Writing Update

I did not get as much writing done during Christmas home time as I was expecting and planning. I'm bummed about it, but I couldn't help being too sick to do the things I wanted. It wasn't until almost New Years that I even got my laptop out of my backpack!

But I did manage to get some new words down after that, so it wasn't a complete failure. It's still frustrating though, because the book is done in outline form, I just need to write it out and good God it's been harder than I thought it was going to be. Writing out the outline was supposed to make it easier!!

Oh well. One thing at a time. At least the outline IS done, so it's only a matter of time before I'll be releasing book three. I have no real goal other than by the end of the year. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but there's no point in giving myself anxiety by picking any other unrealistic goal. Life is hard enough as it is! Life as a writer who is also a truck driver is also hard enough as it is!

I did release The Ring of Fire again, both for Kindle and paperback. I have added links to the side where you can find both my novels at Amazon. I'm still giddy about how nice the new cover for Ring of Fire turned out. It looks even more gorgeous on a physical paperback. I had a couple physical copies, but I mailed them out the intended recipients without taking a picture. Slacking, I know.

Valentine's day is coming up and I'm thinking of doing another paperback giveaway. I'll probably do the random number generator again and have people chose a number on my Facebook page. I don't know whether to offer Ring of Fire or give the winners a choice of which novel they'd want. I'm leaning toward the latter.

The outline...such as it is lol

One thing I should start doing is the outline for book 4. Some of it is already written since I ended splitting what was originally book 3. Of course, some of it is now...not right...as things have changed, but I'll deal with that as I go. I've already had to cut things I had written for the book 3, Bigger than the Beetles. I was telling Mr. Janney about how I was cutting stuff and saving it in a separate file in case there was something I was going to want to include in an different spot with a new twist. He found that amusing, for reasons I don't understand. But then, he is a man who isn't a reader so I should probably just be grateful that he's willing to listen when I talk about my writing.

I have very few people I can talk to about writing. Some of that is due to my job. It's not the most conducive for maintaining any kind of friendships. Today's technology and social media platforms help, but there's an element of isolation just the same. People are afraid to call me on my cell because they don't want to bother me when I'm driving, but they don't understand that there are times I need that human contact while driving because it helps me fight fatigue. Even if I've had decent sleep, driving in the wee hours can be hard. Especially in the winter when there's so much darkness...ugh, I can't wait for the days to start getting longer. I'm usually okay once the sun comes up, but that's not even a guarantee if I'm on the west coast.

Mr. Janney and I do 12 hours shifts and we stick to Eastern time to maintain some kind of schedule. And on the west coast, than can cause some confusion...I get more dark hours and Mr. Janney gets more daylight. It's also hard, because most of my friends and family live on the east coast, so they wouldn't appreciate a phone call at 4am just because I'm feeling drowsy. I usually take a break when that happens, take a walk into truck stop or a rest area even if I don't have to use the facilities, get little snack or drink.

My favorite pic of Mt Shasta
because of the bird flying through

But I do get to see all sorts of beautiful scenery, once the sun comes up, so there's that. Nothing against the beauty of the mountains I live in, but I love the views in the western states. I love driving up the middle of California and seeing Mt. Shasta growing in the distance. I love driving along the Columbian river in between Oregon and Washington. I love driving along 90 in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I love Arizona and New Mexico; I have yet to get a picture of Saguaro cacti. I got way too excited the first time I saw a Saguaro. I do not like the high bridges and overpasses in any state, but I10 in Louisiana has some doozies, which I couldn't take pictures of because I was driving. We're going to be experimenting with a GoPro for a dash cam, because the ones we've tried so far have not been performing as expected. Maybe I'll be able to get some more scenery shots that way. One can only hope!

Until next time, stay safe!

Much Ado About Nothing

My husband's latest project

As I was talking with my mom about my dishwashing post, I told her how I would never blog about one thing. Politics.

January was a rough start to the new year, and while I commented on tweets and Facebooks posts, this blog will never cover my thoughts and opinions about politics and global events. I know that it's always danger to say 'never' but I'm feeling pretty confident about it.

I want this blog to be about my writing, my adventures in truck driving, reading materials, mental health issues, and every day normal things. Like how I like to binge watch old tv series rather than watch new ones. There's a few exceptions to that, like Cobra Kai and Stranger Things.

On the bright side, Stranger Things is going to have one more season. That show took me by surprise. I had no idea what it was about, just that it was popular. I began watching it and almost stopped because it was scaring the crap out of me. I don't normally like horror and scary shows.

Robert Downey Jr is my one of my favorites.
So is Halle Berry

There are some movies I refuse to watch after the sun goes down. Mr. Janney and I once watched Gothika before bed and let me tell you, I had a heck of a time falling asleep and when I did, Halle Berry's screams followed me into my dreams. It's not that I didn't like the movie, I mean, hey - it has Robert Downey JR in it. I just have an overactive impressionable imagination that gets me into trouble sometimes.

Back to Stranger Things Even though it was suspenseful, I couldn't stop watching because I had to know what happened next. I guess that means it's a well-written and well-acted show. From what I've read online, the next season has been pushed back because of the good ole pandemic. Just like so many other things. August 2021 is the rumored release date, and it's sooooooo far away.

Cobra Kai never dies

And Cobra Kai. What can I say there? Karate Kid and his rival Johnny Lawrence at their best. With the flashbacks to the original movie, and the attention to detail, it's a wonderful nostalgic trip down memory lane. It alone is worth the Netflix subscription!

Mr. Janney found himself in need of a new television recently. His television was the unfortunate victim of temper during a particularly intense gaming session. So when he ordered a new one, he decided that he was going to need a bigger entertainment center. Him being him, he decided to just build one.

The job is done - just waiting on the new tv

I shared the beginning of his project up above. He does do some prep work, math and all that. As usual though, he never does enough so he had to go back to Lowes at least once. I think this project he had to go back twice. It no longer bothers me, it's just how he is. He's built me a new desk, a kitchen table, a desk for himself, a spice rack and each and every time we've had to make return trips to Lowes to finish the project. I help as needed, usually holding some piece while he saws or drills. I wasn't much help this time around as I was still weak from whatever illness I had.

Here's the finished project with the new tv. It's not quite big enough to fill the whole spot, but I guess it's room to grow someday if he decides to upgrade again.

This post certainly has jumped around! I do that sometimes. If there's ever something you'd like me to write about, just let me know. I'll try to remained focused, but make no promises.

Man, I don't know what it is, but I've been having a ton of formatting issues when writing these posts. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong when I'm adding the pics, or if I should wait until I'm done writing to change the font. I don't know, I'll figure it out eventually.

Until next time, stay safe!

A Post About Dishwashers

This post is my mom's idea. Moms have good ideas, don't you think?

Not my sink...stole this pic from the internet...

Some time ago, I shared a common meme on Facebook about washing dishing by hands and how I felt that the meme is kind of shaming those of us who use dishwashers.

Boy, did that open a can of worms.

Which is what led my mother to suggest I write a post about the pros and cons of each method of washing dishes.

Dish washing has always been my bane. For many reasons. And when I say always, I mean for as long as I can remember. It was the source of many wars growing up. No one wanted to do the dishes. As the oldest, it was usually me who was assigned to do them on Friday nights. Something I didn't think was fair, but then the oldest always gets the shitty end of the chores in my opinion.

The 'free' dishwasher turned
into a major
remodeling project

So, one Con for handwashing for me is: Sinks are never at the right height. I've always had to deal with lower back pain while doing the dishes by hand. Which is why when I saw a friend offering a free dishwasher on Facebook I jumped at it. More about that later.

To balance that with a Pro, when I was having trouble with my hands due to trigger finger and carpal tunnel, the warm water did feel good. I had trouble washing some of the heavier dishes though, so it wasn't always beneficial.

I just can never keep up with the dishes. One of the comments I ran into with my Facebook post was that this person didn't dirty enough dishes during a day to justify using a dishwasher. That is something that has never been true in my household, so I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. You'd think I'd have the same issue since it's just the two of us, but even when it was just me I never seemed to have a small amount of dishes.

I mean, a coffee cup in the morning for the obvious. A frying pan for eggs, and then a plate and fork. A knife if I had toast and buttered it. If I'm home for lunch, another plate and fork or knife or spoon. Same for dinner. Probably another frying pan, or pot. I'm not one to reuse a drinking glass if I'm drinking different liquids. Double the plates, silverware, cups for another person.

We had to do the entire counter. and cupboard area...
I knew we had water damage down there, but
it was worse than we'd realized so it all had to be done anyway

It all tended to worsen the depression I deal with. Especially since I'm the only one around to do the dishes. My husband refuses to help - either because it hurts his lower back to or because he views it as women's work. Insert eyeball roll here. At least he was willing to do the work to put it in for me since carpentry is one of his strengths.

I think that's the biggest pro for a dishwasher I can think of. All I have to do is put the dishes in, some soap, push buttons and the machine does the work I hate. I can be reading or writing while the dishes are being done. Far quicker and cleaner than I'd ever be able to get them done.

Which is another comment on the Facebook post that irritated me. A person used the reasoning that they preferred their dishes to be clean, implying that a dishwasher wasn't able to do so - and also implying that I don't want clean dishes. They'd deny that, but just by using that as a Con for a dishwasher, is in fact implying that very thing. Especially when they felt the need to write that in two different comments.

I did have some problems with dishes not coming out clean in the beginning. But I learned the things I needed to do to ensure cleaner dishes than I can do by hand. I tend to rush the dishes since it pains me, so I miss stuff. And the dishwasher uses hotter water than my hands can stand, so I feel better about germs and stuff. For myself, using a brand name detergent is a must as the dishes come out cleaner. And if I've let something sit too long - or I've overcooked something (burned), I try to soak it before putting it in the dishwasher. I rarely have a dish come through the cycle still dirty anymore.

There are some things that can't go in the dishwasher. My wooden spoons for example. My stoneware. But anything that is dishwasher safe and fits, goes in. Even if I have to run the dishwasher more than once in a day. I can understand people not wanting to do that if they have to pay a water bill, but I've found that I often have to refresh the water in the sink to keep it warm so I don't see much of a difference there. These newer stainless steel sinks just don't hold the heat in like the old porcelain sinks did. 

Having a dishwasher is a weight off my shoulders. I am forever grateful to the friend I got it from. It has saved my life in more ways than I can count.

Beautiful! It's still open like that, so it's not 100% done
But it's on our list of things to do

And of course, I am forever grateful to my husband for doing the work to put it in, even if I occasionally grumble that it'd be nice if he could at least empty it once in a while. Still, the chore I get stuck with all the freaking time is a million million times easier than what it was.

You know what you don't ever see as a meme on Facebook? "I still wash my clothes by hand and I'm not ashamed to say so." It's the same concept! You might see something about drying clothes outside on the line versus an electric dryer. If I had the lines outside to dry clothes, I'd probably do that during the summer...if it wasn't raining. Our dryer heats the trailer up something fierce during the summer and our air conditioners can't compete. But I wouldn't trade my dryer for outside clotheslines.

Everyone has different preferences. No one way is better than the other. I don't care how you argue it, it's the truth. Washing dishes by hand isn't better than using a dishwasher just because it's how you prefer to do things; and vice versa.

I wish we could stop comparing things like this. Preferences, I mean. Using a dishwasher, or dryer, or any modern convenience, isn't a thing to be ashamed of. And yes, I think meme's like the one I shared is borderline shaming people for not washing dishes by hand. Maybe I'm overreacting because dishes is a hot button for me, but I can guarantee you I'm not the only one who reads that meme in the same way.

It's just Facebook, you say? It doesn't matter? Debatable. But that's probably another post entirely, debating about the impact of social media in our lives. I may or may not write it. I'm sure I'll find something more interesting to write about.

Like Dr. Who and the case of mistaken identity perhaps? No doubt it'd be a lighter subject, and certain to be amusing, Until I took off on a bunny trail and got onto something like a Weeping Angel tree topper and how I'd never be able to have one.

Until next time, stay safe.

A Tale of Two Christmases

Writing posts ahead can be a good thing, until I decide to do a comparison post about something that hasn't even happened yet. As I start writing this one, it's still November! And as you can tell by the date now, it's already January 2021. I came down sick with something about a week before Christmas and that threw everything off, as I'll detail later in the post.

My beautiful mother last Christmas

We were home last year for Christmas. One thing we grew accustomed to when we worked at a local factory, was a long Christmas break. The factory used the down time for deep cleaning and mechanical repair. Orders where typically low so it was a good time to shut down and work on the machines.

I don't remember decorating for Christmas last year, unless you count tacking Christmas cards to the wall. You can see one or two just right of my mother in the photo above. I didn't take as many pictures as usual. I'm not sure why, must have been feeling 'off' last year too. We did have a good time playing Phase Ten.

Of course, we won't be able to do that this year. That's one way the pandemic affects me the same as everyone else. More so because I spend most of my time out of state. I had my Christmas tree up just before we returned to the road. It's comforting knowing that it's there waiting for me while I'm out there driving. I may or may not have it completely down before we go back on the road once I'm feeling better.

The tree is one hot mess, just like me. Bottom heavy when it comes to the light distribution, but it's not as bad as it looks in the photo because I can never catch the one set of blinking lights when they're 'on'. And I only had one strand of red lights, so they're all on the bottom too.

Most of my decorations are things that were given to me as gifts or hand-me-downs. And some aren't actually Christmas decorations at all, but I use them as such because they have sentimental value. The origami stars I place in the branches are one example. They were given to me by another student the year I attended college in Allentown. She was a sweet young woman from Japan and I wish I'd kept in touch with her. I lost track of many of the women I called friends then. I've tried searching for her and a few others, to no avail. I count myself fortunate to have kept  in touch with three of them, though we haven't seen each other since 1994.

Another set of decorations that hold sentimental value, are the yarn angels. I'm not sure how else to describe them. They were a gift given to me when I was a Head Start School Bus Driver. I know it was something the mother put together and had the little boy give to me, but I could tell he was happy to be giving me something. I'll have to write another post about the Head Start days some other time. I wish there were more of those angels, because they're adorable.

Everything but the lights are off the tree right now. I have had to do things slowly as it doesn't take much for me to be tired. Which is why we're still home, we're both worried that if we go back to soon we'll have to keep shutting down due to fatigue. I don't think it was Covid-19 that we had; neither of us were tested, but neither of us had the most common complaint - loss of taste. Mr. Janney did complain of it shortly before we came home, but I think it was the burger and not his taste buds.

Our most recent snowfall, it's off the trees already

Hopefully I'll bounce back and we'll be back on the road by the end of the week. There were many days I only got up to go to the bathroom, the rest was spent sleeping. I have managed to read a book, one that was a Christmas gift from my husband. The Eighth House by Eris Adderly. I liked it, though I'm not sure I'll continue with the series as I'm not sure how into the Greek Gods I am. But, I'll never say never.

I hope everyone had a better (healthier) holiday than I've had. Here's hoping this year will see an improvement. Until next time, stay safe peeps.