And That's the Way It Goes...

So yesterday I get an email...an unexpected email.  Several months ago I was informed that a short story I had written was accepted for publication in an anthology about the Midlands of South Carolina called A Sense of the Midlands.  I was thrilled!  Then the email.  The email that informed me that the story cannot be published because the publisher does not have the rights to reference Cocky or Williams Brice Stadium.  For those who don't know, Cocky is the mascot of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Williams Brice Stadium is where the Gamecocks play.  I won't lie if I said that this didn't take the wind out of my sails a bit but now that I have had a day to reflect, I am still happy actually.  I mean, I'm not happy about not being published, but I am happy that I was selected in the first place.  It means I have at least some smidgen of talent, doesn't it?

Well must carry on.  I am working on my novel...I guess I have to be careful about what I reference.  That's not something that has ever occurred to me, that certain icons cannot be referenced.  It probably wouldn't matter if the story is freely distributed but for "for-profit" initiatives I suppose I can understand the desire to protect ones copyright (and if not, get a piece of the "pie").  I am now aware of this and will construct future stories accordingly.  My story A Meeting on the River will probably never get published because I have no intentions of changing it, and that's fine with me.

Long Time No Update!

My current novel word count for Nanowrimo:
Novel Word Count: 35,643

 My progress thus far...13,357 words from goal with one week left!  I can do it!  Just because I haven't been updating doesn't mean I haven't been busy.  I've even gotten a bit of crocheting and knitting done as well. 

So I came across the Amigurumi Ninja Challenge in a post in the Nappturality.com forums.  So the gist of it is to crochet your own ninja using her pattern that the creator so graciously provided for free until November 30th.  I had been eyeing it for awhile.  Then you are to take an original photo...what I entered was a bit more inventive than this photo.  Then you submit it and she adds it to her Facebook page.  The ninja with the most likes wins some awesome prizes!

Deadline is tonight!  Readers help me out here.  Like my ninjas!

My son always calls the cars with the paint that changes color in the light Maseroya colored.  Since the yarn I used replicated that it seemed to be the perfect name for the ninjas.  I even gave them a story.

Maseroya Ninjas

Siya and Oba, the most advanced of the Maseroya Ninjas, have been tasked with protecting the sacred altar of the great Maseroya master, Mazarine Blue.  The altar holds the secret to their great powers of stealth and mastery of the Ninja arts.  They have hidden it in a secret realm between the spiritual plane and reality.

I simply couldn't pass up a great crochet challenge.  I knit a dog sweater for my coworker's dog.  I've only seen a picture of it...it's a miniature of some type she affectionately calls the "so-ugly-it's-cute" mutt.  I did it in bulky yarn so it worked up in just an evening with minimal sewing (my favorite!).  I'll post a picture if it fits the mutt.

Anywho, on the fitness tip, I have some great news!  On October 25th, I had 17.5 pounds to go to reach my goal.  Now I have 15 pounds to go!  Yep.  Eight weeks in with 20 pounds to lose originally, I've lost 5 pounds!  Slow and steady wins the race.  I've been gushing about this all day.  I'm sure my kids are ready to rip their own ears off.  It just felt so good to see that scale say 160.4.  I haven't stuck to the November challenge as well as I should but it doesn't seem to be affecting my progress at all.  I lost another inch off my abs for a total of two inches lost and one inch off my hips.  I don't really care about the other measurements as much.  My clothes fit better and I feel much better than I used to.  Yay for progress!

What's Going On?

Halloween was awesome!  Sorry no pictures...we went store diving.  Many of the stores in the area like Publix even Marshall's had Halloween crawls.  Then we ran out of gas!  Yes, in the middle of a busy thoroughfare the car sputtered and died roughly a mile or so away from the nearest gas station.  It had been rainy but the rain gods had smiled upon my husband and he made the trek rainfree and dry.  I put on the flashers, told the kids to be quiet more than a few times and got cramps in my fingers from crossing them after near hits from the drivers attempting to turn into the businesses (mostly restaurants) in which our van was conveniently blocking.  Now how about when my hubby was just crossing the street with the gas can a cop car finally pulls up behind us?  Nice timing, LPD!  Nearly thirty minutes of constant swaying between speeding cars and you finally decide to come and make sure no one hits us!  Our gas hand had been going up and down all week confusing us as to how much gas we had in the car.  Now we have a pretty good idea...hubby's gotta get the floater fixed.

Well, after that debacle we went back to our neighborhood, my husband entirely too pooped to contemplate any more store diving.  We gave out candy.  My kids enjoy this because they get to jibber jabber with all of their friends, give out candy and wear their costumes.  No complaints about not doing the "real thing" because they were having just too good of a time.  Thank goodness.

Fitness-wise...I pulled or sprained something in my right oblique/lat area this morning.  My husband wanted to rest more so he didn't go with me leaving me to my own devices.  Well, I'm extremely motivated and really pushed myself.  Apparently too much, as it were.  I did go to town with the side bends and I even added the captain's chair as my core is getting much stronger!  I didn't feel pain until I got on the row machine.  I made it through my reps but did feel pain.  I took a longish break and went on to the tricep machine (you sit and pull the handles up to work the triceps).  I didn't make it too far on that.  My side hurt entirely too much.  So then I went and cooled down on the elliptical. 

It wasn't until I got to work that I realized I might have an issue.  My side ached to the point of pain.  After an hour I got a bit more concerned.  Around 11 I was really concerned because the pain turned into a burn prompting a call to my husband.

"Sounds like you might have a minor pull.  Did you do proper form?"  I grumbled about him not coming with me to make sure I did things right but he didn't want to hear that.  He berated me for not paying more attention to my body and not trying to cram everything in.  Well maybe I did try to cram everything in to the point I cannot identify what exactly caused me to pull it.  It hurts.  Aleve be damned and the pain relieving wrap be damned!  I am in a great deal of pain still so obviously I did something that is going to prevent me from working out.

I went by the local school district office to view my daughter's artwork there.   She had been bugging me all week to remember and today was the last day.  So after the gym I went over there (grumbling about the traffic all the way). 

My budding young artist and her watercolor Charleston-style house!  She doesn't like the picture but she guesses "it will do" (her words).  She's been in the state fair and the local art museum also.

I'm knitting hats!  I got some books from the library and I am presently making a beanie from Chic Knits for Young Chicks.  Updates to come!  I need to get something done for Nanowrimo...I haven't written a word on my novel yet.