Goodbye 2008

Dear Reader, this was actually a pretty good year, despite economic difficulties, and being afflicted by chronic writers block from Summer onward. I only had one New Year's resolution for '08(saving money), and I kept working at it. I think I can consider it kept, although December managed to undo all my progress. But what do we save for if not to spend?

It was a good year for gardening, especially for tomatoes. I've got so many tomatoes put up that I shouldn't need to can any for at least the next two years.

I read many books, and started about the same number, which I'm still working on reading.

I completed my first quilt, which turned out alright for a first.

All in all, it was a good year, but I look forward to the next one.

Quilt

Here is my first quilt. One corner is messed up, but it's not too bad.

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving cooking has officially begun. I made the cranberry-orange relish tonight. Tomorrow I will bake bread and cookies. I'm not sure when I'll make the pumpkin pies because I'm not hosting this year, but it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them.

The daily writing strategy failed. I got distracted by economic worries and quilting. At least the quilting is going well. The writing is coming along, but very slowly. I've invented a new character.

Quilting

Dear Reader, I have decided to take up quilting. I'm making a nine-patch quilt for the angel, and I'm sewing the patches by hand. It's good practice, and it saves me the trouble of making the sewing machine work on unevenly cut squares. I might use the machine to sew the blocks together, and definitely will for the finished edges.

I took pictures of the two blocks I sewed tonight, but I don't know how to get them off the camera.

Not Not Writing

I swear, I am writing every day, but the little writing I am doing is hardly worth posting. It's mostly work on the fanfic. Today hasn't gone so well, as I've written a total of one word that happened to be missing from a sentence I wrote a week ago.

It's 9:30 pm and I'm waiting for bread to bake, so I'm going to go and write something quickly before I decide to give up and just go to bed. Probably more fanfic, but I will write something post worthy this week.

Excerpt

Yesterday's writing was confined to fanfic, but today I worked on one of my stories. I wanted to write at least 100 words. Here is what I wrote tonight. Consider it an excerpt from a future book.

"Alex sat, unnoticed, in the corner of the ballroom. The guests were leaving by twos and fours, slowly improving his view of the couple in the center of the dance floor. They weren’t dancing. The music had stopped long ago. But they talked and smiled, and seemed oblivious to the people around them.

He slumped in his chair and glared at his brother so hard he felt sure the jerk would feel it. Jealousy was a new experience for Alex, at least where Preston was concerned. He’d always been proud of his brother’s easy success. But not tonight. Not with her."

New Poem

Today's writing project was a poem with two endings. I couldn't find the html code to make a spoiler box, but I did find one for hidden text than can be highlighted.


The Door

As toward the door
I walk once more
Slow apprehension growing
Familiar fears
Of younger years
Old dreams unfinished flowing

A swirling mist
A brand new twist
On a scene once known so well
Will it open now
Be revealed somehow
Or remain an unreachable cell?


Highlight for ending one:

I reach out a hand
The door crumbles to sand
I stand and I stare at the glory
Of angels singing
Their praises ringing
To the author of this age-old story

Walking through light
That banishes fright
I calmly approach the throne
My sins all forgiven
Pain far away driven
I smile, for now I am home



Or ending two:

I draw within feet
Of a strange new retreat
As the door pulls away from my grasp
I try it again
Lest the dream never end
And forward I pitch with a gasp

Floating or falling
One name I am calling
I know he will save me once more
But he can’t get near me
Although he can hear me
From the other side of the door

Writing Exercise

Dear Reader, after an irritatingly long bout with writers block, I am making an effort to really get back to writing. I will try to write something every single day.

I started tonight with a simple writing exercise: write fifty words about a topic. I've just finished, and haven't edited, so it might be a bit rough. The topic is coffee.

"Coffee is the friend whose call is always welcome. The lover you don’t have to hide. Warmth and wakefulness float on ribbons of steam, a comforting contrast to the blaring shock of the alarm clock. Clouds of sleepiness parted rather than broken, bringing a more peaceful start to the day."

Plumber or Archaeologist?

We're having our septic tank replaced. The yard is all dug up, dirt everywhere. But the most interesting thing is the plumber. He may be a plumber, but he looks like an archaeologist, from the perfectly trimmed gray beard to the oddly exotic-looking straw hat. It makes the excavation project much more fun to watch.

God and Grandpa

I have my grandfather's Rosary, which my mother gave to me. It has a unique scent, which I assume smells something like Grandpa. He died when I was two, so I don't remember him, or even if we ever met, but I've always felt connected to him.

When I was four years old, I was sick with a really high fever. My grandpa visited me in a dream. He was wearing a crown, which my mom said means he's in Heaven. Since then, I've thought highly of Grandpa, and I'm honored to have his Rosary.

Whenever I'm feeling really sad or scared, I take out Grandpa's Rosary, and go outside to sit under the stars or take a walk. Sometimes I pray with it, in times of crisis. But usually I'll just hold it, smell it, kiss it, and it's comforting.

Tonight I took a walk in the darkness. No moon tonight, so it was very dark, and the stars were very clear. I walked up this lane that runs out behind the barn and through the west fields to a back road. I walked halfway down, clutching Grandpa's Rosary, talking to God and to myself and some to Grandpa. I didn't really have much to say, but I wanted that connection.

Sometimes I feel very much alone. I talk to myself a lot, but I figure that so long as I'm not talking to invisible people, I'm still sane. :) I have the misfortune of wanting to talk to someone when everyone is busy. So that's when I go outside and talk to God and Grandpa. They always listen, and I know they're there.

Nancy Pelosi

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Harvest Time

Dear Reader, we're in the midst of sweet corn season. I'm going out in a bit to pick eight dozen ears for freezing. I should get about nine quarts out of that many.

After that, I'll be canning the carrots I pulled and cut yesterday. I'm hoping to can 12 pints of carrots, though I'll save some for frozen mixed vegetables.

It was a good year for gardening.

John Jakes Revisited

Dear Reader, I'm still having trouble getting into "Love and War", but I've had a breakthrough with "North and South". Technically, I should have started "North and South" first, but I didn't see it there in the bottom of the bag. I picked it up yesterday, and started reading during commercial breaks from the Olympic coverage. This book is great! It's everything "Love and War" is not. I will finish both books, because I'm too stubborn to let a book defeat me.

New Story

I'm working on a new story. So far, I've written three pages of dialogue. I have a few more scenes and lines to type out before I forget them. I'm considering writing this as a screenplay. I'll have to do some research first, because I don't know much about screenplays. I'll probably write it as a book, too.

Supermom and the Toddler

Toddlers are adorable. Even when they throw fits, they can do it in an adorable way. This afternoon, the angel was upset because her cookie was broken. After several failed attempts to explain that the cookie was still ok to eat, I finally figured out the secret. I gave the cookie a kiss to make it "all better" and that was all that she needed. Snack time was saved!

Right now, the angel is standing next to me singing "Mommy Beluga." :)

A Little Exercise

Dear Reader, I'm having a bad day. So I'm going to try something to make myself feel better. I'm going to make a list of things that could make my day worse.

1. Being kicked in the face
2. Decapitation
3. Uninvited company
4. Invasive surgery
5. Falling down a flight of stairs

Gardens and Storms

My garden is far from weed free, but it's in a lot better shape than last year's was at this time. This afternoon, I weeded the sweet corn and the sunflowers. I was just finishing up when it started to rain. Then the wind came up, with 50+ mph gusts that blew over half the corn, and broke at least one sunflower.

I'll have to go out tomorrow for a closer look. The corn should be alright if it was just bent over.

Reading and Writing

I am slowly trudging through "Love and War", and it is getting more interesting now that the villain has been introduced. Having seen the North and South mini-series, I'm already familiar with the villain, and I know he'll add to the story immensely. I'm really hoping things will pick up, because I want to like John Jakes' writing.

My own writing has picked up lately. I've given up on the idea of adapting my fanfic for publication. My original characters are taking the story in entirely new directions. It's exciting to see the story unfold, even though it's still mostly inside my head. It's going to be so different from what I first thought, but hopefully so much better. I don't think the book will be ready for publication by the end of the year, as I'd hoped it would, but I am making progress.

More Reading

I have finished The Age of Innocence, and since read The Magnificent Ambersons. Over the weekend, I started The Scarlet Pimpernel. By the end of Summer, I'll have read more books than I have in the past few years.

I've also decided that John Jakes is kind of boring. I loved the North and South movies, and have an attachment to some of the characters, but Love and War is boring me terribly. However, I know from reading Hawthorne that some books don't pick up for a few chapters, so I'll keep plugging away at it.

Books

Dear Reader, last night I finished the three books I was reading, and started another one. I think I'll read three at a time again, since the books I've chosen are so completely different from each other.

Books I just finished:

It Doesn't Take a Hero - autobiography of General Schwartzkopf
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
The Night Before Christmas - a collection of short romances that I borrowed from my sister

Books I'm reading now:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The Civil War Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
Love and War by John Jakes

Weekend of Reading

Dear Reader, I plan to spend the holiday weekend finishing the three books I am currently reading. I've been reluctant to start any new books because I've already started so many. But next week, I'll be free to start a couple more. Finishing a book always gives me a sense of accomplishment, and that would be very helpful right now, as I feel like I'm stuck in a rut.

Age

Dear Reader,

You know what the best part is of being 25? I'm finally at an age where people will take me seriously. Age discrimination sucks.

Anniversary

Today is the 23rd anniversary of my brother's brain surgery. He's a 23-year cancer survivor. He wasn't expected to make ten years. Shows what doctors know.

More Weather

The sun is shining today! It's been a week since I've seen it. I feel creative today. I think I'll make a music video, or do some writing. I should probably write, because I haven't written anything for days; but music videos are fun too. Maybe I'll do both. :)

April Weather

April weather is depressing. The forecast calls for one day of sunshine -- an island of sunshine in a sea of gloomy rain/snow. It's a ten day forecast, which is about as accurate as you'd expect for one so long, and it changes daily(sometimes hourly). But at the moment, it's quite depressing, and threatening to ruin my good day.

Finally

Lent is finally over. I got through it without cheating or slipping up. Six and a half weeks without caffeine.

Now that I can have coffee again, I'll see if I can restore my writing routine to successful results. I haven't written anything in a week. I'm far behind, and out of practice. I'm hoping to get back to normal now.

Banner Ads

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I just saw the most amazing banner ad for McDonald's. When you roll over it with your mouse, a plate bearing a McSkillet Burrito comes out of the banner at you. You can then roll over the enlarged burrito to see what the ingredients are. Just like this:

http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/features/mcskillet_burrito.html

The burrito page is not as impressive as the banner, but it's still a neat way to advertise food.

Five Weeks

Today I reach the five week mark. Five weeks with no caffeine. It's been rough, and I still have a week and a half to go. I'm very tired today, and I want my coffee. I've already forgotten today's country. I picked it at 6 am. I can't remember more than three of the last 8 countries. I'm too tired to think.

Day 28: Yemen

According to its BBC profile, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. countryreports.org lists Yemen's GDP as $52,610,000,000 in U.S. dollars.

Been Awhile

It's been awhile since my last update, and I'm not sure I can remember all of the countries in the correct order, but here's the list:

Spain, Australia, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Italy, Liberia, Germany, Sweden, and I forget the other two.

I'm closing in on four weeks without caffeine. This is a real test for me now, because there's a big chocolate birthday cake in my kitchen that I can't eat. I'm learning to live without coffee, but living without chocolate really limits dessert options.

Day 15: Cambodia

Cambodia is home to the single largest religious structure in the world: the Angkor Wat.

Lent Blues

I've fallen behind on my posts, but I have been picking the countries and saying the prayers.

Day 12: Panama
Day 13: Argentina
Day 14: Portugal

Giving up caffeine is proving harder than anticipated. I have to constantly remind myself of what I can't have. I miss coffee throughout the entire day, and I'm having dreams about eating chocolate. Three nights in a row, I've dreamt of eating chocolate, and then feeling guilty about it. Three dreams, three different kinds of chocolate. This is driving me crazy.

I got so tired of drinking water that I downed four glasses of orange Tang last night. 160 calories of delicious variety. When and if I get tired of Tang, I'll probably move on to lemonade. I have another 33 or so days until Easter. I'll usually slip up once during Lent, but not this year. I intend to get through this without any mistakes.

Days Ten and Eleven

Yesterday got busy, and I forgot to post. Yesterday's country was Lithuania. Lithuania is predominantly Roman Catholic, and has been since Christianity came to the country in the late 14th to early 15th centuries.

Today's country is Brazil. Interesting fact: "The Amazon River got its name from the Spanish explorers in the 1500s. They were attacked by women warriors and they remembered a Greek legend about women warriors called Amazons." -- massgeneral.org

Day Nine: Romania

Sorry for the late post. Today's country was Romania.

Transylvania is a central region of Romania, and was home to Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure who inspired Bram Stoker's Count Dracula.

Day Eight:: Denmark

"The runic stones at Jelling is recognised as a national symbol and the Danish kingdom's birth certificate - indicating that Christianity had come to Denmark for over 1,000 years ago. Since, more than 3000 rural churches have been built and spread all over the country." -- copenhagenet.dk

Day Seven: Papua New Guinea

According to National Geographic, the life expectancy of a citizen of Papua New Guinea is 57 years.

Day Six: France

Interesting fact about France: According to a 2004 IFOP survey, 44% of French people are Atheists (up by 24% since 1947).(eupedia.com)

Day Five: China

I haven't had much time for blogging today, but today's country was China.

Day Four: Portugal

Today's country is Portugal.

Interesting fact: Due to the influence of Roman Catholicism, Portugal is one of the most socially conservative countries in Europe. Abortion was only legalized through a referendum in 2007, causing much controversy. A Catholic priest vowed to excommunicate all people voting in favor of legalizing abortion.(eupedia.com)

Personally, I think it's sad that only one priest had the courage to stand up for doctrine. It's terrible, the times we live in.

Day Three: South Africa

Interesting fact about South Africa: The world's first human-to-human heart transplant was performed in South Africa in 1967 by South African Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

Day Two: Chad

The globe I'm using belonged to my grandmother, so when my finger landed on "Equatorial French Africa" I had to look up a modern map to figure out what country it was today. Today's country is Chad.

For those who don't know, Chad is a country in north-central Africa. Industries of Chad include: oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, and construction materials.

Chad is in turmoil right now, as rebels are trying to overthrow the government. Tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing the country to escape the violence.

Day One: Canada

I chose today's country by closing my eyes, spinning a globe of the world, and stopping it with my finger. It landed on Canada. Now that I think of it, the odds of hitting Canada and Russia are awfully big using that method, but that doesn't mean they don't need prayers. So, throughout the day today, I shall send up prayers for the people of Canada.

Interesting Fact: Canada's highest temperature, 45 degrees C (113 degrees F), was recorded at Midale, Saskatchewan. The lowest temperature was minus 63 degrees C (minus 81 degrees F) measured at Snag, Yukon Territory.

Lenten Prayer Project

Dear Reader, I wanted to do something different for Lent this year. I've decided to pray for a different country every day from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday. I'll pick a country at random, and pray for it throughout the day. I'll try to learn something about each country so that each day will also be a learning experience.

This project may require daily posting, something I've never really attempted. :)

It all starts tomorrow. Feel free to join in with prayers or suggested countries.

Lent

Dear Reader, Ash Wednesday comes early this year. It wasn't hard to decide what I would give up for Lent, but it will be hard to do without it. I'm giving up caffeine. That means no chocolate, no Pepsi, and no coffee. I practically live on coffee these days. Not to keep me awake, but to keep me warm. Hot coffee on a cold day is wonderful. I drink it pretty much all day, or at least all morning.

This year will be tough.

Adventures in Parenting

My five-year-old daughter has managed to get her winter boots completely soaked, something I realized as she was going out the door this morning to get on the bus. I'm trying to figure out how to dry the boots before tomorrow. Meanwhile, she's wearing another pair of boots, also soaked, but hopefully not quite as much.

Fifteen minutes under a hair dryer didn't seem to help. Right now they're propped up on the heat register, which I already know does a fair job with drying soaked mittens. I guess I'll try leaving them there for a few hours and see if that helps.

Meanwhile, I'm still searching for the tennis shoe she lost over the weekend.

Resolution

Dear Reader,

Last year's New Year's Resolutions didn't go so well. This year, I have only one: to save money. I'm not going to waste any money this year. I'm hoping that I can get myself into the habit of saving, because that would be very beneficial for the future. Here's hoping I have better luck this year.