Apartment, Story, Apartment, Packing . . . and Stuff

Time is in fly-by mode! Hold onto your handbags and don't let go of the person next to you!! Geemanee! A week and a half from now (ish) I will be taking a plane (or two) to Portland, OR for LeakyCon and then I will be on a whirlwind vacation for about 6 days.  I need this time off work so much.  Then, I will go to work for three days and on that Saturday I will be moving into my first ever official APARTMENT with two good friends! To say I am excited is a vast understatement.  The weekend after that I'll be camping and then the weekend after that I will be helping host a "yay we've grown up sorta" party.  Before I know it, August is going to be here and I'm going to be wondering where all the time's gone!

So, the apartment.  We've gotten ourselves a nice little 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom spacious walk-through-kithcen apartment complete with miniture balcony and a view of trees!! That's right, TREES! YAY! Through an epic battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors (my favorite way of deciding things) I miraculously won the master bedroom which is probably a good thing since all of my furniture seems to be so large . . . hmm.  Anyways, it isn't actually that much bigger than the other two rooms, so its not a huge deal.  My room also looks out over trees and its going to be awesome!! Honestly, I'm looking forward to not having to drive so far every day and maybe, just maybe, I'll be on time to work more often (but I'm not going to hold my breath).  It will be like a throw back to my England days and I'll most likely be eating a lot of pasta and ramen and cereal.  Not that any of these things are particularly bad mind you.  Also, we have a pool, a jacuzzi, and a rec room, all of which we are very excited for!  

I've begun a new story.  I've set aside the story I've been working on since February because, honestly, I'm just not in the right mindset to write that story at the moment.  So, I began another one that is flowing more easily.  I mean, the February novel took from February until now to write 28 pages.  I started this second story and in two days I had written 9 pages.  I think I should give my February novel a break and write something that is willing to be written, if you know what I mean.  And then, of course, in November I will be attempting NaNoWriMo again.  We'll see how being in an apartment will affect my writing efforts! 

Packing to completely move out is weird.  I mean, I've packed for "moving out" before but always with the intention of coming back once school was out or on break.  This time I'm taking mostly everything with me.  It's strange watching your room become more bare and cluttered all at the same time.  Bare because everything is going in totes and boxes, cluttered because all those totes and boxes have to chill out somewhere.  My room is a mess and I can't clean it because there isn't anything to clean really.  My room is going to look so very empty once I get all my things off of the walls and all my furniture out.  Huge.  That's what it'll be.  It will look very huge and very empty and the walls will be bare-ish (I'm leaving a few things on the walls because, let's face it, my wall space is down-sizing by a lot).  It's also weird to realize how much stuff I have.  I've been downsizing a bit, but I still have a LOT! 

Band has started for the summer!  This always makes me happy.  We had our first concert last week and it went really well for the first one.  My bass clarinet sounded pretty decent too (even if it didn't get played very much over the winter time . . .oops).  The next few months will be full of music and it will be wonderful.

The play I was stage managing for at the local community theater had its run last weekend.  We had a decent turn out given the fact that we were competing with another show also playing that week (Music Man).  Despite our tough competition we had a steadily increasing number of patrons each night and our closing show boasted 135 or so people.  I'm so proud to have been a part of this little show.  We had good responses to our performances and even received a standing ovation for our Sunday matinee. Who knew time would fly by so quickly?! (Me actually, because that's what time does!)











Erinaceous

Insert a Clever May Themed Title Here

Happy May!! It's taken a while for the month of May to seep into my consciousness if I'm honest.  I don't really know why, but it just hasn't felt like May.  However, May is coming along pretty nicely, if I do say so myself!

I'm having a party for my birthday this coming weekend and I'm actually pretty excited about it.  This week I only have to work three days and then I get a four day weekend.  That will be soo nice and hopefully I will be able to recharge my "work batteries."  Hopefully the weather cooperates and I can have a nice outdoor/indoor style bonfire and fun birthday.

I finally got all the necessary things booked for LeakyCon! I've registered for the convention, booked my hotel room, and I've now purchased my round-trip plane tickets.  Apparently it is really difficult to fly directly to Portland.  My journey there will take me from Chicago to Phoenix to Portland.  On the way home however I'll be flying from Portland to Charlotte to Chicago.  Talk about cross country!!  Anyways, I love flying and I'm super excited that this trip is finally all coming together.

Work has gotten slightly better and the changes haven't been as bad as I had thought they were going to be.  I do still hate my job though.  That part hasn't changed.  Returns are the worst, as always.

I've still not been writing very much, but I think that after June I might be able to focus a little more on that.  I'll have a bit more time back because the play will be over.  Speaking of, I have been really enjoying being a part of this play.  It's always interesting to work with new directors because each director I've ever worked with has been extremely different from all the others.  It's interesting to see the thought processes of people and how they work with others to create their visions.  This play has been no different than any other I've been apart of (except maybe having rehearsal in a daycare! That was different . . . and a bit warm).  Anyways, this little show is really coming together and as we work to solidify the vision I think we're going to have a really good show on our hands! 

I always feel that my music and reading tastes change with my moods and therefore reflect some part of how I am feeling.  My reading mood has, more or less, returned to normal.  I'm not reading the deeper, darker, weird novels I picked up randomly because they were cheap when Borders was closing. I'm back to fantasy and more light-hearted things.  I've recently begun the endeavor of reading the Game of Thrones novels.  These are right in the ballpark of novels I usually read and I'm happy to be back in that genre.  Musically, I'm not in an unusual spot per se, but it's not a genre I turn to very often.  I've been listening to a mix, but the two stations I've been going between is kind of funny.  I'm still into the pop station I've been listening to since October-ish but I've now started listening to a lot of Rock.  I'm going to go ahead and put some "blame" on my boyfriend since this is mostly what he listens to, but I have had rock music stints before.  So it isn't all due to him!  I mean, I've always had a rock station as a preset on my car's radio.

For some reason, I just feel more rock 'n' roll lately.  Which is definitely not a bad thing!  It is a sort of freedom that I think I have led myself to and its a very good thing that I've made it here.  It possibly has to do with some letting go that I've been struggling with and it also has to do with just being a person who lives in the moment for themselves.  Maybe this links in to my "inner pirate," maybe it doesn't.  But it would sure make sense!  I am feeling very happy still and things seem to be returning to "normal" (a word that doesn't usually apply to me, haha!)

Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic or reflective or whatever, but it's been a good year so far.  A better year than I've been having lately.  I have a lot of people to thank for this, and I'm pretty sure you all know exactly who you are.   










Ostrobogulous

Happy

Hello everyone!

I have been in a definite funk since last February. That funk lasted pretty much all year. A few different things went into that, but I won't go into that for entertainment purposes (no need to get boring this early in the blog!)

But, probably since February of this year I've begun to feel more like my old self than I have in a long time! I've been hanging out with sime great friends and I'm now dating a really great guy!!! On the whole, I am soo happy right now!

But then, there's always a flip side. Certain aspects of my life (*cough *cough work *cough *cough) are weighing me down and slowly becoming more and more unbearable.  Thinking about the future is getting difficult. Making plans for Grad School is seeming more unlikely and it's been causing issues even though the opportunity is finally present.

Another thing is that my writing is kind of stagnant at the moment. The story I'm working on is hard. Of course, this is a sort of motivation to write it, but its also different and I'm not sure I'm ready to write this one yet. Maybe I'll switch stories and come back around to it...

Just so there is no confusion following his post, I am definitely a happy person right now!! So much more so than I have been in quite a while!!!! Happiness makes everything else better!!!

(P.s. I wrote this on my phone, so don't judge too harshly any errors you may find!)

Swell!

My Music Favorites

Music is a large part of my life as many of you well know.  So, I thought it would be interesting to share with you the songs that have, over the years, worked themselves onto my "I can listen to these songs on repeat so much that other people get annoyed with them" Playlist.  The list follows as such (in no particular order):

1) The Ballad of Mona Lisa-- Panic At the Disco
Ballad of Mona Lisa on YouTube

2) Always -- Panic At the Disco
Always (Live) on YouTube

3) Animal Love II -- Charlene Kaye
Animal Love II on YouTube

4) Holiday Club --Jim and the Povolos
Holiday Club (live) on YouTube

5) We Found Love-- a cover by TalkFine
TalkFine cover on YouTube

6) Man of Constant Sorrow-- George Watsky ft. Dylan Saunders
George Watsky on YouTube

 7)Nothing Brings Me Down -- Emiliana Torrini
Nothing Brings Me Down on YouTube

8) Feeling Good -- Michael Buble
Mr Buble on YouTube

9) Heartstopper -- Emiliana Torrini
Heartstopper on YouTube

10) Viva la Vida -- Coldplay
Coldplay on YouTube

11) Guns and Horses -- Ellie Goulding
Guns and Horses on YouTube

12) Speechless -- Lady Gaga
Speechless on YouTube

13) Oscar Wilde -- Company of Thieves
Company of Thieves on YouTube

14) Soul Swimming -- Beecake
Soul Swimming (live) on YouTube

15) Praying for Sunny Days -- Hyper Static Union
Praying for Sunny Days on YouTube

16) Birds -- Kate Nash
Birds by Kate Nash on YouTube

17) Friends and Lovers -- Beecake
Beecake on YouTube

18) Gummy Bear Hundrednaire -- George Watsky
Watsky! (on YouTube)

19) Won't Back Down -- Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor on YouTube

20) I Was -- Team Starkid
Clark and Joe Walker on YouTube

21) Sidekick -- Team Starkid
Joey Richter killing it! on YouTube

Here's where I will stop for many reasons.  For one, the list goes on for quite a bit further.  For another, I feel like any more will just dampen the point of how music means a lot to me.  Ask my brother, I sing all the time and especially in the car (no matter who is riding with me).  I can't help it.  I play piano, guitar, and I play bass clarinet and . . . well, I just love music. 

Some of the groups/singers I really like a lot are Ellie Goulding, Panic at the Disco, Team Starkid, Hudson Taylor,  Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, Charlene Kaye, and George Watksy.  Pretty much all of their songs are some of my favorites.  I've just chosen some of my favorite-favorite for the list.

It is my belief that any song can be the most beautiful song if sung at the right tempo by the right people.  Some people can just transform music into a beautiful masterpiece and when you find a song that speaks to you that, that is magic. 












mellifluous

Haven't slept yet . . .Still counts as January

Hello!

Well, as the new year is heating up (not meteorogically per se) we've had some dull and boring at work but also some excitement (and drama . . . to be expected of course). 

The exciting bit is that once again I've been spontaneous.   But wait, there's more!! This time I've persuaded, not one, but TWO other people to be spontaneous with me!!! And all because of Team Starkid (again).  They are putting on a comedy show at the UP Comedy Club in Chicago every Sunday in February and we're going to see them!!!!  I'm, of course, only a little excited.  You know, the whole traveling thing and going to see Starkid and maybe catching up with a few old friends and staying in a very swanky hotel!  I mean, not too much to be excited for at all. 

I've been feeling pretty stuck (geographically) and I can't wait to go travelling again!

So, I've now seen The Hobbit in theatres four times (not ashamed in the least) and I finally went to go see Les Mis.  It was soooooo good! I can't believe I waited so long to go see it!  It was just phenomenal.  I better be seeing Oscars Oscars EVERYWHERE! Some other movies I've seen lately include: Silver Linings Playbook (which I liked) and Gangster Squad (which I also liked a lot).  Still on the list: Django, Hansel & Gretel, Mama, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln (still), and Jack Reacher . . . just to name a few. 

I've started re-reading the Harry Potter series again.  It seems to be the thing I do at the beginning of the year.  (I sense a tradition beginning to happen.)  This year, reading them has been more difficult.  I don't know if it's because I've really begun to identify myself as a writer, or if I'm just paying more attention to detail but, J. K. Rowling's genius keeps smacking me in the face! She's such a phenomenal storyteller and it's just astounding.  Little plot details keep jumping out at me and names that she drops in the first few books become extremely important characters in her later books . . . . oh my gosh, she's amazing.  I mean, I already knew all this, but its still amazing.

I've now applied to a couple Grad School's and I have a few left.  The list includes:
Murray State University (applied)
Antioch University (applied)
University of East Anglia (applied)

and
University of Glasgow
and a few others that have rolling admission that I haven't quited decided on yet. Sorry to be mysterious. 

Well, there's my very random, very nearly still January blog!  Hope you enjoy!










Fanatacism

As the Year Goes . . . Went

It's almost 2013.  And a few things have happened this past year.  So, prepare yourself for a bit of an overview and a potential preview for the new year.


January-- 2012 began like all year's begin (in January) and I was looking hopeful for the future.  I was near the end of an endless typing campaign and it was all very exciting!  I began to learn how to jump on horseback and I also started improving as a rider overall.  It was great getting back into the saddle seriously and hopefully I can get that momentum going again when the weather changes for the better. 

February-- Finished typing that monster rounding out the word count at 71,978.  Pretty impressive, except that after a load of editing I wiped out some of that word count and added a bit.  Right now at this very moment that story is sitting pretty at 74,047.  So yeah, it got longer.  But, I'm still editing it so we'll see what happens.  I did a lot of editing in February.  Good deal!

March-- A lot happened in March.  What a good month.  We had beautiful weather and I did a lot of jumping and riding.  I spent a night out on St. Patrick's Day which was fun!  I took a little vacation to visit my Gram and I painted a LOT!  To everyone's surprise I painted the walls pink, but it wasn't my room now was it?  I went to visit my friends at Western and I had a good time.  March was fun. 

April-- This month was a bit interesting.  Coming off of vacation it was hard to transition back into work and all the stress that brings.  People don't realize that retail can, in fact, be very stressful, but it can.  April was when I really began to think that maybe I should apply for Grad School.  I've taken that to heart (even if I've sort of changed my mind already, I'm still applying.) 

May-- My birthday was good! Funny things happened and we all had a good time I think.  I got a new camera and I've been taking lots of pictures.  One thing that has happened this year is that I've become closer again with some friends that I've not hung out with as much for a while.  It's been really nice and fun and I'm extremely glad that we've gotten the opportunity to become as close as we used to be all over again! 

June-- I do have to say that not much of anything happened in June.

July-- In one word: Impulsive.  I had a very impulsive July.  But, it was probably one of the best things for me.  I've decided I need to be more impulsive because otherwise I just end up being a bum.  I sit around and do nothing, essentially.  I like being impulsive because I then do things that I would actually like to do.  I decided to go to LeakyCon in Chicago.  I went to the midnight premire of Dark Knight Rises.  Impulsive is good.  Also, Fireworks were fun with Mom and my brother and popcorn!  Then there was also the wedding I went to which was great!! I got to dress up and catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a while.

August -- This was probably one of the best August's I've had in . . . well, perhaps ever.  I went to LeakyCon in Chicago and had the time of my life.  It was busy, it was wonderful, it was incredibly surreal, and it was very liberating (oddly enough).  In a way, it allowed me to be more of me than usual.  In another way it was nice knowing that there are people out there who are a bit stranger than I am, if you know what I mean.  I decided I'm a nice little mellow mixture of epic fandom extrordinaire.  I also learned that I like being me.  Oh, and I got to meet Evanna Lynch and get some StarKid Autographs as well as watching AVPSY in 3D (aka real life)!!!!  Also in August was my best friend's bachelorette party.  We went bowling and had lots of fun.

Photo Courtesy of Bobbie M. Bell

September-- This September I watched my best friend get married.  It was a nice ceremony and a lot of emotions were everywhere (as you might expect at a wedding).  I had to wear pink and listen to everyone say how nice I looked in pink.  I was just happy that the dress fit because I had to go on a two week diet to fit into that dress!! I hopefully will never have to diet again becasue it was awful.  After the wedding was all over and the newlyweds off to their honeymoon, my Dad and I flew out to Arizona to visit my Aunt and to drive home one of the trucks.  What a fun roadtrip!!! My dad and I were able to do a lot of catching up that we'd missed out on for a while due to both of our busy schedules.  Beautiful country we live in, guys!!!


October-- In October I began my Picture Blog.  I have really enjoyed doing it even if I haven't been the most consistent with it.  A few really interesting stories have stemmed from the pictures I've chosen and I think that it is just a good way to stay creative.  Here's the link just in case you haven't been by to visit and puruse through it yet: http://stories-about-pictures.blogspot.com/  Also, I attended a Disney charater birthday Party! I met a lot of new people and had an absolute blast!! It was a throwback to the England fancy dress party days.  Oh man, what a brilliant party.

November-- This month was epic.  It was stressful, it was rewarding, it was a race, and it was hell in a day.  The stress came from Grad School applications and writing my brains out.  It was rewarding because I was enjoying my brains out.  It was a race because I had to write 50,000 words in 30 days for NaNoWriMo. And, it was hell in a day because I worked a 15 hour shift on Black Friday.  Enough said.  I am proud and happy to say that I managed 50,070 words in 30 days.  I am extremely proud that I managed to churn out 11,000 words in a 17 hour stretch right at the end and finished in time to upload it to the website to be counted and then got to chill out and refresh before going to work that afternoon.  Accomplishing that goal was truly wonderful.

December-- As this is my December blog, I guess this is where the updates will be.  I'm getting closer and closer to my first Grad School application deadline.  My final list of schools to apply to is as follows:
          --Murray St. University
          --University of Iowa
          --Antioch University
          --Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
          --University of East Anglia
          --University of Missouri
          --University of Glasgow
Wish me luck in this very competitive program!!!  Like I've said before, if I don't get in, I won't be truly heartbroken because I've got my backup plans! And, I think I'm leaning more towards Plan C now.  But, I'm going to try my best anyways.   Shifting gears, my dad and I went to the midnight premire of the Hobbit (which I loved) and I have now been to see it three times (don't judge).  I went with friends to see Skyfall (explosive!) and Life of Pi (which in my humble opinion is not really a children's movie).  My aunt (the one we visited in AZ) came to visit for Christmas and it was a nice addition to our family christmas.  Also, because of how it all played out, I got a nice little three day weekend for Christmas which seems a bit rare.  (Psst: Newsflash/Spoilers.  The world didn't end.  Sorry to disappoint).

Recap for the books I managed to read this year in the order I read them:
--The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
--Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
-- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
--The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
--The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
--The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
--The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
--Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People who Cook by Anthony Bourdain
--My Life as a Russian Novel: A Memoir by Emmanuel Carrere
--Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
--The Fecund's Melancholy Daughter by Brent Hayward
--The Petting Zoo by Jim Carroll
--Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli
--I Love a Broad Margin to My Life by Maxine Hong Kingston
--All These Things I've Done by Garielle Zevin
--Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
--The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
--The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I've discovered so many great things this year.  I've learned that writing is more than just a hobby of mine, its a passion.  I've learned that some things in life will be tough and I've got to keep my head up and just roll with the punches.  I've learned that people change and they are quite right to.  I've learned that not all people change toward the better and that perhaps with time they might realize where they have gone and they may try to change that.  (But, I'm not holding my breath).  I've learned that things can make me miserable and that even though I don't like it I can still trudge through it and find light in the murk.  I've learned I can be boring and unhealthy and I don't like it.

So, I'm going to change some of that in 2013.  Some people find the new year and resolutions to be ridiculous prospects, but I'm not them, am I?  I feel like its a good springboard for new choices and freedoms that can be given.  Why not?  It's as good a place as any to begin from.  So, as this year advances, I would like to be healthy.  By this I mean, eat better, excersize a bit more frequently, write as much as possible for the good of my soul.  Overall, I want to be a healthier, happier, body, mind, and soul. 

In 2013 I want to make some progress in my life. Whether it is through Plan A, Plan Middle, or Plan C.  I don't care.  I want to do something with my life and all three options put that thought forward.  I cannot continue to work retail for more that one reason.  Hell, for more than two reasons. 

In 2013 I want to catch up on bills and spend less and save a whole lot more.  There are many things I wish to do with my life and I can't do them if I'm in debt and have no money saved.

I'm going to LeakyCon again! I am so excited.  It's the end of June and its in Portland, OR.  I've never been to Oregon and I'm excited.  Not to mention I'm not going all by myself this year which will make the financial aspect a bit better for me.  I'm taking my mum with me and I'm sure she'll spend her time floating in a pool and being all relaxed and stuff, adult drink in hand.  I'm really just looking forward to that a lot. 

I'm just looking forward to another year being me.  I'm unsure what 2013 will bring for me but it will be exciting to find out and, of course, I will be glad to share it with all of you!  Here's to 2013!!











Celebration

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year I did it! I wrote 50070 words in 30 days.  I loved every second of it even though it was at times frustrating.  But, now that I've accomplished this goal, I'm going to go to bed! Happy December! :D

(P.S. The story isn't done yet, but the word count was accomplished.  Now to finish the story!)












Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Slumberous