I'm Baaacck!

So, I really stink at this blogging thing, but I will try to be better. I started this blog because a friend recommended it, but I kind of like the idea of having a blog, so I will be better, I will darn it.

This week I read a serious of light-hearted mysteries by Kathleen Bacus, the Calamity Jayne series. These books feature Tressa Jayne Turner whose knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and more than a little accident prone has earned her the nickname Calamity. It's a funny series, but not for someone looking for serious reading.

Also, Janet Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum book, Lean Mean Thirteen came out yesterday. Yes, I have finished it already. This is not my favorite of the series, but it was Stephanie Plum. I have no idea how Janet Evanovich continues to come up with these stories and situations that keeps me laughing out loud, but fifteen books in and I am still hooked.

My sister lent me one of these books last year and I was lucky enough to run through the first thirteen books (one through twelve and the first between the numbers book) all at once. Now that I've caught up, I am concerned about how I will make it another year until the fourteenth book comes out!

As for other entertainment, I saw the Nancy Drew movie on Friday. I probably would not have seen this one in the theater, but the wife of a guy I work with rented out room at the local theater and had a Nancy Drew party. Since it was free and sounded better than spending my Friday night watching tv or hanging out in a bar, I went. The movie was actually much funnier than I had anticipated.

I have never read any of the Nancy Drew books. Amazingly, this tom-boy was hooked on the Hardy Boys as a kid, no Nancy Drew for me, so I have no point of reference for comparison between the books and the movie. As a stand alone, the movie was good.

I enjoyed Pirates: at World's End, but it was not my favorite. The movie was a bit long and drug out in some places. Still, it was Captain Jack, so definitely see it.

My favorite movie of the Spring/Summer so far is Hot Fuzz. I was hesitant to see this movie, having had no interest in seeing Shaun of the Dead (they were made by the same guys). I went because it was the movie chosen by a friend for his birthday viewing - I thanked him afterward. It was hilarious! It's a spoof on cop movies, making fun of all the over the top things in these movies. It was great.

As for me, life continues on. I'm struggling with work a bit right now as business has been a little slow and I am not sure what to do about it. Sales and marketing are not my thing, but I guess I had better learn the skills if I want to continue to advance my career. I suppose I could jump ship, but I really like where I am and when business was good, I had very few complaints (we always have some complaints, don't we?).

Personally, last year I had some great success in weight loss, trying to get healthier, but I have fallen off the wagon the last several months and need to find my motivation to get back to it. I signed up for four aerobics classes, two hours a night, five times a week. It seems like a lot, but I really was doing great and now I've gained some of the weight back and I'm ticked. The problem is that there have been a couple of classes I have been forced to miss and now, I find myself losing the will to go to the classes. HELP!!!

I've tried bribing myself. I tell myself if I meet my goal by a certain date I will buy myself that IPod I've been wanting or take a vacation to an island somewhere... Nothing is working. I really need to get a kick in the butt.

Until next time....

Shel

I'm blogging!

You know, that just sounds weird - "I'm blogging", like a nasty bodily function or something. Anyway, I'm here, I'm blogging and I really have only random thoughts to contribute and probably nothing of substance.

I read alot (I mean alot), so a friend suggested that I keep a blog about what I am reading (I'm not sure why anyone would care, but what the heck). Anything I recommend or don't recommend is based solely on my own strange preferences. I read very quickly and can usually kill a book in a few hours, so I may list a lot of books, but I do have a life, well sometimes. While I read, I usually listen to a wide range of music.

Right now I am really into reading mysteries and listening to Snow Patrol. I LOVE Snow Patrol. My sister-in-law turned me on to the a few years ago. You may have heard "Chasing Cars" which was featured on Grey's Anatomy last season. To hear "Chasing Cars" and other fantastic music you can check Snow Patrol out at www.snowpatrol.com.

They were also on SNL last week. And if you saw the theater preview for the Kevin Costner flick The Guardian, Snow Patrol's Run was the song in the preview.

I am going to see them in concert next week!!! I am so excited. I saw them in September and it was fantastic! Their latest cd "Eyes Open" has my favorite song - Track 7 "Make This Go On Forever". Oh, and "You Could Be Happy" was playing at the beginning of last week's episode of Smallville (the Lana & Lex wedding episode - and oh my God, what an episode!). I am glad the band is getting so much exposure AND that songs other than "Chasing Cars" are being played. Don't get me wrong, I love "Chasing Cars", but they have so many great songs to choose from.

As for reading, I just finished Brigadoom by Susan Goodwill. It's the first in a new mystery series and Ms. Goodwill's first book. It was pretty good, thoroughly enjoyable. I would recommend it to someone looking for a lighthearted mystery. Ms. Goodwill has created some wacky characters, I especially enjoyed the heroine's nutty Aunt, who was a Hollywood starlet back in the day. My only complaint about the book is that the next installment of the series does not come out until March 2008!

After finishing Brigadoom, I moved on to the Rachel Benjamin series by Jennifer Sturman. I finished The Pact last night and will start The Jinx this weekend at some point. In The Pact, Rachel Benjamin tries to figure out who killed her best friend's groom the night before the wedding. Rachel goes back and forth between suspecting no one and suspecting everyone. The book could have been better, Rachel jumps to conclusions that did not actually make a lot of sense to me, but overall the story was interesting. I will give The Jinx a try and then decide whether to continue with the series.

It's been a long week and I am looking forward to curling up with a good book, so next time I will thrill you with a list of some of my favorite silly mysteries - I'm sure you can't wait.

Shel