Random Thoughts

Unlike Punxatawney Phil, I have not been hibernating for the past week, even if I have been pretty absent from the internet. Life’s just been a bit busy and hectic of late, but I think I’ve finally made it through the mound of emails in my inbox and I’m nearly caught up on laundry. We’ve had a ridiculously mild winter here so far, which makes me wonder if anyone around these parts is all that concerned about whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow or not. I suppose the same can’t be said for Maine. They actually had some snow on the ground when I was up there this weekend. I’d almost forgotten what the stuff looked like. Also, I spotted this on an SUV on I-95: Interestingly enough, that “I Hate Winter” message...

Is it too late to make New Year’s resolutions? I’m still more or less keeping up with the ones I did make. I know, that’s not too impressive since we are still less than a month into the year, but I came up with one more that I think is worthy of being added to the list. It was a result of a conversation I had with my boyfriend over the weekend. In a roundabout way it has to do with Route 66 and some commentary that was included with the Cars DVD that related how years ago, road trips were as much about the trip as they were the destination. The same isn’t really true anymore. Now, most of us, myself included are so focused on our destinations we have no time to really enjoy the ride. I guess you could think of this in a metaphorical sense,...

Last week via Twitter, I discovered this article that proclaimed the death of the resume and offered an explanation as to why creative types should have a good bio on their website. I knew my own website bio was badly in need of updating, and this was just the kick in the pants I needed. Well, okay there was much procrastinating on my part, but I did eventually sit down and re-write the website bio. Actually, for awhile I just stared at the computer screen and willed the perfect bio to write itself. Nothing happened. So, I had no choice but to throw words down and try to make something decent. I’m not bad at telling stories, but when it comes to telling my own story, I find myself suffering from a serious case of writer’s block.   For one thing, my...

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Around these parts it wasn’t the healthiest of holidays, but we all had some fun anyway. Christmas Eve included a little concert since my father got a guitar for himself for Christmas. Since Dad is only knows one chord so far, my boyfriend did the strumming while Dad sang along. Of course, there were lots and lots of great presents. I already got a chance to use the new rain boots that my sister and her family gave to me walking Jack during the big rainstorm yesterday. Jack has been enjoying all his new toys. Like this new alligator, which apparently has something like 16 different squeakers. That was a gift from my boyfriend, and my father suggested there might be something a little bit passive aggressive about it. Of...

It’s gotten to the point where I’m afraid to go anywhere near electronic devices, particularly my computer. First there was my whole printer meltdown. Then last week the power cord to my computer exploded. You think I’m exaggerating, but there are actual scorch marks on my carpet from the incident. Thankfully, I was there when it occurred and quickly unplugged the thing, though the burnt plastic smell lingered in the air for hours. Today the SD card slot on my computer suddenly stopped working. This is something I use on a fairly regular basis. This is something I was using yesterday. Today, my computer refused to acknowledge its existence. Google and various forums eventually led me to some patch from Realtek that I downloaded. Miraculously, my...

In this season of joy and glad tidings, it’s a little bit sad to have to say goodbye to someone who has been there for me over the years, gotten me through thick and thin, and been there for draft after draft of my books. I am talking, of course, about my printer, aka, the beast. I bought this old behemoth used on Ebay several years ago. It’s had its quirks over the years, but mostly it has been a tireless workhouse printing thousands of pages with almost no complaints. It’s gotten a bit more crotchety in old age, and now I feel it’s time for this guy to head off to office machine heaven. Change is scary and difficult. I’m going to miss my old friend. His replacement has some big shoes to fill. Giant, actually, since my old printer is...