Tag: promises promises


Progress

11
January

At least, some. I’m on the way to rejuvenating my daily writing–or six out of seven days’ worth. I’d promised myself fifteen minutes a day, but some of the days have run closer to forty-five minutes.

The good: I’m writing and rewriting.

The bad: I’m starting from the beginning again. Hopefully, I’ll get through the first five chapters before it’s my turn to be ravaged by the Posse again. Not that they did much ravaging Sunday night, but there’s always the possibility. Letting the small email crit group see the opening chapter was also a good idea because, hey, new eyes!

And hey, progress!

Baby steps. Plus, I’m having a great time hanging out with Amber and chatting about the novel she’s writing me.

I’m taking the laptop north this weekend in the hopes I can find fifteen minutes here or there when I’m not too exhausted. I may have to switch to writing in the mornings on the road. Mom wants my attention when I’m there–which is perfectly understandable, and my best friend from college deserves mine. The Slug might be joining me, but there’s snow up at Whitsett, so she may spend three days in the snow. With the boyfriend.

I don’t think there’s much chance she’ll be going with me.

In other news, I’m exhausted. Don’t know if it’s the new allergy meds, (new improved! with less sneezing!) or if I really truly am using all my energy to contain the ravening hordes. (I probably am. The wind has been pretty brisk, and that always sends the kids into orbit.)

I have three new books winging their way to me: House Name, An Artificial Night, and Mary’s short story collection, Holiday.

I CANNOT wait.

Comments Off | writing

Home

27
November

And just in time to decorate the tree and give the upstairs a thorough scrubbing.

Woo.

Or not, but hey, the worst part of decorating is done. The Eldest and the Slug’s boyfriend have the tree standing, *squints* more or less vertically. (I may be doing some readjusting. Perhaps. Or maybe I’ll hang most of the ornaments on the other side to weigh it down. It might work.)

Shaver Lake, where we spent Thanksgiving Day, was lovely. Proof:

My Youngest Sister, her husband, and the latest addition to the family. (So sad, he’s almost two. I’d say time for another baby from someone, but then it might devolve onto the Middle Child and Wife to reproduce, so no.)

My mom and Youngest Sister, in which the latter tries not to freeze completely solid. (A drawback to having no body fat to speak of.)

And now, no matter how I attempt to avoid it, it’s time to begin gift-buying. Another year of online purchases, mind you, because no way do I want to shop in the mall. I am truly grateful for web and online stores, and will willingly pay shipping costs, as long as I do not have to forge through customers and sales clerks alike. My one Black Thursday visit at Kohl’s last year was enough for a lifetime.

Writing? Who am I kidding? I got nothing done. Tonight. I will hop into the OWW chat and allow myself to be shamed. The desire is there–well, the desire to have written. It’s very much akin to my desire to have walked. I need to shift both of those desires into the present tense, because otherwise it doesn’t happen. I mean, I’m a walking (or a not-so walking) advertisement for how the past participle tense is not helpful. At all.

Finally, I’m am reading and thinking about the TSA and the latest infringement on our rights as citizens. Haven’t made up my mind yet as to whether I’ll suffer the scattershot of untested x-rays or be groped. Not flying to Colorado is not a choice, seeing that it’s the Slug’s graduation. I just have to hope I won’t be in the 3% that get waved to additional screening. I wasn’t when I went to Columbus, so maybe the luck will hold. But the more I read about the scanner technology, the more concerned I become–and that concern’s grown past the concern of what happens to those images, or even the images itself. Read this if you want a reason to be more nervous.

Seeing that my mom’s had several small bouts with skin cancer in the past few years, I’m wondering what my chances are to develop it if I submit to backscatter screenings. There’s a very big piece of me that believes large government-sponsored agencies do not have my welfare in mind–most of the time. Nor, for that matter, do they have the welfare of their very own employees in mind. Given that, it would not surprise me to discover they have rolled out thoroughly untested technology under the guise of our protection, and that we will only discover how bad it is for us several years down the road, once the statistics for certain cancers rise.

And on that lovely note, yeah. Off to see if the tree lights work. Maybe I’ll electrocute myself and I won’t have to worry about the other.

Comments Off | this and that

Ready, set, go

20
November

I collapsed into bed last night before 9P, and thank heavens. I think I warded off a cold with the extra hours. And although I’ve been up since 7A, all I’ve accomplished is to update my kindergarten book blog and discover a new-to-me Slovenian a capella group: Perpetuum Jazzile. And not their rendition of Africa, which is also good, but their Joyful, Joyful. I even like the segment that diverges wildly from the original. It basically puts a smile on my face and I start bouncing.

Now, before the Slug gets home (a luggage snafu, so she’s heading back to LAX first) and I teach her how to sandwich a quilt and then end up quilting it for her on machine– trust me, she’s paying in housework for this little favor–I’ve got to get the kitchen back under control. Don’t quite know how the Spousling manages it, but every time he cooks, the kitchen explodes. He’s already on the road up to camp for the weekend, and while he got most of it cleaned up, it’s not finished. Thus me.

Ideo icons are on the list, as are the quilt and laundry. I’ve got one mass to sing at 5P and another tomorrow morning at 9A, music to practice for both, and a little shopping to do–those pie crusts for Monday need to be purchased, for example.

And then, if all goes well, I’ll have tomorrow afternoon to write. I hope. I hope. I hope.
Because conferences are over, report cards set aside until February/March, and life settles down. Ha.

Now, off to get whatever I can done before the Slug and Boyfriend arrive. At least, she’ll be home and I’m grateful to have her here for a few days. Won’t be much longer until she’s in the house, though, unless a miracle occurs and she gets a job. I’m a little nervous about that, seeing that we co-signed those student loans of hers. A federal parks job would be real nice, actually, so good wishes are appreciated.

So work, icon, quilt, and write. I wish I could take advantage of the rainy weather and curl up with a good book, but that’s not happening any time soon. Foo.

Comments Off | this and that

Just in time!

11
October

Vacation has arrived in the nick. I was feeling overwhelmed and doomed at school, which is not to say that I won’t be feeling overwhelmed and doomed when I return (painty hands and feet for skeletons! Report cards! Full day! OMG Lunch in the cafeteria!) but I do get a week off.

Which is really good for my white hairs.

So I’m home. And after two rounds of critiques–last night’s on the novel, the week’s before on a short–I am ready to settle in and work. Neither group shredded things too badly, and in many ways were extremely positive, so I’m feeling a bit amazed at the compliments and thinking well, maybe I can do this writing thing after all.

Because I’d gotten to the point of despair, which also explains my lack of sending stuff out.

Still, the plot nemesis is still the nemesis. But I’ve apparently overcome the setting and telling details which is progress.

All I have to do now is plant my rear end in a chair and write.

But it’s vacation. And this year’s October break plans include cleaning the house thoroughly. I’m starting in the kitchen and since the ceiling bugs me, guess what’s first? Actually, if I had my druthers, I’d rip off all the old wallpaper and splash a coat of paint on it, but that may very well have to wait until Christmas. The goal is not the kitchen, but the entire house. A room a day. At least six hours in each room.

And the kitchen cupboards need a good polishing. And the shelves need cleaning.

I think I could spend eighteen hours in that room and not finish everything.

Anyway, lots to do and not much time to make it so. But I’m also promising an hour a day on the writing, and I think I’m rewriting the latest chapter tonight while the comments are all fresh in my head, and then, if there’s still time (because KellyM did say it would take me ten minutes at the most… ha!) I’ll switch to the short story. I’ve got all my little notes on 3×3″ paper and I’ll tweak from there.

Next up, walking and then off to exercise. I’ve got to take advantage of my free time to get those habits going again. And the goal this time is not to injure any tendons.

None. You hear me, body?

(Not that it’s paying any attention, but I do try.)

Comments Off | this and that, writing

     

↑ Back to top