Everyone has their quirks – right?   One of mine is a horror of having to check luggage while traveling.  I’ve made several 3-week sojourns to Oxford with nothing more than a carry-on bag and a backpack, and the backpack was only needed for all of the books I had to take with me.

That particular quirk means I look at choosing what clothing to pack when I travel as a puzzle and packing as a showcase for the Tetris skills I developed in my video-game playing youth (it’s one of my super-powers).

Thus, I’ve spent the past week “trying out” outfits; deciding which ones will make it through the day, easily adapt from warm to chilly and back again, and which can be mixed-and-matched to get the most variation out of the fewest pieces while still looking distinct.

Sure, sure, I could have spent that time writing no doubt, but I had to get dressed for work every day anyway – might as well make a game out of it.

Anyway, now that the outfits have been narrowed down to a precious few and the shoes are lined up awaiting the “take” or “leave behind” final decision, it is time to at least make an *attempt* at getting some words on the page.  I think today’s story prompt and random words will be the perfect place to start.

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First off – are all readers from Southern California safe after Thursday’s earthquakes?   Probably not quite the way you planned on spending your 4th of July, was it?

I used to love earthquakes when I was a kid.  These days I don’t find them quite so much fun, especially when there are damages involved.  A good reminder though to make sure the earthquake kits are stocked and accessible – just in case.

Things were quiet here at the Writing Castle on Thursday, well until the illegal fireworks started after dark.  I’m not sure the cat is ever going to come out of hiding.  Fortunately, nothing seems to have caught on fire, so the day counts as a win.

According to the news, some folks spent their Thursday skiing in Tahoe.  Seems bizarre that there is still enough snow to ski on just a few hours away from where we are in bare feet and shorts.

While I won’t be heading to the ski-slopes anytime soon, I do have a long weekend ahead with plenty of time at my disposal.  I don’t have any definite plans yet, outside of giving today’s story prompt and random words the old college try.

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After two nights of watching presidential debates I feel like I need a large drink and some time on a warm sandy beach to recover.  The debates have been fascinating – sometimes in a “I can’t look away from that accident on the side of the road” kind of way – but it has also been really wonderful to see so many passionate individuals with some really well thought out ideas.

It’s also kind of like watching the first round of sporting playoffs.  Who will make it to the next round and who will wind up cleaning out their locker and heading home?

It’s going to be a very interesting year.

Stepping away from the television I see by my trusty internet search that today (Friday) is National Food Truck day, so I know what I’ll be doing for lunch.  The big park next to my office building generally has at least one food truck parked out front, though I’ve yet to figure out if they are on any kind of schedule.  Sadly, the “Cupcake” truck went out of business, so there will be no sugary tasty treats.  Fingers crossed it’s the “Comfort Food” truck’s turn.

While I’m not completely certain what I will be having for lunch, I do know what I will be doing once I get home from the office – giving today’s story prompt and random words the old college try.

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If this is Friday, it must be Belgium.

Wait, that’s not right.  It does make me think I want to go watch a light-hearted rom-com/caper-movie though.  Luckily I have many options to choose from.

First, however, I have work to finish, some pre-publication ARCs to read/review, and two library books that are due to go back on Saturday.  Really, the days are just packed.

This has been a busy week catching up on all kinds of odds and ends, including *finally* remembering to book my flight for this summer’s RWA conference.  I booked my hotel in November, the conference in February, but completely forgot about the flights until Tuesday.  Fortunately, all worked out well and now all that’s left is reading through the conference workshops and picking out all of the “can’t miss” offerings.

Before I get further distracted with conference planning however, I need to spend a little quality time getting some words on the page.  My creativity seems to still be in winter hibernation mode, so I think I’ll try to wake it up with this week’s writing prompt and random words.

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