Diatomaceous Writing

I seriously need to get my life together. Real quick.

I have spent the last two writing days in the dining room because my tiny office space gives me claustrophobia. However, any large space that I occupy for more than 5 hours is (somehow) completely filled with stuff and boxes of stuff and the space that I have to work in ends up resembling a tiny office. I'm considering buying the house next door, just to have a place for stuff.

Tonight, rather than writing, I decided to reread a book that I had started last year about writing and how to outline a story. I made this decision because, having finished what I had labeled 'Act 1',  I found that Acts 2 and 3 are completely devoid of notes and guides, so I thought I'd go ahead and lay down an outline for the rest of the story and then fill it in. I completed a character worksheet for my protagonist and then researched DIY methods for removing calcium from water, because I live in Central Texas, which is on the Edward's Plateau and we have roughly 1 inch of soil before the limestone bedrock begins and the calcium in our water would clog a transmission pipeline in 3 days, much less a small fountain, and my cats desperately want a water fountain to drink from. I failed to find a satisfactory solution to the calcium problem aside from buying distilled water, which could get expensive in a fountain that is prone to evaporation. There is the tiniest possibility that I was distracted from my original goal. Somehow, I did not get the rest of my story outlined. I do have a groovy character worksheet filled in, though, and I'm relatively certain that there are no easy fixes to hard water.

Fire ants are a different story altogether. We are looking into diatomaceous earth.

Thank you for reading. Comments are welcome and encouraged. One might say they are demanded, but that would be going a bit too far.

Indecision

Berke Breathed wrote that there is a certain inevitable futility in indecision. He credited it to Voltaire via his character, Binkley, just before Binkley and his comrades, who had all been on a dead branch that was extended over a river, contemplating a snake that was keeping the first from diving in, fell into the water along with the branch that broke from the weight of their bodies and their collective hesitance. I could find not proof that Voltaire ever said anything of the sort, but I didn't try very hard. That's not the point. The point is in the message of the quote itself. If you put off making a decision long enough, it will be made for you. Likewise, a lack of action is, in itself, an action and as such has its own consequences.

This breed of elm tree sprouts up everywhere. We pull them out as we go, or they just die. This particular sprout took root in an unused pot and we said to ourselves, "We need to pull that out before it gets too big." Then, it got bigger and Nameless said that he wasn't going to break his pot in order to remove a sapling, so we waited. Now, there's a tree growing entirely too close to the patio, which is only a few years old, and its roots are going to cause some damage to the cement. And at some point the tree itself will break the pot; we won't have to. 

And still we do nothing.

Perhaps a Different Route?

I haven't watched TV in about 25 years. I've owned one here and there, and I've lived with roommates who've had them, but I didn't watch. About 4 years ago I bought a TV with every intention of watching movies on it. I didn't watch many movies (I bought a set of PBS Masterpiece – Mystery Series – Miss Marple movies and watched all of those, and that was about it.) I have since given the TV to my partner and it sits in the living room. At least he has agreed that it doesn't need to be on all day, every day, regardless of whether he's in there watching it or not. Which means that I can be in the kitchen without listening to guns, violence, canned laughter and commercials. 

I do regret some things, though. At work people talk about shows that they watch. I miss out on that camaraderie. However, if I try to sit and watch one of the shows, I can't make it through an episode. Then, for instance, X Files came to an end and I realized that I had missed quite a bonding moment. Not only that, but it seemed like the storyline took a legitimately interesting turn. That phenomenon, from what I understand, was mostly due to the actress Gillian Anderson having a baby and having to be written out of the script for a few episodes. They decided, hmmm... this show is about paranormal activity... let's have her be abducted by aliens. (This is how it was explained to me, anyway.) Then, BAM. Instant intrigue and depth of plot, and a surge in interest. 

I saw part of one episode of a show in which somebody was watching a very antiquated type of movie (like one that would be shown in a school classroom in the 70's) about having to come into a room and push a button periodically or the world would come to an end. I may be remembering it badly. But, though I thought it was actually kind of interesting, I couldn't sit still through the episode. Then, at the end of the show called Lost, the entire world was watching and talking about it, and the way they described it made it sound fascinating. And, I'd missed out again.

Oh sure, I could rent or buy the seasons and watch them, but I wouldn't be experiencing them with a group of people. I still wouldn't have the part of the experience to which I was most drawn – the interaction. I suppose that I don't miss it enough to sit down and watch the shows, though. I thought that the PBS Masterpiece series, Wolf Hall, would be interesting – and it was, very. But, after the second episode, I couldn't get myself to sit down and watch it. I don't know why. I still want to see it, and they're showing it again. Maybe this time...

Also, there seems to have been a podcast that got quite a bit of attention a couple of years ago. It was called Serial. As I write this I'm wondering whether the world would give a collective groan that I hadn't heard of it before, or a puzzled look indicating that it didn't know or care about this podcast. It could go either way. From all accounts it was wildly popular in the podcast world; I just don't know how big that world is – compared to TV-land, for instance. Nobody that I talk to has heard of it, or really understands the concept of a podcast.

I will listen to it – but again, I will do so after the fact and after everybody else who might be interested has already done so. However, there is a new one. It's called S-Town. Apparently it was released about a week ago, so when I started listening to it, it wasn't yet a week old. I've listened to two episodes so far. They have already released the whole thing, though. Like, I could binge listen to all seven episodes if I wanted. Plus, I still have a lack of people in my circle of friends who listen to podcasts, so I'm struggling to find somebody to discuss it with. I think I'll turn to social media for friends and discussion. 

Quite possibly I need to get out more.

Random Photo Day - From The Owl

Random Photo Day, with a shot taken at The Owl Wine Bar & Home Goods Store in Elgin, TX. 

Detour

Sometimes, as you're driving down the road of life, you need to take a detour and see what the small businesses in small towns have to offer. Particularly the antique stores. 

On a day trip through Paige, TX – March 5, 2017.

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Salvage and Doors

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Can somebody tell me what this is? it looks like it belongs in a church.

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If I had one inch of extra space in my house I would have bought this.