Election Day

SOI went and voted early this morning. A sizable line when I got there at 7:45 a.m., but it moved really quickly. So that was nice. All the hoopla and fussing just to get in that line and make your private decision in that voting booth. No one can take that moment away from you, which is why I always vote in person. Every other way, your vote may not count. But if you go in person, it definitely does.

I turn in more of my thesis and my research log. I need to type the research log really quickly and see what I can get put out on that then send everything along. I need to read every night this week because the book annotation for it is due next Tuesday. I only have a couple more weeks to turn things in, then I can go back and revise again from the beginning during Christmas.

I go see Tillie again and I think I’m gong to talk about these sleepy spells. Although the fully-loaded tea does help. But there’s not a lot going on except that, which makes it where I don’t want to do anything. I go see Dr. Bishop tomorrow and then Dr. Morris on the 11th.

SO today will be busy a bit. My middle one comes down to vote so that will be a nice visit—she’s going to be here lunch and supper. So we will enjoy that.

I guess I need to run and finish my work and see what happens after that. I know I need to go to the grocery store before I go see Tillie. SO I need to run. All my American readers, get out and vote if you haven’t already. We need you.

Happy Halloween!

I stuck it to The Man last night–I watched the Charlie Brown Halloween special last night without subscribing to a streaming service–I broke out the videotape we bought the kids when they were little and we watched it and we LIKED it, too! Take that, Multinational Conglomerate of Entertainment!

(We had to watch it last night because Mississippi State is playing on TV tonight, although I don’t know why we’re bothering–we’re playing Alabama, for God’s sake.)

My advisor has hit upon another bad habit I have when writing my memoir–I summarize conversations instead of writing them as scenes. I think I did it that way to distance myself from the immediacy of the feelings inherent in each scene, Hopefully I’m strong enough now to put them into real conversations with dialogue and reflection and not have to put up a barrier between me and the story. I don’t do it all the time but enough that it is noticeable.

Bob and my youngest are out driving–they’re practicing parking, which is her really weak point. So they are working on that while running errands.

I don’t have too much more to do on my editing this week which is good. I won’t get behind or try to cram it all in at one time–I get to think about it and make thoughtful revisions instead of just reactive ones.

I hope everyone is staying safe from the virus–keep being careful. Godspeed.

Prayer Sign-Up

Bob and I signed up to take part in a 56-hour prayer vigil our church is having right around Election Day. We’re taking a slot during when my youngest is at dance so we’re already on that side of town and can maneuver it easily. I think it’s oing to be a really rich time spiritually.

We go to my nephew’s birthday party today–he is one year old and thinks he’s a grown person already now that he can walk. He’s going to be something else in a few years.

Bob taught Sunday School again this morning. This may turn into a permanent assignment since our teacher has been making noises about retiring from teaching for a while now. We will see. I hope so for his own sake because I really think this will amp up his prayer life and his desire to be more Christian in his interactions with people.

I have to do my research log tomorrow and get going on the revisions. Then I turn in my two essays for this week and move along. I’m getting into the homestretch with this thing and feel really hopeful about how it is turning out. I can’t wait for my committee feedback to work on this summer and to start querying; I may be fooling myself, but I think this could really be a good book and the start of a good career for me writing. I’m just going to have to overcome the hurdles and get after it.

SO now I need to cook so we can eat and be on our way. So much fun this afternoon! I’m looking forward to it!

Having Fun

I go see my friend MJ today for a lunch date. We’re going to have fun. We always do!

I’ve been doing some revising on my thesis this morning. Sometimes I just wake up with ideas. I need to sit down this weekend with my advisor’s feedback and revise that last two essays she sent back to me. I finished the book I’ve been reading and I think I will go ahead and do the book annotation before I forget what it was about. This author’s books are just like that–they’re laugh-out loud funny, but the stories just don’t stick with you very long. I just hope mine isn’t boring after I get through. I’d hate that.

So I got signed up for my Spring thesis class and then I will be DONE. No more tuition payments. I can work more for MCIR. I can revise the thesis for the last time and then start querying. I’m already colleting a list of agents from my memoir reading trying to get a handle on who I might like to send to first. I’ll also need to start on the next manuscript in August 2021, called A Year Without Writing.

I wrote yesterday for BPHope about how I am writing this memoir. Very self-reflective. Who I gave names to in the manuscript, how I managed privacy, all of those issues around your self-disclosure you make whenever you start writing about this stuff. I sent it off and I hope they like it. I’m on the hook for another one next week about keeping up with meds as you travel. I’ll use my trip to Texas for that one.

I guess I need to run and see what else I can accomplish before I go meet MJ. Hope everyone has a wonderful day and weekend.

Pill Box

I decided to finally get all my prescriptions coming due to be filled on the same day (my pharmacy offers a program where they can do that ) so I can use the seriously efficient pill dosing box I found there.

It has four slots a day to fill which is perfect for me because I take meds morning, noon, supper, and bedtime. Each individual box is huge to hold all those pills I take in the morning and at bedtime, and it’s printed with big letters so I’ll never have trouble reading which day is which.

If I get them all at one time, I won’t be running to the pharmacy every week to get something refilled, and I won’t lose track of what needs refilling and what doesn’t.

I feel pretty good this morning–not sure what I’m going to be getting done. I need to do a post for BPHope on how to disclose information on your condition and the decisions I’m having to make in writing about my story. So I suppose I need to work on that.

I got back good notes on this week’s batch of essays–some of them were just keep doing what I’m doing; others were pointing out some areas that need reworking. Not scary at all.

SO I suppose I’ll get to work on all of that. Hope everyone has a good day today and stays safe of the virus.

WOW! MSU over LSU!

Gotta get my fan feelings out–I’m so proud of our guys at MSU beating LSU 44-34 yesterday afternoon. We watched, listened on the radio, checked the scores during dinner, then listened to the end of it on the way home from my birthday dinner. Couldn’t have asked for a more fun “birthday” present from my Bulldogs!

My middle one came and we had a good visit–she bought me two books that I’m sure she thought would appeal to my quirky side–one was a collections of anecdotes from people who work in public libraries, and the other was scientific explanations for highly improbable phenomena. So I will enjoy reading them when I get through reading for my thesis.

I am sucking in my stomach and going to start on those uncomfortable parts of my thesis in college today. If I don’t I’m going to blow the afternoon sleeping, and I don’t want to do that. It’s going to be weird, but I need to do it as soon as I can and sit with it for a while and see what needs revising. So let me get to that. Hope everyone is safe from the virus and is going well. Godspeed.

Pages Back

I read my pages back from my professor for my thesis. I am working over my second depressive episode at fourteen, my first suicidal episode. It’s upsetting stuff. And hard to go very deep into but that’s what I need to do. I signed up for this so I can’t complain.

Not much has happened today. I have laundry to do soon so that will be different. We go to the ballgame tomorrow night for football so we can pick my youngest up from band. Hope it’s not too chilly–we’re having a cold front come in through soon. We will see how it goes.

I’m going to go over and work on the thesis. I am making it today pretty well. Sleepy though. I’m pulling up some interesting memoires looking back at Ole Miss–I remember a lot of it but just didn’t write it down in this memoir. I especially need to show the sense of feeling left out and how it led me to self-injury. That’s pretty significant.

Hope everyone has a good day today and I look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow. Godspeed.

Sleepy and Up Early

We’re going to see my parents for my mom’s birthday today, so I’m having to post early. I am sitting here eating breakfast and typing away. I thnk it’s going to be a good day. My middle one is coming over from State to visit and help celebrate. That’s going to be good to see. I miss that girl.

I managed to finish everything I meant to get done yesterday! Met a friend for lunch, shopped for mom, came home and finished the laundry, and cooked dinner. It’s been a bit since I was so active in the day and so focused on getting everything done. I didn’t feel good doing it; I was frustrated at how rushed it all was and how I had to go about it. I had to promise myself a reward for each step I accomplished and stop in between to do that. But it worked and I got it all done. Probably nobody cares but me, but I felt good about it after I got it all done.

I have a BP Hope blog to write and my typical revisions to my thesis. I’ll have all that done by Tuesday and be ready for a new week! Jerry has an idea for MCIR that sounds REALLY, REALLY intriguing so I am going to see how that goes.

Guess I’ll wind up and get this done. I need to look over some things before we go so I will do that really quickly. Hope everyone is staying safe with the virus and living the best life you can under whatever circumstances you find yourself.

Good Morning!

I need to go shopping for a birthday present for my mom. Her birthday is tomorrow and we will go to visit. I hope everything goes well.

I am so sleepy no matter what I do in the morning or at night to go to bed. I am trying to just roll with it but it’s getting harder and harder to get up and get moving.

My story cane out in MCIR and I think it turned out well. I’m waiting for the other one to come out and we will see how that one plays. CT was so very honest with me and I hope there’s no blowback for him. We will see how it goes. Now all I have to concentrate on is my thesis unless I think something else up for them.

Lovely day today and not so hot outside. I go meet my friend Kim for lunch today and I think that will go well. We are just going to chat and catch up. It’s been so long since I’ve met someone for lunch. I usually try to do it at least once a month, maybe twice, But the pandemic has still got a lot of people nervous about going out. So we will see how it goes.

I need to go do laundry before I leave. I will run go do that. So I won’t feel like a total slug this morning. Hope everyone is staying safe from te virus. Everyone be safe.

Dentist Appointment

Finally getting to go to the dentist. I had to reschedule in August because it was going to conflict with an appointment with Tillie so now is the day, FUN!

Got my story on Suicide Awareness Month done and then forgot to hit send on it until I saw it this morning! Ugh! I was so frustrated. But it’s in now and my telehealth story should run tomorrow. So that will be good, to have those two stories down. I will probably work on my thesis this morning for Ellen Ann and do my revising on my next batch.

I need to go grocery shopping after my dentist appointment. That won’t be any fun but it needs to be done. Staples and meals for this weekend is what I’ll be buying. I need to go shopping for my mom a birthday present Friday. I think I will go to Belk’s and see what they have out that is Christmas-y.

I’ve noticed I’m getting much fewer notes and reviews on the stuff I wrote most recently. So I’m thinking that using older material means using writing that I did before I really knew what I was doing. Which is fine. At least that time wasn’t wasted. But all the notes I’m getting are about little details–no wholesale revisions of “This graf goes here and this one needs to be eliminated” type thing. So I’m supposing that is a good thing as well,

I’m trying to decide on what to do this morning–revisions on thesis or my BPHope blog story. I think I will do revisions since those may not take long and I can go to my dentist appointment in peace. So I guess I will sign off and do that.

I am feeling really good this morning, just sleepy. My BPHope blog is going to be on how I don’t call myself “disabled”. So that is going to be interesting to see unfold. I hope I can get my meaning across without stepping on any toes because language use is so touchy in the disabled community.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe from the virus. Be well and Godspeed.