Day 12 & Assorted Maladies

What a long week and a half this has been. I was lagging behind on word count most of the first week of NaNo but managed to catch up yesterday. If it were not for our write-ins I'd be further behind. My Co-ML had a write-in Friday night at Panera Bread and I went to that. We had 11 people attending. That's the largest we've had in a while. 

I've been doing virtual write-ins online with several members of the group and we've combined them so that if there is wifi where we're hosting a live write-in we also do a virtual write-in. Saturday we were at the library and last night I did a write-in at Panera Bread on the east side of town while Tammy was at the library on the west side of town. I'm actually ahead slightly today and don't have as far to go to hit the day's goal of 20,000 words. 

I woke to heavy, grey skies and a horrendous headache and pain in a variety of places. Went for blood work and everyone who saw me said, "You're not feeling well today, are you?" I wonder how they knew? I wasn't moaning and groaning or writhing in pain. I carried my Kindle and tried to read while I waited, answered check-in questions, got my blood work. I didn't even have to argue with the lab tech about getting the blood from the back of my hand and what gauge of needle to use! She just agreed and got the butterfly. 

It is cold. It is a painful cold. Despite the Prednisone I'm in pain in my hands, neck, shoulder, and feet. Small bones. Not good. Once I start decreasing the dosage of Prednisone the pain escalates in proportion. If I could take it all the time, I would. 

I see the doctor in three weeks. I wish I could see her sooner and get it over with and maybe, just maybe find something that works. Nothing is working. 

Back to NaNo. I don't care for the story. It isn't that I hate it. There just isn't a story there. I wish I'd gone rebel and worked on one of the other stories I have in progress. I'll get my 50K, more than likely but it will be 50K of boring prose with no purpose. I think this is the first time I've had that happen. I usually know when there is a story. Generally, the problems I face is painting myself in a corner and having no idea of where to go from there. This is different. I don't feel any interest in it. 

Of course, you should pay no attention to this any of that because we are in the middle of the 2nd week slump and this happens every year. We'll see how things look next Monday. By Saturday, the 15th, we need to be at 25,000 words. After that, things tend to move pretty fast.  I'll keep pounding away at the keys.

To All Who Served and Who Now Serve

You were not chosen to serve this nation. 

You chose to do so. 

The choice to defend those who would not or could not defend themselves is a calling of which few are capable. 

It requires strength, determination, and dedication to something beyond oneself.

Some of you gave your youth, some gave your lives.

The hope our nation offers to her people 

is only as good as those who defend her. 

You not only guard this nation, 

you guard all that she represents.

You are the watchmen on the wall and 

our last defense in perilous times.

To those who gave their all to protect this land, 

to all who have served and are now serving,

we are forever in your debt.

For your service and your sacrifice, I am eternally grateful, not only for myself but for my children 

and their children's children. 

May the God Heaven forever guard you and protect you as you guard and protect all that I love.

Swimming with the Fishes

So... it begins. I got my first day of NaNo done and I'm nervous at how easy the words flowed onto the page. On day one. Without much effort. I ended up with 2122 words. The required is 1667 a day.

I think I'm terrified.

However, I'm rather impressed with my cover. This year NaNo allows you to create a cover for your novel and put it on your profile. Well, you could before but they created a special place for it this year. I couldn't resist. I love playing with the photo program and I had fun once I got started. I only had one problem.

Did you know there are not many free photos of dead bodies floating underwater? Really. I mean, I couldn't even find one on Google! I finally located a photo of a woman floating underwater with a copyright that would allow me to alter it. I used her head.

To top it off, there are plenty of fish photos but none with a dead body floating in the water with the fish. I got lucky in that the fish in the photo happens to be rainbow trout. This matters because I got the idea for the story during a visit to a fish hatchery in Branson, MO, a rainbow trout hatchery. Wasn't that lucky.

With my two free photos I started to work in Paint.net and the end result is shown here. I like the way her head is surrounded by a fish and algae. It sort of just happened. It isn't a perfect but I think it came out pretty good.

My friend, Doug, asked if I was writing a gangster novel. Actually he said, "Please tell me you're writing a gangster novel?" I'm not but then, it's early days yet so, who knows.

The Net Effect

Friday, October 17, 2014

For the first time in a long time, I am without Internet. I don’t know how it happened. I’ve had problems with it for months. Originally, they told me it was my router. Since it was 4 yrs old, I thought it possible, so I bought a new one for nearly $70. I don’t like it as much as my old one.

Today, the net went down again. For good. Tech support for the ISP said it was my modem. I went and bought a new one, for $96. No, I do not have a pot of gold. I don’t even had a wallet of quarters. I got home and hooked it up. Guess what. I still have no Internet.

After a second call to tech support they thought “something else” as going on that they couldn’t fix. I explained the economics of my situation to him in a fairly irate voice. I pointed out if my equipment was new then it must be his network that was the problem. He didn’t want to agree with me but when faced with my obvious knowledge in this area, he said, “I can’t fix whatever it is.”

“They why don’t you connect me to the person who can.”

A tech will be out on Tuesday morning. Yes, Tuesday. So, no internet between now and then. Oh I can go somewhere and get online and that’ll be fine. I’ll be at a writers’ meeting tomorrow afternoon. I can run over to the library or McDonald’s in the morning. I’m not upset by not having the service. I’m upset at the $170 I’ve spent on their say so. I don’t believe I even needed new equipment.

So, as Mike pointed out, “You’ll have plenty of time to write, Mom.”

This is true. 

October 21, 2014

That was then. I didn't write much. I spent the time doing laundry, at a writer's meeting, and at church. Today, the internet is up. The tech, James, came by and stood in the office door and said, "I know what your problem is. They didn't set up your modem in our system. Did he ask for your modem information?" 

"Yes they did. How do you know they didn't?"

He held up his phone. "I can see it right here."

He made a call and in moments the net was up and working. So, we chatted for about 45 minutes and he suggested I buy a Mac.  Hey, I paid for his time. 

That doesn't sound right but I'm letting it stay.

Now, the laundry has been folded, hung up, and put away. I have another load to wash soon but I'll give it a bit. I've answered NaNo emails, personal emails, and caught up on FB. I'll catch up on G+ but lately there's been precious little of interest there. I need new friends or maybe I just need a real life. November will give me lots to do. 

On Sunday, my new Co-ML, Tammy came by and we got out gift bags set up. I have some other items I need to run off and put in there. We're going to have our kickoff party on November 1 at the library. 

Sarah will be home shortly and my evening will become a bit hectic for a few hours. Once she's done her homework, she'll hit the road and play for a few hours before bedtime. I've spent far too long online this afternoon but hey, I did without for 4 days! I told Sarah last night we'd have internet back on tonight. 

She said, "Oh, I don't care." Then a few seconds later she glanced over her shoulder at me and asked, "When will Grimm be back on?" 

I laughed and told her I'd check. 

She said, "It's usually Saturdays."

For those uninformed, Grimm is a tv show based on the legend of the Grimm Brothers and the fairy tales. It is not your average fairy tale. When she was about 4 or 5 I was sitting at the computer watching it and she came in and climbed on my lap and asked me what I was watching. I wasn't paying attention but then realized, it might be a very scary show for a child that age. (It took me a while to get readjusted to younger minds.) Something slithered across the screen and I gasped and covered her eyes. "You don't need to be watching this!" 

She pulled my hand off her face and in her sweet, little voice said, "Oooo, what's that?" The deed was done. From that point on, she was a fan and has watched every show she could with me. Since I watch online I could always wait to watch until she came over and that was generally on Saturdays. Each week she ask, "When is Grimm on?" She never gets scared and thinks the werewolf is very cool. I do, too. 

In My Neck of the Woods....

One room done. Yes, one room. I worked on the Red Room all week and finally have it all sorted out, closet cleaned, and everything arranged. That is "Sarah's room", if she ever sleeps in there. 

After I did the one room I decided to just move down the hallway, one room at a time. I'm now working on the middle room, the smallest bedroom and where the desktop computer is stationed. I began work on the closet today. I did pretty good but there is still too much stuff.

The small room is like an office but I'm really tired of the huge desk I have in there. I need to get rid of it but I hate to just dump it. I don't know if anyone would buy it either. It is a beautiful desk but too large for most places. I just really want it gone. I have a smaller, more efficient desk at Mike's that I can get back. Just needs painting. And I should do it. It would make things much easier. I just have no place to put all the stuff in the current desk. I'd  have to buy a cabinet and that's just more stuff. 

I have way too much furniture and I think about getting rid of some of it but never do. Every stick is used. Except for all the seating. I seldom have company but when I do, I need it. My house is small with very little efficient storage. Even my bathroom has no cabinets. In the 50's people lived with less. So, I'm considering shelving in some areas. Sarah has my huge bookcase in her room because all her books and toys fit on it. 

Sometime in the last couple of weeks I've caught a cold. Sarah has one, too, so I've probably got it from her. I think it all started as allergies. We both have them. It has turned into to a upper respiratory issue. She's worse than me. She has asthma and her colds turn into something worse this time of year. 

I'm going to bed now. This isn't a very good post but it is what is happening here. Frankly, I can live with very little drama.