Review of 2006

2006 was mostly a good year for me. I learnt a lot about myself, more than I probably wanted to know, but hey, we're not all perfect.

I've made several new online friends this past year and not all of them were as they seemed. While I don't think they're inherrently dishonest, I think that sometimes we all put our best foot forward and that in itself can be quite deceiving. We all have our good points and our bad points and to almost negate the bad ones, well that's what the issue is.

I think that online I tend to be a little less circumspect with those people I choose to spend my time with. I guess that's because I'm not getting the non-verbal cues that help me decide. Due to that, I can spend a lot of time with someone before finally getting the picture and then sometimes it's hard to just back away without it being too noticeable.

Several months ago (I swear it felt like weeks) my gf T and I were talking about how we judge people. That we judge people by our own standards (yeah, who else are we gonna judge them by) and yet we are disappointed when people don't (or can't) live up to them. That doesn't mean that these people are all bad, just means that we wouldn't make the choices they've made. Whether that's because of our past experiences, moral convictions or what. Sometimes it just makes these people less desirable as friends in our eyes and yet there's something inherently sad about that. We can't always surround ourselves with carbon copies of ourselves, I know that for one, I'd get sick of myself. *grins*

This last year has made me realise a lot of things about people in general. Even as adults we can still behave like high schoolers. That sometimes we don't live by the golden rule, or maybe the golden rule has clauses that only we know about. It's sad that the things that should draw us closer tends to push us far away from one another.

So this year I must say I've been thankful for the friends I started off 2006 with and ended 2006 with. I'm thankful for family that I've gotten to know better in 2006 and still strive to continue to know. I'm thankful for the people who've listened to me bitch and moan and don't think I'm a witch all of the time. For those people who don't let me take myself too seriously and have the courage to tell me that.

While I think I may have missed some, here are the books I read in 2006 (98).

Bride for a Night - Patti Berg
Weekend Warriors - Fern Michaels
Undead and Unemployed - MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unappreciated - MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unreturnable - MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unpopular - MaryJanice Davidson
Chill of Fear - Kay Hooper
Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell - M.C. Beaton
A Most uncommon degree of popularity - Kathleen Gilles Seidel
Shopaholic ties the knot - Sophie Kinsella
When Bruce met Cyn - Lori Foster
Amber Room - Steve Berry
Jane Austen in Boca - Paula Marantz Cohen
Death of a Nag - M.C. Beaton
Hunting Fear - Kay Hooper
Hot Ice - Cherry Adair
Baby Proof - Emily Giffin
Micah - Laurell K Hamilton
Sleeping with Fear - Kay Hooper
Agatha Raisin and the love from Hell - M.C. Beaton
To Have and to hold - Jane Green
Simply Love - Mary Balough
24-Karat Kids - Judy Goldstein & Sebastian Stuart
Danse Macabre - Laurell K Hamilton
Rosie Dunne - Cecelia Ahern
Some Nerve - Jane Heller
In the Mood - Suzanne MacPherson
My favorite husband - Pam McCutcheon
Double Standards - Judith McNaught
Baby don't go - Susan Andersen
Almost a lady - Jane Feather
Tallchief - Sharon Sala
It's in his kiss - Julia Quinn
Undead and unwed - Mary Janice Davidson
Almost like being in love - Christina Dodd
Are you afraid of the dark? - Sidney Sheldon
Marker - Robin Cook
Blood Memory - Greg Iles
In the Mood - Suzanne Macpherson
A Stroke of Midnight - Laurell K Hamilton (re-read)
Prior Bad Acts - Tami Hoag
State of the Union - Brad Thor
Retribution - Jillian Hoffman
The Fairy Godmother - Mercedes Lackey
Falling Awake - Jayne Ann Krentz
Council - Greg Tobin
One Good Knight - Mercedes Lackey
Conclave - Greg Tobin
Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Match me if you can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Rage - Jonathan Kellerman
Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult
Good In Bed- Jennifer Weiner
Blowback - Brad Thor
The Rule Of Four - Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason
Bookends - Jane Green
The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella
Little Earthquakes - Jennifer Weiner
Adored - Tilly Bagshawe
Can You Keep A Secret - Sophie Kinsella
All Night Long - Jayne Ann Krentz
Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman
Breaking Point - Suzanne Brockmann
Capitol Murder - William Bernhardt
5th Horseman- James Patterson
Lie by Moonlight - Amanda Quick
Perfect Nightmare - John Saul
Glory in Death - J.D. Robb (re-read)
Naked in Death - J.D. Robb (re-read)
If you could see me now - Cecelia Ahern
Lovers and Players - Jackie Collins
At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
Truth or Dare - Jayne Ann Krentz
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits - Ayelet Waldman
Lipstick Jungle - Candace Bushnell
The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen
The Traveler - John Twelve Hawks
The Sinner - Tess Gerritsen
On The Run - Iris Johansen
The Wizard of London- Mercedes Lackey
Anyone But You - Jennifer Crusie
Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich
The Camel Club - David Baldacci
Heartbreaker - Julie Garwood
4th of July - James Patterson
Slow Burn - Julie Garwood
Vanish - Tess Gerritsen
Death du Jour - Kathy Reichs
White Hot - Sandra Brown
Nighttime is my Time - Mary Higgins Clark
Devil's Corner - Lisa Scottoline
The Price of Silence - Kate Wilhelm
The Fire Rose - Mercedes Lackey
Countdown - Iris Johansen
Kill the Messenger - Tami Hoag
Eldest - Christopher Paolini
Drums of Autumn - Diana Gabaldon
Eragon - Christopher Paolini

Happy New Year

I can't believe that it's been 6 months since I last posted. While I know it's been a LONG while, I can't believe it's been almost 6 months. Where has the time flown to?

I'm still here and still somewhat sane, which really is somewhat of an achievement given last year. All I will say is, I know what the "seven year itch" is all about.

I kind of dropped the ball after September 2006 and I guess I never really picked it back up, shame on me.

While I'm still reading, not as voraciously as I normally am, I haven't quite kept up with my listing as I should have. I will try and do better this year.

2/3 of my Christmas cards were sent out and the other 1/3 still haven't gotten cards (not even written or addressed or any of that good jazz). They will be getting regular cards (if I can find them) with pictures of the little one (that's all I'm waiting on really, to do that).

I did buy birthday cards (in October sometime) to send out for this year, but for the life of me I can't find them. I did look some but I need to look some more.

I'm on a hunt for a digital camera. While I'd love to digital slr, somehow I find it's not feasible at this juncture. Thurgil was nice enough to suggest one, only thing that was mentioned as being a cause for concern are the quality of pictures taken in low light. Still looking doing research (more like pulling my hair to see how far/hard I can pull it before it comes out) and welcome any suggestions.