What the Junk?!

No Starbucks, but there was NaNoWriMo!

I loaded up my messenger bag tonight with my laptop, letters, and stuff I needed for tonight's NaNoWriMo virtual write-in.  I drove to Starbucks and guess what?  There was nowhere to sit! :(  I didn't even go in.  I was able to pull in to a parking spot at the front and I could see in.  They were full, so I backed out and drove home!  I could have ridden around a bit and hoped it cleared out, but it was drizzly and gross outside so I just went home.    It is so frustrating with the seating situation there!  They really need more tables.  

I came home and felt sorry for myself for a while.  I was also feeling sick on my stomach and my nerves were shot.  It was nasty out and it wasn't fun to drive over there in that mess.  I got everything set up and attended the virtual write-in for the NaNoWriMos in my area.  I'm part of the Virginia 'elsewhere'.  It's for those of us who don't have a liaison or a place to meet up for live write-ins close by.  This, to me, is actually better. I'm a total introvert.  Virtual write-ins are much easier!

I'm now over 35,000 words! I had about 450 less than 35,000 after the write-in, so I sat down and wrote some more.  Now I'm over the 35,000 mark. Yay!  I am sorry I didn't post last night.  I never got around to it.  I went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon and got a few things I needed.  I was thinking that Thanksgiving was THIS week, but it's not until next week!  I wanted to get the stuff to make a hash brown casserole as my thanksgiving feast.  I was able to get the supplies for two. I'm glad I did since I would have had to wait until next week for my Thanksgiving one.  I made one last night and I have been eating on it ever since. So delicious! It's my absolute favorite comfort food that I make at home. I haven't made any in a looooong time.  I'm so glad I decided to make some.  I am wishing I had more right now. :P

Starbucks, yes!

I got my Starbucks today!  My friend called and wanted me to go with her to Target.  I did not want to do this because when she shops, it is almost impossible to get her out of a store.  Today was no different! lol, I did get a few of the holiday Starbucks cards at the Starbucks in Target though!  After we left Target, we went to Starbucks. :D  I finally got my cascara latte.  It was delicious as always.  I am going to enjoy them until I can't get them anymore.

I went back to their house and stayed awhile.  I ran book ideas over with my friend's husband and son.  I headed home and got the MacBook Pro out and ready to write.  I wrote a lot more than 67 words today!  I wrote 2500 words. Whoo-hoo!  I am now over 30,000 words written.  I am on the down stretch now so that I great.  I have to decide where to go from here.  I think I'm going to add more to the beginning and then go back to the point I'm at.  With Scrivener, it will be extremely easy to do!  Have I mentioned that love, Scrivener? :p

By the way, here are the Starbucks cards I picked up.  I took this picture of them so I'd know which ones I have.

Starbucks denied!

I had to run to Dollar Tree to pick up a few things I needed and decided while I was out, I would get some Starbucks and bring it home with me.  I hadn't written for NaNo yet today and I thought it would be good writing fuel.  I go over, get in line, and am the only one.  Yay!  I ask if they still have cascara because they are about to be out of it.  They DO have it. Yippee!  I order my usual.  A cascara latte.  Then, the dreaded words come.  We can't make hot drinks, the machine is not working correctly. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It can be made over ice! The helpful barista suggests to me. I do not like iced coffee so I had to turn her down. lol . I was nice about it and she was nice, so it was all good, but I didn't get my latte. :(   Oh well!  I came home after that.  I opened up Scrivener to start my NaNo but so far I only wrote 67 words. LOL!  I might write some more in a little bit.  I'm a good deal ahead, so I very small word count day is not going to hurt much.

I went to Goodwill this afternoon and found two pair of jeans that I liked.  They both fit and I had to figure out which pair I wanted.  I got one and told my friend that takes me out to eat about them.  I had mentioned before that I desperately needed some pants for winter but I hadn't had a chance to go look for any.  He offered to buy me the other pair. Yay!  He came and got me and we went over there and I was able to go right to the pair I'd tried and grabbed them.  I also found a cute little stuff RCA dog Nipper.  :)

Oh, earlier when I went, I saw a nice padded laptop sleeve for $2 so I bought it. When I got home, I realized that it was brand new. Score!  It's bigger than my MBP but it will still work for it.  I can also use it for some of my Linux laptops if I want to carry them anywhere.  I found a little set of cute stationery for .59 while in there too.  

On my second trip to Goodwill with my friend, I only got the second pair of jeans and the little Nipper plush.  Afterward, we went to a local place we'd heard about but never tried.  We tried it and it was great!  The cheeseburger and fries were cooked to order and they were both delicious!  A definite spot to add to our list of places to eat. :)

Thursday post

I didn't have a title for today's post, so Thursday post it is! :p  I am on my last win laptop that is now a Linux laptop.  I got on it tonight to check out of a few things and it was so slow and wouldn't do anything.  That decided it for me.  Peppermint Linux is now on this laptop.  Now I have Linux and Mac and I am sticking with those two!

I got my NaNoWriMo writing done this afternoon.  I am getting a good output every day!  I am now a bit over 28,000 words! More than halfway there.  I have to decide now what to do.  My MC is still out making her way back home.  She is almost there, but she had a bit of a setback and had to go a different way to be safe.  I can't decide if I want to get her back to the safe compound soon or not.  The title is "The Long Road Home" so I think more than half of the book should be that.  I could go back and add more to the beginning before she went out.  I could also have her need time to adjust after getting back so the title would work two ways.  I am still up in the air and not sure how I want it to go.  She is really close to the compound where she lives but had to detour from the main road to the fields and woods.  Maybe she'll get lost?  I have to work it out in my mind what to do next.  

I haven't done a lot today except stay in my room.  It's cold!  I didn't even go out in my car today.  I hope it warms up a little soon so I can go out.  I have no pants! LOL  I'm not sure where any of my jeans are and I don't even know if any of them would fit if I found them. I meant to get to Goodwill and buy a few pairs of pants before the cold hit, but I didn't.  When we had those days of 60's weather, it was so nice.  Hopefully I can get to Goodwill and try on some pants or jeans soon.  I can't run around in my capris or shorts when it's 20 out!

Peppermint Linux and NaNoWriMo

I have heard a lot of great things about Peppermint Linux.  I wanted to give it a try, so I put it on one of my old Win laptops.  I really like it! It's fast and it works well.  I did that last night and played with it after installing it.  I'm tempted to install it on my 'newest' Win laptops.  I only use it to make bootable disks for my Linux computers, so... I don't like Windows and I don't really use it for anything.  I might just put Peppermint on it.  I tried to put it on the smallest and oldest of my Win laptops, but it wouldn't recognize the usb flash drive.  Then, when I went to try again last night, that particular laptop wouldn't boot.  Boo!  It might now have worked in any case.  It works fine on this other laptop I had.  I really like Linux and I'm loving Peppermint.  I've always used Linux Mint in the past.  This is as good as that but better.  I really like it.

As for NaNoWriMo, I am now over 25,000 words!  I reached that today.  So glad to make it to 25,000!  I am not over halfway there!  My character is still out and on her own, but she has found a friend in a black cat she named Kiki. :)

Snow?

Yes, snow! It snowed here today.  There wasn't a lot and it didn't last very long, but it snowed.  Considering it was in the 60's yesterday and almost up to 70, that was nuts!  It's 36˚ right now with a 'feels like' 27˚!  I had thought about going to Starbucks today but then I saw the temperature outside and changed my mind. LOL!  I've only left the house two times today.  Once to get in the little weekly free paper that sometimes has coupons in it and once to get the mail.  Other than that, I've been in the house staying warm! The sky has cleared off and it's a beautiful shade of pink.  I can see it through my window where I'm sitting typing this up.  Last night when I was sitting here, I kept seeing a light and looked and realized it was the moon peeping in at me!  It was full and pretty.

I got my NaNoWriMo writing done not long before I sat down to type this up. I got another 2000 words today. I am only 703 words from 25,000! I am almost halfway there and it's only the 12th!  My MC has been on the road trying to get home for most of it.  It's been pretty easy on her even with the threat of zoms.  I'm about to shake it up and give her some problems.  I shouldn't say it's been easy on her.  She has had a hard time, but she has been safe all along.  I'm working on throwing a wrench in that and making her travels more difficult.  I just need to get to that point.  I got so much done today and thought about doing the extra words to get to 25,000 but then decided I'd done enough for today and I could pick up tomorrow.  Plus, I haven't fully formed what is going to befall her.  I have a few ideas, but I need to figure out which will work the best.  Hopefully, I can get an idea and be ready to go with it tomorrow!

Wowee!

I just left a virtual write-in for NaNoWriMo and it was such fun!  I got 2111 more words done during the event.  Whee!  That was fun.  I did these for the first time last year during NaNo and I enjoyed it so much, I did it again this year.  I forgot to check-in for last week's, so I'm glad I made it to this one.  I almost missed this one too! How?  I thought it was from 9 pm-10 pm.  It was from 8 pm - 9 pm. I'm glad I checked beforehand. I wish I had realized it earlier in the day because I would have gone to Starbucks. I didn't go because I was thinking it was 9-10 and they close at 9:30. D'oh! If the write-in is from 8-9 next week, I might just go to Starbucks! :) I never got to Starbucks to write last year. I went a few times the year before that.

I am so hungry!  I am going to fix myself something delicious as soon as I post this. As of right now, I have no idea what the delicious thing I'm going to make is! lol . It's been one of those days.  I just checked the weather and it's 54˚.  I'm so tempted to go get some food! I really need to wash dishes and I don't want to do those tonight. :P

Oh boy!

Sorry about not posting yesterday.  I planned to, but you know how that goes! lol  I didn't do much of anything yesterday except lay around and try to keep warm.  I finally broke down and dragged my heater out and turned it on!  Of course today, I got back into the 60's.  That was nice because I had a few errands I needed to run and it was much nicer doing them in the warmer temperatures!  I got the things done I needed and then headed back.  I got an order today from Amazon!  It just feels so weird to get a package on Sunday. I ordered a few things for my TN. A three-pack of inserts and a shitajiki. That is a pencil board if you didn't know!  You put it behind the paper you are writing on to give you a smooth surface and so the impression of the pen doesn't come through. It also has a grid pattern on it and it's easy to see through the paper to draw lines and such.  

I kept putting off today's NaNo writing session. I finally sat down this evening and I made it to 20,000 words!  I had under that and then realized that I only needed about 800 to make it to 20,000 so I kept writing!  

NaNoWriMo and Starbucks

Unfortunately not at the same time!I had an interesting afternoon.   I had to run an errand and I needed to mail something while out.  I went to the post office that is near Starbucks and my gas light came on.  I went to the gas station that is near Starbucks and pulled up to a pump. I get out and try to run my card and nothing is happening.  I then see that the pump is temporarily out of order.  I leave there and go to another place.  I knew they were closing soon for renovations, but they were open yesterday.  They weren't today! They had a fence all the way around the lot. I then went to another gas station that was near Starbucks in the other direction but they were packed.  Every pump was in use and there was a line. Phooey on that!  I remembered a little station that was just up the road a little and went to it.  There was construction on the road going up there, but the station was open.  I was able to get gas. Yay!

By that time, I was irritated and frustrated.  I almost skipped Starbucks. I thought they might still have some of the cups from yesterday leftover. I didn't really think they would, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.  They didn't, they ran out yesterday, but at least I got a delicious cascara latte.  Sadly, the barista said that they are almost out of cascara syrup and they aren't going to get any more.  Boo!  I brought my latte home and sat down at my computer.

I got my NaNoWriMo done today before leaving the house on this wild odyssey.  I got a good portion done today and I'm now over 15,000 words! Yay! By the way, I got my first holiday cup of the season!

My package finally arrived!

I was a bit wary about it.  I figured something else would happen.  I was sitting at my desk with the window open(blinds not the window) while doing my writing for NaNo today.  I saw the mail person drive up the street and stop across from me and deliver their mail.  She then went on up the street.  She pulled down the street and pulled up in front of my house.  I went to look and sure enough, I got my package. She laid it at the edge of the porch in full site of anyone going by. ~_~; I'm glad I was here to get it.  I don't understand why anyone would do that.  At least come up on the porch.  I have places where you can hide a package.  I guess I should be happy to get it!  It was a 'TN starter kit" . I needed a new plastic zipper pocket for my new TN because the pocket I had was broken.  The zipper part didn't stay closed anymore.  I looked for one on Amazon and found this one in a set.  It was the clear zipper pocket, a nice kraft pocket, a pen loop, two extra connector bands, and a nice binder clip.  It's a nice set and it was a good deal.  It was only a few dollars more than the clear pocket by itself.  I can use the kraft pocket too and already have! It's in my TN.  Very nice deal.  

I got my writing done this afternoon and it was pretty good.  I am now a bit over 13,000 words.  Last night, I treated myself to my pizza!  It wasn't the one I usually get, but it was pretty good.  I looked for deals and saw that Dominos had a large pizza for $7.99.  I ordered that and went and picked it up.  I really shouldn't have as I'm so low on funds, but it's been a tradition and I didn't want to stop!  I have three slices left for tonight.  It was really thin.  It wasn't as good as the ones I usually get, but it was tasty, so that is okay.

Today, my friend texted me and said we'd go eat.  I said, whoo hoo! lol. He came and picked me up and I had no idea where we were going. I just knew it would be hilarious if we went and got pizza.  We didn't.  We went to Ham's.  I haven't been in a long time, so that was nice.  The only bad thing is they don't have my favorite sandwich anymore! BOOOO!  They had this sandwich called the "Big Island chicken sandwich."  It was delicious.  They don't have it on the menu anymore.  PHOOEY!  I got a bacon cheeseburger in its place.  It was a good burger, but I really wanted the other sandwich.  Oh well!

After that, he had a few errands to run so I rode with him.  He stopped and got himself a milkshake and then carried me to McDonald's and bought me a frappe.  Yum!  He offered to take me to Starbucks, but I didn't want to get out and go in.  It was raining and messy.  Plus, I'm sure they were busy as all the holiday stuff hit today and they had that promo for a free cup with purchase.  Last year they sold out very quickly and it turned into a big mess. I didn't even try last year, so I didn't bother this year either!