Last post for a while

Things are getting hairy at this point. To Do list still really long! Running out of time! Way too much to do over the next few days. Must stay away from computer.

My critique partner did give me some cool feedback yesterday, which is really helpful and not difficult at all to incorporate. At this point, I'm going to have to depend on my notebook and my Alphie to continue to do my editing work while I'm away, then use Sean's laptop once we're in BC.

I'll try to blog when I have a chance, but at my in-laws (where I'll be after Reno) they're on dial-up they share with their main phone line, so I won't really have much opportunity. My brother-in-law does have a cable connection, so while I'm visiting him (to help our niece buy her kitten) I'll try to beg some internet time *g*.

Hope everyone has a great couple of weeks. And to those of you who'll be in Reno - hope to bump into you there!

Off for breakfast now - fresh muffins. Yumm!

Teresa

Link of the Day: Kathryn Smith's website

Currently coming from my speakers: Walk On - U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind

Extra link of the day :-)

Culturenet Cymru - for those of you interested in Welsh history. This link is also courtesy of Humbul.

Teresa

Currently coming from my speakers: force ten - rush - Unknown Album (27/03/2003 19:46:51)

Early morning blog

Yesterday was nuts! Busy at the office most of the day, then at the gym, then dinner, then a walk. Phew - needless to say, I got NOTHING done on my ms. Having a critique meeting this afternoon, so have to squeeze some writing in this morning. Hence the early post.

George woke me up at 6am!!! So I took advantage of the beautiful morning to go for another walk. Am already feeling summer slip from my grasp - must take every chance I can to enjoy the warm temps and sun.

The other thing I did last night was make two lists - one of things to DO before leaving on Tuesday. The other was a list of things not to FORGET! The list of things to do is pretty scary - some are easy, but others are more time consuming. Oh well. First on my list this morning is to clear out my AlphaSmart, so I can take it with me. Alphie's gone to two RWA conferences and it's amazing to get home and just dump my notes into my computer, ready for printing :-)

One thing I get to do in Vancouver is go kitten shopping with my niece! It will be fun. Just have to remember NOT to kitten shop for myself - George would NOT be amused *g*.

Must continue to mull over my pitch in my head. I know if I stay calm it WILL go well :-) I love this story so much - even when it frustrates me. Rewriting scenes has been interesting. I have a better sense of my characters now, so in some ways it's easier to layer in the emotion etc, especially for Cecile. Her voice has always been much stronger - does anyone else find that? Their heroine is more cooperative and easier to hear? Hmmm.

Teresa

Currently Reading: Review book
Also Currently Reading: First Draft in 30 Days
Link of the Day:Smugglers' Britain: The Ordnance Survey Guide (courtesy Humbul Internet Resources)

Currently coming from my speakers: force ten - rush - Unknown Album (27/03/2003 19:46:51)

Quick evening post

Just back from my local writer's group meeting. Read my pitch - got some good feedback. Still scared to death. Oh well.

Finished one scene today and started rewriting another. From scratch *sigh*.

Not much else to say - very tired and need to go veg in front of the tv for a while.

Teresa

Currently Reading: Review book
Also Currently Reading: FDin30D
Link of the Day: Writer's Blog

Currently coming from my speakers: Reel 'N' Roll - Rawlins Cross - Reel 'N' Roll

George the cat :-)

Darn those digital cameras! They make it so easy to photograph the cat - in various embarrassing positions. The first photo was taken on one of the VERY hot days - poor baby was just trying to keep cool (well, he insisted on being outside). Still - I couldn't resist! If you click on the photos, you get the big view and can see his cute little face as he stares down the camera - LOL!



Here he is peeking out from behind his bush:



And here's the view of him in his fave spot from the lower deck:



Teresa (who really promises that one day she'll stop posting pix of the cat. Well, maybe *g*)

Career Planning and more!

I found out in rereading the research I've done for my agent my appointment, that the agent in question is especially impressed with writers who have more than just a vague idea of what they want to do once they get published. She specifically mentions a five year plan - of course, the historian in me conjures up pictures of Stalinist Russia *vbg*. But I get her point. And I do have a plan. It's just not well articulated. So this evening I'm going to reread Chapter Ten of FDin30D and do some work with the worksheets on pages 209-213.

So what did I accomplish today? I editted one scene and rewrote its sequel. I'm finding it so hard to put the emotion down on paper in first draft like this - especially as Adrian's being his normal, uncommunicative self! Am sitting there on the deck, pleading with him to tell me HOW HE FEELS while Cecile recounts seeing her family murdered. Arrghh. Men.

Worked off some of my frustrations at the gym. Since our visit last week, the new cross-trainer arrived and I had fun trying it out, along with the new, fancy weight machines. Definitely need to put some more time in with weights!!

Responding to comments:
Kelly - thanks for the congrats on finishing the judging :-) Index cards are the way to go!
Rene - thanks for the pep talk!!
Melissa - glad I'm not the only one better putting things on paper than into words. As for travelling, I'm not as bad as I once was, but it's still not a whole lot of fun. Something in a past life, I imagine.
Kate - yes, Margaret is lovely :-) I met her very briefly in DC in 2000.

Ok - really must go now and start reading the chapter of FDin30D. THEN I have to do kitchen duty, though it's pretty easy tonight as we had Greek Salad for dinner - yay, no pots to wash.

Teresa

Currently Reading: Review book (no I can't name it publicly)
Also Currently Reading: Chapter 10 of FDin30D
Link of the Day: Food Timeline-- history notes: Colonial America & 17th/18th century France

Currently coming from my speakers: Symphony in Blue - Kate Bush - Lionheart

So, I'm finished judging!

Yep - they're all done. Phew. I spent a long time on them, but it's only fair to do so. People don't pay good money to enter contests and receive cursory feedback.

So they'll go off tomorrow (after on last check) and then it's back to my ms for me. Those scenes I wrote last week should now be just right for further editting before I continue on with rewriting some of the other scenes. Time is ticking really quickly now, though. I have to start packing in a week and I'm getting nervous. Travelling is really not my thing - I'm always much better when I arrive at my destination. And, as I said last night, there's all the guilt over leaving the cat. He's so attached to us now, I'm really worried, though the vet assures me I'll likely miss the cat more than he'll miss me *g*.

I'm trying not to get worked up about pitching this year. It's something that always terrifies me, which I know is stupid - editors and agents are nice people. They don't want to SCARE us!!! And it's not as though my entire career rests on this. I just find it hard to articulate my story out loud to a stranger. On paper or the screen, there's no problem.

The biggest diversion right now is knowing I have to rewrite key scenes in the ms. I already know what's going to happen - the changes that need to be made. Just have to hope they come out the way I want them to. But we all know about that - a scene sounds amazing in our heads, then we write it and stare at the monitor, dumbfounded at the drivel that's emerged. Oh well, drivel can always be worked on.

It was another scorcher here today. Sean and I went for a walk and despite the strong wind, we were still hot, hot, hot when we got home. I did pick up a copy of Nicola Cornick's latest book the, The Notorious Lord. Can hardly wait to get into it!!

I'm going to bloghop for another little while, then maybe go read a bit more of my review book. My brain just isn't up to working on my ms tonight.

Teresa

Currently Reading: Review Book
Also Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Link of the Day: GH nominee Annette McCleave's website - she's a friend and I'll be cheering for her in Reno.

Currently coming from my speakers: It Could All Get Blown Away - Jeff Healey Band - Feel This

Rare Sunday evening post

My mum just left. She was over for dinner - easier sometimes on Sunday nights when Sean is working early on Monday mornings. He can go to bed early and I can still spend time with my mum. It had cooled off enough out on the deck so we sat out there chatting and watching the storm clouds re-form (though it never did actually rain again) while George the cat slept at our feet :-)

It's been a busy couple of days since my last post. Have spent my spare time judging my contest entries. Realized they're due soon and really need to get them finished so I can concentrate on my ms with a clear conscience. Thank goodness for Sean's laptop - I worked outside on Friday afternoon - it was a beautiful summer day and I was going nuts inside looking at the blue sky from my office window. We went out for dinner, then to a pub - a friend of ours recently reformed his band and they were playing a gig. We went along for support and had a marvy time. Great music, good friends, yummy wine/beer and food. We realized we could take the bus there and back so there were no worries on the driving front. It doesn't take much at all to put me over the legal limit, so I prefer either not to drive or err very much on the side of caution.

Our coffee pot is behaving a little better now - with the old, cracked lid. Have to call Starbucks Warranty people again tomorrow. I LOL over Brenda's misgivings about Sean's messing around with the lid - he's actually VERY good with all kinds of household repairs. Even our nephews say to "ask Uncle Sean", which, consider my brother-in-law is equally handy seems a little surprising, till I remember they're here often enough when my mum says she has to ask Uncle Sean to fix something for her (even before my dad died, Sean had been the official fixer-upper guy for a few years).

Back to judging - it's been an interesting experience. I judged the same contest last year and had a wide variety of entries. This year I judged only a few and it was a little harder, since none were what I would call finalists. Sean can never figure out why I judge as I spend so much time pulling my hair out. Mostly it's because I really want to help the writers but am scared to be completely honest for fear of hurting feelings and having them hate me. I've never yet read an entry that doesn't show promise - often it's just buried beneath a lot of problems so common to beginner writers. How do I know this? Because I was there 10 years ago and recognize so much of my early work in what I'm seeing now. But I also know from experience that it's hard for a lot of writers to separate their writing from themselves.

I only learned to do it after years at university, having profs come down hard on me. Yet I learned. And took heart from those TAs and profs who not only showed me what I was doing wrong, but highlighted what I was doing right and made sure I understood that as well. But I was incredibly lucky to have such supportive people, who also helped me to see that criticism of my work wasn't the same as criticism of me.

What did I actually accomplish with my own ms last week? Two new scenes, which I've now edited as well and layered in as much polish as possible. This is hard for me as I'm so used to bare bones first draft, followed by critique, THEN my own edit and polish. Now I'm squishing it all into a very short time period and don't have time to get critique. OTOH, I'm really happy Adrian and Cecile took to these new scenes right away and made things pretty easy for me. And I added another twist to the story - well, ok, so THEY did *g* - so things make even more sense now.

However, I'm still down to crunch time and must also get ready to leave, pack, worry/obsess/bite my nails over leaving the cat (it's so tempting just to squish him into my carry-on) and make sure all is organized for Reno.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by and commented :-)

Teresa

Currently Reading: Review Book
Also Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Link of the Day: Website of Margaret Evans Porter

Currently coming from my speakers: Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2 - Best of 1980-1990 (03:50)

Resurfacing briefly!

Hi all - sorry I disappeared. My unky mood says it all.

Ms is still in pieces, though I did get two new scenes written - and wouldn't you know it, Cecile, my beloved heroine, has decided to be just a bit sassy. Yeah, NOW she lets me see this side of her

Kate - glad to hear you're doing ok. Read your blog entry about London earlier this week. You're all very brave - little wonder things aren't quite normal yet.

Oh, and Silma asked about Apricot Wheat beer. Technically it's Apricot Wheat Ale and very yummy indeed. Light and summery with just a hint of fruit. One of McAuslan Brewery's Award Winning beers and very popular. We also enjoy their Griffon Extra Pale Ale and their two St. Amboise beers - Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

The Saturday evening party went really well - lots of fun, lots of chatter and we got home quite late (well, for us *g*)

Then Sunday there was lots to do - grocery shopping, house cleaning etc. Monday and Tuesday I was at the office and squeaked in some work on the computer Monday evening. Tuesday I was too tired. Yesterday I did more of my extra scene, then went to the gym after talking to a friend who is in the midst of a publishing deal! Very exciting - .

Thought I'd get some work done last night, but had to turn off AND unplug the computer cause we had a HUGE storm here. Tons of lightning and thunder. Not sure how the power stayed on. I sat and watched for two hours and it was still going strong when I finally went to bed.

Also, our coffeemaker has taken to overflowing all over the kitchen. Sean sets a timer on his coffee to come on just after he gets up for his early shift. Wednesday morning he found the kitchen flooded - I thought I hadn't put the lid on correctly. It happened again this morning, after Sean double-checked. He's played around with it, so our fingers are now crossed.

So that's my life right now. I'm madly trying to get this ms fixed, deal with office stuff when necessary (people are ordering NOW - did they order in May and June when I wasn't counting down to Reno and a vacation? No!!) There's other stuff going on, but I can't talk about it till we're home in August. This afternoon I managed to get out to get stuff to go under my dress for the RITA gala (more storms threatening, so had to unplug the computer again).

If it seems like I haven't visited lately, it's more likely I have, but just haven't left a comment.

Will try to drop in again soon .

Teresa

PS - I've no idea how those of you with kids do it. Honestly. You're my heroines!!!

Currently Reading: Review book.
Also Currently Reading: BBC History Magazine
Link of the Day: Yay Unky Moods are back!!!

Currently coming from my speakers: Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult - The Best Of Classic Rock Volume 2

Drive by post...

Pool party was great! The sun came out in time and things heated up. Lots of good food, apricot wheat beer and fun in the water. Now getting ready for party #2! Must behave tonight, though, as I'm the DD. Still - it should be fun :-)

Teresa (still laughing over the antics of Lynn, Teresa, and Sheri)

A busy Saturday!

Wow, it's almost mid July. Reno is 2.5 weeks away. Arrggghhh. I'm running out of time. And today we have a) a pool party (on the ONE cloudy day we've had in the last week) then b) a 40th b-day party for the same friend I took to lunch on Tuesday. Should be loads of fun, but what I really need to do is work.

Still, last night I did manage to get some quality work done. Sean and I had dinner out, then he went to bed around nine (early shift again this morning - he's pulling a six day week this week), so I came down to my office, opened WriteWayPro (ok, I bloghopped a teensy bit first *g*), then started to . Managed to finish writing a new scene and edited another one.

It felt good to get back into the swing of things after the shock on Thursday! Thanks to everyone who dropped by and left comments at my blog re my family and friends. My relief is tempered by sadness for those in London and around the world who lost loved ones.

Hope y'all liked the photo of George I posted :-) He is SUCH a little sweetie-pie these days.

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Also Currently Reading: How to be a Canadian by the Brothers Ferguson
Link of the Day: Research Buzz

George enjoying himself on the deck

George enjoying himself on the deck
Originally uploaded by ladytess.

A cute photo (some of you may have seen it before) to cheer us all up :-) Well, those of us who are cat-lovers, anyway *g*.

Back to the ms now.

Thanks for checking in!!!

It's a relief knowing my blogpals are fine, thought Kate A still hasn't checked in. Will assume she's safe and sound.

My own family is well. Though none live in London itself, they're all close enough that they could have been there for the day for one reason or another. 31 years ago we just missed being at the Tower of London the day it was bombed. My poor dad thought we WERE there as he knew we'd planned on going that day - he was on business in Germany and called my nana's that night, frantic. My mum told him she'd woken that morning with a strange feeling and decided we wouldn't go. I gather a family of tourists in London yesterday escaped harm because one of the children couldn't find a sweater and they stayed in the hotel looking for it when they were meant to be on or near the bus that exploded.

I guess this will turn out to be another one of those "Where were you when you heard..." historical events. As far as I'm concerned, I've experienced too many as it is. I woke up just past seven yesterday morning (the cat let me sleep for once, bless his fuzzy little heart) and once I'd deteremined it was a decent hour, I rolled over to switch on the radio. We always listen to CBC's local morning show and I knew my sweeti-pie (who is reading the news this week) would be on soon. Instead I heard one of the London reporters and at first I couldn't even understand what she was talking about - I caught her in mid-sentence. Then she said something about the remains of the double decker bus. At which point I said WTF? and reached for the tv remote. Went to CNN first then to CBC Newsworld (our CNN), to see the photos. By then the national newscast had finished and the local CBC had tapped into the BBC reports and I listened in horror as the extent of what had happened became clear. And I started to cry. First, because I was worried about those I love and then, just because the world has seen so many horrible things recently, it doesn't need any more. It's bad enough when the natural world attacks us, but must we do this to ourselves? Fundamentally we're all human beings, no matter our beliefs, politics etc. There is NO need for this senseless violence.

As a historian I KNOW this has all happened before and will keep on happening, but my emotional side rejects that and wishes we could all just stop fighting and find a way to solve the problems of this world through negotiation and cooperation. Yeah, I know "Dreamer, you're nothing but a dreamer" (Supertramp), but I can't help it. The kind of madness we witnessed yesterday, last year in Spain, and before that Sep 11, Kenya etc, is not the solution either.

Ok - now I've got that off my chest, I'd best try to focus on my ms again. I couldn't work yesterday. Ironically, it was a beautiful day, perfect for walking. Blue sky, light breeze, minimal humidity and moderate temps. Listening to the CBC on my mp3 player, I wandered through the neighbourhood and alongside the stormwater pond (doesn't sound pretty, but there's lots of nice landscaping - much nicer than you'd think) and stopped to look at the families of Canada geese which have taken up residence there. The babies have grown so quickly - you can barely tell them from their parents now! Ended up at Staples and bought some stuff for Reno - new bus cards (with really find perforations), labels etc. Stopped at Starbucks for a raspberry latte (comfort food as I really couldn't eat), bought a b-day card for a friend then headed home. I felt calmer after that - would have loved your company, Màili!

Yoiks, I rambled again. Really, this time I'll be quiet and get on with my work.


Teresa

Calling all UK bloggers

Please let me know you're ok! Woke up less than an hour ago to the horror. After so many years of no attacks in London, this came as a huge shock for me. Half my family is in the UK, but fortunately none live in London - that I know of - not sure what my cousins' oldest children are up to these days. But as I haven't received any calls, I'm assuming my own loved ones are fine.

But I have lots of friends over there as well - personal, HNS colleagues, fellow bloggers and writers. I note the RNA conference is in Surrey this weekend so others I know will be travelling.

Am feeling sick right now. Must go out for a walk soon to calm down.

Teresa

Currently Listening to:Local coverage of the attacks on London on CBC Radio One (they tap into the BBC)

Ok - really, I'm going to get down to work, but first...

I found this Slanguage quiz at Blogthings. It's amazingly accurate!!

Your Slanguage Profile

Canadian Slang: 100%

British Slang: 75%

Victorian Slang: 50%

Aussie Slang: 25%

Prison Slang: 25%

New England Slang: 0%

Southern Slang: 0%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

I'm Canadian, with an English mother whose Polish father learned his English in post-war Britain. Guess the Victorian slang comes from my study of history, while some of my family lives in Australia and I watch Aussie tv shows from time to time (Behind the Frontline and McLeod's Daughters among others). NO idea where the prison slang comes from - pop culture, I imagine *g*.

Teresa

Responding to comments

I knew I'd forgotten something :-)

Kelly - yes, men and their silence. Gotta love it (not *g*). But as long as I'm patient, eventually I get want I want to hear.

Melissa - the R&R on Sunday was indeed fun - think it helped make me more productive on Monday.

Lynn - thanks for the hugs. And the 'atta girl' on my progress :-)

Gangadhar - glad you enjoy the blog!

Teresa

Thoughts on a Wednesday morning

Hmm, well cat George is not overly popular. He decided I should wake up at 6:10 this morning I was NOT impressed. Yes, it's very cute when he presses his little wet nose into my cheek to say good morning. Just not at 6am. He's just lucky he's so darned cute.

The funeral was difficult yesterday, but I managed to hold it together pretty well. And found my friends afterwards in the parish hall to give them hugs. They live outside of town, so I hadn't seen them since I heard the news.

I already had plans to meet another friend for a 40th b-day lunch, so I then headed off there. We had yummy food and I heard all about the birthday card her husband had sent all over the world getting signatures from as many people as he could. Having signed in January, I'd completely forgotten and didn't realize just HOW many signatures he was going for!

After lunch we did a bit of shopping in the , then I had to face rush hour traffic to get home.

Didn't manage any real work on my ms last night, but the review book that arrived for me in the mail just happens to pertain to the period of my ms, soooo, I browsed through it, picking up some good historical tidbits to weave in. Was too exhausted to try anything more than that. But today I'll continue working on that opening scene and hopefully make some good headway. It's a so-so day here again, which makes it easier to stay inside to . (The sun came out almost as soon as I finished inserting that image - LOL)

Oh, if anyone is wondering about the song with the messed up lyrics, it was Wherever you Will Go, by The Calling. It was used on the soundtrack for Love Actually - a movie I just loved.

Anyway, if I intend to get all that work done today, I'd best quit blabbing here on my blog and go bake some muffins, then get down to it.

Bye for now :-)

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Also Currently Reading: How to be a Canadian by the Brothers Ferguson
Link of the Day: Claire Delacroix's website
Currently Listening to: The local morning show on CBC Radio One

Yesterday's work

First - thanks to all who left comments over the last couple of days - glad you enjoyed the story of our Sunday ride! And yes, Rene, I feel the same way about the B-52s (Love Shack being my fave - it's great for working out).

Now, back to my ms report. I didn't get quite as much done as I'd hoped, BUT - at least I did something :-)

During the day I worked on adding the hero's emotions to my opening scene. Like most men, he didn't want to tell me how he was feeling ;-). But as several people have pointed out, they really need to KNOW what's going on his head. So I had to force him to tell me. It was like pulling teeth, but I did find out a little of what's going on in there and put it into words for the reader. Not sure yet how good those words are, but it's a start.

Then after Sean went to bed last night, I did more FDin30D work on the ms - specifically, using the Supplemental Outline worksheet (# 18), to organize the changes I've noted need to be made to the ms.

Today I have to go to a funeral, so won't be able to get any real work done till this evening. But some things are more important.

Hope everyone has a productive day :-)

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Also Currently Reading: How to Be a Canadian by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson
Link of the Day: What Time is Dinner from History Magazine (cadged from a response on the AAR Reviews Messageboard)
Currently listening to: My local morning show on CBC Radio One

Oops - almost forgot to say...

Happy Fourth of July

Enjoy your celebrations!!

Teresa

Currently coming from my speakers: Rock Lobster - B-52s - Best 80's Album Ever Disc 1

Motorcycle day continued...

Ok - I'm back, feeling pretty refreshed after a good night of sleep :)

So, after we finished our and , we explored the flea market. It's held every Sunday in Kingston during the summer months and it's been a while since we've been there on a Sunday afternoon. As always, we saw some really cool stuff - an old Victrola in working condition being the most exciting find. But hard to carry home on a . At the same booth was a neat old book from 1916 - about WWI. It listed all the world leaders, including the Czar. That surprised me till I learned the date the book was published.

And speaking of books (you know they had to figure in here somewhere), we finished at the flea market and walked over to Berry and Peterson - one of the best used bookstores I know. It's located in one of Kingston's distinctive 19th century limestone buildings - a perfect setting. There are several rooms of books over two floors. To get into the fiction section you have to duck because the doorway is so low. And the limestone walls are exposed - very cool. The shop itself, however, is NOT cool in the summer. Because of the age of the building, it's not air-conditioned, so the owners set up electric fans in various locations to keep their customers from fainting.

I found three books, not that I really need anything more to , but the three I found are research books for my ms. Meanwhile Sean scored big at the sale table outside - he found six volumes of the Do it Yourself Encyclopedia for $10. It has lots of cool stuff to do around the house, and Sean is one who likes to do things himself whenever possible. There's even a section on bookbinding - neat, huh?

After that we wandered through the arts and crafts fair in Confederation Basin (aka the waterfront), then back to the bike (nice and cool in the shade), suited up and headed out via campus. Even though it's been fourteen years since I left, I still really miss it and would love to go back there and take another degree. Seriously. September is always hard for me - there's nowhere I'd rather be on a crisp fall day than in a classroom in a limestone building in Kingston.

The ride home was fun, though we did almost get hit by an SUV in one of the small towns when its driver apparently forgot the rules about who goes first at a four-way stop! Fortunately Sean was able to dodge out of his way. We then were passed by this same a few minutes later out on the highway and saw him then pass FOUR cars. All on a two-lane road. Some people.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and we got home in good time to order pizza. Sean then went to bed as he's back on the early shift for the next few weeks. I talked to my sis and mum on the phone, played on the computer a bit, watched tv then went to bed. All in all, a great Sunday :-)

Now I have to get to work. Ok, I'm going to do one more blog post, THEN get to work :-)

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Also Reading: How to Be A Canadian by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson
Link of the Day: The Bard and I: What Shakespeare Taught me About Writing Romance by Deborah Hale

Currently coming from my speakers: Learning To Fly - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits

Currently coming from my speakers: You Will Always Have My Love - Rawlins Cross - Make It on Time

Lynn's lyrics thingie

Lynn has a fun thing to do with lyrics up at her blog.

Here are the results from one of my fave songs. Can you guess what it is?

_ thus recent, wonderin that which there, to want to say place to take, if I to go, they to require love, shade on their face to light, if a large vagueness after us whole enters sand and hones it to fall to have, to fall, be able they it on their himself to form? When I could I became me go, where you go a manner to height, or to the bottom I go slightly, where you go and perhaps I discover the manner, they pay attention one day to leave you return, to lead you by darkest of your yeah days, if a large wave falls, and the case is after us all the hope there somebody there that which can take return to me to cross you with my heart to cross with my hope to cross with my love that, I could go calmly above now precisely completely, my life and love in your heart, in your understanding me with you for the whole one

Teresa (now off to get more )

Currently coming from my speakers: Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of - U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind

A day out on the motorcycle

Ok, well, we didn't spend the whole day on the , though it seemed like it by the time I got off at home late this afternoon . Where did we go? Beautiful Kingston, Ontario. Sean and I met there, fell in love and got married - brought together by Queen's University, so we like to go back there whenever we get a chance. And as we were up in good time today and the weather looked promising, we hopped on the bike and hit the open road.

The sun shone all day, the sky was blue and the heat not too intense. We didn't even mind being caught at the locks just outside the city. Did have trouble finding a parking spot, but eventually discovered a primo one for the bike in the shade (it's black with a black seat - 'nuff said). Then we trundled off to one of our fave watering holes/eating spots - The Kingston Brewing Company (aka the Brew Pub) for lunch. Good food and even better beer mmmmm Dragon's Breath Ale, though I only had a half-pint, not wanting to fall off the back of the motorcycle on the way home *g*.

To be continued tomorrow...

Teresa (who is suddenly very, very tired)

I also meant to say...

thanks for all the compliments, ladies :-)

And, has anyone else had problems with unkymoods? I noticed my mood was missing this morning and when I clicked on the link to take me there, I ended up with a GoDaddy message telling me the domain had expired. Hmmmm. That would be too bad :-(

We're expecting a HUGE storm later today, so I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to stay online. I get VERY paranoid about electrical surges and tend to unplug the surge protector from the wall. I know, I know - why do I pay $$$ for a surge protector, then unplug it during a storm? Well, I figure it's there for when I'm not around and hopefully will do its thing. But when I'm AT home I figure, I'm protecting my computer best by taking off the grid entirely.

Anyway, I'm now officially procrastinating. We had a very nice walk and picked up chicken kebabs for dinner , along with some whole-grain rolls. I'll be able to pick enough lettuce/herbs from the veggie garden for salad.

See y'all soon

Teresa

Currently coming from my speakers: Watching You Without Me - Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

Happy Canada Day!!!

Yep - it's Canada's birthday :-) We're celebrating here at home. I'm playing on the web, researching my enotes column and watching the cat (see photos below), while Sean has the motorcycle half ripped apart. Remember when it fell over a couple of weeks ago on the hot pavement? Well, turns out a couple of pieces snapped off. Very small pieces, tabs of some sort, but they were rattling around in the fairing and Sean didn't like that. Sooo, he had to dissassemble the front end. But he's finished now. And the cat had a shock when our neighbour started the electric lawn mower - poor baby cat was awakened from his nap in the flowerbed by a very loud rumble. He came dashing for the back door. I let him in and gave him a cuddle and a treat. He's happy now.

We're going for a walk in a few minutes. It's a lovely day here - hot, but with a nice breeze. Then this afternoon I'm going to do some more organizational work on my ms - listing all the changes that need to be made, scenes that need adding etc. Went out to my critique group last night and got some more great advice for the later scenes.

Not sure yet what we'll do for dinner. But with Sean working early tomorrow morning, we're not going to see the fireworks as he'll want to be in bed early.

So, that's my day :-)

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Queen's Man by Terri Brisbin
Link of the Day: Elizabeth Chadwick's website

Currently coming from my speakers: How Long Can a Man Be Strong - The Jeff Healey Band - Hell to Pay

George - Canada Day 05

George - CanadaDay05 #1
Originally uploaded by ladytess.

George making himself at home in amongst the creepers. He'd gone out a few minutes earlier and I'd lost sight of him, so searched to see where he'd gone. Then I noticed brown fur snuggled up to the corydalis. This shot was taken from the upper deck - I didn't want to disturb him, so sneaked out there to take the photo.

A closer look...

GeorgeCanadaDay05#2
Originally uploaded by ladytess.

A close-up - he was no longer interested in looking at me and the camera *g*. I kept calling him, but he kept ignoring me. Too funny.

George - from office window

GeorgeCanadaDay05#3
Originally uploaded by ladytess.

And here's what I saw from my office window. Jungle cat!!