Friday Free-For-All

The feeling of sleepiness when you are not in bed, and can't get there, is the meanest feeling in the world. ~Edgar Watson Howe

I'm seriously sleep-deprived this week, so bear with me as I ramble and frighten you with the inside of my brain.

This was at the top of my gmail inbox today:

Dictionary.com Word of the Day -
dissever: to separate into parts

I have to be honest and say it really puzzled me. I stared at it for a good thirty seconds. I mean, I'm sure Dictionary.com is correct, but I always thought that the prefix "dis-" meant to NOT do something. Like if you disrespect someone, you DON'T respect them, right?

So... following that, "dissever" should mean to NOT sever. Yet... it doesn't. It means to sever, so why have two words (one of which has a misused prefix) to mean the same thing?

Yes, folks, these are the sorts of things that keep me awake at night.

=======================

I've been trying to decide what to work on for JaNoWriMo (either the sequel to "One Love For Liv" or the sequel to "Kitchen Matches" are on the top of my list -- I've been brainstorming both, though I have also been trying to figure out how to fix Camilla's story) when it occurred to me that I CAN WORK ON BOTH. Really. You know, it's cool when you can make up your own rules. JaNoWriMo is about 50,000 new words. Period. They can be on a new story, and existing (but incomplete) story... whatever. It's very freeing.

I think I will skip NaNoWriMo and do JaNoWriMo every year from now on...

Of course, that may change come next month.

We have ten folks signed up so far, in all types of genres ... so feel free to join us. I imagine it's going to get a little crazy.

========================

I can't believe it's only 3 weeks until Christmas. I'm so behind. I don't have my cards done, I don't have my shopping started (unless you count the bunch of "in honor of" gifts I purchased at Samaritan's Purse yesterday -- my in-laws don't allow gift giving, but will tolerate charitable contributions in their name, so I went to town, lol ... I love giving stuff). I'm trying to figure out how to get what I need, especially for DD, when I am with her 24/7. I did discover that Target.com has free shipping on most of their toys, so that's something.

And, yes, I'm giving books... but I gotta get off my duff and order those, too. I wish Amazon or BN.com did gift wrapping.

==========================

It's a strange thing when a family celebrates the absence of dog vomit and runny poop -- but, yes, that's what we did yesterday. Now, if only today will be vomit and runny poop free... :::fingers crossed:::

===========================

Judy and I are (once again) revamping the entire LASR site -- in the hopes we'll be ready for relaunch on January 1st. So, I'm a little crazy-busy, but the new site is seriously gorgeous. I can't wait to share it with you guys. I need to clone myself, though, because it entails rebuilding all of our interviews, stories and reviews since the last relaunch as well as creating all new webpages (which are really, really pretty...)

I'm a little acorn brown, lying on the cold, cold ground... everybody steps on me, that is why I'm cracked you see...

Points for anyone who knows what song that is!

===========================

Your Mafia Name Is Dina "The Butcher" Capelli

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

What's Your Mafia Name?

Monday, Monday... I Love This Day!

Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off. ~Author Unknown

I love Mondays. It means I'm back in my routine...ahh...

So... the weekend weather was a bust, but this week looks like it'll be nice. I have big plans for pooper scooping (how can ONE smallish dog make so many piles???) and raking. Woo! Part-ah time at the old ranchero.

I was thinking about doing a meme, but didn't like all the questions. One (well, two -- but the other was about the weather) really made me consider. It was:

When was the last time you were afraid and why?

I'm not a fraidy cat. I'm not afraid of animals or bugs or noises. So, I had to really think... and realized that my only significant fear is for my daughter. And it's sort of a constant hum under the day-to-day acts of simply living.

My BIL asked me, a long time ago when my SIL was pregnant with their first baby: what's it like being a parent? One of the things I told him was that ... you're always afraid. Not in a conscious or crippling way, but it's just always there (a little like the electronic buzz in your home that you don't realize is there until the power is out and it's gone) -- a worry of all the things that could happen to your child.

That's not just me, is it?

My only other fear is that I'll NEVER move out of this state. Ha.

==========================

Sadly, no writing was accomplished yesterday. The weather didn't cooperate -- it ended up being overcast, windy and drizzly -- so DH stayed home and puttered. Actually, essentially having two days away from the computer put me so far behind website maintenance at The Long and the Short of It, that I spent most of the day trying to play catch-up anyway. Today!!! Today is the day I will write!

===========================

You're
Easter Island!

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do. So, since you were so lonely, you decided to make up a bunch of friends to entertain yourself. Rather than being classic imaginary friends, they had some real strength and substance to them, and have shown themselves to stand the test of time. There has been much discussion of your name, but you generally dislike its Christian implications. You wish you didn't feel quite so chilly. But you would not feel so all alone; everybody must get stones.


Take the Country Quiz II
at the Blue Pyramid

Um... NO... **shakes head**... Not even close... sheesh...