Hey!
I can not wait until I’m among those people who don’t work on Saturday or Sunday. Or maybe it’s the Perseid shower that’s going on right now? Either way, I feel like every single person I’ve come into contact with in the last four days has gone bat shit crazy. Seriously. I came home from a full day of work Sunday ready to collapse, face first, on my bed. But, being me, that didn’t exactly happen.
I am definitely one of those people who does not stock up whenever I go to my local liquor store. BTW, it’s called The Wine Shoppe, and it is FABULOUS! I go when I feel the need and get whatever it is I’m craving right at that moment. The one exception is the two 6 packs of beer from The Brewer’s Art that I have tucked in my basement fridge. Anywho, after the craziest weekend of work, I headed to The Wine Shoppe intent on getting something that was cheap and easily consumed, just in case I wanted to down a large glass in 60 seconds.
I ended up with a 4 pack of Stella Artois Cidre. I’d heard about Stella Artois coming out with a hard cider a few months ago, had even seen it in the store, but hadn’t had the chance to try it out yet. As traditional craft beer is something I want to nurse for a bit, so that I can get the full flavor and make sure I want to buy it again, I was leaning towards getting a hard cider when I walked in anyway. I was actually planning on getting Magner’s, a hard cider from Ireland, but I took a chance and went with Stella.
Bad days, for me, are usually remedied in one of a few ways: 1) a glass of something, a book, and a music playlist 2) a glass of something and a good tv show 3) a glass of something and a chat with my best friend. Option 2 was out automatically. I have a few shows on my DVR, but my mind was too caught up in the haze of crazy to be able to pay attention to too much movement. Option 3 was called on account of the time I usually spend on Sundays talking with my best friend, between 5p-6p, was preempted by my extra long day at work. By the time I got off, she would be hanging out with her BF. So, I was left with Option 1, which worked out really well.
I popped open a Stella Cidre, put in my headphones, and opened my I Heart Radio app. I turned on my The Lumineers channel, and sat staring at my computer screen for five minutes. No Joke.
I let the music wash over me, until I heard one song. From the first second, it gripped me. Bottom of the River by Delta Rae is epic. With only voices, one drum, and chains on a trash can, it showcases the power of these young voices. I was blown away. I went on YouTube to find more from this band. I listened to three different live versions of the song, and a number of their other songs. New musical obsession? Definitely.
I opened my Kindle app and searched for a book to read. There are 68 books on my Kindle app. I’ve read about 65 of them. Obviously, I should go for one I haven’t read yet. Nope. I’m going to get to there…eventually. But knowing that I still went to the Kindle store and bought a book I’d been hearing about for a while.
UNFETTERED, edited by Shawn Speakman, is a collection of the biggest names in SF/F. But this anthology didn’t come about the traditional way, with a call for stories with a particular theme. No. This was a passion project, a concrete testament to the power of friendship. You see, Shawn Speakman is a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with another type of cancer later on. But the medical bills for treatment of his new cancer would have bankrupted him. After much consideration, he called on his author friends to donate a story for what would be Unfettered. All of the proceeds of this book go towards his medical bills. Once he’s paid them off, he’s going to do something awesome with whatever is left. His intro says that he didn’t limit his friends to a theme or a world or a word/page count, but let them write whatever was on their hearts. I’m looking forward to getting into this one. Look for a post about it in a month! It also has one of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Carey, but she’s so awesome she’s getting her own blog post.
Lastly, I want to talk about that picture down there. That is my baby, tattoo number six. It’s on my foot, and the second most painful tattoo I’ve gotten. It’s a feather design that I tweaked a little. It had one too many flowers for my liking. It’s really intricate and my artist, Dana, asked me if I was really ready for what was about to happen. She pointed out all of the little lines and swirls, and even had me go bigger in size so that I would get the full effect. Of course, I was ready, even for the bigger size. Even better, through the really painful parts I gripped my cousin’s shoulders. He’s got muscles. He took it well.
I got this baby in December 2012, with my best friend on our annual trip. We went to Louisiana, where all my family lives, and spent a week hanging out with cousins, aunts, uncles, my dad, and getting tattoos. I’ve always wanted a foot tat, but I was scared of the pain. Going in to this, I wasn’t scared anymore. It’s #6. I felt like an old pro. It is so worth it! Every time I look at my foot I’m reminded of a wonderful trip to see family and friends.
Inked by Dana, owner and proprietress of Tattoos by Dana in La Place, Louisiana. Find her on Facebook or Instagram: Tattsby Dana.
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