E is for Everywhere

Traveling to somewhere. He's so ready.

This is not a Michelle Branch song. Baxter has not figured out how to time travel, and literally be everywhere at once (although if he did, that'd be pretty cool).

E is for Everywhere because I try to bring Baxter everywhere. He's traveled to: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, and many states between. He's lived in Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine (twice now!), and North Carolina. He's made friends from other countries (including but not limited to: Ecuador and the Phillipines). He goes to New Year's gatherings with me, Thanksgiving feasts with friends, Neon and Glow in the Dark themed proms, and when the job allows it, work. When I do my public speaking gigs at middle schools, he's usually in the backseat.

He isn't afraid of a 14 hour car ride, but with the 18-20 hour rides, he starts getting fussy (still a champ, but more reluctant to get back in the car for awhile).

Waiting for my car to finish with its oil change.

Many of my friends know that if I'm coming, Baxter is, too. Many will already have bowls down on the
ground, one filled with water, and one waiting to be filled with the food that I'll bring. The truth is, I don't like being separated from him. Four years was quite enough, thank you.

However, this traveling can sometimes be problematic. Like that time a deer decided to T-Bone my car, explode the window, rip off my side mirror, and all around jack up my car.

Baxter was in the backseat. his snout was covered in glass. I had glass down my shorts, down the back of my shirt, pretty much everywhere. When I looked, I was grateful that it was my window and not his that had exploded (last time I'd seen him, his face had been pressed against his window).

After the deer accident

All we were trying to do was get some frozen yogurt from the new shop that had opened up. Geeze.

My sister was (thankfully) in the car behind us. After the cop did his report, Laura looked at me and said, "Look, I don't appreciate him drooling all over my car, but I don't want him standing in all that glass, I'll take him home."

Since then, it makes me nervous every time he gets into the car with me because though I can control my driving, I can't control deer, or other drivers, or snowstorms, or falling trees. I limit the times he'll ride with me (if conditions are bad, he stays home and glares at me.) It's already been a bumpy ride for us. I make a silent prayer that the car rides won't make it any bumpier.

Spring Cleaning

I realized today that the snow is melting. Which means snowboarding will be ending. It also means that I'll be down one job. I'll have more free time to do things. Like sit in my room, in my pajamas, with my laptop and write. And maybe read. If Baxter's lucky, there may be some snuggling to be had, too.

There is a lot I need to organize....

Anyway, it's Road Trip Wednesday over at YA Highway, so I figured I'd jump in. Their question posed was something along the lines of, Spring Cleaning, What do you hope to clean up in your writing?

I've been hearing from agents that they're having difficulty connecting to my main character(s), rather I'm still stuck in the showing verses telling. So, once the snow melts and my heart dies a bit (only for a couple months, it'll be back!) I fully intend to sit down and give my novels a few rounds of editing. Right now, I'm focusing on my memoir.

What about you guys, what common pitfalls do you fall into?

14 Hours Later

I drove from North Carolina to Maine yesterday. The 12ish hour trip turned into a 14ish hour trip due to a two hour long traffic jam in the middle of Connecticut...

At midnight.

Needless to say, when I arrived in Biddeford, I was exhausted...and passed right out. Since I woke up, it's been constant motion, which is also exhausting.

However, some good came from this long drive. The first thing was the cementing of my NaNoWriMo project, which in my head is being called My Sister's Memory. I haven't started it yet, but I had 14 hours to come up with the plan and I've told a couple of people about it and they said go, so I think I will. I have the drive home (tomorrow) to give it further thought. Maybe then I'll start writing...and speed writing at that.

A few hundred years ago my sister bought me a voice recorder that somehow disappeared within the last year (which sucks because I had a lot of ideas on it...). Because I no longer have it on hand, and it's not safe to write and drive, I will call my voicemail box and leave myself messages something like:

"Lynne, this is Lynne. Here's what you're thinking of for a story."

It sounds weird, but it helps when I wouldn't have another way of remembering.

The second good thing about the duration of the trip was how much music I got to just sing my little heart out to. Some of my favorites were: Adele, A Day To Remember, Taylor Swift, and Our Lady Peace. 

The third good thing about the trip was that I just had a lot of alone time with myself. It's nice sometimes to be trapped in a car, with you and only you, and give a lot of thought to what you're doing with your life/what you want to be doing. I feel like it's a re-centering of myself.

Needless to say, I enjoy long car rides :)