Trying to Make Some Decisions

Ok, so I'm almost 100% certain I'm doing a memoir. At least that's what what I said on Facebook the other day when I announced I'd come up with a title. Well, actually, I'd had the idea for a title in mind for some time now, but never shared it until recently.

As I've said in previous posts, I am uncertain whether to use real names of others I mention. What could they do to me? Sue me? Deny that they ever did what I said they did? Try to expose me as a liar? But even if I changed the names, would they still be able to determine that it was them I was referring to? I know this is not a source of revenge, but some of the people I mentioned have it coming for what they did to me. Some I don't remember the names of, but many I do.  I mentioned my aunt who died in 2008 and my grandfather who did four years earlier.  I feel it's just too boring without names.

For someone who has read more fiction that nonfiction (though I've gotten more into the latter recently), writing  a memoir seems a bit strange. I'd at times envisioned writing a novel and could easily come up with names (at least in my mind) for characters.  I've had a fascination with the name Bob for years now, and with the name Tina as well, but I know I can't keep using these names :-)  As Amanda Fleet said in her blog:

Names of characters can be tricky! Sometimes I've come up with a name and then had to change it as it stopped feeling 'right' for a character, once I'd done all my character notes. Other times, the name has been just right from the start and the character has followed on easily.

Right now I can't even come up with a fake name for anyone I'd referred to.

Now I need to figure out what was wrong with my printer, which I have not yet attempted to hook up since moving.  I still don't know what is wrong with it.  I want to be able to type and print my story so others can read it, so that I can get some critiques and opinions. I don't foresee getting a new computer anytime soon and don't think a flash drive will work with my old computer. My computer still works OK, but I can't get onto Pinterest anymore since they don't support the browser I'm using. And I'm on the mobile version of Twitter because of my browser.  I want to be able to save my work.  I miss the old days of saving documents onto disks. It was so easy to do.

Quiz: Are You a Hardcover Book or a Paperback Book?

Agree with most of this. You Are a Paperback Book

You are an avid reader, and you probably buy a lot of books. And nothing beats an inexpensive paperback you can carry around. You read whatever you feel like reading. You aren't a snob, and you aren't ashamed of your tastes. You always have a stack of books to get through, and it seems to be constantly multiplying. You don't mind waiting for a book you want to come out in paperback. You have plenty to read in the meantime!

Are You a Hardcover Book or a Paperback Book?

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Adjusting to Reading Glasses

Even before going to my eye exam yesterday, I'd begun to suspect I was having trouble seeing things up close, having to hold things away to try to read them.  I was told this happens when you hit your 40s.  I was also having trouble reading without a lot of light on or without holding it far from my eyes.

When I went to my exam, the doctor said it was my near vision.  Then I heard what I'd been dreading--I needed glasses.  Specifically, so that I can read and see object up close, and that I needed 1.25 reading glasses.  Either that or I could wear bifocals. He wrote a prescription; unfortunately, my insurance only covered the exam and not glasses.  But he said I could get some cheap reading glasses, so I did just that. I went to the Dollar Tree and found only two pairs of 1.25 reading glasses.  One had wire frames, which I absolutely hate (I've always gotten plastic-frame sunglasses). The only plastic-frame pair was zebra-print, which I like.  I didn't want to pay more, so I got this pair.

Incidentally, I'd told the doctor I wanted to think about wearing bifocals, but have been convinced that reading glasses were the better option.  As someone who never had to wear glasses before, I'm not sure how fast I would get used to wearing glasses all the time, but needed them for reading hasn't been hard so far and I don't think it will be.

Going to be Doctored Out!

How many times a year or month do you see a doctor?  And how many different doctors do you have? I generally go to low-cost clinics in my town so I don't have any one particular doctor I regularly see. Unlike when I was younger and was regularly seen by the same pediatrician, and as teen when I had braces and had a regular orthodontist as well as a general dentist.  But now I see who I can get for whatever reason I need medical services who will take my insurance.  This month alone I have three appointments. And I have to admit going to doctors has often been one source of my anxiety.

It's been years since I've had to view the famous eye chart, but tomorrow I have an eye exam. I've found once you hit your 40s you have to hold small-print out to see it better, something I've been experiencing for some time now.  I only hope I don't need glasses, since my insurance only covers the exam :-)

When was the last time you
saw this famous chart?

Last year I had toothache and went to the county health foundation to see a dentist and found I had three cavities. Before they could drill my cavities, I needed a deep cleaning that took three different visits, and the fillings took three appointments as well.  I had another visit last November and another this coming Monday. I used to be able to walk to the health foundation, but since I moved,  I now have to drive from across town! And get there by 8AM.

And on Thursday next week I go behavioral health to see the new psychiatrist. The department has been having trouble keeping doctors and  had one I really liked who was only there temporarily, though I saw him about six times.  The one I saw last month was a telepsychiatry doctor. I was told this one won't be back, but that the new one will also be a telepysch doctor. I'm anxious to see who this new one will be.

My session wasn't anything like this one.

As far as physical exams, I had one last summer at one of the clinics in town just before seeing the doctor who prescribed my Prozac.  The first psychiatrist I'd seen last summer had recommended I get an exam before seeing the next psychiatrist who began the prescription.  The exam included a blood draw, something I hadn't had in years.

I don't think I've ever had this many appointments in one month.

What to Do Next?

Now that I've finished my rough draft, people are telling me to set it aside for a while and then come back to it.  But I'm not sure what to write next if anything.

What would you do?

Growing Up With My Name

I've seen this as a trending topic on Twitter.  This was also something I recalled in writing my rough draft.  And I've seen this meme on Facebook and elsewhere:

I rarely ever found my name on souvenirs like cups and key chains, and rarely met others who had the same name as mine. It seemed like every other girl at school was named Jennifer, Karen, Lisa, Michelle, Julie, Elizabeth and the like.  Even Patty or Christina was more frequently heard than my name was.  I was envious of those with the popular names, always seeing their names these things.  I once used some iron-on letters to put my name on  a sweatshirt sleeve, something that seemed to be popular then, but other kids laughed at me for doing so.

Also, people almost never got the spelling right. This still occurs today, even when they see my name on Facebook. How could they not see it right there?

I'd certainly be wealthy if this were true.


What problems did you face if you did not have a common name? Or if you had one that can be spelled different ways (for example: Catherine, Katherine, Kathryn, and all the other possible spellings)?  Or an unusual spelling of a common one?  I know someone who spells her first name Jennefer and have seen Jesica or Jessika instead of the more common Jessica.  No doubt you've seen the spellings Alison, Allison, or Alyson, but how about Alicyn? It's doubtful these versions of these names ever turn up on souvenirs.

Quiz: The Bookmark Test

Somewhat agree, but not so much about the gambling part.

You Read to Have Fun

You are spontaneous and likely to change course midstream. You live unpredictably. You have an open and liberal sense of humor. You're usually the first to laugh at something. You are non punctual and don't expect anyone else to be on time. You get there when you get there. You are always down to take a risk. You are a bit of a gambler, at least when it comes to life.

The Bookmark Test

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Library Hauls for National Library Week

To celebrate National Library Week (ending today) I'm sharing the books I've taken out of the two nearest libraries, the county one in my town and the one in nearby San Juan Bautista, which I go to every so often. 

From The Hollister Library:
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest--Ken Kesey
2. The Yellow Wall-Paper and Other Writings--Charlotte Perkins Gilman
3. Queen's Own Fool--Jane Yolen and Robert L. Harris
4. Six of Crows-Leigh Bardugo
5. The Prophecy of the Stones--Flavia Bujor

From the San Juan Library:
1. Sellevision--Augusten Burroughs (audiobook)
2. The Odyssey--Homer (audiobook)
3. Garlic and Sapphires--Ruth Reichl

The San Juan Bautista Library uses the old-fashioned stamp
for bookcheckouts.  Do you still see this anywhere?

I was the first one to check out these audiobooks.

Quiz: What Fairy Tale Are You?

You Are Rapunzel

You are shy and a bit sheltered. You're curious about the world, and you want to break free! You sometimes feel like you're waiting for your life to begin. There's so much you want to see and do. You're still trying to figure out who you are and your place in the world. You're not sure what you who you want to be yet. You are resourceful and brave. Once you are given a little freedom, you boldly go after what you want.

What Fairy Tale Are You?

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Finished My Rough Draft

OK, I've done all I feel is necessary for my story.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be a memoir. 

So what to do next? I know reading through what I've written is necessary, but I've already started that even before I was done today.  I would do this when I wasn't sure what to write next.  But I just had to get the rough draft done soon, so I would not put it off much longer.

Below are shots of the first page of the prologue and the last page of the epilogue.

Quiz: The Library Test

I agree with this result somewhat....

You Are a Concrete Thinker

When it comes down to it, you're a practical person. You're only concerned with what works in life. You like to build your skills and knowledge about the world. You like to know lots of things. You are career-focused. You get a lot of satisfaction from working hard. You are always looking for ways to improve yourself and strengthen your ambition in life. You study a lot.

The Library Test

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National Library Week

April 11-16, 2016 is National Library Week.  I intend to celebrate by checking out books this week.  Last Thursday was the first time in a month that I had borrowed any library books, as I was trying to read from my TBR piles.  Preparing for the move made it hard to borrow any books and I had to go through my already read boxes to decide where to donate some of the books.  I was not able to update my Goodreads info until I got back online, so I was reading rather slowly as the moving process began. But I'll be back this week.

National Poetry Month

I discovered last week (before being offline for almost a week) that April is National Poetry Month,  and by coincidence, my writing lesson for last week was on writing poetry. I'd planned that lesson before knowing about National Poetry Month, but it still worked out great.

I offered several options for writing,including the word grab bag which I had done as a previous lesson.  Everyone seemed to like that idea so much that most people did not try my other ideas. So this week, since it's National Poetry Month, I'm gong to try these ideas again. I will not be having the grab bag as an option this week.  Here is the lesson I'll be offering next week:

Look through the books of poetry (I have some I will bring to class) and find one you like, then choose one (or more) of these options:

1. Write a mirror image poem, made up your thoughts in response to the original.
2. Rewrite the poem in your own words.
3. Take out 5 to 10 words or short phrases to use in a poem of your own.
4. Take one line from the poem to use as the first line of your own poem (it need not resemble the original).
5. Without reading the poem, look at the title only and make up a poem that fits the title. 

If you feel like writing poetry, these are good exercises to try.

I'm trying to make this easy, since this is new t most of the people participating,  If there is any interest, I may try some more complex forms later.  

Meanwhile, I plan to read some more poetry books this month for the poetry reading challenge I'm doing this year.  I will probably go over 10 books, just a little. Right now I have Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass checked out. 

Back Online At Last

Finally back online today at home since moving.  I'd been accessing the Internet at the library while waiting to get back. It was ok, but not the same as doing it home. and very limiting on time. I was not able to blog all that time, but I still looked at Stephanie's blog so I could keep up with her A to Z blogging posts. Her theme is Unsolved Mysteries, most of which so far I have not heard about. It's like  a learning experience.

Tomorrow I have a wedding shower to go to and did not have a chance to go shopping for a gift until tomorrow morning.  All the moving and not getting to see my email got me behind on this as I did not see the email from my book club organizer until Tuesday.  I'm considering a gift card, something anyone can use, maybe one from Target.