...there's no shortcut to a dream. It's all blood and sweat...
It's December, and I like December. It's not so far into winter that I'm sick of it, and people are still mostly cheerful due to either holidays, or if not the actual holidays, then the prospect of getting a few days off at the end of the month and at the very least time to sit around watching bad movies, holiday themed or otherwise. Plus everybody wants prosthetic foreheads on their real heads. It's a thing.
The snow last week (in Seattle! In November!) was quite a surprise, and while very pretty, I am again reminded that Seattle is not a city that is prepared for snow and ice. We did slightly better than the storms of 2008/09, but the storm was also not quite as bad. And Metro transport still was slow to respond to the conditions, leading to my crapalicious frustrating 4 hour bus ride home on that Monday. Sigh. Still, the snow was very pretty. And I'm extremely glad we paid for a yard service to spruce up the yard and clean the gutters the preceding weekend. Whew! (Although they did over-tighten the external faucets, breaking them, so they wouldn't stop dripping, and then made some non-incidental ice patches by the front and back entrances. Oy.)
I neglected to post here on LJ at all during November. It was just that kind of month - I spent the first week diligently writing, working on the current WIP, and then the rest of the month floating between sick and busy and tired, and not writing, and feeling depressed about it. Not precisely my plans, but there you are. I keep aiming for a more regular writing pattern, but I never did have one before, even when I wrote my first novel. It was more, I wrote in my in-between spaces, and I seemed to have more in-between spaces to write in. Some lunches, some waiting in line, but not every day, and no pressure, and it still worked. I want that back. Clearly I have to fight off worry and obsessive internal editing and the feeling that I had only one story to tell and I told it and it's all gone now. Also to push myself for those in-between spaces.
It doesn't help that I'm on a compulsory emotional roller coaster. I shall remain fuzzy on the details in public for now, but suffice it to say that I have life plans, and these plans are in progress, but they aren't the sort of plans you can depend on happening when you plan on them, if you understand. So I am in the midst of living through the sort of limbo that comes with that, and banging my head against that wall constantly. Which makes all other life plans look a little silly, but life doesn't sit around waiting for your plans to work out, and one can't expect to manage all of ones plans in order. Er, if that makes sense. I am capable of pursuing all the things I'm working on, but it tends to make me scattered and overwhelmed, easily pushed into "Curl up on the couch with blankets and read obsessively" mode. Great for the general booksellers in the area, not good for my writing.
But all is not glum gloominess, since A) December, and B) it is never all glum gloominess with me, because I am obnoxiously happy go lucky. The music might get really angsty, but I am still determinedly dancing. And laughing at myself when I fall, as one does. Speaking of dancing, tonight will be the 3rd dance class in 3 days, which is a lot for me this time of year. I hurt a lot. This may explain the groaning nature of this post.
Thanksgiving was nice: we stayed home and had my friend Michelle and her boyfriend and her parents over. The house looked nice, the food tasted good, and it was nice and relaxed. I made two kinds of jello salad. I'm just that kind of girl. Also apple pie, and there was pecan pie and date pudding, and bread, and taters, and gravy, and a loverly turkey cooked by Mr. Sweetie. Mmmm. I didn't have time to make oreo cookie pie, but I am seriously considering making it just because. (Because oreo cookie pie. What other reason do you need?)
Xmas looks to be much the same as far as relaxing - we are not traveling for holidays at all this year. Lack of funds, and really, I think we're both just exhausted from this year. Mr. Sweetie and I have had a relatively big year, all around. It would be great to see my family, but only if we can come up with some way of traveling that's free and takes about the time it does to cross town. My parents live the better part of 800 miles away. I'm not holding my breath for technology to fix this for me. I'll call fambly on xmas instead. We'll go to friend's houses, and have friends over, and spend time snuggling in front of holiday movies, such as "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" and The Nightmare Before Christmas." I will listen to (and sing along with) a LOT of holiday music and madrigal groups. I think it will be nice.
This weekend we'll start decorating for the season, including getting a tree. I think we've even figured out where we're going to put it. It will block a door again, but this time it's the back door,for a nice, less inconvenient change. Hopefully it will keep the tree from drying out too much, as well. And I have to come up with ways to keep the Misses Kitty from destroying/climbing/knocking down said tree, but that would be true no matter where we put it. I'm hoping the dearth of windowsills next to the tree will be a slight deterrent. Crazy cats. It would also be nice, in a winter holiday kind of way, if we could use the fireplace, all cozy and seasonal and fun. But the owner didn't put a cap on the chimney, so when we tried it out on Thanksgiving with some burning paper (pre-company coming over), the smoke just came back down and flooded the house. This may be why that fireplace has never been used. When we mentioned a chimney cap to the rental company/owner, they seemed surprised at the suggestion. I am not holding my breath for a chimney cap, either. Oh well. I'll get some nice stocking hangers, anyway, and make the mantle festive that way. Don't worry people, I will manage festive even without cozy fires. It's my way.
My goals for this month: get presinks bought and mailed out sooner rather than later (like this weekend), write enough to make progress toward my spring goal of finishing this WIP, get a Sekrit Soorprise Projekt going for a friend, pay bills even though I'm spending money on presinks (very important), write at least a few entries on this here blog thingy (Hi Blog Thingy!), and relax and have a fun time. Oh, and maybe have some sort of Solstice celebration, even if it's just an extra boogie over at the studio. Let's see if I can fit this all in.
The snow last week (in Seattle! In November!) was quite a surprise, and while very pretty, I am again reminded that Seattle is not a city that is prepared for snow and ice. We did slightly better than the storms of 2008/09, but the storm was also not quite as bad. And Metro transport still was slow to respond to the conditions, leading to my crapalicious frustrating 4 hour bus ride home on that Monday. Sigh. Still, the snow was very pretty. And I'm extremely glad we paid for a yard service to spruce up the yard and clean the gutters the preceding weekend. Whew! (Although they did over-tighten the external faucets, breaking them, so they wouldn't stop dripping, and then made some non-incidental ice patches by the front and back entrances. Oy.)
I neglected to post here on LJ at all during November. It was just that kind of month - I spent the first week diligently writing, working on the current WIP, and then the rest of the month floating between sick and busy and tired, and not writing, and feeling depressed about it. Not precisely my plans, but there you are. I keep aiming for a more regular writing pattern, but I never did have one before, even when I wrote my first novel. It was more, I wrote in my in-between spaces, and I seemed to have more in-between spaces to write in. Some lunches, some waiting in line, but not every day, and no pressure, and it still worked. I want that back. Clearly I have to fight off worry and obsessive internal editing and the feeling that I had only one story to tell and I told it and it's all gone now. Also to push myself for those in-between spaces.
It doesn't help that I'm on a compulsory emotional roller coaster. I shall remain fuzzy on the details in public for now, but suffice it to say that I have life plans, and these plans are in progress, but they aren't the sort of plans you can depend on happening when you plan on them, if you understand. So I am in the midst of living through the sort of limbo that comes with that, and banging my head against that wall constantly. Which makes all other life plans look a little silly, but life doesn't sit around waiting for your plans to work out, and one can't expect to manage all of ones plans in order. Er, if that makes sense. I am capable of pursuing all the things I'm working on, but it tends to make me scattered and overwhelmed, easily pushed into "Curl up on the couch with blankets and read obsessively" mode. Great for the general booksellers in the area, not good for my writing.
But all is not glum gloominess, since A) December, and B) it is never all glum gloominess with me, because I am obnoxiously happy go lucky. The music might get really angsty, but I am still determinedly dancing. And laughing at myself when I fall, as one does. Speaking of dancing, tonight will be the 3rd dance class in 3 days, which is a lot for me this time of year. I hurt a lot. This may explain the groaning nature of this post.
Thanksgiving was nice: we stayed home and had my friend Michelle and her boyfriend and her parents over. The house looked nice, the food tasted good, and it was nice and relaxed. I made two kinds of jello salad. I'm just that kind of girl. Also apple pie, and there was pecan pie and date pudding, and bread, and taters, and gravy, and a loverly turkey cooked by Mr. Sweetie. Mmmm. I didn't have time to make oreo cookie pie, but I am seriously considering making it just because. (Because oreo cookie pie. What other reason do you need?)
Xmas looks to be much the same as far as relaxing - we are not traveling for holidays at all this year. Lack of funds, and really, I think we're both just exhausted from this year. Mr. Sweetie and I have had a relatively big year, all around. It would be great to see my family, but only if we can come up with some way of traveling that's free and takes about the time it does to cross town. My parents live the better part of 800 miles away. I'm not holding my breath for technology to fix this for me. I'll call fambly on xmas instead. We'll go to friend's houses, and have friends over, and spend time snuggling in front of holiday movies, such as "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" and The Nightmare Before Christmas." I will listen to (and sing along with) a LOT of holiday music and madrigal groups. I think it will be nice.
This weekend we'll start decorating for the season, including getting a tree. I think we've even figured out where we're going to put it. It will block a door again, but this time it's the back door,for a nice, less inconvenient change. Hopefully it will keep the tree from drying out too much, as well. And I have to come up with ways to keep the Misses Kitty from destroying/climbing/knocking down said tree, but that would be true no matter where we put it. I'm hoping the dearth of windowsills next to the tree will be a slight deterrent. Crazy cats. It would also be nice, in a winter holiday kind of way, if we could use the fireplace, all cozy and seasonal and fun. But the owner didn't put a cap on the chimney, so when we tried it out on Thanksgiving with some burning paper (pre-company coming over), the smoke just came back down and flooded the house. This may be why that fireplace has never been used. When we mentioned a chimney cap to the rental company/owner, they seemed surprised at the suggestion. I am not holding my breath for a chimney cap, either. Oh well. I'll get some nice stocking hangers, anyway, and make the mantle festive that way. Don't worry people, I will manage festive even without cozy fires. It's my way.
My goals for this month: get presinks bought and mailed out sooner rather than later (like this weekend), write enough to make progress toward my spring goal of finishing this WIP, get a Sekrit Soorprise Projekt going for a friend, pay bills even though I'm spending money on presinks (very important), write at least a few entries on this here blog thingy (Hi Blog Thingy!), and relax and have a fun time. Oh, and maybe have some sort of Solstice celebration, even if it's just an extra boogie over at the studio. Let's see if I can fit this all in.