Have Conference, Will Travel...And Write!

It's been a wacky few months. We jumped on the house-buying roller coaster last fall. In San Francisco, trying to purchase a home with one income is rather like trying to cure cancer with a band-aid. Everyone appreciates your effort, but they don't really think you can do it.

We did it! Our first house together--a house with clear, strong bones and twenty years of neglect:

I can't show you what the shower looked like. Not at all an appetizing sight.

After a lot of hard work by our contractor Paul Nash (Nash Construction), and by the good grace of the San Francisco Planning Commission, our lovely bathroom now looks like this:

 

The afternoon sun makes it look like a spa! And our shower is a sanctuary--here's a picture before the door was hung:

At the back of the shower, there's a bench! My husband and I plan to be carried out of this house feet-first. The stress and turmoil of recent days is easily washed away. Worth it. If anyone out there has ever lived in the Sunset District of San Francisco, you know why we went crazy here. In 1945-48, they built these tiny vestibule-style showers. After ten years of that, we wanted room. We got it, and then some!

The only thing I hadn't planned on was not quite finishing my draft of By The Numbers before the move. My beta readers have probably given up hope--but Saturday morning at 6:00 AM I'll be on a plane for Minneapolis--work is sending me to a conference. I'm going two days early to FINISH THE NOVEL!

Of course my beta readers will no doubt suggest plenty of revisions. But I've got to hit that first milestone while people still believe I'm a writer!

So, house buying, done, and I'll never have to do that again I hope! But the novel, just the first of many.

Now, what are you doing for fun this weekend?

Comments

[Camille Minichino]

NOT remodeling my bathroom, happily. Love yours, though.

I'll be "beta-reading" student stories for Monday class, and starting The Family Corleone, just out.

[Staci]

Beautiful bathroom, Mysti. And how fantastic that you'll be finishing the novel this weekend! I'm not doing anything nearly that dramatic, just a little shopping with my mom and sister for Mother's Day.

[Susan Shea]

Quite an accomplishment. Never mind that you can't write a novel while moving in and remodeling a house. That makes you like pretty much everyone else! And having this new home and looking around and feeling such pleasure and pride in what you've done will calm the 'monkey mind' and let you work more peacefully now. Congratulations.

[Mysti]

Thanks everyone! I'm in the hotel this very minute, five chapters marked up, 25 chapters to go.

You all inspire me so, thank you so much!

Camille--I didn't know about Ed Falco 'til you mentioned this. Interesting!!!!

[Margaret Lucke]

Congratulations on the new house, Mysti! And more congratulations on finishing the novel -- especially while contending with all the distractions of moving, remodeling and going to conferences.

[Max Boughner]

Aww. Fruits of your labor indeed! And I must say that was quite a transformation, from the usual pink and white tiles to a spa-looking home bathroom. A renovation can lighten the style and approach of a certain space. They estimate and render how the homeowners would like the remodeling. And oh, how about the other portions of your house? Congratulations on that, Mysti! :)

[Mysti]

Thank you all! We're still unpacking, but happier than we even knew was possible. Safe from the whims of the rental market and all that, and the sweetest neighbors. Lucky!