Sunday Update - Week 20

Welcome to the Sunday Update, wherein I talk about all the stuffs that happened (or lack thereof) in my previous week.

I started out the week gangbusters on the writing and then life happened.  I did get about 4800 words out over 4 days.  Not my fastest, but it was something. Shroudlands 2 is now just over 16000 words.  

No editing.  No marketing.  And very little reading (hence the absence of a Reading Wrap-up again this week.)   The only baking I did was a batch of zucchini bread early in the week.  Coincidentally, that was the only day I got any exercise.  

We set up an appointment to get my brakes done on Friday.  Hubs followed me out in the Jeepster, we dropped off Cally Cavalier, and went home.  They figured about 5-6 hours.  It only took 4.  Yay.  We loaded back into the Jeepster and headed down the road to pick up my babycar.  Suddenly, there was a thunk and a clunk and the power steering on the Jeepster went out.  Now, there is NOWHERE to pull over here.  These highways do not have shoulders.  They have deep, jagged ditches and drop offs.  He wrestled with the car as we headed toward town.  The temp gauge shot right the hell up and we continued to limp along.  Another thunk and clunk. I saw something fly out from under the back of the Jeep.  Still moving, still overheating, he coaxed that old beast another couple miles until we reached the bank parking lot - the first safe place to stop, really.  We parked it and I went into the bank to make some calls.  The mechanic has no towing.  They have no one who can come get me to at least pick up Cally.  On the verge of calling for a tow, a nice man who'd overheard my saga says he can drive us to the mechanic.  Yay.  Long story shortened a bit, we got the car, we had the Jeep towed home, and all is well.  A pulley thing fell off (most likely due to a loose bolt), dropping the serpentine belt onto the highway.  We found the belt laying alongside the highway and picked it up.  We never did find the pulley thing.  It probably rolled into a ditch somewhere along the way.  Hubs can replace the pulley thing himself and the belt is fine.  Thankfully none of this was as bad as it could've been.  

On an additional note, I have to take the car back to get a slight adjustment on the rear passenger brake cuz it makes a noise when the brakes are applied.  But only after the car has been driven for more than ten miles.  (I know this because we took the car back yesterday and it wasn't making the noise by the time we got to the mechanic, so we told them never mind and left, but it started up again by the time we'd gotten to our gas station for a fill-up* and smokes.  Derp.)

No, I am not interested in getting a new car.  We'll drive Cally and the Jeepster until they fall apart.  

Anyway, this past week also saw my birthday and our anniversary.  Birth-iversary or Anni-birthday, however you want to look at it.  We had cheesecake as a special thing on the anniversary (which doubled as birthday cake) and then bacon cheeseburgers for the special thing on my birthday.  Other than that, they were just regular days.  

And that's about it for my super-exciting life.  How was your week?

*Gas was $3.99 here yesterday.  $40 to fill my car, which still had about a third of a tank.  I've never spent $40 to fill any tank of any car I've ever owned.  =o\

Sunday Update - Week 14

Hello again.  We're 14 weeks into this bad devil called 2022.  Things are exponentially worse than they were on 1/1/20 and the crap seems to be picking up speed as we roll merrily along toward the dark and fiery pits.  Yippee and weeee.  Keep your hands inside the ride at all times.  

Okay, so writing last week was pathetic.  I mean, I wrote, which is better than some weeks, but only 663 words and the result was not good.  And now I'm in a slump.  

No editing or marketing either.  

I read two books and most of a third.  I also made some small progress on The Three Musketeers.  Long book, but I'm determined.

Not much happened in the baking sphere either.  Cake cookies and then scalloped potatoes with cheese and ham.  

On the activity front, I did one walk.  And yesterday, I deep cleaned my bathroom.  Well, most of my bathroom.  I lost gumption before I did the floor, and the light bar over my bathroom counter still needs to be washed.  But man, my shower sparkles.  By the way, if you've never used Invisible Glass, it really took the gunk off my old bathroom tiles.  (I'm pretty sure what I used it for was 'off label', but hey, it worked and no harm done.)  Oh, and since I have been unable to find Soft Scrub in any variety but Bleach, which I can't use because it eats my hands, I picked up a container of my old-old standby Barkeeper's Friend.  Awesome stuff.  It just requires more elbow grease than Soft Scrub.  Needless to say, I am a bit worn out today.

Has anyone seen Spic and Span in the dry form anywhere lately?  I used to love that stuff.  But I digress...

I started out last week by doing our taxes.  That is sure to drain the life right out of you.  So maybe that's why my week was so unproductive.  Did the taxes, sent them in, and by the end of the week, the state refund was in.  Wow.  Go, Missouri.  

I've been cutting Hubs hair.  I mean, I've done my own for years, so why not?  I did that on Monday after I got back from grocery shopping.  This time looks pretty good.  (Last time, was passable, but he had like a divot on the side there until it grew out.)  Thank goodness for the clippers I bought years ago to use on Max the cat.  Anyway, there's 18 bucks we're not spending every 6 weeks.  Yay.

Elmer the elm tree has lots of leaves and is getting baby branches.  So are Cecil and Cedric the cedars.  

And that's about all there is for me.  I lead such an exciting life.  Even more so now that gas prices are too high to warrant going anywhere.  How was your week?

Sunday Update - Week 9

It's been a week and I am toast.  

I got the edit round finished last Sunday and sent the manuscript off to beta readers on Tuesday.  Thursday one of the betas was already finished, saying that she couldn't put it down.  Yay.  But I will wait until all the notes are in before I start entering them.  It makes it easier for me to sort through them that way.  

In reading news, I finished two books and DNF'd 3 others.

Last Sunday, I made cake cookies in bar form.  Yellow cake with chocolate chips and walnuts, so they're like blondies.  Kinda.  No other baking went on and all the cooking was simple stuff.  Today, I might make pumpkin bread.

On the activity front, I took two walks and did two sessions with the gardens.  Then yesterday, after my walk, I also helped Hubs with the home drainage system.  Basically, we're creating a new way for the water to go around the house to help ease up the erosion we've got going on in one place.  I didn't weigh myself at all last week, so your guess is as good as mine.

Today it's supposed to rain a lot, so we'll see how yesterday's work actually works.

I played a lot of poker.  It's good for taking my mind off everything, ya know.  Anyway, I've been doing tournaments.  My best finish this week was 28th out of 450.  Top 7% at least.  I've also been finishing in the top 10% on a regular basis.  I wish I played this well when I was playing for money.

Another notable thing... I filled my car's gas tank.  It was $3.15/gal when I stopped, and when I went to pay, the cashier told me I got in under the wire.  Gas was going up as soon as the truck got there.  Another local station was already at $3.29, so cha-ching for me.  With as little as I've been driving, a tank full should last me about a month.  

And I stopped at the thrift store.  In case you missed yesterday's post, I didn't get any books because they'd jacked the prices up on me, so I said screw it and moved on.  I did pick up a nice metal baseball bat for $2 - for home defense purposes.  The thought of hearing that PING as I wallop a burglar fills me with glee.  Sort of like this clip from 50 First Dates.  ROFL.   I also found a cute metal wall hanging for $3.  It's geese in flight.  So pretty.  

Okay, so I think that's about all.  Not the most exciting of weeks.  At least not on my little patch of ground.  The world?  Well, that's going right down the crapper, but there ain't a damn thing I can do about any of it, so I'm muddling along in my life the best I can.  

How are things with you?

Thursday This n That

 I'll start out this morning with something I just posted to FB:

"Went into town yesterday.  The gas station closest to here was $2.99/gal but the pumps were occupied, so I figured I'd get gas in town.  The station in town was $3.19/gal and I hoped like hell they hadn't raised the price at the other station by the time I went home.  Lucky me, they hadn't and one of the pumps was unoccupied.  I shudder to think what the price will be by the next time I need gasoline.  At the beginning of the year, I could fill my tank for $25.  Now, if I want to fill my tank it costs almost $42.  For the record, I drive a Chevy Cavalier that gets awesome gas mileage.  I don't even want to think about filling the Jeep right now.  Thanks for nothin', Creepy Joe and all who voted for him.  =op"

Also, for the record, I don't fill my tank anymore.  

I can't imagine what my brother, the road warrior, has to pay for gas to do his job.  I know I was putting 150 miles on my car a day when I was doing the job.  And I had the smaller territory.  

We got the sale paper for the local grocery store yesterday.  Boneless ribeye?  $18.99/lb.  T-bone? $12.99/lb.  You can still get burger for $4.99 a pound there but only if you buy in the 'family value pack' which, if I remember right, is like ten pounds of burger.  I don't have room in my freezer for that.  Derp.  Wallyworld is a little better.  The 90% lean I buy was like $11 for a 2.5lb pack or $4.40/lb the last time I was over there.  But that was like a month ago.  I wonder what it'll be when I go tomorrow.  Blerg.

The other day, I watched Demolition Man again.  If you haven't seen it, watch it.  It's kind of silly and stupid, but it's also prophetic.  I especially appreciate this bit.  

Do actors ever actually watch the movies they're in?  Do they pay any attention to the plot or the theme or what's being said in the movies they act in?  I'm not sure Sandra Bullock paid any attention during Demolition Man.  And I don't see how any of the actors in the Harry Potter movies can behave the way they do if they'd paid attention to the movies/books themselves.  If Delores Umbridge isn't a cautionary tale about taking away people's rights under the guise of safety and protection, I don't know what is.

A little soundbite keeps running through my head: You are the villain in someone else's story.  Not sure where I heard it or read it or if that's even the right quote from it.  I guess it's all about perspective.  I still haven't heard from those people we helped all of September and part of August.  I think somehow I became the villain in her story.  Considering how she told me the stories of other villains in her life, I can well imagine the story she's telling now.  :shrug:  

Anyway, it's probably time to do something with my day.  Or maybe it's just time to grab another cup of coffee and continue to vegetate online.  What's up with you?