magick musings…

…putting everything in front of my writing!

Things I can cross off my list though:

• Taxes done
• Read book for published contest
• Unpublished entries critiqued
• Some (not all) critiques done for critique group
• Checking account balanced
• Writer’s group checking account balanced
• Attended meeting at writer’s group (guest speaker Rosemary Clement Moore and she was great!)
• Grocery shopping done
• Gumbo made
• Laundry done
• Ironing NOT done
• Yearly visit to the Fort Worth Home Show
• Started a friend’s critique that she wants to submit next week to her editor.

Wow! It’s amazing how life in general can suck every minute of your day. All of a sudden it is like 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon and you wonder where the weekend went.

But it is actually hard to believe that it is already Thursday with the weekend only a day away. I am definitely getting some writing caught up!

And my word meter is still moving albeit slooooowwwlly! Too slow evidently by the smirk on G.W.’s face.

~Sandy

I realized something last night. 5400 plus words written (I forgot to look and change the meter this morning), I think I found the REAL beginning of my story. Where the REAL action starts. Where the REAL me wants to chunk all I have written and begin again.

But I will not do that. Not this time. Not only will MY cheering squad kill me – GW has his own (waving at you guys and you know who you are) – but I have realized that everyone goes through this and it is easily taken care of during revisions. And revisions. And more revisions.

I’m actually looking forward to taking this bare bones story and fleshing it out and layering it to make it whole. But first….I have to finish it. And I am excited to see where it is going to go.

Um…I also realized that, in my haste, when I placed the bet with GW, he doesn’t have to DO anything to win. I have to fail.

Dream on, Babe! Not happening!

Looking forward to the weekend!

Happy Friday the 13th!

~Sandy

…a four legged kind. A four legged kind who has tiny ears and a long tail. Who industrially chewed open the bag of landscaping rocks and a bag of sand and built a little home in our garage. Who went grocery shopping at the All You Can Eat grass seed bag located between the aforemetioned landscaping rocks and bag of sand in the garage and…ate all the grass seed. Which was a lot considering the bag was full. I hope he/she (please God don’t let it be a ‘she’ nesting for future little four leggers) saved some for a rainy day or else I really don’t want to see the size of him/her now.

So, in honor of our new guest, I made GW take me to the nearest Home Depot (like that was a real chore for him, LOL) and we loaded up on supplies to encourage our little boarder to find another place to reside.

Forty dollars later…

Broom
Dustpan
Goggles
Face masks
Sticky traps
Gloves

…this little critter has turned out to be an expensive guest!

The traps are set and now we wait!

Happy Birthday to my youngest son, Jacob! I wish you happiness and health, love and wealth, and the wisdom to handle it all.

~Sandy

…don’t you just hate them?

There is always so much I want to do. And only 48 hours to do them all.

We visited with out of town friends and showed them the Fort Worth ropes. Took them downtown to the Sundance Square where we toured the area pointing out the Bass Hall, the two-story Barnes & Nobles (which GW had to drag me out of there) and, since there were some in the group that had never been to Texas before, stopped in a few of the shops that specialized in Texas souvenirs. Which they got a big kick out of. Or maybe they were making fun of, I really couldn’t tell.

Of course, all this walking worked up a thirst so we stopped into the Flying Saucer for a beverage. It took us awhile to decide what we wanted as they carry 230498 kinds of beer. At least it appeared they do. I meant to snag a menu to carry home, but forgot. It named all the different beers and categorized them with an explanation of what they were and what was in them. Great resource just in case you wanted to become a beer connoisseur.

I stuck with my White Zin, but the waitress heard me say I have always wanted to try a Guiness, so she was kind enough to bring me a sample. It wasn’t bad at all and I was pleasantly surprised. Now I can check that off my ‘Things to Do Before I Die’ list.

The biggest excitement for the college girls in the group was while we were standing outside a well known hotel in the middle of downtown. They were looking up at the building and some guy walked up to the window with the drapes open wearing nothing but…well… nothing!

Welcome to Texas, girls!

The rest of the night was spent at the Stockyards, eating Riscky’s Ribs and making the required Billy Bob’s visit.

Sunday I was able to visit with the grandtwins. And they are just wonderful. So funny. So smart. So beautiful! I didn’t have time to bake any Nana cookies for them and they were so disappointed.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been getting some writing done. The only thing I am discovering is that it keeps me from doing other things I need to do and want to do.

Oh, well…priorities first.

~Sandy

…I complained to GW that I had all but 300 words done of my daily goal and I was tired.

He started making sounds like a table saw.

Brat!

So I wrote some more.

~Sandy

…has been thrown!

I have a bet with GW. If I can get my first draft done by June 1, I get a Kindle! Now, if you have no clue what a Kindle is, check out Amazon.com and read all about it. It is awesome!

I love electronics. I love books. So put the two together and…thereyouhaveit… the Kindle!

What I love about the Kindle:
1. You can download a book in under 60 seconds flat and have it right at your fingertips.
2. You don’t need internet access to do it. It works on Whispernet. Which also means you do not have to connect to the computer.
3. There are over 240,000 books that are available on Kindle and more added each day.
4. Holds up to 1500 books and Amazon backs it up for you should you need to download something again – for free.

I could go on and on, but you can read it for yourself.

I have heard several arguments that e-readers will put the brick and mortar bookstores out of business.

Not so.

Most (me included) still love the feel, the smell, the look of a printed book and an electronic gadget will never take the place of that.

But think of the possibilities. I am a big believer in resource books and to be able to have all of them at my fingertips anytime, anywhere would be very convenient. To have my TBR at my fingertips would enable me to pick and choose which book to read and, if not in the mood for that one, pick another. All without having to lug several books around.

I. Can’t. Wait. Oh, and if I don’t complete it? Well, GW gets to buy a table saw thingy. Too bad he is going to have to wait for Christmas to get it because I am going to WIN!

~Sandy