lady_karelia

13398 words total.
1830 words since Monday.
783 words today.

In a way, I'm relieved Dorkboy is traveling this week. Having to spend an hour at Starbucks every day while Little Man is at MA class does seem to do Lucius good. He likes being written by hand *snickers*. And I get to listen to music without anyone making comments, which is, once again, a novelty. And then we get home, and the coffee shows its effect, making me all bouncy.

Of course, Dorkboy's trip to California is making me rethink Memphis. We settled here thinking it's relatively near to newly-found family. The fact is, we haven't seen most of them at all, and my brother maybe two or three times a year. So I started wondering some time ago what the point is of living in a place so utterly deprived of culture and intelligence. I really despise this... excuse of a so-called city. It's unbearably hot for about seven months of the year, the weather is freakish, most of its inhabitants are so totally not to my likingunderstanding, so why on earth am I here??? I understand it from a spiritual point of view, totally so, but, gods, can I please have a reprieve and live somewhere where maybe one or two people actually share my beliefs and maybe some culture thrown in, too?

It's been an outstanding few days, but everything wonderful comes to an end in order to make space for the next wonderful. On the agenda today:

- Coffee
- Have lunch with ariadne1 and melenka.
- Drive home, with a short stop at Trader Joe's
- Reflect on the most awesome week I've been having, filled with adventures in cheesemaking, cooking, and weather-watching, eating wonderful breakfasts, laughing, playing in mud, staying in pyjamas the entire day, laughing, having gallons of excellent coffee, enjoying brilliant company, laughing.
- Empty car
- Collapse into bed

Something kept my mind occupied over the last few days, something mainly to do with sloppiness and carelessness and inflated ego and all that, which not exactly kept me from writing, but I wasn't feeling particularly inspired.

So instead, I spent some of my free time making cheese.

F-list: *snicker* No fucking way, karelia!

Yeah, *looks sheepish* I made more feta, which is currently curing on the kitchen counter, giving off that scent that has non-cheesemakers wrinkle their nose until they try some of it. Then I made a batch of paneer, of which I used about a third for dinner. The rest is now in the freezer, waiting to be joined by another batch, and we're all good for the Indian food orgy at the next Squeefest.

I also brined a small batch of feta and marinaded the last batch with thyme or rosemary. If only I could find my bubblewrap... I guess I should go out and buy some, lol. Then I can go to the post office.

I also planted cilantro seeds and painted a cookie tin to use for growing basil and more cilantro.

sunnythirty3 has come up with another challenge: The word 'that' is the most overused word in fiction. Write a one-shot between 500 and 5000 words about how Snape survived Nagini's bite without that word. I have a vague idea for it, which I hope will evolve some overnight.

Oh, I've ordered new cheese cultures. Dare I have a go at making provolone? Emmenthal?

The mailbox is, for the first time in I don't know how long, empty of betas-to-do. *phew* I didn't do queue today, but I'll make up for it tomorrow. It's been a very productive day in terms of writing and editing. Aside from the last couple of betas that were way overdue, I managed to write some more on the Yule Challenge one-shot and even managed to cut it by about a hundred words, so now it stands at 3800 and has advanced at least close to the main part to meet the prompt. Then I looked at WM. Nearly 1k are written of the latest chapter, but somehow, inspiration stayed away, so I took the original out instead. Which I edited wildly and then rewrote parts of ch 3 in Starbucks while the kids were learning how to defend my sanity. Or my body. Whatever. When we got home, I returned to the *ahem* new one, which I won't post until it's written. But the plot bunny has been biting me for months, and I simply had to succumb to it. It's rough in every respect and from every angle.

In other news, *fingers crossed* Dorkboy should be home late Thursday night, and then, instead of being home three or four days in a month, he'll be away three or four days in a month. After a full two-week break over the holidays. Yay!

So, it's not enough that I'm being drawn back into this particular reality which I left so happily when Dorkboy was home most of the time, oh no. I happily went about my chores tonight after dropping the kidlets off to self-defence; grocery shopping, popping into the music store to pick up some sheet music (yeah, it's that. why do you ask?), then finally parked the car at Starbucks, bought a very.strong.coffee and sat down to write. Outside. It was glorious. Warm, but not hot, and, well, simply glorious. Managed about 1k words by hand, finishing the chapter. I felt rather accomplished. So, ten minutes before self-def. class was over, the chapter completed, I opened the car, got inside, put the key in the ignition, turned. *click* Lights went out. I tried again. No click, but lights still off.

It was dark by then; youngest had taken out the torch a while ago and never put it back, and my lighter wasn't being very efficient to find the %^&* number for the roadside assistance. So I phoned DB and whined. Poor guy. He's been working 10-hour days away from home, and then he had to put up with his whingey wife. He found me the number, which I phoned, only to be told that the policy number (the roadside assistance is linked to the car insurance) wasn't correct, but at least they transferred me to some other department where I successfully got the correct number. They then transferred me back to the roadside assistance, who, after taking down all the details (and confirming them) informed me that the assistance expired four weeks ago. *deep sigh*

Meantime, kidlets turned up with two of our friends, Ri and Ry. While DB sorted out the "expiry" (which wasn't), the guys tried to jump-start the car. No deal. Just rapid clicks whenever they tried to turn the key. Eventually, roadside assistance was being very helpful, offering all sorts of stuff (how to get home from the garage to which the car was to be taken by giving me variety of cab numbers, suggesting to ask whoever would tow the car there to give us a ride etc). Later, the tow truck arrived, had some magical device to make the battery work. Srsly, it was magic. Half an hour of charging it from Ri's car didn't do fuck all, the guy put his magical device on the battery, and the car started! I nearly worshiped him.

Then, worship-worthy guy told me it would work out cheaper for me if I simply went to the 24-hour-open Auto Zone and have the battery replaced there rather than having the car towed to the garage who would charge who knows what. I almost worshiped him.

Then he gave me directions how to get to the nearest Auto Zone, and I kinda lost it. I mean, I don't know Memphis well, really. But Ri and Ry jumped in and said they'd follow me and make sure I'd get there. Now, I nearly worshiped Ri and Ry.

So, we got a new battery. It looks like that was the problem. Not that it gave me any warning whatsoever, and I'm not pleased, honestly. I guess I'll find out soon enough. And about four hours after our usual time, we finally got home. Mr Tatoo-head who drove the tow truck deserves a medal. Ri and Ry deserve medals, too.

I have a few betas to do. Will get to it sometime tomorrow. No way was I going to concentrate on anything tonight. Surfing iTunes was fun, though. ;)

Uh. Yeah. Mah poor hubby...

8 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

In other news, we successfully dodged those tornadoes in the Chicago area yesterday and made it to the hotel in one piece. Well, four pieces, duh. The journey was considerably helped by Miss Melbourne, the very Australian voice of the GPS that came with the rental car (hubby is visiting a client, so it's expenses paid, which resulted in a rental car, a hotel room with a jacuzzi, and decent wine). Miss Melbourne got a bit upset every time we left the I-57 North, and each time she sighed, "Re-cal-culating," she sounded a bit more long-suffering, but she got us here safely, despite part of the I-57 being closed due to tornado damage, which irritated her no end, especially when she realised that we were ignoring her instructions of taking u-turns and instead followed the road signs...

Today was spent swimming in the rain, whirlpooling both in the rain and indoors and inroom, and steambathing. And several trips to Starbucks. *nods* My kind of holiday. I've always suspected I'm genetically far closer to a dolphin than a human. For tomorrow, a trip to Trader Joe's is in order, oh, and a trip to the yarn store that carries Opal yarn. They have Hundertwasser designs! *iz happy*

little_beloved tagged me.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your LJ along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.

( My seven musicks )

ION, I'm bone-tired tonight. I didn't find my way to bed Saturday night until about 4am Sunday morning and was rudely awoken by the sun tickling my nose about eight. Last night I should have gone to bed earlier, but an owl like me? No way. So it was about 1.30, which is fairly early for me, but I had to be up at 4.30 to take Dorkboy to the airport. He left for Chicago for three weeks *sobs*. Not only do I have to sleep on my own now but have to take up the usual chauffeur duties of driving to and from the self-defense centre nearly every day. Sad, innit? Once I get my act together again, I'll actually be able to write during the self-def. classes so it's not too bad. Tonight I went grocery shopping. We're having asparagus tips tomorrow cuz they were actually affordable, although not quite local. But I love 'em and Little Man does, too, so I decided to indulge. Since Michaels is right next door to the fabulous grocery store, I visited, but found nothing inspiring. Now I'm itching to write, but I have a feeling that if I do, it might all be Gobbledigook when I read it in the morning. Might find fic to read instead; it's seldom enough I find the time to read for pleasure outside the bathtub.

I wrote just over 2k words today. Am behind two chapters in beta work. Am far behind with knitting, but never mind that. The sweater ain't gonna run away, right?

And I fully blame voxangelus for the playlist. *nods gravely*

It's raining again, oh what a surprise. First it doesn't rain for months on end. Then it rains so much the river floods the farmland. Something out there is going crazy.

The seeds I put out into some coffeegrain-laden earth have all sprouted, I'm so pleased! They be: cilantro, basil, oregano, and parsley.

And the one tomato I planted conventionally is thriving. I shall picspam later. The other five all fell victim to a basic hydroponic experiment, which saddens me greatly. Reading about hydroponics, researching it, watching videos about it gave me so much hope, but alas. Only the spinach and oregano, both from seed, are still thriving. They shall have to do for now.

I love days like today when the weather forecasters overestimate the temperature. Which was to be 63, but it never rose above about 57. Lovely. And the cloud cover was absolutely beautiful. I realise it's the last of such beautiful days *sigh*. But the next winter will be there soon. Yup. Seven months or less. Sounds positively good.

I have written 3,839 words today. A new record me thinks. I wasn't aware I could write that many words in one day and feel absolutely accomplished. Not only is it the first time I've written something in what feels like ages but I actually don't dislike what I wrote. Even though it's those icky parts to pull chunks of already-written plot together, it's been highly satisfying. I now have, probably unreasonably so, hope to send it to agents and publishers at some stage in the near-ish future.

I received wonderful gifts today, and even though I'm trying my best not to be shallow, it absolutely made my day, which I've spent drinking tea (thanks to my friend, irishredlass69) with water boiled in a proper, whistling kettle and eating hand-made chocolate from Dublin (thanks to my darling little_beloved). After the crappiest of weeks I've had, this was truly heaven-sent, and heart-felt thanks go to both of you.

I completed my first Reiki sock last night. The symbols aren't perfect by any means, my intarsia skills aren't' that great yet, but the intent was there, and my hands are still tingling. Haven't done any knitting today, but I have most of tomorrow to do as I please, so will probably cast on the second sock, ponder whether to do it identical, colour-reversed (I used charcoal Peruvian Highland from Knitpicks and Plymouth Boku in green hues) or switch one of the symbols, since there are three and I only used two on the one sock. No doubt there'll be picspam soonish. And it's bigger than my feez, so I'll probably put it up for grabs, on the condition that the receiver lets me know if there is any effect, once the second one is done.

( celisnebula did this meme, which I thought very interesting and insightful, so I'm playing lemming. ;) )

I'm up to date with all my beta stuff. *le gasp* Yeah. So, look out for a new story by Memory, coming to a screen near you soon. And an entry to the Potter Place Post-DH Challenge, also coming to a screen near you soon.

The weather has been so weird lately, even the locals talk about it frequently. Makes me feel like I'm back in England! Yesterday, snow. Today, the high was 58F. Day after tomorrow, the forecast is for snow again.

Writing is... slow. I've started uploading a chapter a day of No Music More Enchanting in the hope that reviews might inspire the Muse, but alas. Not much there.

I have made progress on my sweater, with the aim to finish it middle of next week. The front is nearly done (about 10"), so that leaves the sleeves with the g-clef and the bass-clef. I've drawn the g-clef on graph paper, still have to do the bass clef, but it should be easier, now that I have at least a vague idea of what I'm doing. The sweater will be suitable for Antarctic conditions, so I'm not overly sad if I don't get to wear it this season. Talking of Antarctica, my to-knit list is increasing splendidly. I need two hats, two pairs of mitts, long arm warmers, long leg warmers. Should keep me busy. And youtube keeps me entertained during knitting sessions. I need to look into audio books for that, too...