Recently several people have asked me to join their list on Linked In or to register as their friend on Facebook. I have done all willingly, except for one person I truly didn't know. Another acquaintance signed me up for Good Reads and every once in a while I get a long list of books she's read and liked. But what do I do on all these sites? I know my children are on Facebook and maybe I should look them up--I'm now a registered user, if I can remember my user name and password. But it seems to me you could spend all your time keeping up with these people on the various sites, and if they want to keep up with mr, they can read this blog. So I'm really at a loss what to do about it. I don't want to seem an ungrateful friend . . . I'll appreciate any advice.
We are under dire storm warnings tonight--tornadoes and the whole thing--but so far we haven't gotten a drop of rain. It's late enough in the evening now that I won't mind if I have to bring Scooby in for the night, and the storms are supposed to pass (if they ever come) well before morning, so I shouldn't have a problem getting him out in the morning. I know we need the rain desperately, but when I hear it in the forecast, my mind immediately jumps to how I'm going to deal with Scooby.
I started keying in typo corrections on the first portion of the second mystery tonight, and could not find one section. Apparently sometime after I printed it out, I revised. So now I have to go back, reread all ten chapters, and figure out if what I've done is right. I keep doing that to the point that I seem to never write another new word. Halfway through the book, and I just keep rewriting. I suspect its because I'm not sure where I'm going, though I have lots of notes. I also suspect if I got some positive feedback on the first novel, I'd throw myself into this one with more vigor. Is this truly writer's block? I know enough to know that the way through that is to keep writing, just as the way around phobias is to do what scares you (that's a whole other story).
But I have cleared my desk of other chores--my income tax information is off to the accountant, I don't have to write another column until at least a month from now, and all the flotsam and jetsam are cleared up. Except I'm gong to start tonight on concrete plans for publicizing "the" cookbook--bookmarks, mailing lists, reviewer lists, etc. I am getting such good feedback about the cover!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
Novels, cutting calories, and being a lady
I'm puzzling over what makes a spellbinding novel stand way above the ordinary. I spent much of the weekend reading Julia Spencer Fleming's I Shall Not Care, and I'm thinking I should ask for a small commission as a secondary publicist for her. I can't put her novels down once I start, even though I see some high coincidences, some almost unbelievable plotting. Just when things are going well or about to for the central characters, she moves in like clockwork with another disaster. But I think it's the characteres--they're believable, clever, funny, all mixed up with emotions--people you and I know about and care about.
On the other hand I just read a proposal tonight for a novel, and it was--how to say it?--too "interior." The narrator was in his own head too much, so that I wanted to say, "Come on, man, get with some action here." I wanted something to happen. As it unfolded there was a kind of interesting story, but it came after too much slowness and while it interested me, it didn't rivet me. I've decided that TCU Press can only afford fiction that you simply can't not publish. Any doubts, and you have to turn it away.
Now I'm without reading material, which will force me back to my own novel to try to make those characters as compelling as possible, though I don't know that they'll ever be as complex as Spencer Flemings or Deborah Crombie's (my two favorite writers at this moment). I met a woman at lunch today who, retired, has turned to write what another friend described as "bodice rippers"--I thought that term went out in the eighties. But she gets up every morning and writes, and I think that's what I need to do. Today I did all other things--emails, prepared a memo for my boss, worked on my taxes, read that proposal, etc. By the time I thought about my novel is was nine and too late.
Last night I made a family favorite, Doris' casserole, and told Jordan and Christian that I knew they'd eaten here a lot lately and they were welcome to come but under no obligation--I was going to make it anyway. They said it was too hard to turn down and they'd be here. I thought about inviting the neighbors but realized that this casserole that serves six gets mostly eaten by the three of us--Jacob picked at a little and Christian ate what he didn't. But it was part of my ongoing campaign to eat in a more healthy manner--so instead of ground beef, I used ground bison; I substituted light sour cream for the real thing, and I used whole wheat egg-style noodles with no cholesterol. I never thought about noodles having cholesterol, but I guess if they're egg, they must. It tasted just as good as usual and we ate way over half of it. I'm not sure healthful eating does much for one if one takes two huge helpings. Tonight I made myself stick to one smaller helping.
This noon I was the guest of Mary Lu at Monday Book Club at the Woman's Club, which has only in recent years relaxed its strict dress code. One of our readers emailed that he'd be by to drop off a manuscript, and I suggested he wait until tomorrow since Susan and I were both going to the Woman's Club where we would try to behave like ladies. He wrote back to ask if we had the proper hats, and I told him that we didn't need hats and we could even wear pants. Mary Lu told me though that one woman showed up in athletic pants once and was asked to leave. I enjoyed the luncheon--the book review was fun because it was about a book by a good friend of mine and one I'd read a long time ago; lunch was delicious, and the conversation in our corner of the table quite fun.
Of course I listened to the President's news conference tonight, and immediately after it was over, Mary Lu called to say, 'Isn't it wonderful to have a president who speaks so well?" I did think he was clear, open, and thorough, and yes I liked it. What fun to see that Helen Thomas is still asking questions! I thought she retired. President Obama was funny when he called on her and said, "Hey, this is my inaugural event. I'm excited."
On the other hand I just read a proposal tonight for a novel, and it was--how to say it?--too "interior." The narrator was in his own head too much, so that I wanted to say, "Come on, man, get with some action here." I wanted something to happen. As it unfolded there was a kind of interesting story, but it came after too much slowness and while it interested me, it didn't rivet me. I've decided that TCU Press can only afford fiction that you simply can't not publish. Any doubts, and you have to turn it away.
Now I'm without reading material, which will force me back to my own novel to try to make those characters as compelling as possible, though I don't know that they'll ever be as complex as Spencer Flemings or Deborah Crombie's (my two favorite writers at this moment). I met a woman at lunch today who, retired, has turned to write what another friend described as "bodice rippers"--I thought that term went out in the eighties. But she gets up every morning and writes, and I think that's what I need to do. Today I did all other things--emails, prepared a memo for my boss, worked on my taxes, read that proposal, etc. By the time I thought about my novel is was nine and too late.
Last night I made a family favorite, Doris' casserole, and told Jordan and Christian that I knew they'd eaten here a lot lately and they were welcome to come but under no obligation--I was going to make it anyway. They said it was too hard to turn down and they'd be here. I thought about inviting the neighbors but realized that this casserole that serves six gets mostly eaten by the three of us--Jacob picked at a little and Christian ate what he didn't. But it was part of my ongoing campaign to eat in a more healthy manner--so instead of ground beef, I used ground bison; I substituted light sour cream for the real thing, and I used whole wheat egg-style noodles with no cholesterol. I never thought about noodles having cholesterol, but I guess if they're egg, they must. It tasted just as good as usual and we ate way over half of it. I'm not sure healthful eating does much for one if one takes two huge helpings. Tonight I made myself stick to one smaller helping.
This noon I was the guest of Mary Lu at Monday Book Club at the Woman's Club, which has only in recent years relaxed its strict dress code. One of our readers emailed that he'd be by to drop off a manuscript, and I suggested he wait until tomorrow since Susan and I were both going to the Woman's Club where we would try to behave like ladies. He wrote back to ask if we had the proper hats, and I told him that we didn't need hats and we could even wear pants. Mary Lu told me though that one woman showed up in athletic pants once and was asked to leave. I enjoyed the luncheon--the book review was fun because it was about a book by a good friend of mine and one I'd read a long time ago; lunch was delicious, and the conversation in our corner of the table quite fun.
Of course I listened to the President's news conference tonight, and immediately after it was over, Mary Lu called to say, 'Isn't it wonderful to have a president who speaks so well?" I did think he was clear, open, and thorough, and yes I liked it. What fun to see that Helen Thomas is still asking questions! I thought she retired. President Obama was funny when he called on her and said, "Hey, this is my inaugural event. I'm excited."
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Hello, nothing!
This is one of those nights when I feel I should blog but don't have much significant to say except I did this, and then I did that--and who really cares but me? Except that I did have lunch Friday with an old and dear friend I only see ever two or three years since she's moved to Atlanta. Her husband was supposed to come too, but he had a bad case of stomach something, so Subie and I had a girls lunch--and chatted about kids, grandkids, jobs, politics, the whole gamut. Really fun--a two-hour lunch!
Last night Master Jacob spent the night, but he was quite solemn all evening, mostly watched a DVD called "Happy Feet," so I sat at the table and read. His favorite things now are three tiny cars he carries everywhere with him. He went to bed happily enough, but for almost an hour I could hear the clank of those cars on the monitor. He woke about 5:30 this morning, and I could tell the sounds were fussing, not happy. After ten minutes or so, I went in, told him he was all right, I loved him, and gave him his cars--he slept until 7:45, thank goodness, and this morning he was his usual happy self. We had a giggling battle trying to get his clothes on--he would not stay still and kept kicking out of his pants. By the time he was finally dressed, it looked like a blind woman had done it--or he had dressed himself. By the time I got him fed and dressed, cleaned up his toys, went to the grocery, did the laundry and emptied the garbarge, I surely needed my nap.
I read a so-so mystery most of the evening, but late last evening I started the newest Julia Spencer-Fleming novel, I Shall Not Care. I probably won't do much else all weekend. She has created two believable, intriguing characters--with plenty of flaws but a lot to like about them. And the thing that draws you in is she keeps the romantic tension between them going--they just don't walk off into the sunset together. She's an Episcopalian priest, and in the early books he's the married (unhappily) chief of police. The attraction is mutual and strong but neither one acts on it because of a sense of honor--and then his wife is killed, while he's in a standoff with a criminal that the priest, Claire, kills to save his life. As this book opens, he refuses to see Claire or think about her, feeling guilty that if he hadn't been with her he could have saved his wife--but hey, if he hadn't been with her, he would have died. The human emotions are real, and I'm rethinking (for the 40th time!) my second mystery.
My neighbors' parents were supposed to come for wine tonight--they're babysitting while she's away on business, and I had bought some small smoked salmon spirals--those things I looked at in the store and wondered who would every be so silly to buy them. They got home too late from one of the children's soccer games, so I ate the salmon spirals myself for supper--so good, but so rich. I didn't eat them all.
Last night Master Jacob spent the night, but he was quite solemn all evening, mostly watched a DVD called "Happy Feet," so I sat at the table and read. His favorite things now are three tiny cars he carries everywhere with him. He went to bed happily enough, but for almost an hour I could hear the clank of those cars on the monitor. He woke about 5:30 this morning, and I could tell the sounds were fussing, not happy. After ten minutes or so, I went in, told him he was all right, I loved him, and gave him his cars--he slept until 7:45, thank goodness, and this morning he was his usual happy self. We had a giggling battle trying to get his clothes on--he would not stay still and kept kicking out of his pants. By the time he was finally dressed, it looked like a blind woman had done it--or he had dressed himself. By the time I got him fed and dressed, cleaned up his toys, went to the grocery, did the laundry and emptied the garbarge, I surely needed my nap.
I read a so-so mystery most of the evening, but late last evening I started the newest Julia Spencer-Fleming novel, I Shall Not Care. I probably won't do much else all weekend. She has created two believable, intriguing characters--with plenty of flaws but a lot to like about them. And the thing that draws you in is she keeps the romantic tension between them going--they just don't walk off into the sunset together. She's an Episcopalian priest, and in the early books he's the married (unhappily) chief of police. The attraction is mutual and strong but neither one acts on it because of a sense of honor--and then his wife is killed, while he's in a standoff with a criminal that the priest, Claire, kills to save his life. As this book opens, he refuses to see Claire or think about her, feeling guilty that if he hadn't been with her he could have saved his wife--but hey, if he hadn't been with her, he would have died. The human emotions are real, and I'm rethinking (for the 40th time!) my second mystery.
My neighbors' parents were supposed to come for wine tonight--they're babysitting while she's away on business, and I had bought some small smoked salmon spirals--those things I looked at in the store and wondered who would every be so silly to buy them. They got home too late from one of the children's soccer games, so I ate the salmon spirals myself for supper--so good, but so rich. I didn't eat them all.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
A potpourri
Busy day at the office, catching up on all kinds of things I don't like to do, such as budgets, trying to figure ways to cut costs and still produce quality books, trying to ignore the large database that A&M wants us to provide on all our titles, wondering why print-on-demand titles have been so easy and now the process suddenly seems complicated. We took Susan for a delayed b'day lunch at Cafe Aspen--her actual birthday was one of the days we were iced in. Had a good time and traded barbs with the owner, David Rotman, who told me he had a special seat for me, way in the back--under a tree and about six feet from the dumpster. Good lunch though, and we had a pleasant time.
Tonight was supposed to be the night that Betty and I went for our weekly dinner, but Jordan called to ask if if I could Jacob. So Betty agreed she'd love to come here and have dinner with Jacob. I defrosted groud chicken, preparing to make chicken burgers with basil mayo, and then Jordan called to say Christian would get Jacob and I didn't need to worry about him. After a long time, it occurred to me that Jacob and Christian could come eat supper with us, since the chicken was already defrosted--Jacob ate almost a whole chicken patty by himself, and Betty loved his company though she couldn't understand him (who can?) and asked Christian, "Did I do all right?" In short it was a pleasant, comfortable evening.
I wish I had something intellectual to add to the day's post, but I don't. I'm reading a so-so mystery, not getting far on my own but moving in small jumps. I am indignant about the partisanship that is showing up in Congress already--I agree with President Obama's plea for quick action, but I just wish I knew enough to know what quick action is right. Maybe none of us know, and any action is better than stalling. What I do know is that budget cuts hit hard at the press, and I am forced to make some difficult decisions. The suggestions that I cut back on ourside readers for manuscripts brought howls of dismay from the scholars on my board, so I'm rethinking it. But their suggestion that cuts be made in other areas is easier said than done. At the same time, it's dismaying to read of all those who are losing their jobs, and I feel fortunate and safe. Hope I'm not fooling myself.
I'm going to try to finish the so-so mystery because I've ordered the new Julia Spencer-Fleming on my KIndle and Jacob is coming tomorrow night. Perfect reading while watching him.
Tonight was supposed to be the night that Betty and I went for our weekly dinner, but Jordan called to ask if if I could Jacob. So Betty agreed she'd love to come here and have dinner with Jacob. I defrosted groud chicken, preparing to make chicken burgers with basil mayo, and then Jordan called to say Christian would get Jacob and I didn't need to worry about him. After a long time, it occurred to me that Jacob and Christian could come eat supper with us, since the chicken was already defrosted--Jacob ate almost a whole chicken patty by himself, and Betty loved his company though she couldn't understand him (who can?) and asked Christian, "Did I do all right?" In short it was a pleasant, comfortable evening.
I wish I had something intellectual to add to the day's post, but I don't. I'm reading a so-so mystery, not getting far on my own but moving in small jumps. I am indignant about the partisanship that is showing up in Congress already--I agree with President Obama's plea for quick action, but I just wish I knew enough to know what quick action is right. Maybe none of us know, and any action is better than stalling. What I do know is that budget cuts hit hard at the press, and I am forced to make some difficult decisions. The suggestions that I cut back on ourside readers for manuscripts brought howls of dismay from the scholars on my board, so I'm rethinking it. But their suggestion that cuts be made in other areas is easier said than done. At the same time, it's dismaying to read of all those who are losing their jobs, and I feel fortunate and safe. Hope I'm not fooling myself.
I'm going to try to finish the so-so mystery because I've ordered the new Julia Spencer-Fleming on my KIndle and Jacob is coming tomorrow night. Perfect reading while watching him.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
An interesting day
I should have known it would be a funny day. I got up a little after 6:30, as usual, fed the animals, and got ready for the day--teeth brushed, hair washed and combed, make-up on, by which time it was seven and time for the TODAY show to come on. Only it didn't--what came on was the 6 a.m. news. I'd glanced at the clock, seen the 35, and not looked closely at the hour, so I'd gotten up at 5:35. In disgust, I went back to bed for an hour. Didn't sleep but did some good puzzling out of things on my mind.
Then I got almost to the office and couldn't remember closing the automatic gate on the yard, so I doubled back and was late getting to work and astounded to find both my coworkers already there--I usually beat them.
Our tour of the black community in Fort Worth this morning was fascinating. We went first to the Intermodal Transportation Center, which has outdoor wall sculptures portraying the black community because the center is located at 9th and Jones, which was once the first black business district. The sculpture are wonderful, but we figured we couldn't have the party outside, with all the train traffic, and the upstairs meeting room was large and comfortable but a bit bare. Bob Ray next drove us by I. M. Terrell, the high school he attended and a landmark, but he said he didn't think they'd let us serve wine there. I could never find it again, have no idea how he got us there, but I was interested in the landscape around it--just off the freeway, it's hilly, with rock cliffs and lots of brush. Our last stop was the Ella Mae Shamblee Branch Library which has been open maybe seven months, built from the shell of an old school building. A fascinating place with a huge plaza, with historical placques fixed in the sidewalk portraying people who had been hisorically important in the community. Pillars around the plaza commemorate various themes in the history of the community, and at least one I saw was in English and Swahili. The library's meeting room, a new addition, is built to look sort of like an old schoolroom with wainscoting, etc., and lots of windows. The perfect place for a signing. We were delighted with it.
As we drove around, Bob Ray showed us where various well known people had lived, and I saw historical churches I'd read about but never seen. It was like I was in a part of Fort Worth I'd never seen, and I was a bit embarrassed about that. And it turned out we were so close to an intersection I've crossed a thousand times.
My walking went to pot on that tour though--I don't know if it was strange places or what, but I ended up holding on to either Susan or Bob Ray almost the whole time and felt totally like I couldn't take two steps alone. Worse than I've been in a long time. I guess I have to realize it comes and goes, and when the shakiness is there, I need to ask for help and not worry about it.
The rest of the day was uneventful--I came home and worked, fixed myself creamed tuna for dinner with cheese in the sauce and lots of green peas and thought how Christian would pick them out.
Now I'm going back to re-reading my mystery. I read through the filed "Revised text" but then read some of the individual last chapters and found I'd left some stuff out of the revised text that was really good. So now I have to incorporate.
What if nobody publishes my myseries? It's a thought I don't let myself linger on.
Then I got almost to the office and couldn't remember closing the automatic gate on the yard, so I doubled back and was late getting to work and astounded to find both my coworkers already there--I usually beat them.
Our tour of the black community in Fort Worth this morning was fascinating. We went first to the Intermodal Transportation Center, which has outdoor wall sculptures portraying the black community because the center is located at 9th and Jones, which was once the first black business district. The sculpture are wonderful, but we figured we couldn't have the party outside, with all the train traffic, and the upstairs meeting room was large and comfortable but a bit bare. Bob Ray next drove us by I. M. Terrell, the high school he attended and a landmark, but he said he didn't think they'd let us serve wine there. I could never find it again, have no idea how he got us there, but I was interested in the landscape around it--just off the freeway, it's hilly, with rock cliffs and lots of brush. Our last stop was the Ella Mae Shamblee Branch Library which has been open maybe seven months, built from the shell of an old school building. A fascinating place with a huge plaza, with historical placques fixed in the sidewalk portraying people who had been hisorically important in the community. Pillars around the plaza commemorate various themes in the history of the community, and at least one I saw was in English and Swahili. The library's meeting room, a new addition, is built to look sort of like an old schoolroom with wainscoting, etc., and lots of windows. The perfect place for a signing. We were delighted with it.
As we drove around, Bob Ray showed us where various well known people had lived, and I saw historical churches I'd read about but never seen. It was like I was in a part of Fort Worth I'd never seen, and I was a bit embarrassed about that. And it turned out we were so close to an intersection I've crossed a thousand times.
My walking went to pot on that tour though--I don't know if it was strange places or what, but I ended up holding on to either Susan or Bob Ray almost the whole time and felt totally like I couldn't take two steps alone. Worse than I've been in a long time. I guess I have to realize it comes and goes, and when the shakiness is there, I need to ask for help and not worry about it.
The rest of the day was uneventful--I came home and worked, fixed myself creamed tuna for dinner with cheese in the sauce and lots of green peas and thought how Christian would pick them out.
Now I'm going back to re-reading my mystery. I read through the filed "Revised text" but then read some of the individual last chapters and found I'd left some stuff out of the revised text that was really good. So now I have to incorporate.
What if nobody publishes my myseries? It's a thought I don't let myself linger on.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Stuff
Often, when I write my children or good friends, I simply label the e-mail "Stuff." Well that's what this is--random thoughts and comments about not much. I haven't posted in a couple of days, and I'm well aware of that. I just didn't have much to say. Super Bowl is always a boring day for me--I mean, come on, day-long pre-programming on NBC? And moving the time of Meet the Press, one of my favorites? I kept NBC on muted much of the afternoon to try to catch the Obama interview, finally decided to take a nap, and when I woke up, there it was. I was glad I caught it, and particularly glad to hear his tales about family life in the White House. I heard him again tonight in an interview with Brian Williams, where he took full responsibility for the gaffs that resulted in the withdrawal of two of his nominees, including Tom Daeschle, who I always thought was one of the good guys. What I liked a whole lot was that he said he took full responsibility--he admitted his error, something we never saw from our previous president.
Charles came for dinner Sunday night, and we had a pleasant visit. I fixed scallops, with stir-fried vegetables--grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and asparagus. Tonight, Jordan, Christian, and Jacob joined me, and I fixed shepherd's pie--Jacob loved it, and Christian said he did too, but he picked all the green peas out.
I've been proofing the final set of pages of my cookbook memoir-and I'm embarrassed at the things I missed the first time around, including some recipe directions. But it's done now. I'll fax the corrections in tomorrow and take responsiblity for errors that appear.
This morning I decided being in a blue funk was not a good way to live, and so I talked myself out of it. Had a busy morning at work--conference with my boss, the dean of the library, and heavy talk about budgets. So tonight I set about the task of carving $1900 out of my already slim budget. I plan to present it at staff meeting tomorrow and get opinions, before I turn it in. Running the finances is my least favorite part of my job. Next I have to turn my attention to what can legitimately come out of carryover. I'd really rather be writing food articles and mysteries, thank you.
Tomorrow we go to look at possible autograph party sites for our September title, Calvin Littlejohn: Portrait of a Community in Black and White. Littlejohn photographed the black community in Fort Worth from the '40s through the early '90s, and his is an invaluable record. I've wanted to do this book for 20 years and am delighted that with the Center for American History at UT-Austin, this is coming true (they hold the archive of most of his photos). Bob Ray Sanders, a Star-Telegram officer and columnist, put the text together for us, identified far more people than I thought he could, and will take us on a tour tomorrow. This is a book I'm really excited about.
Meantime, I've got a new issue of Bon Appetit to prowl through, so excuse me, please.
Charles came for dinner Sunday night, and we had a pleasant visit. I fixed scallops, with stir-fried vegetables--grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and asparagus. Tonight, Jordan, Christian, and Jacob joined me, and I fixed shepherd's pie--Jacob loved it, and Christian said he did too, but he picked all the green peas out.
I've been proofing the final set of pages of my cookbook memoir-and I'm embarrassed at the things I missed the first time around, including some recipe directions. But it's done now. I'll fax the corrections in tomorrow and take responsiblity for errors that appear.
This morning I decided being in a blue funk was not a good way to live, and so I talked myself out of it. Had a busy morning at work--conference with my boss, the dean of the library, and heavy talk about budgets. So tonight I set about the task of carving $1900 out of my already slim budget. I plan to present it at staff meeting tomorrow and get opinions, before I turn it in. Running the finances is my least favorite part of my job. Next I have to turn my attention to what can legitimately come out of carryover. I'd really rather be writing food articles and mysteries, thank you.
Tomorrow we go to look at possible autograph party sites for our September title, Calvin Littlejohn: Portrait of a Community in Black and White. Littlejohn photographed the black community in Fort Worth from the '40s through the early '90s, and his is an invaluable record. I've wanted to do this book for 20 years and am delighted that with the Center for American History at UT-Austin, this is coming true (they hold the archive of most of his photos). Bob Ray Sanders, a Star-Telegram officer and columnist, put the text together for us, identified far more people than I thought he could, and will take us on a tour tomorrow. This is a book I'm really excited about.
Meantime, I've got a new issue of Bon Appetit to prowl through, so excuse me, please.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
An AT&T surprise and a lazy, comfortable Super Bowel day
I've had four visits from AT&T installaton people in the process of getting U-Verse throughout my house. Two have lasted all day, and the last of those resulted in a really messy job, with a cord hanging out in space and preventing my opening a kitchen drawer very far. The other two were quick--one gentleman told me my problems had nothing to do with U-Verse but with cables outside, and AT&T was quick to send people to fix that. The other gentleman came late and unexpectedly on a Friday night--I was glad my neighbor was here to answer the door--and fixed the two phones that didn't work after the first installation person. You can see, I have a spotty record. But this week, the bedroom TV didn't work, the cable to the kitchen TV looked ugly and was in the way, and I had two pieces of AT&T equipment. I stalled about scheduling appointment but finally called and they said they'd come between 4 and 9 p.m. Saturday--fine with me. Then they cancelled, but said they'd come between 8 and noon Sunday. I said okay, but dreaded it--they wouldn't arrive until ten, and my morning would be shot--couldn't shower, couldn't do my yoga, etc.
To my surprise the phone rang at 7:50 (when I had a towel over my wet hair) and I was so surprised I was a bit short with the gentleman--thought they were calling to cancel. But he arrived at 8 sharp (my hair was still damp), fixed the bedroom TV which had come unplugged when the new blinds were installed, fixed the kitchen TV in a much more acceptable way, picked up the AT&T equipement--a wonderful sturdy staple gun that Colin would have coveted and a battery charger of some kind--and was gone by 8:45. A nice, cheerful, friendly man, as they all have been--but not all have been as efficient as he was.
Super Bowl Day is never a joy to me. I am, I confess, totally unpatriotic about football, and all I can think of is that the day-long pre-programming on NBC interrupts shows I like to watch. This afternoon I kept NBC on mute, hoping to catch Matt Lauer's interview with President Obama. Finally took a nap, and when I woke up and went to put makeup on, the interview came on--talk about good timing. As always, I found Obama charming and most fun when he talks about his family, though I have much appreciated the swiftness with which he took action once in office. I wish I understood enough about economics to have some sense of the worth or not of the stimulus package, but I was impressed by Steve Forbes who said on a talk show this morning that spending money wouldn't help--tax cuts, such as payroll taxes, etc., would.
Charles came for dinner. I fixed scallops with stir-fried vegetables--grape tomatoes, sugar snap pea, and asparagus. It's a dinner I often fix for myself, but I know Charles loves mussels, scallops, and all similar things. I think he really enjoyed the meal. He's off to Alburquerque this week to be with his oldest daughter when she has an angiogram, after which physicians will decide between a stint and bypass surgery. My prayers go with him.
I'm back to re-reading my second mystery--while watching a PBS program of the Celtic Women singers. If you haven't seen it, you've missed a real treat.
To my surprise the phone rang at 7:50 (when I had a towel over my wet hair) and I was so surprised I was a bit short with the gentleman--thought they were calling to cancel. But he arrived at 8 sharp (my hair was still damp), fixed the bedroom TV which had come unplugged when the new blinds were installed, fixed the kitchen TV in a much more acceptable way, picked up the AT&T equipement--a wonderful sturdy staple gun that Colin would have coveted and a battery charger of some kind--and was gone by 8:45. A nice, cheerful, friendly man, as they all have been--but not all have been as efficient as he was.
Super Bowl Day is never a joy to me. I am, I confess, totally unpatriotic about football, and all I can think of is that the day-long pre-programming on NBC interrupts shows I like to watch. This afternoon I kept NBC on mute, hoping to catch Matt Lauer's interview with President Obama. Finally took a nap, and when I woke up and went to put makeup on, the interview came on--talk about good timing. As always, I found Obama charming and most fun when he talks about his family, though I have much appreciated the swiftness with which he took action once in office. I wish I understood enough about economics to have some sense of the worth or not of the stimulus package, but I was impressed by Steve Forbes who said on a talk show this morning that spending money wouldn't help--tax cuts, such as payroll taxes, etc., would.
Charles came for dinner. I fixed scallops with stir-fried vegetables--grape tomatoes, sugar snap pea, and asparagus. It's a dinner I often fix for myself, but I know Charles loves mussels, scallops, and all similar things. I think he really enjoyed the meal. He's off to Alburquerque this week to be with his oldest daughter when she has an angiogram, after which physicians will decide between a stint and bypass surgery. My prayers go with him.
I'm back to re-reading my second mystery--while watching a PBS program of the Celtic Women singers. If you haven't seen it, you've missed a real treat.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Jacob and patience, and a wonderful evening
Jacob is teaching me patience. He arrived in a bad mood tonight, though his mother said a little food would brighten him up. But he simply wanted to stand by the front door and watch for Mommy. We talked, he grinned a bit, but he was essentially solemn. So there I sat for at least 20 minutes. We finally went and listened to the monitor in my office--he could hear Elmo on the family room TV--and got "Juju car" from my office, and he went back to the family room so I could reheat his supper. He ate two helpings of chicken breast and all his broccoli, so I gave him a "sprise"--a small ice cream cup. Then twice during the evening, when he alternated between watching a DVD and playing with his toys, he wanted to sit on my lap. So I put aside what I was doing, and we sat and loved for long times. Then at bedtime, he tried every stall technique he could, until I finally told him the dog, the cat, and I were all going to bed, and I was going to get his stool so he could climb into his bed. That wouldn't do, and he went and got the stool, positioned it very carefully, and climbed into the pack-and-play by himself, with me standing by with a watchful hand. This may not be the best thing I've ever taught him. But I know when my own children were little, I had far too many things on my mind to sit by the front door and wait for their mood to change or to cajole them into bed (I do, I hope, remembering sitting for long times with them on my lap). But Jacob is teaching me a much-needed kind of patience, and I'm grateful
Last night I was too wound up and too tired to blog We had the First Annual Bookish Frog dinner. The Bookish Frogs are a community group of people who support the press. For modest annual dues, they get dinner once a year, a free book (one of our spectacular ones) and a chance to participate in various press activities. We had 42 people for dinner last night, which I thought was great--and they were all warm, happy, interesting people. From all reports I've gotten they enjoyed the program--about the featured book we were giving away, which is Phil Vinson's photography book, Fort Worth: A Personal View--and they enjoyed each other's company at dinner. The food was good, the program just the right length, and all told it was a successful evening. I emceed and managed not to trip over my tongue too often. What struck me, too, was that most of the people who came into dinner were people I wanted to greet with a hug, people I've known and cared about over the years. I was so grateful for their support. As I told them, I've worked at TCU Press for 27 years and seen it go through some lean times, but I always believed that just as TCU has a community interested in sports, it has a community, maybe a bit smaller, interested in books. Those people made my dream come true last night, and I am still walking on air.
I ate lunch with Jeannie and Jim Chaffee today at a vegan restaurant where they say they sometimes eat twice a day or go for lunch and then bring home dinner. For a newcomer, it's hard to know what to order. There were salads I would have enjoyed or veggie burgers, but Jim said--and rightly--I should have something I can't get in other restaurants. So I had a chicken salad sandwich (made with seitan--sometimes called wheat meat). It was good but difficult (as in sloppy) to eat. The potato salad was great. But I don't think being a vegan is for me. I'll go back to the Spiral Diner, but not as often as Jeannie and Jim.
At the grocery yesterday, the sack lady asked if I was all set for the Super Bowl, and I said I was not much of a fan. Truth to tell, I resent that it takes over the TV schedule (not that I watch that much, but I think Meet the Press is cancelled). I have lots to do this weekend, so it will be good to stay home and accomplish things.
Last night I was too wound up and too tired to blog We had the First Annual Bookish Frog dinner. The Bookish Frogs are a community group of people who support the press. For modest annual dues, they get dinner once a year, a free book (one of our spectacular ones) and a chance to participate in various press activities. We had 42 people for dinner last night, which I thought was great--and they were all warm, happy, interesting people. From all reports I've gotten they enjoyed the program--about the featured book we were giving away, which is Phil Vinson's photography book, Fort Worth: A Personal View--and they enjoyed each other's company at dinner. The food was good, the program just the right length, and all told it was a successful evening. I emceed and managed not to trip over my tongue too often. What struck me, too, was that most of the people who came into dinner were people I wanted to greet with a hug, people I've known and cared about over the years. I was so grateful for their support. As I told them, I've worked at TCU Press for 27 years and seen it go through some lean times, but I always believed that just as TCU has a community interested in sports, it has a community, maybe a bit smaller, interested in books. Those people made my dream come true last night, and I am still walking on air.
I ate lunch with Jeannie and Jim Chaffee today at a vegan restaurant where they say they sometimes eat twice a day or go for lunch and then bring home dinner. For a newcomer, it's hard to know what to order. There were salads I would have enjoyed or veggie burgers, but Jim said--and rightly--I should have something I can't get in other restaurants. So I had a chicken salad sandwich (made with seitan--sometimes called wheat meat). It was good but difficult (as in sloppy) to eat. The potato salad was great. But I don't think being a vegan is for me. I'll go back to the Spiral Diner, but not as often as Jeannie and Jim.
At the grocery yesterday, the sack lady asked if I was all set for the Super Bowl, and I said I was not much of a fan. Truth to tell, I resent that it takes over the TV schedule (not that I watch that much, but I think Meet the Press is cancelled). I have lots to do this weekend, so it will be good to stay home and accomplish things.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Make my day!
I got an e-mail today from the assistant curator at the Southwestern Writers Collection at Texas State University-San Marcos. He sent a link to my very own archive page. To think that someone would want all that flotsam and jetsam of my thirty-plus years of writing is amazing. I've been clearing out files by sending them to the archive, but I was unprepared for this. They've got correspondence, manuscripts, all kinds of things. It inspire me to send more (I have three huge files at work titled "Personal"), and it also makes me feel like a real writer. Yes, I'm excited. Here's the link, if you want to check it out: http://alkek.library.txstate.edu/swwc/archives/writers/alter.html.
I needed something to make my day today. It's the second day we were iced in, although temperatures got up to 40 today and most things melted--except of course, my front steps, the front porch just before the side steps to the driveway, and the last few feet of the driveway before the garage. It's because I have a northern exposure. I have to go down those steps and over that driveway tomorrow morning--think I'll take some kitty litter with me, or rock salt. It will surely melt tomorrow, when the temp is supposed to go into the fifties.
I had enough to keep me busy, but little things--both household chores and desk chores, things I should do but had put off. I cleared up a few tax figures, read a lot on the computer--my newspaper didn't come until two in the afternoon, and I finally ventured out to clean the dog yard this afternoon. I offered to let Scooby stay inside--especially when it was 20 this morning--but he wanted to be outdoors. The sun was shining brightly, and I checked on him from time to time--he was fine and enjoying himself. Tonight, it's to go below freezing again, and he is in my office with me, while the cat is curled up on my bed.
I'm reading a cozy and trying to analyze why it works for me, getting some good ideas for my work in progress. I can't figure out why I keep avoiding it, but I do. When I once went back to it earlier this month, I had fun. I'm determined to finish the mystery I'm reading (which I think I've read before) and not start another one, so I can go back to writing.
I needed something to make my day today. It's the second day we were iced in, although temperatures got up to 40 today and most things melted--except of course, my front steps, the front porch just before the side steps to the driveway, and the last few feet of the driveway before the garage. It's because I have a northern exposure. I have to go down those steps and over that driveway tomorrow morning--think I'll take some kitty litter with me, or rock salt. It will surely melt tomorrow, when the temp is supposed to go into the fifties.
I had enough to keep me busy, but little things--both household chores and desk chores, things I should do but had put off. I cleared up a few tax figures, read a lot on the computer--my newspaper didn't come until two in the afternoon, and I finally ventured out to clean the dog yard this afternoon. I offered to let Scooby stay inside--especially when it was 20 this morning--but he wanted to be outdoors. The sun was shining brightly, and I checked on him from time to time--he was fine and enjoying himself. Tonight, it's to go below freezing again, and he is in my office with me, while the cat is curled up on my bed.
I'm reading a cozy and trying to analyze why it works for me, getting some good ideas for my work in progress. I can't figure out why I keep avoiding it, but I do. When I once went back to it earlier this month, I had fun. I'm determined to finish the mystery I'm reading (which I think I've read before) and not start another one, so I can go back to writing.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A theory recanted and some thoughts on indexing
Last night I whined that I wasn't liking the novel I was reading, principally because it had a male narrator, and I thought it was a gender problem. As soon as I walked away from the computer, I realized I really enjoy J. A. Jance's Beaumont series, narrated by a male police detective in Seattle. And I really don't like Stephanie Plum, even though every other reader I know is wildly enthusiastic about Janet Evanovich's series. So I've decided it's not a gender problem--it's the voice of the narrator. If the narrator is not someone I can identify with with, someone I'd like to sit and have coffee or a glass of wine with, then I'm not much interested in a whole book told in that voice. Fortunately there are a lot of cozy mysteries narrated by people I really like. I'm ready a Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse Mystery tonight, and I really like Claire Cosi, who knows way to much about fine coffee, espresso, latte, and how to make them. I gave up on The Hearse You Came In On, with apologies to the author. Maybe I'll see if my brother will read it.
We were ice-bound today. Well, it turned out it really wasn't that bad--wet in the morning and cold but not freezing, pretty dry in the afternoon, enough so that I got my garbage carts down my slanted driveway when I didn't think I could. But TCU was closed, so I slept late, fiddled around the house and finally got around to the day's chore about ten in the morning. I compiled an index of recipes for my cookbook, which turned out to be less dull than I expected and in fact a fascinating exercise. I broke the index into categories--breakfast, bread, casseroles, meat, poultry, and so on. That seemed logical to me. But where, for instance, do you put chopped liver (I got the excellent recipe from Carshon's deli)--in appetizers, well it is and it isn't; meat dishes, well not exactly that either. I've had it as an appetizer and also in a sandwich or even as the main course for lunch. And cheese sandwich souffle? Is it a casserole? I didn't have enough dishes for an egg and cheese category, so I put it in casseroles. And Jean convinced me to take some of the recipes--chili, beef and beans, and sloppy joe--out of casserole and put them in meat dishes. All in all, it was a puzzle but fun. It's done and off to the editor now. The proofed (twice) pages are ready to go back too, and I'll mail them tomorrow, if the world isn't frozen. Predictions are for a low of 27 tonight, and the streets are now wet, so the outlook isn't great. But it will get up to 44 tomorrow afternoon, and the world should go back to normal.
I spent the evening doing income tax stuff, which I really really dread. I don't have a calculator, so I use the one on the computer. Of course, there's no paper trail, so you can't trace what you've done--but when it showed I'd spent over $24,000 on utilities, I knew I needed to start over. I had already separated expenses into categories, but today the accountant's tax info form arrived, so I started on it and got most of the way through. But I know I need to go back and plug in holes, etc. But not tonight. Right now, I'm going to read some more about Claire Cosi and her coffeehouse.
We were ice-bound today. Well, it turned out it really wasn't that bad--wet in the morning and cold but not freezing, pretty dry in the afternoon, enough so that I got my garbage carts down my slanted driveway when I didn't think I could. But TCU was closed, so I slept late, fiddled around the house and finally got around to the day's chore about ten in the morning. I compiled an index of recipes for my cookbook, which turned out to be less dull than I expected and in fact a fascinating exercise. I broke the index into categories--breakfast, bread, casseroles, meat, poultry, and so on. That seemed logical to me. But where, for instance, do you put chopped liver (I got the excellent recipe from Carshon's deli)--in appetizers, well it is and it isn't; meat dishes, well not exactly that either. I've had it as an appetizer and also in a sandwich or even as the main course for lunch. And cheese sandwich souffle? Is it a casserole? I didn't have enough dishes for an egg and cheese category, so I put it in casseroles. And Jean convinced me to take some of the recipes--chili, beef and beans, and sloppy joe--out of casserole and put them in meat dishes. All in all, it was a puzzle but fun. It's done and off to the editor now. The proofed (twice) pages are ready to go back too, and I'll mail them tomorrow, if the world isn't frozen. Predictions are for a low of 27 tonight, and the streets are now wet, so the outlook isn't great. But it will get up to 44 tomorrow afternoon, and the world should go back to normal.
I spent the evening doing income tax stuff, which I really really dread. I don't have a calculator, so I use the one on the computer. Of course, there's no paper trail, so you can't trace what you've done--but when it showed I'd spent over $24,000 on utilities, I knew I needed to start over. I had already separated expenses into categories, but today the accountant's tax info form arrived, so I started on it and got most of the way through. But I know I need to go back and plug in holes, etc. But not tonight. Right now, I'm going to read some more about Claire Cosi and her coffeehouse.
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