Priorities and a Lesson in Professionalism

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything here, but I can explain. In fact, I can explain it in one word: facebook.

Facebook ate my time. Only because I handed all my “free” time to it on a silver platter, but it still ate every morsel I offered and left nothing for laundry, dishes, housecleaning, writing…

Greedy, greedy facebook.

But then, something happened. Something bad, which turned out to be something good. I shared a “photo” (which wasn’t actually a photograph, it was a statement that had been shared as a photo and facebook doesn’t really know the difference). It was a statement close to my heart as someone who works in the field of public education.

While I didn’t expect everyone to jump on board and give lauds and praise over the statement I’d shared, I wasn’t expecting quite the response I got. Someone took something out of context and began rubbing my face in it. It was so out of context, it took me quite some time to figure out what the hell they were talking about. True to the nature of most zealots, it didn’t matter that the item being pulled apart had nothing to do with the statement I shared, that which they found offensive needed to be trounced and stomped into oblivion, while the statement which meant something to me was ignored.

It was lovely, in a heart-crushing kind of way.

However, it showed me something important. I had taken my professional facebook account, my author account, and turned it personal. My original thought had been to share who I am with my readers so they could “get to know me.” After visiting the pages of a few other authors on facebook, I realized my error and I have since changed my tactics. I am now focusing more on writing and less on public education, puppies, kittens, space exploration, etc. I do miss acknowledging my friends funny posts, and I may do that a little more, but not much. If I see something I really like, I’ll send a pm to the poster and let them know privately. I’m reigning in my public profile, and keeping it as professional as I know how.

And I sure as hell won’t be sharing anything that might be misconstrued to the point of making me cry.

The other good thing about what happened is it has freed up quite a bit of time that I can use for the greater good, ie: laundry, dishes, housework, WRITING…

Dear 2013

Wow, what an interesting time we’ve had together. There was so much going on over the past 12 months, it was kind of like chasing a litter of kittens across an ice-covered patio strewn with plastic lawn furniture.

It started out well enough… sort of…

Tam and I took time off from work to do what we thought would be a simple transaction, but turned into nothing more than a little extra time off when we didn’t need it because some jackass attorney dropped the damn ball. But, in the end it worked out really well, because we were able to meet a very kind attorney who was more than willing to do the same job as the other one, but for less than half the cost.

It was all worth it, though. We took a chance, risked it all, and bought a hat shop. That’s where I learned that I’m pretty good at most business stuff and Tam is very sharp in the area of inventory purchasing. She has a good eye for what will sell.

Most of the time…

Not everything went according to plan and the lawn furniture was tossed into the arena again for another round of ice-rink round-up. There were the fires in Southern Oregon that left the air so thick visibility was less than ¼ mile and despite my asthma, I was reluctant to leave my parents’ place for fear they would have to evacuate. Then, once I’d returned to the hat shop, I had to return to my regular job earlier than expected when I was called for an interview (for a position I did not get), then it was back to the classroom for another year of Adaptive Behavior.

That lasted up to the point where I had to pursue a student and ended up falling onto both knees and ending up exiting the AB program and entering the realm of 1:1 para for a kindergarten student. The difference has been amazing and I will say it is nice to go home without the words “fuck you bitch” being flung at me by a 1^st grader. I like my new assignment a lot, and the teacher in the classroom is a doll. She’s funny and we share a warped sense of humor.

The hardest part of this year has been the separation. Tam moved out to live closer to the shop and the long-distance aspect of our relationship has been a true test of… so much of both of us. All I can say is “thank the gods for Skype.”

There were a few other firecrackers tossed at us over the past 12 months that have taken their toll, the most recent was the discovery that Tam’s bank account had been hacked. It would explain why money was so damn short all the time. I mean, we know we’re poor, but we didn’t think we were THAT poor. Turns out, we’re not. Now we get to go about getting her money back and pressing charges.

In some good news, we discovered that taking Omega 3 capsules helps us with digestive issues surrounding gluten intolerance, as well as working on other important body parts. Considering the cost of gluten-free foods, it was a refreshing break to discover this neat little trick.

I’ve made progress on the 2^nd book, progress which entails rewriting the whole damn thing. But it’s worth it. I think the story flows better and it ties into the first book. I had really hoped to get it finished before… well, before the end of the year, but we can see how well that turned out.

All in all you’ve been a pretty good year, and to be quite honest, while I’m looking forward to a brand new year, I won’t be painting 2013 red and nailing it to a cross. It will be a year that I’ll hold close to me, a year where I did a lot of emotional growth and even more self discovery. I’ve learned that I’m a lot stronger than I once thought, but I have times that will even surprise myself when I’m falling to pieces.

I’m learning to recognize the signals of the arrival of the dark horse and while I’ve not yet mastered the art of heading it off before it kicks down the door, I’m discovering ways to hasten the beast’s departure.

So, farewell 2013, and thanks. You’ll forever be remembered as the Year We Bought the Hat Shop.

And the year I grew up a little more.

Just a Salad

Lunch. I haven't been feeling all that well lately, so I couldn't bring myself to fix a lunch before leaving for work. It wouldn't be a problem, because I still have a little money on account and I could get a salad. They make lovely ones there, massive piles of greens with sliced red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and (unfortunately) celery. I have them omit the carrots because raw carrots do not like to play nice with my innards.

Anyway... it also comes with cheese, meat, and a little cup thingy of dressing. Oh, and there are seeds. Good stuff.

When I don't feel well, I'm not a nice person, and the kids were being particularly obnoxious with each other, not just in my classroom, but all over the campus. Combined with the bitter cold (I think it warmed up to a balmy 35 at recess time) and my lack of decent warm shoes, I was not a fun person to be around on the playground.  Note: I am not a fan of being handed bizarre things with the comment, "We found this in the field." I have learned to keep my hands tucked safely in my pocket when approached by anyone holding something out in front of them.

So, I got my lunch and headed for the staff lunch room. On my way there, I realized the ladies bathroom was FINALLY available, so I took a detour. It was my first big mistake. I pushed open the door, and the damn thing slammed back into me, throwing my cup of dressing to the floor where it disgorged half of it's contents under the sink. I put my things down on the little table and began cleaning up the disaster. I still needed to pee, but I felt this was more important at the moment. No, I don't know why, please don't ask.

As I was bent down with the top half of my body wedged under the sink, I was made aware of a simple omission on my part, the one where I lock the door. BAM!! "Oops, sorry." Once my vision cleared, I thought about explaining what I was doing to the person waiting for the restroom, but I figured, "naw, they already know I'm strange, one more thing isn't going to make it any worse."

In the staff room, I sat at the table and proceeded to destroy my salad, tossing bits of meat onto the floor (actually, they rolled down the front of my shirt). Did I mention there was still enough dressing left in the cup to coat these pieces of meat with sticky, oily ranch dressing? No? Well, there was. There was also enough to coat the front of my ID badge as well.

I was not having a good lunch. Someone at the table suggested a lobster bib, one with pockets at the bottom to catch wayward food.

I have a suggestion of my own, but because I like most of my co-workers, I kept it to myself. :)

Snit This

I have a hair up my nose about something and I'm going to spill it here. There's a huge uproar over retailers who are going to be open on Thanksgiving so people can start their shopping earlier. Knickers are in a knot because that means some folks won't be spending the holiday with family. Gosh, how thoughtful.

But what about restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving? Why is there no mega-snit over that? People are working at those restaurants and not spending time with THEIR families. They are working to serve food to people too lazy to cook it themselves. Is every person who plans to boycott the big stores for being open on Thanksgiving going to have a home cooked meal? It wouldn't surprise me to see a large population of "protesters" who wouldn't think twice about heading to a restaurant for their holiday repast so they won't have to worry about the cleanup?

Has anyone thought about the employees of the retailers who may not have family near by and would welcome going to work as a diversion from being alone? What about the good folks who do not celebrate the holiday? Or the kind souls who are willing to go into work because they celebrate being with family whenever they can get together with their loved ones? Let's not forget those who want the holiday pay. And who is speaking up for the ones who just don't freaking care about the holiday in the first place?

To be honest with you, I don't think the outrage over big retail being open is really about whether or not employees are with their families. I think it's just another way to stick it to "the man." It is a weak attempt to wound "greedy corporations" with self-righteous clap-trap. Giving the workers "in the trenches" a pat on the back and an "I'm here for you, buddy." Shallow, man, really shallow. If you truly want to give them your support, vote to raise minimum wage.

NaBloWriMo Day 31 30 More Days of Craziness

Well, this is the last post of 2013’s NaBloWriMo and while there were moments when I wasn’t sure I would make it, I did. I posted something every day and I gotta tell ya, IT WAS HARD!

So, what’s on the horizon for me? NaNoWriMo. Yes, because apparently NaBloWriMo was just a crazy warm-up for a crazier November. Going from writing as many (or few) words as I want, to having a daily goal of almost 1700 words (providing I get to write every day) is going to be a challenge. Plus forays to the shop, which take up a lot of time and energy that leaves me little to devote to writing, or bookkeeping, or, um, much of anything for that matter.

Here’s the deal: Last year, I did not finish. Either that or I didn’t even participate. I don’t recall. Sad, I know. But I learned something important: I survived not winning. I survived writing and having a good reason to write and be surrounded by all those writer vibes while writing and it was good. It felt good. It felt right, and it feels right to do it again.

I’m diving in again because I want to reboot my creativity when it comes to my novel writing. I’ve let it slide due to work and life in general, not a great excuse, but the only one I have. Actually, it isn’t the only excuse because the other main one was a plot that just didn’t leave me wanting more. Now that I’ve ironed out that “minor” problem by hitting the delete key (well not really, because there are parts I’m going to keep to use) I’m ready to give NaNoWriMo another go and get that ding-dang second book really written and have something of worth to offer my readers.

Because they are awesome.

NaBloWriMo Day 30 Book Two

I have been writing the sequel to my first book for about a year and a half. It is not coming along as well as I’d hoped. Not nearly as well as the first book, and that was an exceptionally painful experience… for everyone.

But book two has been troublesome in many ways. For one thing, I keep going back to check on the spelling of that damn pirate’s name. Was it Joachim or Joaquin? And, who helped Obadiah?

See, in the second book, I’m stepping back in time a little bit to show some activity from the Citadel’s side of the big event where someone send a sonic attack through an unauthorized portal, thus rendering a particular portal hub useless. It’s a good plan, and one I hope doesn’t confuse anybody. I just need to keep from confusing myself in the process and make sure my timelines line up in the proper sequence, lest I put off readers who pay attention to such things and make them put the book down and walk away. That would make me sad.

I must also work Drake’s escape from the Citadel into the plot, after all, I have a scene already written for him that I really like where he gets a sound karmic spanking. Readers will be introduced to some new characters, as well as get to know some others who were integral to the first book, but didn’t have a huge presence in that story. Theo, Jewel, Captain Malano (who will get a first name, along with General Kothe), that rake Joachim/Joaquin will be there doing his best to irritate Obadiah. Stella, Baby Sabine, a handful of Citadel Guardsmen who have found themselves on the dragons’ home world, a mostly dead Librarian, Viz (not her real name, it’s the last sound her victims hear before her sword relieves them of their heads), and the fate of Claire and Cole.

I had a complete first draft all written, then I made some changes because it really didn’t pack enough “oomph” and a book without “oomph” is little more than fire starter. So I made some changes, brought in a few characters, then realized it would “look better over here” so I dragged heavy items across the plot and came up with some fabulous ideas. They just bear absolutely no resemblance to that first draft. Or the second first draft.

But, it will open the door to more adventures and I’m rather excited about that prospect. Even though it’s going to be the third first draft of the second book and the mother of many gray hairs.

NaBloWriMo Day 29 Bookfest!

Every year we Western Washingtonians are treated to an event called Northwest Bookfest. It is usually held in the fall and, in the past, has been free. Things change and now I see they’re charging $99 for two days of workshops and events. I’m down with that price, actually because it is way less than most of the writing conferences I’ve attended. Unfortunately, it is still too rich for my budget this year, but at least I’ll have a target for next year.

However, the good news is there are plenty of free author panels to attend, as well as vendors in attendance. I plan on doing some holiday shopping while I’m there. J I would love to have a table there one of these years, where I can offer all of my titles for sale. It’s another goal I’m setting for myself.

Anyway, I usually attend with a writer friend who has been known on this (and my previous blog) as Sagacious Woman. We both love books on various subjects and she is one of my faithful, patient, long-suffering first readers. That poor woman has slogged her way through rough drafts, scandalously edited second drafts, and a few nearly-final stages as well. Even as a writer, I cannot fully express my gratitude and deep appreciation for all her hard work.

Back to the topic of the Bookfest, I almost didn’t go, after all, my sweetie’s birthday is coming up next week and I was planning on spending the weekend closest to her birthday with her, but she convinced me that it would be ok for me to attend the Bookfest, providing I bring her something. It’s called a birthday gift and I’m sure I can find a suitable offering at the venue.

So, I’m going to start saving my money and next year, I’m going to make a whole weekend of it, workshops, or a table if my second book is out by then (more on THAT tomorrow…)

I’m so excited… only two more blog posts and then the month is over. You know what that means? November 1^st, I’ll start getting all these wonderful blog ideas and no time to write them around NaNoWriMo.