Sunday Sundries--Sickey Edition Redux

So, instead of a nice, relaxing, productive weekend, I ended up spending most of it in the bathroom with the nasty stomach flu my husband had last week. Hellva way to lose ten pounds, huh? Yeah, it's the I'm going to wear Depends because I'm not quite sure I'll be able to make it to the bathroom and while I'm at it, I'm keeping the bathroom trashcan by where I sit for the same reason. Awesome.

But, even though it is literally a pain in the ass, I can honestly sit here and say it could be worse. I do have sick time I could take at work. I do have a job with insurance if I need to go to the doctor.

I know it would have been worse if I hadn't gotten a flu shot and if I hadn't been taking anti-viral medicine. Everyone was sneezing at work, so I should have figured it was going to happen.

After all:

So, while I'm doing my impression of Grumpy Cat,

Please forgive me. I have to make sure I drink enough water.

 I did get out for a get-together of friends to celebrate out friends' birthdays. I didn't eat very much, but we had a good time.

I've been sleeping a lot. I know it's the only way I'll get better.

One thing I really try to do is portray my characters during their trials and not finest moments. It makes your fiction more important, more real. My character Lizzy/Elizabeth jokes to herself that she does some of her best thinking in the bathroom. Don't worry--I'm not going to have anything graphic like what was happening to me for the past forty-eight hours, but it's part of life. Poor Mary Margaret runs out of tampons and just started her period. She met the man of her dreams and he buys them for her, much to her embarrassment. In the second series of books, Rob falls ill with a bad case of strep throat and in a moment of weakness, confesses to his new sister-in-law why he had a falling out with his brother.

So, yes, I need to use all my life's experiences to contribute to my fiction. But, tomorrow, I go back to work in "The Real World" and I promise I won't be like this fellow:

Promise. Take care and see you next week!

Sunday Sundries--Birthday Edition

Well, there you go! Tomorrow will be Happy Birthday to me!
Yes, I have to work, but I have my Hello Kitty tiara to wear. Seriously, I work in a call center, so the customers won't see me, but I'll be having fun.

Last

Last week, on Valentine's Day, I was in a car accident. I'm OK (I was a little sore--it hit hard enough that it spun the car around) and amazingly, The Mighty Purple Saturn only has a jilfriggered back bumper, but, my husband got out of a warm bed to come "rescue" me. I had everything under control, so I let him take me to breakfast. When he got home, he presented me with some lovely amethyst earrings and matching necklace that happened to match a ring I bought several years ago. This from the man who swore he'd never buy me another amethyst. I'm a lucky girl.

Love the look, don't you? My official birthday gift is the MS Word software for my laptop, which was my Christmas gift.

Though I am so totally a fangirl and huge stripey kitteh fan.

And black cat fan. We're having a small birthday get-together tonight at a local restaurant. I have a couple of friends with February birthdays and one is a Leap Day baby. She is turning fourteen this year and requested a lemon meringue pie instead of a birthday cake. I'll pick it up, along with a chocolate pie, later this morning.

It won't be that wild, but love the picture.

Don't need to worry about that.

Because this graph is true. And finally--

Stripey twins Boris and Natasha have promised no hairballs or political statements and I'm grateful. And I'm grateful for each of you! Have a super week!