Decisions... Decisions

I'm really, really bad at decisions. The little stuff? No biggie. The big stuff? Ask Ahmed. He's fifteen seconds from a domestic assault charge every time I have to make one. Bless his black heart, he hasn't belted me one yet.

So anyway, I obviously still have my massive desktop-replacement-laptop, upon which I am banging out this post. But my netbook-- the second one that I loved-- finally gave out after being over-used, over-crammed, and having rootbeer spilled all over it. I'm still putting it in for repair but it will live on as my back-up. And this computer will eventually become an at-home-stationary-workhorse... which it sort of is already, but I've needed to use it this month.

Why haven't I replaced both? *sigh*

I almost did. I know for sure I have to have a new netbook. Portability is a must for me, since I really like to get out of the house to write. And to be honest, with my first eee PC at 7" I fell in love with the smaller, tighter screen and keyboard. Unlike most, I prefer a smaller keyspan. My Lenovo s10 was the perfect size, but an earlier model. Now I want to replace it with something similar, but at least 2GB and fast as poop through a goose.

In college I used Macs and liked them-- but hated how much of a hassle it was to share files. I have avoided them since... but I know things have improved vastly since then. Dorking around on ebay I've seen a lot of airbooks and I'm tempted to buy a used one for a trial period. But not yet convinced.

One thing I know for certain is that I'm getting a tablet pc for my birthday, which is the end of May. That gives me two months of indecision and annoyance... more than enough time for me to bite my lip, tinker at box stores, read reviews, and drive Ahmed nuts while he stands there, credit card in hand, tapping his size 13 AAA foot at me. It's going to be a fun 10 weeks.

Meanwhile... for the love of all that is sacred... if you have a netbook you love, are an Apple loyalist who knows about sharing files, or a tablet you want to rave about/ rant about/ share about... please do. The more info I have the easier this is going to be.

Chrissy's Wingin' It Strata

What do you do when you are pooped, fed up, and just found out three people need to be fed? Make it up. I'll be damned if this wasn't pretty good!

Chrissy's Wingin It Strata

preheat oven to 400

8 eggs
1 pint heavy cream
1 package shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 teaspoon Mrs Dash
1 cup chopped ham
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 small can black pearl sliced olives
1 small jar sliced mushrooms
1 french bread roll, diced, or any bread diced-- about a cup and a half

salt and pepper

Spray 14 inch glass casserole. Beat wet ingredients, add everything else but a weenie bit of cheese for topping.

Bake 35 minutes.

Eat until you ache.

My Week In Jail

I will be vanishing off and on this spring as I try to outrun PF and the boogie men it hired to chase me. Last week I had my trachea re-aligned. I'll be getting some more of that fun torture this week, too. It sucks, hurts, and makes me bitchy.

So... pretty much... well, other than me not talking a lot and laying down a lot, it's pretty much business as usual.

One distressing development was the sudden death of my beloved netbook. I can't blame the poor thing for taking a facer... I have beat the hell out of it. Plus my nephew dumped almost a full bottle of rootbeer on it about a month after I got it. And I crammed 2GB into it and ran old versions of Paint Shop Pro and Dreamweaver. I'm pretty sure I can get a tech nerd to fix it, but don't really want to push my luck too much. So I will repair it later, use my normal-sized notebook in the mean time, and shop for something new to use every day.

Enter my new obsession... Naturally I don't want something I can pick up just anywhere. And I got Ahmed the full-sized version of this little darling a while back. He loves it because he has ginourmous hands and can't navigate touch pads or keys as easily as the rest of us.

One of my first laptops was a Fujitsu and I adore the company. Now, along comes the weenie tablet netbook... omg. LUST!!

It comes with a stylus, but you can use your fingers to resize images. You can even poke the screen in stead. And the very idea of being able to rotate the screen, lay it flat, and draw... or read and ebook... or browse without typing...

GAH!! MUST HAVE!!!

Anyway, I am allowed to be goofing off online for a while today since my upper body is not hurting bad enough to need pain killers. I dislike pain killers. I don't like being in agony, but addiction terrifies me and I think when you are chronically sick it's way too easy to fall into the habit of escape.

So my drug, for today, is nerd-lust for the Fujitsu Lifebook Tablet PC Micro. Feel free to join me in drooling.

PF Families at FDA Hearing

PULMONARY FIBROSIS PATIENT ORGANIZATIONS APPLAUD EFFORTS OF PATIENTS, FAMILIES AT FDA HEARING
PF Patients Plead with FDA Advisory Panel to Hear Their Voices, Understand Their Plight

Silver Spring, Maryland - March 10, 2010- The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) are applauding the efforts of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) patients and family members for their work to convey to the FDA and an FDA Advisory Committee the sense of urgency and desperation regarding the disease and the lack of treatment options. Their words were heard yesterday by the 11 member Advisory Committee and representatives of the FDA during a public hearing portion of the FDA Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee discussion of a potential new therapy in the fight against PF. The committee voted 9 to 3 to recommend approval for the drug by the FDA.

If approved, the therapy, Pirfenidone, would be the first FDA approved drug for PF. PF is a progressive, relentless and irreversible scarring of the lungs which renders patients unable to breathe and is almost invariably fatal within two to five years. "There's no question that the patient perspective was heard by the FDA and the panel," said Mishka Michon, Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis. "Family members and patients spoke from their hearts and conveyed the sense of urgency they feel in desperately waiting for a treatment for this horrific disease."

"We are humbled by the courage and determination of our patients," said Daniel Rose, M.D., President of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. "The voice of the patient community is a critical component in finding solutions to PF."

The panel listened to testimony of 15 PF patients and family members for an hour. It also received a stack of letters from patients and families across the country who could not attend the meeting in person.

Advocate Joy McBride opened the public hearing portion of the meeting by sharing with the panel the loss of her father and uncle to PF. "The hardest part was hearing from the doctors 'there is nothing I can do for you'" she said. "Today, there is still no known cause, no cure, and no hope."

Patient Tommy Spivey traveled with his wife from Wilmington, North Carolina to speak to the panel. "I have one grandchild and one on the way and I would like to live long enough to get to know them," he said. Spivey, who says his disease is currently not progressing, traveled to Japan in 2009 to gain access to Pirfenidone and is currently taking the drug.

Kaitlyn Bergen shared with the panel details of her father's illness and subsequent death to PF in 2006. "Pulmonary Fibrosis will continue stealing valuable and meaningful years from families," she said.

Though Timothy Cooney's father is one of a small number ofsurvivors of the disease as a result of a successful lung transplant more than a year ago, he delivered his message to the panel on behalf of his family and in memory of his grandmother who was claimed byPF . "On a sinking ship, if the life raft has a few holes in it, people will still take that raft," he said.

At the end of the day-long meeting, one panelist, Rodney Mullins, consumer representative for the committee, echoed Cooney's comments in his final remarks. "We don't know how leaky the lifeboat is, but it's a lifeboat."

The Advisory Committee's recommendations are not binding but will be considered as the FDA completes its review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for the drug. Pirfenidone received Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Priority Review designations by the FDA. A target date of May 4, 2010 for FDA action has been set.

For more information please visit
www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org or call 312-587-9272.

Flirting with Disaster, baby!!

If you missed Rhonda Stapleton's Stupid Cupid, here's your chance to get both THAT magnificently adorable title and THIS complete gem of a follow-up, Flirting with Disaster. Rhonda's voice is infectious, endearing, and truly addictive. I could not put SC down, and am completely SALIVATING for the new title, which is sold out at the BN in Cambridge til they restock from the back room because Ahmed picked up all 5 copies on the shelf. (Note to BN employees... CHOP CHOP-- get them out there!!)

And let's face it, why read one and not pick up the other? This is a perfect opportunity to pick up both titles and consume them with greedy abandon. That way you are ready for the third in the series, which is coming up sooner than you think. YES! Rhonda's that good. They released all three pretty closely together. Do you really want to be the only person on your block who isn't on the Stapelton bandwagon?

Well? DO YOU?

The correct answer is "NO." Get your butt to BN or Borders. Stop reading this... go. SCOOT!!

Don't make me climb out of this monitor!

Spring Equinox by Eden Bradley

My latest book from Samhain, SPRING EQUINOX, is out today! This is Book Two in my Celestial Seductions series, a four-book seasonal collection of contemporary erotic romance novellas, and each one has a special little twist.You can find Book One, WINTER SOLSTICE, at Samhain, on MBAM and on Amazon.
But back to SPRING EQUINOX. Would you like a little peek?

Once upon a time, two young lovers vowed to reunite…

Celestial Seductions, Book 2

After a bitter divorce, Isabel Asher returns to Isla de Margarita to find the only man she’s ever truly loved. Twelve years ago, on her eighteenth birthday, they made a pact to meet…if they both were free. Now she waits, wondering if Rafael Cruz will be her every fantasy come to life…or just a foolish dream.

Rafael never forgot their summer of love all those years ago. Since then, no other woman has measured up to the memory of Isabel in his arms. Their chemistry is still stunning, the sex is sizzling. The power of their memories is overwhelming. Yet it’s too soon to tell if she wants to be with him as much as he wants her.

As her time on the island grows short, their sensual play heats up, and includes a night with Rafael’s best friend. But they must decide if their passionate reunion is simply a celebration of the past…or a new beginning for lasting love.

* * *

To celebrate my release, I'm running a contest and posting an excerpt over on The Smutketeers blog, so come on by and check it out!