Wednesday, December 31, 2008

My New Year's Resolutions

Seeing as it's that time of year again, when everyone makes resolutions they'll break by January 10th, I figured I'd get mine out of the way early.

This year, in no particular order, I resolve to:

1. Put off until tomorrow what I could do today
2. Possibly eat right and exercise, but resent it when I do
3. Do the things I enjoy a lot and the things I don't as little as possible; this includes cleaning the house (guess which side that one falls on)
4. Re-read all of the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett while hoping I get to meet him one day
5. Consider reading the various nonfiction books I own, and then going back and re-reading 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket instead, who, based on his 'life story' I don't think I actually want to meet
6. Avoid the news as much as humanly possible, under the continually-proved theory that if it's really important someone will tell me about it, and if no one tells me about it, it probably doesn't matter
7. Consider catching up on my collection of Details magazines but instead merely thumb through and look at all the pictures of hot-looking men, frequently
8. Think about getting a place for everything and putting everything in its place, then move the stuff on my desk into different piles and call it good
9. Consider watching all the new DVDs we got over the holidays, but instead end up watching the same dozen I adore over and over and over again
10. Listen to lots of music from a wide variety of genres and decades as constantly as possible while purchasing new music as often as I can
11. Consider telling every blowhard in my life where to stick it then write an action scene instead
12. Consider catching up on all the literary bestsellers but then re-reading every book by P.J. O'Rourke instead while hoping I get to meet him one day
13. Worship Aerosmith while hoping I get to meet Steven Tyler and Joe Perry one day

There you go, a baker's dozen. I should be able to carry these through without a problem for all of 2009. After all, I've been doing most of them for most of my life.

Love,
Gini

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Wish...

For All...

May your gifts create joy when opened. May you receive not only what you want but what you need. May your particular holiday celebration remind you of joy, not obligation. May you find happiness and fun with whomever you spend these times with, be it a close friend or family member or a stranger on the street.

Happy holidays and a safe and happy 2009 to everyone!

Love,
Gini

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Monday, December 15, 2008

'Tis the Season...

I'm not really on top of the holidays. Ever. But this year in particular. This year is what I like to call a Nostalgia Year. A year where I go back in time and shop like I used to when I was an older teenager and early twenty-something.

As in, I'm gonna get all MY shopping done on December 24th.

I'm a procrastinator by nature -- frankly, I'm a Gold Medalist in the sport, for many years running. But, more than that, I'm busy. Busy working. Busy taking care of the family and household needs. Busy writing. Busy doing writing-related things. Busy, busy, busy. And I like writing a lot more than I like shopping.

Now, lest the hubs read this and choke so hard it kills him, let me stress that I'm all over the buying and the spending and the getting and the having. It's the work involved in shopping well and wisely that I'm not all that into, this year in particular.

To me, writing isn't work. It's fun, it's exciting, it's joy. Shopping, on the other hand, feels more and more like work. And work is so rarely fun. I'd much rather spend time with my characters and plots and crit partner and beta readers and agent than trudge to the mall to slam dance with the other shoppers trying to get the best deal or the last Elmo doll or something.

But, there are children to shop for, and, to quote one of my favorite comedies (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)...but...for the children...I'll take it. I'll go slam and trudge and shop 'til I drop to make sure the little ones have what their little hearts desire. Or something to that effect.

But first, I really have to finish this latest chapter...

Love,
Gini

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Sunday, December 7, 2008

My Fab Weekend

I had a great weekend planned. Truly I did. Parties and such. Fun. Relaxation.

Of course, as with so many things I plan, this went awry. And that quickly.

Before we went off to Las Vegas and SoCal the other week, the hubs and I noticed we had a leak. It was in the front of the house, outside, clearly related to the irrigation system. I called a plumber. They took my credit card and said they'd be by the next Monday (when we were recovering from our night out at the Vegas bars that didn't allow loud talk or foul language).

The plumbers did arrive and did call -- at an awful time in the morning, especially since we were still asleep in the nice, comfy hotel bed -- to share that they couldn't work on this because it was indeed irrigation related. So, they and the hubs conferred, and he felt competent to handle the situation once we were home.

Which he was, only the ma-ROON who owned this house before us fancied himself a contractor and handyman and did a lot of remodeling work. Himself. All of it wrong.

I won't get into all the wrong here, but suffice to say, if it's not working right, it's because this genius monkey had a hand in it.

So, the hubs turned off the water to the house, and pulled off the bad piece, which, because our water is so hard, broke off in his hands. And then, because the ma-ROON set up the irrigation and sprinkler system at the wrong point in the water system, instead of an easy fix, the hubs had created our very own Old Faithful.

One hysterical call to the City and fifteen wet minutes later, the water was shut off. Completely. By the City. Of course, in order to turn it back on, the City must come out again.

No worries, right? (Oh, stop that snickering in the back of the room.) The hubs fixed the pipes and we had to wait 2 hours for the glue to set. Then he called the City. To discover that there were 4 water mains broken all over the place, and while we were on their list, they weren't coming by any time soon.

Let me mention that no water means NO WATER. No washing of the hands. No cleaning of the dishes. No flushing of the toilet. Yes, exactly...and no outhouse, either.

The nice man from the City managed to reach us at 9pm. By then, we'd given up all hope of the parties -- the hubs was still covered in pipe glue and crud and I was in no mood. We threw a party for the man when he turned the water back on.

But, you know, at this time of the year, it's good to remember all that we have and can and should be thankful for, right? Me, I'm beyond thankful that we have friends who let us come by merely to use their bathroom, that the nice man showed up before midnight, and that we have indoor plumbing.

It's the little things you treasure...

Love,
Gini

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