elkit in wonderland

Everyboy Here Wants You

Cake or Death?, originally uploaded by elkit.

The Food Librarian made me do it. She said it's Bundt Cake Day today, so I made a Bundt Cake today. We picked the Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Lime Glaze, which turned out really yummy, even though the tips got a little blackened.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven Day Weekend

Mine is not seven days long. But four ain't bad at all. I took today and Monday off, so I could bracket my weekend retreat nicely and stress-free. I'm cleaning up around the house and in the yard, and after lunch time, I'll take off for Santa Cruz, where I will spend the weekend a half dozen intrepid NaNoWriMo veterans. Rob found us a great house on Black's Beach, and we'll write and write and eat and drink and have a good time. 

Don't let me forget to pack my Bundt pan, the flour sifter, and the zester. The Food Librarian declared Sunday Bundt Cake Day, and who am I to protest? There were several votes for the Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Lime Glaze, so that's what it'll be. It also meant that I could snatch limes from my neighbors' tree as I dropped off the winter seedlings on their patio table: purple kohlrabi, shelling peas, broccolini, and a cluster of spindly leeks that were tested and declared edible my Ms. Maia. Her thinking seemed to be that it looked close enough to cat grass. I may plant more leeks for her. Good on her for eating her veggies.

Random trivia tidbit: a Bundt cake in German is called a Guglhupf [Google-hoopf]. 

All You Can, All You Can

Yesterday, in a fit of insanity, I signed up for NaNoWriMo. I'd been all but certain I'd sit it out again this year, like I did last year, and with an even better excuse (much work, beating last year's absence due to a vacation hands down). And then our work schedule eased up a little, and I had a moment of delusions of grandeur, and renewed my registration. 

Gaaaaaahhh! I mean, ghaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggghhh! What was I thinking? What am I going to write about? I mean, WHAT? AM? I GOING! TO WRITE??? ABOUT???!!!!!!

I'm having fun simulating a panic attack. And I'm determined to take it easy. If I make it to 50,000, great. If not, so what? The world is not going to end. We all know it's going to end in 2012. Plenty of time to get my panic on.

But really, what AM I going to write?  

Shame, Shame, Shame

io9 talks to Chris Baty, our NaNoWriMo cult leader, about writing a novel in 30 days.

One of the things I really like about NaNoWriMo is this community you’ve set up. You have these block captains who keep everyone in line. And there’s this wonderful sense of – and I mean this in the best way possible – sense of shame in the community, shaming you to keep writing.

Of Our Elaborate Plans, The End

  Before November 
  Originally uploaded by earthdog

I added today's writing to my file. Ran the word count validator and came up with 49,996 words.

So of course I had to add the following:

"Then Dylan exploded. THE END."

And thus I am a winner, with 50,001 words.

Further To Fly

Simon sez:
    When you write the word 'farther', remember to type the h.

I say it's good advice.

Let's Take The Boat Out, Wait Until Darkness

Today's word count: 5034.
Makes a total of: 8406. Which puts me slightly ahead of the curve. And I actually like where this is going. Somebody asked me about the end of the story .. hell, I don't know! This could go anywhere. Those people in my story haven't told me what their wicked plans are.

So Many Stories Of Where I've Been

It's funny what happens when you just write without thinking too much about the story - it just runs off merrily into directions you hadn't thought of.

Of the previous four years I've participated in NaNoWriMo, I dropped out one year halfway through the month, because work was entirely too crazy. So I am doing another take on the story I abandoned then: a retelling of my favorite fairy tale, Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid".

I wrote up a few notes in October, not a full outline, just a few ideas for where the story could go, and what the characters might be like. And then I start writing, and it all changes. The prince, for example, turns out to be a complete asshole so far. Charming bastard, but emphasis firmly on bastard. We'll have to see how I can justify the Mermaid falling for him without having her look like an utter moron.

Red Red Wine, Go To My Head

So we're sitting here joking about the lack of Halloween candy and snacks and wine (we have enough to feed ourselves for another week at least, and we're only staying until Tuesday), and Trisha suggests I could add a wine reduction to my bacon. I might just do that. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Disorder In The House

I am sorry to report that I did not eat any bacon yesterday. I just plumb forgot. But I pledge to you that I will make up for it later this month, and have two meals with bacon in one day. Or three, even, with the accrued interest.

Today's bacon consumption was taken care of at breakfast - Rob and I cooked waffles and bacon, and now I am all full and lazy, and I'll be a while before I get back into my NaNoWriMo story. Not to worry though - I know I'll catch up today.