Over qualified, my addiction to Candy Cane Lane tea and the Southern Woman's guide to not punching a potential employer in the snoot

Wow. I guess that title says a lot doesn't it? Perhaps it is my lack of sleep that has made me a bit cranky or the fact that I cannot believe that some people can be such morons. Maybe it's a little of both.

We'll start out with the fact that I'm over qualified to sell shoes. Laughing hysterically here. I am the queen of shoes. *snort* how can you tell a southern woman who has lived to the ripe old age of 40 that she couldn't sell shoes. I feel 100% justified in telling that 'man' that "I" could sell a bald man a comb and if he didn't have the ability to see that well, I really couldn't have worked for him anyway. Personally, his little muttered comment under his breath when he looked at my resume gave him away. [Hell, she's over qualified for my job]Which totally means that he was scared. Totally. Hence, the moron comment. And I really don't like calling people morons but he so deserved it.

On a brighter note, I found the last six boxes of Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane tea. {Yeah-I did the happy dance}And spent my last four dollars buying them out. I know it was probably an irrational thing to do but the thought that I couldn't have that tea again until Christmas sent me into panic mode. So, I'm such a bad girl.

In other news: Just working and writing. Had a funeral to go to this past weekend and I have to tell you, no one should lose all their children. Had to be one of the saddest funerals I've ever been to. My Uncle told me that apparently he'd just lived too long. So sad.

The Job Market

I never would have believed how much paperwork is involved in working somewhere part time. I mean really. Take a survey, take these five tests and we'll let you know if you pass and in reality what is passing on a personality test? Either you know how to fool the system or don't. Geez.

Needless to say I've been looking for some part time work. A nice little job that I could do on the weekends to earn some extra money. I've pretty much cut our budget as low as we can go. With the exception of my high speed internet. I really hate to cut that. Really. I love it. And we use it a lot with home schooling. There is no better research tool around with proper supervision of course.

So I'm crossing fingers here to get a nice cushy little job. If there is such a thing.

Books Read in 2008

A list of books I've read so far this year. I've never actually kept a list so I think this will be fun. So far here we go!

January

The Queen of Dragons by Shanna Abe
Hush: An Irish Princess Tale by Donna Jo Napoli (Young Adult)
The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne (Romance) I like this a lot!!!!
Beastly by Alex Finn (Young Adult-Modern day fairy tale) Loved this one!
Elsewhere by Zevin (Young Adult)
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (Romance)
Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (Romance)

The Cold New Year

Holy smokes it's freezing here. A lovely balmy 28' which is way below normal for my southern blood. I certainly hope everyone had a wonderful safe holiday season. I know I did! It was full of warm family moments and lots of fun with good friends.

I got the best X-mas present in the world. I got a tea pot. This may not be a big deal to some of you, but have you ever tried to pour water into a tea cup from a pot? And being the lack minded writer I am half the time I turn water on to heat and then forget about it until I realize that something is burning. Yes, I've done this on more than one occasion so how THRILLED was I to get a tea pot that whistles? Extactic I tell you. Happy happy joy joy. Now when the water is ready I have a screaming pot to alert me. Guess I'm just one of those people who need to be hit over the head about certain things. But my family bought me a beautiful yellow teapot that totally matches the walls and made me a very happy camper. I also got lots of clothes, books, shoes, etc. Oh, and Once Upon a Time scrap book paper which I highly recommend. It's fab.

Last year there were a lot of things that I didn't do well. Granted I changed jobs twice and then was jobless for the last half of the year. [Talk about stress] Oh, wait. I'm still jobless at the moment but it's all right. I have some prospects. Maybe. The guy at Payless Shoes was great.

[Side note: Damn the cat just knocked off all her food in the office which means I gotta go clean it up--be back in a jiff]
BACK

You have to love dogs, especially when they clean up the mess the cat makes.

Goals for 2008
Woo boy. This is a big year for me.
1. Write a minimum of 500 words every day. [Would like this to be more but for someone who has had issues I'm taking it at baby steps.]

2. Write every day either by long hand or on the computer

3. Focus my main two stories and make them easier to write. In other words no pie in the sky novels or novels that keeping morphing until they are impossible to handle. Remember the KISS principle.

4. Huge goal-probably most important goal. Use my time wisely. Don't let myself get out of control with internet browsing. Work before play. Write. Don't talk about writing but be like Nike and Just do it.

Here are the projects that I will finish in 2008:
A)The big book that will not die no matter how many times I try to write it/kill it.
B)Another faerie story
C)A short vampire story
D)The first book in the secret "P" books

Merry Christmas

Whisper...the lyrics

This song is so very appropriate. Striving to reach, straining to get it all down on paper. That's how I feel.

whisper

running the race
like a mouse in a cage
getting nowhere, but I’m trying
forging ahead
but I’m stuck in the bed
that I made,
so I’m lying

but if you keep real close
yeah, you stay real close
I will reach you.
I’m down to a whisper
in a daydream on a hill
shut down to a whisper
can you hear me still
eager to please,
trying to be what they need
but I’m so very tired
I’ve stopped trying to find
any peace in my mind
‘cause it tangles the wires

but if you keep real close
yeah, you stay real close
I will reach you.

I’m down to a whisper
in a daydream on a hill
shut down to a whisper
can you hear me
can you hear me
still the sound,
it dies on my lips
to fade away
and to forget

I’m down to a whisper
in a daydream on a hill
shut down to a whisper
can you hear me, can you hear me (repeats) still.

Lyrics (c) Alison Sudol aka A Fine Frenzy

Crazy Crazy December

Decembers are always crazy months for me. Coming from a large family it gets quite hectic starting at Thanksgiving. I have five major birthdays from Thanksgiving till the first of the year not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've been trying to find the time to write in all the muddle.

It's difficult at best.

And yet, it is what I love and if I have to go and work outside my home, well, then so be it. Survival is important but I only know one thing. ONE THING. This book, this very special book that has been running around, churning, and reincarnating itself in my brain for the last year has to be written. Before anything else.

It's important.

Not to mention that I now have my mother breathing down my neck. I let her read the first chapter and at the same time I handed her several books that I wanted her to read. (Garden Spells, The Book Thief, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Faerie Path to name a few)We share books. A lot. But the funny thing?

Tonight she called me and said, "I started reading one of the books you brought me about a 17 year old boy. And there was a lot of things happening to him since he turned 17, but did you take that book home with you?"

I had to laugh.

She wasn't amused. "I started that book, Michelle, and I want to finish it before I read anything else. Why are you laughing?"

I told her.

"That was my story. The first chapter that I let you read."

Her response? "Why isn't it finished yet?"

I guess I have my work cut out for me.