Just a day

I wake up several times, but on the overall it was a good enough night, albeit a little short. There were lots of dreams, about travels from the past and present alike, creating a jumble of images in my head that I can’t even begin to unravel. A pity. It would have been nice to write another dream down on this day that will certainly seem boring.

What with the competition falling through, I take my time with the morning rituals, spending about an hour just reading (for fun), making the bed, and gathering laundry. It is then that I spend a useless fifteen minutes trying to find the key of my front door.
Sometime during yesterday morning’s release of the dogs, it got lost and I am unable to find it anywhere.

I am, of course unable to find it, so I give up and haul my laundry, computer bag, and my dogs down to the courtyard, setting it all away and then changing into my workout clothes. I certainly feel up to some exertion today, my body feels restless to say the least.

For some reason it takes up to eighty minutes to go through the routines, and I find myself enjoying the exercise that can be done in a workout top and trousers, rather than the long sleeved T that I’ve been using for the past weeks. The temperature today is actually warm, and it is invigorating.

I’m not even cold afterwards, and take my time to cool down from the workout with stretches and such before I head for the shower. Afterwards I have a light breakfast that doesn’t fall well at all, my stomach playing up once more.
With a mug of coffee I settle behind my computer and while away the last couple of hours before I have to get ready to go to town.

There’s another exchange for books (in effect reviews) waiting when I get online. I do admit to being quite curious about what the readers of the past few days think of the W.I. Investigations. Though I have heard some marvelous responses already, it’s always good to get another opinion. Hah.

In the meantime big brother is reading up on his updates about the LHC project in Cern and scoffs about the latest analysis where it is claimed that when they’re going to imitate the “Big Bang” it is PROBABLY not going to create planet gobbling black holes.

It baffles me how scientists take such risks. I mean, anyone taking such a risk would be cut off at the knees. But no, in the name of science pretty much anything goes in the end. What do we need to know about some big bang anyway? What possible good will come of using such an incredible force?
Does anyone recall the first moron thinking up the rather disastrous nuclear division? Yes, we’ve got power from it, but can anyone spell A-Bomb, radiation, nuclear waste, melt downs and God know what else? Duh! Hello! Any brain cells working over there?

Let’s theorize for a second and think what is going to happen if they don’t botch this test up and create…I don’t know, a new power source? Does anyone really think some twat isn’t going to get the brilliant idea to make some wonderful weapon of mass destruction? Don’t we know human nature a little better than that?
Like I said. It’s baffling. Does no one even remotely intelligent watch doomsday movies?

But anyways, after some chats, time has gotten away from me, and I need to hurry on up to get changed for our lessons in town. By the time I’m ready to go, and am at the verge of climbing from the porch step when a sparkle underneath it catches my eye. The key, it’s right there. Right where I SHOULD have been able to see it during my search that very morning…and didn’t. Aaaargh!

Stabbing it in my pocket, I dismount the steps, and then head for the car by the time big brother appears and joins me. With his arrival at the car we depart and start on our way to town.
We reach the school in little time and speak with our teacher for a bit, who says that it is about time for us to start on the harder courses now that we pretty much know where the computer tests “are at”.

Together we agree that if things continue the way they are, we’ll be ready for our exams mid-February, which is a reassuring thought, to say the least.
She’s in a cheerful mood today, very few students came by during the course of the day, we’re thinking. She’s joking with us, pleased with our progress, it seems, while we start doing lessons on paper once more.

The questions are insane, having absolutely nothing to do with what we’re there to learn, but we muddle through until two hours later the school is ready for closing and we need to call it a night.

On the way home, we visit the video rental store in hopes of finding “Wanted” or “Tropic Thunder” available to take home with us, but regretfully neither are is, so we head for the bazaar instead and buy a few items that we need.

By the time we get home the evening is advancing rapidly, and neither of us feels up to an editing, or writing, session at all. I’m still bit nauseous, and actually have some dry heaves, but still manage to choke down on a small dinner of yesterday’s meal.

Afterwards we check out Carla’s (orange Cocker Spaniel) foot soles, which appear to be bothering her. There appears to be some swelling, which is treatable by us. Then we haul Njanna (Golden Retriever) on the table as well, so we can check out his ear.

The poor dog has been suffering from bad ear infections for years, and while we thought that the last treatment finally had effect, we find that the ear is once again fully, and disgustingly infected. It is strange but Njanna has shown no sign at all of discomfort this time, which is why we are a bit on the late side checking out the damage.

A nasty smell comes from his ear, and for some time I keep the dog in a tight hold, so big brother can remove the puss, dirt and excessive hair for a better view. It smells awful, but most gets removed, after which we release the Retriever, so we can prepare a mix of boiled water and vinegar for proper cleaning.

That done, I spend a little while removing spider webs from walls and ceilings, and head for the courtyard to hang my laundry before I’m ready to call it a full day and start gathering up my dogs so I can take them up to my quarters.

It has started to rain, and I hurry on my way to the cabin, dispersing food for my dogs and spending half an hour of reading before I settle down for the evening and log on.

Very disappointing.

Okay, I got way too little sleep this night. Due to the fact that my Internet connection was completely on the fritz with the fierce windstorm raging down the mountain, it took me ages to get messages and chats out, until very late in the night. It drove me crazy that every time I wrote something down, the connection would be gone again and I’d have to go through the tedious procedure of restarting the program and linking online once more.

Because of that I was unable to get to bed until ‘round six in the morning, and when I did finally get into bed, I lay awake ‘till dawn, pretty much gnashing my teeth in annoyance. I just couldn’t find the right position, it seemed, and then I got itches in all sorts of places, which of course helped keeping me solidly awake well after the sun rose working very hard to keep my eyes open with light falling right in my face.

Added to this fact, I wake up four hours later, with not a single fiber in my body, willing to go back to sleep, and adrenaline pumping for some unfathomable reason that I just can’t figure out. So I get up, figuring that since I can’t sleep anyway, I might as well get out of bed and start on the day. Heck, I might actually get some work done.

First thing I do, upon arriving at the house, is put on the coffee. Today I’m definitely going to be fueled by caffeine, which makes me edgy as hell after I finish the usual morning chores and then set up the computer to do a quick scan of the messages.
Breakfast makes me nauseous, and this particular feeling stays with me throughout the day, the way it usually does when I get too little sleep.

However, I’ve got four volunteers for a read and review of the “W.I. Investigations” so I spend some time sending those out, before having some fun on the net while I wait for big brother to finish his own responsibilities (they last incredibly long today, for some reason) so we can get to the dreaded editing. It is always an exciting feeling to know that people are going to read my book, and that doesn’t change on a day such as this.

At long last we get to it…needing to pause half an hour into the chore when we help mom with her revalidation exercises…and then get hit by the frustrating news that the last vampire story we sent to the publisher was denied. NOT A GOOD DAY!
The first one we haven’t got a response to yet, but apparently the second one didn’t entirely fit the format they were looking for, or some such.
It was a nice enough letter, giving some feedback at least, so it doesn’t bother us too much, though it is disappointing, of course.

So, with the afternoon rapidly advancing, we try editing again, at which time the sibs arrive, sending the dogs into their usual flurry of motion and noise, completely preventing us from focusing on the task at hand. Aaargh!

We only manage a few pages during this time, finally deciding to quit for a few hours, to see to the dogs’ needs, feeding them and then starting on our own dinner.
I’m in the mood for something light and easy, so I settle on pasta with a fresh tomato sauce that is rapidly prepared and filling at the very least.

After dinner I take the time to do some quick cleaning in the kitchen, and then hang today’s batch of laundry after taking yesterday’s down for folding.
That done, this week’s episode of “House” and “The Mentalist” are on, and for the next couple of hours we enjoy the stories of these two very different characters.

By the time the two shows draw to an end, both big brother and I settle behind our computers again, resuming the editing, and managing a few more pages until it is time to retire for the evening. Where does a day go? I wonder sometimes. Time, as they, is certainly relative.

With big brother’s promise to sign me up for the Amazon competition I head for my cabin, the dogs in tow, and feed them when my house-phone shrills, just when I’m about to settle down with a book that I intend to read just for the fun of it.

As it turns out, I can’t enter the competition after all, since for some reason–I can’t imagine what–Spain residents are not allowed to compete.
WTF?
That certainly takes me aback for a minute, wondering why the heck not, when so many other countries are allowed to enter. What’s wrong with Spain? And what is wrong with this day?

It’s baffling, and though once again disappointing, I do finally resign in the matter. In the end it really doesn’t change all that much, except for the fact that we won’t be forced to work on a rather tight deadline before submission. It is a pity, however.

Well, tomorrow promises to be another busy day. Lots of editing (different book) to be done, school to go to, and probably a lot of other things that are bound to drive me bonkers.

I really aught to get some sleep fast.

Too busy for long post.

Though it was my plan to get up at my usual time today, I drop back into bed after releasing the dogs into the yard and snooze for an extra thirty minutes. There are a variety of dreams that flash through my mind during this nap, several that made me think I’ve had them before, and they make me feel somewhat edgy when I finally do get up and prepare myself to face the day.

The dogs are a bit restless today, too, which can probably be explained by the fierce wind sweeping from every direction…or so it seems. It IS a bit disconcerting, I admit when I follow them down to the house and prepare myself for today’s workout.

I’m a bit wary to start, what with my lungs still feeling somewhat clogged, but once I get started and blood begins to pump through muscles that feel somewhat weak, the sensation of watery air subsides at last.

Even though I don’t do the extras I’d been adding during the last exercise sessions, I slowly make my way through every routine. Since I’ve been ill, I decide that accuracy and form are more important now than the quantity, and deliberately focus on that as an hour rapidly passes.

In the end I’m pretty pleased to find that I had to stop only twice for a fierce bout of coughs, and head for the showers so I can get on with the day with more energy than I had before.

After breakfast big brother and I start on editing, when I suddenly remember one of my Internet buddy mentioning an Amazon competition. We talk about it for a bit, going over the rules and requirements on the site until we decide to put a halt to our present project and attempt prepare one of my bigger novels for entering the competition that will start in less than two weeks.

It should be doable, since the story is good and will need only one final edit before it’s ready, so for the next few hours we rigorously go through the beginning of the tale until it is time to feed the dogs…and ourselves.

During this time, where focusing on anything more strenuous than some mindless television show is pretty much impossible, I tackle the pantry for the second time this week. Some of the dogs managed to get in there and spread an entire bag of garbage over the floor, requiring a serious clean up that I don’t particularly enjoy.

I forgot to hang laundry this morning, so I take that out too, pleased to find that yesterday’s batch has been dried effectively by the fierce wind literally howling its way into the courtyard. It’s not a cold wind, however, so I actually enjoy the feel of it as I bring the dry batch inside and then start hanging the wet pile I carried outside

That done, I head for the kitchen. Little sister has been complaining consistently about the fact that the main sink still isn’t ready for use. Knowing how very annoying working with a too small sink when doing the dishes, is, I search for the silicone kit that has somehow gotten lost during the course of the past few weeks. I finally find it hidden under a stack of old drawers and start applying it around the metal section.

By this time the dogs have once again quieted and after folding today’s laundry big brother and I resume our editing until our minds can no longer grasp the complexities of grammar and sentence structure. The hour of midnight has arrived by then anyway, so the day is drawing to an end.

We watch a comedy rerun for a few minutes, after which I decide that it’s time to go up to my cabin so I can do my final reading of the review book while still having time to actually write my opinion down.

I have to say that I am pretty pleased with the end result of the review and if all goes well I will post it tonight, before starting on my usual chats, and general fun time on line.

One book review, done, only three more to go.

Edting, writing and...terrorism?

So, I only wake half an hour late today. What with my lungs acting up I’ve been sleeping with the heater on, so it’s nice and toasty by the time I open my eyes and scowl at the Trin Trin and Knight II tugging on either end of the bedspread like the monstrosities that they are.

With a snarl at the Great Dane, and lurching halfway out of bed, I manage to grab the Monster Boxer by her collar and drag her close. I just barely manage to toss her out the back door before she tries to pounce back.

A relieved sigh escapes me as I fall back on the bed, and take to staring at her bouncing behind the window like the lunatic that she is. Don’t get me wrong, Trin Trin is a sweet dog about ninety percent of the time, but other ten…oh my. It almost seems as if she got some of her wiring crossed, or some such, which is such a pity. I do hope she gets a bit milder as age comes on.

Four minutes later, and wincing every time one of the other pack members barks insistently for their release, I get out of bed and knee my way through their jubilant bodies crowded in front of the door I need to unlock and then open.

Once they’re out, I stretch the kinks from my back and start on the morning rituals of reading, dressing and making the bed. What with running a little late, I don’t linger upstairs for long, and arrive at the house some thirty minutes after waking.

Chaos is particularly affectionate today, for some reason. He’s literally dancing around me, jumping up against me constantly and looking at me with those big brown eyes displaying his pleasure for the firm pats he receives for the effort.

Only two batches of laundry wait to be hung, and since yesterday there was only a quilt hung, I’m done with the chore in very little time. Breakfast and coffee follow before I do a quick scan of the Net and then start work.

Since we need to go to school later on today, big brother and I decide to work on editing, rather than writing, since that is far less time consuming. It’s a historical romance (short story) that we’ve worked occasionally on before, but need to finish so we can send it out to a publisher that appears to be looking for this particular type of stories.

We are still waiting for word on the two vampire stories we send out, and are getting a little impatient now that over two months have passed since the first.

I’ve got admit that one of the hardest things about being writer is definitely the waiting game. It drags on endlessly and creates a gnawing sense of self-doubt that can literally paralyze you from doing anything else until you get the “get-go” or “let go” answer. The first sucks, but you get over it. The second…well, that one’s just grand and makes you want to dig in to write even more stories.

But anyways, we get quite a few pages edited, even though time seems to fly and our departure arrives well before we’re done. It frustrates me, but it can’t be helped. Until we’ve passed the exams we’ll just have to keep it up.

As usual, I go to my cabin to do so, and am met halfway, by Chaos, who’s loitering outside. He’s still being affectionate, literally crooning as I take a couple of minutes to rub his gleaming fur and pull his skin back and forth in the fashion that he enjoys so much. He would have me do that for hours, if he had any say in it, and scowls at me indignantly when I tell him that I have to hurry and can’t keep petting him. It’s amazing how many different expressions Bassets have, especially since they have such distinctive features in the first place.

After changing clothes and heading on out to the car where our tenant has already been helped inside by her caretaker, because she needs to get her hearing aid in town, I help grandpa with her wheelchair and then climb in by the time big brother joins us and we can depart.

Thirty minutes later we’re dropped off in front of the school and head inside to start the tedious tests once more.
It goes well, I’m glad to report. An hour and a half pass reasonably fast and with two hundred and seventy questions done, I only have six of them wrong. We figure two more times with the same results and we’ll start working out the technicalities of our exams.

While we’re waiting to be picked up, we’re startled by the amount of police on the streets. Their lights are flashing a bright blue and an occasional siren howls, announcing that something is going on, probably a terrorist threat, which happens on occasion, ever since a bomb went off in front of a hotel several years ago.

They appear to be looking for someone, so we keep an eye on things as we wait, pondering the possibilities of something happening until the truck pulls up and we are back on our way up the mountain.

Strange phenomenon terrorism here in Spain: Some province up north wreaking havoc in touristy areas because they want to be independent and start a group of so-called freedom fighters of the ETA.

It is an increasing fashion statement, or so it seems, of terrorists to go there where they cause the most damage. They blow up some place where lots of innocent people are, so they get the most media attention and make the most people nervous.

It almost seems as if they’re all have the same media advisor, over here, in the Middle East…everywhere. Go to some place where the government can’t do much of anything against you without at least some civilian casualties and you’ll get the press on your side. Then “you” are just the minority and aren’t responsible for your deeds, while the government trying to get you is the vile and evil presence that hurt innocents. Hah.

Smart thinking on their part. Not so smart on the media’s part. By giving them this airtime, they do give these terrorists exactly what they want and a very unfair advantage.

But anyway, little thought is wasted on the police presence in town as the usual chats about the dogs and whatnot are exchanged during the drive home.

With the dogs’ usual enthusiasm greeting me, the delicious smells of the dinner little sister prepared teasing my senses, we arrive. I’m filling my plate and keeping it high when Knight II comes galloping towards me with eyes only for the food that he spots even before he sees me. The big lug certainly has his priorities straight. Hah.
I manage to save the meal before disaster strikes and settle at the table to enjoy the spicy potato veggie mix with a helping of cottage cheese on top.

The rest of the night is pretty much spent talking and watching some TV, before the time to return to my cabin arrives and I head out into the night.
The sky is clear, the way it was most of the day. There’s a strong scent of Dame la Noche drifting throughout the courtyard, and the stars glitter prettily in the pitch-black sky overhead as I make my way outside and start my ascend.

I’m relieved that we went to school today, figuring that with a little luck we won’t have to go out again until Friday, and just focus on editing or writing in the days ahead, while I feed my dogs and get ready for the night.

There’s a short tussle between Knight II and Bommel, when the Great Dane deems the eleven-year-old Bobtail’s portion to be tastier than those I put out for him. I jump into the fray immediately, shoving the giant back before things get out of hand, and pull a face when I see I was just a second too late.

Bommel’s eye is already turning red, and a tiny bit of blood seeping into his long white fur makes me call to the house to ask if any of the sibs can bring out the eye bath water so I can treat the damage to prevent an infection.

The Bobtail allows the treatment without a fuss, and dozes off as if nothing happened while I let out a relieved sigh and set up the computer. If the eye doesn’t swell during the night, all should be well.

Overslept!

Way overslept this morning. It was at least two hours after my usual waking time and I could have snoozed on without any effort whatsoever, for as far as my bodily functions were concerned. The dogs, however, thought otherwise and were making their usual racket when it became clear to them that the alarm wasn’t working and I just kept on sleeping.

I had a rather interesting dream. We were traveling in the camper, it’s dimensions slightly larger than they in fact are, and far more luxurious than the bare essentials it holds reality. But luckily such thoughts don’t bother to surface in dreams. It was just pretty, and the way it was supposed to be.
I think that we were in France, in the dream. It was a warm autumn day, and we were staying at a camping ground that I remember well from the past.
I was taking a walk in the woods surrounding the camping, Knight (the first one) darting around me like he was young again, when in the distance I could see the familiar shape of Porky.
It is strange, but in my dreams he is always dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, which, admittedly was his outfit of choice. Hah.
In the dream I didn’t miss him as much as in real life. In the dream he was just there. Still, I was so happy to see him, laughing and increasing my pace so I would reach him sooner.
He smiled at me, reaching out his hand to take mine by the time I drew up to his side and together we moved along the narrow trail that curled through what appeared to be some sort of orchard. We talk, the way we used to, about pretty much everything, just being together, enjoying the late summer sun.
I’m still smiling when a choir of dogs begins howling in the distance, slowly drawing me away from the dream that I wouldn’t have minded sticking to for another hour or so.

Blinking awake, I stare out the window for a minute, slowly forcing myself to roll over and stretch out to hear the kinks pop in my limbs. It is then that I see the clock and notice the time, making me groan and get up and out, lest I mess up an entire day with lazing around.

My lungs still feel clogged, more than a little strained and they want to cough, but I fight it down while popping an extra dose of vitamin C. This unreliable body better fight this bug off, otherwise I’m going to be really pissed that’s a fact. Hah.

Once I get dressed and pull the blankets straight, I follow the dogs outside and start on my way to the house. The sun is shining again, and though the temperatures are still low for southern Spain, the warm beams on my face do make me feel a bit less frazzled by the time I reach the courtyard and let the dogs dash in ahead of me.

Yesterday’s laundry turns out to be dry, so as soon as I’ve discarded my bag, I head back outside and take it all down for folding. Only one quilt was washed during the night, so with that hung, I start on breakfast and set the coffee to percolate.

I’m a little fuzzy in the brain, so the first thing I do is wake myself up with some messages and chats, and then open the book files for some more writing today.
It doesn’t go as well as it did the past few days, but then, I didn’t actually expect that it would.

Continuing with the start of yesterday’s scene, I only manage to add about three pages before a rather short morning turns into evening. By then I get too distracted by activity of real life going on around me and I am unable to focus on the story any longer.

Realizing as much, I shut down the computer and carefully put it out of the dogs’ reach. Time to make dinner has arrived, and what with yesterday’s stir-fry still being a reasonable amount, I decide to add a few more veggies for a re-bake.
It takes only a little time, and soon everyone’s once again enjoying the meal that, as usual, tastes even better on day two.

I’m not feeling too energetic today, but still I manage to make myself put latches on the supply closet that has been gaping open ever since we made it. It was bugging the heck out of me, and though I tried to put in magnets, they weren’t strong enough to keep the heavy doors in place, thus ending up with the heavy latches that I now keep the doors firmly shut.

Afterwards, big brother and I talk for a bit, discussing possible projects and the recent positive feedback I received for one of my vegetarian recipes. What with the kitchen being pretty much done, we might be able to squeeze in a few hours to work on the recipe book I’ve been putting together for the past few years.

It’s not going to be mass publishing or anything, but perhaps those who wish to venture out into vegetarian eating with easy-to-make dishes that are definitely favored by the family, will be interested enough to check it out.

At the very least it’s a nice project to occupy ourselves with during the evenings, when writing the novels isn’t working anyway.
We spend several hours working on some nice pictures, and formatting the recipes that I’ve already placed in the cooking book after which midnight soon arrives.

Since–if the darn bug allows it–we need to go to school tomorrow (we already postponed it today) another good night’s rest is certainly detrimental to both of us.
So there I go, like every night following the dogs up the mountain and towards the cabin so I can feed them.

While they eat I manage to read a few more pages of the review book, and after changing into my pjs I set up the computer for tonight’s session.

Well...getting sick.

I decide to sleep in this morning. Sometime during the night my lungs started to get clogged, repeating their annual fill up of liquid with remarkable speed. One moment I’m just fine, an hour later it feels as if I’ve been inhaling water. Just wonderful!
With my kind of luck I’ll be snot-faced and coughing for the rest of the winter.

But anyway, due to that rather annoying sensation, I sleep for an extra hour or so and finally get up when the dogs’ insistence for my awaking gets too annoying to ignore. Not feeling too bad, just a little tight in the chest after my long hours of sleep, I go through the usual morning rituals, make the bed and get dressed so I can start the new day.

The sky is overcast when I wake, and by the time I’m ready to head on down to the house it’s pouring buckets. See that’s my kind of luck. I’m sick, the wind’s blowing like mad, slapping around rain like it’s some sort of rave party and I need to cross at least thirty yards down a slippery slope. Marvelous! It’s a miracle I don’t fall flat on my face. Hah.

Brilliance strikes then (yep, I have my rare moments of those) when I see the car parked in its port, just a few paces away from my porch. In it is a never-before-used umbrella. Hah. So, in the end, I get to the house only a little damp, while wielding the umbrella as a sword for when the dogs in the courtyard don’t recognize me.

Bloody idiots! Whoever said that dogs don’t actually look at someone, or aren’t able to distinguish colors definitely doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about. The dog might not care about colors, but a dog definitely sees them. If I were to paint my hair bright blue today, the dogs would freak out at seeing me…thinking of that particular image, so would I. Or if I put on a hat or something, the dogs go in a genuine hissyfit right up until I’ve taken it off an allow them to sniff it.

But anyway, I conveniently forget the laundry this morning, deciding instead to just let it slide for a moment, so I can have a very light breakfast of two slices of bread with OJ and coffee on the side. Still somewhat scatter-brained from the extra hour or two of sleep, I spend the first hour surfing the net, going over messages and throwing in a quick chat on the Amazon forum, before more pressing matters start to press on my consciousness.

No longer able to put it of, I open the book files and get to work.
We’re not completely satisfied with yesterday’s scene, so in the hours that follow I add three more pages to the scene, before I deem it done, and start on a new one that by the end of the working hours gets to a satisfying 2 on the page counter in the left bottom of the screen.

My butt feels numb from sitting for many hours, and since my lungs seem to be cooperating well enough, I put the computer safely away, and grab my small MP3 player to have music pounding in my ears while I get out the wet laundry. With it I head for the courtyard.

Much to my surprise the batch hanging there is mostly dry, allowing me to take most of it down and bring it inside before I start hanging the new batch. Since the mess inside the pantry/laundry room, pretty much horrified me while I was in there to get the laundry, I consider it to be a crime not to clean it up, while I’m at it. With a sigh I get the broom and tackle the clutter.

Since no one appears to want to volunteer, I put on a large pan of water for Asian noodles, promising that I’ll cook dinner as soon as I’ve dealt with the majority of the mess inside the pantry. By the time I feel remotely confident that I’ll get it cleaned yet, I return to the kitchen to find little sister already chopping vegetables for the dinner I’m supposed to prepare.

Side by side it takes us only a short amount of time to get a spicy stir-fry of veggies and noodles together, and while I’m working on the seasoning for the main dish, little sister bakes eggs to add to the meal that is soon ready to be consumed.
An excellent meal is the result of our efforts, and the portions get eaten rapidly and with satisfying gusto. It is always pleasure to see that the food you’ve prepared is appreciated to the fullest extent.

After allowing the meal to settle for a bit, I do some cleaning in the kitchen and then resume the chore of mucking out the pantry. Another batch of laundry is ready in the machine and I quickly hang that while I let soap soak into the dirt on the tiles.

Once middle sister has grandly helped by taking the two large garbage bags to the car, I get the mop-bucket, put in new water with soap and a load of chloride that literally makes my eyes water I set to scrubbing the floor until it shines.
There are some crusts of unknown origin that need at least three to four scrubbings, but in the end the pantry is clean and I finish of by locking the door behind me, and return to the living room so we can put on the new X-Files movie.

I’m not even going to bother ranting about this one. It’s just not worth the time and effort it takes to put it all down in words. Let’s just say I was even less impressed by it than the last one. Heck, I wouldn’t even call it a valid X file to begin with. Ah well…

Once the movie is over I linger in the living room a bit longer, watching a rerun of the Aussie movie “Halifax”. It’s a nice enough movie–part one of the series–but since I already know it and it can’t really keep my attention, I finally gather my things, along with two bags of clean laundry and take my dogs up to the cabin.

The sky has cleared during the evening. A firm western wind is blowing and stars sparkle brightly overhead as I reach my front door and let the dogs storm inside.
Once they’re fed, and I’ve read a few more chapters of the review book, I finally settle behind the computer for tonight’s foray on the Web.

Another rant. Movies are good for it.

Right. I don’t know what it is, these days, with movies, but I fear I will have to start with another exasperated OMG today.

No, I won’t make you wait the entire course of the day to find out what made me agog with hysterical horror. I’ll jump right in and spout it out.
“The Mist”!!!!!
I would like to say that I am so bloody stumped that I am at a loss of words, but alas this is not the case. Words are simply overflowing at this particular moment and they have to come out lest I explode.

So, here’s what’s up: I made the dreadful mistake of watching another S. King movie today. I promised I wouldn’t after the last disaster, but I keep hoping for something brilliant like “The Shawshank Redemption”, “Dreamcatcher” or even “The Green Mile” but after numerous disappointments this one certainly tops the cake.

I hear from reliable sources that King’s ending was entirely different than the one they used in the film, but in light of previous written works and movies, I’ve got to admit that I really don’t have the right to be surprised.

Oh. In case you haven’t seen the movie yet, there might be some ***SPOILERS*** in this little rant of mine. Do move on if you’re intending to see it, and don’t want to hear anything about the story. Hah.

But, as I was saying! I wasn’t really surprised. It started out incredibly slow, with special effects that would be more suited for the ‘90s than they are for today’s FX possibilities. Several characters that I’ve begun to identify as typical King characters came past, making me groan on more than one occasion, and for some unfathomable reason I actually continued to watch the movie all the way to the end.

Big mistake! Huge mistake

I am going to kill the sibs for not saying what they thought of it. Seriously, the pests were gleefully enjoying my vocal aggravation throughout the movie, and then had the audacity to stand on the stairs by the end, asking, “So, what did you think?” innocent as you please.
My response: “Oh thank you so much for letting me watch it. It was fab!!!” while raising both thumbs and smiling a toothpaste add smile as I was thinking up ways to get back at them by tossing out some spoilers for some other movie, just because they hate it so. Grrrr.

I saw it coming. I really did!
I saw the protagonists step in that car, head on out with no better plan than to see how far the fuel in the tank would get them, way before they actually did.
Duh! It wasn’t going to take them far enough, obviously.
And then–this was the “brilliant” part…NOT–five people in the car, with only four bullets and them thinking there was no way out.

Heck. I started rolling my eyes somewhere in the middle of the movie when the zealots started spouting in biblical proportions, and was pretty much cross-eyed by the time only the main protagonist remained with no way to finish himself off.

He gave a valiant attempt at showing some serious emotion, failing miserably I’ll admit, when I heard it (saw it in my mind’s eye, mind you) the cavalry…too late, which it always is.
Aaargh. Give me a friggin’ break!

There are times when I wonder at these moviemakers. Really, I do. What is the moral of such and ending, following what was already a mind-numbing experience from the start? I don’t get it. I really don’t. Is it an attempt to give some realism to a whacked out theme? Some sort of drama that would do so much better with something uplifting rather than a suicide add instead.

In the end all I could do was shake my head and wonder why the heck we wasted four bucks on renting this excellent piece of ranting material, and pondering the possibility of a lawsuit to whoever thought this was good viewing material for the loss of 90 minutes of my life. It should be illegal!

But enough about “The Mist”. I’m going to use my incredible mental powers in an attempt to wipe it from my memory as soon as possible. OMG!

The day:
I was actually in time today, waking about five minutes before the alarm went of (thanks to the Monster Boxer) and I lie there blinking at the ceiling for a bit as I try to make my head wake up enough to roll out of bed and let the dogs out.

First thing’s fist, however: Trin Trin needs to be grabbed–without physical damage to my person, preferably–and tossed out into the backyard before I even think about venturing towards the front exit for the rest of the noisy pack.

Grabbing hold of her collar–just barely evading blissfully rounded teeth, and slamming the door before she manages to turn and attack the door with her usual zest for destruction–I shake my head at her sturdy little body, bouncing on the small porch as if it were a trampoline.

That done, I stab my feet into house slippers and push my way through eagerly jumping canine bodies to unlock the front door and let them out into the main yard. Like mad they dash past, stumbling over each other and their own feet on their way off the front porch and then disappearing to regions unseen, leaving me with a moment of blissful silence and freedom of movement.

It was a little colder again this night, so due to this most of the dogs had clustered on the top end of the bed, giving me several kinks to stretch out of my limbs before I start the morning rituals with a quick read, making the bed and getting dressed for the day.

The flu is lurking just around the corner. I can feel it in my tonsils and my nose, which is working overtime in trying to get clogged with bodily juices that I really don’t want there. Hah.

It’s about an hour later when I chase the dogs–they return about three minutes after their release–down the mountain and head into the courtyard. What with yesterday’s pleasant weather, followed by a reasonably mild night, the laundry that has been hanging for several days now, has dried, so I deposit my baggage inside and start taking it down.

Four batches of wet laundry are waiting to be hung in the laundry room, and after lugging the loads out into the courtyard I spend a fair amount of time putting it all up on the lines.

Next, I sneak in a quick breakfast and then move to the pile of dry fabrics for folding before I am able to set up the computer and get online.
I do a speedy check of the usual sites, including my messages and then sigh regretfully when it’s time to start writing.

Five pages get added to the story again, elaborating the scene big brother had outlined for me in three pages, bringing the story up to almost half of what it needs to be finished.

Excellent scene today: Action! I do love writing such events. The danger in it, the excitement: It’s scenes like these that make my fingers fly over the keys, weaving a tapestry of imagery in words…or at least that’s what you’d call them if you’re literary. If not, which is the case for me, it’s just a kick-ass scene that gets the blood pumping. Hah.

But anyways, after about three hours of intense writing, occasionally interrupted by ongoing discussions over my head, and a question or two from big brother, I call a halt to the days’ progress and get my butt out of the seat for the preparation of dinner.

I’m in the mood to make something simple today and decide on green beans in coconut shavings with basmati rice and curry seasonings, with carrots julienne on the side, baked to a crisp in green herbs.

As an added bonus I decide to make two pies for dessert for a change. We don’t usually eat dessert (and admittedly we don’t today, either) but I was in the mood to make something…different.
We end up with a peach and a cherry pie for the effort. With middle sister’s help, it gets done in record time, but since we’re all pretty much stuffed with dinner, they’ll be a treat for tomorrow instead.

By this time the evening has fallen, and we watch a new episode of “The Closer”, which thankfully was fun. If it hadn’t been, I might have been forced to do something drastic after the movie we put on right afterwards.

Seriously bummed, and more than verbal about it around the gleeful sibs, I gather my things, round up the dogs and head on up into the night to get up to my quarters.

Certainly not a busy day, but at least I got some progress to write down today in light of writing. If it hadn’t been for that, I might have had to skip today’s Blog entirely from sheer boredom.

I do manage to get a little more reading in once I settle down in the cabin, adding more to the review I’m writing for it. Just a few more pages, a novella, to go and this particular book will be over and done with.

I’m thinking Harlequin next. I’m going to need something uplifting that’s a fact.