Travel

Flying from Dublin to JFK airport we were concerned about our schedule; we only had an hour and a half to our connection to Las Vegas.

On landing we sprinted off the airplane and huddled around the baggage claim belt, coiled to pounce on our prey and drag it around the corner to the identification station. Spotting my pink suitcase we broke free of the pack and weaved through the crowds to the first baggage handler we laid eyes on. The pride we felt in being top of the pile soon wore off when he tutted at the tags on our cases and shoved us in the direction of Marcie and Brett, our Delta representatives.

Us: Hi. We're in a bit of a rush-
Marcie: Sure. *Avoids our eyes, taps at her keyboard*
Us: We already have our boarding passes.
Marcie: Actually your flight has been cancelled.
Us: Whaa?!
Marcie: You're now going to Las Vegas via Atlanta.
Brett: Here are your new suitcase tags.
Us: Just give us one minute please, thank you. How about another flight from here?
Marcie: *Taps furiously while a crowd gathers* They're all full.
Brett: Give me your bags and I'll retag 'em.
Us: If you don't mind we'd like to discuss our options first. How about another airline?
Marcie: *Eying the growling crowd behind us* You don't have the right class of ticket.
Brett: *Clutching tags, suddenly appears crouched beside our bags. Her hand freezes midair under our twin beams of frustration*
Us: We arrive after our seven hour journey to learn we have to take two more flights to arrive in Las Vegas at least four hours late. If you think for one second that you can get away with that without any offer of compensation -
Brett: *Stirs at our feet*
Us: And don't you dare touch our bags!!!

Eventually we became friends with Marcie, who booked us to first class. Apparently the flights from JFK were chockablock due to Presidents' Day weekend and that we should leave before the expected snow storm hit New York.

We weren't sitting together on our flight to Atlanta but I got chatting to my neighbour Jan, who was my age. That's where the similarities ended however; a native of the State of Georgia she was married with two children, lived in deepest darkest New York State, raised Baptist but was converting to Catholicism because her husband was Catholic and her children attended a Catholic school. And yes, she voted Republican. If someone would have told me before I left that I'd have the most fun I've ever had on a flight with someone with those paper credentials, I'd have snorted. And then snorted again with more feeling.

But I had a ball. As Jan and I drained the flight of white wine she entertained me with her quick, dry wit. She had met her husband at college and that they did not marry until she was pregnant with her second child. She was desperate to move her family to Brooklyn and raise them in the city, but she and her husband were saddled with massive student debt. When we talked about the upcoming election she couldn't understand why people voted Bush purely because he was anti-abortion. Surely there were more pressing issues to consider? And she shook her head at the idea that people would vote for a Republican each time around without considering the opposition, just because their family had always done so. How a more tolerant attitude was required towards people of all backgrounds, faiths and sexual orientation.

When we landed in Atlanta I told her I was glad to have met her, as she had exploded a prejudice that I was now ashamed to admit. It had been so easy to divide Americans into red and blue states, conservative and liberal attitudes, but like all stereotypes it was a load of hokum.

The second flight to Las Vegas wasn't as fun however. Our legs had swollen up like inner tubes and the stewardess seemed determined to punish us for some unknown slight. By the time we arrived in Las Vegas the accumulation of delays meant it was 11pm, so we just checked in and fell into bed.

Luckily the rest of the holiday sailed by without a hitch. (And Marcie was right about the snowstorm in New York!)

Back from Vegas...

...and very, very jetlagged. Thanks to Michelle for blogging while I was away, as she explained she was sent abroad last minute for work - hope you're having a great time and not working too hard!

I will post more when the room stops spinning, but in shorthand I had a fantastic trip, am glad to be back home though after those flights, swollen ankles and legs teamed with a sunken face is not a good look...

Guest Blog: The best laid plans….

Sometimes the best laid plans of bloggers and their aspiring assistants often go astray. While Yvonne was in Las Vegas for some well deserved R&R, the plan was I would share with you the joys of crochet and wool. Unfortunately, CGHM have asked me to go to Singapore to assist with a project so my entries will have a slightly different flavour. I’ll still try to get lots of crochet work in but I’ll be working quite long hours and the weather is a little too warm for working with wool.

I’m spending this weekend with a friend in a beach house in Wexford. Hope you have a good weekend!

Still Life in Dublin

This piece of news caught my eye today. Inspired by this group that froze New York recently, the Dublin Improv Movement are planning a similar event this Saturday 23rd February in Dublin. It will be on Grafton St between Marks and Spencers and Brown Thomas for 5 minutes only. Like everything else in this universe there is a Facebook group that has all the details including how to get to the pub in time for the Rugby.

I'm not in town this weekend but would love to see it! Imagine a bit of peace and quiet on Grafton St...

Michelle.

You're Not The Only One

Please check out this great 'blook' idea for War Child - submissions are being taken until 29th February so get cracking and contribute your favourite post!

Pink

Packing at the moment. What do you think of my brand new shocking pink suitcase?

I'll be back next Thursday. Have a great week everyone.

Guest

Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed a slight change to my blog - the 'profile' box has been replaced by 'contributors'. That's because this blog will have its very first guest blogger while I'm away!

I met Michelle, also known as Brisbane's Answer to Nigella Lawson, through The Ours. They work together at a well-known software development company which I will call Compu-Global Hyper Meganet (or CGHM for short), placing them pretty high up the nerdy-nerdster food chain.

But if you think Michelle is all about 'the tech' then you would be mistaken, as she also has a well-developed creative side too. She:

Has a degree in film-making;
Crotchets face warmers (her invention to combat the icy Irish wind);
Knits;
Cooks like a champ;
Bakes (she made several Christmas cakes from scratch last year); and
Reads intellectual books I haven't heard of let alone would tackle.

In comparison, my forays into all of the above have resulted in spectacular failures. (Except for the degree, I stuck to English Literature as I can hardly sit through a film let alone make one.) It's enough to make me want to heave all over my keyboard. If the above wasn't enough, Michelle is also a netballing wizard, which is another thing we don't have in common as I despair of team sports.

Luckily we both share a love of eating, drinking and having a laugh. Thank God for that, eh?

This will be Michelle's first stab at blogging, and my first step into sucking everyone I know into the blogsphere. (At the very least it'll hike up that technorati rating, not that I'm competitive or anything...)

Hermit

Looks like I'll have to leave the house this week against my better judgement - tomorrow I'm having a brazilian wax (eek!) and Wednesday I'm 'doing lunch' with mates and having my hair done. Thursday I'm jetting of to Da Vegas. A life of leisure indeed.

Funny how quickly I've adapted to the writer hermit lifestyle. You would think that I'd get tired of staring at the same four walls all day but there are distinctive advantages - tracky bottoms teamed with my fella's jumper is one that I particularly like. I eat when it suits me and don't care if the smell of my lunch irritates my co-workers. If I'm tired and/or hungover I just go for a nap. (Kudos if you work in an office with a first aid room though - a great substitute for your bed.)

On another note, my blog subscription email has stopped working! *Grumble*

The Pub

Thanks for your lovely comments about the theme of my novel, they've really boosted my confidence. I've now added the short summary to my website and I'm hoping to extend it as the draft evolves.

So far The Ours and I have had a quiet weekend, only leaving the flat to shop for essentials. About a month ago we decided to avoid the pub until our holiday to save a bit of money and to slim down. Apart from the odd glass of wine with my meal I've been dry as a bar on Good Friday.

But why avoid the pub altogether you might ask. Can't you just have a soft drink?

Unfortunately Dublin pubs charge astronomical prices for soft drinks, often the same price as a pint of beer - 5.00 euro. More often then not it's from the soda syphon so the mark ups are spectacular. Like it wasn't annoying enough to be the designated driver amongst drunks! Tap water is free (but I'm sure they're thinking of ways to charge for that too) but a little boring on a night out.

Anyway it's just too hard for me to watch my friends tuck into their tasty pints. Collapsing with laughter at weak jokes and repeating yourself is entertaining when you've had a few but it just doesn't cut it when you're sober. Every Irish person I know who is teetotal is very...eccentric. Perhaps being exposed to the same rambling conversation several times a night will do that to you.

But it's Xavier's birthday party today, The Ours' friend from work. He's Spanish and has promised a huge spread of paella and other lovely Spanish delicacies. I might be able to turn down an invite to the pub but food trumps all, feck the diet.

Plot

After my mind map I worked on a summary/synopsis of my novel yesterday. With the amount that I've been banging on about the first draft it felt strange not to share the plot with you all.

This is just the start of it obviously (I'll fill in the rest as each story's plot and link is more solid) but it should give you a rough idea:

'The Decalogue' consists of ten short stories loosely based upon each of the Ten Commandments and set in modern-day Dublin. The Dubliners each face a moral dilemma in a society where Catholic values clash with an encroaching materialist and permissive way of life.

(I must add that 'The Dubliners' refer to my characters and not the traditional Irish band. Hmm, maybe I should change that bit.)

FreeMind

Here's my first go at the mind map, made with FreeMind. (Click the image to view a clearer version)

Each node is a story title and each subnode is the name of each character in the story.

The next stop is to link each at least one character with another in a different story. As I was thinking of blood linkage I might create a mind map of a large family along with spouses/partners.

The software is free to download and is easy to use.

(P.S. Can you work out the theme of the novel from the story titles?)

Mind Maps and Cheap Flights

I finished reading and scribbling over my first draft yesterday. Result! Today I'm starting the 'character mind-map', a graphic of how the characters in each story are linked. I'll probably have a large extended family (the Irish tend to know their third cousins so it fits!) but maybe I'll have them cross paths as well just to make it interesting. I'm expecting this to take a few days as I'll probably keep changing my mind and coming up with new ideas, but it's all part of the big picture process y'all.

The Ours and I booked two flights to Luxembourg today to visit my folks - one with Ryanair in April to Frankfurt Hahn and one with Luxair in July direct to Luxembourg airport.

I'm not sure why I continue to be so jammy with Ryanair flights but the combined total for two adults was 65 euro. That was of course without hold luggage (28 euro) with airport check in (16 euro). Suffice to say the extras aren't worth it when they cost nearly as much as the flight itself.

The Luxair flight was 227 euro for both of us - sounds expensive at face value but the cheapest priced tickets I've ever found with the airline are 200 euro each. Throw in a direct route to Lux airport, comfy leather seats, a tasty meal and hold luggage galore and it's not too shabby.

Enjoy your Friday!

Valentine's Menu

Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

The Ours and I usually eat in for Valentine's, I pretend it's because our anniversary is in ten day's time (eight years!) but it's really because I want to scoff The Ours' excellent cooking.

Tonight he is making:

Main Course
Pan fried sea bass with chanterelle mushroom risotto

Dessert
Dark chocolate fondant

Am I not the luckiest girl in the world?! (Crow crow)

Have a lovely day whatever you have planned.

Email

Yesterday I changed my personal email address from Yahoo Mail to Mailcan. I've had my Yahoo address for over five years now - I originally changed from Hotmail because the spam grew to epic proportions.

I made the switch because yesterday my boyfriend didn't receive an email I'd sent for over four hours. Other people had mentioned the lag to me before but a mixture of laziness and denial held me back, but a four hour lag was the last straw as it was an important email.

I downloaded Windows Live Mail, where I can receive and send emails from multiple accounts in one application. My Yahoo Mail is set up on there too as there will be some overlap before all my emails go to Mailcan.

Initial set up was a pain (copious amounts of shouting and cursing anyone?) but it's working nicely now. The interface is easy to use and it's much better than logging into multiple websites to read all my mail.

In other news I'll have the read through of my novel finished today, and then I'll get onto mapping the links between characters of each story.

Climate

Only eight days until the Ours and I jet off to Las Vegas, the thought of which has whipped me into a frenzy of shopping, planning and more shopping.

The temperature is in the early twenties there, which in Ireland would trigger a parade of tiny vests and hot pants. (The women wear bikinis.) 25 degrees and up is a heat wave.

So...I've been out shopping for flip flops and beach bags. I don't care how ridiculous I will look to normal climate dwellers - I throw on a t-shirt when it's 15 degrees out like the rest of my countrymen!

Unfortunately ten minutes or more in direct sunlight and I'm an itch of prickly heat. I can't lie on my front because it hurts my back. On my back my arms get sore from holding up the book I'm reading to take my mind of the prickly skin crawl...and I'm inside again to bask in the air conditioning.

Safe to say that I've never had a tan darker than weak tea but 235th time's a charm...

Tagged

Little bird eats... (which has now been shortlisted for the Irish Blog Awards, have a look at her blog it is delicious) tagged me recently. The rules are listed in Jen's post.

Five random/weird facts about me:

1. When I was thirteen years old I predicted that I'd have five kids by now and own a flying car.
   
2. I'm addicted to diet coke but have cut it down to one can a day.
3. The bear is my favourite animal. When I visted Yosemite I wanted to spot one but was terrified of having my cabin ripped apart.
4. I stopped growing when I was fourteen. (I'm five foot nothing)
5. I'd watch every foodie programme on tv but hate cooking.

Five places on my 'want to see/want to see again' list:

1. Tokyo, Japan. The Ours and I love visiting cities and Tokyo is next on our list.
2. Australia. I lived in Sydney for five months and travelled around Oz for seven. It is a beautiful country.
3. Barcelona, Spain. I am sick of everyone harping on about it and not knowing what they're talking about! Oh yeah and to see the architecture of course.
4. South America. The Ours and I are planning a three to six month trip there in hopefully two years' time. Before our backs seize up for good and we can't hack the nasty buses.
5. Small Town USA. I'd love to rent/buy a car in New York and drive it through the US someday.

And...you are all now it! Honestly I have no idea who has done this meme already so please adopt it if you're interested, I would love to read your take on it.

Irish Blog Awards Shortlists

Congratulations to Little Bird Eats and Irish Flirty Something for being shortlisted for the Irish Blog Awards, I love your work!

This blog didn't make it but I'm not surprised - the competition was fierce. Next year perhaps...

Towel Monkey

Today I've scrawled over half of my novel AND hoovered the flat.

No tantrums so far thank goodness. The stories I read were definitely salvagable with some tweaks, polish and rearranging. Part of the reason I'm having an easier time is because the novel is now by someone that I cannot stand. And they have to clean up the mess that I've left behind.

The parts I've scrawled 'good' beside are all the sweeter now.

When my fingers ached from overuse of the red pen, I pushed the hoover around. My mind cycled through the notes and ideas in day dreams that also include Las Vegas and my new shocking pink suitcase.

After I clean the bathroom I'll attempt this.

Sunday

Just taking it easy this weekend, bought lots of fish yesterday as the Ours and I suddenly needed it and had a craving-quenching meal of baked trout, mashed potatoes and green beans. We're heading out again soon to find the Ours a new suit.

I'm sure you've heard of The Divining Bell and the Butterfly and the subsequent film based on the book, but just in case have a look at this article. What an amazing achievement. Next time I moan about my book I'll remind myself of this man's struggle.

And guess who has become the UK's most borrowed author?

Have a great Sunday.

Retail Therapy

I ended up taking yesterday off (but the writing cogs kept turning like Jen from Spiral Skies said they would!) and nipped out to Chapters with the list of books recommended to me by yours truly.

I only checked out the second hand section but I quickly spied Case Histories by Kate Atkinson and After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell.

I also picked up from the short stories section: A New Book of Dubliners (Short Stories of Modern Dublin) and Phoenix Irish Short Stories 1996, both collections by various writers, and The Hill Bachelors by William Trevor.

In Waterstones I picked up the book club's current read I Married a Communist by Philip Roth and I also grabbed Iain M. Banks' new novel Matter.

While I was browsing it dawned on me that to avoid the short stories label I will have to link my stories more concretely than I have been (think Cloud Atlas and Love and Longing in Bombay) so I might link the characters through blood or marriage.

Couldn't have happened at a better time - just before I start rewriting! And now I have an specific goal for my rewrite which helps my nerves.

Time

After my wailings about my first draft yesterday I got half way through the fourth story and had to put it down. The black cloud that had started to form when the printer wouldn't work and the hole puncher chewed up half the pages had turned positively torrential by then. I just hated EVERYTHING I had written, which a part of me knew wasn't right - it was one of my better stories and the characters were interesting - but the weak part of me kept thinking about how much WORK there was to do and that this was going to be so HARD, and perhaps I should just go to bed and when I wake up forget that I had ever thought I could be a writer.

So instead I did the following things:

• joined a book club at my local library (if you live in Dublin the list of libraries' book clubs is here);
• read a bit of JPod by Douglas Coupland in the bath;
• watched my boyfriend install our first big screen tv and subsequently stared at it awhile; and
• slept in this morning.

Part of my problem is not only wanting to be perfect at everything and never to make mistakes, but also that I want everything RIGHT AWAY PLEASE. I can hardly sit through a two hour film, lose it with inanimate objects that do not respond within nanoseconds and am (hang my head in shame) rude to customer service agents who don't know what I'm talking about immediately. So when I'm faced with something that's too difficult and will take too much time to surpass my first instinct is to just walk away and find something easier.

I'm not going to do that though - I've put too much work into my first draft. I'd never forgive myself.

Instead I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that this is going to take a long time, that I can't put a timetable on it (at the moment anyway) and that I will face days where I'm going to be worrying over just ONE PARAGRAPH because it is bothering me but I can't think of the words to make it better (the thought of this frightens me the most) but that I can do it.

Like someone who learns to play an instrument they can quickly pick up the basics, but must practice for many years before they are proficient. And writing is no different.

So here I am at 11 o'clock and I've still not read any more of my first draft. But I will. I just need to keep reminding myself that it might take longer than I first expected, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just means I am taking my time.

Stupid Books

This made me smile:

Books that make you dumb.

Ever read a book (required or otherwise) and upon finishing it thought to yourself, "Wow. That was terrible. I totally feel dumber after reading that."? I know I have. Well, like any good scientist, I decided to see how well my personal experience matches reality.

And this made me laugh:

Update: I changed both Lolita from 'Erotica' and 'Pride and Prejudice' from 'Chick Lit' to Classics. You Literature majors all lack any sense of humor.

As I post this I can hear a Lion Dance taking place outside - my flat is just around the corner from Dublin's China-street. (Not even close to being its own town but still a great place to visit!) Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Whinge

Thanks to your recommendations yesterday I now have a decent shopping list for my local book shop Chapters. The sprawling second floor is stocked with second hand books so I'll try there first.

I started reading my first draft early this morning, and apart from being interrupted by the tv delivery company and the postman I've ploughed through three stories. I'd love to say that it is easier than I expected.

The first story was an eye opener. The margin notes include "SHOW don't tell!!!" on every page, liberally peppered with "What were you f***ing thinking?", "Dialogue! Dialogue!", "YUK!!!" and "Where the hell did this come from?"

Luckily the second story needed less work as the dialogue actually sounded like different people were speaking and the descriptions actually worked in parts. But it's still mainly rubble though.

The third story faired better under my red pen and I relaxed a little. But I had to fight against skipping. Not the best sign if you can't wait to finish one of your own stories!

I've ran the heavy lidded melancholy, tight fisted frustration and weary acceptance gauntlet several times and it's only one o'clock. And now my lunch in a local bistro, the escape I've been focusing on all morning, has been cancelled.

I know I'm winging and whining while I should really be looking on the bright side at the moment, and hopefully I will be soon. But feeling let down and disappointed by your work must happen to every writer and I don't want to pull any punches. No use in people just seeing the good side of writing all the time don't you think? But more importantly I just need to MOAN. A LOT. *Sigh*

At least we have a new big screen tv.

P.S. I'm letting things get to me a lot more than usual because I'm still knackered after being very sick last week. I'm going to have a bath and hopefully a sleep afterwards. Fingers crossed that I will feel better!

Your Favourite Books

After spitting out the dummy and throwing the toys from the pram after it yesterday my prep has been going well and the fear has dwindled. My Sol Stein notetaking should be finished today - I'm planning to read over the notes before I tackle each story as a refresher - which means I'll be reading through my first draft tomorrow.

And with this comes Phase Two of my (hopefully) cunning plan - reading. And not just cereal packets and billboards either. Novels that I cannot only learn and find inspiration from, but also enjoy. A tall order these days for some reason.

So I'm hoping you can help by commenting or emailing your favourite:

1. Book of all time; and/or
2. Book published recently, perhaps in the last five years.

I came up with point 2 because I reckon some of you have a classic as a favourite novel like me, therefore missing out any more modern works that you also enjoyed.

A disclaimer: I'm primarily looking for books that you love and enjoyed reading, not books that are technically well-written. In other words I'd like some recommendations from friends. Recommendations from critics are a different kettle of fish altogether.

Your imput can really help me kick start my love of reading again - so please don't be shy!

Mistake

Unfortunately after my positive start yesterday morning I started worrying about my situation. Reading about the editing process made me realise that I have a lot more to do than I originally hoped, and that three months just wasn't going to cut it.

Was reading up on editing techniques an excuse for avoiding my first draft? Procrastination has always got me down. What if I can never pick up the bloody stack of paper?

Would I be able to do a good job when the time came? I'm still not sure if I'm a good writer. And equally unsure if I could take the criticism when the time comes.

And at my lowest point I wondered if I had made a huge mistake. This time last year I was comfortable to be at home and excited about finally knuckling down and writing. But the pressure I had heaped on myself felt too great.

I felt lonely in the flat by myself with no-one to tell me what to do next and how to do it. I had to figure it out on my own but wasn't sure I could.

The minute the Ours came through the door I had a little cry. Luckily he always knows the right thing to say. It was just the FEAR. Whatever happens we can sort it out together.

I had a long sleep last night and, feeling better, read more of Sol Stein. Now I'm going for a walk. Life is good again.

Sol Stein and the Super Bowl

There was a lot of tossing and turning in bed last night with the thoughts of tackling that Everest of a manuscript. But this morning brought sunshine and some perspective.

So far I've read and made notes on four chapters of Sol Stein's Solutions for Writers - only another twenty-nine to go! I've given myself three days to read it so the goal is eleven chapters a day. So far it has calmed my nerves a little and inspired some concrete ideas to improve the first story.

I was late to bed last night because I was watching the Super Bowl on BBC. Until two years ago American Football was incomprehensible to me but two long visits to the States was a revelation. Mainly because when every bar you visit has American Football on several tvs, seemingly on a loop, it's a case of "if you can't beat em, join em". I found perfect strangers were delighted to explain the game to me and showed great patience when answering my most basic questions (like "what line does the guy have to cross now?" when the tv station has helpfully highlighted it in day-glo yellow).

Last night's game was enjoyable but as the second quarter drew closer and closer to one o'clock in the morning my eyes were not as sharp as they should have been and I couldn't follow the ball (important when watching these kinds of sports I find) so I trecked off to bed. Not really a fan of Tom Petty after I overdosed on his greatest hits several years ago (the less said about that the better) but I did miss the references to the famous Super Bowl ads. If you missed them too, click here.

Mania

A glimpse into mania by Emma Forrest. Frightening to say the least.

Happy Birthday

PostSecret is three years old this month.

Schadenfreude Fans

Well my last day went relatively smoothly - I was as giddy as a schoolgirl for the last hour and then had a short crisis of faith on my walk home. A brief version of the rollercoaster I felt when I left my job the last time so no surprise there.

I'm still not feeling 100% so the Ours and I are staying in this weekend and taking it easy. Am still in two minds on how to tackle next week. I'm very aware that I have less time than I did before so there is a temptation to just get on with it, but a sneaking suspicion tells me that it could be my downfall. Mainly because once I get stuck into something I absolutely lose the plot if I have to scrap it and start from the beginning, so it's better that I know what I'm doing from the get go. So spending a few days looking into editing techniques and what to look out for might be the better bet.

So it looks like I'll be tearing into Sol Stein's Solutions for Writers (which I read parts of when I was working but that my mind has erased due to not taking notes) and consolidating advice and methods given to me by fellow writers and bloggers. A similar strategy to revising for an exam really, get to know the material until you are dying to do anything else, even sitting the exam. Always worked for me in the past anyway.

Once that's done I'm planning to read through the whole manuscript from beginning to end, pass through the five stages of grief (hopefully quickly) and then start editing. I'll post it all here for fellow writers and schadenfreude fans.