Well, the month isn't going quite as I had planned, originally. Which is ok, I guess, but disappointing in certain respects. Fortunately, the baby is doing well, is head down, and seems about ready to go. So far I'm doing pretty well too, and although my blood pressure went up a bit, it wasn't too high, and now I'm staying home from work until the baby comes so I can get some rest, which seems to be helping. I know I certainly won't be getting rest once the baby comes, for the most part, so I'm trying to make the most of it now. I'm also managing to fit in a bit more knitting, and have finished the hat part of Goku's bunny hat--now I just have the ears and that'll be done. Then on to a sweater for the baby, socks for Goku and hubby, and maybe a sweater for Goku as well. Depending mostly on when the baby actually decides she's ready.

Unfortunately, I think Nano has fizzled for me this year. Pregnancy doesn't aid in coherent cognition, and trying to write just isn't happening. I managed to get about 1000+ words, and just can't focus enough to do any more. Oh, well. I was looking forward to it this year, but it just ain't happening.

And...snow before Thanksgiving! I remember having snow on Thanksgiving a couple years ago, but I don't think I've ever seen snow sitting on leaves that still hadn't fully turned color yet. We have a couple trees that are just starting to turn yellow, and are kind of a greenish yellow, and there's snow. Very bizarre. I was sort of hoping that having a due date of December 1 we wouldn't have to worry about driving to the hospital in the snow, but it looks like it could be a possibility after all...but I love seeing the snow, and Goku and I had fun today in the yard. It's supposed to all melt away today or tomorrow anyway, so I'm not gonna worry about it too much.

And now, to find some lunch....

Well, since I haven't posted since January, I guess it's time. Before I get way too busy to. Baby #2 due in December, and we're having another ultrasound this Thursday to see how she's doing. Right now they think that she may be head up, which is not the preferred way for a baby to be born, so they want some pictures to see what's going on. I tell you, they are troublemakers before they're even born.

Been doing lots of knitting and spinning lately, a bit of jewelry as well, and trying to update and somewhat redesign my website. Been trying to sell my stuff more lately, too, with limited success. Maybe next year will be better. And just signed up for NaNo again this year--as if I'm not busy enough already. But I was driving home today from work and started writing a story scene in my head, so I figure if I'm gonna do the writing anyway, I might as well try to get it down on 'paper.' Don't know if I'll hit the 50K this year, especially if the baby comes early, but what the heck. What's life without a few challenges, huh?

Discerning taste must be genetic.

Hubby and I were watching some Akira Kurosawa (Sanjuro--his samurai spoof--veeerry funny) while son (Goku*) was sleeping. He woke up at the very beginning, so we decided to watch it anyway and just avert the son at the bloody bits, since there really isn't that much blood in it. There's more maneuvering and manipulating than actual fighting. Goku absolutely loved it. When we paused it, he kept asking us to put it back on. And he was avidly watching until the very end, and then he started trying to play with other stuff.

Goku is two years old. And loves Akira Kurosawa samurai flicks.

That soooooo rocks.

^_^

Yay! I'm at least a couple steps further toward banishing my inner Andean-plying demon. (Hmmm....that's an interesting image--a spinning demon....mmmmm.....)

I tried wet-spinning my bamboo fiber, at the suggestion of divinebird, and it helps a bit. Still takes a bit to get used to the rhythm, but with more practice, it might work well enough so I don't have to card or comb it. Anyway, once it started to break and I couldn't splice it back together, I decided to try my hand at the andean plying technique again. My last attempt was disastrous. So with much trepidation I wrapped it around my hand properly and started plying. I think I know at least part of why the last attempt was so horrid, and I managed to avoid that this time. It didn't break until almost the end, and I was able to splice it back together so I have a successful ply! Granted, it's only about 3 yards, but hey, it's better than the last one was. And now I'm not so afraid to try again.

Summary for all you non-spinners: :P
I am able to do something that I was afraid I'd never get the hang of, that I really really really want to be able to do. Yay.

So I feel marginally less angsty, though the plying still looks rather hideous as far as yarn goes, so I still need much practice. And, I haven't read over what I've written for my story in the last few days. That might change everything. ^^;

Anyway, time to stop rambling and get some dinner together. Then maybe I can reward myself for a long week with some FFXII.

I do suck


but


"I'm okay with that now."




mostly



The hugs helped.
^_^

I
suck


that's all

*sigh* I love my hubby.

He just got me *another* early Chistmas present. A super cool wireless ergonomic keyboard with all kinds of programmable hot keys. So, I push one button to get my web browser up, one button to gt my email, one button to open OpenOffice, one button to bring up my musicmatch.... And it came with a nifty wireless mouse that has a couple extra buttons you can program to do what you want, and it scrolls vertically AND horizontally.

Love it. Love love love. (divinebird's gonna get keyboard envy....):D

Of course, I've hardly had time to play with it since I had to do the work I brought home from work (overtime pays decent, but really cramps my style... ^_^ ), and am just now avoiding sleep to play. So now I have this wonderful little environment at my desk, and I don't want to leave. I'm trying to figure out if I could put a pillow on one end, can I sleep here too? I'm gonna really hate going to work now...I don't even have my own computer there, and the one I have to share with the rest of the department moves like it is older than I am....

Maybe it's okay if I miss just one more hour of sleep to write...I'll still get, ummmm, a couple hours in before work....

Funny how I haven't updated my journal since just after the end of Nano.... Now that I'm not writing at the insane pace I was before, there just isn't as much excitement to write about. ('Course, that excitement was exclusively mine before, but still....) Though I did finally get my 2 CDs of E Nomine for good writing music, and a 19 inch widescreen LCD monitor for Christmas (early), so I now have a wonderful writing environment. I just haven't been writing in it much.

So, I'm still plugging away at my story, but it's harder now to find the time to really sit down and crack out a scene or two at a time, and where I am now doesn't really lend itself to short 5 or 10 minute spurts. So, I finally managed to find the time to get a few other things done. I updated my web site so it doesn't look like the last update was in July anymore, and I added a bit more info to the site as well. Nothing like learning HTML on the fly. (Without cut and paste, I would have no web site)

Still spinning--that's something I can pick up and do for only 5 or 10 minutes, though it gets harder and harder to put down again. I'm spinning some shetland wool I bought last guild meeting (beginning of Dec.), to make yarn to knit into comfy socks for the hubby. Hopefully I'll finish by next Christmas, at least. :P I have to get through 5 oz of the roving. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it is. Trust me. And then I need to start on my bamboo. Yup. Have 1 lb of it now, with three more kilos on the way. That comes out to ... many pounds of bamboo fiber. Which should make much bamboo yarn.

And did a little of my Christmas shopping. Of course, I did it online, so I have no idea if it'll come before Christmas or after. It's for the hubby, so it's no big deal if it's after. He's used to the idea by now. :P

And now I must go get dinner. If I wait much longer, my son Goku* won't be the crankiest one in the house. (And I don't mean the dog, either)

*online nickname. We didn't really name him that. Cuz I know that's what you're thinkin'.

Last word count before the end of November: 70,236.

And now I have a nifty new writing userpic! Huzzah!! Many thanks to skullx!! You totally rock--I love my little chibi dragon writer!! Kawaii!

Right now I'm working on my first serious fight sequence. Lots of swordplay, and some bits sans weapons. And some with one person sans weapon and one person with a weapon. Yay. It's gonna be a challenge to bring across all the detail of the fight without being too wordy, methinks. 'Course, I usually like doing the things that are a challenge. If it's too easy, what's the point? ^_^ It'll take lots of editing, no doubt, but I think it'll come out pretty good. I hope. Now I just need to finish it before 1 AM so I can get more than my average 3.5 hours of sleep a night (and no naps the last 3 days). Definitely makes writing more of a challenge, when you get that little amount of sleep for so long. But there's just so much to write....

And I don't want to stop....

(can you tell I've gotten about 9-10 hours of sleep in the last 50 hours or so? this is certainly not some of my better writing! talk about rambling senselessly....)

Official official word count from NaNo word counter: 66,384.

And I'm so not done with the story yet, either. I'm trying to connect a few parts I wrote at separate times, and I still have to write the end (not a very important part, but it should be there, no? ^_^ ). I think I even know how it will end, even if it may change once I sit down to write it. And I'm going to have to rewrite the whole beginning entirely. So much work still ahead, but I officially finished NaNo and got my 50K done. And then some. Before the end of November. (Still can't believe I managed to pull it off, what with working full-time and having a 2.5-year-old running around. Thankfully my hubby is very supportive of my writing, so I was able to put in a lot of time on weekends!)

So now I get to slow down a bit (or so I think now...) and start picking up on some of my other hobbies again. I'm still putting the chores aside for a while--they're just not as much fun. ^_^ This Saturday is the next spinner's guild meeting and I'm really looking forward to it. A whole room full of people even more insanely into spinning and fiber than I am! From what I've heard, I'm one of only a few who don't have spinning wheels to bring. But I love my drop spindle anyway. So, now to spin some more; first the yarn for knitting with, then the yarn for writing.

Sleep is so overrated.