The Room Adventures, Part One: Stripping in the Basement

Goober hates it when my room is messy. Hates it. When she first said we would be cleaning my room together, I wasn't surprised. What did surprise me was that she meant it - I had taken it as a subtle hint that I should really clean my room.

Several months later, she was once again sure that we should clean my room - thoroughly.


Oh, I know the fridge there and the edge of the carroll look messy, but that wall is missing posters, papers, necklaces and the like hung from pins, my mirror, and a bookshelf that should be off to the right there.


That wall, obviously, still has its posters and junk. And there's another carroll. And Siri's chest of drawers. And bookshelves. And stuff hanging from the ceiling.

Have I told you about my ceiling yet?

This ceiling? Or lack thereof?

I am much in the habit of hanging things from it. It can be quite useful at times.

And there's my closet. And the scoring on the wallpaper that I did when I was ten or something.

I had to clean out my fridge before moving it.



Maybe I should clean out my fridge a little more often. (If you guessed that that's a chunk of cheese there, you win the prize!)

And things over here are vanishing too! And DUST!

Are you wondering where we're putting all this stuff?

In the boy's bathroom, meaning that we couldn't shut the door and were therefore forced to put up this makeshift door.

In the hallway in front of the door to the boy's room. (And no, I couldn't be bothered to turn these pictures properly. You try doing what I did today and then see how much you want to fiddle with images.)

In the family room, piled on top of junk that was already there.

In boxes in the family room.

Tomorrow I'll put up a picture of what the family room looks like right now. For the moment I'll leave you with one word: inaccessible.

Wow... it's all empty-like.

Ducks! Also, the age-old question: my room is the darkest in the house. I never get direct sunlight. So what idiot decided to paint and wallpaper in dark colors??

I think it's time for that dark wallpaper to go down.









All that stripping left me and Goober with appetites, and so we quit and feasted on festive New Year's Eve snacks.

What was I doing New Year's? Stripping in the basement.

Huzzah?

It seems we have officially pinpointed what is making me sick this time. Yay! Except that we can only be so sure because I'm sick right now. My mother will be keeping an eye on me for the next couple of days to make sure I'm at least getting water in me, and after that I should be recovering again.

Yay?

In other news, the hamster that my sister was promised for Christmas was purchased. She's a pretty little thing, and I would post a picture of her if, you know, I had one. Taking pictures of a hamster is a little hard when one is confined to the couch. Boo named her Rocky and is a little obsessed by it. I feel rather guilty about the fact that I purposely pay more attention to her when she's looking in the cage, ready to pounce on any hamster lore she made up or order her away when I think she's been there too long. I'm a jerk, but sometimes that poor thing just wants to be left alone.

Ow.

Unfortunately, things have been so *something* that I had to abandon my Twelve Days of Christmas stuff, unless I feel like trying to catch up today which is unlikely.

And right now I would like to fall asleep.

Rock Band

Patsy, the non-singer of the family (can sing but doesn't, so doesn't have as much training as the rest of us): best at the mic.

Draik, bob, Random (aka the singers): good at everything but mic.

Best way to watch while not playing: lie on the floor under the TV and watch it upside down.

Only way to get Siri out of our hair: let her play drums every once and a while (and then redo the song) or turn of the mic or guitar and give it to her.

Cait: in the way.

Wrists: hurting.

Hilarity: ensues.

My Genius Brother - Again

You remember this guy? Well, he's just told me that he has a blog. It's called The Legend of Dextrose, and it may be rather amusing at times. Especially if he starts putting his comics up regularly.

So... y'all should go check it out? 'Cause he's my brother and all, you know.

So Much Scrooge

So, apparently, when I've been up since seven and watching Scrooge movies since nine AM and it's now past nine PM, I go a little batty.

For one thing, after that many movies, the Scrooges start seeming very stupid. "What are you doing? Haven't you learned yet? Are you going to let Belle/Emily/Alice go again? Why are you still surprised by these ghosts? How could you not know about Tiny Tim? You've saved his life five times already! How are you not realizing that you're the dead guy they're talking about? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, MAN.

And then there's the actor-in-training in me that notices all the things wrong with the movie and the actors. I do that all the time, but when it starts getting late I start saying things out loud. Usually people would tell me to shut up, but last night we were all a little batty and I actually got laughs instead.

Yes.

But there were many happy things yesterday that either saved me from going insane or made going insane more fun (not quite sure yet). Things such as dead people, covered in chains and coming through the floors and walls and ceiling while singing; Scrooge singing a song about how he hates people; memorizing the "boiled in his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart" line without trying; discovering that, out of eleven movies, only three Ghosts of Christmas Past were male, all Ghosts of Christmas Present were male, and only one Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was female; guessing what parts/names are actually in the story (I've never read it); and have I mentioned the "I hate people" song? And that pole-dancing barely-dressed Ghost of Christmas Past in particular was pretty interesting.

We've all learned a lot this year. Next year, the Sesame Street one will be on at eight in the morning, we'll ditch about three of the movies entirely, the offerings will be more than scones and hot chocolate (sugar overload ahoy!) and we'll have a lunch break. We'll also probably have five-minute breaks between movies to get some cleaning done so we don't have it all to do the next day, so if you're planning to come next year, save potty breaks for after the movie. : D

I would say that was enough of Scrooge movies to last me the rest of the year, but we're already planning to watch two of them again today, so I suppose I'd be lying.

I'm rather sad that I didn't take pictures at that party last night, but then I still don't know where my camera cord is and my new one won't be coming until next week, so I wouldn't be able to put them up yesterday.

But there was a party yesterday, even if I have no pictures of it. (No, wait, I have maybe two pictures. And then there was that time I let Siri use my camera...)

This was probably our least boisterous party to date. Goober/Sexy Paper Snowflake and I arrived in remarkably high spirits, but sleep-deprived Fred did a good job of getting us all down and the party was past over by 10:00.

Don't worry, Fred, love you anyway. ; )

I also wasn't my favorite party because Siri was being a complete brat half of the time (at one point she was an extremely embarrassing brat...) and I rammed my pinkie toe into a chair at one point and, as such, have been hobbling around all day.

Final final tomorrow; hopefully my toe will feel better. And hopefully I'll get some studying done.

Bedtime!

AHHHHHHHH!

So, today was the day I had set aside to get my Music 201 test done. It's a test that takes several hours for me, since I don't do the reading, often don't go to class, and often don't take notes when I do go to class; but it's an online test and open book, so I don't flunk.

So, I pretty much spent the whole day on it, with breaks for interneting, taking care of siblings, and eating. At 7 PM I finally hit "submit."

And then an error happened.

I freaked out and hurried back to look at the test. My grades showed that I was still taking it. I opened the test again.

Questions 1-15 were the only ones done.

I freaked out again. I groaned and carried my sister in to the living room (somehow it was my job to hold her most of the day, despite the fact that I was taking a final) and grumped at my mother, who was properly sorry. I sat back down and unhappily told my siblings, also sitting at the dinner table, that I had to do most of the test over again.

And then Random burst into song.

"When the news is all bad
When you're sour and blue
When you start to get mad
You should do what I do:
Tell yourself how lucky you are!

When your life's going wrong
When the fates are unkind
When you're limping along
And get kicked from behind
Tell yourself how lucky you are!

Why decry a cloudy sky
An empty purse
A crazy universe
My philosophy is simply:
Things could be worse!

So be happy you're here
Think of life as a thrill!
And when worst comes to worst
As we all know it will
Thank your lucky stars you've gotten this far
And tell yourself how lucky you are."

It's from Suessical, a song called "How Lucky You Are." The Cat in the Hat sings it to the Whos as they're falling through the air toward almost certain doom.

In another half hour, I had finished the test for a second time, and submitted my score. 84%. Not bad.

Hi, Random. This one's for you.

Good To Know

I think I'll be a good mother.

Today was a hard day. I was trying to get homework done, homework that was actually due on Thursday and that will fail me if I don't turn it in. And my mother was gone, so I was the primary caretaker (dad needs direct orders most of the time in order to be of much help ; D). And Boo was so rrrg. And Siri was desperate for more attention, desperate to get in the way, and possessing more energy than she knew what to do with.

And yet, aside from one outburst, I was able to deal with everything calmly, even getting Boo to clean the living room, the rest of the children to do their chores, dinner made, Boo and Siri bathed in record time and off to bed, and Caiti fed, dressed, and in bed. I may not have gotten all my homework done, but I do feel somewhat accomplished all the same.

Yep.

I would just like Sam, chilly, m&m, and bismark to know:

That how BYU are you thing? I totally beat all of you. I got 20.

Lying

My mother has been having a problem with my sister. She (my sister, not my mother) is going through a lying phase. You know, the kind where the parent starts referencing "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Yesterday mother really got upset; my sister insisted she hadn't been the one to take the new hat loom ("I'm serious!"), but after a quick search of the living room I looked on my sister's bed and there it was. She got a long talking to and was rather subdued for a while.

This got me thinking about the lying phase I went through. I don't remember when mine started, but I do know I hit the top when I broke a downstairs window by twirling around in the front yard with a can on a rope and then releasing the rope. My parents weren't home at the time, and when they did come home I tried to blame it on a boy who lived across the street.

They, of course, didn't believe me; I don't think they even mentioned it to the boy's parents. A few days later I sneaked some microwave popcorn while they were out and denied it when they came home, despite the fact that they could smell the popcorn. I eventually admitted yes, I did sneak the popcorn, and they said, basically, that they had known that and it was things like this that really made them wonder if I was telling the truth about the window. And, I don't know, sometime after that I confessed to the window too.

The point is that parents know things. All the time. Kids think they're being sneaky, that their parents have no idea, when in fact their parents are two steps in front of them shaking their heads. I, as the oldest, have been endowed with some of these powers too, and I can tell you I don't know why my parents let me think I was ahead of them for so long. I can tell, from the way a sibling hesitates or changes the tone of voice or something, that they are lying, and yet they think they're being all sneaky. NOT SO, MY GOOD SIBLINGS. We can tell when you haven't really cleaned your room. We can tell when you hurriedly put away the Wii as we pulled into the driveway. We can tell when you've been on the computer half the night. We know who woke up Caiti, who played with my laptop without permission, and who stole the last of mother's poptarts.

And yet they keep trying, and we keep letting them.

Winner!!!

I've heard that the second year of NaNo is the hardest. That this is the year when everything combines against you and you find your wordcount lagging and you motivation lagging too.

That certainly didn't apply to me.

As most of my readers know, I hit the 50,000 mark on the 19th - not too shabby for what was supposed to be my hardest year. And this was despite many struggles I had - frequent burnout for no reason, needing to help take care of my siblings, school, being deathly ill, and temporary blindness come to mind. But I did it! And I close this day with 90,286 words.

It's been fun. It's been great! Last year I did it more or less alone, and this year I had several friends and some family, which is probably why I did so well and so quickly. Convincing Fred to join, and getting in a word war with him, was probably the best thing for my word count.


I probably would have done better if the weekly meetings I had with Fredji, m&m, Unit of Energy, and occasionally Goober and Sam had been more about serious writing than making fun of each other and goofing off together, but it was more fun this way. I hope everyone wants to do it again next year!

I also had great fun with my characters. Kristy and Ezekiel are like two friends of mine now, and the rest of the cast is hanging about, smiling and gently prodding me to make the story better so they actually have meaningful parts in it. I've had great fun creating their world and will enjoy improving it.

I'm also a little sad. NaNo has such a magic about it, the wonder of having a deadline, and of having the widgets and wars and the website to update on. And now it's over, over for another year. A year! That's a long, long time.

A long, long time that I should spend improving this year's (and last year's!) writing.

But it's time, for now, to say goodbye. And to start writing 'goodbye' as one word again, and put hyphens where they belong, and use contractions, and not add a 'very' and a 'really' wherever possible. Time to start worrying about quality as well as quantity. And time to not put writing first, time to rediscover a decent bedtime, exercise, cleaning my room, and timely homework. And studying. That would be good.

Everything Hates Me

There are twelve hours left of November.

I'm at just over 84,000 words.

Fredjikrang is ahead of me.

I can't keep my eyes open.

Yeah. We'll see how this goes.

Arrrg.

I am ashamed.

So very, very ashamed.

So ashamed that I hardly know how to keep my head up.

And so I am most definitely going to share the reason for my deep, deep shame, so you can all laugh at me.

You see, I went to see the Twilight movie to day, which, as I said earlier, I would be going to see, in deep shame and disguised. I ended up not going in disguse, but I was ashamed.

And when the movie had ended...

Oh heavens above, I liked it.

I LIKED IT.

I am so disgusted with myself that I can hardly stand it.

It was still rather bad, of course. There were some problems with the book itself that got transferred to the movie. The whole thing was rather rushed. That Kristen girl's voice was monotone most of the time - sometimes that worked, and other times not really. Also, there were many things that were too easy to make fun of, and I got yelled at for snarking too loudly. And there were lots of other things wrong with it.

But I liked it.

*sigh*

Erp.

Ahhhhhhglglrup.

Blarrrrrg.

Ew.

I feel sick, and for once it's not due to the flu or eating something wrong or something.

I at a good thanksgiving dinner, during which my aunt mentioned this site. So I had to check it out. I even got some pie while reading the tribute site over here.

I only barely finished that pie, and only then because I wasn't thinking about it.

ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew

And now I will sit here, wait for my stomach to settle, and work on my novel. Have I mentioned I'm going for 100,000 words? I am. Right now I'm at 76,000 some-odd. That's like being at 26,000 words with only tonight and three more days to go.

I can totally do it.

As long as I don't start throwing up, or starve because I can't stand to think of food.

(I had determined today that I would start putting pictures on my posts, 'cause those are just so nice. But after writing this post, I decided that posting a relevant picture would be rather mean.)

The Curse of the Cold

Something I kinda knew already but now know even more:

I have trouble sleeping when I have a cold.

This is dramatic, mates. I'm the kind of person who starts getting sleepy around 9:30 at the latest, and doesn't like being in bed with the lights off past that time on a school night. I'm usually pretty early to bed, so I'm able to get up at six in the morning.

And yet here I am, on a school night, updating my blog before I go work on my NaNo (yes, Fred, I see that you're ahead; rejoice while you can) at 11:00 at night.

Yesterday was even worse. I went to bed and I tried EVERYTHING I could think of - iPod music, relaxation exercises, making up stories, praying, begging... nothing worked. Staying in bed, lying down, became torture. I eventually wandered upstairs (at a quarter to three), put on a movie, and crashed on the couch, which happens to be more comfortable than my futon. And even then I didn't get to sleep until after four in the morning, after the movie was over and my brother had turned off the computer and the lights and made his bed on a couple of couch cushions on the floor.

I HATE THIS. Even though it did lead to some quality time with my brother last night (this morning?) and upping of my word count tonight. I just want to sleep at normal times, please. And not having a stuffed up and/or runny nose, plus the headache and the sore throat, would be nice too.

Bleh.

What a Special Day

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

This is my 100th post, and today is the day that I got to 50,000 words (behind dear Fred, but still).

In the last 100 posts I have talked about:

Valentine's Day, what I see, suspicious persons, excuses, Script Frenzy, sisters, my room, singing (also here and here), Divine Comedy, the Essay of Doom, stupid pedestrians, sprinklers, my birthday (and party), UFOs, sisters again, stupid drivers, hiking, camping, frustration, my genius brother, sisters yet again, NaNoWriMo, magic, a secret mission, dying (also here), Goodsearch, anticipation, money, names, my new baby sister, getting up early, siblings, pi, working on the event staff, Eric Snyder, and failure.

Also, did I mention that I got to 50,000 words today?

I'm Vixen

Today wasn't the best day for writing. Yeah, I got about 4000 words and caught up with Fredji again (he hasn't passed me again, has he?), but I did most of that after midnight this morning, before I went to bed. Today when I sat down to write (I skipped church due to weird eye problems - calling the doctor tomorrow), I got sidetracked.

Boy did I ever get sidetracked.

It started out easily enough. I simply checked Pottersues, and somehow from there ended up on a very long biography on one of the most famous/infamous Big Name Fans in the Harry Potter fandom.

...yeah.

And then all the writing I did do was stuff that almost certainly will not end up in even the second draft, much less the actual finished project (assuming I get there). Somehow I don't think a detailed description of the characters playing card games and tag hide-and-go-seek will have much impact on the plot. Of course, you never know... me deciding to detail their laser tag games earlier this week gave me a few good moments. (Poor Willow. That's all I have to say.)

Still, could have done better; I'm only about 50 above Fred, and SLC is starting to beat we Elsewhere people in our word war. Blast it all!

Oh, yeah. The title of the post, for those of you who are wondering, has to do with this year's Christmas pajamas for my family. We eight children are being reindeer (brown long-sleeved shirts and dark pants and antlers) and my parents are Santa and Mrs. Claus. We were each assigned names which will eventually be on our shirts. I'm Vixen.

Also: check out the new banner at the photo counter in the Bookstore (they'll get it up eventually...) it should have pictures of my family on it, in our Christmas pajamas. Some we took tonight, and some from quite a few years ago. Quite a few. Really. Several. As in, my youngest two sisters are missing. A long time ago. And while you're there looking at the vaguely embarrassing photos, if you see guy who has brown hair, glasses, and a name tag reading "Jeff," say hi, and tell him you know his daughter bob. He may or may not know who you're referring to. : D

I'm Dead, I'm Dead, I'm Dying

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

So... being dead gives my creativity a boost and allows my fingers to type with blinding speed? Something like that. Or something. 'Cause, ah, I've jumped up by... 7000 words. I would say I'm sorry, Fredji, but I'm not really.

I suppose that almost makes up for the fact that I didn't write at all for three days straight.

Honestly, I don't really know what happened. It was well documented that I was dying - I said so several times, and several people saw me, including my father who was rather concerned - and yet now I'm sitting here, perfectly fine, and only stopping the mad typing because I really need to get up early tomorrow. I do kinda want to pass Spanish.

Which reminds me that I haven't done that interview that's due tomorrow. Which reminds me that I need to get that letter to that one person. Urg.

Let me tell you, pretending I'd never written all that romance and giving the theater department a certain fondness for laser tag has done wonders to my word count.

Days left of NaNo: 17

Word count: 38294

Donations: $15

The Truth

"Hi! How are you?"

"Great."

A pause. "You don't look great."

"Sometimes I have to modify what I mean by 'great' in order to be telling the truth."

"Oh. Um. Well, you look kinda like you're dying, actually."

"I am. But it's a great kind of dying."

"Uh... right."

What Some People Will Do For $20

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Perhaps if I post now, I won't keep working on my novel. And I'll be able to get some Spanish homework done. *sigh* I'm so going to fail that class if I don't get my rear in gear...

Saturday was the last home football game. As usual, I worked, along with my good friend Goober. There are only two other people at our gate; a girl I'll call Sam and a guy I'll call Rhett.

It was the worst game in memory as far as me being sick; I ended up in the back room asleep for an hour or so. When I got back out they were just taking our ticket line poles away, leaving holes in the ground. Rhett, who is an interesting young man and is always up for a joke or argument, said that he'd give $20 to anyone who licked one of the holes.

Sam said she was up for it. She spent several minutes laughing nervously, examining the holes to find the cleanest one, laughing nervously, and insisting she really was going to do it. Then she spent several minutes on her knees laughing nervously, sweeping her hair up with one hand, laughing nervously, and insisting she really was going to do it.

And then all of a sudden she was standing up, and there was dirt on her tongue. She showed it to Rhett, then washed her tongue, then spit several times. She continued spitting until she had something to eat - a hot dog she bought with the $20, leaving $17 some-odd left. She proclaimed several times that it was the best thing she had ever done.

I think she's insane.

But! There is something I can learn for her: what would I be willing to do for $20? What could I do that people would be willing to give me $20 for?

Now, those of you who read my blog know that I've been asking, near begging, for donations to The Office of Letters and :Light, the non-profit that runs NaNoWriMo. And now I'm going to do something more. What could I do that would make you lot willing to donate? I'm asking for suggestions - though don't suggest if you don't mean it, 'cause once you suggest it I will hold you to it. Of course, I won't necessarily do everything you suggest...

But I mean it. DONATE. Even if you aren't willing to do so until I do some stunt or something.

Days left of NaNo: 20

Word count: 31316

Donations: $15

Up Far Too Late

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Want to know something I find funny? I have gotten at least one comment on ever single NaNo post, but before then I received very few comments, and the one post I've written since the start of NaNo that wasn't about NaNo didn't get any comments. NaNo is, indeed, a magical thing. : D

Today was an exceptionally annoying day all around. I couldn't stop writing. I had to lead choir practice and was almost 20 minutes late for the half-hour practice. I wrote in a notebook all through church. I stayed home from another choir I'm in to finish the homework I'd neglected this weekend, but wrote instead. And the characters laughed at my distress.

I'm not going to do best line and worst line, because that would mean I'd have to go back and find them, and if I did that I'm afraid I'd write some more. And I don't want that. I really need to get to bed, especially if I don't want to fail Spanish.

BLAST IT ALL.

Days left of NaNo: 21

Word count: 27,699 (weird... not that big of a jump for writing all day...)

Donations: $15

Annoyed

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Today we learn that bob is actually writing a romance. A FREAKIN' ROMANCE. How did this happen? How?? Oh, the shame and embarrassment! Oh the shame!

Okay, I mean, it's still a fantasy and all, but unlike last year's novel where I had this exciting plot and then, oh yeah, romance too, this one seems to be twining the romance with the plot. They are almost becoming one and the same.

This scares me.

All right! Now that I have confessed my soul and am throughly embarrassed, let's move on, shall we?

Best line today: "What on earth have I done?" My thoughts exactly, Ez. My thoughts exactly.

Worst line today: "'You’ve done very well, as I’ve said, keeping it under control.'" Ezekiel is nothing if not verbose. Also, when he's unsure, he loves to repeat himself.

Days left of NaNo: 22

Word count: 23,319

Donations: $15

I'm Not a Cheater, I Swear

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

I have decided to deal, once and for all, with the accusations of cheating that have been leveled against me.

"Even during anything-goes Week One, you'll write a few things that you recognize right away just don't fit in the book... when you write these things, whether they constitute a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire chapter, do not cut them. All words you write on your novel, no matter how misshapen or ill-advised, still represent crucial steps toward the 50,000 word finish line. Rather than deleting these passages, put them in italics." -Chris Baty, No Plot? No Problem! pg. 114-115. (italics mine)

Also, see these two Q&A features from the NaNo website, about two extremely high achievers in the NaNo world.

And I'm not even doing any of these:

"The stutter: Afflict one of your characters with a stutter, and it doubles the girth of their dialogue. Temporary deafness: Everything from loud rock concerts to small deposits of earwax can temporarily render your character deaf, necessitating that everything said to him or her be repeated. The dream sequence: Our dreams might as well come with a sign that says, 'Free words: Help yourself.' The dream sequence... go[es] on for as long as you like and don't have to make any sense whatsoever. It's the motherlode! The citation: If your character can read, you can cite. Give your protagonist a copy of Beowulf and an annoying habit of reading poetry out loud on their long commute to work, and you've suddenly added thousands of words to your count." -Chris Baty, No Plot? No Problem! pg. 127

SO THERE.

Blast it All

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Today was the day of the first Board Readers NaNo Write-In! (Or, you know, something. I just dubbed it that this minute.) I was incredibly excited for it all week. Then, today, I of course decided that I didn't need to work on the paper due at 5 pm, and then when I got to meeting place I had no desire to work on it at all. So I didn't turn the first or second papers for this class.

The write in was just way too much fun. I got little to no work done until the last half-hour before I had to leave. Up until that time, I was having too much fun bantering with Fredjikrang and m&m and Unit of Energy, trading stories, throwing things... it was great fun. (Though I'm pretty sure I got rather obnoxious at times.) And then Unit of Energy left to go prepare for her party (I hope it was a great party, UoE! Sorry I couldn't come!). I took over her chair and started to get a bit more work done sometimes. Then m&m (who had been working on homework most of the time, poor thing) had to leave, which left me and Fredji. And then I finally got work done. With no one else there, we both shut up and got typing. Until, of course, I had to leave, so I packed up and left Fred all alone.

Then there was this party at my house, a birthday party for a friend of the family. I'd spent the day trying to get people to come, but ended up friendless. And that was either a good thing or a bad thing. Good because I spent half an hour with my fingers in my ears (Just couldn't handle the noise!) and being no fun until I escaped downstairs, and bad because I'm now really lonely but there's no one here to talk to. So now, yes, I am sitting down her moping. : )

Best line today: "'Listen, angel, I may be your mortal – or immortal – enemy and all, but I can promise you that I will not be trying to do anything so… indecent. I have all-seeing parents too, you know.'"

Worst line today: "'It’s heavenly rage,' she insisted in an undertone."

Also, I would like to take this moment to insist, for the millionth time, that I am not cheating.

Days left of NaNo: 23

Word count: 16450

Donations: $5 Huzzah!

Sigh

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Worst day to date for this year's NaNo-ing. Of course, considering how far ahead I am, that's not too bad. I can quite easily catch up, or rather, stay ahead, tomorrow at the lovely write-in. If no one bails, that is; I have this terrible fear that everyone will bail and I will be all alone.

I hung out online instead of doing my homework, and that paper's due tomorrow. I may just have to do that instead of work on my novel for a while tomorrow...

And instead of writing, I have been hanging out online (as I've said already, but I like to repeat myself), working on a scene with two girls from my acting class (yes, again; we had to perform today, and everyone loves my character), and arguing with my dad (well, actually, it was more of a reminder of last night's argument than an argument in its own right). And there was the far-too-long shower, after which Cami fell asleep in the tub. (Don't worry, there was very little water and I kept a close eye on her.)

However, what with all that, it really has been a bad day for writing.

Best line today: "'Do you get the feeling that we just doomed ourselves?'"

Worst line today: "Ash came on the scene carrying a box, followed by Dirk, who Ezekiel knew from the crew from the summer play and who was also carrying a box."

Days left of NaNo: 24

Word count: 14306 (I told you I didn't write much.)

Donations: still $0. What a surprise.

And Now For Something Completely Different

As we all know, I never do these things. However, I'm suffering from NaNo burnout (a week early!) so I'm trying something completely different.

1. Where is your cell phone? In my backpack. Wait, is it? *checks* Oh. Yep, there 'tis.
2. Where is your significant other? Playing hangman 'till the morning light, doing doughnuts in the neighbor's lawn, cutting arms off of voodoo dolls... I know someday I'll meet him, but I don't know where or when.
3. Your hair color? Dark blond. Should I dye it? I've always wanted to try being a redhead... or maybe a brunette.
4. Your mother? Sitting in her rocking chair feeding the baby.
5. Your father? Sitting next to me driving the car.
6. Your favorite thing? right now? Writing, specifically my NaNo novel. Hey, I can be burned out but still like it.
7. Your dream last night? I don't remember anything, but the night before last I dreamed I went into labor at my wedding and no one would take me to the hospital.
8. Your dream/goal? Be a mother, professional singer, published author, and be earning extra money through freelancing. Having time to do some acting would be nice too.
9. The room you're in? I'm in my dad's car right now, though I'll probably be in the hallway of the JSB when I post this.
10. Your hobby? Singing, reading, blogging, acting, writing
11. Your fear? Spiders. Those things are terrible. *shudder*
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Published, singing, perhaps married, perhaps teaching.
13. Where were you last night? Home, watching ANTM and trying to convince myself to either work on my novel or do homework.
14. What you're not? 19.
15. One of your wish-list items? I refuse to answer this question on the grounds it may tend to incriminate me.
16. Where you grew up? Provorem, Utah.
17. The last thing you did? Chewed.
18. What are you wearing? One of my NaNo t-shirts, which almost balances out the annoyance I feel for having to wear my glasses. And two pairs of pants.
19. Your TV? What about it? Honestly, some of these questions are very vague.
20. Your pet? Grey tabby named Licorice. We supposedly share her with the neighbors, but she really lives in my room.
21. Your computer? Pretty white MacBook named Lappie. (Don't tell him, but I'm really thinking it's time for a new one.)
22. Your mood? Content.
23. Missing someone? Not as much as usual.
24. Your car? I don't have one. I do have a vehicle, however: a blue scooter that's older than I am.
25. Something you're not wearing? My contacts. : P.
26. Favorite store? I am quite partial to the Macey's, but I must go for the BYU Bookstore. Books, candy, fudge, and a 30% discount? Heaven.
27. Your summer? Not too bad. I hosted two parties. : D
28. Love someone? Of course! Many many someones.
29. Your favorite color? Green. Usually a dark green.
30. When is the last time you laughed? A couple of hours ago, while practicing a scene. "Oh, that was me! I threw up in the flowers! Oh no, how embarrassing!"
31. Last time you cried? A while ago.

Not the Best

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Fredji hasn't updated his word count. Mostly 'cause he hasn't written anything yet. And that's 'cause his day hasn't been the best.

Neither has mine, to tell the truth. Well, this last bit tonight hasn't been. Most of today was fine. I haven't been sick, work was good, I went to class, working on our scene for acting class went well... and then I get in one little argument over something very trivial and I forget about all the good stuff!

*sigh*

Well, I suppose I had best get on with stuff...

Best line: There isn't one, really. Sorry.

Worst line: "'And then she broke – she had tried to not do what she saw as wrong, that is, using her powers of manipulation – and she started manipulating home team players so that they couldn’t benefit from me manipulating the visiting team players.'"

Days left of NaNo: 25

Word count: 14008

Donations: $0

Lessons

Today we learn something very very interesting: bob can type fast. Very, very fast.

Well, okay, if you really go and look at it, I'm getting about 33 words per minute (usually less, actually). But when you realize that those 33 words per minute are all words that I am pulling out of thin air and typing out as I think them, it becomes quite a bit more impressive.

I had determined that today was the day I was going to catch up with, nay, surpass my dear friend Fredjikrang. Yes, the guy that has been beating me handily ever since the first of November. So, when I left work at 10:50 for the devotional, I sat in the hallway, plugged in my computer, and typed like the wind.

No one was more surprised than I was when I packed up my computer less than an hour later, having written 1400 words.

My next moment to type was during my D&C class, a class I'm careful to pay attention in and take good notes. I still came away with a few hundred more words than I had had before.

I didn't get any typing done in Spanish class, but after walking to the RB I had 45 minutes to type until my voice lessons. And type I did! Another 1000 or so words. I had another bit of time between my voice lessons and my acting class, and this was enough to put me above 10000, and above Fred's 9000-something.

I was elated, and very ready to quit typing. That's quite a bit to do in one day - almost 5000 words. Whew. And that's with Tuesdays being the busiest day of my week.

So I relaxed after acting class until mother got me, and after voting while we ate dinner at Fazoli's, and after we got home until I went onto the NaNo page that showed my word count with the word count of my buddies.

Fred was up to 12176.

I admit that I gasped in dismay when I saw that. No! I had said I was going to be ahead by tonight! I had promised myself I was going to beat him today! I couldn't let him do this! It took only a little thinking to convince myself that pride was more important than sleep, and that I would get right to typing after I took a shower.

And then what did I do? Type 2000 words in an hour. I'm still kinda astonished that I did it that fast. I was willing to give up half my night for this, and then here it is? So weird, let me tell you. So very, very odd. I'd thought I could do about 1500 tops in an hour, but apparently I can do 2000.

Well, enough singing my praises.

Best line today: “'Well, I certainly won the bet,' Ezekiel said casually. 'That is, I would have if there had been one.'”

Worst line today: "Ezekiel laughed at how obviously uncomfortable with the idea of being kissed by him Kristy was." This is probably the worst line to date that was unintentional. But let me tell you, when you're typing like a mad creature, if you start a sentence the wrong way you don't go back to fix it. So you end up with gems like this.

Days left of NaNo: 26

Word count: 12368 (Wait a min. Did I double my word count today? *is still more astonished*)

*is purposely forgetting the 'donations' part*

Type Until Your Fingers Bleed

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Though I didn't really type that much. I spent several hours working on my novel today and only did about 3000 words. Could have been better. Still behind Fred. Could have been much better. At least I did get some homework done today.

Best line: “There. Hopefully that blend of truth, half-truth, and outright lying would be sufficient to tide over Willow and keep Ezekiel and Kristy out of trouble and out of gossip."

Worst line: "'I think you really look like the kind of guy who is some kind of genius on the inside but doesn’t necessarily even know it himself. I bet you’ll go far in acting.'"

My word count was saved today by me remembering one of old techniques - that of writing backstory, working to get my thoughts straight, and all sorts of fun stuff in the body of my novel. Yay word count.

Days left of NaNo: 27

Word count: 6198

Donations $0

Lazy Sunday

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

Well, what a day this has been! I was in bed for pretty much all of it, so I got a lot done.

Um, in theory anyway...

Okay, I admit it. Mostly I was hanging out at impishidea, not doing homework or writing as I had intended to do. I did get some writing done, though. (No homework. : P) (Oh, and I watched this video and laughed heartily.)

Best line in today's work: "'You are coming out of your shell, Ez. I love it.'"

Worst line in today's work: "Ezekiel put away the phone – a normal cell phone in looks, but with special components that allowed him to call home, a slightly different dimension – and looked around." Awkward, clunky, exposition in a terrible place... yeah. Let's remember this is a first draft.

Best lines when taken out of context in today's work: "He hadn’t bothered trying to manipulate anyone for ages." "He hadn’t thought that being a failure could feel so good." That 'best' is sarcastic here, by they way. Really... these lines are almost this bad even in context. They make me giggle with embarrassment. : P

And Fredji is still ahead of me. Curse you!

Days left of NaNo: 28

Word count: 2785

Donations: $0

Off to a Great Start

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

The first glorious sentence of my NaNo novel goes thusly: "Ezekiel had always known he was a disappointment to his parents."

Marvel at its majesty. Marvel! I demand it!

Unfortunately, there isn't much more than that right now. But I will be very sick tomorrow, and will have many hours to do homework and NaNo. At least I'm ahead of my mother, who so far has thought about it. My sister has around 800 words, I think, and Patsy has over 1000.

And the NaNo site is slow, and Fredji is kicking my butt in wordcount, and blah blah blah. Whatever.

Days left of NaNo: 29

Word count: 74

Donations $0

Midnight!

Warning: NaNoWriMo novelist is in session. Trespassers will be reborn as the inspiration for an ugly and evil race of horrifically disfigured beings and/or the villain.

It's just past midnight, officially November first!

So, wait, what am I doing writing a blog post? I should be starting on my novel!

Hi Baby!

I never thought this would be something to make Caiti cry. Her being tired, yes. Her seeing mother walk past without picking her up, yes. Being picked up and nearly dropped by her four-year-old sister, yes. But not this.

She's bored right now, crinkling my rice crispy treat wrapper and talking at the door. But a little while ago, she was upset. Upset because I plugged in my laptop.

Why is this upsetting? She's lying right next to the cord, and discovered that, if she pulled on the cord, it would come away from the laptop and she could put the end in her mouth. I quickly put a stop to this. So she cried.

She cried because I took away the laptop cord. I still can't believe this.

And now, because I know you would all rather look at a picture of her than listen to me calmly wonder about her preferred entertainment:

One Short Day

...until NaNoWriMo!

And yet this is a day in and of itself, of course. October 31st is more than the day before NaNo, it's also Halloween! Which means I am dressed medievally, have actually made an effort with my hair (resulting in one curl), and I'm carrying around my guitar and talking in an accent (when I remember). And I actually look quite good. I would post a picture, but alas, I am unphotogenic in the extreme. And I can't find my camera hook-up thing.

In other news, college students are lame. The costumes out here are few and far between. Over at the Bookstore the employees who dress up get goodies, and even then not everyone dressed up - maybe half. LAME. : P

Also, my coworkers are planning to mug me for the money I have earned singing/am just carrying around to make it look like I've earned money singing. This is not happy, as one of them is a Greek goddess and the other is an FBI agent. I will have to watch my back.

Days to NaNoWriMo: 1

Donations: $0

I'm Sorry I'm So Good

Sometimes people hate me, and all I can say is, "It's not my fault I'm good at tests."

I've always been good at multiple choice tests. Well, not always everything. My first failed test ever was an easy one for my Bio 100 class. But the hard tests, the ones that count - that's where I really shine. Take my ACT for example. I only had one shot (well, I could have done more, but it was already the end of my senior year) and I didn't really study for it. Usually this would stress me out, causing a lower score. But I pulled out a 30.

Yeah, I almost lost a friend over that one.

Lately, it's been the midterm for my D&C class. I've stayed out of the conversations, but I know the complaints: it's too hard, there's no way anyone got much above passing, I studied for ten hours and still bombed, he should grade on a curve...

I studied for four hours on Friday, the only studying I did aside from doing the reading and taking notes in class (I never even read my notes). Result? An 82%. And the class average is 78%. Not too shabby.

Out of Control

"I'm sorry. But the truth is, I'm frightened."

"Of what?"

"Of myself. Do you know how terrifying it is to be unsure of what you're going to do next? For your mind to be at the mercy of your body, instead of the other way around? And then to see the look on people's faces when they notice something's wrong with you?"

"No. No, I don't."

"And it's never fully gone. Maybe I'm not always on the brink of hysteria, but there's the headaches and the nausea and the lethargy... I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I've frightened you. I'll quit talking about it."

Caiti Takes the Keyboard

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Sometimes I like telling people that they've failed.

I'm not a mean person, I promise! But sometimes people don't seem to realize that they're batting zero. I consider it my right, my duty, to inform them of this fact.

Take the road in front of the MOA - the one way road between the actual building and the parking lot. Do you hear me? One way. One way. ONE FREAKIN' WAY. Two lanes, one way. This is apparently very hard for several drivers to grasp. Either that, or they're lazy and would rather risk an accident than go a little out of their way to get to a free parking spot. And they are risking accidents. Yeah, I check for other cars before driving or stepping onto the street, but when I see them to the left of me, I assume they will turn left, considering the one way street thing. And if they don't, it's an out loud "You fail! F minus minus!" from me. Or my dad. Or both of us.

And then there's that crosswalk between the WILK and the law building parking lot (yes, I know I've talked about it at least once before). I'm almost ready to believe there's something in the sidewalk there that either slows down certain brain functions or instills a strong, hopefully temporary disregard for everyone aside from oneself. This results in much crossing at the wrong time. Starting just before the little green dude comes on I can handle, and starting after the hand starts flashing is okay as long as you hurry (and the hand has only flashed once or twice) - in fact, I've done this myself. *gasp* Crossing when the light is green is when I'm not shy about telling you that you've failed, and Dragon Lady and Laser Jock apparently agree with me on this.

To quote Laser Jock - "many dead pedestrians had the right of way." And, may I add, many more dead ones didn't and crossed anyway. And even those who don't die get a stern "Failure!" from me.

But failure is not confined to the realms of driving and crossing the street! I'm quite fond of pointing out hymns sung way too slowly, inept flirting attempts, and bad haircuts; I gleefully shot out "You fail!" when I spot someone tripping or dropping something; my sarcastic clapping is surpassed only by my entirely fake "good job..."

Well, maybe I am a mean person. Sometimes.

Days to NaNoWriMo: 12

Donations: $0

It's Getting Closer...

I'm so excited about NaNo! Still! I've been getting all my homework done so I won't have to do any frantic catch-ups in November, I'm wearing my NaNo shirts at every opportunity, and whenever anyone mentions the month of November I say something about NaNo.

Not everyone around me is as excited as I am, and that's okay with me. But even if you're not excited, wouldn't you like to support me? And in the process, support the wonderful Office of Letters and Light?

The Office of Letters and Light is a non-profit organization that runs NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy, with adult and youth programs for each. They have a lending library - electronics they can send to NaNo writers so they can participate - and put together packages for classrooms so teachers will be able to help their students write a novel. They have also helped build libraries for children in Southeast Asia.

Oh, and one more thing - they're usually strapped for cash. Being a non-profit does that, I hear. They're not going to give up, and they certainly have the passion, and drive to make it work no matter what happens. But every little bit counts. I personally have been doing my best to help through donations during the months of November and April (Script Frenzy month), but as a student with a part-time job, a fondness for potato chips, and an addiction for buying books, there's only so much that I can do. On the other hand, considering how much I have done (over $200 dollars this year), I figure others can at least help a bit.

So I have set up a site where you, my dear dear friends and comrades all, can help OLL by donating. It is, of course, tax deductible and all that, and I can personally guarantee* that whoever donates will be happier, healthier, and more good looking. Also, I will love you. : D

So... go do that. Please... : )

Days to NaNoWriMo: 16



*I cannot, of course, guarantee this, but it's a nice thought, don't you think?

She cries.

I'm trying to ignore her, really. She's not just crying, she's talking too. Oh, there she goes, sucking her fingers again. She rocks her head from side to side, trying to decide if she should watch mother on the bike or ANTM. More talking. More squeaking. More sucking on fingers. A small squeal. Oh, now she talks to me, wondering why I'm not picking her up and cuddling her. Well it's 'cause I'm working on my laptop, and it's very hard to type with someone in my lap!

She doesn't understand. She's unhappy. And I'm hungry.

No, I'm Not a Stalker

I just keep ending up behind people.

When classes started, I noticed that two of my friends (who don't know each other) had a class in the same building I did the same time I did, and that another friend (who knows both of the two friends previously mentioned) had a class in that building the hour after. You might think this means I talk to my friends a lot. Nope. It means I see them.

And, for some reason, they don't see me. I once followed one of the two friends halfway across campus before she noticed me. Another time I walked beside her for several minutes before she noticed me. Another time she and the friend that has a class after saw each other, hugged, said hi, etc., but neither of them noticed me. Today the same thing happened. I was again not noticed, and I followed the friend for a while before noting that my two friends were walking by each other - the ones who don't know each other. I thought this was funny, so I walked up beside one of them, said hi, and had a conversation - without being noticed by the other friend.

You may think this discourse is a complaint and/or a sign that maybe, I don't know, I should say something to my friends since I notice them and they don't notice me. Well, it's not either of those things. I just wanted to point it out. I find it hilarious.

And I don't think any of the three reads my blog, so none of them will ever know.

Goals for 2008

I recently ran across a Word document where I had typed all the goals I wanted to accomplish this year, and was once again reminded that while a goal not written down is merely a wish, a goal written down and not looked at is merely forgotten.

There are, however, some that I can still achieve.

Win NaNoWriMo again - this is the only one that I couldn't have been working on and therefore I am guilt-free in this small area.

Get at least one short story off to publication - meaning I send in at least one story to at least one publisher. A pretty small order, actually. Should be possible in the three months I have left...

Finish fifth draft of War story (last year's NaNo) - Okay, actually, this one isn't really possible, I don't think. Considering I never finished a second draft... well, maybe I could change this one to finishing a second draft.

Have forty hymns memorized by the end of the year - I used to have 25 memorized. I've forgotten several verses here and there. It's probably possible to re-learn those and learn 15 more.

Write two completely original songs - hm. I forgot I wanted to try my hand at composing...

Everything else is either impossible (deadline already passed) or technically impossible (something I was supposed to be doing every day/week/year/semester all year). I suppose I could do them from now on.

Next year, I'll remember to actually look at my goals from time to time.

Secret Mission

Several high school students have been kidnapped at one in the morning (with their parent's permission), blindfolded, and brought to the home of the current drama president. Only a few minutes later a knock sounds at the door. One of the kidnappees is led to the door. "She will need to be able to see," said low, near monotone voice. The girl's blindfold is removed, and she is confronted with a tall figure in a black cloak, the hood pulled up so werf's face cannot be seen. The figure hands the girl a note.

As Drama President, you need to know a secret that few others know. However, it is not knowledge that will be handed to you – you must prove you are ready. Go with the one who gave this to you, and good luck.

The girl agrees, and follows the figure out to a van parked on the other side of the street. She opens the passenger door and sees another note.

Congratulations for trusting a faceless, cloaked stranger. This stranger will eventually help you find me, the Theater Ghost. For now, you must go CONTENT OVERPOWER. Don’t forget to go underground.

"Here's a waterbottle for you, and help yourself to grapes and chips," the cloaked stranger says. "Now, where are we going?"

"Where are we going?"

"Yes. You need to tell me where we are going."

The girl looks at the note. "Content Overpower?"

"Where is that?"

"I don't know..."

The stranger hands the girl a pencil. "You'll need this."

Several minutes later, the girl is still confused. The stranger has been calmly munching on grapes, but finally decides to help. Werf takes the pencil and the paper, writes "PROVO," and crossed out the letters p, r, o, v, and o in the phrase "CONTENT OVERPOWER."

"Oh!" says the girl. And a moment later: "Go to the Provo mall."

The stranger starts the car and begins driving. "Where at the Provo mall?"

The girl considers the paper for a while, then says, "The underground parking."

As the stranger drives, werf turns on some music - very quietly. It's nothing the girl has ever heard before, but the stranger sings along.

They pull into the underground parking, where another cloaked and hooded figure waits. The girl gets out of the car and approaches the figure, and is handed another slip of paper. She returns the the car, which the stranger has put into park and turned off.

You have succeeded the first time – are you thinking this will be easy? Let’s see if you’re right. The next place you must go is a building with thousands of stories.

"The library."

There seems to be a bit of a problem at the library. The stranger pulls into the parking lot, drives through it, goes out onto the street, pulls into the other parking lot, drives through it, pulls into the street, drives across the front of the library again... the girl is getting nervous. But as they pull into the first parking lot again, yet another cloaked stranger appears. The girl gets out of the car and is handed another slip of paper.

I believe it is becoming apparent to you that I have many helpers. As Drama President, you will be one of them. I could do everything by myself, but it is much easier with good help, which I intend for you to be. Down Bulldog Blvd. is a store – not the department store, the one with an e.

The girl is confused, so the stranger heads for Bulldog Blvd. and begins driving along it. "What stores are here?"

"Oh! Macey's!" the girl says suddenly.

Another stop, another cloaked stranger, another note.

My helpers must be clever, and you’re proving yourself to be so. I hope you realize that you must also be able to keep secrets, for my identity is a closely guarded secret and cannot be revealed to the undeserving. To get one step closer to knowing my identity, go swing on a swing in a park. Which park? The one Utah’s ancestors inspired.

"Pioneer Park," the girl says confidently.

While driving, the stranger gets a text message. Then werf misses a turn, then drives past the park, then finally gets on the right road and begins looking for parking. This time, as the girl gets out, the stranger turns off the car and follows.

By the swing is another clocked stranger, with yet another note.

You have done well, and are almost at the finish. Now you must find another park, one not so well known. Eleven fifty SHOUT.

The girl knows what to do when she gets back to the car; she picks up her pencil. "What's at 1150 South?" she asks a moment later.

The stranger doesn't respond, only begins driving. They're getting close when the stranger's phone rings. The car is quiet enough that the girl can catch some of the conversation caller's words - something about being pressed for time, and how close the stranger was to being done. It's a quick call. "Big Mama says hi," the stranger says while dialing another number. Werf then relays a change of plans - "Follow us back to Lisa's house."

They pull into the parking lot of a small park, which the stranger calls Footprinter's. A car turns on and the stranger drives away with the other car following.

Soon they are back where it all started. The girl starts to get out, but the stranger tells her to wait. Werf then goes across the street to the other car, talks to someone over there for a moment, and starts coming back with someone else.

When the girl goes back inside the house, she has met the Theater Ghost and gained some instructions. She wonders what on earth she has gotten herself into.

Names

Angels:
Temperance
Tessa
Christina
Thyme
Miriam
Mira
Timothy
Adam
Davis
Locke
Oliver

Demons:
Sage
Miranda
Melinda
Izzy
Teodora
Violet
Jade
Donata
Megan
Matilda
Dominique
Christopher/Kit
Kyle
Jake
Ezekiel
Dominic
Dimitri
Albus
Absolom
Labon

Humans:
Scarlet
Onyx
Raven
Topaz
Allegra
Moss
Rose
Tempest
Kitty
Pippa
Miracle
Misty
Willow
Ivory
Electra
Nutmeg
Clove
Harmony
Melody
Lyric
Lake
Lance
Dirk
Timber
Apple

I really need to find some more names for angels. The demons and humans are beating them handily.

It's October. Do You Know What That Means?

I'll tell you what that means. It is now, officially, Preparing for NaNoWriMo Time.

And I'm excited. Boy, am I ever excited. Ever since I learned about it last year from the 100 Hour Board (see this question), I have loved NaNoWriMo. I love taking a month to write a 50,000 word novel. I love the inspiration that comes from wanting to write close to 2000 words a day. I love the word wars. I love updating several times a day and watching the little bar fill up. I love the T-shirts and stickers and posters, too.

Of course, that means there will be some changes in my behavior in person and online. People who try to talk to me will likely have a "can't talk, noveling" sign waved in his or her face. My eyes will rarely focus on anything (aside from my computer screen), choosing instead to stare off into space as scenes play across my mind. Once someone manages to get me into a conversation, it is likely I will interrupt it with sudden bursts of inspiration. I will talk to myself as I cross campus. People trying to IM me may or may not be responded to. My Twitter updates will probably have to do with my frustration with non-existent people. Friends will be ignored unless they come bearing gifts of junk food and hot chocolate (my substitute for coffee) or are willing to help with plot problems.

But this doesn't mean I won't be any fun for a month! I plan to update this blog regularly during the month, including rants at stubborn characters, copies of my best and worst writing on a given day, and counts of how many friends I have left.

I can't wait for November... : D

OH THE TEETH THEY HURT

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Little can be seen, as it is pretty darn dark. Faint light through thin fabric being used as a curtain is all we have. Every now and then we barely catch a movement from the bed.

Much creaking as one of the bed's occupants, a four-year-old girl rolls over and puts her arm around her 20-year-old sister.

LITTLE SISTER
Tell me a story.

BIG SISTER
(sigh) You tell me a story.

LITTLE SISTER
Once upon a time... there was a girl... name mommy... watched a movie... drove the car to the mall. And I couldn't go! Mommy said no! And I said I cried. And Lis came and put me in time-out.

There is a pause.

BIG SISTER
The end?

LITTLE SISTER
Tell me a story.

BIG SISTER
Adam and Eve and Pinch-me-quick went down to the river to bathe. Adam and Eve got drownded; who do you think was saved?

LITTLE SISTER
Adam and Eve.

BIG SISTER
No, it was Pinch-me-quick. But don't.

Little Sister shifts in the bed.

LITTLE SISTER
Tell me a story.

BIG SISTER
(sigh) Can't you just go to sleep? (pause) All right. One day in the middle of the night, two dead boys got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other; drew their swords and shot each other. Two deaf policemen, two blocks away, heard the noise and came to kill those two dead boys. If you don't believe my story is true, go ask the blind man. He saw it too. (pause) Now go to sleep.

UFO'S EXPLAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, tonight my dad and I were sitting on the couch eating potato chips (bleh) and watching this UFO show. And we were having fun. My dad is the guy that had us all laughing hysterically through a ghost TV show. Anywhere he is is a party, if others are willing for it to be so.

Anyway, we're watching this show. We complain about the people on there who use "UFO" incorrectly, not realizing/remembering that "UFO" means "unidentified flying object." We make fun of the "big question" - namely, is there life on other planets? Well, yeah. (Reminds me of that horrid Christmas song... "Mary, did you know that your baby boy would someday walk on water?" My answer: "Yes. Now quit singing.") And then we got to some "Even skeptics can't deny this!!!" stuff - in this case, these military men went out to check on a perhaps downed aircraft and found these indentations in a scuffed area, and they were measuring them when they saw this red light that looked exactly like an eye, somehow, and then it started moving through the trees... even my dad admitted it was aliens.

"Okay, look, I can explain this. This alien astronomer was out looking at the stars, and he needed a... pit stop, you know? And he was using a red light so as not to destroy his night vision." (For those who are not amateur astronomy dudes like my dad, every astronomer worth his salt carries a red light to see with, as the light will not destroy the night vision an astronomer needs to see the starts better.)

We then realized why we have all these UFO sightings but no visitations: Earth is merely a pit stop in the way to somewhere else.

Then it got to the part about so-called alien abductions, and I decided it was time for me to go to bed. Last time I watched something like that I couldn't sleep for a week.

My Room

What someone would learn about me, simply by walking into my room:

-I like cats

-my real name

-I'm Mormon

-I like Ireland, or something

-I really like books, especially fantasy (Terry Pratchett, Brian Jacques, Brandon Sanderson, Diana Wynne Jones, Eoin Colfer...)

-I'm proud of my lousy artwork

-I share my room with someone

Questions they would want to ask:

-What is that huge trophy from? (A Mutual activity.)

-Why are you using a red piece of fabric as a curtain, especially when the wallpaper is dark green and blue? (Feng Shui)

-Why are there ducks on the wallpaper? (I have no idea.)

-What is with that watch being struck by lightning up there? (Long story, involving an art class and a mind that thinks differently than most people's.)

-Have you really read all of these books? (Yes. Well, most of them. I've bought around 30 in the past few months, and many I haven't gotten around to. But most of them I have.)

Sometimes, I Don't Want to Know...

But then an other man appeared and said "Hey guys, what's goin' on?"
And they all said, "Shut up, Devon."
"And he was all like," Rats. But then he "said, Timer eat Mary-l"
But then James spun him around in his swivel chair and he got dizzy and Devin bought him(self) a house and had two beautiful children, Nathaniel and Superfly.
Butt then the sqwerl team a peard and et Devin and Mariel laughed ha ha. And James et a chrunchy dill. and there was much rejoicing yay.
And a giant mutant monster skunk stepped on the building and said "Oops."
And then, Voldemort zapped he.
And then, Voldemort zapped I.
And then, Harry Potter fainted.
And then, and they day. Day?
die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die, "said Voldemort."
Then Chameleon Guy gave Voldemort a Super Shmack and kronked him over the head with a Sugar Shake.
"Rats," said voldemort tom riddle.
Then Mariel, James, Abby, Cake, Carry, Kari, Chameleon Guy, Voldemort, and Vince the giant mutant monster skunk all did the can-can. Then all those guys except Voldemort teamed up and repeatedly smacked Voldemort with billy clubs.
And then, came the guy who goes ,"Eh heh he" and et a man who wasn't a man he was a dill. Pickle.
And he said, ":)"
And then he said, "Timer EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETT!"
Butt then, SuperBatIncredibileGuy came and kicked some tail. Like Voldemort tail. He doesn't need a tail to get it kicked, Cheley Belly. Oh m' bellay.
Said the sour kangro.l
And from now on, know what I'l going to do? I'll protect my country. and liberty and stuff, you know.
But then what happened? uh... dang, what did happen? Ema readed Voldemort's palm. His palm said, 'raspberry. You know, the tongue raspberry.
So, Alan... Wright? No, it's Matthew Wright. Well, what's Alan's name then? Alen's's's's's name is funkydunk. No it's not Melissa back off. Alan... couldn't be Turner. NOt Austen. umm... what was it? I named he, I should know. Melissa, did you read the story he was in? That I rote? ummmmmmmmmmm........ maybe......... what's it about ? Orphanages and people who are like you and are sisters of Alans. orphaNEGes........ I read it ................. go look it up. why??????? so go on. So anyway? The super squishy squish moblie was like "hey guys, lets go get some pixzza. bytheway john the x's is be silenced and stuff.
Then Maryl was like, "We're all goingto die if we don't get sommat twa et. How bout a bout with the itlyane scalyane? that's is not excepible. so toyla maked a trampolene witha piece of sting waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Timer EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!! Grumio:Are they ready?
Verminard: (exaperated)they are
Grumio:Send them in!
(the next peoples to talk are a random assortment of girls who are forced to flirt with Micheal. poor them. losers hah hah hah. but they actually sound like they ARE flirting with him)
Welcome home Grumio
How now Grumio?
What Grumio.
How now old lad?
Grumio: Welcome you, how now you, what you, and so much for greeting
narrator: now i will skip to a different secne where i actually have a line or two.

Grumio:fie fie. of all tired jades, was ever a man beaten, was ever a man so weary.something about a fire. holla ho curtis.
Curtis: who is it that calls so coldly?
Grumio:(puts curtis in a head lock) a piece of ice. something about a heel. and therefore fire good curtis.
(man enters with wood)
Man: something about the whereabouts of my master?
Grumio: blah blah blah. and therefore fire! (verminard enters with pail of water, knocks into the man with wood, the wood gets drenched)
Grumio: Cast on no water!
narrator: there is a bunch of stuff and we will enter back in during one of Grumio's lectures.
Grumio:....Whose hand, she being now at hand, you will feel to the cold comfort in this hot office? (about to smite curtis' head off)
Sarai!!!!!!!!!!!: I prithee, good Grumio, tell me, how goes the world?
Danny or Dani?I prefer Dani. mebbe Dany?naw, danny or dani. pittle ittle twa the little tea pot short and beanlike, just like Ed!!!(by the way, john danny wrote that) Ed ed bo bed banana fanna fo fed me my mo med Ed! Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhh and evil swacer is here to suck tyler's sole out through his left elbow!!!!! a Safari? let's click it!

I found this while cleaning out files today. I think Patsy wrote most of it, and Random helped.