Just Start Writing - even if it's drivel

As blank as my mind...with fiery ideas
trying their hardest to get in...

Just start writing.

That's what I sit here telling myself.

I have a blog post started for my next turn over at Broads of a Feather, and it's coming along nicely enough.  But then I take a break waiting for a reply from my mother on details and so I switch to this blog to get a post up and started --- and my mind is as blank as the white field in the middle of the screen patiently waiting to be filled with words.

Surely I had an idea of something I wanted to post, but apparently I neglected to write it down or even remember it.  I already did a post, short and sweet, remembering Alan Rickman who died earlier this week.  I'm still bummed about it.  He was one of the actors I liked the most.

The day I learned of his death, I said something to my husband about feeling bummed. After I explained who Alan Rickman was, and I'm still not sure he's made the connection.  So he was not very sympathetic to my mood.  He said something like we can't live forever or everyone dies sometimes. To which I gave him a very flat look and said that didn't mean we couldn't feel sad when someone died,

Even if it's an actor we've never met.

I live in a world all my own really.  It's probably a mental illness that forms attachments to actors based on the roles they've played in my life...or my imagination. I mean, when I think of any fan fiction story I have, whether it's Star Wars or Star Trek...the actors are the images that come to mind. Naturally.

M*A*S*H and Hawkeye Pierce have helped me through more than one bought of depression and when Alan Alda dies...I'm gonna cry a river.  I've dreamt of all of them, mostly Trek.  Although I will say I had a particularly dramatic dream in which a young Alan Alda as Hawkeye held me while I cried...I'm not sure why I was crying, just that I needed a father figure and in the dream in that moment it gave me him.

In my head, they're my friends. Which I know makes me their dreaded enemy.  Even though I've stalked them all over the years to keep up on their careers and lives.  It's probably a good thing I didn't have the internet and Facebook when I was a teenager.  Oh the trouble I'd have gotten myself into!

I'm forever in love with this man...lol

It's all in good fun though.  I doubt I'd be able to form a coherent sentence if I were to meet any of them in person.  I mean, I stumble over my tongue often enough in normal everyday conversations!  I still have the screen shot from when Robert Downey Jr "liked" one of my comments on one of his posts.  Even though my husband was like, "How do you know it was really him?" Party pooper!  Not every moment needs to have cold harsh reality poured on it...sometimes just let the sun shine!  Besides, RDJ is reported to run his own page, so the odds are in my favor that it was really him!

I'm not sure that I've said anything at all important and relevant in this.  It's pretty much just wandering drivel written as I wrack my bent brain trying to come up with a blog post so I don't lose connection with any of my readers.  I think I'm gonna run with it and post it though, slap a picture in to make it look good.

Besides, my cake is done baking and it smells really good.

Here We Are Again!

The start of a new year.

I've seen many hopes and wishes for the upcoming year throughout different media outlets.  When we have a rough year, it's natural to wish for a turn of events in the new year.  2014 was a decent year for me, and I had such high hopes for 2015 and boy was it a lot rougher than what I was anticipating.

But we survived it and now are faced with another new year.  Like many others I hope it turns out better than the last one!

Things will be different, to be sure.  Mr. Janney is back to work and I have changed jobs.  We're both feeling better physically, so that right there is a huge plus in our favor!

And since I managed to accomplish some of the things that I wanted to get done this past week while we were off work, and even a few that were surprises, it's given me a higher hope for the new year.  We haven't been through the clothes in our closet yet, but Mr. Janney and I went through both our dressers and weeded out clothes we can't or shouldn't wear anymore.  We got rid of a good bit.

We finally got the top coat of sealant on the table Mr. Janney made me a year ago. It's so shiny and pretty!  It took us longer than it should have because the first time hubby tried sanding the top...he sanded too far and then we had to buy a new board.  But it was worth it, because this turned out so  nice.

I am terrible at keeping my table clear of clutter.  It is somehow my hoarder parents fault - just joking...But anyway, it's a learned habit that I am determined to unlearn this year.  So far, the only things on the table are my blood testing kit, my medicine container and the roll of paper towels.  Which really, is an accomplishment so far.

One of the reasons why I believe I can do this, is my husband also decided to finally make me some shelves.  Either because he loves me or just so I'd stop asking, I'm not a hundred percent sure!  I was just asking for free standing shelves, but he felt that they would get in the way so he decided to build them into an already existing nook.  Really, this is why I let him rearrange the furniture and stuff like that because he has a better eye for it than I do.

And he did a great job!  I finally have somewhere to put my bulky appliances. What home ever has enough counter space anyway? I mean, unless you've designed the house yourself, the odds are slim.

Our toaster spent many long months sitting on the edge of our table near an outlet, but it wasn't close enough so we always had to use an extension cord.  And I never had a good spot to store the large electric grill a friend bought me for my birthday a few years ago when we didn't have propane to cook.

But I do now.  I grin every time I walk by it.  I still have a few pieces to relocate.  The rotisserie cooker Grandma Peterson gave us a while back still needs to change locations.  It's a huge relief for me to have this.  I did help him.  I was working on doing the dishes that day so I could be near whenever he needed me to hold boards and put in screws.  We had to put the dog in her cage during all this, because she wanted to be right in the middle of all the action and that's just not a good mix with power tools.

I still have to reorganize the items that were already on the small shelf that this is build under and into.  Then my toaster will be sitting on the top, right where there's an outlet so I won't have to move it anymore or use an extension cord.

Another thing that happened is I had a break through with one of the scenes in my novel that's been bothering me.  So I'm hoping that means the writing bug has bitten and that stuff will start flowing again.  I know I'm not the only one that likes hearing that...my mother-in-law asked my just last night if I was going to be releasing book 3 anytime soon.  Well, it's looking sooner than what it was last week.  Not going to be brave enough to even begin to estimate a date though!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy start to the new Year!  Here's looking at 2016!