I had a whole post written and it's gone...
Dang it...
Now I don't feel like re-crafting it - so we're going to have a list of ten instead.
10 reasons I love writing:
1. I can work in my jammies.
2. Reading is research.
3. Writing retreats.
4. Finishing a book.
5. Starting a book.
6. My local chapter of RWA.
7. I can work inside my head.
8. Writing friends.
9. Brainstorming.
10. Having new ideas slip in when I least expect them to.
(Which is what happened to me this morning and I now have an idea to rework a ms that needed some plot help. It's thrilling to have that revelation - even though it'll have to wait until I clear my schedule.)
Anyway. There are many, many more reasons I love writing than those ten. That's just what popped into my head after I got over my disappointment at losing my original post. The list would look different depending on the day and my mood. Seeing my name on the cover of a book, hearing what people thought of my story, and much more. I could probably write a list of a hundred, but that's besides the point.
And that's all for a Monday.
Behave!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Off To Camp...
K2's been delivered for her first week's work as a camp counselor.
She was very excited - bouncing off the wall's, up until 3am excited. (and I know this because I was still awake at 3am, not sleeping and not because I was excited, because I just can't.) She left a list of animal care instructions for the hamsters, and the snapping turtle who's still in residence, but won't be by this time next week. (Which is a huge yay. I don't mind the turtle itself, and he does need to go home to the wild, but his water reeks like you would not believe!! And the stench happens within a day of her cleaning his habitat. Yuck.) My niece is at the same camp as an attendee this week, so that will be nice for both of them. K3 & K4 - but especially K4 - are already sad she's gone. And, so am I. It's going to be a strange week around here.
But we have lots to do around here, so hopefully it goes fast.
That's all for Sunday.
Behave!
She was very excited - bouncing off the wall's, up until 3am excited. (and I know this because I was still awake at 3am, not sleeping and not because I was excited, because I just can't.) She left a list of animal care instructions for the hamsters, and the snapping turtle who's still in residence, but won't be by this time next week. (Which is a huge yay. I don't mind the turtle itself, and he does need to go home to the wild, but his water reeks like you would not believe!! And the stench happens within a day of her cleaning his habitat. Yuck.) My niece is at the same camp as an attendee this week, so that will be nice for both of them. K3 & K4 - but especially K4 - are already sad she's gone. And, so am I. It's going to be a strange week around here.
But we have lots to do around here, so hopefully it goes fast.
That's all for Sunday.
Behave!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
On The Table...
Right now...
(because I have nothing else to post about)
My dining room table:
My laptop, mouse, writing notebook, writing calendar, family calendar, my eyeglasses, 3 books I've already read, 1 I'm currently reading, an invitation to a graduation, a response for a wedding waiting to be mailed, 4 cookbooks, movie ticket stubs, my wallet, headphones, 2 mechanical pencils, a calculator, my proxy vote for RWA National, a gas receipt, 2 pens, my zip drive cover, and an envelope.
Yes, my dining room table is temporarily my desk.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!
(because I have nothing else to post about)
My dining room table:
My laptop, mouse, writing notebook, writing calendar, family calendar, my eyeglasses, 3 books I've already read, 1 I'm currently reading, an invitation to a graduation, a response for a wedding waiting to be mailed, 4 cookbooks, movie ticket stubs, my wallet, headphones, 2 mechanical pencils, a calculator, my proxy vote for RWA National, a gas receipt, 2 pens, my zip drive cover, and an envelope.
Yes, my dining room table is temporarily my desk.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday List of Ten
Ten random things that have made me kind of cranky over the past few days:
1. Telemarketer calls - yeah, we're on the "do not call" list, but apparently companies you already do business with have the right to call you with whatever offer they happen to have.
2. Preparing K2 for camp counseling duties. Why do you need that much stuff?
3. The general inability of the small humans that live with me to pick up after themselves even after I remind them.
4. The general inability of same said small humans to complete their chores in an acceptable manner when previously this was not an issue.
5. Humidity - Fun! It's back.
6. Telemarketers - oh wait. I mentioned that one already. Did I mention it's bad enough that I've turned the ringer off on my phone?
7. Foot pain.
8. Attitudes from same small humans.
9. People taking my stuff and not putting it back. Hey, I don't care if you use it - depending on what it is - but you should return it to where you found it.
10. Not sleeping - I go to bed. I'm tired. My body is tired, but my mind doesn't seem to recognize its cues to drift away. And I end up tossing and turning until the early morning hours. Or sleeping in ten minute increments. I don't like it and it's probably the reason all this stuff has made me a bit cranky when it wouldn't otherwise.
But hey! It's Friday. Another Friday with no Fiesta planned though, which is sad, but cannot be avoided. Oh well. There's fun stuff on the horizon.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!
1. Telemarketer calls - yeah, we're on the "do not call" list, but apparently companies you already do business with have the right to call you with whatever offer they happen to have.
2. Preparing K2 for camp counseling duties. Why do you need that much stuff?
3. The general inability of the small humans that live with me to pick up after themselves even after I remind them.
4. The general inability of same said small humans to complete their chores in an acceptable manner when previously this was not an issue.
5. Humidity - Fun! It's back.
6. Telemarketers - oh wait. I mentioned that one already. Did I mention it's bad enough that I've turned the ringer off on my phone?
7. Foot pain.
8. Attitudes from same small humans.
9. People taking my stuff and not putting it back. Hey, I don't care if you use it - depending on what it is - but you should return it to where you found it.
10. Not sleeping - I go to bed. I'm tired. My body is tired, but my mind doesn't seem to recognize its cues to drift away. And I end up tossing and turning until the early morning hours. Or sleeping in ten minute increments. I don't like it and it's probably the reason all this stuff has made me a bit cranky when it wouldn't otherwise.
But hey! It's Friday. Another Friday with no Fiesta planned though, which is sad, but cannot be avoided. Oh well. There's fun stuff on the horizon.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Reading
I realized sometime yesterday that I'd checked out eight books from the library last week and had yet read one. Since they're due back soon, I figured I'd better get busy. Not to mention, I needed a bit of distraction and reading is how I've always escaped. Reading is a bit different when you're a writer. Sometimes it's hard to turn off that internal editor and read for pure pleasure. I tend to examine rather than relax and get lost in the story. Occasionally, I catch myself rewording sentences in my head, or going back to see if the time line makes sense.
I read very fast. People accuse me of skimming, which is true to some extent, but just because I don't read every single word of a sentence doesn't mean I've lost any part of the story. I tend to skip over common words and phrases, and some descriptions, but like I said, I always know what's happening in the book and what things look like. Unless I'm bored (which is something you never want to hear as a writer).
Before I started writing, I would finish every book I started, even if I felt like banging it against a wall. These days I don't have time for that. If I'm not completely engaged by the end of the first chapter, it's over, baby. Sometimes not even that far into it. I'm not one to reread either since I usually remember the stories I love. I used to. I would reread my favorites regularly, probably as far back as when I was a kid. The "Little House on the Prairie" series was my favorite (no snickering), and well as "Nancy Drew". In my teenage years, and I can't remember the title, though I know I have the book on my keeper shelf, it was a story about a runaway girl. These days, there's that time factor. I try to read more current releases to keep up on what's been/being bought in the industry and what readers like these days. There are only a few books I'd even consider reading twice - and yes, Harry Potter falls into that category.
Anyway. (Yes. I'm aware I'm rambling.)
Last night I grabbed a category romance I borrowed because I was curious about the line and how they pulled it off without sounding technical and fan-ish. It was a quick read for me - a few hours tops - and I truly enjoyed the story and the characters. But feeling restless as I was, I reached for an old favorite before going to bed. I've loved Nicholas Sparks' books since first reading "Message in a Bottle". No, he doesn't always have a happy ending, but since I know that's a possibility I'm okay with that. Sometimes life is messy and sad. I picked up "The Wedding", which relates quite a bit to "The Notebook". It's an amazing story of love and renewal and the efforts of one man to save his marriage. I have to say I think I loved it even more the second time because I knew the surprise ending already. Part of the fun was looking for the foreshadowing to the later events. The clues were always there, but without knowing what the grand surprise, the reader wasn't looking at it for anything other than what it was supposed to be.
And yes, I could have been doing a million other things instead of re-reading, but it was worth it.
Oh! And a birthday shoutout to my sister, M. She doesn't read this blog at all, but I'd feel weird if I didn't mention it here.
Behave!
I read very fast. People accuse me of skimming, which is true to some extent, but just because I don't read every single word of a sentence doesn't mean I've lost any part of the story. I tend to skip over common words and phrases, and some descriptions, but like I said, I always know what's happening in the book and what things look like. Unless I'm bored (which is something you never want to hear as a writer).
Before I started writing, I would finish every book I started, even if I felt like banging it against a wall. These days I don't have time for that. If I'm not completely engaged by the end of the first chapter, it's over, baby. Sometimes not even that far into it. I'm not one to reread either since I usually remember the stories I love. I used to. I would reread my favorites regularly, probably as far back as when I was a kid. The "Little House on the Prairie" series was my favorite (no snickering), and well as "Nancy Drew". In my teenage years, and I can't remember the title, though I know I have the book on my keeper shelf, it was a story about a runaway girl. These days, there's that time factor. I try to read more current releases to keep up on what's been/being bought in the industry and what readers like these days. There are only a few books I'd even consider reading twice - and yes, Harry Potter falls into that category.
Anyway. (Yes. I'm aware I'm rambling.)
Last night I grabbed a category romance I borrowed because I was curious about the line and how they pulled it off without sounding technical and fan-ish. It was a quick read for me - a few hours tops - and I truly enjoyed the story and the characters. But feeling restless as I was, I reached for an old favorite before going to bed. I've loved Nicholas Sparks' books since first reading "Message in a Bottle". No, he doesn't always have a happy ending, but since I know that's a possibility I'm okay with that. Sometimes life is messy and sad. I picked up "The Wedding", which relates quite a bit to "The Notebook". It's an amazing story of love and renewal and the efforts of one man to save his marriage. I have to say I think I loved it even more the second time because I knew the surprise ending already. Part of the fun was looking for the foreshadowing to the later events. The clues were always there, but without knowing what the grand surprise, the reader wasn't looking at it for anything other than what it was supposed to be.
And yes, I could have been doing a million other things instead of re-reading, but it was worth it.
Oh! And a birthday shoutout to my sister, M. She doesn't read this blog at all, but I'd feel weird if I didn't mention it here.
Behave!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday Thoughts
I'm pretty sure I've got nothing today...
It's been a relatively quiet day around here with just a little running around and not much else. We did have plans, but switched them around for maximum fun and convenience.
I did finish my short story and got it sent out to my awesomely fantastic critique partners. Now I'm just waiting for their suggestions/impressions. And getting back into my urban fantasy novel. I read through what I have last night and I'm still really excited by the story. I'm looking forward to finishing it. It's probably the weirdest thing I've ever written. ha!
And I think that might be all I have for now.
Behave!
It's been a relatively quiet day around here with just a little running around and not much else. We did have plans, but switched them around for maximum fun and convenience.
I did finish my short story and got it sent out to my awesomely fantastic critique partners. Now I'm just waiting for their suggestions/impressions. And getting back into my urban fantasy novel. I read through what I have last night and I'm still really excited by the story. I'm looking forward to finishing it. It's probably the weirdest thing I've ever written. ha!
And I think that might be all I have for now.
Behave!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Non-routine and Challenges
It's week three of summer vacation and it feels like we've been doing this for months instead of a handful of days. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining. At all. I'm just saying that we slipped into our non-routine rather quickly. And I mean that non-routine in pretty much every area of life. The only thing that's consistent around here is sleeping in. Ha. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. No one's complaining they're bored. Yet. Things are about to get interesting around here with the onset of K2's camp counselor gig and July will surely shake things up with all that's going on.
Motivation has been a huge topic of discussion with my writing friends. We're all facing the same issues right now, but we're working on a solution to keep each other in check. A friendly challenge that'll start after the July holiday. I'm gearing up to begin our challenge with guns blazing and am setting my goals pretty high because I'm sick of feeling stagnant and backwards.
It's true I've always wanted a more relaxed writing schedule over the summer months. It's also true that I never seem to manage that, so I'm just going to go with the flow and do what I can without stressing too much. Granted the workload is self imposed since I'm not under any kind of deadline but my own, but I'm never going to have that deadline if I don't write, so there you have it. I am at a better place this year, or maybe it's just that my household is growing up and things have shifted as far as what's required of me.
We're slowly getting our duckies lined up around here, of course, by the time that happens we'll have to start thinking about the start of school. I think that's just life though.
What are you going to do?
Behave!
Motivation has been a huge topic of discussion with my writing friends. We're all facing the same issues right now, but we're working on a solution to keep each other in check. A friendly challenge that'll start after the July holiday. I'm gearing up to begin our challenge with guns blazing and am setting my goals pretty high because I'm sick of feeling stagnant and backwards.
It's true I've always wanted a more relaxed writing schedule over the summer months. It's also true that I never seem to manage that, so I'm just going to go with the flow and do what I can without stressing too much. Granted the workload is self imposed since I'm not under any kind of deadline but my own, but I'm never going to have that deadline if I don't write, so there you have it. I am at a better place this year, or maybe it's just that my household is growing up and things have shifted as far as what's required of me.
We're slowly getting our duckies lined up around here, of course, by the time that happens we'll have to start thinking about the start of school. I think that's just life though.
What are you going to do?
Behave!
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Passing of a Legend
Yesterday, my sister's nearly 16 year old dog, Boone, passed away.
We all knew he was dying, but that doesn't make it any easier. He'd been having trouble walking and standing up for a little while. He also dragged his back feet when walking and fell often, but he'd still come over and lean his head on your leg for a pet. We knew his time was coming up. I just don't think any of us ever really believed he'd go though.
He started having serious difficulties early in the week, and those issues worsened as the days passed. By Saturday, he could no longer stand up. They took him down to the creek that evening. Boone loved the creek. So much that he often didn't pay attention when traveling down the lane to get there. One time, B and I got there first and let him out of his enclosure to take him down to the creek with us. As soon as you'd say "creek", he was off down the lane to get there. But he was also happy to see us, so he ran beside our vehicle down the dirt road. He kept looking up at B with this silly dog face and ran smack dab into a tree. He wasn't hurt at all, and it didn't phase him. Then there was the time we caught him on the picnic table eating an entire chocolate cake. He had absolutely no ill effects from the chocolate, though we watched him and worried.
The thing you have to know about Boone is that he came from a litter of puppies our dog had. We'd rescued a Siberian Husky from some pretty crappy conditions. He was a beautiful dog, but hated all men except B due to his hard life. I think the fact that B rescued him made the difference. He'd do anything B said and if B didn't stop to pet him, Smokey would sulk. We'd gotten a lab/retriever female puppy, and apparently they got a little too close one day. Hence a litter of nine puppies born when K1 was 3 and K2 was about 9 months old. My sister and brother-in-law were dating back then and Boone was like their little buddy. He went everywhere with them and was probably the most socialized dog around.
His passing affects us all. My younger two have never experienced the death of a pet that they remember. He'll be missed, but I'm sure he's chasing groundhogs in heaven.
Behave!
We all knew he was dying, but that doesn't make it any easier. He'd been having trouble walking and standing up for a little while. He also dragged his back feet when walking and fell often, but he'd still come over and lean his head on your leg for a pet. We knew his time was coming up. I just don't think any of us ever really believed he'd go though.
He started having serious difficulties early in the week, and those issues worsened as the days passed. By Saturday, he could no longer stand up. They took him down to the creek that evening. Boone loved the creek. So much that he often didn't pay attention when traveling down the lane to get there. One time, B and I got there first and let him out of his enclosure to take him down to the creek with us. As soon as you'd say "creek", he was off down the lane to get there. But he was also happy to see us, so he ran beside our vehicle down the dirt road. He kept looking up at B with this silly dog face and ran smack dab into a tree. He wasn't hurt at all, and it didn't phase him. Then there was the time we caught him on the picnic table eating an entire chocolate cake. He had absolutely no ill effects from the chocolate, though we watched him and worried.
The thing you have to know about Boone is that he came from a litter of puppies our dog had. We'd rescued a Siberian Husky from some pretty crappy conditions. He was a beautiful dog, but hated all men except B due to his hard life. I think the fact that B rescued him made the difference. He'd do anything B said and if B didn't stop to pet him, Smokey would sulk. We'd gotten a lab/retriever female puppy, and apparently they got a little too close one day. Hence a litter of nine puppies born when K1 was 3 and K2 was about 9 months old. My sister and brother-in-law were dating back then and Boone was like their little buddy. He went everywhere with them and was probably the most socialized dog around.
His passing affects us all. My younger two have never experienced the death of a pet that they remember. He'll be missed, but I'm sure he's chasing groundhogs in heaven.
Behave!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Gearing up...
So we spent the day getting the camper ready for what should be our second campout of the season, but will be our first. If that made sense. I should have taken before and after pictures. It was very nasty when B pulled it in the yard for a bath since it was parked under a large tree. Very nasty. Now it's nice and shiny again, and aired out. I cleaned all the storage spaces and packed the gear back inside so now when it's time to go to camp I only have to worry about clothes and food. That's a cool thing. I love the way the camper smells inside. I love getting it ready for a camping trip. I'm filthy, exhausted, bruised and scratched, but satisfied at all we managed to accomplish today.
Except I just now sat down. I'd wanted to finish my short story today - especially since I'm really, really close to the end. I'm kind of thinking that might not happen tonight. I'm kind of thinking I might try, again, to watch The Fellowship of the Ring since I fell asleep just as Gandalf arrived at Bag End last night. The last thing I remember was him hitting his head in Bilbo's house.
That's a Saturday lame post for you!
Behave!
Except I just now sat down. I'd wanted to finish my short story today - especially since I'm really, really close to the end. I'm kind of thinking that might not happen tonight. I'm kind of thinking I might try, again, to watch The Fellowship of the Ring since I fell asleep just as Gandalf arrived at Bag End last night. The last thing I remember was him hitting his head in Bilbo's house.
That's a Saturday lame post for you!
Behave!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Survived
For another year...
The day didn't start out so swell...no sleep...dog diarrhea...you get the picture...
And then we had to walk through overcrowded streets with horribly, really horribly, rude people. K3 has a huge crowd issue. We were armpit to armpit with total strangers downtown and I looked over at him to see wild eyes and this mother-heart-stopping, rigid fear on his face. It wasn't quite bad enough that he held my hand, (because, you know, he's too old and too cool for that these days) but it was close. He stuck to my side like glue. We moved to the sidewalk, which helped a lot, but he wanted to go home. And like the trooper he is, he didn't whine, complain, or anything. He just simply stated that he was ready to go home whenever we were, but felt that should be soon. What a funny kid. I'm really proud of how he handled himself.
After that, we just hung out here and laughed a lot. Thanks to Jo and her "moobs". :)
Town is noisy with the tearing down of everything. The neighbors are still partying and there's an occasional siren. My family has all gone to bed, and I'm heading there myself.
Whew. Thank goodness it's over.
Behave!
The day didn't start out so swell...no sleep...dog diarrhea...you get the picture...
And then we had to walk through overcrowded streets with horribly, really horribly, rude people. K3 has a huge crowd issue. We were armpit to armpit with total strangers downtown and I looked over at him to see wild eyes and this mother-heart-stopping, rigid fear on his face. It wasn't quite bad enough that he held my hand, (because, you know, he's too old and too cool for that these days) but it was close. He stuck to my side like glue. We moved to the sidewalk, which helped a lot, but he wanted to go home. And like the trooper he is, he didn't whine, complain, or anything. He just simply stated that he was ready to go home whenever we were, but felt that should be soon. What a funny kid. I'm really proud of how he handled himself.
After that, we just hung out here and laughed a lot. Thanks to Jo and her "moobs". :)
Town is noisy with the tearing down of everything. The neighbors are still partying and there's an occasional siren. My family has all gone to bed, and I'm heading there myself.
Whew. Thank goodness it's over.
Behave!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Midweek Madness
My house is kind of chaotic at the moment.
K2 is babysitting for a friend of ours, which is her usual Wednesday job. Two little girlies, who are adorable and full of energy. The afternoon went fast, and now we're gearing up for the rest of the craziness. K2 has a performance tonight, and has to be on site in about an hour, which will leave me with the girlies until their mom gets off work. Then, I have to finish getting ready for the insanity of tomorrow.
I know I lamented our town's annual street fair last year. It's not my favorite thing. At all. I've already parked my truck and K2's truck so that we can accommodate visitors, and gone to the grocery store since there's no way you'll catch me driving anywhere tomorrow. All that's left is some minor cleaning and making some potato salad. And, I hate to say it, but I'm probably going to end up walking down to check out the vendors in the morning. I don't want to. Not at all. But the K's are looking forward to it, so I guess I just have to suck it up and go. I'm not sure what our visitor situation will be yet. That's one of those things that are hard to predict.
We'll see...and we'll make the most of it.
Behave!
K2 is babysitting for a friend of ours, which is her usual Wednesday job. Two little girlies, who are adorable and full of energy. The afternoon went fast, and now we're gearing up for the rest of the craziness. K2 has a performance tonight, and has to be on site in about an hour, which will leave me with the girlies until their mom gets off work. Then, I have to finish getting ready for the insanity of tomorrow.
I know I lamented our town's annual street fair last year. It's not my favorite thing. At all. I've already parked my truck and K2's truck so that we can accommodate visitors, and gone to the grocery store since there's no way you'll catch me driving anywhere tomorrow. All that's left is some minor cleaning and making some potato salad. And, I hate to say it, but I'm probably going to end up walking down to check out the vendors in the morning. I don't want to. Not at all. But the K's are looking forward to it, so I guess I just have to suck it up and go. I'm not sure what our visitor situation will be yet. That's one of those things that are hard to predict.
We'll see...and we'll make the most of it.
Behave!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Memory Lane
I don't think I've ever shared this picture. Look at Jo wrestle that gator! Note there's no blood and her shirt and shoes are still pristine. She's the best at what she does. Ha! We love this photo op at the aquarium at the beach. The first pic I have is of three of the K's before K4 came along. K3 is not quite two yet and he looks very bewildered by the fact that his brother and sister are petting it. They remodeled the aquarium and moved this guy - croc or gator, I'm not exactly sure which - outside by the fossil pit (which is another cool place to hang out). We did pics of all the kids around it, and some of my kids with their heads stuck in its mouth looking scared. (of course. What else do you expect?) I already know this pic will bring much nostalgia and pain for those of us who regularly travel to the beach - well, at least those that actually read my blog. But I can't help it. There's this fantastic breeze going on right now that totally reminds me of the beach.
Other than that, I'm catching up with some business items, article writing, and household duties while I try to actually find a level of summer organization around here. Which is laughable since this week is totally insane with lots of kid stuff and our town's annual street fair. Maybe I should just prepare to go with the flow. Or something. I don't know.
Behave!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday Musings...
Which is really just another way to say "random"! Ha!
I'm having a weird day.
I don't know why. Weird dreams last night, which could have something to do with it, and is really just an indication that I need to get back to writing after taking the weekend off for fun and frivolity.
K2's summer schedule is keeping me hopping. I just updated the calendar for June and part of July and it's insane. We have a Dry Erase calendar and everyone has a different color. K2's is red. Needless to say, the entire thing is covered in red. And green, which is K3's color. K1 doesn't have a color anymore since he does his own thing and can take care of all that stuff himself now. And K4 has very little going on at this point in her life. I'll have two of them off to camp at the same time, intersecting weeks of K2 working as a camp counselor and our own camping trip. We'll see how it all works out. Should be interesting.
That's all I have for today!
Behave!
I'm having a weird day.
I don't know why. Weird dreams last night, which could have something to do with it, and is really just an indication that I need to get back to writing after taking the weekend off for fun and frivolity.
K2's summer schedule is keeping me hopping. I just updated the calendar for June and part of July and it's insane. We have a Dry Erase calendar and everyone has a different color. K2's is red. Needless to say, the entire thing is covered in red. And green, which is K3's color. K1 doesn't have a color anymore since he does his own thing and can take care of all that stuff himself now. And K4 has very little going on at this point in her life. I'll have two of them off to camp at the same time, intersecting weeks of K2 working as a camp counselor and our own camping trip. We'll see how it all works out. Should be interesting.
That's all I have for today!
Behave!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Call Your Dad!
Seriously. You should.
I will be making that call since my folks bailed on us and went camping this weekend! Ha! He thought he could get away from the obnoxiousness of his children! But he's with one of us, so I highly doubt that's happening. B is heading in to see his dad in a few, and then we're going to a friends for a birthday/fathers day cookout.
I've got a ton of stuff to do before that, so this will be short and sweet.
Most of the guys I know are great dads. Not many of them read this. If any. I have a great dad and I'm married to a great dad. Make sure you appreciate your great dads today!
Behave!
I will be making that call since my folks bailed on us and went camping this weekend! Ha! He thought he could get away from the obnoxiousness of his children! But he's with one of us, so I highly doubt that's happening. B is heading in to see his dad in a few, and then we're going to a friends for a birthday/fathers day cookout.
I've got a ton of stuff to do before that, so this will be short and sweet.
Most of the guys I know are great dads. Not many of them read this. If any. I have a great dad and I'm married to a great dad. Make sure you appreciate your great dads today!
Behave!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
I Have This Kid...
Yeah...
That one.
The one who steals her grandmother's walking aide and then proceeds to walk beside her grandmother while overexaagerating how Grandma walks when she uses it. (she doesn't use it all the time) The one with war paint on her face because they were having a knock-down-drag-out water fight. The one with the Care Bear bandaid and tie-dyed shorts. The one who's working three jobs this summer to save enough money to go on an inner-city missions project. The one who rescues stranded turtles and baby bunnies.
This kid is as goofy as she is amazing. She's wise beyond her years, funny, patient, kind, and an awesome person. She knows what she wants out of life and is already working toward those goals.
And I'm feeling nostalgic.
I picked her up from camp counselor training today. She had a blast and is really looking forward to the coming weeks when she'll interact with the kids. Most of the kids that come to the camp are underprivileged city kids, many have never been in the woods before. She's also decided that she's going to work an additional week there and then started talking about colleges.
As I listened to her talk about the people and the experience, I almost cried.
Because I'll miss her, and because I don't know how we got to this point where she's suddenly in charge of her life and makes her own decisions based on future goals. (Trust me, the kid has always made her own decisions, but they've been on a much smaller scale.) Because she's amazing in so many ways.
Somewhere along the way we went from mother/daughter to friends. I'm not saying we not have our share of "teenager" moments. We do. And I know our relationship will continue to change and grow. Heck, I count my own mother as one of my closest friends. I guess I faced the changes a little bit as I listened to her talk about her future options. And they kind of hit me out of the blue because I vividly remember her sitting in the grocery cart making me a "list" while we discussed what snacks to have at our afternoon tea party. That seems like only yesterday...
Yeah. I'm a sap. Deal with it.
Oh, and for your daily dose of my life...
I went to the grocery store, but then realized I'd forgotten to grab a bag of ice. I rushed back in, got the ice and zoomed around the corner for the self checkout only to slip and fall in a small puddle of water. I crashed into the video shelf, knocked a bunch of DVD's down and hit the floor with my knee. Fantastic. My finger is bruised, my arm is scratched and bruised, my knee is scraped and sore. Oh, and I landed directly in front of the manager.
There's a mental picture for you...
Behave!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Fiesta Friday!
Or, maybe it should be...we'll see if it turns out to be Fiesta Friday!
This morning has been spent dealing with administration duties, including two phone calls to deal with separate issues. One went fantastically. The other left me wanting to pull my hair out, but I think it might finally be resolved. We'll see. The whole thing was totally irritating and I was on the phone for well over an hour. I finally got to speak to a supervisor, who promised he took care of the situation. I am not holding my breath because this isn't the first time I've been told that. Huh.
Now I'm ready to move on to the fun stuff. I'm meeting my sister at a friend's pool in a bit, then we're off to dinner at our old neighbor's new house.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!
This morning has been spent dealing with administration duties, including two phone calls to deal with separate issues. One went fantastically. The other left me wanting to pull my hair out, but I think it might finally be resolved. We'll see. The whole thing was totally irritating and I was on the phone for well over an hour. I finally got to speak to a supervisor, who promised he took care of the situation. I am not holding my breath because this isn't the first time I've been told that. Huh.
Now I'm ready to move on to the fun stuff. I'm meeting my sister at a friend's pool in a bit, then we're off to dinner at our old neighbor's new house.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Slow Day
Every single thing about my day so far has been slow.
Except for time.
I just looked at the clock and realized how late in the day it is. Then I realized how little I've accomplished so far. Stupid. I was preparing something to print and my computer kept wanting to restart so it could update. Every document opens slow and wants to harass me in some odd way. I am still in the process of printing thanks to my printer being stupid. The printer que is backed up thanks to me hitting "print" instead of "save" and I can't seem to get the job cancelled so it will print what I really want printed. I'm nearly out of ink and don't need 100 additional pages. Or this aggravation.
Anyway.
Was checking out the search terms that bring people to my blog. Most are my name, which is very common. Others might be odd - like "bare chests and bow ties" or "Victoria Smith Jared Padalecki" (which is way cool), but the one I came across last night made me sad..."i hate victoria smith!". Why do you hate me? What did I do? I do realize this means nothing more than the fact that I've used the word hate on my blog several times. I don't know that many people, so it's hard to imagine someone from a far away town actively hating me. I guess it's possible, but like I said, my name is pretty common.
Well, now even more time is gone and I'm still working on this printer. I think I might have to write off this day.
Behave!
Except for time.
I just looked at the clock and realized how late in the day it is. Then I realized how little I've accomplished so far. Stupid. I was preparing something to print and my computer kept wanting to restart so it could update. Every document opens slow and wants to harass me in some odd way. I am still in the process of printing thanks to my printer being stupid. The printer que is backed up thanks to me hitting "print" instead of "save" and I can't seem to get the job cancelled so it will print what I really want printed. I'm nearly out of ink and don't need 100 additional pages. Or this aggravation.
Anyway.
Was checking out the search terms that bring people to my blog. Most are my name, which is very common. Others might be odd - like "bare chests and bow ties" or "Victoria Smith Jared Padalecki" (which is way cool), but the one I came across last night made me sad..."i hate victoria smith!". Why do you hate me? What did I do? I do realize this means nothing more than the fact that I've used the word hate on my blog several times. I don't know that many people, so it's hard to imagine someone from a far away town actively hating me. I guess it's possible, but like I said, my name is pretty common.
Well, now even more time is gone and I'm still working on this printer. I think I might have to write off this day.
Behave!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Good Thing - Bad Thing
(A random list of strangeness.)
1. K2's mornings plans were cancelled.
...Except she forgot to tell me.
2. K3 had his physical for summer camp.
...And Fifth Disease, which I noticed as we were sitting in the doctor's office. (its going around)
3. I stayed up late last night to try to get my writing head screwed on straight.
...I don't think it worked.
4. I was very happy to pour my coffee this morning.
...the cup I chose apparently is cracked and is leaking.
5. B had to replace a tire over the weekend thanks to a nail in the sidewall. He rotated his tires to put the new one in the front.
...now it seems there's another nail in the same location he just replaced.
6. We have a noise ordinance in this town.
...apparently it doesn't apply to everyone. Especially backhoes and jackhammers at six a.m.
Ha! Welcome to my life.
But...it's absolutely beautiful outside. The temperatures have finally fallen to a reasonable number and I love it.
That's all for now.
Behave!
1. K2's mornings plans were cancelled.
...Except she forgot to tell me.
2. K3 had his physical for summer camp.
...And Fifth Disease, which I noticed as we were sitting in the doctor's office. (its going around)
3. I stayed up late last night to try to get my writing head screwed on straight.
...I don't think it worked.
4. I was very happy to pour my coffee this morning.
...the cup I chose apparently is cracked and is leaking.
5. B had to replace a tire over the weekend thanks to a nail in the sidewall. He rotated his tires to put the new one in the front.
...now it seems there's another nail in the same location he just replaced.
6. We have a noise ordinance in this town.
...apparently it doesn't apply to everyone. Especially backhoes and jackhammers at six a.m.
Ha! Welcome to my life.
But...it's absolutely beautiful outside. The temperatures have finally fallen to a reasonable number and I love it.
That's all for now.
Behave!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Brain Vacation
I had the best of intentions yesterday...
I'd planned to dive right back into a short story I finally managed to plot over the weekend after a quick trip for groceries and some household tasks. Except, I never got that far. Or I did, just not in the capacity I'd planned. I opened the document and read through, making minor changes as I re-immersed myself in the story which had been going very well when I finally had to stop writing Sunday night. I'm excited about the story and I'm having fun writing it, but for some reason (probably the heat) my brain refused to cooperate.
Instead, I ended up brain barfing out several pages of an idea based on one line of dialogue that would not leave me alone. Usually that's enough to dispel the activity in my brain, but apparently not this time. I had a dream about it, and woke up this morning thinking about what would happen next. And I'm kind of irritated about the whole thing. The story is not my usual. There's no paranormal, no suspense, no mystery - just an older woman and a younger man coming to terms with what started out as harmless flirting and has grown into much, much more. And I have no idea what I'll do with it, if anything.
And, as the evening wound down and I went back to my original story with much determination, my computer glitched and I had to do a restart. Remember those minor changes I mentioned above? Yep. All gone since I ignored my word processing programs announcement that it'd saved a back up and did I want to open it or delete it - of course, I deleted it. Fantastic! Like I said, the changes were minor, but the whole thing was enough for me to hang it up for the night. I'd planned to work into the wee hours to try to catch up with myself, but that didn't happen.
Yes, I'm still working on the full length manuscript I started at the retreat, but I've found taking a small break to work on something shorter really helps me to stay on a positive track with the bigger book. Like a brain vacation - but it appears that my brain has taken a vacation from its vacation. Or something.
We'll see what happens today. We have several things going on this afternoon and this evening though, and my plan for yesterday was supposed to help alleviate some of my time today. The heat is a huge factor in the whole thing, I'm sure.
That's all.
Behave!
I'd planned to dive right back into a short story I finally managed to plot over the weekend after a quick trip for groceries and some household tasks. Except, I never got that far. Or I did, just not in the capacity I'd planned. I opened the document and read through, making minor changes as I re-immersed myself in the story which had been going very well when I finally had to stop writing Sunday night. I'm excited about the story and I'm having fun writing it, but for some reason (probably the heat) my brain refused to cooperate.
Instead, I ended up brain barfing out several pages of an idea based on one line of dialogue that would not leave me alone. Usually that's enough to dispel the activity in my brain, but apparently not this time. I had a dream about it, and woke up this morning thinking about what would happen next. And I'm kind of irritated about the whole thing. The story is not my usual. There's no paranormal, no suspense, no mystery - just an older woman and a younger man coming to terms with what started out as harmless flirting and has grown into much, much more. And I have no idea what I'll do with it, if anything.
And, as the evening wound down and I went back to my original story with much determination, my computer glitched and I had to do a restart. Remember those minor changes I mentioned above? Yep. All gone since I ignored my word processing programs announcement that it'd saved a back up and did I want to open it or delete it - of course, I deleted it. Fantastic! Like I said, the changes were minor, but the whole thing was enough for me to hang it up for the night. I'd planned to work into the wee hours to try to catch up with myself, but that didn't happen.
Yes, I'm still working on the full length manuscript I started at the retreat, but I've found taking a small break to work on something shorter really helps me to stay on a positive track with the bigger book. Like a brain vacation - but it appears that my brain has taken a vacation from its vacation. Or something.
We'll see what happens today. We have several things going on this afternoon and this evening though, and my plan for yesterday was supposed to help alleviate some of my time today. The heat is a huge factor in the whole thing, I'm sure.
That's all.
Behave!
Monday, June 09, 2008
First Monday
of summer vacation!
We slept in around here, which was much needed after a crazy, long weekend and a crazy, long night where I don't think any of us slept well even with the air conditioners on high. It's stinking hot - already pushing 90* and due to reach near 100* by the end of the day. Everyone is a tad cranky and it's looking like today is going to be one long day.
No additional pictures from the reenactment. By the time we got down there they had the camps and canons packed up. I'm not sure why the schedule change happened, except maybe because of our excessive heat. I'm bummed since the photos taken Saturday night are all flawed probably due to the humidity level still residing in my camera from its drop into the creek and previous breakage.
That's all for now.
Behave!
We slept in around here, which was much needed after a crazy, long weekend and a crazy, long night where I don't think any of us slept well even with the air conditioners on high. It's stinking hot - already pushing 90* and due to reach near 100* by the end of the day. Everyone is a tad cranky and it's looking like today is going to be one long day.
No additional pictures from the reenactment. By the time we got down there they had the camps and canons packed up. I'm not sure why the schedule change happened, except maybe because of our excessive heat. I'm bummed since the photos taken Saturday night are all flawed probably due to the humidity level still residing in my camera from its drop into the creek and previous breakage.
That's all for now.
Behave!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
History
This weekend our town is holding a reenactment. Confederate soldiers occupied the town for two days back in 1863. After the troop occupied the town, they met with Union soldiers for what is said to be the most northern battle before heading back to Gettysburg.
On the way to the meeting yesterday, I passed people dressed in period attire. Then on the way back there was a group of soldiers in full regalia. Pretty cool. Last night my folks stopped by and as we were sitting in the back yard hoping for any kind of breeze, (it's stinking hot here) they began to fire the canons. We decided to walk down to check it out and I have to say it was pretty freaking awesome. The photo is from one of the encampments.
We're heading down in a few minutes for hopefully better photos and for the ending canon fire.
I'll post those later!
Behave!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Vampire Garlic?
Maybe it doesn't come out so good in the picture, but the garlic has vampire fangs! Normally, I would have passed over the head since it's clearly sprouting, but it was so funny to us that I had to buy it.
Today was my RWA chapter meeting. Always a good time. No lunch today since too many of us had outside obligations right after. I wasn't even supposed to be there this month, but our plans fell through for going away. There's great disappointment associated with the falling through of the plans, so that's all I'm going to say about that. Except...It figures since it was the only thing we had planned this summer besides the holiday camping weekends. Okay. Done now.
That's all I have for you today. Well, at least for right now.
Behave!
Friday, June 06, 2008
10 Things...
I am looking forward to this summer:
(in no particular order)
1. Sleeping in - since there aren't any early morning music lessons, or other morning obligations.
2. Grilling
3. Weddings
4. Camping - though besides the normal holiday weekend camping, we don't have any other plans yet.
5. The resurrection of Fiesta Fridays.
6. Sangria
7. K2 getting her drivers license
8. Last minute plans - since sometimes they work out better than long-term planning.
9. Writing time.
10. A more relaxed pace than last summer, though that makes me laugh because we're still insanely busy, just in different ways.
Behave!
(in no particular order)
1. Sleeping in - since there aren't any early morning music lessons, or other morning obligations.
2. Grilling
3. Weddings
4. Camping - though besides the normal holiday weekend camping, we don't have any other plans yet.
5. The resurrection of Fiesta Fridays.
6. Sangria
7. K2 getting her drivers license
8. Last minute plans - since sometimes they work out better than long-term planning.
9. Writing time.
10. A more relaxed pace than last summer, though that makes me laugh because we're still insanely busy, just in different ways.
Behave!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Freddie Found
Nearly twenty-four hours after escaping, Freddie has been found behind the bookcase in K4's room. You can imagine how happy that made K4, because he is indeed a snapping turtle. He was very dusty and covered in hair when she finally rescued him from certain death. Currently, Freddie is swimming in my bathtub while K2 makes him a proper habitat.
It's going to be a fantastic summer!
Behave!
Still No Freddie...
Yes. He's still missing.
K2 says she can hear him scrappling around under her bed, but every time she looks he's not there. Getting up in the middle of the night for the call of nature was interesting. I was afraid I'd end up stumbling across him in the hall. And we were sure we'd hear him falling down the stairs like her poor ill-fated hermit crab.
But we didn't.
So...now we continue to search, which is hysterical in itself because every time I look for him, K2 tells me that she's already looked there. Ummm...the turtle does have legs and can move.
Yeah.
What I'm dealing with...
Behave!
K2 says she can hear him scrappling around under her bed, but every time she looks he's not there. Getting up in the middle of the night for the call of nature was interesting. I was afraid I'd end up stumbling across him in the hall. And we were sure we'd hear him falling down the stairs like her poor ill-fated hermit crab.
But we didn't.
So...now we continue to search, which is hysterical in itself because every time I look for him, K2 tells me that she's already looked there. Ummm...the turtle does have legs and can move.
Yeah.
What I'm dealing with...
Behave!
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Freddie
K2 found a turtle on her way home from school today. She brought him in, named him Freddie and set him up in a habitat. I orginally thought he was a snapping turtle, but now I'm not so sure. I'd post a picture, but I can't because FREDDIE HAS ESCAPED!!
He's in my house. Somewhere.
Fantastic!
He escaped earlier today as well. I don't know why, but she didn't find a bigger home for him. Now he's lost. The girls have been searching for him for the past half hour. K2 is in the middle of cleaning her room. Anyone with any experience with teenage girls knows what this means. There is stuff everywhere. Everywhere. Stuff I haven't seen since way before she moved into the room. The hall is filled with trash bags and dirty laundry. They've even employed the cat to help with the search, though I don't think the cat is getting what they're asking of him.
K4 says she's not going to sleep tonight if Freddie is not found. That should be swell.
Sigh.
Behave!
He's in my house. Somewhere.
Fantastic!
He escaped earlier today as well. I don't know why, but she didn't find a bigger home for him. Now he's lost. The girls have been searching for him for the past half hour. K2 is in the middle of cleaning her room. Anyone with any experience with teenage girls knows what this means. There is stuff everywhere. Everywhere. Stuff I haven't seen since way before she moved into the room. The hall is filled with trash bags and dirty laundry. They've even employed the cat to help with the search, though I don't think the cat is getting what they're asking of him.
K4 says she's not going to sleep tonight if Freddie is not found. That should be swell.
Sigh.
Behave!
Thinking and Stuff...
Looks like a cave, doesn't it?
I think it's the inside of a stump. I didn't take the picture, but I found it when I was searching for something interesting to post today. Okay, so maybe I'm the only one who finds it cool. It might look like the stupid insides of a dumb fallen tree, but I see possibilities.
Maybe it's a link to an unknown world. Maybe faeries or gnomes use this as a way to reach to above ground world. Maybe a long forgotten treasure is buried here. It's one of those things that make me think. Probably too much.
Anyways. Now that you've had another brief, but terrifying, glimpse into my brain, let's move on.
It's over. Well, for the most part. K2 is soon home from her last final and is done with school for the year. The younger K's are in the middle of their last full day. I don't believe it's actually hit me yet. Maybe once we smooth over the schedule and figure out what exactly is going on. I'm actually too tired to think about any of it after yet another long night where I had many weird and frightening dreams, a splitting headache, and too much time staring at the ceiling. Maybe after a nap...
Behave!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Some People...
Should not be allowed in public!
Ha! I'm just kidding.
This is our friend Tom. He and his wife have been our friends since way, way back when. Bob knew Tom before I did, and considering I've known Bob since I was like 14, well, that's a long time. We spent a few years out of touch, but that all changed and now we can't imagine life without them. K2 and their youngest daughter are only two weeks apart and are like peas in a pod. Seriously. They could be twins - well, except for the fact that they don't look anything alike. They sure do act it.
The hat does not belong to Tom. It belongs to K1, and yes, he did wear it this winter. I don't know how it got outside Saturday, but it ended up on Tom's head and he instantly struck a pose. Which is just how it goes. I don't know, but this may have been funnier in person.
Two more days until school is officially out for the summer. K2's in the middle of grueling finals. Well, when she's not picnicking with her arts school, or working, or forgetting to tell me she needs food to take to said picnic and I don't find out until 9pm the night before.
I'm still plugging along on my new book. I guess I can't call it new anymore since I'm nearing the halfway mark. I hadn't wanted to be in the new writing phase for summer, but there's nothing I can do about that. I also have a project to edit - maybe two. We'll see how it goes. I am still having a blast writing this project, which is good. I did a lot of prework on this one, which seems to have helped me not feel so fragmented. I know where the story is going to the end, okay, well, mostly. There's been a lot of surprises so far - some of which I know I'm going to have to edit out, but that's okay.
Behave!
Sunday, June 01, 2008
My Boy
And his best friend.
K1 is on the right - the smaller guy with the goofy smile. Yesterday was his birthday and we had a "small" gathering to celebrate him turning 19. I say "small" like that because with the family, small is a relative term. We had 29 people here, with several missing. But, we also had a blast. I'm seriously thinking 19 is harder on me than 18 was. What happened to my little boy? I spent the night having strange dreams about him breaking his leg, and awake thinking. Which wasn't good since the last guest didn't leave until well after 12:30 and it was after 1:00 am until I crawled into bed.
Okay. Enough of that.
June already, huh?
Weird. This year is flying by. I know I say that at the beginning of every new month. The kids finish up school this week. K3 is finishing elementary school, which is also weird and probably adds to my nostalgia from above. I'm sure of it. (oh and the 5th grade graduation went well. The entire 5th grade class is a riot.) We have a little less than a month until K2 can take her driving test. That's weird, too.
And that's all I have for now. Which probably relieves you, because of the general nostalgic bend to this post.
Behave!!
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