Passages

Here is my grandmother's original oil: (Bernice Dorothy Hackett Green)




And my recreation in colored pencil, just because I'm so intrigued with passageways:

Writing and drawing have some similarities, but I like them for their differences.

Guest blogger!

Hi!
This is Jane's daughter Hannah.
I'm just writing to tell you that the reason that Jane hasn't been blogging lately, is that she has a new job, she works at a bank. She hasn't been writing either. Though she has read some books. We are thinking about on one of moms days off reading the same book (lets take Twilight for example) and see who can read more of it by the end of the day. Breaking only for the bathroom or to eat. A nice way to spend one of our record-breaking, heat-wave days. Well that's enough for now. Maybe Jane will be on again soon!
Hannah

Fitting writing into life

Or would that be fitting life into writing? I'm not sure. For this writer, the line isn't clearly defined. Example:

I haven't written for two weeks because I'm adjusting. New schedule, new responsibilities. So it's no surprise that my characters have to adjust, since they are part of my life like anything else. Obviously, I can't spend any time with them at work except perhaps on my lunch hour. This forces me to derail story thoughts with a mental promise to explore said ideas in the evening, only to come home to furious demands (errands, homework, chores) after which I fall into bed, drifting off to sleep uttering more mental promises to my characters.

What do you think I would do with my days off? Yesterday, I spent the day cleaning house and running errands. This morning, I turned the computer on with no small amount of trepidation. I'm woefully behind in correspondence. 3 weeks since my last blog post. Group sites are clogged full of messages I have yet to read.

And I'm heading for Driving Lessons.

I got a job!

Good news! I found a GREAT day job. (I'm just not into that starving-for-the-sake-of-my-art thing.) Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to meet most of my new co-workers at a BBQ and I'm very lucky to have found some of the nicest people to work with. We played cards and video games, ate some good food, and laughed a lot.

The bad news is I just found out today, on the eve of my first day at my new job, that I have a stress fracture on my left tibia. I worked my way up to 5 miles of walking, 3 days a week, and decided to toss in a little jogging. Apparently this is a common injury for people walking or running on asphalt.

I sure know how to make a lasting first impression :)

I've been working on a fun story for my daughter, just something to email to her once a week. Right now I'm calling it Driving Lessons. It's fun, and it reminds me why I started writing in the first place. What If is simmering, waiting for me to settle into the new routine, but I wrote a few notes on an idea I had for a scene.

Except for the pain in my left leg and the fact that I can't walk for a while, all is well.

Connections

My sisters and I spent the weekend with our relatives in San Jose. It was the first time I'd seen some of my cousins since I was in grade school. Both of my parents grew up in California, but after marrying and moving around a bit, they settled down in Washington state. Before my parents divorced, we spent a few weeks every couple of summers driving down Highway 101 to go see the family, but I was only seven when they divorced so my memories are a bit fuzzy.

From my aunt and uncle's loving welcome to the endless laughter and great food, we made memories and reconnected. It was awesome.

By both choice and fortune, my siblings and I live close enough to get together for dinner several times a month. My son spends darn near every weekend with his cousin of the same age! I wish my siblings and I had been able to share that proximity with our San Jose cousins; what we had instead was a connection through our parents - a mention here or there about what our cousins were up to. In the days since the trip, I've wondered what life would have been like if we'd grown up close together. We probably would have attended each other's graduations and weddings, things like that. I think we would have had fun.

So Monday I'm out on my 3 mile walk and I can't help but feel a bit sad that my parents moved away from the rest of the family.

Here it is Wednesday already, and on my 3 mile today I realized that I hadn't posted this message yet! Job hunting takes time :)

Job hunting

Yowza! Where did February go?

If you have a job right now, be very thankful…and mind your manners. There are literally thousands of us hoping you’ll slip up. I’m not gunning for your job, specifically. I just need a cash flow.

My morning starts off with a scan of the job postings on my favorite sites and my evening ends with one last look. In desperation the other night, I applied for a job I wasn’t qualified for, not even in the slightest (apparently an interest in bio-fuels and a comfortable level of intelligence doesn’t count for much these days). But for the majority of applications I’ve made, I’m over-qualified, which is worse than having poor social skills. I’m tempted to dumb down my résumé since the jobs I’m applying for are clerical. Yes, they are beneath my potential, but what’s wrong with an honest day’s work in a relatively uncomplicated job? Right now, I need uncomplicated.

Which brings me to my topic.

I’m noticing a national trend toward simplicity. Has anyone else noticed it, too? I am happiest in an uncluttered environment (*cough*OCD*cough*). Making the most of what we have, being conscientious consumers, and living within our means is sort of a hobby of mine. But suddenly it’s what everyone is talking about: economizing instead of supersizing. “Simple” is the buzz-word of the day.

It’s kind of cool, I think.

I’ve been applying my “hobby” to all areas of my life lately. The kids’ rooms, the closets, the junk drawer…and if you think it feels great to make space in your closets, imagine what it feels like to get rid of emotional baggage! Following my mother’s death, a friend sent me this message: “May your heart choose wisely as you look back over a lifetime of memories.” Viewed through that perspective, it’s easy to see what needs to go. Making the choice to deal with it puts the power back in my hands. And not only do I have the power to simplify my emotional life as well as my physical one, I believe it’s my obligation.

Boy, do I need to find a job.

Everyone's a critic

Saw this comic in my Sunday paper and recognized myself in Bucky.

That's a scary thought.

Click on the comic to view the entire strip.