Le Tour Picks Back Up - The Final Six Days Begin

I've got 20 minutes to get this written and posted today, so the keys are clicking at record pace and proofreading will have to be spurned. Shame on me - proofreading and editing are always important, but sometimes life (and the clock) doesn't permit a do-over. 

No do-overs in today's blog, so I hope there aren't any massive
typos or factual inaccuracies. 

We're back to Le Tour de France today, entering the final six days of competition - two days on the "flats", three days in the majestic Alps, and the final ride into Paris and sprint on the "Champ". Chickie was on her way back home yesterday and probably arrived back at her house late last night. She'll spend today recovering from her trip and be in the shop to work on Wednesday. That means I actually get a "day off" this week, and my Manager only has to work two more days before he gets the rest of the week off. Vacations really mess with our schedules! 

Today's stage is a loop from Nimes to Nimes, 177 kilometers
of relatively "flat" riding. Usually they put a stage like
this on the tour between the Alps and Paris. This year they're
having the riders do the big mountains and then move
directly to the final stage and the podiums. It's a strange
stage today. 

So - as we enter this final week of Le Tour, we're crossing back over the central portion of southern France to move from the mountains of the Pyrenees towards the giants of the Alps. The Pyrenees were exciting - their narrow roads and crowds of enthusiastic fans didn't disappoint. Going through the Pyrenees is like pushing your way through a crowd at a carnival. Going through the Alps is a bit more civilized - moving through a popular exhibit - crowded, but less intrusive. I can hardly wait for Thursday and our first mountain stage on these grand peaks. 

Today we focus on that little loop on the lower section, heading
east. I'm not really sure why they did another loop, it's not
a time trial or a similar thing, but I guess they had a day
but didn't want to actually push into the second group of
mountains quite yet. Still, it's a rather silly. 

So, I'm dashing off to the gym, and I'm actually finished on time! It's a total shock, I know - LOL. Have a truly excellent Tuesday and I'll be back with an update and who knows what else, tomorrow. 

Dodging a Bullet

Sleep would be a great idea, but it doesn't seem to be happening for me lately. Too much on my mind? Maybe, but I don't think there's any more stuff in there crowding to break free than at other times. I guess I'll just put the blame down to stress, try to work some of it off in the swimming pool this morning, and hope that tonight's sleep will be less restless and actually last until my 3:15 am alarm. Still, that extra 12 minutes I got yesterday and again today has been welcome time.

I'm still not sure how we got so lucky, but I'm sure grateful. I really
didn't want to deal with icy roads and lots of snow yesterday. 

We dodged a bullet yesterday, and I'm still not sure how we got that lucky. We were supposed to have six hours of an icy rain followed by another six hours of snow depositing 1"-6" of the white stuff. We did get a frozen drizzle which made walking a bit tricky for a few hours, but the streets were generally OK for driving and the salt and sand trucks were out and about. The snow also came and it looked really pretty, for the less than 15 minutes that it was falling. I'd say we got a dusting. Excellent! It's only February and we have lots of winter still to come, but yesterday's miss was a nice surprise.

These are my current slippers. Pretty pathetic, aren't
they? They're Sketchers and they've lasted for several years,
but they are on their last legs. I need a new set of
slippers desperately! 

Today I have to shop all over town. I need stuff at Target, Trader Joe's and at the grocer, and I desperately need a new pair of indoor shoes/slippers. My current pair are in tatters and are barely holding on to my feet under optimal conditions. I probably won't have the time for shoe shopping, though.

Editing is just as time consuming (if not more) than the actual
writing. The difference is that the plot and storyline has already
been written down and now it's time for polish and symmetry. 

I also have to edit a story I'm writing for the Taboo challenge. It has to be uploaded no later than Friday, so the clock is ticking. It's pretty much in the can, meaning I can do a lot of editing on it but the basic parameters and structure are there. I usually spend far longer on the editing process than I do on the actual composition of any story, so this has to get done.

Editing can be an intensive process. It's helpful to have outside eyes
when editing, but beta readers and new eyes aren't always available.
Sometimes I really miss the old Lizard Council group.   

Usually I can take some computer time at the shop to edit and catch up on emails, but we finally got a long-awaited shipment in on Monday and my time will be wrapped up in packaging product for the rest of the week. I'm happy to have a day off today to give my hands a break from clutching tubes while filling and packing them down; it can be hard on me after several hundred tubes. Unfortunately, I'm not as young as I used to be.

So I'm hoping for clear roads, easy finds at the various stores, and clarity of thought when I sit down to edit. Easy requests, right? LOLOL Have a wonderful Wednesday - don't work too hard and spread some unexpected kindness today, we really need some positive vibes in our world.

Delete and Redo - Selective Editing in Life

I've really been enjoying the new season of "The Voice" which started last week. So far two people who had been turned down in earlier seasons tried out again and this time they were accepted and now move on in the competition. It's a good reminder to me that sometimes things don't work out on first run, but to revamp, renew, and try again.

The judges for this season (Season 10) of The Voice are
Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams and
Adam Levine. Here they are turned away from the singer, ready
to hear an audition. 

I knew singers auditioned for the show, but one of the young ladies accepted last night had auditioned seven times before finally moving on far enough to try her song in front of the judges for the blinds. Yet one more example of perseverance. And yes, she got at least one chair turned and got to choose a coach. For those who don't or can't watch the program, "The Voice" is a televised vocal competition that begins with blind 90-second vocal auditions. If the singer can get at least one of the judges to push their button and turn around for them (thus, no longer being 'blind'), they will have a coach and can continue to the next round.

This is what the singers want to see - turned chairs and white lights
indicating that a judge wants the opportunity to coach that singer.
Here, Christina and Blake are ready to fight it out. Who will win
the singer for their team? 

Isn't life like that - a lot? I think of how many times I revise my writings. It's no wonder the big things - the novels - are still languishing on my hard drive. I often put hours of work into simple 100-word and 300-word stories/chapters. Stories I've written with hundreds of thousands of words are an editing nightmare. Sometimes we need a re-do or a good editing for life as well. Is something becoming too difficult to do? Has the enjoyment gone out of a project or event? Maybe it's time to edit that out of your life and focus on those things that are fun or that allow you to progress to the next day with a smile on your face. If it's a project, just finish it and get it out of your life. Maybe you can trade with someone else - they paint the trim while you corral the two-year-olds or something. Make it work!

You can't escape everything, but you can make everything count. You'll
still have to do things you don't want to sometimes, but selective
editing will make the whole much more palatable. 

This does NOT mean you get to escape all of the not-fun items in life. You still have to go to the dentist, you still have to exercise and watch what you eat. You will still have bad days as well as good. But it does mean that when you look back over a week, it will be with a smile and the color that stands over it in your mind's eye will be one that you like, not one that depresses you. Choose wisely, young Padawan. Time marches on and there are NEVER enough hours in a day. Have a fun Wednesday - I'm getting my garbage and recycling to the curb and then I'm off to the pool. Oh happy Guppy Day!

All For 80 Cents

My business website and my computers haven't been talking to each other for almost two years now. The host did an upgrade that has locked me out for product and pricing updates and it's been more than frustrating. But redoing my website from scratch also seems unfeasible - I have thousands of products on the site, each pictured and coded for sale. But, getting back to my story, my updates are stacked to the moon, and no, the prices aren't up-to-date. But that hasn't seemed to matter to the customers ordering from me - until yesterday.

Dark Sapphire is a unique color, never available in large quantity,
and almost completely unavailable nationwide. I'm sold
out of the 3mm and 4mm sizes and get asked for them regularly. 

Among the items I have on the website are Swarovski crystal beads in numerous colors and sizes. The price has changed, yes, it's gone up from $2.75 to $2.95 per package, but I do have a disclaimer that prices are subject to change at any time at the bottom of each page of the website. My customer ordered two packs each of two different colors, so her order was increased by a total of 80 cents. She was lucky to get one of the colors at all - it's no longer made, very rare, and I'm totally sold out of the two smaller sizes and get asked for them at least once a month. But ...

I order on-line all the time and sometimes there are price differences.
for a major difference, I would have raised a complaint too. But
for a 20 cent difference? It seems a bit over the top. 

She sent me a rather snitty e-mail demanding that I honor the website price (not going to happen) or cancel her order. I'm cancelling her order. I'll live without her under $12 order and sell the beads to someone else who won't have a snit over 80 cents. I mean really - 80 CENTS???? You could probably find that in your couch cushions or thrown into your car. But I'll cancel the order, get a refund on the postage from the Post Office, and go on with my life. She, on the other hand, will have difficulty finding that color available anywhere else. I wonder it she'll give up and try ordering from me again, or just change the color palette for her project instead.

I have one of these - bought it at the Bead & Button Show last
year. We finally got the base changed out on it and it's ready to go.
I want to play with my wheels! 

Today is my day off. I'm hoping to get some stone work done amidst the laundry. I also have to get some income tax paperwork completed and finish the final read-through of my SV story so that I can get that posted within a day. It's going to be a busy day, and I'm so ramped up to get going on it, I awakened at 2:50 am just psyched to get my day going. Since my alarm would have gone off within less than 30 minutes, I went ahead and started my day. One step ahead. I'm hoping that continues throughout the day and that I actually accomplish some stuff today. What a concept!

Happy Wednesday to all!

Life Continues and Coffee Ice Cream

Yesterday was slow at the shop (not good) so I hunted down my muses, dragged them from their hidden cave, and actually had time to write (very good). Today I'll try to make time to read what I wrote and begin the editing/revision portion of the story, but I'm pleased that I at least got this far. Now to make sure everything make sense.

I edit on screen now, but remember the days of using
a red and blue pencil and editing marks. I'm rather happy
about the ability to do tracked corrections in MSWord, though.
Much easier and faster. 

I'm trying to entice my muses to stick around for a while with bribes of caffeine and ice cream. Will the bribes work? Hard to say, but worth a try. The combo would certainly work for me. In fact, coffee bean ice cream would be just about heaven for me. Maybe I should hunt some up over the weekend.

Black coffee ice cream - YUMMY! I want some! 

Life keeps plodding along. The cold spell has left us and we're above zero. Our winter weather has moved along to the East Coast. When added to the storm coming in there from the ocean side, it looks like the East is going to be socked in by a serious mess. Here's hoping all of my friends from the affected areas get through this OK and that Esteliel, flying in from Germany for a few days of Broadway shows, doesn't get too much wrecked on her trip. I'm hoping the cabs still drive and the shows that she plans on attending are still being held.

DH was trying to rough out a shape similar to this using his trim saw.
He hasn't used the equipment before, and wasn't happy to discover
its limitations. He'll survive. He needs to find out the ins and outs of
using his new toy and the piece he is cutting from only cost him $1 so
he can ruin it if he wants to. 

Other than that, today is probably boring. That's really not a bad thing - these are the days that allow me to think, plot, plan, design, and move forward in projects for the shop as well as personal ones. DH spent yesterday afternoon trying out his new trim saw on a slab of stone. It actually did well, but he wasn't really happy with it. He'll get used to it and then he'll be off playing and having a great time. I have confidence.

I swim in a small, 25-yard lap pool with five lanes (a bit narrower than
this pool). I like it, though. It works well for me. I wish we had a few
more lanes, it can get crowded in the early morning, but it's a friendly
group of people and we have all become friends. 

Have a wonderful Friday and end your work week in style. As usual, I'll be starting my day out at the pool - no better way to start a perfect day. Enjoy!

Life's Little Vicissitudes

Smooth sailing is for other people.

I saw the eye doctor yesterday and good news - the swelling is down and the pain is minimal. Bad news - I need to have the cyst, for so it's been determined I have, drained which is eye surgery. It's an inpatient procedure done at the office, but it will involve needles for local anesthetic. I've had these before for eye surgery. The damned local anesthetic shots HURT A LOT. Once I get through that, the actual cut and drain should be a cakewalk. I can drive myself home if I sit in the waiting room for up to an hour until I am no longer tearing blood. Oh joy! That's scheduled for the 19th in the afternoon, so I have two weeks until DOOM strikes.

Doom will strike. Probably not this dramatically, though. I love this picture
of  Volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupting in south Iceland, May 2010

I've been working with the city to try and get a handle on the street parking in my area. We have a university across the street from us and students parking have been causing us all sorts of problems. The city finally put up some signage instructing "No Parking from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm" for most of the block, but they stopped right after my driveway. My DH wants the sign moved to our property line. He's been driving me crazy bitching and moaning about this stupid sign since they put them up on Friday night. If I have to listen to much more complaining, I might run into the street screaming, so I guess I'll have to phone the city today and see what I can do. One more thing on my agenda *sigh*.

I had wanted signs like this, but the city over-complicated things.
Now I have to call Duane and see if anything can be done.
A face-to-face meeting between him and DH might be for the best. 

I'm looking at my to-do list for the day and I can't even read my own writing. This isn't good. I know I have several errands that have to get done today. It would be helpful to be able to actually read them on the list. I'll be spending as much time as possible writing or working on my beadwork project. I should have 10,500 words in to my NaNo by the end of today, and I only have 7678 right now. So I have a bit more writing to do. I keep looking at what I'm writing and I'm so unsure about whether this is actually going to work or not, but I have a lot invested in the story, and if I have to delete a word, a sentence, a paragraph or entire pages in the editing process, so be it. It can't be edited if it hasn't already been written.

Most authors are familiar with the phrase "Kill your darlings". But is it
always a good idea? Check out this link for some different thoughts. 

Happy Wednesday to all of you. I hope you're happy with the results of your various elections from yesterday. I haven't checked the news yet, so I don't know who won in my area, but I'm sure DH will have something to complain about - LOL.

Apologies and Catch-up

First off - apologies for late responses to those kind enough to post on yesterday's blog. A variety of factors descended upon me, causing me to be unable to get back to the computer until this morning. I'll be reading and replying later today when I can take a break from work.

There are so many ways to read e-books now. Although I read on both
my phone and my NookColor, now my DH can read on his
tablet and his phone too. E-book readers and apps are fabulous
as my eyes age and vision for small, blurry print becomes more difficult. 

DH is loving his new phone in most respects, and read three chapters on the tablet last night very happily. I think upgrading him into the current electronic times was a good investment and if it keeps smiles like that on his face, all is worthwhile. He has a day off today, so I'll leave him with the tablet and he can continue reading if he has a chance to.

I admit that I tend to combine editing with
revisions, but that's usually because I have
time sensitive issues. 

I did get my Ardor in August story uploaded on Saturday night just before midnight. I went through three very extensive edits on the work, and it probably could have had at least one more, but each one takes 2-3 hours and I ran out of time. I wanted it posted before Sunday because I had a feeling time would be of the essence on Sunday and it was. Between watching the end of Le Tour de France and shopping for electronics, the day swung out of control before I knew it. I was grateful to have had time on Saturday, even though I gave up sleep (which will hit me later this week) to do so.

Here's the preliminary cast for Season 7 of Face-Off. Two of these
people have already been voted off. Episode two airs tonight. 

So, one of my favorite shows is back on for Season 7. Face Off (SyFy channel) is extreme makeup for movie effects and it's always great fun. Last week was the premier episode of Season 7 and it comprised a four-hour challenge as the final audition with two people who would be sent home before the actual multiple day challenges begin. DH and I both pegged the winner and the two who were sent home, so I guess we're used to watching the show and know what to look for after six previous seasons. I mention Face Off because it airs on Tuesday nights, so those who may enjoy it but weren't aware that it had started up again - turn on your televisions tonight.

The color progression and balance that Tanya Garvis
put into this piece are typical of her style and one reason
why I love it so much. I love color, one major reason
why I work in glass. 

I received my latest edition of Glass on Metal magazine two days ago. This is a specialized magazine for enamalists and, since that is my preferred artform, I couldn't let it sit on the table but had to rip open the packaging and start reading. I discovered an interview by Tanya Garvis and was surprised to discover that she's a local resident. I thought her work was fabulous and I'm going to try and take some time within the next week to contact her. She's doing some amazing work with color and I just love her sense of color and design.

Just look at the subtle color progression that she put into
this piece entitled "Soft Cascade". Really lovely work.
She's done smaller work for homes and larger work for
architectural settings. I'll have to try and contact her because
what she's doing is extraordinary. 

So that's about it for the moment. I hope each of you have a wonderful Tuesday. I'll be trying to do some catch-up with my writing, my blogging and my reading (while actually working at the shop) so it has potential to be a very good day :-)

Out of the Mountains and Editing!

So with Stage 19 the riders of Le Tour are finally out of the mountains. Today is an up and down that will be a sprinter's paradise at the end. Barring unforeseen accidents or other calamity, the Yellow Jersey will be Vincenzo Nibali's when they ride into Paris on Sunday, and Majka, the young Polish rider that had all of us astounded with his skill has wrapped up the Polka-dot Jersey for King of the Mountain. Peter Sagan looks like he has the Green sprinter's jersey wrapped up but the White Jersey could still shift. AG2R has been riding hard since the start and has wrapped up the team competition. So why bother still watching? Well, because it's Le Tour - a twenty-one day bicycle race that has engrossed me for many years now!

Today is almost anticlimactic. It's a hilly up and down stage, but
nothing major. Tomorrow's time trial will probably be harder than
today's stage. But the riders are tired and hurting, so anything can happen. 

But Le Tour is not the only massive road race across Europe. Earlier in the year is the Giro d'Italia, another 21-day challenge which, this year, was won by Nairo Quintana, a Columbian rider I remember from Le Tour a few years ago. The Giro was ridden on May 9 - June 1 of this year.

There is nothing like the Italian Alps and the Dolomite Mountains. The
Giro paints Italy pink for three weeks because the winner's jersey is
pink colored. Only the Italians could get away with fashion sense like that. 

Still to come is La Vuelta a Espana, Spain's answer to Le Tour which goes for 20 days, August 23 - September 14th. Alberto Contador was hoping to compete in this after breaking his leg earlier in Le Tour, but has pulled out because he is not healing as quickly as he wanted.

The winner of la Vuelta a Espana wears red, so Spain is painted
red for this tour which starts next month. Expect to see familiar faces
and teams competing in this tour. Although it is rare for a person
in GC contention to ride both Le Tour and la Vuelta (or the Giro),
it has been done. 

So there you have it - the three great Tours of Europe. There are lots of smaller road races also, and let's not forget the USA Pro Challenge. It isn't a long race, only seven days, but it takes place at the high altitudes of the big mountains in Colorado and starts in my former home town of Aspen, Colorado (I'm getting homesick again). Sixteen teams have committed to riding this one, and it proves to be a massive pull over many of our 10,000-14,000 foot peaks. Of course, the entire route is at least one mile high since they end in Denver, so it will be a fight in rarefied air.

With the Rocky Mountains behind them, the contenders in 2013
leave the high mountains for the high plains of Colorado in the
USA Pro Challenge. This year's Challenge begins next month and
goes for a week. 

Now on to my personal rarefied air - editing. I got a good deal edited yesterday, but I have a long way to go. Today's post is short, sweet and to the point. Now to get back into editing mode...  Have a fabulous Friday and I'll be back tomorrow.

Catching Up - What a Great Weekend

I only have Saturday nights and Sundays for my 'weekend', but I got the most I could from my time. I was determined to not let my friends down, so slapped on my headphones and music and started editing as soon as I could on Saturday night. By the time I went to sleep on Sunday, I had sent two stories off to their authors with editing complete and was half-way through a third. I feel much more relieved. I also updated "Under Strange Stars" to my archives which only leaves me four more stories to update to get current. I'll get there yet :-)

I love the "track changes" feature in Microsoft Word 2013. I do my editing
in it and it helps me track what I've done when I send it off to others. The
changes are always optional, so the author doesn't have to accept my
suggestions, and I can comment easily when things don't flow or I have questions. 

We have an appointment with our accountant tomorrow night for our personal taxes and I'll be working on organizing, etc today and tomorrow so that I have my numbers in order for him. The more we work with Paul, the more errors we find in things that had been done by our previous accountant. It's a shame because we had really liked her, but not all of the I's were dotted or the T's crossed.

A simple form was not filed in 1997! 1997!!!! REALLY????
We filed it now and hopefully it won't come back to bite us. 

For the past two weeks I've been trying to get new paper for my cash registers. For several years I've bought my paper at Restaurant Depot but when I went there it wasn't on the shelf. I talked with Tom, the Manager out there and after several days and a few drop-bys, we finally had an answer. Their supplier was replacing my 2300SP with a different brand. He set a pack aside for me and even gave it to me at no charge because of the time we had spent (VERY nice of him) and I tried it on Friday. But...it's a no-go. It's too wide for my printer. So I'll be dropping the flat back off to him later this week and I ordered some retail from my local Office Depot instead. At least I still got a good price...

This was a really lovely lunch. A mini chicken pot pie, a side salad and a
piece of pie was perfect. We haven't gone to Baker's Square for a while, but
it was nice to revisit them. 

DH and I went a little food crazy on Sunday and ate WAY too much - but it was really, really good. We went to Baker's Square for lunch/brunch. He had a scrambled eggs concoction that he said was really good, I had a mini chicken pot pie, salad and of course, pie. We brought the pie home for later in the afternoon.

I do enjoy Kentucky Fried Chicken. Are you getting the impression that
I don't cook? You're right! It's a one-a-week thing for me and when I
do cook, it's usually ... Chicken! - LOL. 

Then for dinner we wanted to use a Kentucky Fried Chicken coupon, so we had chicken for dinner. And then, of course, some Ben & Jerry's Core Ice Cream for late night dessert. TOO MUCH FOOD. But it was really good and I'll be a good girl today again :-)

Have a fabulous Monday...

Whew! Dodged a Bullet Again...

I don't like missing deadlines, although sometimes RL just gets in the way. I had a story due last night. I had made one start on but I wasn't really happy with it. During my lunch break I started a second version, but it still wasn't quite there. So, after dinner, I put Mendelssohn's 3rd Symphony in play, slapped on my headphones, and got to work. It's not a long story, and I'm sure there are some errors in it that I just missed, but I submitted the story at 9:00 pm last night so I'm happy and relieved. Just under the bullet for this one.

Thank goodness I was able to pull this one out. I hate missing
deadlines and this one just crept up on me. 

However, I own my dear friend in Germany at least one chapter and another European friend a beta on a story of hers that I'm only 1/3 of the way through and I'm swamped right now. *sigh* I hate letting friends down, so I'll be pushing myself for whatever spare time I have over the next week to get this done for my friends, get my paperwork finished for my Tuesday night tax return appointment, keep my DH sane and mellow while we wait for the next stage in this house sale and operate my business. SURE! I have a life...don't I?

Editing has a long and sterling history of driving editors to crazed
commentary and strong drink. Just wait...I'll get there yet - LOL. 

It's weeks like this that make me realize why most of my writing is accomplished in fits and starts and why I am more comfortable with snippets, drabbles and short stories than with novellas and novels. As much as I have a desire to write a novel, I'm lucky to have the ability to string together 10,000+ words in a single storyline. All too often my pieces are 1,000 - 5,000 words and last night's quick story, although I was very happy with the visual imagery I was portraying with my words, ended at a measly 807 words long. Arghhhhhh!

Short stories are a quick journey for the reader but a long haul
for the author. Everything has to be right in a short story - there
is no room for wasted verbiage.

At the least, I am getting practice with writing and learning how to put together something with choice words. I am resigned to the fact that although I write a good tale in a first draft, that by the time I am finished with my revisions, my throw-out rate of what I originally wrote can easily top 60%. I don't edit as much as rewrite - trying to choose each word to better evoke the theme and essence of the tale. Looking at how much I revise, it's a wonder I get anything out there for others to read at all!

Editing and revisions can make or break a story. 

I'm looking forward to my Saturday and a Sunday that (so far) doesn't have major plans rotating around it. Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday.

Spring is a'Coming

Pity the poor person who is responsible for
changing multiple clocks twice a year.

In the US, Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday morning (very early). Spring is 'spring ahead' so we lose an hour of sleep. Normally it doesn't hit me horribly because it's on a Sunday and that's the day that we sleep in. But I was a wreck by mid-afternoon yesterday and actually crashed out for a nap before dinner. I always figure if I'm falling asleep in my chair while trying to edit, I should probably at least get into a prone position.

This is the season for leaking roofs. Homes and
business will both be sporting buckets. It drives
me a bit crazy - I hate that constant dripping sound.

We checked out ceiling leaks in the shop and Jim's Dad's house yesterday, chopped a lot of sidewalk ice up to make them safer, and did a bit of grocery shopping. Before I left to do these varied errands I washed my computer keyboard. Over the top? No. The left Shift key was sticking and more times than not I wasn't getting the capital letter I needed. I'm not good with using the right Shift key, so washing time. I have a washable keyboard or I wouldn't try this, and amazingly enough, it worked. Shift key is now happy and I am also.

I had Dale add a washable keyboard to my computer when he
built it last year. I love the keyboard, and now it has proved
its worth. 

I finally was able to finish my B2MeM story last night. I'll post it today sometime for later reveal. I knew what I wanted when I accepted the prompt, but it was one of those stories that had to be dragged out of my mind, one word at a time. Argh! Fortunately after some serious editing, it even reads well. It's really silly how much time it took. Now to get back to editing for a couple of friends and writing my next LOTR Community assignment.

Spring cleaning - the best of intentions and the complete
lack of stamina is my usual difficulty. 

Spring to me always means spring cleaning. But since we'll still have cold temps for another month and the possibility of snow here and there too, I don't feel the need to dive right into it. But soon. My fingers are actually itching to dust, run the vacuum, and polish. Silly me!

My thoughts are a bit disjointed today...

I realize the post this morning is disjointed, but so it goes sometimes. Have a great Monday!

Back to Writing...Now Where is that Muse Hiding?

I usually don't have any problems with my muse. She is usually quite happy to recline on a nearby sofa with a glass of wine in her hand and to hit me over the head periodically to keep the plots working. Well, Back to Middle Earth Month is underway again, and even though I did find the quote I wanted to write about, I haven't found the angle I want for attack yet.

I loved this banner. I'm so pleased I had an occasion to use it.

Then the question will come..."What length do I want to write?" I haven't made up my mind about that either. But, this morning in the shower, while thinking about an email I wanted to send a friend about a character we both have in our uni's, a possibility hit me. I'll have to think about it a bit more, but it may satisfy my desire to use a well-loved character and still delve into the quote I wanted, at least sidling in from the side.

I worked a bit on my LOTR Community story for March yesterday and restarted it three times. Today I'll take another look at it and hopefully clarity will come and I will feel happy about one or more of the POV's and can take off from there. This one won't be a long story, but I'm not one of those who can pound out a 3000 word story that is publishable in one sitting. I can put out that character count, but as I've said before, editing is my friend. I know I have too many things on my deadline platter right now and can't spend a lot of time on a big story.

So today is Saturday and I hope to begin working on the color work for CB's story tomorrow, or by Wednesday at the latest. I still need to finish inking one more piece, then work up a photo montage for another and then break out the charcoals for a final one. If necessary, I'll use a photo for the last one, but I would rather draw it because it's more fun that way. Then a quick think about chapter headings and I'll be done with this. Now...back to thinking about B2ME... Happy weekend!

February Scheduling - It's Working Out

Today is the seventh of February, leaving me three weeks in the month. I restarted my o-fic for Untold Press with a completely different theme and it's working much better. I should have things at an edit stage by the end of the weekend. I have decided to shelve my LOTR Community story for February, the topic and my assigned elements just aren't working for me and I have too many other things on my agenda to spend the time with something that doesn't bring me enjoyment. And I have decided that the remainder of the month (aside from several more edits of my o-fic) will be devoted to illustrating CB's Big Bang story. What fun!

I just love the layered detail in the hair here...

so very well done!

I am not an artist who works quickly. In fact, compared to my writing, my artwork is downright pokey. But I've now read the story twice and have started collecting the images I want to display. Soon I'll be adding my travel easel to the items I'll be carrying back and forth to the shop with me each day. Once I get the inking done, I'll begin overlaying the pastels. I have obtained all of the colors I'll need (and many more - I'm a bit pastel crazy right now) and I look forward to playing with them. I'll have to double-check the deadline, but I am planning on having things wrapped up by the end of the month, optimistically.

During our regular weekly phone call, Aearwen and I discussed writers boards. They are so incredibly useful, but only when people feel comfortable posting there and are happy with the level of critique that they receive. When I first started writing fan fiction, I had already been involved as a beta reader on a writers board called Lizard Council. An amazing array of writing talent was gathered on that board including Darth, Pande, Surgical, Randy and many more. It was a safe place to post and receive feedback and the things I learned there I carry with me every time I settle down to edit my own work or help friends with theirs. A writers workshop can be invaluable and impartial input from the members of a good one can make a good story stronger.

Over the past year I have found that I hardly visit LC any more, and I miss it in so in many ways. The level of trust that I had felt there disappeared, at least for me, so I pulled back from the group although I stayed in contact with many of the people I had met through its boards. But I miss it; at least I miss the interaction and the give and take that a good writers board can offer. It was extremely pleasant to speak with Aearwen about this because she is in the process of starting a new writers board that will be open to any fandom and even to o-fic. I'm hoping that it will get off the ground successfully and be a worthwhile project and board to participate in. When there is concrete information about the new board, I'll share with all of you who might also be searching for a new home.

The Month Progresses and November Wrapup

So, I have to start out with a huge cheer for my Denver Broncos who have clinched the AFC West with a 9-3-0 record. Yesterday's win was their seventh win in a row. I'm so proud of my team!

My walking is doing well. After November ended I was at the foot of the Weather Hills. By mid-December I'll be at the top of Weathertop and at the end of the month I'll be on my way towards Rivendell again. It's grand to be walking along with the Eowyn Challenge and once again thanks go to Surgical Steel for having pointed the information out to me many months ago. Credit goes where due.

Only three more Sundays to work (ick) but we're hanging in there. Poor DH was so depressed yesterday that he just dove into his game (Lord of the Rings Online) as soon as we got home and didn't come up for air for hours. It's been a hard holiday season already.

The mug is for sale on Zazzle. Go forth and buy one...

http://www.zazzle.com/writing_editing_quotation_mug-168451439272809759

And I'm still writing almost every day, although without the intensity level of November's NaNo. I have some fanfiction stuff that I have to get completed, and I'm stuck with some real problems in Lai's latest on Chapter Two. I think I'll have to email her about it just so she knows I haven't forgotten her - I really haven't!!!

Happy Monday to all.....