Sorry I missed posting before we left the retreat center!
I was trying to meet my word count and then pack, pay the bill, all that jazz.
We left right on time. It was snowing when we left. How weird is that?
We stopped at a Denny's for an awesome lunch and got home late afternoon. It was great to see the family! I took a little nap with That Man. Those kids and That Man made dinner. We all watched a movie together. It was nice. We were in bed at a ridiculously early time.
Back to the day job today.
That was rough. My inbox was insane. The day was insane!
So now I'm catching up and exhausted...
Going to write now. And then bed.
Showing posts with label Retreat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retreat. Show all posts
Monday, May 16, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Retreat: Day 4 - PM
Well... It's the last night of retreat... I have a sad...And I wish I had a time-turner.
I have accomplished far more than I even though possible this year.
Normally, everyone coming to retreat sets a goal that they'd like to meet. It can be anything from having fantastic nail polish, taking a nap, sleeping without interruption, to finishing a book, writing seven synopses, or just writing as much as possible.
My only goal for this year was to feel Immersed in writing.
I found that on my first day. The ability to just get into the story without letting anything take me out of it. I had my two stories to edit, and the one I wanted to start, but I wasn't thinking about that when I got here. I just wanted to do my thing and not feel like I couldn't focus on it because there were so many other things that required my attention.
Somehow, I managed to finish my edits and submit the story, finish the short and send for critique, and as of right now, write over 8K on a new story.
I feel accomplished.
I have not written anything new since my last retreat two years ago. Yes, I have published stuff since then. I have edited and I have written, but not with as much intent that I feel now. Mostly, I edited older stuff, which while productive, doesn't feel the same as starting out with a fresh idea.
And... I didn't have the current story idea until last night. I knew what kind of story I wanted to write. I knew where I think I want to send it, but nothing else was there. To be truthful, I thought I was broken.
Turns out, I'm not. I'm an author, dammit!
This retreat has rocked, despite the very loud couples therapy people who insist we need to interview them for fantastic story ideas (wtf?), our somewhat odd dinner that while okay, was still out of the normal desirable food stuff, despite the wedding, which is still kind of loud as they clean up and as we have spillage into our hall that includes little kids who cry a lot, (in my section of hallway, too) and after we witnessed two almost naked guys trying to swim in the pond and disturb our resident goose (who is still a jerk, but doesn't deserve the harassment). I won a prize, which is awesome and also very random. Simon and I pick the prizes and always think I shouldn't enter to win, but everyone tells me that's crap and that I deserve to win like anyone else. We always get prizes we would love to have ourselves, so to say I'm pleased is an understatement. (Oh and one of the items is an Avengers blanket. How cool is that?)
We had the best coordinator at the venue. The staff here took care of us before anyone else - making sure we had our dinner first and just generally being awesome. They realized the loud groups was an inconvenience and a stressor and took the time to talk to us about how things could be different next year.
I am satisfied beyond satisfied.
And I am an author. This is what I'm meant to do... Tell stories. I am more convinced of that now that I have been for a long time.
Now it's time for the last retreat sleep. I'm ready to go home and rock this thing! (and I miss those aliens I live with...)
Behave!
I have accomplished far more than I even though possible this year.
Normally, everyone coming to retreat sets a goal that they'd like to meet. It can be anything from having fantastic nail polish, taking a nap, sleeping without interruption, to finishing a book, writing seven synopses, or just writing as much as possible.
My only goal for this year was to feel Immersed in writing.
I found that on my first day. The ability to just get into the story without letting anything take me out of it. I had my two stories to edit, and the one I wanted to start, but I wasn't thinking about that when I got here. I just wanted to do my thing and not feel like I couldn't focus on it because there were so many other things that required my attention.
Somehow, I managed to finish my edits and submit the story, finish the short and send for critique, and as of right now, write over 8K on a new story.
I feel accomplished.
I have not written anything new since my last retreat two years ago. Yes, I have published stuff since then. I have edited and I have written, but not with as much intent that I feel now. Mostly, I edited older stuff, which while productive, doesn't feel the same as starting out with a fresh idea.
And... I didn't have the current story idea until last night. I knew what kind of story I wanted to write. I knew where I think I want to send it, but nothing else was there. To be truthful, I thought I was broken.
Turns out, I'm not. I'm an author, dammit!
This retreat has rocked, despite the very loud couples therapy people who insist we need to interview them for fantastic story ideas (wtf?), our somewhat odd dinner that while okay, was still out of the normal desirable food stuff, despite the wedding, which is still kind of loud as they clean up and as we have spillage into our hall that includes little kids who cry a lot, (in my section of hallway, too) and after we witnessed two almost naked guys trying to swim in the pond and disturb our resident goose (who is still a jerk, but doesn't deserve the harassment). I won a prize, which is awesome and also very random. Simon and I pick the prizes and always think I shouldn't enter to win, but everyone tells me that's crap and that I deserve to win like anyone else. We always get prizes we would love to have ourselves, so to say I'm pleased is an understatement. (Oh and one of the items is an Avengers blanket. How cool is that?)
We had the best coordinator at the venue. The staff here took care of us before anyone else - making sure we had our dinner first and just generally being awesome. They realized the loud groups was an inconvenience and a stressor and took the time to talk to us about how things could be different next year.
I am satisfied beyond satisfied.
And I am an author. This is what I'm meant to do... Tell stories. I am more convinced of that now that I have been for a long time.
Now it's time for the last retreat sleep. I'm ready to go home and rock this thing! (and I miss those aliens I live with...)
Behave!
Retreat: Day 4 - AM
It's our last full day on Retreat!
I'm sad, but I am also missing my family a lot! I'll be ready to head home tomorrow, but not so ready to go back to the day job.
There's a chill in the air this morning - a put your socks and sweatshirt on kind of chill. I'm in the comfy chair in my room - feet propped up, cozy blanket over me. I will be napping again today. For sure.
So the loud group has not gotten any quieter or any more considerate. They tromp down our hallway talking at the top of their lungs, staring into our rooms, and generally being a pain. This morning there was one of those punching balloons being excessively played with. At 7:15 am.
Currently, someone is robbing the ice machine. I can hear them dumping the ice into a cooler or something. There will be none left for anyone else, which is also a jerk move.
And then tonight there is a wedding. We'll see what kind of chaos that brings.
We'll have our game and prize drawing this evening, which is always a blast.
Until then, I will be working on my new story. The only thing I need at this point is names for the main characters. Working on that right now.
Later.
Behave!
I'm sad, but I am also missing my family a lot! I'll be ready to head home tomorrow, but not so ready to go back to the day job.
There's a chill in the air this morning - a put your socks and sweatshirt on kind of chill. I'm in the comfy chair in my room - feet propped up, cozy blanket over me. I will be napping again today. For sure.
So the loud group has not gotten any quieter or any more considerate. They tromp down our hallway talking at the top of their lungs, staring into our rooms, and generally being a pain. This morning there was one of those punching balloons being excessively played with. At 7:15 am.
Currently, someone is robbing the ice machine. I can hear them dumping the ice into a cooler or something. There will be none left for anyone else, which is also a jerk move.
And then tonight there is a wedding. We'll see what kind of chaos that brings.
We'll have our game and prize drawing this evening, which is always a blast.
Until then, I will be working on my new story. The only thing I need at this point is names for the main characters. Working on that right now.
Later.
Behave!
Friday, May 13, 2016
Retreat: Day 3 - PM - Feel Good Friday
Here we go!
1. Finishing my edits on ItF and submitting! Whoot!
2. Finishing my short and sending for critique. Whoot!
3. Brainstorming with Misty and finding my next story! Whoot! (3 whoots in a row!)
4. Feeling like my writer self again!
5. Having one more full day here!
6. The last of our posse arriving safe and sound!
7. Finding out how great my kid did at her performance last night!
8. Talking to her school and hearing good news.
9. The lovely weather here. It was raining, then sunny, then big black clouds. The big storm never came, though I wished for it. I'll take the sun, white puffy clouds, and wonderful breeze though!
10. Napping.
11. Knowing that I will make my writing group goal for the first time in months.
12. Tonight's gathering plans, which will include laughter and possible game playing.
Things that were not so awesome about today:
1. Today is the one year anniversary of my mom's death. It's weighed heavily on me all day, well since last night when her brother called. Well, for a long time. It's been a really rough year. I miss my momma so much, but I also know that she's watching over me and telling me to write the damn books and be happy like she is now that she's with Dad. Love you, Mom.
2. Waking up with a ginormous zit on my chin.
3. The extremely LOUD group that has joined us. No kidding. This woman just ran down the hall screaming "Yoo Hoo", while looking into our rooms. It was made well known to them that we're writers who are working here, and this particular lady is quick to tell the other guests that we're authors, but not so quick to shut her mouth.
4. The poor hummingbird that crashed into the dining room window.
5. The rude goose right outside my window and his incessant honking. lol
Obviously more good than bad. Number one aside, the bad can suck it. (especially #3)
I'm off to our gathering!
Behave!
1. Finishing my edits on ItF and submitting! Whoot!
2. Finishing my short and sending for critique. Whoot!
3. Brainstorming with Misty and finding my next story! Whoot! (3 whoots in a row!)
4. Feeling like my writer self again!
5. Having one more full day here!
6. The last of our posse arriving safe and sound!
7. Finding out how great my kid did at her performance last night!
8. Talking to her school and hearing good news.
9. The lovely weather here. It was raining, then sunny, then big black clouds. The big storm never came, though I wished for it. I'll take the sun, white puffy clouds, and wonderful breeze though!
10. Napping.
11. Knowing that I will make my writing group goal for the first time in months.
12. Tonight's gathering plans, which will include laughter and possible game playing.
Things that were not so awesome about today:
1. Today is the one year anniversary of my mom's death. It's weighed heavily on me all day, well since last night when her brother called. Well, for a long time. It's been a really rough year. I miss my momma so much, but I also know that she's watching over me and telling me to write the damn books and be happy like she is now that she's with Dad. Love you, Mom.
2. Waking up with a ginormous zit on my chin.
3. The extremely LOUD group that has joined us. No kidding. This woman just ran down the hall screaming "Yoo Hoo", while looking into our rooms. It was made well known to them that we're writers who are working here, and this particular lady is quick to tell the other guests that we're authors, but not so quick to shut her mouth.
4. The poor hummingbird that crashed into the dining room window.
5. The rude goose right outside my window and his incessant honking. lol
Obviously more good than bad. Number one aside, the bad can suck it. (especially #3)
I'm off to our gathering!
Behave!
Retreat: Day 3 - AM
It's raining here. There was some pretty heavy rain overnight, which is probably one of the reasons I actually slept decently. My windows are open and there was a nice cool breeze coming in. I did set an alarm so I had time to shower before breakfast.
So far today I've taken care of Household Administration duties - paid bills, brought up the checkbook, scheduled appointments. Still waiting on a return phone call, but am just about at the point to begin writing.
I made really good progress on my short yesterday, but am taking it a break from it today to see if I can get another project that's been hanging over my head submission ready. I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to submit today, but that would be nice. Hey... You never know and I have all day to work on it.
Tonight we have our annual cocktail party. We gather in our meeting space to hang out and talk. It's like Happy Hour in your PJ's - without loud music and expensive food. Very nice. We might play a game. We might not. Just depends.
So far so good with the disaster thing...
I'll be back.
Behave!
So far today I've taken care of Household Administration duties - paid bills, brought up the checkbook, scheduled appointments. Still waiting on a return phone call, but am just about at the point to begin writing.
I made really good progress on my short yesterday, but am taking it a break from it today to see if I can get another project that's been hanging over my head submission ready. I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to submit today, but that would be nice. Hey... You never know and I have all day to work on it.
Tonight we have our annual cocktail party. We gather in our meeting space to hang out and talk. It's like Happy Hour in your PJ's - without loud music and expensive food. Very nice. We might play a game. We might not. Just depends.
So far so good with the disaster thing...
I'll be back.
Behave!
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Retreat: Day 2 - PM
Lunch stuffed us full. We eat so danged much here. The food is amazing and the portions are huge. We spend a lot of our meal times discussing our childhoods and why we are inclined to do the weird food stuff we do as adults. lol. I came back to my room and napped. It was a good nap until I had a very strange stress-like dream. I woke in a panic and it took me a few minutes to convince myself that none of it was true.
After that, I got back to work - cutting nearly 7K words on my short and adding at least 3K. Not sure if I'll finish this up today as I thought, but that's okay. I'd rather have a solid story than a mess and I'm getting there.
We had a terrific rain storm with thunder and everything. One of our members got caught in it and had to walk two miles back in the downpour. :( The sun is out again, but we're supposed to get more storms overnight. Yay! Not only do I love a good storm, the storms here are epic!
We've had dinner at this point. I had eggplant parmesan, rice, and green beans. Also, boston cream pie... like I said, we eat so much here... I'm stuffed. And sleepy.
The only plans for tonight is to get together and watch a documentary on writing we've all been dying to see. And writing.
I hope I can sleep! If it storms I will for sure!
*Disaster of the day: Part two: So when I blogged last, I was on my "writing bed" with my computer propped on my lapdesk. I smelled something cat pee foul and thinking it was my sweatshirt that might have been packed on top of my slippers, I ripped it off and went back to work. Or tried. No. The smell was still there. Moving everything, I realized it was the cushion on my lapdesk. Stupid cats... It reeked. I scrubbed it in the bathtub where the water ran yellow for a long time, but think I got everything out... It's currently drying in the bathroom with the heat cranked on high. Once it dries, I will move back to my "writing bed".
Tonight is K4's end year performance at school and I'm missing it. I'm very sad about it, but it wasn't scheduled until after I'd paid my money to be here. That Man is there and K3 - I'm not sure if any of the rest of her sibs could make it or not. That wasn't my department. I hope to get a full report later.
More tomorrow!
Behave!
After that, I got back to work - cutting nearly 7K words on my short and adding at least 3K. Not sure if I'll finish this up today as I thought, but that's okay. I'd rather have a solid story than a mess and I'm getting there.
We had a terrific rain storm with thunder and everything. One of our members got caught in it and had to walk two miles back in the downpour. :( The sun is out again, but we're supposed to get more storms overnight. Yay! Not only do I love a good storm, the storms here are epic!
We've had dinner at this point. I had eggplant parmesan, rice, and green beans. Also, boston cream pie... like I said, we eat so much here... I'm stuffed. And sleepy.
The only plans for tonight is to get together and watch a documentary on writing we've all been dying to see. And writing.
I hope I can sleep! If it storms I will for sure!
*Disaster of the day: Part two: So when I blogged last, I was on my "writing bed" with my computer propped on my lapdesk. I smelled something cat pee foul and thinking it was my sweatshirt that might have been packed on top of my slippers, I ripped it off and went back to work. Or tried. No. The smell was still there. Moving everything, I realized it was the cushion on my lapdesk. Stupid cats... It reeked. I scrubbed it in the bathtub where the water ran yellow for a long time, but think I got everything out... It's currently drying in the bathroom with the heat cranked on high. Once it dries, I will move back to my "writing bed".
Tonight is K4's end year performance at school and I'm missing it. I'm very sad about it, but it wasn't scheduled until after I'd paid my money to be here. That Man is there and K3 - I'm not sure if any of the rest of her sibs could make it or not. That wasn't my department. I hope to get a full report later.
More tomorrow!
Behave!
Retreat: Day 2 - AM
I can hear the fountain from my room and last night there were baby frogs peeping out there.
The breeze is amazing as I currently sit on my "writing bed" with the windows wide open. We had a lovely breakfast, and a coffee station ready early this morning to tide us over with caffeine until the dining room opened.
Everyone has settled in and are working on their various projects. We have one member coming on Friday, but until then, my job as chairman is a supportive one. The work is done and it's time for me to do what I need to do. Which I have been. I found out what was missing in my short, and I will work on that until lunch.
After lunch, I plan on a nap since I had a horrible time sleeping last night. I tried this morning, but ended up thinking of a hundred things that I'd missed at the day job thanks to our computer systems going down at the end of the day yesterday. So now I'm regrouping and getting ready to get back to it. I'm not sure what my plan is after my nap. I have three options, so we'll see which one strikes me at that point.
*Disaster of the day: It was a little chilly when I got up this morning (at a stupid early time, if I may add). I slid into my slippers, looking forward to their fuzzy warmth. Only that wasn't what I got... Oh, one felt lovely and nice. The other felt like I'd slid my foot into rotten honey. But it was nowhere near that...
I knew what it had to be, and I was right as I sniffed the shoe. Freaking cat pee. Gross! Needless to say, the slippers are now in the garbage. Yes. It was that bad. And now I have no slippers... :(
Hopefully that's the worse thing that happens today.
Be back with a PM post later! I'm off to work!
Behave!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Retreat: Day 1
Yay! Retreat! Finally!
I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here! I've already made some significant progress editing my short story. All but three people are here - two due to arrive in an hour or so and one on Friday.
We've had our dinner and have retired to our rooms for a little while (I'm sure we'll end up either in our meeting room or someone's room to take a break).
I have my very own room this year, which I'm stoked about. (not that I minded my roomie at all, but for me, for this year, this is what I need)
Our day started out a little crazy.
As we were pulling through a drive through, we saw a car back into an elderly gentleman. The whole thing happened in slow motion, until two of us jumped out of the car to help. The older man was knocked to the ground, hitting his head and scraping up his arm. He also said his ribs on the one side hurt pretty bad. We made the call to get an ambulance and the police and then waited with him until they arrived. Once we'd given our statements, we were able to hit the road. It was a total accident. The guy who was driving felt horrible.
We drove through some crazy fog. Had a fantastic lunch and finally arrived. Whoot!
Oh and another super cool thing! Prelude of Lies is now available in print! Woo Hoo! (Click the link)
I'm super excited to get my copies and be able to hold this book in my hands!
So that's pretty much the extent of Day 1. More later...
Behave!
I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here! I've already made some significant progress editing my short story. All but three people are here - two due to arrive in an hour or so and one on Friday.
We've had our dinner and have retired to our rooms for a little while (I'm sure we'll end up either in our meeting room or someone's room to take a break).
I have my very own room this year, which I'm stoked about. (not that I minded my roomie at all, but for me, for this year, this is what I need)
Our day started out a little crazy.
As we were pulling through a drive through, we saw a car back into an elderly gentleman. The whole thing happened in slow motion, until two of us jumped out of the car to help. The older man was knocked to the ground, hitting his head and scraping up his arm. He also said his ribs on the one side hurt pretty bad. We made the call to get an ambulance and the police and then waited with him until they arrived. Once we'd given our statements, we were able to hit the road. It was a total accident. The guy who was driving felt horrible.
We drove through some crazy fog. Had a fantastic lunch and finally arrived. Whoot!
Oh and another super cool thing! Prelude of Lies is now available in print! Woo Hoo! (Click the link)
I'm super excited to get my copies and be able to hold this book in my hands!
So that's pretty much the extent of Day 1. More later...
Behave!
Friday, May 01, 2015
Feel Good Friday
For the love of all that is Holy... It is finally Friday!
Thank Goodness!
It has been a super ridiculously long week!
Let's just talk about the good stuff, okay?
1. Ice Cream with Baby B. He was sick and when he started feeling better, he remembered that I promised him an ice cream trip this week. We finally made it and he was so stinking cute. He danced. And then he only ate like four bites of ice cream!
2. The week being over. The day job was super super busy! Our volume was through the roof! The stress level was also through the roof. If you know what I do, then you understand.
3. Seeing my kids perform tonight! They were super awesome! I am so proud!
4. Ordering subs for dinner! We didn't eat until way late because we didn't get home until way late.
5. Having kid friends over and at the performance. Awesome.
6. Keeping up with the 50/50 challenge! I didn't miss a day this week.
7. Retreat coming up in less than 2 weeks! Whoot!
8. Writing meeting tomorrow. Yay!
9. Hopefully seeing K5 tomorrow!
10. Crazy busy weekends! Though I wish for a day without obligations! Ha!
That is all!
Behave!!
Thank Goodness!
It has been a super ridiculously long week!
Let's just talk about the good stuff, okay?
1. Ice Cream with Baby B. He was sick and when he started feeling better, he remembered that I promised him an ice cream trip this week. We finally made it and he was so stinking cute. He danced. And then he only ate like four bites of ice cream!
2. The week being over. The day job was super super busy! Our volume was through the roof! The stress level was also through the roof. If you know what I do, then you understand.
3. Seeing my kids perform tonight! They were super awesome! I am so proud!
4. Ordering subs for dinner! We didn't eat until way late because we didn't get home until way late.
5. Having kid friends over and at the performance. Awesome.
6. Keeping up with the 50/50 challenge! I didn't miss a day this week.
7. Retreat coming up in less than 2 weeks! Whoot!
8. Writing meeting tomorrow. Yay!
9. Hopefully seeing K5 tomorrow!
10. Crazy busy weekends! Though I wish for a day without obligations! Ha!
That is all!
Behave!!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Stay Tuned...
Oy! This has been a super long week!
I will explain... but not now... It's very late and I need to sleep.
Just know... I am still here. Doing my thing. Trying to keep up....
Tomorrow I hope to have an informative Feel Good Friday, but... don't count on it...
I might be a little flaky after this week...
Oh... and get ready for Summer Survival Journals... We're at less than 9 days until the kids get out of school!
Behave!
I will explain... but not now... It's very late and I need to sleep.
Just know... I am still here. Doing my thing. Trying to keep up....
Tomorrow I hope to have an informative Feel Good Friday, but... don't count on it...
I might be a little flaky after this week...
Oh... and get ready for Summer Survival Journals... We're at less than 9 days until the kids get out of school!
Behave!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Home Again...
It happens every year... I'm happy to be home with my family and back to my routine, but I'm exhausted - physically and mentally. I also always entertain ideas of being able to stay home to write full time again when I return. I know that dream is a very far off one and I know I'll readjust to life pretty quickly. I do like my day job a whole lot, so at least I'm doing something I like with cool people. And regardless of the slight emotional upheaval, retreat was exactly what I needed. I started a new book I am very excited about, reconnected with myself as an author, and hung out with my awesome writing people.
Plus, today was my first day on my new shift - it starts later and ends later and there will be an adjustment phase for a little while.
Anyway... One last retreat picture:
It hailed twice on Saturday. We found this pile of ice in the middle of the grass. No rhyme or reason to it. But weird. The weather there is definitely psychotic. It went from warm to cold, sunny to cloudy, rain to hail, and then back again. The sky was either filled with big puffy clouds or heavy grey ones.
I need to go to sleep now... We watched Baby B for a little while tonight and his wore me out. (also see later shift above) His new thing is "Go outside" where he wants to chase the dog, beat on trashcans with sticks, and go down the slide. He did get to play with the neighbor kids tonight, which he loved. And chase the neighbors ducks around.
That is all...
Behave!
Plus, today was my first day on my new shift - it starts later and ends later and there will be an adjustment phase for a little while.
Anyway... One last retreat picture:
I need to go to sleep now... We watched Baby B for a little while tonight and his wore me out. (also see later shift above) His new thing is "Go outside" where he wants to chase the dog, beat on trashcans with sticks, and go down the slide. He did get to play with the neighbor kids tonight, which he loved. And chase the neighbors ducks around.
That is all...
Behave!
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Retreat - Day Three
I ended up with over 4k words yesterday, which is awesome. We had our annual cocktail party last night and our first annual signature drink. We had a blast and stayed up talking, laughing, and being silly until way late. It was a lot of fun.
Today is our last full day here and it's bumming me out a little. I'm trying hard not to think about it! After lunch we will take our annual group photo and tonight is our game and the prize drawing.
So, these geese live around the pond. One of my associates does not like them at all. I was on the phone with That Man and walked down to check them out. The male is not a pleasant soul. He hissed at me and made noises that were most definitely threats in geese language. And my socks were soaked.
And now I need to get to work...
Behave!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Retreat - Day Two - AM
Slept like crap last night. Don't know why. Maybe it was the massive amounts of coffee I drank, or the massive amounts of water I drank before bed. Or just unfamiliar surroundings. I don't know. I was up a lot. I don't think I fell into a deep sleep until around four am. I was up before my alarm though, showered, talked to the family to see how the evening went last night and wish them a good day today, and was at breakfast on time.
I hit about 1k words and took a nap, only to be awakened by housekeeping. Which was fine. I'd slept long enough and our garbage cans were almost overflowing. Besides, I have work to do. Plotting out some of my story with Simon, turned the heat on in our room, and moved to the comfy bed to work. Which I will begin again once I do a ticket run. (We hand out tickets to enter to win the big prizes.)
This is what it looked like when I woke up this morning. There was a little sun. It's gone now and the temperatures have dropped. It's about ten degrees colder here now than it is at home, though I know home is getting hammered with rain and wind. My niece just posted some pics of The Wilds and the flooding. Crazy stuff.
So this new story has a post war setting which I totally dig. Think Jericho meets Red Dawn with a hefty dose of Life After People thrown in for setting. As of right now there is no paranormal elements, but that might change. Or not. The heroine's name is America and her parents might have been double agents. The hero is the leader of the resistance, but at this point America isn't sure which resistance he's leading.
It's definitely a work in progress. One I am eager to get back to.
So I will leave you with that and get back to work!
Behave!
I hit about 1k words and took a nap, only to be awakened by housekeeping. Which was fine. I'd slept long enough and our garbage cans were almost overflowing. Besides, I have work to do. Plotting out some of my story with Simon, turned the heat on in our room, and moved to the comfy bed to work. Which I will begin again once I do a ticket run. (We hand out tickets to enter to win the big prizes.)
So this new story has a post war setting which I totally dig. Think Jericho meets Red Dawn with a hefty dose of Life After People thrown in for setting. As of right now there is no paranormal elements, but that might change. Or not. The heroine's name is America and her parents might have been double agents. The hero is the leader of the resistance, but at this point America isn't sure which resistance he's leading.
It's definitely a work in progress. One I am eager to get back to.
So I will leave you with that and get back to work!
Behave!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Retreat - Day One
We are here!!
I am waiting for two more in our group, then my chairperson duties will be lessened a bit. Right now, every time I sit down and start to do something, someone shows up. But that's okay. I don't mind one bit.
It's rainy - rainy like crazy right now and is supposed to rain through tomorrow, but I don't mind that either.
We're on a different floor this year, which is pretty cool so far. We have a more private location with closer access to our meeting room. Each room has a view of the pond and the facility set up a table with coffee and hot water for us. Sweet.
The swag has gone over excellently. Everyone has loved it so far.
I'm going through my projects to see what I have and what will be worked on next before starting a new project. (I have no idea what that will be yet - today is for figuring that out).
I might be back later. We'll see...
Behave!
I am waiting for two more in our group, then my chairperson duties will be lessened a bit. Right now, every time I sit down and start to do something, someone shows up. But that's okay. I don't mind one bit.
It's rainy - rainy like crazy right now and is supposed to rain through tomorrow, but I don't mind that either.
We're on a different floor this year, which is pretty cool so far. We have a more private location with closer access to our meeting room. Each room has a view of the pond and the facility set up a table with coffee and hot water for us. Sweet.
The swag has gone over excellently. Everyone has loved it so far.
I'm going through my projects to see what I have and what will be worked on next before starting a new project. (I have no idea what that will be yet - today is for figuring that out).
I might be back later. We'll see...
Behave!
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Retreat - Less Than One Day
This time tomorrow I'll be at RETREAT!!!
I'm 99.975674% ready - just have a few things to throw in and I have to sleep at some point. I am so excited!
Yes, I will miss my family a whole bunch! I am missing K3's end of year performance (which is a whole 'nother long and weird story) and him going to his first prom (maybe. He's still on the fence). I'm going to miss the people in my house. And since That Man and I never got our alone time... Yeah... might be a little rougher than usual. But I'm not going away forever. They will have a blast while I'm gone.
I am done with my work week! Yay! (I'll hate this next payday, but...)
I am so very ready for RETREAT!!
More tomorrow...
Behave!
I'm 99.975674% ready - just have a few things to throw in and I have to sleep at some point. I am so excited!
Yes, I will miss my family a whole bunch! I am missing K3's end of year performance (which is a whole 'nother long and weird story) and him going to his first prom (maybe. He's still on the fence). I'm going to miss the people in my house. And since That Man and I never got our alone time... Yeah... might be a little rougher than usual. But I'm not going away forever. They will have a blast while I'm gone.
I am done with my work week! Yay! (I'll hate this next payday, but...)
I am so very ready for RETREAT!!
More tomorrow...
Behave!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Oh...It's Tuesday...
The weekend was awesome, though the rain prevented us from seeing my brother walk for his graduation. We had fun hanging out though. And we took our friend Richard. Richard is a tick. In a bag. He was on That Man the other day, so we kept him. Though he's a dog tick, not a deer tick, but he's still a Richard. We actually left Richard behind that night and my niece brought him back, though I know she didn't want to. Ha! Mother's Day was fun and good. We hung out, cooked on the grill, and after the crowd left, we had a roaring game of Apples to Apples with the teenagers. Fun stuff.
It's been a really weird and rough week so far though...
Monday was bad. When I got into work I was informed the woman who hired me had passed away in a freak accident. It was horrible. They brought in a grief counselor and talked to us all through the day. Everyone is a mess. She was a huge part of the company and everyone loved her. Suck and so sad!!
Today was also not good. We got an email early this morning that our payroll company had a security breach. All of our info was exposed - birth date, social, hire date, pay rate, address, phone numbers, bank numbers... everything. Yikes! I called my bank and they recommended we put a password on our account. Which I did. They also recommended we close the affected account and open a new one. What a freaking pain! But we will, because... really? The worst thing is that all of the stolen info could be used in bad ways, which we cannot prevent by opening new accounts... The payroll company has offered us free credit monitoring and protection, which I will take, but what a bunch of bullsh*t crap!
Though on a super fantastic note... We did find out that K4 was accepted into the Art's school in the fall for theater. Exciting stuff! I'm so happy and beyond excited!
And... This time tomorrow I will officially be in de-stress mode and ready for RETREAT!! I am nearly packed. The swag is packed. The game gifts are wrapped. I have a few things to do, but I am so totally and completely ready for retreat!
Come on, Wednesday... Get here and get over!
Behave!
It's been a really weird and rough week so far though...
Monday was bad. When I got into work I was informed the woman who hired me had passed away in a freak accident. It was horrible. They brought in a grief counselor and talked to us all through the day. Everyone is a mess. She was a huge part of the company and everyone loved her. Suck and so sad!!
Today was also not good. We got an email early this morning that our payroll company had a security breach. All of our info was exposed - birth date, social, hire date, pay rate, address, phone numbers, bank numbers... everything. Yikes! I called my bank and they recommended we put a password on our account. Which I did. They also recommended we close the affected account and open a new one. What a freaking pain! But we will, because... really? The worst thing is that all of the stolen info could be used in bad ways, which we cannot prevent by opening new accounts... The payroll company has offered us free credit monitoring and protection, which I will take, but what a bunch of bullsh*t crap!
Though on a super fantastic note... We did find out that K4 was accepted into the Art's school in the fall for theater. Exciting stuff! I'm so happy and beyond excited!
And... This time tomorrow I will officially be in de-stress mode and ready for RETREAT!! I am nearly packed. The swag is packed. The game gifts are wrapped. I have a few things to do, but I am so totally and completely ready for retreat!
Come on, Wednesday... Get here and get over!
Behave!
Thursday, May 01, 2014
Two Weeks!
This time in two weeks I will be posting from RETREAT!
I cannot even begin to describe how much I need my retreat! 3.5 days of nothing but me being an author! No kids to drag out of bed and then drag to school. No reminding kids to do homework, checking homework, arguing about homework. No day job. No puppy into everything. No cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, committee meetings...
Don't get me wrong, I love the above and I will miss my family while I'm gone. (well, except for the dragging, arguing, cleaning, shopping, laundry...) But having retreat time to focus on me is one of the things that keeps me going. It's so wonderful to be able to have no responsibilities except for writing. The facility cooks our meals, washes our dishes, and keeps us supplied with coffee and anything else we might need. They even bring us fresh towels and empty our garbage. How cool is that?
We've got a ton of awesome swag lined up and cool big prizes to win. Our game is planned. Our cocktail party is nearly planned with a great new twist this year - a signature cocktail! Whoot!
I'm in the process of taking care of the last minute details with our facility - assigning rooms, organizing the stuff folks need, etc. And I have a little bit of shopping to finish up for the group. And all of my stuff to take care of, but I have my lists!!
Before retreat, I get to spend a day in NYC with my girl seeing Cinderella on Broadway and riding in a bus with about 40 middle schoolers. I'm excited, but a little leery of that many teenagers at one time. Ha!
That is all for now!
Behave!
I cannot even begin to describe how much I need my retreat! 3.5 days of nothing but me being an author! No kids to drag out of bed and then drag to school. No reminding kids to do homework, checking homework, arguing about homework. No day job. No puppy into everything. No cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, committee meetings...
Don't get me wrong, I love the above and I will miss my family while I'm gone. (well, except for the dragging, arguing, cleaning, shopping, laundry...) But having retreat time to focus on me is one of the things that keeps me going. It's so wonderful to be able to have no responsibilities except for writing. The facility cooks our meals, washes our dishes, and keeps us supplied with coffee and anything else we might need. They even bring us fresh towels and empty our garbage. How cool is that?
We've got a ton of awesome swag lined up and cool big prizes to win. Our game is planned. Our cocktail party is nearly planned with a great new twist this year - a signature cocktail! Whoot!
I'm in the process of taking care of the last minute details with our facility - assigning rooms, organizing the stuff folks need, etc. And I have a little bit of shopping to finish up for the group. And all of my stuff to take care of, but I have my lists!!
Before retreat, I get to spend a day in NYC with my girl seeing Cinderella on Broadway and riding in a bus with about 40 middle schoolers. I'm excited, but a little leery of that many teenagers at one time. Ha!
That is all for now!
Behave!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Retreat - Wrap up!
Home now and glad to be here! As glorious as retreat was, I missed my family.
So, to wrap up yesterday, the wedding crowd was mostly good. There were only a few incidents. Simon and I hung out with one of the guests until way late. She was a very nice woman and we had a great conversation. The bride invited us to their hang out after the wedding, too. So, I think it was a case of a few bad apples. Though one of our members had some crazy women pounding on her door at 4am. She told her she had the wrong room, and the woman said "who do you have in there with you" and didn't seem to understand she was in the wrong hall. But mostly, it was a quiet night. I will admit that I'm a little bummed that it wasn't more chaos, but I'm really glad it wasn't.
Retreat was fabulous.
I kicked butt in the word count department. Love my new story. Hung out with my friends. Ate way too much. And it was just what I needed. The road trip was awesome. Lunch on the way home was fun. We talked about our dreams to the universe.
Got home to lots of work being done in my house. Windows have been scraped and painted, though there are more to go. K4 has a fort going on in the living room due to late work being done in her room. That's where she slept this weekend. Except she's still in there. K3 is home from a long weekend of boy scout stuff. That Man is wiped from working so hard this weekend.
My laundry is in the dryer. I'm chilling on the couch, gearing up to write a little. We're still in the 50/50 challenge, so I have to do something, regardless of how tired I am.
And I don't want to go back to the real world tomorrow. I want the dream I talked about at lunch.
Behave!
So, to wrap up yesterday, the wedding crowd was mostly good. There were only a few incidents. Simon and I hung out with one of the guests until way late. She was a very nice woman and we had a great conversation. The bride invited us to their hang out after the wedding, too. So, I think it was a case of a few bad apples. Though one of our members had some crazy women pounding on her door at 4am. She told her she had the wrong room, and the woman said "who do you have in there with you" and didn't seem to understand she was in the wrong hall. But mostly, it was a quiet night. I will admit that I'm a little bummed that it wasn't more chaos, but I'm really glad it wasn't.
Retreat was fabulous.
I kicked butt in the word count department. Love my new story. Hung out with my friends. Ate way too much. And it was just what I needed. The road trip was awesome. Lunch on the way home was fun. We talked about our dreams to the universe.
Got home to lots of work being done in my house. Windows have been scraped and painted, though there are more to go. K4 has a fort going on in the living room due to late work being done in her room. That's where she slept this weekend. Except she's still in there. K3 is home from a long weekend of boy scout stuff. That Man is wiped from working so hard this weekend.
My laundry is in the dryer. I'm chilling on the couch, gearing up to write a little. We're still in the 50/50 challenge, so I have to do something, regardless of how tired I am.
And I don't want to go back to the real world tomorrow. I want the dream I talked about at lunch.
Behave!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Retreat - Day Three
Last night was interesting to say the least. I crashed around midnight, but the partying from the wedding group continued until the wee hours. To say I am a little nervous about how tonight is going to go would be an understatement. There is security in place, and our host, and the staff, but...
These people are different. They're not nice. Not pleasant at all. We're given dirty looks any time we run into them. Rude comments are made about us and they're rude to the staff here. And loud. Last night one of the women slapped another woman in the face because she "had it coming" as someone else said. The ice machine in our hall was empty all morning because even though only one room in our hall is occupied by them (grr), they'd used all of the ice from the machine where everyone else is staying. The outside area near our hall is a filthy pigsty of cigarette butts, spilled beer, and a toenail. There is beer on the building. There was a broken bottle on the sidewalk, a toilet papered car, and someone stepped on the flowers. The downstairs sitting area is covered in beer caps, beer cans, and pretzels. There's a soaking wet towel with what looks like a burn on it hanging on the railing on the way to our meeting room. And that was all last night.
What do you think tonight is going to be like? There are still 50-some guests to arrive yet. Luggage carts full of beer have been brought into rooms (not for the actual wedding, for private use).
Most of our group is going with the flow. I am trying to as well, but like I said yesterday, I am responsible for our group. I've already been down to the front desk and have been asked to come back after lunch to speak to the director.
We'll see...
I'm sure I'll be back with more later...
Behave!
These people are different. They're not nice. Not pleasant at all. We're given dirty looks any time we run into them. Rude comments are made about us and they're rude to the staff here. And loud. Last night one of the women slapped another woman in the face because she "had it coming" as someone else said. The ice machine in our hall was empty all morning because even though only one room in our hall is occupied by them (grr), they'd used all of the ice from the machine where everyone else is staying. The outside area near our hall is a filthy pigsty of cigarette butts, spilled beer, and a toenail. There is beer on the building. There was a broken bottle on the sidewalk, a toilet papered car, and someone stepped on the flowers. The downstairs sitting area is covered in beer caps, beer cans, and pretzels. There's a soaking wet towel with what looks like a burn on it hanging on the railing on the way to our meeting room. And that was all last night.
What do you think tonight is going to be like? There are still 50-some guests to arrive yet. Luggage carts full of beer have been brought into rooms (not for the actual wedding, for private use).
Most of our group is going with the flow. I am trying to as well, but like I said yesterday, I am responsible for our group. I've already been down to the front desk and have been asked to come back after lunch to speak to the director.
We'll see...
I'm sure I'll be back with more later...
Behave!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Retreat - Day Two... Oh Boy...
Here we go with the wedding crowd already! Last year we dealt with an insane wedding on site. It was amusing to some of us, and not so much to others. We went into this year knowing there was already a wedding on the books for tomorrow night and knowing full well that you can never predict how a wedding with booze is going to go. (I'm very glad my daughter decided there would be no booze at her wedding. It makes my job a lot easier!)
This afternoon we heard a ruckus outside of our door. We look out to see people opening the door to the room directly across the hall from the room I share with Simon. They were talking loudly about how so-and-so had the room across the hall (right next to Simon and I). We were a little shocked, but decided to wait and see. They became loud, and a little obnoxious, and people (and copious amounts of booze) seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. Okay. Time to see what's going on. Simon and I head to the desk to talk to our coordinator.
Blah. Blah. Blah. We're given the option to change rooms if things got unbearable, promised there will be security on hand during the wedding, and more talking. After dinner, I went for a quick walk and then back to the dining room via the hall we always use. There's loud music, guys standing in doorways with beers, lots of swearing, and oy! I'm irritated and a little worried about how some of my retreaters are going to feel about the chaos.
Simon and I talk, deciding to ride the wave for now, and run into our "host" on our way back to our rooms. He takes one look at us and asks what's wrong. We pull him out of earshot and tell him. Let me just say that our host is awesome. He told us in no uncertain terms that if anyone messed with us, he would take care of it. We fully believe him. He's been down the hall several times since, though the wedding party is off getting liquored up somewhere else.
I don't really care what the other guests do, but I'm responsible for this retreat and the people here with me. Though I feel a lot better after our talk with our host, I'm still a little nervous. Also - I am taking no crap from other guests. This is my retreat and nothing will make it any less than completely awesome!
I am sure I will have more to report later...
Wait for it...
Behave!
This afternoon we heard a ruckus outside of our door. We look out to see people opening the door to the room directly across the hall from the room I share with Simon. They were talking loudly about how so-and-so had the room across the hall (right next to Simon and I). We were a little shocked, but decided to wait and see. They became loud, and a little obnoxious, and people (and copious amounts of booze) seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. Okay. Time to see what's going on. Simon and I head to the desk to talk to our coordinator.
Blah. Blah. Blah. We're given the option to change rooms if things got unbearable, promised there will be security on hand during the wedding, and more talking. After dinner, I went for a quick walk and then back to the dining room via the hall we always use. There's loud music, guys standing in doorways with beers, lots of swearing, and oy! I'm irritated and a little worried about how some of my retreaters are going to feel about the chaos.
Simon and I talk, deciding to ride the wave for now, and run into our "host" on our way back to our rooms. He takes one look at us and asks what's wrong. We pull him out of earshot and tell him. Let me just say that our host is awesome. He told us in no uncertain terms that if anyone messed with us, he would take care of it. We fully believe him. He's been down the hall several times since, though the wedding party is off getting liquored up somewhere else.
I don't really care what the other guests do, but I'm responsible for this retreat and the people here with me. Though I feel a lot better after our talk with our host, I'm still a little nervous. Also - I am taking no crap from other guests. This is my retreat and nothing will make it any less than completely awesome!
I am sure I will have more to report later...
Wait for it...
Behave!
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