5 Things Make a Blog

1) The weather has been so out of wack here, at the end of the day all I want to do is curl up with a good book, so not much happening on the writing front.
2) I went whale watching on Friday (I worked the weekend, so had the day off), and saw lots of gannets, several cargo ships, and even a few f-14s, but not a single marine mammal in sight.
3) I've registered for RT, and even have my roomie (yay!), now all I need to do is get the plane ticket (oy!).
4) I'm going through the list of authors who will be attending RT, and trying to read as many new to me authors as I can (or authors I've met before but haven't read), and even have a separate list for the YA authors.
5) Not sure if I'm going to Authors After Dark this year (I'm on the waiting list), but if not I'm thinking of going to Colorado to visit family (and mountains... and the Tattered Cover Book Store).

5 Things Make a Blog:

1) Judi McCoy’s funeral was Wednesday up on the Eastern Shore. It was a lovely ceremony, and I was glad I had friends to drive up with. I miss her.
2) After the funeral, we went to her favorite coffee shop and had lunch and shared Judi stories. It was a wonderful old building, and we all agreed it would be the perfect spot to hang out and write, and gaze out the upstairs window at the sunlight on the water.
3) It’s not going to be the same. Going to RT and not seeing Judi there.
4) And now we’re going to have to cheer each other on even more, now that she’s gone.
5) And of course, we have to …
FINISH THE D@$%*D Book.

Priming the Pump

It’s been over a year since I’ve made regular postings on my blog. Partly because my life has been sufficiently crazy that sitting down to write was literally the last thing I wanted to do after work. Things are settling down closer to normal, or I’m getting used to it, so I thought I’d give it a try (and hopefully can do so without feeling like I’m whining).

Which brings me to my second dilemma, what to write about (and thus the title of this entry). I read somewhere that if you can’t think of something to write, the best thing to do is to just sit down and write anyway, and they called it priming the pump. As you write, the theory goes, your mind will think of other things and other potential topics.

So I give you my 5 things make a blog:

1) The budget at the dayjob has been cut 34% in the last year, while services have gone up 37%, and very few positions the become vacant have been refilled (systemwide). You do the math.

2) I’m loving my Nook. Although there is one thing I hadn’t thought of before I started using it regularly. When reading a print book and you reach the end, you usually have to get up and physically retrieve the book you want to read next. Not so with the Nook, just close the finished book, open the next and continue reading. And reading. And reading. Which is how I read 31 books in January. Although I also think I’m reading faster.

3) I’ve also taken to keeping my reading lists on my Nook: lists of what I’ve read for the past 3 years, authors who will be at RT and what books of theirs I’ve read, books that sound interesting and I might want to read. I will try to put the list of books I’ve read on the page on this blog, once I figure out how to do it without needing to retype the whole thing.

4) I recently bought a new crockpot, this one a 4 quart sized (the oval kind not the round one), and am loving that one too. I wish it had a carrying case in addition to the handle that locks the lid in place, it’s awkward to carry it downstairs that way, and a case would help keep the food hot.

5) I’m loving the new car, and still finding all the bells and whistles: you can only open the trunk using the key fob, and you can adjust both side mirrors from the gadget on the driver’s side door. But the thing I get the biggest kick out of is the tag inside the trunk attached to the emergency trunk release. If you look at the figures on it, it says- pull tab, jump out of car, and run like hell (yes, the little stick figure is actually running). I figure, if you need the car to tell you to run away from anyone who stuffs you in a trunk, the actual instructions aren’t going to help.

Well. There it is. Hope you all have a great weekend. We’ve been told we might get snow tomorrow night. It should be interesting.

Weekend Update

Well, it’s been almost a year since my last blog entry, and looking back at my last posting it seems as if not much has changed when actually a lot has happened. Here’s how it compares to last year’s last entry.
1) I am going to do Nano this year, I’ve got a project I need to get started, as I’ve got an editor already interested in it. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research and preparation, not just need to get it done.
2) I would like to begin blogging more regularly, however between Nano and the madness that is my work schedule, I would be happy with a weekly posting. This would be a good start, right?
3) Yup, still working on the losing the weight, and am making progress. Not fast, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m starting to keep it off. No plans for marathons, but maybe a walk/run for cancer.
4) Still not playing games on Facebook, and not even spending much time on Angry Birds. This seems to have been a low tech summer, lots of curling up with a good book. I’m currently glomming my way through J.D. Robb’s in Death books.
5) Yup, I still have allergies, and they are once again driving me nuts.
Now for the things that have changed:
1) Savannah Jane, my 19 year old cat, passed away on March 16 of this year, so I’m currently catless, and not yet ready for a new one.
2) My car which is 14 years old, and has 139k miles on it, has had some seriously expensive repairs done to it this year, and needs to go into the shop tomorrow. If I can get it there. I’m seriously thinking of going car shopping when I go home for Christmas. That’s what sisters are for, after all.
3) I’m thinking of buying my own place, and have even started getting organized for any potential (oh god) moving in my future. But never have enough time off (and energy) to get very far.
4) The library will be getting a new space, just not this year, and not a standalone building. So the mad packing we started the year with… now has to be undone and redone in a more orderly fashion. So we can actually find things. And then we have, oh joy, another move.

I’m sure there is more, but it is late, and I don’t want to sound like I’m whining. Not all of the changes have been bad. I bought a Nook, and quite enjoy it (even if it has been on more trips this year than I have), and also a new cell phone (one I actually use and remember to keep paid up). Hopefully a few things in my life, though, will stay the same.

Weekend Update- the Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween, Happy Samhain, Happy Sunday. Hope everyone is enjoying lovely weather and having fun watching the little trick or treaters. Not a lot going on, but I am trying to blog more, so I thought I'd borrow a page out of Charlene's blog and do a 5 things make a blog entry.
1) I've decided not to Nano this year, but work on the revisions and then pull my manuscript for book 2 together and see how far I am with that, and then go one from there.
2) I will try to blog more often. I'm going to aim for twice a week, and see how that goes.
3) I'm losing weight, and am going to start on getting in shape. In addition to using the Wii Fit Plus, I'm going to add walking once or twice a week, and am thinking about buying a bike. Once I lose enough weight, I might add running in, or at least increase the distance of walking. The goal, which might be sheer madness, is to attempt, with my sisters in 2012, to run the Chicago marathon. Yup, I'm nuts, and it is genetic. I blame my sisters. :)
4) I order to blog more and work on my writing more, I'm going to have to give up one of my Facebook games. I've given up all but two: Island Paradise and Farmville. Not sure which one to give up. In both, I'm working towards another expansion, and I think in Farmville it is the last available (for now), but on IP there is one after that, but it takes a long time to work up to. But both can take a up a lot of time, if you let them.
5)My allergies are driving me nuts. At the moment one of my ears feels like it has bubbles popping in my ear canal, all of the time. Nothing I do seems to affect it, not even yawning, and I've been yawning all day (which looks very professional, let me tell you). If it doesn't clear up before tomorrow I might have to go to the doctor. Bleh.
Oh one more.
My friend Katie moved back to VA (and her hubby Max will follow as soon as we find him a job), so now I have someone to go out to eat with, and we found a new restaurant, The Green Turtle, which makes a pretty mean Monte Cristo (not as good as the Green Leafe, but on the other hand I don't have to drive an hour to have one).
So things are looking up, and hopefully November will be even better.

Thursday Thirteen (or not)-the Early Edition

So. It's been a while since I did any regular blogging, or writing, and I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out where this summer went.

1) Writing is like any other activity, it is easy to get out of practice. But just because I haven't been writing or blogging, doesn't mean I haven't been thinking, or plotting, or planning. It does mean I need to start back, or my characters are going to start taking over my dreams again (not a good idea when you're plotting out a murder mystery).
2) I need to start working out with the wii more, maybe that will give me more get up and go (I was doing it almost all summer long- I had to take a break though, getting muscle cramps in my feet- not fun when you drive a car with a stick shift and a clutch).
3) Trying to get organized is a never ending process- one I wish I could finish soon. Although it did help taking one of my love seats to the dumpster (it really needed to go), maybe this weekend I'll take a load of stuff to the Salvation Army.
4) I also need to get ready for my trip to Florida and the Wonderful World of Harry Potter. I can't wait.
5)I have been doing quite a bit of reading lately, and when I get back I'll start blogging about some of the books I've read. Big hint: two words for you: Steam. Punk.
6) The Evil Dayjob is getting a new library! This is great news, and desperately needed. I'll share more news (and floorplans) as we get them. Click Here, if you want to see what the building will look like.
7) I haven't been blogging much, or visiting other peoples blogs. And I definitely need to do more blog hopping, I miss my peeps too much. Although having the chance to meet some in person has totally rocked. :)
8) I've started planning my travels for next year. Not sure if I'm going to make it to RT, in LA. But I do plan to go to Pennwriters, Lori Foster's, and the CRW writer's retreat. Not sure where else, other than the usual trip home. Places to go and people to see, that's a good thing in my book.
9) According to weather.com, not a single thing in my area is producing pollen: weeds, grass, or trees. So of course my allergies are going nuts. Oy.
10)I'm going to FL Thursday, to go see the Wonderful World of Harry Potter (see #9).
11) My 18 year old cat is driving me nuts. I just hope she sticks around so I can tell everyone that my 19 year old cat is driving me nuts.
12) I want to move. I don't care if it's across town or across the country. I want to move. Will work on that too.
13) Once again it has been a supremely crazy year here, and once again it would have been even crazier without all of my writing friends, online and in person, who remind me that there is more to life than the dayjob. And that it's always good to have plans.
P.S. This is not actually early, I started this last Thursday, went home and got sidetracked. I'll try to do better next week.

To Nano or not to Nano

It's October again, and I must once again make that annual decision: to I attempt NaNoWriMo? Or not? I would like to finish my revisions and resubmit before I leave for Florida, and would still have time to do some serious research before November 1st. Perhaps the best way to decide is finish the revisions and submit the ms, and then try and write out a tentative synopsis for the next book. If I get a good start on where the story is going, I'll do it. I'm not promising that I'll be able to finish 50k words in a month. But I'm not rejecting the possibility. How about you? Anyone else up for a marathon writing month?