Pulling the Pieces Together

For long time blog readers, you might recall that waaaay back in September of '07, I mentioned there would be some career changes in the air for '08. The biggest change is that I have drastically, as in almost completely, cut back on my project (read: paid) writing and am instead spending the first half of this year focusing on creative writing.

Or rather, I'm trying to. I'm amazed how quickly each day flies by and how little work it seems I've accomplished. My struggle is making life fit around my writing versus the other way around. This week, I am losing the battle.

Instead of sitting down to write, my mind is buzzing with a list of chores. These include: preparing material for a workshop this Saturday, writing and practicing a Toastmasters speech, following up with our dental insurance to see where the heck our claim money is, calling our auto insurance carrier to see if they'll match the better rate we were were quoted by a competitor, clean the house, buy stamps, pull together a tri-board display I said I'd do (stupid, stupid, stupid) for my Toastmasters group, write a brief proposal to someone who wants me co-author a book, research details for said proposal, exercise, yoga, volunteer at the animal shelter, wash my car, etc., etc.

Certainly nothing mind boggling or outside the ordinary there. But I'm finding that I'm focusing on getting all of the above done FIRST and then I'll write.  Only I'm not feeling the least bit creative or inspired after being on hold with dental claims for 30 minutes, or after spending 4 hours with caged animals in a shelter.

So my priority is to fit the rest of life around my writing time. Which probably means I need to start saying "no" more often then not. No, I can't give a speech that week, no, I will not teach a workshop, no, I can't meet for lunch or coffee. Writing time first, in the morning and early afternoon hours when I'm at my best. All the rest can wait to be dealt with in the late afternoon. I need to get back to my "no checking e-mail and no taking phone calls" before noon stance, as well.

So I'm going to ignore the list I just typed here, pour myself a cup of coffee (decaf) and go sit in my messy downstairs bedroom writing space and spend the morning writing. The rest of the world will just have to wait to be dealt with until later today. I'm sure it will still be there when I emerge.

More Bizarre Cell Phone Behavior

This beats all. I'm sitting in a Panera (where else?) and I look to my right. Two women are seated at a small table, coffee cups steaming between them. Both have a cellphone to their ear as they gaze in opposite directions over each other's shoulders and talk, not to one another, but to the people they have on the phone.

Here's my question: WHY BOTHER? Why bother meeting a friend for coffee if you're going to spend your time talking to other friends or family members on your phone? The fact that they're both doing it just cracks me up. I wish I had a camera. I wonder if they have any idea how silly stupid they look.

Good friends, good coffee, ... and cell phones. What a treat.

Under Attack

My blog is under attack. From spammers. Viagra, male enhancement enlargers, diet pills, drugs... you name it and it's been posted to my blog.

Most of you won't see this as the way the spammers work is to add posts to old entries. However, I have my system set up so any comment posted anywhere on my blog immediately appears in my e-mail.  This morning there were 17 spam entries waiting to greet me. I deleted them and three hours later, there were 8 more.

I wonder if there is any "vengeful" posting going on? I received a couple of spam posts this weekend, found the IP address and banned the address. (Meaning people with this computer address are no longer permitted on my site.) It was after I banned a couple of addresses that the flood of spam appeared. Have I angered the spam people or is it just a coincidence?

For now, it's a battle of wills. It doesn't take but a minute to log on and delete all the spam posts. But it's annoying to have them clogging my e-mail. I experienced a similar problem a few months ago. It died out on its own so hopefully that's what will happen here.

Deer stands, spam... we're all so intrusive on one another's lives, don't you think?

People I'd Like To See Shot

People I'd like to see shot include the land-tresspassing morons who decided to put a deer stand up on our mountain property. A deer stand! Do you own this land? No. Do you have permission to be on this land? No. Are you in possession of a 2nd grade education which might enable you to read and comprehend the NO TRESPASSING signs we have posted on the property? Apparently not. How very sad for you.

Blair was walking the property boundary today, reapplying old ribbon that had fallen down when he noticed the deer stand. We're calling the sheriff's office tomorrow to see what we can do. We want to rip it down but have no idea if we'd be considered stealing others property even though it's on our land.

Blair is nice enough to want to put up a sign that says, "Your deer stand is available for pickup at this number."  Another reason his place in line at the pearly gates will be far, far ahead of mine. I'll be in the rear with people who pick up cigarette butts and fling them back in the faces of those who tossed them on the ground in the first place. (It's a dream of mine.) It's okay. I thrive among my people.

Cheers,

Dena