What's in a name?

As you can see, it's been ages since I posted. I seem to be making a habit of that--bad Sharon (slapping myself on the hand here :-)).

But somehow this seems a good time to write. I'm planning a trip, which I thought was all set, but when I called the hotel to confirm, it turns out that somebody spelled my name incorrectly on the reservation they sent the hotel--which meant that no one could find my reservation when I called. Eventually they found it, after much searching. I have to say, as many times as Schulze has been misspelled, no one ever spelled it SCHJULZE! So I'm currently on hold with a well-known online travel company (where I booked my trip), trying to get my name spelled right. It looked like everything was all set, until the woman at the travel agency informed me that, according to the woman at the hotel (I spoke with her first), my name was spelled Schulz, not Schulze (despite the fact that the travel agent has my trip itinerary right there in front of her, where it says Schulze at least five times). So I'm on hold again, while these two ladies (both of whom are nice, fine people just doing their jobs, I know) hash out how to spell Schulze.

(oh, and did I mention my DH chose the precise moment when I wasn't on hold to chip ice out of the freezer, then pitched a couple of wet towels down the hall in the general direction of the laundry room, knocking a commemorative mug off the shelf and smashing it to bits on the tile floor? I was already having a difficult time understanding the travel agent without the extra noise)

According to the travel agent, everything should be all set now. I hope so! I'll be calling the hotel tomorrow, just to make sure . . .

All this is a minor bump in the road of life, but right now it's pretty aggravating! You'd think I'd be used to it by now; everyone always misspelled (and mispronounced) my maiden name, too. At least with Schulze, the mispronounciation is consistent--Shultz (like Sgt. Shultz on "Hogan's Heroes"). I swear, one of these days I'm going to get ID for every possible permutation of my last name. That ought to cover all the bases.

BTW, in case you're interested, Schulze rhymes with tools--but I'll answer to anything that's close.

I'm very glad we're going on vacation; we need it!

Living in a Horizontal World

All I want for Christmas is . . . to be able to sit up straight, turn my head, and move around without help.

I've been living in a horizontal world. No, I haven't suddenly joined the Flat Earth Society--that's simply been my frame of reference since last Thursday night.

It began after supper, when I felt a little wobbly when I got up off the couch. I figured I got up too quickly. I wasn't concerned; in fact, I barely noticed at that point. By the time my DH got home from his company Christmas party, however, I'd begun to think something was a bit off, and by the time I headed up the stairs for bed I was definitely weaving on my feet and feeling woozy.

It went downhill from there. Couldn't sit up, stand up or move without help. Stomach felt like a spin dryer. Felt like I'd been out on a booze-filled bender, but without any of the fun.

Turns out I have vertigo, probably brought on by a viral inner ear inflammation. Nothing the doctor can do but give me a prescription for anti-nausea meds and send me home to wait it out (try to keep horizontal, they suggested--not a problem when you can't lift your head without the world spinning out of control). By Saturday morning I couldn't even keep my eyes open, and the thought of 7 - 10 days of that--and at this time of year, no less, when there's so much to get done--was not an enticing prospect. Things have improved, so I can keep my eyes open most of the time, and I feel like I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel (no, not the bright white light . . . ). My family have been wonderful; it's really too bad I haven't been in any condition to really enjoy being waited on hand and foot :-). At this point I'm just grateful there's someone to fill my water cup, bring me food and help me when I have to get off the couch.

The world looks very different from this perspective, a combination of what it's like to see everything from a shaky two feet off the floor (it's been a long time since I was that short!), coupled with feeling very helpless. I have a new appreciation for mobility and independence, since the times I've tried to do anything myself--like get off the couch--were big mistakes.

I'm sure I've learned valuable life lessons--or should that be Life Lessons, since they're important? Since it's difficult to do much of anything (even typing on a laptop), I've certainly had plenty of time to think.

Maybe it's a good thing; according to info in Thea O'Connor's blog, you can "lie down and get creative." If that's the case, I predict a huge upsurge in my creativity and productivity. Here's hoping she's right :-)

A-webbing we will go . . .

Is webbing a word? I guess it is--webbing on a chair, perhaps?--but probably not the way I used it in today's title. Somehow "webbing" doesn't conjure up the sort of image "googling" does (and yes, googling is officially a word; it's even in dictionaries); for some reason it makes me think of Elmer Fudd with his rifle and funny hat, out shooting "wabbits."

Unfortunately I'll now have that song running through my mind for the rest of the afternoon :-).

What I was doing while webbing was fiddling with my website (http://sharonschulze.com if you're interested)-- updating it, and playing around with the various templates, palettes and layouts available with the particular website-building program I use. I came up with some interesting--and a few eye-popping--combinations before I settled for pretty much the same template, palette and layout I'd been using. There aren't too many choices for each. That's one of the limitations of this program that I can't overcome, although other than that, it's fairly user-friendly. I enjoy maintaining my own website, and since I'm not planning on teaching myself advanced html anytime soon (basic html is ok), this is the program for me.

I've seen an on-line discussion recently about branding; in book PR (i.e. websites), is it more important to brand your name as an author, or to simply promote the most recent book? I'm guessing the author's name is more important, since books come and go, but since it's difficult to quantify the impact of PR efforts anyway, who knows?

This is where having a marketing degree instead of an engineering one could come in handy. However, since I doubt Fluid Mechanics or Reinforced Concrete Design will do me much good in the PR wars, my best bet is to keep muddling along for now and keep an eye on what's happening in the book-selling biz.

The bottom line--before I head back to 1788 in the work-in-progress--is to remember that websites, PR and branding are all pretty worthless without a book to promote, so I'd better get cracking!

Just call me aqua girl . . .

Lately I've embarked upon a course of self-improvement--losing a few pounds before my clothes won't fit, taking care of some medical stuff, and trying to whip my out-of-shape bod into shape. Rejoining Weight Watchers has helped with the lbs., visits to the dr. are helping the other stuff, but the exercise part has been a struggle. I usually don't like exercise that looks like exercise, the old "do 8 reps. of this, and 10 of that . . . and don't forget to spend X amount of time warming up and cooling down . . ." I don't think it's that I'm lazy; maybe I just get bored with that kind of work-out.

I have a treadmill, "Walk Away the Pounds" videos, and Pilates videos, and I've been using them, but I needed something new. Recently while perusing my local paper, I found a new possibility: Aqua Aerobics.

Our local Park & Rec Dept. offers various classes at the city pool; the schedule is decent, the cost is very reasonable--I've got no excuse not to give it a shot, so I signed up.

The first class was yesterday. It was great! I enjoyed getting into a heated pool for 45 min. (it felt so good on my aching joints--it's been raining and damp here in CT for the better part of a week, and my bones were feeling it). While I could tell I was getting a good work-out, it was also fun. Lots of variety, a good instructor, and a bunch of nice ladies in the class.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class. It was a nice change from sitting with a computer in my lap for hours, and it's good to crawl out of my cave and see other people once in a while. And who knows? After 8 weeks of this, I just might be more buff ;-).

Five Things You Might Not Know About Me

I've been "tagged" by Margaret Moore--it's a kind of chain reaction of links among authors' blogs--and it's giving me a much needed kick in the pants to post something on my own blog (if you check out the Harlequin Historical Authors blog or 2BeRead, the PASIC blog, you'll see that I have been posting on those blogs :-)).

The purpose of being tagged is to blog Five Things You Might Not Know About Me. I've been mulling over what might constitute something about me that might be interesting and/or different. Here's what I've come up with:

1.) Isabella Towle, one of my ancestors, was accused of being a witch in Hampton, NH in 1680.

2.) The first vehicle I ever drove was my dad's bulldozer.

3.) I love green olives.

4.) I've been parasailing twice, and it was great!

5.) I was once a teaching assistant in the Civil Engineering Dept. at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Other than the 2 secretaries, I was the only woman working in the department.

I'm tagging Victoria Bylin and April Kihlstrom. I hope they'll join in, and that you'll check out their lists.

Is an organized closet the sign of an organized mind? :-)

I certainly hope so!

This week I've cleaned out closets and organized them, straightened out messy junk drawers, and generally done my best to neaten up a number of those places in my home that most people (unless they live here) don't see.

Why would I do such a crazy thing?

I'm trying to organize my mind.

What I mean by that is that I'm heavily involved in plotting at the moment--not only the book I'm currently writing, but also, in general terms, the books that come after it in the series. I feel like I'm juggling big-time--plots, characters, story and series arcs--it's a lot of info to get straight in my mind. For some reason, I'm finding that a good time to think these things through is when I'm doing something mindless (cleaning certainly gives me lots of time to think).

I suppose I could just sit in a comfy chair and think . . . my dog would certainly prefer that I sit and cuddle with her (don't get me wrong--I can sit and veg, too, but I don't generally do anything at that point). Unfortunately that flies in the face of my multi-tasking personality. Besides, when I do that, I don't look like I'm doing anything, so I don't really feel like I'm accomplishing anything, either. If I'm cleaning, I have a neater house to show for it--and a neater mind, too.

By the time I finish my forays into more organized living this week, I ought to have things pretty well worked out for my books.

And if I don't, at least I'll be able to find things again amongst all my stuff!

I've spent a lot of time this week in the 13th century (Ireland and the Welsh Marches) as I work on a new medieval romance, and it's starting to impinge upon my subconscious, as well as my conscious, mind.

Characters are talking, which is a good thing, except that what they're saying isn't necessarily what I need to hear next. They're jumping ahead of where I am in the story--and since I tend to be a linear writer, I'm finding this a bit disconcerting! I've rarely had this problem before, and hopefully it will go away soon--but in the meantime, I'd better write down what I'm hearing before it flies out of my brain :-)