Winter Wonderland - Not!

I love snow.  At least, I love to look at snow.  If I can sit in a comfy chair (with a good book, of course), sipping hot tea or cocoa, I can look at snow for hours.  When it's falling, it fills the air with a certain mystique.  When it's coating everything like a blanket, it creates a kind of hush in the air.  Sunshine on new-fallen snow seems to bring a brightness to my soul.

Then we squeal back to reality.  The piles of dirty, gray snow that block access to the mailbox.  The slickness of refrozen snow that makes walking treacherous.  The cold that grabs my bronchii and makes me cough and cough.  Shoveling a path to that blocked mailbox down my driveway that seems to get longer every year.  My back complains and my arms give out.  The salt I put down to prevent slipping eats away at shoes.  The cheap boots I wear so the good ones don't get ruined cause blisters.

Need I go on?  Not for those of you who live this, too.  But, there is a plus side to all this.  Besides what I listed above, there are other pleasantries that come from a significant snow fall in the Chicago suburbs.

There's the neighbor kids' snowman (half covered with dead leaves) that makes me smile.  There's the next door neighbor who has a small snow plow and, if the thing will start, plows our driveway (although I still have to shovel around the cars).  There's the the little kid walking out of CVS who catches a snowflake on his tongue and grins.  There's the stranger who grabs your arm when you start to slip in the WalMart parking lot.  There's the sight of a bunch of kids sledding down a hill by the park and remembering when you could do that, too.

Yeah, a few weeks from now, even some of those things will have lost their magic.  But, for now, right before Christmas, it does my heart good.  And my heart needs all the good it can get!

Lover of Reading

I very recently discovered that the word "bibliophile" means someone who loves the form of books or is a collector of books.  While that is very true for me (I even love the smell of books, although with computers doing the work instead of typesetters, it's not the same scent that used to take me back to my childhood), I also love to read.  The difference is that I would read most forms of publication, even an e-reader.  Although I'm not sure how I would feel about reading scrolls.  Seems kinda awkward to me.

So, in the interest of accuracy, I began to hunt for words that mean "lover of reading."  (No, it's not too much time on my hands, it's my OCD--like a dog with a bone.)  Right away I came up with bookworm.  Eh, it conjures up images of nerdy people in taped-up glasses.  My glasses have never been taped-up.  Most of my searches brought up bookseller's websites and library information.

So I took matters into my own hands.  Since the suffix "phile" means "lover of" or "one who loves" I figured I just needed to change the "biblio" which is "book" or "book form."  With the handy dandy online translators, I found the latin for "to read" is "lego."  Hmmm.  "One who loves to read" becomes "legophile."  Too much like someone who loves to play with tiny plastic building pieces that hurt like hell when you step on them.

Not yet daunted, I then tried "reading."  That was much better!  "Lectio" was the latin word I found.  "Lectiophile" is a great word.  Is it an official latin word?  I doubt it.  But I don't care.  It fits.  Besides, if a certain bookstore can get away with printing bags that say "bibliomaniac" on them, I don't see a problem with using "lectiophile."  Even though "lectiophilia" sounds like an STD.  Oh, well.

Now the question is, do I change the title of my blog?

Christmas (or anytime) Gifting

I love getting presents.  Most people do, I think.  But I also love giving presents as much, if not more, than getting them.  It isn't that I'm so philanthropic, but I see gift giving as an expression of my love, friendship and/or caring for the other person.

When I buy gifts--even when I shop online and have them shipped directly--I spend a lot of time looking and considering what to get.  Oh sure, there's cost concerns, but within my limits, I try to find what I think the recipient will like.  Even when I have to shop at the dollar stores, I will peruse every aisle.  Yes, even the hardware.  You never know what nifty gadget you'll find there!

I will admit, there have been times that I bought something for someone just because I liked it.  I then hoped the other person would, too.  I've done that to my sister when we used to exchange stockings every Christmas.  We stopped that when I had no income, but have not resumed the practice.  I still miss that time we spent together, with our stockings that were used year after year.  No kids, no significant others.  We'd ooh and aah over all the little (and not so little) things that we found for each other.  Yeah, sometimes she'd get a mug that I really liked.  Or I would buy a gift book for my non-reading sibling.  But it was always a couple of hours each December that was just for the two of us.

To me, that's what gift giving is mostly about.  It's a great reason to get together and spend some quality time focused on each other.  Like today I had lunch with my two bff's.  We go out to lunch (Baker's Square, this time, YUM!) and we give each other the tokens of our love and appreciation for each other.  These two special ladies have been very supportive of me during my years of various difficulties.  Once in a while I wonder why they put up with me.  Have I been supportive of them?  I hope so, yet I think I've fallen short many times.  So the gifting is one way I can show them that I've been thinking of them and am trying to please them.  Not buy their friendship--never that!  But just to show that what we have is is valued more than mere monetary means would indicate.

So I get emotional in my gift giving.  I am grateful for the people in my life who care about me.  I just hope that I've made my point by my actions as well as words.

It's Not All In The Mind

There's a saying "It not about how old you are, it's about how old you feel."

Well, a lot of days I feel about 35.  Which isn't too bad.  I still had a figure then (albeit a full one) and I could walk the mall for hours.  Some days, like today, I feel about 80.  Which would be okay, if I had someone to take care of me.

Whether I feel 35 or 80, I still have things that have to be done on any given day.  (Although some people think I don't "work" they should try my shoes for about a week and see how much I don't "work"!)  My point is that I need to physically move about.  Walk, climb stairs, etc.

The problem with today is that yesterday I swept and bagged leaves from the driveway.  Then I proceeded to put out some Christmas decorations in the front yard.  This includes the always enjoyable task of finding and retrieving the outdoor extension cords.  You'd have to see our garage to understand the difference between finding and retrieving.  I've been throwing things out since my dad passed away--which was six years ago--and I still can't walk from the front to the back without tripping, bumping or knocking something over!

I put up a windsock.  I put out the lighted penguin (which comes in two pieces--body and head--but the head wouldn't stay on until I found some twist ties).  The main focal point is the two lighted deer.  A Standing Buck and a Lying Doe.  Sounds nice, doesn't it?  My sister gave me these when she moved to a universe far, far away, where she doesn't have any yard in which to put them.  Okay, so they were used once, last year.  So they're in good condition with all their parts.  Should be easy, huh?

Now, I'm not bragging here, but I have an IQ of 136.  Which means nothing when you are trying to assemble deer which are in pieces, but still connected by wires that have lights on them!  I did get them assembled.  And, mostly, I did it correctly.  It took me over an hour to assemble them.  Then I moved them three times, because we have stupid trees in our front yard that were planted 50 years ago by my father who knew nothing about landscaping and planning for the future!

This was done after having cleaned the driveway and finding the cords, etc.  I've done this kind of work outside, before, with minor physical consequences.  This time, though, I'd forgotten that I had spent November being a total slug because I didn't want to hurt my hand that was recovering from surgery.  Oh, I was very good about using the treadmill during that month, but it is not the same as bending, stooping, squatting, lifting, pushing and pulling.  And sweeping.

Today, I woke up in pain such as I had never experienced!  The aching back and sore calf muscles were not unusual.  In my right hip and thigh joint, however, it was excruciating.  And my hands!  There are muscles in the hand and they can hurt like blazes.  I figured I'd just work out the aches as I went through my day.  Forget that.  If I sat down for more than two minutes, my right leg would not want to hold me.  So I spent the day hobbling around.

The worst of the pain is gone now.  I have a steady, burning sensation in that hip/thigh joint.  My back complains a little when I change positions, but it's manageable.

So when anyone tells me that how you feel is "all in your mindset" I can tell them to do something anatomically impossible.

Christmas Time is Here

I love that song from Charlie Brown's Christmas.  And watching Snoopy do "Crack the Whip" on the ice.  :-)

Anyway, it's already December 2nd and I'm reading the last book I'll get from the library in 2009.  After that--Christmas stories!  I have a stack of 21 (or 22?) books, mostly Christmas stories, with a couple of "holiday" books.  I used to be able to read a book per day (300 or so pages), but now, since I'm also writing, I have been covering 2 books in 3 days, roughly.  (I also spend an inordinate amount of time on the internet, especially Facebook--I am SO hooked on FarmVille and Pathwords!)  So I'll probably still be reading a couple of these through and after Christmas.

I have them sorted first by paranormal or non-paranormal.  Nons being last.  Then I've sorted them by author popularity.  That's somewhat subjective, of course, because some of my favorite authors are not widely known.  But I have Heather Graham and Nora Roberts and Debbie Macomber, as well as a couple of others that are more widely known (at least among romance writers).  I'm sure I'll end up shifting some of them around as I get through the stack.  Since I don't read Christmas books after January 1st, whatever's left will be put aside for next year.

Now I need to stock up on Christmas munchies, because there's nothing like a good book and a bag of something yummy!

Onomasiology (Ah-no-may-see-ology)

That's a really fancy word that means nomenclature, or close to it.  I delve into this subject because my characters in my novel do not seem to like the names I give them.  Oh, I finally made them behave.  I now call my female protagonist "Adriana" or "Dree" for short.  The two male protagonists (over which Dree will agonize, pun intended) are called "Jaren" and "Merek" as of this writing.  The two men will both be handsome, charming and brave.  They will look as different as night and day.  Dree's mother is called "Marie" but that is not engraved in stone.  No, I have become expert at the Search and Replace feature of Microsoft Works.

See, Dree's name was originally "Bree" which was short for "Brinna."  Or "Breanna."  But then I read two different books with the heroine's name being very similar to those.  Hence, "Dree."  I admit, it sounds a little too trendy, but, so far, my heroine seems to like it better.  The guys' names are meant to sound a little foreign, maybe even a little otherworldly.  They are, naturally, of a different world.

Many authors that I have looked to for advice say not to have multiple main characters with similar sounding names.  For example:  Dave, Dan, Don and Dennis.  Unless you are trying to be absurd, it gets hard for the reader to keep them separate.  And if you are trying to be absurd, you might as well go with Larry, Darrell and Darrell.

So, if you can believe it, onomasiology is like a science to, well, uh, scientists, I guess.  Of course, they are concerned with the naming of new finds, like a newly discovered fish, or a skeletal bones that reveal another type of dinosaur.  But, for me anyway, the naming of my characters is as important.  At least until I become established.  People like Nora Roberts, Ted Dekker and John Grisham can get away with naming their heroes "Humphrey" or "Eugene."  Or their heroines "Ethel" or "Mabel."  More power to 'em!

For now, I'm sticking with trendy "Dree" and her best friend, a conservative "Amy."  I will probably change Amy's name, though.  Too many real Amy's out there that I don't like.  Maybe, "Elizabeth" or just "Beth."  Hmmm, this will take some thought . . .

When you need a lift . . .

At three weeks post-op for Carpal Tunnel Release surgery, I'm still on lifting restrictions for my right hand.  No more than five pounds.  Now, that's not very much when you think about it.  A full gallon of milk weighs 8.5 pounds.  Even a half gallon would be close.  There's the unknown, like how much does a handful of wet laundry weigh?  And what about other stressors, like how much weight is in the tension of pulling open a car door?  What about pushing open doors to a store (some of them are pretty damn heavy)?  There's also torque, like opening that new jar of peanut butter.

So, I see the dr on Thurs and see if the restrictions will be lifted.  I kinda doubt it.  I instinctively pulled, with my right hand, my mom's hand when she started to fall the other day.  The surgery site was sore for 24 hours.  Here's hoping I didn't tear anything!

The Blank Page

There is nothing quite so daunting, at least to me, a new writer, as a blank page.  I have my "road map" which tells me where I want my characters to go, but things keep changing on me.  (Well, I guess I keep changing them, but that would make me responsible for my own actions, and where's the fun that?)  My characters for my novel (a fantasy) keep wanting their names changed.  What sounds perfectly good at the beginning, starts sounding too . . . trendy, or old-fashioned, or over-used.

Of course, it doesn't really matter what names I use now.  I can always do a search and replace later.  But then I'm back with that blank page again.  This time it's the opening.  Now, I have a bunch of scenes that I dashed off as I thought of them, but they need to be put together and fleshed out.  I've gone through ten or 12 openings already.  I'm thinking maybe I'll use "It was a dark and stormy night" just for grins.

Openings, too can be changed later.  Most of the advice from established authors say to just get it down on paper (or in bytes) because you'll go back and edit it several times anyway.  But, see, my OCD wants it done right the first time.  Or the second.  Or the third.  Anyway, you get the idea.

Yeah, I'm just making excuses.  You knew that already, though.  Okee dokee, I'm going to go to my manuscript and use the dragon-sighting as the opener.  Or maybe a unicorn.  Hmm, then again, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned vampire.  On the other hand, maybe a pack (herd? group?) of goblins . . .

Hands Off

I thought I'd share some pithy thoughts on books:
"There are some friends you don't meet for twenty years and when you meet them again it's as if no twenty years has happened - you're lucky when that happens. I feel the same about books."  Norman MacCaig.

cats and writing:

"As an inspiration to the author, I do not think the cat can be over-estimated. He suggests so much grace, power, beauty, motion, mysticism. I do not wonder that many writers love cats; I am only surprised that all do not."  Carl Van Vechten