chassit

Highlights of yesterday:

- peaceful highway
- seeing Lansing Skyscrapers
- signing in
- getting a sign
- getting a clipboard to help people sign in
- "Semper Fi"
- "Here's my card."
- 1950's styled diner
- Hippie Hash
- "Your reaction to that was awesome."

Downpoints of yesterday:

- Waking up really early
- "I'm supposed to feel my toes, right?"
- "Grandpa's in the hospital, but he should be out tomorrow."

Will say more tomorrow. Won't be terribly good at writing about it right now.

This is the end of a decade? Really? I can remember when 1999 turned into 2000. I remember being confused as to why this was such a big deal, then thinking it was pretty cool when it was explained to me.

Resolutions? Oh man.

1: Write more.
2: Read more.
3: Walk the dog and bike ride every day it's nice out.
4: Remember to eat. That was a bad thing I did last year - forgetting to eat.
5: Help grandma out more.

Uuugh, what else? I'll probably think of something else. But right now those seem to be good resolutions.

Yesterday I ended up helping an old lady with her groceries. She looked tired, so I put them on the counter for her, and she said thanks. We were in a Family Dollar (I'm trying to get mom to be thrifty) and Mom and I went to the car, and put our two or three bags in the back. After that, I took the cart and put it inside the store, since leaving carts right out in the middle of the parking lot annoys me. I saw the lady had had her stuff bagged, but not in the cart, so I put it in the cart for her. At which point she declared that she had to give me a tip, to my protests. I went to the car with her (it was right next to Mom's) and helped her put the bags in the backseat. So, I felt a little guilty still, but I knew better than to try to change her mind. My experiences with Grandma have taught me this.

So, on Thursday, a couple of friends I haven't seen in a while took me and Mom out to go bowling. A lot of people were there, and it was fun! I sucked. But it was fun. Mom said not to worry, since it'd been the fourth or fifth time I'd gone bowling.

Only a few hours and it'll be 2011. What'll happen this year?

Every day it seems like it gets darker. I know why it is, and I know that it'll lighten up eventually, but it's lazy and depressing weather. It's finally started to actually snow - not a lot, and it doesn't stay on the ground for long, but maybe we'll get a White Christmas. I'd like that.

I'll probably do the Christmas Meme - I'll always feel a little guilty/shy when I do that, though. I know it's silly, other people do it without batting an eye, but I don't know if I'll be able to get other people presents.

I've felt kind of stalled with my writing, but I've started trying to get back into it. It's not a lot, and it's nowhere near the stuff I wrote on NaNoWriMo, but dammit, I'm working on it. I guess it's just showing that Writers are lazy creatures and that we're as easily distracted as a butterfly with ADHD.

I've been sleeping at odd hours, but... well, I don't have a job, so it's not as horribly inconveniencing as it could be.

Could be worse. But I'm starting to get a bit of cabin fever. Mom's going to a union meeting tomorrow, so I'll tag along and probably bring a book and read. Dresden will probably get left at home, since it's winter and getting colder out.

I've been playing Echo Bazaar. It's excellent and engrossing.

Where I'm at, it's Thanksgiving. So here's my post for it.

I'm thankful for my family who is the best, who accept me for who I am, who accept my friends, who support me and my Mom and family. I'm thankful for my friends who love me and talk to me at stupid o' clock in the morning, who help me write and help me feel better when the walls are closing in. I'm thankful for my home and my computer and all my books and iPod, and I know that my life is pretty damn awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Aaand it's nearing WriMo time. I'm writing a sequel to my first WriMo novel, and I think it'll be a bit better than the first one. I can expand the world a little, and there'll be more characters, since it won't be the road-trip novel the first one was. As well, it'll be a kinda snark/deconstruction of horror movies - basically the stuff that makes you go "Seriously WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT, DON'T BE AN IDIOT" and the whole "I can see ghosts!" once an episode.

I'm considering getting some caffeine products from ThinkGeek, since I might have some spare cash soon, and this time I'm actually free to go nuts this month.

I'm also starting to think I have season-affected moods, since it's autumn and getting darker faster, and soon it'll be so that we don't see the sun for a few months, like Alaska.

Anyway. I'm checking out the fourums, and already I feel... I don't know. Uncreative. Gah. Maybe it's just the depression...

Oh well. I don't know.

ZOMBIE PROM TONIGHT ZOMBIE PROM TONIGHT.

... uh well. I've known about it for a few weeks, and it's for teenagers and stuff, and essentially it's what it sounds like. Needless to say, I have a dress I tore up, makeup, and fun stuff like that. I AM EXCITED. There are going to be prizes for stuff like best costume and eeee. There'll be a DJ and snacks and drinks.

The library holding it is AWESOME. I'm excited! There will be a post about what happens later. Possibly pictures!

I got the guts to post a fic-let on a comm! And the person liked it! alkdfj!! I did it!

I might try some other things. Maybe. But still! This is a huge step for me!

Okay, another one I've written. Trigger warning - domestic violence, not written about in detail, but still. Leverage, Parker, she knows love isn't supposed to feel like this.

More, hopefully cheerful/funny ones tomorrow. I'm going to start getting loopy if I keep writing at this time of night.

So! Tonight was awesome.

At the library they were having a "Hunger Games Night" thing. Now, for people that haven't heard of the books, they're a series a bit like Battle Royale. In this post-apocalyptic North America, named Pandem, there are Districts, and the way the government keeps people in line is by taking two kids from each District and making them battle to the death, on TV. A lot like Battle Royale, kinda.

Anyway, I'd heard about the books, but I hadn't read them yet. I was like "Should I even go if I haven't read them, or will I just stick out and be annoying or a poser?" for a couple of days, when I finally came out with the idea of returning a couple of CDs I'd taken from the library when I went, and 'discovering' that it was going on. ... I'm neurotic shuttup.

I went in and saw it going on - I asked a lady if it was only for people that had read the books, and she gave me a 'no' answer, and a punch card so I could go to the districts and learn stuff. One was knot tying, one was 'archery' (a nerf bow and arrow), one was filtering water, one was making a tiny bow and arrow and a 'symbolic arrow' which is neat. There was also an area where you had to tell a guy which plants were safe to eat and which were poisonous.

Apparently only one other person had gotten them all right. There were a few plants, and apparently only four were safe to eat. A couple I instantly knew as poisonous.

I looked at them, and I finally picked "Lotus, Cattail, Thistle, Agave." I remembered one person on my flist mentioning lotus paste, and I seriously hoped they were being literal. Fortunately? I got them all right. One of two people. I felt really smart and kind of bragged a little, I guess.

When I was making the 'symbolic arrow', this one girl struck up a conversation with me, and she told me "Just between you and me, there is no district thirteen. But if there was, it'd be underground." I grinned and said thanks, but I didn't manage to go to it in time. She told me that she told me because I was nice. I felt all warm and fuzzy.

The games started, and basically what went on was - There were a bunch of chairs in a circle, and you were given a card with your name on it and a skill. I can't remember the name I got, but I got 'Strategizing.' and figured that'd be pretty good. Some people got 'archery', one person got 'camoflauge', stuff like that.

There was also a big cornuocopia in the middle of the circle, and there was stuff in it. These were also cards - basically it could say 'sword', 'needle and thread', 'tarp', stuff like that. There was also, however, 'instant death', which meant you had to leave the game and be in the audience. The winner of the games would get a prize. And to throw a wrench in the works, there were 'the gamemakers' who could say "There's been a harsh, cold wind and anybody that can't p. otect themselves dies." or "There is an avalanche." and stuff like that.

The GM had a spinner, and you had to walk as many steps as the spinner said to another chair. If there was no one in front of the chair, you could sit and be safe. If there was, you'd have to 'fight' them. If you had immunity, you instantly won, which is how I saved my ass a couple of times.

I had one girl step in front of me, and her skill was 'strength.' She said "Uh.... I could hit her in the head really really hard?" and I said "I have strategy. I could see her weaknesses and use them to my advantage." I was about to quote The Art of War, but the GMs agreed that I won (plus they didn't like the girl using 'really' twice, but she handled it well). I didn't end up being the last chick standing, but they had prizes left over and said that if people got trivia right, they could get prizes. One of the GMs said that he thought people that won the plants section should win.

... So I got a free book, I had a great night, and it was free! Plus I walked out feeling kind of smart.

I had a good night.

So I haven't used this in a while, yeah, that's kind of sad. But I guess I don't have a lot to talk about.

Basically my life has consisted of walking the dog, reading, and writing. I'm kind of baffled that I don't have to go to school, although it's kind of nice, really.

I have been keeping a dream journal, but it's harder than it looks, since a lot of the time it seems like two stories are going on at the same time. Also, my dream journal on Dream Views hasn't been updated for ages. I really need to do that, but it's been a while. Maybe I'll make two posts in it a day, at the beginning and end, so it's not spammed. Or put two dreams per post.

Also, it's my birthday on the nineteenth. What are y'all getting me?*



*it's a joke, people. i don't seriously expect you to get me presents. although it'd be nice.

I'm kind of tired right now, and I've been suffering allergies for the last few days. This is taking pretty much everything out of me and I've basically just wanted to curl up and stuff. Feeling like I'm about to drown in my own mucus is kinda sucky.

I've also been having trouble with recalling my dreams. It's just - I don't know. It feels like I've been struggling to recall, and I can't really write anything down before I have to let the cat in or the dog in, the cat because it's climbing on the house and the dog because it's barking. Maybe writing down my dreams on paper isn't the right way for me. I had a good job writing it on my iPod, but sometimes the notes would lose them. There's the dream diary app. for my iPod, but that's expensive as apps. go...

Also, I've been really cold when I've been sleeping. The dog and the cats have been actually helping when they hog my bed now.

I'm trying to write more constantly now. I've been stuck in a rut of sorts, and I've decided to just write, dammit. If I have to use plot ninjas to move a plot forward, I will. The first step to becoming a writer is getting the damn words out.

I need to use my journal more. I guess that that's part of the whole 'rut' thing.