Update on to-do list:

1. Organize beads in box at bottom of bed

2. Clean bathroom

3. Organize clothes--go through clothes, take discards to Goodwill

4. Finish going through photographs

5. Start craft show stuff (1 hat made so far)

6. Decide whether or not I'm going to Boston (not)

7. Finish TER, format, and send to Sandy

8. Finish SCR

9. Edits for BotI and send them to Sandy

10. Edits for TDWDNS and send them to Sandy

11. Edits for CtS

12. Edit NS using comments from my nice reader

13. Darkbrook.com (dammit!)

14. Pay off last credit card (yippee!)

15. Paint bathroom

16. Update bibliography page, excerpt page, front page and appearances page on website

17. Edits for TSoR

18. Work on Darkbrook's website

19. Knit Snake Hat (plot design first!)

20. Knit a snuggle-bear scarf (snuggle-bunny, snuggle-cat, snuggle-dog?)

21. Make 1 crocheted bear with new cool yarn.

Updated project list, with a couple of additions:
(crossposted to DisOrganization.)

1. Organize beads in box at bottom of bed

2. Clean bathroom

3. Organize clothes--go through clothes, take discards to Goodwill

4. Finish going through photographs

5. Start thinking about craft show stuff

6. Decide whether or not you're going to Boston (still leaning towards not)

7. Finish TER, format, and send to Sandy

8. Finish SCR

9. Edits for BotI and send them to Sandy

10. Edits for TDWDNS and send them to Sandy

11. Edits for CtS

12. Edit NS using comments from my nice reader

13. Darkbrook.com (dammit!)

14. Pay off last credit card (yippee!)

15. Paint bathroom (?)

It’s hard to plan for the future when you don’t know what will happen in the future. When any number of things could happen between now and then, both good and bad. But you have to plan for something, so why not the future you envision for yourself?

Where am I now? (Summer 2004) Age 29

I have one credit card left with $3000 in debt by the end of May. I have a decent enough day job that pays well that doesn’t seem to be in danger of going away. I have a reliable car. I have had eleven books/stories/articles accepted and/or published.

Where do you want to be in your life in one year? (Summer 2005) Age 30

I’d like to be in the position to begin my search for a house. I’d like to have sold more books/stories/articles.

Where do you want to be in your life in two years? (Summer 2006) Age 31

I’d like to take a vacation to Scotland, or go on an Irish Folklore Tour. I’d like to have sold more books, and become more successful writing-wise.

Where do you want to be in your life in three years? (Summer 2007) Age 32

I’d like to be in the position to look into fostering a child or children. I’d like to have sold more books/stories/articles, and not be wanting for money.

Where do you want to be in your life in four years? (Summer 2008) Age 33

I’d like to buy a hybrid car. I’d like to have sold more books/stories/articles and become more successful.

Where do you want to be in your life in five years? (Summer 2009) Age 34

I’d like to have a writing retreat—a cabin on some acreage somewhere in Ohio or Kentucky. I’d like to have sold more books/stories/articles, and become more successful.

Where do you want to be in your life in six years? (Summer 2010) Age 35

I’d like to win a major award for one of my books. (Preferably the World Fantasy Award.) I’d like to have sold more books/stories/articles, and become more successful.

Where do you want to be in your life in seven years? (Summer 2011) Age 36

I’d like to be in the position to be able to work part-time at a day job and full time at writing. (This incidentally, will be my tenth year anniversary of my first book acceptance.)


This is as far as I’m going to go for the moment. Seven years sounds like a long time, but it’s not, really. And I think every single one of the things on my list is achievable. I have no impossible goals here.

So… want to share yours? Email me, or leave me a comment.

It's about that time to be thinking of this year's List of 40. I can't believe it's almost Lent already! Didn't we just celebrate Christmas?

This year is going to be a bit harder, if only because I'm having difficulty coming up with 40 things to do. I might have to get creative with my list.

Okay, obviously I never did post my new list. In fact, I haven't implemented it yet. Painting and reorganizing took up a lot of my time, but things are starting to settle down again (even though we have one bedroom left to do.

I'm working on more lists. I might post them here. We shall see.

So, it's over. Forty days, forty things on my list. And how did I do?

Well, the list is not completely crossed off. But I don't think I did a bad job... none of the things left are horribly urgent, in truth. And I've already made a list that starts next week, so... I guess I'm going to consider it a success. :)

I lost about seven pounds. That's not bad, considering I took up bike riding halfway through the forty days. I'm going to continue the exercise, though... but I'm not going to hold myself to every day. There were some days I just didn't have enough time to exercise.

Some of the things on the original list will repeat across every subsequent list I'm going to make. Some of them were one-time things and won't repeat again.

But on future lists, I'm sticking to things I can cross off, not ephermal things like #'s 35, 40, and 29. Not that I didn't find things to be thankful for. :)

I'll post the list that starts next week over this next weekend. And I'm taking a week off from lists... if only to relax a bit before the next one begins.

This Wednesday, March 4th, is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For 40 days, Catholics around the world are invited to make religion a larger part of their lives as we count down to Easter. There are many special programs, prayer groups, and suggestions for how to spend the 40 days of Lent, but the act of giving something up for Lent is one of the most popular.

In our hectic lives, the act of giving something up is usually a throw-away, like the thousands of New Year's Resolutions we've begun and discarded over the years. We start out with the best of intentions, but after a week or two, life usually intervenes and we're back to our old habits without a ripple of protest.

Even if you're not Catholic, the 40 days of Lent could be a starting point for something new in your life as well as giving something up that might not be as healthy as we'd like. I invite you to join me, even if you're not Catholic, in writing out a list of 40 and sticking to it until Easter.

Before beginning your list of 40, sit down and seriously think about the time you have to spare. Do you really have enough time to do an hour's worth of exercise every morning before work? Is it smart to write down no snacks between meals if you don't eat well during meals? If you end up with a list of 40 that is too long, involved, and time-consuming, you'll take one look at it and run the other way. Start small. Remember your limitations. Coming up with 40 items might be difficult, but persevere and by the end of 40 days, you'll have made a good start for Spring.

My List of 40:

1. Only fruit or vegetables as snacks between meals.
2. I'm not giving up chocolate completely, but I'm allowing myself one piece a week.
3. Finish Full Moon
4. Finish the rewrite of The Dead Who Do Not Sleep
5. Continue to be on time for work every day, barring weather emergencies
6. Start my day with writing, when my alarm goes off at 5am. I don't have to get out of bed to write. (n/a, so I did something else I've been wanting to do.)
7. Finish cleaning/organizing the bedroom
8. Finish cleaning/organizing the office
9. No caffeine after 8pm, that's what herbal tea is for, after all!
10. Weather permitting, take a walk every day, or do 1/2 hour of yoga.
11. Make sure the dishes are done every night (even if I have to do them every day.)
12. Weather permitting, visit storage and remove the items I've been waiting to remove since December.
13. Format Blood and Summer
14. Put away clean clothes once a week
15. Format Heart's Desire and Fire and Water
16. Continue to pay off bills, since everything is caught up now!
17. Try to pay six months of car insurance at once (if I can swing it.)
18. Put money in savings account every paycheck.
19. Stick to my goal of spending only $20 on a treat for myself every pay, if I have something in mind.
20. Finish paperwork for Mom
21. Catch up on Planet Relish rejection letters (yes, I admit; I'm behind about two weeks.)
22. Design cover for The Ninth Guest or get a firm date on when Emily will have it finished.
23. Work on getting my printer to work with my computer. (I'm having setup problems.)
24. Post tea rose dishes on ebay
25. Don't buy anything from ebay (unless it has to do with #19)
26. Create an Excel spreadsheet for submissions, or something in Access
27. Clean out my inbox, reply to all pertinent emails.
28. Upload the article/essay I have sitting on the Visor to my webpage
29. Find something to be thankful for every single day, but repeats aren't allowed.
30. Update template of stick-to-itiveness
31. Update template of WordCount actually, did this twice
32. Order flowers and herb seeds for the part of the garden I'm taking over (Could be a #19)
33. Finish balling new yarn.
34. Stick to the "one day out a week" for lunch.
35. Stop complaining about things too small to really matter.
36. Plan ahead for the nights I fix supper.
37. Update the archives page for DisOrganization
38. Provided I get #23 to work, buy a toner cartridge for my printer.
39. Either find the afghan in storage and continue it, or start a new one.
40. Focus on what I can do, not on what I cannot do.


Some of the things on my list are five minute things; other will take the entire 40 days to accomplish. I'm posting this list here alone, and I'll cross off what I complete throughout the 40 days. Stay tuned.