Inspire Me!

Way back BC (Before Children) I used to like to do some creative writing. I've posted some of my old stuff on Live Journal, if you want to read. But in recent years, my responsibilities have been piling up and I haven't done anything but academic writing. I miss the fun stuff.

I used to also keep a journal of sorts, and, as a self-prompting exercise, each entry would include just the first sentence of a story. Some of those sentences eventually made their way into stories I wrote. Most didn't.

So...I thought maybe I'd try to get some creative juices flowing again, and maybe I'd start with those old sentences. Here's the deal: I'm going to write 5 of those sentences below. You vote in the comments for one. Whichever gets the most votes by September 6 gets turned into an actual story. I have no idea yet where any of these sentences will go. So, folks, please. Vote and inspire me. :-)

1. She had her own web page.
2. He was going to have to start over.
3. As always, she burned her tongue drinking her hot chocolate.
4. Nick Ford was stopped at a red light on Ninth Street when he decided to become a woman.
5. I wouldn't have done it under normal circumstances.

Blue

Okay, by popular demand, I present my blue hair:

Thing 1 took the pic a couple days ago. The blue has faded, but it was still definitely there yesterday when I met with the police chief. Oh well. My boss, the Dean, was there, too, and it didn't bug her any.

Saturday Update

Thanks so much for the comments, you guys! Keep them coming! :-)

So Thing 1 started 4th grade this week, and seems very happy with it. I'm not too thrilled with the school district, though, because (without notifying anyone!) they messed with the bus schedule. Now, instead of being the last stop of the morning, T1 is the first. That means I have to get her out the door nearly an hour earlier, and that means we have to get up nearly an hour earlier. Joy.

Thing 2 officially becomes a kindergartener on Monday. No bus problems with her--she commutes to school with Hubby.

I have been dealing with a moderate administrative crisis at work. And yesterday I attended a freshman orientation. One of the girls there was wearing a Ramones shirt, which amused me because I owned a Ramones shirt back when I was in high school, probably 6 years before this kid was born. I even almost went to a Ramones concert, but it was on a school night, and my cruel, mean parents wouldn't let me go.

Today I dyed my hair blue. It'll probably wash out before classes begin. I don't know what reaction 100 plus freshman Intro students would have if their professor showed up with blue hair, black fingernails, and a tattoo. Oh, and I have a meeting with a police chief coming up, too. I rather like the blue, though; it's almost the same color as my eyes.

This week I finished the last season of Angel, and we've now begun season 2 of Dexter. I don't usually watch cop shows--too much like work--but Dexter is really fun.

Hubby has two--count 'em, two--fantasy football drafts this weekend. So in exchange, he has taken the Things for the day. They are currently at the movies. This is why I had time to finish line editing a chapter, dye my hair, polish of the next Anita Blake novel, and post this update. :-)

Lizzie and Lizard

Thanks for the comments yesterday, Sharon and Angela! :-) No, I haven't finished Lizzie yet. Still need to block and assemble, and it's too hot to think about afghans right now.


But, speaking of Lizzie...or at least lizard...look at what Hubby rescued from the pool this afternoon:

Isn't this the cutest thing ever?!? Look at those itsy bitsy claws and those bulgy little eyes! (click on the pic for a close-up view of the lizard and my hairy arm). I think it's a baby of the same species I fished out of the pool earlier this year. From nose to tail-tip, this little guy was shorter than my index finger. He (she?) was just fine, and seemed perfectly happy perched on me. In fact, when I tried to put him down in a nice sunny spot next to my orange tree, he tried to climb up my arm. I wonder what kind of critters such a tiny thing eats? I wish I'd been able to get a better picture, but it's hard to get a good shot with a tickly lizard on one arm, the sun shining brightly on the camera viewscreen, and two pool-wet Things helpfully dripping all over you.

I'm baaaaaack

Wow. I sort of disappeared off the face of the earth, didn't I? So what have I been up to?

• I am currently mourning the near-end of the summer. Although I am not mourning Thing 1's return to school on Monday. And lest I seem cruel, I'll point out that she's anxious for school to start, too.
• Thing 1's feet are now only 1 size smaller than mine, so she has been stealing my shoes all summer. I don't mind as long as she sticks to the flip-flops.
• A few months ago, I began making a concentrated effort to Eat Healthy. I'm eating way more fruits and veggies, and way less fat, carbs, and processed crap. I've lost over 20 pounds and I have a lot more energy. And I don't feel deprived. Still, I've decided to reward myself soon, I think with a new pair of shoes. I've wanted a pair of Docs for some time, but the question is which one: these are awfully cute, but I kinda like these too, or maybe these? I told you I've reverted to my punk period.
• My co-authors and I finished the second draft of the Textbook We've Been Working on Forever. Hallelujah! And next week I'll complete the line editing for a chapter I wrote for someone else's book. My desk will be momentarilly cleared of writing projects, just in time for the new semester.


• I haven't been knitting. Dunno why, really. I have been reading, though. Specifically, I've gotten myself hooked on the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. I just finished the 9th book in the series. They're perfect summer reading, for me: just enough blood and monsters, and minimal intellectual value. My only complaint is that the editor deserves to be shot with a silver bullet or something; there are an inordinate number of typos and grammar errors, as well some minor but annoying plot holes. Argh.
• Remember how I gradually worked my way through all 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Well, I'm now in the last season of Angel. Then I'm going to have to pick another series to watch (although Season 2 of Dexter comes out next week). I haven't watched any actual tv since the writers' strike. And I am sad, sad that nobody commented on the Spike doll I knitted. :-(


• We drove down to San Diego a couple weeks ago, and visited Legoland and Seaworld. It was fun. The weather was perfect, as it nearly always is there. Here's Thing 2 at Seaworld and Thing 1 at Legoland.

So there's a quicky update, and I promise not to disappear again for so long, if you all will just do me the favor of leaving a quick comment, so I know I'm not just writing to myself. :-)