monday monday

I have a car. I bought a car. A new car. My first new car. I drove it off the lot with 11 miles on it. Wow. I'm still suffering from sticker-price-shock or something, as I am not sure it is real yet. So now, I have to pay for said car. Reality hasn't set it, but I'm sure it will soon. It is a 2007 Hyundai Elantra. I wanted a Sonata, but my budget could not swing it. Still, it's cute, and the gas mileage is incredible!

Not much else is going on...babygirl is back at home, and all is well. I'm sleepy.

Thank God its Friday

It has been a hell of a week. I’m glad it’s over. My daughter is visiting her dad in Philly, so I’ve been by myself.  Woo Hoo!  You’d think I would have gotten a lot done.  Nope.  I fear that I went through a couple of horrible days at work, where I ended up in bed rather early. 

 

Oh then came Wednesday.

 

I was on my way to a car dealership, since I knew the 1998 Taurus I was driving had seen better days, and I would be lucky to get any trade in dollars for it.  Well, here I am, cruising down Atlantic Ave, when smoke is pouring out from under the hood. I pull into the turning lane, because I was right at Pep Boys.  Dropped it there for an cooling system diagnostic, and walked three blocks to the nearby car dealership.  That wasn’t so bad.  They want $1500 down, which is a little more that I was planning, but not as bad as I thought it would be…you see, I have bad credit.  But I’m happy to say, I’m on the far side of bad, and I can see the end of the tunnel, when I will have “fair” credit, which will naturally pave the way back to “good” credit.  So I’ve got to come up with some cold hard cash to put as a down payment, and in the meantime, I’m without a vehicle.  Or, if I drive the Taurus, I’m in danger of blowing up.  That was enough to scare me. The repair bill on the Taurus was approximately $2600 dollars.  I’m better off with the $1500 down and having a new(er) car that has a warranty, versus a repair bill on a car that will more than likely need something else in a few months.

 

I have spent some time writing. I need to take some time this weekend to organize my notes.  I’ve been playing around with WriteItNow and Liquid Story Binder.  I have Write Way Pro installed, but the evaluation period is over.  I’ll let you know which program I decide to actually keep.  Right now, I’m leaning towards WriteItNow.

 

More later….

alone at last

Don't know if it's a good thing or not, yet. My babygirl just flew on a plane all by herself to Philadelphia to spend spring break with her dad. Okay she's 10. And she will be escorted by airline personnel from the time she boards, till she meets Dad. But still, she's my baby. I was a big girl though, and didn't cry. Now I'm home alone (the boy lives in NYC with my mom). This is the first time I've been alone in a very long time. So long that, I can't quite remember if I've ever had this experience before.

PARTY TIME!!

Not. More like cleaning, not cooking, writing time. Oh yeah, and shopping for a car. I'll be leaving Jacksonville soon, and I need reliable transportation. Another bill. I'm not gonna go there....let's just say my financial picture ain't that pretty.

So I've been spending this weekend doing blog hopping, and thinking. Balance, and dedication. Two issues I need to really sit down and think about. How do I find balance between writing, exercise, being a mom, knitting, work, and entertainment. (Who's fooling who, we all have some type of entertainment in our lives). I will not pretend that I don't like watching TV. I do. So aside from the normal things that I have to do, all these things mentioned about fill up my "free" time. I need to start scheduling, and planning....something I also need to do with my writing as well. I can't just sit down without a plan, because, well I don't have time for it. I need to have a plan and execute it. Which leads to becoming more organized, in my work, and breaking it down to small tasks that will [eventually] become habits. It is all related, because habits I pick up in one area of my life, will filter into other parts of my life, and theoretically, make for a less stressful and more productive life.

romance divas

Please be sure to check out RomanceDivas. It's a great website, and the women there are so helpful. In my efforts to become less of a hermit, I've started hanging out there again. I aksed one question on the forums today, and the response was awesome. I had an epiphany...I'm a write who loves/needs that back-and-forth type of bantering to work out my ideas/plot. Sometimes I have such a narrow view, that I miss things that other people pick up right away. Of course this is the crux of critiquing....but I haven't even gotten there yet. How do I learn to be my own crit partner?

So now I've got a ton of ideas that are "marinating". I've been playing around with TwiddlySpot, and it came in handy today while I was at work. Lucky for me, I have access to that particular website (and RomanceDivas, of course). I was able to jot down an idea I had in a spot where it made sense, not in some random email to myself, or even worse, a sticky note. I keep it open and minimized all day, so whenever the random thought flies by, I can catch it before it reaches the ether.

My fish are spoiled and picky. So, they normally eat Romaine lettuce. When I went to the store yesterday they were out of Romaine, and I picked up some green leaf lettuce. I put to nice sized pieces in the tank and they absolutely hated it! I mean they "sniffed" around it, took a bite, and left it alone. So wuss that I am, I was back at the store today, buying Romaine. I'm watching them now, and they are happier campers today. Granted, it's not brine shrimp but they will get over it. I try not to give them too much brine shrimp, because a lot of it goes to waste and gives the nasty bristleworms something to eat.


Watched American Idol. I can't believe Sanjaya squeaked through another week. I was worried for Phil Stacey though. I didn't think he should have been in the bottom 3. I also can't believe Diana Ross will be 63 this month! Go Diva Diana!

checking in

I was feeling a little sick on Sunday, but didn’t think anything of it. After a horrible night of trying to sleep, I dragged myself into work. By 1PM I was outta there. Don’t quite remember getting home, but apparently I made it in one piece. I fell asleep thinking that it was way too bright outside and daylight savings really sucked. So with a head cold, and the time change, I’m feeling out of sorts. I feel like I’m viewing the world through gauze. Nothing seems really clear. Should be a good time for writing, you would think.

Made it to work today, (which is why I’m posting via email, damn those website watchers) and if I could crawl under my desk for a nap, I would. I can’t even enjoy the 80 degree weather we’re having today. Yes I’m bragging…this is the reason for living in Florida. J

I wonder how effective and productive I am actually being today. I don’t feel like I’ve done anything, and honestly, couldn’t care less right now. I just want to lie down and relax. I’ve started reading Lisey’s Story by Stephen King. I don’t know if I’m going to like this one…but it is Mr. King, so perhaps it is just slow starting. I just finished Whiskey Sour by J. A. Konrath, which I really liked. I definitely plan on checking out the other books in this new series.

I like series’ characters. I like investing the time in getting to know characters and wondering where their story goes next. The best books (and characters) are those I’m still thinking about long after I’ve finished the book. Those are the kinds of characters that I hope to create. I want my readers to care and/or identify with my characters.

I have a character named Erika. She is a doormat, plain and simple. But the story is about her changing from doormat to independent woman. My biggest problem seems to be plotting…figuring out the “trigger” that makes her decide she doesn’t want to be a doormat anymore. Not that she realizes just how much of a doormat she really is. I’ve got plot points by the ton, things are happening…it’s just that opening catalyst that I have trouble with. What makes her want to change NOW?

beginning again

I can't believe its March already. I think this is the first time this year I've sat down with my computer and wrote something other than an email. My writing resolution bit the dust weeks ago. I'm currently taking an online writing class. It's a month long workshop, and already I feel out of my element. There are so many things I want to write and the one thing that is keeping me from it, is me.

So in a effort to be accountable, I've set up this new blog. I've had blogs in the past, but never really kept up with it. I won't even link to them here. If you know me, you'll know those blogs. But they are in the past.

I have a lot of ideas currently marinating in the mind. This is the part of writing I enjoy. Building my world, creating characters, discovering who these people are. Unfortunately, it is also the part of writing where I tend to get lost. And then I just kinda wander around in my world, but never actually getting to the story part of it. I'd like to conquer this issue this year. And I'm hoping this blog will get me past that blockade.

Last weekend I discovered a new show, "Jericho". I remember when it first premiered, and wanted to watch it, but for whatever reason, never got into it. Well Saturday, I saw it was on cable On Demand. All the missed episodes...woo hoo! I spent the next 9 hours watching it, as I got sucked in in a big way! I loved the premise and the fact that not everyone is as they seem. Lots of twists with the main characters.

I have also been struggling with my fitness regimen. I have it all planned out, but the execution of said plan is where I falter. Can you see the recurring theme here?? In any case, the pounds are going, though not at the pace I'd like. The BF percentage is going down, and the inches are melting away again, so I'll take the downward trend vs. no progress at all. Still the plan is to step up my game, not only in my workouts, but my writing workouts as well.