NaNo Eve

Well all...it's the Eve of NaNoWriMo. Am I ready? LOL. No. My house, while mostly clean, is not organized enough for HTE to feel comfortable. Nor is it organized enough to keep me from using my avoidance cards: ie...not writing b/c of this or that.

My writing area is horrible. I have so many of my works in progress out...Add to that the stuff I'd pulled out of my trunk when the hinges ripped out (long story) and the stuff that had been placed there b/c it needed to be "filed" and you MIGHT have an idea.

Anyway, I have to finish this tonight. Last night I had a massive bake sale scramble. I made Russian tea cakes (a HUGE success), chocolate chip cookies (HTE has said many times how much he "hates them" as he munches one or two), single serve pudding pies with graham cracker crusts, and butterscotch brownies (more spice than sweet. They're called butterscotch b/c of their color, not their taste...and they were gone in a minute). We raised over $350 for our Christmas Party and I happily supplied half the goodies. Not bad for $20 worth of ingredients! It's almost always cheaper to bake from scratch. The little one was incredibly fussy yesterday. Which, of course, made getting anything done difficult.

So today is the day to get this stuff done. We should have almost all of it finished within an hour or two, then it's on to my desk while HTE tackles his. It's Halloween so we have to dress up the kenderkin as Superman and take lots of pictures. :-)

I have a ton of training to complete before the day is out. So, to all...have a very safe Halloween/Samhain. To Lady D...Happy Birthday hon. I hope it's a wonderful one.

To my fellow Nanites...Enjoy the day. I hope you guys are as stoked as I am to get started. Good luck!

To all, I'm out!

Enjoying Saturday Morning...Aliens???

It's 4 am. I'm enjoying a glass of Mountain Dew and trying to wake up. Little one got us up at 330 this morning. I'd slept through most of the night and I blame eye fatigue and mental exhaustion for that fluke.

I had some disturbing dreams,but that usually happens when I run my head in circles for most of the night.

We turned on the TV, hoping to find something very interesting to watch. It's Saturday morning, so good cartoons should be on, right? Um, no. The normal 4 am chaff is on all the cartoon stations. What about local stuff? Again, no. Nothing but self help talk shows or cultural spotlights. I have nothing against any of these, but who in the WORLD has proper brain function at this time? WHY would they have stuff on that would make me THINK this early? LOL. No offense to those who are wide "awake" at this time. I just happen to not be one of them.

So what do I do? I start searching the stations and what do I find? Aliens! Oh yes, baby, Aliens! Part two of a very awesome sci fi horror series. Why not! It's October, the middle of the night on a weekend, and I needed something to watch. So, I sit here listening to Ripley destroy the queen's nest and realize...this was one of the best sci fi horrors I've ever seen. Why?

*Warning: stop reading if you've never seen Aliens. Go out, buy the set and come back. If you don't want to, shame on you. Otherwise, keep reading*

You have Ripley...a strong female lead...betrayed and disillusioned at the beginning. She's full of bitterness and trusts no one. You have an alien sub culture, a hive mind. Her ultimate evil foe, right? Nope. The evil in the story is the Corporation. You see an entire mining colony decimated by aliens, destruction everywhere. But why? Why did everyone die? B/C it was an experiment by the Wayland Corp. To see survival possibilities against them, to study them. So...is it the bug or the person that was the bad guy? I say the person. LOL.

I love it! Anyway, it's later in the morning and I'm about to start my day.

Grab a bite, do some NaNo food shopping, then tackle the rest of the house. Maybe I'll be able to sand down my cabinet today too. Hmmm.

It's the 3 month anniversary of kenderkin's birth! Happy 3 month day!

Well we're out the door, so let me pub really quick before I forget again.

I'm out. Have a great day.

It's Thursday!

Yay for Thursday! I'm so excited! Tomorrow is an administration day and late training so I'll be working on my car in my off time. Today I'm going to see about taking a half day pass so I can get home and let HTE work on his car. All this in prep for NaNo people. All this in prep. LOL.

We are hoping for no distractions, but life happens. *sigh*

Little man has a costume for Halloween so we're probably going to take him out for the weekend in it. He's Superman. LOL.

I'm currently working on my college application for Colorado Tech U online. They offer several certifications as you go in the completion of your bachelors. Tuition cost includes books and since I already have an Associates, I move straight to Junior status.

HTE and I are working on our home, trying to get it where we want. As a matter of fact, the very first piece of artwork went on the wall a couple of days ago. It looks fantastic. I need to sand my wall cabinet and re-stain it so it'll "go" with our living room and my desk area.

Then there's groceries, prep for little man, hmmm...it seems like we have quite a list going already. NaNo insanity. :-) If nothing else it means we'll have our home unpacked.

Congrats to Kim and Piper for their fantastic news. Whiskey Creek Press has taken their submission for their torrid line. Fantastic news guys!

To all, I'm out.

Working on NaNo

I'm working on my outline for NaNo. I'm loving it! Granted, I may change it a hundred times or my characters may make their own decisions, but we'll see. I've invited a few old friends. I wonder how many of them will take the challenge.

Little man is having a rough day today says HTE. I miss them so much during the day (yes, even when the kiddie throws a fit).

I've officially closed my writer's blog. I'll have one later on my website, but until then, I'm keeping the updates here.

It's been chilly the last few days. I have to pick up some workout gear for my fitness formations. I had to hold off until after having the little one, so (of course) my clothing sales store didn't have any more uniforms. Yes, a uniform to go running in as well. That's the way of it. If they don't have the pants today I'll be getting sweats. Until I'm released by my ortho doc, I can't run, but I'll walk with the best of em.

So back to writing again. On the way home from work yesterday, HTE and I had a chat about one of my WIPs. Through our conversation I realized that I was looking at the story from the wrong angle. I was telling the wrong story. HTE made a few recommendations that got my brain running. And suddenly...the story that's stalled for the past six months has a new life. I'm writing scenes and rewriting parts that I didn't like or didn't work. It's becoming what I hope to be a better evolution of my original story idea. We'll see though.

I'll keep ya posted.

Till then, I'm out.

NaNoWriMo

A new language? A new phrase? nope. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It starts 1 November and lasts 30 days. This insanity is a 50K novel challenge. Can you write 50K words of a novel within 30 days? Here's the website if you're interested. http://www.nanowrimo.org/

What made me decide to do this? I was home with HTE and the little one for over two months. I had every intention of writing, but couldn't seem to get past this or that. I need a shove to get me moving. So, NaNoWriMo fell in my lap with a "little" help from my fellow writing friends. Join the other thousands of people across the world in the month of November. Try out the insanity. :-) I looked at my busy life and realized...with all the million things to do in a day, why not add one more? Is it really that big of a deal? An extra two hours a day focused on this experience. Why not?

So, I did what any sane Newlywed and New Mother with no time would do...I dragged my husband with me. *huge grin* So...HTE's been recruited. That way we can BOTH get our collective butts motivated.

The founder of NaNo says this...most people allow fear of failure prevent them from completing this one goal. Fear of failing the story, yourself, or any number of other things. So just do it. Editing comes later.

So...I'll be hibernating soon. If any of my buds want to email or IM me, please keep me on the straight and narrow.

Back to the grind of work tomorrow.

Well, I have a house to clean and organize before I can feel comfortable enough to get started in a couple of weeks.

To all, I'm out. And the kenderkin is calling.

Not in Kansas anymore....

What a day! I spoke earlier about the wind and guess what...it up and sent me in a great direction. I'm moving to a new block. A new thing to teach! They had an opening, I had seniority (time-wise, anyway) and I said yes to the move. How soon? Less than a month! Isn't that fabulous???

*checks off one problem area for this assignment*

New block means new blood and a new start. Besides, if I'm not there and senior leadership still fails its monthly assignments it can't be me, can it? :-)

Wonderful!

To all, I'm out. Peace.

I hear the wind whisper, but what does it say?

*sigh* Another long day of paper pushing. I'm honestly glad I chose a mechanical careerfield instead of admin. I can't imagine how much more I'd have to do if it was my ACTUAL job. It's great to get back to teaching. I didn't realize until yesterday how much I missed interracting with students. Watching confusion change into that "ah-ha" moment. That's the good stuff and the only highlight of this job at the moment.

New management in our block is making waves and I couldn't be happier. Kick some upper management in the rear and get them motivated! What a wonderful thing. So now, instead of focusing on all the drama and the back biting, I can really focus on why I'm here. To Teach...Well. I can focus on my career and contemplate the future.

What does that mean?

I'm glad you asked. *huge grin*

I have a wonderful family at home. The kenderkin and HTE are the greatest motivators I've ever had. Staying home with them for a couple of months really opened my eyes. I want a future that's safer than the one I have now. Being a teacher is wonderful, but being a military member is carrying its fair share of hazards. I've done almost 9 years of service. Am I ready to move onto something new?

Yet, I love the opportunities that the military provides, both for my family and me. I love meeting new people and moving every three or four years to a new state. Right now, I love my job. Have I always? no. But then again, that was before HTE and the Kender.

So the wind is shifting and starting to blow. Which direction? I'm not quite sure yet. I do know, however, that when I make a decision it'll be unmovable, and all energy will flow to that direction.

Til then, I'm counting down the minutes til I can be with my family. I miss them so much, but the routine is helping. I have a ton of work to do, so I'm off to push more paper.

I wonder how the Ladies are doing. I haven't heard from them since they said they'd call back.
I know the boys are having a wonderful time in school. Even if little Runner has one boy in class that's bigger and faster than him. LOL. It seemed to make him very upset.

I miss you all.

To all, I'm out.

Life Happens and Why I Hate Moving

Well, it's been a hectic couple of months. I have a week to go in my maternity leave hiatus and I'm REALLY torn. How do I leave a new baby and a wonderful husband for 9-10 hours a day when I haven't been away from them for longer than two hours since the little one's been born? HTE and I have spent almost three months together and it's been great. It's amazing how well we've worked together on everything. I'm so afraid I'm going to miss a huge event and be devastated.

At the same time...I haven't been away from work for longer than a month since I started working 9 years ago (the month was a one time thing, most of my vacations consisted of one and a half to two weeks at a time). I'm truly blessed that my occupation allows me a maternity leave with full bennies. Now I feel like I have to go back and earn it.

Can you still feel like a good Mom without feeling guilty for working full time? For me, probably not. But I can't stop working. I have to. It's a drive in me. I could work from home, but I wouldn't be organized enough to keep it going. I've been making the drive "to work" for so long...

Anyway, I'm doing the best I can and trying not to break out in tears everytime I look at or hold the little tyke. LOL. I'm sure I'll be okay. I just hope HTE's prepared for the phone call bombardment when I get back to work.

On the more immediate front, HTE's fighting a very irritating (for him) virus. After a much needed rest, he feels much better. The fever's gone, but now he's feeling all the achy leftover ickies.

I ran on very little sleep last night and felt wonderful this morning. I was really afraid the near comatose life I'd been living while pregnant wouldn't go away. Thankfully, I don't need as much sleep anymore. Unfortunately, I still needed a nap today, but at least it's an improvement.

Now that the world is slowing down and I'm back to wind up to work mode...I realize how much I hate moving. HTE moved us into our apartment while I was bedrested at nine months pregnant. He was amazing. I'm still awed by how much he did for us. Now we're finally able to go through everything and put it away. I hate moving b/c of the unpacking. LOL. Once everything's where I want it to be, I'll be happy, but until then I'm feeling like I'm not *quite* home yet. So...it's back to writing and cleaning.

Very Happy Birthday to my stepson. The Viking is 8 now and needs a cell phone to call all his girlfriends. LOL. I hope he enjoys his gift, but I know he's beat his game already. Love ya kid.

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian buds.

To all, I'm out.

Midnight oil's runnin low..and why I hate the phone

I'm sitting here, plugging plot holes and thinking over the past few days. HTE had a rough night tonight. Sometimes lost loved ones pop into your mind without a warning. They always rest in your heart, but when you hear a favorite song or smell a familiar scent, you get caught up in the memories. His Mother passed away some time ago. She must have been a wonderful woman, and I'm sorry I never met her. So tonight, all I can do is comfort him an listen. The stories. Wow. LOL. She was amazing. And to hear her son talk...a force of nature. Much like his sister. LOL. She made a beautiful and loving family and I can only be thankful they're a part of my life. My Love, especially. I'm thankful for him every day.

HTE's sleeping now so I have baby duty. :-) Unfortunately the kender has a bit of congestion. While he isn't fussy, he is occasionally uncomfortable. So I'm staying with him for most of the night, helping him clear his stuffy nose. On the cool baby stuff side, Kender's making noises NOT related to crying. While it's not exactly cooing, (kind of like small shrieks and soft cries) it's still amazing. I can't believe how big he's getting. Isn't it phenominal how you can love something so little, so very much?

I called my Mom today. Grandma is feelin' blue that she hasn't had her Kender fix in a month. She's hoping to come visit soon. :-) While that's nice, she did upset me with her turn of conversation. My brother lives with her. He's 21, and before you freak, he's helping her take care of her very sick husband. His job is dead end and he's looking for a new start. Wonderful news...he wants to enter a vocational school...fantastic! I'm all for it. All of this I know. Now Mom says...he can't get a student loan b/c he has no credit. Because of the doc bills and things, my credit is shot and I can't help him. Can you try and co-sign?

*blinks*

Now here's my rant.

My brother is 21! I completely understand why he has no credit...he and I grew up in an environment where having checks meant you had money in the bank. My grandfather and mother were not the best at finances. We grew up realizing that credit could get you into more trouble than anything in the world. LOL.

Why didn't my ADULT brother ask me? He had spoken to me seconds before Mom got on the phone. So...I ask Mom to put on the cougar. We needed to talk. She asks me if we can do it and I say...I need to speak to Cougar.

So he calls me back and we talk. Why did he let Mom ask me? B/c she offered, he says. LOL.

Do you see my point? Why was I upset? B/C Mom has nothing to do with it. Only he and I have anything to do with the loan.

Ohhhh. And then we reach an understanding.

We has a fantastic conv about that. From now on he'll talk to me directly about any of this. No problem. I'll talk finances only with him and vice versa. Adult to adult. Finally. :-) Little bro's grown up and I can't believe how awesome it is to see it. He's an ox when it comes to work, so if the loan gets approved, I know it'll be in good hands.

Mom gets back on and asks me again if HTE and I can do it. I say...we'll see. *sigh*

Friends:

I got a phone call from a friend in Cali. He's pretty upset that I didn't tell him about having the baby, give him my new phone number, etc. *sigh* I'm still apologizing to everyone for that, btw. So for the record: I spent the last month and a half of my pregnancy in a serious state of uncomfortable, sleeping for many more hours per day than I ever had and sick as a dog. Add to that constant contractions (two weeks straight...2-3 minutes apart at intensity that pushed the line off the charts) and you might see where I'm coming from. I didn't call anyone. I didn't email anyone. I barely had a three second short term memory.

While that's no excuse for not calling everyone and giving them my new phone number, emailing everyone or IMing everyone, it is the mental state I was in. I didn't give anyone my new number b/c I never thought to call anyone. It wasn't b/c I love my friends any less or I felt like my life was more important. It was that I never thought to call anyone. It never crossed my mind. I could barely function past the next contraction. Yeah, I know...plenty of women do it all the time without problems, yadda yadda. Most women feel pain with all of their contractions and are almost expected to be jerks in the delivery room. I felt almost no pain and was told that I was the politest person they'd ever seen in L&D, even when the anesthesia wore off in surgery. Go figure. Every pregnancy is different.

I'm very sorry guys.

To my family: I love you all very much.

To my friends: I love you all too. Thanks for understanding.

Peace all, I'm out. It's nap time.