It has been very windy again, so windy that it feels like a tornado that keeps blowing around the house 24 hours. Sustained winds of 30 mphs guys. Anyway woke up yesterday morning to find my patio furniture all over the yard–my glass dinning table in the Crate Myrtle. That will be fun to get out. It will mostly like stay there for a while, mabye til Spring. You all know by now I much I hate changing a roll of toilet paper. 
Still busy writing and working so this is a short, short post.
I’ve noticed a few things about myself that lately have got me to thinking if I have quirks, or just bad habits. There are little things I do or don’t like doing that make me wonder about myself. For instance. I only make my bed on the weekends. During the week I’m just too busy and besides <g> it’s not like anyone sees it so it just stays messy. I just hate to make the bed. It’s not that it’s that hard, well maybe a little because it’s pushed up against one wall and is several inches higher than a normal bed so I have to use step- stool to make it. But even if it were in the middle of the room, I probably leave it unmade because it’s just an annoying chore. Now the downside of all this is I like to crawl into a bed that’s made. Emptying the dishwasher is another thing that is at the bottom of my list. More like not on the list. Putting the dishes in there isn’t a problem but taking them out and putting it all away, especially the silverware, now there’s a scary thought. All those pieces that have to be put back in place having to go a certain way, drive me nuts.
I will not iron unless absolutely necessary. My clothes all wash and wear. Screw the establishment and those who say ironing is therapeutic your just kidding yourself. Tell me that in the summer. Then there is the changing of the toilet paper roll. Toilet paper should go on forever and never run out so unhooking the thing from the holder, throwing the cardboard thingy in the trash, and putting on a new one is just a waste of time. So for a few days the cardboard cylinder hangs there like a decoration from a gas station restroom with a full fluffy roll on the sink by the throne. I eventually give in, my finger gets pinched in the process and it’s done.
Okay, well that was interesting. Now back to your regular scheduled programming and back to writing for me.
I’m busy writing away. I’m still slow but making progress (see my progress meter). I’m working on a fun scene at the moment and it has me engaged. Perhaps though not enough to increase my speed so I’ll need to work on it some. I have busy work week too which doesn’t help. I know, I mention it a lot but I can’t help it. It’s main part of my life right now and one who blogs, blogs about their life right? I’m going to try and finish an article that I’m writing for my chapter newsletter this weekend and get that marked off my new year’s resolution goal checklist. I wrote several last year, and some were picked up and published by other chapters. That made me feel good. We even had a chapter contest and those that wrote articles were put in a drawing and guess who won? Yes, yours truly. <g>
My goals are very simple and obtainable this year.
1. Write article.
2. Finish firs draft of FN.
3. Edit FN.
4. Submit FN to a few publishers.
And that’s it. So why is it so damn hard? LOL
Yup wrote a few more words. Was a slug all day Saturday so I have lots to make up for today. I’m glad it’s warming up here but the morning fog is creepy. It reminds me of London with the mist rolling around. It made ghostly shadows against the porch lights and I thought of the movie the Fog. I got creeped out as I let Bentley out this morning. I watched as his little body disappear into the cloudy darkness that covered the backyard. I think he was scared too because he hesitated after I opened the sliding glass doors. He looked at me and wagged his tail and I shrugged my shoulders. I then went to make coffee and he was in the house shortly after I hit the brew button. Usually he takes his time and when he returned looked happy to have been done with his business and back in the house. The fog is starting to lift now but still very present. Yesterday it didn’t burn off completely until early afternoon and it appears there will be a repeat performance this morning. Okay enough blogging and enough of the weather. I’ve got to get back to writing.
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . . enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . . a youth she’s content to leave behind .A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to retelling it in her old age .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
one friend who always makes her laugh, and one who lets her cry .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored .
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
a feeling of control over her destiny .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
How to fall in love without losing herself .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
How to quit a job, break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without
ruining the friendship . EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .When to try harder . . . and WHEN TO WALK AWAY .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
that her childhood may not have been perfect, but its over .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
What she would and wouldn’t do for love or more .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
How to live alone — even if she doesn’t like it .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
Whom she can trust,
Whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
Where to go . . .
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table . . .
or a charming inn in the woods . . .
When her soul needs soothing .
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW . . .
What she can and can’t accomplish in a day . . .
a month . . . and a year .
This was just so good I had to post. I believe it’s words of wisdom from Maya Angelou.
So I had a wow moment as an uncomfortable thought worked its way into my brain after learning of Heath Ledger’s death. It’s still nebulous what happened but the media has been busy focusing on an interview he did sometime last year about his struggle with sleep while filming the next Batman Begins movie. He played the Joker and from what I hear a real nasty villain taken to the next level. I don’t have the exact quote but he said he was so into character he couldn’t get any sleep because his mind wouldn’t shut off. I was taking a shower when it occurred to me that as a writer I have that problem too sometimes. My hot shower suddenly became very cold as it dawned on me the similarities writers and actors must have in common.
I’m always writing even when I’m not at the keyboard. On my way to work I play songs that feel and sound like the characters in my WIP. Each song conveys a certain mood that if were written words would be a scene or moment in the story. I’m thinking about scenes and characters all the time. My attention span is almost zero sometimes because I’m generating so many ideas. I’m able to turn it off at work but even that took training. After a good writing session I feel great and accomplished. After a non productive session I feel all bottled up. Crazy I know. But it sure sounds like actors experience the same problem when working on a movie. But don’t worry no Ambien for me. My sleeping habits have been fine, lights out at 11pm like clockwork.
So tonight we are supposed to get sleet after midnight and I’m not looking forward to the temperature dropping any lower than it already has. I think we need a warm up and the weather people say it’s on the way and the weekend will be a nice toasty 60 degrees. Yeah. My house was built in the 70s so when the temp drops below freezing you can really feel it and I’m ready believe it or not for the heat to return.
But here’s something to warm everybody up…it’s HHT!
I can’t believe I’m posting such a naught pic. 
Okay back to writing. Happy Tuesday.
Yikes. I’ve been keeping track of my daily word count by keeping a monthly planner at my desk. Everyday after writing, I jot down the number of words written. 250 words equal one page and to have written 1000 words in a day is considered productive because that’s about four pages. Well this morning I looked over what I had accomplished since Jan 1st and there was good and bad news. Good news is I’ve progressed, writing anywhere from a half a page to a full page every week day and on the weekends about four pages. The bad news is I have a 70K mark that I was trying to hit by the end of January. As you can see by my word meter I am far from that goal. So we are going to have to move to plan B here. Since the writers strike has stripped anyway anything that would be called worthy entertainment, the TV is going hiatus. Not only will I have to write in the mornings, but evenings too. I’ve decided to not stop blogging because it’s a warm up for my mind in the morning but I’m going to have to do a better job about sitting in one place for an hour or so. I tend to get up frequently and walk around. It helps me think. When I’m moving I can generate what a scene is going to look like and how it will play out. One of the things I’m not going to say is that I won’t make my self imposed deadline. Yes it looks bleak but when you think positive thoughts even in the face of defeat you’d be surprised at how far you go. I’m not going to say it’s okay if I push this into February either. I’m just going to keep plugging under the assumption that this first draft will be molded by the end of next week. I did have a great moment of plotting Saturday when some of the character emotions and what’s at stake finally came to me. I wrote four pages just on what I see the next few scenes being and that in itself I think will help to speed up the process. I was floundering a bit knowing how I wanted the story to go but not how to get there. One scene in particular that was going to be the climax is now going to be a turning point in the middle of the book. It was an ah-ha moment because then I saw all these other possibilities and the story starting flowing much better and I was writing faster.So it’s back to writing as much as I can before I take a shower and head off to work. It’s going to be cloudy and misty all day, a gloomy looking day for sure but I’ll be in meetings all day, in windowless rooms so I’m happy to know I’m not missing any sunshine. <g>
I have to admit I’ve have spent some of my extra time lately in search for the song used in the Clorox the commercials. I know I’m crazy to have fallen in love with a commercial but I’m sure you’ll recognize these. (links below).
There are two of them; one is with a boy who pretends he’s a pirate and the other a girl who’s pretending to be a mermaid. I absolutely love the music and I’ve enjoyed watching the commercials. After an extensive Google search, to my dismay the music is not available on iTunes, or for sale anywhere. I did find however that it was composed by H. Scott Salinas for the Amber Music Company who provides music for commercials. The song is titled The Piratae and the Mermaid. And you know what? I’m not crazy for falling in love with the commercial. People all over the world are asking where they can get this. Rumor has it that it will be released for sale but so far nothing yet. In the meantime…enjoy these clips on YouTube. I’ve also included one where someone has mixed the music which I enjoyed too. It’s the last link and doesn’t have video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h9jPousvLQ
I’m sitting in my chair at the computer with a foggy brain. I have to complete several pages today and I’m trying to wake up. I know it’s the weekend but I get up at just about the same time every morning. Good there is a routine. The house is so quiet except for the howling wind. Round two of our cold front is moving through and the blustery cold air is making a racket on my windows like something from a horror movie. Burrrrr. I had to turn the heat up last night because of a frigid mother nature. I usually turn the heat down before going to bed but this little nasty change in weather was just down right bone chilling cold.
I have couple of things planned for today. I’m going to drop off, paint, aerosols, garage junk in general at the hazardous waste place, then go to the Library. I haven’t been to the free book store in a while. <g> Then it’s back home to write a bit more and then to dinner.
Some of you have asked about my post yesterday regarding little know facts about me and I’ll post explanations Monday. Right now it’s back to FN. Happy and warm Saturday!
