I’m running on empty tonight, so let’s see if I can keep it short. (I know, I promise it every time, but at least I try. That’s gotta count for something. Hah)
Up at what feels like the crack of dawn this morning. Have ourselves a date at the consulate to get our passports, and then linea recta over to the DMV, ‘cause there appears to be a snafu with our permanent licenses. It got sent to the wrong address for some reason and then got sent back…really annoying.
So, after depositing the dogs in the house, big brother and I head out towards town and then the freeway to make it in time to make our appointment. Luckily, it takes only a short time, so there’s enough to get to the DMV before closing. Long lines there, always reminds me of a theme park with the zigzag you have to follow just to get to your destination…of course there’s no thrilling ride at the end.
As it turns out, the dude behind the thick glass says he can’t do anything since the darn things are in transit, or some such, so either it is going to be delivered again by mail…hopefully correctly this time…and otherwise we’ll have to return next month to pick it up there. Bureaucracy. Aaargh.
I’m blatantly reminded of a stand up comedian who had this really awesome narrative about why those guys are seated behind bulletproof glass. Seriously, with all the hoops they’re making ya jump through, a nice little machine gun would be the perfect solution to get rid of some frustration. Hah.
But anyways, since we’re out already, we head back to the town closest to our home, and visit a Chinese bazaar. I’m in need for some sweatpants…the old ones are sliding down my butt…and tops. Next, we visit one of Spain’s biggest department stores, hoping that we’ll finally be able to get sneakers for big brother. Getting size 14 shoes is like looking for gold around here.
Though it’s a tight fit, we do finally manage to get a pair, and rapidly hurry on home, where the dogs are getting more than a little impatient to be released out into the yard.
It is at least an hour after their usual release time and the orchestra of barking is deafening when they storm from the patio and out into the still slightly clouded day.
Rather than bother with the edit, big brother and I both spend some time going over messages and such, and though I do attempt to work some on the scene I mentioned yesterday, distractions don’t allow for more than a couple of paragraphs, while big brother heads out to get sand and cement.
My writing plans foiled we head on out to resume the wall. While little sister works on the section beside the tower, and big brother does the stairs, little brother has moved down to the courtyard gate to expand on the short section that leads to the opening. Instead, he is pulling it out to the fence that leads to the backyard. His part is coming along quite nicely, I’ll admit. Makes me look back…rather fondly, I might add…when we were still doing the “simple” foundation work. Hah.
I’m working on a particularly difficult spot. There’s nothing more complicated and frustrating than building the end of a wall with natural rocks. Most of the time, you have to find irregular stones with at least two straight sides, and always with an accurate angle. I’ve been working on it for two days now and I’m only up to three or four feet in height. Bugger!
Still, I only need to add two or three more layers before it’s done, so with that in mind we finish up for the day (the stairs are up another beautiful step, too) and head into the house to eat a quick snack.
Laundry is thankfully only a minor chore today, which is good, considering that today’s activities, piled on top of yesterday’s jog make walking practically impossible, hah. There’s nothing like sore muscles to let you know that you’re busy.
Regretfully the bureaucratic bull isn’t over yet, Monday and Tuesday I need to take the younger sibs to town so they can finally become residents as well, so the remainder of the evening is spent filling out the necessary form and taking care that everything possible is taken care of before the actual ordeal.
With my eyes at half-stock…I swear, right now I could sleep standing up. It was a long day…I finally head up to my cabin to feed the dogs and finish up the evening. I think this is the first time in my life I’m looking forward to Sunday. We plan on a semi-rest day again, then, and maybe a nice relaxing walk up in the mountains. We’ll see.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Road trip followed by a jog.
I’m going to have to hurry tonight...should have written a proper blog last night, darn it...’cause now really I don’t have the time (I’ll have to cut some edges, hah). It has to be an early night for me. I need to go to the consulate tomorrow morning to get my new passport, which arrived today.
As for today? Well, I oversleep, aaargh, so I’m late again, of course, and I hurry through the morning rituals to get to the house in time to start on today’s editing session. I actually manage to go through the morning chores fast enough to be an hour earlier than usual so none of the editing hours were lost in the end. We manage to do two full chapters, which is good, since one of my proofreaders is eagerly waiting for the next installment, hah.
I hear/read that she misses a particular scene in “Saving Nina”, so I’m going to have to write one in the near future, to make up for it. Can’t have a reader wondering what happens before the actual “she’s rescued” scene, so I’ll have to add a proper rescue, however short, even though to me it is not a scene that is really necessary. We’ll see how it comes out.
The session over and done with and with the arrival of the younger sibs big brother and I head out to the car with middle sister, grandpa and mom. We’re on a mission to find new rocks for the wall and the stairs alike, and since we’re feeling up to a bit of a road trip, we head west, farther land inward.
It is quite amazing how different the countryside can be around here with only a dozen or so miles of travel (the way the crow flies, that is). We go about thirty miles and it feels as if we’re in a foreign country. Cradled within the mountains, there’s this huge, rather hot, valley that seems to stretch on endlessly. There are crop fields all ‘round, orange and lemon orchards, avocados and even a huge hacienda with a massive flock of sheep dotting one particular stretch of a huge mountain ridge.
So strange how you can feel as if you’ve stepped into a different country that way, but as we cruise over narrow winding roads, cross small streams that actually run over the potholed blacktop, heading farther west, it is quite extraordinary. It takes a while before we come upon a stretch where a particularly nice collection of rocks is easy pickings just beside a large olive tree orchard.
Especially the really flat rocks suit our fancy today, since we really need those for the stairs big brother is creating while the sibs and I are erecting the wall. We manage to fill up the truck bed, the heat almost unbearable. Though it is a gorgeous area, and living there would be attractive if for no other reason than it is very remote, the summer must be pure hell temperature wise. Even now, still in spring, we were sweating like mad, as we hauled rock after rock and loaded them up.
On the way back, figuring that we’ve deserved a refreshment, we fill up the gas tank and buy ice cream for everyone, and then continue on our way home to unload today’s batch.
Considering that we still have to get our tenant…she’s late, due to the ambulance that picks her up and then drops her off again, being behind schedule, so, this time in the company of little sister and our friend Danni we depart again, and head for the dirt road in the woods that is so very suitable for a jog.
The sore muscles have recovered since the last run, so after some stretches we start on our second jog. Much to my surprise, even though I didn’t particularly felt like going at all today, the run goes remarkably well.
We actually do a mile and a half, of which I manage to run about seventy percent without actually feeling like I’m going to pass out, hah.
After some mild stretching exercises and crunches, we’re done for the afternoon and head back since we know that our tenant will be close to home by now, and needs to be picked up from the parking place in front of the bar.
Since Danni has chosen to do the actual picking up, big brother, little sister and I step out at the top of our drive sweep, feeling every single muscle complain as we start on the steep incline that leads towards the front gate. Muscles tremble, knees buckle, but we make it down and head to the house for our much-deserved dinner.
Pasta with cheese and spinach waits, and it gets devoured with relish as we watch an episode of “the Mentalist” and then get back to work on the computer.
Not much gets done tonight, but it doesn’t matter.
On the overall, it turned out to be a good day, and that is all that really matters.
As for today? Well, I oversleep, aaargh, so I’m late again, of course, and I hurry through the morning rituals to get to the house in time to start on today’s editing session. I actually manage to go through the morning chores fast enough to be an hour earlier than usual so none of the editing hours were lost in the end. We manage to do two full chapters, which is good, since one of my proofreaders is eagerly waiting for the next installment, hah.
I hear/read that she misses a particular scene in “Saving Nina”, so I’m going to have to write one in the near future, to make up for it. Can’t have a reader wondering what happens before the actual “she’s rescued” scene, so I’ll have to add a proper rescue, however short, even though to me it is not a scene that is really necessary. We’ll see how it comes out.
The session over and done with and with the arrival of the younger sibs big brother and I head out to the car with middle sister, grandpa and mom. We’re on a mission to find new rocks for the wall and the stairs alike, and since we’re feeling up to a bit of a road trip, we head west, farther land inward.
It is quite amazing how different the countryside can be around here with only a dozen or so miles of travel (the way the crow flies, that is). We go about thirty miles and it feels as if we’re in a foreign country. Cradled within the mountains, there’s this huge, rather hot, valley that seems to stretch on endlessly. There are crop fields all ‘round, orange and lemon orchards, avocados and even a huge hacienda with a massive flock of sheep dotting one particular stretch of a huge mountain ridge.
So strange how you can feel as if you’ve stepped into a different country that way, but as we cruise over narrow winding roads, cross small streams that actually run over the potholed blacktop, heading farther west, it is quite extraordinary. It takes a while before we come upon a stretch where a particularly nice collection of rocks is easy pickings just beside a large olive tree orchard.
Especially the really flat rocks suit our fancy today, since we really need those for the stairs big brother is creating while the sibs and I are erecting the wall. We manage to fill up the truck bed, the heat almost unbearable. Though it is a gorgeous area, and living there would be attractive if for no other reason than it is very remote, the summer must be pure hell temperature wise. Even now, still in spring, we were sweating like mad, as we hauled rock after rock and loaded them up.
On the way back, figuring that we’ve deserved a refreshment, we fill up the gas tank and buy ice cream for everyone, and then continue on our way home to unload today’s batch.
Considering that we still have to get our tenant…she’s late, due to the ambulance that picks her up and then drops her off again, being behind schedule, so, this time in the company of little sister and our friend Danni we depart again, and head for the dirt road in the woods that is so very suitable for a jog.
The sore muscles have recovered since the last run, so after some stretches we start on our second jog. Much to my surprise, even though I didn’t particularly felt like going at all today, the run goes remarkably well.
We actually do a mile and a half, of which I manage to run about seventy percent without actually feeling like I’m going to pass out, hah.
After some mild stretching exercises and crunches, we’re done for the afternoon and head back since we know that our tenant will be close to home by now, and needs to be picked up from the parking place in front of the bar.
Since Danni has chosen to do the actual picking up, big brother, little sister and I step out at the top of our drive sweep, feeling every single muscle complain as we start on the steep incline that leads towards the front gate. Muscles tremble, knees buckle, but we make it down and head to the house for our much-deserved dinner.
Pasta with cheese and spinach waits, and it gets devoured with relish as we watch an episode of “the Mentalist” and then get back to work on the computer.
Not much gets done tonight, but it doesn’t matter.
On the overall, it turned out to be a good day, and that is all that really matters.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
W.I. Investigations/Roamer Teaser
There’s really not much to tell, except that Ama came home today and that her ear surgery went well (she was insanely happy to go home) and ended up with eight stitches to repair the damage Adma did. Other than that, you can pick a random day of the past few weeks and you’ll get the general idea of what happened on this one. Hah.
Just think of the wall, being almost up to its full height (everything together approximately twelve feet high, yay!) minus two yards on the edges that still need to be done.
So, let’s do something entirely different today.
I’ve been thinking about a teaser; a scene from one of the W.I. Investigations that I’m planning to publish in the near future. This one is titled “Roamer” and it involves the dangers and complexities of psychic venturing in places they should not.
It’s rough yet, but the general “feel” should get across I’m thinking. It's a bit on the horror side, dark and gloomy and supposedly scary, but I'll let you be the judge about that. Hah.
Enjoy:
Insert
He sat in silence to harbor his thoughts and desires like a beloved child; protected them against the outside forces, raging beyond the darkness in which he hid. He had been here for what felt like an eternity: Nurturing his hatred, feeding it with the fevered emotions surrounding him. Thick tendrils of black mist touched him with its wet fingers in the breeze that swirled through the realm incessantly.
It was dark; here in the place where light would not---and could not---reach. No illumination aided him as he huddled within his sanctuary, listening to the numerous sounds coming from way up high.
Waiting, learning, he brooded quietly for the day to come, when his vengeance could be brought to completion.
He was a patient man, his thrived on waiting as a matter of fact. It strengthened his resolve and made him stronger as he continued to listen to the static of the world beyond.
“Eleanor. Can you hear me?” His head snapped up with the voice that jumped out of the noise like a glimmering beacon. It was feminine and clear, naïve hope piercing through the mist. The voice was stronger than those who were his constant companions, here, in the place where he had been since his last venture into the corporal world.
His eyes, black as his surroundings were, an eerie contrast against the lighter shade of slate gray of the substance that contained his consciousness, snapped open. They peered intently into the black mist around him, searched for the source of the new voice like the hunter he was.
“Eleanor. Come to us. We are waiting,” the sweet voice implored, the sing-song quality of it peaking his interest even more.
There it was; a tiny dot of light in the distance, slowly becoming stronger as his focus zeroed in and latched on.
“Good spirits of the beyond. I command you to bring Eleanor to me so that her children may speak to her.”
A psychic, and a strong one at that, he noted with glee. Slowly, he straightened to his full length, shaking off the dregs of immobility. With his mind, he reached for the light of the voice, latching on to it carefully, lest he’d alarm the inexperienced psychic with his powerful presence.
“Yes,” he breathed, tenderly sliding the long, strong vines of his mind into that of the wide-open psychic. Tentatively, he explored the possibilities that lay inside. Power streamed through him instantly; reviving him as only few had done in the time he had hid within the darkness.
“Come to us, Eleanor. The door is open and we are ready to receive you infinite wisdom.”
He almost laughed at the psychic’s innocence, using his secretive hold on her to bring himself in motion.
Dregs of thick black mist churned around him when he first started to move, pulling gently on the anchor he had attached to the unsuspecting psychic, located within the light that was slowly brightening his surroundings.
“Yes,” he repeated, his hold strengthening even as the psychic called out again to the spirit of some loved one. She was so inexperienced that she didn’t even notice his approach. And she wouldn’t. Not if he could help it.
He could.
“Eleanor. I can sense you now. Please join us within this circle of love and friendship. You have been missed dearly.”
Black tendrils of the dark thinned, allowing him to look around and see the entity, which was summoned. It was weak, he saw, recognizing an impending reincarnation that was already drawing upon the soul flittering in and out of existence. Still, the lure of the past drew her towards the light.
Ah, easy spoils, he thought, closing in on the unsuspecting flitter of life that darted around the light like a moth to a flame.
“Eleanor. Don’t be frightened. Join us.”
Yes! Join them, he mocked softly, nearing the filmy entity with ever-increasing speed, his pleasure heightening with the easy victory that lay ahead.
Eleanor didn’t notice him until it was too late. Her awareness blinked out in less than a second when he wrapped himself around her and consumed the very essence of what had once been the soul the psychic searched for.
“Eleanor?”
Not wanting to alert the searcher, he fought against the jubilant feeling of power surging through him, but every bit of information the unfortunate soul had possessed filled him.
Lingering on the satisfying feeling of supremacy, he lay in wait.
Other spirits, lured by the powerful demand of the psychic, fled when he finally reached the light; his dark presence blocking out the lure of the innocent.
Laughing inwardly at the fear the other spirits displayed, he playfully lashed out at them, enjoying the pain he inflicted with nothing more than a thought.
He lurked within the swirls of black, dancing around the light emitted by the young psychic venturing in the unknown.
She was young, he could see now, floating this way and that as he peered through the portal in her soul.
Flitting in and out of “being” he was little more than a shadow to her, he knew, using it to his advantage as he carefully dug deeper into her mind; seeing what she saw…and so much more.
The psychic was little more than a girl, sixteen years of age at most, and several of her peers were seated around a low coffee table in what looked to be a living room.
They had their hands clasped together, strengthening the broadcast into this world of nothingness, where he had resided for so long.
“It isn’t working, Callie” he heard the teenage psychic mutter worriedly. Her anxiety grew perceptibly as he closed the final gap. Quickly, effortlessly, he wrapped himself around the opening she had created.
“Try again,” one of the kids with her urged, their faces filled with excitement even when the girl paled visibly. She was trying to understand what was happening to her. Though she didn’t know why her powers were suddenly dwindling, draining so rapidly that she could feel it in her corporal body. He did…and reveled in the knowledge.
He crooned his pleasure at the feel of pure energy seeping warmly into his limbs, steadily, filling up the dark niches of his ethereal form.
“Something’s wrong,” the teenage psychic said, his intimate connection to her making him feel every single warning signal that coursed through her.
Strong and sensitive, he mused with pleasure: Delighted with his choice even as he stopped masking his presence and heard the teen’s startled gasp when the full force of his essence slammed into her at last. He swept through her ruthlessly, violating every part of her being until nothing remained hidden.
“No!” she breathed, air exploding from her lungs the moment he slammed through her natural defenses like the mighty entity that he was.
“Yes!” he refuted, thrilled at her perception, and seeing her flinch both mentally and physically when at long last she realized her peril.
The young psychic scrambled to close the portal she’d opened, her body jerking free from the hand of her peers.
She raised her arms in futile resistance, instinct taking over at the threat he so clearly was.
Laughing, he clawed his way through the opening that connected his world to hers, his voice booming as her desperate attempt at defense crumbled under the might of his intrusion.
Light flickered ominously when he entered the earthly domain.
He slithered through the portal as children cried out and backed away from where he appeared within their midst.
The shadowy tentacles of his essence swirled around him in an impressive sweep, latching onto each and every teen, screaming at the top of their lungs.
They were his now. And no known force in this universe would be able to stop him.
Basking in his might, he stood within the once so cozy room, colors fading wherever his eyes went.
Something, a tingle in his nape made him turn suddenly; ready to combat any threat present, his powers lashed out towards the watcher, invisible but there.
“I see you!” he crooned, smiling at where he knew the presence lingered.
“I see you!”
Sally Ruins snapped up straight with a start, awakening from her trance with a labored inhalation of oxygen into starving lungs. Papers flew with her rapid withdrawal, showing how far gone she had been during this routine search.
“Oh, my God!” she whispered, looking around her messy office and focusing on the files, paper clippings and books piled on top of her desk.
“Are you alright, Sally?” the disembodied voice, coming from the small speaker on the corner of the desktop, made her jump and scramble for the half-empty coffee mug she’d almost knocked over.
“No! No, I’m not, James. You better call Roger. We have a serious problem.”
This concludes the teaser scene. I hope you enjoyed it.
Just think of the wall, being almost up to its full height (everything together approximately twelve feet high, yay!) minus two yards on the edges that still need to be done.
So, let’s do something entirely different today.
I’ve been thinking about a teaser; a scene from one of the W.I. Investigations that I’m planning to publish in the near future. This one is titled “Roamer” and it involves the dangers and complexities of psychic venturing in places they should not.
It’s rough yet, but the general “feel” should get across I’m thinking. It's a bit on the horror side, dark and gloomy and supposedly scary, but I'll let you be the judge about that. Hah.
Enjoy:
<<<>>>
W.I. Investigations/Roamer
-------------------------
-------------------------
Insert
He sat in silence to harbor his thoughts and desires like a beloved child; protected them against the outside forces, raging beyond the darkness in which he hid. He had been here for what felt like an eternity: Nurturing his hatred, feeding it with the fevered emotions surrounding him. Thick tendrils of black mist touched him with its wet fingers in the breeze that swirled through the realm incessantly.
It was dark; here in the place where light would not---and could not---reach. No illumination aided him as he huddled within his sanctuary, listening to the numerous sounds coming from way up high.
Waiting, learning, he brooded quietly for the day to come, when his vengeance could be brought to completion.
He was a patient man, his thrived on waiting as a matter of fact. It strengthened his resolve and made him stronger as he continued to listen to the static of the world beyond.
“Eleanor. Can you hear me?” His head snapped up with the voice that jumped out of the noise like a glimmering beacon. It was feminine and clear, naïve hope piercing through the mist. The voice was stronger than those who were his constant companions, here, in the place where he had been since his last venture into the corporal world.
His eyes, black as his surroundings were, an eerie contrast against the lighter shade of slate gray of the substance that contained his consciousness, snapped open. They peered intently into the black mist around him, searched for the source of the new voice like the hunter he was.
“Eleanor. Come to us. We are waiting,” the sweet voice implored, the sing-song quality of it peaking his interest even more.
There it was; a tiny dot of light in the distance, slowly becoming stronger as his focus zeroed in and latched on.
“Good spirits of the beyond. I command you to bring Eleanor to me so that her children may speak to her.”
A psychic, and a strong one at that, he noted with glee. Slowly, he straightened to his full length, shaking off the dregs of immobility. With his mind, he reached for the light of the voice, latching on to it carefully, lest he’d alarm the inexperienced psychic with his powerful presence.
“Yes,” he breathed, tenderly sliding the long, strong vines of his mind into that of the wide-open psychic. Tentatively, he explored the possibilities that lay inside. Power streamed through him instantly; reviving him as only few had done in the time he had hid within the darkness.
“Come to us, Eleanor. The door is open and we are ready to receive you infinite wisdom.”
He almost laughed at the psychic’s innocence, using his secretive hold on her to bring himself in motion.
Dregs of thick black mist churned around him when he first started to move, pulling gently on the anchor he had attached to the unsuspecting psychic, located within the light that was slowly brightening his surroundings.
“Yes,” he repeated, his hold strengthening even as the psychic called out again to the spirit of some loved one. She was so inexperienced that she didn’t even notice his approach. And she wouldn’t. Not if he could help it.
He could.
“Eleanor. I can sense you now. Please join us within this circle of love and friendship. You have been missed dearly.”
Black tendrils of the dark thinned, allowing him to look around and see the entity, which was summoned. It was weak, he saw, recognizing an impending reincarnation that was already drawing upon the soul flittering in and out of existence. Still, the lure of the past drew her towards the light.
Ah, easy spoils, he thought, closing in on the unsuspecting flitter of life that darted around the light like a moth to a flame.
“Eleanor. Don’t be frightened. Join us.”
Yes! Join them, he mocked softly, nearing the filmy entity with ever-increasing speed, his pleasure heightening with the easy victory that lay ahead.
Eleanor didn’t notice him until it was too late. Her awareness blinked out in less than a second when he wrapped himself around her and consumed the very essence of what had once been the soul the psychic searched for.
“Eleanor?”
Not wanting to alert the searcher, he fought against the jubilant feeling of power surging through him, but every bit of information the unfortunate soul had possessed filled him.
Lingering on the satisfying feeling of supremacy, he lay in wait.
Other spirits, lured by the powerful demand of the psychic, fled when he finally reached the light; his dark presence blocking out the lure of the innocent.
Laughing inwardly at the fear the other spirits displayed, he playfully lashed out at them, enjoying the pain he inflicted with nothing more than a thought.
He lurked within the swirls of black, dancing around the light emitted by the young psychic venturing in the unknown.
She was young, he could see now, floating this way and that as he peered through the portal in her soul.
Flitting in and out of “being” he was little more than a shadow to her, he knew, using it to his advantage as he carefully dug deeper into her mind; seeing what she saw…and so much more.
The psychic was little more than a girl, sixteen years of age at most, and several of her peers were seated around a low coffee table in what looked to be a living room.
They had their hands clasped together, strengthening the broadcast into this world of nothingness, where he had resided for so long.
“It isn’t working, Callie” he heard the teenage psychic mutter worriedly. Her anxiety grew perceptibly as he closed the final gap. Quickly, effortlessly, he wrapped himself around the opening she had created.
“Try again,” one of the kids with her urged, their faces filled with excitement even when the girl paled visibly. She was trying to understand what was happening to her. Though she didn’t know why her powers were suddenly dwindling, draining so rapidly that she could feel it in her corporal body. He did…and reveled in the knowledge.
He crooned his pleasure at the feel of pure energy seeping warmly into his limbs, steadily, filling up the dark niches of his ethereal form.
“Something’s wrong,” the teenage psychic said, his intimate connection to her making him feel every single warning signal that coursed through her.
Strong and sensitive, he mused with pleasure: Delighted with his choice even as he stopped masking his presence and heard the teen’s startled gasp when the full force of his essence slammed into her at last. He swept through her ruthlessly, violating every part of her being until nothing remained hidden.
“No!” she breathed, air exploding from her lungs the moment he slammed through her natural defenses like the mighty entity that he was.
“Yes!” he refuted, thrilled at her perception, and seeing her flinch both mentally and physically when at long last she realized her peril.
The young psychic scrambled to close the portal she’d opened, her body jerking free from the hand of her peers.
She raised her arms in futile resistance, instinct taking over at the threat he so clearly was.
Laughing, he clawed his way through the opening that connected his world to hers, his voice booming as her desperate attempt at defense crumbled under the might of his intrusion.
Light flickered ominously when he entered the earthly domain.
He slithered through the portal as children cried out and backed away from where he appeared within their midst.
The shadowy tentacles of his essence swirled around him in an impressive sweep, latching onto each and every teen, screaming at the top of their lungs.
They were his now. And no known force in this universe would be able to stop him.
Basking in his might, he stood within the once so cozy room, colors fading wherever his eyes went.
Something, a tingle in his nape made him turn suddenly; ready to combat any threat present, his powers lashed out towards the watcher, invisible but there.
“I see you!” he crooned, smiling at where he knew the presence lingered.
“I see you!”
Sally Ruins snapped up straight with a start, awakening from her trance with a labored inhalation of oxygen into starving lungs. Papers flew with her rapid withdrawal, showing how far gone she had been during this routine search.
“Oh, my God!” she whispered, looking around her messy office and focusing on the files, paper clippings and books piled on top of her desk.
“Are you alright, Sally?” the disembodied voice, coming from the small speaker on the corner of the desktop, made her jump and scramble for the half-empty coffee mug she’d almost knocked over.
“No! No, I’m not, James. You better call Roger. We have a serious problem.”
<<<>>>
This concludes the teaser scene. I hope you enjoyed it.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Slight mishap.
Philosophical thought of the day:
If life flows, as it will with the passage of time, what good does worrying about the future do?
It’s an honest question. It’s been bugging me all day and the only answer I can think of is that worrying about anything does absolutely nothing.
Which brings another question to the surface: Why do I(we) worry at all? It is so unconstructive in the end, because worries don’t actually make one do anything. Or does it?
Food for thought.
The day:
I get up half an hour late this morning, considering I was procrastinating sleep again last night. Stupid, I know, but what can I say, I got distracted and forgot the time. I pay the price today in spades, I admit. That extra half hour really doesn’t cut it. Hah.
But that’s beside the point, I guess. I head on down to the house so big brother and I can start on the edit asap. We manage to go over two chapters of “Saving Nina” in the read-through edit, which is less than I wanted, but more than I expected, in light of the chores that kept us from really getting into it.
Since big brother and I intend do go to town today, trying to search for shoes (his size is a pain in the butt to get) so we have to start with building a little early. The sibs have only just arrived when we head on out to commence making cement and preparing the site for today’s session.
When the sibs join us, the first batch of cement is already made, and with a lot of silly jokes going back and forth, we all pile more rocks, while big brother searches for just the right ones he needs to make the stairs that lead to the patio door.
I’m only just getting started, really, adding about three feet to a section of the wall when our time’s up (our tenant needs to be picked up again in two hours, so we’re on a tight schedule) and we need to hurry to get ready.
Finding sneakers for big brother is, as expected, more than a little difficult. We visit over five stores and come up empty. We’re about to visit the last possibility too, when the phone call comes in that we have to head on up the mountain again to pick our tenant up from the bar where the ambulance has dropped her off.
Traffic is pure hell today, jamming up at practically every turn because, as usual, when summer’s approaching road works are all over the place, rerouting traffic and cutting it off at random intervals. It gets so bad at one point that I’ve no idea where we are. Luckily, we make out a familiar building in the distance and start winding our way through tiny streets until we once again return to the main road that leads home.
Our tenant…in good spirits after her third rehab session…gets delivered on her front step, and we’re about to drive onto the property when we hear that there was a slight mishap with a couple of the dogs while we were gone.
Apparently, Ama (a Viscla pointer) and Adma (a pocket Beagle) got into a bit of tussle through the center fence. This resulted in Adma grabbing Ama’s ear and tearing a corner shaped piece of skin out that now dangles down. She bled all over the place. Seeing that this particular two-inch cut is not something we can handle ourselves, big brother and I decide to take the dog to the veterinary hospital immediately.
Ama, though trembling with fear, behaves bravely throughout the drive and the following examination. With her tail between her legs, she settles in her cage, since it is near closing time and we have to leave her there for the night for her operation. With the reassurance that we’ll come back in the morning to pick her up, we depart and head back home.
Little sister has prepared dinner of mac ‘n cheese with veggies, which is a dish we both favor, but since it is already so late, I manage to eat only a little. We’re just barely in time to watch an episode of “Burn Notice” and then, before I know it, the day is over.
Time. How come it flies when a day isn’t exactly a success, too?
If life flows, as it will with the passage of time, what good does worrying about the future do?
It’s an honest question. It’s been bugging me all day and the only answer I can think of is that worrying about anything does absolutely nothing.
Which brings another question to the surface: Why do I(we) worry at all? It is so unconstructive in the end, because worries don’t actually make one do anything. Or does it?
Food for thought.
The day:
I get up half an hour late this morning, considering I was procrastinating sleep again last night. Stupid, I know, but what can I say, I got distracted and forgot the time. I pay the price today in spades, I admit. That extra half hour really doesn’t cut it. Hah.
But that’s beside the point, I guess. I head on down to the house so big brother and I can start on the edit asap. We manage to go over two chapters of “Saving Nina” in the read-through edit, which is less than I wanted, but more than I expected, in light of the chores that kept us from really getting into it.
Since big brother and I intend do go to town today, trying to search for shoes (his size is a pain in the butt to get) so we have to start with building a little early. The sibs have only just arrived when we head on out to commence making cement and preparing the site for today’s session.
When the sibs join us, the first batch of cement is already made, and with a lot of silly jokes going back and forth, we all pile more rocks, while big brother searches for just the right ones he needs to make the stairs that lead to the patio door.
I’m only just getting started, really, adding about three feet to a section of the wall when our time’s up (our tenant needs to be picked up again in two hours, so we’re on a tight schedule) and we need to hurry to get ready.
Finding sneakers for big brother is, as expected, more than a little difficult. We visit over five stores and come up empty. We’re about to visit the last possibility too, when the phone call comes in that we have to head on up the mountain again to pick our tenant up from the bar where the ambulance has dropped her off.
Traffic is pure hell today, jamming up at practically every turn because, as usual, when summer’s approaching road works are all over the place, rerouting traffic and cutting it off at random intervals. It gets so bad at one point that I’ve no idea where we are. Luckily, we make out a familiar building in the distance and start winding our way through tiny streets until we once again return to the main road that leads home.
Our tenant…in good spirits after her third rehab session…gets delivered on her front step, and we’re about to drive onto the property when we hear that there was a slight mishap with a couple of the dogs while we were gone.
Apparently, Ama (a Viscla pointer) and Adma (a pocket Beagle) got into a bit of tussle through the center fence. This resulted in Adma grabbing Ama’s ear and tearing a corner shaped piece of skin out that now dangles down. She bled all over the place. Seeing that this particular two-inch cut is not something we can handle ourselves, big brother and I decide to take the dog to the veterinary hospital immediately.
Ama, though trembling with fear, behaves bravely throughout the drive and the following examination. With her tail between her legs, she settles in her cage, since it is near closing time and we have to leave her there for the night for her operation. With the reassurance that we’ll come back in the morning to pick her up, we depart and head back home.
Little sister has prepared dinner of mac ‘n cheese with veggies, which is a dish we both favor, but since it is already so late, I manage to eat only a little. We’re just barely in time to watch an episode of “Burn Notice” and then, before I know it, the day is over.
Time. How come it flies when a day isn’t exactly a success, too?
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