When You Least Expect It

Today Hubby and some friends and I went to the University of Kentucky art museum to see an Ancient Egypt exhibit. I simply do not have all of the energy necessary to write about it today, but it is there and a couple of drafts have already been worked out, but it still isn't right. This one needs to be good, perfect even because what I want to say matters - even if it only matters to me at the moment.

I was reminded today that when you least expect it, you can have your world's pieces suddenly slammed into place and simultaneously disrupt everything that you thought was in an orderly fashion.

The Long Drought of Words is Over

It has finally come to an end - that horrible drought of words. It wasn't writer's block exactly - there were many stories to write but it was just about impossible to decide which ones to actually work on. Today, partly out of boredom and a desire to correct a mistake made with the thriller novel, I began working on it again and suddenly the heavens opened up and the dam burst, and it began pouring down words like cats and dogs! It was fantastic!

The first chapter is done and a portion of the second has also begun. Not only are the words flowing, but notes are also happening and there is a sense of confidence where this is concerned. It feels good. It feels doggone good as a matter of fact.

I wrote between calls in the day job and found the day passing wonderfully. However, the question remains: Will I be able to work on it at all this weekend with hubby being home? He is supposed to go to G'town tomorrow for tai chi and I am half way contemplating going with him so I can actually get some more yarn (yes, I realize I need more yarn like a hole in the head, but it is yarn you realize....) from Stone's Throw.

Decisions. Decisions.

Still, this is good. This is VERY good.

Three Passions of My Life Besides Writing

Last Friday I actually made it to Barnes & Noble and enjoyed just roaming the stacks and letting the stresses of the entire week just melt away. It did my body, mind, and soul wonders just to be outside of the house someplace else.

As usual there were some purchases made – one of the most anticipated purchases was the next novel in the J.P. Beaumont detective series by J. A. Jance, Trial By Fury. The last time I made it to Barnes & Noble there weren't any copies available.

Straight from there I wandered and perused spines and jacket covers at a leisurely pace until I came to the craft section and the knitting books.

Once there much of the latest stress practically began to fall away like unneeded and unwanted weights. It was such an immediate sensation I don't believe I would have been surprised to hear the tinks and thuds of varying sizes of weights hitting the floor.

As I was thumbing through some of the knitting books (I need a baby sweater pattern for my niece who is expecting her second child) I suddenly understood what having a passion for something truly meant (at least to me).

Having a passion for something like knitting, reading, video games, dancing, writing, singing, etc. means that you have something so important to you that you can't see yourself not doing it or being immersed in something to do with the object of you passion.

Being passionate about something means it not only satisfies the mundane need, but it also satisfies your mind and soul in a different place and thus causes your body to relax. It also lets you relax enough to reach out and touch Creativity itself, which also lets you grasp, on an unexplainable level, something about the Creator.

Having a passion for something means it is somehow a part of you, an important part and without it you would feel just a little less whole.

I knew already I am, on a general level, quite a passionate person, but had never considered – beyond writing, of course – what my true passions were...are, and was surprised at what they are.

At the top, of course, is writing. This passion is such a part of me it is almost as necessary as breathing! Next would come my knitting, reading, and, surprisingly, my Nintendo DSi (my little toy). These are things I am genuinely passionate about.

Since these things genuinely mean so much to me it is almost impossible to describe my passion for my husband, my dogs, my family, and my friends. Above all of this it is truly impossible to describe my passion for my faith.

I am actually quite thankful for all of the passions inside. It permits me to live the life I have been given to the fullest, with only a few reservations. There is some pain involved living life this way because the heart is open to enjoy and experience everything as much as possible, and others to their utmost. So far I wouldn't change anything.

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David Carradine

It is so surprising for me to actually sit here and write about the passing of Kung Fu's driving star. Watching episodes of the series actually got me interested in martial arts and Asia as a whole. Seeing him in other roles I found myself frightened or laughing or pulling for the unexpected hero in whatever character he took on.

Although I have not followed his career closely I have watched and hoped for him as he battled cancer and leukemia and still managed to have a life. It just doesn't fit with the personality we have come to glimpse that he would commit suicide while on set/area for a film. According to the article linked to above (just click the title of this article) the family has requested the FBI to investigate in Bangkok to get to the bottom of what happened. I agree. This simply does not make sense.

Rest in peace, David Carradine. May you have peace.

Nuff Said

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Zoo Babies | NBC Washington

Zoo Babies | NBC Washington
Isn't that just so cute!?!

One of Those Wonderful Moments:UP

Yesterday Hubby and I and Cheyenne went to see UP. It was one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in a while.

Not only was the movie in 3D but it starred my dog Chewie, but in the film his name was "Dug". The similarities between the two are so uncanny that all through the movie me and Hubby would look at each other and simultaneously grin and chortle: "CHEWIE!"

UP surprised me in the fact that it was intense for a "kids" movie, but, as with all Disney/Pixar movies there were elements for the adult as well as the kid in the audience, as well s in all of us.

Sitting there in the movie theater in the dark I was relaxed for the first time in a long time. Everything felt right inside me, as well as around me.

At the same time, my heart was a little sad for some unknown reason. Is it normal for such happiness to be accompanied by this feeling? This is the first time this has happened to me for a while. Perhaps I was just sad that the weekend was ending, and Monday - today - was looming large before me.

However, as far as Mondays go, today hasn't been very bad at all. The day job went well, the second job (more about that later) has gone well, and now the brain and body can simultaneously relax with my darling and my friends. Plus, this is June 1, and, for me, it is officially summer. Everything is good at the moment and I plan on enjoying it to its depth.

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

1. Judge Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the bench than any Supreme Court justice in 100 years. Over her three-decade career, she has served in a wide variety of legal roles, including as a prosecutor, litigator, and judge.

2. Judge Sotomayor is a trailblazer. She was the first Latina to serve on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was the youngest member of the court when appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, she will be the first Hispanic to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. While on the bench, Judge Sotomayor has consistently protected the rights of working Americans, ruling in favor of health benefits and fair wages for workers in several cases.

4. Judge Sotomayor has shown strong support for First Amendment rights, including in cases of religious expression and the rights to assembly and free speech.

5. Judge Sotomayor has a strong record on civil rights cases, ruling for plaintiffs who had been discriminated against based on disability, sex and race.

6. Judge Sotomayor embodies the American dream. Born to Puerto Rican parents, she grew up in a South Bronx housing project and was raised from age nine by a single mother, excelling in school and working her way to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton University and to become an editor of the Law Journal at Yale Law School .

7. In 1995, Judge Sotomayor "saved baseball" when she stopped the owners from illegally changing their bargaining agreement with the players, thereby ending the longest professional sports walk-out in history.

8. Judge Sotomayor ruled in favor of the environment in a case of protecting aquatic life in the vicinity of power plants in 2007, a decision that was overturned by the Roberts Supreme Court.

9. In 1992, Judge Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate without opposition after being appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush.

10. Judge Sotomayor is a widely respected legal figure, having been described as "...an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind," "highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character would be assets," and "a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity."

Looking at the Wall

With my little home office fixed up to be both a combination of the day job as well as the writing world I had time to glance around the office today (the phones weren't bad today). The wall directly in front of my work computer has several different sheets and scraps of paper taped there for ease in locating work information. It looks professional and yet free. This made me think it was really a good reference point of how I am: very professional with a quick change if needed for the writing world or even for the job. I am like the ocean with ebbs and flows and rise and falls of tides. The thought of that made me smile broadly, especially since I have never seen the ocean.

A Saturday Among Saturdays

I have not felt well for a while and when I finally made it to the doctor yesterday there was an explanation as to why I was feeling like crap and meds prescribed to help me get over this current slow-down of the steam roller known as Me.

Today I have actually permitted myself to rest even though the girl in me is screaming I could have gone to get my nails done (which is true), but the nails can get done tomorrow or later on in the week if necessary. Right? Right. So I have done nothing but just relax and be at peace and now am preparing to go and do a little on-line shopping for a new game for the DSi. Have finished the first phase of Lego's Indiana Jones, which is the Raiders of the Lost Ark and now am preparing to head into Temple of Doom. Have I said lately how much I love my Nintendo DSi?

Sitting Quiet for a Moment

It has been so long since I have been able to sit down and compose my thoughts and hectic life into some semblance of order that, for a moment, I felt over-whelmed by everything I felt like I needed to explain or say as well as all of those wonderful things I would like to share with all of you.

If everything goes well, as I believe it will, the long hiatus is over between me and blogging, as well as knitting and having a life. Yes, I am still working at the same job since January, but I am working from home now, which is something I am actually having to get used to, despite the fact I am working in my own home!

Gone are the times, currently, of having to get up and be ready for my ride on Wheels two hours before work just so I would be able to be there on time (not late). Gone is having to get up in plenty of time to put on the make-up and iron the clothes (or spray them with the Downy wrinkle-free stuff). And, much to my surprise, I miss it. I am sure this is a phase that is going to pass.

My entire unit is a work-at-home unit now. They trained us in office and then they sent us home to do our jobs. My wall in front of my work computer looks just like the cubicle wall at the office now with papers and slips of information and numbers here and there. Everything can be glanced at and used. It is quite efficient. Again, it is hard to believe it is all in my own home office.

All that needs to be done is to figure out the proper time of rising in the morning so I can get blogging and other writing projects out onto the 'Net or into e-mails for submissions to different magazines and places: Time management, in other words.

SWtill Kicking

Well, I am still working. Big shock, Right? Yesterday I had to miss work because I had a migraine. It began Saturday and didn't really end until today. Even though I went to work today I would have preferred to have been any where else because I just felt like absolute crap.

Friday and yesterday brought me a deep realization: I do not want to stay at this job forever. So, even through the the migraine yesterday I applied to 16 new job positions. When I went into work today I was also given information a new position was open in my department, just a different division than call center rep. I let my manager know I was interested - as long as the pay is the same and the hours remain the same I would really like to be in that particular division. Hubby is really encouraging me to step out and find a better job and not just to settle. One good thing with this new position is that I would have the time to actually go back to school. It would be hard, but I believe I can do it, as long as I can get the funding I need to return to classes.

Upward.

I have also kept up the writing, as I promised myself this year. The piece that truly has my interest and has kept me working on it is a children's story of all things! Maybe I just need something simple and as innocent as possible to soothe the nerves and heart with all of the stress I am suddenly finding myself surrounded by.

Physically I am not doing as well as I would like. I simply have to figure out a way of exercising each and every day. I have not been doing this and now I realize I need to do this because I need to do this for me. Just me. In some weird way this feels fantastic.

Geek Alert!

Just made my pre-order! So excited. Because money is does not grow on trees I will wait and purchase my first game with the next paycheck. Have to pay the house payment first, which is really nifty in and of itself! Still, I am so very happy with my purchase. I don't have any bells and whistles yet, but all things come with time.

Until I got a dog, I had no idea what this really meant (Guest post from Cheyenne)

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Not long ago, I got a dog.

I'd been thinking about getting a dog off and on for a while, and always deciding against it. I was living in an apartment, with three cats, and I'd want a good sized dog. And while my apartment was nice, and kind of roomy, it was not big enough to add in another 80 or so pounds of good sized dog.

But life changed. It does that, you know. Rather a lot too. Bit of a nasty habit sometimes. But it changed, and I found myself moving from a kind of roomy apartment to a fair sized house, and switching states while I was at it. Everything old was new again - sure, I'd had the bookcases for years, but not in a long room that's bright yellow. I was no longer an apartment dweller - I had moved on, to become a home owner. True, I would be responsible for my own upkeep and repairs, but if I want to paint the walls, I can paint the walls. I can paint them black if I want to. Or orange. Bright orange. And then go over them with paint the color of raspberry sherbet on a textured sponge.

Which might sound weird, but my sister actually did that in her room at Mom's, and it doesn't look that bad.

But it was my home, and thus my rules, and I had been wanting a dog - so when the opportunity arose, I picked up a puppy from one of my neighbors. Suddenly, I was not only a home owner, I was a dog owner.

Moreover, I was part of a pack.

The Editor has three dogs, and I've heard her talk about separation anxiety before - but it's not quite the same. Cats can watch you come and go all day long, and they generally only get concerned if you're feeling particularly bad or if the food bowl is empty - at least my three cats only get concerned at such times. Dogs, though, want to make sure that everything is all right. They want their pack to be safe and stable, regardless of how big or small it is. If my dog - Jake - can't find me, he comes looking for me. I've left him in a good sleep, snoring good and hard, in one room and gone to get a book or some water or to put something away, and within five minutes, he's up and on his feet, almost asleep, following along to see what I'm doing. When I have to leave the house, he sits near the door waiting for me to invite him along right up to the last minute. He'll hop up on the couch to watch me head to the car. And when I come back, if he's not on the couch napping - waiting on me to come back home - he's usually running up from another room, tail wagging so hard his butt moves and tongue flapping right along with it. Doesn't matter if I'd been gone for a couple hours or if I walked to the mailbox. Simply by coming back, I have made everything right with Jake's world.

And I'm noticing the same things happening to me too. When I sit down at the computer for any extended length of time, I glance one way or another every few minutes to see where Jake is. If I hear him walking across the linoleum in the kitchen, I look to see where he's going. If I realize that it's been a while since I've seen him, I go looking for him. If Jake isn't there when I come through the door, I go looking for him. The groceries will be fine - where's the rest of my pack?

I love having Jake around. The cats can take care of themselves pretty much - I'm only important because I have thumbs and can refill the food and water. Jake can get along without me well enough, but he's a bundle of happy when I'm around. Doesn't matter if I'm not feeling great or if I'm busy. We're a pack, Jake and I, and that makes him happy as all get out.

It does wonders for me too, if you were curious. Right now, he's asleep behind the printer stand, snoring lightly. And having my pack close by, should I need him - for any reason or none at all - makes me happy too.

This Was Me Today

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Spring Cleaning

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Finally feeling better. Not great. Better. Today I have had the worst headache imaginable; however, after a pot of coffee and a little more food it is a little better. It isn't going to stop me from going to work tomorrow, and, now I am also able to think a little clearer. Clear enough to know it is time for my mental spring cleaning and putting things into order.

The beginning of Spring is a time of getting rid of all of the heavy clothes we had to wear during winter, and preparing ourselves for the growing season. Renewal.

This entire year has been about renewal for me apparently. I have made decisions about my life and stuck to them; I have worked very hard to be as independent as possible; I have made sure to also be as healthy as possible; and, I have kept up with being creative. This sure does mean a lot of stuff rolling around in my brain. Sometimes it seems there is too much in my brain, so it is time to do some mental spring cleaning, as well as physical spring cleaning in my house.

It is time to let go of the baggage and arrange the necessaries in a more readily accessible order. The main thing currently is the stories that need to come out of my head. There are far too many of them in there at the moment.

Another thing I am also going to do is re-instate fiction here at The News, both my own and others' as well. Within the next couple of days I will post the writer's guidelines for here.

Let the Spring Cleaning begin!

ICK

I am sick with the flu. Right now I am feeling better, but I took off work today in order to try and beat this thing a little faster.

One really odd thing that I noticed today was that my body refused to just lay in the bed and relax. It had to get up and at least be up. I have not done anything major since getting out of bed, which, I think, has helped me start to feel a little better. I am going back to work tomorrow. It is my short day and easier to handle than a full day.

This was the last "free" day I have. It is going to take me six months of not missing any days in order to get this "event" taken off of my record.

Some times work sucks.

Still, I am thankful I am resting today and still have my little job. It is important to me to keep it and also important to keep it.

The World is Damp

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It is raining this evening. Hubby and I were in Northern Kentucky yesterday and came back today. It looked as if it was going to rain the entire time we were on the road.

Our trip was cut short because we had some electrical problems with our van. Major bummer. There is a good chance it is going to be very expensive to fix, which means there are several signs pointing to the possibility we may be having to purchase a new van sooner than what we had planned.

It was wonderful just going up for the day and then deciding to stay over. I slept well, mostly because the bed had an extra firm mattress and Hubby was relaxed more than he has been for several months. While up there we saw Watchmen and I was surprised at how the directors and movie makers were able to get by with full frontal male nudity. I guess because Dr. Manhattan was completely CG (he was completely CG right?) they were able to get by with it.

Watchmen was a very well-made movie and told a very interesting story. It reflected humanity quite well, and, despite the bleakness of it, I can honestly say it was a very good movie. Since I had never read the Watchmen graphic novel(s) I knew nothing of what to expect. Hubby said he knew it was going to be a very dark comedy. I would have been happier with it if it had just been a little more happy. Well, not every movie is for me, of course. Hubby really enjoyed every moment of it, which was two hours and forty-one minutes of moment.

The drive home was beneath dreary gray skies, and it only began actually raining around seven o'clock this evening.

And now, I get ready for work tomorrow. *le sigh* Monday approaches at a rapid speed.

Monday? Again?

There are moments when Mondays are those hellish things you wish you never had to experience again. There are times when Mondays aren't so bad and you can handle them without too much concern. There are yet other times when Monday can be a mixture of both the hellish and benign kind. Today was just a plain old annoying Monday.

Yesterday I purposefully saved the last of Emerald Hell to finish today while at work. Each and every time I picked up the book my phone rang. After the third or fourth time I was tempted to give up on reading at all.

I will finish tomorrow. I am determined!