Magnolia Beach TX Photos

Loner? Maybe Not

The experience here at this beach campground has taught me a lesson about myself -- I want to be able to socialize at will. This means that I'm not particularly interested in bookdocking in remote areas, beautiful though they may be. Oh, a day or two, maybe, but not longer. I want to be able to walk to places of interest, like stores, bars, restaurants, gathering places. I don't necessarily want to interact with these people, but I need the mental stimulation of seeing different things and people often.

Now, some campgrounds in remote places have stores and rec halls and the like, and that would be okay for a slightly longer time. And I've learned of a campground actually in the city of Corpus Christi TX that might be a good place to be for me (though I'd be sure to ask lots of questions beforehand).

This actually relates to my retail experience over the last 20 years -- I liked it particularly because I had lots of social interaction but the people came and went so I didn't have to deal with them for too long at one time, and then I could go home and hole up. Perfect balance.

So, I'm a loner in the sense that I like living alone, driving alone, being alone. And I'm a social creature in the sense that I enjoy observing people and talking to them, knowing that I can escape to my cave whenever I need to.

I think one of the problems is my rig. A Class C is all one piece so there's no transportation other than it. When I'm hooked up and want to go somewhere, I have to settle everything inside for movement, turn off everything (including the fridge), unhook all the cables and lines. Only then can I go trundling off. I can get this done in about an hour, if I scurry. But it does sort of preclude spontaneous movement. I can't just grab my keys, plop into the driver's seat, and go.

So I'm going to think about how to get a different rig, maybe a 5th wheel, a really small one, that would provide me a vehicle after I get somewhere and get all hooked up. Then I can explore a place without having to plan ahead and take the entire thing with me every time. Another option would be a larger Class C towing a small car, but then I have two engines to take care of and fuel.

The economy right now is the perfect time to get a new rig. RV makers are closing right and left; dealers are hurting for sales; etc. Unfortunately, I can't really afford a monthly payment and the only thing I have to sell is my current rig. If the universe approves, the right thing will come along. I hope.

Nice Day w/Sunset Pics

These images were taken seven minutes apart. Of the 21 total I took these are the only two that I kept. I would have taken more but I got the "change batteries" note flashing onscreen. At least it was finally a nice day: sunny, breezy.

A nice young man I know from telephone and email only grew up here in Port Lavaca. Today, his mother and I went to lunch in town (the Texana Restaurant, grilled shrimp kebobs) and then shopped at Walmart, where I stocked up some for my upcoming two-month stint in the boonies. Nice to get out and it "looked right" with just two women.

Tomorrow I will begin doing inspections in and out of the rig and cleaning and checking things in preparation for heading off on New Year's Day.

Water Movement of an Unwelcome Kind

When I moved to this new spot, the owner helped me hookup but when the water got turned on, I saw water dripping out from underneath the rig. Looked inside and saw water running down the inside back wall. It was the line from the water inlet to the faucet and the nut had cracked in two (probably from being over-tightened at installation and vibration over the years [just two since it was put in]). Anyhow, Steve the owner had a line (metal) which he quickly installed and all is now well.

Unfortunately, the water regulator blew out also so now I have to get a new one of those. But it's a minor fix, hooray hooray.

Turned chilly overnight and overcast. Last night the wind was jerking the rig around, gusting from all directions. I had visions of just the cabin being torn off and it and I going rolling into the bay.

The owner has given me an extra night free for moving at his request, so I'll be leaving here on New Year's Day, heading for Concan TX. Am giving thought to staying one night at the Kickapoo Casino, the only one in Texas. I would have thought TX would have lots of casinos, but noooo. It has 20 free RV spots, some with hookups. It's in Eagle Pass TX which is more or less on the way. Also want to stop at a Barnes & Noble and do a little stocking up on reading material.

Bane Redux

And, of course, what they (those who uphold "looking right") wouldn't want to acknowledge is that I wouldn't have their guys served on gold platters with emeralds dripping off them.

But they're of the firm persuasion that men and women can't possibly be friends or friendly without a sexual undertone.

Ah well.

Parting shot: how does "bye bye dirty-minded lady" sound?

Water Movement

Looked out the window and saw this ship moving past. Whipped outside and shot this, which is blown up a lot.

Bane of the Single Woman

Yes, jealousy is alive and well even in our aged community. What is with these women? Are they all so insecure? I have married friends who don't seem in the least worried about my "wiles," which is good as they're arthritic and mostly moribund.

I've told you about Harold. His sidekick Bob is a small man with a seamed face, who's led a hard life and it shows. They took me to town last week.

Well, we were going to do the same again today but Bob came over to tell me that Harold's wife Lois (the one who stays in the rig all day every day watching TV) said she doesn't think it "looks right" for a woman and two men to be seen riding together. What a dirty mind she must have.

So I commissioned Bob to get me a carton of cigs. He said he'd take me to town or wherever later today, just the two of us without Harold. I guess that'll "look right." I'm not here to make waves or have confrontations so I let it go. But I am planning my parting shot to Lois.

Eartha Baby

I've lost one of my personal favorites, Miss Eartha Kitt.

She's been a favorite since I was in my early teens and heard her sing I Want To Be Evil.

When I visited San Francisco in the early 90s, she was performing at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. A friend and I went to the show, in a cabaret setting with the stage only raised about 4 inches and the tables crowded right up to it. We sat on the front row and I was about three feet from Miss Kitt. She was battling a cold and between songs would cough and sneeze and blow her nose. but when she sang it was magic.

She was tiny, you know, only about 5 foot or so, but projected huge charisma. At the end of the show she came along the front row and shook everyone's hands. That's when I found out she had a grip like a stevedore.

Time to put on the signed CD I got that evening.

Ho Ho Ho?

So it's xmas day here in Magnolia Beach. Can I see the beach? No. It's not cold (going to be 74 today with 15mph wind) but it's still foggy foggy foggy. I have treated myself to a mug of aged Sumatra coffee and a slice of Blair's famous fruitcake (no jokes, now, it's really good). Tomorrow I should get the care package from Mary-Anne. Last night I called John and Hazel. Will probably talk to my brother today or tomorrow. So all is really well in my little world.

I'm going to take myself for a long walk on the beach later today (unless it's actively raining). Plans for the upcoming week include getting my D batteries tested so I can find out if that's why the lantern doesn't work. The oil lantern works really well but it isn't bright enough to read by.

About 2am last night (I was awake and reading but very quiet), I heard a scritch scritch noise somewhere under the rig, like a critter of some kind was trying to dig its way inside. Of course, I moved and the noise stopped. I waited and the noise started again. So I went stomping around a bit, then waited. The noise didn't return. So I need to check underneath to see if any damage was done.

Took another one of those psych surveys at YourMorals.org on "relationship style." Measures two related things: attachment anxiety (how secure you feel about your partner's responsiveness to your needs), and attachment avoidance (how strongly you feel about relying on others). It compares your score to the average of Liberal and Conservative scores (high = strength of feeling). Here's my scores.

Anxiety -- Libs & Cons 3.4 -- Me 2.8
(so I'm not very anxious about my partner)

Avoidance -- Libs & Cons 2.6 -- Me 4.6
(probably because I avoid relying on one)

Ya think?

To Town I Went

Finally, some movement. I didn't take my rig but went with Harold and Bob as they were going anyhow. I'd gotten my inside all rigged for running but they showed up so I took the easy way. I mentioned to Harold that I had wanted to get my tires and airbags checked and he said he had an air compressor and could do it for me right at the campground.

Went to H.E.B., a Texas chain that's obviously trying to be a walmart competitor -- has a little bit of everything plus groceries. Got all I wanted food-wise. Then off to Walmart as HEB didn't have Bugler rolling papers that Bob wanted. I got a kerosene/lamp oil lantern so even if my ancient light fixtures quit on me, I'll have some light. Naturally, I picked up a few books along the way.

Then off to a local seafood/bait shop where I got 24 good-sized shrimp for $7. Cooked a dozen of them last night in a sauce of peach salsa, roasted garlic, and lime juice. Tasty, tasty. Will have the other dozen for my xmas day dinner.

It's much warmer today but it's decided to rain off and on so there's lots of fog. At the very least, it's not windy! Went picture-taking. Either I got atmospheric shots or I have amorphous blobs. We'll see.

Raise a glass to me and I'll raise one to you.

Cabin Fever

Have been holed up for two solid days and am antsy to get out, get moving, something. Yes, it's still cold and windy, though it is abating, just as they said it would. But it's still not comfortable to be out in. Supposedly, it'll be back in the low 70s tomorrow even if still a little breezy. I'm planning to take the rig to town and shop and putter and peruse. Not just planning; WILL.

Weather

The big storm has reached us here on the coast. We'll get two days of wind and chill, but it's only going to be in the low 50s during the days and low 40s at night, nothing like Kansas (which is currently running in the 20s day and teens at night). Fortunately, I have nothing else to do so I'll just hole up.

Believe I'll take the rig to town Monday or Tuesday, buy a few groceries, get the propane filled, and get the tires and airbags checked (I think they're low). One of the problems being out here is that there's nothing within 10 miles, no restaurants, no bars, no stores of any kind. Believe I'd like a little more stimulation so I'll look for a different place for "vacation" in future.

Photo Day

This photo shows my rig at the end of the row, looking across the road toward the beach. Even though it's foggy, overcast, etc. I walked across the road to the beach and shot a few photos. We'll probably be holed up come Sunday as it'll get cold and windy, but still not like Kansas.It's hard to see but this last photo shows gulls sitting on top of the posts. There's also a lagoon east of the campground but it's pretty boring-looking right now.

The only drawback to this place is that there's nothing within walking distance (except the beach); it's a purely residential area. However, Harold (of the schoolbus) has said I can go with them to town for groceries etc. He's a hoot: 71, married, living in a converted schoolbus, ex-truck driver, ex-commercial fisherman in Hawaii, ex-commercial fisherman in Alaska, all-around handyman type -- and that's all I've learned in one day.

More later

Oceanside Yes

I could finally see the water, once the heavy fog burned off about noon. There's also a lagoon behind the RV park. It was quite warm and humid today, too. Unfortunately, it's supposed to turn really cold after tomorrow and then do a slow warm-up. It's still better than Kansas, believe me.

Mail can be sent to me at:

Oceanside RV Park
1162 Ocean Dr.
Port Lavaca TX 77979

I'll be here until the 31st or the 1st.

I'm hoping to get some nice moody pictures at the beach, assuming I don't freeze my buns off.

Happiest of holidays to everybody.

Ah, Sunny Texas

Well, not exactly. When I left Killeen Weds. am it was misty, cold, and there was ice on the windshield and side mirrors. Nasty and cold all the way to Houston, though not as cold as Killeen. This am when I left Houston, it was cool and very foggy. The closer I got to Port Lavaca the foggier it got. I arrived at my funky little campground in Magnolia Beach about 4pm and, though I knew the ocean was just across the road, it was invisible because of fog. It's supposed to clear up tomorrow, at least for a few days.

The campground is funky, as I say, concrete slabs for the rigs (which means level), but bare dirt/sand otherwise. However, amenities include 50/30 amp power, water, sewer line, wifi, satellite tv, laundry, and maybe other things I don't know about yet. The owners weren't here when I arrived but had alerted a camper to watch out for me and help me get set up, which he did (Harold) and another camper (Harold) came over to supervise (no Darryl, though).

Had a great time in Houston visiting a woman I'd last seen in Italy in 1959 when we both attended the Livorno Camp Darby High School. We looked at yearbooks and other photos and played "do you remember?" and it was fun. They took me out for a great dinner at the Red Balloon Cafe, and this morning her husband made me two terrific cappucinos. I'm going to try to make the next reunion near Portland OR in Oct. 09.

Plan to haul out the camera and play beach bum for the next two weeks. Commiserations gracefully accepted.

Escaping Kansas

I had planned to leave on Sunday (less traffic etc) but I was sitting around on Sat. am listening to the 40mph winds rocking the rig, 40 deg outside, with the promise of a huge ice storm coming in Sun eve. Why, I said, am I still here? One hour later I was on the road.

About 6pm, dark, windy, I was approaching Atoka OK when the engine suddenly quit (lights still on, radio playing). I managed to steer far over on the shoulder and shut everything down. I cranked it twice but it wouldn't fire. Great, I said to myself, time to call Good Sam Emergency Roadside Assistance.

Good idea, except the card I had in my wallet was only the "sample" card without my account number. Fortunately, I had charged the cellphone so I called Mary-Anne, gave her passwords so she could access my email, she went online to Good Sam, told them I'd lost my password so they sent an email, which she got, and used that password to get into Good Sam ERS to get my account number. Whew!

Anyhow, a tow truck eventually came and towed me off to an RV "park" in Atoka OK. The driver knew a good mechanic and called him, and he'd be out on Sun. morn to see if the fix would be something simple. I thought something had come loose because of the way it just quit in mid-everything, no stuttering or stammering. Sure enough, the coil wire was loose, a one-minute fix. I wasn't about to get out there in the dark with semis whizzing by 3 ft away, and I'm not sure I would have recognized the problem anyway. But I will now.

Anyway, he fixed it and I was on the road once again about noon. Nice folk in Atoka. Total cost to me was $12 for the RV spot and $30 for the mechanic. Made it to my friends' house in Killeen TX about 7.30pm, nice and warm. However, overnight the edge of that big storm has reached here and it's gray, windy, and chilly. It's supposed to be 78 deg in Houston by Thursday so it's not going to last long. And that means my "vacation" in Magnolia Beach, Port Lavaca, will be great.

So that's where I'll be for xmas and new year's. Then it's off to Seven Bluffs Cabins & RVs near Concan TX, in the hill country west of San Antonio, for Jan & Feb. workamping 20 hrs/wk for a full hookup site.

All's well that ends well.

Porn or Not Porm?

Well, it's moot now.

Betty Page has died.

White Night

This means it's 5.30 in the a.m. and I've only managed to sleep two hours. Will probably head back to bed soon. I think "white night" came from the far northern climes, like Russia, where it stays light all night and makes it difficult to sleep.

Am leaving here Sunday, just before another cold spell. Hooray! If all goes as planned, I'll be heading to Port Lavaca TX for a week or so, then off to the boonies of Texas Hill Country for two months, which means I'll have a mailing address. Apologies if I've said all this already. I'm a little punchy at this point.

Maybe I should talk about the porn I've been investigating on the internet. It's everywhere and 99% of it seems to be of women being abused, tied up, whipped, gagged, hot candle wax, gang rape, and so forth and so on. Praise is heaped on these women for being "able to take it," have screaming orgasms, and smile at the end. Plus, they're all shaved (pubically, I mean) so they hardly look like adults (and the itch! unless you shave every day).

It's certainly not erotic or sexy to me and has a damping effect on my own imagination, which is disconcerting but not unexpected. So, I'll abandon that line of investigation and look into something more interesting, say, butterflies or kitties or flowers.

Today the sun is out!! Yesterday was gray and sleety with high winds. It's still cold but the sunshine looks warm.

Out of boredom yesterday, I turned the pantry door upside down and rehung it. What?? they say. Okay, here's the deal. The latch was on the right, opening into the living area (it was originally meant to be a closet), so every time I wanted to get something to cook or eat, I had to step around the heater, open the door, get the stuff out, and then close the door before I could go back into the kitchen area.

So, I unscrewed the hinges from the wall, and unscrewed the latch, turned the whole thing upside down, and put the hinges on the right side and the latch on the left. So now I can just open the door and get stuff out while standing in the kitchen. I'm so clever. Of course, I've been meaning to do this ever since I got the rig, but what's a few months among friends. Right?

The Lindas have been delayed getting back by problems with their rig, so I'm still sitting in the midddle of nothingness, all by myself, with their stuff piled around my rig, like a motorcycle and foam inserts for their slideout floors and coolers and what looks like an industrial weedeater (but probably isn't). Yep, poor white trash is us.

Am vaguely planning to be in the Port Lavaca TX area over the holidays. Warm. After that, who knows.

Scary Stuff

Winds, that is, gusting about 40 mph, sometimes shaking the rig and a couple of times making it feel light on its tires. I really don't want to go skittering across the Kansas landscape. What makes it worse is that the Lindas have gone to get work done on their rig, and I'm used to sheltering in their shadow. Now I'm out here in flatness all alone until Wednesday.

Roxanne and I did laundry today in the teeth of the winds. They pulled out for Texas this afternoon after quitting Amazon on Saturday. They'd had it, too.

So I'm sitting here reading, blogging, crossword puzzling, listening to music, but no TV, just waiting around until Sunday. Boring.

Am also checking the maps for routes and places. Have decided not to go to Quartzsite Arizona so am looking at eastern Texas for places to hang out for a while.

Bye Bye Amazon

Tonight was the last gathering of the Amazon workampers that I will attend. Pizza Hut, again. I went with Roxanne and George. Philip and Savannah were there from Amazon; Roxanne said they came because she asked them to; they were great ambassadors for Amazon, always pleasant and smiling and helpful. We liked them a lot, and they agreed with a lot of what we had to say about how the workampers were treated.

Others I will miss include Arzella and Glenda. They liked me and I liked them; we worked well together. Bill, while nice (Canadian, you know), would never like me for a regular employee -- I think too much and have too many ideas and don't always follow the rules (if they don't make sense to me).

Did I tell you about the lead guy I was discussing my scanner with? Well, I said, that won't work worth a damn. And he said, worth a darn, you mean. I almost laughed in his face. But it's all over now. I'm usually glad for new experiences, even if I don't like them, but this time it was all bad, at least right now. Maybe later I'll feel differently.

Planning to leave out of here on Sunday 12/14 and dawdle my way to Yuma Arizona. I'll find a place in the desert out there and wait for the Quartzsite rally to start on 1/15.

Happy holidays, y'all.

Books Read Nov 08

You didn't think I hadn't been reading, did you? It's a much shorter list than usual because of working. At least I'm not whining about my feet in this post (okay, maybe a little). Anyhoo--

Author, Title, Genre, Rating, Read All of It?, Comment
BROCKMANN, Suzanne, Kiss and Tell, romance, medium, yes, too ""romance-y"" -- early work"
-----, No Ordinary Man, romance, medium, no, formulaic and fairly slow; an early work.
CLARE, Pamela, Ride the Fire, romance, medium, yes, Amer. West historical.
GRIFFIN* W.E.B., Corps X: Retreat, Hell!, fiction, good, yes, Korean war cont.
----- Corps IX: Under Fire, fiction, good, yes, Korean war start.
HEINLEIN* Robert, Past Through Tomorrow, sf, medium, yes, Spider Robinson be damned, RAH is a closet misogynist and male chauvinist pig, and his later stuff doesn't change that.
-----, Expanded Universe, sf, medium, yes, lots of trademark polemics and early works.
JANCE, J.A., Hand of Evil, mystery, good, yes, Ali Reynolds series, new to me.
JOSS, Morag, Fruitful Bodies, mystery, medium, no, Sara Selkirk series. Too slow, too complicated w/messy people. Professional cellist said of main character, who's a prof. cellist, "when does she practice??!!"
LACKEY, Mercedes, Valdemar Companion, fantasy, good, yes, Reference book by Helfers & Little eds.
LOWELL, Elizabeth, Shadow and Silk, thriller/romance, good, yes, she's had a winning formula for some time: alpha men battling age-old natures to work with alpha women, instead of leaving them at home.
MASSEY, Sujata, Zen Attitude, mystery, good, no, Rei Shimura series; contemporary Japan. Realized had read it years ago.
MONING, Karen Marie, Bloodfever, pararomance, good, yes, complex but still full of alpha males who give the heroine nothing but orders.
ROBB* J.D., #30 Ritual in Death, cop/sf/romance, good, yes, in Suite 606 anthology
-----, #31 Salvation in Death, cop/sf/romance, good, yes, lots of stuff about faith/religion.
ROBERTS* Nora, Seven #3: Pagan Stone, pararomance, medium, yes, Sign of Seven 3/3. Tried & true formula, everything neatly tidied up.
ROSS, Kate, Devil in Music, mystery, good, no, Julian Kestrel series. Just a trifle too precious.
SALA, Sharon, Bad Penny, thriller/romance, good, yes, Cat Dupree
TEPPER, Sherri, Margarets, sf, good, yes, Excellent, more romantic than usual for her, high-flown philosophy, indictment of current Earth psychology and politics.
WAMBAUGH, Joseph, Hollywood Crows, mystery, good, yes, welcome back! funny and wry and grim.

Quitting vs. Giving Up

Thanks to commiserating friends. For some reason this decision has messed up my head. I had really thought I could stand anything for two months. My pride demanded it. My good sense said not at the expense of your health, current and future. So far, the pride is winning.

My last day of work was Wednesday 5.30pm to Thursday 4am. It's now late Friday afternoon. I've slept a lot, rubbed Aspercream into my aching feet (especially the instep bone). The feet are still sore to the touch but getting better. The knees still take careful straightening when standing up. Is this physical condition enough of a reason to quit? My good sense said yes. My pride says wimp.

I'm by no means the first workamper to have quit, many of whom are younger than I. But I still feel wimpish and sensible at the same time. Unsettling.

Maybe I haven't quit; maybe I've given up. Semantics is powerful. Quit = decide not to do something for good reason, after having tried to succeed. Give up = decide it's not possible to do something, after having tried it once.

These are possible definitions but there's more nuances than can be gleaned. One can quit something in a fit of pique; one can give up after battering one's head against a stone wall. So which have I done?

Enjoyed As Much As I Can Stand

so I quit.

During my shift last night, I hurt as much as I did the first week, so things are not getting better or easier. My feet are sore to the touch, the knees are reluctant and not inclined to be tolerant, and the poor ankle is getting less stable all the time. The money isn't worth it.

I'll be here until the 12th to get the last paycheck and then who knows. When I know, you will.

Enough is Enough

I had signed up to work today (voluntary overtime) but it got to be 3.30pm and I just couldn't make myself get up and get ready. So I decided that my knee needed more rest and called in "sick." No more overtime for these last three weeks; 40 hours is enough. So I'll have three days off. Yes!

Now, if I could just figure out why my TV doesn't have a picture, I'd be fat and happy. It has sound but a black screen that just happened all of a sudden. I've checked everything inside and all is fine. So I need to check the antenna connections, which means a ladder, which means I wait until it's not gusting 40mph (which is what it's doing right now).

Bought 10 paperbacks yesterday, mostly authors who are only medium-level or are new to me, so have plenty to read, even though I expect most to be only fair.

Got an email from Accent on Books in Asheville, celebrating 25 years in business. I wrote to tell them that the new JK Rowling book, Beedle the Bard, is being held here at the Amazon plant in semi-trucks with armed guards. Silly, no?

Real Food!

Persuaded the Lindas to go out to dinner last night. Downtown Coffeyville boasts Lanning's Grill & Bar (across the street from the Mexican restaurant the workampers went to a few weeks ago). I had the ribeye steak special with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and green beans, with a glass of cabernet (house). The steak was rare and nicely peppered and good. I wanted a gimlet before dinner (full bar, they advertised) but (a) the waitress had never heard of this drink, and (b) they didn't have Rose's Lime Juice. So I had a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream for after dinner.

All in all, I felt replete. The Lindas (nominal vegetarians) had the fantail shimp dinner. Linda B got a local side dish, battered and fried corn on the cob. Spicy batter but overall pretty good, she said. My treat to them in thanks for all their help and friendship.

Then I came home and slept nine hours. Today is bright and blustery, warmer than yesterday was and tomorrow will be (about 58 deg.). Tonight it's back to the rabbit warren, the dirty warren, I might add. Last Sat. I wore a white t-shirt, got sweaty and wiped my face on the hem, leaving icky stains of dirt on the shirt. That's how nasty the place is. Three weeks to go.

Me vs Liberals & Conservatives

There's a site called YourMorals.org where questionnaires are posted on various subjects by academics and researchers from around the world. They're mostly on values, ethics, and morals. I occasionally drop by and fill one out. Recently I did the Schwartz Values Scale and thought it would be amusing to post the results.

Self-Direction: independent thought and action -- choosing, creating, exploring.
4.0 Me
6.3 Liberals
5.7 Conservatives

Benevolence: preservation and enhancement of the welfare of people with whom one is in frequent personal contact.
3.4 Me
5.7 Lib
5.7 Con

Universalism: understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature.
2.8 Me
5.9 Lib
4.7 Con

Tradition: respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion provide.
2.4 Me
3.6 Lib
4.5 Con

Conformity: restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms.
2.2 Me
4.5 Lib
5.1 Con

Stimulation: excitement, novelty, and challenge in life.
2.0 Me
4.7 Lib
4.2 Con

Hedonism: pleasure or sensuous gratification for oneself.
1.8 Me
4.8 Lib
4.2 Con

Security: safety, harmony, and stability of society, of relationships, and of self.
1.2 Me
4.6 Lib
5.4 Con

Achievement: personal success through demonstrating competence according to social standards.
1.0 Me
4.9 Lib
5.0 Con

Power: social status and prestige, control or dominance over people and resources.
0.4 Me
2.4 Lib
3.3 Con

As you can see, I fall well below both liberals and conservatives on everything. Wonder what that means?

I'm Too Old

for this shit. Really. My left knee is swollen, which is not good. Yesterday I hurt as badly as I did the first week and was really dragging today. I think my new ambition is to be fat and lazy. Oh, and funny, too. I just don't want to work this hard for this amount of money. Now, if they want to offer me $20 an hour, okay, but that's not gonna happen. So -- an interesting experience, not to be repeated. Did I mention the indulgence day I'm going to give myself when I leave here? Yes, I think I deserve it.

It's 4.30 am central and I'm cooking lemon shrimp with linguine. Then I'll crawl in my bed and quietly pass out. Talk amongst yourselves.

Shoes & Shifts & Stuff

The new shoes are still a work in progress. The 1st day was terrible with the fancy insoles w/arch supports. The 2nd day I put in the original insoles; still too much arch support. Today I wore the insoles for hunters boots and things were much better. My balance is getting better, too, and I don't feel quite as clumsy.

Today was Thanksgiving and we went to work at 8pm. Were sent home at 1:30, having worked through lunch. Good thing as I was running out of steam. Ate my turkey sandwich when I got home. Amazon gave us all pumpkin pies. Now we'll be on 5.30pm to 4am. Three weeks to go after this one.

Gorgeous weather for the past few days -- warm enough to open doors and vents (and sleep naked). Supposed to rain soon. Linda S gave me some quilted foil insulation stuff and I cut it to fit the cabover windows -- good insulation for both hot and cold.

Not much happening as it's work sleep work eat work sleep work eat. Days and nights blend into each other. Without a calendar I'd have no idea what day it is. Looking forward.

Negative heel

So I sprung for the fancy shoes, made in Switzerland, physiological footwear (whatever that means). I also got a set of fancy insoles at the recommendation of the clerk, who'd been to "foot school" and knew people with feet like mine who loved them. Okay, I said, but usually arch supports are not good for me but I'll tlry them.

Well, in less then two hours I had shooting pains in my arches and had to take the damn things out, making the shoes not fit well. I'll be sending them back for a full refund. There's deferring to greater expertise, and then there's knowing yourself and your own feet.

Getting used to the negative heel stance is tricky. I'm also having to learn to walk heel-and-toe to take advantage of the cushy heel section and its rebound function. Will wear the original insoles and the kidney belt tonight and see if they work better. Sure hope so.

Got a watch at Walmart on Monday and wore it last night. Still managed to miss nearly all of the first break, because, after all, you have to LOOK AT the watch to know what time it is. Another thing to get used to. Schedule is now 5.30 pm to 4 am.

Working on Turkey Day for time-and-a-half plus a bonus. After this week, just three more. Believe I may actually survive this. And the employment agency is giving us a t-shirt stating just that "I Survived Amazon".

Sunny and warm and not windy; my door is open. Not too shabby for late November. Hope everyone has a nice holiday.

Pizza Hut Do

After a blissful day of doing nothing but taking a hot shower (double bliss) at the Lindas, we were off to Pizza Hut for the workamper dinner. Again, about 50 showed up, mostly the night shift folk. As before, I was sitting opposite Philip, the Amazon "Ambassador" for our group and his daughter. This time, Savannah (another Amazon Ambassador) came with her two daughters. I sat next to Roxanne and George, very nice folk. The food was okay (I had Chicken Milano) but they only had one waitress for the whole group so everything was slow. I bought the Lindas dinner in thanks for all the help they've given me.

I must say that all the people here in Kansas are very polite and smile a lot. They make eye contact and smile all the time. Now, not everybody is from Kansas, especially at Amazon, but good manners prevail. The percentage of blacks working at Amazon must be lower than 1%.

I wonder sometimes whether I'm lonely. I know I occasionally get bored. Since I went on the road I've had very little time to be lonely as I've gone from job to job with only 2 weeks at home, during which I wasn't lonely at all. In fact, quite the opposite and wish I could have had more of what I got while there. Oh well, I'll just look forward to March.

I do know that my packrat mind and penchant for trivia (and the sharing of it) startles folk some times. Certain conversational tics are beginning to make themselves known -- think I shall have to start working on my social skills and small talk. One is much more "on" when RVing as one is always meeting new people, and I do mean always.

Am I self-centered? Yes, I think so. Must try not to be too obvious about it. Good thing I have a sense of humor, including about myself. Right?

The Week That Was

So I've survived my second full 50-hour week and am beginning to think I might make it all the way to the end. By 3am this morning, my feet were hurting but not as badly as last week. And overall I felt better. Amazing what the body will do if you just keep on. Maybe I'll get a firmed-up ass out of all this walking.

Am still discovering little piddly rules that I didn't know about, like clocking back in after lunch. I thought that powering up the scanner (which is assigned to me) did it, but nooooo. So now I have to remember to do that. Started the night in A Mod (1/2 mile), then sent to G Mod (1/2 mile), then back to A Mod (1/2 mile). Once arrived anywhere, you get a cart, load "product," and start scanning and shelving. Discovered that I walk 1/2 mile in 5 minutes, so a 20-minute mile; not too bad a rate.

"Office politics" has begun to rear its ugly head. There are some workampers who bustle about and give directions and orders and generally waste time being officious. Then there are the amazingly competitive ones who stack their carts with huge piles of totes, sometimes leaving almost nothing for the rest of us (I'm in the group that likes to share the wealth so we all have something to do).

I had a small run-in with one woman (workamper). I asked her where to put the "problem" totes (this in an area new to me). Well, she didn't just tell me where, she pulled on my cart to go there and began to tell me how to handle the problem tote. Thanks, I said, I know how. Would she stop? No. She kept on, started tugging on my totes (that sounds funny), babbling all the while. Thank you very much, I said, I know what I'm doing. She kept on and kept on and kept on. I finally said, Hey! I know how! Go away!

Some of the regular supervisors have begun to talk to some of us about Amazon and working there and other people who work there and who's good and who's bad, etc. etc. I'm so glad I'm not a permanent employee.

Tonight the workampers are gathering at the Pizza Hut for dinner (at 5pm -- farmers hours). Tomorrow is errand/chore day. Four more weeks of work, then a week waiting for my last check, and then I'm outa here, heading for Arizona.

Kewl

I scored coolness points at work today. Was out in the smoking area and a young man of about 25 or so asked about my cigarette case, which is an old English pipe tobacco tin. The blend was called Sunday's Fantasy. He couldn't get over how "kewl" it was. I said "old ladies are cool, too, you know." He wasn't quite ready for that. But he wants to get himself a tin. So I think I'm cool for giving a young 'un pointers on being "kewl."

Wonderful Weekend

I got to do nothing. No walking miles and miles, no hauling around a 1-lb scanner on my hand, no slinging totes onto carts, no pushing carts, no stowing into bins. Ah, weekends are wonderful.

The Lindas and I did absolutely nothing on Sunday, no errands, no chores, Well, I did put up the TV antenna and actually watched some. Today Linda B and I did laundry and grocery shopping. I also fitted the lock to the surge protector so someone can't just walk off with it. Linda S and I also refitted the sewer line for a better flow. But there's been time to nap and watch TV and read.

The body, while not perfect (hah!), is rested up. The cramp in the left calf is better though not gone. The left knee went down some (but I still can't straighten it), as did the right ankle. I got a pair of Dr. Scholl's gel walking shoes and an insole made for hunters boots. This gives me two pairs to switch off. I also relaced both pairs so that nothing crosses the instep bone (which are really sore). And I've been told to eat bananas for the potassium, which I'm going to do. Okay, I'm decrepit, but I'm still moving.

Enough of that piddly shit, which will only last five more weeks. I'm beginning to have a little clarity about my character traits. I enjoyed the discussion of "being literal" from last week. Nobody said anything about "flexible," except that it's good (and I think the commenter meant physically). It's very difficult to look at oneself with detachment. The years have contributed facades and habits and veils that have to be discarded. So that's my goal now -- to gain a clear look at myself and my character traits. It may bore you but I'll enjoy it (maybe).

Hurts So Good?

Well, it's the end of my first week of 10-hour days with a day of overtime, so five days. I'm what is called a Stower, putting stuff off pallets into bins so Pickers can fill orders. I walk about 5-6 miles in a shift. The New Balance shoes I got especially for this job aren't doing the job. Or maybe it's that I can't do the job.

At this very moment, I have a cramp in my left calf, the sprained ankle is swollen, the left knee is swollen, and my toes hurt. Other than that, I'm okay. But walking on concrete gives no relief to any painful body part, especially those in the legs.

I do the work, walk the distance, climb the stairs, etc., hurting all the while. When I come home at almost 4am and try to sleep, the legs hurt so it's difficult to get comfortable and fall asleep. Linda S. said it took her almost three weeks before she acclimated. I only have five weeks to go so I'm going to try to stick it out.

And there's the question of whether to do it again next year. The money is good, especially when there's overtime, so it may behoove me to do it for financial reasons. We'll see how long it takes me to recuperate this time.

Hooray for two days off to let the body rest, except for laundry and grocery shopping. Other than that, nothing. Too bad there's not a day spa nearby. I'm thinking of going to one somewhere on the way to Quartzsite, just for some pampering.

Flexible vs. Literal

Yes, I'm trying to learn how to be more flexible and "go with the flow." Of course, I don't want to get so flexible I'm wishy-washy. Physical flexibility is important, too, although I doubt I'll ever be able to touch my heels to the back of my head. Did I tell you we have to do stretching at the beginning of each shift and after lunch? They're kind of a joke as the whole thing only takes about two minutes.

I wonder about "flexibility" -- is it just not caring or having an opinion? If it being able to change one's mind if someone has a better idea? Is it not just listening carefully but also evaluating and absorbing someone's else's opinion?

And "inflexibility" -- is it a function of age, in that by a certain age one has tried so many things and made so many decisions and formed so many opinions that one no longer has to consider every single thing afresh?

Thanks that make you go "hmmm."

What I'd really like to work on is being less literal. Not literate, literal. For example, someone recently told me I smelled good. Instead of saying thanks or how nice or good, I said well, I just took a shower, which kind of put a damper on the whole exchange. It's the first type of response that comes up and it isn't always the most appropriate or what I'd really like to say, it just comes up in a sort of babble. This is probably why I've been accused in the past by male friends (of the close persuasion) of not being romantic. They never get the expected romantic response, which is in my mind, I swear, it's just not what gets blurted out.

This literalness is probably why I don't do so well thinking in the abstract and need analogies and concrete examples before I understand something. You know, words of one syllable.

Feet Don't Fail Me Now

Have decided to try some Dr. Scholl's inserts first rather than shell out mucho dinero on fancy shoes. Got two kinds, one is gel inserts, one is (men's) work on hard surfaces. I trimmed them both down and have put them in two different shoes. So we'll see.

Have also put plastic up on two windows, the one by the head of my bed in the cabover, and the big window by the sofa. Made an immediate difference, as in drafts don't get in. Nice. Will finish the other windows tomorrow before going to work at 5pm.

There are very few single RVers. And the male ones are always looking for a female to hook up with. Why is that? Usually if a woman chooses to go solo, she likes going solo. I can't imagine having someone around all the time. Yes, I've lived with guys, and it was difficult for me, probably because I like to do things my way and I like being left alone. There were lots of things nice about it, too, just to be fair -- affection, sounding board, companion, partisan, support, and more. It was just the sheer physical presence of someone else that bothered me. And in an RV? Claustrophobia time for sure.

Maybe I'll just work on having a guy in each of my major stops, sort of like sailors are purported to do. I could just drop in once or twice a year, say, have a nice visit and hit the road. Of course, if the "perfect" guy showed up, all could change. One of the things I'm hoping RVing will teach me is to be more flexible and more amenable to compromise. Or it'll just make everything more set as I don't have anyone to answer to about anything.

It's an odd sort of balancing act I'm just learning so there's going to be lots of back and forth action before my new life begins to gel.

Dinner Out

There was a dinner with all the workampers who wanted to come tonight. We met at El Charro restaurant in downtown Coffeyville. About 50+ kampers came and a fine time was had by all. Philip, the Amazon Ambassador assigned to us, also came and brought his small daughter (wearing a shirt that said "most likely to change the world"). This is the first night out I've had since I left Asheville and it was fun.

Even more fun was having a night off. Linda B and I did laundry this afternoon and tomorrow we'll all take a run to the super Walmart in Independence. Because of the mandatory overtime coming up starting Tuesday, there won't be any extras, like sightseeing. We'll need as much recuperation as we can get.

These 5-hours shift have been killers on my feet and joints, and I can only imagine what the 10-hr shifts are going to be like. When they say "you'll be on your feet," they weren't kidding. There is no sitting down at all except on break and lunch (of course, you have to walk to the breakroom before you can sit). The overtime is paying time-and-a-half so it makes financial sense to do it; just can't justify breaking the body down any more for money alone.

I'm contemplating getting a pair of specialty shoes. One kamper here got a pair and says it's like walking on clouds, no pain at all. It's a lot of money up front but the shoes will last a long time and it might be worth it in the long run. We'll stop by the store tomorrow and check them out. I'm very stiff today, especially sitting in the restaurant. Getting up was a multi-pronged maneuver. Shoes that keep the feet, ankles, knees, and hips from aching sure sound good. Will let you know.

It's now 8:30 and I'm considering going to bed, partially because I didn't get a nap and partially because lying down feels good.

Poor Pitiful Me

I'm in my first week at Amazon doing the "hardening" process. And, hoo boy, do I need hardening. Naturally, we're working on concrete. My new shoes don't seem to be helping as much as I thought they would. So the knees and and hips and ankles (esp. the weak right ankle) are protesting. So far, aspirin seems to be doing a good job. Have found out that mandatory overtime starts next week. That means five 10-hour days instead of four.

I've never worked for a huge corporation, a national one, and I don't like it. It's like working in a prison. You have to scan your badge to get in, scan your badge to clock in, scan your badge to clock out for lunch, scan your badge to clock back in after lunch, scan your badge to clock out. To get in and out of the building, there are metal cage-like revolving gates. To get in the break room you push a button; if it flashes green, you go on in; if it flashes red you have to go through the metal detector. You have "demerit" points to start, a bank, and there are a list of infractions and their point value; if you get down to zero points you're fired. Getting back late from lunch is a big demerit. Stretching exercises are held at shift start and after lunch.

Yesterday was orientation, videos on workplace violence etc. Today I was on the line in Receiving, opening boxes and scanning each item into the computer, putting them in totes and sending them down the conveyor. Boring. Very hard on the body just standing. We had a meeting at end of shift and I told the guy that standing is hard on me, so he said he'd put in Stowing, which is putting all the scanned items in bins so they can be picked later.

Okay, enough whining about work. Let's talk about the new sites we all had to move to yesterday so the City could put a sewer line in where we were. They were supposed to have the new RV park ready Sept. 1st, then Oct 1st., then any day now. We finally moved yesterday after they made a concerted effort to get our six sites ready. Then we had the really big storm. When the Lindas got home from work, their truck mired down half in the parking site and half in the road. And when I got up this morning, I noticed I wasn't level any more. I opened the door and realized I'd sunk in so far I no longer needed a step to get in and out. The City sent someone to haul me out. See the pictures. All in all, it's been an eventful day.

Books Read October

Remember that I've been twiddling my, er, thumbs since 17 October.

Author (*=perm.lib.), Title, Genre,Rating, Finish, Comments
"Adcock, Brenda", Pipeline, lesbian, medium, no, Interesting characters, good story, no sex."
"Armstrong, Lori ", Hallowed Ground, mystery, good, yes.
"Axtell, Roger", Do's & Taboos of Using English Around the World, travel, good, yes, useful stuff, though not an indepth study."
"Baldwin, Kim", Focus of Desire, lesbian, medium, no. Sweet young thing melts hard heart of famously promiscuous artist. Ho hum ho hum.
"Bishop, Claudia", Case of the Roasted Onion, mystery, medium, no. Casebook of Dr. McKenzie 1. Too much like a Sherlock Holmes homage.
"Briggs, Patricia", Blood Bound, fantasy, medium, yes, Mercy Thompson series. Entirely too many alpha/dominant males (of many species); it gets wearing.
-----,Moon Called, fantasy, medium, yes, Mercy Thompson series. Interesting premise -- main character is female mechanic who's also a shapeshifter (to coyote).
"Brockmann, Suzanne", Hero Under Cover, romance, medium, yes, Orig. pub. 1994; pretty standard romance but author writes well.
"Cannon, Julie", Heart 2 Heart, lesbian, good, yes. Police procedural. Nice balance of romance and gore.
"Clare, Cassandra", Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones, paranormal, good, no. YA, well-done but slow, tries to put too much in."
-----, Mortal Instruments 2: City of Ashes, paranormal, boring, no.
"Del Franco, Mark", Unshapely Things, paranormal, boring, no.
"Elmore, D.C.", Malicious Intentions, lesbian, boring, no. Everybody's so tolerant (cops, yet) and there's no sex, just looove."
"Ferris, Monica", Sins & Needles, mystery, good, yes.
"Graves, Sarah", Book of Old Houses, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree home repair series
-----, Dead Cat Bounce, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
-----, Nail Biter, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
-----, Repair to Her Grave, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
-----, Tool & Die, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
-----, Trap Door, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
-----, Unhinged, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
-----, Wreck the Halls, mystery, good, yes. Jake Tiptree
"Gustainis, Justin", Black Magic Woman, paranormal, good, yes. First in a series, a first book, the woman is really the main character."
"Harrison, Kim", Outlaw Demon Wails, paranormal, good, no.
"Hooper, Kay", If There Be Dragons, mystery, medium, yes, expected a thriller and got a pure romance.
"Huff, Tanya", Smoke & Ashes, paranormal, boring, no. Nelson & Fitzroy 3
-----, Smoke & Mirrors, paranormal, boring, no. Nelson & Fitzroy 2. Characters didn't engage me.
"Jance, J.A.", Justice Denied, mystery, medium, no, J.P. Beaumont series. Just going through the motions.
"Joss, Morag", Fearful Symmetry, mystery, medium, no, Sara Selkirk series. Characters not engaging.
-----, Funeral Music, mystery, good, no, Sara Selkirk series. Well-written but a little draggy.
"Lane, Vicki", Dark Season, mystery, good, yes, set near Asheville & Marshall
"Lennox, Grace", Not Single Enough, lesbian, good, yes. Interesting characters & witty dialogue.
"Leon, Donna", Uniform Justice, mystery, good, yes, "Excellent, and an indictment of modern Italian politics & institutions."
"Liu, Marjorie", Wild Road, pararomance, good, yes, "Dirk & Steele. Deathless love! Ah! Not as good as Iron Hunt, not as complex."
"Lynch, Scott", Lies of Locke Lamora, paranormal, unknown, no. Didn't even try it after reading the first page.
"McKillip, Patricia", Alphabet of Thorn, fantasy, good, yes, Very interesting premise. Beautifully written.
"Morgan, J.Y.", Download, lesbian, medium, no. Intriguing idea but characters slightly idealized.
"Muller, Marcia", Ever-running Man, mystery, good, yes, Sharon McCone series. One of the best writers in the genre, though this isn't best book in the series.
"Oliphant, B.J.", Dead in the Scrub, mystery, good, yes,"for perm.lib. pseud. of Sheri Tepper. Shirley McClintock series, retired CIA analyst, rancher, mid-60s, interesting household."
-----, Death Served Up Cold, mystery, good, yes,"for perm.lib. pseud. of Sheri Tepper. Shirley McClintock series.
"Parker, Robert", Now & Then, mystery, medium, yes, Spenser & Hawk. Standard blend of romance & macho; easy read as is 80% dialogue and everybody talks in short declarative sentences.
"Rardin, Jennifer", Another One Bites the Dust, paranormal, good, yes. Jaz Parks 2
-----, Biting the Bullet, paranormal, good, yes. Jaz Parks 3. Starting to dip around in book, sign of losing interest.
-----, Bitten to Death, paranormal, good, no. Jaz Parks 4. Still interesting but character development is very very slow so it begins to be all of a sameness.
-----, Once Bitten, Twice Shy", paranormal, good, yes. Jaz Parks 1
"Swiniarski, S.A.", Blood & Rust, paranormal, medium, no. Fairly well-done but same old same old.
"Vaughn, Carrie", Kitty & the Silver Bullet, paranormal, good, no.
-----, Kitty Takes a Holiday, paranormal, good, no.
"Ward, J.R.", Lover Awakened, pararomance, medium, no," 0906 Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Same old same old, way too alpha male stuff. Call me ""female"" will you. Won't be reading this author again.
"Windsor, Anna", Bound by Flame, pararomance, boring, no, Dark Crescent Sisterhood 2
-----, Bound by Light, pararomance, boring, no, Dark Crescent Sisterhood 3
-----, Bound by Shadow, pararomance, medium, yes, Dark Crescent Sisterhood 1

Bookstore Outing

Today the Lindas dragged me up from a nap with the magic words, Let's go to the bookstore, only known phrase that has that effect. Threw on clothes, grabbed bag of read books, and yawned my way through the drive to The Bookworm, Independence KS.

As far as the phone book shows, it's the only used book store in the area. Fairly wide selection (though no lesbian fiction) and much of the titles/authors were pedestrian. Also, there were too many duplicates. She takes 2 books for 1 in trade and you have to pay 10% of the books you're taking. No paperwork so all trade is done at once or you take some of your books back (I took six back). Made sure I got hefty stuff that will keep me occupied for more than just an hour (such as Heinlein's The Past Through Tomorrow and Expanded Universe). All trade paperbacks and hardbacks are priced individually. Browsed all the sections, and she has them all covered, but again, selections pedestrian and slightly overpriced. Didn't find any books on language, though I did find dictionaries.

Ah well, can't expect to find a DBN everywhere (and even it isn't as good as it used to be when I ran it, she said modestly).

One of the problems is that I've read so much that most stores don't have enough different authors/titles to tempt me. Probably why I haunt new book stores, looking for somebody new to read, or new titles by favorite authors. Too expensive to do much, though.

Early Morning

As there was no wind, we got this gorgeous mist. Burned off by 9am.

Work work work

Yesterday there was a gathering for those of us scheduled to start this coming week. Mark from Express Employment was there to specify which shift each of us will work and to hand out our badges ( Badges? We need our stinkin' badges!) with a breakaway lanyard (seems Amazon is hyper-vigilant about safety). The first week will only be 18 hours during what is called the "hardening" week: 3 hours the first day and then 3 days of 5 hours; then it's up to 10 hours.

So my schedule from now on is Wed-Sat 5pm to 3:30 am, which means leaving here about 4:30 and getting back about 4am. Probably get to sleep about 5 or so and get up around noon. That's assuming I sleep straight through. What will probably happen is what happened when I last worked night shift -- sleep 4 hrs, get up for 3-4 hours, sleep 3-4 hrs (let's see, that's sleep 5-9 up 9-12 sleep 12-3. Either way will work.

We get paid an extra 50 cents per hour for night shift, which is why I wanted it, especially now that I've lost about $1000 in wages because of the delayed start. However, it also means I'm going to miss my favorite TV show, CSI. And Lady Heather's coming back! And Grissom is going to leave! What shall I do?! Well, my good friends will just have to prepare for being grilled about happened.

The weather's been actually hot here, close to 80. And I understand that the Amazon buildings are really hot; everybody wears t-shirt and lots wear shorts. Hmmm. May have to drag out the summer stuff again.

More Hassle

Just found out today that everybody in my row (eight rigs) has to move into the new part of the park on Monday. This is so the City can put in a sewer line for these sites (they've already done the row across from us). They were supposed to have the new part done months ago and are just now getting it ready. They're putting down gravel now. Let's hope it's well packed by the time we move in. Supposedly, we'll be in those sites for a week. Un huh.

Long Good Day

The Lindas routed me out at 9am this morning for a long day of sightseeing and errands. We began by heading down through South Coffeyville, which is actually in Oklahoma. On the outskirts of Bartlesville OK, we found Yocham Saddlery. Here's a pic of the sign and the building. We're in the West, y'all. They have a large area set aside for finished goods, and an equally large area where they make things, including upholstery for chairs, beds, etc. One small couch was going to Luchese Boot Co. the man said. Oooh, high dollar outfit, I said. Well, he said, that's what he said about me. We were free to wander around watching the guys work and they were very nice about answering all sorts of questions. They had a bunch of stingray material, really tough and scratchy.

Then it was off to the Tom Mix Museum, where we actually saw the Suitcase of Death (the metal one that hit his head during the car crash and broke his neck). Lots of neat costumes and leather work. Here's a pic of the mural on the building.




Then we hit Walmart. I had my list so it took me awhile. I got back to the truck to discover that we were eating a bit there and then they had gotten a Boston Cream Pie to celebrate Linda S.'s birthday. She of course is a mere child.

The highlight of the day was in Dewey OK. Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper is there, built for Mr. Price back in the 1950s. It's 17 or so stories, lots of copper (Price had a chemical company that worked with pipes). It now houses a restaurant, a hotel, an architectural research area, and some offices. There's a small gift shop. Trademarks include lots of odd angles, custom furniture (not always comfortable), fabulous detailing. Here's a couple of pics that don't really do it justice.

We got taken into the penthouse with enormous two-story windows with automatic drapes, loft bedroom; and the owner's office. Halls are very small and the elevators hold three max (okay, five close friends). Great building.


The Lindas went to the Phillips Petroleum Museum while I sat in the car and read. Then we started out homeward trek. Got back about 5.30. A full and pleasant day. Have now had some dinner, put the groceries away, and am ready to kick back. What cabin fever?!

Plans? What Plans?

So I'm going a little stir-crazy. Remember, I arrived here on 16 Oct. and haven't had anything to do since them. I thought I would take myself off today and wander the countryside a little. I would drop in at Dave's Pizza in Coldwater, who gives free pizza to Toyhome owners. And there are a couple of offbeat attractions I was going to check out. However, yesterday the wind really kicked up to about 50mph and I came down with a resounding allergy attack, the remnants of which are still with me (sinuses full etc). Also, it's supposed to be a high in the 50s today.

I'm now planning to wander off on Thursday, when it'll be in the 70s and I will have newly emptied tanks. Much easier driving. By then the eyes will have stopped watering, I hope. I just have to keep myself amused till then. It's hard even to go walking because of the wind. I hate wind. Well, wind over 20mph anyhow. I'm pleased that I ponied up the money to get internet access for two months as it means I can play on the web all I want. It's not cheap but it certainly has paid off in keeping me from climbing the walls (which I can do in my rig without my feet leaving the floor).

TTFN

D&D Detritus

Stumbled across my sheets from one of the early times (maybe the earliest) that I played D&D. Now, this was way back in the Dark Ages of 1st edition so everything had to be written down and the DM had to consult the book every roll of the dice. Speaking of which, I had my dice set up to about a year ago. Anyhow, character name was Llanwyr. Fighter/magic user. Male. Half-elf. Neutral--chaotic. List of goodies: +1 armor plate, flail, heavy crossbow, dagger, hand axe, ten +1 arrows, ten regular arrows, quiver, belladonna, medium warhorse w/armor, torches w/oil and tinder box, saddlebags, watered wine and food, cross, staff of command. Then there's a whole bunch of items acquired and then some were used (crossed off list). Lots of the notations no longer make any sense to me. Fun to read over. Now I can throw them away.

Seems to me though that there was another time and another character who was a thief/assassin but don't seem to have data left on that experience. I remember playing some at UNC-Avl and got made a Paladin in the Azure Blue game (Forgotten Realms) by the DM, who was also the police chief in Marion NC at the time. I found being the Paladin pretty boring and I'm not a particularly good actor either, so no fun was had by any.

Nasty Blast

Yesterday it rained all day with some thunder and lightning. Now, it's mostly clear and blowing hard and much cooler (high in the 50s instead of the 70s). However, it's supposed to be warm again by tomorrow. My rig is protected from east and west by the monster rigs next to me, but the north end is open to weather all the way to Canada. Can you see me? Look just past the pickup. Yes, that little teeny backend is me (I mean, it's my rig).

Am going through books at a rapid rate. Must resist the temptation to trundle off to Tulsa (75 miles) or Wichita (350 miles) just to resupply. Will be hitting the permanent library hard. May even get out the decoupage stuff and attempt to be crafty.

Am really enjoying playing with iPhoto and learning all it can do. It, however, is really tedious to upload to the web with. I tried Picasa but it doesn't have a program to upload many at a time for my mac's level (10.3). Rats. Am trying some arty stuff and wish to share but need feedback (and you know who I mean). Did get some feedback from B & MA on the ones I sent them -- thanks.

First Excursion

The Lindas kindly took me along today for an outing. They toured me through historic Coffeyville to see the bank the Dalton Gang tried to rob and into Death Alley where they died, along with four townpeople in the shootout. The plaque on the side of the building tells about the shootout and has a mural on the sidewalk of the four dead Dalton Gang members. Major claim to fame of the town.

Then we were off to Independence which has a Wal-mart Supercenter. I didn't need much but it's always a challenge in a new store to find things. There's going to be a carnival in town soon for Neewollah (halloween backwards, so clever). Saw "caramel apples" and "bbq" trailers being pulled into the WM parking lot.

Really annoyed at Amazon right now. Not only have I lost two weeks wages, but when you start work there they ease you into the work in what they call a "hardening" process whereby you only work 3 hrs the first day and 5 hrs the next three days. So instead of working 40 hrs you only work 18. More lost wages. Not only that but the mininum regular workers start at is $13 an hour and we workampers only get paid $11/hr. Is that fair? So my mood is steadily darkening about this "opportunity" but I'm here now and need the money to support me for the rest of the winter and into spring. May make a difference about coming back next year, though. We'll see.

Rain forecast and then chilly weather. Got myself a new pair of velour booties to keep my feet warm. May put up the plastic today or tomorrow.

TTFN

Claims to Fame

Well, it turns out Coffeyville does have some claims to fame:

The infamous Dalton Gang tried to rob two banks at once in this town and were killed in a big gunfight (1892). There's a museum called the Dalton Defenders Museum. In "Death Alley" you can still see bullet holes in the brick wall.

It's also the hometown of Wendell Wilkie and Walter "Big Train" Johnson (baseball). And the Funk aircraft was built here 1941-48.

Population in the city is 11,060, and the whole county has 36,252 people. There are 39 churches and one bookstore. Independence, the "big town" nearby has two bookstore, one new books and one used. But there's both a regular Walmart and a supercenter WM. Ah, priorities.

Blowing Kansas

No, not leaving, just looking out the window at 40mph winds blowing through the trees and rocking my little RV some. It's sunny and warm, though.

I have successfully figured out how to transfer pix from my new digital camera to my computer and have been cropping and adjusting brightness/contrast and having great fun. I have just now added a photo to my profile. Yah! I'm feeling very clever so don't anybody spoil it by telling me how easy this all really is.

Yesterday was a social hour potluck of all the workampers. There's about 100 of us. Mark, owner of the employment agency that we're actually employees of, was on hand to talk about the delayed start for some of us and the shortened hours for some. Reassurance that we do have jobs with (gasp!) the possibility of overtime (yes!); it's just starting later than normal. Next year, there will be a new RV park right across the road from Amazon itself so there'll be no need for carpooling. Am thinking now that this makes a good winter job so will probably plan on coming back next year.

Linda S & Linda B, friends of Cindy & Wendy whom I met at RVW, have been very nice and helpful. If I'm on the same shift, I can carpool with them, and they'll let me know whenever they're going out to shop or do laundry or whatever so I can go along. Hooray! I could unhook each time but what a pain it would be.

Am doing household chores to keep myself occupied. Washed the windows outside yesterday. Cleaned the floor. Plan to take out all the vent screens and clean them (one needs replacing). Then I'll wash all the inside windows and install plastic (for the Kansas winter). Also plan to put plastic on the screen door but haven't figured out how to accommodate the outside door handle; maybe just make a slit in the plastic. But would reduce its effectiveness, wouldn't it. Hmmm. Maybe I'll see if I can acquire a piece of acrylic cut to fit the top of the screendoor; it already has a piece in the bottom section; that would help a lot.

Maybe I'll venture out a little later, when it gets even warmer, and take some more pics. Just don't want to get (a) grit in my eyes, or (b) blown away.

Best Laid Plans etc etc

I'm so annoyed and irritated and irked and fuming, and all those other red states of mind. Today I got to the employment office that handles Amazon hiring, only to have them say, Oh Didn't we call you to say the start date has been put off for two weeks???? So here I am twiddling my thumbs (and other things) in beautiful Coffeyville Kansas for two whole weeks. Which means, you understand, two weeks less in wages. They are paying for the park site, which has trees, water, and electricity, but only pay-for internet and no cable TV. What shall I do, what shall I do.

Fortunately, I happened on a couple on the way into the park who said, Come park by us, we've been waiting for a small class C to arrive. And on the other side is the Linda-Linda couple I was told to watch for by the couple I met at the RVW convention. One of the Lindas walked up and said, are you Lindig? I said, are you Linda? Laughing and hugging all round.

So life could be worse, I suppose. It's just that if I have to lollygag somewhere, SE Kansas wouldn't be my first choice. Amazon is also cutting the hours back some. Y'all need to get out there and buy buy buy.

Going to Kansas

Will be heading out tomorrow morning. Planning on about 300 miles a day to arrive in Independence Kansas on Friday.

Have done most of the errands and chores I planned to do and others will just have to get done along the way. Did a dump and grocery shopped yesterday. Got hairs cut and did laundry today. A couple of social things to do yet and then I'll be done. Need to put away a few loose things.

Tomorrow do the routine of turning off, unplugging, detaching, etc. and then I'll be off.

It's been a great two weeks (well, except for the cold which I'm still shaking off). Looking forward to being back in Asheville for March 09.

Coo coo a choo

is what I think I should have put.

I Am the Lustee

Boop boop a doop. And yum yum, too.

Never mind. Private joke.

Had a fabulous dinner yestereve with Gillian and Amy at Kanpai downtown. Thai and Japanese cuisine, elegant spot. Had Beef Negimaki appetizer (best I've ever had) and Tuna Tataki, also excellent. Gillian had a chicken dish and Amy had a shrimp dish and I had the seafood combo that came in a clay pot with shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels, glass noodles, peppers, etc etc. It was excellent. Finished off with green tea ice cream and mango ice cream. Fine time had by all.

Got signed up for an absentee ballot. If you don't vote, you don't get to complain.

Got my Modesty/Buffy fix -- two issues of Modesty!! and five of Buffy!! Sigh of satisfaction. Other satisfactions will have to wait, though there was one special moment of satisfaction.

Tonight I'm being taken to Vincenzo's, one of my favorite places, by Blair and Mary-Anne. We will gorge on great food and then gorge on the season opener of CSI.

Ghibli's checkup

Took him in for a checkup today. Very odd being without a home for a day. Hung out on Mary-Anne's porch mostly, drinking tea and reading. The only thing found wrong was a leaky windshield washer pump, otherwise it was basic maintenance and pumping up the airbags in the rear. I don't know who was driving it at the garage but they must have been practicing their drag race starts and stops. Everything in the house was tossed around and the air conditioner filter and cover had been knocked out of the AC. Also, the water pitcher (which rides in the sink) was totally knocked over and drained of water. None of this happens when I drive it. Humph.

Also got the admin password on this computer reset. You remember, I mentioned that I had set up a clever password which I was sure I would never forget and promptly forgot. So for the last six months or so I haven't been able to update any applications etc. It cost $25 and took about 30 minutes at Charlotte St. Computers. So far I've installed two updates. I feel much better now.

Tomorrow is a day off during which I get to drag out all the sewer hoses and inspect them, remove everything from the storage rack bins in back and inspect and rearrange, and do other basic things necessary before I leave on the 14th.

Sept. Books Read & Past Week

So I've spent most of the past week being semi-sick and finally today feel much better. Mary-Anne and I went over to Hazel and John's for cards etc. Gave John a pen from Fallingwater, and Hazel a "bookwyrm with dragon" bookbag. Next week is shaping up to be packed with stuff to do and folk to see. Tomorrow is brunch with Mary Jo, dump the black and gray tanks, and dinner at Amy's with an episode of "True Blood," the new series based on the Charlaine Harris "Sookie Stackhouse" books. So a pretty full day. Monday the RV goes in the shop for minor maintenance. Wednesday and Thursday are filling up, as is Saturday. I still have to fit in some must dos, like getting my Modesty Blaise and Buffy fix (and more).

Not as many books as usual in a month, but remember that I spent a week on the road and a week at the convention, so didn't have as much time for reading.

Author (*=perm.lib.),Title,Genre,When,Rating,Finish,Comments
*Brockmann, Suzanne, Forever Blue, thriller/romance, good, yes.
---, Frisco's Kids, thriller/romance, good, yes.
---,Harvard's Education, thriller/romance, good, yes.
*Child, Lee, Hard Way, thriller, good, no, Jack Reacher series; read it before!
*Gilman, Laura Anne, Bring It On, fantasy, good, no, Retrievers series; well done urban fantasy (had read before)
---, Freefall, fantasy, good, no, Retrievers series
*Graham, Caroline, Death in Disguise, mystery, good, no, a little too satiric/parodic and "British" humor"
*Harris Butcher et al, Many Bloody Returns, paranormal, good, yes.
*Harris, Charlaine, Shakespeare's Christmas, mystery, good, yes. Lily Bard. Want my own copy for perm.lib.
*Harrison Sands et al, Dates From Hell, pararomance, medium, yes.
*Huff, Tanya, Confederation of Valor, sf, good, yes, Confederation series; excellent military sf w/female lead
---, Heart of Valor, sf, good, yes, Confederation series
---, Long Hot Summoning, fantasy, good, no, Keeper Chronicles 3; too much of a muchness
---, Second Summoning, fantasy, good, no, Keeper Chronicles 2; getting just a trifle "chick-lit-y"
---, Summon the Keeeper, fantasy, good, yes, Keeper Chronicles 1. Clever, and funny, too.
*Jackson, Lisa, Left to Die, thriller, medium, no, serial killer, women victims, love conquers all, yadda yadda.
*Liu, Marjorie, Iron Hunt, fantasy, good, yes, Excellent, dense, not an easy read, helps to know classical mythology.
*Murphy, C.E. House of Cards, fantasy, good, no, main character ""Grit"" in love w/gargoyle -- how cute; well-written, densely plotted, but somehow all are "archetypal" and thus not quite 3-D.
*Richardson, Kat, Greywalker, paranormal, good, yes, Harper Blaine 1. Had read it before.
---, Poltergeist, paranormal, good, yes. Harper Blaine 2
---, Underground, paranormal, good, yes. Harper Blaine 3
*Vaughn, Carrie, Kitty Goes to Washington, paranormal, good, no, female werewolf.
---, Kitty & the Silver Bullet, paranormal, good, no.
---, Kitty Takes a Holiday, paranormal, good, no.

Some Welcome Home

I'm having a massive sinus attack, as is Mary-Anne and Joe. Seems Daniel brought something home from school (of course, he's not sick). Cough cough, sneeze sneeze, drip drip. Boring.

I did rearrange all the bins in the cabover and culled a few more items. I now have a real bed set up in the cabover section, with high density foam and memory foam. There's reading lights set in the wall and I got one of those cushions with arms to read in bed. No fear of falling off the 20 inch sofa any more, and my feet don't hang out into space. I'm pleased.

Tomorrow, I think I'll go through all my tools and supplies and neaten and cull and arrange them. Just for the fun of it, you know. I hope this nasal nastiness will start passing off soon.

Bombing Along

I left the RVW convention site this morning (Ladison SC) at 8:30 and arrived in Asheville at 2:30. I even stopped for lunch. Made good time. Even managed to get up Saluda Grade at 35mph, not bad at all for my little rig.

Now I have two weeks to get chores done, visit folk, rearrange everything in the rig, stock up for Kansas in the wintertime. And then it's off to Coffeyville to be an Amazon Elf.

Just got all hooked up and there's a nice wifi to use.

As to the convention, I'm glad to have gone and do plan to go to the 2009 meet in San Antonio. I won't be so overwhelmed with the people etc and may even do some socializing. After a full summer of working hard, more or less, I just sort of collapsed and hid out a lot. Who know what I'll be like after 2-1/2 months of fulltime work? Good thing I won't have anything to do but tootle around. Plan to be in Asheville again for the month of March 09.

Carting in the Rain

But not singing. We had a front move onshore overnight with gusty winds and rain. So when I went for my golf cart "taxi" at 4pm, we were all carrying towels and wearing ponchos (somebody lent me one). The golf carts don't have windshields!! Then the low battery light came on so I had to be escorted to the garage to get a new one, which had really good brakes. Somebody called out TAXI and I slammed the brake, leaving little skid marks. No, really.

Didn't do much today. Yestereve I came back to the rig about 7pm, ate some hot soup (nasty weather food) and sourdough bread. About 8:30 I keeled over and slept 10 hours. My bones had been aching all day. I felt much better today.

Not much going on tomorrow that I'm interested in. Annual meeting, prizes, banquet, yadda yadda. Leaving Sun am for "home" (Asheville). Am getting text messages from the local newspaper about where gas is available in the area. See some of y'all real soon.

Whizzing Around

Today, I volunteered to drive one of the golf cart "taxis". Mine was the 8 passenger gasoline engine one. Did that for two hours and had lots of fun. Now know lots of short cuts. Will do this for two hours a day for the rest of the convention. However, I'm beginning to get peopled out and remembering why I don't join groups. Today was the Opening Ceremonies and I was deputed to carry the banner for the Fulltimers chapter into the meeting space, full of cheering, clapping women. Being in such a crowd was bad enough but then we had the "colors" brought in, pledged allegiance to the flag with "under god" (I stood silent), sang the national anthem (still silent) and the Canadian anthem O Canada (of course I was silent). Much shouting and clapping. My ears started to get red so I got the hell out before I blurted out something unforgivable. Came home where I am blessedly alone and all is quiet (except for an occasional goose honk).

Believe I need to do less so I'll really enjoy what I do decide to do. Acquired an RVW winter vest (think Kansas in winter) and a nice mug. Also got some velcro awning straps as mine have bit the dust. Got a little fridge thermometer and a fan. Helps it work better. Supper was at a reception for the vendors -- sandwiches, fruit, etc. Met the woman insurance broker I got my RV insurance through. Saw a black pearl ring I liked but restrained myself. Also went to the seminar on Tomboy Tools, specially made for women (they're PINK!).

Stats say about 400 attendees. Line dancing classes tomorrow. Fulltimers meeting Friday. Am looking forward to Sunday already.

Convention Report

Today was the first "working" day of the convention, which doesn't even officially start until Wednesday. I attended the Beginning Maintenance seminar, which was very good, but I blew off the second half to attend a meeting with the Solos Chapter president and treasurer as I had agreed to help construct a budget for the Solos. This came about in the annual meeting Sunday afternoon, where (as usual in meetings) some people were in love with their own voices and points of view. To shut them up, I said I'd help do a budget, motioned, seconded, voted, passed.

On a much nicer note, my rig is parked across from a grassy strip bordering a small lake which is sleeping grounds for about 100 Canada geese. They rise up about 7am in three large flights and wing away for the day. About dusk, they all come winging back, splash down, stroll about on the grass for a while, and settle down on the water for the night, bobbing gently. I'm going to try to get pics of the dramatic landings.

Speaking of pics, I treated myself to a Canon Sureshot digital camera, so I now have something to take pics with. My trusty old Kodak point-and-shoot finally gave up the ghost. Now I just have to learn the new camera with its multiplicity of options.

Went to dinner this evening with a woman from Maryland, Margaret, who's also a Solo. She's 71 and a holistic/homeopathic nurse-practitioner, mostly retired, and has come down for the convention and is staying in a tent as her trailer rotted away. Very interesting and nice woman. We went to Gilligan's Steamers and Raw Bar Restaurant on Ladson Road. She had fried oysters and I had grilled scallops. Both were excellent. I tried their Key Lime Pie -- don't bother. A very pleasant time.

Tomorrow is the Advanced Maintenance seminar, which starts at the crack of dawn (i.e. 9am) so I'll sign off for now.

Movin' South

Left Madison PA on Monday around 11am, only an hour later than planned. Wended my way to Fallingwater, near Mill Run PA. Gorgeous grounds, wonderful gift shop, quarter-mile walk just to get to the house. It really is fabulous, and not as big in reality as in pics; convoluted inside, with lots of little sets of stairs; much local stone in floors and stairs; great terraces, good airflow control. I'm so glad I went.

Kept going over the mountains, 2800 ft 2900 ft 3000 ft trudge trudge. Eventually got to LaVale MD down US 40 and spent the night in the Walmart lot. Next day went out a different way and was in a totally different area, no sign of US 40, wound up on I-68 to Cumberland MD and then cut over toward Harrisonburg VA down US 11. Another night in a Walmart lot, with a Barnes & Noble and many other stores. Wed. night was supposed to be spent at Philpott Lake near Roanoke. It's a Corps of Engineers lake with nice camping. Had all sort of directions but came down 220 (future I-73 corridor) and never saw a sign for the hwy, the town, or the lake. So kept on going and wound up in Mocksville NC in another WM lot.

On the way to Davidson to stay with my friend Diana B, I saw a paddock full of -- CAMELS. No, really! Triple takes whilst driving not recommended. Got to her house about 11am and Harold B welcomed me. She was expected home later today. He helped me get the rig back into a more or less level spot, hooked to water and electricity (I got to turn on the fridge!). I rolled out the awning and will be staying her until Saturday am. Then it's off to Ladson (Charleston) SC for the RVW convention.

TTFN

Ren Fair

Went to the Renaissance Fair with Phyllis on Sunday. Not bad even though not an SCA event. Produced by some Colorado outfit. Everybody in costume and saying M'Lady a lot, though some had a suspiciously Australian accent (g'day m'lady). Best jeweler I saw comes from a part of Tennesse just over the line from Murphy NC . Nice stuff. Got a tote bag with a gaudy dragon reading a book labeled BookWyrm.

Am really itchy to be on the road. Off for two days, work two days, then done.

Am watching some program called, I think, Fashion Rocks. Lots of rock stars singing older rocker songs, like Beyonce singing Etta James and Chris Brown singing Sam Cooke. Saw Duffy, new to me, doing a song called Mercy. Not bad. Justin Timberlake is doing some Motown with Beyonce, Kid Rock, and Mary J Blige, with dancers looking like the Jackson 5. Does Justin always sing falsetto?

Putty & Books

So yesterday I did crawl under the rig after dumping and flushing the black water tank. Kneaded the miracle putty to a consistent color and then pushed it into place. Waited an hour for it to set, then ran water into the tank to see if it leaked. Didn't see any drip so feel successful. We'll see how it does while vibrating down the road. Today I'm going to wash the rig (or maybe tomorrow).

Books Read August 08

Author (*=perm.lib.), Title, Genre, Rating, Finish, Comments
Brockmann, Suzanne, Into the Fire, thriller, good, yes, Troubleshooters series (Vinh Murphy)
Churchill, Jill, Silence of the Hams, mystery, medium, yes, Jane Jeffries series
Connolly, Sheila, One Bad Apple, mystery, good, yes, smalltown New England; a cozy
Ferris, Monica, Knitting Bones, mystery, good, yes, series. Always interesting; makes me want to learn to knit; smalltown upper Midwest; a cozy.
Frost, P.R. Hounding the Moon, pararomance, bad, no, "too "funny" and "chick-lit"
Galenorn, Yasmine, Dragon Wytch, pararomance, bad, no, lots of sex but mostly normal-style except with shapeshifters (main character has three alpha males slavering after her who are willing to share – un huh sure), too much pseudo-mythology and "chick-lit"
Harris, Charlaine, Dead Over Heels, mystery, medium, yes, Roe Teagarden series
Harrison, Kim, Dead Witch Walking, paranormal, good, yes, Rachel Morgan series 1.
---Good, the Bad, and the Undead, paranormal, good, yes, Rachel Morgan series 2. Getting both more complicated and more of the same.
---Every Which Way But Dead, paranormal, medium, no, Rachel Morgan series 3. Really getting into same old same old
---For a Few Demons More, paranormal, medium, no. Rachel Morgan series 4. Really same old same old. Please note the titles – you think she likes Clint Eastwood?
Maron, Margaret, Hard Row, mystery, good, yes, Deborah Knott series; smalltown NC.
Martin, William, Lost Constitution, fiction, medium, no, rare-book/mss. dealer; excellent history interwoven but main character just ever so slightly implausible
Roberts* Nora, Strangers in Death, cop/sf/romance, good, yes, for perm. lib. new pb
Saintcrow, Lilith, Dead Man Rising, paranormal, good, yes, Dante Valentine series
---Saint City Sinners, paranormal, good, yes, Dante Valentine series
---Working for the Devil, paranormal, good, yes, Dante Valentine series
---To Hell and Back, paranormal, medium, no, Dante Valentine series
Sinclair, Linnea, Gabriel's Ghost, sf romance, medium, yes, simplistic but not terrible
Thomas* Ross, Chinaman's Chance, thriller, re-read, yes, Wu and Durant series
Ward, J.R. Lover Eternal, pararomance, medium, yes, 0306 Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Ah, the power of LUV (and sex!)"
---Lover Revealed, pararomance, medium, yes, 0307 Black Dagger Brotherhood series
---Lover Enshrined, pararomance, medium, yes, 0608 Black Dagger Brotherhood series; series is amazingly implausible but implausibly entertaining