Cloudy Skies

The weather here in my neck of the woods (Southwestern Texas) has been rainy of late...which is good because we needed the rain. It's also good because I like grey, rainy days. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy sunny blue skies as well, but sometimes I like to take in a dark, rainy day. I like it a lot better if I have the day off, then I can sit and watch the rain for as long as I please...or read a book, or maybe watch a movie as the rain falls outside. I like when the house is dark, even with the blinds open in the daytime. I also got to walk home from work in the rain a couple of times this week....I don't mind getting wet as long as I'm going home. I remember years ago when I was walking home and it started to hail. I covered my eyes as the hail fell from above...I was wearing a tank top, so the hailstones left marks on my chest , arms, and shoulders where they hit me. That's not so much fun.

The sun gets all the good press, but I think the dark, rainy, grey day is vastly underrated.

Odin Update

My dog Odin is doing better. He's back to eating, and his liver values are slowly going back down to normal levels.

I want to thank everyone that has written with kind words and thoughts...it seems like I've had several generous helpings of bad luck lately, but all of your good wishes really mean a lot to me. Thanks.

Now my dog is ill...

My dog (and best friend ) Odin is sick now...I can't seem to get a break lately. I took him in because I intended to clean his teeth, but his appetite has been down, which is very unusual for him. Turns out his liver values were high. What is it with my pets and their livers? I'm the one who should have a bad liver, not them...and I'd rather it was me who was sick, even though I just got over being sick, than Odin. The Dr. doesn't think it's too bad yet, but he's on meds and I've got him on IV fluids tonight, and will take him back in tomorrow. I did get him to eat some canned food this evening, though he didn't want to take his medicine(not that I blame him ). Other than the lack of appetite, he seems fine...he doesn't act like a sick pooch. Right now he's laying next to me, his IV dripping away. I'll sit in here with him for the next couple of hours 'till he gets his fluids for the night. I hope I can get him through this...I don't know what I'd do without him. I realize that a pet's time is limited, and he is 13 years old, but I'm not ready to lose him, especially right now. ..I've lost enough family and pets lately.The fact that he ate tonight and his temperature is normal makes me think he'll be OK, but I can't help but think the worst, even when I hope for the best. Raven got over her illness, I hope that Odin can beat his, too. I'm going to do everything that I can for him. He means the world to me.

Highland Games

Last weekend the Highland games took place here in San Antonio. It's not a huge affair, but there's plenty of events, vendors, food and beer to keep one occupied for a while. This year there were some Viking re-enactors stging battles...made me want to jump in (note: next year bring battle axe and sword).

One of the attendees brought his Irish wolfhound along...he was huge, but a gentle giant. Everyone loved him.

Besides several rounds of Scottish ale , I purchased a flag, and I think it's the perfect one for me...the neighbors aught to love it.

Hope you all had a good weekend, and have a good week ahead...take care!

Literary Maven Meme

Over at Shauna Roberts' blog(see link at the right) she posted a meme that I wanted to take a stab at. This will probably show how un-intellectual and poorly -read I am, but what the Hell, here goes:



1) What author do you own the most books by? Robert E.Howard.



2) What book do you own the most copies of? Kull, by Robert E. Howard



3) Did it bother you that both these questions ended with a preposition? No.



4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with? I don't think I'm in love with any fictional character, but I guess if I had to pick one, it would be Belit, title character of the story 'Queen of the Black Coast'...any gal who leads pirates and does a naked love dance for a guy she likes is OK in my book!



5) What book have you read the most times in your life(excluding children's picture books)? Hmmm...that's a tough one...probably something by Howard, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Thompson, My Brother Was An Only Child byJack Douglas, or Shadowland by Peter Straub.



6) What was your favorite book when you were 10 years old? It's hard to remember, but most likely Conan the Warrior, by Howard.



7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year? The Devil's Dominion by Anthony Masters...some good info, but very dry reading.



8) What is the best book you've read in the past year? A tie- Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko and The Cold Spot by Tom Piccarilli...fantasy/horror with an edge, and hard-boiled action, respectively.



9) If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be? The collected Identity Crisis mini-series that Brad Meltzer wrote for DC Comics...it shows that comics can have adult, interesting stories, and it shows the human faces behind the masks.



10) Who deserves the win for the next Nobel Prize for literature? I haven't a clue...I'd give it to Charles Gramlich...not only because he's a helluva writer, but he also cooks a mean hamburger.



11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie? The Light At The End by Skipp and Spector. It's a violent vampire tale that takes the romanticsim that has infused the vampire genre since Rice's works and kicks it right in the ass. The book has many cinematic moments that would translate well to the big screen.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie? Hmmm...probably Shadowland by Peter Straub... I don't think a film could do it justice...maybe a miniseries, but even then, I don't know if it could capture the feel of the book.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character. Actually, I don't recall any dream based on any books...they've probably occured, but I can't think of any .

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult? Probably an entry in the Destroyer book series.

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read? Teach Yourself Norwegian , from the Teach Yourself collection.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've ever seen? I've never attended a play by the Bard, but I have seen the film Tromeo and Juliet, which is the weirdest adaptation of his work , I'm pretty sure.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians? The French, I guess.

18) Roth or Updike? I've only read one book each by them , so a tie, I suppose.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? Never read Eggers, so Sedaris wins.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer? Milton...Paradise Lost , man!

21) Austin or Elliot? Uh, neither?

22) What is the biggest, most embarrassing gap in your reading? Probably the classics, like Moby Dick , A Tale of Two Cities, books like that.

23) What is your favoirite novel? I'd have to say Hour of the Dragon by Howard...I also really like Shadowland by Straub, and Hexes by Tom Piccarilli.

24) Favorite play? Honestly, I don't have one.

25) Favorite poem? A Crown For a King by Howard ( see a pattern forming here?).

26) Favorite essay? Have to get back to you on this one.

27) Favorite short story? Beyond the Black River by (you guessed it) Howard.

28) Favorite work of non-fiction? The Lords of Chaos by Moynihan and Soderlind...it tells the tale of European Black Metal, and the suicides, murders, church burnings, and other events that surrounded the scene in its beginnings.

29) Favorite writers? Howard, Picarilli, Joe Bob Briggs, Clive Barker, Milton, to name a few.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today? There's several who could be nominees for this award, but I think Stephen King gets this one.

31) What is your desert island book? Man...I guess I'd have to say a Howard collection of some sort...probably The Ultimate Triumph, since it's illustrated by Frank Frazetta.

32) What are you reading now? I am , unfortunately, between books right now...have to get more!