Did you hear

I actually started going through some of my index cards to see what quickly jotted down notes of inspiration I had managed to capture.  I found a few that I made even more quick notes to myself.  One note I wrote was to get examples of what I was talking about for the idea.  I kept going through them discarding some and putting them to the bottom of the stack until I came to one that I had written some random sentences on. 
I realized after I read through the three on the page that they were actually statements or one line bits of conversation between me and Jay.  It must have been some Sunday morning a while back because I can imagine him reading the newspaper as we had the local oldies radio station on.
I can see him concentrating on the paper when he says, "Look, they are making febreze in bacon now."  His tone carried the correct portion of mild excitement that it took me a minute to look up from my coffee, stare a minute and realize there is no such thing.  "And why would we want to have febreze in bacon?" I asked dryly.  "Well, (of course the answer is...) everything is better with bacon."
The next line on my card was just not hearing and misunderstanding what I said on Jay's part.  It was a simple, "I'm sitting in your spot."  Maybe he was confused by being dislocated and nowhere to sit but he just stared at me.  I finally broke the silence since I knew something was amiss and asked him, "what?"  He finally admitted he thought I had said, "I'm gonna eat your sock, " but didn't think I really would and couldn't figure out why I would do that.  Boy, I know it takes him a long time to wake up in the mornings but really?  No, sorry, no sock eating this Sunday morning.
The third note on the index card was another example of word replacement and misunderstanding.  I cannot remember what year the radio countdown was replaying but since it was an oldies station is was very many years ago.  Since you might not remember the song itself I can tell you the word used in the original song was "torn".  Here we go, it really sounded like the poor female songstress said, "Corn between two lovers."  That's bad enough but she goes to the next line that says, "feeling like a fool."  Yes, I think so.  That would make you feel pretty foolish...as Casey Kasem announces the song is #7 falling four notches from last week.
I think the both of us need to get our hearing checked.
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Change up

I don't know what has been happening to my time of late. A few things have come along and my regular routines have been altered.  It's hard for me to change routines once they are in place but sometimes they are for the best no matter how hard they are to change. 
Until it settles down again I have my index cards ready for any idea or inspiration that might present itself.  I look forward to those opportunities and have learned to write them down, especially when I know I don't have time to sit and write them up until later.  They really do come in handy.  Maybe I should go through the ones I already have!
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Still sore?

I started running again this past Saturday morning after waiting since May 24 to allow my poor, torn Achilles tendon to heal. The podiatrist had said I should not run or do any walking on it for two weeks. It was the only way it could possibly get back to normal. I knew it would take me longer. Let's face it - I'm old. Those types of things take longer for me than they used to. So I suspected going into this that it would take at least three weeks. I waited.
I must say I waited fairly patiently. Oh, okay! There were a few times that all I wanted to do was get up and run. Oh, okay! Maybe there were more than a few times, whose counting? Then when I didn’t want to run when I shouldn't I was thinking it might be getting better. Then I would think, I still feel it, it must not be getting better. Then I would think do I feel it? Does it feel the same as before or better, or just different. I had too much time to just think about it. Can you tell? But then, it's not much different from any other time about anything else. I always think too much about whatever it might be.
Anyway! So then it was almost four weeks and I knew there was still something going on but I had gone way past what the doctor had told me to wait and it was a weekend. It was early on a weekend. Nothing cries out for a run stronger than that to me so I decided I would try and run 2 miles and walk a bit.
You know what’s coming here and if you don’t you haven’t been reading much of my stuff. So in either case I will tell you I jogged 4 miles and than walked an additional mile to cool down and stretch out the muscle in the heel. I know. I turned my 2 miles into a total of 5. Then I got paranoid and immediately took an ibuprofen and iced my foot. Somehow I must have really been ready to get back because the next day I didn’t have any annoyances or twinges in my foot at all! It must have actually gotten better.
I know I need to keep it going slowly but it’s a start and now I get to start again. Yes. I woke up the next day and the heel felt great!
Now I am only dealing with the soreness in my leg muscles from not running for a month. Go figure.
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Method writing

Almost a week ago, I realized I was mindlessly scribbling on notebook paper.  No, it wasn't words, but some crazy child-like fashion design sketches.  Believe me, it wasn't like I was inspired or anything.  It was just that I had a pencil in my hand and I had taken the paper out for something else. I am not sure why I actually started to draw except that my story line was in my head and final approval was needed for some designs - in the story.  I guess I was trying to finish the work for my character.  Boy, talk about method (acting) writing!  How silly is that!

It was always something I wished I was better at...the art and all.  Those artsy kind of things were always something I wish I had been better at.  I guess I was given a variety of opportunities and was exposed to those type of things.  I got my fair share of art, dance, and music as a young girl.  Maybe if I had been more decisive at a younger age I might have been able to pursue one or more of them more seriously.  I seemed to have learned them all part-way.  I took piano and can read music, which helped when I was in choir.  I never took dance but was invited to perform with a group from a local studio.  My art never got past the primitive stages but I did some cool logo's and stencils many years ago.  My real interest, if I was to step into the Way-Back machine,

(remember Sherman and Mr Peabody?)

Sorry, I couldn't resist...

But my real interest way-back when was always theatre.  You could do some of it all there and I did.  I learned the back stage goings-on, light booth, sound, and moved into costumes, make-up, assistant to the director, chorus, walk-on's, small parts and leads.  I did it for over a decade at the community theatre, then dinner theatre and then our own company when I partnered up with a friend.  We started out directing and producing three consecutive summer sessions of childrens theatre workshops.  We produced, directed and cast our company in various musicals and performed.  It was fun, it was creative, it combined all those artsy things I was exposed to when I was so much younger.

So then about a week ago, many years from the last time I ever walked on stage, I started scribbling on some paper.  It was because I had this story idea in my head and a foundation in acting that runs so deep.  A character in my book needed to meet a design deadline and I decided to help her out.  Or maybe I was just trying to see how it would feel to walk in her shoes - like method acting - except I'm not doing that anymore.

I'm writing.  And I've spent too much time here now because that is what I should be doing.  I have a deadline too, not unlike my character, but it's for a chapter five.  I have only 5 days left to complete it.  Wouldn't it be nice if my character would help me out in some way like I was trying to do for her?

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Too much, too little, enough

I must say I have some of the oddest conversations and I sometimes receive the oddest comments.  Just in this past week I received these different comments from different people.  I put together the comments I received here on the same subject but I did get some odd comments this week on other subjects.  I am not sure why that is, but it seems to happen to me.  The first was:

"Boy, I can tell you really do read too much!"

My first initial reaction to that comment was to stop, frown, look down to check what I was wearing, check the backs of my hands, flip them over and check my palms.  If I had a compact I would have pulled it out and checked my face and hair in the mirror.  How could they tell that?  The conversation wasn't even about reading.  I don't recall mentioning a book or reference any books that I might have read.  Was this comment a good thing or not so good thing?  I'm not really sure.  What did they mean too much or they can tell I really do?!

 

Another comment was:

"I wish I had time to read." 

My first thought about this comment, I admit, was a little defensive.  What did they mean?  Are they saying I have nothing going on in my life so I have all the time in the world to just read?  Did I have no responsibilities unlike them and that I have huge amounts of leisurely time to lay about reading and eating rich chocolates?  I don't know why they don't feel they have time to read but why am I now feeling guilty about carving out the time after my 40 hour job, daily chores like grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, then my writing, running, keeping track of my husbands business accounting, business reports and household bills.  Wait, I wish I had time to read.

 

Then I guess I was trying to recover and told someone else I had not been reading as much as I usually do and I got this comment.

"I guess you'll have to spend less time sleeping."   

Please believe me when I tell you I had not mentioned either of the other two comments when I received this third.  I had merely said I didn't feel like I was reading as much as I normally do.  The comment above was their answer.  Maybe they are right.  Maybe all of them are right and I am the one that just doesn't get it.  That has to be it, don't you think?

I don't know.  I don't know anything really, except I sometimes receive the oddest comments.

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Running dreams

It seems slightly odd to me that since I haven't been able to run in the past few weeks that my thoughts would become so grand for my future running plans.  I have been sidelined from running and walking since 5/24 when I finally admitted to the fact that the back of my right foot wasn't right.  The annoyance wasn't getting better and it might have started to get worse.  It turned out to be some small tears in my achilles tendon and the doctor recommended I do not attempt to run until it had time to heal.
According to the time frame the doctor gave me I should be fine about now, but I know it isn't up to snuff just yet.  I can still feel it in the back of my right foot although it is much better than it was and that is encouraging.  I need to give it more time yet somehow my plans are growing larger the longer I sit and wait to get back to it.  I will want to get at it seriously when I start back.
I wouldn't let myself go to my site that held my stats because I needed to keep it out of my head.  I finally took a look yesterday afternoon and although I will not be able to finish my goal or the last bit of training I had going at the time, I am not as frustrated as I thought I would be.  I only have 11 days to complete my training so that won't happen and I'll need to start again when I am able.  I will not reach the goal I set to run 120 miles by 6/22...I need 64.3 miles and it's 6/11 and I am still not able to run.  The challenge I was in had me in second place when I stopped and somehow I've only dropped to 6th place.  I wonder who else hasn't been running?  I would have thought more challengers would have overtaken and dropped my spot much more than that!  I will continue with that challenge when I am able...it doesn't end until 9/22.
Then I admit to be occupying some of my time searching races.  I have found an interesting half marathon in Dallas.  It occurs on 8/15 and is properly named The Hottest Half because I am sure you can imagine the temperatures in Dallas in the middle of August.  I thought it would be right up my alley!  I would love bragging rights on that one.  But then, I'd need to get myself in shape again and somehow get to Dallas!  There is another half marathon 8/1 in Chicago, another in Atlanta in October.  Do you see how I have been thinking of these broad grand plans like there would be no stopping me?
I have known from the beginning that right here in my own home town the major race is in November.  It was the original half marathon I was mulling over in my mind to see about doing about the time I was sidelined.  Now, as I sit and heal, I am thinking...what if I trained for the full marathon for that race in November instead?
I am not sure when I allowed or gave my mind permission to think about these things without the fear and hesitation I have always surrounded them with.  I don't know when that happened.  I do know that I have broken through to the other side and am looking at it as a possiblity instead of - no way, never, can't even imagine trying.
I might have to adjust plans once I start up again but I have to admit to being happy for allowing myself to try to think about it without attempting to sabotage myself before I begin.  So my running plans at the moment may not be any actual running...but who knows what the near future might hold.
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Beware the Chicken Beast

"Grill Special: Build your own Chicken Beast Sandwich with side and Fountain Beverage $5.50"

This is what appeared on our Company’s' Café menu as an item being served today. I copied and pasted it directly from the source to keep the integrity of the information. I had not spotted it myself but was alerted to this phenomenon by a co-worker that asked if I had seen it posted. I had not, but thought it would be well worth the few minutes to browse the menu to see if it was true. It was definitely true! They are serving Chicken Beast!
I know our on-campus café is striving hard to use local and organic products. They spotlight items when they use local farm produce and have even brought those vendors to our site occasionally for associates to talk to and purchase fresh items from them. Although, I don't seem to recall them ever bringing in a vendor for the chicken beast.
So I couldn't help but wonder what might have happened?  When did they decide this item should be rounded up for our kitchen's use? I couldn't help but wonder if a group of rebel café employees went out on the night of a full moon with torches lit to track the hoof prints of this exotic bird?  Did they fling large droplets of holy water onto these fleeing beasts, filling the damp, night air with the scent of their singed feathers? What could possibly have been the temptation for them to risk scalding reprimands to bag these fiendish creatures?  What caused their burning desire to go forth, capture, and serve these rare, dark-winged brutes?  
I have heard that on a scale of 1 to 100 they rate a 666. I have been told that the meat has a naturally spicy, hot flavor and char-like texture. I hear the forked-tails are especially delectable if cooked slowly over a flaming, fiery grill for what might seem an eternity.  I hear there is a measure of risk you take of losing a vital part of yourself at the point of sale. 
There might be some skill needed if you actually intend to build your own.  I have been told stories of the slithering of flesh even after it has been thoroughly cooked and the great gnashing of teeth once the sandwich is tasted.  I can't imagine what their offering might be as a side.  My guess would be some dastardly root vegetables that have been grown underground and very slowly roasted.  And I am sure I have never heard of a fountain drink available that could quench the parched and blistered throat after partaking of this meal.  I am sure if there was such a drink they would make sure to hide it and keep us in perpetual darkness.  I would think the amount of suffering...
What?
Were you trying to get my attention, what?
It was….left out the "r"?
Just a typo?

Oh, how boring.
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eBooks

I just finished a book that I was "lent".  That doesn't seem like such a big deal.  I've had many people lend me many books, many different times.  There are people that know I read and know if they suggest or lend me a book, that I will read it and sometimes have very big opinions about it that I will let be known.  Sometimes that happens and sometimes it's just another book I get to enjoy.
Sonny says I am an addict when it comes to books.  I always have one going, I am beside myself if I am ending one and don't have another and I usually remedy that by having a stash of books on hand for that purpose.
Everyone knows I don't keep my books.  I read them, give them away or sell them for pittance.  I've had discussions with people saying you pay so much for it, you're not getting any value back by selling it but you see...I have already gotten my value by reading it and I don't need to take up space with all the volumes I've read and plan on reading.  The time it would take me to stow and organize the number of books I read would take away from my reading time.  I would lose value there, wouldn't I?
So, I was "lent" a book.  Electronically.  Friends have thought I would be the first to go out and purchase a Kindle, a Nook, a gadget specific for reading books.  I can't say I haven't read some things about them but I can't seem to get past the idea of not having that paper in my hand.  Then a friend (who has a Nook) said...you can try it free by downloading the eReader on B&N website to your PC.  I did.  I downloaded the eReader and my friend "lent" me a book already purchased.  It went into my eReader library and I was able to access it on my mini-acer.
There were a few things I missed when reading this way.  When I get to the end of a page I will have slipped my finger behind to separate it so I can turn it as I am reading.  Clicking the curser on the page forward arrow just didn't have that feel, although I got really good at positioning the curser so all I had to do was click.  I had a problem with the fact that I couldn't just grab it and start reading but had to boot up my acer.  (I was told it's just a matter of power on for the Nook).  Then I thought - what am I going to do with a library of eBooks?  I don't ever keep my books.  I think it came down to the fact that I am having a mental block to changing the very comfortable feel of my paper books to something new.
I am not ready to give up on my paper books just yet but I'll give another electronic book a chance.  Maybe I'll go out and purchase an eBook and see...my stash is running a bit low anyway.  
Just what I needed...I can hear Sonny now...Some friends you have.  They are just enabling your addiction!
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Pages

I read through my entire work of fiction so far.  I did it my old fashion way of printing the actual pages, hole punching, and putting them into a three ring binder.  I have chapters marked with tabs and it's a slim bit of writing about now.  I don't have it properly formatted with deep margins and double spacing but regular paragraphs filling pages.  I have to do it that way.  I have to read it from hardcopy.  I know, with all the electronic tools around I still struggle with reading on-line. (That is another story and it will be soon...you'll see).

I had all my words in a binder and was going to get started when there was a brief conversation about how much I had done.  I know what the word count is (about 17000) and I have researched to see if there is a way to translate that into paperback pages.  There are sites out there that will give you overviews and details about that kind of thing.  I know...I looked.  There is something that helps me when I can see something tangible that I've done.  What's a bunch of words?  Not much more than that, but if I can see pages - well, okay, maybe there is something to that.  Word documents of varying sizes don't translate into what I read so it's hard to make a comparison.  And I am constantly trying to see where I stack up.  Doesn't everyone wish I didn't!

I roughly calculated from the on-line research that approximately 250 words to one side of a page, so I have approximately 68 paperback pages with most books containing about 300 pages, more or less.  The conversation kept going and we were soon grabbing up one of the books I had and flipping pages to see what that would look like. 

Hmmm..."What chapter did you say you were on?" 

"Starting five."

"Look, this is page 68 of this book and it's on Chapter six."

"Oh, maybe my chapters are long."
"Maybe you need to go back to your own bit on Rules of Writing.  Didn't you have something about that in there?."
I had to smile because - yes - here I go again with thinking too hard about all the details...like pages, words, chapters.  Dante is great for pointing out what I already know but have conveniently forgotten along the way.

So, just so you can see, too...this is where I am....

Hopefully, I can get past the pages, words, chapter thoughts and get back to the business of writing a story.  But you have to admit, I can find the most creative ways to distract myself.

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Blogger down

I wasn't able to get into blogger this morning...It seems to be working now but my time constraints limit me and I will need to continue later...
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I had a real hankering for some pasta yesterday.  I managed to throw together some homemade spaghetti and meatballs for dinner last night.  I put the sauce on early and let it simmer.  I don't know another way to do it and someone needs to take the camera away from the kitchen because I tend to take pictures of food prep like I was trying to write a cooking lesson blog or some such. 

This morning I was making breakfast and then decided I would try again at my turtle candy cookies. 

I put them all together with the idea I was given to half bake them, then to pull them out of the oven, add the caramel, and finish the baking time.  That method worked perfectly for the taste, texture, and creaminess of the caramel.  It worked!  But unfortunately, they don't look appealing and who wants to eat a cooke that doesn't look good?

Ah well, I'll take the cookies to work tomorrow and let them eat some ugly but tasty cookies.  Remind me to take the camera out of the kitchen.

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Pep talking

I have taken a good amount of time this weekend going over my book.  I got the entire length together and went over it and read it through.  I needed to see where it was and if this isn't the right way to go about it - well, I did it anyway - because I think this is the way I needed to do it.  I refrained from any editing but went from top to bottom to see where it was.
The beginning will need some work.  I can see areas and glaring spots that will need to be re-done.  There isn't anything that will change the progression of the story but it's slow and can get boring and needs re-arranging, and I see all these things that need improving.  Going from writer, to reader, to editor doesn't seem to be that hard for me - just the holding back when I am only supposed to be a writer just now. 
I went through the rest and it's progressing.  There was some threads I hit on very lightly that I didn't realize were running through.  That was good to see.  Then I let my emotional side take over and my confidence soared down into the black depths.  I also know it's terribly rookie, plain, and going to be hard to keep driving away at it.  But I cannot let the negativity creep into this or I won't be able to keep at it.  What I have written most recently is much better than the beginning, so I will take that as a positive. 
I have to keep approaching this as a challenge I have given myself and the goal is to get it all down.  Good, bad, hard, negative, positive, just right, needs works...all of the things I can think of to stop me or keep me going all matter and don't matter.  The goal is to get it all down.  Period.
Of course I would want it to be fair and somewhat good when it's all done.  I will be working on that as I go but more importantly I need to keep going.
Sorry you had to be around when I needed to give myself this pep talk.  I'll post something else to take your mind off this.  I took a good amount of time doing some cooking this weekend, too.  Maybe I'll post that above so this won't seem so...well, you know, so,so...
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No complaints

I didn't give my laptop a sideways glance last evening.  I don't think it had anything to do with anything except that I just never got myself upstairs.  Truth be told, I could have used a run.  You know...late in a harried week of work, almost at the end, but could use the advantage of a go-to stress reliever.  
I am not allowed to complain about the problem with my heel tendon that has me sidelined for two weeks.  I was told I had gone on about it enough.  So no complaints but it's been a while since my last run.  It hasn't been since this past Monday, but the Monday even before (5/24) since I've run - that's 10 days.  I know, I guess typically that doesn't sound like such a long period of time.  But that week of 5/24 I had already put in 11 miles (in two days).  Then just for fun I went back to my past schedule (which I have been avoiding this entire time) to see what my weekly averages at the time were.  Would you believe my totals for the most recent previous weeks were:  28.25 miles, 29.48, 23.05 and 24.01?  I don't believe it so how do I expect anyone else to believe it.
I was in the middle of week 9 of a 12 week training program, I was hovering between 2nd and 3rd place in a running challenge and I was working on a goal with a 6/22 deadline.  I think I had good reason to avoid my site that contained all of those stats.  I don't know that it made me feel any better.  I can go and back out of all of those things.  It is as easy as a click of an option to take myself out, but maybe I'll just avoid looking for now and then see how it goes.
Some kind people have suggested I do some cross training, strength training, which I am allowed to do.  It would be nice if I had a buddy to go with me but that won't happen so I will have to think about that a little more.
And how is the tendon?  I don't know.  I am still feeling it so it can't be right yet.  I will have to wait it out some more and hopefully give my laptop more than sideways glances.
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Perusing

...Cassie stood a little straighter and watched. He wore a dark suit with a shirt of starched white cuffs that peeked out of his sleeves that were exactly the proper length. Even with his tall height his trousers hit the precise spot at the tops of what she thought were Italian leather shoes. Since he was facing away from her she had the opportunity to take in the lean length of his back. She continued to grin as she perused the nice cut of his jacket and wished it wasn’t covering so much of what she imagined was a taut backside. She couldn’t help but think it was probably just about the right…
He turned his head toward her as if he was reading her mind. Cassie quickly averted her eyes back to the wine rack and stood a little straighter.
“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hog the space,” he said.
“No, said Cassie shaking her head, not sure if she should attempt looking at him to see if he could tell of her viewing. She let her long bangs fall across her face. I was still deciding,” she managed confidently.
“Oh, he looked down at the bottle of claret in his hand. Did I take your choice?” He looked back at her.
She couldn’t tell if those crystal blue eyes held any of her secret at the moment.
“No, no. Well, it was one of them but I’m going with the merlot tonight.” Cassie bravely stepped up and removed the merlot from the rack. The movement in such a small space put them close enough for her to brush his sleeve as she retrieved the bottle. The brief contact almost made her jump. She did a good job of steadying herself and looked up for a daring attempt to read his face.
It was a good face. His dark brows framed the lighter eyes with amazing contrast. His completion was smooth with the faintest beginnings of a dark shadow around his chin. His lips were full and starting to move upward the slightest bit as she realized he was also looking at her.
“I need to go,” Cassie said quickly and turned toward the checkout.
She juggled her items and made her way the short distance. She could hear her own heels tapping like jackhammers the entire way. She knew she was getting flushed but smiled and kept her cool as Mrs. Sampani started to ring Cassie’s items.

Just a bit of a teaser from my piece of fiction.  This particular part was written months ago and it's only 411 words out of the just under 17,000 I have accumulated so far.  I'm sure it's hard to tell anything from the few words above and it is definitely still a work in progress. 
But it has progressed...
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Notice anything?

Have you noticed these posts are coming more regularly lately?  I had made a rule for myself when I hit 365 posts in exactly one year that I would hold up on the blogging to use that time writing on my bit of fiction.  I went for a good while without posts and unfortunately, also without writing.  It kind of worked but not really.  Okay.  It didn't work the way I thought it would.
Here's what I've figured out.  Anything and everything can stop me from writing my book if I let it.  It can be this blog, it can be my running, it can be my reading...It can be anything and everything that I let stop me.  But it works the other way around, too.  Nothing can stop me from writing if that is what I decide to do.  Somehow, things fit in and the more I do the more I find myself doing.
There is no such thing as a perfect time to write.  The perfect time is 15 minutes here or 2 hours there or all day long, whatever is available.  Waiting on time to write will turn into exactly that...waiting.  If I start writing with only 10 minutes, I sometimes start something I am more than anxious to start up again than if I never used those 10 minutes.  It gives me a great going back-to point.  I am having to pull myself away from writing to make time for the things that kept getting in my way of writing before.  It is amazing how those things still get done, except now I am also writing.  And that few minutes needs to be used every day.  Some days a few minutes can turn into two hours before I know it.   
So stopping my posts to free time to write?  It didn't work the way I thought it would.
Now I am not only writing on my fiction, but also racking up words on my posts.  So did you notice there had been more entries here lately?  It's because there has also been more words there on my fiction.  I'm not even breaking my own rule...no matter if it worked or not.  Something seems to be working right now. 
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Spoiled

I am off to work today after over a week of not having to head off to work.  I am not wanting to go back.  I knew if I would take any extended amount of time that this would happen.  I knew if I took extra unplanned days off I wouldn't want to ever, ever go back.  I felt really strongly about it yesterday but today I have either resigned myself to the fact or I got over my tantrum.
It isn't as if I don't have a great job.  It isn't as if I can't do the work well.  There aren't a whole lot of negatives I could really say about it.  But it's just a job.
I've spoiled myself terribly by taking this extra time.  Now I am watching the clock and rushing to get things done this morning so I can leave in time to get to my desk.  This after a week of, a week of, well, a week of not caring what time it was or rushing and instead of doing work for someone else I was doing it for myself.  It was still work but with a whole different feel. 
I did put in some full days of work while I was off.  My time table might not have been the exacting one I follow day to day with my regular job but I can say I put in the same if not more hours.  It was still work and there were times it was more difficult than my regular job but now I need to head back to the outside world again. 
So I am rushing off now to get things done so I can get to my (other) desk and see what is there for me from over a week.
Did I say I was leaving now?  I'm leaving now.  I have to get going.  I need to go into work.  Gotta go...
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