Your Mid-Week Update for 11/26/14

Cold and flu season is upon us and for that reason, I bring you this public service announcement:

For god’s sake: stop coughing!

The next person to stand in line behind me at the grocery store or come to my desk in a coughing fit is going to get an ice pick to the eyeball. The left one. Because I’m partial to the left eye so maybe I’ll start a collection.

Seriously, Heather has been sick all week and so have half the staff on my floor. Three times this week, I was out running errands and someone coughed or hacked in my face and only two of them apologized. It’s as if people lose their last shred of civility when they feel a little under the weather.

Just don’t be in public if you’re that sick. Do you have any idea how annoying you sound? All the phlegm and the clammy hands and the runny noses and the coughing.

It’s the coughing that really gets me.

It is silent and peaceful and I can sit at my desk and concentrate when suddenly someone will start coughing and that’s all I can focus on. If it would help, I’d rip out their vocal chords or make them a cup of tea – one of the two. Just. Stop. Coughing. I beg of you.

It’s bringing back my urges with full force and my desire to shut up the plague-infested rats is actually very strong. I’ve taken to using the lame-ass stress ball Dr. Owlface gave to me last month. “If you ever feel a moment of desire for violence, use it to absorb your tension” he said.

There isn’t a stress ball big enough to absorb my tension. That’s what I have my husband and children for.

Those poor darlings have been absorbing a lot of my frustration lately. Just in the last few weeks with the stupid army or sicklings invading my space. I’ve taken to scolding and shouting over little things and it gotten so bad that Sandra called me out on my shit on Saturday.

I don’t understand why that girl wants to be a research analyst when she has the ability to put a serial killer in her place. That takes a lot of skill. I suppose I’m obligated to support her no matter what she does.

But research analyst?

I’m still not positive I know what that entails. But she’s confident in what she wants so that’s all I can ask for. I wonder about her brother, though. He really enjoys…

Shit.

I don’t know what he’s interested in.

Good lord, I am a horrible mother. Have I just not been paying attention?

Have I ever talked about Jason’s interests? If I have, please let me know in the comments. This is really going to bother me. I’m going to have a talk with James tonight.

Sweet Jesus.

Sorry, I just can’t believe I can’t think of a single thing off the top of my head. This is embarrassing and very distressing.

I need a day.

As always, dear readers,

Stay Safe

(And stay healthy, for both our sakes)

Your Mid-Week Update for 11/19/14

There is this independent coffee shop not three blocks from my house that sells the best dark roast I have ever tasted. It's got this rich flavour to it, that just...mmm. I'll definitely be going back there.

Of course I only know about this magical coffee shop because of Daniel.

Someone likes to frequent this mythical caffeine station after a night of stalking me. Last Thursday, I put James's plan into action.

I stalked the stalker.

If Daniel Westburn is going to try and find out my secrets, then I'll find out his.

It starts with patterns.

Every morning around 5am, he drives away from my house, presumably to return to his cabin in the woods. I think even he knows there's no way in hell I have time to kill between 9-5 on a weekday.

I mean I could if I wanted to but not these days.

I'm still okay with being killless, by the way. I'm biding my time, making it worth the stress I put myself through to get this far.

Dr. Owlface says I'm recovering surprisingly well and even lowered my dosage.

James lets me talk about my psychiatric treatment but not our sex life.

Priorities.

Anyways, Daniel heads to the coffee shop every morning and orders a large dark roast and puts one sugar in it. The coffee is very good and it's served by this hunky guy who barely speaks English.

Now that I've established this minor pattern, I can start expanding. I tried to follow him past the coffee shop but I lost him behind a semi. I'm getting there, though. My goal is to learn his morning routine by the end of the month.

I wonder where he goes home at night. Does he still have his job? I know his stalking isn't on company time.

What is he giving up for me?

I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Wondering what it is that drew him to me. James keeps making references to Jaws and I take it as the compliment it is - I do. I like being the unattainable creature, violent and beautifully powerful.

But it doesn't stop me thinking about it.

I shall continue to contemplate it over my dark roast coffee.

As always, dear readers,

Stay Safe

Night of Pan

Night of Pan, by Gail Strickland

Genre: young-adult, historical-fantasy

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release: November 7, 2014

Series: Book One of The Oracle of Delphi Trilogy

Cover Artist: Ricky Gunawan

Description:

The slaughter of the Spartan Three Hundred at Thermopylae, Greece 480 BCE—when King Leonidas tried to stop the Persian army with only his elite guard—is well known. But just what did King Xerxes do after he defeated the Greeks?

Fifteen-year-old Thaleia is haunted by visions: roofs dripping blood, Athens burning. She tries to convince her best friend and all the villagers that she’s not crazy. The gods do speak to her.

And the gods have plans for this girl.

When Xerxes’ army of a million Persians marches straight to the mountain village Delphi to claim the Temple of Apollo’s treasures and sacred power, Thaleia’s gift may be her people’s last line of defense.

Her destiny may be to save Greece…

…but is one girl strong enough to stop an entire army?

Find Night of Pan Online:

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

--

About The Author:

While studying the Classics in college, Gail Strickland translated much of Homer’s ILIAD and ODYSSEY, Herodotus’ prophecies and THE BACCHAI by Euripides. Living on the Greek islands after college, she discovered her love of myth, the wine-dark sea and retsina.

THE BALTIMORE REVIEW and WRITER’S DIGEST have recognized Gail’s fiction. She published stories and poems in Travelers’ Tales’ anthologies and the San Francisco Writer’s anthology. Her poetry and photography were published in a collection called CLUTTER.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gail grew up in Northern California. She raised her children; was a musical director for CAT children’s theater; taught music in schools; mentored young poets and novelists and introduced thousands of youngsters to piano and Greek mythology. Gail is passionate about bringing the richness of Homer’s language and culture to today’s youth.

Find Gail Strickland Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google +

Your Mid-Week Update for 11/12/14

My pants-losing antics are getting worse. 

In two-ways, I suppose.

Nevermind, I promised James I'd stop talking to strangers about our sex life.

So I keep losing my pants.

After I got back from the hospital, I went on a shopping spree - sort of a "new me, less money" philosophy. Among many purchases that I don't care if my husband finds out about because we are financially independent of each other, I bought the most fabulous pair of pants. Seriously, it's like they were sculpted specifically for my ass. I love those pants.

The first time I wore them, James was so turned on he

Nevermind.

The point is: the pants were awesome and I keep losing them. First they were under the bed, then they were in Jason's laundry, then they were in the dishwasher - I don't know, I swear - and now it's been a week and I can't find them. I'm deeply troubled by the amount of times I've misplaced this simple garment. 

But it's not just the perfect ass-pants. I feel like I've been so scatter brained lately. I misplace simple work documents, I left someone on hold for half an hour, I drove all the way to work with Jason in the backseat - why he asked for a ride to school that early in the morning, I still don't know for sure. I feel like I can't focus because I'm thinking about all the other things I need to do. And with the added stress of Daniel breathing down my neck, it's getting a bit ridiculous how much I'm expected to juggle. 

I haven't killed in many months now, and while the pills are keeping me in check, it’s still a daily struggle not to give in to my natural urges. James is helping, the kids are keeping me distracted with their school and life drama (there’s this bitch, Kelly, in Sandra’s class…I’ll talk about it later) but it’s not enough.

I need to kill. But with Daniel around I can’t. All he needs is one slipup and I’m done. I can’t risk my family but can I compromise my sanity again?

Daniel needs to back off. He’s only going to do that if I send a message that makes him back off.

I think it’s time to put James’s plan into action.

Wish me luck.

As always, dear readers,

Stay Safe

You Mid-Week Update for 11/05/14

I don't talk about the ins and outs of my work - for obvious reason - but there are some things you know: I work in a corporate office, my secretary is incredibly competent but has the personality of a puppy, and I've been passed over twice for promotion.

I like my job. I sit behind a desk most of the day so I could probably stand to go to the gym more often but in general, I like my job. It has steady hours, excellent pay for the current economic market, and my workload is only stressful during year end which is definitely manageable when I can pawn things off on others and release tension by playing "which drunk is stupid enough to go into the back alley with me". What more could a girl ask for?

I also rant about Heather insesently because she doesn't know when to shut up but the only reason she's not dead or unemployed is because she gets the job done with incredible efficiency. She and I butted heads when I first joined the company and she came on as my secretary. I think I remember telling you about the bitchy pencil skirt with cougar nails who talked back to me my first day on the job but still made sure I was completely prepared for my 9am meeting. All these years later and she still sasses me at every turn and spends so much time taking (loudly) to others on our floor and yet she always has everything organized and ready even before I need it and some days, I even get coffee in the morning.

I think she's a witch.

All of that aside, we've never been close and I've been very happy to keep it that way.

Yesterday was going quite well. Quiet; I got a bit of work done. Until just after lunch when I got a call from the front desk telling me there was a man downstairs refusing to leave until he spoke to Heather and she wasn't at her desk and security was refusing to remove him because he so far hadn't made any direct threats and was simply being a nuisance.

I found Heather locked in a bathroom stall like she was some teenager.  But I took pity on her so I awkwardly stood outside the door while she cried and I told Ken to escort the mysterious man off of our property. Heather is actually one of those people who can cry and still look good. Like I needed another reason to hate her.

Eventually she opened the door and told me the man was her soon-to-be ex-husband. He found out about her affair and not only was he filing for divorce, he was threatening to took his frustrations out on her.

She hadn’t been home in a week.

A part of me thinks she would deserve it, but the other part of me cleaned her up, snuck her out the back door, and told her to take the rest of the day off.

I would never consider Heather a real friend of mine but I still thought – hoped – that she would come to me or someone in the office is she needed help. I can’t believe she’d let it get this far without running her mouth.

I can’t imagine what she’s going through. I’m lucky enough that I don’t have to worry about my safety with James – and that’s saying a lot between a police officer and a serial killer – but to be so afraid of the person you agreed to spend your life with…

I pray neither James nor I ever find that out.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Heather doesn’t come in today.

I don’t think I’d blame her.

As always, dear readers,

Stay Safe