Thursday's Children ~ Priorities

It's not every day I see a post or anything about being inspired by priorities. Right now, I am actually forcing myself to be inspired by them. I don't like sorting through what I should and shouldn't do.

I've been trying to convince myself, as much as my loyal followers, that I even have priorities. I've done this with convincing posts about How I Am Going To Write and ignore everything else social network-wise for awhile. I seriously have a fear of abandonment. Like if I leave, everyone else will be gone when I get back.

Well, it's time. I have to actually do it. I have to look at my priorities, and see what is truly important to me. I am getting grumpy by not doing this. I know the friends I have met online, and the insight I can get is important. Marketing and "networking", however, can eat your soul somehow. You're literally selling yourself and I really don't like it. If people can't like me for who I am, it's just not worth it.

So, rocket squirrels and loyal peeps, you won't see me much. Not because I am leaving you, but because I have to be me. I can't let "building my marketing foundation" eat my soul.

If we want to keep in touch, I will only be checking my Twitter "connect" feed (so tweet directly to me), my Pinterest, and my email (which tells me when I have comments on my blog as well) for as long as it takes for me to write what I want to write. I will do occasional blog posts to say "hi"...mostly the meme posts, but not every week.

Online reality is superficial unless you truly make the connections you want to make. You have to take power over it, and not let it get power over you. Success is out there, but everyone has to go about getting it in their own way. I value all of you who feel I am worthy of following, and I won't let anyone down, least of all...myself.

click to read, it's worth it

This is a blog hop hosted by Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez. Please visit other Thursday's Children for more inspiration.

Creativity - The Power of Chocolate

This is a speculative post for today. I am contemplating why my muse loves chocolate. I mean, I love chocolate too, but for the love of all that's creative, my Muse nearly demands the stuff.

It's crazy, but when I know I am going to have a lot of time to write, my craving for chocolate goes beyond the usual feminine stereotype.

Maybe it's because chocolate is so beautiful.

I also think I should get this chocolate keyboard.




If it really worked, can you imagine how much writing I would get done? Hahaha...well I'd have to try not to eat it first, of course.

My quick writing food of choice are Peanut M&Ms® 

Save a Word Saturday

Since I have a lot of catching up to do, I am going to post 3 words that fascinated me this morning. I plan on using the 3rd one on my eldest daughter today to see what she does. She's going to have to earn the title though, or I will certainly abjure her presence. :D

abjure renounce, turn away from (from The Encyclopedia of Arda) I liked this word because I have never run across it before. I hope to find it now within more of my reading.

bannock flat bread-cake (from The Encyclopedia of Arda) I chose this word even though it's not totally obsolete. I've read it in plenty of fantasy or medieval books. However, I like it, and I'm hungry. ;)

And in the spirit and trend of super heroes, I thought this word was fun:
Wonder-wench: A sweetheart — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk (From 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style.)

Head on over to The Feather and the Rose, the fine hosts of Save a Word Saturday, for more interesting words to add to your vocabulary.

Celebrate the Small Things - Grateful for Home

I've spent my last few posts pining for London, but really, I am grateful to be home. If I think back to my trip, I certainly want to return, but there are factors I would really like to avoid next time. That means more planning.

I am grateful to be home with my husband who encourages me every single day, and loves me enough to brave the abhorred Pick n' Save to get me cookies because the other grocery store was closed.

While my kids fight with each other, I still love them while beating my head against my desk. Sometimes they really get along, but my 3yo is extremely territorial for some reason. My 12yo hardly ever gets to sit in "her sister's chair." But they are beautiful in every way despite fiery tempers.

Challenges should inspire me, but they make me tired. Eventually I will overcome them, and for now I am taking comfort in home.

Hosted by the wonderful VikLit who I almost got to meet in London!

Thursday's Children - Searching for Inspiration

Prince Albert

You'd have thought that my trip to London would have held some inspiration, right? Well, it did, sort of. What it really did was just make me want to go back...for a longer time...to do some real research. My trip was wonderful, don't get me wrong, but it was just a taste...an orientation of what I could have been doing while I was there. Deep exploration.

Instead, I am home. "Homesick" for London, and searching for muse food. What better place to look than on the best blog hop for inspiration: Thursday's Children hosted by Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez? I can't think of a better place.

Beautiful Kensington Gardens

I am going to hop around this week, and leave my fellow Thursday's Children and readers with some photos from London that might inspire them for their stories. Or maybe it will give us all travel lust and we will want to plan a group journey. Yeah! ;)

Here are the rest of my London photos worth note:
(This is a blog hop. Please visit the other Thursday's Children!) 

Haunted? Tube Train

British Pride

 

 

Peter Pan

Guard protecting the Crown Jewels

Post Due

Pretzel, my KG squirrel

At last my post about London.

It was both a success and a failure of a trip. Successful in that I was able to visit one of my favorite cities in the world, feed my squirrel in Kensington Gardens (because of course he is *my* squirrel), and find a couple of really awesome bookstores.

It was a failure in the fact that the weather was very cold and rainy (big surprise, not!), the "main" reason we were there got canceled the 2nd day, and I didn't actually get to all of the places I wanted to research.

However, I still really enjoyed the trip. I would go back in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very interesting trip to blog about. We were there for a very short time, and the most touristy things we did was go to the Tower of London and cross the Tower Bridge. Otherwise, we literally rode the Tube and wandered around London. That was my fault.

I really took this photo.

I wanted to wander around London aimlessly in a few choice areas that are involved with my book. I missed going to 3 key areas, and I am trying very hard not to book the next flight so that I can go back and hit those areas. It's a good thing I have been to London before...so I kind of know how to find what I need online, but I still would have liked to have gotten to those areas. Oh well. I guess there will just have to be a next time. Maybe for book 2. I did gather some interesting "moments" and I met a few characters that will be inspiring characters for my book. So, overall, it really wasn't a bad trip.

Because we were wandering aimlessly, I did not get interesting photos...well, they are interesting to me, and they are for the purpose of flavor, simply for my book. I got things like buildings and residential area gates and views of streets with their shops. Not much strictly picturesque aside from the fact that almost *all* of London is picturesque. So, I hope you all will be entertained by Yoda who visited Covent Garden on a very cold rainy day. See if you can figure out his trick. ;)

 

And I ate shawarma! 

Jet Lag from Hell

I am back. Happy to be home, but already secretly planning my return to a city I love. The weather was crap, the food was iffy (partially because of my appetite), the company was stellar, hotel was fantastic, and transportation better (and worse in some cases) than expected.

However, I ended up with one of the worst cases of jet lag I have ever had.

I found this link today: A Battle Plan for Jet Lag and I really wish I had looked it up before I left. I did just about everything wrong I could have done.

When we got to London, it was already 8 in the morning, and we had to get to our hotel, check in, and decide what we were going to be able to do while we waited for our room to be ready at 3PM. We were exhausted; totally and completely exhausted beyond the point to even be able to sleep any more, at least in my case.

I wanted to get in touch with everyone. So, I was on my iPhone as soon as I had access to free wireless. I had no idea I was supposed to be avoiding light, so we did other stuff because it was daytime. I hadn't slept at all on the overnight flight. I didn't sleep at all the first night in London either. Nothing like being up for 30 hours.  I don't recommend it.

Anyway, I am recovering and now I have my battle plan set for next time. I will get caught up on Thursday's Children and Celebrating the Small Things and probably join one more fun sounding hop in the next week. Sorry so slow, but as you get to know me, I am a cross between an OCD squirrel and a snail, most of the time. Right now, I feel like this:

Surprise!

I am not really back in full force here. I just wanted to give a teaser for what I will have in store when I get back from my trip...

There will be a nice big juicy post about my favorite things I've done in London. Woo hoo! I know you all can't wait.

If that isn't enough to anticipate, you can always browse through my Pinterest boards while I am gone. I will have as many live updates to my London board as I can. Also, if you just can't get enough Iron Man or you want some handy crochet tips, there are boards for those too, among many other things. I've even got WIP inspiration. You can get a fun visual fix and a little bit of conversation. If nothing else, it will be mildly entertaining.

You can play "Where's Risurocket"

Have fun, Rocket Squirrels! I'll see you when I get back!