Sunday Stealing: The Seriously Random Questions Meme, Pt. 1

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Your ex's car is on the side of the road, on fire. What do you do? Add gasoline? No, no, no...just kidding. Honestly how would I know it was his car? Haven't actually spoken in years, haven't seen him since before I married Chris.

2. Your best friend tells you she is pregnant. What is your reaction? I think I'd be holding her because as far as I know she doesn't want to be pregnant.

3. When is the last time you wanted to punch someone in the face? Today...and that's all I'm going to say...

4. What is the last thing you spent money on? Food...oh and a little gas can to buy gas for our wonderful new lawn mower...did I mention I love my Mommy?

5. Do you think you gained or lost weight this past month? Gained...I really need to refocus my efforts...

6. Crunchy or Puffy Cheetos? Crunchy...but honestly I'd rather have Fritos...

7. The first person on your friends list just called you a bitch. What do you do? Well that would be my husband...so I'd probably kick him out until he cools down and apologizes...or just yell at him. But I also say that in jest as he wouldn't ever do that.

8. Congratulations! You just had a son. What’s his name? Oh no, no more sons for me. Oh just play along? Ok...ummm...the name I wanted to use and no one would let me is Sasha...and that is a boys name in Russia.

9. Congratulations! You just had a daughter. What’s her name? Oh now this one we picked out from the very beginning and never did have a girl...Evalyn Anne Holtz (Evie for short)

10. What are you craving right now? Sleep...seriously, the kids get up way too early...course I also stay up way too late...but it's their fault. ;)

11. What was the last thing you cried about? Why do they always ask about crying??? It was the movie Life as We Know It, because of the baby...I was having a PMS induced baby craving.

12. When you buy something and your change is 2 cents, do you keep it or tell the cashier to keep it? If there's a penny thing there I tell them to just put it in there. What kind of ass tips 2 cents???

13. What color is your tissue box? Invisible...no tissue box, we use toilet paper should the need arise. Only time I buy tissues is when one of us is sick and really draining...except Chris because he'll still use TP if I do buy the tissue...

14. Do you have a ceiling fan in your bedroom, and if so, is there dust on that fan? LMAO - no, I think if we installed one that would be the end of our ceiling and the end of our roof.

15. What was the last voicemail you received about? Probably Chris calling me to ask "where you at you sum-bitch? Call me!"

16. Have you ever blocked someone on Facebook? Yes, the last one was some guy I truly don't know, like no friends in common even...sent me a message talking about how he loves a woman to the fullest and if I'm up for that...blah, blah, blah...well considering I'm happily married I showed it to my husband and immediately blocked the guy.

17. Scariest thing you’ve experienced in the last year? I can't think of anything...all in all it's been a pretty good year, if I have to say something I guess it was when my car had some electrical problems and the mechanic said I might have to take it to the dealer (can you say KACHING for the dealer?)...luckily my husband pushed down all the fuses and the problem disappeared. And I LOVE my husband, too.

18. Do you wear a name tag at work? Ummm, no my kids know I'm mama. My 5 yr old has recently started yelling "Angie!" if I don't answer him fast enough.

19. What kind of car do you want? Do I want? That would be a mercedes...I sat in one at a Detroit Auto Show and I swear I could have moved in. Most comfortable car EVER.

20. What do you order when you go to Burger King? Depends on the time of day...mostly I don't go there...but in the morning I do like that croissanwich.

Review - The Bedtime Book for Dogs

By: Bruce Littlefield
Amazon.com - $9.18
Barnes & Noble - $14.46

Synopsis:
Come. Sit. Stay. I want to tell you a story. I think you'll like it. It's about a TREAT and a good dog, a very good dog who wanted to go play. But his friend was busy....

THE BEDTIME BOOK FOR DOGS is a charming story about a dog who decides that he'd rather walk to the park by himself than wait for his human companion-and discovers that all of his usual activities aren't as much fun without a good friend to share them with. This is an adorably packaged book with illustrations by Paul Heath that makes a perfect gift for dog lovers of all ages, with words dogs will understand and kids will want to read again and again.

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My first children's book to review! And it's a new family favorite. I didn't read it myself, I took it with us for our first summer story time before bed. The boys LOVED it. In fact Ivan (2 1/2 yrs old) has insisted I read it about a dozen times in the first 3 days we have had it. I'd say that makes it a hit. My 5 yr old gets mad if he misses a reading of it.

The pictures are simply drawn and colored and this gives me a sense of simplicity and safety...comforting. I could look at them for ages. The story is also quite simply written, making it a great book to start reading with as well as being great for the little ones who won't sit for long.

And finally it has a touch of humor. There's a scene at the park when the dog is doing "his business" behind a bush, the boys recognize that position because we have a dog, and the squirrel in the tree is covering his eyes...the boys are rolling on the floor...honestly we all found that page gigglicious.

So yes - go buy this book for the child in your life. And if I can have a bit of a soapbox time here, instead of buying a $3 card the child can't read and honestly won't get the sentiment, buy them a book and sign the cover for them. It will follow them much longer and serve a better purpose. Hint, hint, this book would be a great birthday card!

Review - The Loser's Club

by: Richard Perez
Amazon.com - $11.16
Barnes & Nobles - $11.88

Synopsis:
Set in downtown New York City, THE LOSERS' CLUB tells the story of Martin Sierra, an unlucky writer addicted to the personals. His journey brings us into the East Village, pre-9/11--and in contact with Nikki, his dream woman, who remains unattainable romantically yet becomes his friend and confidant during his illuminating misadventures. A romantic comedy and coming-of-age story.

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Richard Perez is the Van Gogh of writers. He is genius with the written word, but the stories are so dark that it can, at times, be hard to travel with him.

As stated above, this is the story of Martin Sierra, yes he is addicted to his personals, but I think mostly he's addicted to finding love and this seems to be the best way to meet women.

The sad part is he is in LOVE with Nikki, who he met through the personals. She is bisexual, and was looking for a friend when she met Martin. It breaks my heart because they both keep floating to relationships that are toxic, and missing the one that would be good for them...with each other.

Martin is also a writer, and we see the frustration of being a native new yorker and aspiring writer...or aspiring to be "paid" writer is like. Very sad and tragic. He has a job, working on imports/exports...didn't really understand what it is he does...and I don't think he does either but it beats scrubbing toilets. lol

I'm giving this 3 stars, it's a good read. I like Richard Perez's writing. However, it jumps around in time a lot and is at times a little hard to follow where Martin is at within the story.

Review - Super in the City

by Daphne Uviller
Amazon.com Paperback - $9.60
Amazon.com Kindle - $9.99
Barnes & Noble Paperback - $9.62
B&N Nook - $9.99

Description:
In this off-the-beaten-sidewalk debut, native New Yorker Daphne Uviller reveals the secrets of a sexy, story-filled Big Apple, where a mystery lurks behind every apartment door—and a savvy but slightly lost young woman unexpectedly finds herself holding the keys.

In a city brimming with opportunities for heroism, twenty-seven-year-old Zephyr Zuckerman has often fantasized about committing acts of bravery that would make front-page news. Now she may get her big break—though it may require plunging a few toilets. When the superintendent of her parents’ Greenwich Village brownstone is led away in handcuffs, unemployed Zephyr takes over his post and unleashes her inner sleuth: discovering titillating secrets about her tenants—from a smoky-voiced Frenchwoman who entertains throngs of unsavory visitors to a moody musician who just has to be hiding something—and realizing that her new reality is far more intriguing than her imagination.

Soon Zephyr has sussed out wrongs that stretch from losers on the Internet to art fraud and an international crime ring. The mob thinks she’s in the FBI, and the FBI thinks she’s in the mob—a predicament she needs to clear up fast. But perhaps not before the cute, surly exterminator helps her solve the mystery of what to do with the rest of her life...

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I really enjoyed this book, but not as much as Hotel No Tell. Although since I read that first, I kept trying to figure out how everyone got to where they were in Hotel No Tell. This book takes place a good 3 years before...and Zephyr is in the middle of trying to figure out what to do with her life.

I have less patience with her in this book as she is 27 yrs old, dropped out of medical school, never actually got to the law school and since then has been getting whatever spending cash she can from tutoring snobby rich kids.

The super in her parents apartment complex is arrested and her parents tell her she will be the new super since she has nothing else going on and she can keep the money from whatever she rents the James' apartment for. And yes she sees dollar signs when someone offers her $4,000 a month.

She also falls in love with the Jewish exterminator...the joke being no one thinks he looks like an exterminator. The passion there is amazing. There are also a ton of misunderstandings, but her parents adore him and he has a groundedness about him that she realizes she needs.

We also meet all the Sterling Girls, what she calls her 4 best friends from high school. Mercedes plays the viola in an orchestra, Abigail has moved to CA as a linguist professor, Lucy is a social worker with a little case of OCD and a heart of gold, and finally there's Tag, a biologist who studies parasites. Notice each friend has their career sorted out, but they are all on the same page for romance...as in it's lacking.

The story was pretty fast paced, I read it in a couple of days. Even with my being distracted I couldn't put it down. There are a bunch of twists and turns, and even though Zephyr does annoy me at times with whining...I adore her and her choices. She has a great imagination that never ceased to entertain.