Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Let's Catch Up

What's going on in your neck of the woods?? No, really, I'm interested. Reply to the blog post and let me know.

As for me and mine...

It's raining this morning. The thunder, lightning, and rain started around 3:30/4:00 am, though amazingly the dogs didn't get all riled up. The thunder and lightning have dissipated, but the rain is still falling as I begin writing this post. Thankfully. The current temp of 72* is the lowest we've been in a month or more, but we're at 93% humidity. Ugh. But I'll take the rain. (My water bill was $161 from watering my trees!)(No, I don't water my lawn except what the front grass gets when I water the trees.)

The dogs are doing well. Even the 17-year-old Golden Retriever mix seems more spry than she did a few weeks ago. The fleas are gone, her hair is growing back, and she's able to get to her feet more easily and without help. So yay.

School starts in a week and a half. We're all mostly excited--Friday night lights and all. Marching Band Boy has been practicing for several weeks now and the band director is quite pleased with the group as a whole. They're ahead of the learning curve in regards to their show music. There will be pics and video in a few weeks.

On a side note, all Fine Arts programs in FWISD are on the chopping block if they don't have 100 or more students enrolled by next year. Our band has averaged 40 kids for the last couple of years. Which means Marching Band Boy will (probably, unless a miracle happens) only be JROTC Boy during his senior year. He's not overly bothered by it and since his aim is to join the military, then I suppose concentrating on JROTC is not a bad thing.

Speaking of JROTC...Sonshine was promoted again yesterday. He's now Cadet 1st Lieutenant Sonshine. :) His colonel thinks he could go pretty high in the food chain over the course of the next two years, which only benefits him in the long run. So I guess, as I'm writing this, I'm thinking he should focus on JROTC more this year and let those events take precedence over band functions, unlike the previous two years when band events almost always won out over JROTC.

I would have had pics of him in his uniform and with his new haircut, but the camera battery was dead this morning. *fail*

As for me...the writing room now has a window treatment and I'm quite pleased with it.

(This pic was taken Sunday, before the battery died.)

What do you think??

Also, I have preliminarily finished A Snowball's Chance in Hell. It's been sent off to critique partners and a select pair of beta readers. One CP and one beta reader have returned it so far with wonderful helpful comments. So one last round of revision is in order and I will be ready, willing, and able to confidently announce "I have finished a manuscript." for the first time ever.

Yes, I know I've been at this writing thing for close to a decade, but for all the stories I've started and almost finished, I've never actually *truly* completed one. So this is a huge milestone for me and I'm very excited. The question is can I do this by Saturday--meeting day--so that I can announce it, in public, to my chapter, who will then clap and cheer for me. Or do I want to save the announcement for September's meeting?

Nope! I'm going for it. If I can't, I can't, but I do think I'll be able to get it to the place where I feel I can call it done.

After that, it'll be submission time, but let's get it COMPLETE first!

On that note, I will sign off. And don't forget to tell me what's going with you. Inquiring minds want to know!!

ETA: By the time this post was published, the rain is gone and the sun is shining...

4 comments:

Regina Richards said...

I'm going to try to make it to Saturday's meeting, but with two heading off to college soon I'm not sure how much packing we'll still be doing then. So just in case I miss

CONGRATS!!! on finishing your novel!!!

Jen FitzGerald said...

Thanks, Regina!!!

You'll be missed, and congrats to you for kids going off to college. :)

mtnchild said...

I think we have your weather, except the humidity .. 94 deg and 27% humidity. Still an uncomfortable heat to me! We have had mostly above 90 weather for the last 2 week ... but it is suppose to drop down to the 80's next week - WaHoo! We are also inhaling an unusual amount of smoke from all the fires around us and no breeze! All this makes me very, very lethargic!! No rain in a month - everything is tinder dry.
Love you
Mom

Jen FitzGerald said...

Bummer on all that. I can relate to heat-induced lethargy, that's for sure.

No comment on my window treatment??