February update...

It's been a long time since I've posted, and for that I do apologize. My life has been so busy, but the end of school is now in sight - at long last! If all goes well, I'll graduate during the first week of June :) It's been a long haul - this is the fourth spring term for me and I'm feeling a little burnt out at this point. Fortunately, I've only been taking one course as well as working with a supervisor to arrange my final practicum. Even so, there has been a lot of work.

In other news, Sean and I took two mini vacations late last summer/early fall. The first was a camping trip to Lightning Lake in Manning Park - about 3 hours east of Vancouver. We hiked, biked and enjoyed campfires - even met up with some friends who had been camping nearby and decided to spend the night at the same campground we were at. The weather was a little cool, but we were snug in the camper every night and only got rained on a little. In late September we drove north of here to the West Coast Wilderness Lodge in Egmont, so celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. Again, we went hiking and visited the museum in Egmont, which is fascinating, and ate lots and lots of lovely food.

Christmas was a noisy affair - lots of family and we enjoyed watching our young nephews run and play. We also spent New Year's Eve with the family up at Whistler, which was a lovely treat. Along more mundane lines, I'm continuing to work two days a week at the Sechelt Library, a job I continue to love. There's always something new to learn and it's wonderful to part of such an important community service.

That's about it for now. Once school is done, I hope to resume a more regular blogging schedule as I resume my writing and hopefully, my reviewing.

Teresa

Update...

Yes, it's been a while. What's been going on with me lately, you ask? Well, first, from Octobert through early December of last year, I was working at the library almost full-time, involved in a project to convert our library to RFID technology. What that means is I spent two + months sticking RFID tags in the majority of our library's collection. Fortunately I was working with someone I liked...we had some great conversations that helped lessen the boredom of what was a very repetitive task.

At the same time, I was taking two courses at school, one of which contained some extremely challenging material. Eventually, I did conquer it, but for a while, things were pretty hairy as I worked during the day and did school work at night. This term, by comparison, seems positively, carefree *g*, even though I'm taking three courses.

Speaking of school, I hope to be done by spring of next year, assuming I can take my final support course (Intro to Business in Canada) over the summer. Yep, it's a shame to have to do school over the summer, but I know that if I have a four month break, it will be that much harder to get motivated again in September AND it means I should be able to graduate next April.

We had a quiet Christmas and holiday season, which was actually quite nice after my busy term. New Year's Eve saw us planted on the couch with lots of yummy fingerfood, champagne and The Pacific - a fantastic mini-series. To lighten the mood after a few episodes, we switched to Jeeves and Wooster :)

Since then, I've returned to my normal work schedule and am concentrating on my school work again. At times I'll admit it does get to me, but with just over a year to go, I just keep telling myeslf that it's all worth it to get that diploma. 

Needless to say, my writing has taken a back seat over this period. It's frustrating, but at this point, I don't see it changing till I'm finished. I'm still reviewing for Sourcebooks (my next review is coming up soon) and that does help. Also, when ideas come to me for my stories, I make sure to note them down and have faith my characters will be waiting for me when I have the time to devote to them again.

So, that's my life right now...I'll visit blogs again during my next break in late Apr/early May...

Teresa

Currently Reading: To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick

Where did the summer go?

I can't believe we're down to the last official weeks of summer! Granted, here on the BC Coast, the weather didn't even get decent till the first full week of July and I was in school from May till early August, but still...

Regardless, we had a wonderful season :) In May, Sean and I took our camper to Harrison Hot Springs in the Fraser Valley and had a fantastic time, despite a flat tire on the truck and getting lost on a muddy trail.

Cheam Peak

Camper in situ

Harrison Lake

Clematis in bloom

One of the highlights of the summer on the Coast was the presence of a grey whale that fed up and down the coastline from Roberts Creek to Halfmoon Bay. Sean and I just happened to be down for a sunset walk at Davis Bay on one of the evenings it was very close to the beach. Fortunately I had my camera, and snapped this pic of it!

Whale at Davis Bay

Other nature encounters included the bear and a heron. I'm particularly pleased with the photo of the heron on wing:

Bear on an early morning vist

heron

Soon after finishing my English lit course (which was fantastic), my sister and her family came to stay - we had a busy but fun 10 days together:

the gang out at Smuggler Cove

Meanwhile, I'm still working at the library - in fact, in May I officially became a part-time employee :) Up until then, I'd been a Casual. I still love my job and love being able to apply the things I'm learning about in school.

Finally, the cats continue to be their happy-go-lucky selves - running around, playing, snoozing and generally enjoying the life of Riley.

Chloe and Cleo enjoying the sun in the living room

Chloe and Cleo enjoying a post-dinner snooze in the spare room

On Tuesday I started school again and it's going to be a busy term! One of the courses is a cataloguing one and the other is about the history of libraries (yeah, that one's really tough to take!) I'll try to pop in again at least once or twice before Christmas...

Teresa
Currently Reading: Solo by Jill Mansell

Resurfacing..again...

Yes, spring term is now over and I'm back in the blogosphere for a while. I had so much work over the past fourteen weeks, I pretty much had no time for much else. And when I did manage to snatch a few hours here and there, I did a lot of reading. No writing, alas. My brain was pretty much completely dedicated to school stuff. That's not to say my characters haven't been trying to get my attention, but I had little to give them.

So I'm hoping over the summer that I'll manage better, given that I'm taking only one course. Despite my preoccupation with school, I've missed my truly creative side and know that at least some of my grumpiness is down to the fact I've had to suppress it to concentrate on reference assignments and learning about enhancing library web pages.

What keeps me from giving up entirely on my writing is knowing that school is a finite thing. In two years I should be done! And then I can go back to writing regularly. A hiatus may not be ideal, given that I still do want to get published but now that I've found library studies/work to be what I want to do on a regular basis, I have to dedicate myself to it. I'm generally a "don't do things by half-measures" kinda gal :) Which in the end, also makes me a better writer.

How about you? Do you sometimes have to set your writing on the back burner? Do you feel guilty? And do you get grumpy when you don't write?

Happy Earth Day!

Teresa

About to Start Reading: Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Happy New Year!!!

Yes, I'm back. Though I'm also pondering the future of this blog...these days I just don't seem to have much time for it. Between school and work, I'm hardpressed to do anything else.

That said, I'd find it hard to give up all together, so maybe for now I'll continue with occasional posts and accept the fact I won't have many readers/followers or comments.

In November I went to visit my sister and mother in Saskatoon - that was an enjoyable break, especially given that the weather was glorious and I was able to spend time with my nephews and niece as well!

School finished in mid-December, then I was thrown into Christmas prep along with shifts at the library, though we did close for 10 days while having our carpets replaced as part of the Christmas break.

Here are a few pics from the last couple of months:

Chloe sleeping on my Sechelt Library bag

Cleo on the back of the love seat

Sean checking the state of his ice (back when our pond was frozen enough to skate on)

Me skating :)

Frozen pond

Frosty Christmas tree decoration

Beach at Snickett Park, Sechelt

I'll try to get back sooner this time! School starts again tomorrow - very excited to be taking my Reference course this term :)

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!!!

Teresa

Currently Reading: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Has it really been more than a month...

since I posted here??? Wow, time sure does fly! Over the last few weeks I finished off my summer course, hosted my sister and her children here for a fantastic week of family fun, went back to work, got trained on the new software at work and enjoyed a visit with my friend Claire and her gorgeous dog, Wally.

Phew! No wonder I haven't had time for blogging! The summer has gone so quickly - it's hard to believe it's almost over. We've loved our hot, sunny weather, though hope for some more rain so we can have at least a couple of campfires before the days just get too short.

As for the campaign to Stop BC Library Cuts, well, it met with some success, but alas, funding was still cut by 22%. Yep, at a time when more and more people need the varied services offered by their local public library, the libraries themselves will receive less money from the provincial government, forcing cuts in key areas. However, times have been tough before, so we have to hope that as the economy improves, the situation will change by the time next year rolls around.

In just over a week I go back to school for another two courses - Cataloguing and Information Retrieval Tools & Techniques. Should be interesting :) I do have some hours at the library in September, but they're mostly Saturday ones. Though I don't welcome this reduction in work hours, it will ensure I have plenty of time to concentrate on my studies, so that is a definite silver lining.

Wildlife sightings this summer include deer, ducks, a blue heron, a large lone bear and a mama bear with two cubs.

So, how has your summer been? Been anywhere? Done anything?

Teresa

Currently Reading: A Secret Alchemy by Emma Darwin
Link of the Day: Letter reveals another explorer destined for Newfoundland in 1499

I'm still here, really....

and just can't believe how little time I've had to blog lately. So much has been going on and I've barely had time to breathe.

To recap:

1) I finished my first two Library and Information Technology courses just over a week ago (did well, so I'm happy). My next course (Digital Collections) starts on Monday - it's the only one I'm taking this term.

2) I'm still employed at the Sechelt Public Library and loving it :) It's so cool to be able to greet patrons by name, have a general idea of their reading interests and apply what I'm learning in school in a hands-on way.

3) On Easter weekend we went up to Whistler to see and ski with a cousin of mine I hadn't seen in 30+ years. She was there with her family and it was sooooo cool! We had a fantastic time and it turns out she and I have a lot in common - she's interested in family history, history and books (ok, so our whole family is into books). She even works as a tour guide at a heritage home in the area where she lives. How neat is that? The following week they came up here to the Coast to see our place and spend the night befor heading back to the UK.

4) Though my writing has taken a bit of a back seat, I'm still working on at least two of my mss. I make notes, especially while I'm on the elliptical and hope to get back to actual writing in May.

5) Our family is expecting another addition soon - nephew # 4! So I'm madly knitting a hat and hoping it's finished by the time he arrives. Started it only last week as I've been so busy with school work most evenings in the winter, I didn't spend any time knitting.

6) I had to make the tough decision NOT to attend RWA National in DC this summer. It's a matter of timing - in that, with school AND my job, I just really can't afford the week in time it would take to go. I'm rather disappointed as my critique partners will all be there and I'd hoped to share a room with them. But that's life.

7) We actually have some grass growing out on our septic field - so far it's pretty sparse, but it's a start. And we hoping to get some more gardening done this summer. Almost all my perennials made it through, though it appears the Evening Primrose was a victim of our harsher than normal winter (as in longer, colder and snowier). OTOH, the daffodils we transplanted (courtesy of my m-i-l) all flowered - yay!

8) Of interest to fellow hockey fans - Go Canucks!! We're driving around with our Canucks flag flapping in the breeze :) Round Two starts tomorrow.

I think that's about it.

I'll try to make the rounds of everyone's blogs as time allows. Right now I'm tethered to my desktop computer while waiting for a new power adaptor for the laptop to arrive from Dell. I've been spoiled by my laptop and the ability to surf from anywhere in the house, so have gotten out of the habit of spending loads of time in my office, though I still use it to do school work.

Hope you're all keeping well :)

Teresa

Currently Reading: Divas Don't Knit by Gil McNeil
Link of the Day: Library Link of the Day

Back with you soon....

Just turned in my final exam for this term and am in recovery mode. Will post something new very soon. Lots to say :)

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Last of the Great Romantics by Claudia Carroll

Words and attitudes...

Back to writing topics. I'm judging a contest right now and am just so appalled by the number of out of period words and attitudes I've encountered in one of the entries. It just floors me that a writer could not even consider that possibly using very modern-sounding language will pull the reader right out of the story. The modern attitudes are a little more understandable, I guess, as some readers don't mind them at all, while others (ok, me) find them really annoying.

Am I just being overly picky? Do out of place/time words bother you? I'm not saying we should try to reproduce the language of the period, only avoid those that really just don't belong. It's not like it's hard to find out - there are so many good sources out there, starting with Etymonline.com, and continuing with Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (9th and 10th editions, IIRC), the Complete Oxford English Dictionary - available in the reference sections in many libraries and online through many libraries as well, as well as William Brohaugh's English Through the Ages.

Ok - rant over.

In other news, I worked extra shifts last week, got a tad frustrated with the demo software in one of my courses and had a fantastic weekend with Sean, including a night out at a local pub, watching a friend of ours and his band play. Another busy week coming up :)

And last, but not least, I was thrilled to note all the new growth on many of the perenials in my front bed! It's so cool to see things growing in February (with apologies to my family/friends in the Central and Eastern Canada) - even our little arbutus is showing signs of coming back to life (we thought it had died).

So, how has your life been lately?

Teresa

Currently Reading: Keeping the World Away by Margaret Forster
Link of the Day: Everything You Know About English is Wrong

Redecorating...

my blog, that is :) Do you like the new theme?

Hope everyone's week went well. I was battling an ear infection, but am better now since getting drops from the doctor the other day.

We were also lucky enough to skate on our little pond again - even went out one evening with head lamps on. Lots of fun.

Much of my week went into school work again - I had a big assignment due for one of my courses, as well as a smaller one (for the same course). Plus two shifts at the library. I'm definitely feeling really comfortable there now and started my extra duties this week, which was kinda cool. I have three shifts this week, including a full day Saturday.

Not much else to report right now. Here's a cool pic I took a week ago:


Back again soon :)

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
Link of the Day: Library School Days - my Library Tech blog

What I've been up to...

Work, school work, a little bit of writing and as much exercise as I can fit in. That's pretty much it. I'm enjoying school so much, but it does mean many hours at the computer or reading. I did, however, find time on Wednesday evening to read over the ms I was working on for Nano and and do some preliminary editing. Figured it was a good way to reconnect with my characters and get the story juices flowing again. Then when I was on the elliptical yesterday, the characters from my contemp story started bugging me to get back to them too. So I'm going to have to find a way to do that.

On Wednesday morning I did take an hour out to go down to the beach nearby and take some pictures of the fog with my new digital SLR camera (Christmas gift from my mum and in-laws). Here are a few of them:

Pier at Davis Bay

Wave breaking on the beach

Beach

Row of boats

The fog finally lifted on Friday, after many many days. We were lucky up where we live to have sun a lot of the time, but for several days, we too were socked in. That's about it from here.

So, what's new with you?

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch