Yes, I said good morning! After a good night's sleep and a good doctor's visit yesterday, I am feeling much better. I was up at 5:45 am and have already written 3 pages (I'm starting The Artist's Way course today), made and eaten breakfast (2 waffles and 2 fried eggs, yum!), drank a pot of tea, made apricot chicken and buttered rice for dinner, done my email and am now onto LJ. Not bad for a non-morning person.

It's the Snooch icon today, which means...I'm getting into SCA mode! I can't wait for GNEW this weekend. I need to make some new garb tonight - I'm pulling out the sewing machine and going to make some more t-tunic dresses. I have enough cotton to do a few, and I need them.

( Now, on to some TMI stuff )

So, now I need to get dressed for work. Onward and upward, as cbpotts would say!

(oh, did I mention the SUN IS SHINING?????)

*looks outside at the rain*

*snarls*

*goes to take more migraine medicine*

*snarls again*

I hate fronts like this. Between my allergies and the cold front pushing through, today is going to be a vicodan day.

I hate Mondays after a holiday weekend. Especially when the weather is gorgeous outside, and I can't take VTO because I'm poor and need the money. Bah. Makes me sick.

Of course, the fact that I'm STILL not writing has nothing to do with this crankiness. Nothing at all.

Bah.

I stopped at the library tonight and picked up Writing Down the Bones and The Artist's Way in hopes of stifling my internal editor. That's my big problem - I have ideas, but when I get to putting words down, I decide they're horrible and delete them.

Sucks to be me. Damn, I need a vacation.

July 31st cannot come fast enough.

In honor of the fact that the sun is shining and it's the quintessential lazy summer Sunday afternoon, I am taking the day off.

I'm going to the store to get ribs to bbq in the crockpot, and shrimp for tomorrow night, and while I'm gone, I'm going to charge/upload things to my Ipod. I'm also getting a lounge chair.

Then, once I get home, the ribs are going in the crockpot, the chair is going outside, the sunscreen is going on, and I'm going to sew. I'm making a new overdress for GNEW. Actually, I'm remaking an older dress that I made wrong. So I cut out some gores and am adding them in. Should be pretty.

Now time to upload podcasts to iTunes.

Have a great day, all!

beard5 and I celebrate by getting up and going to the Concord Farmer's Market. We do this every Saturday that we are both in town: we go and get coffee (for him), tea (for me) and we split a bagel or a sandwich (today it was a BLT to die for on toasted sourdough bread - yum!). Then we go to the Farmers Market. Today, I got new potatoes, snap peas, broccoli, donuts and a corkscrew. He got donuts and fudge (the lamb folks weren't there, so he couldn't get lamb). It was a good morning.

Now I'm home, and cleaning. My living room is cleaned and vacuumed. Now I'm working on the dining room. My only slight sorrow was that none of the flowers spoke to me at the FM - maybe I'll see if I can get some pansies from my overgrown flower bed. Oh, and I have to thaw the salmon! Dinner tonight is salmon with lemon sauce, roasted broccoli and rice. I think I'll have Argus and Dad pull the table out and we'll eat outside tonight.

Have a great 4th, everyone!

1. Make sleeping masks
2. Make new necklace
3. Get wood shelves and clothing rod from Lowe's
4. Make new dress
5. Finish Argus' vest
6. PACKING LIST SO WE DON'T FORGET ANYTHING THIS TIME, DAMMIT!
7. Make garb for the Bear.

I love days off. I slept in until 11:30 am, then decided I wasn't getting out of my sweats. So I went to the gym, walked for 45 minutes on the treadmill and then hit the grocery store for a few things before heading home to STAY HOME.

Found filet mignon wrapped in bacon - 2 portions for $4.99. No, that's not a typo. Guess what Argus and I are having tonight? :D With steak fries and roasted broccoli. Mmmmmm....

Now, I have homework to do, and once that's done, I'll clean the living room. And if I'm really feeling ambitious, I'll clean the dining room.

Oh, and totally not sore. :D

Seriously. So, I'm turning to my friends here to help me.

Poll #1424281 Write me a Dark Horseman story!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Main Character

Setting

Villain

Give me some prompts! I need to get back into Nikki and Co's heads to write this last book, and for some reason, they're avoiding talking to me. So vote, and maybe this will help jar some things loose.

I also stepped on my scale this morning. I'd been up around 289 lbs last week (ah, stress is SO much fun!) so I blinked a bit when the scale said 284.6 lbs. Woot, the exercise is working!

I only managed 15 minutes on the bike this morning, but I still did it! My quads need to build up their strength - I'm not giving up, but I'm not going to injure myself either. So I've decided to work up to 5 days a week - this week, I did Monday and Wednesday and will be going Friday afternoon. I think I'm going to walk on Friday - I want to do an hour, and I KNOW my quads won't handle that.

I'm also going to go on a bike ride this weekend - I'm not sure where, or how long, but I want to explore some of the side roads around me. We're on the outskirts of our city, and I think there are some very pretty little neighborhoods.

More later.

Good morning, everyone! It's a dreary Monday morning, but I am bright, chipper and rarin' to go!

Yes, this really is me. :D

Got up this morning and went to the gym, after a slice of yummy quiche that I made yesterday. I need to get juice tonight - tea takes too long to cool in the morning. I rode for 20 minutes on the exercise bike - long enough to know that I was working out, but not long enough that I couldn't walk or sit afterwards.

Very happy. Will update more later.

Don't even think of it.

Not far, really, but I found my old bike helmet and set out bravely to the Tedeschi's supermarket in to get whipped cream and donuts for the boyo. I forgot that they were digging up the road, though, and only made it to the Cumberland Farms. Still, I biked for about 20 minutes! Go me! And I didn't fall, didn't make a fool of myself. I did, however, remember three things:

1. I really still love to ride.
2. Bike seats are hard on rears that are not used to them.
3. White teeshirts and rain do not mix.

But it was fun! I loved it. I can't wait until Friday, when I can go again!

Tomorrow morning is biking in the gym - no wind in my hair, but I can listen to my iPod. And I'll still get exercise in!

Now, back to Tony's dossier. I WILL finish this tonight.

After bumbleberry crumble.

But we started right - breakfast with organic local eggs, scrambled with shredded cheese and local organic broccoli. Mmmm. Tea and maple sausages to round it out, and Val is a happy girl.

We're running around today. beard5 and I went to the farmer's market yesterday and then we went - to a bike swap! And I bought a lovely burnt orange 10-speed. :D Argus and I are picking it up today, along with some totes for the tent, some personal supplies and some mold cleaner. Then it's back home for me to clean the living room, work on some garb and cook.

On the menu today:

- Broccoli quiche for breakfast for the week
- Chili and cornbread for dinner
- Chicken salad for lunches
- Maybe a berry crumble

I have some other posts I want to do, but times a-wasting, as my gram used to say. See you later!

So, you've read The Dark Horseman books, but you can't wait until Last Rites comes out next year. Or you just have to know the backstory behind your favorite character. Well, here's your chance.

For the month of July, I'm going to explore the world of the Dark Horseman, and you can come with me.

This thread will be left open - post a comment with what you'd like me to write. These will all be short stories/vignettes/backstory, and I'll post them at deptv. So what do you want to see?

Here's your chance to finally ask those questions that you thought we'd never get answered. All the stuff that didn't make it into the books. The backstories. The characters that don't get a lot of screen time. Or the what-ifs that you'd like to see...

The sky's the limit.

Today was a sucky day.

My Sox lost. (sob!) My callers had all drunk the stupid water and then called me. And then I read LJ instead of doing my project for Property Law that's due Monday.

I am grumpy. Disgruntled. Downright cranky.

And yet, I'm still employed and have a roof over my head. My kittens are all home and asleep. And the farmer's market is tomorrow.

I'm cracking under all the stress, I know I am. I just need to get through Wednesday - then I should be good to go. My two classes are over Wednesday and I'm only taking 1 (an online course) next semester. And we have a week's break before that class starts. I can't deal with two classes.

I need to make garb. I need to write Last Rites. I need to sub Belladonna Dreams. I need to send Dark Moon Seasons out for reviews. I need to write content for deptv. I need to clean my house, especially my office. I need to lose 100 lbs.

I WANT to crawl into my bed, put the covers over my head, and not even SEE the world for the next two weeks. Too bad my vacation doesn't start until July 31st.

Bleah.

This is a whiny, whiny post, and I'm sorry, but I needed to put it out there. I'll be better and maybe have something worthwhile to say tomorrow.

Hey, beard5, still up for Saturday morning? I'm cleaning out my car today so we can drive down, since it might rain. They go on rain or shine!

Let me know. Also, I got a membership at the Concord Co-op, if you ever want to go. LOTS of good deals for members. :D

So, I was running late this morning - breakfast skipped in favor of a shower, cursing at the people in front of me on the highway, hoping that my gas gauge wouldn't hit E before I hit the parking lot. Just general craziness. I ran through the drivethrough at McDonald's and grabbed two biscuit sandwiches and a cup of tea, knowing that if I didn't eat SOMETHING, I would be killing people by 11:30 pm (my first break).

And as I was wolfing down the sandwich, I realized - this tastes awful. Greasy, nasty - it was food, but barely. And I wondered - what happened?

McDonald's used to be one of my favorite "treat" foods - especially the biscuit sandwiches. Now - well, I ate one, and the other is in my trash can. I guess I'm growing up - now I just have to start remembering that I cannot stay up until midnight doing things and be up with any time to do anything in the morning. :)

Luckily, our new cafe (it started last week) is fabulous, committed to local food and makes everything fresh. So for lunch, I'm redeeming my tummy with a taco salad (light on the sour cream and cheese, heavy on the homemade guacamole and tomatoes) and steamed broccoli in sweet chile sauce. Mmmmmmm.

They even do a farmer's market on Thursdays! They have local produce that you can buy! How cool is that????

More on food later. I'm so glad it's summer.

Seriously. And I have the BEST sibs - caitlindancer and Deb brought Mom over to help, so we got everything done.

So far today, I have:

- Cooked a turkey
- Cooked a ham
- Boiled 15 dozen eggs
- Roasted 10 lbs of apples that the girls peeled and cut up for me (thankyouthankyouthankyou)
- Made spiced butter, herbed butter, and honey butter
- Made 9 lbs of black porray (spinach and bacon)

Now I'm making the last 8 blaunderellys (using said roasted apples) and I'm done. Period. (Well, I have to peel the tea eggs when they stop simmering in 3 hours, but that's fairly easy.)

Tomorrow, I'll be at the site by noon. I don't think we're camping - we're only 30 minutes away. I might bring some stuff so I can sleep there if I want, but I don't know. I really like my bed.

Then again, I could sleep in one of the buildings... Depends on how much I drink tomorrow night.

So since folks in FM Chat (mostly WP and Kris_W, you guys ROCK!) let me blather, I now have PLOT for Last Rites. Good plot. EVIL Plot.

I'm actually getting excited to write this book. This is a good thing.

Deadline for final is December 31, 2009. I should have an outline by July.

Things are looking up.

Oh, and that broom in the corner? That's for the Yankees. :D