Melonade

Seems like every other piece of email in my office inbox is junk mail-- someone who wants money, the FBI or CIA wants answers to questions, or someone sending along a supposedly heartwarming story to brighten my day. And if I don't forward these messages, brimstone will surely rain down upon me and all my pets will die within the next 24 hours.

Even worse are those warning me that someone else is out to get me. If I don't look over my shoulder, in my backseat, or under my car at every possible moment, I will miss the psycho creep who is hiding out with a sharpened butter knife ready to slit my neck, ankles, or wallet wide open.

I know I'm not the only one who is fed up, but look around at all the people who are spreading the junk! Just go back to the last forwarded email you received (unless you delete them immediately-- and kudos to you for that)and see how many people are in the e-trail. Imagine how many of those people rushed to forward it on to everyone else they know.

I'm pleading with you, dear reader, to break the chain. I'm not saying that some warnings aren't valid or some jokes aren't funny, but just take a few seconds to do a little research before you warn all your friends and family about the next big non-existent surefire money maker. As strangely interconnected as the world is nowadays, you may very well be the reason that I get a new piece of junk.

Far too much of yesterday was spent looking for news on this. May is too far away.

Two weeks until the move.

My apartment looks like a city full of cardboard-box skyscrapers.

I don't know about you, but my pre-teen years were full of mystery novels, particularly those featuring Nancy Drew. ND was even lucky enough to occassionally be joined by the Hardy Boys for one of her ever-thrilling mysteries. Do you remember those cookie cutter mystery titles? I don't have any of those books anymore; I'd probably be disappointed if I read them now.

Last week I had a slight mystery of my own. It's late Wednesday night, and I pick up my cell phone to set my alarm. I see that I had missed a call. But it wasn't just any call. It was a call from someone who hasn't spoken to me in three months. After three months of silence, I assumed that name would never again show up on my phone. The first reaction is to wonder what he has to say and whether it's really good or really, really bad.

The voicemail message is no help in deducing the purpose of the call. To paraphrase: "I wanted to talk to you if I could; call me back later."

I check the clock. It's 12:17 a.m., and too late to call back. The next morning I get up early to go home for Thanksgiving. I wonder if I should call while I'm on the road, but I decide against it.

Saturday evening I head back to OKC and finally get a moment to return the phone call. There is no answer. The automated voicemail lady tells me how to leave a message as if I've never done it before. I consider a few options but can't form any complete thoughts, and I hang up without saying anything. I'm a little disappointed and a little relieved that he didn't answer. What do you say to someone who hasn't talked to you in three months? I'm sure he'll be able to see his missed call. At least that should let him know that he can talk to me. There was never a time when he couldn't try.


It's Tuesday, and still nothing.

After Thursday night/Friday morning's Harry Potter extravaganza, I didn't want to do anything on Friday evening that required me leaving my apartment. I did some packing, some TV-ing, and some gaming, but mostly I basked in the comfort of my little cave.

After waking at a perfectly decent hour Saturday morning, I got a phone call from a friend. I think I was watching a Spiderman/X-Men cartoon at the time. (There are so few good Saturday morning cartoons these days.)

The purpose of said phone call was a happy one indeed; Coldplay is coming to town in February, and my friend was checking to see if I was interested in going. Well...that's really a silly question. Coldplay is one of my top 5 favorites, and I've never been to a "real" concert before.

And then after the confirmation phone call a little while later, I snuggled back on the couch of couches and settled in for a repeat of Friday's performance with alternating sessions of Friends Season 10 and Scrubs Season 2. Yes, it was a good weekend.

I'm narrowing down paint colors for the bedroom in the new house. A part of me says that I should get a couple of shades and test them out for a few days to see how they look at different times of the day. The more hasty part of me just wants to go straight to the painting without the sampling process.

The new color scheme necessitates painting about half of my furniture, which is hard to do when my only choices are to paint in my not-so-well ventilated bedroom (the other rooms being overcome with boxes) or to attempt painting on my too cold and too small balcony.

The next few weeks will include a blog-reduced diet as I try to fit everything I own into moving boxes and scrub two years' worth of living off of my apartment. Just wanted to warn you.

Enjoy your day.

Proving almost anyone can attempt to write a novel.

Sorry, friends. I know my posting has been scare lately. Things are busy, but I don't think there's anything that's happened lately that is blog-worthy. My living room is full of boxes, and the bedroom is full of laundry. Such is the life of a girl in transition.

My soon-to-be roommate is closing on her house tomorrow morning, and moving in tomorrow evening (fingers crossed, people!). I know she's been waiting for this for a while, and hopefully everything will go very smoothly.

After tomorrow evening's moving party, I have to scramble over to the mall to join my fellow movie-goers at the new Harry Potter movie. We're meeting at 8:45, and the show starts at 12:01. After that, we have to turn back into responsible adults and go to work as usual. There are about 28 of us going- all college students and recent graduates. It should be fun. I need to get a camera.

I was a bit disappointed this morning when I had to succumb to the season and turn on the heat. I haven't used the heat or A/C for about a month, and I was really enjoying the lower electricity bill (it dropped by half from the previous month! that's shopping money, kids) and the opened windows. Sadly, if I hadn't bumped up the temperature from 60, I probably would have stayed wrapped in my flannel sheets and 3 quilts (also known as the happiest place on earth). But thankfully, 15 minutes was all it took to warm me up and wake me up enough to traipse down to my frigid car and into a toasty office.

Okay, for the exciting part: last night I went to Target and bought Christmasy things. It seems a little early for me, but I also really liked how little traffic there was in the holiday aisles. I considered buying a little tree, but then I decided on something more original. That is, I've never seen it done, so it's original to me. I found a Christmas wreath, bought a few ornaments, and dressed it up like a tree. Here are the advantages of said wreath-as-tree:
1. No garlands, strings of beads, or lights to manage. The wreath came lit, and as it will be hanging on the wall, I only have to decorate one side. Much easier than trying to balance your decorations around a tree.
2. The wreath necessitates an ornament standard. As soon as I decided on the wreath, I eliminated those dangerously delicate glass balls from my decor. The small area means that I can choose carefully and build up my ornament collection rather than have the daunting task of trying to fill a whole tree in one year with a bunch of cheap, tacky, or fad-ish ornaments, which seem to be the norm in the stores.
3. I can chose a different theme every year and not break the bank. Everything will be blue and silver this year, but next year may be all pink. It's fabulous!
This probably isn't as exciting for you, but Christmas is the time when my theme-decorating goes into overload. Usually I'm annoyed with stores that shove Christmas in your face as soon as Halloween is over (or sometimes even after Labor Day). Yesterday, I saw the beauty in it.

And yes, the New Orleans pics are coming. The problem is that I can't put them on the blog from my Mac, and I haven't taken the time to send them to my work. It may be a poor excuse, but it's the only one I have.

Enjoy your day!

Picture CDs are ready! I'll have mine this weekend and be able to share some pictures of the New Orleans trip with you next week.

It's strange how changed and how unchanged I am by the trip. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the trip made everyone more appreciative of our physical possessions and more aware of the fact that we all have so much more stuff than we really need.

I started packing last night, and I was once again reminded of how much stuff I have. I'm thankful that I have a job that pays pretty well, but my money shouldn't always be going straight into more stuff. I know I could be happy with less. I know I have been happy with less. When I moved into my apartment two years ago, I basically started with a mattress, a tv/vcr, and books. But with the help of friends and family, I have been given a lot more...so much that I am dreading trying to pack it all up.

Then I think back to those people who have lost almost everything. The first house I worked in was a bit more heartbreaking for me because we had to throw away so many books...they were adsolutely unsalvagable.

But seeing that devastation hasn't stopped me from buying more stuff. My latest fascination is X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. (But it's okay, because I sold back some games I don't play anymore and paid practically nothing for the new one. See? I'm not totally wasteful.)

It's Homecoming week at OC. I think I'm going to the alumni breakfast tomorrow morning (I remember when we all thought it was such a crime to be at an 8 o'clock function on a Saturday. Doesn't seem so awful now.) I used to wonder why so few people (relatively speaking) showed up for Homecoming activities, but now I understand. Sure, it will be nice to see some old friends...if they come. I think my age group is still in that stage where we haven't gotten far enough from our college years to appreciate reuniting in such an organized manner. Oh well. Just cross your fingers that the weekend will provide interesting fodder for next week's blogs.

Enjoy your weekend.

Wow.

We arrived back in Oklahoma City around 7:15 yesterday morning after rolling out of New Orleans 12 hours earlier.

It's good to be home. Before any blogging about the trip, I've got to collect some thoughts. Hopefully I'll get pictures from some of the group and post them here so you can see what we saw.

Until then, enjoy your day.

No kidding.

Your labors will bear many rewards.

Today's fortune cookie may actually be right. Next week I'm going to New Orleans with a group from church to do some clean-up work. The next week may be severely lacking in posts while I try to build up some overtime hours to cover the two days of work I'm missing and round up all the stuff I need to take with me.

I was excited about going until a few days ago. Truthfully, the prevalent emotion right now is fear. I'm not afraid of the work as much as what we might see (and, as we were warned Wednesday night, smell) while we're there. I can't begin to imagine what will be waiting for us during our three days of hard work in hot and humid New Orleans.

Lately our Bible study group has been talking a lot about our identities as Christians and what that means. I honestly think that means that people should be able to see who we are and that it should be so obvious because we are passionate about our Christianity (not that passion should be confused with other things, but that's another subject). And here's my opportunity. I've got a chance to help people I wouldn't meet otherwise. That's pretty amazing.

Pray for our safety as we leave Wednesday night and drive all night to New Orleans, and also for our group as we work there and then drive back.

Enjoy your weekend.

Last night I dreamed that I was at school (a dream version of college, I suppose) and all the people there were very excited to see me. Some of them were good friends, but others were just acquaintances, so their reactions were unexpected. Then I found a newspaper dated January 2006, and I realized that I had been missing for four months. If you're one of those people who like to interpret dreams, interpret away. I don't know what to make of it.

One week from today I'll be in New Orleans. No dreams about that so far.

I know a lot of people at church have been surprised (possibly even disturbed) by my recent behavior. It's understandable. If someone who appeared reserved and inhibited all the time suddenly became outgoing and showed up at numerous social functions, I'd probably be a little confusd, too. Except, being me, I completely understand that people who may seem shy are not as timid as you may think.

The recent retreat was the instigator of this new phase. Now I spend no less than four nights a week with people; most of the time I'm only home alone one night a week. For a person who is used to spending most of her time alone or with only one or two other people, this new phase can be very exhausting very quickly.

What most people don't realize is that the outspoken, goofy me is nothing new. She's always been a part of me even when she wasn't allowed out very often.

The best thing I read recently came from my far away friend who has seen me through all phases:

You sound so fun and happy. I am glad you are doing so well. In all your social glory, please don't forget those of us who've loved you all along. :)

I realized after reading her email that I am a lot happier than I have been in a long time. It's strange now that I look back on the last couple of years. I didn't think that I could have been any better off than I was (even through the ugly times).


For the weekend's GSA, they go out to everyone who said "I should get a gold star for that." As far as I can tell, you all deserved them.

Enjoy your day.

This morning's attempt to get to work proved yesterday's post-rant completely true. There's a three-way stop just before you get to my office. When I arrived, a truck to my left had the right-of-way. Then it was clearly my turn, and I started to make my left-hand turn when an idiot in a van (who was behind the truck and arrived at the stop sign after I did) decided that he didn't need to follow the rules of three-way stops and zoomed out in front of me, giving me very little time to hit the brakes and give him a disbelieving look before he flew past. I was already in the intersection when he shot out there...I just don't understand.

One of the guys from my office happened to be behind me and saw the whole thing, confirming my belief that van guy ignored the rules and risked my safety.

I am counting down the days until I move out of my apartment and will be able to take another route to work, hopefully avoiding anymore of these little run-ins.

I don't like to be stressed while driving, but lately every car ride is a safety risk. I don't understand why everyone is in such a hurry. What's so important, people? Traffically speaking, the city (or at least my little corner of it) is full of people who can't seem to a) obey any of those invisible speed limit signs posted, or b) take into consideration the rest of us who are driving near them and would rather make it to Wal-mart peacefully than to be engaged in a collision, a shouting match, or a heart attack. Almost every time I have to drop mail at the post office, I am afraid for my life. No kidding here, folks. What gets me most are not the teenagers/college kids who are blatant in their lawbreaking. It's really the soccer moms in the minivans and SUVs that I don't understand. Okay ladies, here's a question for you: If some one else was driving the way you are and caused a wreck that harmed your children, wouldn't you be furious at that person? And why don't you have the same consideration when it's someone else's kid (or no kid at all...it doesn't really matter)? Attention drivers: you are dangerous. Just because I drive the speed limit (or slightly over) does not give you permission to run me over and/or risk my life with your antics. By the way, the fact that you own a shiny new Lexus does not exempt you from the traffic laws; you are not allowed to run a red light just because you think that we'll all wait while you fly off to your next Botox injection. And yes, when I see a police officer has caught one of you in the act and has pulled you over, I do a silent little cheer. I hope you learn your lesson.

Current score:

Allergies: 2
Mel: 0

And now, for some ramblings:

For those of you who are wondering, the iPod nano lived up to all my expectations. Upon a friend's suggestion, I take it to work every day, hook it up to my speakers, and have a very musical time while doing not-so-musical things (thanks, Blake). And while I always had music around, via the internet, or the cd player stashed under my desk, or the voices in my head, the iPod makes music selection much easier than any of my former methods.

Speaking of Mr. Blackwell, I think he should be today's GSA recipient. Not only did he get a job, but he's also downright enthusiastic about books, and that always deserves a gold star.

It's safe to say that I have no clue who reads this thing anymore. If you're feeling brave, or bored, or just plain feisty, go ahead and leave a comment. I promise not to stalk you or sell your information to the kid plotting world domination from his basement hovel.

For those of you who have befriended me lately, I blame you all for my lack of writing. Seriously, how's a girl supposed to finish her novel if she keeps getting invited to socialize with interesting people? That's not fair at all. I've turned into a serial socializer, and I don't know how to stop it. Pretty soon my couch will feel so neglected that it will look for a new home.

Okay, enough ramblings. Enjoy your weekend.

I considered posting another installation of "Something Senseless" today, but it turned out that I had something else spinning in my brain, so it's here instead. For those of you who are deeply disappointed that you won't be able to hear any random tidbits of my life today, I apologize. Better luck next time.

I've been seeing lots of news on the new iPod nano, and I've got to admit that I am intrigued with a lowercase "i". How can you not be impressed when they put the iPod next to a pencil? Unless that is one dang thick writing utensil, the iPod is impressively tiny (and as you know, miniature electronics are always cuter than their bulkier counterparts).

So I'm thinking to myself, wouldn't it be great to have one of those cute iPods sitting next to my iBook on the kitchen table while I edit my manuscript? Wouldn't it be fantastic to carry the little guy to B&N to drown out the annoying conversations of the teenage girls at the next table? Wouldn't it be fabulous to pick any DMB song on a whim while sitting by the lake?

You bet it would.

Wait, it gets better.

OKC is finally getting its own Apple Store, and the grand opening is tomorrow. I got so excited that for a few minutes I forgot that I have a previous engagement tomorrow morning.

Apparently I'm becoming fascinated with technology, because last week I got a weird craving for TiVo and even looked into it on the web (but I don't have a land line, so that's out). I'd probably just use it for Good Eats, anyway.

Unless something/someone talks me out of it, by this time tomorrow my iBook might have a baby brother.

Enjoy your day.

Change is good.

"I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth. God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth." (Genesis 9:11-13 NAS)

With Katrina still fresh in our minds and our southern neighbors preparing for Rita, this verse has been in my head a lot lately. I don't know about you, but I take a lot of comfort from it.

Between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon, I got nine hours of sleep. I'm strangely proud of my sleeplessness because I thought I'd reached a point in my life where I couldn't stay awake until 4 a.m. and then wake up at 8 a.m.

The retreat was much better than I imagined. More on that later, I'm sure.

It's Thursday, and that usually means B&N night. I try my best to pack up the survival bag (including jacket, because B&N is always colder than most icebergs) and find a relatively quiet corner so I can put in three-four hours of editing. Sadly, there's one thing preventing my regular bookstore fix: a ridiculously large heap of laundry at the foot of my bed.

Tomorrow's the retreat, and I've got to pack tonight, which requires taking stock of my wardrobe and picking out the few choices pieces that can withstand two unpredictable days in the woods. I'm one of those "what if" packers who try to plan for every possible (and several impossible) event. I'm pretty sure that I got the trait from my mom, but only recently realized that I had followed in her footsteps. This time I'll try to leave the alien abduction kit at home.

I know I'm rambling. I've made my peace with it.

It looks like the end of the tunnel.

I still can't believe this has happened.

I think I'm finally okay with it.


My writing performance over the last week has been less than satisfactory. But this weekend that will change. I'm taking Friday off (thanks to enough overtime hours already built up) and this weekend is the Singles Retreat. Lots of friends, lots of fun, and lots of nature. And c'mon, it's nature, which is thick with inspiration, even if nature isn't a big theme in my book.

Speaking of nature, I hope you caught the show last night.



P.S.- Today's Gold Star Award goes to Mandy. Now she can't say that she never got a gold star.

Now if I can just remember where I left the silly thing...

I know, I know. You're disappointed.

So am I.

My blog is in need of an overhaul, but I haven't had the time to devote to the undertaking.

Well, I have had time, but I've just been devoting it to other things.

I have no excuse, really.

Last night I went to the Blue Door with some friends from church to hear K.C. Clifford perform. To borrow one of my sister's phrases, this girl was "a-mazing" (note that the "a" should sound like "uh" and be held for longer than you would expect, with a very clear break before the next syllable).

Anyway...moving on.

The show was acoustic (I'm such a sucker for acoustic) and absolutely without a doubt the most beautiful live performance I've ever heard. KC's got heaps of talent and a staggering voice. She's been trying to play at the Blue Door for 5 years. Five years! Selfishly, I'm glad it took so long. I would have missed it otherwise. Just proves that things shouldn't always happen when we expect them to.

I'm very jealous. She took all the good words. Go see for yourself.

In case you're bored, or desperate, or just looking for something new, here are 10 random suggestions for how to spend your time:

1. Read a story to a small child (character voices mandatory).
2. Take a long bath (with bubbles!).
3. Chug green Hawaiian Punch without spewing it on the carpet.
4. Roll the windows down while driving so you can serenade other drivers with your beautiful voice.
5. Read a story to your roommate (again, character voices mandatory).
6. Bake cookies for your favorite blogger.
7. Start writing your autobiography.
8. Buy doughnuts for your office and deny that you were responsible for their appearance.
9. Clean out your closets.
10. Make ridiculous lists on your blog.

Whatever you do, enjoy your day.

It's been five months since I decided to start this book, and four months since I finished the first draft.

It's been three months since I started the second draft. I'm giving myself four more to finish it. Factor in holidays, moving out of my apartment, Christmas shopping, and miscellaneous time-stealing things, and that leaves three months.

After that, I'm going to give it to a handful of folks who will hopefully provide insightful criticism that will aid in the third draft. I may take a month off and catch up on my reading.

Although I've been dissecting various parts of the book as I'm working on D2, last weekend I tried to sew most of it back together and see it as a whole again. Here's what I've got so far:

Most recent word count: 52,512

Pages: 301

Current songs in my iTunes novel mix (special songs I listen to whilst writing): 36

Current songs in my iTunes writing mixes (songs that block out noise of public places but don't distract me): 131

People who have requested autographed copies of the book: at least 23, give or take a few


This has been your random unsolicited novel update.

Enjoy your day.

Since "Something Senseless" was the most fun blog writing of late, I've decided to post a second installment. If you didn't enjoy the first one, you should probably stop reading...now. If you're curious to see if this one will be more enlightening than the last, you'll have to forge ahead.

And so, some more stuff you probably didn't know:

1. I have a guitar, but I never learned how to play it.

2. At a family reunion, I was stung on the nose (more specifically, almost inside my nose) by a yellowjacket. My nose got all sorts of swollen, and I spent the rest of the day reclining in a lawn chair and watching people stare at me.

3. At a junior high slumber party, I attacked a closet door in my sleep. Apparently, everyone else watched while I punched the door until I woke up. They were all very amused.

4. I have a cousin (sixth, I think) who's also named Melissa, is my age, and looks a lot like me. Her mother looked like my 7th grade English teacher. We've never met.

5. I am currently reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I'm kind of surprised that I can't stop reading it.

6. As a child, I loved omelettes but refused to eat scrambled eggs.

7. I am already a published author. In fourth grade, our Gifted and Talented class project was to write and illustrate a book, which we then shipped off to someone who turned them into real, hard-cover, dust-jacket books with our pictures and bios on the back flap.

8. My book was about a dinosaur who doesn't have any friends. The drawings were really, really awful.

9. In fourth grade I wanted to be a vet. When I found out being a vet included dealing with big animals like cows and horses, I changed my mind.

10. I've never had hot coffee.

11. I want to see DMB in concert before I die (hopefully a long, long time before).

12. I think scars are cool.

13. This is the point where I remember this isn't as easy as it seems.

14. I have a hard time saying no to people.

15. I am just beginning to realize how much my parents have done for me.

16. I love crossword puzzles.

17. I don't like biscuits and gravy, which may be evidence that I was switched at birth and/or abducted by aliens at some point. My substitute breakfast on b & g days: a sausage sandwich (two sausage patties and white bread...yum).

18. The first time anyone called me Mel was 7th grade. People have been mistakenly calling me Michelle since fourth grade.

19. I have a weakness for decorating magazines.

20. I do not like the word sop.

21. My handwriting is one of my favorite things about myself.

22. I've only been to 15 states.

23. During my senior year of high school, I fractured my foot when my best friend ran over it with his car.

24. People who are always loud make me very uncomfortable.

My bamboo plant has developed a nasty crustiness around the rim of its container. I've never been an expert at plant care, but this little plant has been doing well for months now. If it dies, my desk will be sad and lifeless again, and I can't have that. I still water my plant as per the instructions on the plastic card. I leave it in just enough light (but not too much, I think). It was doing so well, and now the bright green stalks around the rim have spots of crusty brown bits. Eww. And some of the tips have turned yellow. Maybe its getting too big for the ceramic planter. Maybe the curse has finally reached this plant, and it will have to go the way of my other horticultural attempts.

It's been a busy week. In an attempt to make up for the last few months, I may have gone overboard on the socializing this week. But it was nice to meet a few new people and get to know some others better. At the devo last night, one person greeted me with, "Why are you here? You're supposed to be at home writing that novel!" Well, she may have been right. I'll have to make it up over the weekend.

"You are a bundle of energy, always on the go."

Sure, if "always on the go" means being holed up in a corner booth at the B&N cafe for hours at a time. This was the fortune from my lunch. Of course, I don't believe that any paper shoved inside a crispy cookie can tell me about my future unless that paper is green and has a president on it. Shame on you, fortune cookie, for being neither accurate nor fortunate.

Runner up fortune: "You are admired for your impeccable tastes."

Yeah...I didn't think so, either.


Okay, last chance, cookies. Let's see what #3 holds.

"Your efforts are budding-- results will appear soon."

I'm going to pretend for a moment that I do believe in fortune cookies and that this one applies to the novel. Time for a happy dance.

Enjoy your day.

What to say…

Not much writing or reading going on lately, although I purchased two new books this week. Reading and writing have been replaced by IM chats, Internet wandering, and Muppets.

Season One of The Muppet Show was recently released in all its furry glory, and while I had a little extra cash I invested in four discs of mayhem. Watching a few episodes can relieve an immense amount of stress. I find myself trying to match performers to muppets, and all of the episodes include trivia tidbits for nerds like me who enjoy reading that stuff. And for those of you who think Muppets can’t be appreciated by adults, just try to watch a Swedish Chef or Veterinarian's Hospital sketch without smiling.

I think Rowlf is my favorite. He’s got great timing and he's musical. It doesn't get much better than that.

Enjoy your day.

It's about time for something new around here.

I can't say that I have any big news to report. I could say that, but it would be a lie. I could redirect you to a few more interesting blogs. I've picked up the habit of wandering from blog to blog in search of interesting or amusing thoughts of people I'll never meet. (If you're here for that reason, you may be disappointed.)

While on one such search Friday, I checked up on the NaNoWriMo and NaNoEdMo sites, which I haven't visited in several weeks. Nothing new on those sites, but I followed the trail of blogs and read some things posted by NaNo participants. One thread had a discussion by one author who always snuck a penguin into his stories.

Why a penguin? I think the first time was just a whim or a dare, and afterward it was a challenge, like the time in a creative writing workshop when we had to include Amelia Earhart and avacadoes in our conversion stories.

I have had a fondness for penguins since I was a kid. I had a book about penguins with full page pictures of parental birds towering over their babies and trekking across the ice. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite Disney flicks ever-- thanks in part to the penguin waiters in the chalk painting who get to dance around with Dick Van Dyke. And the stuffed penguin who sits beside my bed-- a gift from someone who didn't even know how much I liked them-- travels with me on long trips. In fact, I had already snuck my own stuffed penguin into my novel.

I think I'm hitting a rough patch in the editing process. All major editing attempts over the last few days have been moderately unsuccessful. In an attempt to avoid the potholes in the road, I'm issuing a challenge, both to you faithful readers and to myself. Here's your chance to sneak a penguin into the story. I'm accepting any suggestions for random objects to put in the novel. It could be anything from a rottweiler to a coconut, a shrunken head to a lifejacket. (There are no water or tropical scenes in the book thus far.) If you can think of something obscure, leave it in a comment, and I will do my best to put it in the book.



Totally unrelated...

I'm trying to convince myself not to pick up one of those prepaid iTunes cards I keep seeing. I have a feeling that once I start, I will be addicted to downloading random music that I like but would otherwise not purchase. My resolve is slipping quickly.

The sign that I may already have lost all resistance: I've picked out the first song I'm going to download. If you can correctly guess the song, I'll buy you dinner. No kidding.


Enjoy your day.

So enough about me. Let's talk about the book!

I've made a lot of progress in the last month. I still have doubts, of course. I think the story's a good one, but I know in its current state it is not the best it can be. My goal is to complete the second draft before the end of the year. I already see a third draft in my future because there are things I haven't addressed in the second draft (verb tense consistency and the like) that must be tackled before I even think of sending it to a publisher. Then I have to think about query letters and publishers to whom I'll submit them.

I was recently introduced to another writer (and B&N employee) who's already completed one novel. We've made a deal to exchange books and discuss. Since his is finished, I'm reading it right now, and I'll turn mine over to him when I've finished this draft. He's not my target audience at all, but it will be nice to have an opinion from someone who has distance and will be able to tell me honestly what he sees.

My lease on my apartment is up in December, and I'm in search of a bigger place. If things work out, I'll be writing the third draft from a cozy little study surrounded by all of my books.

Enjoy your day...and go read a book.

Just so I can remember, today is the day after one of my ugliest days ever.

A couple of you know what this means. The rest of you won't, and it's not appropriate to spill details here. I finally got around to doing the thing I've been dreading for a few months. I don't know what the outcome is going to be. You could say I'm just being a pansy about the whole thing. I should get over myself and move on and realize that's best for me. Don't think I haven't heard that opinion from at least dozen people over the years...maybe even two dozen.

So why don't I listen to them? Most of them are people I trust; if not, I wouldn't have confided in them in the first place and given oppotunities for opinion-giving. Here are a few thoughts:

1. I'm stubborn. More stubborn than most people know. When it counts, I don't want to give in. I don't give up on people easily. I won't believe that I'm wrong unless I've got serious evidence.

2. I still think there's some good waiting to get out. You can advertise your evil all you want, but if I can see the good, I won't forget that it's there. You may think that's naive or stupid, and you would probably be able to find a few folk who agree.

3. I don't like waste. I don't want to believe that all this time has been wasted. To do so would admit failure (and my stubbornness discourages such admissions).

4. I can be too attached. A little attention goes a long way with me, and enough attention a few years ago has escalated into this relationship today. There were enough positive things outweighing any negative ones. A few years ago I wouldn't have believed that it would turn into this. Now I don't know how to stop it (or if I really want to).

I know I'm rambling and vague. This does not make for interesting blog reading. I still have hope that things can work out for the best, even if the hopeful part of me may be down a few percentage points today.

Ultimately I want to influence. I think that's why we're all here. My methods may not be the screaming in-your-face practices of some, but I think I can influence people just the same. For all I know, this blog might be the way to reach you. And I hope that's a good thing.

Like I said, I don't know what's going to happen with this situation in the next few days. I know that some of you who will read this are praying people, so if you have a moment, slip one in for me. I'd appreciate it.

Enjoy your day.

I have a tendancy to tell people that they get a gold star for doing something great. People are surprisingly disappointed when you say they deserve a gold star but have no stars to give. In an effort to stop making false promises, here is our very first office Gold Star Award:



Our first award goes to my trusty friend and novel specialist, Loraine. Saying that she goes above and beyond the call of friendship doesn't express it, but this dandy little star says it all, don't you think? (She actually received the award a few weeks ago, but we were waiting for the engraver to return it before we made it official.) Loraine has done exactly 1,753 things to earn a GSA, but I'm going to try to make up for my negligence with this one award.

Why this award is great: You can brag to your friends that you are a member of the illustrious Gold Star Hall of Fame, even if they have no idea what that means.

Why this award isn't so great: It probably won't get you any free food. Sorry.

This one's been a long time coming, but most Gold Star Awards will be given for outstanding displays of creative behavior. You can decide what that means for yourself. If you think the awards will be biased toward people who are nice to me...you may not be completely wrong. GSAs aren't just about me, but I'm not above taking bribes.

Enjoy your day.

Good idea: Buying a slab of chocolate-laced cheesecake from the B&N café.

Bad idea: Eating said cheesecake at 1:30 in the morning.

After a night of writing and conversing at BN, I ran into my friend Debby and her husband. (Although he is a very nice person in his own right, we have never known each other well enough to be termed friends, but he also deserves to be mentioned in the story.) They invited me to meet their new kitten, and having both a weakness for kittens and conversation with Debby, I went to their apartment and stayed far longer than I should have for the late hour. When I got home, I found the only reasonably edible thing that didn’t require preparation was the cheesecake, which I purchased Friday night and was by that time just begging to be eaten (not unlike the java chip frap that left me a voicemail earlier enticing me to come drink it). If not for the fact that the cheesecake was the only thing I’d eaten in about 15 hours, I probably would have been fine. There was a little voice warning me not to pull the styrofoam box from the fridge, but I ignored it. When you have to choose between cheesecake and old Fritos, you should always choose the cheesecake.As it turned out, almost immediately after the last bite of chocolate crumb crust left the box, I regretted my choice, and Sunday was a very blah day.

In completely unrelated news, yesterday began the fast food fast. As much as it is within my power, I will refrain from fast food indulgence until mid-September. I see lots of Jamba Juice in my future. Mmmm.

Last week I put in more than 24 hours of playing time on one video game. It didn't seem like much until I saw the timer showing how many hours I sat in front of the screen. It's probably a good thing that I had to return it to Blockbuster yesterday. Can you imagine how much I'd get done on my book if spent 24 hours a week on it? Maybe that will be this week's goal.

After some recent reading and things I should have seen coming, I've decided that I'm tired and don't want to mess with it anymore.

You may not hear from me for a while.

There was a request today for “something senseless” on the ol’ blog. I didn't ask if this meant the lyrics to a song or the dream I had last night or the best place to catch lizards inside the city limits. Since the specific level of senselessness was not defined, I can only try my best to fulfill the request.

For fans of the senseless (or maybe just really random), I present 28 Things You Probably Didn’t Know.

1. As a kid, my favorite cereal was Strawberry Shortcake cereal. (Think pink, strawberry-flavored Cocoa Puffs.) If they still made that stuff, I’d probably eat cereal every day.
2. I’ve been to six European countries. If I ever get the chance, I’m going back to England to see the rest of the British Museum.
3. I’m afraid of knives. It may be a cause of the dream I had where I was stabbed several times.
4. The only thing I remember learning in kindergarten is evaporation.
5. In high school I gave up being a newspaper editor to take physics.
6. During my senior year I was a teacher’s aide for my band directors, and yes, we referred to them as “Band-Aides”.
7. I want to live in a place where I can have a room just for my books.
8. I was the co-vice president of my 1st grade class.
9. I regret losing touch with my high school friends, but I’m afraid of ever seeing them again.
10. Last year I found out that one of my high school friends was working down the street from where I live when I ran into him at lunch.
11. One of my nicknames is “Moo.” My dad started it.
12. I can’t imagine myself as a senior citizen.
13. I won a school-wide poetry contest in 5th grade. I wrote the poem in a few minutes, and my prize was a copy of Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary.
14. I’ve never had wisdom teeth.
15. I don’t like the color red.
16. I sing very loudly when no one’s around. I don’t like singing when other people are in my car.
17. I still love cartoons.
18. I’m already convinced that I’ll have cats instead of kids.
19. Loraine’s blog makes me smile.
20. There are days that I wish I could do college all over again.
21. I can’t draw anything that has a face.
22. I’ve always hated having my picture taken.
23. When I won the camp-wide Bible trivia tournament, I was crowned Bible Queen.
24. Math will never make sense to me.
25. I’m thinking of giving up fast food for 30 days.
26. I’m debating between getting internet access at home or joining a gym.
27. I think two of the funniest words are "moose" and "pants".
28. Every year, I hope that someone will throw a surprise party for my birthday. It has never happened.

As much as I enjoy the amazing things that we can do with technology, there are times when I just wish that it would go away for a while.

My cell phone’s on the blink. A couple of weeks ago I took it in because the battery was draining much more quickly than it used to, but the guys said it passed their tests and should be okay. I didn’t believe them, but I also didn’t want to be one of those people who start yelling at everyone in the phone store because they’re dissatisfied with their service. Then last week I didn’t get any voicemail notifications, and Friday night the screen suddenly went black and the lights inside wouldn’t turn off. On a whim, everything returned to normal, but the on-off pattern continued Saturday and Sunday. When I took it to the store, they just told me that it “failed their test” and because it’s out of warranty, there’s nothing they can do. That’s very helpful. I don’t have a long list of people who call me frequently, but when the chosen few do give me a ring, I generally like to be available to them.

So now I have to decide between paying full price for a phone I don’t really or taking them up on their offer for a $75 rebate, but I’d also have to renew my contract for two more years. The store only had one that was somewhat simple, but it wasn’t that great, and it was $150. Bah. When did phones become so complicated? like I am not a fan of flip phones, I don’t want a camera or the internet or tv on my phone. I want a phone…and that’s it.

Last night I picked up a copy of MacWorld magazine at BN to try to educate myself a little on the goings-on of things. I didn’t understand half of the first article I read. (Note: if you want to make me feel really stupid, just start throwing computer-talk at me. Works every time.)

I wish I knew more about computers. Not the basic stuff, because I can get around just fine, but the fancy tech stuff that lurks just beneath the surface. I wouldn’t want to make a career out of computers, but it would be nice to be a bit more confidant in my own computer knowledge.

In high school some of my best friends were the tech ed kids—the guys who spent their spare time buiding computers and going to tech conferences (They were actually at one in downtown Oklahoma City not too far away from the federal building on the day it was bombed—I’ll never forget that.). Before we had driver’s licenses, we spent many lunch hours in the tech ed room. It just never occurred to me to try to learn anything from them.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this…it was just on my mind this morning.

Is it ironic that I'm blogging about technology woes? You can decide for yourself.

Enjoy your Monday.

Last night I went to Barnes and Noble for a little frappucino, atmosphere, and writing. It was supposed to rain last night (I don’t think it ever got around to where I was), and one of the best places to enjoy a storm is through the huge windows in the BN café. Things were looking good; my favorite coffee maker whipped up a nice java chip frap with extreme carmel sauce (He denied trying to kill me with carmel). *Note* I’m not sure if the technical term here should be “carmel” or “caramel”, so I’m sticking with my first choice even if it’s wrong.

Not only did I get a yummy drink, but I also got an invitation to breakfast. This is unusual because the day before I had almost asked him to have breakfast with me. While we have been known to share lunch, dinner, and sno-cones, we rarely make breakfast plans together. I held back my invitation because his Thursday plans included sleeping late. But I felt like the universe was making up for things when he proposed Friday breakfast. The only catch: meeting at 6:30 a.m. I agreed, and he promised all sorts of horrible things if I didn’t show up.

So, good things so far. My favorite corner table was empty. I settled down with frap, iBook, and notes to write. I had to decline a dinner invitation from aforementioned coffee maker because a) I’d had a massive lunch and planned on making coffee my entire evening meal, and b) I was short on cash. But no matter, I plunged back into the writing and wrote a couple of new pages that I will soon send to my favorite Loraine for her words of wisdom. I went home that night anticipating today.

Five a.m. comes sooner than I would like, but I got ready by six. While getting dressed, I had the nagging feeling that he might try to get out of the meeting. It’s been known to happen before. I searched for my phone in the dark so I wouldn’t wake up my sister, and I finally found it where it had fallen out of my bag.

I really hate when people leave their ringers turned on in BN. I don't like listening to the same annoying ringtone from seven different loud people. I have a policy of always turning off my phone while I'm in the store. When I left, I was so set on getting home and getting to sleep, I forgot to turn my ringer back on. This morning my phone showed five missed calls, all from the same person, but no notification of new voicemail.

So I sat on my bed at 6:05 and debated. He could have called to cancel, but surely he would have left a message when I didn’t answer. Since there was no apparent message, he could have called just to tell stories, or just because he was bored on his way home, or because he wanted to see if he could come over and play football on the Playstation. All of these things happen on a regular basis.

I tried calling him. He didn’t answer. Debate number two: Did he turn his phone on silent to avoid answering, or was he in the shower, or was he just ignoring for no reason? I waited a little while and tried again. Still no answer.

I drove to Jimmy’s Egg. It was all of 6:15. I sat in front of the glass doors and waited. I finished a Sudoku I’d started the night before at BN during a writing break. I watched several old men walk inside. I called again.

For reasons I don’t fully understand or agree with, this has been an extremely horomonally-driven week for me, and so by this morning, I was at the point where being stood up for breakfast by a person who changes his mind more than his socks will almost make me cry. Almost.

By 6:45, I was at my office, Egg McMuffin bag in one hand, laptop bag in the other. I don’t have to be at work until 8, but I decided to make the most of it. I could charge up my laptop battery and do a little work before the phones started ringing.

Something made me turn off my phone and turn it back on. What was the first thing I saw? New voicemail notification. And the nice voicemail voice told me that I had five new messages. Some of them were days old. I don’t know why I haven’t been getting messages this week. The last was the one I was expecting: breakfast cancelled at 9:45 the night before. But it was too late. I was already disappointed.

And if that wasn’t enough, when I started up my office computer, I was confronted by the Blue Screen of Death. Error messages all over the place. I restart as instructed. Same Blue Screen. I wait awhile and then give it one more shot, but that stupid blue screen just pops back up. I’m pretty sure it was laughing at me.The universe had not been kind to me; instead it had made me wake up early and eat cheap breakfast at my desk in front of a blue screen.

It took the tech guy over an hour to get it running again, and even now I have to be careful about what I do. He says it needs more work. I got a new hard drive a week ago, and I’ve had nothing but problems since then.

My would-be breakfast friend doesn’t understand why I was mad about the morning, and there’s really no way I can make him. He’ll just think I’m irrational. He’s probably right, but that’s not really the point. Plans were made and I was looking forward to them. He told me not to have a bad attitude about the rest of the day. It’s the only reasonable thing I heard all morning.

Things are better now. Lunch was very productive. The office is quiet this afternoon. I’ve put in lots of overtime this week, and in a few hours I’ll be back at BN writing. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Enjoy your day.

For the record, I was not in yesterday's duct tape pictures. I have never used duct tape for anything more than a sturdy bookmark, a nifty wallet, or a 7-foot tall paper-and-wire volcano.

Enjoy your duct tape.

...and the number one reason why you shouldn't let the woman pack when you move...








She'll use up all of your duct tape.

It's July 26, and that means 26 days since my last carbonated delight. I'm now looking to the end rather than looking from the beginning. It's gone by more quickly than I expected. For a few days last week, I even forgot the ban entirely, as if this abstintion was something natural. On Sunday I was thirsty and thought, there's a coke machine just down the hall, I'll get something there. And then I reminded myself that I'm not drinking cokes right now, and opted for the lemonade instead. (Speaking of lemonade, I'm convinced that nobody makes a good lemonade in a bottle. I've tried several brands, but none of them seem right. Minute Maid is probably the best of the ones I've had, but I still prefer the powdered stuff I mix up at the office. If anyone has a suggestion for a better brand, I'm willing to try it.)

Strangely enough, I really want to have a celebratory Mountain Dew on my first day back. I know it's a bit odd to celebrate my ban with the very thing I've been banning, but I just think of it as a reward. Shortly before my ban, I tried some Coke Zero. Okay, it's obviously not the same as regular Coke, but wasn't that the point? I imagine I'll probably keep a bottle of Zero around for emergency situations.

If you've also tried giving something up recently, I congratulate you. If you're looking to August with dread because you've determined to make a big change, I wish you the best.

Enjoy your day.

Day 20 of no soda, cola, pop, or whatever you choose to call it.

I really miss Mountain Dew.

It wasn't so bad at first. It wasn't even so bad in the middle, but now that I'm only 10 days shy of the goal, the ghosts of Mountain Dews past are visiting me on a regulary basis, and if I sit quietly for just a couple of seconds, I can remember the taste of that wonderful drink.

It doesn't help matters that part of my job is to keep inventory on our office sodas and restock the vending machine. Yeah, I've touched a couple of hundred soda cans this month, but I haven't been able to enjoy them.

I could just satisfy my needs and take one from the fridge in the breakroom right now. I could feel the cold liquid slide down my throat in that refreshing way it does. I could...

You know, saying that I gave up carbonated beverages for a month doesn't sound as impressive when you have to add, "except for that one day, when I guzzled down three in a fit of madness".

All this talk of liquids made me thirsty, so I've taken a lemonade break.

Hey! Someone brought us bagels. Maybe it won't be a bad day after all.

Just a few weeks ago I was blogging the praises of Live365 internet radio and how they have little annoying commercialism and a lot of pleasant, office-appropriate music.

So imagine my disheartening surprise when I check in with dear old Live365 last week to find that they are now bombarding listeners with advertisements, both visual and auditory. Most of these center around the theme of, "Hey, aren't all these advertisements annoying? If you just pay us X dollars a month for a preferred membership, we'll stop bugging you and let you get back to the music!"

I am appalled, and yet I continue to go to the site because it's easier than trying to find something on the radio or lugging around enough cds to satisfy my whims. I just don't go there as often as I used to.

Go figure.

Ugh.

Last night I went to the local BN Harry Potter Party. I didn't expect so many people (even though a BN employee warned me it might get ugly.) I showed up at 10 and was slightly offended. The parking lot was full. That never happens. What were all these people doing in my store?

Truthfully, I wanted to go just to see how many people would show up. I can read all the news stories they print, but until I see 800 people (who probably have nothing but Harry Potter in common) cram into a store for several hours straight just waiting for one book. The plethera of Harry Potter glasses and the New Year's Eve-like countdown to midnight was impressive. It's nice to know that books are still impressing people.

I probably won't be reading the new book for a while. It's been too long since I read the last one, and I don't remember exactly what happened. I definitely need a refresher course before taking on Number Six.

I've been up since 6:30 this morning...that's just too much sunshine for a Saturday.

And now that I'm officially rambling, it's time to end this.

Enjoy your day.

Arrival Date: July 14, 2005
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Weight: 14 kg
Size: 12" 1.2 GHz
Name: To Be Determined

My new computer arrived! I ordered it on Tuesday, and by the Thursday afternoon the little box o' joy had made its journey from California to Oklahoma. The oh-so-proud parent is me. The godfather will probably be JB, since he gave advice and is patient enough to explain computer things I don't understand. And of course, I will be the first to tell you that my iBook G4 is the most beautiful one in the world. It's just so...smooth! Celebrate with me! Have a bubblegum CD! Don't be surprised if pics of the new addition pop up later.

I got tired of trying to work on the novel at my office or on this sad old loaner laptop (the keyboard didn't really work; I had to hook another keyboard to it just to use the silly thing). After lots of months of saying that I'd get one of my own and one late night conversation with my resident computer whiz, I committed several hundred of my yet-to-be-earned dollars and lots of my free time to this little gem. Now I can work on the novel just about anywhere. And I can finally make good on my promise to send pages to my far away friend (they're coming, Loraine, I promise!).

I've had very little Apple experience, and what little I did have was several years ago. This really will be like being a new parent; I'm going to have to learn how to handle it. I just hope I don't make it cry.

Enjoy your day.

I can tell I've been drinking a lot of water lately because I actually have a preference of one brand over another. Thankfully we have two water options at the office, because if I had to live with Dasani stuff alone, I would probably have given up on my no-coke ban days ago. (I don't think the distaste for Dasani stems from the fact that it's a Coca-cola product. In fact, I am a little disappointed in them. What's with that funky taste? It's just water! Water shouldn't be difficult!)

So here I am at Day 14 of my carbonation-free month, and I'm not ashamed to pat myself on the back on this one. The truth is that my willpower is generally as strong as creamed spinach, and giving up something for two weeks (or even two days) is not something I do easily. I won't lie to you and say I don't miss my soda friends. I've loved Mountain Dew for longer than I can remember, and there are few better things than a cherry Dr. Pepper from Sonic to ease the summer heat. But I haven't had any dreams of fizzy drinks yet, so I think I'll be okay.

A friend at church told me last night that she'd seen my previous entry and asked me how I was doing. That gave me the extra boost to see this thing through. Time for another trip to the water cooler.

On a completely different note, I am expecting a very exciting arrival this afternoon. I will probably think about little else for the next 3 hours. More on this later.

Enjoy your day.

Today is my seventh coke-free day in a row.

By "coke" I mean those fantastically fizzy beverages I love so much, including Coca-cola, Dr. Pepper, and (my favorite addiction by far) Mountain Dew. I can't remember the last time I intentionally went a single day without one of these carbonated wonders, let alone seven days in a row.

If you frequent Fark.com, you may have seen the story on the Roanoke Times writer who's keeping an online journal of his 30-day carbonation fast. Fascinated by people who do such gutsy things, I read all the entries (he was about two weeks into it when I read them) and was inspired to do the same. And since July 1st was right in front of me, I decided to start then, because I'm convinced that 30-day goals are easier when contained in a single month.

Until now, I've only told a handful of people about my abstinence. It's not that there's anything wrong with sharing. There was just something invigorating about the secrecy of the project.

Even if you're not in the mood to give anything up right now, this makes for some good reading:

http://www.roanoke.com/extra/deprivation.html

Enjoy your day.

For the few who stumble upon this blog, you may have noticed an absence of new material lately. The truth is that events of a blog-worthy nature have been rare these last couple of weeks, and most days I was too busy at work or too bored at work to come over and add new material.

Last weekend was my first free weekend in a couple of months. By that I mean that I had no roommate and/or friend around which to plan my free time. My apartment was very quiet, except for the car alarm that went off for a couple of hours Saturday night and the fireworks on Sunday night. But I got to do the g0-where-the-mood-strikes-me thing on Saturday afternoon, which meant that I hit an antique store, Ulta, Wal-mart, and Best Buy. It also means that I went to the mall, but when I didn't feel like dealing with the scores of people, I left without even getting out of my car and didn't have to feel bad about dragging anyone with me or being dragged around by anyone else.

That's not to say I didn't look forward to the return of said roommate and friend, and we all had a good time last night when they came back. It is nice to know that I can take a few days and not have to worry about anyone but me.

And now for the required Wheel of Time update:

I am still wading through Book 3, mostly because I took my "Me Weekend" to do a lot of things besides read. If I tried really hard, I could probably finish by tomorrow. I don't know why I'm struggling with this one so much. And it wasn't even the whole book that was beating me; it's probably only been the second half. I read about 100 pages over the weekend, but I couldn't tell you half of what happened, and I don't know why. I think the distraction of being all alone did me in. There were too many things calling to me, and I listened to them instead.

I will definitely have to take a short commercial break after I finish 3, although I have been told by my resident WoT expert that the last pages of the book are some mighty fine ones. I have at least four other books that I've been wanting to read, and I really shouldn't even start those until I put in some more editing time. Why can't I just find the happy medium?

Enjoy your day.

It's Friday, and that means taking the easy way out. Just like casual Fridays, today's blog will be very easy-going.

I could tell you all about the new Batman movie I saw last night, but you've probably either a) already seen it and don't need me to tell you, or b) haven't seen it and would be upset if I gave too much away. I'll just take the easy way out by saying it was better than I expected, and I look forward to the next installment.

For the rest of my EWO (easy way out) blog, here are some things you can read, no purchase necessary. If you don't feel like reading anymore, you can stop now and go on to more interesting internet content. I won't be offended.

Enjoy your day.

Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

It's always darkest before dawn. So, if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Weighing the positives and negatives of beginning yet another WoT book without a break, I went ahead and ignored the advice of those who told me to move on to other pastures. I decided to go ahead and start Three yesterday.

Never fear! I have a plan!

Well, the plan was in place over a week ago. I had a coupon for BN and bought a brand new book (Nick Hornby's new release) for half price and then turned it over to a friend and asked him to hold it hostage until I finished Book Three. Said book is now sitting in the trunk of his car with the other dozen books he keeps in there. I'm sure all the books are having a very nice time together.

Book Three comes in at 675 pages, and font sizing and margins aside, that makes it the smallest so far. Since we're measuring everything in pages, that's all I have to go by. I should be able to finish in a week if I don't let other things distract me...but I am easily distracted. For you few who are disappointed in my reading choice, I promise to take a small break to read my new book (and maybe do a little editing, too).

Enjoy your day.

My reading pace for Book Two is not what it was for Book One. That's partially because I made a trip home for Father's Day weekend and didn't read as much as I'd planned. Only 80 pages to go, though.

I am contemplating a brief hiatus from WoT, either after finishing Book Two or Book Three (which already awaits me at home). There are a few reasons for the proposed break: 1) I like to vary what I read, and the last two weeks and 1500 pages have been nothing but WoT; 2) I have stacks of other non-WoT books that I haven't read, and they are calling to me; and 3) I don't want to become obsessed.

Reasons for not taking a break: 1) My 61 page-per-day goal (which I have to meet in order to read all the books by the release of Book Eleven) will greatly increase if I slip in some other stuff; 2) my memory has not been great, and if I stay away too long I will probably forget half of what's happened and be even more confused; 3) if I keep reading and exceed my goal every day, I will have time to read other books before October comes.

It will probably be my luck that these last 80 pages will be so good that I will want to go straight to the next one and forget all about my other books. Oh well.

Here's your chance to make an impact on my reading selection. Think of it as a not-as-exciting Choose Your Own Adventure book. If you want Mel to keep reading WoT with no thoughts of other books, turn to page 23. If you think she would be better off taking a break and catching up on her normal reading, turn to page 35.

Enjoy your day.

I used to hate math. Elementary math didn't give me any trouble, but 5th grade was a turning point, and now it is my enemy. I could say that I had some bad teachers (which is entirely true...anyone from my school would agree), but that's not a helpful excuse. Now, instead of just hating math, I hate that I don't understand math.

As an administrative assistant for civil engineers, I'm up to my eyeballs in pay estimates, change orders, and other math-filled forms. My trusty TI-34 calculator (the same one I've had since 7th grade math) is close at all times because I don't trust myself to come up with correct figures. I don't know why my brain never could understand math. Some of you probably think that's crazy. I made it through college without a single math-related class. The only reason was that during freshman orientation we all took a math test (I took the harder one; I don't remember how.) to determine our mathmatical abilities. Well, I passed it, and poof, no math classes necessary for this English major.

I try to warn my bosses that I'm mathmatically inept, but they don't always review paperwork when I ask them to, and that comes back to bite me. I don't enjoy admitting when I'm deficient in a certain area, but I will gladly advertise my math weaknesses. Three such math instances have recently arisen, and while the errors are somewhat my fault, I believe that blame also lies with the engineers who did not review (as they should have) before they signed. Inevitably, the blame falls on me (and it's heavy), and I end up looking stupid in front of clients. I hate that.

If you are still at an age where you can choose to learn math via the basic techniques (i.e., school, in one form or another), then by all means, do it. Even if you imagine that "when you grow up" you will have some fantastically fabulous occupation that doesn't even require you to know 2+2, trust me, you'll need it more than you realize.

Enjoy your day (and your math, if you still can).

Found this at the Overheard in the Office site. Enjoy.

A Sharpie for the None Too Sharp

Suit: Do you have what I call a "sharpie"?
Secretary: ...what you call a sharpie?
Suit: Yes.
Secretary: ...you and no one else?
Suit: It's like a, a felt-tipped pen.
Secretary: Oh, I know what it is.
Suit: Well, most people don't know what it's called.
Secretary: You're kidding, right? It says it right on the pen.
Suit: Well, do you have one?
Secretary: Yes. Yes, I do. I keep it here in what I call my "drawer".

795 Spring Street
San Francisco, California

Mail issues still abound. No mail showed up over the weekend and we called the USPS hotline to complain.

First sign of worry: the person at the hotline doesn't know how to spell Oklahoma.

C'mon people. It's not that difficult. And even if it were, there's a song to help you out. (Orchestra swells.) Everybody now!

Enjoy your musicals.

For those of you who are keeping up, I finished Book One today, racking up over 400 pages Saturday afternoon/evening. Except for a little cleaning and video-gaming, I didn't do anything but read. Yes, this meant that I didn't do much editing this week, but I really just wanted to push through and finish. I know I'll never catch up to the guys who are already on Five or Seven or whatever, but I'm still proud that I read the whole thing in a week.

This morning I started Book Two. Last time I only read the prologue before giving up on this one, so we'll see how long I can last. The problem is not that I don't want to know what happens; it's that I don't want to wade through the unneccessary stuff to get there. And yeah, I think there's some unneccessary stuff...I'm sure this will get a few people searching for something heavy to throw in my direction.

There's not much else to tell right now. I really am as boring as people say.

It's been a pretty good day, but our mail delivery, or lack thereof, has been extremely frustrating this week, being ridiculously late or completely nonexistent every day this week. We rely heavily on the USPS to carry stuff all over the state between clients, contractors, and agencies, and people around here get really cranky when the mail doesn't show up on time, not to mention when it doesn't come at all. Our suspicion is that the current source of problem is a stand-in for our regular delivery person. I daresay the postal service is one of the most important institutions we have, and they should be more reliable. Last week, a letter was returned to us-- one of those undeliverable for unknown reasons. The postmark was last November, so the thing had been circulating who-knows-where for at least six months. I don't think that's reasonable at all.

Disclaimer: if you, kind reader, are a postal worker, please do not misunderstand my complaint. I do not think that all postal workers are incompetent. I just think it's time that the system stepped up.

In other news, I've passed the 300-page mark in Book One. I can't believe I'm trying so hard to read a book that I didn't really like the first time around. I must be crazy.

Enjoy your weekend.

This is the point in the month when I'm quite relieved that I didn't take on any absurd bets about finishing my 50 editing hours in 30 days. It's already Day 9, and I've only done about 5-ish hours of editing. Too bad I can't count the hours I spend daydreaming about the book...I'd have used up all my hours in a week.

Speaking of the book, I need to make some decisions about the second draft process. (You could argue that I should have made these decisions before I started, and you'd probably be right, but who wants to be conventional like that?) Since I publicized the first draft effort so very much, most people I know will start their conversations with me by asking how it's going and when they can read it. (Isn't it crazy? There are people who actually want to read stuff I've written!)

If you don't already know, I'll tell you right now that I am an approval addict. I'm pretty sure that happiness levels are directly connected to my approval collection system. Get enough approval, the happiness flows freely to both mind and body, making life seem rosy even if it isn't. But if I'm running low on approval, my happy juices just don't flow.

Don't see how that relates? Here, I'll show you:
Take one Mel, mildly content with life.
Add three conversations where people ask her about her book and tell her they can't wait to read it.
Add one email from friend praising the latest exerpt sent for comments.
Add one Jamba Juice.
Stir until ingredients are well-blended.
Refrigerate for at least two hours. Happiness will thicken as the mixture cools, and Mel will be able to write with complete confidence, or just provide pleasant company.
Served best with a side of silliness.

I know, I know. It shouldn't matter what people think, but we all know that's not true. And so, I have to decide who I'm willing to share the story with while it's still in a precarious place. I already have one totally reliable friend and opinion-giver who has proven herself to be honest, detailed, and encouraging even when I don't deserve it.

And then there's the other one.

Friend B has agreed to read the first two pages (that's all I'm willing to share right now). I freely offered, but I'm also flat out terrified that he'll think it's stupid. There's a very strong possibility that will be the case. It took months (wait, probably years) to let him read the first half of my first book, and after he did, we never talked about it. Naturally, I think the worst because of the silence. Take two, and the same fears arise. So now we ask the questions:

If B hates it, is it because he is not the target audience for this story? (Maybe.)
If B hates it, does it mean it's bad and I should trash it? (No. Wait, maybe. Wait, no. No! Right? What do you think, B?)
Have I put too much stock in what he says? (Um, probably, but I already knew that.)
Can I rely on him to be supportive even if he doesn't like it? (I always think this is a big, fat No.)

So, to share or not to share. Feel free to post your opinions, even if you don't know (or care) who I'm talking about.

Tried a new juice/smoothie place last night after church. There were coupons and pressure, so I agreed to forego my dependable Jamba Juice for something new. I've got to say that it wasn't as good. I am a Mel of second chances, so they might have another opportunity to change my mind, but I won't be giving up the Jamba any time soon.

Well, hope that wasn't too unpleasant. Thanks for reading.

Enjoy your day.

There are days when I hate being a girl. Today is one of those days.

At least I found a new shirt on sale. That will almost make things better.

I don't know what I'm going to write about here, but the blogging itch has returned, and so here I am.

It's snow cone season, and that makes me happy. Last summer brought the discovery of a lovely little place and many happy evenings of summer snow. (This particular stand, for those of you who are locals, is near 15th and Kelly. Buy 8, get the 9th one free!) They say they have Oklahoma's finest snow cones. I don't know if that's true, but it is pretty dang good stuff. As a girl who spent two summers pouring syrup on icy domes, I know what it takes to make a quality snow cone. I'm pretty sure delivery is out of the question, but if you're ever in town, I recommend the half-and-half Raspberry/Lime.

Read another 50 pages of Book One. Not as many as I would have liked, but other things took precedent, like a blog reward dinner and snow cones. After getting back, I sat down with the manuscript and worked for a solid hour. How much editing can I do in an hour? Two pages! That doesn't sound like much, but I added a lot more than I took out, and it was good work. At this pace, I'll never get through the whole thing in a month, but I'm okay with that.

People are generally surprised when I tell them it will take two or three more drafts and several months before I start looking for a publisher. I don't know if this is because I wrote the first draft in 30 days or they think first drafts are perfect, but I don't get it. Good books take time, people! And even if this turns out to be a lousy book...well, those take time, too.

On a completely different note, I have become a huge fan of internet radio, specifically Live365.com. Free membership with minimal advertising spots (and only brief ones for itself or cds). Best of all, I have found a station that plays mostly DMB and very few other songs I don't like. And one of my new favorites, Steady as We Go, just played as I was writing this, so I thought I'd mention it.

Enjoy your day.

After downright begging from a certain boy I know, I have decided to give The Wheel of Time series a second chance.

If you've never heard of WoT, I can't really help you there, except to say that Book Eleven is due out in October, and a handful of people are excited about it.

The first time the boy tried to talk me into getting wrapped up in the ridiculously long series of superchunky novels, I finally gave in and read the Book One. I think this was around December '03, if my near-failing memory has any juice left. I read it, but wasn't as impressed as he thought I should be. Book Two was at my disposal, but I only got a few pages into it before shelving it. Sure, there were good things about the book, but something about it just didn't sit well with me, so I didn't feel the need to keep reading. (For those of you who are offended by my reaction to the book, I promise to make notes this time around.)

Seventy pages down, seven hundred-something to go.

Wish me luck.

Enjoy your day.

In recent days I have been accused of having a boring blog. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to most of you, as I am a fairly boring person when not surrounded by other more interesting people. You know who you are. Isn’t it possible that I am meant to balance things out? I would like to think that this is true to a certain extent, or that someday I will find my interesting times were not all bunched up in the last two years of college.

I’m in a relatively bad mood this morning, and I don’t like it at all. Contrary to what you may be thinking, I don’t get any satisfaction and/or pleasure from bad moods. I don’t know whether to blame it on girly horomones or recent lack of sleep, but either way, it’s downright unpleasant.

“Lack” may be the wrong word; I’ve been sleeping enough, but not well, and most of my dreams have consisted of long, arduous chases away from murdering fiends. So far, none of them have caught me, but that's probably going to change. I’m not sure what brought them on, but they make me feel like I’ve slept for a couple of hours instead of seven or eight.

This morning after hitting the snooze button more times than I should have, I finally turned on the TV and tried to get ready. The first thing I saw was a commercial for Ruby Tuesday, and it made me think of my favorite Loraine and my recent vacation excursion to Tennessee. (For those of you who are as clueless as I was, it’s a restaurant chain that we Oklahomans have not been privileged to experience. And yes, it’s named after the song, which I had never heard until I was in Tennessee.) Ah, Tennessee. Nice state. Good weather. The biggest used book/cd/dvd store I’ve ever seen. Those Knoxville folk are lucky to have such a wonderful store as McKay’s. Any place where I can buy a decent book for two bucks and a cd for eight is okay in my book.

I’m sure this blog is as snooze-worthy as the others, but that’s not the point. I guess it’s really just a cheap excuse for an apology to those of you who have: a) had to endure my boring writing, or b) been subjected to my foul moods of late, or c) all of the above.

And so, the first person to mention this blog to me (either by phone or in person) will win a free dinner just for making it to the end.

Okay, kids. It's time for another obsessive month.

After a well-deserved month-long vacation from the novel, I am now ready to get back to it. Tomorrow I will officially start the second draft with the intent of squeezing in 50 hours of editing in the next 30 days. That means at least an hour and a half every day of confrontation between me and the words on the page. It's probably going to get ugly, folks.

Although I won't plan on making any wagers for this month, I will ask those friends who stop by the blog to check in on me every once in a while and make sure I'm keeping up. I do not want to insinuate that I will completely edit all 152 pages in the next 30 days, but it's a good place to start.

Enjoy your day.

I know, I know. I've been neglecting my blog lately. In my defense, after finishing the first draft at the end of last month, I had to take a break. Work got crazy, and then I went on vacation to visit my favorite Loraine (more on that later). Today is my second day back to a life of internet access, but I haven't quite formed the thoughts that I want to put down, so I'm letting them swim around until they're ready.

On another note, I'm going to see Star Wars tonight, and I'm not even a fan. Well...I wasn't a fan until about a week ago, when I finally saw all the movies, delightfully crammed into one week so I could say that I'd seen them all before I left for Tennessee.

It's not that I never tried to watch them before. I remember when I was a kid that they used to play the originals on the USA Network all the time, either that or the Back to the Future trilogy were always on. (Wait...is that network still around? I can't remember.) Anyway, I've seen bits here and there of them, but the sight of Luke getting his hand sliced off just terrified me too much, so I stayed away from the movies. Yep, I'm that much of a pansy, and not afraid to admit it. That same fear also kept me from watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (chicken in the tunnel) and The Wizard of Oz (falling house, Wicked Witch and flying monkeys!).

I have a strange feeling that I'm going to be totally unprepared for this evening, like I'm not worthy of my Star Wars license yet because I don't know enough backstory and can't name most of the random secondary characters. Ah, well. It'll be fun to be surrounded by people who are totally obsessed with something I don't really understand.

Enjoy your day.

50,041.

That's the word count as of 10:30 pm local time on Saturday, April 30, 2005.

For those of you just joining us, that's all I needed to meet my goal of a writing a complete first draft in 30 days. If anything important happened in the world in the last month, someone should probably let me know. I have been living in a writing bubble.

This peasant rejoiced by talking to Loraine(the best literary cheerleader in the world) and indulging in a bit of super-chocolatey frozen yogurt.

For the few people who have already been told that I reached my goal, the number one question is, Can I read it?

The number one answer: Are you out of your mind?

Not really, but I must politely refuse all requests for reading right now.

There are a few reasons for this, and I think they're pretty good ones.

1) It's all out of order. The best way to tell this story is not in chronological order, but I haven't rearranged all the sections to reflect that yet. That will take a while.

2) There are holes in the story. Yeah, I met my word goal, but there are places where the story doesn't flow yet (refer to Item 1), and letting someone read it would just confuse them.

3) It's not as good as it can be. One of the pitfalls of writing so much so quickly is that in the rush to finish, I sometimes used really cheap descriptions or none at all just to get everything on paper before I forgot it. If I let someone read it, they would laugh in my face, and I'm too exhausted to be able to handle that right now.

4) My guide told me not to. This may be my favorite one. I have been ordered to celebrate, take a vacation, and not look at the manuscript for two to four weeks. Editing may follow, but perhaps for a year or more. That's okay. I like this story enough to think that it has potential and is worth the time.

And so, fellow bloggers, if you have ever considered writing a masterpiece of fiction, I give the following advice:

1) Try it! You may find out that you suck at fiction, and that's fine. You've got other things to do with your life. That may actually be better for me (less competition). But you may find that you can write the things that other people have been waiting to read. That, my friend, is a really fabulous feeling.

2) Find people who will support you, and exploit the support. When you finish your book, you already have a list of people who want to take you out to celebrate.

3) Find people who won't get off your back about your goal. Make ridiculous bets with them. Let them raise the bar, and then show them that you can clear it with your eyes closed.

4) Find your best writing spot and bring your music! Mine happened to be the corner of the silent room at the Edmond public library, but I only discovered this during the last half of my writing month.


I could go on for another few pages, but these were the things that got me through.

And now I can return to the land of the living.

Word count goal as of yesterday: 40,008.

Word count total so far: 40,167.

The curse of Week Three was lifted to sunshine and angelic choruses (actually, it was kind of cloudy and Blues Traveler was playing all weekend, but you get the idea). I had at least six hours of writing-related activity on Saturday that propelled me back on track to my somewhat ridiculous goal. Somebody was thinking when they invented Saturdays.

I also reached new levels of fun from playing Donkey Kong Junglebeat, but that's a story for another time.

I have to acknowledge that one certain bookselling friend, with his neverending supply of mostly fabricated, often unbelievable stories, was a major inspiration for a nudge in the right direction in one of my plotlines. He probably hates that since he's the one person who keeps telling me I won't finish.

I shouldn't acknowledge any assistance from him because on Saturday when we went to lunch, he pushed me into a very sharp, very angry tree, and now I have a dozen or so puncture marks on the inside of my left arm.

Let this be a lesson to you all: just as soon as you start to trust a boy again, he pushes you into a tree and proudly laughs at his evil behavior.

Sigh.

Less than 10,000 words to go and only 17 days until my vacation...

Enjoy your day.

There was a time not too long ago when I only bought new cds as a reward, generally for finishing a thesis paper or big project. I also had a rule that I would only buy it if I knew that I liked at least two songs. The rule served me well; it kept me from buying on a whim and being disappointed later. Of course, that was back in college when most of my money went to club activities and Taco Bell runs.

My recent change in purchase attitude is largely due to two things: a) I needed some inspiring music for my mad writing month, and b) I recently received some unexpected cash. Put a and b together and you get a very exciting but dangerous habit. There is a voice in my head that tells me not to walk into the music section at B&N, but I don't listen to her anymore.

And so, here is a brief list of the new additions (all within the last month, I believe) in something close to purchasing order, starting with the most recent.

Rocky Votolato- Burning My Travels Clean
Blues Traveler- Travelouge: Blues Traveler Classics
Iron & Wine- Creek Drank the Cradle
Jack Johnson- Between Dreams
Jars of Clay- Redemption Songs
Travis- The Invisible Band
Damien Rice- O
Moby- Hotel
Josh Rouse- Nashville

No reviews, no suggestions that you must immediatly rush out and buy them. They're not for everyone, I know.

Next purchase: DMB's Stand Up, which arrives on May 10th.

Really, I am going to halt all cd purchases until then. I promise...I think.


Enjoy your music.

Today's word count: 2,224 as of 5:30 p.m. Total word count to date: 24,687.

I have reached the halfway point. It is day 16 of 30. If your math skills are better than mine, you will notice that I should have passed 25,000 yesterday and did not. Overall the day has been successful. Today's stuff is better than most of the last few days as far as direction is concerned. Things are getting better. I want to get another 2,000 written today, but that may have to wait until later this evening.

According to my guidebook, Week Three is supposed to be easier than the dreaded Week Two. We shall see how that goes. My un-encouraging friend ("discouraging" doesn't do him justice) is doing a smashing job of telling me that I will not finish the book. I can't blame him; he's just doing his job.

And in other news, I am beginning to hate my cell phone. People expect me to drop everything to answer it and then assume that I have vanished into the depths of the earth if I do not immediately return their phone calls.

That doesn't relate to anything else, but I wanted to put it down somewhere.

Enjoy your day.

If you are visiting the site solely for the novel-writing update and not any personal confessions, this post is for you.

I am about 1,000 words behind my daily goal. The end of week one with its court visits and bond posting nightmares put me off track a bit, as did the co-purchase of a video game system with a friend. (This friend is the person who always tells me that I will fail miserably at writing, and I am beginning to think that the Thursday purchase was merely an attempt to make me lose all focus of the novel so I will have to buy him Star Wars tickets. He's a very clever boy.) Of course, the book that inspired this whole novel thing warned that there would be a creativity slump, and I have been waist-deep in the slump. (I imagine that slumps are a combination of pudding, glue, and red clay mud, all of which make exiting the slump a tiring chore.)

Good news: I had a fabulous day at work and am now feeling a mixture of productivity and inspiration that should carry me through to my word goal for today, which should put me at 20,004 words. So when I arrive home around 9 tonight, I should be itchin' to pound out some good stuff.

And now I have to give praise to Loraine, who has been my literary confidant for several years, and is always honest and encouraging about my writing, even when it is just plain bad. She will probably be prominently featured on every acknowledgement page I ever write.

Enjoy your friends.

I am not ready to be honest.

There are days when I am constantly smacked in the face with honesty, but in a wonderfully positive way, not in the face-bruising way you may have hoped. For a few moments, hey, even until I crawl under the quilts and try to shut down for the evening, I am convinced that I love honesty and I will embrace it in all its glorious forms. I will stop lying to myself; I will stop convincing myself things are okay when they're obviously not; and I will stop believing that I can solve my own problems.

But I know why darkness is the alarm-ringing quality of evil things. It's obvious, right? Girl goes into a dark tunnel alone with no lightsource, weapon, or hunky bodyguard-type boy, I automatically want to yell at her, "Hey, are you stupid? You shouldn't go in there, it'll only be trouble, and you'll be sorry." (Of course, said girl is in movie or television show, and she can't hear me, so I feel a bit crazy for the warning.) Inevitably, the warning is justified by the appearance of some slimy creature or axe-wielding psycho or, even worse, just the sounds of her screaming followed by creepy music cues. She's toast, and there's nothing you can do about it.

So why do I keep going into the tunnel? Why do I let things overwhelm me every day-- things for which I never believed I would have a weakness? I know that I am closing in on my own destruction, but at the mouth of the tunnel, it never looks as bad as it really is.

Some people are proud to say that they have no regrets. I always wonder about that kind of statement, because I can immediatly think of 10 or 20 of my own. They're not all huge decisions, but they were all important, and I can see there are places where I was too impatient and walked into the darkness instead of waiting for the lights to come on.

Since there's no way to know who reads this, I am not going to spell things out for you. In fact, I probably won't even spell it out even if I know you personally. For now, I'll just hope it's enough to know that I have made some mistakes and regret them, and know that there may be people who can support me even while I'm being vague.

Enjoy your day.

After sitting in a courtroom for a couple of hours with all manner of scary people, my name was finally called. I explained that the deliquent violation couldn't have been for my car, but the judge didn't seem to care so much. He said I'd have to post bond and go to trial. Trial! I neither have the time nor the money to waste on this, and he wants me to go to trial. If it is not already apparent, I will say it flat out: I am really ticked off at the Oklahoma City judicial system.

On a good note, I managed to get in my words yesterday. I've officially passed the 10,000-word mark.

Still, I don't really know where it's going sometimes. If it weren't for the no editing rule, I would have already edited like crazy and probably deleted a few chunks. Lucky for me, the rules won't allow deletion, only italization.

That's all I've got. I'm very angry and am having a hard time thinking about anything else.

Breathe in....breathe out....

Yesterday was ridiculous in every possible way. Here is a brief synopsis:
1. Woke up as usual. Felt stabbing pain in eyes and extreme sensitivity to all light, but pressed on to work.
2. Worked in complete misery (sunlight+office lights+yellow paint= absolute torture), went to Walmart for eyedrops that were little help, and worked until 1 p.m., when I finally called it quits for the day, promising that I'd probably return later in the evening to attend to some things.
3. Went home to my beautifully dark apartment. Had lunch, put on pjs and sleepmask, and was asleep on my super-comfy couch by 1:30. Awoke just before 6.
5. Opened blinds to check light tolerance (It was good.). Went back to the office.
6. Did some office work and then started my novel writing for the day.
7. Made my goal of 8,335 just before 10 p.m. with a few extra words for good measure. Heard strange noise, realized intense rain shower had just commenced and was slightly disappointed in my choice of footwear-- flip-flops.
8. Geared up for latest blog post when my entire office was doused with darkness, and I was slightly panicked. My office is kind of isolated, and there aren't many people around the area after hours. The office is 17 1/2 times creepier in the dark when all the machines are quiet.
9. Panicked a little more because I hadn't saved recently, and I couldn't remember how long it had been since my last auto-save. Worried about how I would get out and if the alarm system would be funky.
10. Left about 20 minutes later, hoping things would not fall apart and I would have electricity at my apartment.
11. Went about normal routine. Watched tv, played solitaire. tried with no success to go to sleep. At 4, I decided sleep was completely hopeless, and I got ready for work. Had breakfast at IHOP and read some of The Archivist. Arrived for work an hour early. Hope I will make it through the day.

And if that's not enough, I have to go downtown to court today because the City of Oklahoma City sent my parents a letter saying I had an unpaid parking ticket. I was at dinner with my sister at the time they say the alleged ticket was issued and my car was parked in front of my apartment, nowhere near California Street or any of its handicapped parking spaces.

So that's how it was. I've been awake since 6 p.m. last night. It's now just after 7 a.m., and I have had no sleep. I do not know how to convince a judge that the ticket could not have been issued to me or my vehicle.

On top of all that, I have to find time to write my 1667 words for the day.

Wish me luck, for I shall need buckets of it.

Enjoy your day.