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With coffee and writing implements at hand, I can determine the shape of today. |
| I tend to write in the morning. After morning coffee and writing comes whatever the day holds...work, more writing, family time, reading, maybe even some gaming. It just depends...but writing first, always. And once I start writing, I get an idea not only of what I'm writing about, but how the rest of my day will go. Hence, the shape of today. |
| This is day four of a lengthy break from work for me...the way my schedule and the library closings synced, I don't have to return until next Wednesday. As I was more than ready for such a break, I didn't argue. Yesterday meant a lot of cooking, and I was pleased with the way my meal turned out. It also featured an annoying throat pain that spooked me, so I took some cold meds last night that have left me feeling woozy this morning. I need to shake that off, though...it looks like this is going to be the only good weather day this side of the weekend, and I have several tasks that need doing. Overdue cleaning and the like. So while I'm enjoying my morning coffee, I'm also planning what I need to do first. At least the sore throat is gone. On the writing front, I still have this week's guild announcement plus an idea for an article that surfaced yesterday morning. I will need to do some research before starting on it, but I plan to use Scrivener for it so I can practice with its interface. I can always convert it to a Word document if I decide the finished product can be sent on to the boys. So much to do...time to get busy! |
| Well, it's the last day of work before Christmas. And it's a day when I can drive home in daylight which makes me happy. Generally at the library we relax on the last day before Christmas break...we're even allowed to read, or noodle around on the web in between helping the patrons that do come in. Both the break room and the workroom/office area are stuffed with goodies...cookies, muffins, fudge, candy, chips, even some leftover pizza from a party on Thursday. These are provided by patrons who clearly think we don't eat enough. Some of it is also left over from last weekend's gingerbread house workshop. Whatever else happens at that library, we won't starve for a while. I'm looking forward to a more relaxed pace today. This may or may not be our last Christmas in the old building, provided they can stick to their plan and have the new library ready by next fall. That makes it rather special. Then again, for me a bad day at the library is still better than a good day at the Palace of Earthly Delights...so every day is special for me. |
| After several days off from work, I'm headed back for one last busy stretch before Christmas. I'd normally have my tree up and everything ready by now, but this year I'm lagging behind. I'll have to work the tree in between work and other concerns. Part of it is I'm trying to be mindful of Dad's needs...the tree's gonna create some extra clutter in an already cluttered living room. The other part is that my heart is just not in it this year. Truth be told, if it were not for Mom's ornaments, I wouldn't even bother with the project. Years of retail work ruined Christmas for me, and it's taking a while to shake off that cynicism and remember why the holiday is such a joy. But even when Mom passed in '86 I made a point of putting the tree up (something I feel confident she would have approved of), and have done so every single year since. They are old, some are faded, but to me her ornaments are more valuable than the Crown Jewels. So yes, though it will be tight, I will get that tree up. And to paraphrase C. S. Lewis...I won't let the memory of bad Christmas profiteering spoil the joy of good Christmas memories. |
| It's a cool, rainy Saturday morning in the heart of Christmas season. I'm on my last cup of coffee and waiting for the washer to finish up so I can move on to the next activity of the day. No work today, and no errands, and because of that I am filled with joy. It's rather funny...others look toward the weekend because they can't wait to get out somewhere...movie, a dinner, Christmas shopping. But my workweeks seem to be full of going...to work, with Dad to one of his appointments, some errand or other...and it just burns me out. I hate driving even around town these days. How people with large families manage to keep their sanity, I'll never know. After a while I start to feel like a gerbil in a wheel, going nowhere in a tremendous hurry. So when an opportunity to stay home presents itself, I launch myself at it. There are a hundred things to be done around here, such as cleaning. Christmas decorating, cooking, or some minor repair or other. But...I think I'll just be reading and writing today. It's that kind of day outside. No need to run today. Just rest. Yes, I like the sound of that. |
| The only thing more amusing than a southern Snow Panic is the southern reaction to an earthquake, such as we're having this morning. Said quake was in Tennessee and apparently was felt over a wide swath of Georgia. I say "apparently" because it hit sometime around 4 AM and I slept through it. Or, if I noticed it, I just assumed it was part of whatever dream I was having. The scale was 4.4 which according to the Richter Scale is not particularly strong or dangerous. That hasn't stopped people from flying into various states of excitement, however. The Atlanta stations are full of people claiming to have been thrown out of bed, and the morning show anchors are excitedly showing each other colorful graphics and collaring bewildered seismologists to discuss the big scary quake. They're a rarity here in Georgia, so they're a major media event. I was pretty whipped by the time I turned in last night, so while I'm disappointed to have missed out on the action, I'm glad I got a good night's rest. Workday incoming. |
| I've been observing it for some thirty years now but it never ceases to amuse me; the first Snow Panic of the season. People joke about the run on bread and milk at the grocery stores, but it's not just a joke...I used to work retail and I've seen it happen. I'm not sure how this odd trend started but people really do stock up on these items when a winter storm threatens. It would make more sense logically to load up on canned items that don't require cooking, but there it is. Having handled my grocery errands on Friday, I missed the panic this time around. Not that it seemed necessary, this time out. We've been getting threatened with floods, wind, and various wintry precipitation types but I only see a minuscule dusting of snow this morning, which our young cat is regarding with some astonishment. The cold rain is washing it away as I type, and I'm not quite sure what the rest of the day will bring. I did fill every available container with water, just in case. But thankfully the power is still on. If we don't get pimp slapped by the back end of this system, I expect to be working tomorrow. When we closed the library yesterday we put a sign on the door and changed the phone greeting, just in case none of us can make it in tomorrow morning. I normally don't work Mondays, but I swapped days with one of the other ladies so she could go to an appointment. We'll just have to wait and see how the weather transpires. I wonder what everyone's gonna do with all that extra bread and milk... |
| Politics has become such a toxic subject that I'm reluctant to even think about it, much less write about it. However, I woke up this morning to the news that the elder Bush had passed away in the night. I'm old enough to remember when he was vice president and was regularly made fun of by stand-up comedians and late-night show hosts. Most of whom are now dead or retired themselves. It's sometimes a little scary to see how much time is passing. We did not realize it at the time, but the first Bush administration was one of the last phases of the era of civility in our political culture. What we have become now would be unrecognizable to the Founders...a nation of screaming, swearing cretins who embrace ignorance over wisdom and place those who can shout the loudest over those who can speak eloquently. And all the while, the enemies who engineered this strife are watching and waiting with glee as the cracks widen. There are days when I don't know whether to be disgusted or terrified...or both. R.I.P. Bush Sr. I was not a supporter of yours, but you had class and I respect that. I pray that there are those out there who will remember what classy behavior is as we continue our downward spiral. Somebody's gonna have to pick up the pieces, one day. |
| Thursdays are a bit of a catch-22 for me. I go into work after noon, so there's plenty of time in the morning to catch up on household chores (and writing!). But then I work until 7, and that means leaving the library well after dark. I detest that drive home, I always have some impatient soul with those blinding bluish lights on my tail. But it is what it is. Speaking of writing, I finally managed to finish my submission for the "Weird Tales" contest yesterday morning. It looks like four of us have entered, and I made a point of reading and rating everyone else's stories. We all had unique takes on this month's WT cover, which was based off a Clark Ashton Smith story. I felt bad for the poor guy who runs the contest because he had no submissions at all for October, so I wanted to be sure to write something for this month. I need the practice. I also have a guild announcement to put together before heading off to work, so I'd better go putter around the kitchen some more and see if my mind can toss me some ideas. That always works for me; sitting here staring at a screen is utterly un-productive, but tasks as simple as laundry or washing dishes can kick the creative machinery into gear every time. Odd. But effective. In any event, I'll do some moving around to warm myself up on this chilly morning. |
| A trip to feed the cat this morning was enough to remind me that Winter is Coming....there's a sharp wind blowing after a night of rain. I have heard the Midwest is getting hammered by a winter storm, so I guess we in the GA mountains should be thankful all we have to cope with is a chilly wind. The usual errands await me this morning; hopefully I'll be able to make it home in time to get a bit of writing done before heading back to work tomorrow. My entry for the Weird Tales contest is nearly finished, and I'm pretty sure I need to submit that by the end of this week. And the clock waits for no one...time to get moving! |
| Finally, a Saturday morning where I don't have to rush around for work. It's chilly, rainy, and gloomy, but breakfast is done and here I sit with my coffee, ready to get a bit of writing done between laundry loads. This morning's project is an entry for the Weird Tales contest. Leaving aside the fact that I'm a fan of the old pulp, I felt bad for the guy that runs the contest. Last month he had no entries at all, so I vowed to write an entry for this one. It's too unique a contest to disregard, and the mental exercise will do me good. My entry is mostly finished...of course, it will need fine-tuning once it's complete. I tend to think of writing like stonecarving...one hacks a general shape out of a block of stone...a bear, say. That's stage one. Then, one takes up the finer instruments and adds details like eyes, muzzle, ears, claws. I'm nearly into phase two... |
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