Below are the most recent 12 friends' journal entries.

Thursday, December 10th, 2009
musedmoose	6:06a	Better now. Maybe it was just needing a break after NaNo (though why said break had to last a gorramn week is beyond me), but my writer's block has been broken and I'm doing better. As of last night, I'm just over nine pages into the sixth part, and I think I know how things are going to go, generally speaking, for the rest of this part. Part seven, like I said, I know what happens there... I just hope I can pull it off. ^_^ What I find interesting is how often I keep going back to the same CDs for some of this book. About half of the thing so far has been written to U2, Led Zeppelin, and Ours. Something about these bands' music just makes for good writing, I'm not sure why. Off to work. Still incredibly damn cold; I take back everything I said earlier this year about wishing summer would end sooner. @_@ (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
kinetikatrue	7:55p	"Rocks fall. Everybody dies" is an acceptable paper conclusion, right? So, the last while I've been feeling the potential for depression gathering around me, like wolves circling an injured beast, drawn in by the way I never managed to get anywhere with my staged reading and my usual struggles with academic writing. But over the weekend things got worse, leaving me first trying to write and not being able to make the words come and later not able to make myself try at all. Monday found me skipping all my classes. Today, however, was the last day of classes for me, so I made myself turn up. And present on an article in Honors. And talk to the one professor whose paper deadline I'd missed. And I'm feeling a bit less like it's all hopeless as a result. Particularly since I won't have to make myself attend any more classes this semester. I do still have deadlines, though: history paper due in this Friday. Honors paper next Wednesday. Theatre History paper (the one I missed the deadline on) ASAP. Plus a backlog of response papers for Honors. And two exams to take next Wednesday. But then I'm done. And I can focus on things I actually want to write: like my yuletide story. And both the Bixby bits I have in progress. And the ghost!Fraser story (which reminds me: j_s_cavalcante, you had some useful thoughts, so thanks). And a million-and-one things waiting their turn to make their way from my brain to the page. Well, okay, I can write - and do the cleaning that never quite got finished at Thanksgiving. And finish buying Christmas presents. And so on. More to the point, I can re-charge. Maybe show my face around these parts a bit more. I've not had may spoons to dedicate to interaction when it didn't come to me, recently, so if you've been wondering why I've been quiet, that would be it. I do still love all y'all, never fear. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
perishtwice	3:29p	LFG H life I spent thanksgiving in the hospital. A feral cat took a pretty big bite out of my right hand, and it got infected and swelled to about the size of a large orange. A tetanus shot and a weeks worth of antibiotics later, I regained the use of my hand. There was some nerve damage; my thumb is still completely numb and probably will be for a while longer. I will have a fantastic scar. Hopefully on the next full moon I will become a were-cat and wreak havoc on unsuspecting mall shoppers. Luckily I can use my fingers well enough to type now, because viola! it's finals week and I have papers and exams and so forth. I've been working late, and then coming home and working more, and when I'm not doing that I'm looking for more work assignments, and to release maddening amounts of stress and frustration I have been pvping like a madwoman. Turns out I can tank For the Alliance with just my left hand. Thrall is a bit of a wuss. Looks like I have an interview coming up for an intern position at a magazine - poor Thrall will probably have just enough time to spawn and say 'ah crap, not that damn paladin again' before I gank his green arse. Stress, stress, stress. I really need to get into tai chi or something calming. Yoga helps, but only for about 15 minutes...I need a longer fix. It was my birthday; I aged a little more. There was cake, and gifts. One gift arrived anonymously - thank you to whomever sent it if you're reading this. I appreciate the thoughtfulness. My brother got me the 45th anniversary edition of Sword in the Stone, which was one of my favorites as a kid (I hate sunshine!!), and I got a fairy shirt, a song, and something else I'm particularly fond of but can't quite describe because I lack the words. Now, to dive back into the fray, thoroughly medicated and ready for more. Happy December, all. Enjoy the crisp winter air and gingerbread cookies. /cheers (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
musedmoose	5:26p	drain bamaged I was going to write something today about my D&D game that ended yesterday. It was going to be filled with witty commentary and/or game-based motivational posters. But I'm having one of those days where it feels like I have to work really hard to make my brain function. For example, it took me three tries to spell 'motivational' correctly. And during tonight's cooking, I accidentally used flour instead of pancake mix on the casserole I was making, so now I have a 9"x13" omelet. Which isn't bad, but it's really not what I wanted to eat. I think a big part of this is the trouble I've been having with writing over the past week. I finished part five of the book on Monday, and I haven't done a damn thing since. And while a big part of why this particular book has been going so well is because I don't know everything that's going to happen and so there's plenty of room for me to be surprised, the fact that I just plain don't even know how part six is supposed to start is not only keeping me from writing but bugging the living hell out of me and putting me into the unfortunate state of mind I get into when I don't write. Anyway. I'm off to make another attempt at relaxing and letting my mind wander in hopes of figuring out more of the story. And despite how much certain deific figures might advise it, "Drink more, think less" is not going to solve my problems. -_- Current Mood: annoyed (Comment on this)
Friday, December 4th, 2009
musedmoose	8:09p	Surreal moment of the day: So I'm hauling boxes at work, because... well, because I think my manager actually edited my job description to include heavy lifting. Nothing new, and not actually a bad way to end a fairly stressful work-week. I have my headphones on, and my Zune's playing the music I loaded onto it (basically every mp3 I own) instead of the radio, 'cause it's hard to change stations if a song that sucks comes on when you're pushing around a dolly loaded with a bunch of cardboard boxes filled with files that no one's ever going to read again. Anyway. I get into the elevator to go upstairs, and just as the door starts closing, guess what song comes on? The Elevator Confessional track from Revolutionary Girl Utena. @_@ Current Mood: cold (6 Comments |Comment on this)
kinetikatrue	1:13p	PAPERS: I turned my seminar paper draft in! It was a couple pages short and a bit lacking in the footnotes department (I know where they go; I just didn't have time to make the formatting happen), but, still, I TURNED IT IN! And at ~12 pages out of 15-20! Which is totally fixable by next Friday. Still to go: turn that into a complete paper, 1500 words on two of Stoppard's plays, that paper for Honors that I don't even want to think about. Also: reaction papers. Ugh. WORK: Is stupid, but I still have to go there this evening. Hopefully, I should be able to finish the Ubuntu install, but that still leaves the actual software. And then scanning everything in and making catalog records for them. Ahhaha. At least it'll be good for grad school apps? SOCIAL LIFE: It's Games Night tomorrow! But I should maybe stay home and do homework (writing the aforementioned Stoppard paper; reading Beggars in Spain). At least I can maybe do write-or-die for the Stoppard? Since it worked so well for my other paper wordcount. I am also being indecisive about going to YAFCON vs going to see a play. Which reminds me: need to register for con_txt soon. CONCERTS: I can haz tickets to see This Is Ivy League. On MLK Day weekend. In NYC. And I am totally dragging coyotegestalt along with me. Also maybe wackedoutcrane. And anybody else I can. *g* I'm thinking of leaving after I get off work on Friday and coming back Monday. Now just to sort travel arrangements. And crash space. Also, considering Gogol Bordello for the weekend after New Years. FIC: Still writing Bixby. And a million other things. Need to review my yuletide source and get writing on that, though. So I don't have to write-or-die myself into that wordcount. Heh. STATE OF THE KAT: So tired, OMG. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
eyesmadeofjade	3:08a	mi familia Today is my last day in Maryland...can't believe it! I spent my Thanksgiving here..the best buffet ever. Tomorrow..I will be in Pittsburgh, does it get anymore amazing than this!!! <3 shame, but there will be a few things or a lot of things I will miss. Today I went out with a few friends..it was amazing non-the-less!. Even though it was a rather rainy and crappy cold day..I had a bitchen time. Megan picked me up, and we headed to the planned community known as the Kentlands, and hung around Lip Stick Jungle. It is this great consignment shop, I found a pair of purple boots, I want really bad! Plus they had a Keurig coffee maker, so I got some Green Mountain "Southern Pecan" and some interesting Chai flavor. Megan and I also headed to Chloe's Coffee House..where we just hung out and talked with a Alex and Pat. We drank tons of tea and sampled organic pumpkin muffins with cranberries.. YUM! It is nice to have shops like this in the middle of suburbia! Chloe's actually has a lot of fun things besides good muffins and teas..it also has poetry reading and open mic shows. Even though they tend to attract more high schoolers, they're still fun to go to. Then I went out with Rooby and few friends out to eat! We headed to Ledo's Pizza and I got a calzone and just mingled with friends, while drinking tons of iced tea, and then we headed to Baskin Robin's/Dunkin Donuts. I got more caffeine!! Current Mood: amused Current Music: some really good song on the radio? (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
perishtwice	2:49p	why are christmas lights just so damn fascinating. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
beckaandzac	9:26p	A Love Meme and World AIDS Day. ( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. ) Current Mood: hopeful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, November 30th, 2009
musedmoose	5:53p	2009 is nearly over. But today was the best day of it so far. Current Music: Owl City - Fireflies (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
eyesmadeofjade	1:58a	everyone has their own ideologies.. and their own way of doing things? This Black Friday was not spent stimulating the economy(a.k.a. Black Friday Sales), but instead hanging around Annapolis. Yeah, I went with my mom and brother, and we basically walked around the streets of historical Annapolis, explored the Naval Academy ( I even got to tour a dorm room, lol), and hung around the harbor/marina. I went to the most amazing coffee house; Hard Been Coffee & Book Sellers. You kids, would love it. The barista hands you a cup, and in my case a cup of ice and you can pick out your own flavor of coffee. I picked a cinnamon rum flavored, and my mom & brother picked out Mexican coffee. It was seriously amazing! Here, one of the many rooms of the Chapel in Naval Academy Then we later saw the Christmas tree decorated, and went to the various shops. I don't mind Christmas decorations or Christmas music after Thanksgiving, still not in the spirit yet, though. But before Thanksgiving is a problem, lol. In fact Cozy's restaurant was decorated for Christmas..hey, what about tinsel with turkey and horn of plenty instead of tinsel with snowmans!!! It was still beautiful though. I was glad we got to go out to eat instead of spending Thanksgiving at home.. The hour drive to Thurmont is always so beautiful... This what I saw on my way to Thanksgiving Diner in Thurmont: Yeah, it was on the side of the road, and basically it is one of those Festival of Lights. You know where you drive the car in a state park or farm, and your are surrounded by beautiful Christmas decorations, often moving decorations.   I used to do it all the time growing up..we would drive the car, hah, more like my parents or friend's parents would and us kids wouid wonder at awe at these wonderful decorations. Current Mood: giddy (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 27th, 2009
musedmoose	8:27p	Quasi-NaNoWriMo: made it. As of tonight's writing, the book is now up to 147,000 words. Hell, as of less than two minutes ago, it's up to 148,000 words, but that's just me feeling the need to brag a little. *grin* It's been an interesting month, writing-wise. I usually write about 2500 words in a session, which is about four pages in my word processor (still using WordPerfect 8, what?) and more than enough to get a good scene started and/or finished. So in theory, I could have done the NaNo thing in twenty days. Had I actually written every day for twenty days, that would have happened, and y'all would have been reading this a while ago. But, life's not perfect, and there's always the need to take a break, lest I get burned out. But this has been a valuable experience. If nothing else, it's shown me that I actually can write that much; I've known about NaNo for years and always thought I could manage the word count by the deadline, but thinking isn't doing. Also, I've made real progress on the book - I finished the fourth part and am about a chapter and a half away from being done with the fifth. I might finish the fifth part by the end of the month, if I write every day. I had hoped to finish this book by the year's end, but I don't think that's going to happen now. The story continues to grow in the telling, and while I know little of what's going to happen in the sixth part, what I do know isn't something that can or should be taken care of quickly. Not that I mind working on this more. I've reached the point where the characters pretty much do as they will, and my job is simply noting their actions and coming up with ways to make things worse for them so they have something to get out of. ^_^ I also took a bunch of world-building notes for what I hope will be my next project after this one. Okay, not directly after this one; I'll probably write some more short stories and/or a fanfic in between novels. And there's the editing process to consider. Heh. But anyway, I'd been having all kinds of ideas for something newish, and I was having trouble with how it could all fit together. The answers came to me on Wednesday (yes, in the shower), and I think I've got something interesting and bizarre here. And the working title for this thing could be abbreviated as KYON, which amuses me, as that's the name of a character in an anime that I didn't like but is wildly popular. I'll be absolutely amazed if anyone works out what that stands for. Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: Burning Brides - Heart Full of Black (5 Comments |Comment on this)