Originally published at Writer's Blog. Please leave any comments there.

Now this is the kind of weather I can actually tolerate - for a while, at least. The temps have dropped enough that the persistent rain has become snow. It was actually a lot of fun to work out in it tonight, but only because I was bundled up and actually working hard enough to stay warm. The horses were happy to get their feed, and I was happy to have something physical to do for a little bit.

I’ve been back on the South Beach diet for just over a week now. It’s been a bit of a rough week, complete with hunger pains, crankiness, and temptations to hop down off the wagon. But I’m glad I’ve stuck to my guns because already I’ve dropped six pounds and can see a visible difference. Another 12 pounds and I’ll be back down where I was before the big move last year.

I’ve been adding to my blogroll the last couple of days. There is now a new section for science related blogs and websites, all of which have RSS feeds (which is about the only way I roll these days). Go give them a look-see if you’d like. I suspect I’m going to have more reading material and story ideas in coming days than I quite know what to do with.

I’m trying out a new automatic wallpaper program I found today called Desktop Earth. It automatically refreshes your wallpaper with a satellite image of the Earth, showing you what part is currently under daylight and which is under night. You can play with the options to show you city lights at night and moonlight reflections. It’s pretty cool, but it’s a little bit resource intensive. I’ve had to set it to refresh every 15 minutes (default is 5) just so it doesn’t bog my computer down too much.

I’m finally making some time for some story writing. I’ve been terribly remiss in my obligations here, so it’s catch-up time. I had a great flash fiction idea just tonight, so I’m in the midst of setting this one down to paper. And, speaking of which, I’d best get back to it.

Tags: (no sot) peripheral, technology, writing & authoring

Originally published at Writer's Blog. Please leave any comments there.

One downside to owning livestock is that, no matter what the weather outside, you have to be out in it at least twice a day. This has definitely been an unusually wet season, and coupled with the falling temperatures, makes it quite miserable out there. But, making sure the horses are all tucked safe and dry in their stalls makes it worth it. It just makes their human caretakers wish for Spring’s arrival all that much more. I got a nice reprieve from the elements this weekend upon going out of town, but now it’s back to business; and hopefully this will be the worst things get for us as we develop our land for our four-footed friends. Honestly, it is nice to be home, however much work it sometimes involves.

As Dorothy once said, there’s no place like home.

Tags: (no sot) peripheral

Originally published at Writer's Blog. Please leave any comments there.

Well, what was planned to be a productive writing day turned out to be not so much. My niece was born this morning, and so I had charge of my nephew for the day while his parents were at the hospital bringing his little sister into the world. My plans had been to put him down for a nap and then set to with the writing. But plans have a way of changing, and I spent a good part of the afternoon at the hospital, visiting with my brother and sister-in-law and meeting my niece. So, the best laid plans of this writer fell apart rather quickly. And I’m ok with that.

I’m going to make the most out of my weekend, though. I still have a minimum of five flash fiction pieces to write for the 100 Voices project, and I’ve been terribly remiss in that responsibility. I also need to update the promotional site for the project, something else I hope to accomplish this weekend. We’ll see how things go. I find it’s incredibly difficult to plot out time to write and then be able to keep that time. Real life always seems to get in the way.

Here’s to a more productive tomorrow.

Tags: (no sot) peripheral, writing & authoring

Originally published at Writer's Blog. Please leave any comments there.

I don’t generally acknowledge things like this (mostly because I don’t usually notice until much later), but it just so happens that Stephanie is the 1,000th commenter here. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by over the years and has taken the time to leave a word. It’s much appreciated.

Tags: (no sot) peripheral

Originally published at Writer's Blog. Please leave any comments there.

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions; I never have. I think they’re kind of a nice idea, mind you - it’s just that most people break them before January ever reaches its close. So, it seems to me that setting resolutions is a somewhat pointless endeavor.

Now, that said, I have been thinking about setting some personal goals for myself for this year. They’re not really what I consider resolutions, in my mind, because if I don’t make these goals, there’s no pressure or guilt involved. These are just things that I’d like accomplish this year. But if I don’t make it, it’s no big deal; life will go on.

• I need to lose some weight again this year. I’ve been experiencing some health issues in recent months, due in large part to putting back on the weight that I’d lost earlier last year. So back to eating healthy and exercising for me.
• I haven’t enjoyed writing the last couple of months. My life has been super busy and rather stressful, and I haven’t really given any of my stories much thought, let alone any time. So, I’d like to exercise a little discipline, now that weekends are my own again, and see what I can get written this year.
• I have a reading list to get through that will likely take me a few weeks. Plus a friend is bringing me a bunch of books from his speculative fiction library. I think I’m going to be busy for a while.
• I’d like to revive Penitent Tangential, if for no other reason than my own personal enjoyment. I think I’ll actually have time for it again now.

Aside from the weight issue, none of my goals this year are, in the long run, all that important. I have a fixer-upper house that is actually quite a bit more important to me and my wife, so I’ll work on fitting writing and reading around repairs and upgrades. Ultimately, I’ll just have to take it one day at a time and see how things work out.

Tags: (no sot) peripheral