Research

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was a wannabe writer desperate to get published and hungry to have the tools to do the research I needed to do to make a great product (mysteries mostly back then, some fantasy too.) There was a series of books I lusted after called the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest.  I didn't believe in myself enough to convince myself back then to shell out the money I couldn't afford to buy them.  But OH I wanted those babies.

WELL, I am now a professional writer, a NOVELIST.  (WOOT!!)  I still have to do lots of research.  (Lot of it is help from friends.  Some on the internet.)  But you know what.  I still read books for research.  And a panel by a friend who is a #1 NYT author reminded me of those books.

I went online.  I FOUND THEM -- WOOT WOOT WOOT.  I ordered a bunch and am SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!

I know it's geeky.  I DON'T CARE!  I will have the tools I need to look up poisons, and crime scenes and common guns.  RIGHT IN MY LIBRARY!

YAHOOO!!!!!

Wrote the following e-mail to my mom to explain why I didn't call this weekend.

First -- 100+ degree heat and the power goes out for the whole city mid-afternoon on Saturday.  Also most cell service.  I had a quarter tank of gas which is not QUITE enough to get to another city in either direction.  With no a/c and no fans it was pretty miserable.

 

When it was still off Sunday morning I went down to the fire station to see if they had an ETA for when it would be back up.  He had no idea.  But he did have one bar of cell service.  So I tried my phone and WOO HOO!  I could call out.  Called a friend from a city a couple of towns over and asked if she could bring me 10 bags of ice and a can of gas if I paid for it all. (Fortunately I had money.)  She was glad to help.  Good thing I called early -- by the time she got to the store she got the last of the ice.  I wasn't the only one who had the idea.

 

MEANWHILE since it looked like I might have to go a full day without power I decided to fix the screens on my house.  So I got out my trusty tools and step stool and went to start with the bathroom window.  I had to trim back the tree limbs first, then I set up the stool and climbed up -- only to have the stool topple over with me on it.  OW.  REALLY OW.  FORTUNATELY I wasn't seriously hurt (twisted my ankle, a couple of bruises, wounded pride), went inside and iced the ankle.  Realized I wasn't wearing my glasses.  Went BACK outside with Tonya (who'd arrived by then with the ice) to look for said glasses wearing my prescription sunglasses. 

 

I had landed on my glasses. 

 

Crap.

 

They were not destroyed, but were bent, and when I tried to straighten them -- they broke.

 

Tonya's husband said he thought he could fix them, so I sent them home with her to him.

 

Put ice in the fridge, the freezer, and around the house (and around my ankle) and things were cool enough to let me sleep.  (I really needed that nap.) 

 

Around 4:30 the power came back on.  Called Tonya.  Micah had fixed the glasses.  Checked the fridge.  Stuff in the fridge was pretty much ruined.  1/3 of the meat in the freezer thawed.  The rest stayed frozen solid.  If I cook it today I should be okay.

 

Went and filled up the vehicle with gas and went to get my glasses from Tonya so I'd be able to wear them at work.  (Working in sunglasses did not seem like a great idea.) Then went to the grocery store in the next town where they hadn't lost power to get all the groceries that had been ruined.

 

I finally got home late last night and fell into bed.

 

I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but . . .

 

I AM SO FREAKING GLAD THAT WEEKEND IS OVER!!

 

I'm fine.  (Sore, stiff, frustrated and aggravated at having spent a LOT of money I hadn't planned on, but) FINE.