One of my best pals asked me today: Why do you do it? I do it to force myself to write a substantial piece of fiction. Knowing that I have 30 days to write 50,000 words is motivating to me. It means I can't worry over a turn of phrase, or fret over consistency, or take time to confirm historical accuracy. But it also means that I get a pretty decent shitty first draft done.... Read more →
Sorry to do two quizzes so close together, but hey. I'm barreling toward for the NaNoWriMo finish line! And LA provided the link! And it was too cool to pass up! And, in light of the fact that I have been now been officially dubbed a Dirty Old Lady, a title I accept from Anne with relish and delight, this seemed like the only thing to do. It helps that I actually like the outcome.... Read more →
We went to see Casino Royale this weekend, and oh holy dear sweet Jesus, Daniel Craig as James Bond is hot. Oh my yes, hellooooooo nurse! Honestly, I like the movie a lot. It was quite clever, even from the opening scene. The action scenes were impossibly exciting, the coincidences far fetched and wonderful, the bad guys (and gals) were numerous, and I enjoyed every minute. But over and above it all, I definitely approve... Read more →
I'm avoiding working on my NaNoWriMo novel. Things are about to get very ugly in it and I'm not sure how it's going to end up. Hmm. Why not a couple of diversions instead? Since I missed posting the answers to Friday's Feast when it was actually Friday, let's make it a Saturday Snack instead. Appetizer Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself? Many times, but not lately. In fact, one of my... Read more →
It's Thanksgiving here in the USA, so here are ten things that I'm thankful for. And, because it's also Love Thursday, there's a toast to love in the list. It's just about the worst, most awful icky weather outside tonight: cold November rain, just this side of freezing. I am very thankful that I'm home. The Powers That Be let us worker bees off at 2:00. I toyed with the idea of sticking around, maybe... Read more →
Weddings always make me feel a little mushy, and I particularly enjoyed the announcement of this one in today's Washington Post: Gina Lollobrigida, 79, one of the great bombshells of all time, is finally tying the knot in Rome with her boyfriend of 22 years, Javier Rigau y Rafols, 45. I did the distraction (you know, one of the four arithmetic functions: aggravation, distraction, uglification, and derision). They met in Monte Carlo when she was... Read more →
It was a pretty intense weekend. I spent Saturday with the gals from the Scrapbook Cult and got a good start on a new scrapbook of my New Orleans pictures. I spent Sunday with Mom, catering to her every whim. My brother's ex-wife came over with lunch, then later on my niece came over with dinner. Despite the visits, I got pretty bored sitting around watching the Redskins lose, so I told Mom we were... Read more →
It was one of "those" phone calls -- you know, the kind that come just when you're sitting down to breakfast, when you haven't had a sip of coffee yet, when no one calls you except to tell you bad news. My sister's name flashed up on the Caller ID and I knew immediately that this was a "mom call," as in "Mom's in the hospital again." So I answered with a "What now?" and... Read more →
Well, now I'm just being silly. I'm back from another whirlwind work-related trip to Chicago. The actual trip was fine -- I got done what I needed to get done, I got to stay at quite a nice boutique-y hotel, I got a free glass of wine because of said boutique-y hotel's afternoon wine reception. I also realized that I'm getting pretty comfortable with hoofing it around Chicago. When I looked at the map to... Read more →
After our sweet little cat Pussle died two years ago, we have been adamant about not having any more pets of any kind. After all, pets require care. You have to feed them, and get them shots, and groom them, and look after their elimination needs. Pets cost money. Vet bills can really put a dent in your budget, especially if the pets get sick or hurt, and there are the other big ticket items... Read more →