2010 Goals

I'm not going to make any resolutions for 2010, but I'm going to set some goals.

1. Live through EPICon 2010.
2. Write.
3. Do a better job of keeping up my blog.
4. Write.
5. Help a friend rewrite her first book so it will be ready to submit.
6. Write.
7. Finish at least two books.
8. Write.
9. Have at least one book ready to release in E-book.
10. Diet (Now did you think I'd not drop that in?)

It's a new decade. If you believe all the 2012 prophets, it may be our last decade. We might as well go out kicking.

Not So Worthless

I was in one of my funks and trying to find a way to get out of it. I think we all have days where we feel basically worthless. So after reading one of my friend's blogs about all the things she could do, I sat down and thought of all the things I was good at. I really didn't think the list would be very long, but here it is:

I decoupage, macrame (Jewlery, purses, wall hangings without patterns. Give me a pattern and I can make anything.), rugs (I can braid room-sized rugs from rags), needlepoint, crochet, quilt, tat, paint landscapes, ceramics (I can pour the slip into the mold, remove, dry, clean, paint and fire. I have my own kiln.), throw pottery, embroider, make homemade candy as good as any you can find in fancy stores, and I can cook just about anything from scratch. I learned in the mid 60s how to make stained glass decorations and windows, but I've not done it in years.

But for the life of me, I cannot sew!

Not So

Rain

I love rain. I love the sound of it hitting the roof. I love the scent of ozone just before and right after it begins to rain. I love how it's able to cool the air on a hot summer day. I even love it on a cold winter day, with the fire place blazing and the lights turned down low.

I remember as a child I used to stay the summer at an aunt's farm in upstate New York. Any time it would rain I'd want to go out to the barn and listen to the rain striking the tin roof. I spent many a night in that barn, sleeping on a blanket on top of the hay and listening to the rain.

It's raining now. A slow but steady drumming on the roof lulling me into a peaceful respite from my day. I sit here and let my thoughts run from one topic to another with no real path or plan. Story ideas pop up, I jot them down, and move on to the next thing my mind wants to unload.

I'll set aside the frustrations of the day. I no longer care that one of the kitchen lights decided to die and there is no way to find one to match. Maybe it's time to find something more modern.

I'm not going to worry that EPICon is three months away. It will be okay. I've worked hard and it will pay off. People will register. People will come to New Orleans and have fun. I'll be able to sit back on another night like tonight and say, You did okay, kid.