BitterSuites

eBay sales: Face serum, napkin rings

#MilWordy Update: 96,976 words (3,272 words/day to complete)

#NaNoWriMo Update: 12,236 words (18,882 words/day to complete)

It looks as though Nano is going to be a wash for me this year. At the same time though, I’ve actually gotten the book started and I know where it’s heading is not where I thought it was going to go. And that’s okay. It’s in the same universe. And we know how she’s connected to that universe, but it’s not the main thrust of the story any longer. Now, it’s still got elements of that first plot in there, but it’s not all about that plot anymore. She’s got a scavenger hunt to complete, and a new client to take on if she wins that. She’s meeting people she didn’t think she would and she’s learning that she doesn’t need to know where she came from to know who she is. That’s of course the real thrust of the book. It’s not about the hunt, but what she learns along the way. And the way she learns to interact with the people she loves and who rely on her. That’s all great and I wouldn’t have gotten there if I hadn’t had some productive sprints with the writers I hang out with and Nano in general.

MilWordy on the other hand, is still going well enough that I’m not worried about it. The goals for the numbers can seem daunting, but I’ve actually finished more short stories and developed an entire series out of working consistently on it. And I’ve dragged someone along with me, so I’m not fighting through it alone. That’s a good thing too. I can usually convince her to sprint with me, even if there’s not a larger group going. Our group has even got a word-sprint Discord channel now, which means that sometimes people just pop in and see if anyone is up to writing. Which, I might have to just pop into tonight as well.

This has been a weird week and holiday weekend at any rate. I’ve been getting a lot done and feel like I’ve been incredibly lazy at the same time. We’ll have to see how I manage my new schedule though. I don’t want to let anything slip, but I still need to maintain a proper balance.

I’m off to the new job in the morning. Wish me luck, my lovelies.

eBay Sales: napkin rings, 1 plush, 1 book, sweater, vintage cassette tape, cupcake wraps

#MilWordy Update: 96,263 (3,263 words/day to complete)

#NaNoWriMo Update: 12,236 words (12,588 words/day to complete)

Writing wise, this week has been a complete collapse. I didn’t even attend the write-ins that I normally do, or the writing group. It wasn’t any one thing in particular. Rather, it was me taking a week to recharge and get ready to move forward into a new adventure.

I spent most of the week cleaning one way or another. Whether that was throwing things out, scrubbing the fingerprints off the doors, or just moving things to make room for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s like I’ve turned a corner somewhere and I am actually motivated to put things away and add more to the sell/donate piles. It might be the excitement of a new job, but it might just be feeling healthier and less stressed.

I’ve been doing the little things too, like setting up the GPS for the new office, finishing up paperwork, and setting up my briefcase and deciding what to wear. Heck, I don’t expect to be walking half a mile, so I might actually break out the girly shoes that I so rarely wear. It’s been sneakers or flats for most of the last four years. The campus was just too big to be wearing shoes with heels.

Likewise, I’ve been prepping my work spaces. Putting my art supplies in their proper place and doing the classwork necessary to pursue a certification that I want in place by the end of the year. My to do list has actually gotten shorter and longer. Some bigger pieces have been finished, but there’s still a lot to do.

We put away the last of the fall decor on Friday and the house seems empty. Almost like a blank canvas. It’s become a liminal space, just waiting for the Christmas decorating to start. We’re probably going to start tackling that tomorrow and my back is already wary. We’re going to be a little more ruthless with downsizing the Christmas items. I promise myself this every year. Last year I did manage to release a bunch of Hallmark ornaments that we never put up. There’s a lot more where those came from though. They were a favorite present for several years in our family.

The mantel has the everyday bits still on it and we’ve already changed out the tapers from light green to red. I’m debating whether we’re going with nutcrackers, santas, or something completely different this year. Maybe it will be white and silvers. There is a chocolate brown background and there’s fruit florals on the candles and mirror already. Maybe I’ll go full on Victorian around the mantel and put the mid-century stuff on the bar top. Though we’ve got a collection of Aflac plushes to live there. Decisions, decisions.

I managed to get through an entire bag worth of eBay listings today. if I can manage to do the same thing tomorrow, that will help clear out the room where the tree lives. It’s next to the good napping couch and the piano. And it’s where we’ve had the tree every year. We’ll need to redo the entryway near the front stairs where the White House Ornament tree lives. And we’re going to have to face the facts that if I can’t carry boxes or trees, they’re going to either have to leave the house or be spread out into different boxes. My father doesn’t know when to take a break, but my lungs dislike going up and down stairs. (For medical reasons, not just “out of shape” reasons.)

That’s probably enough of me rambling for the day. It’s my second favorite time of the year coming. (Halloween is my favorite.) I just can’t seem to break myself of the gushing habit about it.

Now, I have to see what horrible song this is that Pandora has decided to add to my playlist. For your knowledge: It’s “The Werewolf” by Paul Simon. It’s a protest song and I don’t have objections to it in a larger sense. But it does not belong on my Calypso inspired station. *shakes head* Could be worse. Could be the Coldplay curse infecting my stream.

Talk to you all tomorrow, my dears.

eBay sales: decorative sconces, cookbook, tags, puzzle, 3 patterns

#MilWordy Update: see yesterday…

#NaNoWriMo Update: see yesterday…

In my defense, I was unsupervised in a bookstore with a credit card. Half of what I bought was Christmas presents, so I don’t feel too badly about it. It did cut into my writing time. And into my ability to actually concentrate on something which is hard — like pulling my Nano project out of the fire — has been subsumed by… a relief of stress? The end of an era?

I’m in the middle of changing day-jobs. In a similar industry, but a different company and a different level. It’s new and a little scary, but sometimes you just have to look for a challenge. Becoming discontent is a curse. I cannot stay in the same position for years. For some people, those who have found their niche, they have joy every day. For some people, it’s all about getting the paycheck and they are fulfilled by their home lives. For me, I have wanderlust that hits hard and heavy. I redecorate the house. I change out my wardrobe. I clear out my bookshelves or release things that I wanted or needed when I got them.

Now, I have an itch of that wanderlust, but I also have a deep, abiding trust in my gut and my luck and can only feel that I am going to a new, good place. That I will be able to thrive. I will find things that make me crazy and whine about them, no doubt, but it will be new things and new people. And maybe a few old friends kicking around, depending on where I end up. This is a small town we live in, even if it seems huge and cosmopolitan. You stumble over people in places you never expect them. And you find familiar faces where-ever you go. And in theory — I have a doppelganger who lives around here too. I’ve had some odd conversations, but no missing time. *winks* Maybe I’ll meet her someday; the twin I’ve never known and isn’t my sister.

I suppose I should tie this up into a little bow because I’ve started waxing oddly poetical, which means I should be heading for an early bedtime.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Wishing you happiness and health.