A Hell of a Week

Jessica Morrigan

Snow. Public Executions. Taxes.

There's a massive snow storm targeting the East Coast. The winds have been so blustery we got lake effect snow from Lake Michigan. Again. Plus, we're having record cold in Northwest Ohio. The kind of frigid temps that when you step outside, any exposed skin hurts!

There's too much going on in the world and at home, and I need a break. You know it's bad when I get an hour and a half, and I write to relieve the tension building inside of me.

So, I'm going to do something I haven't done in years. I'm taking the last day of January off.

Totally off. No writing. No marketing. No prep for the planned Kickstarters for 2026. Nothing.

I'm going to brew a cup of Irish Breakfast tea, curl up on the couch, and read. What will I read? I'm not sure yet. I've got several books by Jonathan Moeller and Lilith Saintcrow, two of my favorite authors, that I haven't devoured yet. The hardback of the latest Dresden Files arrived last week. And there's literally thousands of titles on my Kindle and in the boxes I've been unpacking, all waiting for me to consume them.

Oh, and the Princess Pup will probably be under the blanket with me, snoring away as she uses me as her personal heater. 

See y'all on Monday!

 

P.S. Apparently, the fascists in the country haven't realized everyone's designing these logos to resemble the Rebel Alliance symbol. You know, the movie where Antifa are fighting the Space Nazis. Seriously, that's why George Lucas called the henchmen Stormtroopers!

Thanksgving Prep

I'd hoped to announce a holiday project I'm involved in. Unfortunately, it's been delayed a couple of days.

Instead, I'm working on packing up our house. Tomorrow's big project will be Genius Kid's room. Fortunately, he packed up his gaming consoles before he left for the Army. We shipped his TV and PC to him once he was allowed to have them. Most of his clothes will go to Goodwill because he no longer fits in them.

In the meantime, I cleaned out the refrigerator at the new house and loaded it with Pepsi Zero and water. I just need to take a box of granola bars over with me tomorrow. I'm happy having my own office, but I'm at the point I never want to move again.

Other than cooking, I am definitely taking Thursday off!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day is a day to celebrate workers' rights. All the things our predecessors went through, including being murdered, to give us the workweek and benefits we have now. I could go on and on about how those rights are being eroded.

But the paradigm is starting to change. More and more people, like me, are jumping on the entrepreneurial bandwagon. We feel we have to work harder and faster than everyone else around us to succeed.

And we end up burning ourselves out in the process. The very things our predecessors fought so hard for, we don't take them into consideration. No one is forcing us to work so hard except ourselves.

Especially creatives. We need time to refill the well. More and more of my colleagues are taking one day of the week to themselves. To read. Walk. Play with their children. Spend quality time with their significant others. Watch the stars spin across the sky. To refill that well.

So no matter what you do for a living, take a moment to simply breath this weekend and enjoy being alive.

Needing a Day Off

NaNo is usually a major blast for me, but with the insanity of Thanksgiving last week, I've stumbled getting anything done. I realized I've been writing like crazy for the last four months, and despite loving my projects, I was on the edge of burn-out.

Since DH has this week off, I took off a day. We slept in, got some breakfast at Starbucks, and headed to the Lima mall. I'm not a mall person, but the Monday after Thanksgiving is usually pretty quiet. Today was no exception.

DH wanted some sweatpants, and I needed a couple of long-sleeve overshirts since the weather's finally getting colder here. I picked up some peppermint bath gel because the store at home only had lotion left. I raided Yankee Candle for holidays scents. At DH's eyeroll, I pointed out I hadn't been there in two years. And I bought him a Christmas Cookie-scented candle as a bribe.

Finally, we put in our pre-order for cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon for the holidays. Well, we also got a six-pack to take home today. Those rolls taste so good, but are so bad for you at the same time!

GK ordered a 32" TV for himself on Black Friday. It wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow, but apparently, USPS has its shit together. It arrived while we were out and about, so the postperson left the box with our complex manager.

Not long after we picked up the TV and unloaded the rest of the car, the UPS guy showed up with the books I ordered, which weren't supposed to be here until Wednesday.

I'm impressed the delivery people are on top of things this early in the season!

It's snowing, and we're settling in for the night (though I really should go out and walk off that Cinnabon I just ate). I'll make cheeseburgers and steamed veggies for dinner. We'll watch the Texans play the Titans.

It's been a necessary mental health day. I'll jump back into my imaginary worlds in the morning.