Tues. April 20, 2021: Die For Your Employer Day 332 — One Foot in Front of the Other

image courtesy of Daniel Reche via pixabay.com

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Waxing Moon

Hazy and cool

Re-read THE GHOST IN THE BREAD MACHINE. I only have the prologue and a couple of chapters, but it has energy and wit, and I like it.

I have to figure it out, and write the outline, but I like it.

In the meantime, I wrote steadily on a piece with the working title SELF-SANCTUARY. I’m doing between 1200-1750 words a day, longhand, which is good, steady work. Every three chapters, I will type what I have.

The house hunting is stressful. A couple of good places don’t have any openings right now, so maybe I’ll get us on the waiting list, while we look elsewhere. A couple of cute houses, smaller than we are in now, came up, and we can even afford them, but the competition is fierce.

And, of course, there were at least a dozen more scams. Those are disheartening.

Did laundry, packed, house hunted, wrote, did housework. Not only are the people moving in destroying the environment/habitat/landscape they claimed to move here because of, it’s getting filthy.

We do the daily cleaning, of course, and then a weekly big clean with dusting and mopping and vacuuming. And then the spring cleaning/fall cleaning. But in between even the weekly big cleans, it gets really filthy. It didn’t use to. There’d be a little dust here and there, and, of course, the pine pollen in spring. But now, it’s a layer of grime, similar to what I dealt with in New York City EVERY WEEK. Because of the constant heavy machinery and leaf blowers. It’s disgusting.

At least I got some sleep. Slept through the night Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, although I had weird dreams.

A client sent me something on Saturday for quick turnaround. I replied that I would do it first thing Monday (which I did). Remote work does not mean I’m on call 24/7 for instant turnaround.

It was too cold to sit on the deck, which made me sad. We don’t have much longer to enjoy the deck.

My mom was sick Sunday into Monday. I worked fully remotely on Monday, so I could take care of her. Had her on the couch, propped with yoga blankets and bolsters and a hot water bottle, so she was comfortable. Charlotte and Willa took turns playing nurse.

I had a solid morning’s writing session, got out some LOIs, turned around client work, house hunted, took care of my mom.

In the mid-afternoon, I had a delightful chat with someone who’d liked an LOI I sent a few weeks back, and we discussed possibilities. Hopefully, that will come to fruition.

Worked on contest entries, got my review out. I have another book to read/review, and then I can invoice.

It was temperate enough to sit on the deck with a glass of wine for an hour or so in the late afternoon. I took Charlotte and Willa out in their playpens, and they were very happy. There was a baby woodpecker in the maple tree. He was so cute! I guess Raoul and Juanita (our resident woodpeckers) had a little one.

Simple supper of spinach and cheese omlettes.

Tired and went to bed early, which meant I woke up too early this morning.

I had to force myself to sit down for the first writing session this morning, but once I did, I was glad I did, and got a good 1500 words in on SELF-SANCTUARY. It’s flowing well. I’m in the third chapter written in longhand; once that’s finished, I’ll type the first three, as I continue in longhand.

But going back to my daily 1K (or a little more) first thing has made me feel better about everything else, and stabilizes my day. I am more creative and productive. Punishing myself by not writing until I solved the housing crisis only sent me into a downward spiral. Self-flagellation and self-sabotage are not the answer.

A different potential client got back to me, demanding I work PST hours (which would mean working until 8 PM Mondays through Fridays), even though I stated clearly that we have enough overlapping hours to work in real time, and then work asynchronously the rest. If you demand working YOUR business hours for a remote team, you don’t understand how distributed workforce actually works. No. Moving on.

I need to make a run to Trader Joe’s this morning, and then get more client work done, and more house hunting done.

One foot in front of the other, right?

Thurs. Nov. 5, 2020: Die For Your Employer Day 169 — Pleasant Weather

image courtesy of wingsofcompassion via pixabay.com

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Waning Moon

Neptune, Uranus, Mars Retrograde

Sunny and pleasant

We’ve been promised a stretch of days with unseasonably warm and sunny weather. I intend to spend as much time as I can in the garden, and here’s a post on Gratitude and Growth with a little more about it.

Yesterday was, basically, a lost day. I had a stomach bug, and worked at home for a client, got out a bunch of LOIs to interesting companies, and spent too much time watching election results. We’ll know when all the votes are counted. I want all the votes counted, even if the results make me unhappy. I’m already unhappy because this country has so many millions of racist, misogynistic, selfish morons.

I felt awful all day. By evening, I managed to keep a little food down.

I didn’t even read much. I had trouble concentrating. Although I’m enjoying a book by a new-to-me author set in Seattle. I was miserable the year I lived in Seattle, but I enjoy authors who love the city and integrate that love of it in their books. Obviously, the city has changed a lot since I loved there in 1986, and, from what I read in various outlets, for the better.

Wrote in my head a bit while I was lying down in between bouts of illness. Hopefully, I’ve retained enough of that writing In my head to actually get on a page somewhere.

My plan for the next four days is, yes, to get some work done, but mostly to focus on healing. The stress from the pandemic and the politics and everything else have, literally, made me sick. I need to heal myself from it, and rebuild the coping resources that are so badly depleted.

Some of that will be achieved through writing, because I find writing more healing and useful than anything else.

Some of it will be working in the garden. Since it’s warm and lovely, I plan to savor these last days on the deck. I won’t live here to enjoy it next summer and fall, and I want to enjoy the time remaining. For all the frustration as this area has deteriorated due to greed and selfishness and stupidity, I do love the house and the yard. My little patch has been a joy, and I am grateful for the time I’ve had here.

I’m not counting on anything until all the votes are counted. I know there will be chaos after, no matter what, but I refuse to get my hopes up.

I’m also sickened by the millions of dollars spent on elections. That should be spent on infrastructure, education, health care, and other things. NOT marketing, which is really all a political campaign is – a giant marketing campaign.

Morning meditation with the group at Concord Public Library (via Zoom) was wonderful. I’m so happy I found this group and that I can participate. When they go back to in-person only, I will miss them.

Trying for a more productive day today, but also a healing one.

Peace, friends.

Tues. July 2, 2019: Slow Recovery, Healing Arts

Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Waxing Moon
Jupiter Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde

It wasn’t until Saturday morning that I finally started feeling like I’d turned the corner and was getting better.

I ran errands on Friday, which was tough. Got a few work-related things done.

Went home and tried to feel better. Which didn’t work.

As I mentioned in Friday’s post, one of the errands was getting the newest books by Juliet Blackwell, Barbara Ross, and Jenn McKinlay. I started reading Juliet’s BEWITCHED AND BETROTHED. Lily Ivory is one of my favorite series protagonists.

A space opened up in the sound bath at the yoga studio that night, and I decided to go. Because I’m so hyper sensitive to sound, this type of experience is often very healing (my acupuncturist in NY used tuning forks on me, because I was so sensitive to specific sounds and responded so well).

Arrived, got myself set up. It takes about 15-20 minutes to set up one’s “nest” as the instructor calls it, to make sure we’re comfortable for the 90 minutes. I was just all settled when this woman stomped in and demanded that I move. Um, no. Huge breach of protocol. She wanted that spot? She should have arrived earlier. So she huffed and puffed and flung her belongings around setting up. I put my eye pillow on and ignored her. As much as she wanted to make the entire evening about her and intrude/punish me because I didn’t do what she wanted — no game, honey. I’m from NY. You’re amateur hour.

Once it started, I settled in, set a healing intent, and worked on bending the various sounds to where I thought they’d have the most healing effect. It’s difficult to articulate, because it’s such an experiential thing, and because most people have a very different relationship to sound than I do.

By the end of the session, I was not only pain free, I was ravenously hungry.

I cleaned up my spot, thanked the instructor, and went home. I made a salmon banh mí for a late dinner and sucked it right down. It even stayed.

Stayed up to finish Juliet’s book, which left me wondering if this is where the series ends. I’ll always want more Lily, but if this is the last book in the series, it’s also a satisfying last book.

Slept well, slept in on Saturday. Woke up feeling more like myself for the first time since I got sick. Still have a long way to go, but getting there.

Unfortunately, the illness triggered several other issues, kind of a domino effect, and I’m dealing with them one at a time. But I’m isolating and then solving each as I can.

I also haven’t had alcohol since I got sick. I miss the idea of it more than I miss the actual drinks.

Did a little bit of work on ELLA BY THE BAY in the morning. I need to catch up on typing the chapters I’ve written in longhand. I’m about 135 pages/one-third of the way through the book, and only the first two chapters are typed. I’m losing track of certain details, which makes it harder to move forward. I need to catch up, print out, and start tracking sheets, or I’ll be in a mess.

I also have to sit down and draw the map of this fictional Caribbean island. And do some renderings of the protagonist’s house and garden. You know me. Setting is an additional character.

Kept down breakfast (big win).

Read Barbara Ross’s JANE DARROWFIELD, PROFESSIONAL BUSYBODY, the first book in her new series. It’s lovely and charming. I think this will be a fun series. I’m already a fan of her Maine Clambake series.

In the afternoon, I did transplanting and planting (it was a planting day, according to the agricultural calendar). I transplanted all the rest of the tomatoes — I had four more kinds of tomatoes to transplant. I have a total of 7 varieties, over 100 plants. I might have been a little overzealous this year.

I also planted bush beans, peas, snow peas, zucchini, cucumber, zinnia, honesty, and milkweed. Yes, it’s late, but it’s been cold. Fingers crossed everything comes up.

The lettuce is thriving. The eggplants and peppers are doing well. So, we’ll see.

Then, I read Jenn McKinlay’s DYING FOR DEVIL’S FOOD, which was really fun, too. This series inspired me to create the Stained Glass Cupcakes I made for the holiday baking last year.

Slept well again, although a test of something that might cause a problem — well, it is. I was cautious, so it’s not a major setback, and now I know something else to avoid.

Worked on ELLA, caught up with a Twitter pal, took pictures in the yard. The pale pink roses are in full bloom, and the scent wafts up into my room, which is lovely.

Got some decent work done on GRAVE REACH.

Worked on the book I’m reading for review, a truly splendid book of poetry.

Still run out of energy too quickly.

Spent most of Sunday out on the deck, reading and writing. It was nice.

Up early on Monday. Worked on ELLA, worked on GRAVE REACH. I’ve started the second notebook of ELLA — starting with Chapter 11. I’m just over a third of the way into the book now. This draft needs a lot of rearranging and certain bits need more research, but the bones are good, and I like the characters.

I’ve started something for July called #31Prompts. For the month of July, I’m going to post, on Twitter, a different prompt that can be used as a jumping off point for prose, poetry, song, dance, visual art or anything else. I’m setting up another page on this blog and will upload the prompts every few days. But I’ll post each day’s on Twitter. I hope people enjoy it.

Spent time with a client, a session that was both fun and productive. Got some other work done. Went to meditation.

Up early this morning. Worked on ELLA, worked on GRAVE REACH. Will be with a client today and tomorrow, then I’m taking the long holiday weekend to rest and fully recuperate. And, hopefully, to get a lot of writing done!

Fri. June 28, 2019: Compounded Illness

Friday, June 28, 2019
Waning Moon
Jupiter Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and warm

I had a major relapse yesterday and was quite sick.

I managed to drag myself out of bed to finish a project for a client which couldn’t wait.

As soon as I could, I went back home to rest.

It seems to be more complicated than the original illness — and, on top of it, I’m having severe muscle pain. Morning yoga this morning was difficult — nearly every pose was excruciating. But, by the time I kept pushing through, I started to be able to move again.

But I’m pretty miserable.

Had to go out and run errands. Have a few things to do at the library. Then, I’m going to spend time reading on the deck and trying to get well. I stopped at the bookstore to pick up the newest by Jenn McKinlay, Juliet Blackwell, and Barbara Ross. It’s going to be a happy reading weekend!

Hopefully, I’ll get some writing done, too. I’m getting behind again.

But I can’t do much of anything with this type of sickness.

Have a good weekend, all!

Tues. March 13, 2018: And Another Storm

Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Waning Moon

We’re set to have another snowstorm today. Boston might get up to 18″ of snow.

My mother isn’t feeling well, so that’s a worry, especially in bad weather.

Speaking of Boston, that’s where we spent Saturday. Up early, on the bus into South Station, a cab to the MFA — which cost a lot of money. It would take three different trains on the T, but I’m thinking we should have done that instead. Not happy about the cab costs.

Anyway, we met some friends and wandered around the MFA, and saw exhibits including Jewelry Revival, Musical Instruments, Phantasmagoria (which I can use in upcoming books), Regency furniture, Klimt, Escher, Monet, and some of the Dutch and Flemish painters. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was for good art.

When I lived in NYC, I was a regular at the Met, and often visited the MOMA and the Guggeneheim; less often the Whitney and the Frick. Not to mention popping in to gallery openings here and there. I miss the access to wonderful artists. Yes, there are artists here, and some of them are quite good; but not on the scale of artists whose work has been around for decades or hundreds of years with good reason.

Originally, we were going to have lunch at the museum; however, I wasn’t thrilled with any of the choices. The most expensive restaurant’s choices were too much for a light lunch. New American Cafe was a loud, overpriced cafeteria with poor acoustics and screaming children. Taste looked like it accumulated Starbucks’ leftovers. The Garden was, again, full of screaming children. No. Just no.

Hey, great there are so many kids, get ’em hooked on art when they’re young. But there was no way I was going to have my meal disrupted by them.

So we skipped lunch.

We headed back on the bus in the afternoon, and had Chinese take-out with a nice wine. Much more satisfying, all around.

Sunday was my actual birthday. It was lovely to have so many warm wishes flying across the internet. I felt really special.

It was a day for prosecco, good food, chocolate, and relaxation. There were plenty of things I should have done, it being a nice day and a day off. But I didn’t. I took the time off.

Of course, I was a big groggy and cranky from “jump ahead.” I HATE jumping ahead for daylight savings time, and resent it when it’s on my birthday. I prefer jumping back in fall, and gaining an hour.

So Sunday felt very short, and I felt I couldn’t get much done.

I cooked a lot — a potato, egg, and andouille salad for this week’s lunch, and a huge pan of lasagna for dinner. Both turned out very well. Yes, I cooked on my birthday and enjoyed it!

I took the weekend off writing, for the most part. In spite of being on deadline. I needed the break. I did, however, jot down some notes for some ideas that started percolating. One idea, in particular, is being very insistent. But the notes are down, and it will have to wait its turn. The characters are arguing about their names — I will probably change them. Because they know what their names are, and if I impose them, it won’t work.

Monday, was back to work, writing. I’m so close to the end of REPOSITORY I can taste it. I can’t wait to get it off my desk and on my editor’s desk.

Fearless Ink, the business website, is up and live. Part of it is a new, business-oriented blog called Ink-Dipped Advice, that will premiere tomorrow and run on Wednesdays, talking about my odd way of approaching business writing, how I meld it with my fiction, and why it works for me. Doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, but it works for me. I hope you will check it out. I hope you will become a regular reader.

We’ll see what the storm does. If I’m not online tomorrow, it’s due to the storm. I will be late on Thursday, because my mother has medical appointments.

Have a great week!

Fri. Jan. 19, 2018: Frustration and Illness

Friday, January 19, 2018
Waxing Moon
Sunny and cold

Yesterday was long and frustrating. I spent most of the morning working on the websites, and upset because the person who was working with me kept telling me I couldn’t do what I need to do — even though I was specific in asking if that was possible before I ever signed with this host and was told that it was. I’m hoping we can sort it all out today.

After four hours, I was so sick and so disgusted that I stopped. But the Fearless Ink site is in decent enough shape so that I can take care of a few things on my old host this morning, and then start the transfer. Even once it goes live, I’ll have to go in and customize the perma-links and then change some other linking. But it looks good, although it’s simple and clean, and it does what I need it to do. I just wish the links could be a different color!

Fortunately, I had rewritten and submitted my review and also done some other client work before I started the website work.

Came home and felt awful, so settled in to rest. Which, of course, meant I read. I read one book for pleasure — just came out by an author whose work I often read. It was not taxing at all — perfect for being sick and wrapped up in blankets on the couch. Everything was a little too easy for the characters, but it also meant I didn’t have to work too hard, which was good since I wasn’t up to it.

Then, I got serious and read the next novel for review. This one was very good, although too long (over 500 pages). Well-done and heart-breaking. The review goes out today.

I started another book, a cozy mystery where the protagonist is supposedly Wiccan. I disagree with the portrayal and the way this person practices. Neo-pagan, maybe. But Wicca has structures and redes, and this chick doesn’t follow them; in fact, she deliberately casts manipulative spells. Which, in traditional Wiccan practice, is breaking the Oath one takes at initiation. Perhaps the point is that they backlash with consequences, but so far, I don’t see it. There are certain things I like in the book, but I don’t trust the author. I’m not sure if she merely did surface research and doesn’t know, or if she’s deliberately trying to cast a negative light on Wiccan practice. There are many ways to practice on the path, but what I’m reading makes me distrust the author and her motives. Perhaps that will change as I read more (I’m only about a quarter of a way into the book). But that’s my initial, gut response. Still, I’m willing to read it all the way through to see where she’s going with it. At least her protag has a brain and a heart, although I find her lacking in courage. But perhaps gaining courage is part of her journey.

Had trouble getting to sleep, but once I did, I slept through the night, which I haven’t done for quite awhile.

Woke up still feeling awful.

Unfortunately, I have a review and client work to get out today, pull the final material from the old host so I can start the Fearless Ink host transfer, and get to work on the other sites. I’m feeling the pressure of getting everything done by the 31st.

I also have errands to run, medication to pick up for my mom, bills to pay, and cat food and litter to buy.

When all I really want to do is stay in bed.

All I can do is the best I can do. Have a great weekend!

 

Wed. Dec. 21: Getting Things Done

Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Waning Moon
Jupiter Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Finished the holiday cards yesterday. Did some job negotiation. Worked with students.

Felt like crap, so put myself to bed for the afternoon, and then felt better.

Lots of errands to run today. I originally wanted to split them up over yesterday and today, but wasn’t feeling up to it, so I’ll do everything today.

Good writing session this morning on the harpy trilogy. Have to put some energy today towards other manuscripts on deadline — I’ll be doing a lot of switching back and forth during this “break” and running through the class prep for the January workshops.

I do plan to take Christmas weekend and New Year’s weekend off, but I want to get a lot of other work done in the interim.

Devon

Today’s word count: 1329
Total word count: 16,266

Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday, October 21, 2011
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Chilly and sunny

Jump on over to A Biblio Paradise to read about one of my favorite characters, Diana Tregarde!

The Write Angles conference fucked me. There is no diplomatic or other way to put it. They were not truthful or complete in their information, and now I’m stuck doing things I told them early on I wouldn’t, and out nearly a thousand dollars in books and conference materials when they haven’t kept up their end of the deal. Because I am published by smaller publishers such as Champagne and SmartPop, and not Random House or HarperCollins, I’m suddenly being treated like am amateur self-published wanna-be — although they still expect me to do a professional presentation FOR FREE. This conference was going to be my give-back-to-the-writing community, the pro bono thing I can only afford to do once a year. I do this for a living, people. I am one of the few who doesn’t have a day job. Even authors who sell through major publishers like Jackie Kessler have day jobs. I do not.

The bookstore even REFUSED to carry my books. It’s not just that they didn’t bother to order them (as I was told)– they refused to carry my books. So, if I want to sell any of them, I have to haul them around like a carny barker on my own — which I told them up front I wouldn’t do. If they wanted me there WITH BOOKS, I expected THEM to handle the sales. When they said they “messed up” the ordering, and I got the books in time, it was my understanding — and I stated it clearly — that I would drop off the books with the person designated at the bookstore. If I wasn’t considered “legitimate” because I’m not with a big NY publisher — I needed to be TOLD that early enough to make an informed decision. How hard is it to say, “If you’re not with a Big Trade Publisher, you’re responsible for your own books and sales”? If that’s your policy, that’s your policy. Don’t hide it. Be clear and honest about it. Don’t set up a network of lies and then spring it on me the night before. Not acceptable. I’m not set up to handle a cash box and credit cards and checks and make change. Nor should I have to be. That’s THEIR job.

It’s not that I think I’m so important or famous. I’m not. Just be honest so I can make an informed decision, which wills serve us ALL better.

So now I’m out over a grand with books and conference materials before I even start, for a gig where I’m not even being paid.

I’m very tempted to say “fuck you” right back at them and cancel, but leaving a hole in their program doesn’t serve a purpose for me, either. I have made my displeasure known. For crying out loud, I was doing panels at conferences in the US and the UK before I was a full-time writer and I wasn’t treated like this.

They still might find a way to make it right. Somehow, I doubt it. Which is a shame, because I’ve been looking forward to this since the spring. And I worked really hard to create a fun, 55-minute session the touches on the major elements in the month-long class.

This has thrown a monkey wrench into my morning writing.

And this, after a horrible night. I finally went to CVS last night because I needed something for the cold. They made a suggestion. I took their “nighttime relief” medication. In two hours, I was so sick, I thought I was going to have to call the EMTS and head for the emergency room. It exponentially worsened the symptoms I had and created new ones. And then — although it’s supposed to make you sleep — I was as wired as if I had four pots of coffee.

I finally got up and whipped up one of my herbal remedies, which defeated the chemicals and I could do things, like, well, breathe again and not feel like I was having a heart attack (and I didn’t even know how badly the conference was fucking me then).

I’m going back when the pharmacy opens to get my money back and get something I know works. Does Contact still do their tiny time pills? They were always helpful.

So I’m sicker than I was before, had no sleep, have a long drive, am losing my voice, and have to teach somewhere that fucked me.

Not shaping up to be a great weekend! 😉

I keep thinking something good must come out of all of this, but damned if I know what it is yet.

Devon

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Saturday, July 31, 2010
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Sunny and lovely

Yesterday turned out to be a great day, after a very rocky start.

By rocky start, I mean we were all suffering from, shall we say “gastric distress” in the morning — I believe our water’s contaminated, and even boiling it isn’t helping. I used the pH strips I got for Elsa’s testing — extremely high on the acidic side. Fortunately, most of the time, the cats get bottled water, not boiled tap water. I’d put boiled tap water down for them this morning and they refused to drink it. Then, we got sick, so I switched it all to bottled, and they drank the good stuff and were fine.

So, yeah, basically, although I doubt it would stand up in court, the landlords are poisoning us. Plus, my downstairs neighbor moved out yesterday, which means they will start the renovation torture and it will be impossible to think or breathe or survive as of Monday.

If I COULD move out this week, I would. But people in this neck of the woods won’t rent to an unmarried female freelancer, no matter how reliable or what the law says. Besides, I don’t want to live HERE — I want to relocate. Which I’m trying to do, in spite of obstacles. I need everyone to hook into Diane’s heavy-duty moving vibes, and we’ll get it done. The move itself will cost at least $10K, which isn’t chump change, and it’s a case of having someplace to GO.

Immodium AD is a beautiful thing, and we were able to get on the road only about an hour late. We drove up to Old Saybrook, to my favorite “recycled furniture store”. I bought a set of Japanware cups and saucers for the shoot, a beautiful blue outside with a lovely gold glaze inside. It’s a little more modern than I originally envisioned, but it gives us options. I also found an almost-complete set of silver plate flatware that is monogrammed with my initial AND the pattern complements the William Rogers pattern I use daily. This flatware is by Old Company, but it’s beautiful. I may use some of it in the shoot, too. Everything came to $25, well within my projected budget.

We walked across the street to a warren of antique dealers, and I found a pair of Bond Ware cups and saucers with the rose pattern on the outside I wanted, and even inside, which are perfect for the shoot. $10 for the pair, still within budget.

From Old Saybrook, we hopped back on I-95 and headed up to Mystic, CT, where we wandered around the shopping village (rather than the historical village). I found Mystical Elements, the shop I wanted to visit. Their oil suppller is not one I particularly like, so I skipped the oil, picked up some of the herbs on my list, and stocked up on some much-needed crystals — the price and quality of the crystals are great. Also got some candles.

Headed southward again, to Niantic, to all three locations of the Book Barn. Found some books for my mom by her favorite author (Mary Balogh), but nothing for me. Youo know I’m sick when I walk around thousands of books and don’t buy ANY. I had three black cats accompanying me on my travels around the book sheds. It was hilarious. One led the way, telling me where to go, and the two younger ones trailed behind. I miss having black cats.

The drive back was a bit of a chore, because the traffic was bad. Not as bad as coming north, though — both I-95 and the Merritt Parkway seemed to be backed up all the way from Manhattan to New Haven. I felt sorry for those stuck, and grateful that, although traffic was heavy and moved slowly on our side, at least it moved.

Carefully washed the cups and saucers and pulled some other choices out of the cupboard. Couldn’t find what I wanted — those should NOT be in storage, but I’ll look.

Picked up Chinese food on the way home, had a quiet evening of EUREKA and HAVEN. I’m getting a little ahead of HAVEN, perhaps — each case is caused by something similar — strong emotion. Make the connection already and work on it! EUREKA’s fun, though. The invisible cat just made me howl. I could watch James Callis in every scene — I still think he’s being somewhat under-utilized. They brought him in beautifully, but aren’t using him enough. However, next week are the cross-over episodes with WAREHOUSE 13, and that should be fun.

Today, I’ve got to dig out some more dishes and props from storage, then head to Target for bins and other supplies, and find a pair of matching (or complimentary) blank books for a project. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do the photo shoot today, and then, if I don’t like how it came out, I can do another round of photos tomorrow.

Must also read my friend’s piece and re-read the book just accepted so that I can do the marketing and cover art questionnaires and get them back out — along with the photos — early next week.

Had an excellent first writing session this morning.

Busy, but all good.

Devon

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Thursday, June 10, 2010
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Cloudy and cool

Can I just say I am over it all? I was on the phone with Cablevision this morning because the internet and the landline were down due to the landlords fucking around. Having to call tech support at 6 AM is not my idea of a good time. And yesterday, the blog vanished for part of the day — I am done.

Elsa made solid improvement yesterday — eating a lot, interacting, being very cheerful — and then backslid last night. So we were up and down most of the night, and I”m tired. I feel that the vet has written us off because I can’t afford the expensive treatment. Elsa ate well this morning and is now sleeping peacefully. If I can keep her eating well, I can start working on the other problems.

I finally managed to finish Chapter 13 of POWER OF WORDS the first chapter on Part III, and I’m content with it. Always room for improvement, but there’s a solid foundation. Violet now sits in my lap whenever I work on the computer. Elsa’s illness is hard on her, too, because she adores Elsa. Iris just ignores it all. But Violet is turning out to be quite the little editor.

I’ll probably have to nap in the afternoon. I’m supposed to go to a friend’s place for dinner tonight, and my mom will watch Elsa. I have to make a run to Costco today, and also get in more cat food and maybe get another remedy from the herbal pharmacy.

I truly appreciate all of your support. It makes me feel less alone going through all of this. Sometimes I do feel isolated and that my back’s against the wall here, but all of you help in that a lot.

Hopefully, I can get in some decent writing, too. If I don’t keep that up, I can’t pay the bills. I got a brief note from one of my editors — who I tracked down when he didn’t give me the new information once the company moved, and it makes me paranoid that he’s trying to tell me something — and he said he got the assignment and I’d hear more from him soon. Really, it’s too hard to send out an email to one’s staff saying the company was sold and you’re moving? Come on! I get it if you don’t know what’s going to happen to any of us yet, but at least tell us where you are. If they try to cut our pay again, I’ll quit.

At this point, I’m ready to tell about 70% of the world to go to hell and go live in a cave in Maine somewhere so I don’t have to deal with people anymore.

Devon

Saturday, June 5, 2010 — Belmont Race Day

Saturday, June 5, 2010
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Hot, humid, stormy

My handicapping for today’s Belmont race card is in the post below this one.

I did not run on Friday morning — too tired. I got a little bit of Gerber’s baby food into Elsa, but she didn’t eat much. She’s interested in food, which is a good sign, but is having trouble actually eating it. I hope in the next day or two, her stomach settles enough so she wants more. I finally found an organic baby food that’s meat-based (most are just fruits and/or vegetables, which won’t work for her). She likes it better than the Gerber, and I fed her a few spoonfuls every couple of hours. At least she’s interested in food — or I’d be hauling her right back to the vet. Over the course of the day yesterday, I got almost a whole jar into her, a spoonful at a time, which is a good thing. She had a rough night, though, and I’m not sure what today will bring.

Left early, took the car in for servicing. It feels much better now. They think the constant tire problems are due to someone playing pranks in the parking area and letting air out of the tires. I guess it’s better than slashing, but I’m still not happy about it.

Bought an eco-friendly water bottle that matches my car’s color. Because I thought it was funny.

Picked up a few things I forgot yesterday at the store, found the organic food, and then stopped at Clay Art Center to pick up the pieces I made in the workshop a few weeks ago and buy my tools for next month’s class. They don’t look as bad as I remembered. Hopefully, I’ll make progress. My mom’s already making a list of things she wants me to make. She thought it was kind of silly to take the class — but now she’s in love with the pieces. Go figure!

Worked on the Shakespeare research while I waited for the car. It was nice to sit and have that uninterrupted work time. The research will actually be used in at least three different projects, and it’s been months since I did anything on it. It was fun.

Did some work on POWER OF WORDS. The rehearsal section should be tweaked enough to go out later today. I have to add a couple of short scenes, I’ve cut some stuff, and I’ve tweaked the material a bit.

Today’s Belmont day, so I’ll be tied up with horse racing all day. In incredibly hot and muggy weather. Somehow, though, organic cotton yoga pants and a sports bra are not proper racing attendance attire.

Philadelphia beat Chicago in last night’s game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. Now, they’ve each got two and they need four, so we’ve got a couple more to go. They’re great games, though — the two teams are well-matched. I feel like i should be rooting for Philly, because of all the time I spent there, but most of “my” guys are gone from the team, and Chicago is an Original Six team, for which I have a soft spot.

Back to the page and to taking care of Elsa.

Devon

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010
Waxing Moon
Mars Retrograde
Snowing!

So, they told us we’d get “some” snow when the arctic front comes through on Saturday. Of course, that meant we woke up to about a half inch of snow and it’s coming down at the rate of about an inch an hour now.

I don’t mind — it’s pretty and I don’t have to go anywhere.

I feel a little better. The weaker lung only hurts sometimes when I breathe now, instead of all the time, the cough’s almost gone. I want to sleep all the time and have no appetite, but the fever’s finally gone.

Didn’t watch any TV last night. Read Deanna Raybourn’s SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY instead, and really liked it. There’s a lot of warmth and humor woven within the Victorian, Gothic, mystery, and romance elements, and it’s done well. I love how even minor characters are memorable — it’s what I always try to do in prose and scripts — and I’m reading the books for structure as much as pleasure.

So, the iPad came out yesterday. I have a problem with the name — I think iTablet has more panache and sounds less like an electronic feminine hygiene product. Plus, if we have the iPOd, the tablet should be called something more distinctly different. It looks like it’s fun, but I don’t need it. It won’t serve me any more than a netbook would serve me — it can’t hold the amount of manuscript information and research I need to cart around with me on the laptop. I hope it does well, but I don’t personally need it.

What I need to go is get back to the page and make up for the time I lost this week. I lost one assignment yesterday because of webhost problems, and time-sensitive material that supposedly went out — didn’t. The dickheads in tech non-support didn’t help at all, simply argued with me that there isn’t any problem. Pardon my language, but, really, that’s the term that best describes them. If all I can do is stare at the screen and none of the applications work, there’s a problem. Stop arguing and start looking for a solution. And when you tell me to do something, I try it and IT DOESN’T WORK, come up with something else. And then they had the balls to send me a “Satisfied with our Service?” email. Hmm, let’s see: You cost me the bulk of January’s income AND refuse to fix the problem AND argue with me. What do YOU think? The sooner I can pull off my webmail files and get away from them, the better.

I had to get another pitch out to a company for a really good, long term job, so I had to use my personal email on gmail instead of my professional website-linked address and was not happy about it.

Okay, deep breath, Om and all that. I need to get back to the page. A short story started knocking around inside my head yesterday. If it’s actually willing to remain SHORT, I’ll draft it out so the characters will leave me alone, and then get back to my other work.

Devon

Tuesday Update

Well, i managed not to toss my cookies at the meeting (there were a few scary moments and I truly WAS the same shade of green as my coat). The meeting went much better than expected, we have a compromise sorted while I fill out a mountain of paperwork over the next few months, and the people who gave me misinformation/threatened me/ignored the paperwork I filed are getting official reprimands (and yes, I requested copies). So that’s sorted, at least for the moment.

Hauled a carload of stuff to storage and brought the rest of the decorations back. The weather’s supposed to be dreadful for the next few days and, if I have everything here, I can work at whatever speed (or lack thereof) I can.

The plays are creating such a cacophony in my head I had to tell the little character darlings to shut up for the moment, because if I lose my mind, how the heck can I write the stories, and THEN where will they all be? Quiet down, dearies, and take a number in the queue. I’ll get to you, I promise. It’s just that I’ve got a story about the Apocalypse due at the end of the month . . .