Time flys when you're not having fun!

With the schedule I’m having it’s a wonder I’ve not gone totally nuts! I’ve been working on a midterm (take-home) for 4 days. I’ve completed one set of homework and stressing over two exams.
I finished 2 books (very quick reading) last week. One was “damsel under stress” by Shanna Swendson. Book three of Katie Chandler adventures in a magic company, it tells a supernatural love story in corporate settings with lots of twists and humor. The first two books are “Enchanted Inc.” and “Once upon stilettos”. Katie is finally dating the man of her dreams but every magical being in the world is interfering with their dates, most specially Katie’s fairy godmother who after years and years of absent from Katie’s love life has chosen this particular time to appear. If I was going to rate it in scale of 1-5, the book only would have made a 2.
The other book was “Falling out of fashion” by Karen Yampolsky. A very lukewarm biography of a fashion editor. After second chapter you get bored out of your skull. The narrator voice is way too dull and flat. I just skipped through and read every couple of pages to get the whole story!
What I really want to do is get the “A lick of Frost” by Laurell K. Hamilton and forget every thing else for a day which is not possible. I have waited months for this book, the sixth book of Meredith Gentry series and now that it’s out I don’t have time to read it except for a few pages every other night or so. Life is so not fair!
On a positive note, it’s raining chocolate! Just received a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts from Australia. Hooooooooom! Very fancy, very delish! The box is almost empty and it took only a couple of days!

Wild Fires

Wild fires! No, it is not the name of a book; it is what’s happening right now in southern California. San Diego and Malibu LA are burning from Sunday, fires have not been controlled, hundreds of houses are damaged and large areas are evacuated. These tragedies are happening every couple of years in Santa Ana season (warm dry winds blowing from South). And yes, there are always smaller fires around as well. Sky was dark today, Air smelled of smoke, and it was raining ash.
In this sorry state we (dear hubby and I) were asking ourselves what will happen if we have to evacuate. What are we going to take with us?
Well, we both had the same answer: our cats, important papers, our photo albums, a couple of art works that are one of a kind, two velvet jewelry pouches my grandmother made before she passed, and maybe my jewelry (all of it fits in one hand!). These are all our un-replaceable belongings and with the exception of cats and framed art work, will fill only one small duffel bag.
The interesting part was I didn’t think about my books, my journals, my stories and poems, my clothes, handbags, or not even my necklace and pendant collection although I got every piece of it from a different city.
My other interesting discovery was when you have to prioritize you see you only have a very few and important belongings: your loved ones and your memories.

Baby it's cold!

Ah, No! Blogging is a thing of past. I don’t have time anymore (or energy)! Well I’m fighting a nasty head-cold, finishing two sets of homework, dropping one class, attending meetings, eating chocolate to calm my nerves, and reading a little in between! And yes! Saturday was my birthday! Lots of lovely presents, including three box of chocolate! Haa, I’m spoiled rotten! Didn’t you know it? (wink)
I read a couple more Nancy Drew books when I was lying feverish in bed and could do nothing else. And last week found time to read “The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes”, a novel by three authors, Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer, and Anne Stuart. Three Fortune sisters, Dee, Lizzie, and Mare are running and hiding from their power-crazy aunt Xan. To end it all (and play the part of perfect aunt) Xan conjures a spell, attracting girls’ true loves to them. The problem is how much our sisters can depend on their hearts and desires and their love for each other and how much they can trust their newly found soul mates? And the million dollar question: What is Xan’s price for the only good she ever did in her life?
It is a very attractive story, however; it is very brief considering it had three authors collaborating over it.
Well life is not perfect!

Scientific laws and your daily lives!

It is a proved scientific fact that you can lift your mood by putting on make-up, the more the better. Try your brightest color eye-shadows, your darkest or brightest lipsticks, three or four layers of mascara and pile on foundation and powder. As an extra boost you can dance from one mirror to the other in your house, check yourself in different lights, and try to improve your make-up by adding other colors to your face. You can even answer the door bell in this state if you are brave enough and know the person on the other side of the door doesn’t have a heart condition!
Well, this very accurate test-study was done in our college days by a couple of friends and me. Now years later, I’m thinking of taking this law one step farther and say:
It is proven that when you dress nicely, people are nice to you.
I have a theory about it: when you dress your best, you feel confident, you are happy and smiling and nice, therefore whoever you are communicating with is nice back at you!
Anyhow, I need volunteers in their best dresses going around living their daily lives.
Will you do it?

Paris, Nancy Drew, chocolate, and science!

What a life! Classes, homework, stress… Sheesh! I can’t even sleep well, I keep thinking about all the things I have to finish the next day or on the weekend or … I’m going crazy and it’s still the third week of this term!
The worst part? Having very little time to read! I managed to finish the second book of Imogene adventures “Project Paris” by Lisa Barham and Sujean Rim. Imogene goes to Paris to report fashion week but fashion models go on strike and she has to work hard to stay in Paris for the summer. She may have to invent a new designer, produce a whole new collection and assemble a fashion show! Well, she is cute, has great fashion sense and very good friends, if anyone can do it, it’s her!
Else? Yeah, “Nancy Drew” series by Carolyn Keene! Don’t sneer now! It is very relaxing, believe me! Plus Nancy has great style. I finished three of her books in one afternoon, and then worked on a set of homework and today I finished the fourth one and am in the middle of the fifth!
May be it’s the chill in the air but I can’t eat dark chocolate anymore. Right now I’m very much in love with chocolate bars from Tommy and sally’s. Yup! That's the name of the manufacturer! These handcrafted tasty chocolate bars plus some handmade truffles and two sets of “Care Bear” chocolates are great discoveries of dear hubby. I’m very thankful and totally addicted! The only problem is I love “Care Bears”; I can’t bring myself to bite off the head of Sunshine Bear!
Now I’m taking pity on all you ignorant people in the world and am going to share my extensive knowledge of water with you one pearl of wisdom at a time! (wink wink) Well, did you know it takes 3000 to10000’s of years for the water of deepest parts of the ocean to get to the surface? But after evaporation that water stays in atmosphere for only 10-11 days? And when it gets to the ground (and gets sucked by the soil), again it may take up to hundred of years for it to come back to the surface? Aren’t you amazed? Well, you should worship me for sharing this with you! (batting eyelashes)

School is a bitch!

Been awfully busy. Class after class after class. Why am I doing this to myself? Anyway, I managed to finish some books, like:
“Weird” by (somewhat I can’t find her name! Edited,a week later: her name is Liz Maverick) is a Sci-Fi romance and has the format of a computer game, a little confusing because there are several versions of reality and you keep jumping from one to another. Every chapter is like: beep! Game over! Reset! Now start over! Anyway the cover design reminded me of computer games and Japanese anim.
Then “The Jane Austen book club” by Karen Joy Fowler took a couple of my days. I didn’t like it that much, not the characters, and not the format. The connection to Austen’s books was very weak and the story dull. What the movie is going to look like, I wonder!
From Nightwalkers series by Jacquelyn Frank “Gideon” was great. The demon/ Healer Gideon has been in love with the king’s little sister, but now with the dark-magic users close by and demons community peace jeopardized; he has to play more political roles. But he will win the heart of his fair maiden at the end.
Two books from Raintree series, “Raintree: Inferno” by Linda Howard, is the story of the king and the oldest Raintree siblings Dante. The last book “Raintree: Sanctuary” by Beverly Barton, is the story of Mercy and her daughter. I loved Hunted, liked Inferno, and tolerated the Sanctuary! It says a lot about the three authors!
What else? Yeah, been reading “Witch in the House” by Jenna Mcknight. The love story of Jade (one of the three widowed witches of a small town). The detective, who is sent to investigate the disappearance of Jade’s husband, falls in love with her. Question is: is it real love or is it due to a spell Jade did right before opening the door? Nice story, really liked it!
Then “A girl like Moi” by Lisa Barham and Sujean Rim, adventures of Imogene, a teenage fashionista. Very nice, especially all those clothes and shoes. The book has cute illustrations too.
Not too shabby for a week full of classes, Huh?