Olympics

Hey guys, welcome back! I’m going to go out of my usual box this post because I haven’t been able to concentrate since the opening of the Winter games in Milan.

I mentioned in my previous post that. I’ve been a fan of the Winter Olympics since I was a kid. As much as I like the Summer games, I like the Winter ones so much more. They are action packed, sit on the edge of your seat, holy crap did that just happen kind of sports that get my blood pumping. I can’t stop watching. And because I’m up in the overnight hours, I see a lot of the competitions live before they head to prime time reruns.

I’m watching so intently, that the screen in front of me, the one I’m supposed to be working on, is the one being neglected. I’ll read a sentence, watch three skiers go down the slalom run. I’ll read a paragraph, watch the snowboarders spin until I’m dizzy. I’ll scroll to the next page and then watch as a bobsled almost flips over and don’t even get me started on curling. (This is the first year I’ve watched a lot of it and I’ve actually yelled at the tv during matches.)

That being said, I’m not getting much done and my sleep schedule, that is already more than screwed up, is getting that much worse. I’ve been up until the afternoon and then finally sleep until much, much later only to start watching the games all over again. I’m afraid to miss anything so I’m trying not to drink a lot of liquids. (You get where I’m going with that, right?) My blood pressure is I’m sure going up, because I keep yelling at the announcers to shut up or the camera guys to stop with the up the nose close ups of an athlete that just crashed and burned.

I live near the NBC Sports HQ building where they are calling all the shots and it is taking every ounce of control not to walk over there to say, “please, enough of the drones!” But I digress…

As frustrating as some of it has been, I love to watch. I love to root for the underdogs and those from my home state of Connecticut. I love to see those who may be competing for their last Olympic Games pass along their knowledge to the next generation of athletes. I love that a lot of the skaters chose music from wayyyy before they were born and that many competing, pushed the boundaries of their sport just to see if they could do it.

I love watching these competitors from different countries cheer for one another and trade pins or autographs with each other so that they have their own souvenirs. All making friends and showing the world what it means to be at these games.

I’ve been alive long enough to remember when women weren’t allowed to do a lot of these extreme sports and now to see them compete on the same hills, the same tracks, the same venues as the guys? Hell yeah I’m all for cheering them on! (Go Half Pipe!)

There’s been bumps and bruises, broken limbs (we love you Lindsay!) and tears from low scores and times that have kept them off the podiums. Horrible weather conditions and many MANY crashes. But no matter how they’ve done, no matter if they won a medal or not, these athletes can say that they made it to the Olympic Games and that is something no one can ever take away from them.

There’s only a few days left and while a part of me is happy about that so I can remember how to live again, I will miss it…a lot. I get excited to watch months in advance knowing that there is something fun coming up that will take away the dreariness of the dregs of Winter and make it fun. (The games also give me ideas for my next life to become a snowboarder or luge runner.)

There is so much inspiration that comes from the Olympics whether Winter, Summer or Special. The back stories of what it took to get them there and how some have survived both injuries and tragedies. To see little kids watch and get the spark inside of them that makes them realize that hey, maybe they can grow up and do it too! That is what these games are all about…oh and of course Snoop Dog because how could I forget him?

Yes I’m still reading, writing and editing and all of that but really, it has been nice to lose myself in the highs, the lows, the cheers and the battles faced across snow and ice. To see all their hard work come down to thousands of a second in some cases and to watch as for a little over two weeks, the world comes together for something good…something…peaceful.

And that is where I will leave you for today. Until next time…cheers!

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Photo credit: michaelwedermann at Pixabay

Hey guys, welcome back! Yes, I know I’ve been MIA again. This time, I’m putting the full blame on the Olympics. (Ok so not all of the blame can be put on the games, but it sounded good.)

I love the Winter games. Always have. Even as a kid, I’d be glued to the tv to watch as athletes glide on the ice, soar down a mountain and risk their lives on a tiny sled going at insane speeds. I got to see the torch (both Winter and Summer) a couple of times during their runs to the big show. And now that the Winter Olympics are here? I am getting nothing done. Add in the Super Bowl and days of long sleep hours due to illness and basically, I’m a lost cause.

Speaking of causes, (nice segue, eh?)…I’m once again doing the Read Every Day Challenge for the American Cancer Society. This is my fifth time doing it and I’m hoping to break my previous record of doubling the monthly goal. It’s a very personal cause for me, having had cancer surgery a few years ago. I followed my mother who also had it a few years before me and unfortunately, the illness has been all over my family in various ways. Friends, family…this monster touches all of our lives in some way and while I cannot do a whole lot to donate or do more physical fundraisers myself, I can turn my love of reading into donations during these designated times. I’ll post the link to my fundraiser page below this post if you’d like to donate or share it to help me spread the word.

Back to Winter. I don’t know about where you are but it’s been damned cold here! Now, let me just say this, I love Fall and Winter. Love them. Even with my pure and utter hatred for January, I’d still take the cold over Summer’s oppressive heat and humidity any day. Having said this, this particular Winter with it’s below zero windchill factors have been pretty impressive. If there was ever a time to stay inside with a book and hot cup of tea, coffee or cocoa, it’s definitely now. Like I need an excuse. 🙂

I’ve been reading a book series that has had me absolutely laughing every night and keeping me in a much better state of mind. I’m sorry that I’m now on the last book. These four books have really had me not only loving the characters, but letting me ‘live’ vicariously in a fictional small town with a Christmas tree farm destination spot for year round fun. While the series may be ending after this final book, (although hoping she adds to it in the future) I’m happy that I discovered this author and am looking to read more of B.K. Borison’s work. She writes in a very similar style to myself and it’s nice to read the work as someone else who gets it. Plus, I love that I have a new romcom author to follow!

As for my own writing, trying to focus as best I can with my editing/rewrites while still dealing with my medical crap as well as my attention issues. For you see, I’m up in the overnight hours and that is when a good deal of the Olympics are live. So here I am, even while I’m writing this post, watching the slopestyle and slalom finals and this has taken me three times as long to write this because I keep watching the races in front of me.

And for the record, yes, I did watch the Super Bowl. That was pure entertainment and didn’t take away from my writing at all. Hell of a game!

Back to my writing, I am happy to say that in the last two weeks I’ve cut another couple of thousand words and think I have a way to cut a huge chunk out while still keeping the story intact. Trying to keep much of the back and forth between the main characters has been the truest challenge for me. There is so much that is vital to the story but sadly, also really adds to the word count. It has become my biggest struggle while I reread my work every night. A lot of internal conversations that have me both cursing myself at times as well as yelling at my screen, “why did I even write that?” Then hitting delete over and over again. I’m truthfully finding this round of edits to be more cathartic than past runs. There is something quite freeing about clearing away the clutter and narrowing a scene down to its very foundation. Life lesson there? an obvious one but sure, I’ll take it.

The one thing that is worrying me this time around is that I’m starting to get ideas for a new story. This cannot happen. I know how my mind works. Once a new idea pops into my head, it will start to override what is already right in front of me. It is actually how I ended up here in the first place! I already have a book done. Unlike the current romcom I’m working on, it is a mystery. It needs a ton of work to edit, however, while I was working on it, I got the idea for this current book. I dropped the other one and wrote this one. At first I was so happy that this new book took only months to write. My first manuscript took over three years to complete. When the editing started though and I realized how much work would have to be done on it, I knew it was too good to be true. And now, my mind has been alternating between this current work to my previous one to a new idea and I just can’t lose focus. Not when I’ve worked pretty much every night for almost a year on this one. I’m married to these characters. I live and breathe them every single day and night. I will not let them down and I cannot let another story take up residence in my brain right now. I will, WILL finish this book and get it submitted and then I will go back and work on my previous piece and edit the hell out of that one as well. I will finish what I started and hopefully, there are a few bestseller lists waiting for me in my future! (Why settle for just one, right? Go for gold!)

Is my mind all over the place? Sure. But what else is new? Hoping you all are staying safe, warm and happy. That 2026 is treating you kindly so far and that you are also cheering for yourself to make it a great one. Because the way you cheer for yourself, can make all the difference in the world.

And that my dear friends, is where I will leave you for today. Thank you as always for being here and until next time…cheers!

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If you’d like to donate to or share my ACS fundraiser, click: HERE

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If you’d like to check out the Lovelight Farms series by B.K. Borison, (romcoms with some spice) click: HERE

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If you’ve made it this far? THANK YOU! Stay warm folks! 🩷