Writing Desk from Hades.

Status: Tired. I've been a baaaaad girl. Going to bed way too late for my own good...

So I've been actually writing lately. A story that just won't go away. I type on and off during the day, snatching bits and pieces of time. Progress is slow, because it's set in Mexico, a place I have never been. So, I am relying heavily on GOOGLE and firsthand accounts from other travelers. I've finally hit the saturation point with book research, I've bought enough to get me through without sounding like a completely ignorant moron. There's only a few authorities I trust in this field anyway. So I'm pounding away at it, piece by piece, and when I go to bed, the characters have conversations in my head and I end up turning on the light and scribbling notes in my bedside notepad. This story seems to want to get written. I've been "dabbling" with it since 2005, but now, it won't go away. Seems like a subtle enough hint.

But oh, the horror that is my writing desk! I imagine I would be hard-pressed to find any writer with an immaculate desk (who doesn't have OCD, that doesn't count). It's my "home base" in my home. Other than the Kitchen, the desk is MY place.

And it looks like it. Empty cups, gum wrappers (when I'm crafting a sentence I can't think of the pressing task of actually shooting the wrapper into the trashcan two feet away) research books, typed notes, scribbled notes, bits of paper, confisctated snacks (my kids bring them down to me and ask if they can have some and I say no and keep the snack on the desk because I know they'll sneak some if they take it back upstairs) and although my desk is in chaos, I have everything "out" so I can see it when I need it.

I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone. If you go to J.K. Rowling's website, you'll see a picture of my desk. Really. I think Writer's Desks all look the same. We can't be bothered with keeping it tidy, we have movies running through our heads that need to be put down on paper/in the computer as quickly as possible, before we lose the idea.

Today I have had enough, though. I'm going to clean it. I'm sure it will be a wreck in a few days again, but at least I'll have a fresh start.

Thing Two is going to the Zoo today with his class. Sometimes I think he belongs in a zoo. He and his brother. They are like...monkeys on speed. Boys are so active when they play, it drives me nuts.

I'm so glad it's nice out, because I can kick them out of the house and make them run around the backyard. Yay! I'm going to buy a pool at Target tomorrow--one of the eight footers. It will be perfect to just take a dip in when it's hot. You know the kind, where it has it's own cleaning system. We had one in Denver, but some valuable parts got lost when we moved.

I love Spring! Everything is so green and pretty and lush--these are the days I love where I live.

Time to eat breakfast--it's Tuesday Toast Day!