_A Taste of You_, Jennifer Stevenson (kindle)

This is in the same magic-intrudes-on-our-world-and-specifically-Chicago (and Pittsburgh) as _The Brass Bed_ etc. by Stevenson, however there are only a few overlapping characters.

In this outing, a young-appearing woman got a coin -- less toxic than the coins in Jim Butcher, but the same general idea: what do you want i'll give it to you type of thing. She did not know that her other mother had already used it. Chloe uses it to turn herself into an energy vampire, only she sort of missed a couple possible consequences. Also, she's a vegan.

She's been living this half-starved life for two plus decades when a guy who claims to be a Federal agent but appears to be operating on a shoestring budget enters her life and asks her to investigate Dr. Katterfelto (one of the overlapping characters, IIRC). Antics ensue.

It's a lot of fun, and includes a whole roller derby team, as well as having part of the magical energy problem being resolved in a way that reflects my ideas about attachment. I may go back and reread the series; there's supposed to be another one out later this year.

_Risk is a Four Letter Word_, Erin M. Leaf (kindle)

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_What You Really Really Want_, Jaclyn Friedman (kindle)

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Product Review: Sof'feet Callus Reducer

Like every other somewhat obscure product I buy, I got it online, in this case from Amazon. I'm prone to developing thick calluses. This used to be a good thing -- thick skin = go barefoot without trouble. Really, all I had to worry about was to remember to remove glass by hand, rather than by rubbing the bottom of one foot on the top of the other (I got a bad cut that way, once). However, dry air and increasing age have made my skin prone to cracking, which I remember my father complaining about so this is probably genetic.

Anyway. I knew that lotion could help this problem, but only up to a point (also: requires diligence). About a year ago, I bought some pumice stones, but they are pathetic. I was not prepared to go the sandpaper route without at least trying other products (also, emery boards were clearly too wimpy and I didn't really want to think about the grade of paper I was going to need). Amazon's reviews seemed to think this was worth a try.

Wow. Is it ever. Do _not_ touch the screen with your fingers -- they'll catch at a minimum and if you are a Delicate, Fragile Flower, they might do some damage. The handle means you can safely go after a heel callus, however; when the screen fills, you really can just tap the ewww off and continue (however I have noticed it is dulling, so I've ordered replacement screens). You're supposed to use it on dry feet, which is convenient -- no prep involved, really (altho I suppose if your feet were really dirty that might be an issue).

The flaky-cracky-mess has been reduced to a nicely shaped, useful pad, which is what Nature Intended, and I even managed not to overshoot (which seems to happen on those incredibly rare occasions when I submit to a pedicure) and leave too little to walk on unshod. If something weird happens and the handle breaks or the replacement screens don't fit, I'll post an update; otherwise, consider this an unqualified recommend for those with persistently, overly thick skin around the heels and elsewhere.

ETA: Read the warning label; if you have limited feeling in your feet, you could hurt yourself.

Daily Activities Include: the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (for T.)

Poor T. He really does not like Change. I don't either (really, you have to be very different from us to like Change), but it's much, much worse for him and not just because he is Still Very Young.

Today, he took two bad hits. First, Nara closed the beach due to e. coli. See, _this_ is why we don't feed the geese, why we chase them away, why we mess with their eggs and, in a pinch, start killing them. Take one look at their reproductive pattern and life expectancy and you can see the issues (really, it is amazing they ever got close to extinction).

Second, we had the driveway sealcoated, which is basically repairing and adding another layer of petro-whatsis to it. You can't walk on it, much less drive on it, so we parked the cars on the side street. T. is very Particular about the cars being put away and the status of the garage doors and so forth and This Was Wrong. *sigh*

R. and T. sat in the garage for probably an hour (inhaling fumes) assimilating the change and discussing when it would go back to normal, and going in circles.

Other than that, it was a fun day. A. got a Daisy Duck to go with her Minnie and T.'s Mickey (these are the big plush ones), which means, predictably, that today she requested a Donald. I'm betting by the end of next week, I'll be receiving demands for Pluto and Goofy. She is currently asleep underneath Minnie and Daisy. I was pleased to hear the duck and mouse chatting in the back seat on the way home from the pool this afternoon.