The case of the missing socks...

I am having a hard time putting my fingers to the keyboard and posting a blog. I am stuck writing a short story and Liz and I can only get together about once a month to revise our books. The stories still rattle around in my head but it is the little nuances that come when you are writing that I am afraid I will have forgotten when I get back to the characters.

I think the problem started when I attempted a short story. I love reading short stories and my favourites are Alice Munro/ 2010 Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and Mavis Gallant ,( she has too many awards to mention), is still writing in a garret or at least her home in Paris. Is this not every artist’s dream to swan around on the Left Bank? She left Canada in 1950 to pursue her need to write and earn a living.

Alice Munro will be 80 this year and Mavis gallant 86. So there is hope for me yet. I have been asked, “Why did you wait until now to start writing?” My answer to that is that there is no right time. This is the right time for me, at least to start putting my thoughts to paper instead of just letting them simmer on the back burner. I have been writing for years but mainly kept it all locked in my head. I have written essays, short stories, novels but mostly in my mind. Now I need to unlock those stories and share them.

My writer friends tell me I need to nap more often. They say nothing beats a 20 min nap to get the two sides of the brain working. I just woke up from an hour nap and I am just cranky and feel like going back to sleep.

If you are wondering about the title of this blog, it refers to something I hate to do. That is, match up a drawer full of black socks. Admit it; your sock drawer is the same unless you are like my husband who actually pins his socks together and even turns them right side out. He has never lost a sock!! So while I had my rejuvenating nap so that I could finish my short story, I handed him a bag of about 40 socks that needed to be matched. What else does a man have to do on a Sunday afternoon while watching “Dead Man’s Walk” by that wonderful novelist, Larry McMurtry? As my husband has seen this movie a few times before I did not feel at all guilty as my nap was a therapeutic necessity! I received back 16 pairs out of the 20 I was expecting. I must dig further for the other odd socks, but after I have finished my story.


Oscar night tonight. I have not seen any of the movies yet but will still offer my opinions and critique all the stars. The best dressed and the worst and "How could she wear her hair that way? etc. Love it. I will be so tired tomorrow as I always stay up until the end. They should start at 6pm.

Liz will be back tomorrow from her vacation so we will chat about when we next get together to finish the Great Canadian Novel.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

A Quick Note

I've just read Pam's post, and yes I can verify she has begun her retirement countdown! And not without a certain level of envy do I listen to her post-corporate world plans. But all being well, my time will come soon enough as well.


However I digress. Her post also noted that Caroline missed the Word Match up - so after some searching I found the site where I originally discovered this little gem (among others). The Free Dictionary has all manner of word games and research tools - do check it out. And Caroline - Word Match Up has been returned for your pleasure.


And now the best time of a Saturday afternoon beckons. Some reading and then a nap - bliss!


So on that (quick) note, I will just say


Cheers!


Liz

"This and That"

Thanks to Liz for the “new look” to the Jamie Tremain blog. It looks fresh and new and I hope we can justify it with the content. My sister Caroline has lamented that the word search was missing and I hope Liz attaches it back on for those who like to test their vocabulary. And of course that is what this is all about. Stringing together words and making some sense of them. Creating stories that you hope others will enjoy.

Liz and I will be meeting again in a few weeks to revise a few more chapters. It is a slow process but that’s the way it has to be. It’s my turn to go to Guelph and bring the treats for nibbling as we read and revise and get on the same page about the story. Sometimes we jump ahead of ourselves and can see where they (Dorothy and Paul) might go in the next book. Well, we have to get this one published first and then we can plot the next.

I promised myself I would not do this but...... the countdown to my retirement is 5 1/2 months. Goodbye corporate world with deadlines and productivity reports. Punctuality is not my strong suite so I relish the thought of just doing my own thing when and if I want. I have stopped wearing a watch. If I want to know the time there are clocks everywhere. I will eat when I am hungry and stay up after 9.30-10pm bedtime that I now need to get to work. That’s the plan. I look forward to writing during the day and going for long car rides that my husband and I enjoy. I want to spend more time with my grandsons but we will see about that as four of them will be here next weekend. I may change my mind!

The rest of today I will be writing the short story for our “Challenge”. You can find Liz’s at Jamietremainrememberthename FB page. I will forward my article to Liz to upload as I might sent it into cyberspace. I did one last month called “My love affair with the needles....and yarn”. Nobody dies, but I hope you enjoy the story anyway.

We are not going to “Bloody Words” conference this year as it is in Victoria, BC. Once we start to make some money... is that possible.. we will travel again. There are lots of festivals close by that we can attend so that will suffice. The Elora Writers Festival and Eden Mills to name but a few. I will publish more details nearer the time.
Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

New Look

As you can see I've been busy. 


Pam commented the other day that the blog needed to be freshened up. But why on earth did I decide that 10:00 pm last night was a good time to start making changes!   Frustration became the order of the hour - I found a template that I liked but it didn't work with the layout of info we currently have.  So, for now, this new look will suffice.   She is away this weekend and may not see these changes until later today.  Stay tuned for more changes!


Well winter continues to surprise us here in south western Ontario.  The monster storm forecast for last Wednesday (remember my vacation day?) came and went.  And while it did cause some disruption, the amount of white stuff that covered the ground was less than predicted.  Now take yesterday...the morning started out with bright blue sunny skies and the sun's heat was quite noticeable even through my heavy winter coat.  In the forecast?  Maybe one centimeter by day's end.


Hmph!  By 2 pm the sky had clouded over and reports of a major dump of snow to the south of us was being forecast.  At 4 pm, a curtain of heavy, visibility inducing, snow began to fall quite rapidly and stayed that way for almost the next 6 hours.  Aha..here is the 15 - 30 centimetres predicted - just a few days late!   Its very pretty out there right now, but if I'm smart I'll get out and clean off the car before the work day tomorrow.  We Canadians certainly have to be flexible when it comes to our weather!


On another note, Pam and I were challenged this week to write one short story a month.  Great idea!  So we both started with the opening line, "Someone has to make a decision."    Not sure if Pam has done hers, but I finished mine yesterday.   And for those interested, its posted on our facebook site - JamieTremainRememberTheName


And now I'm getting ready for a visit from my daughter who promises to arrive with Tim Horton's coffee in hand - a great way to get this wintery day started.


Have a great day - whether you are busy or not.


Cheers


Liz

Erotic Groundhogs

Yes, she beat me to the blog. I could get used to this. Lollygagging around in my comfy sweats. I did make myself get dressed though, minus the bra. Oh, you did not need to hear that but let’s be fair, to be truly comfortable....
As you can see from the picture I have a nice view from my office space and it is very relaxing. The only thing that is distracting me is the squirrels and the odd cardinal. The wind is still gusting and the snow still coming down, but it is on the wane. This is Ground Hog day in Canada and parts of the States. It appears that Willie did not see his shadow so we will have an early spring. After today that is welcome news.
I have been challenged by a fellow writer at work to write a short story every month. In turn I have challenged Liz and we will see what we can come up with. Lately my writing has been writing Diversity profiles and an article about my knitting!!... And now I am on about Ground Hogs!!!
My friend and colleague’s chosen field is fantasy and erotica and she is an exceptional writer in those genres. Do not expect any such thing from either Liz or myself!!!. I have just read her latest story and although I was not exactly red in the face I could have had a cold shower after reading. When she sets up her website for her material I will forward it to you for those that have an interest.
I think our blog needs an update. At any rate we need new pictures. I spent a King’s ransom buying new glasses so I can show them off. Someone used the words “Oh you look much younger” She will certainly get a free signed copy of Body Perfect...only thing is, I can’t remember who it was!
I am off to plot my short story and see what I can come up with.
Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

Winter Storm

…and who will blog about it first?  Pam has threatened to post, but perhaps I can beat her to it!

Yes we are both home from work today; I sacrificed a vacation day to play “better safe than sorry”.  Having a commute of more than 50 km on open highway made me decide staying home was the better option.  I visited the weather satellite images quite a lot yesterday and was amazed at the size of the storm system making its way northwards to southwestern Ontario.   I don’t know that we got the accumulation predicted, but its drifting and blowing around in a frenzy so I still feel good that I made the right decision to avoid the highway trek this morning.

Pam, as mentioned, is also at home today.  A mid week ‘bonus’ of sorts for both of us.  I’ll be curious to find out tomorrow how much staff volumes were affected today by this weather system.

Having a “free” day is like starting with a blank page – what to fill it with?  Chores? Reading? Writing? Napping?...so many to choose from and so little time!   Perhaps a little of each will be the best course.  So having said that, I’ll tackle one chore and then go from there.

Have you become a “fan” of Jamie Tremain on facebook yet?   You can find us at JamieTremainRememberTheName.

Well enough stalling I suppose..the sooner I cross off at least one chore, the sooner I can settle on more enjoyable activities – hope you are safe and warm wherever you are if you live in this storm’s path.

Cheers!

Liz

"Sweet Afton"

I’m sorry, but I can’t avoid talking about the weather. That is what we are all about in Canada. Extremes. The summers are hot and humid and in winter we freeze. Today, being January it is freezing.But everything is relative as there are many places in Canada that would be laughing at my description of cold weather.

I am sitting in my small office that is in a cut-off section in our bedroom. My desk is placed so that I can look out the bay window into woods and a pond. It is cold...(-17 with the wind chill of -20) When the pond freezes it is nice to watch the kids skate and play hockey. But like the birds and squirrels they have sense to stay home today and cosy up somewhere warm. However, the sun is shining and the sky blue, but it still does not tempt me to don snowshoes or skis.

Liz and I had a most enjoyable day yesterday revising three more chapters of Body Perfect. Cutting and adding but mostly cutting. We both feel that this is the real writing. Following the voices of the book’s characters they take on a life of their own once we read them out loud. We also made lots of notes for a new novel that we will start when BP is finished. After numerous pots of tea and a stop for lunch we finished the third chapter before Liz left for a snowy journey home to Guelph.

As you know I am on a nostalgia trip at the moment and when I was looking up some info on Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) Scotland’s national poet, known throughout the world as the person who wrote “Auld Lang Syne” and A Red, Red Rose.

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

This is just a few among many poems and songs that he wrote. My favourite was “Sweet Afton” When I was eight or nine I won an award for singing Sweet Afton from the Robert Burns Society and I still like to sing the words to this day.

Flow gently, sweet Afton! amang thy green braes,
Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise;
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream,
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.
This was written in 1791.

So on Tuesday, Jan the 25th around the world, there will be Burns suppers as they are called, where they eat Haggis and (neeps) turnip and mashed potatoes and of course have a dram or two of good Scots whiskey to toast the bard. Oh, and of course the bagpipes. What Scottish event can you have without the bagpipes?

So,from a dead poet to a lunch of Thai food. How the world has changed. Son #2 has arrived to take his Mum for a birthday lunch. Yeah! Who needs to dust anyway!!
Talk soon
Slainte,
Pam

Pillars of the Earth

Canadian weather – go figure.  Yesterday I left for work with the temperature at a frigid -22 c – and that’s without the wind-chill factor.   Today?  I drove home in pouring rain!  No wonder we love to talk about it so much.

Last year I mentioned that I had read Ken Follett’s  “The Pillars of the Earth”.  What an exquisite story, one I didn’t want to end (and no, I haven’t yet read the sequel) and so I was quite excited to learn a movie was in production.  The mini-series aired here about three weeks ago, an hour at a time.  So far I am enjoying it very much – except (you knew that had to be coming didn’t you?) that it really seems rushed.  No doubt in an effort to pare down a lengthy novel into the time frame required something has to be sacrificed.    Ian McShane as Waleran is well played.  Although I envisioned a stockier Tom Builder, Rufus Sewell fits the bill nicely and is very easy on the eyes!   Episode three airs later this evening (9pm on CBC in my neck of the woods) so I know where I’ll be in a few hours!  Pam is also taking it in and even though she hasn’t read the book, she commented that she also felt it was being hurried along.

So, from a leisurely read which gives you a chance to understand the texture of the story, and what makes the characters tick, to a fast paced piece of visual entertainment – which is better?   Unfortunately with the movie I don’t think we will get a real chance to explore the tapestry and inter-weaving of the characters.  However I will still enjoy the story in this format and if you're a fan of early British history, intrigue, and relationships,  you may want to check it out.

As Pam mentioned we are planning a day of writing this coming Saturday – weather permitting of course.  Hopefully we can be as productive as the last couple of sessions; we are both anxious to get this draft revised, and then do the next round of fine tuning.  Ultimately, there is another story, or two, that needs to be written around Paul and Dorothy, but the temptation to get ahead of ourselves needs to be kept in check.  Stay tuned for further details on how the weekend turns out.

Well, a few more chores beckon before I can settle in for the next instalment of “The Pillars of the Earth”.  The aroma of freshly brewed coffee beckons and I’m sure I’ll need at least one cupful to keep me conscious for the episode!  Truly I feel like I am burning the midnight oil at nine pm!

Oh and yes, I must check out the Weather Network to see what’s in store for tomorrow!  One never knows what the day will bring, but at least it’s encouraging to see the days beginning to lengthen.   Whatever the day brings, I’m sure there will be something worthwhile to talk about.

Cheers!

Liz

Milestones

2011 is a year of many milestones for my friends and family and I want to celebrate all of them.
I turned sixty-five this month and I am now officially a senior citizen. I have been told there are many perks that come with that moniker.I already had the hearing aids and glasses and my hair has been grey/white for some time.Because I don’t see very well I have ignored the groves and wrinkles on my face until I looked into one of those 5x magnifying mirrors...yikes it’s scary and we won’t even talk about the body.
I am looking into all the wonderful discounts for the aging person. 10% off at the drug store if I manage to get there on a Tuesday. Restaurants and movies and even cheap bus fares if I decide to use them. The local college have great discounts that I will be looking at in the fall. All in all if you have your health and your marbles it’s not a bad deal as we all know what the alternative is. This is the new .....50, 55. Whatever, maybe I will take up..., Oh who knows, the sky’s the limit.

I know of two babies to be born this year; a niece and a friend. Two weddings, one for the first time and the other, a second go at marital bliss. My friend Claudia will be fifty... my sister Rosemary seventy!!!, and the woman I call my other mother, Bertha, will celebrate ninety five years young. And seventy five years driving a car!!!She just renewed her licence. My oldest grandson will be sixteen and hopes to get his car licence. Perhaps I will ask Bertha to give him some lessons!

One more milestone and it is a biggie for me and my husband. Our oldest son will be forty!!!! This brings such a flood of wonderful memories of when he was born and a toddler. He has turned into a fine human being, husband and father.
Oh yes, one more.. In June, forty five years of servitude for me. Just joking Peter!

On June the 10th, Liz and I will have been writing together for four years and hopefully we are nearing completion of our books and are steps nearer to publication. We have a date next Saturday to have a get together to work on a few more chapters.

I officially retire at the end of July and friends and co-workers keep asking me what I will do with my time. Just imagine getting up every morning and be able to sit at my desk and write. I will manage to squeeze in some cleaning and cooking of course,but mainly just write.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

A spooky New Year to you!

My reading throughout the holidays was sporadic but I did read an author whose books I have avoided for years simply because they are mostly horror stories. I have a bad enough time getting to sleep at night so I picked my vacation time to read my first Stephen King. If it kept me up at night, I could sleep in the morning. And he did.. keep me up and I did sleep longer when I eventually got to sleep.


Still not my favourite genre as I was really spooked. The book I read was one I picked up and put aside for later. Not sure if I wanted to start a 732 page novel, I remembered reading somewhere, that if you want to write, Stephen King is required reading. The book I started was “Bag of Bones” written and published in 1998. This was a yellowed, dog eared copy just asking to be read.


It took me nearly three weeks to finish as some nights I did not want to get back to the story. Two nights in a row I dreamt what he had been writing and it chilled me to the bone. He is indeed a master storyteller and I am a new fan. A reluctant one... so I will read his books as a writing lesson and try not to get so emotionally involved. He covers every range of emotions and his characterization was wonderful. The dialogue was spot on and I could hear the voices talk to me in their particular idioms and accents. Those of you who read Stephen King will know what I am talking about.


New Year has Liz and I “off to the races” and we have our writing work day planned for later this month. We need to finish the 2nd draft and then it will be a polishing 3rd draft before we are done. It feels like we have been writing this forever but what writer is ever satisfied with their work. I think we will know when it is truly finished.


I treated myself to a vacation day today and I could get used to this lolling around, maybe ,for a day or two but then I have to find things to do. I have a few projects on the go and with the revisions I have lots to keep me going. I am very optimistic about 2011 and want to wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year.



Talk soon,

Slainte,

Pam

Out with the Old and In with the New!

I promised myself I would slow down this Christmas, not spend so much money, relax and enjoy the season, but I have found it was the usual race against time to get everything done I felt was important . On reflection, most of the things I thought were important were not, I had no need to spend quite as much money and it is hard to enjoy yourself when you are tired and run ragged. I think I am speaking for a lot of women as men do not seem to have this frantic need that women do.

Now that I have seen all my five boys, (grandsons) and watched them open their presents I can relax and prepare for the New Year. Not having to go to work every day has been a bonus as being on vacation at Christmas time is a new experience for me. Just before I left work last Thursday I pressed the send button with my letter of intent to HR. Gasp! Gasp! July 31st 2011 I will officially retire. I have talked of this for a long time but now that it is round the corner well...... I know I need to stop and smell the roses or coffee and do some of the things I have not had time to do, but to be on a permanent vacation......

2010 was a year of many changes around the world. The newspapers and online reports have lists of the good, the bad and the ugly. The publishing world is changing also as more and more people use Kindle or their phone app to get their fix of the latest best seller. I have not bought into this yet but may have to. It is always another avenue for Liz and I to explore when we are ready to start querying agents again.

On a positive note lots of good stories come to mind to end the year. Twins were born to a colleague on Dec 20th. Everyone is healthy and happy.
The weather here in my neck of the woods has been great. We appear to be in a sweet spot with snow all around us. I should bite my tongue!!.
My daughter Courtney’s health is on the mend and she has a new position she is excited about.
Leanne, my daughter in-law has been promoted to a position she really deserves.
Most of all, I am so grateful my family is safe and healthy is these uncertain times. I wish for all of you the same in 2011.
When I have a quiet dinner tonight with friends this Hognamey night I will raise my glass and wish you all a very Happy New Year. Thanks for sticking with us this past year.

Slainte,
Pam