Friday, October 30, 2020

An Update on Halloween's Eve

Green window It's been a slow couple of weeks. Jack got sick last Sunday. It was a cold coupled with throwing up, so I spent a few nights holding him a lot and trying to get him some rest. Luckily, he's feeling better now but I'm still worse for wear. I have a runny nose, cough, and sinus headache. I did have a fever. I also had a loss of smell. But all of this is from the stuffy nose and the cold. I didn't feel it necessary to get a test. I've had many colds in my life, and this is one of them. What troubles me is that with all the social distancing and super hygienic conditions that these places supposedly have these days, Jack still got sick. If we can catch a cold, we can catch Covid. I've wanted to keep taking him to classes just to get him used to other kids because, unfortunately, I'll have to go back to work next year and he'll have to go to nursery. I worry about this constantly, and I want to make that transition as easy as possible for him. (I'll be a wreck. There's no way around that one.) Despite this illness in the house, I've been able to write a bit in snippets, which keeps me sane and makes me feel productive in some respects. I've posted to Medium (the last article was on the subject of said baby illness) and worked on my book. I don't know why I say "book" when I have about four I dip in and out of. I love beginnings of stories, then slog through the rest. What I'm doing is something along the lines of YA romance, and I've found Jami Gold's Romance Beat Sheet. This has helped me plot a little better than I usually do because I have always been a pantser and I end up not knowing how to steer the story back to where I wanted it to go. Does anyone else have this problem? I'm so impatient and I really want to crank out a decent 1st draft, then edit it without having to totally rewrite the story. This is why I'm amazed that people can churn out a book a month. Today is Mandalorian Season 2 day, Halloween's Eve, and the day before I do another Keeping in Touch Day at the library. We've not been able to find pumpkins anywhere nearby, so this may be the most subdued Halloween we've ever had. But it's 2020, so what else can we expect? If anyone else is taking part in NaNoWriMo next month, good luck to you!

Monday, October 5, 2020

An update for October 2020

It’s been a good day. 🎂  #ThisIs44
I'll start off with my important public announcement:  don’t get gel manicures unless you want to pay to get one every month. My nails are completely ruined from that polish chipping and ripping a layer of nail off.
Jack is 9 months now and I’ve started Keeping in Touch days at work. There’s not a load of IT going on and no one-to-one sessions for me to do with customers so I’m just a gal in the library.
(I’m learning what I can and cannot touch in there too.)
These days my life is based on keeping Jack entertained, bottles, naps, and so many nappy changes. I try to keep up with my reading and have opted for lighthearted, fun YA rom-coms by indie authors. Of course, I still have Midnight Sun to get back to.
I finally bought an Archer and Olive B6 dotted journal, so the new bullet journal is taking shape very slowly. Steve told me to stop worrying about how wonky everything looks and just do it for myself. Sound advice. I am not a good artist and my spreads are simple but I enjoy it, and now with a journal with thicker paper, I can try watercolor pens. I’ve always envied the people who could go to art supply stores and buy things they would use. Now I can be one of those people.
I’m wondering about getting an Instax camera for Christmas. I’ve looked at them loads of times, but never bought one. Since we tend to go to National Trust places (or, at least we used to) and walks, I thought it would be a good idea to use for mini pictures in my bullet journal. I guess that makes it sort of a scrapbook of sorts as well. I like that idea.
My birthday was good, despite the lack of Florida trips or restaurants or anything other than hanging out at home with takeaways, presents, and my family. But, honestly, that’s what made it a great day.
Writing has been. I have things in motion more than I had in a lot of recent months, so I’m glad of that. I still only have little snippets of time when Jack is napping or Steve’s looking after him, so I don’t get a lot done. Also, as always, I’ve rethought my approach for the current WIP so I can either start from the beginning or keep on with my new ideas.
And with spooky season on its way, get out there, grab your pumpkins, and do your best to enjoy October.