Saturday Stuff

People who snore always fall asleep first. ~Author Unknown

That quote, above, illustrates my life the last couple of days -- yes, DH has fallen asleep -- deeply asleep -- before me. And snored. *sigh*

In my family's typically miraculous fashion, both DH and DD are pretty nearly well this morning after one bad day. We seldom get sick here, and when we do it comes and goes at lightning speed (though the one "bad" day really, really stinks).

So ... my DH left to go hunting at the crack of dawn today. Since he believes the smell of soap, deodorant and toothpaste will alert the deer to his presences, he does what he calls "dirtbagging it". But, see, I'm confused. Wouldn't the smell of human sweat and morning breath be equally bad?

:::shrugs:::

DD woke up early with the rest of us, and started doing school immediately (she took yesterday off because she felt yucky). Last year, with DH home all month, her schedule took a big hit and we fell massively behind (which is why we were doing school until July, which was the pits). It's tough to work with him around, because he figures since HE is off, so should we be and he's constantly finding jobs that we have to help with. *sigh*

For MaryC in case you didn't see my comment regarding YOUR comment about student coverage yesterday on health care -- I replied:

I'm not begrudging coverage to college students. The insurance company I worked for covered students up to age 22 and that never significantly affected the premiums.

Our health insurance coverage has remained the same over the past five years and yes, premiums have risen, but only a little. This year I'm paying significantly more for less coverage, and the fact is -- that dependent coverage up to age 26 (regardless of student status, whether or not they live at home, whether or not they are actually dependent on you, and even if they are MARRIED) is one of the things that affected the rates in a big way.

Take it from a former underwriter -- that was a huge change.

And that's all I have to say on health care reform. Well, it's all I'm GOING to say, anyway...

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I started reading "The Way of the Cheetah" by Lynn Viehl last night in an effort to prepare more for NaNoWriMo. You can read it, too, if you're interested and for free. She gives you the link to download a copy of your own here.

She's had some really great posts on NaNoWriMo and I've enjoyed each one. You should visit her blog. It's really fabulous.

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You Are Classic and Chic

You don't fall for old fads thinly disguised as new trends. You prefer to stick to what's tried and true. You are wise and savvy. You know history well, and you aren't doomed to repeat it. You aren't scared of much. You prefer to get to the bottom of things rather than wonder about them. You believe that most fear is fear of the unknown, so you try to know as much as possible.

The Haunted House Test

About 50/50...

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Looking Out From Between My Fingers

I willingly trust myself to chance. I let my thoughts wander, I digress, not only sitting at my work, but all day long, all night even. It often happens that a sentence suddenly runs through my head before I go to bed, or when I am unable to sleep, and I get up again and write it down. ~ Simone de Beauvoir

The weather cleared up for a couple of hours yesterday -- just enough to lull me into a false sense of anticipation and excitement. SUN! SUN! WOOT!...

And then, at about two o'clock, DD calls down from the schoolroom: "Are we still going to agility?"

I look up from my computer. "Yeah? Why?" ... and I then realize it's gotten really dark. And I peek outside from between my fingers, the horror before worse than any slasher flick made.

Snow.

I almost cried.

Thankfully, by the time agility was over, it was clear out. The stars were shining, the tiny sliver moon glowed and made the snow look almost pretty.

Today, it's *supposed* to be clear and sunny. :::fingers crossed:::

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I've been thinking big lately, considering what kind of novel I could write to submit to one of the print pubs like Dorchester, who publishes, in their contemporary line, the following:

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: Fun and whimsical, these books should showcase your sense of humor and focus on a modern couple in a zany situation.

Some examples of their books that I've read and completely enjoyed are:




So... I've been doing a lot of "what-if-ing". For MY stuff, it's typically, "What is the funniest/silliest/goofiest or most unexpected thing that could happen now?"

And I allow myself to think completely outside the box. Maybe it's nothing that folks imagine would happen IRL, but that's okay.

It's been a hoot, and I have a great idea for the novel I want to write. Even better, I think I can tie it in as a prequel of sorts to my Camilla story, and possibly even another completed novel I have ... making it the beginning of a series.

I'm still editing Stiller Creek with an eye toward Harlequin, AND I'm brainstorming a short story for Samhain and one for WRP. And, yes, I'm actually making time to write.

So, I'm excited.

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FYI, I was asked how I felt in comments yesterday. I'm much improved, though I'm hitting the "everything loosen up" phase, so there is much coughing and running for the tissue box. Even so, I'm so close to well I might as well be.

And, even better: no one else in the house got sick! YAY!

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You Are a Burger

You are a down to earth person and a straight shooter. You don't fall for fads or trends. You are stable and a bit old fashioned. Tradition and loyalty are important to you. You are a good friend and you like to have a good time. You find it easy to kick back. You're not one to make waves in life. You're happy just to be a part of the fun.

What Kind of Fast Food Are You?

Yep... mostly right...

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Healthful and Homemade

It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician. ~Meryl Streep

I do a lot of reading on nutrition. I typically always have a non-fiction book on the nightstand, and it's invariably about nutrition: human or pet. Recently, I've been reading what I've found to be the most (apparently) honest and unbiased book I've found on human nutrition ... though to call it a book about "nutrition" may be a misnomer. What it's really about is food ... and IMHO there is a vast difference between food and nutrition.

The book is called "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and it's fantastic. He's written about how we get our food and what goes into getting our food. He covers corn (which is involved in nearly everything we eat), CAFO's (Confined Animal Feeding Operations aka feedlots), REAL grass fed/cage free animals (he featured a place called Polyface Farms, and I am in awe of their system and wished I lived in Virginia) and lastly, he covered hunting and gathering.

What was most interesting about this book was two-fold.

1. He's not a rabid anything. Most books I read on food and nutrition have an agenda that is clear and they beat you over the head with it. He's not anti-any kind of food (i.e. no "carbs are bad" or "meat is evil") and appears to have gone into the research of this book with a fairly open mind.

2. He was hands on (or as hands-on as he could be -- the CAFO's wouldn't let him onto the killing floor) during each segment of the book. He worked with a corn farmer, bought a calf to observe as it made its way through a CAFO, worked on Polyface Farms (up to and including slaughter) and hunted and gathered. He was quite open about his observations, even when they may have been less than flattering about himself.

The point of all this gabbing on my part is this: I've decided to embark on a year of living healthfully and as locally as possible. I've decided to try to eliminate as many processed foods as I can (and, as a result, eliminate as much hidden corn from my diet as possible) and learn how to make my own homemade versions of what I can. I'd like to share some of the nutritional tidbits I've learned and share with you my experiments (both failures and successes -- I've already had both) and I'll be sharing the book I've been discussing with some lucky people in a giveaway. I'm not sure how I'll give it away, or how often yet ... it's all still forming in my brain.

But, I've started a new blog for this, Healthful & Homemade, and I'd love for you to visit. The postings probably won't be daily, but they'll be regular (you might want to "follow" it so you don't have to check back unless there is something actually there) and I'll make it as entertaining and informative as I can.

Hope to see you there!

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What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West   Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I saw this on Maria Zannini's blog and had to try it. It pegged me!! Yes, I am from the west, California to be exact -- how did it know?

What about you?

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Hug A Veteran

I did! My DH... *G*

But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, Is their monument to-day, and for aye. ~ Thomas Dunn English

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Dick Cheney



In other news... my cold knocked me on my butt yesterday. That and nearly no sleep the night before... I spent a good part of the day either staring off into space because of the "non-drowsy" cold meds I took in desperation or laying on the couch because I felt so disassociated from my body.

I hate medicine. Now I remember why I almost never take it.

So, no writing. But I'm feeling better this a.m. -- not WELL, but better and functional and I can even feel my legs and the world isn't spinning, so I'm hoping to accomplish something.

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Our microwave broke Sunday night. Not earthshattering news, but I never realized how much I rely on the stupid thing.

Monday morning, I had to--are you ready??--boil water ON THE STOVE for DH's yuppy coffee (he won't drink real coffee, silly guy). And, then later that day I went to make some tea for me. I plopped a bag in my mug, put in some cold water, turned and ... **sigh**

I didn't plan dinner early enough, so pulled frozen stew meat out for DH and... put it in a dish of tepid water to thaw.

All day I kept turning to where it should be... how did we ever survive without them?

What appliance do you think YOU would miss the most (excepting your oven and fridge)?

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How cool is this?

The Long and the Short of It (LASR) got a nod and a sound bite in Karen Harper's latest novel, "The Hiding Place"... go hie yourself to a bookstore and check out the reviews at the beginning.

I feel so special... like we've arrived. *G*

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Okay... I'm about 5'9 1/2" ...

Here's 5'9":

What Your Height Says About You

You are a true adventurer, and you live for the thrill. You have a lot of charisma, and you're good at convincing people to join you in your schemes. You are open to the world, and you make connections easily. You have lots of friends. You are likely to have many life paths to choose from. There are many possibilities open to you. You are about as tall as the average British man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

And here is 5'10"

What Your Height Says About You

You are a gifted communicator, and you understand other people well. You are compassionate and empathetic. You feel other's pain a little too easily. Because of your open heart and open mind, many people admire and adore you. You are classy and well mannered. You have the art of charm mastered. You are about as tall as the average Australian man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

Which do YOU think is closer? LOL...

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Groovy, re: wanting my mom closer... you forget, my mom actually lived with me for twelve years until September 2007. I want her back.

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Have a great day everyone!

We Interrupt our Guest Blogs...

"You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there." — Edwin Louis Cole

I'm writing this on Tuesday night, whilst being glued to the TV. And, that's as political as I'm going to get.

In any case, I have another guest blogger tomorrow, so wanted to write a quick note just to update y'all in case you wondered what was up in my neck of the woods.

I'm still feeling a little punky. Oddly, I haven't moved out of the scratchy throat phaze of the cold. I'm hoping I won't, that I'll just get better!!

In writing: I'm at 7110 words. Still within the NaNo daily goals (1662 words a day), but not where I wanted to be. Still, as I lay in bed last night (which would be two nights ago, when you read this) I had to figure out who was at Sunny's door. That's where I'd ended that morning:

No sooner had I poured myself a cup with nonfat milk and two pink packs of sweetener, the doorbell rang. Who was here this early?

When I wrote the words, I had NO IDEA who was at the door. Was it Spence? Mira? Tiffany? Someone I hadn't created yet?

So, I brainstormed... and decided that it had to be Miss International Queen of Queens winner: Theanae Reynolds!!! She's a crazy girl, a hoot, a sweetie on the outside, tough as nails on the inside of her Georgia Peach body. She'll "bless your heart" while she takes you down a peg or two, all the while touching up her hooker red lipstick and talking non-stop.

I already love her. I spent a good hour writing all about her, where she lives (on her tour bus), how she looks (blonde Dolly Partin hair, long pink nails with rhinestones in the tips, high heels which makes her constantly take little, mincing steps) and what kind of person she is (aside from one of Sunny's best friends). I am madly in love with her. I'd thought I'd want to write about RayLynn first (Ms. Queen of Queens contestant), but I'm thinking Thea needs her story told. How could I not love a woman who talks like this:

“Heck, honey, Vegas is only a hop, skip and a jump from here and my manager told me you were moving.” She stepped back and touched the corner of one red lip with a long, pink nail. “I haven’t seen you in a month of Sunday’s. I had to come first chance I got. You look awful, bless your heart.”

We'll see. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. In any case, I only write just over 400 words this morning (tomorrow morning when you read this ), but have plans in place to write more tomorrow (today to y'all).

So, there you have it... now, I'll leave the rest of the blog space to my guest blogger! Make sure you leave her a comment now, you hear?



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Monday Morning Meme

To give vent now and then to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man's heart. ~Francesco Guicciardini

I'm writing this Sunday night. I'm tired. I feel like doo-doo... so I have no idea what time I'll be up in the a.m. -- at some point today (i.e. Monday), I'll write something else, when I'm coherent.

In lieu of a post that actually requires me to think, I give you:



1. When do you need soothing? And, what soothes you? Tell us about the last time you needed soothing.

Seldom... um... the last time was probably when my darling dog, Bailey died last November. What soothes me? Aside from chocolate? Ha... Just a "poor baby" and a hug works. Don't try to fix me.

2. What makes today special for you? And you’re not allowed to say “nothing.” Everyday should be special - life is short! If you can’t think of anything that makes today special, then tell us something you’re thankful for, right now, right this very minute.

See... I was going to say nothing. Usually Monday's are great because it's a return to routine, and I love routine. But my DH is home, so routine is shot. I also have a cold, so I'm cranky...

What am I thankful for? That I have everything I need, even if I don't have everything I want.

3. What is the most you’d be willing to spend on the perfect pair of blue jeans? What about shoes? Tell us about the last time you purchased jeans. Now tell us the last time you purchased a pair of shoes.

A perfect pair? Priceless. Seriously. I have no waistline to speak of and absurdly long legs. So, if pants fit my butt, they are too tight in the waist and I have to unbutton them. If they fit my waist, they're ridiculously baggy in my butt and thighs and it's nearly impossible to find ANY that don't look like capris.

So... see? If I could find jeans that actually fit me? There would be no price too high.

4. What is the oddest thing you ever bought for yourself?

Um... Um... I have no idea. I'm not terribly whimsical, unless you count my frog collection.

You?

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I Already Hate It...

“You can’t be a serious writer of fiction unless you believe the story you are telling.” - Norman Mailer

I'm already struggling with this story, and I'm not certain why. In my head, I have all these neat ideas, but they aren't translating to paper. Grr...

I wanted a light, fun, fluffy story, and the words yesterday were dark and depressing. So, this morning I gave myself a lecture: figure out how to make it fun. I switched to first person which, for whatever reason seems to give my humorous side permission to come out. And, it's working. Sunny is much more light-hearted and snarky now.

But the story is boring. Boring. Boring.

And, if I'm bored, than everyone else is going to be, too.

In any case, I wrote 2700 more words for a grand total of 5,828.

Now I just have to decide if I'm going to stick with this story -- and figure out how to fix it, or quickly switch to something else before it's too late.

Worse, I've been in denial since yesterday, but the fact is: I have a cold. My throat is sore and scratchy, my nose is getting stuffed. I thought the germ had missed me, but I guess it's just taking turns. And now it's mine.

Although, maybe being doped up on cold meds will make the story loosen up? Who knows... will keep you posted.

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A Quickie for Wednesday

The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. ~Erma Bombeck

Just thought that was funny :-)

And, the cliff notes version because I have a guest blogger, below -- please read and comment! Let's see...

Eye: better, but the skin is peeling off my eyelid, which is a little icky.

Sleep: Managed to "sleep in" until 4:20 !!

Pillar Place 2008: Three more pillars are on their pupa walkabout. Thank heavens. They are eating me out of house and home.

Reading: The same. Writing: The same.

My Garden: The milkweed is a bit perked up, despite massive amounts of rain and hail again yesterday. Also, my squash plants have baby squash on them, and the cucumbers and tomatoes all have blossoms!! yay!

That's it for now... go forth and read about writing with music (something I CAN NOT do, lol)...

Tired Tuesday

Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002

I'm a very, very light sleeper... and that's just the pits. Worse, I'm a paranoid light sleeper (probably comes from having a VERY active imagination and reading too many serial killer books), so I refuse to take sleep aids, or even use ear plugs, because, yanno... a bad guy could break in, or there could be a fire, or..., or...

Last night, though, it knocked me on my behind and I'm very groggy today. Between DH coming home late (midnight), then eating (microwave beeps), and then coming to bed when he was done, then snoring, then the cat sneezing, and DH's pager beeping every 10 minutes or so (low battery... and I didn't know how to fix it)...and the newspaper delivery guy...

What about you? Light sleeper, or sleep like the dead?

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In Pillar Place 2008, we have five pupae, five more wanderers going to become pupa, about ten BIG bubbas that could take off on walkabout at any time, and three little guys pulling up the rear. DD wants to bring in the two she found outside. Um... no. No more swallowtails. At this point, any we find could conceivably be the ones who will overwinter as pupae and I don't want to store them in my basement again. No more pillars until the monarch arrive.

Speaking of which, we've had some pretty spectacular thunderstorms the past three days, complete with high winds, hail and HEAVY rain. It's all but decimated my milkweed. three of the buds broke off completely, and all of the stalks are bent over. Today is supposed to be fairly sunny, so we'll see if they perk up, but at this point, the stalks are weakened and I'll need to stake them up. I only hope the flower buds that are left will bloom... I've been looking forward to that since LAST year. Worse, if they don't, I won't have milkweed seeds to spread about.

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My eye is so much better today! Dr. Groovy? I DID use tea -- black, green and chamomile because I'd heard they all work and it makes for an awesome compress. The swelling is almost completely gone, and I only woke up a little goopy today. Yay!!

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What I'm reading: I'm reading the fiction book I got for review, and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Can I tell you how much I am LOVING that book?? I've got a list of notes and websites and organizations I want to look into and I'm only about 40 pages into it. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

What I'm writing: Actually, I didn't write for me. Yesterday, I worked on critiquing someone else's stuff.

Have a happy Tuesday!

Me and My Sunny Disposition!

"People on the outside think there's something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn't like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that's all there is to it." - Harlan Ellison

A quick health update... The hubs is worse, though he says if he could just cut his sinuses out, all would be well. Dakota is, unfortunately, about the same -- though I did get to sleep a solid three hours between midnight and 3 a.m.! She woke me every hour prior to then, but I'm counting my blessings. So far, DD and I have avoided all the creeping crud around the house, and yesterday it was warm enough (and we had a fire in the woodstove) that we opened all the windows and aired the joint out. Bye bye, germs. I hope.

We're expecting 5 - 10 inches of snow overnight tonight. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am about this little development.

I'm so ready for spring.

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I had to write and polish a synopsis for "Kitchen Matches" recently. Have I mentioned that I hate writing synopses? The hardest part for me was this: "Kitchen Matches" is a little quirky...along the lines of "The Christmas Curse" -- not "Yuck-yuck" grab your stomach funny, but a little...silly.

I wanted to get that across in the synopsis, but it was next to impossible. I have no idea if I accomplished that goal. What do you think? Here's the first bit following my tagline intro (note: Cori is the heroine, Micah is her cooking teacher and our hero):

From the moment Cori met Micah, she turned into a klutz: flying poultry, apron fires and more dotted her inauspicious time in cooking class. And yet, despite his obvious annoyance, Micah consistently treated her like a lady, something few people did. Just because Cori worked as an auto mechanic and tow truck driver, most folks figured she had more testosterone than the average female. Cori’s mother suggested the cooking class as a way to get in touch with her feminine side, and her brothers double-dog dared her into taking it.

I firmly believe that synopsis writing is the hardest part of writing a book for publication.

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Your Daily Dakota:

Life is hard...(she's actually sleeping with DD in this pic)...



I need to take some new pictures. I will soon... though at the rate she's purging her body of food, she's going to look like a concentration camp survivor soon considering she's already skinny. Really, I DO feed my dog...

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From Charity:

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard.

So NOT me... a sunny disposition? HAHAHAHA! And, the only reason I'd be first at a party is because I'm anal about punctuality.