Friday, November 07, 2014

Hodgepodge

Is it really November? It feels more like it should be, oh, I don't know, August? I feel like I lost two months of my life when I was going through my health issues, but I'm glad to report I'm on the other side of it and feeling better.

Which means I'm writing and planning and researching again.

What I've been doing: researching an article on the K-9 "Dogs for Defense" of World War II, researching/plotting my sixth novel, and watching The Blacklist.

Ok, so the last one doesn't quite fit with the other two, but I'm in love with this show. It's well-written (sure, a bit far-fetched, but it's TV!), James Spader is amazing, and, the best part of all? The creator and writer of this show is a Nebraskan!

And it counts as research, right? Because when you're writing a thriller, dissecting how thrillers work - even if they are t.v. shows - helps you figure out how to make it work on the page.

On the homefront, I've begun my purging project. We plan to buy a house next spring and I intend to go through every single box in my house and get rid of stuff we no longer need/want. My daughter has taken to this project wholeheartedly and has gone through her room, tossing things she's outgrown. I'm realizing, through, that I'm much more sentimental than she is - she can easily get rid of stuffed animals or drawings or stories she's written without a care. I, on the other hand, have a hard time putting those beloved stuffed animals in the garage sale pile or throwing away any of her creative work.

Still, it's a good feeling, to get rid of excess in your life. Now if I could just get rid of the excess weight that crept up on me the past three months, why, life would be better.

No, this post doesn't have much point to it- just a hodgepodge of thoughts going through my head that needed to be "purged" - and also, I needed to update my blog. How do I get so far behind on it?

I confess, I turn to Twitter much more these days - maybe it's because my brain can only handle 140 characters at a time.

If you're still reading at this point, let me know what you've been up to. =D


12 comments:

  1. We're doing the same thing, hoping to buy a new home soon as well. Oh, does it ever screw with your mind, no matter how you're feeling to begin with! Good luck...I did find that stuff I was not sure about I put in a box to think about, giving myself three weeks. That helped me weed out additional things last time we moved.

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    1. I'm trying not to think about everything involved with the process until next spring when we apply for the loan - it's just too overwhelming. :)

      That's a good idea, to have a box of "to think about" stuff. That way I don't make any rash decisions.

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  2. Hodgepodge is good! It's nice to know how you're doing. I'm glad your health issues are, well, less of an issue right now!

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    1. Thanks,Faith! It's been wonderful to get "back in the saddle" again. I was beginning to think it would never happen. :)

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  3. Yay! That all sounds very positive! I'm also with you on it still feels like it should be August and how can it possibly be November with holidays around the corner?? I'm trying to do the same thing with purging stuff, but for me, it's mostly just daunting. I look at stuff and don't know where to begin. I know, I just need to take one section at a time, but... The day job is stressful and I have a fast-approaching deadline on a short story where the story is just not gelling yet. Sigh. Everything else is good. :-D

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    1. If I think about the enormity of my purging project, I'll feel incredibly overwhelmed, too. Today I tackled some boxes in my upstairs closet and made a nice dent in things. Every little bit of progress helps.

      Glad to hear you're doing good, but wish the day job wasn't so stressful for you!

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  4. November certainly has crept up and of course Christmas is looming! Exciting news about your house buying. All the best for everything involved with such a big step. We bought our first home about 8 years ago - best thing we ever did!

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    1. I am SUPER excited about moving into our own place! We're determined to be patient and find the best home for us, though. Just went through more boxes and organized more stuff today. I'm glad I'm giving myself enough lead time to get this done before we move. Moving is stressful enough as it is!

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  5. Glad to hear you're doing better health-wise! Jon Bokenkamp, the writer and creator of The Blacklist, I went to high school with him. :) He was class of 91 and I was class of 90, but despite being in a grade above him, he's older than me, lol. We were in choir together, and of course I had a crush on him, but he is very handsome so all the girls had crushes on him!

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    1. Betsy! That is so cool! So if you ever need an "in" in Hollywood, you've got one! :D

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    2. He moved his family back to Kearney a few years ago because he didn't want his kids raised around the Hollywood lifestyle. He works from home as often as he can and only commutes to CA when he has to. He bought an old movie theater downtown, and started a foundation to restore it to its former glory (and succeeded). When he's in town, on the weekends he can be found behind the concession stand, lol. http://www.theworldtheatre.org/ He's also very active in the community serving on downtown advisory boards and things of that nature. He's an all around decent human being (and still mighty cute, lol).

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    3. That is just awesome. I think I read a story about him restoring the old movie theater downtown. I love that he came back to Nebraska. We truly do have the good life here. (Well, at least compared to California!)

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