New Look

mood: Relieved
music: Same Direction by Hoobastank
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So today I spent a goodly part of the afternoon trying to fix whatever was wrong with the display on this blog...and then I gave up. I changed to a new template, spent another large chunk of time tweaking it until I liked it, and here we are. Under The Stars with a new face. I think I like it.

The rewrite goes slowly, but I'm making progress. Had a bit of a breakthrough idea last night that gets me past one troublesome spot, so I'm feeling good about that. I'm hoping to get a lot written on the next new scene tomorrow morning. I also wrote some more of the next episode of The Book of All Fictive Things over the weekend. I'm really having fun with that.

Today was a summer day that lost its way and ended up in September. The kids and I took a walk this afternoon and I mowed the lawn for probably the last time until the spring. I guess it's time to take the hammock in, too, but I keep thinking I might get one last read in it. Hope springs eternal, I guess.

Stuck and getting unstuck

mood: great
music: K-OS, Man I Used To be
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The rewrite is going slowly--seems very difficult to gain any momentum with it. So yesterday I tried a different tactic--I wrote something totally unrelated and just for fun, a crazy idea I had so I just ran with it. I posted it on a blog for my friends and family, The Book of All Fictive Things. I wrote like crazy from start to finish and it felt really great. So now we'll see if it's got the wheels unstuck on the rewrite.

Sometimes something like this seems to work--the old adage that a change is as good as a rest, I suppose. Fingers crossed.

A friend pointed me to an interesting blog today, PostSecret. It's interesting and sad and funny. I'm thinking I might send them a secret.

One thing I learned today:My strategy to become less shy via a "fake it 'till you make it" system seems to be working.

Rewrite begins

mood: frazzled
music: none
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I finally figured out how to get started on this rewrite--we hashed it out at writing group the other night and I came home sort of energized. I began re-reading the manuscript again, making notes for the world guide which I desperately need for reference, and more inline markups. When I got to the spot where it felt like I needed to add the first new scene, I just jumped in and started writing it. So far it's going okay, so I think I'm over the first hump.

We're supposed to get some bad-weather leftovers from Ophelia today and tonight, but nothing's started yet. The yard is pretty much cleaned up with all the summertime detritus gone. Looks pretty empty. I hate the preparations for the first fall windstorm. You really feel like summer is over then.

First full week of school went pretty well, although Mark had a hard time making it through Friday. No shame for him, though. Lots of adults find the same thing. :-)

First Day of School

mood: Anxious
music: George Winston - Autumn
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It's one of the hardest days for some parents--when your child goes off to school for the first time. Or even just for the first time this year.

This is a long morning for me. My youngest is starting school for the first time, and my oldest--never a fan of the first day of school--is starting her last year of elementary. We all battled stomach butterflies this morning, and while theirs have probably dissipated long ago (it's recess time already) mine will be hanging around until I pick them up at lunchtime.

I know from past experience that they'll probably be fine by then, telling me what's right and wrong with their classes already, who their friends are, and what the year ahead looks like from this vantage point. But for me, waiting, the morning is long.

There's a wonderfully cool web cam site created by National Geographic, where a camera has been set up at a much-frequented watering hole called Pete's Pond in Botswana. My kids and I have been marvelling at the sights--and sounds--of the wildlife as it visits the hole to drink or take a mud bath. Definitely worth bookmarking!

I've been trying to get my head around the mind-boggling incompetence of the current US administration in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but I just can't do it. It's too much to accept that such people can wield so much power. For a comprehensive but both enraging and depressing overview, read through Bob Harris' post from Sept. 5th.

One thing I learned today:Even the longest mornings eventually pass.

Bras d'Or lake shore, near New Harris, Cape Breton.

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September swings in

mood: Quite good
music: Rob Thomas - Lonely No More
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So I've just been over on the NaNoWriMo forums, browsing around and wondering what I'm going to write this November. Depending on how this novel rewrite goes, I suppose, I'll either be writing the third book in the series, or something completely different to give my brain a break.

Speaking of the rewrite, I did start it today. Just a little, a few paragraphs, but I feel better about it. I can do this. Sometimes it's best to just take a deep breath and dive in.

We took a lovely hike yesterday in the woods around New Harris, down to the lakeshore and then in to the waterfall. Very relaxing, even if some of us came back with wet feet. We went around the top of the waterfall, which I've never done before, and were amazed to find this tiny babbling brook feeding it.

With the summer winding down we've been trying to cram in as much fun and relaxation as possible, but I feel myself slipping into fall/winter mode. Ah, well, it had to happen. Once we all get through the first day of school on Thursday I'll heave a sigh of relief and get to some serious work on the rewrite.

One thing I learned today: It's best not to wear sandals in a corn maze.