Where Have I Been? Well...

Treble turned 8 years old
during the chaotic events

I am only posting this because I took the time to break down the events of the last three weeks. Well, not even quite three weeks because that would be 21 days worth of events and all of this happened in only 18 days.
Sadly, this has been a good example of life for the last few months more or less. Though the last almost three weeks took things to an extreme. However, there has ALWAYS been something going on, some sort of demand on my time almost constantly.

 

Day 1 -  Drive 6 hrs to Saskatoon because I can't get the time off to leave for the dog show early because my supervisor has time booked off. My friend needs to groom our other friend's dog for the show. I can groom my own dog for show, but our other friend does not.

Day 2 - Help groom or get ready to be groomed 4 show dogs. Drive 6 hrs back home, arrive a little late and slightly wired so I need to calm down.

Day 3 - 5 - Back to work! Extra long hours because my boss has booked days off! Day 5 is Wednesday and despite everyone knowing I had to drive 6 hrs after work that day and that I needed to be in Saskatoon before midnight or I would need to sleep in my car on the side of the road, one of my coworkers threw a fit and walked out before the work was done.
Somehow, I still make it Saskatoon before midnight.

Day 6 - 11 - I get up the next morning nice and early to drive to the dog show at a city over an hour

Fred and I at the dog show

north. That day and the next four days are all dog show days. While not extremely busy, and somewhat enjoyable, I am sleeping on a couch, they are long days and a bit hard on the body. Day 11 should now be Tuesday, where I drive home, but not straight home.
You see, I am getting good enough at grooming my own dogs that I am finally getting a new pair of scissors. My first new pair that I've ever bought for myself. It's very exciting, but it also means a stop well off my normal route and, therefore, a much later time to get home. I do get home at a half decent time, but still rather late. I also come home to find that something is not right with my fridge.

Day 12 - 14 - My boss has called in sick (and she was, in fact, quite sick). Though there is an option to work from home, she didn't exercise this option. It was very busy at work. I get home Wednesday night and attempt to fix my fridge. No luck. I'm going to need to buy a new one. Thursday after work, I go to the store and find a new fridge. In the end, I don't get home until 10 pm that night. I get myself packed and ready to leave for Saskatoon all over again. I have something far more than a dog show to attend to this time
Friday they deliver my fridge, thankfully my friend and part-time roomie was there to get it all set up for me since I wasn't going to be going home. Instead, she met me at my office, we drop my dogs off at a friends place and away to Saskatoon we went. This time, I booked a hotel so when we got at midnight, I didn't have the concerns that I would wake someone up by arriving too late.

Day 15 - 16 - I wake up at 530 am thanks to wonderful internal alarm clock. I hate this about me some days. I cannot get back to sleep. Thankfully, this day isn't packed or overly hard. I take my nephew to his football game. It's the first time I've ever been able to attend. Seriously, guys, I almost cried I was so happy to just BE there.
Then comes the reason we are really there. To move my bestie out of her wife's house. It was very sad. There was no anger or stress that way, but when she was off of work, away we went to take one load before heading out to dinner with some friends. We spend the night in the new room my friend is renting until she finds a place.
I can't get comfortable. I don't fall asleep. I'm exhausted.
It's Sunday, Day 16, that we do the rest of the moving. I was unaware that "bring tools" was meant to include a drill. So, I ended up strong arm screwing a TV support into the wooden wall stud. Guys, this is NOT an easy task, but I got those screws most of the way in. It's late and time for another 6 hr drive home.
Let me be clear, I do NOT begrudge my friend needing my help in this way. This was important. I wanted to help her, but I was so exhausted that my roomie who came with me took one look at me and said "You are not driving half of this, you look like death." So, we grabbed some food and she drove the 6 hrs back home. She wanted me to rest, but I want to make one thing very clear. I struggle to fall asleep in moving vehicles. This was no exception. We get home at 12:30am and I shuffle my ass straight to bed.

Day 17 - Hello, 530 am. It's time for work. I am exhausted. I grab food from my fridge and head off to work. I am beyond exhausted. My core body temperature is dropping and as the day progresses I get colder and colder. I wrap myself up in four blankets, I take a break a lunch and try to have a nap. It's a late night. By the time I get home, my stomach is a bit crampy and I attribute it to possibly eating something wrong on the weekend. Some gluten contamination.
It's a late night at work, but my boss left at 530 because she had to pick her daughter up from the after-school program. I am beyond tired. It's 730 pm by the time I get home with my dogs. I picked them up after work, because I wasn't waking my friend up at midnight to get them. Home I go and feed my puppers and I go straight to bed with no supper. 

Day 18 - I realize on waking that it wasn't gluten hurting my insides. It was a mild case of food poisoning. It was not a kind morning, but I still go to work. I work another late one. Once again, the boss left at 530 to pick her daughter up. I don't want to begrudge her that, but I seriously still need some rest. My insides, by the end of the day, are feeling better. Finally, I get to actually LOOK at my new fridge. My roomie hadn't returned to check on her dad yet and had made me some dinner. It was great. I was still tried and went to bed early, but not too early. It was my first chance to just really sit and snuggle my dogs.

I am not officially including Day 19 - because this is Wednesday. Yesterday, as of writing this. Things have finally slowed a bit. Well, maybe by my standards, but perhaps not by anyone else's. My boss had to take her daughter to swimming and left at 5pm. I worked until 630 pm before rushing home for the poodle club meeting. My roommate had left for her other residence (where she helps to keep an eye on her father) and the house was mine. After the meeting, I prepped my meals for the next day. Made some grilled cheese and called myself done for the night.

So, where have I been? Well..

you just got a snapshot of some the craziest days of the last while.

Review: Never Say You Can't Survive by Charlie Jane Anders

Have you ever felt a little insecure about your writing? Life beating you down a bit and it's impacting your writing life? Having trouble focusing on the story that you think you need to write?

Then this book is for you. Seriously. 

This next post was supposed be about my recent struggles with mental health and imposter syndrome, but when I finally got my copy of this book from the library, I knew that this would be a far better post than my own ramblings. 

I don't know about you, but when life is hard my writing tends to suffer. That was the reason this book got recommended to me in the first place. In fact, I am still struggling, but this post isn't about me. This is about Never Say You Can't Survive by Charlie Jane Anders and why I honestly think every writer who has ever struggled at any point should read or listen to this book. 

This book gave me the lift that I so seriously needed at this moment. Charlie Jane Anders interjects her own personal anecdotes and writing journey that really made me feel as though I am not alone in my journey or struggle. It's these anecdotes that really will draw you into this book in a way that many other writing advice books often lack. 

That are many incredible nuggets of extreme wisdom that any writer at any stage of their writing career can cling to before we even get to the nuts and bolts portion of this book.

So, about the nuts and bolts section? Well, the author has some wonderful insights on how to make things work and she gives new ways to look at things in the most common sense language. She gives wonderful and entertaining examples as well that work for both pantsers or plotters. (And if I am being honest, a lot of writing advice isn't always targeted for pantsers).

Her personal anecdotes continue along the way as well from throughout her life and experience. She's not only talking about how she did it in her books. Every story she tells really helps to give a lot of relatable content to lend context to the writing advice.

To be honest, I could go on about why this book is great, but mostly if you write—whether your goal is to publish or not—this is a book I think you need to read or listen to (bonus: audio is narrated by the author herself). This is a book where, no matter whatever you on your writing journey or where you want to go with it, you will find things here that help and resonate with you and make you feel a bit better about your writing journey.

As an addendum, this book is super 2SLGBTQIA positive. I would be remiss in my duties as a reviewer if I didn't mention this wonderful bonus and there is writing advice in relation to this topic as well as in regards to being a part of any marginalized community. Trust me when I said it made my little heart soar to have these things included.

Overall, when it comes to writing advice in these troubled times, I say this is the book to read.