![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Saturday will be my baby boy's first Halloween. At only 3 months (& a week :D ) I don't expect him to remember much of it, but I want to remember it. I will be outfited with the camera for pictures and movies. Hopefully we can finally get a picture of the 3 of us together!
I found myself remembering my Halloween's yesterday. Back in the day we would leave the house right after dinner and not come back for hours. We'd be driven all over the county and collect tons of candy. Since it always rained or snowed we also had to cover our costumes with our big winter coats or get something large that could be put on over the coat. Yes, those were the days when you weren't afraid of homemade cookies and popcorn balls, where there were no pins in candy bars, and damn it, we were safe no matter where we went "Trick or Treating."
I found myself remembering my Halloween's yesterday. Back in the day we would leave the house right after dinner and not come back for hours. We'd be driven all over the county and collect tons of candy. Since it always rained or snowed we also had to cover our costumes with our big winter coats or get something large that could be put on over the coat. Yes, those were the days when you weren't afraid of homemade cookies and popcorn balls, where there were no pins in candy bars, and damn it, we were safe no matter where we went "Trick or Treating."
- Location:Work
- Mood:
contemplative - Music:Love to be Loved: Peter Gabriel
These days my main goal in life is to take care of my son and wrting has fallen to the wayside. I still want to do it, and I enjoy it when I put in the effort, but I don't carve time out for it in advance. That may change however. NaNoWriMo is coming and I have the itch to create some fiction.
I took a trip to Montreal to see my favorite band Marillion play three different shows over three nights. This is a band that really loves it's fans and they take care of us well. At the end of the weekend my friend's car was broken into. The entire rear window smashed out and everything we had put in the car the night before was gone. It was stupid to put anything in the car, but we still did it. I won't do anything like that again. Staying in a hotel is way different than camping in a tent where people leave other people's stuff alone. A hotel in a big city though, just asking for trouble. One of the things I lost was the current journal I was working on. I hadn't written anything the whole trip so I put it away, now I mourn for the words I wrote that probably ended up in the trash and haven't written in a journal since, except to write in a fresh book that I wasn't ready to write about it. I had a list of songs I wanted to play during Merrick's birth. I think I've mostly recreated it, but I wonder what else I put in that book that I wanted to let him know someday or ideas I had for his room. Makes me think that I should be writing only on the computer these days so I don't lose anything. Losing words is not easy.
- Location:Work
- Mood: thoughtful
- Music:Fantastic Place-Marillion
Had my ultrasound on the 18th. Everything looks good and we are going to have a boy. As Charlie told his friend on the phone that night, "My baby has a penis." I've been smiling to myself about that ever since. We sat right down that night and got the baby name book out again. The boys names are mostly stupid. We finally settled on a name that Charlie has liked for years, Merrick. I like it too. I've even started thinking of the little podling as Merrick. I've told myself a few times today, "sit up straight so Merrick has some room."
I started working on a baby book too. I'm going to lay it out in Word and when it's all finished, probably about the time he's two, I will have it turned into a proper book and make copies for all the grandparents. What fun it'll be.
I started working on a baby book too. I'm going to lay it out in Word and when it's all finished, probably about the time he's two, I will have it turned into a proper book and make copies for all the grandparents. What fun it'll be.
- Mood:
artistic
Today I am once again thinking about how amazing it is that I am pregnant. I was married for 8 years in my 20’s and never got pregnant. At the time I was heartbroken, but as the marriage totally fell apart, I was thankful I didn’t have any kids to drag through a divorce. When I met Charlie he told me he never wanted kids, eventually we came to the point where we thought, if it happens, it happens. Then almost three years later it just “happened.” I have my theories on why.
Theory one: Charlie had just replaced all the plumbing and heating ducts in our modular home and we had both worked on replacing the aluminum skirting with wooden panels. We had also taken every fiber of the nasty mouse and rat razzed insulation out and all the smells it had stored. The house felt clean and like it was ours.
Theory two: We adopted a dog from the humane society and started referring to each other mama and daddy when we talked to the dog.
Theory three: Marillion released the album “Happiness is the Road.” I fell into the album and its lyrics. Lyrics such as “and each baby, a human sunrise.”
Theory four: All the previous theories worked together to relax me to the point where I really felt like I was home and I was going to be on that land for the rest of my life. Hard to think that for so many years, stress and not having a desirable home was all that was wrong.
- Location:Work
- Mood: contemplative
Well, today is the 38th year I've been here on this planet and things just keep getting better. There have been low times and I have lost good friends already, but for the most part, life is great. This year may see more growth for me than any other year as I am going to become a mother. I will try to keep a record here for myself if no one else.
- Location:Work--lunch hour
- Mood:
happy - Music:quiet cubes everywhere
My husband's parents are getting divorced. She took one of the dogs, his brother is taking the cat, and no one wanted the old overweight dog that used to sleep on our bed when we lived there. So we took him home with us. So far he is mostly getting along with Tallie. As is usually the case with dogs, they both want the same bone or toy at the same time even though there are five bones and a bag of toys spilled out over the office floor. I think they're adjusting very well.
- Location:Work still
- Mood:
awake - Music:Genesis - Illegal Alien
I'm currently reading Fantasy: The Best of the Year 2008 Edition. While all the stories are great, there is one that I love so much I have to quote part of it. It's from "Bufo Rex" by Erik Amundsen
I am called Bufo, I grow fat upon insects. I make my board under leaves, upon logs, and my bed lies in the bogs. My throne is the toadstool, and witch's butter is for my biscuits.
I am called Bufo, I grow fat upon insects. I make my board under leaves, upon logs, and my bed lies in the bogs. My throne is the toadstool, and witch's butter is for my biscuits.
It's awesome the way the words flow together.
- Location:Work
- Mood: awake
- Music:Peter Gabriel-My Head Sounds Like That
Been away for awhile enjoying holidays, thinking up ideas for making extra cash, and finding out that I am pregnant. My husband and I haven't exactly tried for these past few years, but we stopped doing anything to prevent the possibilty about 3 years ago. So we were surprised. But it's been a welcome surprise.
So far I haven't had any problems. A little queasiness at night, which sometimes interfers with toothbrushing, but no terrible morning sickness like others have. I checked out a lot of books from the public library and found the same info in almost every one of them.
The main concern I had at the beginning was my age, I am 37 and will be 38 when the baby arrives, but after reading on older moms it sounds like I don't have much to worry about. I've taken excellent care of myself over the years and that's over half the battle.
I'm going to try journaling everything about the pregnancy and the change in our lives in hopes of writing a book in the future. This will be in addition to any fiction stories that present themselves to my tiny brain.
If nothing else, my writing skills should improve.
So far I haven't had any problems. A little queasiness at night, which sometimes interfers with toothbrushing, but no terrible morning sickness like others have. I checked out a lot of books from the public library and found the same info in almost every one of them.
The main concern I had at the beginning was my age, I am 37 and will be 38 when the baby arrives, but after reading on older moms it sounds like I don't have much to worry about. I've taken excellent care of myself over the years and that's over half the battle.
I'm going to try journaling everything about the pregnancy and the change in our lives in hopes of writing a book in the future. This will be in addition to any fiction stories that present themselves to my tiny brain.
If nothing else, my writing skills should improve.
- Location:Work
- Mood: contemplative
- Music:Genesis: The Way We Walk vols. 1 & 2
Not to make anyone feel old or anything, but do you remember being asked the question about what book or album you would want if you were on a deserted island and could only have one? With media the way it is today, is there even a point in asking? Would kids be able to wrap their mind around only having one book to read for the rest of their life when they can download a huge library from i-tunes and just have the i-pod be the one thing they would take would them? I wonder.
- Location:Work
- Music:Genie - Marillion
I was in Barnes & Noble last night wandering around and looking at everything. I saw signs for Women's Studies and Gay/Lesbian Studies. I thought to myself, "I wonder why they don't have a section called Men's studies." The next aisle over had signs for Warfare and Military History, "Ah," I thought, "they do have Men's Studies."
- Location:Work
- Mood: creative
- Music:Just finished listening to Real Tears For Sale by Marillion
Today Wil Wheaton posted links to inspire writers at http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2
Just a quick update. I've listened to:
- George Carlin: Classic Gold. 3 albums on 2 CD's
- Paul Carrack: The Carrack Collection
I wrote this at home before getting ready for work this morning:
I realized something while writing Monday night, I'm no good at creating conflict on the page. For several years I've only written about conflicts within myself in order to work them out and not be conflicted anymore. I've also developed a personality that tries to avoid conflict. Usually by doing whatever someone asks of me just so they won't be mad at me or feel like I'm mad at them. I hate having conflict in my life and I hate hearing about real life conflicts (for the most part because it's all bitching and no action), but made up conflicts involving elves and dragons? I'm there. Those conflicts are interesting. But even more interesting is the way a character solves their conflicts. To hear someone bitch on and on about something and do nothing to fix it... Wears. Me. Out.
I can practice of course, and I will practice. I love to write, but I need and want to get better. I need and want to read better so I can learn from others who were like me and are now where I want to be.
I'm still going to finish nanowrimo, even if it ends up that I can only use what I write as backstory for the new novel that comes out of that strands it leaves. I have to start my practice somewhere, why not here?
I realized something while writing Monday night, I'm no good at creating conflict on the page. For several years I've only written about conflicts within myself in order to work them out and not be conflicted anymore. I've also developed a personality that tries to avoid conflict. Usually by doing whatever someone asks of me just so they won't be mad at me or feel like I'm mad at them. I hate having conflict in my life and I hate hearing about real life conflicts (for the most part because it's all bitching and no action), but made up conflicts involving elves and dragons? I'm there. Those conflicts are interesting. But even more interesting is the way a character solves their conflicts. To hear someone bitch on and on about something and do nothing to fix it... Wears. Me. Out.
I can practice of course, and I will practice. I love to write, but I need and want to get better. I need and want to read better so I can learn from others who were like me and are now where I want to be.
I'm still going to finish nanowrimo, even if it ends up that I can only use what I write as backstory for the new novel that comes out of that strands it leaves. I have to start my practice somewhere, why not here?
- Location:Work: Lunch Hour
- Mood: optimistic
- Music:nanowrimo podcast
In July we adopted a sweet little dog named Tallie from the Capital Area Humane Society. She's really come out of her shell and now tells us when it's time for her walk, even if she's already had a long walk that day. She is still afraid of loud things and many mechanical things that aren't loud, including the digital camera. So no good pictures of her yet. I'm just amazed how good it feels to walk with her and see her tail wag when she catches scent of a rabbit or squirrel.
Dogs are great.
Dogs are great.
Here are the cd's I've listened to around Happiness this week...
The Beatles:
Sgt. Pepper
Magical Mystery Tour
Yellow Submarine
(The White Album)
Abbey Road
Let it Be
Free as a Bird
Past Masters (1 & 2)
Others:
Bob & Tom Greatest Hits (1 & 2)
Bon Jovi: Crossroad
Bourgeois Tagg: Yoyo
The Beatles:
Sgt. Pepper
Magical Mystery Tour
Yellow Submarine
(The White Album)
Abbey Road
Let it Be
Free as a Bird
Past Masters (1 & 2)
Others:
Bob & Tom Greatest Hits (1 & 2)
Bon Jovi: Crossroad
Bourgeois Tagg: Yoyo
- Location:Work
- Mood:
geeky - Music:Podcast Interview with Elizabeth Bear
I've barely listened to anything but Happiness is the Road since I got it. I may get to the point where I am only speaking in lyrics from the songs. When I figure out how to put a playlist on this site, you bet it will be full of Marillion.
I got up early this morning and wrote down some notes for my nanowrimo novel. I will be playing D&D when the writing officially starts, but I will pick it up sometime Saturday. I don't have a title for the novel yet, but it is taking place in the world my last one did. It's a place I started creating in 2003 when I was living in South Dakota.
Well, off to figure out how to pimp this site.
I got up early this morning and wrote down some notes for my nanowrimo novel. I will be playing D&D when the writing officially starts, but I will pick it up sometime Saturday. I don't have a title for the novel yet, but it is taking place in the world my last one did. It's a place I started creating in 2003 when I was living in South Dakota.
Well, off to figure out how to pimp this site.
- Location:Work
- Mood:
anxious - Music:The Invisible Man-Marillion (actually from Marbles, not Happiness...)
The A-Z cd thing is on hold while I treat my ears to the new Marillion album Happiness is the Road for the next several months. I will probably listen to it and Marbles (also by Marillion) for the entire month of November as I participate in nanowrimo.
- Location:Work
- Mood: chipper
- Music:Dreamy Street-Marillion
Today I have begun listening to my entire cd collection from A-Z (alphabetically by artist, then chronologically by year). So far I have listened to:
Writing: not much. I did some world building and character back stories on Monday but haven't gotten back to it yet. Next month I will see how well I can do at scribbling in the cracks of life.
- AC/DC: Back in Black
- Aerosmith: Get a Grip
- Afro Celt Soundsystem: Volume 2; Release
- Afro Celt Soundsystem: Volume 3; Further In Time
- The Alan Parsons Project: The Best of
Writing: not much. I did some world building and character back stories on Monday but haven't gotten back to it yet. Next month I will see how well I can do at scribbling in the cracks of life.
It's funny how every time I get into an author lately, one of the authors I've been following for awhile mentions him/her on their blog. I'd never heard of Jim C. Hines before picking up Goblin War at the public library last month (I knew my husband & I would like it). And now he's been mentioned on both Tobias Buckell's and Elizabeth Bear's blogs. What a weird loop I'm getting into.
