Month: June 2011

Procrastination…I Have It

Badly. In fact, so badly, it’s probably Stage IV. Seriously. It’s a struggle to make myself do homework, much less anything else! I have a daily planner that I fill out religiously (and with much detail) every week. This week, I’m maybe getting 50% of my to-do lists done. Not for lack of time. I’ve only worked one day since Saturday (Sad, I know. I should be ashamed to even write that…). It’s just complete and total lack of motivation.

At least I got my homework done (until Sunday, anyway). With only two more weeks in the summer semester, falling behind isn’t a good idea. But I have a writing project that needs outlined, and I need to finish a revision and start another one. Not to mention getting started on my certification at work…Can I get a couple of days with 48 hours in them, please?

Anyone have any tricks for overcoming procrastination? I’d really appreciate them…when I get around to implementing them, anyway.

It’s the End of the World (as We Know it)

I had a horrible weekend. My internet was out. I couldn’t check my email ALL weekend. I almost had a nervous breakdown/withdrawal symptoms. Not only that, my cell phone is acting up, so I couldn’t check my email on that, either. It was the longest weekend ever! I didn’t know what to do with myself. Okay, I worked on Saturday, so it could have been worse, but still, 48 hours with no internet? The horror! Apparently, I can only take so many naps in a day…

I mean, it was bad enough that I couldn’t do homework (Yeah. I’m one of THOSE people. I had homework. It needed to be done. I’d rather do it than procrastinate. So sue me.) I couldn’t read any of my online books. I couldn’t listen to my new addiction (neoclassical) on Pandora. Not being on Facebook didn’t bother me, surprisingly enough, but the lack of email was…painful. I was so happy when the tech guy showed up bright and early Monday morning and got it fixed. (And also astonished. When they say “He’ll be there between 8 and 12, you don’t really expect him to be there until, say…11:45. But this guy showed up at 8:20.) As soon as he left, I got right online to get my fix.

So, tell me, how technology-addicted are YOU?

I Regret My Cynicism…

…Okay, not usually. Usually I embrace it. With pride. But today…today, I regretted it just a tiny bit. I have this patient that I sometimes take care of. He’s 93. He always has his cell phone with him, which was kind of funny to me at first. I mean, how many 92-year-olds do YOU know who actually have a cell phone?

Well, today he asked me “Do you want to see a picture of the most beautiful girl in the world?” Of course, not being heartless, I said “Yes.” So he showed me a picture of his wife. She was smiling widely, looking like she loved life and was deliriously happy. Then he said “I lost her in November. I miss her so much. I love her SO much.” They had been married three days shy of 70 years, and he is still madly in love with her.

I almost cried. It kind of gives me hope that maybe there are still some decent guys out there…somewhere. (Even if I don’t know any of them.)

Mercy, by Rebecca Lim

Mercy (Hyperion)

What would you do if you woke up in someone else’s body, with no memory of how you got there or who you where? It’s happened to Mercy before, but that doesn’t make it any easier to adjust to taking over someone else’s life. When she wakes up on a bus in the body of Carmen, a shy girl who loves to sing, she has no idea what’s going on. She has brief flashes of previous lives, but she doesn’t know who, or even what, she is. She does know that Carmen is shy, and is used to being on the fringes of life, but with her school participating in a vocal concert, and Carmen the lead soloist, Mercy has to learn quickly—and make sure she doesn’t ruin Carmen’s life while she’s at it.

She’s staying with the Daley family, whose daughter, Lauren, disappeared two years ago. Lauren’s twin brother, Ryan, is convinced Lauren is still alive, and soon Mercy is, too. But Luc, the mesmerizing man she keeps seeing in her dreams warns her not to interfere. As Mercy helps Ryan search for his sister, she uses a power she doesn’t fully comprehend to learn the truth, and the two grow closer—even as the trail they are following takes an unexpected twist. Mercy must decide between helping Lauren, and helping Carmen. Forced to make an impossible choice, will she learn to use her power before it’s too late?

Mercy, by Rebecca Lim, is the first in a series about a fallen angel with amnesia. This books isn’t big on back-story revelations for Mercy, but it is big on mystery and suspense. There are no slow scenes in this book; from the moment Mercy wakes up in Carmen’s body, through her floundering attempts to figure out what’s going on. The author gives us a distinct feeling for Mercy and her confusion, as well as her longing to find out who she is—and to find out just what history she and Luc share.

(Galley provided by Hyperion via NetGalley)

Say Hello to my Little Friend…

I woke up this morning talking to myself. Well, sort of. Before you call for the men in the white coats, let me explain….

You know that state where you’re not quite awake, and you’re not quite asleep? That almost-twilight place? That’s where I was. And I found myself having a conversation with a character in the DOTD story. At least, I think he was a character. If not, then I have a new imaginary friend. His name is Breck…

Honestly, this isn’t the first time I’ve found myself having a conversation with a character. When working on the Witches stories, I frequently have actual arguments with Kahleena. And I spend quite a bit of time giving Julien orders that he promptly ignores. (Seriously, does he have to be such a spoiled prince all the time? You’d think he was running the show.) But this is the first time I’ve had a conversation with someone from the DOTD story. And up until this morning, I had no idea what Breck looked like, so it was like talking to a stranger. He has red hair, by the way. Not Carrot Top red, or anything, just a nice strawberry blond. I was surprised. How many male MCs have red hair (I can think of one: Jamie Fraser in the Outlander books)? And he’s an actor, too. I don’t normally think of them having red hair. Besides that, my female MC in this story has red hair. Fortunately, hers isn’t strawberry blonde, but still, two red-haired characters? I need to have a chat with my Muse…At least he has blue eyes, so he and Acacia aren’t clones of each other or anything. Maybe I can talk him into dyeing his hair?

Yeah, ’cause having a discussion with an imaginary person about changing his hair makes me sound so much saner…

Transitions

First of all, why does it have to be so hot? At 6:30 p.m, it really shouldn’t be 105 degrees, now should it? No wonder I haven’t been outside since 9 a.m….I’m not sure if it’s the heat, or the shock to my system from being in New Orleans five days last week. I mean, it was hot there, but it wasn’t this hot. And this is my first Texas summer in two years. Can I just say I’m not impressed? It’s only mid-June, and it’s already well over the century mark. Not my idea of fun.

Let’s add the horrible heat to the slight bit of culture shock I’m experiencing, and you’ll see why I’ve felt out-of-sorts this week. Last week, this was what I was doing Saturday night:

Bourbon Street

And also this:

Drinks!

This week? I’m at home. Doing homework. Fighting to stay awake at 8:30 at night. What is wrong with this picture? Better question: what is right with this picture? Beats me…I’m hoping this blue funk goes away. If not, I’ll be forced to admit that I’m horribly homesick for a place that I only spent two years in (Okay, and that I was fascinated by and drawn to for a good 10+ years before that.), and that the place I’ve always called home…no longer is.

On a side note, I just discovered Neoclassical music (Abandoned Toys, anyone), and can I just say wow? I am blown away. And this music so fits my mood…

Progress…Not So Much, This Week

Or, really, at all…Okay, so I did get another five phases of the DOTD story outlined. But that’s pretty much it. This week has been a little hectic, between work, appointments, a friend’s birthday party, and packing to go to New Orleans later this week. Oh, and I just realized today (as in, about 5 p.m.), that my summer class starts tomorrow, and not next Monday, like I thought. Oops. It’s a good thing it’s an online class, since I’ll be out of town for five days.

I’m SOOO looking forward to visiting my second home and seeing family and friends. I need a vacation!