Post-Nano Haze

NaNoWriMo has ended, and I find myself with more time on my hands than I had last month. NaNoWriMo felt.. very important this year. It was my second year of participation and my second win. I am under no delusions that the collection of short stories that I created is at all well-written, or would hold any meaning for anyone else. But the act of creating it did feel important, even vital, like awakening a piece of myself that has been dead for many years. Markedly different from last year, when I thought, well that was fun, let's never do that again. So I will continue writing short fiction, even if no one will ever read it but me. Dan has been pushing me to share things I write here, and.. I just can't, right now. I can't explain why things I make up are more meaningful to me than things I don't, but so it is.

The other thing I will be doing with all this extra time is being crafty! Making things can certainly be a creative endeavor, and it has long been a desire of mine to be a generally more useful person. I squarely place the act of making things I will actively use within this category. It's also far less personal and something I actually feel as though I can share in public.

So today I got out some scrap fabric and tools, and started playing a little. Here is my workspace.

... it's the floor. The bundle of white and pink fabric sits on top of a wee ironing board, about six inches off the ground. 

I opened the blinds of the front window in an effort to occupy Brian, since he is glued to my side all day long and the joy of looking out the window is the only thing that will distract him for any length of time.

It worked for a little while.

There is a reason everything I own is covered in a fine layer of white hair.

So let's see how far I get in this workspace with this dog.

In conclusion, here is an unrelated picture of me looking like a ghost. A GHOST WITH UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

My Blanket Fort

I have built a miniature blanket fort in my bed. All this really means is I pulled a light blanket over my head and laptop, so as not to awaken my sleeping spouse. The blanket is light, so the carbon dioxide won’t accumulate and result in my untimely death. My blanket fort is admittedly half-assed, but still the greatest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been meaning to build a blanket for for ages.

Snow Watch 2012 is officially in full swing. There were flurries today, and there were flurries about two weeks ago. I took a lovely cold walk and got snowed on and almost died of happiness. Prior to that: several hours of Roller Coaster Tycoon. After that: wrote some words on my novel.

In summation: a wonderful day.

The novel progress is slow and steady. Yesterday, I was woefully behind until I attended a Top Secret Write In, and I managed to write over six thousand words. Huzzah!

Happy November!

And then I blinked, and had lived in Minnesota for six months! Almost seven! Today I cast my first ballot as a Minnesotan! FYI: NO and NO.

Planned accomplishments for November: Write a novel, make some friends. Entertain my sister and niece, who will stay with me for four days.

Up next in December: learn to knit, finish another quilt block, and mail my Christmas presents on time.

Doot, doot doo….

This is a very dark place. In Florida, even in the winter, you don’t have very many of these days that are just gray all day. More often, either it is raining, or it is sunny. Very little in between. Also, the difference in daylight between summer and winter is not so vast as it is here. This will take some getting used to.

Still, my home is a cozy place, and when it is darker earlier, it is more fun to look into the windows of the bus. You see all the people in there, going home from work in the dark!

I am working from home these days, and have a prime window seat, spying on the comings and goings at the Dean’s Circle. I feel very fortunate to be here, with steaming tea and my little dog napping at my feet. I am just feeling such gratitude for my life right now.