Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 146
August 29, 2013
Adventures In Moving: Driver's Edition
I took yesterday off from work with the intention of getting my Georgia driver's license and my car license plate taken care of. My plan was simple, get up around 7am, get to driver's license place early, and then move on to the plates.
Georgia doesn't make this as easy as it could be. First, the driver's licenses and license plates are issued at two different locations. In Minnesota, it's one stop shopping. You go to the government center and take care of both at once. Second, the service centers (plural) for my county are both 40 minutes away from where I live. In Minnesota, it was like 5 miles from my house.
My plan also was sabotaged by me. I didn't want to get up at 7am. I'd stayed up late the night before writing and I wanted to sleep. So I did. Until 9am and then I ditzed around--drinking coffee, checking in on the internet, etc.
Okay, so plan B. Get everything taken care of before the two service centers close. Driver's license had to be first because I needed that to get the license plates. I arrive and worry that GPS got me lost. It directed me to a strip mall. I drive around, finally find the Drivers' Services store front. In the strip mall. For real.
There was a line. I filled in my paperwork and waited. I'd already checked out what I needed to bring with me online, so I was good to go if only they'd call my number. It ended up taking an hour, which I didn't think was too bad considering I got there at 1:40.
Now on to the license plates. First, this involved driving on weird one-way streets that suddenly become two way. I just about had a stroke at one intersection when I looked up and on the other side was a car headed right at me. Gah! But after that little adventure, I finally found the right place.
This one was harder because despite searching online, I wasn't sure what the hell they wanted to see for license plates beyond a Georgia driver's license. I figured they'd want proof of insurance, so I had that with me, and since the car is financed, I brought along my payment coupons in case they needed the information about the bank and their address and my account number.
It turns out they needed the vehicle registration. Um, yeah, what is a vehicle registration? I've only been pulled over once in my life and the officer did not ask for registration, just my driver's license. This was in Minnesota when I was in college, so maybe things have changed, but what is a registration?
So I went back out to my car, looked through the glove box, but there was nothing there remotely like a registration. That could only mean one thing--it's in Minnesota at my parents' house. They have a fireproof filing cabinet and all my car paperwork is in there. Apparently, GA wants the registration in the car. Huh.
One day off work. Two missions. One complete. After my dad mails all my car paperwork down to me, I'll try the second mission again.
Georgia doesn't make this as easy as it could be. First, the driver's licenses and license plates are issued at two different locations. In Minnesota, it's one stop shopping. You go to the government center and take care of both at once. Second, the service centers (plural) for my county are both 40 minutes away from where I live. In Minnesota, it was like 5 miles from my house.
My plan also was sabotaged by me. I didn't want to get up at 7am. I'd stayed up late the night before writing and I wanted to sleep. So I did. Until 9am and then I ditzed around--drinking coffee, checking in on the internet, etc.
Okay, so plan B. Get everything taken care of before the two service centers close. Driver's license had to be first because I needed that to get the license plates. I arrive and worry that GPS got me lost. It directed me to a strip mall. I drive around, finally find the Drivers' Services store front. In the strip mall. For real.
There was a line. I filled in my paperwork and waited. I'd already checked out what I needed to bring with me online, so I was good to go if only they'd call my number. It ended up taking an hour, which I didn't think was too bad considering I got there at 1:40.
Now on to the license plates. First, this involved driving on weird one-way streets that suddenly become two way. I just about had a stroke at one intersection when I looked up and on the other side was a car headed right at me. Gah! But after that little adventure, I finally found the right place.
This one was harder because despite searching online, I wasn't sure what the hell they wanted to see for license plates beyond a Georgia driver's license. I figured they'd want proof of insurance, so I had that with me, and since the car is financed, I brought along my payment coupons in case they needed the information about the bank and their address and my account number.
It turns out they needed the vehicle registration. Um, yeah, what is a vehicle registration? I've only been pulled over once in my life and the officer did not ask for registration, just my driver's license. This was in Minnesota when I was in college, so maybe things have changed, but what is a registration?
So I went back out to my car, looked through the glove box, but there was nothing there remotely like a registration. That could only mean one thing--it's in Minnesota at my parents' house. They have a fireproof filing cabinet and all my car paperwork is in there. Apparently, GA wants the registration in the car. Huh.
One day off work. Two missions. One complete. After my dad mails all my car paperwork down to me, I'll try the second mission again.
August 27, 2013
Organization Finds Space
I've lamented before about how hard it is for me to stay organized. I do my best, but somehow things always end up in chaos. As I was working in the kitchen on Sunday, I realized I come by it honestly. My parents are much, much more disorganized than I am.
It all started when I spotted those stands that can be used to stack dishes in two tiers. Because of the height of the shelves in my cabinets, I can't use them there, but I told my dad to put them in the pantry. He hadn't. They were sitting on the counter, taking up space, and on Sunday, I decided enough was enough. They were going into the pantry now.
To say the pantry was crammed would be understating it and I'd kind of resolved myself to not having quite enough room in there. Then I started taking things out to put the stands in and realized things were just put anywhere.
Let me state right here that I know how lucky I am that my parents were willing to come down here and help me unpack after my move. I'm definitely not complaining and I'm grateful for every box they emptied.
But to say my dad has an interesting idea on what belongs in the pantry would understate things. I pulled out vitamins and cleaner for the coffee maker and assorted other things. Since I had the pantry taken apart anyway, I decided I would organize the entire thing.
And lo and behold after I took out the stuff that didn't need to be there, put in the tiered dish stands, stacked a few cans, and put like items with like items it turned out I have plenty of room in there. So much room that there's even empty space there now. True, not much, but it's a heck of a lot more than I had before, but more importantly, I can see what I have now and find it without having to move things around.
Now it makes me wonder how much room I'll find when I reorganize my cabinets. Maybe I'll even find a place to put my toaster.
It all started when I spotted those stands that can be used to stack dishes in two tiers. Because of the height of the shelves in my cabinets, I can't use them there, but I told my dad to put them in the pantry. He hadn't. They were sitting on the counter, taking up space, and on Sunday, I decided enough was enough. They were going into the pantry now.
To say the pantry was crammed would be understating it and I'd kind of resolved myself to not having quite enough room in there. Then I started taking things out to put the stands in and realized things were just put anywhere.
Let me state right here that I know how lucky I am that my parents were willing to come down here and help me unpack after my move. I'm definitely not complaining and I'm grateful for every box they emptied.
But to say my dad has an interesting idea on what belongs in the pantry would understate things. I pulled out vitamins and cleaner for the coffee maker and assorted other things. Since I had the pantry taken apart anyway, I decided I would organize the entire thing.
And lo and behold after I took out the stuff that didn't need to be there, put in the tiered dish stands, stacked a few cans, and put like items with like items it turned out I have plenty of room in there. So much room that there's even empty space there now. True, not much, but it's a heck of a lot more than I had before, but more importantly, I can see what I have now and find it without having to move things around.
Now it makes me wonder how much room I'll find when I reorganize my cabinets. Maybe I'll even find a place to put my toaster.
August 25, 2013
August 22, 2013
The University of Weird
I've had people ask me for updates on my move. I'm still unpacking boxes and I still need to make a claim for all the furniture that got wrecked by the movers. I'll give an update when I feel as if I have more control. Right now, I feel like I'm living in chaos.
Instead, I want to talk about the weird thing that happened today and it concerns my move.
My dad called from MN today--it's the normal day for me to talk to my parents. And in the conversation he says to me that the University of Minnesota called (I've never given them any number except the one for my parents' house because I hate the phone and don't want to get calls). I didn't think much of this. They're always calling either for donations or for me to rejoin the alumni association.
Then my dad said they'd called to tell me they were sending me a letter at my new address in Georgia. They wanted to make sure it was correct.
I immediately went, WTH? I never gave them my address. I haven't even finished doing my change of address for important things yet. My dad anticipated my response--probably because he had the same one--and asked how they got it.
Apparently, my university has a special program they use to "keep up with their graduates."
Seriously.
WTF? Is the University of Minnesota taking a page from the NSA? Not only is it weird, but it feels kind of stalker-ish. I'm not feeling all warm and fuzzy about my Alma Mater right now.
Instead, I want to talk about the weird thing that happened today and it concerns my move.
My dad called from MN today--it's the normal day for me to talk to my parents. And in the conversation he says to me that the University of Minnesota called (I've never given them any number except the one for my parents' house because I hate the phone and don't want to get calls). I didn't think much of this. They're always calling either for donations or for me to rejoin the alumni association.
Then my dad said they'd called to tell me they were sending me a letter at my new address in Georgia. They wanted to make sure it was correct.
I immediately went, WTH? I never gave them my address. I haven't even finished doing my change of address for important things yet. My dad anticipated my response--probably because he had the same one--and asked how they got it.
Apparently, my university has a special program they use to "keep up with their graduates."
Seriously.
WTF? Is the University of Minnesota taking a page from the NSA? Not only is it weird, but it feels kind of stalker-ish. I'm not feeling all warm and fuzzy about my Alma Mater right now.
August 20, 2013
Coming Soon! A New Story In the Blood Feud World
I turned in my next story last week and turned it in to Harlequin. It will be part of their Nocturne Cravings line, which means erotica paranormal romance.
As far as I know, the title will be Phoenix Burning. At least I haven't been asked to submit alternate titles yet. I'm hoping this one sticks because coming up with names for a story is excruciating. I suck at titles.
Anyway, before I digress too far, the title looks as if it will be Phoenix Burning and it's scheduled to come out January 2014.
This isn't the best blurb ever and I don't have time to do a better job just now, but I hope this makes sense:
Vampire enforcer Ivar LeBlanc has been assigned to bring in the male who killed the clan lord's human beloved several centuries earlier. He's watching the daughter, Phoenix Cahill, waiting for her father to make an appearance.
Ivar has a small problem, though--Phoenix makes him burn with desire--and his life gets more complicated when it becomes clear that the woman he's staking out is being hunted by another vampire. Protecting Phoenix means sticking even closer than what he's already doing.
Phoenix has been taught all her life what the guidelines are for feeding and number one is: Don't feed too close to home. Ivar is her next door neighbor. Number two is: Don't feed from the same person twice. But she can't resist Ivar and she doesn't want to, not even if it means breaking all the rules because he makes her feel alive and she doesn't want to give him up.
As far as I know, the title will be Phoenix Burning. At least I haven't been asked to submit alternate titles yet. I'm hoping this one sticks because coming up with names for a story is excruciating. I suck at titles.
Anyway, before I digress too far, the title looks as if it will be Phoenix Burning and it's scheduled to come out January 2014.
This isn't the best blurb ever and I don't have time to do a better job just now, but I hope this makes sense:
Vampire enforcer Ivar LeBlanc has been assigned to bring in the male who killed the clan lord's human beloved several centuries earlier. He's watching the daughter, Phoenix Cahill, waiting for her father to make an appearance.
Ivar has a small problem, though--Phoenix makes him burn with desire--and his life gets more complicated when it becomes clear that the woman he's staking out is being hunted by another vampire. Protecting Phoenix means sticking even closer than what he's already doing.
Phoenix has been taught all her life what the guidelines are for feeding and number one is: Don't feed too close to home. Ivar is her next door neighbor. Number two is: Don't feed from the same person twice. But she can't resist Ivar and she doesn't want to, not even if it means breaking all the rules because he makes her feel alive and she doesn't want to give him up.
August 18, 2013
The European Union Explained
I did not know all of this.
August 15, 2013
My Favorite iPad Reading App
The following is my opinion, no company or product mentioned in this post gave me any kind of compensation and everything I talk about was either purchased by me for me or freely available to anyone and everyone.
Now that I'm reading on my iPad instead of on a dedicated eReader, I'm enjoying ebooks more. I know, the eInk is supposed to be just like reading a book, but I actually prefer a backlit screen. Maybe I've spent a few too many years working and reading on a computer. The retina display on the iPad makes it easy for me to read for long stretches because of how clear the text is.
I'd been a Kindle user before this, starting with the K2 and moving to the Fire, and I continued using the Kindle app for a while before it dawned on me that I wasn't tied to one ebook seller any longer. With that big duh finally registering, I downloaded the Nook and Kobo apps as well.
I absolutely fell in love with Kobo's iPad app (free in the iTunes store). It was simple and intuitive for me to use and didn't leave me with the minor frustration that I felt with other apps. The most awesome part, though, is it moves books you've finished reading to another tab, letting you only look at books you've yet to finish. ::LOVE:: It also has a section for books I've started to read, but have yet to finish, and (of course) the screen where it shows all your books—read and unread, finished and unfinished.
The icing on the cake is the fun aspects of the app. If the reader allows it, the app will show you who else is reading the same book you are. There's also an option to share on Facebook and (I believe) to discuss the book with other readers. I opted for privacy, so I'm not hooked up to my FB account nor am I sharing what I'm reading.
The other fun thing is the badges. The Kobo reader gives you awards when you hit certain milestones like finishing a book or reading for so many hours.
Kobo has an annoying problem, though. Well, two actually. The first one is that the ebooks have to be purchased one at a time. There is no way to buy multiple books at the same time.
The second annoyance is a big one. Kobo will NOT allow you to return any book, even if you bought it minutes earlier. Amazon lets you return Kindle books, and when I accidentally bought a book there, I was able to return it without any problems. Kobo could learn from this.
Despite this, I'm buying more and more books from Kobo because their app is so simple and elegant. Besides, sometimes I get sale coupons.
August 13, 2013
Bang! Crash!
Most of my worldly goods have been up in Minnesota while I've been living in Atlanta for the past year and a half. I was finally reunited with them on Monday, July 22nd when the movers arrived at my new home in Georgia.
The reunion wasn't all that it should have been.
It started when the guys unloading the truck brought in my coffee table. It has two drawers and one of them had the front busted off. I could see it lying on the inside of the drawer itself.
Later, they brought in my old stereo console and announced they'd found it with the wheel busted off where the wood met the bottom. One of the guys Gorilla Glued it to the bottom and put in some wood screws.
But if I thought that was the worst I'd see, I was wrong. When it came time to put the bed together, my dad opened the box marked "Parts" to get out the hardware the movers would need and discovered a chair leg. As it turned out, the leg had been ripped off my sofa. My grandmother's sofa that's like 85 years old and had withstood years of rambunctious children and other insults.
As bad as I felt about the drawer and the stereo, they did not compare to the sick feeling I got when I saw this. It had to have been torn off in Minnesota because it had been sealed inside the parts box and that had been started and closed by the loaders.
How the hell do you rip the leg off someone's sofa? Seriously. Talk about a complete disregard for other people's stuff.
Later, I discovered a smudge on the back of one of my chairs, a nick in my pristine dining room table, and an odd stain (I think it's a stain) on the side of my dining room table. And I've barely begun to open boxes. I'm scared at what I'll find.
I have to say that I'm totally not impressed with the movers at this point, not with the damage and destruction they caused. At least the only thing I know that is missing is my step ladder. Hopefully, everything else made it, even if it wasn't in one piece.
The reunion wasn't all that it should have been.
It started when the guys unloading the truck brought in my coffee table. It has two drawers and one of them had the front busted off. I could see it lying on the inside of the drawer itself.
Later, they brought in my old stereo console and announced they'd found it with the wheel busted off where the wood met the bottom. One of the guys Gorilla Glued it to the bottom and put in some wood screws.
But if I thought that was the worst I'd see, I was wrong. When it came time to put the bed together, my dad opened the box marked "Parts" to get out the hardware the movers would need and discovered a chair leg. As it turned out, the leg had been ripped off my sofa. My grandmother's sofa that's like 85 years old and had withstood years of rambunctious children and other insults.
As bad as I felt about the drawer and the stereo, they did not compare to the sick feeling I got when I saw this. It had to have been torn off in Minnesota because it had been sealed inside the parts box and that had been started and closed by the loaders.
How the hell do you rip the leg off someone's sofa? Seriously. Talk about a complete disregard for other people's stuff.
Later, I discovered a smudge on the back of one of my chairs, a nick in my pristine dining room table, and an odd stain (I think it's a stain) on the side of my dining room table. And I've barely begun to open boxes. I'm scared at what I'll find.
I have to say that I'm totally not impressed with the movers at this point, not with the damage and destruction they caused. At least the only thing I know that is missing is my step ladder. Hopefully, everything else made it, even if it wasn't in one piece.
August 11, 2013
Driving On the Left or Right
Why do some countries drive on the right and others on the left?
August 8, 2013
The Agony of Moving
I'm writing this ahead of when it's posting because of moving and deadlines and what not.
Today, the movers came with my things. I had six guys in MN who loaded the truck, but only three in Atlanta unloading it. They worked fast, though, and now my house is full of boxes.
No lie. There are boxes EVERYWHERE!
But let me back up. So I was told the movers would arrive between 8am and 10am. They give the window because of traffic. In MN, they had a shorter window (8am to 9am), but then things aren't as spread out in Minneapolis and traffic isn't nearly as bad either.
The movers arrived around 9:45ish. They asked me to get my car out of the garage. As I'm backing up, I managed to hook the garage door release cord with my car antenna and pulled the door down. I stopped immediately as the door starting going back down and went forward. The door seemed jammed and it was forced up for the move.
Maybe that was an omen for the day. There was damage. It was like a carnage wreaked upon my furniture. Details in my next blog post.
Oh, the one piece of good news. I didn't break my garage door. It worked normally when I closed it, and opened it again, and closed it once more. Testing it out, you see.
Today, the movers came with my things. I had six guys in MN who loaded the truck, but only three in Atlanta unloading it. They worked fast, though, and now my house is full of boxes.
No lie. There are boxes EVERYWHERE!
But let me back up. So I was told the movers would arrive between 8am and 10am. They give the window because of traffic. In MN, they had a shorter window (8am to 9am), but then things aren't as spread out in Minneapolis and traffic isn't nearly as bad either.
The movers arrived around 9:45ish. They asked me to get my car out of the garage. As I'm backing up, I managed to hook the garage door release cord with my car antenna and pulled the door down. I stopped immediately as the door starting going back down and went forward. The door seemed jammed and it was forced up for the move.
Maybe that was an omen for the day. There was damage. It was like a carnage wreaked upon my furniture. Details in my next blog post.
Oh, the one piece of good news. I didn't break my garage door. It worked normally when I closed it, and opened it again, and closed it once more. Testing it out, you see.
