Archive for previous entries this month
March 1, 2007
We didn't go today!
The weather was just a bit too wild to go heading off to Kansas, so Russ got the interview changed to next week. This is even better in some ways, because it means I'm guaranteed a long ride on my birthday. (grin)
The storm today was pretty amazing. That drift in front of the car is up against a fence and is really high. The one behind the car was the one that stopped us from doing anything, though. (grin) It's supposed to snow again some more tomorrow, and still more high winds, so I'm glad we're all safely bundled into the house.
Zaphod seems to be a bit ill today, though... so off to the vet he'll be going. As soon as the vet can get to his place of business, at least. That wouldn't have been today.
Okay, that's it for today. I have a few more things I need to get done, so off I go! And then I'm going to play with some art stuff for a little while!
March 2, 2007
Winter Trees
Obviously played around with Painter for a while today. Now I'm trying to get some more written before I go to bed, but I just realized I hadn't done this yet!
It's cold, windy and snowing here. I never expected us to have this much snow! In fact, I had told Russ that I thought the snow was gone for the year. Laughs. This is more snow than we've had in years. In fact, I think it's more snow than we've had in several years combined.
In three days we're heading off on our little trip. Yay! I'm looking forward to it, though I am scrambling to get things done before then. I'm not too worried, though.
Other than that... not much going on. Almost up to 30k on the Dark Staff book. I'm looking forward to having it done! But I'm really enjoying the work on it, too.
That's it. I'm done!
March 3, 2007
The most snow we've had in a long time
It did finally stop snowing today. Of course, now it's much colder, too.
I've gotten bits of work done today. I'm not feeling great tonight, though, and I might just head for bed and hope to get things better tomorrow. I'll try to get a bit more writing tonight, but I just can't see it going on much farther.
Not that I've done badly today. I got quite a bit written, got the 2YN classes done, and bits and pieces of other things. I even had, mostly, a fun day!
March 4, 2007
Cat through two windows
I have finished my writing for the day, and actually have a couple hours to play around with some graphic stuff. It's always a nice change, and I think it helps clear my head a little. Toward the end of today's writing, I felt like I had pushed things a bit and needed to back off and think about this particular scene a little more. I realized I had repeated a couple things and had to edit them out. But I'm still done for the day and quite happy.
I have a cute little picture rendering at the moment. It's far from done, but I think I'm getting close to what I want already. It'll take a few days for me to get through the entire thing, though.
I started out today with a horrible headache. Once it was gone, things looked much better. I'm having a good time tonight, and I'm looking forward to the trip on Tuesday. Yay!
We had quite a bit of snow melt today since it got up to about 40f. That was nice, too, since yesterday it was clear, but cold. I'd rather have clear and warm and snowy all at once. You don't get days like that very often, and especially days when I get a chance to go out as well!
I think this picture is doing well, but I think I'm going to have to make a background of my own in Bryce. This one just isn't working right. I think I know what I want, too... I wonder if I can do it. I've been getting better at Bryce, but doing some of the basic stuff is still difficult.
None the less, I don't think this one will be especially hard.
Yes, I really am getting more and interested in the art side of things.
Okay, right now I have a little background piece rendering in Bryce, and that's taking just about all the power my poor computer can give. It's up to 82% but there's a number of small plant things at the bottom of the picture, so that's slowed it down. As soon as it's done, I'll find a picture for today and upload this. Normally, I look for the picture first, but with a couple graphic programs running already, I knew that would bring the computer to a screeching halt.
What other things can I talk about? I think I'm getting excited about spring this year. I hope I don't have the problems I did last year, and I can get out and walk more. I did fine early on, but I started getting ill about the middle of summer, and it really wore me down. I plan to do better this year. I hope to lose some weight... though not until after we eat that banana cream pie in the fridge.
86%. Gah.
I will be starting a new novel on my birthday. I wish I had more of it worked out -- though maybe that's what I'll do on part of the trip. I have some ideas of how things fall apart in the opening, and how my main character gets caught up in the trouble. I think I'll call it A Plague of Rats for the time being, since that's the first thing I see happening. It should be interesting to write. I need to get the types of ecosystems worked out in my head, though, too. Part of the time I think the majority of the novel is going to take place in forests, and then I realize that I'd like something different, and try to imagine it in steppes and grasslands.
I know who the bad guys are, and I know who the good guys are even when they look like bad guys. I haven't a single name for any character yet, though. Or for countries, important towns, clans... hmmmm.... It's going to be interesting starting this novel.
93%
My one fear is that it will get done and I'll see a problem I didn't see in the small version, and have to do it over again. Not like that hasn't happened quite a few times before....
I should actually be writing on the current novel right now, but I don't want to try and open another program before this one is done. If I do find that I need to redo it, that's what I'll do, though. Because I think I can only be boring here in this journal for so long before even I want to give up.
95%
I've even resorted to cleaning up my desk....
98% And I can see the top of my desk again, too!
99%
And we made it!
I almost feel like it ought to be the picture for today... but I'll try to find something a bit more interesting!
Gah. It's not quite going to work. Okay... Maybe I can fix it without having to redo the entire render! (grin)
March 5, 2007
Puma at Zoo
I unexpectedly got to go to the zoo today. It was fun, despite some problems with batteries.
I have no idea when or if we are leaving tomorrow. Several things have come up, and everything keeps pointing toward 'this is not going to work.'
If we go, I won't post here for a couple days, but then I'll have a trip report. If we don't go, I'll be back tomorrow night.
I'm going to bed, just in case the 4am start time actually happens. And if it doesn't a few hours sleep isn't going to kill me. I think.
One of very many hawks....
Here is a quick three day report!
March 6, 2007
We
left far later than we intended to, partly because Russ was worried
about Edmond and wanted to run him to the vet for a check before we
left. So, instead of leaving at 4 in the morning, it was
almost noon before we got out. The good news is that I got my
writing done before we left, so I had one day settled!
We had to go past Omaha first, and after that we headed Lincoln way, and then south. It was really a nice day for a drive. We ran out of most of the snow just south of Lincoln, far sooner than we had expected. It was a bright, friendly sort of day and the drive down was lovely.
We were going to be too late to drive to Dodge City, though -- but at the last minute Russ decided to head there anyway, just to have a look. It was dark when we arrived, but we did look around a bit, and got a little feel for the place before we headed to Hutchinson and the hotel. We arrived there about 10:30 at night. The newspaper that was interviewing Russ put us up in a Holiday Inn Express, and really it was very nice. And quiet. This proved to be a very good thing for day two....
March
7, 2007
I woke up feeling miserably ill. Russ was going to be gone all day, and then we were meeting with friends from Wichita later. I got up and wrote for a while. I kept feeling increasingly miserable, and I finally crawled back into the very comfortable bed and read and slept for nearly the entire day. I felt pretty good that night, though, and had a great time at dinner with JD and Carol.
March 8, 2007
My birthday!
We
got up early, drove around 'Hutch' for a little while, including a
stop at the Cosmosphere -- unfortunately not open yet. Neat
stuff out front though!
Then we started winding our way north to home. We passed through a few towns and looked around... it was a nice, leisurely drive back, which I really appreciated, despite still having a headache. I got a little stuffed cat for the car -- a black one that reminded me of Zaphod and Edmond, so we called him Edzee. (grin)
It was a long drive, but another nice day. We took about an hour at the DeSoto Wildlife Refuge and then drove the rest of the way home on I29. Russ took care of some work stuff, and then took me to dinner.
And now here I am back home, getting a few things cleared up as well... and then off to bed because I'm just exhausted.
I did start the new novel today, though. A Plague of Rats is already looking pretty good. I think I'm going to enjoy working on it, though I'm going to put most of my energy into finishing the Dark Staff books first. I just couldn't stand to not start a new book on my birthday, and since Russ and I talked about the book a great deal on the way home (yay!), I was pretty fired up about getting going, despite being dead tired.
We also discussed a new nonfiction project that would be a combination of website, book, audio and who knows what else. It might be an interesting thing to try!
On
the way down and back we counted hawks -- 56 on the Iowa/Nebraska
part of the trip, and 87 in Kansas. I didn't get many pictures
of them -- and no particularly great ones -- but it was a fun game!
We won't know anything about the job for a while.
All in all, I'm glad to be back home! The guys are all fine, and I'm very tired. I'm going to go to bed early and be ready to get back to all the real world stuff tomorrow!
March 9, 2007
Tired
That's about how I feel tonight. If I could close my eyes and sleep sitting here in the chair, I wouldn't even get this line typed.
I think I'm going to sleep better tonight than I did last night, at least. Well, if I can keep the cats from trampling all over me. They were very glad to see us yesterday, and it was awfully sweet... but I hope I don't have Edmond bounding up on the bed to land on my chest. Then he drops down, stretches out, and purrs like mad until he goes to sleep.
The only problem is that I can't sleep for long on my back without being in horrible pain. So I have to move Edmond. He's usually so tired he just slides off and I have to be careful not to roll over onto him.
And Zaphod is just about as bad, though he bothers Russ more than he does me.
So, that's it. I'm going to sneak off to the bed. Maybe I can get a couple hours sleep before the guys realize where I've gone.
March 10, 2007
Unreal Places
I had one of those scenes today that took me all day to work through, and rework, and work again. I've got about half of it now, and around 2500 words, so I'm fine... but it did take quite a while. I like it, though. And now I'm going to work a little on A Plague of Rats again. So, all in all, it's not a bad day. Just very long.
I do like the scenes that give me problems, though -- odd as that sounds. I like to work and rework material until I find what it was that I missed the first time through. It's been an interesting day in that respect.
The weather was great, too. Lovely 50's. I walked over to Russ's house next door for the first time in weeks because the snow had melted and there wasn't ice.
We had to take Edmond back to the vet today, and I rode along. We let him out of the cage on the ride home and he loved it. So, after many long, long years it looks as though we have a car cat again! Yay! I can't wait to just take him out for a ride or two, so he doesn't think he's always going to the vet if he goes to the car.
And that's the news for today. I need to get the rest of my writing done!
March 11, 2007
A Different Place
I finally got a chance to install the new upgrade of Bryce today. It's very nice and fast. Much faster than the previous version, both in work time and in renders. I'm looking forward to spending more time with it, in fact. I did this picture in about an hour, and that included a lot of just playing around to see what I could mess with. The picture is a bit too 'plastic' at this stage, but amazing for how quickly it went together, and with so little trouble!
We have achieved spring here, finally. It's very nearly midnight and still 51f out. It might snow a little later this week, but nothing too drastic. So, things are looking better, weather wise. I'm going to get some bird seed and such soon, so I can start taking bird pictures each day. I used to love that, and I haven't done it in a long time.
Writing is going fine, too. Things look good.
Now, back to work!
March, 12, 2007
Black Squirrel
I took that picture at De Soto Wildlife Refuge on my birthday. The squirrel looks so much like Zaphod that it worries me....
Still working away here. Having a couple miserable attacks -- cold and various pains -- but overall, I think I'll survive.
Russ suggested something to me tonight that has taken over my brain and won't let go: Graphic Novel type work based on one of my stories. My brain immediately leapt to novels, but I really need to look at some of my short stories and see what I could do. This might be fun.
The writing is going fine. I'm a little behind today because of various aches, pains, cold, etc. But I'll get that done now and think more about the graphic stuff. It will be a long project... but I think it could be fun!
March 13, 2007
Learning to Fly
This, I feel, is the best work I've done so far. I'm using it about everywhere right now.
That's my big news for the day! I'm still getting some of my writing done. It's going pretty well, but I keep getting worn out and having trouble getting those last 500 words or so lately. I need to get out of this slump!
Oh! I just went over to ArtZone and found that my work is now one of the highest ranked galleries! That's mostly based on a picture I haven't posted here yet called Tea with Mr. Mouse. That's just put me in a great mood!
And I'm still working on the graphic novel/story idea. I worked on it a bit last night and came up with some great character renders. I have some visions for more work, and I think I can do the story I have in mind -- A Ride Through Hell and Back -- without a lot of trouble.
I just need more time.
So, as usual, off to work I go!
March 14, 2007
Tea with Mr. Mouse
This is the picture I mentioned yesterday. I think it turned out very well!
I did another one today that I like as well. I must be on a roll!
We'll not talk about how the writing stuff is going. (grin)
Really, I did all right. I had a little bit of a problem in the story and had to think it through, and right now I'm debating moving a scene... but we'll see. I'm heading ever closer to the end, so all is well.
I got some much needed DTF work done today, too. Yay!
Unfortunately, I have a bad cold again. I swear this thing is just leaping back and forth between Russ and me. It's making work difficult, of course. I hope it clears up soon, though we're supposed to keep having cold weather for a few days, so I'll probably get worse first.
Ah, and one of the local rivers is on a flood watch. It shouldn't affect us here unless it really goes high and dumps too much into the Missouri.
And that's it. I'm done for the day!
March 16, 2007
Winterwood
Hey, we survived another day! (grin)
Though there are times when I don't quite feel like I have. I hate having colds. I hope this one continues to get better.
Other work is going fine. Just finishing up my writing for the day and working on some Daz stuff for the illustrated story. I'm going to have to rewrite the story quite a bit to make this work, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'd throw myself into it completely if I didn't have some other things that I really need to get done first!
Oh, but I have been playing with things. Here's an 'impressionist' version of the picture above. It looks better when you look at the larger version, I think.
And now, back to writing and get it done for the night. I am really really close to being done with book 8's draft and book 7's edit!
March 17, 2007
Sleepy Edmond
I've been distracted tonight! I opened this about an hour ago, found a picture... and then forgot. I've been playing with Daz stuff, and that always just sucks my brain right down into it every time. It's fun... but I really do need to pay more attention to the time now and then.
The writing is going well still. I reached the end of book 8, but it's too short, so I've already started back in working on it. I've gotten another 2k already, and I think it won't be hard to get another 10k, at least.
And that's it for news today. I have a cold, and I'm going to go take some Nyquil and likely miss Sunday, the way it makes me sleep. But right now that sounds like a really good idea.
So if I'm even less coherent tomorrow, at least I'll have a reason. Time to go!
March 18, 2007
Edmond awake
I have a lot of pictures of Edmond asleep (like yesterday's), so I thought I would share one of him awake this time. He even came over to see what I was saying about him.
I'm still writing away tonight, though I've been playing with Daz all day as well. I have a picture in mind, and I was trying and trying to get it to work... and then realized I was trying to do it the hard way and started over. Hey, it's how you learn things, right?
It's not like I don't do that with writing, in my own way.
But it's late now, and I think I might as well call it a day and get some sleep. Maybe another Nyquil night. I just wish I could get a little more energy! I need to get things done!
But it's not going to happen tonight!
March 19, 2007
Budgie
That's a picture taken at the zoo quite a while back. Nice colors!
I hope we get a chance to renew the yearly pass and I can use it again this year. It runs out in a couple weeks. It was certainly nice while I had it, though! I just need to go through the pictures and put more of them up. I've been been way too busy.
Russ leaves for New York on Wednesday. Of course the check we had hoped for is not here, and wont' be here, in fact, since they told us they haven't even sent it yet. (They were supposed to have sent it just after Christmas.) This is making things difficult, but we'll get by. Just not pleasantly for either Russ or me this time.
Writing is going all right, though a little strained today. I'm not quite to 2k at this point and I'm not sure I'll make 3k. I'm not going to worry too much about it, either!
So, that's the news for the day. Weather here is good. Storms --thunderstorms-- are supposed to be moving in midweek, which ought to be interesting. With my luck, we'll have the power knocked out the entire time Russ is gone.
It's been that kind of couple years, you know.
March 20, 2007
Looking back at Winter
We are truly into spring now. Calling for thunderstorms tomorrow -- I'm not sure if that will be before or after Russ leaves for New York.
He's getting work done right now, poor guy. I wish one time this stuff would go right, and he could rest up a bit before he goes. At least we already picked up a few food things for me already, so we're set here.
I can't say there's anything even remotely interesting going on here today. I've been reduced to cleaning house because there's so little going on. I'm working on a rather large Daz picture, but it takes a long time to save and to render, and I hate to tie up computer resources in anything else while it's trying to get that work done, so I've been actually walking away from it. I've straightened up some bookshelves here in my office, got dishes done an some of the bathroom picked up... I feel positively domestic today.
Don't worry. It will pass.
And yes, the writing is going fine, too. (grin)
March 21, 2007
House Finch
Russ just wrote to say he's in New York finally. He got held up in KC and Chicago because of storms, but he's finally there. Since he only had about an hour's sleep last night, he's pretty tired, too.
I'm getting things done around the house, though not much yet. It's been one of those days where I was more interested in what was in the fridge than in pulling clothes out of the closet.
One of the things I really hope to do over the next five days is get some pictures up for the zoo web site. I don't know why I haven't been doing this. I love going and taking pictures. I guess I just got too busy. Time to make time for it!
I was working on a Daz picture for several hours off-and-on today... and it crashed. And, of course, I had forgotten to save it. So, it's opening again, and I'll try to make the same corrections and fix the last problem I was working on when it crashed. It should be easier this time since I know what other problems I fixed before and I don't have to experiment quite so much.
I'm at a point in Plague of Rats where I have to decide if I want my MC to lose something important now, or wait a little while and have it taken from him. If he loses it now, I fear it will feel a little too contrived before he even gets to the danger. So... let him keep it for a while longer. Hey, since it has to do with his magic, it will even give him a false sense of security. (grin)
See, that works. I just have to talk it out with myself sometimes.
I guess that's about it. Time to go get some other work done while the picture loads back in and then I can sit and play with it for a few more hours.
I have two other pictures I want to do, too. I should just let this one rest... but there's that nagging feeling that I just want to get it done!
March 23, 2007
Happy stray
She's about a year old, very loud, and not going to be very big. She's also chased off the birds and squirrels so she could sleep in the sun.
My big news for the day is that I made egg salad and had sandwiches for both lunch and dinner.
Yeah, it's been that kind of an exciting day. I do feel a bit better with my neck and shoulder, though.
Oh, hold it. I do have other news! I finished the edit on book 7! There, now I don't feel as though I've wasted an entire day. March Madness is going to start at FM in less than an hour. I was going to start a new book, but I've decided to go on with A Plague of Rats instead. I have liked working on mostly one thing at a time this year. I still have some work to do on Book 8 of the Dark Staff series, but mostly it's done, too.
So, there. I'll be writing for the next few days.
Russ will be home on Monday. The six days are already half over!
March 24, 2007
Happy Guy
I briefly saw a cardinal out by the feeder today. He left too quickly for me to get a shot, though. I'll have to be more on the alert after this!
Writing is going well. Russ will be home on Monday, so everything else is going well. I need to get some Vision work done tonight still, though, so I might as well get on to that since I really don't have anything interesting to say here!
March 25, 2007
Spring Clouds and Winter Tree
Every time I sat down to write this tonight, something else came up and took my attention for a while. But here I finally am -- for whatever good that might do. Nothing really new to report. Russ will be home tomorrow. Maybe he'll tell me something interesting I can report!
Doesn't seem likely does it?
We are supposed to be up to 80f tomorrow. The picture from the first day of this month shows a lot of snow. Amazing how fast it can all change!
Ugh. What else? Nothing, really. I think I'm about done for the day!
Off to get some sleep and then get up tomorrow and pick up some of the house before Russ gets here. (grin)
March 26, 2007
Waterfall
Russ is home! Yay!
He's tired and gone to bed, but he's home. Things are looking good.
I'm just not quite connecting with much stuff tonight, though. I did get some writing done -- both on the novel and on a little 300 word piece for A Picture's Worth. I want to do a couple more. He says he's short on entries right now, so this is a good time for anyone go join in!
Other than that... no, nothing much going on. Weather here is lovely. Warm. I turned the furnace off today! Yay!
Sold a poem to Daikaijuzine yesterday. That's good!
And... I think that's about it! Hey, eventually I'll have something interesting to say again. Really!
March 27, 2007
Working on Zoo pictures again
I am obviously horribly behind on my zoo picture collection for online. I'm working on the material from August of last year, and I've had at least one trip per month since then. It looks as though that's over, though, at least for a while.
I did my writing. I'm working on a picture. There's not much else to say!
So, Off I go to upload this now so that I can let my computer render a picture! It takes up all the resources!
March 28, 2007
Peaceful Lake
For some reason, I thought it was Friday today instead of Wednesday. Except when I was at the Daz site, where I thought it was Thursday.
I have always had trouble with days of the week, but since Russ doesn't work a steady job now, it's only gotten worse. And time... don't even talk to me about time. We eat sometime in the late afternoon. That's as close to time as I get these days.
It doesn't help that our life is centered around waiting for checks that are always late. That only makes it worse because you start wondering if you're really too anxious, or if the checks really are late. (They really are late, of course.)
We heard a very small kitten crying outside today. We both sat at the table and shook our heads, kept at what we were doing...
And then we both got up and went out to look. Lucky for us, the mother must have shown back up. No small kitten in sight. We came back in with sighs of relief. The funny thing was watching the two boys (Edmond and Zaphod) when they heard the kitten. They went nuts. I think it's going to be a long spring for them, because there are always cats with kittens outside.
I am waiting for a picture to render. It's creating the shadow maps right now... and it's taken over 40 minutes just for that. The trouble is that I know I won't like it when it's done and have to redo it again.
I'm looking at a new camera. Not that I have the money to buy one, but the new Sony DSC-H9 is calling to me. It has some features that I've missed on the last couple cameras, and it also goes back to the lithium battery, which I will really, really appreciate after fighting with rechargeable double aa's for a year. Russ will take the current camera if we get the new one. He needs a good camera for his work anyway, and I get twitchy if he takes mine for more than half an hour.
Oh, and the picture for today was done with Bryce for the set up, and Painter for the 'Impressionist' look to it. I'm pretty happy with it, though I see now a bit more work that I could do to it.
Still, kind of fun.
And I just remembered that I wanted to work on my art site today. I think I'll head over and do that now!
Look. It was almost an interesting entry for the first time in days!
March 31, 2007Zaphod and Pip helping me out at work
You know, it's no wonder that I sometimes can't get much of anything done!
And today was apparently one of those days. A lot of time fiddling with things, but very little actually accomplished. That's all right. Sometimes you have to get the fiddling little things done, too.
A Plague of Rats is going well, but slowly. I don't mind that part at all. I'm working without an outline again... don't know why, but I am. And it's suddenly gone to two new POVs that I didn't expect, but I think will help. My main character is in all sorts of trouble. Poor guy. (grin)
And that's it for today! Time to upload this so I can go try an experiment in Daz Studio. It might be far easier to do in Bryce, though, now that I think about it. And probably even better in Carrara, if I had a clue how to run the program. (grin)
March 31, 2007
Rain
Well, March was 'in like a lion' and 'out like a lion' this year. For a while this afternoon we had a tornado watch, a flash flood watch and a severe thunderstorm warning. And now it's 35f with a 27f wind chill. I suspect there's ice out there, but I'm not going to go take a look.
No, instead I'm working on all the updates to FM that I forgot about until late this afternoon.
I'm just about there, actually. Since it's almost 3 am, I think that's good.
Let's see if April is any more interesting.