Not Wired That Way : 2016

Monday, April 18, 2016

My Great Escape

I'm addicted. My drug, a good book.

Walk of Ideas, Berlin-Mitte, photo by Lienhard Schulz

I think I spent at least seventy-five percent of 2015 in the hospital. That is a truly depressing realization, but it did give me quite a bit of time to either read or listen to numerous novels. As with all things, there were good books, bad books and downright awful books. I enjoy reading fiction. I find good fiction to be consuming. I can immerse myself in pages of suspense, blood chilling horror or heart rending passion, or anything else that strikes my fancy.

Good books have always been my way of escaping the harsh realities and uncertainties of life. I'm not saying this method is right or wrong; it's just saying how I deal with stress. Boss a royal pain that day. I nice murder mystery is on the menu for the night. And the first person to get bludgeoned, stabbed, or shot? Sorry boss man, glad to see you go! Postman left my package on the porch in the pouring rain. Oh no! He got mauled and eaten by a werewolf! For those few hours, between the pages of a good book, my problematic world does not exist.

My hope for 2016 is to inhabit a hospital less, while reading more. As for my own books, dying or not, they well be released in 2016. I have a plan this time. It's called an assistant.

Below are a few, not just good books, but fantastic books I have enjoyed this past year. Maybe you will like reading them too. I will review no more than two or three good books in each post.

Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

This trilogy is a gem I discovered while browsing Amazon one day. The first five chapters of the first book, Shadow and Bone were being offered for free. All the reviews were good, which prompted me to download it. The first chapters hooked me as a few of the pivotal characters are introduced and they enter "The Fold". Believe me, you will want to know what that is. The feelings of fear, unrequited love, overwhelming exhaustion and confusion, expressed by Alina Starkov, are easily conveyed to the reader. Within an hour, I was downloading the whole Grisha Trilogy via Overdrive from my local library.

The Grisha Trilogy has is all. A war, monsters, spies, an all powerful villain and a love story (or maybe two?). The author, Leigh Bardugo, creates a world that you can not only see in your mind's eye but also feel. The cold and brightness of the snow will have you drawing your sweater closer to you. Your fingers can almost stroke the richness and colors of the kafkas the Grisha proudly wear. And the treatment of the Grisha by the warring factions will leave you outraged and hoping they make it to Ravka. The plight of the protagonist, Alina Starkov will leave you breathless. I love a good book that not only will place their characters in jeopardy, but is not afraid to take that precarious step and eradicate characters we have come to know and may like. Characters who do more than exist in the periphery of the story. The antagonist, The Darkling, in spite his name, is not all darkness. Even when his actions are beyond the pale, it's hard to dislike him because we are made to understand what drives him. A few times as the story unfolds, I found myself hoping the Darkling and Alina wound up together. I thought the union would give the Darkling the balance he was lacking.

I have read this trilogy several times now. It never seems to grow tiresome. I'd definitely recommend the Grisha Trilogy to one and all.

The Talented Saga by Sophie Davis

Sophie Davis is actually a writing duo. Their combined talents have spun stories that have your adrenaline running on high octane.

The Talented Saga is much like peeling an onion. The more you read, the more layers get pulled back. The pace is on target. Not so slow it drags or so fast it leaves you behind scratching your head because you don't know what happened. At the time of this post, book number six, Inescapable is scheduled to be released in the June.

The dystopian saga follows the exploitation of Talia Lyons, a mind manipulator. Yes, there are an overwhelming number of books involving girls who can manipulate minds. I myself have read many. The Talented Saga runs with the head of the pack. In another post we will discuss the other good books in that category.

Talia Lyons' world, as she knows it, comes into question when she learns the people she loves and trusts may not be worthy of either sentiment. If that isn't bad enough, she soon finds out that she is more important to her organization than she was lead to believe. As her knowledge expands, her allegiance changes, but how do you fight a government agency with cart blanche, very deep pockets and a long reach? Talia and her friends find a way, though the cost is rather steep.

I love the characters. In the later part of the saga, Talia flounders in emotional turmoil which made me wish one of the other characters, namely Erik, would just smack her. I can understand the reason for her quick, almost violent, flashes of anger, restlessness, jealousy and even despondency. However, Talia's character had been strong, resourceful and intelligent up until that point. It makes the reader step back and remember, through everything that has happened, Talia is still a teenager. She's entitled to her meltdown. Fortunately, it doesn't last long.

This is another series/saga that I have read several times. I think you have to, if you want to understand the nuances of Ian Crane, and the lengths he is willing to go to create the ultimate... Ah, ah. ah...you have to read the books to find out.

The Talented Saga, is a real page turner. The first book, Talented, is free. You should download a copy today and step into Talia's world.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Getting To Know Your Prospective Community

co-written with Tawana Keah

Are the schools good or taxes reasonable?

Since real estate agent, Tawana Keah, operates in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area a lot of the information provided will be based on that area when particulars are called for.

Dallas is the third largest city in Texas and the ninth largest city in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth area consists of twelve counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise.

It would be a gross oversight to select a home without knowing anything about the community that surrounds it. Are the hospitals and doctors relatively close? Do the schools for your children meet your standards? Are the utility rates competitive? Are other services you may want or need available in your chosen neighborhood?

For more information about the of towns or cities within each Texas county mentioned, click on the name of the town or city and it will direct you to the proper website.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Home Buyer's Check List

co-written with Tawana Keah

Steps To Buying A Home

You want the five bedroom, four bathroom house with the massive backyard that you pass everyday on you drive to and from work. No matter how badly you may want that home, your bank account might tell you something else.

Before starting your search for a home, one of the things it is imperative to do is take a realistic look at your finances. Scrutinize your income and your short-term/long-term budgets to determine what you can truly afford. How is your credit? If your credit report has adverse or negative information, getting those items resolved should be your first priority. Once you have resolved the issues, your credit report and score will not change instantly. To help hasten matters you can contact the creditor directly after you have met the obligation and ask them to remove the adverse information. Sometimes this works but don't be surprised if it does not.

These weekly post were created to take you step by step through the process of buying your home. Whether you are a first time home buyer or a seasoned investor, our goal is to guide you through a smoother, less stressful buying process. These posts will offer advice and tools you need to start down the path to obtaining your dream home.

Listed below are the steps to buying a home. Click on the link to find out about each step in more detail. Each link will become active as the subject is introduced.

Check your credit.
Get your finances in order.
Decide on a place and type of home you want to buy.
Get prequalified or preapproved for a loan.
Find a real estate agent.
Shop for your home.
Secure your loan.
Lender has home appraised.
Buyer has home inspected.
Acquire homeowner's insurance.
Close the Sale.

We have provided a list with links to calculators with everything from mortgage cost to salaries. If you have questions, feel free to ask us, we're only and email away.

Job Assessor

Salary Wizard

Benefits Wizard

Cost of Living Wizard

Rent or Buy Calculator

How Much House Can You Afford Calculator

Housing Cost Calculator

Monthly Payment Calculator

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Kitchen Experience Not Required

He Was A Woman’s Dream

Kitchen Experience Not Required

Handsome, nice body, educated and successful. His name was Jason Winslow and there had to be something wrong with him or he wouldn’t have been left on the shelf, at age forty-five, for me to pluck down.

I mean, Jason was just too good to be true! We’d talk for hours about politics, religion, philosophy, the previous night’s episode of Fringe, a show we both enjoyed. Even when he was brutally honest, some how Jason managed to take the sting out of his words. Nice right?

Jason was the first guy I could drag in front of my friends and family and not be afraid some stupid remark would come out of his mouth or worse yet, he’d emit something foul from other orifices. Don’t act shocked! We’ve all had that date who gassed up a room so badly you’d have thought an animal had crawled into them and died. I know a few gals, who even married such dates. Hey, whatever floats you boat.

And then it happened. On a rainy weekend in late April Jason asked me to have dinner at his place. We had been dating for roughly four months. Up until Jason's invitation, our dining choices had been to eat at my place, go out to a restaurant or somewhere outdoors if the weather permitted. This time was different. Jason was going to cook. Jason never cooked. We had been dating for several months and he had never volunteered to do so before. I was flattered. The only other time a man had offered to cook for me, dinner had consisted of me arriving to find the guy stretched out naked among a table full of food. Needless to say, I passed. Not gas…just quickly back through the front door. And if you're asking, you will meet that fellow in the posts of The Bachelor. I'm not sure if Jason fits in the bachelor category. I'll let the night unfold in this post and you decide.

Jason took total control of the kitchen that evening. I wasn’t to so much as touch a pot, pan or plate. He only wanted me to sit on a stool at the counter, drink my glass of wine, and keep him company while he prepared dinner.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked.

“Lemon-pepper chicken stuffed with spring vegetables.” Jason answered.

My eyes roamed over the counter. I saw a mixture of greens and scallions and deduced that was going inside the chicken. He even had a small bowl with all the seasonings mixed together that he was going to rub onto the chicken. It only took a few seconds more to realize what was missing. The chicken.

“Umm, Jason,” I hesitated, “Honey, where’s the chicken?”

Jason smiled and kept right on chopping vegetables as he replied. “In the sink. The recipe I’m using said to wash the chicken thoroughly.”

I looked over at the sink and saw nothing but sudsy water. Again I hesitated, “Umm, Jason. What are you using to wash the chicken?”

“Palmolive dish liquid. The commercials say it leaves your hands soft as it cleans so I thought it would clean the chicken but leave it tender as well.”

I nearly choked on my wine trying not to laugh. Did I tell Jason that wasn’t the way you clean a chicken? Eventually, but not that evening.

Later that night, we dined on a lovely meal of lemon-pepper Palmolive chicken stuffed with spring vegetables, roasted potatoes and garlic bread. What’s a little stomach ache between friends right? As we ate chocolate cake, thankfully purchased at a nearby bakery, Jason proposed. It was well worth the duck runs I had for the next two days.

Related articles:

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables (gicrockpot.wordpress.com)
One Pot Roasted Chicken and Vegetables(girlinterruptedeating.wordpress.com)
Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Endive(endiveblog.wordpress.com)
slow cooker fall apart chicken (backtoherroots.com)

Death Becomes Me

Death Become Me

I hurt all the time.

Each breath I take is well earned because I fought tooth and nail for it. I sit upright speaking, laughing and yet I'm drowning.

"You look good". My neighbor affirms as she studies me from across the table. I want to ask, is that a compliment or her way of saying, "There's nothing wrong with her. She's making stuff up"? Sometimes I think it's a way of people glossing over death and dying. If you look okay on the outside, you can't be doing too badly on the inside, right?

I hear her sentiment echoed often from the people I love who know about my conditions. Notice the plural? So many times, in fact, that it begs the question, "What does death look like?" Should everyone who is ill and dying all wear the same kind of suit of clothing? Should we perhaps attach calendars or clocks to our backs to denote an expiration on our lives? Would it be better if we stopped being seen in public? Or moved around listlessly moaning and groaning? People are not alike. Do you truly expect the way people react, or look or feel when dying to be carbon copies?

My hair is white as snow. Thanks to one medication or another that keeps my heart ticking, it sweeps down in a thick cloud to the middle of my back. My eyes were once a dark velvety brown. I loved my eyes. Thanks to yet another medication, my eyes are now a dark gray. To me, I look odd; burnt sienna skin, white hair and gray eyes. I miss the old me. I don't complain. Things could be much, much worse. I could be lying underneath all this beautiful green grass that stretches for miles in every direction outside my window.

When I go out, people stare.

"Oh look! Storm!" I heard one day.

"What the hell is that?" I inquired.

"You know, Storm from the X-Men?" was the reply. Now I remember. Where is a Doctor Xavier to patch me back together when I need him.

A few people will be surreptitious with their stares. A quick glance here or there and then off they go. But they are the minority. Maybe moving to the butt crack of civilization wasn't such a bright idea. At the time, all I wanted was freedom and peace.

The majority will gawk as they point at me. They speak in staged whispers...or not...to make sure I hear them. They loudly, and with much ignorance, speculate on everything from my race to my eye and hair color. I must be wearing contacts, a weave, a wig, a bronzer to make my skin tone slightly red. On and on it goes.

Then you have the bold ones. They walk right up to me and ask where I came from, what race am I, are my hair and eyes truly that color? Just yesterday a woman stomped right up to me in the supermarket and lectured me on "sisters" trying to be something they were not. Where does it end?

Oh, oh...I've gone off the rails again haven't I? Back to my cozy circle.

"You look good." My neighbor, friends and family say. They don't witness the sleepless nights filled with pain. They don't see me when I'm on the floor or the couch, shaking and cold, for hours upon hours because my body doesn't have the oxygen or strength it takes to get up. I don't eat or drink much because the pain is not worth it.

"You look good." They say, as I forget their names or that I spoke with them yesterday or an hour ago. They are not there when I throw things in frustration because I constantly lose things around the house. Or can't, for the life of me, remember a simple word like telephone or mailbox today. Would I still look good if they had seen me breakdown and cry? A few weeks ago I found a receipt which showed I had gone shopping, but I couldn't find any of the purchased items. To this day, I'm still searching but I have to admit, it's a wasted effort now.

"You're still pretty." My doctor consoles as he pats my head, after telling me my condition has gone from moderately severe to severe. I am not illegible for a heart transplant. My memory lapses are going to increase. And chances are great I will lose my sight altogether. Huh, forgetful, blind and panting like a dog...but I look good.

Yeah...death really becomes me...

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