Miscellany

Today is going to be random thoughts that I come up with while writing. It's a good exercise for modified stream of consciousness. I'm not going to write everything I think because some of them are not fit for public consumption.

I am a crazy cat lady in training. I only have Reidar, but I want more. Not too many because even I would have a problem with taking care of more than three cats all the time. But I'd like to be a foster home for injured or abandoned cats that shelters are trying to rehome. Or are too young to stay at the shelter because they need around the clock care. That way I could get my kitten fix without bringing them all home to stay. Himself isn't too sure about that idea though. :-)

I've taken to writing with my music with lyrics because I find it easier to ignore. When I take a break I can listen to my favorite songs and even make them repeat a few times. Then I get back to work and tune out the music. I find it fairly simple to do that.

I finished the first draft of Marked. It's definitely shit but it's done. I can adjust it as I feel like. I'm still thinking of taking a part of the book and writing a second one. I'm not sure where the second one would go since I originally planned on Marked to be a standalone. At least two of my books are standalones. Though one of them is loosely connected to a part of the stories I write later in the timeline. I'm not sure how I'm going to work it all out yet.

I still need to figure out what I'm going to work on for NaNoWriMo this year. I'm not sure what I want. I'm trying to figure it out early enough that I can work out character backgrounds and personalities in a method far better than just completely pantsing it again. I sort of did that with Marked, even though I deviated from them in certain places, which I will probably have to go back and fix. But I'm debating writing Marked's sequel or the book that takes place chronologically after it. Or not even work on fantasy but on one of my many other sci fi stories.

I will be glad when fall gets here. We're still having hot temperatures. It was in the 90s last week and according to the weather report we're going to stay in the upper 80s and low 90s for a little while longer. I know we're a desert but you'd think we'd get a break from the heat by now. I'm watching the weather websites with great trepidation as I wait for the consistently cooler temperaters. We had four days where we were in the low to mid 70s, which was perfect for this time of year.

Environmental issues

The past two weeks have been interesting, and not in a good way. Our AC broke, our water pump decided to die, and my cat vanished. All of the above have been resolved finally, to our relief. But the one thing I noticed while all of these were going on was how it affected my writing.

I found that when it was blisteringly hot, as in even the box fans weren't keeping me cool (we got up to 106 F one day), I couldn't think. I just wanted to lay there and do nothing. I was having problems reading, let alone trying to get something written.

Now that things are mostly back to normal, I'm finding it easier to connect with life again. I realized that my environment plays a huge role in what I do and how I do things. The heat turned me sluggish. The water pump breaking sent me into an environment not my own. Losing my cat pulled a vital component out of my environment, which made things more difficult. (Reidar is home and fine. He just took a 4 day vacation. And we still don't know how he got where he ended up.)

I know I have environmental cues for when I'm out of the house that will trigger problems. Crowds of people can set me off. Loud noises bother me and I get anxious. Heat drains me and unless I find AC relatively soon after getting hot I get tired/irritable and am not a pleasant person to be around.

Our environment is a large part, I think, in how we react to things. If we're in our comfort zones it's easier for us to respond to stimuli. If something affects those comfort zones, people have a tendency to react in a negative fashion. The more uncomfortable a person becomes, the worse things get for them and possibly those around them.

What about you? How does your environment affect you? Is there something that will give you trouble every time?

Pets and their care

Continuing on the thread of last Friday's post, I want to talk for a minute about feeding your pets. People try all the time to force their pets into a diet similar to their own. What we need to remember is that animals have their own dietary needs and we shouldn't force them into something they're not made for.

The worst one I've seen is people feeding their cats a vegan diet. There are some who say they are successful at it. There are others who aren't. Personally, I'd never feed a cat a vegan diet. They are carnivores. They hunt for their own meat in the wild. Dry pet food we feed to cats is made from meat. The wet food we give them is also meat. There are things they eat that don't have to be made of meat, but the bulk of their diet needs to be that.

There was a story I heard about a couple wanting to make a sizable donation to a zoo. Their only requirement was that the tigers had to be fed a vegetarian diet. When the zoo asked them how they expected that to happen when tigers are carnivores and prefer to hunt for live animals, the couple said that they were vegans and didn't believe that anyone had to eat meat. They believed everyone could be shifted to the same diet they were on and be perfectly healthy. The zoo didn't get their donation.

Dogs are different. Dogs are omnivores and can survive on anything. They're opportunistic as well in some circumstances, eating whatever they can find. They love chewing on stuff and if they can eat it, great. If they can't, well, if you've had a dog with chew toys you know what can happen.

I've heard stories from my nieces, who both work at a pet store, that people would come in and ask what kind of pet food that a snake or lizard could eat and then were horrified when they were told that many reptiles needed live food (or at least frozen mice/rats/things like that) to survive. There are some reptiles that can get by with a vegetarian diet, but for the most part they need meat.

I get the fact that people want their pets to live a healthy life. I don't blame them. I want Reidar to be a healthy, happy cat. But the humans who adopt/purchase a pet need to do the research. They need to understand that their diet decisions may not be suitable for their pets.
A “pet parent” needs to understand the physical requirements of their pets as well as the emotional ones. Pets need love and affection, just as people do. They need to eat balanced diets, just as people do. They need to stay hydrated in all seasons, just as people do. There is so much to think about when taking on the responsibility of living with and caring for a pet.
Okay, the soapbox is getting put away now. (I'm really big on taking care of your fur kids.)

Feeding the trolls

Earlier this week, I got into a conversation with someone online. If you follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter, you've probably seen my ranting about this conversation. Please excuse the repeat of the information you already have.

I posted a completely innocent comment online about how Reidar doesn't like people food and how I found that odd since my last three cats have all had a fondness for various types of human foods. I had someone jump down my throat, tell me I was a cruel and irresponsible pet parent, how I must have killed my three previous pets (one vanished, one was hit by a car, and one is still alive living in Washington with a friend of Himself's mom), and how I was trying to kill Reidar. I should be arrested for animal cruelty and have Reidar taken away.

When I countered his arguments with the fact that I didn't let them gorge themselves on it, that I only gave it to them in small portions as a treat, he said that I should stick to what is in the pet stores as treats. Another thing he brought up was if I wanted to give Reidar a real treat, I'd give him wet food and I again was being a cruel pet parent if I was depriving Reidar of this. There was more but you get the general idea.

I'll admit it. I fed the troll when I got into the debate with him. But it brought a problem to light that I've seen all over the net. People are so much nastier than they would be in person to people they might not even know. They are judgmental, they don't want to engage in a reasonable discourse, and they're more determined to tear people down than actually talk.

I seem to be among a select group of people who doesn't like tearing people down online. I couch my responses to things in a civil manner, I don't (for the most part) swear, and I respect other people's opinions even when I think they're wrong. If I don't think I can stay civil, I don't leave a comment or respond to one left for me. If it's something I'm genuinely curious about the reasoning behind, I'll ask questions. If it becomes a bash fest I'll walk away.

There are times where I will post things that can be seen as controversial in some crowds. I fully believe that if you want to talk to me about it, go ahead. I'll talk to you as long as you don't attack me personally for my beliefs. After that, the conversation is over and if it's possible you're blocked. If it's on Facebook and we're friends, we're not friends anymore.

Why isn't this a common thing on the internet? Why does it seem that there are so many more people online willing to be assholes towards others? I really don't understand this. I've heard it called human nature, but what do you think?

Follow up to the A to Z Challenge

Those of you who've read my A to Z Challenge posts may think I'm a very serious person. I'll admit I do have those periods of time. But there are also times when I'm silly, hopefully amusing, and just downright snarky. Not too many of the last since there are a lot of people who do snark better than I ever could.

I'm also a writer. I post writing related things. Sometimes I even post book reviews, if I feel strongly enough about the book I've read. I normally don't post on the weekends, and sometimes have problems posting every weekday like I've been trying to do. That's a lot of posts to come up with. I have a habit of writing them all ahead of time for the week and scheduling them. I usually do okay with that, though there have been a few times when I've goofed on the scheduling bit. It all works out in the end.

One of the things I am passionate about, as you could no doubt tell from the posts during April, is mental health awareness. As I'm dealing with it, I want other people to see what I find out, what I learn, what I'm doing. I want people to understand that yes, there is a person behind the diagnosis.

Oh, one other thing. My cat Reidar. I am very fond of him and will occasionally post random pictures of him as part of a post. Or fun YouTube videos. Or pictures I find on Morguefile or DeviantArt (all of those images used are stock photos put on this page following the guidelines of the site/photographer).

So buckle your seatbelts. This is going to be one very interesting ride.

C is for Cat

I have a cat. If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know this. Reidar is my companion and my friend. He is my company when I need him and a source of calm when I'm upset. He is quirky, annoying, loving, and above all – he's a cat. And cats are awesome.

Cats come with many different personalities and traits, just like humans. They come in all shapes and sizes. Their fur comes in different shades, patterns, and lengths. There are even some cats without fur. There are cats who are mellow and cats who are closer to their wild cousins than regular domesticated cats.

Some people are allergic to cats, and I have to say I'm sorry for that. Cats can make wonderful companions. Then there are people who are more dog people than cat people. That's awesome. Whatever pet you choose has the potential for being a good companion.

Cats have been around for thousands of years. Cats have been associated with humans for the last 7,000 to 8,000 years. They started coming around when we had permanent settlements to chase the rodents feeding on the grain. Egyptians worshiped cats and venerated them as part of their religion.

Then there was the time when cats were considered tools of the devil. They were hunted and killed. People who associated with cats were considered witches and were often killed along with the animal. That was a dark time for our furry companion.

But cats became valuable again and people welcomed them as pets and companions. The history of dogs is a little more hard to determine. No one is quite sure when they became companions to people. There are a lot of differing opinions on that. But dogs have been around for a long time as well, and people have used them for many different purposes over the centuries.

No matter what pet you have, treat them well and they will return your care with love.

Moving Adventures, Part Three

We got into the house and began the arduous process of getting settled. The previous tenant had left a pile of trash in the bottom of the closet. We carried it out and threw it away. We moved boxes into the closet so we had room to get the furniture in place. The bed, Himself's computer desk, the bookshelf, and our small fridge got moved around until they were where we wanted them. Then we started emptying boxes.

We got two boxes emptied before we shoved everything back in the closet and collapsed. Himself at his computer and me on the bed. He got online. I tried to edit but was so tired I just went to bed. He didn't stay up too much later because he was as exhausted as I was.

The one concern I had, and continued to have over the weekend, was Reidar. I let him out of his carrier and he dove into the closet. We weren't able to get him out at all until Friday night. He came out to use the litter box and then ran back to the closet. I don't think he ate anything. Saturday he came out a couple times during the day to use the litter box but still didn't stay out long and as far as I could see didn't eat anything. This worried me.

Saturday night he came out and actually stayed with Himself and me as we played Fluxx. He curled up on me and started purring though his tail was still twitching madly, which showed his fear and agitation. When we started packing up the game, he hopped off of me and jumped over Himself. He found his food and I think he took a few mouthfuls and got a drink of water before running into the closet. He found a new perch. He settled in on a pile of boxes on top of the quilt.

Sunday night, as we were getting ready for bed, he came out of the closet. He actually stayed around long enough to roughhouse with Himself, get petted by me, knead my back for a bit while I was on my stomach, and get a few mouthfuls of food. He still ran back to his perch after a while and resumed hiding.

On Monday afternoon, he came out again. He looked out the window and came up for some attention. He ate a little bit and got a drink. Then he tried to bury his bowl, which is something normal for him. He stayed out watching things for a while. Then he went back into the closet.

A couple hours later he returned. He came up for some petting and then wandered off. He reared up on his hind legs to peer out the window. He went over to take a few more bites of food. Then he went over to the window again. He tried twice to jump up on the window sill and fell off both times.

By Wednesday he was out more frequently. He finally ate all the food in his bowl from the first filling so I refilled it along with his water. He's spent some time on the window sill, which he's figured out how to get onto. He's coming over for petting and loving. He still resides in the closet and I'm sure he will even after we empty it because there's no real place for him to settle down in here. But he's getting used to our new home.

I had this great blog post idea

No really, I did!

Then I went to bed without writing it down.

So now I don't remember what I was planning on writing about.

So I'll just give you a general life update and a writing update like I usually do.

I know you're all excited, aren't you? *grins*

Life update is as follows: I spent 8 days in the hospital. Dehydration + extreme stress = one messed up system. So I stayed in until I stabilized and now I'm trying to extend my FMLA/short term disability while I deal with therapy to get me completely back on my feet. I'm also trying to apply for permanent disability because honestly I'm probably going to end up back in the hospital from the stress and anxiety this job causes me.

Yes, I know I could look for another one. I have been. I'm not having any luck. And really, any job short of something that requires NO interaction with people is going to trigger the anxiety and there aren't too many jobs where you don't interact with anyone. Actually, there are no jobs where you don't interact with people. Not even if I went to writing full time, though that has less interaction with people until you're published than other jobs. Not NO interaction, but less than a normal job requires. Then again, I'd get lonely if I didn't have someone to talk to occasionally so being completely isolated is a bad thing for me.

Boy, that rambled on a bit.

Writing update is as follows: I did a lot of world building and note taking while I was in the hospital and I've come to realize that things are going to need some tweaking. Yes, again. Aleran is a constant work in progress. I've redefined the world and the characters enough times in the last 20 years that one more time won't matter. What matters is that this is the last time for the world building tweaks and that I'm finally ready to take the plunge and write the main series that I've been playing around with for the last few years.

This means no more slacking. I'm writing out the "histories" to sketch out the characters, and then it'll be onto the main event - the 6 book series that revolves around the two guys. Poor Anila is relegated to secondary character status in Reidar's books, though I may elevate her to additional MC in one of them to explain something that's essential and has to happen. I haven't quite figured out what to do with her yet.

In regards to roommates: Himself (who is not by definition a roommate since we're, you know, married) bought me a Milky Way to celebrate me coming home. Hey, we're broke and it was a sweet (ha, ha) gesture. Twitchy bought me a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich today from the ice cream truck lady to celebrate my coming home. It's not anything big but it's the little things that make me smile.

In regards to the cat: Reidar (yes, he's named for one of the characters in my main novel series) is still Reidar. He hasn't changed, other than being pissed off at me for the first day I was home. Now he's back to face planting in my arm pit and licking it. Got to love weird cat behaviors.

Pretty much that's it for this blog post. If I remember what the cool, awesome, probably-been-done-before-but-not-by-me blog post was I'll post it too.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sunday 'fess up...Anni had a long week

This week's 'fess up is brought to you by...REIDAR! Who is, in this picture, playing "hide and pounce" using my bath towel as camouflage.  I've been such a downer lately that I wanted to start the blog off with something cute and a little silly.

Silliness aside, Himself is home.  His mom isn't doing well.  He's just glad he got to see her because shortly after he left she took a downward turn.  She's stable now but they're back to measuring her in days instead of weeks or months.

Health issues are unresolved.  I go to the doctor on Monday so with any luck we'll have a solution after that.  At least, I hope we will.  It'd be nice to figure out what's causing the issues.

I'm doing the A to Z blog challenge.  If you really want to see all my posts from A-H this week, they're here on the blog.  I've been choosing random topics like crazy and sometimes scheduling posts on those nights when my imagination is really working and I can knock out two or three posts at a shot.

On the writing front, I've decided after listening to some rather awkward writing (my own...I recorded the first few chapters of Only A Name) that I'm going to have to rewrite a major portion of the novel to include Colwyn's POV.  Certain scenes in the first few chapters would be improved by including his POV and where the book slows and drags considerably I could add in a chapter or two of conflict centered around him.  So it's back to the drawing board for Only A Name.


I had a dream last night that would make an excellent story.  Only problem is...I don't remember enough of it to work with.  It was some bio-engineered guy and two kids and something about a family kind of like the mafia (the old Italian style mob families).  And that's it.  The nice thing is I'm likely to dream about it tonight so when I wake up and it's still fresh in my mind I'm going to jot down as many notes as I can.

I had a request from @KDSarge to put up the recipe for my broccoli cheddar soup.  Now I'll admit I'm a semi-homemade cook.  I'll take an ingredient that's from the store and turn it into a much grander homemade meal.  That's what I do for my soup and EVERYONE loves it when I fix it.  So, here's the recipe I use when I make my Semi-Homemade Broccoli Cheddar soup.

2 packages Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli Soup mix (I use 2 of the 8 serving packages)
1 kielbasa smoked sausage, chopped (the horseshoe shaped one, not the links I've recently seen)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 1 lb. bags of frozen broccoli florets (you can use chopped if you prefer smaller bites of broccoli)
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder

Cook the Bear Creek soup mix as it says on the package.  That's 16 cups of water brought to a boil and the soup mix whisked in.  Yes, you'll need a big pot.  Turn down to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes.  While the soup is simmering, take a large skillet and put in about a tablespoon or so of olive oil.  Toss in your onion and start sauteeing.  As soon as they start to soften, throw in your chopped sausage and brown the sausage together with the onions.  Once they're cooked, set them off to the side.  You'll need them in a few minutes.

After the soup has simmered for 10 minutes, throw in your broccoli.  Let that cook for about five minutes and then throw in your grated cheese and the garlic and chili powder and stir well.  Make sure there's no lumps of grated cheese floating around and then toss in the sausage and onion.  Let the soup simmer again for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve immediately.  It's an awesome recipe, takes maybe half an hour or so to prepare, and is sixteen servings of soup.  Probably more if you're going for smaller servings.

I've also added potatoes to this, pasta to this, chicken instead of sausage, and even added mushrooms one day with the chicken.  That's why I love the Bear Creek soup mixes.  They're very versatile and you can doctor them up however you like.  I'm inherently a lazy cook so making broccoli cheddar soup the normal method (which I've done and if you're really interested, I'll share my favorite recipe for the long way next week) isn't my favorite way of doing things.  So I tend to take shortcuts and it still turns out really, really good when I use the pre-packaged mix.

Vlog is up as usual.  I ramble on about my crocheting projects and a few various other things.  I'm including the vlog in the line up of videos down below as always.