Computer and other updates

Computer: As you know last week I had some computer issues. The issues didn't stop when hubs replaced the mother board. After the board arrived, he did his magic in about 5 minutes and had the thing hooked up and ready to go, but when he was checking it it had some fluctuations in the readings, which made him think there was a power supply issue. And he had a few extra ones, so he hooked up one that was compatible and Voila! My computer was mine again! Though my poor netbook was chugging along quite nicely, it didn't have all the bells and whistles my regular computer does.

Along with this excellent news is that I didn't lose anything!

Contest Entries: I still have one more contest entry to judge. Another entry that I read, commented, but didn't score wasn't lost, so all I have to do is score it. Then I can dust my hands off with this contest.

Feeling better: I still don't know if I had a virus, or it was my normal allergy issues, a sinus infection, or female stuff, or what, but I've been feeling like crap for weeks--low grade headache, blah feeling, tired, not sleeping well, etc. Not bad enough to go to the doctor, but not my normal self. I'm starting to feel better and it made me think of the time many years ago when I felt like this when it turned out that I had mono. At that time, I worked in a hospital lab so all I had to do was have my blood drawn and do testing on it. Well, most of my results were normal. And then I had a brain fart that I needed to be tested for CMV (cytomegalo virus) and Mono (mononucleosis). The ladies in immunology a) laughed at me, b) said I was too old for mono, c) grudgingly performed the test. The test is very simple test. A drop of my serum is mixed with two other heterophile blood products, and clumping is a positive result. My test turned positive before the positive control. Yeah, I had mono.

I also had a flu shot last week and developed a swollen lymph node in my arm pit. It's a little less tender than it was a few days ago, but I'll keep monitoring it though I suspect it's due to the shot.

Reading: Along with making Christmas gifts, I've been trying to catch up on my reading. Last week, I read two books. The first one was my very first Piers Anthony book. Yeah, yeah, I know, I write fantasy and yet I never read one of the pioneers. My only excuse is that I'm more of an Anne McCaffary fan. Well, I read A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON. When I was reading it, I had to remember that this story was written in the 1970's when explanatory world building and introspective narration was the style. It was a good story, but I could see how it might be changed to make it more current, style-wise, that is.

The second book was Marilyn Pappano's PASSION TO DIE FOR. Wow, just wow. That about sums it up. This particular book is a Harlequin Romantic Suspense and I snagged it when HQ offered it for free a week or so ago. Normally, I don't read category romance, though I have read most of Marilyn's single title books (the Bethlehem books and her Rachel Butler books). This was a first for me. It's been a very long time since I've read category and this book was a wonderful re-introduction to the specialized genre. Though I was totally immersed in the Copper Lake story, I also paid attention to her turning points--with a Kindle, it's easier because there are no pages, just percentage to give the reader an idea of how much story is left to read--and her turning points were spot on the money of a 3-act storytelling. The interesting thing about this is that Marilyn doesn't 'follow' a guideline when writing her books, she's just a natural storyteller who knows the rhythm and pacing appropriate for the length of story. I need to write more on this topic, but I'll save it for another time.

I need to get my walk in now that the sun is rising earlier, and then after my shower, it's CANDY MAKING TIME!

Later, Peeps!