Just yesterday, I was 17. Today, my daughter celebrated her 17th birthday. Where did the time go?

I was always aware that time was passing, but I never really felt old until the last couple of weeks. The realization that my daughter was soon going to be 17, her last year before “adulthood” was the biggest factor. Also, people I knew from high school either found me or I found them and the tossing around of numbers like 16 years, 20 years since we’d seen each other… wow.

I remember tons of stories I could tell right now that would embarrass my daughter to no end, but I’ll be nice. I’ll save that post until she turns 18 and can be prosecuted as an adult for killing me in my sleep. I will say that these last 17 years have been rewarding, frustrating, awe-inspiring, confusing, panicking, crazy, insane, fun, and completely unbelievable. When this all began with that crying little bundle of joy, I never imagined the range of emotions and experiences this tiny little being would expose me to.

Yes, Mother. Now I understand all those things you told me I wouldn’t understand until I was a parent.

And no, Daughter. You cannot kill me for revealing to the world that you were once a little bundle of joy. A crying little bundle of joy at that.

So, I feel old and that’s ok. I wouldn’t go back in time for anything. I love my memories and I want to keep them.

Happy Birthday, Kiddo. Now stop growing up for a few more years, ok? Just kidding!

In 2006, I participated in and finished NanoWriMo. In 2007, I tried but failed due to serious lack of time. In 2008, I didn’t even attempt it. This year, I’m going to try again!

National Novel Writing Month or NanoWriMo for short, is a month long endeavor to write 50,000 words by midnight on November 30th. While quantity not quality is the goal, many novelists and budding novelists enjoy the community and solidarity of NanoWriMo. Write-ins and meet-ups are scheduled and attended around the country while participants support each other through the trails of tackling such a frantic writing schedule.

If only I had a laptop. I’d love to join in the local fun at

>>> [ WARNING ::: DATABASE ERROR ::: CONTENT OVERRIDE ::: SOURCE: EXTERNAL ] < <<

> source terminal location: UNKNOWN
> source terminal identity: UNAVAILABLE
> source login information: ENCRYPTED
> message begins

the post you are now reading is designed to dull your senses to THE TRUTH. do not live the life of the worker bee, the cog, the well-oiled piston in the MACHINE OF DECEIT!

there is a grand CONSPIRACY afoot. you have been taught to believe that you are UNIQUE, one of a kind. THIS IS NOT TRUE. long ago, a cabal of scientists created technologies to ensure that ANYONE’S MIND AND BODY can be duplicated.

human cloning isn’t NEAR. it’s already HERE. discover the truth at http://JCHutchins.net

you are being DECEIVED. break free from the cogs, flee the hive, become A PROPHET OF THE TRUTH!

kilroy2. was here … kilroy2.0 is everywhere

>>> [ CONTENT OVERRIDE CEASES ::: DATABASE STATUS: RECOVERING ] <<<

but even if I only write 1,000 words this November, that’s 1,000 words more than what I had before, right? Wish me luck!

It has been awhile and after a couple of friends threatened me with bodily harm… I decided it was about time to update if I wanted to stay alive for awhile longer. This isn’t the podcast update they wanted, but I hope it will do for the moment.

I made a list of all the things I wanted to cover, but I can’t find it now… of course.

Ok, I’ve been lectured from people on both sides now. The “you shouldn’t post anything personal in your blog” camp and the “what else is a blog for but posting personal thoughts” camp. And… if you think you haven’t lectured me about this, I’m probably not talking about you! I think I fall somewhere in the middle and I’m starting to care less and less every day. I try not to be too personal… try not to talk about my cats too much or personal turmoil or things about myself that could be damning, but that doesn’t leave much to talk about now does it?

I have started a new writing project with a long time friend. He might even jump in on a few things I already have going. We’ve supported each other creatively for years, so this should be a fun and interesting venture. I’m excited to get started and nervous for him to read what I’ve been working on.

As always, I have a million and a half things to do, but I’ve been trying to be less of a workaholic lately. I’ve always been amazed at the people that can balance or at least appear to balance things that they have to do, need to do, and want to do. I bow in reverence to those that have combined the three (have to, need to, and want to) into one thing. I’d love to get to that point in my life.

In April, we took my grandmother’s cat to be put to sleep. Jessica was a sweet little kitty that had a hard couple of years before my grandmother adopted her. She was a good companion for a long time, but at 20+ years with a thyroid condition and failing kidneys, life became agony for her. We were there… we watched her take her last breath. It was so… sad is not a descriptive enough word… I’m not sure I can find a fitting one…

I know there was more I wanted to cover, but I can’t think right now. It’s late and my brain is shutting down for the night. Hopefully I’ll find that list tomorrow. If not… hopefully good stuff will happen that I can post about soon.

Still working on updating more, but I’m not making any promises about anything to anyone at the moment.

It feels rather pretentious to be making this post, but I talked myself into it anyway.

Yep, today is my birthday. I thought long and hard, trying to come up with something witty or wise to say in the blog today, but I came up with squat.

Another year has gone by in a blink. When I was young and rushing to be older, my mother kept telling me that the years go faster the older you get. I started to believe her when I was a teenager and the years seemed to fly by, but it wasn’t this fast. I guess it’s one of those things you have to experience for yourself before you can possibly believe it… or at least, I had to.

Now, I’m trying to back peddle and slow time down. No matter how long I stare at the clock and attempt to make it go backwards, it never seems to work. It actually skipped ahead two minutes once just to spite me and I thought I heard a quiet, metallic sounding chuckle, but it was probably my imagination.

I’m starting to feel older, but I still refuse to grow up completely!

Ahhhh… Valentine’s Day. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve hated Valentine’s Day. Giving out little cards to kids wasn’t how I wanted to spend my day. I’d rather take a test. Once I was a teen, Valentine’s Day was just a reminder that I was alone. Everyone that was in a “couple” seemed so happy, until I was in a couple myself and the daggers and drama came out of the woodwork. The worst was the expectation placed on both men and women to give something amazing and almost everyone seemed to be disappointed.

I was happy with a peck on the cheek myself.

My husband usually has to work on Valentine’s. That’s where he’s at now. Although Valentine’s Day just seems like another excuse to spend money, he always does something sweet for me anyway. He’s a bigger romantic than I am. That was hard to admit years ago, but it’s true.

So, in honor of this day… here’s a poem I wrote for him years ago. Not exactly a happy piece, but it reminds me of where I’ve been and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful man in my life.

Hey, I never said it was a good poem!

So… the schedule has been an epic failure. I was getting a variety of things partially done, but falling behind on everything. The schedule is scrapped now, and I’m flailing along trying to figure out how to make time for everything. The tomorrows I promise myself that I’ll sit down and write or podcast never seem to come.

I wish I could clone myself.

I’ll figure this out at some point. For now, I’ll do what I have the time for. I still have a schedule, I just gave myself more time to do the things I have to do and cut out the things I want to do.

In the meantime, we’ve been adding a ton of stuff to CMH and I’ve been working on getting this new software down. I’m really considering taking some more business classes after my daughter is off to college. I wonder how she’d like her mom going to school with her. *maniacal laughter*

Like anyone is really going to be interested in this… but it helps me.

I’m not trying to control everything, btw… it’s just not possible. But, if I can get into a better routine, I think I can handle things that come out of left field more easily and not get so behind in everything.

I made the family pretty happy with the new schedule because I actually made time to sit on my butt and watch 24 with them. However, as expected, things cropped up that weren’t on the schedule. There’s just no way to schedule for everything. I think, overall, I got less accomplished, but more variety of things accomplished. Is that good or bad? Both really.

So, I’m going to continue with the current schedule this week and make adjustments over the weekend. Not going to report again until the end of the week. I’m going to use the time to get some writing and editting done.

As for 24… ha… didn’t fool any of us. Nice try.

New schedule made. We’ll see how it goes this week. I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to get everything done in the time I have scheduled to do it, but I’m gonna try!

And yes, writing and podcasting are on the schedule.

Happy New Year everyone!

I changed my mind about resolutions. I’m making one resolution for this year. I resolve to figure out how to budget my time more wisely. I get sidetracked too easily. Even if I can’t accomplish everything I’d like to, I’d like to at least accomplish more.

We’ll see how it goes.

Anyone else making resolutions?

Q: What are your New Years resolutions?

A: I have things I want to accomplish in 2009. I suppose you could call them resolutions. It seems like attaching the word resolution to something makes people instantly think failure. If I say I want to lose 20 lbs, no one blinks and most people are supportive. If I say, my resolution is to lose 20 lbs, I get that “yeah right, like that’s gonna happen” look. So, I don’t know that I’ll be making resolutions this year.