4 pots of tea, contemplating a 5th

Colds have been passed around the office like they're going out of style for a few weeks now, and I finally caught one, despite my best attempts to stay away from the ill and to hand wash as appropriate. Usually I push through feeling icky, because there is too much to do and never enough time to do it in. But today I threw in the towel. I just couldn't face the drive to work, the hours to stay there (even if I did the most menial of tasks) and then the long drive home. So I called in, and stayed home (a luxury, I know, not everyone has sick time that can be used, and I realize how fortunate I am), and basically took care of myself for the day. So I've overdosed on television, and pots of tea, and soup, and covered myself with a blanket, and kept the lotion-enhanced tissue box at hand, and snuffled my way through the day. I had no focus at all, so even though I thought I could sit and write, I didn't have the stamina for it, nor the mental capabilities. I didn't even trust that I should be editing today. No, I actually allowed myself a day to rest and relax. Which I think is important, too. It means I won't have to decompress as much the next time I have free time (when I'm not sick) before my mental headspace is able to drift into where it needs to be to write. Even idle time isn't really wasteful time, sometimes. It's hard to always accept that when you're used to going a thousand miles an hour, but it can be true.

I love awesome characters

I don't often watch The Mentalist, but it was on, and I was doing something that allowed me to tune-in. I knew the two main characters already, and they're good. But for whatever reason this episode, I really paid attention to Detective Cho. He is awesome! I don't know if he's this great every episode or if it was just this one, but I loved his blunt delivery, his no-nonsense attitude, and his obvious work ethic. Plus, the episode gave him a little leeway to bring force to bear on other characters to do the right thing. His dead-pan delivery reminded me a little bit of the old radio show Dragnet. Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts.

a very short entry

Donated blood today (there's a shortage in the supply since the Polar Vortex), and it has just made me a wee bit sleepy. I'm off to bed, to dream, hopefully, of what would be a good cover for a wedding-themed story of mine that should come out in May/June 2014. I wouldn't turn down a little inspiration!

wow is it icy out

With all the odd winter weather that has happened, the ice has really formed all over the place. Spent some time breaking up ice today, but mostly I just stayed inside this weekend. One whole day it just rained incredibly long and hard. I always feel like I should like those sorts of days, and be productive inside, curled up reading or writing, or organizing a closet. But those are the worst days. I do hardly anything at all! My best productive days (when I should be outside breathing in the fresh air) are those in spring, when everything smells new and green. It's tough to get things done in the dark. I very much like to have natural sunlight to get things done.

an idea for a fairytale

I had an idea for a fairytale type story recently, and it is sitting like a little nugget in the brain. It's all in the color green in my head, with soft smiles, and a somewhat distant narrative (like a real fairytale that sort so whispers the morals to you, to keep you safe from the villains and the scary parts). But I have so many other projects that cry out for my attention, that I don't know if I should spend my time working on at least the beginning (which I know, although the middle and the ending are fuzzy) or if I should concentrate on the projects that already have beginnings, middles, and ends. Still, the soft, lush greenness of the fairytale keens to me, and I know it will be the sort of bittersweet, salty-sad, trembling heart tale that I love to write best.

taming the e-mail beast

I got up early this morning and (while TLC's Bridesmaids program droned on in the background) I got through several hundred languishing e-mails. Go me! There can be so many things to look up, click-on, think about in e-mails that I find I procrastinate going through them. I sometimes don't want to spend that much effort, because I know I'll get sucked in to how interesting things can be! I still have nearly 400 e-mails that need to be gone through, I just weeded out the easy ones, but it feels like a victory.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

I just found this show. I'm 5 episodes in, and there only appear to be 13 of them total. I just adore it so far. I really love all the interesting, strong female characters. As much as I adore m/m romance stories, I do love awesome female characters.

crockpot cabbage danger?

Sometimes the imagination is just fired up -- I saw a recipe for slow cooker red cabbage with pears and cranberries, and I had to make it. Even on a work night. I just got done chopping the veggies, and layering them into the crockpot -- it should be done in the morning (the last time I tried this, I forgot to turn the crockpot on and woke up to very bad smelling lamb curry that had sat out all night, not cooking!), so I'll be able to take some for lunch. At least, I hope so! Now, it's late and I'm off to bed. I hope the red cabbage turns out well!

the ordinary things

I don't want to type too soon, but I'm mostly through the mundane, ordinary stuff that needs to be done for the day, which means there could actually be writing time this evening. Which hasn't happened for far too long, and actually feels odd. I'm going to have to desperately work on mood and music to get my mind to cough up some functioning words that I can string together.

Oh, an excellent review.

I found a most excellent review for my charity story "Gray and Burnished Granite Seas" here: http://loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/2013/11/gray-and-burnished-granite-seas-by-tray.html It's from way back in November, but still, a lovely review.

lentils and black-eyed peas

Happy New Year's Day!! 2013 was a bit of a challenge so I'm hoping that 2014 will be a better playmate. And to welcome in the new year, I've spent the morning making the traditional foods. My family started out with lentil soup, and the more you eat lentils, the more wealth you're supposed to accumulate in the new year. I've used the same recipe for at least a decade now, and today I tried a few changes to make it even more delicious. It's bubbling on the stove top right now, and the lentils are cooking, so *fingers-crossed* that it will be delicious. The second dish I make is a black-eyed pea salsa. The black-eyed peas are for luck, and I picked up the tradition from some friends from the South. It's all fresh veggies chopped up and marinated in olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. The longer it sits, the more delicious it is. (Many may think that black-eyed peas taste like dirt, and aren't tasty at all, but that's just because the usual way to make them involves cooking them with ham hocks. Fresh is much better.) I have to admit, though, it didn't make it past noon. It's already been devoured!!