Brooke Writes Books... and Other Musings...

One of the big reasons I love staying in hotels is how well I sleep! No worries about someone jumping the fence into my backyard (okay, hasn't happened yet, but I have found beer bottles tossed in, eggs hurled in, trash flipped in...and it did happen to a near-neighbor of mine...). No concerns about the place burning down (I know for a fact that hotel fire alarms screech loudly enough to arouse a deaf person...those Oracle software boys may know how to write groovy programs, but they can't operate a microwave to save their souls--witness burning, flaming popcorn...yes...flaming... that caused their smoke detector to go off and send them outta their unit next to mine to retrieve the fire extinguisher...). No worries about oversleeping cuz...well, I'm on vacation!!!

I was particularly looking forward to my stay at the Atlanta Marriott a couple months back because I hadn't been sleeping well due to the thousand degree temps (okay...116F which is damned hot even by desert-standards...) and other assorted reasons. And to add to my excitement, I was staying on the Concierge Level which meant a bigger room, a better bed, a quieter floor. And, I got all those things.

Yet, I slept no better than at home. Maybe slept even worse!

The first night, I figured I was just overly tired and excited about being in Atlanta. The second night, I decided I was still overly tired and excited about being in Atlanta. The third night, I chalked it up to the vitamins I was taking that were new...except I'd been taking them for almost a month. The fourth night, I concluded it must be the abundance of sirens. But deep down, I was mystified...and bummed. I had sooooo been looking forward to some quality rest. Were my days of sleeping well in hotels over? Alas, a dismal thought at best.

But hope for future deep slumbering in beds away from home reigns supreme! A new study came out of the best and worst cities for sleeping. And guess what city topped the list? Atlanta! Atlanta, Georgia! The Peachtree Capital is the lousiest place for sleeping!

Woo Hoo! Life is good again as I can anticipate my wonderful night's sleep next month in Seattle... on a Heavenly Bed, even! And no! Don't even bring up Sleepless in Seattle...hear me!

Today is the first day of Autumn 2006! Hi Autumn!!!! Hope you enjoy your stay!!

I actually felt Ms. Autumn sneaking in about a week early. (Eh, eh, eh...your secret is safe with me!) When she arrives (okay...so maybe not so safe...), the air just feels different--a bit of cool-crispness underneath the heat. The sunshine is just a bit less bright. Certainly the days are getting shorter...dark in the morning until after 6AM, dark in the evening now by 7PM.

I love autumn. It's like a fun, last fling before winter sets in. I feel invigorated because of it.

Of course, where I live we don't see the vivid colors of fall that a lot of the country is showered in. It is much more subtle. The liquid amber trees begin turning yellow and then a beautiful deep red that lasts until late January if the winter storms are light. Orange, rust and yellow chrysanthemums and other fall flowers pop up in yards and shopping center planters. Soon the perky, pansies that just make you wanna smile cuz they are so happy will begin showing up.

The days here are still warm but the nights are cool. Cool enough you have to close your windows at night, and even think about putting on an extra blanket. But the mornings are glorious, clear, dewy, and the promise of a perfect day ahead.

Ah, yes. This is definitely my favorite season. So, Welcome, Ms. Autumn! I hope you stick around for quite a while this year because I am going to do my best to enjoy each and every day of your visit!

Been doin' a lot of cleaning and organizing and tossing away around the house lately, so I thought now might be a good time to follow-up on some previous blog topics.

Number 1: Roof, Ceiling, Yard Drainage...

As you may remember, the roof and ceiling were fixed last year, and to date the waterfall in the kitchen is becoming a distant, nightmarish memory. However, it seems the light fixture in the kitchen may be a casualty after all. After putting in two sets of new bulbs, I am still without light in there. Must say, it does make cooking and cleaning at night a tad difficult. Gonna have to have that resolved as the end of daylight savings time is fast approaching...remember, home repairs seem to take months and months and months....

The drainage repair is complete and the new landscaping is about 85% done. I have grass!!!!! Beautiful green grass!!!!! Lush perfect green grass...that I noticed some weeds in today!!!! ACK!!!! And lemme tell ya...I'd better NOT be seein' any gopher holes out there....

Number 2: Pomegranate Juice...

I may have been a bit hasty on my decision to never taste the stuff again. After searching high and low for pomegranate pills, to no avail, I learned that Landers has Pomegranate/Cranberry Juice. Now I LOVE cranberry juice. Have been a fan of it for years. So I nervously bought a bottle of the one with pomegranate juice mixed in. And guess what??? Yes!!!! It's awesome!!!! I LOVE it! Even more than the straight cranberry juice. And mixing it with vodka...wow!!! Now there's a drink that'll be showing up on the bar circuit soon! Especially with a tad of peach water mixed in... Seriously, I have altered my opinion on pomegranate juice enough to seriously consider that Dumb, Awful Alberston's may have sold me a bad bottle.

Number 3: Highlander Woes...

Well, the other night I go to get in my car to trek home. and... you got it...it won't start! At least the tow this time was only five miles so it was covered. I think Mr. Highlander must have liked riding on top of the tow truck looking down on all the other vehicles. The good news this time (well, except for the bill!) was they found the problem and fixed it. Can't believe how much better Mr. Highlander runs now that he's all fixed up with a new idle air-control valve. And since he hasn't been washed since the first tow-truck experience, I can now have that chore back again. But not too soon... courtesy of Toyota, he had a bath before he was returned to me. Guess Toyota doesn't like to see their cars running around a filthy brown color...

So...that's life in Brooke-World at the moment. We now return to cleaning, organizing, and throwing out of...of... stuff. Stay tuned...