storyfires

Winner of May's book give-away: Anthy. Congratulations, Anthy! You now own Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid . Send your address to me at ejjube at gmail dot com and I'll get your book in the mail right away. A bit of trivia: as of last Saturday, May 22, I am a Woman of Steel. I have a gray rubber wrist band to prove it. This was my second triathlon. It was an all-women race this time. 800 of us. I don't win, but I finish, and that's pretty good for someone like me. Let's just forget about all the women older than me who still beat me. The stinky parts: *It poured rain all during pre-race set-up and was so cold they canceled the swim and turned the tri into a bi (run-bike-run). I was mad about that. The swim was going to be my best leg and give me a head start. I am not a great runner. *I had killer cramps during that first mile run--probably because of all the meat and fat from the Poly Plate I ate the day before. Lau Lau and triathon don't mix w...

Just a reminder: tomorrow is the last day to enter my blog book-giveaway and possibly win Rick Riordan's new book, The Red Pyramid . Go here to find out more about the book and how to enter. Still don't have my computer back. Complications, apparently. ARGH! Don't mind me. I'm just freaking. I NEED to write.

My computer freaked out Thursday afternoon, and I had to take it to the computer doctor. The doctor happened to be one of two non-store-affiliated computer-repair places in the entire county (I hate Circuit City for shutting down and taking away my computer geeks). There weren't a lot of options. Even so, I had instant second thoughts about leaving my baby there as soon as I pulled up. My new geek is located in the downstairs of a former house converted into an acupuncture clinic in one of the sleaziest areas of town. I couldn't find it at all in the beginning, though I could see half of its sign sticking out of the juniper bushes. No door to be seen. Just the acupuncture clinic and a ramp leading pretty much nowhere into piles of junk. I wander around for awhile, then finally give up and ring the doorbell to ask the acupuncturist upstairs (apparently it was still a lived-in house, not just a converted one). After about five minutes an old Japanese man answers the door...