1. I posted chapter 2 of my latest fic, and I went from 16 kudos to 40 overnight! So that's good, though I wish I had more than a handful of comments on it. But the kudos are nice.

2. I recently made a small change. I used to eat less at breakfast and then have a mid-morning snack. But recently I went back to just eating more at breakfast and omitting the mid-morning snack, and that's actually worked great. I think I prefer going all morning without a snack and am glad I can do it. Also, related - got on the scale for my weekly weigh-in and the number was again low. Under 140.

3. My sister-in-law was supposed to come in this weekend but due to bad weather here, she had to cancel. I think it's better and safer for her to stay in California this weekend, so that worked out well.

My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible; why did I finish it?





Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land – The book is exactly what the title suggests. The author is a single mom and she’s trying hard to make ends meet, working as a maid. I loved the book. It was a straight-forward account of being poor in America. There was also an element I found fascinating in that she cleans houses and thus gets glimpses of her clients’ lives. Reviewers on Goodreads, however, were torn and lots of them trashed it. I….don’t understand? Maybe a few times the book is repetitive, yes. The author does make a couple bad decisions, but doesn’t every human? (The bad decisions seem to be deciding to have a baby when she had no means to support one, and using a tax refund on one or two frivolous items). I didn’t find her remotely whiny or playing the victim at all. I thought it was an honest look at living in poverty in the US today. I guess I just viewed this book way differently than many Goodreads reviewers. Grade: 8



Tell Me How It Ends by Valeria Luiselli – This is a very short (100 pages) book by a teacher who also translates for children fleeing gang violence in South America and seeking asylum in the US. I just wish everyone could read this and understand more about why people risk everything to come to the US. Sadly, migrant-haters will either never read this or just wouldn’t care if they did. (Sheesh, sorry to be so pessimistic). The book was well-written and captivating. Grade: 8



The Truth Will Set You Free But First It Will Piss You Off by Gloria Steinem – Two short books in a row; this one can pretty much be read in a sitting or two. My quick summary for this one is that it was inspiring and easy, but also not very earth-shattering. It’s basically a collection of quotes and brief essays from the legendary activist. I gotta say that a lot of it was dated. I do like that Steinem includes quotes from “friends”- other activists, especially women of color. I would’ve liked to have seen more (or even, some) trans or nonbinary voices. But despite the book’s flaws, if you’re a long-time activist like me, it’s a good read for some comfort and inspiration. And also, she is 85 years old so maybe her book doesn't seem nearly as dated as it could! Grade: 7



The Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango – A novel based on a true story. Maria Virginia Farinango is an indigenous Ecuadorian, and as many girls in her situation, her parents “give” her to a middle-class, lighter-skinned family to work. She is basically somewhere between a servant and a slave. As you can guess, she manages to her pull herself out of her situation. I really, really wish this had been a memoir instead of a novel. As a work of fiction, it just doesn’t compete with really great novels, but no doubt Farinango’s story would’ve fascinated me without the attempt to turn it into a work of fiction. Grade: 4

Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia - The author is a non-binary writer, performer, and activist. Their memoir is great! I've read plenty of memoirs by LGBT people, and I try to think of what makes this one stand out. Maybe Tobia's witty writing, which at times is hilarious. Tobia is also very big on intersectionality and they bring the concept to the forefront when needed. I'd say they are a breath of fresh air! (Also, sidenote, I'm watching She-Ra on Netflix, and I coincidentally learned that Tobia voices a non-binary character on that show. Very cool!) Grade: 8

I'm in a strange place with my fanfic.
- I'm really lucky to have detailed beta testers
- They've given me some overall writing tips
- I'm just not sure how to implement them

For example, one beta said that I struggle a bit with building intimacy and building tension. She's right. I'm just not sure what to do about it or how to fix it. Another beta said I tend to write characters either having dialog or thinking about stuff without showing the intimacy.

For my WIP, I have 18,000 words and a pretty good idea of where it's going but I'm not sure what to do with the feedback. Go back and re-write some scenes? Blow the whole thing up? I don't want to just shrug and say 'well, I'm not good at that, too bad.' I need to do something with the feedback, but what?

I gave my 3rd beta tester the WIP's outline. Maybe I can get her feedback on the outline and then play around with how to better show intimacy and tension?

Not to repeat stuff from the past, but I gotta marvel again at how 20 years ago, my fanfic was "slapping words on a page", and I'd get a ton of encouragement and positive feedback on what I posted. Since that time, fanfic writers have grown more numerous and more talented. I can't coast on just having a good plot the way I used to. I thanked the first beta tester and told her I hoped to go from good to great in my writing. She said it is great as is, but it can just be even better.

Is it pathetic that I've been writing fanfic for more than 20 years and I still have these issues (not being great at building intimacy or building tension)?

1. Three wonderful things happened in the realm of fanfic:
A. One reviewer left me 5 detailed, fantastic comments
B. My beta tester for my new fic LOVED chapter 1
C. My beta tester for my old fic did a Tumblr post praising my fic

2. Two former coworkers were in town today and we got together. They complimented me on my passion and how I've continued the work we started

And...here's one bad thing. Every 2 years, my company has a huge convention in April. I hate it. It's like a 5 day long meeting with naps and it's in Orlando, ugh. I really really thought due to budget cuts that this time I'd finally get to sit it out. Found out today, no deal. I'm going. And what's worse is that I'll likely have to fly in Sunday and not leave till Friday. Just ugh. So much time away from Doris, eating crap food, wanting to be home, standing up for way too many hours each day. Well, time to remind myself that it's a job and they do pay me pretty well so....

1. I'm writing a new fanfic! I just get so energized with writing it. Especially if I think others will enjoy it. I just sent the first chapter to my (great) beta.

2. Doris and I enjoyed a yummy dinner at No Bones Beach Club yesterday

3. And I canvassed again yesterday and it went well. I'll do it again on Saturday, and then I think we get 2 weeks off for the holidays.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and I haven't done a gratitude/3 things post for a while, so....

1. Thanksgiving was good. Kind of a long day, hitting both sets of parents but the food was good and the company was good. Also we have so many leftovers that we won't need to cook for a while.

2. We listened to NPR as we drove home. Good grief this world. Horrors going on in Yemen and Lebanon and South American asylum-seekers. I really need to be grateful for just living somewhere that is comparatively stable.

3. And it's the start of Day 3 of Doris's and my 5-day weekend! Other than running around yesterday for Thanksgiving, we're generally trying to take it easy. Saturday we are going to an improv show and an Ethiopian restaurant.

My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible; why did I finish it?

The Wall by John Lanchester – A novel taking place in a dystopian near-future. An island nation has built a wall to keep desperate refugees out, and protagonist Joseph begins his tour of duty on The Wall. It was brilliantly-written, compelling, and felt all-too-real and too-possible. Good page-turner. Grade: 7

The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris – A memoir by Senator Kamala Harris, who is running for President. The book is about 80% public policy and 20% Harris’s life. I just don’t think that’s the right mix unless you’re obsessed with public policy. I wanted more on Harris as a person. So that was my major issue with the book, but otherwise it’s fine. She’s definitely brilliant, hard-working, and I’d love to vote for her someday. Grade: 6

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian – This was a YA/fantasy novel, in which the titular character is a young woman whose land has been overtaken by a brutal conquering army. After years of laying low, she begins to foment a rebellion. It was decent, it was alright, the love triangle was kinda meh. Halfway through I kinda wanted to give up on the book but I stayed with it. I think this is the first of a trilogy but I doubt I’ll read the rest. Grade: 4

The Shanghai Free Taxi by Frank Langfitt – The author is an NPR correspondent who has lived in China for a long time. In order to get Chinese people to open up, he drives a free taxi so he can learn their life stories. We get to know about 7 or 8 people. It was a fascinating look at contemporary China, its rules and restrictions, and how the culture impacts regular people. Grade: 7

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah – In Beah’s memoir, he describes his life in Sierra Leone where he was forced to be a child soldier in their civil war. You can probably guess that it’s heartbreaking to read about the brutality that he and so many others suffered. It’s a very accessible read. Grade: 7

I said it before and I'll say it again: I'm an introvert and sometimes I have to be coaxed to get out of the house and get active. But oftentimes when I do it, I'm so glad I did. I canvassed again for Marie Newman today. Met the most awesome volunteer, Tessine. We canvassed together and really hit it off. She's young and inspiring. She asked that we exchange numbers so we can go again. She doesn't have a car and she lives far from the district, so I offered to drive her when I can (I can pick her up at the el station as needed).

Everything in the news is so depressing, but it's insane what happens when you volunteer or do activism.

And my new fanfic...I posted chapter 2 and am still walking on air - I'm getting reviews and kudos and faves on ffnet. The whole thing will have about 10 chapters and is basically done, pending some revisions to the ending that my (great) beta suggested.

In other news, we're doing lunch tomorrow for my dad's birthday. Doris is making a pie, one which he liked a lot before. Mom shared the menu with me and it sounds awesome.

Just going to do what pops to mind first...

1. Had a 1-night business trip this week. I'm home now, which is where I like to be! But the travel was pretty uneventful and the thing I went to was good. I presented to over 400 people. And the regional office's Training team set up my table for me before I arrived. The Training team was so well-organized and so friendly that I sent a nice note to their boss.

2. In fact, I should dig deeper on the above. I don't say enough how lucky I am for my job, which gives me a fair amount of flexibility and in which the work load, I gotta say, is not too bad. Our regional trainers work a lot longer hours (unless they're all lying and exaggerating, which I don't think they are). I'm pretty lucky. It seems I've always had jobs, during the 23 years I've worked at this company, that allowed me that. Truly I can't figure out why I got so lucky but I better appreciate it.

3. And hey, tomorrow is Friday. Nothing too fun planned for the weekend, but it's a weekend

Sorry that this one will be mostly based on fandom stuff.

1. Posted the first chapter of my new fanfic about 6 hours ago and the reception has been great! Lots of reblogs with good comments on Tumblr, 2 reviews already (one on Ao3, one on ffnet), 3 bookmarks across both sites, 14 kudos. It's just so good to have affirmation that I can write! I don't think I mentioned that the new fic focuses on two pairing in the fandom: my OTP (who are both minor characters, so it's not that popular of a ship), and the pairing that seems to be the one that's most popular with fans. I did not include the popular pairing just to get reviews, but I have to say I'm so glad to think that my previous works probably didn't get as much traction just because my OTP just isn't as popular. I can write! :)

2. Also, apart from that, I'm at 18,000 words and the writing is still going so well. I'm really pleased with it. And - my beta has been awesome!

3. And one more cool thing. I mentioned that I had done some beta testing for someone else, who gets a lot of reviews and kudos. I asked her to make cover art for my fanfic....and she did! And it's really good. I'm grateful to her, and it also suggests that perhaps my previous stuff didn't do as well because it just didn't have cover art and such.

4. Non-fandom stuff: fun game night yesterday and Scrabble day with Ann today; when I went to the Veggie Grill opening on Thursday, their register was down so I got lunch for free; and I took a coworker to a vegan place on Friday and she loved it.