Finally...a moment to write!

Wow!

I'm not at the gym. I'm not baking something. I'm not even at WORK. I'm just sitting down and relaxing. This is RIDICULOUS and I don't even what to do with myself. I guess i'll use this time wisely and, I dunno, maybe write something for you all! :).

It feels like forever since i've had some down time to just sit and put some thoughts down/finish some of my short stories. That makes me sad. This is what happens when I can't let go of my "go-go-go" mentality where I need to be doing SOMETHING or else I feel lazy. One day I will realize that sitting down to write actually counts as doing something. I may not be burning physical calories by being up and moving (i.e. working, doing dishes, doing other household chores, baking up a storm, exercising, etc) but I know that I'm at least giving my brain a good workout and exercising my thought process.

So what have I been up to since my last post ? Well for starters this happened:

Yeti and George R.R. Martin look strangely alike. I think George was confused.

Just in case you don't know that is Yeti meeting one of his favorite authors (and one of the best fantasy writers in the world currently), George R. R. Martin.  George is the author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. But you may recognize it by what its more commonly known these days: "Game of Thrones" because of some silly show on HBO or something ;). Two of my favorite authors are dead. I will never get the chance to hear Lovecraft talk about his own stories, and I'll never get the chance to ask Poe for an autograph, so it was important to me that Yeti take advantage of these amazing events with George. It was truly an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak! He read a few chapters of the next book in the series, answered fan questions and offered sound advice to aspiring writers in the crowd. He even took part in a talk and Q&A session with "Star Trek:TNG"writer and his long-time friend, Melinda Snodgrass. It was so much fun hearing and watching them talk together and banter back and forth about what they have learned in the business. It was an educational and eye-opening experience to be a part of. Hopefully now George will get back to work writing the next ASOIAF book so we don't have to wait 6 years for the next installment! Write like the wind, George!!

I also signed up for a cake decorating class while I was away! The Jo-Stess Bakery is really starting to step up it's game now! I'm really good at the baking part of things but when it comes to decorating, I'm  miles away from matching my grandmother and father, and LIGHT YEARS away from modern decorating techniques (i.e. gum paste, fondant). This is basically the extent of my decorating skills:

Princess cookies made for Ms. Ellie's birthday :)

T.A.R.D.I.S. cake that could use some improvement

Yeah, so frosting things and basic line work. That's all I got. I'm hoping that with some formal training and a lot of practice, I will be churning out fantastic cakes and pastries by the end of spring. I've decided that the main focus of the Jo-Stess Bakery will be (drum-roll please)......nerdy cookies and cakes! I may be looking way too far in the future but I'm looking forward to trying my hand at another bigger and better T.A.R.D.I.S. cake like the one I made for my husband last year. Maybe I can even make an edible Enterprise for my parents! The possibilities are endless! 

I'm hoping that over this next week i'll be able to sit down and actually FINISH at least one of the stories I'm working on. My week is filling up really fast but I am resolved to at least dedicating a few hours at a time to conclude a few projects before I start new ones. "The Job" is getting down to the wire with only one part to go and "Amenhotep The Black" is coming together nicely too! "The Lovecraft Paradox" has been sitting in limbo for so long that I think my main character is beginning to give up on me! I really need to get Aloysius Baxter Cunningham moving again! I kinda miss him!

So I before I lose this new found creative momentum, I'm going to stop here for now and concentrate on some of my fiction! My new goal is to post at LEAST once a week rather than everyday since I don't seem to have that kind of time anymore! Keep your eyes peeled for more new content and story updates in the coming weeks! Bear with me! I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things over here :).