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| Thisbe is uninterested in the home office crises. So long as the hated vacuum cleaner does not appear. |
This is a test.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Testing one-two-three
This is a test.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Clean Surfaces
As anyone who has been following me on Facebook knows, I've been in a frenzy of desk cleaning, file organizing, even ploughing through an 8 page password list to bring new order.
Now I'm digging into the tops of some file cabinets that have one foot piles of "stuff" that must be sorted through. Mostly it's going to the dump tomorrow as recycled magazines. In 2008, I had still not seen the error of my ways, because I was still saving huge amounts of computer crime articles, magazines, clipping, ideas, etc. What is even odder is that I had begun to write a novel unrelated to computer crime. Granted there is a missing laptop, and Lojack for Laptops, and a hacker, etc., but those are peripheral plot points, not COMPUTER CRIME.
In the back of my mind there must still have been a wild hope that something would happen, like maybe I would sell a couple of novels to bring back the necessity to write more computer crime novels. In the meantime, however, not only did I decide not to write computer crime, I decided to get away from crime fiction completely and write other kinds of novels.
I'm still trying to sell 3 novels and will start on the 4th, but this current novel, my sixth, is set in 1928 Los Angeles area and it is not crime fiction, which is pretty liberating actually.
Which leaves me with all this paperwork. I already tossed a huge amount a few months ago. Old research. I felt like I was throwing my life away. Nonetheless, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, like maybe if I just wrote enough computer crime novels, someone would actually publish one. Well, someone eventually may, but I ain't writing anymore. This is a little awkward, because all of my writing friends are crime writers, mysteries mostly, and I still belong to all these organizations.
As I say, maybe I will sell a crime novel and it will all make sense again. Or not. But what is happening is that the home office is in the process of being divested of hundreds of pounds (I am not making this up) of computer crime papers. One is always tempted to pause and read an interesting bit here and there.
No. I would be sitting here next year at this time. It's really a huge amount of stuff, because when I am in research mode, I am thorough. Now I am in "throw all this useless crap out" mode, and also thorough.
Technology changes so fast that 2008 news is probably old news which makes writing about computer crime so challenging.
I'm happy with the clean desk and one clean file. This will take a long time. I have lots and lots of writing magazines to go through as well. I think each novel generated at least 50 pounds of miscellaneous papers. How does this happen?
In the meantime, my poor blogs are languishing. I haven't tweeted. Someone said twitter will die. I have to confess that most tweets look like gibberish,
Onward, as they say. Westward Ho the wagons.
Grapeshot
Now I'm digging into the tops of some file cabinets that have one foot piles of "stuff" that must be sorted through. Mostly it's going to the dump tomorrow as recycled magazines. In 2008, I had still not seen the error of my ways, because I was still saving huge amounts of computer crime articles, magazines, clipping, ideas, etc. What is even odder is that I had begun to write a novel unrelated to computer crime. Granted there is a missing laptop, and Lojack for Laptops, and a hacker, etc., but those are peripheral plot points, not COMPUTER CRIME.
In the back of my mind there must still have been a wild hope that something would happen, like maybe I would sell a couple of novels to bring back the necessity to write more computer crime novels. In the meantime, however, not only did I decide not to write computer crime, I decided to get away from crime fiction completely and write other kinds of novels.
I'm still trying to sell 3 novels and will start on the 4th, but this current novel, my sixth, is set in 1928 Los Angeles area and it is not crime fiction, which is pretty liberating actually.
Which leaves me with all this paperwork. I already tossed a huge amount a few months ago. Old research. I felt like I was throwing my life away. Nonetheless, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, like maybe if I just wrote enough computer crime novels, someone would actually publish one. Well, someone eventually may, but I ain't writing anymore. This is a little awkward, because all of my writing friends are crime writers, mysteries mostly, and I still belong to all these organizations.
As I say, maybe I will sell a crime novel and it will all make sense again. Or not. But what is happening is that the home office is in the process of being divested of hundreds of pounds (I am not making this up) of computer crime papers. One is always tempted to pause and read an interesting bit here and there.
No. I would be sitting here next year at this time. It's really a huge amount of stuff, because when I am in research mode, I am thorough. Now I am in "throw all this useless crap out" mode, and also thorough.
Technology changes so fast that 2008 news is probably old news which makes writing about computer crime so challenging.
I'm happy with the clean desk and one clean file. This will take a long time. I have lots and lots of writing magazines to go through as well. I think each novel generated at least 50 pounds of miscellaneous papers. How does this happen?
In the meantime, my poor blogs are languishing. I haven't tweeted. Someone said twitter will die. I have to confess that most tweets look like gibberish,
Onward, as they say. Westward Ho the wagons.
Grapeshot
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Readin' Writin' and Arithmetic
Why haven't I been posting? After 2+ weeks of houseguests, there has been the laundry from hell, followed by the ironing from hell. Yes, readers, I actually iron napkins and pillowcases, linen hand towels and cotton handkerchiefs. Sometimes it piles up. I always watch the Food Network while I'm ironing.
And the house was piggy. We are in the process. Must have hauled 50 pounds of paper out of the office, with 50 more to go. Had to find a big error in my ibank accounting. No fun at all. (That was the arithmetic).
I read One Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, a wonderful book. I bow to her writerly expertise. Now I have to get cracking on Sarah's Key for the new bookclub.
Reading and Arithmetic explained.
Writing: hey, I'm 14 ,000 words into my novel. Someone in my writing group said she didn't like the character and the book was boring, so I have been thinking about that. Did a little bit of tweaking what the character wants. Not what an author wants to hear. First drafts are hell. Is this the traditional shi__ty first draft? Probably. Anyway, I am on my way. It's been hard to get into. Much work to do. Exciting!!!
I read the Burning Man part of Festival Madness, and totally cannot understand why this book hasn't sold. The energy! The craziness! Dare I say the originality? So much fun. Kindle and POD, here I come. This novel just has to see the light of day.
Off to meet a friend for lunch. When we worked together, we ate lunch every day. That was one of the best things about work. Lunch. What does that tell you? Do I miss working? Hell, no. I miss the money, is what. True confession.
Been cooking up a storm of diet recipes. Found a kickass carrot soup (Asian) with practically no fat. Will post the recipe later.
Happy New Year! I attended MLK memorial service yesterday. Good to remember how far we've come and how much further to go.
Onward. Onward.
Grapeshot
And the house was piggy. We are in the process. Must have hauled 50 pounds of paper out of the office, with 50 more to go. Had to find a big error in my ibank accounting. No fun at all. (That was the arithmetic).
I read One Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, a wonderful book. I bow to her writerly expertise. Now I have to get cracking on Sarah's Key for the new bookclub.
Reading and Arithmetic explained.
Writing: hey, I'm 14 ,000 words into my novel. Someone in my writing group said she didn't like the character and the book was boring, so I have been thinking about that. Did a little bit of tweaking what the character wants. Not what an author wants to hear. First drafts are hell. Is this the traditional shi__ty first draft? Probably. Anyway, I am on my way. It's been hard to get into. Much work to do. Exciting!!!
I read the Burning Man part of Festival Madness, and totally cannot understand why this book hasn't sold. The energy! The craziness! Dare I say the originality? So much fun. Kindle and POD, here I come. This novel just has to see the light of day.
Off to meet a friend for lunch. When we worked together, we ate lunch every day. That was one of the best things about work. Lunch. What does that tell you? Do I miss working? Hell, no. I miss the money, is what. True confession.
Been cooking up a storm of diet recipes. Found a kickass carrot soup (Asian) with practically no fat. Will post the recipe later.
Happy New Year! I attended MLK memorial service yesterday. Good to remember how far we've come and how much further to go.
Onward. Onward.
Grapeshot
Monday, January 09, 2012
Post-Christmas Blahs
Decorations are all down and mostly put away with one last inspection of my great-grandma's old Victorian ornaments, my granddaughter's great-great-great grandma, a tiny little Mennonite lady who bore nine children, the last one younger than her oldest grandchild, my mother. But that's another story.
We used a holiday table cloth from Marshall Field in Chicago that I bought when the kids were little. Many ornaments from when they were little, including some decorated jars that are candle holders. For once, there is real continuity with the past, in Kansas and Illinois stretching to New England. We also had a new Christmas tablecloth purchased last year at the Crate an Barrel post-holiday sale.
Although I had much trepidation, having a half-grown kitten with one of the guests was a lot of fun, The older cats, even set-in-her-ways Thisbe acted energized. Thisbe even played with my bathrobe belt. We got out the little grey toy mice and the young cat enjoyed hours of play, and of course when the real mice came out of the basement ceiling the cats had a cooperative enterprise going with Thisbe finding them and the other two catching them. The two house cats taught the kitten to use the sharpening post, a major coup.
So why do I say blahs? Everyone is gone, the holidays are over, the house is drab after being festooned for the holidays. Rhododendrons are shriveled. It's way too quiet. Even the cats have noticed. Two loads of towel, two loads of sheets, x more loads of laundry. Larder is bare. Christmas bills to pay. Really blah. Have to start writing. Not blah, but intimidating.
The past week I read Jane Smiley's One Thousand Acres, a novel I cannot recommend highly enough, but it made my latest efforts seem paltry and I resolved to dig way deeper into my characters psyches. The home office looks like hell, needs a few days, days not hours of cleaning, then the file drawers cleaned out. Double blah.
We have an upcoming Handel & Haydn concert to look forward to, and I have a groupon thingy for a great meal at a cheap price. Well, we hope it will be great. Lunch with a friend next week. None of these events are blah, just the dirt and the mess and the need to do some serious cleaning. In Smiley's book, the women were always cleaning and it reminded me of my mom and my grandma, wonderful housekeepers, and even my friends and I am totally appalled at how the place looks. By the time one cleans up the mess, it will be hard to find energy to clean. I will feel virtuous, albeit exhausted. Ugggh.
Blah. Blah. Blah. Tonight we have a new Chinese recipe to try. Beef and snow peas. Lots of spices and basmati rice. I'll make a salad of lettuce and fresh orange slices. Will that cure the blahs? We'll see.
We used a holiday table cloth from Marshall Field in Chicago that I bought when the kids were little. Many ornaments from when they were little, including some decorated jars that are candle holders. For once, there is real continuity with the past, in Kansas and Illinois stretching to New England. We also had a new Christmas tablecloth purchased last year at the Crate an Barrel post-holiday sale.
Although I had much trepidation, having a half-grown kitten with one of the guests was a lot of fun, The older cats, even set-in-her-ways Thisbe acted energized. Thisbe even played with my bathrobe belt. We got out the little grey toy mice and the young cat enjoyed hours of play, and of course when the real mice came out of the basement ceiling the cats had a cooperative enterprise going with Thisbe finding them and the other two catching them. The two house cats taught the kitten to use the sharpening post, a major coup.
So why do I say blahs? Everyone is gone, the holidays are over, the house is drab after being festooned for the holidays. Rhododendrons are shriveled. It's way too quiet. Even the cats have noticed. Two loads of towel, two loads of sheets, x more loads of laundry. Larder is bare. Christmas bills to pay. Really blah. Have to start writing. Not blah, but intimidating.
The past week I read Jane Smiley's One Thousand Acres, a novel I cannot recommend highly enough, but it made my latest efforts seem paltry and I resolved to dig way deeper into my characters psyches. The home office looks like hell, needs a few days, days not hours of cleaning, then the file drawers cleaned out. Double blah.
We have an upcoming Handel & Haydn concert to look forward to, and I have a groupon thingy for a great meal at a cheap price. Well, we hope it will be great. Lunch with a friend next week. None of these events are blah, just the dirt and the mess and the need to do some serious cleaning. In Smiley's book, the women were always cleaning and it reminded me of my mom and my grandma, wonderful housekeepers, and even my friends and I am totally appalled at how the place looks. By the time one cleans up the mess, it will be hard to find energy to clean. I will feel virtuous, albeit exhausted. Ugggh.
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| Dogwood gets a cat tower. |
Monday, January 02, 2012
Pancakes Two Ways
Our New Year's Eve dinner was potato pancakes or latkes. I got the recipe years ago from the Wall Street Journal of all unlikely places. Been making them ever since. We have a young guest who really, really likes them, and whenever she arrives, we make latkes. I serve them with BOTH sour cream and applesauce, and everyone also gets a couple slices of bacon. I know. I know. Not kosher, but we like it.
New Year's Morning, we had another kind of pancake, David Eyre's Hawaiian Pancake, a family fave since it was printed back when God was a boy in the New York Sunday Times. When Craig Claiborn was king. The recipe says serves 4 -6 but we made 2 recipes for 3 people and none was leftover. Maybe appetites are bigger now. My kids make a recipe and eat the whole thing. Cast iron skillets a must. Powdered sugar, lemon juice and nutmeg in the batter. The original recipe doubled the amount of butter, but after the correction the following week, lots of people wrote in and said, nope, the amount of butter was just fine, thank you. David Eyre's Pancake
We had plain and simple pasta tonight. It's been a starchy week. I am still at my pre-Christmas weight. A miracle.
New Year's Morning, we had another kind of pancake, David Eyre's Hawaiian Pancake, a family fave since it was printed back when God was a boy in the New York Sunday Times. When Craig Claiborn was king. The recipe says serves 4 -6 but we made 2 recipes for 3 people and none was leftover. Maybe appetites are bigger now. My kids make a recipe and eat the whole thing. Cast iron skillets a must. Powdered sugar, lemon juice and nutmeg in the batter. The original recipe doubled the amount of butter, but after the correction the following week, lots of people wrote in and said, nope, the amount of butter was just fine, thank you. David Eyre's Pancake
We had plain and simple pasta tonight. It's been a starchy week. I am still at my pre-Christmas weight. A miracle.
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