When Logan was a puppy and we were having a very hot Summer, the vet advised us to put him in the bath to stop him keep getting dehydrated. At first he wasn't a fan - he wasn't keen on the whole idea of water in general, which was actually the problem to start with. But after a while he started to love it, and it wasn't long before he started getting excited about baths, and learned how fun it could be drinking waterout of the tap. And, when he got big enough to do so,he started jumping in to the bath to ask for the tap to be put on. This had the unfortunate side-effects of making him use a bowl even less than he already had been, and meaning I couldn't have a bath or shower without first giving him a few moments to drink from the tap (at least, not unless I wanted him to attempt to join me in there). He does now drink from a bowl regularly, but not nearly as much as he should, because he still prefers to get his water straight from the tap. Just like he's doing in the below photo, which was taken a couple of weeks ago.
*~*
I still don't know what my blood test results actually were.
Nobody who can get access to them sees any reason to tell me, because apparently if they're fine it shouldn't matter what the numbers are, and those who would tell me - even though they also find it odd I want to know when the doctors are clearly saying there's no immediate issue - don't have the authority to discuss them, not even with me.
The best I could get is the secretary of my doctor telling me I could find out from the doctor when I see him next (which will be in a couple of months time; date to be confirmed via letter closer, apparently) what the results had been, but to not worry about them in the meantime, because the doctor is satisfied my levels aren't a concern right now, so I shouldn't be concerned either.
Good to know, but frustrating for someone like me who likes to know the numbers.
*~*
I technically finished the purple scarf that was my first loom knitting project a couple of weeks ago. Then a mistake while casting off had it unravelling on me, and my attempts to stop that happening made it worse, so I ended up starting it over. I suppose that's one way to get in some loom knitting practice. Anyway, I finally finished it for real yesterday, so here it is:
I also finished this white needle knitted heart:
As well as this little red crocheted heart ornament:
~
I'm also attempting to learn how to do something called a heart stitch with crochet. I still need to work on that. My first attempt, done while in the class, I wasn't at all happy with, but it seemed too pretty to unpick (despite not being quite right) so I used some of the loose ends that needed weaving in to make a sort of braided tastle on one end, and turned it in to this little red and white crocheted bookmark:
*~*
February started with the Lunar New Year - so welcome to the Chinese year of the Water Tiger. And Imbolc was at the start of February too, so a belated blessed Imbolc. Also, Valentine's Day is coming up on Monday, so happy early Valentine's Day.
We didn't do anything of note for Imbolc, did even less for the Lunar New Year (AKA, did absolutely nothing for it; I only mentioned it because it happened and I could) and already did what we plan to for Valentine's Day, which was to treat ourselves to Dominos Pizza.
We don't have it often, because it's expensive. But there's one near enough to us that they'll deliver to our door (and for a reasonable price) and they do a pretty decent vegan pizza, so we treated ourselves to that. I haven't personally had take-away pizza since we left the Hastings area, which was more than 14 months ago, because most of the pizza places around here don't cater to vegans.
Anyway, we had it Wednesday, because we didn't want to be trying to have it over the long weekend with everyone else possibly wanting to celebrate Valentine's Day by ordering from various places too (estimated delivery times are around an hour here as it is) and since Wednesday's a pretty busy day it was a good day for a dinner that didn't require us to do any cooking.
I have a bunch of random things to update you on today, so this is going to be a long-ish post. It's not going to be an essay - if you know what I mean - but you might want to grab a cup of your favourite drink and get comfortable. Maybe a snack too, since I talk about food at one point.
*~*~*
Logan is the kind of dog who will happily play by himself, as long as you're nearby. He loves playing with people, adores cuddles, but will also play by himself. He's really cute to watch, so we got a couple of short videos so you could see. Here you go:
~
For some reason, Logan is also a big fan of rocks. In fact, he's taken such a liking to them that he was utterly miserable when Kelly took his entire rock collection back outside where it belonged, and told him firmly that rocks belong outside. In the end we had to allow him to have a rock or two in the house, because he was moping that much. He was ecstatic with joy when he realized we were going to let him keep a rock after all.
As anyone who knows me won't be surprised to learn, Lilie and Logan have a box overflowing with toys, and get new ones regularly. They even play with them - the short clips I just posted prove that. And yet, despite that, my dog's favourite toy is a rock. Not any of the countless balls, tuggies, etc, they own. No. A rock. And any rock will do too... It's not like it's even one particular rock he wants.
*~*~*
The Lunar New Year was two weeks ago, and tonight is the first full moon of the year of the metal ox in the Chinese calender, so the lantern festivals to celebrate it will be held this evening - in case you're interested.
Personally, I was born in the year of the wooden rat.
*~*~*
Kelly had his eye on a teddy dressed as Ahsoka from Star Wars he'd spotted on Build-A-Bear when we were getting my Grogu plushy last month, so I brought it for him, and he got me a plushy of Toothless the dragon from How To Train Your Dragon. Though we don't really worry too much about Valentine's Day, we used that to justify getting them right now. Not that we really need an excuse to buy each other gifts, but it was a ready made one, so we used it, even though Valentine's Day isn't a big deal to us, as I mentioned in another post a few weeks ago. Anyway, I intended having photos of Ahsoka and Toothless to put in this post, but we didn't get around to sorting those, so I'll show you them another time.
They both have a single sound chip. Ahsoka has a sound chip to play the Imperial march sound, and Toothless has one to make six different sounds he makes during the movies. Since we had no idea about birthdays to put on the certificates you get with the toys, we put the date we got married on them.
~
Despite Valentine's Day not being a big deal to us, Kelly made me a breakfast of vegan pancakes with maple syrup, plus a cup of tea, that morning. He said he'd have brought it to me in bed, but with the dogs being the way they are that wasn't going to work. He's not sure if they'd be more likely to spill it everywhere when they get excited, or eat it before I could do so. I have to agree with him, unfortunately, and don't really know which would be more likely either. It was a lovely breakfast anyhow, and a sweet thing to do, which meant more than any amount of cards and gifts would have.
Two days later he made me pancakes for dinner, since it was pancake day. I enjoyed those very much too.
Vegan pancakes can be complicated recipes, but we opt for the simple version: two ingredient pancakes. They can be vegan or not, depending on the milk you use. All you need is flour and milk for the batter. Then just grease your pan (we use vegan butter, but you can use either butter of your choice or oil of your choice) cook your pancakes, and top with whatever sweet or savory topping you desire.
*~*~*
I now get two craft subscription boxes.
At least, I will as from the start of March, which is when I'll get the first box from the new one.
Yeah, yeah, I know. But...
Someone told me - well, posted on Facebook where I could see it - about the Cosy Craft Club box, which is a similar idea to the Makerly Crafts one I already get. Well, I couldn't resist. Because, you know, you can never have too many craft supplies. Right? Plus, happy post...
So, I subscribed to Cosy Craft Club this month, and will get my first box in March. Since Makerly are moving their box from the middle of the month to the start of it, I'll get both boxes around the start of the month from now on. Two new kits to add to my crafting stuff every month. Maybe I don't need them - it's not like I'm short of crafting supplies. But I want them, and I'm excited about having them.
~
Speaking of crafting supplies: I'm making great progress with getting the craft room organized. There's still a bunch of stuff to sort, and Dad says he still has more to bring over to me when I've got the last of the current batch sorted, but it's getting there. So is the computer room/study, which we've had to be working on at the same time, since we made some extra space - in fact, doubled the space - in the craft room by making room in the other room for the graphic novels and magazines Kelly had been planning to store in the craft room before we realized just how much crafting stuff I was inheriting.
I don't have progress photos for the computer room/study, since I didn't think about getting those until I was writing this post, and I want to get this scheduled. But here's what the craft room looks like now:
We even opened up the bureau so you could see the stuff in the cubby holes of that.
I know it doesn't look like it's all that organized right now, but it really is much more organized than it was the last time you saw the room. Honest. I had hoped to get more of that unsorted stuff you see on the floor dealt with before I needed to get Kelly to take the photos for this post, but I didn't get a chance due to needing to do other things.
~
In other crafty news: I decided, since I inherited a whole load of crochet stuff from my Nan, I should at least attempt to learn how to do it. So, that's what I did.
I watched some YouTube videos I saw being recommended to people who wanted to start learning to crochet - Bella Coco is good, explains things so clearly that I can follow most of what she's doing even without being able to see her showing us, and comes highly recommended by several people on some of the groups I'm on over on Facebook, if anyone else wants to use YouTube to learn - and then had my Mam show me the parts that were too visual for me to be entirely certain what the videos were showing me. Between those videos and my Mam, I managed to figure it out well enough that I had something to show for my efforts by the next day. And, here it is:
Surprisingly to both of us, neither of us got cross at the other when I was getting frustrated when I was initially struggling to get what I was meant to be doing. That would usually be an issue, which is why it was Nan (Dad's Mother) who taught me to do crafts like knitting and sewing to start with.
Anyway, we did it using the same kind of cotton yarn my tea cosy is being knitted with, from my personal stash. I believe the colour is called ice blue. It's one of Nan's hooks I'm using though, of course.
I started off the chain, and once we'd established I could do that, my Mam did a couple of rows for me to show me what I was aiming for. That part where it looks like we were doing fancy stitches was my first attempt at a row, where I learned that it really matters which way you wrap the wool around the hook. We decided not to unpick it though, since that was the only fault, and it looked pretty. The couple of rows after that I did with a lot of help from Mam. But the final two rows I did completely solo after she'd gone home. Took me about an hour to do each row, but at least I did it, even if my tension is all over the place, so my stitches are far from being neat and even.
~
Since then I've been swapping between my crochet project (I'm making it a scarf) and my knitted tea cosy. I'm sure you won't be too surprised to learn that the knitting project is coming along faster, since having been doing that for many more years - I mean, Nan taught me to knit when I was about eight or nine - means it comes easier to me, so it takes me a lot less time to do a row of knitting than a row of crochet, even though there are a lot more stitches in each of my knitting rows for these current projects. But there's progress for both, and I'm enjoying doing both, which is the main thing.
~
In yet more crafting related news: I joined a virtual crafting session via Zoom this past Saturday afternoon.
The Zoom session was being hosted by the person who does the Cosy Craft Club boxes, for members of her Facebook group of the same name (which you can be a member of even if you don't subscribe to the boxes). At least, I think it was a members only thing, since you had to reply to a spacific post on there to get the details to join the session from her. Apparently it's a regular thing. You just do crafts - either work together on that month's craft box, or do whatever other craft you want to do at the time - while chatting.
I was torn about the idea of attending it. I was unsure about whether I wanted to go, and made a point to warn of my irregular sleeping schedule ahead of time so that would justify my absence if I didn't show up. On the other hand, the idea of spending an hour doing a virtual crafting session did sound fun, so I was kind of excited about the idea, and did want to go at the same time. Yeah, yeah, I know. It was my introvert side warring with the part of me that likes to connect with like-minded people. It's how it always works for me: "YAY! People who enjoy the things I do. I'll get to talk about things I love with them," immediately followed by, "OMG! People! I'll have to interact with them and everything!"
I'm sure the first mention of the session told you which side won though, and you already figured out that I went to the virtual crafting session. Had a great time too. In fact, I was so busy enjoying it that I was kind of surprised when someone announced the hour was already up, and I only left when the host ended the meeting almost quarter of an hour after the planned finish time.
And, yes, I do plan to join them again for future sessions, assuming they continue to do them, and I don't have a valid reason for not attending (like I have something else happening that needs to be more of a priority and can't be rescheduled for a different time or day, or I really am sleeping).
*~*~*
The first half of February was incredibly cold, with temperatures often dropping to -2 C or lower (not counting the windchill) even in the day. I know it's been much colder for many people, but when it's 3:00am, -3 C with a windchill making it feel -10 C, you're only wearing a pair of cotton pyjamas and flipflops, you've so far been out there for 20 minutes, and your dogs are in no hurry to go back inside, you really don't think beyond how cold it is for you at that moment in time.
Either the combination of the temperatures and wind chill are pushing it below even my cold tolerence, or I'm not as able to tolerate extreme cold as I used to be. Either way, thick socks and other warm items of clothing have been very gratefully worn by me during trips outside with the dogs recently (at least, after those first couple of times when I didn't wrap up warmly and wished I had). And even then I've generally been glad to come in to the warmth of the house when the dogs are finally ready to go back in too.
Kelly helped me with keeping warm by buying me a new hat. I couldn't find mine, so said I'd need to find time to make a new one (I'd given people most of the ones I'd made in the past, and couldn't find the one I was sure I'd kept for myself). One of the local shops had some for sale though, and he spotted a purple one when he was in there getting milk and such, so he grabbed me one. Naturally though, it warmed up a few days later. I appreciated the hat for those few days though, and at least it increases my chances of locating one the next time we have cold weather.
~
Before it warmed up, we got a little more snow. It was on February 13th. OK, so it was only a light dusting, which didn't come to much - there was maybe about an inch - and it was more ice than anything within a couple of hours. But the weather reports said there would be snow, and there was, even if there was very little of it. Anyway, this is what it looked like a little after 8:45am, right after it snowed (in fact, I think it was still snowing a littlewhen these were taken, though it stopped quickly afterwards).
~
Since then it's mostly been rainy. But, hey, it is Wales, and Wales is good at rain.
*~*~*
I watched "Mary Poppins Returns" a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't bad, but it was nowhere near as good as the first movie. But that's often the case, isn't it? Anyway, I'd give it a tentative four stars out of five. Tentative because it only just qualifies for the four stars in my opinion.
~
I also watched "Pride & Prejudice" (the 2005 movie). It was pretty good, though I didn't love it. I give it four out of five stars; a firmer four stars than "Marry Poppins Returns" got, but still only four stars.
*~*~*
I took a couple of photos of Artemis while I was playing with her this past Sunday (Feburary 21st). She was enjoying some supervised out of vivarium time. So, before I end this post, here they are:
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.
Are you a writer? Do you have a dog, cat, or other animal living with you? Then have them come over and become one of our "Friends of Furkid Friday" on this blog! Simply follow Lilie's instructions on the "Friends Of Furkid Friday" page to get a spot. There's only one spot a month, and - as it stands at the time of this post being written - the first available one is for August 2019. The furkids and I look forward to hearing from you!
In other news: I've now chosen a new narrator for my Magical Chapters Trilogy. The new narrator is Emma Thorpe (clicking on her name there will take you to her ACX profile).
Speaking of names, here's a great post containing some thoughts on character and place names, which you might want to bear in mind. Just remember that unusual names may mean your readers will all end up pronouncing them differently. I've got some unusual names in some of my books, but I mostly don't worry about how people say them. Some matter to me - like Kero's name - but as long as they're close, I even let those slide. With my audio books, I've mostly been focussing on making sure the narrators pronounce the names the same the whole way through. I figure that's more important anyhow. If it matters to you that the names are pronounced the way you imagine them though - either by readers or narrators - you'll want to make it easy on them by keeping the names simple, being careful what names you choose to start with, and staying away from unusual spellings.
On the subject of characters, here's something to consider when writing new versions of old characters. Something you may not need to worry about, unless you're writing a prequel, but I figured I'd share the advice anyhow, just in case it is useful to you.
Let's continue to talk about characters for a moment, and consider the possibility of using horoscopes for characterization - a pretty good idea, in my opinion.
Next, here are a few tips for creating a complex villain, which may be useful to you, regardless of the genre you write in, or the relationships between your other characters.
By the way, if you're struggling to decide on a title for your story or book, you may like to check out this post on how to find the perfect title. Hopefully it will help you come up with a fantastic one. It should at least get you thinking of potential ones anyhow, which is half the battle.
Regardless of what your writing goals and schedule look like, if it's doubt about your work holding you back, bear in mind that it's perfectly normal to feel that way. Sometimes I still think my writing is trash - and that statement applies to both me and the author of that post. Yes, even with more than 50 published titles, I still get nervous every time I publish a new book, despite some of my already available titles having great reviews. Yes, you have to make sure the post, story, or whatever, is actually ready before you publish it. But sooner or later, there comes a point where you have to let go and press that "publish" button. Sure, some people might not like it. But it's impossible to please everyone anyhow, so don't let your fear hold you back. In fact, here's why you need to be confident about your writing, regardless of what others might think of it, or how good or bad you think the reviews might end up being.
Oh, and... If you do get some bad reviews - or, I should say "when" since that's something we all have to deal with sooner or later - take this advice on how to deal with those reviews.
Speaking of reviews: if you're going to contact an author to ask for a copy of their book to review, at least personalize the message. I had three messages just the other day that I just deleted because they were clearly generic messages. I'm not in the habit of handing out free review copies to random people who get in touch asking for them, unless I've put up an invitation for them to do so somewhere recently. However, those times I have done so have been after personalized polite requests made by people who bothered to use my name and book's title. So, reviewers, if you want to get in touch with an author about review copies, at least take the time to use their name, and specify the book title (nice to do in general, but especially important when the author has a lot of books out). The same works in reverse for authors seeking reviews for their books too. A personalized message is much more likely to get results. Just saying.
Charles - yes, the same Charles with a recent fantasy book release that's on sale throughout July, which I posted about here - did a series of posts on his blog recently about some of the tools of the fortune telling trade.
The purpose of these posts was to briefly look at some of the tools of the trade in real life, as well as how they can - and do - get used in fiction. It's not an in-depth look, but I found the posts - along with some of the comments left on them - interesting, so thought I'd give them a mention.
If you'd like to check them out, you can do so on his blog. Here are the links:
In case you're interested: I'm a Scorpio, born on a day when the moon was in Cancer, in the year of the rat. So my Sun sign is Scorpio, my Moon sign is Cancer, and my Chinese Zodiac sign is the Wood Rat. Thought I'd mention all three versions of my zodiac signs that I know exist, just to be thorough. If you know of any others, I'd be interested to hear about them.
We're almost two weeks in to the new year, so it's time to return to normal routines. In fact, you probably should have done so a couple of days ago, if not before. It's also time for me to return to doing the normal Wednesday posts.
OK, so... Perhaps , like me, you tend to write shorter stories in general? Or, perhaps, you just want to try your hand at writing short stories? Either way, here are some tips for writing short stories to help you out.
Speaking of trying something new in your writing... Are you thinking of trying to write in multiple genres? If so, here's what you need to know before you do.
But, whatever you write, and however long it is, here's how to ask the right questions to keep people reading.
Finally, always remember... the "Aha" and "Hmmm" moments are both equally important. So, if you're currently dealing with a "Hmmm" moment, don't let it get you down; you can work through it to the next "Aha" moment, because that's what writers do!
I'm a vegetarian, so these make up the bulk of what I eat.
I know some people who think vegetables are boring, but they really aren't! It's surprising just how many different things you can do with vegetables, and if you add some herbs to the meals, you can do even more. Even something as simple as a soup or a veggie bake can be made new and exciting just by slightly changing a few ingredients, and that's half the fun of cooking anyway, so it's a great result all round.
Some of my favourite veggies include sprouts, runner beans, parsnips, and carrots... Among others.
I'm always open to hearing about new vegetarian friendly recipes, so if you have any, feel free to share!
***
W is for writing.
We can't have a post about things important to me without including that, after all, can we?
In case you don't know, I've loved to write since I learned how, though I admit it was only when I started publishing my books in 2012 that I started making more than a passing mention of my writing on my blog. More than three years later, however, and I've got a few hundred writing themed posts, and have published more than 40 books. Plus, I have plenty more ideas to keep me writing for years yet!
My books are a long way from making me rich and famous, but I enjoy writing them, and those people who read them seem to enjoy doing so, which is what really matters.
Also, even I can see that there's some improvement in my writing from my first book. In fact, even my blog posts are looking better. At least, i think they are... They're certainly better edited, anyway, LOL!
***
X is for xylophone.
Well, not xylophones themselves, but the word. I like weird sounding words, like xylophone, platypus, and other funny sounding words like those. I don't know why, but they amuse me.
***
Y is for yoga and meditation.
I've never been to yoga class, but I've taught myself some of the more basic poses, though I don't really do them these days, since my body won't co-operate with me. However, I still use the breathing exercises a lot.
For one thing, I meditate regularly; usually using incense or scented candles - most often incense - to help with the initial relaxation process, though sometimes without them.
For another thing, I've learned that the yoga breathing exercises are very helpful when my asthma is causing problems (which mostly only happens during the times when I have a chest infection, or if I get overly stressed or excited). Focussing on your breathing is extremely helpful in preventing asthma attacks. Or, at least, calming them down slightly. Although, I dare say the technique may not be quite as effective for those with more severe asthma issues than my own. In fact, I'd be surprised if it was. Also, please don't think I'm suggesting it as a substitute for an inhaler; I'm not. I'm just saying it can help... At least a little.
***
Z is for Zodiacs and astrology.
This is an interest of mine I don't indulge in very often, but I do find it fascinating to see how close horoscopes came to predicting things accurately. Perhaps because I have an interest in doing so with divination in general? I know many frown on such things, but I find them fascinating. They aren't always correct, since they can't always be, due to the fact our futures change with every action we take. But I like to see how close they come to being correct, and find it interesting to compare what a person is like to what their sign profile says they should be like.
If you're interested, I'm a Scorpio.
***
I hope you enjoyed this series of posts. If you want to know more about anything I've mentioned in them, feel free to ask. I'll answer any questions I can; as long as I know the answers, or don't have a good reason to refuse to answer.
One of the groups I'm a member of on Goodreads had a challenge for this quarter based on the Chinese zodiac. The challenge goal was to read books based on the character traits given to the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The challenge was from July 1st 2014 to September 30th 2014, and we were to read books for as many as we could in that time.
Here are the details for the type of books we were to try and read, along with the details for the books I read for them:
1. The Horse. On January 31, 2014, it becomes the Year of the Horse! Horses like being the center of attention. Read a book where the main character is famous OR read a memoir about or a biography of a celebrity.
I read "Boudicca: Britain's Queen of the Iceni" (The Legendary Women of World History, #1) by Laurel A. Rockefeller on August 5th 2014.
2. The Goat. Home is where Goats feel the most comfortable. Read a book that takes place in the country you were born in.
I read "Art Pengriffin & The Curse Of The Four" by Norman Revill on July 23rd 2014.
3. The Monkey. Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Read a humorous book.
I read "Unholy Cow" by John H. Carrol on July 18th 2014.
4. The Rooster. Roosters tend to "tell it like it is." Read a non-fiction book.
I read "Meditations Through the Year: Nature's Cycle of the Seasons in Guided Visualization" by Dorothea Breitzter-Kings on August 2nd 2014.
5. The Dog. While loyal and faithful, Dogs have trouble finding mates. Read a book that contains a troubled romance.
I read "Persuasion" by Jane Austen on August 23rd 2014.
6. The Pig. Pigs love to have fun but tend to prefer spending to saving. Read a book you have purchased (rather than borrowed).
I read "Pathfinder #3 — Rise of the Runelords Chapter 3: "The Hook Mountain Massacre"" (Rise of the Runelords #3) by Nicolas Logue, Mike McArtor, and James L. Sutter on August 1st 2014.
7. The Rat. Constantly seeking knowledge, Rats are curious and clever. Read a book that teaches you something.
I read "Emma Learns To Sprout" by Shir Guez on July 24th 2014.
8. The Ox. Oxen aren't very sociable and prefer life-long friendships to casual acquaintances. Read a book in which the main character could be described as an introvert.
I read "Books Of The Immortals - Earth" (Books Of The Immortals, #5) by Barbara G.Tarn, on September 4th 2014.
9. The Tiger. Tigers love to be challenged. Read a book you find challenging in some way maybe because of its length, style, or subject matter.
I read "The Man In The Moon" by Luke Spychalla on July 30th 2014. The difficulty was that the text was embedded in the pictures, which made it impossible for me to read the text.
10. The Rabbit. Rabbits tend to enjoy meeting people from different places and learning about different cultures. Read a book about a culture not your own.
I read "Stories The Iroquois Tell Their Children" by Mabel Powers, on September 24th 2014.
11. The Dragon. The Dragon is often considered to be the strongest sign, and the only one that is a mythical animal. Read a book that contains a mythical or paranormal creature.
I read "Ilse Witch" (Voyage Of The Jerle Shannara, #1) by Terry Brooks on July 2nd 2014.
12. The Snake. Snakes work hard but tend to be easily bored. To prevent boredom, read a short book (i.e., one with fewer than 100 pages).
I read "Drippy The Peg-Legged Rainbow" by John H. Carrol on July 16th 2014.
Other than the last 2 lessons for the "Fantasy Novel Writing" course, all the courses I'd signed up for before are finished, and I have all the lessons for them. When all but that one and another that was 15 lessons long were finished, I decided I'd sign up to get a few more courses. It's lucky they're courses you can do at your leisure, because I ended up signing up for:
The "Herb Gardening" and "Poetry As Health Therapy" courses are already finished.
Many of them I'll probably never use, but - as I've said before, and probably will again - since they're free, and you can do them whenever, I'm grabbing any of the ones where I have even a vague interest in the subject. At least that way, should I change my mind in the future, I have them. Especially since we saw recently how easily the site could disappear, so who knows if it will be around should I decide in the future that I want to grab the courses after all, right?
***
OK, well... I've just spent a few hours catching up on blog posts from the last couple of days, so now I need to get to other things that I let myself get behind on somehow. I don't suppose you know what happened to the last couple of days? I lost them; I think the clock was on fast forward on Friday and Saturday or something!
My Mam did do a post about what happened to make us leave the party early, so visit her blog if you want to read about it.
***
After my Zen Philosophy, Yoga, Chinese Astrology and Aromatherapy courses finished a week ago, I had Kelly help me sign up for another batch of courses. They were:
Half of them I already have all the lessons for, and the other half should finish in a couple of days, then I'll be having Kelly help me sign up for another batch. As I've said before, I'm grabbing all the ones I like the look of while I know they're still free and available. I mean, why not? After all, I can do them at my own pace, so it's not like it's a big deal if I don't keep up with the work for all the lessons. Plus, some of them are information only courses.
***
I lost 1 and a half pounds this past week. I was surprised actually. Especially since I weigh on a Monday... Two days after the day when my meals mostly consisted of party food. I expected to have at least stayed the same if not put some back on. But, nope! 1 and a half pounds lighter! Must be all the extra walks with Kero?
***
Asda have always claimed to have a large selection of vegetarian meal options available, and The Vegetarian Society kept insisting that they - meaning Asda - stocked meals by Cauldron Foods. But I'd seen no evidence of this. Yes, they had loads of soups available for vegetarians, but that seemed to be it. However, I was bored this morning so decided - for reasons unknown - that it would be fun to type, "vegetarian," in to their search box on their website to see what food items would come up. Well, I'm glad I did! All the things they claimed to stock were right there in front of me... Meals by Cauldron Foods, Asda vegetarian meals, the other Linda McCartney foods (all I'd been able to find before were her sausages).
And why hadn't I found them before? Simple! When you have vegetarian sections in various departments, you expect to find the stuff in those sections... Not just some of the stuff, but all of it, right? Well, apparently that's not how Asda work since the bulk of the items were - by the look of things - actually hidden among the meat and fish items instead of being in their own section as they should have been. Idiots! Still, I know now, so I can actually have more choices for foods, and actually have the option of grabbing the ocasional microwave meal without it having to be cauliflower cheese, maccaroni cheese, or micro chips and/or microwave pizza. All of which are nice, but I get a bit fed up of having no choice but the above mentioned options all the time. And, let's face it, it's nice to actually have something because that's what you've decided to have, not have it because that's your only option. I mean, I don't plan on having microwave meals all the time, but sometimes it's easier to grab a microwave meal, and it will be nice to actually have a few options to choose from on those days!
Mind you, I'm kinda kicking myself here, because... Why didn't I think to check in the other sections? But, at the same time, why should I need to? I thought the whole idea behind a "vegetarian and meat free" section in most departments was so you could go directly to the items not containing meat or fish without having to wade through stacks of animal products to find what you're looking for. Or, is that just me? *Shrugs*
***
This will do for now, because my dinner is just about ready. I will check all your blogs - and respond to comments on here - after I've had dinner, walked Kero, etc.
I was going to post some photos today - the ones I took last week while out with Kero - but I can't... Apparently Blogger doesn't want me to, since I've now tried three times to add them, and they don't want to add themselves to a post for me at all. *Sigh*
Anyway... The workmen are still here... So much for the work taking no more than four weeks!
I've finished getting the lessons for my Walking For Health, Freelance Writing For Magazines, and Aromatherapy In Pregnancy courses. I'll be done with the Aromatherapy (as in regular aromatherapy), Chinese Astrology: An Introduction, Yoga: An Introduction, and Zen Philosophy courses in the next couple of days, then I'll have Kelly help me with the word verification needed to sign up for the next batch of courses I want to grab from the site.
I must be doing something right with trying to lose some of this weight, since I'm now 2lbs lighter. I weighed on Monday, after weighing the Monday before. 2lbs is good, I think.
The weather's still mostly sunny and cold with the odd bit of rain from time to time.
I'm about half way through knitting the first of the two armchair throw things for my Mam to go with her sofa throw thing. Haven't gotten around to taking a photo of the sofa throw thing yet though. I'll get to it soon though... Honest!
And that's about it... Nothing else has really happened here. So, I'll let this do for today, get to your blogs either later or tomorrow, and I'll get those photos posted when I can. In the meantime... Enjoy whatever's left of your day, and have a good week!
As I mentioned a little in yesterday's post, now that I've finished the first batch of courses I'm doing more. I originally did:
Alternative Medicine: A Guided TourCreative WritingStory TellingVegetarian EatingYoga Explained
And this week I signed up for:
AromatherapyAromatherapy And Pregnancy (since I think if you're doing one, you might as well do the other)
Chinese Astrology: An IntroductionFreelance Writing For MagazinesOne Minute WorkoutWalking For HealthYoga: An IntroductionZen Philosophy
There are also others on the site I plan to sign up for in the future (by which I mean, when I've finished getting the lessons for those I just listed). Don't be too proud of me for getting the coursework done though, because I haven't been. I'm WAY behind. I figure though that I'll grab the information now (while I know it's available and free) and do the lessons in my own time. I'm grabbing them in batches though to make it easier to keep track of whether I've gotten all the lessons.
The One Minute Workout one has already ended, since it's only a very short course. It wasn't too bad, though I did think there would be a bit more to it than, "here's how to do different kinds of stretches, depending on whether you're sitting or standing," which is all it really seemed to be. Still, it was free, so I suppose I shouldn't really complain.
***
My washing machine has given up. We don't know why, but it just refuses to do a cycle. I can only assume it's an electrical thing? I could be way off though... I don't know much about how washing machines work, after all! Whatever the issue is though, we are without a working washing machine. I'm not all that surprised. I kept telling the guy who came to look at it when it wasn't spinning before that - despite his insistance it was fine - there was something not right with it. I may not know how they work, but I know how they should sound, and mine didn't sound right to me.
I'm not bothering to call the guy out again. If he didn't find the issue before, I doubt he'll find it now, and I'm not paying another £40 (roughly $80) to have him come out and tell me he thinks nothing is wrong with it again. So, for now my Mam is doing our laundry, and I'm buying her some soap powder and softener to do it with (and for her own use for her laundry, since it's only fair). Then, when I can, I'll get a new washing machine.
***
I had to replace the house phone on Wednesday. The one we had was a cheap standard phone we brought in October when the cordless phone we'd had for about 6 years wouldn't hold its charge any more. Well, on Wednesday that phone decided it didn't want to work any more.
What happened was that someone was trying to phone us, but every time I answered it the phone would make a funny beepy type noise, then go dead. After a few times we got sick of it and unplugged the phone. When I checked between calls there was no dial tone or anything. I knew it couldn't be the phone line though, because our modem is connected to the phone line, and I was online just fine. So, I went and brought a new phone - a red cordless one - and when I plugged that in the dial tone was back, and we've had no issues since.
I never did find out who was trying to phone me though.
***
The Sky box in the bedroom isn't working. It keeps saying something about a technical issue. I don't care though, because I'd already decided to stop the multiroom package with Sky and just have the one box that's in the living room. I had it set up originally because of a combination of a good offer on it and the fact we were going to be at my parents' house with them, so there would be 6 people wanting the TV, and I figured I'd beat the crowd by having one in our room. Then, when we moved back here, I kept it because I wasn't allowed to remove it until 12 months had passed with me having the same contract, and only about 5 or 6 months had passed. We don't really need it with just the two of us though. Especially with how the main box (the living room box) can record two shows at a time, or record one show while you're watching another. Plus the fact that most shows are repeated sevral times, and many channels have a +1 channel so you can watch something an hour later, anyway. So next week I'm just going to call them and tell them to stop the multiroom package. It'll save me £10 (roughly $20) a month anyway! And I can have the radio or an audiobook on in the bedroom without it costing me for more than electric (well, and the cost of any new audiobooks I'd buy, obviously).
***
I've been sleeping pretty good lately (hope I haven't just jinxed it). I'm sleeping at night, going to sleep soon after I start trying, and sleeping for a good few hours. OK, not solidly... I'm waking up at least once an hour for at least a couple of minutes... But I'm getting a good few hours sleep in total, and waking up feeling refreshed, ready to face the day, etc. I'm hoping it continues for a while... Makes trying to get some kind of walking and eating routine sorted so much easier when I know roughly when I'll be sleeping!
***
On Thursday, I finished knitting the sofa throw for my Mam, and have started work on the first of the two smaller versions for the armchairs. I'll get a photo of the throw when I can. I meant to try and take the photo Friday, but I forgot. I'll get to it though... Honest!
***
Mam came to get me Friday morning. She had Emma-Jane for the day and we were going to walk to town if it was nice. It was nice... Until when we were in town (without the car, which was parked outside my place). We almost got a taxi home, but we did walk in the end, since it ended up being just a short shower... Which was quite lucky really, since we didn't have the raincover for the baby's pushchair with us.
We were both tired after doing that walk, since neither of us have walked that far in a little while. I think my Mam was glad she'd come to mine by car and could, therefore, drive back to her place instead of having to walk all the way back in to town to get the bus. There are busses that go most of the way from here to town, but they only come about once an hour, and by the time you get to the bus stop you're generally at a point where you figure, "I've come this far, I might as well walk the rest of the way," so we've never used a bus to get in to town properly from here. If it's too wet to walk, we just call a taxi (unless Mam has already offered to take us, then we wait for her to arrive).
We didn't do much in town, just ran a couple of errands and had lunch. There's a bakery in town called, "Greg's," which does a really nice sandwich called a cheese savory sandwich. It's grated cheese, onion, carrot and lettuce with a little mayo to bind it, and it's pretty much the only vegetarian sandwich they do (the only other one being egg and tomato, but not always being available). The only other option there is a vegetable pasty or cheese and onion pasty, but I'm not a huge pasty fan, so I usually go with the cheese savory sandwich. That's what I had Friday. Mam had a chicken one of some kind (chicken and mayo, I think) and Emma-Jane had a sausage roll and the buttons off a gingerbread man (should have been the whole thing, but I guess she didn't fancy it at that moment, because she ate the buttons then said, "gone," as she went to drop it over the side of the pushchair... It was only saved because Mam was actually right beside her and watching her, so Mam grabbed it in time).
***
There's another new magazine I like the look of that's relatively cheap and Kelly said he'll get on the computer for me to be able to read. It's called "Baked And Delicious", contains recipes from around the world (apparently), and comes with free bakeware. Mam and I picked up a copy each of the first one - for just 99p (a little under $2) with free cupcake moulds, and it seems pretty good, so we're both getting it. We would have just had one of us get it, but though we can share the recipes, it's more difficult to share the bakeware when we live in different places, so we both agreed it would be best to have seporate subscriptions to it.
***
For anyone who may be wondering... The scaffolding is still up, but from what we can tell the workmen have very nearly finished. I hope so! They've been pretty quiet recently, but I really want that scaffolding to go away!
***
Like I said, it rained a little on Friday, but not much. It rained a lot more yesterday. It's nice again today... Another of those sunny but cold days you get a lot in Spring... Memories of Winter lingering still, but a promise of Summer hinted at in the sunshine. The kind of day you think of when you think of Spring, I suppose... Well, it's the kind of day I think of when I think of Spring anyway!
***
I really don't get why people like some of the music they do these days. Mam was playing a song from a CD she and Wayne picked up the other day, and it started off nice enough, but... Just as I was thinking how nice it was to hear some new music that wasn't filled with rap and/or swearing... A little way in to the song a new voice took over with rap and swearing, which - in my opinion - ruined the song. Rap is bad enough in general, but I can deal with that OK. My big issue is with the swearing. It's the same with most things... Why do they have to swear? Instead of, "f****ed up," why can't they say, "messed up," or something like that? It would sound so much better, I think.
***
OK, on that note, I think I'll let this do for today. It's taken me a VERY long time to write this post, and I want to get the dreaded housework done out of the way so I can spend some time working on my knitting (probably while watching the TV).
Enjoy whatever's left of your weekend!
Wendy posted her star sign profile the other day, and I said I'd look up mine and post it too. So...
***~***
Scorpio: October 23rd-November 21st
Sign: The Scorpion. 8th Sign. Ruling Planet: Pluto. Opposite Sign: Taurus. Constellation: Scorpius. Zodiac Element: Water Zodiac Quality: Fixed Birthstone: Opal. Colors: Red and Black. Numbers: Three and five. Day: Tuesday. Gemstones: Garnet, Ruby, Diamond. Metals: Gold and Silver. Body Parts Ruled: Reproductive system, genitals. Gods/Goddesses: Orpheus, Ares/Mars, Pluto/Hades. Geography: Buryatia, El Salvador, Navarre, Picardie. Best Love Matches: Cancer, Capricorn, Pisces, Virgo. Worst Love Matches: Aquarius, Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius. Variable Matches: Taurus and Scorpio.
After Libra's intellectual exploration of other people, Scorpio's interest is in discovering other people's emotions and how they respond to the world around them.
Scorpio is the Sign of Sex and Death, the beginning and ending of things, and they explore these ideas from an emotional standpoint. People born under this Sign are investigative and probing, often strongly intuitive and penetrating.
As the eighth Sign, Scorpio also rules the eighth House: the House of Sex.
The Sign In Depth: The Astrological Symbol of Scorpio is the Scorpion. Like the mythical Scorpion, people born under this Sign tend to be strong-willed and wary of being controlled by others. At times they can be self-destructive, like the Scorpion who kills itself rather than letting someone else kill it.
They are very determined, and once they've made up their minds they are unlikely to change them. They tend to be stubborn, refusing to give up when others have long since gotten bored and abandoned a project, and getting things done when no one else thought it possible. In this way, Scorpio exemplifies the Fixed Quality assigned to it. They are one of the Power Signs (the others being Taurus, Leo and Aquarius).
Scorpios tend to have their own agenda, and work intensely to achieve their desires. People who wish to change a Scorpio's mind often have trouble because they can never be sure what their motivation is; Scorpios are too complex and sometimes secretive to be understood easily.
Within the Zodiac, Scorpio is opposite Taurus, the Sign of Possessions. While both Signs can be possessive, Taurus is concerned with personal property and Scorpio tends to be about community resources and group investments. They are very resourceful and self-confident.
Scorpio is ruled by the Planets Mars and Pluto. In ancient Roman mythology, Mars (and his Greek equivalent, Ares) was the God of War, and ancient astrologers assigned both Aries and Scorpio to this Planet. Pluto (and his Greek equivalent, Hades) was the God of the Underworld, and when the Planet Pluto was discovered early in the 20th Century astrologers assigned Scorpio to this Planet. Under Mars' influence, Scorpio is the behind-the-scenes tactician while Aries is on the front lines. Scorpio's modern ruler, Pluto, represents Death and Endings; it's the Sign of rebirth and regeneration. When the Scorpion loses its tail, it regenerates a new stinger, and Scorpios can be reborn the same way after they suffer losses. In addition, Pluto is a strong Planet. It teaches a valuable lesson: while Scorpio has a tendency to be possessive, Pluto pulls things away.
The Element associated with Scorpio is Water. Water Signs are emotional: they tend to respond to the world through emotion, rather than physical action, practicality, or intellect. Scorpio's motto could be "still water runs deep." They may repress their emotions, but underneath they are lusty and perceptive. At times, though, Scorpio's water can be stagnant, depending on whether they use their energy in a positive or negative way. They may be vengeful or vindictive and unable to get past personal slights. Scorpios are motivated and loyal, but they are often misunderstood and people may see them as dictatorial or sarcastic. If they have an ulterior motive, they can be overbearing, but in a subtle, sly, or manipulative way.
Scorpios are both mystical and scientific, a combination that makes them very aware of what is happening around them; they are a Sign of great depth. If they aren't careful, though, their passionate nature may lead them into self-indulgence or compulsion.
The myth of the Phoenix is strongly associated with the Sign of Scorpio. The Phoenix is regenerated from the ashes of its death, and it rises into the sky, reborn. The most highly evolved Scorpios aspire to be the Phoenix or Eagle, rising above the ordinary world and into something extraordinary. Suspicion and jealousy can pull them down, but passion and awareness can help them rise above this.
In their leisure time, Scorpios enjoy competition and challenge. They aren't satisfied with moving along at half speed or lowering their abilities to allow people with lesser skills to beat them. They enjoy difficult pursuits that challenge them to excel, and they refuse to settle for being anything less than the best. In love relationships, Scorpio is caring, devoted, and possessive.
Scorpio rules the reproductive organs. People born under Scorpio may be more susceptible to infections and fevers than people of other Signs. Scorpio's colors are powerful and strident, like Scorpions: black and red.
The great strength of the Scorpio-born is in their determination to see things through to the end. They refuse to allow boredom to turn them away from projects, and they are committed to accomplishing what they set out to do. Their passion and strength makes them one of the most powerful characters of the Zodiac.
***~***
Wendy's version on Cancer was much more detailed, but you get the idea.
OK, most of it sounds about right, which - in some cases - is kinda a bad thing.
I don't agree with the part about being vengeful though. I mean, I agree that I find it difficult to forgive, but I'm not one to go out looking for revenge for what people have done to me. And I don't agree with the part about being manipulative... I like my own way, but I don't like to feel I've manipulated or forced people in to giving me what I want. No, they should see sense on their own. ;)
I'm a bit worried about that whole self destructive part. I love the Phoenix bit though. That part not only sounds about right - especially with what's been going on in my life the past few years - but it sounds so cool!
Unfortunately, the part about infections and fevers sounds about right too. If it's going around I'm bound to get it, and no amount of preporation with herbal medicines, flu jabs, etc, is going to change that.
There are three posts for you to read (four if you count this one)
The first is on astrology. The second is some Zen Sarcasm. And, the third is on astronomy.
Well, actually the first and third should be the other way around because I posted the astronomy one first, but as you scroll down you will come to the astrology one before the astronomy one.
Below are true descriptions of zodiac signs, with traits from a book written 35 years ago by an astrologist's predictions. Read your sign.
VIRGO - The One that Waits Dominant in relationships. Someone loves them right now. Always wants the last word. Caring. Smart. Loud. Loyal. Easy to talk to. Everything you ever wanted. Easy to please. The one and only.
SCORPIO - The Addict EXTREMELY adorable. Intelligent. Loves to joke. Very Good sense of humor. Energetic. Predict future. GREAT kisser. Always get what they want. Attractive. Easy going. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Caring.
LIBRA - The Lame One Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! However not the kind of person you wanna mess with... u might end up crying...
ARIES - The Liar Outgoing. Lovable. Spontaneous. Not one to mess with. Funny. Excellent kisser. EXTREMELY adorable. Loves relationships, Addictive. Loud.
AQUARIUS - Does It In The Water Trustworthy. Attractive. Great kisser. One of a kind. Loves being in long-term relationships. Extremely energetic. Unpredictable. Will exceed your expectations. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out.
GEMINI - Irresistible Nice. Love is one of a kind. Great listeners. Very Good in the you know where... Lover not a fighter, but will still knock you out. Trustworthy. Always happy. Loud. Talkative. Outgoing VERY FORGIVING. Loves to make out. Has a beautiful smile. Generous. Strong. THE MOST IRRESISTIBLE.
LEO - The Lion Great talker. Attractive and passionate. Laid back. Knows how to have fun. Is really good at almost anything. Great kisser. Unpredictable. Outgoing. Down to earth. Addictive. Attractive. Loud. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Not one to mess with. Rare to find. Good when found.
CANCER - The Cutie MOST AMAZING KISSER. Very high appeal. Love is one of a kind. Very romantic. Most caring person you will ever meet! Entirely creative. Extremely random and proud of it. Freak. Spontaneous. Great telling stories. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out if it comes down to it. Someone you should hold on to.
PISCES - The Partner for Life Caring and kind. Smart. Center of attention. High appeal. Has the last word. Good to find, hard to keep. Fun to be around. Extremely weird but in a good way. Good Sense of Humor!!! Thoughtfull, Always gets what he or she wants. Loves to joke. Very popular. Silly, fun and sweet.
CAPRICORN - The Passionate Lover Love to bust. Nice. Sassy. Intelligent.. Sexy. Predict future. Irresistible. Loves being in long relationships. Great talker. Always gets what he or she wants. Cool. Loves to own Gemini's in sports. Extremely fun. Loves to joke. Smart.
TAURUS - The Tramp Aggressive. Loves being in long relationships. Likes to give a good fight for what they want. Extremely outgoing. Loves to help people in times of need. Good kisser. Good personality. Stubborn. A caring person. One of a kind. Not one to mess with. Are the most attractive people on earth!
SAGITTARIUS - The Promiscuous One Spontaneous. High appeal. Rare to find.. Great when found. Loves being in long relationships. So much love to give. Not one to mess with. Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone They meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! Amazing in the you know where.. !!! Not the kind of person you wanna mess with - you might end up crying.
