Day 7 #BlogFlash2012 - Sunset

The heat of the day weighs heavy, humidity settling on me like a thick blanket I long to toss off. There isn't a breath of breeze to be found outside, but I stay on the patio anyway, longing for the fans on the other side of the screen door. It's late. I've been up since four, when the baby woke. I was able to see the pink of sunrise just before the giant ball cleared the horizon. I should be in bed, but I'm waiting, watching the horizon at eleven for that same pink, that beautiful stretch of pastels across the bottom of the hazy clouds.

Summer days are long, but that just makes the sunset more precious.

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I'm not far enough north for there to be NO night, but it's definitely brief.

Day 6 #blogflash2012 - Reading

Allow me to share my husband's sense of humour:

Reading. It's what you're doing right now. And this here, you're still doing it. What's this next word. Right, reading. Good job, keep up the good work.

Is it any wonder I'm as strange as I am??

As I'm not in the middle of reading anything at the moment, I thought I'd talk about reading as a writer. Damn but it takes a lot of wind our of your reading sails. I used to read for enjoyment, for escape. Now I get about ten pages in and I'm critiquing the opening scene, the characters, the font even! Often, as I read on, somewhere around page 100 (later in some books) I stop editing and editorializing and final engross in the story. Then it's enjoyable. If you look at my GoodReads reviews, especially under my real name, you'll see that I have a lot of criticism, but I usually got to the good part and can praise the author on that.

Reading, it's what's for bedtime.

(I can't pin that one on hubs...)

Must Read Monday and other guest spots

Today D. F. Krieger has Blue Moon House on her feature Must Read Monday. Check out what she thought of the story, see if it whets your appetite. While you're there, check out some of the previous Mondays in her archive. I also have post on Nicole Pyles' blog The World Of My Imagination about Sex in Fiction. I talk about the different types of sex scenes that might be included in different stories. Head over there and check it out. Thank you, ladies, for letting me reach your audiences.

Day 5 #blogflash2012 - Frustration

There is a reason I play the same flash games over and over, why I'm reluctant to update my software. It's the same reason I don't pick up new hobbies. I am easily frustrated. I'm also depressive, so frustration over erroring software can lead directly to frustration with myself as a mother, a wife, a human being, you name it. How do I deal with frustration? Most often by playing those same flash games over and over. I do something I know I can do. Something I can't easily fuck up. Something that I can get to the end of, take a breath and say, I feel better. Does it work? Not even half the time, but it hurts less then screaming and punching things. That's the fall back plan: screaming and beating my futon with a broomstick. That is very effective, and improves my sleep as well. I'm exhausted and my futon is all fluffy again!

My favourite song for dealing with frustration comes from the Arrogant Worms.
Billy solves his problems by calling up his mom 
Heather solves her problems with drugs and Alcohol 
Daniel solves his problems with a doctor and the law 
But Malcolm got his own way and it's better than them all 
CHORUS 
'Cause Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw 
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw 
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw 
and he never has the same problem twice!

Day 4 #BlogFlash2012 - Busy

Busy. That's August. I am currently enjoying a visit from my Dad that will end with a long weekend and him stealing my daughter away for a week with my sister. The plan had been for my husband and I to have some after work evenings to share alone, but my day job threw a curve ball. Here's my schedule for August:

7th - Leave for airport at 5:15 to arrive in Fort McMurray
8&9th - Work outdoors in sun, heat, bugs and possible thundershowers.
10th - Fly to Calgary for When Words Collide (I'll be appearing under my real name, Kimberly Gould). Arrive at 10:30 for a con starting at noon and be on a panel at 5.
11&12th - Participate in When Words Collide, including volunteering and panels both days. Be picked up by beautiful, wonderful, accomomdating husband to drive myself and our daughter home. Sleep in my own bed.
13th - Go into the office at 8am to drive to Fort McMurray (we need different tools, so, truck).
14-16th - Work in Fort McMurray amid sun, bugs... yadayadayada.
17th - Drive home from Fort McMurray to wondrous welcome from accommodating husband and daughter. Sleep in my own bed.
18th - Pack camping supplies and drive to Grande Prairie for camping week! Yes, I planned this before my summer went completely to hell, and it's the ONLY week we have for camping, so we're going, dammit.
19-24th - Camp, swim, visit relatives, move to hotel, wash properly for wedding.
25th - Attend accommodating husband's cousin's wedding.
26th - drive home. Sleep in my own bed.
27th - Go into the office at 8 am to drive to Fort McMurray (no I'm NOT kidding you. We went from one week in the Fort in August to THREE).
28-31st - Work in Fort McMurray amid...

September 1 - Die and go to Nirvana where I will never be this booked again. Oh, and sleep in my own bed.

That's me and busy. Then what did I do?? I decided I should participate in the #BlogFlash2012 !!! Someone check my sanity, please.

Day 3 #blogflash2012 - Colour

Isn't that a happy picture?!

Today, I thought I'd share a piece of art from my daughter. She created this masterpiece on my husband's IPad. I think it's brilliant. The big reason is because it uses lots of colour. If you have kids or work with pre-schoolers, you know they tend to pick one colour and do the entire picture in that colour. Or, they will mix many colours together making the result monochromatic brown. This was one of the first real pieces I've seen my daughter do that uses different colours.

I do cross-stitch. In someways, it's like the embroidery version of colouring. Fill in this area in this colour. Okay! Now use this shade. Now draw in the lines... I have always loved to colour, outlining in a darker shade and then filling in. I think it's something my daughter and I can enjoy together.

Days 1 & 2 #Blogflash2012

Terri Long has issued a blog challenge. She has 31 topics for 31 days. I'm already a day behind, and I've got a brutal schedule this month, but I'm going to try to keep up for most of the month.

Day 1: Thinking

I'm not a planner. I'm a seat of my pants kinda girl. This blog had scheduled interviews until my tap ran dry and my summer entered 'insane' mode. Thinking ahead isn't something I do a lot of or do well. On the other hand, I do a lot in my head. Almost every story I've written doesn't have a paper-and-pen outline, but rather is plotted in my head. I see the majority of the story like a movie, with some thoughts of characters being conveyed, and that is what ends up on the page. At work, I hold a lot of information in my head and can use it to adapt plans, answer questions, and analyze test results. I am a thinker, I'm just not a planner.

Day 2: A Furry Friend

Peppermint Chaos - better known as Dummy

I work in a home office. Not my home, but the boss'. She has two cats. There is no better addition to the day or way to spend a coffee break than watching one of them strut around the office, sit in front of our monitors, pounce on inanimate objects, or curl in a lap for petting. This morning, we were entertained with a game of catch the sowbug (a sowbug is a kind of millipede). Dummy, as we have nicknamed the poor thing, seemed uninterested in it at first and we figured there would be no show, but as soon as that bug got off the carpet and on the laminate, she became fascinated and played with it for a good 5-6 minutes, picking it up and throwing it down, following it with her nose, and picking it up in her mouth again.

My coworker and I have decided that we want to be reincarnated as house cats. Talk about the best life ever!