Crock This! - Turkey Tenderloin and Green Beans

Ingredients:

1. 1 package of turkey tenderloins
2. 1 bag o' "fresh" green beans (not frozen)
3. 1 envelope of italian dressing mix
4. 1 box of chicken broth
5. 3 cups of uncooked instant rice

Steps:

1. dump above mentioned ingredients, minus the rice, into crock pot
2. cook for 6-10 hours on low
3. stir in three cups of rice to cook in the juice.

This one is definitely going on my list of completely successful crock pot experiments.

Motivation Deficit

Since being told it would be in my best interests to expand Bullets Don't Blink by 15-25k, I've been suffering from motivation issues.  Having contracted Captain Tripps a couple weeks ago didn't help much either.  I've got some ideas to beef up the bad guys a bit and throw in a sinister road trip to a pig farm but I'm really worried about screwing up the pace.  I'm hoping to suck it up and start revising sometime this week.

Other news:

1. I tried to rekindle the old spark I had with Anne Rice by reading The Wolf Gift.  Not only was the spark not rekindled, somehow it reverberated backward through the time stream and made me like her old books less.
2. Since getting a phone that is capable of texting efficiently, I am now as hooked on texting as most 13 year old girls.
3. I've got a blog interview cooking with Benjamin Whitmer, author of Pike.  I noticed he linked to my review on his website and decided to hit him up with some questions.  He was one of the authors on the same panel as Eoin Colfer at Bouchercon.

My Dreams are Weird - The Eagle

I had a dream last night that I was walking my dog and came upon a bald eagle perched on a low branch of a tiny tree.  For some reason, I walked within five feet of the tree without the eagle moving.  I felt for my camera but it was gone and the eagle was eyeing me like I shouldn't make any sudden movements.

Since birds of prey, even in my dreams, immediately remind me of the part in The Gunslinger when Roland uses David the hawk to shred Cort's face, I held my breath.  There was a freak gust of wind, the tree bent forward, and somehow the eagle's beak became entangled in the sleeve of my shirt.  The eagle looked mortified and I slipped my arm up my sleeve in an effort to free him.  He was still entangled.  Finally, I slipped my shirt all the way off but the eagle was still ensnared. 

Fast forward a few minutes and I've got a shirt-wrapped eagle seat-belted in the passenger seat of my car and we're driving to the vet.

Shaking Off my Hibernation Sickness

Just a few updates.

1. I woke up Friday morning with a sinus headache so bad my teeth hurt.  I took a sick day but was still able to eat lasagna at Big E's house Friday.  It was good even though my taste buds weren't entirely functional.
2. Slept two hours on my parents' couch Saturday while my mom kept Belle entertained.  The rest of the day was reading the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when my eyes didn't hurt and catching up on Dr. Who Series 5 the rest of the time.
3. Felt better Sunday and watched most of the rest of Dr. Who series 5.  I would have watched all of it but my set has a bad disk in it.  This appears to be a fairly common problem with Dr. Who DVDs.
4. Back at work today.  Let the good times roll.

News from the Nyquil Haze

1. I am in the grips of some kind of cold and have been since yesterday morning.  I plan on doping myself tonight and going to bed very early so I'll be ready for lasagna at a friend's house tomorrow evening.
2. I have already received feedback on Bullets Don't Blink.  I've been told it's quite good but could stand to be a bit longer.  That's my next assignment.  I figure I can flesh out the bad guys a bit and possibly work in a sinister road trip to a pig farm.
3. Nyquil gives me crazy dreams, such as eight legged babies climing on my walls and cats with a hunger for human flesh.

The Day I Threw My Boots Away

In 2007, I needed a pair of good boots for a winter trip to Canada.  Sure enough, I found a pair on sale at the Shoe Oulet for $25.  Did I get my money's worth?

You bet!  In the past five years, the boots have survived trips to Canada, Michigan, and many different conservation areas in Missouri.  I'd say I've put close to 1000 miles on them all told.

The thing is, they were never particularly good boots.  They weren't all that comfortable, the insulation stained my socks yellow, and a mouse gnawed on them a few times.  They went from being water proof to water resistant to big damn sponges that beg water to come inside and stay a while.

Yesterday, I bought a new pair of boots and threw the old ones in the trash.  Will the new ones live up to the legacy of my discount shoe store hiking boots?  Only time will tell.

The Snow Day When Hildred Called Me Out

I'm a slacker.  Yeah, I admit it.  At first glance, writing a novel or two a year and having a good job don't seem like slacking activities.  However, I'm keenly aware of the amount of time I waste on a daily basis.  While I read a ton of blogs, I'm not a big commenter unless I have a burning desire to make my opinion known.  And now Hildred is taking me to task for not acknowledging her writerly awesomeness and profound Zelda love.  First, the official business:

I originally took today off because I'd intended to see the Toasters last night.  Then the winter weather hit.  I've actually accomplished a fair amount of things today.

1. went to the bank
2. acquired new hiking boots and sandals
3. walked two miles with my dog
4. bought supplies for beef fajita soup to make in the crock tomorrow while I'm at work
5. acquired a phone that uses 21st century technology and can text.
6. Bought a beer called Snow Day since I was taking a snow day

 
 And now, the eleven questions Hildred put to me:

1. What is the single most annoying trope that makes you want to claw your eyes out? - I hate how every thriller has the forced hookup in it.  In some of them, it's fairly obvious the nuclear scientist is a woman specifically so the burned out cop will have someone to hook up with.
2. If you could alter history and claim credit for any book ever written, what would it be? - Either the Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler or Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse.  Both are fantastic books and each has had a lasting impact on me.
3. How many kids were in your HS graduating class? (or are in your class right now, if you're still in school) - 47.  It was a Catholic high school
4. If you were guaranteed massive success either way, would you rather traditionally publish or self-publish? - If it was guaranteed either way, I'd go with self-published.  Why split up the pie if I don't have to?
5. What's the most you've ever paid for an article of clothing...for yourself? - I may have paid more for something since but I have a feeling the $75 pair of Beatle boots I bought in 2006 was the big one.  I wore those things until they had a hole in the bottom and wish I had bought a couple more pair at the same time.
6. Singer, Model, or Actress - who you gonna be? - Singer.  Remind me to bust out some Johnny Cash or Elvis tunes if the occasion arises.
7. Chef, Driver, or Maid - who you gonna hire?  Maid.  I hate cleaning.  Plus, she can wear a French maid's outfit if she wants.
8. Bath or shower?  Shower.  Why would I want to sit in my own filth?
9. You're scheduling for a delivery to your house during normal business hours. What time do you request, and why? - I'd go with 9-10.  That way I've already had my coffee but haven't mustered enough energy to get cabin fever yet.
10. Could you survive a whole year or more in a traditional Japanese apartment? (for the record, the one in the video is 10x nicer than mine, although mine is technically larger. Yay.)  Yes.  As long as I have a place to read, I'm good.
11. Favorite Pokemon. And you can't cop out with "i dunno pokemon" because here's a link, pick the cutest one!  Squirtle.  Just try not saying his name and smiling.  Squirtle.

#691 - Just a few quick ones

1. Tuesday was the 12th year anniversary of the day my brother's girlfriend at the time brought Belle to my parents' house as his Valentine's Day present.  She became my dog shortly thereafter since I was home the most having recently quit my crap job to go back to school as I mentioned yesterday.
2. Sunday was my blog's birthday.  It sure feels a hell of a lot longer than two years ago I started writing here after torching my MySpace account.
3. Next Monday, the Toasters are coming to town and I shall be in attendance.  Coincidentally, The Toasters was the first ska band I saw live waaaaaaay back in May of 1997.
4. I really need to get off my ass and figure out this Etsy thing.  One of my co-workers asked about buying one of the pictures I took yesterday.
5. Closing in on 700 posts.  While it is an impressive milestone, my MySpace blog had over 1100 when I torched it.

Progress Report

I stayed up a little too late last night correcting the mistakes my mom found in Bullets Don't Blink.  I should be able to wrap things up tonight and tomorrow I'll print it out on the sly at work devote my full attention to my job and not think about writing at work.

Once BDB is in the mail, I'll resume work on Corpse Cruise.  Detective Pope has been walking to the dead scientist's cabin for three or four days now.

In other news, I've had this song in my head since I woke up this morning:



Sadly, there aren't any really good recordings on youtube.

Weekend events I neglected to mention

Things happened over the weekend that I meant to touch upon but wasn't up to writing about since I was in a hangover haze yesterday.

1. My mom gave me back my manuscript with a ton of minor edits to make.  The first thing she said was "There's a lot of killing near the end."  I laughed a bit.
2. Drank too much Saturday night while hanging out with a friend, leading to the aforementioned hangover haze.
3. Wrote part of chapter 2 of Corpse Cruise.  I had planned to write more but the hangover haze but the bite on that.
4. Watched season 2 of Justified in its entirety.  I think I watched nine or ten episodes yesterday.  Hangover haze.
5. Skipped the Superbowl in favor of watching Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.  Hangover haze yet again.

In conclusion, I'm way behind where I want to be in Corpse Cruise at this time.  I think this week's writing is going to be the latest round of edits on Bullets Don't Blink.  I'll work on Corpse Cruise if I have time leftover since I told my connection I'd have BDB in the mail by the 10th.  I'm also disappointed in myself for not being more productive over the weekend.

Poptarts and False Starts

First off, I haven't eaten a poptart in years.  It's the only thing I could think of that rhymed with false start.

I busted out 400 words yesterday morning, only to realize my starting point of Corpse Cruise wasn't doing it for me.  I spent most of the rest of the day throwing ideas around until I figured out how I really wanted to start it.  Instead of revealing the source of the plague early on, I'm now going to reveal it in an investigation as the head of security aboard the cruise ship tries to figure out what's going on.

Writing progress is zero so far, I guess.  My grandma's 80th birthday was yesterday and the whole family met at a buffet in Ste. Genevieve.  It was after eight when I got home so I didn't feel like trying to get started only to have to go to bed a little while later.

Good thing I only officially committed to 30,000 words this month.