Countdown and Clutter
Three days until my big Sisters in Crime picnic. Am I ready? Hell no.
The recent rains perked up my sickly flowers. It also brought the weeds back to life. And the winds last night knocked most of the flower heads off my hanging baskets. Ah, well. Some things you just can’t control.
Note to self: Just let it go. And pull weeds.
Inside the house, I’ve used the picnic as an excuse to replace the ratty curtains in the kitchen and bedroom. It’s June. There won’t be any coats to toss on the bed, so no one will even be in my bedroom. But, hey, I’ve got nice new curtains in there. Matching bedspread, too. Woo hoo.
My big task before Sunday is to de-clutter my workspace. It’s not really an office, since my desk and computer reside in one corner of the living room, but I call it my office. And it’s a mess. Piles of paper clutter everywhere. One pile on a chair contains magazines I’ve considered submitting short fiction to. And under the magazines are a stack of newspaper clippings about a local fiasco that I thought might make a good murder mystery. In reality, there was no murder, but there was one guy that lots of folks wanted to murder. The story may get written some day, but for now, those clippings need someplace to live other than on that chair. Another pile on the floor contains about three hard copies of Horse of a Different Killer. Each copy is slightly different than the other and none are the current version. There’s also some free software from various sources and old photos that I’ve been collecting and scanning for possible use on my website (still under construction).
Then there’s my desk. There are receipts and bank statements to be entered into my MS Money program before I bounce a check. There are notebooks and notepads scrawled with stuff I must not forget. Now where did I put that note?
There’s the CD from Malice Domestic that I keep listening to bits at a time. And there are a couple of hand outs from the Pennwriters Conference that I want to study in more depth before filing them in my “Writing Resources” folder where I’ll forget them. I have three somewhat neat stacks of business receipts that need to be entered in my Business Expenses worksheet. My digital camera should be put away, but I’ll need it Sunday. There are a few other items, too, and of course the stuff that’s supposed to be here: phone, computer, printer/scanner/copier, Rolodex…
I have to clear this clutter, not just because my sibs are coming and will see what a slob I really am. Next week, I intend to start work on the next Jessie Cameron mystery and I want…no, I need a clear desk for this project. Where else am I going to pile all my research and notes for the new manuscript?
The recent rains perked up my sickly flowers. It also brought the weeds back to life. And the winds last night knocked most of the flower heads off my hanging baskets. Ah, well. Some things you just can’t control.
Note to self: Just let it go. And pull weeds.
Inside the house, I’ve used the picnic as an excuse to replace the ratty curtains in the kitchen and bedroom. It’s June. There won’t be any coats to toss on the bed, so no one will even be in my bedroom. But, hey, I’ve got nice new curtains in there. Matching bedspread, too. Woo hoo.
My big task before Sunday is to de-clutter my workspace. It’s not really an office, since my desk and computer reside in one corner of the living room, but I call it my office. And it’s a mess. Piles of paper clutter everywhere. One pile on a chair contains magazines I’ve considered submitting short fiction to. And under the magazines are a stack of newspaper clippings about a local fiasco that I thought might make a good murder mystery. In reality, there was no murder, but there was one guy that lots of folks wanted to murder. The story may get written some day, but for now, those clippings need someplace to live other than on that chair. Another pile on the floor contains about three hard copies of Horse of a Different Killer. Each copy is slightly different than the other and none are the current version. There’s also some free software from various sources and old photos that I’ve been collecting and scanning for possible use on my website (still under construction).
Then there’s my desk. There are receipts and bank statements to be entered into my MS Money program before I bounce a check. There are notebooks and notepads scrawled with stuff I must not forget. Now where did I put that note?
There’s the CD from Malice Domestic that I keep listening to bits at a time. And there are a couple of hand outs from the Pennwriters Conference that I want to study in more depth before filing them in my “Writing Resources” folder where I’ll forget them. I have three somewhat neat stacks of business receipts that need to be entered in my Business Expenses worksheet. My digital camera should be put away, but I’ll need it Sunday. There are a few other items, too, and of course the stuff that’s supposed to be here: phone, computer, printer/scanner/copier, Rolodex…
I have to clear this clutter, not just because my sibs are coming and will see what a slob I really am. Next week, I intend to start work on the next Jessie Cameron mystery and I want…no, I need a clear desk for this project. Where else am I going to pile all my research and notes for the new manuscript?
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Comments
Sunday is going to be so fun!!!