"Dishes Are Done, Dude!"

Do you remember that scene in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead where Kenny and his friends sit on the roof and shoot the dirty dishes with a shotgun? I love that line - "Dishes are done, dude!"

There is a point to this little slice of nostalgia.

I woke up this morning and my husband had done the dishes. I couldn't believe it because

1) these dishes have been sitting there since Monday night and have steadily accumulated over the week. (Hey, I've been BUSY. In my defense, I usually don't let dishes sit over night because I can't stand it. But this week, I just haven't CARED. I have been doing the laundry, though. *grin*)

2) hubby put together my stepson's new futon bed last night and he did the dishes before he went to bed - which was late since I was in bed by 10 p.m. and he was still clattering away downstairs.

Needless to say, I'm pretty darn happy I don't have to go home to a messy kitchen. Unfortunately, I bet I'll go home to a few little "messes" from the puppy. He's in his cozy little space in the bathroom right now (which has a TILE floor - better than carpet!), but that's not going to stop him from doing his thing. My daughter is thoroughly enjoying him now and she's consumed with him from the moment she gets home until she goes to bed.

Anyway, the dishes are done, I got a good night's sleep, and the weekend is only two days away. :-)

One More Thing...

Go read my "Writer's Journey" here: http://villaintuscany.blogspot.com

One Sentence

That's all I wrote yesterday - one sentence.

In the midst of puppy-sitting, I didn't get much done. My daughter loved the dog - as soon as his nails were trimmed. Little cutey had very sharp little nails and she wouldn't go near it until we trimmed them. After a trip to Pet Co and lots of new little toys, new shiny doggy dishes and premium dogfood, he settled in with my daughter and they had a ball last night.

Unfortunately, there's also the downside of having a new pup in the house - mainly poop. But I needn't dwell on it. :-)

*yawn* I'm tired today. Little guy woke up last night in my daughter's room and decided he wanted to rummage around in my trash can. He finally settled down on his new pillow and went to sleep. Since my camera is broken, my brother is letting me borrow his today, so I should have some pics up soon.

The New Addition

I went home at lunch and found a wonderful surprise: a half Basset Hound, half Rat Terrier puppy in my husband's arms.

This little guy is SO CUTE.

And wouldn't you know it...I don't have a digital camera. But I WILL get pictures up ASAP.

Hubby wanted to name him Fred after the Basset hound in the Smoky and the Bandit movies. I didn't like the name Fred. So we named him Doobie. I don't know why he came up with that name, but it seems to fit him.

He's black and brown, with long floppy ears, and a face so cute you just want to cuddle him all day long. I brought him to work with me and he was a big hit. Right now, he's asleep on my co-worker's lap. We're taking turns. *grin*

I can't wait for my daughter to see him... :-)

And Then I Crack Zee Neck!

En route to the chiropractor, my five-year-old daughter asked me where we were going.

"To see the doctor," I replied.

"What for?"

"Oh, he's going to crack Mommy's neck."

BIG MISTAKE.

I didn't think too much of it until we got to the doctor's office. After my car wreck in Feb. of 2004, I was at the chiropractor all the time and she came with me. So I figured, no big deal - I'll take her with me, then on to daycare and work.

When I tried to get out of the car, she started crying. Big, huge, fat tears. Gulps. Hiccups.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"The doctor's going to crack your neck!"

To make a long story short, she sat in the kid's area with her hands clapped over her ears to drown out any "cracking" sounds. After my neck adjustment, I laid on my stomach and had heat put on my back. My chiropractor is asking, "Is there anything I can do? Offer her a piece of gum?" (Nope, he doesn't have kids yet. *grin*)

Not only did my daughter NOT want a piece of gum, but she refused to move and come sit beside me. More gulps and hiccups. A few wails. "I want my daddy!"

Sigh...

Poor thing was worried about her Mommy. I think she's starting to develop a phobia of all doctors. Ever since she went to get her kindergarten physical and they surprised her with her immunization shots, she's been terrified to go to ANY doctor or dentist. I'm not sure how we're going to get her over this one...

In Writing News...

So I had a blinding headache all day yesterday and all night. I DID manage to make a few edits, and I wrote a page on Saturday. But not much else, unfortunately.

Under the Tuscan Sun

I suffered from a headache (again) last night and thought I'd relax on the couch and watch a movie. Friday nights are always a relaxing night for me - I love to just lounge, read a book, eat some ice cream, watch a movie - whatever it takes to ease me into the weekend.

I picked Under the Tuscan Sun as my movie of choice - I've watched it a few times already, but it's been awhile. I love to revisit my own personal "classics" and this movie falls under that category.

I absolutely love this movie. Not only does it take place in Italy (the land of my ancestors) but it's about a writer. And I loved this movie so much the first time I watched it that I actually wrote an article about it. If you missed it, you can read it here:
http://villaintuscany.blogspot.com/2005/06/find-your-villa-in-tuscany_01.html

So What am I Doing Right Now?

I'm writing.

Despite the dull throbbing in my head (I'm ignoring it) and the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, I'm writing. The soundtrack booming from my speakers comes from another of my classics, Chocolat. (Tthere are two VERY good reasons to watch Chocolat - chocolate and JOHNNY DEPP. Enough said.)

The weekend beckons. And so does my muse.

In the Mood

I love the weekends, as you all know. The last few days I've been battling a very tired brain, but I think I got enough sleep last night to be a halfway productive person today.

And that means I'm ready to write again.

I didn't write last night, which really bothered me, but at the same time, it didn't. I would rather not write when I know what I'm going to write is complete crap. Saves me time and heartache. I did read a few pages in my "crafting a plot book" (the title escapes me right now) and one sentence in particular jumped out at me:

"If you arrive at your crisis and it seems flat or dull, you probably haven't set it up sufficiently."

This is exactly how I felt with my last manuscript when I wrote my crisis moment - flat and dull. But since I made the changes, it feels so much better. Strange, that you take that long to get to the crisis moment and it's over in a matter of pages - or it should be, anyway. If you drag it out too long, it loses its excitement and momentum. As a writer, you often feel that if you're spending that much time preparing for the crisis moment, you better make it long and worth the reader's time. But that's the opposite of what you should do. It should be satisfying, but not drawn out.

A delicate balance must be achieved, grasshopper!

Almost, But Not Quite

We almost had a new addition to the family - a Basset Hound puppy. Hubby has wanted one for my daughter for quite some time. Yesterday at work, he had a customer bring in a litter. Since he was moving, he was giving the pups away. And like a good husband, DH called me FIRST before deciding to get one. With lots and LOTS of trepidation, I said yes.

But it turns out that by the time my husband got back to the guy, all the male puppies were gone. We really couldn't have a female since we have two male dogs.

So the pup will have to wait. I must say I was disappointed because I love puppies - but all puppies grow up. And in the meantime, there's that whole house-training experience that I really do not want to go through.

In Writing News...

A few paragraphs and that was it. Not much more because I was sooooo tired. But of course, that didn't stop me from staying up late and talking to hubby. It's Diet Pepsi for breakfast this morning again. I've really got to start going to sleep at night!

Wednesday - a.k.a. Hump Day

I always thought calling Wednesday "hump day" was cute until I realized what the other connotations for "hump" were.

But at any rate, to me, it's the middle of the week, which means I only have two more days left before the weekend. And I really really LOVE the weekend.

My head still hurts, so I'll be popping some aspirin here in a bit. Hubby told me last night to get my neck fixed, no matter what I need to do to accomplish that. He asked me, "What would it be like for you to not have to worry about headaches?"

I sighed in utter bliss. "A dream come true."

In Writing News...

Worked more on the manuscript last night. I'm excited for an upcoming scene, so hope that goes well. Little concerned with one of my submissions. I keep checking the post office website with my tracking number and according to them, it still hasn't been delivered. It's been over a week now. I'm thinking it got lost...and how the heck can that happen??? If it doesn't show up within the next few days, I'm calling to complain. :-)

Working at Home Today

My neck feels like it's been twisted in a vice grip and then run over by a tractor a couple of times for good measure. The result? A nice, blinding headache. Oh, the agony.

Still, I am a good little trooper and will work at home today instead of dragging my butt into the office. But my chiropractor isn't open today, so I'm hoping I can get through the day without too many problems.

Got another page and a half written last night (single spaced) and I didn't have much time to do it in. Time is truly the enemy on my weekdays. Gotta go to bed at a decent hour for that day job! I write the best at night, so getting up early is just not an option for me. I didn't want to stop writing once I started last night, but ah well. That will just insure that I get back to it soon.

A Long Weekend

We finished my daughter's bedroom this weekend. She now has a canopy over her bed, a Hello Kitty comforter, and space to actually play. I know she's growing up, though, because she told me that the lamp she's had in her bedroom since she was an infant "was a baby lamp" and that we needed to get a new one. Hobby Lobby is having a half-off sale on their lamps, so maybe we'll cruise over there after work.

We also bought a new entertainment center and hubby fought to put it together. Turns out the instructions were rather vague and they didn't include all of the parts. Needless to say, he was rather grouchy after he finished it. But it looks great in our living room!

I tackled the manusript a lot on Saturday and got quite a bit done. Pretty happy with that. Yesterday I wasn't as productive on it - but I did go through and make a list of things I needed to remember from my finished chapters so that I wouldn't mistakenly write something that didn't work with everything else.

Didn't sleep well last night - hubby was snoring and when I went out onto the couch and finally drifted off to sleep, the alarm on his watch went off. I climbed back into my own bed, because it was quiet, and as soon as I settled in, yup, you guessed it - hubby started snoring again.

I've already downed one Diet Pepsi this morning and will probably have another one shortly. My best friend called last night and said her sister got the job in England, so she will be living there for the next three years. She plans to go over once a year, but I'm going to try to make it at least once with her. Can't wait! Now I just have to start saving money. :-)