Office Chairs - - The Matrix.

         I am all but convinced that the office chair is the bane of my existence these days. I've gone through three in the past several weeks. It's not as if they disintegrated or anything, not at all. They simply did not work out for me. I moved to my new place in July, and my office chair could have been left in the dumpster, but no, I had to bring it -- don't ask me why. It was several years old, cracking (the seat edges), and it made a funny noise when I lifted or lowered the seat. That's a clear sign that the oil they put in the mechanism is gone! I should listen to my instincts. I should have just left it!

    I should also write down the make and model of the chair because if I like it, I could probably just order another one. I must have liked it; I kept it for four or five years. As time passed and chairs began to crack, this one also started to slope slightly in the front. I didn't notice it until I noticed it; I nearly fell out of it when I bent over to pick up something I had dropped.  That was the deciding factor to get rid of it. I'm not about to end up face-first on the hardwood floor in my office just because I wanted to pick up a Tootsie Pop stick! Nope! I refuse.

    The next day, after I nearly fell on my nose, I went straight to Amazon and bought a new chair. Bam! Done. It arrived, and it was not what I ordered. They had sent me the wrong chair. It was in the correct box; I can say that. The wheels were used as well. The chair was a "refurbished" model, but not the model I had ordered. I ordered another chair because that's how I am. I decided to get one that was armless and wider so I could sit cross-legged...that's exactly what I ordered, too! BUT....I didn't look at the picture well enough. I ordered a chair without wheels. Stupid me, I thought I could just buy a new base to go on it - - they cost as much as a new chair.

    I kept that chair; it is now what my friend sits in when she comes to visit. It is the "Jeannie chair".  I have a "Jeannie plate," too.  It's a big ceramic plate. I don't eat off larger plates, only smaller ones to control my portions. Jeannie likes bigger plates - I got her one. I'm that nice.  But as for the chairs...I had to order a new one. Amazon, again, to the rescue.

    The next chair I ordered was on sale and looked almost exactly like the chair I had kept for so long. When it arrived, I was super happy that it would be my new buddy for many waking hours of every day....until it wasn't. First, I had to put it together, and no, Laura did not help me much at all! She watched! She watched me struggle. I managed, and it was put together. After I turned it over and sat on it, I knew it, too, would be replaced. 

    The stiff plastic arms were not lower than the cushion on the side. My knees hit them when I crossed my legs. I always sit cross-legged on my chair - that won't stop, so yeah, the chair was a no-go. I even bought a 3" cushion to sit on, thinking it would raise me high enough to avoid the rubbing, but nope, it didn't help. I think it lasted a full week. I kept trying over and over again -- finally, I said no. It departed. I didn't have the original box to send it back, so I had to wait for my new chair to arrive so I could use that box.

    The new chair - the one I'm sitting in now, was (as you probably guessed) more expensive. Some things just need to cost more to be good for you, and cheating yourself in the world of office chairs is not the way to go. This one is for "Big and Tall" people because I cross my legs and need the 34" seat. This one has arms that raise and lower, independent of the chair's back. If I wanted to, I could go armless, but I'm good since I can raise my arm rests.  This one is a thick black, padded, mesh-backed chair, and I think it will work just fine.

    I'm keeping the 3" tush-cush thing to sit on; why not? It helps a little with the space for my legs, too; I like that. It's a good chair. It better be; it was not cheap. In the end, I should have just said to myself that I needed the best office chair in the first place and did what I did in the last place. I Googled "Best office chair" and got one with a 4.7 rating after 7,000+ reviews.  The chair I replaced had a 4.2 or 4.3 review but only 36 reviews. I should have seen that! At least I know now, and SO DO YOU!! If you go off and buy yourself anything, please check the number of reviews and their rating --it matters.  Comfort really matters.

    I think I'll name my chair. He's a big man - - he's a man because I wouldn't sit in a woman's lap all day....sorry if that offends, but it is the truth. The chair will be named GENTRY.   I like that name. He's rather ordinary in that he's square-backed but also very nice. He's sturdy, works hard, does his best to give me the comfort and security I need. I like Gentry, and I will keep his arms raised as high as they will go so I can use them to relax when I need to. He can keep them around me and make me feel that much more secure from having the feeling that I would or could end up toppled. Gentry is a good chair. I'm glad we met. 

Photo Credit: Amazon.com 

The. (The Book)

 If you know me, you know I'm a little different than most people. I put more emphasis on the odd, the out-there, or the unique than the stuff you run across daily. When I learned as a kid that the libraries and bookstores ignore the word "The," it bothered me. It has always bothered me. The word is too....well, it's essential. You say THE THIS or THE THAT, and it's THE one to mention or be associated with. Try going a day without using THE word THE.

    I decided to write my 15th book and title it "The" because of its content. I knew the content from the beginning. I didn't know how it would end - only that the two main characters would end together. At first, they wouldn't get married, but that changed. There were other changes, too. She was going to be black, he was going to be white, but then I just didn't keep that thought going. They say you should write about your experiences, and I didn't want to fake it or try to pretend.

    Leigh has my middle name, and the other character is Matthew James O'Conner. If I had been born a boy, I would have been Matthew James, but I think Mom would have given me two T's in Matthew. My character only has one. He's odd that way. I like him. He's attractive, fun, out there, and dedicated to being the best he can be, but he's unsure how to make it happen. That's where she comes in.

    She's a little too over the top sometimes. She's an extrovert who doesn't ask for permission or forgiveness. She's tough, but she's fair, and her idea of fun is writing, planning, working, and being busy - she's not someone to sit around and watch the world go by; she's a maker and a doer for sure.  She's from DeQueen, Arkansas, and I have folks over that way. I know enough about it to wing it - and that's what I did.

    Mathew was Jimmy Conner in his previous life, but circumstances forced him to change his name and start completely over from scratch. He was a top-notch chef and had been for years. He was seen on television and well sought out until he wasn't. He has a past, and she has a big heart, full of room to understand him. 

    Together, they work to help others who can't seem to make it on their own; they need help even if they aren't able or willing to ask for it. They are the "the" who are ignored, and Leigh and Mat want to give them the space, time, energy, and confidence they need to be who they can be if given the chance. It's a good book, and I liked writing it. I'm finishing it now and putting the last touches on it before it is submitted for publishing on Monday. 

    Officially, the publishing date will be September 1, but it won't be ready to buy until about September 18, when it is printed, returned to me for final inspection, and resent. I'll keep you posted. It will be in print and epub. The print is 343 pages, 85809 words, and will sell for $19, but the Kindle will be $4.99. Such a deal!

BOOK 15 Has Been Completed.

 I sat down and wrote the titles of the books I've written because I wanted to know how many I have written. I thought it was thirteen, but when I got them all written out nice and neatly using my handy-dandy bullet-point method—the one that has stood the test of time—I realized I have written 15 books.

    The 15th book was completed just today. Mind you, I'm not 100% done with it, but it is done. It is finished as far as the book goes. I have 323 pages and 33 chapters written. At last count, it was 83,887 words, and that's all good - but I do have the fluffing and stuffing to do. I have to be honest; I started the fluffing today. 

    I put the last sentence of the last chapter in at about 3:00 p.m. today, and started in on the fluffing. I'll do an entire day of fluff and stuff tomorrow and I'll get it all lined up with the page numbers in place, as well as the headers. I'll give it my best to do the headers correctly, but I've never gotten the machine to do what I need it to do, so yeah, it isn't perfect. That's OK, I'm not either. I doubt any readers can claim to be; we're good.

    I'll announce the title on Sunday when I send it up for publication. I may send it on Monday, but I'll still announce the title on Sunday. I've waited for September to arrive so I can remember the date; I do that. I like the 1st, and I like the 22nd of every month. I remember those days more often; it's a good plan. The title is worth the wait. You may not think so, but I do. 

    I'll start promoting it as soon as it's printed. I'll even do the EPub book simultaneously so that when I do promote it, I can tell folks to buy it in print or for their devices through Amazon/Kindle. It should be $4.99 I think, that's the going rate for a new book. It could be cheaper, but it's a reasonable price. I may give it away for 60 days, but only if Kindle and Amazon agree - they may not. They need to make something, too.

    Anyway, it feels good to know the lovers are happy; they have a dog and are literally riding off into the sunset together, but not on a horse; you'll have to read the book. It's fun. I do try. I added Aunt Sharon, a feisty 90-year-old, rather than having Leigh carry on with her besties on the phone. I have already done that in a couple of books. It's more realistic to have her get teased by her own family at times; We can relate.

    It's done....done...done..sort of. I'll be really done done in a couple of days, and I'll start the new new book. I can tell you the title of that one now. It's THE GRANGE.  The new new book is another novel, and rather odd, but fun where this one was more serious at times. There was a reason for it; the book deals with serious matters. 

    The Grange is quirky, to say the least, and maybe even creepy at times. The lead character does live in a graveyard in a family crypt that shouldn't have been annexed into the city, but it was. She demands her land back, even if it means squatting there before she dies and is buried there; it's hers, and she's not going to let it go.

    Fun times ahead!! 

Photo Credit: Alumni.ox.ac.uk

LAST Chapter - - ONE MORE to Go!

 If you had asked me before I wrote the book how many chapters it would have, I would have said the standard, maybe 30. I think I do 30 and think it's a good-sized book. If I do 29 or 28, they'll be longer and more detailed chapters. Can you imagine if I wrote a book with only one chapter? OMG...don't get me started. I may do that! That may have to happen.  There are 33 chapters in this book.

    So, I'm finishing the last sentence of the chapter today, and it hits me that this is the next to the last chapter. I have one left. That's it, only one. I need to wrap the book up, skim its entire word base and give off enigmatic time bombs, talk about this or that sort of thing that takes place, and then pull it all together with something that's been threading through it the entire time. I do that.

    I'll do that tomorrow. I'll finish the book tomorrow, right after work. I'm taking off at 12:00 tomorrow, so I'll write the last chapter then and start going through it for places I can fluff and stuff it. I'll fluff and stuff all evening and part of Saturday, then go through it for spacing, size, yada-yada, and then Sunday, I'll read it all the way through, making sure I didn't miss some of the things I wanted to say or needed to say, and I'll go through it that last time for grammar and punctuation issues. 

    I love Grammarly, but it can actually mess me up, too. It writes and speaks a little differently than I do, to say the least. My writing is my writing, and if I'm using the words "own" and "a bit" too often - so be it. I have to go through the book for random words, which I usually say. I have weaned myself off the "really" and "actually" because I know the AI will catch those; it rips me a new one when I do it. I laugh, but then again, I snarl, too.

    I have 30 pages of notes to go through the book with, to put this or that statement, thought, adjective, tale, or nugget into the book to make it just that much more whatever; it's what I do. I don't save the best for last, but I do a lot of spicing up at the end, and I'm always happy when I get through the process. The book will be ready to publish or sent up for publishing on schedule, making September 1 the publishing date. I'll need to do a final version after it's printed and after I go back over it, but the print date and the publishing date are very different. People can buy it on the print date...it's out there in the universe on the publishing date.

    I will announce the title on Sunday when it's been sent up for publishing - - I don't think the title makes me nervous, but I will say that it's a good title; I like it. I really, actually like it. (See what I did there? Ha!  Take that, AI!) 

Photo Credit:Popoptiq.com

90! I'm 90% Finished with The Book.

     I have written about 75,000 words so far, and the book will have about 86,000, so you can do the math. I may not be exactly 90%, but I'm only two chapters away from closing the lid on it. That will likely happen tomorrow or Thursday. Then, I'll take the weekend to fluff and stuff. I have 30 pages of notes to do that with—fun times. 

    Once the fluff and stuff is done, I'll space it, size it up, make sure it's cute and concise, and then I'll start at the top and go through it ONE MORE TIME to ensure the grammar is as good as it can be. I know it won't be perfect. I'm more concerned with correctly using the correct words and spelling words than figuring out the right place for a comma splice. I can promise you that much.

    I can't tell you what the two characters are doing now because I'm at the end of the book - some things need to be read on their own, and I'm not going to just give it away. I could give it away for 60 days and see if that helps get it out there. I'll see if it's an option. I'm not sure Ingram Spark will even allow that, but it could be a thing if they do. I wouldn't mind. I like giving things away.

    I can tell you this; they have a dog. Mathew and Leigh have adopted a dog, and he's charming, too. I posted a photo of what he may look like. He's a pitty-mix, possibly with a hound or something. He'll be about forty pounds when he's fully grown, and he's primarily black, with about 1/3 white on his chest, face, and front legs. His name is Roscoe, and that was a tribute to a dog we have here in the neighborhood, but he's more of a terrier-type, wire-haired dog like Kiah. Kiah is in the book, but she's not Leigh's dog. She was found on the beach; you can read about it. She's OK, living her best life now.

    There we go, tomorrow I will end up closing the book and making things happen over the weekend. I'll send it up on Saturday or Sunday. I'll have a copy printed and sent to me so I can go through it, reread it, make changes, and send the revision back for the final! BOOM....as always, wait for the FINAL to come out, otherwise you're buying a book with potential mistakes; unless you like that sort of thing. Some people do!! Collector's items, for sure.

    This book is awesome. I love it. I'll tell you the title when I send it up, probably Sunday.  (Did I tell you it takes place in Sarasota, Florida?) 

Photo Credit: Lexusofsarasota.com 

I am 63% Done! Yes, I am.

     Woo Hoo!!  I am 63% done, according to the percentage guru on my computer. I have about 54,000 words written, which, if my book ends up being 86,000 words or so, puts me at 63% (or really close to it).  I'm rather happy at this point. I'm about to start Chapter 22, my favorite number, but my favorite chapter in any of my books has long been number 17. Chapter 17 puts my mind at ease. I'm over halfway finished and getting into the good stuff.

    Chapter 22 will see Leigh planning an experiment so she can write about it. It will also see her going to the bank for a secured loan, giving up part of the money she has in CDs to use as collateral to start the women's resort; we'll have to see how that plays out now that she and Mathew are beginning their relationship. Oops, can't say too much! I don't want to give it all away. 

    Leigh has attended a conference on psychological pathology, traveled to Arkansas to see family, and buried her great uncle Ike, whom she's been a fan of since she was a child. She is grappling with her new life but thinks she's made the right decisions. When she reflects on her past, she knows she made the right decisions to leave DeQueen and become more active in the world others tend to only dream about. Leigh is a doer. She makes things happen.

    The most fun to come, the following chapters will see her life unfold and develop in ways she only thought were possible for church missionaries, not ordinary people. She wants to consider herself in the same grouping as those who consider themselves ordinary, but she knows that her history, past, and experiences set her apart; she's not one of the unseen - she can't be. She's trying to do less in terms of being out there for the public eye but trying to be more out there for those who can't make a stand. She's a stand-maker.

    We'll have to see what happens, but I hear a dog barking; I did.  (The inspiration for Roscoe)

 

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

A FAITHFUL Evening.

     Earlier this evening, I received an email, like I do from time to time, from an unknown woman in the entertainment industry. I didn't (and haven't) do a lot of research on her to see exactly who she is. She's doing a television show on a certain well-known channel (OK, it's the History Channel), and she wanted to do a story about my dog Faith.  

    Typically, when someone wants to do a story about my dog, they ask nicely, and this woman is no different. She was very polite and very well-mannered in the wording of her proposal, and she asked me if I would like to participate. Sure, I thought, the world needs to hear about Faith; they need their eyes opened wide and their hearts reminded of just how precious the little dog was...and is. I believe she is still alive, just on the other side.

    The woman emailed me again, asking me for the same thing people always ask me for. She wanted good high-quality photos, video, etc., and I always tell them I only have a little, if anything, that can be transferred into a good enough resolution to blow up for production purposes. They know they can't buy the film from Oprah, Maury, Ricki Lake, Discover, Nova, or Ripley's Believe it or Not, or from any other show because I didn't give those people the right to sell my dog's name, image, or likeness. If I did ONE THING correctly, it was that.

    When she sent me the agreement to sign, the one that basically said they could and would own the rights to any images I shared (or sold, since they were going to pay me $250 a pic...they were going to use 11) they wanted to own, sell, use, or distribute the photos I surrendered. They tried to change her story, image, or likeness at will if necessary, but you know they sugarcoated it by saying it would all be done in good taste. You know my answer - - at least, I hope you know my answer. I said no.

    The first show I ever did with Faith was "Ripley's Believe it or Not," and believe me, I was so green, so naive, but before the show was underway, a good friend from KFOR-TV sat me down and went through the contract line by line - we scratched through a lot of it. I had to do that with Maury, Ricki, Oprah, and everyone. Everyone wanted to keep the images and use them whenever and with whomever they wanted. They tried to change stories, exaggerate stories, eliminate the miracles, and put in man-made things; they wanted to take the FAITH out of FAITH! I said no.

    Now, you may know me, and you may already have guessed, but I think God gave this little mutt to me because I'm stubborn and jealous. What is MINE is MINE, and no one will take, steal, or abuse it willy-nilly. God's grace, story, and purpose are always and will always be wrapped around that little dog's story and life. He knew where He was sending her; I will NEVER let Him down where she is concerned. 

    I told the woman they could do their story but couldn't keep or own any images. They can direct folks to my book so they can read the real story, but you know she'll likely decline that offer. Either way, it's good. I'm good. I've lived this long without being filthy rich;  I can go a little longer. If I've done anything correctly, I will protect her with the grace God gives me to do so. At least I know when I see her again, the dog will not be upset with me for having sold her short -- and I bet she'll even giggle a little because she never really caught on that she was all that special; that is, until she heard the applause! (Then she knew)

UPDATE: (08/22/24) 

    I decided to let the show's producers do an episode about Faith, but I wouldn't sign their standard "boilerplate" contract. I won't go into detail, but they came up with a great agreement that gives me control of her life, her story, and what they can say about her. They can't change her story, they can't make it more sensational or exaggerated, and they can't use her image or likeness in any way that would harm or tarnish her reputation.  No one would believe anyone who tried, but we needed it in writing.

    They agreed to keep their rights for just 10 years, and they can not share the photos and media with anyone for any other reason than to promote that one episode of the show. It won't turn into a circus; she won't be their flying monkey. Faith's story is far too meaningful; they agree. They'll even promote my book a little, which is good because it keeps her story alive that much longer. Folks will see the show and want to know more; she'll be celebrated. I'm happy with that.  I'd love to see it blossom into a feature film about her; that is what she truly deserves. May her life, love, and memory live on forever. 

Photo Credit: Stephen Holman of Tulsa, OK

Half Time!! (50% done with the book)

     I am so tempted to tell you the book's title, but I'm not going to. I can't. I have to wait, and there's a reason, but the thing is, it's a good title, and I really just want to blurt it out right now. I'm halfway finished with the book. I can start there and say more later. 

    Though I only have 38,000 words, and 38,000 x 2 is 76,000, which is at least 10,000 words shy of being finished, the fact is that I'm finished with Chapter 15. I've written 15 chapters of a book that will likely be 30 chapters, give or take, and then there's the fluffing and the stuffing, and that's where the other 10,000 will come into play. I like to stuff. I like to fluff. It's one of the fun things to do - - it makes me happy.

    I have 30 pages of notes. I'll go through each page and see if I can go through the book to stuff that tidbit, that thought, or that little extra this or that into the book, and if I can, where do I stuff it? I find myself adding paragraphs to accommodate the stuffing. I don't typically reduce words; that wouldn't be stuffing now, would it? I add words. I add thoughts. I add ideas, and I add adjectives. One can scarcely have too many adjectives until one actually has too many adjectives.

    I'm using the AI again, but this time, I'm asking it questions, getting the answers, reading the answers, and rewriting it. I don't take the things it spits out verbatim. I do use a great deal of it, but then I reword and throw in my personal style to make it mine. I still struggle with crediting the AI, so since you don't need to at this point and time, I won't do it, but I may have my characters thank the AIs they use; that may be a good way to compromise without truly compromising. 

    The book is halfway finished, and it's getting pretty good. I'm hacking away at the keyboard, drumming up situations, challenges, commitments, compliments, and chaos. I'm forging and forming fundamental fairplay as well as frivious frollick. It's awesome to be this abandoned and feel nothing remotely close to responsibility. That's what the book is about; being unknown, unseen, unexpected, unnoticed but when you are seen, heard, known, or otherwise noticed, there's a reason you chose to be so. 

    The book is fun to write. I'm trying to get into the characters now and develop them to the point of being interesting without being too much or too anything. I want a balance. There can't be too much taking place; writing out the smallest of activities takes too long. It took a whole chapter for a police captain to question a suspect, and really, we didn't get as far as I would have liked. Not many details were given, which need to be addressed during the fluff. I need to pinpoint and push the proverbial envelope on that one.

    As it is now, I'll probably take off tomorrow and even Tuesday. I will write on Wednesday, probably Thursday, and pick it up again over the weekend. I'll do next weekend what I did this weekend and slam out 6 chapters. That will be 16, 17, then 18, 19, 20 plus 21, 22, 23 - - so by this time next week, it should be 3/4 of the way finished. I can still finish it by or close to the end of August.  No matter when I send it up for publication, I will choose a publishing date of September 1 to remember when it was published. It will be close enough to it to say it. I may end up sending it on September 1 and then approving it on September 4, only to have a copy sent to me by September 16 and reapproving it around the 20th, and BAM...there you go -- the full truth. 

    You can't, I can't...simply send a book up and not have a copy printed so I can hold it in my hands, go through it with a pen, and mark out what I don't like. It's a thing, and in every case so far, that's what I've done. That's why I don't publish the EPub at the same time as the print. I have to be sure the print is correct first. I'll EPub this one right after it's printed. It will skip the queue, as it were, and be published for Kindle in September. Why wait? This is THE book to read. 

Photo Credit: Hilanddairy.com

NOT Expected to Teach!

     Today is some schools' first day of school here in Oklahoma City. I think my grandkids also went to school today for their first day. I have to think about it; one is 13, and the other is 11, so I think that's 7th grade and 5th grade. If that's true, it means I'm definitely getting old. I was with them over the weekend, and they have just shot up to great heights. Their mom is about 5'6", but their daddy is 6'4" or more, and he's left his mark on both of those kids. They are stretching it!

    The first thing I noticed this morning, as I woke up and the dogs demanded to be let outside, was that I was not getting ready to go to school to teach. Nope. I was not there, I was not doing it, and there was just simply no way I would. No, thank you, I am excited to say I will not teach again. If I ever changed my mind, it would be if I taught remotely from home. I will not teach in the classroom again. You couldn't pay me to go through that again.

    Three years ago, I was hired to replace a teacher who, on her first day of class, decided it wasn't worth it. She left. This has happened to me 3 times in my teaching career because I wasn't hired at first due to the fact that I had been fired several times, and it was on my record. Now, in my defense (you knew I had one, right), I was fired for being ethical and not changing grades or for turning the principal in for stealing. One time, I was fired for not accepting a date with the Vice Principal when SHE asked me out. Yeah, not only do I not bend that way, but I don't play that way either.

    Of course, when the school administration decides to get rid of you, they make up a story and try to get folks to go along with them. They threatened staff members with losing their jobs if they didn't side with them saying I had done what they actually put on paper that I had done - in each and every single case (there were 7 cases) I won. I wasn't hired the first day, but the schools knew they needed someone, so they called me -- when I said yes, I showed up, and the games began - - literally the second I walked through the damn doors. These people do not change!

    It was three years ago, and I was fired at THAT time for writing a murder blog about a student killing her Science teacher and burying the body at the school. Some twenty years later, the student became a teacher herself at the same school - - she knew where the body was buried and needed to move it because the district had decided to improve the stadium...oops!! I was FIRED for being creative and writing a FICTIONAL story about FICTIONAL people!  Remember that I was also the creative writing teacher at that time! IRONY!

    That was my last adventure with taking on the huddled masses. I had been through about a dozen half-incidents before that happened, with students threatening me and one physically attacking me. I put his ass on the ground, and yes, you guessed it, I was called to the office about it. The first thing out of my mouth was, "Union rep, NOW!"  They wouldn't comply, so I walked out of the room, got my things, and left.  Three long days later, they finally called me back to say they were sorry, they had seen the video, and they sided with me. Oh, you think? Yeah, go on, and not for nothing, but maybe now you can tell the students you lied to about me that I wasn't reprimanded and wasn't fired.

    About three weeks later, right after my last class, I was summoned to the office to be told I was being put on administrative leave for the blog situation. I asked them if they were sure they wanted to do that; after all, I was writing a new murder book and needed names and personalities for a few of the new characters. They let me go - I called my rep, and then they paid me for the rest of the year! That was September 20, 2021. They had to pay me through the entire year because they had NO RIGHT and no valid reason to put me through what they put me through. I say it over and over again, the worst part about teaching isn't the kids...it's the admin. After the admin, there are the other teachers. After the teachers, it's the parents, and then, it's the kids. Kids are kids. They are the way they are because of bad parenting and years of being given too much -- not enough of that old-fashioned child-rearing going on these days.

    Well, it's true. I woke up this morning, the first day of school, and I had a message in my email asking me if I would like to be a long-term sub for a particular local school for an undetermined amount of time. Nope. No thank you, I don't want to do the job in the first place, why would I want to do it for less than I would normally be paid?  As a teacher, I normally made about 40% less than what I make now, wearing my jammies, working from home, and taking breaks when I want. I don't have to dress, I don't put makeup on, I don't drive anywhere. I don't plan lessons. I don't buy things to make a room seem inviting. I don't fight with people. I don't argue with children. I don't put up with lying sacks of crap - - and I don't have to worry about anyone at my house pulling a gun on me because I know the woman in my house, and she knows I have just as many guns as she has!

    The only thing I have to worry about here, at home, is the dog barking when I'm on the phone with a client -- and with my noise-canceling headset, I don't worry about that either! Woo Hoo!! Let them all have the best year possible. I almost sent an email back that read, "Oh, hell no," but instead, I simply said I wasn't interested. I hate it when Jesus makes me say nice things.

Photo Credit: Three Rings Ranch School. 

Eight and Nine - - Complete.

 OK, so I cheated a little bit. Chapter Nine in the book is actually no more than another chapter of another book I wrote. I just admitted to plagiarism! I just plagiarised myself!! I wrote the chapter "The Blanket" in my Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book 2 (or was it 3? I can't remember now), and it was fitting to add it to this book, so I gave myself credit, and I added my own chapter to my own chapter - - don't get too lost down that rabbit hole! 

    I wasn't going to make this book romantic, not really, but then the characters started blushing around one another and saying things that made their hearts skip, and before you knew it, I've got two people trying not to show their cards too soon, and it's my job to deal the hand! Have I told you how much I really love writing? I really, really love writing!

    Chapter Eight is all about the beach, the walk, the talk, the things they see, the people they don't try to meet, and how the sun sets perfectly over the South Florida horizon, just like in the movies. Who knew?  Well, I knew, and they knew, and God knew, and just about anyone who has ever seen it set knew too, but somehow you just have to keep telling that same old story over and over again because if you told it any differently, no one would be interested in anything else you had to say; you'd be a liar.

    Chapters 10 and 11 will be about the people of the projects, the stories that lead up to the harder, more delicate portion of the book; some would say the challenging part or where all the conflicts come in. They'd be right if they said that, too. I'm at 22,000 words or 1/4 finished, so it's time to start hitting the rocks and losing paddles because the river is about to get ugly -- metaphorically speaking, the book doesn't take place anywhere near a river -- maybe a creek bed...but mostly just big fat oceans or great lakes if we're talking about Chicago.

    We're not talking about Chicago much, but when we do, you'll know it. I'll add a recipe or two to go along with the storyline and the atmosphere of Chi-Town...gotta talk about pizza when you're up that way. Again, if you don't, you're a liar, and no one likes a liar -- no one.

Photo Credit:  ChewOutLoud.com