It has come

Halloween!

/rejoices in all that is spooky and kooky

/reads "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" aloud to one sleeping dog and two very content cats

Word of advice, cats like being read to. Both the cats I grew up with and my Minions tend to snuggle down when they hear something being read, half close their eyes and pur like a freight train. Though growing up I read Cutsie and Black Jack poetry, you know like Byrant and other Transcendental stuff. But I do all the voices, can't wait to hit the Lovecraft tonight!

Halloween is fun and exciting, one of the creepiest times of the year and the continuation of an ancient custom so really what is not to love?

Like Halloween Nanowrimo has also come. And this is my 4th year participating. After last years win I seriously am pumped to jump back into the frenzy. This year, however, will be a rather new experience as I am also writing, for the first time, knowing who my main characters are and what the general outline of the world is. I am...prepared...and that's just wrong. I have to admit that not only the research but also the questions (heaps and heaps of them) were a blast to go through. For days all I have been able to think about was my novel. I have had to stop myself from just starting it early. I just want to write it so badly I could scream!

Well tonight I can. Seeing as how I have to stay up for the early trick or treaters anyways (seriously went overboard on the candy) I may as well start at that magic hour of 0001. {Side note, I better not get any trick or treaters that late or they will experience the Mary Wrath!}

Will I update the blog? Probably. Will I write about Nano? Again, probably.

Oh, almost forgot to mention: The Knights who Say Ni are now 2/5 in ToC!!!!! *happy dance!

After failing on Hodir for 2 hours (and there were some pretty epic fails) we decided to just get the Beasts of Northrend down. After the AZ guys recruited Koldhart and Domminus we got to work (well there were a whole bunch of jokes about worm fighting) we got started and finally got our first three badges. The second boss has always been our stopping point as it is a hectic as hell fight but low and behold it only took I think 4 or 5 tries before the Demon Lord went splat! BTW I now find healing DK's (well 1 DK, I don't group with them otherwise if I can help it) spikey damage to be normal. I am Koldhart's assigned healer, healing anything else seems boring now cause it's all predicatable damage. (Jaded...) The 3rd fight is pvp based against 6 npcs. Yeah i went squish hard and fast on those last attempts. PvP and me = repair bills for me. I'm pretty good as a hunter but holy priest? Nope.

One thing is certain, and one thing only, those stupid Reese's Cups are taunting me from the candy bucket in my kitchen. To all WoW raiders: rock on! To all WoW PvPers: go die in a fire (if you are a rogue go sit on a nuclear warhead). To all Nanowrimos: the wait is almost over and good luck! To all trick or treaters: do not smash my jack-o-lantern and be safe tonight. To all who love the creepiness that is Halloween: enjoy!

:)

/boo

Epic Freakin Win

This made me laugh, not giggle but cackle out of my chair (that is dangerous, I am short and the chair is not so short). I am still laughing! When ever I think of the mention of a "conga-line of death") I start all over again.

Sure I have no idea who the heck this person is but yeah I'm shouting out to his blog. You Sir win the intenets for a day.

Awesomeness is here, click the button!!!

The time has come...well

Close enough anyways. Good Morning and welcome to another edition of I'm bored at Northgate. Today we will have features on...blah!

In serious news I have in fact discovered that I am part bear. (Now if only I had a better grrr face.) Seriously the weekend equated to me sleeping, listening to the coyotes maul a dog the next street over (wtb a less freakish alarm clock, fyi the dog is ok, I heard him barking yesterday), reading manga and then going back to sleep. I slept so much between Sat afternoon and Monday when I absolutely had to get up that I should not have close my eyes again for a week.

Rawr. Ima bear! :)

Well due to stress and a near unbreakable addiction to One Manga I have not really been willing or able to log onto WoW. Friday I logged because I was asked to for the newbie Ulduar raid but other than that I have been...not there. Last night I thought meh, what the heck, I'll go try to solo some level 70 heroics and ended up running a few level 80 heroics on Kelsomar. Was it fun? Yeah, once I remembered my shot priority and what the heck my buttons did (note to self, stop changing and renaming buttons on Warcraft, though I do like one that is now a picture of a pumpkin pie slice), did it make me want to play tonight? No. I did talk to another officer about the wow/healer burnout and I think he will give a little bit of leeway and maybe let me run on Kelso once in a while. This however depends entirely if I log on or not. Right now I'm leaning towards the not so much.

So if one was going to attempt to write another novel (or at least 50,000 words of one) in a month obviously a week before is the perfect time to start reading an 800 page Victorian horror epic.
-------------------->major epic fail in timing
Not that Drood isn't interesting, it is but damn its a work out carrying the blasted thing around.

WTB audio book of Drood read by Alan Rickman (seriously he does all the voices, it doesn't get any better than that!)

So I may finish my latest short story today, maybe edit my steampunk short story since I am using not only the characters but the world for my novel, I have another scene for Kept from the Light in my head that will be the rush to the epicenter of good bye world, read some Drood and Fruits Basket and be a Nanowrimo forum whore. Then go to the library to switch out more research material and get a book on basic Japanese cooking. Then again it is only 734 and I am ADD so that plan might change.

/rememebers the nice warm and cozy bed waiting at home, complete with two snuggly cats and a nap happy puppy

Yeah maybe, maybe not.

Errr

/remembers all the lawn furniture still outside and the leaves that have attempted to take over the Pepper yard

Errrr....welcome me home my warm, comfy and blanket laden bed!!!

Rawr and pigs rain down from the Heavens!

Happy Tuesday all!

(*pardon any typos in advance, blogging in gloves = stupid finger disease)

Bleh, I'm sick. But not sick enough to not go to work. Shh, don't tell my boss, sick people are supposed to stay home and not get paid. Yeah, I have boatloads of mullah coming out my ears and can afford that. *end rant*

Well the count down to Wrimo is in full swing and in less than two weeks!!! Last year was the first time I won and as this is my 4th year I have high hopes of the self control needed to write 50,000 words in a month. (Remember I am the master of self control! Control heed my wrath!) But as I have been writing, tinkering and exploring last years novel I have run into a wall, the kind that dwarfs that one in China...not exactly knowing how to get from point D to point G without messing up point B along the way. Plus there is just a whole bunch of crap in the beginning that I apparently forgot mid way. To combat this (I am not masochistic enough to want to deal with two novels in need of editing with plot holes the size of Mount Saint Helens) I have started what I am dubbing "Oro Notes*". Lists and lists of questions, any that I think up concerning the world, the history, technology, politics, events, possible plot points and devices, and my characters. I don't have to or even want to answer most of them right now but sadly the novel I am going to write is a bit more under control than the one I've basically already gotten down on paper.

------>cue brilliant idea------->Oro notes for Wrimo '08....drat I renamed it months ago to Kept from the Light...must remember to use its actual name.

Aside from that I have been preparing for winter cause it seems like it just wants to happen now and can't wait until after Halloween. Go Go 2 pairs of gloves for $1.50 at Target! I have one diesel pumpkin just waiting to turn into the winged jack-o-lantern of doom (and yes I want to put wings on it, everything of doom deserves to have wings) and trick or treat candy to be given to my co-workers and little brother. I know I don't get and kids trick or treating but seriously the first year I don't have candy there will be swarms of them. Murphy's laws rule the universe for good or ill.

Well back to perusing the Nano forums with all the other crazy obsessed peoples. BTW if you weren't up this morning you missed one hell of a sunrise. Seriously, just spectacular.

*Oro - meaning what/huh/wtf - stolen from the manga Ruroni Kenshin (cause Kenshin's awesome like that)

Evil Frickin' Bunnies

So my deadline is tomorrow...and I won't be making it.

><

Truthfully it is my own fault for spending the past two weeks writing these little backstories and sub plots that just bug the hell out of me. And the bunnies, the evil god damned bunnies of "this would make a great story", and "its October you should write a horror story", or "this would make a great New England historical novel" (yeah cause I have time for that right now).

Enter the Bunny Choppy Ax!
/Bloody plot bunny parts fly everywhere!

In all honesty this massive writing fest (pre Wrimo too, what the heck will I be like then?) has been a blast plot bunny invasion and all. I've gotten so much more material for editing and I really feel like I understand the characters now, flaws, failings and strengths. But, deep sadness, the deadline will pass the final scene will not be written.

Well, all's well that goes well, I guess. At least I have ideas and motivation, other than flexible deadlines a writer really cannot ask for much more. (Wait, I kind of have one of those too...sweetness!) Now if only I could not read this book of H.P. Lovecraft stories. Self control is not getting the better of me.

Nostalgia eat your heart out

Remember when you were a teenager and some of the best days were when you hid in your room and just listened to music or whatever for hours? Those times are some of the few memories I have where looking back on them I don't feel bad about 'not doing anything'. I was doing something dammit! Now as an adult (well if you ignore my height I qualify as an adult) there is unavoidable stuff to do. Now I have a friend or two who are convinced I never have R&R time. While it is true that I have a few projects going on (the novel, short stories, the upstairs renovation, job hunting, reorganizing my books, fall cleaning, planning next years garden, planning on actually gardening next year, ect) I think I have relax time too. At least I thought I did until this morning I reverted to my 16 year old self and basically woke up, turned on my computer and have been finding every kind of music I can. I didn't even open my shades until an hour ago. Now this is soul inspiring relaxation!

True this can't last all day but then again when I was a kid it usually didn't last either. Stuff always comes up or needs to get done but what's nice is that it can all happen at my own pace now.

Not Dead Yet

Really I promise!

Well, what have I been doing for a month?

Working on my novel, getting coffee high, reading like a madman, more coffee, working, more coffee, raiding all the way to T-9 content and then sucking fantastically (yeah I'm hoping I do better tonight cause when Schmuck/Charlie dies then we all die), more coffee, looking forward to the party with the guys (and hoping people show up), trying to teach Button basic obedience like "Leave the dog alone" and "No, do not attack the dog", planning and hoping and wishing for Nanowrimo to come cause I have an idea that I love right now but who knows in a month, coffee yum, straightening out one giant family crisis kind of (or not really), having a massive meltdown about my finances, coffee, getting back into anime with a vengeance (love the new Full Metal Alchemist!), getting ready for NHL '09, and planning how to remodel the upstairs cause when I moved in I did nothing to it.

So really I haven't been that busy, just lazy. :)

Actual posts coming soon!

Hopefully I can get a picture of me flipping the bird at Glenn Beck who is going to pollute my Borders tomorrow. (I don't advocate arson but please get the haz-mat crews down there!)