Thursday, January 26, 2006

A lovely trip to DC!

Last year, just after I started my job, I went on a work-related trip to Washington, DC. While I was there, I met up with someone from a site I frequent and we had a really great time. She lives there, and was able to show me around, which allowed me to experience the city in a much better way than if I had just been going around all by myself.

Also while in DC, I went to a conference for the Food Research Action Center (FRAC). The conference was amazing, and I really feel like I learned a lot. I also met many people who also work for food banks, in their policy departments, and learned about their jobs and what it means to lobby for hunger awareness and support for hunger relief programs. And then we actually did lobby for hunger awareness and support for hunger relief programs. It was incredible.

Well, anyway, I just found out that I'm going again. I can't wait to go back to DC and experience everything again. Oh, and when I was there last time, it snowed. I had never seen real snow before, only the little flurries mixed with sleet and rain that we get down here. I really had to control myself, because all I wanted to do was throw snowballs and make snow angels. But that wouldn't have been very professional. I can just see me lying in the snow in my business suit, and then getting up, brushing the snow off, and going into the Senate office building. Quite a picture, lol.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it and I just had to share.

In other news, Rhea is going to start working on my Web site this weekend. I'm so excited about how it's going to turn out. And I don't usually get into things that are too personal and involve someone else, but I have to say this. I've been seeing someone. It's going really well so far. And that's all you get, so don't ask! :P

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

It is finished...

The query is finished. The synopsis is finished. I will pray over them, put them in an envelope, and send them away tomorrow.

I have never been more nervous about anything in my life. Not even the first time I had to sing onstage in front of hundreds of people. Not even when I had a solo in the "Best of Gershwin" show my high school ensemble sang at Disney World. (I really miss performing, must get back to that somehow) But back to the subject at hand, never have I been this afraid, or this excited. I can't wait to see what happens. Even if I get a rejection, it's so great to make it to this point. Did I mention I'm excited about this??

Okay, enough gushing. Time to write some more.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Defying Gravity

Lately I've felt like this could be my theme song. I always have a couple of songs that can pretty much define my life, and this is the one for this time. Not only is it sung with the most incredible power and style (on the Wicked soundtrack) and performed with flair and some absolutely breathtaking choreography and stage "special effects" in the play, but the lyrics really speak to me right now. Here they are:

Defying Gravity (from the Broadway show, Wicked)

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!
It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

I'm through accepting limits
'Cuz someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down

So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately:
"Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am
Defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

All night long..

I'll bet that title got everyone's attention! But it's not as exciting as you think. I just spent, literally, 4 hours writing my query letter. Then, I read my synopsis and decided it was complete crap, so I'm going to rewrite it tomorrow. And I can't find the paper I was going to use, so now I have to go buy some. So it looks like it'll be Friday before the query goes out, which isn't too far off the goal I set for myself, so it's still okay.

The headache continues. It lasted all day today and still hasn't gone away. Maybe it will after a good night's sleep. I hope it does.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

70 degrees in January

Someone needs to tell the weather that we're supposed to be having WINTER right now...

I can't believe how warm it was today. This morning the fog was awful. Traffic was going 20 on the interstate, especially on the bridge. But once I finally got to work (glad I left early this morning, or I would have been late) it was actually a pretty good day. I feel like I got a lot accomplished, which is good. I was supposed to go to my first writer's guild meeting tonight, but a really terrible headache at 5 made me want to go straight home. So that's what I did.

Due to the headache, I only got a few hundred words written. I promptly deleted them, though, because they were crap. Oh well, I'll start fresh tomorrow. I did get some editing done on Summer's Blossom. I was actually planning to write the query letter tonight, but I think that will wait until tomorrow. I'm tired and it's almost time for The Daily Show. Hopefully I'll have a better progress report tomorrow.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Things are looking up

Well, I spent some time writing tonight and managed to do really well! I'm still not sure who the killer is, but I'm sure he/she will reveal him/her self at some point. Hopefully soon! If not, I'll just work on another project until the muse strikes again. I have to stop making excuses for myself and JUST WRITE. That's the point of the goal, the point of National Novel Writing Year, and the thing that will let me know if I really have what it takes to be a writer.

I feel more compelled to write than ever before. I can't wait to see what happens with this story, and the others I plan to work on this year.

Well, it's time to go edit for a few minutes before bed. Tomorrow I am attending my first local writers guild meeting. I'm so excited about meeting other local writers. Actually, I almost feel like a kid on her first day of school. I hope they like me!

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Already behind

Only one week into the new year and I'm already behind on my 250K words. I should have a little over 5,000 words by right now and I have 1300. And the worst part of it is, the killer in my mystery story has decided he's not the killer. So I have a corpse, but no culprit. This is turning out to be much harder than I thought it would be. So tomorrow I'll catch up.

Work has been crazy lately. End of year stuff, then beginning of year stuff. And we starting working heavily on our annual fundraiser, which is totally my responsibility this year. I'm nervous but excited about that. The good news is, my raise ended up being better than I thought it would be, and now I actually have enough money to find a new place, if there is a place to be found. I almost wish I could buy a lot that is within walking distance from my office, so I don't have to drive anymore. I'm soooo sick of the hour commute there and back again. Two hours a day in a car is not my idea of fun. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow I will have something positive to report about the wordcount situation.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

stupid tropical storms

yep, it's still out there. It won't affect any land, but still. Did someone forget to give these storms a calendar? Helloooooo... Hurricane season is over.... I guess they don't care.

I'm thinking of going on a cruise in 2006. There are several options, but the one that is most interesting to me so far is a writers cruise in late November, just after Thanksgiving. There's a writers conference right there on the boat! I just think that would be so great. There are other options for vacation, but I think this is the best one. Rhea is probably going back to LA with some other friends, so I'll probably end up taking my vacation alone this year. But I think that's exactly what I need.

Anyway, I'm getting tired, so I'm going to stop now. Nothing really interesting happened today anyway. Nothing to report. Except that I wrote a little today. Not much, but some.

Monday, January 02, 2006

The New Year

Hmmmm.... The first two days of the new year were very much like the last few days of the old one. (okay, I need to use that as a first sentence for something)

Today's good news is that I managed to get some cleaning and some laundry done. Also, my mom and I had a great time this afternoon watching episodes of Scrubs from my DVD sets. I can't wait until season 3 comes out. Such a funny show... I hate that I lost track of it. I absolutely plan to pick it back up when it starts this month, though. I can't wait to see what's going on now.

As for the writing, which I'm sure everyone is curious about, yesterday I managed 935 words, which was over my daily goal of 685 words. Today I didn't write any, but that's because I was busy watching Scrubs. yeah, that's a good excuse. I'll catch up tomorrow, though. I don't have any big plans tomorrow night, so I can write a lot. Hopefully.

Okay, this is totally off topic, but I just saw an advertisement for a new movie that had shots of someone with a chainsaw coming toward a guy in a chair. I'll pass on that one, thanks. I try to avoid movies that have guys with chainsaws at all costs. yuck.

Okay, sorry about that commercial break. I was just really disturbed by that ad. So tomorrow is the first day of work for the new year. I have now officially been at my job for a year. Oddly, it only feels like a few months. But I still love it and can't wait to see what this year will bring. Although it's not a good sign that there's a tropical storm out there... in January... (is it still out there?) I'm certain it won't come see us, but still. Talk about overkill.

Anyway, it's getting late and The Colbert Report is almost over, which means it's almost time for bed. Bye!