Tag: moving

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life, writing, and muddling through

It feels trivial somehow to talk about the mundane aspects of a mundane life when around the world people are suffering and dying in zones of war, bombs falling from the sky, buildings reduced to rubble and scared populations huddle in the dark or flee desperately to foreign lands.

At the same time, for those of us not in that immediate situation, life continues at its regular, mundane pace and so we go on.

In writing news, The Daughters of Morru is now available over on my Patreon page for all Patrons at the Enablers tier ($3 /month) and up. Chapters are posted every Sunday. So far three chapters are available.

I continue in my quest to write a poem per day, with first access to those available on either my Patreon page (for all Patrons $1 and up) and my Ko-Fi page (for all supporters, even 1 time donors). So far I’ve only missed one day, due to an accident that left me a bit concussed and rendered my muse mute.

I continue to settle into the new place, getting a little more comfortable every day. I now have an actual kitchen table and chairs, which I haven’t had in close to ten years. I’m almost feeling like a proper grown up!

I’m hoping my Death Wish Coffee order shows up soon, or I may have to resort to Starbucks this week! Fortunately, there’s a Starbucks walking distance from my house…I just need to find my make up to cover up my bruised up face (I look like someone punched me right between my eyes).

But, it’s almost time to start the day job and I still have today’s poem to write, so I shall leave you to your Tuesday, Readers. I hope it is filled with kindness and good things!

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books!

I read a lot of books. Like, a lot. My bookshelves are always overflowing. I read a lot of different kinds of books: sci-fi, fantasy, biographies, classic literature, books about religion and history, books about current or recent events, true crime…with lots of stops along the way.

I have recently been dipping my toe into books about business and industry, largely due to my day job sponsoring a book a month, which we get together (virtually) to discuss. This is a genre I’ve always struggled with, largely due to my rebellious nature. I tend to buck the status quo and dislike the homogenization that industry seems to require.

In a normal time, I have two or three books that I’m in the midst of, usually one non-fiction, one fantasy or sci fi and possibly a book of poetry or an anthology of short stories. In the last year or so, however, I’ve had trouble focusing on much. I’m reading in an all or nothing sort of way. I’m either reading or I’m not and I can not seem to deal with more than one book at a time.

Considering the size of my TBR pile, this is problematic! I got a new bookshelf yesterday, so I can finally get those boxes out of the garage later today. The house is coming together. I have a table and chairs coming today, and a few other things as well.

I hope your Wednesday is filled with wonder, Readers, wonder and joy.

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

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nesting

I have arrived at my favorite part of moving: the nesting phase. There is something satisfying about finding new homes for your things and settling into the new routine.

This house has more storage space than the old one, and an extra bedroom that will likely become the craft room. There is also an extra bathroom and an actual place for a kitchen table. There are also stairs, which one of the kitties thinks is the best thing ever.

The downstairs bedroom is now my office and it has a sizeable closet which, when combined with an actual craft room, means my office will stay cleaner because I don’t have to empty the closet every time I’m looking for something!

There is still so much unpacking to do, but I have today and tomorrow to devote to it, and that should get me to a good place.

The cats are getting used to the place, and getting used to being indoor kitties again. The old house was on a quiet street where I didn’t have to worry about them being outside. The new house is in a much busier neighborhood with cars going by at all hours and kids walking to and from school and the small shopping center around the corner. The doorbell camera is getting a good workout.

I should have my tax refund this week, so I’ll be able to go get myself a washer and dryer for further settling in (and not having to schlep laundry around).

In writing news, I slapped together some poetry this morning. If you’re interested, have a gander: morning-news.

The coffee cup is empty, so I guess that means it’s time to get to work. Have a wonderful Saturday, Readers!

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and we’re done

Well, not quite *done* exactly. I have finished at the old home. Yesterday I went back to get my succulents and other odds and ends that got left on moving day, and with the help of a friend, we cleaned the place to the point where it is cleaner than it was when I moved in, other than 12-year-old cream-colored carpets that wouldn’t come clean even with bleach.

I have today off work, ostensibly for settling in, but I’m pretty wiped out today, and sore all over. If nothing else today, I need to finish emptying the truck and put the plants out back so I can take the truck back to my sister-in-law and get my car back.

Then I can take the week to slowly begin unpacking. I may try to finish setting up the kitchen today so I can cook an actual meal this evening. My next most important bit is the office, so that it’s set up Wednesday when the cable installer is here.

Once that stuff is done, I think I’ll set myself a goal of at least two boxes per day to get emptied and all the stuff in them can find a home. I have so much more storage in this house! Plus a whole two-car garage, where even more can be stowed.

I still need to come up with a kitchen table and chairs and a washer/dryer, but I figure that’s what tax refunds are for.

I also have a lengthy wish list on Amazon of things I need or would be nice to have in the house. The longer I’m here, the longer the list gets. (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2XS9D465BNIUP?ref_=wl_share if you’re so inclined).

The cats are starting to settle in. They’ve discovered the joys of a front-facing window on a street with lots going on, and Freya thinks the stairs are an amusement park ride.

For now, however, I’m sipping on some Death Wish Coffee and contemplating a hot shower. I might even find some writing time at some point today. Does anyone know which box I packed Brain, my muse, in?

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do what you love

When I was younger, I used to hear the adage “Do what you love, love what you do,” but I don’t remember knowing too many people who loved what they did for a living. I don’t remember a single adult in my life as a child who didn’t spend more time complaining about the day job and trying to get away from their day job than they did talking pleasantly about coworkers or the actual work.

I was also led to believe that no one “normal” can make ends meet as a creative. All the musicians I knew had day jobs. The only writers I knew of were those lucky ones who escaped the day job by sheer talent and perfect time/place. Art was something for personal satisfaction, not something you could expect to make a living at.

I don’t think I set out to find a job that I loved as much as I do the technical writer career I sort of backed into by accident over twenty years ago, but here I am. It is so satisfying to know every day that I get to do something that I am remarkably good at, something that I love, something that allows me to impact not just the company’s end users, but the actual development of the product and how it is presented to those users.

That isn’t to say that there isn’t stress, or that I don’t have days where I just…don’t want to…but even on those days I still love what I’m doing.

I get to solve puzzles, troubleshoot software, wrestle with words and constantly refine language and it’s use one our product and in our online help. It isn’t something I’d thought I’d be doing when I left high school, but I feel it is exactly where I was meant to end up.

Happy Wednesday, Readers! I have so much to do, both for the day job and for the moving work. Tomorrow it’s a half-day’s work, and then I’m off to start the job of hauling my belongings from one place to the other. Take care of you and those around you. Be kind and be happy.

Photo by Christopher Beloch on Unsplash

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the light at the end of the tunnel

I’m nine days away from moving day, and let me tell you, I’m exhausted. There is light at the end of the tunnel, there’s just a lot of tunnel between me and that light.

I’m surrounded by boxes and bins. They’re stacked everywhere. I’ve got a wall of boxes in the office. There’s a bunch of boxes stacked in front of the closet in my bedroom. The entertainment center in the living room is surrounded by boxes. The dining area is starting to look like a tower of boxes.

It’s hard to believe there could still be anything to pack. However, there seems to be stuff everywhere that still needs to fit into boxes. And I’m still living in this house, so not everything can get packed.

Being a very Virgo Virgo, I have lists for packing, cleaning, things that need to be done two days out, one day out, and the day of moving. There is a satisfaction that comes with checking off boxes.

I go out to the new place on Sunday to sign the lease and do the walk through with the landlady. She even has a checklist for inspecting every room.

For now, though, I have some Death Wish coffee in my Stormtrooper Pew-Pew mug, and lots of work for the day job to get done.

Have a great Thursday, Readers.

Photo by Manikandan Annamalai on Unsplash

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moving right along

I have found my new home! In a little under two weeks, I will be moving to a lovely little townhouse in Stockton, CA. Good thing I was already mostly packed up.

Between here and there I have a lot of cleaning to do and packing to finish. I plan on making a few runs with my sister-in-law’s truck filled with boxes, so there is less the movers have to do. Movers are pricey.

My new place is a small three bedroom, with lots of storage and two full bathrooms. Not that I need two full bathrooms, but you know. And a garage. I’ve never lived as an adult in a place where I had a garage. There’s a fireplace in the living room and laminate floors throughout, goodbye carpet!

It has a cute little balcony on the second floor, perfect for a little coffee spot. I’m also enjoying “shopping” for things I’ll need, by which I mean, throwing all the things I want on a wish list, which can double as an idea list for anyone wanting to do housewarming gifts.

I’m excited to get my new kitchen aid mixer set up in my new kitchen!

I generally dislike moving, at least this part of it. I love setting up a new house though. It’s amazing how much work there is to get done!

My coffee cup is nearing empty, so I guess that means I should get busy. May today be filled with kindness, Readers!

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#amwriting

Sunday, Sunday…this week Sunday means writing, cleaning, and packing/moving boxes to clean. Oh, and refreshing my hair color. I’m trying a slightly darker green this time. Sunday is also the day I watch paranormal type shows. I’m currently binging on Ghost Hunters Classic on Discovery.

I’m working on the zero draft of a book I didn’t know I was writing, a fourth book in the Blood Witch Saga. I didn’t know there was a fourth until I wrote the epilogue of book 3.

Still working on finding a new house to move to. I’ve seen a couple that I really loved, but the last one went to a veteran and his family, and the landlady in the other is taking her sweet time to decide.

I hate this part, the search and what feels like begging for a home.

I have tomorrow off for MLK Jr. day, so I’ll get a little extra writing time this week, which is always nice. I have a vague idea where this story is going, a few plot points along the way and I know (mostly) how it ends. This is the part of writing that I love the most, feeling my way through the plot, building new worlds, creating new characters.

I should get up and get busy with stuff that doesn’t include the computer. There are boxes to move and floors to be cleaned, etc.

Hope your day is awesome, Readers!

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ease on down

It’s been a hell of a year, hasn’t it?

On the one hand, it feels like 2021 flew by and I have no idea how we’re in the last week of the year. On the other hand, the events of January 2021 feel like they were two years ago, not one.

A lot changed for me this year.

I got laid off of a job I was enjoying, but which didn’t pay me well. I struggled financially to the point of needing to be bailed out by friends. I applied for, and received, rent relief from the California government (though it took forever). I started a new job on my birthday that I both love and that rewards me financially (and treats me like a grown up adult person). I finished writing two books and started querying with the first one in the series (still querying).

And here at the tail end of the year, I’ve made the decision to move closer to my family, now that I have a job that is permanently remote.

It seems somehow fitting to be at the end of the year and packing up my life. It gives me a chance to review all the steps that brought me here…to clear out what is no longer necessary and savor the things I love. Quite fitting for this time of year, I think.

I haven’t heard back yet on the house I want. The landlady made it clear when I applied that she’s “looking for the right tenant” so she is taking her time making the decision. I am still looking, but there were very few listings in the week leading up to Christmas, so I anticipate I should start seeing more listings next week.

In writing news this week, I wrote the epilogue for the third blood witch book, and it surprised me by leaving an opening for a fourth book…which I then wrote the first chapter for, so that’s a thing that is happening.

I have this whole week off from the day job, and I’m using it to both write and get myself packed up. It’s about time I got off the computer, cranked up some tunes, and got busy. Y’all take care, Readers, and ease on into 2022.

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rainy monday

It’s a rainy Monday here in California. The cats are both curled up sleeping. My bathroom floor is flooded (landlord hasn’t fixed the leaky roof yet). I’ve been at the computer since 5am.

There’s so much going on it feels weird to just be sitting here.

I think I found a new house, so I’ll likely be moving in January. Which means packing over the holidays. Fortunately, I have more than a week off to do it in.

I really dislike moving, but I really need to get out of this place I’m in. And this place I looked at yesterday was really cute. I’ve already started packing, and my aim is to do at least 3 boxes per day going forward. I’ve emptied the TBR bookshelf already. Tonight I think I will tackle the big book shelf in the office.

One thing that’s nifty about packing though? You find things you forgot that you owned. I found attachments to my vacuum cleaner I don’t remember ever seeing. I found my Wii, and a stash of old photos.

And while the act of moving sucks, the idea of a new place is luring.

I better get back to the day job, Readers. Happy Monday!

Photo by reza shayestehpour on Unsplash