Nightwing and the Library

 Ok, so the two have nothing to do with each other.  Maybe.  We'll see how this post goes.

DC Collectible Batman Black & White Nightwing by Jim Lee (image source:  comicbook.com)

When I'm stressed, overstimulated, or overwhelmed--good or bad--I stress shop.  The other night, I was "writing" and ended up falling madly in love with 2 Nightwing statues/figures.  Obviously, if I was falling madly in love with Nightwing, I wasn't writing.  ;)

Although, technically, I opened the browser to research materials used for men's summer suits and formal attire, so it started out book-related.  How I got to Nightwing, I have no idea.  He looks nice in a suit, though.

Dick Grayson in a suit.  (image source:  Book Riot)

And how did I fall madly in love with Nightwing anyway?  I was already madly in love with him.  Queue Janis.  "Oh.  My.  God."  I mean, have you seen him?  And then to find one based on the legendary Jim Lee's art??  (Confession:  I love LOVE love Jim Lee's art.  Give that man a sharpy and he'll draw something awesome on the spot, no errors.  Perfection.)

So . . . the Black and White Nightwing (#736/5000) arrived yesterday and is guarding my mantle (or enjoying being eye candy, who knows).

The other Nightwing figure?  Queue bloody nose and extreme Janis.  "OH.  MY. GAAAAAAWD!"  Enter Kotobukiya's Ikemen Series.  This lone picture doesn't do him justice.  Check out Kotobukiya's website for photos from every angle, and good luck finding one in stock anywhere.  Most sold out in during the 2017 pre-order window.

Kotobukiya's Ikemen Series, kicked off with nightwing.  Stock photo.

The Ikemen figure comes with three faces and a separate mask so you can have Nightwing in full costume or flashing those baby blues with or without his lips parted and holding his mask.  (I'm dying here Kotobukiya.)  He hasn't arrived yet.  I.  Can't.  Wait.

When I first saw it, I was captivated.  It's gorgeous.  He's beautiful.  Black and White Nightwing is edgy.  Ikemen Nightwing is sensual.  And the more I stared at him, the more I realized he kind of looks similar to how I see Eric in my head.  A bit younger, but the hair and eyes . . . wow.

(Eric's appearance is supposedly 23-ish, but that's an 1864-65 version of 23, so I see him in his late 20s/early 30s.  Hardened by life.  More mature.  Battle worn.  For the longest time, I thought he'd look like Brandon Heat - with blue eyes - in Gungrave before he "died."  With Brandon's original eye color, if you visualized auburn hair and removed the glasses, you'd have an idea of how I see Jonathan, too. See below.)

Brandon Heat in Gungrave.  (Episode and image source unknown.)

Image above modified to look like Eric (blue eyes, no bags). 

I digress.  Prior to my Nightwing objectification, I already had the good news I wrote about in my previous post, plus, that day, I'd gone to the library and spoken with the librarian and her staff.  She wanted to put my books into circulation (in process!) and she's a cataloguing librarian, so both books will be catalogued with the Library of Congress!  I'm also looking forward to speaking engagements, readings, and/or workshops starting around mid-April.

Sidebar:  My MS is a bit of an odd duck.  I mean, ALL MS is different for each person, but generally, MS is sensitive to heat, so most MS Warriors hate summer.  Heat rarely bothers my MS as long as I'm careful with it.  However, COLD is another story.  I don't hate winter, but it is downright mean to me.  I am super hypersensitive to cold and am suspected of having S.A.D., so usually by Christmas, I'm in bed for the rest of winter.  The colder and wetter it is, the worse I feel.  But, usually, I'm up and itching to get out around April, and slowly, but surely, I get out of bed and recuperate.

This is all very exciting.  Everything that's going on with my childhood dream, the upcoming Dark History and Horror Con, the library, the LOC, the Midwest Book Review, progress on book 3, the Dark Moon Press vampire anthology (release TBA), closing in on Con preparations and book freebie/goodies.  Plus, good looking medical scans, (mostly) good lab work, and a follow up consult upcoming, along with another round of regular check ups with all of my specialists.  Even good news can be overstimulating and stressful; hence, 2 Nightwings to drool over (plus a secret fun buddy for the kitchen that I haven't told Tim about yet).  Oh, and two books (The Peach Keeper and The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - love her).  I think I'm just antsy.  Or my anxiety is acting up just enough to cause trouble.  Like Loki.  But anyway, stress shopping FTW.  ^_^   

(Well, just not for my wallet.)  Haha.

Random Stuff - What I'm Up To

That moment when you want to write something, but sit down and can't think?  That's what this is.  (laughs)  I feel like I have a zillion and a half (the half is important) thoughts zooming through my mind.  If I catch one, I'll jot it down and maybe this post will be somewhat cohesive.  Fingers crossed.

A few months ago, chest pain took me to the ER twice in two weeks.  Abnormal EKGs and another doctor's concern had me held overnight the second time.  Since then, I've worn, and returned, a month-long heart event monitor and am awaiting the results.  At the moment, the issue remains unexplained.  Neurology and Cardiology are working together to figure out the cause:  my brain or my heart.  (Giggity)

Probably unsurprisingly so, I haven't felt that great lately.  I'm experiencing more issues with my arms, which, of course, causes issues with my hands and fingers.  Like last summer, I'm hitting extremely hard fatigue walls that knock me out for a few hours.  And I'm feeling a greater disconnect between myself and my brain.  I swear, I talk about my brain like we share a symbiotic relationship, and that's weird, I know, but it truly feels like it. 

This morning I was talking to my cats about finding Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card on Hulu last night, (there was a huge WHOO-HOO moment when I found the books on Rightstuf).  I couldn't get the words right.  I kept saying, "Cloudclaptor..."  I got frustrated and shut up.  (I think the cats were grateful.)  But this word slippage and other vocal issues have been getting worse.  I mumble now and don't realize it, I put the wrong consonants into words (like Funny instead of Money), and I randomly pick up an Irish or other foreign accent.  It's still at that super weird stage that makes us laugh when it happens. 

Speaking of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card, I love it!  Sakura is one of the cutest and sweetest anime/manga characters, and the anime itself is always uplifting with positive interaction between Sakura and her friends.  Thankfully, there is no English dub to waste your time with (unlike the original season-don't, just don't).  I'm so used to watching the Sub that it'd be odd to hear other voices.  Since I am reading the manga, and am current, I'll eventually get to a point where I need to stop watching so I don't ruin the reading experience.  So far, it seems that several episodes fit into a book. 

I've also been reading the Sherlock manga that essentially takes the BBC show and puts it to paper.  It's pretty cool.  The lack of color pages does limit what the reader can deduce, which is my only complaint.  It's obvious from the first book:  A Study in Pink.  I missed quite a bit of the pink stuff since it's all in black or white.  Otherwise, it's cool to enjoy Sherlock in different mediums.  Like with Cardcaptor, I read the books first and then watch the show.  I realize this reveals that I'm a late comer to the BBC show, but oh well.  With only 3-4 episodes per season, I like the forced pacing.  I also enjoy Elementary and the Robert Downey Jr movies.  I have the Moriarty novel in my towering "to read" pile, and the collected works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  The game is a foot!

My newest obsession is watching (and listening to) the ISS live feed here:  http://www.n2yo.com/space-station/.  The first few days I watched, it was silent, so it scared the beejees out of me when I was in another part of the house and heard a man talking in the supposedly empty loft.  I hadn't noticed the other live feeds on the page and got to watch one of the astronauts (Alex) working in the air lock.  It's fascinating!  And watching the sun set from the ISS roughly every 20 minutes is otherworldly.

I picked up a book called "Civil War Front Pages" by John Wagman.  It is absorbing.  It's difficult to read since much of the news print is small.  I happened to flip to the day the war ended and was amazed by the headlines, huge and bolded, with giant eagles of victory.  I wonder what it was like for people to see that on their newspaper in 1865 after years of a nation torn apart.  The grandeur of the headlines spoke volumes.

I'm a bit behind on my comics, but I'm enjoying the Doomsday Clock comic and the Justice League Dark tradebacks - I'm almost done with them.  I can't believe Doomsday Clock won't finish its run until next summer!  AND!  I am so, SO thankful that Netflix picked up Lucifer for season 4!  A tv without Tom Ellis on it would be a sad tv.  The saddest tv if ever there was.  Now it can be happy.  ^_^  I'm into the fourth volume of the Lucifer run by Mike Carey (he was created by Neil Gaiman in his Sandman series).  It is vastly different from the show, but that's a good thing, I think.  Because they are so different, spotting Easter Eggs on the show is extra cool.  I'm also still working my way through the Hellblazer tradebacks from the original run.  I grew up in the 80s, so seeing it portrayed in comic form as an adult is eye-opening.  With few differences, you'd think it was modern day - racism, fear of war, violence, etc.  Aside from the supernatural aspects of the story, it's very real and sometimes that makes it hard to read.  Not hard in a literal sense - it's like watching the news these days.  You need a break from it.  Hence - moving slowly. 

I think we're going to watch a movie soon, so I need to post this and "run."  (I don't run; I hobble.)  BUT - we watched Annihilation the other night and it's amazing.  Gorgeous shots with a story that doesn't ram itself down your throat.  Anyone who's played The Last of Us - watch this.  So many of the mutations in the shimmer are reminiscent of scenes in The Last of Us and even from The Evil Within 2.  I would love for a game developer to base a game on this movie/book series.  It has potential for some really cool things. 

Ok, well, I smell popcorn.  Confessions is still in the works - I've just taken a small break while other folks are critiquing.  I think we'll be on track for a July release.  ^_^

PS - there's a promo video for Confessions on my Amazon author page.  Watch it!  amazon.com/author/kastiepavlik 

Something, Something, Butterflies, Batman, and MS

Sometimes things in life add up perfectly, such as a butterfly posing patiently for its photograph.  In a heart-shaped spot of light in a dark forest on a sweltering day.  Often, that's not how it works, though.  And even greater still, even those "perfect" moments benefit from additional attention. 

Most of us touch up our photos now, just as I changed the contrast and brightness to highlight the butterfly's spotlight.  The heart is natural, though--capturing that photo was a stroke of luck.  It seemed like an appropriate picture to share on Earth Day.

I don't really have a specific topic for today.  My mind has been jumbled lately, my memory worse than usual.  I lose thoughts quicker than they form.  It makes writing/editing difficult, but I'm doing my best and that's all I can do. 

I used to review anime and manga on this blog, periodically.  If I were to start from where I left off this would probably be the longest post ever--which would be quite the achievement given how I tend to ramble.  But, it is something I've been wanting to do.

I started reading manga years ago.  Exactly when escapes me, but I think I started with a 3-book box set for Cowboy Bebop.  This was before publishers printed the books in the correct Japanese back-to-front, right-to-left format.  Once that became the standard, my obsession took off.  What started with 3 books has grown into a large collection with hundreds of books - I mean, Bleach, alone, is over 70 volumes.

Like everything else in my life, my tastes are eclectic.  You might think I'm a shojo girl at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you'd see that I lean toward supernatural and sci-fi.  Vampires, ghosts, demons, time travel, mythology.  It's so hard to pick an all time favorite.  It's not manga, but Vampire Hunter D ranks high.  Trigun has to be next, followed by Black Bird and Cardcaptor Sakura.  I have too many current titles to rattle off, so the ones I look forward to the most are:  Attack on Titan, Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card (OMG I love CLAMP), Karneval, Noragami, and The Demon Prince of Momochi House (the nue is hot!). 

And then, of course, I got back into novels.  And now my novel collection has grown.  I adore Sarah Addison Allen's books.  The way she weaves her magical realism is incredible.  Freda Warrington's The Blood Wine Sequence series is amazing, and I love Gillian Flynn - just when you think the story should be wrapping up, she takes you beyond the end into places you'd never expect. 

So, for the record, at this point, I'm reading manga, novels translated from Japanese, and "normal" novels. 

Aaaaand then . . . my superhero fetish kicked into high gear and I started reading tradebacks and graphic novels.  And now have a substantial collection of those, as well.  I love Marvel and DC, but when it comes to reading, I'm nearly DC all the way.  Deadpool's in there, mixing it up, but I have loved Batman since I was kid, and I adore The Flash.  My "comic" collection consists largely of Batman and Flash titles & collections, along with Hellblazer, Lucifer, and Rick and Morty (not DC).  With DC's Rebirth event, I've also picked up Nightwing and Wonder Woman, and with the New 52, I got into Justice League Dark. 

Think that's enough?  Cuz I didn't.  Now I'm into actual comics.  Specifically Deadman and The Doomsday Clock.  I'd never read (or seen) Watchmen, so after reading the first few Doomsday Clock issues, I grabbed the Watchmen omnibus.  And now I need to go back and re-read the Doomsday Clock issues I have to understand the backstory.  I've started getting back issues of Batman and other titles.  LOL - I have a problem and not enough shelf space!   I should have posted a picture of my library instead of the butterfly, which is sad since I started this with the beauty of the Earth on Earth Day and now I'm posting about all the paper I own.

Believe it not, I do actually have a point!  I've been amazed that given the memory and cognition issues I face on a daily basis, I can follow as many story lines as I do.  Let me pause and do counting -- 35 current manga series, 12 comic series, and whatever novel I'm reading.  For some of these titles, the next book doesn't come out for years.  Take Loveless, for example.  I thought it was on a 2 year release schedule, so I thought the next book would have been out around October of 2015.  Nope.  It'll be out this summer.  So I've been waiting for it since probably 2013.  Others come out faster - maybe every few months, and others are at about a year.  For a book I'll read in under an hour. 

My point?  All of these stories have histories that are built by the book's creator.  Many of those comics have histories that have existed since the 1930s with retcons and additions and changes, and so forth.  It's all stuff that exercises my brain.  Frequently, I enjoy learning about the real histories behind the character as much I love reading the fiction.  Captain America's actual creation story is amazing.  Get me started on nearly any character?  I won't shut up.  I don't read much Superman, but I can tell you that the Superman we know and love today is from Earth Two, and that Supergirl is faster than Superman, who is thought to be the only man who can keep up, or possibly even beat, The Flash.  I'd love to see Supergirl and The Flash race. 

See?  I won't stop.  It engages my brain, and for that moment, or those few hours that I'm rambling on and on, I actually know what I'm talking about and feel confident about it.  So much of my day is spent trying to remember what I was going to say or do, or trying to remember my cat's name or remember who someone is in a photograph. 

I work hard on my cognition issues and reading is really the best thing for it.  I wish I had something equally as fun to help with my physical issues.  But there's not much I can do about that.  Use or lose it is what I know and that keeps me from laying in bed all day.  I force myself to get up and do at least one thing a day.  I miss the days when I could walk in a forest and take pictures of butterflies.

Look at that!  Sometimes things just come together!  ^_^ 

I came here today because I'm working on another round of edits for The Arrival's sequel and I haven't been able to focus on it.  People who know me know I have problems with my legs.  But I have problems with my arms, too, and they're getting worse to the point that holding a book or turning the pages is hard.  My arms go to sleep, they go numb, they are heavy and slow to respond.  It wasn't such a big deal when it was just my left arm, but now it's my right arm, too.  This blog has always helped me see things in a different light or helped me feel better.  As usual, talking about comics did the trick. 

I guess if this post has any point, it's to reiterate that old saying that if something's worth doing, it's going to take work.  I want to slow the damage to my brain and body, so I work at it.  I push myself extremely hard.  Past physical therapists have told me I push too hard and I should cut back to 1/4 of what I'm doing.  So, I've worked on that.  Doing too much can do more harm than good.  Which is why I like to read.  I don't think it's possible to read too much.  Except that I could overstimulate my brain and that's not good at bedtime. 

Another thing?  Enjoy what you have because you never know when you'll lose it.  Stop and take those pictures of butterflies.  Take a deep breath in a flower garden.  Appreciate those little things that line up perfectly.  If you can, work to make it even better, to make it shine.  A spotlight moment can be yours, but you have to be willing to see it and accept it. 

For example, I know The Arrival has a good story and that I'm a good writer.  But I'm just me.  It's hard for me to think like that.  And that's another thing I'm working on.  I know the sequel has a good story and the writing is good as it is.  But it needs to be polished and that's what I'm struggling with now.  My mom is helping me and it's incredible.  I don't think I'd get this done without her help.  And I'm eager to finish edits and polishing so that my *secret* beta reader can get her hands on it and give me much needed feedback.  Writing a book, polishing it, and then publishing it is like watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly and fly away.  It's not easy.  It takes work.  For me, it takes a lot more effort than it did five or ten years ago.  Even just a year ago.  But I'll keep working on it.  I'll keep working on everything.  I owe it to myself and to my readers. 

I have no idea how long this post became and I haven't proofed it, so please forgive any typos - I tried to catch them as I went.  Hopefully, this all tied together, somehow, and was at least enjoyable to read.  Until next time!  Bye!  ^_-

Leave my brokenness broken

Vampires and cats seem to be my "thing."  Today, I learned something new about myself that I probably already knew deep down, somewhere, but hadn't structured into cohesive thought.  I was broken once.  And then I broke my brokenness and fixed myself.  It's deeply personal and private, but the revelation was amazing. 

Not one of us is perfect.  And no one can be strong all of the time.  Some of us put on that brave face and do what we need to do to get by, and others?  They break or they fight.  Forget MS.  Forget cancer.  Forget everything else "wrong" with me.  Me?  I am a survivor.  I am the person that runs toward the fire.  I overlook the bad in my life to celebrate the good.  I am happy.

What did I want to be when I was a kid?  An author.  And then an accountant.  Right and left brain.  The college counselors told me I'd never be happy with a career unless I could satisfy both sides of my brain - use the left at work and the right at home or vice versa.  Well, throw in MS and I'm lucky I can use my brain at all.  And just like that, I'm off topic.  My point here?  I'm still a kid at heart, so I haven't grown up.  So what do I want to be?  Happy.  As reported in Gundam Wing, "Mission accomplished."

Here's the thing:  I pour all that I am into my writing.  I always have.  Broken.  Unbroken.  Aging, sick, joy, sorrow, excited.  Love, hate, emptiness, soulful.  Survivor.  Victim.  Selfish.  Selfless.  My pain, anger, experience.  Diverse religions, interests, studies.  Empathetic.  Sympathetic.  Cold.  Warm.  Violence.  Peace.  Vampires, blood, darkness.  Rainbows, unicorns, sugar.  Cats and toys.  It's all there.

I keep thinking of a line from Poe's The Raven.  "Leave my loneliness unbroken."  It's my favorite piece of literature, and reminds me of when I would have asked to leave my brokenness unbroken.  Unlike the narrator, whose soul lay in shadow to be lifted nevermore, I chose not to wallow.

Another line reads:  "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting. . ."  I imagine that I stared down my darkness in much the same way, but at some point, I stopped looking and stepped into it.

I think that people, in general, tend to fear the unknown.  Many of us stay the course, take the worn path, and face the known whether it's better or worse than the unknown.  It's a risk.  I can't sit here and say I deliberately broke my brokenness or stared down my darkness.  It just happened.  So maybe I "just happened" to emerge reborn like a caterpillar to butterfly.  I don't know.  I can't say for sure.  It wasn't easy, but I'm a fighter.  Easy isn't something I've known, which I'm sure was to my benefit.  And my "fix" was not without its own scars, perhaps ironically.

That's the heart of the matter and where I've discovered my writing has taken me.  The Arrival and soon-to-arrive Confessions of the Second Born, aren't about vampires or God.  The theology in those pages is my own conglomeration of mythology and religion to fit the context of my fiction.  The real story is the search, and subsequent finding, of self.  Life's not easy - be ye vampire or human, demon or angel.  It's full of choices that are sometimes beyond our control.  So it helps to know yourself. 

It is so easy to sit in a chair, talking with a friend, and say, "If that happened to me, I'd do this."  Sometimes that might be true.  More often than not, it's probably not if that actually happened to you.  I'm reminded of when a family member was diagnosed with breast cancer.  During the discussion, I said that if I ever had breast cancer (ignorantly thinking I'd never get it because my risk was supposedly so low - risk is risk - take it seriously) that I wouldn't get reconstruction.  At the time, I was more active and said they (boobs) just get in the way, and I have the love of my life, so who am trying to impress?  So, you might imagine how this person felt, and how the conversation changed, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and chose reconstruction. 

The hows and whys of it don't matter.  Until you are sitting in that chair, hearing those words, having every detail thrown at you, and being asked impossible questions, you don't know what you will do.  I didn't know what I was going to do.  I needed time.  I had to think it all through and make the best decision for me and my family.  In the end, I still question my decisions. 

When I broke my brokenness, I didn't have time to think or take it in.  It was a blur.  But I still had to make a choice.


The same holds true to life in general.  Whether you're going through the motions, breaking, or fighting, you are the one who needs to take it all in and make the decisions.  Sometimes they're easy.  Sometimes they're impossible.  Some will end up good and others will blow up in ways you'd never imagine.  If you truly know yourself, the process might just be a little easier.  Maybe.

I channeled all of this into my series.  I wanted it to mirror real life, even with vampires and angels.  I suppose the first book, The Arrival, succeeds the most since the supernatural characters will stand out far more in subsequent books.  Above all, regardless of who or what they are, these characters are making hard choices and living with the consequences, all while striving to strike a balance to find themselves and happiness--the same thing we all do, everyday.

What will you break or leave unbroken?  The choice is yours.

The Fur Coats are Coming!

With Soundgarden and Audioslave, and, of course, the amazing vocals of Chris Cornell, in the background, the feline overlords have descended into anarchy.  Imagine them in black and red plaid flannel, stomping around in combat boots or Visions (going old school), and you have a pack ready for rebellion, alongside a human nostalgic for the 80s and 90s punk/alternative scene.

I suppose, so I don't get into trouble, that you should envision Atari with a tiara and Vash with his pink feather boa.  Lucien slept on Vash's feather boa one time, and that was totally uncool with Vash.  Had I not redirected Vash to the stairs, he would have jumped from the loft.  He stalked right down to Lu and literally got nose to nose with him.  It's his feather boa, damn it.  O_O
 
I digress.  Lucien's territories and status are up for grabs, so the fur is flying.  Somewhat surprisingly, Vash has stepped up as the new alpha.  King Vash doesn't have the same ring to it as King Lu-ey, but all hail the king because he's not stepping down.  His challengers?  Constantine and Groucho Marx.  Jonny doesn't care as long as he gets his hugs and kisses, and Atari is still a bit lost and adamant that we must pet her, with both hands, whenever she graces us with her presence.

Constantine's challenge both surprises me and doesn't.  If he was human, he'd hide in the basement wearing a tin foil hat while building a Faraday Cage and mumbling to himself about conspiracy theories and the vet's true agenda.  But at the same time, he's a daring independent (oh, Tool just came on) who jumped from the loft as a kitten and raced up the stairs to do it again (I whisked him up because I was not reliving that fright!) and later broke his arm doing only God knows what in the basement while I was in the hospital after my mastectomy.  He has seemingly embraced himself as John Constantine, the Sorcerer of Last Resort, and demanded a House of Mystery to go along with all of MY toys, but he also looks like Batman, likes to read The Flash, is a Daredevil, wants to fly like Superman, and expects to be treated like a Roman emperor no matter how many times I tell him he's not named after that Constantine.  (Queue up They Might Be Giants.)  Anytime I go into his room (yes, HIS room), he cheerfully greets me and meets me at the door to walk and talk.  I still have no idea what he's going on about, but he's happy about it, whatever it is!  I'm probably saying "okay" and nodding along to his plans for world domination.

Groucho, on the other hand, is actually also both surprising and not.  He's a bit odd.  I, mean, they all are, but he's on his own level.  He's very stranger danger and when he's even slightly stressed, he licks his fur off.  He's got OCD (for real), which at times is medicated with Amitriptyline, but mostly is handled with calming collars, treats, food, and attention.  He's going through a bad course currently.  I foresee a vet visit soon.  Anyway, Groucho is a tuxedo cat and at times like this, he's running around without any pants and worn elbows that need patched.  If he was human, he'd be a half-naked French pastry chef who yodels like Carol Channing.  He and Vash are around the same age and have played together like brothers, even dominating each other playfully over the years.  Neither one is playing much these days, though.

I think, in the battle for the throne, that I am the greatest territory to conquer, and that's where it makes sense that these three are going for it.  Vash is my favorite and he knows it.  Groucho loves to sit on me and eat my croissants.  And Constantine knows he's my baby boy and has entitlement issues.  Atari is merely seeking affection where she can get it and Jonny is more attached to Tim, so he's all good.

But all that aside, Vash has truly stepped up.  He's never been a lap cat or one that needs attention.  But now he sits next to me after dinner, where Lucien used to sit and lays by Tim on the sofa where Lucien used to lay.  And he's started standing watch and getting into the other cats' business, although he doesn't quite have control over them, yet.  It's the weirdest thing.  I've never lost the alpha male of the group first, so this is all rather interesting - especially the new roles Vash is taking upon himself.  He still has his own routines, too, like stomping all over my face when he crawls into bed once the lights are out and crying at the basement door to go play video games (he loves to watch Final Fantasy . . . and Sailor Moon - if Vash was human, he'd be an anime nerd and gamer with a cheesy poof gut and brainy smarts).

They even seem to have rules of engagement.  At least Vash and Groucho do.  The other day, they were circling each other, squirming and positioning to pounce in dominance, but as they got closer to each other, one would bow his head and the other would lick it.  And then they'd reverse, resume circling and poising, and then start bowing and licking again.  Licking like this is a sign of respect, so it was like watching the most polite Yakuza cat fight in all of history.  Especially since they never fought.  They definitely respect the heck out of each other, though.

"I respect you, but I must dominate you."

"I respect you, but I must dominate you!"

"No, I respect you."

"No!  I respect you!"

I laughed so hard they both looked indignant and called for separate corners.

Constatine's challenges come infrequently and generally only when Vash is trying out his territory - like at the foot of the bed on my side when it's bedtime.  Vash normally sits at the foot on Tim's side until lights out, but one time, when Constantine wasn't there, he gave my side a test run.  A bit later, he looked at Jonny cuddling with Tim and Groucho with me, and approached the area between us at the head where Lucien used to sleep.  But between J & G, he had no wiggle room.  Constatine had come in, given me my nightly love, and gone to his normal spot.  For whatever reason, Vash decided to return to this spot as well.  Oh, I knew it was going to end badly.  Not even the cat-fight-stopping stuffed giraffe worked this time.  Constantine snapped back like he was going to attack the giraffe and gave me a murderous look because he knew I had the giraffe in my hands (he's scary intelligent), and then kicked Vash off the bed in a hissy blur.  It's his spot.  He's not sharing. Vash has his own spot.  I don't think Vash came back to bed that night.  And he hasn't stolen Constantine's spot again.  I guess that spot is to Constantine as the feather boa was to Vash (I forgot to mention that it died and moved to the trash).

And, with The Jungle by X Ambassadors appropriately going on the playlist, I'll close.  "Won't you follow me into the jungle?"  heh heh

Constantine's epic leap from the loft

Mr. Wuffles looks like Groucho, but acts like Vash. 

Vash and his pink feather boa.

Vash is very helpful.

Moon Prism Power, Makeup! (Vash)

Not gonna try.  It's Constantine.

Very helpful.  (Vash)

Whatever you're doing.  You're doing it wrong.  Groucho's mantra.

Constantine reading The Flash and probably contemplating how he can get a Cosmic Treadmill.

Constantine.  Sigh.

Grand Sorcerer Groucho Marx.

Let Motal Kombat begin!  (Vash)

It's his spot.  (Constantine)

Groucho selfie.

Vash's probably a Noctis fanboy.  I'm partial to Iggy.

Face palm.

Nosferatu Constantine?

You're still doing it wrong.

Totally Random with Generic Title

Time for random rambling.  My brain is all over the place, so why not?  What have I been up to?  Brain on the hamster wheel.  Not sleeping.  And, this week, Ignis made me cry twice in the new FFXV DLC Episode Ignis.  I heart Iggy.  :'(

However, my internet hiccuped when I earned the achievement for "Quick Recipeh" and it didn't port over to the main game.  Queue angry face.  I have yet to figure this one out.  I have over 400 hours logged into this game since January!  Grr.  So I spent time today in a "friendly" sparring match with Noct that wasn't as cathartic as I'd hoped it'd be.

I didn't get my nap today.  :(  And I still can't sleep.  :( 

I re-binged the anime K and watched the movie K:  Missing Kings.  Fingers crossed that Santa is bringing the 3rd K season!  I love the slick visuals and music.  And God knows I love Matthew Mercer's voice, so, yay.  Leon S. Kennedy!!  Captain Levi!!  [bloody nose, passed out]  I also binged Shiki on bluray and wasn't sure what to think at first.  The weird hair and over the top personalities nearly drowned the series early on, but once the story caught its grip, all the distractions fell away.  It wasn't the horror anime I was hoping for, but I enjoyed it.  I'm looking forward to the Steins:Gate movie.  The anime was amazing.  If you're a time travel buff and want a story with spot on science, check out Steins:Gate (the series first).  Just go with the confusion.  It levels out.

I've read quite a bit . . . um, I just finished Artemis by Andy Weir.  Excellent!  I loved the Martian - book and movie.  His sarcastic, witty tone is there in both books.  I remember a lot of math in the Martian, which makes sense, of course, but Artemis is more story driven, so while the science is there, it's not as forward facing as in the Martian.  I finished The Flash Rebirth tradeback #4 and Nightwing Rebirth tradeback #3 in which he faces off against a criminal James Gordon has been dealing with on Gotham.  Also finished The Flash/Batman Rebirth Lenticular Hard Cover edition for "The Button," which has a logical break in The Flash tradebacks between 3 & 4, but breaks in the middle of Batman Rebirth tradeback #3.  So, I picked up the Doomsday Clock #1 comic with lenticular cover, the Watchman tradeback omnibus, and Deadman #1 and #2 (rebirth).  Boston Brand can be really irritating, but I'm oddly fascinated by him, especially after reading the Blackest Night/Brightest Day event.  I read some manga and started a Japanese horror novel "Another" based on the anime (which I've seen).  

I've been trying to "work" on Confessions, but with my focus all over the place, it's never a good idea to force it.  I'm at a spot introducing new characters that requires exposition through tense conversation, and I know it can be done better.  I need a better brain to consolidate the scenes.

(Reading, gaming, doing puzzles, staring out the window . . . and so forth are all coping mechanisms to calm my brain down, ease stress, and help with physical and cognitive decompensation.  My MS has never gone into remission, so I always have some issues and pain, but it varies.  I've spent this year trying to work up to "cleaning and cooking and adding structure" on a gradual basis, but SO MUCH has happened that I'm at "struggle to get through day on idle" and basically try to keep my activities as mindless as possible and only tackle one task when I have a moment of clarity.  This pattern, for this time of year, developed several years before I had to stop working.  I'd get on "struggle" and stay on "struggle" through the end of the year, get through January on auto-pilot, and start pushing through "struggle" in February, completely forgetting January in the process, and being somewhat "structured" by April.  Long winded?  Yes.  Easy to see why I should NOT be touching Confessions?  Yes.) 

Ummmm . . . going long here (that's totally unexpected!), but I kind of diverted there (I promise my books don't read like my blog does.  Here I write like I talk.  It's cathartic.).  OK, we've established that I don't burn candles when I'm home alone, but I had one going the other day and Vash set himself on fire.  That was delightful.  Ha!  Vash is fine.  Just burnt a little fur off his pudgy belly.  I've cooked dinner twice this week - it's been a while - and managed to burn myself a few different ways all through completely avoidable, stupid actions last night.  I've been having trouble following written or oral instructions, which is funny in regard to food because we generally eat really healthily - so, give me some fresh salmon and produce and I'll whip up something really good, but give me a box of Stove Top Stuffing?  OMG!  My Thanksgiving Day guests can attest to my troubles with that 5-minute pot of stuff (pardon the pun).  Last night, I made pork tenderloins braised in a savory bourbon and brown sugar sauce w/potatoes, green beans, halved baby chick peas, quinoa, and cranberries.  You'd think the bourbon would offer clues about the burns, except I couldn't get the lighter to light and, tbh, my husband wasn't looking all that confident in my ability not to burn down the house, so he did that part.  Always a comedy of errors around here.  (But seriously, I'll dream up recipes and jot them down in the morning - must be an automatic creative outlet for my brain.  Maybe I should post a "recipeh" every now and then.  Oh Iggy!!)    

Speaking of Vash, I need to devote a post to Trigun.

And lastly, I am way too addicted to Rick and Morty.  I've watched all three seasons multiple times this week.  I quote it line for line when I watch it.  Yep, it irritates the hell out of my husband.  Probably the cats.  And our (not so) little dog, too.

"Um, my name is . . . (0 o 0) . . . Mr. Tophat . . . Jones . . . and God forbid anyone ever take my sner--little people snibbles . . . "

Gotta love those Strawberry Sniggles.  But don't get caught with eyeholes.  ;)

Scripting a New Rosetta Stone

I know I’m a little behind in the news, but what??  The Common Core State Standards for English no longer requires schools to teach cursive...and at least 41 states are going along with this.  This isn’t where I read about it, but here’s a link to the release at abc News.

Are we witnessing the extinction of a written language before our very eyes?  How many grand-kids will need their parents to read them handwritten letters from their grandparents because they’ve never seen cursive?  Okay, I see the flaw in my logic there already.  Who the hell writes letters anymore?  And yeah...even though I know cursive, I couldn’t read my grandmother’s handwriting half the time anyway... 

Still, it’s a valid point.

Core standards exist for a reason and yet they don’t mean diddly-squat.  Roughly three years separate each of my siblings and me, but we were all taught different English standards.  Is there one period after a sentence or two?  (Two.)  Do you include that last comma before the ‘and’ in a list?  (YES - I hate, hate, hate when that comma is exluded!  It doesn't make any sense.  None at all.)  And there are generations before me who were taught to put commas EVERYWHERE (please don't - much like when drinking, use commas with discretion).  Writing and grammar are so confusing now because changes to the core standards created an inconsistent environment where some people use one set of rules, others use a different set, and others suit the set to their own standard.

I get that things change.  Our world is evolving.  History and science are constantly in flux as we learn new things, and the definition of planets change so those of us who grew up in adoration of Pluto are left feeling deflated now...but this is English.  It is our language.  It is how we communicate.  How can the rules differ so vastly so quickly?

Personally, I think cursive should be taught.  We will have a split society in which some people have this secret, almost clandestine style of writing, while the rest can type a million mph with their thumbs.  Oh, and those of us who can script...we can also type  a million mph with our thumbs because...HELLO...technology made its huge roaring entrance in the 90s.  Ug.  I swear, it makes me want to snag a quill and an ink well, and throw my pc and stupid smart phone out the window.

Romanticism of Discord

Today I lounge in the backyard, as aggravated as I am entranced by my neglected Victorian garden.  It has a certain romantic air about it, overrun with weeds, with the bird bath's basin turned on its side, and the Grecian stone bench and potters hidden by greenery where only rock should exist.  Nature's simplicity reigns alongside chaos...but perhaps that chaos is born from trying to tame Mother Nature.  Apparently she is not one for manicures or organization.

I adore natural beauty.  Perhaps it is the artist's eye, seeing the grace in the twist of branches and bramble, the sweeping lines in a dandelion stem or the fluffy softness of the flower's white seed cap, or the colors of tulips bathing in the sun.  Or maybe it's the artist's ear, delighting in the way wrens, sparrows, and cardinals sing to a backdrop of mourning doves like a church choir, the way mechanical rumblings of distant mowers and tillers, and the farmer patrolling a field yet to be seeded insist so strongly of melding with the organic that they not only succeed, but become common place and expected.  What would nature be if silent or barren?  Certainly not beautiful.

And why am I wondering this now?  Why...I believe I wonder about it all the time, but perhaps I've chosen to write about it because I admire Mother Nature's disorganization.  It's to be expected. 

It's the one place where such discord is in perfect harmony with the world.



 

It's a New Post! Plus...Meet Baby Vash! ^_^

So....first, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!  As with many in the US, my thoughts, prayers, and tears are with Newtown, CT, and Sandy Hook Elementary School.  It's unimaginable to think what those kids and families are coping with, and there truly are no right words one can say.

It's been a while since I've written about writing.  Since finishing my absolute final draft of The Arrival, I've been in a lull.  My focus has been on my one page synopsis and individualizing query letters, and while I've read bits and pieces of #2 and jotted notes for #3, I haven't set aside any time to write.  I've wanted to, really.  Temptation seems to draw me elsewhere.

For instance, the sequel to Dead Island, Dead Island Riptide (mature content), will allow players to carry over their inventory from a saved game.  Awesome!  I love seeing game publishers reward loyalty with perks like this.  However, after finishing the game the first time, I started a new game...which also allowed me to keep my inventory...and then stopped some point after reaching the city.  I'm certain I was pulled away to finish Assassin's Creed Brotherhood so I could start Assassin's Creed Revelations...but, long story short (too late! - Clue), I picked up Dead Island again to finish it with intentions on rushing through to get it done and have my inventory.  Only...I forgot how much fun the game is and keep slumming around the city and island in search of items I don't really need.  :-/  At least I've made it to the jungle, so I'm not too far off from the end.  Call me a fan of large, immersible worlds in which I can roam to my heart's content while felling zombies with my flaming (or electrified) machete.

Alas!  My large, immersible world doesn't need zombies to hold my attention.  Assassin's Creed does a wonderful job as well and I never tire of searching for treasure or taking over the Templar strongholds and running over rooftops.  Fans of the series can guess that I've reached beyond Brotherhood into Revelation.  I have until sometime in 2013 to finish Dead Island, but I think Santa is bringing me Assassin's Creed III and I cannot wait!  Temptation from writing #1 = video games.

Since having my surgery in November, I've spent time in bed watching anime and reading manga, too.  I bought season two for Black Butler, which received mixed reviews from fans, and dug in to the meat of the set.  I have yet to watch the bonus material.  I also re-watched the Trigun series and have started Hellsing Ultimate, which I got for my birthday.  As for BB #2...I can't say that I saw where a lot of the negative reviews I read were coming from, but I felt it was a rushed season that held promise.  It got dirtier and grittier than the original, which I liked, but I wish more time and care had been taken to make it cohesive.  It's a fine addition any fan's collection, but it could have been more than it is.  Of course, the original season, when compared to the books, also could have been more than it was.  Hellsing, as any fan could and should expect, is spectacular, and I am only too happy to listen to Crispin Freeman's voice.  I do like how this one follows the books, unlike the original.  Some time has passed between watching the original, reading the books, and seeing this, so there were parts I looked forward to that that never came to be.  My only complaint is that same complaint I had with the books - the Major talks too much!  Ugh.  It sucked to read the accent and now it sucks to listen to him yammer on.  Shut him up and give Crispin more lines!  But that's minor, really.  I have yet to finish it or watch the remainder of the material that came with the sets.  Otherwise recent manga acquisitions include Bleach, Vampire Knight, Sailor Moon, and Black Butler.  Temptation from writing #2 = anime and manga.

And then...while researching an agent, I discovered one of his clients and rushed out to the store to buy her book.  It's the first time I've ever purchased a hard-cover book (non text book) and the first time in recent memory that a "real" book has captured my attention - let alone a YA novel.  Now, I am thoroughly contented with manga counting as real books, but others consider them glorified comics, so...hence "real" book.  Rachel Hartman's Seraphina - check it out.  Temptation from writing #3 = reading "real" books.

Of course, then there's the new baby in the house...Vash (the Stampede) - yes, an obvious homage to Trigun's main character, to which I also pay homage in my second manuscript.  He's a whopping 9 weeks old and sweet as can be, with an unusual black smoke pattern (black stripes and swirls over nearly-black fur).  He can be a hellion when he's awake - I took a kitten-size Chuck Norris round house to the nose the other night.  There's a picture of Vash below.  We chose to name him from Trigun in memory of Neko, who was loosely named after the Kuro Neko (black cat) in Trigun.  Temptation from writing #4 = kitten.

Finally, I don't know where I've been for the last few years, but I'm in love with Castle.  I first fell "in love" with Nathan Fillion when he was Johnny on Two Guys and Girl and a Pizza Place and have seen him in other offerings since (to include Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog).  Temptation from writing #5 = Nathan Fil...I mean...Castle.

Now I'm blogging instead of writing, even while thinking about how much I want to write.  It's funny, in a way, since I'm technically writing...  I don't believe one should force oneself to write.  I believe it can result in stilted, uninspired writing.  However, I'm not sure what to make of these feelings that I want to write, but don't or can't or won't.  I listen to music that I know will inspire the story to flow through me, which works, but I still don't get on the laptop.  I jot down notes in my notebook and get all fired up...but my manuscript remains untouched.  I play scenes through my head and focus on Alex, a character who exists in the first manuscript but isn't introduced until the second story, and where I now want to take him...but he stands still as ink on paper.  Why is this?  Have I subconsciously decided that all energy needs to go into my agent hunt, leaving none for my other projects?  Perhaps I worry that diverting attention away from the agent hunt will interfere.  But that makes little sense when I literally send out one or two queries at a time and research one or two agents afterward in anticipation of the next round.  Well, I've sent another query off and have an idea of someone I'd like to reach out to next...but I have to decide if I want to wait for a particular agent who isn't accepting queries right now, or write to one in the agency who is.  I understand that querying an agency can be, but usually isn't, the same as querying an individual agent, so I have to weigh my pros and cons. 

Sometimes I wonder if I should stop being old fashioned and just send out a bunch of queries...but then I remember that personalized rejections can offer insight and are worth waiting for.  I've probably mentioned before that I've trained myself to expect rejections.  It makes them easier to handle.  But this time, I think given my excitement over the book I found, I have a spark of hope that I am trying desperately to snuff.  After I received my first rejection, I wandered around my garden for about an hour, singing a song over and over in my head, trying to convince myself that it wasn't a big deal.  It was just the first one.  There would be many others.  But, it was the first one and it did hurt.  It's perfectly fine to be disappointed that an agent I liked sent me a rejection, but when I really want that agent to see the potential of my story and feel that hope growing...I know I'm going to feel that hurt again.  That's the life of a writer, though.  Just how it is.  And I'd never give it up.

I love my characters.  I love their world.  I love spending time with them, both the good and the bad, the happy and the gutwrenching.  I love that two and a half novels have spilled from my mind to paper, allowing me to share them with people close to me.  I even love that uncertainty of putting them out in the world for judgment. 

  

Movie Review Part Dos! (White - Korean Horror) Anime Reivew! (Kaze No Stigma) Loco Rambling!

'Twould seem a weekend in bed is driving me little a little crazier than usual.  I've gotten out of bed a handful of times and only left the room twice...today.  Yesterday...maybe I left the room four times.  Hooray for math.  I can count.

So today I streamed White, a Korean Horror flick (subtitled) and watched the entire Kaze no Stigma anime series (24 episodes).  Of course, I also talked with the vet and asked that they run a comprehensive blood panel on Neko, not only to search for a possible culprit, but also to check on her kidney and liver function since dehydration could cause issues.  And my dad called to check on me, which was sweet, but I couldn't talk long since I was waiting on the vet to call and I'm a cheapskate who won't pay for call-waiting on my home line.  I hate land lines and, since I mentioned it, I'm feeling better than I was, but still not great, still have an awful headache, and didn't need to take any of the pain meds I was given on Friday.

Okay, so the reviews!  #1 - White.  This subbed Korean horror movie is about an all girl idol group who have hit bottom and live in the shadow of a popular group.  That all changes when one member discovers a song called 'White,' complete with choreography, and the group takes it on as their own.  However, as they find more and more fame, and begin fighting with one another for the "main" spot, tragedy begins to strike and the member who found the song begins to wonder if it isn't cursed.  The plot may sound a bit hokey and anyone familiar with vengeful Japanese/Korean/Asian ghost-story horror movies may guess how it plays out with ease, but it was still an entertaining movie.  I won't say it was gripping or even scary - it isn't capable of grabbing the audience in the ways that The Grudge or The Ring could - but there was at least one moment where my jaw dropped open and I thought the constant bickering and bullying among the girls was realistic.  I'm more familiar with Japanese culture and the problems with bullying there, but given this film's deeper meaning, I found their cruel and degrading treatment toward each other and one member in particular very believable.  There were a few moments of beautiful artistry, especially near the end, when White emerges - I love her solo poster - and there are a few moments where I was confused.  I'm not certain if I missed something, if something wasn't translated, or if it's an insider thing specific to the music industry, but they refer to a video tape a lot and when they begin to analyze it for a specific thing, it's that specific thing that lost me.  But even so, it's been a while since my brain has tried to solve a movie while I watched and I was right on top of this one (again, anyone familiar with these types of films probably won't find it that difficult - it just felt good to be watching and solving again, instead watching and mindless).  Anyway, I enjoyed it and liked it.  I liked the way the main character was handled throughout the movie and especially in the end.  POSSIBLE SPOILER DEPENDING ON HOW YOU VIEW SPOILERS - I like that while she did get a little snobbish after gaining popularity, she still treated her best friend  well (even if she did call her an "acquaintance" in an interview), and how she signed the cd for her friend - I think there are subtleties in her actions toward her friend that speak more toward her character than the words she uses.  Anyway, that's my take and I liked that attention to detail with the character.

I do have one minor issue with the movie, but stating it here would, in my opinion, be a major spoiler, so I won't say anything at all.  Things just...happen in a rather convenient way for the plot to advance and that doesn't mesh very well with the typical ghost story.

#2.  Kaze No Stigma - an anime series about elemental martial arts magic users that focuses mainly on a high powered fire-using family who banished their son, Kazuma, because he couldn't harness the power of fire.  As an adult, Kazuma returns, having gained the power of wind, and joins forces with his former family in their fight against evil.  Okay - that is a super simplified version of the plot, but it's better than the one Netflix provides, which makes it sound like something for kids.  Teens, yeah, ok.  But not little kids.  First - the coloring is excellent and the voice acting is excellent (dub), with a lot of familiar voices.  Second - Kazuma was SO MUCH like Phantom in the second part of Phantom: Requiem for Phantom (Zwei) after he accepts his fate, that it was eerie.  For the first couple of episodes, if it wasn't for the wind and fire magic, and screeching teenage redhead, I'd think I was watching Phantom.  They aren't voiced by the same person, but I swear they are similar.  Anyway, the first part of the series focuses on Kazuma's relationship with his family and his partnership with Ayano (the screeching teenage redhead).  At first they mostly go about one or two episode monster hunts until the story begins to evolve and form a linear, continuous plot.  This plot delves into Kazuma's past, is sad and tragic, is interesting, and makes me really wish there would be another season.  However, according to a quick bit of research, the creator for this story is now deceased and it appears the project has been cancelled.  I haven't confirmed any of that as true, but given that the anime aired in 2007 and it's now 5 years later...I think they (Gonzo) have moved on.  My thoughts.  Kazuma is a serious fellow and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of him throughout the anime.  He is one of those unflinching, unwavering, and unbeatable guys with a tortured heart beating at the center of his chest.  He made me want to watch this anime.  He is why I watched the whole thing in a day.  The rest...okay, so the rest is fine, except that I wish the rest had stayed at Kazuma's level.  But maybe that was their way of showing the difference of maturity in their characters - I don't really know.  Ayano had moments of maturity, but overall was rather annoying and I wanted more seriousness and maturity from her.  Overall, I wanted more seriousness and maturity from the whole anime.  The other supporting characters, like Kazuma's brother, Ren, his uncle, and his father, and the villains and whatnot where all fine.  I actually really liked Ren.  He was a cute character and I loved his interactions with his friends.  But the seriousness and maturity level extends to the anime itself.  There's a lot of fan service going on here - panty shots, wind blowing skirts up, torn up clothes, big breasts, unnecessary boob jiggling (and I mean it - boobs jiggling in the scene just to have them jiggle).  The story gets really serious once the relationships are established and this just doesn't go with the maturity level that the anime sets for itself.  That was kind of disappointing.  I wanted more from it.  If it hadn't gotten so serious, if Kazuma was a little goofier - maybe like Vash - I don't know - maybe the lighter side would've been easier to accept.  But as it is, this seems like two animes trying to meld into one that kind of mostly works, but leaves you wishing it was a little bit better.  So that's it.  I enjoyed it.  I wish there's more to it.  I want to know what happens, what the whole story is, and I wish it was more serious.  But even with all that, this is a title I would put on my buy list.  It wouldn't be at the top, but if I saw it for a good price tomorrow, I'd pick it up.  I can enjoy goof, silly anime (I LOVE Cromartie High and Azumanga Daioh), and I can appreciate lighthearted characters juxtaposed with serious characters (take xxxHolic or Fruits Basket, for example) when done well.  However, here, the juxtaposition doesn't sit well.  But if you can overlook that, or if you like jiggling boobs and panty shots along with lots teenage girls, fighting, monsters, and fire/wind magic, then check this title out.

When I sat down to write this, I realized that what I should be reviewing is my new laptop.  Is it ironic that I work in I.T. and choose to review movies and anime instead of my new HP Pavilion M6 with its 3rd gen (yes, Ivy Bridge...woot!) Intel i5 processor and 8gb DDR3 ram and 700 gb hdd?  The M6 is HP's replacement for their DV6 line, which is my other laptop, running a measly core two duo with 4gb ddr 3 and a 500 gb hdd.  It's going to get a ram upgrade and become my husband's laptop since his Dell is dead and will soon have a greater metal-to-lead ratio (read: he's going to shoot it).  We have an even older HP Pavilion, from one of the dinosaur-eras from whence XP was born, that we upgraded as a spare for my father-in-law to use when he house sits for us.  We added a one-gig stick of ram and that thing is speeding along now.  I'm looking forward to upgrading my DV6.  Maybe one of these days I'll review this M6. 

Sorry for any typos.  I've already taken my meds and vertigo is setting in, so re-reading this is out of the question now.  Have a good night!