Corners

Interesting things, corners. A place where walls come together and things are hidden. Not a good place to be in a fight. 

Dust collects in corners and for some reason paper will collect there, too. Probably because air flows in a circular pattern and the very shape of the corner prevents things pushed there from being pulled out. Since they are a place where air won't flow some builders put a window in them, thus solving two problems - air and an escape route.

Of course, corners can be very busy places where you can stand and watch people passing and maybe run into someone you know. Or they can be rounded. Life has you in a bad place and you "round a corner" and there's a solution, a cure, a brighter day. 

There are even songs about corners. Isn't that odd? Brighten the Corner Where You Are, Standing On the Corner (watching all the girls go by), Down On the Corner (out in the street). These are fun, upbeat, and hopeful corners where good things happen to people and life flows.

Apparently corners are also places to sit and contemplate your misdeeds. Little Jack Horner and Dennis the Menace spend time in them. Jack finds something to encourage him while Dennis, well, he simply finds ways to prolong his stay. Maybe it is safer there.

My corner today feels like the rounded kind. I don't know what that means since there is nothing but dreary cloud covered sky and snow flurries falling. A cold, windy corner. Still it feels like the rounded kind where you step around it and something unexpected but pleasant is waiting. 

One hopes that this, in fact, is one of those corners and  not a curb. Curbs don't tend to have any positive aspects. I mean, think about it... no one brightens the curb. No, curbs tend to have a connection with buses. That's a post for another day.

The Joy of Books

I own a Kindle but I still love books best!

Sundown

The days have grown longer but the sun is about 10 degrees from the horizon and streaming directly into my window. One hour and I can go home. It will go down completely by that time.

I'm not in a very good mood. I'm tired and I remembered that tomorrow is my anniversary or was our anniversary. It would have been the 38th. It is odd how even the thought of it is like this stabbing pain in my chest. I don't know when that will stop. If it will stop.

My plan is to go home and get a very hot bath and get comfortable. I have no idea what I'll eat. Nothing sounds remotely interesting.

The day has been rather boring. I've worked but slowly and with no enthusiasm. Just plodding along trying to make a bigger dent in the mess. Tomorrow is recertifications. I think we have 124 scheduled between 8:15 & 11:15. That's seven scheduled every hour. If things go as usual, about half won't bother to show up.

I'm going now. May be back later. May not.

One Day Down...Three to Go!

Felt like I'd stepped off a curb just as the proverbial bus happened by. My right leg did no want to work this morning. I'm not doctor but this just isn't right. And they keep ignoring it. I shuffled down the hall until I could get it moving but I nearly fell. And on the way here I had sharp pain in the lower right quadrant of my back... (sigh) And my left shoulder and neck hurts. I just took two acetaminophen.

I go over this sort of stuff because it is the easiest way to keep a record of it. LOL, so you can skip that part if you like.

Regarding WRoE, I finished merging last night. I didn't get started till late but it took about an hour to finish it up. I ended up with roughly 66,000 words all together according to Scrivener. About 8,000 of those I have no idea where they go in the story. All of them won't for certain. Remember this is a work I started as a lark and it has changed considerably over time. And there is more writing to do. 

I'm dreading the rest of it. The opening is still not clearly defined. But... the tedium of merging the two stories is done and for that I am truly thankful.

I started my work morning watching Celtic Thunder. I love this group. You either smile or you cry but either way it is a pleasure. I posted videos, as most of you probably know by now. I have to get some CD's! I'm a sap for Celtic music anyway. 

O.k. who knew Celtic men could sing like that and look so good. Must plan a trip to Ireland or Scotland. Problem is the language barrier.... I love the sound of their speech but can't understand them sometimes. Of course, I could just sit and listen and not worry about understanding if a fella looked like these guys! 

All right. Now I have to go clean the keyboard ... drool everywhere. Hope you all have a good day.

Take Me Home

I remember when I was a child hearing Mama sing a song to the tune of the one they sing in this video but I can't for the life of me I can't remember the words. They may be the same but I just don't know. I just know this is so beautiful and makes me homesick.

Celtic Thunder

My new favorite boy group!

A Gilded Monday

We don't, of late, get them very often. The sun is shinning in a blue heaven covered with sheer, gauzy clouds. It is still cold at 43F but when you can look out on such a day from a warm room it is bearable.

I feel o.k. Which, when you think about it, is a slight improvement. I didn't feel o.k. last week. The neck is a bit better. I've stopped sitting on the sofa for several days now. Saturday night I used the kitchen table again but moved to one of the living room chairs. I put a cushion on the coffee table and put my feet up and got my portable computer table. I spent the afternoon there yesterday watching t.v. and crocheting. 

I also took acetaminophen for pain and I think it helped a bit. I slept better the last several nights but that never last. One takes what one gets. 

I am still working on the novel merge. It is a laborious process. I have about 12,000 words to go. I will be so glad to get done with it. I still need to decide on how to open this story. I have the beginning of the story but the opening scene has to be a very big hook and that's where I'm having problems. I have to convey this is a psychic spy in that first scene and it is harder than you think. I can't say  he's a psychic spy. I have to show it. So, challenge but one to be dealt with later, thank goodness.

I went to church yesterday morning and last night. I'm so out of practice doing that and I now get so sleepy by 9 p.m. that it was very difficult. I thought about doing that Saturday service instead of the Sunday night one before and I may revisit that. I may try it and see how it works first. 

Tonight I will go home and make every attempt to finish the novel merge and be ready to start on the real work after that. My idea is to work on some sort of outline first. I really need to get the full story arc in my mind and then take each section. 

Now I must get back to work.

Mama Knew Everything

I am just about to get back to work on my novel but I saw this article and could not resist to post my thoughts about it.

Stephen Hawking "We Must Colonize Space"

In the mid-1960-'s when the United States Space Program really took off my Mama (grandmother) and I were watching something on the television about it. Probably one of the lunar landings. I've never forgotten in all these years what she said.

"The only reason they are rushing to space is because they are looking for a place they think will be safe. They know that this old world is not going to last. They want to be sure they get off before it happens because they think they can escape it but they can't."

Stephen Hawking is considered one of the most brilliant minds of our times. He is an atheist.

My mama was a devout Christian. Long before Hawking had figured out his version of the secret to the universe Mama knew it already and she didn't need a doctorate to figure it out. She read it in a Book because she knew Someone.

Mama really did know everything!

WRoE Progress Report: A Page of Kat's Book

I took Kat's advice this morning and made a back up of my NaNo 2011 The Dream Stealer. I probably have one and it is still in Google Docs but just to be safe I made another. I took a word count in Open Office and it came to 53,220 words. Then, per Kat's advice. I deleted the text I've already pasted to Scrivener and the main work in progress (WIP) - The Dream Stealer. The NaNo version is now down to 40,834!

I've only copied 1/5th of the thing! In the Scrivener version there are 25,738 wds! Allowing for differences in word counting methods between programs, I had around 15,000 words to start with.

I also have to allow for the fact that some of what I have is totally useless. Some of it is not actually going to be used because it is meaningless for this story or is just bad writing. So, let's be conservative and say another 10,000 words won't appear in the next version. In Scrivener I can actually put them in my slush folder, a folder for stuff I don't know what to do with, that stinks, or doesn't belong for other reasons.

I've been up since 7:30. I went to bed at 9:30 last night. I was just exhausted. It is happening a lot of late. I didn't write at all because I could barely stay upright. I've been off my diet now for several weeks and I think it is telling on me. Must get back to low carbs. Got to say it appears to be the best thing for me. I felt better.

So, now I get back to copy/paste and hope I can get this done in a few more days. I've lost time this week but I'm learning something about how I procrastinate, what gets me off track. I think I'm moving ahead two steps and back one but that's still progress. Being aware, keeping track and a having to follow a performance system seems to be something I do better with...at least at the moment.

It's 43 degrees here today. I want to go get a peppermint mocha but will wait until I've done my work. I have a really bad back ache this morning, from my neck to my lower back. I'd give anything for a really good back rub today. I can't get comfortable in any position at the moment. I was on the sofa trying to work but it became unbearable. I'm in the kitchen now, sitting on a cushioned chair. It is only moderately better. I can see the day ending badly if I can't get some relief.

I'll catch up later with everyone. Have a good day.

The Piano Guys - I missed this one!

WRoE Day Three Progress Report

Actually yesterday was day three. I didn't get to a post last night but I suspect the day after is more appropriate of a progress report for the day before. 

I was so tired when I got home. I had stopped at the grocery store, going a couple miles out of the way because I went to the wrong store first. So it was nearly 6 p.m. when I got home.

I immediately made some cream of chicken soup. I ate and watch something. I read blogs. Then, I got a hot shower and sat down. Worked on another square, which I kept messing up , miscounting stitches and doing the wrong row. I finally got it going but did not finish the square. I watched another show and then made myself get up and work on my novel for an hour. Unlike Monday night, it was so overwhelming. There are just pages and pages of new stuff I have to sort and put into place. I still don't have the story order well structured in my head so it makes it hard. Does this go here? Or is this later? That doesn't seem to be usable in the story at all! Will I need this or should I make a slush folder for it? 

That's what I spent most of the hour doing last night. And going through it to be sure I had marked all those already moved. I found early on that everything I move to the main work I have to change the font color in the NaNo work to let me know I've already moved it. That way I don't waste time re-reading scads of stuff I already dealt with. I have at least 45000 words to go! I don't need or want to keep continually going over finished sections.

I finally gave up. I was too tired to be effective and found myself confused by the disorder. So, I shut down and went to bed. I was even too tired for bed and tried to read a bit but exhaustion won after about 15 minutes. I don't remember falling asleep. 

Now, I'm getting ready to head for work. For the record, I'm still in the early stages of WRoE and working out my schedule and my determination. It is a difficult plan. But honestly it is the only thing that will work for me. I learned that not doing the writing first, before everything else, is probably bad. I have to have an hour at least to work and waiting until I'm blind with tiredness won't do it. I knew my job drained me but I think this holiday showed me just how much. I put a lot of energy in getting through the day. The days of being able to go 18 hours at capacity are over. I did it for NaNo but I felt terrific for most of October and all of November. I am having pain issues at the moment so a deterrent.

Tonight is writer's meeting and I won't get a lot done before that but there is nearly an hour before the meeting so I will probably work on it instead of crochet. 

I do not know if I'll update daily. May just keep a record for myself somehow and post on the Accountability day. 

All I can say is it is working all right, if not smoothly.

Here We Be

Already at the 4th of January, 2012. I'm getting ready for work, actually am ready but about to brush my teeth and head out. As predicted, the gate that let me log on at here and FB at work has be closed and locked. I knew when Jay returned from the holiday it would happen. LOL, probably for the best.

I didn't do any writing last night. I came in, cooked a small meal, sat down and caught up on blog reading and then got a hot shower after I cleaned the kitchen. Shower done, I watched a couple of t.v. shows while while crocheting another square for Sarah's spread. It is the second one I've done. I will have to work this in to my schedule. At the moment, it takes probably an hour to do a square. I'm still learning the pattern and am making a lot of mistakes. Once I have the pattern down it will go fast but until then it is tedious, particular last night for some reason. If I can do one a night I'll have 30 squares in a month. I doubt I'll be able to do that rate.

I sat up too late as well. My intention was to write an hour but I was really tired after the first day back. People were simply crazy last night. One caller chewed me out and insulted a case manager because she wasn't answering her phone at 8 a.m. O.k. it is first of the month after a four day weekend and pay day for landlords. And we have 300 other people we we deal with. This guy was a jerk of the first order. He's also new on the program. He now has Dixie's red flag on his forehead. We don't forget the jerks and it isn't wise to tic off a case manager whose help you may need in a real emergency. I informed his case manager and told her to be prepared.

Two days to the weekend. Can I make it? I hope so. Have a good, warm day. It is 31 here!

How to Install a Kitchen Sink

WRoE Begins

This is my first post regarding my Writer's Rules of Engagement challenge to myself. I officially started today and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Although, after three hours of work, I'm wanting a good t.v. show! But I can't. 

I've spent several hours now working on consolidating my 2011 NaNo novel into The Dream Stealer (my WIP). It is tedious and time consuming. I have to search the NaNo work and find pieces to copy and paste into the WIP in the supposed place it goes. Remember, my NaNo was written missing pieces of the WIP, or rather, things I felt were missing. Now it is actually like putting together a puzzle. 

I'm tired and I have taken a couple of breaks between tasks. One was to take a hot shower. The other was to read that stupid new bill... that took a few hours. However, when I was done I was more than ready to get back to Simon. 

I have to say, truly once again, I love this story. Every time I read over parts of it, I'm enthralled. I can't believe I wrote any of it. Of course, I may find it suck when sent out for readers. 

Speaking of which, if I ever get to readers, I will need volunteers. My plan will be to send hard copies to the readers to mark it up. Yes, hard copies. No way am I wading through a dozen computer file copies to try and make sense of reader notes and suggestions. My first draft is going to be a nightmare as it is. I really want to get this order down tight before I do anything else. So, keep it in mind. Once I get to reader stage, I need readers.

Now, it is ice cream break and then I get back to work.

Chirstmas Eve

Decorating the Tree

I'm getting this a bit late and it is 20 minutes long! But I have watched it over and over.

Happy New Year, 2012

The Last Day of 2011

Easy New Year's Resolutions

You all know, if you have read my favorite blog posts, what I think about resolutions. I don't make them. This list a good example of why. It is amusing and yet... profoundly truthful. (I'm being highly sarcastic here.)

Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day in my nightdress. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom.

I will not bore my boss by with the same excuse for taking leaves. I will think of some more excuses.

I will do less laundry and use more deodorant.

I will avoid taking a bath whenever possible and conserve more water.

I will give up chocolates totally. 100%. Completely. Honestly....

I will try to figure out why I *really* need nine e-mail addresses.

I will stop sending e-mails to my wife (husband).

I resolve to work with neglected children -- my own.

I will stop sending e-mail, ICQ, and Instant Messages while on the phone at the same time with the same person.

I will spend less than one hour a day on the Internet. This, of course, will be hard to estimate since I'm not a clock watcher.

I will read the manual ... just as soon as I can find it.

I will think of a password other than "password."

I will not tell the same story at every get together.

I won't worry so much.

I will cut my hair.

I will grow my hair.

I will be more imaginative.

I will not ring the steward button on airplanes just to get her/his phone number.

FROM GCFL.com

Wonder Where It Went

My morning has flown by. I've been busy getting the detritus cleaned out of my box and preparing to start hitting the February files. I have to have all of them done by end of month or I'm going to be in a pickle with late folders. Much of March is sitting waiting as well.

My neck is just miserable and making the rest of me miserable. Not sure what I can do about it. I am dreading having to get that shot but I'm not sure there is an alternative. It has been three years since the last one and I've had some very bad days with it in that time. 

I over slept this morning because I forgot to set the clock. It was needed extra sleep. I really need to go to bed early tonight, too. November always kind of knocks me off kilter. I was doing really well with a routine of sorts and I need to get back to that.

Only three days to go this week and then three days next and four after that, so short work weeks for the next three. That is going to be very nice. 

I don't have any profound wisdom to offer today. No shocking statements to take exception to, unless you get all bent some of the above, in which case, get a helmet. In all honest, I am so. . . I don't like the word depressed for everything. I've been depressed and I can tell the difference. This isn't depression. It is . . . something else. If I think of the work I'll post it but at the moment . . . oh, wait, yes I do! Abject. I am abject. It is an old word and I doubt many people use it now-a-days. I can't seem to get above it. Oh, feels better just having a word to describe it. 

I'm out now to lunch. Don't know where I'm going.