Tree in Metuchen, New Jersey. We have color, now, but not quite to this extreme.
Happy Monday!
Today was the day I had to report for jury duty and it was over with quickly! I spent an hour sitting on a courtroom bench and got in a little bit of reading, a little chatting with the woman next to me, before we were told to pass in our information cards and go home, no jury was needed, this week! Wahoo! That's particularly great because . . .
I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month. I pushed myself to race ahead as far as possible (I'm not the speedy writer I used to be) so I could make up for lost days in advance. So, I'm already 20% 25% finished with my word count at just over 10,000 12,500 words. Hopefully, I'll keep up the momentum! I'm having fun.
I've gotten three books in the mail in the past two weeks:
- The Prodigal by Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett, sent to me by Zondervan at the latter author's request. I'm already over halfway through The Prodigal, a modern retelling of the Biblical story, "The Prodigal Son" and enjoying it very much.
- The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson (a purchase). I haven't gotten very far into The Plot Whisperer but it has already helped me to step back a bit as I write and think about what I'm doing and what's missing from my normal thought process. Hopefully, it will keep this particular NaNo book from being a hot mess, as my previous books have been.
- The Surrendered by Chang Rae Lee from my friend, Paula.
I'm participating in the read-along of Italo Calvino's crazy If On a Winter's Night a Traveler (a book I already had on my shelf). I'm not very far into it but so far, I'm fascinated and enjoying the experience. It's definitely a book you experience.
In other news:
I personally think the time change sucks. Yes, I enjoyed that extra hour, even though I blame it for the past two days' early awakenings -- 4:30 AM and 3:00 AM. To be honest, jury duty was probably to blame for the latter. I don't know downtown well so I printed out maps and drew solid and dotted lines to tell me where to drive down the confusing mess of one-way streets, where to park and which direction to walk to get to the courthouse ( I still managed to get turned around when I walked back to the parking lot. I'm not so hot with directions.) And, then I set my alarm clock early but managed to continue panicking about whether or not I'd wake in time.
That's all for now. Am I talking to myself, here? Not many comments are happening, lately.
©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.
It has been kind of quiet lately in the bloggy world, hasn't it? I am horrible with directions as well...I always manage to get lost. My kids aren't adjusting well to the time change either. Two of them were up this morning by 5:30 but at least they will sleep well tonight :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's been a real quiet week or two. Maybe everyone's too busy thinking of holidays, adjusting to the time change and fiercely writing novels. :)
DeleteOh, good, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I don't own a GPS or a smart phone with a GPS app, so I had to print out a Mapquest map. It didn't occur to me till later that most people probably have a nice little app to help them find their way, these days. Not I. I can't justify the cost of a smartphone.
Kids getting to bed earlier is definitely a plus. I really dislike the early sunset (pitch dark by 5:30 - ugh!!!) but I'll probably hit the sack early, myself. I suppose that's a good thing!
I am terrible with directions so make sure I have a printed out map handy whenever I go someplace new--or somewhere I rarely go. Like the courthouse.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy jury duty because it mostly consists of sitting and waiting until someone tells me I can go. Us readers know that sitting and waiting time means instant reading time. ;-)
I have a copy of The Surrendered around here somewhere. I haven't read it yet though. Like so many other books.
I don't like the time change either. I hate coming home in the dark. My poor daughter things I forgot about her at school. :-(
Have a good week, Nancy!
Yep, always need a printed map for new places. It's just that first time that's really nerve-wracking.
DeleteThis is the first time I've actually had to show up for jury duty. The other times I've been called, the recorded message told me I didn't have to even show up. But, yeah, no big deal because waiting time is awesome for book addicts!
The Surrendered is getting pretty interesting reviews. Some people absolutely hate it. I'm hoping I'll be in the "love" category, of course. Hope you are, too, when you get to it! Of course I can relate to the back-up. There are always books standing patiently in line for their turn.
Time changes are something I would like to see go away forever. I get the point - the morning people want to be abel to see to run, bike or drive. But, I'm not a morning person so I hate it. I'd rather have a longer evening. Poor little one! It's a big nuisance for kids. They tend to thrive on routine.
Thanks! You too, Wendy!!!
Oh I don't like the time change either. I wish we could stick with Daily Savings Time to see more light up north here! Still waking up at 4 here. Are you still on jury duty? good luck cheers. http://www.thecuecard.com/
ReplyDeleteSame here. It's 5:06 and it'll be pitch black within the next 20 minutes. Hate that.
DeleteNope, jury duty amounted to a mere hour of waiting to hear that we weren't needed. We turned in our little cards and got paid $40 for our inconvenience. Cool. I didn't mind that one bit. :)