NaNoWriMo: Day 1

I'm doing NaNoWriMo!

Yes, I'm crazy. I know. You know this. Why are you bothering to even mention it at this point?

So I started by staring at the little cursor blinking on and off on a blank document. My dilemma: do I use an existing story for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) or do I start from scratch? Then I realized that a fresh start is just what I need right now.

Besides, for a while now there's been a teenaged girl named Riley Conner who's been living in the section of my brain labeled "Characters who need to be written. Now."

She's been patiently waiting for her debut, but I don't think she was expecting it to be on New Year's Eve in a dirty back alley in New York.

I'm 1700 words in so far, which means I'm off to a good start. I think Jackson Crane is going to be a fun character to write, and I've been wanting to make a really badass character like this for a while now.

Now, before you all ask, let me state this clearly: YOU WILL SEE IT WHEN I'M DONE, AND NOT A MOMENT BEFORE THEN.

That means you, mom. ;)

I'll be writing about my progress here and there, but I can't guarantee regular updates. If I tagged you in this note, it's pretty much to let you know that if i seem crazier than normal it's because I'm writing. A lot.

Now then, I'm off to bed soon. Kung-Fu tomorrow means I need sleep tonight.

I'm Alive!!!

Wow, I just realized how long it's been since I posted on this blog. So: update! woot!

First things first: Brian turned out to be an asshole about 2 weeks after the first date. Wow, that was a while back. Doing another suicidal semester load. I'm now in Shaolin Kung Fu, which is SO-AMAZINGLY-FUN! I've been working at Apple for a year now (how time flies!) and I'm still pretty much loving it. The novel has come to a screeching halt because I'm a horrible author. :(

On to more entertaining news: I went to Portland, OR for a week and I fell in love with the city. Seriously considering trying to transfer there for a semester. Working on a new novella, and considering doing NaNoWriMo. If you don't know what that is, google it and be amazed at my courage. I have a new best friend who is currently spending the fall semester in Alaska. I miss Jolene desperately because she's my brain-clone. Weird, huh?

Nothing else to say, really. Just wanted to confirm that yes, I'm still breathing. Later!

Stick Figures on Crack: Episodes 1, 2, & 3

Brain-Melting hilarity. Enjoy:














Viewer discretion is advised for this one (Warning: Foul language)

Life Update: 12/31/08

Another day, another task. So I'm completely registered for next semester, and I'm going to be suicidal by mid-terms. I'm doing what UNM calls a "consortium agreement" where I take a few credits at CNM that count toward my UNM degree.

So: my CNM schedule consists of Calculus I (4 cr. hrs.), Physics II (4 cr. hrs.), and Physics II Lab (1 cr. hr.). My UNM schedule is Intro to Astronomy (3 cr. hrs.), Reasoning and Critical Thinking (3 cr. hrs.), and Intro to Costuming (3 cr. hrs.).

That's a grand total of 18 credit hours spread across two campuses, four days a week. And I'm still working part time. 

God save me from my over-ambitious academiamania.

Anyway, on the social front; I've actually gone on a date for the first time in my life. Shocking, I know. And Brian is actually really sweet. Not too sure how serious it will get, as it's mostly the novelty of a first relationship on my end. Other than that, not too much happening. Even on winter break, I have no social interaction outside of my roommate and my co-workers. Oh, well.

Oh, I've been thinking about a major problem in my novel. As of yet, I haven't even made it to chapter ten because I keep getting this nagging notion that my main character just isn't developed enough to be interesting. Because of this, I'm going to try something that I've adamantly opposed for several years in my own work: I'm going to re-write it in the first person. I think that this insight into my main character's mind might just give me the nudge I need to get past that chapter ten barrier and into the meat of the story. Also, I need better names for locations. Living, breathing characters and creatures I have no trouble naming. As for locations, I just end up sounding cheesy, contrived, or (heaven forbid) a little bit of both. Eh, I guess I need some more practice.

On another note, I really need to clean my room. I have a pile of clothes and debris in the corner that's almost as high as my bed. Those of you who have been in my room know how tall my bed is. This is getting out of hand.

Also, I've come to the conclusion that "Single Ladies" by Beyonce needs to be banned because of the fact that not only does it get stuck in your head, but it gets a room, moves in, unpacks, and becomes the noisy upstairs neighbor that everyone hates because they tap-dance in the kitchen at 3am right over your bed.

My New Take on Life

I've come up with a new plan, and I'm gonna need some help in executing it.

I'm sick and tired of being a lazy, average student. I'm tired of panicking at the end of every month, trying to make ends meet. I'm tired of procrastinating on my homework, sleeping irregularly, and not being able to see anyone but my roommate and my classmates.

So here's the deal:

Next semester, I pledge to:

1) Put my education first, no matter what. That means:
–No sleeping through my alarm.
–No reading fan fiction until the wee hours of the morning.
–No procrastinating on my assignments.
–Staying ahead in the text.
–Taking better notes.
–Talking to my teachers about potential problems before they reach crisis level.

2) Keep a better home environment. To do that, I must:
–Schedule my time strictly.
–Do menial housekeeping regularly, rather than once a month.
–Remind my roommate to do her share, as well.
–Complain less about my life.
–Pay my bills on time to avoid financial stress.
–Actually buy groceries and cook my meals (hopefully, these duties will be shared).

3) Be more efficient at work. This means that I:
–Must study new products and current software when I have time to do so.
–Need to smile more.
–Have to sleep well.
–Must develop friendships with my co-workers, even if several of them refuse to speak to each other.
–Need to remember that my managers actually do listen here.
–Must remember to check my internal emails. They are important.

4) Not forget about my friends. So I will:
–Call them back, text them back, etc.
–Make time to see them, even when they live across town.
–Call them occasionally. You know, just to prove I still exist.

These changes will not be easy, so I request that you all remind me if and when you can. Thanks.

Today's Thought: How your outlook changes your world.

Do you ever get to the point where you just want to smack a good friend in the face just to get them to see reason?

Seriously, there comes a point where all of your "woe-is-me" attitude stops garnering pity from your friends. At this point, they begin to respect you less and they really wish you would get your head out of your ass. Wallowing in self-pity only perpetuates the problem. If you simply buck up and try and look on the bright side, your life will soon turn around.

I know this from repeated experience.

No matter your religious views, whether you are Christian, Buddhist, or Atheist, there is an explanation for your life's troubles and how to climb out of that dark hole. You wanna know something interesting? They all state that positive thinking in some way is the key. Faith in God, Karma, or the Law of Attraction are all theories that have a very valid common base: your outlook affects the world around you.

The more you concentrate on the bad things in life, the more bad things seem to happen, but when you have an optimistic view on life these things seem to fall away. Give it a shot. It's not easy, but the effort to monitor your thoughts is well worth the gain.

Stupid Wal-Mart

So, I've been banned from all Wal-Marts for "shoplifting"

Yes, you read that right. What happened was that I had picked up a little 93 cent pumice stone in cosmetics, walked over to the costumes, and stuck it in my pocket without really thinking so I could free up my hands. *sigh*

The security people stood in front of me as I walked out and said that since I passed the security detectors, it was "attempted shoplifting," and that they had to ban me according to policy. I could have paid for the damn thing with loose change from my pocket, but noooooooo, they were bored security guards who just wanted someone to annoy.

So because of a stupid pumice bar, I can't go to a wal-mart ever again.

They didn't even let me keep it for all my wasted time.

Grrrrr...