Random Thoughts Archives - Page 11 of 14

Heroine Envy

I love movies. They’re all about escapism and, let’s face it, we all want to escape every now and then. (If you don’t want to escape – ie you love everything about your sweet little life just the way it is – then you’re an anomaly. You shouldn’t be reading this. And BTW, don’t even THINK about e-mailing me how sweet your life is, because I might be tempted to send hate mail.)

The best thing about seeing a movie is that I get to escape “me” for a while. No kids, no mortgage, no messy chaotic frenetic life, no panda eyes because I fell into bed without Read More…

Keeping Count

Christchurch’s earthquake tally since 4th September: 2158.

Maggie’s WIP tally to date: 11 chapters.

Days until Christmas: 64.

Likelihood of Maggie keeping her grip on sanity beyond Christmas: low. Let’s face it, I’ve got too much to do on the writing front, too much to do on the Christmas front, and with a fresh quake or three upsetting the routine most days – it’s a foregone conclusion. The all-expenses-paid vacation (complete with minimalist soft-sided room) will be mine!

The Hazards Of Spring

It’s spring and I’m grumpy. Why? Because it’s warm and, much as I love warmth, it’s more stifling than warm when one only has merino woollies on hand. See, all my short-sleeved tops and non-merino clothes are up in the loft.

The loft. (Theme-music from Jaws.) Enter who dares.

Well, I’m going to have to dare, because I don’t fancy spending the next six months feeling like a sauna-on-feet. I did enough of that when I was pregnant. Read More…

Over 1000 Quakes? No way!

News? Um… well, we’re still here, rocking and rolling with no sign the aftershocks are about to stop. (Last count: 1111 quakes since 4th September.)

A few days last week were almost quake-free – and I didn’t like it. Not that I’m enjoying the aftershocks – but the sudden lack of them was weird. Then, on Saturday night, a cluster of four significant aftershocks. My nerves twanged straight back up to high-stress mode. And, just like that, we’re back in QuakeZone. Weird as it sounds, it’s almost a relief to feel them on a regular basis because last week’s eery quiet reminded me of scary monsters waiting in the shadows.

Writing news? This week I’m working on submissions to editors, and adding to my current WIP. Busy, busy!

QuakeZone – Twelve Days On

Twelve days on and we’re struggling to re-boot normality here in Christchurch, NZ.

It’s not that we can’t function: we can, and very well. Our infrastructures have withstood this crisis amazingly. Our civil defence emergency response teams have been excellent. Our community has come together to help each other through – I’m proud to live here. And, miraculously, no lives were lost.

But it doesn’t feel normal. The shops are open. School’s back in. People, if their job still exists, are back to work. But there’s a nervous edge to it. I avoid large shopping malls. I constantly check where my kids are. I startle at every low rumble. I quiz my son daily on what he should do in an earthquake.

We’ve had 611 quakes in twelve days. There’s nothing normal about that.