Asrai Devin's Blog, page 15

Late night #Row80 Check-in

All right.

Editing: I had planned to get back to editing today, I want to do a final proof read, but then I got distracted by considering if I should hire an editor or not and looking at http://www.theauthorsredroom.com/ which has really reasonable prices for editing. I am happy with the story, I just want someone to look for typos etc. I've never worked with one before because I didn't have the money to spend on that.

Basically meaning I didn't trust my work to stand up, now that my un-professionally edited stuff is doing okay, I feel like I need to step up my game some.

So I have to get my revenue out of Smashwords which I've been putting off because of the PITA factor of getting ITIN, but I'm hoping my EIN will be enough, so I had to track down someone with a printer to print off my W8BEN form to send to Smashwords. But the printer is in the living room, the post office is open tomorrow so I shall get those things done and then I have to send off some samples to some editors and see what I can do about getting quotes and see their work.

If it goes well, I might go back and get my other stuff edited. Maybe.

Part of keeps thinking, screw the editor, just release the rest of THIS series without one and hire editors for the next round.

If anyone has a recommendation of someone they've worked with drop me a comment. I think I lean toward a copy editor/proof reader rather than the full story going through the ringer. I'm happy with the story, I lack on the typing bits.

Writing: still going strong on my WIP. I ran into a road block where I thought I was running out of plot, but then I figured out the middle conflicting bits more or less. So I want to focus my entire life on writing this story, my family and Dragon Age: Origins (in that order). But there is more to life then writing for me who is a mom, wife etc first and writer second. Plus this blog demands attention I have 2 posts set up for March so far.

Exercising: I think I got in 2 work outs last week. Plus we did a few evenings of Just Dance, so that counts as work out time as well.

House: it's coming. I'm reorganizing some things. By Saturday and Sunday I want nothing to do with housework so come Monday it's a disaster, which is where I am at right now. Monday is my big cleaning day.

In other news, I deleted my boards from Pinterest. Their terms of use were too much for me to agree to. Basically any "Member Content" which I believe includes pinning content from blogs, other websites and repins, are subject to copyright for Pinterest's parent company, Cold Brew Labs. I don't feel like I can give copyright to images I don't own to someone else. I don't even know how that's possible. What's more, if their is a lawsuit and you are named, you are reasonable for your own legal costs but Pinterest's legal costs as well.

Be very careful of what you pin.

Secondly, I don't want anyone to give copyright of things I own to someone else, even for limited use. I don't want to pin my own stuff because of these terms of service. I still have my account because I love the usability and so many people are still on there so i can use it for inspiration and fodder and all that good stuff. The usability is so much higher than any other social bookmarking website, it's killing me not to hit that repin button.

I've been reading through comments on blogs about this and trying to sort out if there is actually a problem or not. Like all things lawyer-y, there is a lot of ambiguity to it. I'll watch and wait for now and keep checking out everyone else's pins. I'm on Delicious for social bookmarking right now, it's not as FUN as Pinterest, but it works.

More reading on this topic here: http://girlswithpens.com/2012/03/01/the-pinterest-problem/

Interspiration #332012

How is it March already? Sometime in April my baby turns 2!! 2!! Well  you didn't come to hear me whine. 

Here is the best the internet could inspire me with this week, my interspiration.

Turn your platform into art. http://bit.ly/wixJwx

25 pieces of advice on making ideas happen. http://bit.ly/y8SrhF

S&M Barbies  http://alicamckennajohnson.com/2012/02/27/sm-barbies/

Like the new TV show Smash? http://bit.ly/xtqWEJ I didn't get to watch but it looks so good!!

Waiting for answers. When you ask for a question and your mind has nothing in the answer spot. I call it blank space. http://bit.ly/ACwWlb

http://bit.ly/xQnDQD Hilarious post. Non-erotic erotica. Don't read if you have sleeping babies. Or are drinking.

The urge to create takes many forms. http://bit.ly/vZ6tEX

bit.ly/A85A7g 5 steps to becoming a photographer. (steps apply for any artistic endeavor however).

Pinterest problem? http://bit.ly/A8CnFk

why being the family hero hurts (in children who adapt to unhealthy upbringings) http://bit.ly/xmSdnL

For anyone following my issues with plotting. this might help me. http://bit.ly/AxSPYe

 

Tagged: Television program

It's easy to draw!

This is one of the best TV shows to ever be made. Besides Republic of Doyle.

Why is Corner Gas great?

For me, it's like going home. I spent several years of my childhood next to the corner store/gas station eating junk food. It was in Saskatchewan, but not the southern part, we had a few hills where I grew up. And yes, south Saskatchewan is THAT flat.

Here is a picture of the former "Blackstrap Mountain" a manmade ski hill in South Saskatchewan. It is no longer in use, because no one in their right mind would ski there. It's a tobogganing hill!

There used to be jokes going around about Saskatchewan in e-mail. Thankfully no one sends me that crap anymore. But here are some things you probably :

 So, what phone company are you with? (Also goes for insurance and power/natural gas- they are all owned by the government).

Is the seafood fresh?

No kids in the back of the pickup, it's just not safe.

A few Christmases ago we decided to go tobogganing (sledding down a hill) so we jump in four different vehicles, go park out somewhere at someone's house who is not home because it's Christmas Day, then we all hop into my brother's truck and go driving out in the field. Once we were out in the field, we find out the snow doesn't even cover the stubble left on the fields, so our sleds to about 2 inches. So we all hop back into the box of the truck and head home.

Not the hill we go to anymore, but if you ever have a chance to throw 15-20 people in a canoe and go down a hill, TAKE it!

Could you give me a hand to draw this map. The top and bottom are just straight lines, what bout the sides? 

You know you are from Saskatchewan if:

 You measure distance in hours.

 You know several people who have hit a deer more than once

 You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and then back

again.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

Share some jokes about your home town/state/province/country.

Tagged: Asrai Devin, Canada, Recreation, Recreation and Sports, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Toboggan

#Row80 checkin

I have missed the last two to four checkins because  i've been WRITING. I am in love with my characters, the plot, everything. i am especially loving just writing. If I get stuck, i just ask "How could I make this situation worse?" and keep going. i'm getting at least a thousand words per day in the hour or so between the kids bedtime and mine. So I'm pretty excited.

My goals were to edit my hockey novels. i had beta readers read them with some mixed comments and then I wasn't sure if I should scrap the story or what. I decided I like the story as is. A few minor changes, a read aloud through and then edit for typos as best i can and a cover. It shall be released mid-March as planned.

Blog goals. I've floundered this week. Pinterest has me so excited to do house projects during the day and then i'm trying to sty on my routines so daytime i haven't been blogging much. Then evening rolls around and i want to write, so little blogging. And my stats are reflecting that. I've also realized I am not writhing from my heart. I want to do that more, but it is a work in progress. I am working on it.

Personal goals: I stopped working out. It made my son whiny and that was making me grumpy. So I'm changing the 4 day to 3 day a week work outs. my son will suck it up, but i will also keep workouts under 30 minutes.  My body is so stiff and sore today, every joint hurts, which I thought I'd gotten past (for about 4 years from 16-20, my body ached all the time. And then I did some inner healing and it disappeared).

I updated my 50/50 list. Its difficult for me to do the movies. My husband watches a movie a day, usually the same 6 repeatedly and randomly, but he also watches movies on TV when he's home and I catch 45 minutes here or there because the children are pulling me or  housework has to get done in another room (we used to have this lovely open kitchen/dining room/living room flow now the living  room is cut-off), so I don't catch a whole movie very often. i'll get there, i'm not as behind as I thought. I've also been struggling with reading because I have borrowed a few books I had no interest in finishing Age of Miracles by Marianne Williamson turned out to be for women in midlife, Defy Gravity by Caroline Myss turned out to be about healing experiences and a bit dry.

Can i count fan fiction in my book if it's book length? I can't help myself when it comes Alternate Universe Dragon Age where The female Warden romances Bann Teagen. That is so not the best picture of him, but it's the best I could find.

Tagged: Asrai Devin, Caroline Myss, Defy Gravity: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason, goal setting, goal tracking, Marianne Williamson, Pinterest, Round of Words, row80, row80 goals, Writers Resources, Writing Exercises, writing goals

Adventures in Flooring

We were in Totem (which is like Home Depot) looking for some kitchen cabinet handles and we stumbled across the most beautiful flooring, but it was pretty pricey and we are still recovering from the move. So we left it, but when we went back to buy the rest of the handles the floor had gone on sale. So, it made its way into our Big Orange Truck.

Here is the old floor.

From House

Here is the hubby cutting the new floor

From 2012-02-20

Putting in the new floor: (I did help I just had to take the pictures so none are of me doing anything).

From 2012-02-20

The floor in, not the best shot of it:

From 2012-02-20

And the finished product close-up.

From 2012-02-20





Tagged: Asrai Devin, Floor, Home Depot, home improvment, laminate, laminate flooring, Materials and Supplies, Wood flooring, Wood Products

Negative motivation

When we put off unpleasant tasks, we often try a number of ways to motivate ourselves to get the task done.

One of the most common ones is negative self-talk. We tell ourselves we are bad for not doing it. We shame ourselves, we should be doing this. Maybe it comes from the idea of conditional love, that we are not good people if we don`t get this task done.

One of the worst verbs is "should". As my daughter would say, "it's evil"

When you should yourself, does it make you get up and do the task you`ve been dreading?

Probably you want to do it even less.

What if you talked to yourself a different way?

First off, do you really need to do the task yourself? Can you delegate it someone else?

If the answers are the task needs to be done by you, start thinking of ways to make the task enjoyable. Whether you give yourself a reward afterward, put on some music while you do the task or involve someone else.

Still having trouble getting up and getting that task done?

Estimate how long the task will take. If it will take a couple hours break it down into 15-30 minute chunks and set a timer. For most tasks I find myself putting off, such as stacking the dishwasher, it only takes about 10 minutes maximum to get it done. Get up and just do it. Sometimes, that`s all you need.

Tagged: Asrai Devin, goal setting, goals, motivation, negative self-talk, positive thinking

Interspiration #2252012

Samantha Warren hosts Lynette M. Burrows with a fantabulous post about creating your own future. http://bit.ly/yP3VDu

I love everything Single Dad Laughing writes. He recently wrote this great post Whose Life is Anyway which ties into the above. There must be something in the air. Anyway, he is now doing a 10 day discussion on Happiness. Here's Day 2. Does Happiness Come fromWithin? http://bit.ly/xmLRR9 I'm sure I'll post more this week.  If you have time, read the entire blog. Well no one has time for that.

Erotic capital, Demi Moore`s breakdown and the limits of beauty. http://bit.ly/yx6jEV And Cleopatra`s badassness. As stated in my comments, I believe Demi Moore is depressed. Not being able to love onesself is the a true state of depression. I've been there.

Combining 2 pictures into one with Gimp. http://bit.ly/wTYCRe Sweet. I needed this as I'm going into book cover making again. I've finally decided what to do.

The ultimate cure for writer`s block http://bit.ly/xAvLVP

Basically: WRITE what you want to write.

Even shorter version: WRITE.

Yeah for childwearing. http://bit.ly/w1pkAO This is a really sweet story.

How an average person becomes famous. 2 simple steps (not easy, just simple). http://bit.ly/w2XhoF

This post was a sign from the universe to #wordmonger. http://t.co/9oAFEGNk Fine, I can take the hint.

Don't just manage time, manage your energy. http://bit.ly/zZUfFW

A helpful post for a random blog reader. http://bit.ly/zjaWEi I imagine some more poor lost husband.
Areyou afraid of success? How about failure? http://bit.ly/wXvexB
i love this movie. And this review. http://bit.ly/yvNBlP Strong heroines rock!
Is Elmo really trustworthy? http://bit.ly/w2o1pL
How one blogger started off blogging. Similar to my own story. http://bit.ly/zqkg3G
Busy writer's guide to time management http://bit.ly/ztolAc
What does it take to change? http://bit.ly/ybPB7I


Tagged: Ashton Kutcher, Asrai Devin, Demi Moore, link mashup, links

On Canadians

Okay we don't all have the accent: aboot, hoose, but we do say things like -20 with the windchill. I have three different toques but none of them are John Deere, though one might as well be, it's pretty green. Unfortunately the picture of me in that hat is missing.

They did miss the curling yell. HURRY HARD. Yeah, yeah. Sweep hard.

I've done a lot of curling in my life.

A Mickey is a 12 oz bottle of alcohol. A two-six is 26 ounce bottle, it's actually only 25 ounces. Then a big bottle is a 40.

We do have a nice video of my brother givin' 'er across the dug-out on a skidoo.

My dad calls Canadian Tire "Crappy Tire", it's also known as Canadian Trash. It's kind of like Wal-mart, without food and tons more automotive items.

I don't live in an igloo, it's not freezing the entire year in most places, I have never ridden on a dog sled (though a freind of my brother's had sled dogs), and I have never actually played hockey, but I did attend a lot of my brother's hockey games.

Tagged: Asrai Devin, Canada, Canadian, Canadian stereotypes, Dog, Dog sled, John Deere, patriotism, shit Canadians say, Sled dog racing

Meditation for those who can't settle down

I feel like my mind is spinning of late. And also like there is a buzzing in my ears. I'm worried about a thousand things, I'm trying to be a mom to the family, trying to connect on social media… you get the picture. You're busy too so I won't take up too much time whining about MY life.

I know the benefits of meditation would really help me hear, but I can't focus my mind and I can't sit still. So I started looking up alternatives to meditation or helpful hints for people like me, who can't focus or sit still.

1) Flowdreaming. I found Flowdreaming when Hay House Radio first started and had free archives. Summer McStravick who created this technique with her mother, was the producer of Hay House.

Flowdreaming falls under the positive thinking, new age type stuff. Y'know the stuff "The Secret" made popular. I know there are tons of people who skeptical, and I'm not going to say you can just think your way into success, you have to do some legwork. But I don't think postive thinking hurts. So if you're not a believer, skip to the next thing.

Flowdreaming is a visualization technique where you connect to the underlying energy that connects everything that is. And you can affect the universe at large with your mind.

I have never practised it with any regularity, so i can't attest to it working. but it is calming and it does lift my mood when I do engage. You can read more about Flowdreaming on Summer's website: http://flowdreaming.com She also has a free weekly internet radio show, which I beleive takes caller questions and she usually does a guided flowdream each week.

2) Movement meditation. Like tai chi or some simple repetitive movement. Walking works as well.

3) Meditation with sound. Like white noise or rain or a river flowing. I love the rainfall sounds.

4) Visit an inner healing sanctuary. I once had this book on spiritual healing with crystals and the like, but the one thing that has always stuck with me is the creation of an inner healing sanctuary. It can be a bath tub, whirlpool, the ocean, a waterfall, laying in the sun. The only requirement is that negative energy has some way of leaving your sanctuary. Mine is an island, over the years it's become quite elaborate.

5) Mantra meditation. You repeat a mantra over over in your head. It can be as simple as one word, love or peace. A sentence that inspires. Or an entire poem, as in the Rosary for Catholics, or The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi are popular ones. Another one is saying the word "Om" or"aum" in a long drawn out way. "Om" according to Hindu tradition, the purest name of God.

6) Craft Meditation. Crocheting or knitting, if the pattern is fairly simple, are extremely meditative. Sewing can also be, especially if you are doing it by hand. Colouring is also very soothing.

Do you meditate? What practice works for you? How did you find the patience to get past the initial discomfort?

Or are you like me? You want to meditate, but you can't get past the initial discomfort so you give up? Or you just can't stick with even the most basic practice?

#Row80 Checkin For Sunday. Perfectionsim sucks

Writing: I`m not sticking to a word count, but I am writing. Mostly, everyone who commented last Wednesday was right, it was a combination ADD and (mostly) perfectionism. I was trying to plot and it turns out:

I don`t plot. I am a pantser.

That is the way it is and I will not fight my nature. I plot after I write and then fill in any holes, it works, it`s worked for several books so far.

Blogging: so far so good. Writing things in advance, blogging several times a week.

Exercise: totally fallen off the wagon. Will have to reset this now that I`m back in the writing saddle.

House: I cleaned the bathroom, the laundry area, my son`s room (he co-sleeps so his room became a dumping ground) and the playroom this week. And still managed to spend far too much time on Pinterest. Maker I love that site. So much pretty.

I also only played a few hours of Dragon Ages II. Sadly my plan to romance (seduce) everyone on the game possible did not go as planned. I made rivals out of Merril and Fenris so they would not sleep with me. I got Isabella (she`ll sleep with anything) and Anders (who moved 2 minutes after he got out of my bed).

I`m missing Alistair so I`ll be back to Origins soon I`m sure and scouring the web for FanFic and the release date of DA3.

How was your week?

Tagged: Asrai Devin, Dragon Age, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins, Pinterest, Round of Words, row80, row80 goals, Word count, Writers Resources, writing