Back in Writing 12 in high school, our teacher would usually get us to warm up our writing juices by putting a topic on the board, and getting us to write about it for 5 or 10 minutes.  The trick was not to stop and think about what you were writing.  The object was "to not think, just write".  He didn't want to see anyone not have a pen or pencil on the paper at all times.  Some days, he would let us write and anything we wanted.  We never had to show him, or anyone, what we had written.  It was just a way for us to try and become better writers.  Sometimes what we wrote was jibberish, and meaningless.  But sometimes this act of writing and not thinking would unlock a great idea from deep within our minds.

I would like to try this in blog form.  I'm sure I'm not the first one to have this idea, but I feel as if I've lost my writing mojo.  I used to write all teh time and I think I was pretty good at it, not super great, destined to be published in hundreds of languages but decent enough.

The problem now, I need a database of words (or even short phrases) to pick at random and force myself to write about it.  Any ideas?

I just remembered that I did something like this with my GirlGuides to help them with public speaking.  They all were given two or three pieces of paper.  They each wrote one word on each piece of paper and put the paper in a paper bag.  Then, they all took turns standing up in front of everyone, picking a word out of the bag, then speaking about the word for 60 seconds (one girl, who was quite shy and reserved, came up to me when she picked her word.  "I don't think this is appropriate" she whispered to me.  We let her pick agin.  The word was "underwear").

Is there anybody out there who doesn't particularly like to knit but likes to create patterns and designs?  Yeah, didn't think so.

I love to knit (granted I'm not the best, but I get by), and I wish I was better at making up patterns that I could eventually knit, sell the items, and have a little business venture as supplemental income.  There is a vast amount of patterns online and through the major yarn brands, but I have yet to find a good pattern that is not copyrighted or have "for personal use only" attached to it somehow.

Question:  If you have a copyrighted pattern and it calls for certain colours, adn you use different ones, is it the actual pattern that's copyrighted, or the pattern with the colours called for (Funny, I work at a law firm, yet I don't know the answer).

I'm not the idea person, but I would like to be.  And I can't knit fast enough to have a possibly successful home business.  Sigh.  I'm sure I'd have the time if I won the lottery and didn't have to work all flppin day!

Things that are hard right now:

1)  Liking my job (although I like the raise I just got! I  just don't like the work I'm doing)

2)  Keeping up my LiveJournal while at work.  Reason:  LiveJournal is now on the list of blocked social networking sites that is now blocked by my work.

3)  Finding things to write about, when I eventually go online to do some blogging. I've never wanted this to be a "Dear Diary" type page.  And I find if I blog on here, I don't actually write in my "real" book journal.

4)  Avoiding yummy, yummy junk food. 

5)  Being far away from some of my bestest friends and not being able to rush to their side when they are in need of a hug =(.

I know, in my last post, I said I would be signing up for the 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer.  However, there are a few unknowns surrounding this ride, and I have a feeling, I might skip it this year.  Why?

1)  Last year the ride started in Surrey, and we biked down to Seattle.  This year, the "destination" hasn't been revealed.

2)  Because of lack information on said destination, my teammate to did the ride with me this year, hasn't been able to sign up yet (she has tickets to see U2 in Seattle on the Sunday of the Ride.  So, if the Ride ends in Seattle, she can do it.  If it ends somewhere else, she can't.

3)  Depending on when they announce the destination, it probably won't leave enough time for my teammate to raise the required $2500.

4)  If she's not doing it, I don't want to do it alone =(  Although, I know I won't  really be alone - I just don't want to share a tent with a complete stranger! and it's more fun with friends.

So, we were throwing around ideas for different rides the other day, and came up with the MS bike ride, and one I thought was put on by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, when really it's the BC Lung association.  That one was in September last year, but they haven't released the dates for this year's ride.  The MS society has a few rides in BC.  The big 2 day, 200km one is in early June, and they have a 60k one later on in the summer.

I'd really like to do the lung one (the minimum you have to raise is only $450.  And even though it's a 2 day ride, you ride to a camp on the first day, then you ride back to the starting point the 2nd day.  Much more logical than the Seattle ride.  Well, I think so anyway.

So, if any of you out there know of some other "fundraising" rides taking place in late 2010 in and around the lower mainland, please let me know!!

I know, in my last post, I said I would be signing up for the 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer.  However, there are a few unknowns surrounding this ride, and I have a feeling, I might skip it this year.  Why?

1)  Last year the ride started in Surrey, and we biked down to Seattle.  This year, the "destination" hasn't been revealed.

2)  Because of lack information on said destination, my teammate to did the ride with me this year, hasn't been able to sign up yet (she has tickets to see U2 in Seattle on the Sunday of the Ride.  So, if the Ride ends in Seattle, she can do it.  If it ends somewhere else, she can't.

3)  Depending on when they announce the destination, it probably won't leave enough time for my teammate to raise the required $2500.

4)  If she's not doing it, I don't want to do it alone =(  Although, I know I won't  really be alone - I just don't want to share a tent with a complete stranger! and it's more fun with friends.

So, we were throwing around ideas for different rides the other day, and came up with the MS bike ride, and one I thought was put on by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, when really it's the BC Lung association.  That one was in September last year, but they haven't released the dates for this year's ride.  The MS society has a few rides in BC.  The big 2 day, 200km one is in early June, and they have a 60k one later on in the summer.

I'd really like to do the lung one (the minimum you have to raise is only $450.  And even though it's a 2 day ride, you ride to a camp on the first day, then you ride back to the starting point the 2nd day.  Much more logical than the Seattle ride.  Well, I think so anyway.

So, if any of you out there know of some other "fundraising" rides taking place in late 2010, please let me know!!

I've always been a book whore.  I can't go into a bookstore and not come out with at least more than one book.  Usually more.  When I was little, I would read and read and read.  I would read waaaay past my bedtime with a flashlight under the covers.  And I would have enough covers that the light wouldn't show through.   On holidays, I would try and pack as many books as I could (more books than stuffies) only to have my grandma make me only take a maximum of 3.  Of course I would pick my three thickest, biggest books.  I was sneaky that way =)

I would check out multiple books at a time from the library, but hated the fact that I had to give them back when I was done with them.  Still do.  I also didn't like that libraries only had so many copies of certain books, and they wouldn't always be there when you wanted to read them.  To me, books were like old friends who always leave their doors unlocked for me to visit them anytime.

I still think of books that way.  But in the last few years, I have been buying too many books.  Doesn't help that I can read them really fast.  Usually in the morning on the train on the way to work, and on the way home if my train buddies aren't there to chat with.  I was going through Sue Grafton's Alphabet series about a book every two days.  Way too fast considering each book was $10 a pop.

Then I got the Sony Reader for Christmas from my in-laws.  Now I can fit over 160 books in one tiny little device, depending on the book size, of course.  The only problem is now I have to buy the books to go on the Reader.  It was supposed to save me money, because the books are cheaper (a new hardover book that is $40, is only $9.99 for the e-version) but I can easily buy out the whole website.  Bad invention, these credit cards =).

My current "wants" are:

- "The Lovely Bones"
- "G is for Gumshoe" through to "U is for Undertow" (although not all are available on e-book)
- All the books that are part of "the Chcolate Chip Cookie Murder" (I think there are about 9?)  I've already read two . . . .
- way too many more to list them all.

Sigh.

I wish I was a better knitter.  And I really wish my granny was around so she could help me with my knitting problems.

To help raise money for my bike ride this year (still haven't signed up, but I'm gonna) I've been making scarves, and looking for "ribbon" type patterns.  I found one, and it's kinda working, although I might have to iron it to keep the scarf from twisting in on itself.

I found a really really nice cable ribbon hat pattern and I've been trying to alter the pattern to use the cable ribbon pattern to make a scarf.  Only I'm not having any luck.  It doesn't help that I've never done a "normal" cable pattern anyway, but it didn't look too hard.

Sigh.

Also, I think my cat is jealous of my knitting.  She keeps trying to headbut my hands while I knit, and headbut the knitting itself.  Silly cat.

This is going to be a year of changes.  Hopefully they will all work out and be good, but who knows.

Josh has known for a few months that his "temporary evening shift co-ordinator" gig at work would be at an end soon as his work is re-organizing all their supervisors.  He got the word yesterday that either the beginning of February, or the end of February, he will be back to the day shift.  It's less money (because being a co-ordinator earned him $0.50 more per hour) but he will be making more than when he was before he was a co-ordinator.  Going back to the day shift is also his kick in the bum to go back to school.  He told his bosses that he can't see himself staying on after this year.  It's scary, but he needs/wants to do it.

We will also have to find a cheaper place to live.  And will probably have to scale back to a 1 bedroom.  It's going to be hard because we really like where we are.  Hopefully we can find a place in the same area, but who knows.

And my job.  Now that I'm a floater again, and in the Real Estate Department, I hate my job.  I'm bored out my mind most days, and when I do get work, it's boring too.  The girls in the office are great, it's just the work I can't stand.  I miss litigation . . .

Do I stay, do I look for another job?

I don't mind change, I just hate having so much change at one time.

I'm finding it harder to post now adays.  I see my friend's sites with some daily, some weekly posts and think, "why don't I do that?".  I like to write, and, years ago, kept a journal (not online) and wrote in it pretty much everyday.  I still have a journal, and over the last year, have tried to writ in it, but I keep stumbling on blocks.  Ever since my grandma died last year, I think I've only written one entry in th journal.  I tried to write about her death, but it just hurt too much.  It's been over a year, and although the sting is still there, I might just wright again.

Anyway, this was supposed to be about Christmas . . . . We had a good year, this year.  I actually got a gift I really wanted - a Sony Reader from my in-laws.  I actually squealed as I opened it!  I've already bought 4 books for it - and could easily buy many more as they are cheaper than regular books.  However, as much as I am thankful for this Reader, my love for "real" books will never die, and I'm sure I will still buy some of them - especially the books in a series that I've started to read - like the "A is for Alibi" ones.  I've only read up to "D is for Deadbeat" and I can't find all of the ones that follow on the two e-book buying sites I've searched.  The next one I've found is "G".  Oh well.

Other than that, it was just little things from my family, like a knitting pattern book, jellybeans and a boardgame "Battle of the Sexes" which should be fun at parties!

I did a lot of knitting over Christmas.  Made two entire scarves, although I have yet to sew in the loose ends and decided it I want to make tassels.  I've been reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club" series and now want to open up my own knitting store!  I need to work on my pattern making before I could actually sell any of the stuff I knit.  I've only "created" one scarf pattern, but they are so generic I'm sure someone actually thought of it first.  I'm good at following patterns, just not good at making them up, and 99% of the patterns I use are copyrighted in some way and "not to be used for profit".  Hmmmmm.

In the meantime, I'm knitting scarves so I can sell them to raise money for Cancer.  I want to do the Ride to Conquer Cancer again this year, but it's hard to want to sign up for something when the organizers don't even know what the route will be.  Last year we rode to Seattle.  This year, they still haven't decided.  I can understand why though - getting all of us across the border was a bit of a gongshow and took waaaaaay too long.

Well, I've said about all I can say in 15 minutes.  Break time over, and back to work I go.  "Hi-ho, hi-ho" and all that jazz.

A few weeks ago I bought the Better Home & Garden Magazine - Christmas baking edition. Over 100 recipes for cookies and other goodies. Read it through a few times, and there isn't one treat I would NOT want to make. You know how, when you get a new cookbook, there are one or two recipes you know right off the bat that you will never want to make. Not so with this magazine. I want to make EVERYTHING! Even the two pet recipes - one for dogs, and one for cats.

I started last night by making the Peanut-butter chocolate biscotti, complete with peanut-butter icing. Forgot you had to bake the things TWICE, so I didn't manage my time very well and was icing the little buggers until 10:30pm.

However, my hard work paid off and everyone at work were raving about how good they were!

Cookie # 2 will either be Red Velvet Shortbread cookies, or Maple cookies with maple glaze . . . . neither of which my hubby will want to eat (he doesn't like shortbread, nor maple flavoured things - bonus!)

Ok, now I'm hungry.