Where have I been?

Let's see, first there was week 4 of the Artist's Way, which involved reading deprivation; no books, magazines, email or internet. Or tv or radio with words. It was great - it's amazing how much more time there is when you aren't being sucked into a vortex of other people's words and images. Week 4 ended up being about 10 days long, I don't remember why...oh, right. Lots of Halloween festivities.
I've kept it up pretty much; no TV except for Project Runway, maybe Robot Chicken once in a while. Not a whole lot of reading going on yet.

I haven't transferred my photos over to my new laptop (I love it! Acer Aspire 5532) yet, so I don't have pictures of my Halloween costume for you. I'll get them up eventually. I made an absolutely fabulous hat, and discovered a previously unknown talent and passion for making hats. Go figure.

NaNoWriMo is taking up a great deal of time. It's day 12, and I have passed the halfway point: 25, 615 words as of 8:13pm this evening. Feel free to applaud or to bow before me. I mean that. I don't really have a plot outline ( or an actual plot, really) so I write in the freewriting style, just like I did in my writing group and in Morning Pages. So, that probably helps, as I am not bothered with such pesky details as 'does this fit into the plot', 'where did this character come from' or 'what's going on here'. No, it's just a way to get the voices out of my head, and have some fun along the way. I've reached a point where anything that isn't writing is just getting in my way. I don't want to be doing anything else. Except sleeping, making hats, and taking Puppy to the park.

I have another 24385 words to meet the 50K goal, although I will keep on writing through the 30th, just because I love it. So, if you don't hear much from me, don't worry. I'm off in a world far far away, glued to my shiny new laptop.

Kate's in Red Satin

Dad, you might want to skip this one.

Imagine a large, bustling costume store 3 days before Halloween. Imagine the 'boutique' section of the shop. It's where all the sexy costumes hang out - satin, leather, chain mail....... It's bustling. There's one table with costume books. Lots of people. And I am being laced into a red satin brocade bustier, my waist being nipped in, my bosom being lifted into heaving position, while being taught about the difference between a bustier and a corset. By a pastry chef who is working at Disguises because she can't find a job in her field. Having decided on the right size, she sends me to the dressing room to take off my bra and tee shirt so that she can fit the bustier properly. She knows a lot about them, she wears them under everything; including tee shirts.

In order to be laced up tightly, the person in the bustier has to bend over and brace themselves on a table or something. So, imagine me, in red satin, bending over the costume book table, next to a young man looking at pictures, with my heaving bosom getting closer to his face with every vigorous tug on the laces. He's trying not to look, but he can't help it. Everyone in the boutique seems to be watching. I should have sold tickets. I smile. What else is there to do?

I look fabulous. The bustier is amazing - especially with my baggy houndstooth chef pants. Oh yeah.