Disclaimer: I owe everything to The Maker, Charlaine Harris, who is the nicest lady you will ever meet. Seriously. I owe her a lot! And to my TBC gang, thanks for a fantastic weekend at Comic Con!

I checked the locks. I checked the windows. I checked them again. I checked my packing list, saved on Google Docs so I could jot down anything that occurred to me, wherever I was. Checked the luggage, repacked everything at least 20 times.

.o0o.

My name is Sookie and I have OCD. Since I'm compelled, I'll tell you that stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Let me just also tell you, it is a JOY to live with. I also live with a little disorder known as Fibromyalgia. It's a real treat, too. It's basically two-pronged: pain and fatigue. If the pain isn't getting you on any given day, you're knocked over by a fatigue wave. Oodles of fun.

That's not to say my life sucks; it doesn't. Well, it kind of does. Some does. There are days I can't get out of bed. On those days, when I look around my bedroom and make mental lists (or Google Docs) of all the things I want to do or need to do when I feel up to it, my netbook is my best friend. I've even named it: Wee Pinky PC. (as opposed to my older, heavy, but infinitely cooler Mac)

The netbook is small and light enough that I can carry it around without it wearing me out, and it connects me to the world, via the little joy known as the Internet (thanks, Al Gore!). Of course, it also gets me into trouble, known as a little thing known as ebay, and compulsive online shopping, but that's another issue altogether.

The days when I can't get out of bed, those are the days I would feel trapped if it weren't for my netbook. I lurrrrvvvveee it; it's even pink, my "signature color"! LOL Sorry about the quotes and emoticons and online slang, BTW, it's kind of my thing. Or thang, as you would hear if you could hear me talk.

I'm from a small town in LA (or Looosiannna) called Bon Temps. "Laissez le Bon Temps Rouler" as I like to think. Let the good times roll! It's not much, but it's home. My ex-boyfriend, Bill, helped me fix up my old farmhouse with wi-fi so I can take my lil pink pal all over the place, and even out to my hammock in the yard and pick up the net. I used to work at a waitress at the local B&G, Merlotte's, but since being diagnosed with FM, that's just not happening anymore. I still pop in every now and again to see my old boss, Sam, who owns it, and my friends Arlene and Holly who still wait tables there. And, of course, Lafayette, the chef, who can make me smile on the worst days. He calls me pretty often to make sure my spirits are up. It can be hard to live out in the boonies in an old farmhouse sometimes.

That's why I'm glad Bill lives across the cemetery. We may not have made it as a couple, but we still soldier on as friends. I still remember what I liked about him - he's so calm and collected. Of course, that can get a bit dull when you're like me and love to laugh and have a bit of fun. Which, in the end, is why we didn't work out - our senses of humor didn't mesh. But, no harm no foul and we still hang out sometimes, which comes in handy since we're both pretty isolated out here. Bill's a computer programmer and works from home - talk about isolated!

I will admit to being lonely, though. Bill and I had a fun time between the sheets, and well, I'm in my prime here, and a girl has needs that products from can only fulfill for so long. A 'rabbit' like that doesn't have fuzzy legs and drape an arm over you at night.

For a while I thought something might happen with Sam, my old boss. We had a fun time flirting while I worked there, and he's certainly a great guy. We even went out on a date, and he's fixed some things around here that my shiftless brother, Jason, never seems to find time to get around to doing. But, for one reason and another, nothing ever came of it. Either I was dating Bill or Sam was dating a bartender; our timing was just off.

Thank God for Facebook. I'd have a totally empty life if it wasn't for that. Well, and my books. I'm a big reader - you have to be when you spend a lot of your life home-bound and bed-bound. I'm totally hooked on this series about a telepathic girl who hooks up with vampires. I know, right? It sounds totally implausible, but I'm telling you, they're like book crack - once you get started on them you're hooked!

I found a group of friends online who are also hooked on the books and we've become like a little family. We're even planning get-togethers - some of us have already met in small groups, which leads me up to why I'm packing and repacking, and making and checking lists: I'm going to Atlanta. Or, for more reasons than one to me, HOTlanta!