Mid-Year Check In

My second blog post, before I had any followers and followed anyone, was a written record of my resolutions for the year.

With this being the last day of August, the majority of yet another year has somehow passed.

Time to check in on those resolutions.

New Year Resolutions 2010


Listen to music every day. Check, especially thanks to the gym. 
Read every day. Close, but some slacking. 
Write as close to every day as possible. Same as above. 
Finish writing and editing Eternal Spring Um, well, I finished it...
Successfully grow some herbs Yes! And many other plants. :) 
Learn how to make palak paneer Hm, not yet. Totally forgot about this one, and now I'm hungry. 
Save x dollars each month with Evan Ongoing, but doing well. 
Get a bird feeder Haha, oh god YES! I LOVES my birds!
Learn to play the violin Still working on this one. Wrist is close to shaping up. 
Once wrist can handle it, get back into yoga Check! But I won't be doing any handstands. 
Drink at least 64 oz. water daily No, but trying really hard. 
Write and edit 2nd, as-yet-unnamed novel Write, check. Edit, in-progress. 
Win NaNoWriMo '10 Woot!
Find a new job, eventually This one is not happening. Yet. But I'm going back to school for a new career, so that counts, right? 




How about you? Did you make any resolutions this year, and how are they coming along? 

Round Here

Late August in Georgia is still blazing hot.
Not quite as hot as July, mostly, but still hot as Hades. And the humidity reaches all new levels.

It's awesome. No, really. I love sweating in five seconds or less. And my hair? Let's just say that those of us with curly hair really love it. Really.

Really.

It's obvious from my blog background, but I'm ready for fall. So ready. We had an unusually cold winter and were so ready for warm weather this year, but like the fickle folk we are, warm weather is now boo. Cooler weather now, please. kthnx.

Along with the desire for fall, I have been waxing some serious sentiment for NaNoWriMo the last week or so. I love the holidays, and since NaNo falls around the holidays, I guess it's just a big ol' brew of happy, y'know?

I have no clue what I'll be doing for NaNo this year so far. A few ideas have been drifting around in my head, but nothing that really reaches out and slaps me. I like to write sci-fi in the cold months. Don't ask me why...just one of my idiosyncrasies, I guess. Unfortunately, neither of the ideas I've considered for NaNo are sci-fi--not even close. I'm not worried about it yet--plenty of time between now and then (67 days, right? Oh shit.)

But I'll tell you this much: I am super pumped to have more friends doing NaNo this year! And by friends, I mean all you crazy people, of course! The progress bar speaks to the video gamer in me, and I love nothing more than to race for wordcount. So fun!

Are you doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year? Are you pumped?? 
Are you ready for cooler weather??? Are you going to send me snow this year???? 


PS: If you're in the NaNo spirit like I am, go ahead and buddy me! My username is summerbp 

Two naughty kitties want you to do NaNoWriMo

A Long December

For the past two years, my ringtone has been Counting Crows' song "A Long December."

I still have the phone, still have the ringtone, but the time is rapidly approaching in which I'll be upgrading. I'm not one of those who's obsessed with cellphone gadgetry--I drop mine far too often to think about having something that cost more than...um, $0.00. Yes. I'm one of those. The free-upgrade-phone person. I've had this Motorola Razr forever, it seems like.

I hate it. The buttons are dying, so my texts often look like a crazy lady wrote them.

But that song...I just don't know if I'll recognize that my phone is ringing without hearing that opening strain:

A long December
And there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last... 




When I first started Saving Me, back during NaNoWriMo '08, this song sort of became the theme for the book.

Still is, I guess. Since I was (and still am) completely obsessed with my book and its characters (really, how vain, right?), I downloaded the song as my ringtone, so it would remind me of Lily & Co. every time someone called.

And you know, it works.

So what will I do when I get my new phone in October? Hell, I guess I'll have to be done with SM by then so I can attribute a new ringtone to a new novel, right? That's motivation to finish revisions, isn't it?

I think so.


Ever had a song ingrain itself so completely to your novel that you can't associate it beyond that context?

Guess That Character Blogfest

It's that time! My lovely friend Jen, at unedited, is hosting her first blogfest today (and tomorrow).

So how does it go? Easy:

I post a short character-driven snippet. You get a feel for them, maybe a mental picture, and leave a guess for how they look in your head.

Tomorrow, I post a picture of my imagining of the character.

Fun, right? Let's go.

*************


     “Slow down,” I said, blocking another branch from whipping into my eyes. Linden squeezed my hand, our sweat-slicked palms sliding against each other.
     “Want me to carry you?” he asked, holding the Coleman lantern just below my face.
     “No, I—put me down!”
     The world spun as my feet left the ground. I threw my arms around his neck to anchor myself. His sweat-dampened skin still managed to smell delicious, to remind me of many nights of soaked sheets and basic human instinct.
     He pulled me closer to his chest, then kissed my shoulder. “Now you can keep up with me.”
     A few more minutes in the woods, and we emerged at a clearing. It’d been years since I’d visited this spot, since I’d lain on the mossy earth and looked up at the limitless mountain sky while the river babbled secrets.
     The swimming hole seemed a bit smaller and the trees blocked even more of the night sky, but the holy quality of the air remained the same.
    Linden set me down gently, keeping one of his arms wrapped around my waist. I patted my pocket and felt the crunch of paper. All there.
     Holding up the lamp so it cast the largest possible pool of light, Linden walked across the mossy ground and squatted on one of the naturally eroded granite slabs that lined the river. Even with the lantern, the water glinted black. Immutable.
     He balanced the lantern on the uneven stone and looked back at me over his shoulder. The shadows obscured the lower half of his face, but illuminated his eyes.
     “Wanna swim?” he said.

************

I know it's not much, but it's about the only one without some hint!

What does Linden look like? 

So lemme know what you think, and don't forget to check out the other entries!

WTF--(is in my cupboard?)

Before I start today's topic, I have an awesome story to share:

Yesterday morning, I met Nicole Ducleroir! If you think she's awesome and entertaining and all-around amazing over the web, you should meet her in person! We had a great time, and ended up chatting for 2 and 1/2 hours. Yowza! Can't wait to do it again!

That's me on the left, looking all awkward in the photo as usual. And that's Nicole on the right, being all photogenic and wearing a beautiful sweater. And if you're wondering why 2 Georgia-living ladies are wearing sweaters in August--Starbucks is friggin' COLD! 

FIN

WTF???

is in my cupboard? 

Ahhh, dinner. We all have to eat it. A lot of us have to make it. At some point or another, we all dread those six letters. 

Even though it's been a couple years since we were living the college dream, mine and E's cupboard/fridge doesn't always reflect that. I'm a lazy shopper at best, so I'm often stuck with the dinner panic and next to nothing in my cupboard. 

What to do? 

Make a random recipe of awesome, of course. 

Since this happens fairly often, I'm going to share these very random, quite basic experiments that turned out quite tasty. 

With photos. Because nothing says Julia Child like taking pictures of your dirty stove. 

Italian Sausage Goulash and Nacho Cheese (makes no sense together, right? WRONG!) 

1. This isn't actually goulash. I have no idea what to call it. 

So, here's what I had on hand:

1 Italian sausage (beef) 

A few cans of black beans

Rotel 

Onions 

Spices 

Tortilla chips 

So here's the dilly-yo:

Cut up that sausage and brown the meats. Careful--it spatters! (No cooking naked.) 

Since I'm cooking for 2, I only used one can of each. I drained the Rotel, but not the black beans. 

At this point, I also put in a hearty spoonful of minced garlic (can't have too much!) and diced a vidalia onion. 

Cook for a while--you know, till everything's nice and soft (aka, done). 

I cooked some brown rice to go with this, but we ended up not using it.

This part is easy. 

For whatever reason, I decided some homemade nacho cheese would be good with this, despite this's decidedly Italian feel. 

A lot of homemade NC is gross, but this recipe is the best I've made yet. I'll continue to experiment in the future:

1.5 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c. milk

1 oz. cream cheese

1 c. cheddar cheese

1/8 c. monterey jack (I used colby jack, because that's what I had) 

1/2 tsp. chili powder (I used more)

1/4 tsp. paprika 

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in cornstarch. 

Pour in milk, add cream cheese, and stir until smooth. 

While stirring, mix in shredded cheddar and jack cheese. Once smooth, add chili powder and paprika. Stir until well-blended (only about 5 minutes.) 

We ended up pouring the cheese on top of the fake-goulash, and it tasted awesome! 

So next time you're wondering WTF to have for dinner, maybe you should look a little harder at those random cans in your cabinet... 

PS: I never claimed this was fat-free, low-fat or in any way healthy. :) 

The Variety Show

This morning is my very last doctor's appointment regarding el wrist injury. It's pretty fitting, actually, considering that yesterday the 15th was the 1-year anniversary of the initial injury. This morning I'm going over the results of my functional capacity exam with my surgeon, who will tell me the percentage of disability assessed. From here, I'm expecting things with Workers Comp to finally start rolling, so hopefully I'll have an idea of what the future will bring pretty soon here. 

I also finally chose between the two nursing schools that I've been waffling over. The one I chose is a state school, and while it'll take me an hour to drive there, it's a fraction of the cost of the private school. It's also a different program, so I'll be attending part time over the next two years, starting in Fall 2011. There are a few science courses that I need to take, so I deferred my enrollment to this coming spring, when I'll take Human A&P I and Medical Microbiology. 

And that means I have five more months to finish revising my novel, get it to my CPs and beta readers, and figure out what the hell to do next. 

Also, NaNoWriMo '10! Yay!

I've been thinking about the blog recently, and how I've been feeling utterly uninspired for topics to post about, so I think I'm going to start branching out a bit into other interests. Writing will always be my main focus, but there's other stuffs that I like too, ya know? And some of it might even be beneficial. 

Coming up this Wednesday, a spin on a feature...

WTF? (is in my cupboard?) 

I'll Put a Spell On You

ZOMG! Write On! Con is over! NFW!

Done with the acronyms now.

Dudes, I hope you took full advantage of WOC--I know I did. And the learning! Lordie mercy, my brain be full. Especially the revision-related stuffs. 'Twas awesomeness.

This is a perfect introduction without even meaning to be. Also, it is Friday the 13th! Very fitting! Indeed!

Yesterday my favorite vodka-swiller, Simon Larter, bestowed upon me a very fantabulous award:

I guess I'm a "certain case."

(I'll copy this part from Simon, because I'm strange and lazy):

See, this is part of a contest being run by Cate Gardner, whose book of short stories, Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits, is forthcoming from Strange Publications. To enter, all one does is pass along the award to other strange types and let Cate know about it to be entered for one of two prize packages (rules here).




Now now now, I pass it on! To other strangers! (hehe) 

• Hannah Kincade, of Musings of a Palindrome. I'm pretty sure we were separated at birth, 5 years apart. Don't ask how it happened--it's strange, people! 
• Falen/Sarah, of Falen Formulates Fiction. Also, to George & Yvie. All pretty fucking strange folks. (You're welcome, Sarah. Hehe) 
• Lola Sharp, of Sharp Pen/Dull Sword. She is Strange & Beautiful (I'll put a spell on you). Kudos if you get that reference. 

Simon only did three, so I will too. Because he is my role model in everything I do. Except that one thing. 

Announcements next week.