Got a nice mixed bag today.
Good Stuff:
- We saw Monuments Men yesterday. Really, really good movie. There was enough action and one liners to keep Eric engaged, and I love the history. Can't tell you anything else without spoiling it except that it was a big success for George Clooney, who starred, directed, produced and wrote the screenplay.
- I got a few more boxes out, some pictures hung up, etc.
- Cooked every night except Friday, when we went down the street for schawarma. I'd never had it before, and it was yummy! Think chicken fajita meat on a bed of rice, with salad, hummus, and pita on the side. Oh, a falafel.
- We're both starting to lose a bit of weight. I'm chalking it up to eating home cooked food on a regular basis. Eric doesn't have a handy place to go for lunch, so he's been taking it with him, and it's starting to show.
- On Jean's advice, I looked into a couple of Lift programs. I signed up for 3 Months To A New You and 30 Days To A New You. I did them every day during the week, but not at all this weekend. Not that I need to worry about exercise today. More about that in a minute.
- I wrote every day except yesterday. I'm getting close to the end. My hero has had his PTSD breakdown and is in the hospital. Now I just need my heroine to do everything she can think to do to help him to no avail, break her heart, and then I can wrap things up. ;-)
- One of my writer friends said something on Facebook the other day about not being ready to go to the retreat in Destin I went to last year. She Skyped me today and we talked out what she has of her plot. I think it's going to turn out to be a fun little romance, but more importantly, it seems that our processes are very much alike. She's got the best part of two weeks before the retreat to get it figured out, and I've left the door open to help her again if she needs it.
- I got out with people other than Eric three times this week. Wednesday I had brunch with my next-door neighbor, who is turning out to be my go-to person when I need to find something here. Wednesday evening, Eric and I went to a bible study at the church, and on Friday I ventured into the Loop to have lunch with another lady from the church. I'm feeling very much like the country mouse at this point!
- Read "Divergence" this weekend. It's a YA novel, along the lines of "The Hunger Games," but set in Chicago, so that was neat. The movie comes out next month. The 20th, I think.
Not So Good Stuff:
- After church today we went to Panera for lunch, just like we used to downstate. We parked in a shopping center across the street, and neither of us saw the signs that said the lot was for customers of that shopping center only. When we came out less than half an hour later, the car had been towed, and whoever loaded it knocked it out of alignment. We had to walk home to get the van so we could get the car out of impound, and that was the best part of a mile, trudging through slush in 10-ish degree weather. Thank goodness I've barely unpacked my cute shoes and was wearing my wellies. That was an expensive lunch, and we're not done paying for it. Eric is going to take the alignment bill to the towing company, but I don't have a lot of faith that they'll do anything about it. It's our word against theirs that the car was fine when we parked it.
- After trudging the best part of a mile in the slush, I'm over winter. We're not even half-way through February and I'm over it. I'm starting to wish I was going to Destin with my friend!
- My GPS cannot be trusted in the Loop (the central business district). I think the tall buildings interfered with the signal because it kept telling me to turn onto streets I'd passed two blocks ago. The moral of the story is when going downtown, go old school: sticky note on the steering wheel. Or figure out how to take the train. That could be easier now that I've figured out Google Maps does public transportation.
Overall, it wasn't really a bad week, but definitely some frustrations, some wondering why I thought living in the city would be great, and some bad words said. Lots of them, actually. I wish I could say I'd work on that this week, but I don't really see that improving for a while. Not much I can do but gut it out, sleep enough, eat well, get some exercise, and write.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Coming Around Again
Yep. Just like clockwork, Saturday is here again. We also seem go be on an interesting temperature rotation down here. It rotates from freezing to 70s to freezing to 70s this will be the third week of it kicking off now. I'm not complaining. Just observing. It's strange.
January is in the books, and this week was reasonably productive -- could have been better. Could have been a lot worse. I got the rest of the CDs boxed up, then, to have an easy inventory of sorts, I took pictures of all the spines. Then I compared the pictures to my iTunes library and discovered I have over 160 CDs to copy onto the hard drive yet. Oh. My. That will take a few weekends out of my life.
Natasha and Daphne came through their respective procedures just fine but got to spend an extra day at the clinic when they were closed for ice. Natasha got to keep all her teeth. Floyd came through his annual exam with flying colors, weighing in at just over 13 pounds. Ajax is set for his dental procedure next week. When I go to pick him up, Lady and Tarzan will accompany me for their annual exams and shots. We'll continue the discussion about Lady's behavior issues.
I finished the beta of Holly's Worldbuilding Clinic videos and video worksheets this week. Based upon the frustrations I experienced getting simple five minute videos downloaded and viewed, I investigated whether I could upgrade my high speed internet connection. The existing connection is 1.5Mbps -- the fastest I could get in this town in 2008 when I set up the service. I can now get 6Mbps if I get ATTs U-Verse service. Bundling the phone with that, I can get it all for $40 a month for twelve months and $71plus taxes, fees, etc. after that, which will put it close to the current $95 a month I'm paying. For quadruple the speed of the service. They install on Feb 10th, so I hope all goes well. (I could do a self-install for the internet but the phone requires a service technician and supposedly 4 hours! I cannot imagine.)
Got a few half short stories started this week. A couple have possibilities. I signed up for the A-Z Challenge in April, and these short stories are going to be posted for that, with one being used as a preview for my Fiction Club members. The next issue is slated for March 1, and I want to provide a sneak peek for everyone.
Discovered some issues with the mobile aspect of my website, and I think I've fixed that -- I had a dumb setting selecting in my theme.
I got more shredding done. I think I'm down to one and a half boxes of paper to shred.
Sneaky was inside for the early part of the week, and we're making progress at getting her comfortable with the idea of inside. She went out the door under her own power on Wednesday morning. She's still fearful of the door, but she's been sitting at the door and crying until I open it, then she runs. Yesterday, I managed to open the door slowly enough so she didn't run, and she came back about half way when I opened the screen door, but she's not quite ready yet. We'll keep working. I don't think it will take long before she figures out how to use the door.
Finished the Lift Eating Mindfully program, and I'm rolling into the second month of the program. I lost nine pounds in January and at least one inch off my waist (I didn't measure until about a week and a half into the program). I have a total goal of where I am today of losing 100 pounds and 15 inches off my waist. This will not happen rapidly, and I think January's results are on the high side of what is reasonable to expect, but I'm more than pleased.
I expected to get more revision done this week, but I guess expecting doesn't make it happen.
The week ahead:
January is in the books, and this week was reasonably productive -- could have been better. Could have been a lot worse. I got the rest of the CDs boxed up, then, to have an easy inventory of sorts, I took pictures of all the spines. Then I compared the pictures to my iTunes library and discovered I have over 160 CDs to copy onto the hard drive yet. Oh. My. That will take a few weekends out of my life.
Natasha and Daphne came through their respective procedures just fine but got to spend an extra day at the clinic when they were closed for ice. Natasha got to keep all her teeth. Floyd came through his annual exam with flying colors, weighing in at just over 13 pounds. Ajax is set for his dental procedure next week. When I go to pick him up, Lady and Tarzan will accompany me for their annual exams and shots. We'll continue the discussion about Lady's behavior issues.
I finished the beta of Holly's Worldbuilding Clinic videos and video worksheets this week. Based upon the frustrations I experienced getting simple five minute videos downloaded and viewed, I investigated whether I could upgrade my high speed internet connection. The existing connection is 1.5Mbps -- the fastest I could get in this town in 2008 when I set up the service. I can now get 6Mbps if I get ATTs U-Verse service. Bundling the phone with that, I can get it all for $40 a month for twelve months and $71plus taxes, fees, etc. after that, which will put it close to the current $95 a month I'm paying. For quadruple the speed of the service. They install on Feb 10th, so I hope all goes well. (I could do a self-install for the internet but the phone requires a service technician and supposedly 4 hours! I cannot imagine.)
Got a few half short stories started this week. A couple have possibilities. I signed up for the A-Z Challenge in April, and these short stories are going to be posted for that, with one being used as a preview for my Fiction Club members. The next issue is slated for March 1, and I want to provide a sneak peek for everyone.
Discovered some issues with the mobile aspect of my website, and I think I've fixed that -- I had a dumb setting selecting in my theme.
I got more shredding done. I think I'm down to one and a half boxes of paper to shred.
Sneaky was inside for the early part of the week, and we're making progress at getting her comfortable with the idea of inside. She went out the door under her own power on Wednesday morning. She's still fearful of the door, but she's been sitting at the door and crying until I open it, then she runs. Yesterday, I managed to open the door slowly enough so she didn't run, and she came back about half way when I opened the screen door, but she's not quite ready yet. We'll keep working. I don't think it will take long before she figures out how to use the door.
Finished the Lift Eating Mindfully program, and I'm rolling into the second month of the program. I lost nine pounds in January and at least one inch off my waist (I didn't measure until about a week and a half into the program). I have a total goal of where I am today of losing 100 pounds and 15 inches off my waist. This will not happen rapidly, and I think January's results are on the high side of what is reasonable to expect, but I'm more than pleased.
I expected to get more revision done this week, but I guess expecting doesn't make it happen.
The week ahead:
- Ajax, Lady, and Tarzan to the vet.
- Write and revise
- Declutter and shred
- Prepare for another cold snap
- Continue eating mindfully, continue looking for rewarding techniques
- Time to pay the bills
- Begin compiling a "best of" collection from the blogs
#667
Tammy, did you know your Mutiny post was #666? Ironic.
So, not a terrible week. I've been inside a lot because of the cold, but it's warmed up today. It's 32* and snowing, which, in my book, is an improvement, especially since I have nowhere to be and more than ample provisions.
Good Stuff:
- I got words in! Taking the best part of 3 weeks off really put a dent in my vacation time. I'm going to have to work some weekends to make it up.
- The trip downstate wasn't a terrible as I'd thought it would be. The kids have started shifting stuff around. They've hung some swords and pictures. It looks different, but that's good. I want them to make it their own.
- The bonus was they were actually there, and Justin was a big help getting things loaded. We call him the Tetris Master for a reason. I managed to get the last chair and my grandmother clock (the one my grandpa built) in the van along with a dozen or so boxes and the big wicker basket with our kilts. I had hoped to get the gear for the Scottish Games, but we won't need it for a few more months. It'll keep until the weather gets better.
- Just when I started to despair, the living took shape in front of my eyes. Getting the clock in made a big difference, which I can't explain.
- We found a new place about a quarter mile up the road that makes pizza Italian-style in a wood oven. So good! They have a nice variety of Middle Eastern food too, and it's close enough to walk, even in weather as cold as we've been having. The limeade alone is worth the walk.
- I found out I can buy a reloadable bus pass across the street at the drug store. Too bad I didn't do the research before I went to the drug store earlier that day!
Not So Good Stuff:
- I had no idea the downstate pantry held as much as it did. My pantry here is full to overflowing and there are tubs of food in the storage closet. So, yeah, ample provisions.
- I haven't looked into gym membership yet. Yeah, I know, I'm busy, but I'm also grazing, and we won't talk about the clothing that's getting tight. It's February now, so the Fitness Resolution people should be out of the way.
This Week:
- Press on getting settled.
- Continue to think out of the box when it comes to finding homes for things.
- Inquire about gym membership.
So, not a terrible week. I've been inside a lot because of the cold, but it's warmed up today. It's 32* and snowing, which, in my book, is an improvement, especially since I have nowhere to be and more than ample provisions.
Good Stuff:
- I got words in! Taking the best part of 3 weeks off really put a dent in my vacation time. I'm going to have to work some weekends to make it up.
- The trip downstate wasn't a terrible as I'd thought it would be. The kids have started shifting stuff around. They've hung some swords and pictures. It looks different, but that's good. I want them to make it their own.
- The bonus was they were actually there, and Justin was a big help getting things loaded. We call him the Tetris Master for a reason. I managed to get the last chair and my grandmother clock (the one my grandpa built) in the van along with a dozen or so boxes and the big wicker basket with our kilts. I had hoped to get the gear for the Scottish Games, but we won't need it for a few more months. It'll keep until the weather gets better.
- Just when I started to despair, the living took shape in front of my eyes. Getting the clock in made a big difference, which I can't explain.
- We found a new place about a quarter mile up the road that makes pizza Italian-style in a wood oven. So good! They have a nice variety of Middle Eastern food too, and it's close enough to walk, even in weather as cold as we've been having. The limeade alone is worth the walk.
- I found out I can buy a reloadable bus pass across the street at the drug store. Too bad I didn't do the research before I went to the drug store earlier that day!
Not So Good Stuff:
- I had no idea the downstate pantry held as much as it did. My pantry here is full to overflowing and there are tubs of food in the storage closet. So, yeah, ample provisions.
- I haven't looked into gym membership yet. Yeah, I know, I'm busy, but I'm also grazing, and we won't talk about the clothing that's getting tight. It's February now, so the Fitness Resolution people should be out of the way.
This Week:
- Press on getting settled.
- Continue to think out of the box when it comes to finding homes for things.
- Inquire about gym membership.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
The mutiny continues
Just wanted to let you know that my cyst has grown about 10%. Awaiting official decision from my doc.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Keeping track
I intended to keep track of what I did each day so that I could have something to say here, but I forgot. I will try to do that this week.
I did preside over the writers group meeting this morning and gave the program about various writing sites that they might find helpful.
I did format several items for the writers group anthology. We're not getting the volume of submissions we had in the past. We may have difficulty in filling the pages. We'll see.
I did household chores -- laundry, vacuuming, dusting, decluttering, etc. -- and finally caught up on a lot of things that had been sitting around waiting for me to get to them.
I didn't follow my diet as closely as I should have this week. No particular reason that I didn't; just didn't.
This week, I will:
- Format more submissions for the anthology.
- Household chores.
- Continue work on Murder by the Mile.
- Publish family newsletter.
- Follow my diet more closely.
- Walk with the video more.
- Oh, and track each day so I have more to say here!
Hope you have a good week!
I did preside over the writers group meeting this morning and gave the program about various writing sites that they might find helpful.
I did format several items for the writers group anthology. We're not getting the volume of submissions we had in the past. We may have difficulty in filling the pages. We'll see.
I did household chores -- laundry, vacuuming, dusting, decluttering, etc. -- and finally caught up on a lot of things that had been sitting around waiting for me to get to them.
I didn't follow my diet as closely as I should have this week. No particular reason that I didn't; just didn't.
This week, I will:
- Format more submissions for the anthology.
- Household chores.
- Continue work on Murder by the Mile.
- Publish family newsletter.
- Follow my diet more closely.
- Walk with the video more.
- Oh, and track each day so I have more to say here!
Hope you have a good week!
Saturday Here, Too!
Isn't that amazing! I've had a fairly productive week.
The Week Ahead:
- I made it through Holly's Worldbuilding Clinic beta test. Waiting to get access to the videos (seems to have been a glitch) to complete that portion. Last night, I played around with some exercises for my stuff, and I'm going to try to use the techniques to jumpstart my muse, who seems to be miffed at my no-nonsense side always horning in on it's ideas. Maybe I'll get it coaxed out yet.
- It's probably the newness of things, but with the Mindfulness Diet, I'm coming up with all kinds of connections to deal with long-term problems I've had with eating. In addition to the basics presented by the Lift plan, I'm also reading Susan Albers' Eating Mindfully. The book has a lot of exercises, but she recommends reading it through completely before practicing any of them. I've just reached Part V, which consists of checklists to help you. I'm finding a lot of interesting tips there. The one I read of particular interest this morning was about snacking late in the evening. Apparently, when you're tired, you go looking for snacks. (Maybe why the Sleep Diet does people good?) I'm anticipating slow but steady progress.
- I did some writing -- still not tracking the way I said I wanted to, and I have no ideas about how I want to do that.
- I pulled Polar Bear On the Loose out of the box and finished a scene. Only 23 more to go!
- Made a little progress with decluttering this week. Small stuff. Mr. L suggested I box up my CDs and put them into a storage area out of the way. (I get mildly annoyed at the way he keeps trying to get my stuff boxed up and put somewhere out of sight, but in this instance, I have to agree with him that this is a good idea.) I got them pulled off the shelves. Mr. L found two boxes, but I need to find another box to put the rest of them in (I have over 200).
- Working through my Lift plans
- Helped Mr. L with a few things, but mostly I stayed out of his way
- Created something like six bags of shredded material
The Week Ahead:
- Get Natasha and Daphne to the vet for their procedures
- Take Pretty Boy Floyd for his annual exam and shots
- Get more shredding done
- Continue decluttering efforts
- Continue "New You" plan
- Continue writing
- Continue revision
- Continue eating mindfully -- this is the last week of the program for Lift. I plan to continue it.
- Watch the weather and protect Sneaky and pipes -- a couple days of freezing are forecast for this week
It's Saturday again here, too.
Hey everyone. Not sure what to talk about since not a whole lot has been happening. Um, we got the truck back yesterday, so we're once again a 2 vehicle family. My sewing day at Mrs. T's Mercantile also was yesterday and I finished one block of the month - would have sewn two, but I made a pretty substantial mistake early in the piecing and had to rip it all apart and start over - and managed to put all 49 blocks together in a 7x7 grid on a bed quilt I've been working on for almost 2 years now. All it needs is borders. And quilting. Which means I'll add it to the stack of largish quilts I need to send out to be quilted should we ever have money for such things.
Um.
No writing. Some planning - thanks Jean for the handgun help! - but I've only opened the laptop to chat and check pinterest.
Weight was down a little this week, but still quite a lot higher than I want. Stayed after to talk with one of the leaders - she made me cry! - and this week I'm gonna up my protein and see if that helps. Kay's pretty awesome.
Laundry's done, well other than the stuff we're wearing and the sheets I stripped off our bed today.
Um.
I made pork fried rice for supper (brown rice, lots of veggies). Was yummy.
Still blue, still clogged sinuses, still wondering what I'm doing.
{{hugs}}
Have a great week, everyone.
Um.
No writing. Some planning - thanks Jean for the handgun help! - but I've only opened the laptop to chat and check pinterest.
Weight was down a little this week, but still quite a lot higher than I want. Stayed after to talk with one of the leaders - she made me cry! - and this week I'm gonna up my protein and see if that helps. Kay's pretty awesome.
Laundry's done, well other than the stuff we're wearing and the sheets I stripped off our bed today.
Um.
I made pork fried rice for supper (brown rice, lots of veggies). Was yummy.
Still blue, still clogged sinuses, still wondering what I'm doing.
{{hugs}}
Have a great week, everyone.
Saturday again???
It is Saturday, right? Eric is home, he's not sick, and we didn't go to church, so it must be Saturday. Obviously I need to find some new place holders on my calendar. Hoping to get some insight on that tomorrow. The new church has several outreach programs.
Good Stuff:
- Unpacking is coming along fairly well. I'd say I'm over half done, but it's a little hard to say.
- We got the rest of the book cases from Ikea last night, and they're assembled. Now to put the books away...
- Eric took me to the Great Lakes commissary this morning. Yeah groceries! The prices are far more reasonable than the grocery stores across the street (go figure) so we'll do the bulk of the shopping there and fill in locally. It's a 26 mile drive one way, but it's well-stocked, and the Exchange (the military version of Walmart) also has a nice variety of stuff. Especially The North Face clothing. They had lots of different Navy t-shirts, too, so if Alex decides to go that way I'll be going there to buy them for our parents, Alex's girlfriend, Vicky, etc. Everyone will be a Navy Something. :-)
- The cats have been manic depressive this week. Not sure if it's the noise, the cold, or just the strangeness of their new environment. I'm not worried about it. I know they'll be all right. Getting the boxes out will go a long way toward that.
Ambivalent Stuff:
- Looks like I'm taking one more trip downstate Monday to get the rest. Planning, at this point, to do it all in one day. Staying overnight by myself with no TV or Internet does not sound like a fun time to me. Better to just gut it out, but I'll probably pack an overnight bag just in case.
Not So Good Stuff:
- No words this week. I'm not cranky yet, but I think I'd better do something about that tomorrow afternoon.
- It's cold. And a little snowy. I rather like the snow, but highs in the single digits are not fun, especially when I can't find the hat with the ear flaps. Dad's going to try to buy me a couple in Florida (of all places).
- I was supposed to be at the rendezvous this week. It's the first one I've missed since 2004, although, in all honesty, even if we could have afforded, I would have stayed home anyway. There's too much to be done here, and I traveled so much last year I need a long break. The downside is my rendezvous friends aren't getting any younger and I'll miss the visit with my grandpa's sister and her husband.
- Alex's funding options are drying up. He applied for 2 loans last week and got turned down. The last of his college fund has been paid out. The college is in a rural area, so even fast food jobs are few and far between. He got some money for graduation, but I'm not sure what he's going to do for rent in March, let alone tuition.
I think that's about it. Considering a nap. Have a great week, y'all!
Good Stuff:
- Unpacking is coming along fairly well. I'd say I'm over half done, but it's a little hard to say.
- We got the rest of the book cases from Ikea last night, and they're assembled. Now to put the books away...
- Eric took me to the Great Lakes commissary this morning. Yeah groceries! The prices are far more reasonable than the grocery stores across the street (go figure) so we'll do the bulk of the shopping there and fill in locally. It's a 26 mile drive one way, but it's well-stocked, and the Exchange (the military version of Walmart) also has a nice variety of stuff. Especially The North Face clothing. They had lots of different Navy t-shirts, too, so if Alex decides to go that way I'll be going there to buy them for our parents, Alex's girlfriend, Vicky, etc. Everyone will be a Navy Something. :-)
- The cats have been manic depressive this week. Not sure if it's the noise, the cold, or just the strangeness of their new environment. I'm not worried about it. I know they'll be all right. Getting the boxes out will go a long way toward that.
Ambivalent Stuff:
- Looks like I'm taking one more trip downstate Monday to get the rest. Planning, at this point, to do it all in one day. Staying overnight by myself with no TV or Internet does not sound like a fun time to me. Better to just gut it out, but I'll probably pack an overnight bag just in case.
Not So Good Stuff:
- No words this week. I'm not cranky yet, but I think I'd better do something about that tomorrow afternoon.
- It's cold. And a little snowy. I rather like the snow, but highs in the single digits are not fun, especially when I can't find the hat with the ear flaps. Dad's going to try to buy me a couple in Florida (of all places).
- I was supposed to be at the rendezvous this week. It's the first one I've missed since 2004, although, in all honesty, even if we could have afforded, I would have stayed home anyway. There's too much to be done here, and I traveled so much last year I need a long break. The downside is my rendezvous friends aren't getting any younger and I'll miss the visit with my grandpa's sister and her husband.
- Alex's funding options are drying up. He applied for 2 loans last week and got turned down. The last of his college fund has been paid out. The college is in a rural area, so even fast food jobs are few and far between. He got some money for graduation, but I'm not sure what he's going to do for rent in March, let alone tuition.
I think that's about it. Considering a nap. Have a great week, y'all!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Quiet
I know I'm late and haven't caught up on everyone else's posts or comments to those posts, but I just wanted to check in and say things are quiet here.
Bill's had a long weekend - off until Wed -, the truck is in the shop, and TheKid is in Des Moines with her friends with the car, so we're stranded at home during a snow/wind storm. I've managed to sew a little, eat too much, sleep plenty, and generally laze around without loitering much online. I'm still half-sick with an awful head cold (lots of sneezing and congestion). Also, there's been no word on either book.
Haven't written anything to speak of, read some, but nothing exceptional, and my diet, oy, it's in trouble.
But things are okay. Wish I had more ooomph.
{{hugs}}
Bill's had a long weekend - off until Wed -, the truck is in the shop, and TheKid is in Des Moines with her friends with the car, so we're stranded at home during a snow/wind storm. I've managed to sew a little, eat too much, sleep plenty, and generally laze around without loitering much online. I'm still half-sick with an awful head cold (lots of sneezing and congestion). Also, there's been no word on either book.
Haven't written anything to speak of, read some, but nothing exceptional, and my diet, oy, it's in trouble.
But things are okay. Wish I had more ooomph.
{{hugs}}
Taking a break
My stress level has gone way down, but oh, the drama it took to get here! Moving sucks on a good day, but moving to a northern city in January has unique challenges.
- Our friend Chad drove down from northern WI, picked up Eric and brought him downstate. Then he helped us load all our stuff, drove back upstate (in the city. He hates cities), and helped us unload. With a cold. Greater love hath no man for a friend!
- Despite the 10' UHaul, my van, and Chad's jeep, there were still a few things we couldn't fit it. Between running out of space and the time it took to load it, we rushed leaving. The stuff we couldn't move got left where it sat, but the worst part is I left my iPad on the couch. So I have one more trip downstate to get the rest. The plan is to go maybe late this week or early next week and try to do it all in one day. It does feel a little surreal to be here with no return date planned.
- Eric ate something hinky Saturday and ended up the food poisoning. Yesterday was a bad day for him. Today is better but he's thinking about staying home from work tomorrow. At least he's not contagious, but he hasn't been much help unloading stuff! At least it didn't kick in until after we got here.
- We tracked a lot of salt onto my floors. I finally got things cleared enough to Swiffer Wet Jet part of the floor, and we bought a door mat so we can knock salt off before we come in. In theory, at least.
- I'm getting things squared away pretty quickly. Surprisingly quickly, actually.
- The cats have been twitchy, but not unusually so. Tess has been vocal at night. She's testing acoustics, I think. She's our echo locator. When she finds her favorite hidey hole she'll settle down, but last night I was ready to throttle her! Ryan and Chloe seem to be taking things in stride a little more, although Ryan has velcro kitty periods. I got their feeder and water fountain set up today so hopefully that will help them settle.
- No words this week. Go figure. I need to fix that, though. We don't need any more crankiness than we already have!
- Vicky has finished her classes and clinicals. Now she just has to take the registry test and she can actively look for a grown-up job. In the meantime, they're starting to move into our house. No, they didn't break the lease on their current house, but we're paying the whole mortgage whether they live there or it sits empty. They are legally obligated to pay their rent, but not to live in the house, and frankly I think it's going to take the landlord a while to find another renter. With them living in our house he can start advertising it.
- No news this week from Alex about his funding issues or the Navy. Still not thinking about it!
So I think that's about it. I think that's about enough!
- Our friend Chad drove down from northern WI, picked up Eric and brought him downstate. Then he helped us load all our stuff, drove back upstate (in the city. He hates cities), and helped us unload. With a cold. Greater love hath no man for a friend!
- Despite the 10' UHaul, my van, and Chad's jeep, there were still a few things we couldn't fit it. Between running out of space and the time it took to load it, we rushed leaving. The stuff we couldn't move got left where it sat, but the worst part is I left my iPad on the couch. So I have one more trip downstate to get the rest. The plan is to go maybe late this week or early next week and try to do it all in one day. It does feel a little surreal to be here with no return date planned.
- Eric ate something hinky Saturday and ended up the food poisoning. Yesterday was a bad day for him. Today is better but he's thinking about staying home from work tomorrow. At least he's not contagious, but he hasn't been much help unloading stuff! At least it didn't kick in until after we got here.
- We tracked a lot of salt onto my floors. I finally got things cleared enough to Swiffer Wet Jet part of the floor, and we bought a door mat so we can knock salt off before we come in. In theory, at least.
- I'm getting things squared away pretty quickly. Surprisingly quickly, actually.
- The cats have been twitchy, but not unusually so. Tess has been vocal at night. She's testing acoustics, I think. She's our echo locator. When she finds her favorite hidey hole she'll settle down, but last night I was ready to throttle her! Ryan and Chloe seem to be taking things in stride a little more, although Ryan has velcro kitty periods. I got their feeder and water fountain set up today so hopefully that will help them settle.
- No words this week. Go figure. I need to fix that, though. We don't need any more crankiness than we already have!
- Vicky has finished her classes and clinicals. Now she just has to take the registry test and she can actively look for a grown-up job. In the meantime, they're starting to move into our house. No, they didn't break the lease on their current house, but we're paying the whole mortgage whether they live there or it sits empty. They are legally obligated to pay their rent, but not to live in the house, and frankly I think it's going to take the landlord a while to find another renter. With them living in our house he can start advertising it.
- No news this week from Alex about his funding issues or the Navy. Still not thinking about it!
So I think that's about it. I think that's about enough!
Here Comes the Sun
Typing this early Monday morning, well, not that early, after seeing Mr. L's older daughter off. She came down for the weekend and needed to get back to her home just a little north of Dallas. We showed her all the finest for Central Texas -- fajitas on Saturday night, bingo on Sunday afternoon, and her father's famous chili last night. We worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and she and her dad talked genealogy. Oh, and she and Daphne played Bug Squash on her Acer tablet.
Over the last week, I began the beta test for Holly's soon-to-be-released worldbuilding clinic, created a simple favicon for Vision and installed it, and did a little bit of writing (and I still haven't devised a tracking mechanism to quantify my work).
I'm still enjoying the plans on Lift. I discovered another value for photographing the beginning and ending of a meal. Day One will only allow one photograph per entry, but it does offer to change the date and time of the entry to that of the photograph. If I allow it to do that, and I take two photographs, I can calculate how long it took me to consume my meal -- useful for evaluating if I'm eating mindfully or just wolfing something down. I'm using the photographs to evaluate if I think I'm eating the right portion size (I usually know on an intellectual level), and in a couple of instances, it has helped me decide to choose a smaller size the next time I ate the item (think bowl of ice cream or bowl of granola cereal). I usually photograph an empty plate, but there have been a few times when I've photographed a little food left, and there have been a couple of times when I left food -- in one instance the potatoes and beans that came with our omelet were a little cold, I finally decided, "Hey, I don't have to eat these" and left a few. The next day, when I had the same meal and they weren't cold, it was easier to leave a few on the plate. I've already cut out the second tortilla on that breakfast, so small changes are coming. I don't know where this fear came from, but I've always had a strong mental fear I'm going to starve (all evidence to the contrary!). Maybe this approach is helping my brain realize it's highly unlikely I'm going to starve in the foreseeable future. (Note: I chose not to do the photographs while the daughter was here -- but Mr. L. trying to be helpful, mentioned the photographs, and I had to go into the explanation about what he was talking about. So much for not trying to call attention to what I'm trying to do. She's cool, so it was no big deal, but still.)
My sister has become a Tupperware dealer, so if you need anything, please consider ordering through her website, http://my2.tupperware.com/annhouck. I found a spice rack on sale this month and ordered it to try to organize my spice cabinet (after getting the measurements from her to make sure it would fit). They shipped it Fed Ex, and it got here Saturday. I put labels on the containers (not included), loaded them up with spices, and put everything in the cupboard. Works well. (If you go there, I found her site a little cumbersome to use, but once I found what I wanted on their main site and searched on her site, it came up. I'm not sure if that's a Tupperware flaw or her just getting accustomed to how things work. It may or may not get easier as she gains more experience.
That's last week. What's up in the week ahead?
Over the last week, I began the beta test for Holly's soon-to-be-released worldbuilding clinic, created a simple favicon for Vision and installed it, and did a little bit of writing (and I still haven't devised a tracking mechanism to quantify my work).
I'm still enjoying the plans on Lift. I discovered another value for photographing the beginning and ending of a meal. Day One will only allow one photograph per entry, but it does offer to change the date and time of the entry to that of the photograph. If I allow it to do that, and I take two photographs, I can calculate how long it took me to consume my meal -- useful for evaluating if I'm eating mindfully or just wolfing something down. I'm using the photographs to evaluate if I think I'm eating the right portion size (I usually know on an intellectual level), and in a couple of instances, it has helped me decide to choose a smaller size the next time I ate the item (think bowl of ice cream or bowl of granola cereal). I usually photograph an empty plate, but there have been a few times when I've photographed a little food left, and there have been a couple of times when I left food -- in one instance the potatoes and beans that came with our omelet were a little cold, I finally decided, "Hey, I don't have to eat these" and left a few. The next day, when I had the same meal and they weren't cold, it was easier to leave a few on the plate. I've already cut out the second tortilla on that breakfast, so small changes are coming. I don't know where this fear came from, but I've always had a strong mental fear I'm going to starve (all evidence to the contrary!). Maybe this approach is helping my brain realize it's highly unlikely I'm going to starve in the foreseeable future. (Note: I chose not to do the photographs while the daughter was here -- but Mr. L. trying to be helpful, mentioned the photographs, and I had to go into the explanation about what he was talking about. So much for not trying to call attention to what I'm trying to do. She's cool, so it was no big deal, but still.)
My sister has become a Tupperware dealer, so if you need anything, please consider ordering through her website, http://my2.tupperware.com/annhouck. I found a spice rack on sale this month and ordered it to try to organize my spice cabinet (after getting the measurements from her to make sure it would fit). They shipped it Fed Ex, and it got here Saturday. I put labels on the containers (not included), loaded them up with spices, and put everything in the cupboard. Works well. (If you go there, I found her site a little cumbersome to use, but once I found what I wanted on their main site and searched on her site, it came up. I'm not sure if that's a Tupperware flaw or her just getting accustomed to how things work. It may or may not get easier as she gains more experience.
That's last week. What's up in the week ahead?
- Finish the worldbuilding beta test (five more chapters to go)
- Do more writing
- Continue my work with the Lift programs. I'll be finishing and archiving a plan on meditation 101 today. Informative.
- Help Mr. L. with some projects
- Keep up the decluttering efforts -- progress is very slow.
- Revision. Remember revision!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
First this time
How odd that I will be the first one to post this weekend. Ordinarily I'm the last. Let's see what I've done this week. Ah ... hmm. Well ... hmm.
- I did walk a few times to a video that Tammy directed me to. Thanks, Tammy!
- I went to lunch with a friend. I went out to dinner with friends twice.
- I formatted a few items for the new writers group anthology.
- I cleaned out the cabinet beneath my kitchen sink. It looks much better after I threw away several things and arranged cleaning supplies into bins.
- I took a few photos around the area and of the moon that I think turned out well.
- I did some household chores.
- I fought a cold all week. Still have sinus drainage, but better.
- I bought a humidifier and put it in my bedroom. I'm hoping it will help me sleep. It's been horribly dry. I wake up with my sinuses and throat all dry and scratchy. My doctor suggested it. I hope it helps.
This week, I will:
- Format more items for the anthology.
- Household chores.
- Prepare the agenda, minutes, and program for Saturday's writers group meeting.
- Defeat the cold. I hope.
- Take more photos.
- Work on Murder by the Mile.
- Walk to the video.
- Continue working on my diet.
- Did I say household chores? There are a lot of them.
Watched Sherlock on PBS tonight. It was just okay. Not much mystery. Also, really think three episodes a year is not the way to run a series.
Anyway, have a great week. See you next weekend.
- I did walk a few times to a video that Tammy directed me to. Thanks, Tammy!
- I went to lunch with a friend. I went out to dinner with friends twice.
- I formatted a few items for the new writers group anthology.
- I cleaned out the cabinet beneath my kitchen sink. It looks much better after I threw away several things and arranged cleaning supplies into bins.
- I took a few photos around the area and of the moon that I think turned out well.
- I did some household chores.
- I fought a cold all week. Still have sinus drainage, but better.
- I bought a humidifier and put it in my bedroom. I'm hoping it will help me sleep. It's been horribly dry. I wake up with my sinuses and throat all dry and scratchy. My doctor suggested it. I hope it helps.
This week, I will:
- Format more items for the anthology.
- Household chores.
- Prepare the agenda, minutes, and program for Saturday's writers group meeting.
- Defeat the cold. I hope.
- Take more photos.
- Work on Murder by the Mile.
- Walk to the video.
- Continue working on my diet.
- Did I say household chores? There are a lot of them.
Watched Sherlock on PBS tonight. It was just okay. Not much mystery. Also, really think three episodes a year is not the way to run a series.
Anyway, have a great week. See you next weekend.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Already?
The last week went by fast, but when I look back, I can't see what I've done. Well, a few household chores. A bit of walking and exercise. And I presided over the writers group meeting on Saturday. And we had guests that afternoon, a great visit, but I was exhausted by the time everyone left.
What else?
Went to dinner a couple of times with friends. Enjoyed the warmer weather. It's supposed to be warmer this week, also. I'm so ready for spring and summer. I long for the light, warmth, and longer days.
So that's about it.
This week I'm hoping to do more. I'm starting work on the writers group anthology for this year. They've started submitting stories to me. I'm hoping to format them as I receive them. I'm behind at the moment, but the submissions have dropped off dramatically so I should catch up tomorrow and Wednesday.
Anyway, have a great week!
What else?
Went to dinner a couple of times with friends. Enjoyed the warmer weather. It's supposed to be warmer this week, also. I'm so ready for spring and summer. I long for the light, warmth, and longer days.
So that's about it.
This week I'm hoping to do more. I'm starting work on the writers group anthology for this year. They've started submitting stories to me. I'm hoping to format them as I receive them. I'm behind at the moment, but the submissions have dropped off dramatically so I should catch up tomorrow and Wednesday.
Anyway, have a great week!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Playoffs!
I don't think any of the teams I was rooting for won, which is pretty much standard results for me. ;)
Things are going well, overall, but I am kind of... snippy. Edgy. Stressed. I just feel bombarded, I guess. I've snapped at Bill a couple of times today - something I normally do not do - and cried once. I'd like to blame hormones, but I really don't think that's the problem, it's just my head's not in the right place. Writing is fighting me, not dieting well, certainly not quilting... I'm a mess.
Otherwise things are fine. {{hugs}}
Things are going well, overall, but I am kind of... snippy. Edgy. Stressed. I just feel bombarded, I guess. I've snapped at Bill a couple of times today - something I normally do not do - and cried once. I'd like to blame hormones, but I really don't think that's the problem, it's just my head's not in the right place. Writing is fighting me, not dieting well, certainly not quilting... I'm a mess.
Otherwise things are fine. {{hugs}}
Home Stretch
Pun intended.
It's been a week, and I'm not sure I can separate good from not so good, so I'll justspew list everything.
- I've had my last-for-now-at-least fencing lesson and church service. I got through church with my make-up intact. I can't say the same for fencing. You can read about that tomorrow morning on my blog.
- Packing is coming right along. Having moved with the military, where the movers swoop in and pack everything (including the trash if you don't get it out fast enough), I never knew what good packing material clothing was. I might run out of clothes before the week is out! Never fear, I've set aside clothes to wear, rather like reverse packing.
- I have a nice pile of stuff to donate, and I'm hoping to add to it. I took a bag from my spice cupboard to church for the food pantry today. Maybe someone can use them, or maybe they'll throw them away, but they won't end up in a landfill by my hand.
- I had lunch with friends yesterday and they made me laugh. Never underestimate the efficacy of a good laugh. Or scotch. Scotch is good, too. They bought me a bottle as a housewarming gift and made me promise not to open it until I got moved so Eric could have some too. :-)
- I wrote every day last week. Writing in the morning and packing in the afternoon seems quite a good division of my time.
- If my syntax seems a bit off, it's because I've been watching Downton Abbey. Season 4 premiered last Sunday and I've watched the episode 4 times. I just love Downton, and it's such a help when I'm writing in 1918. :-)
- Alex got back to school and is getting his financial aid in order. Both Eric and his girlfriend (the homebody on steroids) told him separately on the same day that he should go into the Navy so they can pay for his grad school. I'm not thinking about it. Not yet. Not until he makes the final decision. He's supposed to call the officer recruiter tomorrow.
- The cats have been on the clingy side since he left. Poor dears, they really have no idea what's coming for them.
- Jean, per our conversation about cat litter on Facebook, Eric discovered we can get a 20 lb box from the Great Lakes commissary for the same price as a 14 lb box on Amazon. Looks like I won't be ordering litter online after all.
This Week:
- Write
- Pack
- Finish errands, including bank account switching and Good Will
- Find another good cry trigger if necessary. All my go-to movies have been moved already. Tactical error.
- Pick up the moving truck bright and early Saturday morning.
It's been a week, and I'm not sure I can separate good from not so good, so I'll just
- I've had my last-for-now-at-least fencing lesson and church service. I got through church with my make-up intact. I can't say the same for fencing. You can read about that tomorrow morning on my blog.
- Packing is coming right along. Having moved with the military, where the movers swoop in and pack everything (including the trash if you don't get it out fast enough), I never knew what good packing material clothing was. I might run out of clothes before the week is out! Never fear, I've set aside clothes to wear, rather like reverse packing.
- I have a nice pile of stuff to donate, and I'm hoping to add to it. I took a bag from my spice cupboard to church for the food pantry today. Maybe someone can use them, or maybe they'll throw them away, but they won't end up in a landfill by my hand.
- I had lunch with friends yesterday and they made me laugh. Never underestimate the efficacy of a good laugh. Or scotch. Scotch is good, too. They bought me a bottle as a housewarming gift and made me promise not to open it until I got moved so Eric could have some too. :-)
- I wrote every day last week. Writing in the morning and packing in the afternoon seems quite a good division of my time.
- If my syntax seems a bit off, it's because I've been watching Downton Abbey. Season 4 premiered last Sunday and I've watched the episode 4 times. I just love Downton, and it's such a help when I'm writing in 1918. :-)
- Alex got back to school and is getting his financial aid in order. Both Eric and his girlfriend (the homebody on steroids) told him separately on the same day that he should go into the Navy so they can pay for his grad school. I'm not thinking about it. Not yet. Not until he makes the final decision. He's supposed to call the officer recruiter tomorrow.
- The cats have been on the clingy side since he left. Poor dears, they really have no idea what's coming for them.
- Jean, per our conversation about cat litter on Facebook, Eric discovered we can get a 20 lb box from the Great Lakes commissary for the same price as a 14 lb box on Amazon. Looks like I won't be ordering litter online after all.
This Week:
- Write
- Pack
- Finish errands, including bank account switching and Good Will
- Find another good cry trigger if necessary. All my go-to movies have been moved already. Tactical error.
- Pick up the moving truck bright and early Saturday morning.
Could It Be Magic
Probably not, because nothing magically got my list from last week accomplished this week. Oh, sure, I went to the Atmos Energy website, but I didn't find anything about any projects to move gas meters above ground. Everything else? Pretty much a no go.
Sneaky didn't come around the windows on Monday night, so I figured she didn't want to come in out of the cold. Of course, the rest of the week, all evening, all I heard was Sneaky outside. Sneaky at the window. Sneaky hanging on the screen. Sneaky inside the screen. Sneaky playing with Daphne through the window. Sneaky playing coy and snubbing me when I go outside. Do you think that cat might just be inside my head a little?
I turned around from the computer for something last night, and I swear Rossie was lying on the floor a foot from Lady's cage. It may have been Ruby, but it sure looked like Rossie. I've had more sightings of her upstairs, too. Her progress is so incremental, it's hard to really tell, but I think she's coming along. I hope so. Lady is getting impatient with her restrictions. But, she's still beating up the other cats, so we have a lot of work to do yet.
I turned the compost pile. There are some massive white grubs in there. My composting book doesn't seem to mention them, and my on line searches are evenly split about whether they are good or bad. I'm inclined to think I'm not going to worry about them. I'll sift them out before we spread the dirt on the yard. The yard already has grubs, and Mr. L is convinced they eat weed roots, so he's not worried about it.
It's a small thing, but I got FM's favicon working on the site. I hadn't given it much thought until Margaret asked about it. I researched how to get it to display and took care of it. I'm happy to see it on my browser tab now.
With the mindful eating approach, sometimes I reach a point where I just want to rush through and finish what I'm eating. After a few days pondering that and checking in with how my body was feeling, I think that point MAY be the point where my body is telling me it's full enough. To try and find the right portion sizes, I'm taking a picture of my meal before I begin to eat it and another one when I reach that point where I think my body may be saying, "Okay. I'm good." I've done it for two days, so it's too early to tell what kind of modifications, if any, I want to make. It's intriguing, though. I'm journaling this stuff in my Day One app on my phone and iPad. I'd never used the app before, and I'm disappointed to learn I can only use one photo per entry. That means two entries per meal with the photo plan. I'm also evaluating what I eat and actively making a note of foods I don't find valuable in the flavor and texture area, and I'm planning to eliminate them from the diet. Mr. L has been told to reduce carbs by his doctor (and I need to do so as well), so I'm looking at the carb content of the foods in our meals on my Lose It! app. We discuss which foods have higher content, evaluate possible alternatives, and then we can decide if we want to eliminate, make changes, or ignore. Friday night, we decided not to eat the rice that came with our fajita meal. It was not worth the 44grams of carbs to us. That eliminated almost one-third of the carbs from that meal, and we didn't miss it. That restaurant's rice isn't that good.
The Week Ahead:
Sneaky didn't come around the windows on Monday night, so I figured she didn't want to come in out of the cold. Of course, the rest of the week, all evening, all I heard was Sneaky outside. Sneaky at the window. Sneaky hanging on the screen. Sneaky inside the screen. Sneaky playing with Daphne through the window. Sneaky playing coy and snubbing me when I go outside. Do you think that cat might just be inside my head a little?
I turned around from the computer for something last night, and I swear Rossie was lying on the floor a foot from Lady's cage. It may have been Ruby, but it sure looked like Rossie. I've had more sightings of her upstairs, too. Her progress is so incremental, it's hard to really tell, but I think she's coming along. I hope so. Lady is getting impatient with her restrictions. But, she's still beating up the other cats, so we have a lot of work to do yet.
I turned the compost pile. There are some massive white grubs in there. My composting book doesn't seem to mention them, and my on line searches are evenly split about whether they are good or bad. I'm inclined to think I'm not going to worry about them. I'll sift them out before we spread the dirt on the yard. The yard already has grubs, and Mr. L is convinced they eat weed roots, so he's not worried about it.
It's a small thing, but I got FM's favicon working on the site. I hadn't given it much thought until Margaret asked about it. I researched how to get it to display and took care of it. I'm happy to see it on my browser tab now.
With the mindful eating approach, sometimes I reach a point where I just want to rush through and finish what I'm eating. After a few days pondering that and checking in with how my body was feeling, I think that point MAY be the point where my body is telling me it's full enough. To try and find the right portion sizes, I'm taking a picture of my meal before I begin to eat it and another one when I reach that point where I think my body may be saying, "Okay. I'm good." I've done it for two days, so it's too early to tell what kind of modifications, if any, I want to make. It's intriguing, though. I'm journaling this stuff in my Day One app on my phone and iPad. I'd never used the app before, and I'm disappointed to learn I can only use one photo per entry. That means two entries per meal with the photo plan. I'm also evaluating what I eat and actively making a note of foods I don't find valuable in the flavor and texture area, and I'm planning to eliminate them from the diet. Mr. L has been told to reduce carbs by his doctor (and I need to do so as well), so I'm looking at the carb content of the foods in our meals on my Lose It! app. We discuss which foods have higher content, evaluate possible alternatives, and then we can decide if we want to eliminate, make changes, or ignore. Friday night, we decided not to eat the rice that came with our fajita meal. It was not worth the 44grams of carbs to us. That eliminated almost one-third of the carbs from that meal, and we didn't miss it. That restaurant's rice isn't that good.
The Week Ahead:
- Continue with eating mindfully as well as with the other Lift plans. I added Meditation 101 this week. So far, nothing earth-shattering with it, but I thought I'd give it a try.
- Continue working on A-Z Challenge fiction -- I have the titles laid out, but I have a lot of writing to do. I have a couple of drafts done. I'm pleased with where B and M are. The rest? More work.
- I listed my draft manuscripts that need to be evaluated. During NaNo I did some partial read back on my character sketches, and I really enjoyed those characters. I want to spend some time reviewing characters and storylines to plan which ones to work on next after I finish the PBOTL revision -- which I'm slated to resume work on but have not done yet. I also listed my fragments of fiction. Last month I had a little fun with a story called Kitty City. I need to get back to that one.
- I reviewed my newsletter layout, and discovered four of the five articles are pretty much set for topic, and I have one wildcard article. I think the March newsletter will be an A-Z Challenge preview -- hopefully a treat for my club members.
- I bagged some leaves and debris at the shop today. I need to get to work on the crape myrtles here at the house. This is the time of year to trim and train them.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Uncloudy Day
But it's 31F outside. It could be worse. Here's what's been going on:
Sneaky cried at the window last night, so, given how cold it was supposed to become, I took a carrier out to the side porch, picked her up, and put her in. I brought her in the house and got her settled into Lady's cage for the night. Lady graciously spent the night in the downstairs bathroom so Sneaky could be out of the cold. I'm not sure she would tell the story the same way. After the worst of the morning chill burned off this morning, Sneaky went back outside. I plan to repeat the process tonight, since it's forecast to be 18F.
I decided to participate in the 52 Week Money Challenge with the rest of you. I am going to do it backwards. Since I get paid once a month and if I don't obligate my money at the beginning of the month, there isn't much left at the end, I transferred this month's allotment to the savings account this morning. I'm sure this is violating some fun principle somewhere, but the idea is to save money, right? Done.
I triaged the mail and paid bills until just a little bit ago. Over the last week, we got a lot of leaves raked and bagged in San Antonio. Mr. L verified that his tub drain fix worked, so no more tub drain leakage. He made numerous excursions under the house to get the new support framework for the toilet installed. This is a preventive maintenance approach, I believe. I think the last time he did anything with the toilet was in the 70s when he bought the house, so this is somewhat routine. But it's strenuous for him, and he wants to get the task completed. He has probably two more trips to make, then his work will be upstairs.
Ruby decided to stay in hiding when I was ready to come back to Central Texas, so she got to stay in San Antonio with Daddy for the week. She and Ajax. She came out three hours after I left, confirming what I suspected -- she's found a new hiding place somewhere in the lower kitchen cabinets.
Thanks to Tammy, I randomized for the Mindful Eating Diet in the Lift Quantitative Diet Study. To help me get started with it, I purchased Susan Alders' Eating Mindfully (second edition). I volunteered to blog for the project, and they use the Medium.com platform. I posted something yesterday, but I have no idea how to find it. It's a pretty platform but feels very disconnected to use. I feel the diet is helpful, but I'm afraid I might burn out on it. On the other hand, it's common sense, and, really, if I don't want to savor the food I'm eating, do I really want to eat it? And that seems to be the question. Frequently, the answer is no, and that's kind of the idea, right?
The Week Ahead:
Sneaky cried at the window last night, so, given how cold it was supposed to become, I took a carrier out to the side porch, picked her up, and put her in. I brought her in the house and got her settled into Lady's cage for the night. Lady graciously spent the night in the downstairs bathroom so Sneaky could be out of the cold. I'm not sure she would tell the story the same way. After the worst of the morning chill burned off this morning, Sneaky went back outside. I plan to repeat the process tonight, since it's forecast to be 18F.
I decided to participate in the 52 Week Money Challenge with the rest of you. I am going to do it backwards. Since I get paid once a month and if I don't obligate my money at the beginning of the month, there isn't much left at the end, I transferred this month's allotment to the savings account this morning. I'm sure this is violating some fun principle somewhere, but the idea is to save money, right? Done.
I triaged the mail and paid bills until just a little bit ago. Over the last week, we got a lot of leaves raked and bagged in San Antonio. Mr. L verified that his tub drain fix worked, so no more tub drain leakage. He made numerous excursions under the house to get the new support framework for the toilet installed. This is a preventive maintenance approach, I believe. I think the last time he did anything with the toilet was in the 70s when he bought the house, so this is somewhat routine. But it's strenuous for him, and he wants to get the task completed. He has probably two more trips to make, then his work will be upstairs.
Ruby decided to stay in hiding when I was ready to come back to Central Texas, so she got to stay in San Antonio with Daddy for the week. She and Ajax. She came out three hours after I left, confirming what I suspected -- she's found a new hiding place somewhere in the lower kitchen cabinets.
Thanks to Tammy, I randomized for the Mindful Eating Diet in the Lift Quantitative Diet Study. To help me get started with it, I purchased Susan Alders' Eating Mindfully (second edition). I volunteered to blog for the project, and they use the Medium.com platform. I posted something yesterday, but I have no idea how to find it. It's a pretty platform but feels very disconnected to use. I feel the diet is helpful, but I'm afraid I might burn out on it. On the other hand, it's common sense, and, really, if I don't want to savor the food I'm eating, do I really want to eat it? And that seems to be the question. Frequently, the answer is no, and that's kind of the idea, right?
The Week Ahead:
- Listen to PLF Module 7 -- I got it downloaded but haven't listened to it yet.
- Begin work on fiction for 2014
- Set up tracking so I can quantify my work for this year. I've not been doing this, and, as a result, I'm not really aware of whether or not I'm getting anything done. My perception is no.
- Evaluate what I need to do for FM this year and put together a plan
- Research the Atmos Gas site to see how we can ensure when they come through town to move our gas meter above ground we can get it located beside the house instead of by the street. (Mr. L goes ballistic on this topic, and I can't really blame him. How stupid is it to have gas meters sticking out of the ground by the street? Too easy for a wayward vehicle to take them out and cause a mess, not to mention how unsightly it is.)
- Redoing the Lift Uncluttering and Writing plans as well as continuing the 90 Days to a New You and the Eating Mindfully plans.
I was having a good weekend.
Laura and TheTodder are in Des Moines this weekend visiting family and friends since Laura had the weekend off, so hubby and I have had the house to ourselves. It's been nice. Peaceful. Quiet. We've been able to have actual conversations like adults. How wild is that? ;)
But.
We're both struggling with head colds. He's blowing his nose all the time, and mine is full of cloggy crunchy stuff.
My weight's up a little more - probably because we've been going out to eat, for no good reason other than we're out running errands or whatnot and get hungry so 'let's get a sandwich and tea and talk' which leads to pie and here we are. Blurp. Still exercising, tho. :)
Bill has to work outside tomorrow, carrying mail from about 9 am til' about 6:30pm. Neither of us are happy about that, but we've made all the 'keep Bill warm' preparations we can.
Someone hit our mailbox, dented the heck outta it, knocked it askew, and broke the base clean off sometime between when I put the mail out late Friday night and when I checked it Sat evening. Bill's fixed the mailbox and put it back, but I'm concerned we've lost mail. Hopefully not. If our phone company (a local co-op centered a couple of towns south of us) hasn't cashed their check by Wed, I'll call them to see what to do. I think they were the only bill that went out Saturday, and everything's been checked off my 'bills to come in' list, so we weren't expecting anything important. I guess we'll see.
My old sewing machine fried its computer awhile back and I'd bought a replacement. Finally made myself put it through its paces today and it can't do what I need it to do. It pulls to the left pretty consistently, and balks really bad (and then pulls left really, REALLY bad, like 45˚ angle bad) whenever seams butt up. There are a LOT of butting seams in piecing quilts and I am not a happy camper about this. It's supposed to be a specialized 'quilting' sewing machine, but if it can't sew straight or drive right over seams it's totally useless to me. Since Laura's in DM with the car, I have to wait for Bill to have time, energy, and warmth to drag me out to return it, or I have to wait for Laura to get back Tues or Wed. In the mean time, I have this big, boxed, sewing machine I can't use staring at me, which is not helping my mood. I have a LOT of sewing to get done and no good way to do it. Grr.
The truck is acting up, spluttering is about the best way I can describe it. Maybe a fuel line problem? I dunno. With the car in DM, that might become a pretty big problem.
I started the LIFT monitored diet and I'm in a control group where I'm supposed to read every day. So far so good there. It isn't helping me lose weight, tho. ;) Mmmm. Pie! I have a houseful of healthy food, but we still find ourselves at Village Inn. Dang cute hubbies and their seductive ways! ;)
I think my cyst is better. It hasn't hurt in a while, anyway. I go back the end of the month to get it rechecked.
My mother also is getting a recheck for a skin lesion. I'm currently planning on going to her appointment with her. I'm very concerned, and that's all I can say right now.
Bill and I decided to do the money challenge backward. So far so good there! :)
I took this whole, lovely weekend off from writing since I got Morgan to my agent on time (yay). I'll let everyone know privately should SPORE get good news. Or bad news. Or any news. Fwiw, I'm expecting to hear something (good, bad, or neutral) not this week but next.
I start back on SLIPPAGE tomorrow. Need to totally re-do the beginning, it's just not working, tension wise, the way it sits.
Housework, housework, housework.
Lastly, I've been dealing with my odd but normal-for-me angst over the books being 'out there', but having a weekend to hang out with Bill and relax and talk has helped a LOT. I'm good. Well, okay. I have Clarity. And that's saying a lot.
{{hugs}} for everyone!
But.
We're both struggling with head colds. He's blowing his nose all the time, and mine is full of cloggy crunchy stuff.
My weight's up a little more - probably because we've been going out to eat, for no good reason other than we're out running errands or whatnot and get hungry so 'let's get a sandwich and tea and talk' which leads to pie and here we are. Blurp. Still exercising, tho. :)
Bill has to work outside tomorrow, carrying mail from about 9 am til' about 6:30pm. Neither of us are happy about that, but we've made all the 'keep Bill warm' preparations we can.
Someone hit our mailbox, dented the heck outta it, knocked it askew, and broke the base clean off sometime between when I put the mail out late Friday night and when I checked it Sat evening. Bill's fixed the mailbox and put it back, but I'm concerned we've lost mail. Hopefully not. If our phone company (a local co-op centered a couple of towns south of us) hasn't cashed their check by Wed, I'll call them to see what to do. I think they were the only bill that went out Saturday, and everything's been checked off my 'bills to come in' list, so we weren't expecting anything important. I guess we'll see.
My old sewing machine fried its computer awhile back and I'd bought a replacement. Finally made myself put it through its paces today and it can't do what I need it to do. It pulls to the left pretty consistently, and balks really bad (and then pulls left really, REALLY bad, like 45˚ angle bad) whenever seams butt up. There are a LOT of butting seams in piecing quilts and I am not a happy camper about this. It's supposed to be a specialized 'quilting' sewing machine, but if it can't sew straight or drive right over seams it's totally useless to me. Since Laura's in DM with the car, I have to wait for Bill to have time, energy, and warmth to drag me out to return it, or I have to wait for Laura to get back Tues or Wed. In the mean time, I have this big, boxed, sewing machine I can't use staring at me, which is not helping my mood. I have a LOT of sewing to get done and no good way to do it. Grr.
The truck is acting up, spluttering is about the best way I can describe it. Maybe a fuel line problem? I dunno. With the car in DM, that might become a pretty big problem.
I started the LIFT monitored diet and I'm in a control group where I'm supposed to read every day. So far so good there. It isn't helping me lose weight, tho. ;) Mmmm. Pie! I have a houseful of healthy food, but we still find ourselves at Village Inn. Dang cute hubbies and their seductive ways! ;)
I think my cyst is better. It hasn't hurt in a while, anyway. I go back the end of the month to get it rechecked.
My mother also is getting a recheck for a skin lesion. I'm currently planning on going to her appointment with her. I'm very concerned, and that's all I can say right now.
Bill and I decided to do the money challenge backward. So far so good there! :)
I took this whole, lovely weekend off from writing since I got Morgan to my agent on time (yay). I'll let everyone know privately should SPORE get good news. Or bad news. Or any news. Fwiw, I'm expecting to hear something (good, bad, or neutral) not this week but next.
I start back on SLIPPAGE tomorrow. Need to totally re-do the beginning, it's just not working, tension wise, the way it sits.
Housework, housework, housework.
Lastly, I've been dealing with my odd but normal-for-me angst over the books being 'out there', but having a weekend to hang out with Bill and relax and talk has helped a LOT. I'm good. Well, okay. I have Clarity. And that's saying a lot.
{{hugs}} for everyone!
Clarity
So things aren't right here. Worst health I've ever been in. Worst financial shape since college. Personal life ... well, that's still the same.
Doesn't matter.
Decided to lose weight and become healthy. Pulled out my low carb cookbook and crossed out all recipes that weren't low sodium. Been making low carb meals every day. Still cheating some, but that's tapering off. Walking every day, not far at all, but it's a start.
Pulled out story notes and started stepping into the Ryton world. Time to finish Murder by the Mile and publish it.
Things are never optimal. Always feel outnumbered. Always feel outgunned. Always feel out of place and alone.
Doesn't matter.
I feel a better life out there in front of me. Maybe I will never reach it. Maybe it will be always be around the next corner. Maybe I will be always be poor and ill and sad. Probably. Going to try anyway. Tired of sitting still. Of being defeated.
This isn't optimism. Don't want to mislead you. This isn't hope. It's more of stubborn bloody-mindedness. It's what I possess in abundance. And it will carry me on.
I think this is clarity. It's what I can see. Maybe not the horizon, but at least the steps before me. That's enough. For now.
Hope you have a great week. Stay warm.
Doesn't matter.
Decided to lose weight and become healthy. Pulled out my low carb cookbook and crossed out all recipes that weren't low sodium. Been making low carb meals every day. Still cheating some, but that's tapering off. Walking every day, not far at all, but it's a start.
Pulled out story notes and started stepping into the Ryton world. Time to finish Murder by the Mile and publish it.
Things are never optimal. Always feel outnumbered. Always feel outgunned. Always feel out of place and alone.
Doesn't matter.
I feel a better life out there in front of me. Maybe I will never reach it. Maybe it will be always be around the next corner. Maybe I will be always be poor and ill and sad. Probably. Going to try anyway. Tired of sitting still. Of being defeated.
This isn't optimism. Don't want to mislead you. This isn't hope. It's more of stubborn bloody-mindedness. It's what I possess in abundance. And it will carry me on.
I think this is clarity. It's what I can see. Maybe not the horizon, but at least the steps before me. That's enough. For now.
Hope you have a great week. Stay warm.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
All I see is white...
It's been a snowy week. I had to stay an extra day upstate, and I was downstate a whole day before it started snowing here. We've got more here than I've ever seen, which isn't saying a whole lot considering we're more likely to get ice than snow. There's enough now that I'll actually have to break out the shovel. Or get Alex to. ;-) Visibility is pretty low right now, but it's good enough that I can see a loose piece of siding waving like a banner on the house across the street.
Good Stuff:
- The apartment is starting to look like home, so much so that I left there to come downstate, not home. It's a small distinction but relevant, I think, and Eric was pleased to hear it.
- Our plans are finally firm. The final move will be MLK weekend, and Chad (one of the Boys) is going to drive down and help us. He will pick Eric up Friday night on his way here, and we'll pick up the UHaul truck Saturday morning. That gives me two weeks to get my crap together.
- Cat shots are up to date. We won't need to find a vet straight away, and if I need one, my next-door neighbor has dogs. She'll know someone. Interestingly, the cats are all 5 lbs apart now. Chloe is 5 lbs, Tess is 10, and Ryan is 15. Ryan has gained weight; Tess and Chloe are essentially the same, although at their size, a few ounces makes a big difference.
- As a bonus, I didn't have to catch any cats for the vet run. I was off telling stories when Eric and Alex caught them. I got back just in time to change back into street clothes and load the carriers into the car. The vet run is slightly more pleasant when I don't have to chase anyone down first, but not much. I'd still rather get two mammograms than take my cats to the vet.
- I had my first Lake Effect Snow Warning. If we have to have severe weather, I'll take that one. It's prettier than a tornado.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I looked at my 2013 writing spreadsheet. I averaged a little over 11 writing days per month last year. That stinks. I've added a new goal: write 200 days. That will average out to 16 days. I'd like to do 250, but that might be a bit too ambitious to start with. I'll shoot for 200 first and maybe revise to 250.
- I won't get into the details of moving prep. It feels like a lot.
- Next Sunday is my last at church. I'm trying not to think about it. Instead, I'm trying to look forward to seeing how I can get involved in our new church.
I think that about sums it up. I think I better go at least shovel a path to the mailbox, and then I need to get some more words in.
Good Stuff:
- The apartment is starting to look like home, so much so that I left there to come downstate, not home. It's a small distinction but relevant, I think, and Eric was pleased to hear it.
- Our plans are finally firm. The final move will be MLK weekend, and Chad (one of the Boys) is going to drive down and help us. He will pick Eric up Friday night on his way here, and we'll pick up the UHaul truck Saturday morning. That gives me two weeks to get my crap together.
- Cat shots are up to date. We won't need to find a vet straight away, and if I need one, my next-door neighbor has dogs. She'll know someone. Interestingly, the cats are all 5 lbs apart now. Chloe is 5 lbs, Tess is 10, and Ryan is 15. Ryan has gained weight; Tess and Chloe are essentially the same, although at their size, a few ounces makes a big difference.
- As a bonus, I didn't have to catch any cats for the vet run. I was off telling stories when Eric and Alex caught them. I got back just in time to change back into street clothes and load the carriers into the car. The vet run is slightly more pleasant when I don't have to chase anyone down first, but not much. I'd still rather get two mammograms than take my cats to the vet.
- I had my first Lake Effect Snow Warning. If we have to have severe weather, I'll take that one. It's prettier than a tornado.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I looked at my 2013 writing spreadsheet. I averaged a little over 11 writing days per month last year. That stinks. I've added a new goal: write 200 days. That will average out to 16 days. I'd like to do 250, but that might be a bit too ambitious to start with. I'll shoot for 200 first and maybe revise to 250.
- I won't get into the details of moving prep. It feels like a lot.
- Next Sunday is my last at church. I'm trying not to think about it. Instead, I'm trying to look forward to seeing how I can get involved in our new church.
I think that about sums it up. I think I better go at least shovel a path to the mailbox, and then I need to get some more words in.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Buh bye, 2013
I'm late to this party - again - but I have been tying to get some life stuff sorted out and this fits in well with it.
This past year was crazy hectic, and I didn't achieve any of my big goals (like sell a book and lose 50lbs) but I didn't do too bad, either. Here are my hopes/plans/goals for 2013.
Personal
Everything Else
This past year was crazy hectic, and I didn't achieve any of my big goals (like sell a book and lose 50lbs) but I didn't do too bad, either. Here are my hopes/plans/goals for 2013.
Personal
- Become re-motivated with Weight Watchers and lose the 12 lbs I've slowly picked up since I fell off the wagon this past June. I've already started doing baby steps for this - like track just my Good Health Guidelines and Exercise, so I'm confident I'll get back on track.
- Exercise 2 days on, 1 day off, to hopefully avoid injuries yet increase my health.
- Lose a total of 25lbs this year. Half a pound a week is surely doable.
- Rediscover quilting. I haven't sewn hardly at all since June and it bugs me. I want to completely finish one bed sized quilt this year and make 6 small ones. Again, totally doable.
- Also doing the 52 week money challenge this year, yet another thing that fell apart in June.
- Be more mindful with decluttering. Not sure if I want to re-join up with FlyLady, so I'm doing the LIFT decluttering plan.
- Try at least one new healthy recipe every pay period (2 weeks). I haven't been creative in the kitchen lately either.
- Limit my Facebook time. It just sucks my life away, and for very little payoff.
- Same thing with politics. The middle has become the fringe and getting frustrated doesn't help me or anyone else.
- Play more with my granddaughter instead of letting her do her own thing so much.
- Insist on dedicated couple time with my hubby.
- Do whatever I can to find a home for SPORE and MORGAN'S RUN so I can return to being a working writer.
- Write two other books. One spec thriller, one something else.
- Find a way to blog more consistently to help market the books.
- Create dedicated writing time and space that doesn't keep me up until 2 or 3 am every night. That's just too late when I babysit all day.
Everything Else
- Relax.
- Enjoy life.
- Breathe.
{{hugs}} and happy new year, everyone!
Looking Ahead
I think I've got it all now. It seems pretty well-rounded and doable.
PROFESSIONAL
-
Rewrite 3 books
-
Pitch at least 1 book in person or 2 by query
-
Join the local writers group and attend meetings
-
Find storytelling venues
HEALTH/WELLNESS
-
Explore ways to eat clean. Actually do some
-
Re-focus on herbs—growing, preserving, medicinal
uses, healing properties
-
Ditto for food (except growing)
-
Be thankful and fill the Blessing Jar
-
Lose 15 lbs. Keep it off at least six months
before trying to lose more
BOUNDARY PUSHING
-
Exercise/self-defense classes
-
Explore public transit
-
Find new ways to help the poor and homeless
without putting myself at risk
o
Crochet scarves/throws for shelters
-
Greener/simpler/less expensive living
MISC
-
Visit Grandma once a month (I realized a few days ago I'm going to live closer to her than I have in my life)
Sunday, December 29, 2013
It's that time of the year again
It's that time of the year again where I make goals that apparently have no basis in reality. I really thought I had a chance to reach the ones I made last year. And I did reach a few.
2. Conducted the writing group's meetings and was, I think, a fairly effective president. At least enough that they re-elected me for the next two years.
3. Redesigned my book website. It's ready for its own domain now, but money is too tight. Maybe in 2014.
4. Survived the whole heart "event" business. Not an inconsiderable achievement.
5. Published Red Bird Woman by Gail Wood. I think it has a lovely cover. I'm quite proud of how it looks. The poems are excellent. Gail will become well-known as a poet if she continues to pursue her writing.
6. And I had walked at the gym at least three times a week until the heart attack in August.
7. Wrote nearly half of the poems for Undying, which I hope I can finish and publish in 2013.
8. Published the family newsletter up until August. Published the December one on time at least.
9. Kept my bills -- except for the medical bills -- paid.
10. A handful of other minor accomplishments, but they count. Small pearls remain precious despite their size.
2. Finish and publish Undying.
3. Slowly increase my physical activity so that I regain my health.
4. Start the DASH diet for my blood pressure.
5. Maintain my blogs.
6. Take care of my friends and family as best I can.
7. Take more photos. I love my new camera. I want to learn how to use it well.
8. Read the Bible all the way through.
9. Do the 52 Week Money Challenge again. I did it in 2013 despite all my bills.
10. Publish Creations 2014 for the writing group.
11. Be a good president for the writing group with programs that aid them in their writing goals.
12. Remember each day carries hope.
I think that's enough for now.
Last year's accomplishments:
1. I published the writing group's anthology: Creations 2013: 40 Ways to Look at Love. It looked nice. Had some good writing in it.2. Conducted the writing group's meetings and was, I think, a fairly effective president. At least enough that they re-elected me for the next two years.
3. Redesigned my book website. It's ready for its own domain now, but money is too tight. Maybe in 2014.
4. Survived the whole heart "event" business. Not an inconsiderable achievement.
5. Published Red Bird Woman by Gail Wood. I think it has a lovely cover. I'm quite proud of how it looks. The poems are excellent. Gail will become well-known as a poet if she continues to pursue her writing.
6. And I had walked at the gym at least three times a week until the heart attack in August.
7. Wrote nearly half of the poems for Undying, which I hope I can finish and publish in 2013.
8. Published the family newsletter up until August. Published the December one on time at least.
9. Kept my bills -- except for the medical bills -- paid.
10. A handful of other minor accomplishments, but they count. Small pearls remain precious despite their size.
2014 Goals
1. Finally finish and publish Murder by the Mile. Or give it up completely. I'm tired of it hanging over my head.2. Finish and publish Undying.
3. Slowly increase my physical activity so that I regain my health.
4. Start the DASH diet for my blood pressure.
5. Maintain my blogs.
6. Take care of my friends and family as best I can.
7. Take more photos. I love my new camera. I want to learn how to use it well.
8. Read the Bible all the way through.
9. Do the 52 Week Money Challenge again. I did it in 2013 despite all my bills.
10. Publish Creations 2014 for the writing group.
11. Be a good president for the writing group with programs that aid them in their writing goals.
12. Remember each day carries hope.
I think that's enough for now.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Land of Make Believe
Yes, this is the time to post what I'm striving to achieve for 2014. Putting near utter failure for 2013 behind me, I'm redoubling my efforts for 2014. Like Wendy, I'm trying to envision where I want to be next year and planning specific goals as measurable as possible to get there. I'm not going to detail the specifics here -- generalities will be listed.
I evaluated the major categories from previous years, and I plan to keep them the same:
Relationships, Health, Home and Property, Writing, and Other Obligations
For relationships, I'll continue to work on spouse, family, and friends. I'm going to focus on quality time with Mr. L and calling my parents at least once a month. I want to be a good friend, and that varies with each friend.
For health, weight, fitness, and diet. Stephen suggested a weight loss goal of one pound a month, and since one pound a week has resulted in a net gain of 20 pounds this year, maybe I'll try a more conservative goal. I think weighing daily isn't working either, so I'm going to go for twice a month on the first and 15th. I want to get my fasting glucose level below 100 and normal levels on cholesterol and blood pressure. I've registered to participate in Lift's diet study for the month of January. I opted out of letting them choose the diet (they're all healthy, but most of them aren't easily integratable with Mr. L's dietary preferences). I think I'm going to choose Mindful Eating -- as I understand it, that's getting things right in your head, and that's where my eating problems lie.
For home and property, there are things to maintain and things to improve. Obviously, yard work is a focus. There are several things at each property I'd like to see us get done, but most of them will require Mr. L to make it a priority, and he doesn't like to be pushed -- he has a timeline in his mind, and it shifts as new priorities emerge, so even if he tells me, it changes from one day to the next, so I'm better off letting him "drive the bus" for those things. I control yard work, housework, and decluttering of my things. I'm developing measurable goals for those items.
For Writing, I'm going to continue incorporating Product Launch Formula principles into marketing my writing, writing more short fiction, revising my novels, and building my Fiction Club list. I plan to continue the same blogging schedule. I'm preparing short fiction for A-Z Challenge in April. I still need to finish revising Polar Bear on the Loose, and I have several novels to work on after I finish that.
For other obligations, I have a few things to work on for Forward Motion, and, of course, though I don't think of it as an obligation, I intend to participate fully in our Createslate support effort. I have a nagging sense I'm forgetting something significant in this category of an online nature.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Year in review
I find myself at loose ends this evening, so I thought I'd take a look at where I've been. I'm still thinking through what I want to do in 2014. In the past, I've set goals almost arbitrarily. As I get older, it seems more helpful to think about who I want to be next year at this time, and figure out what I need to do to get there. It's taking more thought. I'll get back to you when they're solidified. In the meantime, I hope all of you had a lovely holiday and that 2014 will bring you joy.
2013 Goals:
2013 Goals:
·
Make enough money to pay at least half my
professional expenses. Not even close. I didn't make a dime this year.
·
Keep the new kitchen clean. That one's about 50/50. I'm a slob at heart, and increased counter space has, at times, bred clutter.
·
Give to the food bank at least three times. Hmm. No. I think I gave twice. There's still time in the year. I could probably put together a bag to take this weekend from what I have in my pantry.
·
Keep $5.00 bills in the car for people standing
on the corners. Yes! I have given them out fairly regularly here. I'm a little scared to do it in Chicago, but once I get used to the area, I'm sure I'll continue the practice.
·
Seriously declutter. I have no idea how to
measure this.Yes, if only so I won't have to move things.
·
Do at least 1 bible study. Yes. I knocked that one out early.
·
Learn more ways to defend myself. Sort of. I did take a couple months of Judo, but the dojo I was attending was more focused on tournaments than self-defense.
o
Practice the ways I already know. Yes. In fact, I'll be doing so tomorrow.
·
Write 150,000 book words. Yes. Barely. I hit 150,031. It's a victory on paper, but I'm not happy with it. I could have done 200k if I'd tried.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Bio Check and Update Time
When you get a chance, take a look at your "About Me" page here and send me any changes. If I don't hear from you, I'll figure it's still current for you.
Jean
Jean
The Song Remains the Same
Sitting in Panera downloading PLF Module 7. The downloads have finished, and I'm getting caught up with online things I can't do easily from the phone that I don't want to chew up mobile bandwidth for either.
We're settled into San Antonio until the end of the year. Wendy, imagine what you're doing stretched out to infinity (it seems that way), but we're at five years with no end in site. I love both houses, but transitioning back and forth is annoying. Inevitably, something we need gets left at the other house.
Mr. L got seats and stems replaced for the tub faucets. We are no longer leaking five gallons of water a day from that source. We're working on getting leaves and acorns raked and vacuumed this week. That's what I'll be doing when I head out from here. I got one half of the front yard done a couple days ago (the easy part), and the other half is up today and until it's done. We'll do a cursory sweep, because there are still a lot of red oak leaves to come down. Live oak leaves will start next month.
I'm still getting things set up on the MacBook Pro. I love it. Since I'm keeping the MacBook Air for now, I have to decide if I still need to get the new MacMini when they are released -- assuming that happens. In theory, I could use the Pro as my main machine, but do I want to do that? I'm thinking no. I'm also considering shifting to an IMAP mail model, leaving my mail on the bluehost servers (or ATT or Earthlink, depending upon the source) and managing it there. That will be a shift from my POP mail approach and consolidating most of it on my main machine while accessing it from several places.
I'm still evaluating my goals for the new year. I think I need to devote some time to that. I am enjoying the Lift app. I'm working three plans right now. Three months to a new you is a plan focused on drinking water, squats, pushups, and jumping jacks. My calves are killing me, so I've had to modify the plan, but I'm doing what I can with it. Daily Decluttering has prompted me to get a few things done that I've been putting off -- most recently, diving under the kitchen sink and pulling out various cleaners that we haven't looked at in 20 years. After pulling that out, throwing out the near empties and discovering two unopened containers of Comet cleanser, I swept out the shelf (ewwww), and placed the keeper items back in. There's more to be done, but that was a start. This is a 30 day plan, and I plan to repeat it. The third plan I'm doing is Become A Writing Machine. This, too, is a thirty day program. It's had some interesting approaches, and I'm mostly enjoying it. Lift offers a number of other plans, but there's something about most of them I'm not wild about participating in, but these three are resonating for me now. Maybe others will at another time.
My doctor said I need to lose weight, and I agree with him. He encouraged me to go back to Weight Watchers. I'm still debating what approach I want to use.
Merry Christmas, Friends!
We're settled into San Antonio until the end of the year. Wendy, imagine what you're doing stretched out to infinity (it seems that way), but we're at five years with no end in site. I love both houses, but transitioning back and forth is annoying. Inevitably, something we need gets left at the other house.
Mr. L got seats and stems replaced for the tub faucets. We are no longer leaking five gallons of water a day from that source. We're working on getting leaves and acorns raked and vacuumed this week. That's what I'll be doing when I head out from here. I got one half of the front yard done a couple days ago (the easy part), and the other half is up today and until it's done. We'll do a cursory sweep, because there are still a lot of red oak leaves to come down. Live oak leaves will start next month.
I'm still getting things set up on the MacBook Pro. I love it. Since I'm keeping the MacBook Air for now, I have to decide if I still need to get the new MacMini when they are released -- assuming that happens. In theory, I could use the Pro as my main machine, but do I want to do that? I'm thinking no. I'm also considering shifting to an IMAP mail model, leaving my mail on the bluehost servers (or ATT or Earthlink, depending upon the source) and managing it there. That will be a shift from my POP mail approach and consolidating most of it on my main machine while accessing it from several places.
I'm still evaluating my goals for the new year. I think I need to devote some time to that. I am enjoying the Lift app. I'm working three plans right now. Three months to a new you is a plan focused on drinking water, squats, pushups, and jumping jacks. My calves are killing me, so I've had to modify the plan, but I'm doing what I can with it. Daily Decluttering has prompted me to get a few things done that I've been putting off -- most recently, diving under the kitchen sink and pulling out various cleaners that we haven't looked at in 20 years. After pulling that out, throwing out the near empties and discovering two unopened containers of Comet cleanser, I swept out the shelf (ewwww), and placed the keeper items back in. There's more to be done, but that was a start. This is a 30 day plan, and I plan to repeat it. The third plan I'm doing is Become A Writing Machine. This, too, is a thirty day program. It's had some interesting approaches, and I'm mostly enjoying it. Lift offers a number of other plans, but there's something about most of them I'm not wild about participating in, but these three are resonating for me now. Maybe others will at another time.
My doctor said I need to lose weight, and I agree with him. He encouraged me to go back to Weight Watchers. I'm still debating what approach I want to use.
Merry Christmas, Friends!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Go Twice Around the Crazy Tree With Me, Sweet Adalee
Sometimes I think I might be going crazy. And not that happy, zany, upbeat, fun crazy, but that bleak, solemn, downbeat, dragging crazy. In the middle of the night when my heart wakes me up and my chest pounds, I find myself wondering how much more I can take -- which is downright silly because I've taken much worse than this and survived. That's the advantage of having horrific things in your past; you know what you can survive. I told a friend this several years ago, and I still think it's true: the worse thing can be knowing that what you're going through won't kill you and you will have to go on after it's over.
Still, it's been better this week. Not much better, but better. Had a couple bad nights, but a few nights were good. Sleep helps. And all my Christmas shopping is done. A great relief that. Amazon, Staples, RadioShack, WalMart, and the Dollar Tree. Only Amazon was online. WalMart shopping was done by my roomie. I did the other shopping myself, which I was rather proud of. Exhausted me, but I got it done.
I've enjoyed the Christmas cards I've received. Not a huge haul of them, but one or two almost every day. Makes me look forward to the mail. And the Christmas sweets. I try to limit myself, but I do take a bite or two of each new item presented. Peppermint coated pretzels, gingerbread pretzels, cherry coated chocolate morsels, Harry & David fruitcake ... All good. Can't have much of any of them, but a bite or two to savor is a good way to end a meal.
I'm trying ... no, I'm going to approach the coming year with some hope. After all, no more heart attacks. I have a warm house. I'm still up on my bills. I sold a few books. I have family and friends. Yes, I didn't make many of my goals for last year -- in fact, I'm not going to look back; it's too damning -- but I did a few things right. A few laughs. A few good times. A few glorious sunrises and sunsets. Still alive.
For this Christmas, I think the the best gift I can give myself: the permission to remember the good things from this year and to let the bad things fade away. Going to end this post with my song for 2014. Listen to it. It's really quite grand.
Still, it's been better this week. Not much better, but better. Had a couple bad nights, but a few nights were good. Sleep helps. And all my Christmas shopping is done. A great relief that. Amazon, Staples, RadioShack, WalMart, and the Dollar Tree. Only Amazon was online. WalMart shopping was done by my roomie. I did the other shopping myself, which I was rather proud of. Exhausted me, but I got it done.
I've enjoyed the Christmas cards I've received. Not a huge haul of them, but one or two almost every day. Makes me look forward to the mail. And the Christmas sweets. I try to limit myself, but I do take a bite or two of each new item presented. Peppermint coated pretzels, gingerbread pretzels, cherry coated chocolate morsels, Harry & David fruitcake ... All good. Can't have much of any of them, but a bite or two to savor is a good way to end a meal.
I'm trying ... no, I'm going to approach the coming year with some hope. After all, no more heart attacks. I have a warm house. I'm still up on my bills. I sold a few books. I have family and friends. Yes, I didn't make many of my goals for last year -- in fact, I'm not going to look back; it's too damning -- but I did a few things right. A few laughs. A few good times. A few glorious sunrises and sunsets. Still alive.
For this Christmas, I think the the best gift I can give myself: the permission to remember the good things from this year and to let the bad things fade away. Going to end this post with my song for 2014. Listen to it. It's really quite grand.
Rounding the bend
It's a mixed bag, as usual. I'm tired and looking forward to finally, FINALLY finishing this move.
Good Stuff:
- Alex graduated. It wasn't without drama. He waited until 3 p.m. the day before to get his cap and gown, and I had to go with him to pick it up because he didn't have the money to buy it. Also, I asked Eric to bring my toiletry bag, which I'd left upstate, instead of being smart and just packing stuff and taking it with me. He brought the bag, not realizing I'd taken out all my make-up and brush. I had a lens case, saline, and my toothbrush, and I went to graduation with a naked face. Also, we had 8" of snow overnight, and the snow plow piled snow if front of Alex's car, so we had to leave an awesome parking spot to go pick him up. I swear he's becoming the nutty professor. It wasn't all bad. There weren't as many people at the early ceremony (they had another in the afternoon), and I was told the winter graduations are smaller than the summer ones. For that reason alone I'd be happy if he walks to get his Masters in the winter, too!
- Dad and Linda followed me home and stayed with me for a couple days. They helped me eat the turkey soup, and Linda brought us homemade presents. Tammy, I'll have to send you pics of the microwave bowl holder she made. You put your bowl in it, nuke the whole thing, and you don't burn your fingers taking the hot bowl out. It's sort of a shaped hot pad.
- I took the kids out last night to celebrate Vicky's 21st birthday. We went to dinner and then to a Mother Grove concert. The front man and piper are 2/3 of Pictus, the band who's bard I am. I'd told them it was Vicky's birthday, so they brought her up on stage and had us all sing happy birthday in the most off-key way possible. It was great! I did assure her I wouldn't post the pictures on the internet. Sorry! Of course, she was pretty tipsy at that point, so maybe she doesn't remember that part. :-)
- I may be able to book a story telling gig in Indy this spring. The Mother Grove front man is also the entertainment manager for a new book store/microbrewery there, and he was very receptive when I asked if I could come. His fiancee even said I could stay with them.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Dragging out the move is starting to make me feel like my life is on hold. I'm stuck in no man's land between the old normal and the new normal. We'll be working out the logistics of moving the last of the stuff when we're all together this week.
- Took another load upstate Thursday and came back yesterday. I was not ready to come back.
- I learned today that the Boyfriend will be here for Christmas after all. I thought he was working Christmas, but the train yard is closed. He and Vicky are planning to come Christmas Eve after he gets off work. It's not a big deal. I have a present for him, but not a stocking, so I'll probably remedy that tomorrow. I just thought I was done shopping.
- I rescheduled the gig I had the day before Alex's graduation. The weather was forecast to turn ugly and I didn't want to wait until late afternoon to start. As it turns out, it was the right decision, but now I have to do it this week and am not prepared on top of everything else. OTOH, it's at a nursing home, and they might not remember (or care) if I tell stories I've already told. There's really no good reason to stress over this.
So that's what I've been up to, in a nutshell. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I'll be back next week to do the year in review and set 2014 goals.
Good Stuff:
- Alex graduated. It wasn't without drama. He waited until 3 p.m. the day before to get his cap and gown, and I had to go with him to pick it up because he didn't have the money to buy it. Also, I asked Eric to bring my toiletry bag, which I'd left upstate, instead of being smart and just packing stuff and taking it with me. He brought the bag, not realizing I'd taken out all my make-up and brush. I had a lens case, saline, and my toothbrush, and I went to graduation with a naked face. Also, we had 8" of snow overnight, and the snow plow piled snow if front of Alex's car, so we had to leave an awesome parking spot to go pick him up. I swear he's becoming the nutty professor. It wasn't all bad. There weren't as many people at the early ceremony (they had another in the afternoon), and I was told the winter graduations are smaller than the summer ones. For that reason alone I'd be happy if he walks to get his Masters in the winter, too!
- Dad and Linda followed me home and stayed with me for a couple days. They helped me eat the turkey soup, and Linda brought us homemade presents. Tammy, I'll have to send you pics of the microwave bowl holder she made. You put your bowl in it, nuke the whole thing, and you don't burn your fingers taking the hot bowl out. It's sort of a shaped hot pad.
- I took the kids out last night to celebrate Vicky's 21st birthday. We went to dinner and then to a Mother Grove concert. The front man and piper are 2/3 of Pictus, the band who's bard I am. I'd told them it was Vicky's birthday, so they brought her up on stage and had us all sing happy birthday in the most off-key way possible. It was great! I did assure her I wouldn't post the pictures on the internet. Sorry! Of course, she was pretty tipsy at that point, so maybe she doesn't remember that part. :-)
- I may be able to book a story telling gig in Indy this spring. The Mother Grove front man is also the entertainment manager for a new book store/microbrewery there, and he was very receptive when I asked if I could come. His fiancee even said I could stay with them.
Not So Good Stuff:
- Dragging out the move is starting to make me feel like my life is on hold. I'm stuck in no man's land between the old normal and the new normal. We'll be working out the logistics of moving the last of the stuff when we're all together this week.
- Took another load upstate Thursday and came back yesterday. I was not ready to come back.
- I learned today that the Boyfriend will be here for Christmas after all. I thought he was working Christmas, but the train yard is closed. He and Vicky are planning to come Christmas Eve after he gets off work. It's not a big deal. I have a present for him, but not a stocking, so I'll probably remedy that tomorrow. I just thought I was done shopping.
- I rescheduled the gig I had the day before Alex's graduation. The weather was forecast to turn ugly and I didn't want to wait until late afternoon to start. As it turns out, it was the right decision, but now I have to do it this week and am not prepared on top of everything else. OTOH, it's at a nursing home, and they might not remember (or care) if I tell stories I've already told. There's really no good reason to stress over this.
So that's what I've been up to, in a nutshell. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I'll be back next week to do the year in review and set 2014 goals.