Fire-like clouds for February

I figured with Sand's gentle nudge talking about postings at a meeting that meant some of us should post....at least once a month right?

This was a hectic month.  After being so sick in January (Martin Luther King's Day) I took time to rebound from the stomach flu.  Still cautious around certain foods. 

My NaNo book was feeding the Press for the past three months and finished mid-January so I've been working on one or two episodes forward whenever time permits. 

Time has been a luxury lately.  The month of February has a few 'events' on my little barrier island that bring thousands of people over the bridges and through the neighborhoods.  Tourist dollars are appreciated but the attitude that this is suddenly a third world country and there are no rules tends to wear on us.  You see public displays of affection that rival a bad strip club with lap dances in the corners.  Drunken fools make up a majority of the rowdy kind who think public urination is acceptable. 

Then there is the drama.  Oh MY!  Tweens and teens dumped off to play along with the college kids out on break.  Screaming fights and swear words fly as well as fists.  One evening the island was shut down because - I am NOT kidding - someone had their cell phone stolen.  Yup cops blocked the bridges and checked for a phone.  I wondered what Hollywood idiot had videos of some star getting pleasured caused all the helicopters to fly along with the barricades to be set up.  I was expecting another DB (dead body - sadly common here) on the beach or something.  A cell phone?  Sheesh.  Spring break is officially starting tonight and I hope to stay hidden.

The company is still growing and there are many signs of growing pains along with the chaos of too much middle management.  But it fuels my writing so I will survive until I get published for profit or hit the lotto!

My little home has been the sad recipient of too many parties that go way too late into the night for the past year.  No respect to personal space much less actual parking spaces.  There are only a few of us yet the two gals on either end of the duplexes seem to think the common area is their personal playground.  I tried to talk with the landlord and he said he'd fix it.  Never happened.  He then said I should call the cops - not going to happen.  Well now some of my kind neighbors are now actively pissed off and started calling the cops and the landlord and as of last weekend one went down to the city hall and filed a formal complaint.  She said next she's taking it to the press.  Okay, anyone who reads my stuff knows how much I like the press.  Soon I may have pictures of an INS raid along with camera crews recording the horror.  One of these renters proudly brags she's illegal.  While the other lives in an efficiency (converted garage) and has twenty to thirty people over weekly. 

So stay tuned....we will see what the spring brings.

February blowing in

I get hisses and boos when I post pictures from my corner of the globe.  The Polar Vortex has been creating quite the winter weather for my neighbors and family to the north.  It dips down a bit and then spits some rain at us but basically I can't whine about the weather.  My plants want the warmth but I am happy to feel a chilly breeze on my face when walking.

Stress from the work situation has kicked my Piker Press tales into some darker paths.  I vent where I can!

http://www.pikerpress.com

Trying to keep my mottos firm
Work to Live not Live to Work
I can be Great - and I give myself the permission.

There....done...*kicks away her soap box*  There are others but that's the high points.

2014 *deep sigh*

Okay, blizzards, ice storms, flooding, earthquake, torrential rains, possible tornado touch down.....and it's only a week and half into this year.

Yeah.

Moon madness

 

I think I am in shadows not completely here or there. 

Not helpful when still not able to do work due to 'technical issues' from what I can gather.

2014  so it begins.

Winter slipped in with little notice

I had yesterday off.  Today also.  But I was able to walk around and get some pictures.  For those of you who follow my life here or elsewhere you know I like to snap pictures.  I don't care if they are amazingly great pictures I just like snapping what I see.  This was one I found representative of where I live.  Winter mixes with the tropical bits and pieces that come up from beyond our country.  California was 'sub tropics' and here they can't even put the sub in front.  It's the tropics mostly.  We get exotic bits from other countries that escape from the zoos during hurricanes or are smuggled and dumped in the local glades deep in the night. 

This year flew by.  Not a bunch of good mostly sheer survival.  But I did survive.  Chaos is the new change and I keep my mouth shut and work.  I work too much but I have to say I have a wonderful safety net once I clock out.  I have friends and loved ones by my side.  I can text or call or just walk down the street to remember how cool other humans can me.  Work is to pay bills.  Life is what I do when not clocked in to work.  That said I still battle the changes that are being done without anyone asking if what they are doing is structurally sound.  Sucky but tis what tis.

I had a blessed year.  My family survived cancer and other assorted bumps in the road.  My friends survived other horrific things.  I was able to write and walk around and take pictures of the beauty that surrounds me.  I thank all of you for being my friends and taking time out of you lives to pop in and read if nothing else. 

For 2014 I wish the best to you and yours!

Oct? Really?

Okay, so I sucked blogging lately since I see my last post was Oct 25th.  My parents 55th wedding anniversary.  Brother and I got them dinner to a fancy restaurant mom loves.  She thanked me with a thank you note after thanking me on the phone.  Needless to say her birthday is Saturday and bro and I are repeating that gift.  She said to me, "Finally someone listened to me about what I wanted."  Noted!!!

Yeah I know picture is slanted but it was best I could do while taking picture inside with cell phone.

Another NaNo under my belt.  I barely was in forums but I liked what I wrote until the last week.  That's all been trash canned already.  I got at least 10 weeks of tale so I am happy. 

Just got car out of shop.  Ouch.  But needed.  Toyota cleared 80,000 miles so there were things that had to be done.  Happy days paid the bill in full and know that I am safer now.  Well as safe as you can be on the highways.

Work got even more interesting.  Came back from Thanksgiving to find the new 'lead' was fired.  He'd been shoved into the job when they demoted my lead.  She's now same level as me and took a $3.00 an hour pay cut.  She says it is all good.  Uhuh but she's over sixty so what else can she say?  That means heading into holidays with short staff and tons of vacations.  Joy ...

Hope you are all well.

Fall is falling

I didn't bother to crop this pic but I love this shot of local flora and fauna. 

The temperature dipped a bit here and everyone I see is wearing sweaters and boots.  It's mid-seventies???? hello...that is NOT cold.  Granted the local paper ran a nice little tale how once you are down south your body begins to shed off the 'comfort layer' (aka fat) and you get cold easier but come on...seventy is seriously not winter weather.  I've lived in icy regions and this isn't one. 

That said...it's nice to have a cool breeze and not have to shower twice a day.

Work is still horrific but now I am thinking...NaNoWriMo....a week away...am I going to cave?  I don't have Word on new laptop but a freeware program ...that said gremlins are chewing at my soul.