Who Needs Role Models?

I get a lot of PR requests in email. Most of them I delete, periodically I consider doing a review or article about it, and every once in a while some PR person sends me something so stupid I just have to respond. This week I got a request to review a new “app for Moms.” This is stupid mostly because they sent it to me at my About.com address—where I write about web design and HTML. If you must send me PR pitches, at least spend two minutes determining if I write in your niche. Now, to be fair, I do sometimes write “mommy blogger” type stuff here, but the PR guy didn’t make any indication that he realized that. But this PR person lucked out. I wrote about their product and got it promoted as a guest post on My Happy SAHD Life. Of course, I suspect the PR person won’t feel lucky. It’s not a review, and if it were a review it wouldn’t be a positive one. Read the article here: It’s 2014, Why Don’t PR People Know?

I know, I know, they need more money, the stamps cost more, they are offering more services, Saturday delivery is going away, no it’s not, yes it is.

But seriously! What is UP with them?

I was very excited when they announced more tracking. It’s great to think that I might get a notice when a package is coming. When I do tracking with UPS and FedEx, I get a listing of where my package is almost up to the minute. I can practically watch the box as it moves from the sender, to the hub, out to a nearby city, then “on a truck for delivery.” That last bit can be the most frustrating as packages can get put on a truck at 5am only a couple miles from my house and then have no update to their tracking until after 9pm when they’ve been delivered to my house. But while I might be chewing my nails down to the quick waiting for my latest batch of Scharffenberger chocolate to arrive, at least I know that the box is out there coming. I have one package that was sent to me “with tracking” via the USPS back on April 26th. This is what has been tracked so far: [caption id=“attachment_816” align=“aligncenter” width=“300”] Tracking where nothing is tracked[/caption] Okay, I realize that this could mean that the company that sent this to me printed out a mailing label and then dumped all of it in the trash. In other words, the USPS never got anything. And neither did I. So I now have another package that I know has been mailed, because I mailed it. I printed out the mailing label on May 12th but then didn’t get a chance to mail it until today. Here’s the package: [caption id=“attachment_817” align=“aligncenter” width=“225”] the package[/caption] And here’s the tracking page: [caption id=“attachment_818” align=“aligncenter” width=“300”] on USPS.com[/caption] What’s upsetting to me is how it was received at the post office. I walked into our local branch and stood in the line (2 people in front of me). When I got to the front of the line I handed the package to the postal worker and asked for her to scan it and give me a receipt. She replied “you already have one, you just go online and type in the number and it’ll show you the tracking.” Then, and this is the worst part, she takes the package, and tosses it over on another public counter. Then she smiles and asks to help the next person in line. She didn’t scan it, didn’t put it in a box, did nothing with it beyond putting it on a counter. And of course, three hours later as I write this post, it hasn’t been scanned. For all I know it’s still sitting on that counter. What is UP with the USPS? How is this considered “tracking?” When I have a box for FedEx or UPS, I take it to the shipping counter and they scan it into their system right then! Then when it’s moved off the counter and onto a truck it’s scanned again_!_ And so on until it is “on a truck for delivery.” And did you notice the other flaw? On the package it states that it’s being sent “Priority Mail 2-Day” but on the website it says that the postal product is “Priority Mail 1-Day.” Which is it USPS? 

A few years ago I learned that my local Barnes and Noble had a monthly writers group come and meet on Mondays to discuss writing. The first month I didn’t bring anything of my own, I just came to see what the group was like. I was immediately sure I would like this group because almost everyone who did read was reading science fiction or fantasy. And I love science fiction and fantasy. I knew I was going to come the next month if only to find out what happened in the stories they were reading. After about three months, I decided to bring in a story of my own. I believe I brought an excerpt from a fantasy story I was working on. I got some great feedback, so the following month I brought a couple of HTML articles I wanted to clean up. Since that time I’ve been attending fairly regularly (except when I’m late for a deadline!) and I always enjoy the interplay, the stories, and the discussion. The group isn’t just science fiction/fantasy either. There are two or three people besides me who bring in non-fiction. There is a really interesting novel set in the 60s and at least two YA or children’s books.

I’m still having a lot of fun writing my novel. I took the first chapter to my writing group last night. They professed to enjoy it, but that may have been more relief that I wasn’t forcing them to read more HTML documents. But I did have fun reading it to them. What’s funny now is that I’ve kind of lost the thread. I think once I get this novel done, I’m going to work out more of a plot arc in advance. I still have the idea for my plot, but I found myself running through it in just a couple chapters, which is well under 50,000 words. Ooops. I think if I get the video project done in the next few days that will give me a better shot at completing the novel. I can write while guests are here over Thanksgiving and not feel guilty that I’m not paying attention to my son. And if I can get the SCA site live this week (maybe Thursday?) that will be yet another chain off my shackles. I’m technically not caught up to my required amount today, but I still feel good about my chances of winning this year for a couple of reasons:

Today was slow going, mostly because I have other things in my life, like work… that I need to do. But I still managed to get out four articles (most pretty short) of non-fiction and another 1700 words on my novel. Stats for November 4, 2013: Novel Migraines for Magic: 12,016 words Non-fiction: 6,713 words Too bad I’m not counting all the words towards winning NaNo, I’d be at almost 19K words right now.

Yesterday was tough. We had a power outage most of the day, and we spent a lot of that time driving around looking for someplace that had power so we could get some lunch and make sure we had enough gas for the generator. The power was out for several miles around us and it took a long time. But I was still able to get my novel up to over 5000 words. The words were just flowing. I was shocked at how fast it was going. The story isn’t moving along like I’d expected, but it sure is fun to write. I only got around 830 words written on my non-fiction project, but I had a lot of fun building the examples and playing with the CSS to write it. But today I really flew. In the morning I worked on my non-fiction, bringing my total there to 5233 words. That was two more articles. I put one live and kept the other back to save for a week or two. I then didn’t get the chance to work on any NaNo until after J went to bed. He was insisting both that my laptop was his laptop, and that I needed to close it so that I could take him to New York City. He has suddenly decided that I need to fly with him on an airplane to NYC. He wants to go there and then call Daddy over FaceTime from there. But eventually he was in bed and I started writing. Three hours, virtually non-stop brought my novel up to 10,242 words! I’m 1/5th done! I’m so excited. This year it really feels like winning is within my reach! Go me!

This year, because I’m stupid, already have way too much to do, and just want to drive myself insane, I’m doing NaNoWriMo. But I’m doing it not once, but twice. My first version is the official version—a novel tentatively titled Magic for Migraines. Here’s my status for that so far: But I’m also doing an unofficial version, attempting to write 50,000 words of non-fiction through the month, as well. I realized that I can write about 1200 words of non-fiction in about an hour, so adding another half hour would give me 1800 words which is more than the daily minimum of 1667 words to win at NaNo. Add to that that this character of Christine has been plaguing my dreams every night. She wants me to tell her story. I figure I have to do it. Status for today, November 1, 2013: Fiction: 2060 words Non-Fiction: 2126 words If you’re doing NaNo this year, lets connect! If you’re not, please hold me accountable. I want to WIN this year. I think I can do it. I’ve already written 4186 words after all!

Here are two videos of Her Excellency fighting at the Sergeantry Trials this weekend. It was amazing fun, and anyone who wasn’t there missed out! [video width=“960” height=“540” m4v=“https://capstone.kyrnin.com/~jenn/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Eoin-vs-Sineidin.m4v"][/video] Be sure to watch this next one to the end. [video width=“960” height=“540” m4v=“https://capstone.kyrnin.com/~jenn/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SineidinvsThePike.m4v"][/video]

[caption id=“attachment_771” align=“alignleft” width=“150”] This site displayed in a minimalist theme - very different from my last theme - and probably from my next theme. Click to view larger.[/caption] I’ve been trying out a bunch of new themes and frameworks lately, in an effort to determine what would be easiest for both me and my clients to use. In fact, this site is demonstrating that right now. Although I suspect as soon as I get some free time, I’m going to be changing it, probably drastically. Which is why I included the screen shot.

And then I start to cry… It’s been a rough week, and it’s been a fun week, and the fact that it’s been fun makes me feel guilty and then I start to cry. I feel so bad that I wasn’t here when you first started ailing, and that I didn’t do more when I found you that first night. But I was so worried about getting to the meeting on time (and I was late anyway), that I left you there under the porch and then I feel even worse, and the crying continues. I hate that I ever thought I wished you were gone. I want you back to pee on my sweater and ruin another chair. And it’s hard to type through the tears. I think about what the vet said (or rather what I heard her say as I was crying and holding you) and imagine I hear her reproach as we tell her we can’t bear the thought of another drawn-out death fight. Mali’s death was too much for us. I wonder if I’ll ever run out of tears. I suppose I should be grateful that I’m less of a slob because of you (actually, not really, I just learned where my clothes were safe from your litter box antics). But I’m not. I just remember your face as the vet carried you away and I want to take it all back. I haven’t told anyone you’re dead (well, beyond Brendan, who babysat while you died and the people in the meeting I missed probably guess what happened). I feel so bad, i don’t want to share it. It hurts as much as Mali did, and that was like a knife to the heart for months and months. [caption id=“attachment_767” align=“aligncenter” width=“300”] Auto[/caption] See more pictures of Auto