Writing | BulgingButtons

October 12, 2014
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

I Just Don’t Want To

All those good intentions I have? Screw ’em.

The still packed boxes from my move two and a half months ago? Forget about them.

The laundry that needs to be washed? The dishes that need to be put away? The groceries that need to be purchased? Nope, nope, and nope. I don’t want to deal with it. Any of it.

I also don’t want to deal with the fact that I’ve been doing a crappy job of caring for my physical well-being. There, I said it, but I’m just not in the mood to deal with it. Stupid, I know. But true.

My mental well-being, on the other hand, has been pretty good, thanks in large part to the fact that I’m just finishing a week off of work, part of which I spent with my son exploring our beautiful state. Still, there is a little too much chaos around me in my home for me to really feel settled. I don’t like having lots of stuff around, which is ironic, because I have lots of stuff.

Here’s what I SHOULD do.

1. Wash and put away all laundry.

2. Empty the dishwasher.

3. Fill at least two boxes with donations (clothes that don’t get worn, those curtains I’m never going to hang from two houses ago, that set of knives I’ve never opened, those ugly picture frames I’ve somehow accumulated, they all need to go).

4. Get that additional storage cube thingie and build it so I can fit my stuff into my studio appropriately.

5. Unpack the last few boxes.

6. Take the dog for a nice long walk.

7. Work on revising my manuscript.

I know that if I did those things I would feel more settled and accomplished, and less at odds with my environment. I have no desire to do any of it, though. Here’s what I really feel like doing instead.

1. Spending the day in my pajamas.

2. Playing Candy Crush and Pet Rescue Saga.

3. Reading ( This week I read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and Butter by Erin Jade Lange. Now I’m reading Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Yes, they are all Young Adult novels. I don’t care.).

4. Creating a menu of delicious meals that a) someone else should cook, and b) are sinfully unhealthful.

5. Baking (and then eating) something extraordinarily decadent.

6. Pinning all sorts of cool stuff on Pinterest.

7. Sewing with some of the great new fabric I added to my stash during my road trip.

8. Hanging out with my sweetheart, maybe catching a movie on tv (pajamas, remember?).

9. Loving on my doggy.

10. Stalking all my facebook friends. Nah, not really. I comment on their stuff a lot.

The reality of the situation is that I’ll more than likely do things from both lists. After all, it is the last day of my vacation, so I want to enjoy it, but stuff needs to get done, so I might as well suck it up and do it. I still have all day stretched in front of me, so why not?

September 5, 2014
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

Greeking Out

I’m astounded and amused and also happy to report that the article 10 Essential School Supplies That Money Can’t Buy has now appeared on at least SIX websites in Greek (oh, and one besides this one in English). I find that peculiar, since I don’t speak a word of the language, unless”Opa!” counts. I’m really not sure how it happened, but it did, and frankly I kind of dig it.

Now I want to go to Greece and meet the wonderful people who were in charge of putting my words, translated into Greek of course, on their websites. Only problem is, I don’t know who they are or how to find them. As a matter of fact, I’m not even really sure they’re in Greece. I choose to believe they are, but really, who knows?

Still, in my fantasy mind they live in villas and estates in Greece, but for all I know they could be visiting their websites from their living rooms in Pittsburgh or San Antonio, or Des Moines. I’m sticking with Greece for now, though, because that way my mind can take an international holiday. Opa!

August 29, 2014
by BulgingButtons 8 Comments

What the Tweet is Going On?

I’ve discovered Twitter. Rediscovered it, actually. I signed up years ago during a workshop, but never used it. I went back to it two weeks ago when I went to a writing conference. I kind of like it, but like most things that are new to me, I don’t really fully grasp it. Oh sure, I know how to tweet, and how to follow people, and I have some vague notion of what the hashtags are for, but in terms of how the whole thing really WORKS… well, that’s still pretty much a mystery for me.

I’ve decided to learn about it, though, instead of just accepting that I “kind of” get it. I downloaded a little Twitter e-book on the advice of a fellow writer I met at the conference, and I’m uncovering more of the potential power of those 140 character bursts of information. It’s truly amazing what a little tweeting can do.

It’s also a little strange what some people choose to tweet about. There are those who tweet about everything, from the fiber content of their lunch to the viscosity of their mucus. Ok, I made that one up. I haven’t actually seen that tweet. Yet. But maybe if I search #mucus it might show up.

Meanwhile, I’d love to see what you’re tweeting about and hear about how you use Twitter. I’d love to have you along for my ride, and see what your Twitter world is about, too. Come check me out @HeidiWeinmann. Oh, and for the truly curious, there’s a real picture there of the real me (at least as of this writing). Talk about a teaser, right? See you in the tweets.