Bear Gloves

I love that I have a job where I can wear bear gloves to work, and it's totally legit.



It's also adorable to see the different reactions. And all the time I'll hear parents say, "look at her hands!"
Little kids will stare goggle-eyed. Slightly bigger kids will give a shy wave. And even bigger kids will grin and wave.
Several adults have asked where I got them (it's just Amazon).
And since it can be really cold sometimes, they are really nice to wear. I only wear them when it's cold. So I got to wear them all day today @_@

Both practical, and fun. My favorite kind of things!

EDIT: The day after I wrote this post, I was wearing my bear gloves. I overheard a little girl say, "she's turning into a bear."

Don't Interrupt Me

This quote is in a book I'm in the middle of right now (Pursuing Giraffe, by Dagg). I thought it was pretty accurate XD

"Reading a book seems to be a signal for anyone to come and interrupt, as if this activity is a last resort and that any human contact is at all preferable."

(Pretty relevant in my office)

And here's a haystack for you. I mean, an emu.

Well, my car was totaled today.
Luckily no one was hurt.
But someone rear-ended me and caved in the back of my car.
Now I need a new car...

It's the first wreck I've been in while I was the driver. I'm hoping it's the last.

Research Trip to the Mage Temple

A couple weeks ago, I went to Mount Diablo to scope the place out. I'd never been there before, even though I've seen it all my life. But that's where I want to locate one of the mage temples in Magic-Earth.
(Edit - added a photo of the mountain as seen from a distance)


It was a beautiful mountain. I only drove to the top and looked at the view. I really need to hike around to get to know the place better.
Here's the mountain, seen from its base.


Anyway, I think I found the perfect location for the temple. I'll need to get over there in person to check it out properly.
It's a hill to the Northeast of Mount Diablo, called Eagle Peak. I'll probably keep the name the same. It fits well.
Here's the view of Eagle Peak from Mount Diablo. I circled Eagle Peak. (Though I may move the temple to that mountain behind it. Again, more research trips are necessary @_@ )


On the drive up and down, I took a bunch of notes about the plants, animals, mountains, and rocks I saw.
Up at the top was insanely windy. I think they said 50 mph winds. It felt like they'd knock you over. We'd tried to plan for a clear day, but it was hazy in the central valley so we couldn't see as far as possible. But you can see all the way to Yosemite Valley. I guess it's one of the largest views in the US, because there are no other high mountains nearby.
It is a beautiful vies, in every direction.


On the way down, we stopped at this area with really cool rocks.
The rocks are very soft. I was disgusted to find that these beautiful formations were absolutely covered with graffiti people had gouged into it.

People have to vandalize anything ancient and beautiful that they can get their hands on.

Anyway, it's a beautiful place. I hope I can make some other trips there before too long.

Heh. I have to be careful when I start writing. Because if I've just finished reading something, I might start to write with the same tone or pacing as the thing I was just reading @_@


Sumatran tiger

Dealing with Story Interruptions

No, I don't mean interruptions that keep you from writing. I mean things that interrupt the characters in the story.
Sometimes I actually find these sorts of interruptions helpful, if I'm writing a scene and I don't know how to resolve it. This may be as simple as a change in subject, or it may be an actual unexpected part of the plot. (Cheap, easy way out!)
On the flip side, if I'm really into the groove of a character's conversation or interaction, I don't know how to break into it. At least it's good if I've gotten that deep into the characters.


Mexican gray wolf

How do you Communicate Strong Feelings?

It seems that whenever I try to tell something about a topic I feel strongly about, they don't understand how much it affects me.

For example, I wrote about that scary drive during my Florida trip. It freaked me out so bad. I told my Dad about the drive, but he didn't know how bad it was until after he read the blog post.

Maybe I'm just no good at portraying it verbally?

That's a very mild example. There have been a couple times where I tried to explain how devastated I was about Ellen. And the people seemed totally bland about it.
I don't want to try to hide those strong feelings. But I wonder if it's worth trying to share them if no one seems to understand.

Ah well. This was just supposed to be about how I might find it easier to write about emotional stuff, instead of talking about it. Even if I'm not writing to a specific person.

Anyway, have a giraffe.