Cheese Please!

Could I get a little cheese over here to go with all the whine I've been getting lately?

"Dad's being mean."

"If we have to go to Hamilton to visit your sister and take the kids to London on the same day that's over 11 hours of driving."

"Boyfriend ate my crackers and drank my diet Pepsi."

"Why do we have to visit nephew and new great-nephew when we take the kids to London?"

"Why can't you spend the night here and they can pick you up on the way to London tomorrow?"

The last one was from my sisters and it was actually pretty nice. Surprisingly nice really. They wanted me to stay the night in Hamilton so we could have a sisterly bonding time.

Husband was grumpier than a bear rousted from hibernation and even though sister #1 had him grudgingly agree, in the end I decided it wasn't a good idea. Yeah, I might have had fun for a single night, but I'd have to put up with his pissy mood for the next week. Plus I didn't think it was fair that the daughter and the daughter's boyfriend would have to put up with his even pissier mood if I'd stayed.

So, in the end it was decided that we'd have a sisterly bonding adventure in April.

Husband's mood improved greatly once he'd eaten supper.

Mental note, make sure husband is well fed at all times tomorrow when we make the final move of daughter, daughter's boyfriend and daughter's cats to London.

Happy Boxing Day!

I hope everyone's Christmas was both Holly and Jolly. Mine veered a little towards the stressful and tiring, but it was still good.

The tree is still upright, no thanks to Oliver. The first time he climbed it I took pictures. Second time, I just pulled him out and set him on the floor. Third time, I spanked his little butt. Fourth time, I spanked a little harder. Fifth time I pulled him out by the scruff of his neck AND smacked his little butt. Sixth time he went for a time-out in the spare bedroom. So far there hasn't been a seventh time.

I cannot believe how quickly he's adjusted to living here. Okay, adjusting took two days, now he's in charge. It doesn't matter how often the big cats hiss at him, he wants to play, and play he will! They mostly hide from him.

Between his fearlessness and feistiness he seems to be the perfect companion for Sammie. Apparently she thinks so too because she's starting to play with him. Finally, someone who likes to play chase!

It's a Christmas miracle.

And then there was seven . . .

Sammie, the daughter's cat, has pretty much taken over. She has complete run of the house now and she rules with an iron paw. When she's hungry, she eats what she pleases, whether it's out of another cat's bowl or off your plate. When she wants to play, she plays, and if the other cats are sleeping she'll roust one of them awake and they will play - and like it. When she's mad, stay out of her way or she'll mow you down.

Did I mention she weighs less than 6 pounds?

On the other hand, she's been having so much fun playing with the others that the daughter decided Sammie needs a little companion.

Enter one of my co-workers, whose cat had kittens. The original idea was she'd hang onto the kitten until the daughter was ready to move. Due to a string of incredibly bad luck on my co-worker's part, the kitten needed a home ASAP.

Do you see where this is leading?

We took delivery this morning. He's fiesty and fearless, a cuddley ball of orange and white fur. He's charmed the daughter and I, the rest of the cats are not impressed, Sammie most of all.

The husband doesn't know yet. I suspect he'll be even less impressed than Sammie.

Christmas Miracle

So, yesterday we drove to Quinte Mall (about 45 minutes to the East)to knock off as much of the remaining Christmas shopping as we could. The miracle was not that we finished our shopping, although we did come close, the miracle was finding a parking place about 5 cars up from the main mall entrance. Trust me, it's a huge lot and people were parking in places I didn't think possible to park in.

We also got up there and back without hitting the Big Storm everyone has been anticipating for the last few days. Well, everyone but me that is.

I like snowstorms. If it has to be winter, I want snow and lots of it. For the last few days there were dire predictions of a major winter storm heading our way. Every time time someone mentioned it the amount of snow we were supposed to get increased. I stopped listening after the prediction reached 60 centimetres.

Call me cynical, but I've heard it all before. And I've been disappointed when buses are cancelled and schools closed and we end up with nary a flake in sight. Mostly the bad weather skips over us or goes right out over Lake Ontario.

That being said, we did get snow today. Not nearly as much as predicted, but the wind is blowing it around pretty good making it look worse than it is.

We'll need a lot more before I'll be satisfied.

'Tis the Season

Ah ha, you doubting Thomases. I DID get the tree up on the weekend. And a very pretty little Christmas tree it is.

That, however, is not what I was referring to in the title. No, I'm referring to the season of unpredictable weather. Going from warm to cold and back again, with rain, snow or ice in between. Storms that spring up out of no where. Like the one the daughter got hit with on the way home from Kingston today.

The good news is, she and the boyfriend are okay. If you call a broken nose, slight concussion and many aches and pains okay. It could have been much worse.

Her spiffy little black Sunfire, on the other hand, is a write-off. To be honest, I think that car was cursed. It's been more bad luck that good. This was its third accident (none of which were the daughter's fault). Time for a more substantial vehicle.

Anyone know where we can find a good, used, armour-plated car? Or maybe a tank?

Continued

I promised to explain about the Christmas lights, didn't I?

We got a memo at work encouraging us to bring in our own Christmas decorations to decorate with at work. Since I sit in a semi permanent seat I grabbed a string of coloured lights on my way out the door one night and they're draped around my work station and over my monitor. Tonight I have to remember to take some tape with me to work so I can tape them down.

I'm thinking this weekend is going to be the weekend to put the Christmas tree up. The daughter wanted a real tree this year, so I said if we get a real tree we'd be listening to real Christmas music. Artificial tree it is. We have six very active (at times) cats. I could picture her cat appointing herself as the tree topper.

Random Acts

I was gifted by a random act of kindness today.

One of my co-workers came over to say hello and then told me there was something different about me today. I suggested I was probably still looking ill from my Joe Louis experience.

She assured me, however, that it was a good something different. Not being the kind of person to take a compliment seriously, I suggested it was the reflection of Christmas lights surrounding my monitor (more about that later).

But no, apparently this change was due to something inside of me. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was a good change coming from within. I think that's one of the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

Lesson Learned

So, I was checking out the kitchen a couple of nights ago for a snack to include in my lunch for work and I came across a box of Joe Louis in the cupboard. These, for the uninformed, are flat, round, cake-like snacks with cream filling and covered in chocolate. Perfect for a late night snack. So I threw one into my lunch.

Fast forward to 4:30 a.m. Which is my work lunch time. I eat my sandwich and my clementine, and now it's time for desert. I unwrap my chocolaty treat and take a big bite.

Wait a minute, this doesn't taste right. I finish chewing and swallow. Why do I have this incredibly bad taste in my mouth? I look at the Joe Louie I'd just taken a bite out of and the first thing I noticed was the creamy white filling was pink. The second thing I noticed was the faint fuzziness around the edges.

Joe Louis are not supposed to be fuzzy. Or have pink filling.

Lesson learned. Don't eat snacks that you don't know how long have been kicking around for.

Excuse me while I go clean out my cupboard.

Couldn't Resist!

Get a Cash Advance

I checked this out on someone else's blog and when I got a rating like that it was a little hard to resist including it here.

It also motivates me into doing better at keeping up with the posting, as well as the other writing. This should make my sister happy as it's not only the posting and writing that I've been slacking with lately, my e-mailing and letter writing has suffered as well.

Hopefully I'm over the hump and back on the writing road.

White Flag

Things I learned from last year’s Nano:
- I need to know the end of my story before I can begin it.
- I need a bare bones outline to follow
- the outline does not need to be carved in stone

What I learned from this year’s Nano:
- ideas do not write themselves
- I suck at contemporary/slice of life
- too much pressure dries the writing up

My writing buddy has the right idea, write at your own speed. It’s time to let the Nano go. I’ll stick with the 70 Days of Sweat, but I’m not going to obsess about it.

Missed it Again!

Do you know who's playing tonight in Hamilton, where my sister lives? Click HERE if you want to find out.

I think when I get get my calendar for next year I'm going to put a big stick note on the month of November to remind me to check for concert dates.

They're my favorite band, the ticket prices are pretty damn reasonable, and I've never seen them live.

It truly sucks to be me.

The Road to Hell . . .

. . . is paved with good intentions.

I'm not just on the road, I built the damn road!

Here it is, the last day of my vacation. I started out with such good intentions and where did it get me? On the road to hell.

All the big plans I had for this week have pretty much come to naught. But as a good friend pointed out, it wasn't due to laziness, it was my depression kicking in.

There are times when my depression gets the better of me, when the medication and the coping mechanisms just don't work. And it seems that the more I fight it the worse it gets.

Despite everything I didn't get done, I'm leaving the week on a hopeful note. I did get some writing done, and I think the story is going to be a good one.

Lazyitis

So, I have a confession to make. My lap top has been pretty much set to go since last weekend. So why haven't I been writing? Because I'm lazy. That's why.

I've done a lot of reading in the last week. For inspiration, you ask? No, because I'm lazy and didn't feel like doing anything else.

I booked vacation time for this week last December, figuring I'd need it to give my Nano word count a boost. Boy do I know me or what? Ask me how I've done on my Nano word count. Go, on. I dare you.

Nada, zip, zilch, zero.

My first priority today was to finish the letter I started to my sister in July, so I added 2,000 words to that, but they don't count for either challenge. But at least her letter is done and I can get it in the mail tomorrow.

Now, despite the fact that my house should be condemned by the Department of Health and my plants are in serious need of attentions (and water), I am not budging from this recliner until I've written at least 2,000 words that actually count towards something.

Unless I have to go to the bathroom.

And then get distracted.

Blessed All Souls Day

Hopefully this marks a turning in my luck. You notice there was no Wednesday quiz or Happy All Hallow’s Eve. Nor was there any kind of word count reported. There is a reason for this.

My beloved laptop has a Trojan. And we’re not talking condoms people.

*Sigh*

That, combined with the mighty mother of all migraines has equalled a totally unproductive week for me. My friendly, neighborhood computer geek (for the price of a peanut butter cheesecake) has got it to the point where I can sort of use it until he has time to wipe the hard drive. I tell my virus protection to get rid of it about 20 times before it finally does, and then I’m good to go. But it’s back again every time I turn the computer on and I have to go through the removal again.

But at least it’s buying me a little time to back up my files and important crap. Thank God for thumb drives!

Learning Curve

I have learned two things about my writing this week.

First, I cannot write sex scenes when there is anyone else in the house.

Second, my daughter is a more dedicated writer than I am.

Earlier in the week we were sitting in the living room watching America's Next Top Model. We both had our lap tops out, we both had the urge to write. It went something like this:

Her: plinkety plinkety plink plink plinkety plink
Me: tap tappa pause pause tap
Her: plinka plinka plinka plink plink plinkety
Me: tap tap pause tap pause delete delete delete

The end result:
Her: I only got ten pages done.
Me: Shut up and pass me the chips.

Check In

Yesterday may have been a total bust as far as writing went, but I did better today. I got about 600 words done on Changeling, which brings me to almost 2000 words total so far on the Sweatin' Challenge.

One of Those Days . . .

Have you ever had one of those days where you sit down to write and the words just flow out of you? You know what I mean, when the writing is so effortless that it’s a wonder your typing can keep up with the flow.

This is not one of those days.

Neither was yesterday.

Instead, this is one of those days where the writing is going nowhere fast. When the words are stuck so firmly in my head that even dynamite can’t shake them loose.

I’ve been sitting here in my office for the last couple of hours staring at the screen on my lap top and nothing. Don’t feel like reading; went to the AW message board for inspiration but didn’t find any; don’t really have any distractions.

Yet still I sit. The day outside is grey, cool and windy. Maybe my words have gone into hibernation for the winter.

Maybe I just need a nap.

Check In

I must admit, I'm a little disappointed in myself. I've only added another 750 words to my word count since my last check in.

My mind just keeps revolving, scattering my thoughts hither and yon. I'm doodling with words, not creating with them.

It's not that I don't know where to go with any of my WIP - I have oodles of ideas churning around inside this thick skull of mine. I just don't seem all that motivated to evict them from my head onto the page.

Maybe I'm afraid if I get rid of them by writing I'll have nothing left in my head. Hey, it's a thought!

Quiz Day

What Kind of Angel are you?

GUARDIAN ANGEL
you love to help, you can't bear someone suffering, you give hope and calm to the world
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Missed It

You know, the problem with missed opportunities is that they seldom appear again.

Today was a breath-takingly beautiful day. The fall colours were extreme, the air was warm with just a breath of coolness, the sun was out in all its glory. I was even up by a decent hour.

But instead of getting out and enjoying the weather while it lasts, I piddled around at this and that. Then I decided to get some writing done which meant I had to shovel off my desk first (which was no one's fault but my own 'cause I started using it as a dumping ground).

Then I had a nap which I really didn't need and when I woke up went back to more picking up and piddling around.

The only good thing to come out of this story is the fact while I was sleeping I was visited by the plot bunny dream fairy who showed me how to get over a plot hurdle in Lost and Found.

So in the end, I guess the day wasn't a total loss. But I swear, if tomorrow is even half as beautiful as today was I'm going to get out there and enjoy it. Even if it's just to have a cup of tea on the deck.

Weather

Is it just me or does it seem like the weather gods are messing with us lately?

Yesterday was incredibly foggy. And the fog got worse the further from the lake you got, which makes no sense at all. The sunrise was beautiful though, it tinted the fog pink and then we got a thunder storm. So picture a pink sky with the sun trying to peer through, and flashes of lightning through the pink.

Then today it poured rain all day. And it's been getting steadily warmer. It's crazy, I tell you!

The cable was out last night, which turned out to be both a good and a bad thing. It was bad because I missed Smallville, and I was really looking forward to it! But it was good because without television or internet, I got some good writing done. For once I'm actually looking forward to the Sunday check-in.

Quiz Day

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You?

Check In

Well, it's not the strongest start I've ever made, but it's a start. I have to admit I've been pretty scattered this week. Seriously scattered. To the point where I'm contemplating carrying a little notebook around with me to remind me of stuff.

Total word count so far this week is 1,086. I think I'm going to have to create a spread sheet to keep track of just how much progress I'm making and on which WIP. I get confused easily.

It's a Go

I was thinking during the writing blitz I may have to cut back on my posting, but I forgot I could probably post from work if I have to.

Admittedly, I'm getting off to a slow start. I got some writing done yesterday but I'm feeling like crap today and don't feel the least bit guilty about not getting much done. I feel more guilty for not getting the daughter's birthday cheesecake made, but that's another story.

Since the check ins for the 70 Days of Sweat are Wednesdays and Sundays, those are the days I'll update my Zokutou bars and post my progress.

And so it begins.

Insanity

Okay, I've officially lost my mind. I have signed up for both the 70 Days of Sweat and the Nanowrimo.

The 70 Days of Sweat begins October 15 and runs until January 15. The extra few days is to give us a break over the holidays. I'm going to attempt to finish my 3 current works in progress for the necessary sweating wordage. If you, too, would like to sweat, click HERE.

The National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) begins on November 1 and ends November 30. I will be starting a new piece for this challenge. If you would like a more difficult challenge, you can sign up HERE.

And no, I don't consider it cheating to have booked a week's holidays in November. One, I failed to complete either challenge last time so my goal is to complete at least one of them this time around. And two, last time (when I failed) I was doing the challenges separately. This time I'll be doing them at the same time.

Like I said. I've lost my mind.

Coolness

This is so totally cool I just had to share. If you've ever wondered whether you think mostly with the left side or the right side of your brain, click HERE

Someone posted this on the Absolute Write Office Party forum. You look at the picture and you'll see the woman spinning either clockwise or counter-clockwise. If you try hard enough, you might be able to make her change direction.

It was very interesting to see the replies to the post. While a few people, like me, could only see her spin in one direction, many were able to make her change direction at will.

I don't know how this is possible, but I find it very fascinating.

Trouble

You know, I don't think you people realize the trouble I go to for you with those quizes. The text from the pirate's quiz was off center so I had a bit of fiddling around to get it to appear just right. And the text from the dragon quiz and the goddess quiz was really hard to read, so I had to got into the html coding to change the colour. I'm actually surprised I remember the coding.

Okay, I'll be honest here. I only vaguely remembered what to do. I ended up surfing the net for information and found a really cool html colour chat. If I had more free time I would consider making a web page again.

Even though this week was supposed to be my rest from writing to get other things done, I don't seem to be any more motivated to get other things done. I have, however, started thinking about the impending Nanowrimo. In fact, I have an idea for this year's novel. Guess that makes my decision about whether or not I'm participating pretty easy. Maybe I should start making notes before it gets away from me.

Quiz

In keeping with the previous post, here's Wednesday's quiz:

Which Reincarnation of a Goddess are you?

You're Freya!! She too is cool. The goddess of Celtic wonders and she really loves cats!!! I'm Jealous of you!!!!Just kidding, anyways, She is part of the celtic three...Not saying who, you'll have to read my story line to find out!!!
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Believe

Do you believe in reincarnation?

I most certainly do. I don't just believe, I know I've lived previous lives. I think it's more arrogant to believe that this is all there is, or that once our time here is done we'll end up in some magical paradise.

That being said, I also think it's ridiculous for those who do believe to assume that in a past life they were always someone important - a king or queen, someone of political or historic importance.

Have you ever met someone that you've either been instantly friends with, or taken an instant dislike to? It's very possible you knew them well in a previous life and there's a good reason for your reaction to them in this life. The same can be true for many of our phobias that seem to have no basis for fear.


I believe that in one of my past lives I either starved to death or watched as my family starved to death (or maybe both). I think this is why I have such a fear of someone going hungry in my house. I make too much at mealtimes, stock up on too much food when I grocery shop, and I like to stockpile.

I also believe that I was on the Titanic, probably in steerage, when it sank. I've always had a fear of drowning, although I'm not afraid of the water itself. When I was little we used to have big ships docking at our harbour and I was always terrified of them. And I used to have to drive along a stretch of road that wound along beside a river when I'd go to visit a friend and I was always afraid of driving off into the river and drowning.

So, as Muldar would say, I believe.

Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!

I'm not usually so smarmy, but when I got to thinking about it, I realized I really do have a lot to be thankful for.

I have food and shelter, good friends, and a job that's not as bad as I make it out to be.

Most of all, I'm thankful for my family. I have a husband who puts up with all of my crap, and a daughter who's surpassed all my dreams for her.

To the health and happines of one and all. Cheers!

October?

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this October? If so, then why am I sitting in the living room with the deck door wide open and the fan on? If it doesn't cool down a great deal overnight I can see having the air conditioning on tomorrow when I have to cook the turkey.

I'm starting to think that if I can't come up with more to say between Wednesdays that I should only have Quizday once a month. I think my blog is in danger of turning into quizes only.

So much for getting caught up on my bills this week. I spent an obscene amount of money on groceries - of course when the turkey was $35 it was pretty easy to run up the bill. And I sill have to go back for the stuff I missed.

Notice how I've been avoiding the subject of writing? That's because there's not much to report. When the writing's not going well I feel guilty when I keep struggling because there's always other things I could be doing. So, I'm taking a little break so I can get caught up on a few other things without guilt.

I'm giving it one more week and then it'll be time to gear up for the Nanowrimo.

Quizday!

Okay, I don't know about you, but I really like dragons!

What elemental dragon are you?

You are an Earth Dragon! You have a knack for Nature or animals, and are peaceful, careful, charming, and optimistic. You can throw a tantrum now or then, but who doesn't? You value simple things in life, such as friends, family, and Nature.
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New Month

Happy first day of October!

No, I'm not really as cheerful as that sounds. It was just to throw you off.

There's a really weird flu bug going around and it looks like I'm getting it. When you're not sleeping, you're either headachey and nauseous, or your head and chest feel like they're being compressed with pressure and you have dizzy spells. I've had it for a couple of days now and I'm ready to say adios to it.

Despite this, I got some constructiveness out of the day. Checked all my e-mails, updated my Facebook (which I'm starting to think is more trouble than it's worth) AND (drum roll please) I got some writing done. Not a lot, mind you, but it's sure better than nothing.

Happy Medium

I have got to find a happy medium between too much sleep and not enough.

I slept for nine hours yesterday, then kept falling asleep while I was watching T.V. Finally, I picked up a book to read and read until 5 a.m. I think part of the problem was I was getting too comfortable and I wasn't wearing my glasses.

The glasses part sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? Well, my eyes were getting tired and I was too lazy to go get my glasses, so I'd end up closing my eyes and then of course I'd fall asleep.

I actually like my new glasses, I'm just not used to having to wear them all the time. They're lighter and they help me see better, but they don't darken like the old ones. I'm going to have to go back to the eyeglass place and get them to fix that.

Maybe if shake the cotton out of my head I'd get back in writing mode. Maybe. The 70 Days of Sweat ended with a fizzle for me. Didn't add a word to the count I had. It's making me think twice about signing up for the Nanowrimo that's coming up soon. If I couldn't write 60,000 words in 70 days, what makes me think I can write 50,000 in 30 days?

Quizzing Wednesday

Here it is, your quiz for the week.

"Through me the way into the suffering city,
Through me the way to the eternal pain,
Through me the way that runs among the lost.
Justice urged on my high artificer;
My maker was divine authority,
The highest wisdom, and the primal love.
Before me nothing but eternal things were made,
And I endure eternally.
Abandon every hope, ye who enter here."

Yes, we're all going to Hell in a handbasket. But the questions is, which level of Hell are you going to end up in?

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Third Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Moderate
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Time For a New One

Okay, it's a beautiful day out and I was feeling somewhat energetic (notice I said was). I was sitting here trying to decide which WIP I should work on, and was even considering having all three up, when something caught my eye.

It was the living room. The very messy living room. The one with the carpet that should be shaved. Wouldn't it be nice to work in a clean living room?

You'd think so, wouldn't you. Well I turned the vacuum cleaner on and it made a horrendously loud noise. So I tried replacing the bag - I take it as a bad sign when stuff is falling out of the opening when you take the bag off.

So, fresh bag installed, I tried again. Again, horrendous noise, no suction. Okay, maybe there was something stuck in there. So I started to try and take it apart. One minor problem - no Philips screwdriver. I have checked in every conceivible place a screw driver could hide.

Then I had a fudgesicle. Now I'm going to surf the net.

Bragging Rights

I have a very important announcement to make.

No, I didn't make a sale (I wish!) but it's something every bit as exciting. My daughter was accepted into Grad school. A couple of years from now she'll be a Master.

HA! In your face University of Manitoba!

Hard to believe someone I spawned can be that smart, isn't it?

And yes, for those of you who pay attention to the time stamp, I am posting this while at work. If only I was able to do real writing at work!

New Feature

Okay, I've decided to instigate a new feature. Quizzing Wednesdays!

Every Wednesday, I am going to give you a new quiz. Why? First, because I like quizes. And Second, because if nothing else it'll force me to update my blog at least once a week.

So . . . on to the first quiz.

In honour of Talk Like a Pirate Day, I present:

My pirate name is:

Iron Mary Rackham

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

For those rabid pirate fans out there, you can also check out the following: Pirate Links

Timing

It's 1:30 a.m. and even though I have a big block of time in front of me to do writing, I just feel blah. I want Changeling to finish writing itself. And don't even suggest using a tape recorder - tape recorders are evil. At least the sound of my voice echoing back at me is evil.

This week did not go well as far as writing goes. It wasn't so much the slacking off, it was the fact that every time I sat down to get some writing done someone or something would interrupt me and I'd never get a chance to get back at it.

I've given up trying to write in the living room. People keep expecting me to be socialable if I'm in there. Of course they tend to follow me down the hall to my office to be socialable too, but at least I can pretend I'm doing serious work in here.

Productivity Smoductivity

You know, I'm really starting to get the impression that summer time is not a good time for a writing challenge. I've got the sweating part down pat, it's the writing part that I keep having trouble with.

Just when I thought it was safe to feel like a writer . . . life intruded. Company coming, family functions, kid moving back home, change in shifts at work . . . Every time I turn around it's something.

Will this week be any better? I have no clue. Tomorrow when the daughter comes home from work I have to drive her out to one of my work friends so she can ride a horse. Don't ask, it's a long story.

Next weekend I have an anniversary party to go to in Brooklyn (Ontario, not New York). I'd pass, but it's for my sister.

I'm liking my new shift very much. I wish I tried it at the beginning of the summer. I like it so much, in fact, that I'm seriously considering keeping it for the next quarter. It took me no adjustment at all to sleeping during the day. And when I wake up I'm all ready for writing (too bad I haven't actually been doing any).

So, what do I do all night when it isn't busy at work? Well, this week I crocheted a baby blanket for a friend of the daughter's. Usually I gossip or play games. This week I'm going to start printing out sections of one of my works in progress and try doing some editing. I'll let you know how it works out.

Whoot!

This is more like it. Another 3,000 words since Wednesday. That's almost 6,000 words for the week!

I'm starting to think I have a chance of completing this challenge after all!

Cooler weather and the MSN ban have helped a lot. Let's see how good I can do this week. Cross your fingers for me!

Friends

Thursday night I went to dinner with a couple of friends I used to work with (not at the cube farm). We get together once in a while, usually just for coffee.

I admit I don't usually see too much of them together, mostly because when it's the three of us the talk usually ends up being about work - their work.

It's not that I mind hearing about their work, but the employee turn-over is high there so a lot of the people and situations they're talking about are unfamiliar to me. Thursday was no different - 90% their work, 10% other stuff.

Of course that got me to thinking about the friends I currently work with. I have a lot of them on MSN and when we talk we usually end up talking about work when we have nothing else to say.

The few writing friends I have, both ones I currently work with and ones I don't, never seem to spend much time talking about their jobs. We talk mostly about reading and writing and how we'd like to quit our jobs so we'd have more time for both.

My point (you knew I'd get to a point eventually didn't you?)is that do writing friends just seem to have more to say because they're writers, or does writing create a bond that non-writers don't seem to have?

It's not like my writing friends and I talk solely about writing either, we talk about a variety of things, a never ending stream of the weird and wonderful.

I have to admit, by the time dinner was done on Thursday I was pretty tired of listening to work woes. Does this make me a bad friend?

Picking Up Speed

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I think I've hit on the secret of making real progress.

The last couple of nights I have sat down at the lap top and NOT turned MSN on. Without the distraction of people messenging me I feel like I'm finally on the right track.

Changeling itself has become more complicated than I had originally envisioned, but it's all to the good. There's a great deal of intrigue cropping up, which I hadn't really expected. At some point I'll have to go back to fill in a few gaps, but that's what second drafts are for.

So, I apologize to anyone whom I usually talk to in the evenings, but suck it up. I have lost time to make up for.

Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Plodding

I thought it was finally time to update my progress bar for Changeling.

My word counts have been so pathetic that I haven't bothered to check in at the Seventy Days of Sweat blog.

I've stopped trying to figure out what's wrong with me. I plod along, bit by bit, I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

I'm doing such a half-assed job of writing during the week, thinking that I'll make up for lost time on the weekend, but it never seems to work out that way. You'd think I'd smarten up and try harder during the week.

At this point I don't think I have a prayer of completing the 60K by the end of the challenge. But that's not going to keep me from trying. You never know, a miracle may happen.

A Musing We Will Go

I think my muse is on vacation. That's why my writing has stalled.

And she's probably vacationing someplace cold, the bitch, laughing at me having to put up with this heat wave.

I seem to be doing a lot of sweating for the Seventy Days of Sweat, but not a lot of writing.

I think I should be some where in the neighborhood of 30,000 words right now. I'm a little short.

But I'm not ready to give up yet. I'll make Sven proud yet!

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights . . .

Okay, I think I'm in serious trouble here. First, one of my friends had me add the "Pirates" application on Facebook. I'm having way too much fun with it. I think she's in cahoots with my writing buddy.

My writing buddy just happened to start talking about totems, and so naturally I had to start looking up websites. The first quiz I took said I was mostly wolf with some bear thrown in. The second one is here:

What is Your Native American Totem?

Raven
Take this quiz!








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Day ummm . . . 21? 22?

Is it just me or does it look like I'm picking up speed? Last week I only managed about 1600 words and this week it was 2500.

It would have been more but I had a lot to do on Saturday, and then Sunday I was at a Pow Wow for most of the day and then spent the evening at the in-laws.

Yes, I'm making excuses.

And imagine my surprise when I got home, fired up the lap top, and the internet went down. WTF?? Not that I actually needed it to get some last minute wordage in, but it was the principle of the thing.

Maybe this is how I'll reach my goal - concentrate on trying to surpass my word count each week. Not the total amount, but the individual week's word count.

Hey, whatever works.

Day 14

I kept putting off this post, hoping the numbers would magically change but alas they haven't.

I think I should be up around the 12000 mark by today, but as you can see I'm not even close.

Writing these days is like chronic constipation. You know it's in there, but it just doesn't want to come out.

My excuse all week has been I'll do better on the weekend. I have no excuse for the weekend. I cam home from work on Friday night and literally have not gone out once. I sit at the computer, poised to type, and nothing. I'm not even wasting time playing games. I'm just not doing anything.

It's discouraging, but I'm far from ready to give up. I just have to find my writing groove for this story. Wish me luck.

Day 7

It's not my fault!

Okay, it's partially my fault. I was not as conscientious about writing this week as I could have been, foolishly thinking I could make up my wordage this weekend.

I think by now I should be up to around 6,000 or 6500.

The weekend, of course, did not go the way I'd hoped, so now I'll have to catch up this week.

Knock wood.

I also forgot to check in at the 70 Days of Sweat website, as I was reminded by my good friend today. *sigh*

Day 2

Okay, let's be honest here. Don't expect me to post every single day of the Challenge. It's going to get way to annoying, for all of us.

I'm finding it's much easier to produce 4 pages than 850 words in a single day. I've got my beginning down, and I have a vague idea where I'm going with this, but I think I'm going to have to take a couple of days to get at least a bare outline worked out.

What works best for me is to list everything I want to happen (or think should happen) in my story, in whatever order the ideas come to me. Then I take index cards and write out a brief summary of each of these ideas, or scenes. Finally, I spread out the index cards on the dining room table and decide what order they should go in. That's my outline.

The beauty of it is it's not carved in stone. If I need to I can add or take away cards, or move them around.

The good news is, I already know how it's going to end.

Day 1

One day down, 69 more to go.

As long as I'm able to write between 850 and 1400 words a day I will be on track for the challenge.

I'm a little nervous about the piece I chose - I've had the idea for a few years now but never really did much with it. I do have a vague idea of where it's going, but it involves research *shudder*. Which is why I'm glad I met the goal early on this first day. I have the rest of the day to get organized and make some notes. Time to set out the snares for some plot bunnies.

Committed

Last year when I was floundering with my writing, I signed up for the NaNoWriMo challenge where the idea was to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I fell short of the challenge but found it was a great boost to my writing.

I've been feeling in need of another boost lately, and whilst surfing the net I came across the 70 Days of Sweat challenge. This challenge, obviously, takes place over 70 days and you can write between 60 and 100 thousand words during that time. Even at the maximum it's still giving you more time than NaNo did.

So call me crazy, but I signed up.

It's time I was more committed to my writing. Or maybe I should be committed. Something like that.

In other news, I have wheels again! It's back to the cube farm next week and I needed a ride, so the insurance is paying for a loaner for me. It's a 2007, shiny red Impala. Sweet! But it's so new and pretty I'm afraid to drive it. And God forbid I should have to park it at No Frills or Wal-Mart - people in those parking lots are insane!

Vacation

Okay, I gotta admit I expected more out of my vacation than I'm getting done.

I made a list at the beginning of the week of things I wanted to get done and told myself I'd be satisfied if I could knock one or two things off it each day. So far so good. But you know the one thing I left off my list? Writing. Is my subconscious trying to tell me something?

I've been in my office three days in a row now, but don't have a whole lot to show for it. It hasn't helped that the weather's been so crappy. Grey and dismal and rainy. I've even resorted to coffee today, but it's not helping.

Sigh.

Yikes! I sound depressing, even for me. I think it's time to change the music in the CD player and buckle down to work.

Holiday From Hell

To be sung to the music for the Beverley Hillbillies theme

Come and listen to a story ‘bout a holiday gone bad
Had to be the worst weekend my family ever had
Unexpected company and plans gone down the dump
Traffic was ridiculous and my car received a bump
Accidentally, that is
Front end damage
Need a loner

My daughter had to leave next day but couldn’t catch her cat
She hid inside the box spring, we had to tear down that
The kids were cute but noisy and I thought I’d go insane
By the time they left I had a honking super big migraine
Headache, that is
Need the Advil
And a nap

Thunder

Where's my thunder storm? This is the second time I've been promised a storm and it passed me by. I thought for sure tonight we were going to get one. It started to get really windy, the clouds started rolling in, and then . . .
. . . nothing.

Not only do we need the rain, we need the relief from the heat. It's okay during the day when I'm at work, but it's just a tad warm at home lately. And I'm starting to notice when the air quality is bad - as in I sometimes have a bit of trouble breathing.

My writing right now is kind of like the weather. All good intentions and little action. In my head I get a build up of actually getting some work done, but then I don't get right on it and the feeling goes away.

Hopefully I'm going to start making headway on the re-writes of Driving Into Forever next week while I'm on holidays.

Holidays. What a beautiful word! Maybe if there's a break in my writing there'll be a break in the weather. Or vice versa. If not, that's the beauty of a lap top. I can just take it downstairs where it's cooler. Or outside. Or to the Mall if I have to!

Shoot

So, it appears I have found something besides heat that is not conducive to writing, re-writing or editing - jello shooters.

Had a party last night with some friends from work. It was supposed to be a pool party, but since no one ended up going swimming it was more of a B.B.Q. Anyway, it was a pot luck and one of the girls brought a tray of very colourful little cups of jello. These innocent little cups of childhood treats packed quite a kick - especially the orange ones.

Is is just me or is the sun unnaturally bright today?

I've been working on the editing a bit, but at this point I seem to be deleting more words that I'm adding. It's all for the good, however. My opening is much better the way it reads now, I think. Once I'm sure I'll move on to the next chapter and take my time until it's right. And so on, and so on. . .

Is it just me or is it shaping up to be a long summer?

Summer

Happy Solstice!

Although the calendar marks today as the first day of summer, when you think about it, this is the mid point of summer. It's the longest day and the shortest night of the year. When dawn breaks tomorrow the days will begin to get shorter again.

How sad.

Heat

Heat does not seem to be conducive to writing or re-writing or editing even.

Heat seems conducive to many many games of spider solitaire, reading and crocheting.

It has been very hot out (and in!) lately.

I have had enough of summer, even though technically summer doesn't start until tomorrow.

I have five cats piled up on the bookcase just under the window. Three of them are sleeping, one is washing his brother's head, and the other one is looking out the window plotting his escape.

Mental note. Ignore the Bulk Barn right beside the vet's office where you have to go to buy cat chow. And if you can't ignore it, then don't buy $10.00 worth of gummi bears and corn nuts and then chow down on them until you only have half a bag left. They will make you feel sick.

New and Improved

Here they are folks, my new and improved methods of procrastination.

First we have: Sand Pictures
This has four colours of sand falling from the sky and you can build walls to contain it, add plants, water, water spouts or more sand. Hours of mindless fun.

And now we have: Snow Days
When you get tired of creating your own snow flakes you can spend hours and hours looking at the snowflakes other people have created. Some of them are truly amazing!

How Hot Is It?

It is so hot, I even contemplated trying out the pool last night. And the water temperature is only 65F.

To be fair, I did try to get some writing done, but it was too hot to concentrate, especially using the lap top. So, after checking my e-mail last night I did some crocheting. Very relaxing.

I have finally finished the first draft of Driving Into Forever, but there's still a lot of stuff I have to go back and add. Like fleshing out the characters; including the villain in some of the action other than kidnapping the woman at the end (the way it reads now he kinda lacks a motive. I know why he's kidnapping her, but the reader won't); and the whole espionage story line. I also have to settle on the ins and outs of my setting. The rules kind of change between DIF and L&F.

I hope it doesn't take me a long to edit as it did to write the first draft, but I'm not holding my breath.

Unnamed

I feel so sucked dry of creative inspiration that I can't even think of a title for my post. How's that for pathetic?

It's a slippery slope folks, and I'm sliding backwards. At least that's the way it feels right now.

The weekend was perfect for writing. The weather was beautiful and I had no other obligations to fill. TLC wasn't even running Clean Sweep to distract me. I put on a pot of coffee and sat at my nice clean desk in my nice clean office and . . .
Nothing.

Hopefully this is just a temporary situation.

The last few weeks the writing came so fast and easy that I think I fell into a trap of thinking it would always be that way. Well, like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Time for me to buckle down and actually work at the writing.

The Poem Says It All

How do I procrastinate? Let me count the ways.
I procrastinate to the depth and breath and height
My soul can reach, when feeling lethargic
For the ends of Boredom and ideal Laziness.
I procrastinate to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by neon and halogen-light.
I procrastinate freely, as men strive for Progress;
I procrastinate purely, as the turn from Television.
I procrastinate with a passion put to use
In my old excuses, and with my childhood’s justification.
I procrastinate with an energy I seemed to lose
When faced with work, – I procrastinate with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if the Muse choose,
I shall continue to procrastinate until death.

Paying Never Slacks

You know, I'm getting just a little tired of being broke.

I got paid Friday and between the car payment, the cable bill and a few groceries, I was tapped out by Monday. I have just enough left for Chinese food for lunch tomorrow (it's a group thing). Next pay goes to the credit cards. *Sigh* It never ends.

Took a month's worth of lottery tickets to cash in and not one winner. Right behind me in line was a girl from work - she won $2,000.00. Can we say not fair?

Yeah, I know. Since when is life fair? Okay, end of the whine-fest.

The writing is progressing. The villain has kidnapped the girl and it's up to the hero to save her. I don't know how he's going to save her, but I can't end the book until he does.

Slacking Never Pays

Okay, I admit it. I was a slacker on the weekend. Didn't get a whole lot of writing done.

The problem was I lost my momentum. Friday I slacked off, then Saturday I futzed around all day. Sunday I had one of those wonderful weather predicting headaches that are becoming more and more common.

I got a late start tonight, but I finally got going. I hereby swear to get at least an hours worth of writing done every day. No matter how I'm feeling.

I haven't already sworn this, have I?

Missed My Window

It appears that there is a very small window of opportunity between writing while sitting inside gazing at the cold outside and writing while sitting inside gazing at how hot it is outside.

What happened to my vision of relaxing on the deck sipping a wine spritzer while using my lap top, running on its battery of course, to write? I'll tell you what happened. Global warming. That's what happened.

Please note my latest form of procrastination at the top of the page. I think it came out pretty well if I do say so myself. Especially since I can't remember the last time I tried to design a graphic.

Okay, back to the writing.

Peeved

Okay, I know that pedestrians don't like the roller-bladers on the sidewalks so they really don't have much choice other than using the road . . . however I do have a problem with someone pushing an umbrella stroller with a child in it in front of them while they whiz down a busy street.

Which brings me to another pet peeve of mine, people who take their dogs for a "walk" while riding their bike. This is dangerous for everyone involved. And if the dog decides to take off after a squirrel and just happens to yank it's owner off the bike, then it serves the SOB right!

Happy first day of June, by the way.

Confession

I have a confession to make. The reason I'm working so hard on Driving Into Forever is so I can avoid having to finish Lost and Found. And the reason I started Lost and Found for the NaNoWriMo is to avoid finishing Driving Into Forever.

It's a viscious cycle, isn't it?

The only problem is the speed with which I'm progressing. At this rate it's not going to take me long to *gulp* finish the first draft of DIF and then I'll have to get going on L&F.

Meanwhile, I've come up with two other novel length ideas in the series.

At long last I seem to have found my writing groove.

Guests

We had unexpected guests for dinner last night. They showed up just before dinner, but because this hadn't been planned all we had to offer them was stale bread. They finished the evening by having a dip in our pond. It was our annual guests, Daphne and Donald, a pair of mallard ducks. My kitty minions were plastered to the windows going "Here ducky, ducky, ducky . . ."

Had a nice long talk with my Crazy Writing Buddy, which is something we need to do on a regular basis for brainstorming/inspirational reasons.

Didn't get a lot of actual writing done yesterday, but I've made up for it tonight. It wasn't as much as I was hoping for, but still, 3,000 words is nothing to sneer at.

I'm still foraging ahead, trying not to go back and make changes until the first draft is finished. I've got a note book for notes specific to Driving Into Forever. Last week I decided the espionage story line needed to be worked out; this week I've realized the villain needs to be more obvious. There's always something!

Getting It Done

I'm slowing down. This time it took me from last weekend until now to get my 3500 words done.

But progress is progress. I'm doing this Nano style - keep plodding forward and don't look back. I'm only going back to add something in if it's an entire scene. No editing until it's done. If I'm not sure of what's going on in a scene, I skip it and go on to the next one.

I'm also getting into the writing habit (knock wood). I've been writing a least a little bit every day (or night). Starting Lost and Found, which is actually the sequel to Driving Into Forever, has actually helped me solve a lot of the problems I was having with my plot line.

The name of the game is getting it done. Full steam ahead!

Missed Opportunities

As I fall asleep at night, to relax I start going over scenes from whatever I've been writing. Last night I started working out a particularly sticky scene in Lost and Found - where my main characters go from sleeping together to having sex. It's a crucial transition and it's been giving me no end of trouble.

Last night as I was falling asleep I started thinking about that scene and the words started to come. Did I get up and write them down somewhere? No, I did not. I figured, like oh so many fools before me, that I would remember it in the morning. The words were that perfect.

I believe I mentioned once before that I have a mind like a steel sieve.

I hereby vow to keep a notebook and book lite and pen on my nightstand. I might even leave pens and notebooks scattered throughout the house so I don't have to go looking for them and get distracted, hence forgetting what I was doing.

I'm so disgusted with myself!

It's Progress

You know, the more I get done on Driving Into Forever, the more I see needs to be done. But I really want to get the whole thing finished before I go back and start making changes. There's a thin storyline of mystery/espionage that needs to be included and I'm sort of working it out as I go along.

Maybe I should be writing some of it down instead of working it out in my head. I have a mind like a steel sieve.

I've discovered another great thing about lap tops. You can use them during thunder storms. I don't have to have anything plugged in, so no risk of frying anything.

Although I'd like to know why the cable is working for my internet but not the television. Don't they know tonight is the series finale of Gilmore Girls???

Challenge

Okay. As stated previously this was supposed to be my writing blitz weekend.

Well, first I slept in really late on Saturday morning. I puttered around in my office, wrote a long e-mail to my sister, and generally futzed around waiting for inspiration to slap me in the head.

Then there was a knock at my door. Inspiration came knocking? Not quite. It was my writing buddy CrazyNance and her CrazySpouse. We had tea and cookies and a nice visit, and then I challenged her to see who could write the most words by the end of the weekend.

I started out by picking up around the house. Then, in the early evening, I finally buckled down and started writing like a crazy woman until bedtime.

This morning I was up at a decent hour, but my house really needed cleaning. I was having a friend for coffee and then we were going out, and she hadn't seen my office yet so I also needed to get the bookcases organized and get rid of boxes of books from the book sale and then we were going to the in-laws for supper.

In other words. I didn't get much writing done today. But check the Zokutou bar. I still managed a total of 3,091 words for the weekend. Beat that, CrazyNance!

Resting

So, as you can see I've been resting on my laurels this week. Okay, not resting, exactly, more like napping. I've been really tired this week. I think lack of sleep may have something to do with it.

You'd think that after buying all those books at the book sale I wouldn't have been too interested in shopping in Hamilton. Well, you'd have been wrong. They have a DISNEY STORE in Lime Ridge Mall, and a store called Green Earth that has an incredible selection of NEAT THINGS. I spent the grocery money on 3 figurines from the Dream Fairy series. If I'd had more money, I'd have bought more.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend (not just because it's the weekend and I get to sleep in). Saturday I'm going on a writing blitz. I need to make up for the time I lost being so lazy this week.

Furthermore, I'm not signing up for overtime next week. There's a holiday in the next pay run and the money will more than make up for the lack of overtime hours. I went home early from work today and napped for 3 1/2 hours.

Part of that may be the fact that billing is so boring I've started crocheting a blanket at work. It's going to be my billing blanket. And they lied, we're stuck in billing for a whole month. Sigh.

Updates

So, apparently the reason we were all thrown to the billing wolves at work was to get the service levels up. And boy did we. Service levels are at an all new high, 286% Which means, my friends, that the billing blitz will only last for another week before we can move back to Order Fulfillment.

There is one event I look forward to every year. The Saint Peter's Book Sale. We're talking a two-day book sale here people! This year I think I outdid myself. A box of Time-Life reference books, old books, not so old books, paper backs, hard backs, I got them all. Three boxes, $52 and damaged wrist (from hefting those boxes). Oh, and did I mention that at work this week I went onto the Chapters/Indigo site and started making out a "to buy" list of books. Found several new authors . . .

And my final update: look to the right. Specifically the bar under Driving Into Forever. Almost 4,000 words this week.

The bad news is, I have to go to a bowling tournament in Hamilton this weekend. I'll be taking my lap top with me, but will I get time to write? Who knows . . .

May 1st

Happy happy first of May, outdoor screwing starts today.

Believe it or not I got that phrase from my older sister. My wallflower older sister. I just about fell off my computer chair when she sent me that.

It's the first of May, the full moon is tomorrow night and, if you been paying attention to the Zokutou bars, the writing has been going good.

Which is a good thing 'cause right now the job is not going so good. They've closed the Order Fulfillment chat, supposedly only for the month of May. We got the news that we'd be doing billing chats for the month right before we left work yesterday.

What makes us suspicious is that we've heard their promises before. Every campaign we've ever been on that was in danger of being closed we were told, right up until the second they closed them, that there was no way it was closing.

So why the short notice? Something like this had to be planned in advance. Our schedules were all changed before we even knew what was going on. I guess we'll just have to see what the end of May brings.

Dreams Within Dreams

I've been getting a lot of headaches lately. Usually I pretty much ignore them as much as possible, but when they're bad I take a couple of the strongest pain killers I have and try and nap.

So, I'm reclined in my easy chair, napping off a head ache, and I have a dream about some kind of holy place (I hesitate to call it a church). The floor was grass and there were no seats. It was a huge blue glass dome and the sun shone through illuminating the beautiful paintings etched on the glass panels.

I woke up when my husband came home from the store with the season salt we'd forgotten to buy when we grocery shopped. I told him about my dream and he agreed it was strange, then wandered off to do stuff in the basement.

I went back to sleep and picked up my dream where I left off. When I woke up this time I realized the whole thing had been a dream. There was no season salt and I hadn't told the husband about the dream.

How weird is that?

Sick

It's a sickness I tell you!

There I was sitting around whining about being so broke I'd have to start working overtime again and what do I do?

Well, first it was Avon Friday. Avon Friday occurs every second or third Friday at work when the Avon order comes in. And with that order comes a new catalogue.

Catalogue shopping is way too easy. The slick pages are filled with many tempting shiny things. I have been trying to cut back but . . .

I have a pair of shoes that are still wrapped in plastic, as is the purse I got three orders ago. This week is was a set of wind chimes that have coloured lights in them to simulate fibre optics.

Then I made a trip to the dollar store to buy batteries for the simulated fibre optic lights, and also picked up a funny plaque for the wall and a booklite. My second booklite in less than a month. And no, there's nothing wrong with the first one, this one was just smaller and cuter, that's all.

I needed some junk food on Friday after work and got side tracked by a little book store I hadn't visited in quite a while. I couldn't resist picking up three books by three of my favorite authors. And today when I stopped at the pharmacy to buy my lottery tickets I couldn't help but notice another couple of books by yet another pair of favorite authors . . .

This spending money on trinkets and books - it's a sickness I tell you!

Distractions

There is one serious drawback in working in a paperless office. When I get a really good idea I can't write it down. I can't even type it out and e-mail it to myself - we can't e-mail outside of the office. And of course I get my best ideas at work!

Somewhere in the murky depths of my brain are the makings for two poems and a few ideas for some of the setting problems in Lost and Found. I've been sitting here for the last hour trying to retrieve these ideas but no luck.

Of course some of it may have to do with sitting in the living room with the lap top instead of in my office. And part of it may have been the need to finish yet another book. AND part of it may be the way I keep getting distracted by Dancing With the Stars. Aren't there any Beatles fans out there? Stop voting for Heather!

In my defense, I did try to get some useful writing done after work. But we had an awesome thunderstorm - sheets of rain, high winds, the whole sheebang - and I have a lot of windows from which to watch it from.

Have I mentioned I get distracted easily?

About Time

I figured it was about time I updated.

It's been awhile but I haven't really had much to say. Please note, however, the change in the Zokutou bar.

Overtime at work has dried up, which is giving me a little more time and energy. Theoretically anyway. We had a week and a half of grey, miserable, rainy weather that sucked the soul right out of me. It's taken this long for the sun to re-energize me.

And now, of course, I have a vile sinus cold that's crawling its way downward into my lungs. Can't win for losing.

Speaking of losing, I got my tax return, which amounted to almost as much as a full paycheque, and it was gone in the space of a few days. But at least Visa, and the cable people are happy again. And we can eat for a few more days.

Think, think, think!

I think I think too much. I finally have my office to the point I can use it for writing and I came in here and set up my lap top, but . . .

First I e-mailed my sister, who has to resort to sending me "Are you alive?" e-mails before I'll get around to responding. It's not that I don't love my sister, it's just that I don't feel like I have all that much to say.

Then I had to check my horoscope, on two different sites no less. And of course I had to read today's Post Secret.

Next I automatically went to my favorites to check out the blogs I keep up with. Seems like I'm not the only one without much to say.

In between I've been glancing around at what's left to do in here. Re-organize my bookshelves, find homes for the two fountains in here (one big that the cats like to drink out of, one small enough to go on top of a book case, both dry as a bone and dusty) and figure out which charity I should donate the books/junk I'm getting rid of to.

What I should have done is come in here, set up my lap top, and immediately started working on one of my WIP.

That being said, I think I'll go get another cup of Earl Grey, and start over. My goal today - get one of those Zokutou bars to move!

QUIZ

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd   Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Drama Nerd
Anime Nerd
Musician
Science/Math Nerd
Social Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type?

Who's the April-ist Fool?

Me, that's who. I'm back to working the 10 hour days, starting tomorrow. Which means getting up at 5 a.m. again . . . But at least I can go back to having my weekends free. And maybe VISA and Mastercard will finally get off my back.

Spent the better part of today doing the tax thing. I've had the program for a while, but procrastinator that I am I kept putting it off. I hate doing taxes. I don't know why - the programs make it so simple. But I always come away feeling like I missed something and that some day the government is going to come and ask for all their money back.

And can someone explain to me why a young adult (can't really call her a kid any more) who didn't work at all last year, ends up with a refund??? Bad enough she gets the GST every year.

The office is almost finished. At the very least it's finished to the point I can use it for what it was intended for.

Moody Weather

Yeah, I'm in one of those moods again. Depression's got its claws in me and is dragging me down. At least I can recognize the signs now.

This time it was triggered by the weather. Too many grey days in a row; not enough sun.

I've decided to give myself permission to wallow for a while - which means I can embrace the "I don't feel like doing anything" mood and not feel guilty about it. At least for tonight.

Spring and Reality

Today is the Vernal Equinox. In otherwords, happy first day of spring.

In celebration, I left work early today and then went to see the movie 300 tonight. Okay, the truth is I went home sick from work because I just couldn't stand being there anymore. And I went to the movies just so I could suspend reality for a while.

Reality is not all it's cracked up to be. Reality is working in a cube farm where the moral is bottoming out; it's coming home to a house that has way too much "stuff" in it. Reality is bills and bad news and an empty box of French Truffles.

Suspension of reality comes from the ability to lose yourself in a good book, or a movie, or spending time with a friend who can help you pretend, even for a little while, that you're not a middle-aged grownup with responsibilities, but a kid without a care in the world.

I think that's why I feel the need to write. Not just as a form of expression, but a need to create something that will help someone else suspend reality, even if it's just for the length of a short story.

Shredding Fool

I don't know who I thought I was kidding. With all the overtime I've been doing did I seriously think I was going to get oodles of work done in my office? I got some work done, yes, but it's far from finish still.

Part of the reason is I'm such a flaming pack rat! I started to go through my writing files to put them away, and you would not believe the amount of paper! I saved every version, every note, and they all went into humongous files. Gah! No wonder I can never find anything.

So a great part of my free time this week was spent going through my writing files. The files that went back into the drawer have no more than two versions of the same story, and any important notes pertaining to said story. For the novel length ideas I saved only the most current information in the files for the drawers, and all the notes, rough copies, etc. have been banished to storage. This has left me with another two bags full of shredded paper.

Slowly, but surely, the mountain of "stuff" is being reduced. But the best news is, I'm sitting at my desk to type this entry. AND I've just spent the last few hours writing at my desk. Feels good. Feels real good!

I'm A Wuss

I chickened out. The 10 hour shift sounded good in theory, but today I went back into the shift bid and changed it back to the week day shift. Last time I worked an afternoon shift the chaos and noise drove me nuts. Plus I don't think I'm going to accomplish more, I think I'd get less done. A 10 hour day shift would be great. Ten hours at night . . . I don't think so.

The shredding is done. I finished tonight; unless I find more stuff during another file purge. I can't afford the comfy chair, the throw rug or any new bookcases, so I'm just going to have to work with what I've got. My goal for the week is to get as much done in my office as I can. This weekend is going to be for writing.

Seriously!

Stop laughing.

And stop taking bets.

Singing the Blues

The good news is, my shredder is still working. But it needs a rest after each bag it fills. Quite frankly, by that time I need a rest too - shredding is boring work.

I am seriously considering working 2:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Right now my shift is 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (although I've been working from 6 to 4:30 for the overtime) with weekends off.

Why would I consider such a change? Well, right now I come home from work and I'm so mentally and emotionally drained that I all I want to do is veg. I'm thinking that maybe I can "get things done" in the morning, before work, and then I'd have that extra day off too. I don't know . . . maybe now that the time's changed and it's daylight longer I might find myself a little more motivated. I have until Friday to decide.

Back to the blues . . . I had a really nice morning. I had a friend and her hubby over for coffee and we had a really nice visit. I used to work with her (she got a better job, the lucky duck) and I can't tell you how much I miss her. She's just one of those rare people that you connect with instantly and then it's like you've been friends forever.

So I was a little bummed out after they left. You know, feeling lonely and sorry for myself. That's what I get for listening to Elton John while I'm shredding.

Recycling . . . PHOOEY!

I remember when they built the recycling plant to service our town. It was great. Not only could we suddenly recycle just about everything, but we didn't even have to separate it any more. Just toss it all in one bag.

Well, things change. Suddenly, without warning, the town got picky about what could be recycled. AND it had to be sorted.

Now, what brought this rant on, was the fact that one of the changes to our recycling process was that they'll only take paper if it's shredded. Being a conscientious sort of person, I dutifully gathered up all the paper meant for recycling and tonight I started to shred it.

Shredded paper takes up a hell of a lot more space than non-shredded paper. I have filled an over sized, clear plastic recycling bag with shredded paper. And I haven't even emptied one of the plastic grocery bags I filled with paper culled from my files. AND I think I burned out the motor on my shredder.

On the plus side, I've got the furniture in my office arranged the way I wanted and I get a real good feeling when I sit behind my desk.

March Came in Like a Lion

Happy first day of March - snow, wind, freezing rain and all!

Look to the right . . . what do you see? That's right, they're baaacckkk! My nifty little Zokutou bars. Maybe they'll inspire me to get some writing work done this weekend. My novel has been filling my brain, especially one of the scenes I've been having trouble with.

The problem is I'm too emotionally and mentally exhausted by the time I get home from work to think about writing. It's almost worse than physical exhaustion. I haven't even been reading much, until this week.

This past weekend I got the closet in my office cleared out and filled yet another garbage bag. This weekend, when I need a break from all the writing of course, I can finally start the "putting back together" phase of this project.

Still working as much overtime as I can manage. I'll be very glad when things are caught up and I can ease up on it. Of course one thing gets caught up and 3 more fall behind.

My kitty minions jimmied the lock on the office door - I came home from work today to find it wide open. It doesn't look like anyone misbehaived in there so I'm tempted to leave it open. Makes it more conducive to working in there when I'm too tired to write.

I want to get that office finished, or at least finished enough to use. Maybe I'm just deluding myself that once it's done I'll get more writing accomplished. Maybe all that will change is I'll just end up with a more organized place to store my books and writing stuff. Who knows? Just keep an eye on those Zokutou bars, just in case.

Progress Report

My head hurts. Just thought I'd get that out of the way up front. And my coffee tastes kinda funny . . .

Look to the right. Notice the new addition to the list down the side. I've added a recently read list with a star rating. While some books take forever for me to read, some I read so fast they don't even make it to my list. Hence, the new book list.

I'm not even going to try to find an excuse for the lack of progress in my writing this week. I think a 57 hour work week says it all. And this week isn't looking much better, provided they offer the overtime. It's almost frightening the way the money goes so fast. I'm making more than I've ever made in my life and it's just not enough. The bills pile up faster than I can pay them. I think that's why I feel such a push to get my office finished - my oasis from life.

I have the two big filing cabinets emptied and out of there. Today's task is to find homes for the plastic bins in the closet. It's not just a matter of getting them out of there, it's also a matter of finding a place to put them. Which, of course, means I have to go through all that crap first. Which is why I'm updating my blog instead - Procrastination is my middle name.

When I'm finished the office I'll have to figure out how to post before and after pictures. I don't want to be the only one impressed with all my hard work!

Zokutou

So . . . I couldn't help but notice, as I'm sure no one else has, that my nifty little progress bars to the right were not showing. At first I naturally thought it was something I did, but I checked out the Bleeding Ink site and Heather's bars were missing too.

It appears that Zokutou, the designer/source of the progress bars, failed to pay their bill and their account has been suspended.

Any suggestions on where I can get a new progress bar?

Kong Hee Fatt Choy

Happy New Year, for those of you who don't understand Cantonese. Last year was the Year of the Dog, this year is the Year of the Boar.

For many years I thought I was born in the Year of the Boar, but that was according to the Westernized version of the Chinese calendar. I was actually born in the Year of the Dog (does that mean that I really am a bitch?).

If you're into spirituality or mysticism or whatever, you know that things happen in cycles. Like luck. Somewhere I read that when the year you were born in rolls around you are supposed to experience elevated good luck for that year.

I don't feel that my luck was vastly improved in the Year of the Dog. I wonder if the Year of the Boar might turn out to be better?

What A Pain!

Both literally and figuratively, the past couple of weeks have been a pain.

I started getting a blinding pain in my lower jaw. Although my teeth hurt, it wasn't a toothache - heat and cold didn't affect it, pressure seemed to help. I figured it must have been due to a sinus infection. My doctor said I somehow strained a muscle in the side of my face. Is that even possible?

At any rate, thank you, Chippy, for your advice about using heat on it. I spent a great deal of time with a hot cup of tea pressed against the corner of my jaw, right below the ear. That, plus a bottle of migraine strength Advil, have got me through the last week.

I'm still in the "tearing apart" phase of rearranging my office. How did I ever fit so much stuff in there? One filing cabinet is completely empty, the other is mostly empty. I have filled one garbage bag and one recycling bag and I get the feeling I'll need to go through the files again.

You'll notice those progress bars to the right haven't moved. Yeah. *another big sigh* Writing has been put on the back burner for now. Money has become an issue again so I'm working 55 hour weeks now.

Yes, I know I'm crazy. But this is my life until I win the lottery.

Happy February

Happy first day of February. I don't know what the story is behind it, but my family has always wished each other a happy first day of the month. I'm sure everyone out there has an odd family custom or two. It would be interesting some day to record them all.

My head is filled with thoughts of my novels, but I'm finding little time to write during the week. Although I'm not finding my extended shifts at work too hard to handle at work, they leave me with little energy for anything afterwards. Hopefully, once I get used to the longer hours, things will improve.

The good part is I'm sleeping better at night, the bad news is I dream story ideas. There's one I'd like to get back to about a white lady and a black night. It almost sounds like the title of a book, at least it sticks in my mind that way.

A couple of mornings ago the moon was shining so brightly on the dusting of snow we had overnight that it sparkled like glitter. I thought it was a full moon (5:30 a.m. is pretty dark still) but I was wrong. Tomorrow night is the Full Snow Moon. Also known as the Full Hunger Moon. Hmmmmm, sounds like there might be a story in there somewhere . . . maybe a series of stories . . .