#FurkidFriday: Mollie The #Chinchilla On Recent Events And #Tortoises

Hi everyone. This is Mollie the chinchilla.

We were going to have a guest today, but things had to get rescheduled. Since that's the case, I thought I'd come catch you up on some things that have been going on around here lately, and how I'm doing.

As you probably know, my degu brother, Joshua, who lived in the cage next to me, went away at the end of last year. The human caretakers say he went to the rainbow bridge place, like Maizie did near the start of last year. I'm both happy and sad about that. Happy, because I know that's where his brothers went, and he missed them, so I bet he's really happy to be with them again. But sad too, because now I miss him.

The good thing is, my cage got moved to where Joshua's cage was. I'm glad about that, because it has a better view of the TV, so I can see my NCIS better. Well, I don't only watch NCIS. I like other shows too. But NCIS is the best! The original one is my favourite.

Where my cage used to be is a new neighbour. It's something called a tortoise, which I never saw before. They call it Artemis.

Artemis doesn't talk to me. Because of the kind of cage Artemis lives in, I can't see the tortoise properly apart from when Mummy and Artemis are having cuddle time, so I don't think it's anything personal.

I mean, Artemis doesn't even talk to the dogs, and they've tried getting the tortoise's attention by hanging out where they can be seen when Artemis comes towards the front of the cage. Well, the Lilie dog has mostly, because the Logan dog is mostly only interested in Artemis when Mummy is doing something with the tortoise, and even then gets bored and goes to look out of the window instead after a very short time, like he's doing in this picture:

To be honest, I think the only one Artemis notices exists is Mummy, and that's because Mummy's in charge of food. I'll say one thing: that tortoise has good taste in nibbles! I know this for sure, because Mummy always gives me some of the veggies - and every so often fruits - that Artemis is having, and they're always very tasty. I've always loved my fruits and veggies though. Mummy's smart enough to appreciate them too, and always has the same fresh fruits and veggies as us, though sometimes she adds others to her dinner that we don't get to have any of. But then, she doesn't get any of my chinchilla mix, Artemis' tortoise pellets, or the hay we both have, so I guess that's fair.

I really wish the fruit would happen more though, and I'm pretty sure Artemis agrees. Mummy says it has to be a rare treat for us both. Something about sugars. That hardly seems fair when Mummy gets to have fruit every day. But at least she gives us some from time to time, I guess.

Artemis loves nibbles even more than I do though. Look at the tortoise eat:








Anyway, I like to watch Mummy doing things with Artemis when I'm awake. Mostly I'm sleeping when Mummy's playing with Artemis though, because I sleep in the day, and Artemis sleeps in the night, so I miss things. Except the evening stuff, because I'm always up in time for evening nibbles. I don't mind the different sleep schedules though, since it means I can play and watch my shows in peace (especially since the dogs aren't allowed in the living room at night time).

But I'm glad the human caretakers made this video and photo of Artemis' bath time, since I always miss that, because Artemis is late getting up in the mornings so I'm usually asleep before tortoise bath time. Anyway, I hope you like seeing the photo and video too. Here they are:

Mummy uses a toothbrush to scrub Artemis' shell gently during bath time. Artemis hates it. Actually, Artemis hates bath time in general. The tortoise doesn't like having to get so wet. Smart tortoise. But Mummy says Artemis has to have regular baths to avoid dehydration, even if the only thing Artemis likes about bath time is cuddling in a towel afterwards.

So, that's about it for what I've seen going on around here lately.

I'd share some photos of myself, but it seems there aren't any new photos or videos of me for some reason. I shall have to have a word with the human caretakers about that, since I feel they don't take enough. Don't you agree?

Squeak soon,
Mollie

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 30-01-20

When all is said & done, the novel belongs to the reader & his or her imagination
~Alice Hoffman

Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right?

• Reading:

This week I read three books, all of which were by the same author. In fact, they're all part of the same series; I'd read the first in the series before, so the first one mentioned here is book 2. Anyway, here's what I read, along with my book reviews.

Wanderlust by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an interesting and action-packed book, which is a great continuation of the series. I look forward to reading more about these characters.

Across Continents by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent addition to this series, perfect for people who like to read books about the future results of appocalyptic events. I'm enjoying following these characters on their adventures.

Himalayas by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent addition to the series, and a fantastic read in it's own right. The worldbuilding is very well done, and the characters - human and otherwise - are wel-rounded. I'm enjoying seeing how they're evolving and their relationships are developing throughout the series, and look forward to the next book.

• Watching:

This week I watched some random "Friends" and "Star Trek Voyager" episodes that happened to be on TV when I was in the living room at various times. I also finished watching "NCIS" season 12.

• Listening:

This week I've been listening to a whole load of country music again. I could spotlight several songs today, but need to pick just one. So, with that in mind, here's "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn for your listening pleasure.

#WriterWednesday: WriterlyLinks And #WritersLife 29-01-20 - #AmWriting

All you can do is try to write as well as you can.
~Harold Pinter

It wasn't a very productive writing week, since I lost a day to people who don't consider people who work from home to be doing anything important, so either show up late, or don't show up at all (see yesterday's post if you want to know more about that) and Lilie has decided nap time is over-rated. On top of that, I spent some time messing about with adding mention of Artemis the Hermann's Tortoise to my profiles, and rebranding my "Friends Of Furkid Friday" feature, now that not all my kids are the furry kind.

The rebranding doesn't officially happen until February. However, as you may have noticed if you check out the page tabs above, "Friends Of Furkid Friday" is changing to "PetKid Pals" in the very near future. I'm leaving the mention of "Furkid Friday" in the posts until the middle of February, because I had posts already scheduled until then that I'd sent the links out for, and it changes the url if I change the title before the post is published, which can cause problems with people trying to find the post via the links I gave out (there's a way to make it not do that, but I couldn't be bothered to mess with it). But I changed all the labels so they'll all fall under the "PetKid Pals" label, and any guests we have after February 14th will be refered to with the new label. Glad I decided to do this when we only had about two dozen posts for me to fix the labels on, and before I got the interviews I'm expecting in the near future for some pets who will be featured over the next couple of months. Took long enough as it was!

So, like I said, it wasn't a very productive writing week. But I'm not complaining, since I'd have wanted those things done sooner or later anyhow. Besides, it was probably good for my story to sit for this week before I start the rewrites on it. Rewrites it needs very badly, since it's a very rough first draft, like I said in last week's post. That's often the way though. So, assuming I can get Lilie to remember why naps are a good thing, this week I can start working on making a mess less complicated.

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.
~Anne Lamott

In other news: I was a guest over on the blog of fellow author, Mae Clair, last Thursday (January 23rd 2020) talking about why I write for children. You can read the post here, if you're interested.

You don’t choose a story, it chooses you.
~Robert Penn Warren

Anyway, if you're stuck for story ideas, there are plenty of great posts to help inspire you in among the posts for StoryStorm 2020. So, if you haven't done so, you should check those out. Also, here are some novel tips for writers to beat a creative crisis.

There are significant moments in everyone's day that can make literature. That's what you ought to write about
~Raymond Carter

OK. Now let's talk about your characters, starting with these things to consider when naming characters.

Next, here are some keys to writing great dialogue, so you can keep yours interesting.

No matter who says what in your story, check out this post with some things to think about when it comes to the hero archetype.

Also, if your characters are seeming a bit flat, here are some ways to spice up your characters. Just remember to consider cause and effect, and ensure your characters behaviour makes sense, regardless of whether they're the hero, part of the supporting cast, or the villain.

I want to write about characters who are earnest in what they’re trying to accomplish. Villains don’t see themselves as villains — that’s what interests me. No one wakes up and says, "What kind of monster am I going to be today?"
~Patrick Ryan

Regardless of who might be in your story, or the kind of character they are, if they're involved in a fight, you might want to have a look at this advice on how to construct gripping fight scenes.

Additionally, if your story involves a gathering quest, take a look at these ways to keep a gathering quest interesting, so you can make sure yours doesn't get too boring and repetitive for your readers.

Writing is not different from life—you want variety, you want refreshment, and you want balance.
~Alice Walker

Someone on one of the sites I get these links from shared some lesson's she'd learned from doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). So, check out her lessons on planning ahead, illiminating distractions, and perserverance, especially if you're thinking of doing Camp NaNo in April, or NaNoWriMo in November, this year.

Whether you plan to participate in Camp NaNo, NaNoWriMo - or any other writing challenge - this year, or not, if you're a beginning writer, or someone who's coming back to writing after a long break, this is why writing every day (at first) could make starting a little easier. If you can't write every day - which, let's face it, is the reality for a lot of people - at least make it regular enough that a habit can form. After all, practice is the 1 tool you need to become a better writer this year. Like I said, you don't have to be writing every single day. I mean, it's quite likely writing every day won't make you more successful - but this daily habit might. Also, writing regularly is the kind of planning you should be doing more of as a writer, because no one starts out a good writer, so you have to write regularly if you want to become one.

Anyone who says he wants to be a writer and isn’t writing, doesn’t.
~Ernest Hemingway

Speaking of progressing with your writing this year: if you don't have any writing goals for 2020, there's still time to make some. So, if you need to do that - or if you already did, but want to assess your goals now we're a month in to 2020 - remember the S.M.A.R.T. guide to goal setting for 2020.

Whatever your goals may be, good luck with them! When you reach each stage of completion, you can enjoy the cookie at the corner of your desk - or whatever your personal reward is.

Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.
~Neil Gaiman

By the way, if you're in the editing phase of your work, don't forget to watch for homophones.

Finally, whether you're a writer, or prefer to just enjoy the books of others, here's a 2020 literary calender, so you can check out book related dates you might want to do something for this year, like J K Rowling's birthday, Hobbit Day, read an eBook week, etc.

January 28th 2020 Random Ramblings

The photo above is of a rather sleepy Artemis the tortoise, which I'm posting here just because I can.

***~~~***

Still no snow!

We were promised some, and are promised more early this week, but so far no luck.

I think you guys in the states got our share on top of your own. Anyone who wants to give it back is welcome to do so.

We've had temperatures cold enough to have some - even on our sunny days temperatures have rarely been above 10 degrees C (that would be around 50 F) and mostly haven't even gotten that high - and some rough stormy weather (mostly a lot of rough winds, but a fair amount of rain too). But there's no sign of my snow. The closest we've had is the thick layer of frost we've woken to several mornings. Oh, and we've had some freezing fog too, which I dare say wasn't nice to be out in, and I'm glad I didn't have to be.

At least there's still time for me to get some snow. Winter's not over yet, after all.

But I want some snow!

Can someone send me some? Please?

I'm willing to exchange some snow for the rain we're getting. There's lots of it.

***~~~***

We had a late Christmas gift exchange with our friends, Lorna and Andy, a little over a week ago. Well, technically just Lorna, because Andy was busy, but we all agreed we'd waited long enough already (we usually do it around Christmas, but they had one of those horrible lingering flu bug things, hence not exchanging gifts until well in to January). Besides, Andy wasn't concerned about not being there, and with how difficult it is to park near us, it was kind of easier if Andy was going off somewhere with their car anyhow.

You know what? They're Buddhists, and don't exactly celebrate Christmas as such, and most of you know now that we consider ourselves to be celebrating the Winter Solstice really, so I'm not sure if we should call it a "Christmas" gift exchange. But we did, which just proves how little it matters what you call something. Whatever you'd call it, we had gifts to exchange, so we did.

We've been doing this for a few years. They usually get us something practical, and we usually get them a little something to treat themselves with. This year they got us some fluffy towels, and we got them a bottle of wine, which thankfully turned out to be a good one. Bearing in mind, since neither of us drink, we kind of just hoped for the best, based on what appeared to be popular with other customers, and what we think is a reasonable price range for wine... I only thought afterwards that I should have asked Jeanie (I'd ask your opinion now, Jeanie, except I didn't pay proper attention to what it was, so now can't remember, and obviously no longer have the bottle to check). It's only now occuring to me that I should have made a note of what it was for future reference. Oops! Well, too late now.

Anyway, Lilie and Logan loved having Lorna visit. Lilie did get a bit over excited about it, and need to be pulled aside to calm down for a few moments, but other than that they behaved while she was here. Logan just quietly alternated between sitting beside Lorna getting petted, and cuddling in my lap. Lilie tried desperately to do the same after she came back in from her few moments to calm herself, but just isn't very good at being calm. Honestly, with how they behave, you'd think Logan was the older dog, since he's the calmer of the two, while Lilie still hasn't grown out of her puppy enthusiasm, despite being three in a couple of months time (Lilie will be three on March 26th, Logan will be one on April 14th). Lilie may be better at numbers and doggy puzzles, but Logan is certainly better at being calm and sitting quietly. We always say Lilie knows the meaning of the word calm, but doesn't see how - or why - it applies to her. *wink*

***~~~***

Last week I had my dentist appointment, which thankfully went smoothly. Mostly.

Because they just needed to replace the enamel on that one tooth, they said they could try to numb it if I wanted, but I shouldn't feel it anyhow. Given how much hastle getting an area numbed for me is as a rule, I agreed to let her try it without numbing first, on the condition I could stop her and make her numb the area if there was any pain. She agreed. I've dealt with worse, and at least she was willing to step in with a numbing injection if needed. Plus, if it worked how she predicted, I'd get out of there quicker.

Honestly though, I wasn't too keen on the idea, and all I could think was, "OMG! This is going to hurt!" I only agreed to try it because numbing me is so much hastle, I wanted to go home as quick as possible, and she seemed pretty set on the idea. But I seriously expected to immediately be raising my hand to tell her it hurt (the agreed upon signal for, "Ouch! Stop! That hurts!") and need to have her try and numb me first.

Much to my relief, she was right, and there was no pain.

I mean, it wasn't exactly a comfortable feeling, but it didn't hurt, so I let her get on with it so I could get it over with. Plus, because I hadn't had to have the area numbed, I didn't walk out of there looking like a hamster with only one full food pouch, which was nice, especially since it's the hamster/chipmunk look caused by the numbing that makes dentists insist you wait for hours before eating and drinking, which meant I could eat and drink as soon as I wanted to (something I was glad of, since it was dinner time; I didn't get home until about 5:30pm).

On top of that, since she checked my other teeth while I was there - none of which need any attention, thankfully - they moved the appointment I had for early May to late July (it was on May 1st, but is now scheduled for July 21st at 12:30pm). So, YAY!

The only bad thing was that I have an area on my tongue that got cut when I had that badly broken tooth for so long last year, that's healed in such a way as to leave a bit of a lump, which irritates me a bit. It's not really a concern, but it's annoying, so I'm being refered to go to the hospital to have that removed. I imagine that's not going to be fun, but do agree it would be best for it to get sorted, since it does irritate me a bit, like I said. So I'm waiting for an appointment to get that sorted.

Because, you know, I just can't go too long without visiting a hospital for one reason or another. *sigh*

***~~~***

This next part is going to be a bit of a whine and rant. Consider yourself warned.

So... We were meant to be having our yearly boiler check last Friday.

I say, "Meant to be," because the person didn't show up.

The landlords told us the gas man was supposed to come between 9:30am and 11:00am.

But he didn't.

We eventually learned he'd forgotten about us, by which point it was after 3:00pm, and we'd been waiting almost all day, with no way to contact him and find out where he was, since arrangements for him coming had been made through the landlords.

In the meantime, the landlords were meant to be coming between 12:00pm and 12:30pm to pick up this month's rent, and finally arrived around 2:00pm. Although, at least they told us they were running late (even if they didn't do so until about 1:00pm) and did actually show up, even if their continued unwillingness to accept that we aren't free when it suits them, and do have other things to do, is rather irritating.

I really don't know why that's so hard for people to grasp.

I really wish people would realize that being home most of the time doesn't mean we don't have things to do. Not to mention, it's just plain good manners to let someone know you're running late the moment you know it's the case - unless there's a valid reason why you physically can't do so - and show up at all if you say you're going to, unless you have a very good reason not to show up, in which case, tell people you can't make it.

I mean, obviously there are situations where being late with no contact, or not showing up and failing to let people know you won't be, is understandable. Life threatening emergencies, for example. I get that.

If it's not something like that though, have the decency to tell people as soon as possible, even if you don't consider the things they do to be important, or time sensative. Like I said, it's just good manners.

We might not have to get to work for a certain time every day, but we do have things we both want and need to do. Things we'd rearranged to keep Friday free for the gas man and the landlords. Why is it so difficult for people to accept that?

Plus, seriously, how can a supposedly professional just forget to go do a job?

An emergency job or situation coming up, meaning he had to make that a priority, and didn't have time to come to us. Fine. I'd have liked to be told that was the case, so we could have avoided wasting our day waiting around, but I can accept that. But just forgetting? Um... No!

I'm not impressed, and he should consider himself lucky the landlords pay his bill rather than us, because I'd be looking for someone else to do the job if it was up to me, since he's clearly not reliable.

Of course, not only did we waste our day because of the gas man and the landlords, but it then meant the guy needed to come another time, and he and the landlords thought Saturday evening was a good time for that to happen, since apparently people think we have nothing better to do with our time.

OK, so we didn't have plans to go anywhere, or do anything - other than have a relaxing evening - and almost never do at that time of the evening, weekend or not. But who calls at 7:00pm on a Saturday night, asking if they can come check your boiler now? When it's not an emergency issue, I mean.

We were having dinner when he called, since it was a late dinner evening for us - besides, it was 7:00pm, when a lot of people have dinner - so we told him he'd have to give us half an hour or so, which he was fine with. Tough if he wasn't really, because that was the condition: he gave us time to finish dinner first, or he didn't come at all.

Seriously though, who does that?

Yes. He did actually arrive this time. Lucky for him, since I was irritated enough at having him come on a Saturday evening. If we'd spent our evening waiting around for him, and he hadn't shown up, I'd have been more than just irritated.

We do more than sit around twiddling our thumbs, and hoping for visitors, you know!

Also, like I said, why is it so hard for people to grasp that we might have other things we want or need to be doing?

OK. Rant over.

***~~~***

It was the Chinese New Year this past weekend, marking the start of the new lunar calender, and the beginning of the year of the rat. I was born in a year of the rat, and like rats, so I think it's cool we're in another rat year.

Anyway, I'm not Chinese, but I do like to pay attention to the moon phases, so I celebrated by having my first ever attempt at making home made vegetable spring rolls. I made them on Saturday, and ate them with some hoi sin sauce.

The simple - and entirely vegan friendly, of course - filling consisted of grated carrot, shredded cabbage, and some seasoned tofu that was blended until smoothe (I used a Chinese five spice seasoning mixture). That mixture was put in tortillas, because the rice wrapper things wouldn't play nice, and I gave up on them. Then I put my little spring rolls on a tray in the oven, and cooked them until their wrappers started to get crispy.

They were very good, if I do say so myself.

Also, though I've never successfully done it with the rice wrappers - as I said, this was my first time ever trying to make spring rolls - I personally don't think using a tortilla instead of the "proper" rice wrapper things made much difference to the taste. They still tasted spring roll-ish to me.

***~~~***

I needed to give Logan a bit of a bath the other day, because his face was all sticky. I think it's where his fur is so long from him missing his grooming session at the start of the month, but he keeps ending up with a messy face. Regardless, the plan was to just wash his face, and that's it.

I told Logan he could have a bath, got the water ready for him, and he happily jumped in there for me. So far, no problem.

Though Logan hated bath time at first, these days that's not unusual for him, though I find it amusing and strange that my dog is so eager to get in the bath. I mean, he'll actually jump in there and ask you to put the tap on sometimes. He likes to drink from the tap in the bath, and splash about in the water a bit. It's something he learned to like after I started putting the dogs in the tub and playing with them in there to cool them off when we had the really hot weather over the Summer, and these days hardly a day goes by without Logan jumping in the bath and asking for the tap to be turned on for him. I mostly only do it because it amuses me that he loves it so, especially given his reluctance to accept water at first.

I mention it today, because I hardly had him in there before Lilie decided she wanted to have a bath too.

We tried telling her it was just for Logan. She wasn't having it, and kept whining and jumping up at the side of the bath.

Lilie has always loved water. She wishes bath time didn't often involve shampoo. But the water part, she loves.

So, after a while, I gave in, and told her to go ahead and get in the bath if she wanted to that badly.

She did.

I ended up giving her face a bit of a wash too, and having both dogs splashing about happily in the tub.

Almost everyone else has dogs who run and hide at the meer hint of bath time. Not me. Mine actually want to be in there!

***~~~***

Lilie has decided naps are over-rated.

According to her, Mummy sitting down at the computer means it's time for her to be picked up to look out of the window.

As I'm sure you can imagine, this makes getting things done tricky.

I'm working on figuring out how to get her to stop launching herself in to my arms every time I sit on my chair, or bouncing beside me while yapping every time I'm quick enough in turning my chair towards my desk that she can't do so. Not having much luck so far. Probably my own fault for all the times I give in and pick her up.

***~~~***

What I'm calling my "big goal" for 2020 is better self care. I'm trying to think more positively/stop the negative thought cycles, reconnect with the spiritual side of myself (and stop stressing over what others will think of my doing so) and enjoy as many hygge moments as I can - especially with my pets.

It's something I want to do. But, more than that, it's also something I need to do, especially after how much I neglected personal care in favour of getting everything done in between hospital trips over the past couple of years. This quote I spotted the other day sums it up quite nicely:

I have chosen to be HAPPY because it is good for my health.
~Voltaire

Shame it's easier said than done sometimes. In fact, most of the time. *sigh*

I've actually done a lot better at the self care thing in January than I had been doing before. I've been meditating more regularly (even if for only short sessions, and not as often as I once did) and had plenty of hygge moments, both by myself, and with others (especially Mollie, Lilie, Logan, and Artemis).

Now, let's see if I can actually keep it up for more than a few weeks, and not slide back in to those bad habits of neglecting self care in favour of trying to do it all, please everyone, etc. You know? Like I usually do.

Yeah... So, apparently I'm still really struggling with the whole thinking positively thing - in case you didn't notice from my rant earlier in this post, and the contents of the previous paragraph - despite all the time I spend gathering all those positive quotes to share with you all. I'll get better at it though. Baby steps.

Breathe, and believe.

Think happy thoughts.

I can do this!

Seeing more positivity always helps, so let's help each other, shall we? OK... Help me out here, people. Tell me one positive thing from the past week. Or, if there have been several, and you can't choose, feel free to share them all.

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes + Words Of #Wisdom 27-01-20

Age is no guarantee of maturity.
~Lawana Blackwell

Never be ashamed! There's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth bothering with.
~J.K. Rowling

Memory is like a chain. We reach back into the past by a succession of links. I have kept alive little pictures of my childhood by repeatedly recalling them. Like having a copy of an ancient manuscript - I have an early copy, but the original is lost.
~C.R. Milne

Turn your wounds into wisdom, & your stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
~Robin Sharma

You make mistakes. Mistakes don't make you.
~Maxwell Maltz

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.
~Tim Ferriss

The peace you seek begins with you! When you consciously and consistently choose peace in your words and actions, more peace will appear in your life. Stop blaming everything and everyone outside of you. Make peace within your priority.
~Jenni Young

It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.
~Jane Fonda

Your success and happiness lie in you...Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
~Helen Keller

Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.
~Buddha

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow
~Doug Firebaugh

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.
~Zig Ziglar

#CoverReveal #CyberPunk "Grinders" by C. S. Boyack @Virgilante - #ChineseNewYear #YearOfTheRat

As many of you know, I don't generally post on a Saturday. However, regular readers of this blog will know I do sometimes put something up on days that are usually non-posting days if I have a good reason not to wait for my next free scheduled posting slot. Today, I have a good reason. That reason is the Chinese New Year, and the fact I have a special guest, who was born in a previous year of the rat - like I was - and wants to tell you about his upcoming new release. So, over to you, Craig.

***~~~***

I’m here to reveal my newest cover and talk a bit about Grinders. This time, I’m tackling a cyberpunk world. It’s one of those worlds where the Internet and being connected too much controls our lives.

One of the things I like about science fiction is the ability to project current events into the future. I call this, “Poking things with a stick.”

I poked a lot of things in this book, but most of them are in passing. Some of them show up in advertisements, which are invasive in this world. Others might just be a news blurb. There are times when I dive a bit deeper, and not everything is negative. Here is a small list of things that show up in the story:

• Global warming
• Plastic pollution
• Helicopter moms
• Cyber shut-ins
• The energy crisis
• New ways for package thieves to operate
• Police who can’t carry guns until they are five-year veterans
• Homeowner associations

There are a lot more, and most of them are pretty subtle. Cyberpunk is not known for deep plots, but I wanted one anyway.

Grinders is set about a hundred years in the future, in San Francisco. The main characters are cops assigned to the Grinder Squad. This is the duty nobody wants, and you almost have to screw up to get this assignment.

Grinders exist today, but I ramped them up for this story. These are people who surgically modify themselves, or each other, in basement surgeries, beauty salons, and tattoo parlors. Real world examples are those who implant chips under their skin to allow themselves to unlock doors or start cars without a key. There has even been one who injected dye into his eyeballs in an attempt to see in the dark. In that example, it actually worked but the results were temporary.

My story involves the downside of these modifications, why they’re illegal, and most of them are a bit more extreme than the real world versions. For example, you’ll meet Brandi, who has moth-like antennae implanted into her forehead. They aren’t just cute, they allow her to taste virtually everything. She’s almost like a bloodhound, only using the sense of taste.

Grinder Squad rarely ever does anything, but the new girl on the squad, Jimi, wants to bust a grind shop in the worst way. She feels like it could be her ticket off this crap detail and on to better duty.

One of my silly goals was to release the book in time for Chinese New Year. I’m not going to make it. I still need to finish my final pass, send it to the formatter, and get my promotional posters. It’s going to need a blurb, too.

I targeted this date because in the story, it’s the Year of the Rat. An important part of the story takes place at San Francisco’s annual parade. There are even a couple of rats in the story that play a pivotal role. Aside from that, I was born in the Year of the Rat.

Readers won’t actually care about my silly target date, and it’s more important to give everything the final polish. What I did get in time was cover art. So Gong Hei Fot Choi, everyone, and enjoy the cover. The story will be available before you know it, and I’ll announce that on my blog.

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#FurkidFriday: Artemis The Hermann's #Tortoise

Hello everyone.

I'm new around here, so let me introduce myself.

I am a four and a half month old Hermann's Tortoise; according to my official records, I was hatched on September 6th 2019 (assuming the humans understand it correctly). But that's what I am. As for exactly who I am: my name is Artemis. At least, that has been my name for the past two weeks, which is how long I have lived with my adoptive human parents. I was simply "tortoise" before that.

Though Artemis is often considered a girl's name, due to it being the name of the Greek Goddess of the moon and the hunt, and twin sister of the Greek Sun God, Apollo, according to Greek mythology, Artemis is technically a unisex name. In fact, these days it's more often used for boys when it's used by Greek parents, as a hope the boy will either be blessed by the Goddess, or be strong and wise like her and able to provide for himself and his family. It's the fact it's technically a unisex name that I got the name.

You see, though fully matured Hermann's tortoises are easy to establish the gender of, when we are young, as I am, the task is all but impossible. I will be six years old before anyone can be 100% certain whether I am a male or female tortoise, though guesses can potentially be made in the meantime based on the speed of my growth. But they would only be guesses, since it's too difficult for you humans to tell before that. That's how it goes when you mature slowly and have a long lifespan, which is the case for me. Of course, I'm not about to volunteer the information.

So, with that in mind, and needing something more than "the tortoise" to call me in the meantime, my new human parents decided to pick a unisex name for me. Artemis was Daddy's favourite of the ones Mummy liked. So, I am Artemis.

I can only assume, since I eat mostly greens, it was the strength and wisdom of the Goddess the humans were thinking of.

Anyway, the humans - especially the female one known as Mummy - were apparently quite eager to get photographic evidence of my presence in their home. So, for those of you who would like to see them, here are some videos and photos the humans took of me exploring my new habitat when I first arrived here, which those of you following Mummy on YouTube or social media may have already seen.

It seems like a pleasant enough place to have ended up. The food is fantastic too...

As I mentioned above, I eat mainly greens, which Mummy is happy to share with me. I especially enjoy those things called, "Sprouts," Mummy sometimes gives me as my serving of greens for the day, which Mummy was pleased to discover, since she apparently loves those too. I also get some special pellets, which I'm not quite as fond of, but do at least like more than the powdery vitamin stuff Mummy says I have to have on my food to keep me healthy (something about making sure I have enough calcium and vitamin C). Needless to say, I eat the greens Mummy missed putting that stuff on first.

Despite the vitamin stuff, I think I like it here though. The greens are good, like I said, my habitat is a comfortable temperature so that I'm warm enough to move about well when I want to, and I think I like cuddles with Mummy too...

She's warm, and spends the whole time we're cuddling telling me what a great tortoise I am. I like that.

For anyone wondering how tiny I am: I measure 6cms (a little over 2ins) based on shell length, and weigh 50g (2oz). At least, I did when all these photos were taken, though since then I've gained a whole 2mm in length, and 5g in weight.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed getting to meet me today. But, if you don't mind, I'll be off. After all, I'm still a very young tortoise, which means I take a lot of naps, and I'm getting kind of sleepy...

Artemis the tortoise

P.S. I hope you don't mind me posting in a "Furkid Friday" segment when I, as a reptile, have no fur. Daddy says you shouldn't mind, since it's simply the name of the "pet" feature. Mummy and I hope that's the case. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter though. What do you think? Does it matter to you if a reptile posts as part of the "Furkid Friday" cast?

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 23-01-20

You may have tangible wealth untold; caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be. I had a mother who read to me.
~Strickland Gillian

Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

Good news for those who post reviews on Amazon, as well as authors with books on Amazon: Amazon has amalgamated the US and UK reviews. Now, if they could just make it that reviews from Goodreads also show up on Amazon - after all, they do own that as well these days - it would make my life a whole lot easier, and my own review numbers a little bigger. Just saying!

Anyway... Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right?

• Reading:

This week I read four books. So, here's what I read, along with my book reviews.

The Gate by D.L. Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic fast-paced and action packed read, with some great characters, and a plot that explores some interesting legends and theories.

The Scout: Dark Crossings by D.L. Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent short read for fans of the kind of sci-fi stories involving aliens, with a delightful twist. Highly recommended.

Silvery Earth Kids and Related Short Stories by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It was fantastic to get to read an accessable version of the strips I'd been hearing about on the author's blog, and I enjoyed them very much. The bonus stories were a great addition as well, and I also enjoyed reading those. I always love reading stories from this world, and meeting all the characters from the various races - magical and otherwise - and these were no exception.

Magical Friends by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent book in its own right, but even better in my opinion for allowing us to find out what happens to the characters we learned to love in "Silvery Earth Kids" years later.

• Watching:

This week didn't involve quite as much time watching things as the past couple of weeks have, but I still watched a few things, and enjoyed what I watched. I watched some more episodes of "NCIS" season 12. I also watched some episodes of the "Bananas In Pyjamas" TV show, because I saw it was on Amazon Prime - I genuinely came across it accidentally when looking for a movie or TV show to watch next on there, and can only assume it came up as a suggestion because of me recently watching "Rugrats" on there - and just couldn't resist taking another little trip down memory lane by watching it, having watched at least many of the episodes when it originally came out, first by myself, and then with little ones I was babysitting (at least, that was always my excuse).

• Listening:

This week I've been listening to music most mornings again, so I have plenty of tunes I could pick from to share with you, and could easily share several. But I only want to be sharing one song in these posts, so here's "Meant To Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line for your listening pleasure; a song I first heard when young Claire Crosby sang it with her Dad more than a year ago.

#WriterWednesday: WriterlyLinks And #WritersLife 22-01-20 - #AmWriting

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.
~Kurt Vonnegut

The week started out badly as regards writing progress, but got better. I thought I was going to be saying I hadn't gotten much writing done during the past week, but I actually ended up finishing a rough - very rough, with more telling than showing, probably about a million typos, and no way am I going to be showing it to anyone - draft of the story I hope to be publishing in a couple of months (I'm hoping for a May release) as well as writing a few new poems. So, yeah. It turned out to be a very good writing week. I'd have been pleased with any kind of writing progress after how little I've made in the past couple of months, but I'm especially pleased with how much I managed to get done this week. I mean, I now have the rough draft of the story to work on revisions of, as well as about half a dozen new poems. Definitely can't complain about that.

Speaking of poetry, do you write poetry too? Then you may like to take a look at this post that demonstrates the difference between haiku and senryu poetry forms, as well as this one on rhythm and meter.

Also, if you write the kind of poetry that rhymes, or rhyming picture books, and are struggling to find the right word, don't forget you can find the perfect rhyme by using the rhyming dictionary.

Anyway, whatever you write, are you struggling to get motivated to write? Then perhaps you need to build a writing habit with YouCan TouCan.

One word after another. That’s the only way that novels get written
~Neil Gaiman

Next, here are some quick writing tips for beginners, and anyone returning from a long break - just in case you need those.

OK, let's assume you're writing regularly. So, it's stories you write? Do you write fantasy stories by any chance? If you do, you might want to take a look at these tips to putting robots in fantasy - in case you were kind of hoping to find a way to do that. You're welcome, though it's not really me you should thank, since I didn't write those tips. I think it's a neat idea though, if done right, so it feels believable for the story, of course.

Robots or not, no matter the genre you write in, and who' - or what - is in your story, how do you go about naming characters? Personally, I do something similar to the author of the post I just linked to, and find names with meanings that I feel suit the character for one reason or another. Like the name of the main character in my "Zeena Dragon Fae" series. If you're curious: "Zeena" is an African name meaning "Beautiful" - a name I felt suited the spirit of the kind-hearted fairy dragon. All you need is a bit of an online search, or some browsing time on baby name sites, and you can easily find the perfect name for your character, regardless of the genre you write in.

Regardless of the name of your character, think about how he or she might react in a situation; will your chracter fight, flee, or freeze? Not sure? Watch real people in real situations to help you decide how the type of character yours is might behave.

A good writer is always a people watcher.
~Judy Blume

By the way, don't forget to use suggestions like the ones in this sensible approach to senses for authors to set the scene for your readers, and help them feel like they're really there.

It's OK if you miss stuff out during the first draft though. After all, once you have your first draft written, you'll need to revise it, and you can add all that stuff then. Speaking of which, here's a writing workout to help you with that.

The first draft is a skeleton… just bare bones. The rest of the story comes later with revising.
~Judy Blume

Remember: while it's great if you can have characters from different backgrounds in your stories - assuming they fit with the story - and would be great if you could offer your books in other languages, you shouldn't rely on tools like Google Translate to translate your words for you. This post is a perfect example of why you should never use the Google translater to do your translations for you, and should check with someone who speaks the language if you want to use a language you aren't familiar with yourself, otherwise your story might be full of mistakes you don't even know you're making. So, use a professional translator, ask a native speaker of the language in question, stick with a language you know, or take classes to learn the language. Unless the words and phrases are in some kind of made up fantasy/alien language, in which case you can do what you want (though if you're making up a language, please make sure the words are pronouncible).

Speaking of potential mistakes though, it's time to think about editing, so here are some editing tips for writers, which you might find useful, especially if you're a self-published author who self-edits.

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.
~Pablo Picasso

No matter how you plan to do it, before you publish, you want to think about readability. Yes, even if you don't write for children. With that in mind, here are some reasons to consider readability.

Regardless of its reading level, before you can publish your book, you'll need a book blurb. So, check out these tips for writing a book blurb in 4 easy steps, and give your book baby the best chance you can at attracting readers.

The majority of book-babies grow slowly, just like human babies do. Their audience slowly expands, from family and friends and those in the know, to people their parents never met, to people they couldn’t have known as young book-babies, to people they’ve never met, to people they will never meet, to people who will outlive them.
~Kris Rusch

OK, I know we're already quite a way through January, but here are some possible resolutions for writers, and ideas for if you need a new writing goal in 2020, in case you wanted to be making some, and haven't yet. Or maybe you have? If so, what were they, and how are they going so far?

Do you really have to set writing goals? Technically, no. It's highly recommended you consider it though, especially if you want to achieve any kind of writing success. So, here are some lessons about setting goals, which might help you if you decide you are going to set any for 2020.

Regardless of what writing goals you may or may not have, beware of new projects. Especially if they might stop you working on existing ones, otherwise you're just going to get burned out, and never finish anything because of not having the energy to put in the work it needs. So, here's what to do with the new story idea you never asked to meet while you work on your current projects.

Naturally, when the shiny new feeling wears off, or you have other shiny ideas begging to have your time and attention instead, this is when you're most likely to lose interest in a writing project (and how to keep going).

Talent's cheaper than table Salt. What separates the Talented Individual from the Successful One is a lot Of Hard Work
~Stephen King

Remember though, when it comes to writing, love, and self care: you don't have to choose just two. You just have to figure out which will be your priorities today. I highly recommend making self care your priority more often than not though... Just saying. With that in mind, here's a reminder to care for your instruments.

A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.
~E B White

Despite the words of the above quote, it's possible you might be scheduling your writing time all wrong. Different routines work for different people, so figure out what works best for your own schedule, and don't try and force someone else's to work for you, no matter how many times they try to tell you it's the only way. It isn't. It might be the only way that works for them - in which case, good for them for figuring out what it is - but there's no one-size-fits-all in this situation. The only constant is that a writer needs a place to write.

The New Year Bookish Resolutions 2020 Tag, Via @tstrawberrypost - #AmReading

I know we're now about three weeks in to the year, but you can blame Cat for this one, since she posted this last week, and you know I have a weakness for these things.

Anyway, here's a fun tag for what I hope to be reading in 2020. As I say about all these tags, if you want to do it too, go ahead. Just make sure you tell me where I can find your answers, because I'd love to read them.

For now though, here are mine, which we'll look back on when I do my yearly reflections on the past year at the end of 2020, to see if I actually read what I said I'd like to. So...

1.  An author you’d like to read that you’ve never read?

There are several, but I'm going to go with Darlene Foster. I've had her "Amanda Travels" books on my to-read list for a while, and I'd really like to get to those.

2. A book you’d like to read?

Where do I even start with this one? I've got a LOT of books on my to-read list, you know, and I wish there were more available reading hours in a day, because I want to get to them all (something I doubt I'll ever manage, but I'm sure going to read as many as I can in this lifetime). But, I'll try to pick just one which I'd like to get to this year, even though it's really tough to choose.

You know what? It's no good. I can't. The best I can do is to cheat a bit and pick too, but they're part of a series, so it's only kind of cheating. Either way, I'm going to go with "Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End" and "Doggerel: Life with the Small Dog" by Sue Vincent. I've read "Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two" and really enjoyed it, so since I have the follow-up books, I'd like to read those too, especially since I love Ani's posts on Sue's blog, so am eager to read more from/about her. If you're a dog-lover, you might want to check them out too.

3. A classic you’d like to read?

There are several, as I'm sure you aren't surprised to hear. But, if I had to pick just one, I'd have to go with "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells, which I keep meaning to read, and not getting around to reading.

4. A book you’d like to re-read?

My copy of Jean Adamson's "Topsy And Tim" series. I don't think it's marked as having been read on Goodreads, but I read the books as a child, and loved them. I'm looking forward to getting to read those again. I'll wait until I do to rate and review the series on Goodreads though, especially since it's been so long since I read them.

5. A book you’ve had for ages and want to read?

All of them! Seriously, I could be here for ages listing titles for this one. But, if I had to pick just one I'd like to read this year, I think I'm going to have to go with "The Four Treasures of Eirean" by Ali Isaac, which I've been meaning to read for some time. I'd like to get to the other books in the series too.

6. A big book you’d like to read?

I'm going to have to go with my copy of "Leith's Vegetarian Bible" that my brother got me the Christmas before last. I've glanced through it once or twice, but I'd really like to sit down and give that a proper read, and maybe try some of the recipes (or veganized versions of them, if they contain eggs or dairy).

7. An author you’ve previously read and would like to read more of?

There are several I could list for this one too, but I'm going to go with Sally Cronin. I've read - and enjoyed - a few of her books, and have many others of hers, which I'd like to read very soon.

8. A book you got for Christmas and would like to read?

Even though it's technically going to be a re-read for me, it's got to be "The Animals Of Farthing Wood" by Colin Dann. I remember listening to it with my brother when I was younger, and used to love the TV series version, so am looking forward to getting to read this one again. I need to get, and read, the rest of the series too, but I'm not sure if I'll end up doing that this year. The first book, yes, but since I don't have the others in the series yet... We'll see what happens with them.

9. A series you want to read from start to finish?

There are several, but one that springs to mind is Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series, which I have the books for, but haven't gotten to yet. I'd really like to get to that one this year.

10. A series you want to finish that you’ve already started?

There are several, but the two I'm most eager to finish are Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series, and Amber Fox's "Mae Martin Mysteries" series, both of which I've read the first few books for, have the rest of them, and haven't had a chance to finish reading. I'd definitely like to fix that this year.

11. Do you set reading goals?  If so how many books do you want to read in 2020?

I want to read 104 books in 2020. I usually read more than that (last year was the least I've read in the time I've been recording things on Goodreads, and it was 114 books) but I'd rather finish it early than be stressing about not having read enough books, so I'm keeping my reading goal set to 104 books.

12. Any other reading goals?

No. I often do have other reading goals, but not this year. I mean, there are certain books I'm hoping to read this year - as mentioned above - and I do have the ongoing hope that I'll actually read more books than I add to my to-read list. But I'm also realistic enough to know that's highly unlikely to actually happen, since I seem to find new ones I want to read faster than even I can read them, so don't bother adding it as a goal (though I have had goals for reading a certain number of books from those that have been on my to-read list for more than a certain amount of time in previous years). This year though I mostly want to just focus on enjoying reading the books I read.

13. Are there any reading goals from last year that you’d like to carry into this year?

No. My only goals for last year were to read 104 books and do the two versions of the A-Z reading challenge (titles and authors) and I did those things, so don't need to carry them forward. Though the number of books I hope to read this year is the same as it was last year, as you may have noticed.

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes + Words Of #Wisdom 20-01-20

Live one day at a time... And make it a masterpiece.
~Dalai Lama

We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams.
~H.G. Wells

The first indication that we are killing our dreams is lack of time.
~Paulo Coelho

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
~Carl Sandburg

Excuses are a time thief. Have a goal, accept responsibility, and take action!
~Steve Maraboli

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.
~Michael Jordan

If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.
~Jim Rohn

Live in the present, or die in your past; it's your choice.
~Bryant McGill

Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you.
~Phillip Sweet

Pause and remember— Every single event in your life, especially the difficult lessons, have made you smarter, stronger, and wiser than you were yesterday. Be thankful!
~Jennifer Young

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging.
~Will Rogers

Mistakes - call them unexpected learning experiences.
~Richard Bach

#FurkidFriday: Of #Dog Puzzles + Lilie The #Westie's Grooming Session And Logan The #Cavapoo's Vet Trip

Hi everyone. This is Logan the Cavapoo.

My big sister, Lilie, is real smart. She can do numbers, and doggy puzzles, and things like that. Even if Mummy and Daddy can't get her to do the numbers when they're pointing the flashy thing at her, which they keep trying to do so they can show you she can do them. They don't know why she won't do it when the flashy thing is pointed at her, because she does it real well when it isn't. They did manage to get her to do the puzzle for the flashy thing though, and she did it super fast too.

But not me. I can't do numbers at all, and find the puzzles real hard. I'm not so good with the thinking thing. It's not because I don't try neither. I try real hard. But I'm best at bouncing, and cuddling, and knowing when it's supposed to be toast and sweetie ball time. I still try though, and sometimes even manage to figure some of it out a little bit, like I'm doing in this video Mummy and Daddy did of me with one of Lilie's puzzles:







See... I try real hard!

Mummy and Daddy say they're proud of me for doing even as much as I did. But I kind of felt sad when I couldn't do it, and Lilie came over and got the sweeties out of the other three boxes quicker than I did the one I managed. But then Mummy filled our sweetie balls, and I can do those, so I felt better after that. She let me try again lots of times too. I still can't do the other boxes though. But Mummy says trying counts.

Anyway, the flashy thing got pictures of me and Lilie too. Not with the puzzle toy, but another time. So I thought you'd like to see them. Here you go:

All of those were taken before Santa Paws came, but I had to wait for my turn on this thing to post them. But I hope you enjoyed seeing all the photos, and watching me trying to do the puzzle, even though I didn't manage to do all of it. Like I said though, Mummy says trying counts. You agree, don't you?

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, me and Lilie were supposed to go to the groomer place. Except my tummy didn't feel good, so I stayed home with Mummy, and Daddy just took Lilie instead. Here's a photo of her that Daddy took after they got home:

My tummy was fine by bed time, but Mummy said I needed to be weighed and have a checkup anyhow, so she took me to the vet a couple of days later. Says she didn't rush, since I was fine other than the upset tummy; other than the upset tummy, I was acting normally, even eating and drinking fine, playing happily, etc. Mummy says since I was fine other than that, she wanted to give it a day or so to see if her suspicion that it was because I ate Lilie's treats as well as mine was the cause was correct. When she told the vet about it, the vet agreed with her, and said maybe I shouldn't eat so many treats. Shouldn't eat so many treats? You can never have enough treats! What is she thinking? I hope Mummy doesn't plan to listen to that nonsense!

They weighed me when I was there, and I weighed 14.75 Kilos (Mummy says she thinks that's about 33 lbs, for those who need it like that). The vet thought I'd be closer to 16 kilos, so was glad I was under 15 kilos. Ha! Take that vet! She did remind Mummy to be careful of me eating too many treats and getting too much extra padding on me though. I'm crossing my paws Mummy wasn't listening to that bit.

Don't worry, I'm not overweight. The vet says my weight is fine for my size, she just doesn't want me being any heavier than 15 kilos unless it's because I did some more growing, and since I love my food, that's why she said about being careful with the treats. Like I said, I'm hoping Mummy either ignores or wasn't listening to that part of what the vet said.

I am however, glad Mummy is planning on listening to the part where the vet said it's not a good idea to get me neutered yet, especially after how Lilie reacted when I told her about it after me and Mummy got home from the vet.

Apparently, though normally any time after about six or seven months is fine - bearing in mind, I'm nine months old now - because I'm two breeds in one, it's a good idea to let me be closer to my first birthday before it gets done. Something about making sure my bones are done developing. Whatever that means. So I'm going to get neutered in a few months time, instead of later this month like Mummy was planning.

I'm not sure what that neutering thing is all about, but Lilie says I had a lucky escape there, and found something funny about the fact I'd be having that done right before my birthday. She wouldn't tell me why it's so funny.

All I know is, the vet and Mummy agreed I'd get the neutering thing done at the start of April (my birthday is in the middle of April) so I had plenty of time to recover from it before I had to get my booster shot thing in June, but will be close enough to being a year old that the vet can be sure my bones are done developing. I know that because I heard Mummy and the vet saying so, and Mummy told Daddy that when we got home too.

I also know we were at the vet for lots and lots of time, but the lady who sits behind the desk there was very proud of me. Actually, the vet was proud of me and told me I was a good boy too. Everyone loved me and gave me praise. I like when that happens. Who am I kidding? I don't like it, I love it!

Anyway, I did cry some, especially when other dogs were getting attention and I wasn't. But I didn't cry much. Mostly I just sat by Mummy's feet and waited, like a good boy. Not only was it good I did that in general, but there were some of those cat things in there, and one was on each side of me, but I ignored them. Well, they didn't have any food, and weren't doing anything fun I wanted to be a part of, so why would I bother with them?

It was a very long wait though. We got seen a whole hour after we were meant to, because the vet had to deal with something the humans called a, "Medical emergency," which made those of us already there have to wait for lots more time than we should have needed to, and some animals that weren't there yet have to be asked to have their appointments another time. Mummy says to tell you the doggy involved was doing fine when we left though, which we're both glad about, and sure you will be too.

Anyway, before I end this, here's one last photo of me and Lilie, which was taken just a few days ago.

Lots of licks,
Logan

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 16-01-20

I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.
~Jane Austen

Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right?

• Reading:

This week I read three books. So, here's what I read, along with my book reviews.

The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Power of Meow by David Michie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent addition to this series of books, which manages to be entertaining, while at the same time reminding you of the importance of mindfulness, regardless of whether you're a Buddhist, follow another spiritual path, or follow none at all.

The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Four Paws of Spiritual Success by David Michie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another wonderful addition to this series, which I was eager to read after having enjoyed the experience of reading the previous books so much. It's an entertaining read, but also carries some serious and thought-provoking lessons, which anyone seeking to learn more about mindfulness may wish to take note of, whether you're a Buddhist, follow a different spiritual path, or follow no spiritual path at all. Not to mention, it's a great one for cat lovers in general.

Deceived by Katrina Cope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was already excitedly waiting for this book, having enjoyed the previous ones, and the eagerness to learn what would happen only increased when I started reading it. It's a gripping read, with a main character you can't help rooting for and feeling for, not to mention wonderful worldbuilding, and a whole load of other fantastic characters. Awesome ending to an amazing series, which fans of dragons and Norse mythology will love.
*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced my opinion of the book, nor the contents of this review.

• Watching:

I watched a little over half of "NCIS" season 12, while enjoying some pet playtime over the weekend. I also watched a new to me movie during the past week, which I've read the book for a couple of times, but hadn't gotten around to watching. So, see below this paragraph for the review for the movie.

The Thirteenth Tale (2013 TV Movie):
As a movie in its own right, this was a pretty good movie - not amazing, but pretty good. The characters and plot are both intriguing, and I enjoyed watching it. However, as a representation of the book, it really doesn't do a particularly great job; there's more suspense in the book, and some of the story threads are changed or incredibly abbreviated. So, while I enjoyed watching it, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed reading the book. Still, I am glad I watched it, and would do so again. As to the rating: I give my movie reviews ratings based on the merits of it as a movie, rather than how it compares to the book. So, with that in mind, I give this movie four out of five stars.

• Listening:

This week I've been listening to a little country music, but mostly I've been listening to music that arrived in my inbox via YouTube notifications for people I subscribe to on there. With that in mind, here's "Once Upon A December" by seven year old Claire Crosby for your listening pleasure.