Hi folks, I hope you're having a good Cyber Monday. That at least sounds better than just Monday. I guess. Actually, I don't do much on-line shopping so it's just terminology for me. But anyway it's the holiday season right?

So being the good Lutheran that I am, I feel obliged to tell you that yesterday was the start of a new church year. It was the first Sunday in Advent. That's the 4 weeks of preparation before Christmas. We not only celebrate that Christ was born, but that He will come again. This is a season of preparation as we study what happened in the time leading up to His birth and the signs we are told that will appear when He comes again. The message for this first week: Be prepared. It can happen anytime. Nobody knows the day or time when He will come again.

Very good. A lot of people don't know this, but we aren't supposed to listen to Christmas carols until Christmas and during the 12 days of that season. Hmm. I use my individual discresion on that one. Tell it to my 4 Christmas CD's, the $8.00 in Christmas tunes I downloaded last week, or the radio station I have preset that plays all carols, all the time from now until Christmas. So I like this season and want to enjoy the music that goes with it. So what? That's one of those things that falls in the "no big deal" category for me. I respect that we won't sing carols in church until December 24th and I'm ok with that. They don't have to listen to my iPod or car stereo. Good enough.

Anyway, this brings to mind a couple of things for me that are oddities during the holiday season. Who me, odd? Who would have thought it? But seriously ...

First, I don't tell many people this but I'm allergic to pecans. Normally that's no big deal - until the holiday season, when they're in season and in everything. I have one of those injector pens that I can use if I accidentally eat something with it, but I've gotten pretty good at sniffing them out. I hate telling people that I have this allergy, though, because they freak out. Take, for example, this conversation that took place at a party a few years ago when my husband told the hostess I was allergic to pecans:

Rick: "You know, Sherri's allergic to pecans. Do any of these cookies have pecans in them?"

Hostess: "OH MY GOD, SHE'S ALLERGIC TO NUTS!!! I COULD HAVE KILLED YOUR WIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHERRI'S ALLERGIC TO NUTS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME HERE AND LET'S CHECK EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And then the whole room was staring at me while she did a (very loud) dissertation on her buffet. Yea, she was the one screaming but everybody was staring at me, and I didn't say a word. I haven't gone back to THAT party since.

I mean, how embarassing! It's not my fault and I wonder if people realize how small you feel when they scream out something like that. It gives the impression that you're Tiny Tim and everybody better back off and be careful!

My second issue is that I have just recently come to the point where I don't hate/dispise/detest poinsettas. There's some history here. My maternal grandmother died during the holiday season (December 6th if you're morbidly curious) and everybody sent poinsettas for her funeral. No kidding, that's the only flower they sent: Red poinsettas. Lovely. The house was full of them. I'd seen them at church and we'd had one or two in the house every holiday season but they were EVERYWHERE, which I guess left the impression of "funeral flower" on my tender, 12 year old mind. I noticed that Mom even quit having them around for a while after that, but in time they came back (in much smaller quantities). Anyway, I successfully evaded them until two years ago when we moved in the house. It was then that both Rick and Mom decided that a new house means more formal decorating, and poinsettas are part of those decorations.

Darn. So two years ago I began the process of getting over my aversion to poinsettas. Here's a sample of the conversation I had with the cashier the day I bought my first poinsetta:

Cashier: "These are buy one, get one half off today. Do you want another one?"

Me: "Why would I want two? I don't want this one."

It helped to find they do sell them in different colors, although I still cringed every time I came in the door and saw that big red thing on my entryway table in 2007. Last year I got a white one for that table, and it worked better. Yesterday, Rick got out both the red and the white from the attic and said he wanted them both displayed this year. So I put them out and you know what? They aren't bothering me for the first time in 22 years. Yet. Although I feel it necessary to tell you that Big Red is relegated to a dark corner of the living room that doesn't draw much attention. Still, it felt good to put them up and not have fragmented memories of funerals and grief to overwhelm me. For the first time, they weren't reminders of anything but holidays in my own home. Perhaps I'm making progress. Or perhaps, finally, I'm growing up and putting my own meaning on things. That's amusing.

So there you have it - two tidbits of holiday information on me that you didn't know, didn't ask for, and are probably wondering what the heck you're going to do with now. It's alright. This is a blog - the place where I purge those interesting snippits of what makes me what I am.

Just don't send me pecans. Send Christmas music. Lots of it. "The Carol of the Bells" is my favorite.

Have a great day everybody and I'll see you later!

Bye!
 

Hi folks, I hope your Thanksgiving Weekend is going well. Mine it. Overall it's been a very nice weekend.

Ok this is obligatory: GO COCKS! WE BEAT THE CLEMSON TIGERS TODAY! WHOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a while since we've beat Clemson so we're very glad for this victory. Plus, they're #15. Or they were. I know, they're still going to the ACC Championship but today WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an upset.

On another note, Rick and I really thought Auburn was going to upset Alabama last night but it didn't happen. Oh well. Their game against Florida at the SEC Championship next week should be quite a good game.

Ok, moving on from football and rivalry weekend ...

We had Thanksgiving with my folks, which was very good. Thought my sister-in-law was going to have to be logged into work (she works from home) all day, but they released her mid afternoon, so they were able to come for supper. It was a typical Thanksgiving Day with my family. Fun and low key. Good all around.

Yesterday we braved the crowds and did some Christmas shopping. We didn't get out at unearthly hours - actually, we didn't even leave the house until 10AM, but we still got some great deals. We knocked out a lot of our lists too. I still have a few things I need to get, but I'll probably do that next weekend.

Today we cleaned up the yard. We've been trying to clean up around the house over the past week in preparation for putting up Christmas decorations tomorrow. I think we're ready so after church and the grocery store, it's time to get in the attic and drag down the tree and decorations. Zack always gets so excited when we put up the stockings by his cage. He starts dancing and doing the jig.

So the holidays are in full swing in our corner of the world. Still, it's a bit hard to believe we're coming this way again. Hard to believe we just had another Thanksgiving, another Carolina/Clemson game, another round of Christmas shopping. Advent starts tomorrow - that's another church year starting. I'll be giving the registration exam in a little over a week and it's hard to believe that's coming around again. Time flies. I tell you, the saying is right: Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it rolls. It seemed to take forever for the holidays to roll around when I was a kid, but now they just come at you, one after another, in lightening speed. Goodness!

Ok, I'm off to watch the Georgia/Georgia Tech game. Enjoy what's left of your weekend and I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Hi everybody; I hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving Eve today. My day didn't start out well, but I've managed to salvage it. Work has been a lot of annoying aggrivations that start to wear you down this week. Fortunately, they let us go at noon today, so I didn't have to suffer through an entire day of that (like I had to on Thanksgiving Eve last year). I took advantage of the time off to Christmas shop for Rick. Hooray! I think he'll be very happy Christmas morning.

We're celebrating Thanksgiving with my parents this year, and since they live so close that means no travel or houseguests. *Big sigh of relief* I'm going to make my macaroni and cheese casserole for dinner tomorrow and Dad's making the turkey on the rotisseri on his grill. Mom's going to make her great bread dressing. Mmm.

Not much to report today but no news is good news this time.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday. Enjoy time with family and friends and always be thankful for your blessings.

The 2009 Holiday Season has begun! It's the most wonderful time of the year ...

Bye!
 

Hi folks, I hope you're having a Terrific Tuesday. So far, so good for me. I managed to get things reigned in and under control at the office. In fact, it's slowed down again. Go figure. But it's ok. The Thanksgiving luncheon is minutes away so we'll have a nice break this afternoon.

I'm happy to report that I have made some progress on my hobbies. I worked on the Jesus cross stitch last night and managed to finish another small section. It's coming along - not completely recognizable yet, but I'm starting to see it coming together. I also took advantage of the slow morning to organize "Invalid Item" . I added Chapter 1 and I decided to put the conclusion and epilogue that I've already written in the book item to keep it organized. It's coming along slowly, but at least it's coming along. I'm getting more ideas and things are forming in my mind, so I'm glad I decided to go ahead and start with this writing project. The thing is that it's not coming to me sequentially, so I think I might be writing this one out of order. Oh well, checking for consistency is what edits are for. Check it out if you have a chance. It's only going to grow from here!

Not much else to report. Today is Rick's last work day for the week. The lucky duck has Wednesday - Friday off. I wish we'd had Wednesday - Friday off for Thanksgiving when I was a kid. Heck, I wish I had it off now. Oh well. Maybe someday. The only time I got Thanksgiving Eve off was my 4 years in college. Oh well. I shall grind it out tomorrow and hope it's a simple day. At least I have Thursday and Friday. I know a lot of people don't get Friday off, so I'm grateful for that. Rick and I are planning to put major dents in the Christmas shopping Friday.

So I'm happy, chugging along, and making progress on all fronts. It's all good today. Then again, I'm always happy when I'm writing. No big surprise.

Lunch call is soon, so I best be off. I sure hope the treadmill doesn't crack when I finally get back on it. I took my last antibiotic last night, so I hope that will be next week.

I hope you have a great day and I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Hi folks, I hope your Monday is going well. Mine has been busy, busy, busy! Now I know why I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs last week. It was because everybody cleaned off their desks Thursday and Friday and now, well, it's on my desk. *Sigh* Don't you just love it when the holidays come within sight and people panic and shove everything out in a frenzied hurry? Yep, that explains it alright. Truthfully, I have managed to round it all up pretty well this morning so I suppose I shouldn't complain.

So the last half of my weekend was much busier than the first half. I spent yesterday cleaning the house and doing laundry, then went to my parent's house for Dad's birthday supper. All in all it was very nice. Rick talked to his parents about their upcoming move and they were remarkably tight lipped about it. *Shakes head* That's so typical of them. They get excited and go on and on, then the excitement wears off and all of a sudden - nothing. Oh well. It's their thing. I have too much going on to worry about it. I hope Rick will come to the same conclusion and decide not to worry about it soon. How much frustration (and wine) it takes for him to come to that point is up to him. It didn't take too much for me but anyway ...

I have to sheepishly admit that I haven't done any work on my novel or on the cross stitch since last week. I'm not very proud of myself for making that admission, but I have to be honest and say that I got bogged down in other things this past weekend. I got into Christmas shopping Friday and Saturday, then housecleaning yesterday and it looks like some of that will spill into today. I hope to make some progress on something tomorrow and maybe Wednesday.

Well, that's all folks. There's not much to report, but I suppose we should call that a good thing. I hope you have a great day and I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Hi folks, I hope you're having a good weekend. So far, so good for me. The craft show yesterday was great and I managed to pick up a few gifts for friends there. Mom and I had a great time, as usual. That's something we always enjoy.

Rick and I went out earlier today to do some more Christmas shopping. We've taken a Bizzaro approach to the shopping this year. Usually, we shop for family first, then friends and colleagues. This year we've done it completely backwards. We've put a good dent in the shopping for friends and colleagues (and even got little Zack's gifts), but we've bought nothing for family yet and we haven't shopped for each other either. Well, gifts are gifts. I suppose anything is progress, no matter what order you get it in.

I do enjoy Christmas shopping and getting things for others, but it seems to be more and more of a challenge every year. When you get gifts for the same people EVERY YEAR, you get to a point where the creativity starts to wane. We work it out every time and I guess this year will be no different.

I want to take the holidays easier this year. Last year we hosted everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING: Thanksgiving, Sunday School Party, and Christmas. While it was very special to celebrate the holidays in our home and to host everybody, it was also tiring. I want to eliminate as much stress as possible this holiday season. It's been a tough year and if there's anyway to close it out somewhat peacefully, I'd like to. It's still hard to believe the holiday season is back again, but I'm adjusting. I suppose you could say I'm easing into it. So far, so good.

On other fronts, I can't say I've made much progress. I pretty much got lazy yesterday after Mom and I had our shopping spree, and today I'm not doing much better. In fact, this is the first time I've been on a computer since I left work on Thursday. I haven't done any more work on my novel. I haven't worked on my cross stitch either. Oh well. It will happen.

That's all for today. I hope your weekend is going well. I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Hi all, I hope you're having a good Thursday. I had planned to take more time to write this entry, but my schedule for today got turned upside down as soon as I got in the office. It's ok, though. The day has gone by quickly.

It looks like things are on track for my agency move next year. It also looks like they have some pretty good plans for me when/if all goes through well. They seem very willing to make the transition a smooth one, and I like the ideas they had about integrating my expertise into the systems they have now. It's different, but it's a good kind of different. All in all, it's looking good and I'm a lot less nervous about this move than I have been lately. One very big plus is that I get to dump the accounting duties. Bye bye! As you can tell, that's alright with me. I like being an administrator and it looks like that's exactly what they want me to be 100% of the time over there. Hooray!

I think this is going to be a refreshing change for me. And while the transition might be bumpy (aren't they always?) it looks like it will be worth it. They assured me that all of them came from similar work backgrounds to mine and that they understand the adjustments I'll be making. They also said they thought I'd find it quite favorable and that while there will be cross training, I shouldn't be stretched quite so thin over too many areas. So far it's looking good. Every time I come out of their office, I'm happy.

Two questions they asked me caught me a bit off guard. The first was that they asked how I felt about making the move. Not my registrants or from a work perspective, but how I personally felt. I told them truthfully that I liked their environment a lot and that I'm excited about it. The second thing is that they asked if I'm a notary. Gulp! Good thing I decided to renew my commission last month. I almost let it lapse! They were very happy to find that I just renewed and I'm good for the next 10 years.

So work is looking up. Of course, I'm still a little nervous. Who isn't when you're on the brink of a major change? But I suppose the next few months will tell the tale and we'll get it up and running.

Because of this, it's probably a good thing that I've started on "Invalid Item" . I'll definitely want to have that rough draft done before things get too crazy with this. I'll be swamped with last minute license renewals in late January, and they said something about starting system conversion conversations/processes in February. Since I've started, I think I can get a rough draft done, or close to done, by late January. If not, I should at least be progressing nicely and it should be a relief to have that to finish up in my free time. It will all work out. Still, I am glad I decided to start now and not wait until the first of January like I originally planned!

Tomorrow's the big craft show, and I'm so excited! Mom and I always have a great time there. I hope I can get some good Christmas shopping done. I have high hopes. We're all ready to go and we're just waiting for the gates to open at 10AM tomorrow. It's always a fun day that passes too fast. I'll let you know how it goes. That and Dad's birthday supper Sunday night are the big plans for the weekend. Saturday is free, so we'll see what we feel like doing.

Ok folks, I'm off. I hope you have a great day and a Happy Friday tomorrow if I don't have a chance to drop in.

Bye!
 

Hi everybody, I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. It's another slow day around here. We're all bored. It's a shame really - I have a lot of little things I need to do at home and could be getting a lot done there today. But alas, I must bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. So here I sit, waiting for the daily mail and hoping I get more than 2 things in today like I did yesterday.

First and foremost, I DID IT! I finally started writing my novel today! Let's hear it for slow days, right? Swing by my port and read "Invalid Item"  if you have a chance - and enjoy it while it's short. I just have the Prologue now but it's a start and I know it will grow from here. I'm so excited! I'm writing another novel, I'm writing another novel! Ok, no more childish silliness. Unless I feel like it! Whoo hoo and hooray! I just love writing novels and longer works. It's so exciting! I'm about to pop!

Rick said something about formatting the hard drive on my laptop Monday night. He tried to get on it to check his work E-mail quickly and found out how slow that machine can be. He asked if I back up my files regularly because he's thinking about doing it over Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm pretty good about backing up my files, so I told him there were no worries there - just let me know when he plans to do it so I won't plan to use my laptop that day (or for however long the process takes).

Which brings me to another good point now that I'M WRITING ANOTHER NOVEL (hooray!) and many others are in the midst of NaNo right now: Back up your work. Computers are unpredictable and I know a lot of you are doing priceless work now that you're in the midst of NaNo. Don't let a system failure, konked out hard drive, virus, or any of the other funny things computers do take all of that away. You can buy flash drives pretty cheap anywhere these days - I've seen them under $20.00 at Target. There are many options for backing up files to locations other than your hard drive and it's well worth it to check into them and find something that works for your needs and budget. So that's my helpful hint for today.

In other news, I did finish reading "The Lighthouse" during my lunch break Monday. It was good - classic P.D. James. I love her work. If you like suspence/mystery, she's a great author to check out. I think I sped through that book in about a week, which must be a record for me. Then again, it wasn't very long (not long enough if you ask me, but that's ok - plots come in all sizes and shapes and delivery matters more than page count). I have decided to take a break from reading, though - offline anyway. I've been reading a book pretty continually since May and I'm ready for a reading break. I'll still rate and review here, of course, but my bookmark has been petitioning for a vacation and I think I'll let it take a much needed break.

Yesterday I worked on my Jesus cross stitch for the first time in over 2 months. Rick was very happy. He was afraid I was going to quit stitching after all that drama with the State Fair. I told him I just needed a break and now I feel ready to get back into it. It was good to do it again. Plus, this pattern is progressing much quicker and easier than the dragon did, so that's encouraging. It's nice to work on something different and I think I'm ready to buckle down and work on this one. Since I'm taking a reading break and my roses are winterized now (meaning gardening is done for the year), this will be a good thing to fill my free time. I'll keep you up to date on my progress and will post a picture of it here, of course. I'm not in a particular hurry, though. Much like with my writing, I want to enjoy the process.

I'm getting excited - the Holiday Craftsman Classic is this weekend! That's a huge craft show they have at the fairgrounds every year. I always take that Friday off and Mom and I go. That's much to the relief of Rick and Dad. It means they don't have to suffer through it with us. But really, it's an amazing event and there's so much great stuff! I've picked up a lot of cool jewlery, neat things for the house, and unique Christmas gifts there. Last year, I bought a bracelet made out of typewriter keys - one of my cooler pieces! It seemed so perfect for me. Between the writing and having an administrative job I do a lot of typing and I thought it was very unique and a great expression of my personality.

Next week, I'm going to eat, eat, eat. Dad's birthday is Sunday, so we're having dinner with the family. On Tuesday one of the big bosses is providing a Thanksgiving lunch for us (ham and turkey, folks!). Then next Thursday is Thanksgiving - back at my folks for turkey and bread dressing (yummy!) with all of the other traditional fixings. I'm making my famous macaroni and cheese casserole (ripped off from the old Church Cookbook that everybody else forgot about), and if I know Rick, he'll be on the hunt for a pumpkin pie to provide as well. My brother and sister-in-law will bring wine (thank goodness I'll finally be done with my antibiotics by then!) and a good time will be had by all.

Let's see - babble, babble, babble. This has been a whole lot of nothing, hasn't it? Kind of like an episode of Seinfield. That's ok though.

Well, that's all folks! Mail should be in soon so I'm off. Here's hoping you have a good day.

Bye!
 

Hi folks, I hope you’re having a good Tuesday. Mine is slow and dull, but that’s ok. I’ll take it. Usually my life is quite complex and I know this won’t last. I intend to enjoy it as long as possible.

Today I’d like to reflect on something that’s been rattling around in my brain for a few days. I think that the most dangerous mistake we make in life is assumptions. Not mistakes, but assuming that we know what’s going to happen when in fact, there are no guarantees in life. We make assumptions for a number of reasons, but mainly I think we do it to try to keep a line of control on a chaotic universe. We beleive that if we can correctly determine what might happen, then we can make plans to work it to our advantage. While I’m all for planning and taking precautions, I believe we go way too far with it and start grabbing for control in areas we shouldn't even concerns ourselves with.

Assumptions are dangerous for a number of reasons. Number one is that they cause an inordinate amount of worry. I once read that a study was done years ago and they found that 90% of the worries people reported never came to pass. Why? They made incorrect assumptions about the future. Imagine using 90% of your mental energy fretting over things that never happen. To me, that seems a terrible and inexcusable waste of time, effort, and energy. Imagine what you could do with that energy if you didn't use it to worry. The stories you could create, the new things you could learn, the ways your life could be full of new experiences and wonder ...

Another reason that assumptions are dangerous is because they can be wrong. Yes, human beings tend to fall into patterns of behavior, actions, and reactions – but these aren’t 100% soundproof. Furthermore, we don’t always interpret these patterns correctly. Let me give you an example:

Many years ago, one of my friends got pregnant. When she sheepishly told me she was expecting, she said she was very surprised that I was happy for her. She said she had been afraid of telling me because she feared my reaction. I asked her, why? What have I ever said or done that made her believe I wouldn’t be happy for her? She couldn’t tell me. She just shrugged and mumbled “I don’t know” a lot.

I found out the next day that she made her big announcement to another mutual friend two weeks earlier. This person didn’t react well and was very critical. In fact, she was downright rude about it. My friend didn’t tell anybody else she was expecting after that incident until she saw me. She made a faulty assumption that everybody was going to knock her down, so she didn’t want to tell anybody else until she felt she had to. And, of course, it made me angry that she made the assumption that I was as shallow and insensitive as that other person. In the end I was still happy for her, but I decided that she was flakier than I realized.

Which brings me to a third reason why assumptions are dangerous. When they're wrong, they cause trouble. Things don't go right, people get angry, and it all falls apart for no reason other than you were wrong. Why make more trouble for yourself? Doesn't life have enough chaos without creating more drama in it?

See why assumptions are dangerous? I’m all for planning in advance. Heck, I have retirement accounts, a will, and insurance. I keep my finances balanced and check them regularly. I have two firesafe boxes for important documents and items, and I back up my computer files to an external hard drive AND a flash drive (I store the external hard drive INSIDE one of those firesafe boxes). But I think we sometimes take it too far in an effort to maintain control. The bottom line is that nothing’s certain. You do what you can to prepare for the big things. It’s best to let the little things go. Save your worry for planning for your financial future, not over whether your nutty cousin will make a scene at Thanksgiving Dinner. If you’ve taken sensible precautions and made reasonable plans for the big things on the horizon, there’s no reason why you can’t relax and enjoy today.

Ok, that’s my soapbox speech for today. I hope you have a good day and I’ll see you later. I promise a lighter and more fun entry tomorrow.

Bye!

 

Hi folks, I hope your week is starting out well. You know, I believe weekends are too short. We really need three days to accomplish anything and do it at a reasonable rate where we get some rest. But alas, this is the way life is.

The wedding Saturday went well, by the way. It was a pretty typical wedding. It's amazing - we used to go to them all the time but this was our first one in 6 years. I guess our family and friends all finally settled down. I used to be an old pro at wedding stuff but not anymore. Oh well.

You'll notice I posted a new picture. I decided that while I was all gussied up, it was time to take a more recent picture for here and the Authonomy website. I hate pictures of myself but it's a necessary evil every now and then, so I anted up. Maybe I'll be able to use it for my legion of fans with my next publishing contract that I just know is around the corner. Legion, yea right. But I'll keep working getting published again. Anyway, moving on ...

I hoped to finish reading "The Lighthouse" over the weekend, but I didn't. I read a good bit Saturday after the wedding, but yesterday flew by (as Sundays usually do), so I was only able to read one chapter before I went to bed. After church I got groceries and realized that I also needed to tidy up the house and do laundry. I wasn't expecting that and it took longer than I expected. I'm so close to finishing it. Maybe today during my lunch break.

So Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then the holiday shopping season. I really need to get up on things. They're having a big Holiday Craft Show here on Friday. I always take that day off and Mom and I go. I hope I can get some Christmas shopping started there. I've been out shopping a couple of times but no luck so far. Maybe my luck will improve Friday.

I decided to hold off on querying my longer pieces until the start of the new year. I know how I feel about work that comes in between Thanksgiving and New Years Day - I want it off my desk ASAP. I know it's wrong to assume that everybody is like this, but I work in an office and see the motivation and diligence sliding off this time of year. I hate for my writing to get that kind of treatment and I have been burned by this in the past.

I strongly suspected that was happening when I was doing non-fiction work a few years ago. There were some instances with E-mail submissions where they rejected my work within 2 minutes of receiving the query. I knew they didn't even read it. At least with fiction they seem to be more polite and will wait long enough to make it look like they read it before shooting out a rejection. Most people probably don't realize this, but editors/publishers are pretty brutal with non-fiction work. Some of my harshest, meanest rejections have come from (of all places) Christian publishers!

This is no joke: One time an ordained pastor told me that my work wasn't publishable and I would need extensive help to make it that way. I told him I was glad my book publisher didn't agree with him (it was right after I published "Battleground Earth"). The piece I submitted to him was published by another magazine a year later and was so well received that they asked me for more work. While I am a Christian myself, I will openly admit that there are some people out there that let power go to their head. They have the attitude that wearing the mantle of faith gives them the right to chuck manners and civility out the window. They give us all a bad name and sadly, they're usually the loud ones spewing judgemental nonsense that we can't seem to shut up.

Anyway, I switched to fiction almost three years ago and I know I'm in a different (and ironically, more civilized) game now. I guess I need to heal those scars. But for now, I still have some queries/submissions/contest entries outstanding and I've decided to give them until the end of the year to respond before I launch a new round of queries with the beginning of 2010.

In the meantime, I'll keep doing what I want, when I want. I've decided that I'm not going to stress out over how I spend my free time anymore. I expect way too much out of myself and I need to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, but somewhere over the summer I got so focused on accomplishing more with them that I lost that sense of joy. I think that's been a lot of my problem lately. I've been bogging myself down with things I shouldn't even worry about. So I've decided that every day, I'm going to try to find one thing to do that makes me happy. Today, I hope to finish that book during lunch, and maybe take a walk outside during my afternoon break when it warms up. Today is supposed to be the warmest (nicest) day all week, and I want to enjoy it some, even if it's only 15 minutes.

Ok, that's all for today. I hope you have a good Monday and I'll see you later.

Bye!