Driving Lessons

My dad took me out in our automatic smooth ride of a car to teach me to drive. Only a few lessons under my belt and terrified of losing control of a two ton pedestrian crushing missile, I positioned my hands at ten and two and started the drive around the neighborhood. One misunderstood direction at the end of lesson led to me taking a left turn at around sixty miles per hour. My dad laughed and opened his mouth to speak.

“No,” I said, not quite snapping, “Just hold on. We’re almost home.” My nerves were singing a tense chorus of “OH MY GOD’s”. We sat in silence for the two or three minutes it took to get home and safely parked. “I understand what I did wrong. I won’t do it again and I’m sorry.”

My dad smiled and decided to switch tactics. Instead of the automatic, my dad bought a rusty shell of a VW bug and took me out to a dirt lot where I felt every bump in the ground. I felt in control and fear fled from the dented bumpers. It took me two years to get my driver’s license, but I only got there thanks to the slow turns of that VW bug.

The first round of post graduation holiday chatter, “What are you going to do now?” threw me around a curve at sixty mile per hour. Sure, I had my diploma, but I didn’t know how to drive this thing? Lives are a lot more complicated than cars and if I was paralyzed after that driving lesson, then I turned to stone after all of the well meaning questions that Christmas.

So when my friend Flip got a job near Baltimore and needed a roommate, I went. It’s been six months and I am so thankful for this period of driving slowly through the streets of my own life. I’ve conquered hurdles of adulthood such as bills, rent, home cooking, and cleaning with my best friend. Now “the A word”, as a friend of mine calls Adulthood, doesn’t scare me. Challenge me, yes.

I think I’m ready to face the open road as long as I have friends and family in the passenger seats.

 

November II

National Novel Writing Month

I am a few thousand words behind in my quest to create something that I will get to keep on my bookshelves. Random sporadic updates have been mentioned – this shall be the only one for November as I am busy writing a book instead of recommending, discussing, and blogging about them. Now back to the drafting table!

November

Her service wrenched the heart. Such a proper, helpful woman, to be cruelly cast away even if just for a month. I decorated her cottage with flowers, brought her the elements of style, and ignored the tears in her eyes as she asked me why. Why was I bricking up the doors and windows?

It’s November, I replied.

I can help you get through this, she said. Have I ever let you down before?

Irish music, soft and sweet played in the background. It is not that you let me down, I told her. You are just too good at your job.

She had no answer to that, and I layered in the last line of bricks, I heard my inner editor weeping.

But this is National Novel Writing Month and there is no place for her here.

Science Fiction: The Han Solo Trilogy by A.C. Crispin

Star Wars. Young Han Solo. Rebels. Wookies. What’s not to love?

I am tempted to leave the commentary there. This trilogy is just a fun romp following little Han Solo as he grows up in the rough and tumble outer worlds of the Empire. What made that lovable rogue so tough on the outside and a wounded marshmallow in the middle. Well, it may have something to do with his first girlfriend…

If you like Han Solo you will probably like this trilogy. I have no idea if this series is canon, or whether liking this series will offend fans, or what not. I read these books in middle school and adored them. Now that I am an adult I still adore them. Science fiction brain candy with rogues and wookies. Let me go get my popcorn.

Recent Read: Cordina’s Royal Family by Nora Roberts

This is actually two books and four short stories that chronicle the romances of two princes and two princesses of the fictional country of Cordina. It is also the story of how that royal family is threatened, bands together, and defeats a political terrorist.

We are introduced to this family by the oldest daughter, Gabriella who has just escaped from somewhere, and is suffering from amnesia. I found Gabriella’s struggle to remember her life and the details surrounding her kidnapping believable. Assisting her in picking up her life and protecting her from the unknown kidnappers, is American Reeve MacGee. Romance and investigation follow. The characters in this story were well developed, and believable. I enjoyed watching each of them face their own personal struggles with dignity and courage.

The next segment follows Gabriella’s brother Alexander, the heir to the throne, and his romantic interest, Eve Hamilton. The mastermind behind the events in the first story is still on the loose, and creates complications for the prince and the playwright. Alexander reminds me of a friends character and so is particularly enjoyable to read about and he meets his match in Miss Eve with the usual amount of misunderstandings and romantic moments.

Youngest Prince, Bennett is paired with the Lady Hannah. Now I found the premise of this romance interesting, but did not enjoy the way the characters and their relationship developed. Romance should not be used as a power play in a relationship – which is acknowledged and apologized for after the incident, but it was not a step I quite believed when it happened, nor enjoyed for its own sake. I adore Lady Hannah, and in the two previous books, found Prince Bennet likable  and he recovers somewhat. It brings closure to the ongoing terrorist issue and I found the intrigue side of the story much more interesting than the romantic leads. I do not regret reading the story, but it is one I would only selectively re-read.

Finally there is Princess Camilla, daughter of Gabriella and Reeve of the first book, and a woman tired of the media. She goes off on her own in order to have time to think about her life and find a passion. When she meets Dr. Delaney Caine, the grouchy archaeologist is not her idea of good company, but his studies are fascinating, and she soon comes to like the irritable doctor as well. He isn’t so sure what he thinks of her. Again, wonderful characterization, humor, and romance. No meta plot keeps this story going, and the principles are much more entertaining perhaps to make up for it. I believed both characters and they both amused and entertained me. Which is really all I want out of a romance novel anyway.

Autumn and Ideas

Today I curled up with a book and read the morning away occasionally stopping to listen to the rain hitting the window. I considered getting tea and a blanket, but I wanted to spend more time with my thoughts and stillness seemed like the best option. October ranks as my favorite month thanks to my birthday, Halloween, slightly cooler weather, and more recently my roommate’s birthday.

This month specifically I am looking forward to visiting with college friends I have not seen in a while, and contemplating the approach of November and National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. Writing 1,667 words a day is something I would like to do, but what to capture in those words?

Pirates, forest dwelling rebels, ancient relics, law, chaos, singing lemurs, precocious eight year olds, imaginary otters, so many elements I could use to form short stories or a novel. Shall I write about the fall of an empire, the adventures of a single ship, the ties between lovers, the power of music, or something more abstract. Do I take an old idea or try for the new?

For now I will gather my notebooks, flash drives, lists, and pictures, and allow all of the ideas to bloom. Hopefully I will find a field of flowers to arrange into a bouquet I want to write for a month – but if not, I will still have flowers.

Fruit? Cake!

Fruit does not go bad, it simply turns into baked goods. Bananas are the traditional bread fruit, the blacker the banana peel, the better the resulting bread tastes. Upon browsing the internet I have found something similar to this black banana to bread trend with a great deal of other fruits. Have a bunch of over ripe mangoes? Turn them into cake or bread! Plums? Short breads and English tea snacks! Apricots? Jams, jellies, muffins, or donuts. Peaches? Cobblers, cakes and scones!

The exception to the overripe fruit rule seems to be citrus. Bad citrus is sad citrus. Plenty of recipes use citrus zest, and occasionally citrus juice, but I have not found any recipes that call for overripe lemons or oranges. Of course most citrus is never around me long enough to go bad, so this is never a problem. Which is a good thing, as fruit is good for me, while baked goods are less so. However, I find the process of turning one into the other fascinating and it is often easy. Guess it’s time to break out the pedometer, enjoy the fall weather, and the resulting baked goods.

Recent Read: The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron

I picked up The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron because the sample page ended on the phrase, “He’s stolen the king.” Interested in meeting the kind of person who would steal a king (not kidnap a king mind you, that gets old), I looked forward to a quirky medieval fantasy tale.

Well, I got a wonderfully frustrating thief in Eli Monpress, foils for his cheer and antics in his two companions, and a unique and clever fantasy world to play in. I particularly enjoy the magic system employed in this book. Eli is called a wizard, is hunted by a guild of wizards known as Spiritualists, and spirits can awaken, think, feel, and are the general venue for magic. Magic seems to be control of spirits. I got the sense from this novel (the first in the series) that there is more to it than that, but it is still too soon to see.

There is a great deal of emphasis placed on free will and choices, the good people often having many, and the bad guys resorting to forcing their will on others. Free will being a favorite theme of mine, I think this book shall remain on my shelf and I shall read the rest of the series. Hopefully the series will stay as entertaining as this first romp through Eli’s world.

I must say I found the plot rather predictable, but the characters are endearing, and this book is simply so much fun! Part heist caper, part game of cops and robbers, and part saving the kingdom I enjoyed the plot and pacing. There are a lot of details like Josef’s sword, the nature of demons, the League of Storms, and the occasional mention of the Shepherdess, I want to see explored in future installments in the series. I know most of the books are already out so if you are looking for a new series to sink your teeth into, take a look at this witty fantasy and its easy humor.

The Comfort of Cats

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” – Albert Schweitzer

And both of them are necessary for sanity. I have listened to hours and hours of music recently and I know it is just filling in for a simple half hour of playing with a cat. I find peace with cats. They make my heart as warm and fuzzy as they are and I purr along with them. Negative energy and depression are obliterated in the presence of an affectionate cat; it would take a good hour of music to achieve the same result.

In fact, this blog post is being written, thanks to Written? Kitten! (writtenkitten.net) which rewards word count with pictures of cute and fuzzy felines. At the moment that is much more encouraging than my usual resort of WriteorDie, (writeordie.com)because I always feel like I am disappointing that program when I use the backspace. In this case, the more I use the backspace, the longer it takes to get a kitten.

In the general planning of my life, synonymous with getting my own place to live is adopting two cats. People may joke about cat withdrawal, but really, being separated from such entertaining adorable creatures is painful. A simple joy is missing from my life with the absence of cats. Not that my life is not good with out cats. However, life with cats. Well, life with cats always has a most marvelous furry upside.

I can replace television with cats. Cats being more entertaining. I can replace music, with cats. There being a living creature to talk at and pretend it cares. In another note, “There is, incidently, no way of talking about cats that enables one to come off as a sane person.” (Quote from Dan Greenberg)

As I have never claimed to be a sane person, I am most satisfied. Now I am going to skip typing to receive kitten to go browse the multitude of cat pictures on the internet and thank my sister for putting videos of Ziggy on the internet.

Inertia

It seems that the less I do, the less I wish to do, and the more I do, the more I wish to do. Unfortunately it is very difficult to transition from one to the other. Thoughts, fleeting and airy seem too frail or too flimsy to capture and put on paper, and the captured thoughts of others almost too profound to read.

Perhaps it is melancholy. Perhaps I am melodramatic. Perhaps I have not been near enough cats.

There may be many reasons for the past weeks of listlessness, but one cannot escape the dreary without a push in the right direction. I hope it does not have to be a large, push, just a big enough one to convince me to begin the journey once again. I know it will get easier as it becomes a habit, as having written once, I will wish to write again.

Perhaps.