Hump Day Humor....

Business Management Course


Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.

Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel."

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"

"It was Bob the next door neighbour," she replies.

"Great," the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.


Lesson 2:


A priest offered a Nun a lift.

She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

The priest nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg....

The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.

The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"

The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.


Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."

"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."

Puff! She's gone.

"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."

Puff! He's gone.

:OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.

The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:

Always let your boss have the first say.


Lesson 4

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.

A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"

The eagle answered: "Sure, why not."

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.


Lesson 5

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

"I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree" sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients."

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.


Lesson 6

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.


Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!


THUS ENDS THE FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE


Happy Hump Day!!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

Food for thought...

"You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

Mary Pickford
1893-1979, Actress and Producer

What I'm Reading

I've had this book since it first came out, but just hadn't been able to get through it. Which is extremely unusual when it comes to anything by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I've been reading his writing for years. I've even been fortunate to attend one of his live lectures.

But, as the saying goes: When the studen is ready, the teacher will appear. I guess I'm finally ready to hear what this book has to say. Here's the cover and the product details from Amazon.


Within the pages of this transformational book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer reveals how to change the self-defeating thinking patterns that have prevented you from living at the highest levels of success, happiness, and health. Even though you may know what to think, actually changing those thinking habits that have been with you since childhood might be somewhat challenging.

If I changed, it would create family dramas . . . I’m too old or too young . . . I’m far too busy and tired . . . I can’t afford the things I truly want . . . It would be very difficult for me to do things differently . . . and I’ve always been this way . . . may all seem to be true, but they’re in fact just excuses. So the business of modifying habituated thinking patterns really comes down to tossing out the same tired old excuses and examining your beliefs in a new and truthful light.

In this groundbreaking work, Wayne presents a compendium of conscious and subconscious crutches employed by virtually everyone, along with ways to cast them aside once and for all. You’ll learn to apply specific questions to any excuse, and then proceed through the steps of a new paradigm. The old, habituated ways of thinking will melt away as you experience the absurdity of hanging on to them.

You’ll ultimately realize that there are no excuses worth defending, ever, even if they’ve always been part of your life—and the joy of releasing them will resonate throughout your very being. When you eliminate the need to explain your shortcomings or failures, you’ll awaken to the life of your dreams.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. I'm at the river with my mom and step-dad. It's a little sad, in that my uncle and aunt were supposed to be here with us for this week too. But my uncle's health is failing and he wasn't able to make the trip. I'm really disappointed, and we miss them being here, but we're going to make the best of it (even in the 100 degree heat/100% humidity).

Have a great one!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

Hump Day Humor....

Some of these I've seen before, but some were new so I wanted to share them with you.




My wife sat down on the settee next to me as I was flipping channels. She asked, "What's on TV?"

I said, "Dust."

And then the fight started...

******************************************

My wife and I were watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?"

"No," she answered.

I then said, "Is that your final answer?"

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, "Yes."

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And then the fight started.....

******************************************

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad all day.

I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."

My loving wife of 5 years replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?"

And that's how the fight started...

******************************************

I rear-ended a car this morning. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car. You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny? Yeah, well I couldn't believe it.... He was a DWARF!!! He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!"

So, I looked down at him and said, "Well, then which one are you?"

And then the fight started.....

*****************************************

My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds."

I bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started...

******************************************



When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her some place expensive... so, I took her to a petrol station.

And then the fight started...

******************************************

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later.

The woman said, "Unbutton your shirt". So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, "That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me" and she processed my Social Security application.

When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office.

She said, "You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too."

And then the fight started...

******************************************

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.

My wife asked, "Do you know her?"

"Yes," I sighed, "She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since."

"My God!" says my wife, "who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"

And then the fight started...

******************************************

I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason took my order first. "I'll have the steak, medium rare, please."

He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?""

Nah, she can order for herself."

And then the fight started...

******************************************

A woman was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She was not happy with what she saw and said to her husband, "I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.'

The husband replied, 'Your eyesight's damn near perfect.'

And then the fight started.....


Have a great hump day!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

"Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone."

Thomas Carlyle
1795-1881, Philosopher and Author


When I saw this quote, I immediately thought of one of my friends. I won't call her out by name (lol) but, based on her comment last week, I think she'll know who she is.

Put your doubts aside and write!!!! The same actually goes for whatever it is that you want to do. My oldest has been struggling with doubts when it comes to his music. He's gotten around that by getting back to the basics. He has a full studio in his room, but he sits in his living room floor, with just his guitar and a little POS recorded that he started with years and years ago. He said sitting there, playing, and not worrying about how great the quality is, but just playing, has helped him tremendously.

So whatever it may be that you want to do....JUST DO IT!!!

Have a great Tuesday!
Peace and love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading...

Here's the info from Dr. Norman Doidge's website:

The discovery of neuroplasticity, that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains, even into old age, is the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years.

Dr. Norman Doidge introduces principles we can all use to overcome brain limitations and explores the profound brain implications of the changing brain in an immensely moving book that will permanently alter the way we look at human possibility and human nature.


I saw this book laying on a table at the councelor's office when I was there the other day with kidlet. It's almost like it jumped off the table and into my hands. Of course, with Charles' surgery, and some of the seizure problems he's had since, I was intrigued enough to leave her office and drive straight to Barnes and Noble.

I'm just getting into it, but it's fascinating! And the things people have been able to overcome is incredible! I think if I was 25 years younger, I might want to be brain researcher. LOL Easy enough statement to make since I'll never be held to that.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!
Peace and love,
Alannah

What I've Learned...Part II

When I made the decision to enter Brava's Writing with the Stars Contest, I had no idea how hard the next two months were going to be. Or how much I would learn. Even if I don't final in the contest, the experience was well worth it!

I originally planned to enter my fallen angel story. Then, two weeks in, I decided it was too hot for the Brava line, so I pulled out the bartender story I'd written last year - you know, the one with the opening line: "Can I get a blowjob, please." - and started over. Silver gets all the credit for the title, by the way.

So it was May 15th when I settled on a story. I had to rework my timeline because I'd lost 14 days, but I felt like it was still doable. I never would have believed life could throw so much crap at me in such a short time!!! Nothing serious, just frustrations and hassles and worries that tested my resolve and focus.

Just a few examples:
* The last 3 weeks of school, my youngest was suspended twice
* One of those suspensions carried a disorderly conduct charge, and we had to appear before a juvenile court councelor (We realized the Singulair they had him on for allergies was affecting his mood - and not in a good way!)
* When my computer crashed in the fall, I lost 20K words of Last Call. Recreating those, on top of adding another 20K...I basically rewrote the whole thing
* Oldest totaled his car, and got kicked out of school for low GPA in less than 24 hours
* My dad had a cat scan - still not sure what for, but I was worried for a while (turns out it's okay)
* My mom had to go in for stress tests (she's okay too, but I was really worried for a while)
* I had a stomach bug for a week
* PowerWriter is 3000 words more than Word (grrrrrrr)

Lesson #1 - If I have to, I can block life out, sit in my chair and get really focused for hours on end. I wrote every. Single. Day. Even when I didn't want to, I made myself sit at my desk and meet my word count goal. And I was able to do it! :)

Lesson #2 - I don't need 8-9 hours of sleep like I've always thought. I LIKE that much sleep, but I don't need it. About half-way in, I started sleeping between 6-7 hours each night, and was able to function fine. The last two weeks, I didn't get more than 6 hours any night, and most nights I was down to 4 1/2 - 5 hours. That didn't work well, but I was still able to do all that I needed to do. I wasn't necessarily pleasant to be around (LOL) but I was doing what needed to be done.

Lesson #3 - I don't need to do as much around the house as I've always believed. The last two weeks, hubby and kidlet did a great job of fending for themselves. And they survived!! One night, they fixed Redhots (spicy hotdogs), cut them lengthwise, and then in half, and put them on hamburger buns. LOL

Hubby helped with the laundry a few times, and no one complained about the nasty...and I do mean NASTY...state of the house. No one has stepped up to help clean it, but no one has complained about the state of things, either.

Lesson #4 - This is something I'd always suspected, but now know for sure. I get a second wind around 9:00, and am as happy as can be to work until around 2:00. If I lived alone, I'd probably stay up until that late every night, and then sleep later than I do in the mornings. I'd say some of my best, most creative work was done late at night.

Lesson #5 - I don't ever want to write another story in two months, but having such a tight deadline was great. And being forced to work on it for such long hours (up to 18 hours some days) I was totally immersed in the story and found it very easy to keep the continuity, and keep track of what was happening in the story, in general.

Lesson #6 - Worrying about the story doesn't get it written. I overthink things when I'm writing - normally. On this timeframe, I didn't have time to get caught up in my doubts, and fears, and paranoia. I just didn't have time for it, and it all disappeared. It came back like a damned flood, though, when I hit "send." :D

Lesson #7 - Self-care is a very, very important part of being a writer, and something I totally neglected over the past two months. I'm taking the discipline that I learned while writing Last Call, and applying it to getting myself back in shape. I'll let you guys know how that's going in a few weeks.

I'm sure there are a few other random, minor things that I learned throughout this process, but those are the biggies. I think I need to keep myself on a close deadline - not THAT close, but having a deadline definitely was the kick in the pants I needed to take this job seriously, and work it.

So there you have it....what I learned.

How about you guys? Ever have a project, or something that you were working for that taught you so much more than you would have ever believed?

Have a great Thursday! One more "get-up" for this week!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

You may have seen this before, it's been going around for a while. But it's too good not to share in case you haven't....

This is an "actual letter" from an Austin, Texas woman sent to Proctor and Gamble regarding one of their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. This was PC Magazine's 2009 Editors' Choice award-winner for the best letter sent via e-mail.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts.

But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills."

Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from "Aunt Flo". Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your
life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong."

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullsh!t. And that's a promise I will keep.

Always. . ...

W--- A----
Austin , TX


Have a fantastic hump day!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

"To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will."

Sugar Ray Robinson
1920-1989, American Boxer


This seemed most appropriate for me today. I finished up my story, Last Call, wrote the synopsis and query letter, and got all of it submitted to the Brava contest last night.

At this point, I'm suffering from the same depression I always get when I've finished a story and I'm absolutely convinced the story sucks. I'm trying to put that feeling aside, and believe in myself, and get ready for the next story.

First things first though - my house needs cleaned!!! It's so bad, I'm actually excited about cleaning. LOL Oh, and I think there's a stack of bills around here somewhere that need to be paid too.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!
Peace and love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading...

ROTFLMA.....


I'm reading LAST CALL...over, and over, and over! In fact, it's so bad, the cat has started to take offense, and take matters into her own hands (please ignore the messy house, and my messy hair. Who has time to clean when I'm busy editing?) LOL



Anyway, I've been editing, and I haven't read anything. I saw on Facebook that Silver is in about the same shape as me, editing wise. But Liza, on the other hand, has been reeading up a storm and raided B&N on Tuesday.

What's good that I absolutely must read once I've gotten this story submitted?

We're off to Charleston for a wedding this weekend. I will be working, but that's okay. That's why I have a laptop. And, I can sit by the pool while I'm doing it, and it won't seem quite so much like work.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

What I've Learned

I told you guys yesterday that I'd share some of the things I've learned over the past 2 months. Well, the biggest thing I've learned is that nothing is a given, and that EVERYTHING takes longer than I think it will.

Yesterday afternoon, around 3:30, I typed "The End" and then jumped up from my computer and did a little snoopy dance. Feeling extremely proud of myself, I copied the work from my Power Writer program, and pasted it into a Word document.

The happy instantly drained out of my dance, and despair rushed in. I have no explanation for it, but the Power Writer program showed that I had 80,300 words. My Word document shows I have 77,000 words.

80,000 is the minimum accepted word count.

So, I'm scrambling to add 3K words to the story so I can get it sent in before I leave for Charleston tomorrow morning. We're going for a wedding, and I refuse to be stuck in my room, writing, while everyone else is having fun and visiting with family.

Next week, when I'm sure I'm completely finished (LOL) I'll give you the full rundown of all that I've learned.

I hope it's a great Thursday for everyone, and stay cool!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

Hump Day Humor....

A few of us are southern, so I thought this might fun. For those non-southerns, do any of these ring true for you?


Things I Learned in the South


A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

There are 5,000 types of snakes, and 4,998 of them live in the South.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one’s seen before.

If it grows, it’ll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.

Onced and Twiced are words.

It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!

Jaw-P? means Did y’all go to the bathroom?

People actually grow and eat okra. And fry it, huh, Silver?

Fixinto is one word. It means I’m preparing to do that.

There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there is supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar.

Backwards ‘n forwards means I know everything about you.

The word jeet is actually a phrase meaning “Did you eat?”

You don’t have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you’re done or it’s too dark to see.

You don’t PUSH buttons, you MASH em.

No, Jew? is a common response to the question, Did you bring any beer?

You measure distance in minutes.

You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.

You know what a DAWG is.

You carry jumper cables in your car - for your OWN car.

You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Tonys, Tabasco and ketchup. (We actually have Franks and Texas Pete in our house)

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports and motor sports, and gossip.

You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit a bit warm.

You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.

Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite pastime known as goin’ Wal-Martin or off to Wally World.

You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chicken stew weather.

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive dag-nabbit. (and I started at 10, on the road by 13)

You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the SOUTH.


I thought I'd give y'all a sitrep on Last Call. I should be able to finish putting the final spit-shine on it today, and getting it submitted before I go to bed tonight.

Tomorrow, I'll have a list of things I've learned over the past two months while writing this story, and getting it ready to submit.

Have a great hump day!!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

Food For Thought...

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so."

Belva Davis
Award-Winning Journalist


Have a fantastic day!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

Sat Sitrep

Here are the totals from yesterday....

I only wrote about 500 words, but during the editing phase, I deleted that many, so the new word count was a wash.

I edited 42 pages on paper, and 55 pages on the computer.

Kidlet will be home today and tomorrow, so that presents a challenge. But refuse to be beaten!!! LOL

I hope it's a great Saturday for everyone!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

Sitrep Friday....

I figured I'd give you guys an update on where things stood with my latest WIP, the one I'm finishing up for the Brava contest. Knowing I need to give a situation report, also keeps me motivated to keep plugging along.

I wrote 3400 words yesterday - I have 6K to go.
I edited (on paper) - 52 pages.

Wow, I had no idea I'd edited that many pages. OK...this sitrep is very good for keeping me going. LOL

Today, I'm going to write another 3K, make the paper changes on the computer and edit another 50 pages (on paper).

I hope everyone has a fantastic July 4th weekend!!!!

Peace and love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading....

(added after I posted my blog today) OMG!!!!! I now know that I've completely lost my mind! The glitch with Tues/Wed. posts posting at the same time were something to do with Blogger and I couldn't figure out how to fix that. They even had the right dates at the top. This...is all me!! The good news is...I have an extra day to meet this deadline!!!!! ROTFL...I can't believe I depend on the date at the top of my blogger page to let me know what day it is. I need a nice, days-long nap! But I'm going to leave this blog up for today, and tomorrow, thanks for understanding.

Before I get to what I'm reading, I'll give you a quick update on my son. He had a break from school, and at the last minute decided to come and visit us for a couple of days. It was around 12:30 Monday night/Tuesday morning, and he'd gone downtown to spend some time with his friends. (This usually works out well because we go to be pretty early, and his friends go to bed late, so he usually gets to see everyone in one trip).

He was turning left off of a major road onto a side street. He thought he had the green turn arrow, and he also thought the other car was in the turn lane. That's what he said that night. The next day, he still said the same thing, but he added, "I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

As he approached the intersection, he looked down at his lap, at the Sheetz cookie he'd just gotten. When he looked back up, he realized the other car wasn't in the turn lane, but at that point, it was too late.

To see the car, is sickening. The entire front end is gone, and the policeman kept saying over and over, "I'm just glad you guys are both okay. The way that car looks, you should be in the back of an ambulance. In fact, a guy was killed two weeks ago and his car wasn't nearly as bad as yours."

There were definitely angels watching over him, and the other guy, too. The other guy wasn't wearing a seatbelt!!! He hit his head on the window, but other than that, didn't seem to have any injuries. He went to the hospital and got checked out, but they let him go that night, saying he was fine.

Now, on to what I'm reading. I'm not reading often, just a page here and there, when I can sneak one in. This stuff with Son #1 definitely hasn't helped me in meeting this deadline, so I don't have much time to read. But when I can, it's Make Her Pay, by Roxanne St. Claire. It's one of the Bulletcatcher's books, and features Constantine Xenakis.

Here's the cover and the deets from Simon and Schuster's website:



Bullet Catcher and former Navy SEAL Constantine Xenakis has infiltrated a dive ship to discover who's plundering priceless gems from a legendary sunken Spanish galleon. When he catches Lizzie Dare red-handed in the locked treasure room, her story of a stolen ancestral legacy convinces him to work with the sexy thief instead of turning her in -- and not just because he wants to find the real culprit. Lizzie is willing to risk everything to save the Bombay Blue Diamonds from her sworn enemy, even if that means giving in to an irresistible desire to get closer to her accomplice. But when passion hits them like a rogue wave and danger surrounds them like a school of hungry sharks, their adventure on the high seas turns treacherous...and deadly.


I hope everyone has a great weekend. If you think about it, please send me lots of positive vibes and thoughts, and some virtual drinks. I think I'm going to need all of it to get this story finished and submitted. Especially because I forgot I also to have to write a synopsis!!! *thud*

Peace and love,
Alannah