I noticed Jackson, the older cat, lurking in the closet the past couple of days. Normally, he lurks on the furniture so I figured something was up.
Today, as I pushed back the shower curtain, a big roach -- well, at least a medium-sized roach -- ran across the opposite wall. I screamed for the guy who lives with me. He rushed in. Killed the sucker with his bare heel. Yuck. He's my hero.
Guess Jackson was warning me that an insect was in the house. Too bad he couldn't catch it before it launched the bathroom attack.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
ONE GOOD TURN
Last night I finished this book by Kate Atkinson, an English author. It was an interesting mystery with a twist at the end I didn't expect but that didn't really surprise me either, if that makes any sense. Her characters were engaging (maybe there was a smidgen too much study on some of them) while she did a great job of entwining people and places and incidents. At first nothing seemed connected, but turns out, as I kept reading, that everything was.
My one complaint is about the editing style. There were a lot of punctuation errors, it seemed to me, and run-on sentences and other things. But that may be the wave of the future.
Some cited examples from pages turned to at random:
He knew that gesture well, it nearly always accompanied dissimulation on Julia's part.
And:
Jackson wondered if she was quoting from a play, she often did, and he hardly ever got the reference.
And:
Last Christmas Eve, when Graham was still a fully functioning member of the family and not yet an astronaut floating through space, she had been in the kitchen making the chocolate log, they always had a chocolate log on Christmas Day along with the pudding.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel there needs to be some periods or semicolons or dashes in here somewhere rather than commas. Or is this the wave of the future?
Anyway, I kept having to reread because my addled brain wouldn't make sense of words strung together without my comforting punctuation symbols.
Maybe it's because I dislike change.
But I did enjoy the book.
My one complaint is about the editing style. There were a lot of punctuation errors, it seemed to me, and run-on sentences and other things. But that may be the wave of the future.
Some cited examples from pages turned to at random:
He knew that gesture well, it nearly always accompanied dissimulation on Julia's part.
And:
Jackson wondered if she was quoting from a play, she often did, and he hardly ever got the reference.
And:
Last Christmas Eve, when Graham was still a fully functioning member of the family and not yet an astronaut floating through space, she had been in the kitchen making the chocolate log, they always had a chocolate log on Christmas Day along with the pudding.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel there needs to be some periods or semicolons or dashes in here somewhere rather than commas. Or is this the wave of the future?
Anyway, I kept having to reread because my addled brain wouldn't make sense of words strung together without my comforting punctuation symbols.
Maybe it's because I dislike change.
But I did enjoy the book.
Monday, August 9, 2010
CATS AND FOOD
Okay, so the vet called Saturday. Seems there was a recall on our special order dry cat food from IAMS (a prescription food for urinary problems). I was to stop using it immediately for reasons that are still unclear but I don't take chances with the liddle bitty cats' health, right?
Right. I rushed over to the vet's office and bought the brand they keep on hand. Sunday, I gave the cats their usual treats, hairball cream, and tiny helping of canned food. Then I put out the dry food. The new dry food.
Jackson sniffed at it, tried a bite and looked up at me as if I were trying to poison him. Roz ate. Hesitantly at first, true. But she ate.
Today, same thing. Jackson glared at me accusingly. Roz ate. (Roz always eats.)
Now. I notice dry food in both bowls is down, Roz's significantly, Jackson's less so. Is Jackson sneaking in and eating the dry food while my back is turned? Or is Roz eating from both bowls? Which she sometimes does since she assumes Jackson's food is hers, and which usually leads to him batting her one and her running away squealing as if she's mortally wounded.
Guess I'll have to hide somewhere and watch to see who's eating what. I will say that Jackson doesn't look hungry to me. And he hasn't lost any weight yet either.
Right. I rushed over to the vet's office and bought the brand they keep on hand. Sunday, I gave the cats their usual treats, hairball cream, and tiny helping of canned food. Then I put out the dry food. The new dry food.
Jackson sniffed at it, tried a bite and looked up at me as if I were trying to poison him. Roz ate. Hesitantly at first, true. But she ate.
Today, same thing. Jackson glared at me accusingly. Roz ate. (Roz always eats.)
Now. I notice dry food in both bowls is down, Roz's significantly, Jackson's less so. Is Jackson sneaking in and eating the dry food while my back is turned? Or is Roz eating from both bowls? Which she sometimes does since she assumes Jackson's food is hers, and which usually leads to him batting her one and her running away squealing as if she's mortally wounded.
Guess I'll have to hide somewhere and watch to see who's eating what. I will say that Jackson doesn't look hungry to me. And he hasn't lost any weight yet either.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
THE DEVIL AMONGST THE LAWYERS
I just finished this book by Sharon McCrumb. I love to read her because her writing flows.
She writes mysteries with an Appalachian background and did a whole set based on old ballads. That series is my favorite and THE DEVIL... is touted as another of them. It isn't the best one but it'll do.
The Devil... is based on a real murder trial in the 1930's. A beautiful young woman accused of murdering her father with all the mountain characters we've learned to love. It's not like the other Ballad mysteries though because while the others draw us into the past to explain present day mysteries, this one is set almost entirely in the past.
If you haven't read her before, you might choose another Ballad mystery to start with. Still, this one displays her mastery of time and place and, as always, the story told with such lyricism.
Good book.
She writes mysteries with an Appalachian background and did a whole set based on old ballads. That series is my favorite and THE DEVIL... is touted as another of them. It isn't the best one but it'll do.
The Devil... is based on a real murder trial in the 1930's. A beautiful young woman accused of murdering her father with all the mountain characters we've learned to love. It's not like the other Ballad mysteries though because while the others draw us into the past to explain present day mysteries, this one is set almost entirely in the past.
If you haven't read her before, you might choose another Ballad mystery to start with. Still, this one displays her mastery of time and place and, as always, the story told with such lyricism.
Good book.
Friday, August 6, 2010
COMPUTER VIRUS
So strange things started popping up on the old screen yesterday. I screamed for the guy who lives with me. He came in, worked all day, couldn't figure it out.
A guy's coming tomorrow to clean it -- we hope -- but in the meanwhile, I have a new account that hopefully the virus won't penetrate.
I hate computers.
A guy's coming tomorrow to clean it -- we hope -- but in the meanwhile, I have a new account that hopefully the virus won't penetrate.
I hate computers.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Over on Jekyll
We went over to Jekyll Island yesterday and walked Driftwood Beach. Met a couple from Cornwall who had exchanged houses with a family on Jekyll. They were totally delighted with Driftwood Beach and kept saying they'd never seen anything like it. In fact they were totally delighted with everything, from the American breakfasts to even the hot sun (95 degrees with a heat index of 105 yesterday). I hope our American tourists are this pleasant when they're in other countries.
And later, we saw a ship leaving Brunswick port. They come so close to Jekyll Pier, it's almost as if they're about to run over it.
Lovely day.
And later, we saw a ship leaving Brunswick port. They come so close to Jekyll Pier, it's almost as if they're about to run over it.
Lovely day.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
DESCRIPTION
An editor thinks I need more description in my manuscript. Of people and of the environment.
I had some Peter Mayle books on hand so I'm trying to look at them and see how he incorporates the south of France and his main characters' descriptions in them. Unfortunately, I get sidetracked by the story. Even when I've previously read the book, I can't be analytical.
Guess it's my mind. Maybe because it's going?
I had some Peter Mayle books on hand so I'm trying to look at them and see how he incorporates the south of France and his main characters' descriptions in them. Unfortunately, I get sidetracked by the story. Even when I've previously read the book, I can't be analytical.
Guess it's my mind. Maybe because it's going?
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