Melani Blazer

What a whirlwind.
My kid was gone all summer–BCT for the Army. You’d think I’d have plenty of time to get things done. Oh, what a laugh that was. I wrote her A LOT and found lots of really time wasting ways to well, waste time.

She’s back now. But we got news she’ll almost definitely be shipping out, as in deploying, October of next year after she finishes AIT during the summer.

That wasn’t what we wanted within 1 week of getting her back. Damn hard for a parent to digest when looking at a 17 yr old honor student with high hopes of college. Guess that’ll be delayed about a year while she “sees the world.”

Yeah, I only SOUND like I’m taking it well. I think I’ve half died inside trying to absorb it all. I’ve tried to work on writing in the last couple of days, but that’s not going so well.

Crap. Ferret into havoc. I’ll have diversions somewhere, somehow. I’ll push on. And likely spend the next 14 months enjoying the company of my “little girl” before she ships out.

Wish I had a little.
Only two weeks until I get to see my baby again. I can hardly wait, but the whole trip makes me nervous. It’s also been nearly a week since I’ve heard from her, so that doesn’t help.

Writing is only happening with pen and paper, and it’s slow going. I’ve been dabbling with scene ideas for other stories while I try to figure out what’s gonna happen next with current WIP. I’m at a fill in scene and it’s gotta point things in a certain direction, but I refuse to force it. Then it reads like it was force and who likes that?

Not much else to say. I’m lurking around between writing, working and the other life-things that demand some attention. Ciao!

To let you all know I’m still alive and writing. Summer’s always demanding on time. Got all those extra daylight hours and somehow there’s things to be done to fill them up. Right now I should be
a) doing laundry
b) fixing the desktop computer
c) writing
d) cleaning up daughter’s room so it’s not so frightening when she gets back
e) writing daughter a letter so I have something to send on Monday &/or Tuesday
f) writing–or thinking about writing
g) cleaning up computer room because it’s next on the list of house projects

oh, and h) thinking about what I’m gonna make for dinner considering it’s after 6 already. *sigh*

As for a daughter update, she’s past halfway her Army basic training–more like in the home stretch, although she does have several major challenges ahead of her. She called Friday night. Said she’d been named Squad Leader (mommy pride here) and eager and scared to embrace those extra duties. She’s passed her latest physical training test and did very well on her rifle marksmanship test. From everything she’s said, she’s still happy with her decision to join and is VERY happy she’s decided to do the split ops–where she does basic this summer, then comes home to attend her senior year of high school, then goes off next summer for her AIT (advanced training) which will also be about 9-12 weeks long (we’re getting a couple of versions).

So, done here. Gonna see about the above list.
Ciao!

Was gonna title it crazy from the heat, but with reports of lands south of us being a good 10, even 20 degrees warmer, I figured that’s not a valid excuse. Guess I’m just plain crazy then.

It’s been tough with the daughter away–and unreachable. We race for the mail and jump anytime the phone rings or beeps, hoping for word from her. The letters we have gotten from basic training are all positive. Wait, she said basic training was fun. Maybe SHE’s the crazy one.

As for me, I’m working, doing the normal housey things and trying to enjoy a little outdoors time in the evening after the baking sun is low on the horizon. Been writing–for a short book, my current project sure is kicking my ass! and also doing a little reading.

I’m on book four of a semi-popular para/sci fi series and have decided I’m not going to read any further. Aside from the Janet Evanovich series, I have never been a series kinda girl and although I tried with this one, and I really do like the characters, I can’t do it. I keep thinking the author is going to make things bigger and badder and weirder and of course the worse case scenerio ALWAYS happens to put the main characters in some kind of mortal danger and of course they get pulled out at the knick of time. While it’s not the same, there’s still a repetition to it. Four’s enough. Plus, there’s a bit of romance here and there that has on more than one occasion left me rolling my eyes, because, again, it’s another extreme.

On my next trip to the bookstore I”ll be trolling for some para/sci-fi’s that aren’t series’d out the yang. One or two works for me. Even if it’s not romance, and my reading appetite has been light on the romance in the last month or two, I still am ready to say goodbye to the characters after a book or two. I’m probably in the minority (aren’t I always?) but that’s my take.

Told you I was crazy.

I’ve been even more absent the last week or so helping my daughter (and us!) prepare for her departure. She leaves for basic training, Army Reserve, tomorrow.

I’m still shaking my head, wondering how the hell time went so fast. If you’re inclined, say a prayer for her safety and success. I’m sure I’ll update when I’ve heard from her, and of course, when she comes home end of August.

I figured I’ll dive deep into writing to keep my mind off the fact she’s gone. An empty house will take some getting used to. The hardest part won’t be that she’s gone, but that she’s not simply a phone call away.

I’ll try to post a pic of her in uniform when I get one.

Last night the daughter had a band concert. School is 20 minutes from our house. On the way back, I was thinking about where I was in my current editing of WIP and also another I’d semi-started on a panstering level–meaning I had a beginning, but only the shadow of a plot and no middle or end. The idea for that book is terribly cliche and way over done right now anyway, so I doubt I’ll do anything other than recycle personalities for something else.

Anyway, came up with a pretty cool idea that I felt was rather novel. Doesn’t mean it is, I’m certainly not the best read creature in town, but it was something different plot-wise and I spent the boring drive (Tues night at 9:30–No one is out!) thinking about it. Had so much figured out. I stopped at a stop light and grabbed a post it note from my purse and jotted down two sentences.

*cries* it wasn’t enough. It’s gone! The whole thing is….missing from my brain! The sentences covered the concept, but in the daylight it evokes a “so what?” reaction. Was I simply over-tired and in mental shut down from high school band songs, rather good chocolate chip cookies and sherbert punch? Or did I really lose a good thing? I doubt I’ll remember.

Eh, at least I am still getting ideas. When that well dries up, I’ll cry. Word to wise–be specific in your notes. If I’d have just taken 10 minutes before I went to bed and spelled things out, I’d be searching for another blog topic.
Or simply eating my lunch instead of crumbing up the keyboard.

Today Thunder, our little foster squirrel, will begin his big journey into the wild. We’re still figuring out how we’re taking him–the whole cage or just the house, but we’re ready. I hope he is.
Sure, it’ll be melancholy, but it’s also heartbreaking to see the little feller trapped in a tiny cage (as compared to an open forest) without room to run.

So Godspeed, little T. We love you and will miss you.

Evening edit: That was an adventure. We got his house up in the tree with him inside, and he didn’t want to come out. I can imagine him. Wow, big room! Lots of noises. We actually had to convince him to come out of his house. He did–and promptly jumped on me. This isn’t anything new, he liked to climb on us. It was almost as if he were afraid to touch the ground. Then he jumped. He explored around on the ground, then on some small branches, and finally into a tree. He climbed it ALL the way to the very tippey top and looked down at us.

I really thought I’d be all sad and cry, but I was actually so excited and thrilled and proud the way he seemed to take to the wild. I’ve got a pic, I’ll post… eventually.

They will come.

At least so says the inventor of the dildo.

(What’s the correct spelling of dildo… dildoe… anyway?)

Thanks, DH, for that cute little tidbit.

Our house has unofficial become the haven for strays. We’ve had a variety of cats (four of our own here now), the squirrels (of which we still have one that’s ready to go outside for good), Midnight the other stray cat, and now…Sasha the ferret.

When I got home tonight, my husband and the neighbor, Mike, are standing outside, smiling. They feed me some b-s story about capturing some big ass raccoon and putting it in the extra cage in my room. I knew that was a joke, but they kept insisting there was a new critter inside.
A ferret. A poor, weak and outcast little girl. Not sure of her age, but she’s weak, way too skinny and looks like she’s been stuck outside for awhile. Her coat is ragged and dirty, but she’s friendly. So we hit the local pet store and got a weekend’s supply with intention of calling vet first thing Monday.

I just can’t help but wonder how they know to find us…

I can’t honestly say I get it. I’ve been to a number of people’s twitter.com/*username* in the past week or so, trying to understand, but…I come back with… “So?”

But really, first there were yahoo groups (at least first for me) or similar message board type sites. About the same time came forums, which were a little different, as far as oragnizing posts into specific conversations. IM an chat features have always been around and probably my most used form of communication. Blogs? Meh. I can’t keep up on my own. I feel lost for things to say, and know usually forcing a topic means it’s as boring to me as it will be to the rest of the earth who manage to stumble upon it. I do like reading other’s blogs, because I feel like I haven’t TOTALLY lost touch with the world and can gain some details about this publishing business and books and my friend’s lives. Myspace? I have one, it’s as bad as blogging, but a little less…lonely. Facebook? seems redundant to Myspace-why bother. But twitter? It boggles.

I guess my schedules does it for me. It’s why I gave up on yahoo groups. I *might* be able to glance at a few things in the morning before work, but never possibly catch up. Then 8-9 hours later I maybe can get online, maybe not. Even if I did comment to something, it’s likely hours late, or any responses back to me were hours ago and the subject dropped. I really don’t see twitter as anything more than a world wide yahoo group of messages, all mixed up and tied to different responses and answers and conversations. I can’t see it working for me. Plus, my cell phone is used as a cell phone. I call people, people call me. I’m neither need or want to be tied to some electronic device. I’ve got books to write, dammit.

And honestly, this blog post was really little more than an excuse to put off starting revisions on a book. But with an editor interested, I suppose that’s way more important than blogging, twittering or…anything else, yes?