Tuesday, November 18, 2008
For a while now Tuesday nights have been kid-free for me, with the little man getting some guy time with my ex. Almost every one of these Tuesdays has been action-packed. Chock full of social activities, errand running, movies, grown up dinners or what have you. But not tonight. I have NOTHING planned. The late afternoon/evening could take me anywhere. But it will most likely lead to my very own couch, wrapped up in my own spacetime bubble, unseen by outside observers. And I am all right with that. No nerdfighting for this gal after all. Though one last road trip to pizza farm would’ve been kinda nice.
Friday is a different story. I’ve got the day off from work (and every Friday for the rest of the year - vacation time to use up). And I’m going to see Twilight. Uh huh, I’ll admit it. I don’t care who mocks me and my love of teen vampire romance. I even joined the “Because I read Twilight I have unrealisteic[sic] expectations in Men” group on Facebook. That’s right, my next special man-friend had better be able to protect me from oncoming traffic with only his fist.
Bonus: Beautiful, thought provoking photos by James Cooper at tinyvices (via blogumentary).
Plus: Just realized I’m seeing two movies on Friday, because the boy wants to go to Bolt on opening day.
And: An admission…I haven’t read a single one of the celebrity pep talk emails sent out from NaNoWriMo headquarters, written by famous authors. Maybe I wouldn’t be lagging behind in word count if I caught up on them. Hmmm.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Over the weekend we passed the halfway mark and that’s a pretty good indicator. National Novel Writing Month isn’t over yet, but I don’t think there’s much chance I will “win” it this time. And that is ok. I’ve been making steady progress, averaging over 1000 words a day and liking my story every step of the way. Going at it more slowly has certainly increased the quality (over quantity) but one needs to average 1667 words daily to reach the finish line. Sure, it’s still possible that I could get ahead with a couple more frenzied writing sessions. Speaking of, attending The Night of Writing Dangerously writeathon in San Francisco sure would have helped. Sadly my schedule hasn’t meshed well with our local write-ins, and that’s half the fun of NaNoWriMo.
Five creative endeavors from other folks:
Highlights from the weekend include the book reading. Totally fun, but that’s what you would expect in a room full of writers from The Onion. Saturday night dinner with friends at Evergreen was also most pleasant. But the boy’s fixation with The Jackie Chan Adventures continues unabated. At the restaurant he grabbed one of the placemats, with the Chinese zodiac on it, and started telling everyone about his talismans and Qi spells, and dark Qi wizards. Sigh. Yesterday the Theater de la Jeune Lune rummage sale was awesome. The boy found a bowler hat, my friend Sam scored a sombrero, and I snapped up a little chair meant for short people like myself. Afterwards we hit the gym, and stocked up on food at the co-op, where I got a hankering for Potato and Leek Soup. I hadn’t posted a new recipe in ages before that one. I need to get on that more regularly.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Last night my son had the longest petit mal seizure I’d ever seen. I happened to be sitting next to him, in a crowded restaurant, and watched it from start to finish. The seizure went on for so long I had to choke down some mild panic. As always it was like I could see him just below the surface, though his face was still and without expression, but he couldn’t hear or see me. I often wonder just where he goes during these episodes. And I doubt I’ll ever know.
And now the other cat is sneezing too. Sigh.
We’ve got a busy day ahead of us. Desperately trying to get some more of my novel out (and to stop beating myself up about not writing at all yesterday) while the boy watches cartoons. Then there is a Fight the H8: Stand Up for Same-Sex Marriage Rights rally at 12:30pm in Minneapolis today. And the Theater de la Jeune Lune rummage sale. And the book reading by writers from The Onion. And dinner with friends. And then the sitter is coming so that I, the straightedge vegan person, can attend a PIG ROAST. At a BREWERY. The fine folks at Uptown Tattoo sure didn’t have me in mind when planning their 10th anniversary party, but I want to go to support and hang out with them anyhow.
Bonus: I’m quite tempted to stock up on these Merry T-Mas goods, but now that I’ve posted it here it wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who received one from me. Dilemma.
Plus: Nerdfighting comes to St. Paul. The “Made of Awesome” tour stops at Metro State on Tuesday night. If you aren’t in the know, read up on the Brotherhood 2.0 project.
And: Sheela’s been selling her cupcakes at the Golden Fig for a while now, but yesterday was the first time I’d dropped in for them there. And I was ever so glad I did. The vegan pumpkin with brown sugar pecan buttercream was better than sex. Almost. Well, it’s close. Perhaps this calls for an empirical study.
Friday, November 14, 2008
I am so ready for this week to be over with. It’s been chock full of crankiness, with added heaps of anxiety. Not just for me but for most everyone I know. To add to the ugh yesterday I found out one of my favorite places in St. Paul, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, is closing. No more patio night fun in the summertime.
But it hasn’t been all bad. A friend has been on a road trip all week and sending me frequent, amusing updates. Vicarious travel can be another form of escapism. And Andrei Codrescu made me laugh. Just listened to his recent Failure Of Feral Cats Roundup Has Explanation piece. And Sheela’s back in business with more cupcake flavors and locations. And hey, there’s plenty of Barack Obama to go around. Like the 50 facts you might not know about him. Or the photo of him having too much fun in a bumper car. Or an oldie but a goodie, Obama apologizing to a reporter for inadvertent cock-blocking.
In other news, do I really need another outlet to update? Yesterday I signed up for a Posterous account. I do like the simplicity of it. Just send and email and whatever you send will automagically be posted to your Posterous blog. I might use that space for something very specific. Here at WMD HQ the only images I display are photos I’ve taken myself. But sometimes I post links - here and on twitter - to other photos/images that amuse me. Now I can post such things directly to Posterous. If I were someone new to blogging, Posterous definitely has ease of use going for it. If only I could get my Dad to use it…
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Managed to turn my cranky dial down for today but I’m still all about being home and staying cozy. Sadly this meant skipping the gym after work, but I’m hoping to make up for it tomorrow night. Complete with post-workout swimming and/or hot tubbing. For now, sorting out what to make for dinner and whether or not to bake a pumpkin pie to go along with it. It’s that kind of night.
Another five item variety pack:
Agenda for the rest of the evening? Dinner / homework / a bath for the stinky boy / his bedtime / then writing like the wind for me. Or so I hope.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Last night I paid $49 for inconclusive news at the vet. Today nothing much is going well and I’m irritable and uncomfortable and looking forward to unconsciousness. Until then I am waiting for my son to be returned to me, and extremely anxious about it…as the day has seen a lot of freezing rain, temperatures are dropping, the potential for glare ice is high and my confidence in the ex’s driving abilities has always been low.
Until then, five distractions:
Hoping to channel some of this icky angst into my novel. Current word count is 12391. Though now I’m wondering if I should’ve started out using The Snowflake Method. Or at least some better planning than a few half-formed thoughts dashed out in TextEdit.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Thanks to flickr’s epmd I’ll be participating in some Mix Tape madness with other flickrites:
I’ve decided to do a Mixtape with 20 Different Flickr People. If you want in send me a Flickr Mail and I’ll send you the details. 20 People 15 Songs Each 1 USB Drive. I send you the “tape” and the USB drive to add your music to, you send it to the next person.
Curious to see what other folks throw into the mix. Should be good fun. Speaking of fun, I caught myself looking forward to next weekend already (even though I hardly got out this past one). I should put the kaibosh on that or it’ll make the week drag. And I’m not even certain I’ll be able to go out. If I can, I wouldn’t mind seeing a friend’s band open for The Faint at First Ave on Friday night. And on Saturday night my Tattoo shop peeps will be holding their annual semi-formal anniversary party. This year at the Surly Brewing Company.
So far I’ve been too chicken to use the Write or Die webapp, but Jeff is getting some good press. Most recently from Lifehacker. Thankfully I haven’t given up to the discouragement ghost just yet, but Write or Die might be the motivation I need to get ahead, word count-wise (currently at 11251/50000).
One of Clockwork’s owners made it into MAKE:blog today with his iPhone rocket.
I already got the boy his Christmas present, but now I want to get him a Batman Costume Hoodie too! Adult small would work for him. So tempting!
Ok, that’s enough neat stuff for today.
Sometimes I feel downright primal. This weekend’s focus was on basic needs. Eating, sleeping, cleaning the house, washing laundry, and, most importantly, restocking the groceries. I blame the below-freezing weather for kicking me into survival mode. But it was oddly satisfying, knowing that I’d provided for my son. Silly considering I’ve been doing so for nearly a decade but mama bear mode never wears off. Speaking of, I will need the housing market to be in better shape by, oh 2011 or 2012. While researching the boy’s higher education options I found the perfect school for grades 7-12. It’s a public charter serving higher-functioning students on the autism spectrum. But it’s in Crystal. Ack. That’s about twenty miles from home. He’s already got a 14.5 mile commute. I don’t want to make matters worse. A move to Minneapolis, especially NE, would help. A lot. But I’ve been wanting to get back to Minneapolis since the day I moved into my St. Paul house some nine years ago. Even if that could all somehow work itself out? We’ve got a gap to deal with. Our current school only goes through the 5th grade. I’d hate to get the boy settled in to 6th grade somewhere only to move him to another school the following year. And possibly another house. But we’ll jump off that cliff when we get to it.
On to other acts of derring-do for now. Like trying to write another 4350 words of novel before bed (currently at 10653 of 50000).
Bonus: I want - but do not need - this beautiful Squid USB flash drive.
Plus: The delightful Ed Asner is voicing the main character in the next Pixar movie but the trailer for Up left me going “meh.”
And: For some reason pigeons were a hot topic this weekend. Some friends had one stuck in their fireplace (but managed to safely release it outside). The boy has been really into the Mo Willems pigeon books. And Giyen posted not once but twice about them. Curious.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Recently I bought a Play-Doh party pack tube, for distribution at the boy’s birthday party. A few mini containers were left over. I discovered the chunk of Play-Doh inside is just the right size for my dinky little hands to use as a stress ball while working. Relaxing, yes, but this leaves me smelling of Play-Doh. A friend pointed out there’s actually a Play-Doh scented fragrance available for purchase. The copywriters claim that these: “technologically advanced fragrances allow you to scent the skin, as well as your personal space with scents that harken back to childhood memories.” If the scent of Gin & Tonic harkens back to childhood memories there may have been a problem. Just sayin’
Freddy has been sneezing excessively the last couple of days - twice right in my face. If it doesn’t let up I’m afraid he’s going to have to go to the vet. Ooh, vet bills. Just the thing when you’re broke! Sigh.
Desperately trying to focus on the novel now, but the distractions always derail me. After getting home from Toys on Roids (go see it!) last night I gave in, and watched the latest episodes of both True Blood and Bones. And was also alerted to a documentary about Ted Leo, up on Pitchfork for just one week. If only I could get away for a while, to an internet-less cabin up North in the middle of the woods. But a posh one with electricity and hot water, of course. Then maybe I could focus on the writing without being distracted by all the bright shiny things trying to hijack my attention.
Bonus: I’ll Build a Beard later. For now I need to write. Fiction-style, not bloggity blog.
Plus: Don’t have all the details yet but it sounds like Sheela’s Cupcake Saturday will be returning…to a slightly different venue in the same neck of the woods.
And: You are beautiful.
I like to think I’m pretty on top of things, but somehow I totally missed this rumor…that there will - allegedly - be an Apple Store opening near my house. On St. Paul’s Grand Avenue specifically in early 2009. Next year is shaping up to be all kinds of awesome. Speaking of, I’m planning to host an inauguration party. Just 74 days from now!
Randomness:
There are more Saturday events I’d nearly forgotten about. A friend’s birthday party, and the Drunkdriver / Retainers / Condominium show. Also? One of the NaNoWriMo write-ins is being held at the Eden Prairie Dunn Brothers Smith Douglas House. Too far out there, and too late, but I want to see the place sometime. For now I need to focus on getting my novel out, preferably from the comfort of my own home. Current word count is just 8005/50000. But weekend I’m going to crank out the story and kick those guilt monkeys in their furry little behinds.
