Friday Five

1. This has been an odd week. I was kind of down and unproductive the first few days, and I imagine it had something to do with the emotional rollercoaster of last week. I'm mostly recovered from it now, plowing along on my current WIP and query for Ghost Light.

2. I read David Levithan's Every Day last weekend, which is a novel about a character who wakes up in a different body everyday. A exists an independent self, without gender or physical form. The book was fascinating, particularly because it was a quiet book with a loud premise, at its core it's about self-discovery and romance, and yet it touches on so many other things. The one issue I had with it was a personal one--because A begins the novel as a male, in a heteronormative relationship, I had a harder time not thinking of zir as male later on. I'm wondering if it would have changed if ze had started the novel female and then met the love interest. The audiobook is narrated by a female, so I'm going to check that out and see if it changes my perspective. Also, Levithan didn't take the chance to explore gender-neutral language, and I wish he had.

3. In my sci-fi fantasy class, we've been encountering a lot of diaster novels, be it aliens landing or dystopian societies that are recognizable deteriorations of our society. These freak me out. Not just because with my disability I'd pretty much be dead the second running became the only way to survive. No, I'm just a total princess. If there's a world that doesn't have running water, or books, or buses.... Forget it. I'd be miserable on top of screwed. Do not want.

4. Speaking of dystopians, I also read the final book in the Giver quartet. I didn't hate it the way I did the third book, but it doesn't have the power of The Giver or Gathering Blue. Both of those have standalone power. They don't HAVE to be considered as part of the same story, and they have their own themes and ideas. I don't think Son managed that in quite the same way.

5. This has spoilers for the end of Doctor Who Season Seven. It will make you cry. But it is beautiful.

 

Friday Five!

1. Last weekend was President's Day weekend. On Valentine's day, I ordered the complete set of Slings and Arrows--the funniest Canadian show about Shakespeare ever--to keep me company over the weekend. I have Amazon Prime, so this shouldn't have been an issue.

Except, I still don't have my DVDs. World, what is wrong with you? (They've shipped, finally, but are in transit)

2. I'm working on a paper about The Chocolate War and My Sister's Keeper for my Contemporary YA Realism class. One of the critics I'm referencing has the last name Trites, and I keep typing Tripes, which is not an acceptable substitute for the woman's actual name, but is very amusing when you type phrases like, "According to Tripes, the power in the novel...."

3. Grey's Anatomy did ALL THE BREAKING of my heart last night with the current Alzheimer's storyline. The only thing that made up for it was Zola's hair. That baby, I swear.

4. I just commented on someone's photo of their one-year-old, who had on a monkey hat similar (NOT IDENTICAL) to my Henry. I'm not sure how I feel about this, and am choosing to believe the one-year-old and I share a fabulous sense of style and whimsy that is not affected by age.

5. I'm kind of frustrated with my current writing project, guys. It's a rewrite of my 2006 NaNo, which I last looked at in 2009 before I started this program. It's a story I really want to tell, but for reasons I don't know, getting into the swing of telling it hasn't been easy. What do you do when you need motivation on a project?

Emulation

Growing up I used to say that if I could write a book like Ella Enchanted I would be happy. Now I still love the book and audiobook, but I don't write fantasy. The goal is there, to be able to craft language in that way, but the world building isn't me. It's funny when you look at my bookshelves; I read so much fantasy and historical fiction, but I write neither.

Rereading I Capture The Castle, I think my goal has shifted. To write with the elegant grasp on prose that Dodie Smith grasps in a timeless novel that way.... well it would be amazing. I'm not sure I will ever get there, nor be able to create a scene like that magical Midsummer's Eve that Cassandra spends with Simon, but it would be amazing.

I spent this morning lying in bed reading the book; not unlike the first time I read it lying in the hotel room at the Hilton Orly in Paris. Now the book is coupled with a longing for London that every glimpse of the city in media gives me, but also a longing for love. Though Cassandra does not end up in the happily married way of Eliza Bennett, she gets love, and magic, and beauty. This summer, when so much is on the cusp, even the yellow light of my bedroom against the pink of my quilt seemed anticipatory. Funny how that can be in a moment of doing nothing.

Well, time to go get lunch. I think we're getting sushi, last-meal style before tomorrow's surgery. This moment is odd.... Today I can move freely and tomorrow I won't be able to. Still, a month from now a lot will as  be better. Or, hopefully.

I'm fighting pessimism a little, because it is rare that things go just as planned, and my mother's worries seep into my conscious. The hope of youth, though, is everlasting and...

After the surgery on my right foot at a later date there will be boots and Converse hightops calling my name!!!!!

Novels...

NaNoWriMo is not happening this year. Just not. But I don't want to give up a writing expedition in November. So I'm planning on doing serious rewrites on one of my novels written previously. But I can't pick which, so that's where you all come in. 

Here are the choices:

Song of the Lark-- In a society where class gaps have grown significantly three teenagers and one little boy escape from the house where they are enslaved. The mastermind, Caileigh, leaves behind her lover and his jealous fiancée Elaine. In a race to stay hidden they have to put aside differences and band together. Unfortunately Elaine intercepts a missive Caieigh sends to her lover, Aiden, leaving all four in danger.

Broadway Lullaby-- Casey Marlow got sent to live with her mom and stepfamily after her first film "Moonlight" was filmed. Her parents want her to finish high school normally, but what is normal in her family? It's definitely not when her eleven-year-old brother Dylan, who has Autism, disappears. She, her evil stepbrother and their friends try to circumvent the police to find him--after all Casey knows Dylan better than anyone, but is that enough? 

untitled-- Tessa's kingdom has a tradition. One eligible maiden is sent to the neighboring kingdom every year under the guise of keeping up communication, but really in the hopes of a marriage. WHen her sister runs away upon being chosen, Tessa must go. But what kingdom will accept a could-be-queen whose legs don't even work properly? 

The Ella Trilogy-- Ella's parents died. In fact, most of the adults in her world died of a Pandemic (secretly designed by the government) that only affects adults. In children it causes odd side effects, side effects such as time travel. It was Ella's father who discovered that this talent could be used to find the cure. Now, years later, his daughter is part of the resistance. Gallivanting across time, however, does not spare her the emotional hardship of being a teenager.

 

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A meme, some pictures and a request

So, with the yarn I have right now, I only need five more balls of Kureyon to finish. That scares me and excites me all at the same time. I want to order the next five online as soon as I finish the ones I have, and i will be able to do so if my mother permits or if the credit card I applied for arrives soon. But with Europe in the works we have zero dollars.

I get that, I promise, but it's SO annoying! I want stuff! Like, I put a few cookbooks on my amazon wishlist today for next year, but can't get them now. Can't get yarn. Can't get theWaterproof Housing for iPod I want. Can barely get my book for the swap (but tis a necessity!). It's annoying. I'm used to us being fairly able to afford things minimally, every once in a while something, you know? This is vaguely ridiculous, but will be nice in Europe I suppose.

On another note, I'm nearly done with the rewrites on my novel, and I really need someone dependable who's a fairly quick reader to look at it. Would anyone be interested? Someone who'd be interested in working with me on this and maybe future things? It's a YA novel.... Comment me if you're interested!

Oh! I got my hair cut yesterday:


It's my first time having any kind of bangs, ever, and I reallyreally like it!

Yesterday I finished a LR square, in 215. i have 184 on the needles, own 183 and bought one yesterday.... I don't know the colorway, it's dark brown with some reds in it. Pretty. My square is prettiful too, but my camera is dead and I'm to lazy to go get batteries :D

Looking at other people's Lizard Ridges, I feel like I could just keep going forever, but I'm also excited about the prospect of having it DONE! I'm probably going to order from Yarnmarket, because they have good colorways for $8.35. I'm pretty sure it's going to be: 194, (because of this square), 40, 214, 164 and one other but I'm not on the computer that has my basket. I think it was 207. I really like the new Kureyon colorways. At the same time, I see all the gorgeous ones they have and go: "I could make another row.... or another blanket to donate to Afghans for Afghans as done here"

But then again, I'm ready to move on, and whilst I plan on donating to charity with my knitting through the club I want to form, it'll probably be baby hats. It's time to move on, and stop judging yarn stores by their Noro Kureyon stock....

Had Starbucks with my friend Seppy today. Was très excited that a lightly blended Javachip w/o whip is only three points on Weightwatchers I realized that my friends and I are starting to branch out, and won't be home all summer any more. I definitely don't want to be next year, although it is nice.

Anyway, a meme from Gabrielle and a reminder to sign-up for the Bookswap!

4 jobs I have had in my life:

1. Babysitting my mom's co-worker's kids. It was my first real babysitting job. Carl was eleven and severely ADHD, never shut up but we talked about Harry Potter. His sister was a strange duck, eight, too smart for her breaches (oh, I'm not southern. noooo) but over all a nice kid.

2. Receptionisting at my mom's work. Not official, I had nothing better to do because I had a broken knee.

3. Calling alums for money at the school Phone-a-thon

4. Haven't actually done it yet, but speaking at a few conferences about the whole disability. I mean, I've done break out sessions, but I'm the closing speaker at two this summer.

4 films I can watch again and again:

1. A Very Long Engagement
--I love it. I relate to the main character sooo much
2.A League of Their Own
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Widescreen Edition)
4. Rent

4 places I have lived:

1. Pensacola
2. Tallahassee from the ages of 5-7
3. Pensacola again
4. Atlanta

We moved house a lot the last time in Pensacola, and it was quite different from my first five years; promise.

4 TV series I watch:1. Grey's Anatomy
2. House
3. Gilmore Girls
4. I guess.... Nothing, really
4 places I have been on holiday:

1. Orlando (many times)
2. Chicago (with my mom for a few days)
3. Willmington, Delaware (where my grandparents live)
4. New York City

4 things I do every time I am on the Net:

1. Check email
2. Read blogs
3. Go on Facebook
4. Read Livejournal

4 things I would NOT eat for anything in the world:

1. Bugs
2. Pasta that's not lo mien. Don't ask. Just picky.
3. Raw meet
4. anything that makes me gag

4 places I would love to be right now:

1. Back at school
2. Europe
3. With my friends
4. Somewhere exciting

4 people I tag, if they have not been tagged already:

eusebius
Erin
Jessica
wierdlings

okay, that's it. and let me know if anyone wants to do the read the manuscript thing