Before hubby left to do some work at the shop this morning, he asked if I needed him to move his stuff off the kitchen table. I gave him a wish-washy answer, and he asked for something with more clarity. I finally said, "Well, if there was a little room on the table, I could work on the book." And he promptly cleared space on the table for me to work. That's the most supportive he's been of my writing in years (at least, that I could tell).
I got about five new pages written this morning to replace two old pages.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tam's Week Eight
Yep, I'm late. But I was out of town at quilt retreat. Just got home last night. ;)
The Good Stuff:
- Quilt retreat
- Coming home from quilt retreat
- Prepping for quilt retreat
- Journaled most days - I've missed twice, total. No big insights yet, mostly I just gripe or blather about my day.
- Wrote up two concepts.
- Took my nighttime pill every night and slept well.
- Read some of my old work, and liked most of it. I don't think any is useable, though.
Not So Good:
- Came home from quilt retreat with some sort of con-crud, but it's likely a virus I picked up a week or so ago. Sore ears, sore throat. Whee.
- Ate too much crap, put on three pounds. Damn you Caramel Puff Corn!!
- Need three more concepts. Somehow. By Wednesday.
- Didn't log food at all.
Not So Sure:
- Did not finish as much at retreat as I'd wanted so I have a lot of sewing yet to do, soon, so it can go off and be quilted before the rush for graduations and weddings. If my top isn't done by the first of April, it likely won't get quilted until August, at the earliest, and the quilt show is in September and everyone else will want their stuff quilted too. It's a big time crunch.
- While my two concepts have potential with some work and honing, neither floats my boat, so to speak, but nothing really does so what do I know?
- I've stopped chewing my fingernails (maybe it's the pills??) and I'm not used to having fingernails. They get in the way when I'm typing and cooking, plus I keep scratching myself. :/
Plan for Next Week:
- Write
- Sew
- Log my food
- Contain the dog hair. Labs shed a LOT.
Have a good week, everyone. {{huggs}}
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Wendy's Wild Week
Hello from cloudy, cool, rainy Destin FL! I got here just in time for their one week of winter, but it's still warm enough to walk on the beach so I have no room to complain.
I'm skipping the good stuff/not so good stuff this week because, frankly, the only thing I remember before Thursday is going to work and getting that bag of trash out of my office.
We've been hard at it from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (if I'm lucky, sometimes 10) for three days so far, and I have two more to go before I fly home Wednesday. I have, however, learned some interesting things. Honor is not just Historical Fiction. It's Historical Romance. I had no idea it was a romance before yesterday. In fact, I had one of the teachers sit down with me this afternoon, and in under half an hour she helped me nail down the second half of the romantic plotline. I have also learned the value of taking a break and getting out of Story completely for a while. I wrote on Facebook last night about watching a movie, and during our analysis, getting smacked in the head with more of my plot. I was so wired last night I didn't get to sleep until almost 1!
To say that it's been extremely productive and worth every penny I paid is an understatement. I knew it would be; it's taught by Susan May Warren. I just didn't know how productive it would be. I fully expect to be completely fried next weekend so I may not have a lot to say, but I can do more notes about the retreat if y'all want it. Just let me know. Have a good week, y'all!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Sunny Late February
Yes, the weather is lovely this week.
The Good Stuff:
- The weather is great, so I did manage to get some outdoor work done. The flower beds by the house that have allowed a lot of vines go grow have finally been raked out and many vines pulled. I plan to toss out some grass seed, rake it over with loose dirt, and sprinkle with water tomorrow afternoon (because rain is forecast for next week).
- I finished mowing the weeds
- I did get some Wii and recumbent bike work done this week
- I'm still working steadily on Polar Bear on the Loose. I'm in a section where I'm doing almost a complete re-write I and the scene card for this one is orange, indicating it shouldn't have been quite that bad, but much has changed, and while I'm using many of the ideas from the first draft, they have to be expressed with completely different words. This results in hand-writing a lot of words, but I'm comfortable with and enjoying the process.
- I changed the DirecTV account to the Central Texas address this week. Then I ordered an HD box, not realizing that required a new antenna. I scheduled the installation for this morning. Hubby is in Dallas this weekend, and is not happy with what they did (even though they listened to his wishes and complied with most of them. They indicated the existing antenna location would block satellite access, so they needed to put the antenna in a different place. Hubby didn't want it in a different place, and he didn't want them to use concrete to secure the post. As far as I can tell, the location of the new antenna doesn't interfere with anything he had planned (but he disagrees with me, so there's obviously something else I don't know about--mostly, I think it's his perfectionism shining through). On the bright side, they arranged to get me a second HD receiver for the upstairs TV at no extra cost. That leaves us with one standard receiver still in San Antonio, which will remain our travel receiver. Hubby plans to use it at the shop when we get up here full-time, and of course, in the motor home when we get that in from the ranch and functional again. We only have one true HD TV (with HDMI connector). The upstairs TV doesn't have an HDMI input, so it doesn't get the full benefits of HD (but it looks better than the standard reception).
- Scrivener and Constitution 101 classes are going well -- the Scrivener class is awesome! Well worth the $25 fee. As several participants have said, it would be worth more than that to them.
- Caught up on scheduled reading and managed to get some reading for pleasure in.
The Not So Good:
- I managed to lose almost half a pound this week, but I'm not pleased with my overall application of effort this week
- While my left thumb feels different, it still hurts. Oh, well. That's joints for ya. At least, that's my joints.
- I'm tired in late afternoons. Which means something isn't feeling right. I'm not sure if something is haywire with my CPAP. I know I'm fighting my mask a lot at night. I'll probably have to make a trip to Belton to talk to someone in the Lincare office about what's going on. That is the world's worst office to have to deal with (they're the ones that took a year to get me properly set up for regular supply replacements). It's either that or I'm gonna die. Not sure which. I guess I'll plan the trip in conjunction with my next trip to Ft. Hood for prescription refills.
For the Next Week:
- I plan to re-read The Mouth Trap and, of course, see about getting more zero point foods
- Continue exercise
- Continue work on PBOTL and HTRYN
- Heading to SA at the end of the week for a few days.
- Keep up with scheduled reading, and try to sneak in a little pleasure reading
The Good Stuff:
- The weather is great, so I did manage to get some outdoor work done. The flower beds by the house that have allowed a lot of vines go grow have finally been raked out and many vines pulled. I plan to toss out some grass seed, rake it over with loose dirt, and sprinkle with water tomorrow afternoon (because rain is forecast for next week).
- I finished mowing the weeds
- I did get some Wii and recumbent bike work done this week
- I'm still working steadily on Polar Bear on the Loose. I'm in a section where I'm doing almost a complete re-write I and the scene card for this one is orange, indicating it shouldn't have been quite that bad, but much has changed, and while I'm using many of the ideas from the first draft, they have to be expressed with completely different words. This results in hand-writing a lot of words, but I'm comfortable with and enjoying the process.
- I changed the DirecTV account to the Central Texas address this week. Then I ordered an HD box, not realizing that required a new antenna. I scheduled the installation for this morning. Hubby is in Dallas this weekend, and is not happy with what they did (even though they listened to his wishes and complied with most of them. They indicated the existing antenna location would block satellite access, so they needed to put the antenna in a different place. Hubby didn't want it in a different place, and he didn't want them to use concrete to secure the post. As far as I can tell, the location of the new antenna doesn't interfere with anything he had planned (but he disagrees with me, so there's obviously something else I don't know about--mostly, I think it's his perfectionism shining through). On the bright side, they arranged to get me a second HD receiver for the upstairs TV at no extra cost. That leaves us with one standard receiver still in San Antonio, which will remain our travel receiver. Hubby plans to use it at the shop when we get up here full-time, and of course, in the motor home when we get that in from the ranch and functional again. We only have one true HD TV (with HDMI connector). The upstairs TV doesn't have an HDMI input, so it doesn't get the full benefits of HD (but it looks better than the standard reception).
- Scrivener and Constitution 101 classes are going well -- the Scrivener class is awesome! Well worth the $25 fee. As several participants have said, it would be worth more than that to them.
- Caught up on scheduled reading and managed to get some reading for pleasure in.
The Not So Good:
- I managed to lose almost half a pound this week, but I'm not pleased with my overall application of effort this week
- While my left thumb feels different, it still hurts. Oh, well. That's joints for ya. At least, that's my joints.
- I'm tired in late afternoons. Which means something isn't feeling right. I'm not sure if something is haywire with my CPAP. I know I'm fighting my mask a lot at night. I'll probably have to make a trip to Belton to talk to someone in the Lincare office about what's going on. That is the world's worst office to have to deal with (they're the ones that took a year to get me properly set up for regular supply replacements). It's either that or I'm gonna die. Not sure which. I guess I'll plan the trip in conjunction with my next trip to Ft. Hood for prescription refills.
For the Next Week:
- I plan to re-read The Mouth Trap and, of course, see about getting more zero point foods
- Continue exercise
- Continue work on PBOTL and HTRYN
- Heading to SA at the end of the week for a few days.
- Keep up with scheduled reading, and try to sneak in a little pleasure reading
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
645
645 new words on Murder by the Mile today. Not a huge amount, not the best I've ever written, but dang it, they are new words after weeks of no words.
I'm pleased.
I'm pleased.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Nothing much to tell
Last week was a holding pattern for me. My IBD flared Monday, and basically I dealt with that all week. I was either sleeping or sick. Went to the doctor Wednesday for a steroid shot and prescription. Feel somewhat better. Face and fingers are swollen, of course, and the steroids play havoc with my blood sugar levels, but nothing new. Been here and done this many times before.
This week, I plan to:
1. Increase writing time. Up from none.
2. Catch up on the household chores.
3. Feel better.
And that's it.
Saturday, the writing group will meet again. The contributors to the anthology are supposed to bring their corrections to the meeting, and we'll go over them. I'm hoping no one undertook a major rewrite. If so, I'm not going to do it. I've explained that to them, but we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, I'm out of here.
This week, I plan to:
1. Increase writing time. Up from none.
2. Catch up on the household chores.
3. Feel better.
And that's it.
Saturday, the writing group will meet again. The contributors to the anthology are supposed to bring their corrections to the meeting, and we'll go over them. I'm hoping no one undertook a major rewrite. If so, I'm not going to do it. I've explained that to them, but we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, I'm out of here.
Tam's Week Seven
Much better than last week. Not that most *anything* wouldn't have been better than last week. ;) It actually was pretty decent overall, sorta like the Campbell's Soup commercial says, it's amazing what a little sleep can do. ;)
The Good Stuff:
- Went to the Doctor
- Lost about another pound and a half (not for lack of not-trying, tho)
- Finished a quilt top for granddaughter's bedroom wall. It's OMG cute!
- Began journaling
- Bought a nice journal to journal in. And decent pens to journal with.
- Took a quilt class. For like FIVE HOURS of uninterrupted sewing!
- Survived making treats for the quilt guild, and serving said treats.
- Slept. A LOT.
- Hung out with my granddaughter who is incredibly smart and chatty. She's very, very good with vowel sounds. lol aaaah-oouooh-uuuaah-aaouh!! See?
- Still using Loseit, but sometimes I forget to log my food. It is helping, I think.
Not So Good:
- Dr. REALLY wanted to put me on anti-depressants and I essentially refused. I do NOT want to go back there again. Ever. They surely work great for some people, but they just make me all kinds of worse. So, um, no thanks. Sleeping pills are okay, though. Zzzzz.
- Also have a sinus/ear/throat infection and am on horse-pill antibiotics. It's breaking up now, but everything tastes nasty. Except onion rings which are awesome.
- Didn't exercise. Not once. Unless you count taking care of a 2-1/2 mo. old. Or shopping.
- Back hurts, shoulder hurts, almost certainly because I'm sitting too much and moving too little (re: holding/feeding/playing with infant and journaling. Woe. Woe is me. ;))
- Belly's getting really flabby. Need to journal about that.
- Ate junk food a couple of times. Onion rings pretty much rock, btw, other than the calories.
- I have two story concepts. Both suck. Back to the drawing board.
- Still not writing. Unless you count journaling. I don't think my agent or fans count journaling.
- Bill's current job will finish on March 10th. No idea what comes next. None. It's a big vat of 'we don't know'. I hate 'we don't know' but the Postal Service seems to be really talented at dishing it up like mushy ice cream at a summer picnic. Can we at last have some chocolate sauce on it? Please? Or a side of onion rings?
- I still have No Freaking Clue what any kind of story to write up a concept for, or who's in it or what their problem/complication or anything is. I am sooooooo LOST here. It's awful. But I promised my agent some in February, which is almost over and I got nuthin. :headdesk:
Not So Sure:
- Found out we (er, me, because everyone else works all day) will likely be caring for a toddler and an infant (in addition to granddaughter) for about two years, ish, starting this summer, while their parents go off to war. To say this is a massive-life-upheaval on the horizon is an understatement
- Bill wants to work on basement so we can move into it and give 'the kids' and Laura the upstairs once our family increases by two children in diapers. Not sure if I'm totally on board with that, even though it's the best solution.
- Will need to get another - and larger - vehicle because neither the Corrola or the pickup can carry 6 people, three of whom are in car seats. How can we afford this? I dunno, but we will.
- In addition to the minivan/SUV/schoolbus, we'll most likely need other 'baby items' like cribs, a multiple-kid stroller, 2 more high chairs, etc.
- We're all supposed to donate one item for the quilt guild charity auction, and have two quilts/projects to hang in the show. I have nothing show/charity worthy available, and nothing in the queue that'll be available or finished in early October. Whee.
Plan for Next Week:
- Prepare for the quilt retreat
- Journal daily to help me figure out why I'm so afraid and why I let it cripple me.
- Read some more of the conflict/concept books, and The Writing Diet, and maybe some fiction.
- Take my pills like a good girl (I hate taking pills)
- WRITE 5 or 6 Concepts for my agent that don't totally suck.
That's plenty. Have a great last full week of February, everyone! {{huggs}}
Look what I found!
So I'm working on a Powerpoint video for church. I Googled "marathon" in images and look what the VERY FIRST picture was!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113279226615356679403/albums/5626455426080305953/5636721787506097490
Jean, I didn't know you did a marathon! I'm so impressed! (I was going to attach the picture itself, but Google won't allow a photo more than a meg, and I'm not savvy enough to change the size.)
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113279226615356679403/albums/5626455426080305953/5636721787506097490
Jean, I didn't know you did a marathon! I'm so impressed! (I was going to attach the picture itself, but Google won't allow a photo more than a meg, and I'm not savvy enough to change the size.)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wendy's Wet Week
Yep, it rained here. Again. The local creek has flooded twice since New Years. That just ain't natural in the winter.
Good stuff:
- I did better managing my time. Not that there was balance, per se, but I'm more satisfied with my writing vs. work time.
- Got all the church powerpoints done through March except one big one.
- Wrote 3,816 words over 4 days. It doesn't look like a lot, and it's not, but it's better. I suspect that when my job ends in mid-April my writing will become more consistent. Working Wednesday and Friday breaks my momentum. Not sure why it's taken me 6 1/2 years to figure that out.
- Alex had a less stressful week.
- Edited Eric's Organization Behavior paper. That was so fun! Actually, editing his papers has been helping me recognize weasel words that Tammy pointed out in my writing. He uses a lot of helping verbs. I'll have a paper for his computer class waiting for me soon.
- Worked 23.25 hours.
- Swam 3 times.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I likely will not lose my last 2 pounds before I leave for Destin. I was so hoping I would, but I've been craving sugar in general and chocolate in particular the last few days.
- I will not have the manuscript finished before I leave for Destin. I wanted to, but it's not critical.
- Didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped keeping the kitchen clean.
- Didn't put anything aside to get rid of. I still have half a trash bag of shredded paper sitting on the floor of my office. It would take a whole minute to take it to the bathroom, empty the trash into it and take it downstairs, but it's been sitting there for two weeks.
This week:
- Pack to go to Destin.
- Finish laundry. Again.
- Keep the kitchen cleaned up.
- Get the trash bag out of my office.
I'll be checking in again before I leave since I'll be away next weekend. As a side note, my boss was with her family last week and her nieces kept referring to White Girl Problems--little irritants like chipped nail polish and such. The connotation was that if that's all there is to complain about, you have no room to complain. So, yeah, I have White Girl Problems this week. ;-)
While I'm thinking about it, for those of you with a Wii, do you find it to be an effective exercise tool? I've been thinking of getting one, but haven't taken the leap to even research the prices yet.
Good stuff:
- I did better managing my time. Not that there was balance, per se, but I'm more satisfied with my writing vs. work time.
- Got all the church powerpoints done through March except one big one.
- Wrote 3,816 words over 4 days. It doesn't look like a lot, and it's not, but it's better. I suspect that when my job ends in mid-April my writing will become more consistent. Working Wednesday and Friday breaks my momentum. Not sure why it's taken me 6 1/2 years to figure that out.
- Alex had a less stressful week.
- Edited Eric's Organization Behavior paper. That was so fun! Actually, editing his papers has been helping me recognize weasel words that Tammy pointed out in my writing. He uses a lot of helping verbs. I'll have a paper for his computer class waiting for me soon.
- Worked 23.25 hours.
- Swam 3 times.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I likely will not lose my last 2 pounds before I leave for Destin. I was so hoping I would, but I've been craving sugar in general and chocolate in particular the last few days.
- I will not have the manuscript finished before I leave for Destin. I wanted to, but it's not critical.
- Didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped keeping the kitchen clean.
- Didn't put anything aside to get rid of. I still have half a trash bag of shredded paper sitting on the floor of my office. It would take a whole minute to take it to the bathroom, empty the trash into it and take it downstairs, but it's been sitting there for two weeks.
This week:
- Pack to go to Destin.
- Finish laundry. Again.
- Keep the kitchen cleaned up.
- Get the trash bag out of my office.
I'll be checking in again before I leave since I'll be away next weekend. As a side note, my boss was with her family last week and her nieces kept referring to White Girl Problems--little irritants like chipped nail polish and such. The connotation was that if that's all there is to complain about, you have no room to complain. So, yeah, I have White Girl Problems this week. ;-)
While I'm thinking about it, for those of you with a Wii, do you find it to be an effective exercise tool? I've been thinking of getting one, but haven't taken the leap to even research the prices yet.
Rainy Day Time
That's what I feel like this morning, anyway.
The Good Stuff:
- I glued a drawer on my rolltop desk that needed repair
- I have been working steadily on PBOTL and HTRYN
- I've been working regularly on the recumbent bike and the Wii -- my knees are bothering me, so I'm not getting a full workout in on the bike. I've been attracted to Advanced Step and Rhythm Boxing on the Wii, so that's what I've been doing. It's compensating a little for some shorter biking time, I think.
- I've done a good job of getting laundry and sundry household items completed this week, but, generally speaking, I've been feeling pretty blah. Not sick but not well. Perhaps a response to the WI trip? Maybe. We'll see if I feel better next week.
- I used my NOVA iMuscle program on my iPad to pinpoint a trouble I've been having in my left thumb that didn't feel joint-related. With a little targeted deep massage last night, I think I found a release point. The area feels different and better this morning. It's not pain-free, but it feels better. With that program are some stretching and other exercises I can do. I did one last night, and I believe if I keep doing them, my wrists will become more flexible (they are really tight), which should alleviate some discomfort there. If you have an iPad and have creaky aches and pains and want to know what exercises or stretches will help a particular area (or are just curious about your muscular anatomy), I highly recommend this program (it's recommended for physical therapists, so it's a little pricey for a single user--I think around $10, but it has absolutely lovely graphics).
- I used the "nice" day to take the trailer through the car wash, get it inspected, and get the truck washed and detailed (to encourage more rain, of course, and it mostly worked).
- I'm taking Gwen Hernandez's Scrivener class. It started this week, and I've been learning useful tidbits in every single lesson -- to include the class introduction. It's going to be the best $25 I've ever spent related to Scrivener.
- I signed up for Hillsdale College's free Constitution 101 class that begins on February 20th. I'm surprised I didn't get a confirmation email from them. I hope I did everything right on the sign up page. Hmm. I don't recall getting the email, but I'm able to access the site. I think I'll create a Scrivener Project for the course. ;)
- I got the Great Books and bookcase brought into the house
- I'm caught up on my serial reading
The Not So Good:
- I ate chicken soup and pizza yesterday and gained five pounds over night. Who knew homemade chicken soup would have that kind of an effect upon me? Yeah. Yeah. I know. It wasn't the chicken soup. To counter that, I ate a bunch of glazed donuts this morning (and, remember, I don't even like glazed donuts). Yes, I think I've been in a sabotaging mode. This must stop.
- I didn't get out to do my winter (or even the winder) yard work this week. I can blame some of it on the rain, which we thankfully have been getting a little bit of. I thought about it, but I didn't do it.
- I have not figured out where the Great Books are going to reside
- I have not managed to read a book yet this year. I'm not sure if I should be disturbed by that or not. I'm getting a lot of other reading done, but no pleasure reading and no book completions
For the Next Week:
- Eat more zero points food
- Continue Wii (do a broad variety of Wii exercises to keep it interesting) and recumbent bike work outs (on days when the knees hurt, just do a light workout but continue it for the full 30 minutes)
- Continue working on PBOTL and HTRYN
- This should be a good week for yard work, so get some done
- Do more flexibility and stretching work for my joints
The Good Stuff:
- I glued a drawer on my rolltop desk that needed repair
- I have been working steadily on PBOTL and HTRYN
- I've been working regularly on the recumbent bike and the Wii -- my knees are bothering me, so I'm not getting a full workout in on the bike. I've been attracted to Advanced Step and Rhythm Boxing on the Wii, so that's what I've been doing. It's compensating a little for some shorter biking time, I think.
- I've done a good job of getting laundry and sundry household items completed this week, but, generally speaking, I've been feeling pretty blah. Not sick but not well. Perhaps a response to the WI trip? Maybe. We'll see if I feel better next week.
- I used my NOVA iMuscle program on my iPad to pinpoint a trouble I've been having in my left thumb that didn't feel joint-related. With a little targeted deep massage last night, I think I found a release point. The area feels different and better this morning. It's not pain-free, but it feels better. With that program are some stretching and other exercises I can do. I did one last night, and I believe if I keep doing them, my wrists will become more flexible (they are really tight), which should alleviate some discomfort there. If you have an iPad and have creaky aches and pains and want to know what exercises or stretches will help a particular area (or are just curious about your muscular anatomy), I highly recommend this program (it's recommended for physical therapists, so it's a little pricey for a single user--I think around $10, but it has absolutely lovely graphics).
- I used the "nice" day to take the trailer through the car wash, get it inspected, and get the truck washed and detailed (to encourage more rain, of course, and it mostly worked).
- I'm taking Gwen Hernandez's Scrivener class. It started this week, and I've been learning useful tidbits in every single lesson -- to include the class introduction. It's going to be the best $25 I've ever spent related to Scrivener.
- I signed up for Hillsdale College's free Constitution 101 class that begins on February 20th. I'm surprised I didn't get a confirmation email from them. I hope I did everything right on the sign up page. Hmm. I don't recall getting the email, but I'm able to access the site. I think I'll create a Scrivener Project for the course. ;)
- I got the Great Books and bookcase brought into the house
- I'm caught up on my serial reading
The Not So Good:
- I ate chicken soup and pizza yesterday and gained five pounds over night. Who knew homemade chicken soup would have that kind of an effect upon me? Yeah. Yeah. I know. It wasn't the chicken soup. To counter that, I ate a bunch of glazed donuts this morning (and, remember, I don't even like glazed donuts). Yes, I think I've been in a sabotaging mode. This must stop.
- I didn't get out to do my winter (or even the winder) yard work this week. I can blame some of it on the rain, which we thankfully have been getting a little bit of. I thought about it, but I didn't do it.
- I have not figured out where the Great Books are going to reside
- I have not managed to read a book yet this year. I'm not sure if I should be disturbed by that or not. I'm getting a lot of other reading done, but no pleasure reading and no book completions
For the Next Week:
- Eat more zero points food
- Continue Wii (do a broad variety of Wii exercises to keep it interesting) and recumbent bike work outs (on days when the knees hurt, just do a light workout but continue it for the full 30 minutes)
- Continue working on PBOTL and HTRYN
- This should be a good week for yard work, so get some done
- Do more flexibility and stretching work for my joints
Monday, February 13, 2012
Back from the Dr
Hey guys. Thought this might be easier than an email.
Doc has decided that my main problem is lack of sleep, so I now have an antihistamine (to counteract the itching that drives me crazy) along with a mild sedative. I'm supposed to head to bed GOBS earlier (so I'll be taking the pill around 8pm) and I'm supposed to call or email her in a week to tell her how it's working out.
As for the other stuff... I'm supposed to start journaling about fear and why I'm so afraid and withdrawn. That's gonna be a lot harder than taking a pill. ;) And look into finding a counselor.
Anyway, that's where we are. {{huggs}}
Doc has decided that my main problem is lack of sleep, so I now have an antihistamine (to counteract the itching that drives me crazy) along with a mild sedative. I'm supposed to head to bed GOBS earlier (so I'll be taking the pill around 8pm) and I'm supposed to call or email her in a week to tell her how it's working out.
As for the other stuff... I'm supposed to start journaling about fear and why I'm so afraid and withdrawn. That's gonna be a lot harder than taking a pill. ;) And look into finding a counselor.
Anyway, that's where we are. {{huggs}}
Anthology week
Meant to do this Sunday, but now I see it's Monday, although very early.
Last week, I mostly worked on the writers group anthology. I got the whole danged thing formatted and printed. Then I made photocopies of it for every contributing author so they could proof their work. I kept track of my hours: 23 hours this week on the blamed thing. No one to blame, but my big mouth. I think it turned out well. And one advantage: I was too busy to be depressed. I mean, I was, but when I had time to think about it, I was already in bed. Unfortunately, since the black dog couldn't get to me, it went after Tammy, dang it. One day, we're going to put that hound down once and for all.
I gave the copies of the anthology out at the writers group meeting Saturday morning. It would have rushed me to have met Jean on her way back home, but I would have made the attempt if I could have. Probably best this time. Besides, I'm sure she was ready to be home. I find about three days away, and then I'm ready to be home again. Oh, what would have been really fun would have been to introduce Jean to my writers group! Although that would have taken too much time out of her schedule. Some other time, I hope. I'm glad she made the trip okay. I worried about the drive up and back. Said several prayers for her at odd moments during the days.
Besides working on the anthology, I did household chores, had two job interviews, ate dinner with a couple of friends one night, walked at the gym, etc. The usual stuff.
Oh, one job interview really kinda sucked. I got there, and everyone was really upset because they had already filled the job and no one had called to cancel the interview. I wasn't angry, just deflated. Everyone was nice to me, particularly the HR woman who even tried to buy me lunch as an apology. (I refused.) But my resume is on file with them, so who knows? Maybe something in the future. The other interview was okay. I couldn't get a feel for how they felt about me. They're interviewing a lot of people for that position.
At the gym, I ran into a writer friend I hadn't seen for along time. Gail W. is the finest poet I know. Her poems are graceful and wise with clear imagery and flowing words. Her poems are like a river. You can see the surface easily, but beneath, strong emotional currents flow. I invited her to join the writers group, and she did Saturday. Unfortunately, she's leaving my town in this summer to move up by her daughter. She's just divorced her husband and is busy creating a new life. Still, I get to enjoy her for a while.
This week:
1. Household chores. Kind of got behind last week.
2. Walk at the gym.
3. Work on formatting a book of devotions for a friend. But he's in no hurry.
4. Work on the March family newsletter. Oh yeah, forgot to mention I published and mailed the February newsletter last week, too. Wanted it to go out before Valentine's Day. Another reason I was so busy.
5. Clean and sterilize the aquarium. Sometime next week, I want to buy a couple of fish.
6. Stay warm!
And that's it. Talk to you later.
Last week, I mostly worked on the writers group anthology. I got the whole danged thing formatted and printed. Then I made photocopies of it for every contributing author so they could proof their work. I kept track of my hours: 23 hours this week on the blamed thing. No one to blame, but my big mouth. I think it turned out well. And one advantage: I was too busy to be depressed. I mean, I was, but when I had time to think about it, I was already in bed. Unfortunately, since the black dog couldn't get to me, it went after Tammy, dang it. One day, we're going to put that hound down once and for all.
I gave the copies of the anthology out at the writers group meeting Saturday morning. It would have rushed me to have met Jean on her way back home, but I would have made the attempt if I could have. Probably best this time. Besides, I'm sure she was ready to be home. I find about three days away, and then I'm ready to be home again. Oh, what would have been really fun would have been to introduce Jean to my writers group! Although that would have taken too much time out of her schedule. Some other time, I hope. I'm glad she made the trip okay. I worried about the drive up and back. Said several prayers for her at odd moments during the days.
Besides working on the anthology, I did household chores, had two job interviews, ate dinner with a couple of friends one night, walked at the gym, etc. The usual stuff.
Oh, one job interview really kinda sucked. I got there, and everyone was really upset because they had already filled the job and no one had called to cancel the interview. I wasn't angry, just deflated. Everyone was nice to me, particularly the HR woman who even tried to buy me lunch as an apology. (I refused.) But my resume is on file with them, so who knows? Maybe something in the future. The other interview was okay. I couldn't get a feel for how they felt about me. They're interviewing a lot of people for that position.
At the gym, I ran into a writer friend I hadn't seen for along time. Gail W. is the finest poet I know. Her poems are graceful and wise with clear imagery and flowing words. Her poems are like a river. You can see the surface easily, but beneath, strong emotional currents flow. I invited her to join the writers group, and she did Saturday. Unfortunately, she's leaving my town in this summer to move up by her daughter. She's just divorced her husband and is busy creating a new life. Still, I get to enjoy her for a while.
This week:
1. Household chores. Kind of got behind last week.
2. Walk at the gym.
3. Work on formatting a book of devotions for a friend. But he's in no hurry.
4. Work on the March family newsletter. Oh yeah, forgot to mention I published and mailed the February newsletter last week, too. Wanted it to go out before Valentine's Day. Another reason I was so busy.
5. Clean and sterilize the aquarium. Sometime next week, I want to buy a couple of fish.
6. Stay warm!
And that's it. Talk to you later.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Tam's Week Six
This has not been a particularly good week, I'm afraid.
The Good Stuff:
- Had lunch with Jean
- Visited Virginia
- Lost about a pound
- Brainstormed 2 book idea with Laura
- Exercised with Richard three times!
- Kept up the food journal (I'm using Loseit.com)
Not So Good:
- Hormones are totally whacked out and AWFUL. Just awful. They're so bad I have a Dr appt tomorrow, and Bill sat me down yesterday to tell me he's having trouble dealing with me.
- Depression, depression, anger, and did I mention depression?
- I think I'm getting a sinus infection
- Family crap
- Mom broke her arm
- My brain has popped its hinges and I've misplaced the hinge pins.
I'm pretty wonky, but I'm hanging in there and, again, I'm seeing my doc tomorrow about these !(@*#&%^ hormones.
Plan for Next Week:
- Not be weepy and ticked off. Seriously. If I can manage that, it'll be a great week.
Wendy's Week
Good stuff:
- Got my tax stuff together. Sort of. I couldn't find the receipts from my conference fees from last year. Bad news. The good news is that I paid for them both with a check, so we have them on bank statements.
- Swam 3 times.
- Worked 21.5 hours. Not the 25 I planned, but it's something.
- Wrote 4,568 words.
- Did a little better on the house. I managed to keep things neated up, laundry under control, and the kitchen cleaned up.
- Met with friends in St Louis for dinner Thursday night. Eric had class, so I went alone, and got there and home without getting lost! (Why yes, that is a big deal!)
- Dad scheduled his shoulder surgery for a week later than he wanted. He's not happy, but it's darn near perfect for my schedule. It should be less traumatic than his back surgery was.
Not So Good Stuff:
- While I did work 21.5 hours, I'm dissatisfied with the number of hours I actually spent writing. I'm wondering if I need to get anal for a while and break down how many specific, task oriented hours. I had hoped that setting work hours would be enough. I'll try it again this week and see if I can do better without having to micromanage.
- Still no progress on the decluttering. On the plus side there, Eric hasn't heard anything about the job he interviewed for in Quantico, VA last week so moving won't be an issue anytime soon. Phew!
- My sinuses have been really junkie lately. I thought this recent cold snap would bring me some relief, but it seems to be worse.
- Had minor drama with Alex. He signed up for a computer programming class that teaches languages that physicists use for specialized programs and quickly found himself in WAY over his head. He called, completely stressed out, trying to decide whether to drop it. The trouble is that it's not offered again for 2 more years. In the end we all agreed that it's better for him to drop and work on his GPA even though it means another year in school. He's been so dead set on graduating with a physics degree, even though there isn't much he can do with a bachelors degree. His plan is to apply for nuke school in the Navy, but he won't have a shot without the minimum GPA, and even then it's competitive. It was a good time to remind him it's always good to have a back-up plan. Now he'll have time to come up with one. Or three. He is my kid. I did take the opportunity to fill Vicky in on the basics and remind her not to wait until her Junior year to come up with a back-up plan.
- Eric is talking about a kitchen remodel. To be honest, I'm not sure if this should be in the Good Stuff or Not So Good Stuff! There is a lot I'd change about my kitchen, but I'm not convinced that doing it while both kids are in college is the best time. At least he's not talking about doing the work himself. He's smart enough to factor professional labor into the cost.
- Got my tax stuff together. Sort of. I couldn't find the receipts from my conference fees from last year. Bad news. The good news is that I paid for them both with a check, so we have them on bank statements.
- Swam 3 times.
- Worked 21.5 hours. Not the 25 I planned, but it's something.
- Wrote 4,568 words.
- Did a little better on the house. I managed to keep things neated up, laundry under control, and the kitchen cleaned up.
- Met with friends in St Louis for dinner Thursday night. Eric had class, so I went alone, and got there and home without getting lost! (Why yes, that is a big deal!)
- Dad scheduled his shoulder surgery for a week later than he wanted. He's not happy, but it's darn near perfect for my schedule. It should be less traumatic than his back surgery was.
Not So Good Stuff:
- While I did work 21.5 hours, I'm dissatisfied with the number of hours I actually spent writing. I'm wondering if I need to get anal for a while and break down how many specific, task oriented hours. I had hoped that setting work hours would be enough. I'll try it again this week and see if I can do better without having to micromanage.
- Still no progress on the decluttering. On the plus side there, Eric hasn't heard anything about the job he interviewed for in Quantico, VA last week so moving won't be an issue anytime soon. Phew!
- My sinuses have been really junkie lately. I thought this recent cold snap would bring me some relief, but it seems to be worse.
- Had minor drama with Alex. He signed up for a computer programming class that teaches languages that physicists use for specialized programs and quickly found himself in WAY over his head. He called, completely stressed out, trying to decide whether to drop it. The trouble is that it's not offered again for 2 more years. In the end we all agreed that it's better for him to drop and work on his GPA even though it means another year in school. He's been so dead set on graduating with a physics degree, even though there isn't much he can do with a bachelors degree. His plan is to apply for nuke school in the Navy, but he won't have a shot without the minimum GPA, and even then it's competitive. It was a good time to remind him it's always good to have a back-up plan. Now he'll have time to come up with one. Or three. He is my kid. I did take the opportunity to fill Vicky in on the basics and remind her not to wait until her Junior year to come up with a back-up plan.
- Eric is talking about a kitchen remodel. To be honest, I'm not sure if this should be in the Good Stuff or Not So Good Stuff! There is a lot I'd change about my kitchen, but I'm not convinced that doing it while both kids are in college is the best time. At least he's not talking about doing the work himself. He's smart enough to factor professional labor into the cost.
Back From WI
I returned safely from WI.
The Good Stuff:
- The trip to and from WI went very well. Mom had everything well organized, so we could work as continuously as we could all stand. One of my adult nieces helped a little bit. My teenage niece and her boyfriend were a tremendous help for one day, saving the "old people's" knees and contributing to the ultimate demise of their own. My sister took a day off work to help, but we also got to spend a little time together, which was nice. My aunt was oh, so awesome during the week she was there, which made things immeasurably easier for all of us. Her being there made the work almost pleasant.
- I got to have lunch with Tammy on the way back (and I got to meet the cute little munchkin who has the most amazing eyes). I wanted to pester Stephen, but my desire to get home and not stray from I-35 kept me from asking him -- sorry, my friend. I thought of you often on the drive.
- I worked on Polar Bear on the Loose both nights during the trip back and am now on page 8. This is Lesson 17 of "How To Revise Your Novel", Cutting the Manuscript. This lesson involves almost as much addition as it does cutting, and I get to write it in by hand and cut and paste other stuff by hand. I think I'll call it the "arts and crafts" portion of the revision. Grin.
- Two weeks after sending my battery powered lawn mower back to Black and Decker for a recall repair (discovered when I was looking for a new charging transformer that is no longer available), I have a mower in my possession. It isn't the mower I sent them (a 2005 model), but it is a gently used 2011 model with a functional charging transformer (and the batteries I purchased last summer for the old mower will work in this one when the time comes to replace them). I cannot tell you how pleased I am at how well this whole situation worked out to my satisfaction. I've always valued my Black and Decker yard "appliances," but this experience has increased my loyalty to them as a company. Not only did the customer service person sound like a native US English speaker, she was personable, knowledgeable, and helpful.
- Natasha is very happy to have me back home. Hubby told me every time he came in the house while I was gone, she came running to the door looking expectant, but when she realized it was him, she turned away. (Quite a blow to the guy who prides himself on being the cat whisperer). She hugged my neck, purring, for quite a while last night.
The Not So Good:
- Despite earning 200 activity points over the last week, I only lost half a pound. Do you think I may have gained some muscle?
- Despite my best effort, I did not get everything moved out of my parents' old house. I figure I still had at least three trailer loads to go when I left. They are confident they can get everything before the end of the month. They have a lease until June, but, thankfully, the property management company is showing the house to prospective renters, and everyone is hopeful someone will want to move in at the end of the month, which will absolve Mom and Dad of their lease responsibilities. We had the upstairs completely empty by the time I left. There were still two rooms in the basement to go. One, the largest room, was half to two-thirds empty, and the other room was about half empty. There is also approximately one-quarter of the garage to go, but most of that is not their stuff, so it may wind up by the curb if the people it belongs to do not retrieve it by the end of the month.
- I did a stupid thing at a Kansas rest stop. I napped in the truck for about 20 minutes, then I got out to use the rest room before driving on. When I came out of the restroom, I felt in my usual pocket for my truck keys but they weren't there. I pretty much freaked out, immediately assuming I'd left the keys in the ignition and locked the truck when I got out for the rest room. (There's virtually no reasonable way to break into a Lincoln. I have a door code, but I couldn't remember it. Despondent, I approached the trucker parked next to me and said, "I did something really stupid. I locked my keys in my truck, and I can't remember the door code." He said, "I did that not too long ago. I have a hanger, I'll see what I can do." Getting through the weatherstripping on the door (and around the door designed to keep clothes hangers and other items out) was a challenge. I got a cotter pin from the trailer to give him some leverage. He still couldn't poke the hanger through, so he pulled out a lock blade knife and cut through (eek) my weather stripping. He got the hanger in, but neither he nor I could get it to press down on the unlock button. He left me to try while he went back to his truck to warm his hands. At this point, I glanced at the ignition. No keys. Huh? Where are the keys if they aren't in the ignition? I checked my coat pocket. Sure enough. There they are. I went to the trucker's cab window, and sheepishly held up the keys and explained what happened and thanked him profusely for being willing to help me. Then I went back and kicked myself repeatedly for the damage I'd inflicted on my beautiful new truck (scratches inside the top of the door and weather stripping cuts, which will probably cost me a couple of hundred dollars to get repaired), all because of my stupidity for a) not checking all my pockets, b) not remembering that the truck would have made lots of noise if I'd left the keys in the ignition, and I wouldn't have locked the keys inside, c) for not ensuring I'd either memorized my door code or assigned one I knew I could remember, d) leaving my cell phone in the truck when I got out (rendering me unable to call anyone who might be able to help), and e) not having the Lincoln customer service number stored in my cell phone. I have now memorized the door code -- I'll make a point to use it periodically just to make sure it stays fresh in my mind.
For the Next Week:
- Resume recumbent bike rides and Wii workouts
- Continue work on PBOTL and HTRYN
- Work on several sundry tasks around the house here
-- Get stuff from the trip put away
-- Get the trailer inspected
-- Get my truck detailed to get the road grime off it
-- Take the trailer through the car wash and pressure wash it to achieve the same result
-- Find a place for the Great Books and the bookshelf for them I got from the folks
-- Begin my winder yard work -- trimming trees in preparation for spring growth
-- Begin/resume decluttering (a trip to the parents' place always reminds me how necessary this really is!)
The Good Stuff:
- The trip to and from WI went very well. Mom had everything well organized, so we could work as continuously as we could all stand. One of my adult nieces helped a little bit. My teenage niece and her boyfriend were a tremendous help for one day, saving the "old people's" knees and contributing to the ultimate demise of their own. My sister took a day off work to help, but we also got to spend a little time together, which was nice. My aunt was oh, so awesome during the week she was there, which made things immeasurably easier for all of us. Her being there made the work almost pleasant.
- I got to have lunch with Tammy on the way back (and I got to meet the cute little munchkin who has the most amazing eyes). I wanted to pester Stephen, but my desire to get home and not stray from I-35 kept me from asking him -- sorry, my friend. I thought of you often on the drive.
- I worked on Polar Bear on the Loose both nights during the trip back and am now on page 8. This is Lesson 17 of "How To Revise Your Novel", Cutting the Manuscript. This lesson involves almost as much addition as it does cutting, and I get to write it in by hand and cut and paste other stuff by hand. I think I'll call it the "arts and crafts" portion of the revision. Grin.
- Two weeks after sending my battery powered lawn mower back to Black and Decker for a recall repair (discovered when I was looking for a new charging transformer that is no longer available), I have a mower in my possession. It isn't the mower I sent them (a 2005 model), but it is a gently used 2011 model with a functional charging transformer (and the batteries I purchased last summer for the old mower will work in this one when the time comes to replace them). I cannot tell you how pleased I am at how well this whole situation worked out to my satisfaction. I've always valued my Black and Decker yard "appliances," but this experience has increased my loyalty to them as a company. Not only did the customer service person sound like a native US English speaker, she was personable, knowledgeable, and helpful.
- Natasha is very happy to have me back home. Hubby told me every time he came in the house while I was gone, she came running to the door looking expectant, but when she realized it was him, she turned away. (Quite a blow to the guy who prides himself on being the cat whisperer). She hugged my neck, purring, for quite a while last night.
The Not So Good:
- Despite earning 200 activity points over the last week, I only lost half a pound. Do you think I may have gained some muscle?
- Despite my best effort, I did not get everything moved out of my parents' old house. I figure I still had at least three trailer loads to go when I left. They are confident they can get everything before the end of the month. They have a lease until June, but, thankfully, the property management company is showing the house to prospective renters, and everyone is hopeful someone will want to move in at the end of the month, which will absolve Mom and Dad of their lease responsibilities. We had the upstairs completely empty by the time I left. There were still two rooms in the basement to go. One, the largest room, was half to two-thirds empty, and the other room was about half empty. There is also approximately one-quarter of the garage to go, but most of that is not their stuff, so it may wind up by the curb if the people it belongs to do not retrieve it by the end of the month.
- I did a stupid thing at a Kansas rest stop. I napped in the truck for about 20 minutes, then I got out to use the rest room before driving on. When I came out of the restroom, I felt in my usual pocket for my truck keys but they weren't there. I pretty much freaked out, immediately assuming I'd left the keys in the ignition and locked the truck when I got out for the rest room. (There's virtually no reasonable way to break into a Lincoln. I have a door code, but I couldn't remember it. Despondent, I approached the trucker parked next to me and said, "I did something really stupid. I locked my keys in my truck, and I can't remember the door code." He said, "I did that not too long ago. I have a hanger, I'll see what I can do." Getting through the weatherstripping on the door (and around the door designed to keep clothes hangers and other items out) was a challenge. I got a cotter pin from the trailer to give him some leverage. He still couldn't poke the hanger through, so he pulled out a lock blade knife and cut through (eek) my weather stripping. He got the hanger in, but neither he nor I could get it to press down on the unlock button. He left me to try while he went back to his truck to warm his hands. At this point, I glanced at the ignition. No keys. Huh? Where are the keys if they aren't in the ignition? I checked my coat pocket. Sure enough. There they are. I went to the trucker's cab window, and sheepishly held up the keys and explained what happened and thanked him profusely for being willing to help me. Then I went back and kicked myself repeatedly for the damage I'd inflicted on my beautiful new truck (scratches inside the top of the door and weather stripping cuts, which will probably cost me a couple of hundred dollars to get repaired), all because of my stupidity for a) not checking all my pockets, b) not remembering that the truck would have made lots of noise if I'd left the keys in the ignition, and I wouldn't have locked the keys inside, c) for not ensuring I'd either memorized my door code or assigned one I knew I could remember, d) leaving my cell phone in the truck when I got out (rendering me unable to call anyone who might be able to help), and e) not having the Lincoln customer service number stored in my cell phone. I have now memorized the door code -- I'll make a point to use it periodically just to make sure it stays fresh in my mind.
For the Next Week:
- Resume recumbent bike rides and Wii workouts
- Continue work on PBOTL and HTRYN
- Work on several sundry tasks around the house here
-- Get stuff from the trip put away
-- Get the trailer inspected
-- Get my truck detailed to get the road grime off it
-- Take the trailer through the car wash and pressure wash it to achieve the same result
-- Find a place for the Great Books and the bookshelf for them I got from the folks
-- Begin my winder yard work -- trimming trees in preparation for spring growth
-- Begin/resume decluttering (a trip to the parents' place always reminds me how necessary this really is!)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Warcraft
So ... been playing World of Warcraft more than I should. And it struck me ... again ... that leveling up your character in WoW is false accomplishment. Not that WoW is bad, mind you, and there's nothing wrong with playing it. What I'm talking about is how easy it is to allow that accomplishment to take the place of accomplishing real life goals.
And it is a time sink. WoW is designed to encourage to you play just 30 more minutes, to finish that dungeon, or complete that quest, and then you can stop, except each quest branch out to other quests (they call them quest trees) and other locations and so on and so on. Eventually you've spent your entire night on leveling up your mage/warrior/paladin/priest/warlock/shaman/etc..
Can't do that. Moderation in all things, as one of the Apostles said. (Which one? Paul? I think it was Paul.)
Anyway, here's last week.
1. Went to lunch Wednesday with a friend.
2. Met with another friend for lunch on Thursday and discussed his book of devotions that he's thinking about writing.
3. Worked on formatting the anthology for the writers group. Sigh. It's going to be a lot more work than I had anticipated. Should have remembered that any project will expand to fill up any time it can. Well, I'll help this once, and someone else can do it next time. That's at least one thing I've got going for me: I don't usually make the same mistake twice. (No, I find new ones. They're more fun.)
4. Watched and enjoyed the Super Bowl commercials yesterday. Even enjoyed Madonna's halftime show. Oh, the game was good, too.
5. Walked three times at the gym and rode my exercise bike two times at home.
6. Kept up with all the regular chores, despite not having a working dryer. Went over a friend's house to use hers. A repairman is supposed to come tomorrow afternoon.
7. Caught up on my personal blog until Friday. Now I'm behind again. Sigh. Will catch up again tonight and tomorrow.
8. Sent my resume to a couple of places.
9. Did not write. Not on Murder by the Mile. I accept the lashes and will do better this week.
Speaking of this week, I plan to:
1. Walk four times this week and ride the recumbent bike twice.
2. Write a single dang word on MBTM. Or more. But at least one.
3. Work on the February newsletter.
4. Keep up on the household chores.
5. Read two books.
6. Follow up on my resumes.
7. Catch up my personal blog.
8. Finish the first proof of the anthology. Have to have that done by Saturday morning. The writers group meets then.
9. Continue to battle the black dog with sunshine, Vitamin D, funny sitcoms, old movies, exercise, and anything else that helps.
And that's what I have to share. Talk to y'all later.
And it is a time sink. WoW is designed to encourage to you play just 30 more minutes, to finish that dungeon, or complete that quest, and then you can stop, except each quest branch out to other quests (they call them quest trees) and other locations and so on and so on. Eventually you've spent your entire night on leveling up your mage/warrior/paladin/priest/warlock/shaman/etc..
Can't do that. Moderation in all things, as one of the Apostles said. (Which one? Paul? I think it was Paul.)
Anyway, here's last week.
1. Went to lunch Wednesday with a friend.
2. Met with another friend for lunch on Thursday and discussed his book of devotions that he's thinking about writing.
3. Worked on formatting the anthology for the writers group. Sigh. It's going to be a lot more work than I had anticipated. Should have remembered that any project will expand to fill up any time it can. Well, I'll help this once, and someone else can do it next time. That's at least one thing I've got going for me: I don't usually make the same mistake twice. (No, I find new ones. They're more fun.)
4. Watched and enjoyed the Super Bowl commercials yesterday. Even enjoyed Madonna's halftime show. Oh, the game was good, too.
5. Walked three times at the gym and rode my exercise bike two times at home.
6. Kept up with all the regular chores, despite not having a working dryer. Went over a friend's house to use hers. A repairman is supposed to come tomorrow afternoon.
7. Caught up on my personal blog until Friday. Now I'm behind again. Sigh. Will catch up again tonight and tomorrow.
8. Sent my resume to a couple of places.
9. Did not write. Not on Murder by the Mile. I accept the lashes and will do better this week.
Speaking of this week, I plan to:
1. Walk four times this week and ride the recumbent bike twice.
2. Write a single dang word on MBTM. Or more. But at least one.
3. Work on the February newsletter.
4. Keep up on the household chores.
5. Read two books.
6. Follow up on my resumes.
7. Catch up my personal blog.
8. Finish the first proof of the anthology. Have to have that done by Saturday morning. The writers group meets then.
9. Continue to battle the black dog with sunshine, Vitamin D, funny sitcoms, old movies, exercise, and anything else that helps.
And that's what I have to share. Talk to y'all later.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Wisconsin Week
What a week!
The Good Stuff:
- I made it safely to Wisconsin, and the weather is wonderful for moving. Dry and in the 40s during the day. Sweatshirt weather.
- Do you know how many activity points you earn for carrying boxes for the equivalent of six hours a day? 43
- I have three days remaining here, and if feels like we still have way too much to do. My mom did a great job packing boxes, and she's been a whirling dervish of activity since I've been here. She made a plan, and she's been working the plan, and it's coming together. She's had laryngitis the whole time I've been here, but I think it's from exhaustion. I'm afraid she's going to wind up in the hospital before this move is done, but I hope not. I'm still hauling out boxes she's been packing for the last several months, and we haul back empty boxes for her to pack more stuff. (They have way too much stuff.) Most of the upstairs is cleaned out -- both upstairs bedrooms are empty and clean and both upstairs bathrooms are cleaned. Mom's finishing up the kitchen and laundry room. The living room is basically done, but we are staging empty boxes in there and will be staging packed boxes there as of tomorrow morning. My 17-year old niece and her boyfriend are supposed to help tomorrow, and I asked Dad to have them carry stuff up from the basement and stage it in the living room for me to haul to the trailer when I get done emptying this load here at the new house. We have about half the basement cleaned out. About half the garage is done too. Things are fitting nicely into the new house -- it's about 600 sq ft larger and has a better layout. (But they still have too much stuff -- yes there is a theme here.)
- My aunt (Mom's sister) flew in from CA to help this week, and she has been awesome. She has gotten my 95-year-old grandmother settled into her new room, kept her occupied so Mom could work on the move, AND she's done grocery shopping and cooking for us all week. Do you know how awesome that is? Is you don't, you have to believe me when I tell you it's made the week pleasant.
- I got to see my 10 year old niece's basketball game on Friday night
- I got to hang out with my sister for a little while on Friday night
- I have a new total body work out to market. All you need are some stairs, a dolly, and several boxes of varying weight. Load them on the dolly, back up the the stairs, brace your legs, stick your butt out behind you for ballast, grip the handle on the dolly, and pull until it rolls up one step. Stabilize, step up one step. Repeat. No expensive gym needed.
The Not So Good:
- There's an awful lot of work to do yet. I still don't know if I can get it all done before I have to leave on Thursday morning
- My knees are in pain, but they aren't as bad tonight as they have been the last few days
- Lis (my aunt) leaves for home on Tuesday morning. What are we going to do without her? She's spoiled us this week.
- My dad's hip is bothering him (he's been doing a great job this week, too -- the stairs are killing both of us, so we try to balance each other out a little). I kidded with him today about having to come back next month for a hip replacement operation, and he said, "Maybe. I should have had it done while I was still working when I had really good insurance." (But he'd already had the two knee operations and disabilities that went with that, and he didn't feel right hitting them up for a third one. I understand where he's coming from on that score.)
For the Next Week:
- Get as much done as possible to move everything out of Mom and Dad's old house and get it to the new house (or wherever else it needs to go) by Wednesday evening
- Head for home on Thursday morning
- Meet Tammy and the munchkin for lunch
- Have a safe trip home
The Good Stuff:
- I made it safely to Wisconsin, and the weather is wonderful for moving. Dry and in the 40s during the day. Sweatshirt weather.
- Do you know how many activity points you earn for carrying boxes for the equivalent of six hours a day? 43
- I have three days remaining here, and if feels like we still have way too much to do. My mom did a great job packing boxes, and she's been a whirling dervish of activity since I've been here. She made a plan, and she's been working the plan, and it's coming together. She's had laryngitis the whole time I've been here, but I think it's from exhaustion. I'm afraid she's going to wind up in the hospital before this move is done, but I hope not. I'm still hauling out boxes she's been packing for the last several months, and we haul back empty boxes for her to pack more stuff. (They have way too much stuff.) Most of the upstairs is cleaned out -- both upstairs bedrooms are empty and clean and both upstairs bathrooms are cleaned. Mom's finishing up the kitchen and laundry room. The living room is basically done, but we are staging empty boxes in there and will be staging packed boxes there as of tomorrow morning. My 17-year old niece and her boyfriend are supposed to help tomorrow, and I asked Dad to have them carry stuff up from the basement and stage it in the living room for me to haul to the trailer when I get done emptying this load here at the new house. We have about half the basement cleaned out. About half the garage is done too. Things are fitting nicely into the new house -- it's about 600 sq ft larger and has a better layout. (But they still have too much stuff -- yes there is a theme here.)
- My aunt (Mom's sister) flew in from CA to help this week, and she has been awesome. She has gotten my 95-year-old grandmother settled into her new room, kept her occupied so Mom could work on the move, AND she's done grocery shopping and cooking for us all week. Do you know how awesome that is? Is you don't, you have to believe me when I tell you it's made the week pleasant.
- I got to see my 10 year old niece's basketball game on Friday night
- I got to hang out with my sister for a little while on Friday night
- I have a new total body work out to market. All you need are some stairs, a dolly, and several boxes of varying weight. Load them on the dolly, back up the the stairs, brace your legs, stick your butt out behind you for ballast, grip the handle on the dolly, and pull until it rolls up one step. Stabilize, step up one step. Repeat. No expensive gym needed.
The Not So Good:
- There's an awful lot of work to do yet. I still don't know if I can get it all done before I have to leave on Thursday morning
- My knees are in pain, but they aren't as bad tonight as they have been the last few days
- Lis (my aunt) leaves for home on Tuesday morning. What are we going to do without her? She's spoiled us this week.
- My dad's hip is bothering him (he's been doing a great job this week, too -- the stairs are killing both of us, so we try to balance each other out a little). I kidded with him today about having to come back next month for a hip replacement operation, and he said, "Maybe. I should have had it done while I was still working when I had really good insurance." (But he'd already had the two knee operations and disabilities that went with that, and he didn't feel right hitting them up for a third one. I understand where he's coming from on that score.)
For the Next Week:
- Get as much done as possible to move everything out of Mom and Dad's old house and get it to the new house (or wherever else it needs to go) by Wednesday evening
- Head for home on Thursday morning
- Meet Tammy and the munchkin for lunch
- Have a safe trip home
Tam's Week Five
We've survived another week! Woot!
The Good Stuff:
- Cut all of the fabric for a queen sized quilt I'm going to sew during retreat
- Kept up the blog challenge, even if posting a smidge late a few times
- Cleaned the desk
- Cleaned the kitchen
- Caught totally up on laundry. But we wore clothes at the time so there's really no such thing as caught up with laundry. ;)
- Kept my date with Richard once. For ten minutes. But that's better than no minutes. Will exercise twice this week.
- Several date-nights with Bill. Woot!
- Wrote one scene in Stain.
- Tidied sewing room
- Neck better. Now it's the lower back from slouching in my chair, but that'll work itself out. If I quit slouching. ;)
- Trying to decide if I want to buy a Nook. Or not. Pretty sure I don't want a Kindle.
Not So Good:
- Peri-menopause hormones SUCK.
- I have zippo ideas for story pitches. Totally blank here.
- Weight is back up 7lbs. Dammit. But we're starting a new week and my fridge is crammed with produce.
- Didn't read hardly anything, let alone finish.
That's really about it, it's been a pretty good week. :)
Plan for Next Week:
- Work on Stain.
- Mark quilt pieces for sewing half square triangles
- Start pitch lines and concepts
- Exercise. At least TWICE.
- Keep a food journal.
That's it for me. See you all next weekend! :)
Wendy's Week
Decent week, all in all.
Good stuff:
- Got to work by 9 each day except one. I don't remember which one it was, but I got into my office at 9:15. Put in a total of 23.25 hours between writing and the day job.
- Speaking of writing, got about 1200 words in. It was mostly editing. Hoping to get more forward progress this week. I'd love it if the draft was done before I leave for the Deep Thinkers Retreat in a couple weeks.
- Went shopping for tartans. Didn't find any. Well, yeah, I did, but one was a wool/poly blend. The other I didn't check the fiber content because it was pink and black. I didn't think Eric would want to wear that one. Looks like I'll be e-mailing my favorite rendezvous vendor for swatches.
- Met with rendezvous friends last night for dessert. They were on their way home from FL and delivered the stoves we ordered while we were there. One is a cook stove (18th century style Coleman), and the other goes inside the tent for heat. Eric wants to use the tax refund to order a tent more to his liking than the one my dad gave us. I'm okay with free, but I think the style he wants to get will be easier to put up. Even if it's not, well, he wants what he wants, and if it gets him to rendezvous, I'll play nice.
- I'm a great aunt as of yesterday. My niece, Lauren, had a little boy, Caleb Allen. I don't have any other particulars other than it was a long labor but everyone seems to be fine and should be home tomorrow or the next day.
- Even though I only swam twice, I did go for a walk on the third day. It was 66* and seemed a better use of my time.
Not so good stuff:
- Still haven't put away my rendezvous clothes.
- No decluttering to speak of. I was impressed that I managed to keep the kitchen as clean as I did.
- Not sure why the new schedule kicked my butt the way it did. By Friday night I was so burned out I ordered a glass of wine with dinner before I could stop myself.
- Didn't get as much done on the house as I would have liked because I was focused on "office" work. Not sure how to achieve a better balance unless I project a few extra hours a week for housework and call them work hours.
This week:
- Get tax stuff together
- Focus on the house a little more
- Progress on the book
- Do the stuff I meant to do last week and didn't
- Work 25 hours
It sure feels like my week was busier than that, but it's all I'm coming up with. Maybe this week I'll get my brain back in gear.
Good stuff:
- Got to work by 9 each day except one. I don't remember which one it was, but I got into my office at 9:15. Put in a total of 23.25 hours between writing and the day job.
- Speaking of writing, got about 1200 words in. It was mostly editing. Hoping to get more forward progress this week. I'd love it if the draft was done before I leave for the Deep Thinkers Retreat in a couple weeks.
- Went shopping for tartans. Didn't find any. Well, yeah, I did, but one was a wool/poly blend. The other I didn't check the fiber content because it was pink and black. I didn't think Eric would want to wear that one. Looks like I'll be e-mailing my favorite rendezvous vendor for swatches.
- Met with rendezvous friends last night for dessert. They were on their way home from FL and delivered the stoves we ordered while we were there. One is a cook stove (18th century style Coleman), and the other goes inside the tent for heat. Eric wants to use the tax refund to order a tent more to his liking than the one my dad gave us. I'm okay with free, but I think the style he wants to get will be easier to put up. Even if it's not, well, he wants what he wants, and if it gets him to rendezvous, I'll play nice.
- I'm a great aunt as of yesterday. My niece, Lauren, had a little boy, Caleb Allen. I don't have any other particulars other than it was a long labor but everyone seems to be fine and should be home tomorrow or the next day.
- Even though I only swam twice, I did go for a walk on the third day. It was 66* and seemed a better use of my time.
Not so good stuff:
- Still haven't put away my rendezvous clothes.
- No decluttering to speak of. I was impressed that I managed to keep the kitchen as clean as I did.
- Not sure why the new schedule kicked my butt the way it did. By Friday night I was so burned out I ordered a glass of wine with dinner before I could stop myself.
- Didn't get as much done on the house as I would have liked because I was focused on "office" work. Not sure how to achieve a better balance unless I project a few extra hours a week for housework and call them work hours.
This week:
- Get tax stuff together
- Focus on the house a little more
- Progress on the book
- Do the stuff I meant to do last week and didn't
- Work 25 hours
It sure feels like my week was busier than that, but it's all I'm coming up with. Maybe this week I'll get my brain back in gear.