Monday, January 14, 2013

Monday Maunder: January 14, 2013


ON READING 

I really have not accomplished much in reading this week.  I am still in the middle of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, but hope to finish it this week!

What are you currently reading?

ON BLOGGING

I didn't really accomplish much on the blog this week, but I did make a bit of progress on my list.  My biggest accomplishment this week was re-evaluating my blog settings, particularly commenting.  I ensured that I had word verification turned off, added a personalized commenting note, and turned on moderation for all comments older than 14 days.

I also posted a number of giveaways this week and they are all still open.  Be sure to click on over and add your name to the list!  There will be more to come this week!


One thing that I have been debating is bringing back Fairy Tale Fridays.  Over the last couple of years, I have come to miss reading the original tales on a regular basis and I also believe that I could consider reading them a bit of personal research for my own writing.  I am really curious about my reader's thoughts on this one, so tell me ...

Would you like to see Fairy Tale Fridays return?


ON WRITING

I had a couple of freelance pieces appear over on the Walrus Publishing website!

I thoroughly enjoyed both of these events and I cannot wait to dive into the works of Antony John.  I was so impressed by this man during both of these events!

Have you read the works of any of these authors (i.e., Antony John, Heather Brewer, or Fiona Paul)?


ON LIFE

I am not exactly sure where this last week went!  Work was busy.  Life was busy.  However, two things definitely stood out ... I scheduled a meeting with our realtor to begin discussing the sale of our home.  Needless to say, that was stressful in and of itself, so I think the weeks and months to come are going to be quite an adventure.

And, the highlight of the week was probably my daughter's first piano lesson!  She was so excited and so enthralled by this short little session, and I hope her love for music only blossoms from here.  We have been searching for something that suits her, and my gut tells me that music is the key.  I look forward to seeing if my gut is right!

What were the highlights of your week?  Any tips for me in regards to putting my house on the market?

Wishing you a great week!

18 comments:

  1. I'm reading an ARC of ANIMAL WISE by Virginia Morell, which discusses scientifically proven fact that all animals have some degree of intelligence and most, even fish, feel pain and have emotions.

    I have no interest in Fairy Tale Friday.

    I avoid YA books.

    This will probably happen while your house is on the market: When you're home but your husband isn't, a stranger will come UNANNOUNCED and ask to see the inside of your home. People coming to your home should always call ahead. If they come with a realtor, the realtor knows that. Don't let them in. It could be dangerous for you. Give them your realtor's business card, and tell them to call him/her.

    Tip 2: keep your house clean and neat ALL THE TIME. It's a real pain in the butt, but it pays off.

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    1. techeditor ... Wow! I can't get past your comment about strangers showing up unannounced. That is so creepy and I truly, truly appreciate that piece of advice. I will definitely be keeping that in mind! And, I am sooooo not looking forward to cleaning more than I already do! BUT, it has to be done! :)

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  2. Lol, I've been reading but my Pathology books XD Evil exam coming! That didn't stop me from buying new books, lol!

    Angel's Ink has really caught my attention, so I hope soon it will be officially published (and maybe even translated - dreams, oh dreams, lol) here. Good luck to all who compete in the challenges :D

    Aw, I'd be so happy if you do the Fairy Tale Fridays! I may even join in sometimes (if it's ok, of course!) because I personnally had great fun with the little I did for the Fairy Tale challenge, and would like some more :D And it seems, I missed the original FTF here on your blog. Mmm, but I'm pretty sure there are ore fairy tales waiting even after your wuite awesome selection in 2010! I'd be curious to read your choices and thoughts. So if you choose to do it - well I'm all for it!

    Good luck with the house and with the piano lessons!

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    1. Topcho ... Pathology books and exams do not sound fun! Good luck with both of those!

      I am so glad to hear that you are interested in Fairy Tale Fridays! I really do miss reading the classics on a regular basis and FTF sounds like a great solution!! :)

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  3. I've read Heather Brewer's Vlad Tod series - thoroughly enjoyable and a series I could enjoy with my son.

    Good luck with selling your house! If you want any pointers, let me know. ;)

    We just stopped piano lessons for the oldest, but now my youngest wants to start them again. I hate the idea of the piano just sitting there getting dusty, so I'm sure that next year we'll add them back to the schedule again. I hope your daughter has a lot of fun with them!

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    1. Michelle Shannon ... So glad to hear you enjoy Heather Brewer! I really enjoyed meeting her and she seems like my kind of author!!

      I would love any and all pointers, especially considering you just went through this! Would you mind if I emailed you?

      I am so excited for piano lessons for my daughter! I never had formal lessons growing up and I wish I did!

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    2. No problem! I've had decent luck selling houses in tough markets. I'm sure some of it is luck, but if there is anything that may help you, then I would be more than happy to share my experiences!

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    3. Michelle Shannon ... I just emailed you!!

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  4. Hope you're enjoying Rowling's new book. I haven't read it yet, but expect I will eventually.

    I like the idea of you bringing back Fairy Tale Fridays. Thumbs up!

    Good luck with the house issue. I wouldn't even know where to begin. I hope your daughter likes the piano. My son is in his first year of strings (violin) and it's like pulling teeth to get him to practice. I'm wondering if he really wants to do it, but when I threaten to pull him out of it, he protests. It's his first year so maybe it's just going to take him a bit to get his wings. *fingers crossed*

    Have a great week, Tif!

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    1. Michelle @ The True Book Addict ... Rowling's new book is not what I expected, but I'm definitely still interested to keep reading. I should finish soon!

      Practice can be so hard, so I'm really curious to see how it goes with my daughter. She's a bit strong-willed!! I see protests coming at some point! :)

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  5. I'm currently between books and not sure which one to pick up next, so may let the randomizer pick for me!

    I didn't take part, but always enjoyed your Fairy Tale Fridays posts and even bought a book of fairy tales, just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Hope you bring it back!

    Good luck with the house! Agree that you have to keep it clean, which is a pain but very necessary. And make sure you have some of your realtor's business cards, as we had strangers show up a couple of times wanting to look at the house. I gave them a card and asked them to make an appointment. I also started keeping my curtains shut after I found a lady looking in the window one day! :o

    Good luck!

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    1. Alexia561 ... I really think I will be bringing Fairy Tale Fridays back! It may not be right away, but it will be in the near future!

      All these comments about unannounced visitors and now peepers has me so worried when I finally put my house on the market. I hope it sells fast so I don't have to worry about it long!!

      Good luck with picking your next read!

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  6. So much reading that I'm supposed to be doing right now. But I'm stuck in a non-fic that, while quite interesting, is also just taking forever to read. I had to take a small break from it today to read my next 100 chapter books title because I was running out of time to do it! I really suck with non-fiction even though I like it.

    As for selling the house, we're still in our first house (10 years in April!) but every once in a while I think about the point where we will sell it and practically start hyperventilating. It just seems like a lot of work to even get it ready, much less the whole process of selling. Good luck! (And have you said why you are selling your house right now? I've been so bad at keeping up with everyone!)

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  7. Kristen M. ... I love reading non-fic as well, but it definitely takes me longer to read them than regular ol' fiction!

    As for the house, I am definitely in the hyperventilating mode these days ... frequently actually! :) We are selling our house because I am moving this spring/summer. One year closer to returning to the West that I love!

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    1. Closer is good! I just wasn't sure if you were moving in the same area but it sounds like it's a bit farther than that. :)

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    2. Kristen M. ... We are moving about four hours north of us.

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  8. Though I love moving to a new place, I hate the house-selling end of moving. No advice as I've yet to perfect a formula. ;)

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    1. Amateur Novelist ... Ha! I've tempted a plan, complete with spreadsheets. Not really sure how it is working!! I will keep you posted!!

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