Juggling two lives

It is a challenge when one must maintain two lives, both necessary for each other’s survival. There is my day job – the demanding grind to and from downtown Toronto to work hard all day dealing with people, attending meetings, and to get a paycheck. This paycheck keeps my family alive and well fed, a roof over our heads, cats are comfy, and enjoy the simplicities of life. I have health benefits that go a long way since my husband does not have any. Bottom line – I have to work. And finding a well paying job is difficult, so I hold on to mine. I don’t work in the publishing industry. I did dabble in marketing but it got me nowhere. The book publishing industry in Toronto is small and there are many like myself hoping to get one foot in the door. There are lots of internships, but they include a 3-4 month commitment, full time hours, and a lousy honorarium - great for a student.

The other life – writing. I can’t do it without the security of my day job or I would be spending all my time looking for a job if I did not have one so no time for writing. And I would be miserable at my day job if I did not endlessly pursuit my dream. So I continue to work hard and dream big.

a wonderful day... and it is a full moon

I was so happy to hear this morning that Baby Cambridge is on its way. I wish Kate & Will a healthy and joyous birth of their first child. Since bets are on for gender and name - I say it will be a girl and her name Victoria. No matter the gender/name, I will be having a shot of Glenfarclas when the announcement is made at Buckingham Palace.

As for the baby's astrological sign, it could be a Caner or a Leo depending when it is born (today or tomorrow). It is also a full moon tonight. The universe is lined up for this child's birth.

update

My plan to avoid writing to give myself some r&r time was futile. It is in my blood to write so I dabbled. A way to release bottled up emotions, I guess. Many don’t care for my writing and many would not call me an artist (ya, I’m talking to you one star) but I am constantly creating new ideas, characters, plot, and new worlds if not on paper then in my own mental notes in hopes that one day I can release it to the world. I started a new compilation, far from my Bloodlust Series, and not a genre I would expect myself ever to delve into. It is a short story and somewhat autobiographical. I might even publish it under a pseudonym – haven’t made up my mind yet. It is dark, sad, and not sure how it will end.

Summer Blackouts

I was one of the many people affected by the torrential storm that hit Toronto and area on Monday. Mind you, I slept through the whole thing since I was home with a bad cold. I woke up in gloomy grey darkness and a heat that was difficult to breath. I wandered my house trying to surmise what the hell was going on. My husband was not home and the street seemed eerily vacant. The hot air was due to my ac not working because the power was out – and my cats disappeared somewhere in the walls of the basement. In the midst of flooding roads, overflowing street drains, and the grumbling heavens, I found solitude in the darkness.

Opening the windows to allow a cool misty draft offered some relief from the heat. Candles glowed on table tops and shelves. And a Moroccan style lantern cascaded geometrical patterns onto the bathroom walls and floor. Without the TV or Internet, I had no idea what was going on with the outside world but the feeling of the unknown was new to me and fear slowly bubbled up but quickly turned into a sense of freedom. I was happy to not have electricity for a short time – never long term. I wondered why I did not do this more often, turn off the lights, shut off the TV, simply unplug. My thoughts trailed off to how people once lived without modern luxuries, what did they do with their free time, if they had any? I felt transported and not myself – I welcomed the feeling. Or it was all the cold medication I ingested a couple hours earlier.

My husband soon returned home safely and unaffected by the weather and complained about the TV not working. We lounged on the bed with not much to do since I was sick so luckily for him, and my insanity, the laptop was fully charged and we watched the first two episodes of Game of Thrones Season One. Now I have a new obsession.