It's Friday... Again...?
Where did the week go?
Hello, and happy Friday! (It IS Friday… right…?)
Apparently, I sort of lost a day this week. See… yesterday, I was sure it was Wednesday. I guess I’m just that busy! lol
Today… Well, I spent half of the morning working on cheesy book #10, but then - because it’s me - I got sidetracked with yet another book idea. And then I wrote it. And made a really terrible cover for it. But, hey… it’s done and in Kindle, and it’s about 5800 words long.
Note: I write my own books and create my own book covers. No AI! (Btw, I said that with a growl.)
But today I used ChatGPT to proofread the book and - wow! - it caught six typos and then made it super-easy for me to find and correct them. So, I’ll be using ChatGPT for proofreading in the future… but - of course - I still balk at the idea of using AI for writing.
… Meanwhile, if people don’t absolutely hate that book (in reviews), I may admit to writing it. I’ll think about it. This one was half-silly, half-serious, and included autobiographical info from my somewhat colorful past.
ANYWAY… this week involved working on my books, taking photos, some beach time, and lots of weeding-out of our storage unit. That will continue - at the rate of three boxes per day - for the next few weeks. I’m trying to juggle that plus art, plus photography, plus writing. Easy-peasey… right?
It IS gorgeous here in coastal Maine, and - wow! - the tourists are arriving early. Yesterday, the restaurants were packed with diners eager for fresh lobster and homemade donuts and… Well, all the specialties of this area.
Ordinarily, we wouldn’t see this many tourists - mid-week - until mid-May.
Of course, it IS lovely up here. This was the view from our balcony, yesterday morning. The darker blue stripe at the horizon is the ocean. What I really love are the colors of the berries in the leafless trees, the evergreens in back of them, and the generally rugged landscape of Maine.
Between 30F blasts of cold air, it’s been really nice to sit outside in the sun, enjoying the salt air and cool breezes. (Right now, it’s 45F… not too bad.)
This week’s freebie is a printable page of stones. Really… this is what part of Wells Beach looks like. (Wells is about 15 minutes from where we’re staying in Ogunquit.) The photo - shown below - should print just a little smaller than 5” x 8” (at 150 dpi). I’ll be using my copy - torn or cut up, or both - in a collage or two. Or maybe just as a background for junk journaling. I kind of love the amazing mix of colors among these rocks. It makes me wonder where they all came from, before landing on this beach.
Click here to download your copy from Google Drive.
This week’s reading included a book that I can only recommend if you’re willing to wallow in very technical economics concepts. However, it was a HUGE relief for me to see how we got to this point in the U.S.. And why it’s unlikely to resolve quickly, short of very dramatic means.
Now, I’m able to survey each morning’s headlines and say, “Okay, this side has drawn that line in the sand, and the other has done this…,” and so on, without dwelling on it.
I am NOT trying to minimize the current crisis (or “crises,” if you prefer). However, understanding that this started decades ago, and seeing how this started around the LBJ era or even earlier… I’m grasping the complexity of where we are now.
As I said, this book is super-challenging to read, and Peter Coyote - besides being a fascinating Hollywood actor - is a geek and one of the OG hippies. Keep that context in mind.
For the understanding I now have, and how stabilizing it’s been… I heartily recommend this book. Here’s the link: https://mybook.to/BGYaS07
Moving on to happier topics…
Among the videos we found hilarious this week is this gem… which may only be funny to women “of a certain age”… and those who recall the Bohemian Rhapsody it parodies. (My husband and I roared with laughter.)
Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to running errands in Portsmouth, NH. I’ll be picking up a couple of art reference books, to plan my next paintings. I have a stack of blank canvases to use up before we move, and I want to try some new ideas with them… gleaning tips from books, so I’m not reinventing the wheel.
Meanwhile, the cheesy books continue to do well, still bringing in four-figures/month.
What do I want to write next…? Well, I started a cozy mystery series several years ago, and I think I’m ready to finish those books. Maybe. For now, I’ll keep thinking about it… and working on art when I’m not writing or going for romantic walks at the beach with my husband.
I guess I’ve rambled enough now, so that’s it for this week.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Cheerfully,
P.S. In the near future, there will be some BIG changes at my Aisling.net website. I’m ready to reorganize and update it… I can hardly believe it’s been online for over 20 years!