25 resolutions

As I was thinking of a title for the post today, something with resolutions and 25 in it, I thought maybe I should come up with 25 "resolutions," so to speak, for the next year. The past several years, I have opted not to make resolutions at New Year's, but instead make them for my birthday. It seemed more logical to think in terms of "what do I want to have done by the time I'm (insert next year here)?" than "what will I do this year?"

And according to a friend of mine, apparently the year you turn your birth date, that's supposed to be a special year. So...today I reach a milestone year. I am 25 on the 25th. And by the way, I don't feel any different. Except that it struck me that I'm officially in my "mid-twenties." And my slightly younger friends, even by a few months, have liked to point out that I'm a quarter of a century old.

It does sound old when you put it that way.

But I am excited about 25. I think this will be a good year. So...below are 25 things I want to do before I'm 26. Granted...I may have to come back throughout the day because I'm not sure I can think of 25 things in one sitting. I was initially going to have 10, a good, round number. Any suggestions?

1. Visit a new country (so far it's looking like a Canadian or Mexican trip is being planned, but we'll see)
2. Be able to converse in Italian (I just started class last night)
3. Go back to Montana (this doesn't happen every year)
4. Visit my cousin in New York
5. Decide if I really want to go to grad school and take my GREs and GMATs
6. Buy a kitchen table and chairs for my apartment
7. Visit a new city
8. Go to the beach (missed that last summer)
9. Return to California for a visit (already have tickets! but I felt it deserved a mention since it'll be three years since I've been)
10. Take those dance classes I've wanted to take, get back into ballet
11. Join a gym (this one keeps getting pushed back since the opening date of the gym next to me gets pushed back)
12. I'd really like to pick up running again
13. Finally get back down and "visit my roots" in Roanoke
14. Pay off my credit card
15. Really, really clean out and organize my closet
16. Buy a bed (I'm 25! Should I still be sleeping on a futon?)
17. Try a new recipe at least once or twice a month
18. Get a new pair of glasses (this one I've put off, but I probably really should)
19. Figure out what I'm doing with my Bali novel

**Ok...I'm running out of ideas! Open to suggestions for the last six!

mon dieu, c'est difficile!

So Carrie and I had our first Italian class this evening...and I foresee some difficulty and some humour. Probably more of the latter. And if you know what language the title of this post is, you'll understand.

It seems that, much like my attempts at speaking Spanish, I will probably end up sounding like a Frenchman learning Italian than an American. The humour will come when I leave off letters at the end of a word or with the "R" letter. It took me some time to learn how to "swallow" my Rs...and I've never been able to really roll them. Maybe occasionally if place around the right letters.

And of course growing up in Texas I did learn some Spanish. So...while learning how to count in Italian, some Spanish slipped in occasionally (and it didn't hurt that the person sitting me slipped in a little Spanish as well).

But it was fun, and I expect more amusement. And, as Carrie said, "we're speaking Italian."

Right now it's not much beyond introducing myself and saying I'm fine, but it'll get there.

work day

I had the day off today but I definitely planned on making it a work day. And not housework or organizing, or whatever else I usually try to get done on a day off. This was real work, so to speak.

I wanted to write today, and get a pretty sizable chunk done too. Lately I've been ecstatic if I could just get about 1,000 words a day written. But today I set my goal at 5,000. And I've nearly reached it. I'm headed out for a short break, which is probably needed, but when I get back I'll only have a few hundred to go, which is very manageable.

As some of you know, I'm starting a language class this week after it was postponed due to the weather, and so my free time to write is going to shrink even more because of class and studying. But this year I really want to see where I can go with this whole "writing thing," see if maybe it is viable.

Now, I didn't spend the whole day on my couch with my laptop in front of me. I did some yoga and did clean up a little. I got rid of some piles of junk and organized some other piles that I'll eventually get rid of.

I'm really looking forward to the next day off I have. I'll be in sunny California then! Looking forward to being back to my mountains, and sun and palm trees and of course those crazy kids I went to college with.

So...all in all...it was a very productive day. Honestly? Probably my most productive day off from work. How did you guys spend your days off?

snow=christmas (at least in my mind)

Some may find it surprising that with all my complaints about cold weather, I was apparently born in the middle of a blizzard, after the holiday season. And no, not in Texas (where a blizzard is about four inches). And even though said snowstorm happened after Christmas, I still associate snow with the holidays. Maybe this is because growing up in Texas, we usually got our ice, and the occasional snow, before Christmas and rarely after. And of course "White Christmas" songs and holiday movies only add to that.

When it snowed yesterday, for a few brief moments I thought it was still the holiday season. Especially sitting in my office and looking outside, seeing the snowflakes dance and whirl around and collect lightly on the ground. Maybe that's partly because this past holiday season happened too quickly for me. I didn't get a chance to go out and enjoy the holiday decorations as much as I've done in the past.

And even though I love snow, I don't enjoy it as much when it's after the holidays. Strange, maybe. But that's the way it is. I guess I could maybe still pretend the holidays were around. I did see two lit Christmas trees the other day when running errands...but it's not the same. The anticipation's gone.

Maybe next year there will be a white Christmas. It seems that it snows either too early or too late.

atonement

I saw Atonement last night and will begin by saying that I recommend you go see this movie, if you haven't already. Starting from the outside in, I think the cinematography was brilliant. The way it was shot and edited, and set to the score, was very...poignant.

I found the story to be very unfair. But of course, that's what makes it dramatic. But the great thing about the way it was told was that it wasn't a tearjerker. I'm going to try to say this without giving anything away, but if you see it, you'll probably know what I mean. I'll admit that I'm a crier when it comes to movies. I'll cry in nearly everything, so I was expecting this movie to just wrench my heart.

But it didn't.

What happened was the end just sort of hit you in the gut. There wasn't a big lead up to it, and so there were only a few tears. But as I left the theatre, waited for the train and walked home from the metro, it kept coming back to me and I felt even more sad. And I think that ability to stay with a person like that is partly what makes it good storytelling. If it was something that walking out of the theatre made me cease thinking of it, well then it was a good two hours worth of entertainment and that's all.

I also bought the book last night. We ended up having to see a later showing since the one we were going to see was sold out, so we killed time at the Barnes & Noble across the street. I'd almost bought the book for my flight back to DC from Dallas, and after really looking forward to the movie, I decided to go ahead and buy it to read it. It was Nathan Bransford's post on the movie and book that also encouraged me to finally see the movie and buy the book. By mentioning that parts of the movie, that were great in the film but, as he says, not as intense, but were a little "hollow," and maybe just didn't translate well.

I am one of those of the school that the book is always better than the movie. Because there's so much the book can delve into that just either can't translate or is usually cut because of time (The Count of Monte Cristo is my best/favorite example). So those scenes that weren't as intense...well, since I still thought they were good they must be even more intense in the book.

I'll let you know what I think of the book when I get a chance to read it. And it is a bit of an incentive to get through the other ones I'm currently reading. But yes, I really liked the movie and suggest seeing it.

produce guru

The other day I came across the Produce Guru website and thought I'd share. I like learning new and often times random facts about things, and this has the occasional random fact about produce. It also contains nutrition information, recipes, storage tips, and even tips on how to select fresh produce. Which can be handy, especially when trying something new.

What really interested me, besides the selection tips, was the "fun facts" part on each page. For instance, did you know that cantaloupe is in the gourd family? Or do you know how Passion Fruit got it's name? According to the site, "Catholic missionaries in South America gave the fruit its name because they thought the flowers of the plant looked like the crown of thorns that was placed on Christ's head."

And to possibly answer that age old question, the site has tomatoes listed as a vegetable.

So if you have some time to kill, or need to focus on something else during the week until the clock strikes five, check it out. Who knows, maybe that little bit of trivial will come up on a trivial pursuit game or Jeopardy.

rediscovering my roots...musically

During my teenage years I listened to a lot of "alternative rock," and only a little of the trance/dance music that I listened to mostly in college, transitioning now into the lounge music that mostly occupies my stereo. But I've kept most of my CDs from that time, and rarely put them into my stereo, usually only for an afternoon.

Whenever I go to Dallas and have the opportunity to drive around and listen to my music, I'll usually bring a bunch of CDs with me, and only occasionally check out what's playing on the radio, especially The Edge, the station of my youth. In the past there wasn't much I listened to. But maybe I just miss that music or for whatever reason most of my favorite songs were being played, but I listened to the radio a lot in the car this time around.

I even started digging out some of those older CDs when I got home.

Some CDs I don't have, and kind of miss, like my Pearl Jam and yes, even some Nirvana (I admit I was Nirvanaed out in high school when people I knew were very obsessed with them). I think my Nine Inch Nails are around somewhere, and even before I went to Dallas I had, for some reason, started listening to Incubus again.

Now maybe it's all just cyclical and I managed to stumble upon my old radio stations at the right time when I wanted something "different" from my lounge music. I do tend to go through periods of my music preferences, from classical (usually when I'm doing a lot of writing), lounge, classic rock, dance, etc.

But then...it's just really good music. I slipped in my Oasis CD when I got home from the airport and prepared a quick dinner and just thought "wow...this is really good!" even thought this is of course not the first time I've listened to them. And I have to wonder why I ever stopped listening in the first place.

Sure, something new comes along and it's wonderful and great, but I can slip it in alongside an old U2 CD. And of course, looking back, those were good times. Like many other teenagers, I hated that period while living it, I wanted to grow up and, believe it or not, pay bills...be an adult. But now I can think back to hanging out in the neighborhood streets while my friends skateboarded and we planned to go see a movie or go back to my house to listen to music...since there wasn't much else to do until we were sixteen.

Good times and good music. I probably wouldn't have pulled out those CDs though had I not heard some of those older songs that I still love on the radio. It's good to listen to them again and I think that they'll slip into a fairly regular rotation with those other CDs, and even older ones (The Doors, Hendrix, The Beatles, etc.)

Anyone else ever rediscover an old CD and wonder why you ever stopped listening to it in the first place?

there's something about dallas...

...and other people are noticing that too. I admit that I am a little biased, but there's definitely something going on with this place. One thing I've noticed in my trips back is the amount of building going on, and not just the urban sprawl that continues to creep North, but even closer to downtown. New high rises are going up in little communities with shops and restaurants, imitating urban life in other "tighter" big cities that maybe didn't have the space.

But this past week when I was back in "Big D" I flipped through some magazines, looking for some to take on the plane, and the first one I looked at had an article about why Fort Worth was such a great place to live (Dallas and Fort Worth are very often grouped together, so I'm counting that here). And then looking through Elle Decor, there was a lengthy article about Dallas.

I think it was that article that began with something along the lines that Dallas has never been a city to look backward. Maybe that means that it's a city that is always ready to change. And maybe part of that is because we don't have the history that New York, Boston, DC has, etc.

My point is Dallas can easily reinvent itself. And it's doing just that, and really has been doing that for a long time. The downtown area is being revitalized and I think people are discovering that there's more to Dallas than the shopping (but oh goodness is that wonderful too!) with the symphony and the Myerson, the Dallas Museum of Art and, heading up to Fort Worth, the Kimbell, the Stockyards and that feeling of the Old West that I think still manages to get inside all Texans, even us urban dwellers. Yes, I still consider myself a Texan. Maybe in another 18 years I'll finally consider myself a Washingtonian.

I was a little surprised at seeing the attention, which is why I'm noting it. And of course it was just wonderful being back in Dallas for a nice, long vacation. It wasn't as warm as it sometimes is, but there were days when the sun shone brilliantly and the sky was clear. And of course there's flying into D/FW when all you can see is land, as far as you can see, and it's all Texas.

And speaking of Dallas, for your listening/viewing pleasure:

almost at the new year...

I've been thinking about what to post the last few days, but what I've been coming up with is more for a month from now. Sort of like New Year's Resolutions, only I don't make resolutions at the new year, I make them at my birthday which is shortly after. I like to think of the next year as in, what am I going to do at, in this case, 25? What do I hope to accomplish before I'm 26.

So...I will have something up soon on that. I'm beginning to think about the things I really want to do to mark my quarter of a century on this planet (God, it sounds old when you put it that way).

But for now, I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. I sure did, and it has been absolutely wonderful to really rest and relax this past week. Thankfully I have another week to go and I intend to do a lot of writing this week.

Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2008 is going to be a good year.

rewards

I've come to find that with life's challenges, sometimes a little reward is a necessary and wonderful thing. Whether it be a night out with friends after finishing that paper, a new book or CD for good grades (back in high school and before), a nice dinner when that job is finished and you get that promotion, etc.

So this evening, and probably for the following evenings, I'm instigating a reward system. A few of you know that I'm trying to finish the first draft of my novel before I leave for vacation, so I can use that time to do a thorough editing of it. But I'd really, really like to have the first draft complete.

However...things aren't quite going that way. Earlier this afternoon I spent much of my time checking email or whatnot and only writing a couple of words before getting re-distracted. The challenge: write at least another 1,000 words before I call it a night.

In my refrigerator, I have a bag of holiday M&Ms.* The reward: An M&M for every 100 words.

And you know what? In the last half hour, I've written over 500 words. I counted out about 10 M&Ms and have them sitting here next to me for relatively easy access. Of course I could steal another one, but then I'd have 9 left and that's not my goal.

Hmmmm...how many M&Ms, I mean words, do I want tomorrow evening?

*Yes, my M&Ms are in the refrigerator. I like my chocolate cold.

rainbows

This afternoon was a little strange as far as weather was concerned. I left my apartment, and needed to pull out my sunglasses, even though my apartment itself seemed dark from an overcast sky. I then turned the corner at the end of the street and had water droplets splashing on my face and on the sidewalk around me. Yet...the clouds didn't seem to be above me and the sun was still out.

Then later, while walking through Thomas Circle, I stopped to wait to cross one street and looked back over my shoulder, checking for oncoming traffic. But instead I saw a pretty perfect rainbow. It arched beautifully behind the Methodist church's steeple, and was full of bright, vibrant colors.

Inside Thomas Circle I saw a few people trying to take pictures and, as it happens, I'd left my camera at home. I normally carry it with me everywhere but this morning I transferred photos off it onto my computer. But, I was reminded that while I may have more than enough pictures of the Washington Monument, this city still provides a wealth of photographic scenes.

Did anyone else get a chance to see it? About an hour later when I walked home from errands, it was gone. But it put a smile on my face for most of the day.

In other news I've finished American Creation by Joseph Ellis. For this book I do intend to post a review, because it was absolutely wonderful and a delight to read. I read the second half in about a day. Today I've just started reading one of my new books on the French Occupation for background for a novel idea I have (and that's all I'm saying). I'm really excited about this and hope to read this book soon so I can at least begin to flesh out the storyline.

One more week until Christmas (and I escape for a vacation in Texas!). Hope your Christmas shopping is done! If not...well, the internet is a beautiful thing.

how 'bout them 'boyz?

28-27

I know I don't talk about football here, or anywhere/time in life. But I am not, as a friend recently joked, a fair weather fan, only liking my Cowboys when they do well. I am a fairly new fan, who is only within the last two years following my boys.

How could this be? I know. I was raised in Texas, a state where football is like a religion. But I never liked it. I thought it was boring, I didn't get it, my high school football team almost never won a game and there was a little bit of animosity between football and me every few years when Super Bowl Sunday happened to fall on my birthday.

But then I left Texas. After a brief detour in California, I moved here, a place where more often than not when someone (usually male, but not always) finds out I'm from Dallas, the question is "oh, so you must be a Cowboy fan?" And so, out of loyalty to my city, I had to state that yes, it was.

Then another interesting thing happened. I went to a Cowboy's game with family friends one holiday season in Dallas. And the strange thing was that I had a great time. I found the atmosphere incredible, with the enthusiasm in the crowd, and the tailgating outside, and how many people were there...it was a little exhilarating (I hadn't been to a football game since I was very little, and I don't remember much since most people were standing and I couldn't see the field for the fans).

The second thing was my father's friend sat next to me during the entire first half explaining everything that went on. Which I think must have taken a lot of patience since I knew absolutely nothing. And even though I have since forgotten most of what he told me, I remember that during that game, I got it. I understood the game and I actually enjoyed it. I had fun.

Imagine that.

I may not ever be like my co-worker, a woman who can carry on a football conversation with the best of them, but I have a little more understanding to the Sunday afternoon hiatus. And if my birthday should ever fall on Super Bowl Sunday again, well...I'll be understanding as well. Just know that I better get a nice dinner or some flowers later in the week.

when did Christmas lists get so hard?

When I was little, coming up with a wish list was a piece of cake. It was the cutting down the list to make it feasible that was difficult. I'd cut up catalogues and magazines and glue the pictures of the things I wanted onto some paper and have a list probably at least 10 pages long for my parents. I remember the dilemma of said project was when I wanted two things that were on either side of a page.

Hmmm. Tricky.

But I just emailed my Mom my list and not only is it much more bare than my lists from fifteen years ago, it's also a little boring.

Part of the problem is that I want "grown-up" things that won't easily pack in my suitcase to bring back from Texas, like these cappuccino mugs from my favorite place: Crate & Barrel. Three Christmas' ago I got a blender. Two years later, blender was still sitting in Texas and I went out and bought a new one with my Bed Bath & Beyond coupon (that thing was never going to get mailed to me and I would never have the space in my suitcase to pack it up).

Books, DVDs, all well and good...but boring. Am I right? There's nothing new, nothing sparkling, nothing I've had my eye on all year and would wait up all night for Santa to put it under the tree. There are no dollhouses, no bikes, no ice skates (although...maybe I should ask for another pair. I miss ice skating).

And as cheesy as it might sound, the thing I'm looking forward to most this Christmas isn't something I'll get under the tree (unless maybe it was the key to a new Aston Martin sitting outside), but I'm mostly just looking forward to going home and spending some time with the family, and kittens, with the holiday decorations up, good food and drink, and some downtime.

So this is growing up.

e-books

I've been seeing the Kindle on a lot of my trips to Amazon lately, and was also reading about e-books while catching up on some of my blog reading. Hmmm...e-books...

Yes, I suppose they would make aspects of life easier. For one thing, it'd probably be much easier to read the latest Grisham or Dan Brown on the metro, or definitely make it easier to read your daily New York Times, especially on the metro during rush hour. The few times it's been pretty bad, I have put my book away simply because I couldn't hold it at a good angle or people kept hitting my book and making my eyes wander from the line I was on.

Slightly difficult.

But...I'm not tempted to get a Kindle, or Sony Reader, or anything along those lines. At the end of the day...I like my books.

I like seeing the spines lined up on my bookshelves, or stacked up along end tables, I like the weighted feel of a new book in my bag, hoping that something causes a delay in my day to read the next chapter or two. I like being curled up in an armchair with a book in my hands, turning the pages in anticipation, or seeing the increasing thinness on the right side as I hurry towards the ending.

It's what I do on lazy afternoons, stormy nights or in the cold chills of winter.

Yes, as cliché as it sounds, I love the musty smell of a collection of books and I look forward to building my own library in my house (whenever that will be) of books I've read and loved through the years. It'd be a little difficult to do that with electronic books.

So what do you think? Tell me I'm not the only one with this love affair for books in a printed form? Or go ahead, try to convince me that I should make the change (although...good luck. I've heard many arguments and think they're really good...but...what can I say? I love my books).

it's snowing!

Yes, I complain about being cold. But you know what? I don't care when it snows. Somehow the snow cancels that bone-chilling cold that makes it hard to breathe.

It's snowed all three winters I've been in DC. This is strange, this is new. Growing up in North Texas, we weren't guaranteed snow every year and were lucky if it snowed at all, even a light dusting.

Anyone looked outside? It's accumulating. There's a light dusting of whiteness on the lawn and driveway at the Embassy in front of my office. And it's still falling. This morning weather.com said there might be a 1 or 2 inch accumulation. To you Northerners, that may not be worth anything.

But for me? That's very exciting. I am a happy girl.

Now...if only I had some hot chocolate...

nothing

Today I did practically nothing. Sure, I got stuff done around my apartment, but I didn't do any of the errands or Christmas shopping I'd thought I'd do earlier in the weekend. The reason was because I could barely walk (ok, slight exaggeration here...but it may have been the truth last night).

Yesterday I went for a six mile hike through Rock Creek Park that took about four hours. I can easily walk six or seven miles in DC while running errands since I don't have a car and I try not to take the metro whenever necessary. But that's on smooth (in places) sidewalk and level, for the most part. None of this hiking up steep inclines or rock-hopping across creeks, tiny steps down steep inclines and traipsing through calf-high leaves.

It was well worth it though. It's amazing to think that all that exists within Washington, DC, except in the few areas we passed through where you saw the road. Mostly it was just the group I was with and the leaves. I'd like to go again in the spring, because the leaves were a little tricky. There were places where you knew there were steps, but couldn't quite see for the leaves. And then I also kept waiting to fall down the rabbit hole since I couldn't see anything on the floor. It was great to take some time and just hike through the area. I found my mind wandering at times, wandering when I'd be finished so I can stop off at the grocery store on my way home, but then I tried to remind myself that sometimes you need to not think about what else there is to do and just enjoy the present.

But it was fun and I'd really like to do it again. Last night, a few hours after the hike, I met Carrie in Chinatown to see Beowulf (and yes, the 3D was awesome). My walk to the metro was a little slower than usual, and I opted to take the metro instead of walking since I could already feel the tightness. But man, standing up after sitting through a two hour movie was painful! But it was a good pain. It means you worked hard.

I did it!

I honestly wasn't quite sure I'd get a chance to finish. Earlier in the week, the 10,000 words I had left was a little bit daunting. But...I did it, down the wire.

I've always said I worked best under pressure.

This was my first year to participate in National Novel Writing Month. And it's interesting, I've written novels before (my first big one, Paradise Without Heaven, is close to 80,000 words), but not in a month. But even still, I didn't think it'd feel this gratifying to get done with NaNoWriMo. You know?

But it does. I am so stoked that I wrote this novel in a month. On Sunday, ok, maybe on Monday, I'm going to go back to the first book in the series that I was working on slowly, editing as I went.

As for now...I'm going to go watch the rest of The West Wing that I have on Netflix and tomorrow I'm going to celebrate with a movie, sushi and sake.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!Please note that this means I will be back to more interesting posts. All my creativity has gone to the novel and there hasn't been a lot of energy to spare from daily life to writing. So...there wasn't much of any kind of energy left for posts.

pre-historic monsters

Scientists have discovered something that I think is going to keep me up tonight: the fossil of an 8 foot long bug.

I saw the article a little earlier today, and I admit I'm a little conflicted. The urban girly part of me shudders at thought of super-sized spiders and other creepy insects (yes...I know they're an important part of the ecosystem and I think that when you look at how interdependent beings are in the ecosystem, it's really incredibly interesting...but...that doesn't mean I have to like them). This is the part that's going to by lying awake tonight trying not imagine a giant spider in my tiny apartment.

And then there's nerd in me who is fascinated by these new discoveries thinks it's incredible that there were bugs of this size.

400 million years ago. That's when this thing was around. I wonder what the world will be like in another 400 million years. That's really...too long of a time to even comprehend.

Did anyone else do that timeline of the earth in grade school? I think it was...8th grade that we did it, where you use what I think may just have been receipt tape and measure out the earth's time periods, with mankind taking up only the last inch or so.

Just wanted to share one of the interesting articles I've read lately. Another was the discovery of Jezebel's seal, and the vacuum mouth dinosaur (haven't read that one yet).

current word count: same as yesterday. I'm about to head home and get some writing in.

10 more days?

So...10 more days until the end of the November. 10 more days to write just under 24,000 more words.

A lesser person might stop here.

Especially considering that for six of those days I'll be on vacation. But I'm going to put my mind to the task at hand and write those words, hopefully getting some out during my time in the Big D. I'll remember to email myself the story to write while I'm there, and then of course remember to email myself the updated version so I'll have it when I get back to DC.

Yes, a short but sweet post. I'm hoping that by stating for the record that I'm going to finish this, that I will. This will hold me to it.

current word count: 26,427

california dreamin'

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm if I was in LA
California dreamin' on such a winter's day

It's official. I bought tickets yesterday and I'm heading out to Southern California in February for a nice long weekend of sunshine and warmth. It's possible this may not have been the most responsible of decisions. Those who know me know I'm working hard to get my finances in order and save for more foreign trips (like Paris, Greece, Italy, etc.) but...I miss California. In May of 2008, if I wasn't going, it'd be three years since I'd been back.

I am so excited.

I'll stay at my old roommate's place who has told me that she actually works at our University now. And she is wonderful. Most of my best times were with this girl. She lived down the hall from me Freshman year and we roomed together the next two years (and honestly, I think junior year was the best year of the four...though Senior Spring was nice too).

And my best friend has said she'll drive down from Northern California to see me while I'm there, a girl who we can pick up the phone and talk for hours like we just saw each other the other day, but whom I haven't seen in almost three and a half years. Ahh...sunshine, warmth, mountains....palm trees...this will get me through the cold months coming up. That and the fact that I've recently learned Texas is having 70-80 degree weather in the next 10 days when I'll visit. My mother isn't liking that weather, but I'm looking forward to it.

I know I have until February, but I'm already planning the things I want to do and see while there that I think we'll have time for. And hopefully this will cure some of those pangs I feel when I miss California. Because I've said I could move back in a heartbeat. Of course...it could also be that I go visit and re-fall in love with that place and definitely decide to move back.

I feel like a slacker

After two...ok, maybe three days, of business, I have fallen behind in my word count. Today I wrote a brilliant sentence in the novel. One. Granted, I was instead working on a short story for my writers' group, so I was still writing (ok...editing). But I'm consoling myself with the fact that I do have the weekend. And there is the chance I will write on vacation next week.

I have of late been saying that I write more in Texas. Time to put that to the test.

On a completely different note, is anyone as stoked as I am about fall finally settling in? Yes, I know I complain about the cold, but that's usually only when it drops below 45...maybe 40. But this is only my third fall in DC and I'm still in awe of the leaves. I didn't even really mind the rain on my walk to work this morning, and it was a wonderful walk home with the pink sky and light orange toned buildings from the setting sun, and then the colored leaves and the dampened pavement with the traffic headlights reflecting on the puddles.

There is something to this whole season changing.

Anyway, the posts have been slow but I admit, it has been an absolutely crazy few months at work. But I've been reading some fascinating news articles I've wanted to comment on and hope to get around to. And if not, well, I'm sure there will be new and exciting things in Dallas.

Although honestly...I think the only things that are going to happen are Scrabble games, quality cat and family time, and the house will get mostly decorated for Christmas, since the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the day we do that. We're not crazy. We don't shop that day (and believe me, after working retail the day after Thanksgiving, you wouldn't either).

current word count: 21,040

20,000 words...finally

My grand plan to get well ahead of the game isn't quite working. I've been getting only a little ahead each night, giving me enough time to get in the day's average 1,667 words. Getting ahead is important because of that little Thanksgiving holiday. I will be spending six days with my lovely family and while the weekend will be more than relaxing, I'm not sure I'll have the time to write a little over 10,000 words.

I have a feeling that when I'm not eating Thanksgiving food (minus the turkey in my case), watching movies or putting up Christmas decorations, I will be engaged in other pursuits that will at least be related to words: reading and playing endless amounts of Scrabble.

I would love it if I could get to 40,000 by next Wednesday night so as not to feel guilty if I get little to no writing done. Maybe 45k. I can dream, can't I?

Oh, and there's also the fact that I've been itching to work on the first novel in this series which I haven't had time for since I've been trying to finish this second one.

The good news, in terms of writing I guess, is that it's cold. The cold is here, and though it's supposed to be up around 60 early this week, it's supposed to get cold again at the end of the week. Those of you who know me know that this Southern girl prefers to hibernate in the cold weather rather than go outside and get assaulted by the bitter wind and freezing moisture in the air that makes it hard to breath.

I prefer to stay inside with hot chocolate/coffee/tea/sherry with sweats, a down comforter and that will give me more than enough time to write. I have a feeling this will be a very productive winter.

If only I had a fireplace. But...I guess I can't have everything.

current word count: 20,039

daylight savings

I realize I'm a little late with this post. But this morning was the second morning in a row that it was just rough to wake up early. Normally it's not too much of a problem. I wanted to get in either a workout or some writing (and I did finally get out of bed, just not as early as I'd wanted). My first thought was to blame what many others blame: Daylight Savings.

Only one little problem with that. It's fall. We fell back. So my 6am wake up call was really 7am, which is what time I'm usually sure I'm up by. And it's only been two days so it's not like I've had a lot of time to adjust.

The other thing is walking home with a setting sun. Normally I like this because it's calming and makes me want to go home, curl up with a book or a movie and some tea...take my time making dinner, etc., etc. But maybe it's because I'm not ready to admit that it's already November that it bothered me yesterday.

Oh well, since I can't change time, I guess the only thing I can do now is sit back and wait for my favorite Starbucks holiday cups. I get so stoked when I see my first one, either in a Starbucks or out on the street because to me that means it's officially the holidays.

current word count: 9327

"if you really want this, it will happen"

The title of this post comes courtesy of Owen in the senior year season of Felicity. The two of them are going around to show their artwork to galleries and are getting rejected without even having their work looked at. Felicity is starting to get a little worried since it seems that everyone else has a career path and a plan of what to do next.

So Owen tells her that she has talent and that it will happen. You just have to want it and work after it. And it'll be a struggle. There aren't really any degrees you can get that says you're a writer. Granted, you can take creative writing classes or major in creative writing (senior year in high school that's what I listed as my applied for degree...I ended up changing it the summer before freshman year for the same reason: I wanted something with a possible career. And I really do nothing related to economics at the moment).

And it's the same with writing. Felicity's mother was taking writing classes and then decided to get into real estate because writing wasn't realistic, she said. And it may not be.

But earlier today I got to thinking about it, when I'm frantically writing my word count for the day and my inner editor is sitting there staring at the screen thinking...wow...this isn't good. So I started thinking this isn't good. But you know what? I love writing. I love creating worlds and characters, these story lines that take on a life of their own and go in directions I didn't think of.

And here's the other great thing about ignoring the editor. I'm working on the second part of a series I have in mind, and it's flowing. I'm just trying to get my count down and the story is sort of writing itself, for now anyway. But the first book in the series took awhile. I tried plotting it out in my head and then with each page I wrote, I wanted to know what the scene ten or fifteen pages later was going to be. And of course I had to edit everything I wrote and get stuck on that part, forgetting what was coming up. That kind of hinders the writing of the story, I've noticed.

A colleague corrected me the other day when she asked how the writing was going with the Bali novel (which I'm putting aside for awhile until I can get to Bali...seeing as how I've been to Java and Sumatra, but not quite Bali). I told her I'd let her know if I ever get published and she smiled and said "when you get published."

While positive thoughts won't necessarily get me published, if I just keep writing I'll improve my writing and improve my chances of seeing "this" happen. And that's something to look forward to, and knowing the challenges will make it sweeter.

current word count: 7510

it begins...

It's November 1 and the National Novel Writing Month has begun! I normally try to wake up early to get my workout in and over with (key word: try), but this morning I woke up early to start writing.

Granted, I didn't wake up as early as I wanted to and I was slightly distracted by other things on the internet, but as of this moment writing this entry, I'm about halfway through today's allotment. I think I can definitely get the rest done this evening.

And as much as I hate it, I'm not doing any editing right now. Normally when I hit a wall with the current scene or upcoming scenes, I'll try to go back through and edit. But I think over the weekend I'll be able to make time to go back and edit a little bit. This will still be a very rough first draft.

I'd also like on the weekends to write a lot and build up a nice little safety net for the day or two when I just don't write (although I hope that won't happen) or write under the daily minimum, imposed by me. This way I'll definitely be able to write at least 50,000 words by November 30.

Good luck to those participating!

happy halloween!

There was an article I saw and wanted to mention, but I decided to hold off until close to Halloween (and how much closer can you get?). The article says that just about one in three people believes in ghosts...which, coincidentally, is the same percentage of UFO believers.
What struck me as interesting is the relatively high number of people believing in ghosts, UFOs and ESP (nearly half the population!) but the low percentage of people who believe in magic.

What also struck me was that as far as people living in the city goes, men were more superstitious than women. When I mentioned this to my sports-loving co-worker, she said "well...there's baseball." And the article did mention that the number of people (both men and women) believing in these things matches the percentage of baseball fans in this country.

I was going to look for a quote from the article, but there's too much there that's extremely interesting and I couldn't really pick the most interesting paragraph. But I will say that I've felt bad for some of the superstitions. So what have I done to remedy that? My favorite number is 13 and I have two black cats.

I once read that in England it was considered lucky to have a black cat cross your path. So when I first got Isis, I figured I'd embrace that part of my English heritage.

And yes, the above pumpkin is one I carved. I'm old fashioned, I didn't need a stencil to make some complicated design...even though they look really cool. Back in my day we used a pencil or a marker and a knife. C'est tout.

Happy Halloween!

wish me luck

On Thursday I begin a new novel, one that will be at least 50,000 words and will finish on November 30. Which coincidentally falls on a Friday, which might be a great time to celebrate finishing a new novel.

That's right, this year I'm participating in the National Novel Writing Month. I haven't in years passed because I was working on other things at the time. Right now I am working on finishing up the first draft of the first book in a YA series that I'm actually really excited about. So when it came to decide to participate, I thought at first that maybe I wouldn't. I wanted to finish this one.

But it's a series. And I roughly have ideas for the first four in the series since it's about four sisters and each book is about one sister (there is more to the idea than that, but I don't want to talk too much about it because the more I talk, the less I write).

Anyway, it struck me that I should go ahead and write the second book. That will definitely ensure that the series continues.

So...wish me luck! I'll occasionally post updates. The only glitch may be my holiday vacation. But I'm hoping to mainly just lounge around the house in Dallas, which should give me plenty of time to write.

And Good Luck to everyone else participating!

puppy chow

Peanut butter, chocolate and Crispix. Can there be anything better?

I realize this may be a foreign dish out here, seeing as how only two of the people I've talked to had any idea what I was talking about. Usually the response was "Puppy chow? What in the world?"

But I made a box of it last night and am pleasantly surprised to see it disappearing fairly rapidly here at the office. And you know, for a first time, it's not so bad. My sister makes this every year and of course it's always delicious, but I've never made it. And I do have some criticisms...there are a few squares without any powdered sugar, but that's really about it.

I love cooking, and as much as I would love to say that the deliciousness that is this batch of puppy chow are due to my expert skills in the kitchen, I can't. I think it's mainly due to melted chocolate, peanut butter and butter poured over cereal and mixed with powdered sugar.
Genius.

I think I may have introduced several people to something new. They do say that Aquarians are trend setters. Always trying to help.

Enjoy the weekend!

umbrella

This may sound strange and/or random, but I don't like umbrellas. I never have, and I usually go without. In Texas it was fine because the only time you would get wet would be the dash from the car to whatever building you were going to. Granted...it pours in Texas like nobody's business and even then sometimes you'd need an umbrella. But when I could, I'd avoid using one.

Then in the four years I was in California, it rarely rained, and when it did, it usually sprinkled which was nothing to the torrents I grew up with. And since I was usually walking from class back to the dorm, I didn't necessarily mind since I could make up a cup of hot chocolate and change and be warm and dry in an instant.

But here...I have no car and no need for one and so I walk. Everywhere. And only rarely take the metro (like last night when it poured and I did to escape the rain even with my umbrella). And I was also reminded of why I don't like them.

First of all, I have to admit it, but they look ridiculous. And secondly, when you have a narrow sidewalk that's already two small for groups of people walking against each other, what are you going to do when you have an umbrella? Granted, I'm short, so for most people, they don't have to worry about hitting me. But I have to worry about hitting them in the face with my umbrella, especially like last night when I rounded a corner against a wall of some prickly bush and had nowhere really to avoid hitting some guy who, granted, raised his umbrella to make room for me.

This morning on my way to work, it was hardly raining and yet I saw nearly everyone with their umbrellas up. I decided to avoid mine, thinking if it started raining harder I'd pull mine out. There was this man in front of me with one of those really large umbrellas (and again, keep in mind it was hardly even spitting). He walked a little slow, and not in a straight line as not many people walk in perfectly straight lines. I wanted to pass him except I couldn't see around his umbrella. When I'd start, someone else would come waltzing past me, blind until we both got to the edge of the umbrella, or he'd start walking in front of me and I'd have to duck, or walk in wet grass, to get around him.

Anyway, so I pass him and get to the intersection, stepping up to the curb to wait for a break in traffic to cross. And what does this guy do? Walk right up next to me, exactly next to me with his umbrella sticking out in my complete line of vision. I missed a few breaks, trying to lean forward or back to see around this guy before he crossed and my vision was clear.

Ok, that's the extent of my rant. I know they're a necessary menace, but for whatever reason, umbrellas annoy me and they always have. And I apologize if I hit anyone or my umbrella blocks your line of vision. I've been there and sympathize. But know that I'll only use mine if it's absolutely necessary.

turkey

Last weekend was the Turkish festival. I met Carrie down there shortly after lunch and we pretty much went straight for the Turkish coffee. We had a bit of a wait while they made some more, but it was delicious, of course. We opted not to have our fortunes told, and while I think it may have been fun, the last time I had a friend read my palm it was a good fortune and I'd rather just leave it with that.

We walked through the stands of food, inhaling the delicious spices used for the kabobs and even the smell of fresh, warm baked pitas with spiced hummus. When we arrived, the music was contemporary and sounded almost like house. If it was Turkish house, it was awesome and I would love to hear any recommendations. When we got back to the stage, the schedule was back to traditional music and next to the stage was a screen rotating images of Turkey. I watched mostly that while we listened to some music briefly and then headed back to Dupont for lunch. To keep with the spirit of the day, we went to Levante's for some hummus (which was some of the best hummus I've had in awhile), I had a grilled vegetable pita and we both finished off lunch with another Turkish coffee.

Oh, and on that, I did buy a small canister of Turkish coffee. The only downside is that the instructions are all in Turkish, so I'll have to try Carrie's instructions since hers are apparently in English. I'll let you know how that turns out.

I stopped by my apartment to put the second half of my sandwich away and then headed back to the Turkish festival right around closing to meet another friend of mine. Like earlier we went for the Turkish coffee first, but I wisely declined some, because I'd also had a big cup of coffee earlier that day, plus the other two coffees. I don't usually get wired from coffee, but when we sat and chatted for awhile, I was pretty wired.

We stood again for awhile listening to the traditional music, which at first was upbeat and yet also mysterious in a way. I really enjoyed that set. The next set was something slower, and while it was nice, it didn't pull me in enough to forget that I was standing in fading sunlight after walking and standing for most of that whole day. So we stopped at another food stall so he could get a quick bite and then sat down in the plaza and chatted and caught up, with the music in the background until it was time to close up shop.

I've wanted to visit Turkey before, in much the same way that I've wanted to visit...Peru or Germany. It was on my list, but wasn't quite up there in the top with Paris, Greece, Prague or Cambodia, the places I really, really want to visit soon. But I think that now it's moved up there. I've always loved the food (and the coffee) and have fairly recently been interested in its history, but the images on rotation and the atmosphere have really bumped Turkey up on my list.

dc driving

I don't often drive in DC because...well, mainly because I don't have a car (which is a good reason). I do miss having a car, except when I get the opportunity to do a little driving inside the District. Like yesterday, for example.

Yesterday I took my colleague's car to pick up a catering order for a big office meeting. Driving her car freaked me out already, without the driver's around. Each time I came to a stop light my heartbeat picked up ever so slightly because there was no clutch and yes, I admit it, I was tempted to do some phantom shifting. I refrained (except once), but there was no way to put the car in neutral and I kept waiting for it to buck and stall. Seeing as how she has an automatic, it didn't. But in the almost 9 years of driving, over 8 have been in a standard.

To think I used to make fun of people who phantom shifted.

As if that wasn't enough, there were the other drivers. Getting to the store wasn't too bad, there weren't to many idiots on the road. But getting back was a different story. I had some guy open his car door almost right into my car, and I just barely had enough room to swerve without hitting oncoming traffic in the next lane. And then, driving back to work at one intersection there was the classic car in the middle of the intersection trying to turn, but oh, guess what? I had a green light and she had a red! I wanted to honk at her, because I'd actually already almost been hit twice...but seeing as how I was in a new car, trying to remember not to shift, I had absolutely no idea where the horn was. It was in a different place than in my old car. I think on the bottom of the steering wheel, not on the side.

And then in the next block, there was a truck stopped in my lane, and I couldn't very well go around it because there were cars coming against me in the very next lane. Fortunately only two, so I didn't have to wait long. But long enough to have some guy two cars back honk. Geez...it's not like I felt like stopping in the middle of the lane for the fun of it. I couldn't go anywhere!

And then I think I almost got hit again before making it back into my building's parking garage. You know..they say LA has the worst traffic, but in four years of driving in Southern California and LA...I never had the problems I've had in the few times I've driven in DC in only two years.

My colleagues were waiting for me in the garage to help take all the food back upstairs and when I first joked with them about the weirdness of driving an automatic again, I told them my realization: No wonder people here are often in such foul moods. I'd be too if I had deal with that every day.

So that's my rant. And that took care of that emptiness of not driving somewhere inside me. And besides, in a month I'm going back to Texas for the holiday and I'll get to drive in nice, four lane roads where most people observe traffic signals, use turn signals and wave when you let them in (how nice is that?) and...what's even better, is I'll get to drive a standard which will relieve that tension.

Oh, and I know where the horn is on my Mom's car.

By the way, I know I owe a recap on the Turkish festival. It was an incredibly crazy week at work this past week with lots of long hours, but this weekend I've got some downtime and intend to take those pictures off my camera and I'll post about the delicious Turkish coffee.

economics

I remember the advice that we received before and during college, that many people get jobs that have nothing to do with their major. I heard a lot of this when I still thought about a creative writing major, which I then switched before I even went to college. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I would have thought my degree would have been used. And it still may be.

If I can remember what I learned.

I spent four years studying economics...ok, maybe three since one senior semester was spent studying politics in DC and the other had one economics course: my senior seminar where I wrote a paper. But I took a lot of courses and I loved them, even if I didn't get a 4.0 in some of them (ok, maybe all of them). The coolest thing was taking what I learned there and applying it to my minors, like the time we were discussing the Asian financial class in my Asian International Relations and for some reason, the double graph I learned about expected exchange rates totally made sense when I tried to apply it.

Sorry...still awake?

The thing is...I don't necessarily remember how to do all of that now. I can see the graphs, but I can't quite remember what goes on there. And it extends beyond international finance. I'm not sure I remember anything from international trade, my favorite econ class.

I'm not sure why, but I kept my old econ books. Well, except for statistics (a class we never used the book in anyway). I've pulled out my micro book to look through. Let's see how easily it is for it all to come back. And now I have something to keep me occupied until Italian classes start again in the spring.

assateague island

Anyone do anything fun for the holiday weekend?

I did. Well, not for the weekend, but yesterday. My friend and I went to Assateague Island to see the wild horses. Did anyone else read Misty of Chincoteague as a little girl (it doesn't strike me as the type of book little boys would read, but I could be wrong)? Well...I did. We both did. And a little over a month ago while chatting over sushi, we somehow started talking about it and it dawned on us that we were close to Assateague and Chincoteague. Now granted, after some research, we missed the scheduled driving across the bay, but the horses on Assateague are wild and you can see them year round.

We found a day that worked for both of us, and drove up there and back yesterday. If you'd like to do it, it's about a three hour trip and Google maps does a great job with the directions.

Anyway, when we crossed over to the island, we drove past two brown horses ambling along the side of the road, but didn't get any pictures of these two. I guess we thought the island would be teaming with the 150 strong herd. But...it's a long, thin island.

We went first (after a couple of trips around finding a parking lot, let alone a spot) to the Life of the Forest trail, which was a nice escape in the hot day. From the outlook point we saw several horses at a distance. Along with a bird. Now...if only we can get to that other side. But...it's an island, right? How confusing could it be?

We drove to the end of the island and parked at the Trail of the Dunes, which I have renamed the Trail of Doom. It was a gorgeous trail, but it was sand. And we both thought the trip would be like the earlier trail, and both wore athletic shoes and I had on jeans and it was hot. It's also been awhile since I trudged through sand and this was deep sand with a lot of resistance.

And no horses here.

But it was beautiful and so the Doom nickname was more of a joke. We made it back to car and thankfully it was after we were back in air conditioning that we realized the weather was up into the 90s. Not knowing that during the sand hike might have made it even worse.

On the way back to the bridge we went down a road and there we saw three more horses that we got out and followed a ways. Now that was pretty cool. They had the right idea by plowing ahead into the water. We hoped they'd lead us back to the larger herd, but they were probably lounging in the shade. Even those these are wild horses, they're not like what I'd imagine the mustangs would be. You could get close to them and they got close to the people around (I think brushing past an oblivious fisherman who looked around with surprise at the three horses walking past him), so we definitely got some great shots.

It was definitely a great experience and a wonderful day trip. I satiated that desire from when I was a little girl completely infatuated with horses (and I think that little girl is definitely still around) and we learned some things for the next time we go. Bring towels and a swimsuit, because the ocean was far too tempting. Had we submitted to that desire, it would have been a long...wet car ride home. And bring better shoes for walking on sand. And more sunblock since I think we sweated most of it off.

Anyway, that's the trip in a nutshell. I have more pictures here. I didn't put them all up, but I took about fifty pictures. The island itself is beautiful, which only adds to the coolness of being there. And I think it is pretty much guaranteed that you'll see a horse or two. Whereas if you go out West with lots of land and try to see the mustangs...well, you might not.

Up next, I hope, is a trip to Luray Caverns. I went once when I was very little and don't remember a whole lot. But I think it would definitely be worth it to visit again.