September In Numbers

Clockwise from upper left: (1) I love my crockpot; (2) Pretending to be an auto mechanic again; (3) IPAs imported from Georgia; (4) I've got paper dragonflies decorating my boat; (5) Spotting a Moody sailboat at Sunset Bay Marina and (6) Playing dominoes is a blast;

Here’s the usual recap of the month in numbers – an assortment of odd tidbits and random thoughts that popped into my head when I was reflecting back on the month.

• 3 – Remember how I had that streak of 31 days without any sugary treats in August? Well, I broke down in spectacular fashion at a Labor Day barbecue at Sunset Bay Marina, where some friends keep their boat. Not only did I have dessert, I had three desserts! A brownie, a slice of apple pie and a very large piece of chocolate cake. Now I know what was missing from my life. 

• 2  – Number of new recipes I tried last month. I made Hawaiian inspired Hula Chicken in my crockpot. The recipe calls for 1-2 tablespoons or Sriracha sauce. I went with the maximum and then added more. More is always better when it comes to Sriracha sauce, isn’t it? I also tried out a ham coleslaw salad from the Boat Galley Cookbook to bring with me to a potluck. We all decided it was good, but could use a bit of vinegar in the dressing.

• 5 – Number of critiques I got on a short story from some very helpful folks at the Critique Circle. It was a scary process, but very constructive and useful.

• 3 - The number of belts I have in my Nissan Pathfinder. I know because I inspected them the other day for wear and tear.

• 3,000 – Karen Eriksen emailed me to tell me about a sailing novella she recently wrote, Rally Crossroads, which describes the annual Atlantic Rally Crossing (ARC) where hundreds of boats sail nearly 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands off of the coat of Africa to the Caribbean. It's a trip that she and her family have completed. It sounds like a great read.

• 2 – Number of books I bought last month. I don't normally buy a lot of books, preferring to check things out of the library or get them from the book exchange at our marina. But I did pick up a couple written by people involved with the Insecure Writer's Support Group - Diane Burton’s novella, Mission to Earth (sci-fi mixed with some good old fashioned romance – you can’t beat it), and Elizabeth Spann Craig’s latest cozy mystery, Cruising for Murder, featuring a highly entertaining octogenarian sleuth.

• $15.97 - How much I spent on a box of beer. Not just any beer. No, these were some of the finest IPAs that Georgia has to offer. I've never been to Georgia. Now I realize what I've been missing. It came out to only $1.33 a bottle which seemed reasonable for all of that hoppy delightfulness. 

• 30 - Number of days in my free Scrivener trial. Scrivener is software designed with writers in mind. I downloaded it at the end of September and have been playing around with it. Now I just have to decide if it's worth $40 before the trial period ends.

In case you missed them, here are some of our favorite blog posts from last month:

Tired of Politics? Talk Controversial Boat Stuff Instead
Eek, I Pressed a Very Scary Button!
Morning Coffee | Random Thoughts & Oddities


How was your September? What are you looking forward to in October?

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