Just Checking In . . .

I’ve been thinking about my 100th post for the past twenty posts, but I can’t quite seem to make it over that finish line! This is post number 98 I believe, and I haven’t posted since Saturday’s quick pic from JC’s swim lesson.

I can read your minds. You’re thinking, What is going on over there at Waiting on a Word? Or you’re wondering what you are going to have for breakfast. Or if you need a raincoat today. Okay, I’ll admit. I can’t read your mind. But whether or not you are wondering what’s going on with me, I’m gonna tell you.

First. I went to the doctor for a physical which turned into a million other appointments.  Blood work, Ob/Gyn, ultrasounds, mammos, dermatologist, eye doctors, dentist, blah blah. So far, thankfully, nothing terrible to report. But finding out nothing is wrong is time consuming. To all you twenty and thirty-somethings out there in Blogtropolis complaining about getting old (ut-hmm, Rachel), let me tell you. Once you hit 40, shit starts to fall apart. Like I said though– so far so good on my end.

Second. You know how I have those couple of hours a night plus a lunch hour for my “me” time? Well, those hours have been occupied. Fellow parents, tell me you feel my pain as the end of the school year approaches! Organizing summer camps, presents for teachers, conferences, in my case IEP meetings and therapy appointments. It feels like July will never come. Lunch hours are spent rushing to Target or Toys R Us (M. turned 8 last week and I bought his presents ON his birthday during my lunch hour!  Mom of the Year contender I am not) or the card store for the many thank you’s that are owed.

Also, my “me” time has been attacked by a combination of Netflix, the NBA Finals, and the Yankees. Last night the Yankee game went EIGHTEEN innings (they lost). I can usually post and have a game on in the background, but Netflix may be The Devil.

Third. A few weeks ago I put on my big-girl-writer pants and reached out to some editors to inquire about hiring them to edit something I wrote. After encouraging words from my husband to go for it, I found an editor who I thought I could work with and we started an email conversation and I hired her. A real editor who’s not related or otherwise connected to me! I know, I’m going cray cray here at WOAW. Anyway, she had an opening in her schedule for the end of June, so I spent the last few weeks of “me” time (the “me” time not dominated by the trials and tribulations of Upper East Side teenagers on Gossip Girl and the wonder of LeBron James) self-editing my project before sending it to be edited.

Why do that? Isn’t that a waste of precious “me” time? you wonder. To me the thought process was sort of like why we clean before the cleaning lady comes. We don’t want the cleaning lady to:  (1) think we are the slobs that we are; (2) spend her time picking up toys when she could be doing more “substantive” cleaning like dusting our moldings and stuff; or (3) walk in and take one look at the place and run out screaming.

Same thing with the editor. I wanted to give her my project in the best condition I could possibly make it so that she didn’t feel the need to do shots of whiskey as she read it and so that she can concentrate on the big stuff like plot and character development yada yada, instead of little stuff like  to/too, your/you’re, here-he’s-named-Stan-but-here-he’s-named-Dan errors. But I found that after spending weeks on revising (you know how much I enjoy editing), and actually cleaning it up a bit–big stuff and little stuff–I got to the point where I couldn’t stand it anymore. I started to hate my three main characters and wanted to have them poke each other’s eyeballs out with pencil points.

That’s a problem.

So I stopped myself and sent it to the editor and now I feel free of it and ready to get back to blogging. I’m expecting the editor to return it to me within a few weeks and the thought of what I will then have to face makes me cringe (I’m cringing right now as I type this). It’s exciting to have a pro look at my stuff, but it’s also a bit nerve-wracking that she’s going to read it and suggest that maybe I should take up knitting instead of writing. Either way, it’s out of my hands now. The real test will be whether she wants to poke my characters’ eyes out.  Hopefully she won’t– not all of them, anyway.

That’s where I’ve been.

One more thing:  When I started this blog I was so wrapped up in writing, but now that I’ve gotten a feel for that I find myself wanting to read more. I haven’t been keeping up with the blogs I follow and I really want to play some catch up. So I may not be here as much as I should, but hopefully I’ll be at your blogs, commenting on posts that you wrote eons ago, ha ha. I love reading your stuff and apologize I’ve been slacking on that.

That’s it for now! I have the day off today and find myself with three bonus hours of “me” time before I have to pick up JC from school. My WordPress reader is calling me, as is the Laundry Monster. The Great Picture Project stares me down from the third floor landing (I have not touched it, by the way). There’s always the Shoprite option too. I don’t know what I’ll end up doing, but it sure is nice to have a choice!

Have a great day.

Author: Jess

I like to write stuff. View all posts by Jess