This won't be the fastest 750 words I've ever written cause I'm watching Hulu as well and I KNOW I'm going to get distracted, but what does that matter anyway. The nice thing about no one reading this is there's no one to judge me. Of course there is a computer program that records my every move and keeps completely sterile records. It doesn't judge but it's also completely unsympathetic. I guess that means it'll help me write better, or at least quicker. It's absolutely unforgiving when I fail, and it doesn't matter how many excuses I can give, the program doesn't care.
This show I'm watching is SO good! I can't believe how much I'm enjoying it. It's called Awake by the way. Stars Jason Issacs as a man who was in a terrible car crash. Since the crash he basically lives his life in two realities. One where his wife died and one where his son died. He can't tell which is real (and we as the viewer are suspicious that it's all a fabrication and both or none might be real). I wouldn't be surprised if we find him in a coma at the end of this series (although that will be a bit of a cop out). I also wonder if perhaps the endgame is that he's part of an experiment that actually places the consciousness into different realities. They're testing to see if a psyche can handle that kind of pressure. Of course he will succeed, but not without a couple of breakdowns on the way. That's what's happening in this episode. He's seeing a penguin and he's been forgetting things and mixing up the two realities. The show is intense and fascinating. In fact I paused it cause I wanted to be able to focus on writing about it without being distracted by the show or vice versa.
Yes, it is a little sad how much of my 750 words every day has been about the TV shows I watch on Hulu, but what can I say? I like to relax by watching TV and it's not like I'm not going to work and doing all the other things I need to do. It's like an added bonus. I suppose I could be going out and having a night life, but that would likely cost money. Hulu is (basically) free and it's comfy and I like it. I figure doing what you like is never a bad thing as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.
Tomorrow I have plans to go out with Meg to Universal and see a concert and then she's going to spend the night here. Then on Sunday I'm going to meet her lovely British father. I think we'll have a blast! Then I might even go to Disney on Sunday before I have gaming, or maybe I'll go to Disney on Monday after I drop off Felix to get declawed. The possibilities are endless and I love it! It is a bit of a bummer that I'm going to have LOTS (like 9) straight days of work coming up, but the paychecks will be nice and I need the money. I'm trying to replenish my savings account (and I want to save up for something totally silly, an Xbox with Kinect). I think that although the Xbox might be seen as a total waste of money, it's nice to have goals like that. I'll be inspired to save with that as a reward. Plus it's a pretty physical gaming system, so I might even exercise more once I get one.
Still 150 words to go! I'm not sure what else I have to talk about. The universe has been smiling on my lately (it often does actually). Things are going really smoothly at work and I've been getting a lot of recognition. I go to work because I love the people I work with and enjoy my job, but that doesn't mean I don't like a little recognition every once in awhile. Lately it seems like the recognition is raining down on me, and I'm certainly not going to complain about that. Not that I complain about much. I don't much care for complaining. It's a lot of energy spent on little to no results. Complaining gets you no where, but a compliment and a smile, on the other hand, can work wonders. Remember that next time you're upset about something or at someone. Everyone likes a smile.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
April 5th
Five days and I'm still; going strong on my 750 words, failing miserably at my musical script, watching absurd amounts of Hulu, working lots of hours, and sleeping much less than I should. For me that's a sign that life is good.
Today was an interesting day because I "rescued" at work. That means that I spent my shift at a different attraction than the one I normally work at. Today I worked at Simpsons. I was out front at greeter all afternoon and evening. It wasn't the most exciting work, but it was a relief to just relax and greet people without having to worry about bags (which aren't allowed on Mummy but are allowed on Simpsons). The people there were very nice as well and it was fun to chat with them about what their ride and work was like. There are a lot of differences, but overall attractions is very similar. I'm glad that I rescued, but I'll be happy to return to my regularly scheduled position at Mummy.
However, I don't plan to stay at Mummy forever. Right now I'm in the process of interviewing for guest services, which deals more with guest happiness than guest safety, and that should be better for me. I'd rather be in charge of the entire park's happiness than a single person's safety. I plan to make a career at Universal, so after I get transferred to guest services (which will happen even if I have to keep applying for awhile), I plan to go to a career counseling meeting and discuss what options there are for my future. I would love to have a job at Universal that would allow me to live in a nice house and support a family. Someday that will happen. I firmly believe that dreams can come true if you're willing to wait and work for them.
I made a list of goals for April. I figure listing them here might be a good idea, so they're out there and I'm accountable. To who, I'm not sure. It's unlikely anyone reads this drabble, but if you are reading it, then I guess I'm accountable to you. =)
Anyway goals for April
1) Write 750 words every day (so far so good)
2) Write a 100 page musical script (good thing there are still 25 days left for that)
3) Figure out Guest Services job (interviews should start in two weeks)
4) Restart YouTube watching and keep caught up (haven't started yet)
5) Post one video on each of my two YouTube Channels (I have some ideas)
6) Find condo/house to move into in July (slowly but surely I'll get there)
7) Write Wrockbox show (this is gonna happen the second half of the month)
8) Storyboard & Organize "Lily" Video (I haven't started)
9) Read two books (I'm working on The Help right now)
10) Put $100 in savings (just need to watch my spending, and get more hours)
As you can see I have a fairly extensive goals list. I plan to make at least a few goals for every single month, and I've given myself rewards (like ice cream, books, movies) for completing goals. Hopefully that will be enough motivation that I can at least get some of them completed. I have faith that I will. I realize not all of them would fall under the ruling of "traditional" goals, but they all work for me and they will make me happier in the end.
I think having goals is very important, and for me having something that I need to achieve in a shorter time (monthly goals versus yearly goals) really helps me stay motivated. Weekly goals work out much better (like a goal to make a video every week), and daily goals (like 750 words) go much smoother too. The thing is that they also need to be goals I have an interest in accomplishing. Goals like eat better, workout more, lose weight, never work for me. The simple truth is that while I may get frustrated at times with the way I look, I plain and simple don't care enough to want to work towards those goals. Goals need to be attainable and desirable or you'll never achieve them.
Only 40 words to go, so I suppose I should wrap this up. I'm glad that I'm doing this and posting it even if no one ever reads it. It'll be nice to look back on someday, just to see what my life was like. =)
Today was an interesting day because I "rescued" at work. That means that I spent my shift at a different attraction than the one I normally work at. Today I worked at Simpsons. I was out front at greeter all afternoon and evening. It wasn't the most exciting work, but it was a relief to just relax and greet people without having to worry about bags (which aren't allowed on Mummy but are allowed on Simpsons). The people there were very nice as well and it was fun to chat with them about what their ride and work was like. There are a lot of differences, but overall attractions is very similar. I'm glad that I rescued, but I'll be happy to return to my regularly scheduled position at Mummy.
However, I don't plan to stay at Mummy forever. Right now I'm in the process of interviewing for guest services, which deals more with guest happiness than guest safety, and that should be better for me. I'd rather be in charge of the entire park's happiness than a single person's safety. I plan to make a career at Universal, so after I get transferred to guest services (which will happen even if I have to keep applying for awhile), I plan to go to a career counseling meeting and discuss what options there are for my future. I would love to have a job at Universal that would allow me to live in a nice house and support a family. Someday that will happen. I firmly believe that dreams can come true if you're willing to wait and work for them.
I made a list of goals for April. I figure listing them here might be a good idea, so they're out there and I'm accountable. To who, I'm not sure. It's unlikely anyone reads this drabble, but if you are reading it, then I guess I'm accountable to you. =)
Anyway goals for April
1) Write 750 words every day (so far so good)
2) Write a 100 page musical script (good thing there are still 25 days left for that)
3) Figure out Guest Services job (interviews should start in two weeks)
4) Restart YouTube watching and keep caught up (haven't started yet)
5) Post one video on each of my two YouTube Channels (I have some ideas)
6) Find condo/house to move into in July (slowly but surely I'll get there)
7) Write Wrockbox show (this is gonna happen the second half of the month)
8) Storyboard & Organize "Lily" Video (I haven't started)
9) Read two books (I'm working on The Help right now)
10) Put $100 in savings (just need to watch my spending, and get more hours)
As you can see I have a fairly extensive goals list. I plan to make at least a few goals for every single month, and I've given myself rewards (like ice cream, books, movies) for completing goals. Hopefully that will be enough motivation that I can at least get some of them completed. I have faith that I will. I realize not all of them would fall under the ruling of "traditional" goals, but they all work for me and they will make me happier in the end.
I think having goals is very important, and for me having something that I need to achieve in a shorter time (monthly goals versus yearly goals) really helps me stay motivated. Weekly goals work out much better (like a goal to make a video every week), and daily goals (like 750 words) go much smoother too. The thing is that they also need to be goals I have an interest in accomplishing. Goals like eat better, workout more, lose weight, never work for me. The simple truth is that while I may get frustrated at times with the way I look, I plain and simple don't care enough to want to work towards those goals. Goals need to be attainable and desirable or you'll never achieve them.
Only 40 words to go, so I suppose I should wrap this up. I'm glad that I'm doing this and posting it even if no one ever reads it. It'll be nice to look back on someday, just to see what my life was like. =)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
April 4th
No I haven't written anything on my script, just stop bothering me about it ok? =P I know I'll catch up, I'll make it work somehow. I'll make that 100 pages cause I have to. Cause it's an April goal, and making goals gets me rewards.
Course the 750 words a day is still going strong, except that I need to figure out something to actually write about today. Life hasn't exactly been exciting in my corner of the woods. I've been working, watching Hulu, eating Ramen, and playing with Felix Felicis. Oh, and organizing Informal Programming for Ascendio. It's funny how when I'm doing all these things it seems like I have no free time, but when I write them down in a list I find myself wondering how I possibly filled my day with only that. Course there should be a little bit of goofing around on the internet thrown in there, cause what day isn't complete without some wasted time on Facebook. =)
I'm going to get Felix declawed soon. He's a completely adorable kitten and I love him like crazy, but he's a little out of control when it comes to scratching at things. He's pulled up parts of the carpet and torn up the dust ruffle on my bed. Hopefully things will be a little less chaotic in this house when his claws are gone. And hopefully my hands and feet will have a lot less scratches. Right now it looks like Felix uses ME as a scratching post. I can only hope it will stop him from digging in the litter box and scattering stuff everywhere as well. We'll have to wait and see.
470 words to go still. Maybe I should steal some of the words that I went over by yesterday to use here. What can I say? I had a lot to say about Riley, and very little to say about my own life. It's funny how fiction can flow from my fingers but if I wanted to describe what I did today it'd be stunted and about three sentences long. Not that there isn't more to talk about, but I just don't find it as interesting and I don't want to write about it. Suppose I could anyway though. Here goes boring.
This morning I woke up at 8am, hit snooze for awhile and finally got out of bed at 8:20. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, all the necessities. Then I watched an episode of Community (hilarious show that I highly recommend) while I made lunch and finished getting ready for work. Worked from 10 to 3:30. Work was incredibly busy and I had a really good time. We worked fast and well and I got to interact with some wonderful guests. I always enjoy having the opportunity to make someone's day better. Then I got off work and came home. I checked my Ascendio email and checked three things off my Ascendio to do list. Then I set up the appointment for Felix, paid off my credit card, and worked on My Hogwarts Beta. I made some ramen for dinner and had a piece of cake. And I should mention that I watched Hulu while I did all of this. I spent some time chatting with Sara and then I figured it was about time to write 750 words.
So there you have it. That was my day in a nutshell and I still have 170 words left to write. So what do I say for those last few words? I don't have any funny anecdotes or embarrassing stories, and I don't want to start on a fiction that will just extend on and on past the words I need. Really I just want these words to be finished so I can go to sleep because tomorrow is the only day I don't work at 10am, I work at 3pm instead. That means I can sleep in and I'm seriously looking forward to that. I'm not sure how much good it will do since Felix will likely still wake me up early cause he'll want food, but I can at least try. Then I can shower and have a decently chill morning. Plus I already have a sandwich made for dinner at work tomorrow, so I don't have a lot to prepare. So far I'm doing alright on my April goals and I know that once work slows down again in two weeks I'll have PLENTY of time to catch up. =)
Course the 750 words a day is still going strong, except that I need to figure out something to actually write about today. Life hasn't exactly been exciting in my corner of the woods. I've been working, watching Hulu, eating Ramen, and playing with Felix Felicis. Oh, and organizing Informal Programming for Ascendio. It's funny how when I'm doing all these things it seems like I have no free time, but when I write them down in a list I find myself wondering how I possibly filled my day with only that. Course there should be a little bit of goofing around on the internet thrown in there, cause what day isn't complete without some wasted time on Facebook. =)
I'm going to get Felix declawed soon. He's a completely adorable kitten and I love him like crazy, but he's a little out of control when it comes to scratching at things. He's pulled up parts of the carpet and torn up the dust ruffle on my bed. Hopefully things will be a little less chaotic in this house when his claws are gone. And hopefully my hands and feet will have a lot less scratches. Right now it looks like Felix uses ME as a scratching post. I can only hope it will stop him from digging in the litter box and scattering stuff everywhere as well. We'll have to wait and see.
470 words to go still. Maybe I should steal some of the words that I went over by yesterday to use here. What can I say? I had a lot to say about Riley, and very little to say about my own life. It's funny how fiction can flow from my fingers but if I wanted to describe what I did today it'd be stunted and about three sentences long. Not that there isn't more to talk about, but I just don't find it as interesting and I don't want to write about it. Suppose I could anyway though. Here goes boring.
This morning I woke up at 8am, hit snooze for awhile and finally got out of bed at 8:20. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, all the necessities. Then I watched an episode of Community (hilarious show that I highly recommend) while I made lunch and finished getting ready for work. Worked from 10 to 3:30. Work was incredibly busy and I had a really good time. We worked fast and well and I got to interact with some wonderful guests. I always enjoy having the opportunity to make someone's day better. Then I got off work and came home. I checked my Ascendio email and checked three things off my Ascendio to do list. Then I set up the appointment for Felix, paid off my credit card, and worked on My Hogwarts Beta. I made some ramen for dinner and had a piece of cake. And I should mention that I watched Hulu while I did all of this. I spent some time chatting with Sara and then I figured it was about time to write 750 words.
So there you have it. That was my day in a nutshell and I still have 170 words left to write. So what do I say for those last few words? I don't have any funny anecdotes or embarrassing stories, and I don't want to start on a fiction that will just extend on and on past the words I need. Really I just want these words to be finished so I can go to sleep because tomorrow is the only day I don't work at 10am, I work at 3pm instead. That means I can sleep in and I'm seriously looking forward to that. I'm not sure how much good it will do since Felix will likely still wake me up early cause he'll want food, but I can at least try. Then I can shower and have a decently chill morning. Plus I already have a sandwich made for dinner at work tomorrow, so I don't have a lot to prepare. So far I'm doing alright on my April goals and I know that once work slows down again in two weeks I'll have PLENTY of time to catch up. =)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
April 3rd
First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLEN!
Here we are again, without the script increasing by even a word. I worked at Universal, I worked on other stuff at home, and I went to D&D where we had a player versus player fight that we didn't even get close to finishing. We'll be back killing each other all over next week. For my 750 today I decided I might try to write up the background for my D&D character. Her name is Riley.
You think you're life is tough? You think you've had it hard? You think your existence is cursed? Try being the daughter of the Elven Queen and King; and born a half-elf. Yep, that's right folks, my mother, the Elven Queen, slept around. Not only that, but she got caught in the worst way; my birth. Before you ask, I don't know my father. The only things he gave me besides life were psychic abilities and a strange spear shaped birthmark. I never asked about him, my mother never said anything, and he never came forward to claim me. Not that I can blame him, the King almost had me beheaded, my father would surely have been killed. The worst thing was that my mother had no idea that I wasn't going to be the King's child. They paraded around, gathered gifts, had a lovely room all made up for their princess and within two seconds I ruined everything. The King would have killed me then and there, but my mother begged him not to. Despite her very obvious infidelities, the King loved my mother. Of course that didn't mean that he could face the public humiliation of having an unfaithful wife.
I spent the early part of my life completely locked away from the outside world. As far as the Elven Kingdom was concerned I was born sickly and had to be confined to my bed. The only people I saw for the first fourteen years of my life were my mother, the serving girl (a halfling named Katy), and the elven captain (a fighter named Zanroar)that the King sent to train me. It was Zanroar that discovered I had psychic abilities and trained me to use them to augment my fighting. He trained me with every weapon, but my favorite was always the great axe. For my fifteenth birthday the King got me a great axe of my own. It was truly a thing of beauty. He figured that since I wouldn't be the courtly princess I could be useful in tournaments, and I was. Dressed up in enough armor people didn't even know I was a girl. No one ever suspected that the sickly Elven Princess Cairath and the Elven King's champion Riley were the same person, and it got me out of the castle. It was the only time the King ever took an interest or even spoke to me really.
Life certainly wasn't what I would have wanted it to be, but I had a decent existence. That all changed shortly after I turned 17. My mother died suddenly of a fever and it was a simple thing for the King to say that the sickly Cairath had also perished. I thought that perhaps that meant I would continue as only the King's Champion, that while my fighting would never win his love, it had at least earned his respect. I was wrong. My mother and the empty casket containing Cairath had been laid to rest for less then an hour when the King came to my chambers. He informed me that I had until dawn the next morning to leave the kingdom, and I was to never return. He gave me a letter that I wasn't to open until I left and bid me take the great axe, for he would never allow one of his warriors to wield something that had been soiled by a halfbreed like me. I left within the hour.
You're probably wondering what was in the letter. I don't know. I've never opened it. I carry it with me everywhere, but I've never had an interest in reading it. There is nothing the King could say to me to make up for what my life became over the next ten years. The only thing I had to my name when I left the kingdom were the cloths on my back, the great axe, and the letter. I had no money, no food, no transport, nothing. So I made a living the only way I knew how, but fighting. I kept the name Riley, for when a name was absolutely necessary, but most of the time I gave no name. I became a gladiator and fought for my supper every night. At first I hid who I was behind armor, but then I learned that I fought better without it, and that other gladiators might hesitate more fighting a woman. For ten long years I fought men and beasts for the entertainment of the masses, and I never lost a fight.
I thought I would spend my entire life in the arena, but about three years ago something changed. Zanroar, my trainer from all those years ago, found me. He pulled me from the arena and convinced me that my true calling was that of a hero. That I could fight not just for entertainment, but for what was good in the world. That I could fight to protect others. I'll admit that the idea didn't interest me much at first. If there was one thing the arena had taught me it was that trust and alliances will always be broken, and I wasn't too keen to join a band of heroes. But I'd also learned that death was just around the corner for all of us, and that made me realize I should do what I could. At first I just took on quests I could complete myself, and that worked well. I didn't have to rely on anyone else, it paid better than the arena, and I got to help people (which I discovered I quite liked). Word of my deeds started to spread and soon I had more quests than I could handle. Still I went at it alone. That was until the mayor called me in and bundled me up with this lot. I don't trust them, but they seem to be working well enough towards the goal, so I'll stick with them for now. Only fate knows what tomorrow will bring, but whatever it is I'm ready to face it.
Here we are again, without the script increasing by even a word. I worked at Universal, I worked on other stuff at home, and I went to D&D where we had a player versus player fight that we didn't even get close to finishing. We'll be back killing each other all over next week. For my 750 today I decided I might try to write up the background for my D&D character. Her name is Riley.
You think you're life is tough? You think you've had it hard? You think your existence is cursed? Try being the daughter of the Elven Queen and King; and born a half-elf. Yep, that's right folks, my mother, the Elven Queen, slept around. Not only that, but she got caught in the worst way; my birth. Before you ask, I don't know my father. The only things he gave me besides life were psychic abilities and a strange spear shaped birthmark. I never asked about him, my mother never said anything, and he never came forward to claim me. Not that I can blame him, the King almost had me beheaded, my father would surely have been killed. The worst thing was that my mother had no idea that I wasn't going to be the King's child. They paraded around, gathered gifts, had a lovely room all made up for their princess and within two seconds I ruined everything. The King would have killed me then and there, but my mother begged him not to. Despite her very obvious infidelities, the King loved my mother. Of course that didn't mean that he could face the public humiliation of having an unfaithful wife.
I spent the early part of my life completely locked away from the outside world. As far as the Elven Kingdom was concerned I was born sickly and had to be confined to my bed. The only people I saw for the first fourteen years of my life were my mother, the serving girl (a halfling named Katy), and the elven captain (a fighter named Zanroar)that the King sent to train me. It was Zanroar that discovered I had psychic abilities and trained me to use them to augment my fighting. He trained me with every weapon, but my favorite was always the great axe. For my fifteenth birthday the King got me a great axe of my own. It was truly a thing of beauty. He figured that since I wouldn't be the courtly princess I could be useful in tournaments, and I was. Dressed up in enough armor people didn't even know I was a girl. No one ever suspected that the sickly Elven Princess Cairath and the Elven King's champion Riley were the same person, and it got me out of the castle. It was the only time the King ever took an interest or even spoke to me really.
Life certainly wasn't what I would have wanted it to be, but I had a decent existence. That all changed shortly after I turned 17. My mother died suddenly of a fever and it was a simple thing for the King to say that the sickly Cairath had also perished. I thought that perhaps that meant I would continue as only the King's Champion, that while my fighting would never win his love, it had at least earned his respect. I was wrong. My mother and the empty casket containing Cairath had been laid to rest for less then an hour when the King came to my chambers. He informed me that I had until dawn the next morning to leave the kingdom, and I was to never return. He gave me a letter that I wasn't to open until I left and bid me take the great axe, for he would never allow one of his warriors to wield something that had been soiled by a halfbreed like me. I left within the hour.
You're probably wondering what was in the letter. I don't know. I've never opened it. I carry it with me everywhere, but I've never had an interest in reading it. There is nothing the King could say to me to make up for what my life became over the next ten years. The only thing I had to my name when I left the kingdom were the cloths on my back, the great axe, and the letter. I had no money, no food, no transport, nothing. So I made a living the only way I knew how, but fighting. I kept the name Riley, for when a name was absolutely necessary, but most of the time I gave no name. I became a gladiator and fought for my supper every night. At first I hid who I was behind armor, but then I learned that I fought better without it, and that other gladiators might hesitate more fighting a woman. For ten long years I fought men and beasts for the entertainment of the masses, and I never lost a fight.
I thought I would spend my entire life in the arena, but about three years ago something changed. Zanroar, my trainer from all those years ago, found me. He pulled me from the arena and convinced me that my true calling was that of a hero. That I could fight not just for entertainment, but for what was good in the world. That I could fight to protect others. I'll admit that the idea didn't interest me much at first. If there was one thing the arena had taught me it was that trust and alliances will always be broken, and I wasn't too keen to join a band of heroes. But I'd also learned that death was just around the corner for all of us, and that made me realize I should do what I could. At first I just took on quests I could complete myself, and that worked well. I didn't have to rely on anyone else, it paid better than the arena, and I got to help people (which I discovered I quite liked). Word of my deeds started to spread and soon I had more quests than I could handle. Still I went at it alone. That was until the mayor called me in and bundled me up with this lot. I don't trust them, but they seem to be working well enough towards the goal, so I'll stick with them for now. Only fate knows what tomorrow will bring, but whatever it is I'm ready to face it.
Monday, April 2, 2012
April 2nd
I'm here, I'm going to write 750 words, I've made almost no progress on my script, and I'm watching Hulu as I type this. Oh, and I also worked for ten hours today. I work at Universal Orlando in the Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster. I check lap bars, load the gates, scan express passes, and greet people at the entrance and unload, basic stuff. It's not exactly the job I dreamed I'd have when I moved to Orlando, but I have a blast. I moved here to work at Universal, and this was the job that was hiring. Even if I'm not in the job I wanted, I love the job I have. I love the people I work with SO much! Seriously, I worked 10 hours today and it felt like nothing. When things are really moving and there are people everywhere, I can't get enough. I love the madness. Even when it's slow I love watching the people that come to our roller coaster. Looking at clothes, hair, styles, behaviors, I find it all fascinating.
Outside of a lot of work I don't have much to report for today, cause I didn't do much else. I worked a little on Ascendio (the Harry Potter conference I'm helping run this summer) and I stared at that script I was going to write (which is still sitting at two pages). I ate a slice of cake, which was yummy, and now I'm sitting here trying to come up with 500 more words so that I can finish this challenge and get that pretty green X on my calendar. The problem is I have no idea what I want those 500 words to be about.
Let's start with TV. I watch a lot of Hulu, it's what I like to put on while I'm doing other work (especially boring typing). I rarely find shows I don't want to at least give a shot. Someday I would love to write for TV (if I can get a good enough idea), and I considered it for my script frenzy, but I'm doing this musical instead. Which may or may not work out depending on how terrible it is. Anyway, back to TV. If it's currently on normal networks (non cable) I've probably watched at least an episode. If it's on Hulu I've likely watched most of the show. I really enjoy a wide variety of shows. Just now I'm watching Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23, which is a half hour comedy show about a crazy girl and her apartmate in NYC. It's right up my alley. But the BEST part is that one of the stars is James Van Der Beek (who was Dawson in Dawson's Creek) and he plays himself. I think it makes the whole thing rather hilarious! He complains that people only remember him as Dawson, he gets recognized on the street, etc, but he's still "acting" in a show. It's very meta, and I appreciate that. Plus the entire show is a little crazy, a little wacky, and a lot funny, so I love it.
Outside of the realm of TV (can you believe I have time for other things) I've been reading The Help. I'm not very far in, but it seems to be a fascinating book. I really like the narrative style, and I feel like I'm not only enjoying the story, but learning something as well. Once I finish the book I'm going to reward myself by seeing the movie. I think it will be interesting to see if I find it as powerful as I find the book. I'm also preparing to read the next Vampire Diaries. It's funny because I've read all the books and I've seen the show. I love both incarnations, but they are WILDLY different. It's like they took the names of the book characters and some of their distinguishing features, and then made up an entirely different world/plot. The funny thing is, that while in films about books changes often bother me, I don't bat an eyelash at this. I wonder if it's because they aren't trying to be similar, the TV isn't trying to be an adaptation. I can't be mad that they left things out because they didn't really put anything in. They're separate entities in the truest sense, and I think that's what makes it bearable.
And that's my 750 words for today. This challenge seems to be working well, if only the rest of my goals would follow. =)
Outside of a lot of work I don't have much to report for today, cause I didn't do much else. I worked a little on Ascendio (the Harry Potter conference I'm helping run this summer) and I stared at that script I was going to write (which is still sitting at two pages). I ate a slice of cake, which was yummy, and now I'm sitting here trying to come up with 500 more words so that I can finish this challenge and get that pretty green X on my calendar. The problem is I have no idea what I want those 500 words to be about.
Let's start with TV. I watch a lot of Hulu, it's what I like to put on while I'm doing other work (especially boring typing). I rarely find shows I don't want to at least give a shot. Someday I would love to write for TV (if I can get a good enough idea), and I considered it for my script frenzy, but I'm doing this musical instead. Which may or may not work out depending on how terrible it is. Anyway, back to TV. If it's currently on normal networks (non cable) I've probably watched at least an episode. If it's on Hulu I've likely watched most of the show. I really enjoy a wide variety of shows. Just now I'm watching Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23, which is a half hour comedy show about a crazy girl and her apartmate in NYC. It's right up my alley. But the BEST part is that one of the stars is James Van Der Beek (who was Dawson in Dawson's Creek) and he plays himself. I think it makes the whole thing rather hilarious! He complains that people only remember him as Dawson, he gets recognized on the street, etc, but he's still "acting" in a show. It's very meta, and I appreciate that. Plus the entire show is a little crazy, a little wacky, and a lot funny, so I love it.
Outside of the realm of TV (can you believe I have time for other things) I've been reading The Help. I'm not very far in, but it seems to be a fascinating book. I really like the narrative style, and I feel like I'm not only enjoying the story, but learning something as well. Once I finish the book I'm going to reward myself by seeing the movie. I think it will be interesting to see if I find it as powerful as I find the book. I'm also preparing to read the next Vampire Diaries. It's funny because I've read all the books and I've seen the show. I love both incarnations, but they are WILDLY different. It's like they took the names of the book characters and some of their distinguishing features, and then made up an entirely different world/plot. The funny thing is, that while in films about books changes often bother me, I don't bat an eyelash at this. I wonder if it's because they aren't trying to be similar, the TV isn't trying to be an adaptation. I can't be mad that they left things out because they didn't really put anything in. They're separate entities in the truest sense, and I think that's what makes it bearable.
And that's my 750 words for today. This challenge seems to be working well, if only the rest of my goals would follow. =)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
April 1st
Gosh, here I am sitting down to write 750 words (without my required 3 pages of script done for Script Frenzy I might add) and I'm at a complete loss for what to say. I wish that creativity was just flowing from me like an unstoppable river, but the truth is that all I can think of is how tired
I am, that it's almost midnight, and that I really am not doing well writing this script/musical.
Actually let's talk about my musical for a second. Maybe hashing out some details here will help me go places with it later. I think part of my difficulty is that I'm concentrating too much on the lyrics and I really should just write my first thoughts and move on. I find myself counting syllables and worrying about the rhyme scheme and that slows me WAY down. Dialogue I type and never give a second thought to, but lyrics I ponder and ponder and write and rewrite. I'm breaking ALL of the Script Frenzy rules. At least I think I am, assuming they are the same rules as NaNoWriMo. So starting tomorrow, NO MORE REWRITING! I'm going to write lyrics with the wrong number of syllables and incorrect rhymes, and I'm NOT going to care. I just need to get the idea out of my head and move on. I can always come back later and make it flow. Or Lena can come back and make it work. See, this 750 words is already helping. I have direction. =)
Now, the script I'm writing is tentatively a musical (depending on how I feel about it as I go on). It's about a serving girl in a kingdom filled with heroes and heroines. The girl's name is Addison, and the basic idea will be that she had a hand in every great tale told by anyone in that entire kingdom. Basically she's almost a Mary Sue, but I wanted to be more serious about this show, so she'll have faults as well. The problem is I'm not sure my idea will pan out into anything worth seeing. It's more like a series of vignettes that will hopefully wind together into the story of Addison's life. My plan was to make people think twice about the little people in their lives, and recognize that those who get the glory aren't always those who do the work. However, it might end up being a messed up pile of stories with no connection, no purpose, and barely enough singing to make it a musical. Still, I can't be concerned with things like that at this stage or I'll drive myself insane. Instead I need to focus on happier thoughts, and figure if I can write this entire script (even if it's a pile of crap) then I'll be able to write another and hopefully, somewhere down the line, one of them will be worth something.
Outside of Script Frenzy I heartily enjoyed April Fool's Day. Besides celebrating the birth of my favorite fictional twins (Fred & George Weasley), I got to laugh at a fantastic series of web pranks. The YouTube Collection (bringing YouTube offline as a DVD series), Think Geek products (which I wish were real), 8-bit Google Maps, LeakyCon2013 on the moon, MyHogwarts joining with Twilight, and my personal favorite the Sony VAIO Q (the quarter sized computer). Every single year I'm impressed by the things these websites come up with. I also spend a lot of time thinking it must be a BLAST to work for Google because of the sheer magnitude of pranks they pull every year. I wonder if there's an April Fools team that just spends the rest of the year planning all the pranks for the various Google owned sites. Sort of like the Santa Claus of pranks (the Weasley twins should apply for this job).
Then there was the time I spent out of the house, eating a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Seasons 52. Really great food, and pretty healthy to boot. I had steak with veggies and roasted potatoes, some flat bread with chicken, and a red velvet cake dessert shot. Overall it was delicious, and I'd recommend the place to anyone looking for a wonderful (if a bit pricier) meal. I also went to Barnes & Noble, where I showed great restraint in only purchasing one book (for myself, I did get two for my brother), did some much needed grocery shopping (yes, I need popcorn, stop judging me), and got some cigar boxes which I'm going to be using for a special project.
And look at that, successfully over 750 words with time to spare. So far so good for the April challenge. Now, if only I can get the script to work out right. =)
I am, that it's almost midnight, and that I really am not doing well writing this script/musical.
Actually let's talk about my musical for a second. Maybe hashing out some details here will help me go places with it later. I think part of my difficulty is that I'm concentrating too much on the lyrics and I really should just write my first thoughts and move on. I find myself counting syllables and worrying about the rhyme scheme and that slows me WAY down. Dialogue I type and never give a second thought to, but lyrics I ponder and ponder and write and rewrite. I'm breaking ALL of the Script Frenzy rules. At least I think I am, assuming they are the same rules as NaNoWriMo. So starting tomorrow, NO MORE REWRITING! I'm going to write lyrics with the wrong number of syllables and incorrect rhymes, and I'm NOT going to care. I just need to get the idea out of my head and move on. I can always come back later and make it flow. Or Lena can come back and make it work. See, this 750 words is already helping. I have direction. =)
Now, the script I'm writing is tentatively a musical (depending on how I feel about it as I go on). It's about a serving girl in a kingdom filled with heroes and heroines. The girl's name is Addison, and the basic idea will be that she had a hand in every great tale told by anyone in that entire kingdom. Basically she's almost a Mary Sue, but I wanted to be more serious about this show, so she'll have faults as well. The problem is I'm not sure my idea will pan out into anything worth seeing. It's more like a series of vignettes that will hopefully wind together into the story of Addison's life. My plan was to make people think twice about the little people in their lives, and recognize that those who get the glory aren't always those who do the work. However, it might end up being a messed up pile of stories with no connection, no purpose, and barely enough singing to make it a musical. Still, I can't be concerned with things like that at this stage or I'll drive myself insane. Instead I need to focus on happier thoughts, and figure if I can write this entire script (even if it's a pile of crap) then I'll be able to write another and hopefully, somewhere down the line, one of them will be worth something.
Outside of Script Frenzy I heartily enjoyed April Fool's Day. Besides celebrating the birth of my favorite fictional twins (Fred & George Weasley), I got to laugh at a fantastic series of web pranks. The YouTube Collection (bringing YouTube offline as a DVD series), Think Geek products (which I wish were real), 8-bit Google Maps, LeakyCon2013 on the moon, MyHogwarts joining with Twilight, and my personal favorite the Sony VAIO Q (the quarter sized computer). Every single year I'm impressed by the things these websites come up with. I also spend a lot of time thinking it must be a BLAST to work for Google because of the sheer magnitude of pranks they pull every year. I wonder if there's an April Fools team that just spends the rest of the year planning all the pranks for the various Google owned sites. Sort of like the Santa Claus of pranks (the Weasley twins should apply for this job).
Then there was the time I spent out of the house, eating a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Seasons 52. Really great food, and pretty healthy to boot. I had steak with veggies and roasted potatoes, some flat bread with chicken, and a red velvet cake dessert shot. Overall it was delicious, and I'd recommend the place to anyone looking for a wonderful (if a bit pricier) meal. I also went to Barnes & Noble, where I showed great restraint in only purchasing one book (for myself, I did get two for my brother), did some much needed grocery shopping (yes, I need popcorn, stop judging me), and got some cigar boxes which I'm going to be using for a special project.
And look at that, successfully over 750 words with time to spare. So far so good for the April challenge. Now, if only I can get the script to work out right. =)
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Let's Try This Again
Remember that time ages ago when I was gonna blog every week? Well, I thought seven weeks was really close to all year...right?
Yes, yes, yes, I know, it's not even close to a year. Let's be honest, I gave up. This happens a lot, and not just to me. Giving up is a part of life (or it seems that way anyway). I think it's part of human nature, but it's also part of the way we set goals. Last year I managed to organize 105 people into a full length musical show in just a few days, I moved over 1,000 miles from home, I got my first real job, I wrote a 50,000 word novel, I made a video every week, and yet I couldn't be bothered to write a weekly blog. Why? Perhaps because I find my life to be boring, perhaps because I'm too busy thinking of stories to write non fiction every week, perhaps because I'm better at videos. All of those are possible reasons, but the simple truth is, I didn't want it enough. Without the true and unrelenting desire, you'll never finish anything you aren't required to. The instant you realize this isn't something you must do, and you don't really want to do it, why would you even bother?
That's the hole I fell into last year, but this time it's gonna be different. Why? Cause I want it to be. I'm setting different goals. For the entire month of April I plan to post 750 words here every single day. They might be a story, a recount of my day, or a detailed description of the thing I found under my bed. They will surely be unedited, unrefined, and more often than not incoherent, but that's alright. Truly it's not about the words themselves by rather the writing. Then if I make it through April I'll set a new goal, maybe here, maybe on YouTube, maybe in the real world, and then I'll set another and another, until I reach them all.
So I'll see you in April. It's gonna be an interesting ride.
Yes, yes, yes, I know, it's not even close to a year. Let's be honest, I gave up. This happens a lot, and not just to me. Giving up is a part of life (or it seems that way anyway). I think it's part of human nature, but it's also part of the way we set goals. Last year I managed to organize 105 people into a full length musical show in just a few days, I moved over 1,000 miles from home, I got my first real job, I wrote a 50,000 word novel, I made a video every week, and yet I couldn't be bothered to write a weekly blog. Why? Perhaps because I find my life to be boring, perhaps because I'm too busy thinking of stories to write non fiction every week, perhaps because I'm better at videos. All of those are possible reasons, but the simple truth is, I didn't want it enough. Without the true and unrelenting desire, you'll never finish anything you aren't required to. The instant you realize this isn't something you must do, and you don't really want to do it, why would you even bother?
That's the hole I fell into last year, but this time it's gonna be different. Why? Cause I want it to be. I'm setting different goals. For the entire month of April I plan to post 750 words here every single day. They might be a story, a recount of my day, or a detailed description of the thing I found under my bed. They will surely be unedited, unrefined, and more often than not incoherent, but that's alright. Truly it's not about the words themselves by rather the writing. Then if I make it through April I'll set a new goal, maybe here, maybe on YouTube, maybe in the real world, and then I'll set another and another, until I reach them all.
So I'll see you in April. It's gonna be an interesting ride.
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