As Kenny Rogers sings in his well-known song The Gambler, you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. And twelve days shy of the November 30th deadline, I am folding the cards otherwise known as my National Novel Writing Month entry. Not only am I 12 days shy of finishing, I'm also about 37,000 words short. Add to that other commitments and upcoming holiday plans and rather than stress myself out about it, I'm putting it away for now.
So, yeah.
I'm out of words. And I'm okay with that.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Traffic and Shoppers and Palpable Tension, Oh My!
Wow -- the Halloween stuff is barely packed away (I don't 'do' Halloween, so that was a snap) and all the Christmas decorations and music and shoppers are out in full force. My younger sister was at the local Wal-Mart, surprised to discover as of November 1st they were already playing holiday tunes. The cashier she talked to wasn't thrilled about it, but I'm sure she has already learned how to tune it out.
I think all the holiday shoppers made their start today. Hubby and I went to the mall with his mom and it was busy. And I was a little stressed. Not by all the shoppers so much, but by my mother-in-law who felt it necessary to walk closer to my hubby. Not a problem under normal circumstances (he's her son, after all), but when I'm between them, it's not so swell. I finally just stopped walking and let them get ahead of me as I told them "I don't want to be sandwiched between you two!"
Maybe for this reason alone, I'm seriously going to check into doing my holiday shopping on-line or at Disneyland as we'll be there for a week in December.
As such, I decided to change things up here a wee bit. Let me know if things look weird on your computer screen as mine tends to soften things a bit.
I think all the holiday shoppers made their start today. Hubby and I went to the mall with his mom and it was busy. And I was a little stressed. Not by all the shoppers so much, but by my mother-in-law who felt it necessary to walk closer to my hubby. Not a problem under normal circumstances (he's her son, after all), but when I'm between them, it's not so swell. I finally just stopped walking and let them get ahead of me as I told them "I don't want to be sandwiched between you two!"
Maybe for this reason alone, I'm seriously going to check into doing my holiday shopping on-line or at Disneyland as we'll be there for a week in December.
As such, I decided to change things up here a wee bit. Let me know if things look weird on your computer screen as mine tends to soften things a bit.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Check This Out!
Have you ever talked about trying something new? Changing your habits, hobbies, or . . . something? (Wouldn't it have been cool if I had thought of another 'h' word?)
Well, some I know is doing more than talking about it. Every day for the next year, she is going to to so something new. You can follow her adventures here. (The link can also be found in the links section to the left -- it is "The Mysteries of Tomorrow".)
I am in the beginning stages of the annual National Novel Writing Month challenge and that, coupled with work, my write-a-novel correspondence course, and other what-nots have deemed November not a good month to join in on such a challenge. But I'm telling you, it is reminding me to quit talking about making changes and actually start taking some action.
Speaking of which, I have a word count to meet so I had better get cracking.
Well, some I know is doing more than talking about it. Every day for the next year, she is going to to so something new. You can follow her adventures here. (The link can also be found in the links section to the left -- it is "The Mysteries of Tomorrow".)
I am in the beginning stages of the annual National Novel Writing Month challenge and that, coupled with work, my write-a-novel correspondence course, and other what-nots have deemed November not a good month to join in on such a challenge. But I'm telling you, it is reminding me to quit talking about making changes and actually start taking some action.
Speaking of which, I have a word count to meet so I had better get cracking.
Monday, October 29, 2007
'Bye, Little Snat*
My work day had started ordinarily enough. I was in the third month of my new job, still nervous as all get-out at the start of each day and somewhat less befuddled by the end and on my own as the woman I was filling in for had begun her year-long maternity leave.
This day in particular was gray and rainy, but it was not long before it took a right turn. Due to the beauty of the Internet, I was able to fill my husband in right away:
From: The Scribbler [thescribbler@work.com]
To: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Subject: question
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 11:02:13 -0600
Hey, you know, I was thinking - perhaps Phil would not be so crazy if he had another cat to play with. Say a cute little gray kitten. That my boss & one of the guys found in the storage bin. That's really tame. And cute. And needs a home or else he'll be a warehouse cat. Did I mention he purrs (or maybe it's a she - dunno!) like crazy??
Think about it and let me know asap - by mail or phone.
The Scribbler
Yes, a little gray cat was found in the warehouse of my work place. And it managed the amazing feat of purring and eating simultaneously. My husband was reluctant at first, as you can see from his reply:
From: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:14 AM
To: thescribbler@work.ca
Subject: RE: question
AHHHHHHH.... HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH AHHAHHAH HAHA HAHA HAHH....(gasp).....HA HAH AH AH HHA HA HA AHA HHA ....
But seriously, I dunno, we should probably see if Phil will allow another cat about (hiss hiss swipe grrr, or mew?). Also there will be LOTS more kitty litter.
Yes, ever the practical sort, he was concerned about increased kitty litter (aka more litter box cleaning). But the little cat was cute, purred like a motorboat, and I could not shake the words of my boss who, in a phone conversation with his wife, said the little cat would have a good life as a warehouse cat. Not a great life, but a good one. Undeterred, I e-mailed my husband back:
From: The Scribbler [thescribbler@work.com]
To: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Subject: RE: question
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 11:20:25 -0600
Hardy-har-har.
I say lets give it a go.
I can bring him/her home tonight?
(It's not like this has never been done before.)
Hee.
The Scribbler
He eventually came around to my awesome logic:
From: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:36 AM
To: thescribbler@work.com
Subject: RE: question
Okilee-do-ki-lee
And so we welcomed into our home a little gray cat who, after a day or so of various monikers, was named Penny. We soon learned she ate like a horse, had an affinity for pretty much anything going on in the kitchen, was a real snuggler and loved to play fetch with the ring from the milk jug. Penny also did an awesome impersonation of Linda Blair in “The Exorcist” the first time we put her in the cat carrier to take her to the vet.
And here we are, two years later, minus the little gray cat. She fought through a weird blood infection this summer only for us to discover (after three great weeks of her being her old self) she had liver problems which would require more tests and trips to the big city to maybe fix the problem. So last week we made the difficult decision to have her put down. And today was the day we said goodbye. (Needless to say, she was spoiled like crazy this weekend.)
(It is also . . . hard to try and sum up two years in a few words.)
As we drove home with the empty cat carrier, my husband commented on how odd this go-around of loss was. We've experienced some serious ones, he and I, with the loss of his brother almost 14 years ago and the loss of my grandmother and two uncles since then. No, this was a sadness at the passing of a furry little friend tempered by the knowledge we really did do the right thing.
So we're thankful for the time we had Penny who, by the way, did have a pretty great life.
*Snat -- a term used in my family as a substitute for 'cat'. Why, I have no idea.
ETA: The e-mails included in this entry are the actual e-mails exchanged by my husband and I on that day in August of '05 (with our e-mail addresses, obviously, being changed). Sometimes being a packrat is a good thing. ;-)
This day in particular was gray and rainy, but it was not long before it took a right turn. Due to the beauty of the Internet, I was able to fill my husband in right away:
From: The Scribbler [thescribbler@work.com]
To: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Subject: question
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 11:02:13 -0600
Hey, you know, I was thinking - perhaps Phil would not be so crazy if he had another cat to play with. Say a cute little gray kitten. That my boss & one of the guys found in the storage bin. That's really tame. And cute. And needs a home or else he'll be a warehouse cat. Did I mention he purrs (or maybe it's a she - dunno!) like crazy??
Think about it and let me know asap - by mail or phone.
The Scribbler
Yes, a little gray cat was found in the warehouse of my work place. And it managed the amazing feat of purring and eating simultaneously. My husband was reluctant at first, as you can see from his reply:
From: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:14 AM
To: thescribbler@work.ca
Subject: RE: question
AHHHHHHH.... HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH AHHAHHAH HAHA HAHA HAHH....(gasp).....HA HAH AH AH HHA HA HA AHA HHA ....
But seriously, I dunno, we should probably see if Phil will allow another cat about (hiss hiss swipe grrr, or mew?). Also there will be LOTS more kitty litter.
Yes, ever the practical sort, he was concerned about increased kitty litter (aka more litter box cleaning). But the little cat was cute, purred like a motorboat, and I could not shake the words of my boss who, in a phone conversation with his wife, said the little cat would have a good life as a warehouse cat. Not a great life, but a good one. Undeterred, I e-mailed my husband back:
From: The Scribbler [thescribbler@work.com]
To: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Subject: RE: question
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 11:20:25 -0600
Hardy-har-har.
I say lets give it a go.
I can bring him/her home tonight?
(It's not like this has never been done before.)
Hee.
The Scribbler
He eventually came around to my awesome logic:
From: Mr. Scribbler [mrscribbler@work.com]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:36 AM
To: thescribbler@work.com
Subject: RE: question
Okilee-do-ki-lee
And so we welcomed into our home a little gray cat who, after a day or so of various monikers, was named Penny. We soon learned she ate like a horse, had an affinity for pretty much anything going on in the kitchen, was a real snuggler and loved to play fetch with the ring from the milk jug. Penny also did an awesome impersonation of Linda Blair in “The Exorcist” the first time we put her in the cat carrier to take her to the vet.
And here we are, two years later, minus the little gray cat. She fought through a weird blood infection this summer only for us to discover (after three great weeks of her being her old self) she had liver problems which would require more tests and trips to the big city to maybe fix the problem. So last week we made the difficult decision to have her put down. And today was the day we said goodbye. (Needless to say, she was spoiled like crazy this weekend.)
(It is also . . . hard to try and sum up two years in a few words.)
As we drove home with the empty cat carrier, my husband commented on how odd this go-around of loss was. We've experienced some serious ones, he and I, with the loss of his brother almost 14 years ago and the loss of my grandmother and two uncles since then. No, this was a sadness at the passing of a furry little friend tempered by the knowledge we really did do the right thing.
So we're thankful for the time we had Penny who, by the way, did have a pretty great life.
*Snat -- a term used in my family as a substitute for 'cat'. Why, I have no idea.
ETA: The e-mails included in this entry are the actual e-mails exchanged by my husband and I on that day in August of '05 (with our e-mail addresses, obviously, being changed). Sometimes being a packrat is a good thing. ;-)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Relationships -- Take 'Em or Leave 'Em?
Ah, relationships. By many I am blessed and by some I am absolutely confounded. By some, it is both.
I'm blessed by my relationship with God. Blessed by His love, saving grace, and just by . . . Him! Though I'm confounded by it at times, too. I mean, how does the holy, omnipotent, omniscient Creator of the universe have the time for me? Why does He desire to spend time with me when I muck so many things up? And there are so many things He provides as well. It's mind-blowing, really. And life-altering.
I am blessed by my relationship with my husband. We've been married almost 13 years, have known each other for almost 15 and I know there are still things I don't know about him. This could be mainly because of one of two things: a) He doesn't tell me and b) I don't ask. Ha, ha! But seriously -- he's a treasure. I know I'm not always the best as a wife. Shoot, neither one of us is perfect, but I am amazed and what a good fit we are as a couple.
My familial relations bless/confound me (biological and marital). 'Nuff said there, I think.
Friendships are another tricky thing. There are people you think (either accurately or through some form of denial) you are 'in good standing with' only to find out you're not. Or those you think of as casual acquaintances only to discover in a crunch there's a stronger bond there. Then there are the friendships which have withstood ebbs and flows, fights, periods of silence and what-not and have been full of blessings received and given. What a treat!
No man is an island,
This I know to be true.
For God by His hand
Has given a precious gift through you.
I'm blessed by my relationship with God. Blessed by His love, saving grace, and just by . . . Him! Though I'm confounded by it at times, too. I mean, how does the holy, omnipotent, omniscient Creator of the universe have the time for me? Why does He desire to spend time with me when I muck so many things up? And there are so many things He provides as well. It's mind-blowing, really. And life-altering.
I am blessed by my relationship with my husband. We've been married almost 13 years, have known each other for almost 15 and I know there are still things I don't know about him. This could be mainly because of one of two things: a) He doesn't tell me and b) I don't ask. Ha, ha! But seriously -- he's a treasure. I know I'm not always the best as a wife. Shoot, neither one of us is perfect, but I am amazed and what a good fit we are as a couple.
My familial relations bless/confound me (biological and marital). 'Nuff said there, I think.
Friendships are another tricky thing. There are people you think (either accurately or through some form of denial) you are 'in good standing with' only to find out you're not. Or those you think of as casual acquaintances only to discover in a crunch there's a stronger bond there. Then there are the friendships which have withstood ebbs and flows, fights, periods of silence and what-not and have been full of blessings received and given. What a treat!
No man is an island,
This I know to be true.
For God by His hand
Has given a precious gift through you.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Office Confessions
As my husband will quickly attest to, I am an avid fan of The Office. I enjoy the comedy, the writing, the characters, and the storylines. I frequent www.OfficeTally.com for quotes, interviews, and my share of spoilers. I have talked about it with friends who are fans. I have even (and I'm a bit . . . hesitant . . . to share this fact) read a good chunk of fan-authored fictional stories about the show. (I had to quit/dramatically cut back, however, as my own writing endeavours were suffering as a result.)
So I was pretty excited about the start of the show's fourth season. And I still am, two episodes in. What is sort of perplexing to me, however, is the number of crticisms I have read on-line about this new season. Things such as the hour-long format being too draggy; too much focus on Jim and Pam; potential bad acting; bad writing; Michael's antics being too over-the-top and so on.
You know, I don't even know for sure why this is bothering me. I mean, people are entitled to their opinions, right? I guess what bugs me about such comments is they have been leading me look to at the show with a critical eye I would not be looking through otherwise.
Hmmm.
Time to toss another activity in the 'no longer do' pile.
;-P
So I was pretty excited about the start of the show's fourth season. And I still am, two episodes in. What is sort of perplexing to me, however, is the number of crticisms I have read on-line about this new season. Things such as the hour-long format being too draggy; too much focus on Jim and Pam; potential bad acting; bad writing; Michael's antics being too over-the-top and so on.
You know, I don't even know for sure why this is bothering me. I mean, people are entitled to their opinions, right? I guess what bugs me about such comments is they have been leading me look to at the show with a critical eye I would not be looking through otherwise.
Hmmm.
Time to toss another activity in the 'no longer do' pile.
;-P
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A Thousand ???
Sometimes . . . okay, many times . . . well, there are times when I wonder why God bothers with me at all. I mean, really. I can get myself stuck in a bad rut faster than you can say "Quit spinnin' your wheels!"; I have missed my share of oppurtunities to do the right thing and generally have made many, many messes.
Then I have those times when I'm working with the kids at my church or I'm working on a writing project or am out with my husband or doing any of a myriad of things and I know, I know I'm where I'm supposed to be with Him, doing what He wants me to do.
The trick, I'm thinking, is to carry the lessons I've learned in the past and keep on moving forward without constantly looking over my shoulder. When I honestly and humbly come before God, admitting to Him my screwups and ask for His forgiveness and His help to change, I need to trust and believe changes will happen.
I'm blessed to teach Sunday School with a wonderful lady at my church, and today she did the coolest demonstration of how completely our sins are erased from God's record. What she has done is have the kids write their sins on a piece of flash paper she purchased from a magic store. Then she set it on fire and, being flash paper, soon it was gone without a trace. No ashes. No smoke. No record at all of the sins recorded on it.
And that's how it is when we ask God to forgive us. Our wrongs are gone without a trace. So when the devil or other people or our own selves try to bring those things up again, we need to remind them and ourselves to God, it's as if we never did those things.
And that can put a lot of ??? to rest.
Then I have those times when I'm working with the kids at my church or I'm working on a writing project or am out with my husband or doing any of a myriad of things and I know, I know I'm where I'm supposed to be with Him, doing what He wants me to do.
The trick, I'm thinking, is to carry the lessons I've learned in the past and keep on moving forward without constantly looking over my shoulder. When I honestly and humbly come before God, admitting to Him my screwups and ask for His forgiveness and His help to change, I need to trust and believe changes will happen.
I'm blessed to teach Sunday School with a wonderful lady at my church, and today she did the coolest demonstration of how completely our sins are erased from God's record. What she has done is have the kids write their sins on a piece of flash paper she purchased from a magic store. Then she set it on fire and, being flash paper, soon it was gone without a trace. No ashes. No smoke. No record at all of the sins recorded on it.
And that's how it is when we ask God to forgive us. Our wrongs are gone without a trace. So when the devil or other people or our own selves try to bring those things up again, we need to remind them and ourselves to God, it's as if we never did those things.
And that can put a lot of ??? to rest.
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