Devon Ellington's Blog, page 31

Thurs. Aug. 15, 2024: The Lack of Ethics in Our “Healthcare” System

image courtesy of Bruno via pixabay.com

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

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

I put the edits into A Stylish Death yesterday and added it to the overall document without proofreading first. Argh. So that means I have to go back and proofread in the big document. Not that big a deal, but frustrating. Still, I got in 32K of edits. That means Murder Bells contains two novelettes and a novella, plus extras. Plenty for a full volume.

The computer was wonky. Not a surprise, it’s Mercury Retrograde after all.

Trying to sort out my mother’s medical bills is infuriating, especially since I’m meeting the payment schedule, and they keep changing the parameters in unethical ways. No. Just no. I’m contacting one of my senator’s offices today for help. They’re good about stepping in and slapping back with authority at this type of unethical behavior.

How much do you want to bet, when we turn up for my mother’s doctor’s appointment next week, she is denied care, because we have a balance on the hospital and ambulance bills? Even though I’ve met every payment as promised?

I wish we lived in a country that had actual health care, instead of greed and death encouragement.

On top of that, instead of being able to work billable hours, I lose those hours – which would help pay the bills – in documentation and paperwork and other unnecessary crap because they are unethical.

It’s infuriating, costs me money, and is an utter waste of time.

Only the rich in this country are allowed healthcare. Everyone else gets platitudes, and then the “systems” do whatever they want to deny claims, to punish people who try in good faith to pay, and deny care. All so asshats can make profit, because they don’t care if people suffer and die. And this is the “system.”

And I don’t want to hear about how it’s all because of the technological systems. Those are created by people who DECIDE they will run that way. Any IT person worth their salt can fix it.

So my day is going to be wasted AGAIN. And I’m stressed.

I will try to get at least a little writing done first thing, so I don’t feel as though I’ve lost the entire day. I didn’t promote the Topic Workbooks yesterday, so I will do so on two social media channels today.

Once I get the documentation/paperwork written up, I will have to get down to the post office and mail it.

So frustrating and such a waste of time, all the way around.

At least Bea is having fun with her toys. She’s started leaving the stuffed mice in her empty bowl overnight. Too funny.

Onward.

Wed. Aug. 14, 2024: Just Trying to Skate Along

image courtesy of Sergey Gricanov via pixabay.com

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Waning Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Partly sunny and pleasant

Yesterday had a pretty decent start. I got three plays out on submission. One of the submissions is to a company with whom I’ve wanted to work for a long time, and they had a short open submission window this year. Off went the play I think will be the best fit.

There’s a call for a radio play by the end of the month. None of my current plays fit it, but it’s only a 20-minute play, so that would be a lot of fun, if I could come up with something within the theme. I played with some ideas; not sure if they will go anywhere.

I did a set of new collage graphics for the Topic Workbooks, and started the promotional rounds again. I’ve got specific platforms on which to promote each day. I’ll have to do new videos since Flexclip dumped mine and they vanished from the cloud on the last computer crash. But I’ll promote the whole set this week, then, starting next week, promote one each week. When I promote them regularly, they sell regularly. Since I didn’t start on Monday, the way I should have, I hit FB, Tumblr, and Bluesky yesterday with the promo. Today is the Threads day.

I also have to figure out what becomes another topic workbook. I should release at least one every quarter. I have to go through my workshop materials, and see what would work.

I came up with a good stack of them. They will have to be updated and revised a bit, but they are workable.

Did the proofread for “Tumble” and fixed some logic things I’d missed in the previous reads. Tidied up the Author Note and put it all in the main document. Amazing how much better I felt just after doing that bit. The latest version of “Tumble” brings it to a little over 12K, so it works as a novelette.

And it means I can sail into “A Stylish Death” today. That’s full novella length, so that will take a little longer.

I turned around a script coverage, and got my book review written and out the door. The director of “The Effie Effect” and I are trying to schedule our first meeting.

Did the CSA pickup. Lots of yummy things in it.

Two hours of yoga tonight. Gentle yoga was great; the fitness class kicked my ass, which is what it’s supposed to do. I limped home, heated up leftovers for dinner, and crashed on the couch.

A friend suggested I put one of my tee shirts in the crate with Bea, since she likes the silk/wool shawl. She took it out, wadded it up and left it by the door, found the shawl, and dragged it back in. This girl is not going to settle for cotton when silk and wool are available!

Willa fussed at Bea last night, through the glass. Bea was unflappable.

Slept pretty well, although I dreamed I was working, so I woke up tired. I was staying in a hotel that’s been in a bunch of these working dreams.

I was a little late getting up; Bea was waiting for breakfast, and then hung out, wondering when morning meditation would start (because that was late, too). She still dived under the bed when I came into the room, but she wants the schedule to stay consistent. She’s spending more time in her crate during the day than under the bed. She also likes hanging out under the rolltop desk, so I put the cat bed (which she doesn’t use in the middle of the floor) in that space, so she has something soft in a protected space.

Fingers crossed more coverages come in today and tomorrow to end the pay period, and that plenty come in over the next two weeks.

On today’s agenda: Work on the edits for “A Stylish Death”, work on the next scene of THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, maybe work on a pitch or proposal or two. I have some admin to do around my mom’s hospital bills, trying to get those sorted out. Tarot circle this afternoon, and hopefully a quiet evening. I might start reading the next book for review.

There are two comedies I’m really enjoying: GHOSTS (the US version; I haven’t seen the UK version yet), and WE ARE LADY PARTS, which is fantastic, with a group of Muslim women forming a punk band. The shows are very different from each other, but they are clever and funny and have a lot of heart.

There’s a festival downtown this evening, but I don’t have the energy for it. Plus, with the COVID numbers steadily rising, I’m trying to avoid clumps of people as much as possible, even when I mask.

Have a good one!

Tues. Aug. 13, 2024: Making Some Tough Decisions

image courtesy of Waldryano via pixabay.com

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Partly cloudy and pleasant

I hope you had a good weekend.

I have a piece up on the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site about “Are You Blocked, or Are You Exhausted?” You can read it here.

Friday, I saw a call for short plays and remembered that I had written one with the parameters years ago. I found it, rewrote it extensively, gave it a new title, and submitted it. Also found a call where I had another play that fit the parameters, and that went out the door.

There’s another submission call, open until mid-September, where a revised WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE would be perfect, if I could get another draft done in time. But it’s more important to do a good draft than to send out a mediocre draft.

Did a library run before the storm started, picking up the 14 books waiting for me. Picked up a couple of other things at a store that I will need a few weeks down the road, but they are on sale now, so I grabbed them.

Saw a listing for a script writing job around Italian historical characters and situations. Put together some excerpts from the three Italian historical plays I’ve written (along with a couple of other excerpts) and sent it off with a cover letter.

The deluge of rain began in the afternoon, with the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. We had advisories for flooding and high winds, and then a tornado watch. If it bumped up to warning, I’d have to pack all four cats and the two of us in the bathroom (which has no windows). Since tornados are becoming more common in this neck of the woods, we need to figure out a plan.

Bea stayed under the bed during the tornado watch, only coming out for her dinner. Her survival instincts are strong. Charlotte and I were on the sofa, watching the clouds start to form funnels, then open out, then start to form funnels, and open out again. It was both fascinating and disturbing. Tessa and Willa didn’t pay any attention.

The rain stopped at some point overnight into Saturday, which wound up being a lovely day, as far as sunshine and temperatures.

A corner of the living room was bothering me; it needed a good clean. So I cleaned it, and then ended up cleaning and re-arranging a bunch of other stuff in the living room, too. I sort of fixed the vacuum. It works for a little bit, and then I have to fix it again. It’s a damn Bissell; it should last more than a year without problems – without having to spend money on extended warranties. Appliances need to be built to last multiple years. Period. If I’m not drop kicking it off a ten-story building, it needs to damn work.

But anyway, the living room is much cleaner now. I have to clean the lampshades, and then, in a few weeks, when I change the curtains into the spiderweb curtains, I will clean the windows. Gave the hallway a good scrub while I was at it, too. I guess I’ve started my fall cleaning early.

Saturday morning, I found an email from the place to which I’d pitched the previous day. They obviously hadn’t read the cover letter or the sample package, and demanded an unpaid sample to their specifications. On a weekend. And how many red flags do we have here?

In the afternoon, I had a big, quick turnaround coverage to do. I did it in the sewing room. Bea only came out to stare at me for a minute, then dived back under the bed. The look on her face was hilarious. But at least she came out, even for a short time. And she’s spending more of her day out in the room, playing with her toys, exploring, napping on the bed, and interacting with the other cats through the glass.

She’s fascinated by fabric, yarn, and anything with texture. She climbed up a piece of furniture and got into the alpaca yarn I bought a couple of years ago (I’ve finally designed the project; now I have to start it, as soon as it’s cool enough). She didn’t damage it at all; she just was fascinated by it.

It’s a sewing room, so there are many different textures in it.

She also likes to look out of the window. She figured out she can sit on the bed, look out of the window AND look through the glass doors into the living room.

She’s also associating some words with actions and rituals and items. Most of them are food related: breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, treat, snack. She also has associations now with the sounds for “good morning” and “hello” and “I will be right back” and “nighty night” (the latter is something my mom says to all the cats after they get their bedtime snacks), and “litter box” and “clean” and “toy” and “banana” (she loves her catnip banana) and “mouse” and “pompom.” She responds to her name (which she should, since she chose it), and is starting to associate the sounds of the other cats’ names with those cats. We try to make sure we are consistent.

She’s comfortable in the morning and evening routines, and has started to wait by the door (although she dives under the bed again as soon as one of us enters).

We’re getting there. It’s a process. I have to hurry it a little (and then we’ll backslide) to get her to the vet for her last round of shots.

Read HOW TO KEEP HOUSE WHILE DROWNING by KC Davis. There are some good ideas in there, for breaking down tasks and finding systems that work within your life. But she hates laundry and dishes and taking out the trash, and I can’t function if those three things aren’t done. I mean, I worked in wardrobe – I have adamant laundry systems. And I’m a big believer in the old wives’ tale of  “can’t sleep? Check your sink; maybe the dirty dishes are dancing.” I like a clean sink. And I take out the trash as the bin fills. All I have to do is walk it across the street. The tasks that overwhelm her are the ones I find necessary in order not to be overwhelmed by everything else. I also like making my bed, although Charlotte definitely slows me down on that.

I do tend to nest where I work/read, so there are often stacks of books and papers in those areas, and I need to create a better system for them. Project bins have helped a lot. Because I can keep projects handy. If I put something away and have a pristine desk at the end of the day, my brain decides the project is done and moves on. If it’s unfinished and I’m working on it, it needs to be out where I can see it.

But I’m playing with a few ideas to streamline all of that. We will see, over the fall and winter, if they work, and what needs to be adjusted.

While I like the idea that the house is there to support us, we are not there to serve the house, I disagree with the whole “house is inanimate and therefore not a priority.” As someone who works with spirits of place and home and hearth, that is in direct conflict with the way I live my life.

I also agreed with her section on division of labor in the home, and how making sure each person living there participates in the workload is a way to show care and respect for each other. I agree that one person coming home after a workday feeling entitled to rest while the other person continues their workday (whether they work outside the home or remotely or do the labor necessary as a homemaker) without getting any rest indicates much bigger issues in the relationship.

I flipped through MAKE YOUR ART NO MATTER WHAT by Beth Pickens, one of the books one of my mentors swears by, but didn’t find it useful because I already do that. That is how I’ve lived my life for decades.

Went through another favorite book to pull out some quotes and notes I needed for a project.

Added a few things to some leftovers to switch them up a bit for dinner, and they were good.

It was a good sleeping night. Everyone was thrilled with breakfast.

I took out the trash early and headed to the store to pick up ink for the printer (because when I am not running out of ink?), and then to Big Y for groceries. It was lovely and sunny again, but a little more humid.

In the early afternoon, I went to the yoga studio for a special Metta loving-kindness practice to benefit the No Paws Left Behind shelter that just relocated to North Adams. It was a good practice, and I’m glad I went.

Home, and went through quilting and crocheting books. I’m finally going to start the crochet project with the baby alpaca yarn I’ve had for about two years. It’s going to be a simple project, but if I can pull it off, it will be both pretty and functional.

I think the elemental quilt project will be a series. I’m going to do one big piece that has all the elements, and then separate, smaller quilts for each. The book quilt must be done first, though.

It started raining in the evening. It’s so nice that the weather is a little cooler.

I started reading the next book for review. Some things I like about it; others I do not.

Slept well. Had two dreams (that I remember). One was that a curtain fell off a window, revealing what was on the other side. That’s a pretty clear one to interpret, and speaks to a couple of things with which I’m currently wrestling. The other dream was that it was snowing. I woke up long enough from that one to burrow under the covers.

Tessa and Charlotte were both on the bed. They were fine most of the night, until they started fussing at each other just before 5 AM on Monday. I kicked them both out of the room and refused to get up until a little after 5:30. Bea waited by the door for her breakfast; she knew it was late.

I was late for morning meditation, too, and she was at the door, practically tapping her little paw with impatience, although she dived under the bed as soon as I came into the room.

Monday morning was about getting on track with a few things, and following through on some difficult but necessary decisions. I had to follow up on something that’s hanging open, which the other person keeps telling me “I’ll get back to you within the week.” This has been going on for months now. It would take five minutes to resolve what needs to be resolved, so we can all do what needs to be done next.

I responded to the response I got on Saturday from Friday’s pitch, the one demanding project-specific unpaid samples with a contract for such samples. They responded that my sample pages “weren’t what they were looking for” but they “thought I had potential” and the offer to create an unpaid sample was to prove I could fulfill that potential. Um, no.

Let me state this again, unequivocally: ethical companies do not demand unpaid labor as part of an interview process OR as a condition of getting an interview.

I sent an email withdrawing from a project this autumn that I looked forward to with the Berkshire Voices, but it was starting to conflict with too many other things also happening. We left the door open for me to join them in the future, possible next spring or next autumn. It is absolutely the right decision, difficult as it was, but it left me feeling depressed.

I had some other fussy admin stuff to deal with.

I also let go of a submission call that interested me (for an anthology supporting a library system in upstate NY), but I just don’t know the area well enough yet to write about it. Something generic isn’t appropriate for this particular anthology.

Not the creative morning for which I hoped.

I did, however, get the GDR article on exhaustion up (the link is at the top of this post). I considered pitching to another script writing job, but there were so many red flags and so much contradictory information in the listing that I decided not to do so. A couple of submission calls hit my inbox, and I have to decide if I have something to send in, or if I have an article idea strong enough to pitch. One issue theme is along something I’m already working on, so I put together a pitch and sent it off. I think they want more academically oriented people than I am, but it was interesting, so I gave it a shot.

Set aside some time to crochet in the sewing room to hang out with Bea. She didn’t come too close, but she’s very interested in the yarn. I had to undo the first set of chain stitches and single crochet, because the hook was the wrong size, and it wasn’t  working. That yarn is so fine (for lacework) that it’s challenging to work with, especially for the foundational rows. Willa wanted to come into the room and be with us so badly, but that’s not yet an option. She pounded on the door and yowled. Bea was not impressed.

Decided to push off the small script coverage until today. Instead, I finished reading the book for review, which got better as it unfurled, but I had gotten way, way ahead of it. I will write the review today and send it off, and do the next book this week. I read the book hanging out in the sewing room with Bea. She came out to eat a snack, and then went into her crate, to watch me for a safe distance until she fell asleep. Progress.

Once she has her next and final round of shots for the year, she can take as long as she likes acclimating herself to humans; I just need to be able to stuff her in a box and get her out the door soon. There’s a silk and wool shawl in the sewing room that she keeps pulling off the chair and putting into her crate. She loves texture.

Charlotte has gone from thinking the cheese on a Domino’s pizza is divine to demanding freshly grated Parmesan. Bea likes high quality textiles.

I read Cal Newport’s SLOW PRODUCTIVITY, also recommended by one of my mentors. I agree with some of the principles, especially pushing back against pseudo-productivity. But he comes from a lot of this from a white bro privilege place. He’s anti-remote work, which means we do not agree on many things. He’d rather have a 5-minute interaction in the office than a series of emails. Except we all know there’s no such thing as only a 5-minute interaction when it’s convenient and doesn’t disrupt the workflow, and offices are about multiple interruptions and unnecessary meetings that create obstacles for getting any work done. Also, to stop endless email chains, ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS THE FIRST TIME. In general, he’s very much for pushing work and responsibility off onto other people, instead of solving the issues of clear communication and streamlining collaboration so no one is snowed under.

Having worked for far too many toxic bosses who do just that – dump things they should be doing and calling it “delegating” instead of helping to create systems and policies to make the workday, workload, and work experience actually WORK, it was a few too many red flags for me.

And working on only one project at a time is, again, very much a privilege backed by money. I know very few artists and other freelancers who have that privilege. All his “work fewer hours and make less money to have a better life” only works if your income is above minimum wage in the first place. There are no steps for reaching that; it’s an assumption that you start from financial security.

Of course all of this left me feeling massively unproductive for the day, especially since I didn’t get much writing done, other than the article for the GDR site. I did, however, come across a couple more organizations to whom to send workshop pitches. One of them dropped off the list pretty quickly when deeper research showed they don’t pay, and their instructors do it for “love.”

Great, honey, so glad they have that privilege. I have bills to pay.

Slept pretty well. Didn’t have to haul things to the laundromat, because there’s not much laundry this week (I’d gotten ahead last week). Did my morning meditation with Bea, and she’s spending post-breakfast watching birds through the window before her morning nap.

On today’s agenda: proofreading, some writing, work on some proposals, some admin stuff around my mom’s hospital bills, a script coverage (hopefully more will come in), writing and sending off the book review, starting the next book, picking up the CSA box, two hours of yoga.

I have two more short Kate Warne plays to write (without deadlines, so there’s no rush). Kate was the first female Pinkerton, and she is the protagonist of “Confidence Confidant” and “A Rare Medium” and “A Women for the Job.” I’m folding slightly different versions of those plays into a full-length along with the two new plays I want to write about her. The play about taking down Confederate spy Rose O’Neal Greenlow will be its own full-length, I think. But one of the two short plays is starting to percolate. It should be ready to draft soon.

One of the things that’s thrown me off the last few days is not writing enough, so I have to adjust that. I need to organize the projects on my desk, too, and get going promoting the Topic Workbooks again.

Have a good one!

Mon. Aug. 12, 2024: Navigating Through Frustrations

image courtesy of Mohamed Hassan via pixabay.com

I have a list of frustrating things that have to be dealt with today. Some of them are from companies who intentionally set up obstacles so they don’t have to give customer service; others have to do with a lack of communication or miscommunication.

It will all work out, but I have to be patient and clear and hold boundaries.

I’d rather take a nap, but too bad for me.

Hope your week is starting on a more postive note!

Fri. Aug. 9, 2024: Fabric Influences

image courtesy of andace Hunter via pixabay.com

Friday, August 9, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Rainy and a little cooler

The edges of Hurricane Debby are around today, although mostly west of us. But we are still in the path of it(though most of the state is spared), probably getting around 3 more inches of rain tonight. Not as much rain as in other places it’s meandered through, but with the ground soaked for the past few weeks, still a lot.

Yesterday was a slow day. I did a pharmacy run and picked up a few groceries. I came back and started proofreading “Tumble” for MURDER BELLS, but had a hard time concentrating.

We had a salad for lunch, using CSA ingredients, and it was yummy.

In the afternoon, I finished the script coverage, and then spent time playing with the cats. Bea is out and about quite a bit now, and even sleeps on the bed, where she can see everything that goes on. She also plays in front of everyone now, which is great. She needs playtime. But she does not want human interaction. She’s going to have to have some, and soon, because she’s due for a vet visit. But once this final round of shots is done, she can take her time.

She doesn’t like to have her picture taken, but I got a couple of shots of her through the glass. There’s a core of steel under that sweetness.

She also loves fabric and yarn (good thing she’s in the sewing room). She’s drawn to things with texture. And she’s fascinated when we fold laundry. I haul it back from the laundromat without folding it, since it’s only around the corner, and then fold it when I’m home.

I decided, since I was so sore from Tuesday, that more yoga would make me less sore, so I went to yoga in the early evening. It was good. It’s been a long time since I was in an “all levels” class. There were things I could do and things I could not. Some were from the knee I injured about a week ago, so I can’t do anything that requires kneeling. I bet it would heal a lot faster if I didn’t manage to bang it on every piece of furniture and car door in the world. I’m not usually someone who bumps into furniture, but this injured knee is hitting everything. I don’t think I ever mentioned the injured knee with everything else that’s been going on. I slipped on a hurled-up fur ball that I didn’t see in the dark, and banged the knee on multiple things as I went down. Yes, I got injured because of a fur ball. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so painful.

I did get up into a shoulder stand (more easily than I expected) and hang out there for the whole assigned time, which surprised me. It’s been about two years since I did a shoulder stand.

Home, cooked dinner using more CSA goodies, and read a little before bedtime.

Additional things are sore this morning. Sigh. But, overall, I’m glad I went.

It was good sleeping weather, and cooler this morning, although rainy. Tessa has a burst of energy. She’s been running around and playing this morning, instead of being a grumpy old lady.

During morning meditation with Bea, I came up with a series of elemental quilt designs. I doubt I’ll get to actually make them until late next year, because the designs will take some time, and then actually doing each of them will take time, but I have ideas for earth, air, water, and spirit. Still need to figure out fire. I think I’ll do them lap quilt size, so they are usable during the winter, or I can hang them up if I want. It’s been a minute since I actually made a quilt, but I’ve been thinking about quilting a lot lately, and this winter’s project is to make the quilt with the book cover fabric that I didn’t make last year. I’m keeping it simple, and know what I want the borders to be. It will be quilting the actual books in the center that will take the time. In fall, I’ll go over to the quilt shop in Williamstown and get the border and backing fabrics. It will be a good break between writing sessions, engaging different parts of the brain.

Yeah, I know, meditation is supposed to be not thinking, but that’s what came up in the quiet.

On today’s agenda: proofreading “Tumble”, getting out some LOIs, hoping more coverages come in, working on the next book for review, tackling THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, doing some home and hearth stuff. Tomorrow is home and hearth, with maybe some writing in there. Sunday, I have meditation at 12:30 at the yoga studio. A bunch of people I know are doing ekphrastic poetry at the Mount at 5, so if the weather’s okay, I’ll go down there.

And then it’s next week. I have a seminar for the coverage job to attend, and I have plans with a tarot friend to go to the new Degas exhibit at the Clark at the end of next week, along with the yoga and tarot plans. And all the actual work that needs to get done next week.

20 more days of Mercury retrograde. Sigh.

Have a great weekend.

Thurs. Aug. 8, 2024: More Storms

image courtesy of  Andrei Kuleshov via pixabay.com

Thursday, August 8, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Sunny now, but rain expected; cooler

Finally, some weather cool enough to allow function!

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

I’m definitely doing the “slow down” retrograde thing. I was not moving fast yesterday.

I managed to get the laundry back during a pause in the rain. I wrote and submitted the book review and got my next two assignments. I did a revision and polish on my article and sent it to my editor. I started a script coverage, but did not finish it. I will do so today.

I was sore from Tuesday’s fitness class, and got steadily more so as the day progressed.

Because of my schedule, we had our big meal at lunch, using a lot of goods from the CSA.

Headed out to tarot circle, which was good. A friend from tarot and I will make plans to get together outside of circle soon.

Raced back, gave Bea her dinner (the other cats had food in their bowls), and slid into the Zoom for the workshop. It’s another financial sustainability workshop via A4A. Again, there was a little too much compartmentalizing for my taste. I’ve worked hard to have an holistic career, not “day job” and “art practice.” They are integrated. But there were still tools in the workshop I will find useful.

The cats were impossible the entire time. Thank goodness I kept my camera off and was muted. First of all, the fire alarm kept going off, although nothing was wrong. The cats ran around screaming, because they know when it’s real, they are stuffed into carriers and we flee the place.

Once that settled down, Charlotte wanted her ZOOM fix. Tessa blocked her access to me, and to the computer. So they fussed at each other. Meanwhile, Willa kept sneaking up behind Tessa, whacking her on the butt, and running away.

Bea was very glad to be in her own room with a closed door.

We had a snack after the workshop and played with the cats before bedtime. It’s cooler, so they are busy again, instead of just lying down somewhere, miserable due to weather.

Started the night with Tessa on the bed, but there was shift change at some point in the night, and woke up with Charlotte. It was finally good sleeping weather.

The sun peeked out late afternoon yesterday, and we had a little sun this morning, although it’s already clouding over again.

On today’s agenda: proofread “Tumble” and finish the script coverage, do a run to the pharmacy (and probably the grocery store). I’ll see how the day shakes out before deciding what other projects need attention.

I’m percolating the next scene in THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. I know the purpose of the scene, but I need to rebuild the beats so it can fulfill it. And maybe cut/move a few things.

I also need to finish the synopsis of CAST IRON MURDER, so that those submissions can go out in early September (I nearly wrote “February” which shows how disoriented I am). The edges of the last of Hurricane Debby are supposed to do her thing around here tomorrow night into Saturday, but there’s another, smaller storm coming through before.

Have a good one!

Thurs. Aug. 7, 2024: Rain. Lots of Rain.

image courtesy of wal_172619 via pixabay.com

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Rainy and cooler

Just a reminder that Ink-Dipped Advice is on hiatus for August. It will be back in September.

Wow, I can’t believe how many anti-maskers I had to block on Threads yesterday, who pitched a fit when I mentioned that the local pharmacy staff was masking again. Of course, I haven’t stopped masking in most indoor situations, and don’t intend to change that any time soon. And, as I blocked, I noticed how little information and few followers most of the ranters had. Some were probably bots. Others, who cares? Not my people. I thought I’d removed all the anti-maskers and supporters of the Narcissistic Sociopath and gender police people out of my FB feed, but a few have popped up recently and been removed.

Had a great conversation with the Writers Coffee Club group over on Mastodon about favorite settings we use in our work. The Mastodon interactions have grown slowly, but the conversations are definitely worth it.

Autumn is getting more and more tightly booked, and I have to make sure I don’t overbook. I’ve already had to say no to several things, some of which I asked if we could push them out to winter or spring, so it’s not a hard, forever “no” but a “not right now, please, I can’t fit it into the schedule and do it well,  but I am genuinely interested.”

Almost all of yesterday was dedicated to the Llewellyn article, which is due this week. It’s 3K, a good bit of work, and I find nonfiction goes more slowly than fiction. I got a solid draft done, after playing with several things and tossing them. I will go back and polish it today.

I didn’t have any script coverage, so it all worked out; I have one coverage to turn around today, and hope that more comes in for the rest of this week and next.

Delighted by Harris’s VP pick. He’s a good guy with an excellent track record.

I read the next book for review. It’s really, really good. I will write that up this morning, submit it, and ask for the next assignment.

Picked up the CSA box for the week, which is just yummy. The green beans are in. I will use them today; at least some of them.

I did the full two hours of yoga. Gentle yoga was great, and then I stayed for the fitness for yoga class. There were only three of us, and she worked us until we were ready to drop.

This morning, I could barely move! That’s what I get for not doing the class for 4 weeks.

Tessa decided  to sleep in the exact middle of the bed in the night, so there was negotiating so I could actually find a way to sleep. Charlotte snuck on at some point. Around 2:30, Tessa left and Charlotte wanted attention. I fell asleep again and woke up just before 5:30, barely getting them all fed and out of the house to the laundromat by the time it opened at 6.

But I did, and I got the laundry through and home by 7. Bea is perplexed because I didn’t go in there for morning meditation.

I don’t know where all this rain is coming from; we’re not supposed to get a smack from Hurricane Debby until Friday. According to the forecast, we won’t see sun until next Wednesday. At least it’s cooler.

Back to work for me. I’m making the big meal for a late lunch, since I have tarot circle, and then have to zip back for a 2-hour A4A workshop. We’ll eat the big meal at lunchtime, and then have something light after the workshop is over.

I’d like to go back to bed, but that’s not an option, unfortunately! Have a good one.

Tues. Aug. 6, 2024: Attempting to Tip Toe Into the Mercury Retrograde

image courtesy of lynne via pixabay.com

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Rainy, muggy but a little cooler

Are you buckled up for a wild retrograde? There are so many challenges astrologically this month that I wish I could take it as a silent retreat.

Friday, I headed to the library and did a couple of solid hours of research on the 1908 Balloon race. Got some great information, and a wealth on which to build the script. I have a feeling my initial idea will need to be narrowed.

In the newspaper accounts of the time are some great color quotes. I wonder how many were actually true; whatever the “truth” they supply some great character details. I also feel like the press manufactured and fueled the rivalry between the fuel used in Pittsfield and North Adams (pun intended).

North Adams was one of the few places, outside of London, Paris, and Shire City, where one could pay to go up in a balloon for fun at the time. And, in 1908, it cost $60 to go up –a lot at the time.

Yes, there’s a lot of rich white privilege layered in all of this.

Picked up the books that came in, dropped my payment from the farmers’ market residency in the bank, came home to some unwelcome information. I’ve been pondering it over the weekend, and will have to make a decision in the next week or so. I hate making decisions during Mercury Retrograde. I’m always worried I’ll be wrong.

Turned around two medium coverages. Couldn’t get the third one done.

Went down a rabbit hole researching the genealogical records of the character I want to position as my protagonist. She was only 12 at the time of the race. When she was 17, she married a young man from CT (her father had one of his houses there) out in New Jersey. Possibly a neighbor’s son? In the next census, a year later, she’s living in her father’s house again, under her married name. Two years beyond that, she was divorced, remarried to someone I have a feeling was related to her first husband (they share a family middle name), and had a son. Two years later, she had a daughter. A year after that, she was divorced again. Seven years later, she is mentioned as “Mrs.” someone else in her father’s obituary, and five years after that, she died in Honolulu, Hawaii, which was still a territory, not a state.

My sense is that she was quite the hell raiser in her day.

She had a half-sister, from her father’s first marriage, who was about 10 years older, and seems to have led a much quieter life, at least as far as marriages went.

People are fascinating.

Heavy rain in the afternoon and evening. It cooled things off somewhat, and hadn’t gotten as hot as predicted, thank goodness.

In the evening, I read the memoir of someone whose books I’ve always admired and respected, but of whom I’ve been wary as a person. This memoir made me actively dislike her. The selfishness, flaunting of privilege, poor treatment of others, and hypocrisy was astonishing to me. This is someone who talks a good game of connection and compassion, but certainly didn’t practice it during this stretch (and I don’t think I’ve ever known her to do so).

Slept okay and woke a little later than usual on Saturday. Bea waited at the door for her breakfast, although she dived under the bed when I entered the room. She’s coming closer during meditation, but still keeping a safe distance.

The humidity was oppressive. The air just hung, heavy, and unmoving. Even the fans struggled. At least the temperature wasn’t that high.

I decided to turn around the script coverage I had in the morning, so I’d be free the rest of the day. Once I did that, I gave “Too Much Mistletoe” a good proofreading, fixing a few things and layering in a necessary change. I edited the Author Note for it and added it in.

I was tempted to start putting the edits into “Tumble” but since that’s a fairly short piece, I didn’t want to get caught up working through the entire piece.

The rest of the day was just that, restful. It was hot and humid, raining off and on. Bea is out a little bit more, although still doesn’t want anything to do with humans. But she’s getting more and more interested in the morning meditation and tarot pull.

I did some research reading for a couple of projects, and then started reading DARK ENTRY by MJ Trow, which has Christopher Marlowe as a central protagonist.

But it was mostly a quiet day, trying to make it through the mucky weather.

It was an okay, but not great sleeping night. Up early on Sunday. Morning routine. Kept a quiet Sunday, mostly reading. I read a draft of a friend’s new play, which is very good. I finished DARK ENTRY, and read ASHRAM ASSASSIN by Andrew Cartmel, which was entertaining.  I started another book, but am not yet sure about it.

Bea was out and about much more on Sunday. From lunchtime on, she was out from under the bed, playing in the sewing room, observing how the other cats interact with humans, community napping when the others took their naps in the living room. They really just all hang out. It’s a fairly quiet household, most of the time. Once she starts interacting the humans, she can have more active playtimes. The other three are all technically seniors (although Willa still thinks she’s two), so they don’t play as much anymore, although Willa and Tessa have bouts of energetic playtime. Bea will get there. It takes time, and we don’t have to rush.

I percolated a few things in my brain, especially when it comes to the article that’s due this week. I have some other decisions that need to happen in the first two weeks of August, and I’m weighing positives, negatives, and options.

I want to take the message of the retrogrades and slow down. The past few months have been wonderful and transformational, but will be meaningless if I don’t take the time to integrate what I’ve learned into life. How often do we take a workshop or do a residency or gain new information, and feel energized, but don’t actually DO anything with it? Just go back to the way we were doing things before? And use the excuse of “life” as the reason? That doesn’t cut it, especially not this time. I was given these great opportunities. I grabbed the experiences with both hands while I was in the midst of them. Now, I have to take what I learned and use it moving forward, or it was a waste of everyone’s time and energy, and is about me blowing the opportunity instead of using it as a building block.

It cooled off overnight to be a decent sleeping night, and I even got up a little after 5:30 to start the day. Tessa and Bea were impatient for their breakfasts.

The morning meditation was excellent. I’ve been good about my evening meditations throughout, although they are shorter than they should be, but I’d become erratic about the morning meditation. Getting back to consistency with that is a good choice. Gives me a clearer brain to start the day.

A large, quick-turnaround coverage came in on Monday, giving me one large and two medium coverages due by early Tuesday morning.

Before that, though, I put the edits into “Tumble.” And then Word went all wonky and all the formatting was lost in the document. So I had to go back through it from the beginning and fix it, and check the edits. But at least it’s ready for proofing now.

I had to pick up some prescriptions for my mom and get in some groceries. It was getting rather hot and uncomfortable. The entire staff of the pharmacy is masking again, which gives a good indication of how high the COVID numbers have gone around here. More people than usual were masked in the grocery store, too, and most of the unmasked were obviously tourists.

I got a great quote for my article, and our first A4A Advisory meeting is set for about two weeks from now.

Bea had enough socializing for the moment, so after breakfast, she retired to her den for a morning nap.

I turned around the three coverages, which took most of the rest of the day. In the evening, I started the next book for review, a very well written mystery set in Bern, Switzerland. I got more information for an upcoming interview with an organization for whom I might teach next winter.

Slept okay. Up early planning to go to the laundromat, but it was bucketing down rain, so I put it off. I attempted to go back to bed (it was just before 5 AM), but Tessa was adamant that if I was up, I fed them all. Charlotte tried to start something with Bea, and Bea just regarded her with a cool stare until Charlotte backed down. Bea’s got a core of steel under that sweetness.

With Willa, it’s like GROUNDHOG DAY. She keeps forgetting Bea is here, and every day, for Willa, it’s meeting a new cat. Although she’s pretty mellow about it.

Morning meditation is good, and new story idea is tickling.

The main focus today is the Llewellyn article, now that I have everything I need for it. I hope some coverages come in, but if not, I will focus on the article and notes on the new idea. If there’s time to give “Tumble” a proofread, I will do so. Otherwise, that has to wait until tomorrow. I also need to send my friend the notes on her new play. Will try to finish the book for review at some point today or tonight, so that I can send off the review tomorrow.  Tonight, I have two hours of yoga.

I’m hoping for a quiet, but creative day. Have a good one!

Mon. Aug. 5, 2024: Buttercup Buckles Up

image courtesy of hartono subagio via pixabay.com

And. . . Mercury joins the retrograde parade today! Until Aug. 28th.

Blech. Just blech.

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune and Chiron are already retrograde, so we’re juggling five for the month.

Much as I would like to use August as a silent retreat, I cannot do so exclusively.

However, I’m a little tired of all the gleeful negative predictions of how horrible this month’s transits and square and the like will be.

What if they are not?

What if we listen to the messages to slow down, enjoy whatever moments we can, look around, and really pay attention? Instead of allowing ourselves to be battered, what if we step back and go, “nope, not going to engage in that right now.”

I don’t know if I can maintain that all month in what’s supposed to go on, but I at least want to start the month from a place of caution, quiet and reflection.

Of course, I’m already having tech issues up the ying-yang, but (shrugs) tech is not my favorite wheelhouse anyway.

What’s your intent for the week?

Fri. Aug. 2, 2024: A Humid Start to the Month

image courtesy of JackieLou DLvia pixabay.com

Friday, August 2, 2024

Day Before Dark Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron Retrograde

Partly cloudy, hot, oppressively humid

I can’t believe it’s August!

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

Wednesday morning, I only had three more chapters to finish the edits on “Too Much Mistletoe” so that’s what I did. Proofreading the whole story and adding the author note is next. It’s just over 18K, not quite a novella. But it didn’t make sense to keep going, although I already know I need to change a character name in the proofread. I’m making some changes in the character moving forward, and she’s introduced here (and will grow to be a big part of the series), so I need to get it right.

Headed out pretty early to the store to pick up a few things for the weekend, since I won’t get the chance to go to the store today.

Did a large coverage turn around on Wednesday to bump up my pay a little; it helps, but still isn’t anywhere what I expected or needed to make this pay period.

In the rainy afternoon, I headed out to tarot circle, which was lots of fun. We have such a big group lately.

Home, cooked dinner, trying a recipe I made up as I went along. It tasted good, but it was too fussy, and I doubt I will do it again.

Slept reasonably well, although it was humid and oppressive when I woke up. No one wanted to eat much, not even Bea, who ate her breakfast in several visits to the plate, instead of gobbling it all up as soon as it went down. I hope that means she feels secure that there will always be food.

Did a morning Lammas ritual, baked cornbread, ate it with blackberries for breakfast. Wrote and posted on Kemmyrk about the 30-year anniversary, which you can read here.

Did some social media rounds for Lammas. Grabbed a few scripts for the opening days of the pay period. Most of the day, though, was spent in enjoyment and reflection. I did some reading. I played with the cats. Bea still keeps her distance from humans, although she enjoys room service and maid service. She is hanging out more, though, in the room, and watching the daily interactions. The other cats have accepted her as the Cat in the Sewing Room and rarely fuss. By the time the doors are opened and formal introductions are made, I think they will be used to each other.

It was hot and sticky and not good sleeping weather. I managed to sleep in bursts, with weird dreams. Moved to the couch by 4:30. Bea was very busy in the sewing room. She is perplexed as to why Charlotte, in particular, is so attached to a human.

I am headed out for the library to research the 1908 Balloon race this morning. It’s supposed to be very hot, so I’m glad I’ll be in the cool. But they close at 1, which means I’ll come back and be a lump on the couch for the hottest portion of the day.

Although I have 2 coverages (maybe even 3) to turn around today; I might decamp to the Clark to do so if it’s really miserable, once the library closes.

I’m also backing everything up umpteen times before Mercury goes retrograde on Monday. Last Merc Ret, my laptop died and I had to buy a new one.

Let’s take a look at our July stats, shall we?

New Material:                              32,352

Edits:                                                141,034

Adaptation                                      19,115

Proofreading                                  68,250

Client Work                                    19,300

Professional Development   5 hours

Marketing                                       3-1/2 hours

Research:                                      3 hours

What does it all mean? I had a little over a week of out-of-office stuff, built around my show, the Farmers’ Market residency, the large poem, the last hurrah for the cohort. So that was all important and wonderful, but doesn’t really fit into the above categories.

The New Material number terrified me – 32K written in a month is way under what I need to be sustainable. But the Editing number more than makes up for it – just over 140K in edits, just over 19K in adaptation, and just over 68K in proofreading. Looking at the overall numbers, it’s a good month’s worth of work, although it was mostly working on material already written to prepare it to go out into the world.

The client work was on the low side, so there’s no surprise that income was lower than expected and wanted. Some of that is out of my control – we were told to expect work that did not materialize. I definitely made use of the time, but that doesn’t help my financial situation in the moment.

5 hours professional development is reasonable, even a little on the high side. But it felt good and right, and what I learned will be applied moving forward.

Marketing was way too low, but that was expected, since I spent time in professional development to recalibrate.

Research was mostly focused on the 1908 Balloon race. I need to track research time on projects, too, to get a better sense of it.

The takeaway was that July was a solid month in everything except finances, and that has to be adjusted moving forward. Hopefully, some of what I learned in the workshops will help with that.

Tomorrow is all house-and-home stuff, although I might do a coverage if I don’t get all three done today. Sunday will be quiet, in spite of the new moon, and then I’m going to the Mount in the late afternoon, unless the thunderstorms are worse than predicted. The poetry group from Troy is coming to do ekphrastic work in the sculpture garden, and I want to support them.

Monday, Mercury turns retrograde, so buckle up for the rest of the month. Stay low, stay quiet, go shopping in for bargains and in thrift stores, but not for big ticket items like houses, or electronics. Give yourself a lot of extra time when traveling. And try not to sign any contracts. If you have to, be extra careful of the details.

Since it goes retrograde in my 7th house of partnerships, there’s a chance it will be a somewhat rocky road. I will stay as quiet as possible, without being able to do it as a silent retreat. I may stay off social media as much as possible, too.

I have two coverages to turn around on Monday; let’s hope there aren’t any glitches. And let’s hope a lot of coverages come in for the next two weeks!

My primary focus next week, though, is to finish my Llewellyn article and send it off, to work on a short story, and to dig into the revisions of THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE.

Have a great weekend!