Since it's Leap Day, I figure it's a good time to post a little bit about my writing projects. The way things are going this week with Alex teething, it may be another four years before I make any progress.
--I've decided to put my NaNoWriMo novel on hold while I prepare Lennon's Line (the old title; I'm trying to come up with a new one) for submission to agents. There are too many projects I want to work on, so I figure I should start with the one closest to being done. Besides, I'm getting a bit frustated with the NaNoWriMo novel and need some time away from it. What I really need to do is go back and reread it from the beginning, but I'm dreading that. I do need to make sure I go back to this project eventually; I put too much effort in it and got too far in it to give it up completely.
--The other main thing I'm working on right now is editing a friend's novel. I work on both of these projects at lunch, which I guess is more productive than poker.
--As part of working on Lennon's Line, I'm writing a synopsis for it. This is good timing, as OWW is starting a workshop on writing synopses next month.
--WisCon has put up the programming participant signup sheet on its website. There are a few panels I'd like to be on, so I need to sign up in the next week or two.
--I'm debating what to do about my Locus subscription. I don't have time to read it anymore, but at the same time I feel like it's unprofessional to stop my subscription. Maybe I can just skim the magazine or read the website more frequently.
And now off to do something that won't occur again for another four years: relax.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Detour
If we named snowstorms the way we do hurricanes, we'd probably be at least in the middle of the alphabet by now. (I don't know exactly how many it's been, but it's been way too many for my tastes. When does spring arrive again?) Last night we had yet another snowstorm. It wasn't as bad as originally forecasted, but it made driving messy this morning.
After getting me ready for work and Alex ready for daycare, I set off around my usual time. I drove slowly, the way I always do post-snow. As I made my way to the street leading to the highway, I noticed the cars in front of me were going more slowly than normal. When I got up to the intersection, there was a police officer directing traffic, beckoning me to go straight. Of course, that didn't fit with my iternary, and I started to make my turn. That's when I realized the street was blocked off. I couldn't see why, other than the street being covered with snow. So I obeyed the officer and drove forward, trying to figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to turn around and go home, but I didn't want to miss too many days of work. Since I had to cross a river to get to work, there was only one alternate route, and that was over local streets, going south instead of north.
As before, I drove slowly, slowly enough to annoy the people behind me, I'm sure. While I was at a red light, I called work and let them know why I was delayed. The roads improved once I got to the street leading to daycare. At this point, I was about fifteen minutes late for work. I got in half an hour late, but my boss was understanding about it.
The sun came out mid-morning, and the streets were clear after work. I had thought about trying to call someone to find out if the street was still blocked, but I figured whatever had caused the problem had probably been taken care of, and it had been. I'm still not sure what it was, but it could be flooding. Water tends to accumulate on the exit to the highway. As annoying as it was to take a long way to work, it beats having the engine stall out, especially when I have Alex with me.
After getting me ready for work and Alex ready for daycare, I set off around my usual time. I drove slowly, the way I always do post-snow. As I made my way to the street leading to the highway, I noticed the cars in front of me were going more slowly than normal. When I got up to the intersection, there was a police officer directing traffic, beckoning me to go straight. Of course, that didn't fit with my iternary, and I started to make my turn. That's when I realized the street was blocked off. I couldn't see why, other than the street being covered with snow. So I obeyed the officer and drove forward, trying to figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to turn around and go home, but I didn't want to miss too many days of work. Since I had to cross a river to get to work, there was only one alternate route, and that was over local streets, going south instead of north.
As before, I drove slowly, slowly enough to annoy the people behind me, I'm sure. While I was at a red light, I called work and let them know why I was delayed. The roads improved once I got to the street leading to daycare. At this point, I was about fifteen minutes late for work. I got in half an hour late, but my boss was understanding about it.
The sun came out mid-morning, and the streets were clear after work. I had thought about trying to call someone to find out if the street was still blocked, but I figured whatever had caused the problem had probably been taken care of, and it had been. I'm still not sure what it was, but it could be flooding. Water tends to accumulate on the exit to the highway. As annoying as it was to take a long way to work, it beats having the engine stall out, especially when I have Alex with me.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Museum of Modern Ice
My parents and grandmother came down today to see Alex and our house. My mom hasn't seen it since we moved in; I don't think my grandmother had seen it at all. We met my parents at a local place first for brunch. Alex did all right during the brunch, considering there was a jazz band playing. (We sat at the back of the room so it wouldn't be too loud for him, but the band came around to serenade individual tables and disturbed a younger baby nearby.) Both Alex and the house were a hit.
After my parents left, we decided to take a trip downtown to Millennium Park. They had a special exhibit during the month of February called the Museum of Modern Ice. Basically, there were panes of colored ice embedded in more ice and kept cool on aluminium plates. The exhibit changes with the temperature--not that it's been above freezing for most of the month. This has been the first (and only) weekend we've been able to go with Alex (it's been too cold to have him outside). Although it was sunny and around 40 degrees Farenheit, it was still cold being so close to the lake. Alex fell asleep during the car ride and slept through most of the the time we were at the park. Here are a few photos I took while we were there:
My favorite photography subjects:
The open-air theater/concert venue at the park:
And, of course, the traditional shot of us at the Bean (a.k.a. Cloudgate):
Alex fussed on the way back home, but he was much happier when we stopped to take care of him and have dinner at a Whole Foods. Although there's still a lot we need to do around here, every now and then we need to get out, especially after the brutal winter we've had.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Once in a Red Moon...
We have a total lunar eclipse. It's even more rare that we get a good view of one, so Eugene rented a teleconverter for his camera to take pictures tonight. The nice thing is that we got a good view from our upstairs windows, so we didn't have to go outside in the frigid weather to seen the moon.
The eclipse started around the time I was putting Alex to bed. Eugene got his camera set up on the tripod before he helped me bath Alex. I got to see the start of the eclipse, but I nearly nodded off myself in the nursery, so by the time I put Alex in his crib, the eclipse was nearly complete. Eugene had been taking photos during this time, so I got to see some of the intermediate stages. I did get to see the red moon for myself. We dug out our binoculars, but unfortunately they weren't powerful enough to help me make out Saturn's rings.
I went back and forth with watching the eclipse and uploading some photos of Alex. I considered trying to take my own photos, but since my camera and lenses are less powerful than what Eugene has, I didn't think I'd get good pictures. By the time the eclipse passed its peak, the moon had risen too high for us to see easily from our vantage point. I was content to have seen the total eclipse, though.
Anyway, while I update Alex's blog, feel free to bug Eugene to post some of his photos. It's high time he posts to his own blog. ;)
The eclipse started around the time I was putting Alex to bed. Eugene got his camera set up on the tripod before he helped me bath Alex. I got to see the start of the eclipse, but I nearly nodded off myself in the nursery, so by the time I put Alex in his crib, the eclipse was nearly complete. Eugene had been taking photos during this time, so I got to see some of the intermediate stages. I did get to see the red moon for myself. We dug out our binoculars, but unfortunately they weren't powerful enough to help me make out Saturn's rings.
I went back and forth with watching the eclipse and uploading some photos of Alex. I considered trying to take my own photos, but since my camera and lenses are less powerful than what Eugene has, I didn't think I'd get good pictures. By the time the eclipse passed its peak, the moon had risen too high for us to see easily from our vantage point. I was content to have seen the total eclipse, though.
Anyway, while I update Alex's blog, feel free to bug Eugene to post some of his photos. It's high time he posts to his own blog. ;)
Monday, February 18, 2008
A Visit With Kristi
My company observes Presidents' Day, which is good since Alex's daycare was closed. So I took Alex, ear infection and all, to visit my friend Kristi. I haven't seen her since the baby shower last year, so I wanted the chance to catch up with her. We met at her parents' house. Her fiance was also there. We discussed her wedding plans and her new house, among other things, while her mother served us lunch. They enjoyed seeing Alex, but unfortunately he's going through stranger anxiety and didn't return the compliment. I'm sure the ear infection was still bothering him a bit. Kristi's family has a lot of young children (I should say, her nieces and nephews), so they're used to babies and were very accomdating to him, even though he cried a lot. At least he fell asleep on the way home and did much better there. It was good to hear him laugh when we played with some of his toys, and he ate really well for me. Hopefully the next time we get together with Kristi, Alex will show he really can be my "smiley boy."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
OK Already...
Yes, I'm way overdue for an update. I've been busy with my family and writing--or at least critting other's writing. So here are the highlights of the last couple of weeks, though some of them aren't exactly highlights:
I had yet another flat tire. I don't know why I'm cursed with flat tires; perhaps it has something to do with the roads. The worst part about this flat tire was that it happened on a weeknight, and I didn't discover it until I got to Alex's daycare. (I did notice that I was riding roughly on the way there, though.) So I had to bring him with me while we waited for them to put on a new tire. He was OK at first, but then he got hungry, and I didn't have an extra bottle with me. I felt so bad for him. Now I keep an extra can of formula in the car, just in case. I should put our extra diaper bag in there as well.
I missed my follow-up appointment with the surgeon twice because of the weather. I finally made it in last Friday and got my stitches removed. I'm healing well and should be done with the lifting restrictions by the end of the week. I hope to start working out then as well--Alex permitting, of course. And yes, I'm out of the maternity jeans again. It did take my system a while to adjust to the loss of my gall bladder, but it's better now.
Eugene and I actually got to have a date on Friday after Valentine's Day. Our daycare stayed open longer to give parents some couple time. So Eugene and I had dinner together. We did talk about Alex a little bit, but we weren't on the phone to daycare every fifteen minutes either. We got to the daycare after Alex's normal bedtime. He was still awake but overtired; Eugene had a tough time putting him down for the night.
Speaking of Alex, he has another ear infection. He was unconsolably fussy at daycare a couple of days ago, but we thought at first it was due to teething since he didn't have a fever. But after two fussy fits yesterday that Orajel didn't fix, I did some research and realized ear infections aren't always accompanied by a fever. So we took Alex to an Urgent Care center this morning, and the doctor there confirmed my hunch. Alex gets yet another ten-day course of antibioitcs. I'll be glad when the cold and flu season is finally over. But Alex is sitting up on his own now, and he's taking to eating solids. He hasn't gotten the hang of the sippy cup yet, though. He's trying to crawl; I think he'll figure that out in the next couple of weeks.
Writing: Still going very slowly. I have some ideas for my Season Lord trilogy, so I may dust that off and look it over. But I also need to finish the first draft of the book I'm currently working on, and I'd like to get Lennon's Line ready for submission too. Plus I still have some other projects to crit for other people, so I'll never be done. Story of my life, I guess.
I had yet another flat tire. I don't know why I'm cursed with flat tires; perhaps it has something to do with the roads. The worst part about this flat tire was that it happened on a weeknight, and I didn't discover it until I got to Alex's daycare. (I did notice that I was riding roughly on the way there, though.) So I had to bring him with me while we waited for them to put on a new tire. He was OK at first, but then he got hungry, and I didn't have an extra bottle with me. I felt so bad for him. Now I keep an extra can of formula in the car, just in case. I should put our extra diaper bag in there as well.
I missed my follow-up appointment with the surgeon twice because of the weather. I finally made it in last Friday and got my stitches removed. I'm healing well and should be done with the lifting restrictions by the end of the week. I hope to start working out then as well--Alex permitting, of course. And yes, I'm out of the maternity jeans again. It did take my system a while to adjust to the loss of my gall bladder, but it's better now.
Eugene and I actually got to have a date on Friday after Valentine's Day. Our daycare stayed open longer to give parents some couple time. So Eugene and I had dinner together. We did talk about Alex a little bit, but we weren't on the phone to daycare every fifteen minutes either. We got to the daycare after Alex's normal bedtime. He was still awake but overtired; Eugene had a tough time putting him down for the night.
Speaking of Alex, he has another ear infection. He was unconsolably fussy at daycare a couple of days ago, but we thought at first it was due to teething since he didn't have a fever. But after two fussy fits yesterday that Orajel didn't fix, I did some research and realized ear infections aren't always accompanied by a fever. So we took Alex to an Urgent Care center this morning, and the doctor there confirmed my hunch. Alex gets yet another ten-day course of antibioitcs. I'll be glad when the cold and flu season is finally over. But Alex is sitting up on his own now, and he's taking to eating solids. He hasn't gotten the hang of the sippy cup yet, though. He's trying to crawl; I think he'll figure that out in the next couple of weeks.
Writing: Still going very slowly. I have some ideas for my Season Lord trilogy, so I may dust that off and look it over. But I also need to finish the first draft of the book I'm currently working on, and I'd like to get Lennon's Line ready for submission too. Plus I still have some other projects to crit for other people, so I'll never be done. Story of my life, I guess.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Recovering
Recovering from laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is a lot like being pregnant, right down to the fashions.
That's right, I've been wearing my maternity jeans the last couple of days. I was so bloated from the surgery that my regular ones didn't fit, and the maternity jeans probably put less pressure on one of my incisions (there are four small ones) than the others would. I guess I should be grateful the maternity jeans are too big on me. ;)
It's also a lot harder to bend over or get objects off of the floor, just as it was in my last trimester. If I need to do either of those things, I try to kneel. But I seem to be doing pretty well given that my surgery was less than a week ago. My digestive system is in the process of adjusting, and my side aches off and on, especially if I've been doing stuff, but otherwise I feel all right. I went to a baby shower yesterday for a family friend of Eugene's, and people were surprised I attended. (They played a game in which people had to eat ice cream...without utensils...from a diaper. Yum!) I stayed home today because I had to wait a few days before I could drive. I'm not sure yet if I should go to work tomorrow or stay home and try to rest. (Ha!) I could probably work, but I have to be careful not to push myself too much too soon.
It's a little difficult tending to Alex. Eugene and my dad (who came down today to help me) have been doing most of the lifting. I can hold Alex on my lap, but I have to change how I hold him so he doesn't press against the incisions. I can carry Alex if I need to, but carrying him in the car seat will be awkward. Bathing him is probably out of the question for now.
I go in Friday for a follow-up appointment. Hopefully that will go well, though it will be a while yet before I'm back to my normal routine.
That's right, I've been wearing my maternity jeans the last couple of days. I was so bloated from the surgery that my regular ones didn't fit, and the maternity jeans probably put less pressure on one of my incisions (there are four small ones) than the others would. I guess I should be grateful the maternity jeans are too big on me. ;)
It's also a lot harder to bend over or get objects off of the floor, just as it was in my last trimester. If I need to do either of those things, I try to kneel. But I seem to be doing pretty well given that my surgery was less than a week ago. My digestive system is in the process of adjusting, and my side aches off and on, especially if I've been doing stuff, but otherwise I feel all right. I went to a baby shower yesterday for a family friend of Eugene's, and people were surprised I attended. (They played a game in which people had to eat ice cream...without utensils...from a diaper. Yum!) I stayed home today because I had to wait a few days before I could drive. I'm not sure yet if I should go to work tomorrow or stay home and try to rest. (Ha!) I could probably work, but I have to be careful not to push myself too much too soon.
It's a little difficult tending to Alex. Eugene and my dad (who came down today to help me) have been doing most of the lifting. I can hold Alex on my lap, but I have to change how I hold him so he doesn't press against the incisions. I can carry Alex if I need to, but carrying him in the car seat will be awkward. Bathing him is probably out of the question for now.
I go in Friday for a follow-up appointment. Hopefully that will go well, though it will be a while yet before I'm back to my normal routine.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Goodbye Gallbladder
A couple of months after first learning about my gallstones, I finally had my gallbladder removed yesterday. I just got home from the hospital a couple of hours ago.
I had to be at the hospital very early, at 7:00 a.m. Since we weren't sure when Alex would be up, I took a cab to the hospital so Eugene could stay home with our son. (It turned out that Alex was up when I left, but at least this way he didn't have to go out in the cold.) I didn't have to worry about my pedicure at all; they gave me socks to wear for my entire stay, so polish on my toenails wasn't an issue. (They did check my circulation via fingertip, though.) I remember a nurse rolling me down a corridor as I got my knockout dose, and then the next thing I remember was waking up in the Recovery Room. Apparently the surgery itself went well. I have some pictures they took of my gallbladder after they removed it. It turned out that I had lots of little stones in my gallbladder; I counted over 40 of them. Was that a gallbladder or a gizzard? ;) I was still groggy and a bit nauseous most of yesterday afternoon, but by the evening I was able to keep liquids down (though it did take longer to pass them, but I'm sure you don't want me to get into too much detail about that.) By morning, I was able to eat solids and walk around, even though I still had some pain. The whole day became one of waiting for my surgeon to make rounds, which didn't happen until about 4:30. At least she was able to discharge me. I was going through Alex withdrawal. I don't know how much he missed me, but he gave me a big smile when Eugene picked me up.
It's going to be a few more days before I'm able to drive, so I have to take Monday off as well, maybe longer, depending on how I feel. I'm allowed to lift up to 20 pounds, so I will be able to lift Alex once I've healed a bit more. For now, I'm just glad to be home with my family and to no longer worry about my time bomb of an organ.
Writing: A couple of months ago, I mentioned how I'd submitted a funny anecdote about wedding planning to an anthology. Well, it looks like that one is on hold. I have no idea if they will use my piece if they do publish the anthology. At least I've found out that the dragon anthology with my first published short story will be out in May (hopefully in time for WisCon). Time to book a room for the convention and see if I can sign up for programming. I'll also have to talk to the editor to see how to get some anthologies for the con.
I had to be at the hospital very early, at 7:00 a.m. Since we weren't sure when Alex would be up, I took a cab to the hospital so Eugene could stay home with our son. (It turned out that Alex was up when I left, but at least this way he didn't have to go out in the cold.) I didn't have to worry about my pedicure at all; they gave me socks to wear for my entire stay, so polish on my toenails wasn't an issue. (They did check my circulation via fingertip, though.) I remember a nurse rolling me down a corridor as I got my knockout dose, and then the next thing I remember was waking up in the Recovery Room. Apparently the surgery itself went well. I have some pictures they took of my gallbladder after they removed it. It turned out that I had lots of little stones in my gallbladder; I counted over 40 of them. Was that a gallbladder or a gizzard? ;) I was still groggy and a bit nauseous most of yesterday afternoon, but by the evening I was able to keep liquids down (though it did take longer to pass them, but I'm sure you don't want me to get into too much detail about that.) By morning, I was able to eat solids and walk around, even though I still had some pain. The whole day became one of waiting for my surgeon to make rounds, which didn't happen until about 4:30. At least she was able to discharge me. I was going through Alex withdrawal. I don't know how much he missed me, but he gave me a big smile when Eugene picked me up.
It's going to be a few more days before I'm able to drive, so I have to take Monday off as well, maybe longer, depending on how I feel. I'm allowed to lift up to 20 pounds, so I will be able to lift Alex once I've healed a bit more. For now, I'm just glad to be home with my family and to no longer worry about my time bomb of an organ.
Writing: A couple of months ago, I mentioned how I'd submitted a funny anecdote about wedding planning to an anthology. Well, it looks like that one is on hold. I have no idea if they will use my piece if they do publish the anthology. At least I've found out that the dragon anthology with my first published short story will be out in May (hopefully in time for WisCon). Time to book a room for the convention and see if I can sign up for programming. I'll also have to talk to the editor to see how to get some anthologies for the con.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Pretty, Cold Feet
Yes, I've been a bad blogger. There hasn't been a lot to blog about; the days have been pretty routine. Get up, take care of Alex, get ready for work, bring Alex to daycare, work, pick him up, play with him/get dinner ready/put Alex to bed, unpack a box or two, relax, go to bed. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Today was different in that I had a spa day scheduled. It was supposed to be on Monday, since I have the day off and daycare is open, but there was a miscommunication when I set up the appointments. Good thing Eugene was able to watch Alex today. The first thing I had scheduled was an eyebrow shaping/facial. I put my clothes--all umpteen layers of them--into a locker and changed into a robe. The facial was nice and relaxing, since it also included some massage. After I was done, I returned to the locker room to put my clothes on before my haircut. Unfortunately, I could only find one sock. I'm not sure what happened; perhaps the missing sock fell into the locker below. I had to leave the other sock off; as wierd as I am, even I don't want to go around with one sock on and one sock off. It didn't matter for my haircut or even my pedicure, since they gave me disposable sandals to wear until the nail polish dried. The pedicure was the last thing I had done, and the polish wasn't dry when I left. So I wound up going outside in very cold weather in bare feet. At least it gave me a good excuse to shop for a while at a store next door to the spa until I could wear my normal shoes. The ironic part about the whole thing? The main reason I got a pedicure was because of the surgery on Thursday; after all, if you're going to have strangers looking at your internal organs while you're unconscious, it's reassuring to have your outside groomed. But despite that, they may have to remove the nail polish to monitor my circulation during the surgery. Ah well, good thing I didn't splurge on a manicure as well.
Writing: My short story is boggin down. Sigh. It started out about one thing but morphed into something else during drafting. That's fine, but now I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I'm putting it to the side for a while to work on my NaMoWriMo novel. At least that's going well for now.
I've been meaning to add a link to another blog for a while now, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. This one is a blog for another local NaMoWriMo writer. I've offered her some feedback on her novel (since she's much faster than I am), and I still need to look at her revised first chapter. I should go do that now....
Today was different in that I had a spa day scheduled. It was supposed to be on Monday, since I have the day off and daycare is open, but there was a miscommunication when I set up the appointments. Good thing Eugene was able to watch Alex today. The first thing I had scheduled was an eyebrow shaping/facial. I put my clothes--all umpteen layers of them--into a locker and changed into a robe. The facial was nice and relaxing, since it also included some massage. After I was done, I returned to the locker room to put my clothes on before my haircut. Unfortunately, I could only find one sock. I'm not sure what happened; perhaps the missing sock fell into the locker below. I had to leave the other sock off; as wierd as I am, even I don't want to go around with one sock on and one sock off. It didn't matter for my haircut or even my pedicure, since they gave me disposable sandals to wear until the nail polish dried. The pedicure was the last thing I had done, and the polish wasn't dry when I left. So I wound up going outside in very cold weather in bare feet. At least it gave me a good excuse to shop for a while at a store next door to the spa until I could wear my normal shoes. The ironic part about the whole thing? The main reason I got a pedicure was because of the surgery on Thursday; after all, if you're going to have strangers looking at your internal organs while you're unconscious, it's reassuring to have your outside groomed. But despite that, they may have to remove the nail polish to monitor my circulation during the surgery. Ah well, good thing I didn't splurge on a manicure as well.
Writing: My short story is boggin down. Sigh. It started out about one thing but morphed into something else during drafting. That's fine, but now I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I'm putting it to the side for a while to work on my NaMoWriMo novel. At least that's going well for now.
I've been meaning to add a link to another blog for a while now, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. This one is a blog for another local NaMoWriMo writer. I've offered her some feedback on her novel (since she's much faster than I am), and I still need to look at her revised first chapter. I should go do that now....
Thursday, January 10, 2008
New House, Same Gallbladder
Lots of news to catch up on.
The biggest news is that we moved into the new house this weekend. A co-worker of mine was kind enough to round up a few of his friends and help us move the furniture. There's still a bunch of small stuff in the kitchen, bathroom, and closets that has to be moved, but Eugene and I have been gradually bringing some of that over after work every day. If we can get some more help, we should be done by this weekend.
So far, the house is still very much decorated in early Cubism (boxes everywhere), but we're working on getting the boxes unpacked too. It makes for a long day, as we can't get much done until Alex goes to bed. But it's so much nicer to have the room and decent appliances. Perhaps decent is an overstatement; we already had to have the kitchen faucet replaced. This was an item we found during inspection; I just didn't expect the faucet to break within a couple days of moving in. Still, we're very happy to be in the house and are enjoying making it our own.
I was supposed to have my gallbladder removed yesterday, but it had to be delayed. I developed (believe it or not) tonsilitis last week but didn't realize it until I went to the Urgent Care clinic on Sunday. (At first I thought it might have been strep throat, but the symptoms didn't seem to match. Then I thought it was just another of my bad colds and was waiting for it to improve. No such luck.) I'm currently on two types of drugs for the tonsilitis, and I'm feeling much, much better. I still have to wait a couple of weeks for the drugs to clear my system so I can have the surgery. It's annoying to wait (I can't even have herbal tea for the next couple of weeks), but at least this gives me time to build up my reserves for the recovery.
Somehow in the middle of all of this I've started a new short story. It's about halfway done; I know how I want to finish it, so I just need to sit down and work on it. If I can post it quickly enough to OWW, I could revise it and send it out during Broad Universe's mailing party at the end of the month. Of course, I can always do it later, but it would be nice to be part of the party.
Speaking of writing, I need to add a link to a friend's blog. Hopefully I can do that once we have phone service.
That's it for now.
The biggest news is that we moved into the new house this weekend. A co-worker of mine was kind enough to round up a few of his friends and help us move the furniture. There's still a bunch of small stuff in the kitchen, bathroom, and closets that has to be moved, but Eugene and I have been gradually bringing some of that over after work every day. If we can get some more help, we should be done by this weekend.
So far, the house is still very much decorated in early Cubism (boxes everywhere), but we're working on getting the boxes unpacked too. It makes for a long day, as we can't get much done until Alex goes to bed. But it's so much nicer to have the room and decent appliances. Perhaps decent is an overstatement; we already had to have the kitchen faucet replaced. This was an item we found during inspection; I just didn't expect the faucet to break within a couple days of moving in. Still, we're very happy to be in the house and are enjoying making it our own.
I was supposed to have my gallbladder removed yesterday, but it had to be delayed. I developed (believe it or not) tonsilitis last week but didn't realize it until I went to the Urgent Care clinic on Sunday. (At first I thought it might have been strep throat, but the symptoms didn't seem to match. Then I thought it was just another of my bad colds and was waiting for it to improve. No such luck.) I'm currently on two types of drugs for the tonsilitis, and I'm feeling much, much better. I still have to wait a couple of weeks for the drugs to clear my system so I can have the surgery. It's annoying to wait (I can't even have herbal tea for the next couple of weeks), but at least this gives me time to build up my reserves for the recovery.
Somehow in the middle of all of this I've started a new short story. It's about halfway done; I know how I want to finish it, so I just need to sit down and work on it. If I can post it quickly enough to OWW, I could revise it and send it out during Broad Universe's mailing party at the end of the month. Of course, I can always do it later, but it would be nice to be part of the party.
Speaking of writing, I need to add a link to a friend's blog. Hopefully I can do that once we have phone service.
That's it for now.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Home Again, Home Again
I've been at home with Alex all this week. He has RSV, a respiratory virus that's very contagious, so daycare insisted he not come in for a few days. He started getting sick on Saturday, when he had several coughing fits that led him to lose his bottle a couple of times. We still brought him to Simbang Gabi, a special Mass with Filipino touches at Eugene's family church. Alex started crying shortly after we arrived, so I spent most of the service in the bathroom trying to get him to eat. (I haven't converted and don't plan to, so missing the Mass doesn't bother me.) We noticed later that he was wheezing, and it continued on Sunday. So we brought Alex to the doctor Monday morning, and I've been home with him since.
Despite being sick, Alex has generally been in a good mood. Unfortunately, today he was really fussy; I think it could be due to teething. Hopefully he will get his two front teeth for Christmas! I haven't done too much besides tend and play with Alex and goof off on the computer with a new game. Today, at least I got to go to the grocery store while Eugene stayed home with Alex; it was nice to get out for a while. I also stopped by our house to drop off a few things and check out the paint job. The painters still have to finish a couple of rooms upstairs, but the downstairs looks much better now. I can hardly wait until Saturday, when we have some new furniture delivered. Maybe after that we can accelerate the moving a bit.
Despite being sick, Alex has generally been in a good mood. Unfortunately, today he was really fussy; I think it could be due to teething. Hopefully he will get his two front teeth for Christmas! I haven't done too much besides tend and play with Alex and goof off on the computer with a new game. Today, at least I got to go to the grocery store while Eugene stayed home with Alex; it was nice to get out for a while. I also stopped by our house to drop off a few things and check out the paint job. The painters still have to finish a couple of rooms upstairs, but the downstairs looks much better now. I can hardly wait until Saturday, when we have some new furniture delivered. Maybe after that we can accelerate the moving a bit.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Updates
Remember a while back when I posted about my late night trip to the ER and follow-up ultrasound? Well, I finally got to talk to a doctor about the ultrasound. Yes, it's my gall bladder, and they recommend having it removed. So I've scheduled the surgery for January 9th. Let's see if I last that long; I had another attack last night, even worse than the previous ones. I didn't bother going to ER because I didn't want to put Eugene and Alex through another sleepless night like that one--and if I'm going to lie awake for three hours anyway, I may as well do it at home, where I'll be more comfortable. The surgery doesn't sound too bad, though I will have to stay overnight at the hospital. The sad thing is I'm looking forward to that; at least that'll be one night where I won't have to get up between 1 to 3 in the morning to provide Alex with "crib service." Recovery is expected to last up to a month. I won't be allowed to lift anything heavy, which will be a problem when I bring Alex to day care in his car seat.
Finishing up my novel is going more slowly than it did in November. Since we're trying to move and getting ready for Christmas, I'm writing mostly during my lunch hour, and this week I only did it a couple of times. Still, I'm making progress with the plot, as both of my heroines are in a bind. It'll be fun figuring out how to get them out of it.
As for the moving, it's going to take a while yet. At least most of the books are packed. But we still haven't figured out what colors we're going to use.
Finishing up my novel is going more slowly than it did in November. Since we're trying to move and getting ready for Christmas, I'm writing mostly during my lunch hour, and this week I only did it a couple of times. Still, I'm making progress with the plot, as both of my heroines are in a bind. It'll be fun figuring out how to get them out of it.
As for the moving, it's going to take a while yet. At least most of the books are packed. But we still haven't figured out what colors we're going to use.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
The Exterior of the House
I couldn't figure out how to blur out the address, so that's why I made the picture smaller than usual. But this should give you an idea of what it's like. Too bad I didn't think to take pictures of the kitchen. Maybe I'll do that once we're all settled.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
The Christmas Party That Wasn't
Ever since I started working at my present job, I've been part of the Party Planning Committee. I do it because...well, most of my other co-workers won't. I've helped plan the open house we hosted when we moved to our current location, and I've been a part of planning the Christmas Party (now called the more-PC Annual Company Dinner) for several years.
This year it was going to be a grand affair, with our budget more than what we've spent before. We found a very fancy restaurant (they have baked Alaska on the dessert menu!), reserved a private room, and set up a several-course dinner featuring several different types of appetizers, a choice of entrees, and a dessert platter, with the menu custom-printed for us. We were even going to cover valet parking.
Then...the first winter storm of the season came through the Midwest today.
It took Eugene twice as long to get home as it normally does. Even going to the grocery store with Alex was hazardous (and I don't think he was too excited about experiencing snow for the first time). My parents were planning to come down from Wisconsin to babysit Alex while Eugene and I went to dinner, but obviously that was out of the question. So Eugene said he would stay home with Alex. That left me with a dilemna: should I drive to the party by myself or stay at home? Although I felt guilty about it, I decided it was best to stay home. If the main highway Eugene took home was slick, how bad would local roads be? I felt guilty knowing the fancy dinner would go to waste, though. But then my boss called, checking to see what our plans were. It turned out that only three people would be able to make it, so I doubt the dinner (which was scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.) went on at all. I'm sure the restaurant will charge us full price anyway; they reserved the room for us, so they won't be able to make any money off of it tonight otherwise. In a way, it's too bad; I doubt we'll be able to reschedule anything. But I have to admit I'm glad to be home with my family, in casual clothes instead of worrying about what to wear (most of my clothes are in storage, so it would have been either a summer dress or black jeans with a nice sweater), baking cookies, copying music to my computer, and just relaxing in general. And I suppose in the long run, it's better for my company if we all show up Monday morning in one piece.
This year it was going to be a grand affair, with our budget more than what we've spent before. We found a very fancy restaurant (they have baked Alaska on the dessert menu!), reserved a private room, and set up a several-course dinner featuring several different types of appetizers, a choice of entrees, and a dessert platter, with the menu custom-printed for us. We were even going to cover valet parking.
Then...the first winter storm of the season came through the Midwest today.
It took Eugene twice as long to get home as it normally does. Even going to the grocery store with Alex was hazardous (and I don't think he was too excited about experiencing snow for the first time). My parents were planning to come down from Wisconsin to babysit Alex while Eugene and I went to dinner, but obviously that was out of the question. So Eugene said he would stay home with Alex. That left me with a dilemna: should I drive to the party by myself or stay at home? Although I felt guilty about it, I decided it was best to stay home. If the main highway Eugene took home was slick, how bad would local roads be? I felt guilty knowing the fancy dinner would go to waste, though. But then my boss called, checking to see what our plans were. It turned out that only three people would be able to make it, so I doubt the dinner (which was scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.) went on at all. I'm sure the restaurant will charge us full price anyway; they reserved the room for us, so they won't be able to make any money off of it tonight otherwise. In a way, it's too bad; I doubt we'll be able to reschedule anything. But I have to admit I'm glad to be home with my family, in casual clothes instead of worrying about what to wear (most of my clothes are in storage, so it would have been either a summer dress or black jeans with a nice sweater), baking cookies, copying music to my computer, and just relaxing in general. And I suppose in the long run, it's better for my company if we all show up Monday morning in one piece.
And Our Next Project Is....
Moving into our new house.
That's right; we closed on a house yesterday. (I took off from work early, so I didn't get to write during lunch. Instead, I brought my laptop along and wrote on the way to and from the closing.) We actually had the offer accepted back in October, but we didn't want to say anything until we had the keys in our hands, just in case the deal fell through.
We still need to paint and pack before we can move in, so it's going to be a while yet. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the interior. (I have a couple of the exterior, but I need to figure out how to cover up the address. BTW, one of the regular readers of this blog will get a kick out of the name of the street. You'll find out more once we send out the new address.)
The foyer.
The family room. This is one of the rooms that needs repainting -- the yellow is much brighter in person!
The loft, where my new office will be.
Friday, November 30, 2007
I Did It!
So much for Writing: Impossible. I, a working mother, wrote just over 50,000 words in a month. I honestly didn't think at the beginning of the month that I would make it, but after the first couple of days when I did meet the daily quota, I became determined to finish despite a couple of unproductive days. It took a lot of effort, but I caught up. The last thousand was a bit tricky because today was so busy; I'll blog about that in a separate entry.
I learned a lot from doing this. I found that lunchtime is a productive time of day for me; I can write over a thousand words then. I learned how to turn off my inner editor and just put words down on paper, even if they're filler or awkwardly phrased. In fact, it's fun in a way to just let loose. At the same time, I also discovered that night time might not be my "write time." My exhaustion catches up to me at night, making it harder to write. There are more online distractions; even more importantly, I want to spend some time with my family instead of being forced to the keyboard to meet quota.
Speaking of family, I'd like to thank Eugene for his support this month. He offered me encouragement and gave me the time at night to write. One Saturday, when I was still a few thousand words off target, he even took off early from the clinic so he could babysit Alex and let me write at the bookstore. Love you lots, hon!
I still have a fair amount to go before I finish my story, and then it's going to need a major self-edit before it's ready for other people to crit. I think I'm going to continue to write on my lunch hour but slow down writing at home. I'd like to spend more time with Eugene. Besides, I have a new project to work on. I'll post about it next....
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Christkindlmarket and Counting Down
I've been immersed in working, baby-tending, and writing so much I haven't had much time to blog. Still, I've surfaced every now and then to meet with friends and family. We got to see our friends Adam and Natalie (and their daughter Sarah) last week. It was great seeing you again! (waves) As for Thanksgiving, we celebrated at Eugene's aunt's house. There were a lot of people there, and unfortunately Alex didn't handle the noise well, despite our efforts (and Eugene's parents' efforts) to soothe him. He's also showing more signs of teething these days, such as chewing on things and drooling, so that doesn't help.
Despite all of this, we decided to try taking him downtown today to the annual Christkindlmarket in Chicago. This is becoming a family tradition of ours, so we were looking forward to it. We also thought it would be better to go now, instead of doing it in December when it might be even colder. I brought my camera along, but I only took a couple of pictures, which I haven't uploaded yet. One of the funniest sights was seeing all the pigeons gathered around a fenced-off memorial flame for fallen soldiers. I guess in the winter it serves a dual purpose, though some of the birds got so close to the fire I thought they'd roast themselves.
We stopped at some of our favorite vendors at the market. Eugene bought some pieces for our holiday village (we started collecting them last year), and I bought an embroidered runner for the holiday table. We didn't get any ornaments this year, though. Alex looked around for a while but then started getting fussy, even after I changed his diaper and tried to feed him. He finally fell asleep, which gave us a chance to eat. But we didn't stay too much longer after that. Alex was much happier when he woke up, so we stopped at my in-law's house so they could see him in a good mood. They appreciated the unexpected visit.
Writing Update: I'm over 40,000 words, which means I have less than 10,000 words to go. (To meet the NaNoWriMo goal, not to finish my story. My novels never turn out so short.) I have a lot to do now to start prepping for the holidays, but I think I can make my goal if I push. Wish me luck!
Despite all of this, we decided to try taking him downtown today to the annual Christkindlmarket in Chicago. This is becoming a family tradition of ours, so we were looking forward to it. We also thought it would be better to go now, instead of doing it in December when it might be even colder. I brought my camera along, but I only took a couple of pictures, which I haven't uploaded yet. One of the funniest sights was seeing all the pigeons gathered around a fenced-off memorial flame for fallen soldiers. I guess in the winter it serves a dual purpose, though some of the birds got so close to the fire I thought they'd roast themselves.
We stopped at some of our favorite vendors at the market. Eugene bought some pieces for our holiday village (we started collecting them last year), and I bought an embroidered runner for the holiday table. We didn't get any ornaments this year, though. Alex looked around for a while but then started getting fussy, even after I changed his diaper and tried to feed him. He finally fell asleep, which gave us a chance to eat. But we didn't stay too much longer after that. Alex was much happier when he woke up, so we stopped at my in-law's house so they could see him in a good mood. They appreciated the unexpected visit.
Writing Update: I'm over 40,000 words, which means I have less than 10,000 words to go. (To meet the NaNoWriMo goal, not to finish my story. My novels never turn out so short.) I have a lot to do now to start prepping for the holidays, but I think I can make my goal if I push. Wish me luck!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Back on Track!
I've been lagging on my word count for National Novel Writing Month since Day 3. (Between Alex and a party that night, I only wrote 50 words.) Since then, I've been struggling to catch up. Tonight, I finally did:
Target Word Count = 17 * 1667 = 28, 339
Actual Word Count = 28,435 (according to Word; I think the Count Validator for NaNoWriMo gives me a few extra words)
Given everything that's been going on this month, this is incredible. It makes me more determine to reach 50,000 words by November 30th. Hopefully I'll have some extra time to write over the long weekend, even if we have other things scheduled too. May the muse be with me, please!
Target Word Count = 17 * 1667 = 28, 339
Actual Word Count = 28,435 (according to Word; I think the Count Validator for NaNoWriMo gives me a few extra words)
Given everything that's been going on this month, this is incredible. It makes me more determine to reach 50,000 words by November 30th. Hopefully I'll have some extra time to write over the long weekend, even if we have other things scheduled too. May the muse be with me, please!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I'm So Stoned, Duuuude...
I bet anyone who knows me never thought I would say that. (big grin)
After calling the doctor's office a couple of times and spending the last few days at work with my cell phone by my side at all times, I finally heard from my doctor. Well, techincally she didn't speak to me; someone else at the office called me while I was driving home from work tonight. The ultrasound I had on Friday "is consistent with gallstones." They didn't tell me much more than that; they just referred me to another doctor. So I'll call him or her tomorrow and see what's recommended. Maybe they'll be able to break up the stones instead of having to remove my gall bladder. From what I've heard from other people, however, having the gall bladder removed isn't too bad in terms of the surgery or the aftermath. I would have preferred not having two major surgeries in a single year, but you have to do what you have to do.
(Russ, isn't it odd we're both blogging about health issues at the same time? I don't know if I should start feeling middle-aged because of my health or youthful for using technology to discuss it.)
OK, I better get back to writing. Tomorrow is the halfway point for National Novel Writing Month, and I can't quite seem to close the gap between where I am and where I should be.
After calling the doctor's office a couple of times and spending the last few days at work with my cell phone by my side at all times, I finally heard from my doctor. Well, techincally she didn't speak to me; someone else at the office called me while I was driving home from work tonight. The ultrasound I had on Friday "is consistent with gallstones." They didn't tell me much more than that; they just referred me to another doctor. So I'll call him or her tomorrow and see what's recommended. Maybe they'll be able to break up the stones instead of having to remove my gall bladder. From what I've heard from other people, however, having the gall bladder removed isn't too bad in terms of the surgery or the aftermath. I would have preferred not having two major surgeries in a single year, but you have to do what you have to do.
(Russ, isn't it odd we're both blogging about health issues at the same time? I don't know if I should start feeling middle-aged because of my health or youthful for using technology to discuss it.)
OK, I better get back to writing. Tomorrow is the halfway point for National Novel Writing Month, and I can't quite seem to close the gap between where I am and where I should be.
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