Yabba-Dabba-Doh!

The culprit:

The scene of the crime:

The victim: 











Diagnosis: Broken right thumb

Level of Frustration because I did this to myself:  Extremely High!!!

The pictures tell the story, right? Divot asked to go outside, the door got stuck on snow and ice that had accumulated in the track, so I hoisted it shut with all of my weight and my finger got in the way. Then...I couldn't re-open the door to release my finger. That was a fun two seconds. I watched my nail turn purplish-black, and felt my knees wobble from the pain. Spent the better part of the afternoon in the urgent care center, but left with some pain killers--thank God! And if anyone out there ever has to have blood drained from a fingernail, fret not. It sounds horrible, but within seconds you're relieved of pain. I was a little grossed-out at first, (nail issues aren't my thang) but what a fabulous feeling when that pressure is removed! I almost didn't go to the urgent care center, thought I should buck up and just deal with the pain; even swore all the way into the X-ray room, "There's no way my thumb is broken!" Well, at least I gave the doctors and nurses a good laugh. I know I'm a nurse, but my ability to self-diagnose has never been good. Just ask my mom and husband about the time I denied being in labor.
Still working on my short, although the phrase "churning out pages" no longer applies now that I have a thumb the likes of Fred Flintstone.

Today I Feel....Grateful!!!

These characters are supposed to represent gratitude. I hope they do, because what do I know about Chinese characters? I always feel grateful for the "normal" things like my health, home, etc., but today I feel gratitude for the following, specific things:

1. My current short story. I've rewritten it 7 times now, but have worked out a lot of nonsense and feel happy to be so motivated and excited about a story.

2. My writer's group. Because they've helped me greatly with the above-mentioned story and at this past Monday night's meeting helped me brainstorm some juicy ideas/details that I believe will enhance and propel the story forward. Thanks Dan and Diane!

3. My parents visiting. They arrived yesterday after battling a horrible snowstorm in NJ. I'm grateful they're here and grateful for their safe journey.

4. My girls' fabulous report cards. I'm happy they love school and are doing well. Go girlies!!

and 5. For my wonderful/erudite/friends who have great taste in literature and who've recommended Juliet, Naked (Nick Hornby) Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout) and what I'm reading now, The Help (Kathryn Stockett). I've loved these books and have loved spending time with them. I bought The Help on Monday and am finishing it up tonight. What a page turner! Funny and poignant, I highly recommend this one.

If any of you have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em!

Yes, I'm Still Here and....Happy New Year, Everyone!!

Sorry I haven't visited my own blog lately. The holidays were crazy, and then I got back into writing, so other things--like blogging--fell by the wayside. I'm busy working on a short story. I've felt quite motivated to work on this story and needless to say, I hope it gets picked up. This is the feeling I love about writing--when I'm inspired and motivated, even though what I've put out is rough. I've already rewritten this story six times and it's still not quite right. I'm getting there, though.
We've had a TON of snow here in northest Ohio. It's finally beginning to melt, but we think we got nearly 3 feet overall.
A couple of people have asked for an update on the office project, so here are some pictures. My husband got a lot accomplished this past weekend. We had lights installed in the niche above the fireplace. I hope to put a piece of artwork in that spot. I was concerned that the fireplace would make the room too warm, but that hasn't been the case--at least not in the past few weeks with all of this cold and snow. It's quite the luxury to flip it on, get the room warm and turn it off. Here's a shot of the snow outside our back door. We even got more snow than what is shown here. Oy.

I've also been wrestling with the notion of perfectionism. I've never considered myself a perfectionist. I'm always quick to point out how many perfectionists I have in my life and I seem to surround myself with them. But recently I've come to accept my own perfectionism--in general every day life, in my attempts to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle and in my writing. It came out in this story I'm currently working on and I've had to sit back and consider how I, too, am (sort of) a perfectionist. I guess I'm not ready to fully embrace the label, but I'm....working on it.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

This video made me smile so I thought I'd share it with you here. It (sort of) has something for everyone. I hope everyone's holidays are happy and healthy!!

We Haven't Heard Enough About Tiger Woods lately, so Here's My Two Cents'

I'm getting old. Or maybe I just don't like the way the world's changing. Or maybe I'm just sick and tired. It's probably d.) all of the above. I haven't blogged in a while for a number of reasons, most of which have been health-related, but also because I just haven't had much to say, and because I've been trying to drown out the white noise of life and concentrate on actual writing (stop snickering Dan and Diane...I'll have something new off to you soon). But the recent news of Tiger Woods and his "transgressions" have spurred my fingers into action.
I just wrote three paragraphs and deleted everything. Writing is rewriting.
You know what this debacle comes down to for me? Women respecting other women. We need to take of each other, ladies. We need to consider how our actions will affect the other woman/women invovled. I believe many attached men (not all, but many, and none who read my blog) will have sex with another woman should the opportunity present itself, and it's up to us women to not hurt other women. Before a woman gets together with a man who's attached to someone else she needs to stop and think: this may hurt another woman, a sister of mine. I watched one of Tiger's "girlfriends" on TV. She said he pursued her. So what? That makes it ok? That makes it right? That absolves her from any wrongdoing? Then I saw a sound byte from the "porn star": "Yeah, I saw a picture of his wife. I do look like her. I guess he likes blondes." Oy vey.
My parents told me something when I was growing up and beginning to date. It's good advice, and has stuck with me through the years. It is something I plan to say to my own daughters and it's this: the female sets the standard. I still believe this. If I say it's ok for a boy to do certain things when I'm in the back seat of his car, he'll go as far as he can (come on, guys, you know it's true). Women have the power to say yes or no (in normal circumstances). If all these women had said no to Tiger he wouldn't be where he is today. Who knows? Maybe there are some upstanding women out there who did say no to Tiger. I wish they'd come forward and reinforce my belief in humanity.

An Upate from the Office-in-Progress

Some of you may recall that my husband is building bookshelves in our office. He's hard at work on the other side of the room--this time going so far as to install a gas fireplace. He framed it in this weekend and here's what it looks like so far! The funny thing about the fireplace is that it works too well. I'm going to have to switch out those French doors for oven doors. Seriously, I may have to open the windows when I run the fireplace and let in some icy Cleveland winter to offset the heat. The fireplace  might end up just being a show piece. I don't want to admit that to my husband! Needless to say, I haven't been getting much writing done in here. I have to go elsewhere--my bedroom, the kitchen--which I think is a good thing. Changing up my surroundings often helps move my writing along.

I'm also throwing in another picture. This is of a bargain I found on....Craigslist! An 1895 Knabe piano for which I paid a mere $100. It needs work--lots of tuning help and some restoration. But for someone who loves antiques, and whose daughter begged for piano lessons (but is now considering throwing in the towel as she's realized the amount of practice one needs to become "good") this was quite a find. It fits perfectly in our home. See, you can find good deals on Craigslist, and not all of them involove sexual solicitation!

Oh, How I Long for a Yes!

Rejection.
It's been the bane of my existence these past couple of months. I'm sure many of you can say the same thing. We're all in this together, right? I've been submitting this story I believe has some merit, is worth readers' valuable time. But alas, I've no takers. Yet.
Usually rejections get me down. I hate to say that out loud, but I can't help it. I'm working on that chink in my so-called armor. My skin is getting thicker, I swear, and I owe my understanding of the issue to some of the writer's journals to which I subscribe. Fortunately, The Writer arrived in my mailbox a few days ago, and within its pages I discovered two helpful pieces that address this age-old writing impediment.
The first, a short essay from Joseph Sestito, encourages the Buddhist approach to rejection. See it not as a negative, but as something positive. He also suggests I "take one on the chin" for all mankind. I will suffer rejection so others don't have to. Ok. I'm a fairly altruistic individual. I can do that.
I found the second piece of encouragement on p.25 in an article by the late Donald M. Murray, first published in 1992. He discusses the 10 habits of successful writers and his last habit--the habit of completion--struck a chord. "A piece of writing is not finished until it is submitted for publication as many times as is necessary for it to appear in print." I like this. I believe him. At least, I want to. Keep on keepin' on. Don't give up. Don't accept "no."
I also found this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJsYZHUrmg on You Tube offered by a writer from PA named Jackie. I appreciate her take on rejection as well.
I'm really trying to change/improve my way of thinking when it comes to rejection. And here's how I see things now: at least I'm being rejected. Seeing those business-size envelopes addressed to me in my own handwriting when I open my mailbox means I'm doing. I'm writing. I'm creating. I'm trying. What's your take?