No US Thanksgiving or Black Friday for me

I already did the turkey with family thing in October for Canadian Thanksgiving. I will be working Thursday - it's not a day off up here!

We have snow. Not enough to xc ski on yet... unfortunately I never did get around to raking the leaves...

People keep asking me if I am going to "black Friday" With the strong CDN dollar, its becoming a competitive event - going to New Hampshire with its low sales tax is hardcore. Managing to be over the border for 48 hours requires planning. People are stunned when I tell them you couldn't pay me to go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. To me it would be one of the circles of hell.

On a side note, would it be immoral to put expired Boost (one of those liquid energy drinks) in a food bag for the needy? We eat expired food all the time, but E is sick of Boost because he is forced to drink tons of it when on expeditions, and I don't really need any calorie 'boosting' thank you very much. So it will eventually end up in the garbage. Better to go to the needy? I tried some about a month ago and it's still good...

This made me cry

I am probably the last person to hear about this guy (I take that back, when I showed E, he didn't know so I was at least 2nd to last)



I thought it was fake, but when I checked around, apparently not!
more info/updates: http://www.paulpottsopera.org/index.html

my source: pub rants

Progress

Yes, I've been working on FiMyNoMo. I went with E to the cottage and I fired up the laptop each time he went into the woods. It's tougher to gauge progress editing than with straight word count, but here are the parameters I'm tracking:
hours: 11
new pages written: 25
pages edited: 74

Still a long way to go, but I did learn that even in one hour I can make a lot of progress.

New FiNyNoMo logo

E rocks!

I gave him the basic instructions for the participant and 'tracker' images, although I don't think I put "dull" as my starting point...

So far, so good. I am still not at what I would call a solid D1 -- all characters consistent (no unnamed, no multiple personalities), all transitions in place, all blanks filled in. Last weekend I managed to add 18 pages. Not a bad start.

Finish or perish!

NaNoWriMo-less

I'm sad not to be part of National Novel Writing Month this year. Instead I'm trying to motivate myself to FinishMyNovel this Month.

E is supposed to make me a FiMyNoMo logo and progress bars, but he's got a 5-mile long to-do list, and spent last Saturday repainting the hood of my car, so I will have to be patient. So far, I've logged 1 hour/20 pages of revision. I have no idea why I'm so hesitant/reluctant/scared to work on this book. I suppose it's a fear of failure thing, but I still need to do a lot more before I'd consider the effort a failure. At this point it would be pure giving up, and I'm not a quitter.

So, the butt glue has been applied. I'm logging my hours, and I've set goals. Apparently I fall into the group of people who are motivated by achievement (as opposed to power or people).

Wish me luck, and if you see me out doing something other than working on my book, send me home.

Side note: total Halloween candies consumed: 4. not bad. : )

Update:
Created Temporary logo - hideous. Cannot figure out how to manipulate text in Jasc Pro, let alone add images.

You've got the SHINE, boy!

For me, Halloween = the last day before NaNoWriMo, or in my case this year FiMyNoMo.

I hope Dodi has finished her nephew's 3-headed costume.

I am on the fence about buying candy to hand out. Will kids actually show up? We never actually see kids in the neighbourhood, but they might avoid our house out of fear of E year-round the way the cats do.

I'll probably buy a few bags, and force E to lock it in the gun locker as soon as we've decided that no kids are going to show. Otherwise I will eat it all and sink into a depressive funk on Nov.1 - bad start to the month.

In honour of Halloween, we watched The Shining last Friday (we yuppied it up with sushi and sake, but it was still scary). If anyone knows of a scarier movie, bring it on. Danny on the big wheel with the noise of carpet/no carpet freaks me out every time. Kubrick was a freaking genius. Nicholson was also amazing.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

The perfect kickoff to FiMyNoMo.

Feeling Like Forrest

Excellent Information R/evolution. video

found via Ed

How many people watching it have no idea what the card catalog is?
I barely used a computer in university - I typed my papers. My younger sister had a Commodore 64 when she arrived at university her Freshman year.

I worked in desktop publishing with the first version of Quark, and helped develop first generation web sites.

The technology revolution has been playing in the background while the rest of life's events have been taking place: moving, changing jobs, changing relationships, repeatedly gaining and losing 15 lbs.

I can appreciate the significance of the Internet, home computers, and computer technology in some respects. However, I think everyone who has been involved from the start is too close to see the big picture. What has started? Is this the beginning of something amazing or horrifying?

All I can hope is that I've helped make a positive contribution.

Now back to our regular discussion of moldy bread and gravel shoveling....

Waste Not, Want Not

alternate title: Dumpster Diving, Anyone?

In this weekend's Gazette somewhere in the middle of the inane blathering about what Gazette employees are watching on television (note to the editors: FIND SOME ACTUAL NEWS), I was introduced to 'Freegans' - people who are so against the waste in our society that they get their food by dumpster diving. They don't do it because they can't afford food - the person in the Gazette article (sorry - I tried to find a link in the Gazette online archives, but Freegan turned up 0 results...) had a tidy sum in the bank. Freegans dumpster dive to make a statement about how gross it is of us to waste so much food.

While I agree that it is gross of our society to be so wasteful, I don't think I could do the dumpster diving thing. Am I a pampered, spoiled Westerner? I will grab odd things people have put on the curb on trash day (wood, furniture, etc.) , but not food.

I make an effort to not order more than I can eat - I'll split a meal with someone or take the leftovers home. At home I really try to not throw food out, but with two people, stuff inevitably goes bad. I started composting this year so at least the rotting fruit and vegetables don't go to waste.

Am I missing something? Are the rest of you dumpster diving and I'm the only fool actually buying new bagels? They're probably all dropped on the floor and sneezed on before they're bagged and sold in the store anyway...

How's the Book Going?

The dreaded question.

YOU guess the answer.

This weekend, I

-Started reading Volume I of the Children of Violence series by Doris Lessing (I wanted to read the Golden Notebook, but it was already checked out of the library)

-Shoveled more gravel, this time mixed with clay-like dirt

-Made turkey soup with actual turkey carcass broth

-Did freelance writing (paying) work to support my growing online shopping habit

-Found the new must-have dishes I must have online

-went to the hardware store to color-correct the gallon of salmon-color workout room floor paint that E bought from a chip I selected (I swear the chip didn't look salmony)

Looking over this list, NONE of it should be more important than getting my book done. grrr.

Using My Powers for Good Instead of Evil

I have an active imagination.

It's incredibly useful when I'm trying to think of a snappy headline.

It's horribly limiting when I'm trying to reach a little higher on a rock climbing route or fall asleep in a relaxed state.

I have a well-honed ability to run "what-if?" scenarios through my head at lightning speed.
I can imagine all the spectacular ways I could fall - oh sure, there's a mat, but the corner of that mat is all worn down, what if I fall on the corner? What if I fall exactly where the 2 mats meet? I'll literally slip through the crack and crack myself in 2 - no thank you.

At night I worry incessantly about things that might happen. It's INSANE.
I have been trying to teach myself to imagine positive things. While no good can come from worrying, there is a whole creative visualization industry behind the idea that if you THINK it, it's practically real.

While I'm not sure about thinking money will fall from the sky and then waiting for it to happen, I do think it's better to be positive than negative. I'm trying.. trying...

But what if?

aaargh

Must picture myself as successful published author who is worry-free, relaxed, and a risk-taking rock climber

Hey - when I look at it that way, the author part seems much more achievable than the rest of the sentence!

: )

When E is away, Karen will pay

As you all know, it's duck hunting season. Right. If you're like me, you're envisioning classic Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd Loony Tunes episodes. However, to some people, it's a lifestyle. E dressed all in camo, packed a giant bag full of boots and crap, grabbed a box of Heineken, and left this morning (I took photos, but they disappeared off my CF card --?)

Left unsupervised for less than an hour, I signed a lawn care contract because I've had it with our DogPatch lawn. E says no one cares about the lawn, and we'll just keep mowing down the weeds, but I care. This is the first time I've lived in a house with a private lawn since I was a kid and I don't want it to be a big weed patch. I am officially in charge of grounds, and at first I enjoyed the challenge of trying to get the grass to grow, but I quickly discovered that I much prefer perusing flower catalogues to pulling dandelions and inspecting brown patches for grubs.

The contract is 1/3 of the price I was expecting the guy to quote, and if they get the job done, it will be well worth it. I know E will be against paying for lawn care because to him, everyone is working on projects during all waking hours, so why not add lawn care to the list? To me, it's worth paying someone to deal with the lawn so I can freaking relax and spend a Saturday reading a book without having to avert my eyes and feel depressed and embarrassed every time I look at our lawn.

The company I chose appears to be on the 'up and up' despite their bizarre logo:



What IS that thing? It looks like those weird animated films made in the '60s. DUUUDE- got WEED? I'm hoping their insane Peter Pan butterfly man can get the grubs out, eliminate weeds and make our lawn presentable. I wonder if their workers dress like that...

P.S. There are laws in Quebec about what kind of pesticide you can use - there is no "Chem Lawn" available - methods have to be environmentally friendly. We have the strictest laws in North America. I am 100% for these laws, but I also want a nice lawn - stay tuned for the follow-up next year.

Finally, a Book List I Can Relate To

Or, Finally A Book List To Which I Can Relate

(proving that yes, I know the rule about not ending a sentence with a preposition, and choosing to break it because it makes clunky headlines)

Whenever I look at one of those Top 100 books for college graduates/intelligent people/ everyone who is anyone, not only have I not read most of the books on the list, I have no desire to. (again with the preposition ending! kids- don't try this in school)

I just found a book list that includes books I've read, loved and want to read!
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000
link found via SBWLTB

In honor of banned books week, September 29-Oct 6, I invite you to scan the list and your TBR pile and read the first match you have, or better yet, go out and buy the most intriguing book off the list.



I've already read 5 of the top 10; 22 total. I have The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood kicking around in hardcover - to be rebellious, I'll read it next. Forget motorcycles and pool boys, give me a stack of banned books - try and pry them out of my hands, I dare you!

Seriously, though- who are the idiots complaining about these books? Oh, right, the same people who voted in the last election... sigh.

Let's be thankful we were not raised or educated by these morons and support banned books.

update: (after posting I did more research)
The above sources are for the US. Here is a link about censorship in Canada, with its own list of challenged books and magazines.
Freedom to Read week in Canada is Feb 24-March 1. Makes sense - that time of year is almost guaranteed to be crappy weather - perfect for staying in and reading : )
The differences between the Canadian and American lists are interesting. For example, the Bible is on the Canadian list for exposing homosexuals to hatred and ridicule.
I've only read 5 books on the Canadian list.

Summer isn't over

It's been gorgeous and sunny all week - I refuse to accept that it's past Labor Day. Here are a few snaps from our week of vacation:

Me working on my book - YES!




Spelunking

I've been Simpsonized!

Fun! Upload a picture and get Simpsonized : )
Luckily they let you tweak it a bit - my first attempt turned out like Patty and Selma - aaah!

Thanks for the link, Diana.

Apparently the moon revolves around me

I am not a morning person.

I require 2 mugs of coffee-like substance within hours of waking in order to get moving (preferably cappucino or latte, but I'll drink the watery crap that comes out of a machine at the gas station in desperate situations)

This morning I woke up at 4:30 and I was WIDE AWAKE

I hadn't gone to bed any earlier or started any new wellness regime - I have no explanation other than the lunar eclipse

must see eclipse....

All I really saw was a reddish glow, but apparently the celestial beings wanted me up and in attendance, so I was there.

I thought it was sorta cool and ok maybe a little creepy, but I think that E howling at me all day is a little over the top.

Motivated monkey

Saturday I sent E off to the cottage solo - I gave the vague excuse of having work, etc. but once he left I realized that I didn't actually need to work, and what I really wanted to do was go to Chapters for a book signing by local author Sheila Kindellan-Sheehan. I haven't read her books, but they sounded good and I love to meet authors in person. Particularly female authors, and even better - ones who live nearby.

She was sitting at a table with friends and family wearing t-shirts that had her latest book cover on them. I know it sounds incredibly dorky, but to me having your friends and family wearing t-shirts with your latest book cover on them is the pinnacle of success.

I grabbed a copy of each of her 4 books to be signed and felt my hands shake as I reached the front of the line. I am completely awestruck by published authors. She was exceptionally nice and even gracefully managed the etiquette breach by the moron behind me who was talking to her while I was at the table - DUDE - wait your freaking turn!!

I started reading the first book, The Sands Motel and so far so good - it's fun because it's about snowbirds (Quebecers who winter in Florida) and I actually 'get' the references: St Viateur bagels, Double Hook book shop, Trudeau airport, etc.

Later that afternoon, I dusted off my book, re-wrote the beginning and didn't realize what time it was until E. called at 10 p.m.
What? Who? It's what time? Wow.

E. says to send him away more often if that's what it takes for me to finish, but I think his being gone was just coincidental. I've often had time to myself that I didn't spend working on my book.

It was the t-shirts that motivated me.

Remember the monkey on the bicycle from the game "The Incredible Machine?"
He only starts pedaling when a screen is pulled to reveal a banana dangling in front of him.
I'm the monkey in front of my keyboard. I start typing furiously when I see a picture of my book cover on a t-shirt.

I've searched for an image of the monkey/bicycle/banana but can't find it - he seems to have been replaced by a baboon on a treadmill - now that's just silly. If anyone has the monkey please send it to me - I must have the motivated monkey : )

Sim Lessons

“My friends hate me, I can’t pay my bills, the place is a mess and I’m really tired…” No, I’m not having a breakdown, I’m talking about my “Sim” character. Go ahead– sigh, roll your eyes – that’s exactly how I felt about computer games since I “outgrew” them about 20 years ago. Then one day an XBox® appeared in the living room and I started playing The Sims™ Bustin’ Out. This “silly” game has driven the “balance your life” lesson home to me in a way that no book or article has ever done.

In the game, you need to keep your Sim in a good mood by keeping 8 motives in balance: Hunger, Hygiene, Energy, Social, Comfort, Bladder (when you gotta go, you gotta go), Fun, and Room. From the instruction guide: “Sims are happiest in clean, well-lit homes with nice furnishings… All work and no play is a sure way to grump out your Sim... Keep your Sim in the social swing by making friends and developing strong relationships with fellow Sims.”

While keeping all of these life aspects in balance, my Sim is also building a career. Going to work in a good mood helps him get ahead. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? I thought so too and started playing similarly to how I live my life: my Sim always made it to work, but tried cutting corners on housekeeping and didn’t make much of an effort to maintain relationships. He quickly became grumpy and I really had to work to figure out how to get the fun level to go from red to green. The night he peed on the floor twice and started a kitchen fire was a definite low, but now I’ve figured out that he needs to spend more time out of his house visiting friends to be happy.

Although I’ve only been playing the game a short while, I already find myself mentally checking my own motives: hmm, the house looks ok and my hair looks great, but I haven’t talked to S in a while, and E and I need a night out. A few phone calls later and my relationship level is out of the red and into the green. Thanks to my Sim, I’m finally “getting” it: mood is a function of balancing how you spend your time, and fun doesn’t just happen ¬- you have to make the effort and take the time for it. The game has much more to it including levels and options I haven’t started to explore yet, but it will have to wait. I’m going out with friends tonight.


How does the Real Me measure up against My Sim?
My Sim
Real Me

Will pee on the floor if bathroom needs aren’t met
Does NOT pee on the floor

Will refuse to do something "not fun" if the fun meter is too low to avoid being too grumpy.
Will force myself to do what I’m “supposed to do” regardless of fun, and then be extremely crabby.

Leaves important mail lying all over the house
Uhh, I do that too sometimes.

Tries to compensate for lack of sleep with coffee
I’m trying not to do that as often

full disclosure: I wrote this a while ago, but it still holds true...

On a clutter bender

I'm trying to check myself into organizational rehab but all I've managed to do so far is spread the mess out the door and down the hallway under the guise of 'filing' and allow myself to get thrown completely off-track by 4-ring binders and 3-hole punch inserts - what the?

I've thrown a tiny bit away and wasted waaay too much time trying to determine what is/isn't recyclable.

In other news, I told E I need a breakeroo tonight - he replied that he thought we took a breakeroo last night - we went to the Simpsons movie. Compared to re-wiring an engine, I suppose that going to a movie is a breakeroo, but compared to lying immobile on the porch reading a book, going out to a movie is big excitement.

If you've ever played The Sims, picture my character stamping her feet on the ground cursing SimSpeak until allowed to slack on the recliner chair. I'm at code red. E is more like the mad scientist character - only happy when on the verge of causing major destruction. As long as it doesn't disturb my slackitude I'm okay with that.

Do I need to keep Staples mail telling me I didn't qualify for any reward dollars? is it recyclable? does it require shredding? grrr. I'm ready to take a flame-thrower to this whole mess.

clean up update
found: one metallic green notebook with a matching metallic green pen that I forgot I had. yess! I knew I'd find something worthwhile eventually : )

Fish tank feng shui

Look at my snap-tacular super-clean fish tank featuring a new Flinstones-esque hut made of freshly-picked stones from the majestic shores of Lake Erie!

I can feel the positive feng shui flowing just looking at it.

What does a fish tank have to do with feng shui? I'm not sure - the feng shui information available on the Internet is sketchy at best, contradictory and blatantly product promoting at worst. I boiled down my ten minutes of research to this: a dirty fish tank is the root of any and all money trouble you might think was caused by underestimating the amount of tax you owe and needing to replace your car engine unexpectedly. Cleaning your fish tank will magically cure your money trouble with no additional work required on your part.

Ahh - I can sense the greenbacks heading my way.

So, yes - I need to be working overtime to earn more money but would prefer to let the fish tank do the work. Let's hope that a combination of both will do the trick.

p.s. I couldn't get the 'red eye' function to eliminate 'white eye' on the fish.
p.p.s. E actually helped me clean the fish tank even after listening to my inane feng shui reasoning. I think he just wanted to design the new stone hut.

Model of Efficiency, as usual

PILES of work to do now that I'm back from vaca. Priority #1?
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