Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the Sixth (Neck Crick Guy)

Let’s start off with a bit of bait and switch, shall we? (But wait, you’re thinking… What?)

See the guy in front? Nope, he’s not the focus on this post. However, he leads us here…

…to that guy in the background. Whatever shall we call him? How about Neck Crick Guy, or NCG for short? Works for me. (And hey, you’re stuck with it!) I know NCG is sort of hard to see in this next cover, but he does have a lovely tattoo now.

Oh, so you’d like to see that tattoo a little more clearly? Can do… but you’ll have to hold that thought for a few more pictures, ‘k?

Run, NCG! Run! Run! That guy has a mutant flashlight saber and things do not look good!

O noes, NCG! What happened to your head?! Did the mean man with the mutant flashlight saber carve off part of your skull?!

I’m sure the nice naked lady will make you all better.

Or maybe this nice naked lady will make you all better…

Fine. Be that way. Maybe this nice naked boy will it make you all better.

Ok, now you can get another glimpse of that shoulder tattoo… Wait! Who stuck a sword through your head, NCG?!

I guess those nice naked bois weren’t so nice, huh? How about a nice dressed lady for a change?

Anyway. What is it with vampires, bloody faces, and an attack of blond hair growth? It’s not the first time we’ve seen this phenomenon – remember when it happened to poor Candy Cane Guy?

Be careful out there, kids. This cover modeling stuff is

and obviously not for the faint of heart.

Keeping that in mind, I’ve saved the most dangerous aspect of cover modeling and vampirism for last. Brace yourselves…

Yeah, I have no idea WTF, either.


“O noes, Mom! Will that poor man’s neck be stuck like that forever?! Wait, what do you mean my face may freeze like this?!” -Mayhem

New and even more improved linkity post, now featuring bullets and subheadings!

Look for Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Sixth) tomorrow! Although I already have enough new covers of Candy Cane Guy for another post (or two…), we’ll give him a break and meet someone new tomorrow.


Contests

  • Chappysmom is having a Chuck (tv show) trivia contest – check out the details and participate quickly, because the deadline to enter is January 15 at noon EST. Prizes include 12 skeins of Sublime yarn, Chuck Season One on Blu-Ray, and a dvd on knitting cables.

Bookity Stuff

  • TeleRead also has a good beginner’s guide to using Calibre, an open-source ebook management tool. I don’t actually use Calibre to transfer books to my Astak (because the Astak’s directory structure isn’t maintained when using Calibre), but I do use it to normalize file names and convert formats.
  • Fun – a book cover archive… not for ebooks, alas. (I was hoping it would be a good research tool for my Misadventures series.)

Randoms

  • Oh, look, you can make your own Twinkies (hmm, nice that this is right after the fitness item). Since the cake recipe only has 1/3 cup of flour, it should convert to gluten-free quite easily. Hmm.
  • This link is here for no other reason than that I thought the picture was cute.

Humorous Bits

Reading Update
True Colors by Clare London. ebook. This turned out to be a very good and intense m/m romance after a sort of shaky start – I almost put the book away because there were so many different people introduced in the first few pages and I couldn’t figure out who was important and who was peripheral. But in the end? Totally redeemed, because Clare London deftly tied in those seemingly extraneous introductory bits.
Broken by Dawn Kimberly Johnson. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a guy who was seriously injured when his partner was killed during a gay bashing two years before the story starts.
Miss Me? and Coming Out for Christmas (Miss Me, Book 2) by Mel Spenser. ebook and ebook short. Miss Me? is a decent m/m romantic suspense about Andy, a librarian who gets involved with Nick when Nick is in the library looking for cookbooks. Both of them then have to deal with a dangerous stalker who’s been harassing Andy for the last year. In Coming Out for Christmas, Ryan, one of Andy’s relatives, is staying with Andy and Nick over his college’s Christmas break when he realizes he’s gay. Miss Me? is definitely the stronger of the two stories.
Giving Thanks by Maura Anderson. ebook short. Ok Thanksgiving m/m romance about a couple dealing with the after effects of one of them coming out to his family and getting punched by his dad.
Bittersweet by Maura Anderson. ebook short. Very good m/m romance about a chocolatier making chocolates for a bridal shower who becomes fascinated by the man of honor when he picks up the chocolates. Both Bittersweet and Giving Thanks are also part of the Hot Comfort collection (next). (I already had these shorts when I won Hot Comfort over at Reviews by Jessewave last month.)
Hot Comfort by Luisa Prieto, Kimberly Gardner, Jet Mykles, and Maura Anderson. Collection of food-related m/m romances, with a cover that might look a little familiar. 😉 Although I already had the Maura Anderson and Jet Mykles stories, I hadn’t read the delightful “Cooking with Ergot” by Luisa Prieto (who signed my copy of Hot Comfort!) nor the very enjoyable “The Shape of a Heart” by Kimberly Gardner.
One Way Street by Laney Cairo. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a closeted Aussie rules footballer who gets really sick and turns to the guy he left without a word the previous year.
No One But You (Shining Victory, Book 2) by K.C. Kendricks. ebook. Whoops. I haven’t read the first book. Oh well. I’m not sure that would have helped me be less annoyed by the guys in this May-December m/m romance.
Give Me One Night by K.C. Kendricks. ebook. This was another m/m romance that I was “meh” about – the insta-love didn’t work very well for me. Plus I still had some big questions left at the end, things that really felt as if they needed to be tied up before the story ended but weren’t.
Beautiful Disaster by J.M. Snyder. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about two guys who are in a pop duo.
Just Friends by Anne Thomas. ebook. Surprisingly good, slightly kinky m/m romance about a guy who’s had crush on his best friend for a while, then follows him to a leather club… I picked up both this and Beautiful Disaster when they were Amber Quill Press Daily Deals – I’m much more willing to try a book that I’m not sure I’ll like or that might be a bit outside my comfort zone when it’s 75% off.
Taming the Wolf and Unleashing the Jaguar (Animal Attraction, Books 1 & 3) by Michelle Houston. ebook shorts. Look! Do you recognize those abs and that towel on Unleashing the Jaguar?! Darn it. I missed this one before. Anyway. I read the second book (Embracing the Leopard) last summer, but it doesn’t matter, since these are all completely unrelated, other than all being short m/m romances about shapeshifters finding their mates and all inspiring the same “ho-hum” response from me.
The Wolfe Proxy by T.D. McKinney and Terry Wylis. ebook. While the storyline for this m/m romance had potential, the intermittently overdone writing kept pulling me out of the story as I flinched at particularly florid phrasing. Add insta-love, and… *sigh*
Weighted Measure by Chris Owen. ebook short. Nicely done m/m romance short about a computer geek who nearly lives online trying to find balance with a drummer who nearly lives out and about.


“Whoa. That must’ve been some of the spiked ‘nip the big kitty was talking about.” -Mayhem

In which I discuss stories about black cats and include a knitting picture

  • I think I’m only going to have nightmares about one or two cases.
  • Forgot about that one! I actually have Catnap, the first book, which combines knitting and black cats.
  • Then I remembered another black cat book – a free ebook by Cat Johnson called Black Cat.

  • Mayhem’s definitely not old enough to read that one!
  • Speaking of knitting (I did! Really! Look back a few bullets and you’ll see!), some of you have expressed concern that I no longer knit.
  • Not true!
  • I do still knit, albeit very, very, very slowly.
  • I continue to have neck and back pain; knitting for more than very short periods definitely aggravates things.
  • So, allow me to present the Eternal Sock of Eternity that I’ve been working on for, um, six weeks or so.
  • I’ve started the cuff ribbing!
  • Why, yes, this is the first sock of a pair.
  • What’s your point?

“What the heck is that thing on the floor?!” -Chaos

“Oh, look, unattended yarn. My favorite!” -Mayhem

The yarn is Trekking 100 and the stitch pattern is Charade. I think. It’s been such a long time since I started it… 😉

Ebook Giveaway: Not Quite Wicked, with stories by Mia Watts, Dakota Rebel, Bronwyn Green, and Brynn Paulin [CONTEST CLOSED]

Many thanks to authors Mia Watts, Dakota Rebel, Bronwyn Green, and Brynn Paulin, who have donated ebook copies of their scorching hot January 19 Resplendence Publishing releases (constituting the Not Quite Wicked collection) for one lucky commenter! The Not Quite Wicked books retell old fairy tales and nursery rhymes, suggesting that the bad guys maybe weren’t so bad after all… just misunderstood and oversexed. 😉

Heart of Ice by Brynn Paulin (being a retelling of the Snow Queen)

Kai is perfectly unhappy with his life. Cast into a role as shop boy and forced into marriage to save his family, he sees nothing good in his future. In fact, his betrothed, Gerda, seems to hate everything he enjoys. Especially winter and his attraction to dominating his partners. His prospects look grim…until the Snow Queen arrives.

Wyn has spent her life alone, living vicariously through those who love winter. When she learns of Kai’s predicament, she knows she must save him. If only she could save herself. She craves his dominance, but there’s one tiny thing standing in their way. No human can touch her without experiencing chilly agony. And that might bring any relationship to an icy death.

About Brynn: When it comes to books and movies, Brynn has one rule: there must be a happy ending. After that one requirement, anything goes. And it just might in her books.

She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children, who love her despite her occasional threats to smite them. They humor her and let her think she’s a goddess…as long as she provides homemade chocolate chip cookies on a regular basis. Brynn has conducted workshops at several writers’ conferences around the country and enjoys mentoring and meeting new people.

According to Brynn, her writing success can be attributed to an eclectic collection of music, her local road construction crews, a trusty notebook, and of course, her husband, Mr. Inspiration, who puts up with a lot in the name of research.

Open Sesame by Mia Watts (being a contemporary m/m retelling of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves)

Alister Baban overheard a business discussion which netted him and his Uncle Cassimer a lot of money. When the Simsim Group stock crashes and declares bankruptcy within weeks, the owners immediately suspect the Babans of playing dirty.

Oz Adamo, one of four brothers who owned Simsim Group, agrees to abduct Alister to obtain information and win back the lost pensions of former employees.

Tied to a bed and lusting after his captor, Alister fights the sexual attraction he has for Oz. They want information and he isn’t about to give it. But Oz loves a good challenge and shrewd, serious, sexy Alister is naked and his – at least for now.

Um… Ain’t nothin’ suggestive about that apple, eh?!

About Mia: Mia makes her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she divides her time between a job and spying on people. Mia enjoys long walks in Como Park (except for the damn geese), daisies, dancing in the snow…(Delete prior sentence, meant for personal ad)…

Mr. Perfect may apply in person for a thorough evaluation and trial. All others will be towed.

Wolf in Mens Clothing by Dakota Rebel (being a contemporary m/m retelling of Little Red Riding Hood)

Little Red Riding Hood has nothing on Rhys. On his way to his grandmother’s house Rhys’ car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately for him there is a big, bad rescuer watching and waiting to sweep him off his feet.

About Dakota: Dakota lives in Detroit, Michigan. She loves the city at night and the shopping during the day. She loves David Bowie and vampire movies, The Beatles and Dolly Parton. She is partial to pixie sticks and cannot stand nuts…in her food. She will always believe that pizza is the perfect food. She is as much in love with her partner as she is with herself. And she will be the first to tell you how incredibly witty she is. She doesn’t believe in lipstick but won’t leave the house without eyeliner. She is fiercely political and can often be found ranting around her house and the internet on any given topic. She still won’t admit whether or not she really believes that vampires exist. And if you let her, she can convince you she doesn’t know how to ride a bicycle.

Just Right by Bronwyn Green (being a contemporily naughty version of Goldilocks and the Three Bares Bears)

When Department of Natural Resources officer, Gwendolyn Locke, hits a black bear on the way home from work one night, her entire view of reality changes. She discovers that shape shifters exist and she’s just become Goldilocks to three, gorgeous, very aroused men who also happen to be werebears. Being snowbound has never been so hot.

About Bronwyn: Bronwyn lives in Michigan with her wonderful husband, two amazing sons and six somewhat-psychotic cats. When not tormenting her characters, she can usually be found helping with reading and writing projects in her sons’ classrooms as well as providing child care and tutoring for several daycare children. Besides writing, she also enjoys reading, knitting, sewing, cross stitching, pottery, drawing – basically anything that helps her avoid cleaning and cooking.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CST, Tuesday, January 19.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only luck and sacrificing a herd of dust bison will salvage your entry…
  • Winner will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

Good luck!


“I’m sulking, Mom. You never give away books about black kitties. Why is that?” -Mayhem

Um, any authors out there with a book about black kitties that they’d like to donate for a contest?!

In which I admit to being a desktop icon minimalist

Jeanne and I periodically talk about computer desktops and out-of-control icons – she has a family member whose entire desktop is covered with icons, and neither of us can figure out how that person can find anything.

I’ve always been sort of a desktop icon minimalist, as you can tell from this January 2007 post. (I actually don’t have the laptop in that post anymore; it was passed on to Jeanne’s icon junkie family member!)

Here’s my current desktop with its single icon (click picture to embiggen). Yup, still a Rurouni Kenshin wallpaper; this computer is also named Kenshin. Usually the bottom bar is hidden, too, but I found the artist and song title amusing enough to include in the screen shot. 🙂

Is your computer desktop cluttered or sparse? What do you use for wallpaper?

Tangent: I freshened up my blog’s sidebar over the weekend. The sidebar now has a tag cloud… and maybe I’ll actually get tags fixed on posts so that someone other than me can see them!


“Why aren’t you throwing my green mouse for me, Mom? I brought it back.” -Mayhem

Book Giveaway: Sleep No More by Susan Crandall [CONTEST CLOSED]

Many thanks to the Hatchette Book Group for providing five copies of Susan Crandall’s new romantic suspense, Sleep No More, for me to give away!

The night was always Abby Whitman’s enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again-with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts-and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind.

RWA RITA award-winner Susan Crandall delivers a heart-pounding romantic suspense novel that will appeal to fans of New York Times bestselling authors Karen Rose, Brenda Novak, and Beverly Barton.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CST, Wednesday, January 13.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only luck and sacrificing some dust bunnies will salvage your entry…
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • Only residents of the US and Canada are eligible to win.
  • No PO Boxes.

Good luck!


“Hmph. Why did the big kitty get the best lap spot? I’m much cuter.” -Mayhem

“Neener neener neener.” -Chaos

Whole lotta linkity goin’ on

I’m going to experiment with this post and I’d like your opinions – is it easier to read linkity posts with or without bullets? Discuss. (And thank you for your input!)

  • J, Kaye’s giving away a $25 US Amazon gift certificate or up to $25 at the Book Depository in three separate contests: Canada, US, and outside the US/Canada. Read the rules carefully! Winners will be announced January 30 and are responsible for checking the blog to see if they’ve won.
  • If you sign up for the 2010 M/M Romance Challenge by January 31, you’ll be entered for a chance to win $15 ebook bucks from All Romance eBooks!
  • Author Marta Acosta has all sorts of fun blog sidebar badges, such as for the Naked David Boreanz Club, the Association for the Admiration of Edward Cullen, the Gerard Butler Is Hawt Society, and the Jacob Black Society for Werewolf Acceptance.
  • Do not click this link if you are easily offended by graphic ice sculpture. Please. I implore you. Yes, I took the featured photo, but you’ll notice I haven’t featured it on my blog. Consider the various book covers I have featured before you click, ok? (It is not a cat picture, if that helps.)
  • Although the experience of reading a physical book is different than that of reading an ebook, does it really matter to readers? (I gotta say that I’m liking reading ebooks more than physical books these days.)
  • TeleRead reports on the most pirated books of 2009The Kamasutra and Adobe Photoshop Secrets held the top spots. The only best-selling authors to make it into the top 25 were Dan Brown, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer, and J. K. Rowling. None of Rowling’s books have even been released as ebooks, which instead of protecting them seems to be a lost revenue opportunity.
  • Even though I told Trek that I suck at guessing contests, I won not only her guessing contest of some months ago (dollar value of an unknown number of quarters that fit into a particular tea tin), but also Nicole’s recent contest (how many books she’d read by the end of the year). Hmm. Perhaps I don’t suck at guessing contests after all? (Thanks to Nicole and Trek!)
  • This DIY magnetized coffee cozy is very cool and very clever! Heck, I can see the potential for sticking my coffee to my car when I’m rummaging for my keys. (And, wait, I already have a coffee cozy from Caribou Coffee with a mysterious zipper pocket on it – this might actually make the pocket useful!)

Reading Update
Chicken Soup for the Soul, and All That Crap: A Tigers & Devils Short by Sean Kennedy. free ebook short. Very sweet short that takes place while Declan’s recuperating from his surgery.
Warrior’s Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about about a waiter and the mysterious guy who sits in his section every Tuesday evening. I cried more than once while reading this. My only complaint is that I wanted just a little more substance (or maybe detail or maybe time) at the ending.
The One That Got Away (Second Edition) by Rhianne Aile and Madeleine Urban. ebook. Excellent m/m romance – I’d read the original version, but who could resist the new version with added scenes? (Although, sad to say, the second edition still has inconsistencies about David’s age – he fusses about how awful his 45th birthday was, but then is referred to as 42 for the rest of the book.) One of the differences I noticed was that Trace’s cat was now named Mabel instead of Gail and and she had an entire enjoyable subplot devoted to her. (Plus she’s a black kitty. Really, what’s not to like?)
Rules of Engagement by L. A. Witt. ebook. Very good m/m romance (that I had a hard time putting down) about a recently divorced guy who finds himself powerfully drawn to a guy he meets playing pool in a bar. Yes, I got sniffly, so you know there was some angst. I think my only complaint was the abruptness of the ending. I really liked this quote from one of the other characters: “If I knew how a lot of my relationships would have turned out, I never would have gotten involved in them…. And I would have missed out on some of the best times in my life.” (Of course, for me, I would also have missed out on some of the worst times in my life – you?)
Uncorked by Andrew Grey. ebook. This m/m romance is set several years after Bottled Up; Sam and Sean of Bottled Up play more of a peripheral role in this one. I’ll confess that while the beginning of this story didn’t really grab me, the middle did, but then I just wanted to smack heads together at the end. Make of that what you will. 🙂
Just Like Scrooge by Clare London. ebook short. Imagine The Christmas Carol redone (and redone well) as an m/m romance set in modern times.
In the Closet by Clare London. ebook short. Cute m/m romance about two feuding guys whose coworkers lock them in the cleaning closet to work out their differences… although maybe the coworkers didn’t expect the form that process would take…
Special Delivery by Cassandra Gold. ebook short. Sweet m/m romance short about a secretary and a delivery guy.
Fantasies: Independence Day by Cassandra Gold. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s finally had enough of his father running every aspect of his life, so he escapes to work as a waiter at a Hawaiian resort. (Total points for style on that one.)
Reunion by Vic Winter. ebook short. In this enjoyable m/m romance, the ostracized high school nerd returns for his ten-year reunion as a fit, handsome millionaire ready to shove his success in his former classmates’ faces.
Christmas for Gary by Vic Winter. ebook short. Gary’s spending some time with his very active grandmother and her friends, who are determined to find a boyfriend for him, no matter how much they embarrass him in the process.
A-Viking by Kiernan Kelly. ebook short. Ok time travel m/m romance about a Viking who mysteriously washes up on a contemporary Florida beach after his longboat capsizes.
Re-Ignition by A.R. Moler. ebook short. Good m/m romance about a former FBI agent who’s not doing so well after a career-ending injury, until he wakes up hungover, in bed with someone he doesn’t recognize.
When Work Is a Pleasure by Alix Blevins. ebook. While this m/m romance was well done, I had a problem (my very own problem and not necessarily that of the book) with how relatively easily a reporter dealt with his new boyfriend’s career as a pr0n star.
InDescent by K.Z. Snow. ebook. Another very good m/m romance that I had trouble with – this time, it was because of one of the main character being emotionally and physically involved with two other people. Not a menage (which I hate), but still – I kept getting stuck there. However! This was still a very cool story about a wizard/woodworker living in Milwaukee who notices that there’s suddenly an awful lot of paranormal activity in the city… (And really, what’s not to like about a story that has Baba Yaga’s hut in a Milwaukee city park?)


My life sucks.” -Chaos

Escalation

I’ve lived with the bungee cords on the closets for years – ever since Chaos figured out how get the sliding doors open.

Bungee cords are quick and easy to fasten and unfasten, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Over the weekend, Chaos taught himself how to open cupboards, to ill effect (from my perspective, at least). Escalation was required.

“I really don’t like the look of that.” -Chaos

“I really don’t like the look of that, either.” -Chaos

*applies cupboard opening technique*

“Why do you hate me, Mom?” -Chaos

Sadly, cabinet locks are not quite as quick and easy to use as bungee cords.

Please forgive the odd colors in most of these pictures – the lighting in my kitchen continually defeats my poor camera!

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Fifth, or Hello, Again, Candy Cane Guy)

I know, I know, I thought we were done with Candy Cane Guy, too! Apparently he’s not done with us…

Remember when he lost his trademark jeans in that tragic fire? Apparently he didn’t have any trouble finding a place to stay after the fire.

But then he learned about the dangers of hunger and got really worried…

…so he had to grab some breakfast.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

…he was up to no good, I’m sure.

And then things got a little crowded and complicated. O_o

But in the end, he was left out in the cold, all alone.

Maybe he’s learned a lesson?! Nah. I bet we’ll see him again someday…

So it’s kind of fun to see some of the original stock images. Does this look familiar?

How about this?

And of course, how could we forget that classic pose that started it all?


“My goodness, Mom, that boy seems very naughty to me. Probably even naughtier than the big kitty.” -Mayhem

“So this is the new year, and I have no resolutions.”

– Death Cab for Cutie, “The New Year”

  • I had this grand plan of having a 2009 in review post all ready to go for today.
    • I even worked on it at Spyhouse Coffee Friday!
    • Well, sort of worked and sort of hung out with CJ while she sort of worked, too (click on the comic to embiggen):


    (idea totally glommed from Paperback Writer)

    • Anyway, that was before I worked a full day Sunday and my schedule got all messed up.
    • My work week is Monday through Friday, barring a crisis.
    • There was a crisis.
    • The Y2010 Crisis, to be exact.
    • Or would that be Y2K10?
    • It was caused, for my company, by programmers (at two separate external vendors) who apparently dealt with Y2K very sloppily.
    • Thus instead of 2009 rolling smoothly over into 2010, it rolled over into… 2000.
    • My quickie fix to get us back up and running will only work until 2019, but hey, at least we know there’s a problem this time and that we have nine years to fix it!
    • Anyone want to take bets what we’ll be working on December 31, 2018? 😉
    • Chaos puked on a library book with deckle-edged pages (thanks for that bit of book trivia, Marji!).
    • It looks like something far, far worse happened to the book.
    • I believe that I have just purchased Visions in White by Nora Roberts.
    • No way am I taking the book in to the library. I’m just going to tell them it was lost.
    • They don’t need to see what it looks like. Trust me on this one.
    • Let’s see, what else has been going on? Oh! It’s been bitterly cold here.
    • Saturday morning it was -17F/-27.2C (not counting windchill) at 9:30 am when I went out to make sure my car would start so I could drive to a family gathering 60 miles away.
    • It started. Go, car!
    • Some of you from colder climes will already know this, but at -17F, when you drop into your car seat? It has no give whatsoever.
    • Your face starts to stiffen up moments after being outside, too.
    • And your home tends to make alarming booming sounds as it contracts. O_o
    • Good thing our family gathering turned out to be a lot of fun, eh?
    • My stepmom made gluten-free lasagna!
    • And my SIL made chocolate-covered gluten-free pretzels for me to bring home!
    • How has the New Year been treating all of you?

    “Whoa. Who spiked the ‘nip on New Year’s?!” -Chaos