Highlights
- To celebrate the completion of a project this week, my GF and I headed to Tupelo, our favorite southern restaurant. Along with an order of ribs and Mississippi Mud pie, our favorite server treated us to some complimentary pimiento cheese and saltines appetizer. HOLY SHIT, GUYS. I had no idea. I figured this was only big in the Carolinas because my friend Jennie is from there and loves it. But according to the Arkansas Times, pimiento cheese is a big deal to my fellow Razorbacks. I guess that makes me a Bad Southerner. The big cheese in my family has always been Ro*Tel cheese dip. But there’s a new cheese in my life. We ate the leftovers for dinner the next night. That was a good decision. No regrets… Also, apparently, there’s a debate over the proper spelling: Pimiento or Pimento Cheese?
- After cancelling an outing due to the flu, my GF and I finally hit the slopes for a snowboard lesson. I’ve taken one before, but I can’t remember when or where. I probably blocked out the first visit because on this second visit my knees are black and blue and every part of my body is throbbing. Not only did I fall repeatedly on the bunny hill, I fell while trying to get on the “carpet” that takes you to the top of the bunny hill. It took me about a minute to unhook my board from my left boot while the carpet rolled on under me — which is a really long time when you’ve got 10 other people, mostly toddlers, waiting to get on behind you. I’m used to feeling like both a failure and an ass (because writer) so I didn’t let it get me down or stop me. I got back up and on the carpet ride (with an assist from my GF because my need to get on the carpet on my own was lower than my need to get down the tiny hill successfully at least once, which I did, finally).
- Now that I’m almost recovered from the flu and a project is complete, I can focus on revision. Thanks to the Taming the Unruly First Draft class with my wonderful friend and teacher Lisa Borders, I have the tools I need to get back in gear. I highly recommend it if you are in the Boston area. And if you’re not in the Boston area — or if you are — you should read her books. They’re wonderful.
- I also took an Intro to Scrivener class from my fellow Novel Incubator alum, Alison Murphy. I have not been using Scrivener to its full potential. Now I will. This class was fantastic.
Lowlights
- The flu. I’m tired of being sick.
- So. Sore.