Happy Thanksgiving!

I am preparing some things in the kitchen for our day in (insert city name here) with my sister Chloe and Cletus and Zoe and little Luke. One of the things that I always remember about Thanksgiving is that we would get up and smell the stuffing ingredients. I'd pick at the stuffing before it went into the bird, and then mom and dad would put it in the oven. They'd tell us what time it'd be ready.

Hours would pass, wonderful smells would emanate from the oven and our mouths would water. At the appointed time, the turkey was never ready. Mom and dad would check it and say, "Oh, about another hour," so we'd all be hungry with nothing to eat. So we'd have snacks. Today I'm making some snacks for the inevitable delay.

Unlike some other people that I know, we always eat Thanksgiving dinner in the afternoon instead of evening. Mom and dad would shoot for 1pm and hit 2:30 instead. I feel prepared now.

The kittens Calvin and Hobbes came through their operation with no problems, and no neuticles thank you very much. They're currently doing their very best to annoy me, and my other cat and my roommate. Though it does make me laugh when they annoy my roommate. He likes to threaten them with death as he cuddles them.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Three Things Tuesday

I don't have 10,000 words yet, but I'm working on my outline. Last year I think went better because I had some places to go with the characters. Things progress, sometimes as they choose.

Don't forget: Bread needs leavening.

My little boys lose their manhood tomorrow, which would make me a whole lot sadder if it meant more peeing on things instead of less.

NaNoWriMo Progress

National Novel Writing Month. I like the concept, but the execution seems to escape me. And I do appear to work slightly better when under a deadline.

I've fallen behind. I started one story but it wasn't flowing, so I started another. Both seem highly derivative at this point, but might end up less so by the time I'm finished.

Today I've got around 5,500 words, and I should have close to 30,000. I would be more concerned except that last year I got more than 40,000 in the last 15 days of November. I might not make it to 50,000, but I am enjoying the journey.

I hope to get to 10,000 today, and that might actually happen. I'll let you know.

Seven Meme

In the mold of the Diva and CW Murphy

7 Things I can do
write
draw
teach
listen
make people laugh, and sometimes not at me
shave my head
tell the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff out loud, with voices


7 Things I can’t do
ride a motorcycle
pilot a plane or helicopter
believe conspiracy theories
shop at Wal-Mart
go to any more baby showers
throw a really good party
keep my mouth shut when I need to


7 Things I have in my life now that I’m so incredibly thankful for
my brother
and sisters
and nephew
and nieces
my parents
that's 8,
if I add the job
and the cats and the best friend I'm way over the limit


7 things I hope to do before I die
publish a novel
start an art school for kids
learn some French
see the Parthenon
fly somewhere first class
go on the radio or do other voice-over work
live near the beach, even briefly

Three Things Again

Albuterol inhaler makes me sicker. Not, I think, my doctor's objective.

My principal expects me to give up my conference and lunch once a week for an In School Suspension Room. Illegal, unethical and just mean.

I've written almost nothing for NaNoWriMo. I'm outlining, but I doubt that I'll finish this year. I'm not giving up, just trying to get the disappointment out of the way now.

Blurry Capitol

I wanted to see what would happen if I moved the camera on purpose, instead of moving it while trying really hard to hold it still. Like the one below.

Long exposure shots without a tripod suck unless you're open to some experimentation.

The Capitol

The state Capitol as seen from near the top of the Hilton. See above for my less clear photo.

TAEA Conference

I'm here at the Hilton in Austin. I don't even want tell you how much it's costing me, but on the plus side the room is very nice.

I've been to some interesting presentations, and the facilities here are good. I can't say the same about some of the other conferences that I've attended. I went to some technology workshops today, and I'll be using some of that information in my classroom although most of it's intended for older students.

I have not yet started writing for NaNoWriMo, as I've been pretty busy, but I think I've finally got a good idea for that. I'll be writing long hand because I decided at the last minute not to bring my laptop. Next time I'll definitely need to do that.

I can recommend a good barbecue place here. Around the corner from the convention center is a place called Ironworks. Inexpensive and very good. Tonight we're supposed to go get some Japanese. I hope we do, I haven't had good noodles in a while.

TAEA

I'm off to Austin to attend the TAEA Conference.

Lucky me, there's a KKK rally about the proposition to ban same-sex marriage.
You know all usn's in the art profession could get behind legislation like that.

Tagged by CW Murphy

1. Go into your archives.
Okay, but they're on my hard drive and I'll have to look a bit.

2. Find your 23rd post.
July of 2004.

3. Post the fifth sentence.
I'm having a hard time counting because of my (indiscriminate) use of colons and parentheticals, but here it is:

Please don't tell me about your bathroom rituals or otherwise none-of-my-business stuff, and I will do the same for you.

4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
Yup.

5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.
Sorry, don't want to. Feel free to participate though. Gotta go write my 2000 NaNoWriMo words for today. Give or take.