Random Saturday

Bob and I decided not to do HWSWA this week and ended up e-mailing all week instead. So no HWSWA. Do you have requests for topics? Because we’re out.

I have also discovered that an automatic “absolutely not” follows the words “alpha billionaire” in a book description for me. It’s right up there with “can he save her” and smirking. On the other hand the ingredients “chicken thighs” and “lemon” together make me hit Bookmark and the grocery. What is it about lemon and chicken anyway? Well, lemon and anything. Limes, I don’t get, but lemons? Hoo boy.

But I digress.

Oh, wait, this is a Random post. I’m supposed to digress.

So I went to look at the excerpt from a book recommended here and saw it was $9.99 and thought, Maybe not, and then read the excerpt and thought, Hell yes because that guy can write. And then I thought, What are my books priced at? because let’s face it, they’re all old at this point. The Harlequins are reasonable, and most of the SMPs are $7.99, but Bet Me is $11.99? And here’s a shocker: The Cinderella Deal is $13.99. Bantam must have lost its mind. No, we have no control what publishers charge for books. I was trying to think what the sweet spot was for me for hitting the Buy button, and I think it’s around $6.99. There was an excerpt I was reading the other day where I thought, Only if it’s free, and it was a BookBub and it turned out to be free, so I bit, but mostly if I’m going to try something, it needs to be cheap. Cheap R Us. Unless I hit really good writing, then I pay $9.99 for Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt. That’s not a recommendation, I’ve only read the excerpt, but it was good, so I’ll risk ten bucks. You want a recommendation? Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt. Currently two bucks on Amazon.

I know we usually complain about books not being available in digital, but I just discovered something much worse: Better Off Dead is not available to stream. What the hell are they thinking? That’s as bad as Green As Spring being $49. No, it’s worse, because at least Green As Spring is available.

I’m feeling the urge to do a John Cusack binge, not sure why, possibly he’s lurking as a placeholder for a character, but I’m having a hard time finding movies I want to watch. Grosse Pointe Blank, of course, that’s a no brainer. Say Anything annoys me, but Must Love Dogs I can’t remember, so I’ll try that. I do remember not liking Serendipity, but it’s a rom com and sometimes my tastes change; I didn’t like Down with Love the first time I saw it and then loved it the second time. I think High Fidelity was good. He’s made some violent stuff that I am not interested in seeing again just because I’m not in the mood. Give me comedy and romance, please, with a happy ending. At least until after the election.

Speaking of which, kudos to New Zealand to being well on the way to keeping their excellent PM. Now there’s a smart country.

My guilty pleasure right now is Marley Spoon. Every week, food arrives with recipes, like a gift from Santa, if Santa were Martha Stewart. It’s expensive, which isn’t good, but it’s my one guilty pleasure since all the others (eating out, going to the movies, shopping) are postponed until after the apocalypse. This week it’s Chicken Moo Shoo wraps, Lemony Chicken Scampi, and three desserts: Coconut Cake, Fudge Cookies, and Snickerdoodle Muffins. Next week is Peanut Noodle Stir Fry, Cheese Ravioli with Prosciutto, and Chocolate Lava Cakes with Drip-kit Coffee. Really, Christmas every Friday, and it’s all consumable so I don’t have to find a place to put anything. Perfect.

I’m babysitting my neighbor’s dog this afternoon. Jake has a schedule he needs to stick to, and my neighbors had a family thing, so Jake and I are together again (we’ve been here before). He’s a sweetheart, although sometimes he gets so enthusiastic about something invisible that he almost tugs me off my feet. We have discussed this, but I put up with it because he’s a sweetheart and he’s old, and this neighborhood has lost enough dogs this year. Beautiful Kara next door died the same week as Milton, and Jackson, next door to Jake is going on fourteen or fifteen, so his days are probably numbered although the little bastard runs his whole family so he may be able to defeat death, too. The point is, Jake can yank on his leash all he wants as long as he keep breathing. That’s all I ask.

In other words, my life is quiet and full of small pleasures, and I am grateful for that, even as my country burns down around me. Please god let this election go well so we can go back to being boring in the news. Somebody described Biden’s town hall as being “delightfully boring.” That’s my wish for America’s future. Delightfully boring.

That and food in a box every Friday and old dogs that don’t die.