Between the pandemic and the last decade of too often being forced to behave like an extrovert (which caused a lot of pain) when I’m actually an introvert (and there’s nothing wrong with being one), I am taking time this winter to renegotiate my place in the world.
Since it is a negotiation, neither side is likely to get everything sought; however, I hope to find a healthier way forward.
This week will be more about mulling over different possibilities in preparation for trying new things than actually announcing that everything will change. Because “everything” doesn’t need to change. Many things have changed. But there’s still room for several positive adjustments.
What is your intent for this week, which moves into a new month?
Charlotte sat on my lap for meditation yesterday. It was funny.
After breakfast, I bundled up and headed out. It was all the way up to 9 degrees. Ashland Street was better, except for a few difficult spots. The ice mounds that are at property lines on the sidewalks make it difficult to navigate.
Mailed a big stack of cards and notes. Headed up to the library, where I picked up my books, and got an extension on a book I need for a project. Piled all the books in my backpack and walked back on Church Street, literally in the street, because the sidewalks were so bad. When cars came past, I stepped as close to the curb as possible and stopped until they were past. Once I hit college property, the sidewalks were walkable again.
I’ve craved peanut butter for lunch for the past couple of days, and have indulged myself. I’m grateful that I’m not allergic to nuts. I love them.
Got some reading and research done, and some script coverage written up.
Knowledge Unicorns went well. Because of the book banning insanity, now they all want to read MAUS (as they should). Some of them have read it and want to re-read it. So that is our next group project, along with juggling the individual homework assignments.
Tessa woke me at 2:45 this morning, but I fell asleep on the couch again almost immediately.
Today, I’m doing a run to the liquor store, and will stop at Cumberland Farms for a loaf of bread (although I also hope to bake a loaf or two). I want to get it done before the storm stars, and finish writing up my last coverages for the week. I may have to bake bread, if the store is already sold out.
They’d walked back storm predictions yesterday to 3-5 inches for this area. This morning, they are back up to at least a foot, with up to three feet further east and blizzard warnings. People are out and about doing storm prep. I have my pre-storm headache, so although it’s not supposed to start snowing until 11 PM tonight, it might start earlier, according to the pressure in my head.
Venus goes direct tomorrow, thank goodness. Then we just have to hang in there for a few more days of Mercury Retrograde. Once that goes direct, we actually have a little bit of breathing room until April.
Tuesday is Chinese Lunar New Year. Because I worked on so many shows with Asian or mostly Asian casts, that’s become an important day in my personal calendar. This is the year of the Water Tiger, which is what I am, so let’s hope that bodes well! Wednesday is Imbolc, and I have to decide what will be planted as part of the ritual.
Next week is supposed to be in the forties, so hopefully I can dig out the car, and also get down to the grocery store and do a decent sized shop (although we don’t need that much).
Meanwhile, this weekend, I’m cleaning things up and hopefully getting some more unpacking done. Also working on contest entries, and maybe reading the book for review. I have a stack of books from the library that I want to read just because I want to read them.
I’m worried about the power going off, since we have neither a working fireplace nor a generator. On Cape, we were the only house on our street without one (landlord didn’t feel it was necessary), and National Grid’s attitude was that if we didn’t have a generator, that was on us. Since we haven’t lost power here since we moved in (except for about 5 minutes during a storm), I have no idea how it’s handled. Technically, the gas stove should work, even if the power goes out (It did on Cape). But who knows?
I guess we’re about to find out.
Plenty of blankets and books at the ready. I will adjust what I write to whether it has to be in longhand or can be on the computer.
One of the things I have not yet discussed on the blog is Thich Nhat Hanh’s death last weekend, which saddened me deeply. I never had the chance to study with him directly, but I do read his work, and it is regularly discussed in meditation groups.
Yesterday was a better day, as far as getting things done. I was up early, got to the desk early. I worked my way through a bunch of emails. I dealt with blog posts. I mulled over the situation with the large client that bothers me. I don’t have any solutions yet, but I’m pondering.
A submission call landed on my desk, for a publication into which I’ve always wanted to break. The theme is right up my alley, and it can be fairly short, so I started a draft. I had to stop and fact check something, and went down a research rabbit hole for about an hour, which kind of threw off my productivity. But I hope to finish the story today or tomorrow, polish it over the weekend, and get it out by Monday.
In the afternoon and evening, I read three scripts, which I will write up today. I also worked on the redesign of the covers for the Topic Workbooks. They’re much simpler and make more sense, I think, while still being eye-catching. I’m trying to decide between completely plain, with color and text, or adding a small image to it. But I want to keep the covers in the same style, so they all tie together.
I’m doing a major overhaul on the Series Bible workbook, which will add in using Scrivener. The original plan was to have that be the first Workbook to relaunch, but until I get comfortable with Scrivener, I don’t see how it can be. THE GRAVEYARD OF ABANDONED PROJECTS will probably be first.
I got a delightful card in the mail painted by Helen Whistberry. It’s a beautiful teapot. I’m going to frame it and hang it in the sewing room.
I finally got an appointment to get the car diagnosed for the repair, by a local reputable garage, for Feb. 8.
I made chicken pot pie with leftover chicken in my new Pyrex pie plate, and it made me happy (in addition to being delicious).
We’re about to get into another Supreme Court Justice fight. The Dems better not let the Repubs walk all over them yet again. I’m sick of excuses. They have the WH, House, and Senate. GET. IT. DONE. The Republicans do whatever they want no matter how many votes they have or lack. So the Dems need to step it up.
The problem isn’t that the Dems are “too progressive” as the media misleading frames it. The problem is that the Dems aren’t progressive enough and don’t stand strong. They cave and cave and cave and keep moving to the right.
I don’t want bipartisanship. I want progress.
There is nothing the Republican party can or will offer me that makes my life better.
Charlotte woke me up at 3:30, and Tessa joined the chorus by 4. I moved to the couch and dozed off again, and didn’t wake up until after 7:30. They were grumpy that their breakfast was late. Well, then they shouldn’t wake me up in the middle of the night. Yesterday afternoon, Charlotte got upset that Willa sat on Charlotte’s pink blankie. They fussed at each other, and Willa ran away (no bloodshed). Charlotte, victorious, sat on her blanket for a bit, until she got bored. Then she tried to intimidate Tessa off the couch, but Tessa wasn’t having it. So Charlotte retired to the kitty condo like the trope of a Southern belle having the vapors. It was pretty funny.
Headed to the library. Eight books waiting (won’t that be fun to carry over the ice mounds?) and I want to get them back before the storm. I have a few cards to write and mail, so I’ll either drop them in the box at the post office on my way to the library, or in the mailbox down the street. Yes, we actually still have a blue mailbox just over a block away, and things put into the box arrive at their destinations in a timely fashion. Most of the mailboxes on Cape, at least in my area, were removed years ago. But the postman was nice enough to take the mail when he dropped mail off (If one couldn’t get to the post office), so it worked out. And the post office was close to the house, so I could walk if I had to (although I usually drove). But I like having a reliable mailbox close by. I also like walking to the post office here and catching up on everything that’s going on. It’s the major source of information in this area.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I humped the laundry over to the laundromat early in the morning, using the rolly cart. Got everything washed, dried, folded, and back in a little under two hours. It was just starting to snow as I returned, so the timing worked.
While I was there, I started outlining a project whose characters have been yapping at me. I’m hoping it will be novella-length, although it will take some research about Singapore in 1899.
I have to sort through some information from a major client and decide on next steps. I feel that there are conflicting instructions. I have voiced that, and those concerns are being dismissed, so I have to decide how to proceed from there. Part of that is enlarging my client pool, which I have let shrink over the past months, out of sheer exhaustion.
Dealt with a couple of hundred emails and a bunch of admin. There was a pause in snow showers, so I headed up to the library to drop off/pick up books. Of course, as soon as I got home, more books had arrived. But they can wait until tomorrow.
I had a terrible migraine, and my ears hurt, so the afternoon was pretty much a wash. I spent it on the couch, reaching THE BOOKWOMAN’S LAST FLING. Well, re-reading it. I read it when it first came out, back in 2006. And yes, sometimes with a migraine, I can still read, although I took frequent breaks to close my eyes.
I’m still well within my deadlines for this week’s work, but I’m behind where I wanted to be.
Last night, with the Knowledge Unicorns, we celebrated both Robert Burns (for Burns night) and Virginia Woolf (whose birthday it was). One can’t spend time in Scotland without being caught up in the affection for Robert Burns and his work. Plus, in the time I spent in Ayrshire, I visited his birthplace and all that. A new visitor center has been built there; it was quite simple and unassuming when I visited. Virginia Woolf has been an influence on me since I was in my teens, and certainly in college and beyond. So I like to make the time to acknowledge both of them on this day. When I worked at a library, I wrote a tribute performance piece that two local actors read for the library audience. Sharing it with the kids, getting them excited about their writing, is a lot of fun.
We don’t like haggis, so I made bangers and mash instead, which was good.
I did make it a fairly early night, since I wasn’t feeling great.
I was up early this morning, thanks to Charlotte. Tessa was very good, for once.
The waning moon was visible from the front windows, against a dark blue sky, and quite beautiful.
I still have the echoes of the migraine, but I hope I can focus and get some work done today. I have some correspondence to deal with, and I want to work on The Big Project, before turning my attention to script reading.
It is bitterly cold out, so I hope I won’t have to go any farther than the mailbox.
We have a big storm coming in this weekend, but then it’s supposed to turn warmer, so I’m trying to get a car repair appointment for next week. Fingers crossed.
Weekend was kind of all over the place. Friday, I concentrated on finishing up script coverages and reading the last three scripts in my queue for the week, which I wrote up on Saturday morning. By noon Friday, my brain was ready for the weekend, but that just wasn’t my reality this week.
On a more positive, creative side, I made notes for another short story, and characters are approaching, telling me how they fit into a phrase that I realized is a great title. WHEN I’ll get to write all of this, I don’t know, but I like that it’s percolating.
Worked steadily with the Mystic Mondays tarot all weekend, and love it more and more.
Received my next book for review. A call for submission for a reading series landed on my desk on Friday afternoon, with the deadline that day. Fortunately, I had a play ready that fit the guidelines, and sent it off. Either they’ll want it, or it doesn’t fit what they’re looking for. But neither of us will ever know if I don’t send it out.
Got a confirmation that my monster pick for the new shared world anthology went through, so I’m excited to find out the next steps.
Stayed up way too late on Friday, which made the cats happy, but I was a little tired on Saturday. However, I finished writing up script coverages.
I also went to run errands. The sidewalks are ice walks. There was no way I could walk to get groceries, using the rolly cart. Instead, I mailed bills at the post office, switched out some library books, got my mother’s prescription and refill card for her cell phone, and picked up wine. I ordered pizza from Ramunto’s for late lunch. It’s very different than the other pizzeria, and each is quite wonderful in its own way. I also managed to negotiate with the grocery store to deliver a few things I needed to get in before the next storm, although it was far more expensive than if I’d been able to hump the groceries over the ice. However, I’d rather pay a few extra bucks and not break any bones.
The Tamed Wild box arrived on Saturday, filled with delights, including a High Priestess tarot card necklace.
Tessa and Charlotte shared the sofa in the afternoon, without any blanket barriers between them, and without fussing. Progress.
Of course it meant that I had to curl up elsewhere to do my reading.
Sunday, the cats woke me up early. I did some tidying up and vacuuming, basic housework. The grocery delivery arrived a little before 11, so I could get the roast chicken into the oven on time. I made lemon mousse.
I alternated working on contest entries with reading library books, and got quite a bit done on both fronts.
The roast chicken was good, although there won’t be as many leftovers as I’d hoped. But still, enough to do a few things that I want to do. Made stock from the bones, which I will use up this week. Saturday and Sunday, I made vegetable stock. So we are stocked with stock, so to speak.
Monday morning, the cats woke me up too early. Charlotte and Tessa are now getting along well enough to work together in the mornings.
But I polished and sent out a short story for an anthology call (the deadline was the end of this week). It’s way out of my comfort zone and usual genres, but I wanted to give it a shot. So I did. Whatever happens, I learn something new.
I did two big chunks of The Big Project, one that was around 2K and another around 1400 words.
I also sent out a pitch to an anthology to which I was invited; there’s no guarantee I’ll be chosen as one of the authors, but it’s a shared world anthology, and I would absolutely love to participate.
That rather tired me out for the day.
I should have read scripts in the afternoon; instead I worked on contest entries.
The free Covid test 4 pack arrived. For some reason, all three cats went bonkers over it and tried to tear open the boxes. Not the outer box, but the actual test boxes. What is there in the kit that attracts the cats? We had to store them way up high in a cupboard they can’t get to.
I adapted a Moosewood recipe for a fish and vegetable soup, and made it into a stew instead, serving it over rice. It turned out well.
I actually set the alarm this morning, and was up before the cats. Dressed in layers, and humped the laundry down to the laundromat. There was only one other person there, and we kept about 20 feet apart, so fingers crossed. I had everything done and home just before 8 AM, as the snow was starting, and it’s intensified, so I timed it well.
I started outlining a project at the laundromat. I find that I outline when the laundry’s in the washers, and read when it’s drying. I started reading one of John Dunning’s Cliff Janeway rare book mysteries. I read the series several years ago, and I’m re-reading it now. I like it a lot. Books built around books and/or art heists are special favorites of mine. Love them, haven’t been able to write a good one yet.
If it clears up, as it’s supposed to, I’ll go to the library to drop off/pick up books. If it keeps snowing, I’ll just stay home and work.
There’s plenty on my plate today, across several different arenas, so I better get to it!
It’s also both Burns Night and Virginia Woolf’s birthday. I will celebrate both, and the kids tonight have a task of picking a passage from one or the other’s writing and bringing it in to share. That should be fun. I dislike haggis, so I’m making bangers and mash instead.
Have a good one. Let’s hope today is creative, too.
Last week, I tried to adjust my schedule to fit my needs and energy better. It did not work.
This week, I’m reshuffling the routine/schedule again, to see if I can find something better. I need to match the energy of a certain portion of the day with what’s best done during that energy. I also have to accept that it’s changeable. Some days I’ll have more energy and drive than others. What needs to be done also changes from day to day (which is part of the joy of what I do — I’m not doing the same thing every day).
So I have to figure out how to direct the energy to the right task at the right time, in a way that doesn’t exhaust me, but still gets everything done within the necessary parameters.
Meditation was fine yesterday, with Charlotte sitting on my lap for most of it, participating. She then went back to the rocking chair in my reading corner to go to sleep. I rarely get to use my reading corner anymore, because Charlotte is usually in it.
I signed up for a Zoom reading next week, with a group with whom I’m interested in getting involved. I’m on the wait list to actually read, and I drafted two short poems to read. One needs more work. I need to replace a couple of words with those that sharpen the image while fitting the rhythm. The second poem came out, in word and rhythm, better than I hoped. I might still polish, but it does what I want it to do.
I was surprised that I managed to write either, since I don’t consider myself a poet. I love poetry, but I never felt I could ride that tiger properly as a writer. I wanted to stretch, and I am. You learn how to write in different formats by writing in those formats. Should I even attempt to read them? Who knows? Chances are I’m too far down on the list and won’t get to read them anyway. I’ll learn from the other poets reading. I’ll learn from my own reading, even if it doesn’t go well.
I’d have a three minute slot, allowed one poem, and either poem takes up less than two minutes, even read in what I call “Dramatic Reading Voice.” (Which is different from Pretentious Sonorous Voice).
I can still always decide to only read none, or take myself off the list. But pushing myself, taking the risk, will be valuable.
I’ll work on and rehearse the poems for the next week, and be ready, whichever way the chips land.
I drafted a series of activist letters to the appropriate organizations and individuals. My weapons are words, and rather than social media-ing everything to death, I’d rather write specific, actionable proposals that will get results.
The way I did before social media.
I finished the first draft of the short story for the anthology. It was disquieting to write, so hopefully it will create strong emotions in the reader. It’s just under 1200 words, which gives me room to do some cutting and also layer in more sensory detail. I’m going to let it sit a few days before I approach it again. It has to go out next week, so I have a little bit of breathing room.
I picked up Cynthia Kuhn’s HOW TO BOOK A MURDER (a book recommended by Ellen Byron) “just to take a look.” Yeah, right. I read the whole thing straight through in the afternoon, instead of doing other things. It was a lot of fun. Now, I want to read her other series. My local library had one book, but I had to get three more through Commonwealth Catalog. Ironically, two of those three will come in from Sandwich. I can’t find the last one.
The Mystic Mondays Tarot arrived, and I am in love with it. I love the weight of the cards, their size, the way the sides are iridescent. I love the artwork on the deck – very different from any of my other decks, and in colors that really speak to me. I’m excited to start working with it. I think I will use it mostly in relation to creative work: spurring myself on creatively, finding ways around blocks and obstacles, etc.
Knowledge Unicorns went well. The kids are working hard, they’re thriving in a virtual learning environment, and they’re doing well. One of the things we started when we first launched this homework group was to keep a journal. Of course, when we started, we thought the group would only be for the spring 2020 semester. Now, we’re starting into 2022. But the kids have kept up their journals. Not all of them write every day, and some of them are sketch journals rather than word journals (which is perfectly valid), But, after keeping it as a practice now for two years, they find it a useful tool. Even the ones who have no intention of becoming writers! As someone who has kept a journal for going on 50 years now, I’m glad it helps others; I know it has often been a lifeline for me.
In the evening, I attended a virtual author event for an acquaintance and fellow Sister in Crime. It was a lot of fun. She currently writes three series, plus short stories, which is the kind of schedule I really need to keep. The questions in the Q & A were the typical ones that are asked. The thing we all remind ourselves of is that, even though we’ve answered these questions dozens of times, it’s still new information to this person asking (unless it’s someone who attends events always asking the same question, There were a couple of those on Cape. They’d even ask the same question to the same person at event after event). Of course there was That One Person, who didn’t have a question, but a “comment” and made it all about herself. There’s always one self-involved audience member, who tries to turn every event into a personal platform. We learn how to be polite and gracious and move on. Good moderators shut that individual down; too many just look uncomfortable and expect the guest artist to deal with it, which is unfair.
Anyway, I was glad I was there, and could support my acquaintance. I also realized I’m behind reading one of her series!
After the event, I had to stay up and get out a script coverage that was due this morning. I’m behind in the script coverages (but still ahead of deadline) and will spend most of today working on those. It will need to be a long day, if I expect to have a weekend.
But I have no regrets about sitting and reading Cynthia’s book all afternoon!
I had a perfectly productive day, and yet, by the end of it, I still beat myself up for not doing enough. I need to stop that.
A couple more ideas are percolating for short stories; hopefully I can rough them out this weekend.
I had trouble getting to sleep last night; it was after midnight. Then the cats woke me up at three. I am not a happy camper today. I am a grumpy pants.
It’s been a frustrating, up and down week. Let’s hope next week is better.
Yesterday was kind of a lost day. I frittered too much of it away. I did manage to get to the library in the late morning, after doing some work. Church Street was an icy nightmare. Residents are clearing their paths to the sidewalks, but not the sidewalks. I don’t know what the city ordinances are here, but on Cape, you’re supposed to clear both your path and any sidewalk in front of your property from property line to line AND KEEP IT CLEAR, not to mention keeping it salted or sanded.
Here, even if there was a half-hearted attempt to sort of shovel, it’s allowed to ice over and be even more treacherous.
So, yeah, not walking to the grocery store today. Ended up walking in the street to the library. There were more books than I expected, so I was loaded down. Walked back on Ashland, which was better, but still treacherous in spots.
But I made it without falling, and stopped at Cumberland Farm at the end of the street to pick up milk and cream, because I have a mousse and some truffles to make.
Got only one script coverage written up in the afternoon. I’m still fine, deadline-wise, just not where I wanted to be on my own schedule. But it means a heavy coverage day today, with four to write up, and three more scripts t read. I did read two scripts, after an online event I attended, so it was pretty darn late by the time I got to bed.
Manchin and Sinema tanked voting rights. No surprise there. They were the special interest Trojan Horse injected into the Dem party, and the Dems have pandered and capitulated to them for a year, even though they never had any intention of delivering, instead of bitch slapping them the first time they pulled their crap. Now, it’s time to dismantle their careers, and make life hell for anyone who hires them, once they are out of Congress. Start by stripping them of committee assignments. They refuse to represent their constituents, so don’t give them any say for their right-wing donors, either. Don’t include them in any meetings. Move them to smaller offices and strip them down to a single admin support person. Retract the cushy appointment given to Manchin’s wife. Go after Manchin’s daughter for price gouging EpiPens, and also for the deaths she’s caused by that, in both criminal and civil court. Start making life hard for any of their big money donors. Cut off any Dem party money, and find strong candidates to primary them. Make sure they are done.
You can’t play nice with people who are trying to kill you, and the Dems refuse to see that the Republicans are willing to kill anyone who stands in their way, including their own.
All this talk of “outvoting” them means nothing if the right to vote isn’t there.
Attended a virtual group author reading, sponsored by a group/library a couple of hours away. There were a wide variety of readers, which was interesting, with an emphasis on poetry and memoir. There as one poet who truly sparkled, and I will be sure to find his books and buy them. There was another poet who was disrespectful and arrogant to her colleagues, and then ran over her time and ignored the moderator who tried to remind her of the parameters. The moderator should have just muted her and moved on. On top of all of that, her work is mediocre. It’s always the midrange talents who have the most arrogance, isn’t it? I noted the name of this particular author. I will not attend any event in which she participates in the future, nor will I buy her books (or even get them out of the library). Was hopeful for the reading by a new-to-me mystery writer, with her 5th book out, who read the first chapter of it – which was info dump on the first four books and nothing to hook one into this story or characters, or move this story along. So I think I’ll skip that series.
An online pal wants to put together an anthology about a city of monsters. She posted a list of what she wants, and I pitched for the one I’d like to write as my central character. If I get to participate, I think it will be fun. I love shared world anthologies.
Tessa woke me up around 6 this morning, howling as though her little kitty heart was breaking. Once I was up, she was all purry and affectionate. I think I have to start sleeping in the living room once a week again.
Started working on the short piece for a friend’s anthology call. The genre is a stretch for me, but the idea started percolating, and I’ve written fragments and notes. Right now, it’s more like a monologue than a short story, so I will have to see if I can make it work in the short story format required for the anthology. Again, it would be a ton of fun to be a part of this, with this particular editor, and the wonderful group of writers she gathers.
The Medium Project is percolating, humming in the back of my brain as I work on other things.
Meditation this morning, and then I hit the page. I’ll work on the short story first, maybe do some work on The Big Project. But the bulk of the day will be dedicated to script coverage. I want to finish reading the week’s assignments tonight and writing them up tomorrow so that I have a real weekend.
The Hermit card from The Zenned Out Journey Tarot by Cassie Uhl, Quarto Publishing
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Waning Moon
Venus and Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and milder (still cold, but not frigid)
Got some client blogging done yesterday morning, and some admin work. I need to move the admin work back to afternoons, because it interferes too much with create work. The wind picked up, so I decided to skip going to the library. I have to go to the public library today to pick up books that have come in. It’s all about the weather at this point.
I got out some necessary correspondence. I ordered the set of 4 free Covid tests from the post office. Although we are a multi-family dwelling, each apartment has a different street number, so we will all be able to order tests. Still, it’s very messed up. It should be every individual getting tests (and not just 4), not every address. Again, it discriminates against multi-family households, or roommate situations. And lets people who have more than one house get more than their share of tests (which they could afford to buy anyway).
TracFone is still trying to force my mother to buy a new smart phone instead of replacing her phone as they promised. I’m filing a complaint with the Attorney General’s office.
I wrote up two script coverages and read three more scripts, which I will write up today. Knowledge Unicorns was fine. They have a bunch of projects and papers coming up over the next few weeks, so we will do some more discussion on primary and secondary sources, how to research in libraries and archives, and how to critically read sources and check the backgrounds of the sources. And yes, they’re all already smart enough to know that Wikipedia is not a reliable source or can be used in bibliographic references. We’re also talking about what museums we want to take virtual tours of next. Because that’s kind of fun. One of the kids, who’s going to start college in fall, is now thinking of majoring in art history because of these tours.
I did some work with the Journey Tarot. At first, I wasn’t sure I connected with the deck, mostly because the card stock is so flimsy, and I was worried it wouldn’t hold up. But the more I work with it, the more I like the deck. It’s joyful, but honest, and reads well.
Tessa and Charlotte woke me at 4:30 this morning. I refused to feed them that early, although I moved to the couch and dozed off again. They woke me again, just before seven, grumbling at each other. They were grumpy and hungry. I pointed out that they would have been fed on time, had they not woken me too early. That does not fit in with their Cat Logic, but too bad for them.
Hopefully, the sidewalks are clear enough for smooth going to and from the library. Then, I’ll decontaminate, and get back to work. If the weather is okay, I have to walk to the grocery store tomorrow for a few things before the next storm coming in.
Between the Venus and Mercury Retrogrades making it make sense for me to stay home and quiet, the bad weather, and the virus requiring more isolation, I’m enjoying The Hermit vibe. Pulling The Hermit card out of various tarot decks and using them in meditation and pathworking.
The Medium Project is starting to percolate, but it’s still in the asking questions and choosing possibilities, kind of like cleaning out one’s closet.
Uranus goes direct today. Uranus is “the Awakener” energy, so when it’s retrograde, things that need to be shaken up in your life are stymied. It also is about what makes you unique. While having it direct helps you get out of your own way, shaking things up in the already chaotic Venus/Mercury retrogrades isn’t fun. The full moon was in Cancer last night, which meant emotions were heightened.
Friday morning, the two scout crows from my local murder were in the tree outside my office window, telling me the news. They’re very chatty. The squirrels were running around, too, preparing for the storms. They are constantly knocking down the bird feeder, and I keep moving it and trying to figure out where I can put it where it won’t be taken down and dragged all over the balcony, but so far, no luck.
I got some work done early in the morning. Later in the morning, I layered up and did the pre-storm errands: dropped off/picked up library books; mailed bills and cards, and bought stamps; picked up a couple of bottles of wine at the liquor store. We may live in a city, but it often feels like a small town, because people like to chat (masked and at a safe distance). I always know that if I head out for errands, I’m going to have to talk to people. Which is fine, because they are interesting and nice, and, let’s face it, everyone’s felt so cut off and isolated going onto three years now, they just want to know there’s another human being out there who’s not a complete and utter jerk.
But errands aren’t something I can do if I’m in a rush. I build time to chat into all the errands time. And, even though I’m an introvert instead of an extrovert, I don’t mind. Like I said, the people are nice, and they’re interesting.
I was looking at the artwork on various tarot decks. I don’t need any more decks, goodness knows, but I still love them. Three decks in particular have my attention right now: Ask the Witch Tarot, Tarot de la Nuit, and the Gilded Tarot.
I was scrolling through social media and saw a book cover – that was almost exactly like one of the tarot cards in the Tarot de la Nuit deck, although the blurb had nothing to do with tarot. I pulled up the image of the deck and put it next to the social media post. The only difference was the way the man’s hand wrapped around the sword. Other than that, the cover artist had used the tarot image. Now, maybe the artist had permission. Or bought the image. I don’t know. But I still found that disturbing. The tarot artist’s style on the deck is very distinctive. It’s not like the typical stock Rider Waite image that’s widely available. The tarot image I used for the collage at the top of this post is a typical Rider Waite free image.
Spent some time on the acupressure mat in the afternoon. Wrote up two script coverages and answered some questions on another one. I’m below my nut for this pay period, but that’s the way it is. I’ve just been too exhausted to take on more.
Worked my way through some more contest entries.
Was up until nearly midnight, and then had trouble getting to sleep. Tessa would rather I stay up and play with her, but at least I slept in until after 7 on Saturday.
Mercury has gone retrograde in Aquarius. In my birth chart, Mercury sits in Aquarius. Aquarius is about independent thought, and Mercury is about quick thinking. So when it’s retrograde in the place it sits in my birth chart, no wonder my brain is mushier than usual. Layer pandemic brain over that, and it is not a good thing.
Saturday was sunny, bright, and cold. I polished the short story and got it out by deadline. I’ll hear by May if it’s what they’re looking for or not. I wrote two book reviews and sent them off. I worked on contest entries.
I made colcannon for dinner, adding leeks, Canadian bacon, and shredded cheese to the traditional cabbage and potatoes. It was wonderful.
Weird dreams lately, set in a city I don’t recognize as knowing in real life, but it’s where I live and work in the dreams. They are busy dreams, not stress dreams, so by the time I wake up, I feel like I’ve put in a full day.
Tessa got me up before 6 on Sunday. I made muffins with cranberries and chocolate chips, refining a recipe on which I’ve been working, and they turned out well. Which is good, because some days I feel like I’ve forgotten to how cook or bake properly.
Worked on contest entries. It was sunny and cold. I’d prepped as much as I could for the incoming storm, so I just rested and worked on the entries. I did take out the garbage, so we wouldn’t be stuck with garbage in the house during bad weather, but that’s as ambitious as I got, as far as going out and about. Read a script.
Charlotte woke me up before 4 AM on Monday. I think the storm upset her. Tessa was in the doorway with her, “You’re up? Do I need to start vocal exercises?”
I got up and fed them, then grabbed the featherbed and moved to the couch, where I fell asleep again. It had snowed quite a bit by then. I woke up a little after 7, and the snow was serious.
Still, people were out with shovels and plows, getting things done. Men shoulder their portion of the work better here than they did on Cape. The Cape was full of white men who would moan that they “couldn’t” shovel or carry groceries or do anything because they had a “bad back” and then immediately go play golf all day.
The past few weeks, I’ve landed in the same place in my dreams, as I mentioned above. I don’t remember much about the dreams, but I do know they take place in the same location. It’s a small city, that I don’t recognize when I’m awake, but is my home city in the dreams, and I’m comfortable. Lots of brick buildings, three and four stories. Coffee shops, restaurants, bookshops, small theatres, museums, a library, etc. No virus, as far as I can tell. The me inhabiting that dream space is a younger me (thirties?), and I’m happy there, with friends and work I like, although I don’t know what my work there is (I suspect it’s similar to what I do here, or I wouldn’t be happy). So far, I only recognize one person in that circle of people from my circle of people on this side of the dream scape, and that’s someone I knew when I first started working on Broadway, and who has since died. The dreams are pleasant, although they are busy, so I always feel as though I’ve put in a full day by the time I wake up. I’d like to try entering the space in lucid dreaming, so I have a better idea of where it is and why I keep visiting.
Eggs Benedict for Monday’s breakfast, because why not on a cold, snowy day?
I’m thinking of investing in Scrivener, after all these years. As long as I can save into .doc, .rtf, PDF, and create script templates, I should be fine. I’m unhappy with Word. I have a 50% off coupon from Nano, so I might as well use it. Not until Mercury goes direct, though, because that’s just asking for trouble.
Spent Monday morning working on The Big Project, and got two sections done. I need to catch up on the tracking sheets for this piece (I’m now four sections behind) or I will be in trouble moving forward. In the afternoon, I worked on writing up the script coverage for the script I read the night before, and then, in the evening, I read two scripts for which I will write up coverage today.
A Twitter pal and I talked about a tarot reading she did, and the deck she used was so pretty that I ended up ordering it (Mystic Mondays Tarot, in case you’re wondering). I don’t need another tarot deck, goodness knows, but this one called to me.
It might be time to sit down and write my tarot book. I’ve been working with the cards for nearly forty years now.
Had good yoga and meditation sessions this morning. When I make the time to sit for a decent stretch, it starts the day in a more focused, grounded way.
I’m debating whether or not to head over to the college library later this morning. There aren’t a lot of students around, so it seems like a good time to poke around and find the materials I need to develop two different, but art-related projects.
I will do some more work on The Big Project this morning. I have contest scores to enter, script coverages to write up, and a couple of client blog posts to write. I might try to get some LOIs out, too, and I have two more scripts to read.
A friend has a new call for submissions out that got me thinking, although she works in a genre that would be a stretch for me, especially as I don’t read much in it. But I like the premise of the anthology call, and it’s only a 1K piece, so it’s worth thinking about. The deadline is the end of the month, which is do-able, if I find the right story and characters.
Had an idea for another piece in the same general family as The Big Project, only it wouldn’t be as big (The Medium Project as a working title?). The central protagonist and the premise came to me when I was writing in my journal this morning. At first, I thought it could be a spin-off to The Big Project, but it insists that it inhabits its own world, and I need to trust the work.
The power held, and I’m glad the storm wasn’t as severe as predicted. We’re supposed to get another one this coming weekend, so I have to figure out when to go out and about to take care of whatever needs out-and-about-ing, and then hunker back down next weekend.
Not even three weeks into the year, and it’s time to reassess. But that’s what’s great — when you find something isn’t working, you step back, look at the big picture AND the details, and rearrange things.
I have a lot of work that has to get done this week, but in the spaces between projects, I am going to look at the small and large picture(s) and see what needs repositioning and how to do it.
I’m hoping it will be a quiet week, but that’s like sending a challenge to the universe, isn’t it?
We have two big storms barreling toward us. One will start later today, bringing the temperatures down to -35F by tomorrow. We get walloped again Sunday night into all day on Monday.
Meditation was great yesterday. Then, after breakfast, I layered up, got the rolly cart and some bags, and headed to Big Y. I bought more than I planned (yeah, I’m sure you’re SO surprised). Shelves were empty of big-name brands, and they were out of ground turkey, but local brands and produce were in plentiful supply.
Hauling it back through the snowy, icy streets was not fun, and I was wiped out by the time I got it home and up the stairs and put away. A hot shower partially revived me, as did some time on the acupressure mat. But then, the 66 pounds of cat litter showed up, and I had to unpack the boxes in the bottom foyer and haul them all upstairs.
I’m not in my twenties or thirties anymore, and it’s getting harder.
But, cat food, litter, and treat-wise, we have about 11 weeks’ worth of supplies. Human-food wise, we could make it for about 6 weeks, although running out of milk, oat milk, eggs, and butter. I’m still going to go to the store when I can for perishables, but we are okay.
Today, I restock some liquor.
SCOTUS betrayed us all again by not upholding the national vaccine mandate for big businesses. No surprise there. Sinema proved her loyalty to her handlers rather than her constituents, and voting rights is dead, so it doesn’t matter how hard we organize. Sinema and Manchin need to be destroyed. Completely and utterly destroyed. They were sent in as a Trojan horse, pretending to be Democrats, but working on a GOP agenda, funded by GOP money. While the more openly, obviously crazies are out there pulling focus, they destroy things from the inside.
And therefore must be destroyed. Take them off all committee assignments, no more financing, primary them. GET RID OF THEM. Anyone who hires them? Boycott, picket, destroy the company. They must be completely nullified.
Remove Manchin’s wife from her cushy appointed gig. Charge the daughter with negligent homicide for raising the prices on EpiPens. Stop faffing around and remove these cancers.
WHILE taking down the insurrectionists.
On top of that, the amount of people who should know better tweeting photos about their reckless behavior going to in-person conferences, indoor dining, parties, gatherings, etc., completely disgusts me. I’ve lost respect for a lot of people in the past couple of weeks.
On the positive side, I got a lovely note from someone for whom I’d done a script coverage, on how much it helped focus and polish the script. I’m so glad. This particular writer is extremely talented, and I hope will get representation/optioned quickly. Those stories need to be filmed.
With Mercury retrograde for the next three weeks, virus numbers off the charts, bad weather, and all the rest, I’m thinking about approaching the time a little differently than usual. Not sure how I can pull it off yet, but I’m going to try. I’m worried that if I talk about it too much/too early, I won’t be able to implement it, so my apologies for being vague. I hate it when people are Online Vague. But we’ll see. I’m going to try something for the next few days, a little different, and see if I can keep it going for the length of the retrogrades. Talking about it may interfere with the doing, so I’m going to try the doing, and talk about it after.
Knowledge Unicorns was fine. The kids are doing well. Some of them will not go back to regular schooling, because they’re learning much more in this environment. A couple of them are now talking about taking what the Brits call a “gap year” between high school and college to travel (should the virus ever settle down enough to allow it), and almost all of them want to do at least one semester abroad (something I deeply regret not doing).
I would like to start learning Italian, because I want to travel to Italy next year or so (provided it’s safe so to do), and because, in my research, I’d like to be able to read some of the material in its original language, not in translation. I’ve looked into courses, but, honestly, I don’t have the intellectual or emotional energy to commit and really learn right now. I’m hoping by midyear, I’ll be in a better position to start.
Read two scripts last night, which I will write up today. I’d like to get one more coverage in before the pay period ends tomorrow, but there hasn’t been anything worth grabbing (on a pay scale). Have to write up the book reviews, and enter the scores on the contest entries I read.
But first, time to finish/polish the short story. That is my absolute priority.
Over the weekend, I have unpacking/rearranging to do, I want to work on the Big Project and on THE KRINGLE CALAMITY, and also rest. My soul is tired, and I need to rest.
With storms raging outside, let’s hope the power stays on so I can do just that.
Have a good one, and I’ll catch you on the other side.
Most of the morning was spent on writing the first draft of a short story. Got 2/3 of it done, just over 1700 words, and my brain just stopped. I know what comes next, but couldn’t pull it together to write it. And, I know the ending for which I’m aiming. I’d hoped it would only be 1500 words, but 2.5K is the sweet spot now, with 3K being the max.
Bundled up in so many layers until I could barely walk. Got the garbage out (so much easier to take it across the street to the dumpster than having to drive it to the dump). Once I unloaded garbage, came back, put on the backpack full of library books and the tote bag full of more library books and stomped to the library.
Church Street was hit and miss, as far as clean sidewalks, and I had to be careful. Dropped off the finished books, picked up the ones that have come in, stomped back. I wasn’t that cold, because of all the layers, although the tip of my nose got red and I looked like Rudolph’s understudy by the time I got back.
Made my favorite noodles with Asian peanut sauce for lunch – comfort food.
Could not get it together to write more in the afternoon.
But I finished writing up a coverage, and read another script I will write up today. I have two scripts to read/write up, and two book reviews to write. I started reading another contest entry, too.
Part of the Target order arrived. I am in love with my Pyrex pie plate. There will be pot pies and sweet pies galore with that! And things like garbage bags, shampoo, and an ice tray (although it’s a weird, squishy ice tray). Once the cat litter arrives (today or tomorrow), we will be stocked up until early March for cat and cleaning stuff. Food-wise, we could make it 4-6 weeks if supply chains totally break down, although we’d run out of eggs. I have dry milk and evaporated milk if needed, and plenty of other goods stocked in.
I’m still going to attempt a grocery run (on foot) today, to get in the perishables. Then I’ll decontaminate and start my workday. I’m not washing groceries again, but I’m decontaminating myself whenever I have to go out and interact.
The stocking up has as much to do with weather as the virus. Another storm is coming in tomorrow, and predictions are that it will go down to -31F with wind chill over the weekend. Yet another storm comes through on Monday.
So I won’t be going anywhere for awhile.
But I still have to find a place to get the car fixed.
I decided not to go to the college library this week. Maybe next week, if the virus numbers go down and there aren’t too many people around. With the public library, I just go in to drop off/pick up; I’m not back to browsing yet. With the college library, I have to dig through the shelves, looking for what I want, and I just don’t feel comfortable being indoors with strangers, even if we’re masked and vaccinated. Nothing I need from that library is on a tight timeline, so I’m okay to wait.
I have meditation this morning, and then I’ll make a run (a waddle, in all my layers) to Big Y with my rolly cart to see how much on my list I can find. Then it’s finishing the short story (it needs to be edited and sent out tomorrow, which is a tighter turnaround than I like, but that’s when I found out about the submission deadline), writing up a script coverage and two reviews, reading two more scripts. I doubt I’ll get to work on The Big Project today, but I’m hoping to get back to it tomorrow and over the weekend, and do some work on THE KRINGLE CALAMITY this weekend, too.
Tessa let me sleep until nearly 6. Actually, again, it was Charlotte who woke me, and when Tessa heard us, she chimed in.
Hopefully, the power will stay on.
It’s relatively quiet anyway around here; I’m hoping for a quiet weekend, even with storms happening outside.
GWEN FINNEGAN MYSTERIES
Archaeologist Dr. Gwen Finnegan is on the hunt for her lover’s killer. Shy historical researcher Justin Yates jumps at the chance to join her on a real adventure through Europe as they try to unspool fact from fiction in a multi-generational obsession with a statue of the goddess Medusa.
Buy links here.
When plans for their next expedition fall through, Gwen and Justin accept teaching jobs at different local universities. Adjusting to their day-to-day relationship, they are embroiled in two different, disturbing, paranormal situations that have more than one unusual crossing point. Can they work together to find the answers? Or are new temptations too much to resist? For whom are they willing to put their lives on the line? Available on multiple digital channels here.NAUTICAL NAMASTE MYSTERIESSAVASANA AT SEA
Yoga instructor Sophie Batchelder jumps at the chance to teach on a cruise ship when she loses her job and her boyfriend dumps her. But when her boss is murdered, Sophie must figure out who the real killer is -- before he turns her into a corpse, too. A Not-Quite-Cozy Mystery.
Buy Links here.COVENTINA CIRCLE ROMANTIC SUSPENSEPLAYING THE ANGLES
Witchcraft, politics, and theatre collide as Morag D’Anneville and Secret Service agent Simon Keane fight to protect the Vice President of the United States -- or is it Morag who needs Simon’s protection more than the VP?
Buy links here.THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY
Bonnie Chencko knows books change lives. She’s attracted to Rufus Van Dijk, the mysterious man who owns the bookshop in his ancestors’ building. A building filled with family ghosts, who are mysteriously disappearing. It’s up to Bonnie and her burgeoning Craft powers to rescue the spirits before their souls are lost forever. Buy Links here. RELICS & REQUIEM
Amanda Breck’s complicated life gets more convoluted when she finds the body of Lena Morgan in Central Park, identical to Amanda’s dream. Detective Phineas Regan is one case away from retirement; the last thing he needs is a murder case tinged by the occult. The seeds of their attraction were planted months ago. But can they work together to stop a wily, vicious killer, or will the murderer destroy them both?
Buy link here.
Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois is included in this wonderful collection of short stories and poetry. You can download it free here.
Archaeologist Dr. Gwen Finnegan is on the hunt for her lover’s killer. Shy historical researcher Justin Yates jumps at the chance to join her on a real adventure through Europe as they try to unspool fact from fiction in a multi-generational obsession with a statue of the goddess Medusa.
Buy links 
When plans for their next expedition fall through, Gwen and Justin accept teaching jobs at different local universities. Adjusting to their day-to-day relationship, they are embroiled in two different, disturbing, paranormal situations that have more than one unusual crossing point. Can they work together to find the answers? Or are new temptations too much to resist? For whom are they willing to put their lives on the line? Available on multiple digital channels 
SAVASANA AT SEA
Yoga instructor Sophie Batchelder jumps at the chance to teach on a cruise ship when she loses her job and her boyfriend dumps her. But when her boss is murdered, Sophie must figure out who the real killer is -- before he turns her into a corpse, too. A Not-Quite-Cozy Mystery.
Buy Links 
PLAYING THE ANGLES
Witchcraft, politics, and theatre collide as Morag D’Anneville and Secret Service agent Simon Keane fight to protect the Vice President of the United States -- or is it Morag who needs Simon’s protection more than the VP?
Buy links 
THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY
Bonnie Chencko knows books change lives. She’s attracted to Rufus Van Dijk, the mysterious man who owns the bookshop in his ancestors’ building. A building filled with family ghosts, who are mysteriously disappearing. It’s up to Bonnie and her burgeoning Craft powers to rescue the spirits before their souls are lost forever. Buy Links 
RELICS & REQUIEM
Amanda Breck’s complicated life gets more convoluted when she finds the body of Lena Morgan in Central Park, identical to Amanda’s dream. Detective Phineas Regan is one case away from retirement; the last thing he needs is a murder case tinged by the occult. The seeds of their attraction were planted months ago. But can they work together to stop a wily, vicious killer, or will the murderer destroy them both?
Buy link 
Ink In My Coffee 