1. I have noticed an odd and slightly depressing phenomon in my blogging. On the days when I write something that I think is pithy and fun and well, just sort of super awesome, I totally expect that I’ll immediately get comments. Lots and lots of comments. And then? I don’t. Conversely, there are those times when I type random babble and people come of the woodwork to comment. WHY IS THIS? What’s the trick? Have you solved the secrets of the fire swamp? If so, please, have some pity on my poor soul and share them with me. Because I? Clearly don’t know how to write for an audience AT. ALL. Which is a bad thing if, like me, you dream of writing a novel that is read by someone other than a family member.
2. Speaking of novel writing, I do believe that my dear friend AprilMay has come up with a Genius Idea. In response to my pathetic whining on Monday about the Colossal Suckitude That Was My Nano Novel, she suggested that this year we do our own modified version of NaNo. (“NaNo” being National Novel Writing Month, of course.) Our version, currently dubbed “MamaNaNo”, would be the busy mom’s approach to novel writing. Instead of trying to pound out 50,000 words in 30 days our goal would be a solid outline for a novel and a couple of good opening chapters. Anyone interested in joining us?
3. Helpful Financial Tip of The Day: If you have plans to sell stocks, just check with me on when we are selling some, and then sell yours a week later. I guarantee, the price WILL go up. Like for instance today the stock we have lots of (because it’s Hubby’s company and they give them to him for bonuses and whatnot) went up a whole whopping lot today – a week or so after we sold a bunch. DOH. Of course this experience positively pales in comparison to the time back in 2000 when Hubby was putting in a sell order and HE wanted to sell LOTS and *I* was all “No, we should hold our stocks LONGER and let them go UP more” and so he only sold what we needed to buy a piano. Well wouldn’t you know but just a few days later the whole tech bubble burst and BAM down went all our stocks, never to see those prices again. I? Would make a HORRIBLE stock broker.
4. R~ has been invited to be part of a reading-tutor type group three mornings a week before school. On the one hand, it’s nice they are making extra efforts to help my kid. On the other hand, it means she’ll lose an hour of sleep, three days a week. Which doesn’t seem ideal during cold/flu season. Also it means she’ll be sitting at a desk that much longer too. And it will wreck havoc on our morning schedule because I’ll still have to get Zeeb on the bus at the usual time. Doing “what’s best” for your kid isn’t always so easy to figure out.
5. The vet just called. Happy, our collie, is there for the day, getting up to date on shots and tests and getting groomed. Like a spa day for dogs. Only a lot less fun. Well it turns out when they did the heartworm test she came back “lyme positive”. Meaning a tick with lyme disease bit her. Caught completely by surprise (I didn’t even know they were testing for lyme disease) I didn’t think to ask if this means she HAS lyme disease, or was just exposed to it? Then the vet went on to say they could vaccinate her for lyme disease. I didn’t say yes, because I just read an article this morning about how pets are way over vaccinated and how some of the vaccines can actually cause cancer and stuff in dogs and cats. Also I thought I heard that the lyme disease vaccination was only like 50% effective. Should I call back and tell them to give it to her? What do you other east coast pet-owners do? (There’s no lyme disease in the Pacific Northwest. Thus why I’ve never had to think about this stuff before. I tell you, it’s a land flowing with milk and honey, Washington state is. Well, rain and honey is probably more accurate. But you get the idea.)
6. I’ve about had it up to HERE with the bugs already. Stink bugs, giant bees, swarms of ants, beetle looking things with wiggly antenae (killed one in my kitchen this morning) and now lyme disease carrying ticks. I’d say it’s about time for a good hard frost to kill them all off, wouldn’t you?
7. Maybe I’m not quite ready for frost and snow. But I am ready for November. I kind of hate Halloween. All the stressing over putting together costumes and the massive consumption of candy (mine and the kids’) and all the icky scary evil crap in every store and on every other house we go by. Just not my thing. But Thanksgiving? Relaxed family time with no gift-giving stress or special clothing requirements? Now that’s a holiday I look forward to.
More Quick Takes Here.
October 23, 2009 at 4:57 pm
The fire swamp, like comments, is totally random.
I hate Halloween too!! Like I really want to take my toddler to houses with severed heads and skeletons dangling from the porch light. Talk about NIGHTMARES.
I will put up a post on MamaNaNo soon! Or, if we get enough (last minute, ha ha) interest, maybe I’ll start a special blog. Or you could start another blog LOL.
You know what? There are SO many more bugs here in Southern Oregon than WA! I hate it. It seems like OR is close enough to WA but noooo…
I hope your dog is OK!!
As for R…I usually just go by if the kid really wants to do it. Because if she doesn’t, she won’t put any effort into it, and the tutoring will not be effective.
October 23, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I just found your blog through Conversion Diary – which explains why I’ve never commented. I have NO idea why commenting is so inconsistent! It doesn’t make any sense. I get daily comments but they don’t reflect my traffic. I don’t understand!
We can be blog friends and feed each other’s blogs with comments!
I’ve started writing my first novel. I don’t think I can take on this challenge though, too much pressure!!! A man at my church told me about the NaNo Writing Month and he’s giving it a shot. It makes me want to hurl just thinking about it!!
October 23, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Our church is doing this Trunk or Treat thing this year, and I am so excited… our kids have never celebrated Halloween(didn’t even know what it was) and this year they get too, and I don’t even have to worry about it! woo-hoo!
Um, I would love the novel writing challenge… but I have no desire to write fiction.. maybe a memoir someday…hehe
October 23, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Right? I am totally looking forward to Thanksgiving. I don’t mind the treat-fest but it has a totally different feel as contrasted by Thanksgiving.
We don’t vaccinate our pets for everything. I’ve done the research too and there are some vaccines I was fine with and others that really seemed over the top. Unfortunately I totally can not remember which we did and did not do. Which probably means our pets are due for updates. Sigh.
October 24, 2009 at 11:45 am
I know! Comments are WEIRD! But then I think it helps me not to get an inflated sense of my own neuroses… does that make sense? Because the posts I always think will get comments are the Angsty Ones but the posts that actually DO get comments are the ones where I talk about, I don’t know, eating yogurt for dinner. So whatever.
As for NaNoWriMo… I’m still thinking I’m going to do it. Mostly because my problem (as I have self-diagnosed it) is that I am such a freak about rewriting and editing that I never GET ANYWHERE. This might be good for me in that I am forced to continue, no matter how bad it is. I’m under no impression that this is going to be a GOOD novel or even A NOVEL, but as a writing exercise… I hope to 1) get in the habit of writing every day (and not just for the blog) and 2) MOVING FORWARD, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. And if it’s a piece of crap (AND IT WILL BE) I hope to be able to say: AT LEAST I GOT PAST PAGE FOUR.
That said, your version sounds much easier and I may jump ship midway through.
October 24, 2009 at 6:33 pm
No clue about comments. For me, it’s because I am lazy and your feed comes in full-text. Sorry…I really should probably come up with a better answer, huh?
Vaccines for pets…now that one I can answer. Pets ARE overvaccinated. We vaccinate every three years for rabies because it’s required by law and I don’t want my dog to be put down if he gets found. Distemper, same thing…every three years. And kennel cough – which is STUPID STUPID STUPID – we do every so often, long enough that it’s less than every 6 months but probably more than every year, and that’s so we can board him on a whim if we need to. He got kennel cough anyway. I hate HATE HATE HATE that one.
Lyme is not that effective. We have lyme like crazy where I live and we haven’t vaccinated. We do use Frontline and we check for ticks all the time. Different areas respond differently to tick medication, so if Frontline doesn’t work, try Advantix (or vice versa). If those don’t, tick collars do, but they can’t be bitten by another dog in, say, the dog park. But the lyme vaccine is just not where it needs to be yet (from an efficacy standpoint). I know of a lot of dogs on the Cape who have gotten the vaccine and STILL gotten Lyme (the Cape is one of the worst places for Lyme). It’s a crappy battle.
Sorry for the novel. I think if you ask 10 vets about the vaccine, 5 will say get it and 5 will say hold off.
October 24, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Sorry I haven’t been commenting much lately. Its been all I can do to sit down and keep up with reading my favorite blogs (of which you are at the top of the list.
I’m working on re-entering the blogging world though. I’ve got to…it keeps me sane.
I am totally with you on the Halloween thing. I can’t stand it. In fact, my poor kids had to come up with their own halloween costumes last year and at the rate I’m going they’ll probably have to do it again this year. Yep…I’m winning TONS of Mother of the Year Awards this year!
October 25, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I like your version of NaNo. I was thinking of doing NaNo again this year (didn’t last year) because I came up with an idea for a novel (finally!), but I think it is going to require a bit more than just diving in and writing. You know, the whole outline thing might be helpful. I don’t know . . . So how is your version going to work as far as the moral support? Because, you know, I need accountability to accomplish anything greater than getting trampled by a horse.