First things first: The Story Siren is having a contest in honor of reaching 20,000 hits at her blog. Read the post and email answers to her questions in order to enter the contest. Okay, uck, I've edited three times and I can't get that link to the contest to work, so if you're getting http:// and blogger.com in front of the second http://, please just delete everything in front of that second http and it should work. Blogger is really starting to tick me off.And, another one! Dar at Peeking Between the Pages is giving away a copy of The Host, here! All right! I am so dying to read that book.
Second, it's 99 degrees out. I am melting. I can't accomplish a thing. Someone send me a breeze, please? Just a little bitty bit of that nice, cool Canadian air or, you know, a UPS box full of glacial ice (I know, it'll melt, but it's the thought that counts) or maybe . . . penguin thoughts. Anything cool will do.
Third, I am sitting on my butt far too much and realizing that I need to tidy up the link list in order to stop myself from wasting time visiting folks who don't visit me or haven't linked to my blog or (ick) those who have ditched me. However, I really don't want to offend anyone. So, if you've meant to link up to my blog or you're just a fly on the wall and you want me to leave you as is, put you back up, add you, etc., just let me know. I love my fellow bloggers. I just don't want to turn into a giant toad because I sit too much. Plus, I have a few friends I have to add because I love them.
Obviously, I adore you if you're reading this post. Doesn't it feel good to be loved? Here's another cold photo, just because . . .
Bookfool, all gushy with bloggy love and still dreaming of mountains and ice and breezes
No! I am keeping all this lovely coolness we've been having since Sat here. It's been 105 for heaven's sake. But I feel badly for you, does that count?
ReplyDeleteI think blogging/reading is a bit sporadic right now. I know I've been. It's light so much later and there are actual places to go and things to do.
Carrie,
ReplyDeleteIt counts because I know you feel my pain.
Places to go in the heat? Really? It sure seems like things have shut down here. Maybe it's just that I've convinced myself nothing is worth going out in that heat.
It's actually hot here in the mountains this week too! However, this is such a rare occurence that I've been savoring every moment of it. :D
ReplyDeleteIt is really muggy here. It has been raining off and on all day and I guess there is a storm coming up the coast or something, so that means more rain. Fun. I was actually hoping for a bit of thunder and lightning to break the weather a bit, but now I have to work soon, so I am good with no thunder. The last thing I need is the power to go off! Our weather problems are actually the fault of the U.S... we get your smog (well, not yours specifically...) because we are a valley and everything comes up and settles here. I hate to think what I am breathing most days...
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid we have no cool air to send down to you from Canada. It's been positively sweltering here recently. A bit of a wet spell right now, but not the usual cold Canada weather. Of course, my idea of really hot might be your cool breezes!
ReplyDeleteDo you use google reader or bloglines? I find it has saved me lots of time on blogbrowsing, as I can tell when someone has updated their blog. I haven't ever made a list of links on my blog, but that doesn't mean I don't read. Although, I find that google reader has made it harder to make the effort to comment, since it takes a whole 'click' to get to the site.
I'm just about done A Fraction of the Whole, and I'm not sure. It's funny, but over all I'm not engaged enough with the characters. I can't reconcile the funny lines with the cynical characters and wird situations. Rather Garp like?
I hear ya on the heat! I really hate this time of year.
ReplyDeleteEva, Eva,
ReplyDeleteYou do not want to admit you live in the mountains. Unwanted bookfools might show up on your doorstep! We have a 7-month summer, so it's hard to fathom someone savoring the heat. Maybe in a couple of months you can send me snow, yes? Polar bear vibes will do, for now. :)
Kailana,
It's not my smog, I swear. LOL "Muggy" I know far too well. Well, it was a nice thought. We do get Canadian cold fronts in the winter (much diminished) but in the summer we get air from the Gulf of Mexico -- which, of course, can also mean hurricanes.
My lifeguard kiddo prays for thunder and lightning while he's working because it means the pool has to be emptied and he gets paid to play card games with the other lifeguards. This has been the most unstormy summer in years, though. Poor kiddo. He's not getting many of those card-game days! I hope you get your break in the weather. After work, of course. :)
Raidergirl,
ReplyDeleteReally? Even on PEI? That surprises me. Of course, you're right that your version of "hot" is probably different from ours. The worst thing about Vicksburg, in my opinion, is that the hottest months are the months when the wind doesn't blow. A breeze would do wonders. And, the months and months of heat really can do a gal in. I will never stop missing real winters with snow.
I don't use Google reader or Bloglines because I try to leave comments as often as possible and it's easier to do so when I just click through my links. But, yeah, I do waste some time that way, going to blogs that haven't been updated.
Oh, embarrassing, I haven't read Garp. Don't know if Fraction is Garp-like, but I did find it over the top. Funny and brilliant in many ways but sooo overwhelming. The weirdness level and the constant onslaught of tragedy were rough, and yet he had so much to say. I do wish it had been just a bit more palatably (sp?) presented.
Tammy,
It's in the 60's in Alaska. Unfair!!! We just need to figure out how to work it so we can spend our summers in Alaska and skip the yuck months. To think, it's not even August, yet.
Those cool thoughts are very helpful. It was 99 here today, and the girl that never wears shorts (that'd be me) has worn them for the last two days. Whew!
ReplyDeleteI can verify Kailana's and Raidergirl's story. Hot. Muggy. It's like 100F with the humidity. I hate sweating.
ReplyDeleteI use Google Reader now. I haven't added anyone to the blog roll in a long time (you're on there though). Keep on visiting me, please. My visits have dropped a lot over the summer. Boo-hoo :(
Your photo looks like the canal in my backyard in April...
ReplyDeleteIt's supposed to be in the 70's here all this week. If I figure a way to send it your way, I'll let you know.
cjh
You are loved Bookfool! I love the iceberg photo and I entered The Host giveaway. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contests update. And I'm sending cool thoughts your way.
ReplyDeleteThis summer has been oddly chilly and overcast for the most part. It really hasn't seemed like July so far, and June was a complete wash-out.
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't been visiting much recently - I finally added everyone to Google Reader, so I'll be dropping in more often!
It's been terribly warm and humid here which is unusual because we are right on Lake Michigan - I feel your pain. Maybe some cool air is coming your way, I hope, I hope:)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog list on my blog, but I do have you on my Reader! I've been considering adding a list, but what if I leave someone off??
ReplyDeleteI'll try to comment more so you know I'm here.
I'm hosting a contest on my blog right now- stop by!
I'm sorry to hear about the heat. I'm spending the summer in Brazil and it's winter here (which means lovely spring-like weather) so this year I have nothing to complain about :P
ReplyDeleteAndi,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hear you. There comes a point that you just can't hide the pale white legs any longer because they need air. I'm glad the cool thoughts help. :)
Chris,
I hate sweating, too. I've actually been wondering how on earth I ended up heading south rather than north for many years, now. I always dreamed of moving to the mountains. Hard to believe it's so hot in Canada!!!
Thanks for letting me know you still visit. I haven't dropped by your blog as much, but I'm still visiting. I've just been pokey. :)
CJ,
Your canal is icy in April? April is usually our last month for planting, before the heat really hits. Most of my flowers died, this year, because I got them planted too late (in May).
Sigh. I would love to visit you so much. 70's!!! My favorite!!! But, I have to stay here because the kiddo is working and he's driving a crap car. Someone has to be around in case of auto emergency. Not that I can do much but drive him home, but it's better than knowing he could get stranded, so here I sit. :)
Teddy Rose,
ReplyDeleteAwwww, thanks. I feel loved. Talk about a way to bring people out of the woodwork! :)
You're welcome. Don't you love book contests? We're just such a big, happy network of bibliophiles all passing our books around. I love that!
Nikki,
Any time! Thanks for the cool thoughts. I need them muchly. Is it hot in Italy?
Quixotic,
Okay, I'm trying to remember where you are . . . England? Because, wherever you are, that's where I want to hang out during June and July, next year. It's hard to fathom the words "chilly and overcast". We've hardly seen clouds for weeks (although we did get about 5 minutes of rain on Friday -- wahoo!).
Maybe I should give in and do the Google reader thing. Hmmm. Thanks for letting me know you're still visiting!
Tracee,
ReplyDeleteWe usually don't have a break in the heat until September -- sometimes as late as October or November. So, I'm not holding my breath, here, but I can dream. :)
Warm and humid on Lake Michigan does seem odd!
Lisa,
I think I've just found the way to make sure you don't screw up and leave someone off your links -- just post a message saying, "Let me know you're there!" Seems to work well. :)
Thanks for letting me know you're still hanging out, here. I'll drop by to check on that contest. I just love contests!
Nymeth,
So, I'm just on the wrong part of the globe, then? I'll try to remember that. Brazil! How did you end up in Brazil? I want to go to Brazil to learn how to dance, seriously. I love Brazilian dancing. It's so joyful!
Ewww...99 degrees! One of the reasons I'm so glad we no longer live in Memphis is that sauna-like atmosphere every time you step outside, for half the year anyway. It's been a tad gross here as of late, too...though not approaching 99 degrees. Life in the low 90s sucks bad enough when you don't have air conditioning though. I honestly shouldn't complain, because upstate NY weather is one of the many things I love about living here. Here's wishing you a miracle cool down!
ReplyDeleteYuck to the hot weather. Hopefully you have air conditioning? We are having a rather overcast day here which is god since we just reseeded out lawn.
ReplyDeleteDebi,
ReplyDeleteMemphis weather is very much like that of Vicksburg, just colder in the winter. I was so envious when my eldest sent me snow pictures! I'm sure he's not enjoying the heat any more than I am, right now. "Sauna" is right. Yucko. I'm going to go take a reading siesta, in a bit.
Upstate New York is one of the places we could have moved instead of MS. Hubby turned that job offer down because it was a temporary job, but man . . . I would have liked that so much better. I've never handled heat well, ever. Thanks for the wishes. We don't typically have a break in the heat until mid-September at the earliest. Bleccch.
I think this may be my first visit to your lovely and oh so cool blog, but it will definitely not be my last! Wish I could blow some chilly air your way, but it's hot here too.
ReplyDeleteContests.. love them!! I'm having one right now, too. Come see if you feel like it. If not, I understand. Hot weather makes me lazy too.
Juliann,
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, we couldn't live without air conditioning, down here! The times we've had A/C problems and the days after Katrina were absolutely unreal. At the moment it's just 96 degrees and the heat index has stuck around 101-103. That's not as bad as it could be, but I'm still not accomplishing a thing. We keep our A/C at 80-82 during the heat of the day and it doesn't inspire energy. I'm a real slug in the summer. LOL I'm glad you're overcast, for the sake of growing grass! Our grass is brown. Poor, sad, dehydrated lawn.
Lisamm,
Well, in that case, thank you for visiting! Honestly, we just all need to invade Alaska. I just read my Alaska Daily News update and the high today was 58 degrees in Anchorage!!! 58!!! Ohhhh, envy.
I'll hop over to check out that contest. I'm not quite that lazy. Okay, that's a lie, but I can get up the energy, oh, yes I can. :)
Hi Nancy
ReplyDeleteYou won a copy of Love as a Way of Life by Dr. Gary Chapman. I will send them out sometime this week. :)
Coolness! Thanks, Brittanie!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWow. 99. That sucks!! It's actually been a pretty mild summer here. Mostly highs in the 80's. Of course, this past weekend, when Bella was playing softball, it was upper 90's. Sheesh. I'm burnt to a crisp and spent 2 entire days with sweat running down the crack of my butt!! Gotta love summer!
ReplyDeleteI'd send you some breezes from Austin but yesterday it was 98 or something. Just a bunch of hot air - bleh. I think I'll just stare at your photo of the iceberg and pretend I'm there :)
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
ReplyDeleteSummer always sucks in our area (unless you like the feel of living in a sauna for 6 months). 80's would be nice!!! I can relate to your experience with soccer. I've been a soccer mom, a cross-country mom and a swim mom. All involve standing around in 90+ heat with sweat streaming down your back and legs, at some point. Last year was actually much worse, so I should just shut up and count my blessings it's not in the 100's. :)
Iliana,
Texas certainly gets its share of heat (but how cool is it that you live in Austin, right?). Go right ahead and stare at my iceberg. I think it helps, seriously. Last year, I wore snowflake earrings during the worst of the weather and read a book called Blizzard. It didn't cool me off literally, but I think it made me feel better to escape into a frozen fictional world!
My office pretty cool. You could take my place and that might take the edge off the heat for awhile. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWendy,
ReplyDeleteI'd be glad to take you up on that, but it's a bit of a drive. LOL I just need to move waaaay north. :)
I'm thinking about doing away with my link list completely. I haven't updated it in ages and never use it (I used to use it to do my bloghopping). Since I've started using Google Reader I haven't found a need for it and can't keep up the list with the new blogs I'm discovering (and discarding). Instead I have two category folders in my reader--Favorites and Other. You're a favorite. :)
ReplyDeleteTrish,
ReplyDeleteI think I must be the only blogger who is still bloghopping via my own links. I kind of hate that people are ditching their link lists because that's one way I find new blogs to visit.
Well, thank you. That's a huge compliment. I like being a favorite. :)
Psst, I just looked at Padre on Google Earth because I couldn't remember where it is on the Texas coast (all I remembered was that it was waaaay down there) and wow . . . you can zoom right in and see the rooftops. It's almost scary.
I"ve been finding new blogs to visit by following interesting comments on other blogs.
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteI do that, but I'm such an airhead I can never remember how I got somewhere or how to get back. I really ought to work on that. :)
I haven't looked at any pictures of Padre yet, but we have some friends who are getting married on the island in a few months. Luckily their hotel wasn't hit--but what a mess!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started blogging I relied a lot on link lists to find new blogs, but it has been a while since I've done that.
Trish,
ReplyDeleteI've only seen the opening photo of people wading through knee-deep water on CNN (my default page), since I don't watch TV. Sounds like your friends got lucky. But, yeah, wherever there's floody water, it's always a mess. I'm glad your friends' hotel wasn't hit!
I only sometimes use link lists but I like being able to see where other bloggers are going, just for a change of pace, now and then. :)
You are inspiring me to build a list- but I don't wanna leave anyone out!
ReplyDeleteHi! Just thought I'd comment to say that "I'm here!" too. I've been a reader of your blog for a long long time and really enjoy it, though I've probably been lazy at commenting. Trying to be better at that... commenting I mean... not being lazy! LOL!
ReplyDeleteSuey,
ReplyDeleteOh, now, see . . . I'm in trouble. I've been to your blog and never managed to add you to my links. Bad Bookfool! It's okay if you don't comment. I just wanted to clean up my links a bit. Turns out I seem to be adding more than subtracting! :)
Thanks for speaking up!!
I finally came up with a comnpromise - I use Google Reader to keep up with everyone, and finally found a way to just post all the blogs I subscribe to in a collapsible list on my blog. That way it doesn't take a lot of space, but if anyone wants to see who I read on a regular basis, the list is there. Once I got it set up it's fairly easy to update when I add a new blog to my Google Reader subscriptions.
ReplyDeleteThe link for the expandable blogroll info is here - I created a html link list and used that for the box content:
http://flooble.com/scripts/expand.php?op=get
SuziQ,
ReplyDeleteThat is totally cool! Thanks for the link! I'll work on that, soon. I'm hesitant to use Google Reader because I've had monstrous email problems, lately (with my regular account at bellsouth -- the other is just a spam factory; I can handle madly deleting and fishing people out of the spam box at yahoo). Thank you!!!