It's SPRING!!

At least until later this week, when we are to once again be subjected to nut-freezing weather. Not that I have nuts, unless you count the can of dry roasted peanuts in the cupboard. *grin*

I'm insanely busy right now. Work is maddening - there are eleventy billion end/beginning of the month reports that have to be done RIGHT NOW!! RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND OR THE BANK WILL IMPLODE!!! Yeah, right. If that were the case, I'd "lose" my files in the shred bin. OOPS.

This working thing sucks. (Yeah, I know. I get no sympathy but this is MY half of the blog and dammit I'm going to have a pity party.) I've had to almost completely eliminate my volunteering, which sucks. That was a part-time job in itself. The house is going to hell, and you want me to... what?? Did you say cook? Yeeaaaaah. I wouldn't be holding my breath for a home cooked meal.

My time online is ridiculously limited - it's even affecting poor Pete!

Not to mention I haven't been able to spend as much time polishing my shrine to RT, the object of my undying and insatiable lust. (He thinks I'm kidding because I confessed my secret desires on April Fool's Day. I couldn't wait any longer!) *grin*

A-hem.

Anyway.

So I've got spring fever in the worst kind of way, and I almost wish I didn't have the damn window in my office. I sit there, drooling on loan files, staring out the window at the sunshine (not directly at the sunshine, I'm not an idiot!) and thinking of the shitload of work I need to get done at home, but I can't because I'm stuck at work.

On top of all the work crap, there's my school volunteering which I'm still obligated to do, and I'm doing a piss-poor job at it, which is like nails on a chalkboard to my anal retentive self.

Oh, did I mention Little League?

And then hours of babysitting angst where my sitters (who happen to be close relatives) decided they didn't have time to babysit??????? It turned out ok, we hired a teenage girl who doesn't know we're ripping her off with the pittance we're paying. LOL

What? Did someone say writing? *convulses on floor, consumed by hysterical laughter* No, I don't think my book will get edited anytime this millennium. All my mental energy is being drained out of me. *poof* there went the last of it...

I had my Angsty-Os for breakfast today!

Feel free to skip over this post full of vague and useless ranting.

I haven't really delved into the specifics, but suffice it to say that "emotional rollercoaster" is a gross understatment for my life the past two months.

Then yesterday, someone decided that now was the perfect time to pile on even more bullshit regarding stuff that is due to go on over the summer.

Why not? It's not like I have ENOUGH stressing me out, let's pile on a few more things! Sure! Carrie's not the type to end up with a gun in the clock tower at the town square, no sir! Ha ha! Oh. Wait...

So I spent most of last evening wallowing in my misery, and ended up crying myself to sleep in sheer frustration. Husband is a "fixer" so when I was sobbing out my angst to him, he was helpfully offering suggestions. Which made things worse because I just wanted to vent. (Although I did like his suggestion of watching Sopranos reruns for ideas on "solving" our "problem".)

Right now I'm just drained.

We're going to a pig roast this afternoon (Yes, a pig roast in 16º weather. Our friends are insane.) Other than that, I'm spending the weekend holed up at home and adhering to a strict code of avoidance and denial as far as the outside world is concerned. Thank heaven for Caller ID, which will be a valuable tool in my quest for solitude.

I much prefer being happy and angstless. My kitties help with that, so I'll share a few cute pictures of them. The first 3 pics were taken by my son, who thoroughly enjoys the digital camera and extreme closeups. LOL

This is Kelly, my nosy adventurer. She sleeps wrapped around my head at night. She loves to investigate everything.

This is Maggie, my lazy fluffball. She's floppy - if you pick her up, it's like she's boneless. It's really weird.

And this is Tucker, my scaredy-cat. She stays in the bedroom if anyone comes by. Right now she's playing with some of Son's stray Legos.

We got all three of our girls from the same litter. Here's a pic I took when they were still babies. They still curl up together sometimes, only now it has to be on the floor or the bed because they don't all fit on the chair sprawled out. (And we don't have that hideous chair anymore.)

mean

pete

mean

mean mean mean

replaces me with nora
lets her steal my guppies

threatens to replace me again

tries
kissing up

won't work

money hungry
fixing nora's porch

mean

blames nora
im not sure

could it be

but then

perhaps

not mean
after all

ok

maybe a little kissing up
would work

to fill
the void
ripped through my soul
laying in shards
around my feet

smilie hugs

okay

all is forgiven

again

but i still miss
my guppies

why im so sad

its cuz when i caem on carrie had posted poetry and i was like you know how mcuh i like poetry but she didnt let me do it she did it instead and it made me really mad liek that time my dad told me i couldnt get a two inch metal stud through my left eyeball and so iw etn to my room and lsitened to nirvana because KURT COBAINE UNDERSTANDS ME even though the governemnt killed him for being too real

anyway i just wante d ot say that if carrie wnats to do poetry thats FINE and i dont care she can do it all she wants u guys like her better anywayz and i dont care thats why i wear black and shave my head cuz i dun care

ill just be over hear in a bleak blackness of a bleak black hole which are words iw ould use when im writing storyes which im really good at and im going to get publisehd one day and make millions and be like hah ahah haha guys look at me now

im going to eat a galon of ice creem

Good News, Bad News

The Bad News: Nora Roberts escaped, by cunningly using a small emerald that she kept in her pocket, just for the heck of it, to carve out the basement windows. She has also taken the guppies with her.

The Good News: Carrie and I have to post again! And we're so excited! Wow!

The Bad News: You probably liked Nora Roberts better and are loathe to read now that we have returned. This causes us much angst.

The Good News: That means we can post really good angst-ridden free verse poetry for you! Wow!

The Bad News: I have been a little sarcastic in this post.

The Good News: Here's a very interesting article on robots, the history and nature of them.

Weird Al, Articles and Wayward Hands

Oh, no. It's not my fault Pete is continually distracted. Besides. I'm not the one with a penchant for passing along YouTube links every 17.8 seconds. I just happened to mention a few songs (ok, and extensive lyrics) that I was listening to. And somehow we ended up talking about Weird Al, which led to both of us digging out bunches of Weird Al songs and discussing our favorite Weird Al songs. (Mine is "I Remember Larry")

And I was singing Joan Jett. While chair dancing. Pete was busy being thankful he couldn't hear me.

I guess this is what happens when two ADD writers team up.

***
The past few weeks, I had a potentially troubling situation brewing in my household, which was ultimately resolved. During this, I had a great epiphany concerning getting serious with my writing. Serious meaning "making some money". I finished my novel, but I'm not under any illusion that it'll make me any money anytime soon. (Probably sooner if I'd finish editing!)

So I get the bright idea that I'm going to work on freelancing. Write some articles. Sell them to magazines. Get paid. Piece of cake.

Right.

Turns out that article writing is far, far more difficult than fiction. On the one hand, all the information I need is right in front of me, I just have to organize it and make it look pretty. I don't have to pull anything out of a hat or tap into a great deal of imagination. On the other hand, I can't just make stuff up as I go.

The biggest obstacle I'm finding is that there is a huge "which came first, the chicken or the egg" thing going on with freelancing. The magazines don't want an article without experts, but the experts don't want to talk without knowing what magazine they're going in.

I've been having Angsty-Os for breakfast every morning for the past two weeks - gnashing my teeth, trying to be professional, while angsting about my current lack of credentials. It's a really weird cycle. I suppose I'll get used to it as time goes on and I get more experience, but for now, there is much head-slamming-onto-desk.

***
Speaking of Pete being off AW, I've coincidentally been spending less time on the forums as well. Pete's self-induced exile was a challenge to himself to get a shitload of work done. Not to be outdone, I decide that if he's getting a lot done, then I will, too. (Er, we have this slight competitive thing going on...)

Part of my personal challenge is to finish the aforementioned article, write my query, pitch the article, edit 50 pages of my novel, and write two short stories.

Of course, this would be no fun if we didn't throw in a tight deadline. And decide to start a blog. And continue working on several other projects at the same time. And keeping up with everything else in our lives. All while balancing on one foot.

***

To quell my angst, I switched gears and started working on a short story. I'm about 1500 words in, and I'm having a ball. It's about a man whose hand is no longer under his control. Somewhere along the way, I realized that this story was inspired by a story I read years and years ago by Clive Barker. I'll have to see if I can find the book it was in. (Looking around at the overflowing bookcases and pondering the boxes in the attic... no small feat!) Or maybe I'll just see if I can get it really cheap on Amazon. (Edited to add: It's in The Inhuman Condition, which I can't find anywhere in my house... But it's only a penny on Amazon. *grin*)

***

My current favorite comic strip is Pearls Before Swine, done by Stephan Pastis. Just thought you should know.

Most Frequently Asked Question

So Pete and I are constantly barraged with inane questions from our devoted and loyal fan. (No, that's not supposed to be fanS.) Questions like "When will you let me go?" and "Can I PLEASE use the bathroom?"

The answers, of course, are "Never." and "No."

But I digress.

By far, the most popular question is: "What the hell is WRONG with you two?!"

Ha ha!

We know that the real underlying question is "Why don't you two have your own television show yet?" And the answer to that is simple. We have turned down numerous offers to do a TV show, because we are ARTISTS, and we bow to NO ONE. Our ART is pure and uncompromisable.

That, and no one's offer included a method of actually, you know, paying us.

So we will stand, unyielding, in our dedication and commitment to our ART.

We are, however, willing to negotiate. Call us!