Category Archives: Life in Random

eBay Sales: None. This is all on me. I haven’t been listing. Listing seems to pop the listings up in the algorithms. I need to get myself back in the stream of listing this weekend.

Craft Projects Completed: 0, but I plan to work on my scarf today while I watch a few writing lectures. I have a need to keep my hands busy.

#MilWordy Update: 72,717 words (2953 words/day to complete on time)

We’re on the swift downhill run to NanoWrimo, but to be honest, at this point 1667 words per day seems pretty easy to get done. I’ve got a goal almost double that for every day now.

I’m working through the ways of freelance journalism again. That is always such a random way of life. Pitching until I get a new clips file that doesn’t show my writing style from over twenty years ago. I need some things which are fresh, but are actual articles, not blog posts. And as soon as I finish meeting my short story promises for Golden Fleece Press, I’m going to start shopping more of my short stories around.

I got a wonderful verbal review of my first book Cherry Blossom Express (available through most booksellers) today. The reader said she was hooked on page three and stayed up all night to finish reading it.

There’s really nothing better than hearing that someone loved your book. Turns out that she hadn’t known I had a book release in February, so that will be a sale. Sales are slow right now. Mostly because I usually hand-sell at conventions as well as doing on-line marketing. But while that was unexpected, I don’t think it’s a killer.

I’ve got a list of to dos longer than my arm right now. So, I’m going to cut myself short here.

I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I’ll make another sale or actually get to pitching articles.

TTFN. Ta Ta For Now!

eBay Sales: None

Craft Projects Completed: 0 (hey, I have this nifty new Rubik’s Cube to play with. Knitting? Oh, yeah. Knitting. I’ll get back to that.)

#MilWordy Update: 70,851 (2,950 words/day to complete)

So, NanoWriMo is coming soon. Very soon. Like in two weeks. And I haven’t really decided what I’m doing for it. It will be a new project though. I’ve decided that much. I think it will be one of the Promises Universe books I was thinking of doing, but as always, I’ll decide on, oh, Halloween, what I’m going.

Drive through voting is a think in our state right now. In light of … let’s call it the Unpleasantness, it makes sense. It also makes me laugh. It reminds me of drive-up wedding places. Or maybe, drive-through liquor stores. (Yes, these exist in America. Wahoo! Great idea!)

And that is the current randomness which runs through my brain.

Love, laughter, and cotton candy with no weird flavors, lovelies.

eBay sales: 1 pair of earrings, 1 lot of pins

Craft Projects Completed: 0

#MilWordy Update: 69,843 words (2,944 words/day to complete on time)

Managed to get some writing done yesterday before I ended up heading to bed. It was a little clutch, but I got about 700 words in. I still hope to crush the MilWordy goals, especially in November, but at the very least, I have been getting something written. I’m going to try one sprint tonight, and as we’re getting close to midnight, that’s it for today.

TTFN, my dears.

eBay sales: vintage stationary

Craft Projects Completed : 0 (But I got a row done on the scarf!)

#MilWordy Update: 68,861 words (2937 words/day to complete on time)

It’s been a very glazed sort of day. My eyes feel hazy and my head aches. Still, my work email is down to 330 emails, even after having a week off. It’s such a relief to have gotten that far down.

I haven’t been writing much, but I’ve got two short story ideas to explore and complete. I’m going to see if I can finish that.

I have a thank you to write to one of my beta readers. I’m going to do that as soon as I tie up here.

In summary: I loved the trip and it was not impacted at all by having to wear a mask all the time. I love the power chair that we rented for Mom and want to buy one. (Envelope started for saving right now!) And there were no real emergencies in my email this morning. Which was nice to come back to. I can’t wait to go back on vacation. LOL. No matter how many blisters I have.

Laugh, love, and live, my lovelies. G’night.

eBay Sales: Vintage Doll, Japanese Music Box, book

Craft Projects Completed: 0. Not even contemplated any

#MilWordy Update: 68,510 words (2,893 words/day to complete)

A nice lazy day today. Took a nap randomly. Had a full brunch. Nice soaking bath. All the de-stressing activities. 🙂

eBay sales: cookie cutters

Craft Projects Completed: 0

#MilWordy Update: 67,982 words (2,850 words/day to complete on time)

I am a bear of very little brain tonight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Remember honey is a great anti-bacterial. And it tastes good too.

eBay Sales: None

Craft Projects Completed: 0

#MilWordy Update: 67,533 words (2843 words/day to complete on time)

I suppose I really ought to start titling these things something more interesting. I just don’t have that many clever titles. Ask anyone who’s been on one of my email lists. Normally it’s “update” or “new submission call” not anything clever. Still, people open those emails and they serve their purpose, so they’re not suffering.

The spam bots and I seem to have hit a creative slump today. They weren’t even trying to copy and paste essays today. It was very sad. I would love to tell you something interesting, but my main accomplishment for the day was getting my email under 300 and typing up meeting minutes. Meeting minutes are the bane of my existence and the equivalent to the weekly journal review you might have to write for your theory classes. Not my favorite subject or even anything I’m particularly interested in.

The problem, not just for me, but for many people, is that we’re rather good at whatever we’re hired to do and people interpret that as being interested or loving the job. No. This is a job. You hired me to do it. I have been trained by my 18 years of schooling to do the assignment I have been given to the best of my ability. The brainwashing is strong. That doesn’t mean I enjoy what I’m doing. Or that I sought it out. I fell into my career when my actual *plans* for a career careened into a health issue and I lost my way for awhile.

It seems to me, that these days, I could probably circle back to some of what I was planning. Even if I just do it on-line and for fun. It’s not as though I’m not competent or actually credentialed on the subject I want to explore. Hmm… You might see something a little more interesting in the future, but I don’t want to 1) spoil the possible surprise or 2) disappoint myself when this new plan smashes up against something else. It would be nice if I could actually find a way to leverage myself into one of the R&D tracks that my old company was doing. I think I still have the cards of some of the folks who were working on it.

I could wax poetic about the Northern Lights that I got to see once when I was shorter than I am today. Or I could blather on about some sort of writing thing. But the reality is, I’ve got a headache and I really just want to sleep. So, goodnight, my someones, goodnight. (Song cue!)

eBay Sales: mystery mini, Girl Scout Badge, Creepy Baby Doll, book

Craft Projects Completed: 0

#MilWordy Update: 62,513 words (2,850 words/day to complete)

So, I broke my streak yesterday. I found out that a co-worker died over the weekend and I just didn’t have the wherewithal to write anything. Stress does that to me. I just lose my creative edge. I could take this time to consider mortality or maybe meditate on how people are more important to you than you think they are. I wasn’t particularly close to the individual who passed, but it’s still a bit of a hole after you’ve lost a tooth loss rather than full on grief. But I’ve been contemplating mortality since this pandemic began and meditating on personal interactions with co-workers gives me a headache and I just don’t want that right now. For now, I’m going to focus on the future and the good things which are coming.

Vacation is getting closer and I’m starting to do the packing. Or at least the packing lists. I hate the last minute type of packing that means I’ve forgotten my head and everything else. Thus, thinking ahead. And trying to not overpack. It seems that I take less and less with me on trips. This year will be slightly different because we’ll need to take more food with us and more things like disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer and masks. (I am not forgoing the masks, even if the local we’re headed to has. We’re from VA and the possibility that I’m a carrier is high, even if I’m asymptomatic.

I’ve been listening to the back-catalog of a podcast and they’re just hitting the beginning of the pandemic and the self-isolating phase. It’s strange to think that it was March when that really hit. It’s been so long that I barely think about it. My team at work is all back to full time. I’ve been more than half-time for much longer, so if anyone whines (looking at one person in particular) I’m going to smack them with my rolled up to do list.

Going on vacation means that I have to get all of the things at work set up so that someone else can take over for me. I’ve been single strung for months and trying to get all of that information set down in a way that makes sense is harder than just telling her to call me. However, I do not answer calls from work while I’m on vacation. They can leave a voicemail. Work does not exist when I am on vacation. I refuse.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Love, leaves, and pumpkin spice, cousins.

EBay sales: 0

Craft Projects Completed: 0

To Do List Completed:

• Replaced light bulb in hallway
• Replaced light bulb in bathroom
• Listed on eBay
• Picked up items purchased at auction (and resisted petting the cat there)

#MilWordy Update: 60,548 words (2,830 words/day to complete on time)

Despite the fact that I’m feeling completely unproductive because I haven’t managed to spend any time writing yet today and I didn’t hit my word count yesterday. This is getting a little ridiculous because I know very well that I can do this. I think I may have to resurrect “Write or Die” to get myself back on track.

I highly recommend Write or Die. it works for me really well because it starts sounding an alarm when you stop writing. Avoiding that annoying sound is motivation enough to keep typing. I have never been brave enough to let it start deleting if I stop typing. I’ve lost words due to program crashes and it’s hell. I can’t volunteer for that. My general practice is to set the number of words I need as 2500/45 minutes. It’s doable. At least for me. And this is why I haven’t figured out why I can’t manage to hit my MilWordy numbers every day. I mean, I understand that stress messes with my brain. I understand that right now the world is very stressful. The thing is, writing has always been my escape. And losing that escape is pretty scary.

Let’s step away from the emotional stuff for different emotional stuff. Writing has been hard, but so has finishing things on my to do list in general. I’m guessing it’s a larger problem of executive dysfunction or dysthymia, so I am trying to be kind to myself. That doesn’t stop the frustration though. The light bulb on the hallway has been out for about a week.

Now, the light bulb in the highway was in the ceiling and near the back stairs, which activated my heights issues. I forced myself up to the top platform of the stepstool and changed the bulb. (Nine foot up and doing my best not to look down the stairs.) Some things are harder than they seem. And this is a call-out to everyone to be kind to themselves. Some things which are trivial to some people are really hard for others. For example — walking from the car to the door of a store. This is not an issue for me, but it is an issue for my mother. Or crawling up a ladder. This is hard for me. I’ve never been happy on them, but it’s an act of will to force myself to climb more than four-five steps on a ladder.

That being said, I have climbed on a mountain and repelled. My summary: I survived. I cried. And if the plane has crashed and NO ONE else in the area can manage to climb the mountain, I will do it and light a fire on the ridge so that someone can find us. I will not be repelling back down unless I need to for food.

With that, I’ll sign off. Love, luck, and pumpkin spice, sweethearts!