Now THAT was a weekend!

Wow. I won't have a weekend like that again soon.

I graduated *officially* with my Master's degree on Saturday...and in spite of dire weather reports rightupuntilthetime, we managed to have it outdoors and even have some sun. And let me tell ya, it was FUN to walk across that field. A kazillion people I know were there to hug and congratulate me and shake my hand (this is what happens when you work on campus), and I felt SUCH a bubble of accomplishment. Wahoo. Today I feel zen-like in my calm--which, believe me, is rare. Almost unheard of. (plus I got ice cream cake and roses and cards and dinner and jewelry, yay, but those were just bonuses)

And then Sunday was Mother's Day! All I'd asked for was to sleep in, and I got an extra hour. Then I got breakfast brought to me (peanut-butter english muffin, yum), with a beautiful card made by Child. Then we all got ready and went fishing together for a few hours, part of which we all fished and part Hubby fished while Child read her book aloud to me, perched on my lap on a big sunny rock. Aaaahh. We headed home and went to my mom's house, where much sharing-of-presents was had. More handmade beautiful gifts from Child made my day. And we rounded up with hubby making dinner...and me pulling Child's loose tooth!

And then I totally ALMOST blew it and messed up the tooth-fairy thing, because I fell asleep and forgot last night. (Bad Mommy) Thank god I remembered first thing this morning and made the switcheroo before she woke up. WHEW, because she was *so* excited about her 3 gold coins. She squealed (with her beautiful gappy smile) and ran off to show the coins to her daddy straightaway, while I did a little thankful prayer.

And yeah...I really don't think you can get better than that, do you?

*beaming still*

WHEW.

This is me, after one lovely phone call:

And this:
And also, at last, this:


Just until next week...but it'll do, friends. It'll do.

Hope

This is my desktop picture today (thank you, Webshots):



Lovely, isn't it? At first I just looked at it and sighed a happy sigh and said "Pretty." And sometimes, that's enough.

But I've been thinking a lot about signs and symbolism and meanings lately, and today while I was staring at it (thinking about something else), I realized why I like it so much. Why I chose that particular picture from all the kazillion more obvious "spring" flower pictures.

It's the perfect image for the stage I'm sitting in right now: PROMISE.

• I'm not quite graduated yet, but I can see it. (Saturday!)
  
• It's not really spring here in Montana yet, but I can feel it coming. The grass is greening up. The first leaves of my daffodils are popping through the snow.
• I don't have a contract yet--an editor to call my own--but I still hope for it. I read my book and feel the possibility there, tantalizing me, just out of reach. But possible.

The flower isn't facing us, the full force of its beauty head-on. We sense that the beauty is there, but around the corner. One more step and we'll see it. In the meantime we have the gorgeous symmetry of the back: less obvious, but still worth appreciating. Worth acknowledging before we move on.

It's the season of promises, the whisper of hopes rising. Not just for me, but for everyone.

Do you hear it?

One more step, and we're there.

Gimme the good news first

Today is a good news/bad news kind of day. Usually I tend to focus just on the good news side, but I've got to admit it's pretty much balanced right now.

Of course those who've read JENNA know I'm all about the balance, so that's cool.

So are you ready? Here goes:

GOOD NEWS: I sent my revisions back yesterday! WooHOO! They're the most extensive revisions I think I've ever done, and baby, I'm getting to be an expert. :)

BAD NEWS: The *extensive* part leaves a big crack for the Doubt Monster to creep in, nasty evil thing.

GOOD NEWS: I am strong, and I have strong friends who stand with me. We're kicking the Doubt Monster's hairy ass.
-------

GOOD NEWS: My thesis is done. I'm ALMOST done with classwork. I have 1 project left to finish.

BAD NEWS: I have 1 project left to finish. (but really, this isn't too bad)
------

GOOD NEWS: I'm going to graduate a week from tomorrow!

BAD NEWS: The weather is predicted to be crap, and for the first time in many years they're going to move it inside. Into our tiny little gym, which will only hold the graduates themselves. So nobody can actually *come* to the graduation. Sux.
-----

BAD NEWS: I royally tweaked my back this morning, ROLLING OVER. Owowowowow.

GOOD NEWS: Yeah, I can't really think of a good side of back pain. I have ibuprofen and Aspercreme?

-----

GOOD NEWS: Work is providing free DONUTS this morning!

BAD NEWS: No bad news about that!!

Yes, it's true, it's still snowing

Because Kari posted her pictures:

Here's the view from my office this morning (ICICLES!):

Here's the view from the front door:












And beyond. The Continental Divide is there in the background--you just can't see it because of the snow still coming down!

If you are an Anne fan...

You must go read Diana Peterfreund's "The Ballad of Anne and Gilbert"

It is fabulous.

(and I am SUCH an Anne Fan)

This is how I feel today

Just as bouncy as this:

http://www.maniacworld.com/bird-loves-ray-charles.html

DONE.

My thesis defense is OVER, and it went well! I am DONE!!!!!

Wahoo!

Thank you all for your support! Couldn't have done it without you!

Operation Teen Book Drop

Under the category of "things I should've known about" and "how did I miss this":

Today is Teen Literature Day! And more important (to me), it's Operation Teen Book Drop.

There are apparently two ways of doing this:

1) As listed on the YALSA wiki, donate books for teens to your local hospital, or get involved in outreach with teens who are shut in or stuck in the hospital. Get them books to read and fun stuff to do.

2) As discussed on Readergirlz, slap a TBD bookplate in a YA book and leave it somewhere public, for teens to find and read.

Win win. Either way, teens get to discover and experience new books. I'm going to call my hospital and go the first route if I can, as being a teen stuck in the hospital has special meaning for me. If they don't want them, I'll go route 2. WooHoo Operation Teen Book Drop!

And on another note, tomorrow is going to be TIARA DAY, particularly on Twitter. Join in!

Check-in

I am still here.

Countdown: SEVEN days (yes, 1 week!) until my thesis defense.

Eeep.

I just (think) I finished my revisions, and sent off to my trusty beta-readers to be the judges.

Eeep.

After the thesis defense, I will have 2 weeks to do 2 final projects and 2 more presentations.

Eeep.

On May 9, I will GRADUATE.

Back out. :)

Happy Wednesday!

I'm making progress on all fronts at once. One month to go!!!

To lift your Wednesday (courtesy of moonrat), watch this and enjoy. I love these.

Mottos

My motto right now: One Step Closer; Just A Bit More Work

My thesis was accepted by my committee: yay! With revisions. But they're not too bad or too extensive, so I can do it. (just a bit more work) I also need to conceive and prepare a 40-minute powerpoint presentation for my defense, which is officially April 21st. (work) Along with that I have roughly one more month of school, in which to do a presentation and 2 final projects (almost there...just a bit more work)

And I'm working on a different Super Secret Project for writing, which I'm bouncy excited about. I can't wait to get to the page whenever I can to pwn this. (say the motto with me!)

I apologize if there are those of you I've been neglecting. As you see, my plate is a bit full...but it's all good. (And I still love you!) Someday, all this will be done and I won't know what to do with myself.

Or I'll be on to the next thing, more likely.

(one step closer; just a bit more work)

Yay

So...I don't want to jinx this streak, but the past couple of days have been pretty ~*sparkly*~.

No huge news, but lots of little encouraging signs from the Universe that I'm on the right path...that things just might work out in the end if I put everything I've got into it.

You KNOW I'll do that! I don't know how to do anything else, really.

So onward. Next step forward on all fronts. Thank you, Universe and others (you know who you are), for the encouragement. I needed it right then. :)

Hope you get ~*sparkly*~ encouragement today too!

Props for Writers

Hello! Official excuse for not updating: I've been sitting in a corner thinking Deep Thoughts.*

*This is not true. I've been alternately detoxing from thesis push and catching up on everything, including getting back to writing. Yay!

To ease my way back into the blog thing, I created a meme for writers, to encourage each other. I don't tag people, but if you're so inclined, please copy and post for yourself! I'd love to see your names!

Props for Writers

It's all about sharing the love for fellow wordsmiths. Let's face it, this is not the easiest business to be in, and we can all use each other's support. I tried not to repeat names, since there are so many to give props to, but feel free to repeat if you wish, and list unpubbed authors too!

1. Name 3 "classic" (however you choose to define that term) authors you love to read.

William Shakespeare
Jane Austen
Douglas Adams

2. Name 3 current authors you love to read.

Courtney Summers
Libba Bray
Maggie Stiefvater

3. Name 3 authors you admire for their skill.

Vicki Pettersson
Melissa Marr
Bill Cameron

4. Name 3 authors you admire for their persistence in this crazy, potentially soul-sucking gig.

Joanne Levy
Emily Hainsworth
Linda Grimes

5. Name 3 authors who deserve props for their support of other writers.

Diana Gabaldon
Joanna Bourne
Linda Gerber

6. Name 3 people who really "get" your work--whose love of your stuff carries you through.

Janet Reid
Linda Grimes
Kris Reekie

7. And for a switch, name the 3 things you love most about writing.

The escape
The satisfaction of having written
That transcendent moment when it all clicks in

And you?

The Writer's Temperament

When people refer to the "writer's temperament", it's not usually such a good thing. Moody, they mean. Over-sensitive. Neurotic. Volatile.

Even, sometimes, crazy.

Look at how writers are portrayed in movies! I give you:

Stranger than Fiction (neurotic, crazy, alcoholic, chain-smoker)



Sideways (depressed, neurotic, self-destructive, alcoholic)






And, of course, The Shining.

I think you get the point.

Yet almost none of the authors I know fit this profile. We manage to hold down real jobs, not kill people, not self-destruct on a regular basis...we even look normal (mostly).

However, I do find that most of the writers I know--at least the ones I hang out with on a regular basis--have two basic traits in common, both stemming from the same source: our imaginations.

1. Worry
We do tend to worry a lot. We spin around and around in our heads the worst possible thing that might happen--our agent HATES our latest book, clearly, and that's why she hasn't responded in 24 hours...not that she hasn't even opened the email yet. Our family member's trip could end in disaster: we can picture getting the call, how we would react, probe how we would feel, a little, before we shove that thought away. See, it's our job to make the worst possible thing happen to our protagonists, then get into their heads and figure out how they'd take it. So it's natural for us to carry that over a little. What if there was a writer out there writing our lives? What finger-from-God would point down on us right NOW?

Okay, so maybe that makes us a tiny bit neurotic. Sometimes. But it's balanced with:

2. Gratitude

By this I mean gratitude for the present, for our current state of not-the-worst-possible-thing. If I can always imagine the worst, I can also always be glad it hasn't happened. This is how I can be driving into work this morning in heavy snow, fifteen minutes late because the extended care teacher for Child's school didn't show, and just be happy. Happy I didn't get into a horrific accident on the way, or have a seizure, or get attacked by anger-creatures or vampires or get sucked into an alternate world. Happy that my kid is well and at school, even if she left her snow boots locked in the other classroom. It could have been worse. If I was one of my characters, it absolutely would be worse, just to make things interesting.

Oh yeah, that last little bit might just be telling about the temperament of many of us writers too. We love to give our characters grief. Call it a little masochism streak, maybe. But in with the worry and the gratitude (and the generosity, which comes from empathy, I think), it all balances out. Not to crazed psycho self-absorbed people, but to us, hiding among you. Slightly crazed-with-worry, but ever hopeful. Seeing the world as it is alongside the world as it could be.

Writers.

Yay!

Those on Twitter and Facebook already saw my glee explosion yesterday, but for here:

I turned in my thesis yesterday!! WooHOO!

I'll still have to revise it based on committee comments, and I'll have to defend it. But the bulk of it is done. It just struck me a couple minutes ago that I don't have to open and pound on it more today. I still have homework, and work work. But no THESIS!

Little taste of freedom, I welcome you.

Food Friday!

So as I'm finishing up the Dreaded Thesis, obviously I've been eating and thinking about food a lot.

0_0

What? It's true. Stress, sitting at desk all day, the nefarious influence of my fellow tweeters, all = food.

Hence, I declare: Food Friday!

Share a recipe you love (or a food, if you're a non-chef like some of my favorite people) in the comments. We all win!

Mine is one of my favorite quick recipes: Asian Grilled Chicken. I made it last night, and as always, everyone loves it. Here's the official recipe:

http://www.foodfit.com/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=1287

I adapt it by just plopping the chicken breasts IN the sauce for however long I have--even 15 minutes seems to work fine. Then I broil them, one rack down from the usual broil setting so they don't burn, for about 10-12 minutes each side depending on thickness. They get nice and brown/crunchy on the outside, but moist on the inside...

Last night I served it with fresh sliced pear and a steamed veggie mix of edamame, mushrooms, and green beans, but it's good with just rice too.

Now it's your turn!! Talk about FOOD!!

Fun and learning on twitter: #queryfail

Hi all!

Yes, STILL head down on thesis. Nearly there. I *hope* to send the draft to my committee a week from tomorrow.

But I get to buy my cap and gown today! Squeee!

Anyway, the point of this post is to let all you querying writers know about #queryfail day on Twitter: TODAY. Right Now.

A bunch of editors and agents (so far Colleen Lindsay, Jeremiah Tolbert, Mari Adkins, Lauren MacLeod, Greg Daniel, Angela James...and more to come) have decided to post brief examples of queries that worked and didn't work, all day long, under the twitter feed #queryfail. For those uninitiated in twitter, go here to follow!

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23queryfail

It looks to be useful info on what not to do, particularly.

And another

And for the second birthday of the week...MINE!

Thank you so much to all you internet peeps who already wished me a Happy Birthday on Facebook, Twitter, and email. I love you guys.

I think I'll go put on my tiara and eat some chocolate, just because I can!

Images

For some reason I'm thinking in images today, not words. I borrowed these images from Flickr's "explore" feature, here:

http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

All images link to the photographer's pages.

I love these, and they express my mood. What images are in your head today?