Devon Ellington's Blog, page 18

Wed. Feb. 12, 2025: A Journeyman Writing Day

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Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Full Moon

Mars Retrograde

Cold and cloudy

Good morning! I hope your Tuesday was pleasant.

I followed up the Mayor’s office on the Commissions, and let my town councilor know I did so. I sent out a submission which is a huge stretch, but nothing ventured, and all of that. I got out another submission, too. I did the rounds of my elected officials. I requested my next assignments from my book review editor, and received them. I slogged through some email. I went through grant/residency proposals guidelines. The ones I’m most drawn to have rather complex applications, and I have to weigh the effort versus the potential reward.

I wrote about another 1K on the anthology story. I have a few more scenes and around 1900 words to wind it all up. I may have to cut a couple of scenes to stay within the word count. But I’m almost there. I nearly changed my mind on the murderer (again), but I can make it work with my chosen killer. I had to research some distances. I’m setting it at a fictionalized theatre on Cape Cod, in contemporary times, and I remembered some distances between points I’m using incorrectly.

In the afternoon, I read the next book for review, and did some work on contest entries. I also worked on the design for my text/textile project. I had assumed I would piece the entire project, but it might be easier/make more sense to piece the central design and then applique it onto the background, then build the borders. Building the piece that way would change the immediate background, but not the borders, although I may put additional narrow borders between the wider borders.

Heated up leftovers, read for pleasure at night, the next of David B. Coe’s urban fantasies set in Phoenix. I like his writing. I read some of his blog, and I enjoy that, too. He and his wife recently moved not too far away. I hope they are very happy in their new home.

This month, I switched to the Medieval Scapini tarot deck for the ancestor work. It’s inspired by the original Sforza deck (some of those cards are at the Morgan Library in NYC), and since I’m working with ancestors from the Italian side of my heritage (albeit quite a few generations back), that made sense. I bought the deck in a head shop in Adelaide, Australia when my show was down there, back in the mid-1990’s. People kept asking me for readings, and I hadn’t brought a deck with me. That taught me to always travel with at least one deck! I saw the deck in the shop a few times, and I kept coming back to it. I asked to see it, and the proprietor rolled her eyes and took it out. The minute I handled it, I knew it was mine, and I bought it. She was surprised, because she said everyone else who handled the deck dropped it, claiming it burned them. She figured it was waiting for me. It’s always read really well for me, and was the primary deck I used when I read professionally in NYC. I haven’t used it for quite a few years, but I’m glad I’m back to using it. It’s very accurate, although sometimes I wish it would be a little gentler!

I actually bought two decks in Australia. I have a major arcana deck I bought in the gift shop of a maritime attraction we stopped at on tour. It’s the Millenium Tarot/Tarot of the Four Worlds by M.S. Chamberlain with art by Ziba Villmanis-Westenberg. It’s a rare deck, from Australia, with only 1500 copes printed, and quite lovely.

Slept reasonably well. Fed everyone, did the morning meditation. I need to check in with the ghostwriting editors (I want the notes so I can move forward). The big thing I need to do today, other than working on the anthology story, is to head over to the grocery store with the rolly cart and stock up before the storm comes in tonight. Because yes, we are getting more snow.

So I better get hopping, hadn’t I? It’s supposed to warm up a bit later on, so I might actually try to dig out the car.

Have a good one!

Tues. Feb. 11, 2025: Skating Between Projects

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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Day Before Full Moon

Mars Retrograde

Cloudy and very cold

Whew! I hope you had a good weekend, and haven’t been hit too hard with what I call “the Februaries.” It was back down to 9F when I woke up this morning.

I was happy, on Friday, to discover a direct deposit for a small job I wasn’t expecting for another week. That took some pressure off. I spoke to the ghostwriting team; we don’t need to do an official amended contract, they move dates frequently, but were glad I asked. I contacted my elected officials (twice, about two related but different issues). Reports are that the Teenage Mutant Incels (coined by Stephen Colbert, also called “Traitor Tots” by others) are screaming at staffers and hitting things. If they act like spoiled toddlers, TREAT them that way. At least metaphorically give them a good spanking. Caught up on some emails. Did a bunch of admin. Received a refund from the vendor, who refuses to complete the order, even though said vendor is still listing the item on their site. I will avoid them in the future.

Finished reading the second Lynley book by Elizabeth George, PAYMENT IN BLOOD, which was very good.

Turned around a script coverage. Spent too much time doomscrolling.

Put on Real People Clothes and some makeup, and hiked down to Eagle Street. Rough drafted a ten-minute play in my head on the walk down, that’s relevant to what’s going on. I saw my friend’s opening (very good), and ran into some people from tarot. Went to an opening further down the street, at the gallery where I’ll be included in the group show in summer. They had a really good exhibit going on. The friend with the first opening had a piece in this, along with another acquaintance.

Came home, heated up some leftovers, read. Found out the Public Art Commission meeting is not happening on Monday; I will try to keep track on the town’s calendar to see when it is. Talked to the councilor about our next steps.

I’ve been floating some test balloons in conversations to see who can be trusted with what information, and it’s been interesting. The basic categories are:

Constitution Shredders

Those Who Would Turn in Anne Frank

Those Who Stand By (aka Cowards)

Those Who Try To Ignore (and will pay a steep price)

Mediators

Quiet Disruptors

Those Who Walk Their Talk/Stand By Their Values

Constitution Warriors

It’s important information to see where people slot in, and know that people are likely to move slots. Which way they move has a lot to do with our safety moving forward. Information on where you stand to each individual, and with what you can trust them/how far is vital.

I have the most distrust of those who stand by and those who try to ignore, keeping an eye on mediators, too, and adjust my interactions accordingly. But it’s always interesting to see how people respond to test balloons. Talk about a psychological experiment.

By the time I woke up on Saturday, the snow forecast had risen to at least 10 inches, and the city declared a snow emergency.

I ran a couple of errands, including a short library run (without the rolly cart). Got tucked back in at home fast. I’m not usually a snacker, but I craved snacks, so I picked some up at the store at the bottom of the street. I had my pre-storm headache, worse than usual. Played with the cats. Read. Relaxed. Pondered the rest of the anthology story and rearranged a few things in my head. Read Kaye Ballard’s memoir as background for a project and jotted some notes.

Cooked a comfort food dinner and read well into the evening. Learned that my Mastodon instance is shutting down, so I have to find a new one and migrate everything. Not looking forward to it. Researched instances. The one that seems best suited is invitation-only right now. I should have switched over to it when that misogynistic dude on my instance started trouble a year or so ago.

Up early on Sunday, made (American) biscuits for breakfast. It was steadily snowing. It was pretty, but it was a lot of snow. Read the two books for review and played with the cats. Wrote the Community Tarot Reading for the Week and the GDR piece on daydreaming and scheduled them to post. Made up a recipe for dinner, and it worked.

I probably should have dug out the car in the late afternoon when the snow stopped, but I didn’t want to.

Skipped the Super Bowl, because I don’t care, especially since That Thing was there, and I resent footing the bill. I did, however, watch footage of the halftime show on Monday. Well done. Kendrick Lamar’s content and performance were outstanding. And Samuel L. Jackson? Sublime. They had excellent tech, too, which made a difference. The precision from all the performers and the overall quality, including and especially what the performance said, was outstanding. I haven’t appreciated a halftime show that much since Prince in 2007. We owe Kendrick Lamar and Samuel L. Jackson a lot of thanks. If you haven’t seen it yet, go find the full video. NOW. “This is bigger than the music” he raps, and he is right. The man has a Pulitzer Prize along with his 22 Grammy awards, the production was IATSE, and it had a backbone. The choreography was terrific, too. That halftime show is an absolute master class in layered context, symbolism, and craft. It’s an amazing fusion of lyrics, visual, and multi-layered meaning.

Rap and hip-hop are a form of poetry, with strong structure and commitment to imagery, rhythm, and metre. There’s plenty of rap I don’t like, especially the misogynistic “women are whores” subgenre. But when it’s done well, it’s a powerful storytelling device. And the storytelling in each of these songs is exquisite.

Slept reasonably well, and up around the usual time Monday morning. Fed the cats, got my act together, and humped the laundry down in the rolly cart to the laundromat. I considered waiting until tomorrow, but everything will freeze over tomorrow night, and more storms are expected, so I figured I should get it done on Monday. Two loads, and back by 8 AM, which isn’t too bad.

Folded everything and got it put away. Did a bunch of admin. Prepped for the first library cohort meeting. It was all of us introducing ourselves; there are 24 of us. An interesting group. I’m curious to see where it leads. There’s another member from the Berkshires, so once the weather gets better and my car is fixed, we might get together in person. We have to be on Discord, which I am not looking forward to having/messing up the computer again.

Moved instances on Mastodon, which was easier than I expected, thanks to advice from colleagues on Mastodon. I am now @DevonEllington@writing.exchange, since bbq.snoot.com is shutting down in a few months. I think I’ve successfully migrated everything over there, and I’m trying to get oriented. It still took time, but there wasn’t much swearing and muttering going on. I’m getting a warm welcome over there, and a big follower bump, which is nice.

Wrote and submitted two book reviews. By the time I got them done, it was too late to ask for my next assignment, so I will do it today.

Had to rip out part of the anthology story, and have to rework it. I made a stupid error, and can’t just adjust. I have to rip out a whole section and reconstruct it.

It started snowing again in the afternoon, so I did not go out to dig out the car. I will try at some point today, although I’m worried it will have all frozen down.

The damn smoke alarm, which I thought I’d unplugged, started it’s “error” message every 60 seconds. I climbed up on a tall stool (highly unsafe) and yanked it down. Hopefully, maintenance will replace it soon. Again. What is this? The 6th time now, in the past few months?

Read David B. Coe’s HIS FATHER’S EYES, the second Justiss Fearsson book, which is very well done.

I wrote and submitted both book reviews, but it was too late to request a new assignment (the third book, which is a cookbook in print, hasn’t yet arrived). I will get in touch with my editor this morning.

Still waiting for the revision notes on the ghostwriting project, and still no coverages showing up.

Two big grants I considered are now cancelled, so that’s off the table. I still have 3 to write between now and mid-March. There’s also a new grant out of Creative Capital (along with the other one in which I’m interested), so I will attend a virtual information session at the end of the month and see what’s what.

Slept well, up at the normal time, got the cats fed. Tripped over Bea in the dark, and now she doesn’t want anything to do with me.

The Public Art Commission meeting was moved to Thursday night, but I’m already committed to the Library Trustees meeting. This morning, I have to be in touch with the Mayor’s office about these two committees, per my promise to the town councilor who recommended me to them. I also have to break through on the anthology story and work on my slides for the screenwriting workshop. I want to get out some LOIs, and will do the daily rounds of my elected officials. Hopefully, I’ll get my next reviewing assignment, and also do some work on contest entries. I need to send off homework to the library cohort and a slide presentation to the artist cohort.

PowerPoint has removed the design feature for slides. There’s still something called “design” but all it does is fill in background. Microsoft Office gets worse and worse.

It’s supposed to snow again today, and then more on Thursday. I like living in a place with seasons, and this is part of it.

Have a good one!

Mon. Feb. 10, 2025: Intent for the Week — Maneuver Through the Storms

image courtesy of kinkate via pixabay.com

Monday, February 10, 2025

Waxing Moon

Mars Retrograde

Cloudy and cold

We had a big snowstorm yesterday, and a series of smaller storms are expected all week. Along with all the political storms. My intent is to maneuver through as best I can.

The Community Tarot Reading for the week is up here, using the Cozy Witch Tarot and the Shadows of Light Oracle.

There’s also a new post about the importance of daydreaming over on the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site here.

I’ve been to the laudromat and back; now it’s time to buckle down to work.

Have a good one, and we’ll catch up tomorrow.

Fri. Feb. 7, 2025: More Snow, and More Snow Incoming

image courtesy of Pexels via pixabay.com

Friday, February 7, 2025

Waxing Moon

Mars Retrograde

Snowing and cold

That was intense snow yesterday. Beautiful, though, especially since we were tucked in to the apartment. And snowing again this morning, with high winds. About another 8” of snow is expected Saturday night into Sunday.

Tessa taught Bea the joy of playing with the plastic milk rings, so Bea has something new to keep her interest. Yes, she’s smart enough not to try and eat it. She also managed to get one of the balls out of her interactive toy, and was quite annoyed with me when I put it back in.

Yesterday’s meditation leader was the computer-terminology one, so I ducked out.

I printed out our vaccine records, in case they vanish (we still have the original cards, too). I printed out our IRS forms. We have never filed electronically, nor do we plan to, for as long as possible. We work in tangibles.

I did a bunch of admin. I figured out the next bit of the anthology story, so I think I can finish the draft this weekend, polish it, and get it out the door next week. A medium-sized coverage came in, paying decently, which I will turn around this afternoon. It’s the only coverage that’s come in so far this pay period, which is disturbing.

I find it unbelievable that a cadre of grown-ass humans can’t stop a handful of teenage pissants down in D.C.

I gave myself the afternoon off, reading and re-reading Elizabeth George’s work, again, starting from the beginning. I’d read the first few when they came out, back in the 80’s. I’d forgotten how gruesome they can be. At the same time, her character work is excellent. And she doesn’t loathe her female characters the way Grimes does. I mean, personally? I still dislike the character of Helen Clyde in the series, but George develops her with an eye to complexity and as a fully-rounded individual. And this time around, I’m learning a lot about structure and pacing.

The weather was too nasty to walk down to Open Studios, so I skipped it.

I heard back from my editor on the ghostwriting project that there’s a delay in getting the notes back to me. So I need to point out that, if I’m not getting the notes back until sometime next week, the Feb. 12 deadline in the contract to have 20K done based on those notes is unrealistic, and we need to amend that.

It’s snowy and very windy today. I’m hoping it will calm down in the late morning, so I can do a post office and maybe a library run, but it’s looking doubtful. I am, however, going down to Eagle Street, because several friends/acquaintances/colleagues are all involved in openings on the same street, and I want to turn out to support them.

Over the weekend, I will work on the anthology story and books for review/contest entries. Maybe the play sample for the commission proposal, although I’ll probably leave it for next week. I need to get some LOIs out today, too. Next week, the For the People cohort starts, I have to attend a Public Art Commission meeting, and a library board meeting. And we’ll see where we are with the ghostwriting. Somewhere in all of that, I want to get out a couple of grant proposals and work on the ANGEL HUNT adaptation. But a lot of that depends on the deadline for the ghostwriting project.

Fingers crossed I can make it all work. The internet’s flickering in the wind, so we’ll see how much I can actually get done online today.

Have a great weekend!

Thurs. Feb. 6, 2025: More Snow, More Stress

image courtesy of Aneta Esz via pixabay.com

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Waxing Moon

Mars Retrograde

Intense snow and cold

You can read the latest on the garden over at Gratitude and Growth. It’s snowing again, and the schools are closed today.

Yesterday morning, I headed out after breakfast for the grocery store, on foot. It was cold, but bright and sunny. I stopped at the pharmacy first, and picked up my mother’s prescriptions. I was worried maybe there would trouble with the insurance, since the Ratboy Incel Unit got access to all our information, but at least for today, everything went through.

Then, I went next door to do the beginning of the month big shop. Only I had to limit it somewhat, since I was on foot with the rolly cart. Still I had four big bags stuffed, and then had to struggle getting it home. I finally gave up on the untreated sidewalks and walked in the street.

Got everything home, up the stairs, unpacked, and put away. It really doesn’t take much longer on foot than by car; I’m just more worn out. Answered some emails. I’m fighting with a vendor who only partially filled an order after confirming it, and now refuses to complete the order, demanding I return the part I have for a refund. WHILE continuing to list the item. No. Complete the order. You’re listing the same item, and you’re listing multiples of the part of the order you did not ship. Complete it. If it was a mistake, that’s what they’d do. But it’s a bait and switch. They can bite me. I contacted their corporate office.

We have a felon in the highest office in the land, and now everyone thinks they can crime.

Dealt with email, talked to an editor, contacted my elected officials in my daily rounds. Spent too much time doomscrolling. I’m hearing back from my state officials about the email I sent on Monday, which is nice.

I did, however, take advantage of WIRED’s $6 for a year subscription offer. Because they’ve been doing some of the best reporting on this, along with MOTHER JONES. MOTHER JONES has been kicking ass since the 70’s, so no surprise there.

Could not get the anthology story to work. This is a crucial transitional scene, giving the protagonist the information she needs to put the pieces together. I shouldn’t be struggling with it so much. I’m tempted to skip it, write the final three scenes, then go back and write this one, then revise the final scenes. However, overnight (I literally slept on it), I got an idea that might pull it off. I will attack it today.

Had a lightning bolt idea for the commission to which I decided I was not applying. I still might not use it for this, but it’s absurdist, funny, and very dark. Some might see it as nasty. In the vein of what the commission asks for, but built around current events, using the frustration I’m feeling about (waves hand). We’ll see where that goes. It might only be a short play, not a long one, but if I can pound out 10 pages of decent quality, I’ll submit them. The deadline isn’t until the middle of March, but if I’m going to do this, I want to get it out sooner rather than later. Let it go and the ideas flow, right? When I worried about it, I was stuck. I will apply that to the anthology story, too.

I did my prep for Monday’s For the People session. The curriculum is intense; it’s kind of like being in college again. I’m going to have to build in at least 10 hours a week for the 12 weeks of the cohort to do this work.

Made turkey meatloaf for dinner, which was good comfort food for a cold night.

I’m reading Alison Weir’s book about Mary, Queen of Scots, and the murder of Lord Darnley. Fascinating, and the factions/machinations feel very relevant.

Got my next 3 books assigned for review, so I can dig into that while I’m waiting for the ghostwriting notes and hoping some script coverages come in.

Slept pretty well. It’s snowing now, and supposed to snow ½ inch per hour this morning, then taper off a bit in the afternoon. Glad I got the groceries in yesterday! And it’s nice to have oat milk again for my coffee. When I use cow’s milk, I get sick. But I can use cow’s milk still in cooking or baking. Go figure.

The damn fire/smoke detector is chirping every 60 seconds again AND saying, “Error. Consult trouble shooting manual.” I have to call maintenance. AGAIN. These damn detectors are supposed to be good for 10 years. They barely work 10 weeks. It makes me want to scream. I couldn’t get it unplugged, but I think I managed to jiggle it to deactivate it, because it’s been quiet for two whole minutes. It has my hyperacusis on overdrive.

I keep remembering the Community Tarot Reading for this week, where the cards advised emotional regulation. Yup, yup, yup, working on that, struggling with that.

Supposedly, we have the online meditation group this morning. I will get in touch with maintenance about the smoke detector. I want to work on the anthology story and the play. I keep hoping I’ll get my ghostwriting revision notes early, but I have a feeling they will stick to the schedule they set out.

Have a good one!

Wed. Feb. 5, 2025: Keep on Rolling

image via Gordon Johnson via pixabay.com

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Waxing Moon

Mars Retrograde

Sunny and cold

Good morning! There’s a post up on Ink-Dipped Advice here.

Yesterday morning, it snowed! Yet again, the weather app was wrong, and it mucked up my plans for the day.

One of the things I want to start doing is under-planning my day, instead of overplanning it. My colleague, artist Laura Baring-Gould says, “we over-estimate what we can do in a day, and under-estimate what we can do in a year.” I often plan too much in a day, and burn out before I even get close to completion. For this month, I pick a handful of priorities to get done each day. If I wind up with extra time and have energy, I will do the next thing that needs some attention. But I’m tired of overbooking myself, and then getting frustrated because I’m not getting everything I planned done, even when I meet all my deadlines. I’m sticking to “if it takes longer to set it up in the tool than to do the task, skip the tool, do the task” and that works for me.

The Chewy order arrived Monday. That bag of cat litter is far larger than expected, yay. Now the cats have two boxes in which to play. I will break one of them down later today.

Sent out the newsletter blast about my Script Tools class. Followed up with cohort friends on some information we discussed Monday night. Tried to work on the anthology story without much success. I know what needs to happen next, but I haven’t made the transitional scene work yet, and the prose equivalent of a jump cut won’t work in this case. Kept checking to see if I could/should go to the library, but the weather was mucky. I did, however, dig out the slush behind and around the car, and top it with sand before it iced over later in the day.

I spent too much time doomscrolling. I also wrote and scheduled the Ink-Dipped Advice post. By then, the snow had let up, so I packed up the rolly cart with books and headed for the library. After a few blocks, I ended up walking in the street, because the sidewalks were so mushy that the cart kept getting stuck, and then there was sometimes ice under the slush, so it was slippery. I dropped off one set of books, picked up another, and rolled home. Hauled the books up the steps and was exhausted. Had a good chat with the assistant library director, who is setting up our Boiler House Reading in fall. He’s delighted with the logo we created, and excited for our event.

By that time, it was lunch. After lunch, I went through the quilting books from the library. I’d ordered them because, in the keyword search of the catalogue, the pattern I wanted was supposedly in all of them. In reality, it is in none of them. And the books aren’t very good. So they are going back.

How much do you want to bet I have the pattern in one of the books I have here?

If not, it’s back to sketch time, figuring out how to make it work.

The gallery got back to me about my idea for the piece/exhibit. They love my idea/proposal. So I better get to work on it, hadn’t I? There’s a fabric for one of the borders I know I will have to order, but it’s not expensive, so that will be fine. The rest I have to figure out once I’ve sketched it. I might have to color in the sketch, because the contrast of colors has symbolism, and I have to pick backgrounds that work with them. And the backgrounds are part of the piecing, so it’s not like I can add them in later. I have a feeling that my initial idea for background might have to be one of the borders instead.

I also got an idea for a stark black-and-white quilt that I want to do. Maybe with some greys. Either in a pinwheel pattern or tumbling blocks. But that will have to wait until after I do the textile piece for the gallery show.

Because I get the sense that it WILL take until August to do it right.

Finished reading the background information for the script commission proposal, and the sensation that this is not the right project for me right now is stronger than ever. I am not the right person to pull off a full-length, vicious, absurdist piece right now in the way they want it. I played with some ideas, and I could do it on a technical level, but there’s no spark. Without the spark, the sense of joy, curiosity, and emotion to drive the piece, it will be flat, and that just wastes everybody’s time. “Writing mean” just to check boxes rather than it being the best way to tell the story I want to tell won’t work. I think I will pass on it, and focus on a couple of other grant possibilities, while keeping my eye out for other commissions more in alignment with the type of work I’m doing now, and want to do. But I hate walking away from even the possibility of a $15K commission, especially with so much uncertainty. Part of me feels that, as a skilled professional, I should be able to pull it off no matter what. The problem is that I don’t WANT to work in the required style right now. I think there are other ways to tell stories that need to be told right now.

Started reading a book of essays by playwrights about the play that changed their lives, and that is very inspiring. I hope I can get back to work on I WILL BE DIFFERENT soon.

Woke up at 3:30, worried about everything. Managed to work with yoga breath and just started to doze off again when the coffee clicked on, which meant the cats got feisty, and it was time to get up.

Deleted a paragraph that I’m just not going to get into now, about the current chaos. I’d rather work for change offline than rant online. There are those whose work is strong online, and I’ll boost them instead.

Got my login credentials and curriculum from the For the People library cohort, which starts on Monday. Monday’s session will help prep me for attending the meeting I’m attending that following Thursday night.

I put in an order for a few things that are too difficult to maneuver back home on foot, and they will be delivered later today. I am headed out to the grocery store soon, with the rolly cart. It’s supposed to snow tomorrow and then over the weekend. I may not get down to Open Studios tomorrow night, but I will go to my friend’s opening on Friday, even if the weather is yucky.

Once I get home, I will get in touch with my editor to find out if she’s well enough to give me my next review assignment, and then try to work on the anthology story. In spite of three contest deadlines on January 31, no coverage work has come in, so I need to turn my attention to other clients. I’m hoping the ghostwriting notes will come in a few days early, so I can get back to that.

Unfortunately, I can’t get to the state capitol today for the protest, but I will do what I can to support it from here.

One step at a time, right?

Tuesday, February 4, 2025: Riding the Rollercoaster

image courtesy of Jan Korte via pixabay.com

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Waxing Moon

Mars Retrograde

Jupiter DIRECT as of this morning

Rainy and milder

I hope you had a good weekend. Pull up with your favorite beverage; this is a long one.

The Community Tarot Reading for the week is up here. We’re using the Cozy Witch Tarot for February.

With great trepidation, I coaxed the car to the inspection station, where it. . .passed? I have no idea how that happened, although the dashboard did not scream, blink, or tell me anything was wrong with it as I drove. It doesn’t feel quite right, but it drove, it passed, and I have no idea why. But it passed. I still want to take it in for a diagnostic, when I have some money from the ghostwriting assignment, because I don’t feel comfortable driving it.

I got home, had the adrenalin crash, and was perplexed.

I wrote and submitted the book review. My editor is ill, so it will be a few days before I get the next assignment. It’s more important that she gets healthy.

I submitted proposals for two different commissions by the same organization (per their instructions). Because nothing ventured, and all that.

I worked on the ghostwriting project, and made some progress, but not as much as I would have liked.

Another plane crash, this time in Philadelphia, and a private citizen with no vetting now has complete access to the U.S. Treasury. Good work, those of you who couldn’t be bothered to vote out of pretended purity.

Read for pleasure in the evening, had trouble getting to sleep. Charlotte was a pain in the butt. I kicked her out of the room at one point, but she howled so much I was afraid she upset the neighbors and let her back in.

Up at the usual time on Saturday. It was snowing. But I hauled out the rolly cart and went to the new location for the Farmer’s Market. Eggs from my favorite guy who sells eggs were almost the same price as always, which used to be a little more than the grocery store, and are now about 75 cents less a dozen that at the store, so I bought 2 dozen. Bought some maple syrup, and some bread. It was fun to know so many vendors, and to know a good many of the other shoppers! I love living in a small city.

Dragged the cart through the unshovelled, unplowed streets (it wasn’t supposed to snow until late Saturday night, but no one told the clouds that). Unpacked everything. I was worried all the bumpty-bump would crack the eggs rolling home, but they were fine. Did some work on the ghostwriting project. The snow stopped, so I dug out the car with the intent of going to the grocery store – only the coolant light was flashing and screaming again. So I didn’t go anywhere. I couldn’t drag the cart a three-mile round trip, especially since it started snowing again.

Kept working on the ghostwriting project, and was really happy with the day’s work. I did a lot, but once I got into the flow, it went well. I rearranged a few things, too.

Heated up leftovers for dinner, and read for pleasure in the evening. Bea spent most of the day on the top of the sofa, curled up on a blanket, looking out at the snow.

According to some Celtic traditions, in addition to being Imbolc, February 1 is also the day of the Cailleach, the Winter Hag. She runs out of firewood by February 1. If it’s sunny, she’s out gathering more, and there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If it’s overcast and she oversleeps, we will have an early spring.

Since yesterday was sunny WHILE it snowed, I’m not sure what the heck is going on. However, the cats are shedding tumbleweed amounts of fur and are running around with spring fever. So I don’t think we have 6 more weeks of winter. I’m figuring 3 or 4 more. Which reminded me to put in the Chewy order.

Did some ancestor work. Working with the same group of ancestors I with whom I worked as I learned last year is a good choice, because I can go deeper. I can see patterns, connections, do genealogical and historical research, and get more texture to it all, which makes it relevant to life right now.

Did my Imbolc ritual.

Slept reasonably well. Up at the normal time, fed everyone, meditated. We had pancakes for breakfast, with our favorite syrup from the farmers’ market. I posted the Imbolc reading, using a tarot spread I created called Brigid’s Cauldron, which you can read here. I used the Robin Wood deck for it, one of my favorites. It was far more positive a spread than I expected, meant to help navigate between now and the Spring Equinox. I did the Community Tarot Reading for the week (using the Cozy Witch Tarot) and scheduled it to post yesterday morning. I headed down to Cumberland Farms at the bottom of the street to pick up a few things until I can get to the grocery store tomorrow. I walked in the street because the sidewalks were in bad shape. The crows had a fit. They yelled at me and stayed closer than usual the whole way there and back. They really think I’ll be hit by a car every time I put a toe into the street.

Spectrum raised my internet rate, without the necessary 30-day notice required by law. And it’s ridiculous to pay more when my router is doing less. Received another package that only had a partial order in it, only according to the tracking, the order was supposed to arrive on Monday.

The Chewy order was set to arrive on Monday, too.

I finished the draft of the ghostwriting project. I feel good about the work, and am at the point where I need the team’s feedback in order to move forward.

Read for pleasure on Sunday night. I’ve finished reading the Richard Jury series. The last book I liked more than the previous five or so, even though I disagree with her loathing of her female characters. But I’ve learned a lot. I skimmed the first two books set in a place I adore in the UK (by a different author, who will remain nameless here). I was absolutely disgusted with her pagan-bashing and the circle of series villains she created. I put the books down, will return them, and not read any more of her work. Right wing crap, even for the UK.

Next on the agenda is to re-read Elizabeth George’s Lynly series. Her book on writing, WRITE AWAY! Is one of my favorites to re-read.

Sunday into Monday, dreamed I lived in the alternate timeline, where Kamela Harris was president. I was very grumpy to wake up in this one. Did the morning rounds of contacting my elected officials. They have the power to remove Scott Bessant from Treasury and exile Musk, no matter what That Thing declares on his way off to golf. I also let Kirsten Gillibrand know I’m embarrassed I ever voted for her when I lived in NY, since she betrayed everyone by voting for Bessant.

Jamie Dimon could actually pretend like he cares about his profession and the country and do something positive for once in his life, but  instead told people to “get over” their response to tariffs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There is no human on this planet I loathe more than Jamie Dimon.

I heard a rumor that there have been 5 plane crashes in 4 days, not 2, but have not been able to reliably confirm that yet.

Monday morning, I tightened the piece for the ghostwriting client, proofed it, checked it against the style guide, and sent it off. They said I’d get revision notes by Friday; if it takes them that long, I will have to ask for an extension of the next deadline, because I can’t turn it around in 3 working days. But we’ll see what happens. They usually respond pretty quickly, so I’m hoping it get it, by, say Wednesday.

My problematic client was late paying again, but it got here, and I transferred it to the bank. Still none of the promised work for this month from them. I contacted my state reps about actions they can and should take in this ridiculous power grab (thank you, Courtney Milan, for drafting excellent text). I started discussions with the gallery in which I will participate in an art show in August. I need to get back to my sketches this week.

My brain was tired, and I had trouble concentrating on other work. There were plenty of things I SHOULD do, but my brain ached. I rested for a bit, cooked an early dinner (maybe it was really a late lunch).

I put on Real People Clothes, slapped on some makeup, and headed down to Bright Ideas Brewing, where the artist cohort was having a hangout session. It was great to talk to people about various projects, concerns, and what’s going on. I had one small (5 oz) drink, since I was headed to a meeting, and didn’t want to show up at City Hall smelling like the brewery (Altoids are my friend).

Walked the block or so to City Hall. There were several of us wandering the halls in search of the meeting, and we’d all been told different room numbers. We finally found the correct room. And the meeting was cancelled because they didn’t have a quorum. I felt bad for those presenting a project. One of my city councilors was there (for whom I voted) and asked if I was interested in joining the commission. We sat and talked; there are two vacancies on this particular commission, and he recommended me. He also recommended me to the library board, once there is a vacancy. These are mayoral appointments, so I probably have a few more hoops to jump through. In any case, if I’m appointed, I will actually show up when I’m supposed to. Turns out this councilperson and I moved to town the same month of 2021, and have a lot in common. We talked about ways to put our energy and concern with what’s happening with the country at large into positive work within the local community. He and his business partner are opening a place on Eagle Street next month, which will be a bakery/coffee shop by day and a cocktail lounge at night. Which sounds like the kind of place I will spend a lot of time in.

It all happened very fast, but I’m reliable and do the work, so if I can be useful here, I think that’s worth my time and energy. It’s DOING something, not waiting for someone else to do something.

Got some reading done in the evening. Went to bed early.

So all this chaos and illegal power grab has direct correlation to the way Congress sat with their thumbs up their collective ass for much of the last few years. Not just refusing to prosecute That Thing (who got played by Mexico and Canada yesterday, and only “won” in the sense of destroying good will). But remember all those cronies of That Thing’s who were subpoenaed by Congress who just ignored those subpoenas and didn’t show up? And Congress couldn’t be bothered to make sure there were consequences? That was the test balloon for this. And here we are.

Woke up feeling that huge sense of a weight lifted off with Jupiter going direct. I didn’t realize that’s what it was until I checked the calendar and remembered. Bea and Tessa had a lot of fun playing. The rolling rack in the storage room fell apart overnight, so I have to put that together. When I take out the garbage, I will also take the shovel and clear out the slush behind the car before it freezes down tonight. I have some follow up emails with information for cohort members. I want to work on the class prep for March. I will send out a newsletter just about the screenwriting workshop. I hope to finish the draft of the anthology story.

Hopefully, some coverages will turn up this week, and I will get assigned some more books for review, while I wait for the notes from the ghostwriting client. I want to make good use of the time. I also have to haul some books back to the library and pick up the ones that accumulated since last week.

Kind of a long post – thank you for staying with it. Have a good day!

Mon. Feb. 3, 2025: Intent for the Week — Shoveling Out

image courtesy of Bruno via pixabay.com

Monday, February 3, 2025

Waxing Moon

Jupiter and Mars Retrograde

Snowy and cold

It was a somewhat busy weekend, at least on the work front. We’ve had snow off and on throughout, and I’ll be digging out, both in a physical sense, and a mental one, this weekend.

There’s a tarot reading up to help navigate the span of time between Imbolc (last Saturday) and the Spring Equinox (on March 20). It uses the Robin Wood deck in one of my spreads, called Brigid’s Cauldron. You can find it here.

The Community Tarot Reading for the week went up this morning here. We are using the Cozy Witch Tarot for February.

I have a deadline today for the ghostwriting client. I’m going to do a final pass on it and get it out the door, hopefully by noon.

Have a good one!

Fri. Jan. 31, 2025: End of Month Stress

image courtesy of Pedro Figueras via pixabay.com

Friday, January 31, 2025

Waxing Moon

Jupiter and Mars Retrograde

Cloudy and a little warmer, with mixed snow/rain

Another Friday. AND the end of the month. AND by the time we reconvene next week, Jupiter, the planet of expansion, will have gone direct and that’s more pressure off. We’ll just be dealing with Mars, who is still retrograde for most of February and slows us down.

The crash between a plane and a helicopter on Wednesday night in D.C. was horrific. That the administration claims “no VIPS” were onboard is barbaric. Every single individual on both those crafts mattered. There were families of ice skating competitors on the plane, and we are being told they don’t matter? The crew didn’t matter? As usual, the Administration’s response is inappropriate and shows a lack of empathy. We’re not even talking about the lack of competence in the current head of the DOT whose credentials are a reality show. And then the Sociopath’s rambling racism is completely unacceptable.

Decided not to join the online group meditation because the substitute leader for the day always talks in terms of computer terminology in the session and it angers me, which is the opposite of what the meditation session is supposed to do. I am a human being. I am not a computer. I am  not “downloading” information. I may understand it, explore it, enter into communication, but I do not “download” into my brain.

For my own sense of well-being, I skipped the session. Charlotte was disappointed.

I hauled the rolly cart and my library books through the snowy sidewalks to the library. Ran into a yoga colleague on her way to work at the college. Dropped off books and picked up books. Since the next Library Trustee meeting isn’t up on the city’s website, I asked in the library, and got the date for my calendar. The staff is very excited that I will be on hand, and they hope I will be able to join the board soon. In the interim, at least I can attend meetings and speak out to protect the library to the best of my ability.

Came home. Was wiped out, although I knew I had to deal with the car. Dealing with the car was more perplexing than ever. It was too late to take it for inspection, so let’s hope the fix I did holds this morning, so I can safely get there and back, in spite of bad weather. The stress levels this has caused me since before the holidays is unsustainable. And before you ask why I didn’t do something more active earlier, it’s all about when the money is available to deal with the situation. If I had had the money in early January, it would be done. But I have to figure out how to ration out the repairs to fit when money comes in. And things like rent, groceries, utilities, and insurance have to be paid first. That’s just the reality.

Our cohort workshare has been pushed back to the last week in February. And we advisors have to start thinking about what kind of event we want to host.

I did some work on the ghostwriting project and came up with a really cool something-I-can’t-discuss that just tickles me. It’s out there, but they seem to like my out there ideas, so, fingers crossed.

I finished the book for review, and hope to get that written and out before I take the car in. I’d like to get more assignments for the weekend. When I come back, I have to recover from the stress (not a joke). Not sure if I will head out to the grocery store (probably not, in this weather, on foot). I will probably just stay in and work on the ghostwriting assignment, which is due on Monday. I was supposed to go out tonight, but if the weather is as bad as they say, I will let them know I can’t come.

Tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month, which means the indoor farmer’s market. I will head down there to pick up a few things, and then, if I haven’t done the regular grocery shop, I will fill in after. I will probably work on the ghostwriting project all weekend (depending on how much I get done today) so I can send it off Monday morning, rather than end of day. I will also work on the slides for my teaching gig in March, and hopefully get some of my other writing in. I have to rejiggle some of my deadlines to accommodate the ghostwriting, since that pays more.

Until I make it through the car inspection, I’m going to be tied in knots, so I better go deal with that as soon as they open.

Have a good weekend, and we’ll catch up on the other side.

Thurs. Jan. 30, 2025: Writing Through the Ice and Snow

image courtesy of Dave via pixabay.com

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Waxing Moon

Jupiter, Mars Retrograde

Uranus DIRECT

Snowy and cold

Uranus goes direct today, thank goodness. A little bit of pressure lifted, and the chance to be our unique selves again.

You can read about the garden over on Gratitude and Growth. It’s a very short post, because there isn’t much going on!

I don’t have much to say about yesterday. I spent the entire day working on the ghostwriting assignment, first writing up some background materials, then figuring out nuts and bolts. I wrote around 4K.

I had a wonderful time, although I’m concerned about the pace this client needs.

It snowed on and off all day. Every time I started to gear up to go and dig out the car, it snowed harder. I’ll have to dig it out today, because I have to come up with a way to jerry rig it to get it to the inspection station either today or tomorrow, and I am not looking forward to it.

There’s still a lot of political turmoil, but at least the federal funds are, for the moment, back in place. No thanks to the Democratic party; it was done through the courts. Too many in Democratic leadership stand there with their thumbs up their collective ass, thinking appeasement is a better choice than fighting. And they’re shocked that using the anger and fear to fundraise no longer works. A whole bunch of these old white men need to step aside for people who can actually lead. Their time is over, and they’ve refused to understand how the game has shifted.

I made us chicken Lo Mein for Chinese Lunar New Year, and started reading the next book for review in the evening. I’m still dealing with feeling sad at the yoga studio’s closing, even though I hope to study with the same teacher in her new location. Feelings are feelings, and it’s better to deal with them than to pretend they don’t exist.

Slept reasonably well. Woke up at 3:30, but managed to fall back asleep, and got up at the usual time, with the delightful smell of coffee. Bea is now stealing everyone else’s food, since they steal hers, so it all works out.

Online meditation group this morning, then I have to deal with the car. I hope to get to the library, for a drop off and pick up. And more work on the ghostwriting project. This leg of it is due on Monday. I’m still hoping another coverage or two lands in my queue before the pay period ends tomorrow at midnight.