Away from the computer

No, no, this isn't a post about another hiatus. It's just a post about my efforts to waste less time on the computer, and the things I've been doing over the past few days instead of wasting my time on Facebook.

There's been some housework, but no one wants to hear about that.

I've read two books recently. The first was The Family Trade by Charles Stross. I read it on a friend's recommendation, and I really enjoyed it. Despite being marketed as a fantasy, it's really quite grounded in reality and features a main character who is strong and capable, but who also makes some believable mistakes. The second (which I just finished an hour and a half ago) was The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. I read it because I needed something to read while waiting for panels at Comic Con and none of the publishers had more free novels to give out. It looked interesting, but ultimately turned out to suffer from rather weak writing. It probably doesn't help that it was a Teen novel, and while I know there's a lot of good Young Adult fiction out there, I think that the current demand for YA/Teen fantasy leads to some stuff getting published when it could really use a bit of tightening up first. It wasn't a total waste of time, and I did enjoy some parts and a lot of the concepts in it, but I won't be picking up the other two books in the trilogy. I'll have a full review in Collector Times next month.

I picked up my beads again yesterday, and finished the necklace that I started back before I moved. It turned out really nice, so now I need to pick a good spot to take some pictures. I'll probably work on a little rivoli pendant for myself while I'm straightening out the beadroom and deciding on my next major project.

Today I unpacked some stuff from Comic Con, and put all my review materials in one spot here on the desk, so I can read through them over the next few months and write lots of reviews. I've also got a big stack of postcards, fliers, and other promotional items to look through to decide if I want to visit any of their websites for more info.

I didn't just bring back comic books and novels from Comic Con, however! I've got a new piece of art to hang in the living room (and half a dozen to frame and hang) tonight, and some plant cuttings to pot. Plants from Comic Con, you say? It makes sense, honest. An on-line beading friend of mine gave me some cuttings from her very prolific garden to take home and plant. I bought some really cute pots for them, although I have more cuttings than I thought, so I need to go get more pots.

In fact, I think I'm going to go get to those cuttings now, and then maybe get a bit of tidying-up done in the beadroom.

Desks, but no beads

The desks arrived this morning, but there's been no time to assemble them. They're sitting there, forlorn in their boxes.

I spent a while today with my neighbor (from whom we purchased the house) learning about my irrigation system. I do not have a natural green thumb and I am trying to not kill my beautiful plants, and maybe actually have them thrive. I love plants, I just don't seem to be very good at taking care of them. I am determined to do this right, though.

Tomorrow, the rest of our furniture arrives. It's been over a month since I've had a couch to sit on, so I'm really looking forward to it -- even though it will probably arrive at an hour best reserved for sleeping. It will also be good to be able to put clothes in the dresser, and the TV and DVDs in an entertainment center. It will make the place feel much more put together and much less piled-up.

We have our usual game tomorrow, and I think maybe I'll take my beads to that. I want to create!