I had a mid-week shake-up. I had lunch with my writer friend, Diana Brandmeyer, and we got on the subject of conferences. She isn't going to ACFW this year either, and I told her I'd considered going to the Oregon Christian Writers Conference next month to pitch my story to Chip MacGregor, but it's not ready so I'm skipping that one, too. She strongly encouraged me to go anyway, so when I got home I e-mailed one of the mentors at My Book Therapy who is familiar with the story. (She's also Chip's client.) When I told Eric about it, he said, "Bye." So I registered. I waited two more days to buy the airline tickets because it was so surreal to have decided so quickly to go. To make it even more surreal, I got a check in the mail from my former boss. Apparently she was going through the books and found that I hadn't cashed two paychecks. That check paid most of my air fare. (It would have covered almost all of it if I'd bought them two days before, but oh well.) Needless to say, everything is now taking a back seat to getting the book finished and all the other assorted stuff to get ready. At least it will be cooler in Oregon than it is here. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one seeing God's fingerprints all over this!
That's the biggest thing. Other things are as follows:
- Weight is holding steady, but I put my jeans on this afternoon and they're a little snug. Could be because they were in the dryer a little too long. Yup, that's the story I'll stick with.
- Eric is talking about doing South Beach again, possibly as a transition to Paleo or Primitive.
- Went school supply shopping! I love doing that. Of course, I buy more for myself these days than I do for my kids. Actually, I shopped twice because Eric and I went to buy printer ink yesterday, and I picked up folders for my pitch presentation, too.
- My tomatoes are finally ripening. Of course, I have had ripe cherry tomatoes for a week or two now. These are The Cherry Tomatoes That Will Not Die. Every year they self-seed in abundance. I planted the originals five or six years ago. I can send seeds if y'all want my pseudo-perennial variety. ;-)
- We have had no rain. I think it's been about three weeks. It's looked promising a couple times. Once I even got a dozen drops when I was grilling outside. Luckily I still have plenty of water in my rain barrels. A hundred gallons of water lasts a while when you only have to use a couple gallons a day to water pots.
- This is Eric's last week of The Semester From Hell. Between the Middle East Relations class that challenged what he thought he knew to the HR class with the brand new teacher (it's his very first semester), he's ready for it to be done. So am I.
- Got no sewing done this week. I'm starting to sound like Tammy!
This week:
- Write (hopefully finish)
- Take van to have a trailer hitch installed
- Swim
- Holy cow, Alex's birthday is Friday. Find out if he wants to go out to dinner, or if he's going to celebrate with his girlfriend.
- Visit the eye doctor to see if contacts are a good option for me.
- Finish my petticoat.
- Cut the fabric for my arisaid and see if the remainder is long enough for a great kilt (pleaseohpleaseohplease!!!!!)
- Decide if my kirtch is done or if it needs more flowers embroidered on.
Have a good week, friends!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
More Hot!
Why, yes. It's July, and it's the south. No. I'm not surprised that it's hot. Actually, we've had good rain one day each of the last two weeks, so I'm feeling truly blessed.
The Good Stuff:
- We've accomplished a ton of work in the back yard this week. It's looking better and better, even though we still have a lot to do.
- I began using Trello.com this week kind of as a project management tool. I think it's primary benefit (which I can't use it for) is on-line collaboration for projects. I use Things for recurring tasks and someday maybe projects as a placeholder and Easy Note for things like grocery lists and similar things. But I was looking for an easy project management piece, and this (maybe because it's new) seems to fit the bill.
- I siphoned the extra water out of the hot tub, but when I opened the lid, I saw a bundle of ball bearings in the lounger. A glance to the right indicated a rotator jet had popped off. I rescued the ball bearings and the jet, but I'm not sure what it's going to take to repair that. Eleven years and this is the first true problem we have with it.
- I got the hair cut, the driver license renewed, and the new truck sticker. The 4 wheel alignment is scheduled for Monday morning.
- I decided Stephen was right and I was just making excuses to not work on PBOTL, so I put myself back on task. I did a little work this will and will plug away. I'm bogged down in writing a party right now, and I haven't felt very party-like. Sigh.
- I was down a couple of pounds this week. I didn't track, but I ate pretty well.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I think Stephen's Black Dog had puppies and sent one down here. No, it's not quite that bad, but I'm fighting off a nagging bad mood.
The Week Ahead:
- Be ready to help hubby if he's ready to do the under the house task this week. He's been procrastinating on it forever, and it's the first step in the bathroom renovation that must be done.
- Make sure we get peaches in Fredricksburg this week.
- Hike the swap meet
- Mow lawn and tackle the inner side yard taming. Continue weeding in the back yard. Remove a few more tree limbs. Maybe remove the drooping limb from the live oak in the front yard.
The Good Stuff:
- We've accomplished a ton of work in the back yard this week. It's looking better and better, even though we still have a lot to do.
- I began using Trello.com this week kind of as a project management tool. I think it's primary benefit (which I can't use it for) is on-line collaboration for projects. I use Things for recurring tasks and someday maybe projects as a placeholder and Easy Note for things like grocery lists and similar things. But I was looking for an easy project management piece, and this (maybe because it's new) seems to fit the bill.
- I siphoned the extra water out of the hot tub, but when I opened the lid, I saw a bundle of ball bearings in the lounger. A glance to the right indicated a rotator jet had popped off. I rescued the ball bearings and the jet, but I'm not sure what it's going to take to repair that. Eleven years and this is the first true problem we have with it.
- I got the hair cut, the driver license renewed, and the new truck sticker. The 4 wheel alignment is scheduled for Monday morning.
- I decided Stephen was right and I was just making excuses to not work on PBOTL, so I put myself back on task. I did a little work this will and will plug away. I'm bogged down in writing a party right now, and I haven't felt very party-like. Sigh.
- I was down a couple of pounds this week. I didn't track, but I ate pretty well.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I think Stephen's Black Dog had puppies and sent one down here. No, it's not quite that bad, but I'm fighting off a nagging bad mood.
The Week Ahead:
- Be ready to help hubby if he's ready to do the under the house task this week. He's been procrastinating on it forever, and it's the first step in the bathroom renovation that must be done.
- Make sure we get peaches in Fredricksburg this week.
- Hike the swap meet
- Mow lawn and tackle the inner side yard taming. Continue weeding in the back yard. Remove a few more tree limbs. Maybe remove the drooping limb from the live oak in the front yard.
HOT HOT HOT!
Of course, it's been horribly hot here. In fact, I think it's hot everywhere. There's a good chance we've been sent to Hell for allowing Jersey Shore to be on television. Just a thought.
This week:
- Watched the production process for Secret of the Pack Rat's Nest. I should receive a proof copy Monday. Scheduled publication date: August.
- Worked on On Target. Scheduled publication date: September.
- Worked on Murder by the Mile. Scheduled publication date: October.
- Worked on Tales from Bethlehem. Scheduled publication date: November.
- Ate out a couple of times with friends.
- Swam two times.
- Walked two times.
- Mostly kept my low carb diet. And the scales showed I've lost another 9 pounds since the last time I weighed, which was back in June. So I'm losing about 5-9 pounds a month. This means I only have another year or year and a half before I'm at a healthy weight. Geez. I shouldn't have done that math! :)
- And Saturday -- today -- was a good productive day. I vacuumed the house, cleaned the kitchen, did three loads of laundry, dusted, swam, walked, went to Goodwill where I was hugged by Anna and Debbie, went to Walmart where I was hugged by Mary and Patti, talked on the phone to Wendy and Gail (not at the same time), found a bookcase for a project I'm working on, ate at La Fiesta, now home for evening to write, write, write! What more could anyone ask? :)
Next week:
- Deliver the proof copy to the author. I hope she returns corrections to me so I can upload them next week, also. Then ... publication the first or second week of August! And Many Rivers Harbor will be officially launched.
- Work on On Target.
- Work on Murder by the Mile.
- Work on Tales from Bethlehem.
- Keep up on the household chores.
- My roomie's oldest grandson Michael will be visiting Thursday-Saturday. Not sure how much work I will be getting done during those days, but I'm going to try to keep a schedule.
- Writers group on Saturday. Our assignment is to write a book blurb or bring a book with a blurb that made us want to read the book. I suggested the assignment. Do you have any excellent blurbs that you seen or written? Share!
- Continue to fight the danged black dog.
Hope y'all had a good week and have a great next week!
This week:
- Watched the production process for Secret of the Pack Rat's Nest. I should receive a proof copy Monday. Scheduled publication date: August.
- Worked on On Target. Scheduled publication date: September.
- Worked on Murder by the Mile. Scheduled publication date: October.
- Worked on Tales from Bethlehem. Scheduled publication date: November.
- Ate out a couple of times with friends.
- Swam two times.
- Walked two times.
- Mostly kept my low carb diet. And the scales showed I've lost another 9 pounds since the last time I weighed, which was back in June. So I'm losing about 5-9 pounds a month. This means I only have another year or year and a half before I'm at a healthy weight. Geez. I shouldn't have done that math! :)
- And Saturday -- today -- was a good productive day. I vacuumed the house, cleaned the kitchen, did three loads of laundry, dusted, swam, walked, went to Goodwill where I was hugged by Anna and Debbie, went to Walmart where I was hugged by Mary and Patti, talked on the phone to Wendy and Gail (not at the same time), found a bookcase for a project I'm working on, ate at La Fiesta, now home for evening to write, write, write! What more could anyone ask? :)
Next week:
- Deliver the proof copy to the author. I hope she returns corrections to me so I can upload them next week, also. Then ... publication the first or second week of August! And Many Rivers Harbor will be officially launched.
- Work on On Target.
- Work on Murder by the Mile.
- Work on Tales from Bethlehem.
- Keep up on the household chores.
- My roomie's oldest grandson Michael will be visiting Thursday-Saturday. Not sure how much work I will be getting done during those days, but I'm going to try to keep a schedule.
- Writers group on Saturday. Our assignment is to write a book blurb or bring a book with a blurb that made us want to read the book. I suggested the assignment. Do you have any excellent blurbs that you seen or written? Share!
- Continue to fight the danged black dog.
Hope y'all had a good week and have a great next week!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Still Alive
Everything here is pretty good, other than we're implementing some very extreme measures (specifically Bill is removing the modem cable and taking it to work with him) so that all three of us don't waste spend as much time online. I've cut my online presence to the bone - less likely to be distracted by a nice juicy link if I'm not in any of my hot-spots to begin with - and so far it's working well. SPORE is nearly half done, which is pretty cool. Health is good, family is good, haven't sewn much of anything, pets are fine, all in all things are just fine.
I'm sorry I'm such a ghost, but I am checking email daily and, occasionally, commenting on posts, tweets, etc. My daily online time is limited to just 2 hours right after supper (along with cleaning up after said supper, family time, etc) and a little time late at night, so I'm not good for much interaction or blogging.
Anyway, I'm good and I hope you all are doing well too.
Keep your chin up, Stephen!! {{huggs}}
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Good and bad and plans
Last week was filled with both good and bad.
Good included:
- The first book I'm publishing through Many Rivers Harbor was sent to the publisher Friday night. We should have a proof by the first of next week (July 23-25). After that is proofed and resubmitted, the book should be out the first week of August. I hope. The book looks good -- which is my primary responsibility. I really like the cover and the interior design. Whether or not it will sell for her, I have no idea. I will be doing a bit of promotion for her, but she purchased the basic package, which doesn't include a lot of extras. She also paid the other half Friday afternoon. Woohoo for money! I can pay three bills out of that half.
- I published and mailed the July issue of the family newsletter.
- Household chores.
- Ate lunch with a couple of friends.
- Gave the program Saturday morning for the writers group. It was well received. They even applauded, which was embarrassing but gratifying, too.
- Got my new computer almost to the place it needs to be. And found a new card program. Have to convert all the old cards to the new format, which is going to be quite a chore, but at least I will be able to do so.
Bad included:
- Didn't walk at the gym. Not even once. My excuse was that I was really scrambling to meet my deadlines on the first book -- I lost a week due to my computer dying -- and it took a lot of my time, but I could have fit in exercising if I had really tried.
- Black dog is making everything hard.
- Didn't swim, either. Not even once.
- Watched too much TV.
- Drank too many Diet Dr Peppers. I really do believe soda is bad, but I craved the caffeine. Still do.
- The second book I was publishing has stalled. The author can't seem to clear his schedule to work on the proof. He's given me a few changes, but he has more. And this week, he's gone to camp with his church. Just in a holding pattern there
- Third client that I had lined up ... backed out. Didn't want to pay me. He thought that I could maybe work with him on the weekends on his book. He'd take me out to eat a few times as payment. And of course, he'd give me credit in the book. I politely, but firmly turned him down. I may eventually move into a more traditional mode with Many Rivers Harbor, particularly with books I really think will sell, but not right now. I can't afford to do so. Also, I've figured out that it takes about 40 hours to publish a book. I don't have the hours to give away free.
- Gained four pounds. Lord help me.
This week, I plan:
- Finish what I can on the second book.
- Call a couple of people who expressed interest in publishing with Many Rivers Harbor and see if I can get them lined up.
- Work on Murder by the Mile. Right now, I'm cutting things out. I had too much story going on. Relationships, murders, blackmail, embezzlement, a wedding, three funerals, a divorce, a marathon, a city council meeting ... even I was getting lost. I'm losing words, but the book is gaining a better shape. And the reader will be able to follow the story without having to resort to a scorecard.
- Household chores.
- Walk at least three dang times.
- Swim at least three dang times.
- Stop drinking so much Diet Dr Pepper.
- Try to get more rest.
- Watch my diet!
- Figure out some way to get the black dog to let go of my throat.
I hope y'all have a great week.
Good included:
- The first book I'm publishing through Many Rivers Harbor was sent to the publisher Friday night. We should have a proof by the first of next week (July 23-25). After that is proofed and resubmitted, the book should be out the first week of August. I hope. The book looks good -- which is my primary responsibility. I really like the cover and the interior design. Whether or not it will sell for her, I have no idea. I will be doing a bit of promotion for her, but she purchased the basic package, which doesn't include a lot of extras. She also paid the other half Friday afternoon. Woohoo for money! I can pay three bills out of that half.
- I published and mailed the July issue of the family newsletter.
- Household chores.
- Ate lunch with a couple of friends.
- Gave the program Saturday morning for the writers group. It was well received. They even applauded, which was embarrassing but gratifying, too.
- Got my new computer almost to the place it needs to be. And found a new card program. Have to convert all the old cards to the new format, which is going to be quite a chore, but at least I will be able to do so.
Bad included:
- Didn't walk at the gym. Not even once. My excuse was that I was really scrambling to meet my deadlines on the first book -- I lost a week due to my computer dying -- and it took a lot of my time, but I could have fit in exercising if I had really tried.
- Black dog is making everything hard.
- Didn't swim, either. Not even once.
- Watched too much TV.
- Drank too many Diet Dr Peppers. I really do believe soda is bad, but I craved the caffeine. Still do.
- The second book I was publishing has stalled. The author can't seem to clear his schedule to work on the proof. He's given me a few changes, but he has more. And this week, he's gone to camp with his church. Just in a holding pattern there
- Third client that I had lined up ... backed out. Didn't want to pay me. He thought that I could maybe work with him on the weekends on his book. He'd take me out to eat a few times as payment. And of course, he'd give me credit in the book. I politely, but firmly turned him down. I may eventually move into a more traditional mode with Many Rivers Harbor, particularly with books I really think will sell, but not right now. I can't afford to do so. Also, I've figured out that it takes about 40 hours to publish a book. I don't have the hours to give away free.
- Gained four pounds. Lord help me.
This week, I plan:
- Finish what I can on the second book.
- Call a couple of people who expressed interest in publishing with Many Rivers Harbor and see if I can get them lined up.
- Work on Murder by the Mile. Right now, I'm cutting things out. I had too much story going on. Relationships, murders, blackmail, embezzlement, a wedding, three funerals, a divorce, a marathon, a city council meeting ... even I was getting lost. I'm losing words, but the book is gaining a better shape. And the reader will be able to follow the story without having to resort to a scorecard.
- Household chores.
- Walk at least three dang times.
- Swim at least three dang times.
- Stop drinking so much Diet Dr Pepper.
- Try to get more rest.
- Watch my diet!
- Figure out some way to get the black dog to let go of my throat.
I hope y'all have a great week.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Wendy's Week
Good Stuff:
- Swam 3 times.
- Started plotting the book I was researching in RI, mostly as a Busman's Holiday from the current WIP.
- Remembered to go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. No cavities!
- Stopped taking my ADD meds, and I haven't noticed a marked difference in my cognitive state. I get distracted a little more easily than I did, but I expected that and am compensating with sticky notes.
- Finally got Eric to go to the farmers' market in St Louis. It's a good two blocks long in a fixed site (since 1779) and open-year around, and it still took me almost 8 years to get him to go with me! We got the best prime rib sliced into steaks for dinner tonight. Of course, Alex is home, so there are no left-overs.
- Took the kids with me to the St. Andrew social (dinner and drinks with friends from a Scottish society). Alex's girlfriend, Emma, ended up tagging along, and my friends didn't scare her. :-) Of course, we've known Emma for years, so I was pretty sure they wouldn't. She and Vicky were in the same confirmation class at church. It's odd that we've been in one place long enough to have developed history.
- Cleaned up my office. I was looking for a specific notebook. Cleaning was more of a by-product since I never found the notebook.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Despite tracking food, exercising, and having points left over at the end of the week, I gained a couple of pounds. I have been sugar bingeing in frustration. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are my new best friend, and that has to stop. Now.
- Apparently, the energy burst that was the catalyst for getting off the ADD meds was a fluke. Energy and concentration have not improved the way I had hoped. I'm trying out a magnesium supplement to see if that helps.
This Week:
- Back off the daggone sugar! Ice cream every day is not a necessity!
- Swim at least 3 times.
- Don't forget to go to lunch with Diana. Ditto Jen's art show.
- Finish wedding petticoat. Figure out what fabric to use for the short gown that will go with it. (Yes, when I get the whole get-up done, I'll put it on and post pics.)
- Work on either of the two books.
- Varnish the camp bed pieces, preferably before it gets back up to 100*.
- Swam 3 times.
- Started plotting the book I was researching in RI, mostly as a Busman's Holiday from the current WIP.
- Remembered to go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. No cavities!
- Stopped taking my ADD meds, and I haven't noticed a marked difference in my cognitive state. I get distracted a little more easily than I did, but I expected that and am compensating with sticky notes.
- Finally got Eric to go to the farmers' market in St Louis. It's a good two blocks long in a fixed site (since 1779) and open-year around, and it still took me almost 8 years to get him to go with me! We got the best prime rib sliced into steaks for dinner tonight. Of course, Alex is home, so there are no left-overs.
- Took the kids with me to the St. Andrew social (dinner and drinks with friends from a Scottish society). Alex's girlfriend, Emma, ended up tagging along, and my friends didn't scare her. :-) Of course, we've known Emma for years, so I was pretty sure they wouldn't. She and Vicky were in the same confirmation class at church. It's odd that we've been in one place long enough to have developed history.
- Cleaned up my office. I was looking for a specific notebook. Cleaning was more of a by-product since I never found the notebook.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Despite tracking food, exercising, and having points left over at the end of the week, I gained a couple of pounds. I have been sugar bingeing in frustration. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are my new best friend, and that has to stop. Now.
- Apparently, the energy burst that was the catalyst for getting off the ADD meds was a fluke. Energy and concentration have not improved the way I had hoped. I'm trying out a magnesium supplement to see if that helps.
This Week:
- Back off the daggone sugar! Ice cream every day is not a necessity!
- Swim at least 3 times.
- Don't forget to go to lunch with Diana. Ditto Jen's art show.
- Finish wedding petticoat. Figure out what fabric to use for the short gown that will go with it. (Yes, when I get the whole get-up done, I'll put it on and post pics.)
- Work on either of the two books.
- Varnish the camp bed pieces, preferably before it gets back up to 100*.
Jean's Mid-July
Yes! We got rain on Wednesday. Enough for flash flooding in San Antonio, but where we live, the grass just grew in gratitude. So I got to mow this morning. Thankfully, I mowed when we were here for the fourth, or, oh, my, I hate to think how tall it would have been.
The Good Stuff:
- I've trimmed two hedges and mowed the front lawn
- I did a Hangout on G+ for the first time on Thursday while working with Margaret on some changes for FM. Whew. Six hours to make several small changes in site usability.
- I got the base sticker for hubby's new truck (but they aren't needed anymore for any of the San Antonio bases).
- My back has mostly unlocked, and I've been able to do most everything I need to do since Tuesday.
- I attended a friend's change of command on Friday (he turned the reigns over to a new guy). He and his daughter celebrated by going to dinner at a local burger place and invited me (his wife is in DC househunting this week). Haven't seen his daughter since his incoming change of command ceremony two years ago. Both his daughters are neat people, so it was good to catch up (the older daughter is away at college).
- Blog posts are coming along well. I prefer the revised schedule to my original one.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I did a lousy job tracking this week and gained a couple of pounds.
- I hope this back stuff isn't related to something discovered at my annual exam (I have an appointment set up for the end of the month, and I'll be asking if it might be related). If you want more specific info, email me. Stephen, I'll spare you the details. You really aren't interested at this point.
- PBOTL has been haunting me from it's bag on the chair beside me. I think my problem is I've encountered a philosophical problem with the whole concept as Inuit and her life developed. There's too much room for animal rights discussion in this book, and I do not believe animals have the same rights as humans. I don't want to convey that impression (challenging when the bear is attempting to live as a human, I know). This is a fundamental part of the book, and I must resolve it. Is the book unfinishable? Am I taking this whole light-hearted thing too seriously? I don't have a serious antagonist in the book other than Inuit overcoming her challenges. Is this an opportunity to provide a serious antagonist? Do I abandon or figure it out? Will it change the story too much and take it away from my original idea? Is that a problem? Not working on it won't solve that, but I can't continue merrily along my way and ignore this either.
The Week Ahead:
- Work through PBOTL issues
- Mow back yard, trim and edge front yard, trim corner hedge, trim patio hedge, weed in back yard
- Service the hot tub
- Haircut, renew driver license, renew truck sticker, take truck in for four-wheel alignment. I got a sheet at the last service saying it needed it, but the service rep subbing for my sick rep didn't bother to ask me what I wanted them to do about it, so I have to ask mine what it means -- and probably have them do it. According to the report, it's just outside tolerance--odd for a vehicle with less than 12,000 miles on it.
Tammy, we miss you, but I don't want you to break any rhythm you've just established to update us.
The Good Stuff:
- I've trimmed two hedges and mowed the front lawn
- I did a Hangout on G+ for the first time on Thursday while working with Margaret on some changes for FM. Whew. Six hours to make several small changes in site usability.
- I got the base sticker for hubby's new truck (but they aren't needed anymore for any of the San Antonio bases).
- My back has mostly unlocked, and I've been able to do most everything I need to do since Tuesday.
- I attended a friend's change of command on Friday (he turned the reigns over to a new guy). He and his daughter celebrated by going to dinner at a local burger place and invited me (his wife is in DC househunting this week). Haven't seen his daughter since his incoming change of command ceremony two years ago. Both his daughters are neat people, so it was good to catch up (the older daughter is away at college).
- Blog posts are coming along well. I prefer the revised schedule to my original one.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I did a lousy job tracking this week and gained a couple of pounds.
- I hope this back stuff isn't related to something discovered at my annual exam (I have an appointment set up for the end of the month, and I'll be asking if it might be related). If you want more specific info, email me. Stephen, I'll spare you the details. You really aren't interested at this point.
- PBOTL has been haunting me from it's bag on the chair beside me. I think my problem is I've encountered a philosophical problem with the whole concept as Inuit and her life developed. There's too much room for animal rights discussion in this book, and I do not believe animals have the same rights as humans. I don't want to convey that impression (challenging when the bear is attempting to live as a human, I know). This is a fundamental part of the book, and I must resolve it. Is the book unfinishable? Am I taking this whole light-hearted thing too seriously? I don't have a serious antagonist in the book other than Inuit overcoming her challenges. Is this an opportunity to provide a serious antagonist? Do I abandon or figure it out? Will it change the story too much and take it away from my original idea? Is that a problem? Not working on it won't solve that, but I can't continue merrily along my way and ignore this either.
The Week Ahead:
- Work through PBOTL issues
- Mow back yard, trim and edge front yard, trim corner hedge, trim patio hedge, weed in back yard
- Service the hot tub
- Haircut, renew driver license, renew truck sticker, take truck in for four-wheel alignment. I got a sheet at the last service saying it needed it, but the service rep subbing for my sick rep didn't bother to ask me what I wanted them to do about it, so I have to ask mine what it means -- and probably have them do it. According to the report, it's just outside tolerance--odd for a vehicle with less than 12,000 miles on it.
Tammy, we miss you, but I don't want you to break any rhythm you've just established to update us.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Wendy's Week--getting caught up
Last week was a lot of fun, but thoroughly disruptive. Nothing less than I expected! It's entirely possible that we may be doing this again in November over
Thanksgiving. Last year we had two of the six; this year we may have
three. That's becoming a tradition, too.
Good Stuff:
- I didn't gain as much weight as I usually do, which surprised me since I only swam once. I was a little more aware of what I was eating, but most of the time I ate what I shouldn't have anyway.
- I got some embroidery done. My kirtch (the Scottish head covering for married women) for my wedding outfit is almost finished.
- The tartan I ordered arrived. I think we'll have enough to do a great kilt and an arisaid (the girl version of the great kilt).
- My dad turned 71, and he spent the day pain-free thanks to the cortisone shot he got in his neck a few days before. He's just about resigned himself to neck surgery to correct another slipped disk and remove bone spurs, but he hasn't decided when to do it, especially now that we're renewing our vows around his potential target date.
- I took my last dose of Strattera this morning. Tomorrow is the first day with no ADD meds for about five years. Should be interesting.
- I did not over-caffeinate with the Boys here, so I don't need to work through those consequences.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I got no writing done.
- It was hotter than usual, so we stayed inside most of the time. In fact, if we were outside, we were between cool places.
- It rained around us, but not on us. My lawn is getting crunchy, and it's not supposed to do that for another month. Luckily my rain barrels were full to overflowing before the heat kicked in so I can still water the garden with rain water. The plants like that better than city water.
This week:
- Write.
- Swim.
- Track my food and try to get my weight back to where it was before I went to Newport.
- Explore new ways to keep the ADOB (Attention Deficit--Ooooh! Butterfly!) at bay. I have noticed an increased tendency to go down rabbit holes as I've weaned off my meds.
Good Stuff:
- I didn't gain as much weight as I usually do, which surprised me since I only swam once. I was a little more aware of what I was eating, but most of the time I ate what I shouldn't have anyway.
- I got some embroidery done. My kirtch (the Scottish head covering for married women) for my wedding outfit is almost finished.
- The tartan I ordered arrived. I think we'll have enough to do a great kilt and an arisaid (the girl version of the great kilt).
- My dad turned 71, and he spent the day pain-free thanks to the cortisone shot he got in his neck a few days before. He's just about resigned himself to neck surgery to correct another slipped disk and remove bone spurs, but he hasn't decided when to do it, especially now that we're renewing our vows around his potential target date.
- I took my last dose of Strattera this morning. Tomorrow is the first day with no ADD meds for about five years. Should be interesting.
- I did not over-caffeinate with the Boys here, so I don't need to work through those consequences.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I got no writing done.
- It was hotter than usual, so we stayed inside most of the time. In fact, if we were outside, we were between cool places.
- It rained around us, but not on us. My lawn is getting crunchy, and it's not supposed to do that for another month. Luckily my rain barrels were full to overflowing before the heat kicked in so I can still water the garden with rain water. The plants like that better than city water.
This week:
- Write.
- Swim.
- Track my food and try to get my weight back to where it was before I went to Newport.
- Explore new ways to keep the ADOB (Attention Deficit--Ooooh! Butterfly!) at bay. I have noticed an increased tendency to go down rabbit holes as I've weaned off my meds.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Hideous, but good moments
Well, the title sums it up.
The Bad Stuff
- Working with the new computer took most of the week, but I was finally able to actually do some work the past two days. It's been hideous hard to go through this. And dang expensive. Well, not that expensive, but comparatively, it's felt that way. I have so few resources left now.
- Discovered the program I used to create the cards is one that won't work under Windrows 7. And the program is not upgradeable. Apparently a new computer purchased the program's name, and their new version does not read any of the previous versions' projects. All I have left are the proofs from the cards. (I scan the proofs to create encapsulated PDFs, which I upload to Cafepress.com.) And I can create no more proofs. Not with that program. I still have my portfolio, but whatever program I end up using, I will be re-creating them all from scratch.
- Caught a head cold or something. Achy and miserable.
- Ankle swelled for some ungodly reason, and I was unable to walk at the gym.
- Black dog caught me and won't let go.
- A good friend moved away. Of course, we will still talk on the phone, but it won't be the same.
- Blood sugar hasn't been responding as I'd like it to.
The Better Stuff
- Finally did two days of work.
- Got the second galley proof to my micro publishing customer.
- Did exercise in the pool.
- Got most of the programs uploaded onto the new computer, which is faster, particularly when working with Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Premiere.
The Good Stuff
- Paid a bill with money from the micro publishing. Not from my savings. It was a small victory, but it was a victory.
- Had friends over on the Fourth for a cook-out and swim. It was good fun and great conversation and also served a going away party for my friend.
- Work on Murder by the Mile is proceeding.
The Future Stuff
- Continue to work on Murder by the Mile.
- Write a program on Creativity Unbound to give at the next writers group meeting this Saturday.
- Continue to work on the micro publishing projects and contracts.
- Find a new card publishing program that looks like it will survive for a few years.
Hope your week goes well.
The Bad Stuff
- Working with the new computer took most of the week, but I was finally able to actually do some work the past two days. It's been hideous hard to go through this. And dang expensive. Well, not that expensive, but comparatively, it's felt that way. I have so few resources left now.
- Discovered the program I used to create the cards is one that won't work under Windrows 7. And the program is not upgradeable. Apparently a new computer purchased the program's name, and their new version does not read any of the previous versions' projects. All I have left are the proofs from the cards. (I scan the proofs to create encapsulated PDFs, which I upload to Cafepress.com.) And I can create no more proofs. Not with that program. I still have my portfolio, but whatever program I end up using, I will be re-creating them all from scratch.
- Caught a head cold or something. Achy and miserable.
- Ankle swelled for some ungodly reason, and I was unable to walk at the gym.
- Black dog caught me and won't let go.
- A good friend moved away. Of course, we will still talk on the phone, but it won't be the same.
- Blood sugar hasn't been responding as I'd like it to.
The Better Stuff
- Finally did two days of work.
- Got the second galley proof to my micro publishing customer.
- Did exercise in the pool.
- Got most of the programs uploaded onto the new computer, which is faster, particularly when working with Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Premiere.
The Good Stuff
- Paid a bill with money from the micro publishing. Not from my savings. It was a small victory, but it was a victory.
- Had friends over on the Fourth for a cook-out and swim. It was good fun and great conversation and also served a going away party for my friend.
- Work on Murder by the Mile is proceeding.
The Future Stuff
- Continue to work on Murder by the Mile.
- Write a program on Creativity Unbound to give at the next writers group meeting this Saturday.
- Continue to work on the micro publishing projects and contracts.
- Find a new card publishing program that looks like it will survive for a few years.
Hope your week goes well.
Hoping for Rain in July
Yes. How silly is that? To be hoping for rain in July. In Texas. But the forecasters are teasing us with outrageous predictions of up to forty and fifty percent chances of rain. How can we not be enticed into believing it could happen?
The Good Stuff:
- The younger daughter drove up from Austin to spend yesterday afternoon and this morning with us. We enjoyed seeing her and spending time together. Tarzan refused to make an appearance even though we did catch a glimpse of him briefly yesterday evening after we went to bed. Ajax was jumpy. Lady and Natasha soaked up the attention younger daughter was thrilled to provide (she lost her last kitty almost a year ago, and she misses kitties). Natasha was remarkably relaxed and enjoyed her attentions the most.
- Enjoyed Fourth of July celebrations with friends at their annual family (and a few friends) gathering.
- Making good progress on the west wall. Nearly ready to begin priming the wall.
- Still tracking on WW (skipped a couple of days, but am back at it); weight is down a couple of pounds.
- More grass sprigs transplanted and watered. In our brief time in SA, I managed to get the yard mowed and watered, which probably saved a bit of grass that may not have made it until this week. Grass mowed and watered here in Central TX as well. Used soaker hoses to shore up some dry spots and watered the garage foundation.
- Step 1 of Anti-inflammatory is embraced.
- Blog posts are going well.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- Very little work done on PBOTL -- maybe a paragraph or two
- For some inexplicable reason, my lower back is bothering me. Will these little aches and pains never go away? (I know that answer to that. I don't like it.)
- Menu planning came out so-so. More on the fly than I would like. Still have to work through this week.
- I didn't really determine what my next dietary steps should be.
The Week Ahead:
- I think Step 2 will be making sure to keep snacking on fresh fruits and look for more ways to eat other than red meat.
- Slog a little more on PBOTL -- take it to SA with me.
- Make some time for a serious evaluation of the dietary plan. I think even the rudimentary changes I've made to date have had a positive effect. I ordered some unsalted mixed nuts, which cost more, but without the salt, it's easier not to overeat.
- Transition back to SA for a couple of weeks and more intense yard work.
- Remember to get driver license renewed on this trip back to SA.
The Good Stuff:
- The younger daughter drove up from Austin to spend yesterday afternoon and this morning with us. We enjoyed seeing her and spending time together. Tarzan refused to make an appearance even though we did catch a glimpse of him briefly yesterday evening after we went to bed. Ajax was jumpy. Lady and Natasha soaked up the attention younger daughter was thrilled to provide (she lost her last kitty almost a year ago, and she misses kitties). Natasha was remarkably relaxed and enjoyed her attentions the most.
- Enjoyed Fourth of July celebrations with friends at their annual family (and a few friends) gathering.
- Making good progress on the west wall. Nearly ready to begin priming the wall.
- Still tracking on WW (skipped a couple of days, but am back at it); weight is down a couple of pounds.
- More grass sprigs transplanted and watered. In our brief time in SA, I managed to get the yard mowed and watered, which probably saved a bit of grass that may not have made it until this week. Grass mowed and watered here in Central TX as well. Used soaker hoses to shore up some dry spots and watered the garage foundation.
- Step 1 of Anti-inflammatory is embraced.
- Blog posts are going well.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- Very little work done on PBOTL -- maybe a paragraph or two
- For some inexplicable reason, my lower back is bothering me. Will these little aches and pains never go away? (I know that answer to that. I don't like it.)
- Menu planning came out so-so. More on the fly than I would like. Still have to work through this week.
- I didn't really determine what my next dietary steps should be.
The Week Ahead:
- I think Step 2 will be making sure to keep snacking on fresh fruits and look for more ways to eat other than red meat.
- Slog a little more on PBOTL -- take it to SA with me.
- Make some time for a serious evaluation of the dietary plan. I think even the rudimentary changes I've made to date have had a positive effect. I ordered some unsalted mixed nuts, which cost more, but without the salt, it's easier not to overeat.
- Transition back to SA for a couple of weeks and more intense yard work.
- Remember to get driver license renewed on this trip back to SA.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Interesting couple of days
Been an interesting couple of days. And by interesting, I mean gut-wrenching. There's a long story behind this, but basically my desktop computer -- the one I use to edit books and make covers and live my life on -- begin to die. And die hard.
I reloaded drivers and the operating system and took expansion cards out and talked to four different technicians and paid over $235 to do so. But nothing worked. My seven-year-old system was "outdated," my operating system (XP) was "outdated," the computer's motherboard and BIOS couldn't be updated because it was "outdated." All the techs acted amazed that my system was still limping on.
So ... yesterday I went to Staples and a bought a computer. It's pretty basic, but it will run Photoshop Elements and my other graphic programs, and it does have Word and Publisher. I'm back online.
My old system is still sitting on the kitchen table. I'm going to raid it for as many components that function as I can. Then I'm going to try to convert it to a Linux system. I always wanted to try to do that, and I hate losing the old system completely. And it did last long enough for me to move the majority of my data to USB drives and to cloud storage. I'm very attached to that old system -- yes, I know it's a machine, but it served long and well -- so I'm going to try to give it an afterlife.
Anyway, I can finish my book project for Many Rivers Harbor, so that's good. I met with the author Saturday, and she gave me her first set of corrections. I intended to enter them into the proof this weekend. Didn't get that done yet, but will. She was very pleased with the book and with my prelim cover for her book. Going to give her the second proof this week. After that, a book proof. Then the book itself, and I get paid the other half. Woohoo! Seriously.
This coming week, I'm going to:
- Finish the second proof copy of her book and deliver it to her.
- Make another cover. My contract specifies I will design two for her to choose from.
- Have friends over on the Fourth for a little cook out and swim.
- Blog every day on Harbor Street. I've been inspired by Jean, who has one of my heroes practically from the first time we talked.
- Continue to move material onto the new computer.
- Walk three times.
- Continue low carb diet. It's really made a difference in my weight and blood sugar levels.
- Write 250 words a day on Murder by the Mile.
- Continue to do a few things with On Target, but I'm mostly waiting for him now. It's taking him weeks to proof the book. I don't know why. I hope he's not rewriting it. I'd like to get it finished and off my desk by September.
And that's my plan. Hope you have a great week and are having a great Sunday.
I reloaded drivers and the operating system and took expansion cards out and talked to four different technicians and paid over $235 to do so. But nothing worked. My seven-year-old system was "outdated," my operating system (XP) was "outdated," the computer's motherboard and BIOS couldn't be updated because it was "outdated." All the techs acted amazed that my system was still limping on.
So ... yesterday I went to Staples and a bought a computer. It's pretty basic, but it will run Photoshop Elements and my other graphic programs, and it does have Word and Publisher. I'm back online.
My old system is still sitting on the kitchen table. I'm going to raid it for as many components that function as I can. Then I'm going to try to convert it to a Linux system. I always wanted to try to do that, and I hate losing the old system completely. And it did last long enough for me to move the majority of my data to USB drives and to cloud storage. I'm very attached to that old system -- yes, I know it's a machine, but it served long and well -- so I'm going to try to give it an afterlife.
Anyway, I can finish my book project for Many Rivers Harbor, so that's good. I met with the author Saturday, and she gave me her first set of corrections. I intended to enter them into the proof this weekend. Didn't get that done yet, but will. She was very pleased with the book and with my prelim cover for her book. Going to give her the second proof this week. After that, a book proof. Then the book itself, and I get paid the other half. Woohoo! Seriously.
This coming week, I'm going to:
- Finish the second proof copy of her book and deliver it to her.
- Make another cover. My contract specifies I will design two for her to choose from.
- Have friends over on the Fourth for a little cook out and swim.
- Blog every day on Harbor Street. I've been inspired by Jean, who has one of my heroes practically from the first time we talked.
- Continue to move material onto the new computer.
- Walk three times.
- Continue low carb diet. It's really made a difference in my weight and blood sugar levels.
- Write 250 words a day on Murder by the Mile.
- Continue to do a few things with On Target, but I'm mostly waiting for him now. It's taking him weeks to proof the book. I don't know why. I hope he's not rewriting it. I'd like to get it finished and off my desk by September.
And that's my plan. Hope you have a great week and are having a great Sunday.
Wendy's Week, the second toasty version
The game is afoot. The Boys arrived yesterday and, as usual, it's like we have been together all along. I treasure friends like that.
Good Stuff:
- Swam 4 times. Came to the conclusion that the days I don't feel like swimming are the ones I need to swim longer than usual.
- Finished the housework about mid-day Friday. That's got to be some kind of record.
- Vicky made chocolate chip cookies Friday afternoon. I didn't get mad at her when the cookie dishes were still on the counter Friday evening when Chad arrived. It's not like he hasn't seen my house at its worst!
- Wrote a little over 4,000 words. I thought, earlier in the week, that it was more, but I was counting part of one day's words twice. Hate when that happens!
- I'm down to a half dose of ADD meds. There have been a few instances of zoning out, mostly when I'm thinking through a scene, but overall I'm not noticing any more lack of focus than I had on a full dose. The zoning out has also occurred during my off-peak times, which makes it less worrisome.
- My friend in CO Springs who had to evacuate during the Waldo Canyon fire found out her home is safe. They had some smoke damage so they're not moved back in, but it's a step in the right direction. She's contacting restoration experts and calling it research.
- Alex is home for a few weeks. Vicky delayed moving in with her boyfriend until next week. In two weeks, Alex and I will begin repainting the upstairs bathroom--the one Vicky painted red. We call it the Manson Family Bathroom.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Oddly, I got nothing. There are things I'm not happy with (potential weight gain this week, the ever present allergies, writing productivity, Vicky moving in with the BF), but I'm aware of them and doing what I can. Going over them yet again will only frustrate us all.
- It's ridiculously hot, as I'm sure it is where you live. Can't do a thing about that except stay inside as much as possible.
This week:
- Enjoy my time with the Boys and my kids. See some movies, hang out, pick on each other.
Hope you all have as good a week as I'm going to.
Good Stuff:
- Swam 4 times. Came to the conclusion that the days I don't feel like swimming are the ones I need to swim longer than usual.
- Finished the housework about mid-day Friday. That's got to be some kind of record.
- Vicky made chocolate chip cookies Friday afternoon. I didn't get mad at her when the cookie dishes were still on the counter Friday evening when Chad arrived. It's not like he hasn't seen my house at its worst!
- Wrote a little over 4,000 words. I thought, earlier in the week, that it was more, but I was counting part of one day's words twice. Hate when that happens!
- I'm down to a half dose of ADD meds. There have been a few instances of zoning out, mostly when I'm thinking through a scene, but overall I'm not noticing any more lack of focus than I had on a full dose. The zoning out has also occurred during my off-peak times, which makes it less worrisome.
- My friend in CO Springs who had to evacuate during the Waldo Canyon fire found out her home is safe. They had some smoke damage so they're not moved back in, but it's a step in the right direction. She's contacting restoration experts and calling it research.
- Alex is home for a few weeks. Vicky delayed moving in with her boyfriend until next week. In two weeks, Alex and I will begin repainting the upstairs bathroom--the one Vicky painted red. We call it the Manson Family Bathroom.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Oddly, I got nothing. There are things I'm not happy with (potential weight gain this week, the ever present allergies, writing productivity, Vicky moving in with the BF), but I'm aware of them and doing what I can. Going over them yet again will only frustrate us all.
- It's ridiculously hot, as I'm sure it is where you live. Can't do a thing about that except stay inside as much as possible.
This week:
- Enjoy my time with the Boys and my kids. See some movies, hang out, pick on each other.
Hope you all have as good a week as I'm going to.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Half Way.
Yes, we're half way through 2012. I'm not sure if that's something to be excited about or not. Probably a good time for reflection. I looked back on my goals for this year, and I see trouble. As with the year, this week was a mixed bag.
The Good Stuff:
- I did track on WW
- I did finish sanding the back of the garage (this afternoon)
- I got a few blog posts scheduled, but the whole schedule looks overwhelming. I'm not sure where I want to trim it. Maybe the posts I'm avoiding?
- I did get a little work done for PBOTL. Maybe a couple of pages. I want to pick up the pace.
- I think it's too early to credit the anti-inflammatory efforts, but my knees have felt a little better this week. If I concentrate on it, I've been able to walk up and down stairs mostly normally -- not the one step and one leg at a time toddler walk I've been able to do recently. In fact, I've had to retrain myself to try to walk it normally, because I mostly can.
- I stuck with Step 1+ on the anti-inflammatory diet. No soft drinks. Instead of fried chicken on Tuesday night, I picked up the roasted chicken version (which, frankly, I prefer anyway, but I didn't know they had it until last time I was in there).
- Nurse Practioner thinks my thumb has been aggravated by the work we're doing on the house and issued me a brace with a thumb spika. She said to wear it while I was working, but that renders work impossible, so I'm wearing it to bed at night.
2012 Good Stuff:
- Hubby and my relationship is mostly in a pretty good place, but I'm feeling picked on by him lately. He claims he's trying to get me to laugh?? Mostly, he's making me feel unliked. Does that sound contradictory? I hope you understand what I mean.
- Although my progress on PBOTL has slowed, it is still progressing
- Durant's History of Civilization reading is progressing
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I still didn't ride the bike or squeegee the shop windows.
- I didn't make additional progress on planning Step 2 of anti-inflammation
2012 Not So Good Stuff:
- I said I planned to participate more at Forward Motion. I just don't see it happening. I'm not sure if coasting along there like I am is fine, or if something needs to change. I suppose if I quit worrying about it and just do what I do, that would be fine.
- I'm not really making better use of my on line time, and that may be why the planned blog schedule isn't sitting well with me -- it's ambitious, but is it really a worthwhile use of my time? Maybe not.
- I'm reminded that I planned to study the craft of storytelling, and that has slipped by the wayside.
- I'm getting the Federalist Papers installments, but I'm mostly skimming them and filing them. They are not engaging reading.
The Week Ahead:
- Continue tracking WW. I finished the week with all my activity points intact and even two of my weekly points remaining, but I didn't lose any weight. Chalking that up to just the way things are.
- Get the meals planned.
- Monitor points on Independence Day. We've been invited to some friends' for their annual get together, which always has yummy stuff. I think I can balance things out okay. Not going to worry too much.
- Plan Step 2 of Anti-Inflammation
- Work on PBOTL
- Do the blog posts and modify the schedule as needed to find the balance I'm looking for
The Good Stuff:
- I did track on WW
- I did finish sanding the back of the garage (this afternoon)
- I got a few blog posts scheduled, but the whole schedule looks overwhelming. I'm not sure where I want to trim it. Maybe the posts I'm avoiding?
- I did get a little work done for PBOTL. Maybe a couple of pages. I want to pick up the pace.
- I think it's too early to credit the anti-inflammatory efforts, but my knees have felt a little better this week. If I concentrate on it, I've been able to walk up and down stairs mostly normally -- not the one step and one leg at a time toddler walk I've been able to do recently. In fact, I've had to retrain myself to try to walk it normally, because I mostly can.
- I stuck with Step 1+ on the anti-inflammatory diet. No soft drinks. Instead of fried chicken on Tuesday night, I picked up the roasted chicken version (which, frankly, I prefer anyway, but I didn't know they had it until last time I was in there).
- Nurse Practioner thinks my thumb has been aggravated by the work we're doing on the house and issued me a brace with a thumb spika. She said to wear it while I was working, but that renders work impossible, so I'm wearing it to bed at night.
2012 Good Stuff:
- Hubby and my relationship is mostly in a pretty good place, but I'm feeling picked on by him lately. He claims he's trying to get me to laugh?? Mostly, he's making me feel unliked. Does that sound contradictory? I hope you understand what I mean.
- Although my progress on PBOTL has slowed, it is still progressing
- Durant's History of Civilization reading is progressing
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I still didn't ride the bike or squeegee the shop windows.
- I didn't make additional progress on planning Step 2 of anti-inflammation
2012 Not So Good Stuff:
- I said I planned to participate more at Forward Motion. I just don't see it happening. I'm not sure if coasting along there like I am is fine, or if something needs to change. I suppose if I quit worrying about it and just do what I do, that would be fine.
- I'm not really making better use of my on line time, and that may be why the planned blog schedule isn't sitting well with me -- it's ambitious, but is it really a worthwhile use of my time? Maybe not.
- I'm reminded that I planned to study the craft of storytelling, and that has slipped by the wayside.
- I'm getting the Federalist Papers installments, but I'm mostly skimming them and filing them. They are not engaging reading.
The Week Ahead:
- Continue tracking WW. I finished the week with all my activity points intact and even two of my weekly points remaining, but I didn't lose any weight. Chalking that up to just the way things are.
- Get the meals planned.
- Monitor points on Independence Day. We've been invited to some friends' for their annual get together, which always has yummy stuff. I think I can balance things out okay. Not going to worry too much.
- Plan Step 2 of Anti-Inflammation
- Work on PBOTL
- Do the blog posts and modify the schedule as needed to find the balance I'm looking for
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Oops!
Oops! Meant to post Sunday. Didn't. Then Monday. Didn't. But am posting today. I might not get points, but I hope I get no demerits.
Last week:
- Worked on Murder by the Mile, On Target, and a new project.
- Walked three times.
- Rode bike at home twice.
- Paid bills, kept up on household chores, worked on pool. Pool, by the way, is up, and filter is going. Should be able to get into pool this evening or tomorrow.
This week:
- Work on Murder by the Mile, On Target, and Secret of the Pack Rat's Nest. The last is my new project, but I didn't write it. I'm publishing it for a client. Yes, client. My micro-publishing venture has its first real customer. We met Monday at the library and signed the contract. She paid me half down. The rest comes as various steps get completed. I figured it would take me around 30-40 hours to complete the project. I probably charged too little, but I'll know better after I get this book under my belt. By the way, my MPV is named Many Rivers Harbor Publishing. I'm excited, worried, etc. Very pleased to have actually made a little money. I don't know where this will go or what I can do with it, but maybe it's something I can do.
- Household chores.
- Walk three times.
- Ride bike twice.
- Swim in pool several times!
And that's what I did and I'm doing and going to do. Hope you are keeping cool. It's 97 degrees here. A bit warm even for me.
Last week:
- Worked on Murder by the Mile, On Target, and a new project.
- Walked three times.
- Rode bike at home twice.
- Paid bills, kept up on household chores, worked on pool. Pool, by the way, is up, and filter is going. Should be able to get into pool this evening or tomorrow.
This week:
- Work on Murder by the Mile, On Target, and Secret of the Pack Rat's Nest. The last is my new project, but I didn't write it. I'm publishing it for a client. Yes, client. My micro-publishing venture has its first real customer. We met Monday at the library and signed the contract. She paid me half down. The rest comes as various steps get completed. I figured it would take me around 30-40 hours to complete the project. I probably charged too little, but I'll know better after I get this book under my belt. By the way, my MPV is named Many Rivers Harbor Publishing. I'm excited, worried, etc. Very pleased to have actually made a little money. I don't know where this will go or what I can do with it, but maybe it's something I can do.
- Household chores.
- Walk three times.
- Ride bike twice.
- Swim in pool several times!
And that's what I did and I'm doing and going to do. Hope you are keeping cool. It's 97 degrees here. A bit warm even for me.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tam's Week 25
Yes, I know I'm late, and I missed week 24 completely. Aaargh!!
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- Finished Chapter 9 (Sorry, Stephen, still have about 2/3 of the book to go)
- Been exercising with Richard. 4 times last week!
- Down again to where I was - finally defeated the bloat! Woot!
- Went to my 30 year high school class reunion. It was actually kinda fun.
- Saw BRAVE, which was awesome.
- Cooked every day last week, well, other than when we were staying over in Des Moines
- Hung out with my mom
- Got myself a few new shirts, that I desperately need!
- We're down to four cats. Much calmer around here - and less hairy. ;)
- Life, life, life, and did I mention, LIFE? Nothing big or wrong or even important. It's just summer busy, ya know? Ooop, we're outta milk. Ooop! Bill needs 3/4" Pex pipe. Ooop! Laura's putting in an app at the courthouse. Ooop! Low on diapers. Ooop! Dr appointment. Where'd that cat go? Has anyone seen my sunglasses? Lawn needs mowed. Move money between accounts. Supper! Don't forget to thaw something for supper!! Reunion. Replumbing dad's house. Charm swap. Wedding Reception. Graduation. All with a 7mo old baby grabbing everything. So, um, yeah, life. ;)
- Sewed a halloween table runner for an auction item at the quilt show. Just the top, but that's something.
- Got my wedding ring resized so I can wear it again.
- Got a sun tea jar that - so far - isn't leaking all over the refrigerator.
Just Is
- No word from either agent. Yet. Still very positive and upbeat.
- Spent more money than I should have. Clothes. Hotel. Eating out at the reunion and while in DM. The bookstore. You get the idea. It's like I set a budget then totally toss it out the window.
- Chapter 9 FOUGHT ME. One scene, anyway, where Sean and a reporter butt heads. Took me 5 or six tries, from scratch, to get it to work. I'm not very good at making little tweaks if a scene isn't working, I have to rip it all out and start over. Thankfully most of this book is coming along like it should and not laying there dead and stinky like that scene with the reporter wanted to.
- We have mold. Somewhere. In the upstairs bathroom. Bill's currently thinking under the floor/on the kitchen ceiling because, maybe, a year ago when we redid the bathroom the one little leak we had didn't get dried out properly before everything got sealed back up. While I have the utmost confidence that Bill can locate, rip out, and repair whatever moldy damage there is, I'm not looking forward to having my kitchen or bathroom (or both!) partially gutted while I'm struggling to stay on top of life. And there's a baby in the mix. And I'm on book. But we can't have secret mold either - we can smell it, just can't see it. So, um, yeah. Fun times.
for This Week:
- Write
- Stay positive
- Be thankful. I have an amazing life!
Have a good week, everyone. {{huggs}}
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Wendy's Week
Good Stuff:
- Swam 3 times.
- Wrote 4800 words. It's more words than I had last week. I'm done whining about not doing enough.
- Realized I need to take a wider view of my writing career. My ultimate goal is to finance our travel after Eric retires. That's in 20 years if they don't raise the social security age, assuming social security is still around, which will surprise me. It is probably safe to say that if I do nothing but write and focus on perfecting the craft for the next 5 years or so, it will be time well spent. Never mind that I've been fiddling with it for 15 years. That's then. I need to focus on now and later. The plan is to focus less on pitching and more on stock-piling manuscripts that I can polish and send to an agent when the current trends come back around. I can't tell you what a relief that was.
- Made a good start on the downstairs. Of course, it's not staying done.
- Forgot to take my meds the other day and I was zippier that morning than I have been for a long time. That leads me to believe that it's either the ADD or allergy pill that's making me tired. I've been thinking about dropping the ADD pill for quite a while, and since my allergies have been so bad, I'm not willing yet to go off to see if my energy comes back up. I'm weaning off the ADD meds now and should be off completely in a few weeks. I'm exploring essential oils as a replacement, hopefully for both. Sure was nice to go a few hours without feeling like I could fall asleep.
- Finally got in touch with the pastor who is going to renew our vows.
- Put the top of our new tent up in the back yard and inventoried all the pieces to make sure we have everything. Odd to see most of our tax return strewn across the bad yard! The added side benefit is that it's all stowed with the rest of the gear now and not in the middle of the garage, so I have a clear path to the trash cans now.
- Eric got summoned for Federal Jury Duty in August. This part fits under Not So Good, too, because in his current job (at least until he gets hired permanently in Oct) he would have to take unpaid leave to sit on a jury. The good news is they've deferred him until January when, hopefully, the job will continue to pay him while he serves. If nothing else, it gives us a few months to prepare.
- I only had to drive Vicky to school on Monday. She decided she didn't need the Vicodin anymore, that the ibuprofen would handle the residual pain.
- Saved .22 cents a gallon on gas by buying it in St. Louis.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I'm done whining about my writing and how I'm still trying to climb out of the Pit Of Despair.
- Still have a long way to go on the house and a week now to do it. Yes! I have successfully procrastinated reunion preparations again!
- I can't take Eric's jury duty. I was willing. The $40 a day plus mileage would have been great! But the lady at the courthouse was insistent that it's Eric's turn. It's a little sad when you get excited about the possibility of jury duty because it's a source of income!
This Week:
- Finish the house. No, really, finish it this time. Alex will be home Friday, and everyone else will be here Saturday. (Everyone else being only 3 of the Boys. Smaller crowd this time, but good quality!)
- Start making lists of stuff to prep for the rendezvous.
- Grocery shop for the reunion. This might include a Sam's run.
- Swam 3 times.
- Wrote 4800 words. It's more words than I had last week. I'm done whining about not doing enough.
- Realized I need to take a wider view of my writing career. My ultimate goal is to finance our travel after Eric retires. That's in 20 years if they don't raise the social security age, assuming social security is still around, which will surprise me. It is probably safe to say that if I do nothing but write and focus on perfecting the craft for the next 5 years or so, it will be time well spent. Never mind that I've been fiddling with it for 15 years. That's then. I need to focus on now and later. The plan is to focus less on pitching and more on stock-piling manuscripts that I can polish and send to an agent when the current trends come back around. I can't tell you what a relief that was.
- Made a good start on the downstairs. Of course, it's not staying done.
- Forgot to take my meds the other day and I was zippier that morning than I have been for a long time. That leads me to believe that it's either the ADD or allergy pill that's making me tired. I've been thinking about dropping the ADD pill for quite a while, and since my allergies have been so bad, I'm not willing yet to go off to see if my energy comes back up. I'm weaning off the ADD meds now and should be off completely in a few weeks. I'm exploring essential oils as a replacement, hopefully for both. Sure was nice to go a few hours without feeling like I could fall asleep.
- Finally got in touch with the pastor who is going to renew our vows.
- Put the top of our new tent up in the back yard and inventoried all the pieces to make sure we have everything. Odd to see most of our tax return strewn across the bad yard! The added side benefit is that it's all stowed with the rest of the gear now and not in the middle of the garage, so I have a clear path to the trash cans now.
- Eric got summoned for Federal Jury Duty in August. This part fits under Not So Good, too, because in his current job (at least until he gets hired permanently in Oct) he would have to take unpaid leave to sit on a jury. The good news is they've deferred him until January when, hopefully, the job will continue to pay him while he serves. If nothing else, it gives us a few months to prepare.
- I only had to drive Vicky to school on Monday. She decided she didn't need the Vicodin anymore, that the ibuprofen would handle the residual pain.
- Saved .22 cents a gallon on gas by buying it in St. Louis.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I'm done whining about my writing and how I'm still trying to climb out of the Pit Of Despair.
- Still have a long way to go on the house and a week now to do it. Yes! I have successfully procrastinated reunion preparations again!
- I can't take Eric's jury duty. I was willing. The $40 a day plus mileage would have been great! But the lady at the courthouse was insistent that it's Eric's turn. It's a little sad when you get excited about the possibility of jury duty because it's a source of income!
This Week:
- Finish the house. No, really, finish it this time. Alex will be home Friday, and everyone else will be here Saturday. (Everyone else being only 3 of the Boys. Smaller crowd this time, but good quality!)
- Start making lists of stuff to prep for the rendezvous.
- Grocery shop for the reunion. This might include a Sam's run.
A Bit of A Better Week
I think some things went a little better this week. We'll see.
The Good Stuff:
- I tracked on WW and still had a few activity points left after the week was through, so a good start.
- No more of my soft drinks remain in the house (may be a couple left down in SA). I've been drinking tea and water this week. Made sun tea twice (and hubby even had a glass -- I told him he's welcome to it anytime; without mentioning I was using green tea bags for half of it -- he just thinks it's a little weak).
- I skipped the fries or onion rings the last two times we went out for burgers -- one time in SA last week, and this week at The Ranch. Burger and dinner salad is quite a good combo.
- I'm going to try to use the tips Stephen posted last week for my anti-inflammatory plans. I've consumed a lot more fruits this week -- strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Grapes are still in the fridge for probably today.
- I got a little work done on PBOTL, but I don't think I'm capturing Inuit's voice. I think I need to read back a little ways to try to catch her voice. I suspect the work I did will be like knitting -- I think I'll be ripping out a few rows to get it back on track.
- I sat down and put together a blog schedule for both blogs. It's exhausting to look at it, so it may be a touch too ambitious.
-- Monday: Randomly generated topic (1st & 3rd); Something Positive (2nd &4th); Photo
-- Tuesday: Current Focus; Cats (1st); Book Review (2nd); House Update (3rd); Tech Stuff (4th)
-- Wednesday: Gratitude; Word of the Week
-- Thursday: Twit Topic
-- Friday: Something Positive (1st and 3rd); Focus on Health (2nd and 4th);
-- Saturday: Imagination Prompt
-- The 14th: World History Update from Durant Reading
-- The 19th: Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour for FM
- That's probably too much, isn't it? When I blog regularly, traffic is up at the blog. 6 people instead of zero, so it's still really only for me. I'm going to see how this goes in July. Some adjustment may be in order.
- Got a lot of sanding done on the house.
- Ms Peach has been planted in the ground, and she looks very happy there. Mr Fig is still growing happily as well.
- Kitchen is looking better
- Meal planning and grocery shopping carried out
- Neighbor says he'll stop by with his shiny new shredder and chew up my stick pile. I hope I'm here when he does. I want to see the beast in action (it has a six cylinder Cat diesel engine on it -- wow). Sadly, he sold his old one -- for more than twice what he offered it to us for, so I can't blame him. Just wasn't a good time for us. Darn.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I've tracked points well, but Oreos have not been safe. I'm not sure what benefit I get from dropping soft drinks if I compensate with the sugar in Oreos (not purposefully, but that's my guess as to why Oreos have become irresistible). On the other hand, if I consume two six packs of Oreos, I'm not ALSO comsuming a bag of chips. There might be something to that.
- I did not get to the recumbent bike this week, because I didn't go to the shop. I need to go to the shop to clean windows and sweep the sidewalk. Maybe I'll get there.
- I'm very unhappy with my knee and thumb flexibility. I'm not sure what to do about it. I made a point not to whine to my doctor about it at the beginning of the month, but I think I'll ask the VA when I go next week just to see what resources they might have that could help. I don't want medication. Yes, losing weight will help, but it won't do it all.
The Week Ahead:
- Continue tracking for WW
- Work on PBOTL
- Schedule as many blog posts as possible. Now that I've committed to it, I need find the most efficient way to produce the posts. (Yes, it's an exercise in regular, disciplined writing.)
- Continue looking for ways to make what I consume less inflammatory and lower in carbohydrates.
- Do more sanding on the back of the garage -- my goal is to complete this task (about half done).
- Get to the shop and squeegee the windows, sweep the sidewalk, and ride the bike.
The Good Stuff:
- I tracked on WW and still had a few activity points left after the week was through, so a good start.
- No more of my soft drinks remain in the house (may be a couple left down in SA). I've been drinking tea and water this week. Made sun tea twice (and hubby even had a glass -- I told him he's welcome to it anytime; without mentioning I was using green tea bags for half of it -- he just thinks it's a little weak).
- I skipped the fries or onion rings the last two times we went out for burgers -- one time in SA last week, and this week at The Ranch. Burger and dinner salad is quite a good combo.
- I'm going to try to use the tips Stephen posted last week for my anti-inflammatory plans. I've consumed a lot more fruits this week -- strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Grapes are still in the fridge for probably today.
- I got a little work done on PBOTL, but I don't think I'm capturing Inuit's voice. I think I need to read back a little ways to try to catch her voice. I suspect the work I did will be like knitting -- I think I'll be ripping out a few rows to get it back on track.
- I sat down and put together a blog schedule for both blogs. It's exhausting to look at it, so it may be a touch too ambitious.
-- Monday: Randomly generated topic (1st & 3rd); Something Positive (2nd &4th); Photo
-- Tuesday: Current Focus; Cats (1st); Book Review (2nd); House Update (3rd); Tech Stuff (4th)
-- Wednesday: Gratitude; Word of the Week
-- Thursday: Twit Topic
-- Friday: Something Positive (1st and 3rd); Focus on Health (2nd and 4th);
-- Saturday: Imagination Prompt
-- The 14th: World History Update from Durant Reading
-- The 19th: Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour for FM
- That's probably too much, isn't it? When I blog regularly, traffic is up at the blog. 6 people instead of zero, so it's still really only for me. I'm going to see how this goes in July. Some adjustment may be in order.
- Got a lot of sanding done on the house.
- Ms Peach has been planted in the ground, and she looks very happy there. Mr Fig is still growing happily as well.
- Kitchen is looking better
- Meal planning and grocery shopping carried out
- Neighbor says he'll stop by with his shiny new shredder and chew up my stick pile. I hope I'm here when he does. I want to see the beast in action (it has a six cylinder Cat diesel engine on it -- wow). Sadly, he sold his old one -- for more than twice what he offered it to us for, so I can't blame him. Just wasn't a good time for us. Darn.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I've tracked points well, but Oreos have not been safe. I'm not sure what benefit I get from dropping soft drinks if I compensate with the sugar in Oreos (not purposefully, but that's my guess as to why Oreos have become irresistible). On the other hand, if I consume two six packs of Oreos, I'm not ALSO comsuming a bag of chips. There might be something to that.
- I did not get to the recumbent bike this week, because I didn't go to the shop. I need to go to the shop to clean windows and sweep the sidewalk. Maybe I'll get there.
- I'm very unhappy with my knee and thumb flexibility. I'm not sure what to do about it. I made a point not to whine to my doctor about it at the beginning of the month, but I think I'll ask the VA when I go next week just to see what resources they might have that could help. I don't want medication. Yes, losing weight will help, but it won't do it all.
The Week Ahead:
- Continue tracking for WW
- Work on PBOTL
- Schedule as many blog posts as possible. Now that I've committed to it, I need find the most efficient way to produce the posts. (Yes, it's an exercise in regular, disciplined writing.)
- Continue looking for ways to make what I consume less inflammatory and lower in carbohydrates.
- Do more sanding on the back of the garage -- my goal is to complete this task (about half done).
- Get to the shop and squeegee the windows, sweep the sidewalk, and ride the bike.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Details
Blah blah blah blah.
There's my week.
Okay, fine. Here's more detail.
- Met with the author of On Target, the book of devotions I'm publishing for him. Gave him 75 pages to proof. Tried to encourage him to work more on it so we could publish it in July. We'll see. He took me out for lunch at a local restaurant, which was nice.
- Finished my last bit of publicity for Creations 2012. There will be more -- probably -- as events happen, but everything I said I would do, I have. So that's off my pending list.
- Got words on Murder by the Mile. They seem to be going easier now. No impressive totals, but I'm pleased with the progress.
- Walked three times. Having trouble with my ankle. Been using a brace, which helps, but it doesn't like walking.
- Usual household chores, including vacuuming and mopping. Also dusting, which I hate doing.
- Agreed to publish a book for a lady in my book club. A teen book. We start in July. Not sure if I charged enough. I guess I will see how much work it takes.
- Worked on my swimming pool, trying to get it clean and ready for water. A bit discouraged on this. If I hadn't already put so much time in it, I think I'd stop, but maybe this week, it will be filled.
- Continue low carb diet.
And speaking of this week, my plans include:
- Continue work on On Target.
- More words on Murder by the Mile.
- Doctor's appointment for diabetes checkup.
- Hair cut.
- Household chores.
- Lunch with a friend on Wednesday.
- Walk at least three times.
- Continue low carb diet.
- Work on my swimming pool.
And that's the plan. Hope y'all have a great week!
There's my week.
Okay, fine. Here's more detail.
- Met with the author of On Target, the book of devotions I'm publishing for him. Gave him 75 pages to proof. Tried to encourage him to work more on it so we could publish it in July. We'll see. He took me out for lunch at a local restaurant, which was nice.
- Finished my last bit of publicity for Creations 2012. There will be more -- probably -- as events happen, but everything I said I would do, I have. So that's off my pending list.
- Got words on Murder by the Mile. They seem to be going easier now. No impressive totals, but I'm pleased with the progress.
- Walked three times. Having trouble with my ankle. Been using a brace, which helps, but it doesn't like walking.
- Usual household chores, including vacuuming and mopping. Also dusting, which I hate doing.
- Agreed to publish a book for a lady in my book club. A teen book. We start in July. Not sure if I charged enough. I guess I will see how much work it takes.
- Worked on my swimming pool, trying to get it clean and ready for water. A bit discouraged on this. If I hadn't already put so much time in it, I think I'd stop, but maybe this week, it will be filled.
- Continue low carb diet.
And speaking of this week, my plans include:
- Continue work on On Target.
- More words on Murder by the Mile.
- Doctor's appointment for diabetes checkup.
- Hair cut.
- Household chores.
- Lunch with a friend on Wednesday.
- Walk at least three times.
- Continue low carb diet.
- Work on my swimming pool.
And that's the plan. Hope y'all have a great week!
Wendy's Week--the toasty version
Yup, it's summer here. We're looking at high 90's today. Yahoo.
Good stuff:
- Vicky lived through getting her wisdom teeth removed. She's improving steadily, losing her chipmunk cheeks and so forth.
- Wrote 6,539 words. Not as many as I'd like, but what else is new?
- Allergies have not been as much of an issue.
- Met with my pastor and the Director of Student Activities at a local college campus to see about setting up a worship service out there, and maybe some bible studies and other activities. It appears to be a fertile field and being the mom of college kids, I think I have something to contribute!
- Discovered a celtic festival just down the road we knew nothing about. One of our Highland dancer friends posted on FB yesterday that she was on her way to Swansea for their first annual celtic festival. I showed the post to Eric, and since Vicky was out with her boyfriend (and not in need of supervision in case she fell down the stairs in a narcotic haze) we jumped in the car and went on over. Heard some good bands and watched our friend dance. It was neat to have that unexpected bit of fun, and if they keep the festival going, I'll have a place (someday) to tell my stories.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Swam twice. Part of it was because I had to stay home with Vicky, but the Y was without power Thursday and Friday, so I wouldn't have been able to swim anyway. Having said that, I could have gone yesterday afternoon but blew it off in favor of embroidery in front of the TV.
- I've been tired all week and don't know why. I'm sleeping enough, but there isn't a part of the day that a nap doesn't sound like a great idea. This has not been good for productivity in any area.
- We have less than 2 weeks until the Boys get here. My house is not ready. I am not ready. I am wishing for a couple of weeks of isolation in a quiet place. Unfortunately I still have to be a wife and mom (such as I am these days).
- My work week will be disrupted again this week. I'll be driving Vicky to school and back, which means I'll spend part of the week in the west end of St Louis. I'll take my iPad and keyboard to a coffee shop to work but I have no idea how much I'll get done. If nothing else, it means I have to be ready to leave a certain times, fight traffic, and put make-up on. I'll have to be properly dressed. Boo! Hiss! (Maybe I can catch a movie...)
This Week:
- Survive as best I can.
- Go to bed early.
- Swim three times.
- Get the downstairs ready for company.
Good stuff:
- Vicky lived through getting her wisdom teeth removed. She's improving steadily, losing her chipmunk cheeks and so forth.
- Wrote 6,539 words. Not as many as I'd like, but what else is new?
- Allergies have not been as much of an issue.
- Met with my pastor and the Director of Student Activities at a local college campus to see about setting up a worship service out there, and maybe some bible studies and other activities. It appears to be a fertile field and being the mom of college kids, I think I have something to contribute!
- Discovered a celtic festival just down the road we knew nothing about. One of our Highland dancer friends posted on FB yesterday that she was on her way to Swansea for their first annual celtic festival. I showed the post to Eric, and since Vicky was out with her boyfriend (and not in need of supervision in case she fell down the stairs in a narcotic haze) we jumped in the car and went on over. Heard some good bands and watched our friend dance. It was neat to have that unexpected bit of fun, and if they keep the festival going, I'll have a place (someday) to tell my stories.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Swam twice. Part of it was because I had to stay home with Vicky, but the Y was without power Thursday and Friday, so I wouldn't have been able to swim anyway. Having said that, I could have gone yesterday afternoon but blew it off in favor of embroidery in front of the TV.
- I've been tired all week and don't know why. I'm sleeping enough, but there isn't a part of the day that a nap doesn't sound like a great idea. This has not been good for productivity in any area.
- We have less than 2 weeks until the Boys get here. My house is not ready. I am not ready. I am wishing for a couple of weeks of isolation in a quiet place. Unfortunately I still have to be a wife and mom (such as I am these days).
- My work week will be disrupted again this week. I'll be driving Vicky to school and back, which means I'll spend part of the week in the west end of St Louis. I'll take my iPad and keyboard to a coffee shop to work but I have no idea how much I'll get done. If nothing else, it means I have to be ready to leave a certain times, fight traffic, and put make-up on. I'll have to be properly dressed. Boo! Hiss! (Maybe I can catch a movie...)
This Week:
- Survive as best I can.
- Go to bed early.
- Swim three times.
- Get the downstairs ready for company.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
June in Central Texas
When the rain stops, the heat sets in. This is when I detest Texas. We haven't had that much rain this year, but at least we've had a little. It's looking like we won't get much more before fall unless we're really lucky. So, how was this week, and how did it stack up against my expectations?
The Good Stuff:
- Not particularly important in the whole scheme of things, but hubby's truck has been acquired. We particularly like the dark interior and an unexpected bonus was the blind spot mirrors that came standard this year (I had to buy the stick on kind for mine).
- Lawns are mowed. SA hedges are two-thirds trimmed. I'll be doing some yard work in (gasp!) July when I head down there for a couple of weeks. Trimming, hedge work, and vine removal is still needed here in Central Texas. Watering is commencing in full.
- With a big thanks to Stephen and a little research on my part, I have a few steps to take to begin the transition to a more anti-inflammatory diet. Yes, the Air Force encouraged this right before I retired, and I've read a couple of books about it two years ago, but I'm finally reaching the stage where I believe it may help. Step 1 -- eliminate soft drinks, sugared drinks, and sugar-substitute drinks from my diet (I have two left after I finish the one I'm drinking now, and I've already begun to think this one doesn't taste good). This will leave water, unsweetened ice tea (the only way I drink it), coffee, and a very little bit of juice available for beverages. I rarely drink beer or hard liquor, so I'm not going to worry about that. I do drink wine once or twice a week with meals, but I began to suspect it was inducing hot flashes a couple of months ago, so I've eliminated all but a few white wines (Riesling doesn't seem to bother me).
- I stocked up on a bunch of fruit when I returned to Central TX the other day, so I'm guzzling blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, and apples while I determine what other changes I might want to employ.
- I did my WW weigh-in and measurements this morning. I also began tracking again. If I'm going to pay for the site, I may as well use it.
- I finished sanding three boards along the back of the garage (hubby asked that I do boards all the way across the back instead of the three foot sections of all ten boards that need to be sanded). I'll begin working on the rest later on today.
- Frustrated with pain from simply trying to sleep, I conducted a search and found a .pdf on the Simple Ergonomics website that offered suggestions. My shoulders, knees, hips, and feet were suffering, but I know my shoulders hurt because of the way I sleep. All the other aches and pains have other potential causes. I'm employing some of the suggestions, and they seem to be helping. If you sleep with someone else, these suggestions might be cumbersome.
- VA appointment is set for the 29th, so I'm assembling my list of questions to ask
The Not So Good Stuff:
- No recumbent bike time
- I thought about working on PBOTL. I had plenty of time to work on PBOTL over the last two days. But I did not do so.
- I opened MAY DAYS and synchronized with Simplenote, but I did not work on it either.
- I'm up 26 pounds from my lowest since I started WW. That was in early September. I've lost 16.4 pounds overall since beginning WW a year and a half ago. Clearly, the trend is not in the direction I want it to be in. I think I'm ready to make some changes, and the anti-inflammatory changes should help. I'm going to start with the ones that have no impact on hubby and I eating together and expand to integrating other changes in the least disruptive way possible.
- No stick shredding. In fact, I'm seriously asking my neighbor with the commercial quality shredder how much he'd charge to shred the pile (it would take him about fifteen minutes and me about 8 hours with my little 10HP shredder).
The Week Ahead:
- The kitchen floor. After two weeks of mostly surrendering it to the cats, it needs a good vacuum, sweep, and mop. Same for the kitchen counters (although, the cats are not supposed to be up there, I'm sure there were while we were out of town).
- In fact, no matter what week this is for FlyLady, it's a kitchen week for me.
- I'm going to say it again, PBOTL.
- And again, recumbent bike.
- Get the meal planning laid out, a good grocery list made, purchase, and execute the plan
- Track for WW
The Good Stuff:
- Not particularly important in the whole scheme of things, but hubby's truck has been acquired. We particularly like the dark interior and an unexpected bonus was the blind spot mirrors that came standard this year (I had to buy the stick on kind for mine).
- Lawns are mowed. SA hedges are two-thirds trimmed. I'll be doing some yard work in (gasp!) July when I head down there for a couple of weeks. Trimming, hedge work, and vine removal is still needed here in Central Texas. Watering is commencing in full.
- With a big thanks to Stephen and a little research on my part, I have a few steps to take to begin the transition to a more anti-inflammatory diet. Yes, the Air Force encouraged this right before I retired, and I've read a couple of books about it two years ago, but I'm finally reaching the stage where I believe it may help. Step 1 -- eliminate soft drinks, sugared drinks, and sugar-substitute drinks from my diet (I have two left after I finish the one I'm drinking now, and I've already begun to think this one doesn't taste good). This will leave water, unsweetened ice tea (the only way I drink it), coffee, and a very little bit of juice available for beverages. I rarely drink beer or hard liquor, so I'm not going to worry about that. I do drink wine once or twice a week with meals, but I began to suspect it was inducing hot flashes a couple of months ago, so I've eliminated all but a few white wines (Riesling doesn't seem to bother me).
- I stocked up on a bunch of fruit when I returned to Central TX the other day, so I'm guzzling blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, and apples while I determine what other changes I might want to employ.
- I did my WW weigh-in and measurements this morning. I also began tracking again. If I'm going to pay for the site, I may as well use it.
- I finished sanding three boards along the back of the garage (hubby asked that I do boards all the way across the back instead of the three foot sections of all ten boards that need to be sanded). I'll begin working on the rest later on today.
- Frustrated with pain from simply trying to sleep, I conducted a search and found a .pdf on the Simple Ergonomics website that offered suggestions. My shoulders, knees, hips, and feet were suffering, but I know my shoulders hurt because of the way I sleep. All the other aches and pains have other potential causes. I'm employing some of the suggestions, and they seem to be helping. If you sleep with someone else, these suggestions might be cumbersome.
- VA appointment is set for the 29th, so I'm assembling my list of questions to ask
The Not So Good Stuff:
- No recumbent bike time
- I thought about working on PBOTL. I had plenty of time to work on PBOTL over the last two days. But I did not do so.
- I opened MAY DAYS and synchronized with Simplenote, but I did not work on it either.
- I'm up 26 pounds from my lowest since I started WW. That was in early September. I've lost 16.4 pounds overall since beginning WW a year and a half ago. Clearly, the trend is not in the direction I want it to be in. I think I'm ready to make some changes, and the anti-inflammatory changes should help. I'm going to start with the ones that have no impact on hubby and I eating together and expand to integrating other changes in the least disruptive way possible.
- No stick shredding. In fact, I'm seriously asking my neighbor with the commercial quality shredder how much he'd charge to shred the pile (it would take him about fifteen minutes and me about 8 hours with my little 10HP shredder).
The Week Ahead:
- The kitchen floor. After two weeks of mostly surrendering it to the cats, it needs a good vacuum, sweep, and mop. Same for the kitchen counters (although, the cats are not supposed to be up there, I'm sure there were while we were out of town).
- In fact, no matter what week this is for FlyLady, it's a kitchen week for me.
- I'm going to say it again, PBOTL.
- And again, recumbent bike.
- Get the meal planning laid out, a good grocery list made, purchase, and execute the plan
- Track for WW
Quickie check in
Hey gang!
Everything's fine here, just busy as usual. I don't know if I'll have a chance for a full post, but I just wanted to wish you all a lovely weekend! {{huggs}}
Everything's fine here, just busy as usual. I don't know if I'll have a chance for a full post, but I just wanted to wish you all a lovely weekend! {{huggs}}
Monday, June 11, 2012
Steven Pressfield quote
“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death."
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Done and will do
Here's the skinny on my week.
Planned last week:
- Walk at the gym three times and try for four: only walked twice at the gym, but did ride the bike at home.
- Continue the low carb diet: Did this.
- Work on On Target: Did this.
- Attend the Creations 2012 book signing this Thursday and sell some of my books there, too! Did this. Sold five books of mine there. The group sold 12 of Creations 2012. Another author sold a few books, also. It was a nice signing. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the readings went over well. Took most of the day, though. A lot of work to set up and take down. Glad to have done it, but glad it's over, too.
- Write a few words -- just words, dang it -- on Murder by the Mile. Did a few words. Not a lot, but slowly they came. I think I can coax them back if I'm careful. I long for those 2,000 word days I did in NaNoWriMo. I'd be really happy with a 1,000 word day right now.
- Fight the black dog relentlessly. Did this.
- Working on having faith in anything. There are good things in this world. I have to find them in my ordinary world and make them part of my life. Worked on this, but got another couple of hits last week. Sometimes I think certain people really do choose to the most evil thing.
Also did:
- Attended the Saturday writers group meeting and heard about a member's recent trip to Haiti. Brought into focus for me that I really do have "first world problems." Terrifying what the Haitian people confront day-to-day.
- Enjoyed a welcome home dinner with a friend that evening. She had been spent nearly two weeks in Italy and Germany. Her photos of the Vatican were fantastic. It was awesome. I hope to see more of them.
Planned this week:
This week:
- Walk at the gym three times and try for four.
- Continue the low carb diet.
- Work on On Target.
- Write a more words on Murder by the Mile.
- Fight the black dog relentlessly.
- Continue to look for the good things in this world.
- Work on the swimming pool. It's past time for it to be up. Still a lot of work to go.
- Make appointment with doctor for my half-year diabetes checkup. We'll see how that goes.
Hope y'all have a great week!
Planned last week:
- Walk at the gym three times and try for four: only walked twice at the gym, but did ride the bike at home.
- Continue the low carb diet: Did this.
- Work on On Target: Did this.
- Attend the Creations 2012 book signing this Thursday and sell some of my books there, too! Did this. Sold five books of mine there. The group sold 12 of Creations 2012. Another author sold a few books, also. It was a nice signing. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the readings went over well. Took most of the day, though. A lot of work to set up and take down. Glad to have done it, but glad it's over, too.
- Write a few words -- just words, dang it -- on Murder by the Mile. Did a few words. Not a lot, but slowly they came. I think I can coax them back if I'm careful. I long for those 2,000 word days I did in NaNoWriMo. I'd be really happy with a 1,000 word day right now.
- Fight the black dog relentlessly. Did this.
- Working on having faith in anything. There are good things in this world. I have to find them in my ordinary world and make them part of my life. Worked on this, but got another couple of hits last week. Sometimes I think certain people really do choose to the most evil thing.
Also did:
- Attended the Saturday writers group meeting and heard about a member's recent trip to Haiti. Brought into focus for me that I really do have "first world problems." Terrifying what the Haitian people confront day-to-day.
- Enjoyed a welcome home dinner with a friend that evening. She had been spent nearly two weeks in Italy and Germany. Her photos of the Vatican were fantastic. It was awesome. I hope to see more of them.
Planned this week:
This week:
- Walk at the gym three times and try for four.
- Continue the low carb diet.
- Work on On Target.
- Write a more words on Murder by the Mile.
- Fight the black dog relentlessly.
- Continue to look for the good things in this world.
- Work on the swimming pool. It's past time for it to be up. Still a lot of work to go.
- Make appointment with doctor for my half-year diabetes checkup. We'll see how that goes.
Hope y'all have a great week!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Jean's June Week
Just got back from a nice weekend with the kids. Here's the update.
The Good Stuff:
- Got to meet my new grand dog, Cooper, this weekend. He's a hound mix, and at 11 weeks, he dwarfs his 4 year old Chihuahua brother.
- Got to spend some quality time with my older stepdaughter (she is an amazing woman).
- I did, in fact, look at PBOTL this week. That's about it, though.
- Yard got mowed and is mostly in order
- Doctor appointment went well. He said everything's good except my weight, but he didn't hassle me. I was unsure about potassium levels, so he had me stop at the lab for an electrolyte panel before I left. His office called me later in the day to say potassium levels were normal. Taking potassium gluconate seems to help my legs a little, so I'm not sure what to make of that.
- Got prescriptions refilled at Fort Hood.
- Got about a third of the back of the garage sanded.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- Didn't begin to get started on shredding sticks
- The chain saw is too dull to cut up the tree at the store, so that's on hold
- From the hips down, I'm experiencing a lot of discomfort. Some pain in the joints but aches everywhere else. My left thumb is also bothering me again. I'm not sure what to make of it. I think I'm going to need to explore a serious change in diet to focus on anti-inflammatory efforts. The difficulty with this is two-fold -- my reluctance and my husband's reluctance. I'm beginning research and looking for areas of common ground. One, of course, is found in the encouragement to reduce sodium (that's a common ground piece). Some are things I can (easily-hah!) do without his having to change a thing. Those are probably places to begin.
The Week Ahead:
- I'll call on Monday to set up my annual exam at the VA, and I'll inquire about a rheumatologist at that appointment (since the one at my primary provider moved to CA). My primary provider clinic just opened a new hospital over the weekend, which should help them attract more specialists and surgeons (they sold the hospital next door to the clinic to Scott and White for a Children's Hospital). I hope that expands my care options over the next year or so. I'll also talk to the VA about a pertussis and shingles vaccination.
- Resume work on PBOTL
- Drive to SA on Tuesday afternoon and return on Thursday morning. While there, get my truck serviced and take delivery on hubby's new Navigator (I need to be there to sign the papers to have it under joint ownership).
- Research what I want to do with diet to reduce inflammation and devise a plan to implement. Begin implementation. I believe it will start with associating certain foods with pain (probably visualization?). If I can switch them from pleasure to pain in my mind, they should become easy to avoid.
The Good Stuff:
- Got to meet my new grand dog, Cooper, this weekend. He's a hound mix, and at 11 weeks, he dwarfs his 4 year old Chihuahua brother.
- Got to spend some quality time with my older stepdaughter (she is an amazing woman).
- I did, in fact, look at PBOTL this week. That's about it, though.
- Yard got mowed and is mostly in order
- Doctor appointment went well. He said everything's good except my weight, but he didn't hassle me. I was unsure about potassium levels, so he had me stop at the lab for an electrolyte panel before I left. His office called me later in the day to say potassium levels were normal. Taking potassium gluconate seems to help my legs a little, so I'm not sure what to make of that.
- Got prescriptions refilled at Fort Hood.
- Got about a third of the back of the garage sanded.
The Not So Good Stuff:
- Didn't begin to get started on shredding sticks
- The chain saw is too dull to cut up the tree at the store, so that's on hold
- From the hips down, I'm experiencing a lot of discomfort. Some pain in the joints but aches everywhere else. My left thumb is also bothering me again. I'm not sure what to make of it. I think I'm going to need to explore a serious change in diet to focus on anti-inflammatory efforts. The difficulty with this is two-fold -- my reluctance and my husband's reluctance. I'm beginning research and looking for areas of common ground. One, of course, is found in the encouragement to reduce sodium (that's a common ground piece). Some are things I can (easily-hah!) do without his having to change a thing. Those are probably places to begin.
The Week Ahead:
- I'll call on Monday to set up my annual exam at the VA, and I'll inquire about a rheumatologist at that appointment (since the one at my primary provider moved to CA). My primary provider clinic just opened a new hospital over the weekend, which should help them attract more specialists and surgeons (they sold the hospital next door to the clinic to Scott and White for a Children's Hospital). I hope that expands my care options over the next year or so. I'll also talk to the VA about a pertussis and shingles vaccination.
- Resume work on PBOTL
- Drive to SA on Tuesday afternoon and return on Thursday morning. While there, get my truck serviced and take delivery on hubby's new Navigator (I need to be there to sign the papers to have it under joint ownership).
- Research what I want to do with diet to reduce inflammation and devise a plan to implement. Begin implementation. I believe it will start with associating certain foods with pain (probably visualization?). If I can switch them from pleasure to pain in my mind, they should become easy to avoid.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Tam's Week Twenty Three
Least I think that's the correct count. Almost halfway through 2012! It's been a wild week for me. :)
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- Finished chapter 8, but haven't started 9 yet because I've had to go agent hunting. Yes, I said agent hunting (see the first not-so-good entry below)
- I have amazing writer friends. Two have hooked me up with agents who work with their agents (since I write different things than my friends do) and both have received SPORE's proposal stuff. It's rather mind-blowing to me how quickly all this is happening, and one agent even asked me today (Saturday) for my opening and synopsis. They are the only two writers I contacted about my crisis and both have bent over backwards and gone well beyond the call of friendship to help me. Both have gushed about Spore to me - and apparently their agents - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this goes well.
- I also contacted my old editor - who freelances now - and she, too, has the proposal packet after an near immediate reply that she'd LOVE to help. No word yet from her, but I'm sure she'll like it too.
- Since I promised everyone involved that Morgan was done and I had a synopsis, but then found out that I didn't have a synopsis, I am now writing its synopsis. In case someone wants it. (anyone here willing to read a synopsis? ;) )
- Sewed some strips for a Christmas Quilt
- Have only eaten out once - still driving through McD's for their unsweetened tea (we all love the stuff!!) but I broke down and got a sun tea jar so maybe we'll quit doing that. I usually dislike sun tea jars because they leak all over my refrigerator. Grr! So far so good with this one, tho. Maybe if we only pour from the top instead of using the spigot, it'll never leak. Right?
- Bill's found homes for the kittens. They're all going to farms - in pairs - and will, most likely, be outside cats. That's okay, their mama was a barn cat and their daddy is a stray, so they should do just fine.
- Someone got two new teeth! That's a cause for celebration! ;)
- Been walking almost every day this week (didn't walk today, tho)
Not So Good:
- My agent emailed me Wednesday to tell me he's retiring. He'd taken some time off around Memorial Day (I assumed a family/vacation kinda thing) but I guess he'd decided it was time to relax full time. Since his agency is pretty small, the other agents are already spread thin and none wanted to take me as a client or represent Spore. Fwiw, I can totally understand. Joyce Carol Oates, or me? I'd pick JCO, too. Anyway, he gave me some information about editors who might be interested in Spore (should my agent hunt not work out) and suggested I contact writer friends and my old editor (which definitely has worked out so far) and I'm all right, it was just a pretty big shock.
- I spent most of Wednesday in a daze, but once I figured out it would be all right, that this was just God's way of telling me to get out of my rut, it got a lot better really fast. I'm actually excited. A bit stressed, yes, but excited, too!
- Overnight, I put on 7lbs. (see next entry)
- I am BLOATED. Omg, my legs! It's awful. I get bloaty legs every summer, but it's not that hot or humid yet. The only things that changed this week are 1) I ate some chips last weekend and early this week and 2) I took a 2.5 mile (ish) hike with Bill around a lake. We went up hills, down hills, over bridges, and across meadows. It was hot, sunburny, and exhausting. I'm inclined to blame the walk, but I don't know if it was the exertion or the sunshine that did me in. I usually do my absolute best to Stay Out Of The Sun because I'm fish-belly white and I sunburn like nobody's business (and get kinda loopy/dopey/headachy too) but I don't think it's ever made me bloat. But, then again, all that walking should have made me LOSE weight, right? Not wake up the next morning weighing more than I have at any point THIS YEAR!! Whatever caused it, I don't like it. Been eating bananas to get more potassium in me and maybe some of this will fade off.
- My butt and thighs stil hurt from up and down and all around the lake. Owie!
for This Week:
- Write
- Stay positive
- Be thankful. I have an amazing life!
Have a good week, everyone. {{huggs}}
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wendy's week-checkin' in early
We're headed out of town this afternoon, going to Kansas City for the Scottish Games there. We'll see some friends, I'll tell Bodicea to my bard mentor and look for someone willing to come to the St. Louis Games who teaches Gaelic.
Good Stuff:
- Swam 4 days.
- Alex got back to school safely.
- Vicky was home almost all day yesterday. She's doing well in her classes and is enjoying the small class size. She even cooked dinner.
- Contacted the rest of my people from the Scottish Games from last year. Everyone is coming back. I have contracts almost ready to be e-mailed, and I'll get them out this afternoon.
- Lost the party weight. Now I have the research trip weight left to go.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Pollen and mold counts remained high through the first half of the week. I had a migraine Tuesday and felt like crud all the other days. Yesterday was better, today is the best I've felt in a week and a half. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the hassle of packing the neti pot and distilled water for the weekend. The pollen forecast is moderate, and mold is low, so I may take a chance.
- Got almost no writing done. I wanted to do about 7,500 words and got a little over 2,000. Needless to say, I will not be seeing "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" this week. Maybe next week if the weather cooperates.
- Very frustrated by the circumstances this week. If I'm going to turn pro, I need to be able to produce good work despite my circumstances, right? If we decide we're staying here, allergies are going to be an on-going problem and will affect me at least half the year. (Longer if we keep having mild winters.) It's one of those 'the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak' things, and I'm really trying to keep my frustration from spiraling into flagellation.
Reality Check:
- I realized yesterday that I have first world crappy weeks. We are so blessed to have a secure home and steady income, and that our kids still communicate with us. Even when I feel like crap and can't think enough to work, I know so many people who have it worse. My issues are real to me, but they're really trivial in the grand scheme.
Next Week:
- Try to concentrate
- Write
- Swim 3-4 times
Good Stuff:
- Swam 4 days.
- Alex got back to school safely.
- Vicky was home almost all day yesterday. She's doing well in her classes and is enjoying the small class size. She even cooked dinner.
- Contacted the rest of my people from the Scottish Games from last year. Everyone is coming back. I have contracts almost ready to be e-mailed, and I'll get them out this afternoon.
- Lost the party weight. Now I have the research trip weight left to go.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Pollen and mold counts remained high through the first half of the week. I had a migraine Tuesday and felt like crud all the other days. Yesterday was better, today is the best I've felt in a week and a half. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the hassle of packing the neti pot and distilled water for the weekend. The pollen forecast is moderate, and mold is low, so I may take a chance.
- Got almost no writing done. I wanted to do about 7,500 words and got a little over 2,000. Needless to say, I will not be seeing "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" this week. Maybe next week if the weather cooperates.
- Very frustrated by the circumstances this week. If I'm going to turn pro, I need to be able to produce good work despite my circumstances, right? If we decide we're staying here, allergies are going to be an on-going problem and will affect me at least half the year. (Longer if we keep having mild winters.) It's one of those 'the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak' things, and I'm really trying to keep my frustration from spiraling into flagellation.
Reality Check:
- I realized yesterday that I have first world crappy weeks. We are so blessed to have a secure home and steady income, and that our kids still communicate with us. Even when I feel like crap and can't think enough to work, I know so many people who have it worse. My issues are real to me, but they're really trivial in the grand scheme.
Next Week:
- Try to concentrate
- Write
- Swim 3-4 times
Monday, June 4, 2012
Tam's Week Twenty Two
Almost halfway to next year!
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- Finished chapters six and seven, and am almost finished with chapter eight. I hit a big snag the other night that kind of derailed me for a bit - the characters wandered into a very boring 'we're gonna stand here and talk about nothing' corner - but I ripped that all out and tried again, only to have one of the characters reveal something that I wasn't expecting. But is cool. I took last night off - just too much life happening - but I'm back on the narrative tonight.
- House is mostly clean.
- Sewed on Tuesday and cut out some fabric for a Christmas quilt.
- Down a pound (the same one I keep finding and losing)
- Walked four times with Bill, a mile or so each
Not So Good:
- Would appreciate getting more than 500 ish words a night. I'd like to get back up to 2500 a day, but I'm not sure when that's gonna happen.
- I apparently ticked off a friend in chat the other day - she said some really nasty things to me about my writing methodology - and it upset me. I'm better, but it still stings.
- Could have eaten better. Because of general life craziness, we've eaten out too much and it's a lot harder (for me at least) to eat healthy once I'm in a restaurant. Somehow ordering a salad is a lot harder than ordering a BBQ bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. But then I feel queasy blecky for hours because my gut isn't used to the grease. Grr. Someday I'll learn.
- We still have kittens. All of them, other than maybe one, if the customer at Laura's Dollar General really does want it.
- Took my Rx antihistamine one night and it took me 2 days to think clearly again. It's a tough choice, sleep or be able to think.
- Life is a work in progress.
for This Week:
- Write
Have a good week, everyone. {{huggs}}
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Nearly halfway
Eeek! The year is nearly halfway over. Normally at this time, I look at the goals I set at the first of year and evaluate how I've done. I will not do that this time. I don't need the discouragement. Instead, I'm going to list what I've completed so far.
- Kept (mostly) to my low carb diet.
- Designed and published my writers group's first anthology, Creations 2012.
- Published the family newsletter monthly.
- Designed and sold 15 different birthday card designs.
- Walked at the gym most weeks except when illness interfered.
- Fought the black dog and mostly won the battles. That's a day-to-day thing sometimes.
- Mostly kept my blog going. Missed some days in there, but slowly catching up.
- Lost weight and inches. This should really be up there with the diet, but since the diet was mostly aimed in keeping my blood sugar under control, I thought it deserved a place of its own.
- Designed and published four photo books for various people. I actually printed these and put them together myself. Yes, it's easier online, but I wanted to learn, and let's be honest, I do have a lot of time to fill.
- Kept my house in order and uncluttered the back bedroom so that it's actually a guest bedroom and not a junk room. I have a few more things to do back there -- I need to do more uncluttering, and I want to paint it -- but overall, it looks good.
Overall, it's not been bad. Bad moments, such as the loss of my Uncle Terry and my good friend Mary Bratton, but good moments, too.
Now let's look at what's ahead.
My plans:
- I've started a course "Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft" and "The Joy of Mathematics" offered by The Great Courses from The Teaching Company. The first to help my skills as a writer and the second because I've always to learn math, really know it. I have a couple more I'm interested in, but I'm going to finish these two before starting any more. They take a surprising amount of time.
- Continue on the low carb diet.
- Continue to exercise and be more faithful.
- Fight the black dog until it surrenders or at least signs a truce.
- Continue to declutter my life and my house.
- Finish On Target, my friend's book that I'm compiling, designing, editing, and publishing.
- Finish and publish my book Murder by the Mile.
- Finish and publish Tales from Bethlehem, my first Christian book.
This week:
- Walk at the gym three times and try for four.
- Continue the low carb diet.
- Work on On Target.
- Attend the Creations 2012 book signing this Thursday and sell some of my books there, too!
- Write a few words -- just words, dang it -- on Murder by the Mile.
- Fight the black dog relentlessly.
- Working on having faith in anything. There are good things in this world. I have to find them in my ordinary world and make them part of my life.
Anyway, we now return you to your regularly scheduled blog. Have a great week.
Oh, before I go, this photo was wandering around Facebook. I like it.
- Kept (mostly) to my low carb diet.
- Designed and published my writers group's first anthology, Creations 2012.
- Published the family newsletter monthly.
- Designed and sold 15 different birthday card designs.
- Walked at the gym most weeks except when illness interfered.
- Fought the black dog and mostly won the battles. That's a day-to-day thing sometimes.
- Mostly kept my blog going. Missed some days in there, but slowly catching up.
- Lost weight and inches. This should really be up there with the diet, but since the diet was mostly aimed in keeping my blood sugar under control, I thought it deserved a place of its own.
- Designed and published four photo books for various people. I actually printed these and put them together myself. Yes, it's easier online, but I wanted to learn, and let's be honest, I do have a lot of time to fill.
- Kept my house in order and uncluttered the back bedroom so that it's actually a guest bedroom and not a junk room. I have a few more things to do back there -- I need to do more uncluttering, and I want to paint it -- but overall, it looks good.
Overall, it's not been bad. Bad moments, such as the loss of my Uncle Terry and my good friend Mary Bratton, but good moments, too.
Now let's look at what's ahead.
My plans:
- I've started a course "Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft" and "The Joy of Mathematics" offered by The Great Courses from The Teaching Company. The first to help my skills as a writer and the second because I've always to learn math, really know it. I have a couple more I'm interested in, but I'm going to finish these two before starting any more. They take a surprising amount of time.
- Continue on the low carb diet.
- Continue to exercise and be more faithful.
- Fight the black dog until it surrenders or at least signs a truce.
- Continue to declutter my life and my house.
- Finish On Target, my friend's book that I'm compiling, designing, editing, and publishing.
- Finish and publish my book Murder by the Mile.
- Finish and publish Tales from Bethlehem, my first Christian book.
This week:
- Walk at the gym three times and try for four.
- Continue the low carb diet.
- Work on On Target.
- Attend the Creations 2012 book signing this Thursday and sell some of my books there, too!
- Write a few words -- just words, dang it -- on Murder by the Mile.
- Fight the black dog relentlessly.
- Working on having faith in anything. There are good things in this world. I have to find them in my ordinary world and make them part of my life.
Anyway, we now return you to your regularly scheduled blog. Have a great week.
Oh, before I go, this photo was wandering around Facebook. I like it.
My Goodness, It's June!
There you have it. Go on vacation for three weeks, and the month is GONE. Just like that.
The Good Stuff:
- We survived vacation. Long train vacations won't be more than at least every two years. We like them, but they take a lot out of us. Not enough exercise and uncomfortable sleeping for the person on the top bunk -- and I refuse to get two bedrooms or a bedroom and a roomette so we can both sleep on the bottom bunk, and the 2/3 double bed the couch makes into isn't big enough for the both of us.
- Hubby arrived with garage door openers in tow. We made another pass for sticker burs (128) before mowing. I have the inner side yard and the back strip by the street to mow, and I'll get that done tomorrow.
- Hubby brought St. Augustine grass sprigs from San Antonio, and we planted them this afternoon and are watering.
- Laundry caught up from the trip and some things put away. Still have to get the suitcases back upstairs in the garage.
- Hubby ordered a new Navigator before we left on the trip, and it will be in next week! A little earlier than we expected.
- I managed to get a few (very few) words written since we got home. I've cleared space for PBOTL but have not resumed work on it yet.
- Next weekend, we're going to Dallas to see the kids.
- I did get on the recumbent bike for a few minutes last week (a very few).
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I've reached that point with Weight Watchers where I'm ignoring it. Which makes me wonder, why am I paying for something I'm refusing to use? I NEED to use it, but I'm refusing to do so. I'm not sure what would be best to do. Well, okay, that's not quite right, is it. What would be BEST for me to do is to get with the program and follow it. But since I seem to have reached that point where I won't do it, what is the best thing to do?
- Tied in with that, I see my doctor for my semi-annual visit on Tuesday, and I know he's not going to be happy. Sadly, that makes we want to change doctors, but that's not the right approach.
- Clearly, I'm still not handling my health with maturity or responsibility.
The Week Ahead:
- Refresh my memory with PBOTL and resume work
- Begin sanding the back of the garage (plastic already laid to catch debris).
- Continue yard work -- finish mowing and resume stick shredding
- Get through the doctor appointment on Tuesday and get new prescriptions dropped off at Ft Hood for filling.
- Cut up fallen tree at store building
The Good Stuff:
- We survived vacation. Long train vacations won't be more than at least every two years. We like them, but they take a lot out of us. Not enough exercise and uncomfortable sleeping for the person on the top bunk -- and I refuse to get two bedrooms or a bedroom and a roomette so we can both sleep on the bottom bunk, and the 2/3 double bed the couch makes into isn't big enough for the both of us.
- Hubby arrived with garage door openers in tow. We made another pass for sticker burs (128) before mowing. I have the inner side yard and the back strip by the street to mow, and I'll get that done tomorrow.
- Hubby brought St. Augustine grass sprigs from San Antonio, and we planted them this afternoon and are watering.
- Laundry caught up from the trip and some things put away. Still have to get the suitcases back upstairs in the garage.
- Hubby ordered a new Navigator before we left on the trip, and it will be in next week! A little earlier than we expected.
- I managed to get a few (very few) words written since we got home. I've cleared space for PBOTL but have not resumed work on it yet.
- Next weekend, we're going to Dallas to see the kids.
- I did get on the recumbent bike for a few minutes last week (a very few).
The Not So Good Stuff:
- I've reached that point with Weight Watchers where I'm ignoring it. Which makes me wonder, why am I paying for something I'm refusing to use? I NEED to use it, but I'm refusing to do so. I'm not sure what would be best to do. Well, okay, that's not quite right, is it. What would be BEST for me to do is to get with the program and follow it. But since I seem to have reached that point where I won't do it, what is the best thing to do?
- Tied in with that, I see my doctor for my semi-annual visit on Tuesday, and I know he's not going to be happy. Sadly, that makes we want to change doctors, but that's not the right approach.
- Clearly, I'm still not handling my health with maturity or responsibility.
The Week Ahead:
- Refresh my memory with PBOTL and resume work
- Begin sanding the back of the garage (plastic already laid to catch debris).
- Continue yard work -- finish mowing and resume stick shredding
- Get through the doctor appointment on Tuesday and get new prescriptions dropped off at Ft Hood for filling.
- Cut up fallen tree at store building
Wendy's Week
The beginning of the week was pretty darn good. Then it rained on and off for two days, which was great because we needed the rain, but it made the mold spores spike, which is not good. I'm dealing with allergy head. Not fun. Have you ever noticed that a neti pot is shaped like a genie's lamp without a lid? I'm pretty sure it's because you pour a cup of water into it, and when you pour it out through your sinuses, a quart comes out. It's magic if ever I saw it.
Good stuff:
- I started making arrangements for our "wedding" in September. As it turns out, camp will be open to the public on our actual anniversary, so we'll do it that day and it won't be any problem to get my mom into camp. I also won't have to mess with costuming for her unless she wants it.
- Got most of the weeding done.
- Swam three days.
- Got back into the routine. Sort of. More on that in a minute.
- Went to a party with our Scottish friends yesterday. Good food and good company. Drunk Scots are fun to hang out with! I got to formally meet some members of our society that I hadn't met yet.
- Alex headed back to school today. He'll be there all of June and will probably get home (for the rest of the summer) just in time for the Boys to get here.
- Wrote 3,926 words. Closed May at 26,320, which is about 6k more than I did in April in the same number of days.
Not So Good Stuff:
- While I did get back into the routine, things that are not routine got forgotten. Things like a dental cleaning and acupuncture. Not a good week at all for appointments.
- Lost 1.7 pounds, and then promptly gained them back at the party. Note to me: Plan ahead for the next party and lose a few extra pounds in advance. Or try to. It's usually not that easy.
- Didn't make the calls to line up the volunteers for the Scottish Games.
- Word count dropped when the mold count spiked.
- My family has apparently forgotten that when the house rings, you're supposed to answer it. Sometimes I just let it ring if it's a number I don't recognize, but it would be nice if they would at least get up and go look at it.
This week:
- Make the Scottish Games calls
- Get the bard contract ready to take to Kansas City next week so he can sign it
- Write (the reward for finishing early is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)
- Reschedule acupuncture
- Practice for my first 'bard test' (I have to tell my mentor Bodicea's story next weekend)
Good stuff:
- I started making arrangements for our "wedding" in September. As it turns out, camp will be open to the public on our actual anniversary, so we'll do it that day and it won't be any problem to get my mom into camp. I also won't have to mess with costuming for her unless she wants it.
- Got most of the weeding done.
- Swam three days.
- Got back into the routine. Sort of. More on that in a minute.
- Went to a party with our Scottish friends yesterday. Good food and good company. Drunk Scots are fun to hang out with! I got to formally meet some members of our society that I hadn't met yet.
- Alex headed back to school today. He'll be there all of June and will probably get home (for the rest of the summer) just in time for the Boys to get here.
- Wrote 3,926 words. Closed May at 26,320, which is about 6k more than I did in April in the same number of days.
Not So Good Stuff:
- While I did get back into the routine, things that are not routine got forgotten. Things like a dental cleaning and acupuncture. Not a good week at all for appointments.
- Lost 1.7 pounds, and then promptly gained them back at the party. Note to me: Plan ahead for the next party and lose a few extra pounds in advance. Or try to. It's usually not that easy.
- Didn't make the calls to line up the volunteers for the Scottish Games.
- Word count dropped when the mold count spiked.
- My family has apparently forgotten that when the house rings, you're supposed to answer it. Sometimes I just let it ring if it's a number I don't recognize, but it would be nice if they would at least get up and go look at it.
This week:
- Make the Scottish Games calls
- Get the bard contract ready to take to Kansas City next week so he can sign it
- Write (the reward for finishing early is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)
- Reschedule acupuncture
- Practice for my first 'bard test' (I have to tell my mentor Bodicea's story next weekend)