Day 382, My bad

Today I thought it was Friday. Why? I have no idea. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered it was only Tuesday! But I must say, it was good as Tuesdays go. Oh... I have an RAK to report :) I brought a Starbuck's coffee traveler to our training this morning for the TOSAs. Granted, I did it so I could report an RAK,,, but as you know, I have to claim RAKs every chance I get. I am sincerely interested in becoming a nicer person. ... or rather a kinder person.

Tomorrow looks promising... Could this be a trend?

Kudos to Raechel...Good things are happening for her.

3 weeks from tomorrow is when Andrew comes home. Hard to believe his mission is over. I am sure he is feeling a bit strange...wondering what happens next in his life. I cannot wrap my head around the idea that he is 21 years old. Good Heavens!! Little Boo Boo... 21 years old. In conceivable!!

Tonight was Taco Tuesday,,, There goes the diet. I'm sure I consumed well over 1,000 calories in one sitting. Ug.

The tacos were sure good though. :)

Day 381, What is today?

Today is the second Monday in a row that I have looked forward to going to work. That's cool. Today was fun... that's cool too. Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Okay, but as a mom, today I suck. I forgot to write my missionary before I left for school, so he did not get a letter from his mother today. There's just no reasonable excuse for such negligence. Good thing he's coming home in 3 weeks... I will bake him a shepherd's pie and some lemon bars.... then he will forgive me. Isn't that the idea behind penance? Did I just inadvertantly change my religion?

Kelli put peanut M&Ms on my desk today.... that is an RAK. Kimberly put a very nice note on my desk today...looks like she wrote notes to all the TOSA's---that is an RAK!! What did Mindy do?
Um.
Crickets.

Tomorrow! I promise to be kind to somebody.

Can you believe I STILL have not bought Mockingjay? Guess I'm saving it for my big 3-day weekend :)

Tomorrow is payday. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. Why is it that the more money I make, the less I have? Did I skip a math class somewhere?

Day 380, Snoozin on a Sunday evening

Looked forward all day to watching the Inspector Lewis mystery...then slept all the way through it. That is the joy of being a grandma! We had so much fun with Jane,,, she is a real doll.

Lucky for me, we taped Lewis.... I'll have to watch it later this week.

Ready for another week. Sigh. Tomorrow begins at CHS with a PPT presentation. Hope it goes as well as last week's presentation at GOHS. The rest of the week? I am working on getting that gate open.

Paday is coming,,, FINALLY!!! I swear this was the longest month ever.

Day 379, Satisfying Saturday

Satisfying why? Because the weather was amazing today.... warm, with a cool breeze that made it feel like Fall, because my day began with a 5-hour visit with good friend Sharon...sitting at the bistro by The Coffee Bean, because Ron brought Sonic for dinner, because I took an invigorating 2-mile walk, and because Jane is here :) Oh, and how can I forget my rootbeer float?

Yeah. It was a good day :)

Day 378, Good Friday

Yes... this was a good Friday for sure. What would make it better? If Monday was a holiday, today was payday, and I had Mockingjay to read. But no complaints. I enjoyed work (hey, how about that???), took a very long walk with Patricia, and ate Panda tonight. So what now? How about a full night's sleep, brunch with a friend, and babysitting Jane tomorrow? Yep, dat's good!

Got lots on my plate tomorrow---gotta get ready for choir practice, plan a Sunday School lesson, see Jane, visit with Sharon, buy Mockingjay, exercise, and of course, update my blog :) A full day indeed. If there's time, I'd like to work on my sequel too. I have been working scenes in my mind, and am anxious to write them.

The girl who did my nails, did NOT do a very good job. They are too fat and too thick. I just thought you would like to know that :)

Yes Raechel, you should think of a purpose for your blog. Why not? I'm sure you can think of something off the beaten path.

Saw a bizarre movie tonight.... Tenderness. Russell Crowe. Very strange.

7-day outlook looks good.

Day 377, Clap clap clap--TEACH

Today I attended the Whole Brain conference in Apple Valley. Before you start making a ton of brain jokes, or lack of brain jokes, let me just say that it was pretty impressive. I've seen the strategies before, but never in a full day forum like this one. Yes, it made me wish I had a class to go back and practice on.... but I am not complaining :) I made a promise...I will keep it.

So.... I've been coughing for over three weeks now. What's up with that? Annoying.

Tomorrow's Friday.... That's a good thing.

Day 376, And counting

What exactly am I counting? The days till my next pay check, the number of spiders I've killed in the past week, calories, the number of times Mick has pooped on the carpet, the number of times the cats have pee'd on the floor, the number of novels I've read in the past 3 months, the number of times I've wished I was in a classroom, the number of times I've sought for recognition in my new job (a fruitless endeavor, I might disdainfully add---IF I were one to complain, WHICH I am not...) the number of times Taylor has made me want to pull all my hair out, the number of wrinkles around my eyes, the days until our first vacation.....the days until Andrew comes home from his mission..... the days until Taylor leaves on his mission.....Oh,, and did I mention, the number of days until payday? And finally,,, the days until the first proof of my book is completed and I see it in bound form. Yeah, that's a big one.

So, yeah. I'm counting.

And let's not forget... I'm counting the days until I can return to Hawaii :)

Counting is good, Yah?

Day 375, Good times!!

Today I was videotaped teaching a lesson to one of Ron's classes. Enter a surprise visit by Karen Love, the assistant principal at Ron's school, along with a former colleague of mine. They observed the entire lesson, while I was being taped. No pressure. Seriously though, my joy at being with students totally eclipsed my nervousness over being observed and taped. Funny thing though, I have lost a total of twelve pounds since last year, and I'm still wearing the same pants (don't want to buy new ones until I've lost all the weight I want.) Well, my pants kept sliding down, so throughout the lesson I was discreetly trying to pull my pants up. And, by way, here's a note for future reference. If you are over 40, do not wear short sleeves if you are being videotaped. Aye aye aye!! I did my best to focus on the students, but ever present in the back of my mind (in addition to keeping my pants on,) was whether or not my arms were jiggling. Oh man,,,, I am a person who gestures continually (something that was painfully obvious when I saw myself on video,) so there is always a danger of my arm flab taking flight. Gross!!! Note to self---WORK OUT! Firm those freaken flabby arms!

A nice feather in my cap was the feedback I received from Karen Love. She was very complimentary about my lesson, and claimed all the essential elements of instruction were present. She said she felt that other teachers would benefit from seeing me teach that particular lesson. Well, Karen did not have to observe me, and she certainly did not have to provide feedback; I am not one of her teachers, but I certainly appreciated her comments. You see? She made me feel "tall" and competent. I needed that. I'm my own worst critic, so all I notice when I view the videtape are the flaws.

Well, nobody's perfect.

Except Gailand Simmons. Just ask him, he'll tell you.

I loved being on a middle school campus today. I felt like I was home. Sigh.

I need to have my nails done....Seriously!

Day 374, Yawn!

I am pleased to report that today I enjoyed my job :) It began with a surprisingly positive visit to GOHS where team "BAM" presented to the Sp-Ed department. In case you're wondering,,, BAM stands for Brian, Anna, Mindy. Then off to Ron's class at DMS to make preparations for tomorrow's video-tape lesson. I've never been taped before..... never wanted to be. I'd rather be watched by 9 principals than have a video made of my teaching. But, I guess I'd better get used to it, I have to do it at least 4 times this year. Ug!

I hope I don't look fat in the video. And I hope my arms don't jiggle too much. Is that pathetic, or what?

Tomorrow, I'll be with students. That makes me happy.

Day 373, Cyclin' Sunday

No, the title of this blog does not mean that I rode a bike today, nor does it mean I went to spin class. (Hmm.. remember when I was going to do that twice a week every week? What happened to that?)
No. The title is merely a metaphor for my day. I hit the ground spinning from the time my feet hit the floor this morning. I prepared a Sunday School lesson for the 16-17 year-olds, had a rehearsal for the choir before church, played the organ in Sacrament, directed the choir in our first performance with me as choir director, taught Sunday School, played the piano for Relief Society, held choir practice after church,,, attended the Seminary Fireside, and got my PPT ready for tomorrow morning's 8am meeting. And somewhere in there, I prepared the strawberries for my mom and dad's strawberry shortcake craving. I had a lot of help with that, thank goodness.

Who says Sunday is a day of rest?

Icing on the cake was when Esther Dernbach brought over a bag of goodies and a beautiful note thanking for my service as RS President. It was so thoughtful, and really made my day. Now THAT,,, is a true RAK :) Our new presidency is awesome.

I'm actually looking forward to going to work tomorrow. That is cool. I believe it is going to be a good week.

Football season is almost here!! We are about to enter my favorite season of the year, FALL!

Did not get my Raechel fix today. I miss her.

Day 372, Saturday Slummin'

Too tired to write... and besides, it's after midnight. Just thought I'd let you know that today I went out in public with no make up and no shower. That's twice in the past month I've slummed it. Hmmmm. Should I be worried?

Took Ellen to the movies.... We had free passes.... We saw the new Jennifer Anniston movie... Switch... or whatever the title is. It was cute. Predictable, cliche', but cute. The kid makes the movie!! What a cutie :)

Made my PPT for work on Monday... See? Good attitude, right?

Day 371, Girl's Night Out

I finally found someone who loves crab legs as much as I do!! Here's none other than the Rejection Queen herself...peeling away at the poor helpless crab who used to be somebody's brother or sister. After several trips back to the crab table,,, we finally rolled ourselves out of the restaurant. You should have seen the way the waiter looked at us. I'm sure he thought we were nuts.

Oh, and by the way, dinner tonight was courtesy of Chris Isaak's guitar player, Hershel (I hope that's the way he spells his name.) He was kind enough to reserve two tickets for Jen...and she was kind enough to bring me as her guest. I got to meet this generous guitar player before the show, and he was nice as can be. Our seats were fabulous! We were dead center, and only 7 rows back from the stage. The performance was amazing....and tons of fun. I was totally surprised, as I was not familiar with Chris Isaak's music before tonight. I finally got to the see famous video that Ron has told me so much about. I can see why it was a favorite it his.

I suppose now I will simply have to break down and buy the Mr. Lucky CD.

Well, it's late-o-clock, so I suppose I should go to bed now. Actually, it's late-thirty, but who's counting?

Oh... I did an RAK today. I put a cup full of M&M's on Kelli's desk while she was out visiting a site. Random, and kind. Go Mindy!!

No complaints today :)

Day 370, Change...

Yeah, I'm a bit obsessed with the word change these days.... And most of you are saying, "Enough is enough! For the love of pete!!" I get it, and I agree. I am down to my last "Complain Token," and I'm going to use it tonight. So here goes... For the record....

C is for the new chapter that I've begun writing in my career. I am taking CHARGE of my current circumstances.

H is for the "How did I get roped into this?" thought that passes through my mind at least 3 times a day.

A is for attitude! Mine needs a major adjustment. My attitude is my problem...and my own darn fault!

N is for the fact that NOBODY really cares that I'm complaining again. And NOBODY wants to hear about it any more!

G is for every time I press my hands against my forhead and cry, "Good Grief! You have GOT to be kidding !!! And finally, (drum roll please....)

E is for the END of my whining and complaining...

Truly... Really... No, really, Honest... For reals... I mean it... Don't make me count!!!!

I mean it!

Day 369, Stiff-necked

No, I'm not referring to my attitude... I'm actually referring to my neck. All week I have had the most painful ache in my neck. Why? Let's just call it insult to injury. The only thing I can think of is that it's from sitting in my cubicle all day working on the computer. Aye aye aye.

Okay, today was marginally better than yesterday.

Watching South Pacific.... Forgot that I liked it. Makes me want to go back to Hawaii :)

Man, my neck hurts!

Day 368, For You Raechel

I know, I know, technically, it's not day 368.... but I don't know what else to do... So?? Guess for Raechel I will just have to continue posting a blog a day. For how long? Who the heck knows? I'll just keep going.... I wonder if there's a record out there for the most consecutive daily blogs? Guess it wouldn't count because I would be off by about 4 or 5 days. But I need a purpose... I NEED A PURPOSE!!! Somebody give me a new blog goal. I must have goals! Aims. Goals. Objectives. I'm a teacher for the love of Pete....It's always about goals and objectives. I am having true blue withdrawls...no classroom to set up, no gradebook, no daily objective, no professional goals, no parent letters, no course syllabus. My feng shui is out of ki-whack.

Tonight I had dinner with the other half of Planet "M." Mrs. M and her family met us for Taco Tuesday at Rosa's Cafe... yum yum. I miss the magic that Kelli and I created last year. Every once in a while, the stars align just right, and something wonderful happens. That's how it was last year with the M&M team. It was, as I've mentioned before, the most fun I've ever had teaching. And apparently, the fun paid off, because my students scored higher than they ever had. Could this be evidence that Marzano is right when he says that students need to "play" with the content if you want them to retain it? I think so. I'm going to refer to last year as my Buddy Holly year. I was at the top of my game,,, and then the lights went out.

As for my new role? I am taking it one day at a time. I am not a "sit and wait for further instructions" type of person. I am very Type A.... I would rather forge ahead... even if I'm forging in the wrong the direction. I know this about me, because unlike a wise, patient person, if the path I'm on comes to a standstill, rather than sit and wait, I will take a detour---just so I can keep moving. I cannot stand to sit still! That's where I am now...taking a detour. It makes things a bit more interesting. Let's just hope I don't end up lost.

Stay the course Mindy. Stay the course.

Did I do anything kind today? Come to think of it, I did do a very small RAK. I sent a friendly note to someone I worked with last year... just to say hello and see how she was doing. It was random, and it was kind. It counts.

Here's a short term goal. Every day I will do something to improve my attitude and make my job more fun. Yep. That's a good goal.

Day 367, Sort of, but not really

"Sort of, but not really" seems to be the phrase of the week for me. I have been asked numerous times by the staff at my old school if I am enjoying my new position. Sort of, but not really. I understand that the majority of the problem lies within me....with no one to blame by myself. Instead of feeling liberated, respected, necessary, capable, appreciated, and autonomous, I instead feel that I am unimportant, unqualified, incompetent, and easily expendable. It's not that I perceive myself as these things, on the contrary, I went into the position feeling confident, capable, and believing I would play an intricate role in making a difference this year. No. It's how others, (one or two in particular who are in administrative positions,) have made me feel since day one on the new job. I feel undermined at every turn, and like the rug is being pulled from beneath me.

So, it's a difficult position I find myself in this Monday morning. Am I excited to go to work today? Sort of, but not really.

I know it is up to me to figure out how to turn a position spin on all this. I will play their political game, I will kiss the appropriate bottoms, and I will be a team player. I will swallow my pride and ego (they will see to that,) and I will bite my tongue (hopefully I won't end up exploding, or worse, imploding!!) and I will seek to gain as much experience and education as I can to make this a growing and worthwhile experience. But right now, I do not feel like I belong there.

Am I sure I did the right thing? I was. I have to hold on to that original answer. The situation has changed, but that would be nothing new to God, so I have to have faith that there is a reason I'm here. Can I see the benefit of this detour from my original path?

Sort of, but not really.

Day 366, It takes 3 days to break a habit...

I can't stand it.... It's five minutes till midnight, and I can't go to bed because I feel like I'm cheating on someone who has been faithful for the past year....My blog. It's always been there for me.... lurking.... watching me.....all the time. So until I manage to break the habit of writing every day, I'll just pluck away at the keyboard.

Today I got a botched fill and pedicure. So botched that I went to another place and paid money to have them both done over. Is that pathetic or what?

Ron bought a new bar b que today, and then he grilled us a perfect flank steak. The guy's got style.

Oh look at that.... it's one minute past midnight... so I guess I did break my streak..... Oh wait,,,,, 12:02... see? The habits is already being broken.

Sigh.

Day 365, Finish Line, Whew hoooooooo!!!

Da da da da!!! Go Mindy, Go Mindy, Go Mindy.... Celebrate! Celebrate! Balloons, cheers, confetti, you name it. My goal has been met.

So where are the cameras? The reporters? The movie makers? The publishers? The Contracts?

And what happened to all my followers? I was supposed to have thousands of faithful fans by now---fans who would eventually buy my book, and demand more!!!

Yeah. Okay. I live in dreamland. That doesn't bother me. I dream big...and why not? If I don't dare to dream, then nothing great will ever happen in my life.

So, I've been browsing through some of my posts, and I can truly see that I chose a fitting title for my blog. During the past 365 days, I created and dismantled Planet M, enjoyed the most amazing year of teaching since I became a teacher, changed my career, got released from my church calling and called to a new position, went to my 30 year class reunion, lost ten pounds, had my dream vacation to Hawaii, faced my fear of snorkel and snuba, left the school site I loved, bought a new couch, adopted two tiger kitties, watched my daughter graduate from BYU, had my first mammogram, supported my son on his mission, rewrote my novel, got a publishing contract, started my sequel, went through two heart surgeries of our newest grand baby, went through the trauma of my son rolling his car on the Cajon Pass, spent a couple sleepless nights with sick parents at the hospital, read several novels, had my highest results ever in LA test scores, celebrated my 8th wedding anniversary with my sweetheart, and tried to become a nicer person by doing RAKs.

I only reached 5 out of 11 goals. I'm not sure what school you went to, but where I come from, that's an "F". Not too impressive, huh?

No, I did not reach all my goals, but I did move forward. That's a good thing. In the end, I have a comprehensive journal of the past year of my life. I think that's pretty cool, in and of itself.

So where do I go from here? I don't know. I will probably continute to write---it's sort of a habit now, but write about what? Who knows? The year ahead of me is full of promise and the unknown. I can live with that. For now.

Till next time... This is the Crazy Lady, saying goodnight.

365 in 365.... I can check that one off my list of things to do before I die.

Day 364, "ONE" 'Twas the night before the end of my goal, when all through the laptop.....there arose a great clatter.....

Wow... one more day. What should I do to celebrate the accomplishment of my goal? Seems like there should be a news crew here or something grand like that... right? Sure sure.

My attitude at work continues to inch its way out of darkness as I warm to my new role as TOSA. I realized today that a small part of my problem is that there appears to be no structure in place for the program. I know that is not entirely true, but as a teacher, we begin the year with a solid plan, goals, and we know what we are doing (hahaha) every day for the first month.... and it goes like clockwork.... with ne'r a moment of down time until the final bell of the day. It's fast-paced, intense, and very satisfying. That is missing from my current position. It is very difficult to let go, and just have faith in the process. I do, however, have faith in the people I work with, so not to worry, right?

Well,,, I've been in a Benadryl coma for the past two hours... Guess I better get to bed now and sleep it off.

RAK? Kelli put a bag of Skittles on my desk this afternoon. How sweet was that? I like Kelli. :) And I'm not just saying that because of the Skittles.

Life is definitely interesting right now. Mindy is not in control....and Mindy tends to throw little tantrums when that happens. Today I took the first step to reclamation, and it felt great. Today, I am satisfied. That feels good. And guess what? I am looking forward to tomorrow. That feels good too!

Wow... One more day! This is like "End-of-my-blog-goal 'Eve" There should be an official name for that... but I am too drugged to think of one.

Day 363, "TWO"

Allergies. What was the point? When I get to Heaven, I am putting that on my "Can't wait to ask God" list of questions. I mean really. Isn't that sort of a sucker punch? Last night I swear I thought I had asthma. I was literally choking on my own voice box. Eventually, I had to get up and sleep in my chair so I would quit waking up Ron with my coughing and gagging. Am I sick? Not at all...I'm just suffocating. No worries.

Today we went to visit high school sites with our new program specialist, Breck. She is awesome. Yes, I'm old enough to be her mother; I tried not to let that little detail get under my skin :) But she is a rock star!! I can learn a ton from her this year.

My attitude is improving slightly, but I am getting the feeling that the teachers who really need the most support think they are experts in their field. That makes for quite the challenge. Here's a question to chew on.... If your program is so amazing, then why are your test scores dropping every year? Shouldn't that be a red flag that there needs to be some modifications?

I'm just saying.

Day 362, "THREE"

Happy Anniversary Ron :) Eight years of marital bliss. Ahhh. 8 yrs ago we were on our way to Sedona...via a trip through the Arizona desert in blazing heat. Our honeymoon was a blast.....I loved Sedona! While we were there we discovered that together, we have a healthy aura. That will be $25 thank you. Lots of purple and white in our colors.
Tonight Ron took me out to dinner, and brought me See's candy. Yum!!! That was on top of our Hawaii vacation and our Pala get-away. He's awesome!!

Well... I would love to write more, but my head aches and I cna't breathe. I am going to bed.

Love you honey :)

Day 361, "FOUR"

Today was our first day back to work, and work I did---worked on my attitude that is :) Ah, I'm just messing with you.... (??) I really did feel more positive today, and that's a good thing. We also signed our contracts switching from a 7 hour day to an 8 hour day..... That's a good thing too,,,, not because I want to work more hours, but because it will increase my pay :) Let's face it... I've always worked more than 7 hours; it's nice to be compensated for it now.

I realized today that I already have several scheduling conflicts between Andrew coming home, K12 TLC's and the TOSA position. That's awkward.

RAKs? I offered to help Greg and Kelli, but let's face it, I have an ulterior motive for that,,, so it doesn't count. I also offered to finish the work at home....but again, my motives weren't exactly pure. Although, in truth, I did feel compassion for the two of them; they were both taking work home, and I honestly did want to help them out. So, I'm claiming that as an RAK.

Wow.... Andrew will be home in six more weeks. Man. I can't wait to see my Boo Boo again :)

And hopefully, Taylor will be sending his papers in very soon. I'm fairly certain he will have his call by the end of the month. Wonder where the Lord will send him?

Day 360, "FIVE"

Everybody join hands, close your eyes, and bow your head...... Let's have a moment of silence for all those teachers (and students) who are going back to school. I realize, of course, that there are millions of mothers all over town who are jumping and down with joy right now. It's party-time for them. Hmmm. Seems I recall writing about this last year when I was setting up my classroom. That feels like a lifetime ago.

I'm working on my attitude....

Oh... Had my first choir practice today as director. It was a little awkward, but I think it's going to be fun.

Day 359, "SIX"

I just watched the lamest movie on the planet.... Correction. I AM watching the lamest movie on the planet. 2012. Lame. Absolutely ridiculous. Want my ratings? Acting--5, plausibility--2 (that's generous,) special effects--barely passable (Day After Tomorrow was much better, and it was not without major flaws,) plot--3 (absurd.) The idea was intriguing, but whoever wrote this should go back to 6th grade earth science. Lame!

On the agenda for tomorrow? Decorating my flip flops. Well now... that oughta be interesting.

RAK? I haven't reported one of those in several weeks. I gave my last two bottled cokes to Ryan and Jen. yep, that's a sacrifice...and there was nothing in it for me---except for that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you are nice. Know what's frustrating? One of them left half theirs. Aye carumba!

Loved having Jane all night. She was amazing.... happy, alert, laughing, just a blast. What a doll. We did a video conference with Ronnie and his family. Wish we could get everyone together..... It might happen during Christmas vacation....That would be cool.

What? Another hour of this movie? Are you kidding me? Sweet rotten tomatoes!!

Day 358, "SEVEN"

Watching Ghost Writer...Love these kind of plots. Of course, Pierce ain't bad either.

Today I visited my cubicle, loaded with boxes and boxes of curriculum materials. Welcome to my new home for the next year. I'm still working on my attitude.

Tonight we are babysitting Jane :) What a cutie. I love to listen to her laugh.

Gotta focus on the movie. Signing off.

Day 357, "EIGHT"

Heard from my editor today...it looks like they will start working on my book by the end of this month. That's exciting for me. I just can't wait to hold it in my hands....to see my story in print. I just can't imagine what that is going to be like. Hopefully, I will get better at writing as I work on the sequel. It is my hope that the sequel ends up being way better than Etude. Remains to be seen, right?

I had the MOST AMAZING Swedish massage this morning. Wow. I highly recommend Olivera to anyone looking for a massage. Great therapy before going back to work on Monday.

Enjoyed the Pala buffet tonight... Ate too much.... what a shock, huh? So much for the pounds I lost.... Back to the drawing board Saturday morning. Why is self control such a difficult thing to master?

I have none.

Day 356, "NINE"

Sitting at my window at Pala.... from my petite suite watchng The Proposal through my window. The walls are so thin here that I can hear just as well as if I was watching it in my room. Not as nice a suite as we get from Harrah's.... and not free like Harrah's but.... oh well.... ya win some, you lose some. More on the losing side at the moment.... sigh! I submit that since this is my last hurrah of the summer.... the fates should smile down on me...and send me home a big winner.... Wouldn't you agree? Okay.... send some lucky vibes, alright? I could use them.

Here's how bad it is. It's 9pm, I'm at a casino... and I'm sitting in my room. Tell you anything? Grumble grumble!!

Tomorrow I am looking forward to a day at the spa and pool. Gotta freshen up that Hawaii tan before going back to work :)

I believe a jacuzzi tub bubble bath is in order tonight.... This time I will be more careful with my bubbles :)

Day 355, Ten more days!!!

So, the official countdown is finally here.... counting down from 10. Hard to believe .... would be really stupid if I messed up now, wouldn't it?

Today we went and saw Inception. It was a really interesting movie.... but like Borne Ultimatum, it landed me with a huge headache. Too much camera movement at close range. I thought the concept was very interesting....and Leo did a great job of acting...and of course, the special effects were extraordinary, and thankfully, there was not a lot of bad language or lewd (is that the way you spell it?) sex scenes. That makes it more credibile in my book. However, it seemed rather long, and I predicted the ending in the first 30 minutes of the film....even the way it would inevitably leave you guessing. That was a bit disappointing and rather cliche' if you want my humble opinion. Yes... I get paid big buckaroos for my opinion.... right? Eh hmm.

I think I'm getting old.

Speaking of old.... I learned tonight that I am exactly a year OLDER than Voldemort. Now that was depressing.... cuz let's face it.... he's OLD. Is that really fair? I mean,,, really!!

Nothing new to report from the publisher... still waiting to hear back about my profile portrait. And yes, I am starting to get a bit antsy..... This will be quite a year for me. I am looking forward to it.

Hmmm. I really use the word "really" quite often, don't I? Did you know it's considered a redundant word in literature? There's a bit of fine trivia for you.

I'll have to work on that.

Day 354, A novel experience

I just finished reading my ninth novel of the summer. I don't know if that is my way of relaxing during vacation or avoiding working on my own novel. Oh, don't get me wrong,,, I want to work on it. I have been writing scenes in my mind for a couple months now, but it is so hard to start writing and then have to stop for whatever reason, so instead, I put it off until I can sit for long periods of time to work on it without distraction. Like that's going to happen, right? Truth is, the more I read, the more I feel like writing. It feels like a kind of longing. Meanwhile, I have my portraits ready to submit to the publisher...just waiting for them to tell me if they want actual prints or a disc. It's one more step towards publication. Before I know it, things will start moving. Cool, eh?

Did the Costco thing today. Whew! That is always an ordeal....and expensive. Why is it that we spend the same amount at Costco now, with basically only three of us living here, as we did when all the kids lived at home? Inflation is insane, don't you think?

Time to go to bed and let my mind drift to 1854 Pennsylvania and the story of Beth and Eleanor.

Day 353, The countdown continues

The countdown continues, and I wonder how close I am to achieving my original goals. At some point, I will have to rummage through the archives and take another look at my original goals. Sadly, I only remember a couple of them---lose 20 pounds (only got half way there,) get my book published (check!!) and there might have been something about paying off bills or becoming a nicer person,,,,or something along those lines. Guess we know how I did on those goals. Arghr! Well, there's always next year, right?

Thought I'd throw in another shot of the Maui sunset. Sigh. The memories will last a lifetime.

Only a few more days of vacation. Man! It goes fast.