Banned Book Week Reading Day 4

Banned Book Week Reading # 3

Banned Book Week Day 2

So this morning I read from Kurt Vonnegut Jr's Slaughterhouse Five.

Banned Book Week Reading # 1

So, I wanted to do readings from banned books this week since it's officially banned book week.  I couldn't do yesterdays until last night, so I'm going to post both one and two today.  The first is a reading from The Color Purple by Alice Walker.  2nd reading to come later today.

F³A: Sigh, ugh, meh.

I've not been blogging as you may or may not be able to tell.  I've been too tired.  For the most part, I've been too tired to do anything but type and sit on my ass.  Apparently, according to my doctor, I'm exhausted.  They did some blood work to check my thyroid and iron levels.  Won't here back until mid next week.

I am one of the few people on the face of the planet unable to take iron because it makes me sick.  I have tried to get it through food, but obviously (if that's my main problem) it's not enough.

I could not even get out of bed this morning.  My kids are back in school (teacher strike over) and I had to find rides for them.

Hiring my girl Friday has helped, but it's not enough.  I'm going to also hire someone to clean for me.  I'm so tired.

Hence, the lack of blogs, hence, why I'm not at work today, hence why I haven't been able to exercise.  I did force myself onto the soccer field last week, but haven't really moved since then or before then.  I bought a yoga dvd.  I thought it would give me some balance and exercise at the same time and I could do it even if I was tired.  I haven't touched it.

So, I wait.  And sleep.  And lay around.

Send some good vibes my way.  Some good energetic vibes, please.

On a happier note, me and my girls are having a girls night tomorrow night.  No friends over, just the three of us.  We'll make dinner together and watch Bridesmaids.  Can't wait to see it.

Friday Scribbles (is that what I called it last week?)

Random iPod Shuffle Song: Tighten Up, Black Keys.  Love it.

Movie of the Week: Bridesmaids of course.

Book of the Week: Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry Lodge MD.  My dad bought this for me ages ago.  I think it's time I read it.

Quote of the Week:   "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion...I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." ~ Kurt Vonnegut Jr.


Happy Friday.  Have a good weekend.

Monkey Madness Monday

Yep Monkey Madness Monday.  I don't have much for you today.  Had a busy weekend.  A long walk in the rain, two soccer games (one on an island so there were two ferry rides involved making it an all day event).  Not a good weekend for area sports.  Both girl's teams lost and my Hawks *shakes head*. 

Teachers are still on strike.  We're going to feel it at the end of the year.  Which as my older daughter says doesn't matter because the weather doesn't even get nice until July.

And I believe Fall is officially upon us, even though the temperature seems to be having hot flashes.  It was really humid here yesterday.  That mixed  with my own hot flashes doesn't bode well.

I didn't do my housecleaning like I wanted over the weekend.  Too much going on plus I've just been so tired.  And there's so much to do and the weather caught up with me.  A shed still needs to be built, a pool drained, There's a badminton set getting soaked and I'm afraid to move it because I'm sure there's a family of earwigs living under it now. sigh.

I need a vacation.  Maybe a weekend of solitude at the beach again.

Happy Monday all.

F³A: The balancing act

Life has changed so drastically for me the last few years.  I haven't yet learned to balance everything.  When I focus on one thing, something else gets ignored.  For instance, I've been working on marketing my book this week, but I've not revised my manuscript hardly at all, and my house is definitely the self cleaning type.

And then there's soccer season.  Now, I don't have as much responsibility this year as far as soccer goes.  I don't help coach anymore.  I'm not really managing the team anymore, but still with the constant driving.  Thing One has practice every day unless she has a game.  That's M-F.  That's only the school team.  She also has practice Mon & Wed with her select team.  Her games are on Sundays.

Thing Two has practice also Mon & Wed.  She gets out the same time as Thing One those nights.  Her games are on Saturdays.  And when school gets back in session (teachers are on strike) tryout will continue for her school team.

That's seven days of soccer stuff.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE soccer, and I definitely love watching my kids play, and miss helping coach Thing Two's team (if I had the time I still would) but it's the driving that kills me (hence the hiring of my Girl Friday who starts work for me Monday).

 And I'm sorry, but the day job is killing me.  I mean, I have a great job, and I need it, and it's only part time, but I do much of the same stuff there as I do for my book stuff - blogging, facebook, twitter, and it kind of sucks the creativity out of me on top of taking away some of my writing hours.  But what are you going to do, right?

I've decided to have myself cloned.  I will have one clone to go to my day job, one to clean the house, one to do my marketing, and I will write and do the fun stuff with my kids while Girl Friday does the driving.  I think that's a good plan, don't you?

Oh, and I'm going to throw some yoga into the mix.  I've always hated yoga, but everyone's touting it these days, especially my friend Lori, so I'm going to try it. sigh.

Happy Friday, here are my Friday Scribbles (see that, I changed it from nibbles to scribbles so it's more writerly)

Random iPod shuffle song: No Love by Eminem featuring Lil Wayne (explicit lyrics).  I love Eminem.  Do you think he'd go out with me?  We're around the same age.

Book of the week: I'm still reading OyMG by Amy Dominy, but since Banned Book Week is coming up, I decided to go with The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, one of my favorite banned books.

Netflix of the week: Monk.  I think I'm on Season 5.  Loving it.

Quote of the week: "The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man." ~ Euripides

Thursday

I've got no pithy title for Thursdays anymore.  My brain is scattered with everything going on right now.  This time of year always makes me a little crazy, and with the release of Never Eighteen in a few months, um, crazy has turned into hysterical.  School, soccer, drivers ed, book everything, revising Sad, planning a release, marketing.  Too much at once.

I took three naps last week.

I don't nap.

No, seriously, anyone who knows me can tell you I'm not a napper. I hate napping because there are other things I could be doing.  But I think my body was rebelling against the perpetual motion.  It screamed, "Slow the f#@% down!!!!" 

So I hired a Girl Friday.  Yep. I did.  Can I afford it?  Probably not, but I need to keep my sanity.  And I need to get things done.  But when you have a day job, then have to drive your kids various places until 7 pm with soccer games on the weekend, time is fleeting, and I'm too tired to work on book stuff.

She starts Monday.  I've hired her mostly to drive my children around, but she'll also do light cleaning, yard work, errands etc, etc.  I'm pretty stoked about this.  It almost makes me feel important.  Almost, but not quite.

We'll see how things go.

Monkey Madness Monday

New addictions to my monkey clan

So, it's already Monday, huh? Sigh.  Last week was exhausting.  I'm blaming stress and constant motion.  The never ending battle to get things done, which never really happens does it.  There is always something to do, somewhere to drive to, someone to see.

I napped.

I never nap.

I napped three times last week.

And why the stress you ask?  The book thing.  Trying to revise and not finding the time.  The kids.  Driving them to the ends of the earth and back.  Them not cleaning up their crap.  It gets to me to the point where I pop some blood vessels and my brain explodes.

So, if you'll excuse me, I have to go check out one kids soccer tryouts, pick the other up from soccer practice, take her to drivers ed for an hour, then pick her up and take her to her other soccer practice.  I shall then collapse.

I wish it were Tuesday.

F³A: It's Friday Friday Friday

Did you notice I haven't blogged the last few days?  That's called burn out.  Not necessarily blog burnout, just burn out in general.  Driving the kids this way and that, working, cleaning.  I'm so tired I've napped twice this week.  

I don't nap.

Ever.

I'm hoping I get rejuvenated over the weekend.  There's too much to do.

I've got on my kids asses too about helping out before I go insane.  I wrote a manifesto I called the New World Order, about them picking up after themselves, and helping out in general without me having to ask, and doing their homework.

I don't know if it will work.  I've already found the lid to some peaches, a water bottle, a box of fishy crackers and a pear jar, and dishes in the sink.

They will have no life until everything is picked up.  And I'm also checking grades online today.  Any missing assignments and they will not only not have a life, but they will also not have an iPod, computer, or tv.

It's called taking a walk kids.

It's called cleaning your room kids.

It's called reading a book kids.

Sigh.

Motherhood.

I think I need to vlog today.

Happy Friday y'all.

Friday Nibbles (seriously, I need a new name for these):

Random iPod shuffle song:  Sympathy by the Goo Goo Dolls 

Book of the Week:  You know what it is, I've read a little this week, and the book is wonderful, but I just don't have the time!!  OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy.

Netflix of the Week:  Monk Season Four .

 Monk is funny and you know what else, they don't leave cliffhangers at the end of the season.  I like that in a show.

Quote of the Week: "I have never liked working.  To me a job is an invasion of privacy."  ~Danny McGoorty

Monday Monkey Madness

I almost forgot it was Monday!  I'm back from seclusion.   A weekend at the beach where mostly I just worked worked worked, with intermittent walks on the beach and a trip to the casino.

I wrote out 169 postcards, dropped bookmarks off at the local bookstore and library, edited the 2k12 video, finished a first draft of a discussion guide for teachers and book clubs, wrote out lists for my release parties, wrote a poem, caught up on all my emails, and packaged up swag, books, etc, to send out.  The postcards were the big think.  Glad to have those all written out.

The walks on the beach really offered me not only exercise, but clarity.  I've been in a little bit of a haze lately, and though maybe I've not solved  anything, I'm thinking more clearly I think.  And the big, bloated, dead seal is still on the beach and I accidentally got downwind of it.  Ew!  Stink!

I think that's all I've got today.  Have a glorious Labor Day.  Rest your butts off!  I'm going to.  I've done enough work this week.  It's sunny and warm here in Tacoma.  I'm going to enjoy it because it could change at any given moment.  I mean, it IS September.

Peace Out.

Megan

F³A: Seclusion

Okay, first off, who likes the new blogger look?  I'm trying to use it, but I think I prefer the old.  Why does everything have to change?  I fear change.

Okay, I'm in seclusion.  I have tons of work to do.  Put swag packs together, write 5 million postcards, send arcs, work on a discussion guide, make lists, and hopefully, some revisions.

I have three days. (I did a little last night, but I also made a video and had a 2k12 twitter chat last night, plus I was pooped)  I'm thinking with very little distraction (I am going to move away from the computer soon). I should be able to get most if not everything done.  Oh yeah, and I'm going to visit a couple bookstores and the library here and drop off some book marks.

That's it.  I have too much to do today.

Friday Nibbles. (I don't like the name nibbles, anyone got any other ideas?)

Random Pandora Song: Shattered by O.A.R.

Book of the Week: OyMG by Amy Dominy, yes I haven't finished yet, I've not had a spare moment to read.  I think I'll try to read this weekend to.

Netflix of the Week: Monk.  Still enjoying phobic, OCD Adrian Monk.  I have five seasons left.

Quote of the Week: "I have found that some people are meant to stay in your life while others you have to let walk away." ~ Cari of Cari's Book Blogs

I have been thinking about this myself this week, so when she posted it today, I had to share.

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!!