Tues. Dec. 10, 2024: When It Feels Like Swimming Through Molasses
image courtesy of yazz davis, via pexels.comTuesday, December 10, 2024
Waxing Moon
Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars Retrograde
Neptune DIRECT (as of Saturday the 7th)
Cloudy and slushy
Today is the release day for the second Nina Bell, MURDER BELLS! It consists of two novelettes and one novella, “Too Much Mistletoe”, “Tumble”, and A Stylish Death. The first one is around the winter holidays, the second around New Year’s, and the third in February. You can find buy links and more information on the MURDER BELLS page on the Nina Bell website here.
I could not get my act together on Friday. I was still in my pajamas at 9:30. Typing, but in pajamas. I prefer to get dressed, even if it’s writing clothes, when I work. I have enough sleep issues without adding more!
But I finally did make it out of the house. I went to the library for a drop off/pick up. I went to the grocery store for a big shop that was a combination of what we need to actually eat and what I needed for baking. Went to the post office to mail the overseas card (and a bill). It was sunny, so people were in a good mood.
Home, hauled everything up the stairs, and was ready for a nap. But my sleep cycle was already off, and that would just have made it worse.
After lunch, I tackled the small coverages, seriously irked that yet another deadline came and went, without the promised work showing up.
Started reading the latest Donna Andrews book, ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHICKADEE. I’ve read each book in the 30+ book series as they came out, and I enjoy the way the ensemble has grown over the years. This isn’t as laugh-out-loud funny as some of the others (much to the cats’ relief).
Saturday morning, I woke up around 2 AM and had trouble falling back to sleep. Tessa and Charlotte fussed. I finally dozed off around 4 and dreamed I had a colonoscopy without anesthesia – probably because of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield controversy where they said they will stop covering anesthesia for the full length of a surgery. There’s another report that they’ve backed off on that, but who will believe an insurance company? I’m glad I’m not stuck with them. I was with them in the 80’s and they denied a necessary surgery.
Overslept. It was snowing far harder than the “trace” we’d been told to expect, so I decided not to go out, and have a baking day.
Bake I did – 11 dozen chocolate chip cookies and about 9 dozen orange cranberry cookies. Got them all cooled and packed in tins, too. That left me the Molasses Spice cookies, the chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies, and the coconut lime balls to do (since I want a gluten-free option this year). I couldn’t source the currants, so no oatmeal lace cookies this year.
Finished the Donna Andrews book. I felt that there was so much emphasis on community scenes (which are a lot of fun) that the mystery got lost, and it was out of balance. Also, the way the killer tried to dispose of the protagonist when she discovered them has been tried in at least one previous book, possible more than one. I still enjoyed the read; it just lacked the impact that some of the other books in the series have had for me.
Had done a bunch of housework during the day, so I could luxuriate in fresh sheets (my favorite part of Saturdays).
My back and feet reminded me that every baking season I realize I need chef’s clogs or a chef’s mat, and I immediately forget – until the next baking season.
I made enchiladas for dinner, perfect for a snowy Saturday night.
Slept well Saturday into Sunday, but lounged in bed longer than the cats would have liked. The first thing Bea does every morning is dash out to snuggle with Tessa, who’s rather perplexed.
Made apple muffins from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book, one of my favorite recipes. I tweak it a little, by adding more apples and some allspice, but it’s one of my favorite recipes.
Did the Community Tarot reading for the week, and scheduled it to post. It’s available here, if you didn’t see it yesterday.
Got my act together to leave the house and run errands. Put gas in the car, picked up some wax paper and parchment paper. Found a folk-art cat teapot at the thrift store that matches coasters a theatre pal gave me over 20 years ago (and it was $5, so yes, I bought it). Later found out it’s a Laurel Burch by Ganz (thank you, Kate Flora) from 1990, and is selling online for. . .a LOT more than $5.
Headed for the Clark, which had a members’ shopping special, and found some of the last gifts for long-time family friends. Headed to Wild Oats and found the bayberry candles we use for the holidays, and a small hostess gift for a party to which I’ve been invited next weekend. We still have to go down to a store in Pittsfield later this week to pick up the very last gifts – and then pack and mail everything.
Picked up one of my mom’s prescriptions at CVS. I felt bad for the clerk; there was a long, long line and only one person at checkout. But everyone was pretty chill. Dashed next door to Big Y to get a few more baking supplies.
My mom had cage fought to keep my parking space open while I was gone. I am so sick and tired of it. It’s because there’s one tenant who takes more than their allotted spaces, and then other people have friends come to visit who take the rest, often parking across more than one space because they’re sloppy jerks. This is part of my lease agreement; I shouldn’t have to fight EVERY time I leave the house. Doesn’t matter what time of day it is, it’s always a fight. I’d rather not get the landlord involved, but if I have to, I will.
By the time everything was sorted out, I was too tired to bake. I did, however, do the marketing per the content calendar, do the 3 styles of video for MURDER BELLS, and the Nina Bell 1-2 combo ad, and the wide version of the Nina 1-2 video. Talk about cutting it close, with MURDER BELLS releasing today!
There’s a glitch on the title of MURDER BELLS on the cover. In the smaller version of the graphic, it looks like a stylistic reflection in the last “L” of “Bells” but in the print cover and some of the other graphics, it looks like a mistake. I THINK we’ve got it fixed.
We did some more decorating, and I got Bea’s room tidied up, and all the empty boxes back in the Christmas closet. The tree was only partially decorated, still a work in progress. We are not putting up any of the delicate vintage glass ornaments this year, until we’re sure Bea is calm about the tree. She loves the tree (probably because she sees how much Tessa loves it). She hasn’t tried to climb it or anything, but she is checking out all the ornaments she can reach. We’re using some of our very old ornaments that are unbreakable this year, including some of the satin balls and bells that we got way back when Woolworth’s was still around. They actually look kind of cool on the tree.
Slept eight hours Sunday into Monday, which is rare. Weird dreams about navigating around various theatres in an alt-NYC. I’ve been in that alt-NYC before in dreams. Neptune’s retrograde, the weird dreams should cease!
Did some prep for a job interview on Wednesday morning. Did some noodling for the ghostwriting trial assignment (although, technically, I don’t start it until Wednesday – lots of stuff happening on Wednesday).
Finished the draft of the flash fiction for the newsletter (good thing, since the newsletter goes out on Thursday). I will do some more work on it today and tomorrow, with revisions and punch-ups to make it work better. It’s a bit of a departure for me, but stretching is a good thing.
Did the marketing rounds per the content calendar. Next week will be particularly intense, up until The Eve itself, and then there will be a bit of a break.
Formatted about half the newsletter. Worked on Nina Bell marketing stuff. Worked on graphic possibilities for the play in May and sent the choices to the person at the theatre who needs them. The deadline was Dec. 27, but I didn’t want to wait until the last minute. I wasn’t totally happy with any of them, but within an hour she worked magic and created something really cool. I love the organization in this theatre. Picked my favorite of the three excellent graphics, and off we go! (I can even use it in the newsletter).
Had to send back a coverage because it didn’t meet the guidelines. Which means losing money, because it’s not like there’s anything to replace it. I’m getting really frustrated with these people who think guidelines don’t pertain to them.
One of the contests I’m judging was supposed to start today, but, once again, there are technical difficulties, so it will be delayed. Which is okay, because I have plenty going on.
By mid-afternoon, accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to get the baking done, and switched my attention to getting the tree finished. As mentioned above, no glass ornaments this year, only unbreakables. So far, so good with the cats. Bea is fascinated, but since the other cats aren’t destructive, and she takes her cues from them, so far, so good. Some other ornaments still need to find places to live for the season, and I’m still working on my office. But the doors are all decorated, and the doorknobs and many other things. I will put the tree skirt around it today, and put the stuffed reindeer under the tree (more for the cats to enjoy).
If it’s not moving, it gets decorated, which means the cats keep moving.
Did not sleep well, but was up early for the morning yoga/meditation/writing session, which is a stabilizing start to the day. My ears are clogged this morning – I really hope I’m not coming down with an ear infection. When I’m stressed, if it’s not a migraine, it’s a stomach issue or an ear infection. So I better step up and deal, because there is no other option for me this week.
I have A LOT to do today, including finishing some paperwork for an issue in which I’ve enlisted Elizabeth Warren’s help, and getting that out the door. I also have to work on the revisions for the flash fiction, do the release day marketing for Nina Bell, and for the other holiday pieces, maybe get some baking done? I want to do some more prep for tomorrow morning’s interview (to my relief, it’s only an 18-month assignment, not an interminable one, which means it’s actually a possibility for me). I want to type up some notes for the ghost-writing trial. I’ve been noodling.
I have to leave shortly after lunch for a program at the Clark, and I doubt I’ll go to yoga tonight. I have one small client project to turn around. I need a bunch more to come in this week. Deep breath; that’s why I’m in talks with other potential clients. Because this one is not giving me the work I need. And the Universe wants to make sure I truly understand that it’s time to move on.
The weather is supposed to turn nasty again. We were going to do the Pittsfield run tomorrow after my ZOOM interview, but we might put it off until later in the week. I do want to attend a reading at the library tomorrow evening, to support a bunch of people I know who are in it. I hope it won’t be too nasty to walk to and from the event.
If I’m going to get things done, I better hop to it, hadn’t I? I know it will all work out, it always does. It just feels like swimming through molasses right now.
Have a good one!
