Hmmm...

I... really... need to update my website.

That is all.

Blue skies,

This, that, and some of that, too.

So, my little vampire called off the trip to the movie again today. Pity. I actually wanted to go today. I could have used the distraction.

A. is due in... sometime today. He called early yesterday afternoon to tell me "done here!" and let me know he was trying to get an earlier flight back. Unless someone at the office changes his flight plans for him, he's stuck. Unless he can catch a standby seat. Either way, I probably won't know until he's landed and texting me with "landed".

Despite her desire to sleep all day, I need to rouse the little vampire so that we can run some of the other errands we had to do today. Top of that list is taking her updated physical form over to the school. After that, um, I don't know. Most of today was planned around the movie and trip to the airport.

I've got to call my mom and see how things are going with my grandfather and find out if he's going into the hospital today and if she needs any help. I feel like I should be there but I'm sure my grandfather doesn't want the kid or I there while he's so sick. Especially the kid, and I really don't have anywhere to stick her until school starts. And I know my mom won't want the kid around because she (my mom) is prone to crying these past few days with her stress levels creeping into worrisome highs, and she just doesn't cry or be upset around her granddaughter.

I'd go to the bookstore to kill a few hours (seriously, I could happily spend days there) but I'm good on books for the moment -- more than good, actually -- and I'd never be able to spend that much time there without buying a stack of books. (The number of books I walk out with increases exponentially with amount of time I spend in the store.)

I keep thinking there's a reason I need to hit either WalMart or Target, but I'm at a loss as to what that reason might be. There's just this nagging pull toward the store that I'm resisting until I know WHY I need to be there. Eventually it will come to me. I hope.

My horoscope has me... smirking.

Your horoscope for Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

Public recognition may finally be on the way, but you still need to be patient as one thing after another delays the completion of a project. Lack of progress has probably increased your frustration, making you eager or even desperate to get the job done. But don't talk yourself into taking bold action now, for it's not likely a good move. Recognizing that your perspective is bent out of shape today gives you good reason to wait a little bit longer.

Lack of progress has PROBABLY increased my frustration? Oh please. My frustration level has been at a dangerous high lately. If I don't start writing again soon my head will explode. Seriously. Luckily, A. is a smart man and realizes this and is trying to work with me to make that happen.

Maybe that's what I'll do if I'm not needed anywhere else today. I'll work on some character development. I can sit and talk to people in my head for a few hours, learning all sorts of interesting things about them. Maybe after I've gotten to know some of the voices in my head better, they'll tell me their stories. Maybe.

That's it for now.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - July 13 - 19, 2008

Yeah, yeah, I've been a serious slacker for several weeks. Sometimes life just demands that I be away from my computer(s) and be, basically, absent from most people's field of vision. That's just the way it works and I'm old enough to have learned not to struggle against it.

Not much has happened that I care to have posted for all the world to see, but there has been quite a flurry of activity of late. So! Random pros and cons from among the stuff I'm willing to share with the world. Mainly because I'm too tired to do anything but make lists. In no particular order, just as they fall out of my head.

Pro - my cousin hatched a beautiful baby boy over the weekend. Holding him in my arms before he was even 24 hours old very nearly eradicated more than a week's worth of stress and exhaustion, though I will be the first to admit that I was nowhere near as exhausted as she was. Or on the wonderful drugs the hospital gave her. Of course, that didn't stop me from sleeping for close to twelve hours last night.

Con - the secondary hard drive on the computer on the desk is fried. This has been a hugely devastating blow to me because it's where I have... had... all of my graphics, my family history files, almost four years worth of writing research files, and a host of other stuff that was exclusively mine. None of it was backed up. It was a slave drive. It shouldn't have fried. I know better now.

Pro - I know better now, and am now the proud new owner of a 360GB external hard drive that is compatible with both my laptop and the computer on the desk. And it's all mine.

Pro - other than the research files (which I'll never be able to duplicate), none of my writing files were lost. I do have all my writing backed up on flash drives, and after last week, those backups are even current.

Pro - I have a dear friend that is such a wonderful computer geek. I'm shipping him my fried slave drive to see if he can salvage anything. I know better than to have any hope because when I kill computer parts I do a mighty fine job of it, but if anyone can coax that drive to cough anything up, it'd be him.

Pro - I've been toying with the idea of a new story and am quite eager to work on it.

Con - Getting any research done to further develop that new story idea is proving to be quite impossible for a wide variety of reasons, and that's driving me just a wee bit batty.

Con - Despite some fantastic ideas, I've gotten absolutely no writing done in the past month or so and I do believe my head is going to explode soon.

Pro - I've been holding off that skull explosion with massive amounts of book reading. You know, whenever I'm not having stress-induced meltdowns.

Pro - I got a new bra. I think I love it. I think I might have to order another in the same style but in a different color.

Con - My weight has been fluctuating wildly. My weight loss endeavors have not been going all that well, but what can I honestly expect when my eating and sleeping habits have been so wildly erratic?

I do think that's all I'm willing to share, so on with the menu.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: sandwiches, chips
dinner: dinner out (Outback)

Monday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: leftovers / sandwiches, fruit
dinner: chicken fillets, mac & cheese, broccoli, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: flat bread melts (*note to self: post this recipe*), french fries (home-made), salad

Wednesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: ??? (grocery shopping)
dinner: tacos, salad

Thursday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: mystery meat (I think it's boneless pork chops), rice, broccoli, salad

Friday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: beans (*note to self: post this recipe*), rice, corn bread (*ditto*), salad

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: shepherd's pie

Sweet dreams, world.