Bethanie's Brain

Randy Ingermanson has been discussing the all-important one-sentence summary on his blog the last few days, so I decided to give it a try with one of my shorter (and therefore more definable) works in progress. Here it is: Catherine has finally found the perfect man in Robert Wyvern, but when his ex-girlfriend – naked, branded and very definitely dead – quite literally crashes a wedding, Robert is the prime suspect in the murder. I think this is fine as a first stab, but it's missing a few key elements: What is Catherine going to DO? The connection of Robert’s family to the local dragon legends (and, as it turns out, the local dragon). The depth of Catherine’s own involvement (as an intended sacrifice to said dragon). Of these, I think the first one is probably the worst thing to leave out, although - since I'm classifying this one as a "dark, urban fantasy" - I feel the other two really ought to be there as well. However, adding any these elements to what ...

I am so sick of stomping on Cheerios. I am so sick of Ms. Baby walking around with 57 Cheerios stuffed in her mouth. I am so sick of the sound that 57 Cheerios make as they skitter across the floor I just swept, because Ms. Baby hasn't quite grasped the concept of watching where she is going. So someone, please, please , invent a toddler snack dispenser that: a) Will not explode its contents on impact. b) Will only dispense TWO Cheerios at a time. c) Will actually dispense Cheerios when Ms. Baby wants them. d) Cannot be outsmarted by Ms. Baby (good luck on that one...). Anyone with a good idea, please leave contact information in the comments. I may have some capital to get you started on this one. .

This post kicks off a(nother) new label for me: Annotations . I've been wanting to do this for a while, because I never like to just add links to my blog without explaining why they're there. And why in world would I want to do that? Well, I guess it's because I only add stuff I think is worth checking out, which makes Annotations my bid to convince you to check these links out, too. Right. So, on with it, already: For a number of reasons, I've been making an effort during the past few weeks and months to seek out other writers' websites. One reason is that I'm seriously thinking through putting together a website focused on my own writing (and another for my fledgling freelance medical editing service), so I'm looking for ideas, Do's and Do Not's, cool features - that sort of thing. Another reason is that other writers are a fantastic source of inspiration, ideas and insights. Plus, many of them post excepts and snippets of their writing, whi...

The Abyss and The Mountain This is where I see myself as a writer: standing on the edge of the Abyss of the Unknown. On the other side, rising up out of the pitch black of the Abyss, is the Mountain of Craft and Other Stuff I Need to Learn, which I have to climb in order to produce anything publishable. Thus far, I’ve been pretty happy taking baby steps in my development as a writer. After all, with kids, job, life, etc, what the hell else do I have time for? Lately however, the baby steps have felt sort of unsatisfactory. And I'm starting to realize that they're never going to get me onto the slopes of the Mountain no matter how many I take. In fact, all the baby steps are going to do is bring me closer and closer to the edge of the Abyss - but not over it. If I want to climb the Mountian, I will have to get a running start and take a giant leap of faith. There's just no other way to get there. The Well The Mountain is big - really, really big - so it is one long -ass ...

So I just clicked over to NaNoWriMo to do some research for an upcoming project and when I went into the forums... everything was in German. German! Weird. Unexpected. But kinda cool. 'Cuz I speak German (at least, I used to).

8 lbs, 13 oz!! Yup, cousin-girl had her baby, finally. Wheee-whoooo!!! No news on a name yet and have not heard the tale of the labor, but I know it was long and she ended up opting for the epidural. She was wanting to go all natural, so I hope she's not disappointed in herself - there's only so much you can take, especially when you know there's relief available. Can't wait to see pics! .

My cousin in London sent an email at 3am this morning (my time) that she was heading in to the hospital for an induction -- and now I'm So Excited I can't see straight: somebody in my family is having a baby and it's NOT ME !!!!!!!! I'm about to become an Auntie!!!! (Well, a cousin with some sort of 'removal', whatever that is. My cousin is my kids' Auntie, even though she's not, because who the hell wants to try and explain that? Or figure it out.) Can't wait for the news (er, obviously...). .

It's been one of those days. In fact, it's been one of those weeks. Every blessed thing I touch, think about or try to do at FPU goes straight to Hell's Handbasket (do not pass Go, do not collect shit). And it is the days/weeks/months like this that make me seriously reconsider my career path. How much experience do I really NEED before I start freelancing? Some days, I wonder. Some days, I really wonder. .

and its Very Interesting Fallout I managed to do an Incredibly Stupid Thing at work last week -- by crossing the Wrong People -- and spent most of Monday and Tuesday convinced that I was going to lose my beloved job at Fabulous Private University as a result. I haven't. And I probably won't, but all the same, the possibility of suddenly becoming unemployed sent my brain to some very interesting - and very unexpected - places. Place number 1: Welcome to Stupid-ville. Despite all the time I've spent getting older and all the money and effort I've spent getting wiser (theoretically), I am still capable of doing Incredibly Stupid Things. This hardly seems fair. Place number 2: Mt. Everest. (Not literally, more's the pity.) I have this thing about perspective. I lose it real easily. To me, in the right light, a couple of pebbles sitting too close to each other becomes the entire Himalayan range in less than an second - which is exactly what happened with the ...

…your floor crunches (from Cheerios disintegrating underfoot). …the last four movies you saw in a movie theater were animated. …you can’t remember the last movie you saw in a theater that wasn’t animated. …walking around your house frequently involves the sound of crashing. …you have a plastic tea set in your dishwasher. …there are more toys than towels in your bathroom. .

Ah, Project #1 .... More progress has been made on Step #1! I'm on a roll! ****************************** Get rid of uneeded baby changing table. Uncover baby changing table. See if LE will take changing table early. Move the sucker OUT OF MY HOUSE. ****************************** LE said, yes, absolutely, we sure will take the changing table as soon as we make space for it, 'cuz we're not moving after all and our original plan for a baby changing spot is kinda rickety... Now all I have to do is convince The Husband to help get it to LE's house... .

Inkygirl is one of my favorite writing-related websites, and I've become a regular visitor. It's run by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, who posts about writing and writing related issues and people. She is also writes and illustrates some really fantastic comics and a comic strip called Will Write For Chocolate . She recently posted about cool office space and asked for readers to send in photos of their office/writing space and what they love/hate about it, which I did - and she posted my photos and write up today ! I'm on Inkygirl! Too cool!

Wow! Can you believe it? Progress to report already! Either the 'post the projects' plan is working or Ms. Baby had started sleeping through the night (she hasn't). Progress has been made on Step #1! ****************************** Get rid of uneeded baby changing table. Uncover baby changing table. See if LE will take changing table early. Move the sucker OUT OF MY HOUSE. ****************************** Technically, I suppose I've also made progress on Step #2, because I put some of the junk that was on the baby changing table in my car to go to Goodwill. However, I will resist posting that as Progress until I actually GET it to Goodwill.

We are back on our feet. Finally. It's been almost a whole week since anyone in my house has gotten sick! Somehow - somehow - Ms. Five escaped the Vomiting Virus. Ms. Baby did not (for once) bring home any new, microscopic friends from daycare. I feel human again. I think The Husband does too. I know it can't last, but hale-freakin'-lujah already.

First, let me apologize for the title of this project. For some inexplicable reason, I despise the word 'nook' (it invariably makes me think of a really annoying real estate agent) and I would not use it to describe this project except that I cannot seem to think of anything better. Gah! Second, I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. I have my desk and 'my' chair in the living room, but as writing space neither of these really work. The desk usually has work stuff, bills or kid toys all over it. The chair is often buried in laundry, for one thing, and I can see the TV out of the corner of my eye when I sit in it, for another. Plus, I don't have any of my research notes or books within reach there. By far, the biggest problem, however, is that both the desk and the chair are right in the middle of Chaos Central (a.k.a., the living room), and nobody really buys the mommy-isn't-really-here-right-now thing. I need someplace (relatively) quiet...

New Post Category: I have decided to make myself accountable for the things I want to get done around the house by posting each project and its associated details here. Sort of an online To Do list. Boring for you, perhaps, but if my list of tasks is right there in front of me, I tend to get it done. It works for work-work: So I figured why not give it a try. I can add progress photos and strike off completed items. It'll be like motivation sorta. I'll post the first project later today.

ER. As in E mergency R oom. As in the REAL Emergency Room. As in that's where I spent last evening with The Husband and poor, little Ms. Baby. It was just a bit surreal. And scary. Yeah, it was definitely scary. Although I have to say, the scariest part was before we ever left the house. Ms. Baby had been vomiting every 2-8 minutes for 7 hours straight - that's not the scary part, that's the gross part - and her pediatrician said if she seemed at all lethargic (she did) that we should just go ahead and take her to the ER. That was the scary part - being whacked over the head with 'YES, something really is very wrong with your baby'. I went sort of numb. Then I was on autopilot: pack the diaper bag, grab extra washclothes and towels for Ms. Baby to puke in, check that my insurance card was in my wallet. We're only a 2 minute drive from the hospital, so the next thing I knew I was hustling through raindrops, filling out an intake form and trying to find a pl...

Anybody know anything about Mozy ?? Mozy provides a backup service - i.e., they store all your important documents (for a fee, of course) and has just started offering a discount to faculty, staff and students of Fabulous, Private University if we sign up for a 1 or 2 year contract. I've never heard of them, but it seems like a good deal. I was going to buy an external hard drive and all that jazz, but this seems worlds easier. And cheaper (and cheaper is always good, right?). Worth it? Anyone know? Alternatively, does anyone know how to pronounce it?

(Or: QUIT IT - That Funky-Motion Camera Thing is NOT COOL ) First, let me say this: I get motion sickness really easily. Really easily. I cannot sit in the back seat of a car without keeping a constant watch out the front window. I cannot sit in the back of a bus. I can't even sit sideways on a bus (Some of the shuttle buses at Fabulous Private University are set up like this. When I see them coming, I walk instead). And if you didn't think any of the above qualifies me as motion sickness impaired: there are certain TV shows that I cannot watch because they do this funky thing with the camera where they jerk it all over the place. The camera people, apparently, think they're really clever. It makes me puke. Now The Husband - who does NOT get motion sickness (like, ever, as far as I can tell) - thinks this makes me certifiably insane. (He also thinks this means his mother, my mother and his sisters are certifiably insane. Right. Clearly. It's just us. All of us...

Heart-Shaped Pancakes. Just cuz'.