My Rambles

This Week’s Rambling 05/19/2020

Finally got my posting date for the T’hy’la Bang story. It’s June 22nd. Yaoichan12’s is June 23rd. So we aren’t first but we aren’t last either. I did manage to write a bit more and I have to have it pretty much done by the end of this month. It will be. I don’t have that much to go.

As you know I finished Cadet Ashayam and my next plan is to finish Nine Lives too. I’m already very much itching to begin fleshing out Vanik’s story, aptly named, The Matchmaker. It will be part of my Starfleet Academy series.

I plan to continue a few threads of flashes for the June flashes, so stay tuned for that.

I must admit there are some really fantastic stories on AO3 right now and it’s a little intimidating. I love it as a reader but as a writer, yeah, I’m a little envious. Ah, well. Such is life I suppose. There is always someone better than each of us at something or other I guess!

I bought myself a desk. Don’t recall if I mentioned this. But I had been at my dining room table for six weeks working from home. I have two monitors. So every single weekend I had to take my equipment down off the dining room table just so we could have a dining room table. My stuff took up a huge amount of it. Six weeks of this.

So I broke down and got a desk for about $220. It’s you know cheap Ikea type furniture, but it works. I’m off the dining room table and by the cat box, ha ha, but it is what it is. I figure I will be here at least another six weeks maybe more, so…desk it was.

We also bought a little bistro set for our patio so we can sit out there this summer and enjoy since we can’t really go anywhere. Things are starting to open up slowly but we figured sprucing up our patio was rather overdue anyway.

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend already. So it’s three days off for me and I’ll stop work at 1 on Friday like I would have if I’d been at the office but now I won’t have to walk home. I have a special flash for that Monday too.

And that’s the news that’s fit to print!

May 19, 2020

Rambles, May 09, 2020

Don’t really have any May pictures yet. So you get one of theirs. Nice, huh?

Today I heard that a place out here called the Soup Plantation was going out of permanent business. If you don’t have those out there, it’s basically a buffet restaurant, think Hometown Buffet or Golden Corral, is you have those. Basically they don’t think the health agencies will ever let them operate again under this modern day life with the pandemic, so they closed down. I’m not much of a buffet person, but that place was okay, when I went there, and it’s more sad to me that 4,400 people are permanently out of jobs.

This time, this year, is just…there are no words really.

My company seems to be indicating now that we won’t be getting back into the office for months. They are even temporarily closing entire offices so they don’t have to pay for space/electricity we are not using. I definitely don’t anticipate going back at least through the summer. This really is stunning and unprecedented to say the least. I don’t think they want to rush anything only to have us all sent back out again. But it has made for a significant adjustment.

And I feel like I am whining a bit because I have a job still, at least for now, unlike so many many others. And I am not sick, at least for now, and they are continuing to take steps to ensure not too many of us do get sick.

The media and government on all sides these days makes me a little nuts so I have cut back on my amount of news intake. I recommend you all do the same if you haven’t already.

A few good things with working from home is absolutely no commute. I get to sleep in about an hour later. When I turn off my computer in the afternoon I don’t have to get in a car and drive anywhere. I just move to the couch! I can change the sheets on the bed while at work and I can throw a load of laundry. I can also serve myself good coffee as often as I’d like. I get to see my cat all day, every day. So yeah good things. And I think we have to think of good things in this life when we can.

I still have four more flashes left to write for May, so if anyone has a suggestion, and by that, I mean a SIMPLE one. PLEASE. Not some long involved multi-chapter thing. I have enough of those now! Anyway, let me know.

May 9, 2020

Pictures of April 2020

Well, it’s the last day of April 2020. What will May bring? No one really knows at this point. So you get the last scenery pictures for April I took. These are just around my condo complex. WordPress has a new feature where you can make the photos square or rounded so trying out the round.

Farewell April

April 30, 2020

Ramblings, 04/19/2020

So…let’s see…

I updated TWO stories yesterday, The Carrier and Cadet Ashayam! Woo hoo. I also wrote my Pinto de Mayo story and it’s good to go for May 5th.

I also got a few May flashes written but I still have many to go.

I did get a comment on Dating a Vulcan complaining about the way I portrayed glasses. Apparently I got it wrong even though I wear them myself. Go figure.

A few days ago, I entered the art claims phase for the T’hy’la Bang. I don’t think I will have any issues with having it finished by the end of May. I am not that far off now, really.

The one good thing about THIS one is they do the art claims differently then the last time I had participated in the Bang with the Art. They had a blog set up that they posted all the summaries of the stories and the artists came on and posted in comments what they wanted to do art for. The problem was, this was all open for anyone to see, including the writers, and so it was sort of like getting picked last for PE class. You could see how long it took for someone to want to illustrate YOUR story. And as you watched, others got picked and you were like, shit, what’s wrong with MINE? It kind of sucked. And I wasn’t even the last picked, but also not among the first.

This time, I think the summaries are only sent to the artists and then we are told who we get paired with when it’s all done. I think!

In other news I am out of bananas. I eat a banana every day and I have been out for three days. I will eventually have to go get some but not yet. I haven’t been to the store since April 01. M has been one time since then but it’s been over a week since either of us has. We aren’t out of much yet, other than bananas, so we will wait. Funny thing is that now there’s a shortage of flour. Can’t even order it on line! And I wanted M’s biscuits. Grr. but the last of the flour went to Hot Cross Buns last week for Easter for my sister.

I know, not much, really to complain about, but well…

Tomorrow’s flash is a good one. I think so anyway.

Oh and supposed to get hot here this coming week. By Thursday it’s supposed to be in the 90s. Yeah. So…from rain to immediately hot. How fun.

April 19, 2020

April 14, 2020 Ramblings

So I’ve been working the past few days on the Bang story. A major check-in date is this Saturday. I have to have 75% done in order to be paired with an artist for the final reveal in June. I’m thinking now that my story will be at most 17,000 words and I am at almost 11,000 now. Which means I need about 13,000 (12,750 I think lol) to hit that. So that’s a couple thousand more by Saturday. Which I think I can do. We shall see! ha ha

Anyway, that being said, I won’t have any updates this week otherwise.

I was thinking this morning that by the end of April, I have another like 17 days of staying here. And I work in LA which has actually extended the social distancing until at least May 15th (I think maybe will extend to end of May, I don’t know) it will be even longer. Strange times.

I’m so torn about it all, because I want people to be able to get back to work, I really do, so I am glad I am not a government official trying to decide all this, because while absolutely the virus is scary, not knowing how you are going to live and pay your bills is pretty damn scary too.

Tomorrow’s flash is, I’m afraid, one I have done some version of a hundred times at least. I realized it as I read it over. It’s not at all original, but, um, there you have it. I hope you will enjoy it anyway.

Friday’s is a bit of the beginning of a story I am considering, so, full disclosure, it’s not really a complete story flash, and it’s definitely not a happy ending.

Work at home is what it is. All right. Because the alternative no job is even uglier right now. And no, I have not received the stimulus money. If I do get it, it’s going to bills.

And honestly, that’s it. I don’t have any pretty pictures to share today, so you get one from wordpress.

April 14, 2020

Rambles for April 04 2020

During my walk at lunch Friday I took pictures of one of the neighbor’s roses and thought I would share.

I finished The Fling as you all know. It had been a while since I finished one of my ongoing WIPs so it felt good to get it done.

And now the next check in for the T’hy’la Bang if the 18th of this month. If I want art claims I must be 75% done (or if it’s going to be 15,000 words at least 12,000 done). So that’s what I intend to work on for the next little while in April. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Tomorrow we are due a little rain, and I think Monday as well.

I am firmly entrenched at home with work and not going out even to the grocery store. At least for several days. I’m trying to stay in as much as I can. Originally on the 11th, we were supposed to go to a child’s 5th birthday party but that had to be canceled, obviously.

That’s the latest here. Stay in and stay well.

April 4, 2020

Rambles for the end of March 2020

A message from a child at my condo complex

I sure would like to think and believe in this positive message.

Tomorrow, when I go into the office, it may well be the last time in quite a few weeks. My job has lost patience with waiting for laptops that seem as scarce as toilet paper and hand sanitizer and has decided that we must all bring our desktops home and work from home. So with a bit of stuff I must do in the office to make the transition smoother, I will be also disconnecting my equipment and bringing it home, all the while crossing my fingers that it all works like it’s supposed to once I get it all hooked up at home.

M’s working from home has been extended to May 31st. I have no idea how long it will be for me.

I have mixed feelings. I really don’t like the work at home thing. But on the other hand I won’t have to drive every day, which I hate, and can get up later and get home sooner. It’s better for my asthma to stay home. Don’t have to worry about what I look like etc.

But yeah. Not happy. But it is what it is. And I have a job for now so can’t complain.

I got all the Monday flashes done and scheduled for April.

I updated Our So-Called Life. Have not written a single word on the Bang story since I turned in my rough draft to prove I had written 6,000 words a week ago. And all I can say is meh. So we will see. Later this week I hope to update The Carrier if I can kick myself into doing it.

And so today is the last day of March, which turned out to be an absolutely miserable month. I once had such high hopes for it.

March 31, 2020

Rambles 03/01/2020

Happy March

Well here we are in the third month of the year. Barely, but it counts.

Took a half day Friday and talked to Macy’s Fraud Dept. Still told it’s “in process”. In the meantime, received another bill where the thief bought sunglasses. For another $200. Filed yet another claim. I am now into 5 months dealing with this. Unbelievable. But…yeah.

Went to Drag Queen Bingo at the Elk’s Lodge last night. It’s for charity. A good time was had by all but we didn’t come anywhere close to winning a single game.

Was looking at some news report and check this out…

See that tiny apartment? It’s a bed, a toilet, sink and a shower. Don’t think it includes a kitchen. Anyway, this is London. So we aren’t the only one with too expensive places to live. $2000 per month for this. Yep.

Here’s crossing my fingers that this month will be better. I am going to Morro Bay for two days later this month, so I am greatly looking forward to that. As well as next week’s time change.

I think I have a good couple of flashes coming up this week.

Up next for AO3 if I get to it this week is Cadet Ashayam.

Still trying to get the Bang to shape up. I did finish the first chapter. That’s something. And if I am nowhere reasonable at the end of this month I will drop out. Hopefully that won’t happen.

I think that’s about it for now.

March 1, 2020

Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto)

Fan Fiction and Personal Ramblings

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