So here we are, on the eve of the election. Get out there and vote tomorrow folks - preferably for Obama! Either way you vote, however - be sure to make an informed decision. There are no excuses - there's a ton of media out there on this wonderful box we call the internets - at least visit the candidates websites and see where they stand before you cast the ballot tomorrow.

Aus isn't feeling well today - and he had to work some overtime at work , so when he came home he went right to sleep. There's a cold going around too - my brother Ron is sick, and Jeanette. I've got a touch of some sinus thing that I've been taking the meds for - but I probably should just irrigate them with the neti pot because that seems to ward these things off much better. Even our betta is sick - poor guy seems to have Ick. Time to get some medicine for him.

Picked up a little leftover Halloween candy today. Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses are the shit! All the best parts of candy corn and kisses wrapped up into one yummy candy.

I'm up to 11,757 on the NaNo word count - which looks like this on the meter (back by popular, okay, one friend - request!) Remember, you can read the novel in progress at heckromancy if you join.

11757 / 50000 words. 24% done!

Go Phillies! I don't really follow sports, but I'm happy they won the world series. I was at the 1980 game when they won last time - I went with my dad and my brothers. It was pretty cool, if I recall, and we had semi-decent seats even. I was ten, so I don't remember a ton of details other than that. It does make me miss my dad somewhat though- he would have been really happy the Phils won again. He was a lifelong lover of baseball - he even played in the minor leagues and coached little league baseball when my brothers were little. Of course, by the time I came around, he was mostly a couch potato when he wasn't working- but I've heard stories.

I picked up some Halloweeen shirts on super clearance at Fashion Bug - got three shirts for two dollars each, woo! One is a sparkly pumpkin, one is sparkly candy corn, and one says 'Feeling Witchy' and has a witch on it.

Any other South Jersey folks doing NaNo this year? They're having a kickoff tomorrow night at Casciano's sweetery on the main drag in Hammonton from 7-9. Anyone going? Baring any bad circumstance, I'll be there! I'll be wearing a Halloween shirt and an 'Ask Me About My Novel' sticker. They're also going to have write-ins at Mays Landing Borders on Saturdays in November, but they start at a yucky time - 10 am! Can anyone write that early? I don't think I can.

I have to go to the pet store and get the betta a heater tomorrow- temperature is getting too cold in his tank and I cannot find the heater from last year. Grr.

1. I have decorated my journal for Halloween!

2. We have a new fishie - his name is Hydro, and he's a crowntail hybrid betta with red/turquoise/green scales.

3. Today, I found a toy (a squeaky octopus) from my childhood. It is a thirty-some year old squeaky toy - it still squeaks, too. Yay octopus!

4. Today we saw Steve getting a backrub from a girl. We asked if he was dating the girl, and he replied "Mom, lots of girls give me backrubs- I don't date them all."

5. I have decided to write Summer's Last Stand as my Nano project. Thanks to all who weighed in with comments, IMs, and emails. I even got an email from my friend Bernd in Germany. I didn't even knew he read my LJ. Hi Bernd!

Well, our poor old betta fish died today. I changed his water and he flipped out and had a fishie seizure and died. I feel guilty, like I somehow caused his death by stressing him out - but at the same time he was old for a betta and he'd been sickly for a while so I know that's the real reason.

The kids have also been acting like complete jerks lately - it's really very stressful.

Aus's job is going well so far though - today they did some computer training, and he said their systems were acting up a bit but what he learned was easy enough to follow.

I need to find some quiet time to work on interviews and reviews. But it seems that by the time I get a moment's peace, I'm so exhausted from the stress that there's nothing I can do anyhow.

So let's see.. in other news...

Bad things:
- still no word from the job Aus interviewed for - possibly another bit of false hope
- betta fish is sick , possibly just constipated, possibly dying
- lost a band lackey job
- no interview for column

Good things:
- went to the zoo Monday with mom and my brothers
- sold a couple of books this week
- finished book review for The Smart One
- finished Stouffers frozen dinner review
- wrote a poem/song thing (well, would be a song if I could write music)
- have two columns planned out


Still to do:
- Designated Daughter review
- read / review Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead
- write column


I have one more book to read after that too, but it hasn't arrived yet.

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."-Kurt Vonnegut

Not too much to talk about, really. The doctor's visit brought more medication.

In animal news, I changed the hermit crab's sand today, and I put in some hot pinkish sand in with the normal white and the coconut substrate. It looks rather like a torte cake, layered like that. It's pretty. Two out of three crabs changed shells lately - Destiny got into a new shell, then Angel came and took her old shell. Shelly is still obstinately staying in the same shell we got her in three years ago. Sometimes she gets out of it and tries on a new shell for a few minutes - but she always returns to her old one. Picky crab. Got a heater for Chaos Betta - the expensive kind, 'cause I didn't want to accidentally cook him. I got the kind that you can set to a specific temperature, and it's accurate within one degree, instead of having to guess with 'high' and 'low'.

Redesigned Jenny's myspace today- I'm not entirely sure I'm content with how it's come out. I still have to do some other stuff to it, like change the top eight.

Tomorrow I'm going to be running some errands, going to the historical society, maybe getting around to cleaning my coin some.

I think I might be joining Weight Watchers. I've been losing about two pounds a month or so on my own, but I've got a lot of weight that I want to lose - so I think I'm going to try that.

It's already mid-October, and I'm so far behind where I want to be writing-wise. I haven't gotten many revisions done, and I haven't gotten a very clear summary or plan for the new work. I really need to get things together before November. Other things I'm really behind on include crocheting a scarf I wanted to make, and getting things situated for our trip to MA to visit Rick and Gynn.

Arbitration yesterday went well enough, though it was very tiring. I'm STILL tired, let's put it that way. And my back was acting up from sitting on uncomfortable court chairs.

Last night after all that, we went to see my brother Ron give another history talk. This one was about how the iron industry of South Jersey in the 1700-1800's caused a feudal-like system to develop.It was really educational.

Today I'm just relaxing because I can't shake the tiredness. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive.

Chaos Betta is getting huge- I think he's doubled in size since we got him.

For the curious, why yes, steak wrapped in bacon was like a mouthgasm of meatastic goodness.

Chaos Betta is super cute. If you watch him, he'll swim over and watch you. When you open the top of the tank to feed him, he swims on up to take the food from you. It's pretty neat - I never knew fish could be that cool and interactive. And of course, when he sees his own reflection he freaks out and tries to get himself - which is kind of funny.

I went to Sweetwater today and had lunch , then stopped into their little gift shop ... and bought myself a chihuahua statue. It's wearing a sombrero and standing on a boot and poncho. It reminds me of the dog on the postcard Michael's mother sent him on his 17th birthday. It's up on top of my computer. Michael hates it.

All the kids are staying at friends houses tonight- so it's nice and quiet and peaceful.

Betta-land

How do you take pictures of fish? This was pretty hard...

( You can kinda see him...Collapse )

The past couple of days have been good, though I haven't been much for writing them down...

Here's some highlights...

( The Elected concertCollapse )

( The bettaCollapse )

( The bookstoreCollapse )

And that's pretty much what I've been up to... oh, other than applying to join a Camelot RPG as "Brave Sir Robin". Woo!