There are no words…

I couldn’t watch NCIS tonight.  Hmmm…spent an hour on the phone with my satellite provider’s customer service department. Too many problems to count over the last twelve months. No signal. No service. No problem. I love paying a huge monthly fee for hit and miss service. When the call started I couldn’t get about 1/3 of the channels I pay for…by the end of the call I couldn’t get any channels. Yay!!!!

Update:  3.01.2011

I just had to share the result of my email (trouble ticket) to their customer service department. A $50 fee to come out and investigate the problem (which if you knew the whole story would make you fall over laughing) and a suggestion that I pay them an additional $6 month for a protection plan.  I’m too embarrassed to tell you how much we pay them a month…but it’s scary. This is the second time in six months that I’ve received deplorable service. Without embellishment, I’ve spent 7 hours on the phone with them between December and February.  Not to mention the time spent corresponding via email and the cost of multiple bottles of Advil I’ve needed to erase the pain.  Time for a super sized Snickers bar.

And the lights all went out….

Anyone remember that old song by the Bee Gee’s, And the Lights All Went Out in Massachusetts? For whatever reason that song always puts a smile on my face. Yes, it’s my home state. Yes, I have the Bee Gee’s on my iPod (don’t smirk, I’m sure some of you have the same songs downloaded). Anyway this morning we had a blackout that knocked out power to several local towns. It made me think of the song…so of course I was smiling in the dark. Then my children woke up.  And they were not smiling. It seems not everyone enjoys blackouts. After a few wall bumps I located a flashlight. Their apprehension did not abate. Eating in the dark. Getting ready for school in the dark. Waiting for mom to figure out how to manually lift the garage door without injury in the dark = NO FUN for them.  Still I had a little bounce in my step as I quietly hummed the lyrics to Massachusetts. I’m thinking it’s going to be a good day here at casa de Oberlies.

Oh, forgot to mention we had an amazing mini vacation last week.  Took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Canada for a few days. It was awesome. Great facility. Fantastic service. Perfect family environment. (I’d give the staff five stars). I’ll post a few pictures when I can find them

I have a long ‘to do’ list today. I’m getting a wee bit nervous because I have to come up with a new title and tagline for my contracted book. My original title “Starts with Goodbye” isn’t catchy enough.  Readers like ‘tropes’…and I’m struggling big time to come up with a ‘tropey’ title. I’ve had an offer of assistance from my husband which is sweet but not precisely productive since he’s a major goofball

Speaking of books, author Shannon Stacey has a post & picture up on her blog about an item she is donating to an auction.  It’s an amazing package that includes a Coach purse, a Kindle Fire, autographed copies of her books, etc.  Check it out: www.shannonstacey.com

Before I force myself to step away from the computer I have to ask if anyone watched Castle last night? They are so skilled at making a small gesture mean so much.  In this case I’m talking about the final scene where the lead characters hold hands. This is something they’ve done in a couple of episodes and it’s always powerful. No major drama. No prancing around half dressed. Just two people holding hands. Maybe it’s mushy but it works for me.

Hiding out in my office…

Shhhh…we’re going away for a few days and I’m supposed to be packing right now. Instead I piled everything into stacks on my bed and snuck into my office. I’m a lousy packer. Things always get squished. It depresses me. So my strategy is to wait until my husband realizes it’s not done, which usually means he’ll take over the task. It’s better that way. He excels at it.  Stick with your strengths.

I had another gift under my pillow last night. It wasn’t another box of Snickers, so don’t get excited like I did. Actually I didn’t know what the heck the present was even after I opened it. (Hmmm…I’m still a bit of a technophobe.) For the last week I’d been having considerable trouble with my wireless mouse.  So, my husband surprised me with a Magic Trackpad from Apple.

I think I’m going to love it. Right now I’m in the retraining my brain mode – which at my age is tricky. It’s slick, though. Although I’d love to tool around with it all morning I need to get the kids out of bed. If we’re not ready to leave my husband might decide to take this mini-vacation without us

The ‘sweetest’ thing happened today…

Guess what I found underneath my pillow? I’ll give you a hint….it’s beautiful and sweet but not shiny and gold. Oh, and it’s the ultimate gift for me.

48 Bars

Clearly, someone that reads my blog cares about my well being.

Breaking up is hard to do…

I’m seriously considering cutting my relationship with Mars, Inc. For decades I’ve been a huge fan of their culinary delights — most notably their king sized Snickers Bar. This week they’ve betrayed my love and devotion. Apparently, in an effort to improve the nutritional value of their products, they are cutting back. By the end of next year the king sized Snickers will disappear completely.  All of their products will have a 250 calorie limit.  Is that really necessary?  Bite sized bars exist.  Consumers have choices.  My extra special (I’m sad and I need a lift) splurge has always been Mr. King Snickers.  He’s helped me hang on when the Sox lost in ’86 and the Patriots blew it against the Giants in ’07 & ’12. Now some of you are probably rolling your eyes, asking why not just buy two normal sized bars and pretend they’re fused together. But we both know it’s not the same.  It will never be the same.

What’s the shelf life on a chocolate bar? I might need to buy another freezer and start stockpiling now before people start fighting over them. This is not a happy day in casa de Oberlies.

February 14th…

Confession #58 – I’ve never been a mushy, gushy Valentine’s Day kind of gal.  That’s probably a criminal breach of conduct but it’s the truth. I love candy. I love chocolate. And I’m okay with the colors red and pink. But when you put them all together and smack a Hallmark card on top I kind of stop chugging the Kool Aid.  Don’t get me wrong.  I adore February 14th but only because it’s the birthday of both my husband and my eldest niece. I beg (seriously beg) my husband not to buy me roses each year.  If he wants to sneak a jumbo Snickers bar under my pillow, so be it. I’ll happily embrace every gram of saturated fat it contains.  (Note to spouse: Snickers are welcome, indeed encouraged, any day of the year). Whew…it’s a relief to share my shortcomings here with y’all.

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday…and a blah blah blah Valentine’s Day

Five reasons I’m not cranky today…

1. If you know me, just a wee bit even, then you know I have decidedly mixed feelings about social media. Some of that stems from the fact that I think it takes a great deal of time and effort to engage in it properly. Nevertheless, I swallowed the Kool Aid this morning and joined Pinterest. I love visual inspiration – it helps me with my writing. I also love being able to catch a glimpse of what inspires my favorite authors. (Warning: this could become a huge time trap for me).  Anyway I’ve started building my first board.  I decided to post some of the images that inspired my story ‘Starts with Goodbye’.  Check it out: http://pinterest.com/ritaoberlies/
2. Entangled Publishing is getting close to their kickoff for the new Lori Wilde Indulgence line.  Now, it’s true I have a book under contract with them. But at this stage my excitement is primarily as a reader.  I know from seeing the list of authors that their releases are going to fall under my must have category. February 14th will be the big day.  Bookmark their site, people: www.entangled publishing.com
3. It’s been weeks since I’ve had a good night’s sleep. Last night I was practically climbing the walls in my living room.  I was tired but couldn’t fall asleep.  Around midnight I started browsing Amazon. Picked up a YA novel based on about fifty reviews. It screamed ‘different’. Loved it!  That Boy by Jillian Dodd was the perfect curl up in my pi’s book. I’m a big fan of atypical writing styles. Dodd takes a 1st person approach in a very lighthearted manner.  The really funny part is that I just discovered a sequel is set to come out today or tomorrow.  Yay!
4. Even though I promised back in September that I would scale back on my volunteering, it never materialized. In fact I’m helping out with some programs that I would never have been associated with as a student. (Confession: I wasn’t the brightest bulb when it came to science & technology. People assumed because I was a part of the smart crowd that I could excel in all subjects. Not true. Not even close). Anyway, I’m helping with a special Robotics Program and a Project Discovery club (space exploration).  It’s crazy – but I’m loving it.  I feel like I’m making up for all the things I missed when my eyes crossed in those classes as a kid. Yay me, again!
5. Finally, I’m not cranky because tomorrow I’m heading up to Boston for the weekend.  We have a much anticipated family party to attend….Yay! Yay! Yay!

Monday ‘Mourning’…

Hmmm…last night’s game was an interesting one. Close to the very end.  Good for television ratings. Not so nice for those hoping that the Patriots would pull off a miracle. Today I’m dressed in black — officially mourning the end of the football season. Of course, I’m also wearing black because it’s a slimming color.  At casa de Oberlies we gain more weight on Super Bowl Sunday than we do over the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. Every member of my household picks out the foods they want to snack on.  It ends up being an extremely strange mix (garlic mashed potatoes, roasted potato wedges, spinach tomato pizza, mac and cheese, buffalo chicken calzones, apple pie, mint chocolate chip ice cream, even roasted brussel sprouts). The only saving grace is that my scale is officially M.I.A. Last month when I had a new shower installed I cleared out the master bathroom.  Now I’m not sure where I placed it. I’m floating the theory that my husband tossed it in the garbage can.  He thinks I spend too much time staring at the numbers like I have the power to change them with some heavy duty wishful thinking.

This week I need to whip myself back into shape, both physically and mentally.  Last week was all about crazy. I’m not sure how it works in other schools, but the Scholastic Book Fair here is a week long party.  Fortunately we did really well….really well. This means our school library will be able to purchase a whole bunch of fabulous new books. (Psst…my husband and I picked out almost as many books as our boys.)  My favorite find:

Although this book is targeted toward students, I think it’s a great tool for anyone.  The author is a perfect grammar guide. I put it on my bookshelf right next to my copy of The Chicago Manual of Style. Some of my other favorite acquisitions: Taste of Home: Kid Approved Cookbook, The Fast and the Furriest (I couldn’t resist the adorable beagle on the cover), oh and a squishy orange pen for my office.

Well, I’m off to nibble on some carrot sticks. Sad… but I must suffer for my sins of yesterday.