366 of Me: Day 33
My shoe rack!
While it serves a great purpose, unfortunately there are about three or four pairs of shoes sitting on the floor in front of it staring at the others in a jealous rage because they won’t fit on the rack.
But every time I open my closet which is next to the shoe rack, some shoe commits suicide and jumps off. Wear me today! Wear me today!
366 of Me: Day 32
My gym bag.
It sits on the bed eagerly awaiting a trip to the gym that will never come.
I quit the gym a few weeks ago after completing my one year contract. I know! I know! Shoot me!
I got discouraged because I had not had any weight loss since last July, so I decided I needed to take a new approach this Spring and start doing something different. Plus, I hate that it’s so dark when I leave work to go to the gym, and I hate doing this in the winter even more even though it hasn’t felt like winter lately.
Plus, I’ll save money by not having to pay the monthly membership fee.
Don’t worry…I haven’t given up on my weight loss plan just yet. I’ve just put it on hiatus. As for my gym bag, I’ll find something to do with it.
366 of Me: Day 31
More FREE stuff!
Yep, that’s right.
J won a customer service award for the year and got to pick a free gift.
And he picked a bike for me!
He bought himself a bike last year and finally talked me into wanting one too so we can ride together this Spring.
And this bike is awesome! Did I mention it was completely FREE?
366 of Me: Day 30
And yet another free book I received last week…
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
This book actually came out January 17th, but it’s new to me.
It’s actually for kids, about a gorilla who lives in an exhibit in a shopping mall and befriends an elephant. BUT…it’s 300 pages long.
Review to follow….
It’s not stealing if it’s FREE…
That’s right! I said FREE!
Starting today and running for 5 days, you can download my 2nd book, Stealing Wishes, onto your Amazon Kindle absolutely FREE!
Since it’s a bit of a romantic comedy, I thought it’d be a great way to kick off the arrival of February! So today, through February 2nd, it’s all yours!
I wrote this book in just 3 months in 2007. I entered it in the very first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest that year, of which it was a semi-finalist. Though it didn’t win, it did become a semi-finalist for a Lambda Literary Award the following year. Didn’t win that either, but that’s okay. It has been winning the hearts of many readers ever since.
Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:
Which is more important? The perfect cup of coffee or the perfect date? Why can’t we have both? Blaine is an Isherwood reading, photo taking, obsessive compulsive coffee barista who steals money out of public fountains and who can’t find a date. Obsessed with the number 32, his age, Blaine blames his lack of companionship as the reason for his habitual acts. Every day is timed and in sync to Blaine’s magic number!
When his best friend Sallie sets him up on a blind date, the overanxious caffeine slinger becomes convinced that the new man in his life will cure his compulsions. When Blaine discovers they have nothing in common, complications quickly ensue. Soon, Blaine’s artsy tattooed coworker, Auden, tells him about a local photography contest, and Blaine sets out to capture a winning snapshot. But just as Blaine thinks he has his illness conquered, his perfect unvarying world spirals out of control.
So, if you are in the mood for a light romantic comedy and a cup of coffee, download Stealing Wishes to your Kindle right now! And I’d love to hear your feedback so consider posting a review of the book over at Amazon.com after you read it!
366 of Me: Day 29
More free stuff!
This is my Advanced Readers Copy of Anne Rice’s new book, The Wolf Gift.
It’s due out February 14th.
Right now, as of this post, I’m half way through it and I love it.
And dare I admit….it’s the first Anne Rice book I’ve ever read!
More about it later when I write my review.
366 of Me: Day 28
Yesterday, I mentioned free stuff received from my two Cheryl’s. Sounds like a sitcom, don’t it?
Here’s what my 2nd Cheryl gave me. A copy of her new book! She even signed it.
It’s called And Death Dreamt Us.
Cheryl lives on the East Coast. We have never met and have never spoken outside of emails or Facebook posts.
But I feel like she’s one of my closest friends. We’ve shared our work with each other over the past few years, and as I’ve told her before, “She just gets me.” And I get her! I’ve read almost all of her books, and can’t wait to read this one!
Thanks, Cheryl!
Did I mention she signed it? 
366 of Me: Day 27
I received lots of free stuff this week, and two of them came from two different “Cheryls.” Neither of which I’ve actually met in person, or even spoken to before.
The first Cheryl gave me this Kit Kat.
She’s a coworker and good friend of J’s, and she sent the Kit Kat home with him.
Sadly, the Kit Kat disappeared on Friday right after lunch.
It was yummy.
Thanks, Cheryl.
A picture from the other Cheryl tomorrow.
366 of Me: Day 26
This is my new favorite wine. It’s a Muscato that J picked up at the grocery store. It’s about $18 a bottle, a bit high for our tastes and in comparison to what we normally drink, but it’s well worth it.
I went to a wine tasting last night at All On The Same Page Bookstore. I only had one glass and it was of a Chardonnay that a writer friend had brought. It was quite good and was the first glass of Chardonnay I’d drank in years. I tend to be more of a “sweet” wine person.
It reminded me though how much I actually do like Chardonnay, so I may be searching the grocery store for a good bottle of it sometime soon.
Years ago J and I threw a wine and cheese party for friends. It was a huge success. We’ve been in our house for six years now and have yet to throw one here. I don’t know why. Maybe this will be the year.
366 of Me: Day 25
This is a photo of the outside of our house.
This picture was actually taken Spring of 2010 just after we had the gables and windows painted, but I like the flowers in this photo and thought about them when I walked outside today on the way to work and peeked at the drab flowerbeds that are brown and dead right now, with everything asleep in the ground for winter.
Made me sad and anxious for Spring.
You’ll probably be seeing a lot of photos of the house and the flowers in a few months.
Spring is my favorite time of year!
