Back

Figures. I come back from a holiday in worse shape than I left. Pulled muscles in my leg, cut my heel bad on a lava rock and my back is a wreck. Otherwise, I'm pretty rested. I'm ready to get back to editing and writing.

So I opened my WMRR document yesterday and realized I haven't touched it in about a month. That's no good. I have good starts to three chapters, which is both a plus and a negative. While I have a lot of it done, I lose the level of flow I might have had before. I'm planning on having these done in the next few weeks here so I can finally get to the official halfway mark (at least in my outline).

Had my end of the year interview for fiction writing. Came out of the course all right considering how busy I was this term and how difficult last term was being sick most of the time. I learned that I have great settings and scenarios, but need to work on tension, effect and impact. My prof called my work "timeless" in that it seems to exist out of any set time. It just runs in a loop. At any rate, I've got a lot to work on this summer. I also need to think of a novel I want to write for manuscript writing and start WRITING it. I could use WMRR, but I don't know if it would be accepted since it technically IS science fiction. The prof for the course does not want "genre fiction", though I'd like to think that WMRR is more about the characters rather than the genre.

Until I find a job, I'll be working on WMRR and editing pretty much full time. The editing will get me to the end of May/beginning of June. I also have to begin planning my Europe trip next year, finish my Dungeon Keeper video series and think about my next video series. I want to do Dead Space on hard (though I haven't finished it on normal yet), Dungeon Siege on Veteran (but I need to play through the game one more time for that), Fire Emblem (which I'm not sure will work well), Half Life on hard (already have some of this recorded, but I may start over) or Overlord (since I already started a walkthrough of that and never finished...). I also need to decide if I want to do text or voice commentary. People really seemed to like my test video of Dead Space with voice commentary. I think it'll depend on the game.

So though I don't have a job, I have tons to work on, which is nice because I can't handle sitting around and doing nothing. This is probably why I tried to do too much at the end of last term. Guess I better get cracking. Four months is not a long time.

Productivi---wait...

I think I had something important to say, but I've long forgotten it.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/websites_stop

I probably fall under category five...though it's not quite accurate. I think you have to be somewhat popular (or under the impression that you're popular) for that to work. This blog isn't intended to inflate my ego though...it's suppose to keep me on track and record PROGRESS. I'd put stars and fireworks and magical rainbows and unicorns around "PROGRESS", but I ran out.

SO LET'S INFLATE MY EGO

April 27th, I will be participating in a reading with my classmates and other students from the creative writing department. I am advertising here because I'm delusional, but also in the hopes that I can fill another few seats. The event starts at 5pm in the John Dutton Theatre at the Public Library Downtown. So come and join us to listen to the work of people infinitely more talented than myself. That or you're welcome to come heckle me. I'll be the awkward one...probably wearing a brown fedora.

Also, this is where research for one of my papers has led me:

http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2007/03/top_15_unintent.html

Number 12 demonstrates why I hate the Fantastic Four comics/why I find them creepy. I also have Venture Bros to thank for this.

http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=888

These sites have nothing to do with my topic. I can't even remember what I was searching for.

I also have some research to do for the upcoming election. I'm irritated that we're voting AGAIN, so I'm going to figure out what all their platforms are, why I hate each party and other relevant information to deduce who I will vote for. I think I might even post this on my other blog as a rant...because that's all I do on my other blog.

Also, Art Spiegelman is in town this week. Yay.

Republic of Thieves

Is supposed to be released tomorrow. Then in Can Lit today (yes I do pay attention...this just required my immediate attention due to my hapless fangirl status) I found out that the release date might actually be in October/November. Why Mr. Lynch? Why do you torture me so? I mean, you're not as bad as R.R. Martin (which I haven't read yet...please don't shoot me it's on the list), but honestly. I can't handle the fake outs. I was looking forward to not being able to get my 20 page research essay done because I would be too invested in reading the third book of the Gentleman Bastard Sequence.

But the Chapters site still says March 9, 2011. I have hope. Seriously though, I almost cried when I saw October/November. Watery-eyed and everything. Though, that may be the dryness. I will cry for real if I don't have the book in my hands by the end of the week.

Though reading about criminal transportation in the Atlantic is most fascinating. I will keep telling myself that until the paper is done.

(I jest, I'm actually interested in the topic)

In other news, survived my latest critique. I have to admit, it was the best one I've had since the penny story. Tons of jokes. Thanks my fellow classmates. You're contributions were useful and hilarious.

Also have a new idea for a story, though, I don't think I can use it for my final submission. It'll be too long. I am excited for writing and thinking about it though. When I have a paper due.

DAMN IT.

First String Cheese...

Now lava lamps. I swear after all these late-night adventures involving papers and other assignments at school, I have tons of observations of my lava lamp to write about. I have an old lava lamp sitting on the dresser next to my desk and I turn it on (along with two lamps and a string of these "flower lights") whenever I am in my room for prolonged periods of time. I hate having the main roof light on because they're old incandescent bulbs and they bathe everything in this nasty orange light. With the other lights I at least have a little bit of atmosphere and ambiance. I can't actually focus of write without proper lighting. I also can't function properly if there are people outside my door. If I can hear them, it bothers me and all work comes to a halt no matter how much I'm invested in it. I also only write to certain types of music. Classical, symphonic metal, alternative, movie soundtrack and other upbeat and exciting tunes are easiest to write to. I have two compilations, both over thirty minutes long that have saved me countless times in the past writing. Silence helps sometimes, but only what I have to focus every ounce of my energy and attention on something. Otherwise, music gives me a certain rhythm to my work that I don't get otherwise. I can't work to most songs with lyrics, death metal, power metal, rap, or catchy songs (mostly because I start singing along). Lastly I usually need something to drink (preferably a caffeinated tea) and a small snack (like chips of chocolate or microwave popcorn). I don't end up eating or drinking a lot, but it's good to have it there.

In terms of my distraction and overall lack of an ability to focus, I have determined the cycles of my lava lamp. The first stage involves the heating of a cold, boring wax. The heating mechanism at the bottom (which turns out to be just a coil of metal that heats up because of the light and thus heats the wax) makes the base of the wax glow ominously, giving off limited light. The wax heats on the bottom faster than on the top obviously, so at a certain point the hot, warm wax begins to rise, applying pressure to the cooler wax above. At the proper ratio of heat distribution, the cooler wax will shift and the warm wax will release into what I call "lava lamp puke". The lava lamp literally looks like it is spewing out its innards and strings of wax shoot upwards into intricate designs and structures. Eventually bits of wax will lower and fall down, but for the time being this structure remains. This gives the wax below time to begin heating. Once the bottom has begun to heat, the structure crumbles and collapses and begins to reheat with the rest of the wax at the bottom. At this point the lava lamp enters its most functional stage. The wax rises and falls at regular intervals in smaller balls, creating the image of what most people picture when they think of lava lamps. Over time the wax heats hotter and hotter and the wax begins to stick to the top where the surface of the liquid is. At this point the wax forms into larger balls. Most of the time, a large ball begins to float, rotating near the bottom as hot liquid rises on the one side. This is the planetary stage, due to it's resemblance to planetary rotation (with the bottom being a make-shift "sun"). This rotation is increased with the release of wax bubbles (which look similar to yellow snot). These bubbles have little wax content and occur when air becomes trapped in the lava lamp (which is much the case with mine for it is old and some of the water content has evaporated). Gradually the mass at the top consumes the smaller globs of wax until eventually it devours 95% of the wax. I have dubbed this final stage of lava lamp development the "Lavapocalypse". Occationally the mass will cool enough for the globular beast to fall back towards the heat source, but the heat of the wax will reunite it with the mass at the top. At this point the lava lamp has reached the point of not functioning. To return the lamp to its natural state requires cooling. The entire processes takes about five to six hours.

I fixed a giant plot hole in chapter 8 that I discovered much to my dismay on the train two days ago while listening to some music and gazing out the window trying to ignore how cold it was and the awkward smell radiating off of the person next to me. It wasn't a BO smell, it was more like some sort of spice mixed with apple juice and wet, mouldy fabric. At any rate, I have fixed it and improved upon the dialogue at one of the most pivotal points in the narrative. I also made the situation a lot more dire and tense for one of my characters. Poor Myra.

I began imagining more of the ending as well. I hope this will be as fun to write as it is to think up. I want to be able to put the care and devotion I have for WMRR and put it into other writing projects of mine, including a novella I have in the works for my Fiction Writing II class. I want to be able to get better marks and improve in areas I am lacking. I am super jealous of one of my classmates for getting A's on all aspects of his story and the recommendation to submit. I'm also super proud of him for doing so well. His story was the only one that has actually made me cry in this class. Considering what we write about (with so much sex, violence and emotion), that's quite the accomplishment. Good on you sir. Hat's off to you.

I suppose I should return to writing about Henry VIII, Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation in England now. I managed 1000 words in 15minutes in this post alone. Why the hell can't I do that with a paper? I'd literally be done in 45mins. FML.