Sandra Cox's Blog, page 247

Murphy Strikes Again

The best laid plans of mice and men...or in this case grandmoms, etc, etc.
The day before I was to head out and visit the Grands, the hh came down with the flu. Needless, to say I instantly became persona non grata at the grandbabies house. Those pesky spreading germs. We're now shooting for the first week of February. I don't want you to think I'm a person who looks on the glass as half empty, but I'm fully expecting snow that week.
~*~My foot on the curb, a hard body cannoned into me. My assailant knocked me to the ground and lifted my purse. Damn, not again.~Suzanne, TALL,DARK AND UNDEAD

PB:Tall, Dark and Undead

I've got a tour going this week. If you're in the vicinity of any of these blogs and the mood hits stop in and say hey. At the end of the tour, there will be a drawing for a Vampire Pendant and a Starbucks gift certificate.  Here's the link if you'd like to enter: www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2d5d1268/  

Where I'll be:

January 13Kisses, Caresses; Whispers in the NightLiteral Hotties Naughty Book ReviewsMusings of a Writing ReaderRachelBrimble RomancePinkFluffy Hearts: Diary of a Coffee Addict
January 14LustyPenguin Reviews
January 15Bunny's ReviewHaveNovel, Will Edit
January 16Aspired WriterSnarkyMom Reads...Dawn'sReading NookDealSharing AuntHouse Millar
January 17Book Review by Xunaira J.LiteraryNookCrystal'sMany Reviewers

Yes, Indeedy, It's The Weekend

Whew! We made it. For a minute there it was in doubt. I'm going to be out of town next week. I bet you can figure out where I'm going. Yup, going to see the Grands. I'll be back next weekend. Keep track and tell me all the exciting things that happen while I'm gone. Enjoy.

~*~
'Hospital gossip spreads faster than the flu.' ~Suzanne, from Tall, Dark and Undead

Cell Phone Etiquette

       

                   After a tiring day, a commuter settled down in her seat and closed her eyes.                   As the train rolled out of the station, the guy sitting next to her pulled out his cell phone and started                   talking in a loud voice: "Hi sweetheart. It's Eric. I'm on the train."                   "Yes, I know it's six thirty and not four thirty, but I had a long meeting."                   "No, honey, not with that blonde from the accounts office. It was with the boss."                   "No sweetheart, you're the only one in my life."                   "Yes, I'm sure, cross my heart."                   Fifteen minutes later, he was still talking loudly.                   When the young woman sitting next to him had enough, she leaned over and said into the phone,                   "Eric, hang up the phone and come back to bed."
                   Eric doesn't use his cell phone in public any longer.~*~
'I refrained from making a comment that started with “flat-footed” and ended with “ass”. Instead I just lifted my eyebrows.'~Suzanne, from Tall, Dark and Undead

Lumosity

Lately, my thoughts have been like snowflakes that melt before they hit the ground. So...I signed up for Lumosity. Are you familiar with it?  For those who aren't, it's basically a brain exerciser. There is a cost involved, but it's reasonable. Since several family members have also been complaining about the memory thing, I signed up for the family plan. This allows five family members to play, er, do the exercises. The first step is to take a survey to find out what you want to improve: your memory, flexibility, problem-solving, etc. From there, an exercise program is set up suited to your needs. After each day's workout, you're given your scores. I've found I do pretty well in the problem-solving arena, which comes as a surprise, and not so well in the memory department, which comes as no surprise. From there, you can also go in and see how you rate compared to the rest of the populace. I've got to say, boys and girls, that part wasn't pretty. It was the darn pinball game that ruined my average. I've never been good at pinball. I just couldn't figure out where that blasted ball was supposed to be going. Anyhoo, if you're interested, it's: lumosity.com~*~'No matter how smart, all men are suckers for a pretty face.'~Suzanne from Tall, Dark and Undead

Back To It

Okay, boys and girls, for those of us with a day job, we're back to it and couldn't be happier, right? Cough, cough. Choke, choke. Excuse me while I hack up that fur ball. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration. How about thrilled to have a job until our collective ships come in? And I'm sure said-ships are heading for the dock with plenty in the cargo hold. Some may be a little leaky and water-logged, but they're going to get there. 2014 is going to be a good year for us. I'm sure of it.
This is a day late question, but how was your weekend? Wondrous? Our lovely daughter and significant other were in and she had something sparkly on her left hand. The significant other status has changed to fiance. We're quite pleased to welcome him to the clan. We now have two grandbabies and two engagements in the family. My sister also got engaged over the holidays.
Now what about you? Please don't tell me you did something terribly productive over the weekend. I expect you to play on your weekends.
By the way, you've probably figured the pic has no relevance to the post. Just a Tuesday funny.
~*~“You didn’t go out drinking, did you? It’s never a good idea to drink alone.”~Kess from Tall, Dark and Undead

VBT: Flick

BLURB:But life turns around when Leanna meets Piper one sunny afternoon. She’s inexplicably drawn to him, almost as if she’s been waiting for him to come. Forbidden to have a boyfriend Leanna throws caution to the wind, lying to her family and friends to be with him, while ignoring Simora’s ominous message.
Yet Piper has a secret of his own. He is on a mission and Leanna, unwittingly, is the key.EXCERPT: Leanna Matthews craved for ordinary in the least extraordinary way.  She enjoyed a few close friends, shopping at the mall and perhaps a nice romance novel every now and again.  Routine was good, early mornings were better…and life was extremely complicated.
She squirmed restlessly in Biology – the final, insufferable class of the day – listening to Ms. Alvarado drone on-and-on about non-polar bonds in her last, torturous act of the term.  Somewhere between ‘atom’ and ‘electronegativity,’ Leanna nodded off, nearly conking her head on the desk while daydreaming of summer vacation:  shopping, beach, friends, shopping, vacation, shopping, sun, shopping, but not necessarily in that order. 
Someone snickered from behind, no doubt amused by her wobbly head, as her eyelids grew heavier.  Shut-up Ms. Alvarado, she thought bitterly.  Thank God that in less than 20 minutes ninth grade would be officially over!  School, and all its stupid inhabitants (present company included), would be history for a good two months; or rather two months too short - but it didn’t matter.  Somewhere a beach chair sat waiting on white, fluffy sand and a plane ticket had her name stamped all over it.  The fun was just about to begin!
Or so she thought.
That next morning, instead of awakening to the sweet taste of freedom, Leanna lay whimpering, shivering feverishly in her sleep.  She curled tightly into a knot as a tiny beam of light crept through the shutters while she slept, casting eerie shadows on the wall - one of which grew abnormally in size until completely encircling the white canopy bed.  AUTHOR Bio and Links:By day, Keira des Anges has the distinct pleasure of assisting teenagers with disabilities find employment, empowering one life at a time. By night, she is a chew toy for her dog and cat and avid reader of anything spooky, magical and totally out of this world.  She lives in sunny Florida with her husband and two kids.
Twitter:  @KeiradesAngesFacebook:  www.facebook.com/KeiraDesAngesWebsite:  www.keiradesanges.comAmazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Flick-ebook/dp/B00D8MW7EE/ref=la_B00DCFJYB6_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379722174&sr=1-1Book Video:   http://youtu.be/J0iUsTkB--wBook Video embed code:  

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43437/ Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC! A Rafflecopter GiveawayThe tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/09/virtual-book-tour-flick-by-keira-des.html

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back To Work I Go

Yup, its that time. Luckily it's a short work week (obviously, since it's Friday:) and my daughter is home--yay--along with her significant other. I'm only working a half day, so we can play in the afternoon. I HAVE to get back to my writing, I've had about a month's hiatus. And I'm afraid it will be longer than that before I get back to it since I'm taking a week off to spend with the grand babies. Are you all doing better with your writing (or drawing, cooking, etc) than I am? I hope so.

Enjoy your weekend. For those of us nine to fivers (or thereabouts) we're looking at a full work week next week. And with that joyful thought, I bid you adieu...for the weekend at least. I'm looking forward to chatting with you Monday.
~*~“There’s nothing wrong with my head,” I yelled.
“Suz, you think you were rescued by a vampire.”~Tall, Dark and Undead

Off With The Old, On With The New

Whew! We made it through another year. And as you know my 2013 went out with a bang. Who'd have thought having grand babies would have such an impact. When I held them I thought, "Aren't they sweet?" But when they opened their eyes and looked at me--with so much intelligence, I might add--my heart caught in my throat. I'm afraid I'm going to be a cliche grandmother, showing pictures and talking about them constantly. But I will try to limit the grandparental urges on my blog... There's always Facebook. grin.
What about you? How did 2013 stack up for you? Have you made any New Year's Resolutions?
Mine are the same tired ones I drag out every year: watch the weight, exercise more, improve my writing skills, try to be more patient and kind. Same old. Same old. Anyone out there with unique, exciting resolutions, they'd care to share?
~*~“Do you believe in vampires?”
“If you don’t want to talk about it you could have just said so.” He lifted his chin and started to rise.
I looked at the door. No one was in the hall. I hunched forward and whispered, still clutching the sheet. “Kess, he had fangs and his eyes glowed.”~Tall, Dark and Undead

Your Coming Year

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art--write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can.  And I hope somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself...I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, more importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind."~Neil Gaiman