Friday, January 28, 2011

Confusion, witchery, reverb 28

Okay, I seem to have created a complete round of confusion.  Oregon now mandates that all people who control (i.e. drive) a boat over 10 hp, (think bigger than a trolling motor), has to have what amounts to a boating version of a Driver's license.  I have heard it called a Boater's Card several times, and used it without realizing that might not be familiar to most... Oops.  And yes, it varies by state.  Some states you can hop in and go, some you have to have proof of training of some sort (like what I just did).  Hope that clears things up.  (And possibly inspires more poetry!)  ;)

As for confusion, last week, my Monday "class" was held on Tuesday, and my 'work' day here at the substation was switched to Friday, from Wednesday.  Let Chaos reign! 

Oh, and I am beginning to wonder if I need a new cat. 

Not for the reason you think, though Buzz keeps looking all over for Tux, and has been surprisingly friendly, for her.  Cuddles are out, but she will accept a lot more petting than usual. 

But anyway, I need a new cat, because I have been for about the 4th or 5th time in the last year and some, been called a witch.  I am beginning to think that I am real glad I am not in the Middle Ages.

This latest call out was at my spinning class. 

There was a new gal there, and somehow we got on the topic of how the plys were spun, and she noticed I was spinning counterclockwise, (just how I did this ply, not set out to do intentionally), and not one, but two gals said, Oh, you are a witch!  (There is a superstition that yarn spun "backwards" is witch work.)  We then started talking about superstitions, and I knew all of them. (Which was saying something, the new gal was a Society of Creative Anachronism member, they usually research things like that to absolute death.  But I have an inside straight, I had a grandmother that was Irish, and superstitious as all get out.) 

Then one of them mentioned the superstition about putting your needle into your work when you set it aside as bad luck, she knew, but didn't know why.  I told her that it was sort of like voodoo, that you are 'stabbing' the receiver of your work with the needle.  She looked at me, and then smiled. "I didn't even know that one, maybe you are a witch."

Perhaps I should grow parsley, as was recommended...  Hey, I have several hats already.  We have frogs for toes, and newts for eyes nearby.  But I should get a more cooperative cat, first.

Just call me Minerva McGonagall!  (I wish!)

***

Prompt: Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

Getting somewhere on my book would be a plus.  I have dinked around on it enough, I really need to get writing.  How will I feel?  Like I accomplished it, I guess.  Happy?  Happy works.  I will feel like I have gotten all the mental post-it notes I have in my head on real paper. 

10 things I can do.  Write chapter 1 though 10.  Heh.

Ok, for real...
1. Set aside time to write.
2. Don't put it off, or find something else to do when I have a set time.
3. Less innernets, more writing. (Much easier said than done. Innernets are wunnerful time suckers...)
4. Don't keep so much in my head, write it down.
5. Talk to the deputies, and my 'bosses', they are the people that would be able to answer my questions!
6. Keep talking about it, so people know if I am doing anything.
7.  Uh.  Is it to early to look at getting an agent?
8. Er.  Write?  More?
9. Now this is becoming unfair.  Lose more weight, so I can go on my ride along, so I can have a more realistic experience on what goes on with "my" folks.
10. Gah... One more thing?  Oh, I don't know, park my butt and write something!  Isn't that the most important thing? 


Ta da!  Ok, that was yesterday's, here is the prompt for today...
Prompt: Defining moment. Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year.

Working on making my life better.  It certainly hasn't been a "moment", though it might be a series of them, like sand through an hourglass.  One dot of sand isn't much, but you get enough of those little dots, and you have... Well, you have a pile of sand, duh.

I am not entirely sure where I was going with that, but you get the idea.


I don't even really know when I made the decision, but I decided to start walking.  That lead to making a (somewhat better) effort to eat more wisely.  I started trying to DO things I wanted to do, not just pine away about them.  I worked on using no as a complete sentence.  Dropping (some) things that bug me, and learning what puts a "fire in my belly", as one of Husband's friends says.

So, how has it been?  Has it worked?  Yes, I would say so.  My walking is making me a bit thinner.  (Other people have said so, and I am finally starting to see it myself, in the mirror.  Took long enough...) 

The eating, good days and not so good.  But I am learning what my 'triggers' are, (don't buy chocolate chips.  They do not stay in the house. Period.), and whatever I want, take about HALF that amount.  It's little stuff, should be obvious, but I am learning, or more accurately, re-learning it. 

Finding out that I can plan something, and make it work, is highly satisfying.  Especially when I wasn't entirely sure I knew what the (ahem) I was doing, in a few cases.  That can be as simple as finding an address in an unfamiliar town, to setting up a new group for a 'guild' I run at faire, to planning and executing a trip to a certain concert...  

And learning that just because I'd been in a group for x years, doesn't mean I have to still be in the group.  (In a few cases, they still haven't figured it out yet.  I have, however!)  Others, it was more of, can we do this differently? MUST it be the way it has been?  These changes are making my time less others, and more mine again.  And now I can use it to find my writing voice, or to help with things I find more "me", or heck, sit on my tush and eat bon-bons! (That last is a family joke, no, I won't go and get bon-bons.)

So, there ya go.  Navel gazing in a nutshell.  (Which seems like it would be really uncomfortable, don't you think?)

5 comments:

Sharon said...

Ok, I understand now, seems a bit lengthy of a course, to get to drive a boat though. I don't think I put in that much time for my driver's license and permit put together.

May be fun to be a witch.... cast spells and all that fun stuff..... Oops, I don't have the hat! Rats!

The prompts all are going by this year and last year etc - I haven't done anything and don't expect to. I hope you get your book written, sooner, rather than later!

Beth said...

Defining moment. Okay, I know how sick this is going to sound; maybe even how sick it really is. I was introduced to my first grandchild six weeks ago, a grandson. I have a new motivation to lose weight. I need to lose weight so my grandson will like me. Sick way to think maybe, but that how my mind works. With luck and hard work, he will never know me as overweight.

messymimi said...

Navel gazing should only be done in nutshells by fairy folk. The rest of us need beach chairs at least.;)

Work on those writing goals, you won't regret it. Going after your dreams pays off, in ways you can't imagine at first.

Series of moments is correct. Very seldom is there just one. The changes creep up day by day, like the child who is "suddenly" taller than the parent. That's actually a good way to change you.

Dreaming said...

Oh no, did you have to remind me that I happen to have 2 opened bags of chocolate chips?! Darn...I had forgotten, now I'll have to try to forget again!

Verde Farm said...

Being a witch isn’t such a bad thing--you can perhaps travel on a broom-much cheaper than gas now and wear great hats that no one would dare make fun of :) I am sure you are a very good witch. I think it’s great you are finding more time and writing more. It’s important-enjoy it ;)