Wow. This year has gone fast. Too bad the hot bits seem to be dragging on and on. Rain dropped our temps here to 86, and that felt cool!
Writing: All I got done was a little editing. I posted the first couple thousand words of Hope on the ACFW crit board and got one really good crit, but no others so far. I can post it here if you want to know who Swims Like The Otter is, and why he had Sadie's cloak.
Clutter: Nothing but good intentions. I have gotten almost all of the laundry done and put away today. I have identified some shirts that are too big that need to be donated, so I expect I'll get some of that done this week.
Health: I got fed up trying to lose the last 2 lbs and went on maintenance this morning. That gets me a few extra points to work with. The plan is to keep doing what I've been doing for the most part. In late August or early September I'll go back to weight loss mode and try to lose a preemptive 5 lbs before the ACFW conference.
Misc: Y'all already know Eric's iMac is at the Apple store for a new video card. He'd been trying to set up a second monitor on it, and it wouldn't play nice. It will be gone a week or so. Darn, we have to go back to the mall in St Louis soon. Next time I'll remember to wear jeans. That mall is always cool, and the Apple store is especially cool. I had shorts on, so while Eric frogged around at the Genius Bar, I went and bought a pair of jeans. The good news is they're a size 8, which I haven't been in for a couple years. So now I have 3 sizes in my wardrobe.
Oh, and we're refinancing our mortgage Monday evening, just in time for a potential government shut-down (whatever) and hiked interest rates. No, we didn't plan for it to be just in the nick of time.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Week 30
Thirty weeks in 2011. Happy Birthday, Stephen!
My little sister, Debbie, would have been 34 tomorrow. She's been gone for almost 25 years, but that doesn't make it any less painful.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Nada. We're heading back to Central TX on Monday, so I'll be able to resume work.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Nada. We're heading back to Central TX on Monday, so I'll be able to resume work.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.
CampNaNoWriMo: For the month, I managed a little over 4000 words on this.
Internet Responsibilities:
- Kept up with FM -- planning to revise the marathon schedule for 2012 due to lack of participation this year. I've decided having a marathon every weekend makes it too easy to not participate. Or, maybe there isn't enough interest.
- Kept up with FM -- planning to revise the marathon schedule for 2012 due to lack of participation this year. I've decided having a marathon every weekend makes it too easy to not participate. Or, maybe there isn't enough interest.
- I'm thinking I might do better if I spent less time on line. Productivity doesn't seem to be doing well.
Pets:
Pets:
- It's so hot outside, we're bringing Millie in during the afternoons to help keep her cool. She seems to like this.
Property:
- Lawn is mowed and watered.
Health:
- I mostly worked around the house and the yard, and we walked a couple of swap meets/flea markets
- Down .5 pounds, but the weight has been yo-yoing this week. Up one day, down the next. I had a new low earlier this week, but it didn't stay there. I think it's a typical transition window. Not too worried about it yet.
- Walk Across Texas appears to be maxed out, so I guess I'm done with that.
- My right knee is getting steadily worse, but I'm not sure what's wrong with is. The sharp pain in the joint makes sense -- I think it's a tattered meniscus. My right calf hurts. Periodically, where the ACL connects to bone is sore. I guess the time will be right to begin talking to the orthopedist. The next question is can it wait until December, or do I need to go in sooner?
July 30 tambometrics
Last week's decent turned into this week's awful.
Writing
Finished 2 chapters, and wrote a new beginning. Haven't really written anything else, because...
Finished 2 chapters, and wrote a new beginning. Haven't really written anything else, because...
Life
Our cat, Malaysia, died on Tuesday morning, hit by a car in front of our house. To say we're devastated would be a gross understatement. She was our baby, our Princess, our sweet ninja girl. I know she's just a cat, and I know these things happen, especially with indoor/outdoor pets, but... it was Malaysia. The skittish one who was happy to just sun herself on the porch or bat at a bug in the flower bed. The one who preferred to be inside. The one who was always Right. Here. Because what we were doing was super-interesting and she HAD to be involved, especially if we could worship her while doing it.
Anyway, it's been really hard, especially on me and Laura.
Puufy, God bless him, has been very attentive and cuddly. He's sitting here now, leaned up against me purring.
On Wed Bill snapped a tooth in two and needed an emergency dentist visit. Also, Laura's trackpad on her laptop broke.
On Thursday, the doctor's office called at 7:30 am to reschedule Laura's ultrasound to 11 instead of 2:45 - and at another location- when we already had a different appointment across town at 10:45 (at the Apple store for Laura's trackpad). And Des Moines is two hours away, if we don't have a train crossing the highway. And the Apple store's phone thingy had been hit by lightning and we couldn't call in to reschedule. So our day in Des Moines which was supposed to be a leisurely trip down, hit the Apple store, do some shopping, get the ultrasound and go back home in time to have company turned into a mad dash to get to the Apple store when they opened at 10 only to get rescheduled to 4pm, then rush across town for the ultrasound at 11, meet up with my mother and sister for a quick lunch (all slowed down by my sister's 5 year old grandson), blow 20 minutes extra time (and you can't really do anything with 20 open minutes) on our way to the hospital for the obgyn appt, then rush BACK to the apple store for the Genius appt, then rush home because we had friends coming over to play games.
And, oh, Bill called in a panic in the midst of this frantic driving because I'd smoked a pork shoulder but had neglected to purchase barbeque sauce. Shit, I can't remember EVERYTHING!
On Friday our dishwasher broke, full of water, of course, so I had to hand-wash about 3 days worth of dishes. Plus the exBF had a pity-party melt down after I told him the baby's a girl and she's perfect (the one good thing this week) THEN our realtor came in the back door right after we'd finished eating but had not cleaned up supper (about 5:50pm), assuming we knew there was a showing at 6 (um, no, we didn't know) and the kitchen was a mess (re: supper) and the bedroom was a mess (re: Bill's crazy sleep schedule) and Laura's room was trashed (because it usually is) and she'd walked up to the co-op and wasn't here to delegate anything to, and the dog wanted to LOVE the realtor (he's 85lbs of slobbery lab), and, well... it wasn't fun. But Bill and I rushed and we got the kitchen tidied, if not totally de-greased, and a quilt thrown over the bed, and Laura's crap thrown into her closet, then we sat in the park with the dog while OUR NEIGHBOR'S SON came to tour the house. And Bill and I were like 'we did all this rushing around for Caylen?!?'
I have no idea what craptastic thing will fall on us today. I do know I'm staying home.
House
It's still standing. I'm actually kind of shocked after the week we've had.
Health
Back down a pound, but I've been stress eating so I don't expect the loss to last.
Everything Else
I think that's enough, but I am having a granddaughter, Sarah Catharine, in mid December!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sun July 24 tambometrics
Been a decent week.
Writing
Wrote a little more on Stain, but mostly I've been trying to nail down some plot concepts so that maybe the book will actually work this time. No word on M's new potential publishers.
Wrote a little more on Stain, but mostly I've been trying to nail down some plot concepts so that maybe the book will actually work this time. No word on M's new potential publishers.
Life
Post office had an employee meeting where they dropped the 'we're definitely closing by Jan 12' bomb. No warning, no preamble, no sadness or assurances, at least from management. In fact, they all were smiling about it and super excited. Employees are pretty much ticked off. No word yet where Bill will get transferred to, or an exact date for our next step in utter life upheaval.
House
Had our first showing on Saturday. I haven't heard how it went, but since the house is gorgeous, I can't imagine it went bad, unless of course the people looking at it are allergic to cats. Then it would have been bad.
Health
Up about 2 lbs, mostly because of the Quilt Expo thingy (see below). Butt sore from all the sitting, but otherwise feeling fine. :)
Everything Else
Went to the Ricky Tims quilt seminar in Bettendorf over the weekend. Was great fun - I especially loved chatting with Libby Lehman - other than all the sitting during the lectures. Hotel banquet chairs are not ideal for hours upon hours of sitting. Butt is still sore. However, I did buy some gorgeous hand-dyed fabric and a book. :)
Such as it is
I'm back. I won't go into the Joplin experience here; that would be redundant since y'all read my blog. I got nothing notable done last week except that I managed to gain 2.5 lbs. I had a feeling that would happen when I had lunch the first day. The church we worked out of feeds 600-800 people a day, so it's a lot of pasta, rice, beans, canned fruit, and bagged salad. They were really trying to feed healthy meals, but cooking for that many, even with donated food, there is only so much they can do. The hotel offered breakfast and dinner, but again, they were cooking for a lot of people. Their dinners were basically kid-friendly bar food. Being out in the heat and sweating all day was not enough to counteract the processed food. I had hoped to come home at my goal weight, but it's not a big deal. I have 5 lbs left to loose. If/when I go back, I'll know to bring fruit and low point snacks with me, and there are enough Subways and other restaurants around that I'll do better next time. And I'll know not to go to Braum's for ice cream with the group at 9 p.m.! After a hot day stripping shingles off the side of a house, that cappuccino chocolate chunk tasted good! The extra couple of pounds are a small price to pay for the good I got out of the trip and the people I got to meet.
If y'all would, please put Joplin Family Worship Center on your prayer lists. They're doing so much for so many that someone from the Red Cross told the pastor the church is hurting the local economy. They're giving away things that people should be out buying. The pastor basically said, "Whatever," and walked away! Whoever that clueless person was obviously had no idea that in the last 7 weeks, nearly 5,000 volunteers from 32 states have come and stayed in hotels, eaten in restaurants, and bought things to donate.
Anyway, that's about it, and I'll try to stop gushing about Joplin after a couple more posts on my blog. This week, it's back to the routine for a while, thank goodness.
If y'all would, please put Joplin Family Worship Center on your prayer lists. They're doing so much for so many that someone from the Red Cross told the pastor the church is hurting the local economy. They're giving away things that people should be out buying. The pastor basically said, "Whatever," and walked away! Whoever that clueless person was obviously had no idea that in the last 7 weeks, nearly 5,000 volunteers from 32 states have come and stayed in hotels, eaten in restaurants, and bought things to donate.
Anyway, that's about it, and I'll try to stop gushing about Joplin after a couple more posts on my blog. This week, it's back to the routine for a while, thank goodness.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Week 29
Twenty-nine weeks of 2011.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Nada, because I was planning to work on CampNaNoWriMo this month. I've added a couple of hundred words to the CampNanoWriMo document.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Nada, because I was planning to work on CampNaNoWriMo this month. I've added a couple of hundred words to the CampNanoWriMo document.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.
CampNaNoWriMo: I managed to get a couple hundred words.
Internet Responsibilities:
- Kept up with FM
- Kept up with FM
- Got a blog post up
- Still playing with G+.
Pets:
Pets:
- Everyone is doing well.
Property:
- I mowed half the front yard this morning.
Health:
- I mostly worked around the house and the yard
- Up .5 pounds, but the weight has been yo-yoing this week. Up one day, down the next.
- I added 15.32 miles to Walk Across Texas.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
My week past
Let's see ...
Writing: Not too much. Have continued to work on my greeting cards and sold some more. My warped humor seems to work for cards. I need to figure out a way to show them to other people besides just physically. (Wendy, I haven't forgotten you wanted to see them; I just don't know to let you see them!) I also started marketing Floozy and Other Stories to libraries and independent bookstores. No responses yet -- other than the post office returning some postcards with the wrong addresses -- but the mailings worked for the Measurements of Murder books so I'm hoping Floozy will be so lucky. By the way, it takes a surprising amount of time to print, stamp, and mail 200 postcards and letters. Just thought you should know.
Fan letters: This has been cool. I've received five nice emails about Floozy. One lady bought it on iTunes. And the really cool thing is I know none of these people. I hope my friends and family like my work -- and I appreciate it when they say so -- but when a total stranger appreciates the writing for what it is, that's awesome.
Health: Continuing to walk (up to 2.25 miles now) and taking my Vitamin D supplements, getting at least 15 minutes of sun a day, drinking one cup of Vitamin D fortified milk a day, taking my iron supplements, monitoring my blood sugar (still trending lower, but not as fast as I would like) and generally doing what the doctor tells me. So far, so good. Energy level sure isn't good, and I could sleep for days given half a chance, but it is getting better. My weight loss has stalled 22 pounds. I still to need to lose another 50. Well, it will happen.
Net: Been updating all my various blogs. Takes quite a while. Particularly when not much has happened on those particular projects. Got to keep working on them.
New project: Redesigning the covers of Murder by the Acre and Murder by Dewey Decimal. If you have any ideas that direction, please let me know. These new covers will be new deluxe editions of both books. I'm fixing a few mistakes, adding after-words and ads for my other books, and even sharing an excerpt from Murder by the Mile. At least, that's my plan. I need MBTA's redesign before the Chisholm Trail Book Festival in September. Oh, how I love deadlines.
Well, that's it. Hope things go well for you and me this week.
Writing: Not too much. Have continued to work on my greeting cards and sold some more. My warped humor seems to work for cards. I need to figure out a way to show them to other people besides just physically. (Wendy, I haven't forgotten you wanted to see them; I just don't know to let you see them!) I also started marketing Floozy and Other Stories to libraries and independent bookstores. No responses yet -- other than the post office returning some postcards with the wrong addresses -- but the mailings worked for the Measurements of Murder books so I'm hoping Floozy will be so lucky. By the way, it takes a surprising amount of time to print, stamp, and mail 200 postcards and letters. Just thought you should know.
Fan letters: This has been cool. I've received five nice emails about Floozy. One lady bought it on iTunes. And the really cool thing is I know none of these people. I hope my friends and family like my work -- and I appreciate it when they say so -- but when a total stranger appreciates the writing for what it is, that's awesome.
Health: Continuing to walk (up to 2.25 miles now) and taking my Vitamin D supplements, getting at least 15 minutes of sun a day, drinking one cup of Vitamin D fortified milk a day, taking my iron supplements, monitoring my blood sugar (still trending lower, but not as fast as I would like) and generally doing what the doctor tells me. So far, so good. Energy level sure isn't good, and I could sleep for days given half a chance, but it is getting better. My weight loss has stalled 22 pounds. I still to need to lose another 50. Well, it will happen.
Net: Been updating all my various blogs. Takes quite a while. Particularly when not much has happened on those particular projects. Got to keep working on them.
New project: Redesigning the covers of Murder by the Acre and Murder by Dewey Decimal. If you have any ideas that direction, please let me know. These new covers will be new deluxe editions of both books. I'm fixing a few mistakes, adding after-words and ads for my other books, and even sharing an excerpt from Murder by the Mile. At least, that's my plan. I need MBTA's redesign before the Chisholm Trail Book Festival in September. Oh, how I love deadlines.
Well, that's it. Hope things go well for you and me this week.
running late today
Howdy! I had to work a shower after church today. Nice group of people who enjoyed being together. I just wish they hadn't been together quite so long today!
Writing: Thanks to y'all, I got a good start on my 15 page paid crit and started the synopsis.
Clutter: Alex finally decided he needs a dresser in his room. His dresser is now my credenza, but we do have a spare chest of drawers in our bedroom, which I cleared out. It stored mostly sweaters and such, so those are in plastic boxes in our closet, and we'll move the chest to his room this week. I hope. I have some stuff I need to take to Good Will, but I haven't gotten a chance to do so, and likely won't have a chance to this week.
Health: Down another half pound, which was a surprise since I went a little overboard Thursday night on our date. I couldn't help it; the place we went to has the BEST bread pudding ever. I think this is my third week taking the Juice +, and I have gotten a little more done. Nothing drastic, but between that and the vitamin D, I think my energy might be up just a smidgen. I'm taking everything I can get at this point.
Misc: I found a book for Vicky about tying Chinese and Celtic knots for jewelry and ornamentation, and I think she'll be able to make some cool stuff. Next week I think we need to get serious about starting her blog so she get can pictures posted. I'd do it this week, but I'm heading to Joplin MO on Wednesday for the rest of the week to do relief work. I don't know exactly what that entails, but I'm sure I'll have stories when I get back. I'll try to post on FB if I do or see anything of particular note.
Other than that, it was a quiet week. I got my hair trimmed and a pedicure, made some progress crocheting a baby blanket, read a book, scooped cat litter, watered the garden and put in trellises for my tomato and sweet potato vine, all kinds of exciting stuff. Yep, that's the stuff that passes for exciting. If real excitement showed up at my door, I don't think I would know what to do!
Writing: Thanks to y'all, I got a good start on my 15 page paid crit and started the synopsis.
Clutter: Alex finally decided he needs a dresser in his room. His dresser is now my credenza, but we do have a spare chest of drawers in our bedroom, which I cleared out. It stored mostly sweaters and such, so those are in plastic boxes in our closet, and we'll move the chest to his room this week. I hope. I have some stuff I need to take to Good Will, but I haven't gotten a chance to do so, and likely won't have a chance to this week.
Health: Down another half pound, which was a surprise since I went a little overboard Thursday night on our date. I couldn't help it; the place we went to has the BEST bread pudding ever. I think this is my third week taking the Juice +, and I have gotten a little more done. Nothing drastic, but between that and the vitamin D, I think my energy might be up just a smidgen. I'm taking everything I can get at this point.
Misc: I found a book for Vicky about tying Chinese and Celtic knots for jewelry and ornamentation, and I think she'll be able to make some cool stuff. Next week I think we need to get serious about starting her blog so she get can pictures posted. I'd do it this week, but I'm heading to Joplin MO on Wednesday for the rest of the week to do relief work. I don't know exactly what that entails, but I'm sure I'll have stories when I get back. I'll try to post on FB if I do or see anything of particular note.
Other than that, it was a quiet week. I got my hair trimmed and a pedicure, made some progress crocheting a baby blanket, read a book, scooped cat litter, watered the garden and put in trellises for my tomato and sweet potato vine, all kinds of exciting stuff. Yep, that's the stuff that passes for exciting. If real excitement showed up at my door, I don't think I would know what to do!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Week 28
Twenty-eight weeks, and what a week!
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Nada, because I was planning to work on CampNaNoWriMo this month, but you can guess what happened to that idea.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Nada, because I was planning to work on CampNaNoWriMo this month, but you can guess what happened to that idea.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.
CampNaNoWriMo: No idea. I managed to get a couple hundred words, then hubby went to the hospital, and I haven't given it another thought this week. Not sure if I'll return to it this month or not.
Internet Responsibilities:
- Kept up with FM
- Kept up with FM
- Got a blog post or two up
- Still playing with G+ and getting used to it. So far, the only thing it doesn't do better than Facebook is birthday greetings. But family and friends are not leaving Facebook, and I'd be surprised if they did. I've been thrilled at the rapid adoption of G+ by writers.
Pets:
Pets:
- Everyone is doing well.
Property:
- I got the yard watered in Central TX before I had to come back to SA.
- I got the yard watered in Central TX before I had to come back to SA.
- I mowed the back yard here this morning.
Health:
- I mostly worked around the house and the yard
- I lost the weight I gained last week and lost an additional .3 pounds.
- I added 17.85 miles to Walk Across Texas.
Sat July 16 tambometrics
Been a decent week.
Writing
M is out to imprints for Simon Schuster and St. Martin's. I'm especially excited about the SS imprint - it seems like a really good fit!
M is out to imprints for Simon Schuster and St. Martin's. I'm especially excited about the SS imprint - it seems like a really good fit!
Have 8446 words on Stain of Corruption, about half new, about half modified from an earlier version. There should be more, but life keeps intruding. That's all right, just means I have to write gobs more this coming week.
Life
General nuttiness, but nothing unexpected. Just summery things do to and running around getting them done. Bill's still liking his new but crazy schedule and I am too!
Liking Google+ but I need to devise better ways to use my time.
Still no word on anything definite with the posty office. I don't like Limbo, but I'm getting used to it.
Saw Harry Potter on opening afternoon and enjoyed it a LOT! Gobs and gobs. Alan Rickman (who plays Snape) better get an oscar nod, he was amazing!!
House
Our Realtor has decided to leave the profession to spend more time with her children and dying father. Totally understandable. I met with our new Realtor yesterday and she's super nice and agrees that our price is perfect, it's the economy that's awful, so we're holding steady on price and waiting til something develops, one way or another.
Health
Up a pound, or a smidge less, but I have had some drive through and haven't been drinking as much fluid as I should. One thing I notice since I cut out sweeteners is that everything else tastes really SALTY. I used to love crunchy salty things and am finding them unpalatable. I'm guessing that's a good thing. ;)
Today is a Bad Allergy Day. Very headachy cloggy. I'm blaming the constant AC and limited fresh air, actually. Being cooped up always seems to make it worse
Everything Else
Getting ready for a quilt class thing in Davenport next weekend with my friend Deb. Should be really fun!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Opinions, please
Does this opening grab you? I'm trying to find the real beginning of Hope. (Huh. The Real Beginning Of Hope sounds like a title, too.)
Swims Like The Otter was waiting. He handed me a bundle and the cloak they had taken from me four months earlier, and led me into the woods.
Monday, July 11, 2011
tambometrics - July 11
Life keeps on keeping on. I think that's a good thing.
Writing
Talked to my agent on Friday and he's positive that the struggle to sell M is due to the crappy print market, and competition with eBooks and Enhanced eBooks. He, too, is struggling to work through the new marketplace and find a way to get good books to readers. The game is always changing and adapting strategies is part of it! He also said that I should keep M as a thriller, as that's my best chance of finding a home for it. All of that said, M is back out to more publishers as of today (Monday) and I'm pretty pumped about both houses.
Talked to my agent on Friday and he's positive that the struggle to sell M is due to the crappy print market, and competition with eBooks and Enhanced eBooks. He, too, is struggling to work through the new marketplace and find a way to get good books to readers. The game is always changing and adapting strategies is part of it! He also said that I should keep M as a thriller, as that's my best chance of finding a home for it. All of that said, M is back out to more publishers as of today (Monday) and I'm pretty pumped about both houses.
I am back to working on Stain of Corruption, and not only have I - maybe - found a way through the quagmire of the tangled narrative, my writing group has decided that we've all been slacking off too much this summer and need to get our butts back to work. So, in an effort to become more productive and accountable, we've decided to set definite goals that must be met by the next meeting (we all got to set our own goal, since we're all at different levels and places) but, if the goal isn't met by the next meeting, we have to put $10 cash into the 'pot'. So it's write, or pay up, baby!
We've decided to use the 'pot' to help fund a writing retreat, probably this fall. It's all actually kind of exciting and does seem to put a bit of fire in our bellies to get the work done instead of finding excuses. Goals range from 25 pages to eight chapters by the last Sunday of the month. (I'm the 8 chapters, btw).
Life
Nothing much has changed, to be perfectly honest. House is tidy, other than having to pick up whatever we leave laying about, do maintenance housework - like washing dishes - and the never ending sweeping of pet hair. We're all pretty bored, so we're reading. Well, Bill and Laura are reading, I'm trying to find productive things to do. No new news from the posty office, but Bill is DEFINITELY liking his new hours. The change in his mood and health has been remarkable!
Got signed into Google+ and there are parts I like, parts I don't, and, at this point, Facebook still seems to be the primary social gathering site. However, Google+ is still in beta, there are limited users, and I'm pretty sure it will explode soon. I MUST limit my online time to maximize marketing, once M (and maybe Stain) sells. I waste way, waaaaay too much time screwing off on the computer.
House
In a holding pattern. It looks pretty much gorgeous almost all of the time. Just wish someone would come look at it - and maybe buy it - but the housing market is really really slow here. Just awful. At least we're not in a time crunch.
Health
Down about 10lbs, give or take a pound or so, so that's good. I've cut out artificial sweeteners (Goodbye Crystal Lite - Waah!!) and am drinking only tea, water, and occasionally juice. I'm reasonably pleased with that, just wish I had more energy.
Tis allergy season, but overall it's not bad. Just some congestion. Totally normal for this time of year.
I am, however totally digging my new face. I'm in awe, but, again, I wish it wasn't so expensive. I do like it, though, like it a LOT.
Everything Else
Keeping on keeping on, and that's okay. :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Deadline
I've got 11 minutes to post before it's Monday. Here's a quick report of my week.
Writing: Still tangling with Murder by the Mile, but it's getting better. Changed something important about my murderer, and now he "fits" into the story better. Still crafty and deranged, but now he belongs while before he didn't. So it's getting there. Not at any great speed, but any progress is grand.
Health: Continue to walk at the gym and battle my blood sugar. Some days it's good; other days it's quite bad. I'm hoping that soon I will have more good days than bad. We'll see. Taking my Vitamin D pills daily and trying to get 15 minutes of sunlight a day. I think my mood and energy are improving. Not as much as I would like, but progress is good. It helps that I have to take care of my swimming pool daily. That gets me out of the house.
Clutter: I've been organizing and putting more things into the garage sale pile. Hope to have other sale in August. It is so hard to get rid of some things even though I've never used them. I definitely have hoarder tendencies. Got to battle them.
New projects: Don't know if I've mentioned that I've been playing with digital scrapbooking and greeting cards. Been quite enjoyable to organize photos with the events they were taken at. Also, I've sold about six birthday cards in the past couple of week. My cards run from $3.50 to $5 depending on what materials are used. Don't know if this could grow into something or not. Right now, I'm just seeing what I can do.
Went to my local writers group Saturday. I enjoy the meetings, but I'm not sure if I'm learning anything there. Nice people, but most of them don't seem to be committed to writing. Maybe they are, but in a different way than me. I don't know.
And now it's almost midnight so I'll close. Hope y'all are doing well.
Writing: Still tangling with Murder by the Mile, but it's getting better. Changed something important about my murderer, and now he "fits" into the story better. Still crafty and deranged, but now he belongs while before he didn't. So it's getting there. Not at any great speed, but any progress is grand.
Health: Continue to walk at the gym and battle my blood sugar. Some days it's good; other days it's quite bad. I'm hoping that soon I will have more good days than bad. We'll see. Taking my Vitamin D pills daily and trying to get 15 minutes of sunlight a day. I think my mood and energy are improving. Not as much as I would like, but progress is good. It helps that I have to take care of my swimming pool daily. That gets me out of the house.
Clutter: I've been organizing and putting more things into the garage sale pile. Hope to have other sale in August. It is so hard to get rid of some things even though I've never used them. I definitely have hoarder tendencies. Got to battle them.
New projects: Don't know if I've mentioned that I've been playing with digital scrapbooking and greeting cards. Been quite enjoyable to organize photos with the events they were taken at. Also, I've sold about six birthday cards in the past couple of week. My cards run from $3.50 to $5 depending on what materials are used. Don't know if this could grow into something or not. Right now, I'm just seeing what I can do.
Went to my local writers group Saturday. I enjoy the meetings, but I'm not sure if I'm learning anything there. Nice people, but most of them don't seem to be committed to writing. Maybe they are, but in a different way than me. I don't know.
And now it's almost midnight so I'll close. Hope y'all are doing well.
back to our regularly scheduled program
Awesome week. It's always great to see The Boys. I'm sure you saw the pictures on Facebook already.
Writing: I actually did get some work done. Not a lot, but enough, given the circumstances. The snowflake is coming along slowly, and there is still a lot to do. There will be more progress in next week's report.
Clutter: I had almost no clean-up to do when the Boys left, so I'd call that a win. We managed to keep dishes done and trash out, and with all the extra activity and people, that's enough. I do need to take a serious look at my kitchen cupboards in the near future and see what I can either donate or pack up for the kids. There might be some things I could do both with--donate them to Alex's frat house. ;-)
Health: I didn't track any food last week, and we ate out several times. Monday I sat around the house visiting and eating: salty, then sweet, salty, sweet. Luckily I recognized what I was doing and got a handle on it right away. After all that, and only exercising once, I only gained half a pound. I'm happy with that, and I'm really glad I took the break. I needed a diet vacation. It helped a lot that we had a ton of berries from our last co-op delivery that needed to be eaten, and I'd ordered extra apples. I think I single-handedly demolished three quarts of strawberries on my own, plus a couple pints of blueberries, and between us we probably ate 8 lbs of apples. Lesson learned: diet vacations don't mean gorging on junk. Maybe that's the difference between a 20-something vacation and a 40-something vacation. 20-year-olds go full tilt, drink, and do stupid things. 40-year-olds see a vacation as a time to relax, break routine, and enjoy, but we still go to bed at a reasonable time. Yet another reason I maintain that 40 is twice as good as 20.
Misc: I had my follow-up vitamin D test two weeks ago, and in the excitement, forgot to log it here. It took a week to get a hold of the nurse in my doctor's office for the results, and it's still low. I'm back on the weekly megadose for another 3 months. Apparently being vigilant about avoiding sunburn hasn't done me as many favors as I thought.
It's good to see you all on Google+. I haven't had the time to play with it much, so it's still a little baffling to me. I'm still not entirely sure I like or trust it. Google sort of scares me as it is. How long will it be before we have no expectation of privacy?
Writing: I actually did get some work done. Not a lot, but enough, given the circumstances. The snowflake is coming along slowly, and there is still a lot to do. There will be more progress in next week's report.
Clutter: I had almost no clean-up to do when the Boys left, so I'd call that a win. We managed to keep dishes done and trash out, and with all the extra activity and people, that's enough. I do need to take a serious look at my kitchen cupboards in the near future and see what I can either donate or pack up for the kids. There might be some things I could do both with--donate them to Alex's frat house. ;-)
Health: I didn't track any food last week, and we ate out several times. Monday I sat around the house visiting and eating: salty, then sweet, salty, sweet. Luckily I recognized what I was doing and got a handle on it right away. After all that, and only exercising once, I only gained half a pound. I'm happy with that, and I'm really glad I took the break. I needed a diet vacation. It helped a lot that we had a ton of berries from our last co-op delivery that needed to be eaten, and I'd ordered extra apples. I think I single-handedly demolished three quarts of strawberries on my own, plus a couple pints of blueberries, and between us we probably ate 8 lbs of apples. Lesson learned: diet vacations don't mean gorging on junk. Maybe that's the difference between a 20-something vacation and a 40-something vacation. 20-year-olds go full tilt, drink, and do stupid things. 40-year-olds see a vacation as a time to relax, break routine, and enjoy, but we still go to bed at a reasonable time. Yet another reason I maintain that 40 is twice as good as 20.
Misc: I had my follow-up vitamin D test two weeks ago, and in the excitement, forgot to log it here. It took a week to get a hold of the nurse in my doctor's office for the results, and it's still low. I'm back on the weekly megadose for another 3 months. Apparently being vigilant about avoiding sunburn hasn't done me as many favors as I thought.
It's good to see you all on Google+. I haven't had the time to play with it much, so it's still a little baffling to me. I'm still not entirely sure I like or trust it. Google sort of scares me as it is. How long will it be before we have no expectation of privacy?
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Week 27
Twenty-seven weeks. You know what that means, right? We're on the downhill side of 2011.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): As expected, I've done nothing this week for the revision. I didn't even bring it to SA with me. I'll resume work next week.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): As expected, I've done nothing this week for the revision. I didn't even bring it to SA with me. I'll resume work next week.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.
CampNaNoWriMo: 3808 words. This week hasn't been really good for getting the words. It's me. Really.
Internet Responsibilities:
- Done the stuff for FM
- Done the stuff for FM
- Blogged a couple times
- As you know, we all got Google+ invites this week and have been learning to use the site.
Pets:
- Dazzle. I posted that we lost her this week. 100% expected, but I also kept expecting her to wander over while we were digging her grave and nose in to see what we were doing. She never did. We were so blessed to have her with us for so long. Alan knew he had to go get her when he woke up that morning so many years ago. She was meant to be for us.
Pets:
- Dazzle. I posted that we lost her this week. 100% expected, but I also kept expecting her to wander over while we were digging her grave and nose in to see what we were doing. She never did. We were so blessed to have her with us for so long. Alan knew he had to go get her when he woke up that morning so many years ago. She was meant to be for us.
- We've been bringing Millie in to acclimate the kittens to her -- we figure SA is the best place to do that, and they, of course, are very curious. Millie is terribly afraid of Tarzan, because Roxy jumped Millie big time for no reason (other than the kittens were nearby -- Roxy was one very protective mama), and Tarzan, of course, has similar coloring and markings to Roxy.
Property:
-I've done yard work in SA this week. The yard is mowed and trimmed. I've also trimmed bushes to keep them from getting out of hand.
- We have a lot of decrepit old fence boards, and I've been making sure the nails are removed from them and breaking them into pieces small enough to add to trash bags. This will be an on-going project when I'm down here. Hubby has replaced the fence around the back yard. He still has the panels between the back yard and the driveway to replace. All the old wood is in too bad of shape to use for anything, so it must be disposed of. Unfortunately, we can't burn it in the fireplace. I may ask if he's considered taking it to the ranch to use in erosion control.
- Hubby is trenching the side of the driveway between the driveway and the back yard in preparation for laying the block that will form that side of the driveway. When he finishes, we'll have the boundaries for laying brick. Before he can lay brick, he'll be breaking up the asphalt and putting it and about a foot of dirt into buckets. The whole driveway is being lowered about a foot in preparation for laying brick and getting the slope right for drainage. It's two car wide driveway, so that's a whole bunch of work. He does that (and things like it) instead of going to the gym, and it's a heck of a work out.
- Hubby is trenching the side of the driveway between the driveway and the back yard in preparation for laying the block that will form that side of the driveway. When he finishes, we'll have the boundaries for laying brick. Before he can lay brick, he'll be breaking up the asphalt and putting it and about a foot of dirt into buckets. The whole driveway is being lowered about a foot in preparation for laying brick and getting the slope right for drainage. It's two car wide driveway, so that's a whole bunch of work. He does that (and things like it) instead of going to the gym, and it's a heck of a work out.
Health:
- I mostly worked around the house and the yard
- I gained 2.7 pounds this week. I suspected this might be a "bad" week for weight loss, but I feel generally good about it. We had more social engagements this week than we typically have in a year. Despite that, I don't feel I went that far off plan. July 4th was an event some friends invite us to every year where the food is plentiful and good, as is the company. I drank water (I like water -- that was no sacrifice), enjoyed a few slices of brisket, sampled ALL the salads, thoroughly enjoyed the baked beans (which are like candy), and sampled all the desserts that weren't cakes (that was probably the downfall, but I don't regret it). I attempted to track it for points, but I'm certain I fell short. The rest of the week fell pretty well into line, even though we didn't eat at home once.
- After five weeks remaining the same, my waist did lose half an inch, so I'm pleased about that. Total inch reductions since beginning: Arms: 1.5"; Thighs: 3.5"; Bust 2.5" (measured at the rib cage, so not a true bust measurement); Waist: 4.5"; and Hips: 3.5". I didn't get the measurements for two or three weeks since I started the program, so total loss from the beginning is slightly more, but the measurements help on weeks when the body is adjusting in other ways.
- After five weeks remaining the same, my waist did lose half an inch, so I'm pleased about that. Total inch reductions since beginning: Arms: 1.5"; Thighs: 3.5"; Bust 2.5" (measured at the rib cage, so not a true bust measurement); Waist: 4.5"; and Hips: 3.5". I didn't get the measurements for two or three weeks since I started the program, so total loss from the beginning is slightly more, but the measurements help on weeks when the body is adjusting in other ways.
- I added 18.01 miles to Walk Across Texas.
Monday, July 4, 2011
I'm No Triathlete, But...
My hips have been increasingly less flexible -- to the point where it feels like I'm straining something when I want to put my socks and shoes on. This is a different problem than having excess weight blocking me from being able to reach shoes (which thankfully was only in danger of happening and isn't a problem now). It's clearly a flexibility issue. This morning, I did a quick search on hip and core strength and flexibility. This is one of the articles which popped up on the results. I have a stability ball, but I haven't inflated it since I retired three years ago. It might be worthwhile to do so.
http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Stability-Ball_Exercises_to_Build_Strength_and_Flexibility.htm
http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Stability-Ball_Exercises_to_Build_Strength_and_Flexibility.htm
Neighbor Update
Crazy neighbor update: As I was loading the truck to head to San Antonio yesterday, I saw the nursing home administrator drive by. A few minutes later, he pulled into the driveway shaking his head. I smiled and laughed, thinking, "It doesn't take long for him to get to you, does it." Then he told me the neighbor was now at home. He'd tried to walk across the street to the convenience store that morning, and he'd just spent two hours trying to talk him out of checking himself out. Since he'd checked himself in; he could check himself out. The administrator had arranged for the local home health company to come by. And he said he wanted to get him some psychiatric evaluation. I told him, by police standards, he's mentally sound. The admin said, "He's not." I said all the neighbors could have told you that. I told him I was heading for SA for the week, and he said, "Get out of town. Fast!" I laughed and thanked him for the update.
Before leaving, I decided to bring the neighbor the paper from that morning -- it was the Sunday NY Times, so it would have plenty of good reading, and I figured he'd want it. There was also one piece of mail from Saturday that I didn't want to be stuck with, so I braved the walk over and knocked on his door. He said it was open.
The man has no furniture in his home. He has an inflatable mattress on the floor in the living room, which I cannot figure out how he got into and out of before the operation with a bad hip, because with my knees (and creeping hip problems), I will do almost anything to not have to get down on the floor -- it just hurts too much getting up and down. He has three or four wooden bar stools -- one holds a lamp, one looks like it's for sitting on, and the other looks like it's holding an inexpensive TV or portable TV player/display (smaller than a laptop in size). I think there's another stool in the garage he uses when he's doing some gardening in the driveway. The neighbor admitted he'd made a mistake not to arrange for a bed before going in for surgery. I hope he'll be able to get a hospital bed from the home health people. He couldn't get up from the mattress, but all he wanted me to do was find his cane, which I found on a pile of stuff in his dining room area (about 8 feet away). (I'm confident he could afford furniture if he wanted it, so he chooses to live in extreme frugality. I don't understand it, but as far as I can tell, from a legal perspective, he's mentally sound. From a social perspective, he's a mess. And he's made some choices that are not in his own best interest.)
While we were talking, I encouraged him to still get his physical therapy, and he said he was thinking about putting it off -- he had an ankle that was bothering him. He was also saying he didn't think he'd recommend the hip replacement for other people. I encouraged him to give it a month -- and to do his therapy or he wouldn't be as happy with his results. I also encouraged him not to delay his therapy, because it would reduce the effectiveness of the surgery.
I thought he might be listening (at least he was responding as if he was considering following my suggestions), then the nursing home admin returned with a medication he'd found that our neighbor would need. They got a little confrontational -- as is the admin got directive (or as we used to say in the 80s in the AF, he got S1 all over him), and I could see my neighbor closing off and becoming petulant and resistive.
Wendy, he talked to his doctor about living alone, but the nursing staff conducted the pre-surgery class. My neighbor is NOT a good listener. I don't believe he talked to the nursing staff about living alone. He appeared to fixate on the catheterization process in preparation for the surgery and the immediate time afterward, seeming to think he would be tied to his bed by it. He didn't seem to understand that they wouldn't want him cathed any longer than he would want to be, but it was medically necessary. He tends to fixate on things long after it's productive to do so, and I think he missed a lot of other important things that were covered in the class. I'd give hospital the benefit of the doubt and go with my neighbor didn't pursue or even catch some of the important things being said.
Before leaving, I decided to bring the neighbor the paper from that morning -- it was the Sunday NY Times, so it would have plenty of good reading, and I figured he'd want it. There was also one piece of mail from Saturday that I didn't want to be stuck with, so I braved the walk over and knocked on his door. He said it was open.
The man has no furniture in his home. He has an inflatable mattress on the floor in the living room, which I cannot figure out how he got into and out of before the operation with a bad hip, because with my knees (and creeping hip problems), I will do almost anything to not have to get down on the floor -- it just hurts too much getting up and down. He has three or four wooden bar stools -- one holds a lamp, one looks like it's for sitting on, and the other looks like it's holding an inexpensive TV or portable TV player/display (smaller than a laptop in size). I think there's another stool in the garage he uses when he's doing some gardening in the driveway. The neighbor admitted he'd made a mistake not to arrange for a bed before going in for surgery. I hope he'll be able to get a hospital bed from the home health people. He couldn't get up from the mattress, but all he wanted me to do was find his cane, which I found on a pile of stuff in his dining room area (about 8 feet away). (I'm confident he could afford furniture if he wanted it, so he chooses to live in extreme frugality. I don't understand it, but as far as I can tell, from a legal perspective, he's mentally sound. From a social perspective, he's a mess. And he's made some choices that are not in his own best interest.)
While we were talking, I encouraged him to still get his physical therapy, and he said he was thinking about putting it off -- he had an ankle that was bothering him. He was also saying he didn't think he'd recommend the hip replacement for other people. I encouraged him to give it a month -- and to do his therapy or he wouldn't be as happy with his results. I also encouraged him not to delay his therapy, because it would reduce the effectiveness of the surgery.
I thought he might be listening (at least he was responding as if he was considering following my suggestions), then the nursing home admin returned with a medication he'd found that our neighbor would need. They got a little confrontational -- as is the admin got directive (or as we used to say in the 80s in the AF, he got S1 all over him), and I could see my neighbor closing off and becoming petulant and resistive.
Wendy, he talked to his doctor about living alone, but the nursing staff conducted the pre-surgery class. My neighbor is NOT a good listener. I don't believe he talked to the nursing staff about living alone. He appeared to fixate on the catheterization process in preparation for the surgery and the immediate time afterward, seeming to think he would be tied to his bed by it. He didn't seem to understand that they wouldn't want him cathed any longer than he would want to be, but it was medically necessary. He tends to fixate on things long after it's productive to do so, and I think he missed a lot of other important things that were covered in the class. I'd give hospital the benefit of the doubt and go with my neighbor didn't pursue or even catch some of the important things being said.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Week 26
Twenty-six weeks. 2011. Here's what's been going on:
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): I finished the Scene For Revision Cards and Characters per scene information for Lesson 12. I think there are some notations to make in the manuscript yet, so I'll have to figure that out. Once I get those done, I'll be ready to move on to Lesson 13. It probably won't get done this week, because we're heading to San Antonio to do some yard work, and, for some reason, everyone we know wants to get together with us, so we'll have an incredibly unusual social week this trip.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): I finished the Scene For Revision Cards and Characters per scene information for Lesson 12. I think there are some notations to make in the manuscript yet, so I'll have to figure that out. Once I get those done, I'll be ready to move on to Lesson 13. It probably won't get done this week, because we're heading to San Antonio to do some yard work, and, for some reason, everyone we know wants to get together with us, so we'll have an incredibly unusual social week this trip.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.
CampNaNoWriMo: I went to the site to see what it was all about. I used my NaNoWriMo login to see what else was there, and BAM! I was a camper for the July session. Oops. Of course, I could have ignored it and been a non-completer for the session, but I really couldn't. Letters to My Grandchildren has been laid out in chapter form for well over a year now. That's like an outline, right? Why not see how much I can get written on it. It won't hurt. So, I'm writing this month. (Tammy, maybe you could do something like this if you're still looking for something to write about.)
Internet Responsibilities:
- Done the stuff for FM
- Done the stuff for FM
- Blogged a couple times
- Have my Merry-Go-Round Blog tour for July is a go. Just waiting for the 19th to roll around.
Pets:
- They're all still here. Doing great.
Pets:
- They're all still here. Doing great.
Property:
- Hubby has moved most of his car parts to the shop and has been unpacking and sorting them. He's thrilled at finding the things he forgot he had and fretting about the things he knows he has but hasn't found yet.
- I'll mow the lawn today so it will look good while we're gone.
- Our 80+ year old neighbor (the one who stands on his patio and screams obscenities at our common neighbor) came out and flagged me over last Sunday while I was mowing the lawn. He said he'd decided to get his hip replaced and asked me to pick up his paper and dispose of it -- read it, throw it away, he didn't care, but he didn't want old news. I said sure. I'll keep an eye on your mail too, and if it builds up, I'll bring it in until you get home. He seemed to think he'd only be gone for three nights and expressed surprise that I didn't think they would let him drive home on Thursday or Friday when they released him from the hospital (he drove himself there -- he lives alone and has no family, or, apparently, friends). When hubby came home from the shop, I expressed my concern. He went next door to talk to the neighbor and leave his cell phone number with the neighbor. When hubby came back, he was shaking his head and saying, "He doesn't have a clue." The man drove himself to the hospital on Monday and was gone all week. Friday evening I answered the phone, and the person on the other end asked for hubby. It was the administrator/director of the local nursing home confirming that we'd offered to pick up our neighbor's car and bring it home for him. We confirmed that but said we didn't have keys. He called back about an hour later and said he'd be bringing the keys by. Nice man. His brother had consolidated the two pieces of property on our ranch into one piece ten years ago when we bought it. Hubby was pleased (a nearly impossible thing to do -- please hubby). So, this morning, hubby dropped me off at the hospital in Temple and headed to San Antonio. I drove our neighbor's car back here and put it in his garage, locked everything up, and returned the keys to the nursing home. The director said our neighbor was doing well and probably would only be there about two weeks.
Health:
- I mostly worked around the house, the shop, and the yard
- I lost 3 pounds this week for a total WW loss of 39 pounds! One more to go for eight (!) bags of flour.
- Wendy, 2/10th of a pound is equal to 3/4 cup of flour! So, keep up the great work!
- I added 19.28 miles to Walk Across Texas.
Pre-Sunday
Taking a few minutes to post before the mayhem breaks loose. No, not the kitten. The Boys. I'm leaving for the airport in the next half hour to pick up Scott, and no one but Eric and I know he's coming.
Health: Weight is down a whole 2/10th of a pound (how much flour is that, Jean?), so still basically flat. Of course it will probably be up this time next week! Not the way to break a plateau, but I'm still taking the week off.
My Mom got me started on a new (to me) product called Juice Plus. It's fruits and vegies, dehydrated and encapsulated, and it's supposed to help make you healthy from the inside out. I'll report back on results when I've been on it for a while.
Clutter: Got some stuff done. Mom helped. We did document the family stuff I've inherited already from her side. Funny story--we have a hand painted statue of Dick Turpin that my great-great grandmother brought with her when she emigrated from England. I've never really liked it. The paint is, well, maybe I'll take a picture and let you see for yourself. Anyway, when I asked Mom to help me document stuff, she asked if I had the paperwork on Dick Turpin, and I said yes, so we didn't have to do that. She said, "Oh, good. That's such an ugly statue. I don't know why she liked it so much."
Writing: Nothing. It's starting to get to me. I might have to barricade myself in the office for a while this week but I don't know if there will be time.
Misc: I thought I had nothing here, but I do. Vicky is starting a cottage business. We're calling it Butterfly Creations, and she's making jewelry. She has some on Facebook so I'll repost her post if you want to have a look. Off to eat breakfast and get ready for all hell to break loose.
Health: Weight is down a whole 2/10th of a pound (how much flour is that, Jean?), so still basically flat. Of course it will probably be up this time next week! Not the way to break a plateau, but I'm still taking the week off.
My Mom got me started on a new (to me) product called Juice Plus. It's fruits and vegies, dehydrated and encapsulated, and it's supposed to help make you healthy from the inside out. I'll report back on results when I've been on it for a while.
Clutter: Got some stuff done. Mom helped. We did document the family stuff I've inherited already from her side. Funny story--we have a hand painted statue of Dick Turpin that my great-great grandmother brought with her when she emigrated from England. I've never really liked it. The paint is, well, maybe I'll take a picture and let you see for yourself. Anyway, when I asked Mom to help me document stuff, she asked if I had the paperwork on Dick Turpin, and I said yes, so we didn't have to do that. She said, "Oh, good. That's such an ugly statue. I don't know why she liked it so much."
Writing: Nothing. It's starting to get to me. I might have to barricade myself in the office for a while this week but I don't know if there will be time.
Misc: I thought I had nothing here, but I do. Vicky is starting a cottage business. We're calling it Butterfly Creations, and she's making jewelry. She has some on Facebook so I'll repost her post if you want to have a look. Off to eat breakfast and get ready for all hell to break loose.
Friday, July 1, 2011
tambometrics
I'm either 6 days late, or a week early.
I'm gonna go with early, because last week mostly sucked, and what didn't suck, I slept through. ;)
Life
House
Totally done, it's just a regular schedule of sweep and swiffer and wipe things down now. In some ways I like having an empty house, but utter crushing boredom is setting in. Nothing to do but futz around online, watch tv, or nap. Can't sew/bake - it makes a mess. Can't write - I have nothing in my head TO write. Very, very boring. Tired of TV and internet, so I nap a lot.
Health
Holding steady at down 8-9lbs. So that's good. I REALLY need to get off my depressed butt and exercise, tho. Something. Because tambo iz FLABBY and squooshy doesn't like it at all.
I'm gonna go with early, because last week mostly sucked, and what didn't suck, I slept through. ;)
Writing
Another declination - that makes 6! - and and I talked to my husband about volunteering to rewrite M's final third or so and totally rework the ending (mostly to make it not a thriller) and he thinks I should just let my agent worry about such things. So that's what I'm doing. However, I'm going a bit stir crazy (see below) and I really need to work. On something. But nothing seems to be clicking with my depressed writer brain.
Another declination - that makes 6! - and and I talked to my husband about volunteering to rewrite M's final third or so and totally rework the ending (mostly to make it not a thriller) and he thinks I should just let my agent worry about such things. So that's what I'm doing. However, I'm going a bit stir crazy (see below) and I really need to work. On something. But nothing seems to be clicking with my depressed writer brain.
Life
Still no official word on the closing of our posty office, but it'll likely land sometime in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, Bill has applied to transfer to Rochester MN, Eau Claire WI, and Springfield MO. We're really hoping to stay in the midwest, but it's not looking very likely at this point. More and more postal sorting centers are on the list for closure. Super scary stuff for us postal employees.
To help complicate things, there's been a shuffling of jobs at Bill's sorting center and with one maintenance position now empty, he's working days. Only he's not. Because he and another guy have to cover the empty position. So he's working 4:30 am - 3 pm most days, plus 11 pm - 7 am one day, with a scheduled workload of 58 hours over 6 days or some gawd-awful thing. Plus he'll likely have two more hours of OT stuck in there, somewhere, to put him at the max hours allowed by contract. The new schedule starts tonight (Fri night). Whee! Postal fun never stops!
Laura's feeling much better and starts her new classes on Tuesday! Woot! She's been driving with me and doing really well.
Still very blue, but I've begun having a weirdly humorous look at things. Kind of an 'eh, screw it, it's out of our hands, anyway' as we come up with more and more preposterous - and impossible - outcomes. Hey, it's better than bawling. ;)
House
Totally done, it's just a regular schedule of sweep and swiffer and wipe things down now. In some ways I like having an empty house, but utter crushing boredom is setting in. Nothing to do but futz around online, watch tv, or nap. Can't sew/bake - it makes a mess. Can't write - I have nothing in my head TO write. Very, very boring. Tired of TV and internet, so I nap a lot.
Health
Holding steady at down 8-9lbs. So that's good. I REALLY need to get off my depressed butt and exercise, tho. Something. Because tambo iz FLABBY and squooshy doesn't like it at all.
Head cold turned into a sinus infection but Keflex is kicking its butt. Yay!! Still a bit allergy cloggy, but it's gobs better than hacking up chunks of green crap all the time.
Have new, super expensive Rosacea medicine which is freaking AMAZING. I do not like the price at all, but the results astound me. Bumps are gone. Flakiness - gone. Stinging - gone. Redness is now a pale pinkish, overall. Skin is soft and smooth and just wow. Wow. But, then again, for $104, it better be. lol
Everything Else
Mostly things are all right. Mostly. In a holding pattern and trying to find my way back to the new normal, whatever that is.