Waiting and Waiting

Posted on 12/17/2016 by chick

A little over a week ago I sent a short story to be critiqued by an author acquaintance of mine. I checked my e-mail every day, eager to see her response, but as of yesterday I hadn’t heard anything from her except a confirmation that she had received payment. I was starting to think about contacting her again, but I was nervous. What if the reason I hadn’t heard from her was that my story was so bad that she didn’t even know where to begin? It’s funny how the mind works.

Anyway, come to find out, she never even received the story. I don’t know what went wrong with the e-mail. There’s a copy of it in my sent folder. But somehow it just didn’t get there. So I sent it again last night, and thanks to the immediacy of IM, I know for sure that she has it.

Now the waiting begins again.

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Beyond Reason

Posted on 12/16/2016 by chick

Listen, I like concerts, but ticket prices have gotten out of hand. I was just shopping for tickets to see Tom Petty in Hartford, and they wanted close to $350 for two tickets plus fees. These were no-frills seats, not in the front rows or anywhere near. Factor in the gas to get there, the parking fees, plus the cost of the meal we’d need to eat while we were out, and we’re talking about a very pricey evening. I consulted with my hubby, and we agreed that we had to pass, just as we had to pass on Coldplay tickets earlier this year.

I realize that artists need to make money on their shows, especially since they’re being squeezed on sales of their songs. I get it. But they won’t be making that money off of me, because I just can’t justify the expense!

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“Dispatched”

Posted on 12/15/2016 by chick

I ordered something from Amazon.co.uk. They sent me an e-mail to let me know that my item had been dispatched. Hooray! I know it’s silly, but I think “dispatched” sounds more interesting and full of promise than “shipped.”

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Resistance Is Futile

Posted on 12/12/2016 by chick

One by one, however slowly and painfully, the Christmas tasks get done.

I have a niece who is still very young, and every year I buy her a personalized Christmas ornament. Etsy is my go-to source for these ornaments, and I’ve been happy with every one I’ve ever purchased. Usually the shopping itself is an enjoyable experience, and I find a dozen potential ornaments almost immediately. So usually I’d say that Etsy is awesome for that kind of thing.

But not so much this year. I had to wade extremely deep into the search results to find even one that I liked. It was cute, though. It had a picture of a girl elf on it, and it came with the option to personalize her appearance (hair, glasses, clothes, etc.). I spent a fair amount of time deciding on those features and selecting the perfect font. I put the finished ornament in my cart, and BAM! Etsy hit me with a message saying that the seller was on vacation so the ornament wasn’t available. Ugh. Why didn’t they tell me that upfront?

I am starting to feel like every Christmas task is resisting me this year, but that resistance is futile. I will not be deterred! I went back to Etsy last night and found another ornament. It is also cute (with a snowman on it), and it should arrive on time.

So put a check mark next to “Niece’s ornament” on my to-do list!

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Making Progress

Posted on 12/11/2016 by chick

One by one the Christmas tasks get done.

I picked up our Christmas cards today. What a relief it is to have this particular task done! I had the usual problems designing them. First I couldn’t find the right pictures. Then I designed a perfect card, only to find out that it might not ship in time. So then I had to design another card at different website so that I could pick the cards up myself. But I’m happy with the results (and the price, which turned out to be a heck of a lot cheaper than my first design!).

So put a check mark next to “Christmas card” on my to-do list!

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Today’s Crossword

Posted on 12/11/2016 by chick

“They say Confucius does his crossword with a pen.”—Tori Amos

It took me 30 minutes to finish the crossword in The New York Times today. The level was much easier than yesterday’s, but the size was bigger (21x today vs. 15x yesterday). And I did the puzzle in pen. Doesn’t that sound delightfully brazen? In truth, the Sunday puzzle is printed on a slightly slick paper that practically demands pen, so I took my chances. But when I reach the point at which I can do the Saturday puzzle in pen, then there will be big-time gloating!

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Avoiding Derailments

Posted on 12/11/2016 by chick

Last night I needed some cheering, so I watched a silly ’80s movie. It was starting to cheer me up, too. There was a cat in one scene, and I thought, “Aw, cute cat!” Then it occurred to me that the cat is dead (unless miraculously long-lived). That pretty much put the kibosh on the cheering.

It’s amazing how easily one’s happy train of thought gets derailed at this time of year. I know other people are able to survive the season by focusing on the things that make them happiest, particularly the things that they love most about Christmas. I’m just not sure what the happiest thing is for me right now.

I had thought a Christmas book would help, so I picked up a Christmas-themed mystery. Alas, I can’t get into the story, so no help there. Old movies are out (obviously), but I still have some faith that certain types of Christmas movie could cheer me up. I ordered a slew of them from the library this week. They’re mostly new or newish, and therefore unlikely to star people or cats who have since passed away. Some are comedies, some are romances, and some are both—exactly (I hope) the right kind of happy, sappy fluff to keep my brain on a positive track.

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Revisiting Dune

Posted on 11/23/2016 by chick

I finished Howard’s End Is on the Landing and now I’m working on Frank Herbert’s Dune.

I read Dune once before, back when I lived in Connecticut. Though it was a long time ago, it was not before having seen the David Lynch film version. So my reading experiences for this book have always been colored by the film. Dr. Yueh is Dean Stockwell. Dr. Kynes is Max von Sydow. And of course, Paul Atreides is a twentyish Kyle MacLachlan (which is confusing at times, since the character is supposed to be just 15 years old).

But I’m actually glad to have seen the film first. It’s not a great standalone movie or even necessarily a good interpretation of the book, but it’s interesting. It made me want to read the book.

It has also helped me to understand the book better and to plow through the difficult parts. Herbert’s writing is inconsistent. The first chapter is brilliant, but then the next is bloated with exposition. It goes back and forth like that—sometimes good, sometimes not—but always the thread of the movie keeps me tethered to the story.

I’m enjoying this reread so much that I’ve decided to watch the film again. I also want to see the two TV miniseries. I requested all three from the library today. My goal is to finish the book by the time they arrive.

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Gonna Beat 2015

Posted on 11/02/2016 by chick

By finishing The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw, I have brought my reading total for 2016 up to 32. I need read only one more book to beat last year’s total. That book will most likely be Howards End on the Landing by Susan Hill, because I started reading it today, and so far it’s an A+.

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Recent

Posted on 10/30/2016 by chick

Recent reading: The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw

Recent listening: I have discs by Beck, Radiohead, The Moody Blues, Josh Ritter, and Robert Plant in my CD player.

Recent watching rewatching: Joss Whedon’s Firefly. I am once again blown away by how whole the Firefly universe sprang from Josh Whedon’s mind and what an gorram shame it still is (and will always be) that there’s only one season of it.

Recent thoughts: Uh-oh! Tomorrow is Halloween. I gotta get ready!

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