Weekly Geeks and a Few Random Things

OK Chris, you were wrong. You weren't the last person to blog about this....I am!! Dewey, from The Hidden Side of the Leaf, has come up with a blogging Challenge called The Weekly Geeks. It's such a fun idea. She always has the best ones. The Weekly Geeks will have a weekly theme, and as a member, you have to blog about it.

This week's theme is Discover New Blog Week. Sounds easy enough. Check through the list of participants and visit blogs that are new to you. Then I noticed there are over 100 participants. Not quite as easy as I had originally thought....but it is a whole lot of fun!! I spent hours yesterday going through new and relatively new-to-me blogs and I found some great ones. Here are just a few:

Book Addiction is a brand new-to-me blog. Heather is a fairly new blogger, but she's dug in pretty well. Lots of great book reviews and lots of challenges. Sounds like a blog to add to my blogroll!

The Inside Cover is such a great blog! You can certainly tell Rebecca is a writer by trade, because she has a wonderful way with words. Stylish and sharp, her blog is chocked full of reviews, book news and book related topics. She is also starting on online book club that looks like a lot of fun!

Passion for the Page is written by Kristi in Florida. The first thing you notice when you log in to her blog is the BEAUTIFUL header. I think she likes Roses!! Once you get past that, there are some super book reviews. I also think she is a kindred spirit, since it looks like she has joined as many reading challenges as I have!!

Tiny Little Reading Room is written by the Tiny Little Librarian. Since I love libraries, she's all right in my book! Another kindred Spirit, she is in lots of reading challenges, used VAMPIRES as her theme for the Themed reading challenge, and has a Pooh quiz on her blog. I think we might be related!!

Bookworms and Tea Lovers is a very pretty site! Samantha lives in the Netherlands and loves books!! She's in various reading challenges and has lots of wonderful book reviews. This is another blog that's going right to my blogroll!

Reader Rabbit is a blog written by two sisters who love to read. The first thing I noticed was the fantasy books they were reading. Be Still My Heart!! With lots of challenges and great reviews, I'll definitely be visiting again!

Those are just a few of the great blogs I have found as a part of the Weekly Geeks. This is definitely going to be a fun ride!!

In other news, I went to the doctor yesterday. And as I feared, it's definitely a rotator cuff injury, although we aren't sure how bad it is yet. It's either just a strain, a small tear, or it could be something a little worse. Most likely, I'll be able to fix it with steroid injections (OUCH). Worst case scenario, I'll have to have surgery. They got me right in for an MRI. I definitely don't recommend one if you are squeamish about small, tight places. It took all I had not to totally freak out! I go back next Monday for the results. Let's hope for the best, shall we??

Finally, Andi from Tripping Toward Lucidity sent me an email yesterday. I won her copy of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. I'm really excited about this. Global Warming is another one of those Hot-Button issues with me. I'm all about saving the Planet!! So THANKS Andi!! I can not wait to read this one....and then I can pass it along to someone else. Every little bit counts, you know!!

Till Later!!

In Other News......

I got up this morning to an email from Colleen Gleason, author of The Rest Falls Away (The Gardella Vampire Chronicles #1). I had entered a contest at her blog For All The World To See for an autographed copy of her book. AND I WON!! Yeah for me! I don't usually win anything, so I'm pretty psyched. And I've read some excellent reviews on this one. Book 2 hits the stores in June. If you haven't read her book, you should check it out. And the contest is still going on if you would like to enter!

On the downside, I'm fighting the oncomings of a major migraine at this point. I have a million things to do this weekend, so it's horrible timing. I'm getting ready to head out for some last minute Easter Basket shopping. I still have some little presents for the kids to wrap and ALL the basket stuff to put together. I need to grocery shop and put together something to take to my Aunt Peggy's for Easter dinner tomorrow. The thought of spending 5 hours with my family is actually making my head hurt worse. Don't get me wrong. I love my parents. But it's hard to be a mother and a career woman in my 30's, and spend time with them. They have a way of making me feel 13 and awkward all over again. We are polar opposites, my parents and I, in just about everything from politics to religion. Seriously. My mom reads Ann Coulter!!! It makes my stomach turn to just here her name!! My mom actually had the audacity to try to get me to read one of her books. I told my mom in no uncertain terms that as much as I love books and abhor book burning, I'd torch it page by page if she left one in my possession!! So yes, I tend to stress at the thought of spending time with them.

The one bright spot, is the fact that my baby brother Luke will be there. He and I are really tight and I haven't seen him since Christmas. You know, when Luke was born, I never in a million years thought we would be close. I was 12 when he came screaming into existence. When Luke started kindergarten, I was starting my Senior year in high school. I left for college that next year, and didn't look back. In actuality, I've always felt a bit guilty about leaving him. It was a crazy time in all our lives, with the loss of my other brother Chad. My parents went incredibly protective over Luke after that. They almost smothered the poor kid. Now...he's in college after 3 years in the Army, and he's awesome!! Smart, hilarious and a liberal to boot! (of course, Mom blames that on my influence, like it's a BAD thing!) And I know he'll have my back tomorrow when Mom and Dad start in on me. (Unless it's a Pick-On-Luke-Day....which means I'll have HIS back!)

In the meantime, I'm popping Excedrin like candy....while I'm hording the Maxalt just in case my head actually might explode. Wish me luck!

Later!