Because my husband (who is currently back on the boat) has a shift that runs from midnight to noon, I've become something of a night owl just so I can spend time talking to him by phone. I don't really mind it, in fact, I really enjoy every minute I can get with him. Yeah, I'm still ass over teakettle about him and don't see that waning any time soon. I often stay up to the wee hours of the morning talking to him. And I must admit I've become quite a fan of the Facetime feature on my iPhone. It really helps me, seeing him and knowing he really is all right.

And on my end, I've also made a couple of discoveries. One is that barn owls are crazy loud when they call. And the other is that red foxes are just as noisy. The very odd bit is that the two sound a little similar in the dark of night. Especially if they are right outside the house. My daughter was actually getting creeped out by all the nocturnal racket until I did a little research on YouTube. And once I heard the calls of said owl and fox, we were both set at ease. When I lived in Arkansas, we only had to listen to great horned owls and coyotes, which sound quite different- I assure you! LOL

Did I tell y'all that I've become a fan of unsweet iced tea? It was kinda hard, adjusting to it at first. I'm a true Southern girl, raised on sweet iced tea. Once in a while, especially on vacations when we ventured out of the South, I'd resign myself to drinking unsweet tea. Yet that all changed once I reunited with Scott. He's very fond of unsweet and so I adapted. And now I find sweet tea almost repugnant! It's always too sugary for my taste. I suppose it's all for the best anyway as I'm sure all that sugar wasn't good for me to begin with. Now you can almost always find me sipping unsweet iced tea, especially from a big Mason jar.


 

You know what? House fires suck. Truly.

But I'm lucky that the house didn't burn down and nobody got hurt. It happened last Thursday. Scott had left the day before and was back on the boat. Charlie was at school and I decided to do laundry. So after loading the dryer with wet clothes and turning it on, I went into the bedroom to catch up on my reading (it was "The Mockingjay" from the Hunger Games series, if you're curious). About twenty minutes later the smoke alarm goes off and I fling open the bedroom door.

The house was filling up with smoke and I see that it's all coming from the dryer. And there's flames behind it.

I'll admit I kinda panicked at first. Who wouldn't? But I did the right thing and got the breaker turned off and managed to put the fire out with my mother-in-law's help. Thank Goddess for fire extinguishers! And quick thinking mother-in-laws!

The man from the local fire department said he thought it was an electrical outlet that started it. The dryer's plug was fused to the outlet from all the heat so it seemed to me rather obvious he was right.

Scott got off the boat the next morning and his employer paid his way to fly home. I met him at the airport Friday afternoon. I'm very glad he was able to come home, I needed him and my nerves were rather shot by then. That was the first real house fire I'd experienced and I truly don't care to repeat it. Having my husband home calmed me down and him too. He needed to know I was really okay. The fire scared the both of us.

So we had the insurance guy come by over the weekend to look at the damage and do the insurance stuff. The only thing that suffered the most was the dryer. Well, and the floor and walls behind the dryer. But mostly the dryer. We'll be getting a new one, of course.

And hopefully that's all the excitement I'll have for a while.
 

I'm fully aware there are many types of people in this world. And what turns each one of them on sexually is rather unique. Not everybody is exactly the same. But I do notice things regarding sex that completely baffle me sometimes. Take this site for instance. All you have to do is click on the erotica genre to see what I mean.

There are MANY stories regarding shrinking/growing, vore (where people get consumed), tickling,diapers/baby, feet (that one I can understand a bit), magical powers and lots of others that I can't think of at the moment. Fetishes like those I mentioned are something I don't get the appeal. How does one even get turned on by that? Is it some sort of unresolved childhood emotional trauma? How does one stumble onto enjoying things like that? Do they have latent cannabilistic tendencies?? I'd like to educate myself on the reasons, so I'm thinking a search elswhere online may be in order. Perhaps a psychological site or something along those lines. Very curious indeed.

I like to consider myself a bit out of the mainstream with my own interests. I am not too fond of the same old thing time after time. My tastes are something I won't really discuss here but I can say my mind is fairly open. When I was married to my ex, I repressed that part of myself. Because it was safe and he didn't like anything out of the usual mainstream thought patterns.

Thankfully I've come a VERY long way since then. Life is fuckin' awesome now! *wicked grin*


 

I've been thinking lately on how to get my work published. And not in the traditional way. There are places online where I could submit my stuff and perhaps sell it as ebooks. Like Smashwords, for instance. From what I've researched so far, it looks like all I need to do is format my writing to a Microsoft document and send it in to them. And the best part is that it's free. Free is a very good price. Since I'm already familiar with Microsoft (after having used it many times when I worked for the VA), creating the files that Smashwords accepts should be no problem for me.

Some of the free ebooks I've seen in iBooks were created through Smashwords. And not all of them are good. I've come across quite a bit of erotica with massive grammar issues. Like they've escaped notice of any sort of editorial attention. While I don't claim to be the best writer out there, I know a lot of my work is better than what I've already seen. Reading erotica (or anything for that matter) needs to flow so the reader isn't distracted by errors in grammar or spelling. It's hard to get involved when your mind is busy correcting those kinds of flaws!

Oh, and I've been given permission to reveal the other person's identity who likes erotica as much as I do (or even more, lol!). My husband has recently discovered it for himself and has been downloading off iBooks as frequently as me. I've gone and corrupted him! My evil plan has worked.....

I'm going to upload another sexy story tonight. It's a bit longer than my first one and I'm STILL hoping to get some sort of feedback. *crosses fingers*

And without further ado, my last installment of random Amy facts:

61) I often wish I could have another baby.
62) The first time I rode a bike, I was 12 (and Scott taught me how!).
63) I've never learned to swim.
64) Yellow is my least favourite colour.
65) I like to speak with a British accent when no one's around, just for the hell of it.
66) I am finally learning to stand up for myself and not be a puppet anymore.
67) I was labelled a nerd in high school.
68) I regret losing my virginity at 17 to the wrong guy.
69) I know that I can't change my past, only accept it happened and move on.
70) I like taking pictures.
71) I started smoking again in August 2011.
72) My daughter wears the same shoe size as I do.
73) My son is nearly as tall as my dad.
74) My cooking skills still need improvement, but I'm getting better.
75) I drink alcohol only on New Year's Eve.
76) I have an addiction to pretty scrapbook paper.
77) Never in my life will I ever consume liver and onions again. Yuck!!
78) Sometimes I miss living close to town.
79) I love cupcakes.
80) I wish the world wasn't so densely populated with willfully stupid people.
 

Well I've done it. I finally went and created a folder for adult fiction. Namely erotica. So far I've got two poems and one bit of flash fic. I've written in this genre before. On this site even.

But it was fan fiction and badly written. And to make it worse, it was a Mary Sue. *blushes* Yes, I shamefully admit it. After getting a couple of not-so-nice reviews on it, I took it down and swore never again......

That was years ago. I've come a long way since then. I started by reading more erotica and taking mental notes of what I felt worked and what didn't. Did you know you can download erotica on iBooks? I'm sure you did. I've only discovered it for myself in the past few months on there. I also know someone else who's a big fan of the genre, but I'm sworn to secrecy on this person's true identity. And while I've read some really good sexy stories on my iPhone, I've also come across ones that seemed to escape an editor's notice. For me, it's difficult to pay attention to what I'm reading if I have to constantly slog through typos and grammar issues. Just kills the sexiness of it, y'know?

So I'm hoping someone will read my efforts and give me advice on how to improve it, if necessary. I find constructive criticism to be quite useful, when done tactfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now, your next segment of Amy facts:

41) I love to munch on the ice from Sonic. My husband calls it "rabbit turd ice" because of its shape.
42) I make most of the necklaces I wear.
43) I once helped my dad reshingle the entire roof of our house when I was 14.
44) I haven't spoken to my mother in 3 or 4 years.
45) Musicals make me happy.
46) I adore good pork BBQ.
47) I miss drinking milk. Especially chocolate milk.
48) I find it quite sexy when my husband shows off his extensive vocabulary.
49) Someday I want to return to college.
50) I tend to zone everything out when I paint, draw, or write.
51) I am really good at finding loose change on the ground, pennies in particular.
52) Give me a pen to write with and I'll manage to get ink on myself, without even trying.
53) My favourite colours are black and purple, though I'm drawn to many others too.
54) I am fascinated by the 19th and early 20th centuries.
55) Baby kittens make my heart melt.
56) I am addicted to books.
57) My husband makes me feel beautiful.
58) I'm a member of the Brass Goggles Forum.
59) I love to sing even though I possess no talent for it.
60) I adore peanut butter cookies.
 

It's the store we all love to hate: Wal-Mart. And whether we like to admit it or not, we all shop there at one point or another. I don't care if you claim you never set foot in the place. Everyone has been there at least once in their lives.

When I was a kid, I truly loved the store. It was still small back then (in the 80s) and it was one of my favourite places to spend my hard-earned allowance. Of course, back then Wal-Mart was still being run by Sam Walton. And it was a decent store.

But things changed drastically once Sam passed away and the company went on to be run by his kids. And though Wal-Mart grew by leaps and bounds, expanding way outside Arkansas' borders, the quality and integrity of it all began to suck. Really suck.

Now the company is like some sort of mutated parasite, feeding on the communities it invades and all but wiping out its competition with lures of convenience and low prices. And we, as consumers, buy into the pretty lies.

Personally, I hate shopping there. I do. From the aggravation of having to deal with the crowds to the crazy amount of money I spend there for the "convenience" of one-stop shopping, I'm really getting tired of the place. And to top it off, the greeters are often nothing more than vultures, swooping in to demand to see my receipt when I've clearly just paid for all the items in my buggy (What? The fact that everything is in a fucking bag didn't tip you off??).

But I don't have to stop and show them anything. Once I've paid for my stuff, I'm free to leave the store. Their store policy may say otherwise, but it's trumped by state and federal law. Not to mention the freaking Constitution (illegal search and seizure anyone?). Just recently I had a greeter try to stop me on the way out to my car. I smiled and said "No, thank you" as I kept walking. And no one chased me down either.

Next time, I'm going to make more of an effort to shop elsewhere. Convenience be damned!!

~~~~~~~~~~~

As promised, 20 more random Amy facts:

21) I'm still a chronic doodler.
22) I hate getting stuck behind slow drivers.
23) I believe an apocalypse/society downfall of some sort will happen in my lifetime.
24) Thinks the government is overly involved in everything.
25) Is not fond of "political correctness".
26) Believes in the right to bear arms.
27) I know Southerners are much smarter than what the rest of the country believes.
28) Someday I will travel back to Germany to see where I was born.
29) Loves to browse thrift stores and flea markets. And the occasional yard sale.
30) Misses shopping at hobby stores and book stores. Haven't been inside of one since December. :(
31) Loves having an iPhone.
32) I'm glad my hair is finally getting longer.
33) I adore snuggling with my husband. A lot.
34) I'm very fond of unsweet iced tea.
35) Milk chocolate makes my knees go weak with bliss.
36) Believes in the wonder of A/C during the summer.
37) Can't believe I grew up without A/C in my childhood home.
38) I don't trust deer standing innocently beside roads, especially at dusk.
39) I love the Facetime feature on my phone.
40) Got married on Halloween. Coolest. Day. EVER. :)
 

I was going over my summary stats today (like I often like to do) and noticed that the most popular items read in my port are my blogs. I wish this site still let us see where the traffic came from, so I could get an idea of WHO was reading my stuff. Makes me curious, y'know?

Last night I added a fake quiz to my "Oh, That's Funny" folder. I tried to make a real quiz first, but I couldn't get the answers to match up right. So I deleted it and made it a static item instead. It's supposed to be a parody of one of those kinds of quizzes you'd find in women's magazines anyway. NOT to be taken seriously at all. If it does well, I'll try to add more. It's been a while since I've tried to write comedy and I need to stretch my funny bone.

*looks beside her laptop*

There's a huge pussy on the bed with me.

No. Really. There is!

And his name is Little Britches. Or Asshole as he's sometimes affectionately called (and he'll answer to both!). He's Scott's kitty and he's since adopted me. I think he weighs close to 30 pounds and he's a Maine Coon. VERY pretty cat with the most gorgeous green eyes. I'm his Facebook friend right now because I let him into the bedroom with me, so he could get away from my overly energetic kitties (namely Junior and Harry who are both idiots). Little Britches likes to nap and snuggle most of the time. This room is often his sanctuary for that.

*puts on subject turn signal*

I remember doing an entry in a previous blog about 80 random facts about myself. But that was back in 2006. I like to think I've changed some since then. So instead of bombarding you with ALL of them in this post, I'll give you 20 for now. And more will follow in future entries.

Ready?

Here we go:

1) I married my childhood sweetheart.
2) Steampunk has been an obsession of mine before I knew its name.
3) My son has his driver's license.
4) My daughter loves to sing. All the time.
5) I am owned by four cats.
6) Scorpions still freak me out big time.
7) My level of morning consciousness depends on the amount of coffee in my system.
8) I am a former federal government employee.
9) I don't live very far from a major well-known river.
10) Country life will always be for me.
11) I am blessed with a wonderful, sexy, insanely intelligent, and loving husband.
12) I love to drive fast.
13) I've only had one speeding ticket in my life.
14) I found my childhood sweetheart on Facebook (or rather, he found me!).
15) Can't believe I'm pushing 40 already. Well, in two years!
16) I still love to create art everyday.
17) My most comfortable outfits consist of t-shirts and skirts.
18) Shoes are the very first thing I kick off when I get home.
19) I miss the ocean.
20) I miss my husband even more when he's on the boat.
 

I have noticed a pattern of behaviour with my daughter's friends as of late. And so has she. It's a disturbing mental game a couple of her "friends" use to try to control and manipulate Charlie. They know she has a kind and caring heart and they are exploiting that aspect of her nature, without any thought as to how it may affect her.

A minute or two ago, I hunted down the definitions of psychopath and sociopath. Both terms seemed rather apt in this situation, but I don't think these "friends" of hers are actually that bad. At least, I hope not. More than likely they're just kids with low self-esteems and communication issues. Maybe they believe by saying certain things (through texts or online messaging) they can get the reactions they want from those around them.

As I see it, that's a game of control. Pure and simple. I'm sure you've seen such things on FB and other sites. Someone will want attention and will post their dismay at the lack of it. So they kick it up a notch, tossing in what I call the suicide card. Now don't misunderstand me. I take threats of suicide very seriously. I've been there myself many times in the past and I've been there for my own friends and family in similar situations. I know when it's time to intervene and get help. Suicide is very serious to me.

That being said, I also know when I'm being manipulated. My ex-husband used the suicide card on me. He knew I'd react a certain way if he threatened to end his life (which usually happened when he was drunk). After the first few times he tried that act with me, I got to where I could tell he was just trying to control my emotions and use them against me. It got old pretty quick.

Behaviour like that is juvenile, in my opinion. It shows a complete lack of disregard for other people's feelings. It's very self-centered and it's wrong. And when I see posts that echo control online, it just makes me feel frustrated.

Charlie has experienced it firsthand with a couple of her "friends". I use the quote marks, because if they were real friends, they wouldn't try to use my daughter like that. She's got one who'll engage in that behaviour any time she feels ignored or slighted. And then she'll tell my daughter about how she wants to die, expecting Charlie to fix it all her problems. Last night, another one of Charlie's acquaintances tried the same thing.

He had an answer to every bit of advice she offered him. The real zinger was when he texted her that "she could help him if she knew how". I had to point out to her that he was doing what her other "friend" did. And we had a long talk about how it was NOT okay for others to treat her like that. I think she's beginning to recognize patterns of control now. This will be an ongoing lesson, I'm sure. I love that my girl has such a huge and loving heart. She just needs to learn how to protect herself from those who would try to exploit that.

I hope she learns this lesson much sooner than I did. It took me years to figure it out on my own.
 

I want to report a robbery.

Seriously, there is something definitely missing. And it's been gone for a couple of months now. I believed I've been robbed.

And Mother Nature is high on my suspect list. She seems to have "misplaced" winter. We went from weather in the 30s back in January to highs in the 70s last month (and this month too). All the plants are bursting to life. The bugs are waking up. Somehow the seasons jumped from autumn to spring, totally passing by winter.

While I am enjoying the milder temps (along with a good chunk of America, it seems), I'm concerned about how bad the summer is going to be. From where it stands now, I am thinking the insect population is in the middle of a love fest, just gearing up to spawn from June to September. Makes me want to stay inside even more.

In other news, I'm taking my daughter to get new shoes today. Exciting, right? Oh yeah. By the end of our shopping trip, I usually feel like the prince in Cinderella. And she's tried on nearly every piece of footgear in the store. At that point, I have to intervene and hurry her up. Or we'll be there for the next million years.

EDITED LATER ON

Same day.......

I was pleasantly surprised with Charlotte's behaviour. She cased out the store, narrowed her selection down, and we left within a half hour. And I kept within my budget too. Life is good.


 

Haven't had much trouble from that woman's folks (whom I mentioned in the previous entry). There were a couple of Tango video messages left by her brother. My husband called the number back to let the guy know we weren't who he thought we were. And damned if he didn't try to Tango call a few hours later (but I let Scott answer and that solved that issue)!

You see, the woman who used to have my phone number is African American. And I am not. Neither is my husband. When her brother saw my husband on Tango, he QUICKLY realized that yeah, he had the wrong number! LOL Maybe he'll spread the word that his sister has changed her phone number..... or maybe not. I'll keep hope alive.

Scott is officially addicted to the Fallout games. Namely Fallout: New Vegas. Fortunately, I like this game too. It's post-apocalyptic (another of my favorite themes) and quite entertaining. And I'd watch my son Eric play this game too, so I help out when I can. But the biggest help is the internet because I can't remember ALL the details about the game. He's also been playing Fallout 3 but it's not as fun to him. That particular game leads the player to the next task whereas New Vegas lets the player decide which path/task to take on. More freedom to choose, if you will.

I've been looking online for props/weapons/accessories that people have made. I especially like the guns I've come across and am tempted to make my own. If I ever get to go to another convention, I'm thinking as going as a raider or vault dweller from Fallout.

And besides, the game is rather dieselpunk too.