Ah, procrastination. Have you ever noticed that it gets easier the longer you do it? "Hmmm, I should do this and this; but, it's already been six months since I SHOULD have done it... what's another day?" What a devious, clever, wicked little trap it is. No wonder I fall for it every time. Seriously though, a November-May gap isn't so bad for me, just ask my poor neglected diary. I have a couple entries in there that skip YEARS from one page to the next.
So let's see, where was I? Oh right, November... November was interesting. In case anyone is wondering, no, I did not even get CLOSE to finishing my NaNoWriMo project; although I did learn that Kimi-chan makes characters that are very fun to write! ^-^ You may hear more about WotS as a result... I am still working on plots and characters for it.
Other cool things that happened in November? We got a house! That's right, I am currently typing this post from my OWN computer in my OWN room (well, technically I share it with Tetsu-chan, but still...), in a house that we are renting. Also, I believe it was sometime in November that I started playing D&D with my cousin and Lucasa. Don't be too shocked now. I know there are a LOT of stereotypes about D&D, but I'm here to tell you that it's basically just an RPG video game minus the box, and plus as much roleplaying as you want... and it's waaaaay fun! Expect to hear more about it, as well as tales of my awesome cleric character. ^-^
And so we move to December, wherein I got a job! Wait, let me add some more exclamation points onto that... I got a job!!!! I hardly need to tell you how excited I was. Not only because it is a GREAT job, but because I no longer had to go out LOOKING for a job.
Honestly, looking for a job is almost the worst part of not having one. You fill out all these applications and things, give them to people, come in every few days to check up on them, pray that they'll call you, and then if they do call you, pray that they like you and your 'credentials' enough to hire you. To me it feels rather like I would imagine being in a slave market to be like. Everytime I walked in somewhere to turn in an application I could see it like a scene in my mind:
[The gathered crowd of nobles and merchants watched, some with mild interest and others with barely concealed boredom, as two amazon-esque women dragged the tiny red-head up onto the auction block. Just a little while before she had been painstakingly dressed to best advantage, and yet she still felt totally naked beneath the piercing stares of the people with pasted on smiles. Were they deciding her fate already?
"Remember to smile," the auctioneer whispered fiercely. Oh, right, how could she have forgotten? Somehow she managed to force her quivering lips into the very timidest of smiles.
The auctioneer scowled a little, but continued, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Up next on the block we have this lovely 20 year old high-school graduate with no degrees! Look at those nice clothes, and that happy smile! Wouldn't you like to have such a well-dressed and cheerful girl as part of your workforce? Of course you would!"
The red-head tried a slightly brighter smile, hoping that the crowd's silence was somehow a good thing... she also steadfastly attempted to ignore the auctioneer as he hurried on.
"She has no criminal history, and she has never been fired! Past jobs include summer camp, preschool, and a short stint as temporary office staff!" The red-head's eyes darted frantically to the amazon women. Temporary what? She had addressed and stuffed envelopes with advertisements. She hadn't even been in the office!
"It sounds better..." one of the amazons whispered. "You want people to bid don't you? Now smile!"]
I have to admit, I kind of love how dramatic things always sound in Writerese. ^-^ In reality, I know it wasn't all that bad; but it certainly felt like it. Eventually though, I did get a callback for a job at a little store in the mall called 'Candy Tyme'. That's right people, I work at a Candy Store! Probably the sweetest job ever... hehehe Besides that, I have this huge sense of accomplishment knowing that I'm helping pay the rent and utilities and all that important stuff.
Other cool things in December included more D&D... also Christmas was fun. ^-^ Just having that much family around at Christmas, and somehow managing (with my very little budget) to find all of them a little something that they really liked, was such a blast. I love the look on people's faces when you give them something they really wanted, or didn't even KNOW that they wanted. It's totally priceless.
Oh yes, and I also got some neat presents myself.
I think December was when I really started coming out of the horrible zombie-esque state into which I had fallen after our move. Probably because I had things to do. People should never underestimate the power of things you have to do when it comes to helping you actually feel up to doing the things you like to do... also hanging around with friends. Mhmm, friends are good medicine.
Lookit that, two months covered! Nice. Now, now, I know what you're thinking: "But Jenn, where is the dishy gossip you promised us? This is... nice, but it is hardly dishy gossip!" Okay, so maybe you weren't thinking that... but just in case I would like to say, "Fear not! We still have four more months to catch up on! So tune in next time..."
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
High Adventure on Highway 99
Warning, parts of this post may confuse you since it's been well over four months since my last update. You're just going to have to wait for catch-up stuff though, because I'm feeling lazy... Which is okay, cause it's totally juicy gossip, I swear! *winks* Although, can you call it gossip if it's about you? Hmmm...
Alrighty so, we set our story laaaaast tuesday... at least I'm pretty sure it was tuesday. It was bright and sunny and very, very hot. Pretty much an average April day here in Redding. My Scholar and his brother came to pick me up at elvenish, so I could ride-along with them to Chico. Whoo! I'd never been to Chico before, so I was pretty excited.
The trip down was pretty uneventful, but interesting. Highway 99 has lots of cool stuff along it. Little towns with little businesses that all have someone's name attached like, 'Lucy's Diner', lots of really pretty trees, and some awesome spots where it looks like the grass runs right along the edge of the sky. We did some chatting, but didn't talk a lot. Clay was pretty happy in the backseat with his music or his computer, and the Scholar and I are pretty content with silence until we think of something to talk about.
Chico itself was really cool. Somehow, from hearing people talk about it I kind of got the idea that it was this huge sort of metropolitan city with huge buildings and lots of pavement and all. But that's not how it is. It is big, but I found it pretty cute... at least the parts I saw. There were trees EVERYWHERE. And I mean big, leafy, lovely trees all along the sidewalks and just everywhere. Way more than in Redding, except for places like Turtle Bay.
The three of us weary travelers (and yes, you can be weary after only about an hour and a half of driving if the temperature is over at least 70) went to a mongolian barbeque place called Hula's. Mongolian barbeque is not my favorite, I have decided. Of course, maybe I just got too much meat and noodles and not enough veggies, who knows. I am willing to give it another try certainly... definately with less noodles. They had this weird texture and taste to them... blech. Not even a quarter as good as the ones my Scholar made for me. ^-^
Anywho, we continued on to a comic store. I found some cool Dragonlance stuff there! But, they had a reeeaaally small manga section. *sigh* Not that I had any money, but it's always fun to browse around. ^-^ After that we hit the college out in Butte, which was actually the point of going to Chico, so some photos belonging to the Scholar could be retrieved from a teacher there. This involved some walking around in the oppressive heat, which I must admit I did not appreciate, and then lots of waiting around in the heavenly cold of the place of photography classes and working of photos... which I totally did appreciate.
There is just something about the heat here which makes me sort of wish I was one of those girls who could dramatically faint and have to be carried around. My problem is really that I have too much pride to just collapse. I must push myself, try to keep up, and when asked say things like, "No, really I'm okay. I can go a little bit more." until there is absolutely no other option. Which is silly I guess, and yet somehow gratifying when it's all over and done. Certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Pride goeth before a fall' though, doesn't it?
But I digress, which is pretty horrible of me when I'm coming up the most exciting part of the story!
After procuring aqua goodness and icey-delicious juice pops (curtesy of Clay), we headed back towards Redding. At first it was pretty much like the before. Pleasently quiet, with much scenery gazing and a smattering of conversation... mostly centered around how many juice pops we could eat before they melted or we started feeling sick. heh. Then, I heard "What's that?" and I looked up to see what looked like a black plastic bag sort of bouncing down the road towards us. It only took a couple of seconds for us to realize that it was neither plastic, nor a bag, but a large square metal thing heading right for us! Gasp!
The Scholar tried to go around it, didn't quite manage, and then there was this horribly loud 'CLANK!', accompanied by what a seemed a very large jolt of the car. Clay thought we had hit another vehicle. I am not ashamed to admit that I totally screamed. Not like, histarically; but it was super startling and scary! You would have screamed too, if it happened to you...
We pulled over on the side of the highway and, lo and behold, we discovered that the left front tire was flat. Did I mention that it was really hot out, windy too, and Clay was feeling kind of sick from eating so many juice pops? We kind of just stood around for a little while, trying to figure out what had happened, what we'd hit, and where it had come from. Everything had that dazed 'well what now?' kind of feeling to it; which is a pretty good sign that you're having an adventure. People in adventures tend to have those moments when they haven't the slightest clue what's going on...
Eventually however, things got sorted out. The guys set about getting out the spare tire and replacing our flat with it. Meanwhile I, not wanting to be totally useless, decided to go treking along the highway to find out what was the black thing that we hit. I feel this part of the tale is best rendered in writerese.
[The warm wind whipped my hair around like a wild-thing as I set out upon my quest. Ahead of me I could see my goal: a black spot shimmering in the afternoon heatwaves radiating from the tarmak; mere echoes of the oppressive intensity of the sun beating down upon my head. My progress seemed insanely slow, each step a great effort that got me nowhere at all. Compared to the vehicles whipping by every so often, so close I actually held my breath each time I saw a new one coming, I might as well have been crawling.
Undaunted, persistant, and ignoring what sounded like omninous rustlings in the tall grass next to me, I continued on. After a while, I know not how long, the path before me began to shrink little by little, and the object I sought grew larger and larger. Finally it lay at my feet, a strange metal rectangle that burned my hand as I picked it up.
"But, what is it?"]
There now, isn't that much better than just saying that I walked back along the road, grabbed the strange metal thing we had hit, and then walked back to the boys to see if they knew what the heck it was? I thought so.
To finish off this little story that has somehow become longer than most of my other posts, I will say that the spare tire was successfully attached and we made it back to Redding in good time. None of us had a clue what the weird thing was that we hit; so we brought it back with us. I heard that it was later identified as a tie-down sort of deal off the side of one of those big semi's.
Thinking about it now, and the way it came from across the road boucning all crazy like, I have to say that it is probably a miracle, and definately a blessing that it only hit the tire. It could have easily smashed into the windshield or a side window, or hit something bad under the car. Praise the Lord for his great protection and mercy.
And that's the end of the story. Far off lands, bright new sights, near escapes, braving the dreadful heat and unknown peril, and living to tell about it... Truly, the very stuff that great adventures are made of!
(Thanks muchly for Scholarly editing notes involving names and directions. *hugs*)
Alrighty so, we set our story laaaaast tuesday... at least I'm pretty sure it was tuesday. It was bright and sunny and very, very hot. Pretty much an average April day here in Redding. My Scholar and his brother came to pick me up at elvenish, so I could ride-along with them to Chico. Whoo! I'd never been to Chico before, so I was pretty excited.
The trip down was pretty uneventful, but interesting. Highway 99 has lots of cool stuff along it. Little towns with little businesses that all have someone's name attached like, 'Lucy's Diner', lots of really pretty trees, and some awesome spots where it looks like the grass runs right along the edge of the sky. We did some chatting, but didn't talk a lot. Clay was pretty happy in the backseat with his music or his computer, and the Scholar and I are pretty content with silence until we think of something to talk about.
Chico itself was really cool. Somehow, from hearing people talk about it I kind of got the idea that it was this huge sort of metropolitan city with huge buildings and lots of pavement and all. But that's not how it is. It is big, but I found it pretty cute... at least the parts I saw. There were trees EVERYWHERE. And I mean big, leafy, lovely trees all along the sidewalks and just everywhere. Way more than in Redding, except for places like Turtle Bay.
The three of us weary travelers (and yes, you can be weary after only about an hour and a half of driving if the temperature is over at least 70) went to a mongolian barbeque place called Hula's. Mongolian barbeque is not my favorite, I have decided. Of course, maybe I just got too much meat and noodles and not enough veggies, who knows. I am willing to give it another try certainly... definately with less noodles. They had this weird texture and taste to them... blech. Not even a quarter as good as the ones my Scholar made for me. ^-^
Anywho, we continued on to a comic store. I found some cool Dragonlance stuff there! But, they had a reeeaaally small manga section. *sigh* Not that I had any money, but it's always fun to browse around. ^-^ After that we hit the college out in Butte, which was actually the point of going to Chico, so some photos belonging to the Scholar could be retrieved from a teacher there. This involved some walking around in the oppressive heat, which I must admit I did not appreciate, and then lots of waiting around in the heavenly cold of the place of photography classes and working of photos... which I totally did appreciate.
There is just something about the heat here which makes me sort of wish I was one of those girls who could dramatically faint and have to be carried around. My problem is really that I have too much pride to just collapse. I must push myself, try to keep up, and when asked say things like, "No, really I'm okay. I can go a little bit more." until there is absolutely no other option. Which is silly I guess, and yet somehow gratifying when it's all over and done. Certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Pride goeth before a fall' though, doesn't it?
But I digress, which is pretty horrible of me when I'm coming up the most exciting part of the story!
After procuring aqua goodness and icey-delicious juice pops (curtesy of Clay), we headed back towards Redding. At first it was pretty much like the before. Pleasently quiet, with much scenery gazing and a smattering of conversation... mostly centered around how many juice pops we could eat before they melted or we started feeling sick. heh. Then, I heard "What's that?" and I looked up to see what looked like a black plastic bag sort of bouncing down the road towards us. It only took a couple of seconds for us to realize that it was neither plastic, nor a bag, but a large square metal thing heading right for us! Gasp!
The Scholar tried to go around it, didn't quite manage, and then there was this horribly loud 'CLANK!', accompanied by what a seemed a very large jolt of the car. Clay thought we had hit another vehicle. I am not ashamed to admit that I totally screamed. Not like, histarically; but it was super startling and scary! You would have screamed too, if it happened to you...
We pulled over on the side of the highway and, lo and behold, we discovered that the left front tire was flat. Did I mention that it was really hot out, windy too, and Clay was feeling kind of sick from eating so many juice pops? We kind of just stood around for a little while, trying to figure out what had happened, what we'd hit, and where it had come from. Everything had that dazed 'well what now?' kind of feeling to it; which is a pretty good sign that you're having an adventure. People in adventures tend to have those moments when they haven't the slightest clue what's going on...
Eventually however, things got sorted out. The guys set about getting out the spare tire and replacing our flat with it. Meanwhile I, not wanting to be totally useless, decided to go treking along the highway to find out what was the black thing that we hit. I feel this part of the tale is best rendered in writerese.
[The warm wind whipped my hair around like a wild-thing as I set out upon my quest. Ahead of me I could see my goal: a black spot shimmering in the afternoon heatwaves radiating from the tarmak; mere echoes of the oppressive intensity of the sun beating down upon my head. My progress seemed insanely slow, each step a great effort that got me nowhere at all. Compared to the vehicles whipping by every so often, so close I actually held my breath each time I saw a new one coming, I might as well have been crawling.
Undaunted, persistant, and ignoring what sounded like omninous rustlings in the tall grass next to me, I continued on. After a while, I know not how long, the path before me began to shrink little by little, and the object I sought grew larger and larger. Finally it lay at my feet, a strange metal rectangle that burned my hand as I picked it up.
"But, what is it?"]
There now, isn't that much better than just saying that I walked back along the road, grabbed the strange metal thing we had hit, and then walked back to the boys to see if they knew what the heck it was? I thought so.
To finish off this little story that has somehow become longer than most of my other posts, I will say that the spare tire was successfully attached and we made it back to Redding in good time. None of us had a clue what the weird thing was that we hit; so we brought it back with us. I heard that it was later identified as a tie-down sort of deal off the side of one of those big semi's.
Thinking about it now, and the way it came from across the road boucning all crazy like, I have to say that it is probably a miracle, and definately a blessing that it only hit the tire. It could have easily smashed into the windshield or a side window, or hit something bad under the car. Praise the Lord for his great protection and mercy.
And that's the end of the story. Far off lands, bright new sights, near escapes, braving the dreadful heat and unknown peril, and living to tell about it... Truly, the very stuff that great adventures are made of!
(Thanks muchly for Scholarly editing notes involving names and directions. *hugs*)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Personality Signs
For as long as I can remember I have been jokingly telling people, "Oh yeah, watch out. I'm a red-headed aries born in the year of the dragon!" Might actually be where the whole 'crazy red-head' deal started. ^-^
Okay now, personally, I think that the whole astrology thing is a big load of bilge... however, the personlity traits that belong to certain signs have always fascinated me. Especially since sometimes I really don't seem to fit my as'sign'ed personality. (sorry could... not... resist... pun!)
For instance, in the western-style signs I am an Aries. However, everytime I read stuff about Aries personalities I always think, "Wow, that is not really me." Except for this one I read in a fashion mag once that said Aries girls have a thing for red lipstick... ^-^ I have always felt that Pisces represented my personality better. I'm not the only one either, my sisters agree with me. However, I will admit to having a few glaringly 'aries' traits... such as stubborness (to a fault at times XD), a little rebelish-ness, as well as being a tiiiiiny bit impulsive. (Loralin's totally laughing right now... yes I SEE you woman! Chortling...)
Anyways, I've sort of taken to calling myself an Aries with extreme Pisces tendancies. ^-^
Now the chinese astrology signs are a lot more interesting. Seriously, look it up on wikipedia. You get one for the year you're born, one for the month, and one for the HOUR. Supposedly the year sign is what other people see you as, the month is what YOU see you as, and the hour is what you really are. Not only that, but there are elements involved too, if you really want to go deep. I think have to do with the year cycle as well.
Pretty snazzy right? And you thought it was simple and stuff! ^o^ Yeah, I did too for a long time, and I was pretty excited when I looked more into it because, shockingly enough, I never felt much like a dragon either. Turns out that other people think I am a dragon and I think I am a rabbit, which is actually what I am. ^-^ Go me on the self-knowledge deal! Whoo! I'm an earth element, I think... with some watery tendancies.
I'm not entirely sure how accurate it is, but in Irish/Gaelic astro my tree is a hazelnut and my other sign is a raven. I have to look up the personality thing for that, as it's not as popular as the first two. Also, I want to find out my blood-type so I can go find my japanese personality type... cause that's what they do it by. ^-^
Now, you're probably wondering, 'Hey Jenn, why the signs spiel?" ...if not, I'm going to tell you anyways. Honestly? There's been a couple of things lately that have made me rethink some of my original ideas about my personality... I mean, I always thought the stubborness (and lipstick thing) was my only real Aries trait, but recently I've realized I'm a little more of a ram than I thought. XD
For instance, I've realized that I'm really impulsive. The other night my mom and I ran to wal-mart really late for like, household stuff... I was in it for the cheezits and a shonen jump really. When I went over to the magazine aisle to snag mah Jump, I saw, upon the book shelves crammed with Twilight and myriad other things I will never read... InkDeath, the conclusion to the Inkheart trilogy!! Ohmygosh, I have been waiting, and waiting , and waaaaaaaiting for this book to come out! (Loralin got in it german like, MONTHS and moths ago and I almost turned green, seriously.) I was so elated I snagged it right off the shelf and proceeded to buy it. Nevermind that it was 20 something bucks and I'd only come in for cheezits! The next day I ended up taking it back because I realized firstly, that it was a hardback and wouldn't match my other two books, and secondly that I had no time to actually read it. >.<
There are some other things, pressures and issues that can only really happen when you're crammed into a house with 9 other people, and they've made me see some things in myself that I never saw before... which was why I was thinking about signs and personalities.
Oh yes, and I've taken the choleric/melancholy/phlegmatic/sanguine test... and scored almost even in all of them. I'm just an odd, odd child.
Okay now, personally, I think that the whole astrology thing is a big load of bilge... however, the personlity traits that belong to certain signs have always fascinated me. Especially since sometimes I really don't seem to fit my as'sign'ed personality. (sorry could... not... resist... pun!)
For instance, in the western-style signs I am an Aries. However, everytime I read stuff about Aries personalities I always think, "Wow, that is not really me." Except for this one I read in a fashion mag once that said Aries girls have a thing for red lipstick... ^-^ I have always felt that Pisces represented my personality better. I'm not the only one either, my sisters agree with me. However, I will admit to having a few glaringly 'aries' traits... such as stubborness (to a fault at times XD), a little rebelish-ness, as well as being a tiiiiiny bit impulsive. (Loralin's totally laughing right now... yes I SEE you woman! Chortling...)
Anyways, I've sort of taken to calling myself an Aries with extreme Pisces tendancies. ^-^
Now the chinese astrology signs are a lot more interesting. Seriously, look it up on wikipedia. You get one for the year you're born, one for the month, and one for the HOUR. Supposedly the year sign is what other people see you as, the month is what YOU see you as, and the hour is what you really are. Not only that, but there are elements involved too, if you really want to go deep. I think have to do with the year cycle as well.
Pretty snazzy right? And you thought it was simple and stuff! ^o^ Yeah, I did too for a long time, and I was pretty excited when I looked more into it because, shockingly enough, I never felt much like a dragon either. Turns out that other people think I am a dragon and I think I am a rabbit, which is actually what I am. ^-^ Go me on the self-knowledge deal! Whoo! I'm an earth element, I think... with some watery tendancies.
I'm not entirely sure how accurate it is, but in Irish/Gaelic astro my tree is a hazelnut and my other sign is a raven. I have to look up the personality thing for that, as it's not as popular as the first two. Also, I want to find out my blood-type so I can go find my japanese personality type... cause that's what they do it by. ^-^
Now, you're probably wondering, 'Hey Jenn, why the signs spiel?" ...if not, I'm going to tell you anyways. Honestly? There's been a couple of things lately that have made me rethink some of my original ideas about my personality... I mean, I always thought the stubborness (and lipstick thing) was my only real Aries trait, but recently I've realized I'm a little more of a ram than I thought. XD
For instance, I've realized that I'm really impulsive. The other night my mom and I ran to wal-mart really late for like, household stuff... I was in it for the cheezits and a shonen jump really. When I went over to the magazine aisle to snag mah Jump, I saw, upon the book shelves crammed with Twilight and myriad other things I will never read... InkDeath, the conclusion to the Inkheart trilogy!! Ohmygosh, I have been waiting, and waiting , and waaaaaaaiting for this book to come out! (Loralin got in it german like, MONTHS and moths ago and I almost turned green, seriously.) I was so elated I snagged it right off the shelf and proceeded to buy it. Nevermind that it was 20 something bucks and I'd only come in for cheezits! The next day I ended up taking it back because I realized firstly, that it was a hardback and wouldn't match my other two books, and secondly that I had no time to actually read it. >.<
There are some other things, pressures and issues that can only really happen when you're crammed into a house with 9 other people, and they've made me see some things in myself that I never saw before... which was why I was thinking about signs and personalities.
Oh yes, and I've taken the choleric/melancholy/phlegmatic/sanguine test... and scored almost even in all of them. I'm just an odd, odd child.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
November is for Lewis'
So, I am begining to think that I totally fail at NaNoWriMo. Heh, I am just too Tolkein-ish for my own good. As hard as I try, I can't help but edit and critique each sentence as I write it. So, it took me about a week or some to get about 500 hundred words! >.< *sigh*
Add to that the fact that I've decided that the story I was working on could not possibly even WORK for writing so fast - due to gaping plot holes that need to be patched and a lot of world-work to be added in and such - it leaves me about two weeks to get to 50,000 words. Lol I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make it... but I'm certainly not giving up! I'll keep on typing and scribbling as fast as ever I can (which is, as I've said, not very fast) right up till midnight on the 30th, and then... well, then I'll go back to trying to finish The Falcon of Ganst. XD
I never did post anything about WHAT I was trying to write for NNWM though, did I? Originally, I started out with Drace, which was an old roleplay I used to run. It was a really fun story and a really good plot. Also, I might add, it marked the use of my first interesting villain. (I do not count Rahkin from 'Dragon's Hero', both because I never finished that story either *smacks herself on the forehead* and because he didn't really become an interesting character till I did some editig, AFTER Drace was started. heh)
I have actually been planning to turn Drace into a story for quite some time. I even asked Zanillo (my right hand man and favorite player in the roleplay) for permission to use his character, Kayodin, in it. Because seriously, without Kayodin it wouldn't be Drace! But, I digress...
I started out with a prologe I had been thinking of adding, and got stuck right away on some description. XD After I finally got past that I moved along pretty well, until I realized that this wouldn't really work that well as a prologe. So then I tried to do another one. I'm sort of a linear writer. I have a hard time writing things out of order. It probably would have worked better though, to just start right in on the first chapter. >.<
I finally got to the point though, where I realized that I couldn't just follow the set plot I already had, mostly because I couldn't figure out how I wanted to write the different points of view. After thinking about it, I think I might just come up with an entirely different sequence of events and change the plot-line a little. Honestly, when I was fourteen, plot-holes and inconsistancies didn't matter that much to me. Plus, I did not have any clear idea of how the world was ordered at that point. I was kinda flying by the seat of my pants. XD
So, I've set Drace aside for now and I'm currently working on WotS (War of the Sisters), ANOTHER old rp I used to run... along with Kimi-chan. It didn't get nearly as far as Drace, and I think that might just help me out. More seat-of-pants flying. ^-^
I could really use a wing and a prayer right about now, heh.
Add to that the fact that I've decided that the story I was working on could not possibly even WORK for writing so fast - due to gaping plot holes that need to be patched and a lot of world-work to be added in and such - it leaves me about two weeks to get to 50,000 words. Lol I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make it... but I'm certainly not giving up! I'll keep on typing and scribbling as fast as ever I can (which is, as I've said, not very fast) right up till midnight on the 30th, and then... well, then I'll go back to trying to finish The Falcon of Ganst. XD
I never did post anything about WHAT I was trying to write for NNWM though, did I? Originally, I started out with Drace, which was an old roleplay I used to run. It was a really fun story and a really good plot. Also, I might add, it marked the use of my first interesting villain. (I do not count Rahkin from 'Dragon's Hero', both because I never finished that story either *smacks herself on the forehead* and because he didn't really become an interesting character till I did some editig, AFTER Drace was started. heh)
I have actually been planning to turn Drace into a story for quite some time. I even asked Zanillo (my right hand man and favorite player in the roleplay) for permission to use his character, Kayodin, in it. Because seriously, without Kayodin it wouldn't be Drace! But, I digress...
I started out with a prologe I had been thinking of adding, and got stuck right away on some description. XD After I finally got past that I moved along pretty well, until I realized that this wouldn't really work that well as a prologe. So then I tried to do another one. I'm sort of a linear writer. I have a hard time writing things out of order. It probably would have worked better though, to just start right in on the first chapter. >.<
I finally got to the point though, where I realized that I couldn't just follow the set plot I already had, mostly because I couldn't figure out how I wanted to write the different points of view. After thinking about it, I think I might just come up with an entirely different sequence of events and change the plot-line a little. Honestly, when I was fourteen, plot-holes and inconsistancies didn't matter that much to me. Plus, I did not have any clear idea of how the world was ordered at that point. I was kinda flying by the seat of my pants. XD
So, I've set Drace aside for now and I'm currently working on WotS (War of the Sisters), ANOTHER old rp I used to run... along with Kimi-chan. It didn't get nearly as far as Drace, and I think that might just help me out. More seat-of-pants flying. ^-^
I could really use a wing and a prayer right about now, heh.
Monday, November 3, 2008
When it rains...
Everything has been so dry around here since we arrived. Very hot, and there were fires all over because there just wasn't any rain to be seen. A few weeks back we had some drizzles, but it was basically nothing. Everything was dry again in a few hours.
Someone must have hit a switch SOMEWHERE! Or else the sky just finally cracked open.
This weekend the temperature dropped about 30 degrees, and it started raining in earnest. On hallow's eve it was sort of annoying, on and off showers that made it nessicary for me to cart an umbrella around with my trick-or-treating pillowcase. XD Saturday it was heavier, lots heavier. You should have seen all the big fat earthworms crawling out of the grass onto the pavement. I was going to grab some for my uncle; but he said that he had all he needed already... He also reminded me that you're not supposed to speak to strange worms. lol
And then yesterday... yesterday was such a storm! Lighting flashing across the sky, thunder rumbling. Oh it was grand! ^-^ I wish that I'd had a chance to go outside and run around in it. There's just something about being outside during a real and true rainstorm, I can't describe it. It's like being in another world. All you hear is the rain drops pounding down, you feel the water all around you, and then all of a sudden the lightning splits acrss the sky like some kind of fantastic crazy ribbon. You can almost feel the shockwave run through the air as the thunder booms overhead. And there's no other feeling like it.
Of course, when you've finished dancing in the rain, nothing's cozier than coming inside, wrapping yourself in blankets and snugggling down with something warm and a good book... or a fun psp game! ^-^
It's still raining hard today, and I'm enjoying the chilly air and the feeling of... density, as if everything is wrapped up in a dark grey blanket. It's put me in a funny, dreamy sort of mood. The kind of mood where I love to listen to all the songs that pull at my heart strings. It's sort of strange. Right now, in this moment, with the sky pouring out it's heart outside and 'May It Be' playing in my headphones, I feel perfectly contented and forlorn at the same time. If I close my eyes, I can see the view from my own bedroom window again, I can see the mountains and the river, I can see the the snow falling so softly and noiselessly.
I'll say it's Alaska that I'm missing; but I know that's not the truth... not the whole truth. To tell the whole truth would be like cracking the sky open again. And you know what they say, 'When it rains... it pours.'
Someone must have hit a switch SOMEWHERE! Or else the sky just finally cracked open.
This weekend the temperature dropped about 30 degrees, and it started raining in earnest. On hallow's eve it was sort of annoying, on and off showers that made it nessicary for me to cart an umbrella around with my trick-or-treating pillowcase. XD Saturday it was heavier, lots heavier. You should have seen all the big fat earthworms crawling out of the grass onto the pavement. I was going to grab some for my uncle; but he said that he had all he needed already... He also reminded me that you're not supposed to speak to strange worms. lol
And then yesterday... yesterday was such a storm! Lighting flashing across the sky, thunder rumbling. Oh it was grand! ^-^ I wish that I'd had a chance to go outside and run around in it. There's just something about being outside during a real and true rainstorm, I can't describe it. It's like being in another world. All you hear is the rain drops pounding down, you feel the water all around you, and then all of a sudden the lightning splits acrss the sky like some kind of fantastic crazy ribbon. You can almost feel the shockwave run through the air as the thunder booms overhead. And there's no other feeling like it.
Of course, when you've finished dancing in the rain, nothing's cozier than coming inside, wrapping yourself in blankets and snugggling down with something warm and a good book... or a fun psp game! ^-^
It's still raining hard today, and I'm enjoying the chilly air and the feeling of... density, as if everything is wrapped up in a dark grey blanket. It's put me in a funny, dreamy sort of mood. The kind of mood where I love to listen to all the songs that pull at my heart strings. It's sort of strange. Right now, in this moment, with the sky pouring out it's heart outside and 'May It Be' playing in my headphones, I feel perfectly contented and forlorn at the same time. If I close my eyes, I can see the view from my own bedroom window again, I can see the mountains and the river, I can see the the snow falling so softly and noiselessly.
I'll say it's Alaska that I'm missing; but I know that's not the truth... not the whole truth. To tell the whole truth would be like cracking the sky open again. And you know what they say, 'When it rains... it pours.'
Pumpkin Flavored Musings
Heh, somehow it seems that I always get these posts out a couple days AFTER the event which inspired them... perhaps my brain just needs to roll them around a bit before spitting them out?
So yeah, Halloween... I recently gained a whole new perspective of it, in sort of a strange way. See, ever since we got here I've been almost glued to the Tuner Classic Movies channel. Usually I flip through all the movies that are on during the week, record ones that seem interesting, and then watch them late at night when there's no one to complain about my taste in musicals. ^-^ There's just something about watching certain kinds of things by yourself that makes them more fun. I bet it ties into my obsession with being up late at night. Hmmm
Anyways, a few weeks ago I watched 'Meet Me in St. Louis', which is a lovely sweet old movie with Judy Garland in it. ^-^ It basically follows this family through a whole year, and the stuff that happened on halloween, well, it made me realize why some Christian's refuse to have anything to do with that particular holiday. For the first time in my life, I could actually see where they were coming from. Some of the old ways of celebrating halloween are really strange, and definately had obvious symbolic conotations that I myself do not agree with. And I don't mean waaaaay back in pagan times. I'm talking as close as the 50's. O.O Crazy huh? Our elders might not be as cracked as we kids always think they are.
However, as far as I can tell how most people celebrate halloween today is waaaay different from them. It's like, for once our obsessive commercialization of holidays has done us some good! I'm not saying there aren't still things about halloween that Christian's ought to avoid. Personally, I stay away from anything to do with ghosts, demons, and things of that nature. I also don't really go in for the 'watch the scariest movies you can find' on halloween deal... although, I will admit to watching a couple of the milder ones with my family and such, purely for the comraderie. However, I see no problem at all with dressing up as something fun, carving funny faces in pumpkins, and begging candy from all your neighbors. ^-^ Of course, I never pass up an opportunity for some dress-up, lol. (yes, I'll have some pictures up soon)
All in all, I've come to realize that the whole halloween issue is just one of those many details of the Christian life that comes down to two basic things: perception and conviction. The way you see things can change how you feel about them in amazing ways, and everyone sees things in a different way. It's important to be able to see that, to be able to look outside our own perceptions and realize it's okay to see things differently. If we can do that, while still holding true to the convictions God has laid on us personally, wow. Can you imagine how cool that would be? ^-^
Oh yes, and I'd like to wish you all a happy National Novel Writing Month! Expect to hear some chatter about what I'm doing for it... hehe
So yeah, Halloween... I recently gained a whole new perspective of it, in sort of a strange way. See, ever since we got here I've been almost glued to the Tuner Classic Movies channel. Usually I flip through all the movies that are on during the week, record ones that seem interesting, and then watch them late at night when there's no one to complain about my taste in musicals. ^-^ There's just something about watching certain kinds of things by yourself that makes them more fun. I bet it ties into my obsession with being up late at night. Hmmm
Anyways, a few weeks ago I watched 'Meet Me in St. Louis', which is a lovely sweet old movie with Judy Garland in it. ^-^ It basically follows this family through a whole year, and the stuff that happened on halloween, well, it made me realize why some Christian's refuse to have anything to do with that particular holiday. For the first time in my life, I could actually see where they were coming from. Some of the old ways of celebrating halloween are really strange, and definately had obvious symbolic conotations that I myself do not agree with. And I don't mean waaaaay back in pagan times. I'm talking as close as the 50's. O.O Crazy huh? Our elders might not be as cracked as we kids always think they are.
However, as far as I can tell how most people celebrate halloween today is waaaay different from them. It's like, for once our obsessive commercialization of holidays has done us some good! I'm not saying there aren't still things about halloween that Christian's ought to avoid. Personally, I stay away from anything to do with ghosts, demons, and things of that nature. I also don't really go in for the 'watch the scariest movies you can find' on halloween deal... although, I will admit to watching a couple of the milder ones with my family and such, purely for the comraderie. However, I see no problem at all with dressing up as something fun, carving funny faces in pumpkins, and begging candy from all your neighbors. ^-^ Of course, I never pass up an opportunity for some dress-up, lol. (yes, I'll have some pictures up soon)
All in all, I've come to realize that the whole halloween issue is just one of those many details of the Christian life that comes down to two basic things: perception and conviction. The way you see things can change how you feel about them in amazing ways, and everyone sees things in a different way. It's important to be able to see that, to be able to look outside our own perceptions and realize it's okay to see things differently. If we can do that, while still holding true to the convictions God has laid on us personally, wow. Can you imagine how cool that would be? ^-^
Oh yes, and I'd like to wish you all a happy National Novel Writing Month! Expect to hear some chatter about what I'm doing for it... hehe
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Walking the Dog
A couple of days ago my mom and I took our dog Angel, who is a white boxer and sooooo cute, out on a walk. Not too far, just around my aunt's neighborhood.
If you go down this one street for awhile you get to a dead end, and then there is only hills rolling along. It's really cool actually. Sort of like a whole seperate world. It really reminds me of the way Columbine st. used to look in the winter, early morning, when I was walking home after taking Emiko-chan to the bus stop. ^-^
who knows, maybe it will inspire a story! That would be pretty awesome, since I can't seem to write right now...
Oh yes, and I took a bunch of planty/scenery pictures, look!
<--- a beech tree I think 
<---"I am the Lord of the Oaks! 
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