On Another Note

I have been reading the blogs of people I like and respect very much, writing and debating Iraq especially though other issues come up. Like the pros and cons of legislating fox hunting. *G*

After spending quite some time tonight reading and considering the different points of view presented in those blogs, I am left pondering something that hasn't come up fully yet.

Specifically, the idea that the Iraqi people may not be wooed and won by the all mighty dollar, so to speak. Some have said that once Iraqis experience a democracy and the lure of capitalism, they will thank us for their new freedoms. But traditionally (and they are a very traditional people) religious spirituality and a love of knowledge and art have more meaning for the people of the Middle East. They see us as corrupters, even those who are not insurgents or terrorists. They eschew what the West stands for. I'm just not sure how well the lure of democracy or capitalism will work. Of course I could discover that I am wrong and they will ultimately embrace our systems, but I just can't see it right now. What do you think?

Also, at MajorDad's, the point that terrorism against the US began in the 1970's was made by DagneyT. The US became a target when it became involved in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The US has supported Israel and alienated Arabs, though managing to maintain political ties with the Saudis for oil. My question on this issue is what do you think will happen if a Palestinian nation is created and a peace is forged? Will this make any difference in the East/West struggle? It seems to me that if the US were involved in setting up the Palestinians, this would help to offset the impression that the US is on a religious crusade to stamp out Islam. The fanatics would have to come up with another angle to maintain hostilities at their current levels. It would help, of course, if US and coalition forces were out of Iraq by that time.

Anyway I've rambled enough. What are your thoughts?

PS- Jenni, I thought you held your own very well over at MajorDad's. ;0)

My Cat Has a Drinking Problem

Truly.

The other night I sat down here with a cup of tea to work on my novel. Before I could progress too far though, Patches jumped on my lap. He reared up on his hind legs, braced himself on the desk with one of his paws and promptly dunked his other paw in my tea before I could stop him! He sucked the tea off of his paw and sneezed all over my monitor and keyboard, then turned back to my cup and stuck his face in. Finding it to his taste, he proceeded to guzzle down about an inch's worth. I didn't bother stopping him because let's face it, at that point I wasn't about to drink it! Just when I thought he was finished he dunked his other paw in and sucked that clean. He brought his cold damp paws down on my knee, a direct hit on skin due to the tear in my jeans. He turned his golden gaze on me for a moment, then jumped off my lap and slunk under the bed.

By this I was given to understand that I have been monopolising the keyboard and I had better quit it, or further acts of retaliation can be expected. I had to wait until he fell asleep tonight to log on.

Really.

Winner

Night

It's late now, very late, and I still don't know what I want to say. I'm caught in that limbo between the desire to go to bed and the compulsion to stay awake. Sometimes I am like a child; I refuse to go to sleep no matter the fact that I'm ready to drop. It is as though I am afraid I will miss something really wonderful if I give in to the urge to slumber. Since discovering the beauty of magic in the storybooks of childhood, I have been convinced that wondrous things happen at night when the world is more powerful and mysterious and people are oblivious in their beds. As an adult I know that no matter how long I stay awake I won't see elves or faeries dancing on the dew drops without a little chemical help, which of course I forego. So no faeries, no elves. Yet there's still the little girl inside me insisting I stay awake anyway, and the adult in me aquiesces if for no other reason than that night time is the most peaceful time of all. I can always use a little peace.

Bonsoir. Buenos noches. Guten abend.
Goodnight!

Exposed

I'm almost there; word count is now 38,399.

Hello to my sweet, wonderful, intelligent and talented aunt Mary who has recently discovered my blog!

I don't have much to say, but I will just mention my total disgust for NBC tonight. They plan on airing more "never before seen footage" that's supposed to reveal the true Princess Diana. Why can't we just leave her the hell alone, even now? If not for her, how about for her sons? It makes me sick and I refuse to watch this or any other of these exposes on her life.

For that matter, I'm against this sort of trash altogether. I have no more right to know what goes on in people's private lives than they have a right to mine. I don't care how famous someone is, everyone has a basic right to privacy among their friends and family.

*stepping off soapbox now*

Interwoven

Same shot, different way.

Fried but Fine

I had a lot of errands to run today, keeping me busy and leaving me feeling behind. I'm curiously lacking in inspiration tonight. I'm tired. I had trouble sleeping last night and was forced to get up this morning. I'm afraid you're doomed to dullness from me now.

For those of you keeping an eye on us Americans, yesterday's post at Musings might interest you. Clear Channel is putting up billboards of Bush in one or two Florida locations and it has some people in an uproar.

For those who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving. For the rest of you, cheers and have a happy day anyway!

Evil, Unrepentant Aravis

How contentious I have become! In the past 24 hours I have become involved in several heated discussions, only one of which turned a little ugly. Let's start there:

1. I engaged in a debate with someone who claimed that AA promotes homosexuality, and who was attempting to start a petition to have churches evict AA meetings for that reason. He also claimed that Episcopal churches have given up the right to be called Christian because they will not condemn homosexuality. He took literature from AA and misrepresented both it and the program. I couldn't let it pass. His bigotry and ignorance equally riled me. I'm not gay, nor am I episcopalian, but he had attacked AA and my beliefs outside of the program. I used the AA literature, quoted back to him in full and in context. He never would address me directly in the comments. Instead he would write another post obliquely referring to something I said in the comments. He demanded that AA atone for condoning homosexuality (and for those of you who don't know, AA does not take a position on this or any other non-alcohol related issue!). Regarding the whole "Episcopalians aren't Christians" thing, I quoted the bible and the teachings of Jesus to rebut him. The worst thing I said or did was to call him a bigot and suggest he get help after several nasty comments of his. His next post called me an evil unrepentant, and he actually claimed that I was dangerous and had threatened his emotional and physical well-being. When I finished laughing, I wished him the best of luck getting sober and I deleted his address from my bookmarks. He has way too many issues to address! I'm not proud of my own behavior, but I did promise to pray for him, so I hope that counts for something. ;0)

2. I also debated with someone who felt that another blogger- arancaytar- owed him (as a representative of the U.S.A.) a debt of thanks for liberating Europe. The ironic part is that arancayter lives in Germany. Again, gave me a giggle.

The others, well, they were more like talks. We pretty much knew we wouldn't be changing each other's minds, but it stayed friendly.

Other discussions have remained fairly friendly. In the end you agree to disagree, right? I have discovered others as well, and will be adding links to their pages as time permits.

On another note, I bought the new U2 cd today. Glad I did. Am still listening to it. :0)

Sad Stories with Special Meaning

Current word count is 33,630. I had to stop; my wrist was locking up. These are the final days of the contest though and I need to start buckling down to it.

As I was writing I recalled an experience from when I first got sober. I had been arrested for drinking and driving, and had to pay the consequences. In New York state at the time, one of the consequences was to attend a Victims' Impact Panel. It was incredibly moving and sad. I have been sober for several years now but think it would be good to go to another, though I don't think the general public is invited and I'm not willing to get drunk and get in trouble in order to be invited. *G* Anyway, there were two stories which I remember still almost eight years later.

The first was told by a middle-aged woman. She was finishing up her last shift at a fast food restaurant along a busy highway one night. She was excited because the next day she was going to finally start living her dream of becoming a nurse. She had recently completed her degree and was to begin her career the following day. Instead, a drunk driver lost control of his car on the highway and drove through the restaurant, leaving her paralyzed and in pain. She was never able to begin that career after all.

The final speaker of that night was a woman who exuded sadness. I can still see her face. Her son had gone to a local bar and gotten drunk. As the evening wore on he wound up getting in a fight with another patron, and the bartender kicked her son out. He didn't try to fight with the bartender over it. However he did realize that he was too drunk to drive. He asked the bartender if he could just use the pay phone to call home for a ride because he wasn't in any condition to get behind the wheel. Cell phones weren't around back then. The bartender refused to let him use the phone. Her son became desperate, knowing that he was way too far gone to get behind the wheel. He begged the bartender to just let him call for help. The bartender was welcome to stand over him and personally escort him out the door after, he just wanted to call for a ride. The bartender refused and told him to get off the property. The young man left, and died two miles down the road when he lost control of his car.

I spoke with his mother after the panel was over. Her son's story and her pain touched me deeply. I introduced myself to her, talked about what had happened and thanked her for sharing such a painful story with us. I explained to her what I was trying to do with my life (getting sober) and told her that she had helped me enormously. She was so kind and gracious. She wished me well and was genuine, not sarcastic or doubtful as so many people are who don't believe you'll make it. I hope wherever she is today that she has found some measure of peace, that joy has crept back into her life. I think her son would have wanted that, don't you?

At It Again

Here's what I created for my brother. I'm having it blown up to poster size. I took this sepia-toned photo, taken during that snow day last week, and used the kaleidoscope tool to create.

So

turned into

SNL, U2, Lawsuits and Artistic Presents

I watched SNL tonight. I love that show still, even though the original cast was the best. U2 was the musical guest tonight, so nothing would have kept me away. During their third song, Bono jumped off the stage, played with a camera and then straddled some lucky blonde's lap while singing to her. Pretty funny, actually, because all I could think while he was doing that was "I hope she doesn't sue him for sexual harassment and emotional damage." Yes folks, it's possible. *G* They were getting ready to do a fourth number for the live audience. The rest of us, sadly, were cut off. Oh well. I'm buying U2's new CD when it's released later this week.

I'm thinking of a mixed-media piece made up in part of photos of all of us kids for my mother's Christmas present. I have an image in my mind, I'm just not positive yet on how, or even if, I'll bring it to life yet. It involves painting a background and decoupaging pictures with beads and wires and other everyday objects worked in. Perhaps more on this later. Mom would rather have money donated to one of her charities than have a store-bought present, so I'll do that as well. But she's a mom and likes her children's artwork best of all. I'm too old to give her a macaroni necklace spray-painted gold, so this will have to do. *L*

I still need to come up with something more for my brother than just the decorative wooden lock box I picked up for him the other day. I'll think of something though. In terms of my family, I'm off to a good start. I even have part of a present for Randy's mother. I just need to pick up one or two more little things for her. His two sisters and his father are far more difficult, his father especially.

I'll think of something.

A Cartoon and an Article

Polemics has a literary cartoon posted this weekend. While the author of this blog is conservative, he disagrees with this administration on many issues. Liberals will enjoy this "Weekend Sketch" far more than conservatives, therefore. Just to warn you...

Also in the news today, the New York Times wrote that an anti-abortion fight is commencing in the Senate as a provision was tacked onto a fast-tracked spending bill without discussion or debate. Despite plans to fight it, chances are it will pass.

I think that's enough politics for today.

Holiday-Inspired Creativity

I felt really alive today while working on a photography project/Christmas present for my kid sister. I took a photo of my sister and used the "Glowing Edges" technique on it. Then I cropped her from the background of the photo and copied her into the third photo from yesterday's postings. She was wearing a floor-length gown and with the special effects the combined pictures make her appear to be wandering through Fairyland by night. I know she'll like it. Here's a pop-up view, as the image is of necessity larger than I normally post here:

View image

Knowing me I will probably tweak it and play around some more. The actual photo is much larger than the pop-up, and the image of my sister is more clear.

Different Ways of Seeing

My photos were ready and I have some nice shots from the snow day. I was bored tonight and started playing with one, trying different effects. I especially like the third. What do you think?

	Original
Negative
	Glowing Edges

Wanted: Earplugs and a Dark Cave

I've got a pounding headache and two men scraping shingles off of my roof. This isn't good. Just waiting for the hammering to start, up above and in my brain...

Bad, Serendipitous, Funny

Is there someone from your past who, if you accidentally meet up with them somewhere, makes your skin crawl, your stomach clench and your blood run cold? Perhaps not, but there is for me. I ran into mine at the gas station today. He gave me the same sneer of contempt that he used to perpetually wear and I thought: Who was he to judge me? He was an abusive SOB to every woman he was ever with, even going so far as to hold a lighter to one ex-girlfriend's hand, yet he always thought he was God's Gift to us. I felt the old fury washing over me.

But then I remembered myself, who I am now, and he lost that old power to hurt me. He means nothing to me, so what he thinks doesn't matter.

So I forgot all about him and had a good time shopping instead. I bought a couple of Christmas presents. I was looking for a brown jacket for myself as well but couldn't find one I liked. On a whim I stopped by J.C. Penney's, and while I still didn't find the jacket I did stumble on a one day sale. Everything was 50% off! I bought an ivory sweater, tan cords and a brown leather purse, all for around $40! The cords are sooo soft, they're a treat to wear. It's funny because my husband had always refused to wear jeans; he'll only wear cords. I have spent years trying to get him into jeans, and in the end I'm buying cords for myself! He laughed at me when he saw them. *G*

All is well.

Another Show Gets Cheesy

I was watching The Amazing Race tonight and I'm struggling to find someone to cheer for. I like the grandparents, and so far I like the two girls who are best friends. Also kind of like the father/daughter team. They are all underdogs and have behaved the best so far. In terms of actual likeability, the grandparents win hands down. They'll also be eliminated soon, I have no doubt, and then where will I be?

The rest seem pretty detestable. Are these the best the producers could find, or is this show finally becoming as sleazy as most of the other so-called "reality" shows? Tonight's classic line says it all. After camping out on a beautiful glacier in Iceland, one woman said "My implants are frozen."

Yup. You heard it here. The next best line may have been uttered by the same woman. As she got into her safety gear for climbing an ice wall, she asked if her butt looked ok in the climbing harness...

Anger Management Methods

Let me preface this by saying that I am not currently angry; this is not a "venting" post.

Last night as I was working on my novel, I was writing about anger. We all feel it, and we all deal with it in different ways. Sometimes the way we cope with anger depends on the cause of it. Sometimes it doesn't. I usually bottle up my anger until I blow, which is unsatisfying on so many levels. Worst of all, even after I do explode and lash out, I am still left with a residual resentment, and someone else is angry with me. Overall, this method of anger management isn't very helpful. I have been learning other ways of coping which allow me to express my anger is a more productive way, and without any emotional hangovers. This transition from an old habit isn't easy, but it is worth it. Whether it's drawing cartoons lampooning issues and policies, or setting up personal boundaries and sticking to them, I'm beginning to feel better.

So as I think about coping with anger today, I find myself wondering:
What do you do to manage your anger?

A Study In Opposites

I'm pensive tonight. I had a nice evening with a couple of friends. As much as I have preferred isolation this year, tonight it felt good to be with others. I have not felt as weighed down lately as I have been. I am almost fearful to write those words. It feels as though I am asking for trouble, and you have to believe me when I say that I really and truly am not! It isn't that circumstances have changed; they haven't. I am simply more able to cope right now. I hope that doesn't mean I'm about to have more to cope with. I've had enough. So I am feeling good tonight. I am not consumed with anger or filled with despair. I don't believe people appreciate how peaceful it is to just be. These in-between-extreme times are so restorative for me, and I crave them when they are gone. Funny, this post started as a message about feeling happy during a pause in chaotic life events, but seems to have turned into a personal soul-cry for emotional balance. I'm doing all the right things and yet I'm still intrinsically off. There's more to be done here. Isn't it lovely that people are works-in-progress?

The Movie Maven is In

I went to the movies with my mother and sister today while my husband went out with some friends. My brother was supposed to come with but he fell asleep after being out all night with some of his friends, and so he couldn't wake up enough to join us. Typical when you're 18. Anyway, we saw Alfie. It was really well done. Mom saw the original version with Michael Cain when it came out and actually liked this one better. All of the actors did a tremendous job, and I loved the ending. This was a smart and funny film.

On the other end of the spectrum is Category 6: Day of Destruction on CBS. The plot is trite and the dialogue abysmal. I will watch the ending on Wednesday for the same reason I watched tonight: I love the special effects used in natural disaster movies. I like to see the colossal heights that a tidal wave can reach as it hits a city, or the swath of destruction a tornado leaves in its wake, or buildings shaken to the ground, all on a purely fictional basis. As for this made for tv movie, I'm left hoping that they paid Brian Dennehy and Randy Quaid well to appear in something so poorly written that it makes me cringe for the seasoned performers. This is one of those movies where there are just so many people you hope to see taken out by the storms. Not too many sympathetic characters in this clunker.

I had a profound thought, but decided not to share. It's time to go to bed instead. Goodnight! *G*

A Musical Evening

Thanks to Maggie for making me aware of this! The quiz was more difficult than I expected! It's tough to recall exact lyrics by reading a snippet of song, out of context, after reading snippets from other songs, and all without benefit of the tune. A couple of times I had the right answer but I made a word plural or wrote "your" instead of "you," that sort of thing. That being said, it was a lot of fun taking the quiz and remembering. A final thought: there's not enough color in the shirt above. Remember the neon colors, ladies? But that collar is bringing back memories! ;0)

Speaking of music, my mother and sister invited me out tonight to see a friend perform at a local coffeehouse. Pat and a guy named Dave play guitars and sing for a couple of hours once or twice a month at this particular spot, but it was the first time we saw them perform. We had a great time. The music was mostly bluesy, from the forties to today. She even sang some Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge. Too cool. Great way to spend the evening. My only plan for the night was to watch tv and veg until Randy came home from work. I like their plan much better! Best of all? I rode shotgun and got to sit in the heated seat while little sister had to freeze in the back until the car finished warming up! She's young, she'll get over it! *snicker* Anyway, she claimed the seat as soon as they dropped me off back home.

Heated seats are a really nice feature this time of year. I wish I had that in my car! *G*

Cheerful Update

The storm arrived ahead of time and I woke to a mostly white world. How wonderful! I took those photos of my dogs outside and hopefully with any luck I can share Sam and Greta with you next week.

It's so serene and beautiful out there. I can't decide which I want to do first, go for a walk or write. I'm sure to do both today! :0)

Put on a Happy Face

Randy and I wrapped up our week as a Nielsen Family last night. It was a lot of fun really. I'm looking forward to seeing how the ratings turn out. :0)

We are due to get our first snow of the season beginning late tomorrow night, and the weather is supposed to last throughout the weekend. I'm worried about my husband having to drive. Other than that though, I feel happy and expectant. I always love the first snow. The quiet fall of the flakes is peaceful, and I love the feel of them melting on my face or clinging to my eyelashes. Less pleasant is the sensation of a snowball shoved down the back of one's shirt! *G* Workers were supposed to come and fix our roof this weekend, but it looks as though that is pretty much out. Not a problem! This simply means that I'll be able to sleep in after all.

Sometimes, life is good! :0)

Watching a Moment

I'm thinking about my father a little tonight, and while I feel sad, I don't feel tragically so. It began when the song House of the Rising Sun started to run through my head. I've always loved it, and it was my signature song when I used to perform. What I didn't find out until years later is that my father also loved that song, and performed it often. Now every time I think of that song, or Summer in the City- his other favorite staple- I think of him. One of my aunts played a video at the reception after his funeral services. On it he was playing piano and singing for a bedridden elderly woman who was dying. She expressed a wish to hear her piano played one last time. My aunt asked my father if he would come play, and he did. He had never met the woman before, but that didn't matter. He played and sang for her for a couple of hours, until she grew tired and needed to rest. He could be so compassionate and giving sometimes, and I try to remember him that way. The elderly woman passed away a few days later. I'm glad he was able to give her that gift which cost nothing and meant so much. It was a gift to us that my aunt had taped the whole thing. As we mourned his loss and celebrated his life, we were able to watch him and listen to him. He was smiling and his eyes twinkled as he entertained. My father was good at wearing a mask to hide his pain, but I could often see through it. After all, I'm the same way. Therefore it was good to see the genuine joy of living that he exuded that day.

I think of those songs, and I can still see him sitting at the piano, smiling and singing. Happy.

Upgraded and Happy

Version 1.0 went live yesterday. I love this browser! It's safer, faster, easier, customizable and I can see websites the way they were meant to be seen.

Weather Women

The dryads whispered of the coming storm.

Calling the Election

I really don't want this to be a political blog, and so I try not to talk too often about that subject anymore. However I came across something I just had to share while reading glassdog.

So if the Republicans are quite through doing their Happy Dance, according to Keith Olbermann of MSNBC News the elections aren't really quite over, despite Kerry's concession speech.

Oh, I don't really think anything will change. It should, but it won't. I think Kerry was the Gentleman to the Republican party thieves. I'm not saying Bush was directly involved; I somehow don't see him stooping that low. But you can bet many of his supporters lacked his scruples. Look at the numbers.

Lost and Found

The fog weighed heavily on my skin; it's moisture was oppressive. The air was still, silent. The occasional shadowy movements around me were far from reassuring. I moved forward hesitantly, afraid of falling. Something slithered past my ankles in the water and I cried out in surprise. The denseness of the air absorbed the sound of my voice, as though my call had never been. I did not cry. I was afraid, but I was also angry, and that made me determined to succeed. I took a deep breath and continued on, the muddy lake bottom sucking at my feet. The moisture in the air left a sheen on my skin and my hair clung damply to my neck, but I found it. Barely discernible at first, it grew darker and more distinct as I approached.

Land.

Actually, I have no idea what this photo was. I suspect it is another taken while I was loading the film in my camera. I fell in love with it though the minute I saw it. It has such a mystical quality to it. It reminds me a bit of the misty waters that must be crossed to find Avalon, if you find Avalon.

Spending Time

I went to visit my grandmother in the nursing home today. She has difficulty walking now, so she doesn't get out of the building much anymore. She couldn't remember my name at first, but she had a pretty good idea of who I was. After a couple of minutes she was fairly lucid. My mother was there too and together we got my grandmother into her wheelchair and brought her down to the dining hall for some tea. My mother painted her nails, I showed her some cute kitten and puppy pictures from the internet that we had printed out for her. She loves animals, and cats in particular. Thankfully the nursing home has three cats and two dogs in addition to two cockatiels. With the exception of the cockatiels the animals have the run of the place and have become adept at hitching rides on the elevators. Signs at all entrances warn visitors to watch out for them and not let them loose. The residents get such a kick out of these animals, which have all been rescued from local shelters. It's a nice program.

After tea and a manicure, we took my grandmother up to the second floor to the conservatory. There were red and white geraniums, white cyclamen, another thing resembling bleeding hearts, but I'm not positive they were. There were probably other flowers as well but in case you didn't realize after my last sentence, I'm not very good at recognizing and naming flora. Lots of greenery, such as ferns and other oxygen emitting goodies provided a foil for the blossoms. We had a pleasant visit.

Political Quote

Realizing that this will offend some people, it made me laugh and I'm posting it anyway:

"All conservatives are such from personal defects. They have been effeminate by position or nature, born halt and blind, through luxury of their parents, and can only, like invalids, act on the defensive."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Aravis, Thy Name is Slacker

What a glorious day! The sun is shining and the wind has died down. I have nothing to do and nowhere to be. I'm feeling lazy and mildly bored, pondering such weighty matters as whether to read or watch the programs I recorded last night. I could write, but probably won't until later. I think it's a perfect day for staying in my pj's. Why not? They're comfy and I don't plan to go anywhere. Yes, I realize I started this post by saying how gorgeous it is outside but frankly, it often is and I just don't feel like wandering aimlessly outdoors like a lost mental patient today. Given the fact that I more or less am a mental patient, I figure the wandering around lost bit can come later, thank you very much.

*off to wander aimlessly around my house instead*

No Birds Today

This is from the tree in my front yard. I took several of this and other trees around the property; I know I have metioned my love of photographing trees, and branches in particular. The random and beautiful patterns fascinate me. This photo also captures the rough texture of the bark. It's lonely and a little wild.

Cool Stuff

While loading and advancing the film in my camera I managed to take some crazy shots. One in particular is really creepy and funky: It looks as though you're hiding but the Bad Man found you anyway! Actually, that's Jimmy Neutron and his father on TV. My finger must have been obscuring the lens while I clicked and advanced the film, creating this and other odd images. In other news, Randy and I started our gig as a Nielson family today. It's pretty cool. The diaries they send are more detailed and complicated than I thought, but I don't mind it at all. It's fun! Well, I can't put it off any longer. It's time to write.

Feline Personality Disorders, Part One

Patches

Louisa

These are two of the warm, snuggly, furry little bodies who comfort me and keep me company on cold drizzly days like today. Patches lurks under furniture and is very skittish. You can't see him, but you know he's there. For that reason we also refer to him as "The Phantom." Patches wants to be like me. When I am trying to write he emerges from whatever dark dusty nook he's been hiding in and jumps onto my lap. He pushes my hands out of the way and tries to type. Unfortunately, keyboards were not designed with cats in mind and he cannot make himself clear. He would lodge a complaint of discrimination against the differently abled, but as I said, he can't make himself understood. He has also tried to use my pens and pencils, but runs into the same problem. Writing implements simply weren't designed with him in mind. He is very good, however, at using the mouse. Well, chasing and batting it at any rate. One mouse is as good as another, I guess.

As for Louisa, she came with the nickname "Wheezy," which she and I both agree was a pretty rotten thing to do to a cat. I usually refer to her as Miss Wheeze, or Miss Louisa. You can imagine which she prefers. Even Miss Wheeze is an improvement over Wheezy though, or so she informs me. The use of "Miss" implies a proper show of respect. She is scathing in her commentary about those who do not show her due deference. One doesn't need words to communicate, you know. As for her hobbies, she loves music. When I am really belting out a song she comes running over. If I am sitting down she examines my mouth and lips while I sing, then rubs against my arm. I choose to interpret this behavior as a sign of her approval and awe of my incredible talent. When I play the piano she will come running and jump on the keys, stalking back and forth across them to make her own tunes. This is, of course, because she wants to express her musical creativity and not a remark upon my own skills as a pianist.

Someday soon I'll take pictures of my dogs. They are both black, so I think I'll wait until we have a good snowfall and get them while they're outside playing. Believe me, they each have distinctive personalities of their own. Anyone who has ever had the privilege of sharing their lives and their homes with a pet can tell you that!

Not in the Mood

I have spent the past couple of hours trying, but I simply can't think of anything nice to say. My heart hasn't been in my writing tonight either.

Current word count: 12,564.

Progressing Nicely

I don't much feel like talking, so I'll just share that I have now written 10,055 words out of the necessary 50,000. I might actually be able to do this thing after all.

A Golden Day

I spoke with my representative from comp insurance today. She asked what the doctor said and I told her about Friday. I explained that I would do my best to find a job but that it would be difficult with my limitations because I live in a rural area. She was very pleasant and told me not to worry. She will let my adjustor know of my situation and they will set me up with vocational retraining. Exactly what that will entail I'm not sure yet. However my major financial concerns of the past month are solved. They are not going to cut me off and make me wait until I get my disability rating in March, etc. I was giddy with relief when she reassured me that they would help me. I'm glad; I don't really want to have to involve lawyers. I'm not big on lawsuits, despite my interest in law.

To celebrate I drove to a nearby town to buy a CD (Indigo Girls, Indigo Girls) I've wanted. I bought the tape when it originally came out in '89, and it is just about shot. I love listening to it while I'm writing, and since I'm writing this novel and since I felt like celebrating, I treated myself to the CD. As I was driving through the town I saw something that struck me as funny. First there was the standard yellow street sign which read "Caution Elderly Housing." The next building after this sign was a funeral home.

Actually, the elderly housing development is across the street from the funeral home. I'm not at all sure that's an improvement. Whose poor granny gets the apartment that overlooks that?

Off to write and listen to my tunes...

Futures In My Hands

Tonight was fun. I dressed up as a gypsy fortune teller and handed out candy at my friends' house while they took their son out trick-or-treating. Nobody comes to our house because of where it's located so it has become a tradition that I decorate and mind their house so they can both spend time with their son. I brought my tarot cards and did fake readings for some of the older kids, but only if they asked. I don't feel like listening to any angry parents. I made sure that they would draw one of only a couple of cards that I could give happy interpretations to, and all of the cards wound up meaning that they needed some candy! *G* While parents might secretly agree if their child drew The Devil for example, I can't think of a good way to spin Death. These cards were not an option. ;0)

Now I should sign off. It is November 1st at last and it is time to start writing that novel! I'll keep you posted.

Good luck to all of my fellow contestants!!!