Moseying on...

Song of the day: “Glow” by Gavin James. Gorgeous song, really, just not a good one to have stuck in your head when you don’t know all the lyrics yet. Hah. 

So yeah, I have been slacking on the blog part, but getting used to the new job has been taking a lot of time, in particular since I am also trying to maintain some sort of regular schedule writing the new book…which is news, too, I guess. What with everything going on, and stuff with the previous book, we finally managed to dive into a  new project. Girl in the Mist has officially sold more than 5000 copies, by the way. This is awesome! 

Research has been tremendous fun. Seriously, there’s nothing like digging into psychology once more and seeing how to make my hero’s psyche work despite all his problems. You do not want to know the amount of hours I have spent online digging through psychology papers and medical texts so far. It’s fun. I am definitely thinking of getting some of Jung’s books. Fascinating stuff. The fact that we are, distantly, related, only makes it more fun, I guess.

Been writing steadily. I try to do at least 500 words per free day, but if I can 1000, or over. It brings the manuscript up to 35K words now, so we’ve got about a third of the total going now. It’s a very “thoughtful” story. A lot of it is about the inner turmoil and thoughts of the characters, and boy, one of them is seriously messed up. During the few weeks I was not working as much at the day job, I was getting a lot  more done, though. At the moment I am working quite a bit, meaning that usually I lose the first day after a row of workdays to kinda recovering. Hah. Ah well, it’ll quiet down again. We do what we can in the time we have, right? It’s all anyone can do, really.

This is going to be the first non-romance I ever wrote, which is going to be a challenge.  The story is developing nicely. Got the characters fleshed out now, backgrounds and everything. The plot has had several brainstorms and we’ve got the majority of the plot holes worked out…part of a session at the gym, where we ended up brainstorming, while pumping iron. Can’t imagine what folks must have thought of us talking so avidly while working out. Hah

Been working out quite a bit ever since we got back from the States, by the way, except for the past couple of weeks, because just a day before my birthday I got sick at heck. It was bad. I had the shivers the night before going to the company new year’s breakfast. Man I haven’t been that cold since two years ago at our previous house. My teeth were chattering for a couple of hours, my every muscle clenched, seriously, by the time I had to get up I had to pop a double dose of aspirins against aching muscles and bruised-feeling ribs. Strangely enough I wasn’t feeling all that awful after the work breakfast was over and headed to the city to pick up my friend Dee so we could go visit the Horecava. 

The Horecava is a big annual event in these parts. It’s a place where professional hospitality people come together to look at innovative new ideas, ranging from food, equipment, and everything that has anything to do with the hospitality branch. Didn’t make a full day of it, over there in Amsterdam, but Dee and I wandered about the place for a solid five hours, at least. Did taste lots of new stuff. Like black bread…didn’t like the taste of though, and after asking what they had used as coloring (octopus ink) I wasn’t surprised. I already wondered what I knew that particular taste from and once I knew, I could identify it as black pasta. * sigh * Anyways, was able to skip both lunch and dinner because of the event. 

Found a 20 bucks bike at the thrift store that I am going to fix up so I can use it at work. At the moment parking is a disaster, meaning employees have to park a 10 minute walk from the building. Gonna park my new-old bike there to save some time rather than hauling it along all the time. At the moment I am still using my good bike, which is just not smart. Poor thing gets dragged in and out all the time.

Been doing quite a bit of reading lately. I consider it research, as in checking out the competition, and it has helped me relax a little during my off days.

Dad visited a couple of times since my last blog, and I spent Christmas eve at his place. All occasions were lovely in their own way. Christmas an intimate, just direct family occasion. The first visit was basically all about going through the massive collection of pictures that we took in during our US trip. Gawd,  I took sooooo many pictures. We didn’t even get through all of them.

Last visit was the late b-day party I threw for myself. Figured, hey, I’m friggin’ forty, the big 4 0, and I’m going to bloody well celebrate it. Organized a little winter bbq thing, but regretfully four people (one couple) had to cancel last minute. Such a pity, but it was still a wonderful evening with talk, food and laughter throughout. Worked out regardless of the cancelations and ended up with enough leftovers not to have to cook for several days. Hah.

Gave myself a present of good professional chef knives, for my b-day. Only four, so far (they’re expensive!) but I thought, what the heck, I might as well start that off well. Doubted about getting a proper bag for them, but those are expensive, too, so instead I got together materials from two old purses and sewed a folding bag that does really…especially for now. I might get an actual bag in the future, but for the moment I am rather enjoying this one. Worked out perfectly!

Have scheduled a trip to Finland this spring. Best friend T is going to have her first baby, so totally want to meet her. Will only be a short 5 day trip, so nothing big, but still so cool. Will be so nice to see T again. It’s been more than a year now. And she’s have a “mini-me” to show off, which is fun. But anyways, April is still off a ways. It’ll be fun to see how big brother manages on his own at home, those few days...not that it’ll be all the different for him. He’ll be working most of it anyway. Hah.

Did quite a few cooking experiments, one of which a sauerkraut potato match with stir fry red cabbage, onion and cheese through it, which was lovely. Did devilled eggs for the party, including a dip, satay for the veggie/chicken/chickpea meat replacement sticks, and finger food. Did drink a bit too much wine at the party, especially I made a spicy fruit punch of sangria wine. Yummy.

At work I am rapidly learning all there is about barbeque. We’ve got a couple of massive “Green Eggs” to grill stuff on, and I get to work with them a lot, despite enjoying the Wok section more. Anyway, I now know how to grill Entrecote and steak rare/medium/well done, gambas, rib fingers, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and chicken satay sticks. I’m also learning all about frying fish, both salmon and white fish. I even know how to prep mussels now. Hah. Still enjoy the job, even though the days are long and I get pretty tired from it.

Been having some health problems lately. The friggin’ cold has been a pain in the behind. Had a shoulder/collarbone for a while there in the end of December. My hip has been trying to pop out of the socket a couple of times, so I am hoping to pick up some more kickboxing again to strengthen the muscles there. And my foot. Grrr. Stupid thing. The right one has been a problem again since those last weeks at the previous job. Seriously, there was so much walking going on there due to banqueting, that my old Plantars Faciitis problem came back, and it has yet to clear. Seriously, I should just get rid of that effing foot and be done with it. *wink *

We have had some deplorable weather. Lots of gray skies. Lots of rain and yes, this past week even snow and freezing temps. Before the snow it was rather lovely for almost a week, though. Not a cloud in the sky and the sun shining brightly in icy temperatures. It was lovely to have that sun, which will hopefully return soon, if only for a day or two. All this grayness makes you forget that there is such a thing as the sun…and working inside a humongous building with windows that are too far away to actually enjoy views, or daylight. * sigh*

Had a weird experience the other day where some guy, online, started chatting, wanting to know if I wanted to go on a date with him, despite us having started a “conversation” over whether or not he wanted to buy something that I was selling online. Hah. Seriously. You do not want to know the amount of indecent proposals you get when you’re online, trying to make your presence known for the purpose of a writing career. What is it with folks thinking that FB or IG is a dating app…and then with the tacky pick up lines as they try to convince you they are looking for true love, it’s just silly.

But anyway,  that about wraps it up. Nothing else of interest going on. Lots of stuff happened, I am sure, but these were things that stuck, so to speak.

Seeya.

Strange...

Song of the day: “The Greatest day” by Take That, naturally. They’ve been in my head for several hours now. In the past I wouldn’t have minded, you know, considering that it IS Take That, an’ all, but however cute the song is, it is not one of my favs. *sigh*

So I have been feeling strange these past few days. I can’t quite put my finger on it, nor am I sure if I want to. It’s kind of indefinable, as if something is off, like we’re on the brink of something, but I am not yet sure if it is going to be a positive thing or not. Let’s hope it will be, had more than enough negative things happening this past year, didn’t I? Anyway, this feeling makes me restless, like I’m comfortable in my own skin, and I don’t like it at all.
Could be that it has to do with Sally’s passing: reminded of my own mortality, and all that carp, but I doubt it. I’m very positively minded in that regard. I’m aiming for 150 but if I end up somewhere in the middle of that that’s fine with me too…as long as the trip getting there was nice, right? Hah.
No. I can’t quite figure out this restless feeling inside me, nor do I appreciate it, if I’m to be completely honest. I’ve better things to do than wonder about the intricacies of my sometimes loony mind.

Alright then, let’s get down to business and see if we can get somewhere. What’s been happening since the last time I wrote.

Oh yeah, I got flashed, kinda. Seriously, I might be damaged forever. You’d think that someone would be more careful walking around in the buff while there’re people in the house, but nope, now I’ve got this image on my retina, which I’ve been having the hardest time getting off. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate the male form as well as the next person, but this was no Chris Hemsworth…Darn it!
Thankfully my chat buddies on the Amazon discussion fora were kind enough to give me some good imagery of the “Mighty” Thor to ease my suffering. *blissful sigh*

Did I mention yet that I’m thinking of organizing a dinner party in September? Well, it has gone beyond just thinking about it now. Of the fourteen folks I asked, half have expressed their regrets considering they’re out of the country, or too busy ‘till October (could I please reschedule). That means I’ve got the other half willing to come for a night of food, drink, music and conversation. Should be fun, shouldn’t it? Am now a bit worried, of course. It’s getting to be more than just plans. Now I’m going to have to put my money where my mouth is. Hah.
As to the menu (have settled on a buffet now) I’m thinking of bite-sized treats. Stuffed mushrooms and/or stuffed tomatoes, and/or stuffed peppers. Deviled eggs. A selection of my patties, possibly with buns for those who feel like burgers. I will do a couple of chicken dishes, and will probably have big brother fry some meat burgers for the carnivores that will be joining in. There should be salads (summer demands it) grilled veggies, sauces, allowing everyone to pick what they like, rather than having to eat what is put on their plate at an actual dinner.

Asked a friend from work if she wanted to come, and she was looking at me all worried when I explained the plan. First words out of her mind were, “Are you sure you can afford to?” No I’m not, but some things you just have to do, don’t you? I mean, most of these folks I’ve invited have been invaluable during last year’s trouble, and the other lot are nice new friends who will add to fun of the evening…money…well, is just that, money: We all need it, but on itself it ain’t that much fun.
Besides, I am good at economic cooking. I’m planning on a budget of no more than 200 bucks for food and drinks, and since folks have already offered to take something along, I’m suggesting wine so I can focus more on the food part, rather than the drinks. Hah. Did I mention that I’m planning of a few pies? Well, I am. An apple crumble, probably, maybe a cold cheese/yogurt cake, I’ll have to see what’s on sale in regard to fruit when the time comes.

My main concern at the moment are chairs. As someone already suggested tables you can get around with by using boards on saw horses, or some such, but chairs are going to be a problem. I’ll have to get creative, maybe make some benches for those who want to be old fashioned and eat while sitting, hah. I’ll figure it out.

Second concern is location. I rather not go too far on the property (it is a tad embarrassing, the way things look these days, after all) but the old horse paddock, nice and empty these days, could be getting too windy, come September. So maybe I’ll chose to take the corner wall of what used to be grandpa’s and tenant’s place. There’s a tile floor there, so that’ll work. We’ll have to wait and see. If the day was a particularly hot one, some wind might actually be appreciated by the guests.

Have been getting some sea time this past week. Since grandpa has to go to his acupuncturist anyway, we’ve been taking the opportunity to get some exercise in the sea. Rather wonderful what with the pool not in use this year (pump broke down, darn thing) cooling off has been hard…and taking a shower really isn’t the same. So I did some serious crawl, a bit of butterfly stroke to strengthen the back, back stroke crawl to relax, and some back flips in the water just for the fun of it. Hah. Marvelous. Might go again today, taking Knight along, since we found a piece of beach where dogs are allowed. Yay. Might be good for his foot…or feet, as is still the case; poor baby.

On the overall he’s been doing well enough. Am putting clean “socks” on him every day now, treating him with hydrogen peroxide and Betadine to keep him clean and allow him to heal. Little prick got his sock of twice already, and now has a matching wound on what used to be his good foot. Aaaargh. But anyway, it is clean at the moment, and semi-healing, so I’m going to try to keep positive and expect that there will be a time when I can take of those dratted socks without him wrecking his dratted feet.

We’ve got summer temps going at the moment. Some serious scorchers, which means that nature is even dryer wherever you look. I hate it. Not so much the heat, but the dryness. I’ve got chapped lips for crying out loud. At the moment we have a brisk wind, so it’s not as bad, but still it is really, really dry.

Been doing some cleaning around the property, especially by the terrace where we sit during the computer work days now. It was a mess, and those few sessions have done a work of good. The ground is actually flat now, which does a lot of the eyes at least.

Had a trip to punto limpio (the local land fill) to toss away old batteries and a ruined couch, found a rather nice wooden cupboard there that I’m going to hang in my room if for no other reason than the fact that I need the space. My sleeping corner still is a friggin’ mess, and anything like storage will be a vast improvement.

I am slowly getting over my exhaustion, thankfully. Have done the occasional naps, slept in a time or two, so in that regard I’m improving. Also, I’ve been careful to eat well, regularly (though I missed a few meals again, darn it) and with high nutritional value. Two meals a day with veggies, either raw or baked, at least that’s what I’m trying to maintain. Doesn’t always work, but one does what one can, right?

Been doing some computer work. At the moment I’m reading through the manuscript as is, to get my head around characters and plot twists so that I don’t get lost once I resume writing. What with all the distractions of the past months, I was getting more than a little lost. I like what I’m reading so that’s a plus. Hah.

Oh, before I forget. The dinner big brother and were invited to was nice. A quiet evening in a sea view apartment with four dogs for company. The meal was nice, in particular the Asian salad, and my chocolate cake without gluten went down well enough. Structure wasn’t perfect yet, but it was sweet and chocolate-y, so it served its purpose.

Been doing some exercises, naturally. Now that things have quieted down some, health should become way more important once more. Nothing too strenuous, mind you. Lots of stretches, some air kick boxing and of course the swimming.

Well, that’s about everything I can think of right now. Considering we’re well past three pages, it should do well enough for this week’s blog, I’m thinking. Let’s hope I’ve got something a little more exciting to talk about the next time, eh?