The State of the Kris

[aithne]

This is my once-a-month posting that has updates about Where I Am Now. (Maybe I should do these every three months; my life's stable enough that, well, not many things change.)


Home:
My (now former) ISP has yanked me around for the last time. I was paying business rates for an SDSL connection that was somewhat flaky, and for customer service that was no more than indifferent, and the very last straw was that they changed all of my IP addresses and gave me about five hours' notice.

So, yesterday, I called and cancelled my DSL account, and signed up for cable Internet. Not an ideal solution, but it'll work. I had two servers running; I'm killing one and moving the other to Bryan's house hopefully sometime this weekend. Until Wednesday of next week, though, i have no Internet access at my house.

This is less annoying than you think it might be. More annoying is the fact that my server (and thus my email and all my Web sites) is currently powered off. Sigh. I even have a new chapter of the book posted that nobody can read yet because it's on that server.

The house is also in a state of grubbiness at the moment, because I haven't had a chance to clean. (Okay, I've had a chance to, I've just been more interested in writing, instead.) It's not going to get any cleaner this weekend, either, because I'm going to Cloud Mountain Farm tomorrow, and Sunday is gaming, per usual.

There was also no hot water this morning, so I am in a state of grubbiness myself. Sigh.

One thing I've noted since turning off all of the computers: wow, my house is quiet.

Job:
...still don't talk about it online. But I've been making progress on stuff, which makes me happy.

Relationships:

Quite ridiculously stable. Bryan and Laura are both very good to and very good for me, and I adore them with a fierceness. On Samhain, I'll have been dating Bryan a year and Laura a year and a half. It's been a really good year.

Graham and I continue to be snuggly and all-around adorable, as well. He adds a lot to my life, and I love him muchly.

I have to say that one of my favorite things about my relationships right now is the lack of drama. Things just work, and they work well. I don't have any doubts about whether I want to be where I am, and I'm getting to the point where even the skeptic within me actually believes that 1. they love me and 2. they're not going away. This is really pretty rare for me (it's only happened in one relationship before), and I'm really enjoying it.

Me:
My running's dropped off into the "irregular" category, and I really want to get back to doing it on a regular basis.

I turned 30. Go me!

I also got my ears repierced, which i've been meaning to do for years now. Once they heal, i'll be able to wear earrings again!

Projects:
The novel is still going strong, and can be found at http://www.bloodlily.com, whenever it comes back up. I'm working on Chapter 11, and I'm noticing that as I go on my writing is actually improving a bit.

I started a series of short-shorts that has been widely applauded, The Tales of Mouse. They're on the writing section of my Web site, once it comes back up.

I'm actually in the middle of writing the third story in Five Tails, at the moment. The short-short form is one I'm really liking, honestly.

As usual, I'm doing recaps and stories for Illume, since we've started gaming again.

I've finished the mix CD for Illume (just need to redo the cover), and everyone who wants one needs to ask for one. I should be making copies this week or next, whenever I get some more ink for my printer. I also made the first version of a mix for The Ice Rose, which happens to be full of songs about difficult relationships. I think of you and how much you mattered, when i'm torn, torn to tattered....

I'm also in the middle of printing out a bunch of pictures I've taken for my photo album/portfolio.

My Web site is getting slowly revamped. I need to make a print stylesheet for the book site so I can print out my files and edit with the standard red pen. Things jump out at me more in print than on the screen--i'm a terrible onscreen editor.

I'm having working-with-paper cravings. Specifically, I want to learn a new book stitch, and I want to start playing with my sumi-e set. However, I do have to both work and sleep, which leaves only like six hours a day for projects and writing and art! My Inner Artist is a bit frustrated by this. There are days when I really wish I could make a living writing novels. It's a lovely pipe dream, if nothing else. (Considering I've never sold any of my writing...)

(Why is the projects portion of this always the longest? I never have any perspective on how much stuff I do till I write it all down.)

Current Events:
I'm not sleeping a lot right at the moment, a combination of being busy and the change of seasons, as well as the fact that sleeping on my side's uncomfortable because of my new piecings. When I do sleep, though, I sleep hard and dreamless.

Cricket's got a stuffy nose and is sneezy, and has been for the past couple of weeks. I'm starting to get concerned about it--she otherwise seems really healthy, her eyes and ears are clear, and she's not seeming to feel ill at all. (In fact, her appetite, if anything, has gotten better. Or maybe she's just developed the patience required to eat for more than thirty seconds at a time.) However, it seems to be getting worse and she's starting to be annoyed by it, which means it's time for a vet visit. I need to take Lilith in for her shots anyway, so I'll make an appointment for Wednesday afternoon and just take the whole day off of work.

I'm also starting to think about possibly finding another home for either Cricket or Lilith. It's been over a year now, and Lilith still hates Cricket, and is still regularly getting clawed by her. We haven't escalated to ear-shredding yet, though. Anyone want either a very cute two-year-old cat who is hyperactive, or a six-year-old cat who should be an only cat and who is extremely people-oriented (though she doesn't cope with change well)? I'd like to be able to actually shut them inside the house during the day, and I can't do that until Lilith is non-stressed enough that she will actually use the litterbox rather than preferring to pee outside. (I think the kitten is ambushing her while she's in the box.)

In October, I'm going to Victoria with Storm, Jen, and Derek. We're going to go see the Egyptology exhibit at the RBCM, and generally just wander around the area. The book I have in me that's set in Victoria will probably once again make an appearance and demand to be written.

I need to figure out what I'm doing for Thanksgiving/Christmas. I've actually used all but two days of the vacation I carried over from last year, so I don't need to take off great swaths of time, but I might anyway.

Other notes:
It's very disconcerting, when you know someone named Storm and there is also a a women's basketball team in your city called the Storm, to see a headline on the Seattle PI that says, "Storm survives rough week".

My head is full of words and things that are not words.

I am semi-seriously thinking about writing three or four more Mouse stories, putting together a manuscript, and see if anyone might be interested in publishing it. (And I have heard there may be someone interested in illustrating! That would be neat!)

I come to you with my offering
I bring you strange fire

Comments

[zenspider.livejournal.com]

It is just as disconcerting that you read the Seattle PI. :)

[silenceleigh.livejournal.com]

What? I read both the Times and the PI.

[damiana-swan.livejournal.com]

The friend I was telling you about is vixyish. She's actually doing an "iron illustrator" thing right now, where she's asked people to ask her for artwork, and (in her copious spare time) she creates what they've asked for. It's pretty impressive.