On the Mend/Puppy Fever

How is it Monday again already? I spent the better part of last week nursing yet another child through bronchitis, hence my finally giving up on posting at the end of the week. Hearing about dosages of prednisone and albuterol and antibiotic is just really not all that interesting.

HOWEVER, I'm back (insert golf clap here)! The vampire/werewolf forbidden romance continues apace. Got a little behind in the plague breakout, but working on catching up. I'm still doing P90X, shockingly...I did a month of the Lean version of the program, but at the end of it I knew I could step it up, so have switched to Classic and restarted on Week 1. It has added an extra month onto this workout journey of 90 days, but it's cool. I was in such incredibly lousy shape I had to start with something a little easier. There is this...thing...called Plyometrics. It's an hour of "jump training", very aerobic, lots of hopping and jump squats and you name it. The demonstrators are dying by the end of it, so you know what a beast this thing is. Anyway, it's not in the Lean program, but is in the Classic, and it's one of the big reasons I'm glad I waited. I would NOT have made it through that just starting out. Now I can, just soaked in sweat. I am, at present, in probably the best shape of my life. Ever. And I have a ways to go yet! Last night was Yoga. I'm getting quite bendy:-)

On to the Puppy Fever portion of the program. We found out this weekend which puppy will be ours! We had been down to two, and the breeder feels this one is much more what we're looking for, very friendly and interactive. She's certainly bright-eyed! I'm probably in for it.

We aren't sure what to name her.  Again.  It was going to be Stella, but I'm not really sure she looks like a Stella.  Because of her distinctive off-side blaze, we're actually thinking of just naming her...Blaze.  A friend told me that sounds like the name of a sassy saloon girl:-)  We'll figure it out.  I'm just really glad we know who's coming home!  She's a cutie...I liked the look of her from very early on.  We go get her a week from Friday.  I think I need to catch up on my sleep before then!

Have a great Monday!

Stuff I Do in My Nonexistent Spare Time

Some of you know that I like to park it and play a video game for stress relief sometimes.  I had a blast playing Dragon Age: Origins and all of the DLC, plus the Awakening expansion, while I was writing Renegade Angel and then Dark Awakening...slaying darkspawn was pretty cathartic:-)  Books, movies, video games...I'm a sucker for a good story, wherever I find it.  And I'm a fantasylovin' girl from way back.  So you won't be surprised that I was all over the demo for Dragon Age II when it was released yesterday (just the demo...the game isn't out until March 8th..and yes I have pre-ordered the signature edition and am ridiculously psyched).  It was just a taste of the new game, but they've changed some things, and I was anxious to have at it.  I plan to go through the demo as each of the three classes (warrior, mage, rogue), but last night I stuck to rogue, that being my favorite.  Why?  Well...leather armor and being able to pick locks and sneak up and backstab people has its appeal.  Anyway, here's one of the more recent trailers for the game.  Yes, this is what I enjoy wasting time on.  I wish there was a trailer showing the female version of the main character, Hawke, because that's who I play with (she's very pretty), but you'll get the idea anyway.


In other news, I am still writing along...that's not very exciting to talk about, but it seems to be going well.  Writing a more empowered and sarcastic heroine, which is always fun for me.  I mean, you never want to cross over into Pure Bitch, but sarcastic is always fun.  You know I love my snark:-)

Have a good one!

THOR!!!

Lisa, have I ever mentioned I love the links you send me?  Ladies, check this out and tell me you don't wanna see it:-)  I have to say, there hasn't been a lot I've wanted to see lately at the theater, but it looks like there is some awesomeness coming down the pike soon.  Enjoy!

Inception

Stayed up last night to watch this with the husband.  I've been interested in seeing it for a while, but like a lot of things, hadn't quite gotten around to it.  REALLY glad we decided to catch it, because it's a fascinating flick.  Have any of you seen it?  Leo DiCaprio is a thief who gets contracted to do work inside people's dreams, stealing information right out of their minds with the help of carefully selected teams of other highly imaginative people who can do...well, things like this.  But he's haunted by his beloved wife's suicide, and he can't return back to the States and his young children because he is suspected of her murder.  In failing at one job, trying to get information out of a very wily Japanese businessman who has been trained to militarize his subconscious to make it nigh well impossible to get information out of him, he finds himself with a singular opportunity: if he does something considered impossible for this same businessman, planting (rather than stealing) an idea that takes hold in the mind of a young heir to a huge American business empire whose father has just died, the businessman will arrange it so that Cobb (DiCaprio's character) can finally go home.

The whole film is gorgeous, a multi-layered psychological adventure in which Cobb assembles an expert team to attempt this "inception".  As they descend through multiple layers of the target's subconscious, they discover that there are more dangers to them than the man's militarized projections.  Cobb himself has issues that threaten to destroy them all unless he can confront them in time.

Now, I won't say that this is a completely perfect film.  Some of the pacing is uneven.  There was an earlier section that dragged for me.  But when it really gets going, it's a hell of a ride.  The whole "dream within a dream within a dream" idea is so interesting, as is the way the film deals with the nebulous nature of our own realities.  And the acting is superb.  So many scene stealers.  I had never seen Tom Hardy before, but he's fabulous as a British "forgery" expert who can become anyone in a person's dream.  Funny, dry, and very sexy.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, too, was awesome as Cobb's competent, self-contained right-hand man.  Ellen Page is always awesome.  Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, and Leo, who has grown into a fine actor despite the fact that I will never really scrub my brain of him in Titanic...all fantastic.

If you've got two and a half hours to spend, I totally recommend this.  Have any of you seen it?  What did you think?    

Gorgeous.

Sharing a beautiful song that Lisa sent me...this is an excellent mood-setter for writing a love story, I must say.  Thanks, Lisa!  And have a great Friday, everyone.

Guest Blogging and Giveaway!

I'm over with the Paperback Dolls today giving away a signed copy of Renegade Angel!  We're also talking Bad Boys, one of my favorite subjects:-)  Hope you all can come join the fun! 

P.S.  Sorry for the light blogging this week.  My five-year-old has a nasty case of bronchitis, and we've been at the doctor's yesterday and today.  It's hardest when the little guys go down with something.

Dinner With the Newf

Chewie is almost eight months old now, and his mouth has gotten decidedly...wetter...of late.  Had to share what we've been seeing at dinner lately, because it's funny, a little gross, and one of the facts of life if you live with a Newfoundland.  Check it out:

Now for the extreme close-up:

Say it with me...YUM:-)  This gets even more interesting when he plops his head into your lap.  We've decided he needs a drool towel for when we eat dinner!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  Hope that if you have a sweetie, he's extra sweet today, and that if you don't, you treat yourself to something nice regardless.  My hubby brought me sushi last night (YUM), and he's making these awesome shrimp ka-bobs today.  I also have the sneaking suspicion that he got me something from 1-800-Flowers,  but I guess I won't know until it shows up.  Like every husband, mine has days where he's kind of...a butthead...but he's also pretty special.  Especially because he puts up with me:-)  I got him a card with a cute fuzzy monster on it that lights up and plays Wild Thing.  Fifteen years together, and yep, he can still make my heart sing.  It's supposed to go into the 60s here today, so hopefully he can get home early and we can spend a  nice afternoon.

So what's everyone doing for Valentine's Day? 

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's frigid here.  I have a cold, too.  All I really want is to be free of nasal distress and sitting on a beach somewhere sipping something frou-frou with an umbrella in it.  Thus, I give you, on this crappy winter day, a candidate for the server of said frou-frou drinks.  Join me, won't you?

Wellness, and the Pain of Moving the Booty

I got my monthly copy of the Romance Writers' Report yesterday, the publication of the Romance Writers of America.  Since it's early in the year, when most people are at least trying to live up to yet another New Year's resolution of fitness, they made this issue about a writer's physical fitness and the connection between that and mental wellness.  It's especially applicable to writers...our job is VERY sedentary, and it's easy to park it and munch away every day.  The butt grows to fill the chair.  And you all know how I love my Cheetos.

Anyway, this issue resonated with me because, as I have mentioned, I'm making a concerted effort to FINALLY get fit this year.  I'm not a particularly big girl, but I'm well aware that I was out of shape and had lousy eating habits.  Also, I was not liking the booty jiggle I had/have going on.  I tend to run at fairly high stress levels, and I had been feeling increasingly tired and overwhelmed, which is not a place I want to be with all the work I have going on right now.  So about six weeks ago, my husband, who had also been feeling dragged out and overweight, ordered P90X.  And once I turned in my last Nocturne a couple of weeks ago, I started it too.

So I won't lie: I'm sore.  It varies by day, but today is one of the less good ones as far as how my muscles feel.  As in, my butt is killing me.  It's a big commitment (at least an hour a day, often an hour and a half), and it has required a change in my craptastic eating habits.  I love me some junk food.  But despite all that, I feel kind of...good.  Tired, but in a different way, and healthier than I've felt in a long time.  Like I'm cleaning all the garbage out of my system.  And after two weeks (today is my second rest day, meaning tomorrow I'll head into Week 3 of Phase 1), I am seeing major differences in strength, stamina, and even the shape of my body.  Haven't lost weight yet, sadly (men, who always seem to have it easier in that department, tend to lose weight more quickly because of the testosterone and their body composition), but I have dropped nearly a full inch off my hips in a short period of time, and it's my understanding that as I build muscle and continue on, the weight loss will come too.  But the main things right now are that I look better, feel better, and am actually enjoying my nightly sessions with Tony "Bring It" Horton because that time allows me to focus on something else and sort of blow the dust out of my overactive mind.

Thought I'd share this today as it has been a large part of my existence this last couple of weeks, and I'm pleased with how it's going.  I couldn't do every exercise when I started, and there are still a couple I fall out on, but that's totally acceptable and expected in this program.  But just between weeks one and two I've made big gains, and I'm excited to see how things look at the end of the full 90 days.  Is anybody else out there giving movin' ye olde booty a shot this winter?  What's working for you?  I'll be giving periodic updates on my progress, because...well, it's something to write about, and I'm in the same boat as a lot of people.  Had a few kids, got pretty sedentary, and would like to feel better about my health.  And like I said, it's a pretty big issue for writers.  We sit a LOT.  It's easy to become one with the chair:-)

Have a good one!   

     

Aftermath Monday

At least, it is for everyone who was up watching the Super Bowl last night.  I watched some of it at the party we went to, though mostly I talked and ate bad-for-me food, which I am paying for today.  *urp*  Back on the healthy wagon for me.  Glad the Packers won...I can't stomach Roethlisberger.  I got nuttin' today, and I have to go stick my head back in the maunscript, so here's a fun song I've been playing a lot in the car lately at my youngest son's request.  The background music to this is in Little Big Planet 2, which is his favorite game, and naturally, as I'm a music dork, I have the song on my iPod!

Houston, We Have a Title

Yep, Dark Dynasties #2 got its title last night!  Jaden and Lyra's story, coming in January, will be called MIDNIGHT RECKONING!  I love it, it's perfect for the story.  I can't claim credit for it at all...this was all Selina, my editor...but fortunately, writers aren't required to be awesome at titling their own books.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Today is...

...pretty boring.  Have some writing to do this morning.  Lost my mind briefly because Chewie decided to come upstairs to visit me and then lift his leg on a suitcase for no apparent reason.  I stupidly thought we were through that with him, but hey, such is my life.  Oh, and I have to do Core Synergistics today for P90X, which is my most hated workout of the group.  Lotsa weird push-ups.  I stink at push-ups.  Also had an awesome brainstorming session with my editor at GCP for the third Dark Dynasties book, too.  It is now officially going to be AWESOME (if I can, you know, write it correctly).

Here, have some Muse.  I've been blasting this in the car recently...it's an older one, but faaaaaabulous.  It really deserves to be cranked up, owing to the pipe organ.  Oh yes.  There is pipe organ.  Gotta listen to the whole thing, though, since it doesn't really start to crescendo for a bit.  Have a good one!

Oh My.

This was too pretty not to share with you all.  Thank you, Lisa.  A thousand times, thank you.

His name is Gabriel, and he's Mexican.  And I don't know why he's wearing a furry loincloth, and I don't care.  I know he has an interesting nose, but...I like interesting noses.  Even the facial hair is working for me.  This, ladies, is cover hunk material.  Enjoy your Wednesday!

Busy Day

I'm working on brain overload today.  Trying to clear up my outline for Damien's book (I have gone begging to my editor...she's great, and I'm having some problems with the hero's motivation, so hopefully she can help).  Gotta get my word count for DD #2.  Need to do %$&#@! Kenpo X at some point.  I actually like this one, as there's a lot of punching and kicking.  Very cathartic.  And I should probably fold laundry.  Laundry is my curse.  There is always more of it, and I'm always behind in folding it.  Anyway, this is a drive-by posting, but I will give you, hmm...I think I'll give you Charlie the Unicorn.  Funny and stupid works for a gloomy Tuesday:-)