Random Quirks of Me: 20 Things I've Learned About Myself (Recently)

Some things are just not worth sweating over.

Some things are.

Here are some random quirky things things I have learned about myself in recent months:

1. I do not have the patience to master Photoshop. Not even after taking a once/week class for 6 weeks.

2. and because I do not have the patience to master Photoshop (Elements. The "easy" cheapo version.) neither do I need to learn how to operate that schmancy DSLR camera that I do not yet own (and should never purchase.)

3. I need to use recipes when I cook. 

4. That may not translate into "I will use recipes when I cook" and yet . . . no one in this house will starve.

5. Sometimes, the best thing to say is nothing.

6. Almost always, when you've been hurt, the best thing to say is nothing.

7. When you go ahead and say something anyway, you need to apologize. Quickly. Truly. Repentantly. (But do wait until the repentance is genuine, or what is it worth?)

8. I do not have a spam folder in my brain I can empty. I wish I did. This year, more than any other, my brain feels as if it has reached maximum capacity.

9. Ooooooh... shiny! (I am easily distracted.)

10. No one should have a combined 14,242 emails spread over three email account inboxes. 

11. I have 14,242 emails in three (combined) inboxes.

12. New furniture can change your life. Seriously. I can sleep now, without pain (most of the time) because the furniture I sit in during the day and evening has been recently replaced.

13. New furniture is expensive. But if it changes your life in a way that positively impacts your health and productivity, it is money well spent.

14. If there is a clean dog, and the weather is warm enough to produce mud, he will roll in it.

15. Don't spend good money on bad chocolate. Spend extra money on good chocolate, and then treat it as the treat it is, rather than a cheap stress bomb.

16. Business tax deductions are cool for next year, but it still hurts to buy them this year.

17. Gravity is not my friend. 

18. Also, I am glad for gravity. Just imagine trying to get stuff done when you're floating all over the place. I mean . . . really.

19. You can decide to be content where you are, even though it's the last place you ever wanted to be, but you have to work really hard to keep that contentment or you'll make everyone else around you miserable, too.

20. If you think you need to speak softly so no one will hear what you're saying, chances are you should not speak at all.

So, there they are. Twenty things I've learned about myself in recent months. Can't say as I've applied all (or any?) of them successfully yet, but there they are, in all their humanness. 

Random. Quirky. That's me.

Random as always, but jumping back in.

Summer is a difficult time for me to dig in to creating new material. It's an excellent time for editing--for re-writing--but in my house, where even my husband operates by the public school calender (though  as an elementary principal his is extended several weeks longer at each end than the students and teachers) EVERYONE is home for a good chunk of the summer. I like having them home. I do. But . . . it's really hard for me to concentrate with so much activity (and let's face it, MESS) around.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I wasn't going to post very much for a couple of weeks due to the hope of achieving some intense writing time. Well, it was a pretty intense couple of weeks. Unfortunately, most of the intensity came from interruptions rather than writing. Some were planned, fortuitous, and even enjoyable. Others were . . . not so much. But whichever category they fell into, they did manage to steal a lot of that hoped-for writing time. *sigh* Sadly, I didn't up my word count as much as I'd hoped.

Thinking back over these two weeks, however, looking at all I've done or been a part of doing, I guess I shouldn't be too upset with myself.

*The 30 year old wallpaper in my bathroom is now gone. I painted, sanded the walls (don't ask. DIY problems!) and painted some more. Now I'm only about $1000, a few trips to Lowe's, and a skilled carpenter away from bringing my bathroom into this century. (In other words, ten years from now, when I find that spare $grand and finally replace that blue-cloudy fake marble, shell-shaped double sink and whitewashed 1978 cabinetry, the now-fresh taupe-y grayish brown paint will need to be updated. But it'll do for now!)

*Albus got "fixed" -- and subsequently had complications involving his stitches and an incessant need to nip at them. I can now say that I answered a telephone call from a friend and responded to her question, "What are you up to?" with "Well, I just put a maxi pad on my male dog. What are you doing?" Also, I "slept" on the living room floor with my poor sweet pup while he got used to wearing "the cone of shame" for a couple of nights, resulting in a totally messed up body clock that has me relatively productive until 2 or 3 in the morning, but unable to really function until about 10:30 the next day.

*I got together with my "book 3" cover models and finalized the wardrobe selections for the photo shoot, which is now scheduled! Woot!

*School supply shopping, registration paperwork, and sports physicals are completed!

*One of the two color guard routines I'm responsible for choreographing for the high school marching band is almost perfected! Which means I've spent actual time *gasp!* outdoors!

*Several conversations with a few of my traditionally published friends have made me ever-so-grateful to be forging my own path through this changing industry. The more I hear about their struggles, deadlines, and lack of input into the final product, I realize that, at least at this moment in time and with this chaotic mind, I am doing the right thing for me by self-publishing. Yes, it's a LOT of responsibility and a lot of work, but honestly, I am way too *squirrel!* easily distracted, too often wracked with anxiety, and entirely too much of a control freak to go the traditional route. I am more thankful than ever to be a self-publishing author who sets my own deadlines and plays by my own rules while doing what I love. And yet... there are things about this journey that still have me occasionally digressing into panic mode.

*So, my old friend anxiety. We meet again. Yep. I've had a bit of that familiar nemesis stealing my sleep and adding to the chaos. But unlike my usual "Just lay there while my gut feels like its being compressed by a Ben-Gay-covered vice that is injecting caterpillers into my gut", I have used some of those sleepless hours productively, stepping out of E'veria and working on another project. In the last week I've completed about six chapters of rewriting on a contemporary YA romance that I hope to release within the next year, all within the wee hours.

*Although I did not accomplish as much as I'd hoped toward finishing Eyes of E'veria Book Three, I did manage to write about 10,000 new words--and cut about 1000 "old" ones. Only 15,000 to go before I dig in to the initial revisions! PROGRESS! I'll take it!

*I've also attended to my sweet gig at HEA, having submitted 6 book reviews for July releases and having completed reading 2 August releases and started a third.

So, yeah. I've been fairly intensely busy, though not blogging. Now and then the chaos-that-is-my-life has been tempered by mixing a few solid writing days into the madness, but considering I'm readying this blog post at 2:21 am on a Sunday morning (that still feels like Saturday night!), there is clearly plenty of madness to spare in my world!

What's going on in your world? Has your summer been chaotic -- or sublime?

Welcome to my Brand New Blog!

Welcome to Quirk Central. My name is Serena, and I'll serve as your tour guide through the randomness of my life and into that crazy space beyond the stories.

Those who know me have been forced to accept that "in person" I tend to ramble a bit. I am a daydreamer and I am easily distracted, yet I am often so focused on other worlds (I write fiction) that I forget to do stuff like, um, make dinner. In fact, even as I'm writing this, some kids in my house just pulled a pizza out of the oven. A pizza that I had no hand in preparing, other than saying, "Um, yeah. Sure. Pizza. Good."

(Yep. I'm "that mom." But before you call DHS, it should be noted that my kids are 12 and 16 and fully capable of safely operating an oven.)

Perhaps you've deduced that I am a little... odd.  If so, you are correct. *bwah-ha-ha-ha!* If you look to your right, you'll see a picture of giggly-me with somewhat fiery hair. (No, I'm not a natural redhead. At this writing, I'm not any sort of redhead, actually. Today I have more of a brown-meets-platinum streaky thing going on. *see welcome message below picture!* Tomorrow... who knows? But that's enough about my ever-changing hair for now--although it's bound to be mentioned here from time to time because I like to experiment with cut and color.)

Still here? Wow. I'm impressed! Still, at this point you're probably wondering what in the world you've stumbled upon. Who is this disorganized, rambling crazy woman?

This is me. This is my {personal} blog. (I put that in funny brackets because "personal" can sometimes imply "private" and the internet and privacy are a bit oxymoronic.) This is my {personal} blog, but it's not private. It's just not about the stuff I normally write about. It's about the random quirkiness of living life.

I'm going to write some stuff here on this blog that might not seem like it comes from the "Serena Chase" you know from reading The Ryn, The Remedy, or my book reviews, but rest assured: we're the same person. Yes, this blog is going to seem pretty random at times--pretty different from what you're used to from other authors, too, no doubt. And while I will continue to work hard to make my "professional" and fiction writing excellent, there is a certain amount of chaos in my life and brain that makes me "me." This blog is my attempt to connect with readers outside of the books I read and write on a "real" level that allows for a little more honesty and a little less polish. 

Is that quirky? I'm a quirky sort of girl. This blog is going to reflect that side of me.

What you can expect from Serena Chase: The Blog
I plan develop "theme posts" at some point, as is so popular among my fellow bloggers. I'll write about things like Late Night Guilt, Snort-laughing, Anxiety, and Dieting vs. The Desperate Need For Dr. Pepper. You know, the stuff that matters.

Did I also mention that I am frequently sarcastic? (Hmm. Probably should have put that out there in the opening paragraph...) Well, I am. You can expect a fair amount of that, too.

And now: THE TOTAL HONESTY ALERT

On this particular blog, I fully intend to write about the most random things imaginable. If you thrive on chaos, you might find yourself visiting often. If you're a fan of order? Maybe not. (Or maybe you order-hounds will surprise me and drop by regularly, just to assure yourself that, compared to me, you are totally sane.)

*shrugs with a smile* I'm cool with that.

Informality reigns
at Serena Chase: The Blog

I do not intend to review books on this blog. Places like Edgy Inspirational Romance and USA Today's Happy Ever After blog have dibs on my book reviews and author interviews, so follow those links if that's what you're looking for. If, however, you're looking for quirky random nonsense, an occasional honest devotional, or a photo commentary on something from my little corner of the world? Congratulations! You've arrived at Quirk Central. 

My posts may be funny, heartwrenchingly honest, sad, affirming, or simply a revel in the ridiculous, but . . . I'll try not to let it be boring. This is a put-your-feet-on-the-furniture kind of blog, so go ahead: make yourself at home. I'm glad you're here!