Rae Roy's Blog, page 24

Seeing Red

It's post holiday and I'm in the stage where my home is a giant mess from the things I didn't get to before I had to travel.

And, I can't do a thing about it right now.

All I can do is wonder if and when my nose may stop bleeding.

This isn't new for me. I used to get bloody noses all the time as a child. 

One time, it was so bad my parents almost had to bring me to the hospital. That one was after jumping into our pool. 

I suspect I am getting this one because of the dryness from home heating. All I can do is lubricate once it stops. 

And it has. Finally. I just need to give it a moment before I put anything up there.

I suppose it's that time of the year where one should just relax anyway, but after reading a friend's blog post on Goodreads I discovered I used to have my own blog connected, but never updated it when I changed its home. I've now fixed that.

This is likely all the progress I will achieve this week as I get my booster shot tomorrow and my arm is likely to be sore at the very least. The previous ones made it hard to lift my arm much at all. And I know some people who have had it hit them much harder than the first two shots did, so we'll see how it goes for me.

Here's my Goodreads in case you're wondering about it: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15072512.Rae_Roy

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's despite the current reality.

Rae

Christmas 2021

 'Twas the days after Christmas, and a return to my house

Was delightful and stirring, without a mouse

No stockings were hung, because they don't do that

After all the food, I was feeling quite fat!

I looked forward to sleeping in my own bed

As nice as it was to lay my head

The holidays were over and I was relieved

Some things that had happened, I could not believe.

My parents could not understand what was the matter

Had I just visited with the Mad Hatter?

Away to my phone, I flew in a flash

I left to avoid the wrong kind of bash.

Hours of shopping behind mom walking slow

Did not bestow me with a happy glow

The things that they said, were born out of fear

Of a world that was changing all they held dear.

Annoyed and disgusted, inside I yelled ick!

I needed to leave there extra damn quick

Dear dad, that is more than quite lame

Rather than calling someone by name.

Needless to say, I looked forward to the end

When I could return to those I call friends

I returned to my place with a decent haul

But that's not what this holiday means to me at all.

A nice travel bag for the day I would fly

Way up there in the cloudy blue sky

At least I never had to sit in a pew

Because papa thinks them uncomfortable too.

Holiday movies featured reindeer on rooves

But nary a sound of paws or of hooves

Invading the tree was a silly hound

"Get out of there," they yelled loud in sound.

A night with a brother watching a movie

Suicide Squad, which had no one named Levy

More movies and munchies and many drinks

Despite the differences in how we all think.

And so I say to all who has made it

Through another holiday with spirits

Entact and alive and free of the slammer

Despite those trying family damners.

Should I be grateful for time others didn't have?

Perhaps, but a lot made me sad.

A mixed bag, this holiday was.

And I didn't even get to see my Cuz.

A week of poor television come true

But my zest for life certainly renewed

At the end of this trying time

I happily bid Christmas goodbye.

Gathering Momentum

When something negative has been a constant in my life, it takes a toll. I haven't had the mental bandwidth to do much lately. But changes are slowly happening and I'm gathering momentum. The frustrations of 2021 are gradually easing up. I feel immensely relieved and my mind is freer to focus on everything else in my life including my writing. I even have a date planned ;)

I spent much of the weekend cleaning, reading, and working on my 2022 Q1 goals list. The weather was bad, so why not? 

I won't be declaring it my year. I don't want to scare it.

Despite all the good that is happening, I'm sad. The world lost a writer today who influenced me to write in a genre that is often make dominated. Her stories impacted me greatly. I think it quite likely that The Tale of the Body Thief helped me imagine how others may feel in a situation. It has definitely been a helpful imprint for character creation as one of mine learns about themselves. Her Mayfair Witches are a favourite series and I've long wished for a screen adaptation. I even thought about writing one, but as I researched, I learned that a screenplay exists for it. 

When I was in secondary school, young adult books didn't exist. I read adult books and some of them were hers.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Rice. May your energy be reunited with your husband's and daughter's.

https://trello.com/b/RM8yD3eq/rae-roy-general

Frustrated Beyond Measure

Lately, and for quite some time now, it seems every path I try presents a roadblock.

My bicycle has been one roadblock after another. Tires that don't stay inflated long enough to ride it have been a major problem. And it took a long time to find ones that work between Covid supply issues and the size needed. When I finally found them, the chain got all twisted and I haven't been able to get it on properly, so I needed to take it into the shop. I was going to do that on Saturday, but it finally decided to snow and since people largely drive extra bad here on Saturday, that combined with the first major snow made me think twice about driving across town. So  I went on Sunday instead. I was overthinking, as I often do, about when I might have to return to pick it up and getting a bit stressed about it all. The technician fixed it right then and there and didn't even charge me anything!

Then there is my bathroom renovation. Yeah, no luck with plumber #4. There was a lot there that showed lack of experience to do the job. And the cost just to open the wall and convert the valve was quite expensive for me to have still a lot of work left to do. Surprisingly, on Friday, the building plumber came and did some work on the leaking tap. It no longer leaks when off, so it's quiet in here, but when I turn it on, it now drips from the cartridge instead of the faucet. Per his advice, I have reached out to Bathfitter to get an estimate to just get it all fixed and done. They emailed me some basic ideas and I'm going to call them to see if they can come here and look at it all. Because I can't deal with this anymore. It's too stressful and it's been going on for far too long. I need a life that doesn't involve my bathroom reno. I also have other smaller projects I need to finish!

If I'm not having a roadblock, I'm seeing very little progress. I have brought a lot to donation and I can't currently see an end in sight for my declutter. I just want to get to the regular maintenance level soon here.

Events planned also fell through on Friday, so I went out for nothing. I got some holiday shopping done, but it was like a rotten cherry on top of a pile of poop. So I went back home, put PJs on, and played video games. Specifically, I played The Witcher 1 as that's what I'm currently working through. It was hard to pull myself out of the sad mindset I was in after everything, but I managed to frame things in my mind. The point is that I'm trying. It's not always going to work out, but I'm not giving up.

My usual Monday plans are probably getting derailed due to snow and freezing rain this week, but my new skate boots don't come until around Wednesday and my elbow still hurts a bit from last week's session anyway. Hopefully I'll have no issues putting my bases and wheels on my new boots for the following Monday.

For those who celebrate, I hope you enjoyed Krampusnacht! It's always a treat to watch Krampus (2015) this time of the year if you like horror themed Christmas movies. 

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To check how I'm doing on my goals, head over to: https://trello.com/b/RM8yD3eq/rae-roy...

My 2021 Goals Update

Reno

The plumber is due this morning and I'm cautiously optimistic. This is the 4th I've been in contact with. The first only did jobs of a certain size and was trying to convince me to put in an open concept shower that would have had water everywhere and cost about $10,000-15,000. I live in a condo and if water goes from my unit into another unit, I'm in trouble.

The second plumber wouldn't return calls or book anything and is no longer being called for work in the building by anyone. Several months were lost here.

The third plumber was under contract with the property manager and waited many months to tell me they felt they shouldn't because it wasn't for the property company. So more time lost there.

This new plumber has a policy of fixing it the day they look at it whenever possible, so I am really hopeful this will be resolved, but given all the ridiculousness I'm guarding my hope.

The door to the water shutoff still hasn't been unlocked though I requested it for this morning.

Gaming

I think I've figured out that I'm not that into Twitch as a streamer. I might still do it sometime when life is a bit calmer, but I don't feel like it's that important at this time for me.

Having fun with games is though. I'm currently enjoying the first Witcher game.

Music

Well, I started out the round with a focus on guitar and ended up enjoying ukulele more. Both use similar skills though. A ukulele is really just a small guitar with different tuning. I still need to learn a song enough to play it without Fender Play on screen. It's so hard to decide which song to choose though!

Declutter

My kitchen is coming along nicely. My living room still needs a lot of love. I brought 3 more boxes to donation. I lost count long ago on that.

Reading

I really need to do better here. I wrote that I would do one audio book each week and one physical book every two weeks. I forgot what my goal was! Anyway, I'm almost through book 15 of this year. I don't think I'm going to formally sign up for the reading challenge next year and just read for enjoyment. Some books I want to read are really thick and may take months, so that will impact the number and life shouldn't just be about numbers.

Fitness

Monday's session at the skatepark left me quite sore. My left ab was strained and I guess I overextended my right elbow at some point too. I made a lot of progress though! I did the ramps a couple of times and learned what I need to try next time to do better at dropping from the top of the lipped kind. My legs are getting stronger each time I go. I had a better time with inline skates rather than quads. I still fell a lot, but it was more because I was trying new skills rather than just basic skating.

Sometimes I'm a little jealous of the skateboarders as it's so easy for them to change to different areas in the park because they don't have extra work navigating stairs while on skates.

I'm due to take my bicycle in. I finally got the tires sorted and now my chain won't go back on. I'm unsure if I can get it into the car while I'm a tad injured. I may give it a try anyway though. 

Writing

I have been doing well at my blogging goals, but not so well at my writing and editing otherwise. I think NaNoWriMo happens at the wrong time of the year for me. November usually has too much going on. Maybe once my reno is over it won't feel so stressful. 

I have made progress on Chapter 6 and I'm excited about it. For a long time, I didn't know what changes to make, but now I'm using it much better. I think I should start using part of my lunch to write as I still have a lot of energy at that time of the day.

https://trello.com/b/RM8yD3eq/rae-roy-general

End of November Update

Last weekend, I watched the new Unsolved Mysteries. The theme song is similar, but I feel like anyone new to Unsolved Mysteries would see this and not understand the longstanding history. The 80s kids would. We watched it in the evenings in the TV lit family room and felt a thrilling chill at the voice that came through on the television's speakers.

The voice is gone. The format is more like mini documentaries. It's narrated by a member of the victim's family. 

New watchers won't know Robert Stack!

Onto other things...

I figured a mystery of my own out recently. No, I'm not saying what, but I'm excited about it!

On Monday, I made it out to the indoor skatepark. I forgot how much effort quad skates are! I managed to make it up one ramp once. I bailed pretty much as soon as I first stood up and I smirked about it. I had jelly legs pretty early on. It'll definitely take me awhile to get my leg strength back for it.

I saw some friends on Tuesday for a couple of drinks. 

The rest of the week sped by.

Last night, I went to Rebel's anniversary concert line up, which included Taming Sari, Double Experience, and JJ Wylde. Double Experience was my favourite performance of the night. I'm quite tired after the event though. There was a lot of standing for hours and my legs got quite sore because my tendons are jerks, but the show was worth the pain.

And today I've managed to put a few things in the car for donation before putting up my holiday tree.

All right, I'm going to do some dishes and editing or Sparker will never get published. Yes, I've renamed the book again and it will all make sense someday.

Mid November Update

I figured it was time for a general update.
I'm currently sitting at 14/24 books read in 2021.
As far as work goes, my mid year check in when well and I'm feeling more motivated after it.
French is back on my mind and I found a newer resource to try that involves reading stories. It was inexpensive, so worth a try.
I'm wanting to eventually take some courses to add to the film side of my resume. I'm not sure when I'll have the time or the money for them, but at least I have a direction.
I have a plumber booked for December 1st. Hopefully, this time, my shower will be repaired and upgraded. This one doesn't do tub surround installs, so I'll still have that to do, but once the leak is handled, I can do that.
My other bicycle tire is due tomorrow, so I may actually get to ride my bicycle this week as it's still fairly warm here in Canada.
I've been doing a lot of research to help finish Sparks and while playing Minecraft, I figured out the design of a grove. As my dad would say, "I love it when a plan comes together!"
I've also been making progress around the house. A few more items are ready for donation. 
The only area of my life that is currently stalled is my dating life. But perhaps it's best that way until my home is more together and we're closer to herd immunity.
Mar shin leat,Rae

Time Off

This is how I feel about the time changes. 

Luckily for me, I was told that I hadn't taken enough vacation this year, so I took the rest of the week off! It really helped adjusting to the time change.

On Thursday, I mainly planned, did some decluttering, and played video games. It was a day for relaxing really.

Friday brought time to get a tire and tube for my bicycle. This has been an ongoing saga for me. It took time to find the pump that worked, but it will hopefully finally work out. I also visited my young buddies who had a P. A. Day off school. We played games and had Chinese food. While it was fun, I'm happy not having children of my own.
Saturday was a mix of gaming, adjusting my rim to accommodate a Shraeder valve tube, and watching TV. I didn't find my pump until Sunday. I also made progress on my bathroom door, though it's still not quite right.
Today, I rearranged part of my bedroom, did laundry, and got my tire set up. Here's the result of that: That's my front tire, but as I need to take the back off to attempt tube repair, I'm going to test this one on the back briefly for fit as I may want to just use this tire on both the back and front and be done with the headache that has been this bike thus far. But as I have extra tires in the original size, I'm trying to make use of them first.
On writing, I realized that my NaNo plans never work out, so I'm using it to plan future works instead of focusing on getting 50k. I just never have the time to get there these days. Maybe someday I will again, but there's no sense in heaping that pressure on myself when work has given me more than enough stress this year.

Early November

Sunday

I feel rather boneheaded about this one, but I only just realized my social media links were not up earlier this week. I've since created a list of the links for the sidebar and will get on a pretty Contact Page that includes them as well. 

I have NaNoWriMo on the brain right now and may not be posting a lot this month. The more I research my current project, the more excited I am. As a dual benefit, it is helping me with some outstanding learning that I need in order to finish Sparks.

Monday

I did something I had been meaning to for ages and I got myself a membership at the indoor skatepark. My first visit there was a fail. The skates I brought were too small and unusable. It's a good thing that I have a couple of other pairs.

Wednesday

I had a doctor's appointment for test results, which all came back excellent. This is a tad annoying because something has been making me dizzy and we don't know what, but at least we ruled out some big things like diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, electrolytes, and vitamins/minerals like iron & B12.

When I went to start my car after the appointment, it wouldn't. Now, I had problems in the past with my battery, so I thought maybe it was that, but it was making a different sound. When it's the battery, you hear clicking like a BBQ lighter trying to light or that of a gas stove element. This was more like it was trying to click and couldn't even click once fully.

My poor Pixie getting connected to a flatbed's winch.

After freezing while waiting for the tow truck driver who took a long time then did the weirdest thing I've ever seen with my car, I got to the shop across the street. Yes, please appreciate the absurdity of breaking down that close to the shop and being unable to get the car there another way. Anyway, the tow truck driver would winch my car up the bed a bit then try starting it again. He did this several times. In his mind, he thought this might make it work. Maybe. If it was the battery. But having already attempted a boost and one of the doctors in the building having called his dad, who knows about cars, and having a third person who also knows about cars all say it's the starter, I thought this was idiotic and my brother agreed with me. We're the children of a mechanic, so we've grown up around cars and learnt some things along the way. I was already sure it wasn't the battery by this point as boosting usually does the trick. And the battery wasn't that old anyway. The next thing he tried was to suggest a shop when I already had one. Not my favourite person. Especially since all that extra time lost meant not getting my car fixed the same day.

Thursday

Four days into NaNoWriMo now and it's not going too well yet. I'm not as far into research as I would like to be. Also, I lost pretty much all of Wednesday between work, a doctor's appointment, and my car deciding not to start. By the time I got home, I just wanted food and warmth. And part of today was lost on retrieving my car.

Friday

I was feeling pretty stuck on NaNo and I realized that I don't have to force myself to stick to one project. I haven't gotten far enough into the research for the project I wanted to focus on for it, so there's a lot of it I can't write yet. Instead, I'm going to also work on a short story anthology from many of the ideas I've had over the years. Anyway, I've tweaked my word counting sheet to allow for this and even my blog posts though they don't contribute to a project. They are still words written in November.

Many of my writing friends are at World Fantasy Con in Montreal this weekend. With Covid and my car woes, I wasn't up for it. So I watched V for Vendetta tonight, hung out in a friend's Twitch stream, and worked on my NaNoWriMo projects.

Saturday

I was fairly lazy on Saturday. I slept in. I gradually did a bit of decluttering. In the evening, I watched Black Widow, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt it had a decent balance between dialogue and action and between heavy moments and lighter ones. Also, there were a lot of attractive women in catsuits, so what's not to like there?

After that, I hit up two Zoom parties and played a little bit of Minecraft. It's probably good that I ran out of rum or my head would feel much worse than it does today. This is excellent because I have things to do like skate maintenance, writing, and decluttering.

Hallowe'en 2021

On Wednesday, I hung out online at the Wakefield Writer's Fête. It's a writing festival I've only discovered because of work creating lists of things to do. Last night's panel was on song writing and it was hosted by a comedian, so I had an enjoyable time.

We're inching up quickly on National Novel Writer's Month (NaNoWriMo) and I couldn't remember what my plan was for it. I swear I wrote something down, but I have no idea where. Clearly, a digital declutter will be on the horizon soon enough. After digging into my ideas folder, I've cobbled together a plan for a short story anthology. A hiccup though, I apparently have two NaNoWriMo accounts and the bulk of my projects are on the one I can't log into. I've sent tech support an email and am hoping they can merge the two accounts.

As far as ukulele goes, I'm recently worked on Stitches by Shawn Mendes because it was the first challenge I had. It was not my type of music generally, but the song had some skills that I needed to learn, which made it fun to play. When I first started learning it, the full speed was intimidating and I couldn't keep up. I started with reducing it to 50% speed. Once I got decent at 75%, I kept working at it until I felt good enough about 100% speed. Now that I can keep up with it for the most part, I've added it to my favourites to continue working with. It's good for skills and I think I can make it tighter.

I've noticed that since I started playing the uke a little bit every day, I've felt happier.

My main Hallowe'en evening plans fell through, but there were other events. Friday had a Zoom event that I didn't end up going to, but it was an option. On Saturday, I watched the Crow because it's a Devil's Night tradition. I also watched a friend stream a horror game on Twitch in the afternoon. Tonight, I think I'm staying in and maybe doing a virtual Haunted Walk or gaming and prepping more for NaNoWriMo 2021. I'm also making some pumpkin puree to attempt a mini gluten free pumpkin pie.

If you want an update on my goals, click here: https://trello.com/b/RM8yD3eq/rae-roy-general