Sleep Deprived

((Note: This post was started on Saturday and finished on Monday. I'm too lazy to change everything to the past tense, so you'll just have to read it like a diary.))

I've recently realized that the content and intelligence in my posts has decreased immensely in the last few months. In fact, it seems to correspond with the same time that I got a job... Just saying, I'm tired. But hey, money!

Anyway, I was awake at five this morning to get to work. the nice thing about opening is that the roads are pretty much empty, making it much easier to drive there, and you rarely have a rush early in the morning... Unless it's a week day. Luckily, I normally open on Saturdays. I especially like the four hour shifts, because then I get off at 10:30. That's what I had today. When I got home, I promptly forgot that I had worked at all today, and when my coworker texted me asking if I could take her closing shift, I probably would have accepted had I not been throwing a party tonight. It literally took me about half an hour before remembering that I wouldn't have been able to take the shift even if I was free tonight.

But yeah, party! Now that I'm out of school, I have a lot more time to socialize. That means that I'll get it all crammed in on one day at a party. It's also a chance to see all my school friends, as I probably won't see them again.

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MONDAY

The party was a lot smaller than I expected. Unfortunately, school may be over, but that just means more work. Several of my friends had to work, or had previous plans that couldn't be changed. Fortunately, I still had about five friends able to come. However, the times at which they were available to come were a little scattered. That means there was one person around 12:30 to 3:00, at which time another friend arrived. Since it was just one person an me by 3:00, we just played Zelda. Around 4:00 another person showed up, but she liked Zelda too, so we just kept playing. At some point we switched to playing Apples to Apples, then that just petered out as we started watching youtube videos.

All in all, it was a lot of fun. I learned how to ply Rummy! I might not remember how to play, but it was a lot of fun while I did remember. The only one friend was able to sleep over, and we went to bed around 1:30 in the morning... I was awake for about twenty one hours. Then I was woken up around 9:00, so seven hours of sleep. Let's just say that I went to bed fairly early on Sunday night.

Long Days

As the title suggests, It's been a long few days. If you read my last post, you'll know that my grandma passed away early Tuesday morning. That whole day just felt longer than usual. Today I had to wake up at seven-ish to go work with my mom, and then had an hour break before I had to head off to Starbucks. In total I worked about twelve hours today. But that's okay, because I get money, which means I am closer to my Disneyland trip. (Actually I have all the money I need right now, but I need to save up for school too) And now my internet is being kind of fuzzy. Anyway, I'm tired, so that's just an update on my life, though not much has changed since my last post... which was yesterday.

Gone

This morning I received news that my Grandmother (who I call Farmor) passed away. We're lucky that my dad and I had gone to visit her yesterday. I kind of knew that it would be one of the last times I got to see her. Now I've been trying to come up with words all morning, and nothing is coming. All I can say is that she died months ago, and what we visited was barely more than a shell. I remember when she lived by herself, and was always bustling around to get dinner prepared while she insisted that everyone else sit down and relax. She always aimed to please, and she never failed. I've written poems and stories about her, about how she was so independent, how she moved from Sweden to Canada and raised her four kids almost by herself. But now that she's gone, I find that all inspiration has vanished too. So I'll just end by saying that I'll miss her, but the grieving started the moment she took the downturn in December. She wasn't the Farmor I remember after that.

Done!

Once again I am exulted to be one with one of my semesters at school. This means that I am done with my second year at college, and I'm planning on going to university next school year. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get into the program I want at one university, and I was too late to apply to even get into another university, so I'll be sitting out for a semester. But that's okay, I'll just work my butt off to earn enough money so I won't have to take out student loans until hopefully next year, maybe even later. I'll have to get a second job though...

Anyway, some good news! I got an A- in my speculative fiction class, which is better than I expected. I don't generally talk much, and I admit, I didn't real all the stories, either because I was sick and didn't pick them up, or because I had way to much else to do, or for some reason I seem to have lost the last bunch of them... They're wandering around my room somewhere... I just don't know where. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised. Then I got a B+ in my introduction to writing children's literature class, which is still fairly good. I don't know my percentage, but I feel like it would have been very close to an A-, considering my picture book is being submitted to the school's anthology to be looked at for publication. I also got an A- on my history paper, so I think I'm in a pretty good standing for that class, and I think I did fairly well on my final.

Then there is the bad news... Apparently I am not cut out for writing essays on American Literature books. Of course, it all depends on the professor. I'm sure if I had handed it to one of my old professors, I would have at least gotten a B-. As it is... I don't want to admit my grade. I passed, but I'm not happy. But there isn't much I can do. I think I'll pass the class, as long as I got at least 40% on the final, and I think I managed that. But we'll see!

And I'm tired now, and I have a long summer of working and being lazy to look forward to. maybe I'll even continue working on some short stories to get published.

Another Odd Dream

I'm really tired, because I had to close at work last night and open this morning. Then I couldn't sleep last night and woke up at around 1:50 this morning, only to find that I was wide awake and found it hard to get back to sleep. All in all, I'm running off of about five hours of sleep, and I had my history final today. It wasn't too bad, I think I'll do well in that class.

As the title for this post suggests though, I had an interesting dream. I started out as a young boy, probably around thirteen. My dad was super rich, but treated me badly because he wanted me to be more like him, stone cold and heartless. I don't really know what happened at this point, but I was going down a snow covered hill on some sort of metal sled. It was really cool. Then I crashed. When I did, I uncovered a burrow of some small, rare animal. I got the impression that my dad had gotten rich by using the fur of this animal for clothing. Among them was a strange girl. She was really tall and skinny, kind of like Shiek from Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. She was protecting the animals, and seemed pretty pissed when I found them. Naturally, I wanted to protect them, but then my dad showed up. He handed me a spear, or a knife, or some sort of sharp weapon. He told me to kill the girl, as that was the only way I would grow a hard skin. I refused to do this, so I stabbed my dad in the shoulder instead.

You should know that when I say 'my dad' I don't mean my real dad. The dad in my dreams looked like a sleeze ball. He had the slicked back hair and skinny pinched face. In the end, I don't really know if it was a good dream or a bad dream. I mean, it was interesting, and could possibly make a good short story, but it would suck if it was real.

Even More Good News (Maybe)

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here, but it ends up my Personal Narrative piece actually did get published in my college's anthology. I didn't get paid, but it's still pretty amazing. Now I've just finished three more creative writing classes, Speculative Fiction, Advanced Poetry Writing and Writing for Children's Literature. I don't think any speculative fiction is every submitted to the anthology, since it's not considered a serious genre (bullshit in my opinion), and I have not heard anything from my poetry professor. But my children's literature professor is interested in submitting my picture book to the anthology! I'm not sure how that works, as I've never seen a section for children's literature in the anthology, but I'll trust that she knows what she's doing. If it is supposed to be incorporated in the fiction section, that means it's going up against all fiction, not just children literature, in which case it doesn't seem like I would have much of a chance, as I doubt people would rather read a picture book over more mature fiction. But I'm still hopeful.

In other news, I'm almost done with my second year at college. This semester as been the easiest one I've had, with three creative writing classes. I only have two finals, one of which is only on the stuff we learned since the midterm, so that should make it much easier. The second final is for American Literature, an the books we read for that class were all pretty boring. I'm kind of worried, because it's so difficult to study for english classes. The best I could do is re-read all the books but considering the first one we read was so bad that I never actually finished it... I don't think I can get through even one book by Friday. I guess I'll just Sparknote as many as I can so I can refresh my memory, and after that I'll just have to rely on luck.

My life in Seven Steps

On Thursday I had my final Speculative Fiction Writing class, and because of this we had a bit of a party. I made some sugar cookies, which my friends ate some of before class. I had five extra, but at some point between handing them out and the end of class, the five of them were taken and someone put a different cookie into my container... Anyway, the real entertaining part was a writing exercise we did. It was very quickly written and I'm kind of ashamed of it. But it was the message behind it that was interesting. Basically it was a sort of psychology exercise, where what you write tells something about your personality. I won't give too many details at the moment, in case anyone wants to try it out.

First you start off in a place of dense flora. Describe what you see, how you feel, what you do, ect.

I started off in a rainforest, with moist air that felt like sweat and a clear blue sky. Something above me hissed, but was gone before I could figure out that it was.

Next you find a road. Describe how you react, what it looks like...

I stumbled over the first couple rocks as they jutted from the ground, but after that the road became smooth, maintained and perfectly straight, with no obstructions for a long time.

You then find a key. Describe it, what you do with it...

The key I found was delicate, like something from an elvish fairy tale. The prongs were very skinny.

Then you find a cup. What does it look like, what do you do with it?

I found a crystal wine glass, with the stem so tin it looked like it would break the second I touched it.

Finally you come upon an obstacle. What is it? How do you get around it?

My obstacle was a large wall covered with ivy. When I brushed the leaves aside, I found a rock wall with a hole for a key. I simply insert the key and walk through. (I have no idea how this logic works, I was very rushed for this questions)

On the other side of the obstacle is some form of water. What is this body of water? What do you do?

It was a crystal clear pond, with tiny ripples that made it shimmer. I looked down at it as if it was a mirror, but didn't see my reflection.

Not far away is a shelter. What does it look like? What do you do?

It's a simply cabin. Inside looks like it's been recently vacated, so I begin looking around for some food. I find an apple and leave.

The final part is when you leave the forest, or wherever you are. What do you see? What do you do?

I leave the forest and come upon a clearing. About ten feet away is a sharp drop, and below the forest continues. I try to find a way down.

Now for the meanings:

The forest is your outlook on life

The road is the path you will take

The key is your knowledge

The cup is your love life

The obstacle is your problems and how you get around them\

The body of water is your sensuality

The shelter is your home life

The clearing is your death

How I interpreted my writing:

I'm kind of unsure about the forest part, just that there are unseen dangers?

My path starts off bumpy, but as I go along is smooths out and I can easily see and reach my life goals

My knowledge is kind of odd... I guess elves are smart...

I suppose the cup means that I'm afraid to touch love because it could break?

I like the obstacle part. I means I use my knowledge to get around any problems

My sensuality is the best. I have none.

When it comes to my home life, all I want is food. I don't care about companion ship, as long as there is food (classy, right?)

And finally, I will only accept death if it looks just as good as life. (I'm not suicidal! I swear! I have this ability to laugh at myself... And my utter lack of sensuality. Hehe. However, I don't want to lose my memory and mind with old age, so maybe that's what it means.)

I hope this provided some entertainment, and I really hope you tried it before reading the meanings. After it's just ruined.

Book Bomb

About six days ago the son of one of my favourite authors, David Farland, was in an accident and went into a coma. Because the author is American, and because he is a writer, he has no insurance. For this reason, a Book Bomb is being held. This means that today one of his books, Nightingale, is being bought by anyone who wishes to donate to him. There is another way to donate, simply by giving money, but I'm more interested in the book. I wanted to buy a limited edition signed hard cover for $25.00, but apparently you have to live in the states to get that. I looked at the Canadian Amazon, but the prices were a lot higher, and the shippers didn't look all tat trustworthy. I don't like paying just as much for the shipping as I did for the book. So, I went to the book's website, and there I was finally able to get one of the signed hard cover editions for $25.00. (It said free shipping in the US... There was no shipping for my order...)

Anyway, here is the link to his webpage, if you're interested. It's a fairly small book, only about 480 pages. I think several of my friends would be interested, because as you can see, the main character is a good looking guy. Personally, I like David Farland because of his Runelords series, but this book has won multiple awards, so I'm going to give it a try.

I know lots of my friends are a little low on cash, but imagine how desperate this family is? You can read more about the son here. It's amazing how much damage a long boarding accident can cause. Also on this page you can donate some money without buying a book.

Some Good and Bad News

Sorry about yet another slow update. Truth be told, I've barely even turned my laptop on for the past few days. That's pretty big for me, considering my whole summer is pretty much holed up in my room, avoiding the sun and playing on my laptop... Anyway, school is almost over and because of this I've had a ton of essays, projects and final assignments due. I've finished most of them, but I still have a project due tomorrow and a revised copy of the beginning of one of my stories due on Friday, then I also have two finals, which is actually really good. So I can pick up on my blog once this is all over.

I'll start with the good news first. I've learned how to get my work submitted to magazines and hopefully published. It's a critical step toward getting paid for my work, and getting grants. So, I'll be working on that a lot.

The bad news is, no more work will be posted here. I can still post small writing exercises that I've done and a few smaller things, but no poems or short stories. Another problem is the possible closure of Blogger. I haven't heard much about that, just some rumours, but if it happens, I'm not even sure if I'll continue with the blog.

Not a Morning Person

Blah, late post, I'm sorry. I've been really tired lately. I worked the closing shift at work yesterday, and the morning shift this morning, so I'm pretty tired. Because of this I don't feel like doing homework... Not to mention I only have about a week left, so my motivation is getting pretty slim. Right now I'm just watching Netflix. And writing this blog. And doing prety much anything other than being productive. But I swear, tomorrow will be better! I work the closing shift again, so I have most of my day to work on stuff. Anyway, just a quick update to tell you that I'm still here and ave not forgotten about the blog.

The Dragon Reborn is Failing

First off, I have to apologize for my terrible April Fools prank on Monday. I am ashamed of how lame it was. I swear, I will never even try again.

In other words, go here and vote for Rand al'Thor. There is absolutely no way the Dragon Reborn would lose to a girl prancing around half naked... I hold a lot of rage for Xena. I swear, the only reason why she is winning this contest is because there are a lot of middle aged men who enjoyed watching that show because she's a female and dressed in barely more than a mini skirt and a couple metal bowls. And honestly, if she stumbled over her own feet, that breast plate could kill her... I read that somewhere, but I can't remember where. Something about something puncturing the lungs or heart. But still! She's completely unrealistic. No one would be stupid enough to get into a fight with that much skin exposed. No matter how good you are with a sword, you're going to die, whether from a weapon or from exposure.

And if you vote for her, shame. Shame on you. The contest is about bravery. *SPOILER ALERT FOR WHEEL OF TIME* Rand willingly gave his life to save the world and lived for two years in excruciation pain, during which he fought to rid the world of evil, all the while preparing himself to face the ultimate evil. While going insane. How much braver can you get? What has Xena done? Prance around in a metal bikini? The only difference between her and Princess Leia is that Leia unwillingly wore that bikini, and she actually had some modesty.

Okay, I'm done with my rant. Just go vote for Rand... Please?

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