Life in progress

Category Archives: Life


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What Day is it Anyway? Monday, May 4th, 2020

My day today so far–11:29am: 

It takes me three days to drink a bottle of wine. Four, sometimes. For the last two mornings (after drinking wine the night before), the heartburn has returned.

I refuse to believe it, damn it!

It’s the stress.

Yeah, let’s stick with that.

The child is restless today, so I’ve spent most of the morning being screamed at. Hopefully he won’t be stubborn, and he’ll want to go for a walk.

Yesterday:

Working backwards …

Midnight came and went (into this morning) and I decided to turn off my computer rather than write a late #WDIIA post and write one this morning instead. Which makes sense, really. At the rate I’ve been going, I should change the title to What Day Was It Anyway?

Earlier in the evening, I checked the local news and discovered the nursing home we were going to move my mother into has a Covid-19 outbreak. Dodged the bullet by a matter of hours there, as the decision came from the government to close new admissions to nursing homes less than a day before she was scheduled to be transferred. She’s still doing okay at the hospital.

I got a good chunk of work done on my short story, Pixy, yesterday afternoon, so I treated myself to a walk down by the water. I took a picture of this broken old tree, cracked but miraculously alive and still growing leaves, it’s top hanging in the lake, level with its roots.

That walk, combined with the one I took yesterday morning with Alex, netted me an interesting number of steps. 11,111. Maybe it’s some sort of sign.

Screenshot of my phone’s step counter showing 11,111 steps.

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


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What Day is it Anyway? #SoCS Edition Saturday, May 2nd, 2020

Do not add water. To Campbell’s Everyday Gourmet Soups or gremlins.

Speaking of gremlins, not soup, it’s fun to dream up a world around a supernatural creature. To make rules as you go. I don’t actually know if there’s a “rule” around water and gremlins, or if that was just created for the movie, but rules like that are often made up.

Like the sparkly vampires in Twilight that can go out during the day. Or my incubi in my series, The Great Dagmaru. Yes, I looked into the mythology quite deeply, but I didn’t necessarily stick to the rules.

All this to say I’ve been working today on a short story I plan to publish this month. It was written originally for an anthology of paranormal romances, but I’m working through it and changing a few things. It’s a romance between a pixie and a human.

Again, I’ve studied the mythology, but I’m loosely basing it on that. Not following the rules, necessarily.

Adding water, if you will. 😉

I finally got into my bottle of wine. Can you tell?

 

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This adaptation of #WDIIA and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you by both. To join us in the SoCS tradition, click the following link where you’ll find all the instructions and the other participants’ posts in the comments. It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/05/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-2-2020/ Or you can link to this post if you just want to write a What Day is it Anyway? post.


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What Day is it Anyway? Friday, May 1st, 2020

My day today so far–7:05pm: 

And just like that, the heartburn is gone. It’s gotta be stress.

The only thing I’ve done that’s picture-worthy today … well, even that I didn’t do today. I took some photos for the Escapist Coloring Club, for when I post the prompt. Which I promise I’ll try to post later.

I did go for a walk with Alex today, but it was dull and damp outside, and nothing really inspired me. It’s supposed to be gorgeous outside tomorrow, so hopefully the crowds on the sidewalks and up the quiet street we usually take won’t be heavy. In some of the bigger cities, they’ve closed smaller streets for the pedestrians. Not here, though.

I feel sorry for those who can’t get out for walks at all, and I’m grateful I still can.

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


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AtoZ/What Day is it Anyway? Thursday, April 30th, 2020 – Zilch

 

My day today so far–11:59pm: 

I spent my entire Thursday thinking it was Friday. I guess I should have written this post earlier, eh?

I think the reason for my confusion (other than the whole every-day-is-exactly-the-same-as-every-other-day thing) was the fact that I finished cleaning up my mum’s place and Thursday felt like the last day of a week in which I had an extra day off.

It makes sense in my head.

If it wasn’t for the heartburn, I’d totally be drinking wine right about now.

But anyhoo, I decided to make today a vacation day. So aside from going through papers in my room to find some stuff the hospital needs for my mother, I did nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Zip.

And it felt good.

The day just sorta slipped by so fast, I was surprised to see it was ten o’clock when it was ten o’clock. Because what other time would it be at ten o’clock? Yeah. 10:00.

But I sure was surprised!

Oh to hell with it.

Where’s the wine?

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


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AtoZ/What Day is it Anyway? Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 – Yay!

 

My day today so far–10.46pm: 

I finished packing and getting all of my mother’s belongings out of the retirement home a day early! Everything I could take in the car, that is. There are a few things still in her room–furniture, the TV, the air conditioner. They’ll stay there until the province decides to allow the home to take in new residents. There’s no reason for the home to even put her stuff in storage until then.

With that done a day early (it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so I was motivated), hopefully I can relax a little. My heartburn is back with a vengeance, and I think it might be the stress. The only time I don’t feel the pain is when I’m drinking a hot cup of tea.

So I’ve been drinking a lot of tea.

Now I’m sitting on the couch listening to Alex giggle like a maniac over something he’s watching on his laptop upstairs in his room.

It’s the little things that make my day.

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


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One-Liner Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 – Ladies

When Alex and I were out for our walk a couple of days ago, we passed a friendly jogger.

“How are you ladies doing?” he asked.

“Fine,” I answered, happy that Alex doesn’t read lips. He’s been bugging me for a hair cut, and that comment would not have helped matters.

If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com


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AtoZ/What Day is it Anyway? Monday, April 27th, 2020 – My W Day

 

My day today so far–10:00pm: 

How do I start to explain my day?

I’m doing it without looking at the screen, because the words are so hard. Touch-typing for the win.

I’ve never talked about my relationship with my husband on this blog. I haven’t seen him since I started on WordPress. He moved to England eight years and one month ago. Back to England, I should say. He became a permanent resident after we got married. Between the time we were wed and the time he came back to stay, he contracted MS.

There were complications. I couldn’t work because of the kids, he couldn’t work because of his MS. The government didn’t want to support him and long story short, it came down to the possibility of me going to jail. It’s a really long story. Don’t ask.

So, though there was much much love lost, he left. His condition worsened.

And yesterday …

I got the phone call from his mother today while I was out walking with Alex.

May the angels care for you always, my love.

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


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What Day is it Anyway? Sunday, April 26th, 2020

My day today so far–10:59pm: 

I made it while it’s still the “today” in the title! Yay!

Went today and yesterday to clear some stuff out of my mother’s room in the retirement home. It’s a bit of a melancholy job, all on my own. The end of an era, and I have no one to share it with in the moment. My mother doesn’t even know I’m doing it. There’s no point telling her, because she won’t remember spending the last six years living there anyway.

I’ve made two trips back home with stuff. Her tabletops are empty and so is her closet, aside from the coats. I haven’t even really started on the 30 drawers. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. Four days to go to get it all out. *sigh*

In school news, I got an email from Alex’s teacher to say they’re not going back until the 31st of May at the earliest. By then, there will be three weeks left.

But honestly? It’s not all that bad. Nowhere near as horrifying as it would have been even a year ago, having him home all the time. We have fun, especially when we get out for walks. Now if only the weather would warm up. Here’s a photo of Alex with snowflakes in his hair, taken Friday.

But not too warm, please. I’d rather the snow than heat exhaustion.

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


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AtoZ/What Day is it Anyway? #SoCS Edition Saturday, April 25th, 2020

 

Valour comes in many forms.

From standing up to an enemy or a bully.

To just getting up in the morning.

Or writing on a blank page.

It’s been many many years since I last got nervous about showing my writing to people. I’ve learned a certain amount of confidence, I guess. And there’s the fact that although I want people to like what I write, I know I’ll never be able to please everyone, so I write what pleases me. And I figure if I like it, someone else has gotta, right?

I don’t feel the need for validation … much. I mean, if no one likes what I write, why bother publishing it?

So there’s that.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This short and sweet 2am adaptation of #AtoZ2020, #WDIIA and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you by all three. To join us in the SoCS tradition, click the following link where you’ll find all the instructions and the other participants’ posts in the comments. It’s fun!https://lindaghill.com/2020/04/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-25-2020/ Or you can link to this post if you just want to write a What Day is it Anyway? post.


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AtoZ/What Day is it Anyway? Friday, April 24th, 2020 – Understand?

 

My day today so far–3:06pm: 

Got up early and made it to the store. When did that become a noteworthy thing? Back in my day, a trip to Tokyo was noteworthy. Now doing groceries is an adventure. Sheesh!

Speaking of Tokyo, I checked my favourite traffic camera last week, the one pointing at the famous Shibuya crossing. So sad to see so few people there on a Saturday at 9pm. Normally you wouldn’t see the sidewalks for the people.

What it looked like when I was there, December 2015, about the same time at night:

The view from where the black cab is sitting on the right side of the traffic cam photo, looking across the intersection.

But I digress.

Now, I’m working on perfecting my dirty look to use on people who won’t move over in the aisle in the store or on the sidewalk. In the latter case, it’s the dirty look that says, “You see me dragging my child out into the middle of the street to avoid your selfish ass, right? You understand the sacrifice I’m making for you? Yes?”

No, probably not.

So yeah, that happened today too.

Good news is I’m pretty sure I’ve got the look almost down pat.

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are going to be hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!