Christmas, curls, and cold air

Here's what I don't get.  Two months at this, and more than 1000 pageviews (about a hundred or so of which are my own, I'm sure), and yet no one is bothering to comment?  Do you actually read anything, or is it one of those glance at it because it has a weird name and then move on sort of deals?
Not that I'm not used to people glancing and moving on.  Actually, I have learned not to take it personally.  I don't write for you, you know.
I write for me and for God- and in some ways, for my parents.  Almost kind of like I'm still trying to prove something to myself or to them.
But that's not a thought I like.
I'm doing better now, after the debacle with the publishing software.  I decided to "go another route" as it were.  Instead of using the Booksmart software, I decided to go through createspace instead.  One of the NaNo prizes this year is two free paperback copies of the novel from creatspace.com.  And they even helped me design a cover.  I wish I could have used my own photo, but it apparently wasn't good enough.  *sticks nose in the air*
I kind of enjoyed the process, actually.  Now I'm just impatient for it to be approved.  I plan to make good use of my free copies, and I think I might publish it on Kindle.  *grin*  My dad won't read it unless it's in ebook format.  We tease him now, that he's too good for printed books.
God, do I love my parents!  Sometimes, it's hard to even articulate it, the feeling is so intense.  My parents may not do things the 'popular' way, or the generally accepted ways, but then, I wouldn't want them to.  Their style of parenting is, I think, how I would want to raise my own children- if I weren't set against having any.
I've started another story.  Maybe not a Lakeview Heights novel, but one I think I can finish.  Possibly next year's NaNo project, depending on how inspired I get.  It's about Abby and Dean, and how and when they fell in love.
I always liked that name, Abby.  Abigail, wife of King David.  She was the smart one.  I like author Jill Eileen Smith's take on Abigail- that she was David's favorite until she died.  If you get a chance, read her Wives of King David trilogy.  Some of my absolute favorite books.  Reading them actually made me want to go back and read the actual account of David and his many wives.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about a lot of things.
I am making it a goal to be more healthy next year.  Not like a New Year's resolution to lose weight and exercise five days a week- first of all, that's impossible, since I'm at work three days a week, which only leaves four days to work out.  I'm talking a holistic approach to being healthier.  Nutrition.  Sure, also exercise.  Even some feng sui to help keep my mind happy, or whatever.
Okay, probably not any feng sui, since I'm a notorious packrat.  But cleaning and keeping things clean.  That's what I need to do.
The first change I've decided to make is in my diet.  I love salty snacks, so I need to find a way to have healthy ones.  Mom made these really yummy "seed balls".  She said they were a protein snack with pumpkin seeds and chia seeds and some spices and stuff.  They were super yummy.  And she said there wasn't anything like baking involved, so once I get my kitchen cleaned up, I could make them myself.  I might not like it, but I would make them for myself.
It's probably too cold to go for any significant kind of walk, but I really, really want to.  I have a pair of sneakers in my trunk that I was thinking of using to go for a walk this morning when I get off work...
Hmm.  That sounds like fun.  My lack of exercise lately is making me chubby again. :)
I like this plan.

Why programs should be beta-tested before released to the general public

You try to do something nice for somebody.  You even go and ask someone for help to do it.  And then you end up not able to do it because of some buggy, second-rate, hack job of a program repeatedly karking up your project, making it impossible to complete.
I would be better off leaving the document in Microsoft Word and printing it out at Office Max! 
This is one of those situations where I am so unbelievably frustrated, that I keep bursting into tears.  Why does this always happen when I'm trying to do something fun for somebody I love?
The only good thing about the entire situation is that at least the program was free.  If I'd have had to pay to use it in the first place, I'd have shot somebody.

Whew, okay, surfing deviantart and facebook for ten minutes actually helped calm me down.  So, here we go again.

Merry Christmas!

Came across a couple images today that made me smile:

Think about it! 

Anyway, this is my general, blanket wishes for a happy Christmas filled with love and joy and family and friends...and friends who are like family and good food and...hopefully you get the drift.

Big changes

After

So, it's been done. 

Before

What do you think?  It was definitely a lot of hair to cut, but so far, I like it, and the overall opinions seem to be positive.  I did have one person look at me and go, "What were you thinking?", but I still like it.  And if it's just hair shock, well, hair grows, and I can grow it out right quick, since my hair just does that.
The funny thing being?
I still have the longest hair in my family.

The excitement of giving

Tomorrow is the day.  I'm going to be donating my hair at noon.  I'm so excited for this, you guys!  You have no idea!
I decided to do this the last time my aunt came out of remission, and now my hair is finally long enough to donate.  Sadly, I can't donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths (I use their shampoo and conditioner) program (here) because they don't accept dyed/colored hair, and I have some that was colored (at the ends).  However, Locks of Love (here) does accept some colored hair.
I'll have Mom take some before and after photos, and I'll post them here and maybe on Facebook.
Pepper and I spent a truly lovely weekend together.  Meaning, of course, that she sat with me all weekend, determined to keep me from leaving her.  But Mom and Dad were happy in their nice, warm not-Wisconsin weekend (they missed out on our Saturday snowstorm, lucky them).  But Pepper watched the Fast and Furious movies with me (and I mean that she actually watched at leas the first one with me, her head tilting back and forth as she listened to the sounds of the car engines on the TV.  It was pretty funny.)
So, I was watching The Hobbit today, and I was hearing the trolls, you know, from the scene where they're arguing about the cooking- before they capture the Dwarves- and one of them sounds really familiar.  So I'm listening to them talk, and all of a sudden, this line pops into my head, "Earth?  Horrible name for a planet.  Might as well call it 'Dirt.'  Planet Dirt."
Okay, yes, obviously that line's not from The Hobbit, but it is from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen..  It's a line from Jetfire.
My point is, I think the voice actors were the same.
Just a little bit of nerdiness for you.  And now...a little bit of humor before I say goodnight:

Validated

Have you ever experienced that feeling of knowing, without a doubt, that someone thinks you're good at what you do?  I had that today.  It was nothing dramatic, really.  In fact, it was actually quite simple, and not altogether important in the grand scheme of things.  But it made a world of difference in what I thought and how I felt.
I read a story to my mom.
See, like I said, simple.
A couple weeks ago, I started writing a little "God moment" story at writing group, and I finished it the next day.  Now, with no editing, no tweaking, it sits in my journal, waiting for me to type it up and give it life.  Mom and I were talking about my writing today, and I asked if I could read it to her- impulsive of me; I don't usually let people in on what I'm doing until after I've done it when it comes to my writing- with the possible exceptions of Katya and my grandmother- so I pulled out my journal and read it to her.
And you know, she reacted the way I wanted her to.  She laughed when she should have and understood the seriousness in it, too.  It felt good, knowing I was getting my message across.

The difference a month makes

 

 

These three photos were taken of the exact same view, over the course of thirty days (literally, October 30 to November 30).  Check out the difference a month makes!

Downton Blues

So, based on numerous recommendations in the past from people I know, like, and trust, I started watching Downton Abbey last night.  Overall, I loved the period feel of it; the interconnectivity of the lives of the highbrow and their servants...
I like how Bates said it: "We're surrounded by a pirate's treasure, and none of it's ours."
I did not, however, appreciate being thrown the curveball of homosexual smoochies out of nowhere!  WTH, guys!?  There was no point to the scene, no point to the relationship, and it literally came out of nowhere.  A couple- okay, maybe more than a couple- of reviewers on amazon suggested a liberal agenda in that scene, and I may or may not be inclined to agree with them.
The sad part is, I really liked the show up until then.  Sure, it's more like a period soap opera than a period miniseries, but let's be honest, politics and inheritances were a big deal back then.  Everybody was plotting something.  And I'll watch anything with Maggie Smith in it.
But really?  Violet was the real "dowager" personality; gotta love the boss lady.  Mary annoys me, Edith annoys me, and Siybl is just...airheaded.  The servants are awful!  If it's not Thomas and Ms. O'Brien plotting against Bates, it's Carson tattling to the earl.
I'm going to keep watching in hopes that it gets better.  If not, by the halfway point, I may actually stop watching it.  Which is sad.  Because I'd very much like to see what it is my friends see when they watch that can lead them to tell me the show's amazing.

King's Verse Writing Group

This is what I do when I have nothing to do.

On Monday, I had my first "meeting" with the King's Verse Writing Group from ABC.  I loved it!  Not only was it intimate fellowship with a great group of women- including one I'd never met before- it was a very fulfilling time spent in God's Word- and also writing.  I started a new project, in fact.  It didn't start out that way; actually, I was really only intending to write my reflections of the discussion we'd had.  But my mind took off and I started a new project of short "glimpses" that I'm going to call "God Moments" once it gets a little further along.
I also had the grand idea to include Scripture references for the sermons I "reflected on" in "Unlooked For".
Tomorrow is PRIZE DAY!
I don't think I've ever been this excited about NaNo's Prize Day (when the prize links for the winners are posted on the dashboard page).  Possibly because this is the first time that I've finished my novel instead of just scraping by with a 50,000 word count.
SO EXCITED!

I love Amazon

You know, Amazon.com is a really great corporation.
Not only do they have nearly everything you want, they nearly always underestimate their shipping speeds so that you're always pleasantly surprised when things arrive before you'd even started looking for them.
Like my new kindle, which arrived today while I was sleeping.  Sadly, I've already started a paper book, so I left it at home, but still!  It's early and I can read tomorrow when I get home!  Or whatever.
Btw, I do not like my new kindle (yet).  It's smaller than my old kindle, and it doesn't hold as many books, so I have to be careful about how many I have downloaded at once, but- as my mother and I agree, once we buy them, they're in the cloud, and that's free, so no big really.  It's just...still.
*shrug*
Work started out a party tonight.  It's nice to have more than one client, actually, because you get a variety of personalities that way, but all of them have one thing in common: the connection.  The one that's close and loving.  You have to love your clients when you do this job.  There has to be that emotional context.  Otherwise, it's just a job.
And let's face it- if I wanted just a job, I'd still be working at McDonalds or Kohl's.
But I love this client for two reasons: one, she's a sweetheart.  She's patient and not demanding and forgiving of most mistakes- provided you only make them once, which is a reasonable expectation.  And two, I love this client because I get an element of personal socialization that I don't get when I work with dementia patients.  It feeds my soul.