Big Mommy...And Other Things

The little one and I have both been sick with some kind of nasty crud. A sick toddler is a major handful, let me just say. It involves lots of crying and whining, and many other things I'd rather not mention. Thankfully, I can report that we both are feeling better.

Which brings me to this very funny story from last week. My mother, who watches Piper while I work, made a trip to the store one morning. In the car on the way home, she and Piper had the following conversation:

Piper: See Mommy.

Mom: We can't see Mommy right now. She's at work.

Piper: See Mommy.

Mom: Mommy's at work. We'll see her this evening.

Piper: *Claps her hands together.* SEE BIG MOMMY NOW!

Frankly, I have no idea if that turned out as funny as it was, but it was hilarious, and I am now known as Big Mommy in some circles.

****

Most of you who come here know that I was going to try to hire someone to come in on the weekends to help with things around here. In a bit of luck, my husband's cousin recently moved in next door with her husband. They are expecting a baby. Having just relocated from Illinois, they have yet to find jobs, and could use some extra cash. My husband mentioned something in passing about giving her $20 to watch Little Bit for a few while I did some things (to be discussed further down). It was a huge blessing, and a blazing success. Piper loves her, and so they bounced back and forth between both houses, while I got some serious work done.

Then, in one of those lovely twists of fate, we started discussing other cleaning. So, his cousin is going to come and do a set list of tasks during the week while we are gone, and I'll increase the pay accordingly. I can't tell you how nice it was coming home this evening to find Piper's room picked up and neat, one of the bathrooms all clean, the dishes done, and Piper's clean laundry folded and put away. It's great so far, and there's less stress for me. The hardest part for me is deciding how much to compensate her for the efforts.

****

This weekend, during the previously mentioned time that the husband's cousin was helping with Piper, I cleaned out eight large trash bags of clothes that I've accumulated for the last several years. There for the longest time, I kept everything. However, since I've become a mother, and had a million tasks added to my to do list, I just don't have the time to clean up or around all that stuff. So, I've been slightly ruthless in getting rid of stuff, and I made a ton of space in my house by clearing out this stuff.

I've also come to the conclusion that it is selfish as to hang on to all these perfectly good things when there are people out there that need them. So, I'm hauling loads of usable things to the Goodwill, where people who need things can use them. It's helping a bunch.

****

I'm finally feeling good again. There for a bit I was rather depressed and a real Downer Debbie. It felt like the relationship with the husband was strained. We've finally started to have some time together. Things are feeling a little bit better all around. I've gotten the kind of help I need.

****

I've not written anything recently. Not that I'm not thinking about my novel. It's on my mind a lot, and I have some things I need to work through, so I'm not upset because it's not dead in the water.

****

Friday is our fifth wedding anniversary. It is also the same day that marks 11 years of being together. It's amazing. We have a nice evening planned. We're going out for dinner, and doing a little Christmas shopping to finish up some of the things we need. It's hard to imagine the holidays are so close, but I'm feeling better than I have in a while. Now I just need to get a sleepy toddler ready for bed.

Blogging About Blogging

Deb Ng from Freelance Writing Jobs wrote a little piece over at Performancing (great place, btw) on getting your blog ready for the new year. She mentioned several points, but I really took away these three to put to use over here at LWAOT.

1. Create specific activities to occur on certain days of the week. I've already been plotting this one out. From Mon. to Fri. each day will have a theme, topic, or what-have-you.

• Monday - Book Reviews/Writing News
• Tuesday - Random Thoughts
• Wednesday - Whiny Wednesday
• Thursday - Article on one of the topics for the month (See below)
• Friday - Writing Wrap-up/Friday Snippet (maybe)

2. Create an editorial calendar for your blog. You know, like the magazines use to tell them what topic or area to focus on that month. So, I started jotting down ideas that sort of tie together for each month. For example, for January, I jotted down the following ideas: Resolutions, Weight Loss, Exercise, Quitting smoking. For my Thursday article, I can use these to build some writing samples.

3. Use your date/time stamp to let you work ahead on your material and have it appear on your blog when you want. I don't think blogger really supports this capability, as I've yet to find something on it. Wordpress, however, I believe has some code junkies out there that will let you do this. So, I'll see what I need to do.

I think these things could really up the content of my blog, which I've wanted to do. We'll see how it goes. Things don't always work the way I want them to.

Not Doing So Hot on This Posting Thing...Or Writing For That Matter

Things have been a bit nutty. They always are this time of year. It's when I become a widow to the deer hunt. This holiday weekend was the longest ever. It just wouldn't go away. Normally I'm all for the paid time off from work, but Piper just wouldn't quit. No naps until an hour or two before bedtime. Stripping all her clothes off and peeing on the floor. Honestly, it felt good to go drop her off at my mom's for work yesterday. The whole plan for the weekend: Write when Piper's sleeping. It just never happened. I swear I have bad luck or bad karma. Bad something.



Then there's is this personal thing that I've been going through. I think it's a quarter life crisis. I don't know. It's just that I've realized that you only live one life, and, well, I want a job that makes a difference in someone's life. Even if it's just to make someone's day go by a little easier. Plus, I really want to run my own business. Have for long time.



This current job I'm now is supposed to be the big after college job. But I don't feel that great about it for a lot of reasons. Most of which I won't mention here because they are private. It's not the first time that I've felt that I'm not right for the corporate world, though.



So I've decided that I want to start an errand business. I think it's an unfilled niche to this area. I also think it won't take off right away, so I'd like to supplement with freelance writing. I suggested this to my dad and the response was less than overwhelming. I knew better than to mention it to my husband.

Then I pitched the idea to Miss Michele's Tarot, the lovely alter ego of Dawn Allcot. The reading? Basically, I will be successful, but it will take work and there will be obstacles. Story of my life. I've always been a fan of hard work to reach what you want. It builds character. But that reading also meant that in order for this to start happening, I'd have to talk about it to my husband. Which scared the crap out of me.

I walked around for many days with my stomach twisted in a knot, and tears leaking down my face. Finally, this weekend, I got the nerve to say something to him about what I wanted. His response, very typical for him, was something about how we couldn't afford it right now. Well, I don't mean right now. I'm thinking of a launch in a year or year and a half or so. Huge planner, right here folks.

So I'm going to put together a plan, get my foot in the door freelancing, and do this thing. I don't know how much time that will leave for fiction writing, but I want this. I really want this. So I'm going to try very hard to achieve it.

TGTD - Weekend One

This is the first weekend in The Great Tea Debacle (it comes out in a great booming voice in my head, in case you were wondering). So far things have sucked. I wrote some during the week, and I thought to write some this weekend. I thought to write quite a lot this weekend.

Then my allergies flaired. I feel somewhat better today, but not great.

Then Piper started. Poor thing has been off the mark for the last few days, and yesterday she was a mess. I was so tired and frustrated by the time evening came, that I was near tears. The husband was gone all day (big surprise here ) and being alone with a million things I wanted to do was no fun.

Finally, yesterday evening, my husband and his buddy were talking, and I guess the buddy is bringing his new girl over tomorrow evening. Thank goodness I was already planning a big dinner, so there isn't much extra effort there. The big thing is that now I have to do housecleaning I wasn't planning on doing, and I was going to write today.

Today has already been interesting. Time changed last night. Piper woke up and when I checked the alarm clock, it said 5:30, so I thought, "That's okay. It's close enough to six that we'll just get up." Then I make it to the computer, and realize that we didn't set our clocks back before bed. It's really early.

Now, I'm going to try and write a few words since Piper is napping and the husband is still in bed. While I write, I am going to enjoy a pot pie for breakfast because it was the only thing that sounded good. Hopefully, I can have a decent number to email in tonight.

Sensory Overload

I'm finally getting around to this post about something I noticed the other day. Pete often rants (or discusses, whatever) about how technology is bad for writing in many cases. I don't disagree with that. There are times that a good pen and a 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 two subject notebook (They fit so neatly in the purse!) are just what I need.

But the other day during my commute home, I just wanted all the noise to stop. Which is odd because the main noise is my radio, which I select and often enjoy the sound from. It was all too much. So I did the sanest thing I could do at the moment and popped in a classical music CD I keep in the car. It seems Beethoven is on of my favorites. Especially Moonlight Sonata. I listened to that CD for two days straight.

Then it hit me that I don't get to listen to as much relaxing music as I used. Most workplaces block internet radio sites. In my temporary job, we'd found a way around it, and I often listened to a New Age radio station. At home I listen to AudioVisions on the TV, and I have tons of Celtic and Native American flute music. But I listen to many types of music in general. I'm dying to get a Tom Petty album because I don't have one, and I'd love to listen to some of that.

But as Pete has discussed, I find myself turning away from technology. There's nothing wrong with my favorite sites, it's just that I don't get as much out of them as before. I just want to tone it down. Everything in my life needs to be toned down.

So there you have, it I find myself relaxed and in the mood to write by listening to New Age and classical music. Who knew?

The Great Tea Debacle

Why in the world I signed up for The Great Tea Debacle is beyond me. Honestly, I know exactly why. There's now way I will win, but there's something to be said for the camaraderie gained from such an event.

Stemming from the fun jests in preparation from Nano, the Debacle is a competition between a few writers to see who can accomplish the most between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30. Everyone has anted up some tea related item, and the winner takes all.

I'm really looking forward to having a blast losing. Who knew that was possible?

Finding Time for Me, or Incorporating Realistic Writing Goals

I sat the other day reviewing the things I've wanted to do in terms of writing. It's been hellacious in this house lately, and I feel like I've put myself on the back burner. I'm past exhausted, and it's starting to show. But, what better way to energize myself than come up with some simple and completely achievable writing goals? Feeling the failure from not reaching other goals, I picked a slow, steady pace. So in no particular order, here are things I'd like to be doing.

• Novel - Write 500 words or more every morning. Shouldn't be too hard for me so long as I'm not stuck on it. I can spit out words pretty quickly.
• Short Stories - Reserve Tue & Thu evenings for working on shorts. Doesn't matter if I'm writing, editing, or submitting so long as it's shorts.
• Blogging - Reserve Mon, Wed, & Fri evenings for blog entries. Also, I plan to take my posts to the next level and up the content a notch.
• Saturdays - Planning, research, and similar tasks. All those little things I need to do wrapped into one day.
• Sundays - Extra writing time and the Flash Fiction Challenge every Sunday.
• Freelance - I'd like to dabble in freelance, building some writing credits and making a little extra money every month. Problem is that I'm waiting for clearance from work. They have to approve all for-profit work outside of the company.

I'm hoping that I'm not overloading myself here, but in theory, I'm thinking that each evening will have a half an hour or so devoted to writing. We'll see. It's worth a shot. I've been feeling like I'm neglecting myself, and it's making me unhappy. I need time for me.

Surprisingly Good Shrimp

Yesterday, after getting off from work, I was hungry. I stopped at Dairy Queen for the popcorn shrimp basket. I just wanted the shrimp, but that's what you gotta order. For being a dessert, and sometimes good burger place, the popcorn shrimp is surprisingly good. Not that it really makes a good pre-dinner snack (I didn't even really eat at dinner), but it's good and it hit the spot.

Hump day I got some sleep. I had about as hard a time waking up yesterday as any other day. All warm and snuggled up in the bed. But, alas, this morning Piper thinks we need to wake up at 3:30. So, I fed her another snack, and put some cartoons on. I'm hoping she'll doze back off so I can take a shower.

And this week, of all weeks, the urge to write has returned. I've taken to packing my little notebook in my purse and jotting down notes. It feels good. I have discovered that I don't like to write far out into the future. This story started with a broad overview, and I just jot out the ideas for a few scenes beforehand. When I get too far ahead of myself, I get bored.

And, in book news, Harry Potter comes out Saturday! Right, I know. You've known for ages, but I'm getting all pysched up here, and I can't wait. I'm hoping Piper takes a long nap on Saturday. Fast reading is my specialty. When book six came out, I read the whole thing twice and the ending an extra time in the first 72 hours. After I read seven, I'm going to reread the whole series start to finish. Woohoo!

Long Time No Post

So, things have changed. The change seems like a good thing, but it does take time. We're getting adjusted to the new schedule. It takes some time, of course, but it seems to be pretty good.

I think I'm going to really like the New Job once I get trained in. The people I work with are really nice.

Not so much news in the writing front. Everything seems to have stalled. Once the chaos of change has cleared, I'm hoping to define a very good schedule. I just need to get used to less sleep.

Brave New Adventures

So, it’s my turn to participate in the AbsoluteWrite Blogchain #9. Following a wonderful post from Andrea on the pushing outside your comfort zone, it got me thinking to when I really started pushing outside of my comfort zone.

I’ve always been a tad bit stubborn. Only a little, I promise. I know that I gave my mom a run for her money when I was little. It’s just how I am. And I’ve always been a bit of a thinker. Not many children read from an encyclopedia just because, or to gather information. I’ve be hoarding information since I could grasp it.

So what makes me push boundaries? I’ve always had a knack for that, too. Question after question until I wear someone out. But, I like to know the intricacies of things. Is what your currently doing the best option? Are there better ways out there? If you’ve tried X before, what made it fail? Can you improve what you’re doing?

I’ve always liked to try new things within reason. Which means maximizing safety and minimizing stupidity. No, I’m not going to hang on to the hood of your car while you drive around the parking lot. Yes, I will learn to use a gun, even if they scare me, because it can be useful and I can go hunting with you.

Common sense is a wonderful spice to add to life, and I don’t like to make decisions lightly. But some things don’t affect us all equally. So, I tried to make a list of things that push my comfort boundaries. A couple of things that stuck out:

I start a new job a week from Monday. I just starting feeling like I was really comfortable in my current position, and now I get start from scratch again with people I am not sure will like me.

I’ve been encouraged to post more of my writing at AW. I don’t often like to attract attention to myself, and right now I don’t have anything polished enough to let others lay eyes on. I can’t bring myself to do it because I see so much weakness in what I have. I probably should polish up something to post for crit.

With that enlightening post, I shall leave you to how you feel about your comfort, and what activities factor those changes. Next up in the blogchain is Niteowl at http://www.periodically.org/.

AbsoluteWrite BlogChain #9

Virginia Lee: I Ain't Dead Yet!
http://blog.cathsmith.com/
hunt & peck
Life, Writing, and Other Things
periodically.org
Food History
A View From the Waterfront
Organized Chaos
Willibee
The Road Less Traveled
awchain

The Waiting Game

I completed my second interview for that position, and now I’m waiting. Considering the speed with which all other communications have come, it makes me a bit nervous that I haven’t heard anything yet. I’m crossing my fingers that I will hear something today.

In other job search news, a position came open where I work now in the department I interned in, so I applied for that. I don’t know how high to get my hopes up, but I applied, and that’s what counts.

In other unrelated news, I tried to buy a laptop on my Dell Preferred card. It seems my account is still locked down from when I had financial troubles a year ago. My dad keeps encouraging me to call them and ask about it, but I’m leaning towards just buying one outright. I can save enough money in about a month and a half, and it won’t increase the debt load.

Of course, it will decrease the debt payoff because that is where the extra funds will come from. Then there’s always the fact that one of us needs to get an economical car, and I’m thinking my husband will be first because he drives further than I do. But I did some quick pricing and it looks like we can get him something reasonable for about $5,000. Maybe not pretty or sporty or big like he likes, but reasonable for all his damn driving.

In other news, I get DVR on Friday. So the husband and I won’t be fighting over TV. And I haven’t been writing much lately. Considering that I can’t at home due to computer issues that I still have not had time to address, I don’t have a way to do so. So I sneak a bit in here or there and think about it all the time.

Poked, Prodded & Pushed Around

Now, Jenna Glatzer is giving me a hard time.

Okay, so not really a hard time, but she prodded me to keep posting. I've been thinking that I should, but nothing's really going on.

I'm putting all the finances in order a laptop from the Dell outlet. Good prices, but I watched my picture perfect computer get snatched up this morning. So, it's in the works, but nothing yet. As I get time to fix the desktop, I will. It's a nice computer really.

Job interview first thing in the morning. Ugh. I have to get up & leave super early if I don't want to miss any time this week in my current job. They will be having kittens if I leave, I think. But this job I'm interviewing for will use both of my majors and they seem excited to have me come in.

I don't know if it is stress or what, but I've not been writing as usual. I'll snap out of it. It just seems like there are times when I have great plans and disaster strikes. It gets a bit depressing. But, life goes and I'll get over it.

Falling Off the Face of the Planet

So I've disappeared for a bit, given all the computer difficulties. I have to figure out a way around the problems I keep having, and I'm not sure how that's going to happen, but I'll get there. What I am debating right now is whether I want to order a cheap laptop, and whether I should tell the husband before or after it arrives.

I've wanted a laptop for a long time, and this a great time to get one. I can back up all the data from my desktop and wipe it, while enjoying the comforts of still having a computer to use. Not to mention I can write while sitting next to the husband on the couch while he watches some TV show that I can nothing about.

And a thanks to Frank Baron for posting a comment and here, which prompted a comment to myself along the lines of, "Hey Dummy! Yeah you. The blog is feeling neglected so get over there and write."

Crap Happens, Multiple Times

This past weekend and the weekend before I was looking forward to a great many things.

The weekend before last I had silently planned this writing marathon. Five thousand words in the course of a weekend, which is a lot of words for me. I didn't have much else on the agenda, so I figured it would be a great thing to do. Friday night as I am cooking dinner, I have my email up so I can browse and clean out the stuff I'm not keeping. I get up to stir what's cookin' on the stove and come back to a blue screen of death. Unmountable Boot Volume. Joy, oh wondrous joy.

Then I can't find the recovery disk that came with the computer. I've had it out before. I took it to my Mother-in-law's to try to fix her computer one day. Sometime after that it vanished. Then I realize I have another XP Professional disk that I bought to upgrade the other computer I have which I probably never see again because my brother won't bring it back.

I pop that disk in and then I get to the part where I need a password. And for some odd reason I actually set a password. Now I'm trying to recall what the password I set in 2003 might be. In the meantime, I keep searching for my original disk because the kind people over at Absolute Write gave me some tips & tricks.

Finally, frustrated beyond belief, I load the other disk. It takes two tries, but I eventually get my computer to load up.

Positive side: My data is intact and I can access my email.
Negative side: It seems that every piece of Microsoft software that I tried to utilize in the two spare minutes I had before leaving for work will not work. No Word. No Internet Explorer. And I need to download SP2 again.

So now I'm thinking that I shall order an external hard drive, wipe my computer clean and start fresh. No point in fixing all the programs. I just hope I don't have to do registry stuff, as I have no experience what-so-ever with that. Ah well, it's about time for another computer anyway.

Changes to the Blog

I've finally add some of the elements that I want to the blog. I think it looks pretty nice, but I'm not finished yet. I have more stuff to add, and the colors might change before I'm done. I haven't quite decided.

What I really love is the WIP bar. Over there. You see it? That thing is moving slowly but surely, and I'm back to working on my novel. At the same time that I'm working through the Create a Character Clinic by Holly Lisle. Great stuff that Holly has. I'm also reading Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer by Jenna Glatzer.

I'm also doing some other stuff, so it feel like everything is falling into place, and I'm starting to feel excited about all of it. It's good stuff.

Playing Hooky from My Blog

Soooooo…

I have all these plans and then Poof! I disappear. Well, I still have plans, and I have been doing things, so it’s not a total wash.

Since my last post, I have been crazy busy. Our peeps next door moved out and we’re getting the place ready for new people. The daughter has been a royal handful as well. And I’ve decided to pull all the crap from the house that we don’t need that’s clogging up space or that needs to be in a garage sale. So basically, that means there’s stuff everywhere until I get it over to my dad’s.

In good news, I submitted a contest entry over at the AW Freelance Board, which means that I wrote an entire freelance article. In my book, it’s progress toward that my freelancing goals.

I opened up my WIP yesterday and added new words! Queen of Legends currently resides at 3,632 words so far. I’m putting up a mock finish goal of 100,000 words, but I have no clue how many words I’m headed towards, but considering there are six main people and two primary points of view, I have a feeling it will be huge. But I’m getting excited about it again.

I’m reading Holly Lisle’s Character Clinic as I’m getting back in , so I hope it helps a bunch. Actually I love all of Holly’s stuff because her writing is clear, clean and resonates with me. Ten people can explain it to me, but it always seems to click when Holly adds her voice.

I really want to get started on book reviews soon. *Glances over at stack of books awaiting reviews.* Okay, I really NEED to get start on book reviews soon. I’ll be adding them to the mix soon, but I figure I should stir the bowl as I slowly add ingredients. Then I be the writer I want to be.

Blog changes are still pending. I’m compiling ideas and such. When I get a bit of the housework caught up, I’ll work on the blog. Until the next time, take care.

OF MY GOALS AND SUCH

The craving to write is getting at me again. I’ve stepped away from my novel for the various illnesses that have struck my house since the new year, and I really want to get back into things. Then I did the Flash Fiction Challenge at AW. Loved it.

So I sat down and wrote out some small writerly goals for myself. These are things I want to do.

1. Write 500 words a day.
2. Write 4 blog entries a week.
3. Submit 2 freelancing queries a month.
4. Write and submit 1 short story a month.
5. Write reviews for all the books I read.

Obviously, if I plant my butt in a chair, numbers 1, 2, 3 & 4 shouldn’t be a problem. For number 3, Jenna’s book is on its way in the mail somewhere, so I’m hoping to take action after I’ve scoured it for every piece of information I can.

In addition to these writing-related goals, I have some other things I’d like to do, which may or may not relate to writing.

Post more crits on AW
1. Learn about freelancing (see above)
2. Buy Holly Lisle’s Clinics
3. Contact the local Ivy Tech about taking a couple of classes
4. Research Work at Home information
5. Work on grant funding for PCHS/Catnippers.

These are the things I want to work on. I figure one step at a time, and I'll get there. Just tortoise-style is all. Of course, I must also spend some time re-familiarizing myself with my novel. It's slipped away some, but I'm hoping I have enough notes. And, I think if I start spending some significant time with it, all the stuff will come back to me.

Computer Room Makeover

I'm trying to get my home clean, organized, and clutter free. So, despite my husband's objections that other rooms are more important, I've started on the computer room. There is a method to my madness, regardless of other opinions. The reasoning being that the computer room is where all the papers, files, and miscellanous items of the house reside, and before I go stuffing other crap in here, I'd like to know how the systems are going to work.

Tonight was the first night in ages that Piper's slept in her own bed. So I've been here since then, going through stuff and making more organized stacks. I'm making real progress, and hopefully can finish it all tomorrow. After that it's on to Piper's room. Once these two rooms are done, I don't see the rest of the rooms in the house being difficult.

Which means I don't know if I'll get to any real writing this weekend, but after I get things organized, writing should be easier. But I may or may not be online the rest of the weekend. It's really up in the air.