Thursday Recommendations

It's been too busy this summer, and getting a little down time - even a few hours - sounds heavenly! After reading Christie Craig's newest release "Shut Up And Kiss Me," I bought her book "Gotcha!" which came out last year. I'm not too far into the story, however it's proving to be just as entertaining as the other book.

I'm starting a "recommendation" post on Thursdays, and today my advice to relieve stress is to escape by reading something your enjoy. Go hide for 30 minutes, turn off your cell phone, take a bubble bath, visit your favorite coffee shop, or go get an mani-pedi and take your book and read. The time you spend on yourself will do you good.

Now it's my turn to do a little reading for stress relief. :)


~R

Did It Again

In my defense, I haven't judged too much over the past year, so I answered a "call" to help judge a non-RWA writing contest. Not too many pages for the entries plus an easy-to-understand-and-fill-out judging form. I know I'm side tracking. Giving back is something I do, because I've had some great help from contest judges in the distant past.

Editing is still slow, but I have hopes to get back on track within the next few days. I'm mulling over 2 new scenes I need to add and how to not make the additional character a total jerk. Redemption is the key here, making him somehow a lovable jerk. He's an alpha, so there's potential conflict with my main hero (always a good thing). And I have more than one shrubbery for them to beat on, lol.

For the next couple of weeks I'm hoping for a lot of quiet to get this story completed. I just have to limit my Internet time. I still have high hopes, though interruptions are the rule of the day sometimes. Thinking positive = I will persevere instead of procrastinate.

Wish me luck!


~R

More Fun

Well maybe. Editing is going slower than I planned. I'm supposed to be participating in a BIAW challenge, but yesterday I didn't make my quota. Three hours a day is a comfortable amount of work, any more and I get a little overwhelmed in the summer. It's different during regular school months. Not so when my kiddo NEEDS this, that and other stuff NOW.

I'm doing okay keeping distractions to a minimum. Routine has helped me a lot plus getting back to my daily exercise. I haven't had much luck finding someone to redo my website, so I'm back to square one trying to redo it myself. I spent a few hours Monday designing and figuring out what would work best, load fast and be easy to upkeep. I still haven't reconstructed my old site with all the particulars. Yahoo archives still don't have copies, and the way-back thingie isn't working for me. I'll just have to keep working on it a few minutes here and there.

Editing. Yeah, I'm behind where I want to be. I thought by now I'd be happily in the middle of the story. I really need to quit that, because it never happens that way. I'm hoping after I check on my class today to enter all the edits for the last two chapters I reworked. That's my goal ... besides redoing the music for my class this evening.

So, yeah, life goes on. Still have my fingers crossed this story will be out the door by the end of this month.


~R

Another Day

I figured I'd better post in case anyone was wondering (does anyone ever read this??).

It's been ten days now since D-day, and I'm trying to get back into my daily routine. But it's difficult. I look around I see something that reminds me of dad, and the moment comes where I just have to stop and remember to breathe until the tunnel vision and inner pain subsides enough for me to try and deal again.

I've made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my family for the past two days, a duty I usually share with my DH. I watered my orchids yesterday and this morning. I fed the cat. I watched a movie with my kiddo. I taught my workshop and went to my evening job.

Mundane simple things make life easier to cope with. I know it will eventually get easier to deal with the loss. I even negotiated with my offspring for a few hours of quiet time yesterday and edited an entire chapter. I have to add several new scenes, and I'm almost to the point where I can't continue editing without them. I'm so emo right now I'm not sure how they'll turn out. Or if they even will. I guess I can always save them for a different story if it doesn't fit the plot.

I have a personal goal to submit this story by the end of this month. Cross your fingers or toes or light a good luck candle for me.

On to editing another chapter today.

~R

Sad Day

My dad died today.

~R