Back from ICFA!
Had a WONDERFUL time. This year was very different. Instead of rooming with citycountrygirl and one or two other Hollins friends, I roomed with Brian and the Wyrmling. Wyrmling still views bottles as EPTFH (Evil Plastic Things From Hell) and we didn't want to introduce solids right before a trip, so she's still nursing. It actually worked out decently, mainly because ICFA is held in the hotel where we stayed. I just kept my phone with me and Brian texted me whenever she got fussy. For a baby who spends 99% of her time with me, she was VERY content to spend all day with just Daddy, she only got fussy when hungry. I'm sure Brian was bored, as there wasn't much to do (the pool was just a smidge too cold for him to take her in), but he was absolutely wonderful about this!
I'm retiring as Division Head and I have a lot of mixed feelings about that. I LOVE that position, I love reading the papers, I love putting them together in sessions, I love the interaction (I can be rather shy around people I don't know, unless I NEED to talk to them, and being div head gives me a good reason to introduce myself to all the presenters). But the more active Wyrmling gets, the more I realize that I need to start cutting down on volunteering and focus that time into writing. Speaking of, citycountrygirl had the interesting suggestion of switching my main character in "School Spirits" to male instead of female. The more I think about that, the more I like it! Not because there aren't many YA fantasies with a male protagonist (which was her reasoning), but because it works so much better with the plot. For example, my MC has just moved to a school where football reigns supreme. That is going to be more of an issue for a male rather than a female. Also, it allows for a romantic subplot. Yes, I know. Me, writing a romance. Weird...
In addition to cutting back on volunteering, I'm also changing the way I work. Years ago, I realized that keeping my computer in the family room all the time and working on it during the day and playing in the evening (ok, during the day too!) really made me feel yucky, mentally and physically. Physically it wasn't good for my back or shoulders, and mentally I just never got a break. At my old house I didn't care for my office because it was in the basement. When I moved in with Brian, though, my office had two windows and I really liked it, even though it was small. I moved my computer to the office and kept it there, only moving it when I traveled. I loved it. When you work from home, it's so hard to turn off your work brain, be it werk (tm kathleenfoucart) or writing. Only doing work in my office allowed me to give my brain and body much needed rest.
But now that Wyrmling is getting very active (I think she might start crawling soon!), she needs more space. My office is tiny, plus it's a childproofing nightmare, especially with all the electronics and craft supplies. I've been working during her nap and playing with/watching her in the family room the rest of the day. Moving my computer to the family room and working here during the day might allow me to get more work done. Not only will it be easy to shoot off a few emails, enter invoices, write checks, and work on the program for ChLA (that volunteering is just a one-time deal, thank heavens!), in the evening I can also do some work but also spend some time with Brian and Wyrmling rather than being off in the office. We'll see if this works. I will have to make a point to turn it off at a reasonable time, though, plus figure out a way to set the computer up so it isn't on my lap all the time.
Back to the Florida trip. Brian drove us down and back. We took the truck, which I can't drive because it's a standard, and he drove the entire way. It took us over 35 hours round trip. Wyrmling was AMAZING! She was only fussy a couple times during the trip. The way back was especially nice, she slept almost the entire time. Because both Brian and I are night owls, once she would sleep for the night, he'd try to cover as much ground as possible. This is how we ended up in a hotel on the way down at 3AM and got back Monday at 5AM. We spent yesterday vegging and recovering. On the way back from ICFA we swung by Tallahassee to visit some of my relatives. It's funny, for years I almost never saw them, but since my grandma died I've been seeing them at least once a year. This year will be a lot; they came up for my dad's funeral and we'll be going back to Florida for one cousin's wedding later in the spring. I'm hoping that this can continue, I'd like Wyrmling to grow up knowing that side of the family.
Ok, that's enough for now. Off to try my new working setup!
I'm retiring as Division Head and I have a lot of mixed feelings about that. I LOVE that position, I love reading the papers, I love putting them together in sessions, I love the interaction (I can be rather shy around people I don't know, unless I NEED to talk to them, and being div head gives me a good reason to introduce myself to all the presenters). But the more active Wyrmling gets, the more I realize that I need to start cutting down on volunteering and focus that time into writing. Speaking of, citycountrygirl had the interesting suggestion of switching my main character in "School Spirits" to male instead of female. The more I think about that, the more I like it! Not because there aren't many YA fantasies with a male protagonist (which was her reasoning), but because it works so much better with the plot. For example, my MC has just moved to a school where football reigns supreme. That is going to be more of an issue for a male rather than a female. Also, it allows for a romantic subplot. Yes, I know. Me, writing a romance. Weird...
In addition to cutting back on volunteering, I'm also changing the way I work. Years ago, I realized that keeping my computer in the family room all the time and working on it during the day and playing in the evening (ok, during the day too!) really made me feel yucky, mentally and physically. Physically it wasn't good for my back or shoulders, and mentally I just never got a break. At my old house I didn't care for my office because it was in the basement. When I moved in with Brian, though, my office had two windows and I really liked it, even though it was small. I moved my computer to the office and kept it there, only moving it when I traveled. I loved it. When you work from home, it's so hard to turn off your work brain, be it werk (tm kathleenfoucart) or writing. Only doing work in my office allowed me to give my brain and body much needed rest.
But now that Wyrmling is getting very active (I think she might start crawling soon!), she needs more space. My office is tiny, plus it's a childproofing nightmare, especially with all the electronics and craft supplies. I've been working during her nap and playing with/watching her in the family room the rest of the day. Moving my computer to the family room and working here during the day might allow me to get more work done. Not only will it be easy to shoot off a few emails, enter invoices, write checks, and work on the program for ChLA (that volunteering is just a one-time deal, thank heavens!), in the evening I can also do some work but also spend some time with Brian and Wyrmling rather than being off in the office. We'll see if this works. I will have to make a point to turn it off at a reasonable time, though, plus figure out a way to set the computer up so it isn't on my lap all the time.
Back to the Florida trip. Brian drove us down and back. We took the truck, which I can't drive because it's a standard, and he drove the entire way. It took us over 35 hours round trip. Wyrmling was AMAZING! She was only fussy a couple times during the trip. The way back was especially nice, she slept almost the entire time. Because both Brian and I are night owls, once she would sleep for the night, he'd try to cover as much ground as possible. This is how we ended up in a hotel on the way down at 3AM and got back Monday at 5AM. We spent yesterday vegging and recovering. On the way back from ICFA we swung by Tallahassee to visit some of my relatives. It's funny, for years I almost never saw them, but since my grandma died I've been seeing them at least once a year. This year will be a lot; they came up for my dad's funeral and we'll be going back to Florida for one cousin's wedding later in the spring. I'm hoping that this can continue, I'd like Wyrmling to grow up knowing that side of the family.
Ok, that's enough for now. Off to try my new working setup!