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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
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| I suppose this won't register on todays date, since it's after eleven here and twelve there. Even so, I got this in before the day was up. And what a day it's been. Sometimes it seems like too much to handle. I was up late last night trying to get my novel done, and it's complete. Today was suppose to be a day to rest up and enjoy the victory after work, of course. I was up at three, so very tired today. Got home and did my reports, then took a short nap. After, I began the task of uploading my novel so I have it all together for validation for NaNo. I will add here I wrote in chapters, so it's fragmented on the computer. But, my high speed internet is slow, and that created some stress. Also, it goes out quite often, so it really made things difficult. Even so, I was hoping to have it done by the time Rhonda got home from work. Only she didn't make it home. About the time she should have been pulling in, she called. She hit a deer just a short ways from work, and wasn't going anyplace. So, I had to run in and get here, luckily she wasn't hurt. But the van isn't going to be going anyplace for a long time. I will have to get it moved tomorrow, but not sure if I can even drive it, or if it needs to be towed. The whole front is gone, including the hood. It's too dark to see how sever the damage is as far as driving it, but there are no lights left, the hood is buckled, and the radiator may be up into the engine. I know what my day will hold for me tomorrow. Now, we are back home and I should have been in bed hours ago, but who can sleep? We don't have much, so this is really a severe set-back for us. We need two vehicles in order to get both of us to work and back, and by doubling up with the one vehicle we have, it's going to put triple the miles on it. Oh, and it's the old vehicle that needs to be babied along. There is insurance, but a 750 deductible is going to be all but impossible to come up with, and even then could take a couple of months to do. The van is pretty old, and I'm not sure the insurance will even pay for this costly of a repair. I have a feeling they will declare it totalled, and the little we get out of it won't even be enough to make a down payment. We had just barely started to get our heads above water, and it was going to be tough to get the bills paid up and buy groceries. At the same time, Christmas is just around the corner and it would be nice to have a little money set aside for a few cheap gifts. I don't know how we will manage this, and I'm not sure if I will be able to keep internet going or anything at this point. It kind of looks like the little progress we've made forward has just been countered with another big slip backward. Well, I have a full day ahead of me tomorrow, I'm going to try and grab a couple of hours of sleep. |
| Wow, what a great feeling. I finished my novel for NaNoWriMo tonight. I ended up writing 73351 words with the notes and outline. I have 19 chapters and may end up with 20 after I edit it. I took four days off during the period of writing, so I actually wrote it a bit sooner, but for practicality I'm going with todays date which makes one novel in three weeks. Unedited of course. What makes this even more exciting is it is my first novel and my first attempt at NaNo, and I not only made it to the fifty thousand words needed in one month, but exceeded them by nearly another half a novel, and did it in three weeks instead of four. What a rush. I do have to say, writing this much has it's pains, too. I actually hurt from typing. My neck and shoulders are tight, and my arms ache. I did set myself in a good posture so I don't have sore wrists and other problems. I plan on keeping a copy of h this for my own reminder that I can do it. I want to save a copy just as it came out, rough and crude though it may be. I also think I will try and edit this out and see how it goes. The main thing is I didn't cheat in any way. It was a last minute decision to even do the challenge of NaNo two days before it started. the next day I put some thought into what I wanted to write and came up with an idea. It was based on the idea I had for a short story about two people meeting on the shore while camping. I didn't have much more than that, so it worked good for this challenge. On November first, I wrote out a brief outline on paper at work. After I got home I took that and added some more ideas, situations, and how I wanted it to end. I also made a few notes for the story. That was it for day one, notes and outline made up just over two thousand words. Day two I started the novel and on the twenty-first I finished it. I stll have to upload the last few chapters to ZoHo and then do an official count for the NaNo site. It won't have the notes and outline, so I figure the final count of the novel itself will be just over seventy grand. I also want to write a prologue for the story which will put it right back up to the count with notes and outline. I should be in bed sleeping, but I'm too excited over completing this challenge, so one more brandy to celebrate, then it's off to bed. Tomorrow I'm up at three in the morning, then off to work for another day. After, I hope to get it uploaded and counted, then it's nap time. |
| Here I am a little earlier today. I still didn't get the early start I had intended; planned to get up around eight this morning, which would still be a nice sleep in from the normal workday. Instead I had a restless night, tossing, turning, up quite often, and just not feeling well. On top of that, my old dog was also having a restless night with some breathing difficulties. She would do pretty well as long as I held my arm over the side of the bed and touched her, but as soon as I moved, she would cry out until I comforted her again. She is resting soundly now but still gets up and paces from time to time, then comes to me for comfort and reassurance. She is young at heart, a playful pup in mind and spirit, but her body is wore out and failing her. It's more than just my restless and sleepless night that has me dragging today. I'm feeling terrible. Nothing in particular, yet a little of everything. Aches, pains, and upset stomach are part of it. I'm tired and go from hot to cold as well. I know what it is, and I know it's just got to run its course. It's the flu! Not full-scale, luckily. No this is a scaled down version of that miserable little bug. I went in a week ago and got my annual flu shot, and as is normal for me, I get sick with a mild case of the flu after. Sometimes it's very mild and short-lived, other times it's a bit more severe and lasts longer. I suppose it depends on how much rest I get and the type of strain they use. I stopped getting flu shots for quite a while just because of this. Of course, I wasn't working in a job with public exposure back then. Also, the flu wasn't nearly as serious then, except for the old and the ill. Now, it's just prudent to get the shots, with so many severe strains going around, and with the number of people who I come into contact with at work. People who many of just don't have a clue about covering your mouth and not spreading germs. Of course, many of these type of people probably know, they just don't care. I see them using the restrooms and not washing their hands, I see them hauling kitchen materials in livestock trailers that have not been cleaned for weeks or even months. Seriously, I have seen counters, cabinets, and yes, even bags of groceries hauled in trailers full of shit. That's not to mention the lumber and outside items they lay right in the manure. Sometimes it splashes all over as they drop the item, and they have manure on their clothing, hands, and even faces. they sign for the product and then take another bite of their burger, dig in their fries, or take out another handful of chips and stuff in their pie-holes. Can we say E-Coli? So, if a person lives like this, do they care if they wash their hands after they use the bathroom? Do they care if they cover their mouths when they cough? Nope. I even suspect some of them, and others who are not so unclean, go further than to not care, I suspect they cough and sneeze at others on purpose. Just by their discontent outlooks on life they emanate, it's easy to understand they want others to get sick. They will come right out and say they are miserable and want others to be just as miserable. Maybe not directly word for word, but it's still just as plain. Yep, being around people like these makes me glad to have the option to get a flu shot. It also tends to give me a low opinion of the general population; I do not jive anyone when I say I love my dogs more than most people. Luckily, there are some very nice people who I am fortunate to come into contact with, too. They are polite, clean, and considerate, and show that there is still a balance of good and evil in the world. I also know, and it helps, that most kind hearted people tend to keep to themselves, I suppose because they also come into constant contact with the degenerates. So, I understand that many of the folks who I see throughout my day, who don't say anything, are in fact good people and just keeping quiet, not knowing if I'm decent folk or a degenerate myself. I will add here that I try to be polite and courteous to everyone, even the assholes who I have to deal with. I try to greet them kindly, to offer them the same service as everyone else, and I even try to get them to leave in a better mood than they arrived with. Many times it works because they are not bad people, they are just having a bad day, or have had a bad experience with someone in a similar position as me. It really makes my day when someone pulls up in a piss poor mood, and after giving them assistance, treating them decent, and showing them true professionalism, they exit in a much better mood. Now, see what's happened? I've done got off the subject, again. I should be writing in my novel, finishing the last few chapters, but how can I do this when I cannot hold my thoughts on task? I'm not joking when I say, "I'm getting sick and tired of this being tired and sick." But, I'm thankful it's the cure, not the real-deal. It's miserable and makes things difficult, but it's not debilitating. I can still do a lot, I just don't feel the best doing it. If it was the stuff already going around, I would not be here, or if I was, it would be very short indeed. I would not be going to work, or writing anything in my novel, I'd be in bed, burning with fever, coughing, sweating and shivering, and unable to do much of anything at all. I firmly believe that contentment is in what we think. I believe thinking is what makes us who and what we are. In a world that teaches us to follow our hearts, to do what we feel, to take time for self, I stand apart and declare instead, "Don't follow at all, think! Don't live on feelings, think! And finally, give time for other's." I've heard it said, you are what you eat. That means I could be many things, I like food. In a health minded way, perhaps this is true. But I don't agree with that statement. For me the doctrine is just as simple, "You are what you think." Plain and simple, but very true. I know many would argue it, but on what grounds? For instance, a young husband and wife start out deeply in love. They met, the were attracted to each other and they wed. Over the next couple of years they learn the truth of each other; they finally really know one another. Some is good, some is bad, we are all human. Yet they are the same people who fell in love, only now they are bored, and don't like each other. They meet others and feel attraction, and soon they are separated and divorced. Why? Because when they met they felt something. When they got married, they felt something, and when they got to know each other, the feelings subsided and without feeling anything, they get bored and look for feelings someplace else. This is but one example, it could be a job, a move, a hobby, anything. We all do it, too. We feel and act on feelings. Only feelings are fleeting. One day we feel good, the next we feel not so good. We meet someone attractive, sexy, and fun, we feel an attraction. Three months later the feelings have ebbed, but we now feel for someone else. Following one's heart, no wonder so many relationships fail. Sure, some need to end, it's true, but how many should not have ever happened in the first place? How many ended on just feelings for another? This is true in relationships, jobs, friends, where we live, everything. We see, we feel and we tend to act. But, if we stop and think, is it just a fleeting attraction or is it more? And, what about? I mean stop and think, what about -- what's best for everyone, what's right, what's going to happen in time -- we need to think about everything. Then, act not on feelings, but on thought. With this is responsibility, we need to be accountable for everything we do, and to be accountable we need to think. Feelings are just the opposite, they are emotional responses to thought and are not responsible or accountable. That's why there are so many degenerates putting purchases in shit filled trailers, coughing and hacking in our faces, and not washing after using a filthy public bathroom. Of course, they often are the same ones leaving their filth for the rest of us, but that's beside the point. They don't care, because they don't think, they just didn't feel like cleaning out that trailer, they didn't feel like flushing the public toilet, or washing their hands, they didn't feel like turning away when they sneezed, and they didn't feel like covering their mouths when they coughed up a pint of lunge butter on us. They don't feel like caring, they don't feel like doing what's right, they don't feel like putting any effort into life, they just want to do what they feel like and let someone else make the rules and if the don't feel like following them, they should have to. I often find myself feeling a lot of things that would just not be good to follow through on, not after I think about everything my choices will affect. In physics there is a principle, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I find this is one of the main truths in life itself, for every action, there will be an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, I need to think very carefully about my actions and the opposite reactions that will result. For example, if I choose to shoplift, I get something for free, but at the same time, everyone, myself included, will pay higher for other items. It works for anything, if you think about it, you will see that every action does have an equal and opposite reaction. It doesn't have to be a bad reaction, it may result in good reaction, and that, my friends, is why it's important to think. I think, therefore I am. But that was only half, it should be, " I think, therefore I am what I think. If I think positive and righteous thoughts, I will make the world a better place, but if I think evil thoughts, heaven help me." |
| So far, things are not going according to plan at all. I should be a bit worked up over this, but I'm not worked up at all. In fact, it's kind of stimulating in an odd sense. I wanted to finish my novel for NaNo today. The plan was to write another chapter on Saturday, one on Sunday, and then the final today. Unless of course things were running too long and another chapter was needed, then it was two for today, or one today and another tomorrow, to finish the novel. I'm off work today and tomorrow, so it should have worked great; or at least it did in the planning stage. Reality is always so much more down to earth and unpredictable, however. So, Saturday I did my chapter, passed fifty thousand, and I was pumped to finish. Of course, I'm still excited by my accomplishment of doing over fifty thousand words for NaNo and not in a month, but in half that time. No preparations except a story idea the day before it kicked off. My first writing for NaNo was the outline. To add to this, I also took a couple of days off, one the first week, and one the second week, so I wrote the total in fourteen days. But, like I said, I still have a few, two or three chapters to write to finish the story. I'm thinking of about sixty thousand by the end, roughly. Saturday went well, but Sunday I got home later, as is normal, and just could not get anything to go. So, I decided it must be time for another day off. No big deal, since I had Monday and Tuesday off and could make up for the day off easy enough. In fact, I kind of enjoyed taking that break and went to bed eager to get up and get going. I had plans for a nice start after sleeping in a little, enjoying some coffee and a nice breakfast with my wife, then doing our Bible study. But, I slept later than I intended, I had a terrible backache and stiff neck. I'll add here past injuries are a real pain; pun intended. Then upon getting up, my foot hurt, my other leg was stiff, and I felt terrible. I suppose the effects of my flu shot. Most of it passed, but the stiff neck didn't let up, nor did the throbbing pain in my lower back. Rhonda does magic with her fingers and soon had some knots worked out and the back feeling better, but the neck was stubborn. I ended up with a very intense headache to go with it, and was just unable to do much of anything most of the day. By mid afternoon, the neck finally started to loosen up, but the headache is still present. I took some over the counter medication to lessen it, and it's helped, but it's still present. So, no writing today. I can't really call upon the imagination when it's being blocked by pain. Even so, we made a trip into town, got some brandy to sip on tonight, we are having a wonderful dinner, and I'm enjoying another day off with my love. Tomorrow I'll have to write like a madman, but if I don't get it all done tomorrow, I will soon. So, let's see where tomorrow puts us. |
| Today is just not cooperating with me. Oh well, some days are like that, and for me it tends to be Sundays. I had plans for writing this afternoon, but it just isn't going to happen. Well, not the writing I had planned on. The plan was, write a chapter today, and the last chapter tomorrow, unless it gets too long, then make it two chapters tomorrow. I'm writing for NaNoWriMo this year, my first, and I made my fifty thousand words yesterday, but I still have two or three chapters left to finish the story. So, I went to bed pretty early last night and don't have to get up until six for work this morning. Nine hours of sleep for a change, and I slept sound, too. Normally I get five or six, so this was terrific. I thought I would have a quiet day at work, too. Last Sunday was pretty mellow, and today the weather was pretty nasty out. Therefore, it should be a slow day, especially since yesterday was. Nope, it started out kind of slow, then here they come, everyone in a rush to get outside work done before the weather gets nasty. It was forecast windy and rainy. Well, it was windy and overcast, not sure if they got any rain this afternoon or not, but not while I was at work. Still, it was cold and windy, and it's the middle of November, don't you think you missed the boat on nice weather for outdoor projects? Some were shopping for inside items, but even this is kind of nuts. I mean it's Sunday, most people have the day off; spend it with your family and have some fun. I just enjoy standing outside listening to people piss and moan about the weather not being nice for them to do their outdoor projects, NOT! I especially enjoy listening to some person who bought stuff two months ago, and is just now picking it up, on a Sunday, in the damp fog, with the wind biting my bare fingers as I count your sheets of steel siding that you just had to tie down already, while you sit in the warm vehicle and stuff junk food in your mouth. Then when I do finish and open the gate, you spit all over when you ask me if I have a heater in the guardhouse, then shove another fistful of junk into your already full mouth and spit at me again when you tell me to stay warm and not work too hard. Yep, that's the normal Sunday it seems, and even though I don't have to be in to work until eight, I don't get done until mid afternoon. Then I fix some lunch and eat, spend a little time with the dogs, and then get online for a little while. Next, it's time to write, but I'm tired, and I can't focus. So, I try looking at a few things online, check Facebook, and then go back and try again. Nope, it's not flowing at all. So, I read some email, check some posts, and then try it again. I opened the last chapter I wrote, read the last few pages, and should have been ready to continue on. Nope, nothing. I took the dogs out, tried to think of something to write, anything, and then came back in and tried it again. Still nothing came, I just typed a word or two trying to start a sentence, then a couple more and then I had it, one sentence. I read the few paragraphs I had started on this chapter, got to the last one and then my new sentence; off subject, it didn't fit in. Nope I was going the wrong direction. So, here I am, writing a little in here to see if I can get some writing done. Even here it's difficult to write, I want to go off in multiple directions. Just one of them nights, I guess. So, since I can't get anything in writing to go right, I guess I'll go read for a while. |
| I missed a couple of days here; just doesn't seem right. My last entry was on Wednesday, and spoke of things not going as planned. This just backs that up, I reckon. I did get my NaNoWriMo writing in, and that's my main focus right now. I'm also working again, days off go by too fast. And, I made my goals for the week. All in all, a good week, but the last few days have been busy. I'm up for work, but will be home before noon. I'm thinking short nap right off, since I didn't sleep long last night, or very well. Then, it's back to the novel. I'm 97% done and only have about fifteen hundred words left. Only I still have the current chapter to finish, another to get ready for the end, and then the final chapter. So, the plan is, finish this chapter today, write the second to the last tomorrow, and then on Monday, when I'm off again, I'll write the finish. Of course, this is not carved in stone and another chapter could work it's way into existence just like I could write more than one chapter a day, or even skip a day if something comes up. It's early, lets see what the afternoon brings. |
| So things didn't work out as planned; they seldom do. I had plans of getting so much writing done over my four days off, only I didn't get much done at all. The four days is not up yet, and I still plan on hitting it hard, but even so, I can't write as much in one day as I could have in four. I knew I would not get a lot of writing done Monday, since both Rhonda and I had to go over to the clinic. We got our flu shots, then I talked to the doctor about my medications, and possibly switching a few things around. After, we ran over to a another town that has a better pharmacy, in my opinion, and discussed switching things out. Finally, we stopped at the local grocery store and bought a big sirloin, and came home. Once home, there was the beef to cut up and put a way, lunch to fix, and then I did get some writing done. I wrote enough to compensate for taking Sunday off, as well as enough for Monday. I hoped to repeat this on Tuesday, but knew I would have limited time. Tuesday morning we got a later start than we had intended, mostly because it was so cold. We had to run over to Minnesota to get a registered copy of Rhonda's birth certificate. She was due to renew her driver's license, and with the change in laws, we had to provide multiple sources of identification as well as proof of physical address. We had learned her copy of her birth certificate was not adequate, and had a month after her birthday to get everything taken care off. Time was running out, not so much from procrastination, but because of work, and weather. When we had the time off form work, the forecasts had been for freezing rain, snow, and wind. Knowing it would only get worse as we traveled east, we postponed for a better day. Tuesday was it, a beautiful day, only quite cold. We made the trip over to a town called Ivanhoe, collected a courthouse certified copy and then took an alternative route back so we could see more scenery and stop at a park for a while. Then it was on to our local courthouse to renew her license and home. By the time we got back home, it was getting late in the afternoon. I was beat, Rhonda was napping in her recliner, and I decided to hell with it, and went to bed for a nice, but short nap; Rhonda woke enough to see this and joined me. We snuggled up and drifted to sleep. When I got up, I felt better, but it was late and I could not get into writing. We snacked in place of dinner and watched a movie. The day was over and I planned on making up for Tuesday's writing today. I began setting up for writing around three this afternoon, after a Bible Study. Only, Klarissa was acting up a bit, and I didn't know if it was to go out for a potty break, hungry, or just needing attention. Sure, she's just a dog to most people, but this dog has a story all her own. She is also one of those rare animals that has the ability to reason and to show emotion. Right from the start, I had my eye on a cute little puppy from the same litter. But this five week old puppy had other plans. She picked me, and was so insistent, that I had no choice in the matter except to either keep her as my own, or give her away. And, how do you give away an animal that will only interact and respond to you? I couldn't. I was recently divorced, and had even more recently broke up with my new girlfriend. This puppy became my best friend and companion. Then, Rhonda became a part of my life, and the three of us set out to find a life of our own. Mostly, though, Klarissa was a part of me, and since Rhonda was also a part of me, now, Rhonda became a part of her. That was in February of 2002. Being a Golden Retriever meant she was in for some difficulties in life. She developed diabetes a few years ago, and we had to change her entire diet. But we caught it soon enough and she has been able to live without shots of insulin. Only, in the process, she also developed some hip and leg problems. She had always had hip dysplasia, but it became worse. She may also have a canine form of Parkinson's Disease, and developed a sever infection in her mouth. This last summer, she must have bitten at a wasp, we had plenty around, and was stung in the mouth. We believe she must have lain on the wasp, been stung in the tissue next to her eye, around her tear duct. Then, when the pain hit, she snapped at the wasp and was stung in the mouth and throat. She couldn't eat, her eye was almost bulging out of the socket, and the inner eyelid was severely inflamed. She was already old and frail, and we knew she would not handle much, even in treatment. We also knew, from a past experience, that she could not be left anyplace, even a vet's clinic. She needed to be with me, and it is even hard on her when I go to work. she manages only because Rhonda is with her while I'm at work, and when Rhonda comes in for work, both dogs ride with, wait in the van for a few minutes to a half an hour, then come home with me. So, we treated her at home, with antibiotics and allergy medications. We also had pain medication to ease her suffering. Little by little the inflammation went down. the infection cleared up, and we had a little more time to enjoy her company. Only, with everything that comes along, it takes a toll on her tired old body. She had a life expectancy of about eight years, nine would be doing great, and ten years is rare. She is going to be twelve in February and has outlived some of her own offspring. She still tries to play a little, but tires very fast. Her mind is young and most days clear, but her body is wore out. She needs help getting up on the bed, into the van, and sometimes even getting up from her bed on the floor beside me. She tries to interact with me, but she is just not able to do much anymore. So, the time has come when I must brace for her departure. In the meantime, it's now my time to repay her years of devotion, by giving some back. I don't know how long I have, but if I can provide her with comfort, happiness, and fill her days even a fraction of what she has given me over the years, I will not forsake her. Unless the time comes when it is cruel and inhumane to keep her alive, she will live out her days at home, in our care. Only if pain becomes something we cannot help her with, or she cannot eat or drink will I even consider any other course of action, and then, only if there is nothing more we can do for her and she is suffering. So, today, I had to take time from writing to spend with my old friend. Now, it's late and I'm going to write a little for NaNoWriMo. |
| I better get this done before it gets too late; I have a habit of getting in here barely on time or just after. Of course, that's partly because it's later in WdC than in South Dakota. Even so, it's still late. I got up pretty early this morning, hoping for an early start. But, bed felt so good, and when that beautiful brunette I'm married to returned to bed with mischief on her mind, I got up a bit later than originally intended. Once up, a cup of coffee was required to shake the rest of the cobwebs loose in my head. As I enjoyed the first cup, I notice the temperature outside was much colder than the forecast had indicated, five degrees. That was much to cold to go out and start our road trip. I thought about going out and plugging the engine heater in, and letting it warm up. But, the temperature was rising rather quickly, so I passed on that thought and turned my attention to a second cup of coffee. Soon enough we were dressed and heading out the door, warming the van up a little and then departing for Minnesota. We had taken the trip over to Ivanhoe and made it a scenic drive, and planned a stop at Oak Woods, State Park on the return leg. We had camped there two years past, and wanted to make a short visit to see it this time of year. The drive was pleasant and we enjoyed the scenery and good conversation over to Ivanhoe. Once there we stopped at the courthouse and took care of the business part of the trip. Then, it was a different route back, with the park along the way. After just over an hour we were back in South Dakota, and shortly after that, turning off at the park road. We stopped in a picnic area and let the dogs out. They were both very excited, and it did my heart good to see Klarissa moving about, sniffing and looking at everything around her. She has aged so much over the last year, and she has suffered age related problems. Her hips are bad, her vision poor. She hears pretty well, but doesn't get around much. Some days it's a battle to get her to eat at all, and it seems her final days are approaching quickly. But today, she had more spring to her step, and she showed more interest in the world around her. Rhonda went to get her attention, as she was wondering a bit far from the van, and I couldn't help but to laugh and enjoy watching them two. Klarissa must have thought Rhonda was coming to get her and put her back in the van, so she kept running from her. Rhonda was just trying to get her to come back over where we were at, so kept chasing her. A memory flashed back of years past, when Klarissa was a young pup, and her favorite game was to get Rhonda to chase her. Once she was back over by me, we walked a little. I found a stick, and for the first time in over a year Klarissa chased it down when I tossed it. She even tried to pick it up and bring it back, but she was getting tired and opted to lie down with it and look at me. We took a few pictures, then put her back in the van. From there we drove over to the area we had camped at two years ago, and let both of the dogs out again. Klarissa seemed to recognise the area and went right to the spot we had the tent set up. From there she looked around, sniffed a bit, and went straight to the area we had taken them every morning to go potty and then chase the frisbee. She made it over, but her hips were giving her trouble. I could see she was moving more stiffly, from her running and playing. She also knew it was time to go back to the van. She lead, I followed while holding Rhonda's hand, and Hyko worked the perimeter. I had left the van idling, so it was still nice and warm, and we soon had Klarissa back in on her bedding. She took a long drink of water and then went and lied down with her hips pu close to the heater. From there it was over to the Hamlin County Courthouse to finish the business we had set out to accomplish, and then home. I took a break again today from writing in NaNo, only because it was getting late and I was getting tired. I will pick it up tomorrow, with plans to write enough to make up for today, accomplish tomorrows quota, and then some. I still have two more days off, and want to get close to the end, if possible. |
| Made it. It's getting close but I'm in here before midnight and that's all that counts. I worked today, which is partly why I'm so late getting in here. The other part is I worked on my novel for NaNo for part of the afternoon. I took a break from writing yesterday, so today I wanted to catch back up to myself. I did, too. I had been doing great up to yesterday. And, even then I thought about writing, but then I remembered an email that I got from the NaNoWriMo site that said to take a break. They are right, too. It's one thing to write like a tornado, but even if it was my job, I would take day or two off to relax and get away from it. It's important to keep the creativity flowing. It doesn't matter what it is, or how much a person enjoys it, sooner or later, "Burnout!" Today, I was tired and sore, but not quite as bad as yesterday. I worked, but did not have to be up at three in the morning, which also helped. It helped in not being so damn tired, and it meant I hadn't been up for twelve hours already when I got started writing. I wanted to get a good write in, and hopefully finish the chapter I had started. It was at about five hundred words, so I thought if I could get two thousand or more written I would be doing great. I didn't make two thousand, though. No I went right on by and finished the chapter and another. I finished up at around five thousand words for the day. I'm now past the halfway mark and on the down hill slide. I also have four days off, even though I do have other things I have to do besides write. Even so, I should be able to get a lot of writing in over then next four days. Well, that's it for today~ |
| It's quarter to four -- in the morning. I always forget there's a time difference between South Dakota and WdC. I've been getting up at three in the morning for work all summer, except Sundays, when I get to sleep in until six. So, up until recently, that's been every morning, Sunday's excluded, six days a week. Once again I have a full crew, so the seven day work week has come to an end with no regrets. Most weeks I now work five days out of seven, with one Saturday off a month. I still work every Sunday, though. I don't mind so much, but then again, I wouldn't feel any sorrow at getting a weekend off here and there. For now, it's Monday and Tuesday off one week of the two week period, then the following week it's Tuesday and Wednesday off. This just repeats through the month, except for the one Saturday I take off each month. Today is not that Saturday, it's Rhonda's Saturday off. Mine will come two weeks from today. So, today I work, tomorrow I work but get to sleep in. Then Monday would be my last day before two off, but I took some vacation time and have it off, I have Tuesday and Wednesday off, as well, and I also took Thursday off. Yes, after tomorrow, I don't work again until Friday. Do you know what that means? Uh-huh, this last week has dragged by especially the last few day, extremely slow. It seems like it's taking forever for Sunday to come, and end. I am so beat, I find it harder and harder to drag my butt out of bed each morning. Add to this the stiffness and soreness I'm feeling from writing for NaNo and it's, well, I'm physically exhausted, sore, and feel like I could sleep for a week. At least today I get done a little bit earlier. Only a half hour, but it makes a big difference. Rhonda is off today, but she is riding in with me, and will come and get me after work, so we can do a little bit of shopping. Then it's home and hopefully write in my novel. If I'm too tired, it will be a nap first, if not, maybe later. Then, Sunday I get to sleep in, but it's going to be a long day, Sundays usually are. I won't get home till mid afternoon, but should be less tired since I slept in. I'll write some more in my novel, that's a daily task for now, and then it's four days off to relax, get a little work done around the place, and a lot of work done in my novel. I just know, it's going to fly by. for every second of time that has slowed before, two will speed up after. That's just simple relativity. Hey look at this, I'm back in again. Only for a couple of minutes then it's off to watch a little tv and then bed. I took a break today from writing, as recommended in my email from the NaNo site itself. Of course, they said to do this yesterday, but I had a lot going on and it would not have been a nice break for me. So, today I get done work early, go shopping with Rhonda, and then we get the rest of the day together; a better day to take a break Tomorrow it's back to it, and hopefully I will surpass my quota enough to make up for today. But even if I don't, I'm way ahead on my schedule and can afford this day off. Also, I have four day's off coming up next week to really get some writing in. |
| I've been having some trouble getting in here again. Not anything bad, just so busy with work and then writing for NaNo. I'm moving right along with my novel, I'm at 20,000 words now. I see there are some already close to done, and one finished already. I wonder how anyone can have 50,000 or more words written, and a story out of it in six to seven days. Maybe if they don't do anything but sleep, eat and work on the story. Even so, my imagination takes longer than that to fabricate the story. Oh well, they must have some secret I don't know about yet. I don't think I want to know, I just need to stay focussed on what works for me, and as long as I can enjoy writing, I know I'm doing it right. Back home and I even remembered to get back in here. I had a fair day, but I'm still pretty sore. Yeah, sore from writing. My arms, shoulders and neck especially. Your probably thinking, you need to sit different and adjust the keyboard so you don't hurt from typing. Your right, this is important, especially when typing for long periods of time. I already made the adjustments, though. I'm glad I did, too, or I would be twice as sore. I knew I would have to have a better setup than my lapboard for the computer, and my desks are not much good. My work desk is too high and too small. Besides, I use it for work and that would be counter productive to creativity. I do have a desk for writing, too. but again it's not the best set-up. It's an older style computer desk, and it's huge. Only, the tray for the keyboard broke off many years ago. It doesn't matter since I use a laptop computer now, but the problem is, the top of the desk is again, too high. I have two portable laptop platforms, one flat and one that tilts. These would be better suited, but they are rather small and leave no room for notes. Also, I would be sitting in a recliner more than likely if I used them, and that has me to relaxed to work. So, I gave it some thought, and it came down to two options, buy a netter desk, which I can't afford right now, or use the writing table. My wife as a nice writing table she uses for sketching and, well writing. No she is not a writer in that sense of the word, she draws and paints. Anyway, the writing table is adjustable in highth and the top can be angled from flat to steep. it works great, and with my adjustable office chair, comfort and workability combine to make writing go smoothly. There is also ample room for notes and I even put an erasable board up to keep notes on. I have a small heart shaped table along side for water and coffee, my cup warmer since it would get cold waiting for me to drink it, and good lighting. So the soreness is not from anything other than sitting for hours and typing, writing, and thinking my story. Now, I'm going to go relax before my fingers cramp. |
| I didn't get any writing in my journal yesterday, and that is kind of a bummer. I had a good day, I got a lot done, but I didn't make it into WdC until late, and then I completely spaced writing in here. I was pretty tired and getting set to go to bed, but I still can't believe I completely forgot. Oh well, it's not the end of the world. I did get some writing done in my novel for NaNo, and that's the main thing right now. I set a goal in here yesterday for at least 750 words a day for NaNo for this week. Of course, I will have to continue through the month until I get my novel done and meet or exceed the 50,000 words, but for this week it's 750 a day and the end date is this Friday. Why? Well, I know I can punch out 750 words a day for a month or more, from when I was journalling in 750 Words. Also, the WdC goal challenge starts on Monday and ends on Friday, so I set my goal up two days ago. I will post my results on Friday, but my goal will continue on until I win NaNo, and have an end written for my novel. The idea is that if I can make it through this first week, starting November 1 and ending November 7, I can do another week, and if I can do the first two weeks, I can make it the second two weeks. I made good progress on the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd, set my goal and did great again on the 4th, and then yesterday I got busy with things around the house and had to scramble a bit to get my writing done. I made it, with just a little over the 1667 words daily limit for NaNo, and way over my 750. So far, so good. Now, it's off to work, then after, I have a monthly report to write and send. I know I'll be tired, not much sleep last night, and I still have to work on my novel, hopefully finishing the chapter I'm on and getting a start on the next chapter. Well see how it's going this afternoon, I may need a nap first before I write. |
| I introduce my journal with, "These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations." In other words, I don't write about anything, I write about my thoughts, ideas, what ever happens to go through my head around that time. I don't put this in for you as much as for me. I need to remind myself once in a while what my journal is for, you see. What happens is, some reader passes by and reads my entry, likes and comments, and soon I find myself wanting to write for my audience. I want to write something interesting for others to read. That's why I'm a writer, I reckon, I love to write for others to enjoy. But, that's not what my journal if for, it's for me to let things out, to work things out, and to filter, process, homogenize, and pasteurize the vast array of assorted electrical impulses that bounce around inside my noggin. Sometimes stress builds up and, because I'm a writer, I write to relieve the pressure. Sometimes I need to find a solution to a situation, and because I'm a writer, I write to find solutions, to see what will be the best choice of action. Sometimes I have ideas for things I want to try, because I'm a writer, I need to write them out and see what's folly and whats practical. In fact, being a writer, I write to do most everything. I write notes, I write lists, I write reminders, I write letters and e-mails, and I even write for fun. This month I'm doing NaNo, and I get to write. Unfortunately, I'm impatient and want results right away. I do fine on poetry and stories I can complete, at least roughly, in two or three days. After that, I tend to set them aside with intentions to come back and finish them someday. Only, there is no someday, we only have the seven days a week, and never does a week come up that has the extra day I need. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Someday! So, as you see, Someday just never comes, and things just never get finished. Why? Because my head is like some kind of satellite dish that collects every little energy wave that comes along. Thousands, maybe billions of bytes of thought pass through the processor, and need attention, lest they build up and overload the processor. How it seems to work is like this. I have an idea flash into my thoughts. It's a good idea, but I need to write it down because it will get lost in the flood of thought moving through my constantly. Then, as soon as I can find the time, I start to work on the thought I saved. Let's say it's a story. I sit down and either on paper or computer, I hack out a rough draft of my story idea, while the rest of the flood is diverted. Only I can only divert this mass of thought for so long. Something will come up that requires my attention and I will have to process more information, taking me away from the story. So far, so good. Only now the story gets diverted off to the side where it mires down in a bunch of other thoughts being pushed aside while I deal with the current situation. If I get back to it right away, I'm fine, but if I don't, it gets buried under other thoughts and problems and I don't ever finish. It's in the pool of thought set aside for Someday. NaNo is my attempt to break this process and write everyday, come hell or high water. In order to do that, I have to have some place to divert that flood of thought I usually put in the Someday place. But where to store it all? That's the idea of the journal, a place to write it all down, what ever comes through my head, even if it's gibberish in the end. If I stick to the main purpose of this journal and divert my thoughts here, I will do great, but if I get distracted here and try and write for others, I will sabotage myself. Instead of needing a week with Someday in it, I have this journal. Perhaps one day, I'll start another book to record ideas I have in here. I could go through entries and pull adn gather any relative thoughts together, then record them in my book titled "Someday." Now, off to get things out of the way so I can NaNo this afternoon. I need to finish chapter two and hopefully start on three. |
| It's Sunday, and I should be in writing for NaNo, but I wanted to get this updated for today first. I'm pretty tired, and that's going to make it hard to write anyway. Even so, I'll try to get a little writing in tonight. I would at least like to get to then end of this section with Sabastian. Tomorrow and Tuesday I'm off, so I should be able to get Lanae's introduction done and maybe even a little bit of the first big scene. Of course, I've learned to not count my ducklings before the hatch. I know, it's suppose to be chickens, but chickens are so everyday. Ducklings are so cute, and their waddle is downright funny. Nope, I pick ducks over chickens any day. Anyway, it was a crazy day at work, and part of the reason I'm so tired. Sundays are suppose to be a slower day, or so they say. I barely had the doors up and had a return to fill out, then guests picking up stuff they bought -- days, even weeks ago. Of course, there were the people who needed to get some roofing materials, like they are going to get a good roof job done this late in the year, we may get snow over the next two days. I know I'd prefer to roof my house in a blizzard. Actually, I see a lot of people roofing late in the fall. I don't understand it, but they do. I did a little work with a roofing company many years ago. We worked pretty late in the fall, but by October, we had to call it quits for the year, it was getting to cold for the shingles to stick together properly, which means the wind can lift them up and rip them off much easier than if it's hot and they stick to down to the layer underneath. I did see one outfit putting shingles up on my way home, too. they had stopped and gotten shingles while I was working, but at least they waited until afternoon to put them up. And, I should add, it's a pretty nice day today, some sunshine and in the fifties. It feels colder because of the wind, but when you get into a sheltered area, it's actually pretty nice. In fact, it's still forty-nine degrees now. I bet it was close to sixty earlier. Ah, the wind, that's the other thing I don't understand. It's nice out, so yeah, lets get our outside work done. Except it's windy, very windy. We have severe wind advisories until later this evening. It was blowing in at about twenty to thirty when I went to work, with gusts even higher. One person who came through said the winds had picked up to thirty-five miles an hour sustained, with gusts up to fifty this afternoon. I don't know about you, but I don't think I would want to be up on the roof trying to put down sheets of OSB, felt paper, and shingles today. Of course, there are other things to do outside today, like the people who purchased soffits and facia, or the ones who left with steel siding. Hell, any kind of siding would be a fight on a day like today, even if you worked at ground level and stayed off the ladders and scaffolding. One person had an "extra" piece of vented soffit. We pulled it off, and I set in flat on the slab, with a 1 x 4 x 16 piece of treated wood on it. Then, after it launched in a gust of wind into the side of a vehicle, I took it over along side the fence and piled a couple rolls of 4 inch tubing on it to hold it down. Luckily, it hit into the tires, and then up against the side, so it did not destroy the soffit. Even better, it did not damage the vehicle at all. Now imagine, if you would, trying to handle this stuff out in the open, and not have it blow all over. I could just about see some clown up and a ladder, trying to wrestle a piece of this stuff, or metal siding into place, and have the wind catch it and launch it, and him halfway across the yard. Maybe it's just me, but I think I would rather work on inside projects, or do something more wind friendly. I mean, it would be a good day to rake the yard, just start on the south side and let the wind do all the work. Of course, there are plenty of people who think similar to me, picking up lumber and supplies to work on things inside. I'm not sure about moving sheetrock around in this wind, but if you have a place to unload out of the wind it would be alright. And, some of the people working on the weekends is understandable. I know that for many, the weekends are the only open days they have. But, you still have to take some time for family. Some of the people who come through every weekend are married and have children. I see them many mornings, coming in to pick up items for one job or another, because they are contractors. But on weekends? Maybe once in a while, if your behind, or if it's the only day you can work someplace. But man, if I was in that kind of work, I would want a couple of days off for family. I just worked all summer, and I mean all summer. Seven days a week and sometimes twelve hour days. It sucked slew scum! As the supervisor, I had no choice. But as soon as I had the people I needed to take a day off, I was all over that like ants on honey. I also remember very well how many times I had to miss something the children had going because I had to work. That sucked slew slime, too. And not just children, but family and friends. Why would a person choose to miss these things? I know, sometimes there's just no other way. But, I'm talking about people who make this choice over and over again. Some of them are pretty nice people, and they visit a little. I get a chance to talk to them and it's always the same thing. I have to work all the time to pay the bills, to support the kind of lifestyle we live. My question is, what kind of lifestyle is worth the cost of missing the most important things in life. I mean, if my "lifestyle" cost so much that I had to work everyday to keep it up, would I even have time to live it? Like I said, maybe I'm the one who doesn't see it right. To me, it just seems better to have less, but to have the time to enjoy what you have, than to have it all, and never get to enjoy any of it. I just can't understand why anyone would want to work everyday to have everything but no time to ever really appreciate or enjoy it, and then die and someone else comes along and gets it all anyway. Well, enough of my ponderings, I better to get writing in that novel for NaNoWriMo because that book isn't going to write itself~ |
| I almost forgot to write in here. I'm glad I popped in to look around before heading off to bed, or I would have. I'm pretty beat tonight, it's been a long day. I was up at three for work, but got woke up about one-thirty and couldn't get back to sleep. I would kind of doze off and wake up, then doze back off. I did this until the alarm went off. I thought about taking a nap, but by the time I got home and set up our electric fireplace, it was getting too late to nap. I had to get busy on my story I'm writing for NaNo. I didn't get as much written as I wanted, but I did pretty good. Yesterday I did a full outline and ended up with two thousand words. Today I did the title page and introduction/preface, then worked on the actual story for a while. I finished up with seventeen hundred and some words for the day. So far it's going pretty good. Now, it's off to bed. I'm tired and have to work again tomorrow, so I want to get a good nights rest in. I don't have to be there so early, but it's also going to be later getting home and I need to get some more writing in for my novel. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." |
| This is it, the first of November, already. Even though it's been a long spring and summer, it's gone by much too fast. Not only is it the first of November, it's the first of NaNo, and the first of 50,000 words to write. That's why I'm up so early, to get started on my novel, right? No, I didn't get up at three in the morning to write in my novel, that would be nuts. Well, maybe not for some people, but it would be for me. For some, this may be the way to go, set the alarm, get up in the wee hours of the morning, and write away. For me, I'd do better to get up a bit later, be rested up good and have a full nights sleep in me. I did go to bed earlier last night, so I reckon I got about six hours of sleep compared to the traditional three or four. Even so, I'm up much too early to write. My imagination may still be in Never Neverland. Besides that, if I was to get lost in my imagination this early, I'd end up nodding off and drifting back to Never Neverland. I'm up for work, but I will be done around eleven and home by about noon. The plan is to write this afternoon, after work. It's not carved in stone, since I don't know what is on the agenda for later. As far as I know, it's a clean slate, but then again, I may have to stop and pick up a couple things at the store before coming home. I may also be too tired to write, or to do much of anything later. If that's the case, I will likely take an hour nap before I get started. I have a lot of imagination to call upon, and I don't do well at that if I'm too tired. I imagine just fine, but if I'm too tired when I use it, it absorbs me into it so deep, I drift off to sleep. Imagination is a powerful thing, you know. Now, it's time to get my butt ready for work. After, I hope to be working on my story and developing some characters for it. I don't know if I will get back in here to journal my progress or not. |
| This may be my last entry for a while. No, nothing like that, I'm just going to be very busy and don't know how writing in my journal will fit in. I'm not saying I won't, I'm saying I may or I may not, depending on how much time I have left after writing for NaNo. I'm sure I will have some entries during the month, but when and how often is anyone's guess. Even so, I do like to keep at this, so I may just limit myself to some short entries, as a break from NaNo. After all, I will need to free up some headspace so new ideas can seep in and ferment. This could be the way to clear things out, writing about, if nothing else, how I'm doing in my novel. Like I said, I may, and then again, I may not; it depends on how much time I have, and if my overworked fingers can press another key. Now, about NaNo. I am a little more prepared than yesterday when I decided to join and do this. Yesterday I had nothing. I mean, absolutely no idea what I was going to write about. One big dark void, that's it. Today, at work, I put a little thought into a subject. I didn't have a lot of time, but enough to think on it. I took out my notebook, and looked at it a few times while I tried to think of something to write about. No luck. So, I pushed it aside, and worked on some letters I needed to write and post for work. By the time I finished, I had a faint idea of something I could write about. It was based on an idea I had for an erotic short story. It was only an idea I had jotted down for future development; the future had just arrived. The original idea was for a short story, and I had only a couple paragraphs outlining the basic subject and plot. Now, however, they would have to be changed some. Not an erotic encounter, but an entire story. And not erotic, but romance and love; how many pages can a person fill with a one night passionate encounter? I mean really, 50,000 words to describe a chance meeting and a one night stand? No way. So, I used the idea, but I outlined an entire story of two people, a brief history, how they meet, some passion, then they have to part and go their separate ways. Next we move into the near future, their lonely lives and the empty attempts they try to fill the emptiness. Finally, we move forward in time and .... I can't go on, I'd give the ending away. I guess you'll just have to wait for the book. Anyway, I'm excited to be writing again, it's been a long time. I can't say I'm nervous about undertaking this task, just excited and eager to go. I'm also anticipating the excitement burning off and then having to push myself to continue. I know this is going to come, especially with something of this length and for an entire month; I am not the most patient person. This also, is exciting, however. To have the challenge to accomplish this will reinforce my resolve and when I finish, no matter how rough and crude, it will be a big boost to my esteem. I will record over the voice that insists it's too long, too hard, and I can't do this right now. In it's place will be a triumphant voice declaring, I did long, I did hard, and I can do this, too. |
| I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I decided to give it a try. I'm going to do the Nano this month. I first seen this last year and thought about then, some. I even joined a site called 750 Words, to practice writing everyday. That went pretty well, but then the bottom fell out of everything. Winter was trying, having to fill in for so many shifts, then spring came and with it, double coverage. But even as I hired an extra person, we lost one, then another and another. In fact, I lost all the old employees within a relatively short time, it's like the first one quit and then the rest kind of followed. Of course, this wasn't a great loss. Two of them should have been fired, but letting them quit was a better option from the companies interests. One was a legitimate reason, health issues, and he was a pretty good worker. Even so, he was pushing and trying to see if I would confront him on his actions. Even so, I hope he is recovering and doing well. The last worker to go is another who could do the job fine, but refused to. He was addressed a few times on a few issues, but in the end, he ensured he would be terminated. I had talked to him about the issues and tried my best to get him to understand, he was on thin ice and needed to shape up. In the end, he agreed with me and voluntarily shipped out before getting booted out. But I digress. The topic today is Nano and I'm going to give it a try. I thought about it last year, but was uncertain. I put it off till this year, thinking I would be much more prepared. My digression was to give insight why I'm not more prepared, with everyone gone and great difficulty in replacing them, I ended up working various shifts, and most everyday. By the end of April, it was seven days a week, and with my supervisory duties that take place outside of the job site, I put in a good fifty or more hours a week, often closer to sixty plus. That left little time for anything, and no energy for what little time I did have. That in turn meant I had to try and get to the most important matters, and to try and spread myself around the little time I had. So in short, I didn't accomplish squat all summer. Now, I have a full crew again, and am finding myself with a couple of days off each week. I have time again, and I feel I am beginning to feel rested up and able to do things again. I suppose I was becoming close to physically burning out. Between work, stress, and little sleep, I could have even had a complete breakdown. It's been a long time getting back to where I was when it all fell apart, but then, it was kind of draining me all last winter with one thing right after the other. So, I see and read a lot about Nano, and of course it spikes my interest, but I have not done anything to prepare, and have actually not done much for writing anything. I have a few ideas I got down to work on, but that's it. I did get a poem out, but I have not written much of anything for a long time. Let's just put it this way, my written items are far and few between. So of course when I started seeing the Nano stuff, I thought hey, I should do that. Then I would think a little bit about how things have been, how unprepared I am, and think, "I'll try it next year." But, seriously, will I be any better prepared by then? Probably not. I have to be honest, and until I do this, I won't be prepared, I don't know what to even prepare for. So, like so many things in my life, I'm going in blind and unprepared to see what it's all about. Kind of like swimming, I could wade in a little bit and test the water. I could research the lake, watch it for a while, talk to others, and even wade out a little further each time, but sooner or later, it comes down to taking the plunge and just jumping in and swimming. So jump in and see what it's all about. I will read up on this Nano thing, I'll look over comments and posts, and learn what I can about it, but I have done a lot of this already, a year ago. I'll gain an understanding of what I need to do, then, without any idea yet of what I will write about, I'll jump in and start. If nothing serious comes up to prevent me finishing, in thirty days I'll have a novel written. I'm not fooling myself into thinking it will be anything good, or something I can put on the shelf. No, not without preparing characters, plots, and settings. These are things I need to map out and keep up on as the story and the plot progress. I will not have time for all of this while I write over the month, and I have not set anything up beforehand. No, this will not be a complete novel, and I doubt I will even have chapters set up. That could all come in an editing phase after, but if it does or if it does not, that is not my goal. My goal is simple, find a subject for a story and write on it. I want to start with just an idea, and then follow it for a month and write at least 50,000 words on it, just to prove to myself I can do it. Then, once I have done this, I will know I can do so much more without the deadline. Who knows, I may even find that this gives me the story and after I have it down, I can go through it and polish it into a set of chapters, fixing things along the way. For now, it's just writing a story of that length, and sticking to it every day. I need to do this after the summer I had. Did I say summer? No, it's more than the summer, it's the whole last year, since I changed my career and took this job as a security guard. Even more, it's proving I can do all three, be a part time security guard, think about thirty hours a week, being the site supervisor -- our corporate office is about two hundred miles away, and being a writer. I need this. |
| It's almost dinner time and I'm getting hungry smelling the food cooking. We have a front shoulder roast slow cooking in the oven. It's the entire front shoulder, like a picnic ham, only not cured or smoked, and it's roasting up so very nicely. I also made up a small kettle of baked beans to go with it, and we just discussed what else to have along with the roast and beans. Potato chips. We had thought about mashed potatoes with gravy, but the juice is kind of fatty for gravy. So the plan is potato chips tonight, and mashed potatoes with gravy tomorrow. I'll put the juice from the roast in the fridge overnight and let it cool and set up, then tomorrow I can scoop the fat right off, then use the juice for gravy. Of course, I'll have to add in a little of the fat for flavor and to make the gravy smooth and satiny. It's been a lazy day. No work, so we slept in, and since then we've just been slacking away the day. Rhonda made us a nice brunch, and soon dinner will be ready. Then, a bible study and then we'll relax in front of the Boob-tube. I have gotten some stuff done. I cleaned up my Mp3 player and erased everything off of it. Now, I'm reloading it with most of the music I have on my computer. I wouldn't have had to erase everything first, but I had some repeats on there, and I know I would have created even more duplicates before I was done. Weather wise it's a perfect day to slack off, too. It's cold, only 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and wet. We had snow earlier, then it turned to drizzle, and soon it will be back to snow. It was forecast to snow through the night and most of tomorrow, but I think I heard on the radio that it's suppose to be a little warmer tomorrow and rain instead. Around here, the forecast varies by who you hear it from. It seems every station gives something a little different, and even when they agree, it changes constantly. For instance, I can check the weather before bed, then again at three o'clock the next morning and it will have already changed. The only thing I can say that's consistent with the forecast is it's almost always wrong, and it almost always changes. Of course, the weather here in South Dakota seems to be much the same, consistent only in it's inconsistency. At least it's never boring. |
| I better get this done now or it's going to be tomorrow when I get it done. Not here, but there, in WdC land. Here it's only nine-thirty. That's still kind of late; surprised I'm still up and going this late. I was up at three this morning for work, got home and ate some lunch, then took an hour nap. After, I got busy in the kitchen and made up some dinner for Rhonda and I. I had it in the oven when she got home, and after spending a little romp in the bedroom, we finished up the rest of the meal and had a nice dinner. Now, we are watching a movie and getting ready for a little dessert. Then, it's off to bed, but no work for either of us tomorrow or Wednesday. Not sure what we will do, there is no plan of action. It's suppose to be cold and snow both days, so we are going to stay home and do what ever comes to mind. Now, I hear a bowl of ice cream calling out to me, longing to be drizzled with some Hershey's Syrup before getting consumed... |
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