41 thoughts on “Working Wednesday, April 5, 2023”

  1. So happy to report that the young student athlete that had her legs amputated after being hit by a car in St Louis has come home Friday! Today she will attempt to return to school.

    After I finish my job, I will head to the school to help set up for a benefit that will happen tonight!! We are not sure if she will appear. She and her family will play that by ear after her day.

    My niece is her HS volleyball coach and has visited her many times once she got back to the local hospital and rehab center. She has been part of her PT and has been with Janae when she has experienced phantom pain and other neuro pain episodes. So she knows how to help her work through the process.

    Janae will spend most of her time in my niece’s class so that Katy can control the number of students who can have access to her while Janae transitions back to school.

    Tonight’s work will certainly be a labor of love and aupport!!

  2. Cathy, I am sending love, good hopes, white light and everything to her and to the event tonight!

      1. Believe me – come 9pm, I’m done. But I was afraid if I didn’t start something to get me up and going, I’d get home at 5 and plop in front of the tube, since my usual evening activities are suspended this week and next.

        So, I’ve been doing a little bit every day to move this project along.

    2. I love all the possibilities inherent in HST (but don’t love the trimming so much, especially since I always forget how much easier it is with a fresh new blade, so I carry on with a dull old one).

  4. Woke at three a.m. as has been my wont lately and started jotting down random ideas on ipad. Was startled by my 6:11 alarm going off as I was still writing— stuff for youth workshop and several pages on Dorothy, Agatha and Conan-Doyle bemoaning the flaws their main characters (characterize in haste, repent at leisure).
    I think that must be what they mean by ‘flow’, creative flow at least, different meaning in hospital recovery room.

    2. It’s mostly just fussy. And there’s a lot of what I suspect is bad tax advice circulating in writers’ circles. Which wasn’t as much of a problem when the IRS was underfunded, but now that they have money for audits, there may be some unpleasant surprises. And they can go back … I think it’s 7 years, if they find evidence of intentional wrongdoing, rather than the usual 3 years.

      1. About half the money is going to customer services —answering phones, processing refunds, updating technology. The new audit staff are going to be used on people making over $400,000 a year —which is where the real tax fraud and the potential for increased tax revenues is.

        It’s always good to get the taxes right but I wouldn’t worry about audits.

        1. Sorry. Didn’t mean to suggest it was the little guys who’d get audited. I do wonder though about attempts to circumvent payroll taxes in the $250K range (combined day job and writing). Seems like once they’ve seen that pattern, it would be easy to find others, giving a nice boost to Social Security and Medicare.

  6. I’m working on a lovely bug I somehow picked up despite rarely going out and masking when I do. Blerg. Trying to get writing done anyway.

  7. I bought a flat of pansies on Sunday and planted them in my front pots yesterday. Their cheerful faces make me happy.

    Otherwise, my taxes are done and I have hesitantly dipped my toe back into making things.

    Now I just have to clean my guest room and survive a weekend of extended family.

  8. Recovered from last week’s concert activities and house guest. Feeling pretty flat, so looking on the positive: Got the oil changed! Cleaned out the pantry of packages with grain moths! Took back concert supplies! Oiled some teak trays! Cleaned out some flower beds! Signing my will today! Couldn’t find my glasses! Couldn’t find my credit card! Bundled up and watched the moon rise!

  9. My working agenda was created by my aging truck. It would not start on Sunday, and after being charged overnight by my son’s battery charger, it started, and I got it to the shop. There was a small leak that needed looking into, as well. That “small leak” (my term) added up to over $1,000 to fix, and the battery is dead, after only 1 year and 10 months of use. It’s a AAA battery, supposed to last 3 years, and my repair guy says he no longer sells those, as they are “no good”. They used to last all three years and sometimes more. I will have to wrangle with AAA to get the replacement they promise in their warranty, since I am no longer a member. I never reached a person who could help, when trying for two days. So I will call for assistance and get the new battery that way, once I get my truck back. It will all be button-pushing to do it, and they may not recognize me anymore. Grrrr.

    I closed my small investment account, and will put it where it will actually make some money. I actually lost money with the investment account, and there is an online bank that gives 4% interest over a year’s time. And it’s insured!

    I accidentally deleted the Apple Notes app, and had to completely wipe my iPhone and restore it to get it back. That was traumatic, but it worked out fine.

    The Surgery Coordinator says I can reschedule my cataract operations, once I get clearance from my doctor. I will see her May 2. It was her earliest appointment. A Beta Blocker will not be a problem during the surgery. Thank You Lisa L for that suggestion! My PCP may have another suggestion, but something will work.

  10. I’ve been going through old photos and, Jenny, I found a picture from the ’90’s of you, me, and Krissie at an RWA Conference. If you want to see it, figure out a way for me to DM you with it or something.

  11. Over the past week, I’ve mostly been working on housekeeping of the digital variety. Three chunks of digital decluttering accomplished: photo archives from 2012 and 2011 swept clean + a decade-old handwritten draft screenplay scanned into the writing miscellany. During that process I had an idea for how to adapt the storyline for a new novel. 🙂 #Recycling

    My post-project refractory period has expired, so now I am also stuck into first draft of a short story targeted for submission to an anthology. Meanwhile, sun is shining; birds are rioting; flowers are blooming; and the big black bees have returned to bumble around my wisteria.

  12. I started rehearsals for Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding this week!!!! I’M BACK IN A SHOW AGAIN!!!! I note that I’m switching parts–this time I get to be a bridesmaid and sing in the wedding, which is very cool. Beyond that we haven’t done that much yet besides developing character. Unfortunately the city manager hates all theater and performance people and is not permitting the theater company or anyone else to use their venues most of the time, so we have a lot less rehearsals than last time and we are literally having to rehearse outside in the cold and we ended rehearsal pretty early both times this week out of cold and not really being able to make things work with what we got. So we’ll see how that goes.

    Other than that, same old knitting, same old working on singing, but I need to go learn another song, so we’ll see.

    1. Jennifer, are any of your performances taped so you have a record for in the future? When my granddaughters were in dance the shows were filmed. Of course the dance academy sold the tapes. Those nights were exciting for the girls.

    2. I am thrilled that we have a theater person in our ranks. It’s so exciting to hear about your career. Thanks for sharing.

  13. I just got back from missing an appointment to have my ICD checked – I went to the wrong clinic in the wrong city. I turned it into a shopping trip instead, bought my chauffer (AKA the Dotter) lotsa groceries. Bought me even more. Now I need to reschedule that appointment (and pay for missing it.)

    All my “work” this past week was unpacking, rearranging, and cleaning the Owner’s Suite. It’s done. This week I will concentrate on the farm and an April Farm Report. Some of my pepper plants are flowering, so I’ll be a busy bee. (Pollinating by hand, that is.)

    1. Dotter has ordered me not to call it “Mr. Squidrug” anymore, although she has no problem with “Crabby Gary.” “Dad, it’s not a squid, it’s an octopus!”

      1. Now that it’s too late to make a clever reply to the dotter, I’ve thought of, “I’ll call it whatever I like – I’m the one who sleeps with a Tentacle Monster under the bed!”

  14. I did a short freelance job (another mad philosopher), did some digging and mulching at the allotment, had a collaging morning at a friends, went for a couple of long walks, and today got to grips with learning the current version of Lightroom. My brain’s now fried. It’s going to take some days to do the reading and watching, and then update my how-to manual while brainstorming the most efficient workflow – before tackling my 13,500 unedited raw files.

    Hoping for a few days gardening over the Easter weekend, but I need to keep going with mastering Lightroom.

  15. Same old, same old, in terms of writing/editing. But I got some money I’d been waiting for, so now I can replace my dishwasher (and my tenant’s), so next week will be all about cleaning the kitchen, so it’s not too disgusting for the installer to work in. Oh, and I’ll be planting lettuce out on my deck next week, since it looks like the forecast has gone from daily highs in the 50s (F) to highs in the 70s, completely skipping the 60s. Very odd spring. But I guess I say that every year, every season.

  16. Today I’m punching up a manuscript a different ghostwriter wrote because the client changed their mind on the direction they wanted the book to go in after the ghostwriter turned in the project.

    On the one hand it feels sort of like a dick thing to do to another writer. On the other hand, a job’s a job, and it’s really, really fun to go in and mess around in someone else’s sandbox to make what’s already there shine. It’s one of those things that is super common in collaborative writing settings like Hollywood, but anathema to traditional literary publishing.

    I’m also taking Working Wednesday offline — a writer friend and I are going to meet up in a Manhattan project to socialize and get some work done together.

  17. Today we decided to clean the oven the old fashioned way with combined elbow grease, instead of tapping the button that says ‘clean oven’. It would have taken five hours.

  18. Sneering at my taxes. Need to get those done. Removing my son from my car insurance, since he now has his OWN vehicle! Anticipating further savings, since he will move out in another month or so! I love him, but he and I are both ready for him to start the next phase of his life, just waiting for DOD Security to finish their review.

    1. Got my taxes to the accountant and worked with DD to get hers in (since she lives in London it’s complicated and since she hates this stuff it was 2/3 Progress 1/3 DD letting off steam). My plan is over several years to get DD comfortable doing them without my help…

      Got more weeding done in the garden. Sowed some seeds in the front yard —now I just need to sow violets in the back yard to compete with the oregano where it is taking over an approx 15 ft by 2 ft. I just don’t need that much órgano. And like to look at flowers from my kitchen table.

      Started planning a reunion of 7 people for later this month at our house —we were all close friends 30 years ago in Brooklyn and then moved to DC, Oberlin, Connecticut and Utah (subsequently returning to Brooklyn). So that should be fun, and one person will stay later and we will host a dinner Monday night with him and the third housemate from just before that time because third housemate doesn’t know the others.

      Progress on planning the two commitment ceremonies. Some progress on figuring out if I need surgery now or in 6 months —booked a third opinion doc appointment. Progress on getting DH to agree that if we are not ready to buy a new car we should at least fix the AC in the seventeen year old car. (Now we just need to do it.)

      And some actual progress on the day job.

  19. I am working on applying for a Field Representative job with the census. I really don’t need to work more, I need to cut back (as my boss keeps saying, but she keeps not hiring people to replace me, or a few other people who need replacing), but the 2020 census was So Much Fun. And I can always use money.

  20. I’ve got a book launch coming up, plus a niece arriving to stay for a couple of nights, so I’ve taken a week off writing to figure out what I have to do for the launch plus sort through the wreckage that is my spare room. And general housework too, because it is not my strong point and doesn’t really get done unless I’ve got someone coming. The spiders are getting out of hand!

  21. I started moving around in the pool. It’s really great. It’s the making myself get there and in the water that is challenging.

    I am beta reading a book for an author in my critique group. It’s good.

    I got necessary but puzzling-to-solve critique on Tuesday.

    Work was a nightmare Friday night and most of the weekend.

    Someone recommended the movie Donnie Darko so I watched it. Two thumbs down & rotten tomatoes.

    Thur 4/6 is full pink moon. When I read that I thought about Nick Drake and started listening to him again. Such a loss that he died so young.

  23. Catching up on regular things to do. Long Board of Elections meeting last night. It’s mostly an information dump for anyone who is interested in the nuts and boltsof the primary.

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