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Last weekend, I spent some time trying to finish up a project I’d been working on during the week. I had another on my plate waiting for me to get around to it, but with my very limited time on the computer during this summer, and a hundred other things requiring my attention, completing this one was slow going. I figured I would finish it over the weekend, when my husband would be at home to watch the kids, and then I could upload it and, on Monday get to work on the next one.
That was the plan, anyway!
The good news, I did finish this project (formatting a manuscript for Createspace). The bad news? There was NO Internet! I got online to try to upload it but there was no connection.
Turned out we had no cable, either. Jesse was so upset because our cable was shut off while he was watching SpongeBob and he cried when he missed out on the rest of the show.
What happened was that my husband thought he had paid the cable bill (we have a cable/Internet/phone bundle), but it had been our electric bill he had actually paid. And the funds to pay our Very Expensive cable bill were NOT available. So the cable company shut off our Internet, phone and cable. Without any warning, either! They didn’t even send a reminder. Sheesh!
To be honest, given a choice between having electricity and having cable, I was glad we had electricity! Still, I had things to do that required an Internet connection. For one thing, I have been in the process of editing/revising/updating a manuscript I had to get back to my publisher. For another thing, I had to upload this other book! I have another one waiting (actually, two more) and that one was time-sensitive. So I was pretty darn nervous each day I could not do those things.
Of course, I worried that my email inbox would overflow. This is where my smartphone came in handy. I contacted my publisher through my smartphone to let her know what was up, and I also got some other work done for other books. I managed my email account in the best way I could, but could not get done everything I needed to do to keep it from filling up. But, that’s okay! No biggie! I realize I could’ve gone to the library to use Internet there to handle email, but I’m too paranoid to use library computers for email.
I was also unable to post anything at my picture blog, for some reason, so I could not share the picture of the moon that I took on the night it was orange on account of the fires in California. Again, no biggie. Sometimes I can post on the blogs and sometimes not!
Jennifer, however, had a harder time dealing with no Internet. Surprisingly, she winged not having cable. (The kid has had to live without cable before!) But no Internet was another thing. She and a friend have been emailing each other new passages they write in a fan fiction story they’ve got going on, so no Internet meant no more writing the story! She also creates short story booklets on another site, and when she was inspired to write a new story, she was upset she could not upload it. (I told her to just write her story then she could upload it when we had Internet again.) She also missed out on using tumblr and Pinterest.
Jesse was also not happy he could not use Internet. He likes to play games. Still, the games on my smartphone were enough to satisfy his gaming fix.
I also managed to use Netflix on my smartphone, as well as Pinterest.
So, basically, we DID survive not having Internet, but it was hard. (For those five days, I was practically biting my nails off thinking Mustsendbook.Mustsendbook.Mustsendbook.)
Our Internet was finally turned back on today. (They turned on our cable first. Jesse was happy he got to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles again.) I finally got to send my book back to my publisher. (Yay!) Getting THAT done lifted a HUGE weight off of my shoulders, believe me! And Jennifer was happy she got to do her Internet stuff again today. I am happy I got to do Internet stuff again, too. My email inbox still needs some attention, but I hope I can weed through it over the weekend. (That’s when I get caught up on email!)
This has definitely made us take a closer look at just how we spend our time on the Internet, what we can do when we don’t have it, and, ultimately, WHY it is important to us. What can we do on the Internet that we can’t do on a smartphone or in some other way? Indeed, the Internet does play an important role in our lives, but it’s not the end of the world if we have to do without it for a short time. There are just some things we need a computer with working Internet for that a smartphone will not be able to do for us. (I will say that it is insanely annoying typing on small keys and squinting to read the tiny screen on my smartphone, so blogging on my smartphone is definitely OUT!) Given there are flash drives, there are other solutions if we lose Internet. But it’s still a nice thing to have.
For the longest time, I have had a love/hate relationship with social media. I don’t use ALL of the social media sites and rarely will I ever participate at Google+. But I love the social media sites I DO use – Twitter and Facebook – because they’ve been great to stay connected with people. I HAVE been tempted to leave them either because I have had problems with people who were being jerks or my friends’ complaints about “evil social media” starting to frighten me. But then I figured, heck, I’ve been on this long, why stop now?
And I have seen how social media has been helpful to people. It’s helped to bust criminals, put together clues on things that have happened to people, as well as get messages across that the public at large could not be prone to. (Journalists DO use tweets and Facebook pics/posts in their stories.) Today, I saw how using social media can be VERY helpful.
I am reviewing this nonfiction book for Night Owl Reviews that is a woman’s true story of different things that have happened in her life that drew her closer to God. (Good book, by the way!) In one chapter that I read today, she recounted a terrifying experience she and her friends went through that they were lucky to survive. On a holiday in an Australian rainforest, the driver lost control of their car and it flew into a deep part of the forest, front-first, and nearly sank into the mud. They survived that crash and pushed their car out of the mud, but the car was out of gas so they couldn’t use it to get out of there. So they started walking – and ended up getting lost. In a rainforest. None of them had a cell phone, as well as no food, radio or water. For hours, they trekked through the woods, and then they got lost. They were freezing, scared, starving, bruised from the crash, dehydrated and had no way to call for any help. The author of this story said that no one knew where they were so they would not come looking for them, and no one would know for several more hours that they were lost.
By that time, they might be dead.
As I read this, I thought, Well, what if one of them had been posting about their adventures on Twitter? And a friend realized that the posts stopped, or there was no blog posts or pics on Instagram, and realize something was wrong?
But then I remembered that this person’s story took place several years ago – before Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and blogs. (Well, the blogs we know today.) No one would have updated or posted about ANYTHING on social media, because there WAS no social media at that time!
This gave me pause. It also made me grateful that we DO have social media. Thank God for people who post about their vacations and their adventures! That’s how other people – their friends, family and colleagues – can keep tabs on them. So often I have checked out the Twitter or Facebook page of someone I’ve lost touch with, or even their blogs, to see if they’re still alive. You know? I mean, social media is a great way for us to keep tabs on each other and be more aware of if something is wrong.
So, yes, I AM glad we have social media today. Maybe those college kids would have had a better chance of some friend thinking something was wrong because there weren’t any tweets or Facebook posts. (Smartphones make it possible for us to do that no matter where we are – another thing to be thankful for!)
In the end, one of the group who was still strong went on ahead and got help. They were rescued. But I think if they’d been using social media to post about their adventures and stuff, maybe it would be less worry for people who get lost because there is a chance someone following their posts would see no recent updates or tweets or anything, and realize they might be in danger and need some help.
48 Questions
I got this from Joleene Naylor at Ramblings from the Darkness. Decided to give it a run since this blog SERIOUSLY needs an update!
1. What time did you get up this morning?
6. Darn alarm clock didn’t go off at 5!
2. How do you like your steak?
Well done. <—ditto
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I don’t remember. But the last movie I saw was The Sandlot which I watched with Jennifer.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
Star Trek: The Next Generation. Dr. Who. How Clean is Your House? Supernanny.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I like where I live now (except for the snow and ice – boo!) but I would love to live near the water. Even if it’s a lake!
6. What did you have for breakfast?
Toast and OJ.
7. What is your favorite food?
Anything BBQ.
8. Foods you dislike?
Raw meat.
9. Favorite place to eat?
McGrath’s Fish House.
10. Favorite dressing?
Ranch
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
A green Ford Contour.
12. What are your favorite clothes?
Jeans and T-shirt.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Ireland, Australia, Greece, Italy . . . oh, I can only pick one?
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
½ full
15. Where would you want to retire?
I don’t think I’ll EVER retire. I’ll write books until I’m dead!
16. Favorite time of day?
Night time
17. Where were you born?
Glendale, CA
18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
More than one. Football, baseball and basketball. But I like PRO sports. Not into the college sports.
19. What is your favorite fragrance?
Jovan White Musk
20. What is your favorite face cream?
I . . . don’t use face cream.
21. Favorite baby/kids products?
Pokemon
22. People watcher?
Most def!
23. Are you a morning or night person?
Night owl at heart. Morning person out of duty. :/
24. Do you have any pets?
One dog
25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?
I’m starting an ebook project today. Yay! And I got the green light to do ANOTHER article for SIGNews, in addition to the one they assigned to me. Yay! (Now I wait and wait to get a response to my interview request. Sigh!)
26. What did you want to be when you were little?
A cowgirl.
27. What is your favorite memory?
Spending time with both grandmothers. How I miss them.
28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Dog person.
29. Are you married?
Why else would I wear a wedding ring?
30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes!
31. Been in a car accident?
Yes, that accident that caused the burns plus a fender-bender. Plus getting hit by some drunk while at college. *grumbles at the memory*
32. Any pet peeves?
Ah, let me count the ways. People who abuse kids. People who abuse animals. People who discriminate. People who use drugs. (I have NO LOVE for drug addicts.) Drunk drivers. Computers that seem to have a mind of their own.
33. Favorite pizza toppings?
Pineapple and Canadian bacon.
34. Favorite flower?
The yellow rose, of course!
35. Favorite ice cream?
Mint chocolate chip.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Subway
37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test?
Once.
38. From whom did you get your last email?
Someone who wants to review the charity ebook when it comes out. (Yay!)
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
I would not normally max out my card but for the sake of this question, I would say Target.
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
It’s been known to happen.
41. Like your job?
I LOVE my job!
42. Broccoli?
Preferably fresh.
43. What was your favorite vacation?
St. Louis!
44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Hubby.
45. What are you listening to right now?
The silence.
46. What is your favorite color?
Blue.
47. How many tattoos do you have?
None.
48. Coffee drinker?
Yes, please!
Happy New Year! So here we are, in 2011. I can't help but be a little suspicious about that number "11." Why? Because I'm one of those people who is haunted by numbers. Seriously. You know how there are people who see one particular number everywhere they go? Yep, that's me. I'm one of them. Sometimes it'd get as bad as me always ending up with THAT particular amount of money in my pocket!
And for the longest time, I was haunted by the number "11." I kid you not. It's not so much that I used to live on West 11th. But I'd see that number EVERYWHERE. Of course, I started to think there must be a reason why I saw That. Particular. Number...EVERYWHERE! Then OTHER numbers started to haunt me, too. So maybe it's just the whole "numbers haunting a person" thing, and not so much some reason for the number itself.
Still, I had to think, there must be a reason. Why the number 11? And, after I moved, it was the number 13! So I started asking...why the number 13?
Could it have anything to do with those years coming up? 2011? 2013?
Only time will tell.
Anyway, in honor of 2011, I will now list 11 of my favorite blog posts from last year....
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Save the Earth! And maybe the sun, too
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Special moments
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Meeting W.S. Merwin
Friday, February 12, 2010
Remembering Toby
Friday, May 21, 2010
Pictures from first baseball practice
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The second time around
Sunday, September 05, 2010
And when he was bad
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Living life ugly in a beautiful world
Thursday, November 04, 2010
YOU again!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Counting on your fingers
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Weekend warrior
Yesterday's blog post showed how just one click can help a woman receive a free mammogram this month. Now, all it takes is just one image!
The Web site Diets in Review.com is doing something in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For all of October, if you include the above image on your blog, they will donate $5 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of your site.
I have included the image above for today's blog post. I am also including it on the side of my blog.
I am excited and grateful to see a web site being so generous and active in fighting for the cause. It's all in the power of your blog! So visit their site today, copy the image to your blog, and you will have just contributed to the fight against breast cancer.
Blogs Against Breast Cancer 2009
I came across a blog where the blogger's last post, from 2 months ago, announced the closing of the blog because nobody was commenting. I thought this attitude, while valid, was a little dramatic. If you're upset that no one is commenting on your blog posts, don't make a fuss over it and say, "I'm not blogging anymore! Goodbye, cruel blogosphere!" Just stop blogging. It's the right approach to take.
I know of some writers who complained about not getting any comments on their blogs, where they posted samples of their work or things they were doing. When I commented on their blog, I saw that they did not return the favor by commenting on any of mine.
Gee, maybe this is why they don't get any comments?
The commenting thing works both ways -- in MY opinion. I mean, you comment on my blog and, God willing I miraculously find the time eventually, I will comment on yours. In my opinion, that's the way it should be. But not everybody thinks so....
Still, just because there are no comments, especially over a long period of time, it doesn't mean you should get all upset in your last post. Don't throw a hissy fit and announce, "Screw you guys! I'm not blogging anymore!" You know? Just stop blogging. It looks childish to just say "not blogging anymore because nobody is reading it." (And how do you know no one is reading it, anyway? Sometimes, people don't have anything to say. Sometimes they'll read and not comment. A lack of comments doesn't mean NO ONE is reading it. I mean, I've gotten emails from people commenting on my blog posts, when they didn't leave a comment. That's just as good!)
Myself, I would continue blogging even if I had NO followers and NO commenters (I still love my followers and commenters!). Once upon a time, it used to be that way. I had NO followers and NO commenters! It bugged me (because I was hoping that at least someone in my FAMILY would at least leave a comment -- and for a while, one of my sisters did), but I kept up the blogging, anyway. Because you know what? I like blogging. I like doing the blog thing. It's fun, challenging, a great diversion and a safe outlet to just write...WHATEVER.
Comments or no comments, my heart is still in blogging. And that's got to count for something.
First off, I want it to be clear that I wasn't making such a big deal about my book contract in that last blog post just to rub it in anyone's face or "brag" about this opportunity. I'm not trying to brag. I am only trying to let everyone know that if I disappear for a while, it's because I'm busy WORKING. Truth is, I'm nervous about my deadline being only 8 months away. So I REALLY have to devote as much time as I can to this book.
Second, I must retract a statement I made in that last blog post. I can't exactly "swear off" blogging while I work on the book. As it is, Read an E-book Week is coming up, and I have a blogging thing planned for it. So I'll be blogging during that time. If there's anything I want to be promoting, it's something that encourages people to READ!
So I WILL be blogging, just not as often. And I WILL try to catch up on everybody else's blogs, too. Just not as often.
Just please know that when I talk about accomplishments I have made with my writing career, I'm not trying to show anybody up. I am genuinely thrilled when I accomplish something with my writing, and I want to share it. I've been at this thing for literally YEARS (I think I got started when I was around 19 or so), so it's not like I've achieved things overnight. I'm proud of how far I have come as a writer, but it's taken me a very long time to get to where I am now.
I only hope that when I celebrate an accomplishment, the people who actually care will celebrate with me. :)
I shouldn't be here. No, really. I shouldn't be blogging at all. Or...reading blogs. Commenting on blogs.
But, darn it. It's a hard habit to break!
So what's the deal on why I shouldn't be blogging?
Quite simply, I have A LOAD of work on my hands. Time I spend on the computer must now be devoted to research, networking and story-gathering because....I HAVE A NEW BOOK DEAL! Woot! Woot!
It started out as an idea I had for an article. But as I researched that idea, I thought, 'Wow, there sure is a lot of stuff on this topic.' I often chat with one of my editors, and during this time, she mentioned she was on the hunt for a ghost book to fill a slot for next year. After some thought, I decided to pitch her my idea and she liked it. Not only did she like it, though, but she wants to turn this one book into a series.
A SERIES!!!!!
Now just try to picture me madly running around the house, screaming my head off in excitement. Woo-hoo! I am FINALLY doing a series! It's not my fiction series, but, hey! It's still a series! And that's a good thing! That means...more books! Yay! I just hope this will launch me into an opportunity to get my fiction series to an agent. (I think that THIS kinda thing will definitely look good on a proposal or query letter.)
Anyway, that's what I've got on my plate now. I'm also writing articles, but I fell behind when the kids got sick, and I've been trying like crazy to get caught up on that.
So, yeah, I'm going to be pretty busy and a little...preoccupied for a while there.
Still, I'm logging in at MySpace often. But ONLY because I'm networking with people who will be in these books. Finding interviewees. Learning about more groups out there. (The books will contain stories from paranormal investigators, on when they've investigated different sites in some of America's most haunted cities.) I am also using the Ghost Hunters networking site, but still getting used to that. (It's like a MySpace for paranormal enthusiasts!)
And finally....I am trying something out. I got an idea to try sharing one poem a day on deviantART. I hadn't been active on there for a LOOOONG time but got into the whole poetry thing again, so I just logged in and started reading a bunch of poems. I also started posting poems on there again, and my goal is to try posting a poem on there every day. Just, any old poem I get an idea for, really. I've let so many ideas for poems escape me. Now I'm GRABBING those ideas for poems and WRITING them! It's more of an experiment to see if I am able to practice writing a poem a day than anything else. I used to write pages of poems every day, but then I stopped. For some reason. I also stopped sharing them. And I was concerned about this. I didn't like being poetry-less. I wanted to bring poetry back into my world. I wanted it to be ALIVE within me again. It used to be so easy to write a poem. Then it got to be hard. I just...closed myself up. Censored everything. Denied everything. But, no longer. Now I will write whatever idea for a poem that strikes me! I started this with the poem Remembering Numbers. Even if the poem sucks, I still post it. LOL :)
So that's what's been going on with me. I'm just busy as heck! So between the writing, the kids, and the house, hard to find time for much else. But I'll make time for some things, when possible.
If you see me commenting on your blog, though, feel free to yell at me. ;)
There have been some bad things I've had to deal with for a while. Marriage-wise, family-wise, writing-wise. I've been trying to put up with them, but it's hard.
I made a decision some time back not to get TOO personal on this blog. After all, it's a PUBLIC blog. Everyone and anyone can see it. And it's hard for me to trust people because too many people have already hurt me. I am not going to make room in my life for anyone else to cause more hurt. So I decided to be discreet with this blog.
And I almost broke that rule. I almost took the one remaining resolution I have yet to figure out and make it something like "bare it ALL on the Palms to Pines blog." I almost did it. I was awake early this morning, mentally writing something that would do it.
But I didn't. I found some other way to get over my anger and frustrations. I found something to help me get over all of it and just forget about it. If only for a little while.
I don't want to use this blog as a place to bitch and moan. I don't want to use this blog as a platform for "pity me parties." I don't want to use this blog for drama or angst. All that stuff is not for public eyes. A lot of that stuff is private and it should stay private.
This doesn't mean I'll censor my blog to only have "happy stories" or things like that. I blog about the stuff I feel comfortable blogging about. I blog about the "eventful" stuff, the insightful stuff. The stuff that highlights my world as a deaf person and a deaf parent. And I'm not giving myself permission to whine or complain about OTHER stuff.
Because that's not up for public scrutiny.
I know there are people who like to pass judgments on me without getting the facts right. I know there are people who like to talk shit about me and come up with all these stories or assumptions that aren't true. People get me wrong ALL the time. It's sad, really. Happens with my own family members. And I have been tempted to show the REAL me to the world through this blog. Since it IS my personal blog. But I just don't want to make it too personal. As I said, I have been hurt too much. I have been manipulated, abused and deceived too much. And I'm not prepared to tear down any walls. I'm just not ready to trust the WHOLE world with the real me.
Not yet, anyway.
For the time being, I will continue to censor my blog posts. I will also censor any comments from people who make personal attacks or who start bickering with others. You may say it's a free country and you can post whatever kind of comment you want. I say it's MY blog and I'll do what I want with it. It's my blog and I'll censor if I want to. (HA!)
If anything, I have to do this to avoid people taking stuff I write on here, twisting it around and trying to get at me with it. Sorry, not opening the door for that to happen again. Not on my blog.
I'm going to have to cut down on the blogging.
This is the message I got last night, from a dream. Yes, a DREAM! Of all things. Now I'm not one to just....ignorantly follow every old suggestion which a dream makes. After all, my first opinion of what dreams are is that they are a reflection of our self. Of our...psyche, or whatever you want to call it. But sometimes, I think, dreams can be a useful self-help tool. Especially since I hardly have ANYONE with whom I can consult on a variety of matters!
I mention this because, the other night, I dreamed that someone was telling me I shouldn't say a certain....swear word that I had often been saying. (Unfortunately, in my verbal speech, I tend to swear like a sailor. Bad habit, I know! I'm still a work-in-progress, folks.) The person in my dream said it was bad to say that word, because it took God's name in vain. And God wasn't happy about that! After I awoke from the dream, I was frightened because that word was just a normal part of my "normal" vocabulary. :P And I didn't know how I would stop myself from saying it. But I started praying on that. And I'm hoping that will help me to REMEMBER not to say that word.
Yeah, I do believe what the man in my dream said. I mean, it makes sense that the..."G-D" word takes the Lord's name in vain. Although I hadn't realized it before. I thought it was like saying, "God, damn this thing!" But I guess...not?
Anyway. There's another dream I had with a "message" I didn't ignore. A dream in which an angel told me "God loves all women." This dream came about during a time I was struggling with my religious convictions. I really had issues with the whole "women are EVIL!" message the Bible kept promoting. And how women are undervalued in so many religions and considered to be nothing more than mere slaves and breeders. That we weren't special. But when I had this dream, in which the angel also told me "God does not hate," it really moved me. You know? Now THAT was a message I couldn't ignore! I didn't care what people said or how a Bible story was told. I BELIEVED the angel in my dream that God loves us! He loves ALL women, young and old, black and white, rich and poor, Christian and Jewish. He loves ALL of us just as equally as men!
In the dream I had last night, I was living in a different house. I was at the computer, typing up a blog post on MS Word (although I normally use Notepad LOL). Then some men I didn't know came into the room. There were two of them. They were behind me and I turned to see them. One of them smiled and said, "Look at her. She's writing a story!"
"What are you writing, Dawn?" the other asked.
And I just....stared at them. Just blankly looked at them. I hadn't been working on a story. I had been writing up a blog post. But I didn't want to say THAT. They seemed so excited over me writing another story. Over creating something new for them to read.
But I wasn't writing a story. Apparently, I was wasting my time writing a blog post! When they were expecting a story! And I felt guilty. I felt so....disappointed with myself. I SHOULD have been writing a story! I got a bazillion story ideas WAITING to be created! Why don't I just WRITE them??? Forget about people saying "it's not realistic" or about me thinking "I can't write THAT!" I should just write them anyway!! JUST WRITE THEM! And stop making excuses NOT to write them...
But blogging was taking up all my free time now. Not writing, BLOGGING. And I have just been spending way too much time on my blogs. I should spend LESS time blogging and MORE time writing!
That is the message from my dream. I won't ignore this message. And why did this dream come about in the first place, anyway? Because lately, my husband has been complaining that I'm blogging too much. Instead of blogging, he argues, which IS a hobby, I should be working on my books instead. And he has a good point. I won't argue with him there. He's right. I WAS blogging too much! And my writing was just...getting so neglected. I have the tendency to obsess over things and get addicted to things. (I forget what that personality type is called....) And for a while, blogging was my addiction.
But I'm not going to let it be my addiction anymore. I CAN'T! There is just too much work I have to do! Too many books I want to write! Too many stories I want to get written! Too many manuscript edits I have left to do!
So I'm going to DO them! Cut down on the blogging and get more writing done. That is the message from my dream. That is the message which I won't ignore.
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