Start of a Busy Week

It's only noon as I start typing this. Yep, I was awake before noon. DH had a dentist appointment. The Princess Pup and the Grandpuppy had grooming apppointments.And GK was awake until dawn, playing video games.

So, GK is still asleep. DH and Grandpuppy are now napping. And I'm watching The Weather Channel as Hurricane Beryl lashes Houston while waiting for the text that Princess Pup has finished her beauty treatment.

Before he fell asleep, DH agreed with my statement that I was glad we no longer living in Houston. Last night, I texted friends who live down there. Everyone was prepped for Beryl's landfall.

I will write for a bit this afternoon and edit while I bleach my hair in preparation for another round of pink. When it's cooler tonight, I need to deal with the weeds trying to uproot our brick patio. After dark, I'll get online and sprint with some friends.

And it's only Monday!

There's a lot more things scheduled over the next eight days. All I can do is what I can. Last thing I want is to trigger another stress-related inflammation cycle. I don't have time to be stuck on the couch for another week.

July Is for Madonna

This is from one of my favorite movie soundtracks. The movie itself could have been better.

Reliving Some Fun

I've been watching Jem and the Holograms while I was doing bills today. Back in college, I depended on the cartoon series to get my ass out of bed in college. Without Jem, Aja, Shana, and Kimber, I probably would have flunked out.

So, if you can't get Tubi, here's the YouTube listing!

Attempting to Get Back into the Groove

July's Camp NaNo started Monday, but I've barely gotten any words in on any of my projects. Part of it is that I'm still recovering from the ravages of the four-day trip to my immuno-compromised body. Part of it the errands we need to do before Genius Kid heads to his next duty station.

Like getting the Grandpuppy's vaccinations up to date. Getting the cars unpacked. Washing up everything that was covered with dog hair. Figuring out storage places for the household items that won't be going to the next duty station because it's a short-term assignment.

Over the next few weeks, we'll need to register the rest of GK's vehicles in Ohio. Get Grandpuppy officially licensed in our county. Find GK an appropriate laptop for travel. Change GK's phone plan so he can make international calls. Obtain a few items compatible with the electric system where he's going.

I'm still teetering on the edge of exhaustion. Picking up my prescriptions, a card for this weekend's wedding of one of DH's cousins, and some fresh veggies for tonight and tomorrow night's dinners wore me out.

Tonight's my writing groups free night because one of our members works the late shift on Wednesday. Normally, I write anyway, but I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake.

Will I finished writing one freaking book this summer? Yes, but I refuse to kill myself doing it.

Back in Ohio

We arrived home late last night with GK's cars and everything that couldn't go in the moving truck, including the Grandpuppy. I was even able to get a little done writing and editing-wise in between last-minute errands, packing up the two cars, and cleaning out the apartment.

Unfortunately, by the time I pulled into the driveway, my entire body hurt like hell between insufficient sleep, a piss-poor diet, and general stress from driving two days straight from San Antonio to northwest Ohio. Autoimmune issues suck the big one.

Today's going to be a time-suck with little writing accomplished, too. We already took the Grandpuppy to the vet for his immunizations. The guys are working on the Buick in preparation for the Buick Nationals next weekend. And I'm going through e-mail and snail mail in between loads of laundry.

I'm meeting some writer friends in Detroit for lunch next week. I'm really looking forward to that.

I just hope I survive until then. Sometimes, I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place.

June is For Madonna

Madonna's style changed yet again with the birth of her first child Lourdes.

Planes and Thunderstorms Do Not Mix

I was supposed to be driving to the Detroit International Airport this evening, As I was climbing into the car, I got a text from the airline that said my flight was extremely delayed. So delayed in fact, that I would miss my connecting flight in St. Louis, the last last flight of the day to San Antonio.

A massive series of thunderstorms have been moving through the Midwest today, so I wasn't very surprised. After the heat dome and no rain for the last two weeks, we badly needed the precipitation in our neck of the woods.

While checking into the first text, I was also rather happy I got a second text from Southwest, letting me know my flight was already rescheduled for tomorrow morning. I can't fault their customer service, especially when Mother Nature is far beyond their control.

I'm a little disappointed in that I'll need to sleep most of Thursday since I'll be up for 24 hours straight. I'd been looking forward to a day of solid writing while Genius Kid finishes up errands before he can officially go on leave, but like he said, if we need to stay an extra day, it's not going to hurt either of us. However, I've been on a roll writing A Cup of Conflict, and I hope losing two days doesn't break my mental streak. Alas, life likes to roll over us as we try to plan.

In the meantime, I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Monday Movie Mania - IF

This is definitely one case where you shouldn't listen to the critics!

IF is not a true comedy despite what the ads insinuate. And for once, the trailers don't give away what's really going on in a movie. The story has more of an UP feel. Life has its good and bad, but we humans tend to lean too much into the bad. We forget to celebrate the good.

------------------


SPOILERS

-------------------


PROS
1) John Krasinski's writing and directing are dead-on as usual.

2) Ryan Reynolds is as funny as usual, but also crochety and tender, showing his range as an actor.

3) Fiona Shaw is more widely known as Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia. However, her role as Bea's flighty grandmother demonstrates why she's one of Ireland's top actors.

4) Cailey Fleming was definitely a favorite among some of my friends who loved The Walking Dead. As Bea, she turns up the star power in IF. She's definitely an actor to keep an eye on in the future. She's got the right touch of emotions in the right places, and she doesn't overact like so many child performers.

5) And of course, there's a loving tribute to Louis Gosset Jr. as Lewis. This was Gosset's last feature film.

CONS
1) The only cons to this movie are the critics who are to jaded to get the story.


Overall, I give IF 10 stars out of 10 for celebrating the memories of our childhoods.

June is for Madonna

Madonna's religious symbolism raised an uproar with the Like a Prayer album from 1989. She lost her advertising deal with Pepsi after using this song in one of their ads.

Motivation

Losing motivation can be a common thing with any artist.

There are times when you've busted your ass, and someone, well meaning or not, can deliver an awful critique. Or you fail to hit goals, whether unrealistic or not. Or you experience a major life roll that knocks you on your butt. Or you burn out due to various reasons.

In my case, the last ten years have been super stressful. The family moved 1200 miles. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. DH and I lost all four of our parents. Our only child joined the military. The COVID pandemic happened, and we lost some people we cared about. We moved into a new house, and we haven't really had a chance to unpack.

After all that, I didn't really break down until this year. Normally, I have 200K words written by this time of year. Today, I finally hit 40K.

Yeah, I know. HUGE difference.

Something needed to change. I started taking yoga classes. I took a short five-day vacation to one of my favorite cities with a new friend.

But most importantly, I started writing in the afternoons and evenings with some long distance writer friends.

The nice thing is there's no weird competition with these folks. We all write some combo of fantasy and romance, but not the same subgenres. We share tips and tricks. We write hard, then break to share covers or puppy pics.

These particular things might not motivate you, and that's fine. Experiment with what might work for you.

 One gal I know bought a house with a pool. Her rule is she can't use the pool until she gets her words in for the day. This time of year, she's done by 11 am, so she can sun and do laps.

Someone else buys shoes (her obsession) when she finishes a novel or the equivalent of novelas.

Another writer gets their exercise in first, so her writing is her reward for running a couple of miles.

There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to motivation. You need to figure out what works for you.

In the meantime, a HUGE THANK YOU to Candi, Kate, and Madi for helping me get back on track for 2024!