Loved my Weekend. You?

I've been immersed in writing this past weekend and I loved it. But, it wasn't all while sitting in my corner in the house.

Sat was the monthly mtg of the Sask Rom Writers (SRW) up in Saskatoon. Last time, I picked up a fellow member of our group blog Prairie Chicks Write Romance, and spent the trip talking about writing. This time, however, Karen couldn't make it so I was on my own. It's a 4 hr trip without stops, 4.5 to 5 with.

One of my recent purchases had been an FM receiver so I could listen to my iPod in my vehicle. Some cars/vans have a plug-in as part of the stereo system where you can plug your iPod in and the sound will come out through your vehicle's speakers, but my van isn't equipped with it. I needed to plug the FM receiver into the cigarette lighter which is normally just under the stereo system, around the air temperature controls. Not in the Chevy Uplander.

For whatever reason, the cigarette lighter is an inch above the floor, under the pull-out drink holder. So, it took me through several stores to find an FM receiver that contained a cord long enough to reach from the floor to mid-way up the control panel where I could hook the controls, and the connecting cord another 18 inches to reach my iPod stand on the dash. I'm saying this because many of the FM receivers are made with rigid arms to come straight out of the cigarette light and then curve up a bit to hold the iPod. If I'd had to buy one of those, the controls for the receiver would've been 8 inches off the floor and I would've had to bend down and take my eyes off the road just to adjust for static. Not good.

So, there I was driving the 4 hrs to Saskatoon while listening to podcasts about writing. Some of these are podcasts I download from iTunes. Others are workshops from the writing conference I attended last Sept in Minn. The workshops came on disks which I uploaded to my iPod.

The meeting started at one and once the business part of the mtg was over, we discussed Titles. How to write one, how to keep it (editors like to change it) and what titles are out there. Following this, we critiqued each other's 'first pages'. The latter had been posted on the SRW's private blog and mbrs had time to check them over before the mtg. At one point, someone looked at their watch and we realized it was almost 5 o'clock. And the afternoon had zipped by without thought of a clock.

Yes, it was around 9:30 pm when I pulled up in my yard. It would've been a bit earlier but a heavy layer of fog enshrouded the last half hour of my trip, I even had to pull out my GPS to find my way home. No, I didn't NEED it, but I was still listening to my podcasts, and as I drove the last bit of gravel road before turning onto our secondary road, I became disoriented in the fog. No idea whatsoever how close I was to my road. I thought it had been at least a mile since passing the last farm so I should be getting close - shouldn't I? I got out my Magellan and flicked it on. At least it still had battery power otherwise I would've had to pull over to unplug the FM receiver from the cigarette lighter near the floor and plug in the Magellen. And, I did not want to stop in that fog. The GPS showed I still had half a mile before our turn. The rest was easy as I followed the disembodied voice. "Turn right, now." etc until I heard, "You have arrived." No kidding. *smile*

This is very anti-climatic, but I spent Sunday working on my contest entry for the RWA's Faith, Hope and Love chapter's Touched by Love contest. My first time for that one.

My reward - hubby had rented the movie Australia. What a masterpiece! A perfect score if I was reviewing it.

And how was your weekend? Did you get any work done, writing or otherwise? Rest up for the busy week ahead? Go for to a sporting event or walk outside? Come on, I'd like to know...