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Evening, definitely got a cold, so didn't go for a walk at work, although did go for an errand after work. Got the results of last weeks energy saving session today, I reduced consumption by 79%, I was expecting a bit more, as I was only in the house for 20 mins of that hour! Done another one today, remembered to unplug a couple more things, like the TV, then forgot I'd done that and wondered why it wouldn't switch on! They've just offered me one tomorrow, I won't be in the house for it, but might not have chance to unplug things beforehand. Might just sign up anyway.
Evening, had a rough night with my cold, was either too hot or too cold and of course had a full on day! Colleague settled in as though she hasn't just been off for 12 months (although she has done keeping in touch days and I've been letting her know bits of stuff that's been going on), so not had to do too much with her. Couple of meetings, then had a hair app straight from work, was really fun though, must go on a Thu more often! Was feeling really rough by the end though, so glad to have taken some cold tablets and now on the sofa with my heated blanket. My surrogate aunty dropped off my jewelry today, loved the necklace so much I put it on before thinking of taking a pic in it's nice packaging! And gave me my first Christmas card!Thanks Alicia, will be interesting to see tonights, as I didn't get to unplug a few things. Forgot to reply to your other message, I'm sure the house does take a lot of upkeep and it's good they got enough money before it got too bad, and now using it, rather than it just being boarded up.
Houses just sit there and deteriorate: temperature changes, rain, wind, mice... You have to keep up with them constantly, and immediately - or the repairs get worse. Moving to a retirement community was a big change, but not being in charge of the physical plant - and they brought us a replacement refrigerator on a Sunday afternoon so no food had to be tossed - priceless!
I miss our house, and especially my perennial garden, but NOT the constant upkeep - and we were the original owners, but after 37 years, winters, summers, Hurricane Sandy, and squirrels, we were ready to try something else.
AND we got a whole new community of wonderful people, and then got locked down with them in a pandemic. It's been... interesting.
Hello everyone! Sorry I disappeared for so long. Goodreads doesn't send me notifications anymore and it takes me a month or so to notice ... apparently because I'm dyslexic, or at least discalculaic, time doesn't pass for me the way it does for other people. Mwahhaahrgh.
Very true about houses, Mum's is falling to bits and I have to keep paying for repairs. Electrics this time. I'm wondering if having the whole thing rewired would be cheaper than endlessly having bits fixed. It started leaking in the rain as well but luckily I think that's just leaves in the roof gulleys and the window cleaner is either about to, or just has, cleaned that out. Have finally sorted Mum's finances ... almost. I've signed the mortgage, just have to send it to my bro to sign. We are mortgaging the house to ourselves so Mum pays us and we can probably do a year and a half before we have to sell the house. The carers reckon that the time will come when she doesn't know where she is, at which point I think we can move her without it being cruel. I cannot tell you what a huge weight off that is.
Lots of rain here too, then cold and rainy but now it's just cold, which is better I think. During my long absence I absolutely bombed in flames at the Christmas Fair. Long story so I'll cut it but I booked a stall in the only place doing anything back in January ... It's a small place with lower footfall than some. Then suddenly the Cathedral put one on for the first time ever, and then the two big indoor venues for the usual Christmas Fair in town put theirs on too.
Meanwhile, I was with a group of authors, which normally benefits, but in this instance, there were two others writing sci fi, one of whom was nearer the entrance and can sell ice to eskimos! On top, I couldn't do my best barrow-boy selling technique because we were sharing tables and I couldn't shout over my colleagues if they were talking to customers. My sales reflected it. Most of the punters were only buying one or two books and had bought them from two of the other sci-fi/fantasy authors before they got to me.
I felt really bad about it until I discovered that many of my Christmas Fair stall-holder friends from past years (selling other stuff not books) had also not taken a pitch at the Bury Fair because the council offered them a pitch outside, only to discover that different folks who were on the Cathedral mailing list, had been invited to the Cathedral fair and had made thousands.
All in all, it was a total shambles because officially it was Not Happening and then suddenly, it was. And of course, most of the little venues, like ours, weren't on the signage. Head. Desk.
It is what it is. I should have sold about £250-£400 worth over the weekend in the right venue, which is between 10 and 20 books a day over the three days. Instead, I sold 12 books all told. I have died on my arse at diverse times and in sundry places but dying at stand up takes about 15 minutes, this took five hours ... each day. Mwahahaahrhgh! Jeez.
On the up side, I've found somewhere a lot cheaper to print my books so they won't all be undercutting me next time!
Glad all is going well with you folks!
evening, had our works Christmas do yesterday, I wasn't really in the mood for it with my cold, but as I'd bought a dress and paid for my hair to be done, plus paid for my ticket, I decided I was going anyway! I wasn't impressed with the venue, they'd picked a sports bar, and of course football was on, so the first two hours were awful, seemed all the Brazil fans were in that bar, but after the match ended they put on some good music and a band, so then it was much better and we didn't want to go for our pre booked taxi! Was also nice to chat to people I don't see often with our blended working. Couldn't get warm when I got home, so was gone 1am when I got to sleep and gave up trying to get back to sleep at 7. So have had a lazy morning, had to go out to get more cold tablets and sore throat lozenges, and treated myself to a festive hot chocolate (praline hot choc with cream and biscoff cream), before coming home, putting my fluffy PJ's and socks on and lying on the sofa under a fluffy blanket. Yes, they certainly do Alicia and this is more like an old stately home that isn't occupied all the time, so probably harder to keep on top of! Nice to see you MT, I was a bit worried - can completely understand the date thing, I know it's really December, but in my head it is still October, so things I would have normally done by now haven't been done. What a shame the fair didn't do as well as it could have for you.
M.T. wrote: "Hello everyone! Sorry I disappeared for so long. Goodreads doesn't send me notifications anymore and it takes me a month or so to notice ... apparently because I'm dyslexic, or at least discalcul..."
After all your efforts! And showing up dressed to the teeth!
Sometimes the universe seems to have it in for you. At least you have the memory of selling much better, so you KNOW it isn't you, which may be a small comfort, but it's real.
I lack any such experience, so the new book doing crickets, while it has four 5* reviews and nothing more has happened in weeks, feels as if the universe is actively trying to get me, or at least is poking fun for its own amusement.
Irrelevance, the gift that keeps on giving!
M.T. wrote: "Hello everyone! Lots of rain here too, then cold and rainy but now it's just cold, which is better I think. During my long absence I absolutely bombed in flames at the Christmas Fair. Long story so I'll cut it but I booked a stall in the only place doing anything back in January ... ..."
stop me if I start to rant!
I have got totally hacked off with organisers. I honestly expect an organiser of a convention to announce, "Sorry, we've no place for people selling things because the building doesn't have anywhere dark and squalid enough to hide them in."
I've spent £50 on train tickets, dossed in a £25 B&B, paid £20 for a table, and then set up in a long narrow room that was virtually a corridor. We saw people before the convention started and sold a few books. Then the programme started so we relaxed because they'll be back at dinner time. Except they weren't. I'm not sure we saw half a dozen people between 10am and 3pm!
I sold ten books, total taking £80 of which £40 would go to printing and getting them to me.
They couldn't even tell us 'well think of the exposure' because we didn't get any.
I went to a local parish room to a small craft fair. It's been on the local event calendar for a year and I've been pencilled in for that long.
Yet the school, 100 yards away, decided they would have their craft fair on the same day, which cut attendance considerably. Mind you I still sold 9 books and my expenses were a 14 mile round trip, and the exposure was good because I'll see these people again and they'll hopefully remember me :-)
But it is getting silly, every village, every school or church is leaping onto the bandwagon. Our churches have given up even trying to run a Christmas fair because there are a least three or four others locally, every weekend in November/December
I know a number of Stallholders (not books) who are frantically trying to second guess which is going to be the one that's worth attending. Because if you get the wrong one, you might as well save the bus fare and not get out of bed.
Jim wrote: "every village, every school or church is leaping onto the bandwagon..."Everyone is desperate for money - the pandemic is nowhere near over (ignoring it doesn't make it go away), and Putin has ruined winter.
Rant away - I had no idea it would be so bad for an author trying to sell a few books.
Alicia wrote: "Jim wrote: "Rant away - I had no idea it would be so bad for an author trying to sell a few books...."I think it's getting more difficult to be honest
Definitely. I've noticed my sales on Amazon have tanked. Also I've never encountered people saying they don't write humour so I think the awful craze for dark and gritty, which is passing in the ebook world, is just hitting the paperback world which is dominated by trad so always about three years behind indy.I will try for the fair in Ely Cathedral next year as that seems to be the one big one worth going to. The stalls are expensive but if I sell christmas cards, a smattering of eyebombing calendars and do the eyebombing book alongside the novels, I think I should come out of it ahead. I think it's worth a try, anyway. I may have the memoir done then. I have a name for it; 'The Mice Are Rising' which is what my Mum said to me one morning at last Christmas at 3.00 a.m. as I tried to explain that it was the middle of the night and tearfully begged her to go back to bed*.
I've also chatted to folks at our local maker's market and that seems to do alright. They are £35 for the day if you have one with a roof for one Sunday a month. I could probably earn a small profit there, I think especially if I took a stall every three months or so.
* We were three days into the visit by that time and I'd had about five hours sleep in total.
Don't forget to figure in the time cost to the author, and to mention the fun of talking to fans (if you do).Sounds like a lot of work. It would be impossible for me, but I would have loved to try.
Alicia wrote: "Don't forget to figure in the time cost to the author, and to mention the fun of talking to fans (if you do).Sounds like a lot of work. It would be impossible for me, but I would have loved to try."
An author is self-employed and cannot charge their hours so their time is alas, without value :-(
Evening, was pitch black when I left the house at 7.40, but turned out to be a bright, if cold day, looking at my phone we will have minus temperatures this week. Been given another lengthy task at work to do, at least it's come when colleague is back from maternity leave. Interesting conversation, I had a similar conversation yesterday with my surrogate Aunty who does handmade resin things and jewellry, she had stalls at two events this weekend and despite lots of lovely comments, very few sales, so has now cancelled one for next weekend - my thought was there is just so much at this time of year, her thought is that people don't have the money.
Yeh. I think money is tight Desley. I've been trying to buy less stuff but get it all from the local craft market where it's made by local small businesses trying to make a living.
Jim wrote: "An author is self-employed and cannot charge their hours so their time is alas, without value..."AS an author. But there are always alternate ways to use your time - you can do your taxes, or pay an accountant or tax preparer.
Indies and people not on a paid deadline (advances are getting vanishingly small for some) still need to eat and have somewhere to live and may have dependents.
Indies don't always realize they're paying themselves a pittance, if at all, but it has to show up somewhere, unless they have other income. I recently paid someone to do what I would have done for 'free' - publishing my recent book - but my good time is NOT free. I neglected things which needed doing - and I'm paying for it now, trying to tackle a tax problem that needs work, not money, thrown at it - and for which I could NOT get help. I'm sitting here waiting for my brain to turn on so I can tackle spreadsheets. SPREADSHEETS! Ack!
I thought I was slow. But now I'm PARKED. AS a writer, I'm standing still.
Alicia wrote: "Jim wrote: "An author is self-employed and cannot charge their hours so their time is alas, without value..."AS an author. But there are always alternate ways to use your time - you can do your t..."
There's a lot of truth in that Alicia. We all undersell our time. I am seriously thinking about contracting out the scheduling social media posts side of it. If someone did all the buy my book posts I require for the next x number of months and scheduled them all into instagram, facebook etc, and then I could get on with just interacting and enjoying the social side of social media. Likewise ads, I very seldom run them because they are such a time suck. I probably should even if it's just a case of specifying what I want and getting someone else to set it up.
I may do it, yet.
M.T. wrote: "Yeh. I think money is tight Desley. I've been trying to buy less stuff but get it all from the local craft market where it's made by local small businesses trying to make a living."Yes I think people are starting to cut back
Alicia wrote: "Jim wrote: "An author is self-employed and cannot charge their hours so their time is alas, without value..."AS an author. But there are always alternate ways to use your time - you can do your t..."
Alicia, you forget I've been self employed in agriculture all my life. I have had years when I borrowed money from the bank for the privilege of working seventy hours a week for a negative income.
Jim wrote: "M.T. wrote: "Yeh. I think money is tight Desley. I've been trying to buy less stuff but get it all from the local craft market where it's made by local small businesses trying to make a living."Y..."
Although I've driven past some very impressive Christmas light displays, they aren't worried about the price of electric!
M.T. wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Jim wrote: "An author is self-employed and cannot charge their hours so their time is alas, without value..."AS an author. But there are always alternate ways to use your time - yo..."
I don't even have the energy to figure out how to advertise - when I finish the big project in taxes, I just want to put my head down and write. But PURGATORY has 50 reviews (Amazon stole 2), and NETHERWORLD only 4 - and a lot of the people promising to read haven't done so, or haven't reviewed, so I need to do something. When I get some energy...
I will, but not sure how right now!
Evening, very cold today, looking at the car I can well believe it's below freezing and my phone is saying we'll have snow tomorrow. Had some errands to do today, but because of my cold and the temperature, I decided to do it all at lunch when it wouldn't be quite as cold, rather than go out after when it'd be getting close to freezing. Shame really, as it's been lovely and bright, so would have been a nice walk.
Went on my bike to the gym this morning. It was a really bad idea! Jeez it was cold but also icy. Ick. On the upside, it's moving so the next time I go will be at the new gym and I can get to that via an off road cycle route running pretty much the whole way. On the downside, it's one of those ones that's 15 mins on a bike but 40 minutes in the car because of the massive traffic queues at rush hour.
Our gym is two doors from our apartment - I intend to get there one of these days. Exercise has to be very carefully managed - post-exercise exhaustion is a thing.Bike on ice reminds me of when we were in grad school in the great Wisconsin winters - we rode our bikes in ONE of the ruts let by cars in the snow. It was either that, or stand at the bus stop hoping one would actually come by before you froze.
Evening, bit of a rubbish day at work, and been really cold. I did go and treat myself to some new earrings at lunch to cheer myself up, the Christmas earrings my surrogate aunty made are the first ones that have been comfortable to wear for years, so I've got some I can wear all year round and hope they are the same! Forecast snow has moved to Sat now, which I hope happens, I'll have done my shopping and won't need to go in the car, I can just enjoy looking at it and walking in it!
It's cold here in Davis, but I doubt they ever get snow. Certainly never enough to make travel difficult.I remember that in Mexico City, we got a bit of snow maybe every ten years, in the higher parts, and had all kinds of accidents on the roads - drivers had no idea what to do!
They haven't much clue here either Alicia! But also more and more people are driving automatic cars which are rubbish in snow and ice. Desley, sounds like you have got really organised well done!
Had an annoying day yesterday. I make a calendar every year for Mum's carers etc and last year I discovered a firm to print it who are based just round the corner who were fantastic. I went with them again this year but first up discovered they have moved their printing facility to Alcester (which is up near Coventry) so I couldn't collect the calendars. Next, when they sent the proof through there was a problem, I explained what it was and asked if they needed cropped photos. It's been a week now and I've heard nothing from them. I have left two phone messages, emailed them several times and messaged them on social media, all to no avail. Still haven't heard a squeak so I've just had to send them a message saying that if I haven't heard from them by the end of today I will assume they can't fulfil my order and go with another company. It's a pain in the arse though as the calendars might not be done in time. I suspect there was a single person handling my stuff who's gone off sick and they don't have the wit to put someone else on all that person's print jobs, but that's not really my fault is it?
Otherwise, all is dandy here but very cold.
With small firms, one person out leaves a big hole. But NOBODY getting back to you is beyond annoying - you'd be sympathetic if you knew what about, but surely there must be ONE person there to answer.And why was there a problem in the first place with their work? Sigh.
Yeh, I'm going to pop up there after lunch and see if anyone is around. It's only about half a mile from here.
Hey there to all of my goodreads friends!I know that I may have not been in to talk to y'all this year, but there is a reason for it!
First I have not wanted to bum y'all out the whole year!
Let me see if I can skim over the year with bullets.
1. My son just went through a vicious divorce and I must say that I never thought that any one person could be to another! Now mind you I am not saying that one is more guilty than the other but, this whole family has been tore up!
2. My husband has been hospitalized 3 times.
2a. Admission one: Liver surgery to remove a cyst that contains 3 liters of fluid. This admission happened after 4 days in the ER.
2b. One month in rehab. where he almost died because they did not have the common sense to check his blood for anemia which is the third time of almost losing him.
2c. The second hospitalization: The first blood trans.
2d. The return to rehab. which was the first appointment cancel because they can not replace his catheter!
2e. The return to the hospital for round 2 of blood trans.
By the way he has had an upper gi and a lower gi complete, I have listed both test in the order they were performed to the order of being hospitalized.
After the second blood trans. I brought him home.
He does not remember a lot of this.
I have dealt with this as well as a mother who feels like she is entitled to run my life, a sister who lives on the other side of the US finds the need to tell me that I need to get him to another spec. Which I have put my name in hock so deep that Scrooge, the Grinch, and not sure of the third anti-Christmas character is unless you want to allow the rat king from the nut cracker who live here this holiday season!
Hubby is still not what I consider 50%!
So now that I have dumped all of this on y'all and again I apologize for M.I.A.!
I hope and pray that this has been a better year for y'all!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS HERE!
Hello there! And blimey. That's one hell of a year. 😱 I hope things improve from now on.
Evening, it's freezing here - quite literally! I got in the car this morning and it said -5, when I got to work it said -6, and when I left to come home it said -1! And it was -1 when colleague went out at lunch, so I don't think we've got above freezing today, and had a freezing fog since about 10am. Better day at work at least, although still majorly behind. Went to the retail park after work for what I was hoping the last visit this side of Christmas, but Pets at Home didn't have Lucy's food in stock, so will have to go back next week. May have gone a bit OTT on cheese and mince pies too!
Doris wrote: "Hey there to all of my goodreads friends!I know that I may have not been in to talk to y'all this year, but there is a reason for it!
First I have not wanted to bum y'all out the whole year!
Let ..."
Give yourself lots of credit for still being standing. That is a LOT.
M.T. wrote: "Yeh, I'm going to pop up there after lunch and see if anyone is around. It's only about half a mile from here."Best of luck. Report back. Hoping it's some small fixable problem.
Evening, at least it's a bit warmer today, apparently got above freezing. We did get some snow, but it didn't really stick (actually, just opened the door to let Lucy out and it's snowing again!), although the field at the back of the canal looked pretty, the pavements were quite slushy though, so as the path along the canal has a few bridges, I decided against it. It was cold enough for the canal to be frozen though. Did my errands, called in the coffee shop for another festive hot choc, and had a very funny conversation with them and one of their friends! I have noticed that since I'm happier in my own company that a 'superficial' conversation like that is enough. Didn't have any plans, so I've chilled on the sofa and watched a film, then started my book challenge for next year.
Evening, another lazy day today, apparently it has got above freezing today, but I've been quite mucusy today, so decided that going for a walk in low temperatures when cold weather is one of my asthma triggers wasn't wise - Lucy appreciated plenty of time on the sofa. Signed up for another energy saving session, this one is 2 hours. I only got the results of one of last weeks, which was the one I wasn't in the house for, only reduced by 48%, as I wasn't in to unplug things. I'm up to the grand total of £2.28 in rewards
Doris wrote: "Hey there to all of my goodreads friends!I know that I may have not been in to talk to y'all this year, but there is a reason for it!
First I have not wanted to bum y'all out the whole year!
Let ..."
Here's hoping next year picks up a bit!
Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Evening, at least it's a bit warmer today, apparently got above freezing. We did get some snow, but it didn't really stick (actually, just opened the door to let Lucy out and it's snowing again!), ..."Glad you're getting to relax and keep warm :-)
It was colder than charity here. Didn't snow but it was freezing fog all day and the most amazing hoar frost. Big long strings of spiders were hanging off everything with about a quarter of an inch of icy fur growing around them. It was really cool
We've got a thick frost this morning after avoiding the real cold so far. Always seems odd to see frosty sand on the beach, somehow.I can see snow on the hills over in Fife but we haven't had any. There was quite a lot in Edinburgh on Saturday when I was in which had turned to a disgusting slushy mess on Princes Street. The castle looked bonny though
Just cold, down to -4 with occasional freezing fog. So far it's thawed every day
Evening, another freezing day, although I was surprised when I got in my car this morning, I barely had to scrape the windscreen yet the thermostat said it was -2! Was 0 when I went out for my app, and -1 when I got home. Bit of a disappointing app, it was like she was just going through the form to assess me and not that bothered by anything else, she seemed puzzled when I said my back pain wasn't bad, but didn't seem to care when I pointed out it's my hips, knees and feet that are the problem! She said that I barely meet the criteria, but would send me for bloods and chest x-ray, because of recurring iritis, but didn't bother to explain coming off current meds etc like last time they wanted to change my meds. Being questioned about fatigue made me realise that having more time reading etc has been helpful. Did have a nightmare having bloods taken though, one of them requires quite a thick needle and she said they have problems taking those as most people don't have thick enough veins, so had a go from both arms! I'd love to see frosty sand on the beach R!
M.T. wrote: "It was colder than charity here. Didn't snow but it was freezing fog all day and the most amazing hoar frost. Big long strings of spiders were hanging off everything with about a quarter of an inch..."Poor spiders!
Which reminds me: why are your social services non-profits called 'charities'? Taking care of some things the government should be doing strikes me as not something volunteer organizations should be doing, not when you have universal healthcare.
Your comment seems Dickensian. Are things still this bad?
Alicia wrote: "Which reminds me: why are your social services non-profits called 'charities'? Taking care of some things the government should be doing strikes me as not something volunteer organizations should be doing, not when you have universal healthcare.Your comment seems Dickensian. Are things still this bad?"
Not sure where to start with that one. There's a crisis in the health service because social care is in a mess due to lack of staff, insufficient pay etc, so thousands of people are in hospital who can't be discharged home due to no carers to come in and do things for them. Meanwhile, loads of people are stuck in ambulances outside accident and emergency depts and even if they get into the hospital are waiting on trolleys for a bed for up to 12 hours. And the nursing staff and ambulance people are about to go on strike.
That's just the health service. There are a lot of food banks here now which we never had years ago and lots of people have to resort to them who are actually working. The cost of everything has gone up hugely due to the energy crisis here....
Pam wrote: "Not sure where to start with that one. There's a crisis in the health service because social care is in a mess due to lack of staff, insufficient pay etc, so thousands of people are in hospital who can't be discharged home due to no carers to come in and do things for them...."Thanks for resonding, Pam. It makes me sad because I've always admired the British system - the problems are the same around the world, but you HAD the healthcare, and the society seemed far more integrated - with people from the far-flung empire - than some of the messier aspects of American 'culture.'
I guess it's always a case of 'the grass is greener...'
We all have problems; we all need to work on them; we all need to defend the vulnerable and the children.
Morning all, another massive hoar frost today. Projected temperatures highs of two loaves of -6 ... In a town. 🥶. Going swimming this morning so that's definite my hair will freeze. 🤣🤣It hasn't got light yet but just looking out of the window. I can see that all the plants in our window boxes are wearing a fluffy blanket of ice and we're ice fur on spiders webs again.
Morning all.
I'm just happy our courtyard has been wet when we get up for several mornings now - the rain is most necessary, and it's coming slowly enough to seep into the ground instead of rushing to run off to sea.
Evening, another freezing day, 0 when I left the house and -3 when I got home. Rubbish day work wise, been invited to a meeting with HR tomorrow after my issue last week. Also got an appointment for a telephone consult with rheumatology, clearly to go over the results from yesterday, but it's not till Apr! good job I'm not too bothered by changing meds! Glad you are getting some much needed rain Alicia
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It's nice to see it getting the love BEFORE it deteriorates to the point it isn't salvageable.