I saw this and it is seriously the coolest thing ever.

In order to exercise, I tell myself to do 10 minutes. I do this knowing full well that I will try to go past that. But I will do 10 minutes and stop if I want. So I start. And then when 10 is up, I tell myself 5 more. And then 5 more. And so on. Until I hopefully get at least to 30 or more. What funny is I’m fully aware that I’m telling myself all these things and I’m allowing myself to believe I’ll be doing just 10 minutes. It’s a mental con game. I know some people just like to go exercise, but I ain’t one. Okay, I would like to ride my bike, and swim, and walk the doggies, but it’s the dead of winter. So it’s the elliptical. Anyhow, I feel a bit gullible that I can mess with my own head that way.

I’m trying to figure out how to apply rhinestones and such to wood/paper for a project. I do not know what’s the best method. Does anybody have advice? Glue gun? Elmers? Something else? maybe dot some glue on with a toothpick? Help?

Since May, I’ve managed to lose 16.5 pounds since May. I’m not entirely sure how. It’s been a struggle of the ups and the downs. The holidays will be murder. On the other hand, I’m back on the exercise road. Mostly because it will boost my immune system and maybe keep me healthier. One can hope. I’ve also been not drinking Diet Coke for 4 weeks and not eating splenda. Trying to reduce the artificial sugars. I don’t entirely know what effect that is having. I went through a bought of a nasty cold a couple of weeks ago and it resulted in a lot of fatigue, plus I was only drinking tea and had gone way off Diet Coke.

Right now, I’m finding a little bit of energy (hence exercise) and that may be because of the cold is losing hold and my body’s adjusted to no DC and no artificial crap and lots of tea. I’m also craving chocolate. And weirdly, craving milk chocolate, which is no longer my favorite. So it’s all very odd.

Getting ready to go visit family in a week. Looking forward to it. Should be a lot of fun. And hopefully relaxing. Most definitely it will be warmer. It’s also the the end of the semester next week, so lotsa grading. It will be . . . busy. The between semester break is much shorter than normal–about half. So that’s annoying. But I am looking forward to next semester. I’m teaching some fun courses.

Think i can keep losing weight over the holidays? I think I’d be happy just not gaining. Course I found this recipe for a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. I must make it. Must.

What are your plans for Christmas/holidays? I’d love to hear.

There’s an interview with me up on the awesome Tynga’s Reviews. AND she worked with my publisher and is giving away 10 copies of Shadow City. So go enter!

Panic. As in, I just found out that I have a week less between blocks than I thought. I needed that week. I wanted that week. I am doomed.

*bangs head on desk*

Pardon my primal scream. And now I shall pretend to be utterly in control and on top of things. Yes. I will.

I recently found this service, thanks to Shiloh Walker. It’s call Pinterest and here’s my little area. What it is, is a place where you can “pin” pictures or what have you to electronic bulletin boards, and can add comments to them. I really like the site because I can see how it would be incredibly useful for putting pictures up of characters, places, weapons . . . really it’s limitless. And when you’re working, you might come across a face that totally works for a character. Or it might be someone that you think you want to write about. Or a place. Or a thing. Or a decor.

I’ve started a place board and a character board among a few others. I really like the fact that I can put a pin it button on my Firefox and whenever I run across a picture I want to remember, I can. That include Nation Geographic pics and many others. While the pictures are on your board, they lead back to where you got them, so there’s no copyright infringement. Which is cool.

In order to join, you have to ask to be invited. It took about a week for my invitation to show up, and then it was really quick to get started. Take a look around on all the boards. Think this will help you with your writing?

I just noticed I can send invites out, so if you want to try it, and you want to post your email, do so and I’ll send you an invite.

I ate like a fiend last night and now I want to hybernate. It was my husband’s Xmas party for work and since it’s a small company, they took us to a very nice restaurant and the food was amazing. It was a four course meal with palate cleansing sorbet in between. The company was very good and we had a lot of fun. But now I feel like I need a nap and it’s not even lunchtime. It’s a lazy Sunday, apparently.

The Viggo dog continues to jump up. Now that he’s figured it out, he’s thinking it’s pretty awesome. So now he can further his campaign of getting spoiled. I apparently am an enabler in that. Or, more accurately, the source and main encourager and the one most likely (guaranteed) to spoil. I’m also a sucker.

My head is cloggy. The cold that everybody in this town seems to have has moved from my voice to my sinuses. I suppose this is getting better? Maybe?

I shall now go attempt to write. Possibly after taking some decongestant. Wonder what difference a decongestant would make to the words. Watching football, but I don’t care about the Chiefs or the Jets. The Oakland Packers game will be good.

What are you doing this Sunday?

It really is the little things sometimes that make things worthwhile. For me, for today, the dog jumped on the couch. Yes, this was a good thing. Let me explain. We have two corgis. At 10 months, Viggo had to have a femoral head osteotomy (FHO) because he had hip displasia. This meant he had no hip joint in that hip. Scar tissue would form a false joint and he’d need to keep muscular in order to do well for the rest of his life.

It went well. He was fine. Right up until a year later when he had to have the other hip done. Yes, he’s a very expensive dog. Anyhow, we went through all the rehab and he has been getting around fine. Running, wrestling, going up and down stairs, and generally being a hooligan. But. He wouldn’t jump. In order to jump in the car, he’d want to be on the curb. And forget jumping into the truck. That is, unless he was terrified by thunder, in which case he would run upstairs and jump onto my office chair (which is not low and is on rollers).

Anyhow, over the last few months, he’s been managing to jump into the truck (with the help of running boards) and trying to jump up on us a little. So he was trying. And tonight, I was sitting on the couch reading to the girlie, and he was giving me the sad eyes stare, and so I patted the couch and what do you know, he hopped right up like it was easy.

So there was celebration. It’s a small thing, but for us kind of a big deal.

In other news, there’s not a lot of other news.

Oh, but here. A small Blood Winter Snippet from the day:

“Am not,” he said with a grimace, his cheeks blotching brick red. “What do you want to do now?” he asked, shifting the subject quickly.

Max scanned the surrounding damage. “We’re not going to get any answers here tonight. They have too many wounds to lick. We should move on.”

“So start a war and run? Sounds like a plan to me.”

“We didn’t start anything.”

He snorted. “Like the Japanese weren’t all that involved in World War II.”

We scrubbed and cleaned the house and got it all ready for the viewing. And now we wait. I’m keeping my finger crossed. Hopefully something good happens.

In the meantime, trying to concentrate on other things so I don’t tie myself up in knots. Like writing this book. Teaching. Getting ready for holiday travel. Oh, and the man is now on a 6 day a week, 12 hour a day schedule. It’s horrible. He’s struggling. Not to mention the long drive.

And so it goes. And I must sleep even though I want to watch LOTR Return of the King. I haven’t watched these movies in a while and I’ve forgotten how good they are on so many levels. Sigh.

I’ve got a post on writing and abandoning standards up on Magical Words today. Come visit!