KNOCK KNOCK

WHO'S THERE?

NO ONE!!!!


Yep, I did it. I really really don't like the new dashboard. It takes way too much time to scroll up and down and up again on the blog roll, constantly having to start over at the top, etc. So, I've moved my blog. If you want to follow me over, here's the new address:

http://therainydaywanderer.wordpress.com

I haven't figured out how to have a followers widget, but that's okay. If you don't see your name on the blog roll, I'm getting there, I promise. I just now figured out what I did wrong the last time I entered everyone's name.

I'm slowly getting everyone's name added; it may take a couple weeks, though. It's a tedious process and I don't do well with tedious. I have to have breaks.

So anyway, I hope to see in my new neighborhood! Take care and stay cool!

*****For those of you concerned about the commenting on a wordpress blog: though the information box still shows up, it is not necessary to fill out any information. The requirement has been disabled. All you have to do is post the comment and click. Personally, I dislike filling out all that info myself and I wouldn't ask anyone else to do it, either.*****

News, Updates, And Stuff

Wow, what a summer, huh? I hope everyone is surviving the terrible heat wave we've been having. Although, yesterday and today have been dreamy. For me, anyway.

I have all kinds of news. First, I gotta say-I'm not too sure about the new blogger. The dashboard is weird and creating this post is interesting. By the time I finish this, I'll now more about whether I like it or not. Anyway....some news.

When I got my tattoo, I was disappointed when the scabs came off. There were spaces with no ink, and parts were lighter than others. Everyone told me that the guy who did it doesn't do touch-ups for free. His online reviews said the same thing. Sorry. I'm not paying someone to fix their mistakes.

I recently found someone else and had it redone. Guess what? I have ink in all the right places! And no weird shading, either. Yay! Know what else? She said that if there were still spaces or shades, she would fix it. For free. Um hmm. She will get all my business in the future. (Yes, NOW I can plan for my next one *happy face!*)

In other news, my former teacher GOT ME INTO THE CLASS!!!! Yes, Friends, I will be graduating in December. Finally!

Now for writing news. My intended goals have been shelved and that's okay. I'm not good at forcing creativity. The new shiny I mentioned before is patiently waiting and I really hope to begin working on it again before the summer is over.

To date, I've written 4 short stories and I have 2 more that I really want to get completed. I've learned a few things during this process. For example, I can't write humor. My hat is off to those of you who can.

Fortunately, my Muse knows this and steers my path into other directions. Basically meaning that the ideas I've started with have consistently morphed into something else. I've also discovered how difficult it is to keep short stories short. William found several magazines who want stories between 3 and 6K, and a few more that want them up to 8k. I'm averaging 4+ to just over 6k.

The weird thing is, just like during nano, I'm finding naptime at work to be extremely conducive to writing. Yay for sleeping children :)

Speaking of weirdness, I'm ready for this:

Yep, the rainy, cloudy weather we've had the last 2 days has put me in the mood for fall and all its accouterments. Part of it may be my desire to leave summer behind and get on with cooler weather. (Okay, a lot of it!)

Mostly, though, it's because I like to decorate the house in fall and winter. I don't really do much decorating in spring and summer....

Lastly, has anyone seen the new Harry Potter movie? If you're planning to go, a word of advice. Take Kleenex. Especially if you've read the books, because you'll be able to appreciate what's happening on a deeper level. Yes, there are changes and differences, but it's still a wonderful ending to the series. I want to go back.

One of the things I really liked about it was these guys finally got their due in the movies.....

That's it for now. I hope you're home, cause I'm dropping by for a visit!

HEY!!!!!

Well, more like a quick visit to say hello and see what's going on with everyone. 

It's been a little crazy the last several weeks. Initially, I took time off to work on my two wip's. Part of the way in, I realized that Tangi had backed off again, though I did manage to get several scenes written and a few others sketched out. Hopefully, they can be used. ***update: as I was writing this, she showed me something!***

With the nano book, I rewrote the beginning (I learned that agents won't read anything beginning with someone waking from a nightmare.) The new intro is actually much better than the original, so that's a plus. Then, I found myself rewriting the whole thing, not something I have time for and it was loosing something in the retelling. So I decided that I would try and just rewrite pages at a time.

Finding how difficult and time consuming that was becoming, I decided to put both wip's on hold and follow another idea. (Can you spot the ADHD coming into play here?) One that I'm keeping under wraps for right now. But the neat thing was that it would be quicker and aimed at a wider target. Cool, right? Well, it was cool, for about a week. I was 10,653 words into the new project when the A/C went out. During the hottest week in May. (Director's father said his porch read 103 degrees F.)  And the prednisone was still coursing wildly through my system. Yep, a total meltdown occurred. At one point, I simply started crying and was unable to stop. *Sigh*

Since about the age of 14, I've been unable to abide extreme heat. I'm told it's probably a hormonal thing. I'm no better than a wrung out dish rag. So all writing/blogging/and facebooking came to a screeching halt. Eight days later, we had air again *silent prayer of thanksgiving* but the damage was done. I'd lost all my motivation. The writing train had derailed. Three weeks passed. Not one word written.

Till William came back to the Center for the summer! He's my only face-to-face friend that writes and understands/gets excited about all things writerly. He'd done some research about short stories and where to submit them. Since we're both pushed for time, we decided to concentrate on shorts, working on the wip's when time allowed or the muses insisted. We're both writing like crazy and I'm finding it fun and challenging. I'm finding he's also quite the crit buddy!

Since this is a longer weekend, I hope to get a few more written, (I've sketched out ideas for several!) then concentrate on polishing them up. I also want to resume work on the new shiny, finishing it if I can. Ambitious, but the summer is passing quickly and I want as much to show for my time off as possible.

That's pretty much what's been going on as far as writing goes. During the A/C - prednisone drama, I reverted to my bad emotional eating habits and paid for it in spades. Consuming an estimated 3 to 4 thousand mg's of sodium caused the wicked-bad migraines to return. Lesson learned. I've had my tatt redone (when it healed, there were blank spaces) and Honey finally had time to do some landscaping in the front of the house (I looks a lot better).

Work has been almost non-stop activities/happenings/events, but this week was really mellow. Lots of families on vacay, so I got to come home early yesterday (Friday). A couple of our kiddos are having some serious health issues and could use some positive thoughts and prayers, please. (I can't mention names or conditions, sorry.)

Right now, I'm going to get some of my Saturday stuff done and then I'll see if the Muse is with me. If she is, I'll be writing for most of the afternoon and early evening. Then, I'll be around to visit. I've missed you guys!!!!  If Ms. Muse is absent, I'll visit sooner!

My weekend plans? To see Transformers! And I'm sooooooo looking forward to HP7 part II. The last trailer makes me cry. 

So, how have ya'll been?