Links, I'm a failure, TBR piles, and Caramel - sweet caramel

One of the blogs I follow is by a woman that has reached retirement age...this woman is funny as hell. I always get a laugh when I visit her blog. I usually do my lurking thing, but I love to read her blog. Saturday's blog is a collection of cartoons - not sure where she got them, but they're something else. If you're easily offended, skip it, but I laughed. Go to Eva's blog Wrestling with Retirement.

Over at There's a Book, 1st daughter, (Danielle) is hosting a weekly meme called "A Little Bit of Me". I hardly ever do this meme (okay, I don't think I ever have) because I'm weird about what I want to talk about regarding me. (sometimes you can't shut me up, and sometimes I can't open up) but this week, the questions is regarding what we're grateful for.

Very Quickly: I am grateful for being alive, and for having grown children with the extensions of their significant others, the grandchildren that are so very fun to be around, the pets in my life and my work "family" (work mom, work daughter, work cousin, etc. these are people that you wish you were really related to. LOL)

One more thing - I am very grateful that I am a reader - that I'm able to buy (and occasionally win) books. In this age of technology I've also been able to actually have text conversations with authors and people that I would never have come across without the internet. There are those that I've had fun conversations with about books, about similar issues that we are going through,...and there are two authors that I consider my online friends - one all the way over in another country, and one in another state. It's great that technology has allowed us to be a kind of penpal, and to keep in touch with each other - and this all can be traced back to a love of books. (Waving to Suzanne and Julie - I love your books!) There is a lot to be grateful for, and I'm only listing the basics.

There is another fun blog that I used to follow - Since Erika went over to another blog provider, I haven't been able to "follow" her as easily, especially since I don't seem to get the notifications of when a new entry is posted by her, even though I signed up for notifications...Whatever. The Girl Next Door Grows up hosts a Feel Good Friday meme, where every Friday you find something in your life that's positive to post about. I don't always do it - mainly because I'm basically lazy, usually exhausted by Thursday nights, and by Fridays I'm not feeling that great about anything...except seeing my grandchildren...but it's still an important weekly meme. I should be trying to do this every week, and maybe one day I'll start posting this meme again....In the meantime, take a look at her previous posts - she's on "blogcation" until Thanksgiving. Think about adding this meme to your blogs.

I have so many wonderful, interesting books in my TBR pile(s) that I have a hard time deciding which book to concentrate on after I finish a book. It's even harder to decide after I've finished a great book like Magic Bleeds, or Magic At The Gate. (just two examples of the many great books that I've read in 2010) I think when I read a great urban fantasy book that will make other normally good books pale in comparison - that I should just read a book in another genre. Maybe this would be a good time to start that Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plum novel - Wicked Appetite, featuring Diesel. (nope - not the Diesel of Riddick fame. This is a completely book fictional character, as opposed to a movie star) Actually, I don't think this book even has Stephanie Plum's character in it, so it might not count as a Plum book...and it's kind of paranormal.....and I'm not sure if I can use it for one my many almost failed book reading challenges....GREAT! Now I'm still wondering what to read!!!!! There is a book titled the Manny. About a male that takes a position as a male influence for the kids of a rich woman whose husband is always....gone or something.Yeah - that's the one. I just have to remember which TBR pile it's on, the one in my bedroom, the one in my living room or the one in the garage...

At school today, the children were offered sliced apples with dipping caramel. Yummm, caramel. I was able to get a taste. I love caramel, and I love mixing the apple taste with the caramel. I really was looking forward to this wonderful treat. Ummm, ummm, um. I saved the caramel for later, and forgot about it until I got home. No matter, I decided to have it later, when I wanted a little snack. When it was time, I got out the sliced apples, and found the little packet of caramel. Opened it up, and dipped a piece of apple in it, and put it in my mouth - anticipating the wonderful taste of caramel.........Let's just say here, that not all caramel is created equal. I don't know how they managed it, but they seemed to find the one maker of caramel that doens't know good caramel taste! This "caramel" was grainy in texture and had the taste of MAPLE! IT TASTED LIKE MAPLE, LIKE THICK CONGEALED, KIND OF FAKE MAPLE. Yuk. I threw it away, and found the container of Marzetti Old Fashioned Caramel that I had recently found at our store. Now THAT is a good caramel- smooth, sweet, rich caramel. No Maple taste! Just wonderful caramel. Ahhhh! Life is better now - but why are they serving the school children substandard caramel? What a sin!

Speaking of substandard...I am failing miserably on my reading challenges. For some reason, I can't even get my sh** together enough to post the reading challenges at the bottom of my reviews. I haven't been posting them at the original challenge sites. It seems that once I failed at the 2010 Countdown Reading Challenge, that my brain gave up on the others. I sat down tonight to try to catch up on the challenges, to list the books I've read lately and see which challenges they fell under...and instead I ended up writing about other things. This coming calender year I think I might only try one or two challenges. I went obsessivly, compulsively overboard on the reading challenges - and really though I could pull it off - NOPE! Not happening. I couldn't do it. I should have known, with all the times that I get sick, or all the times I end up babysitting instead of reading....of all the hours I have to spend working for a living! that I wouldn't be able to do this. Well, live and learn. Apparently no matter how old you are, there are always things to be learned, whether you want to learn them or not. And I get to learn these little life lessons...all the time one of these little life lessons are slapping me in the face! Thanks life! I guess it means I'm alive, and we all know it's good to be alive. LOL

So my plan for the rest of the year? if I can, I'll keep reading. If I happen to make one of the challenges - than good for me. If not - it's not a life changing miss - I'll just (feel like I'm a FAILURE, A FAILURE AT LIFE!!!) know that at least I tried, and did the best I could...sort of. Now that I'm finished putting off my challenge update - maybe another day. I'm going to go look for a book to read.

:)