Tag: coffee

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late nights, early mornings

I’m in Raleigh, NC, for Pendomonium, a conference for software company Pendo.io as a work thing this week. I flew in on Monday, getting to my hotel at around midnight. I couldn’t sleep. I got maybe two hours, all told.

Yesterday was the first day of the conference, and boy, I struggled to stay awake at points. Lots of good things to learn and some networking.

Last night I got about 4.5 hours of sleep. I could lay down right now and sleep, but day two starts in about a half an hour, so…

Tonight, I NEED to get to sleep early. There may be some Benadryl in my evening meds. My alarm is set for 2 am for a 5 am flight.

I think I’m getting too old for the late night, early morning thing that I used to do with no problem. I’m not quite ready to give up gig nights, but between two gigs in two nights in August, and two days at Pendomonium, I think I’m getting to the point of needing to space them out more.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Oh, yeah! And you can now buy my books in my SHOP! Get yours now! Forever is on sale for the whole month of October, and Tonight is FREE for October.

I need more coffee…

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goodbye 2023

It wasn’t the worst year on record, but it wasn’t the best either. It was a year of ups and downs, turn arounds and backflips.

It was the first full year without my father in this world, my first Christmas without him. There was a lot of added responsibility with taking care of my stepmother and getting her settled into a life without him.

My pupper filled a hole in me that I wasn’t even aware I had, and I love her so completely. She gets me out of the house daily, and I’ve met some cool folks because of her.

I almost lost my 16 year old kitty, but she’s feeling so much better now and was even playing a little this morning. Now if I can just get her to eat the right food and take her meds.

I spent a lot of time with family this year, including a week-long vacation in NOLA with my Mom and brother. I didn’t do a whole lot of writing, but I’m happy with the writing I did do. Wrote a poem a day in November.

I probably drank too much, and I definitely ate stuff I probably shouldn’t have. Re-watched favorite shows and started a few new ones. Lost my facebook account, ditched X/Twitter, fell in love with Threads. Played around a little with AI art using my own photography as a base. Asked AI to tell me about myself and laughed at the results (what it got right was okay, what it got wrong was a lot and hilarious).

Looking forward to the new year. Hoping for a promotion on the day job. Want to finish at least one of the WIPs. Want to travel more.

First up in that regard is a solo trip to Disneyland in January. I’ve never done it alone, so it should be interesting. I plan to spend a lot of time hanging out in Batuu. I may take a notebook and do some writing there.

Also attending my first Supernatural convention in July. It’s the first time I’ve had the money to do what I need to do to handle my agoraphobia (front row seats) at the same time as they went on sale.

And on that note, my coffee is almost gone, the cat needs meds, and I should get this last Saturday of the year on it’s feet.

Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash

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taking care of me

A few months ago, routine bloodwork came back showing that I am anemic. More bloodwork showed that I was severely anemic. What can I say, when I do something I like to go big. I’ve been on iron since and today I’m going in for a colonoscopy and endoscopy to determine if there is any internal cause.

I also need to go get labs done to see if taking the iron has helped, but I’ll do that tomorrow. My appointment with hematology is mid-January, so I need to get it done soon so that they will have the results.

Next up on my healthcare goals is getting my Nexplanon implant removed, setting up a mammogram, and getting back to the dentist.

It’s hard work, this getting older thing. 

In the meantime, I carry on with the day job and writing when I can. I really want a cup of coffee.

Alas, nothing by mouth until after the procedure.

What’s on your agenda this Wednesday before Christmas, readers?

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time journeys on

It is hard to believe that we are at the midpoint of December. It’s been a year of status quo, travel, and challenge. For a good chunk of the year, I’ve felt stuck in a rut, but I’ve also traveled to a number of places I’ve never been before (and a few I have).

Mom and I took a road trip north of here, into gold country. We visited little towns and historical sites. We took lots of pictures. On the drive home, I learned that she wanted to visit New Orleans. New Orleans has been on my bucket list for a long time.

Next thing I know, we’re planning a week in NOLA, with my brother coming along for the ride. We did all the touristy things and even caught a Saints football game.

I also got back to Austin in August, and a few trips to Tucson to help my stepmother. Racking up the air miles! 

But here we are, December 16…Christmas is just 9 days away. The new year is just 7 days beyond that and we’ll be in 2024. There was a time in my life when that seemed impossible. It’s going to be a consequential year. Everything is on the line in the November election. It is easy to sink into despair over the state of things, but I choose optimism.

I choose to believe that Americans have seen the chaos of the last two years and will do the right thing to protect our democracy. Anything else is unthinkable.

These heavy thoughts brought to you by a lack of caffeine. I best get to pouring my first cup of Death Wish Coffee. Y’all have a great Saturday, Readers. 

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changing gears

I’ve felt stymied on Book 4 of the Blood Witch Saga for months on end. I stare at the page and I type a few words, but I’m stuck.

So, yesterday I broke out one of the other works in progress, “The Daughters of Morru” which has been languishing on my hard drive for over a year. I read through the first three chapters yesterday after work and I can feel inspiration for the story. 

I am going to focus on that for a bit, see if I can’t shake loose some of this writer’s block. 

It is always a fun thing to reconnect with characters you love, whether as a writer or a reader. Hell, even as a watcher of movies/tv. It’s why we rewatch favorite shows.

I’m not sure if this will be a stand alone or develop into something more, but I have a good idea where the story is going, and how to get there from where I am.

I think I’ll read some more while I sip on my morning cup of coffee.

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kindness matters

One of the best things in the whole world, for me anyway, is giving to those who have nothing, no way to repay a kindness. Sometimes this takes the form of buying breakfast for an unhoused person, sometimes it’s five bucks to get someone home on the train.

When I’m feeling down, I seek out someone who needs something I can provide. But it is important to me that I don’t just hand them a cup of coffee. That isn’t where the kindness lives. It lives in listening to their stories, in letting them talk if they want to. It’s in sitting on a curb sipping coffee with them.

Yesterday, my mother and I spent the day putting together care packages for the homeless. We got a hygiene kit together (toothbrush/paste, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, lip balm, etc), added a hat and gloves, a pair of socks, then we packed some food in. A mandarin orange, peanut butter sandwich, some crackers, cookies, trail mix, and some holiday cheer in the form of candy.

We ended up with twenty care packages that are currently in my car. On my way home, I stopped twice to hand out bags to two gentlemen I see fairly regularly. One of them wanted to give me something in return. He was sweet, and told me a long, rambling story of how he got the piece he was giving to me, and how special it is. Doesn’t matter that it’s just a bit of plastic that broke off of some decorative thing. It was about him feeling like he had something to give me in return.

Today, Mom and I are taking the packages to an encampment of homeless folks, along with some blankets. It is starting to be cold here, especially at night, and while we don’t get snow and all that, the cold can still be deadly.

Kindness matters. Spread some around.

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dragging myself out of bed

Yesterday was the absolute worst day of this cold. I hardly slept the night before due to coughing and sinus pain/pressure, and the cough was just killing me. I took the day off sick.

I drank Nyquil and snuggled into a blanket/pillow fort on the couch and watched a bunch of Leverage episodes. I coughed up junk and went through a box of kleenex. I only left the house to take the dog to the park and to take my mother to her sleep study.

After dropping Mom off, I crawled into my bed, put on a long ASMR video and drifted into a Nyquil fueled coma. I didn’t get a lot MORE sleep than the night before, but it was all in one solid chunk, and that seems to have made all the difference. I’m feeling much better this morning!

I did, however, have to drag myself out of bed before I wanted to so that I could go pick up my mother by 5:30 am. I am hoping that now that I’m feeling more like myself I can actually get some work done on both my day job and my house.

I need a second cup of coffee first, though.

Hoping your Wednesday is fabulous, Readers!

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a writer writing

I’ll admit, I’m struggling a little this week. I have a bit of a head cold and the accompanying fatigue has made it difficult to get stuff done. And there is so much to do!

However, there’s some Death Wish Coffee in my Star Wars “Pew Pew” cup, my throat is less sore and my space heater is making my office a little more cozy.

I’m working on book 4 in the Blood Witch Saga. I’m pretty sure where the plot is going, but this first draft is pretty rough and will take a lot of editing. This is largely due to the disconnected way I’ve been writing. The opening is way too slow and I need to get to the action faster. But, I will continue writing and come back to the edit later.

In this book, Thána and Co., including the ghost of an ancestor, are off to save magic. You can expect more world hopping, necromancy, possession, probably some new races/languages, and some mythological creatures.

You know, the usual.

For now though, I need to finish this cup of coffee and get the day job started. So much to do!

Oh, and don’t forget my giveaway! You can win a hardback copy of the first three books in the Blood Witch Saga.

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numbers add up

On one hand, this week just disappeared. On the other hand, well it was a week.

When I first started my adult career, I worked in data. I was good at it, but it didn’t really fulfill me. Then I recognized a need for someone to take over writing a number of policies and procedures and I did both for a long time. Eventually, I found my way into a job that was 90% writing and it felt like coming home.

I’ve been a technical writer for over 20 years now, and yet, somehow, data still finds its way into my work day. This week that was NPS scores. Because I own the tool that allows us to pop up NPS scores directly in our platform, it falls to me to do the read out. My VP asked me yesterday to share our current NPS scores and some awesome comments in our “Weekly Wins” call. That lead to being asked to do a deep dive to provide info to our Marketing team and our CTO.

We’ve been running the survey since May of this year, and we currently sit at a solid 50, which is pretty damn good.

But now it’s the weekend and I’m hoping to get some writing done, clean the house, take the dog to the park, grocery shopping with Mom, etc. Right this minute, however, I have some Death Wish Coffee in my cup and a blank page staring at me.

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most of us

Democracy won in a lot of places last night.

I don’t write much about politics on this blog, but I am a political person. I am a liberal and progressive. I believe in LGBTQIA+ rights, voting rights, and the right of women to control their own bodies.

Last night women and Gen Z turned out and told Republicans that they are out of touch with the majority of Americans.

The thing is, most of us don’t want to go backward. Most of us want more rights, not less. Most of us want to let LGBTQIA+ live their lives and have the same rights that everyone else does. Most of us want everyone to have the chance to vote. Most of us want women to be able to make decisions about their own bodies. Most of us don’t buy into the conspiracy theories.

Republicans seem to be stuck in a mindset that most of us don’t share.

Now, we just need to carry that momentum into next year. And I need another cup of coffee.