Technology and Turmoil

I should be working.  I want to be working.  Instead, I am posting on my blog, cooking soup, semi-watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and when this post is finished, I'll go back to my NaNo novel.

Why?  Why am I not answering customer calls?  Because my work PC is sick and I'm far down on the triage line today.  We had major software issues on the job last week that affect the entire company and that are still being ironed out.  In the grand scheme of things, that of course means a single sick PC has to wait.  I feel a bit like I am sitting in the emergency room with a sprained ankle while all around me are victims of gunshots, stabbings, and beatings.

They hope to be able to remotely work on the issue later this afternoon.  Then, depending on the results, I may have to travel into the job.  Although it is only across the county from me, public transportation schedules mean it takes three crosstown busses and right at four hours one way.  Not a pleasant prospect.

The very thing that allows me the freedom to work from home is the very thing that has my emotions bent out of shape.  My brain feels as fried as I am afraid the hard drive is.  One lesson from it though--I am backing up all my files on my home PCs (especially my NaNo novel) to ensure no data loss if something like this should ever happen to either personal machine.  Here's to technology LOL!

KERA mentions NaNoWriMo

I love KERA but never knew they had a blog--go figure LOL!  Here's a cool local write up on National Novel Writer's Month from someone who is participating with those of us insane enough to attempt this feat!

The word count widgets aren't available yet so you won't see one on my sidebar (maybe this weekend), but I have written 5687 through the first four days of the month--only 44,313 to go LOL!

(Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho, and back to writing I go...)

PS:  check out the rest of the KERA Art & Seek Blog...it's totally cool!

NaNoWriMo 2009

50,000 words to go! National Novel Writing Month has begun!  The goal is 50,000 words from November 1st to 30th (approximately 1,667 words/day) which equates to around 170-175 pages of text.  My novel research has been coming along, my characters have taken on a life of their own, and now the story begins.  The working title?  TGAN, aka "The Great American Novel", what else?  I am nothing if not a wishful thinker LOL!

I had planned to have some blog posts set up in draft mode to publish throughout this month so that this space would not go dormant. That did not happen. When the word count widgets are available from the NaNo site, I'll add that here and I may stop in from time to time, but if I don't post a lot, it is because my writing time here has been taken up by writing time there.

I've bought the extra coffee beans; the gourmet trail mix (actually got my favorite flavor--Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Espresso--on sale at Target!); the soup mixes (I can start it on a work break and let it cook without a lot of time consuming preparation); the extra printer ink/paper (and yes, the paper is from sustainable forests and has a 30% post-consumer recycled content.  Check out Georgia-Pacific for more details; I get mine at WalMart for $3.97/ream and it is wonderful paper for everyday printing.  It even stands up to duplexing in my HP without bleed-thru).  Oops, back to my "supply list"...I also got an 8GB thumb drive and earphones for my laptop.  I put my PaperBack Swap account on vacation and have a friend coming over today to help me clean up/reorganize my studio for maximum creativity.  I'd really be set if I had Star Wars soundtracks to write by but they'll have to wait a bit (like until next payday).

Now for the words and inspiration...

Toilet Tissue Test

Okay, the test is over--or at least it is complete enough to give my results.  On my September 27, 2009 post, I talked about the three brands of toilet paper I purchased from recycled fibers (why cut down virgin forest for something that our ancestors did not have and most of the world still does not use?).  As stated before on any of my posts regarding product reviews--these are totally uncompensated personal opinions only.  If I find something I like, I'll tell about it.  If I find something I don't care for, hey, I'll tell you that as well (why should someone else repeat my buying mistake?)

Okay, I have not (yet) gone so green that I use rags--I have read of bloggers who do--but in all honesty, a rag might be softer than the Office Depot tissue LOL!  Actually, it is no worse than tissue used in commercial establishments (and better than some of the tissue I have been exposed to when using public facilities).  No softness; however it does not shred or pill easily and the rolls are sized nicely to last a while.  The rolls are individually wrapped (which does mean I can find odd storage places for them--a whole case takes a lot of room).

I had already talked about the Marcal tissue and roll size issues.  I purchased the 2-ply, double roll 4-pack in a case lot.  The paper itself is okay but I am spoiled more than I thought and changing the roll every other day is not only not fun, but I cannot help but think that the empty cardboard rolls seem to stack up fast LOL!  Sure they are recyclable but still, fewer is better, right?

So, the last is certainly NOT the least.  Overall, I love the Seventh Generation toilet tissue.  The roll size is good, the paper doesn't pill or shred as easily as some of the really soft "premium" tissue on the market, and the cost is quite acceptable.  Unfortunately, it was the paper I used first from this buying trip.  I need to use up the remainder of the Office Depot and Marcal stock.  Once that is done, however, my standard home toilet tissue will be Seventh Generation (at least until I choose to do as the ancestors did......)

Timely Tidbits and To-Do's

It's raining cats and dogs...I asked for this day off several months ago in the hopes that it would be not only a mental health day, but also a day to run the errands necessary to prepare for the upcoming NaNoWriMo month of November (badges and links to appear on my sidebar soon, as well as a complete post).

So, with the rain, and not having gotten my flu shot yet, I am choosing to stay home and do the indoor putzing around to get ready--let's see what's on the list:

1)  I need to sign a new lease, so I've let the office know I'll come up there if it ever slows up to a sprinkle (thank heavens the rent will not increase through December 2010).

2)  Labeling files and notebooks and sorting papers--recycling (AKA dumping) what I can and paying the "mini bills" that I sometimes procrastinate on--the magazine renewals for instance.  I also need to close out an auto-ship on classical music and reset my auto-ship coffee order (BTW, Boca Java is super stuff!).

3)  Making sure all of my writing aids and research materials are sorted in a fashion that allows me to "pre-plan" as much of the 50,000 word plot as I can...

4)  Realizing the my Stampin' Up! inks are not the ones closest at hand, I have decided to move some things around...I'm not willing to Freecycle (or even E-bay) all the crafting supplies I accumulated prior to selling SU! and will use them for Operation Write Home or other organizations as I make cards for donation, but if I want to build my SU! business, I need to post my crafted items here and they need to be SU! exclusive, so...those items that are not SU! will be moved to the less-accessible places in my studio...

5)  Playtime for a bit (after all, this IS supposed to be a vacation day LOL); I made an autumn card last night and may make a few bookmarks today if time permits...I am also vegging out with the laptop in front of Clean House while writing this post.

6)  My dining room doesn't work for me..I don't have company and I never have enough room for books and research; I also hate my table and chairs LOL!  I took pictures and will Freecycle the glass and metal set and have found a desk that can also serve (with the help of a tablecloth) as a dining table if I ever should need one..it'll be ordered from Target as soon as I can afford it or when I get my next perfect attendance award at work (whichever comes first).

7)  Finally, my blog header is driving me crazy!  I love the picture (it is my back porch view and it is gorgeous), but I cannot find a font color that is readable over the photo.  I'll be looking through all my clip art and image software programs and will find something that matches my vision...since the back porch photo will be leaving, here it is again  (I do love this view even if it is rain-soaked today LOL)...

2009 Reading Challenges Update

Sure haven't had as much time to read this year as I thought I would. My recent devouring of "An Echo In The Bone" by Diana Gabaldon should receive a post of its very own (out of a 5-star rating, it gets a 9 LOL!) but in the interest of time, I'll confine this post to its titled topic--an update of where I am with my challenges with less than three months left in the year.

For the 100-book challenge, I have read 89. I've spent many reading hours this year with young adult series (I have felt the need for light, amusing reading with a moral tone). Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series has become a new favorite series and I loved "The Chronicles of Narnia" earlier this year--how had I missed those as a child?

Daisy Dalrymple amused me five times so far this year with her spunky way of solving a cozy mystery.  One of her volumes solved the "book with summer/winter in the title" part of my "On The Porch Swing" Reading Challenge.

Many of my other 2009 reads thus far have been non-fiction:  various writing guides, New Orleans history and geography books, and extensive Civil War research.  All the writers I admire do the research necessary to have their settings and characters make sense.  If I ever want to be published, I need to follow that example.

I have writing guides from two of my favorite authors (Terry Brooks and Janet Evanovich) and a memoir from Rita Mae Brown (another of my favorites).  I'm wanting to count these as my other three memoirs for the "In Their Shoes" Challenge--I know the writing guides may be stretching the point a bit, but they do include biographical info along with explaining how they craft their books.  Sounds autobiographical to me LOL!

So, I guess it is time to stop posting and start reading maybe???

'Tis The Hero Holiday Card Challenge

World Card Making Day is Saturday and what better way to celebrate than to make cards for our troops to use to keep in touch with their loved ones?

This is the new name for cardsforheroes.org and while they are specifically challenging all card makers to provide holiday cards, they have an ongoing need for all occasion cards as well--birthday, anniversary, cards to send to children--please spend a few minutes at their awesome site and if you can find it in your heart to make a few extra cards during any of your crafting sessions, this is a great place to send them.

I also want to challenge all the Stampin' Up! demonstrators out there who may have sample cards made up from discontinued products--if they are A2 size, why not send them to a soldier? You all know you do your best work on your samples; any soldier would be delighted to have those cards to send to their family back home.

My focus will be autumnal/Thanksgiving cards and a dear friend intends to make Christmas cards that day. Hopefully, I'll remember my camera and can post some of our results...

Shop Smart, Save Forests

Since I live in an apartment and cannot install a bidet (unquestionably the most sanitary and least environmentally harmful way of taking care of personal cleanliness), I am constantly looking for the greenest way to handle personal hygiene and household cleaning.

I gave up paper towels and paper napkins last year, preferring rags, hand towels and cloth napkins. Just recently, I found (at Dollar General no less!) a package of women's cotton handkerchiefs--and remembered my great grandmother loving hers. Two packages (at $1 each) and I have four handkerchiefs at the start of the fall flu season...enough to start weaning myself from facial tissue. (Before any germophobes reading this faint, I want to remind you all I live alone. Facial tissue has its place when I am in public, and the sources listed in the article linked above will suffice for me to carry disposable tissues whenever away from home).

Recently, I purchased three separate brands of toilet paper made from recycled fibers--Marcal, Seventh Generation, and Office Depot Green--all from Office Depot at a per sheet price of <.02 and am in the process of evaluating each product. All three products are processed chlorine-free. I've purchased the Marcal before and my one complaint with them is the size of each roll. While a single person can make it through several days before the roll runs out, a family may find themselves using a roll a day (not exactly user-friendly for a busy household).

A full review will await the trial of all three products (I am using one brand at a time and taking notes to determine which brand--if any--reigns as superior), I do want to publicize the immense damage being done to old-growth forests simply to wipe our behinds (not only is this topic currently featured on Treehugger--one of my favorite "green" sites--even the Washington Post is covering the topic--pardon the pun).

As with any product recommendations seen on this blog, I am not being compensated by the companies listed here. These are personal opinions only. I've included company links so you may find your own sources; my use of Office Depot is based on the fact that I receive free delivery whenever I order over $50. They also have a Worklife Rewards program that provides me with periodic coupons and in this economic climate, every little bit helps.

Mystery Lover's Kitchen

Okay, ya'll already know I love food (one look at me and I could never deny that fact LOL). Most of you know I am also a coffee addict, and anyone who has read my blog knows I love to read...so, what could be better than a blog that combines all three??? Cleo Coyle writes the Village Blend mystery series and they have a permanent spot on my keeper shelf. (She also writes another of my favorite series under her nom de plume Alice Kimberly; this set stars a ghostly PI who resides in a bookstore).

Not only is Cleo giving away a free excerpt of her soon-to-be-released Holiday Blend; signing up for her newsletter enters you into a weekly drawing for free coffee.

Then, a link sent me off to Mystery Lover's Kitchen...all the writers share their recipes and their links to their websites and other blogs they love. Go check it out, but beware, you'll want to eat and drink while reading LOL!

Playing with Plastic Wrap

One of my favorite things to use for making my own background paper is plain old plastic wrap from the kitchen. Actually, I often use the plastic from opening a new ink pad, or the bag that my Sunday paper comes in, or the plastic that some of my books are wrapped in when received through Paperback Swap. I have a container on my crafting table to keep these in so I don't have to use the kitchen wrap as my first choice.

I'm in a fall mood. I need fall cards and bookmarks. As I started going through my card stock stash, I made the horrid discovery that I have no orange, rusty, autumnal colors. My next SU! order isn't budgeted for another week, and even though I have one package of our great Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper, it is currently reserved for another project.

What to do? Make my own autumn paper! Start with Very Vanilla card stock; add More Mustard and Really Rust using wadded plastic wrap to apply direct-to-paper. Voila!

Well, I thought I was okay...till I realized that as I was moving the paper around, the back got inked a bit. Not good for making a bookmark that would be seen on both sides. So, on the reverse, along with More Mustard and Really Rust smooshed with plastic wrap, I added some Taken with Teal by sponging and then just swiping the pad over the card stock. (Should have taken a picture then, but I was having too much fun to stop.) By the way--all the smooshing was done with the same piece of plastic wrap, which I did finally throw away (note to self--remove from trash and put in recycle bin).

Since I was having so much fun, I then took the flower (looks like a chrysanthemum to me) from the Kind & Caring Thoughts Level 3 Hostess set, and stamped it randomly using Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, and More Mustard.

Now all that is left is cutting it up and using it!