Writing and Stuff

Woah. Is it New Years already? Jesus fucking Christ, where has the last year gone? I haven't even done a public post to LJ since, er, May, I think. (I started a post in August but never finished, so it never got made public. In short, life has been VERY busy. There's been travel (Origins, Gencon, Bull Run, Greece, Turkey, Con on the Cob, Akron, Cleveland, San Francisco and more!) There's been bad things (like my grandfather dying in August). There's been good things (like my finally finding a boyfriend, almost 12 weeks now...). And there's been all kinds of other stuff in between, but mostly it's just been BUSY. And now here it is, New Years, and it's so busy that I didn't even review my 2011 goals until just now, and I still have only the foggiest idea of what my goals for 2012 will even be. But here goes...

( 2011 Goals Review )
( 2012 Goals )

That's it. I'm actually having a really awful few days (I started this post four days ago, and am adding this sentence today) that has invalidated most of the happy I had at the beginning of the post, but I'm not gonna edit it. Let it stand as is as a tribute to some of the happiest I've been, no matter how low I feel right now. Those are my goals for today. (edited to add: okay, I did go back and add a little more detail)

I have very little of interest to say about the specifics of the last few weeks.

( The Various Works )
( Fun Stuff...? )
( The Big Decision )

Anyway, off to lunch and then an observation, and then an evening blissfully off (not because I've got the time, but because I arbitrarily decided that I've earned it, dammit! :)

Well, I'm pretty sleepy, but I didn't want to let too much time pass before updating again, so here I go!
( Work )
( Those Non-Paying Jobs - Crafting and Writing )
( Other stuff )
Man, a part of me thinks I should have spent this time writing more. I'd forgotten how nice the puppy love stage of novel writing really is. It's been almost two years since I started a book and actually really got somewhere in writing it. :)

On Monday, my dad came to visit me. We had a long and wide-ranging talk, a lot of it relating to my #1 and completely failed goal from last year, "be easier on myself." One of the things he suggested was something he's done in the past. The idea is, whenever you are minding your own mental business and suddenly remember something that you did earlier that day, the previous day, the previous week, the previous month, the previous year, or the previous decade or more ago, and you think, dammit, why did I do that? That was a stupid thing to do! Instead of letting it sit there, write it down on a slip of paper, and put all the slips of paper in to a bowl, and when the bowl gets full, burn it without looking at the strips. I think this is a great idea, and I'm taking it a step farther - I'm also going to put in the slips for things that upset me that I can't let go of, things that make me angry but I can't move on from, things I dwell on that I really need to just get over of all kinds. Why am I starting this post with this story? Because writing the decision to write this post immediately prompted one of my worst catechisms that needs to end: "I really should be working." I'm a big girl and I'm on top of everything and getting everything done, I can decide on my own and with my own discretion when I should be working - and right now, I CAN write this post if I want to.

Anyway, on to other stuff. Gah, I apparently haven't updated since before Thanksgiving! How did that happen?
( Thanksgiving )

( December, Pre-Christmas )
( Texas )
( This Week )
( Starting My Fourth Novel )
Well, this took longer than I have by a lot, and now I'm running late, so I'm gonna stop and leave! Drum lesson, dinner with a friend, should be a nice evening. :)

All year, I keep track of the books I've read, and look forward to the end of the year, when I can participate in the LibraryThing exchange of book lists! I don't have a paid LJ account, so the survey of books I've read is up on SurveyMonkey. The idea is simple: At this link, you'll find a survey which lists all of the books I've read in the past year. If you've read any of the same books (any time, not just in the past year), check them off, then hit submit when you're done! In about a week, when everyone is done taking it, I'll post the results!

You can take my survey here.

Cross posted to librarything, unforth, my personal blog, and FB! (yeah, I know, a lot of overlap, but I do have a few unique people in each place - sorry folks!)

(and here's my 2009 results... :) )

Hoping to get a real post up soon, but for now, have my Christmas wish list:
( All I Want for Christmas Is... )
Happy Holidays, everyone.

Hope you've got wonderful things planned. I'm going to the parade, then to my dad's, then back in to the city to visit my mom. Given my cold, these seems like a terrible plan, but I can't deny that I REALLY want to go to the parade, and as that's the only "optional" part, I guess it can't be helped! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Just giving a heads up to folks not on FB that my unforth account was hacked, so make sure you don't follow any link in an e-mail from that account sent today. I've now reset the password, so it should be okay from now on.

Well, the past week has been pretty nuts, and I've got about 15 minutes in which to try to sum it up before I have to leave to do some work. (I should be working now, in fact, but oh well. ;) )
( This Past Week )
( Novel Research: American Police Systems )
( One Year at the Gym - the Real Purpose of Today's Post )
:)

Last week ended up being very, very busy. ( Read more... )
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!