Life is getting back to the normal boring that I enjoy. Mostly I enjoy it because I can make up my own excitement, like commiting to Nano. But first let me share updates on everyone.
Updates on the Kids
The two youngest witchlings have gotten over their salty attitudes toward the extra chores and are eagarly anticipating the coming of Halloween. This is good for me, I’ll need them to continue while I participate in Nano.
We do Halloween Big. Since The Renaissance Man works on Thanksgiving, we’ve opted to make Halloween our Thanksgiving…in costume, while handing out candy. Last year it snowed so cross your fingers.
Update on the College-aged Children.
They are still children and I’m not expecting them to grow up anytime soon. Since the Brain and Peter Pan have classes on Wednesdays and opted to attend those classes at my kitchen table, Shaggy has decided, he too, would benefit from doing his school work amongst his brothers. He switch his work schedule around and it does make sense. He struggles with some learning disabilities that we can help him with.
This is wonderful and amazing in itself but the REAL reason they’ve all decided to congregate at my kitchen table on Wednesdays is for Dungeons & Dragons. Unfortunately, Wednesday is the one day I don’t have Miss Sassypants here so it’s the one day I have to work, just in case I can’t get as much done during her naptimes. I will not be joining any campaigns, instead I will be prepping for Nano
Update on Mom
Mom is on week two of her new life and doing alright. I keep texting her and getting short answers. She told me I don’t have to check on her every day. I just remember when I first got divorced. It was scary being on my own. Especially those days I didn’t have the kids. What if something happened to me? Nobody would know for days.I didn’t have anyone to check in with daily and I was so new at my job, if I didn’t show up they’d assume I’d quit.
Mom is finally slowing down a bit after spending last Tuesday at my sisters with my baby niece so her husband could go into for a medical procedure.
She’s opted not to go back to work right now. Mom was a cake decorator for a big box store, the one that doesn’t have the best quality patrons and she absolutely hated it.
She’s taking the opportunity to do all the things she always planned on doing but didn’t have time for. Perhaps in the spring, she’ll get a position working at a local nursery or flower shop. I’m happy with that and a little concerned. She’s the kind of person that needs to keep busy and be around people, but the positive uplifting kind of people.
For now I’ll keep checking on her and try to get out to visit.
Update on the Renaissance Man
Restaurants are constantly changing. A healthy, well managed restaurant has a high turnover as they weed out unproductive employees and move the more effective employees into different positions that best utilizes their skills.
That being said, there’s a position at the Renaissance Man’s work that needs to be filled. It’s in a store an hour west of us across the Illinois border.
The RM was assigned to go there on Friday, to help out the temporary GM, a woman he had worked with at his store. She jumped at the opportunity and has regretted it ever since. She will be declining the permanent position.
He’s concerned that he’ll be asked to take it on and wanted to discuss numbers with me.
The thing is, we’ve been discussing the pro’s and cons of this possibility since he took the job in 2018. His district has 2 stores in Indiana and 5 more in Illinois. Our collective decision has always been a resounding “NO” to traveling to IL.
Pros:
- He could possibly get more money plus travel expenses for his effort.
- He would be in charge and not have to deal with a GM calling all the shots.
Cons:
- He would have to travel the Highway of Death everyday. (yes, I’m probably being dramatic but you’ll never convince my anxiety that it’s safe)
- He would be adding 2-3 hours commute time onto each workday, depending on traffic.
- He would initially be working more than his required 5o hours a week because the place is a wreck. (We’ve been there, done that.)
- He would probably feel obligated to work 6 days a week and be perpetually on-call for the 7th during the first 6 months. (Once again, been there, done that…a couple times)
- State taxes would be a complicated mess. (We’ve done this before, it was a headache that took years to correct)
- Between Covid and the fact that we only have one vehicle, He’s been the designated errand runner and grocery shopper. This would add more time to his schedule or we would have to break into our house fund to get a second car.
- We are also looking to move farther east in the next year, thus adding more time to his commute.
- I would be an absolute basket case about his safety and well being.
My Crazy Brain
So when he asked me to discuss numbers: as in what he should insist on getting paid for the trouble, I asked him if he was putting a pricetag on my mental health…
*them is fighting words, folks*
Yes, I had to make it about me because he’s part Viking and thinks he can still handle an 80 work week. He can’t. He can barely handle a 60 hour work week – which he’s been doing since Covid closed down everything!
I was completely honest with him, I informed him that the anxiety and agitation he sees in me, because he drives a small 10 mile stretch of Death Highway was actually only the tip of the iceberg.,
I work really hard to control that and keep it contained but if he disregarded my feelings and took the job 50 miles away I could no longer protect him from my madness. He would go down, like the Titanic.
He laughed, nervously.
Very rarely in our 16 years together, have I ever made decisions for him. I have always just been a sounding board to figure out the pro’s and con’s and how he feels about each choice. He’s always made the final decision.
Maybe its my aging ovaries or the fact that we’ve spent the last 2 years agreeing that the cons would out-weigh the pro’s, but this time, I decided. It doesn’t sit well with me but I’m not taking it back.
And now the the excitement I orchestrated for myself:
My Exciting News
Are you familiar with NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month and it’s held every November. The idea is to write a 50,000 word first draft in 30 day. It’s easier than you think. I’ve participated every year since 2015.
My first Nano experience
The first year was amazing. A couple of my online friends decided to form a writers group and cheer each other on. I’m telling you, that made all the difference.
That first year, I hit my 50k by Thanksgiving. Grant it, I rushed the ending and wasn’t happy with it, but that’s what editing is about.
Nano Wrimo 2.0
The second year we tried again but life got in the way and slowly our cheer squad fizzled out. I opted to rewrite my first story. I did finish with a better story but truth be told, a lot of the numbers were already there.
My 3rd Nano success
The third year there was no formal group. I started a new story and had a lot of fun with it. In the end, hit 60k words but it was a piece meal story. I jumped around a lot and it didn’t flow. If I ever finish, I imagine I’ll be editing out a hella lot of nonsense.
Less than stellar results.
Fourth year, I had a brand new story; one I’d been working on and outlining for a couple months. I daydreamed about making a series out of the characters and everything.
When November rolled around, I was excited to discover that the Renaissance Man was going to be out of town for half the month. I imagined that would allow me to write more, because he is always my favorite distraction. What I didn’t anticipate was having to do all those things that he usually does.
I ended the month with only 21k words and a new appreciation for my husband.
Oops
Last year I joined in out of habit. Instead of a novel, I told my self I would use the time to write blog posts. I never developed a routine or a habit and I let everything distract me, especially the Renaissance Man. My total at the end of the month was a whopping 8,095 words.
This Year’s Nano Potential
So this year, when the e-mails started rolling in and the Social Media posts flashed across my screen, I pondered for a minute and laughed. There was no way I’d have time and since I don’t have a cheer squad, it would be a wasted effort.
That is…until I was tagged in a post with my other writer friends, asking if I was joining and can we get the group going again?
Now I’m gearing up to Rock this Nano. We agreed that it would be good to start training; to get the words flowing and find the best writing time for our schedules.
My Nano Plan
I spent the weekend planning out all the things I need to do now so I don’t have to do them in November. This includes housework, school work, and blog work. I would like to get a meal plan together. I’ll use my training hours to write posts for October as well as scheduling for November.
- My children are continuing their extra chores for the foreseeable future. I’ve agreed to let go of perfection and allow them to learn by doing.
- My yarn projects and other crafts will take the back burner and only be pulled out for their therapeutic value to me. (Believe it or not, writing can be stressful)
- I will continue to keep my evening date with the stationary bike. It may just become my saving grace.
- For the month of October, I’ve designated two hours a day to writer’s training as well as two hours a day for research and outline my Nano Project.
- I’ve come up with 27 topics around the themes of ethics in Witchcraft as well as 5 weekly recaps. I’m looking for about 5 more topics. I feel it will give me enough to write 50,000 words.
Come November 1rst, it’ll be easy to fill in the blanks and get my numbers rolling!
Let the Fun Begin!
I’m always so optimistic at the beginning of this adventure. I may not be so cheery by the middle of the month and probably pretty frantic at the end. Stay tuned for those fun recaps!
So yes, I’m doing Nano in November and I’m training for Nano in October. Life is as exciting as you make it!
