Dark Thoughts

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Apartment Life #541

This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment ~~Hell~~ Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 27 years that I've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 27 years here in a weekly blog post.

While walking Falcor along the walking path next to the soundwall, I noticed a couple of police cars driving away and then noticed that there was an ambulance and fire truck still in the parking lot. I watched them come out of liquor store that's right there. They had a woman who walked over to the ambulance and she got on the gurney and they took her to the ER. I have no idea why though. Could have been anything. It's still hot here so it could have been heat exhaustion as well. I'll never know for sure though.

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Earlier this week my daughter's friend, Tia who lives in my courtyard got a call from a co-worker and said she needed help because of her abusive boyfriend. So Tia got her girlfriend, my daughter and another neighbor to go with her to pick the coworker up. But when they pulled up to get her the boyfriend was in a Vay rental car and followed them, chasing them through the streets. So Tia called the police and had the police stop him. The co-worker stayed with Tia for a few days, went back with the police standing by and packed up her stuff and left.

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On Wednesday right around dinner time I heard a lady in my courtyard screaming for help and for someone to call the police. I went outside to see what was going on and her ex-boyfriend was following her around the courtyard while she was screaming, "Just get away from me." And she's telling people to call the police. At that time my neighbor came outside as well and she and I both said come over here to us.

As soon as he saw me and my neighbor standing outside willing to get involved, he booked it away. We went over to her and asked her if she was okay and make sure he didn't hurt her or the baby she had in her arms and she said she was fine. She didn't need the police anymore and she said she needed to go back inside and call his parole officer and report what just happened with him. But I told her if anything like that ever happens again and she needs help just to knock on my door, that I'm always home. She said she was really thankful that someone came out to help her.

I had taken Falcor out for a walk about 30 minutes later and saw that he was sitting in his car in our alley. And when I got back from my walk my next door neighbor was standing by my door talking to my daughter and she said that he had just come back to that lady's door and was knocking on the door and she did not answer so my neighbor stood there and stared at him until he went back to his car. But he was still sitting in his car when I went outside later. Nothing else happened with them that I heard.

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The high this week was 101F/38C

The low this week was 74F/23C

Oh, and we are bracing for the remnants of Hurricane Rachel tonight and tomorrow. If we get the rain and winds that they have been telling we are going to get, I should have some good pictures, hopefully.

So that's it for this week's Apartment ~~Hell~~ Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Saturday Vittles

Tomato Flight

My daughter saw something called a Tomato Flight and wanted to try it for me and her.

What is a Tomato Flight? (I had no idea either)

A tomato flight is a colorful, customizable platter of tomato slices topped with a variety of cheeses, herbs, meats, and sauces, perfect for summer entertaining or a creative snack.

So she made 6 slices of a large tomato and topped them with different toppings including, pepperoni, avocado, bacon, cucumber, cream cheese and lox, black olives, green olives, lettuce, seafood salad, cottage cheese, queso fresco cheese, bell pepper, and mint.

The tin in the middle is smoked oysters.

We halved all the tomatoes and the tin of oysters. It was really good.

I didn't keep track of the calories for this but since we cut all the tomatoes with the toppings in half, I don't think it was much over what I usually have for dinner.

For desert later we had Banana Cream Pudding

Zero Sugar Banana Cream Pudding and a handful of Catalina Crunch Protein Cereal

I used the Jello brand zero sugar pudding and made it according to the directions. I added a handful of the Catalina Crunch protein cereal to it. I won't be using the Catalina Crunch protein cereal again, I don't like it. I reviewed it here. But the pudding was great. It's a nice, sweet treat.

A 1/2 cup serving of pudding is 50 calories.

Would you eat either of these?

Friday, October 09, 2026

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, where I tell you what free samples and full-sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

I cashed out a $10 Amazon giftcard from a survey site.

Zolli Gum Popz from Try Products

Hero Cosmetics under eye rescue patches- from Hero Skin Squad

I won a Goodreads Giveaway!

A coupon for a free dog treat from Purina

Macy's perfume samples

A Daily Goodie Box that I won on FB

Wet cat food that I gave to my neighbor who has a cat

Strawberry lube (lol)

A full size bottle of batiste dry shampoo

Knorr chicken and tomato chicken bouillon powder from Influenster

My grandson really liked the Zolli gum popz. The Hero eye patches didn't really do anything for my under eyes.

My daughter and I shared the Daily Good Box snacks and I filled the candy bowl with the Zolli gum popz. My grandson is happy.

The perfume smells really good and I love the dry shampoo.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Thursday, October 08, 2026

Book Review: Bound To You by S. Courtney

Book Description

Welcome to a world where fate, love, faith, and family collide.

The Bound Series follows interconnected characters as they navigate fated mates, wolf shifter politics, family legacies, redemption, and the challenges of choosing who they are meant to become. Whether guided by destiny or tested by dark forces, each story proves that the strongest bonds are the ones worth fighting for.

Kamari Lee is a small-town artist known for her striking wolf paintings, driven by a deep, unexplainable attachment to them. Though her studio is popular, she refuses to sell her wolf artwork. One day, Kayden Miller, the Alpha of the Cheshire pack, enters her shop while searching for art supplies. He’s drawn to her instantly, especially as he watches her paint a white wolf that feels strangely familiar. Their encounter ignites a powerful connection and reveals that there is far more to Kamari, and their bond, than either of them understands.

My Review

Kamari and Kayden’s connection is definitely the heart of the story. I like how sweet their relationship is and how their meeting feels fated, tied together by dreams, visions, and the wolves they both paint. It gives the romance a mystical, destined quality that fits perfectly with a shifter world.

I like the worldbuilding, it was imaginative and different from other paranormal romances. The author clearly put thought into the pack dynamics, the legacy magic, and the supernatural elements. Phoenix, Kayden’s wolf, is a standout character but also funny, protective, and entertaining.

Now, the pacing was great. I read this book in one sitting. The romance itself is sweet and emotional. I appreciated that it wasn’t the typical werewolf trope and felt fresh and unique.

The characters and the interesting world really kept me invested and reading.

Overall, I think this book has a lot of heart. It’s fast, sweet, imaginative, and will resonate with readers who enjoy fated‑mate shifter romances like I do.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

Wednesday, October 07, 2026

Favorite Picture of the Week

Sunrises this week. Monday. There were a few clouds this week so some days there were clouds at sunrise too.

Tuesday around 5:30 AM Falcor gets me up around the same time each morning.

Wednesday sunrise. A lot more clouds this day.

Thursday morning sunrise. No clouds this day.

Tuesday, October 06, 2026

Book Review: Reluctant Guardian by Elisha Bugg

Book Description

He’s a Guardian, sworn to protect the creatures of lore. She’s a human who can’t remember her past.

WEAK. BROKEN. ROGUE.

That’s how Thane Marrok, wolf shifter, and soldier in the elite organization known as The Guardians, sees himself - forced to live a lonely and tortured existence after witnessing the death of his family at the hands of humans.

When he's forced to return to the place where all his nightmares began, he comes face to face with an unfamiliar human female who triggers the wolf’s deepest, darkest desires.

Can Thane put his past behind him and be the protector, and lover, that Anya needs? Or will he succumb to his hatred of her kind, and lose the woman meant to be his for eternity?

HUNTED. GUARDED. BETRAYED.

Anya Shaw leads a quiet, uneventful existence until the appearance of a black wolf turns her life upside down. Now she's involved in a world she never knew existed, hunted for reasons she doesn't understand, and guarded by a man she never expected.

Can she unlock the secrets of her past, and her heart, in time to tame the wolf and save Thane from himself? Or will the hunters get there first, destroying any hope they have left?

My Review

This is the first book I've read in the Otherworld Guardians series, and I went in not knowing much about it - but I ended up really enjoying the ride.

Anya is thrown into the supernatural world fast, and I liked that she wasn’t instantly perfect or powerful. She’s confused, scared, and honestly just trying to survive, which made her feel real. Thane, her reluctant guardian, is exactly what the title promises: grumpy, stubborn, protective, and absolutely determined to pretend he doesn’t care. Spoiler: he cares. A lot.

The dynamic between them is one of my favorite parts of the book. Thane tries so hard to keep his distance, but every time danger shows up, he’s right there shielding her with that “I don’t want to be here but I absolutely do” energy. Anya pushes back, questions everything, and refuses to be treated like a fragile doll. Their back‑and‑forth felt natural and gave the story some great tension.

There’s a good amount of action in this book- attacks, chases, secrets being revealed, and it kept me engaged the whole time. The worldbuilding is interesting, too. We get glimpses of the supernatural hierarchy, the guardian system, and hints about Anya’s true nature. I do wish a few things had been explained a little more clearly, but I still liked the story.

The romance is definitely a slow burn. There’s attraction, there’s tension, but nothing feels rushed. Thane is the classic “I’m dangerous, stay away from me” hero, and Anya is the “I’m not listening to that” heroine. It works.

My only real complaint is that the ending felt a little abrupt - not a full cliffhanger, but definitely a setup for book two. Still, I liked the characters enough that I want to keep going with the series.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

Monday, October 05, 2026

Happy Raturday!

*All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Sunday, October 04, 2026

Apartment Life #540

The police are still parking their cars on my street and just sitting and watching. It's funny because since they've been doing this the homeless people have been scarce. They must be holed up in the tunnels or squatting in the vacant houses around here.

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I've been seeing a lot of jumping spiders around here lately. This one was in my bedroom. He went back outside. He's so fuzzy! He was about the size of a dime. I see a lot of them with his coloring.

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Two other days this week I spotted the police parked and sitting in their cars. It sure is keeping things quiet around here.

Another day the police parked around the corner close to the sound wall. They sit there for a little while and slowly drive off. Not that I'm complaining, it's keeping things nice and calm around here. I don't even see many tweakers or homeless people out causing problems, so that's good.

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You might have heard that there was a shooting here in Las Vegas this past Friday for a First Friday event. My daughter and grandson was supposed to have gone there that night with my daughter's friend, Tia. She lives in our courtyard and invited my daughter and grandson to go but my daughter wasn't feeling good and they didn't go. Thankfully Tia was not hurt during the shooting but she did witness one of the people who was shot, die. Very sad all around.

The high this week was 98F/36C

The low this week was 66F/18C

So that's it for this week's Apartment ~~Hell~~ Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

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I also wanted to let you guys know that my daughter has some handmade Halloween things for sale on Ebay, as well as some other things, if you'd like to check it out.

Here's a couple of pictures of some things she has for sale on Ebay in case your curious.