FML

I'm having one of those months where it feels like the universe is out to settle a personal score against me.

My AC is dead.  My car is dead.  And I mean dead as in the chances that these items can be repaired is less 5%.

Because financial burden is exactly what I need while grieving and planning for my first child.

This month has royally sucked.  I'm going to crawl into a hole now.

Alula

Meal Planning

So I'm knocked up now, and the employee share of healthcare costs is about to skyrocket for about 2 years (Q, your husband's company rocks--Mr. Borealis' company is going HSA only starting January 1).  I have commenced a stranglehold on my household budget because I'm unsure if I will want to return to work after I pop in April.

Realizing that I've kept this decision very private up to this point, and have been very career-oriented, let me explain this logic.  Contrary to popular belief, I do not hate children, and nor have I ever said that I do not want kids.  I have said that I would be okay *not* having kids, and this is still true; I don't view the ultimate purpose of my life to be producing or raising offspring, and I am blessed with a large family and many personal goals worth pursuing.  All of that is not to say that kids are unwelcome--I just view a child as one more along for the adventure (...kind of like my husband).  

I have not caught the "baby fever," and we were waiting to be prepared and ready.  Anyone paying attention is aware that last year we moved from a condo into a 4 bedroom house with a sweet backyard in a good school district.  I am not shopping for tiny booties or tiny bibs or tiny whatever else the normal female response in this situation is.  I have no desire to hold other babies and "practice".  I don't feel magical--I feel exhausted and sick, and if I have to listen to one more female relative tell me how wonderful it is being pregnant and how great I must feel, somebody is going to get smacked.  And for goodness sake, I am now entering my second trimester, and it isn't getting better, and I wish people would stop saying that I will feel better soon--my back pain is increasing, my nausea and exhaustion are now coupled with migraines in the evening, I'm told I have started sleepwalking.  

Also, my grandmother passed away on the 11th, and being pregnant at that funeral wins the awkward moment of the year award.  I'm still not over her death.  Hearing "Congratulations, you must be so happy" repeatedly during a loved one's funeral is exactly what I didn't need.  I hung out with my grandmother a week and a half earlier and she was so happy and said she wanted to babysit, and she didn't get to.  She was someone I really would have wanted my kids to have a connection with, and she was someone I was close to, and I am still messed up about her death.

...And back to the work thing.  We had privately discussed that putting our kids in daycare full time is not our preferred option, and especially not at an early age.  So, I may be taking a short career break to take care of things at home.  I'm planning to get a part-time job during that time, or I may go completely insane being trapped inside the house day after day.

To cover the lapse in income, I am investigating how to cut our food costs.  And I discovered this site:  http://www.grocerybudget101.com.  It's pretty neat; I'm going to try it.

That's all for now,

Alula

Heavenly Creatures

Ladies,

I just watched this one on Netflix, and I HIGHLY recommend it.  It's about an obsessive friendship and fantasy life that develops between two teenage girls.

One of them grew up to be mystery author Anne Perry.  That's right, it's based on a true story.

Don't be misled by the cover--it isn't horror genre (except for the first and last 5 minutes of the movie, which feature a murder).  There is sex and one murder, but nothing too graphic in nature.  It has some very creative scenes depicting the fantasy world that the two friends imagined together, kind of on par with Big Fish.

Alula

Orange is the New Black

From the creator of Weeds, Jenji Kohan.  It is hilarious in all the same ways as the glory seasons of Weeds (those being 2-5, IMHO).  However, be warned that it is grungy and kind of nasty in all the same ways as Weeds, so don't watch it with children old enough to repeat things heard or prudish husbands.

Q, if you haven't watched it yet, it's pretty good.  But you have to give it 2 episodes--the pilot is loaded with a bunch of flashbacks and non-linear story telling, but the following episodes aren't like this.

It's about a woman who was previously involved in an international drug cartel, and years afterward, someone turns her in for her past crimes.  She has since cleaned up her life, so she goes from a very normal suburban lifestyle to a pretty rough prison life.  It's kind of like the section of Weeds that they cut out between seasons 6 and 7 when Nancy was in the clink--that they should have left in--because it would have been hilarious.

Favorite quote so far (said in a Russian accent):  "All I wanted was to eat a chicken that is smarter than other chickens and absorb its power...and make a nice kiev."

Alula

6 Souls

The movie is part thriller and part horror flick (...but definitely more of a thriller).  It stars that guy who played the philandering king in The Tudors.  In this one he plays a crazy man with multiple personalities who is actually a crazy religious nut that's sort of possessed.  Character is played well, and the story was a good tell.  I kind of wish the ending had offered a little more, but I liked the souls and curses theme throughout.

I have now moved on to watching Walking with Monsters: Life Before Dinosaurs.  I turned it on because Mr. Borealis had a bad day at work, and who doesn't love dinosaurs?

Also watching a lot of Glee and Supernatural lately; we discovered Supernatural earlier this year, and it is all manner of awesome.

Alula

Almost killed my bamboo

Gardening--indoors and out--has been the focus of my week.  My mom got me a Captain Kirk hosta a couple of weeks ago, and on the 4th of July I went and got two other hosta cultivars to keep it company and planted them in the backyard.  I also added some zebra grass, a red lupine, and a heucherella.

We re-seeded the bald patches in the backyard, and I am hopeful that the grass makes a recovery.  I think Mr. Borealis has been trimming it too short, contributing to the over-drying and yellowing.

Indoor gardening today included moving my giant coleus from my kitchen to the outdoors; I kept a clipping to grow indoors in case the whole thing dies on me, but so far so good.

I re-potted my ever-growing jade plant.  While attempting to switch the jade and my Norfolk Island Pine, I accidentally knocked over the bamboo plant that my mom got me when I turned 16.  It was in this cute little planter shaped like bamboo with a mama and baby panda climbing on it, and I broke part of the planter.  : (

Majorly upsetting, to say the least.  I spent two hours this afternoon trying to gently remove my bamboo from the broken planter without destroying the roots or further breaking the planter (still salvageable as a pen or brush cup, but it will definitely never function as a planter again).  The roots had crowded every inch of the tiny planter, which makes sense, as they've been growing in there for 13 years.

I am anxiously hoping that the bamboo survives in its new home.  It will be a sad day if it dies, as it's the oldest plant in my indoor garden.

I have clippings available if anyone wants any of the following, which would be easy to re-root:

- Coleus: easy to grow indoors and out, and difficult to kill.  Mine is a maroon, green, and tan variety.

- Spider plant:  I currently have several babies off of the main plant that need new homes.  Grow indoors, shade tolerant.

- Jade plant: grow indoors, needs sun.

Alula

Red Lights

Okay--some of you are aware that Q and I used to share a Netflix account.  This happened mostly because my husband is a moocher, but that's not the point.

An unusual perk of sharing an account was that we could see what the other household was watching, which inevitably led to conversations and recommendations.  This link was (mostly) severed when Mr. Borealis was finally told to get his own damn account.

Talking today, Q and I were lamenting that we no longer get to have those conversations, or play jokes by adding bizarre or suggestive titles to the mutual instant queue.  So, I have decided that I am going to start posting my Netflix viewing habits, reviews, and recommendations to this blog.

This will commence now.    (Please note the use of tags.)

I offered up Red Lights for Movie Night tonight.  The movie stars Robert Di Nero as psychic Simon Silver, and Sigourney Weaver as the physicist skeptic paranormal investigator trying to prove that he's a fake.  There are several moments that will make you jump, but no overtly scary images or keep-you-up-at-night overly intense moments.

I highly recommend this film.  It had an ending I didn't expect, and enough intrigue to pull my attention, even while trying to write.

Alula

P.S.  I am now watching Star Trek: TNG with Mr. Borealis.

Pictures I've been meaning to post

Ladies, these are some things I have been talking about for a while, but never got around to posting the pictures.  

Back in June, a swarm of honey bees took up residence in my back courtyard.  They weren't aggresive, so I was able to get very close to take pictures.  They settled on this chair, and the internet said they were likely to move on to somewhere else on their own within 48 hours, so we left them.  They did not move on.  We called a bee catcher to come and collect them (for free - many bee catchers view this as a mutual favor), and he put them in a box and left them to settle in before he would come and take the box away.  Unfortunately, we had been besieged by the stupidest bees on the planet, and instead of staying in the very nice bees' mansion of a home he left, they moved out of the box and re-swarmed on one of the chair legs of our patio set.  The bee catcher came and removed them the hard way--using a customized no-kill vacuum.

Honeycomb that the bees left on our chair.

A rabbit in my new backyard--there are tons of them in the neighborhood, and mostly not afraid of people.  We like to leave carrots out for them--they also eat any fruit that drops from our trees.

One of the rose bushes in my yard.

Cherries from one of my trees--they are choke cherries, and slightly tart, but I have still enjoyed many a handful.  I'm planning to make preserves.

The apples on the trees are getting huge.  I ate one a couple of weeks ago when they were smaller, because I didn't think the fruit would mature to such an extent.  But it did, and I estimate we have 50-75 apples between the two trees.

If any of you don't have the link to the pictures of the new house, and you would like to see, email me.  Our current frustration is that the previous owners painted all the walls purple.  It doesn't look purple until you see it next to white, but it's PURPLE.  50 shades of purple.  Purple in every room--carpet and walls.  We have already painted all of the bedrooms upstairs and are now working into the den area, where this pastel purple currently resides.

Alula

Le Retourne de Death of House Plants

DoHP!!!!  YAY!!!! You're back!!! ...and you're not dead.  I was worried.  ;P

Yes, you will have to come visit us in the new house.  We won't even make you make the bed, lol.

Yes Q, the timer moves quickly.  They grow up so fast.

I took some pics of my new backyard that I will post as soon as possible.  The apple trees are doing great, and I have a strong crop of chokecherries and crab apples.  I looked up recipes, and apparently the latter two can be used in jams and preserves and such, so I will have to learn.  I found a neat looking katydid back there, too!

Also, I need to check this blog more often.  Also, goodly amount of sales on Kindle platform this month; makes me smile.

Alula

Milestones

Ladies, I am buying a new house tomorrow.  It is so exciting!  The house is super awesome, and super in need of fixing, and the one thing that I would change...it's about an hour south of where we are now.

But it's not in Montana, and we must all remember that.  ;)

It is a 2-story, tudor-esque home at the end of a cul-de-sac, 4 bed 3 bath, on 1/3 an acre, and it has a kick butt back yard.  It has a laundry chute from the master bedroom down to the dedicated laundry room, and a 5-piece master bath.  It also needs a new roof, it failed a pressure test (which means there's a leak in one of the pipes, somewhere, inside the house).  The sprinkler system needs to be redone.  There's poor drainage around the house.

There's minor damage to the foundation, some of the window seals are broken, the furnace, AC, and water heaters may need replacing, and the patios should probably be re-poured.

The carpet is royal purple in a way that reminds me of a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.  These people had a thing for purple, because it's all over the rooms upstairs.

 The backyard has a sidewalk that loops around the lawn, with garden areas around the edges.

 The fireplace needs to be serviced.

 The Master Bath.

The play set in the backyard (it's safe--HUD put up the orange fence to keep people from climbing on it while they owned the property).

In short, it's a lot of work, but the house is pretty neat.

...Today, I officially hit the 100 book mark.

Y'all come visit me now!  It's kid friendly and everything!
Alula

Asking a Favor

Ladies,

I need to ask a favor.  I know some of you have already done some of this, and for that, I am VERY grateful.

If you have read my books, or any one of them, please review them.  I seriously need the reviews...in the digital storefronts, on reader sites, and in personal recommendations.

If you have read the books and disliked them, I need that feedback too.  I understand that this can be an introverted group (and some of us just have shy reading habits) but if you could do as much as you are comfortable with, it would be awesome.

Thanks,
Alula

Too personal?

You've been warned.  Don't read the last paragraph if you don't want to get too personal.

I am cruising right along through writing my next book.  While none of you are required to shamelessly promote via social networks, friends, or family, I will buy you coffee on demand if you do.  ;)

I am trying to figure out how personal is too personal to post on my author blog, and in fact, I have been having trouble figuring out what to say there in general.  Ideas are welcome.

I am similarly looking for ideas on things to put in my office cubicle.  I think I need stuff that is professional, but personal.  But not too personal.  Ideas are welcome.

(Personal Stuff Below)

I've been having feminine issues of an unpleasant nature lately, and it's not a UTI, and it's not a yeast infection, and it's not a pregnancy, and it's not an STD (these things I am sure of).  I've made an appointment with the doctor, however, the office called me back because they "had some questions about the appointment I made online" (I'm with Kaiser).  So I call them back immediately when I get home and hear the message, and get someone who is clearly reading from a script (I can hear her whispering stuff under her breath to herself like "If the patient has a card number, then go to the..."), so I am guessing she was new.  It is 4:55 when I called.  She immediately tells me that if she transfers me, she's not sure if I will get anyone in OB/GYN because they close at five.  I say "That's fine, go ahead and transfer me--I can't call them during regular business hours because I have no privacy at work.  Please note in my file to have them email instead of call for that reason."  She goes on, saying she's not sure, puts me on hold to do something, comes back three minutes later, still isn't sure..."Just go ahead and transfer me."  "Oh, well, because it's so late..."  (pause, typing noises, me watching the clock tick down to 5) "...I'm just not sure if anyone will be there.  I will message them about the email, though.  Would you like to have their number so you can call them tomorrow from work?"

"No.  Just transfer me, PLEASE!"


Good god y'all.  I have a great deal of respect for people who deal with people on the phone--I work with people who do it for a living, and it can be hellacious.  But seriously, what part of transfer me before everyone leaves isn't clear?  Seriously?

Alula

The 50 book mark

My marriage sucks right now.  That's all I have to say on the subject.

I'm hoping to reach 50 book mark this month.  I don't know why--I think I might have read somewhere that most books will never sell more than 50 copies.  But anywho, it's been a personal goal.  The entire series is already over 50 books in sales, but the first book alone is at 41.  After this milestone, I'm hoping to look forward to the 100 book milestone, and then the 50 books in one week milestone...but we'll see what happens.

My new job is holding  together.  It's a little stressful due to the time of year, and I am more than a little stressed right now, but I'm sticking with it.

Drama, anyone?

Just teasing, Fuzzy!

And yes, it is the case that I have so much going on that I am hardly able to find time to update.  :P

I apologize.  I will try to do better.  Be advised, you may be able to find me on one of my *other* blogs, ahem, email me if you don't have the web address.

I am proud to announce that this week, ebook total sales passed the 50 book mark, with sales in January on track to be higher than November and December combined.  If this sales trend continues (unlikely, but possible) I may be able to consider it a career by the end of the year.  A review was given after the release of the third book stating that people "need" to read the series, because it is that good.

I'm working on my next series now, and hoping to "keep up the hype" by releasing it by the end of June.

In other news, the new job (the one that actually pays the bills) is working out well.  I take the bus because buying a $75/month bus pass--and that's the discount rate provided by my employer--is cheaper than paying $10/day for parking.  Learning the buses has been an experience.  I walk about two miles a day now getting between buses and work and home, and it's doing shapely things to my legs.

Mr. B and I are still shopping houses, though right now we have an offer in on one.  We'll see how it goes.

Alula

Early Christmas for me too

Okay, so to recap, I accepted a job back in August.  The background check took forever.  I finally got cleared, and then there was some issue getting a start date.  Meanwhile, I had arranged to leave my previous job near the end of September (giving 4 weeks notice) on word that I would likely start in October, soon after my background check (which would take "about two weeks") had cleared.  I have been unemployed since October.

Well, during all that time, I applied for, did testing for, interviewed for, and was offered another position.  The interview was Monday.  They called today to tell me if I accepted the position, they wanted me to start on January 3rd.  HALLELUJAH!

So I have a new job--I'm a statistical analyst now.  The position is with the state, it's full time regular employment, and I will get to manage and maintain a lot of information and databases, so that's all pretty darn cool!

Alula

Caffeine by a Thousand Quarters

Girlfriends, I will now continue my streak of posting about the only exciting thing in my daily life since I have not yet been allowed to start my new job.  Actually, I also wanted to give some credit to Mr. Borealis, who forgot our anniversary this year, but then made up for it by taking me to The Melting Pot for dinner, where he had roses delivered to our table.  :)  That man makes me smile.

This month (so far, knock on wood), I have had record sales of my books.  That's not a lot--about 4 books in the last 5 days across all the venues it's sold in--but it's a continuing trend of rising sales across the last several months.  I haven't been paid for any sales yet because most of the places I am selling the book have a minimum earnings threshold for issuing a paycheck.  However, looking at all totals together, I've earned over $10, which is kind of an accomplishment when I'm only earning about $0.30-$0.40 per book.  It's not a ton, but it's enough for fancy coffee once a month.  It's enough to look forward to checking my sales figures.  It's enough to justify writing more books.  

Check this out...

This morning, I noticed a review was posted for our friend A.L. Tyler's book.

http://missbeckyraymond.wordpress.com/

Generally, I agree with this review.  I have found it to be a decently good read (though as an editor, I may be biased).  :)

Alula

Early Christmas Decor

Yes, the blog has skipped Thanksgiving altogether and gone straight to Christmas.  What can I say...I just purchased my $9 turkey at King Sooper's a couple of days ago, I took down my Halloween stuff and stowed it in the basement, and I was feeling the need to decorate.  So this year we are festive early.

Notice the tree above (as always).  There is a holiday music radio thingy at the bottom of the page, and a widget to your right that lets you download free holiday tunes.

Enjoy, everyone!

Alula

Feeling the Crunch

We found a house in a really nice neighborhood, closer to Mr. B's job, that we are thinking about buying.  It's huge and in a nice family neighborhood; we're having a structural engineer out to see it on Monday to check out some things we were worried about in the basement.

I left my job at the evidence room yesterday (after posting two weeks notice).  My new job is supposed to start soon, but I've been having some trouble getting my background check processed.  I am currently unsure when the new job will start, and I must be a grownup now, because the lost paycheck is now bothering me.

I published my books (yay!)  and told some people, many of whom actually know me (yay!) and I've sold a few copies.  I'm currently trying to advertise the heck out of it, so if you want to spam my blog across wherever you happen to be going (you know, facebook, twitter, Google+, etc.), please do.

I guess I'm stressed because of the new job, and the impending move before me.  It would really be nice if I didn't have to work while taking care of the move, but there's a snowball's chance in hell that my book takes off that dramatically before the end of the year.  If we move, we have to pack, and then unpack, and then find renters for our condo, and on and on and on... And I know this will fall on me, because my husband has a job and thereby can't contribute to the process (I have a job, and do the majority of the daily chores, but somehow this reasoning never works for me).

Ripping off the band-aid

On this day, I published my fiction via two major online digital venues.  I suspect that a print on demand paper copy will also follow.

Even having edited the damn thing at least 10 times in the last 7 years, I still didn't feel it was at 100%, but I am willing to accept that my perfectionist tendencies make me perpetually try to improve things that don't need it.

It is now out there.  Wish me luck, email for details.

Alula