I’ve been wondering about this:

http://www.johnsonliterary.com/blog/2009/7/9/following-up-with-an-agent.html

I suppose this means that I can’t bug them after only two weeks.  I’m just kidding of course, that would be the fastest way to get a no-thank-you.

bye bye broken dishwasher

waiting for the new dishwasher

When our dishwasher broke down many moons ago I was actually a little excited about the challenge of washing dishes by hand while we saved for a new one.  Deep back in the recesses of my mind I thought of the process as a romantic link to the past…a way for me to connect with housewives of old.  I don’t quite feel the same way about the dirty, sweaty chore anymore.  Let’s just say that I was born in the modern age of appliances for a reason.

When I first learned how to wash dishes by hand I was a young teenager.  I wasn’t worried about making sure I got the dishes perfectly clean back then.  I just wanted to get it over with so I could go read.  Plus, I always had at least one sibling helping me clean.  These days I do most of the work myself.  First I prepare the dishes, rinsing off what the kids didn’t quite get off of the plates/cups/utensils.  After that I disinfect both sides of the sink and clean out the utensil cup on the drying rack.  THEN I actually start cleaning the dishes–with water almost hot enough to melt my skin and bubbly soap that my daughter begs to play with.  Needless to say, this has been an event each day.

I am waiting for my new machine to be delivered right now!  In the long tradition of delivery service, I have been given a four hour window during which my brand new dishwasher will arrive, and I am in that window now.

Goodbye peeling fingers and sweating in my air conditioned home!  So long piles of dishes that wait until I can fit them into the soapy water!  Farewell aching back (until I fold laundry) and sopping wet counters and floor!  Au revoir all you different kinds of scrubbies…the one for cups, for metal pans and the one for everything else!  I shall not miss you…not one tiny little bit!

poor 18-wheeler

I have no idea how the Hot Wheels truck bit it.  I just know that it happened in my house.  These things are made of metal…to withstand children’s play.  The last time I scrubbed Max’s room it was still intact.  Really, maybe I should be glad that it lasted as long as it did in this environment.  And when I turn it over, I actually feel a sense of pride.  It’s stamped with the date of 1979, and since 29 is the last brithday I will ever celebrate, I was born that year (in November)!  Hey, where the heck fire did I get a Hot Wheel from 1979?  I don’t remember hubby bringing a whole lot of toys into the marriage, well, okay, maybe that’s all he brought besides his clothes…but I don’t remember any small metal cars.  It is a mystery, and I honestly don’t care enough to solve it.  I just feel a tiny twinge of awe at the kind of damage my kiddos can do.  It did not go quietly into that good night…that’s for sure.  RIP Blue Hot Wheels truck from Malaysia in 1979.

I have a confession.  I know it’s dangerous, but I have a habit of walking and daydreaming at the same time.  Daydreaming is an incredibly important part of a writer’s day–okay, my day.  Which leads me to wonder if when I shop and daydream could I write off whatever is bought?  For example, I could think of a story about someone croaking from a soda pop overdose while I’m buying said soda pop.  Food for thought, anyway (get it?  food…har har).

Unfortunately I would never be able to claim anything that I bought in Wal-Mart.  For me, it seems to be a black hole of creativity. –quick side note: whoever decided to put the bread at the back of the store is not on my ‘people I like’ list.  It is stressful trying to get through the whole store without crushing my bread!–  Anyway, I don’t think I’m the only one with this problem considering the faces of the people I see.  Mostly they look like they might lose a little drool at any moment.  Sometimes you get the sweet grandma with a sweet smile, or the super-nice foreign lady who askes (using modified sign language–quite creative) where the straws are.  But for the most part, there are not a lot of people you would want to strike up a conversation with.

1.  Writing short stories is fun.

2.  I found a new site, http://www.querytracker.net/index.php that is REALLY cool and helpful.

3.  Getting traffic to my blog is a lot of work for little results (so far)…does anyone have any suggestions?

4.  I wonder why mattresses go on such deep discount for the Fourth of July…freedom=sleep?

5.  One week down from when I sent my full manuscript out to an agent…just seven more to go!

6.  Sometimes doctors are just as clueless as the rest of us and sometimes schools make the right decisions.  This is shockingly different from what I’ve believed for many years.

7.  One of our cats, Cally, likes to leave “presents” on our front porch things like bunny ears, a mouse tail or birds legs…he always eats the best part and I guess he thinks he’s being generous by giving us the leftovers.  Not that long ago I burst out laughing when I saw that he left us part of a hot dog.  I really hope he didn’t have the nerve to hunt it during the actual cook out, but I wouldn’t put it past him.

8.  It’s very nice to have the Bird home from camp, but it isn’t so great doing the laundry he brought with him.

9.  I was going to put a pic of my dog on here, to prove that my dog is uglier.  That’s why we got her.  We went to the pound about 5 years ago in search of the most unadoptable dog in the place and chose our dear Lola.  When I looked at the pic though, I realized that she’s very photogenic.

10.  “Make it or Break it” is better than “Secret Life of the American Teenager” but not nearly as trashy…yet.

11.  I can’t help it, I thoroughly enjoyed “Princess Protection Program”.

12.  I have one minute to come up with 3 more things!!!

13.  Stuffed Salmon Bel Mar from Target it AMAZING…try some!

14. I wonder when I will watch a show or movie for adults…I just love the kid stuff so much…shout out to iCarly!

15.  This is number 15.

Are synapses firing correctly in the thing that sits between these pink earbuds?

Have you ever been at the mercy of someone who doesn’t have a plan?  Who maybe rambles on uselessly and seemingly endlessly?  It could be a green boss who doesn’t have an agenda in place before holding a meeting, or a PTA president who doesn’t fully understand the procedures of running a vote…someone who’s enthusiasm outweighs their preparation.  These two specific examples are not from my life…just so ya know.

The reason I’m thinking about a map with point A and point B, but no roads drawn between is because I’m afraid that I might be committing that little faux pas myself.  In my pursuit to become published, is my enthusiasm more developed than my plan?  If it is, is it a big deal?  I know I shouldn’t waste anyone’s time, but I think it might ruin the experience if I researched or studied too much (what is too much anyway?) before I jumped in.  Plus, for me there’s the fact that I’ve always been a person who learns by doing…and with that, by making mistakes.  Not the most efficient way to learn, it’s true, but the lessons I learn I tend never to forget.  And it’s not like I’m not studying as I go.

So here’s my detour–I’m trying a little short story writing hoping against all hope that what I produce will end up in a literary magazine and I will finally have a credit to my name.  I’ve read that being published just about anywhere will make it infinitesimally easier to catch an agent’s eye.  So I’m taking a tiny break from querying to write…which is really, really nice.