Less than 8,000 words to go for NaNoWriMo, or as I usually call it, "Garbage Time". The end is written, mostly, and I spread the final words around to try to tie everything together. Or, find various places in the novel to stick in passages where the characters can't quite hear each other for a couple of hundred words.
This year's NaNoWriMo anthem courtesy of Mr. Nick Lowe, who is the reason I always say, "I have 'I Knew the Bride' on my iPod?" whenever it comes around on the shuffle:
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Step into the Wayback Machine
A few reminiscences, sparked by the calendar, a conversation, and the newspaper:
1. This week marks five years since my dad had his successful cancer surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Thanksgiving dinner that year was day-old deli sandwiches from the only thing open between Rochester and home -- the Albert Lea HyVee. I think I had egg salad, and the way I remember it now, driving along I-90 with my knees while my cancer-free dad dozed in the back seat, it was a damn fine egg salad.
2. True conversations:
Monkey's Paw: Why are the Transformers at Grandma's house yours and not Dad's?
Aunt Temp: Well, first of all, your dad was a little old for the original run of Transformers, and secondly, he was not a nerd.
Monkey's Paw: He wasn't?
Aunt Temp: Nope. Anything remotely dorky about him is completely adult onset. In fact, I am going to say that one of my time machine wishes is now that I would go back twenty-five years and have a little chat with a certain ten-year-old right after she's been mercilessly mocked by her siblings for watching "Robotech" and let her know that her revenge will come.
Monkey's Paw's Dad: What revenge?
Aunt Temp: That, someday, the only son of her jerk brother is going to turn out to be a complete and total nerdlinger.
Monkey's Paw: What's "Robotech"?
Aunt Temp: (Evil Laugh)
3. One of the Lutheran ladies from back home passed away last week. She was, hands down, the best maker of lefse and kringles this planet has ever seen. In tribute, I present, verbatim, her recipe for Kringles from "Adventures in the Kitchen II: Waverly Lutheran Church Centennial Cookbook"(1)
Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 (16 oz.) ctn. sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp.baking powder
2 1/2 c. flour (unsifted)
Mix sugar, butter and salt until it is crumbly. Add egg and stir well. Add the sour cream and stir until evenly incorporated. Add 1 cup of flour together with baking soda and baking powder; mix well. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour. It will be a stiff dough. (I refrigerate the dough overnight to make it easier to handle.)(2) Place dough on a floured canvas. Take small portions (a heaping teaspoon) and roll to the size of a pencil. Shape into a figure 8, or a snail(3), and place on a slightly-greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.(4) They should be lightly browned. Yield: 4 dozen.(5)
1. I kid you not.
2. Have tried to do this, but I usually last about a half-hour before saying, "Screw it, I ain't waiting overnight for Kringles."
3. No. If it ain't a figure 8, it ain't a Kringle,
4. which makes it handy for when you're trying to remember how long to bake them for.
5. Less whatever of the dough you ate while waiting for the batch in the oven to finish.
1. This week marks five years since my dad had his successful cancer surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Thanksgiving dinner that year was day-old deli sandwiches from the only thing open between Rochester and home -- the Albert Lea HyVee. I think I had egg salad, and the way I remember it now, driving along I-90 with my knees while my cancer-free dad dozed in the back seat, it was a damn fine egg salad.
2. True conversations:
Monkey's Paw: Why are the Transformers at Grandma's house yours and not Dad's?
Aunt Temp: Well, first of all, your dad was a little old for the original run of Transformers, and secondly, he was not a nerd.
Monkey's Paw: He wasn't?
Aunt Temp: Nope. Anything remotely dorky about him is completely adult onset. In fact, I am going to say that one of my time machine wishes is now that I would go back twenty-five years and have a little chat with a certain ten-year-old right after she's been mercilessly mocked by her siblings for watching "Robotech" and let her know that her revenge will come.
Monkey's Paw's Dad: What revenge?
Aunt Temp: That, someday, the only son of her jerk brother is going to turn out to be a complete and total nerdlinger.
Monkey's Paw: What's "Robotech"?
Aunt Temp: (Evil Laugh)
3. One of the Lutheran ladies from back home passed away last week. She was, hands down, the best maker of lefse and kringles this planet has ever seen. In tribute, I present, verbatim, her recipe for Kringles from "Adventures in the Kitchen II: Waverly Lutheran Church Centennial Cookbook"(1)
Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 (16 oz.) ctn. sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp.baking powder
2 1/2 c. flour (unsifted)
Mix sugar, butter and salt until it is crumbly. Add egg and stir well. Add the sour cream and stir until evenly incorporated. Add 1 cup of flour together with baking soda and baking powder; mix well. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour. It will be a stiff dough. (I refrigerate the dough overnight to make it easier to handle.)(2) Place dough on a floured canvas. Take small portions (a heaping teaspoon) and roll to the size of a pencil. Shape into a figure 8, or a snail(3), and place on a slightly-greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.(4) They should be lightly browned. Yield: 4 dozen.(5)
1. I kid you not.
2. Have tried to do this, but I usually last about a half-hour before saying, "Screw it, I ain't waiting overnight for Kringles."
3. No. If it ain't a figure 8, it ain't a Kringle,
4. which makes it handy for when you're trying to remember how long to bake them for.
5. Less whatever of the dough you ate while waiting for the batch in the oven to finish.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Learning Experiences
My, it's been a wonderful week of opportunities for personal growth. For example, I now know that I do not, in fact, know all the words to "O, Canada". At the very same time, I learned that Canadians are indeed so polite as to keep them from turning around and tell the drunken ass behind them to stop butchering their national anthem.
I had a lot of growth opportunities that were work and Texas-related, culminating in what I will now be referring to, and for the very last time, as "Wow, there may really be something to this Friday the 13th thing." All I can say is never agree to stay out at some ranch in the boonies, volunteer to give someone else's presentation before senior management, and fly through Denver on the same day.
But, what I learned about myself this morning is probably the thing that will have the longest lasting implications. In the locker room at the gym, post-swim and pre-run, I went into my bag and learned that some idiot had forgotten to pack underwear. So, now I know that running flat out for four miles whilst commando is entirely possible. Am I going to make a habit of it? Time will tell.
I had a lot of growth opportunities that were work and Texas-related, culminating in what I will now be referring to, and for the very last time, as "Wow, there may really be something to this Friday the 13th thing." All I can say is never agree to stay out at some ranch in the boonies, volunteer to give someone else's presentation before senior management, and fly through Denver on the same day.
But, what I learned about myself this morning is probably the thing that will have the longest lasting implications. In the locker room at the gym, post-swim and pre-run, I went into my bag and learned that some idiot had forgotten to pack underwear. So, now I know that running flat out for four miles whilst commando is entirely possible. Am I going to make a habit of it? Time will tell.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Stolen!
Got past 12.5K words today, and then accidentally left my jump drive at a location that is not my apartment, yet where I can be assured of retrieving it early tomorrow (by which I mean I am totally not writing at the office, ahem).
So tonight I'm just chilling. Cursing the BBC for not allowing me to watch the new episode of Spooks on-line via them (it's my fault I'm not in the UK?) and waiting for some lovely British person to, ah, did I mention that I am not writing at the office? Can't stress that enough.
Stolen from Mugsy:
Last Road Trip: For sheer road-trip purposes? Might be almost 10 years ago when Bullinger and I went out to Washington State.
Last Bad Advice: Given or received? I think can pinpoint "received" to when someone told me not to put that big a percentage of my 401K into railroad stock. I will now be shouting "31 PERCENT PREMIUM" at that person for time to come.
Last Movie I Saw in a Theater: Zombieland.
Last TV Show Watched: I caught some of Nova last night.
Last TV Show I Enjoyed Watching: Watched a load of The Closer over the weekend and am just now getting my internal narrator to stop using that fake Georgia accent.
Last Book I Tried to Read: In the Days of McKinley. McKinley was, based on the 35-pages I've read so far, an odd man. And we've had some seriously odd presidents, so that's saying something.
Last Thing I Left Home Without: My checkbook.
Last Take Out Meal: Probably Taco Bell. Although the one by my house is so inept that I usually stay in just for the floor show.
Last Celebration: I consider the giant sub and cheap beer the family had after cleaning out my house to be just about right.
Last Item Loaned Out and Haven’t Gotten Back: Some book, I'm sure. I've pretty much kept Catch 22 and The Westing Game in print from buying them over and over.
Last Package Received: The poster they sent for donating to NaNoWriMo. It's pretty sweet.
Last Web Site Visited: Mugsy's, of course.
Last Injury: I had this weird elbow thing going on where it killed to straighten my arm out. But that seems to have gone away.
Last Run In with the Law: The nice thing about living off of I-80 is that you are never the fastest person out there. The fuzz haven't given me a second glance in months.
Last Place I’d Want to Live: Oh, probably somewhere that's hot and humid without air conditioning.
Last Magazine Read: Outdoor. My sis-in-law calls it "surfer porn," but I swear I do occasionally read the articles.
Last Thing I Broke: I broke 55 minutes for 6 miles over the weekend, for the first time in a hella long time.
Last Thing I Fixed: Probably the columns on someone's Excel spreadsheet. All hail my Microsoft Office-fu.
Last Thing That Made Me Laugh: The Daily Show clips I was watching earlier.
Last Thing That Made Me Go Huh? There's always several things a day.
Last Thought: "I wonder if that'll go down the disposal."
So tonight I'm just chilling. Cursing the BBC for not allowing me to watch the new episode of Spooks on-line via them (it's my fault I'm not in the UK?) and waiting for some lovely British person to, ah, did I mention that I am not writing at the office? Can't stress that enough.
Stolen from Mugsy:
Last Road Trip: For sheer road-trip purposes? Might be almost 10 years ago when Bullinger and I went out to Washington State.
Last Bad Advice: Given or received? I think can pinpoint "received" to when someone told me not to put that big a percentage of my 401K into railroad stock. I will now be shouting "31 PERCENT PREMIUM" at that person for time to come.
Last Movie I Saw in a Theater: Zombieland.
Last TV Show Watched: I caught some of Nova last night.
Last TV Show I Enjoyed Watching: Watched a load of The Closer over the weekend and am just now getting my internal narrator to stop using that fake Georgia accent.
Last Book I Tried to Read: In the Days of McKinley. McKinley was, based on the 35-pages I've read so far, an odd man. And we've had some seriously odd presidents, so that's saying something.
Last Thing I Left Home Without: My checkbook.
Last Take Out Meal: Probably Taco Bell. Although the one by my house is so inept that I usually stay in just for the floor show.
Last Celebration: I consider the giant sub and cheap beer the family had after cleaning out my house to be just about right.
Last Item Loaned Out and Haven’t Gotten Back: Some book, I'm sure. I've pretty much kept Catch 22 and The Westing Game in print from buying them over and over.
Last Package Received: The poster they sent for donating to NaNoWriMo. It's pretty sweet.
Last Web Site Visited: Mugsy's, of course.
Last Injury: I had this weird elbow thing going on where it killed to straighten my arm out. But that seems to have gone away.
Last Run In with the Law: The nice thing about living off of I-80 is that you are never the fastest person out there. The fuzz haven't given me a second glance in months.
Last Place I’d Want to Live: Oh, probably somewhere that's hot and humid without air conditioning.
Last Magazine Read: Outdoor. My sis-in-law calls it "surfer porn," but I swear I do occasionally read the articles.
Last Thing I Broke: I broke 55 minutes for 6 miles over the weekend, for the first time in a hella long time.
Last Thing I Fixed: Probably the columns on someone's Excel spreadsheet. All hail my Microsoft Office-fu.
Last Thing That Made Me Laugh: The Daily Show clips I was watching earlier.
Last Thing That Made Me Go Huh? There's always several things a day.
Last Thought: "I wonder if that'll go down the disposal."
Monday, November 02, 2009
Heartwarming coming of age story
The NaNo update is that I am just shy of 10,000 words and calling it a day. I promised myself that if I got to 7500 by 7:00 I could skip the gym today. Plus, I had what some might consider a productive day at work with more (at least 2) to follow, which I find makes me less motivated for the gym.
Other random things I did not know: One of my favorite shows, "The Closer" is co-produced and occasionally written by the son of the guy who played Gul Dukat on DS9 (or as I like to call it: "Star Trek: Cardassians"). So, now that's stuck somewhere in your head forever too.
Or not, which reminds me of a conversation I had recently with the Beauty Queen, which I will not relate due to complete inappropriateness, but which touched upon how utterly hilarious (and inappropriate) we all plan to be once we're old and can get away with it.
Other random things I did not know: One of my favorite shows, "The Closer" is co-produced and occasionally written by the son of the guy who played Gul Dukat on DS9 (or as I like to call it: "Star Trek: Cardassians"). So, now that's stuck somewhere in your head forever too.
Or not, which reminds me of a conversation I had recently with the Beauty Queen, which I will not relate due to complete inappropriateness, but which touched upon how utterly hilarious (and inappropriate) we all plan to be once we're old and can get away with it.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
UNLEASH THE HOUNDS
Of all the random nonsense I have rolling around in my head, how could I have missed that the woman who sued Lee Marvin for palimony was shacked up with Dick Van Dyke for 30 years? Not that I go out of my way for this sort of stuff, but I would've assumed that it might've blipped across my radar just once in the past three decades.
Anyway, I'm still debating whether or not to stay up until midnight so I can get an appropriately insane start on National Novel Writing Month. The notion of writing through the DST change amuses me, but I suspect that around 11 I'm going to be more or less asleep.
Oh, right. Halloween. Um, do children still enjoy, ah, bags of frozen broccoli or canned fruit? Store-brand oatmeal packets? Hopefully no one makes it past the security door....
Anyway, I'm still debating whether or not to stay up until midnight so I can get an appropriately insane start on National Novel Writing Month. The notion of writing through the DST change amuses me, but I suspect that around 11 I'm going to be more or less asleep.
Oh, right. Halloween. Um, do children still enjoy, ah, bags of frozen broccoli or canned fruit? Store-brand oatmeal packets? Hopefully no one makes it past the security door....
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