Book Review: Tailored for Trouble by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

As I started writing this review, I saw that this book is part of the Happy Pants series. And while I remember reading something about Happy Pants in the book, I feel like Happy Pants is one of the funnest names for a series I’ve ever heard. Which is just a bonus, since I really enjoyed this book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Synopsis
A woman is hired by the man who got her fired, but she has a hard time trusting what his motives for hiring her are. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Rage Quit
Taylor has decided to go out on her own after being fired from a job due an exec who insulted her and her boss. Unfortunately, her new venture isn’t doing so well, and she’s close to having to call it quits. So she’s shocked when that same exec, Bennett, wants to enlist her services to help him win a deal with a well known woman business owner. It takes some convincing, since Taylor really can’t stand him after their first meeting, but eventually she goes with it because she needs the money.

Trust Issues
She has a really hard time trusting Bennett at first, and for good reason. He’s aloof and secretive and from what she’s seen, he’s not the easiest guy to get along with. Her business centers around teaching executives how to treat their employees well, and she has a hard time seeing where Bennett does any of that. At least at first. It doesn’t help that she finds out that some of Bennett’s business pals have made a bet (one that he’s part of) to see who could sleep with her first.

Air of Mystery
The story is told almost completely from Taylor’s viewpoint, and it drove me nuts not to know what Bennett was thinking. At the same time, I really enjoyed the mystery of finding out things as Taylor did. From the beginning, you get the feeling that things aren’t really what they seem with Bennett, but it’s never clear if he’s a good guy or a not-so-good guy. Taylor makes things more complicated when she sets out to sabotage his business meeting as revenge for his part in the bet.

Travel Makes for Hot Bedfellows
The story also as a road trip trope, as Bennett makes Taylor travel with him to conduct business, ultimately leading to his meeting with the woman he’s hoping to strike a deal with. Of course, Taylor starts to change her mind about him, and we start to see a softer side of Bennett.

Inner and Outer Voices
Taylor’s inner monologue was pretty hysterical, though sometimes it made her seem a bit nutty. There was some great banter and dialogue, and though the story was mostly lighthearted, there were a few punches to the feels that gave it some major poignancy.

The Romance Factor
I loved the conflict in this book and the major enemies to lovers vibe happening. I also loved seeing the glimpses of Bennett that showed that he actually cared for Taylor. This book hit all of my catnip buttons. 5/5

The Steam Factor
There really isn’t a lot of sex in this story, but there is quite of bit of penis ogling. Taylor, in fact, has a really hard time not focusing on Bennett’s penis. And while sometimes it got a little old, it was mostly entertaining. 4/5

Final Thoughts
This book had almost everything I love in a story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m happy to see that it’s the first in the Happy Pants series, so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for other Happy Pants books.

Thanksgiving Weekend

The Thanksgiving holiday was a relatively quiet one for us this year. On Wednesday morning, we left early to drive to Illinois to visit J’s grandmother for a few days. It was just the three of us, so things were pretty low key. We had some great food, watched a lot of the Game Show Network and the Food Channel, and I got some knitting and some reading done. We did venture out for a quick shopping excursion on Black Friday to buy J some clothes. Shopping traffic had died down by the time we got there.

A few things I learned this weekend:

1. Frosty the Snowman was fun when I was a child, but as an adult, I found myself asking deep questions. Like why did anyone think it was okay to hop on a train with a snowman? And how come Santa Clause spoke rabbit? And why was the magician jaundiced  but not in a hospital?

2. I will probably never be a fan of The Big Bang Theory. I never thought the stereotypical nerd poking was funny anyway, but the cheap fat joke pot shots and the fact that I find almost all the characters to be jerks pretty much confirmed my opinion.

3.  Newscasters can be sadistic. After watching a group of them on an Illinois channel laughing at Black Friday shoppers being trampled, I was slightly disturbed and have decided not to go into broadcast news. Ever.

4. I wish I had the Game Show Network just so I could watch hours of The Chase. I totally have a love/hate thing for The Beast. I like to see him lose to the contestants, but he’s so funny!

I also learned that some of my walking back pain is coming back, so I need to start moving again to make sure that doesn’t become a problem. I’ve gotten lazy over the past several weeks, and it doesn’t take long for things to go south again. I think if I can do a little bit of walking every day, I can get back to where I was a few months ago.

Also, since Grandma J didn’t have any regular soda in the house, I made it through three days with no pop. Since those first few days are the most challenging, I’m using them as the start of trying to go soda-free again. So far, so good. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been tempted, but I also know that I feel better when I don’t drink it.

We came home on Saturday so we could use Sunday to run errands, go grocery shopping, and put up our Christmas tree. Sadly, on the way to where our tree and decorations were stored, our car overheated. so plans were sidelined. Luckily, our mechanical friend and hero came through and helped us troubleshoot the problem. I think we have it mostly resolved, but we’ll be keeping an eye on it. We didn’t end up going back out, so the goal for this coming week and next weekend is to get those errands done and decorate for Christmas.

Tomorrow starts the new job, and I have very little anxiety or stress about this. Here’s to hoping it goes smoothly and is as good as I think it’s going to be.

A.

 

Kansas City and Tori Amos

This weekend, my friend Janet and I went to Kansas City, MO to see Tori Amos in concert on her Unrepentant Geraldines tour. This was my fifth Tori concert and Janet’s second. We kicked our adventure off Saturday morning around noon with the drive to KC and a quick stop for lunch at the travel plaza where we saw fellow MHKers who were going to to an event in Lawrence.

The drive was quick and easy, and after touring the one way streets in KC’s Power and Light District to find the theater, we pulled up to our hotel to check in. The Aladdin is an old but updated boutique hotel with valet parking and a spa in the basement. Janet’s husband hooked us up with points for the room, free breakfast, and free valet parking. We didn’t know about the free breakfast or parking, so that was a nice surprise, as was the complimentary glasses of champagne they gave us at check-in.

Kicking off the fun with some bubbly.

The room was kind of cool and funky. We got a king sized bed because that was all that was available. The woman who checked us in seemed a little confused at first, but we assured her we were just kicking it high school style.

How does one get one of these chairs? Because I loved it.

In lieu of exploring the area in the heat, we chilled in the hotel room with some drinks and “Mean Girls” on cable. After showers, we decided to walk around the corner to have dinner at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. It was a little bit of a splurge, but not horrible, and hibachi makes for a fun dinner experience.

From there, we went ahead and lined up outside the theater. We were there early enough to get close to the doors, and we got the chance to visit with other Tori fans during the wait. That’s one of my favorite parts of the concerts…fellow fans are super friendly.

Once the doors opened, we went to the merch station where I bought a tote bag and met Tori’s daughter, Tash. She was genuinely sweet and gave us hugs and chatted with us for awhile.

The theater was comfortable and kind of cozy. Since we were there early, we waited about an hour for the opening act, then another half hour for Tori to start. I had heard that The Midland didn’t have bad seats, and while technically that was true, that doesn’t take into account what happens when a bunch of tall people sit in front of a short person. Because the seating is not tiered, there were some challenges seeing through the tall gentlemen in front of me, the woman who kept dipping her head right into my line of sight in front of them, and the guy in the hat in front of her.

Luckily, being in the back row meant we could stand without blocking anyone, so I stood part of the time and sat at just the right angle the rest of the time, a feat made easier when the woman with the dippy head left early.

The show was just as good as we’d hoped. Tori looked and sounded amazing. Hearing some of her songs done live triggers all the feels. I teared up at some of the songs that I don’t usually cry to. For Lizard Lounge, she covered “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Over the Rainbow” (relevant to Kansas, even though the concert was in Missouri). I was especially stoked to hear “Take to the Sky” in the encore, as that song hits me on a personal level.

While Tori was great, I did take issue with some of my fellow concert goers. While I’m all for showing your enthusiasm and love, doing it every thirty seconds, including when she’s trying to talk to the audience, is just obnoxious. Also, if you’re going to spend money on the concert, think about the fact that other people have done the same thing and don’t make the concert your social hour. We had people behind us who rudely carried on a conversation the whole time. Not cool, and I think some of the people down from us were ready to start a fight afterwards over it.

We walked back to the hotel room and debriefed over Doritos and Chex Mix, then crashed out. This morning was breakfast and the drive home, with a stop for some Baskin Robbins on the way. Because sometimes ice cream just sounds better than an actual lunch.

For a weekend away, it was actually very relaxed, but I’m still taking today just to reset, clean, and get ready for the work week. Now the planning begins for the next tour and another girls’ weekend. It’s likely two years away, and I’m already excited for it.

A.

 

Writing, Gaming, and Packing

It was another cold Sunday, and even though the temperature said it was ten degrees higher than it was yesterday, it was still uncomfortable. It did, however, give us a good excuse to stay in almost all day, and sometimes that’s a good thing to do. That’s not to say we didn’t venture out at all. I was hungry enough this morning to make a quick breakfast run to pick up donuts for breakfast. They sounded really good, but I need to remember that all I ever need is about a half donut to stop the craving. Donuts aren’t actually my favorite thing in the world.

I used most of the morning to up my Nanowrimo word count and play around on the internet. I’ve started playing Candy Crush Saga on FB. Such a time waster, but I like the fact that you have to stop when you run out of lives. I’m currently stuck on a level, but I’ll just keep playing until I get it. For me, it’s just kind of a nice zone-out activity.

We had gaming later in the evening, then we made it to the gym where I did another ten minutes on the elliptical. We did a short workout due to knee issues for both Jon and I, but twenty minutes is better than none at all (my first ten was spent warming up on the sit-stepper).  After grabbing Subway for dinner, we came home and packed for St. Louis. It’s freezing in the apartment even though the heat has been going, so I’m ready for a hot shower and some sleepy time under about four blankets.

The goal for tomorrow is to get as many Nanowrimo words written as I can, make it to the gym, and finish getting stuff ready for the trip. I’m hoping that the trip isn’t this cold, especially since we want to visit the zoo. Yeah, I know…I’m taking a chance by going on a vacation in November. Still going to do it though. And that reminds me…another thing on the to-do list: find some gloves.

Don’t let Monday get you down!

A.

 

Hiking, Climbing, and Dungeon Crawling

It’s been a long day, but for the most part, it was good. I usually like having Sundays to just chill, but we’re getting into a time of year when that’s not always going to be the case. I should clarify that my idea of “chill” could include walking, hiking, and anything that doesn’t include sitting around the house. But…it could also mean just that.

We were up early at the in-laws this morning, wanting to grab a few more geocaches before our weekend there ended.  The first three were “did not finds.” We were feeling pretty bummed. To be fair, we didn’t stay for long at any of them, partially due to muggles, partially due to just wanting to do some more exploring. After we couldn’t find the third one, I wasn’t sure if we should try to find a nano in a high muggle area, but Jon wanted to  check it out, so we did. He found it in a few minutes.

The next two were out in the country, which involved a bit of a drive and a turtle rescue.

It’s okay, little turtle. At least you won’t be a turtle pancake in the middle of the road!

The first “country” cache was a hike through some tall grass on the side of the road, and the other was a cemetery cache.  It was starting to get hot by that time, and Dad F was bringing us breakfast, so we headed back to house, ate, and watched some TV before heading back to MHK. I couldn’t resist, though, and found one more in Andover, a large that ended up being a hike across a field and an obstacle course through some trees.

We were on a time table to get back to MHK for a game, but we decided to take one last geocache detour (I know, it’s always “one last” with us). This one was about ten minutes off the beaten path, so we were definitely bumping up against our time. Once we finally found it, we weren’t sure if we were up for the challenge.  It was on what could be considered a hill but struck me more as a plateau, with the sides going almost straight up. The climb honestly looked like more of a challenge than I was up for. Jon managed to get to the top while I looked for a lower part to climb with no luck. I was going to let him find it on his own, but when I got back to where we parked, I figured all I needed was a little bit of courage.

Using the grass to help pull myself up and paying attention to my footing, I managed to get up the hill.  Out of breath and sweaty and gross, all I could think at that moment was “Holy cow, I just rocked my own world.” This was seriously another moment of pride for me.  The view was gorgeous and worth the climb, and shortly after I got up there, Jon made the find. Getting down the hill was a little less graceful. I literally had to sit on the ground and slide down because my knees and balance were not going to let me walk down that slope. Still, it was worth the dirt and the grass cuts I ended up with.

On the drive back to the highway, we came up on some uprooted trees that I thought were kind of haunting.

 

We made it back to town, and even being dirty and gross, we got to our game on time.

I’m easing back into RPG games after kind of losing my mojo for it. Jon and I were invited to play in a Pathfinder game, so I decided to give it a shot. I’m playing a human fighter and our first encounters were level one dungeon crawly type things where we killed a bunch of rats and skeletons. It was fun! I’m not used to Pathfinder, so I’ll probably have more questions as this progresses. I’m excited to see where the story goes and getting to know the other players who all seem like cool people.

After the game, we headed to the campus library to distribute con flyers at a movies on the grass event. Unfortunately, shortly after we got there, Jon started shaking and feeling sick. I think it was probably a mix of not eating and dehydration, but it freaked me out. We ended up leaving before it started, but they let me hand out some flyers and put some on a table for people to grab.  I had a touch of guilt, but  I wasn’t taking any chances.  Everything is okay now. Jon’s feeling better, though a little run down.

We decided to stay in MHK one last night since my friend offered the extra night to stay at her house. Once I got here, I took a shower and sat down to handle some emails and other projects. Jon has a test tomorrow night, so I’m going to be doing some con updates and correspondence at Hastings.

It was a good weekend overall. We didn’t get as much activity as we’d wanted, but what we did get was fun.  The goal this week is to get back into our routine. We made our gym goal this past week, but not our walking goal. Which is okay. Now we just try again for the coming week.

A.

Crossing Things Off Lists

In an effort to travel with less stress, I’m trying to get as much done as I can this week to prepare for our trip to Gen Con next week.  I was able to check a couple things off the big to-do list today.

First, we went to a local car wash and vacuumed out the car.  Jon and I have made an effort to keep the car trash-free (yay for adulting), and we decided it was time for something a little more heavy duty, so we vacuumed the floors and the cup holders, which had gotten kind of gross, and then we wiped everything down with cleaner wipes. It didn’t feel too strenuous, and now our car is clean and passenger ready.  I even took an extra step and put a monthly general cleaning reminder on my calendar so we can keep up with that.

Second, we picked up our travel snacks. Originally, we were going to go to Target and use the credit we still have on a gift card. Since we also had a gift card to Menards and wanted to go find a cache there (didn’t find it, but rescheduled only to be stealthier later), we just went ahead and shopped there.  Trail mix, dried fruit, and beef jerky should be good for both travel and for walking around the convention center.  We also picked up some travel toiletries so we could make sure everything was packed and ready the night before.

As far as our GC list goes, that’s about all we got done tonight, but I think it’s going to make a huge difference by the time we leave. Other things we have to do this week include turning in our change for some spending cash, cleaning the house, cleaning out the trunk of the car, and, of course, packing.  My goal is to have everything packed on Sunday night to put in the car on Monday night, so I can get to bed early and be ready to hit the road at 5 on Tuesday morning.

The rest of our evening included some geocaching and dinner out at Cox Bros BBQ.  We also picked up some lunches for this week. I had every intention of getting stuff to make some easy pasta salad and then forgot. I even had a list. I fail at groceries, sometimes.

The big excitement of my night was finding out that another of my favorite webcomic artists is going to be at Gen Con. I’m thrilled, and this means I will have to splurge on a plushie if the artist brings any. Or a book. Or both. I have my priorities.

The last thing I want to mention is something a co-worker told me about today.  It’s a program called Becoming an Outdoors-Woman. Camping that involves sleeping on the ground doesn’t agree with me, but I do enjoy  outdoor activities and would like to revisit some of the things I did in my youth. Plus, I love new experiences.  I don’t know if I can register for the fall one right now, both due to time and money, but I am going to apply for one of their scholarships since this would be my first time going and I could swing the remainder of the cost. If the fall one doesn’t happen, I think I’ll aim to sign up for the spring one, pending our location after the first of the year.

On the whole, it was actually a pretty good Monday.

A.

 

 

 

Gencon 2012: Full of Win

Our trip to Gencon this year almost didn’t happen considering our 2011 experience was less than wonderful. Physical issues, hotel and financial stress, gaming disappointment, and a general lack of enthusiasm last year had J. Felbs and I questioning if we were going to try it again. 

After looking at what did and didn’t work for us the previous year, we tweaked a few things and gave it another try, figuring that if it was another bad year, we’d try something new in 2013.

I’m glad we did. This year’s Gencon was our best (so far). We planned ahead for several games but still allowed ourselves time to wander the exhibitor’s hall. We stayed away from the downtown area hotels and chose a much cheaper one about ten minutes from the convention center.*  We splurged to park closer so getting to and from the con was no big deal, and I was already ahead of the game since I’d been working towards improving my physical walking abilities for the past year. We also planned things to allow for plenty of sleep and rest time.

Even when we were just sitting around, staying at the convention center gave us the chance to meet fellow gamers and people watch. For me, this is part of the fun of any convention. It also meant that we found things to do in the “down time,” like visit the paint and take station.

We played a bunch of new games and browsed things in the exhibitor’s hall. I got a new print, poster, and sketch from one of my favorite webcomic artists. I picked up a new system for a horror campaign I hope to run soon. I gamed with the creator of White Wolf and Vampire: The Masquerade. I passed Wil Wheaton in the corridor (even though I failed to meet him at the autograph station). 

This is only a short list of the good times we had. It’s hard to put into words all the little things that added up to such a great vacation. I know not everyone gets it, but Gencon has this sense of happiness and acceptance that I don’t find in many other places.  Almost everyone wants to be there. They want to talk to new people and try out new things.** It’s a great experience, and looking back at 2011, the only reason I didn’t have a good time was because of my own personal hangups. In 2012, I was able to let those go and just enjoy myself.

Gencon 2013 is definitely on our to-do list for next year.

*Most people find it better to stay closer. But being lazy by default, the closer I am, the more likely I am to just hole up in the hotel room. With the daily drive, I ensure that I’m going to stay in the convention center and experience the con as much as possible.

**I say almost everyone because I read of a few less than nice comments people at the con said in passing. There was also a woman in a scooter who was actually pretty mean to people in the convention corridor. It was kind of jarring to see someone so miserable in a crowd of happy people.

Wichita Weekend

This past weekend I took a two-night trip to Wichita with two friends. It had been a long time since I’d done a “group” trip. I realize that not everyone considers three people to be a group, but it definitely changes the dynamic from a two person trip. While my own tendency to get introverted made part of the trip a personal challenge, overall, we had a good time.

My traveling companions

After fighting the Wichita traffic, we finally made it to our hotel room to chill for a little bit. We decided Friday night would be our casino night, so we went to Mulvane where we had Luciano’s* for dinner and goofed around in Cobb Park for a little bit before trying our hand at gambling.

Classy italian restaurants always make me feel classy.

Miles to Drive

Today, I got back from a weekend in Wichita.

That in itself isn’t really the exciting part, though it’s always nice to be home after being gone for a couple days.  I didn’t update all weekend (I didn’t take my computer and I wasn’t feeling Felberto’s netbook), so now I get to rehash all three days for your entertainment.  Granted, it wasn’t anything majorly exciting, but it was nice and fairly relaxing and I got to spend time with my husband and in-laws and that’s always cool.

We rolled out of town Friday afternoon after I got my back thumped by my chiropractor. The drive was uneventful, and I was sleepy by the time we got there. Felbington and Drew (the younger of my two brothers-in-law) were geared up for a midnight Magic: The Gathering event, but I was ready to cash in about five minutes after we pulled in. Dinner was hummus and Roasted Garlic Triscuits, and let me just say that I could seriously make at least one meal a day out of those RGTs.  Sure, this doesn’t sound like a huge dinner, but I wasn’t feeling great or overly hungry, so it was kind of perfect.

On Saturday, I took the car to the Suzuki dealer for an oil change and tire rotation. There were no surprise issues other than that I need to try to find a local place to do an alignment since it looks like I’m getting some uneven wear. The dealership was actually kind of quiet, so no guy dressed in a Shark suit this time, but we did have lunch and I got some knitting done.

After that, we decided to try a pottery painting place in Wichita called Color Me Mine. It wasn’t bad, but On the Pot remains at the top of our list. Drew painted a hippo bank, and Felbicasso painted a penguin. It was originally going to be the Warmheart Penguin from the Care Bear cousins, but I think he gave up and just did the heart on the tummy.

Hippo with a sunburn?

So cute!

I decided to do something simple, so I chose a bowl with “swoop” sides (I didn’t even know what that meant, but it’s what the label said when i picked the object). I picked three colors and at first thought I was just going to do some simple painting, no details or anything like that. As I was painting the border, one of the guys made the comment that it looked like a giant mouth, which then inspired me to do something kind of disturbing.

Blank canvas

Sure, the inside is green...but note the teeth...Oh yeah, that's a bottom lip