Chrissy Munder's Blog, page 45
January 8, 2015
I'm in love.
I need an entire website like this. *fans self*
cats in manly poses http://t.co/JVFtuslb4B pic.twitter.com/uePww4qzVQ ☼
— gallery pieces (@GALLERY_PIECES) January 8, 2015
January 7, 2015
Homonym Hump Day - Would you rather be a Bore? a Boar? or a Boor?
Now this is a fun series, and one that makes me think I must immediately use at least one of them in my next scene. But it isn't one I seem to have too much trouble with when writing. Perhaps this one is easier because the definitions of the words are so different? When's the last time you used one of the three in your writing?
January 6, 2015
App Fear. Paranoia or just plain odd?
Howdy, howdy. It's Tuesday and I am supposed to be off doing other, more goal-orientated tasks like pulling info together for taxes. Instead I'm asking a question about Apps and how people use them. As in, I have my handy Kindle Fire. I love my Kindle Fire. It's backlit, does text to speech, lets me increase fonts until the cows come home (or until I can see what I'm listening to), and more than a few other fun things. Life is good and Chrissy is a happy camper with her Kindle Fire. (ooh, the dreaded 3rd person reference).
I've also downloaded a few apps, not too many, but some. They're fun and allow me to spend a bit more time online. Which makes me think maybe an app would my solution to my Facebook problem. Almost everyone has heard me dither about my Facebook account and how it gets short shrift because there are so many other things (writing anyone?) I could spend my limited online time on. A modern, and easy solution to most people I know would be to download the FB app on my Fire and spend my evenings liking and catching up with all you lovely people. In theory, that's great. And I've entered the app store more than once, determined THIS time I'm going to download the app. But I don't.
The reason is App fear. Because every time I stop and read the permissions I'll be giving the Facebook app I can't make myself hit the download button. Have you read all those permissions? Maybe I'm foolish. I have a FB account. I use the account on my desktop. I know they have their little Facebooky fingers in everything I do or everywhere I go online, but seeing all those permissions laid out in black and white on the app store makes me cringe. Why the heck do they need ALL of that (including the ability to "download without notification") for me to read friend's posts and click like? If nothing else, how much of my Fire resources and battery life will that app burn through if I allow it free reign?
And this is where I wonder, am I just being paranoid? Should I fulfill my American duty as a consumer-driven data minee by closing my eyes and downloading the app uncaring if it will misuse my trust and the access I've given it? It's not that I have anything to hide, it's just, all those permissions seem so unnecessary. It's kind of like our packaged food situation. They spend all this money and research on food additives to make things addictive and packaging and shelf life. Maybe they could spend a little on actually providing minimal nutritive value.
Sigh.
Anyway, maybe paranoid isn't the correct word. Maybe odd would fit the bill better. What do you think?
I've also downloaded a few apps, not too many, but some. They're fun and allow me to spend a bit more time online. Which makes me think maybe an app would my solution to my Facebook problem. Almost everyone has heard me dither about my Facebook account and how it gets short shrift because there are so many other things (writing anyone?) I could spend my limited online time on. A modern, and easy solution to most people I know would be to download the FB app on my Fire and spend my evenings liking and catching up with all you lovely people. In theory, that's great. And I've entered the app store more than once, determined THIS time I'm going to download the app. But I don't.
The reason is App fear. Because every time I stop and read the permissions I'll be giving the Facebook app I can't make myself hit the download button. Have you read all those permissions? Maybe I'm foolish. I have a FB account. I use the account on my desktop. I know they have their little Facebooky fingers in everything I do or everywhere I go online, but seeing all those permissions laid out in black and white on the app store makes me cringe. Why the heck do they need ALL of that (including the ability to "download without notification") for me to read friend's posts and click like? If nothing else, how much of my Fire resources and battery life will that app burn through if I allow it free reign?
And this is where I wonder, am I just being paranoid? Should I fulfill my American duty as a consumer-driven data minee by closing my eyes and downloading the app uncaring if it will misuse my trust and the access I've given it? It's not that I have anything to hide, it's just, all those permissions seem so unnecessary. It's kind of like our packaged food situation. They spend all this money and research on food additives to make things addictive and packaging and shelf life. Maybe they could spend a little on actually providing minimal nutritive value.
Sigh.
Anyway, maybe paranoid isn't the correct word. Maybe odd would fit the bill better. What do you think?
January 5, 2015
Releasing my inner mean girl.
I should first point out I have not actually seen the movie that shares this post’s name, and I’m not talking about gratuitous cruelty to others. Rather I’m wondering, why we are so mean to ourselves?
If anyone asked a few years ago, I would have claimed to be a laid back, go with the flow kind of gal. To be fair, I really believed that to be true. Fast-forward to the here and now, and I’m stunned to find I’m a Type A, all go, no quit, push on through until done, tongue like a barbed whip, micromanager.
At least when it comes to myself.
As some of my blog readers know, my writing and online presence has been erratic over the last several years due to a series of eye surgeries and extended recovery periods. I’ve not shared a lot on this, not only because I was raised in the "keep your troubles to yourself" era, but also I truly believed the experience wouldn’t make a difference in my personal or professional life. I was, after all, a master at driving myself long past any reasonable breaking point and never saying die. Somehow, I’d find a way to keep on, keeping on.
Well, wasn’t I surprised to discover that couldn’t happen in this case.
Part of the self-knowledge acquired during this period included the discovery I am, in fact, a seriously driven Type A perfectionist when it came to "getting things done". And I’m never satisfied when the job is finished either. It doesn’t matter how big, or how small the task, I should have done better.
Exercise for 20 min? Should have done 30. Wrote 1,000 words? Should have written 3,000. Cleaned and mopped the kitchen? Why didn’t I empty, scrub, and re-line the cabinets with new shelf paper while I was at it? Put in a 12 hour shift and go to night class? Why didn’t I work 14 hours, get the rest of the backlog out, take two classes that night instead of one, and then come home and re-line the damn cabinets when I was done?
Where did this inner tyrant of self-expectation come from? Why didn’t I ever realize any of this before? More importantly, how the heck was I going to deal during the long periods of inability otherwise known as recovery?
I won’t kid you, it’s been hard. Suddenly, there’s a lot more gray in my black and white life. I had to cut myself some slack. A lot of slack, and I still do. Because, the funny thing about losing sight and living with low vision you never read in books or see in movies is it’s not a static state. There are good days, and bad days. Times where there’s not enough light, and times where the problem is too much glare and light. You had good focus yesterday and put in 20 minutes of editing time on the computer? Too bad, you only get 10 minutes today. For someone who lived and loved her organized plan the inability to make a plan and stick to it was—mind blowing.
And let's not talk about how much longer everything now takes.
There’s the old saying about how you either learn to bend or you break. Thanks to a caring support system and good friends, I’ve gotten better at bending. So here I am in 2015, flexing my way through one day at a time, learning to release my inner mean girl, and celebrating each accomplishment, no matter how small.
As for those kitchen cabinets? Still unscrubbed, and still with the same old shelf liner. Sorry. But don’t worry. The beauty is I can’t see them well enough to care.
If anyone asked a few years ago, I would have claimed to be a laid back, go with the flow kind of gal. To be fair, I really believed that to be true. Fast-forward to the here and now, and I’m stunned to find I’m a Type A, all go, no quit, push on through until done, tongue like a barbed whip, micromanager.
At least when it comes to myself.
As some of my blog readers know, my writing and online presence has been erratic over the last several years due to a series of eye surgeries and extended recovery periods. I’ve not shared a lot on this, not only because I was raised in the "keep your troubles to yourself" era, but also I truly believed the experience wouldn’t make a difference in my personal or professional life. I was, after all, a master at driving myself long past any reasonable breaking point and never saying die. Somehow, I’d find a way to keep on, keeping on.
Well, wasn’t I surprised to discover that couldn’t happen in this case.
Part of the self-knowledge acquired during this period included the discovery I am, in fact, a seriously driven Type A perfectionist when it came to "getting things done". And I’m never satisfied when the job is finished either. It doesn’t matter how big, or how small the task, I should have done better.
Exercise for 20 min? Should have done 30. Wrote 1,000 words? Should have written 3,000. Cleaned and mopped the kitchen? Why didn’t I empty, scrub, and re-line the cabinets with new shelf paper while I was at it? Put in a 12 hour shift and go to night class? Why didn’t I work 14 hours, get the rest of the backlog out, take two classes that night instead of one, and then come home and re-line the damn cabinets when I was done?
Where did this inner tyrant of self-expectation come from? Why didn’t I ever realize any of this before? More importantly, how the heck was I going to deal during the long periods of inability otherwise known as recovery?
I won’t kid you, it’s been hard. Suddenly, there’s a lot more gray in my black and white life. I had to cut myself some slack. A lot of slack, and I still do. Because, the funny thing about losing sight and living with low vision you never read in books or see in movies is it’s not a static state. There are good days, and bad days. Times where there’s not enough light, and times where the problem is too much glare and light. You had good focus yesterday and put in 20 minutes of editing time on the computer? Too bad, you only get 10 minutes today. For someone who lived and loved her organized plan the inability to make a plan and stick to it was—mind blowing.
And let's not talk about how much longer everything now takes.
There’s the old saying about how you either learn to bend or you break. Thanks to a caring support system and good friends, I’ve gotten better at bending. So here I am in 2015, flexing my way through one day at a time, learning to release my inner mean girl, and celebrating each accomplishment, no matter how small.
As for those kitchen cabinets? Still unscrubbed, and still with the same old shelf liner. Sorry. But don’t worry. The beauty is I can’t see them well enough to care.
January 1, 2015
Happy 2015! What's ahead w/Chrissy?
Hey y’all, Welcome to 2015! I hope you had a good celebratory start to your year. You know I’m still feeling festive if my y’alls start flying.
No surprise if you’ve been here before, but I love fresh starts, Mondays, moving into new houses, new notebooks, and especially, New Years. There’s an energy and vibrancy I can’t help but get excited about. While not any kind of resolution, as part of my 2015 goal planning (let me pet my pretty binder) I’m playing around with a few different ideas on how I want my year to go.
One of my tools will be a monthly focus. Instead of jumping around and chasing the new and shiny when it pops into my head, I’m choosing a different idea/thought/topic each month, spending time with it, and seeing how it applies in my life and work. Lucky you, I’ll be highlighting some of this here, and I hope you’ll share the process with me.
There’s still all the usual stuff throughout the week. If I’m going to have a new blog post then it will be here on Mondays. Tuesdays and Thursdays you can catch me on Twitter with my Free Kindle Pick o’ the Day, Wednesdays are Homonym Hump Days here on the blog, and I’ve a few guest author posts lined up as well. I still haven’t figured out how, or even if I want to fit Facebook into the mix, but we’ll see how things go. On the writing front? I have two completed works off in the corner taking a brief rest before I give them a final editing pass and I'm staring down the last 40k on my novella and novel in progress. Hopefully that will finish out the first quarter of this year and then I can jump into that 5 novella series I have outlined and ready to go.
Are we ready for 2015 or am I just a little *too* excited for y ‘all?
December 31, 2014
Homonym Hump Day - Affect or Effect?
Wow. Today's homonym is one I'm not sure I'll ever remember correctly. Here's a case where I've almost given up hope Mrs. Wolf's mantra of "if you write it down you'll retain it" will work. But maybe her other advice to second graders - "practice makes perfect" will finally help this sink in.
In my Pink Squirrel Press Anthology Release, Summer Hire we get to see the effect Jim's boss, Aaron has on him. The first time they meet all Jim can think about is his favorite porn film. As they get to know each other Aaron's affects Jim in ways he never imagined.
Hey, I think I got that one right. Go me! (What? you never celebrate the little things?) I'd better doublecheck over at Vocabulary.com to be sure.
Is there a set of homonyms that won't stick in your brain, no matter how many times you look them up? Do you think they'll ever stick?
In my Pink Squirrel Press Anthology Release, Summer Hire we get to see the effect Jim's boss, Aaron has on him. The first time they meet all Jim can think about is his favorite porn film. As they get to know each other Aaron's affects Jim in ways he never imagined.
Hey, I think I got that one right. Go me! (What? you never celebrate the little things?) I'd better doublecheck over at Vocabulary.com to be sure.
Is there a set of homonyms that won't stick in your brain, no matter how many times you look them up? Do you think they'll ever stick?
December 30, 2014
Time for the obligatory 2014/2015 blog post
But then, there are so many good ones out there to read. Rather than going on and on I will say I'm satisfied with how 2014 went. Yes, there were some things that didn't come to fruition, but my goal is to celebrate what I did accomplish, not moan about what I didn't. I'm holding to that. Which means 2014 was a pretty damn good year, and not only because I was able to find both a regular bra and a sports bra that not only fit - but didn't cost an arm and a leg. Yeah, I'm still basking in that accomplishment.
2015 is starting on a positive note as well. I'm almost surprised my goals (both personal and professional) are tangible, written, and carefully spaced out in my zippy new binder. Wish me luck!
If working on writing craft makes a goal list in 2015 consider a course from Savvy Authors, or a free course from Coffee Time Romance. If the time commitment is a roadblock check out the archives at Coffee Time Romance with classes from prior years. You won't get the feedback, but you can read/work through the lessons whenever you have time.
Or if you've had enough of things with a writerly bent, but still want to stretch your brain cells, there's always my two favorites: AboutU and Khan Academy. Both sites are free, and well worth investigating. Khan Academy has even partnered with Bank of America to offer a course in personal finance education called Better Money Habits.
What went right for you in 2014? Do you have any plans for your New Year? What are you hoping to achieve? Go ahead and share so I can cheer you on with plenty of hugs and confetti tosses.
2015 is starting on a positive note as well. I'm almost surprised my goals (both personal and professional) are tangible, written, and carefully spaced out in my zippy new binder. Wish me luck!
If working on writing craft makes a goal list in 2015 consider a course from Savvy Authors, or a free course from Coffee Time Romance. If the time commitment is a roadblock check out the archives at Coffee Time Romance with classes from prior years. You won't get the feedback, but you can read/work through the lessons whenever you have time.
Or if you've had enough of things with a writerly bent, but still want to stretch your brain cells, there's always my two favorites: AboutU and Khan Academy. Both sites are free, and well worth investigating. Khan Academy has even partnered with Bank of America to offer a course in personal finance education called Better Money Habits.
What went right for you in 2014? Do you have any plans for your New Year? What are you hoping to achieve? Go ahead and share so I can cheer you on with plenty of hugs and confetti tosses.
December 17, 2014
Homonym Hump Day - Discreet or Discrete?
Sometimes I think one of the main joys of being an author is the opportunity to learn new things. In Drive Me Home , Eric Moss takes a job as a limousine driver. But does he work for Discreet Limousine? Or Discrete Limousine?
The totally different definitions for this homonym found at Vocabulary.com made for an easy choice between the two words. The hard part was remembering to spell it correctly throughout the manuscript. Thank goodness for "find and replace". Are there two words you know mean different things, but you still get the spelling's confused?
The totally different definitions for this homonym found at Vocabulary.com made for an easy choice between the two words. The hard part was remembering to spell it correctly throughout the manuscript. Thank goodness for "find and replace". Are there two words you know mean different things, but you still get the spelling's confused?
December 15, 2014
Holiday Excerpt: Better with Sprinkles
My Holiday celebrations continue with an excerpt from
Better with Sprinkles
. We love having friends and family join us in our traditional cookie baking marathons and surprisingly, there's still enough to give away when we're done. We have several favorite recipes and I had a hard time picking which one to include at the end of this story for my readers to enjoy. In the end, both Tom and I favor the soft frosted sugar cookie recipe adapted by my grandmother and I hope you actually try the recipe out. Do you and your family have a favorite cookie recipe you make each holiday?
Better with Sprinkles
available from Dreamspinner Press - Publisher's Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=55_128&products_id=2089
Better with Sprinkles : College student Tom Molina isn’t too interested when his roommate Derek tries to convince him to leave his books and help out with the campus LGBTA Center’s annual Christmas cookie sale. But Derek has an ace in the hole to score the center Tom’s grandmother's sugar cookie recipe: fellow volunteer Jeanette’s cousin just happens to be the organic chemistry T.A. Tom’s been dreaming about. Now Tom just has to hope Isaac is as interested in baking cookies as he is in chemistry and HIV awareness.
Excerpt:
The hardest part of the day so far entailed making sure wandering fingers left the finished product alone. Deciding to give up the battle in favor of winning the war, Tom fended them off with a plate of warm-from-the-oven samples, and suggested the group take a break to enjoy while he mixed up yet another batch of sugar cookies. In Tom’s view, there couldn’t be enough of his favorite soft cookie. Once topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles nothing equaled the taste.
“Do my ideas rock, or do they rock?” Derek mumbled as he surveyed the neat rows on the cooling racks with blatant, lustful intent.
“Back away from the cookies, Derek,” Tom said sharply. “You’ve already had your share.”
“But they’re so pretty,” Derek wheedled. “Just one, I promise. Pretty please with naked Isaac Peterson’s on top?”
“Something sure smells delicious. I followed the aroma from the parking lot.” A new voice spoke up behind Tom, and he whirled around, choking as he recognized the man in front of him. Oh my God, does he look good, was Tom’s first thought as he wheezed, his chest and throat constricting as he attempted to breathe. Oh my God, did Isaac hear Derek, was his second.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Tom’s college crush smiled at him, and Tom choked up even more. Isaac Peterson: just as amazing as he remembered—all blond, wavy hair and blue eyes, smiling, at him. Tom had dreamed about this moment. Often. But usually alone, naked, and slippery with lube.
Isaac Peterson. Naked. Lube. Tom had trouble seeing past the flashing spots of light in his mind’s eye.
“I’m glad you guys didn’t have any difficulty getting in.”
Ignoring Tom’s dilemma, Derek reached out to shake hands. “Nope, no problems at all. Thanks again for letting us use the kitchen.”
“You’re welcome, and trust me, you’ll pay during the actual sale.”
Tom bit his tongue when Isaac’s polite smile turned sly and just a little bit wicked, and he immediately saved the mental image to his fantasy-Isaac collection for later use. Right about the time Tom realized he wasn’t able to start breathing on his own, Laura walked up beside him and hit him sharply on the back. Tom coughed in response, sucking air into his starved lungs and watching in horror as an eager Isaac Peterson turned toward him.
Better with Sprinkles
available from Dreamspinner Press - Publisher's Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=55_128&products_id=2089
Better with Sprinkles : College student Tom Molina isn’t too interested when his roommate Derek tries to convince him to leave his books and help out with the campus LGBTA Center’s annual Christmas cookie sale. But Derek has an ace in the hole to score the center Tom’s grandmother's sugar cookie recipe: fellow volunteer Jeanette’s cousin just happens to be the organic chemistry T.A. Tom’s been dreaming about. Now Tom just has to hope Isaac is as interested in baking cookies as he is in chemistry and HIV awareness.
Excerpt:
The hardest part of the day so far entailed making sure wandering fingers left the finished product alone. Deciding to give up the battle in favor of winning the war, Tom fended them off with a plate of warm-from-the-oven samples, and suggested the group take a break to enjoy while he mixed up yet another batch of sugar cookies. In Tom’s view, there couldn’t be enough of his favorite soft cookie. Once topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles nothing equaled the taste.
“Do my ideas rock, or do they rock?” Derek mumbled as he surveyed the neat rows on the cooling racks with blatant, lustful intent.
“Back away from the cookies, Derek,” Tom said sharply. “You’ve already had your share.”
“But they’re so pretty,” Derek wheedled. “Just one, I promise. Pretty please with naked Isaac Peterson’s on top?”
“Something sure smells delicious. I followed the aroma from the parking lot.” A new voice spoke up behind Tom, and he whirled around, choking as he recognized the man in front of him. Oh my God, does he look good, was Tom’s first thought as he wheezed, his chest and throat constricting as he attempted to breathe. Oh my God, did Isaac hear Derek, was his second.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Tom’s college crush smiled at him, and Tom choked up even more. Isaac Peterson: just as amazing as he remembered—all blond, wavy hair and blue eyes, smiling, at him. Tom had dreamed about this moment. Often. But usually alone, naked, and slippery with lube.
Isaac Peterson. Naked. Lube. Tom had trouble seeing past the flashing spots of light in his mind’s eye.
“I’m glad you guys didn’t have any difficulty getting in.”
Ignoring Tom’s dilemma, Derek reached out to shake hands. “Nope, no problems at all. Thanks again for letting us use the kitchen.”
“You’re welcome, and trust me, you’ll pay during the actual sale.”
Tom bit his tongue when Isaac’s polite smile turned sly and just a little bit wicked, and he immediately saved the mental image to his fantasy-Isaac collection for later use. Right about the time Tom realized he wasn’t able to start breathing on his own, Laura walked up beside him and hit him sharply on the back. Tom coughed in response, sucking air into his starved lungs and watching in horror as an eager Isaac Peterson turned toward him.
December 12, 2014
2014 Goal Review
Resolved: to celebrate what I did achieve - not moan about what I didn't. #success
