How do you like my newly designed website? I should’ve been writing but the way my website looked after changing it about a month ago really bugged me. So I worked on it all afternoon until 2:30 a.m. in the morning. I think I finally got it right and love it. What do you think?
If you’re wondering, it’s a template provided by WordPress. They have some great offers and no they are not paying me to say that. But I believe in saying up front if I had help and I sure did.
Now for me to get back to writing. That’s what I really love. Some good news to come soon. Probably by next weekend.
So you never thought to do this, but I bet someone you know has thought about it or has tempted it or done it. So please copy and paste on your social media, everywhere.
Did you know that if you text 741741 when you are feeling depressed or suicidal, a crisis worker will text you back immediately and continue to text with you? Many people, especially younger folks, do not like talking on the phone and would be more comfortable texting. It’s a free service to ANYONE!
This text crisis line works in all states in the continental United States.
Or if you do want to talk with a human, call 800-273-8255.
So good to know for yourself, loved ones, coworkers, etc.!!! Asking for help is so brave and so worth it ❤️
#SuicideAwareness
#YouAreImportantForReal
If you are elsewhere, please insert your country’s phone numbers and website.
When I was a kid, boys played with marbles. Girls played with jacks. I felt we girls got gypped. Marbles were so pretty. Thankfully, I had a male cousin who was cool enough to teach me how to play.
My sister used to love to heat marbles in a pan. It cracked the glass. Looked rather pretty, but it always made me sad.
Then it became popular to use marbles in clear vases to have flowers to stand straight. Awesome. Oh, yes. I have quite a few.
Now I have three grandsons and the middle boy LOVES marbles. Maybe next time he comes over, I’ll teach him how to play. I think he’ll like it.
Like many Americans I love to eat fast food and most times, I enjoy walking in and taking it easy before heading back to the day job. One thing I noticed is all fast food places have skinny parking places. Really? What are they trying to do? Keep us from coming inside? Make us use their drive-through?
My car has a ding on the passenger door because of those stupid parking spaces, but I want to eat inside. I don’t want to make a mess in my car.
And of course, like every eating place I’ve ever been to, fast or formal dining, the restrooms have only one to three stalls. What’s up with that? I had to wait in line the other day for one out of two stalls provided. Women have to move clothes a lot to take care of business. Not just a zipper and undies. So it takes time.
I do say, I get tickled seeing men stand in lines for the restroom at an ice rink. Probably because there are often more men than women attending. Oh, yes, I loved walking straight into the restroom during a hockey game. No wait. Awesome!
First, let me say I LOVE the character Jamie in the book and TV series. His character is well-written, manly man with emotions and all the charm of what an American can imagine a Scotsman would be. He’s the only reason I listen to the books or watch any of the TV series. There is a small possibility I would have READ the full series just for him, but only a small chance. Nine hundred plus pages of one story is way too much to me, and really I can’t believe I listened to the series through the third book. Audio is the way to go. Davina Porter is a wonderful narrator.
Nevertheless, so many times I screamed at the audio (in my car alone) for the narrator to hurry the f**k up. The person pattered on about some of the most obvious and boring crap when all I wanted to know was what the person had to say or did or she/he would just die.
Personally, I could’ve deleted one-third, that’s being lenient, and the story would be the same and so much better.
Claire is a woman who lives in the now even if it was more than 200 years before she was born. I get so tired of her believing she must be the one to jump in and solve everything. She never thinks of the consequence beyond her need to be in control. Some would call her a strong-willed woman, personally, I thought she was totally self-centered. There’s a difference between brave and stupid. Claire was often stupid.
I think extremely long books are like soap operas. You get tired of all the angst and nothing going right. You need a break and it takes, if you’re lucky, hundreds of pages before the author thinks to lighten things up. I began to feel bad for everyone in the book along with myself. It is sad how Jamie meets trouble after trouble. No one has that much to go bad, but I understand why the author had to do it. If you’re going to write nine-hundred pages, you have to have something bad to happen over and over and over and over again. Yes. I could’ve dropped a couple of those overs, but I wanted to show how unnecessary they were to make a point. Hell, I could’ve cut half of this post.
Once again, that’s why I don’t love long series with the same lead character.
Latin names of plants, diseases, etc. WHY?! I couldn’t care less. Only interested if that was my field of study. I love history, but I read non-fiction for the details.
There. For almost two years I held up this post because I wanted to see if I changed my mind. Even the TV series didn’t help me do that. I fast forward in Claire’s scenes because she irritates me. All I can say is the only reason Jamie stays with her — when she’s in his time zone – ha! — is because she’s a good lay. There has to be reason.
Of course, what do I know? Just my lowly opinion. Millions of people love this long-ass series. They’re best sellers. Congrats to the author. I do believe the author is a talented writer, and I’ve heard the storytelling improved as the series went along. But life is too short for that much angst between the same two (or twenty) characters, and there are many wonderful — shorter, like 80,000 to 100,000 words — stories out there to read.
Besides, I have to save time to write my poor, pitiful short stories (60,000 to 80,000 words). LOL!
When I was a kid, boys 
Carla Swafford, Author 