Hard candy, anyone?

You know those old folks one encounters in movie theaters, the ones who always seem to be unwrapping hard candies?

Of course, you know them. Just as soon as the movie hero is about to reveal the great secret in his past, the one that will determine the movie’s outcome, those pensioners usually pipe up in loud voices.

“What did he say, Henry? No, I didn’t wear my hearing aid. It makes everything too damn loud.” (Unwrap, unwrap, unwrap)

Yeah, those folks. Well, I mean no disrespect. The whole point of this post is I’m starting to feel a strange affinity for the older generations. God bless ’em.

I guess you could say I’m starting to feel my age and it’s been getting me down this week.

Now I’m sure you’re protesting as you read this. “But surely Rosanna is barely thirty years old! How can she possibly be feeling her age?” (You are saying that, right? RIGHT???)

Fact is I’m 45. Yes, I know, still very much young, still lots of living to do. I just wish parts of me didn’t hurt so much during all this living.

A week or so ago, I visited the eye doctor, only to be told I have bizarre scratches on my eyes. They can’t figure out how they got there. (Personally, I think this lends credence to my theory spiders are trying to gobble up my peepers at night.) Oh, and my eyeglass prescription got stronger. That’s always a delight. “From 45 onward,” the doctor said, “your prescription can change every six months. Eyes age quickly during the period between 45 and 55.”

Oh, joy. Just call me Mr. Magoo.

And then there’s the matter of my tendinitis and tennis elbow. I’ve been experiencing pain all through my right arm for over a month. However, as I learned today from my physiotherapist, the pain stems from nerve issues in my neck. The keyboarding doesn’t help but it might also be a result of general wear-and-tear. Again, I’m aging so I should expect more of this.

Did I happen to mention that favorite foods (read: junk foods) no longer sit well with me? Today, because the boys had a day off school, my husband and I grabbed burgers and fries for the four of us. Although that crap went down nicely, within two hours my stomach  had launched an all-out rebellion. I’m serious. It was the fricking Battle of Trafalgar in my gut and I did not emerge victorious.

So basically my stomach hurts, my eyes are wonky and I’ve got pain radiating out from my elbow into my neck and fingers. I expect gout and shingles any day now.

I’m all about embracing my age, at least on most days. I have no wish to go backward and redo my twenties and thirties. In fact, in many ways, my forties have kicked ass.  I love where I am but I won’t lie to you. Some days everything hurts.

So what do I intend to do about this pesky aging process? I have decided to take action. As much as I detest exercise, I know I need to start moving. I already take long walks but maybe more is needed. Perhaps I need to try something new, something that will not only stretch my body but stimulate my mind.

What about those junk foods that disagree with me so much? I have to remind myself of the discomfort every time I feel like caving. When the waitress asks if I want fries with that, I shall smite her! “Begone, temptress!” I shall say.  (Okay, I won’t really smite the waitress. That’s just mean. Besides, I’m not sure how to smite a person.)

I will be the first to admit I sometimes delay my doctor appointments. As a mom, I’ve always made sure my kids have their physicals, but I sometimes neglect myself. I can’t do that anymore. I have to take care of myself, too.

It’s time for change. Change is good.

In the meantime, until I can sort out all these changes, I’ll just curl up over here with my bran muffin, unwrap a few hard candies and take a nap.

 

Anise Eden. Cover Reveal – All The Wounds in Shadow.

Anise Eden is one of my favorite new authors so you can imagine my excitement when I learned she’d revealed the beautiful cover for book 2 of  The Healing Edge series, All The Wounds In Shadow. I just had to share it here as well.

Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous.

Now, it ain’t just a pretty cover. I loved book 1, All The Broken Places. I had the honor of reading an ARC of book 2, and I can assure you these are terrific reads. The romance here is sweet, the heroine smart and the hero swoon-worthy (calling dibs on Ben … no, seriously. That boy is mine.)

If you’d like to read my review on All The Wounds in Shadow, you will find it here:

“I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of Anise Eden’s All the Wounds in Shadow and enjoyed this second installment of The Healing Edge series. In book one, the author draws the reader into the story of Cate Duncan, a therapist with issues of her own. Her world changes forever when she learns she is an empath and is recruited to work for the MacGregor Group, an organization filled with psychically-gifted individuals. In book 2, Cate has begun her training. We also see her in the throes of a new romance with Ben MacGregor, a former Marine and leader of their ensemble. The group is called into action when an acclaimed doctor is poisoned and on the brink of death. Cate and her friends must employ their unique talents to delve inside the doctor’s mind and discover who attacked him. However, the case brings to light old wounds for Cate and presents new struggles. Can she come to terms with her feelings for Ben? Can she help a man who can only communicate telepathically? And will her efforts endanger her as well? Ms. Eden takes us on a remarkable journey, one laced with intrigue, romance and hope. I cannot wait for the next book.”

For more info on all Ms. Eden’s books, visit her here: http://aniseeden.com/

 

Orange peels, dirty dishes and cat poop.

I awoke this morning in a luscious haze. Stretching, I grinned from ear to ear because I knew I could devote an entire day to writing. Because I work in a library, my work hours aren’t 9-5 and I don’t have to go in today until 5pm. I knew I could dedicate the day to my Muse and artistic pursuits. After all, I am a romance author. I deserve a day full of romance and creativity and whimsy.

Then reality hit.

Last week, we had March Break for the kids. As a result, yesterday involved a lot of running around and ended on a lazy note. So when I headed downstairs this morning, I found a pile of dirty dishes, many of which were left over from my two teen boys yesterday. It seemed they cleaned their rooms. Now this sounds positive, right? Kids cleaning their rooms? Not when they unearth old used dishes.

My eldest son likes to kick it up a notch. Not only did he have dirty dishes in his room, he had bits of food (a no-no in our house). Because he was sick recently, he consumed a lot of oranges. Guess who found all the peels?

I should mention today wasn’t totally set aside for writing. Our cat Sweetie was way overdue for a checkup so I had to get her to the vet by 10am. No biggie, right? It becomes a biggie when you realize you don’t have a cat carrier in the house.

Picture me, if you will, in my housecoat, running around the house trying to find a lost cat carrier at 8am. My hair isn’t brushed. I haven’t showered. I’m digging through the basement junk, where we normally stow the carrier … and coming up short. All the while, I am stressing out because I might have to find a store willing to sell me a carrier by 9am.

Luckily, I realized my father-in-law had borrowed the carrier a couple of years ago and we hadn’t brought it back home. So I thrust the children toward their respective schools, drove like a fiend into the next suburb on a cat carrier mission, drove back to the house to try to insert Sweetie into said carrier, and get her to the vet.

By 9:30, I was sweating. OK, possibly cursing, too.

Did I mention I had to collect a fecal sample from Sweetie as well? Because I did. So not only was I rummaging through the basement today, turning over boxes and books, I had to rummage through her poop.

I suppose the most important part of this story is Sweetie got a clean bill of health and we got a hefty bill. There are some others morals, too:

-Children hide food.

-Children will spontaneously engage in chores, only to disguise the fact they haven’t done chores for more than a week.

-Cats scratch when you put them in a carrier. Wear long sleeves.

-Oh, and the most important of all. Romance authors do not always have lives full of romance and creativity and whimsy. We’re just like everyone else who carries cat poop in baggies.