bits and pieces

You know, I think I've been posting so much lately just because I like to write. And it is nice to think that at least a few people might read what I write (and not be professors marking a paper that I wrote). Most of what I write, unless it's for school, is written for me. I have ideas for stories. I write them out. And I revise them. I'm not ready yet to pursue publishing (the stories I particularly like are not yet ready for other people to read them--they are in need of a great deal of editing before I will be happy enough with them to let others read them--there are plotholes galore and characters in need of rewrites and storylines in need of adjustment), and I don't know when I will be.

I'm up late tonight because I'm doing some editing for someone else who is less fearful about letting other people read their work than I am. I'd never really thought to be an editor, but my brother asked if he could hire me to edit a book he wrote, since my education apparently qualifies me to criticize others' grammar and punctuation. It's an enjoyable process, but fixing all the commas gets tedious. So I'm editing four or five pages, taking a break, and then returning to editing. This is my break this time.

In my sewing life: I tossed my new skirt into the washing machine today, and it came out in one piece. This is good.

In knitting: I need to find a better way to purl. I knit using a version of continental style and purling has always been a bit of a challenge for me. And since my latest version of purling has involved using my thumb to wrap the yarn, I've developed some achiness in my left thumb. This is not good. I'm trying to fix this but breaking old habits and learning new ones is not easy.

There's also been a problem with my knitting turning out the wrong size lately. Too small (Llama Hat). Too big (a sock I just started--a friend at knitting group pointed it out to me before I got too far in so I frogged it and will restart with smaller needles).

In reading: I'm starting on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies but it's too hysterically funny not to read out loud, so J. will have to listen to it.

In health: This cold makes me paranoid. It's not bad but I keep worrying that I'm getting pneumonia again. The problem the first time was that I had no clue I had pneumonia. It starts out like a chest cold. Argh. Probably over-thinking it.

In family: In-laws coming to visit this weekend. This always sends me into a completely unnecessary tizzy. I like them, but I don't really feel like I know them well. They're very nice people who aren't going to complain about whether I've dusted or not, but I still freak out and want to scrub everything down with bleach and redecorate.

In general tiredness: I've been sleeping a lot lately, probably because of my cold, and I'm tired now. I need Brain Juice so I can finish this chunk of editing tonight (term borrowed from Hilary McKay's books about the Casson family: an energizing potion made of Coca-Cola and instant coffee), but we don't really buy soda, so I'm making do with just coffee.

Well, break's over. Time to get some more coffee and work through some more pages. I feel like a student again.