Tag Archives: charlaine harris

Happy Adoption Day

05 Wednesday May 2010

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1 year ago today, I went to the Atlanta Humane Society and brought home a precious 7.5 pound ball of fluff and named him Shug.  Happy adoption day to the best little fuzzy buddy I could ever ask for!!

We played extra amounts of frisbee today when I got home.  He learned how to upset a game of chess when Neighbor Girl and her boyfriend attempted to be civil and intellectual with a puppy playing right next to them.  Now he’s eating the adoption day chewie I got him while I read DEAD IN THE FAMILY.

We were all in the acknowledgements again.  :)   She’s such a gracious Lady, with the capital ‘L’. 

Whoot!

08 Sunday Nov 2009

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Y’all know life has been a BLUR lately.  The week before last, I kept getting emails from some of my fellow Charlatans asking me if I’d read GRAVE SECRET yet.  I hadn’t.  I’d been so busy I’d forgotten it was even coming out!  After 4 days of constant questions about what I thought of the book…I got suspicious and finally point blank asked them why they wanted to know…and lo and behold I was informed that there is a character named after me in it!  WHAT?!!?  I ran to Borders and picked up a copy and devoured it on the plane to Denver.  There were a bunch of very familiar names along with mine (yey!) and then THERE I WAS…in print.  Since this is an anonymous blog for a reason I won’t tell you who my character is but my real life friends and family can easily find me in there.  And I don’t die!  YEY!

As for the book, it was awesome as usual.  GRAVE SECRET is the last of the Harper Connolly series.  While the Sookie Stackhouse books are far more popular, the Harpers have always been darker, edgier, and more intriguing.  This book was a great conclusion to the series that tied up a lot of loose ends and finally resolved the mystery of Harper’s sister Cameron’s death.  I love the way Charlaine writes mysteries because I can’t figure them out ahead of time.  Unlike many authors who I just want to send letters to and say, "Your readers aren’t that dumb.  Please stop inserting OBVIOUS clues in the text.  Its insulting."  Charlaine’s hints are subtle and often overlooked by many an observant reader.  Many times you come to the conclusion just as the heroine does, if not afterward.  I truly enjoyed the book and will have to get my copy signed since I’m in it!  So fun!  I’d give the book 5 stars even without having a character named after me.  It really was a great read. 

Now I’m off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.  Shug is taking a nap next to me on the couch after he had a play date with his BFF Newman earlier.  Its time to get some more cleaning done around here!

Ciao!

Oh hiiiii.

26 Monday Oct 2009

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So I’ve been called out by a few of my friends for not blogging.  Then again, there are many of you who tell me that I blog SO much that you can’t keep up.  Eh.  C’est la vie.   Its feast or famine, people.  Life is a roller coaster and right now I’m on one of those endless loops (on the feet dangling kind) where every once in a while you get to spot the ground so you don’t throw up.  My role at work is changing (for the better – whoot!) and I’m in the middle of a transition.  Training someone on my old work while slowly getting up to speed on my new area…the official announcements finally came out last week so my new teams now know.  Its very fun but I’m working crazy hours.  When I get home I barely have the time to eat and take care of Shug.  Oh yeah, and I also volunteer in addition to my real job.  I know, I’ve gotten a LOT off of my plate but the other stuff is still really demanding.  Bleh.  The good news is that I found a Doggie Day Care that I like a LOT.  Shug is officially approved (he got straight A’s on his temperment test!) and so he’s going to go for fun on their discount days when I can take him.  He’s totally exhausted after I pick him up for at least 24 hours, so thats a WIN for Mommy.

Sooooo these past weekend have been full of fun but a whirlwind.  This past Friday I hung out with Canadian Bacon (and of course Mini Molson and Molson Light) and introduced her to the wonders of Dr. Horrible.  She said she liked it.  But then again many of my friends tolerate my geekery.  And I love them for it…  So Saturday I ran errands and the Shug-ster spent a few hours playing with his new buddies at Dogma.  I was on a mission…my challenge was to create my Halloween costume from my own closet.  The problem was that I’d decided to be Kim Zolciak from the Real Hot Mess Housewives of Atlanta.  Uhh…I sort of don’t dress like her, ever.  So Girlyfriend lent me the blonde floozy wig and I had the jeans, coat, boots, and makeup.  My challenge was to find a bustier (on sale!) and cheap Kim Bling-Bling accessories.  SUCCESS!  :::Ironically, the bustier I found was purple and gold (LSU colors for my non football loving friends) and then Auburn proceeded to have their butts kicked while I was in Kim-persona.:::  I ended up in a blonde wig, stripper makeup with insane eyelashes and bubble gum pink lip gloss, purple and gold bustier, 7 jeans, a long coat, a faux Juicy Couture crystal pendant (Klassy with a ‘K’ for Kim!), an engagement ring from Big Poppa, a bottle of chardonnay, and a pack of ciggys.  "Don’t judge me because I smoke in front of my babies!  And don’t be tardy for the party!"  So there ya go.  It was a stark opposite of my Sarah Palin glory last year.  There were many awesome costumes and great company.  Ciao Bella and Hannibal are always awesome hosts so trust me when I say we had a good damn time.  Sunday was recovery day and unfortunately more work…

So whats next?  Well, I’m off to Denver for work next week (I’ve never been there before!  What will I pack!?!  It SNOWS there!) and then down to Tampa the week before Thanksgiving.  So there’s that.  Lots of travel coming.  Shug is going to be spending time with his Puppy Grandparents down in Peachtree City.  I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful family.  Although I sometimes take them for granted, of course they know how much I appreciate them.  

Gotta run, Shug is shredding one of his toys. 

Now reading:  I just finished the latest VAMPIRE ACADEMY novel BLOOD PROMISE, and before that the first novel in the Anna Strong series, BECOMING by the always gracious, lovely, and helpful Jeanne Stein.  Trust me when I say that you should read her books.  She’s just as lovely as Charlaine and its a pleasure to know her as a person as well as an author.  

A minor change…

02 Friday Oct 2009

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So for those of you who have kept up with me, you know I’m a Mod for a certain author (she who is most awesome).  As of earlier this week, I am officially a Mod Emeritus.  Yes folks, its time for this chica to step down and hand off the keyboard and scepter of mighty mighty Moderator justice to the next generation.  The real world started encroaching on my online fun and well, the real world wins every time.  (Damn them.)  I’m very proud of the time I spent working for Ms. H and I am so grateful for all the friends I have made via her site.  I’ll still be active in the community y’all, never you fear.  But the site traffic was getting more and more crazy (and the "True Blood" stuff was out of friggin’ control!) and the Mod duties were clashing with, well, everything else.  Good things are happening at work so I truly can’t complain there.  I just count my blessings and thank Sweet Baby Jesus that I have them.  Love to all my darlin’ Charlatans.  Cali Girl is a great choice for a new Mod and I’m still around ("I’m not dead yet!").

Hugs, love, bunnies, and sparkly stuff…
ASB
SassySouth

Dragon*Con – The Condensed Version

11 Friday Sep 2009

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So I titled this blog, Dragon*Con – The Condensed Version for 2 reasons. 

1 – There is college football going on right now that I am missing and lets face it bitches, attention MUST be paid. 
2 – I seriously cannot wrap my head around all the awesome from this weekend.  I’m still reeling from the shock at how much I have MISSED over the years.  Y’all know I’ve been learning to embrace the things about which I am passionate (see point #1 above as an example) yet my inner Geek has been crying to get out for years.  For years my Southern Sorority Girl beat her down into submission with peer pressure and the threat of being spiked with 3 inch heels until finally, FINALLY, they realized that they could coexist.  Possibly because the Geek Girl watched "Kill Bill" a few times and was inspired…but I digress.  Granted, sometimes this creates a slight multiple personality disorder but my close friends and family will tell you that well…thats just Sassy.  

Sooo…where to start?  

Well…why not with the reason I went to Dragon*Con in the first place?  Ok, ok…by now y’all know that I love me some Charlaine Harris.  Like a fat kid loves cake.  After years of reading fantasy and sci-fi books and being slightly embarrased when people asked me about my book collection I finally embraced my love of the genre and Charlaine was the first author who made me Fangirl enough to post on her website. I discovered a lovely online community of like minded individuals and here I am, years later…one of her Moderators.  So Charlaine committed to coming to D*C and I went into full Southern Belle hostess mode.  I quickly took it upon myself to assist in throwing the Dragon*Con Charlatan Event.  A year later…whew!!  What a ride.  After a lot of planning and coordinating with her awesome BFF Paula and many boxes shipped to my office (THANK YOU HBO!) we were ready.  We went to a ton of Charlaine’s panels and I have to say…we need to invent a drinking game for the repeat questions we hear OVER AND OVER…  Its annoying to us.  I can’t imagine how hard it is for Charlaine to be so polite and answer every single time.  She’s a friggin’ saint.  Here’s a clue people, Charlaine IS NOT going to tell you who Sookie ends up with.  Hello…there are four more books in her contract and only 1 of them is written so far.  We had 52+ people at the brunch held exclusively for her online fan club.  Dallas Darling, Baltimore Babe, and Earth Girl were all invaluable in helping me prepare.  Particularly Baltimore Babe for being our virtual Sookie Stackhouse encyclopedia and Dallas Darling for actually running the trivia contest.  So many of the awesome people we’ve met on her boards came to the convention and I was truly thrilled to meet Cali Girl, Bier Fraulein, and their darling hubbies.  The Charlatans are the best! 

Other top Dragon*Con Moments:

  • Registration:  I knew I’d love Dragon*Con from the very beginning.  At registration the guy told me as I walked up for my turn at the booth, "Please forgive me for saying this…but you are GORGEOUS!!"  No forgiveness needed, darlin’!  He was so sweet and sincere, fumbling with his registration materials and complimenting me.  What a lovely way to start the Con.  My self esteem got a huge boost that morning.  So thank you Registration Dude.  I owe you a drink.
  • My favorite t-shirts:  "And then Buffy staked Edward, The End."  "If you’re a Goth, where were you when they sacked Rome?"  "Stupid should hurt."  "Come to the Dark Side.  We have cookies."  "Everything is not flat in Iowa."
  • The "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog" sing alongs.  These were made of awesome.  I have to admit though…the "Dr. Horrible" show was far superior to the "Buffy" performance.  It might have helped that Felicia Day, she of the awesome "Do you want to date my Avatar?" video that I posted pre-Dragon*Con and the female romantic lead of "Dr. Horrible" stopped by, Mai Tai in hand (no, really – of all things?!) to give the folks kudos for doing a sing-a-long to the sing-a-long.  She’s adorable in person.  Pics on the slide show, of course.
  • Who is that FINE LOOKIN’ MAN?!?!:  Ok, so back story.  Friday night a group of us went out for drinks after the madness.  We were down the block from the Hyatt and the Marquis having a relaxing late night nosh at the restaurant the Thriller Man had noticed noticed had Dragon*Con drink specials (well played my friend!) on their patio when I looked up and spotted a VERY good looking guy walk by.  My internal monologue was, "Wow.  He’s a dead ringer for that hot lookin’ dude from "Stargate Atlantis."  OHMIGOD ITS HIM!"  My external reaction was a lot of hand flailing and pointing while saying in a frantic low voice, "Famous dude! LOOK LOOK!  Someone get a picture!!"  Bier Frauline quickly saved the day, snatched up my camera and played a real life game of "Frogger" dodging through traffic to run across the road into Morton’s where they were headed for dinner.  She cornered them and got a picture of them both.  They are now also known as my new Sci-Fi crushes, Jason Mamoa and Joe Flannigan:    We might have also gotten a picture of Joe Flannigan’s butt…  I’m not sure I should admit that…but there ya go. 
  • The Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant had to be my favorite moment of the entire Con for the sheer hilarity of it.  The judges were all former "Star Trek" universe cast members.  I actually took video and if it wasn’t such poor quality, I’d post it on here.  Needless to say, the tune of "She’s a Lady" by Tom Jones took on a WHOLE new meaning when the term, "She’s got style, she’s got grace, she’s got ridges on her face…she’s a KLINGON!!" were sung off key.  Hilarity ensued.  The winner, her Klingon name escapes me, vowed to rid the world of Hannah Montana and walked on stage carrying a light saber (take that "Star Wars" vs. "Star Trek" haters…and never the two shall meet!) and ready to wreak vengeance upon any who did her wrong.  They were judged on beauty, talent, and personality.  Yes…  So here is our winner, Ariam:  Is she lovely??  Here’s a bit from the "Daily Dragon" (yes, there’s a news letter!  SQUEE!)  "Warrior Ariam stole the show, however, when she sang the threatening yet sexy “One way or another, I’m gonna find you,” while jabbing her sword repeatedly into an invisible enemy’s heart.  This epitome of Klingon womanhood surged to victory when asked a difficult question about waking up in bed with a human, a Ferengi, and a garden gnome, surrounded by assorted accouterments that included Romulan ale and bubble wrap.  Her answer wowed the crowd.  With calm assurance, she growled, “When I was but a toddler warrior, I was asked that very question by my parents.  I will tell you now what I told them then.  I would rather caress the ears of a Ferengi as he breathes on my neck.  I would rather mind-meld with a Vulcan as he forces his logic upon me.  I would rather be on a holodeck with Data as he searches for inner humanity . . . than be dishonored by answering your question!”  MADE.  OF.  WIN.  Did I mention we used to have a dog named Worf.  Cuz we TOTALLY did.  FOR REAL.  
  • Noticed:  Only ONE "Twilight" t-shirt was spotted the entire time we were at the con.  Seriously.  And the girl looked sheepish as we pointed her out on Monday when she was taking her bags to the car.  It was like it was her last clean t-shirt and she really was embarassed to be caught in it.  Here I was, thinking that people would finally have an excuse to use up the rest of that body bling glitter lotion we all slathered on in the lat 90′s (c’mon ladies, you ALL know you did it!) to get the special "glittery diamond marble adonis cupcake angel" look.   Cleolinda would have been SO disappointed.
  • Noticed:  Artist with evil "My Little Pony" art.  I immediately tweeted Miss Cleo.
  •    WARNING:  IF YOU SEE EITHER OF THESE MEN RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION IMMEDIATELY (or prepare to be hilariously molested).  :::Mom, Dad, you may want to look away now.::: So on Saturday I decided to wear my new Maxi dress.  Its very very pretty.  Full length, coral, with a beautiful swirling pattern on it and a very deep plunging neckline.  Yes.  So the girls were definitely, ahem, up front and center.  We camped out in the Marriott Marquis bar after lunch (Taqueria del Sol – y’all know I took my girls to the good local places!) and pretty much didn’t move all afternoon.  The UGA vs. Oklahoma State game was on the big screen and the people watching was MIGHTY FINE so I wasn’t going anywhere.  All the people watching came to us, so it was a win : win situation.  Gene Simmons was amongst the many present and I asked if I could take his picture.  Clearly, he was in character.  After I snapped the shot above and started to turn around he offered to take a picture WITH me.  (You will notice I did not appear in any of the photos in the slide show because I don’t want to be the entertainment…I want to be a spectator.)  I reluctantly said yes at his enthused insistence…which is how there is a picture of him putting his…metal encrusted wang…on my arm.  Mr. UGA would have laughed till he cried and possibly fell off his chair.  Although the picture doesn’t show my face and I’m sort of curled into a semi-fetal position clearly mortified and laughing so hard I’m crying, the beauty of having an anonymous blog is that I don’t have to post the pictures!  HUZZAH.  The 2nd incident happened shortly thereafter.  Pirate Boy was standing nearby and I turned and asked him for a picture.  He lunged at me and I got the shot above.  After a few minutes, he and his best buddy…a MONK, approached me wanting to know if I wanted to participate in a little wager the two of them had.  Now clearly, anyone watching this scene in the movie would yell out, "HELLO, PIRATE!?!" so I was wary.  I had them clarify the wager.  I thought I was canny.  I knew this would somehow involve "the girls".  Sure enough, the wager involved some coins (which were displayed for my viewing enjoyment) and "exposed flesh".  Considering I was wearing a full length dress…the "playing field" was clear.  A small crowd had gathered and I’d be the no fun asshat if I didn’t play along.  So I agreed.  I thought said coins would be tossed into my cleavage.  Lo and behold, Pirate Boy puts the gold coin IN HIS MOUTH and bends over to dramatically, slowly, emphatically, bow-chicka-bow-wow-style and places it in my cleavage.  Cali Girl got pictures, y’all.  Bless!  Next the Monk took his turn.  By this point I was staring at the ceiling laughing but clearly mortified and I could tell he felt bad for me.  He complimented my perfume (Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey strikes again!) and promptly fumbled his coin release.  The Pirate wins!  The good news was I get to keep the spoils…so I have two spiffy Sacajawea dollar coins for my troubles.  I can now never run for office, ever…because there are pictures of this blessed event out there.  Shizzle.  Did I mention I am wearing the same dress to the wedding tomorrow?  Yes…Girlyfriend and I have an appointment in the morning with some needle, thread, and double sided tape.  Its a full Catholic Mass y’all.  And I know the priest.  :::facepalm:::
  • PEOPLE WATCHING.  I could have tossed my Sacajawea coins into the gaping mouths of the Bama fans as they traversed the lobby of the Marquis.  We all knew they were mouth breathers already…but now I’ve seen it in person.  I went to the bar a few times and only had one marriage proposal (darn, I was hoping for at least 2) but met this lovely Virginia Tech Lady (said with a capital "L" as she sipped her Dom Perignon at the bar) who was having FAR too much fun people watching.  She turned to me and asked what a nice normal girl was doing in a place like this and then proceeded to tell me she’d called her HUSZZZBAND two tiiiimes to tell him to get down here because he was MISSIN’ IT!!  Bless her heart.  That must have been the highlight of her day…cuz we all know how the game went.
  • ESPN College Game Day broadcasting at the same time was either an epic SMASH UP by the Gods or one of the funniest practical jokes of all time.  Girlyfriend came by the house to meet the girls just in time.  I was about to get sucked into my other obsession and she saved me from being rude to my guests.  Next year I won’t miss the parade. 
  • Last, but certainly not least…Dragon*Con decided, in a moment of brilliant nerdy-I-love-you-GENIUS…that they were going to try to break the Guinness Book of World Records current record for the most people dancing to Michael Jackson’s classic, "Thriller."  All throughout the Con you could hear the music spontaneously playing.   I would have done it if the practices hadn’t conflicted with a few of the panels I wanted to go to (and lets face it, Southern Belles don’t sweat…we glisten.  I wasn’t about to start dancing around in my sun dresses and let the girls accidentally come out and play).  However, Thriller Man (thus explaining the blog name), Bier Fraulein’s most awesome husband, duly represented the Charlatans while SUFFERING FROM BRONCHITIS.  Now he is a true man!  So I leave you with this incredible video of the official dance.  Folks…you have to people watch.  Some of the costumes dancing to this are just friggin’ hilarious.  Its a geek moment of awesome of EPIC PROPORTIONS and I love it all the much more for it.  Baltimore Babe, Dallas Darling, and Earth Girl…pay particular attention to one of the 3 people leading the dance.  You’ll notice its the "lovely lady" in the green sailor outfit we were behind on the steps leading up the Hyatt and we got a straight shot UP his/her skirt because we were RIGHT behind him on the steep, steep, STEEP stairs and MY EYES!!  MY EYES!!!  Enjoy:

If you watch the next video on the YouTube scroll you’ll get to see the ALIEN dancing during one of the practice sessions.   Rock the hell on.

So Jager, I missed the first Auburn game of the season and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT.  I will do it again next year.  Congrats Dragon*Con, you have a new desciple.  

Geek-a-licious

09 Wednesday Sep 2009

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There was far, far, farrrrr too much awesomeness at Dragon*Con for me to just post one blog about it.  Soooo, here are my top 10 favorite pics so you can have a visual for additional commentary…but before I get started a few little "shout outs" to my girls and some new friends…  Baltimore Babe, Dallas Darling, and Earth Girl – y’all rock.  I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun without y’all.  Cali Girl :::dubbed via Twitter::: you and your hubbie are welcome to come back to Atlanta anytime.  I would also be remiss to not give a big virtual hug to an old pal but new blog friend, Bier Fraulein and her awesome hubbie…Thriller Man :::dubbed:::  I’ve got a great guest room for ya to crash in anytime folks!  My new LJ Blogger buddy, pktaxwench – the pic I took of y’all is the best of the entire Con.

So, without further ado…here are my top 10 photos (in my personal opinion – this isn’t based on the complexity of the costume or the skill it took to execute it…it was more of whether I thought it was fun and if it MEANT something to me):

10)  "Let the Wild Rumpus Start!!!"

Yes, I did catch this poor girl in the bathroom and she was kind enough to let me snap a picture.  LOL  And there was rumpus…lots and lots of rumpus…

9)  "WHO YA GONNA CALL?!?!?!"

I saw these guys and did my best Janine impression, "GHOSTBUSTERS!  Whaddya want?!?!" and a few people snapped their heads around looking for Annie Potts.  :)

8)  Cuz this is THRILLER!  Thriller meets "True Blood"!!

Sookie, Arlene, Daphne…meet Zombie Michael Jackson…  These were some of the umpteen ZILLION Merlotte’s waitresses we saw.  "True Blood" is definitely a pop culture phenomenon.  

7)  ALIEN!

I dont know what is scarier…the alien, or what is behind it…
Ahem…anyway, we were quite impressed with the costume and apparently this particular Alien (there were a few) was quite "frisky" with the ladies.  His favorite thing to do was to walk up behind someone and slide his head over their shoulder so they saw his teeth when they turned to look.  Thank GAWD I was walking behind him and saw him do this the first time.  I would have possibly freaked the hell out.

6)  We’ve gone to PLAID!!

Barf and Princess Vespa!  WIN!  WIN!  WIN!!

5)  You better WORK!  FIERCE!  He’s a Wonder Woman.

Yes, I said he.  Isn’t he gorgeous?  Damn I wish I looked that good in a Wonder Woman bikini?  I think with the boots she was over 7 feet tall.

4)   Holy Nazgul! Its a good thing I’m a chick, so technically I can kill that thang…

I seriously got left behind (FAR BEHIND) to stop and take a picture of this.  Friggin’ amazing.

3)  REAL VAMPIRES DO NOT SPARKLE

…and they have fangs.

2)  "Oooh, Lover!  You gon’ make me clutch my pearls!"

We saw plenty of Sookies, a few MaryAnns, a shit ton of Vampires…but only ONE Lafayette.  And he was better than ALL OF THEM!

1)  "Yo ho, yo ho…a pirate’s life for me!!!"

Is that not the coolest picture?!?  Amazingly enough, I got it on my camera phone while they were on the little people mover in the under water tunnel at the Georgia Aquarium.  It was so good I exchanged numbers with them to make sure I could get them a copy.  BEST PIC I took at the Con.  So fun!

Honorable Mention:
"Rodents of Unusual Size?  I don’t think they exist."

He was very helpful allowing me to take the picture when little pixie ninja (who apparently had some form of authority because she had a walkie talkie) was yelling, "NO PICTURES!  WE NEED TO CLEAR THE ROOM." and there was no one there…  She really didn’t appreciate us pointing that out to her.  And then taking pictures anyway…

And here are the rest of the pics, as a slide show for your enjoyment:
CLICK HERE!

Adventures at Dragon*Con starring Sassy and friends coming soon to a blog near you.  In the intermission, please enjoy this Dragon*Con top 10 list from our friend, Jackie Kessler:
Jackie Kessler’s Top 10 Dragon*Con Tips

Whew

03 Thursday Sep 2009

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We all know that the preparation for a vacation is exhausting, which makes the first day or so of vacation all the more stressful with the packing (and unpacking) and traveling.  Its even more stressful when you’re having a "stay-cation" and 3 of your friends are coming in from out of town who have never seen your home before.  Ack!  My OCD kicks into overdrive.  So rather than posting my picks (yet…I do plan to do this at some point!) or geeking out over Dragon*Con (which I am surprisingly far more excited about than I thought…possibly because it looks like Dark Diva and a few other fellow geeky friends will also be in attendance) I’ll just let y’all know that today is going to be awesome.  Earth Girl and Baltimore Babe arrive after lunch from Baltimore.  We’ll hang at the house for a bit and then head off to dinner (South City Kitchen, YUM!) and Dallas Darling will meet us there straight off of the plane.  We’re meeting a few other folks at the restaurant and it should be a very pleasant evening.  Then we’ll be assembling goodie bags for the Charlatan Event on Monday.  What?  We’re Southern.  Of COURSE there will be goodie bags.  I’m surprised I’m not up making cheese straws for God’s sake.  I’m hard wired to whip up tea sandwiches…

Puppy Update (Y’all are funny – I’ve left them off a time or two and gotten emails from friends asking how Shug is because they didn’t see an update on the blog):  I took him down to Puppy Paradise in Peachtree City last night to stay with his Gator Grandparents till Labor Day when I go pick him up.  He LOVES going down there.  Its his happy place.  He romps.  He plays.  He even drops the toys when Gator Momma tells him to (whereas with Gator Dad and I its an instant game of tug, "DROP IT!"  "LEAVE IT!" and then tug again).  So we had a lovely dinner and Shug explored the house while trying to figure out why ALL of his toys were down there.  After making sure he was settled in and Gator Mom and Dad had all of his "instructions" – you know, simple things like "Feed him." I was off back home to try to get some more anal retentive OCD cleaning done.  Not 15 minutes after I’d left, I get the call.  "There’s been an accident."   In his excitement to play he’d ran while he and my Dad were playing and gotten his paw stepped on.  PUPPY EMERGENCY.  Apparently there was much yelping and crying and exaggerated limping going on (this is MY puppy so of course there will be DRAMA) so I turn around and head back.  I call the vet en route and they give the practical, "Why didn’t I think of this?" advice.  Put him in his crate, ice it, watch for swelling.  Make sure he eats and drinks water normally.  If he’s still not walking on it in the morning, call.  So I get back to the house and he’s up and around, just limping and definitely not putting any weight on his front right paw.  But still wanting to PLAY PLAY PLAY (which is a good sign).  So we attempt to ice his leg (Shug is not having this thankyouverymuch) and just decide to crate him and see in the morning.  I knew there was nothing I could do but hover and stress about it and frankly, if he was with anyone other than my parent I would have probably popped him in the car and we’d have been on our way to the emergency vet.  However they’ve had dogs for years and I knew he was in very good hands.  The hardest thing I’ve had to do in a long time was to make the decision to get back in the car and drive home.  I knew I had guests arriving right after lunch and I til had cleaning to get done.  If I stayed at their place I would get stuck in rush hour to get back home and he’d still be down in Peachtree City with his puppy grandparents for the weekend no matter what, vet visit or no vet visit. So I drove home, starting my cleaning, and stressed about him the whole time.  Its like having a furry kid, y’all.  They aren’t kidding when they call them "fur babies".  So anyway, I finally fell asleep and Gator Dad called from Peachtree City this morning to report that he and Shug were on their morning WALK and that after limping for the first few minutes when he got out of the crate, Shug shook it off and started running around the house looking for me.  He was happy to report that Shug was doing just fine and I didn’t need to stress any more.  Whew!  I know Gator Mom and Gator Dad were just as stressed as I was.  Its no fun to see a puppy in pain.  So thankfully Shug seems fine, he’s in very good hands, and the emergency vet visit was not needed.  Now I can stop thinking about it and relax and enjoy my weekend.  Time to start another load of towels in the washer and start dusting!!  

What Not To Say on a First Date, by Sookie Stackhouse

22 Saturday Aug 2009

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So for the past 2+ years I’ve been updating this little "list" on CharlaineHarris.com after each Sookie Stackhouse book.  Since its "mine" (with some suggestions from other posters on moments from the books to include, don’t get me wrong – Baltimore Babe always helps out with the suggestions since she’s like a Sookie encylopedia but all the content of the post is mine – the source material, of course, is the property of Charlaine Harris) I don’t feel any qualms about posting it on my own blog.  For my friends and family who haven’t read the entire Sookie Stackhouse series of books (there are a total of 9 now – the last one being DEAD AND GONE that came out in May) this will be over your head. This has nothing to due with "True Blood" for those of you who only watch the show.  For those of you who have read the books, this particular update was a tough one since DEAD AND GONE had some pretty awful things happen to Sookie and her friends.  I tried to be sensitive to those events while still keeping the zany "Sookie gone cray-cray" point of view.  Enjoy!  (Or not..)

I quote myself:  AtlantaSassyBelle on CharlaineHarris.com 2009-08-22 (its like talking in the 3rd person, y’all!)

SPOILER WARNING – There are spoilers below for those of you who have not read all the Sookie Series up through DEAD AND GONE!

"What NOT to tell someone on your first date (and completely out of your dang mind!)", by Sookie Stackhouse.

1) I’m telepathic and I can also read some supes minds…and maybe some vamps now but they can‘t know or they might kill me. Shhhh! Can you keep a secret??.
2) My brother is part Were-Panther. Bitten, not born of course. His best Panther buddy, Mel, turned out to be in love with him and did some awful things. But its all ok now. He’s dead. Who? No, not my brother. Mel! Jason is fine. I think?
3) I’ve had vamp blood from multiple sources.
4) I slept with Bill and Eric (both vampires, whee!) and a Were Tiger named Quinn…no pressure on you for comparison or anything…
5) I’m part Fairy. :::bats eyelashes::: No really! I suggested this nice restaurant because this is where Eric brought me to meet my Great Grandfather for the first time. He’s a Fairy PRINCE! Well, maybe KING now?? Apparently he’s very high up there and quite powerful and protective. For a while there I could like, snap my fingers…and poof, there’s Pappy! Everyone seemed a little scared of him and even my own cousins were scared of him and call him "My Lord". But now he’s back in the hidden lands and can’t come out because there was this huge secret war. They even killed my brother’s wife, Crystal. I mean she was a total hooker and I really really disliked her but no one deserved to be hurt like that just for being related to us. I even killed one of the fairy dudes who tried to kill me…with a trowel! I think its all over now, but they still can’t find my great uncle, Dermot. Did I mention he looks JUST LIKE MY BROTHER and wants to kill me? No, Dermot…not my brother. Sheesh, you’re so sensitive…Don’t worry, I have my water gun in my purse and I never leave home without my trowel… I’m fine now though. But if a seriously gorgeous person starts to sneak up behind me, tell me ok? :::pats her purse:::
6) I had a funny uncle (so lets talk therapy bills) but my ex Vampire boyfriend Bill killed him for me. :::smiles prettily:::
7) My grandmother was brutally murdered by the man who wanted to kill me for sleeping with the first guy I ever dated who happened to be a vampire who was sent to Bon Temps to seduce me because the Queen of Louisiana heard about me from my now deceased deceased (twice) estranged cousin Hadley who was also her lover.
10) My best friend was part of a sex club. A few of them died in the woods when a Maened killed them. Oh, and that Maened tortured me too. Wanna see my scars? Boy howdy, she was a hot mess.
9) My boss is a shape shifter. A true shifter. He can be anything he wants. Its really cool! He just revealed himself at the great Were revelation and turned into a dog in front of all our customers! Everyone handled it really well except for Arlene. I think she was so upset she might have popped a few of her fake fingernails off. She quit so its all good. I was tired of telling her her fake red hair looked “natural” anyway. No one is naturally that shade of tramp. Anyway, the time before that, Sam turned into a LION and killed a bunch of folks to defend me. He’s very protective… His step dad shot his Mom after the Weres came out so if I were you, I’d remember to have a positive attitude around supes, mmmkay? They’re getting a divorce now. Who? Oh, his step mom and her psycho soon-to-be-ex husband.
10) Remember that waitress with the bad hair? Arlene? My so called former best friend is now a psychotic member of the Fellowship of the Sun! After the Weres came out and Crystal was killed she tried to lure me to her house and have her boyfriend and some FOTS folks kill me and crucify me for being a were and vamp sympathizer. Yeah, I know right? They couldn’t even come up with an original crime to commit! So anyway, she’s in jail. Her boyfriend is wounded. The other guys is dead… How? Well the FBI was in town investigating my mind reading capabilities and happened to be available to assist our local law enforcement. I have them on speed dial. Wait, why are you sweating?
11) I’ve seen the man from Memphis and he likes to eat dogs and cats.
12) I’m a friend of the Shreveport pack. Again. Well, after their enemies tried to kill me. And then I helped their Pack Leader figure out he was being duped after a lot of people got killed. There was this whole Were War and it was CRAZY! And now my friend Alcide, who I think still sorta wants to, uhh, well… Anyway, he’s Pack Leader now. He still text messages me from time to time. :::buzz::: Hey, that’s him now. Lord, he needs to work on his grammar. What does, “U on date? Not gud call mi l8tr okthanxbai.” mean? :::holds out phone to show him as he jerks away like its on fire:::
13) Some of the Mississippi Weres want to kill me and continue to try to make my life miserable. They constantly send spies and I had to have the last one hexed by witches. Did I mention they are also my roommates? The witches, I mean. Well, the REALLY powerful one just moved out and back in with her sorcerer boyfriend in New Orleans but I really want to go visit soon. Anyhoodle…the spy is now no longer under the psycho from Mississippi’s influence so she SHOULD be safe…
14) I’ve killed two ex girlfriends of men I dated or were interested in dating me. Do you like your ex? :::raises eyebrows:::
15) I’ve been staked in defense of a vampire who wasn’t really a nice person but she wasn’t as cah-raaazy as the psycho founder of the Fellowship of the Sun who was trying to kill her. :::barely pauses for breath::: Did I tell you he wants to kill me, too? Yeah, because I was a key player in taking down the FOTS headquarters in Dallas. Then I helped a repentant murdering pedaphile vampire meet the dawn. What a roller coaster ride that was! :::gulps a glass of wine:::
16) I’ve been sort of raped by an ex when he was out of control and he’s ALSO my next door neighbor and he, uhh, still kinda stalks me and shows up in awkward places and tells me he’s still in love with me…oops, there he is now! :::waves at Bill who is lurking outside of the restaurant in the shadows::: Don’t worry! He’s totally harmless. I think… I mean he did just kill a bunch of fairies who had kidnapped and tortured me. It was nuts. He got silver poisoning and everything just for me. He’s seriously dedicated to me. I mean SERIOUSLY.
17) Oooh, ooh! Have you ever dumped a body before? I have! It was really scary at first but WHOO, what a rush! We found him in Alcide’s closet. You know, that Pack Master I mentioned who just texted me again?? Did I mention I stayed with him in Jackson? It was totally platonic…well nothing HAPPENED but wow was there chemistry! Anyhoo…Alcide and I were looking for my soon to be official ex vamp boyfriend, the one who is hiding outside :::waves at Bill again::: and this Were got fresh with me. Then we found him dead in the closet! So we dumped the body in the woods rather than reporting it to the police. :::looks at date::: Hey, why are your eyes so wide?
18) When you drop me off at the house I’ll have to show you my spiffy new kitchen. A pirate vampire assassin burned it down in an attempt to kill me BUT my fairy godmother saved me! She was also my COUSIN! Yeah, pretty cool huh? She just passed away protecting me from evil fairy enemies of my great grandfather. I miss her a lot. Its why I don’t drink my tea with lemon anymore…in her honor. :::raises her glass in salute::: Anyway, the pirate assassin was sent to avenge the death of another vamp who Eric staked for me. You remember Eric? Well, he didn’t remember some things :::laughs to herself ruefully::: He’s the other vamp I’ve had uhhh…moments with? But he didn’t remember it because he had amnesia :::pauses for dramatic affect::: and NOW he remembers what happened when he couldn’t remember anything! :::pours herself another glass of wine::: Where was I? Oh yeah! This vamp was sent to kill the person that would hurt Eric the most and he figured that killing me would cause him the most pain. I wonder why that is? :::looks over her shoulder::: Hey, who is Bill talking to outside? Wait, is that Eric?! What is he doing here???
19) Wait a minute. :::pauses::: Yeah, thats Eric. I can sense he’s pretty upset with me because I’m on a date. We had a pretty significant blood exchange a while back with some sort of ceremonial knife. Anyway, instead of being able to control me, it just allows me to feel more of his emotions and him mine. Its technically called a Blood Bond. Ominous, much? It allowed me to save his life a while back when he was being attacked. Freaky, huh? So I guess he knows I think you’re kinda hot… :::bats eyelashes again::: So then Eric calls me up a few months ago and has me bring him this same knife and does some sort of “hoodoo voodoo” in front over another significant vampy sort of dude and apparently we’re “married” according to vampire rules now. Its like a vampire shotgun wedding, minus the baby! We haven’t had “the talk” yet about whether we’re LEGALLY married so being on a date with you shouldn’t make him TOO angry. What? Why do you look like you need the Heimlich maneuver? I know CPR. Do you need help??
20) So have you ever met a Werewolf who was turned into a vampire? I have! He attacked me when he rose. I was dating his boss who thought he was dead. We found his dead body in my cousin Hadley’s apartment (you know, the vampire who dated the old Queen of Louisiana and now she’s dead? Yeah, her place!). I was with a witch who had to set his face on fire to get him off of me! She’s now my roommate so you’ll have to meet her when we get home. We just lost our pet, our cat, Bob. He was her sorta lover and she ACCIDENTALLY turned him into a cat and it took FOREVER to get him changed back… There are some very suspicious kittens around our place now too! Anyway, Bob is a human again and BOY was he PISSED… What? OH! Where was I? Oh yeah! So Werewolf now Vampire dude goes to work for the Queen and apparently TOTALLY flips his noodle! So crazy Werpire collaborated with the Fellowship of the Sun to bomb the vampire summit in Rhodes a few weeks ago! I know! SOOO CRAZY!?!? It was like armageddon, but with vampires, Weres, and aliens from other dimensions. Now the FBI is investigating it and my involvement in the rescue. No, really! :::pauses to drink more wine and waves her arm at the waiter to bring another bottle::: So my now ex boyfriend was there with me, Werepire’s former boss…did I mention he could turn into a Bengal Tiger, one of the most lethal animals on the planet? He’s like 7 feet long when he’s shifted! But he’s as gentle as a kitten…well, unless you tick him off because he’s also a famous Supe ultimate fighter from the pits and I don’t know how many people he’s killed in total BUT he’s killed a few people and a vamp for me…Hey, are you ok? Why are you gripping your wine glass like that. You’ll break it! Here, let me pour you some more! :::pours wine in his glass which is now shaking::: Anyway, my boyfriend was there running the summit and I had no idea just HOW famous he was till we got there. You’ve never heard of him? Quinn? Wow, you’re the first person I’ve met who hasn’t in a while. We JUST broke up and he’s really not taking it well so he might still be a little jealous, ya think? I mean he only attacked or killed people who he thought were trying to hurt me or keep him from talking to me. Hey, I think thats him arguing with Eric and Bill outside! What a coincidence! :::waves::: Surely going out to a friendly dinner isn’t hurting him? I dumped him pretty suddenly after I found out he’d been incognito because he’d been off in Las Vegas saving his crazy mother’s behind AGAIN and is now indebted to their Vampire King. Did I mention that King just led a hostile takeover of Louisiana and now HE’S in charge? He’s the other guy I saved when I saved Eric so he sort of owes me one. Aaaannnyway, I think the whole vampire marriage thing was to protect me from the new vamp king because he wanted me in Vegas? I mean yeah, VEGAS BABY…but only for a visit. I’m not one for sequins anyway. I can’t believe Quinn is back in town. The last time he was here he violated Eric’s direct order trying to see me and he and Bill got into this HUGE fight and oh oh…I can sense Eric’s anger via my bond. Wow. He’s really ticked off. But amazingly I don’t think its with Quinn. Why is he staring so intently through the window right now? Huh, that’s, like…so weird and stuff. So anyway its been a pretty exciting few months but I don’t think anyone else wants to kill me right NOW and besides, who would try with Eric, Quinn, and Bill right outside? :::turns and waves at Eric, Quinn, and Bill who are now standing at the window and glaring inside:::

Wait, where are you going? They haven’t even brought out our dessert yet?

SPOILER ALERT


Puppy update:  Shug seems to be out of the woods.  Not only is he INHALING the new food I’ve switched him to – Wellness Puppy – he’s almost back to his original energy level (much to Mommy’s chagrin!) and we even worked on a new trick today, "Lay Down" and then "UP!"  A few more weeks of practicing that and I think he’ll have it down pat.  He’s napping at the moment and later we’ll go for a walk after it cools down a bit and then its BATH TIME for puppy!!

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