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http://skirt.com/kittyboy/blog/lynn-lamousin-named-%E2%80%9Cmost-influential-writer-internet%E2%80%9D

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Back in August I posted a 2009 goal update — basically it outlined my 3 goals for the year and how I was doing toward accomplishing them.  At that point I had 2 down and only 1 to go…

Well, here we are, 3 days until the end of 2009 and I still have one New Year’s resolution that isn’t done — to finish one of my unfinished writing projects.  Give me some motivation and cheer me on to finish my screenplay or the first draft of my sock puppet book in the next 72 hours.

Go Lynn, go Lynn, go…

It’s amazing how little you really need.  For the last year I’ve been paying bills on two residences using an income that’s about 1/4 of what it used to be.

I own a house in Baton Rouge, and that’s my primary residence; but I also have an apartment in Atlanta because that’s where my clients are located.

To be able to afford the dual city lifestyle (which I have out of necessity since there is no work for my profession in Baton Rouge) I cut out everything I didn’t need.  Let me state that again — need.  As my mother used to always say — “you should separate your wants from your needs.”  And that’s what I did.

The first thing to go was having my hair colored at the salon.  That saved me about $60 a month.

Next, I ‘bundled” my Baton Rouge services so I have cable, internet, and home phone (which I need for my monitored burglar alarm) all from Cox.  But at my Atlanta apartment I don’t have any of those things.  I get “air” channels on an old TV using an analog/digital adapter (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.), I nab free wifi wherever I can get it, and I use my iPhone for just about everything else.

For books, I frequent the library, download free ebooks, or borrow from friends.

Movies are the same — library, download, or borrow.

For lunch and dinner, I don’t do take-out anymore.  If I’m going to eat at home I cook so I can save my money for meals out with friends.

I haven’t bought clothes in a year (maybe two).  Okay, maybe I have gotten a new shirt (or something) if I find a great piece on the 75% clearance rack, but in general I’m recycling what I have (and taking hand-me-downs from my sisters).

It sounds awful, doesn’t it?

But, it’s not.  I wish I wasn’t so restricted with my spending, but honestly, I really appreciate little gifts I’m given.  A friend who offers to treat at lunch.  My sister passing along makeup she got as a free gift, but that’s not her shade.   Neighbors who let me dig through the items they’re putting at the curb so I can furnish my Atlanta apartment — I got a coffee table, butcher block kitchen cart, and various kitchen items that way.

Anyway, you get the idea of what life has been like.  This year has actually been better financially than last year, however I’m still living hand to mouth.  But I’m okay with that.  I don’t know why, but I feel like the experience has made me a more empathetic and thankful person.

Okay, I have to be honest — I’m not very honest with myself.  Honestly.

Here’s what happened.  On August 31 I posted the following tweet:  “I will finish the first draft of my thriller screenplay this week. (Someone hold me to this statement.)”

Well, here we are, 3 weeks later, and no first draft.

My excuse?  “I know too much.”  Really, that’s the excuse I’ve been handing to myself and the people who asked about my progress.  I blamed my lack of follow-through on the fact that “once I started digging in to what I had written I discovered problems with story structure, character motivation, and tone.”

I also told myself that I didn’t want to push and finish the first draft just to say I had it done because I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors to rush and crap something out.

Which all sounds fine until I add that I’m not rushing since this is a screenplay I started over 2 years ago.

What to do? What to do?

I can’t seem to motivate, guilt, or in any way bribe myself into finishing any of the large writing projects I’ve started in the last 3 years.

I had my high school reunion in July.  It was fun to see all the ladies (I went to an all girls school) and reminisce about our teenage years.

This is a pic from about a week before the reunion when several of my high school classmates got together at a local restaurant.  This is the closest I have to a reunion pic, so it’ll have to do.  (That’s me in the back row, left side.)

And no, that’s not Sarah Palin in the front row!

And here is a photo taken in Times Square during my recent trip to NYC.  I’m in the middle, standing with my sister and niece.  Do we look like tourists? (The answer is probably “yes” since we are visiting Times Square on a Monday night.)

I’ve been operating on a “cash only” basis for over a year so I can better monitor my spending.  I do still have credit cards (1 AmEx and 3 Visas) but I only use them if I absolutely have to.  “Have to” meaning online purchases, buying plane tickets, etc…  Daily expenses like groceries, gas, restaurants, etc… are all handled with cash.

So, today I had to decide between taking $40 out of my NYC travel fund to get a mani/pedi, or doing it myself.

“Myself” ended up winning. (Or losing — depending on how you look at it.)

No matter how hard I try, it doesn’t look as nice when I do it…

It’s just not the same when you rub your own feet.

This isn’t as drastic as some of the other cuts I’ve tried in the last couple of years, but once again I let my stylist, Laura, do what she wanted with my hair.  This is what she came up with:

What do you think?

I’m heading to NYC for vacation in a few days and I needed something that said “Manhattan modern.”

As always, I’m behind the times when it comes to pop culture, so I’ve only now finished watching all 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD (six years after the last episode aired).

Although Angel is depicted as brooding and tragically heroic, and Riley Finn is the all American boy next door, neither of them do it for me.

But Spike!  Oh William!  (Guess I love a bad boy.)

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a tv/movie star crush, and it made me think about my past on-screen loves…

The very first love of my life was “Hardy Boy” and teen popster Shaun Cassidy.  As an adult, I see that Parker Stevenson was actually the hottie, but as an eleven year old girl I only had eyes for younger brother Joe Hardy.

As a teenager my loves were musicians.  In particular, I remember digging Stewart Copeland, Adam Ant, Brian Setzer and Rick Springfield (what can I say, I’ve always had varied taste in music — and men).

The only movie star that I’ve ever lusted over is Harrison Ford.  Harry in the 1980’s was the height of hotness.  Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Witness, Working Girl – he was rugged and handsome and a hero and I loved him.

But now I have a new crush — on an old television series character.  I’m not sure if I’d like the actor, James Marsters, separate from the character of Spike.   Luckily, I still have a couple of seasons of Angel to watch and I know that Spike makes an appearance in several episodes.

(Who thinks I need to start dating again and stop drooling over a peroxided television vampire from 2003?)

I fill the outside cat bowl several times a day for the strays in the neighborhood.  I’ve seen a possum out there a few times, and I’ve also noticed a number of birds having a snack.  It doesn’t bother me.  If something’s hungry I let it eat.  I just thought a bird eating cat food was strange.

Last Friday I took a daytrip to New Orleans to visit my friend, John.  I didn’t recognize his house when I drove up because he got rid of his picket fence and cut down all the tropical plants.  John is in real estate and he said that the more groomed landscape, “lets people see the house architecture better.” But I have to admit I totally miss his wild garden.

Check out these pics taken in his front yard.  The first pic is from fall 2007 – the plants are long and my hair is short.  The second pic is from a few days ago – the plants are short and my hair is long(er).

Which do you like better?

I don’t know what’s going on, but I have been in the best mood for the last week.

Maybe it has something to do with my current daily routine.

This is how my day breaks down: I get up around 8am and take my time getting dressed.  Head to the coffee shop for a couple of hours of internet/facebook/phonecalls/and general malingering.  Then lunch with a friend.  Then a nap or reading or both.  Then errands.  Then dinner with a friend.  Then watch a video and enjoy a glass(es) of wine and bed.

All is well with the world right now.  Just wish I could figure out how to get paid for this.

Me deliriously happy (or possibly drunk).

For the last two days my house has been like a war zone as men brandishing nail guns attempted to beat my storm-damaged roof into submission.  It literally sounded like I was under attack.  Of course, for me it was just noisy — but for my cats it was frightening.

Orange Cat got over it pretty quickly, though.  He came out from under the bed after about an hour and ended up enjoying all the activity.  He sat in the window and watched what was happening like it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

But yesterday I didn’t see Sweet Stuff at all.  He has always been my scaredy cat so I wasn’t surprised by this; and today when the roofers arrived he once again hid under the bed.  But, after lunchtime I guess he had enough of being fearful so he crept out to find me, and for the rest of the afternoon it was his usual routine — sleeping on the sofa, eating, sleeping on the sofa, and sleeping on the sofa.

It reminded me of the natural disasters I’ve seen.  People will not stay in their homes where it is safe.  Although they are scared, there must be an innate need to see what is happening for yourself and be among others to share the experience.

So, the cats and I survived and the house is quiet again.  Next up… a new hurricane season so we can do it all again.

No, not a dingbat like a graphic font.

You know — a ditz, an airhead, scatterbrained, a space cadet, blonde on the inside…

The reason I say this is if I didn’t call myself a dingbat I’d have to consider the fact that I might have early onset Alzheimer’s.

So, I’d rather call myself a dingbat.

Hello — yes, I still exist.

Trying to end 2008 with some dollars in the bank so I can have downtime in 2009.  Writing in my blog isn’t billable — so I haven’t been doing it.  I know that’s pretty lame, but the recession has been kicking my butt so I gotta focus on my bank account.

I’m driving to Baton Rouge on Saturday and plan to stay there until Jan. 1, so all you Louisiana folks — I’ll see you soon.

I took the quiz at http://glassbooth.org/ to see which presidential candidate most aligns with my political views.

Oh the irony…

First, check out the comment I made to my own blog post here: http://kittyboy.com/blog/?p=162

Now you wanna guess who I have the most in common with?

Cynthia McKinney, Green Party presidential candidate and former Georgia House Representative (and pain in the ass). She left the Democratic party last year. Check out her campaign here: http://votetruth08.com/