Happy Easter!

It's Good Friday and I'm eating one of these! Not all in one sitting, of course, but those mini eggs are awfully more-ish. :)

Nothing much else exciting happening here. Am still trying to maintain my positive outlook and determination to think nicer thoughts... although it's not easy in these times, and with my natural disposition towards being a miserable old curmudgeon! LOL

Parcel rage and greedy piggery...

Ack, I hate wrapping parcels, packing things up in padabags, labelling etc etc... It's an activity that induces a state of extreme rage in me. It's the securing that gets me, and the fact that modern sticky tape seems to be designed to only stick to things that it's *not* supposed to stick to! Try getting it to adhere to the surface of a padded bag, and you have to put *another* layer of sticky tape on to stick the first layer to the ****ing bag!!!! By the time I finished the three parcels I had to prepare this morning I was in a blind, towering fury, I'd nearly smashed up the contents of all three parcels and my throat was sore from screaming in frustration... at the b*ggering sticky tape!

Needless to say, none of the above is conducive to settling down and writing beautiful prose. Or even writing fairly horrible prose. Instead of getting on with what I was supposed to be getting on with, I settled in for an extended coffee break, half an episode of Numb3rs [with less Charlie than I needed] and more chocolate than I intended to eat. I had a nice piece of a Hotel Chocolate mini slab that I was going to eat half of... and guess what... I ate the whole piece without realising it. And now I feel like a fat, bloaty whale... bleck...

And even now, I'm not in the mood to write. I have a medical appointment this afternoon, and I won't be 'settled' until that's done with. It's only routine, nothing to really get het up about, but still I'm uneasy. And by the time I get back from that, it'll be nearly tea time and we've got fresh brussels sprouts for tonight, and they'll need peeling.

The one good thing in this is that it was persisting it down with rain up until a short while ago... and now it appears to be fine. Although there are some dark clouds on the horizon. And much as I hate and loathe them, I don't want those m***********g parcels to get wet when I go out with them!!!!

Updated to say:

It's absolutely peeing it down outside now! Will be drenched 30 seconds after stepping out of the door! My day just gets better and better...

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Telly: Numb3rs
Choc/Yummy: Hotel Chocolat
Mood: parcel psychosis
Writing: not a bleedin' thing
Reading: A Kingdom of Dreams - Judith McNaught
RSI/FMS: so so


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

This is just a small part...

of the Christmas chocolate I have to 'eat up'. Sigh... it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. ;)

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Telly: Numb3rs
Choc/Yummy: see above
Mood: oppressed by sheer weight of jobs to do
Writing: not yet
Reading: The Ipcress File - Len Deighton
RSI/FMS: sore


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

Flake ad for the Bellas

raindrops on roses....

At the moment, these are a few of my favourite things! When the dog bites... when the bee stings... la di da di dah!

Happy Easter!

--
Telly: not yet
Chocolate: guess what?
Mood: okay
Writing: not yet
Reading: not yet
RSI/FMS: so so


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

still beset by it all...

Still ill, still unable to write or do much of anything... but himself has fixed the water heater, so at least something's improving...

And in an effort to perk myself up, I've ordered myself a Happy Easter Egg from Hotel Chocolat...

For Maria...

Hotel Chocolat - click to visit

Maria! Hotel Chocolat is a completely fabulous online chocolate shop that sells gorgeously sumptuous goodies! Selections, great big slabs of choc, novelties... just pure heaven! I'm a member of their Chocolate Tasting Club, which means they send you a collection of yummy new chox every month or so. You can have a box *every* month if you like... but I only have one every three or four months. For the sake of my thighs!

And no, I'm not on commission, I just *love* HC!!!

--
Telly: UK History
Chocolate: see above
Mood: distracted, unable to focus
Writing: nothing
Reading: magazines
RSI/FMS: achey, but not quite as bad as yesterday

I am weak....

A short while ago I was searching for something in my office [see post below to get some idea of the horror of that concept!] when the phone rang... and it was a telesalesperson. Now, these unfortunates usually get short shrift, and a v. terse dismissal from yours truly, but this lad said the magic words... Hotel Chocolat!!!!

Things immediately warmed up. I'm a member of HC's glorious Chocolate Tasting Club, and naughty, tempting devil of a telesalesboy was ringing to lure me with the prospect of their latest Excellence collection. Now... I've been looking at finances, and my prospects, and I'd sort of decided that this year I'd be v. good and not overindulge myself... but it was hopeless... and now I have the above yummy scrummy treat to look forward to in a week or two's time...

I'll tell you all about them... in between sighs of delight...

chocolate dilemma

It's January, and the time of year when folk tend to think about weight issues. Both himself and I said, many a time before Christmas, that after the festive season, we'd both like to lose a bit... Not a resolution, mind you, just a guideline as Capt. Jack Sparrow would say... I should have started to trim back on fattening stuff now, but it's v. difficult when there are still loads of luscious goodies in the house. Not having had a total blow out over Christmas, and having indulged fairly modestly, there are still boxes of chocolates and biscuits and whatnot lying around the house... and some with 'eat by' dates that mean I'll have to partake of them fairly soon. All of which isn't all that conducive to healthy eating and the reduction of inches around my blubberous tum, hips, bum and thighs. This morning, I freely admit that I've just opened a rather large box of Hotel Chocolat's sublime Christmas Collecion... sigh... and gosh, are they yummy! I've only eaten two so far, and I'm going to try and only eat them in twos, but the fillings sound utterly heavenly! Champagne Sparkle, Plum Truffle, Praline Feast and Warming Rum Truffle to name but a few... mmmm.....

Oh, and on top of all this, we went out for fish and chips last night too. My waistline is doomed, I tell you, doomed!

I'm not very focused writingwise at the moment either... Still haven't edited Watching the Detective and am in 'oh, no, I can't look at it!' mode... Now this is all bollocks, because it might be okay once I open the file [or at least tolerable] but I'm just frozen with it for now... I suppose, mainly, that's because I'm stressed by various writing-related issues... promo, 'waiting', etc etc... all things that the true professional author takes in her/his stride, but which do my head in and provoke endless moaning and bellyaching... If I spent all the time that I spend stressing and complaining in actually doing something about these issues, I'd probably be a much more successful writer... but I yam wot I yam... and things ain't likely to change without a brain transplant.

--
Telly: Blue Planet
Chocolate: Hotel Chocolat Christmas Collection
Mood: irritated with self and stuff
Writing: **** all
Reading: Thunderball - Ian Fleming
RSI: so so

I've won the pools!

Yes, believe it or not, I've won the football pools! But before you all get too excited, I'm afraid my prizewinning cheque is only actually for £27, so I won't be rushing out and buying any fast cars, mansions or yachts just yet. Still, twenty seven quid is better than no quid at all, so I'm ahead of the game already today... :)

I think my little win must have been a good omen too, because thanks to a suggestion from my angel of a critique partner, I've finally got a bit of direction on what to write next. She suggested I try a novella, 'cos they're shorter and not such a commitment, and I remembered an idea I had a while back, for which I already had a vague outline [very, very vague] and even a bit of text. Which isn't actually too bad, but I'm not sure about the POV/tense... For this story, short as it is, I think the reader needs to know the hero's POV, but, the stuff I've done so far is in first person present. [Can't believe this, actually... the text I have was written several years ago... and it's in first present... long before Mr Stone was even a twinkle in my libido!!!] Anyway, I think the thing should be in third person, past... but the first person stuff is very immediate. So, I have a question... or questions...

If you're a writer, have you ever written in two first person viewpoints? And if so, did it work to your satisfaction? And did reader feedback indicate that they thought it worked too?

If you're a reader, have you read any books written in dual first person lately - or ever - and did you like that way of doing things? Did it seem natural... or weird?

I'd really like to hear some opinions on this one, and would be very grateful for feedback.

In other news, my results for the How Gross Are You? quiz were not faked! I really am that disgusting!!

And finally, as there hasn't been much chocolate news in this new blog, here's a recommendation....

Tesco's Finest Swiss Plain Chocolate with Espresso Filling.... it's bloody fantastic! Get some!