My NaNoWriMo Progress

I haven't posted anything on my blog all month because I have been super busy devising new projects to undertake this month (such as furniture painting, working in the yard, cleaning my house, volunteering to be waterboarded).  Er, I mean, that I'm writing a book in one month.  Anyway, I decided in an attempt to procrastinate, I mean update you on my status, I'm posting this word count widget.  Enjoy!

428 words

That is all I wrote today.  So of course, I'm going to blog instead.  My wires are seriously all strung up the wrong way.  I could be writing about aliens.  Or sleeping.  Instead I'm writing my excuse for why I did not get cracking on my crazy ass train wreck of a novel.
1.  I'm jet lagged from the time change.  Not really, I'm just lazy because it gets dark early.
2. I had to drive to the Costco (on fumes apparently because the tank was completely empty) so I could look at everything in the place and then spend way too much money.  I have to eat while I'm making my fingers bleed and developing carpal tunnel syndrome, right?
3.  Then my house was too dirty to be in.  I vacuumed, did some dishes, washed some laundry.  It is still messy, but it doesn't smell like dirty dog and mud from all the rain.
4.  I had to pull weeds in my yard.  Actually, I really did.  These prickly ass weeds are giving my dog such a bad rash that she has bald spots.  And frankly, Laverne is more important than aliens.
5.  To help me out, the Pineapple Parents offered to come and pick up their Costco goods to save me a trip.  Instead their car overheated (because there was a big fucking hole and all the coolant leaked out of the car which we discovered after I went to the store to buy distilled water which all poured out on the driveway) and I had to take them home.
5.  The Pineapple Dad had not been shopping and I needed more shit from the grocery store.  I just can't eat 20 heads of lettuce before they go bad.  Somethings are better bought in smaller quantities.  Hence, second shopping trip of the day.
6.  After dropping the Pineapple Dad back at his house, I headed home.  After learning the tow truck was coming in the next hour I decided that I should eat.  Yummmy.  I call my creation Pepper Pizza.  It had yellow bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and crushed red pepper (and also some sauce, basil, and cheese).
7.  After the car was towed away, I decided that if I have clean sheets that the girls and I should get clean too.  Also? My coworkers probably like me better if I don't come to work with plant life in my hair and dirt on my face.
8.  Then I crawled in bed and wrote 428 words.  And then bitched about it on my blog.

Symphony of Crickets

Holy Hell.  What am I thinking?  I can't even manage to blog on a regular basis and I think I'm going to write a whole freaking novel in a month?!?!  That is just hilarious.  NaNoWriMo starts in a matter of hours and I have a title (Symphony of Crickets) and maybe a general idea of what I'm going to write.  Sort of.  Maybe.  Or not.  I mean, I have hours to decide how it starts, right?

I'm thinking it is going to be a Sci-fi/Romance/Thriller/Comedy/TRAINWRECK.  Kind of like Bubba Ho-Tep  meets Mars Attacks! with a splash of love interest.  And with Buddy Holly (hence the crickets) instead of Elvis and the aliens aren't from Mars (or maybe they are).  Obviously I plan on writing an original novel that is going to be an award winning, best seller.  And then they are going to make it into a summer blockbuster and show it at the IMAX.  Also? It is going to be an Oprah Book Club Pick (this is out of the ordinary because my book will not be depressing).  That is how good it is going to be.  Yep.  And I am going to write this groundbreaking novel in one month.

nails are expensive

I really need a chaperone to go to the Home Depot.  I went there to get nails so I could put up my Halloween decorations.  I did get the nails, but I have yet to put up any Halloween decorations.  For one thing, I had to put my new lime tree in its new bright, lime green pot.

Since I was taking pictures, I went ahead and took yet another set of garden pictures.  My broccoli and brussels sprouts are coming along nicely.

My lettuce is already yummy (I snuck a little nibble), the radishes are huge on top (but not so much underneath), and the bell peppers are starting to take off (but I'm pretty sure I planted them too late to expect any thing good to come of it).

My pumpkins are still alive...

And blooming.  But no actual gourds have started growing...

My little pot of lettuce has started growing so I will have more lettuce after I eat the first round.

My basil variety pack is looking good too..

But my cilantro is not.

Oh well.  I guess not everything is going to stay alive...

Keeping it classy!

...but you might not want to get behind this guy.

here comes megatron

Meet Megatron.  Megatron lives next door.  And ever since I moved in, Megatron has pretty much avoided me.  Recently, Megatron has started approaching me, but then changing her mind at the last minute and running away.  But for the past few weeks, Megatron has started throwing herself at my feet and winding herself around and round my legs.  I have never once petted this cat.  Why would I need to when she does all the work, right?

However, Megatron does not like Laverne and Shirley.  And she used to run away when they barked.  But that too changed this weekend.  I think it was the peacocks that did it.  Because the weather has been nice I've been opening the windows and leaving the doors open.  The other morning, there was chaos in the kitchen because Megatron was yowling to be let in the screen door and the girls were barking wildly to be let out.  It wasn't until the peacock incident that I realized that they were also torturing poor Megatron in the front yard, too.  Those peacocks were all over the place.  The girls chased six of them out of the backyard.  One was on the roof honking for about thirty thrilling minutes.  There was also a herd wandering around in the front yard.  Most of the time Megatron does that whole arching back, hissing thing when the girls bark at her.  But she has gotten a little bolder.  I guess near peacock death experiences do that for a cat.  Like today.  Megatron jumped on top of my car where the girls could see her and just stood there.  Finally Laverne couldn't take it anymore and started barking and barking and barking.  Megatron didn't even flinch.  And tonight.  Megatron came calling through the kitchen screen door.  Shirley was resting comfortably on the couch and Laverne was in her blanket cocoon under the coffee table.  Damned if those dogs didn't go flying out the back door to bark at that cat some more after I shut the door.

It is like I live in a lunatic wildlife asylum.  I have two nutty dogs, Megatron, the other cat next door that taps on the glass to torment the dogs, exotic lizards, skunks, hawks, and peacocks.  I guess I should be thankful that there aren't lions and tiger running around this place, too.

victory (garden)!

First, let's take a look at those pumpkins:

Notice how they always look the same?  See how they don't seem to be getting much bigger?   Looks like I am looking at having mature pumpkins in about 2012 at this rate...

But my radishes as lettuce are looking good.  Also, my bell peppers are starting to sprout.

And my newest addition -- broccoli and brussels sprouts!

And cilantro

And my basil bonanza (I have sweet basil, lemon basil and thai basil):

But I will always be a pineapple princess: