short term memory loss but I had no soreness or hoarseness after. It was pretty awesome.

I do have some issues that were revealed by the endoscopy but nothing life threatening and I'm sure I will be fine in no time.

I've never been to a specialist in my life, yet in the last month, I've been to two and had my first "procedure".
Does this mean I'm getting old? If so, that SUCKS!

The worst part of the whole thing? I had to get up at 5am! That was horrible.

Teaser Tuesdays

For days she gazed in vain and then a day came when she had an intuition that he was uneasy; she could not have told what gave her the impression, but she was certain; she waited, holding her breath; he looked up suddenly, as though he had heard an unexpected sound, and, catching her eye, turned quickly away.  From then on she ceased to throw him even a glance, but a day or two later, though her head was bent as though she were praying, she was conscious that he was staring at her.
--Catalina by W. Somerset Maugham

Teaser Tuesdays is a fun weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I couldn't wait to start Catching Fire after finishing The Hunger Games.
For a second book in a trilogy, it's jam packed with heart break, injustice and action.
Sometimes, I would get very frustrated with Katniss when she wouldn't/couldn't catch signals from other people.  For the face of the rebellion, she can be a little obtuse but then I have to remember that this girl is only 17.
When I was 17, all I cared about was my giant 80s hair, makeup and boys.
If I lived in Katniss' post-apocalypse world, I'd be the first one dead.
Parts of the storyline seemed unnecessary and a little predictable but overall it was extremely entertaining and heart-pounding.
Also, the cliffhanger at the end made me gasp out loud.
Do we really have to wait until August for the final book, The Mockingjay?

Hey...I'm not dead...or a lesbian.

I'm actually feeling a TON better!
I wouldn't say I'm 100% but maybe 97%.
I went to the cardiologist yesterday and he didn't seem overly concerned about anything. He is agreeing with my PCP that it's a GI issue so he listened to my heart, heard a premature heartbeat which I was glad about.
You see, in the ER, the doctor heard and saw the premature beats but when I was wearing a monitor in the hospital room, my doctors there acted like I wasn't having them even though I could feel them.
So, I felt like I was a little vindicated there.
Anyway, he said they were benign and possibly being caused by my GI issue and said he'd see me back in 3 months, after the appointment with the Gastroenterologist.

Over the weekend, I got a facebook message from a friend of the family. She noticed my relationship status on facebook was "It's complicated" and she was curious.
I haven't changed my relationship status since the day I signed up for it and have since forgotten about it.
She wanted to know what was so complicated. I didn't feel like it was any of her business so I diplomatically stated that I keep my personal/love life separate from my family.
She wrote back a little deflated and said "Oh, I thought you were going to tell us you were gay."
Yes. She said that.
Now, I have figured that some people assume I'm gay because I'm in my 30's and unmarried but I don't really care about what people assume. It was just a little shocking to have someone just come right out and say it.

A few weeks ago, I made the decision to stop eating meat. I'm still eating chicken and turkey for a while but I eventually hope to make the transition to vegetarian.
So, while people will now assume I'm a lesbian, they'll also flip out over the fact that I'm a vegetarian. I might as well slip on some Birkinstocks and stop shaving my pits. [/stereotype]

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I'm one of those people who hate feeling left out.  For about a year now, I've had to hear/read about how much everyone is loving The Hunger Games. 
I'd skip to another blog and there it is again....staring me in the face. 
"But I have so many books on my TBR list, I can't add a whole TRILOGY to the pile, can I?"
But I couldn't stand it so I gave in to peer pressure!

I could. not. put. this. book. down.  For real. 
It has everything you want from a book:  adventure, social injustice and a political message, a hero/heroine and unrequited love.
From Amazon:

The United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch.

The heroine, Katniss, is a tough 16 yr old who has had to fight for every scrap of food for her family since her father died when she was 11. 
When Prim, her little sister, is picked in the lottery to participate in the games, Katniss volunteers to take her place.  She knows sweet little Prim would never survive among these savages so with her knowledge of survival, she enters the arena to fight for her and her family's lives.

I know it sounds horrible and barbaric and it is...but Suzanne Collins somehow makes it ok to read.  You're not terribly grossed out or scared to death.
She makes Katniss super strong yet vulnerable and scared at times.  Like a normal 16 yr old in an unfair society.
The characters seem very well written and fleshed out. 
However, I became so frustrated with this political message.  Is this where we're all headed if we continue to live the way we are living?
I'm not sure I dig these post-apocalyptic novels trying to scare everyone into being better citizens of the world.  Some of us are doing the best we can.

But this was a great read.  I truly couldn't but it down and read most of it in one night.
I've got the next book in the Trilogy, Catching Fire, on my desk right now.
The TBR pile is getting higher!

Three Books, One Review

I have a confession to make.  I love Stuart Woods.  I'm enough of a book snob to be a little ashamed of this but I'm enough of a book fan to not really care.  I like a good, fast-paced, fun read every once in a while and because I was sick, Woods' newest book came across my desk at the perfect time.

It's like a running joke in the Stone Barrington books;  he's going to sleep with multiple women throughout the story and EVERY woman he meets is quite the nymphomaniac.
Woman meets Stone.  Woman drops trou.  The End.
However, the stories are fast-paced, a little predictable but humorous and a great escape.  It's just what the doctor ordered.

I've seen a lot of book bloggers talking about this YA series.  I thought it might be something our Children's Librarian would be interested in ordering so I did an InterLibrary Loan for the first book.  The Children's Librarian read it first and she liked it A LOT so I read it next.  I was so sick last week that this was a great book to get lost in.  It takes place in the Manhattan social scene of 1899; high society and all the secrets you can ask for.  Author, Anna Godberson does a wonderful job describing the beautiful dresses and costumes of the day.  I could just close my eyes and picture the luxurious fabrics and colors.

This is exactly the book I would have loved as a teen....although I'm far from being a teenager, I still enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it so much that I ran to my local library and checked out the next two books in the series. 

I finished Rumors in a day and it totally kept me interested all the way up until the SUPER surprise ending.

I wanted to read the third book, Envy, today but I left it at home! I guess I'll have to work for a living today.  

Yes....I'm Alive

Although for a while I wasn't sure I was going to live.

I actually had to go to the hospital for the first time in my life.  I was only there for 24 hours but it seemed like weeks!
I felt sick for about a week after my hospital stay but yesterday I started feeling better and today I'm almost normal....whatever that is!

In my absence, I've finished two books: 
Kisser by Stuart Woods (my guilty pleasure)
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I'll write more about them later.  I'm just glad to be on the mend.