Another Blog

Today I posted on another blog I have but had forgotten. I'm working on a historical romance and this blog is dedicated to historical fiction and romance.

Even if you are not into historicals, go check out Ainsley Park for the totally sweet background I found for it.

Pathetic, Isn't It?

I was so tired of my blog I messed around with it until it was unusable. Frusterated, I went for a regular blogger template until I can decide what to do. I found myself with lots of blog posts in my head but too caught up in the blogskin to do anything. Until I can figure out what I want to do, I'm stuck with this blah thing. How long do you think it will be before I tinker with it? I give it 24 hours myself.

New Laptop

I got a new laptop for Mother's Day. I've been trying to milk mine for awhile, determined to get another year out of it, but I had to admit defeat. Last week the cd-rom drive died. I have an external dvd recorder that I plugged in and it worked fine. But that just solved one problem. I was all set to buy a Dell from Costco but Best Buy has a nice Toshiba on sale. It has 4G of RAM and a decent video card. Alas, I haven't had much time to play with it. And boy oh boy was I cursing myself as I was moving stuff from the old machine to the new. No organization whatsoever. And there was so much junk on my machine that I had no interest in moving but it has been a pain to sort through it. I'm about done.

I also got a really cool watch from Costco. It is a Timex Ironman that controls your iPod. Isn't that cool? Perfect for working out. Now if I'd only get my body to the gym.

This computer has made reading feeds much easier so that solves my problem with having a non-functioning blogroll sidebar. On the other hand, I can't get my feed to work on my own blog. There is definitely an issue I can't resolve and I'm not familiar enough with feeds to do too much. Bear with me, I'm sure I'll get it figured out someday.

Constant Motion

I've been sick for the last couple of weeks. Just a cold, but one that lingers. The constant motion my life has been running at hasn't helped I'm sure. But base ball is coming to a close and Cotillion has ended. My kids get out of school sometime in June (I can't remember when) and Brownies ends with it. But for now, I'm rarely home and when I am home, I just want to flop on the couch.

Not a good combo for a cold but a great one for weight loss. I lost over 10lbs. in four weeks. I'm thrilled to say the least.

My Blogroll sidebar broke. I'm not sure what is the problem but I can't access it anymore from my browser. That and it has lost a couple of links. It has made bloghopping difficult. I'm a creature of routine and it has totally messed me up. How do you bloghop? Do you have a program you use? I'm thinking of going back to bloglines (is that what it's called?)

Vanishing Act

Don't you hate it when a blogger disappears and you have no idea where they are?

Sigh...

I wish I had some long tale of woe or wonder to explain my absence but I don't. I have the blahs. Not depression. I'm actually quite creative when I'm depressed and I tend to write more.

The blahs are something different. Its like being on a sailboat in the water and the wind dies. You could probably start the motor and get going but you don't because if you do, you'll just have to go back to the dock and leave the Coronas behind as you pick up the threads of reality.

I haven't totally disappeared. Friday I blogged about writing over at Journey. I think I might have posted over at my MySpace blog in the last week as well. But still, I've been pretty absent.

Maybe it is spring fever, but I don't feel particularly wild. I've been reading a lot. I've given up updating my sidebar for books since I'm whipping through them so fast. I wish I could say the same about writing. I'm not doing much. I wrote a few pages on a historical to try and light my spark. Didn't work as well as I planned but I at least I got some writing done.

Anyone else got the blahs? If you do, how do you leave them behind?

Another Doodad for the Sidebar

Melissa has awarded me the "thinking blogger award." I was kinda hoping Daniel Craig came with this award, but apparently not. But here's a picture of him anyway. It may not be intellectual, but it gets me thinkin'.

So I need to give this out to five other blogs that make me think. That's a tough one because they all make me think. But I'll pick five out of the hat:

1. Rene Lyons. Besides having a great first name, she is a fun blogger and her chronicles about her writing career are fun and informative. I also won a book from her this week that I can't wait to read.

2. Joely. Another writer who is chronicling her journey as a writer that I find myself often nodding my head to in agreement. She is very eloquent in describing her struggles and her triumphs.

3. Kelly Parra. THis girlfriend has been on a roller coaster of a ride in her writing career and she always discusses it with candor on her blog. Her debut YA novel Graffiti Girl is coming out next month. She has been jounaling her adventures for this book and its been informative and interesting.

4. Nienke. Nienke looks for inspiration and is always happy to share it when she finds it. She finds these amazing writing links. Love it.

5. Toni. Toni has a nice mix of writing, family and world posts. I'm also guaranteed a nice Sean Bean picture if I go visit.

Here's the fine print for those folks that I've nailed.

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

In My Head

My book has been titled. My agent has started pitching it and submitting to the editors.

Now it will come out what a no-talent hack I am.

In my head, I know my book is no fluke. In my head, I know my agent wouldn't have signed me if she didn't think the book was worth it. In my head I know I'm a good writer.

But in my heart...That is a different story entirely.

I've always been pretty confident about my writing. I always felt I was a good writer and never had any qualms about sending it out into the big blue world. But now, now that I actually have something on the line, my confidence isn't nearly what it should be. Or what I'd like it to be. In my heart I think this book is a big ol' pile of rabbit crap. I read some of the book again last night and all I saw was the silliness of it, although I have to admit I write a killer love scene. Anyway, all of these things are going through me and I am emotionally shaking like a leaf.

Luckily, I'm not ruled by emotions.

I write from my head. When I'm actually writing, I read with my head. When I submit, I'm using my head (and a great head it is now that it has been properly colored and coiffed). I try to look at my writing with my head, I don't allow myself the luxury of looking at with my heart until it is too late.

Maybe that is the advantage I have in my writing. My head rules over my heart. And maybe that is why the book of my heart hasn't ever been completed.

Enough of that....

So this is the blog, at least for a month, I don't think I could take it for longer than that. Too foo foo, too pink, but it works for a mushy holiday like Valentine's Day. But you can bet February 15 will be completely new. St. Patrick's Day is coming up. I'll go green.

Ants have taken over my house. Damned things are freezing outside so they are moving indoors. They are everywhere, coming into the house in multiple entries. My son says they are in his bathroom, I figure that is a fate worse than death, even for an ant, and I've left them alone. I just don't want them in my kitchen. Extreme temperatures bring them in. And rain. I'm out of my favorite ant poison, the infamous Chinese insect chalk the EPA has been going ballistic over for awhile. That stuff works miracles when it comes to ants.