Castle in the Clouds

From the archives of The Writer at Work : Picture When I saw this I couldn't help but to identify. It often feels as if most of my ideas are cliched, idiotic, pointless, or too chaotic to organize into anything coherent. But every now and again, there's a solid story waiting for me to find the time and inclination to write it. I've had a pretty good idea simmering for quite some time. I'm thinking I'll pull it out for Nano. Sadly, October is almost over and I've not done any of the preplanning I'd hoped to accomplish.

My youngest saw the surgeon on Tuesday. It was horrific. Although our family doctor had lanced the cyst the week before, he hadn't gotten rid of all of the infection. The surgeon palpatated the still swollen and sensitive area and announced he had to get the rest of the infection out before he could even schedule the surgery. He also explained he couldn't numb the area--apparently anesthetic doesn't work on abscesses--and that he would just have to do what was coming next as quickly as possible. The Little Man was so brave but no one could have withstood what he went through without screaming and crying. The surgeon made an incision slightly larger than the one our family doctor had made and began pushing on the wound, much as you push at a zit to make it pop. The infection started to emerge in chunks. Once the surgeon had pushed as much out as possible, he grabbed a syringe (no needle) and filled it with saline solution. Twice he pushed the saline into the open woun...

Most of you probably don't know this but I won a copy of Holly Lisle's latest fantasy book, Tayln . (Many thanks to Michelle for the unexpected but much loved copy!) I started reading the book over the weekend. This is one of those books that makes you want to sit down and just read. Putting it down is damned difficult. I guess I should be grateful I had finished the last of my papers and classroom reading assignments before I started it, otherwise I'd be in serious trouble. While I haven't finished the book yet (I'm only about halfway through), I highly recommend it. Talyn is an amazing character. A-Maze-Ing. Honest, loyal, flawed, honorable, vulnerable, strong. The list of character attributes goes on. She's a woman and a warrior, a combination of strengths and weaknesses that create a vivid, breathing character. The plot is also brilliantly laid out. I don't want to give anything away, which means I really can't say much more. The plottin...

   

   

I just finished writing the first paper for my Latina Literature class. I can't believe how long it took me to write 5 little pages. This is good news because it means I can focus on my Nano project. Tired. Must sleep. Later.

I love this picture of me and my little guy cuddling by the campfire, which of course you can't see. :) 

I would really like to stop missing work because of illness or injury. The last few weeks have been ridiculous! I thought we were finally past the worst but I was wrong. I worked for about three hours today and then had to come home because one of the boys needed to go the doctor's office. My youngest son has had a cyst on his upper chest near his collarbone since he was born. It gets fatty tissue in it every now and then but it's usually not an issue because a little squeeze and the thing pops just like a zit. Nice imagery, huh? But it's true. Well over the weekend the damn thing got huge, hard, and red. Clearly infected. We babied it through the weekend and I made an appointment for him tonight after work. I dropped him off at the daycare and got a phone call a few hours later. The thing had popped and drained a bit on its own but apparently it had only made matters worse because my son was crying and upset, complaining whenever he had to move his arm or whenever...

I will be participating in NaNo this year. If you're a writer but unfamiliar with the term, you may want to visit the official site . Basically, in one month's time you're supposed to produce 50K on a new story. I've signed up for the last two years and failed miserably. Won't stop me from trying again, though. If you want to keep track of my progress (or lack there-of), visit my NaNo blog . I've already started updating it with pre-writing goals and the like.

Ick. That's the word that most accurately describes my weekend. I don't really feel like going into detail but here's a few sketchy details: I had been feverish for several days. I passed out Saturday morning. Littlest son found me bleeding on bathroom floor. I eventually got myself and the bathroom cleaned up. My face has looked better. I have felt better. Had a teenager stay the rest of the weekend at my house because hubby was up north. Watched lots of movies. Seen doctor on Monday. I am on antibiotics, which means I should be on the mend.

I've really been scrapbooking a lot lately. At home, at my mom's, at my sister-in-law's, and at my mom's church. Several pages have been added to various albums. Last night was my night to scrapbook at my mom's. I worked on a page all about me. I answered a bunch of questions about myself and included them on the two-page spread, along with some pictures of me with my boys. I also did an adorable baby page featuring my youngest son. So, so cute. Okay, it might be that he was just too sweet for words. Those eyes! At home, I'm trying to catch up on the Halloween pictures. I've finally gotten to my 4-year-old's first Halloween, which means I'm only three years behind now. I'm hoping to catch up by the end of this weekend as I'd like to set the book out for everyone to look at over the holiday season.

My girlfriend and I have a tradition. It's a silly, totally-stuck-in-the-80s type of tradition but it's ours. Whenever Def Leppard offers a concert within a reasonable driving distance, we buy tickets. We tried adding up how many of these concerts we've been to and I must admit I'm embarrassed to admit how many of them we've managed to watch over the years. I think we agreed it was more than 10 but less than 15. Of course, that wasn't counting the numerous other concerts we've been to...just Def Leppard. Well, true to tradition, when we found out the band was going to be playing in one of our favorite venues, we purchased tickets. There's eight of us crazy enough to pay nearly $50 a ticket. Call us crazy. Everyone else does! The only fly in the ointment has been a babysitter issue. The concert is on a Sunday night (who was the moron who set that up?) and the kids have school the following morning. No big deal if the hubby hadn't planned a long weeken...

Well, the kidlet is finally feeling better. He's been fever-free for two days now. This means he gets to go back to school on Monday! I'm grateful because that means the routine will be back in place. No more calling in sick or trying to figure out who can take care of him while we're at work. Speaking of work, the new job is going great. I really like everyone I work with and, although I still feel like a fish out of water, the job seems pretty stress-free. I'm sure it'll have its moments--what job doesn't?--but, if this last week was any indication of what a normal week in the office is like, it's going to be a very enjoyable place to work. Now onto a completely different subject. Writing. I did manage to write something during the week. It wasn't much but I figure any progress is worth mentioning. I'm hoping the return of routine and less stress will help me find the time and energy to make writing a priority again.