Snowmobiling Party

“An optimist is someone who gets treed by a lion but enjoys the scenery.” - Walter Winchell

Yesterday, my DD decided she wanted to go snowmobiling (for the first time) with my DH (and three other family members). I was both excited (for her and for me -- YAY! Alone time!) and worried (would she be cold? Safe? Happy?). But ... I sent her off into the woods just before lunch and kept my fingers crossed.

They got home well after dark, but she had a lot of fun. Her feet were freezing (I didn't think to check her socks, and she'd put on thin, nylon ones instead of her wool ones... duh), but otherwise she was warm, safe and happy. A good day for her.

I, on the other hand, fought a headache (again ... it's almost a daily issue -- I feel like Ah-nold in "Kindergarten Cop", "It's not a tumor.") most of the day. At around 3 pm, I finally stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes. I never slept, but I did lay there, quiet and eyes closed, for about 45 minutes and it really helped ease the pain to a dull throb instead of being unbearable.

Otherwise, my day was quiet (except for my bored dog) and I got a lot of work done. I also figured out how to end my fantasy, and it's not what I had envisioned originally. I hope it works for the reader. I have two weeks to finish by February...

We're going to try to hit the dog park today. Not sure if it got dug out after the storm or not. I'm bringing my shovel, just in case.

Any plans for the weekend for you?

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Dru had asked when my surgery was scheduled. It's for Wednesday, 1/26. I didn't get in for my lab tests on Weds because of the storm, and plum forgot until just now, so I'm hoping Monday is early enough.

My plan is to have surgery, and be well enough by the following Tuesday to drive DD to her art lessons. Power of positive thinking, right? I can't be kept down too long, or I'll lose my mind.

Heck, my last dog, Bailey had her cruciate ligament completely replaced and was walking around in just a few days. Surely I'm going to do at least that well -- I'm not replacing mine.

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

You Are Highly Independent

More than anything else, you have to be allowed to do your own thing. You crave freedom. You believe it's important to enjoy today as if it were your last day. All we ever have is the present. You are impulsive and energetic. Whenever you have the choice, you choose to take action. You are restless and a natural wanderer. You never feel completely settled in your life.

The Wood Floor Test

That's mostly right...

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Thoughts On My Writing

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." - E.L. Doctorow

I was contemplating the writing I want to get done this year. It's not *that* much, really, and if I apply myself, I should be able to.

*Queen and Assassin (my fantasy): Finish by 1/31 -- it's at 30k words right now, and nearly finished (maybe another 5 - 10k to go), so I should make it.

*Now and Forever ("Kitchen Matches" sequel): Finish by 4/30 -- it's about 18k words right now. I'd planned for it to be around 20k, but that's not going to happen! There's a lot more to go, storywise, so I think I'm more like about half done.

*A Jewel for Geoff ("One Love for Liv" sequel): Finish by 12/31 -- this will be at least 55k, and since I have to redo the entire thing, this is the "iffy-est" goal on my list.

*Drive Me Crazy (another "Kitchen Matches" story -- technically the sequel to "Now and Forever" even though I started it first): Finish by 8/31 -- it's at about 15k and more than half done, so I should be good.

At least two "short" short stories (15k words or fewer) -- possibly "Perilous Love" or "Beautiful Blossom", both of which are started and *sort of* outlined.

If I have time, I'd like to complete "A Change of Tune" (the sequel to "A Change of Heart"), also started, but not outlined.

Since all of those except "Geoff" are novellas, I don't think that's unreasonable.

I wish I was like Dru -- who mentioned yesterday that she prefers to get around 5 hours of sleep a day ... that would give me 3 extra hours of up-time daily!!

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

You Are Easygoing

Your friends would all agree that you have a pleasant personality. You're easy to get along with. You appreciate people from all walks of life. You especially like colorful, quirky folks. You are mostly a flexible person, but you can be unpredictably stubborn at times. You always need to stick to your routine. If you end up deviating from your plan, you aren't as dependable as you'd like to be.

The Pasta Test

About 50/50 -- I'm neither flexible nor particularly easy-going but otherwise it pretty well fits.

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Exhaustion = Great Ideas!

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. ~Voltaire

So ... yesterday I was a zombie. Okay, not literally (I know it wasn't literal because I had no craving for brains) but I had about 1/100 of my usual energy. I fell back on doing chores which are brainless (keeps me safe from any real zombies out there) and needed doing.

Washed my comforter (my dry clean only comforter that Patience pooped on yesterday) -- took three times, but I got out both the stain and the stink. I made dog food, swept and mopped the downstairs, did so many dishes, I'm pretty sure every dish in my house was touched, and a few other things I no longer remember (which isn't surprising since I was nearly unconscious during the entire day -- hope I don't end up poisoning the dog).

As a side note, Dakota was clearly as exhausted as I was because she barely moved all day. Didn't want to go out to play, didn't bring me toys, just stayed on the couch snoozing (except for the occasional food and potty break). She's actually still sleeping as I write this.

Last night around 8:00 when everything started getting a little blurry and I pretty much hit the wall, I got ready for bed. I tried reading for a bit, but my eyeballs were determined not to focus, so I turned off the light and closed them. My brain wasn't ready to shut down though, so began thinking about things until it grabbed hold of my fantasy and ran with it.

I'd managed to write about 100 words yesterday that made any sense, and of those, I'd done something I hadn't planned. There are these items that are important to the story ... and I'd sort of forgotten about them. Yesterday, I realized I had to do something with them, and did ... and THEN that small action actually gave me the way to defeat the Big Bad, something I was agonizing over. And my brain figured it out last night as I was dozing off.

Good brain.

Of course, I worried about forgetting it by morning, so kept replaying it over and over in my head. I even woke up once in the middle of the night, and thought about it. So, this morning I took some time and wrote it all down.

I'm excited. I wish I always had these kinds of brainstorms, but I'm really not willing to go through total exhaustion on a regular basis to see if it works.

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You Are Sophisticated

You are a sentimental gift giver. You prefer to give gifts that have meaning, even if they aren't particularly useful. You are spontaneous and impulsive. You tend to do things quickly, and you're quite impatient. You are somewhat organized, but you always feel like you could be doing a bit better! You have high standards for yourself. You love to dress up and take care of yourself. You get a lot of confidence from looking sharp.

The Present Wrapping Oracle

This couldn't be more wrong...

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Surgery

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not. ~Mark Twain

I scheduled my knee surgery yesterday - January 26th. I can't begin to express how much I'm dreading having it done. Not only am I worried about general anesthesia (I know, I know 99.9% of the time all is well ... but what if I'm the 0.01%??), but the recovery time sucks (depending on whether he's going to drill into the right side of my knee or not, I'm looking at up to two weeks with NO weight bearing), and the whole thing is just incredibly inconvenient.

I suppose partly it's because I don't like being dependent on anyone, and I'll have to be. My entire house is stairs. The shower and bed is upstairs, the washer and dryer is in the basement. Yes, I'll have crutches, but ... crutches on the stairs? I won't be able to drive for a while ... ugh.

Maybe my knee will miraculously heal in the next five weeks.

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

Thanks for your input yesterday. I am just moving forward on the story and seeing how it goes. Once it's been beta read, I'll use that input to hopefully layer in my world-building as needed.

For now, I've changed the wallpaper on my desktop to reflect the story and am moving forward a little every day.


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

You Are Two Turtle Doves

For you, the holidays are a time for family, friends, and most importantly, the person you love. You like to use this time of year to express your gratitude, admiration, and affection. Your holiday wish is more love for everyone. You believe there's too much hate in the world. You try to be easy on people, especially during the holidays. You try your best to keep the peace.

Which of the 12 Days of Christmas Are You?

Hmm... about 75/25

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Creation

Trust that little voice in your head that says "Wouldn't it be interesting if..." And then do it. ~Duane Michals, "More Joy of Photography"

So, I've been working on my fantasy. I like it, which is a good thing. I really enjoy the characters, and the storyline but -- I think it needs more world-building.

Ugh.

Once upon a time, I downloaded a world building worksheet from Holly Lisle's site (if you haven't been there, you should check it out. Check out Forward Motion for Writers, too). It's a fabulous form, but VERY extensive and I have to admit it hurts my head a little. She has this mini-workshop on World Building, too.

I *think* for now I'm just going to move ahead and finish the first draft, but I hate how I can't stop thinking that I need to world build more keeps poking me in the brain. It's distracting and annoying.

It makes me remember why I tend to stick to contemporary romance. It's easier. In the few historical romance stories I've written, I would get hung up on details (How did a car start in 1940?) and they'd take forever to write. I couldn't stand the thought of messing something up!

At least with a fantasy world, I can't be wrong. Someone can't tell me that such-and-such didn't exist then, or that so-and-so wouldn't dress that way.

Still... what a pain.

Those of you who write Science Fiction or Fantasy, how do YOU do your world-building? And for folks who are readers of the genre, how important is intensive world building to your enjoyment of the story?

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You Would Be a Logical Doctor

You are a very rational person, and it's nearly impossible for you to be swayed by emotions. As a doctor, you would let logic be your guide. And with it, you'd find some ingenious remedies and cures. You are a natural problem solver. And you never give up until the problem is solved. You would be well suited to being a neurologist, pathologist, or oncologist.

What Kind of Doctor Should You Be?

Just call me Spock!

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

Laughter and Fantasy

Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it. ~Henry Ward Beecher

A few of you saw this last night, but I have to post it again. Stolen blatantly from Judy who's doing a Christmas countdown of videos on her blog. This video made me laugh like a loon:



In other news ... I got my packages sent out yesterday. My first and last. Sadly, the one going to my ex-SIL had something fall out (we'd packed it IN the car in front of the post office, because I needed to buy some things) and we didn't notice until the stuff had already been mailed. It's going to make her gift a little on the very small side, but I'm not sending it. I'm DONE at the post office. My DH just got another stocking stuffer instead.

I'm just glad I'm done. Done shopping. Done shipping. I'll do some baking right before Christmas, and I'm going to make dog cookies this weekend (I'm experimenting with adding pureed spinach to one batch and tomato sauce to the other to make red and green cookies) for our agility friends. I still have to get my Christmas cards out. Yesterday, I took a picture of DD holding the cat and sitting beside Dakota in front of the tree to send out. The cat was NOT happy, and Dakota looked like she was being beaten, but -- it's a family portrait, and DD looked lovely (even if she was holding a squirming cat who does NOT like being held).

I love Christmas. I do. But I'm ready for it to be over.

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

I've been challenged to finish my fantasy. I'm quite close, actually, but have the BIG climatic part coming up and it's going to be a bugger to write, so I've been dreading it. I have a month or so ... going to give it a try. 10 - 15 thousand words in a month should be doable, even if they are difficult and draining.

Part of me is terrified to send this story out into the world. It's a story that really comes from my heart -- one I've carried around for years and years. I'm terrifically wrapped up in these characters and their story and I'm afraid I won't do them justice.

Baby steps. I have another author willing to read through the first draft and tell me if it sucks. One set of eyes instead of hundreds.

So I'll finish it and go from there.

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You Spend Sensibly

You love to shop for holiday presents, but you are above all a savvy shopper. You know you don't have to spend a fortune to get the perfect gift, and you'll shop around to find the right thing at the right price. You prefer gifts that people actually want to receive to gifts that dazzle or impress. You hope that your gifts stand the test of time. If someone keeps your gift for years, you consider it a success!

Do You Spend Like a Santa or a Scrooge?

That's pretty close to correct.

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Spring Fever

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

One of the joys of homeschooling is being able to set your own schedule. Yesterday, we settled in to work but the weather was unbelievable -- 66 degrees and clear as a bell. I couldn't settle down, DD couldn't settle down ... so we gave up. And took a LONG walk. And released our jar-o-worms into the garden (a couple things of note: there were a LOT more babies than I'd thought and several of the worms had literally tied themselves into knots, which I found really odd and wish I knew why they'd done that).

We examined all our gardens, thrilled that we finally got crocus in colors other than yellow (I'd bought a "variety" pack that appears to be about 95% yellow... lots of variety there). DD's bleeding heart is beginning to poke above ground, as well as her miniature hollyhock and all our chives. My rosemary is coming back, and the marjoram is already taking over in its spot.

I let DD play on the swings, and run around with the dog. Once we got that mostly out of our systems, we came in, had lunch and hunkered down again.

Spring Fever is in full swing. Of course, on Sunday, a cold front moves in and our temps will drop 20 degrees. I hate it when that happens.

I filled up about half of my seed peat pots with worm castings and still have every intention of starting my seeds on the 24th. I can't wait! Then, in another month, I'll plant my cool weather crops outside: peas, spinach, etc.

I'm so ready for growing my own stuff. I went shopping this week and was horrified that canned veggies were (at the cheapest -- and I tried WalMart, Target and two grocery stores) $.076/can ... used to be I could get them at WalMart for $.043 / can and it hasn't been that long. That's a HUGE jump in price, percentagewise. Actually, I've noticed that most items have increased significantly. Very frustrating, especially nowadays when so many people are out of work or making very little money.

In writing news, Charity sent me a link to a class that sounds like something I could use to finally get my law enforcement information on track for "Stiller Creek". And I'm working on my fantasy and hope to get that done and through crits at my group over the next couple of months. I'm still working on some shorter stories, in all my spare time (*G*), too.

I've decided I'm a little ADD. But it works for me.

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

You Are Coors Light

You are a person who values routine and stability. It's likely that your order the same thing every time you go to the bar. You aren't necessarily on a diet, but you do appreciate a beer that you can drink every day. If anything, you are consistent. You don't like to change, but you're not adverse to taking risks... especially when you have a few beers in you. The bottom line is that you're out to have a good time. You're all about friends, fun, and letting loose.

What Type of Beer Are You?

I haven't had a beer in ... more than a decade (wow), but the assessment of me is pretty on target except the last part. Huh.

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

And Then There Were Three

I shall not die of a cold. I shall die of having lived. ~Willa Cather

We're in a bit of mourning here at Pillar Place: Monarch. Three of our eggs didn't hatch (Kathy, Karen and Oscar) and one of our pillars died (Nancy). Monarch pillars seem to be particularly fragile ... I've never gotten through a season without losing some without warning. I blame one of two parasites (taken from Wikipedia):

The bacteria Micrococcus flacidifex danai also infects the larvae and causes “black death”. (We've lost pillars to this in the past, but this wasn't Nancy's problem)

The protozoan Ophryocystis elektroscirrha is another parasite of the monarch. It infects the subcutaneous tissues and propagates by spores formed during the pupal stage. The spores are found over all of the body of infected butterflies, with the greatest number on the abdomen. These spores are passed, from female to caterpillar, when spores rub off during egg-laying and are then ingested by caterpillars. Severely infected individuals are weak, unable to expand their wings, or unable to eclose, and have a shortened lifespan but probably occur at low frequencies in nature. This is not the case in laboratory or commercial rearing, where after a few generations all individuals can be infected. (I suspect this may have been what affected Nancy)

Regardless, all I know is that one moment she was fine, and the next she was hanging limply from the wall of her container with a puddle of green "goo" (we call it pillar vomit, though I don't know what it's from) beneath her.

So... we're down to only three: Lenape, Maria and Jane. And still no more eggs.

It's a rough year for butterflies.

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

As I lay in bed, trying to get to sleep last night, I began thinking about my fantasy novel ... it's truly a pet of mine, and I love the story, but it's HARD to write. Still, the final scene played through my mind like a movie and I was so excited to see it! It was nothing like what I'd originally imagined, but I think it's going to work even better.

I know I sound like an ADD writer (maybe I am?), but this story draws me like no other. I don't work on it as much because the world-building is tough and I have to remember to remain consistent. It's not just a simple matter of writing what I know.

Today, my plan is to write that final scene while its fresh in my mind. Wish me luck -- it's action-packed and quite dramatic and that can be difficult to put into words effectively.

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

You Paint the World with Vibrant Colors

You are a true visionary. You are very inspired. Your friends can always count on you to be adventurous. You're up for anything. You are a truly bold person ... though sometimes you can be a bit too outrageous. You are a bundle of energy. You are hyper morning, noon, and night.

How Do You Paint the World?

Hmmm.... dunno. What do you guys think?

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

So... It Snowed

Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, "I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I am going to snow anyway." - Maya Angelou

This was the view from my back door yesterday afternoon.


We got about 8" of the heaviest, wettest snow ever... Blech. DH had already "summerized" the snow-blower, so it was out of commission, and since he had to leave for work when the worst of it was falling, guess who got to scoop all that heavy, wet snow?

Yep. Me.

But, it was all good because DD made me a snow frog:


Isn't he CUTE?

And, it's going to warm up into the mid-forties all week, so this is going to melt. Still, that isn't the point. Note to God: NO MORE SNOW! ((please?))

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

Got my fantasy back from Judy. I guess she liked it ... there were no raves in the email (Note to J: Where are the raves? LOL), but she did find a few very weak points in the plot that, if they aren't shored up nice and tight, the entire premise won't hold water. So... I have my work cut out for me. Have I mentioned how much I hate editing? Why can't I just write the first draft and let someone else take care of all the problems?

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

You Are FAQ

For you, the internet is like your personal library. And you know more facts than fifty normal humans. Your brain is basically lot a computer at this point. You have a lot of information stored up there. You spend hours looking up obscure information and learning things. If you have question, you always Google it. You can't help but be a bit of a know-it-all. You can answer everyone's frequently asked questions.

What Internet Slang Are You?

Weather and Writing

"Sit down to write what you have thought, and not to think about what you shall write." - William Cobbett

Was going to do the Monday Morning Meme, but one of the questions got me all fired up politically that I decided I'd better not. LOL...

It was supposed to snow last night. So far... no white stuff. But, it might be lurking. Waiting. Lulling me into a false sense of security. So, I'm not letting down my guard.

However, if none of the white stuff falls, I'll be heading outdoors to start the great spring clean-up of doggie doo. I try to pooper scoop during the winter, but it's just not possible to get it all. And because of the overwhelming amount of excrement left from the winter potty breaks, I try to do it slowly... taking each patch of grass as the snow melts. Otherwise, I might break down and cry.

On the "good news, spring might actually be coming" front: my crocus are beginning to stick their little green heads out of the dirt (I splurged this past fall and bought a bunch of large crocus bulbs -- I had a lot of bulb replacing to do after the attack from the Cunning Voles of Doom), and my chives and 'mums and seedum is all beginning to grow. Just a smidge... but, for someone (like me!) who is utterly fed up with winter, it's enough to make my heart sing for joy.

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

Yesterday, I sent the first 26,000 words of my fantasy to Judy to peruse. She's a big fantasy fan, so I wanted to see if it passed the "big fantasy fan" test. And, as I took a look through the story, I fell in love all over again. I also had a great idea hit me upside the head on how to... well... I can't say, cuz it would give away a HUGE plot point in the story. Still, it was something that was bothering me, and now it's not.

On yet another writing front: the novel that wouldn't go away ("The Possibility of Forever" formerly "Camilla's Critters") also gave me a jab and told me how to fix one problem as well. That story has been frustrating me for a couple of reasons, and I've got one figured out now. Yay.

The subconscious is an amazing thing.

Also, "A Jewel for Geoff" has been a bit dead in the water. I wasn't happy with it, and couldn't figure out why until I realized two things: I'm not in the least bit attracted to Geoff (and if I don't fall in love with my hero, I can't realistically have my heroine do so, IMHO) and I haven't written anything in the heroine's POV. So... I've decided that my cover artist for "Liv" got it wrong, and I'm redesigning Geoff's looks (he's going to be bigger, stronger, better than before... though still blond) and I'm going to start letting the reader get to know my heroine, Emmy, better.

And, GAH, I just looked outside. It's snowing. SEE... I knew it was going to wait until I'd let down my guard a bit!!! BAD SNOW.

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You Are Stable and Cheerful

When You Are Comfortable: You are a hard worker. You need security and stability in your life, even if that means putting in long hours. People see you as solid and dependable. You are always able to see the good in situations. Other find this comforting. When You Are At Your Best: You are quite quirky, and you enjoy doing things your own way. You are optimistic, and you've always got a good idea brewing. People find you to be positive and uplifting. You make people feel good about themselves. When You Are in a Social Setting: You are philosophical and opinionated. You have quite a few pet causes, and you're always adopting a new one. People see you as clever and smart. You now a lot, and you love to talk about a variety of subjects.

What Do Your Initials Say About You?

Me? Opinionated? Quirky? Nah.......

Okay, I admit, this quiz actually came pretty close to nailing my personality. How weird is that?

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

THAT'S Why!

Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake. ~Author Unknown

Check out Tess Gerritsen's blog post: Writing books can make you fat.

HA.

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

DD got an intro to the Body Shop yesterday. Back when I was footloose and fancy free (read: SINGLE) I used to practically live in that place. I didn't realize how much I missed and how much I can't justify spending that much money on lotion now. LOL...

Still, we did buy some things. I paid for some, but DD had to pay for part. She only had $20, which doesn't go very far there. She really wanted the pink grapefruit body scrub, but didn't want to spend the money. I wanted the Satsuma body butter, but didn't want to spend the money.

We compromised by getting four bars of soap: two pink grapefruit and two satsuma. And DD bought exfoliating gloves (to use in lieu of the body scrub).

But, man-oh-man... if I won the lottery? I'd go to town!!

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

It's raining. In mid-February. A couple of weeks ago, we had near record-breaking cold temps and tons of snow. Today it's raining. And then the temps are supposed to plunge again over the weekend. Fun, fun, fun...

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

I'm working like crazy on my fantasy... I really need to update my word count on the side bar over there ------>

It's been great, but I don't know if I have enough story to get to my goal of 65k. I guess we'll see. I'm feeling like I only have 15 - 20k left, give or take, which will give me about 50k. That's not good.

I did think of one thing I need to add in to what I've already written. I need my heroine to get a little training in using her gift. She's pretty much self-taught at this point, but I'm going to need her to be more controlled in a situation that's coming up, and it won't work if she hasn't gotten at least SOME help.

Hey, did I ever upload the collage here? I don't think I did -- I think I only put it at the JaNoWriMo blog.

Check it out:



It's a really intense story. Very unlike me. I wonder where it's all coming from?

Anyway, I still have 45 mins to write, so I'm off!

Have a great day.

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Slug-a-Bed

The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more. ~Wilson Mizener

You know what? I slept in today... sort of. I was awake early, but DH isn't home (he did an overnight at his BILs camp -- camp cleanup yesterday and snowmobiling today), so instead of worrying about waking him because I was restless, I just stayed there. I let the cat in and she flopped onto my head (why do they DO that?) and the dog snored beside me and all was well with the world.

Until DH called... lol. It was early, but he knows I'm *always* up early.

In any case, I can see the attraction of laying around like a lazy slug-a-bed.

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

DD and I watched "Nancy Drew" yesterday. She loved it, I thought it was okay. I loved Bruce Willis' cameo, very cute. But what cracked me up is that my DD is hitting the stage where she's noticing boys, but it's uncomfortable. So, at the end of the movie, when Ned and Nancy share a very chaste kiss, she got all scrunched up on the couch and said, "Don't do it, don't do it!" and hid behind her hands. I said, "I can fast forward." She said, "NO!", but still watched through her fingers. *sniff* My little girl is growing up.

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

Would you believe I started brainstorming a sequel to the fantasy I'm working on? I'm only 23,000 words into this one! But, I couldn't help myself. There's a character in this story who deserves a HEA and I want to give it to her. First things first, though. I need to finish this one. I will -- I like it a lot. It's challenging to write a fantasy, though. Despite the fact I get to play God and decide what works and how, and if things behave in certain ways, it still has to make sense. So, if I say -- "This rock is sentient", I have to have a reason for that, a purpose AND make it work.

It's doubly tough working with psychic powers, which a few of my characters have. I have to remember that they always have them, not just when it's convenient.

And there is more -- but world-building is hard and I know I haven't done the best job I can. I'm going to have to make sure I take care of any problems or lacks when I go back and edit. In the meantime, I'm still moving forward.

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

Re: yesterday's post and hair.

Brandy, I don't know how you can wear your hair the same way every day -- doesn't it hurt?

Amy, I use headbands, but they still bother me after awhile -- and the soft kind tend to slip out of my hair unless I let my hair stay wicked curly.

Gay, yep I like to change things with my hair, too. My only problem is that my hair grows VERY slow, so when I do something drastic (like the last two times I did Locks of Love) it can take forever to get back to where it was. It take MORE than a year to grow ten inches of hair for me.

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

Your International Spy Name is Honey Steel

Your Code Name: The Pirate You Reside in: Stockholm Why You're a Good Spy: You have total recall

What's Your International Spy Name?

Okay... sounds more like my porn movie name, but hey ... I can see the fun in it. "Don't call me sweetheart, my name is Honey."

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

A Quickie...

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. ~Author Unknown

Technically, this is Tightwad Tips Tuesday (see below), but tomorrow I have a guest so wanted to slip in a quick howdy (because I love to talk).

Yesterday, we had another 3-4" of snow on the ground. DH got up late and had a meeting (not to mention his usual 1 1/2 hour commute), so tore out and left me with the clean-up. We have a new-to-us (though 20 y.o.) snow blower that has about 80 knobs -- and I haven't a clue how to use it. So I shoveled.

And shoveled.

And shoveled.

It may not have been so bad, except the sides of the driveway are so high with snow that I really gotta chuck my shovels-ful HIGH and over and after I'd finished about half the driveway I was done in. DD stayed outside sledding, and the dog and I adjourned to a spot by the fire.

After a little bit, I realized I didn't see DD on the hill out front, so I went to look -- and she was clearing the rest of the driveway.

Awwwwwwww....

I think I'll keep her.

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I figured out the end of my fantasy novel two night ago. It's the first time I haven't known the end of a book before I wrote it. Usually it's the ending that pops in my head first, so this was frustrating. Especially because the conflict I've chosen is one that would have made it absolutely impossible to have a HEA (which made it a good conflict, right), but of course I had to HAVE a HEA. It was a conundrum.

And I finally, FINALLY, figured out a way for it to happen. Even better, it led to several more (rather depressing) scenes. So, I'm writing a story I love again. (Geoff's story I do NOT love, currently. Geoff is a very naughty character and is in a time out).

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You Should Be a Puppeteer

You are an entertainer - pure and simple. You know how to engage an audience. You are a natural storyteller. You are naturally dramatic, even when life doesn't call for drama. Luckily though, you save most of your drama for your stellar performances.

What Circus Act Should You Perform?

Doctor, My Eyes Have Seen The Years...

All profoundly original art looks ugly at first. - Clement Greenberg

That quote explains all of my first drafts. *G*

(Extra point to the person who can identify the singer of the song I quoted in my title.)

So...Yesterday, I went to renew my drivers license. Ugh. We won't talk about the 60 minute wait, or the fact that they only have 1 1/2 people to wait on the ginormous line -- though they had THREE people at the registration place that was empty. Go figure.

Anyway... when I finally got my turn, I did the little eye chart whoosie in the fancy-schmancy view master and, badda-boom... read them off like a champ.

I thought.

"Ma'am, there are three boxes of letters to read."

"No there aren't," I said. "There are only two. One in the middle and one on the right."

"Do you wear contacts?"

"No." Should I? "I've always had perfect vision."

She favors me with a pitying look. "You have a weak eye. You must, or you'd be able to see all three boxes."

**sigh**

I'm OLD.

But I still got my drivers license. Ha.

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So Jen got back to me yesterday about the bit of "Queen and Assassin" (my NaNo Fantasy) that I sent to her.

She liked it! She really liked it!

Okay... it wasn't perfect, but I knew that already. And there's a lot of brainstorming work to be done (some of which she helped me with this morning -- God bless Instant Messaging), and she thinks it deserves to be much longer than I had planned. That, at least, shouldn't be a problem if you consider it was originally intended as a 20,000 word novella for an anthology submission and I'm 16,000 words in and nowhere near done, or even halfway.

So...

Good news is: She liked it. It has legs. Yay.

Bad news is: I have a LOT of work ahead of me.

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Hey... how cool is this? Find out which libraries carry your book or books (or, if you're not a writer, which libraries carry your favorite novels)! Go to www.worldcat.org; and type in the title. Then you can type in a location to find out which libraries are carrying it.

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Your Daily Dakota... Where could she be? AHA! She's eating the couch!



Bad dog! Get down!



Dakota says, "You must have been mistaken. I would never do something like that. I am innocent of all charges."



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Your Vibe Is Secretly Sexy

Sexy isn't exactly a word you'd use to describe yourself But you have a quite allure that certain men feel appealing You don't need to flaunt your stuff to be sexier A little more confidence in yourself, and you'll really light up a room!

What Kind of Sexy Girl Vibe Do You Have?

Look out world... *G*