April Display Up, Weaves and Savings

April display at the library is done. I know no one really takes a peek but its a time I get to enjoy my creative side and do something fun. Big thanks to one of my co-workers who picked the books! April we feature our sidewalk chalk festival so it is a creative April. April is also National Poetry Month.

Upper part of the display featuring the details of the Chalk festival. The drawing on the shelf is mine, just a doodle with the chalk they gave me. 

Made cardboard risers so that people could read the poems I chose. Featuring; Omar Khayyam, Rumi, Hafiz, Sappho, Edgar Allen Poe, a Basque poem and Krista J. Mikula.

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It's been almost a week since I gave my readers my work. Last night, I barely slept thinking, "Oh goodness, they must think its horrible, I'm crazy, freaking bonkers..." Then as I got over that minor anxiety attack, I suddenly realized that I need to go back in and fix a couple of things. So I've made a list. I need to replace some words. Part of it was learning about what a weave was. A coworker who gets extensions every other month or so, was ever so kind to quell my curiosity. I'm sure she thought I was being a little too curious, but I had a mess of questions. Now I know how a weave is put in, how long it should stay in, the difference between synthetic hair and real hair and whether or not it can be washed. 


I'm pretty sure she was weirded out when I asked to see a part that was sewn but luckily, an hour or so later, she showed me after her break. And let me touch! What does this have to do with anything? I have one black character and one mixed. It just helps me to write them better since the one woman takes care about her appearance. 


Thank you!

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Last and not least, after work, I did some shopping. Took advantage of some sales. Whenever I shop, I aim for a minimum of 45% savings. Today I enjoyed getting steals on gum (I chew it at work), tissues and laxatives (for my dad) and of course feminine items. Had to share since this is a typical shopping day.

Overall, a good Friday! Now hopefully crossing my fingers for another great couponing day tomorrow.

Welcome Spring Equinox!

I just want to wish everyone a very Happy Nowruz (the Persian New Year) and a very Blessed Ostara. It's the first day of spring!

So today, I have to share a wonderful book that we just got in at the library. It's based off the poem "Step Gently Out" by: Helen Frost

Step Gently Out

by: Helen Frost

Step gently out,

be still, and watch a single blade of grass.

An ant climbs up to look around.

A honeybee flies past.

A cricket leaps and lands,

then sits back and sings.

A moth flies in and comes to rest with open wings.

A spider spins a silken thread

and steps across the air.

A praying mantis looks at you -

do you know she's there?

Balanced lightly on a leaf,

bathed in golden light,

flashing, Look, I'm over here, as evening turns to night,

the creatures shine with stardust,

they're splashed with morning dew.

In song and dance and stillness, they share the world with you.

The poet's website can be found here:  http://www.helenfrost.net/item.php?postid=32

Bargain Hunting: Today's Adventure = Food

For some, that may sound like the most boring, awfullest waste of time. Well, good for you that you have money to just waste. Maybe you can let me have some of it.

I married the best man on this planet, he was the one who got me into couponing, and now we revel in the fact that we can stock the house for cheap or nothing. It's lost of work, mind you, but 100% worth it in the end. I spend about 10-15 hours a week on bargain hunting. We aren't rich, none of us make enough money to barely survive - whatever deal we can find, we will.

With the luck of the Irish on my side this morning, mom, my husband and I went to one of those warehouse places that we have been visiting for the last few weeks and went bonkers on the food. Its all things we eat at the house. We had to protect our stash because ravenous hausefrauen were eye-balling our stuff. MINE!

After we came home and sorted though everything we of course had to call my mother-in-law to brag - she appreciates these kinds of things :) - then I sat down afterwards to calculate our savings via a spreadsheet. Enjoy! For the retail, I rounded down or up. The difference is by $0.01 cent. And I used the average of three local stores, that I normally coupon at, that carry these products.

It came out to a saving of  +/- 70.36 %. Not bad for a Saturday morning. Happy St. Patty's Day!

ps: I had to adjust, I forgot to double check with receipt. I was too excited to post!

Done & Donations

So the BEST part of this past Saturday (not including working) was that we got a HUGE donation!! A mom stopped by and dropped off 5 garbage bags full of JF & YA NEW BOOKS from her daughter! My coworker and I were as giddy as fan girls. So after we sorted through the bags, they filled a double book cart.

I had to take pictures!! Of course! I made sure we got the contact info down so that my superiors will  send the daughter a nice thank you letter. 

This chart was happily pushed by our Children's Librarian to her office this morning where she is now going through the books to see what will be put on our shelves.

 

Awesome! So wonderful! Thank you!

So the other news is that B1 is done! PHEW! I sent it off to my sister and a friend. I hope that they find the time to snuggle up with it and take notes, ready to give me an email/ear full of criticism. *glares at them* We all went to art school! We know how to critique!! :)

After that, I'm going on the hunt for a literary agent. So scary....so scary..... I rather take it and hide but I got this far, I'm not going to give up now. Another local library carries the literary agent guide in their reference section. I just have to find time to head down there and spend lots of time going through it. I don't quite know where to begin. And I hope all my my research pays off. I've never been good at selling myself - which is the goal of the query letter. So nervous, so nervous. Hrm, looking at my calendar now, in two weeks I'll be nearby for an appt. I will do it then.

Yeah, this one is kinda short and sweet. Just been busy with work and life. Next month I will be celebrating my one year wedding anniversary. I cannot believe I have been married for one year! A lot has happened this year. A lot.

How many times can someone be honest?

Unlike what the title suggests, this entry is not about how lame people are even though I can fill an entry on that subject.

I am almost done attacking my manuscript with the red pen before Ahead, I have the tedious task of putting the corrections into the computer. As I reached the last two chapters last night, I realized something - it's amazing how many 'bastards', 'honestly', and 'surprisingly' there were. Nice to know that everyone in my story are bastards.

I suddenly thought of a Father Ted sketch (older BBC show about a weird priest living out in an island near Ireland) and his house matron was talking about books she was reading and I remembered one, "In her book it was 'bastard this' and 'bastard that'! It was wall-to-wall bastards!" Makes me chuckle thinking about it.

It just meant that I replaced half of them with other bastard-flavored words. And happily pulled out the Thesaurus for the others or took them out completely. 

As I was going through it this time, I took out some nonsensical things making room for two tiny scenes that seemed a bit more essential. And I made it clear from the beginning through one of those tiny scenes that my heroine's sister receives letters. I kept thinking, "If writing her is a big deal, why am I mentioning it later on?" Solved. Auntie sees the first letter, I throw in more information about my heroine's dead folks and that the sister IS alive. Because the way I had it originally, I would have easily assumed she was dead.

The last one is towards the end. My ruler runs into old friends (nothing bad happens) but seeing a pair of them makes him remember his goal, his promise. I realized that I had been creeping his past into this also. Well, I better push the point. I can't take them out because of the prologue.

My heroine will soon realize that things are definitely not what they seem.

30th Birthday reminds me of Xmas 2007

I turn 30 today. One would not think that a number can be so important. but it's not only a number, it's a reminder of where you are in life.

Today made me think of Xmas 2007. That year I had just moved into my apartment, I finally had unpacked and was proud of where I had been and how far I had come. But also, that year, I was alone for the holidays. I had $9.87 in the bank which was enough to buy me a small piece of deli ham, a sweet potatoe and a slice of cheesecake from Target - my Yule dinner. I had no internet yet, and drove 20 minutes to the nearest Kinkos to realize that even they close. I remember how the streets of Tampa seemed so quiet on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was even quieter.

But even though I was alone and it was mildly depressing, it doesn't compare to today. Looking back, that was the best holiday I ever had. I caught up on sewing projects, watched old VHS that I had not seen in years (I also had no cable), worked on my book (probably the first time I pulled it out in 2 years) and enjoyed my little library that I created from the predesignated dining room area. I sat out on that massive balcony and drank tea, listening to the rustling of the oak trees while the radio played Christmas tunes in the background.

That calmness and tranquility was something I had sought for and finally found.

Today, I am far from that balcony. My library sits in boxes in a storage unit. I live in an 8x10 box where no music or singing is allowed. And I work part-time at minimum wage. I AM happy to have a job. A very good one, in fact. I AM lucky to not be homeless but its not where I ever imagined myself at the age of 30.

My birthday greetings mostly came in the form of SPAM bots and automatically generated messages instead of people. I did get one early Bday wish from a friend. Thank you. This year I received two cards - one from my aunt and the other from my mother. My sister called yesterday and got the boys to wish me a Happy Birthday. Even though Aiden thought it was his birthday all over again. :)


Well, Happy Birthday to me. Welcome to the age where the younger coworkers think you are snobby and not hip and you are too young for the older coworkers to take seriously. :/

German Makes Me Think of Alice

It has been a productive couple of weeks. What started out as mere whimsical resolutions seem to turn into concrete stone. Always a good thing.

1. Getting healthy: not merely just weight loss. Anyone can do that. I started this wonderful transition in May 2007 after 3 light bulbs went off at the same time. Today, I am 100 lbs down and 20 more away from my goal. maybe numbers but my health has increased significantly. No more tendonitis, no more embarrassing smelly skin issues/irritations (I seriously believed I had leprosy). My asthma is nearly inexsistant. No more tiredness or fatigue. And I can sleep. Best of all, the female parts are working. Last year, I gained some of the weight back after a back/shoulder injury, lost the numbers and went down a few inches. Towards then end of the year, it was just inches - and you know what? That's fine.

2. Lernen Deutsch. Ernshaft!: I had the awesome privilege of learning German while on one of my 90 stays in Switzerland. Only A1 but it was awesome. It helped as i traveled alone often. Able to hold basic crude conversations with people expanded my experience. I am a fool to let that opportunity go to waste. My husband found Deutsch-Welle. They have a Sprachkurs for A1, A2, B1 and then, they have another set for B2. Its online, interactive and so far, I am enjoying it. DW-TV shows programs from Euromaxx, Dw-TV news and others programs and you can subscribe to their YouTube account and they sent you news and videos 3x a day to view. Then I started reading what was on Yahoo.de keeping to the less complicated subjects like - so no politics and economy. I need my sister to find me 2 books to send. I hope to be able to dedicate 30min daily.

3. I want my Masters: it's been 6 years since my Bachelors and I am in a good job and a good place to consider thinking about it again. I just pray that the money will come from somewhere. After spending feeling blessed that an academic advisor was willing to waste an hour knowing that I want to not attend their community college; she helped me understand the process into going back to school. I checked out from my library the GRE study guide for 2012 and pulled my VIP status and yoinked the always-checked-out 2012 scholarship bible. I will start looking through those Monday. My goal is to take the GRE in the next 8 months.

4. Manuscript: After 15 years of these people living in my head, the first part of this universe is almost at an end. Honestly, I never believed it would be brought to life in text. I had concluded that they would just stay in my head. I look forward to the road ahead for this journey. A new and uncharted experience that almost scares the living day-lights out of me. I am waiting to hear word from my sister if she read 3/3. The ending was something I struggled with for a year.

Last night, my husband and I stood at Reepicheep's grave. I had planted a lovely pink flowering bush where she was buried. I figure the color was appropriate since she did die from mammary tumors. I was talking to her - she filled my lonely hours when I was single.

Then after my German lessons this morning, I was reading an article on Yahoo.de about body weight and models. I learned two new words (amongst many unknown ones). Both are adjectives: mollig = plump, dumpy (if referring to bedding = snug, cozy) and mager= skinny, thin.

Made my think of a character in my book. She once started off as a fun character and had suddenly become a more prominent background character, whom wants more face in my stories. I fleshed out a stunning background for her back in 2007 while on a plane ride to Switzerland. During that time, I made a small layout of a story, just for her. I based her personality off of Justin (my very first rat who was much too intelligent to be a normal smart rat). I jokingly used to say that Justin was the incarnate of a great mathematician and architect. I turned that mathematician into Alice. Weird, quirky and does not look like everybody else. Royalty that lives in the boonies. She was raised by German nobility. When I looked up the word, mollig. I thought of her.

And it made the hamster wheel turn even more as I began to think of a lot more things.