Wake up! Wake up! I did. I figured it's really an hour later than the clock said even if that doesn't go into effect until tomorrow. I couldn't sleep anymore anyway. I somehow had three scenes in my head playing out while I was supposed to be asleep. It was that morning time when you are still supposed to be sleeping but you are not and just there in bed realizing it's too early to get up but you keep your eyes closed thinking you will fall back to sleep. It didn't happen and I kept playing out the beginnings of one scene after another. They weren't even from the same story. They were from three different ones. And these are all stories that I have started and not moved on with trying to write. Are they trying to tell me something? Or am I trying to tell myself something. It's been a while since I had the ideas float around in my head without prompting. And, of course, they all decide to bombard me at the same time.
And does that matter? They are all different stories. All different characters. All different scenes. I should probably put them all down and see where they go. Maybe that is the way I should write them up. I need to stop thinking so hard and just write it up and not put them on spare pieces of paper that land on my desk for later. I will find the notes a week from now when I'm de-cluttering my desk and not know what I meant. I just cleared my desk of that and know that isn't working.
So while I use this extra hour I won't have tomorrow morning I will be writing up short bits of scenes that played in my head before I got up. Three of them. For three different stories that are in three different documents. It might be a good stretch to exercise the imagination for the three different characters involved. Sounds like a good reason to wake up.
TT
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Can't sit
This is one of those mornings that I would prefer to sit and get things done here at home instead of going off to work. It isn't as if I don't have things that need to get done at work but at this particular moment I am having this overwhelming feeling to sit where I am and get things done here instead.
But then reality sets in. Work ethic sets in. I don't skip out...except for my own things lately and that isn't right and I need to fix it.
Just not at the moment.
TT
But then reality sets in. Work ethic sets in. I don't skip out...except for my own things lately and that isn't right and I need to fix it.
Just not at the moment.
TT
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Clear the way
I've got a mess of paper on my desk. Actually most of it is organized piles of mess if that counts for anything. It doesn't. I still need to go through each messy pile and find out what the heck I thought was so important that I kept it in a pile here on the top of my desk.
Most of it gets thrown out so I'm not sure why I needed to keep it on my desk in the first place. Most of it is folded pieces of paper where I might have written one or two notes to myself. They usually contain something I want to remember but can't remember when I read them back to myself by the time I go back to them again, like now.
So I can immediately dispel at least half of the papers right away. The manila file containing the writing lessons can be put aside. The pages of the short story written by a friend can be moved away. The random notes with random sentences and wordplay can be...trashed? I don't know what I was going for when I wrote them anymore. The box of index cards stays...in the far right hand corner. Then I have my Tiffany pen and two mechanical pencils. Those stay on the desk.
That leaves me with two pieces of stationery filled back and front with my handwriting. They stay. Just a hands reach to the right of my laptop where they shine bright-white against the dark wood of the top of my desk. It's the summary of my short story. The outline of chapters, character ideas and general notes of occupations. They need to stay. They need to be center point without the surrounding distractions. I have a few minutes so I'm going to use them. Clear the desk and find my spot. It's time to clear the mess of paper on my desk.
TT
Most of it gets thrown out so I'm not sure why I needed to keep it on my desk in the first place. Most of it is folded pieces of paper where I might have written one or two notes to myself. They usually contain something I want to remember but can't remember when I read them back to myself by the time I go back to them again, like now.
So I can immediately dispel at least half of the papers right away. The manila file containing the writing lessons can be put aside. The pages of the short story written by a friend can be moved away. The random notes with random sentences and wordplay can be...trashed? I don't know what I was going for when I wrote them anymore. The box of index cards stays...in the far right hand corner. Then I have my Tiffany pen and two mechanical pencils. Those stay on the desk.
That leaves me with two pieces of stationery filled back and front with my handwriting. They stay. Just a hands reach to the right of my laptop where they shine bright-white against the dark wood of the top of my desk. It's the summary of my short story. The outline of chapters, character ideas and general notes of occupations. They need to stay. They need to be center point without the surrounding distractions. I have a few minutes so I'm going to use them. Clear the desk and find my spot. It's time to clear the mess of paper on my desk.
TT
Monday, March 4, 2013
MY sidewalk
Driving home the past couple of weeks I have noticed crews building sidewalks on the opposite side of where I run in my neighborhood. They started on one end and I was happy to see that they were slowly progressing from one day to the next to complete the long stretch from end to end. I was happy to see it going in. I was happy but I sighed because it would have been nice if they had done it on the opposite side of the road where I turn off to run. But I knew this was good. I would only need to cross the street to get to the new sidewalk. Well, I would need to cross twice. If they had put it down on the other side I wouldn't have to cross at all but merely keep going when I made my turn. That would have been really nice and that is why I sighed as I made my drive home.
Then at the end of last week I noticed they were on the last bit to complete the sidewalk. I kept driving to my turn off to home and there I saw another crew. They had traffic cones and digger machines blocking one lane at my corner. They were putting down a sidewalk on MY side. They were putting down MY Sidewalk!
Now, I can understand why you might think this isn't such a big deal. It wasn't that long a piece that I had to run in the gravelly, uneven, hard piece of trail. It shouldn't be anything to get so amped about. But this is the one place I have always missed my footing and tasted that dirt underneath my feet. I've fallen more times at this particular spot than any other in the history of the world. This patch has been the cause of more embarrassment and bloody knees and palms than any other spot anywhere. So to see the sidewalk coming in at this place is big, exciting news to me. They are putting it in for me! It's a sure sign for me to grab my running shoes and hit it - without falling.
They are building my sidewalk!
TT
Then at the end of last week I noticed they were on the last bit to complete the sidewalk. I kept driving to my turn off to home and there I saw another crew. They had traffic cones and digger machines blocking one lane at my corner. They were putting down a sidewalk on MY side. They were putting down MY Sidewalk!
Now, I can understand why you might think this isn't such a big deal. It wasn't that long a piece that I had to run in the gravelly, uneven, hard piece of trail. It shouldn't be anything to get so amped about. But this is the one place I have always missed my footing and tasted that dirt underneath my feet. I've fallen more times at this particular spot than any other in the history of the world. This patch has been the cause of more embarrassment and bloody knees and palms than any other spot anywhere. So to see the sidewalk coming in at this place is big, exciting news to me. They are putting it in for me! It's a sure sign for me to grab my running shoes and hit it - without falling.
 |
| Before. Ouch! |
TT
 |
| How about that! |
Sunday, March 3, 2013
A good tired
After my marathon of baking yesterday it didn't take me long to realized how very tired I was. It was a long day. There was a long stretch of hours where I didn't stop or let up. Actually it was two days if you count the day before when I worked a regular day and then came home and baked another three and a half hours. Tired.
But there is a difference between tired from doing and just tired. This one, now that I've had a nights rest, feels very good. I am actually feeling recharged for a change instead of lazy. If it wasn't so cold out I'd gear up to run but I will hold that thought for later in the day when the sun warms up - because I feel like it. Finally.
Dante came by to help me yesterday. I wouldn't have been able to finish all of it if he hadn't spent the time retouching my labels and printing and even going out to get me another bag of flour. By the time I was finished baking he had already started putting together my bakery boxes and organizing the five variety of cookies that were to go into each box. He was a tremendous help. And then later that evening I got a text from him asking if we could ship to Chicago because he had put it on his facebook page and well...then I got a call from my sister-in-law in another city and wanted to know when I started baking...she had seen Dante's post.
But having this chore was the best thing that could have happened. Not because I got a huge paying order but because it put me back in line. It made me face a challenge I couldn't turn away from and work hard to get it done. It made me realize I was tired but for the right reason and I can recover quickly and want to do more. The more you do the more gets done the better you feel. It's like some crazy equation designed for me.
So marathon baking - check.
What other type of marathon challenges should I be thinking about? writing, running.
I might need to work up another really good tired.
TT
But there is a difference between tired from doing and just tired. This one, now that I've had a nights rest, feels very good. I am actually feeling recharged for a change instead of lazy. If it wasn't so cold out I'd gear up to run but I will hold that thought for later in the day when the sun warms up - because I feel like it. Finally.
Dante came by to help me yesterday. I wouldn't have been able to finish all of it if he hadn't spent the time retouching my labels and printing and even going out to get me another bag of flour. By the time I was finished baking he had already started putting together my bakery boxes and organizing the five variety of cookies that were to go into each box. He was a tremendous help. And then later that evening I got a text from him asking if we could ship to Chicago because he had put it on his facebook page and well...then I got a call from my sister-in-law in another city and wanted to know when I started baking...she had seen Dante's post.
But having this chore was the best thing that could have happened. Not because I got a huge paying order but because it put me back in line. It made me face a challenge I couldn't turn away from and work hard to get it done. It made me realize I was tired but for the right reason and I can recover quickly and want to do more. The more you do the more gets done the better you feel. It's like some crazy equation designed for me.
So marathon baking - check.
What other type of marathon challenges should I be thinking about? writing, running.
I might need to work up another really good tired.
TT
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Baking
It's time to make the donuts. Or in this case - the cookies. I have a huge order to fill and I plan on spending as much time as possible slapping out dozen after dozen of circular morsels. I'm all prepped and ready to go but wanted this one chance to sit a moment and sip my coffee before I start grinding it all out.
I got the smallest jump start yesterday afternoon when I got home from work. I managed to get 26 dozen baked, cooled and stored. The kitchen has been cleaned up and ready to start the new batches now. I still have a long way to go but I beat the sun this morning and I'll wave distractedly to it when it decides to yawn and stretch on it's way up. Heck. By that time I might need to pour us both another cup of coffee and sit a moment before going back to work. I'd offer it a cookie but I'm counting those very meticulously for the moment. Ninety dozen still seems a long way off but now it's about time to get going. It's time...
TT
Progress Report: 10:11am - 51 dozen baked. I might finish early and still have some Saturday left over!!!
Progress Report: 5:37pm - 90 dozen cookies baked. But also, packaged and labeled, ready for delivery. I am completely done!
I got the smallest jump start yesterday afternoon when I got home from work. I managed to get 26 dozen baked, cooled and stored. The kitchen has been cleaned up and ready to start the new batches now. I still have a long way to go but I beat the sun this morning and I'll wave distractedly to it when it decides to yawn and stretch on it's way up. Heck. By that time I might need to pour us both another cup of coffee and sit a moment before going back to work. I'd offer it a cookie but I'm counting those very meticulously for the moment. Ninety dozen still seems a long way off but now it's about time to get going. It's time...
TT
Progress Report: 10:11am - 51 dozen baked. I might finish early and still have some Saturday left over!!!
Progress Report: 5:37pm - 90 dozen cookies baked. But also, packaged and labeled, ready for delivery. I am completely done!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Cut it loose
Friday, March 1, 2013
For some unknown reason I have been trying to cut loose of February for a week. I don't know why except it seemed to have built some type of force field around me that I needed to escape. I had to endure the entire time knowing that on the first of March the fields would be lifted and I could venture out. I know, it's bizarre, but what do you want? I wanted February to be over and I got my wish even though I don't know why I was wishing it in the first place.
And here I am on the first. Up early and ready to get going.
Starting now.
TT
For some unknown reason I have been trying to cut loose of February for a week. I don't know why except it seemed to have built some type of force field around me that I needed to escape. I had to endure the entire time knowing that on the first of March the fields would be lifted and I could venture out. I know, it's bizarre, but what do you want? I wanted February to be over and I got my wish even though I don't know why I was wishing it in the first place.
And here I am on the first. Up early and ready to get going.
Starting now.
TT
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