Nico!

Nico's going home with me for the holidays....and he's staying there until I move back in summer 2013. :(

Commence angsty separation anxiety!

Crafty like a fox.

I've been crafting like a fiend ever since leaving my job. DIY is my new happy.

This is what happens when pliers and a paperclip fall into my hands at midnight. :)

Inspiration taken from the I Spy DIY blog

.

You can take this job, and you can shovel it!

So I kinda sorta...quit my job.

Yes, I've entered into the ranks of the voluntarily unemployed, and giving up a six-figure job for NOTHING never felt so amazing. Seriously, there's such freedom in giving it all an "F-U."

I caught a bug.

The writing bug, that is.

I haven't really been in a reading mood lately, but I DO have an idea for another submission call. Aaaaahhhhhh!!! I know, it's like a virus that has taken over my life. j/k :)

On the "good news" front, the anthology that includes my story was published two weeks ago. YAY! So I guess...I can consider myself a published author now? It's kind of weird, isn't it?

This journey has been such a trip (in a GOOD way). I started writing in February of this year, and now I'm published with two other freebie stories available. Ah yes, the second freebie story is the sequel to my first freebie story. I wrote it in response to reader requests for "what happens next?"

I hope readers keep reading my stuff and that this awesome feeling continues. :)

Bear Wrestling

So I had to bring my cat in for dental surgery on Friday. Poor baby needed two teeth removed. Getting him into the carrier is always a massive production, and I'd swear I was wrestling a baby bear, despite his relatively-modest size (twelve pounds).  Now, in the post-op phase, I need to give him meds twice a day for a week.  Trust me, he's not a fan of those, either.

*sigh*

Sometimes I wish I were a cat whisperer so that I could tell him it's for his own good.

Big news!

That story I submitted the other week for that anthology??

They accepted it for publication! Yay, I'm going to be published!

*does the Cabbage Patch dance* :)

I'm a writer...I guess?

Um, that story I mentioned I wrote...yeah, it was posted/published this week. That, in and of itself, was already kind of awesome/scary.

What's crazier is that people have asked what happens next. They want more! Like...whoa.  So, yeah, I just started writing follow-up/epilogue-y type part two for my...audience (?). Feels weird to say that.

Separately, I submitted something else this week. I know, it's a week of eventful things! I wrote another m/m story and submitted it for consideration to be included in an Olympics-themed anthology. We'll see if it gets picked up for *gulp* REAL publication!

Okay, back to writing stuff. Let me say it again: like...whoa. :)

Lobstaaaaaah!

Just a quick update. Got back from my vacation in Nicaragua. Slightly um...sunburned. Hence, the titular red-shelled seafood reference. Really great balance of relaxing and sightseeing.

Spent the first half in a really (really REALLY) rustic surf lodge. Open air bungalows with mosquito net beds and no electricity. Yup. I could've done without the composting toilets, but at least there was running water for showers. Food was delicious, and I spent most of my days relaxing in a hammock with a book. Rode a horse on the beach and through sugar cane fields. Got $15 full body massages. Fantastic.

 Second half of my vacation I spent in the city of Granada...in the nicest hotel in the city with a pool, flush toilets, hot water, maid service, free buffet breakfast, etc. For $89/night. ha! Did sightseeing and hiked the crater of a volcano. Had a good time speaking really basic and rusty Spanish with my no-hablo-ingles drivers. I can apparently have a conversation that covers my name, where I'm from, where I live, how I like Nicaragua, where I've been in the country, food, pets, and even some movies and music.

 Not sure where my next destination will be, but...flush toilets...yeah...I think I'll have to add that to the list of requirements. :)

It has been released into the wild.

Well, that story I volunteered to write? I submitted it. Yup. Out of my hands.

It's both exciting and kind of terrifying. A tiny little piece of myself that's going to be out there for the public to view, appreciate, and/or criticize.

I also set up an author's blog for my alias, so that's what I think I'll work on today.

Wish me luck!

P.S. If you want to see the story and/or the blog, let me know, and I'll send you the link and keep you posted as to when the story will be made publicly available.

Obsession

Thy name is odderie.

I'm obsessed with this bag, and I can't find it anywhere [other than eBay] to purchase it. Looks like it's from 2-3 seasons ago. :(

Donna Karan Collection "Gotham" Leather Tote

"Prom? Wha...? Oh, wait..."

I must be getting old.

There was an article/ad thingee that popped up recently about great prom dresses under $100. I saw it and thought "Prom?? Why are they writing about prom now?" Then I looked at the calendar, saw it was March, and was all "Oh wait...that is coming up soon, isn't it?"

Oh, how quickly we do forget.

So, I volunteered to write a short story...

It has the potential to be published in an anthology put out by the group that is seeking the stories.

So, how does one choose a pseudonym/pen name? I'm a little torn...

Nico's a blogger.

Today, I had to feed Nico a pill for his tummy medications. Now I know what a bear wrestler feels like. Or maybe a lion tamer. Seriously.

His thoughts can be found on his blog at www.nicosays.blogspot.com. Meow.

GO NINERS!!!!

I stole this from someone on Facebook. It's too good not to share:

You know it.

It's the end of an era, part two.

After 5+ years of Elite status, I was not re-Elited this year on Yelp. No warning. No "please write more." Just...deemed not worthy. *lifts eyebrows* No matter how much they give encouragement in their form email that one can always try for it throughout the year, I say eff that - I'm taking it personally, especially since people less active than I were re-Elited. Sooooooo...

I'm retiring from Yelp, effective immediately.

So long, Yelp.