sick & busy
thursday, january 26, 2012


i've actually been trying to get to a whysper entry for a few days now because there's a few good things happening for us right now, but damn this sick thing just will not let go. i'm doing better, and i'm not ready to go to the doctor again yet, but the congestion and crud, the sore throat, and the occasional cough just won't go away. at one point the cough was so bad i almost threw up. saxy is still getting over it four weeks after first catching it, so i'm suspecting i'm in for a long haul on this one because of the anemia. if it gets worse again, i'll definitely head back to the doctor, but right now, i'm not sure he can do much more than what we've done, and i'm not ready to sink more money into antibiotics. i will get more cranberry juice, however. *wrinkles nose*

for most the last week and a half, though, i've been pretty much up and around despite the sick. i'm getting a little messed up with a totally screwed up sleep pattern at the moment (and i'm almost sure it's sore throat that's waking me up), but other than that, i've been getting back to the usual stuff i do. i did have to keep both kids home one day last week because it looked like they were coming down with the crud, then i kept froggy home three days this week because she was definitely down with something, but they really didn't intrude much on the my day. they rested, drank juice, ate some soup, rested some more. some extra tv, but not much. what's kept me from writing here at whysper hasn't been the sick so much, though the tireds from that definitely hasn't helped. nope, it's been the busy. i've gone back to editing and have had three different books placed in my capable care. two needed rewrites, one that came in late last week, the other that came in early this week. both were returned after i took on book number three. thirty pages of editing (minimum) a day is really eating into my time for other things, including my own writing. updating my websites. crits for dii. um, yea, all the other stuff i try to get to in the week. not that i mind too much. the publisher pays a small advance and those three checks have helped significantly with food at times when we really needed help. course, with three novels on my plate right now, it'll be a bit before i take on a fourth and get another check. lol

which isn't entirely a problem. neither of saxy's jobs are full time, but combined, he generally earns more than he would at one full time job. not a lot, and we're still worried about next month's rent, but this week is the first week when i'm managing to cover most our bills without major juggling and we'll be able to sink more than $50 into food. which is good. the cupboards are bare and $50 would in no way get everything we need. we've had un- and underemployment going on for years now. no way this will clear up over night, but at least at this moment, i can see it clearing up. for the first time in a long time, i'm feeling like we can get back on our feet and stable.

the biggest issue, as noted above (kinda), is rent. this house is such a money pit in terms of rent and utilities, that the only real option is to get the heck out. and there's a good chance that will happen. our tax return is just shy of the minimum i estimate we need to move, but i think we can swing it as long as we're judicious with it. as soon as that money appears in our account, i'll be opening a savings account and moving it all in there to be left alone until we find a place. once we pay a deposit on said place, we'll catch up our utilities so i can pay deposits on utilities for the new place. i've done a skim of places online, and so far there are a few things that are going to be a problem. first, for two bedrooms? no houses. most are townhomes, apartment homes, and condos. and most either don't like pets or limit the pets to two. and any place that takes dogs wants them under 20 pounds. gypsy is in the 35 pound range. so, we're going to have to look for a three bedroom house, more than likely, and most the stuff i've seen so far is out of my son's school district. heck it's completely put of our local schools districts entirely. and i'm hesitant to not only disrupt taz with a move but also with a change in school. same for froggy, who seems to finally be settling into her school. course, the online searches are driving me crazy in a lot of other ways as well, so i'm going to try some of those rental magazines and see what we can find that way. in the end, though, we may not be able to save as much as we'd like on rent. and that concerns me some since we're still on that edge of being able to pay things or not. but, you know, as they say, one step at a time. tax return should be in around the first or so. then we look. this is forward progress.

i've also finally sent blood charms, my second completed novel, off to beta readers! i'm so, so, so excited about that. (did i mention i was excited?) it's just nice to have it off my plate for a month or two (or so) and know it's almost ready for submission. i'm really excited about this book. unlike assassin's, it's not in a genre that's not getting much attention these days, so i'm really hoping it'll find an agent. not that me getting published will resolve our financial issues: publishing just doesn't pay a consistent supporting wage and is in such flux right now that relying on it would be ridiculous. but it will pay something, and hopefully i'll do well enough that it will keep paying me something to do what i love to do anyway. as for assassin's, i've been pointed to a small press that's specifically interested in epic fantasy, so will be prepping it for their april submissions window. and my current novel is in another genre that's currently doing well sales wise, young adult.

in other cool news: i've managed to keep up with exercising despite the sick and have generally managed my food despite the inability to have a well rounded diet, and am losing weight. recently i qualified for a credit card through a specific women's clothing site. while some would say it's a bad idea for me to take up on it, the problem is most of my clothes are threadbare. i've been hanging onto stuff with holes, completely stretched out, with seams coming out, and that are generally uncomfortable because we have no money to get me new clothes. and we honestly won't have money to get me new clothes until long after 90% of what little i do have is unwearable. and clothes for my size? not cheap, even when on sale. so, i took up on the credit card. the site is one of the least expensive i've seen and i have bought clothes from there in the past that have held up well. this time i ordered a size smaller than i'd purchased in the past because new measurements indicated that's where i was. well, it looks like i'm in a weird place: i lost not one size, but a size and half! i'm somewhat swimming in everything i've purchased so far, but i'm not yet at the next size down. it's a very weird, wonderful place (wonderful because, damn, i'm losing weight! and sizes!). still have a long way to go, but so far, very pleased with my progress. and lose it! is proving to be a wonderful support tool for me.

in other heath news: the full spectrum bulbs i purchased are working wonderfully. honestly, if it wasn't, i think between the sick and the recent weather (a lot of storms running through the last few weeks), i'd have become suicidal. instead, there i was tired from being sick, but none of the depressive, motivation/emotional sucking exhaustion i get with the sad. my only complaint is the illumination. the bulbs are dimmer than the lights i'm used to, so i need to get the next one up, but that's a minor issue. fortunately, i found a set of bulbs that are relatively inexpensive.

so, things are slowly looking up. saxy seems really happy with his jobs, even though he's not quite happy with the hours. it looks like it'll be a bit before the job that's supposed to be full time gets to that point, but we're already seeing some improvements financially. the rent is a huge concern, but it's always been a problem in this overpriced, utility wasting monstrosity. and with the employment issues, it's going to be awhile before things are caught up. but things ARE looking up, if even in small ways, and that's what we have to hang onto. it's getting better. finally.