Nanowrimo 2010 Novel Writing Challenge

It's November and that means it's National Novel Writing Month.
That's Nanowrimo, for short.
This is the time of month that I dedicate to playing like I'm a real writer.
That's something I've always wanted to be, but never made the grade.
The challenge for Nanowrimo is to write a 50,000 word novel (using the word loosely).
This works out to be 1667 or so words per day, on average.
This is do-able but definitely not easy.
2010 is the 2nd year I've participated. Last year I was highly motivated and made my word count by the day before the deadline...even though I was working full time!
This year my motivations are different, it seems: I'm at day 5 and only have 5,112 words so far.
But, I'm still plugging along. Don't get me wrong. I'm still in the game.
My book project this year is the sequel to the unfinished project I started this time last year.
I'm not discouraged by this.
It is what it is.
(I can't believe I just said that! I hate it when people say that!)
I already have an "out" for if I don't reach the 50,000 word goal: No matter what my total words into my story are at the end of November, it's that many more than what I've written in the past year.
So, that would make me a winner!
Yay!
I'm easily entertained, as you can easily see.
Anyway, come join the fun at www.nanowrimo.org or think about a plot and some characters and join us in 2011 for the next novel writing frenzy.

Faith the Dog-Faith and Hope on 2 Legs

  

Ran across some pictures of a 2-legged dog named Faith. It was born deformed and it's mother abandoned the pup as a lost cause. It was taken in by a family who loved it and nourished it and taught it to walk on it's hind legs!
   The owners are writing a book and the publisher wants proof that there are people in the world who'd care about Faith's story.
  They are asking people to add their email addresses to a list to show the publisher there is indeed interest in such a book.
  See the website and read more about Faith the inspirational dog, her story, and pictures at: http://faiththedog.info/
   And, if you feel so inclined, add your email address to say you support the author.
Go to http://faiththedog.info/category/tags/faith-walks  to join with others to help get to the 5000 emails they need.
   Note: --->>They say you're not obligated to actually buy the book when it's released!

View from an Airboat (October 2009)

NOT a Green-Back Heron!

DUH Me!

It's an American Bittern. 

Thanks for the above correction go to:

      J. Andrew Boyle

Visit his bird-banding blogsite at:

http://wekivaband.blogspot.com

Gators in the Swamp. No airboat ride is complete

    without oodles of gators, is my opinion.

      Tri-Color Heron

                 Anhinga drying his wings.

                 Can you see his green eye?

      Another anhinga, this time in flight.

    Anyone know what those other birds are???

        A Cypress Tree.

     See it's "knees" over to the right?

        For everyone who's hung with me so far...

                        Another Gator!!!!

                               Yay!

    

        Thanks for looking at my airboat ride photo's.

Beach Meditation

Hi All!
I took this picture the other morning at sunrise.

Can't get it out of my head. 
I keep going back and looking at it.

I am just so jealous. 

Wouldn’t it be great to get up before dawn, throw on some sweats, drive to the beach, grab a latte to-go, then find the ultimate sweet spot on the beach to meditate and watch a glorious sunrise over the Atlantic?

My version of heaven, indeed.

Okay, this is not an undoable event, that’s for sure.

This is all it would take to realize this dream.

          Checklist for Meditating on the Beach at Sunrise

1. Don’t stay up all night on the laptop or ipod touch.
2. Set the alarm for 5 am and don’t hit the snooze button, even once.
3. Turn on my internet radio station, Pandora,  www.pandora.com ,  and choose one of my custom radio stations.
4. Fire up Everly Brothers or maybe Jimmy Buffett would work.
5. Shower (details deleted, we all supposedly know how this is done).
6. Apply appropriate Beach Meditation make-up.
• I am not a meditation purist, but I do have the idea that make-up free would be the proper way to go. I plan to start slowly and work up to that...someday...maybe. 
• Then again, trust me on this one...you do not want to see this face without make-up.
7. Pick a suitable t-shirt from my eclectic collection (I’ll post pics someday....too ambitious for me at the moment).
8. Jeans is all I wear. I was kidding about the sweats. It sounded cool, but I’d look like a Twinkie in a blanket. Not the fashion statement I wish to convey.
9. Feed and water the birds. (Pics, names, cute stuff they do...will post later).
10. Jump in the car (well, slide carefully in and put on seatbelt...if you want full disclosure, you’ve come to the right place).
11. Drive to nearest fast food drive-thru du jour for a portable-friendly breakfast food choice.
12. Go to nearest designer coffee drive-thru and add a yummy, comfort-food...I’m-treating-myself-special-because-I-deserve-it iced latte (the mocha swirl ones that taste like hershey syrup right out of the can when you don’t swirl to mix up the ingredients and you keep the straw at the bottom where the good stuff is.....mmmmmmm....and it hits your bloodstream and screams down your spine like a shot of some drug. Well, I don’t do drugs, so this is as an accurate description as I can come up with from personal experience...sorry bout that).
13. Note: you notice the coffee point above is the longest. Well, that’s because it’s so damned IMPORTANT! (That’s the caffeine yelling there. I would never, ever do that unless under the EVIL CAFFEINE influence).
14. Drive to beach, put down mat so butt doesn’t get damp, breathe deeply, chant a mantra and meditate, watching the gorgeous sunrise spectacularly occurring in front of me.
15. What the hell! The sun’s a quarter of the way up in the sky! What time is it anyway! Crumb! It's 9 am!
16. Try again tomorrow: note to self...set alarm to about 3 am to make this work.

AAAAHHHH. It still sounds like a good idea....