What I'm Reading....

*gasp* It's not Lover Mine!!! Although, honestly, by the time this posts at 3:00 am, I will have finished this book and be on to Lover Mine. But, I'm still going to talk about My Wicked Vampire, by Nina Bangs.

I've had this book for a while, but it's just made it to the top of my tbr pile. It took me a little while to get into it, but now that I've gotten going, I'm having a hard time putting it down.

Here's the cover and details from Nina Bangs' website:

The Castle of Dark Dreams is just part of an adult theme park, right? The most decadent attraction in a place where people go to play out their wildest erotic fantasies. Holgarth isn’t really a wacky wizard, and Sparkle Stardust doesn’t actually create cosmic chaos by hooking up completely mismatched couples. And that naked guy chained up in the dungeon? No way he’s a vampire.

Wrong...dead wrong, as botanist Cinn Airmid is about to find out. It’s up to her to save the night feeder’s sanity, but to do that she’ll have to get close to the most dangerously sexy male she’s ever encountered. And one look in Dacian’s haunted black eyes tells her close will take on a whole new meaning with someone who’s had 600 years to practice his technique. Even a girl with a name that conjures up images of forbidden pleasure has a few tricks to learn from…

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

Hump Day Humor....

Women's Ass Size Study

There is a new study just released by the American Psychiatric Association about women and how they feel about their asses.

The results are pretty shocking:

1. Only 5% of women surveyed feel their ass is too big.

2. 10% of women surveyed feel their ass is too small.

3. The remaining 85% say they don't care; they love him; he's a good man and they would have married him anyway.


LOL...I didn't see that one coming. Did you?

Have a fantastic hump day! Only 2 more get-ups this week (we're cheating and going to the beach tomorrow night so I only have 1 more get-up this week - yee-haw!)

Have a great day!
Peace and love,
Alannah

Food for Thought...

I couldn't decide on which of these to post today, so I decided to do both:

"You never will be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life."
James G. Bilkey
Author


"People are like sticks of dynamite. The power is on the inside, but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit."
Mac Anderson
Author

Have a great day!
Peace and love,
Alannah

My Life....and What I'm Reading

I failed to get a guest blogger for this week - this stupid cold has caused me to fail to do a lot of things that I should be doing - so I'm going back to "What I'm Reading" and why.

I've known all of you for a long time and you know most of what's going on with my family and in my life. Some of it I've shared in great detail, some of it I've only skirted around.

I don't know why I feel like today is the day to spill my guts (lol) but here it is in a nut-shell.

Everyone knows about my husbands tumor and surgery, subsequent chemo treatments and bouts with seizures. He's doing fantastic now and I feel like speedbump in life is behind us. Thank God!

I've also shared that our youngest has severe ADHD and a mood disorder that often displays itself like bi-polar disorder. As he ages and matures, this is getting much, much better. We can all see the positive changes in him and he's working really hard to control himself and make better choices, but it's a constant struggle for him. And, for us.

This is where I think I've been vague (I honestly can't remember how much I've shared). Last year, on Memorial Day, our oldest came to us for help with a severe opiate addiction. He was mid-semester at school, and when I asked if he could finish out the semester he teared up and said, "I'll be dead by then."

Okay.

The next day he went back to Raleigh, took a medical leave from school and work and the next day I had him in a detox center. He lived with us for the summer and did three months of out-patient rehab.

It's been a bumpy road for him since. He relapsed once, but for seven months now has been clean. I know every day is a struggle for him and I worry about him constantly.

On top of that, my best friend lost her son to an accidental overdose in December.

So, why am I dumping all of this on you? I'm not sure, really. I guess I just felt like it was time to explain why I've been eratic in my blog posts. And in my writing.

It's been difficult to maintain a consistent writing schedule - and honestly, to find the enthusiasm and excitement to write when all the people I love are struggling. But when I don't write, I'm not a happy person.

Writing is something that I do, it's who I am.

Fortunately, I found a book and a class that has helped me tremendously. It's helped me get back on track and I was doing really well...until my snotty head sidelined me. LOL I'm feeling much better now and am looking forward to getting back to my characters and stories.

Here's the details (from Amazon.com) and the cover:


Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Perhaps the leading choreographer of her generation, Tharp offers a thesis on creativity that is more complex than its self-help title suggests. To be sure, an array of prescriptions and exercises should do much to help those who feel some pent-up inventiveness to find a system for turning idea into product, whether that be a story, a painting or a song. This free-wheeling interest across various creative forms is one of the main points that sets this book apart and leads to its success. The approach may have been born of the need to reach an audience greater than choreographer hopefuls, and the diversity of examples (from Maurice Sendak to Beethoven on one page) frees the student to develop his or her own patterns and habits, rather than imposing some regimen that works for Tharp. The greatest number of illustrations, however, come from her experiences. As a result, this deeply personal book, while not a memoir, reveals much about her own struggles, goals and achievements. Finally, the book is also a rumination on the nature of creativity itself, exploring themes of process versus product, the influences of inspiration and rigorous study, and much more. It deserves a wide audience among general readers and should not be relegated to the self-help section of bookstores.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School--Tharp shows how and why artists must actively seek and nurture inspiration. The dancer/choreographer draws heavily on her personal experiences to guide readers into cultivating habits that give birth to success. In addition, she recounts the experiences of artists from other disciplines, including painting and cinematography. Vignettes from the lives of people such as Mozart underline the fact that even geniuses work hard to realize the fruits of their labor. A personable tone is carried throughout the book, and within the text is a gold mine of advice. Tharp not only promotes tried-and-true habits, but also encourages readers to dig deep within themselves and come up with their own answers. Most sections conclude with exercises; they are fun and almost seamlessly bring home the author's main points. The black-and-white illustrations and photos are few in number. Students from all manner of creative arts who wish to make their dreams come true would benefit from reading this book.--Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA


Me again...This book is awesome and I highly recommend it for anyone who is struggling to allow their creative nature out to play.

I also want you to know, you've been a huge bright spot in my life. It always makes me smile to come here and read y'alls comments and to know you're there cheering for me.

Thanks for listening and I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!!

Wishing you much peace and love,
Alannah

iPod - Let's Go To The Movies....

I was really surprised the other day to realize how many songs I have on my iPod that are from sound tracks. And sound tracks for movies that I've seen. Probably enough that I can do "Let's Go to the Movie's part I, II and III". LOL

Let's start with the hunks first....Back in the days when Jon Bon Jovi had prettier hair than most women!

Bon Jovi - Blaze of Glory - from the movie, Young Guns


John Parr - from St. Elmo's Fire


A song guaranteed to make me cry - like the movie did - Phil Collins - Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - from the movie Against All Odds


And, one of my favorite all-time movies - one that I never tire of watching. In fact, I can't wait until kidlet gets a little older so he can watch it with me. Prince in Purple Rain.


That's it for now. I'll revisit the movies in a few weeks.

Have you seen any of these movies? Did any of them stick with you for years and years, like they have me?

Have a happy Thursday!
Peace and love,
Alannah

Hump Day Giggle...

A man feared his wife Peg wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem.

The doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.

"Here's what you do," said the doctor, "...stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response."

That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens."

Then in a normal tone he asks, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

No response.

So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, "Peg, what's for dinner?"

Still no response.

Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Again he gets no response.

So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Again there is no response.

So he walks right up behind her. "Peg, what's for dinner?"



I just love this.....)




"Frank , for the FIFTH DAMNED time: CHICKEN!"


Sorry I've been AWOL the past several days. Hubby was kind enough to share his cold with me (on top of my already out-of-control allergies). I've only been on the computer enough to take care of business that I couldn't put off and then back to bed. Rain, glorious rain, is supposed to be coming in today to knock down the pollen and I sure hope it does!!

Have a wonderful hump day, everyone!!
Peace and love,
Alannah

A lot of the quotes that I post come from an e-mail that I get called, "Insights of the Day." On Fridays, they share the "Friday Story." I usually don't read them because they're longer than a short paragraph, and I just don't have the time (or make the time) to read the whole thing.

But this was last Friday's story and I really liked it a lot, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Refuse To Be Afraid

Tim Wrightman, a former All-American UCLA football player, tells a story about how, as a rookie lineman in the National Football League, he was up against the legendary pass rusher Lawrence Taylor. Taylor was not only physically powerful and uncommonly quick but a master at verbal intimidation.

Looking young Tim in the eye, he said, “Sonny, get ready. I’m going to the left and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Wrightman coolly responded, “Sir, is that your left or mine?”

The question froze Taylor long enough to allow Wrightman to throw a perfect block on him.

It’s amazing what we can accomplish if we refuse to be afraid. Fear – whether it’s of pain, failure, or rejection – is a toxic emotion that creates monsters in our mind that consume self-confidence and intimidate us from doing our best or sometimes even trying at all.

As a law professor, I saw scores of capable students fail the bar exam, not because they didn’t know enough but because their anxiety hindered their ability to remember or coherently express what they did know.

For most law graduates, passing the bar exam should be no more difficult than walking across a board 20 feet long and two feet wide. The trouble is, they don’t walk normally because they’re intimidated by the illusion that the board is suspended 100 feet in the air and that getting across is a life-or-death matter.

What’s the worst thing that could happen? Embarrassment, inconvenience, and expense – but none of these is fatal.

Perspective is an antidote to fear. Most things you fear will never happen, and even if they do, you can handle it.

By Michael Josephson


Go out there today and face your fears!!

Peace and love,
Alannah