12 Hour Shifts and Late Night Movies

My husband has been enjoying his new job, as much as anyone can enjoy a job that is repetitive and mundane.  It pays decent enough for our area, and they've been working a lot of hours.  He was supposed to work last evening (he works second shift, 3-11:30) but something broke and they were released after just over 2 hours into their shift).  So we did what any other couple would have done and made it into Movie Night!

First, we watched Escape Plan with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger - and a lot of other actors I knew that I knew but couldn't put a name to until I looked the movie up so I could spell Arnold's last name (which you notice I didn't try spelling again even with it directly above lol)  People like Jim Caviezal, Sam Niell and Faran Tahir...at least with the last two I was able to connect them with the movies I recognized them from, with Caviezal's character I kept thinking "Gosh, he sounds familiar."

I have to say I loved the movie.  It was funny.  My favorite line was when Stallone's character punched Arnold's and Arnold came back with, "You hit like a vegetarian."  I'm guessing that was said in an effort not to say, "You hit like a girl."  It was a good call, although I'm sure there are a lot of vegetarians out there going, "Oh yeah!?!?!?!"  (Us girls will take any improvement in how we are regarded - but that's for another post.  Especially since both movies we watched were male dominated.)

The second movie we watched was just "ok" so I won't even name it.  It was a deep movie that could have been better had they picked up the pace and moved things along quicker.  A lot quicker.

Anyways, by the time the movies were finished, it was 1:30am going on 2.  No big deal until Hubby says, "Oh, I forgot...we're working 12 hours shifts this week."  Say what?  His work gives their workers the choice of working 4 hours before their normal start time OR 4 hours later than normal.  My husband doesn't like working that late anymore (we both used to do it all the time) so he goes in at 11am.  Which means we have to be up at least by 9am, giving ourselves at best 7 hours of sleep.  Not the end of the world, but it was still not a pleasant surprise!

I still go to physical therapy three times a week, Mon-Wed-Fri if I can get it.  And I like to schedule them about 11-11:30 which gives us enough time for sleeping and getting him to work at 3.  So today I drove him in and went to therapy, and get to go back and get him later.  I am feeling that 'not enough sleep' feeling right now!!  I did reschedule the therapy for Friday, as the friend I get a ride from will be away that day.  As well as two other doctor appointments I had scheduled.  Ugh.  Given how his schedule can change, no doubt they aren't secure where they're at, but it'll have to do for now.

It tasted as good as it looked...

Friday I will also get to have a late lunch with my mom, which will be fitting since my birthday is on Thursday.  I think she just wants to go to Moose's Munchies, that's where I'm picking a cake up on Friday.  Moose's Munchies is a family owned and operated bakery/diner in Troy, PA and I love them - and not just because we're related.  The food is excellent, the staff friendly.

And I loved Lindsey's cake she made for Hubby and I last year.  I gave real thought about freezing the top layer and saving it for the first year anniversary.  But I decided to "cheat" and have a replica made because:

• I didn't want to bother with what the internet said was the right way to protect the cake from freezer burn.
• At the time I didn't have the extra freezer space to keep it that long.
• And I'm not really that big in keeping all the traditions anyway.  I have nothing against traditions, but if I don't want to keep it, I'm not going to.  I get to pick and chose which traditions I keep or don't keep right?  I haven't been struck by lightning yet!

I don't know how much time I'll get to spend with my hubby that day; it will depend on whether or not he has to work Sunday again.  But we take whatever moments we can get.  Right now, we take each moment that we get because I will eventually be going back to work - as soon as my foot heals like it is supposed to - and after that, well he and I have worked opposite shifts before and survived, but I don't think we'll get to see each other until the weekends unless my department finishes early and I get to come home before he leaves for work.  I see the doctor on Monday now, and will know more then about any further treatment options. So we live pretty much moment by moment right now, and go with how things are flowing.

What good movies have you all watched recently?  I know that might sound like an odd question for a writer and lover of reading and books, but I also love movies because that is how I see the stories in my head.  Of course, I am privy to all the other information I write, but it still has that movie flow to it.

2014 ~ One year later than last year...

Back In Action

I can't begin to say how GOOD it feels to be back online!

my very own 'Touched By An Angel' moment....

Our internet should have been turned back on earlier this week, I even had the company's representatives tell me that it was turned back on and they'd send me a repairman to find out why it wasn't reaching our modem.  It didn't take the repairman long to discover the problem - it was never turned back on!!   Shopping for a different provider never sounded so good as it does right now!

So I'm back and working on getting my online presence sparkling again.  I've already posted at Broads of a Feather.  Because that's a shared blog, I did what I had to in order to keep my posts up to date there, although I'm afraid the posts weren't my best.  I hate writing a post on my phone app, because the screen is so small and my phone is so stupid - it's ridiculously outdated.

I was supposed to be Googling a computer question for my hubby tonight, but I've been so busy checking all my stuff out that I haven't quite got there yet.  I mean...Facebook and blogs and Amazon and Twitter!!  I almost feel like I've come back home after a long trip!  But I know better, because while I had all that silence I was able to complete the rough draft to my second novel!  How exciting is that?!?!  I have taken a break before getting down to the dirty work of proofing it mostly because we're in the middle of transitioning computers (hence the reason why I need to Google computer questions later).  But I expect to release it at least by the end of August!

Which brings me up to an important announcement.  I will be taking Farmer's Daughter off of Nook Press at the end of July.  I know that's a bit short notice, but if I'm going to be releasing the sequel in August, I want a chance to have some sales and special offers available through the Kindle Select program.  Which means that it can only be available for the Kindle.  No biggie since I never did see the sales on Nook that I have on the Kindle.  SO if you haven't gotten your Nook version, better hop to it!  And if you're waiting on a Kindle sale...it's just around the corner!

Sigh.  Ok, I guess I'd better power down for a bit and see if I can't figure out what he did to the new computer so he doesn't have to take it to a professional.  And I have physical therapy in the morning - for both my foot and for the muscle spasm I triggered in my lower back last week.  But at least things are turning around for us in other areas of our life!

I'll see you all again...shortly!  :)

2014 ~ It's July!  How time has flown!

Downtime

I hate not knowing what to blog about.  Like I commented on +Rebekah Radice's blog post about the "5 Bad Habits Killing Your Blogging Mojo" - I have a non-existent blogging plan.  I just kind of post whatever is on my mind when I decide it's time for a new post.  Which let me tell you, makes it kind of rough when my mind is blank!

Rebekah, of course, is very encouraging in her reply to my comment.  I think that it is her belief in her readers ability to succeed that is part of her charm and why she herself succeeds.  And it's not a plastic kind of belief either, this lady means what she says!  She makes me feel the same way as seeing my yard full of violets in early spring. Happy and positive about the future!

You would think that I'd have no problem coming up with a plan.  I mean, since I'm off work and have nothing but downtime...it would all come together easy-peasy.  It's never that easy is it?

A blog post about the habits of 6 highly productive bloggers that I read this morning might have the answer to my present dilemma however.  My normal routing is ALL out of whack!

I'm used to being up between 4 and 4:30AM in order to be out the door between 5 and 5:15AM (5:30 at the latest - unless my hubby is driving then we can leave as late as 5:40 and I have just enough time to clock in on time!)  I do my work thing, come home, walk and feed the dog, feed myself and then go on the computer.  Since the both of us have been home and off of work, there has been NO routine.

And to make matters even worse, we lost internet to the house yesterday!  I still can go online on my iPhone, but given the spotty finances of short term disability, we might end up loosing the phones 

I started physical therapy last Tuesday.  I knew that it would flare things up and make the pain worse.  I was not wrong.  Especially since part of the therapy is something called Hybresis. That's where they stick a fancy bandage on my foot and send a small electrical charge through it to force medicine through my skin.  Of course, I don't actually feel anything on the medicine end of it, just on the saline solution end.  I don't know if it leaves a red spot on the bottom of my foot, but it does on the side.

It's supposed to be helping. I'm not feeling it yet. 

I'm signing off for now.  I'm sitting in a very warm car waiting for my hubby to get done with a job interview then it's off for a doctor appointment for my mom. Hopefully I'll learn more about the kidney disease she was diagnosed with. 

You all have a great day!

Being Real vs. Being Fake

No "Blue Roses" here...

I read a blog post a while back, one of many, about how to be a better blogger.  No matter how long I've been at this, I always want to learn more so that I can be better at what I do.

It was a fairly straightforward post about five things you should never do on your blog.

The only problem is I'm not sure if I agree with him on all his points.  I'm not saying it was a bad post or anything like that.  It was pretty good actually.

His first point was about how bloggers aren't supposed to let you the reader know or even think that we're just a beginner.  I'm not sure what is wrong with that in certain areas.  I have no problem letting people know that although I've been writing since the fourth grade, I'm new at being a published author.  What better way to encourage others that making mistakes early in the game is okay and not a death sentence? Maybe some young/new author will read my posts and learn from my mistakes.  Who knows?

His second point was that bloggers shouldn't be negative in their blog posts.  If every blog post was negative, I'd understand that.  If there was even a pattern of negativity, I'd be worried.  But I don't see how an occasional negative blog post could hurt you in the long run.  Let's be honest, even the most positive/optimistic people have bad days.  Sometimes that will leak through to a blog post.  While I am one of the happiest depressed people I know, there are some days I struggle greatly with being positive and hopeful.  While I would never just vent here on this site, his post made me feel like I had to hide my struggles from my readers.  But - it's part of my journey!

The only thought I had about his third point, not posting negative reviews of other author's books, was that is was mostly common sense not to do that.  Well, I also thought that any review you post ought to be honest and not just positive for the sake of being positive in order to get a good review in return.  But since I don't really write reviews of books on here, I figure I'm safe.

(But on that note, here is a plug for my author friend C.P. Stringham's latest romance Rest in Peace.  It's the third in the series though, so be forewarned!)

I completely agreed with his last two points, about not ignoring comments and making sure you don't react negatively to a negative comment and to not be constantly talking about your own books.  So there's not really much to say there.  I have comment moderation turned on just so I'll never miss a comment.

And then there is this CreateSpace blog about branding yourself that I just read the other day.  It made me feel a little better about disagreeing with the previous blogger on some of his points.  Richard Ridley's short post can be summed up in one of his own sentences: "Just be yourself."  His advice tells us that if we as writers and bloggers stay true to who we are, and are comfortable with who we are, it will draw people to us and our books.

Like everything else I've ever read on being a success at writing and blogging, he does say that it takes time and consistency.  Two things I have obviously struggled with recently.  As can be seen by how long it has been since I posted.  I won't bore you will all the details, but I have had a lot going on in the real world and instead of finding solace in words on a screen I have been letting the resulting depression run its course.  I've never been able to write when I'm at the worst, it's only on the way back out that the creative muse kicks in.  Some of the best poems I've ever written were on the way back out of a depressive episode.  Two of my favorites are companion poems The Secret Me and I Can See You even though they are both almost 14 years old.

We all have rainy days...

So at the end of the day, so to speak, each of us bloggers have to find our own way.  No matter how many different articles we read giving us advice on how to attract readers, it's always going to come back to US...as in who we are.  Each of us who blogs/writes has our own unique Voice.  Along with our different opinions and ideas.  Some of us are going to be Roses, others Lilacs, and others Violets.  Some of us are going to clash like thunder and lightning, while others are going to be like Forrest and Jenny - peas and carrots.  But even then, what is thunder without lightning?

I won't stop reading articles, but no matter what I have to be true to myself.  Who I am as a writer and as a person.

I can only be me.





2014 ~ Aren't we done with this year yet???

Week's End

My brain is blank.

I can't even come up with a decent working title for this post.

This happens occasionally.

Well, to be honest.  I'm not sure if it's that my mind is actually going blank, or if there is an overload of ideas and my brain just can't process them into words yet.

That happens occasionally too.

Spiders belong outdoors!

One thing I plan on doing some time soon, maybe tonight or tomorrow, is attempt to write a short story involving spiders.  This came about from last nights conversation about the spider that built its web in my doorway.  Now, spiders and I have an agreement...they stay out of my territory and out of my reach and they can live, they wander too close and they will die.

The spider in the doorway was on the border of this agreement.  He was close to being in my territory and he was definitely within my reach.  And it was raining, so I could understand his location.  But I have to walk through that area, and I don't like the thought of him accidentally falling on my head as I walk under.

So, I compromised.

I got the broom and pushed him out into the rain.  Just in case he survived the wet fall, I told him that if he came back I would finish the job.  I had to stress that to him because the last time I tossed a spider out onto the steps, he came back and rebuilt his web in the doorway.

Crazy talking to a spider, I know.  What is even crazier was voicing to my husband that they band together and share locations with each other in an attempt to irritate me.  But it did spark a cute little story idea.  I'll post it once it's written.  If it's halfway decent.  I tend to struggle with short stories.

I did get some writing done this week.  Not quite as much as I had hoped, but since my husband stayed home this week as well there was a lot of distractions.  A lot of gaming.  A lot of Netflix marathons - CSI NY, House.  Our finances will suck, but I can't argue the quality time was nice.

My favorite spring flower!

Two more days and I am back to work.  I'm not looking forward to it because my foot still hurts.  I should have called the doctor's office and let him know, but I can't afford anymore time off.  I'll wait and see how Monday goes and see how bad the pain gets.  Maybe it won't get too bad.  Hey, a girl can hope!

Hope all of you have a great weekend!  Anybody got anything exciting planned?  It's still very wet here in my corner of Pennsylvania, but the lilacs are blooming and smell heavenly!

2014 ~ Is almost halfway over! 

This splint was NOT made for walking

My unhappy foot

For the past three and a half weeks, I have been living in pain.  Each and every step was like stepping on a hot metal spike going farther and farther up my leg.  I am used to working through pain, I've done it for years.  But this time was too much for me and I took myself to the doctors.

The first doctor, a rather rude general practitioner, who was in truth only a Nurse Practitioner and not a true doctor, didn't do much for me.  Brushed her finger across the bottom of my foot, said something like, "Wow, you are in a lot of pain." And promptly dismissed me.  No pain meds, no X-rays, and very little sympathy.  But I did get a referral to a podiatrist.

A podiatrist who would make the world's best general practitioner were he not already a specialist.  I first saw Dr. Kump about 5-6 years ago when an ingrown toenail became infected.  He ended up taking the nail, nail bed and all.  He did a little more than just run a finger along the bottom of my foot...he also pressed into the side, right along the edge of the arch that I don't have.  He ended up putting a shot in my foot, almost at the same spot her pressed.  It was far more painful than the shot I had put in my knee about 7 years ago.  That shot I didn't even flinch at.  This one in the foot almost made me cry.

Flowers = Spring = Flip Flops

With the shot, came an order for X-rays and blood work.  And some restrictions I wasn't fond of.  NO flip flops.  :'(  Summer is starting, and I've been wearing flip flops since my wedding day last August anyway.  But no, not now.  Sneakers it is.  Ugh.  I did get some nice pain medication; not enough to take all the pain away, but good enough to make me not care that it still hurt.  And a week off of work.  We can't exactly afford for me to be off work that long, but my husband told me it didn't matter so long as I got better.  And honestly, I think my husband was a little upset that I didn't let the doctor take me out for two weeks like he originally wanted.

I also came home with the night splint pictured above.  Meant to be worn only at night while sleeping and not to be walked on (except maybe for a quick midnight jaunt to the bathroom).  And let me tell you, we are not getting along.  At first, it doesn't bother me.  I try not to get it too tight, because I don't want to cut circulation off.  But still I end up readjusting it a few times during the night because the top part of it ends up cutting into my calf.  There have been a few times I've taken it off early in the morning and slept without it for the last couple of hours.  I'm not sure if that means I'm not getting it on right the first time around, or if the splint is a little too small.  It doesn't seem to be too small, but I'm not sure what else it would be.

So far the order to take it easy hasn't translated into a ton of writing getting done.  I have finished season 3 of Being Human on Netflix - and they sorely need to get season 4 on there.  I've almost finished CSI: NY, hubby and I are down to the last 2 or 3 episodes.  We've also watched  Maximum Overdrive, which had a very young Emilio Estevez in it.  And a few episodes of House.

I've also slept a lot, thanks no doubt to the medicine.

But that isn't to say I haven't gotten any writing done.  I finished the blog post over at Broads of a Feather and posted that today.  I will probably get this one day today as well.  I wrote enough in Ring of Fire to know that I have to restructure chapter 18, because a conversation between two women took on a life of it's own and revealed to me just how little I know about my own characters.  But I can handle those kind of discoveries.

Hopefully I will get more writing accomplished during this unexpected vacation.  It is certainly in my plans.  I hope to get a few blog posts written up ahead of time for a change too.  I have had so many thoughts going through my brain, it would be nice to get them written down.

Keeping my fingers crossed.



2014 ~ The year of no flip flops :(

It's Time to Bare ALL

Black on black....

What a week I had last week! Monday was pretty laid back.  We didn't work, which was good since I didn't get home from a trip to New York State until 11 the night before.  So I hung out with my husband and helped him with the project his boss had him working on - painting a 20 foot trailer.

It was a good day; I've always liked working with my husband.

However, it will probably be the last Monday I'll have free in a while, as work seems to be picking up.  At least, that's what we're being told at the moment.  I've seen things change pretty quickly before.  Like the day the daily minutes declared that we seemed to be approaching our busy season...and it wasn't long after that we were having our Monday's "blackened".  We've worked a few on and off the past few weeks, but this approaching Monday will see all departments back to work.  While I hope it lasts, I could do without the 9 and 1/2 hour days!  It's a killer on the feet!  And the hands...and the back...You get the idea.

Wednesday, I had finally had enough of the pain in my foot that Advil won't even touch, and I stopped by a local Wine and Spirits shop and picked up a bottle of my beloved Red Cat wine.  But before I indulged in a glass, hoping to dull the pain, I decided I had had enough with my hair.

Three summers ago, my husband (this was pre-marriage actually) got tired of my complaining about my long hair.  It used to be past my shoulders, although I've now forgotten how long it was that first time.  He asked me if I really wanted to follow through with my threats to just shave it all off.  With his electric razor in his hand.  I hemmed and hawed...and he very subtly dared me to do it by suggesting I was a coward.

This is a beautiful woman...

And why wouldn't I be afraid to?  After all, a woman is meant to have long hair right? The bible says so.  And I have family members who very devotedly follow those verses - while ignoring Apostle Paul's clause at the end saying that neither he nor the church has any such custom/requirement.  I knew that I would be judged, from every corner of my existence.  Except maybe from my husband.  And since I don't like being called a chicken any more than Marty McFly, I let him take my hair off.  Almost to the scalp.

I can't begin to describe what a liberating event that was, and continues to be since I have done it every summer since.  I learned just how vain I was and am.  I'll be honest - I look really goofy with no hair.  But I love it.

For some reason, "Because I want to." is never a good enough explanation for people. I'm not sure why.  Why do I need a detailed list of the reasons why I do this?  Why isn't my desire to do so enough?

True, I have a list:

• I like how it feels.  My head feels so light and the cool spring air feels absolutely delicious against my almost bare skin.  I do have to take care that I don't burn, so I tend to keep it covered when I'm outside, or at work (work is a lot colder than the outside)
• I save time.  Both when showering and afterwards.  I can wash what little hair I have in a jiffy.  And I don't have to style it.  Not that I ever style it for work, but when I go out I would try to make sure the back curled just so and the sides were resting just so.
• I save money.  I buy one bottle of shampoo a year.  I only started using conditioner again this past winter after I colored my hair and thought it felt dry.  Should I continue conditioning after I get some growth back, it'll probably just be a bottle a year for that as well.
• It's a lot easier to wet my head in the summer than if I had more hair.  Just a quick splash and I'm so much cooler.
• I like how it feels when my husband runs his hand over my head.  Granted, I just like his touch in general, and it makes no difference whether I have hair or not.  But it's still one of my reasons.
• It's also easier to wear a hair net and hard hat at work.  No strands of hair falling out, a hard hat that fits better.

But "Because I want to" ought to be a good enough reason.

I've been thinking about this on and off all weekend.  In fact, my husband and I discussed it on Saturday as we were out and about.  And I'm going to be honest.  All the flack I've gotten in the past is worth this feeling.  I haven't gotten too much this year, as it's no longer shocking to people.  Many people have accepted it's that time of year and Robin's going to shave her head.  What they say behind my back is between them and their conscience.

Happy

I am lucky to have a husband who cares more about who I am as a person than what I look like physically.  Apparently he's had a few conversations himself with others over my hair, and has defended my choice.  It makes me happy, he says, and that makes him happy.  Many women are not so lucky.  Men who want their women to 'look like women' regardless over their own desire to buzz their hair off (I wonder what happens should those women lose their hair due to age or illness??).  It is just hair, and it will grow back.

This distresses me to a degree, because as the girl I overheard in Walmart said, deep in conversation with her friend over a comment regarding how she wore her hair on recent occasion: "It's my hair, I'll wear it how I want."  I have nothing against a woman looking nice, having long hair and so forth, if it's something she wants.  I like looking nice, but I prefer being comfortable.  Every woman should be able to wear their hair as they like.

And I think I still look feminine, regardless of my hairstyle. Those who mistake me for a man are seeing through eyes jaded with cultural mores.  Or rather outdated customs as our society is ever evolving and struggling into a more equal society.  If a man can have long hair, why can't a woman have short hair - or no hair - if that is her choice.  It's not about gender or sexual identity, it's about choice and what their preference is.

Granted, I don't pull off the look as well as Sinead O'Conner ever did, but I can live with that.  I still look like me, and more to the point - no matter what I look like, I'm still the same person.  Cute, adorable, and lovable.  Smart, sassy, and independent.

My hair doesn't define me any more than my weight does.



2014 ~ Liberation