There's an End in Sight!

I had yet another crazy, chaotic weekend, but this one was filled with more fun than frazzle (thank goodness). I had a little bachelorette party (the staying in kind, not the going out kind) Friday night, attended a Halloween party (as a Youtube video) on Saturday night, and crafted my life away Sunday. Lots and lots of activity...but we all know that's nothing new. :P

The best news of all is that our family and friends start arriving this weekend! Crazy, right? It's kind of weird to think that we've made it this far (I mean, we have been engaged for 15 months...), and that we're getting married NEXT WEEK! Craziness.

I'm trying something new this week. I'll be scheduling all my posts, as practice for next week (wedding prep) and the week after (honeymoon). If it works well, I may start doing it permanently. We'll have to see about that though. Anyway, how was your weekend? :D

J

I'm Sure You'll Understand...

...when I tell you I've got nothing for you today. I know I was supposed to have that awesome new feature today, and I'm still planning on doing it, but it'll be next week instead. I got a little busy this week, and then my stress and exhaustion caught up to me. Now I'm one of those women who constantly have tears brimming in their eyes. It's embarrassing.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend! I'll be meeting with our minister tomorrow, and then holing up at home and not coming out until Monday. There will probably be a lot of sleeping and Netflix involved. See you next week (when I promise to actually deliver some GOOD blog posts)! :)

J

A Playlist for Thursday (4)

Some songs to soothe this Thursday...because Lord knows we could all use a little soothing. :)

Cat Power: Sea of Love. You'll know this song if you've seen Juno. It's my go-to when I need a breather, or when I need to wind down after a VERY long day (like yesterday).

Greg Laswell: Comes and Goes (In Waves). The harmonies in this song might make you cry. You know, in case you were wondering...

Iron and Wine: Sodom, South Georgia. Words cannot explain how much I love Iron and Wine, and this song in particular moves me to tears every time I hear it. I apologize for all the emotion this week. :P

Imogen Heap: Hide and Seek 2. The majority of you have probably heard the original version of "Hide and Seek." This one was part of a Songs for Tibet relief/compilation/donation thingy. It's great to meditate to. :)

Happy listening!

J

I Just Have One Thing to Say

I am too exhausted to deal with life this week. That is all.

J

Teaser Tuesday: Off to the Circus!

Today is Tuesday, which means another teaser. This meme is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. You can participate too, if you want. Just grab the book you're currently reading and open to a random page. Share a two-sentence excerpt, but don't include any spoilers. We want to tease people into reading, not ruin their appetite for the book. :) Be sure to include the book's title and author so that other people can add it to their TBR pile if they want to.

I've got to be honest, I haven't really been doing a lot of reading lately. I've been a little on the busy side, so books (unfortunately) haven't been my priority. Sad, I know. I did start "The Night Circus" recently, and while there are some things that annoy me, it's pretty good so far. I still love the cover...

The teaser: "It takes your eyes a few moments to adjust, and then tiny dots of light begin appearing like stars, lining the dark walls in front of you. And while moments before you were so close to your fellow circusgoers that you could have touched them, now you are alone as you feel your way tentatively forward through a mazelike tunnel."

What are you reading this week?

J

All I Can Hear is Crackling

That's the sound of my fried neurons. I didn't have the most restful weekend ever, and it's taking its toll on me today. I'm spacy, and a little on the irritable and impatient side. Bug and Bean aren't helping with all the screaming and fighting, but I suppose it's understandable, considering they spent the weekend away from their parents and then had to launch back into a work week. Ugh.

Don't get me wrong, the bridal shower was sooo much fun! I'll try and post pictures at some point this week. We played games, and ate lots of delicious food, and talked A LOT about the wedding. But my poor introverted self can't handle so much stimulation, and Sunday wasn't the day of rest I needed. It was Errand Day, with lots of setbacks and extra stops thrown in.

Is it time for my vacation yet?!

On the bright side, my family will be here in a little less than two weeks, so I'm smiling through my exhaustion. :) Please forgive me if my posts aren't spectacular this week...I promise the new blog feature debut on Friday will be worth waiting for!

J

Something Awesome This Way Comes

Hold onto your hats, people, because next week I'm launching a new blog feature! I'm not telling you anything about it, other than that it involves C and his amazing sketching powers. You'll just have to stop by next week and check it out for yourself. :)

That was my main reason for posting today, but I suppose I can tell you that I went to a Primus concert last night (which was oh so fun and had me dancing in ways I never have before) and that Bridal Shower Part 2 is happening tomorrow (hopefully it'll be as fun as Bridal Shower Part 1).

See you all Monday! :D

J

PS You should all go check out Jeigh's contest! Because there are fantastic prizes (including a monster stamp I never knew I wanted) and because she's awesome. :D

A Playlist for Thursday (3)

Another four songs to rock out to this week! :D

Two Door Cinema Club: Undercover Martyn. I beg C to crank the stereo up every time this song comes up on Pandora. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Fleet Foxes: Ragged Wood. I'll warn you that this one is folky, so if you're not a fan of that style, you can skip over this one. But it's GOOD, and so so catchy. I find myself humming this one a lot, even if I haven't listened to it in a while. It's just that kind of song. :)

Eisley: Trolley Wood. This song is really special in my family. It's one of a few that we all sing along with (in four part harmony, I might add). Since moving across the country, it's hard to listen to it without crying, but I felt like sharing the love today. :D

The Black Keys: Everlasting Light. If you haven't heard this band yet (of Howlin' For You fame), you're really missing out. This is my current favorite on the album. :)

As always, let me know what you think in the comments section. Happy listening! :D

J

RTW: Why? Because I gotta!

And now, it's Road Trip time! This blog carnival is hosted by the lovely folks over at YA Highway, and if you haven't participated yet, you really should. All you have to do is pop over to their website, answer the prompt on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section of today's post. Easy peasy, right?

Today's question: What's your numero-uno reason for writing?


This question seems like it would yield a lot of similar answers. "I like telling stories." "I have a lot of stories to tell." "I've always done it, and I can't imagine doing anything else." Those answers are probably true for a lot of people, myself included. But they aren't the main reason I write.


This is going to make me sound like a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-weirdo, but...the main reason I write is for control. My personality type, according to the Myers-Briggs assessment, is INFJ. According to Vessels and Flowers (a great book that I'll get into another time), I'm a Dogwood in a Pitcher. Basically what it boils down to is that I'm an introverted person (I'm easily overstimulated and retreat to my own space when that happens) who is very organized and detail-oriented. I THRIVE on control and being able to keep my universe organized. I CRAVE routine and schedules. It sometimes creates a little bit of a problem when I have to interact with people, but it's part of who I am.


Writing allows me absolute control over a fictional universe. I'm the boss, and my characters do what I say, when I say it. I'm able to decide how the setting is laid out, what daily routines look like and how closely they're followed, etc. Writing allows me to put myself in control when it feels like things are crumbling around me. It centers me, and takes away some of the stress that comes from daily life (because let's face it, no one is in control of everything in their life). With all the tension and chaos building up around this approaching wedding, it's nice to be able to give myself tunnel vision and focus on one thing I can control: my writing.


Now that I sound like a complete and utter loon...what's your main reason for writing? :)


J

Third Campaign Challenge: Synbatec Rebirth

                My olfactory receptors register the chemical composition of rotting food. It’s not the same as smelling, no matter what the pamphlets say. I scan the ground and spot the discarded wastopaneer, its surface covered in wriggling black flies. Perfect.
                I head toward the ocean, my feet sinking into the slush of damp sand. According to my internal processor, sand is coarse and unpleasant. My skin only tells me that it’s the consistency of mud when wet. I hate being a synbatec organism.
                The wind carries my name to the microphones embedded in my skull. “Akira!” It is faint beneath the roar of the waves, but I’m enhanced, so I hear it anyway. I turn and spot Nozomi running toward me, worry on his face. Though I don’t want to, I wait for him.
                He reaches me in seconds and tightly grips my shoulders. “You don’t have to short-circuit just because you’re bored, Akira. There’s got to be something that makes you happy.”
                “I’m not capable of experiencing emotion the way you do, Nozomi.” I pull myself from his hold and step into the sea. “There’s nothing for me here.”
                I close my eyes as his face falls. The waves surge around me, swaying my body with their movement. My eyelids glow red as the sun rises, and I shiver. When did the water get so cold? I freeze, keeping my body rigid as the realization hits. There’s a thudding in my chest, a sensation I instantly recognize as a heartbeat. My eyes fly open.
                “Nozomi,” I gasp, “I’m alive!”
                He laughs. “Of course you’re alive.”
                I shake my head and grab his hand, laying it over my heart. His eyes widen. “I’m alive.” I taste the salt of his tears as he kisses me, and we tacise the universe together.

* * *

This was my entry for the third Campaign challenge. It meets all of the following requirements:

Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:

• that it’s morning, 

• that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach

• that the MC (main character) is bored

• that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting

• that something surprising happens.

Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise."   (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).

My definitions for the words were:
-synbatec: a union of soul and technology, android-like
-wastopaneer: a breakfast wrap made of vegetables and paneer cheese
-tacise: thank profusely

I used root word definitions to make mine up, and as with the previous challenge, I got a lot of inspiration from the words. If you want to "like" my entry, I'm number 40 on the list. :)

J

PS It's come to my attention that the Comments section isn't always visible on my blog. I know that Blogger is no longer fully supported on Internet Explorer, so if you're using that, you could try changing browsers. Otherwise, the only other solution I know of is to click the post and scroll to the bottom. The comments should be displayed that way as well. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Some News!

It's Monday! Wheeeee! Oh, wait...that's not right. I overslept this morning, and it's going to be 100 degrees today, and I have a 12-hour workday at the end of this week. Let me start over.

It's Monday. Boo. :(

Just kidding. :P Actually, I do have some pretty fun things to share with you today. First, the second Campaign challenge is over, and I'm fairly sure I ended up in third place. THANK YOU to everyone who voted, left a comment, and/or supported me and my writing. I love you all! :D

In other Campaign-related news, I'm running the judging for the third challenge! It'll work the same way the first challenge did, in the sense that there will be four rounds of judging, and various peers will be the ones making the decisions. Before you say anything about me having too much on my plate (because I know you're all thinking it), Michael Offutt did most of the work last time, so there really isn't as much for me to do this time around. And it'll be fun!

And for a little treat, and something not writing-related: I started making wedding jewelry this weekend! My fiance's mom used to teach jewelry-making classes, and she's made many pieces to sell too, so she graciously agreed to help me make some really unique pieces for the wedding. Last night, we finished my earrings (which I did mostly by myself), the pendant for my necklace, and one of the bridesmaids' earrings. Wanna see them?!

These are my earrings. They have little pearl clusters and gemstones in the wedding colors.And I did most of the work myself! :D

 This is my pendant. It's a bit of a misleading photo, since the middle stone is the same color pearl as the earrings. But still...awesome, right? C's mom made this one.

One earring for one of the bridesmaids. There's a black bead and a blue bead (some bridesmaids will get purple instead) in the cages, and a wire flower in the middle. I made the flower, C's mom made the cages. :D

Happy Monday! :)

J

A Little Weekend Reading, Pay-It-Forward Style

*Please don't forget! Today is the last day of voting (thank goodness I don't have to put this at the beginning of posts anymore)! If you liked my second Campaign piece, I need your votes. Head on over and "Like" my entry (#51 on the list)! I'm currently 4th out of 192 entries, so thanks very much to all who have voted!*

While reading blogs yesterday, I stumbled across this little gem of a blogfest.

The idea is to spread awareness of blogs you enjoy reading, but that seem to fly under the radar of other bloggers. It's a bloghop, so there will be LOTS of people to check out, and the list is still open today. If you're interested, you should pop by and check it out. :)

Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you about three blogs I love. It goes without saying that Julie, Jeigh, and Christine hold special places in my heart. I think you should all read their blogs, because they are lovely, hilarious women who always entertain (even if they don't post every day :P). They aren't the ones I'm going to talk about in this post though, much as I adore them. That wouldn't be branching out, and for this blogfest, that would be a shame.

So who AM I going to talk about? Let's kick things off with Andrew over at StrangePegs. I've recently begun getting to know Andrew, and I'm really enjoying it. First of all, his blog always makes me smile. He always posts the greatest writing analogies (comparing it to rush-hour traffic, for instance), and I usually leave his blog feeling inspired. He's self-published a novel, which is sitting on my Nook waiting to be read (I'm getting to it, Andrew, I swear), but he's not one of those people who shoves their book in your face every chance they get, hoping they'll get you to buy it. He's just not that kind of guy. Seriously, if you haven't stopped by his blog, you're really missing out.

Giles, who runs High Aspirations, is another of my favorite underrated bloggers. He's hilarious, for one thing, and always has really great discussion topics at the end of his posts. I like posts that make you think, and then challenge you to respond in the comments. Also, Giles picks a different charity to support every month, and leaves posts letting you know how to contribute. How great is that?! If you aren't following his blog, you should be. :)

I also love Jessica Therrien at Imagination to Publication. I found her through the first Campaign challenge, and I've been hooked ever since. Her writing samples are incredible, and she's got a book coming out next year. I can't even tell you how excited I am to read it! Her blog is pretty, she's a fellow Road Trip Wednesday participant, and she posts lots of fun, interesting things. Do you really need any more reasons to pay her a visit? :P

If you get some time this weekend, stop by these three blogs. I promise you won't regret it! And now, I'm off to see what other blogs I should be following...

J

PS If you haven't already, swing by David Powers King's blog. He recently passed the 400 follower mark, and is hosting a really great contest to celebrate! :)