A Little Bit of Luck

Last night I got hit with a nasty case of TMJ. This is a condition where the joints in your jaw are chronically inflamed. Mostly it causes an achy jaw, but sometimes it can result in a nasty headache. Last night, in my case, it gave me a headache and a really nasty neckache. I ended up lying in bed for hours, twisting around and trying to get comfortable when it felt like I had a nest of cobras twisting around in my neck. In the end I didn't get to sleep until 3 in the morning. I'd already been coping with a cough over the weekend, so when I got up this morning (at 6a.m.), I decided I'd be better off calling in sick than trying to play Office Zombie.

Here's the good part (for me, at least). A water main broke near my office this morning and shut the whole place down for the day. So thanks to the worst headache and neckache I've had in my life, I managed to dodge a two-hour commute that would have been a complete fiasco. I didn't have to use sick leave, and I spent the downtime freeing my mom and sister's wireless connection from interloping freeloaders. Overall it was a pretty good day; one that easily could have been a lousy one, and was for a lot of people. Best wishes and safe home to all of them.

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A few writing links that are well worth reading:

Former agent Colleen Lindsay discusses word counts and novel length.

Author Karen Leland lists ten ways to keep yourself from procrastinating.

Finally, author John Scalzi tells you to find the time to write, or don't.