Category: Random Observations

  • Related to Barack Obama?

    “We’re Related” says that I’m related to Barack Obama. There is only one problem. Okay, there are two problems. First, it’s April the First – Fools Day! Second, my supposed great grandparents died in 85 and 99, and I don’t recognize their names. BUZZ. I remember the deaths of two of my great grandparents, in…

  • Getting some zing at BYU

    So yesterday I was just at BYU at the Life, the Universe, and Everything convention. The attendance was incredible. I usually don’t get to go to these things because they fall right on a weekend near my middle daughter’s birthday, which is when the party has to be. But I asked this year if she…

  • Chapter 4: in which we wait and sort through things

    Things in my head, things in the house. It all needs sorting.  Through it all, I’ve been writing, working on the novel. I’m about 5000 words into it and have a synopsis of every chapter. I need to tighten up an important plot line, but I’m very happy with my progress so far. As of…

  • Chapter 3: in which we look at more houses then go home

    Not much more to say, really. We did find out that an upscale subdivision is not in our future. Oh sure, we could swing it but do we really want to? No. With apologies to all those out there who live in such neighborhoods, I took a look at the immaculate yards, the opulent homes…

  • Chapter two: in which I contemplate the shape of our future

    I can’t tell you very much about the interviews, because I wasn’t there except for lunch. After that, I was to meet a real estate agent at a local Chili’s restaurant. The lunch took a little longer than I thought, plus I passed the restaurant without seeing it, making myself fairly late. I felt bad…

  • Chapter one: in which we fly to a new place

    On the plane, they give you peanuts. Lots of them. So I stuffed them in my already overpopulated laptop bag for the kids at home, who had told us to make sure we brought back airplane peanuts. The first thing I noticed getting off the plane in North Carolina was the air. As I told…

  • This Fiction Friday comes to you from the east coast

    Long, long day today. Vladimir interviewed while I recieved a tour of the city and was shown three houses. We certainly have a lot to think about, and there is a lot I want to write about the trip. Georgeous. Revitalizing artsy city. Smooth air. 80 degrees. Tired. Very tired.  

  • Expectations for kids

    Had my writing group yesterday, after a long winter haitus. Very good stuff came out from there. Got the short story I recently finished thoroughly thrashed and I’m very excited at how improved it will be as a result. Also, during the course of the conversation we talked about how talented my middle daughter is…

  • Snow, treacherous snow

    A frozen, white ocean stretches across my front window. Roiling waves break against the cement, frothing up into dirty chunks of snow and ice. Wednesday, the storm hit during the commute. My oldest comes home from school on the city bus. She had called to ask me to come pick her up. I told her that it would…

  • And now for something stupid

    Apple makes really poor software. The Itunes software, at it’s best is just a portal so you think that Itunes is the only place you can legally download songs for your ipod. And they do make it easy. That part, they’ve got down. Once you actually want to organize those songs, good luck. Also, if…