Obsession

WARNING: This video might make you melt and or spontaneously combust. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Ever since I saw James Morrison live earlier this year, I've been obsessed. (The link is from the actual show I went to, but it's not the best quality video...the performance, however, is raw and divine. I was there! I didn't faint! Woot!) Prior to the concert, I loved his music, but he was so amazing live that I fell in love...and his voice was so beautiful it made me want to cry. I think Mr. Morrison secretly wants to be my lover and sing to me every night. Otherwise, why else would he serenade me so?

Footloose and...Appendix Free

I planned to write a post this past weekend about my fabulous celebration dinner with husband. We went up to San Francisco and enjoyed a dinner at the hip Absinthe Brasserie & Bar--much fancier than our usual fare. I even took pictures to share. However, that evening I developed a stomachache, which progressed as the weekend went on, until I ended up in the ER Sunday afternoon. Appendicitis. Eight hours later and I finally made it into the OR for an emergency appendectomy. Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to uploading my pictures!

I'm at home now, recovering. I was planning to finish my last tweaks to the final draft over the next two weeks before I head home--I have a little niece on the way--but I think that will be delayed another week now.

In other news, I finally sent out my Pay It Forward gifts after a very long delay. I really enjoyed participating and hope everyone else has fun as it goes forward.

Thanks for all the comments over on Facebook. You are all lovely!

Focus...Melting

Ever have one of those days where you read and reread a sentence and never divine its meaning? I'm having one of those.
I've decided it's just too hot and my brain is frying. Though admittedly hotter yesterday, I was spectacularly productive. I finished typing the first of my novel notebooks (out of two-and-a-third total), which brings me to 139 manuscript pages. I wrote my hundred words, ran to the store, plus various other bits and bobs.
Today? Zilch, nada, nothing. I thought my cold shower this morning would shake off the lethargy, but the 100˚ heat is making me slow and grumpy.
Could someone please send us some lovely showers? California is burning and I'm melting! (mwah ha ha.)

All's Quiet on the Blogging Front

...as I wage a one-woman battle with myself.

Last November, I finally found a schedule that worked for me, and it allowed me to get into my writing groove. Since I finished the first draft, I've struggled to find a new schedule that accommodates my new tasks of draft typing and editing.

It shouldn't be this hard, I think to myself, I'm only typing and tinkering with words. Yet I realize the main stumbling block is my fear of facing my writing. (What if it's horrible?) I started work on chapter three enthusiastically enough, but soon I found any reason to distract myself.

I need to read my email first.
I have to keep up on the news as an informed citizen: just one more article and then I'll start.
I wonder what my blogging friends are up to?

No matter how much I recognize my finely-honed diversion tactics, I can't seem to stop using them. (Hmm, I wonder whether writing this post counts as one?) When I continually fail to stop procrastinating, I become depressed with myself. Yesterday I told myself that if I were my boss, I'd fire me (then I thought, how mean!).

Once I become frustrated with myself, I inevitably begin to look for jobs again. If I cannot do this, then I need to get back out there to be a productive member of society. I've been discussing the problem all week with Husband, but last night I finally had a breakthrough after nearly applying for a position.

I devised a schedule solution similar to my old own, but which fits better with my new tasks. Today I wrote it down on a goal sheet on my desktop to remind myself. My novel writing class starts soon--it was supposed to start today, but was postponed two weeks--and I know I won't get much, if any, writing done if I start a new job. I decided to start the new daily schedule with the allowance that I will not look for jobs until my novel writing class ends in September, and if at that point I have accomplished nothing, then it's time to throw in the towel. (Very clever, if I do say so myself. Of course I'll accomplish something in 3 months with a schedule and an intense class. Apparently I have to keep using fear tactics in order to get things done. Hmph. I won't even mention the effect of my ten-year reunion next summer...)

So. As of now, I am beginning anew. No beating myself up for my struggles over the past few weeks. I will be type, type, typing in the morning and editing in the afternoon, with a little time set aside to finalize my research.

Time to jump back into the deep end.

Life in Silicon Valley: Random Thoughts

It has its advantages: cutting edge technology, job growth, good schools, warm weather. But these advantages go hand-in-hand with a big disadvantage: the cutting edge cost of living. Apparently San Jose is the fourth worst city to rent and the number one city for home sellers, but on the bright side, we're high on the 'recession proof' list.
The bay area regularly leads the nation in everything from rental rates to housing costs to the price of gas. Before Memorial Day we were among the first in the nation to pay over $4 a gallon for regular gas. Yesterday I noticed that the 'cheap' gas station down the street had reached $4.25. It rose $0.25 a gallon in two weeks! Soon I won't be able to leave my over-priced condo because the cost will be too prohibitive. Alert the bank, I'll need a loan to fill up this weekend. I suppose I have a lot of 'gas light' days to look forward to.
I wonder whether the cost of commuting will begin to figure into people's job decisions?

What kind of dog are you?

With so many thoughts and plans swirling around my head post first-draft completion, I'm struggling to compose a thoughtful blog post. So I'm posting something fun instead:



If you take the quiz, I'd love to compare results in the comments box.

Guns N Roses and Easter on 28th

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter. Husband's mom came down for a visit, so we took Drew and her two little Aussies for a long walk down to Campbell where we enjoyed brunch outside in the sunshine. We then spent Saturday evening with friends at the pub celebrating Husband's 28th birthday. It felt more like a 21er when Husband disappeared for a good 20 minutes because he drank too many free beers, meanwhile we were entertained by a friend karoaking "Sweet Child of Mine" in full shouty form ("Where do we GO-OH, where do we go now..."). He also performed a moving Neil Diamond rendition.

Yesterday was his actual birthday, so we had a little celebratory curry, and then, because he gains full control of the remote on his birthday, we watched a few tivoed hours of tennis--the Pacific Life Open--with a friend. While we were watching, there was a great 'Janet Jackson' moment. The camera panned the crowd and stopped on a woman who was watching the match in a bikini top when she was surprised by a hand that reached from the side of the viewing frame and grasped her breast. A perfect Tivo moment - we rewound it a couple times to make sure it really happened.

On the writing front, things are moving slowly this week. I spent much of yesterday running errands that I tried and failed to finish on Sunday since the stores were closed, and then I had birthday details to tie up. Today I must (I must, I must!) catch up. I'm off to a great start since I chose to blog first. Hmph.

"Hi my name is Angie..."

I spent the first half of the morning researching our current phone and internet services and comparing them to the services I (accidentally) signed up for yesterday. Then I spent the second half on the phone with various customer service reps (after s.l.o.w.l.y t.a.l.k.i.n.g my way through the many automated options) before finally sorting out that mess.

I am so proud of myself that I think I shall treat myself to a yummy latte. (You must understand how very much I loathe talking on the phone. [Not to my dear friends, of course.] I will do almost anything to avoid it, which stems in part from my lovely mom handling all the difficult business for me when I was young--and also maybe the days on end I spent gabbing when I was in junior high...).

In case you're interested (and you must be or you would have stopped reading by now!), I went with the new service after all. Part of the reason I let the salesman talk me into signing up in the first place--besides my weak resolve--was the fact that husband and I had discussed looking into new services because t'internet 'round here can be a bit testy, such as when the microwave is on, or the phone rings, or you know, you just make it angry. (Shh, we don't want it to hear and shut me down for insolence...) Hopefully the new service will route any panic-inducing moments when the internet shuts down. ("Hi, my name is Angie and I'm an internetaholic.")

Housing Fantasies

Since I no longer allow myself to look for jobs online, I developed another bad habit: searching for houses online. *sigh*
The prices in the bay area are still far too prohibitive for us to afford a 'real' house, but that certainly doesn't stop me from looking.
I also tend to search in cities where we could live in the future, even if it's only the slightest possibility.
And.
I found my perfect house today. In a city hundreds of miles away. *sob* It costs less than our silly one-bedroom condo, has no homeowner fees, AND it has a lot of character and charm (i.e., it's not a track home that was built in the recent housing boom). It's even brick, which can be fairly difficult to come by in the US, and it's a beautiful 1920s cottage.
I think I'll go mope in peace. Or do what I should be doing, which is writing. *dramatic sigh*

Oh no, I just found another one that has a library(!), fairytale staircase(!!), and I kid you not, a white picket fence! (I know, know, off I go...)