Domestic Geek

I was bored at work yesterday, so I was checking out some of the new features in Illustrator CS3. I'm not entirely thrilled with these new "panels" that are docked on the side, but that may be just getting used to them. I can change them to a more palette type of interface that I'm used to if I just can't make nice with them. There are some cool things that have been added that will really be helpful when I illustrate. For instance, when you hover your mouse over a path's endpoint, a large box appears to make it easier to click on just the right point. That was always the biggest pain with earlier versions. There are some cool color features that I can wait to experiment more with. There's some sort of color scheme thing that I haven't quite figured out, but it looks intriguing. It generates related color swatches based on a color you pick. Very helpful when trying to find complimentary colors for a design. Anyway, if I can sneak in some more time tomorrow, I'll see what else is in there.

So, I found another used book store today that I had never been to before and found a couple of more Stephen King novels. It's called Half Price Books and sits just a little bit East of Broadway on Girard. They had a lot of books there. It's really close to work, so I'll have to go back when I have more time and money to spend. One was called Black House and I was totally shocked to actually find it. It's co-authored by Peter Straub, the author with whom King teamed to write The Talisman. I also found The Dark Half.

As with many of my hobbies, I've let pleasure reading really slide in the last few years. I've decided to allow myself to get back into it and have hit a few used book stores and Amazon the last few weeks and have gathered a few books to keep me busy reading this summer. The Stephen King books are part of my goal to catch up on all his works that I've missed.

Thirteen Books I Bought to Read This Summer

1. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code. I really enjoyed that book and am looking forward to reading another of his works.
2. Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card. I started reading this science fiction series about Colonial America that believes and uses folk magic back in college. I'm excited to get back into it since he's written several more books in the series.
3. Alvin Journeyman by Orson Scott Card.
4. The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower II) by Stephen King. I've only read the first book in the series. I put off reading the rest until he finished writing them, but the series drug on for over 20 years. He's done now, so time to read them.
5. The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower III) by Stephen King.
6. Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower IV) by Stephen King.
7. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King. A short story collection.
8. Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King. More short stories.
9. Needful Things by Stephen King. I used to have this and somebody stole it. I don't remember the story, so I'm reading it as new.
10. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.
11. The Regulators by Richard Bachman (OK, really Stephen King's Pseudonym). It has a companion book called Desperation that I read a while back.
12. Cell by Stephen King. Told you I had a bunch to read. There's still a handful to get yet — eight, I think.
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. The seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series. OK, it isn't used and I don't have it in my possession yet, but it will be in a little over five weeks! Since I've already ordered it, we'll go ahead and add it to the list.

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I just found out that Joelle from Moxie Design Studios is blogging again at Tenth Muse. Man, her blog hiatus took forever and I've missed her horribly. Isn't that weird that you can miss somebody that you've never met? Anyway, she and her business partner at Moxie were busy writing a book called The IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie. It's available for preorder on Amazon as well as being on my Amazon wishlist. I can't wait to read it. Welcome back, Joelle!

Ten Awesome Things About Me

1. I have a great sense of direction. I'm really good with a map and at finding my way around.
2. I make the best cheesecake EVER!
3. I'm really smart.
4. I have keen powers of observation. It's makes me a good mistake fixer and key finder.
5. I love learning and trying new things.
6. I have pretty eyes.
7. I have lots of creative talents.
8. I look younger than I am. You'd never guess I'm 40 by looking at me.
9. I write really well. Well, most of the time, unless I've been taking some percocet or something.
10. I have a strong work ethic.