Our office installed a coffee machine in the waiting room this week. I was not for this idea initially, because I’ve had some really bad coffee from these machines before, as well as bad experiences.

Anyone remember the old type machines that would drop the cup, then the coffee would dribble into it? Anyone remember the cup not dropping, but the coffee dribbled out anyway?

This machine is a quantum leap from those dark age machines.

It has a wide variety of coffee, from latte to cappacino. There’s chai tea (yum) and hot chocolate. It has a safety feature so kid’s can’t activate it accidentally and get burned. And my coffee cup fits in the niche just fine, so I don’t have to use a paper coffee cup. 😎

Though I’ll probably stick to plain ol’ coffee for the most part, the patients seem to love the variety. And that’s what it’s all about. Customer service. Oh, and it’s a totally free service, which makes it much nicer.

I’ve been a bad dog mom regarding Samson’s training. If I knew do-diddlly-squat about training a dog it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

But I know. I went through an extensive dog training class with Bear, my keeshond that I had for 14 years and lost about 2 years ago. She was smart, and trained fairly easy, could do tricks. In fact, ask my cousin Mike who swears Bear was the smartest danged dog he’d seen.

I trained Bear from baby puppy of 16 weeks on, and we bonded and learned together.

Sam is a whole different story.

You all know I got my pound puppy when he was seven months old, and he’d lived in the city pound for a month. Those of you who have visited this pound know what it’s like.

I suspected he’d had the beginning of house breaking because he has only had a couple of accidents. But he’d never been on a lease until I took him from there back in April, and he was a wild thing. Now, this wasn’t such a problem when he was a 45 pound pup. But Samson is getting into adult dog now. He’s close to 60 pounds, I’m sure. That’s enough dog to drag my butt up the sidwalk on a lease.

Unless he’s trained, which he ain’t.

Bad Jan. This is totally my fault, because I spent all my free time getting my first Presents into Mills and Boon on time. Which I did. 🙂

So I started training Samson to heel today. His first lesson was fifteen minutes, and after five minutes of him jerking my shoulder out of the socket, he learned that the collar biting wasn’t fun. And he started to listen to me. My voice commands. My hand commands. And my body language.

At the end of that sesson, Samson was walking beside me like a good boy. He stopped when I stopped, and when I told him sit he sat.

So maybe this won’t be such a chore to train him to the leash. See, I want to take walks with Sam when I get off work–when the weather cools, like my friend Edie Ramer does with her dog Skye. And I’m not about to tolerate getting dragged up the sidewalk by a dog that is beginning to look like a young lion now.

Plus, Samson just needs to learn to heel for his own protection. He needs to trust me to look out for him, like I trust him to be my guard dog and my companion dog.

So, while my friends were off in San Francisco this week, having loads of fun and networking, I did churn out pages on my second Presents for Mills & Boon. And the added bonus of teaching Samson how to be a gentleman in public.

That was my question to me about a week ago when I realized I’d fallen behind my own schedule. Plug your ears while I scream.

For the record I’ve cranked my timetable down in the draft stage so I have wiggle room later on. Now, knowing this and sticking with my own schedule have been two different things. I’m not a fast starter on stories–I know what I want, what the story needs, but the getting there is sloooow.

I’ve beat myself up trying too hard this time. I was thinking too hard too. I was defeating myself.

Yeah, that sounds stupid, but believe me I can overthink things. Sometimes I just need a kick to get me back on track. Sometimes I just have to sit down, close my eyes and type.

That’s what I did to crank out pages the past week. I typed without editing. And it worked–I’m where I should be with my second Presents right now, and I like what I’ve written.

So one big hurdle down. For now. 🙂

My mom used to say people who could shovel in all kinds of rich, fatty, greasy, and/or spicy food and never get sick had cast iron guts. I’ve known people like that too, but I’ve never seen a dog who could eat things that they shouldn’t consume and not puke all over creation.

Until I adopted Samson.

This dog defied logic the first week when he ate a houseplant that is supposedly toxic to animals. Sam farted, belched and went on his way, not even slowed down from his exuberant energetic self. And yes, I waited nervously, sure he’d get sick. (Ofcourse this happened on a weekend)

I’d placed this particular plant in a room and closed the door, but Sam can open lever doors–unless they’re locked. The hell of it is, all the doors in the house are levers, which means Sam pretty much does what he pleases. Thank God he’s housebroke!

Still, my plants in those early days…

Hear me sigh?

As Sam has matured (insert belly laugh) he’s devoured things both edible and not without a hitch. Yep, cast iron gut.

His latest chew toy? A jalepeno pepper from my garden. The wretch snitched a pepper off the vine, and had great fun chewing and tossing it around the patio.

I kept thinking the burn would get to him, but it didn’t. He’d bite it, toss it and run around the patio like his ass was on fire (which it probably was the next day. )

It was his game until he finally ate most of that pepper and tired of it, or maybe the burn got to him. Touch fire, ouch! Eat fire, whooza ouch!

Dunno, but he hasn’t ventured near the jalenpenos again. But he has helped himself to a tomato or two. And if I didn’t have so many cucumbers setting on, I’d fear for them.

Yep, Sam has a cast iron cut. Butcha know, I’d be happy to have his bladder endurance. 🙂

Me. 🙂

In case you didn’t catch the news, I signed a contract to write two novels for Harlequin Presents. I am thrilled, and turned in the first novel over a week ago. The tentative release date for The Billionaire Pirate’s Pregnant Mistress is May 09.

This weekend, I started the second novel for Presents. Really excited about it so far, but then I’m a long way from the headbanging what happens next part.

It’s going to be a hectic summer with a full time job and a tight writing schedule. Good thing I’m not going to RWA National Conference this year. Check the sidebar for a progress meter on the new Harlequin novel. I’ll post one soon.

Speaking of day job, it’s time for me to head off to work. A shame 30 hours a week isn’t considered full time.