Wednesday, July 18, 2012

JulNoWriMo Update and Stuff

So, it's been a while. Yeah. At some point in my life I may actually make a schedule for things like this. Currently, not really happening.
My life has been pretty awesome. I now work in our service deli at Albertsons. I also went to VidCon!!!! That was pretty freakin' awesome if I do say so myself. Once I finish moving, I shall upload pictures and videos and shenanigans.

Which brings me to another awesome thing! Byron, I, and two other friends officially have an apartment secured and will be moving in in about a week or so. We're waiting for them to finish up cleaning from the last people that lived there. And I've realized, through packing, that I have a lot of books. So on to other things.

Right now, I'm mainly focusing on JulNoWriMo. I fell behind pretty badly about a week ago and am now feeling those consequences. I am only about 5k behind now. I'm hoping to get entirely caught up if not more by the time I have work at 5pm tonight. That might not actually happen, but it's a possibility if I keep writing as much as I have been so far.
I'm working on two novels this year as I usually do and this year it's particularly complicated and confusing because both novels focus on the same main character, but one takes place 8 years after the other one.
I've been doing a lot of Write or Die recently in about 20 minute stints - which is apparently how long it takes me to write 1,000 words. If only I could do that for school work. But school work has to be good and with real information and not just stuff made up in my head. Crazy, right? I've also been listening to a lot of classic rock on Pandora and watching The Universe. So that's a thing.

And yeah. I'm also trying to convince a certain boyfriend to start a blog with his thought's because it'd be pretty interesting considering all the thoughts that run through his mind. Very interesting stuff. And funny a lot of the times. Anyways, I'm going back to writing now.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

I'm an Adult, Now What?

All right, so this post has been coming for a little, but it's taken me a while to finish it up. As hard as I try, it just hasn't gotten any longer or any deeper.

Guess what? I'm an adult now! Yay being 18!

Mostly, it's pretty boring. I don't feel any different.
I was treated to a wonderful showing of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" for my 18th birthday, in which my boyfriend is a tiny bit obsessed with. It was fun. Quite the memorable experience, pictures on my Facebook if you're interested.

So, I don't think I've really done many different things or "only for 18+" things since I turned 18 except for not come home at midnight. But by midnight I was sleeping anyways. Just not at home. (So hardcore, right?)

I am looking forward to signing my own release forms. Just less hassle.

I really don't have any revelations or anything yet, but I'll let you know if I do.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Potentially Insane: Insert Writing Competition Here

Well, as most, if not all, of you know, I participate regularly in writing competitions of some sort. As I was browsing the JulNoWriMo forums today, I found this new WriMo, called Camp NaNoWriMo. And Camp NaNo takes place twice during the summer. Once in June and once in August. They've got the same principle as any other WriMo. Write 50k in a month. Do a happy dance. Move on with life.

So, after considering the fact that I don't even get out of school until the 12th and that I already have way too much planned to possibly write 50k in June. Then another 50k in July. Then possibly another 50k in August. I realized that there is no possible way for me to do Camp NaNo.

So I signed up to do it.

So that's a thing. I also have a number of essays I need to write for school during that time. I'm planning on doing a lot of character and setting development during June so that I'm all prepared for trying to write an actual novel in July. And maybe finish that novel by the end of August.

I also am coming to the fact that I will almost definitely have to kill my favorite character I've possibly ever come up with in either the second or third in this trilogy that has yet to be named. I don't know if I can do it. And if I do, there will be many tears as I write it and if I ever edit it.

So, the post count is most likely going to increase over the summer in my procrastination.

Let the games begin!!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Writing and School and Stuff

I'm just really bad at this. I'd say I should make no goal at all, but then I'd never post. Mostly, I'll just be doing some updates today. A lot of stuff is coming up, so maybe I'll be doing pictures and other stuff soon.

First of all, JulNoWriMo 2012 is less than 2 months away now and I've seriously got to start getting some writing and planning done. I got a notebook and I'm going to write one page a day. Only one, no more, no less. I figure I'll have a decent amount of planning done if I do that. I've got some serious character building to do though. The setting is pretty well all worked out because it's the same one from last years' story. Just a different plot.

Second. School. I don't think I thought entirely about how intense of classes I signed up for. There's a lot of writing involved this term. Which is a lot harder than taking a bunch of tests every couple weeks. Government is really fun, he's a great teacher. All my teachers are pretty good really. My "required high school class" isn't that great. It's been going okay though. I think I'll have straight As this term. I don't think I've had 100% A's since elementary school. Which doesn't count. But my GPA is rising slowly but surely. Another thing I have to do is start looking into scholarships. So that's a thing.

Next up, there is a LOT of stuff going on in the next couple months. First of all, my birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. I'm pretty excited about that. I'm not sure what's going to happen though. All I know is Byron is planning it all and I get to be surprised on my birthday. Then, I have graduation a couple weeks after that. Though I feel like it's going to be more like a high school reunion than a graduation. It'll be interesting to see who talks to me at all.

Then, a couple weeks after that, I go to VidCon! I'm freaking out so much about this. It's going to be expensive, but I don't care too much about that. We've gotten the majority of things paid for already like hotels. Mostly it's just gas and food that we have to pay for during the trip. We're going to see a lot of people on the way down and back so it'll be a really crazy trip.

Then of course there's JulNoWriMo and 4th of July and all the awesome car shows to go to this year. I predict an amazing summer. If the weather ever clears up.

Also, there's a lot of things I'll be doing on my car too. A lot of it is maintenance stuff to stop oil leakages and fix little problems because my car is old and needs new knees or whatever.

So, I'll definitely try and keep you updated on things. I also have a potential secret project in the works. I'll let you know if anything awesome comes into the picture.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Is this thing still on?

Well, hi.

So, you know that whole post once a week thing I was planning? Well that didn't work out to well if you hadn't noticed. I'm going to try and pick that back up. I've been busy though.

Since I last posted I've started some major planning on my JulNoWriMo novel for the year, started a new term, written a couple essays, gotten a gym membership, gone to way too many movies, and read a couple books.

First off, I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I haven't read the second and third in the series, so don't spoil it for me. I've also seen the movie 5 times I think? All with different people and I've only had to pay for myself one of those five times. The thing I've been telling everyone about the movie is that the emotions are real. The short clip of Katniss, Peeta, and Effie all in the car when Peeta is crying is ridiculously realistic. So are all the other crying scenes. Also, Katniss's face when she's cleaning out the burn wound is crazy emotional too. I still won't watch that part.

I believe I saw The Lorax twice as well. I recommend them both. They're great.

I've also gotten a fair bit of headway on my JulNoWriMo novel. Once again, I'm hoping to actually finish a novel. Which may or may not happen. It's called Three Stars, and is basically a prequel to Rising Sun. It's more of an adult novel than previous novels I've worked on. I'm going to have to tackle at least two sex scenes and it's going to be interesting. Not quite sure how that's going to go.

The thing I'm most excited about though is the fact that I got a gym membership! I am really excited to get in shape. I've gone once and I've literally been jumping up and down in excitement to go again. Sadly, I'm busy with lots of other things and can't go all the time. I'll let you know how that's going.

Blogger.com has gotten a new layout since I've been gone, so I'm going to go back and figure that out. There's a button that says schedule and I'm really interested in what that's going to do.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Words For Thought: Ideas and Other I- Words

Before I begin, yes I've missed my week mark once again. In my defense I've been going to school full time, working five days a week and still managing to have a little bit of a social life. Which does preside over the internet. Sorry, guys. I may just have to make my goal a little less demanding. Or maybe manage my time better.
On the plus side, I have so many things I want to post about. I don't think that I'll run out of topics for the next couple of weeks. I have an ongoing list on a little post it note on my desk.

Today, I'm going to start a new segment (Is that a good way to put it? I think that's more of a video thing.) I'm calling it Words for Thought. I never understood why the phrase "food for thought" especially since I'm writing this all down. Not... eating it. Yeah.
Anyways, the whole purpose of this is to put a little more content into my blog besides "Hey guys, I'm still alive. Bye." I have a lot of random thoughts that pop into my head throughout the day. So, I figured I'd actually start doing something with my thoughts. (What a novel concept.) Here goes.

Words for Thought: Ideas and Other I- Words

Today, while catching up on my macroeconomics reading, I started going down a rabbit trail of thought. About thought and why humans are smarter than animals and so much more innovative than animals (I- word #1). And the notes I made in the margins say this: "Ideas (I- word #2) are powerful things. --> Humans are above animals because of ideas?? --> Animals don't have ideas. They have impulses (#3) and instincts (#4)."

I think this was a great epiphany. Because anyone who's studied animals and spent hours watching animals live and interact know that a lot of them aren't dumb animals walking around with surviving as their only goal. They have thoughts. But they don't have ideas.

Dictionary.com defines idea as this: any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. Also, an opinion, view, or belief. It also defines thought as the product of mental activity. Animals have mental activity. Especially animals like apes, elephants, dolphins, cats, dogs, even parrots and a few other animals. I'm not so sure about things like snakes and reptiles and definitely not bugs.

Animals do not have ideas. They don't sit around and debate the existence of a God or whether they should eat canned food or go hunt something down and eat that instead. They don't have little proverbs and parables to teach their children lessons. There's no ideas and wisdom. There's certainly intelligence (#5). I think intelligence and wisdom are too often considered one in the same. It's like someone being book smart or street smart. Intelligence and wisdom is the difference between something on the surface level and on an entirely deeper, conceptual level.

Anyways, I have class to go to and there's some words for thought. Let me know if you have any opinions at all in the comments or something. (I pretend I get lots of them just to humor myself.)

PS I don't think it's coincidence that all these words start with I. Probably some Latin or Greek thing.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

I'm Really Not Sure What This is About

So I have been busy. Insanely busy. Therefore, I actually haven't even made my 1 post a week goal. BUT it was only one week. I didn't miss a whole month or anything.

My life hasn't been very interesting lately. I'm pretty sure all I've done in the past couple weeks is school, job, and work. Valentine's day wasn't even a big thing. I did homework with Byron. Super romantic, right?

I'm getting really close to finishing The Fountainhead (how many times have I said that?), but I really am this time I swear! So, I'll be doing a review-ish thing on that soon I hope.

Also, I've been playing The Sims 3 as a form of procrastination. I'm determined to finish a Legacy Challenge, however I'm not following all the rules this time around. I didn't buy an empty lot. And after taking Macroeconomics, I'm really interested in playing Civilization IV again with ideas of productivity in mind and a few other things. I'm also curious to know if the success of any civ has to do with GDP type stuff.

I really have nothing interesting to talk about though. Nor do I have the time. I have some homework I need to go do.

I'll be back next week!