England, Autumn, and the Blahs

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

I wrote before about how hard this transition from holiday to home has been on me. Now both Steve and I are in a very “blah” state where we aren’t feeling this whole being back home thing. Yesterday we both decided that we’re slightly ill. He’s had a cough and body aches, I’ve had a headache and sneezing. I’ve had the difficulty sleeping, which some nights I lick, and some nights I can stay awake until 4AM. Steve’s been more tired as well and wanting to go to bed earlier than usual.

There’s nothing really exciting going on. The weather is that gloomy, cloudy business. I use to love Fall (or Autumn if you’re of the British persuasion) but I keep thinking that it’s going to be like this for four or five months. Bleh. Plus, there is no work to be seen, so I’ve not been out of the house in an employment capacity since July.

Also, the project I thought was going to be so great, just isn’t sitting right with me. Every time I write a scene, I know I’m going to have to rewrite or cut it. (Which I guess if fine because I was reading today that Maya Angelou writes ten pages and keeps two or three.) It’s frustrating, but I know that’s part of the job. I know I’m letting myself get in the way of getting something done too. I just want to get my teeth locked into to something, like I did with my other projects, but this one just doesn’t want to come alive, I’m afraid.

I have a Creative Writing degree, but I may get back into some workshops. I’ve been following some webinars online, just to try and jog my creative juices. It has given me plenty to think about as far as structure of the story, but when I sit down to write, like now, I end up staring out the window. I even have coffee, so I’m struggling. I also read this week that writer’s block is just having too much time on your hands. Wow, is that true.

Anyway, since I’ve been home, I’ve been bored with just everything. I’ve gone into town, I’ve read, I’ve tried to get back into the groove of daily life here. I’ve almost gotten it, but meh…the blahs are just too prevailing.

Twitter hasn’t had much discussion lately, I haven’t wanted to play GTA V, Saints Row IV, or Sims 3, and I’ve picked up tons of books, read a few pages, then set them down. I even tried getting back into Downton Abbey – I fell asleep. And so on, and so on.

I think the homesickness has just been increased since I haven’t been back for so long. My old hometown isn’t much to look at, but Florida itself, and America itself (despite all this stupid government crap that is one of the few reasons I hesitate living there), is great. Plus, it just gets pretty boring being at home every day alone, even if I do, presumably, have things to do. Oh well, I’ll get my groove back eventually.

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Being organized and actually organizing

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

So, I went through a great webinar via Pen, Paper, Write last night and got some direction on how to structure my next (supposedly NaNoWriMo) project. The webinar discussed how to structure the novel and how to break up the scenes so they all work in conjunction to create a good, gripping story.

Great advice, yes, but man, does it make me nervous. I love the idea of organization, but when it comes to thinking what I want to happen in the story before actually writing it, it freaks me out. It also freaks me out to think that some days I’d just be plotting rather than actually writing (which makes me feel like I’ve had an unproductive day.)

But what I can get from my notes (the ones I’ve just printed out so I can take with me when I head out to the cafes to work), is that I can write each scene, and use the story structure idea of what I need to get to on the side. I’ve made outlines and they just fall apart, but the scene idea works better: I can see that. It just seems so daunting, but then again, breaking up each scene is a better way to go about the novel piece by piece.

Anyway, I’m sitting at home while Steve’s out on a work thing. I forget how absolutely dull and annoying living alone can be.

Ah, there’s the call. Time to pick him up. I do love having a car though.

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Back in the U.K.

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Our holiday in Florida was wonderful. While we were gone for two weeks we were able to:

  • Visit my parents
  • Go to Magic Kingdom
  • Stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Go to EPCOT
  • Partake in Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
  • Partake in EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival
  • Visit St. Augustine
  • Visit Fort Christmas
  • Hang out in Cocoa Beach and Titusville
  • Fed live gators after playing putt-putt golf

Now, with a busy agenda of something each day, we didn’t get to see any friends or other family members, which is a shame, but time just gets away from us too easily.

I was so happy to be back, especially since we’d been away for a whole year, and this time it was really, really hard to come back to England. I really liked being in such familiar surroundings, but with fresh, outsider eyes. I like being a tourist and an observer. It’s better than being in the middle of the whole place as it crumbles from unemployment all around me. Being here is a much better environment in many ways (I could give you a list on that topic) but being away from my folks, sunshine, abundance…it’s tough.

It’s still taken me a while to adjust to being here in the house by myself again each day. My sleep schedule is all off and I have an overwhelming case of the blahs. I’m slowly coming around to getting back to my projects at hand. Last night I looked over what I had left in one of my stories, and I was pleased to have something I thought I could get back to. Today, I’m trying to motivate myself to go to a cafe and get some words down again. I tried the other day, but only got a few sentences down. I’ve been really into reading The Shining though, so the days aren’t completely wasted.

Anyway, I thought I would have more to say on the topic, but I guess that’s it. I have to keep my head down and get back to work. Post vacation blues, are the worst.

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That time of year again

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Around this time, three years ago, Steve arrived in Florida for the week. We quickly obtained a marriage license, a suit, and a hotel room at the Polynesian Resort before our big day the following Monday.

Our anniversary is next week, and we will once again be heading across the pond. We’ll visit my parents, go to Disney, sit along Cocoa Beach, drive across Central Florida, and just enjoy being on our yearly holiday.

I am so happy to be going since we’ve just had a hard week with the wasps that will not go away, my not working because teachers don’t get tired of students until October, and my crazy scramble to find some contacts for the trip when Specsavers didn’t order them in time.

I had written a whole blog post about these incidences but, alas, I’m fully of worry and nerves about how many bugs are going to be in the flat while the cat and the cat sitter are here. I try not to get myself this distracted, but I can’t write, can’t read, can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t do anything without constantly wondering where the next wasp is going to show up. Luckily we only see one or two a day, but that’s still way too many. They’re coming in from somewhere downstairs and no matter how much we plug and seal off holes in the windows, walls, floors, or doorframes, they still just appear. Absolutely maddening.

So, yeah, escaping at this time of year is awesome. I want to come back refreshed and renewed and ready to prepare for supply teaching and NaNoWriMo. Honestly, the cabin fever of being in the house for six weeks without work is probably the main cause for my worry, but there’s nothing I can do about any of it. That’s the worst part. I cannot stand not being in control of a situation, and feeling absolutely helpless.

But, anyway, I’ve had my hair done, painted my toenails and fingernails, and found my list of things to take with me that we used last year. I just want to focus on being happy about the vacation, so I will. I will update when I can and get myself plenty of Instagram photos during the trip.

Florida, here we come!

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Wasp killing and allergy attacks

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

I’m writing from the living room on the netbook. I have had an interesting last couple of days.

On Sunday morning, when the wind got a little colder, I awoke at 7AM to buzzing in my bedroom window. I sprayed him, and went back to bed. Then Steve said he heard another one. We taped up the window where there had been a gap that whistled when it was windy out. We thought we’d figured it out, so we went to McDonald’s for breakfast.

We came home, went to bed. Slept for a couple hours. Heard another bee. I sprayed that one, got up, went to the computer. Steve said there was another one. I sprayed it too. We spent all morning trying to figure out where they were coming from. We filled every crevice around the window we could find, even having one fly towards Steve as he investigated the window.

I was ready to cry by the time we had eight of them come in. We couldn’t figure out where/how they were getting there, and I even had to chase one (who started chasing me) that was aiming for the overhead light.

Finally, Steve figured out there was a soft spot in the wall next to the curtain rod. He shoved a ton of Blu-Tac in the crevice, and even said he could feel cold air coming from there. We could see the little buggers coming in, but didn’t know where they were coming out. After he plugged that hole, we didn’t seem to have anymore in the bedroom at all.

However, that didn’t convince me. I was totally freaking out; convinced I heard them everywhere, and knew I’d never be able to sleep in that room if I thought one would come back. Steve sweetly agreed to sleep on the couch with me all night.

Then I ended up with a cold. Well, I’m not sure if it’s a cold or an allergy attack from the wasp spray. Whatever it is, it started off with the chills before bed (a tale-tell sign for me) and then my eye felt itchy. Eventually, as the night progressed, my eye was red, puffy and irritated, and my nose was runny. Steve has been sick with a virus that the doctor said just needed to run its course, so I’m wondering if that’s what is going on with me too. I slept on the couch all yesterday and today. We finally slept in bed last night without incident, but I’m much more content on this couch.

Sunday night we called an exterminator who said they’d put us in as “urgent” but they didn’t call back until noon, so I arranged for another guy to come (whom I’m waiting for now) and help us out. He said that if these things are living in the eaves of the windows, they’re wasps, not bees.

Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! As if that buzzing wasn’t creepy enough, now I can’t even think of them as cute little bees? Blech! Kill them! Get them outta here! Pronto!

I saw the first one outside my computer room window in April or so and I haven’t been able to keep my window open since then. We’ve had them coming in all summer and I’m tired of it. It’s driving me crazy and keeping me from getting anything done now because I’m worried about them all the stinking time.

I really would be useless during a zombie apocalypse. Just give me a bubble to live in.

UPDATE:  It’s 11PM and the exterminator has been here. I showed him the computer room window out back and he agreed that it was odd that our window was their choice in the whole building and the eave has a big gap above the window and he said that needed to be solid. We’ll have to get that sorted this winter.

Anyway, so the guy asked if the window opened because he wanted to go into the house, open the window, and kill them from there. I took him back to the computer room, let him move the electronics around and let him have at them. He had this crazy bee keeper type suit, and he just pumped poison dust up in the hive and shooed the wasps back outside when they tried to come inside. Only one was in the room that he swatted before he left, and when Steve and I got home, one was half dead in the kitchen window.

They were all mad outside, which the exterminator said will last for an hour, then it would be over. By the time we got back home, there was no swarming around the window anymore either. Apparently the only reason they tried to get into the house via the bedroom window was because they’re just trying to find their hive and get confused. A window is a window.

Stupid wasps.

Anyway, I’m so, so happy that they’ve been poisoned and I’ll keep checking on them to see how long this takes for them to get gone completely.

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