Easter Fun

 Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Looking Into April

I still can't believe it's almost here. Two more days until the A to Z madness begins. I've drafted all my posts, as I've already said, and am still editing them. Each one will be edited just a little more right before it goes live on its designated letter day. As always, I am eager to see what other bloggers come up with for the annual event, and am awaiting comments on my posts and others' posts as well. 

I do not know how often I will be on my blog next month other than A to Z, even though we will be off on Sundays. It depends on how much writing energy I have then, and how I'm feeling after my upcoming medical procedure. I'll have to be up by 2 AM that morning, so I'll have enough time to post before going to the doctor. I have never done scheduled posts, but I may look into that for a while, depending on how I feel right before and after the procedure. Have any of you done scheduled posts on your blogs? One reason I am glad to have drafted the posts in advance. A bit (if not a whole lot) of work was needed, so it made sense to begin early.

It may almost be April, but it has been raining in my neck of the woods. Certainly not feeling like spring to me. How much longer I'll need a sweater I cannot tell just yet. 

Please join me starting on Monday. I'd love to hear your comments.

Medical Procedures

I've been hesitant to get some medical exams done, but have now gotten a little braver. I'm already past the recommended start age for some tests. I asked my doctor to schedule me for a mammogram and a colonoscopy. The mammogram was earlier this month and the results came back negative. I received a letter only four days after the exam. I was relieved with the results. This was my first one. 

The colonoscopy is scheduled for mid-April. The doctor called during the first week of March to schedule the appointment. This will also be the first such exam for me. Needing to find transportation for the appointment has been on my mind since it was first scheduled. I will not be able to drive myself. All the stuff in the letter I got about preparing for the exam has been making me anxious. A friend who is undergoing colon cancer treatment thinks I'm obsessing too much over the whole thing, but I just want to be ready, as it is all so new to me. And there is a lot to do, including not eating certain foods the days before the exam.

How many of you were nervous before having exams like these (and other medical exams) for the first time? I'm sure I'm not the only one to feel this way before such  things. 

Drafting A to Z Posts

As in the last few years, I am drafting my A to Z posts ahead of time. I began doing this a week ago and now have six more to draft. I like to do this ahead of time so I can post each one as soon as possible on each letter day. I have something coming up next month will require me to be up early in the morning, so I now wonder how early the one that day will go live. In any event, it helps to have these posts already started with all the madness that comes with the many alphabet soups that will be presented across the blogosphere, and with whatever else I have coming up  next month.

In some of my previous A to Z postings, I had more than one topic per letter that fit the theme of the year. For this year's A to Z, I chose to only have one topic per letter, something that was not easy given this year's chosen theme. There will be some things I missed, as some letters provide more than one possible topic. I now can't wait to see what the reactions to the posts will be, something I always look forward to seeing when the A to Z begins each year. 

Just 11 days before the madness begins! Please join me beginning on April 1.

Book Discussion: More on Book Buying

Yesterday afternoon, I took a trip to the nearest Barnes and Noble store (in Gilroy, California). I went in with no initial idea of anything to buy, but once I got inside, I remembered this book title and looked to see if I could find it. No luck. I had no other ideas in mind, so I just ket looking for something that might catch my interest. I ended up getting this book:

I was not familiar with this one. So what made me get it? I'm not sure, though I must have thought it sounded good, one thing I take into consideration when buying a book, whether new or used. It took a while before I discovered one. I began by browsing the many shelves with nothing in mind. Whenever I go to stores like this, I get lost while browsing and look at anything I might find interesting. But there is always so much to choose, and there have been many times when I needed up leaving empty-handed, if nothing interests me right then. 

Another thing I saw was a table display that said, "Buy One, Get One Half Off." I would have liked to have taken advantage of this offer, but not one item on this table caught my interest. This stuff happens.

How do you feel about browsing in bookstores, whether a chain or independent store, or a used bookstore? And how about used books in thrift store?  The larger the store, the more I find and can't decide. I still miss the used bookstore that was in Gilroy, and do not know of any other such stores near me. 

Posting to:

A to Z Blogging 2024 Theme Reveal

The theme reveal began yesterday, and there are over 30 so far. 

I wasn't yet sure what my theme would be, as the info for A to Z began on their blog on the first. I was scrambling with ideas since then, and still wasn't sure. But there was one idea I'd been toying with, and will be going with. 

The theme is... 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

So the movie tanked at the Oscars last night, with Billie Eilish's song as the only winner. But the doll is turning 65 this month. I must admit I did not have a lot of the Barbie stuff as a child, and some of the lines came out long after I had outgrown toys. Some that came out then I might have gone after, from what I have learned about them. The book Thirty Years of Mattel Fashion Dolls was one thing that made me think of this, though the books is terribly outdated and my personal copy has fallen apart. And of course, the hit movie from last summer. All the hype tempted me into seeing it. I'm kind of tempted to buy the DVD, even though many will argue that DVDs are on their way out. But I still have so many (but that's an argument for another time). 

As I said in one of my A to Z posts last year, I  wasn't too big on Barbie, though I did have at least one doll. I was more about other similar dolls. Many do not know that "Barbie" is trademark name and many think it is a generic name for all dolls of similar design. I remember one person saying the had the Starr "Barbie" doll, but Starr was in fact not tied to Barbie, though it was from Mattel. Same with the Donny and Marie Osmond dolls, (also by Mattel) which she also had. And this same person made reference to the Dukes of Hazzard action figures (made by Mego Toys), calling them "Barbie dolls." I can't help feeling disgusted by that one!  I was once under the impression that Barbie had a friend named Julia, but that doll was actually a tie-in line to the hit TV series starring Diahann Carroll. Sorry to get so picky about details, but that's how I get about some things! One could say these dolls were "Not quite part of Barbie's world." And other toy companies have tried to imitate Barbie. Remember Darci from Kenner, or Tuesday Taylor from Ideal? 

So there you have it. The A to Z begins on April 1. I will begin drafting the posts as soon as I can. I'm not sure how many items I will include in each post, as there is a lot to choose from in this theme!

This is my fourth A to Z.  Check my blog archives to see my previous themes and posts.

Time Change

 It's that time again. 

Blogging A to Z 2024

It's getting to be that time! The theme reveal is next week and I still haven't come up with one, but I have a some in mind. I'm hoping to post it next week. Also looking forward to seeing what others post. 

March Bookish Bingo

 The card for March is here.

My Books:

1. Home--Toni Morrison (4 squares): Library Book, Not in a Series, Physical Book, Soldier or Guard
2. Say the Word--Frank Delaney (1 square): Audiobook
3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry--Rachel Joyce (4 squares): Book Club, Luck (Good or Bad), Soul Mates, Free Space
4. The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester (3 squares): Cemetery/Grave, Secret Identity, Beard
5. Something Wicked--E.X. Ferrars (2 squares): E-Book, In a Series
6. Sugar and Spice--Sarah Mlynowski (5 squares): Crossover, Silver or Gold on the Cover, Fae/Fairy, Female on the Cover, Empowered Female
7. The Paris Apartment--Lucy Foley (1 square): Multiple POV
8. Flights--Olga Tokarczuk (1 square): Long--Over 400 Pages
9. Scandal--Amanda Quick (2 squares): Free Book, Shelf Love
10. Five Survive--Holly Jackson (1 square): Spring
11. Tess of the Road--Rachel Hartman (1 square): Ball/Party

25 squares completed on March 31