I hate my cable company

Well, I do.
I've been having internet troubles for a month now.

I was recently told last week that the signal of 12 on the street drops to a 6 at the subpole. So who knows what I'm actually getting once it reaches my modem.
When it's below freezing, I don't get my internet. When it goes above 32 degrees, it seems I have it. Hence my updating you right now. But the temps are dropping fast. We have another snow storm on the way too.

So, snow is coming, the temps will be dropping and that means I won't have this connection for long.

They told me they don't lay new wires until SPRING!!!!!
But, they will try to do it. However, the other way they can do it will take 7 - 10 business days, add in weather related delays and I'm looking at 2 weeks before, MAYBE THIS WILL FIX IT, before I get my dependable internet back.

The thing is, I no longer trust it, believe in it or feel like I can depend on it.
Is this what it feels like to have a cheating spouse? A double-timing boyfriend?
It ROTS!

So, worse case scnenario, I'm down until the Holidays.
So, Merry Christmas, Joyeoux Noel, Felice Navidad and Happy Holidays to the few wonderful and lovely bloggers who still visit and haven't given up on me.

Oh, and read some good books!
I'm starting to read the Vampire Kama Sutra. That's a title that grabs you!
LOL

The Grinches of Black Monday Shopping

Beware. I saw something yesterday on the TV news about thieves driving up to people's homes because they see packages sitting on porches and front stoops. They waltz up, grab the box(es) and drive away taking hard earned dreams and trust with them. They are stealing Christmas presents, wedding presents, anything that usually is shipped via UPS and left while you are at work. Why do I mention this now? I just chatted with my little sis. She ordered, like many across the country, online. The day they call Black Monday, the busiest online shopping day of the year, is the siren call for thieves, malcontents and inconsiderate neanderthals to take advantage and ruin hard working peoples' holidays. Remember The Grinch? Her packages were witnessed by a neighbor as being delivered. However a few hours later, when she got home from work, they were all GONE! So, Beware. Track your packages if you can and be aware when they might be delivered. Have a neighbor get them for you if you are able. Before the Grinches of the season steal your bought treasures. Unlike the Grinch, these slime of society do Not 'see the reason for the season' and will not ever give them back. I had to mention this.

Cable Wires and a Book Contest

Hey, Long time no update, yes?

Well, I had the cable tech come by again and Lo! after almost crying in frustration..almost..my eyes got misty but I stayed in the shadows of the stairwell...he exhausted his expertise, he called three other techs for input and I believe he has determined the culprit. The final determination?

THE PROBLEM IS NOT INSIDE MY HOUSE.

He donned his little white hardhat and slogged off into the rain to climb the pole.
Turns out that the readings on the main line are 12 but my house is only getting 6 when it gets to the outside box but when it gets to my modem, it's anyone's guess what I am actually getting.

He said that all the Wires/Cables from the Main pole, the sub-pole and from the subpole to my house need to be replaced but with a THICKER cable.

Wouldn't it be great if that truly fixed all my problems?

He said he was going to paint the other guy red cuz he too went up the pole the last time but never noticed the extreme drop in signal and he should have. Oooooh, the senior tech is going to razz the under tech. Tee Hee.

But seriously. Almost three weeks of having intermittant internet, this last one being 48 hours without is driving me nuts! Thank goodness they did credit my account today. I called and I saved $9.00. It's better than nothing.

By next week, I should have the full 12 signal. I hope, hope, hope that it fixes it!
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On an upbeat note...a good friend, a wonderful author and a very sweet and generous person is having a contest you really need to know about if you are a romance reader.

Her first romance book in print! You can Hold it! You can smell the ink on the pages! You can drool over the hunky guy on the cover!

Available from Samhain Publishing

"One Love For Liv" (available in eBook or in Print)

Olivia "Liv" Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of cheating on her, so she takes drastic steps to discover whether appearances are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her manicure to clean house for a sexy but sloppy man whose neighbor is determined to break several of the strangest Guinness Book of World Records, why should that be a problem?

Mike, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on his doorstep, what's a nice guy to do? Why, invite her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the truth and, in the process, fall head over heels for a woman who's never been less his type.

Doesnt' this sound AWESOME????

Here is the link to the rest of the page.

ONE LOVE FOR LIV

Check it out or better yet join in on the contest so you could win her book. I've read her stories before and she's never let me down. If you want upbeat and happy, then Marianne Arkins delivers.

Internet Yo-Yo

It did it again.
I was down.
I give up.
The cable rots. Should Verizon get off it's butt and install those fiber optics in my country county, I'll be switching from cable internet to DSL so fast! At work, they have DSL and it has NEVER gone down in the 2 years I've been there.

Be that as it may, I have some pics to share from when we went to Santa's Land. It's probably for the last time as my youngest is giving hints that Santa is really us. They grow so fast!

Anyway...here are some interesting pet tricks: I think this is Claude. I learned AFTER I took the picture that when llama's ears are laid back...be prepared to be spit upon and they can spit up to 15 feet! I was REALLY lucky he never let loose!

This next photograph is one of the original figurines from it's grand opening back in the 1950's. It's the Purple Plum Man.
Not very originally named is it? LOL...he was missing last year. He finally did a 'humpy dumpty' and fell off his ... caldron? Anyway, his historical ambiance is important to the history of Santa's Land so they repaired him. He sort of gives me nightmares....

This next is me being my wierd and irreverant self. You never DO know what you are going to see or read about on my blog, do you? Ha. My question. What animal does THIS come from????



They have a 1500 pound dromedary who is a year 'round resident. Amazing to see an animal that I'm more accustomed to seeing in the desert. I bet you didn't know that camels get Air Mail, did you? **chortle**



I'm also sharing a short video of these really cute and fluffy chickens. I don't know the breed but they are so CUTE!


I guess that's the update for now.
Hope your weekend is going well.
I hope to update my blog a bit more regularly, internet willing.
Take care!

My computer is on the Fritz again

I know I'm not blogging like I used to. Lately, my internet is acting like a yo-yo.
I'm on and then without warning, it can't log on. I've had my tower checked for viruses..and I did need a new modem but that not solving it.

The tech's are getting frustrated and so am I.
So, I will pop in when I can.

I discovered a new song that I really like. This is a bit of hard rock but the video is first class. Man has found reasons and has been willing to go to war for thousands of years. This song illustrates that in a very vibrant way.

This is a brand new release...what do you think?

I tried to imbed the HTML code but it's not working... So check out the URL.
If you dare...

INDESTRUCTIBLE

Now that you've watched it, I ask:

So, what are they saying? That man won't ever stop waging war? It's unavoidable?
And now women are doing their share.
What is the world coming to?
At least the music is good.

Hats off the Ren and Stimpy

Happy Thanksgiving! There are many wishes out there with very eloquent and sentimental posts that will touch your heart and mind. I'm not going to be among them. Sure, I want you to eat well, laugh and be with those you love and care for..but I really want you to smile and laugh. Hence...YouTube No post is complete without the Happy Happy Joy Joy Song...unfortunately, there wasn't a good copy ...but listening to Ren and Stimpy as chipmunks was its own source of amusement...you can get through it in seconds flat. LOLOL Skip the Slo-Mo version....that Drove me NUTS. And for those with a really Bizzare Turkey Day sense of humor..... Enjoy your Day!

Honk on Tap

A few weeks ago I ended up stopping at a red light with this huge truck in front of me. With nothing else to do until the light turned green, I checked out my surrounds and spied the small print on the lower right of this truck.



My question: ARE THEY SERIOUS? WILL THEY REALLY DO THAT? AND WHAT HAPPENS IF I DID HONK? WOULD I GET A FREE BEER? AND WHY AREN'T THERE MORE HONKING ACCIDENTS OR SOMETHING?
Can anyone explain the logic or reason behind this?????

Mel Ruins the View

Last month we took a long drive to leaf peep. We'd heard the leaves were bright and the view from on top of the mountain, glorious. You can imagine expectations being high. Then again, you know what they say, Be Careful What You Wish For, the results can be skued. You see, Mel had been there. Mel left a mess. Mel robbed me of a tower climb. A climb which was guaranteed to appeal to my leaf peeping, picture taking heart. Instead, I got roped-off areas, a blocked-off tower and the remnants of spent movie magic.

Mr. Mel Gibson filmed on that mountain. He turned my experience on its ear. Instead of being in awe of the color palette that is nature, I was presented with a bit of illusion and man's ability to use a color palette to create what doesn't exist.

Of course I took pictures. It was what I'd come to do, never expecting to capture something more elusive than fall foliage. Unlike trees which will once again unfurl leaves to recreate their colorful glory next autumn, this sight will never be repeated.


The following picture looks good BUT, the foreground has bushes. If I'd been able to go where I expected to go, the only thing I would have captured and you would have seen were uninterrupted panoramic views of the valley from high in the air. As it is, all I got were pictures close to the ground. I had a mammal's view when I wanted an eagle's.


This next shot is perfect to illustrate just how dramatic movie magic can effect the landscape. See the foreground? Looks like six feet at least of concrete, right? Did you notice the RADIATION warning?

See the grey ridged wall formation that surrounds the building? Do you see the field stone square on the upper left with the white pole sticking up? The ONLY thing original is the field stone square up there because THAT is the tower. That is where I was supposed to be, had expected to go. The cement was actually WOOD. Wood and paint and putty created an impressive and impenetrable cement bunker. They even had used paint and putty to create aged, rusted and weather beaten iron tracks for what I can only assume was a trolley system. The glass is not a part of the original building. In fact, this building is twice the size as the actual building. It's quite impressive, isn't it? And it's not real.

The next one is a clearer example of movie magic. This is what you will see in the movie...somewhere.

This next photo is what it really looked like.

Did you notice the pretty tree stump with the flowers inside? They built the scenery around the natural environment. I laughed when I saw that.

Next is proof that they filmed at night, or dusk or in bad lighting. There were quite a few pieces of equipment left. The lighting looks kind of sad and neglected, doesn't it? Then again, I like the pretty color - like a lizard.

Just think, everything, and I do mean everything, constructed in this next shot is fake. There is nothing in view that is part of the original building. Doesn't it look like metal? Doesn't it look impressive? It's all wood, folks. But look beyond to the view of the mountains. Isn't it gorgeous???

All in all, I guess Mel did provide me with some unexpected, picturesque and unusual once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and for that, I thank him.

The view from the bridge at the bottom of Mt. Sugarloaf.

Happy Halloween

I hope you have a delightful and fun Halloween evening, whether you hand over the candy or scarf it up.




And may you see some Amazing Costumes!

More Snickers and Snorts in 60 Seconds

I know, I know. I'm YouTube addicted again. I can't help it!
Look what I found! I loved The Lord of the Rings movies.

And this fast clip was done so well, it left me smiling and giggling. And It's Friday. Don't we deserve some humor?



And Star Wars? What is a Robot Chicken?



Have I done the SpaceBalls song yet? If I did, sorry. I'm addicted to that movie.
Cracks me up no matter how many times I've watched it and I quote things from the movie. But I"m not saying what...this is a PG blog. Tee hee.



Happy Friday everyone. I hope you have many reasons to smile besides it being the end of the week.
TTYL!

I'm laughing, I'm Crying

I can't get over how hard this hit my funny bone!
Have you SEEN THIS?

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh my gosh, I almost fell out of my chair!

Knee Bouncing

OK, I like the beat, it's snappy and fun.
The costumes are sparkly and interesting.

It is the dancing...specifically the knee bopping that totally makes me giggle.
Somehow it ruins what the sexy outfits tried to convey, from a totally objective viewpoint. I have NO idea what they are saying and I sort of wish I did to understand what the hand movement near the face means.

Do you know? Besides understanding UFO, I'm clueless. Sometimes it rots only knowing one language. But even if I knew more than one, what are the chances I'd know this one?

A new band to follow

I only heard this once on the radio and I loved the beat and what lyrics I could understand.
Thanks to YouTube, I put in Bad Girl Friend and found the song and a rather deliciously naughty video. LOL



I'm a romance reader, if you haven't figured that out by now. And the moment when he sees her, his face frozen in shock, his libido obviously gone super nova...well, I really liked that moment. Sure, he's a wild man,some would say he's a horn-dog, but the look on his face when he catches sight of his 'bad girl friend' is priceless.

I just hope, once behind closed doors, she makes him work for it.
ROTFL

Tongues and Middle Fingers

There's a posing trend going on that totally fascinates me. I just joined OWNED on FaceBook the past few days and I've noticed something quite perplexing. The preponderance of males who insist that a cool pose sure to garner interest and purchase seems to require that their tongues hang out like over eager puppies. Or it looks like their mouth muscle is caught doing acrobatics towards someone/thing else. Is this a must for a relationship? I mean, auditions for KISS ended decades ago, so why else? Then there is the middle finger. I don't care if I'm looking at pictures of teens or men over 60 years of age - the lure of the middle finger is timeless. Few do it with a smile. They inevitably add in a scowl or "mean dude face" sure to intimidate the viewer. Or is it they hope to entice a female buyer? Perhaps this is the new male dating phenomena much like the antics of birds or mammals in the wild? The more fierce a male is, the better the date will be? Personally, I laugh. I think all that posturing is silly, unimaginative and pointless. The fact that so many think of doing the same thing in many of the same ways shows their level of imagination. The only difference is the location of the pose -- exotic locales or in not so quiet suburbia, tongues and middle fingers abound. I'm not quite sure if the females are drawn to these male displays or not but it would be interesting to find out. As for the females out there, well, they are a bit more...classy. Not too many middle fingers for them but tongues? Yes. And bikinis abound showing abundance. I notice that those that show the most nubile poses are consistently in the 4 million "dollar" range. Not blatant poses, but instead graced with softening touches and props and/or colorful backgrounds that enrich and entice a viewer. Whereas crass displays of vulgar hand signs are left in the dust, tasteful and artsy poses strike a resonate chord which equals unheard of lunch money in the application of OWNED. I'm of the opinion that once again it shows the difference between cavemen and sensual sirens. The battle of the sexes continues regardless of venue. I wonder if those tongue wagging, finger flippin' males will ever notice? You won't find them in MY portfolio, that's for sure.

Time to change the post

Not a very original title is it?

I always have things to say but that doesn't translate automatically to a blog.
I decided to post pictures.

I mean, why not? A picture is worth a thousand words so this blog ends up being a short story, right? LOL

This first picture is of a place I drive by at least twice a month but I've been doing it for 15 years. Finally I slowed down enough to snap this picture. I wanted to share this with you so you could see the sheer absurdity of posting two different speed postings so close together. I mean, if you go 35MPH, do you get a ticket for breaking the 25MPH limit?
Which one do you choose and since when should we HAVE a choice? LOLOL
I don't think it's too often where numbers make me laugh,but these sure do.
What were they thinking? And why leave it for over a decade?



This next photo is one of three baby snakes my kids found. They put 2 in the hole they dug so they could view nature up close. Of course I had to come out to see what the excitement was about. Personally, I'm not too excited or enthusiastic about things that slither but I have to admit, small things, even snakes, are cute.


This next shot is of an unusual bug that up until I moved to the country, I thought were exotic and had only seen them on TV. What an amazing surprise to find this five incher...possible six, in our yard after a rather humdinger of a thunderstorm. It's an amazing critter and you know what? I think they bite. Won't catch me testing that theory out though. ::shudder::



I love this picture. It's of a friends frisky dog and I was able to snap the pic because the little darling needed a rest after racing pell mell all over the neighborhood when we took her for a 'walk'.
**gg**
She's such an adorable and loving puppy. Though I think she'll be a year old fairly soon. Where does the time go?



This last picture is of my SIL's dog. Another cutie who luurves his mommy. My SIL was out on the porch talking to my DH and the dog was inside. As you can see, inside is NOT where he wanted to be. Isn't the paw up in the air endearing? Soon after this picture was taken we took pity and let him out so he could jump joyously around my SIL. I'm personally not a dog person but being in these two dogs' company for awhile, I can see the appeal.


Well, there you have it. Words do come from pictures and I now have my blog post.
Have a wonderful week everyone!

It was my Birthday today

Yes, I was sick and I stayed in my jammies all day. But, Dh got me a scrumptious cake filled with my favorite Bavarian Creme filling.

So, I have been online, basking in the glow of MySpace and Facebook with all the wonderful well wishes coming in. I'm flattered that so many of my favorite people chimed in and in fact a few surprises came my way too.

So, in the vein of fun that is a birthday, allow me to expose how old I am. You see, I remember this show and loving it.

Tee hee



If that isn't enough to show my age, what about this blast from my past,



Does anyone know what character and much loved series Wild Boy ended up starring in later?

And one of my favorite shows was this:



I used to have the blue prints to one of the EAGLES courtesy of STARLOG magazine, a publication that I adored for many years. Amazing how I've gone from hard core science fiction to pure romance.

LOL

Who knew?

Well, my special day is almost over. So, thanks for dropping by and viewing some of my fav's from my 'younger' days.

Prologue Pet Peeves

I have clarified to myself a pet peeve in books. The prologue. Perhaps not all prologues should go on my bathwater list but this type does. I read a prologue that was about six pages long. It sets up this dramatic scene of mistrust, possible betrayal and who will the heroine actually leave with and is it the right person? Then the book starts way before the heroine meets these people and builds. The thing is, the part where the prologue started is actually a verbatim scene 3/4 of the book in. Heck, I didn't bother reading any of the book. I found the scene, read through to the end and just from the last five chapters, I got the whole gist without all that rigamarole of dragging my butt through what was going to happen. It read like a cliche and I hated it! For me, a prologue should NOT be about a point in the future of the book that we have to read up until. It didn't grab me enough to get me to CARE. I certianly didn't give a fig if she went with this guy or that, trust that guy or this. Big deal. I prefer a prologue to set up the story. Perhaps a scene that shows a catalyst for a series of events that we will now read about. A history to make us understand why we are about to read what we are. Like...a crime that remained unsolved because the villain thought they were untouchable and they left the scene thinking no one would ever stumble upon it. The story will then pick up because someone DID. Or a setup, perhaps an old woman looks into a flaming blaze and sees her granddaughter having to face an old foe of the family at a critical time in her future life and the old woman sets up safe guards that will find and aid the young woman when the time is right. Those, to me, are prologues that set up a story and allow me to read from cover to cover. The initial prologue pet peeve example does absolutely nothing for me, except inspire me to put it back on the shelf, throw it against the wall or write passionate drivel on a blog such as this to vent my spleen. Gee! I feel better. What do you know?

Car Attitude

See this here car?
I was driving behind it the other day and simply HAD to snap a picture.

If you click the pic, it should load larger so you can see the wonderful descriptive graffiti on the bumper.

I love people's sense of humor about their cars, don't you?

A Cute Kitty Video

I found this on the great DDD's post. It's really cute and since I'm a cat lover, well, it's a natural addition to this blog. It's a favorite thing. :-) And a joke for you: A woman was helping her husband set up his new computer and, at the appropriate time in the process, told him he would now need to enter a password - something he would use to log-on. Her husband was in a rather devilish mood and thought he would try for the shock effect to bring this to his wife's attention. So, when the computer asked him to enter his password, he made it plainly obvious to his wife that he was keying in: P ....... E ....... N ....... I ....... S ....... His wife fell out of her chair laughing when the computer replied ***PASSWORD INVALID...........NOT LONG ENOUGH*** I love this kind of silly humor, don't you? ON the personal front. Not much happening. Discovered a new author I really like, Patricia Briggs. Quite a nifty piece of world building she's done. Her heroine, Mercedes Thompson...she's spunky and unique. I like this series so far. The interesting thing is this author doesn't zero in on only one person...there are offshoots which helps a reader look at different aspects of the same world. I think that is what is keeping me hooked. TTYL

I love this series...and Ian's story is eagerly anticipated!