Re-Organizing

I know I'm way overdue for an update. I wanted to add my to-read list of books to the sidebar first, and I've been either too busy or too tired to do that until now. At least I have a start. This list doesn't include my non-fiction books, and I really should add the authors' names to the list. Perhaps it's easier to update the template in chunks instead of waiting to do it all at once.

I'm reorganizing other aspects of my life as well. When I was single, I kept track of receipts and other financial papers in an accordion file, a new one for each year, organized alphabetically by category. I tried that last year too, but I had so many papers I couldn't even close the file. So for this year, I'm trying something Eugene recommended. I'm putting the financial records in brown clasp envelopes, one for each major category I track in Quicken. I'm keeping all of the envelopes in a file box from Office Depot. The envelopes tend to get mixed up, but in the long run I think it will be easier to find receipts this way.

Not too much else to report. Eugene and I did get together with some friends last night. They had a little girl in November, and the new mom was itching to get out. So we went out for dinner to an Indian buffet. The food was spicier than what I'm accustomed to, so I wound up eating a lot of flatbread. Afterward, we went back to their house for dessert and (for everyone else) wine. Eugene and I got to hold their little girl; it still seems strange to think that soon we'll have our own baby. There's much to be done yet before he or she comes.

Writing: I've been making some progress with Lennon's Line. I'm revising some scenes toward the end. Basically, I want to put Paul's girlfriend in some jeopardy without her actually falling into the hands of the bad guys. (It just seems so cliched to have her captured, even though I do think it's necessary for Paul to believe she's in real danger.) It took me a while to figure out a way to make that work. Of course, it's up to the readers to decide if it does or not.

I've also returned to critting on OWW. Currently, only one of my regular crit partners is posting regularly, though some of the others may still have submissions up. I'm not sure if I'll go back and review those, especially if they've been up for months. When I do resume posting work of my own, I'll probably need to cultivate a few new critters.