Never enough time

Song of the day: “Flashlight” by Jessie J…I know, a tad embarrassing to have this little ditty in my head, but it is incredibly sweet. Hah.

Well, life has changed dramatically, but oddly enough it is still incredibly busy, regardless of the sudden lack of a job. Guess I’m just not any good at not having anything to do except what I chose to do. When I chose to do something, it is simply just as time consuming as a job. Hah. Am still looking, so keep yer fingers crossed.

Anyways, the study is going steadily. Gotta admit that the book of law that is covered in the beginning is both frustrating and fascinating. The latter because knowledge in any shape or form always is, and the first because there are typos in the lesson material, and several of the test questions that I had to answer in my first test, were not covered adequately in the material. I checked. In fact, I had to go online to find explanations of the material, because it wasn’t there. Grrrrr. Contacted my course source, conferring with them about this particular problem, and they suggested that I keep checking online until they have looked into the matter. Hah. This made me laugh, not only because it was funny. But no matter, I’ll muddle my way through, I assure you.

Sent out manuscripts to 11 different publishers, so I’ve been pretty busy with that, and yes, we’re still editing A.I.L. which is a serious source of frustration to both of us. I remember this part of the editing process well, I tell ya. We had it with NERFS:SN, CH and ATOL, and now we have it with this one too. Some of the texts just don’t flow to both our satisfaction, meaning that we get into heated debates that have either of us walking away to cool off at the drop of a hat. It has no use to get so frustrated with it, really, since experience has taught us that after we struggle through this stage the improvement will be noticeable, but still it is difficult time for both of us. Nothing gets your spirits down as a few pages that you get stuck on for an average of 1-2 hour per page. Grrrrr.

Been to the gym a few times since the last blog. Yay. Didn’t have much time for it in-between study and editing time, cooking meals, normal daily chores, the inspection of our house yesterday (all is fine. We made the place look good, so we won’t be seeing much of our handler. Yay! No matter how friendly he is, it is a stressful idea that someone is checking up on you) and working the yard, as we’re semi-obligated to do every now and then. Considering we’re often short on time, we went for a walk into town the other day after we discovered that we were too late for the gym, and yesterday evening for a nice long bike-ride so we’d have at least some movement. The problem is, we have a cheap membership with the gym, which limits our arrival time to five in the afternoon, this doesn’t always work out when we are elbow-deep into an edit.

Had a cozy get-together at and with the neighbors. Six adults, two kids and a handful of cats. Was a nice afternoon-evening with beer, wine, finger food and soup where we all got to know each other a little better, because, let’s face it, there is not much time for that with everyone being incredibly busy. We got the busy parents, both working on our left, and the young couple, a professional drummer and a waitress-looking-for-work-in-the-neuropsychology-branch behind us. Add the brother and sister writers, looking for work too, and you’ve got an interesting bunch. Hah. Was a nice evening, though, which resulted in coffee later in the week with the mum and dad while we discussed the chores that had to be organized around the yard on the rather splendid autumn day.

Weather-wise things are looking bleak. We had a few sunny days, but on the overall things are starting to look gray, gray and…well, you guessed it, gray. Not that much rain yet, but I’m guessing that will come soon enough. Also, trees are starting to lose their leaves, and by now we need central heating because the temps are rapidly dropping, especially up north here, where the ground is flat and the wind comes rushing in off the sea. It’ll be interesting to see how winter will be, eh?

Lately I’ve had a serious case of the nibbles later in the day, so I’ve made a nice healthy batch of oatmeal cookies with raisins nuts and the likes, rather than risk buying cookies of undetermined origin. Works well, and it’s healthy at least. Also made lasagna the other day, loads of veggies, for visiting a friend. Otherwise I’ve been making lots of soups, which work rather well in this weather and a rather nice red cabbage risotto last week. Was surprised how well it worked, actually.

Went to visit tenant, who seems to be doing well at the senior home. She is starting to notice that her stubbornness is not doing her any good, because her memory is not as good as it used to be. Had several instances where she threw up a lot of fuss about certain subjects, only to realize later that she remembered wrong, which startled her. I found it a little sad to see, especially her confusion about it but it can’t be helped. Can’t protect anyone from reality, can you. Anyway, the place is good for her. She gets stimulated to be creative, as in drawing and painting and the likes, meaning that her motor skills in her good hand have improved, and because she always has to wait her turn if she wants to get around the building, and can’t stand that, she has started using her own feet as propulsion when she’s in her wheelchair, hah. In fact, she is basically going from one room to the next in the home, and that is really good for her.

She was very excited about her granddaughter’s 18^th birthday coming up this week, wanting to give the girl a present, but not knowing where to get it, so I found a rather nice bracelet for her, with a card that she can give as a present the next time she sees her.

Yard work has been rather wonderful, despite the scary amount of nettles all over the place. Yikes. Had one slither its way under my sweater and doing its worst on my belly. Hah.  But we did quite a bit. Cut away lots of dead stuff, revealing loads of little treasures underneath the piling masses. Found bushes, flowers and whatnot, which made it very satisfying. Will have to get our hands on some better garden tools soon…especially since we’re going to have to cut back the pollard Willows somewhat desperately. Poor things haven’t had a proper trim in years, so that’ll take some time.

Also filled the potholes in our drive sweep, for which our car is tremendously grateful, and had a repair done on the car, which, thankfully wasn’t so expensive that I had to sell my kidney, or something. Hah

Well, that about sums it up for today. Gotta bet busy.

No go.

Song of the day: “Our life is gonna change” by Simona Barbeiri again. Guess the ol’ brain’s depleted again. Hah.

I’m about twenty minutes late this morning…not that it matters, considering I don’t need to be anywhere specific. After hurrying through the morning rituals, letting my dogs out and such, I head down to the house for a quick dip in the pool, the laundry and half a gallon of coffee before I sit down and try to write for a bit.

Writing doesn’t go so well today, I fear. Only one page to add to yesterday’s two, and the edit, which lasts for only a few hours, brings us three more pages up. Only fifteen more to go before we’re at one third of the story. Yay.

Seeing as computer work really isn’t going today, we decide to go separate way. Big brother and grandpa head to the back of the house to deal with the sewer pipes, while I head into the courtyard. The laundry lines have been annoying the heck out of me for years now, so taking this opportunity, I take down the old and spend the remainder of the evening fastening the new lines…straight ones, that down sag this time. Hah. It takes longer than I had anticipated, but after dusk, with the wooden beams up, the lines fastened, I am able to hang laundry in prefect lines.

I know, I’m nuts, but I get a kick out of that sort of thing. There’s nothing like improving on daily tasks.

The summer is in full swing again, today. Blistering heat pours down on top of the courtyard roof, but it doesn’t matter, moving slowly it is quite bearable…added to that, there’s the pool to dive into when it gets too bad.

Lots of ticks again. I fear that we’re going to have to do another washing session of the dogs soon, ‘cause things are getting ridiculous. I’m actually removing clusters from between their toes, under their legs, ears and pretty much everywhere else.

By the way, while I was attaching the wires…well, we were, since grandpa and big brother finished with their chore and came to help me with the last bit…an email came in. The publisher we had sent the first three chapters of “Saving Nina” to (per request), said NO.

As far as rejection letters go, it wasn’t a bad one. They liked the characters, called them “good”, but since they could only publish a limited number of books they had to go with some other books that suited their company just a tad better with a stronger storyline. Since they only had the first three chapters, I’m not surprised: Can’t get much of an idea of the general storyline that way, but that’s what they asked for.

It’s my fault; since I aim for an old fashioned style: slow build up towards a culminating climax…or multiple ones, as is the case with this one. Hah.
Saving Nina is literally a story that is all about the characters, and their intricacies, and since the publisher only had the build up, the introduction scenes with the first chapters, this didn’t get through, apparently.

Now, emotions would have me totally depressed, but I’ve decided to say: “Screw ‘m” (the emotions, I mean) and just take it as a good sign. They liked the characters and that’s a plus any day, in my book.
Besides, this was the publisher who only wanted the sample chapters. The one who has the complete manuscript - well, that one still hasn’t gotten back to us, and we’re about to finish up with week four. Keep your fingers crossed.

Well, after that bit of…ehm, depressing news (hah) I stoutly continue with the work, until at long last it is finished and I am so friggin’ tired I can hardly stand, let alone think.
With a dinner of mac ‘n cheese, with a salad on the side, the evening comes to an end, and I can head up to my cabin for the evening. Yep. My back hurts, my limbs are tired and I really need to pass out for a bit.

First another edit, though.

A hot slow day with a bit of rain

Song of the day: “Say it right” by Nelly Furtado. Strange, it took me a while before I actually liked this song, and yet here it is going through my brain every now and then.

Nothing of much interest during the morning hours, just the fact that I really would love sleeping in for a bit; but since it is getting decidedly warm in my cabin, I figure that this might not be the best idea. I hate that feeling of my head filling up with the proverbial cotton, so getting up is all for the best.

Sometime during the night, after 3 AM, some sort of warm front rolled in, bringing the temperature up to 27 degrees (Celsius, naturally. Too lazy to look up the Fahrenheit) without warning. Whew. Took me by surprise for a bit. Especially since the temperature was so very pleasant when I went up to my cabin.

This is actually the first night that I felt forced to use the fan. I had so wished I could postpone that for a bit longer, but it seems that the time has arrived. I’m definitely going to need to dig up my summer clothes.

But anyway…I head down to the house, tackle the laundry and then set up shop at the table, before quickly grabbing some breakfast and a large mug of coffee. My eyes just refuse to open, so by the time we’re an hour into preparing more query letters for publishers, I’ve downed three cups, and still am not feeling the effects. In the end I’m forced to do a quick exercise session, just to get some endorphins pumping.

Suitably jacked up by caffeine and exercise, I dive back into the most annoying part of being an author. Writing letters…one couldn’t possibly just send a chain letter, or anything. Nooooh. They need to be personalized and pimped and whatnot…printing them, checking them-and checking them again before putting them in their envelopes. Shut them, check them again, reopen a few just to make sure a mistake wasn’t made…aaargh…then reprinting the errors, and going through the process all over again. Hah.

We sit at the dratted computers, running back and forth between the printer, for six hours, checking addresses, folding paper and…well, you get my drift. By the time we decide to call it a day-both brothers worked alongside me-cross-eyed, punchy and rearing to be active for a bit.

While keeping track of addresses and such, little brother has been busy, working on the cover of “A Taste Of Life” which we intend to put out on either CreateSpace or Lulu sometime in the near future. It’s different…the cover that is…it took me a minute to get intrigued by what he’d done with the picture, but it is definitely growing on me. Some sort of aquarelle-like print; I would never have thought it, but it has a certain charm. I’ll post it on here as soon as we’ve decided that the final draft is really done.

We shut down the computers, gather up our working gloves and head on outside to spend an hour or two lugging rocks down the mountain. We’re going decidedly slower than we did yesterday. Not so much that it is heavier, just that we’re a tad more tired, I think.

Another ton or two gets hauled, followed by diner and then heading out to get another load from a new treasure spot we located the other day. While we arrive, clouds have gathered overhead and let loose a sporadic sheet of chubby rain. Strange, really; we never get rain this late in the summer. It is rather pleasant, however and cools us down pleasantly while we’re gathering rocks and pile them into the back of the truck.

Fully loaded, we return home and replenish the piles we so laboriously emptied during the past two days and then wearily return to the house for some much deserved relaxation.

By the time we finally get to sit down, the read-through edit is set on a back burner. We’re too tired to focus on much more than messing around with the computers…well, staring at the screen is a more accurate description, I guess.

Even the dogs are tired. They went back and forth with us while we were lugging rocks, so it’s no big surprise, all things considered. Even little Sita was having a party, for a bit, getting the same enjoyment from darting around our feet and making climbing down the steep path a somewhat dangerous venture.

Sleep! My bed! Aaahhh. ‘Tis luring me, I tell you. I think I’m going to surrender to it and start again tomorrow when my brain is functioning again. Hmmm. That might be asking for a bit too much, but then, hope springs eternal, or so they say. Hah.