Month: October 2018

NaNoWriMo: The Final Decision

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No hesitation about the second cup of coffee today. It’s brewing as I type.

And it’s done. After a whole lot of thinking, I’m in for NaNoWriMo this year! But I’m going to be a rebel about it.

Not sure that this decision bodes well, given I spent half an hour trying to find the banners on the site, and then finally gave up and just used my BFF Google, who found them immediately. I’m sure there’s a lesson in it.

That lesson could be Google knows all.

But back to being a rebel. Traditionally for NaNo, you start a new novel on Nov. 1, fresh and clean.

And I would have liked to do that.

But I’ve decided words are words, and I will finish up the one so I can start the next. Is it a perfect NaNo?

Probably not.

But.

Letting go of things having to be exactly right and exactly perfect is a big part of this year. Because most things aren’t even marginally right or in the same universe as perfect.

Why not NaNo?

Are you doing NaNo this year? Let me know!

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing

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Positivity isn’t going to fix it.

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I want that next cup of coffee, but I know I’ll be vibrating like concert hall stage.

Although that doesn’t sound like too bad a thing. Hang on a second, I’ll be right back. It’s brewing.

Wait, I think it’s done. Ahh. Coffee.

We’re racking up the dark days of democracy right now, and I have some concerns we’re merely in the dimly-lit tunnel heading into the maze of a mine. In other words, I’m not optimistic lately.

As you know, I love my Daily Burn, but this week has been about postitivity and optimism, and given recent events, that seems hollow, almost insulting. The problem right now isn’t a negative mental attitude, it’s the reality of a hostile regime wanting to strip people of their citizenship and sending military to the border to confront unarmed refugees.

I don’t see a good way to look at it.

One of my favorite trainers is leaving, apparently, which is much smaller in scale but disappointing nonetheless. Even wearing my lovely 13th Doctor “Doctor Who” shirt isn’t making anything look better.

The only way out is to change the legislature, because Republicans have been clear: they will not act as a check against trump’s quest for unlimited power. There is nothing he can do that is too far for them.

That alone should be chilling.

NaNo looms ahead, but it’s hard to look toward it. We are up to our necks right now, and the water level is rising. Show up.

Vote.

 

 

Roaring Monday

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There’s so much Monday in this Monday, I’m Mondayed out, and it’s not even 11 AM. Nazis are trending on twitter, and I got some “both sides” nonsense in the comments.

Yet another no.

There aren’t “both sides” when one of the sides is comprised of actual nazis. Nazis pushing conspiracies about Jews right on the heels of a mass murder in a synagogue which may not have happened had trump not dissolved the unit that tracked white nationalist domestic terrorist groups.

“Both sides” don’t put children in concentration camps or shrug when a journalist is brutally murdered and dismembered. “Both sides” weren’t sending pipe bombs or finding black people to murder in a grocery store when a black church was locked.

“Both sides” aren’t saying they want to kill gay people, but are willing to do it “humanely.”

There aren’t “both sides.” They are not the same. Nodding politely at such garbage normalizes people who intend to do grievous harm to others, who have done grievous harm to others.

It gives cover to such people. And in doing so, you become one of those people.

Do you want to be one of the people committing grievous harm on others? If you do, this is not the place for you.

If you don’t, it’s time to reconsider the way you filter information.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing

 

#AccountaClub Friday, October 26, 2018

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In writing the title of this post, I typed “Frieday,” which I think pretty much sums up how I feel about this week. It’s been a long one, given the assassination attempts on public officials.

Assassination. Attempts. On public. Officials.

So. My goals don’t feel so big or important in the scheme of things. Still, nearly done reviewing the manuscript I need to finish before NaNoWriMo. I got distracted hugely yesterday when my same-day shipping from Amazon turned into a “never show up” package, and I spent hours trying to figure out what happened.

Fun.

So it will be down to the wire, but the concept for the next book is really calling to me and feels fun. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Fitness, another week, another five workouts! I’ve also focused on getting more protein into my diet, and I feel a lot better. Worlds better. I love the idea of being a vegetarian, or a pescatarian in my case, but my body just doesn’t work on that diet.

So that’s me. How was your week?

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing

 

Ten Word Photo Prompt: Punishment

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potatoes fun knife fork

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s Thursday! The world hasn’t officially ended, at least as of this moment, which means it’s ten word photo prompt time.

Using the picture above, write a ten-word story. You can have a title, but no ridiculously long ones. All genres are welcome, but this is an inclusive space so no jerkiness. Not that I’d expect that from any of you, but we had a random wandering jerk once, it could happen again.

With today’s story, you get bonus points for puns. I love puns.

OK, here’s mine:

Potatony gasped. Someone stuck a fork in Frita. She’s done.

From Twitter:

Vote November 6.

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silhouette of people beside usa flag

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Someone sent bombs to Democrats and to CNN this morning. “Civility,” amirite?

As of this writing, targets include philanthropist George Soros, the Clintons, the Obamas, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. So far, no one has been injured.

So. Far.

We can’t pretend that this is all normal with slightly less politeness and slightly hotter tempers. Nothing has been normal for a long, long time.

Sorry, I can’t just dash off a fun lighthearted post today. Actually, dashing off a fun lighthearted post feels, in light of the multiple assassination attempts, kind of pathological.

We need to put the brakes on this thing, whatever it is, that we’re barreling toward at breakneck speed. And Republicans have been completely, utterly, incredibly clear: they refuse to do it.

Just days ago, Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered in a Saudi Arabian embassy. There are money ties between Saudi Arabia and the trump family, from Jared Kushner’s visits and private texts to the Saudi use of trump properties, directly benefiting trump.

And yet we’re not having congressional hearings about emoluments. There’s no inquiry into the murder of a man whose children are American citizens. Republicans are oddly, oddly quiet.

Everything I’ve written is independently verifiable. Everything I’ve said here has nothing to do with partisanship; they’re just facts. Check on them yourself.

And ask: do you want more of this? Do you want to see where this kind of corrupt power goes completely unchecked? Do you want to take your chances?

Vote November 6, or we may be facing our last real election.

No hyperbole. Just truth.

Thinking Tuesday

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Online can be such a magical place. I needed a birthday gift for a friend, and in no time, boom, I had one ordered.

Easy peasy.

We can communicate with one another across the country and around the world; around the world is a common distance on this blog. Imagine that. Casual conversations thousands upon thousands of miles apart.

It’s like another realm, another kingdom where distance is irrelevant.

And it has its downsides, of course. People find it’s a great outlet to release the worst sides of themselves. Groups exploit it for their gain, hiring people to pretend to be something they aren’t really, but are solely for pay. One person can have thousands of accounts, and while mimicking a crowd, is only a lone soul typing very loudly.

It’s difficult to imagine what someone who’d never seen the internet would think of it. I wonder if its virtual state is part of what makes this period of time so unbelievable.

Or maybe it’s the period of time that makes it unbelievable.

But I’ve got to say, gift shopping has definitely benefited, no question. Almost anything in the world, here before you know it.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing

 

Monday Thoughts when Monday goes sideways

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It’s funny how your schedule can change instantaneously. I’d planned to get out of here today, there was going to be an emergency repair requiring the shut off of water throughout the building.

Always a fun thing.

So I’d prepared for a day of errands, of running around, of getting things done.

And then they cancelled the shut-off. And moved it.

So same dilemma, different day.

Like shuffling blocks, I changed my plans. I’ll take advantage of the altered water situation, and do the errands on the new waterless day.

Cool.

Flexibility can work in our favor. No, that’s an understatement. Flexibility is necessary to keep forging ahead. Even if we have to move sideways to do it.

True, there are things I won’t get checked off my list today. But there are things that wouldn’t be checked off that I can manage now.

The planet never stops turning, no matter how we may want a slow-down now and then. And so many factors are beyond our control. Rolling with it isn’t always easy, but it can make the changes all the more useful.

Awfully optimistic for a Monday, don’t you think?!

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing

#AccountaClub Friday, October 19, 2018

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Not sure how, but it’s Friday again. Waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy back on Monday, I said I had an inkling of something I wanted to do, and we’d see how it went on Friday.

Well, we’re here.

And how did it go? Shrug.

I’ve made progress, though I’m not sure it’s enough progress to get ready for NaNoWriMo. And I have some other complications; there some emergency work being done next week in my building, and it’s going to impact where I can work.

So there’s that.

But I have made progress. Can I do it? I really want to do it. Maybe it’s time to invoke Yoda.

He’s so wise. For a puppet.

Apparently I can only work on one writing project at a time, though. Alas. So the other one hasn’t been edited this week. But did I mention I did make some progress?

Exercise status: five gold stars AGAIN! It was another very intense week, but I made the workouts, and I did them live. I’ve also improved my eating this week, with an emphasis on getting more protein. I tend to drift toward vegetarian, I’ve never been a huge fan of meat, but in the kind of irony of, well, irony, my body doesn’t do well on a vegetarian diet. I can’t eat many of the newer protein substitutes because of the additives, so I end up lacking in protein (and probably some vitamins and minerals) and often lacking in energy.

So I made an effort to get easy, already-cooked, sources. And I think it’s made a difference. We’ll see next week how that’s going.

And that’s my week. How was yours?

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing

 

Ten word photo prompt: Ever After

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pink white petal flower on white curtain near white sand beach on daytime

Photo by Ibrahim Asad on Pexels.com

It’s ten word photo prompt story time! Using the image above, write a 10 word story. You can have a title, but don’t go nuts.

Feel free to post here, or on your site if you prefer. Just leave a link so we can find you! I couldn’t resist this one, this picture is so beautiful.

This pic not doing it for you? Here are some past posts!

Mine:

Beyond the flower-ringed curtain, her unknown future was waiting.