One of the worst parts of being so busy with work and writing and family is that I never have time to spend reading blogs anymore. Blogs of my friends, of reviewers and fellow authors, of publishers and random cool people who have nothing to do with writing or books.
So I'm always really happy when I get tagged, as Sue Gourley did last week. (Along with Ava Quinn, TM Crone, Cate Masters, and Jon Sprunk.) I answered my questions before I read theirs, so any overlap is accidental.
Fun fact: Jon Sprunk is the son of my father-in-law's cousin, Fred. How incestuous is this business, anyway? LOL
1. Are you a Kindle, Nook, Ipad or other? Or none?
I own a Kindle 2, which was a Christmas gift a few years ago. I'm very happy with it, though I still like to read print books, too. I wouldn't want to read on a backlit screen. I have eyestrain bad enough already.
2. Who is smarter, you or your phone?
I am, because I have a cheap little flip phone that doesn't do much. :)
3. Do you like two story or one story homes?
Hmmmm. I like anything except split-level/bi-level, I think. I live in a ranch house (one story) but it has a finished, walk-out basement, so it's like a two story. I like space.
4. Country born and bred or city slicker?
Hybrid! I like space. :) But I also like convenience, and I like the energy of a city in small doses.
5. Cereal, toast, eggs or just coffee for breakfast?
I should eat more cereal. I hate eggs, but I usually have an English muffin or frozen waffles and tea if I make it at home, a mocha and croissant if I do Starbucks on the way to work.
6. What new show on TV has caught your interest this year?
I started late, but the buzz about Revenge intrigued me. My boss asked if I was watching when I was about halfway through the existing episodes. Now I have to watch it live so we can talk about it the next day. LOL I really like the characterization, cleverness, and mystery of it.
7. Have you ever bought a celebrity book? About whom?
Not that I can recall!
8. What is your favorite guilty snack?
I don't feel guilty about it, but I guess I'm supposed to: stove-popped popcorn with real butter and salt. It's one of those childhood things. :)
9. What was your favorite cartoon character growing up?
Oooh, good one, and tough. Every time I think of one my brain hops to another. I think it was Sylvester, though. Must have been the lisp.
10. Do you pack your lunch or carry it?
Neither! I work until 1:00, so I'm about equally split between picking up something bad for me on the way home and cooking a lunch when I get here.
11. What book have you read over and over again?
Most recently, Harry Potter, though I'm not sure it counts because I listen rather than read. I must have read all the Nancy Drew books and the Little House books dozens of times, but nothing else in adulthood. There are too many new books to read!
Okay, now it's my turn. I'm tagging:
MJ Fredrick (because I always do)
Misty Simon (because she hasn't blogged in over 2 months)
Cynthia D'Alba (because her book is out soon)
Robin Covington (because I never have)
Here are my 11 questions:
1. What foreign country would you most like to travel to that you haven't visited yet?
2. Name your most coveted gadget—unlimited budget, and something you don't currently have.
3. Do you have brothers and sisters? How often do you get to see them?
4. How much of your own wish fulfillment is put into your books?
5. If you dug into your basement/attic/back closet/whatever storage space, what item would you find that would make you go "I WONDERED where that was!"?
6. Have you ever had direct encounters with a wild animal? Describe the circumstances.
7. Who is your favorite non-famous musician/singer? If possible, provide a link to their music/website.
8. What's your favorite NFL team? Or professional team in general, if football isn't your thing.
9. What was the most fun job you ever had, besides your current one(s)?
10. Are you living where you want to live? If not, where's the home of your heart?
11. What book are you reading right now?
Showing posts with label Me = Dork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Me = Dork. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Unreliability of Memory
My super-fantastic husband has been systematically cleaning out our boiler room over the past several weeks (hey, there's floor! and a workbench! and I can get to the oil tank without gouging out my abdomen on the weight bar!), and yesterday he found one of my old photo albums.
It has pictures in it from the end of my senior year of high school, graduation, the summer before college, and the weekend I arrived at Ohio Wesleyan. You know that funky slide into nostalgia you get when you look at stuff from 24 years ago? I'm kind of wallowing in it right now.
It's odd. I don't really consider myself a sentimental person. I told him to toss some ugly homemade ornaments from my childhood, including a particularly unfortunately clay design I made:
Me: Throw it away. It's ugly.
Him: Nooo! It looks like poop!
But wow, do these photos have me missing the good old days. And that makes me resentful, because if there's anything I hate almost as much as close-minded absolutism, it's being a cliché. But after a childhood of being shy and introverted and picked on, my senior year of high school was pretty awesome. I'm very happy in the life I'm living now, so it's not like I'm wishing for change. I just miss some of the best parts of those times.
It's also interesting how faulty memory is, both good and bad. In mine, I'm always overweight. I lost 25 or so pounds that senior year of high school, and I weighed 117 when I left for college. I *know* intellectually how fantastic that is. But I don't remember it that way. I remember poochy belly and flabby inner thighs and jiggliness where you don't want it. But then I see this:
I look pretty good! If you ignore the 80s waistbands and hair. But OMG, the hair. I remember the curls from senior prom as being not the way I wanted them, but not awful. Um, yeah, they were awful. Very frizzy. I got what was supposed to be a spiral perm right before I went to college. I wanted it just like my friend Sue's, and I event went to her hairdresser. But I guess the wife usually did Sue's, I don't know. The husband cut and cut and cut and permed and cut some more. It was like a Brillo pad. Literally. Wiry and rough and tight and horribly, horribly short. I remember it as being bad...and still, it was worse.
I'm not posting those pictures. Some things should just remain off the Internet.
One side effect of nostalgia is a reminder of how grateful I am to all the kids in the Ichabod Crane Central High School classes of 1988 and 1989. They welcomed me into their classes and social circles, invited me to parties and *didn't* follow up by saying they didn't want to be friends with me anymore. Without them, I never would have gained the confidence and self-esteem that got me through college and gave me the ability to have the friendships I do now.
And maybe even more importantly, the passion to write romance novels.
It has pictures in it from the end of my senior year of high school, graduation, the summer before college, and the weekend I arrived at Ohio Wesleyan. You know that funky slide into nostalgia you get when you look at stuff from 24 years ago? I'm kind of wallowing in it right now.
It's odd. I don't really consider myself a sentimental person. I told him to toss some ugly homemade ornaments from my childhood, including a particularly unfortunately clay design I made:
Me: Throw it away. It's ugly.
Him: Nooo! It looks like poop!
But wow, do these photos have me missing the good old days. And that makes me resentful, because if there's anything I hate almost as much as close-minded absolutism, it's being a cliché. But after a childhood of being shy and introverted and picked on, my senior year of high school was pretty awesome. I'm very happy in the life I'm living now, so it's not like I'm wishing for change. I just miss some of the best parts of those times.
It's also interesting how faulty memory is, both good and bad. In mine, I'm always overweight. I lost 25 or so pounds that senior year of high school, and I weighed 117 when I left for college. I *know* intellectually how fantastic that is. But I don't remember it that way. I remember poochy belly and flabby inner thighs and jiggliness where you don't want it. But then I see this:
I look pretty good! If you ignore the 80s waistbands and hair. But OMG, the hair. I remember the curls from senior prom as being not the way I wanted them, but not awful. Um, yeah, they were awful. Very frizzy. I got what was supposed to be a spiral perm right before I went to college. I wanted it just like my friend Sue's, and I event went to her hairdresser. But I guess the wife usually did Sue's, I don't know. The husband cut and cut and cut and permed and cut some more. It was like a Brillo pad. Literally. Wiry and rough and tight and horribly, horribly short. I remember it as being bad...and still, it was worse.
I'm not posting those pictures. Some things should just remain off the Internet.
One side effect of nostalgia is a reminder of how grateful I am to all the kids in the Ichabod Crane Central High School classes of 1988 and 1989. They welcomed me into their classes and social circles, invited me to parties and *didn't* follow up by saying they didn't want to be friends with me anymore. Without them, I never would have gained the confidence and self-esteem that got me through college and gave me the ability to have the friendships I do now.
And maybe even more importantly, the passion to write romance novels.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Avoiding Insanity: Not So Easy
Don't forget! I'm revealing the cover to my next romantic adventure, Acceptable Risks, next Tuesday, 2/7, at Everybody Needs a Little Romance. Make sure to come check it out!
I'm struggling to find a way to manage my time better. So I remembered an idea from a long-ago time management program that said to touch everything just once. Handle it immediately, instead of setting it aside. So I tried that yesterday.
It was a DISASTER.
It was the first of the month, therefore the deadline for submission of listings for the column I do for a trade journal. Of course, everyone waits until the day of the deadline to send me their stuff. (I tweeted yesterday with the realization that maybe they do it on purpose. Seriously, people, you can send stuff EARLY. You don't have to wait for the deadline to arrive.) I fired off a frustrated reply to an e-mail, then read the next one—and it would have completely nullified the frustration if I'd read it before replying.
So I went along, not looking at my inbox, just the next e-mail. I did proofing jobs for clients, gathered column info, jumped over to websites and back, filed electronic bills, etc. And every few seconds another e-mail clicked into my box. Let me tell you, this way was NOT more efficient.
Usually I read through all my e-mail, saving the ones I have to handle. Then I do all the column stuff at once, all the promo together, all the client work in a cluster. I've been doing it that way for years. I don't know why I decided trying something else would be better. It wasn't.
So that definition of insanity, trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results? It can go the other way, too. Trying something different and expecting the same (or better) results.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I started watching Revenge recently, because it's been getting raves and people with similar taste to mine have been loving it. I've saved it until late evening, when it's inadvisable for me to try to work because out of two dozen words that should have been changed to UK spellings, I'll only spot one. The problem with that is that I do the "just one more episode" thing and stay up late despite my continuous good intentions.
So I'm really enjoying the show, obviously. I've got 2 more eps to watch before new eps return next week. I'm glad Tyler finally got his. I was feeling pretty violent toward him. I just wish Emily would be nicer to Nolan. I don't get her hostility, when he's the reason she has the resources to do this in the first place, AND she's always making him help her. He might actually be the most interesting character on the show, though none of them are without their twisty depth.
The other problem with liking the show so much is that I'm watching on iTunes on my iPod, and the longer I watch, the worse my eyestrain gets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of eyestrain, I went to the eye doctor today. It's nice to hear that part of my problem is that my sight is overcorrected, another degree past where it was last time, so my contacts are too strong. I'm not going to get new ones, though, because I think I'm doing LASIK.
o.O
I had an opportunity about 9 years ago, when my mom died and I got a small life insurance payout. I got chicken, though—it's less about the blade slicing open my cornea and more about the hydrating brush sweeping over my exposed eyeball—and bought a laptop and paid some bills instead.
But I'm tired of it. I've had seriously poor vision since I was 6. I may not be able to get full correction because of the degree of my nearsightedness, but anything is better. And I'm approaching the need for reading glasses, and I'm not ready to face bifocals or monovision and all that crap.
So I'm ready. And yet... I wear rigid gas permeable contacts, which reshape the cornea, so I knew I'd have to wear my glasses for a little while before the evaluation and the surgery. But SIX WEEKS?! Seriously, I'm going to be pretty lonely by the end. No one will be able to stand looking at me. I look RIDICULOUS in glasses, again because of the degree of correction. No matter what kind of frames I get, the thick lenses distort my face so it looks narrower behind the glasses than it really is. So I look like a funhouse mirror, but in real life.
The there are the two weeks of drops and not rubbing the eye and wearing goggles at night, not to mention the expense, and it almost sounds like it's not worth it. But being able to tell which bobbing heads in the water are my kids' when we're at the beach? Waking up and being able to see across the room? Not having lint and dust killing my eyeballs? Best of all, not having to deal putting in and taking out contacts? Oh, yeah, it will be worth it.
Have any of you had LASIK? How did it go for you?
I'm struggling to find a way to manage my time better. So I remembered an idea from a long-ago time management program that said to touch everything just once. Handle it immediately, instead of setting it aside. So I tried that yesterday.
It was a DISASTER.
It was the first of the month, therefore the deadline for submission of listings for the column I do for a trade journal. Of course, everyone waits until the day of the deadline to send me their stuff. (I tweeted yesterday with the realization that maybe they do it on purpose. Seriously, people, you can send stuff EARLY. You don't have to wait for the deadline to arrive.) I fired off a frustrated reply to an e-mail, then read the next one—and it would have completely nullified the frustration if I'd read it before replying.
So I went along, not looking at my inbox, just the next e-mail. I did proofing jobs for clients, gathered column info, jumped over to websites and back, filed electronic bills, etc. And every few seconds another e-mail clicked into my box. Let me tell you, this way was NOT more efficient.
Usually I read through all my e-mail, saving the ones I have to handle. Then I do all the column stuff at once, all the promo together, all the client work in a cluster. I've been doing it that way for years. I don't know why I decided trying something else would be better. It wasn't.
So that definition of insanity, trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results? It can go the other way, too. Trying something different and expecting the same (or better) results.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I started watching Revenge recently, because it's been getting raves and people with similar taste to mine have been loving it. I've saved it until late evening, when it's inadvisable for me to try to work because out of two dozen words that should have been changed to UK spellings, I'll only spot one. The problem with that is that I do the "just one more episode" thing and stay up late despite my continuous good intentions.
So I'm really enjoying the show, obviously. I've got 2 more eps to watch before new eps return next week. I'm glad Tyler finally got his. I was feeling pretty violent toward him. I just wish Emily would be nicer to Nolan. I don't get her hostility, when he's the reason she has the resources to do this in the first place, AND she's always making him help her. He might actually be the most interesting character on the show, though none of them are without their twisty depth.
The other problem with liking the show so much is that I'm watching on iTunes on my iPod, and the longer I watch, the worse my eyestrain gets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of eyestrain, I went to the eye doctor today. It's nice to hear that part of my problem is that my sight is overcorrected, another degree past where it was last time, so my contacts are too strong. I'm not going to get new ones, though, because I think I'm doing LASIK.
o.O
I had an opportunity about 9 years ago, when my mom died and I got a small life insurance payout. I got chicken, though—it's less about the blade slicing open my cornea and more about the hydrating brush sweeping over my exposed eyeball—and bought a laptop and paid some bills instead.
But I'm tired of it. I've had seriously poor vision since I was 6. I may not be able to get full correction because of the degree of my nearsightedness, but anything is better. And I'm approaching the need for reading glasses, and I'm not ready to face bifocals or monovision and all that crap.
So I'm ready. And yet... I wear rigid gas permeable contacts, which reshape the cornea, so I knew I'd have to wear my glasses for a little while before the evaluation and the surgery. But SIX WEEKS?! Seriously, I'm going to be pretty lonely by the end. No one will be able to stand looking at me. I look RIDICULOUS in glasses, again because of the degree of correction. No matter what kind of frames I get, the thick lenses distort my face so it looks narrower behind the glasses than it really is. So I look like a funhouse mirror, but in real life.
The there are the two weeks of drops and not rubbing the eye and wearing goggles at night, not to mention the expense, and it almost sounds like it's not worth it. But being able to tell which bobbing heads in the water are my kids' when we're at the beach? Waking up and being able to see across the room? Not having lint and dust killing my eyeballs? Best of all, not having to deal putting in and taking out contacts? Oh, yeah, it will be worth it.
Have any of you had LASIK? How did it go for you?
Friday, November 04, 2011
Year-End Splash Party!
Just a few quick updates...
The Romance Reviews YES! Party is underway! Today I have a question in the Q&A section, which gives you more clicks to play the game, which enters you into the prize drawings! Have fun! :)
Tomorrow I'll be at Fang-tastic talking about amusing errors or something.
Monday come join me, Lisa Kessler, Sarah Gilman, Darynda Jones, and L. Anne Carrington for a chat at Night Owl Romance.
~~~~
Wow. I was tired last night. I never finished this post! I think I'll just post it now and pretend that was my intent...
The Romance Reviews YES! Party is underway! Today I have a question in the Q&A section, which gives you more clicks to play the game, which enters you into the prize drawings! Have fun! :)
Tomorrow I'll be at Fang-tastic talking about amusing errors or something.
Monday come join me, Lisa Kessler, Sarah Gilman, Darynda Jones, and L. Anne Carrington for a chat at Night Owl Romance.
~~~~
Wow. I was tired last night. I never finished this post! I think I'll just post it now and pretend that was my intent...
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Versatile Blogger Award
Thank you, Stacy!
I thing "versatile" is a nice way of saying "unfocused and disorganized," but hey, that's what I'm going for, so yay me! :)
Here are the provisions of the award:
Thank and link to the person who nominates you.
Thanks again, Stacy! I was excited to discover her funny and interesting blog. Go check it out! Note: She's much better at brevity than I am.
Share seven random facts about you.
Hmmmm. That's always so hard! I'm sure I'll end up repeating stuff.
1. When I was around 6 or 7 years old, my best friend David Pleau and I used to pretend to be Steve Austin and Jamie Summers (Somers?). You know, the Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman? We made my little brother Andy be Oscar Goldman. You know the phrase "scarred for life"? Yeah, that's just about the epitome. Thirty-seven years old and he's still not over it.
Speaking of my brother...
2. He and his wife just had a new baby girl! Yeah-huh, that is too about me. I'm an aunt again, for the...thirteenth time. My mother would get a kick out of that number. :)
3. My first boyfriend was in sixth grade. He gave me candy or gum at school every day, and a tarnished necklace that he sent a friend to ask for back when he decided he didn't want to go out with me anymore. I told the friend to tell him to come ask for it himself. Pretty brave of me, considering he probably broke up with me 'cuz I could hardly look at him, I was so shy. We had one "date" at a roller rink.
4. I've owned one new car in my life. My first one. After Number Two was born, husband traded my car in for his company car, and I got his year-old Toyota Corolla, which is now 13 and counting. Because of the company cars, he's on his fourth new one. Number One is going to inherit the Corolla next year, and hopefully I'll finally get a second new car that *I* get to pick out *myself*.
5. I've never lived completely on my own. For a woman as fiercely independent as I am, that kind of galls. I wouldn't trade any of my choices for anything, but it's weird when I think about it. I had roommates in college, of course, and housemates at one summer job. I rented a basement room from a woman during my National Geographic Society internship, then moved straight in with my fiancé when that was over. Ideally, I never will live on my own, but it definitely conjures some "what if" scenarios from time to time.
6. I'm a bit compulsive about my e-mail inbox. I keep things in there if they need my attention, or if I read them on my laptop and they need to be saved on the desktop. As soon as something is addressed, it's gone. So I get intense satisfaction out of that 0 on my e-mail counter. It never lasts, alas, and often I end up putting off important tasks because I just can't take having anything in my inbox anymore.
7. I'm addicted to football podcasts. Specifically, ESPN's Football Today and the podcasts put out by the New England Patriots, mainly PFW in Progress.
(I think I just accidentally typed ALT+P or something, and this published early! Dammit!)
The writers of Patriots Football Weekly are raunchy and juvenile, they fight a lot and go on and on about the stupidest things. But I love them. I get all my New England Patriots news from them, and when I catch up to the podcasts and have nothing to listen to, I pout. Never mind the 1728 songs in my music library. Gimme my talk Internet radio!
Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it!
Oy. I've been soooooo busy* I haven't even had time to read the blogs I discovered years ago, never mind found new ones. But Stacy has a really long, great-looking blog roll, so head over there and click on a few of those.
Since I can't predict which ones y'all will click on, I can't notify anyone of the award. But I task anyone who is interested with passing it along (or appropriating it!) on my behalf. Consider it a "found blog topic." :)
Happy reading!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*In case anyone was sad that they hadn't heard me whining in a while... I'm near deadline on Heavy Metal, facing the imminent release of TWO books (Behind the Scenes on October 31, Under the Moon on November 1) and all the attendant promotional obligation, working on work for two clients currently, with three more preparing to bury in an avalanche (not complaining, really!) and dealing with all the usual day job and family obligations that never seem to get lighter even when they really should. I'm grateful it's all relatively good stuff, and I'm maintaining the balance so far. But some things I love are suffering...like this blog, and keeping up with my far-away friends. :( I miss you!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
In Over My Head
Yesterday was a pretty productive day, culminating in a meeting to revise and finalize the Policy and Procedure manual for my local writer's group, something that's been in the works since 2003.
Unfortunately, none of my productivity was the stuff on my list. And the same thing happened today! I spent hours darting (figuratively) here and there, getting ready for The Month of the Hero. And I'm still doing it! I stopped writing this post to go set up that page at my website, then created a few more bit.ly links, then posted on Twitter, then took a deep breath and came back here.
I still have to set up my posts for the week and schedule them to go. They're written, but need some additions and tweaking. I also have mail to prep to send, some revisions on three chapters to enter and print so I can mail them tomorrow, a contract to finish reading so I can mail that tomorrow, too, a checkbook to update, an insurance policy to review and file, and the aforementioned P&P manual to proof, since our overachieving committee chair already made the 26 pages of changes we discussed over 3 hours last night. OY!
I have a synopsis to finish by the end of the week, some phone calls to make, and my annual mammogram tomorrow. Oh, and the Carina marketing plan to complete for my March 28th release!
I'm a little worried about my ability to get that all done. I mean, it's already 5:22 p.m.!
What's your go-to defense for drowning in "must get done NOW"s?
Unfortunately, none of my productivity was the stuff on my list. And the same thing happened today! I spent hours darting (figuratively) here and there, getting ready for The Month of the Hero. And I'm still doing it! I stopped writing this post to go set up that page at my website, then created a few more bit.ly links, then posted on Twitter, then took a deep breath and came back here.
I still have to set up my posts for the week and schedule them to go. They're written, but need some additions and tweaking. I also have mail to prep to send, some revisions on three chapters to enter and print so I can mail them tomorrow, a contract to finish reading so I can mail that tomorrow, too, a checkbook to update, an insurance policy to review and file, and the aforementioned P&P manual to proof, since our overachieving committee chair already made the 26 pages of changes we discussed over 3 hours last night. OY!
I have a synopsis to finish by the end of the week, some phone calls to make, and my annual mammogram tomorrow. Oh, and the Carina marketing plan to complete for my March 28th release!
I'm a little worried about my ability to get that all done. I mean, it's already 5:22 p.m.!
What's your go-to defense for drowning in "must get done NOW"s?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Random Bliss
I don't work Thursdays. This makes me so happy I could roll in it (to borrow a line from the last Sookie book :) ).
I got a new mouse recently, because even though I loved the shape of my old one, it dragged, which made my hand cramp. I love my new mouse. I especially love some of the programmability of it. One feature is Smart Move, where the pointer jumps to the default button in a dialogue box. I can't get used to it! I love the feature, but I automatically move the mouse to where I know the box is going to be, which of course moves the cursor OFF the button I want. Ugh.
We finally got Number Two out of her loft bed:
BEFORE
AFTER
What's pictured is the temp setup while waiting for her new mattresses, which were delivered today. They called this morning to schedule delivery between 10-1. Not a bad range of time, but I had to pick up Number Two at school at 12:30 (she was in a Step Up to the Middle School program that apparently was boring and unnecessary). I told the guy this. He said he could wait for 15 minutes if I was gone, but I didn't trust that. I was discussing with Number One whether or not I should let her have them come in and set things up, when the truck pulled up. At 12:17. I made it to the school almost on time—she wasn't the last one to be picked up. So phew. :)
I got something really awesome this morning that I'm jonesing to show you, but can't yet. Soon, I hope. It's the topper on my blissful day, though. :)
Number Two moving her room around inspired Number One to do the same. She wasn't willing to wait until the weekend, so Tuesday I helped her move every piece of furniture in her room. It only took about half an hour, amazingly, because she'd already cleared out the small stuff. She got everything mostly set back up yesterday. So now I have two happy kids.
And I have one happy cat.
BG, on the bottom, loves that we still have half of the loft base (which is going to go in my office) and the bed part in the living room. Number Two kept the dresser part, which was easiest, and I love the shelf part, so we'll have this bed part (including ladder) that is pretty useless without the rest. I have no idea what to do with it.
I just finished watching all of the new incarnation of Doctor Who. I knew I'd like it, but it took me a while to get around to it. Which is good, because I got to watch season 5 all the way through. Thoughts:
1. I like David Tennant best, but it's a slight preference. I loved Christopher Eccleston, too (especially when he got serious), and Matt Smith is awesome (especially when he gets intense). I'm glad he gets another season, because this one felt way too short.
2. Order of preference for companions: Martha, Amy, Rose, Donna. But I have to admit, Martha and Amy are very close, and I like the current combo's chemistry best. I was very surprised to like Donna as much as I did, because I really didn't like her much in the Christmas special.
3. They really know how to do finales! My favorite has to be season 4, when they brought in Sarah and her son, Cardiff Torchwood, Rose, Martha, and Mickey.
4. The whole first few episodes were kind of goofy, especially Mickey, but I loved how his character developed over the seasons. I'm a little confused at his marriage to Martha because she was engaged to Tom, but *shrug*. I like it.
5. I hate that I have to wait until next spring for a new season, but I love the tradition of the Christmas specials so it's a) not quite so long, and b) something to look forward to in the dark days of hiatus winter 2010. :)
Okay. That's enough for now. I'm home, I have an hour and a half before I have to go to the vet, I am actually going to write for a while! :)
I got a new mouse recently, because even though I loved the shape of my old one, it dragged, which made my hand cramp. I love my new mouse. I especially love some of the programmability of it. One feature is Smart Move, where the pointer jumps to the default button in a dialogue box. I can't get used to it! I love the feature, but I automatically move the mouse to where I know the box is going to be, which of course moves the cursor OFF the button I want. Ugh.
We finally got Number Two out of her loft bed:
What's pictured is the temp setup while waiting for her new mattresses, which were delivered today. They called this morning to schedule delivery between 10-1. Not a bad range of time, but I had to pick up Number Two at school at 12:30 (she was in a Step Up to the Middle School program that apparently was boring and unnecessary). I told the guy this. He said he could wait for 15 minutes if I was gone, but I didn't trust that. I was discussing with Number One whether or not I should let her have them come in and set things up, when the truck pulled up. At 12:17. I made it to the school almost on time—she wasn't the last one to be picked up. So phew. :)
I got something really awesome this morning that I'm jonesing to show you, but can't yet. Soon, I hope. It's the topper on my blissful day, though. :)
Number Two moving her room around inspired Number One to do the same. She wasn't willing to wait until the weekend, so Tuesday I helped her move every piece of furniture in her room. It only took about half an hour, amazingly, because she'd already cleared out the small stuff. She got everything mostly set back up yesterday. So now I have two happy kids.
And I have one happy cat.
BG, on the bottom, loves that we still have half of the loft base (which is going to go in my office) and the bed part in the living room. Number Two kept the dresser part, which was easiest, and I love the shelf part, so we'll have this bed part (including ladder) that is pretty useless without the rest. I have no idea what to do with it.
I just finished watching all of the new incarnation of Doctor Who. I knew I'd like it, but it took me a while to get around to it. Which is good, because I got to watch season 5 all the way through. Thoughts:
1. I like David Tennant best, but it's a slight preference. I loved Christopher Eccleston, too (especially when he got serious), and Matt Smith is awesome (especially when he gets intense). I'm glad he gets another season, because this one felt way too short.
2. Order of preference for companions: Martha, Amy, Rose, Donna. But I have to admit, Martha and Amy are very close, and I like the current combo's chemistry best. I was very surprised to like Donna as much as I did, because I really didn't like her much in the Christmas special.
3. They really know how to do finales! My favorite has to be season 4, when they brought in Sarah and her son, Cardiff Torchwood, Rose, Martha, and Mickey.
4. The whole first few episodes were kind of goofy, especially Mickey, but I loved how his character developed over the seasons. I'm a little confused at his marriage to Martha because she was engaged to Tom, but *shrug*. I like it.
5. I hate that I have to wait until next spring for a new season, but I love the tradition of the Christmas specials so it's a) not quite so long, and b) something to look forward to in the dark days of hiatus winter 2010. :)
Okay. That's enough for now. I'm home, I have an hour and a half before I have to go to the vet, I am actually going to write for a while! :)
Thursday, July 08, 2010
I'm Unplugging. Hold Me.
Tomorrow--very early, way too early for the summer--Number One (see how I used the correct designation there?) and I are going to the Creation Entertainment Salute to Supernatural in New Jersey. And I made a radical decision.
I'm not bringing my laptop.
Normally I would refuse to leave it behind no matter what, but
1) they charge for Internet access;
2) it's a very full schedule with very late nights, two early mornings, and sleeping in on the third morning;
3) I'll be with friends, so even down time won't be down time.
I leave the house before 8:00 a.m. tomorrow and don't get home until late Sunday.* Three. Whole. Days. With no e-mail or Internet. Some of you are baffled. You go whole weeks without checking, right? Maybe a couple of days at a time. You don't understand. I hardly go a couple of hours without checking e-mail. 100% of my work is done that way, so I'm conditioned. And almost inevitably, if I let it go for a day or two, something important comes up and I regret it.
But I'm doing it this weekend, and anticipate a huge flood when I return. Hopefully, the likes of Misha Collins, Aldis Hodge, and Matt Cohen will be enough to stave off withdrawal symptoms, and if not, I can always have Lori, Megan, and Number One comfort me. :)
Wish me luck!
*Don't bother putting us on the "empty house, let's go rob them" site, the house won't be empty.
I'm not bringing my laptop.
Normally I would refuse to leave it behind no matter what, but
1) they charge for Internet access;
2) it's a very full schedule with very late nights, two early mornings, and sleeping in on the third morning;
3) I'll be with friends, so even down time won't be down time.
I leave the house before 8:00 a.m. tomorrow and don't get home until late Sunday.* Three. Whole. Days. With no e-mail or Internet. Some of you are baffled. You go whole weeks without checking, right? Maybe a couple of days at a time. You don't understand. I hardly go a couple of hours without checking e-mail. 100% of my work is done that way, so I'm conditioned. And almost inevitably, if I let it go for a day or two, something important comes up and I regret it.
But I'm doing it this weekend, and anticipate a huge flood when I return. Hopefully, the likes of Misha Collins, Aldis Hodge, and Matt Cohen will be enough to stave off withdrawal symptoms, and if not, I can always have Lori, Megan, and Number One comfort me. :)
Wish me luck!
*Don't bother putting us on the "empty house, let's go rob them" site, the house won't be empty.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Coming Clean
Huh. I screwed up the rules. Honestly, I am NOT one of those writers who claims to be horrible at math. I've always been pretty decent at it. But somehow, I failed to add 1 to 6 and didn't end up with 7 things, but only 6.
Oh, well.
So, which are my truths and lies? Well, good liars know that good lies are always grounded in truth. So here's me coming clean:
1. I have been to several countries in Europe, and I don’t remember any of it.
This is 100% true. Some of the traveling was in utero, and some was postpartum, but all was before I was a year old. :)
2. When I was like 14, babysitting my brother, we got into a fight and I tried to stab him with a garlic press, and hit my hand instead. I still have the scar.
Again 100% true. I scared myself so badly when the blood welled up, I immediately stopped fighting with him. And went to tell the neighbor that no, even though I screamed I wanted to kill him at the top of my lungs, I didn't actually do so.
3. I have top security clearance because of my job at National Geographic, which means I could technically be told lots of state secrets.
HA! No one could have thought that was true. Pretty outrageous.
4. When I was dating my husband in college, his fraternity had a tradition that if a brother pinned his girlfriend, they carried him down to the sulfur spring, stripped him naked, and tossed him in. Then they gave him back his shoes and made him run naked back to the frat house, about half a mile. I got to see this happen to two of my husband’s brothers, but not him. He never pinned me.
Fully true. I think he gave me the pin after he graduated, but by then we were practically engaged, so it didn't count.
5. When I worked in DC, my aunt worked for Budget Rent-a-Car and she got me cars when I needed one for a trip home. One was a Lincoln Town Car. One was a red Mustang convertible. I kept that one a couple of extra days and took it up to 100 on the Beltway.
I hope she never reads this, that's all I can say.
6. In my summer job at Sarett Nature Center after my sophomore year of college, I got bit by all of the following: a raccoon, a barred owl, a black rat snake, a baby fox, an injured kestrel, and a tiny white mouse. Oh, and black flies.
Mostly a lie. I only got bit by the mouse and the flies. :) Someone else got bit by the black rat snake, when he was catching it (those puppies are FAST), and I don't think any of the others ever bit anyone.
Huh. I told more truth than lies. I guess I'm not that good at it after all! :)
Oh, well.
So, which are my truths and lies? Well, good liars know that good lies are always grounded in truth. So here's me coming clean:
1. I have been to several countries in Europe, and I don’t remember any of it.
This is 100% true. Some of the traveling was in utero, and some was postpartum, but all was before I was a year old. :)
2. When I was like 14, babysitting my brother, we got into a fight and I tried to stab him with a garlic press, and hit my hand instead. I still have the scar.
Again 100% true. I scared myself so badly when the blood welled up, I immediately stopped fighting with him. And went to tell the neighbor that no, even though I screamed I wanted to kill him at the top of my lungs, I didn't actually do so.
3. I have top security clearance because of my job at National Geographic, which means I could technically be told lots of state secrets.
HA! No one could have thought that was true. Pretty outrageous.
4. When I was dating my husband in college, his fraternity had a tradition that if a brother pinned his girlfriend, they carried him down to the sulfur spring, stripped him naked, and tossed him in. Then they gave him back his shoes and made him run naked back to the frat house, about half a mile. I got to see this happen to two of my husband’s brothers, but not him. He never pinned me.
Fully true. I think he gave me the pin after he graduated, but by then we were practically engaged, so it didn't count.
5. When I worked in DC, my aunt worked for Budget Rent-a-Car and she got me cars when I needed one for a trip home. One was a Lincoln Town Car. One was a red Mustang convertible. I kept that one a couple of extra days and took it up to 100 on the Beltway.
I hope she never reads this, that's all I can say.
6. In my summer job at Sarett Nature Center after my sophomore year of college, I got bit by all of the following: a raccoon, a barred owl, a black rat snake, a baby fox, an injured kestrel, and a tiny white mouse. Oh, and black flies.
Mostly a lie. I only got bit by the mouse and the flies. :) Someone else got bit by the black rat snake, when he was catching it (those puppies are FAST), and I don't think any of the others ever bit anyone.
Huh. I told more truth than lies. I guess I'm not that good at it after all! :)
Friday, December 18, 2009
So This Nook Thing
I’m a tech geek. Not, you know, insanely so, but I love my laptop, can’t live without my iPod, would make out with TiVo if it had lips. But even more than gadgets, I love books. For a decade, I’ve been totally unable to convert to e-books. I have books by authors I love that I’ve never read, because e-books don’t suit my reading style. But I figured that would change. I mean, I’ve only ever read on my computer (too stationary), my husband’s old Palm (too tiny and ugly), and an eBookman (also ugly, gave me eye strain, and drained batteries like it was sucking rum and Coke on Friday night).
So I’ve had lustful feelings for the Kindle and Nook, while looking at them askance, like you do the hot-yet-disreputable dude who just moved to your high school. (I’ve never been attracted to the Sony eReader, as they don’t carry my books.)
So I was in Barnes and Noble today, and they had a Nook on display. This was the first chance I’ve had to see one in person. It was kind of cool, for about 30 seconds. E-ink really looks like paper, amazingly so. And at first, it was lighter and a little easier to hold than I expected. I couldn’t grip it by the sides, as my hand isn’t big enough, but I braced the back against my fingers and held the edge with my thumb on top. Then I tried to use it.
You’ve got to give a display model a little slack, but on the other hand, I’d expect to handle a Nook as much as the public does. So it was super disappointing to try to turn the page. Watch the screen flicker and go distorted, then flick back in focus. It was anything but smooth. In fact, it made my eyes go buggy, and I only did it twice! And it was slower than turning a regular page is. Combine that with the page containing about half the text (though I could probably change that), and I think I’d find it supremely annoying.
Finally, after my minute and a half of usage, my hand and fingers were starting to cramp, and I couldn’t navigate the menus one-handed. Some of that would change as I learned how (I didn’t find it very obvious or intuitive, the arrows on the touch screen never did what I thought they would do), I’m sure. But I read hardcovers one-handed, and they weight a helluva lot more than a Nook. An e-reader shouldn’t be uncomfortable.
And while my experience should in no way impact anyone else—my anatomy and preferences don’t automatically translate—the $259 price tag is effective cold water on my attraction.
So I guess I’ll just keep buying my friends books and failing to ever read them! Sorry, friends! :(
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
I’m a Slacker
I was just catching up on blog reading, and now I feel like a slacker. I have a friend who has twice as many kids as me, her day job takes her outside the house, she has fifty family and school and extracurricular obligations a week, and she STILL manages to blog every day.
Obviously, I’m not that dedicated.
She also writes funny and fun posts, while I write about paper towels. It’s a wonder anyone ever reads this thing at all.
*crickets*
My dog is mostly better now, I don’t remember if I’ve said that here. Her head tilt is almost gone, and she can walk and eat and everything is fine. Except for the residual effects that have nothing to do with the vestibular syndrome itself.
First, there’s the eating thing. She doesn’t want dog food anymore. We hand fed her real meat at the worst of the condition, and she’s gradually gotten back to eating dog food, but she clearly prefers not to eat it. She’ll snarf around the kitchen looking for crumbs and she’ll eat the cat food, so I’ll put her dish back down, and she’ll turn away. Too bad. She can starve. (Not really—we actually have plenty of crumbs on the floor.)
The other thing is that she can’t walk on non-carpeted floors anymore. She avoids them, and when she can’t, she dashes across them. Now, even when she was healthy, she wasn’t the most graceful dog. You could call her, in fact, one of the least graceful. So when she dashes down the hall or across the kitchen, she inevitably slips, her feet splay out, she crashes into the wall, and down she goes.
I haven’t been able to take her for grooming because of her balance issues, so I bought nail clippers. Oh, yeah, you can see where this is going, can’t you? I bought nail clippers with the plan to clip her nails, thinking if they weren’t so long, maybe she wouldn’t skid so much. They didn’t have a styptic pencil, though. So I just decided to be really, really careful. And I was. Despite her wiggliness, I was really careful, and didn’t cut down very far at all. Of course, on the eleventh nail, the blood vessel must have come all the way down to the point, because…yeah, she bled. All over the carpet, the tile…me. I sat holding her down as she was desperate to get up and run from me (no pain, she just didn’t like me holding her foot!), trying to get it to stop. I thought it had, but it hadn’t. Then I used flour, and that worked. Phew. Kept a newspaper bag over her foot for an hour, though, just in case.
Guess who’s never using clippers again?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Weekend Adventures
I’m trying out Windows Live Writer to post this (at least to my Blogger blog—you might be reading this elsewhere). WLW is on my new laptop.
What? My new laptop?! How on earth did that happen? I mean, over at GabWagon last Monday, I was saying how I wanted but didn’t need a new laptop.
It all boils down to insanity and frugality. I wanted to get the Best Buy Sony Vaio deal, so I went over at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday and got in line. Five hours later, in the rain, after chatting with some nice people, watching Patriots.com video and the “Serenity” episode of Firefly, and listening to podcasts, we all stood and gathered our stuff and consolidated the line. At 3:41 a.m., they started handing out tickets. I got the last ticket for the Sony Vaio without the Geek Squad stuff (you know, they charge $40 to install the antivirus software that you can install yourself in 10 minutes). By the time I got my ticket, it was after 4:00. They said they’d open the doors early to stage the lines to pick up the merchandise, so I decided to hang around. At 4:41 they opened up. I went to the restroom (I eschewed the Port-a-Potty all night) and got in line.
Finally, just around 8:00, I reached the head of the line, after verbally assaulting a couple of forons (check out my GabWagon post on Monday for details). I was home a little after 8:00 a.m., with my new baby, upon which I am now typing!
I got home a little dehydrated and with a horrible headache that didn’t go away with liquid and breakfast, so after doing some setup work on this lightning-fast puppy, I let my wonderful husband talk me into sleeping for two hours. Then I got up and we started to paint!
Yes, after my all-nighter, I spent Black Friday painting half my living room. Today we finished the living room and hallway painting, and we’re really pleased with the result (as long as no one looks too closely). Tomorrow we have to get the new switchplates installed, sweep and mop the floor, rub away all the paint drips and footprints (Number One earned the new moniker Paint-on-Foot), reinstall the vertical blinds, and move all the furniture back in—all before the inlaws come over for football.
To top it off, Monday we need to rake the last of the leaves. Which will probably ice me physically for a week. I mean, five hours standing in line (the five before that were spent sitting), then uncounted hours crouching, bending, reaching, and climbing over two days, followed by an hour of raking…that’s an oy.
So, how did you spend your [holiday] weekend?
Thursday, November 05, 2009
SOOOO Embarrassing
Blogging is a great vehicle for revealing what a moron you are.
I wanted the song from the V trailer, and went searching, and found that someone had asked on Yahoo Answers and someone had answered.
At the top of the answer is this:
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
So I went looking for the song Chosen by the band Asker.
*headdesk*
In my defense, the answer had the name of the band, Muse, then the name of the song, Uprising, then the lyrics, all kind of run together with no spacing between lines, and I didn't read the lyrics because I skimmed to the chorus and knew it was what I was looking for.
So.
Moving on.
I didn't have time to watch V Tuesday, which drove Number One nuts, because she wasn't waiting, and then she couldn't talk to me about it. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Also surprised at how quickly it moved, how much happened in the pilot. And two revelations near the end shocked me gasping, one not in a good way. But I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, promise!
When the ships first moved in, the tension was palpable, and that's saying something since this was my favorite show when it was on, and so I know everything that happened in that one, at least. I knew what was coming, what their intentions were, what they are. Being held in suspense was great.
I wish Erica's name was Juliet. :(
I thought Morena Baccarin looks horribly, unhealthily skinny. We discussed it, and are hopeful she only did it for the content of the role. Not in a "you can't be lush and curvy" sense, but in a "she's a you-know-what" sense, and she really does look like a you-know-what, behind the pure beauty and the regal manner.
So yay, new show I like! Came at a good time, too, with all my Fox shows not on. :(
I finally caught up on FlashForward. I couldn't watch last week's until last night, but accidentally deleted it. Trying to watch it online totally funked up my computer for much of the day. Got it from iTunes and not all of it downloaded to my iPod. Finally watched the last 7 minutes right before tonight's episode.
Anyway, last week's ep gave us some answers about the whole Dylan/Charlie dilemma, but it irritated me. So okay, Dylan recognized Olivia from the picture on the fridge, which explains how he knew her yet he wasn't in her FF. And assuming D. Gibbons comes in at the end of the FF reconciles Charlie's statement that he's a bad man with her cheeriness in the snippet we see.
But what I can't figure out or reconcile is that Olivia and Lloyd were in bed together while Dylan and Charlie were walking around the house, fully dressed, at 10:00 at night? Did I see that right? It didn't look like they were in PJs. They were definitely wide awake. So that's got me all frowny. I did like that they're so comfortable with each other in the present, though, and casual. To them (the kids), the visions are reality.
This week's ep, though!!! I really didn't want proof that the future is changeable to manifest like this. Really, really didn't. Oh, Al. (And the name issue continues--we couldn't remember his name all season, right up until he... you know. Now we'll never forget it!)
Simon. Now there's an enigma. He's meant to be scary as he describes his FF, murdering someone. But then he was holding that little bracelet. I'm thinking he was exacting vengeance, and since it's fictional, I can be sympathetic to that. He is SO different from Charlie! Dominic Monaghan is doing a great job.
Speaking of great jobs...
The CW did a good one this week. I'm thinking they screened "Changing Channels," this week's ep of Supernatural, saw how great it was, and decided to use it to draw back lapsed viewers, or draw in new ones. I can't wait to see if it worked. All of the people I read who posted about their advanced viewing of the show praised it to the hilt.
My expectations were therefore very high, but I've got to say, while the funny parts were great, the deeper elements were even better. Richard Speight, Jr., got to show a greater range than he has before, and I have to say, I think he stole the show. He shares my utter devotion with Jeremy Carver, though, because this episode was brilliantly written. The character development of The Trickster and his connection to the greater mythology were just beautiful! Nothing felt extraneous or superfluous or out of place. And I really, really liked the skewering of the shows opposite SPN. :)
But KITT for the win!
I wanted the song from the V trailer, and went searching, and found that someone had asked on Yahoo Answers and someone had answered.
At the top of the answer is this:
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
So I went looking for the song Chosen by the band Asker.
*headdesk*
In my defense, the answer had the name of the band, Muse, then the name of the song, Uprising, then the lyrics, all kind of run together with no spacing between lines, and I didn't read the lyrics because I skimmed to the chorus and knew it was what I was looking for.
So.
Moving on.
I didn't have time to watch V Tuesday, which drove Number One nuts, because she wasn't waiting, and then she couldn't talk to me about it. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Also surprised at how quickly it moved, how much happened in the pilot. And two revelations near the end shocked me gasping, one not in a good way. But I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, promise!
When the ships first moved in, the tension was palpable, and that's saying something since this was my favorite show when it was on, and so I know everything that happened in that one, at least. I knew what was coming, what their intentions were, what they are. Being held in suspense was great.
I wish Erica's name was Juliet. :(
I thought Morena Baccarin looks horribly, unhealthily skinny. We discussed it, and are hopeful she only did it for the content of the role. Not in a "you can't be lush and curvy" sense, but in a "she's a you-know-what" sense, and she really does look like a you-know-what, behind the pure beauty and the regal manner.
So yay, new show I like! Came at a good time, too, with all my Fox shows not on. :(
I finally caught up on FlashForward. I couldn't watch last week's until last night, but accidentally deleted it. Trying to watch it online totally funked up my computer for much of the day. Got it from iTunes and not all of it downloaded to my iPod. Finally watched the last 7 minutes right before tonight's episode.
Anyway, last week's ep gave us some answers about the whole Dylan/Charlie dilemma, but it irritated me. So okay, Dylan recognized Olivia from the picture on the fridge, which explains how he knew her yet he wasn't in her FF. And assuming D. Gibbons comes in at the end of the FF reconciles Charlie's statement that he's a bad man with her cheeriness in the snippet we see.
But what I can't figure out or reconcile is that Olivia and Lloyd were in bed together while Dylan and Charlie were walking around the house, fully dressed, at 10:00 at night? Did I see that right? It didn't look like they were in PJs. They were definitely wide awake. So that's got me all frowny. I did like that they're so comfortable with each other in the present, though, and casual. To them (the kids), the visions are reality.
This week's ep, though!!! I really didn't want proof that the future is changeable to manifest like this. Really, really didn't. Oh, Al. (And the name issue continues--we couldn't remember his name all season, right up until he... you know. Now we'll never forget it!)
Simon. Now there's an enigma. He's meant to be scary as he describes his FF, murdering someone. But then he was holding that little bracelet. I'm thinking he was exacting vengeance, and since it's fictional, I can be sympathetic to that. He is SO different from Charlie! Dominic Monaghan is doing a great job.
Speaking of great jobs...
The CW did a good one this week. I'm thinking they screened "Changing Channels," this week's ep of Supernatural, saw how great it was, and decided to use it to draw back lapsed viewers, or draw in new ones. I can't wait to see if it worked. All of the people I read who posted about their advanced viewing of the show praised it to the hilt.
My expectations were therefore very high, but I've got to say, while the funny parts were great, the deeper elements were even better. Richard Speight, Jr., got to show a greater range than he has before, and I have to say, I think he stole the show. He shares my utter devotion with Jeremy Carver, though, because this episode was brilliantly written. The character development of The Trickster and his connection to the greater mythology were just beautiful! Nothing felt extraneous or superfluous or out of place. And I really, really liked the skewering of the shows opposite SPN. :)
But KITT for the win!
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Something's Wrong With Me
I have a pretty competitive nature. I first understood it in high school, though I can recognize that it goes back further. All the way to first grade, at least. My mother probably shouldn't have told me what Mrs. Nadeau said in my parent/teacher conference. But even way back then, I was driven to be the best, have the best grades. No one else had to know about it--only I had to know.
Then in high school, I had a friend junior year who had comparable grades to me and did a lot of the same extracurriculars. We were neck-and-neck for a while with the fundraiser, but she has a much bigger family, so she beat me. She also had an infant son. I didn't realize I was competing until my boyfriend complained that I had no time for him, and did I really need to be on the prom committee? I dropped off it, not because he wanted me to, but because his whining made me realize that no, I did not want to be on the prom committee, I joined it because she did!
Nowadays, my competitive streak mostly manifests in word counts. On our annual retreat, we sometimes do word wars. Except it's really just timed writing, and it's only me that has to write more in 10 minutes than anyone else. Again, it's not because I have to beat them; I just have to write more.
And so it goes with NaNo. Usually, if I see that one of my buddies has written a little more than I have, it spurs me to push through until I top them. I love being the person in the group who has the most words. I don't care if no one notices--in fact, if they lament that they can't keep up, I feel horrible!
But this year, after two days, half my Writing Buddies have a thousand or more words than I do. One even has three times as many! And I don't care!
What's wrong with me?
Being competitive can be a big negative, I know. But it can also be a very important tool for a writer. It can keep you going when you have the don'wannas. It helps build your writing muscles, giving you endurance and flexibility as well as productivity. And mine seems to have disappeared!
I wonder where it went.
~~~~~~~~~~
ETA: The above was written Tuesday morning, but I forgot to upload and post it. The first three days of NaNo, I was writing late, handicapping myself with brain fry, and everyone was way ahead of me. Today I started writing early, and wrote a lot! I'm going to have to make that a habit again...
Then in high school, I had a friend junior year who had comparable grades to me and did a lot of the same extracurriculars. We were neck-and-neck for a while with the fundraiser, but she has a much bigger family, so she beat me. She also had an infant son. I didn't realize I was competing until my boyfriend complained that I had no time for him, and did I really need to be on the prom committee? I dropped off it, not because he wanted me to, but because his whining made me realize that no, I did not want to be on the prom committee, I joined it because she did!
Nowadays, my competitive streak mostly manifests in word counts. On our annual retreat, we sometimes do word wars. Except it's really just timed writing, and it's only me that has to write more in 10 minutes than anyone else. Again, it's not because I have to beat them; I just have to write more.
And so it goes with NaNo. Usually, if I see that one of my buddies has written a little more than I have, it spurs me to push through until I top them. I love being the person in the group who has the most words. I don't care if no one notices--in fact, if they lament that they can't keep up, I feel horrible!
But this year, after two days, half my Writing Buddies have a thousand or more words than I do. One even has three times as many! And I don't care!
What's wrong with me?
Being competitive can be a big negative, I know. But it can also be a very important tool for a writer. It can keep you going when you have the don'wannas. It helps build your writing muscles, giving you endurance and flexibility as well as productivity. And mine seems to have disappeared!
I wonder where it went.
~~~~~~~~~~
ETA: The above was written Tuesday morning, but I forgot to upload and post it. The first three days of NaNo, I was writing late, handicapping myself with brain fry, and everyone was way ahead of me. Today I started writing early, and wrote a lot! I'm going to have to make that a habit again...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Geekdom
I'm totally geeking out.
I love an author who inserts tributes into her books, and tributes to the things I'mobsessive passionate about make me giddy with insidery geekiness.
In the space of a few pages, CE Murphy's latest, Walking Dead, references Star Wars (lightsabers), Supernatural (shotgun loaded with rock salt, holy water in sprinklers*), Firefly (big damn heroes), and The Princess Bride (rodents of [un]usual size).
CE Murphy is so cool. (And powerful. I wasn't allowed to say "My hair was doing its Hermione Granger impression" in one of my books, and hers is peppered with pop culture--even some things I have to look up!)
*Salt and holy water are standards in mythology, so it's likely she came up with these before the SPN writers did. It still feels like a tribute. :)
~~~~~~~~~~
I paused in reading to write the above, and planned to leave it at that. But I loved the book so much that my geeking out made me not pay attention to what I was reading, so I decided to write more.
Generally speaking, I don't want to be the next anybody. I have my own voice and my own style, and I want people to chomp at the bit to get the new Natalie J. Damschroder book because it's not like anything else they read. But there are a couple of authors I want to emulate. I want to make readers feel the way I feel when I read them. CE Murphy is one.
Though I have a lot of friends who are authors, she's not one of them. She doesn't know me from Adam, but I read her blog. What she says there makes me marvel even more. I'm reading this book, and it's so perfect. The balance of action and introspection, the level of humor, the characterization, the progression of events. Nothing lags or fluctuates.
The thing is, because I read her blog, I know this book didn't start out this way. Most of her books, she talks about rewriting a third or two thirds of the original. Her agent gives her revisions, then her editor gives her revisions, sometimes twice. She works really hard. But it's skill that makes her hard work result in such a good book. I thrill to it as a reader, and I'm challenged as a writer to achieve her level, eventually. The little bud of despair that I might never make it? I refuse to water it or offer it any sunlight.
So that's all. Now I'm going to debate myself over spending the rest of my time in the auto service waiting room reading this awesome book, or writing my own.
I love an author who inserts tributes into her books, and tributes to the things I'm
In the space of a few pages, CE Murphy's latest, Walking Dead, references Star Wars (lightsabers), Supernatural (shotgun loaded with rock salt, holy water in sprinklers*), Firefly (big damn heroes), and The Princess Bride (rodents of [un]usual size).
CE Murphy is so cool. (And powerful. I wasn't allowed to say "My hair was doing its Hermione Granger impression" in one of my books, and hers is peppered with pop culture--even some things I have to look up!)
*Salt and holy water are standards in mythology, so it's likely she came up with these before the SPN writers did. It still feels like a tribute. :)
~~~~~~~~~~
I paused in reading to write the above, and planned to leave it at that. But I loved the book so much that my geeking out made me not pay attention to what I was reading, so I decided to write more.
Generally speaking, I don't want to be the next anybody. I have my own voice and my own style, and I want people to chomp at the bit to get the new Natalie J. Damschroder book because it's not like anything else they read. But there are a couple of authors I want to emulate. I want to make readers feel the way I feel when I read them. CE Murphy is one.
Though I have a lot of friends who are authors, she's not one of them. She doesn't know me from Adam, but I read her blog. What she says there makes me marvel even more. I'm reading this book, and it's so perfect. The balance of action and introspection, the level of humor, the characterization, the progression of events. Nothing lags or fluctuates.
The thing is, because I read her blog, I know this book didn't start out this way. Most of her books, she talks about rewriting a third or two thirds of the original. Her agent gives her revisions, then her editor gives her revisions, sometimes twice. She works really hard. But it's skill that makes her hard work result in such a good book. I thrill to it as a reader, and I'm challenged as a writer to achieve her level, eventually. The little bud of despair that I might never make it? I refuse to water it or offer it any sunlight.
So that's all. Now I'm going to debate myself over spending the rest of my time in the auto service waiting room reading this awesome book, or writing my own.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Not Battable
I always swore I would not be a cliché. That I would be open and accepting, because it's just the way life goes. But I can't help it:
Getting old sucks.
Shut up, Bicky! LOL
But you know why it sucks? It's not because of my weird tanning/freckling or the slight wrinkles on my face, or the fact that everything creaks when I stand up (that's the lack of exercise as much as the aging).
It sucks because my eyelashes have disappeared.
I don't wear makeup much anymore because it's a pain, and because it makes no difference. I only ever wore eye makeup, but now the eyeliner and shadow get absorbed in a few hours and the mascara doesn't have enough to adhere to, so instead of highlighting my eyes, it just irritates them.
So I was excited when I saw the ad in People magazine for Latisse. Even though I knew I couldn't justify whatever the cost is for a little vanity. I did some research this morning, read some reviews, looked at the before-and-afters...and it's really, really tempting.
Results, of course, vary. My lashes are shorter and sparser than most of the ones in the gallery, and one or two of the featured subjects didn't have a very big difference. Some had a HUGE difference, though, enough to make me salivate. The side effects are minimal--temporary itching and redness for some people--and the process simple and convenient.
The cost is usually $120, plus whatever the local doctor would charge (there are only 2) to see me and prescribe/provide it. And the results fade after you stop using it. Plus...who cares if I have short lashes? I mean, it would be nice to look better. I'm not totally unattractive, overall, and it's hard to see my best features (eyes, lips) fading away. I don't spend much time looking at myself, and I don't see other people all that much, and they probably aren't sitting there thinking, "I'd be enjoying this conversation so much better if Natalie had nicer eyelashes."
So I guess I'll skip it. Unless someone wants to treat me for my birthday. :)
Getting old sucks.
Shut up, Bicky! LOL
But you know why it sucks? It's not because of my weird tanning/freckling or the slight wrinkles on my face, or the fact that everything creaks when I stand up (that's the lack of exercise as much as the aging).
It sucks because my eyelashes have disappeared.
I don't wear makeup much anymore because it's a pain, and because it makes no difference. I only ever wore eye makeup, but now the eyeliner and shadow get absorbed in a few hours and the mascara doesn't have enough to adhere to, so instead of highlighting my eyes, it just irritates them.
So I was excited when I saw the ad in People magazine for Latisse. Even though I knew I couldn't justify whatever the cost is for a little vanity. I did some research this morning, read some reviews, looked at the before-and-afters...and it's really, really tempting.
Results, of course, vary. My lashes are shorter and sparser than most of the ones in the gallery, and one or two of the featured subjects didn't have a very big difference. Some had a HUGE difference, though, enough to make me salivate. The side effects are minimal--temporary itching and redness for some people--and the process simple and convenient.
The cost is usually $120, plus whatever the local doctor would charge (there are only 2) to see me and prescribe/provide it. And the results fade after you stop using it. Plus...who cares if I have short lashes? I mean, it would be nice to look better. I'm not totally unattractive, overall, and it's hard to see my best features (eyes, lips) fading away. I don't spend much time looking at myself, and I don't see other people all that much, and they probably aren't sitting there thinking, "I'd be enjoying this conversation so much better if Natalie had nicer eyelashes."
So I guess I'll skip it. Unless someone wants to treat me for my birthday. :)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Smokin' Day One
First day of vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains!
Yesterday was 10 hours of travel, and though we started out in a torrential downpour, the drive was mostly really good.
Shoney's is the most ubiquitous restaurant in the world, and I get queasy thinking about eating there again. The food was fine (except for Number One's steak--J said "never order steak in a place like this!) but the faucet in the bathroom was so corroded there was a hole in it. For some reason, that really grosses me out.
Tennessee is beautiful. A lot of the time I can't tell we're not in Pennsylvania, but then the land opens up and it's a little more rolling, and of course the mountains are grander. I can't believe all the trailers/mobile homes here. Most of them are situated on huge tracts of land. Odd.
Today we woke around 6 to thunderous storms. They moved on after a while, and the weather was good enough to hike the Laurel Falls trail in the park. It was excellent. Just enough of a hike for us out-of-shape adults, with natural A/C at the falls themselves to cool us after the uphill climb.
On the way down, I hit a patch of...well, patching on the paved trail, and my food skidded out from under me and I landed hard on my knee.
Twice.
J tells me "slow down, small steps!" I told him I'm not 5. After I realized the patches and my right sneaker didn't get along, I was fine. I took a cool picture I'll post when we get home, since I failed to bring the camera cable.
It rained hard again on the way back to our sweet cabin (I think this place is bigger than my house), but when it stopped we went swimming. Then I drove the one-hour round trip to town to get pizza for dinner.
Yeah, that's a bit of a lament, that we're so far out of Gatlinburg. It's not really a full half hour to get to town or a park entrance, but it's not close, either.
Tomorrow we're tackling white water rafting, and then I think I need to do laundry already. (We had to pack light due to reduced trunk space in the hybrid--but it's worth it to get 37+ mpg!) I'll give an injury report afterward. :)
Yesterday was 10 hours of travel, and though we started out in a torrential downpour, the drive was mostly really good.
Shoney's is the most ubiquitous restaurant in the world, and I get queasy thinking about eating there again. The food was fine (except for Number One's steak--J said "never order steak in a place like this!) but the faucet in the bathroom was so corroded there was a hole in it. For some reason, that really grosses me out.
Tennessee is beautiful. A lot of the time I can't tell we're not in Pennsylvania, but then the land opens up and it's a little more rolling, and of course the mountains are grander. I can't believe all the trailers/mobile homes here. Most of them are situated on huge tracts of land. Odd.
Today we woke around 6 to thunderous storms. They moved on after a while, and the weather was good enough to hike the Laurel Falls trail in the park. It was excellent. Just enough of a hike for us out-of-shape adults, with natural A/C at the falls themselves to cool us after the uphill climb.
On the way down, I hit a patch of...well, patching on the paved trail, and my food skidded out from under me and I landed hard on my knee.
Twice.
J tells me "slow down, small steps!" I told him I'm not 5. After I realized the patches and my right sneaker didn't get along, I was fine. I took a cool picture I'll post when we get home, since I failed to bring the camera cable.
It rained hard again on the way back to our sweet cabin (I think this place is bigger than my house), but when it stopped we went swimming. Then I drove the one-hour round trip to town to get pizza for dinner.
Yeah, that's a bit of a lament, that we're so far out of Gatlinburg. It's not really a full half hour to get to town or a park entrance, but it's not close, either.
Tomorrow we're tackling white water rafting, and then I think I need to do laundry already. (We had to pack light due to reduced trunk space in the hybrid--but it's worth it to get 37+ mpg!) I'll give an injury report afterward. :)
Saturday, June 06, 2009
BTW
My finger is fine. Once in a while, the joints feel crampy when I put pressure on them laterally, so I'm expecting "fine" to not last that long, but the trauma has healed completely.
I love my keyboard (Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 7000) and the mouse is mostly cool, just doesn't glide across the surface as smoothly as I want. I keep forgetting to take it up to rub dry soap on the little pads.
I miss Supernatural like crazy. True Blood is good so far (but only 2 episodes in) but it's not easing the pain.
Terminator: Salvation was excellent. I love the kid who plays Kyle Reese (also Chekov in Star Trek) and can't wait to see him in new stuff. I'd heard several people hated the ending, so I was prepared and therefore didn't hate it.
Can't wait to see The Proposal this week. I have a feeling Betty White steals the movie.
Starting summer schedule this week. Plan is as follows:
8:00 Drop Number Two at mallet percussion lesson
8:06 Work out with Number One at Planet Fitness
8:45 Pick up Number Two
9:00 Check e-mail and plan work for the day
10:00 Clean designated rooms
11:00 Work
2:00 Do fun plans with the kids
4:00 Write
We'll see how well that works out.
I love my keyboard (Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 7000) and the mouse is mostly cool, just doesn't glide across the surface as smoothly as I want. I keep forgetting to take it up to rub dry soap on the little pads.
I miss Supernatural like crazy. True Blood is good so far (but only 2 episodes in) but it's not easing the pain.
Terminator: Salvation was excellent. I love the kid who plays Kyle Reese (also Chekov in Star Trek) and can't wait to see him in new stuff. I'd heard several people hated the ending, so I was prepared and therefore didn't hate it.
Can't wait to see The Proposal this week. I have a feeling Betty White steals the movie.
Starting summer schedule this week. Plan is as follows:
8:00 Drop Number Two at mallet percussion lesson
8:06 Work out with Number One at Planet Fitness
8:45 Pick up Number Two
9:00 Check e-mail and plan work for the day
10:00 Clean designated rooms
11:00 Work
2:00 Do fun plans with the kids
4:00 Write
We'll see how well that works out.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Retreat Craziness
Oddly, all the craziness--or, at least, all the craziness I captured--was on Saturday.
First, we wanted to go for a post-dinner walk. But the weather wasn't quite cooperative. So Mandy suggested we use the excellent canvas bags Joyce and Kristine gifted us with:
But it cleared up for a while, so we managed to get out.
Then we hazed Elizabeth.
She was a new member on her first retreat! Had to do something! Actually, someone said something about how we should make someone lie down on a grave, and she volunteered. Said it was peaceful.
Remember the weird circle from two years ago?
It's still there.
Misty decided the weird circle demanded more weirdness, though.
Supernatural fans know what a weird circle in a cemetery means, but the only zombie we encountered was Megan:
Vicki demonstrated how NOT to ride a playground dog:
And then we went to the other cemetery, which we haven't done before. I don't know, it's just not as creepy without the fence:
I don't think we'll be going back. I mean, how much fun is a cemetery if you can't bring coat hangers?
Saturday night we played our game. Here's Beth, posing after she won putting Johnny Depp together, defaced as he was.
We laughed harder than at any other retreat game, and that's saying something. Joyce hyperventilated and had to sit down:
Gotta love David Beckham as Spock played by @ZacharyQuinto.
We were equal opportunity defacers, of course:
But honest, among all the insanity, we did work!
Now, don't you want to have a retreat of your own?
First, we wanted to go for a post-dinner walk. But the weather wasn't quite cooperative. So Mandy suggested we use the excellent canvas bags Joyce and Kristine gifted us with:
But it cleared up for a while, so we managed to get out.
Then we hazed Elizabeth.
She was a new member on her first retreat! Had to do something! Actually, someone said something about how we should make someone lie down on a grave, and she volunteered. Said it was peaceful.
Remember the weird circle from two years ago?
It's still there.
Misty decided the weird circle demanded more weirdness, though.
Supernatural fans know what a weird circle in a cemetery means, but the only zombie we encountered was Megan:
Vicki demonstrated how NOT to ride a playground dog:
And then we went to the other cemetery, which we haven't done before. I don't know, it's just not as creepy without the fence:
I don't think we'll be going back. I mean, how much fun is a cemetery if you can't bring coat hangers?
Saturday night we played our game. Here's Beth, posing after she won putting Johnny Depp together, defaced as he was.
We laughed harder than at any other retreat game, and that's saying something. Joyce hyperventilated and had to sit down:
Gotta love David Beckham as Spock played by @ZacharyQuinto.
We were equal opportunity defacers, of course:
But honest, among all the insanity, we did work!
Now, don't you want to have a retreat of your own?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Like a Book
My Middle Finger
Last week, the day before starting my new job, the first two fingers of my left hand ached a little in the middle knuckles (PIP joints), kind of a crampy pain. That night they woke me up throbbing and burning. That mostly subsided, but they were swollen and tender the next day. I assumed I'd damaged them when I crushed them between the laundry basket and the metal gate at the top of the stairs. 'Cause, you know, when you're 38, injuries don't manifest immediately. They sneak up after a day or two.
But then, after the weekend, when they still hurt, and in weird, inconsistent ways, I started to get worried. My friends all laughed at me when I said I was too young for arthritis, and my knees were bothering me, too. At first I'd blown that off because they do that from time to time. I'm fat. I haven't exercised inmonths way too long. It happens.
So I did a little quickie research on sudden-onset arthritis, and freaked right the hell out. I stopped before I read anything that was actually based on medical education. I can remain in denial as long as it's lay people on message boards.
The pain is mostly in the PIP joint of my middle finger now, though sometimes I have a little cramping-type pain in the DIP and PIP joints of the pointer and ring fingers. I can't decide if that's sympathetic pain, compensatory pain, or evidence of the onset of a condition that will soon render me a screaming invalid. Also, it sometimes feels like stinging, like it's the soft tissue around the joint rather than the joint itself, or like the skin is dry and raw, but there's nothing actually wrong with the skin.
Today, though, things are a little different. I did different work today, so I didn't use the finger as much on the keyboard or in the same way, so the overall ache wasn't as strong. That one PIP joint is swollen still, but it isn't hurting unless I use it, mainly if I pressure it laterally--like bracing a heavy bowl in that hand. I get a sharp pain in the joint and it actually felt like it popped out a little, and I clicked it back in.
So now I'm thinking fracture. Today, it feels an awful lot like the DIP joint of the same finger did when I jammed it playing football.
I guess only time will tell. (Yes, I could go get an x-ray, but 1. I don't have a doctor, 2. I have a high deductible plan and would have to pay for it, and 3. there's not much point because what can be done? I'll just try to find a splint to use so I stop trying to carry heavy bowls with it.)
Oh, Sammy
I really loved "Jump the Shark" last night. My initial reaction to hearing that John had another son was just as negative as anyone else's, but I was sure Kripke and Co. would make me love it just like they've made me love everything else I hate. Of course, being unable to keep away from spoilers meant I know Jake Abel was only cast for one episode so I figured he was going to die. But how it happened TOTALLY surprised me. And shocked me.
Things I loved:
1. The opening scene before the boys. Hell-llo, creepy Supernatural. The whole bed/foot shot was ultra-tense. There were a few other moments like that, too, especially with Dean in the crypt.
2. The opening scene with the boys. Sam brushing his teeth--YES! We need more everyday stuff like that! Next up: Buying rock salt at Wal Mart. Right, Megan? :) Dean waking up, being a ten-year-old boy with his rumbly tummy--and tuna! Ha! And the phone call...
3. Dean. I tried to be more specific, but it was just everything. Dean being so furious and positive that it was a trap (and it was, even though it wasn't a lie). His emotions were so pure--God DAMN it, Jensen needs an Emmy. Then when Adam managed to convince them, he just as furiously was determined to protect him and make sure he didn't get sucked into the life. It shows incredible personal strength and maturity to have so much pain (baseball games!) and personal regret and still recognize that Adam wasn't to blame for it. When Sam started to tell Adam the truth, and Dean exploded with "Sammy!" instead of Sam--there's so much vulnerability there.
4. The glimpse into the past. We were seeing the hunt from John's point of view for pretty much the first time. Working with the bartender, finding the bodies, hunting the thing. And then falling for the local nurse and later finding out he had a son. It DOES make sense, because you can't have 23 years of complete focus. John had to have had detours and layovers and stuff, and parents always have lives their kids don't really see.
I also loved how they brought in the ambivalence of hunting again, without being too heavy handed. There was just one mention of it--that ghouls don't (normally) kill, there was nothing evil about taking those bodies, but John hunted and killed the thing, anyway. Cause and effect, because if the kids hadn't grown up alone, they might not have warped enough to decide to go after fresh meat, and use revenge as a motivator/justifier.
5. The rock/paper/scissors moment was sheer perfection, all the way through.
Things that made me have to work a little to find them okay:
1. Adam's body looked a little too intact. They feed on the bodies, and they talked about how they ate him. But I might have just not looked hard enough, and maybe they're grazers. You know, eat a little bit at a time, frequently.
2. Why Sam didn't use his demon mojo to get free. I thought of it at the time, and we talked about it later. I decided he hadn't had a fix for a while, so his power had waned.
3. Why it took them so long to go after anyone. I didn't think of this myself when I watched, it was mentioned elsewhere, but I think they explained it in their duonologue (monologue with two people *g*). They were very young children when their father died. They needed to survive first, and the anger and need to act would have grown over time, fed by their aloneness and exposure to the world. Then they had to figure out what happened and come up with a plan.
The part I really don't like:
Sam. Oh, Sammy. I love you, but I'm not liking you much at the moment. The things he said aren't outrageous. He started down this path way back in season 2. Remember in "Playthings," right after he saved Susan, how he said there was no time to coddle her, they had to figure it out. It was a change from his usual compassion and gentle prodding. In "Malleus Maleficarum" and "Fresh Blood" he was more absolute, more ready to do what needed to be done without trying for nicer alternatives. He was trying to be more like Dean. And, of course, in "Jus in Bello" he was willing to sacrifice Nancy.
But now...it's different. He's not tempered by "greater good" anymore. Nancy's death would have saved all her friends, and he was weighing multiple lives over one. It wasn't that he didn't care about Nancy, but that he thought the choice was hers to make, and a sound one. With Adam, though...God, he called him meat. He's becoming Gordon, wanting to kill anything he can label evil. His rage and pain and hatred for Lilith have drowned the Sammy I love.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suff-er-ing.
Not that Luke ever really listened to Yoda, either.
Ten or eight or even six episodes ago I never would have believed they could make me buy Sam going dark side. It was way too foreign to the character they'd established. But they've slowly but surely transitioned him, fully backing the change with tons of motivation and logic, and fueling it with fabulous acting by Jared Padalecki, direction by the directors, and writing by the writers.
This whole thing is the epitome of a love/hate relationship!
My Schedule
Man, am I struggling. It's ridiculous to even sound like I'm complaining, because many, many people have a more insane schedule than I do. I used to have one, myself. And things could be a helluva lot worse. I can focus fully on the day job while I'm there. But once I'm home, I'm trying to give the kids my attention while not letting my freelance work slide. Then we have the evening schedule, school needs, and household crap (most of which is falling way, way, way by the wayside, I admit). I'm getting the writing done, but it always comes last, and even then I'm making tradeoffs that make me feel guilty.
After this many years, after all my counseling to other authors, HOW do I let myself do this? When does intellect and conviction overwhelm programming and my actions prove that I *don't* believe everyone else is more important than I am? I hate taking on the martyr role, but can't seem to help myself. I guess it wells up in response to my natural selfishness.
So. Instead of writing thisbook blog, I should have been proofing the galley of my May release, Indulgence II, editing 40 pages of Fight or Flight, and reading Mandy's story to tell her I don't think she's a sell-out.
I have a feeling I'm just going to go upstairs, make a cup of hot cocoa with kahlúa and a bowl of popcorn, and catch up on some neglected TV. Then I'll try to do all of the above (plus 20 additional pages of FoF) tomorrow between the early soccer game, the late soccer game, the lawn mowing, and the house cleaning.
Wish me luck, and have a good weekend!
Last week, the day before starting my new job, the first two fingers of my left hand ached a little in the middle knuckles (PIP joints), kind of a crampy pain. That night they woke me up throbbing and burning. That mostly subsided, but they were swollen and tender the next day. I assumed I'd damaged them when I crushed them between the laundry basket and the metal gate at the top of the stairs. 'Cause, you know, when you're 38, injuries don't manifest immediately. They sneak up after a day or two.
But then, after the weekend, when they still hurt, and in weird, inconsistent ways, I started to get worried. My friends all laughed at me when I said I was too young for arthritis, and my knees were bothering me, too. At first I'd blown that off because they do that from time to time. I'm fat. I haven't exercised in
So I did a little quickie research on sudden-onset arthritis, and freaked right the hell out. I stopped before I read anything that was actually based on medical education. I can remain in denial as long as it's lay people on message boards.
The pain is mostly in the PIP joint of my middle finger now, though sometimes I have a little cramping-type pain in the DIP and PIP joints of the pointer and ring fingers. I can't decide if that's sympathetic pain, compensatory pain, or evidence of the onset of a condition that will soon render me a screaming invalid. Also, it sometimes feels like stinging, like it's the soft tissue around the joint rather than the joint itself, or like the skin is dry and raw, but there's nothing actually wrong with the skin.
Today, though, things are a little different. I did different work today, so I didn't use the finger as much on the keyboard or in the same way, so the overall ache wasn't as strong. That one PIP joint is swollen still, but it isn't hurting unless I use it, mainly if I pressure it laterally--like bracing a heavy bowl in that hand. I get a sharp pain in the joint and it actually felt like it popped out a little, and I clicked it back in.
So now I'm thinking fracture. Today, it feels an awful lot like the DIP joint of the same finger did when I jammed it playing football.
I guess only time will tell. (Yes, I could go get an x-ray, but 1. I don't have a doctor, 2. I have a high deductible plan and would have to pay for it, and 3. there's not much point because what can be done? I'll just try to find a splint to use so I stop trying to carry heavy bowls with it.)
Oh, Sammy
I really loved "Jump the Shark" last night. My initial reaction to hearing that John had another son was just as negative as anyone else's, but I was sure Kripke and Co. would make me love it just like they've made me love everything else I hate. Of course, being unable to keep away from spoilers meant I know Jake Abel was only cast for one episode so I figured he was going to die. But how it happened TOTALLY surprised me. And shocked me.
Things I loved:
1. The opening scene before the boys. Hell-llo, creepy Supernatural. The whole bed/foot shot was ultra-tense. There were a few other moments like that, too, especially with Dean in the crypt.
2. The opening scene with the boys. Sam brushing his teeth--YES! We need more everyday stuff like that! Next up: Buying rock salt at Wal Mart. Right, Megan? :) Dean waking up, being a ten-year-old boy with his rumbly tummy--and tuna! Ha! And the phone call...
3. Dean. I tried to be more specific, but it was just everything. Dean being so furious and positive that it was a trap (and it was, even though it wasn't a lie). His emotions were so pure--God DAMN it, Jensen needs an Emmy. Then when Adam managed to convince them, he just as furiously was determined to protect him and make sure he didn't get sucked into the life. It shows incredible personal strength and maturity to have so much pain (baseball games!) and personal regret and still recognize that Adam wasn't to blame for it. When Sam started to tell Adam the truth, and Dean exploded with "Sammy!" instead of Sam--there's so much vulnerability there.
4. The glimpse into the past. We were seeing the hunt from John's point of view for pretty much the first time. Working with the bartender, finding the bodies, hunting the thing. And then falling for the local nurse and later finding out he had a son. It DOES make sense, because you can't have 23 years of complete focus. John had to have had detours and layovers and stuff, and parents always have lives their kids don't really see.
I also loved how they brought in the ambivalence of hunting again, without being too heavy handed. There was just one mention of it--that ghouls don't (normally) kill, there was nothing evil about taking those bodies, but John hunted and killed the thing, anyway. Cause and effect, because if the kids hadn't grown up alone, they might not have warped enough to decide to go after fresh meat, and use revenge as a motivator/justifier.
5. The rock/paper/scissors moment was sheer perfection, all the way through.
Things that made me have to work a little to find them okay:
1. Adam's body looked a little too intact. They feed on the bodies, and they talked about how they ate him. But I might have just not looked hard enough, and maybe they're grazers. You know, eat a little bit at a time, frequently.
2. Why Sam didn't use his demon mojo to get free. I thought of it at the time, and we talked about it later. I decided he hadn't had a fix for a while, so his power had waned.
3. Why it took them so long to go after anyone. I didn't think of this myself when I watched, it was mentioned elsewhere, but I think they explained it in their duonologue (monologue with two people *g*). They were very young children when their father died. They needed to survive first, and the anger and need to act would have grown over time, fed by their aloneness and exposure to the world. Then they had to figure out what happened and come up with a plan.
The part I really don't like:
Sam. Oh, Sammy. I love you, but I'm not liking you much at the moment. The things he said aren't outrageous. He started down this path way back in season 2. Remember in "Playthings," right after he saved Susan, how he said there was no time to coddle her, they had to figure it out. It was a change from his usual compassion and gentle prodding. In "Malleus Maleficarum" and "Fresh Blood" he was more absolute, more ready to do what needed to be done without trying for nicer alternatives. He was trying to be more like Dean. And, of course, in "Jus in Bello" he was willing to sacrifice Nancy.
But now...it's different. He's not tempered by "greater good" anymore. Nancy's death would have saved all her friends, and he was weighing multiple lives over one. It wasn't that he didn't care about Nancy, but that he thought the choice was hers to make, and a sound one. With Adam, though...God, he called him meat. He's becoming Gordon, wanting to kill anything he can label evil. His rage and pain and hatred for Lilith have drowned the Sammy I love.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suff-er-ing.
Not that Luke ever really listened to Yoda, either.
Ten or eight or even six episodes ago I never would have believed they could make me buy Sam going dark side. It was way too foreign to the character they'd established. But they've slowly but surely transitioned him, fully backing the change with tons of motivation and logic, and fueling it with fabulous acting by Jared Padalecki, direction by the directors, and writing by the writers.
This whole thing is the epitome of a love/hate relationship!
My Schedule
Man, am I struggling. It's ridiculous to even sound like I'm complaining, because many, many people have a more insane schedule than I do. I used to have one, myself. And things could be a helluva lot worse. I can focus fully on the day job while I'm there. But once I'm home, I'm trying to give the kids my attention while not letting my freelance work slide. Then we have the evening schedule, school needs, and household crap (most of which is falling way, way, way by the wayside, I admit). I'm getting the writing done, but it always comes last, and even then I'm making tradeoffs that make me feel guilty.
After this many years, after all my counseling to other authors, HOW do I let myself do this? When does intellect and conviction overwhelm programming and my actions prove that I *don't* believe everyone else is more important than I am? I hate taking on the martyr role, but can't seem to help myself. I guess it wells up in response to my natural selfishness.
So. Instead of writing this
I have a feeling I'm just going to go upstairs, make a cup of hot cocoa with kahlúa and a bowl of popcorn, and catch up on some neglected TV. Then I'll try to do all of the above (plus 20 additional pages of FoF) tomorrow between the early soccer game, the late soccer game, the lawn mowing, and the house cleaning.
Wish me luck, and have a good weekend!
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