S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 25

April 2022 Goals

Yay! It's April! And that means we are another month closer to summer…

What happened with March's Goals?

Finish writing Myra's Big Mistake. I'm done writing this one and it's in edits now. I plan to be done with it totally in another week so I can go on vacation and not think about it.

Finish updating the paperbacks of the Nogiku Series. These are done! Ingram Spark kept Reunited in their review queue for TWO WEEKS for no reason whatsoever. And then they acted like I was a pain for complaining. No. Do your damned job.

Do my Duolingo Italian and Japanese every day. I did this, but I'm stopping the Japanese because their Japanese lessons are shite. Terrible. I don't think anyone ever proofs them. I'm moving on to studying Japanese on my own.

Do some more long endurance biking until the next Power Zone Pack Challenge starts. I did this. Yes!

Block this shawl I just finished and take photos. This is my favorite part of the knitting process! I need to block the shawl, dry it, and take photos to post on the blog and Instagram.

Reading and knitting. Good news! I did this! I finished the book I was reading, and another book, AND I finished the knit I was working on too! Huzzah!

April Goals

Finish all edits of Myra's Big Mistake before vacation. We are going to Disneyworld soon and I want to finish this book before then.

Start writing Escape from Shin-Osaka, the last book in the Hikoboshi Series. I'm really looking forward to finishing off this series. It will probably take me at least two months to write this book.

Start Japanese self-study for JLPT N5. I have decided to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 5 (JLPT N5) in 2023. Probably late 2023, depending on when the test is proctored around here. I may have to go to Philly to take it. The 2022 test will be in December, and they haven't announced the testing sites yet. I have plenty of time to make this a reality.

Keep up with the Power Zone Pack Challenge. This is a hard one. I'm actually riding ahead in the challenge right now and I'm almost a week ahead of everyone else because we're going on vacation. I think I'll be able to get all the rides in and not let my team down.

Reading and knitting. I'm listening to the new John Scalzi book now, and I plan to read while on vacation. I've started a new knit, a blanket using the yarn I bought for the temperature blanket that I stopped making. So far so good!

That's it for this month! Have a great April everyone!

The post April 2022 Goals appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Sunday Update – March 27, 2022

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

A very short Sunday Update this week as sickness has plagued this week, in and out. First, my youngest daughter had the flu from Saturday night to Wednesday (Flu B, I took her to the doctor to get tested). Then the flu struck down my husband. He's been sick since Wednesday. And now I'm feeling crappy as well. I'm not sure if it's just allergies or the flu. I have a cough and a headache, and a low-grade fever keeps coming and going.

I'm doing my best to hang in here. I'm the only one holding this household together at this point. I have to try to take meds and just buck up, but it's hard. I can only hope that my husband feels better by Monday so that I can have some help. I'm scheduling this on Saturday night for Sunday morning. I fear I will wake up worse than I am now. Ugh. I actually miss when everyone masked.

In other news, my oldest had her 15th birthday on Tuesday! FIFTEEN! Wow. I can hardly believe it.

I caught Lulu sleeping with her paw over her face. So cute.

After our walk, last Sunday at the beach house.

Having a moment of smiles with Lulu, trying to be positive amidst all the sickness here.

Trying to just read and relax because that's all I can do.

Yeah, we've had a lot of high fevers here. This was before I gave my youngest ibuprofen and took her to the doctor.

Anyway, time to go to bed! Have a great week everyone! Stay safe and healthy.

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Book Chat #74 – Books By Becky Chambers and Jessie Mihalik

It's been a long time since I had a Book Chat on the blog, and I wish I had a good reason for it except to say that I've been writing a lot… which is always a good thing. Sometimes I will look at words ALL DAY and then the evening will come around and I will think, “What are words anyway?” Lol. I get overwhelmed and then I don't read at all. It happens. But I have two books I've read recently that I loved!

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

This novella took me two months to read, and not because it's horrible. It was fantastic. I love Becky Chambers and her quiet science fiction. It speaks to me on a fundamental level. But I was reading it at the time I was writing two books, and some days I just didn't have the energy to pick up a book to read. No matter. Each time I opened it, I was right back in the story like I hadn't taken a break at all. If I told you that this is a story of a tea monk traveling the wilderness with a robot, I'm not sure what you would think. But that's what this is. I hope Becky Chambers sets more stories in this world someday. I would love to see how the society ended up this way.

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

I started reading this book right as I finished Myra's Big Mistake, so I had plenty of time to read and enjoy a good story that wasn't my own. I love Jessie Mihalik's books. If you enjoy my books, you'll love hers. This was definitely space opera romance, heavy on plot with feelings, a fun and interesting crew, a cool universe that I wanted to know more about. The enemies-to-lovers plot was believable and smoking hot. I didn't see any of the twists coming. All around a stellar book, and I've already pre-ordered the next in the series. The story set up for quite the next adventure while still wrapping up the mission from the first book. I love that. I can't wait to see what happens next!

P.S. I'm trying new formats for my collage images on the website, ones that'll look better on Instagram. Hopefully this works out!

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Sunday Update – March 20, 2022

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Not a lot going on with the blog this month. I have been writing a lot and the weeks just slip by when I'm getting the stories down. This weekend we're at the beach house, so I'll keep this short.

I spent the whole week at home without my husband because he was here at the beach house waiting on deliveries and fixing a ton of stuff. He replaced two lights, the kitchen faucet, all the door hinges and door knobs, and a few other tasks. The Peloton bike finally showed up so he got that set up. The house is really coming together, especially now that it's been painted.

While he was here doing all of that, we were at home without him. It was a frustrating week leading up to the full moon. Just lots of little things going wrong and I was the only adult at home to handle it all. By the time Friday came around, I didn't want to drive down to the beach house, but I'm glad I did. Things here are nice, and I'm grateful we have the place.

I finished writing Myra's Big Mistake this week! It's really close to being final-final. I can think of a few things I want to add when I start copy edits this week. I wrote the book and two bonus scenes to go along with it. I'm doing bonus scenes for all of my books going forward, and I hope to go back and write bonus scenes for my older books, too, at some point.

Lulu loves belly rubs and going out for walks. She loves the beach too, which I was surprised by. Lots of stuff to sniff there. And she also loves the fenced in yard at the beach house.

Some home improvement at the beach house! New kitchen faucet, Peloton all set up, the whole place has been painted, new blinds in the back room, new light fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen, and the fence is up.

Sumo started up again! I have been knitting and watching.

Made this miso glazed salmon and it was so good.

The weather has finally been nice! I spent a lot of time outside the last few days.

The full moon this week was brutal. It felt like everything was going wrong. Last night, it was HUGE rising over the ocean at the beach house.

There's been a lot of knitting and Grey's Anatomy. I'm almost done with this shawl and then I'm moving onto a blanket next.

Wine at the beach house, and then this TEENY TINY CRAB that my husband found attached to a mussel he was about to eat! How funny is that!

Finally, the finish of Myra's Big Mistake. I love writing this series. It's so much fun to see the world I built for the Nogiku Series thrive in a new series of romances.

Have a great week everyone! Stay safe and healty.

The post Sunday Update – March 20, 2022 appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Sunday Update – March 13, 2022

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Another week and looking back on it, I can't remember anything out of the ordinary to talk about. Which is fine, in and of itself. Not every week needs to be notable. It's one reason why I don't send out weekly emails anymore!

Looking back on my photos, I remember that we had some good weather last weekend. That was nice. I was able to sit outside and enjoy my afternoon cuppa. I rode my 600th ride in a live class on Peloton but did not get a shout-out. That was only a little disappointing because overall the ride was good. A lot of fun. I started the PZ Pack challenge this week, a week early since we're going away in April and I want to ride ahead. I'm grateful that they post the rides early.

I'm still knitting but nearing the end of my project, which means it's time to start thinking about what I will knit next. I'm considering a corner-to-corner knit blanket using the yarn from my failed temperature blanket. We'll see. I love blankets and shawls. I am always under a blanket at home. Even in the summer.

This week a lot of stuff happened at the beach house! The indoor painting is all done. It was fun watching him work his way through the main room via the camera we keep there. I love the serene gray walls now. So much better than before. Also the fence is almost totally installed. The perimeter is all set up and now they are working on installing the gates. Those should be done Monday or Tuesday. I'm excited for Lulu to have a place to run without a leash on.

In writing news, I am almost done with Myra's Big Mistake. I should finish the main book today! And then I have two bonus scenes I want to write. Once I'm done with this book, I'll take a few days off and then I'll copy edit. I'd like to be done before the end of the month so I can get started on the last Hikoboshi book.

Knitting is coming along I finished with the blue yarn and that was all I had left after the last row of it! Phew! That was a close one. Now I'm working on the final section… with Lulu by my side.

Lulu, outside and in.

I love sitting outside to have my afternoon cup of whatever I'm drinking. I actually haven't had coffee in quite a while now. I drink Pero in the afternoons and I love it.

Inside painting, before and after. Outside fence, before and after. Woo hoo!! It's all coming together!

Completed my 600th ride with Ben Alldis this week!

Nicer weather called for short sleeves with my Aggretsuko shirt.

A blast from the past… Me and my oldest child hanging out outside in the nicer weather March 2012. She's in high school now!

Finally, I love these women. I talk to them every Friday night on Zoom. We've been friends for almost 17 years now! I'm so grateful that we started doing this during the pandemic. It's great to see them each week and keep up to date on everything that's going on in our lives.

Have a great week everyone! Stay safe and healthy.

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Sunday Update – March 6, 2022

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Not a whole lot to report this week, and that's nice! We so rarely have chill weeks around here that usually my Sunday Updates are FILLED with news. But looking back on this week, I can see that we didn't do much out of the ordinary.

I have really gotten back into my knitting. By keeping it out and next to me every day, I'm able to fit in a row here and there on it, and I'm getting near the end of the project. I've been thinking a lot about what I'll knit next since I'm not doing the temperature blanket anymore. I was thinking about taking the yarn from the temperature blanket and making a knit blanket. I have one in mind, but I need to figure out what to do with the yarn I already crocheted. Hmmm.

I did have some good exercise this last week. I did two long rides on the Peloton on Monday and Wednesday and then a Climb ride on Friday, plus another ride on Saturday. Then when I got off the bike on Saturday, I realized that my next ride will be my 600th ride! So I'm planning on doing a live ride tomorrow in the hopes that I get a shoutout. The next Power Zone Pack Challenge starts next week, but I will start the rides this week and “ride ahead” of the schedule since we'll be away for spring break.

Writing on Myra's Big Mistake is going well. I'm now in the final act, and I can see being done with it this week. I just need to figure out how to wrap it all up. That will be my walking-brainstorming for this week. Once it's done, I will take a few days off, then I will edit.

First up, some Lulu! Always ready to sit next to me and warm my hip, go out for walkies, or playtime.

I've been working on fitting more vegetables into my diet. I already eat a lot of veggies since I'm a pescatarian. But I wanted to add more steamed vegetables with my lunches and things like shaved brussels sprouts and kale to my salads.

Lots of knitting happening here. I had to attend a zoom call about the Italy trip my oldest child is going on this summer. That's the perfect time for knitting. I'm also knitting and watching Grey's Anatomy on my lunch breaks. I'm almost done with the blue yarn in this shawl! I hope I have enough left to knit one last row. (The rows are really long at this point.)

Yay! I can't believe how far I've come on Peloton!

Here, in this light, you can see just how gray my hair is now. I don't think anyone gets a real appreciation for the color in most of my pictures because of the lighting and the camera. But it is very gray now. I'm hoping it'll be whiter in 5-8 years.

Out and about, running errands.

It would be nice if success caught up to me now, okay?

Cheers! Writing has been going really well! I'm super happy with this book and I think you all will enjoy it.

Have a great week everyone! Stay safe and healthy.

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TV Chat #17 – Book of Boba Fett, No Time To Die, Pride and Prejudice, Red Notice, Lost in Space

Once again, a lot of TV around here. I seem to be coming back to my roots of TV and movies to study for good stories and story structure (I was a screenwriter before I was a novelist). There's more TV than this, but I'm currently watching some longer shows, so those will have to come later.

The Book of Boba Fett
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | December 29, 2021 (United States)


7.5











Writer: Stars: , , Summary: The legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett navigates the underworld of the galaxy with mercenary Fennec Shand when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory formerly ruled by the deceased crime lord Jabba the Hutt.





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Source: imdb.com

All in all, I'm lukewarm about this show. All of the long flashbacks were kind of annoying, but then I love getting more insight into Star Wars canon. I thought the biker gang chase was really cheesy, but I still love the mods and their way of life. And, of course, I love Fennec and Mando, even if Boba Fett himself is kind of boring.

No Time to Die
Action, Adventure, Thriller | October 8, 2021 (United States)


7.3











Director: Writer: , , Stars: , , Summary: Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. —Universal Pictures





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Source: imdb.com

This might be my favorite of all the recent Bond movies. I get the feeling that the writers and producers finally realized that women watch these movies and that we not only love a romance but we also love competent, kick-ass heroines who are genuine and funny… And not just 007’s object of desire but admiration. I loved Paloma and Madeline and the new 007, Nomi. I wonder what they’ll do with the franchise next. I'm looking forward to it if they keep going in this direction.

Pride & Prejudice
Drama, Romance | November 23, 2005 (United States)


7.8











Director: Writer: , , Stars: , , Summary: The story is based on Jane Austen's novel about five sisters - Jane (Rosamund Pike), Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), Mary (Talulah Riley), Kitty (Carey Mulligan), and Lydia Bennet (Jena Malone) - in Georgian England. Their lives are turned upside down when wealthy young Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) and his best friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), arrive in their neighborhood. —Marcy Gomez





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Source: imdb.com

I've seen this one before, but I wanted to watch it again, as it's my favorite adaptation of the book (Sorry, Colin). I love everything about this, the costumes, the casting, the locations… All of it. I watched while I was riding the Peloton and it was a good distraction from my legs burning.

Red Notice
Action, Comedy, Thriller | November 12, 2021 (United States)


6.4











Director: Writer: Stars: , , Summary: When an Interpol-issued Red Notice the highest level warrant to hunt and capture the world's most wanted goes out, the FBI's top profiler John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is on the case. His global pursuit finds him smack dab in the middle of a daring heist where he's forced to partner with the world's greatest art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds) in order to catch the world's most wanted art thief, "The Bishop" (Gal Gadot). The high-flying adventure that ensues takes the trio around the world, across the dance floor, trapped in a secluded prison, into the jungle and, worst of all for them, constantly into each other's company. —Netflix





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Source: imdb.com

Red Notice… it stuck at the top of Netflix for weeks, and I should have checked the IMDB rating first before watching. What a dud. It fell flat in so many respects. My husband and I just kept looking at each other and wondering WHY it had done so well. I don't know if it was TRYING to be campy and missed? I rolled my eyes through most of it, laughed at a few Ryan jokes, and then groaned at the double cross. My 11-year-old loved this one. That says a lot.

Lost in Space
Adventure, Drama, Family, Mystery, Sci-Fi | April 13, 2018 (United States)


7.4











Writer: , , Stars: , , Summary: Set 30 years in the future, colonization in space is now a reality, and the Robinson family is among those tested and selected to make a new life for themselves in a better world. But when the new colonists find themselves abruptly torn off course en route to their new home they must forge new alliances and work together to survive in a dangerous alien environment, light-years from their original destination. Stranded along with the Robinsons are two outsiders who find themselves thrown together by circumstance and a mutual knack for deception. The charismatic Dr. Smith is a master manipulator with an inscrutable end game. And the roguish, but charming Don West is a highly-skilled, blue collar contractor, who had no intention of joining the colony, let alone crash landing on a lost planet.





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Source: imdb.com

Okay, overall, I enjoyed this show. Sometimes the EXTREME PERIL got to me. It seemed like there was never a moment of downtime for these people, and that becomes wearying after a while. I also disliked the background music for all the seasons. It was too dramatic. BUT, the story progression is really good, and I liked watching the kids grow up and take on more responsibility as they aged. They gave a lot of great performances, too. I would watch this again with my own kids… if we ever have time for such a thing!

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Out Of This World – Over 50+ Sci-fi Romances

I have an awesome promotion to share with you today! There are over 50 sci-fi romances in this promotion for you to choose from. So stop on by and check out all the books. You may find your next favorite author!

Check out these Out of this World Sci-fi Romances!

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March 2022 Goals

Woo hoo! Spring is almost here! We're getting closer to warm weather every single day…

What happened with February's Goals?

Publish A Fortunate Accident. This is done! And I also published Suri's Sure Thing, which I hadn't been anticipating I would do.

Finish editing the Nogiku Series. Done! All the ebooks have been updated and now I'm working through the paperbacks.

Start writing the next Kimura Sisters novella. I'm over halfway through!

Do my Duolingo Italian and Japanese every day. My streak continues!

Do some long endurance biking. I have been doing 1hr20min or more bike rides twice per week and I'm already seeing a vast improvement in my cardiovascular health. As my cousin explained, cardio fitness is at the bottom of the fitness pyramid. You need a lot of it to be a healthy athlete and prop up everything else. All of my other rides have benefitted from this.

Complete the Peloton Boxing Program. I didn't get to it this month.

Reading, knitting, and crocheting on my temperature blanket. Not a lot of any of this, and I've given up on my temperature blanket.

March Goals

Finish writing Myra's Big Mistake. I feel like I can get this done by mid-March. At that point, I plan to let it sit for a week, make some edits, and then move onto copy edits. I'd like to be done with this novella by the beginning of April.

Finish updating the paperbacks of the Nogiku Series. I have three left to do. I'll get them all done soon.

Do my Duolingo Italian and Japanese every day. I'm glad I made this a part of my usual routine.

Do some more long endurance biking until the next Power Zone Pack Challenge starts. I'm going to keep with the long rides until mid-March when the challenge starts. I will have to ride ahead in the challenge because we're going on vacation in April.

Reading and knitting. The usual! I really want to finish this book I started in JANUARY. FFS. It's taking me forever to read for fun. I read so much of my own work, I just don't want to read anything else at the end of the day.

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Sunday Update – February 27, 2022

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Last Sunday Update of the month! I'm so glad that February is over. Spring is IN SIGHT! Yes, it could still snow, but it's not like we have months of winter in front of us. Thank the universe!

I was going to update my blog this week, but then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were all devoted to taxes. On Wednesday, I spent my entire working afternoon on gathering up all my income streams and putting them in the spreadsheet. The hardest is the direct sales because of PayPal and Stripe and their inability to give me a clean spreadsheet of what I need. So annoying. Thursday and Friday afternoons were dedicated to expenses. All in all, I made only about $500 last year. Yay. Considering how much I worked, that number makes me a little sad. I'm going to not think about it anymore.

Last weekend I was at the beach house Sunday through Tuesday. The reason for me being there was two-fold. I needed a little time to myself, which I got. The weather was good, and I went for some long walks through town and up the beach. I saw the sunset from the beach too, which was lovely. I slept and watched tons of Grey's Anatomy. I wrote and crocheted and ate. It was a nice little respite.

Then on Tuesday, I was supposed to take delivery of our Peloton bike. But of course, they canceled, which is what I expected to happen. This is the only thing I don't like about Peloton. Their delivery service, XPO, is terrible. Once you get the bike, it's all good unless something breaks. Anyway, once they canceled on me, I charged up the car to 95%, cleaned up the house, packed my stuff, and got on the road. Unfortunately, it rained the entire drive home and it was super stressful. Still, I made it back in one piece.

This week lots of stuff is happening at the beach house. The electrician stopped by to take care of a few things. The new painter is there getting ready to paint pretty much the whole house. We spoke on the phone and I gave him all our paint colors and directions. According to what we've seen on the Ring camera, he has already prepped several places and pulled all the furniture to the center of the rooms. We had our handyman come take down the kitchen light and the medallion around it before painting. I'm glad that thing is gone. I hated it. We put our down payment on the fence, so that will be installed soon. Maybe this week. Next up, pool!

In writing news, I am halfway done writing Myra's Big Mistake. I got to the halfway point, understood what I needed to happen in the story, and went back and made some changes to the first half. That's where I am now. I have an idea of what I want to do in the second half of the story and I need to make that happen next. I will be working on it all week. I hope to be done by the second week in March, and then I plan to edit it, and be done with it entirely by the end of March. Then I move onto the next and final Hikoboshi book.

Today we are going out to dinner with my extended family, and I'll be back to working on SFR Station every week.

New paint colors for the house. The common areas of the house will all be Deep Silver (top left) and the bedrooms (except for one that my kid wants a white pink) will be Thundercloud Grey (bottom right).

This is the light and medallion we had taken down. Awful. And those green walls will be gone soon!

I loved these old Marimekko mugs. This one has a chip, but I still drink out of it at the beach house. Green walls will soon be gone!

Scenes from the beach. Trying out the gallery feature here for the first time…

Back at home, I enjoyed the sun a lot this week. But this photo also highlights how dry my hair has become. I'm switching back to DevaCurl products. My current hair care routine is just too dry.

Lulu was happy to have me home.

Finally, I'm knitting again. I'm giving up on my temperature crochet blanket. I did all the rows for January, and I just did not like the resulting fabric from my stitch choice. I'll find something else to do with the yarn, but in the meantime, I'm back to knitting when I have free time, which isn't often.

Have a great week everyone! Stay safe and healthy.

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