Gustav

If you pray, this might be a nice time to take a moment and ask God to watch over the people who live in Louisianna and other gulf states. As Gustav bears down on them, ask that lives and property be spared.

My thoughts and prayers go out for the people that live there.

M

Blue colored glasses

What I'm Reading: The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

What I'm Working On: Finding time to work on writing -- at least this week.

Yes. Yes. I know. My blogs have been hit or miss lately and a little on the lame side. I'll get better. Promise.

You See the World Through Blue Colored Glasses

You live your life with tranquility. You have faith that things will work themselves out with time. You judge all your interactions through the lens of hope. You try to get all the facts before forming your opinion. You face challenges with wisdom. You know that all bad things pass, and you have the confidence to see problems through. You see love as the utmost expression of trust. Your relationships tend to be peaceful and stable. At your worst, you can be cool, melancholy, and detached. You sometimes have to step back from emotionally charged situations. You are at your happiest when you are able to reflect and relax.

What Colored Glasses Do You See The World Through?

Regardless of your political affiliation

What I'm Reading: The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

What I'm Working On: Finishing the rewrite of the first 20k.

No matter what your political affiliation, you have to admit that tonight is overwhelming in terms of how far we've come. It's the 45th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech. I imagine him cheering tonight as the first ever African American man accepts the nomination of a major political party for president of the United States.

We've come a long way. And it's about time.

Whether you are a democrat, republican, or independent, there is no denying that tonight is a great moment in our history. I'm listening to Barack Obama's speech and feeling awed that just over 50 years ago, blacks still had to go to seperate schools, ride in the back of the bus, and watch movies from the "buzzards nest" only. In Florida in 1951, the KKK blew up a great civil rights leader -- Harry T. Moore -- and until just recently, no one even investigated the death as a murder.

For such a dark past, the future is looking much brighter.

Good for us.

M

What kind of pasta are you?

What I'm Reading: The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

What I'm Working On: Finishing the rewrite of the first 20k.

This was fun......

You Are Pasta Puttanesca

Compared to most people, you have a sexy and wild personality. So it fits that you're like a pasta popularized by street walkers! You like food with interesting, contrasting, and spicy flavors. You live an exciting life - and you wouldn't ever go for anything bland.

What Pasta Dish Are You?

What Role Do You Play?

What I'm Reading: The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

What I'm Working On: Finishing the rewrite of the first 20k.

You Are the Innovator

You're the type of person who is always a step ahead of everyone else. You thrive when you're experimenting with new designs, ideas, and attitudes. You are a creative person with many talents. You have to have artistic outlets in your life. You need to create - whether it's writing furiously or redecorating your home. If not, your life becomes chaotic. You tire of doing the same thing every day. You change your job, friends, and personal style often. You are at your best when you have a focus. If not, you develop a flaky artist's temperament.

What Role Do You Play in the World?

Play list

What I'm Reading: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

What I'm Working On: The second draft -- still have about 1k left to hit today's goal.

I thought I'd post the lyrics to some of the playlist for Slayer.
Hmm --- I love Shinedown.

Breaking Inside (Wanna listen? Click here)
The Sound of Madness

I caught a chill
And it’s still frozen on my skin
I think about why I’m alone
By myself
No one else to explain
How far do I go?
No one knows
If the end is so much better
Why don’t we just live forever?

PRE-CHORUS
Don’t tell me I’m the last one in line
Don’t tell me I’m too late this time

CHORUS
I don’t wanna live
To waste another day
Underneath the shadows
Of mistakes I’ve made
Cuz I feel like I’m breaking inside
I don’t wanna fall
And say I lost it all
Cuz maybe there’s a part of me
That hit the wall
Leaving pieces of me behind
And I feel like I’m breaking inside

Out here nothing’s clear
Except the moment I decided
To move on and I ignited
Disappear into the fear
You know there ain’t no coming back
When you’re still carrying the past
You can’t erase
Separate
Cigarrette in my hand
Hope you all understand
I won’t be the last one in line
I finally figured out what’s mine

Rain, rain, come my way

What I’m reading: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

What I’m working on: One of those middle of the book scenes that challenges a secondary character’s arc. It hit me in the shower last night and has been good for about 1000 words so far.

As I write this, it is pouring rain, and I love it. A rainy day is my favorite kind of day. I’m almost afraid to verbalize my hope that it rains all day, and I’m afraid to look at the forecast. What if it says “hot and sunny” this afternoon?

Most people I know (most of whom live in Florida, too) love the “hot and sunny” weather. It’s kind of a pre-requisite for living here. I’m in Florida because my husband is a Floridian. And don’t get me wrong, the mild weather has its perks. But I just don’t really mind the rain. I love it, in fact. I’m one of those people who could live in Seattle and never get depressed. (Of course, if I lived there, I’d probably be more of a Starbucks addict than I already am.)

The good news for me is that we might get a hurricane. (So, do you think I’m certifiable?) I’m not really all that excited about a hurricane. I hated Charlie and the summer of hurricane repeats, but if it manages to just stay a tropical depression and keeps the skies overcast next week and dumps lots and lots of rain, well, I’ll be quite happy!

Gotta go. There’s the thunder.

M

I'm tired

What I'm reading: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

What I'm working on: Words. Getting more words. Finishing the second draft by November.

I'm writing. I'm exhausted. I'm not sure the words make sense. But I'm writing.

This has been one exhausting week. Wow. (Proof: I'm STILL reading Breaking Dawn! Normally, I'd be way past that now!)

I'm not doing well with my blog posts or getting the word count I need, but I'm hoping that some extra sleep in the morning, being home for once on the weekend, and getting a little Macy-time will repair the sleep-deprived me and return the writer-machine me to the computer for some serious word output.

Keep your fingers crossed.

M

Time gets away from you

What I'm Reading: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyers and In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar.

What I'm Working on: Attempting to get 30k to 40k words of draft 2 written.

Time really does escape us doesn't it? I can't believe it's already August 10th. I've missed a few writing days as I get ready for my favorite high school to start back and taken a few days to visit family. I'm to the point where I need to write about 7 pages a day to reach my monthly goal. I think I can do it, but I have to actually do it, not just think about it. That, of course, means that my blog may be brief and shoddy for a several days. Oh well.

However, the fun I had Friday was rejuvinating. I was in the Ft Worth area and went to Summit Climbing Gym and scaled rock walls for about four hours. It was so fun. I'll post some pictures later, but for now, I have to walk my crazy dogs. They are being wild.

M