Cure or Kill

Supposedly, the wintery weather was gone and the next wave was going to the south of us. Then I looked out the window when I got up this morning, and everything was dusted with snow. It wasn't heavy snow, but there was ice under it, and almost all the schools around here are closed. There's been the occasional flurry that I can see, and there must sometimes be something falling that's substantial enough to make noise on the skylight while not being readily visible when I look out the window.

I may have got more than I bargained for with that music class. It's going to be work. As in, the teacher expects about 45 minutes of practice a day. I think it will either cure the stage fright/phobia or kill me in the process. It's basically the equivalent of getting over your fear of spiders by having yourself locked in a box with a lot of them -- you either get used to them and no longer fear them or you become truly terrified of them. There will be a lot of solo performing in front of the class. I know that I really need this, and deep down inside I kind of want it, but I will admit to being tempted to drop it and say never mind because I am terribly, terribly busy right now and don't have the time to put in that much work. I will have to remind myself that I'm not taking the class for a grade, so I don't have to get all diligent and competitive. I'm pretty type-B for almost everything in my life, but when it comes to anything resembling school, I get all type-A+++ all over again. When I was in school, I was basically Hermione Granger without the magical powers and British accent.

And I am busy. I figured out last night that if I can edit a chapter a day of book 4 and write 20 pages a day of book 5, I'll finish work on book 4 well ahead of the deadline and finish a rough draft of book 5 on my self-imposed deadline. Meanwhile, I have books to judge for the Romance Writers of America Rita award, which means reading six books by March. That should not be an issue, as I usually read at least one book a week, and I'll be traveling in February. I can generally read one book on the flight up to Chicago and another book on the flight home, so that gets at least two out of the way there. To that, add 45 minutes a day of singing -- though I pick up music really fast, so I might be able to do less. Generally, I can sing something through a couple of times and have it memorized. And, just to remind myself, I'm not getting a grade or credit for this class. It's a junior college and I already have a four-year degree. I'm not planning to go into any field for which I'd need credit for taking a music class. This is for fun and to broaden my horizons. I may have to cross-stitch that on a throw pillow to keep that thought in mind.

Thanks for the input on digital cameras. If it ever thaws to the point I'm willing to be out of the house, I'll have to go shopping around. Now, for another question to throw out there: if you were going to have or go to a theme party based on the world of my books, what do you think some appropriate drinks, food, activities and decor would be?

I guess I'd better get to work on all those daily tasks. The cold may work in my favor because it's the kind of day when I want to stay huddled in blankets and doing nothing but working or reading.