Testing Testing

I had some trouble earlier using Blogaway Android App and lost the whole post I had written when an error in trying to post it to my blog caused it to fail. So here goes again!

It's Me Again

I'm back again. I've had a few more minutes to play around with my Kobo Vox and will eventually post a full review of my personal experiences with this device.

I have wanted for a while a colour tablet to use at night in bed rather than struggle with my iPod touch's small screen before turning in or when I am suffering from insomnia, something I suffer from a lot given my medical problems.

I originally bought a cheap 7 inch android tablet for this purpose but found it too heavy, the touch-screen too slow and resistive, and the charge lasting too little time that made me have to charge it continually to completely meet the function I purchased it for.

Kobo Vox has arrived

My order with WHSmith arrived just minutes before I left to take my youngest nephew to nursery school so luckily I was in to accept the package.

According to said package it was sent out yesterday by Parcel Force 24 but at least I don't have to arrange for someone to be home for the next 48 hours in case it arriveth.

Due to the fact that the workman my brother was expecting tonight texted that he would arrive at around 3pm rather than in the evening our plans for this afternoon had to be totally reorganized. Instead of picking up all three boys from their relevant schools the youngest is going to football practice with his dad after school while the two eldest get picked up by their grandfather and then travel by bus home where I am currently awaiting the workman's arrival.

My brother is due home after football practice, so some time between 4.30 and 5.00 pm and we can head home once he arrives.

I had a short time while having my lunch to play around with my new toy and found it instinctive and easy to use. The touchscreen was very responsive and the update to the software took less than 10 minutes to do and then I logged into Kobo and downloaded by meagre library there.

I will check out more of the android side tonight and see about downloading the Kindle app which works with this device by all accounts and also downloading an app which allows me to import my other epubs from other sources.

I will also play around with the browser etc., as well as already installed apps to see how it all works out.

Order Sent

I woke up this morning to an email from WHSmith to say that my order had been sent out by my chosen delivery service. I opted for first class courier, the most expensive shipping method, hoping that three things would be obvious:

Still Not Sent!

Well, I currently have two orders outstanding with WHSmith online, one for a Kobo Touch Reader as well as a Kobo Vox Reader and another on behalf of my Father for a case/wallet for the Kobo Touch to give to my Mother for Christmas.

Both orders have been sitting on 'Ready to Send' status since half an hour after placing said order. Finally I searched down an explanation on the website about how long it takes to dispatch an in stock item and found the following explanation of the term 'Ready to Send':

• Ready to Send: Your product(s) are ready to be sent to you and will be sent shortly.

Well, both Kobos have been sitting on this message/status since before 2pm on Friday 25th November and the second order has been since before noon on Sunday 27th November. Not exactly 'will be sent shortly'.

I thought as only weekdays count in their delivery schedule even for those using a courier service that my order had missed the pick-up on Friday but would be picked up by the courier service today as the next working day after my order changing to the 'RTS' status. Apparently not!

Once an order is ready to go and just needs handing over to the chosen delivery service like this I believe the next working day is long enough time for this to happen especially with in stock and ready orders.

Hopefully my order should be sent out tomorrow, any backlog from weekend orders should be cleared by then for packaged and ready orders shouldn't it?! That should give them enough time to send them out as clearly they are sitting ready and waiting in the warehouse.

Unfortunately due to my mobility problems going all the way to our only outlet of WHSmith is out of the question for me and that's even if they had the relevant items in stock when I got there. I know in the case of the ... well case ... the 25% off discount of the price was only available by online orders. So that one had to be placed and ordered online with the warehouse. 

Fingers crossed for tomorrow again.

What's Going On?

Well, for the past couple of months I have been battling both my Fibro and RA through major flare-ups aftershocks.

I have only been posting to my personal disabled blog, mainly where I post from the prospective of a disabled person living through the UK governments controversial welfare reform bill. My health has been so bad that I've only managed to post minimally to this particular blog due to my present circumstances.

Never Forgotten

Today is the 10th Anniversary of those we lost in the September 11th attacks. At this time my thoughts and good wishes go out to everyone who lost anyone due to what occurred.

Also blessings to those who went into Hell on Earth in the hopes of saving just one other life.

Blessings to all touched in any way by this tragedy, I am in awe of your strength and resilience.

Testing ... Testing ... 123

I am just checking out this new app I have bought on sale at the iTunes store for blogging from my iPod touch!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Dental Woes #2

Well, it's a good thing I rethought going into the dentist today to have the missing filling from my right lower mouth replaced because I've just discovered a hunk out of my fillings which were only put in two weeks ago tomorrow. So I'll go into the dentist tomorrow in person to arrange an appointment to replace both missing fillings together. The re-fill of the one done two weeks ago should be free as there is a warranty put on new dental work which gets it done free within three months - I believe - should something happen to the work done.

It's like a chunk fell out completely, no rough edges or pain when I eat/drink just the ackward feel of a missing piece behind my teeth on that side. It's probably the 'deep filling' that the dentist hoped would stay in. I eat on my right side to stop this happening and ended loosing a filling from a tooth on the right side, now due to the hole on my right side which is sensitive and impossible to eat on I've had to eat on my left side more. I've been very careful but it hasn't worked out!

Just isn't my month(s) for dental work, if this is what happens when you miss an appointment being sent out from the surgery I'll be sure to chase up any appointments that I think might have gone astray ...

Dental Woes

So, real life has been very hectic since I last posted here. So hectic I even haven't had time to post on my main blog at all. I also haven't been able to read anything until this week and even then I've only read a few short novella length books.

So what has been keeping me so busy?

Well, my lengthy form from those doing the health reviews for the government has been. I only have to list all my medications and my disabilities (and how they affect me) boxes to fill in on the form now. A quick check through to make sure I haven't missed anything I should have answered and I will be posting it back on Monday, which gives it two weeks to get to the health team doing the reviews before my return by date.

Hospital appointments, major house cleaning and more dentist visits than I care to remember has also eaten into my time. Also my fibro has been acting up since the last week the school's were in and I've been suffering a great deal of fatigue. Every little thing takes a lot of my limited energy to preform.

About 3 weeks ago I lost a filling. No big deal, I phoned in and got an appointment the next day for the following day (I lost it at night biting into a Twix Mini). So I attend my appointment expecting to have it filled and be on my way. My dentist announces that I am here for a check up ... well no - I'm here for a missing filling which is very painful and is sending me round the twist - but I agree I am overdue a checkup ... so a check up I have and remind here quite firmly I have a missing and painful filling/tooth.

She gives me the good news that I need four fillings including the one I came in about and my teeth need a descale/clean, so she pops in a temporary filling in my tooth and tells me to make two twenty minute appointments to get my work done. So I make two appointments, a week apart each, starting the following Tuesday (this is Friday).

Attending on Tuesday I get two injections, two fillings and my teeth cleaned. After much confusion trying to understand - and make myself understood - my the office manager man when he tried to bill me then instead on at the end of treatment as it should be. I informed him my treatment isn't finished and good thing as I didn't have £48.52 on me to pay now. I had him confirm the total so I knew how much money to bring at my last appointment and he assured me this was the bill for my total treatment.

So, the following Tuesday comes around and I'm back in the dentist's chair getting yet another injection. My two teeth are prepared for the fillings when the dentist says "Uh Oh!". Never a comforting thing to hear when someone is inside your mouth with a sharp implement!

She has found a third tooth requiring a filling, urgently requiring it according to her. Situated between the two teeth about to be done. So I got three fillings done in a row in my bottom left hand mouth to add to those done at the upper left and right side the week before.

After having the fillings done I went to pay but not before the dentist crossed her fingers and said "Hopefully that filling - the really deep one - will stay in ... if not come back!".

So escaping to the front desk I get ready to pay, another painful experience, and notice the usual receptionist is back on duty. Waiting until she fixes my total to add the fifth surprise filling I am shocked to find that the man from the week previous was wrong, his total was only for the work done that visit and my bill was now almost £92.

So, almost £100 poorer I left the dentist with warning to be very careful of the fillings on the left for at least 48 hours. So I chewed on my right side for days. A week later and the fillings were still in on the left side, yup I've lost another filling on my right. Don't know exactly when in the previous week but it was totally gone so I must have swallowed it without realising. As this is not any of the fillings done in my last course of treatment I would need to pay full price to get it fixed.

Still short of money after the larger bill I had to pay I am faced with another dentist visit/bill. As I was having no pain or discomfort I hope this will buy me time to get some money together. Also this tooth/filling is a notorious one. I've had it filled, and refilled, more times than I can accurately count.

About 4 years ago I had it filled, and it fell out, and I had to get it refilled again. This was after loosing the filling in the tooth. Two attempts to make the filling take that time. Roughly 18 months later, around 2 years ago, the filling cracked and fell out. I felt it this time and spat most of it out. I had it refilled, lasted around 2 to 3 weeks and fell out again, got it refilled again, this time it lasted around a month before I cracked and fell out again. So for the third time in less than 2 months I had this tooth refilled and it took until Tuesday past when I realised I had lost it sometime over the last 7 days since my dentist visits as she would have noticed and filled it then like she did the other filling I needed done.

So I'm leery of how many attempts it would take this time to fill this tooth again! And the pain that will accompany it this time around. As I am in no pain at the moment except the annoyance of having to clean food debris out everytime I eat I am hoping to hold off on that dentist's visit for a few weeks to give me some reprieve, both financially and on the painful fillings front while waiting for it to set.

Terror

I must admit to be quite frankly terrified. Why?

I knew I would be reviewed and possibly have to sit a medical to show how my disabilities made work impossible for me - or at least highly improbable as who would hire someone with my limitations and disabilities, let's be honest here - and as I already had been reviewed just before this plan was announced originally I knew I was OK as I was informed that I would be reviewed at the pre-stated time given after my last review.

So I was alright until December 2012 and I hoped that this new 'system' would have some problems ironed out a bit so imagine my surprise when I got my letter saying this review affected me now as I would be starting my review process within the next 2 weeks with a phone call from a benefit adviser.

Wow, I hadn't realised it was the end of 2012 already, yet here I am getting dragged into the first reviews in my area of Scotland. So I checked the process and the postings of those already reviewed or in the process of being reviewed and was disgusted with what I found. Talk about a rigged jury to face with these review boards. Already their has been an 80% appeal success from those in Scotland who had their benefits wrongly removed through reviews held since January 2011. Can't be that many wrong initial results unless it's rigged and no matter what you say (either in writing or in face to face 'interviews') you get cut off and put straight into able to work and job seekers allowance and basically to find a mystical job.

Yup less than 500,000 jobs for the current 5.5 million unemployed and they are rigging their reviews to add more to that total.

I felt secure knowing that even if I was put in the disabled but work worthy I would still have my DLA to help me y'know live as the DLA was to be left alone for those awarded as infinite when reviewed to be given it. Which I am. But I found that DLA is being replaced and my mobility component that I get is being vastly changed and quite frankly almost phased out. So the future is bleak as they are introducing the new system next May and my future is feeling less than bleak now.

So given the horror stories so far in my area and what is to come for me on both my small incomes (no matter what scare stories out there I am getting nowhere near they claim individual claiming it fraudulently are getting) I am quite frankly terrified I will be forced into poverty and no way out while those who really should be forced out are sitting in the pub and going on holidays with their ill gotten gains.

What makes me mad is there is no announcements to cut back on help to those who self-inflict themselves with drink and drugs. For years, even while on these benefits, I paid for all my 25 a day medication while druggies got expensive heroine replacements free of charge. How about forces these drunks and druggies into rehab and if they refuse or don't try cut them off and save your billions instead of penalising and witch hunting those with real (medically backed up) disabilities and diseases.

Finally Friday Once More

I am glad to see the end of these past couple of weeks I can tell you.

Last Saturday I got the declaration from my bank to verify the bogus iTunes charges, also on Thursday before I heard back from iTunes about the charges and they were reversed, my account frozen, re-enabled and password changed again.

The iTunes CS person was quick to respond after the initial response to further emails, and I found out how my removed payment card was used. Even though I deauthorised use of this card used to create and verify my account as well as removed it from my account my details were kept on record and reverted back to once store credit was exhausted.

If only it hadn't taken 72 hours to send an order confirmation on the first order placed I would have caught this before a further 4 orders were placed as well. If only iTunes sent an automatic email as soon as an order is placed I could've nipped this is the bud.

I was all set for a relaxing day starting with a sleep in as I knew I had babysitting duty on all three of my nephews tonight for the second night in a row at their house. Last night it was the two youngest only but tonight it's all three. Luckily - or rather unluckily - the middle is being punished and had to be put to bed straight after he finished his dessert after his evening meal. So that left two, the youngest is playing in his room while the eldest is out playing on his bike with a friend.

Now the youngest is sitting next to me as I type this watching Fireman Sam, at least this way I know he isn't bothering his middle brother who is on punishment in his bed for spitting on a girl he decided he didn't like at school today. Really vile, I really hate spitting, a pet peeve of mine.

Hopefully this weekend will be more relaxing, we did our shopping and don't need to go out until Monday for groceries. So barring any emergencies or unexpected favours for any family members I can get some reading and some blogging done.

Dreams II

I've had at least two dreams which I can remember bits of since the one I blogged about here previously. So it looks like my dear departed Auntie isn't giving up on getting her message through to me, I think.

Don't know where or if I'll take my writing urges any further but I'm keeping myself open to possibilities.

I've been reading a lot postings by published authors within the Romance genre - and sub-genres - about the ins and outs of not only writing but attempting to get published. It's a lot of hard work, this I already knew, but it helps to keep yourself informed which I am. So I'm not at a stand still yet.

I've been returning to my romance reading roots over the previous month and reading a lot of Harlequin/Mills & Boon releases. Both old and new. After the sheer deluge of less than enjoyable books I've experienced - and still do experience - of late while digging myself out my reading rut. Something I've blogged about, if not here, but at my book blog. The Crimson Inkpot.

But going back to my roots has helped greatly.

Recently I've read the latest Nalini Singh Psy/Changeling book "Kiss of Snow" and am in two minds whether or not to post my own review of it given how many reviews are floating around out there in book blogverse already.

Originally I had the countdown widget up in the sidebar of my book blog and waited with eager anticipation for it to reach zero. Once it did I was disappointed to realise that as I was in the UK I couldn't purchase it, so as I've done before I went to Amazon assuming I could buy the imported US hardback version, only to find that no hard/pb releases where available and release dates where two months away for both which coincides with the UK official release. But strangely - and I'm not knocking it - the Kindle version was available from June 2nd, just 2 days after the official release date in the US and research seems to tell me that the Kindle edition available in the UK Kindle shop is the only version available to the UK until the official UK release date for hard release.

Either way glad I only had a 2 days further wait rather than the 2 months till the official UK release date.

Venting

I have just finished a long post on my blog, The Crimson Inkpot, venting about fraudulent charges made to my iTunes account which cleaned out my credit balance - a gift from my parents which makes it burn me even more what this scammers done - but also managed to charge over £100 to my bank card which I removed from my account months ago.

So doubly, if not triply, furious about this happening and having to spent 25 minutes tracking down a way to contact Apple about these charges didn't improve my mood in any way.

A web search today brought up hundreds - if not thousands - of these attacks in both the UK and US dating back almost a year. So not a new problem but one I've only discovered first hand!

But as I've vented this over there I won't repeat it all here as it would just wind me up further. I do however commend my bank with taking swift action when I called them today and having these charged refunded. I have to wait and contact them again tomorrow as a fourth charge on that account is pending and they can't fix it until it's actually debited from my account. But I thank them for helping decrease my stress level over this business.

Dreams

Generally when I wake up and have been dreaming I remember mostly feelings and the odd stray thought, very rarely have I experienced a vivid dream which stays with me once I awake. I normally know when I dream just not what I've dreamt, it's a specific feeling which comes to me as I begin to awake that gives it away for me.

Last night I had a dream which left me with a few sparse notions just as I awoke. It's strange how your subconscious twists things together on you.

FOUR-OH-OH

Well it's official, I've turned 40!

I saw my nephews briefly in Halfords today when I popped in to pick up my reserved Garmin Sat Nav which was my present from my parents.

My sister-in-law had just picked up her new car, a Citroen Picasso C4.

My brother popped in to drop of my cards and pressie while the boys attended the youngest's gym class which is attends every Monday afternoon. Tomorrow sees them all returning to school after the extra long weekend off they have had.

It was a lovely warm day when you were in the sun but briskly cold elsewhere. I woke up stiff and sore with my RA raging wildly, such a wonderful welcome start to my birthday.

I don't know what supposed to be different now I'm 40, I had the same lack of any negative emotion when I turned 30 as well. I could never understand people who wouldn't admit to being their age or somehow feeling  upset at certain ages. I'm not one to lie - or be concerned - about my age.

I was thrilled, I kid you not, when I found I had gotten a lovely white/silver hair running through my hair. My first official 'grey hair' and I thought it was so cool. It looked great especially with my long brunette hair.

OK ... I'll admit it ... I might be considered a bit strange with the way I react to signs of ageing. But it's better than the alternative, every minute you live you grow older and nothing can change that regardless of feelings about it. It's a waste of time and energy to rage against something you can't change, so why let it bother you.

It's Saturday

Well, it's Saturday again, and I opted to link this blog into my blogger profile. So you will note the little box at the top of the right column which links you to my book blog should you have accidentally landed here.

Despite the initial post this blog is partly (or mainly) created to post anything which doesn't belong on my book blog The Crimson Inkpot. So it can be considered my personal blog.

This last month has been a roller coaster ride for me. But I have to admit to having a sense of accomplishment.

I began taking an active part in the book blogosphere, yesterday saw my fourth time taking part in PJV's Follow Friday feature for book bloggers.

I posted my first three reviews:

William's House by Amber Kell
Hunting Human by Amanda E. Alvarez
Blood of the Maple by Dana Marie Bell

I listed my book blog at the new Book Blogger Directory, you can find me under the fiction>romance section of the site.

I've also gotten more involved with Good Reads and am using my profile there to keep track of what I've read and keeping note of my initial rating/review. I have even joined a few groups as well and began taking a more active part in discussions.

Reading Rut

I am currently blessedly climbing out of the reading rut which has plagued me over the past weeks, I splurged on 8 Carina Press titles which came with a eBook Bucks Rebate at All Romance eBooks. I got roughly a $10 rebate in total, just over to be exact, as well as qualifying for my free eBook code. Now I only have to remember to actually redeem this one before it expires.

Yesterday I read new author, called Amanda E. Alvarez's, debut novel called Hunting Human, my review has been posted at my book blog.

Today between babysitting, school runs and playing referee to my three nephews I managed to read Dana Marie Bell's Blood of the Maple. Another good read I'm seriously considering reviewing now.

The Crimson Inkpot

The Crimson Inkpot is my book blog where I share my love of reading with anyone who cares to drop by and visit me.

I blog about all types of bookish related content including:

• Book Reviews
• Author Discussions
• DRM
• Geographical Restrictions
• Dedicated Digital Readers
• Formats
• and anything else bookish that attracts my attention ... oooh shiney!!!

If I have that site, why do I need this one?

Simply put The Crimson Inkpot is my blog about my reading addiction while this one is my blog about my writing addiction.


Writer (noun)

1. Writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
2. A person who is able to write and has written something

Everyone is able to write something, whether it's any good is an entirely different kettle of fish but they can write.

Will I someday be able to use the first meaning in reference to myself? Maybe ... who knows really because I don't.

Royal Wedding

I'm beginning to think I am the only person in the UK not excited or in anyway interested in the "Royal Wedding", maybe I'm just not normal.

The only two times I took any interest in the royal family was Diana's wedding when I was 10 (if I remember correctly) and watched the whole thing on my Aunt's TV from beginning to end, and her funeral where I watched the procession of her coffin to the church.

Not a big royal fan, I tend to prefer those I read about within the covers of a romance book to totally honest.

I am about to get invaded by my three young nephews who have returned from France last night, along with their parents naturally, and have just got their father to call so they can ask to come along to our house. Which means their parents are going shopping and they don't want to go along, let's face it trooping around the supermarket looses out every time to satellite TV, computers, Nintendo consoles and iPods.

I Get It, Honestly I Do

I dedicate this blog to my Auntie, who was also my godmother. She and her husband understood the writer side of me and never pressurised me to read anything I spent hours scribbling away writing in my little notepad.

First I will start with my big confession, I'll put my hand up and admit it.

What is my big confession, well here it is:

Like so many out there I had plans of becoming a romance novelist as a child and teenager. Yup, you read right, a romance writer.

Like so many of us out there I find myself approaching the big FOUR-OH, it deserves capital letters really, and I haven't attempted to fulfil this dream ... desire ... plan ... however you would describe it really.