Once again I’m blessed to be checking in from Gayla’s. It’s strange to be here without having school assignments due. On the other hand, I can only blame myself for having offered to keep checking in with the office while I’m here… It’s oddly guilt-inducing for me to take a vacation two weeks after starting … Far, Far Away

Even though I planned ahead, last Sunday night didn’t result in nearly enough sleep to kick off my long week: Santino was determined to remind me he was In The House… ending at 1AM and starting up again at 5AM. So I started my new job with four hours of sleep, then ran off to the … Asking for Company

Tomorrow my new adventure begins. Naturally, that means this past week was spent in the whirl of emotions of saying godspeed to trusted and admired colleagues–while my stomach kept yelling “what have you done?!” It turns out, I’ve never before turned in a letter of resignation, and I had the unanticipated, subconscious self-judgment that I … The Value of Six Letters

It’s been a thrilling week for me: I was offered the opportunity to take the next step in my project management career by becoming a portfolio manager. Of course, this kind of big change brings up a host of emotions–not the least of which is sadness at no longer working with the excellent crew of … Something Bigger, Better, More

Between unanticipated family and work drama… I haven’t had much more energy than dragging myself through the week this week. Interspersed with finding fictional distractions. I’d never heard of Issa Rae before I read a New York Times interview with her Wednesday, but then I binge-watched all of season 1. Having more than a passing … Knocked Over

It’s been another doggie death in the family week. Freya was only eight, but that Histiocytosis diagnosis I wrote about two weeks ago… it’s a crazy-fast killer, horrifying to watch as your baby just wastes away. What’s truly devastating is that that makes three unrelated cancer deaths in that house in the past five months. … Angels Walking

I’m finally back to writing–if only on 3 days of the past 7 because of several night-time work commitments. I’ve recast the first chapter of Dust to Blood so the inciting incident is no longer off-page, and am working to bring forward the driving conflict for the story so readers don’t have to be patient … Expect the Unexpected

As long-time readers will know, I count three Huskies as my babies. They make life exciting and irritating by turns. Especially when they engage stealth hunting mode. While on leash. I’m not sure whether it was a fox, or a raccoon, or some other local wildlife making do in the cracks of nature available in … Nuisance

It’s that time of year again when the acceleration of time once again slaps me in the face. My birthday last year was in the midst of the crazy to get everything packed into two small trucks to drive across country with all our belongings. It had already been a series of long, difficult years … Another Year Older

I never figured it would be such a challenge to regain my footing after a few years of focused studying. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that I started tackling those little, niggly things on my list of Things To Do that have been hanging over my head for some time… Like recovering my computer. … Recovering