Mar 18, 2008 | Writing, Photos, Life |
I dug into the photos to pull out this one of a (I think) torch ginger from Kauai. Love the vibrant colors of the flowers in Hawaii!
Anyway, it's Spring Break this week. Which means next to nothing for me. I don't have kiddies out of school. I'm not a coed anymore.
But, strangely, I have Spring-Break-itis of the mind. My head is not in the game this week. I've stared at my WIP(s), typed a few words here and there, but had no major break throughs. For one, I had a stupid moment where I misread the KOD Daphne requirements. I wanted to get two entries in, and I thought I had until March 15 to enter electronically. Nope, no electronic entry. You could pay with PayPal, which is what threw me, and then you had to send in your hard copy to reach the coordinators by March 15. I realized this on March 13. Not good.
Stupid brain. :/
Whenever it gets a little warm out right after cold winter days, my mind turns to spring cleaning. I get these urges to vacuum and wash things. House projects start to crowd my head. Landscaping here, curtains there, paint that room, reorganize that closet, etc. I recognize that these are creative endeavors of a sort, and that it takes energy away from writing, but sometimes you gotta let the mind wander.
So, this week, I'm wandering. I bought some house plants. Hubby and I did a couple of small projects in the house. We're talking landscape, looking at plans, thinking about what we want.
There's always more to do, and I can't spend all my time away from the computer. But this week, I'm letting myself relax. No WIP pressure, no sit-at-the-desk-all-day-or-be-a-failure recriminations. I'm having a Spring Break of the mind. Don't you agree it's a good idea from time to time? 🙂
Feb 7, 2008 | Rants, Life |
Where does the week go!? It's been a strange week in some ways. First, lots of rain. That was good. Wednesday AM, tornado sirens. Not good.
Trouble sleeping, but that happens when my mind is working overtime on a story. Or, in this case, three stories. When I lie down, my brain will not stop writing. The dialogue keeps coming, the words keep flowing, and I just can't write it all down or I won't sleep. I trust that I'll remember the truly important stuff, and for the most part I do.
I've also been watching American Idol, which seems to produce some odd folks. Do some of these people really, truly believe they are any good? Or are they hoping to get a William Hung deal out of the appearance? Because it's amazing who shows up to audition. I can't get over it, and I'm sad for some of them because they believe this is their one and only shot out of the life they have. What about the kid living in his car? They put him through, but I'd be surprised if he survives Hollywood week. I was so sad for him, that he's that young and that deluded (not about the singing, but about his life). He needs to go home, get an education, and do something with his life, not live in a car. He's 17 for pity's sake! He left school in what had to be his senior year. Amazing. Somebody please talk some sense into that kid.
And the girl whose father died in a car accident while she was on her way to the auditions. Whoa. And she could sing her butt off, too. Amazing she was able to audition. Some might think she was cold for pressing on, but I think it's a tribute to her dad and what he wanted for her.
Truthfully, I don't remember but a handful of the people going to Hollywood. Loved the rocker nurse. The beauty queen was scary, but she wasn't a bad singer (though Simon wanted her to be bad). So, guess I'll be tuning in week after week, getting annoyed (like last year, my first watching), and waiting to see if the best singer gets the boot (Melinda, for instance) or wins the whole shebang. Hubby loved Jordin, but I thought her singing voice was whiny. Sometimes quite lovely, mostly whiny. At least for me.
It's going to be a long and irritating Idol season…
What's your reality show pleasure? Are you rooting for Idol this year?
Feb 5, 2008 | Travel, Photos, Life |
There are times when I miss Hawaii. Like now, when it's overcast and drizzly again. Oh, it's not too bad here, really. It's supposed to be 73 today, and that's much better than a few other places I can think of. Not complaining about the temp. Not even really complaining about the drizzle. It's good writing weather.
But, dang, sometimes I want to see the ocean again. I want to sit on the beach with a book and dig my toes in the sand. I want to feel that hot Hawaiian sun beating down on my sunscreened skin. Did I really used to live there? Were those pictures just routine everyday things in Hawaii? Unfortunately, yes, they were. Not unfortunately when I was there, but unfortunately now when I'm not. *sigh*
So now I have to settle for looking at my pictures and remembering the sunshine, trade winds, and warmth. It was great while it lasted, though I'm not unhappy with my move to Alabama. No, Alabama has its pluses. One of which is a much lower cost of living. It's nice not to have to contemplate paying half your monthly income for a house.
Still, if I could just afford a condo there, and the time to go stay in it for a month or so at a time, that'd be awesome. 🙂 Beach breaks are necessary from time to time.
When I lived in Hawaii, I loved seeing the beach and the ocean, but I didn't love hanging out there so much. Seems nutty, huh? But sand is annoying, and the sun is hot, and after a while you just want a cool drink and some AC. A couple of hours at the beach and I was done. Many of my Hawaii friends don't go to the beach much at all. If you aren't a water sport person, it gets old. If you like to surf or sail or windsurf or dive, it makes more sense to head for the water. Otherwise, it's just fun to enjoy it from the vantage of a beachside bar or restaurant. 🙂
So what about you? Any favorite beach spots? Or do you prefer something else? Enjoy the virtual beach break!
Feb 4, 2008 | Life, Photos, General, Fun |
This past Saturday, the hubby and I went to a Southern ball in a historic home. I got to dress in a gown that made me realize exactly how lucky I am to be living today and not in the 1860s (among many other reasons, of course). But, it was quite fun to be dressed so differently. To realize that hoops are flattering, in fact. Those Victorian-era women weren't dumb. A dress with a big bell and a cinched in waist makes you appear more slender than jeans. 🙂 Who'd a thunk it?
My dress is kind of a replica of Scarlett's curtain dress, though you can't tell it from this picture. There is a cape attached to the back, which you can't see, and some gold cords that hang from it and from the sash (which had to be tied in the back because it was too small to close around the front — or I'm too wide, but we won't go there…). There is also a hat, but since I was going to a ball, I wasn't supposed to wear it.
I'm holding a fan, and I definitely needed it after dancing the Virginia Reel in a velvet dress. Whew! Oh, and I won best ladies costume, which surprised me because there were some beautiful dresses there.
Riding in a car with a hoop skirt on was quite interesting. I did learn how to sit so as not to flash folks, though. One woman at the ball, however, learned it the hard way. 😉 Let's just say I know why pantaloons were required attire under these things. If I ever decide to go back to writing historicals, I'll know firsthand what it feels like to wear hoops. And my cat found it fascinating. She liked to get under it and attack it from the inside.
Hubby was splendid as a gentleman, don't you think? His outfit was far easier to don than mine. I kind of wish men still dressed like this sometimes. I thought it was so elegant. I'm glad, though, that women don't wear hoops anymore. Can you imagine running errands in that getup? No wonder they sat around and fanned themselves all day.
Jan 24, 2008 | Writing, Life, General |
A new Publix opened yesterday about half a mile from my house. Talk about happy! The closest grocery store was approx. 5 miles away before. Not far, but when you just want to dash out and grab something you forgot for the recipe you're making, it's a bit of a pain to drive across town.
So what's the secret I have to confess? *sigh* I grow science experiments in my refrigerator. Not the pretty truth, but there it is. I tend to forget what's in there, and when things get shoved to the back, they just disappear off my radar screen. I also buy things I intend to use, but somehow I forget I bought them and they go bad waiting for me to remember they're there.
Awful, huh? I am a neat person, I keep a clean house, I wear clean laundry, I make the bed every day. But I can't manage to throw out food before it sprouts green fuzz. Or, worse, liquifies (hello veggies in the drawer).
It's time for a fridge party. The kind where I get the trash can and reach to the back of the fridge, wondering what manner of odd thing I'll pull out. And then I can go to the new Publix and buy new things. And hopefully remember they are inside the gleaming stainless box.
Now, totally off topic, but over at the Writing Playground yesterday, they had three fabulous and successful writers talk about their new paranormal anthology. What cropped up in the comments, however, was a discussion about process and self-doubt. Fabulous advice from Roxanne St. Clair, Allison Brennan, and Karin Tabke! Go read this post and the comments that follow.
Do you have any ugly secrets you'd like to confess? Or have you gotten any fabulous writing advice you want to share? Am I alone in my fridge neglect, or have you made green fuzz too?
Jan 8, 2008 | General, Writing, Rants, Life |
It's a myth, right? Life is life. It happens, it's messy, it does what it does. And yet I can't help but be seduced by the myth of a perfect life. I think that if I had a housekeeper, a scheduler, a decorator, an organizer, a life coach, etc, that things would go really smoothly.
It's a new year, and I'm already looking at the pile of junk mail on my kitchen island and wondering how it got so damn big. And there's the little matter of a technical thing I need to attend to that's worth, oh, a lot of money to the bottom line (by the end of January). There's the laundry, the decorating, the appointments for things I'd rather not think about (dentist, for instance) that need to be made.
There's damn HGTV seducing me with the idea of the perfectly decorated house, the awesome and fascinating party I should host, and the stupid commercials where spraying Febreze makes like ohsoperfect. When does it get perfect in Chez Harris? When does myth meet reality and make it all a snap? I've sprayed the Febreze, rearranged the furniture, and tried the new recipe. Life ain't perfect.
Oh, it ain't bad. I'm very thankful for what I have, thankful I can bitch and moan about Hollywood ideas of perfection, but I still wish they'd give me a break from the idea that my life could be perfect if only.
This, I think, is why I write fiction. My characters' lives aren't perfect, but I control their world. I am the demi-god who makes life or death decisions for them. Maybe that's why my real world seems so chaotic. In the fictional world, I have control. Here, I can barely organize a closet, much less my response to a Febreze-scented nation. Jeez.
What about you? Feeling the pressure of a new year and new expectations? Or have you figured out how to make your own way in this perfection-obsessed world? If you've got the secret, I'd sure like to know…
I dug into the photos to pull out this one of a (I think) torch ginger from Kauai. Love the vibrant colors of the flowers in Hawaii!
