I picked up 3 books with the 25 dollar gift certificate I had from Amazon. They all have to do with creativity.

    

I'm anxious to start on, "Wreck This Journal," by Keri Smith. With entries like, 'Eat some colorful candy then lick this page,' I have high hopes that it will help me set my perfectionist nature aside and simply have fun. I have too many neat journals lying around. It's time to cut loose and let my creative side shine!

For some interesting ideas, take a look at Keri Smith's Blog

I might post some of the things I do with, "Wreck This Journal," on my creative LJ. azzycreative

Plans for today...

Vacuum and dust
Wash a load of clothes
Pay a few bills
Work on my booklist web page
Print out a tutorial for Daz Studio
Continue sports training on Wii
Read for at least an hour

Speaking of reading, I finished "Unshapely Things," by Mark del Franco. Later I'll start on, "Warrior Angel" by Margaret and Lizz Weis. It's a paranormal romance, quite different from Margaret Weis's usual stuff.

I got a 15 minute ride in on the bicycle this morning. I know it's not much, but hey, it's better than nothing at all. :D Since the heat wave is still going on here in Chi town, I'll be cooped up in the nice air conditioned house for the rest of the day. Yep, I'm spoiled.

Finished reading book #1 of the Dresden Files and found it interesting, amusing, and quite entertaining. That means I'm gonna have to order more books from the series. My book pile is really going to grow!

Now, I've started on "Unshapely Things," by Mark del Franco. Suddenly I've become quite attracted to these urban fantasy, supernatural type tales. I'm also hooked on the Ameni Chronicles by tehuti_88 I will be starting on chapter 6 soon.

Today I realized I don't update this journal very often. I guess it's because my life's kind of boring so I don't have anything to write about. But I do read my flist every day and comment when I have something to say. Since I don't have much to write about here I've decided to start another journal that will focus only on my creative pursuits, namely drawing. I think I'll have more to add to that one. If anyone's interested, the user name is azzycreative

Yesterday, I thought about downloading a free 30 day trial of Poser so I could check it out. I didn't do it yet though because I don't think I have the patience for learning it. Hmmm.

The hubby will be off from Thursday to Sunday so I might not be around much.

Last night, we watched several hours of "Live Earth." Bon Jovi did another fantastic performance. The band is tight. They make live performances look easy. And they really know how to work the crowd. Bravo to them for an excellent job. I was bouncing around in my chair and wilding flapping my arms around to their music. Hey, at least I got a little exercise! *laughs*

It looks like it's going to be another day spend indoors since the temperature is suppose to hit 95. Ugh! Too hot for me. I guess we could catch up on watching the anime we put on hold yesterday.

This week I'd like to get back to practicing my drawing. I've been at a loss for what to work on but before I fell asleep last night I started thinking about trying to draw pictures of all the characters I created for my old storyboards. So, yeah, that's what I might do.

I'm been feeling quite bored when I come online lately. I guess it's because I don't have anyone to talk with or write with like I did in the past. It was fun to turn on Yahoo IM and yak with my writing partners about plot lines and just any old thing. The hours would fly by. Now I spend most of my time looking at web sites and yawning. Plus there aren't many people around during the day when I'm available to sit in front of the pc. I really miss that, but I suppose it's a good thing since my house is now cleaner and I'm getting a lot more reading done. Speaking of reading, I just started on book one of the Dresden Files. So far, so good. If things keep up this way I should get through the pile of books stacked up on my table in no time.

Last night we watched, Bridge to Terabithia, and I felt pretty bummed out by the time it ended. I guess I was expecting more fantasy and a much happier story, not one that had me using up a box of Kleenex. *sigh* Maybe I should start reading some reviews of movies before I rent them so I'll have at least some idea of what to expect.

I really lucked out because I got to see the space station and shuttle gliding across the sky again last night. Usually I miss out on things like this due to uncooperative weather so this time I'm sending out a thanks to mother nature for ultra clear skies. Since there's always a balance to things, we're supposed to have thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow night.

I practiced drawing for about an hour yesterday. Not nearly enough considering I haven't touched my sketchpad in weeks, blaming it on eyestrain. I would have had my new glasses by now but they called to reschedule my appointment. Now I have to wait until July. Ugh. Maybe I'll just head into a Lens Crafters again even though I was a tad disappointed in their service the last time around.

Gods, it looks like an otherworldly war zone around here. When I venture out into the backyard and take my walks, I'm constantly stepping over mutilated bodies of cicadas. ICK! I've even had the privilege of watching birds snatch cicadas right out of the air, drag them to the ground, and then rip the shit out of them. *gag*

I finished reading, "Nightlife" by Rob Thurman and loved it. Going to tackle "Doppelganger," by Marie Brennan next, right after I peruse my flist, start on the laundry, and finish up a few other chores.

My younger daughter found a buyer for her house. Whoot! I'm happy for her. She wanted to get into a bigger place before my grandson started 1st grade, and it looks like she's going to get her wish. Things will move quickly for her now because she has only 6 weeks to find a new house. I hope everything works out. I know she's going to be under a lot of stress while the house selling, house hunting, packing etc, is going on.

We caught up on our anime watching over the weekend since it was too hot to sit outside. We're finally getting some relief from the heat today with temps only reaching around 80 and low humidity. Yah! I'm looking forward to shutting off the a/c and opening the windows because there's nothing like fresh air!

Yesterday I got a delivery from Amazon so I'm off to read, "Nightlife" by Rob Thurman. If it's as good as, "Moonshine," (the 2nd book in this series) I will finish it in no time.

I can't remember the last time I sat down and finished reading a book in less than 2 days. Well, that's what happened with, "Moonshine" by Rob Thurman. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down. How could I not enjoy reading the exploits of 2 gorgeous half brothers, one silent and deadly, the other angsty and a smartass? Oh, Cal the smartass isn't completely human either. Following is the blurb from the back of the book.

After saving the world from his fiendish father's side of the family, Cal Leandros and his stalwart half brother, Niko, have settled down with a new apartment and a new gig -- bodyguard and detective work. And in New York City, where preternatural beings stalk the streets just like normal folk, business is good.

Their latest case has them going undercover for the Kin, the werewolf Mafia. A low-level Kin boss thinks a rival is setting him up for a fall, and wants proof. The place to start is the back room of Moonshine, a gambling club for nonhumans. Cal thinks it's a simple in-and-out job. But Cal is very, very wrong.

Cal and Niko are set up themselves -- and the people behind it have bites much worse than their barks.

I'm definitely going to pick up the first book in this series called, "Nightlife."

Once again another weekend is gone but many pleasant memories remain. Since the weather was perfect we spent a lot of time outside, puttering around the yard. When I say we, I mean the hubby and I, of course. :D

We did a lot of walking at the mall on Saturday. The hubby got himself a new cell phone and I picked up more books. (naturally) These are the new editions to my library.

1. "Doppelganger," by Marie Brennan. Here's the bit off the back cover: "When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives?"

2. "Warrior Angel," by Margaret and Lizz Weis. I've always been a big fan of Weis and her Dragonlance books and was surprised to find her writing a "paranormal romance" with her daughter. Hope it's as interesting as it sounds.

3. "Declassified: Chaos Theory," by John Whitman. It's an original Jack Bauer Novel based on the hit series 24. I'm a big 24 fan so I thought I'd give this a try.

4. "Moonshine," by Rob Thurman. This is the one I started on. It's about 2 brothers who tackle preternatural beings in New York. So far I'm loving this book. The concept is slightly reminiscent of the tv show, Supernatural. The author, Rob Thurman is actually a female with a live journal account. robgoodfella Check it out.

Clear skies on Saturday meant pulling out the telescope...and the digital camera. ( Astronomy Pictures )

The hubby grilled sausages on Sunday. Yummers! Then we caught up on anime watching and finished off another Netflix disc of "Supernatural" before tuning into Food Network to watch the "Next Food Network Star." All in all, it was an enjoyable weekend.

As promised...( The moon nearly hugging Venus )

I took that picture Saturday night and really lucked out because a few minutes later the clouds rolled in. Rain followed off and on throughout Sunday. We really needed rain.

I'm sitting here in disbelief over the fact that I've only managed to read 3 books this year so far. Sheesh, there was once a time I read 3 books a week! That was before the internet took over my life. lol It really is an addiction, but I guess there are worse things to be addicted to. I might work on a web page later to keep track of the books I read each year. Maybe that will be the incentive I need to dive into the pile of books sitting around here collecting dust.

Latest Netflix rental: "Running with Scissors." What a strange movie! But it left me with the notion to start writing a memoir of my life, especially the early years. No doubt it would be boring to the masses, but my kids or grandkids might get a kick out of reading it someday when I'm long gone. I often wish my parents or grandparents enjoyed writing and would've left some of their thoughts and hopes on paper for me to read but that wasn't the case. Writing about my past might even prove to be rather cathartic now that I think about it. Well, this is another project I must add to my "to do" list.

Tonight is the 2 hour season finale of "24." I'm really stoked about it! It wasn't the greatest season yet it wasn't bad enough to turn me off completely. All shows have their high points as well as their low points, and loyal fans stick around no matter what right?

I'm fairly caught up with Heroes now thanks to the marathon that aired on Sci Fi network this weekend. Hubby is going to try to record the season finale on our old VCR recorder since it airs against 24. Hope it works.

Urban Word of the Day: puzzle butt -- the crack in a monopoly board. "The dice landed right on the puzzle butt." Check out more interesting words at Urban Dictionary

I walked to the local restaurant this morning and finished reading, "Hot Stuff" by Evanovich and Banks over a breakfast of oatmeal, toast, and plenty of coffee. It was a lighthearted book that made me crack a smile often. I'm still working on, "Map of Bones" by James Rollins. It started off great, with lots of action and intrigue that held my interest but it began to bog down in the middle. I'm determined to finish it though.

Started working on my drawing of Ed from Full Metal Alchemist yesterday. I decided to try inking it using the Paint.net program and was pleasantly surprised to discover it was easier for me to ink it in Paint.net than in Paint Shop Pro. I saved it as a bitmap, then opened it in PSP to color since I use the smudge tool a lot and couldn't find the tool on Paint.net.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. The final product is ( Behind the cut )

I used to read several books a week until I got hooked on the internet. Then I started spending every minute of my free time learning html so I could transfer the fantasy world we used in our tabletop dungeon and dragons game to a web site. Along with working on that, I cruised the net looking for writers to join me in bringing characters to life in this fantasy world. Of course that led to my making a message board complete with graphics, like maps and banners and...well the rest is history. But now that all of that is behind me, I have time to read again. Yah! I've missed having my mind get lost in a good book.

Since the hubby had a vacation day from work on Friday we spend a couple of hours at the mall, popping in and out of various stores until we came to Borders where we spend most of our time. For years I read nothing but fantasy, and after a long look through that section of the shop, I realized how far behind I am in series I began reading several years ago. I still have part 3 and 4 of George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" to finish. Those books have been sitting here collecting dust for some time. I enjoyed the series but again, I couldn't find the time to read since I was too busy doing gobs of things online. After visiting Mr. Martin's LJ and learning he's still working on Book #5 in that series I decided to hold off and eventually start reading it from the very beginning. I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of what happened in the earlier books.

For now I think I'll stay away from trilogies and the like because I cringe at the thought of having to wait a year or more for the next installment to be released. I've also decided to broaden my horizons by reading more than just fantasy. With that in mind I started on, "Map of Bones," by James Rollins. It's slightly reminiscent of "The Da Vinci Code" with plenty of action and intrigue. Okay, I'm a bit of an action freak.

I also picked up Neil Gaiman's, "Anansi Boys" since I loved his "American Gods." For something lighthearted I decided to try "Hot Stuff" by Janet Evanovich and Leanne Banks.

Now, with book in hand, I'm off to sit out on the deck and read for a while. Later, it's pizza, animes, and an apple martini or two.