Yes, I know this is a bit late, it being June 2 as I (finally) write. However, the Monday holiday caught me unprepared, and yesterday (Tuesday) I was a bit out of sorts. A ninety-minute nap yesterday and sleeping till 9:00 a.m. this morning did wonders for that issue, though. So, without further ado, let’s charge right into the updates!
What Is This?
Every Monday (yeah, whatever!), I document the happenings of the past week. The original (and still primary) intent is to track my progress in meeting my writing goals. Increasingly, I’ve been discussing more than just writing. For example, I’m a sports nut, so occasionally I’ll throw in a sports tidbit. I may talk about World of Warcraft, do-it-yourself projects, travel, food, or beer and wine. I think potpourri fits very well. *grins*
Writing
Weekly Word Count
My weekly goal is 2,000 words. I use an Excel spreadsheet to track all my work by category (blog post, copyediting work, creative writing) and item. So all I need to do is add up the “words” column and I’m good to go. Blog posts and creative writing count full credit. Copyediting for other writers is counted at ten percent of the starting word count for the document; style sheets for that copyediting will count twenty-five percent. Editing my own work, if and when I get to that point, will count fifty percent of the starting word count.
This week’s word count: 1,540. Fail x2.
- Blog Post: “Weekly Wrap-Up: May 24,” 1412 words
- Copyediting @ 10 percent: 128 words
I thought about simply copying the comments from last week into this space, but that’s a cop-out. So I’ll just say that there have been circumstances that mitigated against my being more productive. Some of that has been resolved with the completion of the front deck (see below); the rest, I hope, will resolve itself when Mrs. Kestrel returns from her Italy trip next week.
Potpourri
Reading
I’ve been maintaining that activity, at least! Last week, I finished Anne McCaffrey’s The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, a collection of short stories from the Dragonriders of Pern universe when Thread first threatens the colony. I am so glad I got back into reading (and re-reading) this series!
I also downloaded the second of Jim C. Hines’s Princess novels to my iPod Touch, using Kindle for iPod. I must say, other than having to tap to change pages fairly frequently, the Touch is a pretty good e-reader. For the time being, at least, I’m over my desire for a Kindle or other e-reader.1 This particular novel is “The Mermaid’s Madness” and involves the little mermaid. Trust me, we’re not talking Andersen’s (or Disney’s) Ariel here! In fact, her name is Leira, and she is Not Nice. However, she has an excuse: An enchanted knife.) I’m only up to Chapter 6, so I don’t know how the situation resolves itself, but once again, Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty (Danielle, Snow, and Talia) are once again up to their tiaras in danger and excitement.
I have not abandoned The Dragonbone Chair: I’ve read enough to have my curiosity whetted, and really need to give the book a chance to really grab me. Thus far, the protagonist isn’t exactly a real sympathetic character, but I’m hopeful that will change—sooner rather than later, I trust!
The Deck
One word: FINISHED! A marathon session on Saturday saw the steps and stoop completed, following some painting late Friday afternoon (there is a step off the front of the deck, and a couple off the left side that are redwood, painted to match the house color). Here are some shots of the finished project:
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- Beware of Cat!
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- The front steps and the stoop, with handrail
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- Full shot of deck, stoop, steps
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- Side view of deck
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- Distant shot of front of the house. Wall on right is the garage.
A friend suggested we need something to break up the huge blank space that is the garage wall. I agree; now to see if I can convince Mrs. Kestrel we need some tasteful artwork up there. Perhaps a huge Hawaiian sea turtle? Also, on the left side of the house, the jungle towards the back are actually raspberry bushes. We should be picking in another three or four weeks, I think. Mmmm…
Tech Stuff
Over the past few weeks, I’ve started watching This Week in Google (TWiG), with Leo Laporte, Gina Trapani and Jeff Jarvis. TWiG is part of the “This Week in Tech” (TWiT) network, and is must-see TV if you’re a tech geek. One of the best features of TWiT is the Google Calendar you can embed into your own calendar (and it automagically adapts itself to your own timezone, assuming you have correctly configured that in your Google profile). I confess that I’m lost sometimes with some of the discussions, but it’s fascinating anyway. And I DO learn stuff. If you have any interest at all in timely tech topics and discussion of just about anything tech related, check out TWiT.
Of course you can watch the shows live, but most are also recorded for later viewing/listening. While I don’t always agree with every position Leo advocates, there are few people who can talk tech more intelligently and more on a level that the average person can understand. Highly recommended.
Finally, thank you to the anonymous reader who purchased the developer version of Thesis Premium WordPress theme using one of the links on this site. Late this month, I should receive my very first affiliate premium for that purchase. Obviously, I’m not going to get rich (neither quickly, nor in the long term!), but it’s a nice little bit of unexpected cash. (I can argue that it paid for one of the new tools I got in the last month or so—or at least, part of one!) So again, thank you!
- Another huge reason for that is the inability or unwillingness of Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple to agree on a common format that makes it simple for consumers to purchase from any of the three to use on any dedicated e-reader. See this article from Ars Technica for more information. ↩
Your front deck looks good! And I like the “Beware of Cat” mat, it is quite fitting to your two… warriors. *grins*
And yay, TWiG! I like the whole TWiT network, especially This Week in Tech, This Week in Google and Security Now (although the latter one tends to be bloody scary, sometimes!). I never actually watch them, though. I am a podcast girl, no time for watching TV here. *smile*
And this is very relaxed definition of a Monday, right there! *wink*
Iris recently posted…Feather Path: Chapter XI
On Twitter: @irisharper
I saw Leo’s tweet about Security Now this morning, followed the link, and tuned in just in time to hear Steve Gibson rattling off some VERY scary stats about gamer account hacking…I think the number he said was four million accounts, and named the trojan that was also infecting accounts. Very scary, but very interesting. (I’ve been a Steve Gibson fan for years, ever since SpinRite 1.0. Yeah, I’m that old.) (In fact, if you put a mustache on me, he and I could pass as brothers.)
Ahem…
Yes…the earlier stoop had thicker boards than the composite decking now there, so we didn’t have enough clearance below the edge of the storm door for a mat. So I grabbed that one from the back deck; however, I suspect we may get a different one when the wife returns home next week.
On Twitter: @_steve_hall
Wow, the deck looks fantastic! I totally agree on the sea turtle thing – very you, and very eye-catching. <3
As far as the Dragonbone Chair is concerned – I don't usually give books that long to hook me. Either they hooked me or they didn't. 98% of the time, the books don't actually get better than the first few chapters, and it's not worth the wasted time on 2% for me. =]
Tami recently posted…Writing Cliches
Honestly, the only reason I’m going to give it another chance is that the night I started it, I was dead tired and should have been in bed asleep instead of reading.
On Twitter: @_steve_hall
Ah, not those Pern novels! I was hooked until the third (or was it fourth? ah, what the heck, there were telepathic dolphins and I was done) trilogy, and now I’m just tired of Pern. Try “Sunshine” by Robin McKinley, instead. Nobody does first person limited narration better, I think. Especially if you like that sort of story. And you might based on your reading titles.
PS- the deck, stoop, and steps look great. Kudos!