Writing, kids and dogs

WooHoo, more progress was made on the horror story today.  I realized I'd jumped the punchline. I was telling the end of the character's journey. I needed to show her state of mind when she began.  I wrote 800 words. That's not a lot in the grand scheme of things but all things considered, I'll take it.

When I jumped into the shower, I thought of the twist to the second part of the story.  At work tonight, I discovered the character for the third part.  I'm so pleased with how my brain is taking care of stuff for me while I'm busy babysitting a tiny young with the flu or working at the paying job. 

Casey and I are working on possession. He's become very territorial about everything - Mom, me, his toys. Poor Ky can't even be in the room without Casey going after him. So tonight, I took the bone away from Casey every single time he growled. It's a bit of dangerous game but as soon as he broke focus on it and relaxed, I gave it back. Laid back dog gets bone, tense dog does not. He's smart. He figured it out pretty quick.  He really is a good dog. He's just had a lot of trauma and confusion in his life lately. 

I hung out with a sick six year old this afternoon. We talked about dogs, and how there are cross-breeds then learned about nocturnal animals.  While he could have taught me more about genetics than I'd ever know I went with the Mom was a shepherd, Dad was a great Dane just like Mommy has brown hair and daddy has blond theory. He liked that. Phew. That kid keeps me on my toes. Whoever said Autism doesn't make connections never met the kids I know who have it.  I adore them. 

All in all, a good day.  How were things with you? 

Wordy Good Things

I wrote for several hours today. Some of it was back and forth brainstorming with a writer friend. We agreed to quit for the day so I went to write notes and ending up with 1200 words. Woo. That felt nice.

I burnt my hand on pasta sauce. You wouldn't think that was a good thing. It wasn't really. But I got the hand under cold water immediately, put salve on it and managed to prevent two other people from the same fate.  Tomatoes heat up rapidly.  In case you didn't know.

I used the Pilates ball as a chair this evening while I knitted and watched hockey.  I've noticed a difference in my core since I've been using it. I don't have a working office at the moment. I'm going to try something different tomorrow with the living room table and the pilates ball.  Let's see if I'm more productive.  I need my wireless keyboard. It helps my wrists.  I did remember today that I write quite well with pen and paper. No more excuses.

Was your day wordy?

Full Moon!

I've been unbelievably restless tonight. I felt like the guy in Werewolf in London right before he turned.  I was jittery, couldn't sit still, didn't want to eat. You'd think I'd fallen in love. Nope, it's a full moon and the weather is wild.

My new glasses came in the mail today.  What do you think?

I'm a trendsetter. What can I say?  Doesn't everyone wear their glasses on top of their head.  I have great hair.

They're PURPLE. I like them.

Today was fairly productive. I wrote for a couple of hours, figured out how to get around something, threw that all out because I'm not writing a ghost story but figured out how to keep the conversations so I could show the character's descent.  I made plans to write again tomorrow.

Emails were sent. Wheels were set in motion. Plans are being discussed.  I feel good about that.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time watching swans swim around on this lake.  It made me happy.

Yesterday I dug out some of the yarn Stashaholic sent to live at my house.  I downloaded a counter app to my phone so I could keep track of my rows. I'm making socks from a pattern Theresa gave me when I was in Scotland the last time. 

I'm listening to hard rain pelt the windows.  It was rough driving home tonight but the full moon meant visibility was high.

How was your day?

Feb 25

How's that for a scintillating title?  I'm tired, not creative.

Good day, though. I wore my contacts to work and looked ravishing. I have beautiful blue eyes. 

I ate the same thing for dinner that I did the other night at my friend's house. It was literally the same thing  - leftovers. Tonight I didn't get hives.   We both did the other night. We know it wasn't the chocolate as we ate different brands. So it must have been the wine.  That means we'll have to try different vintages. Poor us.

My friend posted a spoof video that featured Gerard Butler because she knew it would make my day.

It's always good to do something nice for someone else. I try to do that on a regular basis. I'm blessed in that my friends are always doing nice things for me. This afternoon, I was stamping a lady's books and the back cover said something to the effect that, "if you like donuts, you'll love this book." I had an immediate craving for a donut. We both laughed. Then she reached into her purse and handed me a winning tab from Tim Horton's Roll up the Rim contest.  It was for a free donut.  She said she couldn't use it anyway. It was sweet of her to share. Her thoughtfulness made me smile.

The crow thing is still working for me. Otis came into work tonight and ka-kawed hello. We both burst into laughter.

The Leafs won their hockey game.  Kessel scored. Yoda got to yell, Wheeeeee.  Silly parrot.

How was your day?

Sunday Good Things

Yesterday was all about the crow. I shared that video with my friend at work and told him to ka-kaw at me if I started to get snarky.  It ended up becoming a joke among the entire staff as I went to the computer room, found it locked and ran out muttering ka-kaw,ka-kaw, ka-kaw in rapid succession.  No matter how stressed things got, or what tried to go sideways, one of us would squawk and the others would laugh.

When I pulled into the parking lot at my other job today the crows were laughing.  It made me smile. Until I went into work and the system wouldn't accept my code.  Alarm went off, official people had to come fix it.   I shared the crow video with another staff and we giggled our way through the crow angels.  I can picture Yoda doing something similar  - if I ever let him outside to play.  Maybe I'll bring some snow in next time and let him play. 

Now I'm hunkered down with Milo as we prepare to watch the Oscars. The glitz, the glam, the outfits.  I'm wearing my best pjs and thinking of Oscar parties I've attended in the past. 

I hope your Sunday had some good things.

Good Morning

Last night I dreamt that I went into edit the Vehicular post and there were 50,000 comments telling me to suck it up. It's not like I was starving to death beneath the hot desert sun. Very True.  Then I dreamt I was playing Survivor on the International Space Station and for fun decided to use the windows of the space station in much the same way as crows used the windshield of a snow covered car in Russia.



I woke up in a fantastic mood.  My goal is to stay that way.  What always makes you smile?

Vehicular Good Things

I've spent all day trying to find the Good Thing. I didn't sleep well, dropped the car at the garage and had breakfast beverages with a friend. That was good. We laughed about how we shoot ourselves in the foot all the time.  No solid conclusions but we both do the same thing. When one of us figures out how to change our behaviour, we'll both be in good shape.  Plus she prefers Ryan Gosling to Gerard Butler so there's none of that awkward fighting over men we will never actually meet. 

Every errand I attempted to run was thwarted. I went home and called the garage. It was a good news/bad news situation. Car could be fixed. It wiped out my bank account to do it.  I need the car for work so I had to do it but ow ow ow.  In the end, I decided it was a Good Thing that I've been frugal lately so that I could be aggressive with my loan payments as well as tucking a few dollars aside.  The money was in the account to cover the repair.  I need to focus on that aspect of it.

Life. We make the most of it.  I hope you found Good in your day.

Visual Good Things

My new glasses from Clearly Contacts arrived yesterday. They were pretty - purple with rhinestones on the arms.  I looked good in them. Or so I was told. I couldn't tell because I couldn't see out the right lens. I had typed the wrong strength into the order form. I typed + when it should have been -.  Big difference. So I called them today and said, I made a mistake. They said, print off this waybill for return postage, return them and we'll replace them with a pair that works for you. My mistake and they took care of it.  I'm happy.  If you're in need of glasses or contacts, go check them out. Their customer service is fantastic. Their stock and prices are better than most places that sell glasses and contacts.  My friends have used them for a few years without complaint.

I've been up and down emotionally today.  I think these stupid headaches drain me more than I realize. It's not til the end of the day that I can look back and see the pattern between pain and my moods. I've got great friends who talk me through so much of the worst of it.   One good thing about the negative thought process is that it leads to thoughts that perfectly suit the horror story I'm writing. That segues to creativity that pulls me write (Freudian slip?) out of the bad mood.  Interesting.

Stashaholic wrote this morning that ten years ago Heaven's gardens got a lot more beautiful with her Mom's arrival up there. I love that imagery. Her mother loved to garden so I can see her in among the lavender playing with the purple.  

Good Timing

One Good Thing about the check engine light coming on tonight was that I was on my way home. I parked the car in the garage and will call the repair place tomorrow.

I had a massage today. It enervated me. More often than not, it leaves me limp and ready for a nap.  It's a good thing I had today's reaction as I received a text while at the grocery store on my way home.  "Can you please watch my amazing son (I made up the description but it's accurate) while I go to yoga?"  I was only five minutes away, I didn't have other plans, and I adore that young man.  We played Angry Birds (for real, not electronically), lost one of the pigs, downloaded five games to my phone, deleted four of them and ran down my phone battery. We played with his Leapfrog. We laughed, giggled and learned that six year old boys aren't too old to snuggle. 

Animal Good Things

It's mid-February and I'm already tired of trying to write One Good Thing in every sentence. It sounds so Martha Stewart.  I'm pleased with all the Good Things in my life. It feels pretentious to write it out all the time.

Today was my friend's birthday so I tweaked a vegan brownie recipe to also be gluten free and sugar free so that she could share her "cake" with her son who has strict dietary restrictions. They loved the brownies.  I'll make them again.

I cleaned out a drawer while I chatted with Theresa on the phone today.  Then I sorted the garbage into recycling. I kept a bunch of things from Ky's collar. I'm not sure why.  He only wears his name tag.  

Yoda and I shared a moment this morning. Both  birds like to try to steal my breakfast so they don't get out of the cage until I'm done. I was drinking my tea when he flew onto my shoulder then ran down my arm.  I picked him up and held him in my hand. I forget how fragile he is.  Such a huge personality in that tiny body.  We stared each other in the eye then I turned my hand palm up and he just lay there. He didn't scramble to turn over. He didn't panic. He lay on his back, toes up. Sometimes he says, "dead bird" when in that position but today he simply looked at me.  He trusted me to keep him safe when he was vulnerable.  For some reason today, I was acutely aware of that.

Later in the day, I became fascinated with this view from inside a lioness' mouth.  That camera is tough. It only takes three swipes from a lion's tongue to peel  your skin from your body (yep, personal experience, it's like sandpaper).  I've really been missing the lions lately. I changed my screensaver to an image from Big Cat Rescue's website. 

Milo just did his Hallowe'en cat stretch. That always makes me smile.   He has no idea that he's a housecat.  Just like Yoda doesn't realize he's the bottom of the food chain.  Attitude may not be everything but it does make a difference in how others perceive, and treat, you.

What good things did you experience today?

Clean Good Things

I hopped out of bed this morning and started cleaning the house. You know the Spring Clean, purge all the stuff you no longer use, kind of day.  I put my favourite new band on youtube.  I sorted out the bathroom, half of the living room and quit to contemplate the DVD and video collections. There has to be a more efficient way to store things.

I had a hilarious conversation on FB about perfume.  Apparently dabbing BBQ sauce behind our ears is the best way to attract a man. And here I thought it was beer.

Starbucks may have been one of the most crowded venues in the city on this holiday Monday but we're talented, and lucky. Seats opened up just as we were ready to sit.  Good.

My friend's little boy did downward dog, upward dog then scooted in opposite directions so that he also did Forward Dog and Backward Dog. That kid amuses "me out of the crap", as he says.

I didn't get much reading done today, and there's some organization that needs to be done but overall I'm pleased with what I accomplished today.  That's a Good Thing.

What was good for you today?

Philosophical Good Things

Snow was light and fluffy, took me five minutes to shovel the walk and driveway. That meant I had lots of time to get to work.  It was such a lovely drive, I meandered along and enjoyed it.  The cold was more extreme than we've had so far this winter. Fortunately, I had a sweater at work to keep me warm.

Last night we discussed oversharing on Facebook.  We're all shaped by our experiences. My privacy settings are friends only. That list is limited to people with whom I actually speak.  It's been helpful at getting the message out fast to a lot of people at  once. There's been a lot of support over there as well as many many many good laughs and connections forged.  My one friend has had nothing but bad vibes from sharing his stuff.  I think the difference is the people who read it. If you're surrounded by judgmental people, you are going to be faulted a lot. On the other hand, having people in your corner who care about you and want the best for you means you're more likely to have a good experience  - not just on FB but in life. 

I overshare. It happens.  I have this theory that if you're embarrassed by your actions, don't do them. Everything is interpreted according to each person's individual experience. We have no control over that.  We only control our own reactions. 

I went to bed with so many deep thoughts last night.  Even our silly conversations gave me plenty to think about. Today felt like one of those morning after an all nighter during college.  My brain is so full.  It's a good full.  I'll be able to use a lot of that to flesh out the creepy painting.

How was your day?

Saturday Good Things

My windshield wiper fell off in my hand. The Good Thing was that I was parked at the store so I was able to afix it properly. It did not snap off while I was driving.

I caught up with a friend yesterday morning on how our weeks had progressed. We were both pleased that a very stressful week for each of us had been approached with a great deal of humour and gratitude.  I credit the One Good Thing experiment for the attitude.  Singing spontaneously helps as well.  Music really can alter a mood.

I had dinner with a good friend at her new place. She invited other friends, one of whom I knew, the other was very familiar to me although we'd never met.  Like attracts like most often in friendships so it's hardly surprising we are all so comfortable together. We laughed, talked, shared insights and youtube videos.  It was a good night and different from my usual Saturday. I liked it.  Never underestimate the healing power of laughter.

Another friend stopped by after dinner. He's in the middle of watching his father die.  My heart breaks for him, yet, somehow we all found the thread that keeps us going. It was a bit of a theme for the night, enjoying the ride.

Humourous Good Things

No one died when a meteor hit the atmosphere in Russia and an asteroid completely missed the earth today. Both very Good Things, wouldn't you agree?  Some of the footage from all those dash cams was amazing. 

Am I the only one who thought the asteroid looked like part of the Vogon constructor fleet?

So last night I locked up the house as usual when I went to bed. Sometime close to 5am,  I heard the creak of the screen door at the front of the house so I got up. As I walked past the phone, it rang. I ignored it and headed downstairs to the back door. Ky went with me.  It was five o'clock in the morning. I was pretty sure it was DNe locked out but still, One Good Thing about reading all those gothic romances when I was younger (and serial killers now that I'm older) is that I shun complete recklessness. Yep, DNe sitting on the back porch. Ky shot off the porch and lunged at the gate.  I noticed a flashlight shining around the yard so I sent DNe down while I went into the house. Both of my parents were up, arguing as to whether someone was outside. Yes, young man forgot his house key. Well, he scared his grandmother so she called the police - the source of the flashlight.  I went back outside to grab Ky who was in full guard dog mode.  I had to vouch for DNe as the policeman questioned the truth.  Every time I said Ky's name in an effort to call him off, the cop said hi. It wasn't until I was back upstairs in bed that I started laughing. I think the police officer thought I was saying Hi, not Ky.  Comedy of errors and really, all's well that ends well so why not laugh?

One Good Thing about being so tired from our midnight adventure is that my guard is down. I was inviting people left, right and center to our read dating event at the library next week.  I'm usually more concerned someone will think I'm flirting when I'm being friendly, or vice versa. Today, I didn't care.  Either way is a win - friendly or flirting, it still makes most people feel good.

I think having a healthy sense of humour is a Good Thing. I'm glad mine appeared. It did wander off for a while after work so I started cleaning  and singing. Who knew music and humour were so closely aligned?

I hope at least one of them was part of your Good Things today. Have you been singing?

Love Good Things

We've been on an emotional roller coaster this week.  Oddly, my mood has been fairly good.  I put that down to a certain fatalistic attitude about life and death combined with this practice of finding at least One Good Thing a day.

I'm blessed with fantastic friends. There's a lot of support around here.

Mom's health caregivers are excellent. One saved Dad the other night.  Everyone saves my mom every day. Including today.

One Good Thing about Valentines' Day was how quiet things were at the hospital. Tests and treatment were administered in record time. My parents actually went out for dinner on the way home. What a contrast to the rush to the hospital earlier in the day.

One Good Thing about getting my hair cut after work was the lack of people milling about. Most of them were at the restaurant next door. I could smell steak sizzling on the grill. Yum.

I sang a song today. Out loud.  Strong. Of good things not bad. Happy not sad.*

Apparently you can buy this candle for the "Instant Iceland" effect.  I doubt it will create the experience I'm looking for but I have to admit I'm hiding my credit card right now.  I'm too curious to know what driftwood bonfire on black sand smells like.

One Good Thing about International Day of Compulsory Chocolate Consumption is listening to all the love stories.

In unrelated news, I wrote a bit of a character bio for the second owner of the creepy painting.  It's the anti-romance.  But I am having fun writing again and that's a Good Thing.

How was your lovely day?

*I couldn't find any good videos of The Carpenters so imagine my offtune enthusiasm instead

Mental health Good Things

One Good Thing about today?  Dad listened to us and went to the doctor.  Lots of tests and appointments were booked as he choked again after I posted last night.  Action has been taken.

Another Good Thing?  Both Dad and my DNe are going to quit smoking. Tonight is their last night with that disgusting habit. They're doing it together and with assistance.

I forgot to sing today. Oh wait, I whistled in the parking lot on my way into work.  whistle while you work

Ky and I played ball out in the yard today. It was good for both of us.  Having a dog, having Ky, is a really Good Thing for my mental health.

Big Bang Theory - always a Good Thing.

Silver Linings

One Good Thing about all the overtime I'm working this week is that it's also an expensive month.  Passport is due, car needs an e-test and plates, I've got a new prescription for glasses and my tooth still needs to be fixed.  I'll be able to take care of everything all at once now. Employment is a Good Thing, extra hours are even better.

One Good Thing about living under the same roof with my parents is that we have separate apartments so that every one gets their privacy. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't hear my dad choking last night.  Good Thing is he managed to catch a breath so all the drama was over when I went down to settle my mom in for the night.  I take last call while my dad takes the morning shift.  It plays to our natural rhythms.

One Good Thing about having a sick dog - again - last night was that I worked the evening shift today. I didn't exactly sleep late but I also didn't have to bounce out of bed and be alert either.

One Good Thing about Ky sleeping on top of me early this morning (he never does that. He usually sleeps in his bed by the door but he was stressed so I pet him til he fell asleep) is the doggie dream we shared. I'm confident it was his dream. I saw everything from his height. A chocolate cake was placed on the table then three people walked away (one looked remarkably like myself)  Face first into the cake til I heard people return.  I woke up and stared at Ky who was still dreaming.  The only way it could have been more his dream than mine is if I was chasing a ball after it bounced off the garage.  That's his favourite game.

I hope your Good Things were a bit more fun than mine.

Monday's Good Things

One Good Things about having drops in my eyes is that I got to spend some time with my DB and his beautiful DD, my lovely niece.  That girl has grown so much in the last few weeks. She says I use the same voice with her as I do the dog/cat/parrot. I told her that's a Good Thing as I adore the dog/cat/parrot/niece. 

One Good Thing about reading in the doctor's office (at the second appointment of the day) is all of the conversations books can spark.  Apparently the book I was reading at my last appointment was part of the doctor's dinner conversation with his daughters at Sunday dinner. He knew what they were talking about because of our last discussion.  I'm reading Terry Fallis' Up and Down which led to reminiscing about watching Neil Armstrong take that giant leap for man.  I remember thinking that if I squinted I'd be able to see him walking around on the moon. Hey, I was six years old.  Cut me some slack.

One Good Thing about singing out loud, in public no less, means other people usually join you. I heard a man whistling a cheerful tune as he crossed the parking lot and it made me smile. Then I sang the words to his tune.

One Good Thing about not finding pantyhose or stockings in my drawer this morning (okay, there are many good things about that as I detest both) is that it was warm enough to wear bare legs with my dress today.  Then the wind picked up as I finished work so I was able to change into jeans.  Still, I felt very girly this morning.

What were some of your Good Things today?

Fun Good Things

One of my friends challenged our group to sing out loud, every day.  It's easy enough to do when watching the Grammys.  fun.

We had fun today taking pictures of snow covered objects. I lost my lens cap somewhere but the rest of it was a Good Thing.

One Good Thing about working at a library that is over 200 years old is that some of our books are originals.  I had the opportunity to look through a book today that was printed in 1838.  It was in surprisingly good shape but I held my breath as we turned the pages. 

A friend brought me a big container of sweet potato soup.  I don't consider soup fun food but having  a friend who likes to cook is definitely a Good Thing.

Did you have fun today?

Cranky good things

One Good Thing about all this snow is the workout I got shoveling the end of the driveway. Not the whole driveway, mind, just the end where the snowplow dumped two feet of hard slush muck.  My car wasn't going to be able to get through that and I wasn't going to make her try. She's a good car.

One Good Thing about being in a bad mood is everyone does what you ask the first time you bark. Plus, a wide berth is steered around you which results in the added bonus of alone time.

One Good Thing about being cranky is that it often takes me some interesting places. I almost always learn one or even two important things about myself as a result.  I was driving to meet a friend for coffee when I realized why I was so freaking annoyed with everything and everyone.  Two days ago my ear seeds fell off.  I didn't replace them because my headache has been down to a two on a scale of one to ten.  What. a. mistake.  Headaches are back to an eight with a spike of nine and a half a few times. My vision is also less than crisp.  But it took me two days of stomping around like a hippo with a spike in its foot to realize why.  I had dinner with my friend who does acupuncture and discussed it with her. She marked my ears so I can reapply the seeds after my doctor's appointment on Monday. It's better to figure out the cause, and neutralize it, than simply treat the symptoms. At the moment, I'm thinking of piercing my ears right on that pressure point so I can tolerate the temple pain.

One Good Thing about having coffee with a woman who looks like Halle Berry is her beauty comes from within. You can't hate her. Believe me, I've tried. Her spirit is incredible and I cherish all of our interactions. I was so irritated by the time we met up but a few good conversations and I felt my attitude shift.  We've always been good for checking each other and sharing our perspectives. 
  
We talked a great deal about self-image. I'm an oddity in that I think I look better naked than clothed.  I may be overweight and gravity might have set in after all these years but everything is where it's supposed to be when I'm unclothed. Fabric is not pushing, squishing, pulling, tucking or rearranging my flesh.  I really like my true self.  That's cool.    She took a photo of me so I could see how beautiful I look.  I didn't see what she did. I focused on other things. I also knew she was going to take it so it's posed even if it's just a matter of me raising my hand and trying not to smirk.

 But we did agree that several years ago she took the best picture of me.  It was candid and it is exactly how I see myself. She says it's how she sees me as well.

I hope your day took you to some good things.

Snowy Good Things

We had a lot of fun carpooling to work and joking about winter in Canada.  Lots of snow and it's still coming down.  People were surprisingly jovial and laid back today.

We closed early so I came home and mocked my friend Lisa for suggesting chapters don't write themselves when snow days are meant to be spent frivolously.  Then I wrote for two hours. This horror story is freaking me out. It flows so easily and with such depravity. I don't even know where some of this ick comes from but hey, record it.  That's the best way to sleep at night.

I caught up with a couple of friends online and through the telephone.  We laughed. That is always good.

I paid bills. It made me cranky but the important thing is they are all paid. Not that that's unusual but money is math and math stresses me out. Being dyslexic with numbers is a pain.

The thing I'm noticing most about this One Good Thing is not that suddenly life is fantastic and all the crap has disappeared.  Focusing on the good gives me the strength to deal with the crap.  My bill-paying crank didn't last near as long as it usually does.  I'm really blessed to be able to take care of all that I do. 

Remembering to breath is good as well. Don't take that for granted. In. Out. Repeat. It's amazing how often we forget to do that when we're stressed.  It took me a minute to catch my breath when I came back inside after shoveling the walkway the first time. I think we've given up until we know the snow has stopped for good. We're Canadian. We're resilient.

How did you spend your Snow Day?  If you didn't get one of those, I hope your day had an unexpected bonus tucked in it somewhere.

More good things

I suspect each of us is more productive in any given day than we think.  I thought I'd goofed off all day because I didn't do much on my list.  When I looked back at what I'd done though, that was a different story.

It was a creative day. Both at home and work which is always fun. Stuff got written, stuff was researched, conversations happened, plans changed and it was good to look at things a different way. 

We're prepped for the storm that we used to regard as normal winter when I was a kid. I can laugh at myself for the whole "walking uphill both ways in snow when I was a kid" mentality.

I've been reconnecting with people all over the place lately. It's nice.  I highly recommend it. 

DNe cleaned up the kitchen after Ky ate the bag of hot dog buns and box of crackers that were sitting on the counter. It's not like we don't feed him. Not coming home to that mess was a Good Thing.

The dogs and I played outside for quite awhile this afternoon. Casey stole the ball from Ky several times. More importantly, he used his weak paw.  He used it in play repeatedly.  I only had to remind him twice to "use his foot".  It's not automatic for him so he forgets but flips it over every time he's told.  Good dog equals One Good Thing.

I'm easily pleased. Honestly.

Wordy Good Things

Another productive day. I got stuff done at work, talked to my banker about investments and did some spraynting business. DNe has been asked to display his art at a bar in upstate New York. I'm so very proud of him.

Tonight I went to the second Wine and Words event hosted by IceHouse Winery.  Situated along the Niagara Parkway, it's a bit off the road and difficult to find in the dark but the staff was friendly.  I'm not a fan of icewine so I can't comment on the wine. But, it was a big hit.  They make slushies out of it and several people used their tickets for seconds on the icewine instead of the tourtiere pairing.

The author was Cathy Marie Buchanan.  She followed up her brilliant debut novel. The Day the Falls Stood Still, with the equally brilliant The Painted Girls.  What I enjoyed most about her talk was the research discussion.  Inspired by the statue Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, Cathy immersed herself in 1881 Paris, Degas art and the Paris Opera. None of these are subjects that appeal much to me yet I was intrigued by her writing style.  She sucked me in. That's talent.

Several good discussions have taken place today; with old friends and memories of our youth, as well as newer friends and impressions of our present.  None of us are touching the future. It has yet to be written.

I've been thinking about semi-colons vs commas.  Hard to believe I used to score 100% on grammar exams in school.

Of course, the horror novel continues to percolate. I'm not sure what happens to the first character but I write down every thing that comes to me over the course of the day.  I should be using a notebook instead of random slips of paper.

So, what's the word in your life?  Good, I hope.

Three good things

I slept in this morning. That's because freaky dreams woke me up repeatedly through the night. Did you know that dogs pull pickup trucks much more efficiently than horsepower?  Or that the future will be filled with electric cars run by solar panels on the roof? Okay, the latter actually makes sense to me but then I'm not an engineer.  Regardless, I woke up smiling.

Because of all the furniture rearranging lately, they are three mirrors (because they're part of dressers or vanities) in my bedroom.  Okay, I did stick a painting over one but that's because I had no where else to put the painting.  My point is that I cannot help but view myself from many different angles.  I came across a photo of myself from a couple of years ago. At that point in time, I had a pretty good self-image. I thought I looked fantastic, narrow and healthy.  The picture suggested I was delusional.  Lately, I've been feeling very wide and uncomfortable with it. But a quick glance in the mirror today was more flattering than I feel.  The whole experience reminded me of the mirror post I wrote a few years ago.  Focusing on the Good Things in my life has to include my body. It's not supposed to be functioning in any way I can work with.  It's supposed to be a prison inside which I struggle to be heard. Time to cut myself some slack. For the most part, I eat healthy, try to get a decent night's sleep, exercise. Alcohol and drugs are not part of my regimen.  I may be wider than I'd like but I am very fortunate to be mobile.  That is a very good thing.

I spent some time today scheduling posts for the Daily Tree.  I've been truly blessed to have traveled to places that resonate with me. I've got a great family who amuse me more often than annoy.  I share my life with critters who enrich it. 

Random good things

Ginger ale and Pringles potato chips are good for an upset stomach.

An afternoon nap with both the dog and the cat is a Good Thing.

So is the wrap I bought at the Royal Mile a few years ago. It's our clan hunting tartan made with the softest of wool.  Wrapping up in it after the nap was a great comfort.

I finished Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. It made me think many good thoughts about my older family members.  I think I'll give my great-aunt a call tomorrow. She's ninety-nine  years old and lucid.  She's also one of the nicest people I know, which is really saying something.  I know some incredible people.

DNe grilled up half a cheese sandwich for me. Very sweet.

Hockey game was a Good Thing that ended badly for my team of choice.  Still, it's entertainment. 

I had a nice conversation with a good friend I haven't seen for months. We made plans to howl at the moon when she gets back from her vacation.

The regional hospital system sent me a survey. They will be sorry but I'm thrilled. There are many areas in which they can improve.  It's Good to have my opinion solicited.  

Oh, and another scene presented itself today. This story is deeply disturbing but man, is it ever coming along.  Stephen King better look out. Ha!  I made myself smile.

What good things came your way today?

Smiling good things

Sexy really is an attitude. I was feeling icky this morning, okay, for the last couple of weeks.  I started the whole negative why bother nonsense when out of the blue I thought of an incident a few months ago that involved a very attractive man and myself.  While the flirting didn't go anywhere at the time, the memory made me smile on the drive this morning. I sat up straighter, smiled and immediately felt sexier. 

Over on Reinventing Fabulous,
Jenny Crusie has been talking about feeding her good wolf It's based on the Cherokee tale about two wolves that live inside us, battling for supremacy.  It's a lot similar to my One Good Thing in that focusing on the positive is healthier than feeding the negative.  I don't like to see any animal starve so that's a problem with my bloated bad wolf. Like me he can afford to go on a diet. I suspect that the good wolf bad wolf are really the same wolf. The more praise he gets the happier he'll be and eventually the bad wolf will snarl and raise his hackles when he's particularly hungry. I'll toss him a bone, likely my thigh when it's particularly bothering me and we'll both be content to have those times fewer and farther between. I've noticed that's the case in the past.

I wrote another scene today. It's fantastic, scary and initiated a bizarre research question. If you stab yourself in the ear, will you hit your brain?

Iceland is always a Good Thing.  Even if I never get there, the thought of it makes me smile.  Being obsessed with it paid off today at work. I was able to discuss various aspects of climate and culture with a patron who is thinking of going there. Then we watched Lilo and Stitch in which the dog pound lady says Stitch isn't a very good name - in Iceland and we all laughed harder than most people who watch that movie.

Our not-football party had two little girls in attendance so we watched The Lorax as well as the above-mentioned alien Hawaii Elvis adventure We danced to the end credits.  B did a bit of break dancing while R did the chicken dance and laid four eggs. We had to move the four babies to the couch so that Mom's wheelchair didn't run them over. We laughed and sang and danced then repeated that throughout the night. 

I didn't see deer driving home today but smiled at the memory when I drove past the spot I saw them last week.

I smiled a lot today.

Healthy Good Things

I just cleaned two pints of berries, a bag of grapes, a pint of grape tomatoes, chopped a pineapple, cut a watermelon into chunks and peeled an orange.  My house smells amazing. 

In the morning I'll make up two veggie trays and whip up a dip for the fruit trays.

Lots of snow today has everything looking and smelling fresh. It was a light snow, lots of volume, much like that marshmallow fluff you put on sundaes - without the calories.  Shoveling was easy and actually fun.  Driving in it - not so much.

Just for Theresa - we had more dogs at the other library today. It's called Therapy Tails. Kids read books to the dogs. It relaxes them and makes reading fun. We have a little girl with Down's Syndrome who has really come out of her shell around the dogs.  Her giggle brings tears to my eyes. She's so full of joy. 

For a day that started off on the wrong foot, it turned out so well. How was yours?

Unexpected good things

Alpacas in the yard on route to work

Puppies in the library

Learning about cork, how it's grown and processed, then laughing til I got a stitch when talking about its medicinal properties with the crew at the cafe next door.

Stumbling upon this man's art and life story when checking my email.