Restlessness, Noise, and the Dog Days of Summer

Restlessness and Noise

*Formatting fixed*

I am normally pretty restless during the month of August and this year even more so.

The uncertainty of how school will begin here is still in discussion.  

I had an opportunity to apply for Midget to attend a local charter school in July. 

 While I haven’t received an acceptance letter, I was emailed that she had been accepted. 

Midget is really looking forward to her new school but we don’t know what it will look like yet.  

Normally there is a new student orientation in August. We aren’t sure what supplies are needed as it’s a blended format but I’m going ahead and getting the basics now-backpack, calculator, pens/pencils, etc., things she will definitely use.

Even the sky is restless at this time of year with the Persied Meteor shower peaking tonight!

https://www.space.com/perseid-meteor-shower-2020-webcasts.html

Fun August Fact: 

 

I turned off all electronics for several hours this afternoon and it was uncomfortably  quiet.  I am really making an effort to do reduce the ‘noise’ around me. (As I type this with a Star Wars movie in the background).

I hadn’t realized how dependent on the background noise I’d become. 

 I’d been making sure I have a tablet charged for day and for night. I had been putting on a YouTube video to be able to fall asleep and it is usually a documentary on volcanoes or some other disaster.

I also realized that I have been using melatonin, Benadryl, or a sip of cough syrup every night to go to sleep.   #confessions

 

I am fairly certain that this noise has been a contributing factor to my anxiety. 

My brain simply hasn’t had a chance to truly disconnect for a long time; toss in the extremely chaotic time we are living in it’s no wonder I’m a mess this week!

Last night I decided to make some changes.  It was surprisingly difficult to do it and it felt very uncomfortable.  I tossed and turned a LOT but I eventually fell asleep at some point. 

I probably only got a cumulative 4 hours of sleep but it has to start somewhere!

 

I will be shutting everything off at 9 pm and will read to wind down instead. It’s important for me to establish a healthier routine.

 

I will be heading out to my patio for self care in just a bit.  (taken this afternoon)

 

I want to take my camera and take a day drive this weekend.  I want to keep it a bit spontaneous so I’m not really planning anything. It will be a ‘the tank is full let’s see where the road leads us.” 

I usually do a summer photo shoot and haven’t really done that this year. I took a vacation to the Oregon Coast and shot a few but I’d like to post more than ocean waves and boats in a harbor lol.

                                  *obligatory ocean wave picture*

 

I’ve also been working on writing a bit.  It’s only a note to my outlines, or maybe a paragraph or two. 

 

I’m hoping that by reducing the noise around me I will be able to quiet some of my restlessness.

 

Are you more restless this year? Are you finding yourself hiding behind noise?  I’d love to hear how you are doing. 

We are in this together!

 

Until next time,

-R

 

The First Day Of School Blues And Other Misc. Tidbits

                                 

The thoughts running through my brain this morning:

YAY! She won't be bored.

Sigh. My girl is growing up so fast.

Wahoo I have free time!

I have no idea what to do-wait, I know-I can blog! (Especially since I am long overdue).

Ready to roll!

 We've had several adventures  with a couple of basic meltdowns tossed in the mix.  She was a bit bored this time around but it ended up on a higher note when all the kids around here settled down for the rest of the summer and began their daily games of zombies, army, and Minecraft. 

I've been posting tidbits on social media over the summer so most of you have gotten a glimpse of how it's gone. Update: the peppermint oil worked.  My car is now spiderless. 

My girl turned 10!

 This past weekend, Mariah had a birthday and entered double-digit territory.  I'm feeling sense of loss as she's my youngest. I'm also amazed at how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating kindergarten.  My girl is growing up!

We were going over some things for this school year and I had to have the talk.  You know the ones moms have with their daughters:

BOYS

She's  complained for the last month about the boys acting stupid and dumb.  I had to explain to her that boys are kind of silly at this age and to just go play somewhere else. She told me she plans to terrorize them at school and I immediately asked what she meant. 

"I'm going to chase them at recess all over the playground."

 Oh, Mariah,  you might want to rethink that strategy.

 And so it begins.

In other news, two of my favorite bands have released EPs over the summer.

Dead End Sky released Tomorrow Can't Wait and my favorite track is still Always followed by Only One Tear Left.

Letters From the Fire released their self-titled EP and I've absolutely fallen  for the track Waiting followed closely by Zombies in the Sun.

My beloved LUX series by Jennifer Armentrout was completed over the summer.  I felt all ends were tied up well and it was not lackluster or contrived.  One thing about this author is that whenever she writes a series, it's well thought out from beginning to end before she goes to print.

 Many of her books follow a similar pattern but she has a real gift for making them unique so reading them is not redundant. She is one of two authors that I have loved every book they've written. The other is Anne McCaffrey.

What's coming up for me:

My own writing has been sporadic this summer and one goal I have is to work my novels this fall. 

I also plan to get out and about to assorted locations to see what Autumn colors I can photograph. I also want to work on photographing people.  I've been asked to shoot several events this summer and declined because I'm afraid it would end up in disaster.  So I want to get my confidence up before I take one so important.

I will also be putting a lot of effort into learning how to use my Adobe Elements so I can take the step into Lightroom/Photoshop. I thank you all for the compliments about my existing work that you've given me-they mean a lot.  I always said I'd stay au-naturale, but to get a bit more of what I want in a finished product a tiny bit of editing would clear up the things that irk me. (washed out skies, hazy backgrounds, etc.)

There are a few other things going on in my life that I will blog about soon, but in my goal of keeping it as close to 500 words as possible,  they will have to wait.

Until next time,

Robyn :)

Note: Due to circumstances I have had to alter my workout regime.  I am happy to report my health is slowly heading an encouraging direction!

Why I Love YA/NA Books And Other Musings

Yet another 'two blog posts in a day' anomaly. I was encouraged to make my blog posts a bit shorter and make them more frequently-let's face it, I can get wordy.

I get a lot of eyebrow raising and ribbing because I prefer to read YA/NA (Young Adult/New Adult) books. Don’t get me wrong-I love reading almost everything but I prefer this niche.

 I know people don’t get why I do but despite what you might think, most YA is well-written. Yes there are the epic fails, but those occur within any genre. Blaming YA/NA books for ruining literature as we know it? I say BS, baby.

With the influx of books to read in the genre, it’s actually upped readership overall. People who haven’t read in years have found a gateway through YA/NA. Some stay tethered to it while others branch out to other areas of literature. I stay centered in YA but I read everything except extensive self-help books.  Those just don’t do anything for me.

Some of the best books I’ve ever read in my life were YA/NA.  (Anne McCaffrey and John Green I’m looking at you). I’ve read a few YA/NA series’ several times over and they never get old or lose their appeal for me.

Someone asked me how I could read kid’s books at my age. First off, I make no bones about being an old lady with a young heart.  And secondly I don’t read kids books. I do write them, however. Some of you pre-read “Mommy are you Broken” for me about The Midget’s issues when I had my surgeries).

It’s completed and edited, but on hold for now while I decide  whether or not to write a couple more and release them as a series. The kid book market is one of the hardest to break into in the business, so I want to make sure the quality and marketability for it is top notch before I toss it out and shop it.

Another thing I get is “How can you write that stuff?” when dealing with sensitive or gritty subject matter, or even language. It can be difficult to separate the writer from the character.  It can be difficult for me to write, but it’s a process and character development is its own beast. 

Some things I’m working on are very gritty and raw and show sides of human nature that is at its basest level. Again, that’s the character, not me. I’m not writing anything too over the top, rest assured. Sometimes I draw from my own experiences to add depth to a character, sometimes it writes itself and I can only hang on and go for the ride.

I’m a very emotional person and I can relate to the intense and gut wrenching all over the place emotion that is written into these books. Of course my memories of my teens were old school-before the age of tech. The internet didn’t even exist then. Books were my main escape and I read nearly anything I could get my hands on. I just related to YA/NA more.

I love it all-paranormal, dystopian post-apocalyptic, fantasy, and so on. 

I just like what I like. You shouldn't feel like you are cornered just because you read it. We have a finite number of days in this life and it’s too short not to do what you love, unless you are a serial killer but that’s a discussion for another day.

I've decided to take part in a read along for one of my favorite series and I’m kind of excited about it. I’ve never taken part in one and while I’m much older that most of them, I still feel the same enthusiasm that they do. One thing I found interesting is that a large majority of YA/NA readers are older-not always as old as me, but you get the idea. 

Often times when I’m making new online friends I start with “your favorite old lady from Idaho.” (Because I AM old).  Some find me odd, others get where I’m coming from. Once you get over your initial head scratching and trying to figure me out, you’ll find I’m just as complex and nutty as everyone else on this planet-but most of all I am sincere.  I just happen to have the mindset of a twenty-something. It’s led to some interesting adventures.

 A big home project is to sort through my bookcases and donate the books I don’t want or read anymore. With my Nook and the 4-5 shelves full of books stacked double thick, I won’t ever run short of reading material.

Even after I thin down what I have and go through the 8 boxes (yes, 8) of books in my garage I will have a full house, book wise. As much as I love my Nook, there is nothing like the smell or weight of a book in your hand. *cue the schmooze*

Some of my current favorites are:

 Jennifer Armantrout’s Covenant, Lux, and Dark Elements series.

John Green’s The Fault in our Stars and Looking for Arizona.

VeronicaRoth’s Divergent series.

 Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as we knew it series.

Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.

Just about everything written by Anne McCaffrey.

.If you have any good book recommendations or would like me to review one for you, comment or shoot me an email and I will see what I can do.

If you are an author, I would be happy to ARC and review. (Wend Peltzer, I am looking at you.)

Happy reading!

Until next time,

-Robyn 

What I’m Up To & Where I’m Going

Hi everyone-I hope this finds you well. We are nearing the end of another school year and The Midget has it figured out down to the hours until she’s done! She’s grown pretty restless over the last month and we are both looking forward to being able to stay up a bit later and sleep in a bit more.

I'm taking part in a read along for one of my favorite book series and I'm kind of excited tbh, because it's something I've not done before. My inner child really wants to win one of  the prizes but that's a blog post for another day..

We had a really cool thunderstorm yesterday-one of the things I love about late spring here in the Northwest. Granted it's nothing like the larger and more dangerous storms that take place around the country but for our area it was a pretty intense one.

Coming down in buckets

Hail in one of my planters

What I'm Up To

Back in 2009 I co-wrote a book with a good friend with plans to publish but I started dragging my feet and it ended up being shelved for several years. The other day we had a long conversation and she called me out for the epic stall.

 I decided it was time to pull my feet out of the mud and have taken the plunge into editing. We are in the process of making it nice and shiny and we hope to publish this coming July. I will keep you all updated on its progress.

I’ve got several books in the works I just need to get busy and finish them. Our first release will fall under the New Adult section and the next few of my solo efforts will fall into the Young Adult slot. I’m the most comfortable with writing in this genre as well as the fact that I just simply relate well to it. The current working title is “Of Squalor and Ashes.” Some of you may be familiar with it. 

Where I'm Going

I set my camera down for awhile to regroup and figure out what my projects will be for the coming summer.  I’m getting ready to take my Nikon body down to a camera shop and get the main body cleaned (I won’t touch it) and stock up on good quality lens cleaning supplies.

 My first adventure on deck is a trip down to the Oregon Coast.  I will be off on a three week adventure to visit various family members. I plan to shoot wherever the wind takes me. 

Gleneden Beach sunset

I will be visiting the Corvallis, OR area as well and plan to check out a pioneer cemetery I remember seeing years ago, along with going to check out Alsea Falls. There is a lot of history in the area and I look forward to sharing it with The Midget. We will be grabbing some much-needed mom & daughter time. 

She’s caught the photo bug and will be taking one of my digital point and shoots.  She’s quite the vlogger and if she records anything that won’t cause motion sickness I might post a couple. Her insights can be both profound and amusing.

I plan to return to Montana now that the snow has melted and revisit a place I really want to shoot more extensively. I’m always up for location recommendations in the Oregon/Idaho/Montana areas.

I’m planning to do some camping again and I’m sure I will have camera in hand for the spontaneous stuff.  I never really have a ‘set’ plan-I lay out a general idea and location but am prepared to follow spontaneous leaps of photographic faith.

I’m working on a couple of covers for a friend’s book, and that is going to keep me busy as well. I’ve finally broken down and decided to get some decent editing software.

Summer is finally upon us!

See you next time,

-Robyn :)

What am I listening to and how did I get there?

Let me start off by saying that when I sign on to Twitter I do check who's followed me. I actually check out who it is. I actually like to have conversations or at least say hi to them.

 I'm not about the numbers in any of my accounts.

 

Yes, I know that bands follow followers of other bands, etc.   If I don't care for an artist I won't necessarily delete them unless they represent something I can't support. (Cutting themselves and bleeding all over themselves and on the stage is just not something I'm down with, but that's just  me).

If I do like an artist I will thank them and follow them back with a comment of what I like about their sound (and I do check out their music first). This often starts a conversation  that may or may not lead to Facebook friending, etc.  In many cases, it's even gone to the personal accounts for fun filled and sometimes thought provoking topics.

I always add in the 'I'm a harmless old lady that loves to rock' so I don't scare the poor souls away. I mean, you never know and this IS the Internet, right?  RIGHT?

Sometimes I do feel this old

Why do I pursue this avenue in-depth with an artist?  When it comes to art-especially music, I like to get an idea of what's behind the music-what drives the artist.

I also just have this epic maternal instinct and love to 'adopt' people. If you've known me a long time you've seen this in action, and know it's from a pure place. I mean when you are out on the road, getting some good old fashioned encouragement with no expectations back is good for the soul. 

I have two at the moment.

Now on to what I am listening to.
The playlist for this post consists of Clint Lowery's work. (The guitarist for Sevendust)
"Summertime", "Uncomfortable Silence", "Expectations", and "Caved In."  I just love his melodies and softer side of his voice.  Don't get me wrong-the man can rock, I am just in a quieter mood today.

I've been slowly organizing "Mercy" and setting up the final playlist. The majority of the artists are indie and I found them on Noisetrade for free.(I have since donated a small amount as I play the music constantly). Similar to Clint Lowery, some are side projects from musicians in larger, well-known bands.

"Mercy" playlist

 

Of course they aren't necessarily in order.  The Hawk In Paris and Stephen Mason are launched from Jars of Clay. Joshua James is absolutely amazing-brutal and realistic lyrics. I saw Stars in Stereo when they opened for Bullet For My valentine and I just loved them and this acoustic rendition of their song in particular. Feel free to search them on your own-I think you will be pleased.

 

You can really see the boy + girl elements when put all together. This is going to be a lot of work but that only makes it a better product in the end.

 

 

 

A few other recent discoveries are Socionic, Voyageur (formerly Saga City), Summertime Dropouts, Letters from the Fire, The Letter Black, Stars in Stereo, Minnasia, and Hope & Harbor.

 

As usual, they are all over the place, genre-wise. For the most part, I like just about everything.

I know this is a short post today, but I would love to know what YOU are listening to?

 

Please excuse my use of more pics than normal.  It's just one of those days.

-Until next time, my friends. :)



 

 

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/saibaba176928.html#6iuspD7oearf13JT.99

 "Life is a song-sing it. Life is a game-play it. Life is a challenge-meet it. Life is a dream-realize it. Life is a sacrifice-offer it. Life is love-enjoy it." -Sai Baba

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/saibaba176928.html#6iuspD7oearf13JT.99

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/saibaba176928.html#6iuspD7oearf13JT.99



Hurts, Hopes, and a Return from the Abyss.

 Hi there!

I've been MIA for some time now.  I ended up being distracted by my own inertia again.  I think it's happened to the best of us at some point or another.

I dealt with the loss of two pets in a 45 day span, and it's taken a lot more out of me that I'd realized. The loss of a pet is never easy.  Smirk all you want to but I get all schmoozy and snuggly with our pets. Yes, I consider them family members. 

I am usually able to try and convince myself that I've emotionally distanced myself when dealing with the more unpleasant aspects of critter maintenance but when all is said and done, reality kicks in and my heart hurts. I cry. I get a bit depressed.  Sometimes I feel guilty. Then I feel self conscious because I feel all of the above.

RIP to our beloved Shih Tzu Ming and our giant fuzzball Rowan Alexander. They were best buddies and generally slept together. It was still odd that through unexpected circumstances they went within a month of each other.  
  

********

I took part in NaNoWriMo again this year and did indeed complete a new novel. What is NaNoWriMo you ask?  It's when crazy people like me take part in a literary event where the goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November-my final word count was 54,773.

Besides the personal kudos and self patting on the back, we get a certificate:

I'd planned to work off an outline I did last year but as usual a new story begged to come to life.  It's different than what I've written before-no paranormal, no dystopian apocalypse. Now comes the really hard part-editing!

Here is the working cover and title for now :

 

 

Here is a brief excerpt but please bear in mind that this is unedited and might contain a bazillion mistakes and overwhelming amounts of purple. (See the blog post on "Purple"). I was lazy and figured it was easier for me to just cut and paste this straight from my NaNo page.

 

Synopsis

Mercy and Seth. Best Friends. An uncertain future. A story about boy and a girl.

Excerpt

The waves crashed around Seth, the power thundering through the surf as the gentler foam carpet encapsulated his feet. Mercy screeched as the cold surrounded her ankles. She ran back to the dry sand, giggling and laughing with the unspoiled innocence that often accompanies this stage of childhood.

“Got you!’ he shouted as he jumped into the next wave. Saltwater soaked her as it continued its journey.

Mercy's eyes sparkled mischievously even as the thought entered her mind. She ran forward, hoping to meet the next wave before Seth did. She would spin at the last minute and douse him in turn. As she leapt forward to greet the snowy white froth she couldn’t help but savor a moment of freedom.

Frozen in time, for mere seconds, she felt the elation of having no limitations or boundaries. She wondered if this was how the sea gulls felt as they skimmed the waves and slice through the coastal winds. The sun warming her skin against the brisk sea breeze, like a mermaid enjoying a lazy afternoon. The seals as they played among the larger, but gentle, swells farther out.

Not wanting to release that moment, she looked up at the fluffy clouds from where her guardian angels surely watched in amusement over their charge, waiting at the ready to carry her to the heavens should something go awry.

Her toes touched the water as she descended and she mourned, as gravity and the world around her regained their control. She could not bear the loss. She turned to tell Seth of the sadness of it all, but he was focused on something at the edge of the sand. He looked up at her and pointed down.

Now was the time! Mercy took a few steps closer and bent as if to see what he had discovered, but at the last minute, scooped up a handful of water and sea weed and threw it at him. Seth’s eyes registered shock, a momentary flare of anger, followed by same spark of mischief she had worn moments before.

The waves crashed around them again and again, the power thundering through the surf as the gentler foam carpet encapsulated their feet in a dance as old as time. She screeched as he started to chase her through the water.

Mercy ran back to the dry sand, giggling and laughing with the unspoiled innocence that often accompanies this stage of childhood. They spent many summers that way.

***

 I'm actually really excited about this one. For the first time that I can remember, my playlist won't leave my head.  It's pretty cool too. I can post it if you want-just ask in the comments.

 

 

I am going to double post today in my attempt to make up my absence to you.

 

I hope your day is peaceful and serene.

 

Robyn :)

 

 

What am I reading?

 

I am reading a really neat book- "Isaac's Storm" by Erik Larson. It's a well-written true story.  Follow the link to a detailed description. I'm still in the first few chapters but it's one I have to be careful of reading at night because it's so hard to put down.

 

 

What am I up to?

 

Several friends and acquaintances are expecting or have had their babies in the last two weeks, so I am attempting to make a little something for each of them.

 

That's about it for now!