Devon Ellington's Blog, page 28

Wed. Sept. 25, 2024: Local Library Tour

image courtesy of wal_172619 via pixabay.com

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Waning Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Rainy and cool

We definitely need the rain, although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having so much sunshine.

Yesterday was an adventure, touring the libraries in the northern Berkshire region to drop off information about the grant and the BHPC reading. I didn’t realize how many of these libraries are tiny, in rural areas, where they are one room in the Town Hall building. Which means the libraries are more important than ever. Everyone was very happy to receive the information, and I had some good conversations along the way.

It was a gorgeous day to be out and about. I had a paper map as well as Murder Maps, and managed to find everywhere I needed to go. I also gave the information to a glass artist a few towns away, who is within the region of the grant.

I’m going to drop off information in Williamstown this afternoon on my way to tarot, and then tomorrow, I have to go to the last little library which is only open in two hour increments a couple of times per week.

I left in the late morning, and got back home in the early afternoon. Before I headed out, I’d gotten some admin work done, and submitted a play. I got a rejection back from a short story, which is not a complete surprise, but still a disappointment. I am on the lookout for a better match for it. I turned around a small coverage, and did some other admin work. I read the partial of a friend’s script she sent me, and offered some notes.

In addition to my mother’s co-pay going up 150% as of January for in-office visits, this “supplemental” insurance company is adding a monthly charge we didn’t have before. No. Just no. I’m going to get in contact with the health care navigator I met through A4A a few months ago, and see if she can help during the open enrollment period. On top of that, I still have to fight with Berkshire Health over bills that I’m paying/have paid, because they are such unethical liars. It’s exhausting and eats into billable hours.

I hate living in a country where only the rich have health care.

I also hate living in a country where a state is allowed to execute an innocent man, as happened in Missouri last night. Absolutely disgusting.

Picked up the CSA box. Lots of good stuff, which I look forward to working with this week. Some of it I’ve never used before, so it will be interesting to see what I can do with it. Expanding my palette and cooking skills is always welcome.

I have promotional work to do on several projects today. I hope some coverage work comes in, too. Otherwise, I’ll read the next book for review. I have tarot this afternoon. I hope to get some writing in there, especially work on the poem I’m reading on Sunday afternoon. It’s closer, but it’s not there yet.

Have a good one!

Tues. Sept. 24, 2024: Feeling A Little Scattered

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Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Waning Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

The Autumn Equinox was on Sunday. Night and day were equal; now night overtakes day until the Winter Solstice.

I hope you had a terrific weekend.

Friday was a day where everything took longer than I expected, such as finishing the book for review and getting it in, and invoicing. As in, it took all morning, so I didn’t get any errands done, and had to push them off to Saturday.

I mean, I COULD have gone grocery shopping at 2 in the afternoon, but I hate doing that, especially on a Friday. We made do with what we had.

Bea romped around. Willa tried twice to raid Bea’s room to steal her banana. And failed both times.

I turned around a script coverage. I wrote 18 pages of a script of my own.

I was tired.

Saturday, I stayed in bed longer than the cats would have liked. I finally got up and fed everyone, then got some writing done. I had to get out some letters about various issues, too, so I did that, and did the post office-library-grocery store rounds, running into people I knew everywhere. This is such a small town, in the best of ways.

The Fresh Grass Music Festival was at MASS MoCA this weekend, and I stayed as far away as possible. I’m glad 20K people are having fun; they don’t need me there to have it.

Home, unpacked, tired. Putting together the library books for the residency, and putting together books of my own that I want to take to the residency. There will be BOOKS in my studio. I hope I can stay in the same room in the apartment I was assigned last year, since I will be staying over more this year than I did last year.

Packed up the stuff for my friend’s project.

Wrote 16 pages on the script. Went over my portion of my friend’s project.

Read some more Martha Grimes. There’s an edge of nasty in the stories that I don’t really like. I mean, besides the whole thing of people getting murdered. I’m also wondering if maybe the series was meant to be a send-up of this type of story, and we all just took it too seriously when they came out in the eighties and missed it? That’s part of the reason I want to see how the series evolves, since there are now 26 books in the series, and she has some books outside of the series out, too, some of which are marketed as satire. I want to see the contrasts. This reading is very much reading from a writer’s point of view, to see why and how she does what she does. It works for a large audience, even if it might not always work for me, so I want to see what I can learn from the craft of it.

Up early on Sunday. Bea was dancing around, having a good time. She and Charlotte are touching noses regularly, and she loves following Tessa around. Willa is still a bit of a problem, so we have to make sure their time together is supervised. Bea came up and rubbed against my foot for the first time since she’s come to live with us. She dashed away when I reached down to pet her, but that’s progress.

I made the devilled eggs and put the Cornish hens in the crockpot. I got myself ready, hauled the bags to the car, and was out the door around 2:30. I expected much more traffic because of the last day of the Fresh Grass Music Festival over at MASS MoCA, but they were all safely tucked in when I drove past.

I got to the location, we set up, and the project went well. It was a good collaboration; my friend was thrilled. She gave me one of her original paintings as a thanks, which was unexpected and much appreciated. We celebrated a bit after, then cleaned up, and I came home, a little earlier than expected.

I knew the post-project crash would happen, so I got the rest of the dinner cooked and everything from the project unpacked and put away as fast as possible.

Dinner was good. I did the simplest of Equinox ceremonies. We decided to bag up the bones from the hens so I could do stock on Monday, because I wasn’t up to doing it on Sunday. Bea explored, and must have made it all the way to the kitchen, because Willa chased her back to the sewing room. Bea thought that was wonderful fun.

I went to bed very early on Sunday. Woke up around midnight to the moonlight; managed to get back to sleep and slept until after 6, much to the cats’ chagrin.

Bea explored around eating her breakfast. She knows she gets regular meals, so she doesn’t feel like she has to gobble all her food down at once. Since there are books everywhere, she’s getting to know library books and other books, and figuring out that they are important. She dances around with happy periscope tail, which is nice to see. While she was out, Tessa snuck into the sewing room and took her catnip banana. I took it away from Tessa and put it on the bed. These cats!

I got the Tarot Reading for the week done and posted. Tessa helped. If you didn’t get a chance to check it out, you can read it here. I worked on the newsletter. That took longer than it should have, because MailerLite keeps changing things. I also found mistakes and had to revise it three times. But it should be in decent shape to go out. Got out a residency application, which was more complicated than it should be, and two plays out on submission. Made stock from the Cornish hen bones.

It felt like I got nothing done, but I really got quite a bit done.

In the middle of the afternoon, I was so tired I took a two-hour nap. As someone who is not a napper, that was unusual. But I guess I needed it. I was muddled when I first woke up, but felt more like myself later in the evening. Of course, it meant I had trouble getting to sleep at night, but eventually, I fell asleep.

The more of the Martha Grimes books I read, the more convinced I am that it works as satire, and we’ve misinterpreted by taking it seriously all these years. Reading it through a satirical lens makes more sense.

Today, I’m running A4A materials around to regional libraries, and also distributing some of our BHPC flyers. I have a coverage to turn around this afternoon, and then pick up the CSA box and yoga. I also have to get a script out for an international submission call.

I have a feeling this will not be a writing day.

Have a good one!

Mon. Sept. 23, 2024: Intent for the Week — Enjoy Autumn

image courtesy of HeungSoon via pixabay.com

I love this gentle weather.

I have a lot of practicalities to deal with this week, but I want to take time and enjoy the weather, too.

The Community Tarot Reading for the week is up over on the Cerridwen Iris Shea site here. Check it out.

Have a good one! What’s your intent for the week?

Fri. Sept. 20, 2024: Enjoying the Work

image courtesy of Engin Akyurt via pixabay.com

Friday, September 20, 2024

Waning Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Cloudy and cool

Another week gone already. Time is rushing past too quickly.

My friend, poet Joanne Corey, has a wonderful article in GENERATIONS magazine, “One Woman’s Evolution into a Climate Warrior.” It’s a terrific piece, and you can read it here. Please share it with those you think might enjoy it.

Got a couple of things done early on. The maintenance guy showed up when he said he would, with a ladder and two new smoke alarms. When he put the new one in the front hall, every alarm in the entire building went off, and turning off the switch in the basement panel did nothing.

It was a wiring problem with that particular area. He rewired it, and that’s worked, so far. He switched out the one in my mother’s room.

Those alarms were new, put in a few months ago. They’re supposed to last ten years. But when he pulled them down and checked the dates, they were both expired. So why were they put in the first place? The “new” ones are within the date range – but they won’t last ten years.

I told him if they start going off again, I’m bringing in the fire department to do a building-wide carbon monoxide test.

Once he left, and it looked like things would stay quiet, I packed up the computer and the flash drive and headed down to MASS MoCA. I picked up the flyers for the A4A grant program that I promised to distribute in the coming week, and printed off the BHPC flyers for our reading. I filled out the paperwork so they can pay me for the advisory work (it takes about 60 days), and confirmed the date for the November meeting to discuss the incoming applications. The residency manager had a great idea about space for us to workshop during the residency. I talked it over with the coordinators for the group, who agreed, and the space is booked!

Came back and got to work on the script coverages. I had one large and 3 ½ small. It took me until about 9 PM, and then I worked on the book for review, which I will finish reading this morning, so that I can write/submit the review and invoice.

A friend offered a deep kindness to me yesterday, which I accepted with gratitude. I also picked up a small consulting job for the week after the residency.

I used many lovely CSA vegetables to create a deep, layered pasta sauce for dinner, which was very good.

I got out some marketing materials, I noodled with the idea fragment that I had the day before, I sent out an email to the cohort about the reading on Sept. 29 and the BHPC reading.

MASS MoCA is doing a really cool Day of the Dead celebration on November 1, which I hope to attend.

Today, I work on the book review, do a grocery shop and a library run, turn around one script. Start flyer distribution. I hope to get some writing in, but I’m not sure that will happen.

I’m starting to pull the books I need for the residency and pack those up, so they are ready to go.  I’m packing what I need for my friend’s project on Sunday, and also working on the detailing for the piece I’ve created for her tomorrow. I’m hoping I don’t have to read tomorrow; I’d like to focus on other things, especially prep for Sunday. And I need to finish the poem for next Sunday, so I can work it and hone it all next week.

Looking ahead to next week, I hope to have a good balance of coverage work and my own writing. Along with a lot of flyer distribution! But we’ll see how it shakes out.

Next weekend, I will probably start switching out the lace panels for the spiderweb panels, put up the Halloween tree, and start that whole turnover. Just in case we both get our vaccines on October 1! It’s only a couple of days early, and it makes more sense to do the turnover on a weekend than try to make it happen during the week, juggling everything else.

And yes, this year, for the first time, I’m putting up a small tabletop Halloween/Samhain tree. It’s a test run to see how Bea does with it before we put up the big tree for the winter holidays.

The big tree usually lives in the doorway between the sewing room (Bea’s current safe space) and the living room. It’s tied off, and I’ll tie it off even more this year. We’ll leave it up undecorated for a few days to see how she deals with it (as in teaching her not to climb it) before putting on the decorations, especially anything breakable.

It will be an adventure.

But Bea is doing really well. She’s not gobbling her food anymore. When she’s out and about, she’s not stealing food from the other cats’ dishes. This morning, it was more important to her to come out and explore than it was to eat breakfast. She played and interacted with the other cats and THEN went back in to eat her breakfast. Then, she came out to play some more. She and Charlotte actually touched noses. Big step for both. Charlotte is much better with her than I expected. Tessa enjoys having a cat around who looks up to her and listens to her. Bea makes little chirpy sounds at them, but she can also imitate them, and when she does, they are completely shocked. It’s hilarious.

Eventually, she will expand her circle to include the humans in the house. She can take her time.

Have a good one!

Thurs. Sept. 19, 2024: A Full Night’s Sleep

image courtesy of Jakub via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Waning Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Foggy and cool

You can read the latest on the garden over at Gratitude and Growth.

Tired, but better off than I was yesterday.

Managed, however, to write 1567 new words on VICIOUS CRITIC, which felt like a victory. I’m not quite back in the groove with it, but getting there.

Did some marketing work, and turned around two medium sized scripts before my meeting. Maintenance got in touch just as I was running out the door, telling me they couldn’t get to me yesterday, but would be here at 8:30 this morning. Also got “Maybe it’s too cool” and “maybe it’s too warm” and my response is if I have to sit down and have a come to Jesus talk with Kidde, the manufacturer, I will. I live in a place with seasons. I am not maintaining a temperature for a diva bitch appliance. No. Just no. Install something that works for my life and my climate.

The meeting was fine, everything is on track for Sunday. Tarot circle was good, although I was tired and spent more time listening than talking (which is generally a better choice anyway). The group leader had to leave early, so I did the closing.

Home, dinner, the alarms went off again. I got up on a chair and disconnected the one in my mother’s room. I couldn’t reach the one in the hall (it’s connected differently than the last set and I couldn’t just yank it down). I managed to loosen it enough so it was quiet.

Did two small coverages after dinner and began a third, but was too tired to finish it.

Got a lovely email from a theatre out in the Pacific Northwest, giving me the timeline for their decision-making process. That kind of contact makes such a positive difference.

Slept deeply, and the alarms didn’t go off. Didn’t even move until Charlotte convinced me to get up near 6.

Bea is having the best time! Yesterday afternoon, she ventured as far as the porch in the afternoon to visit Tessa, and was fascinated. Later, she and Willa wrestled. Not aggressively, there were no claws or teeth or yelling involved. Just playing. She keeps side-skipping to Charlotte, inviting her to play. Charlotte is completely baffled. This morning, she explored Tessa’s room and the hallway. Tessa showed her how to run up and down the stairs, which she thought was fun. She went back to her room at one point, and Tessa called out, and she skipped back out to join Tessa in whatever they were up to.

Yes, I’m keeping the potatoes well out of reach. It’s only a matter of time before Tessa and Willa teach her to roll potatoes down the stairs.

Bea is a cat’s cat, very much like my friend’s cat Ben was a cat’s cat. Loves cats, not so sure about people. She can take her own time getting used to humans. For now, she’s happy playing with her toys and exploring the apartment and learning from the other cats. And staring at us seriously when we talk to her, before doing whatever she pleases. She has learned “no” and pays attention.

My mom is the Less Scary Human. I am the Scary Human. Humans mean shots and surgeries and medicine and nail trims and who knows what else. They also mean food, toys, and treats. She’s seen petting and snuggles, but hasn’t quite figured out if she can trust us for them without the shots and other nasty stuff.

I have a feeling she had unpleasant interactions with humans before my friend’s cat brought her home to the safe house. Her reactions when she’s looking out the window and sees people indicate she’s had other interactions that were not fun for her.

On today’s agenda: the smoke alarm switch-out; going down to MASS MoCA to print flyers for the reading and pick up flyers on the grant program; marketing; one large and 4 ½ small coverages that HAVE to be done today; finish reading the book for review. My day is such that I can take small breaks when I get tired to restore; as long as everything is done by midnight my time, we’re all good.

I doubt I will get much writing done, but that’s okay.

An idea dropped into my head yesterday, a few scenes almost fully formed. Not sure what they will add up to, but I made some notes. That way I won’t lose it until it has a turn.

I better get to it; maintenance should be here any time now. Have a good one!

Wed. Sept. 18, 2024: Exhausted Before the Start

image courtesy of Ben Kerckx via pixabay.com

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Last Day of Full Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Sunny and pleasant

The weather has been lovely lately; in the low 80’s during the day, in the 50’s at night. On the warm side for mid-September, but lovely.

My mother’s co-pay for her doctor visits goes up 150% as of January. I am so sick and tired of living in a country without healthcare.

The fire alarm has been malfunctioning so often that we have to get all of them switched out yet again. Maintenance is supposed to be by today to do so. We are at our wits’ end. It went off six times yesterday. This morning, it started going off every 30-60 minutes starting at 2:30 AM. By 6 AM, my nerves were shot.

In spite of all of that, I managed to write and send out the review, and to adapt two more episodes of VICIOUS CRITIC. I’m out of episodes now; from here on in, the rest of the draft is new writing. I have an outline; I just have to get the writing done. I got out a few pitches for freelance/article jobs. I got a little bit of revision work done on STRANGERS IN THE SNOW.

I worked on the revised press release for the reading. I got my next book for review. I turned around one small and three medium scripts. I grabbed way too many for the next few days, but I need the money. I have at least 5 to turn around today (two medium, three small), and 5 tomorrow (one large, four small). So far, I have one medium script for Friday; I hope to land at least one more. I will probably read Saturday, if scripts come in. I can’t risk skipping it and not having anything next week. I’m hoping I have a steady stream of scripts next week. By making my goal this week and next week, to the end of the pay period, I’ll be fine.

I let my director know my studio dates, and that I would not be available to work on “Effie” during that time. He wants to set up a ZOOM meeting for us with the sound designer next week, and have the first reading of “Effie” before I go in-studio, which is fine. I have a feeling yoga and tarot will be pushed to the side for a few weeks. Which is what it is; I’m in production, and I also have to get the freelance work done. However, it means I can’t get my vaccine booster until after the residency. I have to be coherent for all of this. But I can get my mom in.

Had to skip yoga. Managed to pick up the CSA box, which is full of good stuff.

I worked on coverages until about 9 PM, then read the next book for review for about an hour. Then, I finally managed some time for the full moon/lunar eclipse, and could just sink into it.

Until the damn fire alarm woke me, I actually slept pretty well.

I noticed some articles on my “news” feed lately have no logic or cohesion. I suspect they are being created with AI. I’ll give them a few more chances before blocking them.

On today’s agenda: get the new fire alarms installed (they BETTER work properly). Do a little bit of work on VICIOUS CRITIC. I’m starting the fresh drafting today; fingers crossed I get into the flow quickly, since I don’t have much time to work on it.

I’ll probably have to start coverage work in the morning, because I have to leave for a meeting at 3, and then there’s tarot at 4:30. If I don’t finish the coverages before the meeting, I’ll have to keep working however long necessary into the night, and then also read a couple of hours on the next book for review. I have another round of fighting about my mother’s medical bills. I have to do some marketing work, for the Topic Workbooks, for Nina Bell, and to start getting the press release/listings out for BHPC. I have time blocked off for it in the late morning, which is usually the best; people see the social media posts during their lunch hour, and news desks get it after they’ve cleared out the overnight emails. That will be a good palate cleanser between other tasks.

Bea was hilarious this morning. Every day, she expands her radius exploring the apartment. This morning, I was close enough to pet her, and she practically levitated. She still is skeptical of humans. She tried to get Charlotte to play, and Charlotte was confused. Charlotte’s never been much for toys. She spent time in Tessa’s room, which Tessa pointed out Was Not the Routine. She had the zoomies, racing around the apartment, and the other cats just watched like, WTF? I closed the door to my bedroom, in anticipation of maintenance coming in, and the cats Do Not Like Closed Doors. Bea is actually pretty chill about her door being closed, since there’s glass, she can see, and she feels safe. But she’s watching and learning from the others.

Today and tomorrow will be long days. I better get going, then, right? A nap is not an option today, and naps, in general, throw off my sleep cycle even further. I’m already exhausted, and my day has barely begun.

Have a good one!

Tues. Sept. 17, 2024: Trying to Keep the Drive Going

image courtesy of StockSnap via Pixabay.com

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Full Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Lunar Eclipse

Sunny and pleasant

I hope you had a very good weekend.

If you didn’t have a chance to read the Collective Tarot Reading for the week, you can do so here. There’s also a reading going today specific to the lunar eclipse, available here.

Friday was kind of all over the place. I worked on some admin. I did a big grocery shop. I did a library run. I wrote and turned in my review and got my next assignment.

Bea came and hung out in the living room for a little while. Slowly, slowly, she is exploring. I think she’s confused because often the other cats are off doing their own thing, leaving her alone, and then, every once in a while, someone suddenly sets a boundary. But there’s no real aggression or fighting.

I read this month’s Agatha Christie book club selection, ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE. I found it uncomfortable and disturbing. I’m hoping the serious misogyny in it was the writer pointing out how reflexive it is, even from supposed well-meaning men, and not her view. It also held two of my least favorite tropes: the adopted siblings who discover they’re in love romantically and a very young woman falling for an older, experienced man who suddenly decides he loves her back. Not one of my favorites of hers.

Later in the afternoon and evening, I re-read the first Richard Jury book by Martha Grimes, THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF. I read the first ten or so as they came out (starting in the early 1980’s). I can’t remember why I stopped; something annoyed me, or I got caught up in theatre work and this was one of the series I dropped. While there are definitely some eighties cringe moments, overall, I appreciate it structurally more now than I did then. I think I will re-read the early books and maybe continue with the entire series.

Of course, in the evening, after dinner, some coverage work came in, including one fairly large turnaround. I started it, then finished it early Saturday morning, and did two smaller coverages.

I did some painting on Saturday (craft painting, not on canvas), some housework. It was much warmer than I expected. Because my mother has trouble with short term memory since the stroke, I got a small whiteboard, and we are trying to get into the habit of using it to keep track of what needs to happen when and where I am when I’m not at the house, and when to expect me back.

I baked a mocha cake (Moosewood recipe), roasted a chicken, and then made chicken stock.

The fire alarm malfunctioned on Sunday morning around 4 AM, and I couldn’t get back to sleep after that, so that was a wreck of a day. I had to pick up more of Bea’s food and some stuff for the Equinox next week. I had one small coverage come in, but that’s it.

I read two Sara Paretsky books back-to-back. While I overall like the series and respect what’s been achieved, the character continues to make some of the same mistakes throughout rather than growing and changing, which bothers me. Her constant exhaustion and falling asleep at inopportune moments have also started to annoy me. On the one hand, it’s more realistic than many mysteries; on the other hand, after being at it for twenty years, wouldn’t you hope someone’s learned how to manage their energy levels better? And why keep going back to the “old neighborhood” when the people who ask for your help always treated you badly? I’d rather see a growth spiral in the themes instead of just repetition. But the take on social and economic issues is always strong, complex, and fascinating.

I started the next book for review, but was too tired to get very far.

I wanted to work on the piece for my friend’s project, but I couldn’t find the clay I needed. Which is weird, because I came across the “second choice clay” a few weeks ago, looking for something else. The “first choice clay” is nowhere to be found. Which makes no sense.

I had to re-think my design – not the design as much as the medium, and came up with an alternate solution. But I limited myself to thinking, rather than doing.

We have the dates for the 2025 BHPC residency, which will help me as far as planning next year. I realized I need to try something completely different for August of next year; we’ll see if I can pull it off. I’ll need to set the groundwork this autumn. I did some planning with a map for something I hope will come through next spring/summer, but we’ll see. If it does, I have a plan for it. If not, I have to replace it with something else. I’ll know one way or another in November.

I did some other planning with a map, because I’m on a mission for A4A later this week and early next, around the grant program.

I do love maps.

I’m getting annoyed by all these submission calls for short plays with a laundry list of specific elements/theme/plot points THAT DON’T PAY THE WRITERS. I’m not sitting down and writing a new play to your prompts that would have to be seriously rewritten for any other submission when it’s not a commission. Eff all the way right off.

When your guidelines are longer than the damn play, I pass. It’s expecting free labor for non-existent “exposure” and let’s all just be done with that, shall we?

Time for me to sit down with the tiered TCG list and go through it by theatre to see what might be a good match for which play. At least I’ve kept the Excel spread sheet with the plays, page count, and character breakdowns updated as I write new work, so I can look at that and see what suits where in practical terms as well as thematic ones. I never thought I’d be actively using spreadsheets, but here we are.

I just rolled my eyes at another “assassination attempt” against the Narcissistic Sociopath. As much as these people are bad at things, they are good at guns, and both of these were so obviously and awkwardly staged that only his cult believes them.

This week, I need to stay on top of a lot of marketing stuff on multiple fronts, land freelance work, both for the next few weeks and for after the residency into the winter, and stay on top of writing.

We MIGHT be able to get our COVID boosters on October 1. I hope it’s Pfizer; I can’t lose a week of work right before the residency, and the Moderna effects usually last for at least 10 days (with the first 5 having me feel like death warmed over). Pfizer usually takes me down hard for about 3 days, but I should be able to be at least partially functional after that. I want to take my mom in, but I’m not sure if I should wait and try to fight for an appointment somewhere after the residency, or just risk it and keep working even if I feel like hell. I have a feeling it will be the latter, and that, once again, I will not have the option of being sick. Getting the vaccine from CVS post-residency is not an option, since all they do is smirk and refuse my insurance (although they are not allowed to, and yes, I’ve filed a complaint with the state). I may be able to get it somewhere else, but I just don’t know. I mean, feeling awful for a week to ten days, even when it’s inconvenient, beats the alternative. It’s the fact that it might be my only chance to get the vaccine that annoys me. I would rather get it after the residency.

I don’t have to decide today. I might not even have to decide until, say September 30, since it’s a popup clinic for the vaccines, and they claim no appointment is necessary. We might arrive and find it’s not true.

Bea is so funny. Each day, she expands her explorations a little further. She desperately wants to climb the kitty condo, but it’s next to the sofa, and therefore Too Close to Humans. She almost climbed in yesterday morning, but changed her mind at the last minute. The door to the sewing room is kept open now all day; it’s only closed at night, more because I don’t want to wake up to things crashing down when Charlotte and Willa set her up as the fall cat for their exploits. The door to the hall stays closed, at least for now. She’s figuring things out. She’s getting more playful with the others, too, and sometimes they are puzzled. She’s hanging out more in the living room, which is great, and even took a nap in the living room on Sunday.

Monday was a reasonably productive day. I spent time working on the listing and press release for the reading, and sent them in for approval. I made arrangements to print flyers, and asked if I could get flyers for the grant on which I’m an advisor when I print the reading flyers (same office) so that I can fulfill what I promised on that, too. Spent some time marketing the Topic Workbooks, and will add in some Nina Bell marketing starting today. Pitched for a couple of jobs. Pitched for an author interview, and got the pre-questionnaire link, which I will fill out and return today. Did runs to the post office and library. Did the initial painting on the piece for my friend’s project. Now I have to do the detailing, which will happen over several days this week.

I did some work on the poem for the 29th. It keeps taking tangents, and I keep pulling it back. The first half dozen lines are working, but I need to build on that, not meander from it.

Read one of the worst books I’ve ever seen on keeping a journal, by someone with a lot of privilege, and zero life experience. Just eye-rollingly bad. It should have been one of her blog posts, not a book published by a major house. It added nothing to the many wonderful books about journals out there; just re-hashed the information like a content mill post.

Started reading one of Anais Nin’s journals that I had not read before. I still think there’s potential for an article about outgrowing her writing, although I’m not sure what shape it will take. But it feels closer now, than it felt a couple of years ago, when I played with the idea. It’s still not quite formed yet, but it’s starting to take shape. I might do some work on it in the residency.

This year, I actually have a main focus for the work I want to do in the residency. I have one central project that is the residency’s purpose. I mean, I’ll be in studio for however many hours per day, so I’m sure I will work on more than one thing. I want to work on several styles of poems, just to learn more about forms. But there’s one project in particular which will be the main focus for the workshop time.

I’ll have a couple of other “if there’s time” projects (the article might be one), and I want to do some ekphrastic work. My intent is to be in studio again very early in the morning, my best time. We have our reading early in our week there, which means I can then relax and really dive deep into the residency work itself. I plan on staying over in the apartment more than I did last year, too.

I read Griffin Dunne’s memoir, THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB, which is very well written, but didn’t make me like him any better.

I was worried about the lack of scripts coming in (there are three major deadlines this week, starting with one on the 15th), but a bunch came in late afternoon. I did one small coverage; I have one small and two medium for today, three medium for tomorrow and four small coverages for Thursday. If I can keep getting enough through the end of this week and all of next, everything will be fine. I realize that’s a big “if” but here’s hoping.

I finished reading the next book for review; I will write the review, submit it, and hopefully get my next assignment.

On today’s agenda: some writing in the morning and maybe a few pitches; some marketing; coverages in the afternoon; the CSA box; yoga (only one hour).

Fingers crossed I can get it all done.

Mon. Sept. 16, 2024: Intent for the Week — Maneuver Through the Fog

image courtesy of Joe via pixabay.com

Monday, September 17, 2024

First Day of Full Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Foggy and warm

It’s been much warmer the past few days than I expected. I’m going to enjoy it, though!

There’s a tarot reading to help you maneuver through the week over on the Cerridwen’s Cottage site.

I have a lot to navigate this week, juggling a bunch of different commitments, staying on top of deadlines, and pitching for new freelance work. Keeping a clear head and vision is going to be the trick, rather than getting lost in the fog.

What’s your intent for the week?

Fri. Sept. 13, 2024: Let’s Make This Good!

image courtesy of  J Lloa via pixabay.com

Friday, September 13, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Foggy and cool

I love Friday the 13th! Let’s enjoy it.

The social media platform Cohost is shutting down. I stopped using it maybe a year ago or more? Or maybe it was this past February? It’s all becoming one long year. For me, it’s not a huge loss, but there are some people who really loved it, and I hope they find another social media home.

It’s a reminder, though, that your website is your base camp. There are plenty of tools and tutorials that help you create something simple, if you can’t afford to hire someone. It’s worth making the time to learn the basics.

So frustrated on the Kickstarter project that’s over a year late and obviously, now, to those of us who backed it, a scam. And Kickstarter doesn’t care. They just shrug it off.

Lost way too much of the day to paperwork. Some of it was my fault; I thought I’d done it/sent it in and I had not. Got some other necessary paperwork done and mailed. Again, it shouldn’t have been necessary, but it was. And I need to remember to push the paperwork back later in the day AFTER I do some writing, or I just get frustrated.

Spent some time promoting the Nina Bell website across social media channels and working on the media kits. I will have one kit for each book as it comes out, and then one kit for the entire series that will be updated as each new book releases. I have to start thinking in terms of videos, too, but those don’t have be scheduled until late October, so I’m still okay.

Charlotte loved that the online meditation group was on ZOOM again, and people were around to tell her she’s pretty. It made her day.

There were only a few small coverages to turn around. I did them, but I’m basically trying to claw my way to an amount that’s nowhere near what I should have earned these past two weeks, and that is unsustainable. Let’s hope some of the pitches I’ve sent out over the past few weeks hit.

I didn’t get the review written and submitted yesterday, so I will do so today. I’m still well ahead of the deadline, but I hope to get another assignment over the weekend.

Tried to pull the photos from my phone onto my computer. Got some of them copied, but not into the folder I wanted. It’s going to be a long, painful process, and then I have to back them all up on the external hard drive.

No idea how today will shake out. I have admin to do, more around my mother’s medical bills. I have a grocery run and a library run. I’d like to get some writing done. I’m hoping some coverage work comes in.

I need to make a piece for my friend’s project next weekend. It’s designed; I just have to create it in clay, then fire it and paint it. That will happen on and off all weekend. I want it done this weekend, so I’m not scrambling at the last minute next weekend.

I hope to have a quiet weekend of writing, cleaning, and maybe some coverage work. The next few weeks will be busy – a good busy, but still busy.

Bea came out to explore this morning. She even hung out in the living room for a little bit, until Charlotte said something, and she dashed back into the sewing room. Hopefully, she will expand her range of exploration and feel comfortable in the entire house. She still wants as little to do with humans as possible, but that’s okay. She can take her time. I mean, who knows what misinformation Charlotte gives her, since Charlotte is usually the one in closest proximity?

Willa dropped her favorite white mouse into her water bowl overnight, so we are trying to get it dry. Sigh. Willa.

Have a good weekend!

Thurs. Sept. 12, 2024: Trudging Along

image courtesy of Pexels via Pixabay.com

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Partly Cloudy and cool

You can read the latest on the garden over at Gratitude and Growth.

Today is the reveal of the website for the Nina Bell Mysteries. Take a poke around; look at the information on the first two books, which are already available for pre-order, and the information on the third. I still have to do videos and media kits, but we’re getting there. It has a very specific look to it.

It’s the beginning of the serial material getting a new lease on life.

Tuesday was a somewhat jagged day. I got out a couple of pitches, I got out a play submission. Both of those took more time than they should have. I’m irritated by someone who has already proven themselves untrustworthy now trying to get me to break a confidence, which I will not do. It’s not self-righteous on my part; it’s keeping my word.

I did a library run, since a large stack of books showed up. I couldn’t resist when I returned; I read the latest by Donna Andrews, BETWEEN A FLOCK AND A HARD PLACE, which was a lot of fun. Also started reading the next book for review.

I turned around a small coverage. Windows was forcing an update, and I wanted to make sure I had it out the door before everything went cattywampus. I managed to get it out, and the update seems to be okay. Fingers crossed.

Picked up the CSA box. This week’s box is more challenging to use, but it should stretch my skills a bit.

My slot for the poetry reading on the 29th at the Mount was confirmed by Word X Word, so I can get down to serious work on that poem. I want to keep it short and to the point. I don’t need to use the full time to say what I need to say.

The Narcissistic Sociopath was even more appalling than usual in the debate. Madam Vice President demonstrated, yet again, what a solid leader she is. An acquaintance of mine on Bluesky pledged $5 for every lie by the Sociopath – but not repeating lies, or he’d be broke. By the time I signed off, it was up to $495.

And these “undecided voters” that CNN keeps talking to? Frauds, all of them.

The fire alarm malfunctioned again, once I got to bed, but at least it wasn’t in the middle of the night.

Slept decently, up early, got everyone fed. Had a little quiet time, then watched The Table of Silence. Even more performers this year. While the container for the ritual is similar, year to year, the details evolve. It’s beautiful. The choreographer calls it a “living mandala” and I think that’s a wonderful way to view it. It runs just under an hour. Make the time to watch. You’ll be glad you did.

Fire alarm malfunctioned again.

Had to deal with some practicalities, since we ran out of bread and coffee. This brand claimed to be 10 ounces, which I can usually stretch for a week, but, using the same amount I always do, it only lasted 5 days. In other words, it was underfilled. Not world-ending, but annoying.

Got a play out on submission. Turned around 3 small coverages. Had trouble with the coverage dashboard. Downloaded Duck Duck Go to see if that helped. It did not, but the problem looks to have corrected itself.

Took some quiet time in the afternoon for ceremonies around 9/11, and also to work on the poem. Chatted online with some who remember that day as vividly as I do.

Finished reading the next book for review. I will write up the review today, submit it, and ask for my next assignment.

Slept pretty well. The fire alarm didn’t malfunction again until this morning, when we were all up.

Bea was feisty and full of pep this morning. It was cute.

Have to do some paperwork today for a couple of different things and get that out the door. I hope to work on the short story and VICIOUS CRITIC some more. I only have one small coverage to do; hoping more comes through. I have a feeling I’ll be working through the weekend. Again. Very frustrated, but at the moment, I’m not in a position where I can refuse the work, even though I’m pitching to get replacement work with less ebb and flow.

Supposedly, meditation group starts back up again this morning, but I’ll believe it when it happens!

Have a good one!