Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 87

Friday Five

TGIF and Happy Valentine’s Day! Okay, let’s jump into sharing five random things about our week.

I need to start writing these blogs in the mornings when I have ideas…by late afternoon/evening, I just want it to be wine time That’s what happens when I start my days around 5:30 a.m.. On the other hand, I’m usually going nonstop in the morning, then I write after lunch until 4 or 5, so…I could get up at  4:30 or 5???? LOLOL! That would make for some interesting blogs. I’m often awake, but definitely not articulate.
Wizard and I went to a quick dinner last night for an early Valentine’s Day. We wanted to go to a nice place and debated it all week, but between my temporary crown and Wizard’s having a health issue too, we decided to put a nice dinner on hold. And I just didn’t want to cook dinner myself. We went to a local Mexican restaurant. Today, I think we’ll go to the movies just to do something together.
My Romance Writers of America (RWA) organization is giving me emotional whiplash. My problem is that this organization played a pivotal role in my writing career, creating a deep nostalgia in me that is getting in the way of me making rational decisions.
I’ve been chipping away at a lot of goals this year, and I’m very happy about that. Even writing Savaged Devotion–although it’s sooooo slow– it is progressing and I’m determined to be pleased with that.
Sunday is Youngest Son’s birthday, and he and his wife are coming over for lunch. We’re making tri tip, and of course, his special lactose free cookies. I offered to make him a lactose free cake, but nope, he wanted the cookies. I will make him anything he wants, and he knows it, LOL!

That’s my Friday Five, now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a very Happy Valentine’s Day and a great weekend!

Musing on Anne Lamott’s 12 Truths I’ve Learned from Life

I saw the link to 12 Truths I’ve Learned from Life by Anne Lamott in one of my Facebook Groups. I found it interesting and thought I’d share the link for you guys. It’s a TED talk, so you can listen or read it. I read it myself, and am going to go back to listen to it after I set up this blog.

A couple of my favorite lines:

Every writer you know writes really terrible first drafts, but they keep their butt in the chair. That’s the secret of life. That’s probably the main difference between you and them. They just do it. They do it by prearrangement with themselves. They do it as a debt of honor. They tell stories that come through them one day at a time, little by little.  Yes, this! It’s exactly what I’m doing now. It’s a messy, ugly thing, but I’m giving it my commitment every day I can, even if I’m only actually writing an hour or two at a time.  And slowly, I’m hearing the whispers my characters again. Each day, each hour, each minute I put in the time to listen and type, the voices will get louder.
Publication and temporary creative successes are something you have to recover from. She goes on to say MUCH more about it, and I don’t necessarily agree with all of it, for instance when she says, The most degraded and evil people I’ve ever known are male writers who’ve had huge best sellers. That is not my experience. However I do relate to many of the other things she said. One of my biggest surprise successes was The Plus One Chronicles trilogy. I woke up one day, and out of nowhere, it was taking off on the charts. I thought I was seeing things. I had to have someone else look to tell me if it was really happening. And even then, I couldn’t fully grasp what it meant. Eventually, I understood the full implications, and then, it became a frantic race to replicate it, when in all truth, it’s not something we actually can predictably replicate. That kind of sudden, out of the blue, success is as elusive as fog–we can see it, we can almost touch it, and then it shifts and sways and vanishes, only to reappear a mile down the street. A book that is a success in the moment today, may go unnoticed and unappreciated if it came out one year later, or earlier. Chasing success can be crazy-making. What created more havoc for me was the internal pressure of expectation. Both real pressures (have to make money, pay the bills, worry about making more money if someone in the family is sick–Real Life happens to all of us) and the perceived pressures of not letting anyone down; fans, family relying on me, people telling me if I did it once, I could do it again. All that pressure fills and fills until it’s an oversized balloon ready to burst. Anne is right that creative success is temporary and it can be destructive. Writers do better, in my opinion, when we can keep all that outside of our writing space. I think someone who does that well is Nora Roberts. I don’t know her, but my impression of her is that she can separate her author/businesswoman persona from the writer who sits down at that keyboard and writes a story.

Wow I had a lot to say today, LOL! Anyhow, I think this is worth a read or listen if you’re interested.

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

Weekend Roundup

My weekend highlights were Turbo, new washer and dryer, temporarily repaired tooth, cookies and words! A busy one!

First, my dentist was awesome. Despite my worries that the cracks in the tooth around my old filling went too deep to save the tooth, all I needed was a crown. Yay! Ninety minutes of drilling, etc wasn’t fun, especially for my neck, but worth it. The temporary crown is on, and I’ll get the permanent one in two weeks.

Saturday, I went to see Turbo while Wizard stayed home for the washing machine and dryer delivery. I’m surprised he didn’t seem to mind because he’s our grandson’s #1 fan. But Wizard told me to go have fun and not to worry. So I did and OMG that boy is a fountain of amazing energy and curiosity! We played and played and played while his dad went into the office (tax season) and his mom got some meal prepping done. It was so much fun, but by the time I got home, I was exhausted, LOL! Although I will say this about my Grandma Skills: Turbo loves playing cars and trucks, and after raising three boys, I am really good at playing cars and trucks! So there I was, crawling all over the house, making engine sounds with my cars. I should have had Special K video it to show you all, LOL!

When I got home, the washer and dryer were all in, set up and ready to show off their skills. So far, the machines have worked great through four loads of laundry. We are both relieved after a year or so of struggling machines that sometimes worked, and sometimes refused.

Sunday, Wizard went off to race with middle son, and I hung out with Maggie, made cookies and wrote some words. I’m reweaving the story, using some old scenes (with rewrites), writing news one and beginning to see a really solid big pictures. It’s a slow and tough process but as long as I stay on track, and keep believing in myself, I’ll get there. I’m already past the 250 page mark Once this book is done, I’ll get over the invisible mental mountain that I dropped in my own way.

Oh and the cookies! I really craved something that had a “chew” to it and dark chocolate. Because I had all the ingredients on hand, I made these oatmeal pumpkin cookies but I substituted a heaping cup of dark chocolate chips for the pecans (I can’t eat nuts with the temporary crown). They really satisfied my craving, so it’s a win for me.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

Friday Five

TGIF! Let’s jump in with sharing five random things about our week.

I feel much better after starting the week sore from various things, including sudden weather changes. Yay!
After months and months of struggling with my washing machine and its mysterious spin cycle, my dryer announced his sudden retirement. We bought a new set that should be delivered Saturday. I chose a simple Maytag top loading set that should fit in my laundry room and hopefully will work without complaining.
I broke a tooth Wednesday night. Ironically, I think the molar cracked while I was eating the healthy granola I made a few days ago, then part of the tooth actually broke last night. Side note: The brownies I made did no damage Anyway, I see the dentist this morning. That should be a fun visit. I have no idea if the tooth can be saved since it broke around an old filling. The good news is I’m not in pain (they would have gotten me in right away if I was), and at least it’s in the back of my mouth so no one can see it.
I’m on a soft food diet until the tooth can be fixed. Guess what? A brownie is soft! But I miss my salads and hard fruits. Not eating meat doesn’t bother me at all. I know I’m weird.
I made a little progress on my book! It’s still slow, but Wednesday and Thursday I really did move forward and feel good about that.

That’s my five things. We had originally planned to go see Turbo Saturday. I may go by myself and Wizard will stay home for the delivery of the washer and dryer (he offered), or I’ll change it to Sunday. I’ll talk to Turbo’s parents and see how things work out. Now I’d love to hear five random things about your week!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Catastrophic Cookie Confession

I have a secret. Judging by all memes and rabid hysteria on social media, I guess I’m taking a big risk by telling you all this. But, honestly, I can’t hold it in any longer.

Girl Scout cookies are boring. Dry, stale and generally not worth the trouble.

There. I said it.

Do you hate me now?

P.S. We’ve bought a lot of Girl Scout cookies over the years to support the kids of friends and neighbors. We’re not terrible people! Really  

Oops & Weekend Update

Happy February! I’m late getting the blog up because of “user error” Which is what happens when I try to do something at 9:00 o’clock at night

Good weekend and a short blog We went to Middle Son’s for Super Bowl yesterday and had a fun and relaxing time. Dinner was great, and I adore their two dogs Jett and Hazel. Maggie did okay with them too. I’m not at all into football, but even I could say it was a good game. But the dogs mostly kept me entertained while the others yelled at the TV

Toady, I’m hoping to get to the gym and back to the book. We’ll see if Monday decides cooperates with my plans!

**Add Update: It’s cold and windy here today, and I’m pretty sore, so I skipped the gym. I’m pushing a bit too hard, so I may have to rest a week with just stretching, walking and a little core work at home. It’s about time for a shot in my elbow too. I’m icing it today to see if it’s just particularly cranky from a RA flare or it’s the tendon. However, this all is minor stuff. I’ve just learned over the years to pay attention when these little flares happen before they become a real problem.

How was your weekend?

Friday Five

TGIF!! Let’s jump right into sharing 5 random things about our week:

Writing, well I’m trying! I don’t want to dwell on it, so I’ll just say regaining my creativity is a work in progress
So it turns out I have an inner hippie, LOL! My friends, this is what comes of watching YouTube. Anyhow, yesterday, I made tahini (a butter made from pumpkin seeds) and almond butter. I plan to use the tahini in some homemade granola and hummus, and the almond butter as I would any nut butter spread. (FYI, I’m not vegan or a vegetarian by any stretch, I’m just expanding the plant-based nutrition to my diet to support my increased strength training.) To my surprised, my small food processor did the job. Here’s the results of my efforts:

Tahini on the left. fresh roasted almonds in the center and almond butter on the right.

Today I’m meeting Biker Witch to hang out and go to Trader Joes, because, yep, we know how to party! Also, I’m looking for more nuts and stuff, and then next week, I’ll be tired of it all. But I’m so thrifty, I’ll find a way to use all that I’ve bought and made. For instance, I bet I could find a way to turn that tahini into a sweet treat
It’s taken my over a week to read a thriller, “Orphan X” by Gregg Hurwitz. It’s fast paced with nice twists, I just get distracted, and you know, tinnitus.  I just finished listening to “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Morierty. I liked that one too, I especially liked the premise of waking up after a fall and not remembering anything in the last ten years, including her kids or why she’s divorcing her husband.
I’m not sure about this weekend. I may see a kid or grandkid or get into some shenanigan or other.

So that’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! Hope all of you have a great weekend!

Love and Legacy of our Animals

Maggie appears to have completely bounced back. Here she is on a walk with me (sorry I couldn’t get a better picture–she’s doesn’t like her picture taken)

Animals! Here I thought I raised my kids and my acid churning nights of worry were over. Then Maggie came into our lives, and I got to feel that helpless panic and worry all over again. But you know what? She’s totally worth it! She’s a precious gift who came with an unknown time limit, but her love will make me a better person for as long as I live.

And that makes me think of Bailey Dog.

He was a little dog with a mighty heart and he had a huge impact on all of my family. We are all more loving and compassionate for having this dog in our lives. And though he’s been gone for a while now, his legacy lives on in each of us and the choices we make each and every day.

Now I’d love to hear about the animals that have impacted and or changed your life.

Weekend Roundup

Stunningly sad news about Kobe Bryant, his daughter and all the people in the helicopter with them. My heart breaks for all the families and loved ones. I’m writing this right after I heard, so I’m still just shocked. Since I live in So Cal, Kobe is (gosh, I can’t even say was yet) big news around here.

Okay, moving off this, my weekend was good and bad.

Good was our grandson, Turbo! CPA Boy, Special K and Turbo came over, and for the first time in a while, it was all about Grandpa for Turbo. Wizard was ecstatic and they had a great time together while I made blueberry pancakes.

Then Uncle Youngest (BLB) and his wife crashed the party Youngest brought Turbo another gift, an awesome car set that Turbo loved because Uncle Middle shamelessly spoils his nephew and is quite smug about doing it. This is going to come back and bite him in the backside when he has kids and Uncle CPA Boy spoils them, LOL! Brothers. (Uncle Middle is just as shameless about spoiling Turbo.)

The bad news is Maggie got sick again Saturday and kept throwing up for a couple of hours. Not good. When our Family Vet Tech (Youngest’s wife) got to the house, she looked her over, said she was slightly dehydrated, but if things didn’t get worse I could wait to take her in Monday. Maggie seemed to stopped throwing up and I semi-relaxed. We had a great day, everyone left, I gave Maggie some rice, put her in her bed by our couch and Wizard and I did some stuff.

Then I looked at Maggie.

She’d quietly thrown up. Again. Right by my feet and I didn’t hear her (Bad Mom!). However, she got right up while I cleaned up, then she drank some water, went outside,  came back in…and thing got worse:

The side of her mouth swelled up and it was bad (probably worse than the picture shows). I got Benadryl down her in a spoon full of pumpkin. The other side of her mouth and one eye swelled before the Benadryl finally began working. Thankfully her airways seemed clear and she was breathing fine. It had to be a reaction to something, but we have no idea what might have stung or bit her, what she might have eaten…no clue. Or if it’s related to the vomiting. By the time I put her in her crate to sleep, she was better and I was a wrung out mess.

After a night spent imagining the worst, she looked much improved in the morning. So far, she’s held some rice and dry food down as I’m writing this Sunday afternoon, but I’m taking her in to her vet today if I can get her in. I will feel better getting her checked out.

Sadly, I’ve been planning and wanting to go see Middle son and his wife on Sunday. Our schedules haven’t lined up lately, but we finally got it worked out and I had to cancel Of course Middle Son understood which helped a lot.

Want to guess how much writing I got done? I’m fighting the middle part of the book that is a major turning point. One voice in my head keeps saying just move forward and fix it later, but another voice bellows that I can’t, it’s too emotionally vital to set up the rest of the book. I really need the voices in my head to all get on the same page and work together! Is that so much to ask?

So that’s my long weekend story. How was your weekend?

P.S. Once I know Maggie is okay, she’s going to be in really big trouble for scaring me like this!

Friday Five

TGIF! Every Monday I get up with a fresh new week in front of me, and every Friday I’m like, Hey, where’d the week go? Anyhow, let’s get into sharing five random things about our week:

A picture from one of my Thursday morning walks with Maggie.
Maggie’s been a little off this week, and yesterday afternoon she only ate half her dinner (unusual) and seemed a little lethargic. I’m going to watch her today and call the vet if she’s sick. I hate it when I can’t put my finger on what’s bothering her, and she can’t tell me.
In case you haven’t gotten enough of my super exciting life, here’s a pic of my lunch yesterday. It’s flatbread with some turkey, low-fat string cheese, and a  whole lot of vegetables topped with pineapple salsa. I actually roll this up believe it or not, and then I use a fork for spillover. This is one of my favorite lunches if I have the time to assemble it. What I’m NOT showing is the supposedly healthy, definitely calorie loaded, oatmeal peanut butter bar I ate after that.
I’m in a decluttering and organizing frenzy. One of my goals for this year is streamlining my kitchen. I’ve always been a bit of a minimalist in my lifestyle–at least in theory, LOL. But somehow I’ve collected a lot of stuff over the years, and I’ve worn out other stuff. It will take time, but I’ve got a great start now and feel good about that. Although I’m filling up our trash cans and donations bags.
Turbo is supposed to come over Saturday for pancakes, but Wizard hasn’t been feeling well this week. We’ll see how he is today–we don’t want to get Turbo sick. FYI, I worry about Wizard as much as I worry about Maggie, but at least Wizard can tell me what hurts and he’s good about going to a doctor if he needs to, which relieves my mind some.

That’s a quick snapshot of my week, now I’d love to hear yours! Have a great weekend!