Where in the world is...

Drew's chewie?

The bookshelf is his favorite hiding spot, much to my consternation. Perhaps because mama keeps her favorite things there too? I had to crack up when I was walking to the couch and saw this. He may need to learn better hiding skills if any other dogs come over, though.

Tongue Action

I just wanted to show off a picture of my writing and running buddy all tuckered out. Why, what were you thinking? This is not that kind of blog! Drew is the main reason I work on the couch--I can't resist the adorable snuggle.

The Horror

...and some nice things.

We really know how to live it up here. We spent a wild and crazy Saturday night attempting to pull two ticks from Drew's belly. Unsuccessfully. Eurgh! It's no secret that I have severe arachnophobia, and that includes all the other nasty critters with creepy wiggly legs. I was a very brave mama holding the Drewser while Husband attempted the impossible feat, and I was bitten at least five times for it! (By Drew, not the critters!) If only Drew knew how much I love him in order to actually look at those nasty beasties. I nearly jumped out of my skin. *Shudders*
First thing Sunday morning we visited the vet, who pulled the buggers out and tested for Lyme Disease. All clear, thank goodness.


Now if I haven't already scared you away with my nasty tale, I do have something more positive to share. A "Love Ya" blog award from Aspiring Writer, Joanne. Here's a description of the award:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

I don't feel like I deserve an award since I've been neglecting my blog lately, but I'm thankful for the acknowledgment, so this award means a lot to me. Cheers!

Like Joanne, I'm going to pass this award on to three lovely writing bloggers:

JJ over at Tea Stains has the most excellent taste in brew and is a lovely, supportive friend too. (Oh, I rhymed!)

Marmite & Tea has blogged about books for some time, but began the novel-writing journey last year and is a cheerful and enthusiastic blog chum.

I began blogging around the same time as Yvonne at It Had Better Be Good and we've been buds ever since. She recently finished the second draft of her first novel and is always an inspiration.

Love ya, ladies!

On Balance

I received two rejection letters in the last two days, but I also returned home to my lovely signed and personalized copy of Caroline's Disraeli Avenue, an Amazon giftcard, and my beautiful present from husband, which I had to leave behind while we traveled to Oregon for Christmas last week:


I was also somewhat heartened to learn that the finalists and runner's up in the contest where I submitted one piece, included not only well-published writers, but also tenured writing professors.

I had a lovely time with family and friends, and we enjoyed a white Christmas, but I'm glad to be back in my own space with a return to 60-degree weather in California. (I think Drew would love to be a snow dog though.)

Have a...

“Merry Christmas,” says Drew, “and to all a good chew!”

Drew Got Mail

Grrumble

Yesterday started off with a whimper. Literally. The dog woke Husband and I at 5:20am when he jumped on the bed in agitation. He never does that because he knows he's not allowed up there. Husband got up to take Drew potty and to find out what had scared him. Everything appeared normal until Husband noticed Drew's stomach grumbling. As soon as his stomach made a noise, he would jump up and run away from it. He didn't know what it was! Husband filled me in on the details and I happily drifted back to sleep.

It didn't last. When Husband went out to the car to leave for work, he discovered that someone broke into our car and stole the stereo, breaking the air vents in the process. Grr. I've had that car since I graduated high school and it was my first big purchase. Luckily the car suffered little other damage and the windows and door were spared. I feel violated knowing that while we slept someone robbed our car outside our window. Needless to say I woke up every time I heard a noise last night. It didn't help that the police were unwilling to do anything unless we actually saw the robbery. The most we could do was file a police report in order to deal with our insurance. Great. I'm sure those police reports really detour robbers.

After we discovered the robbery, we thought maybe Drew was scared by the burglary outside, but normally when he hears a noise outside, he barks, so I don't think he actually heard it. He confirmed my conclusion yesterday afternoon. His belly began rumbling and grumbling in earnest because he refused to eat his breakfast. With all the squeaks and growls, he started hiding behind my feet! Drew is not naturally timid, tending to be inquisitive and friendly instead, but his reaction gave me the giggles. He stuck close to me all afternoon and jumped up every time his stomach squeeked, which unfortunately for him was every few seconds. I felt sorry for him, but it was so entertaining. Even at two years old, he is such a puppy sometimes. After a bad morning, Drew managed to cheer me up as usual.

With a face like that, how could your spirits not brighten?

Black Boxes

All is busy and quiet around here. I'm trying hard to keep from sinking below the load of my novel class and editing schedule. I just popped in to say hello, and share my pictures for Caroline's competition:
Pop by her blog to check out the fierce competition, and enter a photo if you dare, though do try to not best me, I really want to win her book!

Dust off

I'm picking myself up and dusting myself off. This weekend I learned that a journal rejected the short story I submitted for a contest. Sadly, they don't even send form rejection letters. I found out by checking my submission status online - my status changed from "In process - we are reading your submission" to "Complete - we finished reading your story and will not be publishing it." Sweet. Two years ago I would have cried about the rejection, but I finally seem to be developing a thicker skin. I immediately began searching for a new place to submit. C'est la vie.

It sucks to be a writer sometimes. I spend my time researching (aka, reading books and traveling to cool archival libraries in the city) and creating new worlds (albeit out of old ones). I work at home and wear my favorite jeans, tshirt, and flip flops, and my assistant requires constant attention and the occasional walk or tug.

Drew, the writer dog and assistant extraordinaire.

It's a rough life. Can I please trade it all in for the cubicle and the office sludge, er, coffee?

p.s. Since my humor doesn't always come through, I am being completely sarcastic. (Well about the last bit anyway, I really did get rejected, and the pay really does suck.)

Friday feedback

Okay, I may regret this later, but here are pictures of the new hairdo:
Voila. (I think Drew is mocking my pose in the last picture, that cheeky dog!) It's really not that exciting, I know, but I've wanted to give bangs another try for awhile and was afraid I couldn't pull them off. (Keep in mind that I'm still figuring out how to style them.) It's too bad I don't have a picture of my awesome 80s poof bangs to compare. Who knows, maybe next I'll go for the pixie cut or finally get a tat.

On a separate note, I received great feedback on my chapter and was pleasantly surprised by everyone's reaction. I thought it would receive a lot more criticism than it did, and I was happy to discover that the readers loved my research details, which I was beginning to think were a bit overbearing. Yay. Still a lot of work to do, but at least I know I'm heading in the right direction.

Bored? Lunchtime viewing provided courtesy of cult-favorite Joss Whedon: Dr Horrible. (Thanks for the link, Yvonne, I'm loving it.)

Half-Dark

I sit in the silent half-dark attempting to polish a story, while keeping one eye trained on Drew who lies in his bed beside me staring pathetically at our house guests who lie sleeping late into the morning. He lets out an occasional whimper, unsure why they would want to continue sleeping at 10:30 when he's already run, eaten his breakfast and is available to play. Working at home in a one-bedroom apartment is challenging enough on a normal day, but when we have guests, especially guests like my sister who like to sleep in until 11am, it makes things nearly impossible.

Pick pick pick

My fingers are a wreck. When I get anxious, I pick. I'm not a nailbiter. My nails are always in shape; it's the cuticles and hangnails that I torture. I usually don't even notice I'm picking until Husband grabs my hands to stop me. In my anxiety over taking the next step, I've taken up the old bad habit. I need to find another way to handle anxiety. Normally I run. But lately I've been too lazy. I guess I better dust off the old running shoes before I convert my cuticles into a scabbed red mess.

I have yet to start the second draft typing/edit. Last weekend I said I would begin on Monday. But there was a doctor appointment I forgot about. And a last minute vet visit with Drew (apparently he developed seasonal allergies). The next day I had to take the blood test my doctor ordered, and Husband asked me to have lunch with him. See where I'm going with this.... Somehow I arrived at Friday with no progress to show for myself. I'm unbelievably frustrated with my inner procrastinator. I know it's important to let the first draft sit untouched for awhile, but in my case I need to type all the handwritten chapters before I can edit in earnest. Plus, it's been months since I wrote chapter three, which is where I planned to start typing. On the one hand, I'm eager to read what I wrote since it seems a bit hazy and distant. On the other hand, I'm terrified to find that it's all mush. And so, until I can properly beat out the procrastinator in me, the anxious finger-picking will continue.

A (Jet)Lagging Homecoming

I arrived home for the second time in one week on Sunday evening. Husband's best friend and his wife had their first child while I was traveling, and we wanted to see little Adam William before he grew too big. He was a precious, tiny little thing. So far they are lucky: he doesn't cry much, and he's quite the little snuggler with cute puckering lips.

Last Tuesday evening, I arrived home 23 hours after I began my travels in Prague. Everything went smoothly, but I was stuck with a 7.5 hour layover in Munich, so it made for a long day. Husband picked me up from the airport with a sweet little kiss, but I think Drew missed me more because he howled on my lap for a full five minutes when I arrived home. It's been over a week, but still he doesn't like to leave my side.

I want to thank everyone for the thoughtful comments left while I was gone. Even though I didn't respond, they kept my spirits up during my down moments, and made me laugh as well. I'm still attempting to get back into the swing of things, which is why I haven't blogged since my trip, but at the same time I'm trying to wrap my mind around all the ideas and experiences I had while traveling.

I may post a few pictures and stories over the next few weeks as I continue to settle back into normal life, whatever that is. We have a few birthdays coming up (including husband's and mine) and two more trips over the next month, so I'm just hoping to keep up. However, I surpassed the 90% mark today, so I'm well on my way to finishing this draft in April! Hurrah!

Feelin the cold

I've been lying low since I started battling a sore throat/head cold a few days ago. This particular cold had me fighting off sneezes most of the day. And they're not the cute, dainty, girly sneezes either. No, these are the whoppers that cause a full body convulsion and make your throat hurt. It made for an entertaining writing session at the coffeeshop today. My nose ring is also unbearable since it keeps causing my nose to itch, but I can't take it out. Appropriately enough the weather is very drippy and drafty today. I'm hoping it prepares me for the cold weather on my upcoming trip in 10 days (but who's counting).

Did I mention today was a big day? I dropped Drew off at doggie daycare for the first time this afternoon. He hasn't been very socialized with other dogs, so we're working him into the environment slowly so he will be comfortable staying there all day when we go on vacation. I felt like a nervous mom leaving her child at preschool for the first time, and as silly as I feel about that, I can't help it because he is my baby. He did really well though. The owner said he adapted better than expected, and by the end of the day, he was playing with 'the pack', so I am a very proud mama.

Since I haven't blogged in days, I also wanted to mention a show I began watching recently, Lipstick Jungle, which premiered two weeks ago. So far I plan to continue watching. The cast, which features Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price, is great. Fans of Sex and the City should enjoy it, and although the focus is not so much on sex like SatC, I would be lying if I said it doesn't feature frequently in the episodes. Like SatC, it focuses on close friendships between women, but it also looks at how successful women balance their career with their life. I like that positive message. I recommend checking it out, though I must say, I think it's going to appeal to women more than men.

Excellence

Fabulous JJ has awarded my blog an E for Excellence! How lovely of her. My Monday feels brighter already.
I can nominate ten new people to receive the award, but I see many of my favorites have already received it, so I will pass it along to five who may not have it yet:

Alix, Caroline, Helen, Hullaballoo, Lucy Diamond


Speaking of excellence, the paperback of lovely Caroline's book In Search of Adam was released Friday in the UK. And look! I found Adam in Silicon Valley: (And the lovely boy helped me with the shopping after he was discovered. How nice of him.)

Drew also found Adam...


(In Search of Adam is not yet available in stores stateside, but check Caroline's site for information on how to obtain a copy online...I've been dying to read it so I'm planning to snag mine while vacationing this spring, but more on that later.)

Vertical Drew

It seems my vertical picture-posting problem is related more to my use of iPhoto than to my own handicap. I don't have internet access on the PC right now (due to laziness and a broken wireless card), but I always used Picasa on the PC, so I tested whether using an image from Picasa saved onto a disk and then uploaded would work, and aha(!), it did:
Above Left: Drew is tired out from all the package-opening and playing on Christmas. Above Right: Drew feigning modesty on our sunshiny walk. Right: Drew's Christmas attire. (I'm not sure he likes the chinstrap from the Santa hat!)

You poor people are going to be inundated with pictures now! Mwah ha ha.

No more Ms. Random

I'm on fire today. I wrote all my words for the day (plus makeup words for Monday) before lunch, and now I have time to walk the dog and go do the grocery shopping I've been putting off for the past two days. No random dinner for husband tonight.

Word written today: 1515

Back to the Swing

Thank you all for your lovely comments, I'll try to reply to them over the next few days, but I'm just getting back into the swing of things after our lovely holiday.

I went on my first run today in ages. I quit running sometime last summer when I started feeling sick, and I didn't get diagnosed with hypothyroidism until April, so it's been a long break. Drew and I went for a short 15 minute run and it was lovely to be out there again. I figured if I could walk all weekend touring DC, I was feeling well enough to try running again. An added benefit was that Drew passed out in his bed afterward and was not at all bothered that I sat working and not playing with him. It took me awhile to clear my desk of traveling debris and to sort through my emails, but once I finally got writing, I had a productive day. And there are only two more days left in this week!

Words Written Today: 1052

Is that really the time?

After eleven hours spent in airports or on three separate airplanes (Washington to Detroit to Minneapolis to San Jose - aargh!), we arrived home safely about 30 minutes ago. I'm about to crash considering it is after 11pm D.C. time, but it's only just after 8pm on the west coast. I'm making some tea to keep myself awake until a respectable bedtime hour. I must admit I was ecstatic to see Drew again. I missed my little boy while we were gone, and I think, given the excited butt-wiggling reception we received, he missed us too.

Tomorrow it's back to business. Pictures and a favorites recap to come.

Of Squirrels and Crazy Dogs

A loud noise banged against our sliding glass door minutes ago, scaring Drew and I, until I opened the blinds to discover that a squirrel jumped onto the screen. Drew is jumping at the window, whining, trying to figure out how to get that darn squirrel, but even with his yelping and me banging on the glass, the stupid squirrel won't leave. I even opened the door a smidgen, being careful not to let Drew out, and shook the screen door, but the squirrel just changed positions. I think he's taunting the dog because now he is just hanging there, staring at the roof, and no manner of dog whining, bouncing, or me banging the glass will get him to move. Drew is now next to me on the couch, shaking in anticipation. Poor thing, he doesn't know he's not getting that squirrel.

Here are the promised pictures:
(So one is sideways, and I cannot seem to change that, so just cock your head slightly, please, and ignore my picture-turning ignorance. Thanks. I particularly love the two of him in mid-air trying to get the squirrel through the glass, though they are blurry because he was jumping. Oh, and the one with his crazy smile, where he's staring at the squirrel trying to figure out how to get to it.)