If I remember correctly, last Wednesday I advertised the fact that a body bag full of prizes and contest details would be announced on Friday. I made a grave error, not accounting for the fact that it would take me more time than I planned for to get the pictures ready, etc. Stay tuned, it is looking like Tuesday will be the new Friday! 😉

In other news, we had a wonderful end of summer/beginning of fall weekend with family and friends. How about you?

On Friday I was able to introduce my daughter to the magnificence of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and his bizarre masterpience, The City of Lost Children. Her response: “That was very weird, but I liked it.” It had been years since I had seen the film and watching it again was like rediscovering my joy of the film. It is such a fun movie. Ron Perlman as One, Judith Vittet as Miette (who, I am sad to say has not done much more acting. Not sure why as she was wonderful) and Joseph Lucien as Denree (the little kid who eats ALL THE TIME) are terrific, as is the rest of Jeunet and Caro’s cast of regulars.

Continue reading Is it Friday yet?!?!? →

Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated…but they sure seemed true for a time, didn’t they? As Sam says so poignantly at the end of The Return of the King, “Well, I’m back”.

Let me say first and foremost, I’ve missed all of you. I really have. Really, really.

A computer crash coupled with ongoing work issues, a ton of projects, and a really strong bout of malaise has really kept me away from the computer, other than for Fantasy Football issues, for a little over a week. I am sorry. Sorry that I have been an absentee host for a little over a week of the R.I.P. II Challenge and sorry that I’ve not been visiting your sites as well.

But, that is over for now! I’ve already begun catching up with some of you and will no doubt get with the rest of you before long. Tomorrow I will make up for my abscence with a Thursday Thirteen that will help me catch up on some of my past due reviews, and Friday….

Friday is gonna be a whopper. R.I.P. II contests and giveaways galore! I cannot wait to share it all with you. All I can say is get your pens and your cameras ready, there is going to be some really wonderful opportunities coming your way.

Again, I’ve missed you all terribly. I’m glad to be back!

For those of you who participated in the 10:4 Challenge, September 1st marked the end of our 4 month quest to develop healthy habits and, if needed, would lose 10 pounds in the process. I missed my goal by a pound and the fault lies squarely with me. Ultimately, it wasn’t a failure though as I have made some small changes.

While I didn’t totally eliminate soda pop from my daily routine, I have cut back from what I normally drank. I have also drank more juice and more water than was my usual habit. In addition I significantly reduced the number of times I eat out at fast food joints during the work week and have eaten much more healthy food for lunches. I also don’t snack every single night like I used to. It has been a challenge of small victories, with 9 pounds lost.

And if you recall, this was all about increasing healthy habits that would benefit in the long run, not about crash dieting and losing weight. I feel so happy with the overall results that I am wanting to challenge myself, and anyone else who wants to participate, again.

So, I bring you:

Continue reading Random R.I.P.ings…and Book Giveaways! →

I began September’s inaugural Short Story Sunday prompty at the witching hour, cracking open my recently purchased copy of The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft.

After a bit of sleep, I continued my exploration of Lovecraft in the light of a beautiful day. One of the many reasons I love spring and fall is the option to read outdoors. It is such a wonderful experience. As I began reading I noticed that a black bird was sitting on a wire, watching me. He was soon joined by others, one at a time. If it wasn’t for the bright and shining sun I would have been convinced that I was in a remake of The Birds.

Continue reading Short Story Sunday, the First →