Have you ever had one of those days where you get working on something and then you look up and it's a couple hours later than you thought?
Yeah... that was the last six weeks...
Lisa has been running subjects for her dissertation and teaching (a lot....). So, she's been busy.
Meanwhile...
I have finally finished the first draft for the second book (got that?) in the Johnson Farm series (just over 290 pages (71,304 words)). In this book our young hero gets ordained in the church, discovers people aren't always what they seem, and discovers precisely why you never get in between two fourteen year old girls who are angry at each other and carrying weapons (even pretend ones)😨😨😱.
Lisa is still hoping to defend her dissertation this spring, which means she needs to get her whole document written by mid March 😅.
Hopefully in about the same time frame I'm releasing the first Johnson Farm book for sale (Tune in in the coming month or so to find out how to get some cool book launch related swag😎).
In other news Lisa's music folks are doing a significant part of the Sacrament meeting this Sunday (Christmas). So she's working hard on that too...
Now that NANOWRIMO is done for this year and the first draft is in the can I'll be more regular on doing blog posts again (and Lisa will do some too when she gets the time). So, stay tuned for cool shiny things (including some that you can own), school news, book stuff, and other adventures that are sure to come in the next year!
That's it for this one...
There are books to write and things to do.
Merry Christmas everyone!
And for those wondering how we're going to get all this done...
Monday, December 19, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Has it really been a month???
Ok, yes I know it's actually been a month, but there were adventures happening!
For those of you who aren't as interested in the reading and stuff just watch this explanation (thanks to WRappin and Wierd Al for this one)...
For those who are interested in reading...
Let's start with Lisa's stuff...
In the last month Lisa has done four presentations at two national conferences and was awarded a conference internship that covered most of the cost for the one that work wasn't paying for. Competition for the internships is actually pretty tough and at this point Lisa is the only person I'm aware of that got one on the first try!
Lisa is also officially in the data collection phase of her dissertation (she's running tests on people and recording the results) so she's well on her way to actually being DR Kidder!
Of course Patrick wasn't exactly just standing around guarding the walls...
Ok... so maybe I did guard the walls but I did other stuff too!
I went with Lisa to both of the conferences.
At the first one I discovered the old Mormon settlement that was the actual first building in Las Vegas. I also found components for a couple of new stories and finished the almost next to the last draft for Johnson farm. The next steps from here are to put it in the hands of my third group of pre-readers (which includes people who will hopefully be creating my cover art!) and doing the worky icky, make sure all the punctuation is correct, editing.
And of course this happened...
We brought back about 20 LBS of agate and petrified wood. (We also found the worlds largest agate sphere but I'm going to have to find the picture for that one...)
(Lisa found the picture, although there was some funky light reflections on her phone.)
The second trip was in Portland Oregon...
I brought this little pretty home...
I'll be turning this amethyst point into my version of the one that Jamie, one of the main female characters in my novel Johnson Farm, wears.
Speaking of Johnson Farm... NANOWRIMO started while we were in Oregon, so I didn't spend too much time roaming the city. I'm working on the second book of the Johnson Farm series with three more planned. Hopefully I'll be releasing one a year for the next five years. But for now it's get the first draft of book two done this month (27,000 words (about 114 pages) so far and about that much more to go...), and then get the first book out and on the market!
So, for all the nieces and nephews that bugged me about being in one of my books that one's coming too (about 70 pages done) but I needed to give it a rest to get this whole book in a month thing out of the way... hopefully you guys' book is out in 2018!
So, what have we learned from all this?
Lisa is a really smart competent person who gets things done.
And Patrick...?
Well, Patrick just has too many things he's trying to do. And...
You can not take that guy anywhere without rocks and stories being part of the adventure!
So, that's the short version...
We'll say more when Lisa feels like writing one; the second book is done; or I go completely insane (or is that completely insaner?)
For those of you who actually read this instead of watching the Albuquerque video...
Here's another one! (This is about the shape book two is in (which is why I'm not writing too much right here right now...))
Thanks guys, see you soon!
For those of you who aren't as interested in the reading and stuff just watch this explanation (thanks to WRappin and Wierd Al for this one)...
For those who are interested in reading...
Let's start with Lisa's stuff...
In the last month Lisa has done four presentations at two national conferences and was awarded a conference internship that covered most of the cost for the one that work wasn't paying for. Competition for the internships is actually pretty tough and at this point Lisa is the only person I'm aware of that got one on the first try!
Lisa is also officially in the data collection phase of her dissertation (she's running tests on people and recording the results) so she's well on her way to actually being DR Kidder!
Of course Patrick wasn't exactly just standing around guarding the walls...
Ok... so maybe I did guard the walls but I did other stuff too!
I went with Lisa to both of the conferences.
At the first one I discovered the old Mormon settlement that was the actual first building in Las Vegas. I also found components for a couple of new stories and finished the almost next to the last draft for Johnson farm. The next steps from here are to put it in the hands of my third group of pre-readers (which includes people who will hopefully be creating my cover art!) and doing the worky icky, make sure all the punctuation is correct, editing.
And of course this happened...
We brought back about 20 LBS of agate and petrified wood. (We also found the worlds largest agate sphere but I'm going to have to find the picture for that one...)
(Lisa found the picture, although there was some funky light reflections on her phone.)
The second trip was in Portland Oregon...
I brought this little pretty home...
I'll be turning this amethyst point into my version of the one that Jamie, one of the main female characters in my novel Johnson Farm, wears.
Speaking of Johnson Farm... NANOWRIMO started while we were in Oregon, so I didn't spend too much time roaming the city. I'm working on the second book of the Johnson Farm series with three more planned. Hopefully I'll be releasing one a year for the next five years. But for now it's get the first draft of book two done this month (27,000 words (about 114 pages) so far and about that much more to go...), and then get the first book out and on the market!
So, for all the nieces and nephews that bugged me about being in one of my books that one's coming too (about 70 pages done) but I needed to give it a rest to get this whole book in a month thing out of the way... hopefully you guys' book is out in 2018!
So, what have we learned from all this?
Lisa is a really smart competent person who gets things done.
And Patrick...?
Well, Patrick just has too many things he's trying to do. And...
You can not take that guy anywhere without rocks and stories being part of the adventure!
So, that's the short version...
We'll say more when Lisa feels like writing one; the second book is done; or I go completely insane (or is that completely insaner?)
For those of you who actually read this instead of watching the Albuquerque video...
Here's another one! (This is about the shape book two is in (which is why I'm not writing too much right here right now...))
Thanks guys, see you soon!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
The big push...
Well, in our last post Lisa talked about her dissertation. She's collecting data now. Not as fast as she'd like but it's happening. She's also gearing up for two conferences and trying to plan a family reunion. So, she's busy. And I'm not exactly going slow either.
I'm pushing the release date for Johnson Farm back to late winter / early spring. It will be better for marketing. I'm still planning on having the book ready to go by the end of the year, I just want a better slot for marketing it. The current plan is to get the main editing finished by November 1. Then I will be writing the sequel as a NANOWRIMO project before finishing the final edits in December. The book is really coming together. It's actually gotten positive reviews in the second round of people reading it (which is kind of important because this is the first time I've let a teenager get her hands on it, and it's a YA book). So stay tuned to find out how you can get your hands on a copy (I'm going to be offering signed books and some other swag when the book comes out...
I mentioned I'm doing the sequel next month. I'm also putting together a proposal for a personal finance book which will be my early 2017 new writing project (I'll also be editing the second novel and working on the zombies book). So, hope fully two out next year and maybe three in 2018 it's going to take a lot of work, but people are realizing I'm happier and easier to deal with if I'm writing (so people are starting to learn to leave me alone and let me write!).
All in all it seems like we're never quite at rest, but it's a good thing... progress is happening.
That's about it for this one...
Until next time I'll leave you with this thought of what the novel process is like (thanks to Learningelvish)
If you're not sure how this applies to writing a novel, try writing one this November... You'll find out!
I'm pushing the release date for Johnson Farm back to late winter / early spring. It will be better for marketing. I'm still planning on having the book ready to go by the end of the year, I just want a better slot for marketing it. The current plan is to get the main editing finished by November 1. Then I will be writing the sequel as a NANOWRIMO project before finishing the final edits in December. The book is really coming together. It's actually gotten positive reviews in the second round of people reading it (which is kind of important because this is the first time I've let a teenager get her hands on it, and it's a YA book). So stay tuned to find out how you can get your hands on a copy (I'm going to be offering signed books and some other swag when the book comes out...
I mentioned I'm doing the sequel next month. I'm also putting together a proposal for a personal finance book which will be my early 2017 new writing project (I'll also be editing the second novel and working on the zombies book). So, hope fully two out next year and maybe three in 2018 it's going to take a lot of work, but people are realizing I'm happier and easier to deal with if I'm writing (so people are starting to learn to leave me alone and let me write!).
All in all it seems like we're never quite at rest, but it's a good thing... progress is happening.
That's about it for this one...
Until next time I'll leave you with this thought of what the novel process is like (thanks to Learningelvish)
If you're not sure how this applies to writing a novel, try writing one this November... You'll find out!
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Next steps
I know that lately (well, since Fall of 2014) Patrick has been doing most of the writing here. Today you get to hear about the work that I'm doing...
Last week was definitely stressful, I had finally set a date for my dissertation proposal - Friday, September 16th.
There were questions - which were addressed, and some points and ideas that need to be made more clear in chapters 1-3 (this is common). And, one of the committee commented that my PowerPoint presentation did not look like PowerPoint - I guess some of the design research I've done is paying off.
End result, I have permission to move forward.
Once I have collected the data, I can do the analysis, write chapters 4 and 5 and the plan is to graduate in May 2017!
Last week was definitely stressful, I had finally set a date for my dissertation proposal - Friday, September 16th.
What is a Dissertation Proposal?
This is when I present the design of my research, prove that I've thoroughly searched the literature (and no one else has done what I've designed) and get permission from a committee of 5 people (who will also decide at my dissertation defense if I get to graduate) to move forward and start collecting data. This is the second biggest (and almost the last) presentation for my degree. I've written more about some of the details about this on my other blog.There were questions - which were addressed, and some points and ideas that need to be made more clear in chapters 1-3 (this is common). And, one of the committee commented that my PowerPoint presentation did not look like PowerPoint - I guess some of the design research I've done is paying off.
End result, I have permission to move forward.
What is Next?
I'm currently waiting on the permission from the Human Subjects Committee. Once I receive that email I can begin advertising, and hopefully be able to schedule 36 participants to come spend an hour in the computer lab. It is a bit unreal at the moment as I have been focused on this end goal (which is not really the end) for quite some time.Once I have collected the data, I can do the analysis, write chapters 4 and 5 and the plan is to graduate in May 2017!
In the Meantime...
In the Work/School Arena
- It was pointed out to me yesterday that I made a list of "100 Educators in Idaho to Follow on Twitter." I honestly haven't posted anything on Twitter lately - but there will be more towards the end of October as I tend to post more when I'm at conferences. Which brings me to the other upcoming things...
- At the AECT Conference my schedule will be busy as I was awarded one of the Cochran Internships. I am excited for this opportunity, but I'm told it will definitely keep me busy. In addition I'm also doing a round table about my dissertation research - which won't really be ready for a full presentation, but will provide an opportunity to talk about it. I will also be helping with the Three Minute Thesis Competition as I won last year. (That was like a mini-dissertation proposal - a 3 minute version of the 40 minute presentation I did on Friday. You can get the overall idea of the research watching that video.) I will say that this competition really helped me focus my writing.
- Then there is the Quality Matters Conference where I'm participating in 3 presentations with colleagues from across the nation. I really enjoy associating with all these people and look forward to our conversations this year.
- This morning I also got a notice that my chapter from last year has been cited again (according to Google Scholar) - which means with two publications I'm up to 15 citations! I find it amazing that people are actually reading stuff I wrote.
- Patrick is the real writer. He has several projects in the works, as usual, and is making amazing progress in spite of having to deal with a very stressed Lisa last week.
In Other Arenas
- I continue to knit to keep me sane.
- Patrick is using more E6000 - perhaps he will share some of those creations next week.
- And the planning has begun for the Layne Family Reunion 2017
Monday, September 5, 2016
I got drafted... or... Taking a shot!
It's been a busy couple of weeks in our little corner of the universe. And, both parts of the title are accurate within the last week!
Last week I got drafted to help out with a young men's activity. I helped out because our young men's leadership is down to... um... ONE GUY. We took the boys out shooting and had a really good time at it. One of our boys (all of 12 and not exactly buff) was a bit apprehensive (it was his first time holding a gun). By the end of the day he'd actually fired the biggest rifle we had out there (a .45-70).
As for myself I have confirmed that I have mixed feelings about certain Russian made semi-autos. Aaannd, being me, it just wouldn't be a trip out into the wild without bringing something home...
Yes, it's junk (or it looks like junk), but that seriously thick glass (left can) will get used in some upcoming projects. The right can holds some casings I recovered. Yes, I know that steel cases and rim fires can't be reloaded effectively, but... brass melts and steel can be recycled... Just for reference the casing in the glass can is a 7.62x39 that I put in there for scale...
I'm not going to talk about what I'm planning on doing with any of that stuff at this time because there's more immediate coolness.
Moving on with our theme of taking a shot...
I finished a project this week, my chainmail messenger bag. That one will be featured in an upcoming post too. Getting it finished cleared the way for a brand new project using mailing techniques I haven't played with before...
As you can see it took me a couple of shots to get the ring sizes right (the one on the right...), but I'm on my way to making new cool stuff so it was worth it.
Writing is still going on of course, but I'm not going to talk too much about that...
Instead I'd like to announce the best interruption to my writing schedule in a long time!
Lisa will be doing the official proposal meeting for her dissertation on Sept 16th!
After the meeting the real fun begins...
She'll be collecting a bunch of data; analyzing it with some big scary equations and software; and then writing up a big old honking paper that she then has to defend in front of her committee.
It's a pretty major step and I'm proud of her.
I'm really not going to say much about my writing at this point, but...
I will say...
If you'd like to find out how to get your hands on this, and other bits of shiny, stay tuned for future posts! That's right! I may be drafting you...
That's it for this one. I'll probably have Lisa write one in two...
Until then...
This just seems to be the right way to end this one... (thanks and credit to Peter Gabriel)
Last week I got drafted to help out with a young men's activity. I helped out because our young men's leadership is down to... um... ONE GUY. We took the boys out shooting and had a really good time at it. One of our boys (all of 12 and not exactly buff) was a bit apprehensive (it was his first time holding a gun). By the end of the day he'd actually fired the biggest rifle we had out there (a .45-70).
As for myself I have confirmed that I have mixed feelings about certain Russian made semi-autos. Aaannd, being me, it just wouldn't be a trip out into the wild without bringing something home...
Yes, it's junk (or it looks like junk), but that seriously thick glass (left can) will get used in some upcoming projects. The right can holds some casings I recovered. Yes, I know that steel cases and rim fires can't be reloaded effectively, but... brass melts and steel can be recycled... Just for reference the casing in the glass can is a 7.62x39 that I put in there for scale...
I'm not going to talk about what I'm planning on doing with any of that stuff at this time because there's more immediate coolness.
Moving on with our theme of taking a shot...
I finished a project this week, my chainmail messenger bag. That one will be featured in an upcoming post too. Getting it finished cleared the way for a brand new project using mailing techniques I haven't played with before...
As you can see it took me a couple of shots to get the ring sizes right (the one on the right...), but I'm on my way to making new cool stuff so it was worth it.
Writing is still going on of course, but I'm not going to talk too much about that...
Instead I'd like to announce the best interruption to my writing schedule in a long time!
Lisa will be doing the official proposal meeting for her dissertation on Sept 16th!
After the meeting the real fun begins...
She'll be collecting a bunch of data; analyzing it with some big scary equations and software; and then writing up a big old honking paper that she then has to defend in front of her committee.
It's a pretty major step and I'm proud of her.
I'm really not going to say much about my writing at this point, but...
I will say...
If you'd like to find out how to get your hands on this, and other bits of shiny, stay tuned for future posts! That's right! I may be drafting you...
That's it for this one. I'll probably have Lisa write one in two...
Until then...
This just seems to be the right way to end this one... (thanks and credit to Peter Gabriel)
Monday, August 15, 2016
Plinking at progress...
Lisa reports she's feeling confident about trying to set a date for her dissertation proposal. That means, at least for the moment, most of her committee can agree about what she means on the stuff for her study (I understood most of it... oh... a year ago?). Of course once she actually has a proposal date she gets to gear up for people asking interesting questions about what she wants to study...
Over on my side of the office I've made my first foray into the world of gun smithing. Nothing really exciting I put a new grip on my snubby.
Truly one of those cases of 'if you read the instructions and think things will go OK'.
I've even succeeded in getting Lisa to do a little shooting
If I recall this one was taken while she was amazing a friend of mine by taking out her target on the first shot.
Speaking of that trip... some of my folks heard me talking about hitting the bottle...
In my world that might not mean what you think it means... But, I did find a really fun way to make the broken glass for my 'beach glass' projects! Incidentally the silvery bit is where my round hit the back side of the bottle. I'm finding there's a whole interesting sub set of ballistics here... Lisa took out her bottle on the first shot with a .38 special. Mine (above) hit the bottle in a different spot and only shattered one side of the bottle. My buddy with a .40 cal decapitated the bottle with the first shot and needed a second to shatter it... interesting... I think I need more bottles...
Here's some of the glass after the next stage of processing...
What am I going to do with it? I'm not entirely sure yet but that's the fun part!
Warning!!! Talky wordy stuff ahead! (Gah! You'd think he'd stop talking about writing at some point!!!)
The book I was going to do related to the glass stuff has fluctuated, but is currently back on (which means I'm up to three books actively in some stage of the works, with a back list to be worked on (yikes!)).
I've started research for a new (non craft related) non-fiction. I'm not sure which is scarier: the fact that I've committed myself to read 2000 pages worth of research material, or the fact that I know exactly how many hours that will take me...
The third item on the schedule is the novel Johnson Farm which is in a read and edit mode at the moment. The first feedback is good and I am quickly moving on to the most critical segment of this part, actual young adult readers (dum, dum, DUUUM!!).
I'm also moving on to the marketing side for Johnson Farm. This will include the usual electronic commentary and advertising, and a Kickstarter Campaign to fund the initial launch. To answer a question before it's asked I want to release the first one under my own label because I would really like it to be a Forever Mountain book. There are plans in the works to move things over to a larger publisher after a couple of critical goals (including the writing of the second book). So, hopefully I'll be doing a book signing at a Deseret book near you at some point in the near future (Maybe Seagull for you LA people...)
And yes I did mention writing the second book... That's this years NANOWRIMO project, and I'll get around to talking about it later...
More to say, but I'll save some of that for the next one... Hopefully Lisa's got some good news for us next week, and I'll see you in two. (In the mean time anyone who keeps reading will be sent back into that interesting place I call the inside of my head... Thanks to Information Society for posting the video and as for the rest of you... don't say I didn't warn you...)
Over on my side of the office I've made my first foray into the world of gun smithing. Nothing really exciting I put a new grip on my snubby.
Truly one of those cases of 'if you read the instructions and think things will go OK'.
I've even succeeded in getting Lisa to do a little shooting
If I recall this one was taken while she was amazing a friend of mine by taking out her target on the first shot.
Speaking of that trip... some of my folks heard me talking about hitting the bottle...
In my world that might not mean what you think it means... But, I did find a really fun way to make the broken glass for my 'beach glass' projects! Incidentally the silvery bit is where my round hit the back side of the bottle. I'm finding there's a whole interesting sub set of ballistics here... Lisa took out her bottle on the first shot with a .38 special. Mine (above) hit the bottle in a different spot and only shattered one side of the bottle. My buddy with a .40 cal decapitated the bottle with the first shot and needed a second to shatter it... interesting... I think I need more bottles...
Here's some of the glass after the next stage of processing...
What am I going to do with it? I'm not entirely sure yet but that's the fun part!
Warning!!! Talky wordy stuff ahead! (Gah! You'd think he'd stop talking about writing at some point!!!)
The book I was going to do related to the glass stuff has fluctuated, but is currently back on (which means I'm up to three books actively in some stage of the works, with a back list to be worked on (yikes!)).
I've started research for a new (non craft related) non-fiction. I'm not sure which is scarier: the fact that I've committed myself to read 2000 pages worth of research material, or the fact that I know exactly how many hours that will take me...
The third item on the schedule is the novel Johnson Farm which is in a read and edit mode at the moment. The first feedback is good and I am quickly moving on to the most critical segment of this part, actual young adult readers (dum, dum, DUUUM!!).
I'm also moving on to the marketing side for Johnson Farm. This will include the usual electronic commentary and advertising, and a Kickstarter Campaign to fund the initial launch. To answer a question before it's asked I want to release the first one under my own label because I would really like it to be a Forever Mountain book. There are plans in the works to move things over to a larger publisher after a couple of critical goals (including the writing of the second book). So, hopefully I'll be doing a book signing at a Deseret book near you at some point in the near future (Maybe Seagull for you LA people...)
And yes I did mention writing the second book... That's this years NANOWRIMO project, and I'll get around to talking about it later...
More to say, but I'll save some of that for the next one... Hopefully Lisa's got some good news for us next week, and I'll see you in two. (In the mean time anyone who keeps reading will be sent back into that interesting place I call the inside of my head... Thanks to Information Society for posting the video and as for the rest of you... don't say I didn't warn you...)
Monday, August 1, 2016
One step at a time...
Ok... so... some of what we have here today was supposed to be ready for last week's post. But, life happened and the first bit of it is ready for today.
Lisa is pressing on with her dissertation and seems to have finally gotten a committee together and has even started educating them on what the heck she's doing. If she hasn't mentioned it already she's also recently been awarded a fairly prestigious internship for one of her conferences this year. That means she's going to be working hard, and that we will be there for longer than we first planned. Buuttt the hotel gets paid for, the registration fee gets paid for, and she gets a stipend for food and travel and such. It also means that she's becoming more of an insider for another (and larger this time!) organization that she really wants to be active with. (What do I say? Well... Vegas Baby!!! (Actually it may not be that exciting really... writing stuff...)).
On my side of the house Johnson Farm is one step closer to being published on schedule. For those keeping score that will be my second book of the year and the first novel of a series. The second novel of the series is currently planned as this years NANOWRIMO project (with books three and four to come...). I'll be talking more about this in upcoming posts...
For today's post... I'm also started on next years first book, another craft book. This one will teach about how to make and use your own 'beach' glass. It's planned as an intermediate level craft book (a step up from the last one). I am also releasing some videos related to this book (and a couple more for the last one (and at least one for the novel...). As of tonight I actually have the first of those videos out the door!
Yes, it's simple. But it's also another one on the resume (and hopefully the first item out for my third book!). I actually have had a couple people ready to jump ship to my team just from filming this one...
Three more videos are planned at this time (with the material for one of them on my desk already). So tune in in the near future and hopefully I can show you why 'hitting the bottle' might not mean what you think it means!
In the other side of life Lisa is still the ward music coordinator and keeping those singers singing and players playing.
As for myself I'm still ward clerk. Once again I have two assistants who are doing fairly well and once again there are thoughts of "when I get them trained up I can move on to something else". Of course last time I thought that they reorganized the stake and I lost all my trainees to another ward!
And, once again I am working on cleaning up the ward list. This requires calling, emailing, or otherwise contacting people who want to know who I am before they will tell me anything...
And once again one of my favorite bands has provide timely theme music for the project...
So, thank you to INSOC for the timely video! (Yes I do actually play this one while I'm working on ward list stuff!!!)
That's it for this one. See you in two...
Lisa is pressing on with her dissertation and seems to have finally gotten a committee together and has even started educating them on what the heck she's doing. If she hasn't mentioned it already she's also recently been awarded a fairly prestigious internship for one of her conferences this year. That means she's going to be working hard, and that we will be there for longer than we first planned. Buuttt the hotel gets paid for, the registration fee gets paid for, and she gets a stipend for food and travel and such. It also means that she's becoming more of an insider for another (and larger this time!) organization that she really wants to be active with. (What do I say? Well... Vegas Baby!!! (Actually it may not be that exciting really... writing stuff...)).
On my side of the house Johnson Farm is one step closer to being published on schedule. For those keeping score that will be my second book of the year and the first novel of a series. The second novel of the series is currently planned as this years NANOWRIMO project (with books three and four to come...). I'll be talking more about this in upcoming posts...
For today's post... I'm also started on next years first book, another craft book. This one will teach about how to make and use your own 'beach' glass. It's planned as an intermediate level craft book (a step up from the last one). I am also releasing some videos related to this book (and a couple more for the last one (and at least one for the novel...). As of tonight I actually have the first of those videos out the door!
Yes, it's simple. But it's also another one on the resume (and hopefully the first item out for my third book!). I actually have had a couple people ready to jump ship to my team just from filming this one...
Three more videos are planned at this time (with the material for one of them on my desk already). So tune in in the near future and hopefully I can show you why 'hitting the bottle' might not mean what you think it means!
In the other side of life Lisa is still the ward music coordinator and keeping those singers singing and players playing.
As for myself I'm still ward clerk. Once again I have two assistants who are doing fairly well and once again there are thoughts of "when I get them trained up I can move on to something else". Of course last time I thought that they reorganized the stake and I lost all my trainees to another ward!
And, once again I am working on cleaning up the ward list. This requires calling, emailing, or otherwise contacting people who want to know who I am before they will tell me anything...
And once again one of my favorite bands has provide timely theme music for the project...
So, thank you to INSOC for the timely video! (Yes I do actually play this one while I'm working on ward list stuff!!!)
That's it for this one. See you in two...
Monday, July 18, 2016
Some News from Lisa...
Just a few months ago, I (Lisa) decided to submit an application for one of the few internships for AECT (Association for Educational Communications & Technology). I scrambled to update my CV (long resume for those outside of academia), answer questions about my goals and research (like I really know what I want to do when I grow up), and had a faculty advisor willing to squeak in a letter of support just under the deadline.
There are limited spots for these internships. What would this get me?
Registration and hotel costs for the AECT 2016 conference are covered along with a stipend to help with travel. In addition, during the conference I will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from leaders in instructional design, learning, and technology . Following the conference I will be paired up with one of those leaders as a mentor to help me continue to progress as I transition from PhD student to professional.
(What would it get Patrick? - a week long most expenses paid trip to Vegas to write, and write and write.)
I completed my undergraduate degree years ago, so in many ways I do not feel like your regular PhD student. In other words, it feels like I'm on a second or third career and falling behind.
I was already planning to attend this conference. The presentation I submitted was accepted, and I had already committed to helping with the 3MT Competition (See Conferences and Travel (Lisa's belated post))
This morning I received in my email inbox...
There are limited spots for these internships. What would this get me?
Registration and hotel costs for the AECT 2016 conference are covered along with a stipend to help with travel. In addition, during the conference I will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from leaders in instructional design, learning, and technology . Following the conference I will be paired up with one of those leaders as a mentor to help me continue to progress as I transition from PhD student to professional.
(What would it get Patrick? - a week long most expenses paid trip to Vegas to write, and write and write.)
I completed my undergraduate degree years ago, so in many ways I do not feel like your regular PhD student. In other words, it feels like I'm on a second or third career and falling behind.
I was already planning to attend this conference. The presentation I submitted was accepted, and I had already committed to helping with the 3MT Competition (See Conferences and Travel (Lisa's belated post))
This morning I received in my email inbox...
Lisa, congratulations!
You are a recipient of a 2016 AECT Leadership Internship. You join a prestigious and small group of people who have become leaders in the field...
I was selected as one of the three Cochran Interns!
 |
| AECT 2016 Internship Announcement |
I was so excited! And extremely grateful for this opportunity.
While my life has not always taken the expected path, I have been extremely blessed with opportunities to grow and progress in my professional life. From opportunities to further my education to kind comments from professional men and women I admire to affirmations like this award; all small indications of the Lord's hand in my life letting me know that I am where I need to be, doing what the He wants me to do.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Ebb and Flow...
We made it back from the trip...
In case someone's not sure what we're talking about...
We had a cruise/reunion/birthday-party thing to go to... (We love you Grandma!)
When we left, our car was still at Honda. Given that at least one other car associated with the cruise/reunion/birthday-party was kind of totaled due to things related to one of the things they were tracking down in our car, and another had transmission issues... I think we're glad we gave Honda an extra week! So...the car gave the Honda guys fits (I blame the ninja squirrels) but we didn't break down in the desert... I'll call this a win.
We did have a good trip all around though it did remind us that some days it doesn't pay to leave home... When we got back Lisa discovered that her dissertation committee chair is leaving for another university so she has to reorganize her committee (again...). On the bright side she remains the most cited researcher in her department at the university. She met with some folks already and it looks like the dissertation timeline she has in mind will work out (which is good).
In my side of the writing game... Don't know yet... ask me next time I post.
I have a meeting with with some fairly serious publishing people on Wednesday about the novel that I hope to have out in December. I have the latest version of the pitch put together and hope to have the latest edit of the book completely on the computer by the end of the week...
I am also working on the copy for the first book of next year. I also hope to have at least one if not two videos for this one up by the next time I post (fun stuff). I'm not going to say specifically what the videos or the book are about just now but...
If you find the concept of ballistic fragmentation of non-crystalline solids to be interesting or scary check back in two weeks... (trust me I've already made one neighbor jealous playing with the stuff for this one...).
So we're back...
We're working on stuff...
We're taking the good with the bad...
Even though some days we'd rather be here...
Or here...
But in any case we'll be having fun,
getting things done,
and...
hanging out with the gang!
That's it for this time. If Lisa doesn't post next week, see you in two...
In case someone's not sure what we're talking about...
We had a cruise/reunion/birthday-party thing to go to... (We love you Grandma!)
When we left, our car was still at Honda. Given that at least one other car associated with the cruise/reunion/birthday-party was kind of totaled due to things related to one of the things they were tracking down in our car, and another had transmission issues... I think we're glad we gave Honda an extra week! So...the car gave the Honda guys fits (I blame the ninja squirrels) but we didn't break down in the desert... I'll call this a win.
We did have a good trip all around though it did remind us that some days it doesn't pay to leave home... When we got back Lisa discovered that her dissertation committee chair is leaving for another university so she has to reorganize her committee (again...). On the bright side she remains the most cited researcher in her department at the university. She met with some folks already and it looks like the dissertation timeline she has in mind will work out (which is good).
In my side of the writing game... Don't know yet... ask me next time I post.
I have a meeting with with some fairly serious publishing people on Wednesday about the novel that I hope to have out in December. I have the latest version of the pitch put together and hope to have the latest edit of the book completely on the computer by the end of the week...
I am also working on the copy for the first book of next year. I also hope to have at least one if not two videos for this one up by the next time I post (fun stuff). I'm not going to say specifically what the videos or the book are about just now but...
If you find the concept of ballistic fragmentation of non-crystalline solids to be interesting or scary check back in two weeks... (trust me I've already made one neighbor jealous playing with the stuff for this one...).
So we're back...
We're working on stuff...
We're taking the good with the bad...
Even though some days we'd rather be here...
Or here...
But in any case we'll be having fun,
getting things done,
and...
hanging out with the gang!
That's it for this time. If Lisa doesn't post next week, see you in two...
Monday, June 20, 2016
What happened to the Honda???
"What happened to your Honda?" actual question I had to answer today...
The easy answer:
It's in for repairs.
The more detailed answer:
I told them it was the transmission, but they thought it was the front axle... then they thought it was the wheel bearing... then they figured out it was the transmission... (note: I will not be paying for the wheel barring or the axle). The upshot is that the car is in for repairs and it's taking longer than expected to fix it, but because they had so much trouble figuring it out they're comping the rental till they get the car fixed (behold the power of words... the writer (and no- car guy...) diagnosed the problem and is getting a discount...)
The long answer:
Ok, so there we were heading up Trail Creek to the secret Forever Mountain Publishing marksmanship training range (hey a security section's gotta train) when we were attacked by these ninja cows (note: most cows are not actually ninjas (but these were I tells ya))...dressed in all black...just at the edge of the shrubbery...
The car really is in for repairs and I can tell you the Civic that we have for a loaner isn't really my style... But it just fits in with the adventures...
Speaking of Other Adventures...
As I write this we're gearing up for yet another family reunion experience. Specifically Lisa is bombarding me with potential activities and I'm reassuring her that as long as I have a place to write and a soda I'm fine...
I'm actually kind of looking forward to the family stuff but I'm also quite serious about the writing stuff (those who understand understand; those who don't understand stay away from my pen/paper/soda and nobody gets hurt ;-) )
Also in the news we are apparently accepting tribute now...
One of the professors at ISU brought these to Lisa last week. It's actually funny, with everything going on we haven't had time to hunt for rocks. We definitely haven't had time to do anything with rocks. But... we still somehow end up with more rocks...
I also have some interesting research going on (as a writer/psychologist I can call just about anything 'research' and be at least partially accurate...)
but for some reason Lisa thinks guns and family reunions might not mix, so I'll save it for another post...
Speaking of writing (you know it had to be here somewhere...)
I'm actually fairly serious about that writing through the reunion thing... I've got an appointment for my book pitch on the 13th so I need to be ready. I also have the first draft I'm setting down to get ready for the pitch, next year's non fiction title, some short stories...
I would also like to point out to our single readers that it is a confirmed phenomenon writers attract members of the opposite sex (It's true, and if I repeat it enough I'll motivate Lisa to get her own new sidearm...). This can be a blessing or a curse... It's a blessing when it gets you something you want (like better service at a restaurant or dates for you single writers out there...) and a curse when you're stuck at a car dealership with an all out chatterbox...
Lisa reports she's got chapter three of her dissertation out for review and is well on her way to
re-reorganizing her committee so progress is being made...
I think that's it for this one...
Until next time...
beware the ninja cows!!!
The easy answer:
It's in for repairs.
The more detailed answer:
I told them it was the transmission, but they thought it was the front axle... then they thought it was the wheel bearing... then they figured out it was the transmission... (note: I will not be paying for the wheel barring or the axle). The upshot is that the car is in for repairs and it's taking longer than expected to fix it, but because they had so much trouble figuring it out they're comping the rental till they get the car fixed (behold the power of words... the writer (and no- car guy...) diagnosed the problem and is getting a discount...)
The long answer:
Ok, so there we were heading up Trail Creek to the secret Forever Mountain Publishing marksmanship training range (hey a security section's gotta train) when we were attacked by these ninja cows (note: most cows are not actually ninjas (but these were I tells ya))...dressed in all black...just at the edge of the shrubbery...
The car really is in for repairs and I can tell you the Civic that we have for a loaner isn't really my style... But it just fits in with the adventures...
Speaking of Other Adventures...
As I write this we're gearing up for yet another family reunion experience. Specifically Lisa is bombarding me with potential activities and I'm reassuring her that as long as I have a place to write and a soda I'm fine...
I'm actually kind of looking forward to the family stuff but I'm also quite serious about the writing stuff (those who understand understand; those who don't understand stay away from my pen/paper/soda and nobody gets hurt ;-) )
Also in the news we are apparently accepting tribute now...
One of the professors at ISU brought these to Lisa last week. It's actually funny, with everything going on we haven't had time to hunt for rocks. We definitely haven't had time to do anything with rocks. But... we still somehow end up with more rocks...
I also have some interesting research going on (as a writer/psychologist I can call just about anything 'research' and be at least partially accurate...)
but for some reason Lisa thinks guns and family reunions might not mix, so I'll save it for another post...
Speaking of writing (you know it had to be here somewhere...)
I'm actually fairly serious about that writing through the reunion thing... I've got an appointment for my book pitch on the 13th so I need to be ready. I also have the first draft I'm setting down to get ready for the pitch, next year's non fiction title, some short stories...
I would also like to point out to our single readers that it is a confirmed phenomenon writers attract members of the opposite sex (It's true, and if I repeat it enough I'll motivate Lisa to get her own new sidearm...). This can be a blessing or a curse... It's a blessing when it gets you something you want (like better service at a restaurant or dates for you single writers out there...) and a curse when you're stuck at a car dealership with an all out chatterbox...
Lisa reports she's got chapter three of her dissertation out for review and is well on her way to
re-reorganizing her committee so progress is being made...
I think that's it for this one...
Until next time...
beware the ninja cows!!!
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Wee'reee Back!!!
Ok, so people may have noticed that we've missed a few posts here on the Adventures of Patrick and Lisa...
Well, May was an interesting month. Chainmail Bottle Carriers officially hit the market on May 4th (Yes, it was supposed to be April but the guys doing the e-book conversion didn't quite get the idea that captions belonged on the same page as the pictures...). After the e-book there was the Mother's Day shooting incident... (both of which were talked about in our last post).
Lots of wordy stuff:
Since then we have invested in a block of ISBN numbers (those weird little numbers you find on books that let you find the exact book and edition you're looking for) and filed paperwork for our own publishing label. So we are now operating as Forever Mountain Publishing! The first release under the Forever Mountain label is also Chainmail Bottle Carriers (the PDF version instead of the e-book (I hold the rights for it and they're considered different editions because they're a different kind of file...)). The PDF is available here. The e-book has much wider distribution thanks to Amazon and other sources.
About the same time the pitch for my next book, a novel called Johnson Farm, was read and critiqued live in a webinar. I have an appointment with some publishing people about the book next month, so I may be announcing a change in publishing plans before too long. In the meantime I'm fairly on track for Johnson Farm to come out in December.
I've also gotten started on the next novel... Started being the key word... I've got the first couple of chapters in but I'm finding this one is more complicated than I expected and I'm giving myself more time to get everything worked out. This is also the book that several nieces and nephews asked if I would work their names into it... I've been working on that... That takes a bit of creativity too.
You can expect bits and pieces about this to show up in both blogs, but that's it for now...
Progress...
Lisa continues to move forward on her dissertation. She wanted to be farther than she is but it's a writing process and it takes time. She is also down to do two conferences this year and may be working on the inside of one of them.
Lisa's also been knitting up a storm and interacting in her knitting community. She's officially hitting the point where she's modifying patterns and confident enough about it that she's actually talking to people about the mods (she can talk more about that later...).
Firepower!
I actually have to tell on one of my good friends just a little bit. I picked up a new .357 snub nosed revolver a couple of weeks ago. This one is not a snap decision it's the end of a process of finding the right piece of equipment for our needs.
Well, a friend of mine (who is a shooter but not experienced with the type of weapon in question) went with me for the first run shooting it (still working on breaking it in...). Initially I don't think he was really impressed. He brought his .40 automatic which holds three times the rounds and has a longer barrel and better sights.
Initially he would have been right. The first 20 rounds or so were .38 specials; fairly mild, but good enough (not as powerful as his .40s). Then, when we switched guns for a round or two, he realized I'm actually a lot better shot than people might think...
Those .38s are a milder load but can do the job if you put them in the right place.
Then I loaded up with the .357s... Naturally I didn't hit anything on the first go with them (have to adapt to the heavier recoil and a little different trajectory), but they definitely got his attention! I mean genuine startle reaction time.
I checked a book when I got home and the .357s I was shooting had about three times the energy of the .38s and one and a half times the energy of his .40s... I may have made a new .357 fan...
Summing up...
So that's about it for now. Some projects are complete. Others are moving forward. And a few new ones are coming on line. We're looking forward to seeing some of the family and sharing some adventures with them.
Hopefully Lisa gets a chance to post next week. In the mean time there are words to be written and projects to be done.
What's this month going to look like?
Maybe...
Thanks to DocJackz for the video. Yes I'm aware that The Doctor doesn't carry a gun and James Bonds is a PPK. I'm not claiming to be entirely like either one...
Thanks for reading see you next week.
Well, May was an interesting month. Chainmail Bottle Carriers officially hit the market on May 4th (Yes, it was supposed to be April but the guys doing the e-book conversion didn't quite get the idea that captions belonged on the same page as the pictures...). After the e-book there was the Mother's Day shooting incident... (both of which were talked about in our last post).
Lots of wordy stuff:
Since then we have invested in a block of ISBN numbers (those weird little numbers you find on books that let you find the exact book and edition you're looking for) and filed paperwork for our own publishing label. So we are now operating as Forever Mountain Publishing! The first release under the Forever Mountain label is also Chainmail Bottle Carriers (the PDF version instead of the e-book (I hold the rights for it and they're considered different editions because they're a different kind of file...)). The PDF is available here. The e-book has much wider distribution thanks to Amazon and other sources.
About the same time the pitch for my next book, a novel called Johnson Farm, was read and critiqued live in a webinar. I have an appointment with some publishing people about the book next month, so I may be announcing a change in publishing plans before too long. In the meantime I'm fairly on track for Johnson Farm to come out in December.
I've also gotten started on the next novel... Started being the key word... I've got the first couple of chapters in but I'm finding this one is more complicated than I expected and I'm giving myself more time to get everything worked out. This is also the book that several nieces and nephews asked if I would work their names into it... I've been working on that... That takes a bit of creativity too.
You can expect bits and pieces about this to show up in both blogs, but that's it for now...
Progress...
Lisa continues to move forward on her dissertation. She wanted to be farther than she is but it's a writing process and it takes time. She is also down to do two conferences this year and may be working on the inside of one of them.
Lisa's also been knitting up a storm and interacting in her knitting community. She's officially hitting the point where she's modifying patterns and confident enough about it that she's actually talking to people about the mods (she can talk more about that later...).
Firepower!
I actually have to tell on one of my good friends just a little bit. I picked up a new .357 snub nosed revolver a couple of weeks ago. This one is not a snap decision it's the end of a process of finding the right piece of equipment for our needs.
Well, a friend of mine (who is a shooter but not experienced with the type of weapon in question) went with me for the first run shooting it (still working on breaking it in...). Initially I don't think he was really impressed. He brought his .40 automatic which holds three times the rounds and has a longer barrel and better sights.
Initially he would have been right. The first 20 rounds or so were .38 specials; fairly mild, but good enough (not as powerful as his .40s). Then, when we switched guns for a round or two, he realized I'm actually a lot better shot than people might think...
Those .38s are a milder load but can do the job if you put them in the right place.
Then I loaded up with the .357s... Naturally I didn't hit anything on the first go with them (have to adapt to the heavier recoil and a little different trajectory), but they definitely got his attention! I mean genuine startle reaction time.
I checked a book when I got home and the .357s I was shooting had about three times the energy of the .38s and one and a half times the energy of his .40s... I may have made a new .357 fan...
Summing up...
So that's about it for now. Some projects are complete. Others are moving forward. And a few new ones are coming on line. We're looking forward to seeing some of the family and sharing some adventures with them.
Hopefully Lisa gets a chance to post next week. In the mean time there are words to be written and projects to be done.
What's this month going to look like?
Maybe...
Thanks to DocJackz for the video. Yes I'm aware that The Doctor doesn't carry a gun and James Bonds is a PPK. I'm not claiming to be entirely like either one...
Thanks for reading see you next week.
Monday, May 9, 2016
There and back again... again!
Last week Lisa told the tale of our trip to California. Normally we love going on trips and find them energizing and relaxing in interesting ways, but not that trip...
There were a lot of things going on and a lot to get done after we got home.
In the last week we officially got my first book of the year out (after having to explain to the publisher that captions actually need to be with the pictures and that the captions didn't have to be repeated more than once). I started writing text for my latest book project (due out in 2017). Lisa got chapter 1 of her dissertation to her advisor....
And then there were the things that weren't writing related. Two Sundays ago (the one before Mothers
Day) Lisa got her new choir director and got the choir to meet for the first time in our new ward (and the stake wants them to sing in stake conference next month...). I had a bunch of clerks office stuff to do including pushing to get my new membership clerk (who knows when that is going to happen...) and explaining to someone who really should have known better that as a clerk I do not in fact have the authority to perform marriages for the dead (talk about a looong story). And a whole series of other adventures better left to another time and place.
Somewhere in all of this I mentioned to Lisa that I didn't think the typical ward Mother's Day thing was going to be very good for either one of us at the moment. Lisa quickly found that with some club points we could get a really good price at a nice hotel in Salt Lake.
And then this happened...
Video courtesy of PandoricaGallifrey ...
In all seriousness we did get away for the weekend, and it really was what we needed. We got the relaxation and stress relief we didn't get on the last trip. Speaking of that stress relief...
I know it's a weird Mother's Day activity but we had a good time "bustin' caps" at a local shooting range. Lisa did pretty good for her first time with a pistol. No, the grouping on my target in the picture ain't the best, but considering it was a range gun not mine and this was my first clip with it... I'm not complaining. They got better after that.
Later in the day we went to a really good Brazilian steak house for a nice dinner.
I actually woke up both nights of the trip with ideas about the new book. So, Lisa kindly ignored a lot of rambling on my part...
So my tip to everyone is... If you really need to get a way for a day or two, find a way to do it once in a while...
It really helps.
Here are a few other lessons learned on this trip
1: Fancy hotel manager types get worried when they see a guy with crazy hair wandering into their hotel restaurant....
2: Those same managers get really embarrassed and defensive on the second day of the trip, when they come up to you in the hotel restaurant; see that you're writing in a notebook; and then read your t-shirt that says "Please don't annoy the writer he may put you in a book and kill you" (Thanks to Lisa's mom, Marisa, and company)... Yeah, the service got a lot better after that...
3: Lisa really prefers revolvers to semi automatics. Revolvers don't throw hot brass at you...
4: There is absolutely no point in me not taking a notebook into a restaurant... I only end up writing on the napkins!
Well, that's it for today...
Until next time...
Remember, your mind is your greatest weapon,
Keep it sharp and loaded!
There were a lot of things going on and a lot to get done after we got home.
In the last week we officially got my first book of the year out (after having to explain to the publisher that captions actually need to be with the pictures and that the captions didn't have to be repeated more than once). I started writing text for my latest book project (due out in 2017). Lisa got chapter 1 of her dissertation to her advisor....
And then there were the things that weren't writing related. Two Sundays ago (the one before Mothers
Day) Lisa got her new choir director and got the choir to meet for the first time in our new ward (and the stake wants them to sing in stake conference next month...). I had a bunch of clerks office stuff to do including pushing to get my new membership clerk (who knows when that is going to happen...) and explaining to someone who really should have known better that as a clerk I do not in fact have the authority to perform marriages for the dead (talk about a looong story). And a whole series of other adventures better left to another time and place.
Somewhere in all of this I mentioned to Lisa that I didn't think the typical ward Mother's Day thing was going to be very good for either one of us at the moment. Lisa quickly found that with some club points we could get a really good price at a nice hotel in Salt Lake.
And then this happened...
Video courtesy of PandoricaGallifrey ...
In all seriousness we did get away for the weekend, and it really was what we needed. We got the relaxation and stress relief we didn't get on the last trip. Speaking of that stress relief...
I know it's a weird Mother's Day activity but we had a good time "bustin' caps" at a local shooting range. Lisa did pretty good for her first time with a pistol. No, the grouping on my target in the picture ain't the best, but considering it was a range gun not mine and this was my first clip with it... I'm not complaining. They got better after that.
Later in the day we went to a really good Brazilian steak house for a nice dinner.
I actually woke up both nights of the trip with ideas about the new book. So, Lisa kindly ignored a lot of rambling on my part...
So my tip to everyone is... If you really need to get a way for a day or two, find a way to do it once in a while...
It really helps.
Here are a few other lessons learned on this trip
1: Fancy hotel manager types get worried when they see a guy with crazy hair wandering into their hotel restaurant....
2: Those same managers get really embarrassed and defensive on the second day of the trip, when they come up to you in the hotel restaurant; see that you're writing in a notebook; and then read your t-shirt that says "Please don't annoy the writer he may put you in a book and kill you" (Thanks to Lisa's mom, Marisa, and company)... Yeah, the service got a lot better after that...
3: Lisa really prefers revolvers to semi automatics. Revolvers don't throw hot brass at you...
4: There is absolutely no point in me not taking a notebook into a restaurant... I only end up writing on the napkins!
Well, that's it for today...
Until next time...
Remember, your mind is your greatest weapon,
Keep it sharp and loaded!
Monday, April 25, 2016
Sidetracks
So many things were happening last week and the week before. By the time we hit Wednesday, before the trip to California...well, I feel sorry for anyone who encountered us. Our plates, minds, and emotions were definitely maxed out.
The trip was to attend Patrick's mom's memorial and a quick visit to my family. My mom is still waiting to start chemo, but I still brought her some hats I made.
The trip began with big fat rain drops all the way down to Nephi. At times the rain was so loud, I couldn't hear Patrick. After a stop over in Mesquite and a nice breakfast buffet we headed across the Nevada-California desert. Baker is the entrance to death valley, and on our first trip back to California we ended up leaving our car there. So, needless to say we have a "Do not stop in Baker" rule.
So we drove through until we reached Barstow to have some lunch before we left I-15 to head towards Bakersfield. After a nice lunch and refilling our sodas we were anxious to finish driving for the day. Our car (or other forces) had other plans. I could not bring myself to call the roadside assistance so Patrick had to do it for me.
While it took almost an hour to get a tow truck to us, the owner of Fast-Trac towing finally came and took us to his shop himself. We had just decided to rent a car and let them fix ours over the weekend when Tony (the owner) comes racing back in from the garage and says "Cancel the rental car! You are leaving here tonight in your own car." While we did not like this little sidetrack on the way down, the down time was rather enjoyable and included a cockatoo that acted like a dog and imitated the cars outside.
After a nice service in Bakersfield and some enjoyable time with the Wilson cousins, we headed to El Segundo. Upon arrival, I discovered that I had left my computer in Bakersfield. Luckily we had exchanged numbers with George and Rich and after much texting confirming that the computer was indeed in Bakersfield, it worked out that Rich and Rob would bring it down as they were flying out of LAX. While, I do have all my dissertation data, research, and writing backed up in the cloud, I was a bit of a mess until I had my computer back. (THANK YOU RICH & ROB!!!!!)
We surprised Patrick with a pre-publishing party for the Chainmail Bottle Carrier book. Just a small group of the El Segundo Laynes, 14 in total. Madi and Wyatt made an awesome banner with fireworks!
Mom and Marisa also made him a new writing shirt. He does have some mayhem planned for several of his upcoming stories, so do be careful.
And as a writer is never truly on vacation, I was able to grab a picture of my favorite writer at work (seeing as I had to wait anyways while those precious thoughts were noted in one of his notebooks).
Until next time, just keep swimming.
The trip was to attend Patrick's mom's memorial and a quick visit to my family. My mom is still waiting to start chemo, but I still brought her some hats I made.
The trip began with big fat rain drops all the way down to Nephi. At times the rain was so loud, I couldn't hear Patrick. After a stop over in Mesquite and a nice breakfast buffet we headed across the Nevada-California desert. Baker is the entrance to death valley, and on our first trip back to California we ended up leaving our car there. So, needless to say we have a "Do not stop in Baker" rule.
So we drove through until we reached Barstow to have some lunch before we left I-15 to head towards Bakersfield. After a nice lunch and refilling our sodas we were anxious to finish driving for the day. Our car (or other forces) had other plans. I could not bring myself to call the roadside assistance so Patrick had to do it for me.
While it took almost an hour to get a tow truck to us, the owner of Fast-Trac towing finally came and took us to his shop himself. We had just decided to rent a car and let them fix ours over the weekend when Tony (the owner) comes racing back in from the garage and says "Cancel the rental car! You are leaving here tonight in your own car." While we did not like this little sidetrack on the way down, the down time was rather enjoyable and included a cockatoo that acted like a dog and imitated the cars outside.
After a nice service in Bakersfield and some enjoyable time with the Wilson cousins, we headed to El Segundo. Upon arrival, I discovered that I had left my computer in Bakersfield. Luckily we had exchanged numbers with George and Rich and after much texting confirming that the computer was indeed in Bakersfield, it worked out that Rich and Rob would bring it down as they were flying out of LAX. While, I do have all my dissertation data, research, and writing backed up in the cloud, I was a bit of a mess until I had my computer back. (THANK YOU RICH & ROB!!!!!)
We surprised Patrick with a pre-publishing party for the Chainmail Bottle Carrier book. Just a small group of the El Segundo Laynes, 14 in total. Madi and Wyatt made an awesome banner with fireworks!
 |
| Congratulations Patrick! |
On our way back everything was going smoothly until we reached Payson. We were both exhausted so we stopped in the Walmart parking lot and searched for hotels. After getting dinner, we wonder if Patrick's blood sugar was low. It was, however a much needed stop.
We did take advantage of the extra time and drove by the new Provo City Center Temple. Having spent time in Provo attending BYU, the transformation was amazing. One day we will go back and do a session there. For this trip we took the time to go to the Mt. Timpanogas temple, adding to our list of temples.
 |
| After a session in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple |
 |
| Writing down thoughts in the Temple parking lot |
And so we returned home after a quick trip, with several unexpected sidetracked moments. The house was still intact, and the frig was quickly replenished.
And, while I have not been pulling my weight in posting, I do think I have a good reason. Although I know that my mere 99 pages of a dissertation in progress do not come close to matching my favorite writer's page numbers. But I think progress is happening - lots of red ink at the moment - just not on the first page :)
 |
| The current state of Lisa's dissertation. |
Monday, April 11, 2016
Two big ones in one joke
"I'm going to hang out here where I'm safe...." The actual words of one of the student workers at Lisa's work...
My only response was to ask him "Given that you're in room with a guy who has a book due out this week; two other writing projects he's working on at the same time, including a murder mystery; has to leave for his mother's memorial service on Thursday; and spends his free time (as if I actually have any!!!) debating whether my cane could best be modified into an axe or a .410 shotgun, how safe can you actually be here?"
Ok, actually covered two of the big ones in one joke (and if you thought I meant something else in the title you have a dirty mind!).
If things go well the chainmail book will be sent for final processing Wednesday and be up on Amazon as an Ebook Friday or Saturday. If things don't go as well I've said it will be out this month so I have two more weeks (but I don't think I'll need them). This last going over had five changes three in captions and two in the text (and the biggest one in the text was changing "one time" to "once". There was honestly so little to fix I was worried I missed something.
I also, at long last, have all five videos up! In the unlikely event someone actually wants to watch all five here's a link.
This book isn't the biggest manuscript I've ever done, but it'll be the first book of the year (with one more planned for fall/winter) and that's not bad for a project that didn't even exist yet at this time last year!
The second one that I won't say much about for now is that I'll be doing family stuff (the non-fun kind) the later half of the week. Those who know know...
Lisa's been a real help in all this and is still fighting her way through her dissertation too. I'll encourage her to give an update and her take on this all next week (or kibitz on this one if she wants to...)
So there it is for the next week or so life around here is...
a mix of this...
and this...
Take care and see you in two (or one if Lisa posts!)
My only response was to ask him "Given that you're in room with a guy who has a book due out this week; two other writing projects he's working on at the same time, including a murder mystery; has to leave for his mother's memorial service on Thursday; and spends his free time (as if I actually have any!!!) debating whether my cane could best be modified into an axe or a .410 shotgun, how safe can you actually be here?"
Ok, actually covered two of the big ones in one joke (and if you thought I meant something else in the title you have a dirty mind!).
If things go well the chainmail book will be sent for final processing Wednesday and be up on Amazon as an Ebook Friday or Saturday. If things don't go as well I've said it will be out this month so I have two more weeks (but I don't think I'll need them). This last going over had five changes three in captions and two in the text (and the biggest one in the text was changing "one time" to "once". There was honestly so little to fix I was worried I missed something.
I also, at long last, have all five videos up! In the unlikely event someone actually wants to watch all five here's a link.
This book isn't the biggest manuscript I've ever done, but it'll be the first book of the year (with one more planned for fall/winter) and that's not bad for a project that didn't even exist yet at this time last year!
The second one that I won't say much about for now is that I'll be doing family stuff (the non-fun kind) the later half of the week. Those who know know...
Lisa's been a real help in all this and is still fighting her way through her dissertation too. I'll encourage her to give an update and her take on this all next week (or kibitz on this one if she wants to...)
So there it is for the next week or so life around here is...
a mix of this...
and this...
Take care and see you in two (or one if Lisa posts!)
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Ends and beginnings...
This post is even later than I thought but there is a lot going on...
First off, Lisa is working hard on her dissertation. She really has a lot on her plate and could use some positive thoughts, prayers and other support. There's a lot with her family too (those who know know and those who don't, it's not my story to tell).
As for me (sir Patrick)...
I'm still working on fallout from the boundary realignment for the ward; I have a book that's about to come out; next month is the month taxes are due; and I'll be going to a memorial for my mom who died in January.
On the bright side... Barbecue sauce!
Since I started the low carb thing it's seemed like barbecue sauce was a thing of the past, but not so! I've been a fan of Carolina style (mustard based) sauce since my mission and I've found a low carb version that I'm working on modifying up.
Here's the basic version:
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 Tbsp Splenda
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp white vinigar
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
It's a good basic version with a bite. I'm working on improved versions including modifications for chicken vs pork vs beef.
There will also be a red barbecue sauce later.
Sorry, no KC sauce (which in the minds of many barbecue people is really just white sugar that's been lobbed in the general direction of catsup anyway...).
I'm within strike range of getting the Chainmail book out. Hopefully it will be out before the memorial for my mom. I've got the information to do final edits at this point and two of the five videos are done.
I've got the pictures, video and audio for two of the remaining three. They just need final cutting together. The last one is one audio track away and that should be done tomorrow...
Speaking of the videos...
Here's number two...
Stay tuned for the other ones... We're going to set things on fire!
I've got a goal of two books out this year and with number one due out next month (and in strike range of it actually happening) and completed drafts for two novels (both in edits), I'm thinking it's going to happen.
As for the novels, one is at a point were I'll start worrying about showing it to people before too long. The other has a few issues that I want to work out before anyone sees it.
Occasionally people want to read a first draft and I won't let them...
With the help of Google Translate Sings here is a simulation of why...
First drafts aren't quite that bad but some days they get close!
That's it for this one folks. Always more to say...
but for arguments over 5.56 vs 300 Blackout, interesting shop projects, the adventures of people who don't actually exist, and the answer to what Lisa's dissertation is really about, talk to me after the book is out...
NO, REALLY... PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ME FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO...
First off, Lisa is working hard on her dissertation. She really has a lot on her plate and could use some positive thoughts, prayers and other support. There's a lot with her family too (those who know know and those who don't, it's not my story to tell).
As for me (sir Patrick)...
I'm still working on fallout from the boundary realignment for the ward; I have a book that's about to come out; next month is the month taxes are due; and I'll be going to a memorial for my mom who died in January.
On the bright side... Barbecue sauce!
Since I started the low carb thing it's seemed like barbecue sauce was a thing of the past, but not so! I've been a fan of Carolina style (mustard based) sauce since my mission and I've found a low carb version that I'm working on modifying up.
Here's the basic version:
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 Tbsp Splenda
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp white vinigar
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
It's a good basic version with a bite. I'm working on improved versions including modifications for chicken vs pork vs beef.
There will also be a red barbecue sauce later.
Sorry, no KC sauce (which in the minds of many barbecue people is really just white sugar that's been lobbed in the general direction of catsup anyway...).
I'm within strike range of getting the Chainmail book out. Hopefully it will be out before the memorial for my mom. I've got the information to do final edits at this point and two of the five videos are done.
I've got the pictures, video and audio for two of the remaining three. They just need final cutting together. The last one is one audio track away and that should be done tomorrow...
Speaking of the videos...
Here's number two...
Stay tuned for the other ones... We're going to set things on fire!
I've got a goal of two books out this year and with number one due out next month (and in strike range of it actually happening) and completed drafts for two novels (both in edits), I'm thinking it's going to happen.
As for the novels, one is at a point were I'll start worrying about showing it to people before too long. The other has a few issues that I want to work out before anyone sees it.
Occasionally people want to read a first draft and I won't let them...
With the help of Google Translate Sings here is a simulation of why...
First drafts aren't quite that bad but some days they get close!
That's it for this one folks. Always more to say...
but for arguments over 5.56 vs 300 Blackout, interesting shop projects, the adventures of people who don't actually exist, and the answer to what Lisa's dissertation is really about, talk to me after the book is out...
NO, REALLY... PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ME FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO...
Monday, March 28, 2016
Post delayed...
Hope everyone had a great Easter.
Today's post will be delayed till tomorrow or Wednesday (probably Wednesday) do to "the forces of nature and the excesses of the enemy" (You know... the enemy... Dissertation advisors...editors... people who can't find their own phone number so they call me...(sadly all real!)).
Take care,
Sir Patrick
Today's post will be delayed till tomorrow or Wednesday (probably Wednesday) do to "the forces of nature and the excesses of the enemy" (You know... the enemy... Dissertation advisors...editors... people who can't find their own phone number so they call me...(sadly all real!)).
Take care,
Sir Patrick
Monday, March 14, 2016
Now whose idea was this again???
Whose idea was this again?
Oh... um... right... mine.
As regular readers of the blog may have noticed I actually missed writing here last week. Sorry about that there's a lot going on. Most of it is exciting and good (assuming we don't go entirely ballistic in the process).
Lisa is still hoping to do her dissertation proposal this semester and doing the conference thing. So she's really busy on good stuff but there's not a lot to write about on her side of the house at the moment.
On my side of the office (literally we share an office...) my Chainmail bottle carriers book is getting closer to publication.
I have all the scripts for the videos in (still entering edits on the last two but I have them ready as soon as the edits are transcribed) and most of the materials ready for them. Now I just need a camera person for the live video portions (No I'm not planning on shooting the video while using my torch (trying not to go to the hospital this year...)).
On the text side of the book I'm getting feedback from testers and working on edits. It won't be April first most likely but still planning on an April release date.
Johnson farm (the novel I talked about last time) is out of my hands at the moment, but that's a good thing. Since I can't actually stop working on stories I'm working on a short story collection that will support a couple of other projects. More will come out on that side as things move along.
Assuming I don't go entirely video crazy (or clobber someone in the ongoing ward change drama) I'm officially putting up our ETSY store this week! There will be two items in our initial offerings...
First off... the Mark Three bottle carriers that I developed after last year's hospital incident. Some of you have seen these close up and they are also featured in the book that's coming out. I'm offering a range of colors, and yes that one on the right is 'camo' I could do it with anodized aluminum making it really camo colored but that would be a more expensive version. I'm also thinking about doing team colors / school colors and so on as things go. "Standard" (premade) models will cost a little less than choosing your own colors or patterns because the 'choose your own' is considered custom (If you really want custom buy the book!).
Second...
This started life as a interim/test model cane chain, which I really liked. I am now starting to make them as jewelry (hoping the black kind of works with some of the goth types). I'm planning on offering the same colors as I do with the MK3s but I'm also going to offer some with glow in the dark rings (don't have any of those made yet...)
No, probably not going to make my fortune with the ETSY store, but I make this stuff for fun so I might as well sell some. And, it's another revenue stream and way to get my name out there (and since it ties in to some of the stuff I'm writing about it counts as a marketing project).
Speaking of the cane...
A couple people have been bugging me about the cane. I was on the verge of giving it up until I remembered a couple of things...
And found this...
I remembered I actually do a lot more with my cane than walk with it (actually I don't need it for walking except for certain sets of really annoying stairs that lack hand rails in the right places...). It's a toy/trademark item for me now so why give that up?
That's it for this time. Hopefully back in two (and if not my publisher promises to send an apology!)
Oh... um... right... mine.
As regular readers of the blog may have noticed I actually missed writing here last week. Sorry about that there's a lot going on. Most of it is exciting and good (assuming we don't go entirely ballistic in the process).
Lisa is still hoping to do her dissertation proposal this semester and doing the conference thing. So she's really busy on good stuff but there's not a lot to write about on her side of the house at the moment.
On my side of the office (literally we share an office...) my Chainmail bottle carriers book is getting closer to publication.
I have all the scripts for the videos in (still entering edits on the last two but I have them ready as soon as the edits are transcribed) and most of the materials ready for them. Now I just need a camera person for the live video portions (No I'm not planning on shooting the video while using my torch (trying not to go to the hospital this year...)).
On the text side of the book I'm getting feedback from testers and working on edits. It won't be April first most likely but still planning on an April release date.
Johnson farm (the novel I talked about last time) is out of my hands at the moment, but that's a good thing. Since I can't actually stop working on stories I'm working on a short story collection that will support a couple of other projects. More will come out on that side as things move along.
Assuming I don't go entirely video crazy (or clobber someone in the ongoing ward change drama) I'm officially putting up our ETSY store this week! There will be two items in our initial offerings...
First off... the Mark Three bottle carriers that I developed after last year's hospital incident. Some of you have seen these close up and they are also featured in the book that's coming out. I'm offering a range of colors, and yes that one on the right is 'camo' I could do it with anodized aluminum making it really camo colored but that would be a more expensive version. I'm also thinking about doing team colors / school colors and so on as things go. "Standard" (premade) models will cost a little less than choosing your own colors or patterns because the 'choose your own' is considered custom (If you really want custom buy the book!).
Second...
This started life as a interim/test model cane chain, which I really liked. I am now starting to make them as jewelry (hoping the black kind of works with some of the goth types). I'm planning on offering the same colors as I do with the MK3s but I'm also going to offer some with glow in the dark rings (don't have any of those made yet...)
No, probably not going to make my fortune with the ETSY store, but I make this stuff for fun so I might as well sell some. And, it's another revenue stream and way to get my name out there (and since it ties in to some of the stuff I'm writing about it counts as a marketing project).
Speaking of the cane...
A couple people have been bugging me about the cane. I was on the verge of giving it up until I remembered a couple of things...
And found this...
I remembered I actually do a lot more with my cane than walk with it (actually I don't need it for walking except for certain sets of really annoying stairs that lack hand rails in the right places...). It's a toy/trademark item for me now so why give that up?
That's it for this time. Hopefully back in two (and if not my publisher promises to send an apology!)
Monday, February 22, 2016
Johnson Farm and Other Oddities
Things are going mildly insane around the Kidder household at the moment...
Lisa's amazing world of nonfiction stuff
Lisa is teaching a QM class (again) and earnestly working on getting the actual worky icky parts of her dissertation done and ready to collect data. It's actually kind of scary having someone I can have a conversation about being published and working on writing with that's on the same page I am...
Lisa is also at a good place in terms of conferences she's got three proposals out with co-author/presenters with words like doctor and assistant dean in their titles. And one to present her dissertation research in the fall (the data should be collected by then...). It will be interesting to see where things go with her conference stuff this year.
Johnson Farm (or... the story gets stranger)
Things have not exactly been quiet on my side of the office either... Last week I finished the final draft of my NANOWRIMO novel Johnson Farm (that is the final draft before I start letting people read it...). This one I finished the pass in about three days (I worked 150 pages last Thursday).
Now, what happens?
Next week (at the beginning of the month) I'm going to be handing copies of the text off to a couple of select readers to be looked over (not Lisa this time, she's got her own stuff and a couple scripts of mine to look over). And this is where things get really exciting...
One of the readers is a young artist here in the area and the first entrant into a little project/competition I'm putting together. The challenge is to read the book and create a piece of cover art for it. I'm actually planning on recruiting a small group of artists to do this with the best (or at least my favorite) three covers being selected as limited edition covers for the first run of the book. I would like to promote the work of young and up and coming artists and giving a few of them a shot at a book cover seems like a good way to do it.
This first cover will be sort of a test case and example for the others I'm hoping to recruit. I'm going with this particular person because she's a local so I can talk with her pretty easily during the process; she's a fast reader; and I like her stuff (Note that there are other artists who fit two or more of those qualifications, unfortunately the ones that read this blog tend not to be local and/or are rather busy and I'd like to have something on hand around the time I'm finished with next months madness with the chainmail book...).
As for the other readers and artist/readers for the first wave... well, I haven't really had time to figure that out. Between editing the book, doing two blogs, the ward boundary realignment and a couple of non fiction projects I've been slightly busy...
Lisa's amazing world of nonfiction stuff
Lisa is teaching a QM class (again) and earnestly working on getting the actual worky icky parts of her dissertation done and ready to collect data. It's actually kind of scary having someone I can have a conversation about being published and working on writing with that's on the same page I am...
Lisa is also at a good place in terms of conferences she's got three proposals out with co-author/presenters with words like doctor and assistant dean in their titles. And one to present her dissertation research in the fall (the data should be collected by then...). It will be interesting to see where things go with her conference stuff this year.
Johnson Farm (or... the story gets stranger)
Things have not exactly been quiet on my side of the office either... Last week I finished the final draft of my NANOWRIMO novel Johnson Farm (that is the final draft before I start letting people read it...). This one I finished the pass in about three days (I worked 150 pages last Thursday).
Now, what happens?
Next week (at the beginning of the month) I'm going to be handing copies of the text off to a couple of select readers to be looked over (not Lisa this time, she's got her own stuff and a couple scripts of mine to look over). And this is where things get really exciting...
One of the readers is a young artist here in the area and the first entrant into a little project/competition I'm putting together. The challenge is to read the book and create a piece of cover art for it. I'm actually planning on recruiting a small group of artists to do this with the best (or at least my favorite) three covers being selected as limited edition covers for the first run of the book. I would like to promote the work of young and up and coming artists and giving a few of them a shot at a book cover seems like a good way to do it.
This first cover will be sort of a test case and example for the others I'm hoping to recruit. I'm going with this particular person because she's a local so I can talk with her pretty easily during the process; she's a fast reader; and I like her stuff (Note that there are other artists who fit two or more of those qualifications, unfortunately the ones that read this blog tend not to be local and/or are rather busy and I'd like to have something on hand around the time I'm finished with next months madness with the chainmail book...).
As for the other readers and artist/readers for the first wave... well, I haven't really had time to figure that out. Between editing the book, doing two blogs, the ward boundary realignment and a couple of non fiction projects I've been slightly busy...
The good news is that the crew I'm putting together is helping and things are coming in almost/semi/sort of on schedule. Though I really need somebody to man the camera for some videos (torch in one hand, camera in the other... not good).
I'm hoping to have Johnson Farm out in the fall and the chainmail bottle carriers book is still on line for April release (but I do need to get those videos done...)
That's the big news for this week.
Until next time...
Don't worry the team is on hand to make sure I don't do anything really drastic (and to guard the soda supply :P
Monday, February 8, 2016
Small Steps and Big Changes
I was supposed to put up a post last week but there was a lot going on and I really didn't have the heart for it at that point...
What do I mean by a lot? Well, in addition to the standard "I'm working on a book," and "Lisa's dissertation..." There's the other book, and the videos, and calling and setting apart a whole new ward council to go with our new ward, and calling and setting apart all the other callings in the ward, and the training class I'm putting together, and Lisa's mom had health issues...
Oh yeah....
And my mom died last Sunday...
I'm not going to talk a lot about that last one right now (I'd rather wait till the memorial service is over and since I have no idea when that's going to be yet...) For now I will say that she will be missed. And, in about a year we can do her temple work...
Beyond that I'm really not going into that one right now.
In happier news my third editing pass on Johnson Farm is going really well. Hopefully at the beginning of next month I can get it out of my hands and start the next phase of my plan for that book. Hopefully it will be coming out in fall 2016 or spring 2017 (no I have not forgotten the novella (Abadon Woods) it is in the working schedule too; it's just that Johnson Farm is getting some traction...)
I am also moving forward with the chainmaille book. I'm on course to pick up editing the book again in March and to put it on the market in April. CBK has another first for me, it's the first book I've done that specifically includes links to video supplements.
Speaking of the video supplements the first one is live today!
The video is teaching a step in one of the projects that's easier to show than write about...
I've got scripts for three others ready to go as soon as I can get a volunteer to run the camera. They need live action and I've learned not to try to film and be the talent in the video!
There is a fourth video in the works (script in edits) and I have a glass project video in production as well. (see, I told you this stuff was coming!!!).
Lisa is working on chapter 2 of her dissertation as well as the actual materials and mechanisms for the data collection. Her adviser is reviewing chapter three. She is also working on conference proposals - a total of 4 (yes it's that time of year again...).
Until next time,
Try to have some fun and take care of each other...
(meanwhile I will be pondering fun terms like "search engine optimization" and "funeral urn")
What do I mean by a lot? Well, in addition to the standard "I'm working on a book," and "Lisa's dissertation..." There's the other book, and the videos, and calling and setting apart a whole new ward council to go with our new ward, and calling and setting apart all the other callings in the ward, and the training class I'm putting together, and Lisa's mom had health issues...
Oh yeah....
And my mom died last Sunday...
I'm not going to talk a lot about that last one right now (I'd rather wait till the memorial service is over and since I have no idea when that's going to be yet...) For now I will say that she will be missed. And, in about a year we can do her temple work...
Beyond that I'm really not going into that one right now.
In happier news my third editing pass on Johnson Farm is going really well. Hopefully at the beginning of next month I can get it out of my hands and start the next phase of my plan for that book. Hopefully it will be coming out in fall 2016 or spring 2017 (no I have not forgotten the novella (Abadon Woods) it is in the working schedule too; it's just that Johnson Farm is getting some traction...)
I am also moving forward with the chainmaille book. I'm on course to pick up editing the book again in March and to put it on the market in April. CBK has another first for me, it's the first book I've done that specifically includes links to video supplements.
Speaking of the video supplements the first one is live today!
The video is teaching a step in one of the projects that's easier to show than write about...
I've got scripts for three others ready to go as soon as I can get a volunteer to run the camera. They need live action and I've learned not to try to film and be the talent in the video!
There is a fourth video in the works (script in edits) and I have a glass project video in production as well. (see, I told you this stuff was coming!!!).
Lisa is working on chapter 2 of her dissertation as well as the actual materials and mechanisms for the data collection. Her adviser is reviewing chapter three. She is also working on conference proposals - a total of 4 (yes it's that time of year again...).
Until next time,
Try to have some fun and take care of each other...
(meanwhile I will be pondering fun terms like "search engine optimization" and "funeral urn")
Monday, January 18, 2016
Something I've learned
OK gang, today's post is a little bit different. Specifically the main point of the post isn't here!
Actually it's here, on Wordsmeanstuff. Yes, the main point of today's post is on my other blog (not really planing on writing it twice!)
This is something from an actual event in the process of changing ward boundaries... which by the way is a pain in the (explicitve deleted).
In other news Lisa is hoping to propose her dissertation and gather the data this semester. Over on his side of the house Patrick has finished the first major editing pass for the novel Johnson Farm which, in spite of heavy pruning of words, has managed to gain 10 pages and about a thousand words in the process. There is also something about entering a national short story contest, but I'll get back to the fiction stuff in two weeks, or when I'm $3,000 richer which ever comes first.
That's it for this week.
Until next time remember,
no idea is a complete failure...
it can always be used as a bad example!
Actually it's here, on Wordsmeanstuff. Yes, the main point of today's post is on my other blog (not really planing on writing it twice!)
This is something from an actual event in the process of changing ward boundaries... which by the way is a pain in the (explicitve deleted).
In other news Lisa is hoping to propose her dissertation and gather the data this semester. Over on his side of the house Patrick has finished the first major editing pass for the novel Johnson Farm which, in spite of heavy pruning of words, has managed to gain 10 pages and about a thousand words in the process. There is also something about entering a national short story contest, but I'll get back to the fiction stuff in two weeks, or when I'm $3,000 richer which ever comes first.
That's it for this week.
Until next time remember,
no idea is a complete failure...
it can always be used as a bad example!
Monday, January 4, 2016
Let's hope this year is calmer than... ok... maybe not!
Well, Christmas went well around the Kidder household, and relatively calmly since it was just the two of us. Significantly we made it through our first post diabetes diagnosis Christmas without too much trouble over the yummy food (though Lisa is basically having to finish a box of See's candy by herself...).
And then the new year started, and was pretty calm until about 10:00 AM on January first!
Also in March I will be doing final edits for my chainmaille book that's do to be published in April... I am also cranking away on the videos, but not as fast as I would like... Still I have one that should be up on the YouTube channel in a couple of weeks at the latest.
Since Lisa's dissertation has a lot to do with her work she's been doing less writing and more 'thinky stuff' over the break. Note: you don't really understand the value or real nature of 'thinky stuff' until you've done serious writing (and a fair amount of it). But she's moving forward again. She has also been doing A LOT of knitting. Don't worry no sheep were actually harmed in her efforts but a few really resent the bad haircuts ;-)
I say officially because, lets face it, I've been a ward clerk for the better part of the last 15 years and a data analysis guy for longer than that... If I can't put together a thing or two by myself then there is a problem...
The first hint was at the beginning of December when they announced that all the wards were to have all the end of quarter and end of year stuff done by January 3rd... (we usually have at least until the 15th for a lot of it...
So to quote Apocalypse Now..."I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one." This is quite probably the only process I've never had to deal with as a clerk. This is happening fast and I'm fairly close to the center of it.
Yes, the bishop has more responsibility. But, I'm the one that gets to make sure that all the records, data, ordinances/ordinations/callings, and related stuff get moved; happen; get recorded; or whatever else is necessary (and that it's all done by the book...). On the bright side, I'm sure that I won't get stuck with a calling I don't want in the next few months; and at least I'm not the executive secretary ("I have two phones and neither one will stop ringing!!!").
That's about it for this one...
Till next time...
This just seems like the thought to end on...
And then the new year started, and was pretty calm until about 10:00 AM on January first!
Words 'n junk...
This month I'm editing that novel Johnson Farm that I started as a NANOWRIMO project in November and I started on the first. So far the revisions are pretty good! There is one three line change and a couple of paragraph re-formats but those are the biggest items in the first 50 pages. I'm moving at about double the pace I was writing at, so the first editing pass should be done in about two weeks. The goal is to have the book ready for people to read by the end of February. Then in March I have special plans for the book that I will be officially announcing in a couple of weeks (if the events of this month haven't killed me by then...)Also in March I will be doing final edits for my chainmaille book that's do to be published in April... I am also cranking away on the videos, but not as fast as I would like... Still I have one that should be up on the YouTube channel in a couple of weeks at the latest.
Since Lisa's dissertation has a lot to do with her work she's been doing less writing and more 'thinky stuff' over the break. Note: you don't really understand the value or real nature of 'thinky stuff' until you've done serious writing (and a fair amount of it). But she's moving forward again. She has also been doing A LOT of knitting. Don't worry no sheep were actually harmed in her efforts but a few really resent the bad haircuts ;-)
The rest of the story...
That gets us up to January 3rd which was supposed to be a 'day of rest'. Well for Lisa it was, she was home sick... For me it was the day that they informed the members of the stake that all the ward boundaries are being redrawn... There's more to it, but I officially don't know about anything else until the official meeting next week...I say officially because, lets face it, I've been a ward clerk for the better part of the last 15 years and a data analysis guy for longer than that... If I can't put together a thing or two by myself then there is a problem...
The first hint was at the beginning of December when they announced that all the wards were to have all the end of quarter and end of year stuff done by January 3rd... (we usually have at least until the 15th for a lot of it...
So to quote Apocalypse Now..."I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one." This is quite probably the only process I've never had to deal with as a clerk. This is happening fast and I'm fairly close to the center of it.
Yes, the bishop has more responsibility. But, I'm the one that gets to make sure that all the records, data, ordinances/ordinations/callings, and related stuff get moved; happen; get recorded; or whatever else is necessary (and that it's all done by the book...). On the bright side, I'm sure that I won't get stuck with a calling I don't want in the next few months; and at least I'm not the executive secretary ("I have two phones and neither one will stop ringing!!!").
That's about it for this one...
Till next time...
This just seems like the thought to end on...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)