Life of Pol

(I'm doing this entry on my iPad, so I'm not able to add a picture.  Just imagine a cool shot of Colorado, please. ) As most of you know, our big goal is to get the hell out of Austin and up to the mountains of Colorado. Obviously we have to wait a couple of years until I retire with the City of Austin, The other day I got some good news: That goal got 6/7 months closer. I will be able to buy my sick time and move my date up! Nice! So by roughly September of 2014 I will be retiring! It seems weird to say those words. People tell me, "You can't retire, you're too young." The hell, I can't! You're never too young to retire, if you're able.  It's my reward for sticking with a job I didn't like most of the time for 23 years! Some also ask, "What are you going to do? You'll get bored." The hell I will! They forget: I'm a writer. I actually never thought I would retire with the City, because I always thought my caree...

I'm finding myself at a crossroads. Maybe not so much at a crossroad as much as I'm struggling with myself. I have so much writing to do.  So many stories that need to be told. But as I push myself and push myself to write during every possible free opportunity, I'm finding that I'm burning myself out. Even though, three weeks ago, I took a week off from writing, I still feel a bit overwhelmed. I went from Luthor to The Rise of the Son into Inanimate Objects (coming in January) and straight into my current work in progress. So yesterday I decided I would ease up and start a new wood burning, that way I can let my brain rest and get back into the swing if things. But my problem is, I'm not all that into the burning I'm working on because all I can think about is writing. They say a true writer NEEDS to write, and in a case like this, I see the truth in those words. But I will still try to take today off (even though I'm sitting on the couch writing in my ...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I don't know why.  I'm not a very big eater.  And it's not like I enjoy cooking.  There's just something about it that I love.  Perhaps it's one of the things I'm most thankful for that makes it great: my husband, Steve. I thank God every day that He gave Steve to me.  Yes, I thank God, because it was God Who brought Steve into my life more than twenty years ago.  And it's God Who keeps him there, too. Steve makes Thanksgiving so special.  For years Steve and I have spent the majority of our Thanksgivings alone, just the two of us.  We get dressed up, and cook all day, and usually go see a movie or something.  Doesn't sound like much, but for us, it's special and fun.  And each year it simply gets better. I am thankful for many things in my life.  I'm thankful we're both healthy and happy.  I'm thankful we're both employed.  I'm thankful we...

Well it's snowing in Colorado today.  I always find it extremely hard to fight the green-eyed monster of jealousy during this time.  As many of you know, it is mine and Steve's goal to live in Colorado as soon as possible. I was hoping to be able to buy out my last year of retirement with the City, and get there by 2014, but as reality is setting in, I am seeing that just may be an impossibility.  But I will do what I can to cut off as many months as possible. So, until I can retire and we are able to move to our dream land, I will push on.  I am still doing what I can to market Luthor .  I have been pushing Blue Moon , too, as well as The Rise of the Son .  I have also recently gotten all of the Johnny & Joey adventures on eBooks-  The Magic Elevator , Back to the Elevator , Return to Animal Land , and the Button That Should Never, Ever, Ever Be Pushed . I have completed Inanimate Objects, and it is going through a few reading ...

I guess I should count myself lucky, since (knock wood) I normally don't get sick throughout the year.  But when I do feel under the weather, there's usually one suspect: allergies. In Austin, you can spend weeks trying to find one person who is not effected by either grass, cedar, or pigweed (I don't even know what that is) spores.  The one that gets me the worst is mold.  It usually hits . . . well, there's no certain time when it usually hits, that's the fun part. If it rains for days on end (which hardly happens in this lovely state), the mold count rises.  And if it doesn't rain for a while and is just hot as hell (which is pretty much the norm), the mold count rises. Well, last Friday it began.  Slowly at first, and relatively controllable.  Steve and I were on vacation, and after we would spend the day doing whatever we had planned, 3 o'clock would roll around and the headache would begin.  Then I would hide inside and nurse my...

Aaaaaah! Patience is just not my thing! Been trying to learn Paint Shop Pro X5 the past week and I know nothing more than when I started a week ago! Yes, I've watched the tutorials and I've read the help guide (which wasn't very helpful, thank you).  But the problem with all the tutorials I've watched is that they aren't very good teaching tools.  They click this and click that, and magically make what they want to achieve happen, as if it's the easiest thing in the world. But then I try to click this and click that and nothing happens.  Well, something happens, but it's not what's supposed to happen.  Perhaps I'm just too old to try and learn something new.  Perhaps I will forever be dependent on graphic artists to help with covers and marketing materials.  You see, that was my whole goal: to NOT be that dependent on them.  But, I will continue to try the program and see what I can or can not learn. Wish me luck. Don't forget ...