Sunday Sundries--Sickey Edition Redux

So, instead of a nice, relaxing, productive weekend, I ended up spending most of it in the bathroom with the nasty stomach flu my husband had last week. Hellva way to lose ten pounds, huh? Yeah, it's the I'm going to wear Depends because I'm not quite sure I'll be able to make it to the bathroom and while I'm at it, I'm keeping the bathroom trashcan by where I sit for the same reason. Awesome.

But, even though it is literally a pain in the ass, I can honestly sit here and say it could be worse. I do have sick time I could take at work. I do have a job with insurance if I need to go to the doctor.

I know it would have been worse if I hadn't gotten a flu shot and if I hadn't been taking anti-viral medicine. Everyone was sneezing at work, so I should have figured it was going to happen.

After all:

So, while I'm doing my impression of Grumpy Cat,

Please forgive me. I have to make sure I drink enough water.

 I did get out for a get-together of friends to celebrate out friends' birthdays. I didn't eat very much, but we had a good time.

I've been sleeping a lot. I know it's the only way I'll get better.

One thing I really try to do is portray my characters during their trials and not finest moments. It makes your fiction more important, more real. My character Lizzy/Elizabeth jokes to herself that she does some of her best thinking in the bathroom. Don't worry--I'm not going to have anything graphic like what was happening to me for the past forty-eight hours, but it's part of life. Poor Mary Margaret runs out of tampons and just started her period. She met the man of her dreams and he buys them for her, much to her embarrassment. In the second series of books, Rob falls ill with a bad case of strep throat and in a moment of weakness, confesses to his new sister-in-law why he had a falling out with his brother.

So, yes, I need to use all my life's experiences to contribute to my fiction. But, tomorrow, I go back to work in "The Real World" and I promise I won't be like this fellow:

Promise. Take care and see you next week!

New Year's Sundries

I really don't have a clue how 2012 went by so fast. I do know this last week was spent in a haze of cough syrup and asthma steroids. There are two trash cans full of used tissues and a ton of undone projects, but you know, that's okay.

Yes, we're fabulous. And we're going to continue it into the new year. It is not lowered expectations, it is simply accepting that I will never be able to get everything I want to do done in the usually unreasonable time frame I tend to set. That's okay. I will do my best.

This is a picture out our front door the day after Christmas. It still hasn't all melted, which has caused some more delays in getting things done. No excuses, just a realization that we may have to adjust expectations. And that's okay.

I did do some Christmas decorating.

This was a wreath I made with some friends (including one who passed in 2004) that hadn't seen the light of day in many a year. I was pleased I got it up on the inside of the front door, so at least I would be able to smile and enjoy it. That's another thing I want to do this year--enjoy the lovely things I have. I have dishes that haven't been used, art and needlework that's never been displayed and clothes that still have tags on them. What I don't want or need will be sold or donated. I already have a big box of needlework patterns I will never do ready to go to a place that sells for you on eBay. My friends and I have agreed to work on getting an Etsy store up and going and I'll pass the links on to you as soon as we do. This will help fund my covers and promotional expenses.

 BTW, I'm totally in love with Grumpy Cat. I feel like her sometimes and I'm very proud of her owners for making her into the latest thing. Would that I would have the foresight and ambition to capitalize on talent or product.


One of the things I will continue to do in 2013 is transcribe my notebooks. I still have over twenty five blank books that hold scenes, notes from magazines/documentaries/books/etc. and quotes. I've been transcribing them during my lunch hour at work, sending them in emails. The notes are spread over about a dozen flash drives.

At Wal-mart, Big Lots and Best Buy, you can get a 16 GB flash drive for around $10. This is an amazing deal. Just last year, a 32 GB flash was over $300. You can find one for less than $40 now. I ask everyone to BACK UP YOUR WORK! I know of several people who lost whole chunks of work or whole documents when a hard drive crashed or a computer was stolen. Of course, now you can back your work up "in the Cloud." I'm not there yet, but I'm sure I will be soon. Not only will I continue to transcribe my notes, I am determined to figure out the best way to organize them. I've made a start to getting things into OneNote, but I still have a long way to go.

Another step I've made to get organized is this:

A Gateway "netbook" that is my Christmas present. It is a third smaller than my current laptop and a lot lighter. More importantly, it's easier to carry, travel with and bring into work. Before I can use it though, I have to find the information about the security software we purchased before Christmas. So, I have to get organized to get organized. Stop me if you've heard this before....

I think of how many people have never accomplished half of what I have. I have to get my act together and finish the first two of my books.

Another thing I promise to do that's not a New Year's resolution per se, but a necessity, is to eat better and continue to be aware of my food allergies. Eating what I shouldn't ought to has contributed to my recent asthma flare-up (why I didn't have a post on Sunday). This little froggie reminds me of myself a couple days this past week:

I will accept life gifts--like taking it as a sign that the "House Hunters" episode is set in New York City, where one of my characters lives. Here's the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center:

I've been working on a scene in the second series of books of my characters' first Christmas together. Also, one of the people I spoke with at work is a police officer and said, "Copy that" when I asked him to do something. Another character is a state trooper, so I'll work a couple of those into my dialog. Every day, I am given little gifts, coincidences and thoughts, to put into my fiction, enriching it. I just have to remember to listen.

So, please allow me to send to all of you:

Please join me on Pinterest, where I found this vintage card--I've tried to put the link in my layout, but Blogger isn't accepting it. I will try to post more regularly, but my concentration this year has to be on writing. Love to all and please have a happy and safe 2013!