Peeking out from under my rock...
Believe it or not, I'm still alive and kicking. Busy and working on things that I thoroughly enjoy as well, which is also good. Shoulder starting to hurt again, and not going back to the orthopedist for another set of cortisone shots until early September, which is not so good.
The annual Convention at the Theosophical Temple is in full swing - although, as a more or less outsider, my participation is limited to those events where my piano skills are required. A musical review entitled "The Internationale" takes place this Saturday evening, which is where my current case of performance jitters comes from. As solos, I'm playing Morning Mood from Peer Gynt by Grieg and Sakura Sakura Fantasy by Kozaburo Y. Hirai; and then am accompanying a range of songs from The Wind Song (I wrote the music, a friend did the lyrics), Alouette, O Sole Mio, I Vow To Thee, My Country (by Holst), Am Brunen Vor Dem Tore (by Schumman), A Scotch Song (by JF Hance), and Waltzing Matilda. Other pieces are being accompanied by guitar (which means NOT me!!) Should be a fun performance - IF my hands allow me to play my bit without shaking too hard.
Writing-wise, I've been working on a Doctor Who fic - if you couldn't tell from my postings lately - but am slowly starting to do the real prep work to start a complete rewrite of an O-fic novel that's been brewing for the last few years. I'm currently working on world-building and character sheets, and also doing a complete outline of the plot so I have something to work from. I love Maple as a research tool and outlining program!! I have Liquid Binder too, but I've yet to figure out how to use it well enough to give it a thorough tryout. I'm gonna try, in the in-between times, to get my DW fic finished and maybe do more work on IDD - I'm very close to having that monster finished too!!
All my kids are doing well too - which is a very nice development. Daughter Súl has started working at a day-spa within walking distance of the house here, and really likes it. She's thrilled not to have to worry about stop lights, other idiot drivers and congestion on the way to and from work; and she takes a variety of different routes that allow her to enjoy all the flowers in the yards. Daughter Vanna is progressing in her transgender process, now nicely into hormone therapy. The name change is now official, and I guess she's working hard to save up the money to get surgery, which she intends to happen in San Francisco in the next two or three years. Son JJ is unfortunately losing his job to the crummy economy, so his Regional Center for the Disabled rep is working on trying to locate another appropriate workplace for him. He didn't so much like the job as he really loved the people he was working with - I've been telling him to get phone numbers, etc. so he can keep in contact with them. He's also facing probably surgery for a lesion on his backside that will mean that we won't be able to afford to go to Oregon next Spring.
Hubby is nicely occupied taking care of the landscaping around the place and in starting the process of fixing up the bathroom. The one spot where water damage had essentially melted the sheetrock has now been repaired so that when painted, nobody will know anything was ever wrong. He's also planning to replace one side and the door on the sink cabinet, repaint the place, and is building custom footboards to go around when all is said and done. We're saving now for the shower insert to take the place of the tub we have now.
So, even though I may not be very chatty lately, I am still around and doing things. I've been debating putting the first chapter of my O-fic novel up in LC when I have it ready, but I'm gonna be very careful to make certain that any editing help I get doesn't make the thing unsellable. I already blew that with two other O-fic novels, so I've kinda learned my lesson!!
That's it from the Left Coast of California, folks... 'Til next time...
The annual Convention at the Theosophical Temple is in full swing - although, as a more or less outsider, my participation is limited to those events where my piano skills are required. A musical review entitled "The Internationale" takes place this Saturday evening, which is where my current case of performance jitters comes from. As solos, I'm playing Morning Mood from Peer Gynt by Grieg and Sakura Sakura Fantasy by Kozaburo Y. Hirai; and then am accompanying a range of songs from The Wind Song (I wrote the music, a friend did the lyrics), Alouette, O Sole Mio, I Vow To Thee, My Country (by Holst), Am Brunen Vor Dem Tore (by Schumman), A Scotch Song (by JF Hance), and Waltzing Matilda. Other pieces are being accompanied by guitar (which means NOT me!!) Should be a fun performance - IF my hands allow me to play my bit without shaking too hard.
Writing-wise, I've been working on a Doctor Who fic - if you couldn't tell from my postings lately - but am slowly starting to do the real prep work to start a complete rewrite of an O-fic novel that's been brewing for the last few years. I'm currently working on world-building and character sheets, and also doing a complete outline of the plot so I have something to work from. I love Maple as a research tool and outlining program!! I have Liquid Binder too, but I've yet to figure out how to use it well enough to give it a thorough tryout. I'm gonna try, in the in-between times, to get my DW fic finished and maybe do more work on IDD - I'm very close to having that monster finished too!!
All my kids are doing well too - which is a very nice development. Daughter Súl has started working at a day-spa within walking distance of the house here, and really likes it. She's thrilled not to have to worry about stop lights, other idiot drivers and congestion on the way to and from work; and she takes a variety of different routes that allow her to enjoy all the flowers in the yards. Daughter Vanna is progressing in her transgender process, now nicely into hormone therapy. The name change is now official, and I guess she's working hard to save up the money to get surgery, which she intends to happen in San Francisco in the next two or three years. Son JJ is unfortunately losing his job to the crummy economy, so his Regional Center for the Disabled rep is working on trying to locate another appropriate workplace for him. He didn't so much like the job as he really loved the people he was working with - I've been telling him to get phone numbers, etc. so he can keep in contact with them. He's also facing probably surgery for a lesion on his backside that will mean that we won't be able to afford to go to Oregon next Spring.
Hubby is nicely occupied taking care of the landscaping around the place and in starting the process of fixing up the bathroom. The one spot where water damage had essentially melted the sheetrock has now been repaired so that when painted, nobody will know anything was ever wrong. He's also planning to replace one side and the door on the sink cabinet, repaint the place, and is building custom footboards to go around when all is said and done. We're saving now for the shower insert to take the place of the tub we have now.
So, even though I may not be very chatty lately, I am still around and doing things. I've been debating putting the first chapter of my O-fic novel up in LC when I have it ready, but I'm gonna be very careful to make certain that any editing help I get doesn't make the thing unsellable. I already blew that with two other O-fic novels, so I've kinda learned my lesson!!
That's it from the Left Coast of California, folks... 'Til next time...