And all I can say is THANK GOD. I had a really tough time this year, realizing early on that I hated my story. Hated it. Hated. Still, I forced myself to slog through and finish and, even though I wanted to stab myself in the eye with a fork every time I sat down at the computer, I’m glad I did. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to print a hard copy of my book so I can throw it on the fire. Cheers!
I’ve just finished putting away the Thanksgiving leftovers and am sitting here, enjoying a cup of coffee and the last couple of bites of E3’s pumpkin pie. I must say that I’m quite tickled with myself. The ginormous bird was roasted to juicy perfection. The stuffing, cooked in the crockpot with the turkey’s wingtips and tail, was delightfully deletable. The gravy, made with giblet broth (but no giblets) and turkey drippings, was velvety and flavorful. The green salad was cool and crisp, a perfect complement the savory warmth of the other dishes. All in all, it was probably the best Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever made. Sadly, there are no pictures. The entire meal had been consumed before it occurred to me to document it in photographic posterity. Oh well.
There’s another reason today is a special day. Today is I’s 7th birthday.
How is it even possible? I can’t believe he’s seven already! Isaac had a pretty good year. He learned how to tie his shoes this year, and how to ride a bicycle (skipping over training wheels entirely). He has really started getting a handle on reading and math and we earned that, for I7, the number zero is really really red, the color of fire, and that the larger a number is, the greener it is.
Anyhow, happy Thanksgiving to all my bloggy buddies and long distance friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! (And a happy birthday if today also happens to be your birthday, hah!)
Next November I want to write a funny novel. My last two NaNo novels were (are) very serious. Last year I wrote about the journey of an abused slave girl and how she triumphed over her abuser/captor. This year my book is about a young mother and her son, abducted by aliens, who learn that, in order to save humanity from a bitter future of endless and brutal war, they have to make the ultimate sacrifice. Pretty heavy stuff.
Tonight I was wondering why I haven’t made an attempt at writing humor. I mean, who doesn’t love a funny book? I like to think I have a pretty good sense of humor. Here’s a joke I made up:
When either of the boys are finding every excuse to avoid getting ready for bed, I tell him I’m going to change his name to Joseph. Why? Because he’s stallin’.
I’m not so sure if I’m good at making up jokes.
Dear Jen (if that really is your name),
Are you fucking kidding me? This is absolutely the worst plot I’ve ever seen. In. My. Life. Do you really call yourself a writer? This is horrible. Terrible. Seriously, stop writing now and think of something else or take up a new hobby. I refuse to be party to this travesty of fiction, this horror, this pathetic attempt. I mean, first you make my love interest gay and therefore not interested in me. At all. And then, do you give me any time, even a little, to process that? No. You immediately have us all abducted by aliens. And that’s not all. You go and make the alien ship not actually a ship, but an alien being. A giant, ship-sized extra-terrestrial cuttlefish. Brilliant. And, to top it all off, you almost immediately have the gay dude killed off by yet another kind of alien. Not just any random alien, but a sort of large time traveling dragonfly race that, for some odd reason, you decided would be the source of the fairy legends on Earth. What?! And don’t think I haven’t peeked into your notes for the remainder of the book. Seriously, I have no interest in sacrificing myself and my child for the good of humanity. I suspect you were trying to pull off what you thought was an ingenious plot twist, but I have one word for you. Lame. Lamelamelame. And I refuse to participate. Why don’t you go and write something fun? Like superheroes or rock stars or something? Better yet, go back to your knitting and leave me alone. Hey, here’s an idea. Thanksgiving is next week. Why don’t you go write up a menu and a grocery list. That, at least, is something I know you’re capable of pulling off.
XOXO,
Ellie
How can it be the week before Thanksgiving already?! I feel like I missed a memo or something. And I have a dental hygine appointment this week. Guess who hasn’t been flossing regularly. *grumble* On the upside, NaNoWriMo is going well, sort of. And I cast on my Qiviut project. [ravelry]
I had a hard time getting a good photo of this project, but rest assured that the yarn is as soft and buttery as advertised.
Proof that circular reasoning works. (thanks, Buzzfeed!)
Doozer got first place in the the Wiskers on Wednesday costume contest! His prize arrived in the mail today–a hand knit snakey! Isn’t it sweet? Thanks Jess and Monica!
Also, my TAS and I are doing a word war. Last one to get to 25K words has to buy the other one some chocolate and it has to be done by Sunday at bedtime. I’m off to NaNo land. :-) Wish me luck!
The stars must have been aligned–this dish was a huge hit at our house tonight.
I riffed on this recipe featured on the Rachael Ray show today. All of the ingredients came from Trader Joe’s. Here’s how I did it:
1. Prepare one pound of dried tortellini pasta according to the package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, steam one package of frozen asparagus and then puree.
3. Make Rachael’s béchamel sauce (omit garlic by accident and instead use one part vegetable broth and one part fat-free milk). Add pureed asparagus.
4. Toss the now very very green sauce with the pasta to coat.
5. Brown a package of tomato/basil chicken sausages (squeezed from their casings and crumbled) and add to the pasta and sauce, stirring gently.
6. Pour into a baking dish and cover with TJ’s Quattro Formaggio (about 1/2 a package). Bake at 375° for about 15 minutes until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbly.
I6 ate all of what he was served. E3 had two servings. Karl snarfed up a huge bowl. Angels sang.
Now it’s back to NaNoWriMo for me.
I’m just not feeling the NaNoWriMo love this year. I’m trying to write, but gawd I’m bored with my plot. Blargh! I had an idea this morning to have my characters transported by time traveling aliens somewhere else. That might be the only way to save my November. Now, if you will excuse me I’m going to go make a sacrifice to the Deus ex machina.
Even if you don’t want it to. Don’t fight it!
Knitting Interrupted 
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