Meri Benson's Blog, page 6

Book Review: Twisted Devotion by Jessi Elliot

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Author: Jessi Elliot

Publisher: Jessi Elliot

Series: Twisted #4

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Urban Fantasy Romance

Release Date: April 21, 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Find Twisted Devotion on GoodReads

Warning – There will be Spoilers for Twisted Fate (#1), Twisted Gift (#2), and Twisted Desire (#3). It’s recommended to pick up copies and read those before you continue with this review!

It was really nice to return to Rockdale and the cast of the Twisted series while getting a whole new level of understanding for a few of the side characters from other books.

While the war between the human and the Fae is over and The Experiment has been ended, there is still a lot of healing and settling to be done in the Fae world. And with the science that the humans have created that allow a Fae to be turned human, there’s a world of possibility left open to Fae who may not want to live for eternity.

Lucky for them Jackson Hawthorne is ensuring that those who might want to become human again have that choice should they want to take it – after being told the full extent of the risks that come with the procedure. But even knowing full well how things might fall, that a Fae might not survive turning human, surviving family members don’t stop from threatening him and his life in the face of their loss.

Which is why Kelsey Young is tasked with keeping him safe. Offered substantial compensation to keep Jackson alive as his personal bodyguard, Kelsey puts her plans to leave Rockdale in the rearview on hold to protect the arrogantly charismatic entrepreneur.

The ups and downs as Kelsey and Jackson spend several months together throughout the book keep the book moving. We learn a lot more about Kelsey’s past, how that has affected her now and why she really just can’t stay in Rockdale. And the budding romance between Jackson and Kelsey is a sweet contrast to the heat that they have between each other fro the moment he greets her at the door of his rather large home.

While this book focused on Kelsey and Jackson, it was great to be able to see the cast from the first three books weaved throughout to not just bring more life to this wonderful world that Jessi’s created, but also give us sneak peeks as to how they’re doing without taking over the story to do so. The world lives, breaths, and is this magically vibrant place that I would love to visit whenever Jessi wants to invite us back to it. The characters are just as strong developmentally as they were in the last three books, and my heart is all the warmer for reading Kelsey and Jackson’s journey.

Disclaimer: I did receive an arc of the book in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. All thoughts are my own and were not colored by receiving the arc.

Remember to find Twisted Devotion on GoodReads

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Official Synopsis

Being responsible for the survival of someone you loathe really dwindles all hope for a fresh start.

Kelsey Young is ready to leave Rockdale—and the darkest parts of her life—in the past. After barely escaping the massacre of her foster family and taking down the evil behind The Experiment, she wants nothing more than to relocate and start over.

That is, until the fae leaders offer a reward too good to refuse, derailing her plans in the process. Kelsey agrees to put her future on hold to protect an arrogant creature with far too much charisma for his—or her—own good.

While she’s no stranger to the rumors of Jackson Hawthorne, she is new to his charm. And soon, she finds it nearly impossible to resist—especially when he makes no effort to hide his blatant desire for her.

Tensions run high as Jackson’s well-being is threatened by angry fae and humans alike with a mission to destroy his business—and him.

But temptations run even higher after Kelsey swears to safeguard his life—even on the days she wants to kill him herself. And what about his heart—or hers? When they find common ground in new territory, lines blur, defenses crumble, and devotion begins to outweigh duty.

Available Now!

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Signed Paperback | Google Play

Get the rest of the Series

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Signed Paperbacks | Google Play

About the Author

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Jessi Elliott is a law clerk and author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.

She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her adorable cat, Phoebe. Yes, named after the Friends character.

When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.

You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can join her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Amazon

GoodReads | Instagram | Youtube | Patreon

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Hosted by:

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Things are getting Crafty

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So, if you’ve been following my Instagram at all (meriscorner), you’ve seen this already. If not, check out my Instagram, I’m always posting food and cat pictures over there as well as all the interesting crafty things that I’m doing in my life. It’s not all books with me, especially when words are being hard to find.

This week, I’ve dived into the world of acrylic pour painting. The image above is from the pour I did on Sunday, still went so I’m still waiting to see how it fully dries and how everything shifts as it finishes finding it’s level place. This is only my second pour and I’m trying to figure out if I had too much paint in the cup when I did the pour or not. While there’s a lot of paint on the bottom of the container I am doing this in, I had a little trouble at first getting it to the corners – trust me not from lack of it being too thick.

My first pour was WAY too thick. And I know that because after waiting like ten minutes it was still very textured. Though it thankfully leveled itself out and dried flat.

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This time, I was able to get the recipe right for the paint, so it flowed really well, it was just happy chilling not in the corners, which from the videos I’ve watched of people doing this isn’t uncommon.

On top of playing with paint I have been writing a little bit. Like around 500 words little this month so far. It’s small but it’s something, for which I’m incredibly happy with.

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As well, I’ve got a couple reviews coming up. One will be up on Wednesday for a book that’s coming out tomorrow, Tuesday April 21st. I was lucky enough to receive an arc copy of Twisted Devotion by Jessi Elliott – who is doing a Release Day Party on her Youtube channel Tuesday, so be sure to check it out her party. And then come back here Wednesday for the review to see what I thought of the book!

Link to her Release Party HERE

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What do you mean it’s not Monday?

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So I’ve lost track of what day it is in self-isolation.

That’s not entirely true, because I’ve been updating this cute little whiteboard on my fridge with the day and date every morning to make sure I know exactly what day it is. This was supposed to come out Monday, but my days have been getting away from me.

Part of it’s stress at work – while I like working from home for the most part and falling into a rhythm is easy enough because I’m keeping the same hours I would were I actually at my desk in the office, I feel like some of the people have gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly stupid with this stay at home during work time. Or potentially a little of both.

It wouldn’t surprise me if some of them are playing Fortnite instead of working considering the amount it takes them to answer an email just to confirm they are working on it – it’s like a two-second email it shouldn’t take you six hours to see my email and send it.

A lot of summer events that I have been working on both for my office, we’re supposed to be hosting a conference at the end of July, and my volunteer group, we’re supposed to be hosting a festival at the end of July, are kind of on notice because the Illinois Governer has not yet canceled summer events but has already voiced that he’s concerned about holding them until we have a vaccine for this virus – something that’s months away at minimum. And honestly, I can’t blame him for being concerned.

As much as I want to get back out in the world, to not have to worry about someone sneezing or coughing while I’m out shopping for essentials because I couldn’t get them delivered, I also don’t want to rush it and end up right back where we started. I want everyone to be safe first, because our health is the most important thing in this world.

That being said, I’m also seriously hoping that by November I can attend a Sci Fi Convention and potentially get a little booth and sell my wares – one of which I’m hoping will be a hold in your hands, large enough to print novel. Yes, I’ve got shorts and novellas but nothing that’s really big enough to run through the print on demand for paperbacks. But soon. SOON!

I’d say I’m making great headway on it, but the reality is that I’ve been spending a lot of time playing my newest addiction. Animal Crossing New Horizons on the Switch.

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That’s right. I have a self-isolated myself not just in the house, but to a deserted island that I’m slowly building up to be a cute little town. It’s a really cute game, and if you like things like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon and things, I’d totally recommend it. It’s super chill, super cute, and super fun.

Also – if you play the game and have Roses, Lilies, or Cosmos for sale? Hit me up, I’m totally needing them!

I’ve got a couple books I’m looking to read this month, a review going up next week, and some artsy things I’m looking to try out. All the plans, on top of getting some editing done on that novel.

And yet, it’s hard to want to do much except nap when I turn around from my desk and see cuteness overload.

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I mean, how can you not want to nap when you see that behind you?

I hope everyone is staying healthy, staying safe, and finding ways to stay sane while we’re stuck at home.

Cover Reveal: Twisted Devotion by Jessi Elliott

Title: Twisted Devotion
Series: Twisted Series #4
Author: Jessi Elliott
Genre: NA/Paranormal Urban Fantasy Romance

Release Date: April 21, 2020
Cover Design: Arijana Karcic, Cover It! Designs










Being responsible for the survival of someone you loathe really dwindles all hope for a fresh start.



Kelsey Young is ready to leave Rockdale—and the darkest parts of her life—in the past. After barely escaping the massacre of her foster family and taking down the evil behind The Experiment, she wants nothing more than to relocate and start over.
 
That is, until the fae leaders offer a reward too good to refuse, derailing her plans in the process. Kelsey agrees to put her future on hold to protect an arrogant creature with far too much charisma for his—or her—own good.
 
While she’s no stranger to the rumors of Jackson Hawthorne, she is new to his charm. And soon, she finds it nearly impossible to resist—especially when he makes no effort to hide his blatant desire for her.
 
Tensions run high as Jackson’s well-being is threatened by angry fae and humans alike with a mission to destroy his business—and him.
 
But temptations run even higher after Kelsey swears to safeguard his life—even on the days she wants to kill him herself. And what about his heart—or hers? When they find common ground in new territory, lines blur, defenses crumble, and devotion begins to outweigh duty.


















I walk up the steps and stop in front of the set of frosted glass doors, where I knock twice. Admittedly, the luxury of this place is rather intimidating; somehow more so than what I’m here to do. It’s ridiculous, considering I’m used to spending time at the Westbrook Hotel. But this place is next-level fancy.I clench my hands into fists and then let them go, shaking them out to release the tension.

It doesn’t do a whole lot the first time, but before I can do it again, the door opens, and Jackson Hawthorne smirks at me.

My eyes drop from his mouth to his bare chest and stick there.

Does he often answer the door half-naked? And with sweatpants riding dangerously low on his hips? Jesus.

“Long time no see, Red.” His voice is as smooth and warm as caramel.

After another second of admiring his lean, tight muscles, I meet his gaze and blink. His eyes—how could I forget how stunning they are? Melted honey with flecks of amber that pull you in. I want to believe they’re fake—costume contact lenses or something—but they’re completely real. They put my green eyes to shame.

Jackson leans in the doorway, those annoyingly captivating eyes roaming over my face as they glimmer with faint amusement. “Last I checked, Tristan and Aurora were the only ones who experienced fae amnesia. You good?”

I snap out of it and force a nod. “I’m fine. Hi, Jackson.”

Granted, I’ve only seen this guy a handful of times during The Experiment takedown—none of which involved him actually participating in the fight. But somehow, I forgot about his ridiculously charismatic personality. Perhaps if he’d fought with us instead of hiding, I would have gotten to know him better.

You will now, a voice sings in my head, and I fight the urge to scowl This guy got off scot-free and has been profiting from the deal Nik and Sky were essentially forced to make. Resentment isn’t an emotion I enjoy—feeding on or experiencing first-hand—but I’d be more comfortable protecting Jackson’s life if he’d risked it like the rest of us did ours. That thought prompts the wall to go up around my emotions, blocking my aura from view. Even though I don’t enjoy hiding it, I’d much rather Jackson not be able to see it.

He grins at me, clearly unaware of my distain, and far too chipper for this hour. I suppose it’s partially my fault for showing up so early.

“Please, come inside. Make yourself at home. Yada, yada, yada.” He glances behind me. “Did you bring anything? A change of clothes, perhaps?”

“It’s in the car.” Shrugging, I add, “I’ll grab it later.”

Nodding, he walks away, leaving the door open for me to enter the foyer.

I follow him inside, closing the door behind me. “Is Skylar here yet?” I glance around but don’t see or hear anyone else. “She said she’d meet me here this morning.”

“Are you kidding?” Jackson’s voice comes from the other room, and I follow the sound into the kitchen. “It’s barely daylight. Sky ain’t going to pull her ass out of bed until she absolutely has to. Nik would keep her there all day if he could.” He winks at me before tossing a blueberry into his mouth.

I stop in the doorway; my arrival interrupted his breakfast.

He must pick up on my reservation because he waves me into the room. “Coffee is fresh,” he murmurs, pointing behind him. “If you’re hungry, Gloria can make you pretty much whatever you want. She’s here a few days a week to cook and clean.”

My eyes widen, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he has staff here. “I’m good. Thanks.”

Jackson nods, cutting into what looks like a ham and cheese omelet.

In the silence, my gaze can’t help but venture back to his very well-maintained stomach. I just need to get my fill of the delicious, taut muscles there, and then it won’t affect me anymore. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Jackson laughs deeply, and my cheeks go red. “See something you like?”

I narrow my eyes, but I can’t deny it. “Your house too expensive for you to afford a shirt?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

His eyes sparkle, and he drops his gaze to his bare chest then back to me. “Nah, this is your welcome gift.”

I gape at him before grumbling, “Here’s hoping you kept the receipt.”

His lashes are still lowered when he smirks. “Now, that’s not very nice to say to your boss.”

I choke on a laugh. “You’re hilarious.”

He beams. “Thank you. Much better.”

I push away from the doorframe and walk closer, crossing my arms over my chest. “You are not my boss, Hawthorne. If anything, I own you.”

Nikolai’s words echo in my head. Keep him in line. I’m going to do just that.

He wets his lips. “Do you now?” His gaze travels the length of me, lighting my skin on fire. “I might be okay with that.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Now—”

“My goodness, I had no idea you were here!” a middle-aged, mousy-looking woman says as she rushes into the room. Her cheeks are flushed and a light sheen of sweat lines her upper lip as if she’s been running around for a while. She makes quick work of pulling back her frizzy brown hair and smiles at Jackson. “I apologize, Mr. Hawthorne. I was upstairs preparing Miss Young’s room and didn’t hear the door.”

“It’s not a problem, Gloria,” Jackson tells her with a charming smile. “I was happy to greet our new houseguest.”

She wipes her hands on her apron and smiles at me, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Can I show you to your room, Miss Young?”

I nod, grateful for the interruption. “That would be great. And please, call me Kelsey.”

Gloria heads out of the kitchen, and I go to follow her. But when I step forward, Jackson shifts in front of me to block my exit.

I suck in a breath, surprised he used the ability in such close proximity to his human employee even though she wasn’t close enough to see him do it. He made it look effortless.

As if it was as easy as taking a step to close the distance between us.

Maybe it was. Maybe for most fae who actually use the abilities they have, it’s just that easy. I, on the other hand, try my best not to use them—especially shifting. Even during my early days of training, I hated it. The movement leaves my body tingling as if a strong current of electricity has just run through me. I shiver at the thought and force myself to meet Jackson’s gaze. It’s not difficult to do with him standing so close.

“For the record, my bed is the comfiest in the house,” he says in a low voice so Gloria doesn’t overhear.

I speak in a normal voice; I don’t care who hears. “For the record, let me be very clear with you, Mr. Hawthorne. I will never spend a night in your bed. We clear?”

The corner of his mouth lifts like I’ve just offered him a challenge. Fuck.

I shake my head and walk away before he can say something that’ll make me do something I’ll get in trouble for—like punch him in the face.

Skylar better get here soon, or there may not be a need for my services.

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Jessi Elliott is a law clerk and author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.



She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her adorable cat, Phoebe. Yes, named after the Friends character.
 
When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.
 
You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can join her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.




















HOSTED BY:

So interesting fact that I’ve learned over the last few days – I touch my face a lot. Like, I’m constantly rubbing my eyes or scratching the top of my nose and I’ve started to notice it more and more with the instructions being to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. But how do you get those little gunkies out of the corner of your eye if you can’t touch your face? How I ask you, How!

Also, the photo above was the Sam’s Club by my house – yes I went out on Sunday. Mom and I took some inventory of the house and braved the stores for a brief, and I do mean brief, time to grab a few needed items for the house. That was the line to get into the store just as they opened. It trailed behind us down the length of the building and in front of the store next to it. Though in the 30 minutes after we slipped in, got everything we needed of the things that were left, and then slipped out to the car with our limited spoils of shopping there wasn’t a line to get in anymore.

And the good news is I am stocked up on all the non-perishable items we need should they be missing from the store, the stores are closed, or I have to self quarantine now.

Aside from food things, I slipped into the Walmart next door and wandered briefly through their lego section. I have mighty needs for legos. I love legos, I love building legos, and I stumbled across this interesting thing. It’s like a cross between Polly Pocket and Legos.

And I was like, well that’s a definite have to own. So I picked up two. This little science lab and the pet photo studio. Both of the littles are put together, yes. They’re adorable and I love them.

I also saw this beauty on the shelf.

I couldn’t justify getting it right now. But I want it. I want it so badly I’m not even joking. But I’m going to see if I can push my family to buy it and sets like it for me for my birthday. This beauty is the Baking Competition set. I did however buy the cupcake shop set which was half the cost. I haven’t opened it to build it yet.

Also, work has been trying to stay on top of the virus situation. Or well, really they’re trying to stay ahead of it. Because I not only work for a University, which comes with its own set of complications for remote working, I work literally next door to the hospital in the College of Pharmacy, with clinicians and pharmacists that have to continue to work at the hospital and clinics during this time. I’m just administrative staff, but it’s the administrative staff that keeps departments running while they’re off doing all the science-y things.

The students were all given this week off at my University – extended Spring Break – so they won’t return to classes until March 30th. This break allows all the faculty to work with IT staff in order to transfer their classes to 100% virtual learning so when the students come back to classes it will be virtual, likely through the remainder of the semester.

A lot of the non-essential to be physically here staff have been prepping all the work we do as well, so we can work remotely in the coming week or so. I’ve been told my department may shift that way before the week is out.

Anything and everything we can do in order to keep everyone healthy but still maintain the University functions. Luckily in this day and age, a lot of what we do now can be done via phone or skype/webex for meetings and systems that are all interconnected via online, so we don’t actually have to be in the office to accomplish a lot of what we need to do.

Whatever you do for a job, wherever you are, make sure to wash your hands and be safe during this time. A lot of people are panicking about how things are going and how bad it’s getting, but if we take precautions and are careful, we’ll be okay.

[image error]

So interesting fact that I’ve learned over the last few days – I touch my face a lot. Like, I’m constantly rubbing my eyes or scratching the top of my nose and I’ve started to notice it more and more with the instructions being to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. But how do you get those little gunkies out of the corner of your eye if you can’t touch your face? How I ask you, How!

Also, the photo above was the Sam’s Club by my house – yes I went out on Sunday. Mom and I took some inventory of the house and braved the stores for a brief, and I do mean brief, time to grab a few needed items for the house. That was the line to get into the store just as they opened. It trailed behind us down the length of the building and in front of the store next to it. Though in the 30 minutes after we slipped in, got everything we needed of the things that were left, and then slipped out to the car with our limited spoils of shopping there wasn’t a line to get in anymore.

And the good news is I am stocked up on all the non-perishable items we need should they be missing from the store, the stores are closed, or I have to self quarantine now.

Aside from food things, I slipped into the Walmart next door and wandered briefly through their lego section. I have mighty needs for legos. I love legos, I love building legos, and I stumbled across this interesting thing. It’s like a cross between Polly Pocket and Legos.

[image error]

And I was like, well that’s a definite have to own. So I picked up two. This little science lab and the pet photo studio. Both of the littles are put together, yes. They’re adorable and I love them.

I also saw this beauty on the shelf.

[image error]

I couldn’t justify getting it right now. But I want it. I want it so badly I’m not even joking. But I’m going to see if I can push my family to buy it and sets like it for me for my birthday. This beauty is the Baking Competition set. I did however buy the cupcake shop set which was half the cost. I haven’t opened it to build it yet.

Also, work has been trying to stay on top of the virus situation. Or well, really they’re trying to stay ahead of it. Because I not only work for a University, which comes with its own set of complications for remote working, I work literally next door to the hospital in the College of Pharmacy, with clinicians and pharmacists that have to continue to work at the hospital and clinics during this time. I’m just administrative staff, but it’s the administrative staff that keeps departments running while they’re off doing all the science-y things.

The students were all given this week off at my University – extended Spring Break – so they won’t return to classes until March 30th. This break allows all the faculty to work with IT staff in order to transfer their classes to 100% virtual learning so when the students come back to classes it will be virtual, likely through the remainder of the semester.

A lot of the non-essential to be physically here staff have been prepping all the work we do as well, so we can work remotely in the coming week or so. I’ve been told my department may shift that way before the week is out.

Anything and everything we can do in order to keep everyone healthy but still maintain the University functions. Luckily in this day and age, a lot of what we do now can be done via phone or skype/webex for meetings and systems that are all interconnected via online, so we don’t actually have to be in the office to accomplish a lot of what we need to do.

Whatever you do for a job, wherever you are, make sure to wash your hands and be safe during this time. A lot of people are panicking about how things are going and how bad it’s getting, but if we take precautions and are careful, we’ll be okay.

[image error]

So interesting fact that I’ve learned over the last few days – I touch my face a lot. Like, I’m constantly rubbing my eyes or scratching the top of my nose and I’ve started to notice it more and more with the instructions being to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. But how do you get those little gunkies out of the corner of your eye if you can’t touch your face? How I ask you, How!

Also, the photo above was the Sam’s Club by my house – yes I went out on Sunday. Mom and I took some inventory of the house and braved the stores for a brief, and I do mean brief, time to grab a few needed items for the house. That was the line to get into the store just as they opened. It trailed behind us down the length of the building and in front of the store next to it. Though in the 30 minutes after we slipped in, got everything we needed of the things that were left, and then slipped out to the car with our limited spoils of shopping there wasn’t a line to get in anymore.

And the good news is I am stocked up on all the non-perishable items we need should they be missing from the store, the stores are closed, or I have to self quarantine now.

Aside from food things, I slipped into the Walmart next door and wandered briefly through their lego section. I have mighty needs for legos. I love legos, I love building legos, and I stumbled across this interesting thing. It’s like a cross between Polly Pocket and Legos.

[image error]

And I was like, well that’s a definite have to own. So I picked up two. This little science lab and the pet photo studio. Both of the littles are put together, yes. They’re adorable and I love them.

I also saw this beauty on the shelf.

[image error]

I couldn’t justify getting it right now. But I want it. I want it so badly I’m not even joking. But I’m going to see if I can push my family to buy it and sets like it for me for my birthday. This beauty is the Baking Competition set. I did however buy the cupcake shop set which was half the cost. I haven’t opened it to build it yet.

Also, work has been trying to stay on top of the virus situation. Or well, really they’re trying to stay ahead of it. Because I not only work for a University, which comes with its own set of complications for remote working, I work literally next door to the hospital in the College of Pharmacy, with clinicians and pharmacists that have to continue to work at the hospital and clinics during this time. I’m just administrative staff, but it’s the administrative staff that keeps departments running while they’re off doing all the science-y things.

The students were all given this week off at my University – extended Spring Break – so they won’t return to classes until March 30th. This break allows all the faculty to work with IT staff in order to transfer their classes to 100% virtual learning so when the students come back to classes it will be virtual, likely through the remainder of the semester.

A lot of the non-essential to be physically here staff have been prepping all the work we do as well, so we can work remotely in the coming week or so. I’ve been told my department may shift that way before the week is out.

Anything and everything we can do in order to keep everyone healthy but still maintain the University functions. Luckily in this day and age, a lot of what we do now can be done via phone or skype/webex for meetings and systems that are all interconnected via online, so we don’t actually have to be in the office to accomplish a lot of what we need to do.

Whatever you do for a job, wherever you are, make sure to wash your hands and be safe during this time. A lot of people are panicking about how things are going and how bad it’s getting, but if we take precautions and are careful, we’ll be okay.

[image error]

So interesting fact that I’ve learned over the last few days – I touch my face a lot. Like, I’m constantly rubbing my eyes or scratching the top of my nose and I’ve started to notice it more and more with the instructions being to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. But how do you get those little gunkies out of the corner of your eye if you can’t touch your face? How I ask you, How!

Also, the photo above was the Sam’s Club by my house – yes I went out on Sunday. Mom and I took some inventory of the house and braved the stores for a brief, and I do mean brief, time to grab a few needed items for the house. That was the line to get into the store just as they opened. It trailed behind us down the length of the building and in front of the store next to it. Though in the 30 minutes after we slipped in, got everything we needed of the things that were left, and then slipped out to the car with our limited spoils of shopping there wasn’t a line to get in anymore.

And the good news is I am stocked up on all the non-perishable items we need should they be missing from the store, the stores are closed, or I have to self quarantine now.

Aside from food things, I slipped into the Walmart next door and wandered briefly through their lego section. I have mighty needs for legos. I love legos, I love building legos, and I stumbled across this interesting thing. It’s like a cross between Polly Pocket and Legos.

[image error]

And I was like, well that’s a definite have to own. So I picked up two. This little science lab and the pet photo studio. Both of the littles are put together, yes. They’re adorable and I love them.

I also saw this beauty on the shelf.

[image error]

I couldn’t justify getting it right now. But I want it. I want it so badly I’m not even joking. But I’m going to see if I can push my family to buy it and sets like it for me for my birthday. This beauty is the Baking Competition set. I did however buy the cupcake shop set which was half the cost. I haven’t opened it to build it yet.

Also, work has been trying to stay on top of the virus situation. Or well, really they’re trying to stay ahead of it. Because I not only work for a University, which comes with its own set of complications for remote working, I work literally next door to the hospital in the College of Pharmacy, with clinicians and pharmacists that have to continue to work at the hospital and clinics during this time. I’m just administrative staff, but it’s the administrative staff that keeps departments running while they’re off doing all the science-y things.

The students were all given this week off at my University – extended Spring Break – so they won’t return to classes until March 30th. This break allows all the faculty to work with IT staff in order to transfer their classes to 100% virtual learning so when the students come back to classes it will be virtual, likely through the remainder of the semester.

A lot of the non-essential to be physically here staff have been prepping all the work we do as well, so we can work remotely in the coming week or so. I’ve been told my department may shift that way before the week is out.

Anything and everything we can do in order to keep everyone healthy but still maintain the University functions. Luckily in this day and age, a lot of what we do now can be done via phone or skype/webex for meetings and systems that are all interconnected via online, so we don’t actually have to be in the office to accomplish a lot of what we need to do.

Whatever you do for a job, wherever you are, make sure to wash your hands and be safe during this time. A lot of people are panicking about how things are going and how bad it’s getting, but if we take precautions and are careful, we’ll be okay.

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So interesting fact that I’ve learned over the last few days – I touch my face a lot. Like, I’m constantly rubbing my eyes or scratching the top of my nose and I’ve started to notice it more and more with the instructions being to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. But how do you get those little gunkies out of the corner of your eye if you can’t touch your face? How I ask you, How!

Also, the photo above was the Sam’s Club by my house – yes I went out on Sunday. Mom and I took some inventory of the house and braved the stores for a brief, and I do mean brief, time to grab a few needed items for the house. That was the line to get into the store just as they opened. It trailed behind us down the length of the building and in front of the store next to it. Though in the 30 minutes after we slipped in, got everything we needed of the things that were left, and then slipped out to the car with our limited spoils of shopping there wasn’t a line to get in anymore.

And the good news is I am stocked up on all the non-perishable items we need should they be missing from the store, the stores are closed, or I have to self quarantine now.

Aside from food things, I slipped into the Walmart next door and wandered briefly through their lego section. I have mighty needs for legos. I love legos, I love building legos, and I stumbled across this interesting thing. It’s like a cross between Polly Pocket and Legos.

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And I was like, well that’s a definite have to own. So I picked up two. This little science lab and the pet photo studio. Both of the littles are put together, yes. They’re adorable and I love them.

I also saw this beauty on the shelf.

[image error]

I couldn’t justify getting it right now. But I want it. I want it so badly I’m not even joking. But I’m going to see if I can push my family to buy it and sets like it for me for my birthday. This beauty is the Baking Competition set. I did however buy the cupcake shop set which was half the cost. I haven’t opened it to build it yet.

Also, work has been trying to stay on top of the virus situation. Or well, really they’re trying to stay ahead of it. Because I not only work for a University, which comes with its own set of complications for remote working, I work literally next door to the hospital in the College of Pharmacy, with clinicians and pharmacists that have to continue to work at the hospital and clinics during this time. I’m just administrative staff, but it’s the administrative staff that keeps departments running while they’re off doing all the science-y things.

The students were all given this week off at my University – extended Spring Break – so they won’t return to classes until March 30th. This break allows all the faculty to work with IT staff in order to transfer their classes to 100% virtual learning so when the students come back to classes it will be virtual, likely through the remainder of the semester.

A lot of the non-essential to be physically here staff have been prepping all the work we do as well, so we can work remotely in the coming week or so. I’ve been told my department may shift that way before the week is out.

Anything and everything we can do in order to keep everyone healthy but still maintain the University functions. Luckily in this day and age, a lot of what we do now can be done via phone or skype/webex for meetings and systems that are all interconnected via online, so we don’t actually have to be in the office to accomplish a lot of what we need to do.

Whatever you do for a job, wherever you are, make sure to wash your hands and be safe during this time. A lot of people are panicking about how things are going and how bad it’s getting, but if we take precautions and are careful, we’ll be okay.

[image error]

So interesting fact that I’ve learned over the last few days – I touch my face a lot. Like, I’m constantly rubbing my eyes or scratching the top of my nose and I’ve started to notice it more and more with the instructions being to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. But how do you get those little gunkies out of the corner of your eye if you can’t touch your face? How I ask you, How!

Also, the photo above was the Sam’s Club by my house – yes I went out on Sunday. Mom and I took some inventory of the house and braved the stores for a brief, and I do mean brief, time to grab a few needed items for the house. That was the line to get into the store just as they opened. It trailed behind us down the length of the building and in front of the store next to it. Though in the 30 minutes after we slipped in, got everything we needed of the things that were left, and then slipped out to the car with our limited spoils of shopping there wasn’t a line to get in anymore.

And the good news is I am stocked up on all the non-perishable items we need should they be missing from the store, the stores are closed, or I have to self quarantine now.

Aside from food things, I slipped into the Walmart next door and wandered briefly through their lego section. I have mighty needs for legos. I love legos, I love building legos, and I stumbled across this interesting thing. It’s like a cross between Polly Pocket and Legos.

[image error]

And I was like, well that’s a definite have to own. So I picked up two. This little science lab and the pet photo studio. Both of the littles are put together, yes. They’re adorable and I love them.

I also saw this beauty on the shelf.

[image error]

I couldn’t justify getting it right now. But I want it. I want it so badly I’m not even joking. But I’m going to see if I can push my family to buy it and sets like it for me for my birthday. This beauty is the Baking Competition set. I did however buy the cupcake shop set which was half the cost. I haven’t opened it to build it yet.

Also, work has been trying to stay on top of the virus situation. Or well, really they’re trying to stay ahead of it. Because I not only work for a University, which comes with its own set of complications for remote working, I work literally next door to the hospital in the College of Pharmacy, with clinicians and pharmacists that have to continue to work at the hospital and clinics during this time. I’m just administrative staff, but it’s the administrative staff that keeps departments running while they’re off doing all the science-y things.

The students were all given this week off at my University – extended Spring Break – so they won’t return to classes until March 30th. This break allows all the faculty to work with IT staff in order to transfer their classes to 100% virtual learning so when the students come back to classes it will be virtual, likely through the remainder of the semester.

A lot of the non-essential to be physically here staff have been prepping all the work we do as well, so we can work remotely in the coming week or so. I’ve been told my department may shift that way before the week is out.

Anything and everything we can do in order to keep everyone healthy but still maintain the University functions. Luckily in this day and age, a lot of what we do now can be done via phone or skype/webex for meetings and systems that are all interconnected via online, so we don’t actually have to be in the office to accomplish a lot of what we need to do.

Whatever you do for a job, wherever you are, make sure to wash your hands and be safe during this time. A lot of people are panicking about how things are going and how bad it’s getting, but if we take precautions and are careful, we’ll be okay.