Tagged!--Eight Random Things

I've been tagged for the eight random things meme by MerylF over at Characterisensation. I've done this meme before, but it's fun, so I'm glad to do it again! So here's the rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves.
3. Tagees should write a blogpost of eight random facts about themselves.
4. At the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged (named and shamed).
5. Go to their blog, leave a comment telling them they’re tagged (cut and run).

Now...eight random things...what can I tell...?

1. I didn't always want to be a writer. I've told people that because it's true in part, but writing has been an on again, off again idea since I was in Kindergarten. Other careers I wanted to pursue: movie actor, archeologist, cartoonist, rock band lead singer, and a photographer.

2. The first thing that inspired me to be a writer was the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. It was what got me into scary stories, and a good chunk of my story starts were supposed to be scary stories. In fact, one of my most prized possessions is an autographed book by R.L. Stine. Funnily enough, what I considered to be my first complete story, I also considered it a scary story. I later realized I had written a fantasy long before I knew what it was and long before I actually liked fantasy. See the other eight random things for my history with fantasy.

3. I like to draw. I draw little doodles and cartoons all the time...mostly during class, ha ha. I get bored pretty easily, and drawing those doodles helps me stay awake. I listen and draw at the same time, so I can absorb the info, but I'm actively doing something so I don't fall asleep. Note taking isn't the same.

4. I'm very anal about my books. If I let my friends borrow any of my books, I lecture them about how they should try not to crease the spine, try not to open it too much, try not to bend the pages--not rabbit ears!--and so forth. I nearly destoryed my copy of Dreamcatcher by Stephen King when I was in middle school, and I haven't treated a book like that since then. I want to keep them as new as possible.

5. I love dogs. I have three right now, and when I move out on my own after college I'll probably have more. I have a half dachsund (I have no idea if I spelled that right...) half scottish terrier dog named Socks, I have a full blooded dachsund named Jimi Hendrix, and I have a half miniature doberman pincher, half teacup chihuahua named Ebony.

6. Another random book fact about me: I have to have my series all in one form. If one book is paperback, they all have to be paperback. If one book if hardcover, they all have to be hardcover. My Maximum Ride series is in paperback, so I'll probably wait to buy the third until it's in paperback, my Chronicles of Narnia series is all paperback. My Dark Tower series and my Harry Potter series is mostly hardcover, but a few are paperback, so I plan to buy the offending books in hardcover to fix it.

7. I'm extremely clumsy. Just a few minutes ago, I tried to leave the bathroom, kicked the door as I opened it, fell forward, and shut myself half in and half out of the bathroom with the force of my kick. Then I had to find something to grip so I could regain my balance enough to open the door and pull myself out from between the door and the door frame.

8. My body spray of preference: Old Spice. The smell really has nothing to do with it. In fact, I really can't tell many of the body sprays apart--most of them smell too similar for me to tell. The reason I buy Old Spice is because of the commercials. I'm a huge fan of the Evil Dead movies--stupid as they may be I love to watch them and laugh at them--and since Bruce Campbell, the star of the Evil Dead series is in the Old Spice commericals, it is immediately my new favorite spray.

Okay, reading this, I realize how boring of a person I am. Next time I get tagged I'll probably only be able to come up with three things. Anyway, I don't really know enough people to tag so...TAG! If you read this, you're tagged. Do it if you haven't yet, and make sure to link to it in the comments so we can check it out.

Introducing "Thursday's Doodles!"

First, a little news. I finally completed my class. My last day was Monday, and I'm lucky enough to have passed with an 86%!! As some of you may remember, I mentioned my guidance counselor really screwed me over academic wise. I suppose it could have been worse, but it was far from good. I started that class a week late with the teacher telling me she didn't think I could do it. "I advise strongly against it. You've missed a week of classes. In a summer course, that's like missing a month, there's no way you can catch back up." But I did, and now I'm free. Free!!! I can write again! But not today. Today I'm gonna hang out with my friends who I haven't seen in more than a month and won't see for a long time when I move in August.



Anyway, enough school stuff. I know why you all came here. You wanna see my new weekly thing I'm starting. May I introduce "Thursday's Doodles"! It's going to be where I post a drawing every Thursday (betcha couldn't figure that out). I hope you enjoy them. I'm not guaranteeing quality stuff, here. If you want proven quality drawings and great humor, you can visit here, or here, or here, or here. But I hope I can at least entertain you. So here you go, my first Thursday Doodle:

Tied to the Tracks

I was over at Rantings and Ravings of an Insane Writer when I found a link to this: Rosina Lippi is spreading the word about her new release, Tied to the Tracks. The meme looks absolutely fun, and even though there's a prize, I didn't know it when I found the meme. I'd have done it anyway, just because it's fun.

Five Reasons the Best Writers Come From Hogwarts

1. With all the ghosts you always have reliable research.
2. It's the deadliest safest place in England
3. The constantly changing staircases would make visitors finding your writing room rare.
4. Bogarts are perfect for getting scary ideas.
5. If your muse is in a particularly bad mood, you can always find what you need at the Room of Requirement.

Remember to check out Rosina Lippi's new release. And the meme is just plain fun!

Tied to the Tracks by Rosina Lippi. July 3, 2007. ISBN: 0425215326

"[This] is a hilarious, smart, sexy novel with a heart of gold." -- Susan Wiggs

"[Lippi] turns her buoyant creative talents to the romantic comedy genre with an effervescent tale of a trio of offbeat Yankee filmmakers plunked down deep in the heart of Dixie." -- Booklist

Read an excerpt. (Adobe Reader required) Watch the book trailer

You can find Tied to the Tracks at Amazon , Barnes & Nobel, Borders, Powells, or at your local independent bookseller.

This meme has been entered in the Tied to the Tracks contest, originating on Rosina Lippi's Storytelling2 weblog. If you'd like to enter the BUCKS & BOOKS meme contest, get the rules here.

Home Stretch

Today was my weekly test and project in college algebra. I think I did okay, but I won't hold my breath just in case. I'm holding a pretty high C at the moment, so if I can just pass today's test, make a decent grade on my project, and pass my final I'll be in good shape.

Today is Friday, which means the Friday Snippet is being hosted on a lot of sites. I'd have participated, except I haven't been writing for several weeks, I've been doing homework. I'll have to get back into the habit, but first I gotta get this final out of the way.

Some bad news: my laptop took a dive. Apparently Windows Vista didn't agree with most of the programs on it--and they were default programs that came with the laptop. The webcam was the first to go. It only lasted a couple of days after I got it. I just shrugged it off. I mean, I've never had a webcam before, why would I need one now? Except then more programs started to fail. Windows would bring up error messages saying "An error has occured. Searching for solution." Then another would pop up and say "No solution can be found. We'll notify you when one is available." Thanks, that means so much. Except then core programs started to fail. Adobe Reader failed. Then one of the core programs in Vista--Superfetch--failed, which kicked me off the internet. Then Internet Explorer failed.

I turned the laptop over to my mom to try to fix it. She ran a check and the computer had 19 programs that Vista had blocked/had errors and had failed. She tried to configure the webcam software. The window read "configuring..." and then another window popped up that said, "Uninstall complete" and my webcam software was gone forever. Then she tried to restore it back to the day we got it. It said an error occured in the restoration process, no settings had been changed. In the hour my mom worked on it, the computer got worse. My mom tried to view the Control Panel and it closed by itself and Vista told us that an error had occured so the window had to be closed.

When mom looked back at the errors to see how many there were, it had jumped from 19 to 32*. It was like a virus, but it was Vista! We sent the computer back, got a refund and now I have a Dell laptop with XP coming in the mail. It should arrive soon, and I can forget the nightmare that was Vista, but...*shudders*...it'll be hard.

That right there is one of the reasons I seriously want a Mac. I'll get one someday, but right now I don't have near enough money. Someday. Maybe after college. But for now, I'm excited to get my Dell, and get a laptop that actually works.

So...how's you week been?

Added: Also, I'm thinking about having a weekly thing I'm gonna put on here, probably on Saturdays or Sundays because those days are hard for me to blog on. I'll be posting drawings. I don't know if I'll do it, but it's in the works. I'll let you know.

*--fixed. It didn't jump to 23, it jumped to 32.

Saying Goodbye and Update on School

One of my best friends is moving to Alaska. I know that as people grow up, friends grow up and move away, but she was supposed to go to a college that was only a few hours away. She was still in driving distance. Alaska is all the way across the country. Her flight was this morning. Still, she's really excited to go, where she'll have a great job and be living with her aunt, so I'm happy for her, but I'll still miss her, and I hope she stays in touch, but even if she doesn't, I'm glad that this happened, and I wish her luck.

Now, onto school. It's school. Is there really anything left to say? I'm up to my eyeballs in work, so I'm writing this quick and then I have to get back to work. Not much to report. I pulled my grade up from a D to a C. (For those of you that don't live in the states, an A is excellent, a B is good, a C is average, a D is poor, and a F is failing.) What does that mean? That if I can keep my good grades up than my credit will transfer, I won't lose my scholarship to my college and I won't have a math in my Freshman year. (Can someone say, "Booyah!"?)

So what's going on in the blogosphere?

Holly Lisle's having troubles, so she'll be offline for a week. If you have the time, send your good wishes to her, she sounds like she needs them.

PBW is still having trouble with blogger. Apparently she can't save any drafts, so most of her entries will be improved until it can be fixed. She's also having a give away of what she's read this week. (She reads more in a week than I have in two months. She's like the bionic woman or something!) So that's worth a look as well.

Jean is having a Summer Bookpack Giveaway.

PJ is waiting on news for her Viable Paradise submission.

Meryl just got a really great job, so head on over to her job and congratulate her.

Well,that's all for now. Back to work. Ugh, math...

Later!

Happy Father's Day!

To those of you who are lucky enough to be father's, I wish you a:

Friday Snippet: Getting a Chance to Breathe

Hey, guys. Class is going better. Better, not great. We just had a test and our project was due today. We don't have any homework over the weekend, but I might get a head start on next week's project. And it's Friday, and I don't have many things to get snippets, but I figure this scene might make an okay one. It's from Jivtor, about the villain Vinproo. Well, here's my snippet. Enjoy!

______

Hey, you! This material is copyrighted. It's the first draft, so it's probably littered with grammer mistakes, continuity errors, and other funny or annoying problems. Regardless, do not quote this material or repost it anywhere in any form, or in any other plane of existence, okay? Thanks!

______

Vinproo had entertained himself with things of that nature all day. He had teased a little girl with a bug, made the wind create designs in the sand, and drew water up from beneath the surface--which tired him quite a bit--before he quit for the day. He made it back to his resting spot just as his parents arrived.

“Hello mother, hello father!”

They greeted him with tired grunts and began to climb the stairs to their room. He followed them up, and when night time came, he said his good nights and went to bed like all children in Jivtor were supposed to do.

Vinproo did not sleep well that night, however. In the middle of the night, he heard someone messing with their door. He rolled over groggily to see identify the sound. A gloved hand covered his mouth. He struggled to get away, but it was no use. He saw several people, everyone wearing black cloaks that hid their faces. They grabbed him and bound his hands and feet. One of them produced a foul smelling cloth from within their cloaks, and they pressed it over his mouth and nose. He looked at his parents, who were standing just behind the group, and tried to plead with his eyes. They only watched, looking slightly amused. Then the darkness took him.

* * *

When Vinproo came to, his back and arms were sore. He felt of his wrists and cringed at the rope burns he found. He sat up and looked around. He was in the middle of nowhere. He spun in a circle, but all he could see all the way to the horizon was sand dunes and a few scrubby brush patches.

I need to move, he thought to himself. He didn’t know why, but he knew he needed to walk. As he walked, he heard something rustling. He walked faster. The rustling, like something crawling through the sand, continued. He walked faster, and faster, but the sound just kept coming. Suddenly, something had his foot. He went down hard, smacking his face on the sand. He looked to see what had him. He had his foot in the mouth of a skull of a wild animal. The hollow eyes stared at him, peering into his soul. He shrieked and raced off. He ran blindly, tears flowing down his cheeks in rivers. As he ran, he thought of the kids in the village. Had they known what was going to happen to him? What about his parents? They hadn’t acted worried or surprised at all. He ran until he collapsed in the sand, exhaustion filling his every limb.

From behind, he heard the something coming toward him. Rage filled him. He was tired of running. Let them come! Then, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing. Suddenly he could see everything. He saw a mouse as it was killed by a desert fox. He saw the wind as it picked up a bug and threw it a few yards away. And he saw his stalker. It was a boy from his tatbio. He knew the boy, and knew his name…what was his name? Oh, well, it didn’t matter. The boy had a weapon, and he must be dealt with.

With a precision that would have startled any grown man, Vinproo tore the boy apart, staining the sand with his blood. He found a perverted joy in it, a sense of wonderment as he learned how the body worked. Beyond anything else, he learned he liked killing. It made him feel free. The boy was helpless, under his control, at his mercy. It was an amazing feeling. Then, the rush as he felt the boys life expend. Oh! There were no words to describe the feeling. He had to have more.

A lot more.

Meme the Second: The iPod (or Mp3) Meme

Here we go! I finally get to do this meme, which looks like it's going to be tons o' fun. I got this meme off of Jean's blog, who got it off of MerylF's blog. Let's do it!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put your music player on shuffle.

2. Press forward for each question.

3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. NO CHEATING!


How do you feel today?
There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It - Panic! At the Disco

What’s your outlook on life?
Home - Chris Dawtry

What does your family think of you?
Big Ten Inch Record - Aerosmith

What do your friends think of you?
I Want It All - Queen

What do your exes think of you?
Hum Hallelujiah - Fall Out Boy

How’s your love life?
The Carpal Tunnel of Love - Fall Out Boy (Heh, that's ironic)

How will your love life be in the future?
House of Wolves - My Chemical Romance (Hah, so is that.)

Will you get married?
Dizziful Bliss - Lemon Demon

Were you good at school?
Cold - Crossfade

Will you be successful?
Headstrong - Trapt

What song should they play on your birthday?
Rag Doll - Aerosmith

What song should they play at your graduation?
Pretty Fly For a White-Guy - The Offspring

The Soundtrack of your life?
Sky Is Not Blue - Lemon Demon

You and your best friends are?
Elvis Porn - Lemon Demon

Happy times:
The Only House That's Not On Fire (Yet) - Lemon Demon

Sad times:
You're Pitiful - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Every day:
Grammer Police - Possible Oscar

For tomorrow:
Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray

For you:
Savin' Me - Nickelback

What does next year have in store for me?
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Creedance Clearwater Revival

What do I say when life gets too hard?
How You Remind Me - Nickelback

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Let U Go - Ashley Parker Angel

What do you want as your career?
When Robots Attack - Lemon Demon

Your favorite saying?
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen

How will I die?
Bad Day - Daniel Powter (Somehow, I believe this one.)


That's a bit creepy. Ha ha, I knew it'd be fun. I tag anyone who reads this and wants to.

Returning Alive with a Meme

First of all let me thank you all for your support. It's been rough going but I'm finally caught back up. The only thing I have left to do is a quick project for them and then it's back to a semi-normal schedule. Thank you all again, it's meant a lot.

Oh, and I'm registered for college. No word on dorms, roomates, or anything like that, but I know my schedule.

Okay, I don't have much to post beyond that, so I'm going to do the first of two memes that I've been saving up. I'll do the other tomorrow (maybe) when/if I get my mP3 player. This first one is "Five Things I Want to Write" a meme created by SMD. Here's the post about it.

So here is how it works.
1) Write about the top five writing projects you want to do. Books, short stories, whatever.

2) Post the rules and the link to where you got the Meme from in the first place.

3) Tag people.

Alright, let's get started:

1) I'd like to finish Jivtor. It's the first story I've ever done a lot of worldbuilding on, and I'd like to at least finish it. I'd like to know I can stick to my stories without them fizzling out.

2) I'd like to write my Clairvoyant (Medium, Seer, etc.) story. It was a lot of fun to write, and I got some ideas that make it even better (in my point of view) and adds more to the story--event wise and humor-wise.

3) I'd like to re-try on an old story that's been collecting dust on my harddrive that I have saved as "Drifter." It wasn't really planned out--I had literally no idea what was going to happen--and I quickly learned that I can't do seat of the pants writing. The story was about a man who could leap from one dimension (world) into another at will. Obviously it's harder than it sounds, but beyond that I didn't really have much planned, but it still intrigues me and I'd like finish it someday.

4) I'd like to finish Jerucia. I like that one, and I've been working on it on and off for about 4 years. It's a fun story to write and I'd like to finally put to rest the story that's been kicking around for so long.

5) I'd like to write a sequal or series of sequals to my Medium story. I'm not sure if it would be for adult audiences or teens like the Maximum Ride books, but I'd love to follow the characters after the events of the first novel and see more of their world.

Well, that's all for now. Hope it was interesting. I'll try to do the second Meme tomorrow and get that posted, but it's been a crazy week. On top of all my homework, our toilet broke, and my glasses snapped in half. I'm wearing a pair of too-small, old glasses.

Oh, yeah. Who I'm tagging. I tag misswriter, specifically, and anyone else who reads this and wants to do it.

And then it all blew up.

No, not my story. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen it in several days. No I'm talking about Real Life. She stuck her fat nose in again, and now I'm worse off for it. Turns out, my guidance councelor told me at the beginning of my Senior year that I only needed 3 math credits. I asked what I'd need a 4th for (This being my last year at the school, if I wanted 4 math credits, I had to take one that year) and she told me it was just for a scholarship that I hadn't even been trying for anyway. Imagine my surprise when my college sends me a letter telling me that I have to have a fourth math credit, that I'm short one. I went so freaking crazy insane angry. I stomped around the house condemning the entire school to the blackest pits of the underworld (insert maniacal laugh here).

It gets worse. The college algebra class at the local community college that I have to take to make up for the missing credit is a summer course, and has already started. The class is an entire semester of math crammed into four weeks. Algebra Crash Course is a better name. And it has already been going on for 4 days. So now I have 7 assignments of make-up work, the rest of the weeks assignments, a project, and a test, just this week. Oh yeah, and I have to miss another day--Wednesday--to go to my college to register for classes. And I have to work everyday (except Wednesday). As weeks go, this one isn't exactly great.

I have some Meme's I want to do, but they'll have to wait. Here's hoping I make it through the storm unscratched.