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 The Good Life. |
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You Are Welcome Here Life is good. Let's share it. New Year, New Strategy For 2026, I launched a weekly topic rotation designed to help me stay d i s c i p l i n e d while ensuring that you, the reader, always know what to expect. Unfortunately, I have yet to acquire a million followers  and gain official WDC "influencer" status, and I often find myself seduced by whimsy. Thus, my blogging strategy continues to evolve.So, What Can I Expect? I'm glad you asked. For now, until whimsy strikes again, here's what you can expect: Subject Sundays I'll publish an educational and/or discussion-provoking article, probably on one of the following subjects:.  Music & music education The art and business of writing Owning & managing a small business Science & technologyMain Character Mondays I'll establish goals every Monday and touch base about family, work, health and leisure. Tuesdays through Fridays I'll work on and update weekly goals. When I check off completed writing goals, I'll share the fruits of those labors, if applicable. These posts are likely to include blurbs about my day and the occasional rant, although I try to post rants at "What the Fork?"  * I can only commit to one review per week. If you would like your short story to be in my reviewing queue, please send me a WDC review request. Check out my public reviews to get a sense of what to expect.
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| Kidding, it's just a food log. Recording my food again. Forgive me for being boring. I'll start wisecracking on a routine basis again, I promise. For now, I give you, my uber-healthy meals thus far today: 6:30 - 1pt: Coffee 7:00 - 2pt: half multigrain English muffin with thin-sliced Swiss and ham 9:00 - 2pt: tablespoon of peanut butter 11:00 - 4pt: cal, one bratwurst...... 1:45 - 7pt: Skinny roast beef sammich 4:00 - 4pt: Larabar 5:30 - 7pt: McDonald's cheeseburger 5:45 - 4pt: McDonald's caramel sundae 8:30 - 4pt: Larabar TOTAL: 35 points This has to be more interesting than the current US political situation, right? More later, Michelle Cheers, Michelle |
| I'm looking for feedback about this article before I publish it in the church newsletter: I love traditional worship. I grew up on LBW Setting 2, and I find comfort in its familiarity. I believe traditional worshippers prefer the traditional format for the same reason: because it brings them comfort. Contemporary worship is comfortable for people who did not grow up in the church. The songs sound like something they might hear on the radio. The pastor's message resonates with their everyday lives. It brings them comfort, and they want to come back. I realize that worship is not necessarily supposed to be comfortable. Worship is our expression of love for our God, and love should be unconditional and sometimes sacrificial. And sometimes, those messages from the pastor and the songs make us think really hard, or bring tears to our eyes, or make us realize the things we want to change about ourselves. But I'm not just a worshipper. I'm a worship leader. And how can I be a fisher of men if I can't bring people to God in the first place? How can I be a fisher of men if I can't keep people coming back to worship again? God called me to lead contemporary worship by giving me two intersecting gifts: leadership and contemporary music. It turns out that I can both rally a group of volunteers and play and sing modern music, and that makes me the ideal contemporary worship leader. I believe that traditional and contemporary worship are equally important because they bring different groups of people to worship. God has called me to lead contemporary worship, and so that's what I do. Hopefully you didn't skip ahead to this paragraph, because I'd like to know your untainted reactions to the article. I wrote the article because I got the brush-off from a traditional worship person again. I've been leading contemporary worship in my church for fifteen years now, since 2001, and there were people at the time who scoffed and acted annoyed that there were drums in their worship space and who generally don't like contemporary worship. They associate me with my worship service, and therefore, give me the cold shoulder and otherwise treat me disrespectfully. It happened again yesterday, and I think it's ridiculous that it hasn't stopped in fifteen years. I want to know if my annoyance comes off in the article. I'm trying to be political without being obvious about it. I'm trying to lovingly chastise, if that's even a thing. Your thoughts? |
| Yesterday, the Prep assignments centered around marketing and audience. In the Prep forum, several discussions have cropped up about building a writer's platform. Participants have had some good advice about establishing a website, maintaining a blog, and creating a presence on social media. But in my opinion, all the advice I've ever read on this topic, while not incorrect, has been missing one key ingredient, and it's the ingredient that makes the difference. Your platform isn't just about your writing. It's about YOU. This is a BRAND you're building. Have you chosen a delicate border for your website laced with pretty flowers? You must be feminine... even if you're trying to write a war novel, your brand gives you away as having a softer side. Bright colors on your blog? You're either young, or you love young people (and probably target them as your readers.) What's your personality? What are your interests? If you have a hobby, but it's not something you necessarily write about, it's part of your brand. Passionate about political topics or social concerns? Part of your brand. Are you a forklift operator in your day job? IT'S PART OF YOUR BRAND. Just like your characters should be whole, well-rounded people, so should your author persona. Why? Because it makes you more memorable. Do you have any idea how many authors out there are saying things like, "I want mass appeal," or "my target audience is all readers!"?? If that's truly your goal, then expect to get lost in the crowd. Readers will not magically stumble across your book. Even with a publisher, you will have to work to grow your readership. Word-of-mouth is the best marketing tool in literature (out of the last dozen books you read, how many did you read because someone suggested it to you?) - but word-of-mouth only works if you have initial readers to start spreading the word. The stronger your grassroots following, the faster word of your book will spread (assuming your followers enjoyed it.) And where do you think those grassroots followers will come from? They're your friends and family. Your writing peers here on WDC. The people you do that hobby with on Tuesday nights. The folks down at the soup kitchen where you serve the homeless on Saturdays. The coworkers who drive forklifts with you at your place of employment. So build a platform - a brand - that celebrates you, the author. Be intimate with the world. Stop with the safe, uber-professional author platform that makes you just another one of the masses who are all trying to accomplish the same thing in the same way. Put yourself out there so you stand out, because YOU are the only YOU, and you are more than just another author making a cookie-cutter blog and website and trying to catch a break. You're so much more than that. Cheers, Michelle |
| This transcript comes from an IM dialog, but it summarizes the scope of my story arc and my potential 2015 projects. Any thoughts or questions are welcome. Synopsis of the Story Arc:  The Elements and Elemental Magic rule. If they don't stay in Balance, the world ends or something. The Elements almost take each other out (in antiquity) so they created the Druid Order to maintain Balance. To prevent the Elements from being too powerful, they created their Champion Races and imbued them with a portion of their power Leviathans represent Water and contain a portion of Water's power Witches, Air Ursae, Earth Dragons, Fire Merlin (an early Druid) fell in love with Nimue (a leviathan) and proved interspecies love was possible. Quiver woos the witch Midge as an experiment since it worked with Nimue. Midge bears the half-witch, Molly The dragons launch a plot to overpower their peers and their patron (Water) by overpopulating and taking more and more of his power - Fire weakens. A prophecy says the heir of Quiver will bring about the destruction of the Elements. The ursae think that means Molly and declare war on the witches and Druids. The dragons join the ursae against the witches and Druids mostly for fun and in the end, all the witches die except Molly and Mildred (the youngest witch) - Air fades almost entirely. Wisdom (Quiver's apprentice) steals the Butterfly Stone (the source of magic), proving she was the object of the prophecy, not Molly. The fairies are the neutral party among the Champion Races, peers to the witches, leviathans, etc. but not beholden to an Element... and therefore they're the Keepers of Magic With the Elements out of Balance and the Butterfly Stone gone, the fairies all die Kaleb (a young Druid) falls in love with Mildred (legitimately, not the way Quiver did) and they bear children... And, essentially, Life Magic is able to replace Elemental Magic. The overriding theme of the story arc, besides things like friendship and loyalty and bravery, is "change is inevitable." *** I just like the character Tan'rothia, and I feel like she's got a story to tell. But it's got to be a tragic one, because they only thing that really happens in this story arc is that they all die. They step in now and then before that happens - but just to send messages, sway opinions, nothing plot-worthy. I can just see the death of the fairies because a fantastically tragic story. Wisdom steals the stone, and their powers start to fade. They take steps to try to replace the magic, but with the Elements out of Balance, they just don't have enough oomph to do it. Throughout the story, more and more of her close friends and family will die, along with statistical scores (and therefore less tragic) of her people... that will be tragic for Tan'rothia but less so for the reader because we'll never meet those fairies. But we WILL meet her sister and some other key characters that are close to her. And she'll watch them all die before she dies herself. Fairies are the keepers of magic, but magic also sustains the fairies........ I'm having an idea. *** Okay, and remember I might be messing some of the details of the story arc up... it's long and complex and I haven't gotten through all my rereads yet this year. But basically... I was wrong about Quiver, he didn't know about Life Magic (I knew that felt wrong) - the Healers are the only ones who know, and they've been passing it down for generations. Kaleb is the Druid Healer when he falls in love with Mildred, so he knows about Life Magic and is able to create the magic when they fall in love. If he were any other Druid, I'm not sure it would have happened. But I've always had the fairies as the representative of Life - I said they were neutral, but actually, they're just neutral with respect to the Elements, who represent Non-Life. In fact, there's a courtyard in the center of the Druid Fortress with statues honoring the four Elements - and a giant butterfly (I'm not kidding, colossal coincidence, lol) representing Life. The fairies are the champions of Life. So it seems to me that if Kaleb manages to bring about Life Magic in time, he might save the fairies. Probably not all of them. Maybe even just Tan'rothia. But here's the problem - the stories are concurrent. They're not the same book!! Tan'rothia has her own story, while Kaleb (known later by his Druid name, Emergence), has his own story. They have their own book titles, lol! (Tan'rothia and Emergence, of course) *** I have several other projects I was thinking of writing first, though. Incomplete stuff: 1. Quest of the Last Witch The Elements give Mildred a quest, which is basically to impregnate her and revitalize Air, who is almost vanished. Traditionally, witches procreate via magic (that's how Mildred was born, she had nothing to do with Quiver.) Mildred succeeds in the quest and gets pregnant. I started this book, I think 2012? and never finished it. 2. Warrior's Redemption Probably last on my list. It has to do with Wisdom (who trains Betsy to become a warrior) running off with the Butterfly Stone after hurting Betsy pretty badly. Betsy is looking for revenge, and meanwhile, a Druid is trying to get the Stone back. They fail... I think... this is starting to make me think even more that maybe Tan'rothia's story should be built into the other books. But I'm not sure. I like her so much I'd like to give her a book of her own. 3. Quiver's Heir The third book of the War of the Witches trilogy that I didn't finish last year, which is when Wisdom steals the Stone. Gah! All my books are so freaking tied together. 4. To Woo a Witch Love story between Quiver and Midge. I'm not sure if I'll give it a happy ending or go a little farther to the point where Midge discovers his deception and it ends tragically between them, except for the birth of her little girl, Molly. I'm leaning that way because the reader will either have clues or know outright that Quiver is deceiving her. Hence, this is the "tragic" love story I mentioned. 5. Emergence The story of Kaleb and Mildred falling in love, and the creation of Life Magic. Then I also had Tan'rothia on the list. I just dunno. I think it's between Emergence and Tan'rothia, or possibly a combination of the two, but I might also finish Quest. I'll scratch off the other three. I sort of need Quest finished to write Emergence. Because she succeeds in her quest and gets pregnant, which brings about a new hope that Air will grow strong again, so it's a happy ending. But she loses the babies later... that's what Emergence is about. Kaleb (Emergence) is the Druid Healer, and the last witch - pregnant, and the only hope for the recovery of Balance - is very ill, loses the babies, and is in danger of dying. So Kaleb goes to heal her, and that's how they fall in love. Or I could tell Tan'rothia with the tragic ending, where only she survives, maybe because she's queen and transcends the need for the magic (that seems backward, somehow.) But the bottom line, her story ends before the climax of Emergency. Then Emergence comes along... and we bring Tan'rothia into the book, AFTER her tragedy, after she loses her nation of fairies, for a sort of bittersweet new ending for her: she's lost her people, but maybe because of Life Magic, she will be able to rebuild the nation. I've got a time problem anyway... In 5100, the War of the Witches ends, the witches die, Air fades, and Wisdom steals the Stone. Eleven years later, we meet Mildred and the children, and stuff starts to really happen... the quest, Mildred gets pregnant, she and Emergence fall in love (probably in year 12.) So it's a dozen years from the time the stone is taken until Life Magic replaces Elemental Magic. Which means - either the fairies hung in there for a really long time, or they died years ago and Tan'rothia hung on that long. I think I like that option. Her story takes place BETWEEN War of the Witches and Poor Witch. And it's tragic. Cheers, Michelle |
| I create these giant projects for myself - you know, like Prep and NaNo - to avoid "real" work (which, for me, is essentially other giant projects of which I've grown tired.) I shouldn't NaNo, or Prep, or I Write, or perhaps even run the Prep, but I shall, because "sorry, I can't attend that staff meeting because I have to write" just sounds like such a fabulously legit excuse. Who's gonna argue with that? "I have to go binge watch Supernatural" or "I have to spend about twelve hours checking out the new Halo game" make people roll their eyes, but "I have to write" makes people gape in awe. At least, I think that's awe in their eyes. ? Food Log: 9/29/15 Krispy Kreme donuts. Two of them. I ate other food, but it all pales in comparison. I have an excuse, though: I had a day: Generally busy day already with back-to-back appointments Two employee resignations ----- both mostly welcome but I still have to find time to replace them ----- one gave zero notice due to "powerful connections" he needs to pursue immediately ----- "powerful connections" offered to sit down and give my advice about running my business Two barely-operational toilets in Gahanna I yelled at my MIL because she was yelling at my husband to "do something" about the fact that it was raining outside and my cats were getting wet in their gazebo I felt sick from overeating.About the cats: They've been outdoor cats since about 2003. They each have their own dog house, which in the past has been outfitted with a heating pad, piles of blankets, and insulation (just layers of fabric) applied to the interior ceiling. Since my husband, mother-in-law, and I moved into a house together, they now have their very own gazebo, furnished with a comfy wicker patio set that looks like living room furniture: love seat, two armchairs, and a coffee table. PLUS the dog houses. And MIL nags, nags, nags, nags every damn day that the roof in the gazebo leaks, it's wet in there, and Keith needs to fix the roof so those poor (outdoor, remember) cats can stay dry!! When she complains about it in front of me, she's cautious and mostly polite, but when she doesn't know I'm there (so I discovered yesterday from the privacy of the foyer powder room), she literally yells at him and will not back down. I was so pissed. They're not even her cats. And she just doesn't have anything better to do. So I flushed (ahem, I'm in here, MIL!), stepped out of the restroom, and unloaded my day on her. Not literally - good heavens, we don't tell her things because, remember, she has nothing better to do, so every little thing becomes the biggest drama. I didn't tell her about my day. I just shot her down about the stupid cat situation, venting all of my built-up frustration in this one dialog. I probably hurt her feelings. Go, me. So, yeah. That was my day yesterday, and I ate two Krispy Kreme donuts. I felt better after the donuts. The overeating happened at dinner, when my unemployed and very sweet husband made us salads with wayyyy too much grilled chicken and egg, and I ate the whole thing (after my 2-donut afternoon snack.) It was an uncomfortable night... we both had too much egg on our salads. But on the bright side:     PREP STARTS AT MIDNIGHT! |
| I don't want to talk about it. I had birthday cake (after I'd already had birthday key lime pie the day before) and tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant (decidedly fewer than usual, but more than the zero I was supposed to be allowed.) I decided that I'm going to continue restricting my diet through October, but I'm going to quit with the PB&J's or even the plain PB. I'm still addicted to sugar, people. Maybe I should even try half-n-half in my coffee instead of sweet creamer. It's sugar free, but sweetened with an artificial sweetener. I've heard that artificial sweeteners continue to trigger sweet cravings. You guys, don't let me neglect work and church in the quest for Prep and NaNo... I fear it's happening already... |
| Today is my mother-in-law's 77th birthday. We took her out to dinner yesterday... Food Log: 9/27/15 - Coffee - Peanut butter - Pumpkin roll * - Pizza - Nuts (variety, raw) - Rosemary cabernet filet, broccoli, bacon mac & cheese - Key Lime Pie ** *Yes, a slice of pumpkin roll clearly does not comply with my rules. But I was STARVING. I forgot to eat breakfast, didn't bring my purse with its supply of protein bars and nuts, and I knew I would be grumpy at church if I didn't eat something. So I justified it by stating it did meet my rules: it provided nutrition because it was food and I was hungry. An interesting take-away: it didn't satisfy me at all, and I even found myself hungrier after eating it. I just wanted protein. I call that progress.  ** This one is legit! I established an exception to my food restriction: I'm allowed to eat birthday cake. This wasn't birthday cake but Longhorn was Roberta's birthday choice, and we had dessert. I split a slice of pie with the hubby. It counts. But I think I'm going to continue the restrictions to 30 days instead of 21. And then I'll implement new a new rule: no PB&J! I wasn't sickened by the overly sweet dessert, which means I haven't broken the addiction yet. I'm obviously cheating.  Cheers, Michelle |
| I finished binge watching Buffy, Angel, and Bones, and I'm ready for Prep and NaNo... except that I haven't picked my project yet. Food Log: 9/26/15 - Coffee - Peanut butter - Banana - ZonePerfect bar - Veggie & rib soup - Fruit salad - PB&J |
FIVE DAYS TIL PREP! ...and there shall be a promo contest. Watch for today's 5-day warning email.Food Log: 9/25/15 - Coffee - Peanut butter - Half bagel with ham and cheese (2, had one later in the day as well) - Banana - Zone Bar - Almonds - Spinach salad with grilled chicken in bbq, tomatoes, onions, and catalina - Homemade veggie soup w/potatoes, celery, carrots, and leftover ribs - PB&J (half) Cheers, Michelle |
SIX DAYS TIL PREP! I plugged "October Novel Prep Challenge" [13+] on both the Contests and Activities pages, which I've done for many years. Yesterday, for the first time, a moderator pulled one of the plugs and stated that an item may only be posted on one or the other, not both. I reread the rules on both pages, and nowhere does it explicitly state that. It says the Contest Page is for contests only, and the Activities Page is for non-contest activities only. But the Prep meets both criteria. It includes four weekly competitive contest rounds, which are optional, and which writers may enter without completing a single other assignment. So the contest portion of the event and the activity portion of the event, while connected, are primarily independent of one another. I am hoping we get an exception so we can maximize participation in the event. Not only does the Prep bring new writers to WDC, raise and spend large amounts of GPs, and encourage community, but it also clearly meets all of the stated rules on both pages. And frankly, neither the Contests page nor the Activities page moves so quickly that removing the Prep from one of the pages serves any beneficial purpose at all. I've submitted a request for an exception. Food Log: 9/24/15  Coffee Peanut butter Half bagel w/ham, cheese, tomato Bratwurst on bun with onion & mustard ZonePerfect bars (2) Serving of almonds Healthy Choice dinner w/turkey, mashed potatoes, veggie medleyI've been peeking at ArtemisMad Scientist  's blog. My food choices seem so unrefined and unclassy compared to hers, lol.Cheers, Michelle |
| Yesterday, I journaled at 750Words.com for the first time in awhile. I brain-vomited my to-do list, and then started working on things. I kept going back to 750 to add things I'd suddenly remembered, update things I'd finished, and brainstormed how to do some of the more complex things on the list. And I had one of the most productive days I've had in a long time. I may have cheated a little (I took the very expensive ADD medication that I've been hoarding since hubby's job loss) but I also think that getting it all out on "paper" helped a lot. The most significant accomplishment was taking steps to implement a scholarship program. It's not quite done, so I need to take more steps today after our staff meeting. I also approved an entire month's worth of payroll (but that's not such a great achievement since I should have been keeping up with it, lol.) Food Log: 9/23/15 - Coffee - Peanut butter - ZonePerfect bars (3, bfast, lunch & dinner) ....I was too busy to stop for food - Almonds (2 servings, same... thank goodness I keep food in my purse) - Turkey snack sticks (2) - Beef jerky - String cheese - Mashed potatoes ........and then I noticed the cookie dough that my evil husband bought.  I didn't eat any cookies (or dough), but I folded and ate another half PB&J. I'm out of Welch's grape but it turns out PB&J with strawberry jam is just as tasty. |
EIGHT DAYS TIL PREP! Food Log 9/22/15: - Coffee - Peanut butter - Half bagel with ham and cheese - Chili w/cheese - Fruit salad w/fresh apples, strawberries, bananas, avocado - String cheese - Turkey snack sticks - Mashed potatoes - Chicken pot pie I desperately wanted to make a half PB&J again last night for "dessert" but I didn't!  |
| I slept until 8am today. No writing for you! I can't even claim that I was up late reading or working or writing last night... I was watching Bones. I've got three or four episodes to go until the end of the last season available on Netflix. I finished the book I was reading. I've almost finished my latest Netflix binge. The smart thing to do would be to avoid picking up any new addictions and addict myself to my own NaNo project instead, right? While I'm at it, I should uninstall Best Fiends and Candy Crush from my phone. NINE DAYS TIL PREP! Food Log 9/21/15 coffee peanut butter half bagel with ham, cheese, tomato potbelly skinny roast beef peanuts clif bar cheeseburger spinach salad with nuts, fruit, avocado, and catalina dressing.......and a half PB&J for dessert. Luckily, I used the last of the grape jelly.  Cheers, Michelle |
| Had a crisis of confidence last night. No, seriously.  I complain about scope creep a lot, but it's a serious problem. I can't finish a story because in my head, the stories never end. There are more characters and more problems and more twists and turns, and they can span generations. So how do I go about resolving a single conflict for a single character in a single story? ...or identifying a single conflict in the first place, without introducing a zillion side plots? I'm not sure. I'm not good at it. And short stories are the worst. I'd like to get better at them. You'd think writing a simple story would be an easy task. Thanks, Happy Mumsy Year!  , for talking me off the ledge and helping me focus enough to meet my "I Write in August-September-October" [ASR] requirements without having a meltdown in the process.Food Log 9/20/15: - Coffee w/sugar-free creamer - Peanut butter - Clif bar - Grilled chicken wrap w/tomato, cheese, spinach, dijon mustard - Corn on the cob - Mashed potatoes - PB&J (half a sandwich and definitely a bit of a cheat) - Chili w/cheddar cheese - Almonds - Crystal Light So I cheated a bit on the PB&J. It was half a sammich made with the heel but the whole reason I ate it was because I was craving sweet, and Welch's Grape is about as sweet as any donut. But it's real fruit? ...so is apple pie, and you won't catch me justifying THAT as valid food. |
| How the hell did it get to be September 20th already? The first fifteen minutes of my day this morning were complete and total shit. If you're intrigued, read on. And thank you for reveling in my misery. I love you, too. I woke up early for bio reasons. I zombie-walked past the sleeping dog, out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen adjacent to the living room so I could start the coffee. That's when I remembered the sleepover featuring four teenage boys. They were sprawled all over the furniture and floor in the living room. I tried to be as quiet as possible while making the coffee, but you can't shush running water. They started to stir, and I felt guilty. But, damnit, I wanted coffee. On a typical morning, I would gather up my computer and peripherals from the living room (where I "work" in front of the TV in the evenings) and move to the office (where I WORK in the mornings.) Luckily, I'd remembered to collect my stuff last night. Unluckily, I'd forgotten the Chromebook itself, which was tucked between the end table and the couch, which was occupied by a seventeen-year-old boy, and which I had to creep past and tiptoe over three other teenage boys to reach. So far, so good... until I realized that I'd also left my mouse in the bedroom. I didn't want to go back in there to get it because the dog always wakes the second time I go into the bedroom. Instead, I scoped out my husband's computer (my old broken laptop) to see if he had an extra mouse handy. I found his laptop closed. I started to whisper obscenities. You can't close that laptop. The screen is broken. I swear if that happens again the thing will never boot back up. You almost have to see it to understand but the screen is separating in the lower left-hand corner, near the fan, and when you open or close the lid, it puts pressure around the hinge. The pieces of the chassis separate and break further, and black liquid crystal stuff spreads across the entire screen. And the worse the chassis breaks, the worse the computer overheats. Eventually, the hard drive will fail. You can't close that laptop. Keith needs that computer operational in order to find a job. Otherwise we'll have to buy a new computer. *points to the sentence indicating that he's looking for a job and therefore doesn't have a paycheck* I specifically told the teenager who actually lives here to be careful around that computer last night when he was looking for ways to hook up his own laptop to the TV. It's only partially his fault. I know he has ADD. When I said, "Be careful around the computer and don't jostle it," I should have instead said, "Come here. See this computer? Don't close the lid. Don't touch the computer. Don't even breathe on it. But especially don't close the lid. Now repeat that back to me." So the obscenity-whispering was in part anger at the teenager for closing the lid and anger at myself for not being more clear.The computer sits in the dining area, just off the kitchen, on the side opposite the living room. I realized that whispering obscenities defeated the purpose of all my earlier tiptoeing, so I shut my mouth and fumed silently, vowing to chew the teenager's ass out later when the rest of the boys were gone. I didn't find a spare mouse, so I went into the bedroom to get mine. And since it was the second time I moved around in there, the dog hopped up and wanted to join me. Of course he wanted to investigate the boys in the living room. Now, I've got him locked in the office with me. He's lying on the guest bed making puppy dog eyes at me, begging me to let him go out and play, or at least explore the house. Just be quiet and chew your bone, Sammy. Food Log: 9/19/16 - Coffee w/sugar-free creamer - Peanut butter - Maple brown sugar oatmeal* - Leftover pizza - Keith's yummeh homemade chili with cheese and sour cream .......and then the craving hit** - Chocolate chip Fiber One granola bar - Toast with butter - Handful of grapes - Crystal Light * The oatmeal is sweet and I probably won't eat it again, at least not before I meet my 21-day goal. However, I ate it because I told a friend about my addiction to cereal (it looks lie this: top off the cereal to use leftover milk; add a little milk because the cereal is dry; repeat) and she said she had the same problem. She switched to oatmeal because you serve yourself a fixed quantity and you're done. It appeals to my sense of logic, so I intend to implement it in the long-term. Interesting observation: I found the maple brown sugar flavor a little too sweet. ** I wanted cookies or a cupcake or a donut sooooo badly. It was all I could think about for at least an hour. I didn't eat the granola bar at first, but after an hour or so of misery, I folded. It's sweet, and I shouldn't have eaten it, but it was the "healthiest" sweet thing I could think of. But this isn't about health, at least not in the short term. It's about breaking addiction, and I failed just a little bit. And it wasn't even enough. The toast and the grapes were more attempts to satisfy that urge for sugar or just carbs or whatever. Bleh. I'll do better today. |
| Food Log: 9/18/16 - Coffee w/sugar-free creamer - Peanut butter - Half onion bagel with cheese and tomato (can you tell we're out of ham?) - Sausage - String cheese - Potbelly skinny roast beef on multi-grain - 1 serving almonds - Spinach salad w/grilled chicken, tomato, onion, light catalina - Butternut squash soup - Leftover pizza (2 squares) - Apple cider If you already read my newsfeed, ignore the following. I'm blogging it to (1) document it, because I usually post work-related work in my blog, and (2) get credit for the word count. If you're seeing it for the first time, enjoy. How To Not Get Hired: Step 1: Complete online application. Indicate that you are underqualified, overpriced, and that you desire more hours that we can offer. Step 2: Call immediately after completing application and speak with receptionist to say you didn't feel like you were able to sufficiently explain your salary requirements, and even though you understand that we currently have no openings, and that you just wanted confirm that the hiring manager got your information. Learn that the hiring manager is Angela. Leave your phone number with the receptionist (the same number you listed on your application.) Step 3: Call again the very next day and leave a message with the receptionist that you just want to make sure the hiring manager got your message and application, because you have not heard from Angela. Step 4: Call again two weeks later and ask to speak with Angie. When you are told no one by that name works here, ask for Angela. When you are told that Angela is not available, insist on speaking with the owner, even though the owner is not the hiring manager for this position. When you are told that email is the best way to reach the owner and instructed to email the owner at the provided address, insist that the owner call you because you don't have an email address. Because I like numbered lists, here are the reasons I do not intend to hire this candidate. 1. No an email address. Does that even require explanation? Who applies for a job and doesn't have an email address? 2. If it wasn't obvious, she's underqualified, overpriced, and desires more hours than we can offer. 3. While follow-up and assertiveness can be good traits, making demands of the hiring manager's boss is generally not advised. If you are this demanding when you want a job, how much more demanding will you be when you are in our employ? 4. I don't call people. I realize this is a corollary to reason #1, but where #1 was a refusal to hire on principle, this is more of a logistical obstacle. If you can't email me, you won't get hired because I schedule interviews and send offer letters to people through email. Your lack of an email address is really not my problem. Any questions? What have you learned today, students? |
| Food Log: 9/17/16 - Coffee w/sugar-free creamer - Peanut butter - Half onion bagel with cheese and tomato - Banana - Clif bar - Pecans - ZonePerfect bar - Popcorn* - Pizza - Apple cider *Popcorn is an absolute no-no! It clearly meets the criteria of "serves absolutely no nutritional purpose whatsoever" and "you just keep eating and eating and eating" that I established as the definition of the "sweets" and "junk food" I abolished for life21 days. And this was salty, buttery, bar popcorn. I ate it on accident at the pizza place while waiting for our pizza. I just had a brain fart. As soon as I realized I'd been eating "junk" food, I stopped, horrified. Then proceeded to argue with my family about why pizza isn't "junk" food. My sister-in-law kept persisting. I got testy. Snappy, even. Finally, I explained it in terms she could understand. Background information: SIL is a smoker. Me: "It doesn't meet my criteria." SIL: "It's junk food." Me: "Back off! It's not junk food, and I'm serious, and I'm about to get upset!" Silence. Me: "Look, I'm addicted to food and I haven't had sweets or junk in five days. Have you ever tried to quit smoking for five days?" SIL: "Yep." Me: "Were you cranky?" SIL: "Yep." Me: "And if someone tried to tell you on Day 5 that switching to your vapor thingy doesn't count as quitting, what would you tell them?" SIL: "I'd tell them to shut the hell up and back off." Exactly. And for the record, I was wrong. This is Day 7, not Day 5.  |
| Food Log: 9/16/15 - Coffee w/sugar-free creamer - Peanut butter - Half onion bagel w/ham and cheese (I'm a creature of habit!) - Banana - Cheeseburger (the dollar-menu variety, from Wendy's) - Nuts - ZonePerfect bar - Beef jerky (I dropped the dog off w/Keith, who was fishing, because he's unemployed and can, and beef jerky is what he had) - String cheese (the other food that Fisherman Keith had in the cooler) - Mashed potatoes (I'm starting to think this is a trigger food... I just want more... and more... and more...) - Apple cider... but I was proud of myself that I only drank half the glass (rather than refilling the glass like I did the other day!) Nothing else to report, except that I miss donuts. |
| I have to cut costs in my Gahanna campus. Big time. Two factors affect our student counts: enrollments and withdrawals. Of course we prefer if every student studies their instrument forever, but that's not realistic. Some students never practice. Some pick up too many sports and can't juggle music into their schedules (no, seriously, that actually happens.  ) Some stay with music but they move away or leave for college. And the one that breaks my heart the most is when they lose a job or for some reason can no longer afford lessons, even though the student is passionate about their instrument.In an ideal world, we always have more enrollments than withdrawals, and we keep getting bigger and bigger. But in the last year, our student counts have been gradually declining. Where we once had nearly four hundred students, we now have only three hundred. My budget meeting yesterday was painful, but I think we've found ways to cut budgets without too big of a hit on morale or cutting salaries or wages. It was HARD, and there will still be sacrifices. Some perks will be going away, and we'll have to limp along without repairing or replacing computers that run too slow, guitars and violins that have to be tuned every time, and pianos that have keys that don't work. I have to believe this is temporary. We soared past three hundred originally. I can't believe this is our steady state. One theory is that with the economy on the rebound, people have been going on vacation and buying the car they've been limping along without, which ties up their monthly funds. Another theory is that the construction on the main road around the school and in the plaza itself is causing too many headaches for people to walk in our doors. A third theory is simple marketing 101: we've increased our prices gradually every year, and as prices go up, volume goes down. Here's hoping that when the construction ends, people rearrange their budgets, and people realize that inflation is a thing, we'll climb back up again. In the meantime, I have to cut costs just to break even in Gahanna. This is not a get-rich-quick business. It's an "I love my job" business, an "I'm making a difference" business, an "I'm sharing my passion with others" business, an "I employ a lot of people" business. Our newer (Polaris) campus, by the way, is still growing. It's growing a lot slower than Gahanna ever did but at least the growth is headed in the right direction.  On a happier note, we are launching a scholarship program this year for underprivileged middle schoolers in the two local public school districts that house our two campuses. We can afford it because I, along with a couple of my instructor employees, are willing to take on a handful of pro bono students. We will be working with the school districts to get candidates. Students who are on discounted or free lunch may apply, and they have to get a recommendation from their music teacher stating that they have natural musical aptitude and are hardworking, and they have to perform at a minimum number of our recitals. So that's good, at least. Yesterday was a busy day, and one that had me outside of my house for most of the day with little access to food. Although it was painful budget meetings keeping down my calorie count, I suppose I should celebrate the little victories. Food Log: 9/15/15 - Coffee w/sugar free creamer - Peanut butter - Half bagel with ham, cheese, tomato - Banana - Chipotle: One steak taco w/fajita veggies/tomatoes/cheese, half serving chips/guac - Lance cheese crackers (very questionable but the least junky thing I could find) - ZonePerfect bar |
| Week 1 of "I Write in August-September-October" [ASR] was a gimme because the contest started late this season... and I survived Week 2. I wrote my first fiction work since probably NaNo of 2014, plus wrote a decent-length review. Only (11?) weeks to go. It will be an interesting fall, between I Write, Prep, NaNo, and a trip to the Bahamas near the end of November. Doh... did we plan my honeymoon during NaNo??? Stupid music school breaks that we have to schedule around. Food Log: 9/14/15 - Coffee with sugar free creamer - Peanut butter - Half bagel w/ham, cheese, tomato, spinach - ZonePerfect bar - One serving walnuts - ZonePerfect bar - Sushi (shrimp tempura, six pieces) - Kar's Raisin Almond Cashew Mix - Grilled chicken tenderloin on bun w/bacon, bbq, tomato, onion, spinach - Leftover chicken & veggie soup from yesterday - Apple cider I haven't had cake, cookies, ice cream, etc. in three days, and believe me, they've been available. I'm pretty proud. Three days down, eighteen to go. |
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