That Darn Cat

Okay, I'm procastinating again. I'm in the middle of my book review, with writer's block, so I'll procrastinate and write something else. My cat. The only reason I'm writing about this brat is because he's presently keeping me entertained with his strange antics that only he can provide.

Name: Turtle (yes a strange name for a cat, but that was his name at the animal shelter when my sister and I adopted him. So don't blame me for the name.)

Favorite Food: the type that I provide. (yes he loves the food I give him. I've never heard a complaint yet)

Favorite sleeping postion: take your pick - 1) on his stomach with his head and front arms hanging over the side, 2) on his side in semi-fetal position with one paw coving his face (I don't understand that last part) or 3) the Sphinx position (it doesn't look comfortable to me, but oh well.)

Favortie sleeping location: on the corner of my bed facing the door. In my head I imagine he's wanting to be my protector, but he probably just wants a position for a quick get away.

Favorite place to do is restroom business: anywhere besides the litter box. You'd think he'd be happy with the clean litter box I provide him, but nooooo, he's got to leave his own mark. Honestly, he doesn't do it alot, but it can be bothersome and annoying. Don't worry everyone, he does use the box (for the most part) and it doesn't stink in my apartment.

Worst habit: leaving cat hair everywhere. It's very hard for me to wear black these days. I've gone to work and seen cat hair on my desk. It's just amazing.

Most funny activity: doing a 360 degree jump to catch his tail. This cat just doesn't walk in circles to catch his tail, he's going to surpise his tail by jumping at it when he doesn't think it's looking. And who said cats were smart.

Most enduring quality: he follows me where ever I go. I'm currently in my bedroom with this computer and he's laying on my bed keeping me company (and trying to claw under the bedsheets to see what's under there). I go out to the balcony and he's in the living room waiting for me to come in. (That's what I believe and I'm sticking to it.)

Have a good day everyone.

A few regrets...

The smart thing to do would be to spend my time wisely and write the book review I am suppose to have completed by the end of this month. The book has been read, there are thoughts in my head to put into writing, but I'm just not on the mood.

So instead, I'm going to write a few personal regrets. For privacy reasons, I'm using initials in place of the actual person's name. It's not like they could possibly be reading this blog, but stranger things have happened. So, I'll play it safe.

These are not in any particular order. Just random regrets.

1. I wish I didn't back out of that date with B.D.
2. I wish I took the time to tell K.G. what I really thought of her.
3. I wish I told K.M. to just stuff it.
4. I wish I didn't shy away from standing up to my old boss, S.M.
5. I wish I took the time to stand in line for University of Kentucky Men's basketball tickets.
6. I wish I didn't tell my old high school basketball coach, B.B., that I enjoyed the season.
7. I regret ever telling M.B. that I liked him.
8. I wish I never picked up smoking.
9. I regret taking my two social work classes after graduating from college. Wasted money.
10. I regret not being online about an hour and a half ago. I know I missed out on a good chat. Sorry about that.
11. I regret not sitting down at my computer and start writing whenever I have an idea for a book.
12. I regret not writing down any of my writing ideas.
13. I regret not writing more in my personal journal.

That's it for now. Have a good day everyone.

<----------- Look Over There

Please let me direct your attention to one of the links on the left hand column. The ".... Secret, ... Secret," one. Technically, it's called Post Secret. This is one particular blog which brings various emotions: humor, sadness, and even oneness.

The idea of the blog is for people to send an anonymous postcard with one of your secrets on it. As you can see, people are creative when sharing their secrets to the world.

I don't feel alone when I read these secrets. There's someone else out there who has secrets about themselves (or others) and the only way they can share them is anonymously.

Not a bad idea to get something off your mind.

I've been enjoying a relatively annoying inner ear infection. Which provides the wonderful annoyance of feeling dizzy and light-headed. Is this how it feels like to be drunk? Festi, any answers on this? Yes, I'm one of the few 28 year olds who has never been drunk. I think I missed out on many college experiences. My personal motto is, "If I'm going to act stupid, I want to know what I did." I know, boring as hell.

I received a little surprise tonight. A stack of wood blocks on my balcony. How did they get there? Big surprise to me. I didn't put them there. Normally, if the apartment complex management enters my apartment for up-keep I am told about it and a little note is left on my door knob. No notice. No note. But I did notice two black streaks just inside my apartment as I was going out the door this morning. I don't wear black shoes to make those marks. I just noticed the streaks this morning, just like I noticed the stack of wood this evening. What's going on? Had it been the fire department, I figure they would leave something else. You know, a cute and funny reminder of their previous visit.

Wednesday morning I woke up to notice the balcony sliding door was opened just a crack. It was in the lock position but not fully closed. I specifically remember checking the door to make sure it was shut and locked. As far as I can tell, and I should know this well, it's very difficult to open the balcony door from the outside when it is locked. If someone knows, would you please tell me how you did it. You never know when that bit of information will come in handy.

These couple of events have gotten me kinda spooked, and it's also making me question myself. Well maybe I didn't shut the door completely? Maybe it was my black sandles that made the marks? But I have no idea about the stacked wood. You can't theorize that someone threw the wood onto my balcony. I mean, who would really do that? And it's stacked. Three pieces on top of each other. A person just can't toss them up in the air and expect them to land perfectly on top one another. Just not possible. And to top it off, my journal was laying out in the open, in the living room for anyone to read. Had I known there was a possibility that someone would walk into my apartment unannounced and read it, I would have hidden the thing. Idiot. And I'm not talking about me.

On a lighter note, I had the pleasure of watching a line of cars stop and wait for a goose crossing. Actually is was a flock of geese. Yes it is possible for gas guzzlers to be made to stop for wonderful animals. (I'll call them wonderful as long as they don't peck at me legs.)

My Reading Habit

Since I touched on my reading habits in the last blog, I thought it was best to elaborate.

Romance
I'm starting here, because I've read more romance books than any other genre. Romance books have been in my house for as long as I can remember. My mom was a big reader of this genre. We used to visit a used book store and she would come home with a huge bag full of Harlequin romance books. Now there are various styles of this genre, and many different publishers, but Harlequin stands out because they can be bought anywhere in the U.S. and are big sellers. They are often looked down upon as not good literature, and I can certainly understand why these books aren't studied in high school and universities, but it doesn't mean a person should turn their nose up at them. My reasons as why they shouldn't be ignored...

1. They are a quick read. Good for those people who don't want to spend a long time on a story.
2. There's always a happy ending. Just like sitcoms.
3. The reader is often taken to a happy "world" when reading these books.
4. These books can be wonderful stress reducers.
5. Caution: To all those ladies who hope for one day to have a personal romance just like the novels - remember this is fiction.

My first read of adult romance came when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I had never read one of my mom's books at this time. I considered them "adult" books and therefore off limits. But one day I notice this book with a picture of a half-naked man holding this woman in a romantic embrace. You've probably seen many covers similar to this, so I don't really have to explain it too well, just in case - romantic embrace, eyes locked, lips close to one another, the woman's hair blown in the wind, and her breast pushed up to her chin. You get the idea. Curiostity got the better of me, so while my parents were asleep, I grabbed the book and stayed up half the night reading. Talk about a sex education. (More was to come.) I was hooked.

My reading of romance has ventured beyond Harlequin, so don't be worried. Jeanne, I did borrow the books you suggested in your comments. I've added them to my list of books to read. So I'll get to them sometime. I've been told that my reading list will become longer the longer I'm a librarian. No wonder I have glasses.

As much as I love the author Nicholas Sparks, I can't read his romance books anymore. I always cry. Three of his books have become movies - Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and the Notebook. What's so amazing about his books, is they are written by a MAN.

Mystery

Not my favorite genre, but I do have some favorite mystery authors - James Patterson and Janet Evanovich. It's not that I don't this mystery books are good, because this is a good genre, I just haven't found too many mystery authors which have appealed to me.

I'm still trying to figure out how Evanovich's mystery series, with the character Stephanie Plum, is considered a mystery. There's so much humor in the book that a person can forget there's an actual mystery taken place.

There are so many twists in a James Patterson novel that I can't help but like his books. Very fast pace. To me, it's the sign of a good book when you can't wait to turn the page. His main mystery series stars a character by the name of Alex Cross, forensic psychologist. The antagonist will usually commit crimes just so Alex will come across them. The murder sending messages to the police. Usually by the fatal expense of someone else.

I've never been able to enjoy some of the other popular mystery writers - Sue Grafton, Nevada Barr, and Patricia Cornwell. I'm looking for another mystery author to enjoy, and there are some I have my eye on. I've been wanting to enjoy a Walter Mosley mystery but haven't got the chance.

Science Fiction

The only science fiction author I have been able to enjoy is Laurell K. Hamilton. Anita Blake is the main character and she raises the dead for a living. There's a love triangle involving her, a vampire and a werewolf. The series incorporates fantasy and suspense. I was warned this series becomes more graphic as each book is published. And they weren't kidding. (A new level of sex education.) I stated in my last post that I read a book for just the sex portion (I was having a weak moment at the time,) but in this instance, all the sex kept getting in the way of the plot. You should win a prize if you find the plot in her most recent installment of the Anita Blake series - Incubus Dreams. Some people have described this series as horror, but in my opinion, if you want horror, read true crime. That stuff can keep you up at night. Other people have recently described this series as erotica, and those people are probably correct.

Some day I'm going to read a Hubbard sci-fi book. For the sole purpose of attempted to understand why scientologists take part in a religion/philosophy/whatever that he founded.

I'll give you a break from my reading habits. Have a good day everyone.

On my mind...

It's a good thing I didn't write a post this weekend. All you would have seen was a title that said "FFFFUUUUCCCKKKK!!!!!" Now I don't like to curse too much, but my head was filled with confusing thoughts and delimas, mostly about religion, and I just wanted to curse. Not exactly appropriate when thinking about religion. I don't write too much on my religious perspective, but don't be surprised to read something in the future. (Yes, I still have an urge to confess to a Priest. And no, I don't fully understand why. Partly, but I won't go into that.)

I've been writing alot in my personal journal. More or less explainations for my previous writings in my past journals. Attempting to explain myself. What I've come to figure out is this, there will come a time when someone will read my journals. I don't know who it will be - my parents (heaven help them if they do), a future husband (please forgive me for what I've written), a friend (don't laugh too hard), a future child of mine (hopefully they will continue to think highly of me), or some average Joe who happened to get their hands on my journals and tries to make money off of it. Whatever happens, I want to explain myself. And there's alot to explain.

I've been reading about the mother who is protesting in Crawford, Texas to talk face-to-face with the President of the United States. Her son died in the current war in Iraq. Her husband just filed for divorce, and her younger son is upset with her. Everyone deals with grief in their own personal way, but I really hope she hasn't forgotten about her living family members at home. I won't advise her on how to grieve, but I would think that I would want to spend time with my family.

Something is changing in my brain. My reading habits are changing. I'm reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I have the urge to read the Illiad, the Fountainhead, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Austin literature, etc.... What's wrong with me? I usually read romance and some mystery. James Patterson mystery. Never the intellectual stuff. I'm also in the process of reading the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. A book 13-15year olds usually read. I'm 28 and finally reading it. Quite funny, don't know why I haven't picked it up before. I can't say that I'm completely eliminating romance books. I did pick up a book titled "The River Devil," but I didn't read all of it. Only the sex parts. I mean, what else is there to read in those books. So many of those romance books are the same - damsel in distress, lots of sex, good guy and gal come out good in the end. There's really no need for plot. (Ok, I say that and I read Nora Roberts books - my favorite Mountana Sky.)

"Eye candy" has lost his flavor. Have I talked about "Eye candy?" If not, here's a brief description - cute guy at trivia night at the local pub/bar/restaurant. He's attractive, but he's losing his flavor. The big breasted girl, and all the other ladies who bat their eyes at him can have him. I can't quite put my finger on why he's lost his flavor. There's something about his personality that just doesn't quite appeal to me. He can be funny. And loud. And crude. Maybe it's the crude part, but I have moments of crudeness. He may have shocked me when he stated that he was reading the book 1776 by David McCullough, but that has passed.

It could be the cute waiter, with the nice smile and laid back, quiet personality that has moved me beyond "Eye candy."

Have a good day everyone.

Celtic Festival in Ohio

Just last weekend, my friend and I enjoyed the Celtic festival here in Ohio. Never been to one, and thought, "why not, it might be fun." And it was. The beer was flowing, the music was lively, the merchandise booths had plenty to choose from, and the men in kilts... well let's just say your mind can make you wonder if the men are wearing anything underneath.

There wasn't much to complain about the festival. Three different stages were set up to play music all day. I never knew the sound of rock-n-roll and celtic music sounded well together. The food would have been good if I had the stomach for it. I passed on the cheesecake on a stick and went straight for the kettle popcorn. I was introduced to kettle popcorn at a festival a year ago and loved it ever since. It's only available at festivals, so I buy it when I can. The bottled water was a rip off. $2.00 a bottle, but hey, when you're hot, your brain starts to slow down, and you become confused and dizzy, you'll pay anything. I never knew beer on tap can come straight from a beer truck. Just pull the truck up, go to the side of the truck with glass in hand and get your beer. Ingenius!

There's only one complaint I had, and I'm speaking to the ladies when I say this.... "That red hair coloring came straight from a bottle. You can't fake that stuff. The black roots are a dead give a way. I know you are trying to look Irish, but don't force it. Embrace your African-American heritage." (Just kidding, I didn't see an African-American with red hair). But there were plenty of women who were trying to be something they aren't.