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Tatteredleaf

January 2023

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Home from Seattle! Okay really Kent, WA. :)

Apr. 18th, 2017 05:14 pm
paragraphs: Come Travel with Me (Default)
I got home today from a week in Seattle. I wish I could boast that I wrote thousands and thousands of words while I was gone, but that would be a total lie. That was my intention, but that isn't what happened. I went to support a friend who had surgery - he needed help with that, recovery, and walking his doggie, a wonderful Lab pupper named Cooper.   (I am really happy to be back with my huskies - how I missed them!)

So that is what I did - after the surgery we relaxed at his beautiful apartment in downtown Kent, WA, ate Arby's (really!) and seafood - most notably at Wally's Chowder House.  I even brought a huge thing of the chowder rue home -- frozen, it passed TSA's test (lol they know about travelers and clam chowder, apparently - but do freeze it first if you ever do this).   I will make it Saturday morning - it takes both whipping cream AND half and half, and low-and-slow cooking for an hour.  Then I'm taking half to my son and his girlfriend so I won't eat it all myself.  Which is very tempting.  But also LOTSA CALORIES.  I cannot wait - then I will be on a quest to find the perfect recipe since I can't fly up to Wally's anytime I am hungry for real awesome clam chowder.

While I was gone, I started the process of moving all three of my old livejournals over here - the oldest one, Crimsonspin - 13 years old! My first! - is in the queue now.   Then except for postings for GYWO and checking on friends who are staying there whose posts I enjoy, I am done with it and will delete the other two lj's, and the paragraphs one will be stripped to super basic only.  It was fun while it lasted, and I treasure all the friends I made thanks to LJ.  It changed my life - and I don't at all say that lightly.  It absolutely, completely, and thoroughly changed me, especially after my spouse died.  I am grateful for those years! 

So now what?  I rested SO MUCH for a whole week, that even though I got up at 4:00 to catch my flight, I am feeling dark perky.  Back to work tomorrow, back to routine, and back to dealing with general aggravations of everyday life - like my MIL.  LOL.  She was a bit pissed apparently that I didn't respond to her Easter message (because she is a hardcore racist homophobic Southern Baptist is why and it was just horrifying to me what she wrote, but hey, that was no surprise).  I also am still wrangling with my old insurance company to get all my house repairs done so I can move on from this madness.  Ugh.  I'll think about that later though.

I am horrifically behind my wordcount!  BEYOND BEHIND!!!! IMPOSSIBLY BEHIND!!!!!!   But while I didn't do much (any) writing (like none), I did a lot of work before I left, getting everyone (characters) moving toward the eventual resolutions.  I have TONS to write, so I think I am going to adopt the wordcounter fun on here and start keeping track, and making regular posts about it.  I also still have some major planning to do - I spent a lot of my dog-walking time thinking about the ending, and what I want to accomplish, and if I want to continue on to another book or two or not.  I am just not completely sure what I want to do, other than finish THIS one. 

One last thing/comment - moving over here has made me want to post again.  That's not a bad thing, I think!   I'll continue to cross-post over at LJ though - comments either place are fine and dandy. 

(Oh, and though we had tickets to go to Norwescon, my friend's surgery recovery was a little rougher than planned, so we opted out of going.  It is what it is - I could've gone by myself but.... I really just enjoyed the quiet, dog-walking-thinking time.  I need that more than attending more panels). 
  • Current Location: my table where I write
  • Current Music: Something dramatic from some movie or other
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His name is Darth. As in Vader.

Jan. 2nd, 2015 12:51 pm
paragraphs: Come Travel with Me (Default)

I got a new computer this Christmas from my kids. :)  It is a Toshiba laptop, a larger screen than I had before and I do have to say I like that.  But my fingers slippy slide off the keyboard so easily!  I suppose I will get used to that but it is a bit frustrating.  (and a few days later, I am getting used to it - and also I've now got it set up on the table with my split keyboard for Serious Writing.  Maddox is my little helper:

TABLE


I honestly didn't need a new computer.  My old laptop is only a couple of years old - the only thing wrong with it is it has a broken keyboard as in the qwer keys don't work. And the monitor has some damage. But otherwise, it is fine!  So I guess I now have a backup computer.   The NEW computer - Darth! - oh my stars it took forever to get it set up properly for use.  First of all Windows 8.1 is just as bad as 8.0.   Thank goodness Start8 is usable on more than one computer. That took care of that nonsense - it now has a Windows 7 environment. So much better. Those apps are stupid.  I can't deal.

This Christmas was good.  It was a...monumental Christmas for us for many reasons, and it was mostly focused on the kids, their grandma and the new boyfriend, who has become The Boyfriend. I like him.  He is a good guy and he and Tiff have been through a lot in six months, and come out on the other side.   So I am super happy about that. And the son - he starts back to school after having to take a semester off because he totally tanked the previous semester. Sigh.  I have faith though - got to, right? - that THIS time, he will be successful.   He's a junior - again - and wants to change his major but has to pull through this semester first (i.e., has to retake the two classes he failed).   

As for me - I look back at 2014 and realize it pretty much was a year of drifting and not accomplishing anything to be proud of. I fought the blues a helluva lot (and started 2015 with a bout - dammit) despite the happy meds. I guess I will always batttle that.  I read a lot (35 books, most of which were YA), and didn't write much, though a lightbulb moment occurred mid October - I read so much YA because I like it so much.  So, why not write it? And that set me on the path to reworking an old fantasy idea so completely that for the first time in ages, I feel like I have something good here and worth pursuing.  I attempted Nano but I wasn't ready yet - I had a lot of work to do on things to be ready to write it.  Ready now (got about 16k on it so far).

And.... 2014 got me visiting Canada for the first time, which was awesome.  N and I went up there and visited Klaudia aka [livejournal.com profile] sheswatching which was incredible fun. I want to go back! It was so much fun! We had a blast!  So much to see and do!  I also went to Florida and met up with [livejournal.com profile] amand_r and attended a writing con and met [livejournal.com profile] count_to_seven and then [livejournal.com profile] momebie. I had a great time though I didn't leave there feeling all jazzed about continuing to write in the m/m genre, despite loving the people. Good people. I am just done with it - and at that point didn't really want to accept that just yet.  Now, I have.  My two books (not the third, which I am going to pull eventually) continue to march along happily and that is good but it just isn't where the heart is.

So now I look to the new year.  I don't want 2015 to be like 2014. It just can't be. I need a good year, dammit.  Hopefully the plans are laid well and that will happen.  More on that, later, as I want to post here weekly for the accountability (to myself, if anything).


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Relaxing, Planning, Contemplating, Creating... And doing laundry.

Mar. 30th, 2014 12:27 pm
paragraphs: Come Travel with Me (Come Travel With Me)

Been over a month since my last post but the last month has been busy.  This creates a problem - a post stuffed full of Things that Happened.  So to cram stuff in quickly:

Work. Work is BUSY. We have a very huge, very $$$$ case that will be going to arbitration (rather than trial) the first week of May. We've had a lot of depositions, lots of discovery to organize, etc. -- I will be soooo glad when this is done.  My job consumes me.  it would be very easy to make my job my everything but I just can't do that to myself.  It sure seems like it is everything at times! LOL. Thankfully, I really do love my job and the people I work with, the environment, and my boss.  Working in law can be super frustrating, challenged, and awesome. We won an enormous case this week through summary judgment (hearing with just the judge) - I wasn't at work Friday but our client sent champagne, gift cards, roses, donated to St. Jude's in the firm name... I've known this client since I was in college and he was a friend of my spouse's, he was in the fraternity Kel was in and I was a little sister in, so am super happy for him that we blew this out of the water.

Writing. Continuing to work on merging the two storylines together - about halfway there. I've never used such an intense, thorough outline before, on anything.  It freaks me a bit to have done it this way but the story is so complicated, even though I know it so well, that having a backbone down just seems essential.   I meant to start the actual writing today but my sister came into town this week so I've put this aside all the past week.  So therefore!  My goal this week is to get the rest of this put together.

Reading.  My sister gave me her unused Kindle Fire, which is connected to her account, but she has such an interesting library I'm going to keep it connected.  I've not read mystery in awhile but she has the first three books by Jeff Abbott's Sam Capra series.  I'm in total love.  I love the character (he does parkour!! and makes it work!) and I love the adventure, the adrenaline (which is the title of the first book lol), and the storyline has me excited... just...  Yessss...  happy reading.

Rainbow Con. April 17- 20, in Tampa, Florida! This is as it says a very rainbow-colored conference, focusing on LGBTQ fiction. I'm going with [livejournal.com profile] mand_r. I'm not really active in m/m anymore but I'm looking forward to just getting away to somewhere for the weekend, meeting Mandr at long last, meeting other online friends, and eating Dim Sum. :)

Niece. Alexandra aka Lexie aka Lex Cox is my sister's daughter - she's a senior in high school, is a National Merit scholar, and she has five universities so far that want her. She's going to study Physics. The wee child has the smarts but is funny and goofy. Very. I want her to go to OU...because then she could take the train to visit here whenever she wanted to. But we will see how that goes.  She has a huge decision to make.

Daughter and Son. Daughter still in Orlando, now will graduate with her masters in July. I have no idea if she will stay there, move home, go elsewhere - got to get graduated! I miss her lots. Son is struggling a little right now with school - he is frustrated by a couple of the classes required for his degree in Biology. I am frustrated for him but all I can do is encourage him and if he decides to go back to take those evil non-major classes at the junior college then he has my blessing, without doubt.

Health Stuff. Forever working on this. Am about to do my second Whole 30 starting tomorrow. I am excited! The first one went great - Sigh - if only I'd kept it up!  If I am concentrating hard on eating right, plan ahead, have good stuff stocked in the fridge I do great, but I fall apart so easily and I've realized that dammit, growing older DOES make losing weight and being in shape harder. VERY HARDER. LOL. WHINE MOAR. It is what it is, I'm almost 52, gonna stay focused on eating right and getting more exercise in - my daughter bought me a Fit Bit and I am STILL WAITING for her to send it to me. ARGH. Send it NOW... She is so busy she hasn't had time to send it. (grrr - she should never have told me lol I would've bought it myself).

Dogs.  Maddox gained 5 pounds over the last year. He is now on a diet. No more stealing bits from my plat (meaning I am no longer allowed to give him the last bits from my plate). So sad! I feel awful I made him gain weight. Too many treats!

Otherwise this month I did a lot of fixing of things - from cars, to house to buying new furniture, buying new clothes I checked through my long list item by item and got it all done.  Life is expensive! But am very pleased with things.

The last thing I had on my list was to get new contacts.  About six months ago, I suddenly realized that with my contacts in, it was super hard to see my computer screen whereas distance-seeing was fine.  Sigh, yes, it finally happened - my vision had flipped and the only way I could see the computer was to have glasses with my contacts up close.  I made do with this for the last few months but got so sick of it so yesterday I got a pair of monovision, with my left contact for up-close and the right for far seeing and somehow they are blending together so that though there is a smidge of unfocusing when I go from far to near (like from Face Off on the television to my computer screen) I think this will work great!  I hope so anyway.

Not much else here - I've had so little time for things!  I'm behind on watching all the shows ever, I hardly am on twitter because of Life, and all that good whiney stuff, but am ready to start April with a good kick in the right direction. Yeah baby.

  • Current Mood: sleepy
  • Current Location: the couch
  • Current Music: Interview with RA Salvatore
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