This is the third week I’ve actively been counting calories and trying to really be good about eating throughout the day. I’ve always been a horrible “eat throughout the day” type of person. So, my first goal with this new diet wasn’t about weight loss (which is on my agenda!), but more about getting into the habit of eating breakfast, lunch, dinner with maybe a snack or two thrown in there somewhere.

My problem has always been that I get so caught up in work that I don’t eat until I’m starving…which is usually 2 hours or so past the time that I’ve fed dinner to everyone else. Of course, this isn’t good. Not only does this completely screw with your metabolism (mine has sucked for years and doing this hasn’t helped at all), but it left me drained by mid to late afternoon. So drained, that I often felt as if I had to take a nap to get through.

So, for the past two-and-a-half weeks, I’ve been following a “eat something small but nutritious” every three to four hours or so food plan. And I have to say, I do feel better. My energy is stable, my moods aren’t nearly as up and down, and I can definitely see that this way of eating is advantageous. However, my metabolism is so screwed up right now, that I don’t think it’s really helping with weight loss.

I’ve kicked up my activity level from “sedate” to “moderate” which is the best it’s going to get for now, but hopefully, once this book is turned in and a certain injury is healed, I’ll be able to do more. Hopefully.

Anyway, I hate the word “diet,” which accounts for the “aargh” in the header. That’s more of a mental thing than anything else, though. The word diet makes me think of all of those horrible and ridiculous “lose weight fast” schemes that you see all over the place (many of which I’ve tried at one time or another–usually right after having a baby).

So, today I’m working and trying to not think of myself on a diet. That’s my Wednesday. What’s going on in your day today?

Don’t Forget!

This week, we’re talking about the future at The Novel Girls. We’d love to see you over there.

March 27th is MVRWA’s Spring Book Lover’s Event! If you’re in the Toledo, Ohio, area and feel apt to do so, stop in for snacks, fun, and free books.

I’m having a lazy, lazy morning, which is not a good thing. I have so many things on my agenda today that I’m not sure I’ll get to half of them. Wish me luck!

In case you haven’t seen last Friday’s post yet, go check it out now. It’s okay, I’ll wait.

*Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting*

Back? Good! Okay, so I had a lot of fun coming up with outrageous lies to mix in with my outrageous truths, but I’m not going to reveal which is which just yet. I’ll do that later this week. Probably on Friday, so if you’re curious, check back then.

Even though I’m tired today, I have to say that I am loving my new computer. Work–for now, anyway–doesn’t feel so much like work. And I’m really loving the 24-inch screen. I will never be able to go backward in screen size again…ever. It’s also great for watching DVDs! My daughter and I have recently been tuning in to Veronica Mars. I never watched this show when it was still on the air, but now I’m really enjoying it. We picked up the first three seasons used (so far, all the disks work perfectly), and I’m glad we did.

I’m also still firmly focused on LOST and unlike certain friends of mine, cannot stop trying piece together all of the varying parts of the puzzle. That’s not to say that I’m not completely engrossed while I’m watching each week’s episode, because I am. But once the final scene plays, my brain goes into overdrive thinking about how everything that has been shown so far is adding up. I have a couple of ideas, but I’m likely way off base. I’m of two minds with this show this year. One: I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. Two: I don’t want the show to end.

Hmm, I think that’s it for today. There isn’t much going on in my tired brain at the moment, so I’ll stop rambling.

Have a fantastic Monday and I’ll see ya all on Wednesday!

Don’t Forget!

This week The Novel Girls are looking into the future: ten years to be exact.

MVRWA, my local chapter of RWA, is having their Spring Book Lover’s Event on March 27th! If you’re in the Toledo, Ohio area, you should definitely stop by.

Woo! Another blogger award! And this one gives me permission to lie. What fun I am going to have with this. <G>

My friend and critique partner Natalie Damschroder tagged me with this award, and for that, I thank her. Thanks, Natalie!!!!! (Um, actually, I called her up and said something very different than “Thank You,” but now, I’ve decided to have fun with this, so my thanks are real.)

So, before I get to the lying, here are the rules that come with this award:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you. (Just did–see above!)
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. (Yep, did that too!)
3. Link the person who nominated you. (And, yep, took care of that, as well!)
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth. The key here is the “up to” and the “at least.” This means I might tell 4 outrageous lies and 3 outrageous truths, or any combination that equals 7.
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Okay, here we go: Seven lies/truths–Can you guess which is which?

1. After graduating from high school, I spent the summer backpacking through Europe. While there, I met a handsome and devilish rake of a man and *almost* had a quickie wedding. Common sense won out and I came home at the end of August heartbroken but definitely not married.
2. I was given the name Gertrude when I was born (named after my great-grandmother), but upon turning eighteen, I legally changed my name to Tracy because it was “close” to Trudy (which everyone called me) but I liked it better. Still do! Sorry, great-grandma.
3. I met my husband online. In an AOL chat room, actually. We eventually met in real life and love blossomed. What can I say? When it’s real, it’s real, even if the Internet is involved.
4. I earned a good living for three years by selling virtual items and money from a MMORPG. Basically, I played all day every day and accumulated in-game items and cash, and then sold them via player auction sites.
5. I was accepted into an Ivy League college, but decided to attend a local university so I could get married and have children instead. Do I ever regret this decision? Not when I look at my kids.
6. I partied with Bruce Willis’s band in a Canadian casino hotel room, and even had a lovely shoulder massage from one of his band members. Oh, and Bruce gave me a smooch on my right cheek.
7. I despise the scent and taste of coffee to the point that I can barely go to a restaurant for breakfast. I’m a confirmed tea drinker through and through.

So, how many of the above are true and how many are lies? Do you know me well enough to figure out which is which? Guess away in the comments!

Okay, now I have to tag seven bloggers to carry on the fun. Here we go:

1. Jessica Rabbit: I know Jess is going to have a lot of fun with this!
2. Liane Gentry Skye: Awesome writer, blogger, and friend.
3. Sloan Parker: I HOPE Sloan will have a lot of fun with this!
4. Jillian Cantor: An author/blogger and friend who never fails to inspire me.
5. Constance Phillips: Connie will probably smack me for tagging her, but come on–what are friends for?
6. Jenny Gardiner: Jenny’s hysterically funny, so I hope she decides to play.
7. Maureen Lipinski: One of my many must-read authors–I love her books and her blog.

Don’t Forget!

This week at The Novel Girls we’re talking about our recent favorite movies. Hop on over and chime in!

If you’re in the Toledo, OH, area, and would love to meet some fantastic authors, and would love to get some free, gently-used books, then I have an event for you!

My local chapter of RWA, MVRWA (Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America), is hosting our Spring Book Lover’s Event on Saturday, March 27, 2010.  All the details can be found HERE, and I can promise it will be a good time. Several of our local authors (including yours truly) will be present to meet, greet, and we’ll each be doing a reading from our latest release, followed up with a Q&A. But that’s not all!

There will be snacks, and…possibly the best part…free romance books galore! While most of the books are gently used, we always have a few new ones floating around. And they are truly free. Walk in, get some food, grab a goodie bag, and head for the tables with books and go shopping the best way: without having to spend a cent.

At any rate, if you’re in the Toledo, OH area, I’d love to see you! I’ll be there the entire day. Stop in, say hi, and relax among friends. 

Don’t Forget!

The Novel Girls are sharing our favorite recent movies this week. 

For the first time since I sold, I was finally able to use a little of my advance money on me. I never minded filling the family coffers, since I…um…do hope to be writing fiction for a long time to come, and well, regardless of where the money came from, it was income. And we needed every penny of it. However, this time, I was able to spend a portion of it on me–and the timing was good for us (yay!)–so I’ve ordered a new desktop PC.

It’s certainly not top of the line, but considering what I currently use, it’s going to be a huge upgrade for me. But the best part? I’m getting a 24-inch HD monitor. With all the writing I do, I often have multiple windows open at once, so having a much larger screen will make it so much easier on me. I did a few basic (what I consider basic, anyway) upgrades. I went with an actual video card to get me out of the base integrated video (I hate knowing I can’t upgrade something), and I went up to the next highest processing speed.

So the computer should arrive tomorrow or Wednesday, which means I’ve been working hard at backing everything up, cleaning up this PC (as it will go to my son), and uninstalling programs that I won’t be using over the next few days and that my son will never use. I’m wicked excited. It’s like Christmas morning. But, weirdly, I also felt a little (okay, a lot) guilty almost as soon as I hit “buy.” I think it’s partly because I’ve become so accustomed to worrying about money that my practical side almost couldn’t handle it. But, it’s also partly a sentimental thing. This PC (my old one, the one I’m writing on now) has been with me for a while. I wrote my first, second, and third published books on this thing. I’ve been writing the fourth on it.

I almost feel as if I’m abandoning it. Which is silly, I know, but we’ve been through a lot together, this computer and me. But you know, the thing really doesn’t have any feelings, and when my son powers it up, it’s not going to wonder where the soppy, emotional lady is.

So I’ll get over the guilt the second my shiny, new computer arrives and I hook it up and all of my files are transferred over and I can sit back and go “WOW, look how fast this is! WOW, look at that screen!” and then, I’ll jump right back into the normal daily grind.

Let me squee for a minute—SQUEE!!!!!—new computer!

Don’t Forget!

The Novel Girls are sharing what our favorite recent movies are. I have three up that I loved. Come say hi and share what your favorite recent movies are!

If you’re in the Toledo, OH area, look for a fun event on March 27th. Check in Wednesday for more information!

I am so honored (and gleeful!) to have recieved The Circle of Friends Blog Award from fellow author, awesome friend, and one helluva blogger, Natalie Damschroder. If you haven’t read Natalie’s blog yet, you should really check it out.

Thanks, Nat!

Now, I’m going to pass the goodwill (and the award) on to some other great friends who have terrific blogs.

So, my circle of friends blog award goes to:

Jessica Rabbits Corner — Jessica reviews books, has author interviews, and a fantastic sense of humor.

Constance Phillips, A Writer’s Musings — Connie blogs about all sorts of interesting and fun stuff.

Jill Kemerer, Inspirational Author – Jill’s blog is filled with posts on the writing process and inspiration.

I read the above blogs on a regular basis and love them all. You should definitely check them out!

Don’t Forget!

This week at The Novel Girls, we’re talking about setting writing goals.

If you’re reading this, then you likely already know that I’m a huge coffee addict. So much so, that 1) I can’t remember a day in the last two years that I haven’t had at least one cup of coffee, 2) I’d rather give up chocolate than coffee, and 3) I can totally relate to the Eve Dallas character in the IN DEATH series written by JD Robb. If you don’t know who she is, then it’s enough to say that she really, really loves her coffee.

And lately, the price of coffee is so much higher than it used to be–at least it is in my neck of the woods–that I’ve been forced to buy (and drink) less expensive beans. I’m not happy about this. I have my favorites, and I’m sorry to say, but coffee is not one of those items that the “store brand” is just as good. It isn’t.

Not by a long shot.

You see, in my house, we go through 3 to 4 pounds of coffee a week. There are four people in my house of six that love coffee as much as I do, so we easily brew two, three, and every now and then–four–pots of coffee a day. I know. It’s crazy. But it’s a fact of life here, so I have to factor that into my grocery shopping. And while I’m totally okay with giving up other things in the name of good coffee…not everyone in my house feels the same. Traitors!

Anyway, this post is mostly a rant. I want MY GOOD coffee.

Of course, there are other items that I’m okay with buying the store brand. In fact, items that I really don’t notice a difference. Toaster waffles, certain types of crackers and cookies, pasta, yogurt, some flavors of cereal, etc. But there are other items that I refuse to buy the store brand: Spaghetti sauce, soda, orange juice, and parmesan cheese, to name a few. I can tell you why for some of these items: our store brand spaghetti sauce tastes more like catsup than it does something you want to put over pasta, for example. But I can’t tell you why I don’t buy store brand parmesan cheese…I just don’t.

The thing is, these items I haven’t had to sacrafice on, because let’s face it–they’re not on my grocery list every single week, and we don’t go through 3 or 4 pounds of them even when they are. But coffee is always on my list, and we always go through a lot of it, and even though I am not happy with the coffee we’re currently buying, I cannot see spending nearly twice as much per pound (and some weeks, more than twice as much) when we’re counting every penny nowadays.

But it still makes me sad. Next year, one coffee-drinking person will be living away from home when he goes off to college, so maybe I’ll be able to revert back, then.

Anyway, I’m annoyed by how much more expensive coffee is. What about you? Have you had to cut back on any of your favorite things because of the economy?

Don’t Forget!

This week at The Novel Girls we’re talking about setting goals. Stop in and say hi!