I feel like I should make a great, profound statement or something but I just sit here and think: Wow, I've rambled on for 50 some odd posts? Yikes.

Today I find myself looking around with a lot of things to do.  A project I'd completed got shot back to me with a note, 'Oopse! We didn't explain this well enough - you'll have to redo it.'  This is frustrating. I dislike redoing stuff, I want to do it right the first time but so often I cannot ask the questions I need to ask because I'm states away and the people that I need to talk to are very busy. So I find myself sort of shooting into the dark at times and just hoping I can do it right and feeling like a failure because I did not understand that within the context of a single sentence ten bullets of change were automatically understood because in order to get the desired End Result, well of course A, B, C, D, E, F and G all have to be changed!  A, C, D and E were completely new to me....  I'm frustrated but I cannot get too upset; I probably did not try hard enough to understand.  However, I am currently working on a large, tedious project that is just as time sensitive as the other one.  I refuse to get bent out of shape over this; I'm going to bust my arse to work on them today but I'm only capable of so much so go me for resolving my little temper tantrum on my own - without having the tantrum.  I really do like where I work and the people, sometimes just being so far flung makes communication difficult.  It also means that it's drought or drown as far as work goes; I am now drowning in comparison to what it's been like recently.

This means my only writing will be before work, at lunch and after work.  Yesterday I got in a rock'en 1.3K during my half hour lunch break.  My novel's really starting to rock along.  Dan Wells from Writing Excuses published this really cool blog about a book idea he's working on and in his blog he talked about a matrix style way of outlining action or points of conflict using an excel sheet.  I'd never thought of this before!!  I think that in my editing process for working out the kinks in the first bit of the book I need to do something like that.  There's far too little anything in the first bit of the book and just uninteresting daily events and me being far too verbose.  I really should sit down and do this for the current part of my novel and if I have some free time after meeting my daily goal I will to double check everything.  I have a lot of conflict going on at the moment which is really cool; at one point while we were all sitting around at La Madeleine the five of us realized we were all writing conflict.

I have also set myself a carrot on a stick.  I don't think that finishing my novel will be an issue; it's the editing I'm worried about.  So I don't get my carrot if I finish my book - I get my carrot after I've edited the dang thing and feel comfortable letting my friends read it.  Of course this is also holding out that my parents don't buy me the carrot since I did put it on my List for the season of Birthday & Christmas.  What is it? Should I tell you? Okay - I'm terrible at keeping my own secrets! I want a Wii Fit; I gave up my gym membership to move into a place where I felt safer, but there was the added bonus of a gym and racquetball room!  I don't know what's happened but the gym is occupied like 24/7 and it's a tiny gym so four people in there and you're a) claustrophobic b) dying from humidity.  And I have yet to find racquetball partners.  I've played with a few friend's Wii and I like it, it's fun, and it's something I could see myself doing as a game, thus fooling myself into physical activity.  I think it's a great thing, actually so should all go well, I'll be buying one in like - January.

So I think it's become clear I'm addicted to reading blogs.  I pick up reading anyone I find interesting and I've subscribed to a lot of literary agents and editors blogs; lots of things that involve the book industry.  I don't remember when but I ran across Nathan Bransford's blog via the Inky Girl blog.  Well Nathan posted this hilarious blog entitled What I Learned About Writing While Watching Reality Television. I'm surprised that I got a bunch of the references!  I personally only really tune into the Tool Academy though I am very tempted to pay to download the Project Runway episodes, and I sort of want to watch America's Next Top Model again.  Hm, what could I say I learned from Tool Academy about writing?  Tool Academy proves that your tool character really is possible; there are really men out there who are that bad.  On the flip side, the idiot girl character really can be that dumb to believe whatever he says and stick with him.  Not very good lessons, I'm not as witty as Nathan but I really liked his blog.

And also in blogs, yesterday or day before yesterday was author Robin McKinley's birthday - happy birthday!  Her blogs are normally filled with hilarious commentary but I feel that her birthday blog while hilarious, is also perhaps a reason friends shouldn't let friends blog drunk.  Okay, she wasn't that bad - but the blog was funny. 

I've also learned that while I'm terrific about reading blogs and commenting when I feel I have anything even remotely worth saying - hey, I really like seeing I get comments so I figure others do too, even if it's just a few words - I'm horrible about double checking to see what other comments were left after mine.  Just an observation  :)

So where do I find myself today?  Well in a few short minutes I need to tackle work things now that I've poked at my email, the day will officially start in a little while.  I'll work diligently today, really, I'm going for consistency!  I hope to finish the project I started yesterday, get some class paperwork done, some post class bits I've been confused about and by then it'll probably be lunch.  I'm sort of scraping my larder here; I realize suddenly that I don't like salami sandwiches anymore....this is disturbing. I've always liked them.  I do, however, really like this sundried basil cheese I found.  So since I have nothing but cheese and bread I'm eating a bag of snap peas for lunch and string cheese; yum.  Finger foods to accommodate me while I write!  I was ideally saving the peas for something else but I really didn't want to have to run out and buy lunch yet again; ug!  This afternoon hopefully dabble in the project that was kicked back to me and pray I really get it this time.  I need to stop by Kroger on the way home because I ran out of toilet paper like Saturday and have been using Kleenex since (TMI yes, I know).  I also need a handful of other items so it's a well timed trip and I can snag some peanut butter and fall back on that option.  I think Alicia is coming over for a bit before heading over to the write-in at Borders...I think.  Regardless I need to unpack the dishwasher and do something about my kitchen, pick up some general stuff and put the clothes that have been air drying away.

The Chins probably also need some attention but I don't know if they really want it, lol.  They're so funny.  I tried feeding them dried blueberries last night; they seemed to like them!  I was eating the blueberries and decided to share; I think they appreciated the gesture.  I should get them some more toys and one of those calcium, hanging things they go through in three freaking days!  I <3 my Chin-Children.

Okay, over and out - it's work time people!

[edit] Ug, I think I need a new blog layout....and a banner.  I'm so silly.

[edit] RAWR - changed blog layout and lost everything as far as the sidebar stuff goes. so frustrated. rebuilding but lacking time to do it in.