My Mumbling Thoughts

Hey! Look at this! I have a blog! That I actually pay for every year, so I might want to start using it more often.

Meh, what am I saying? That's never been motivation for me in the past.

So what is going on Internets? How have you been? Have you been enjoying this sweet autumn weather that we've been having? I mean, aside from when its been raining, because those were really crap days. Only they weren't so crap, because even when I was all cooped up inside, I was still snuggly in my flannel pajamas drinking hot cocoa and playing with Humphrey.

Aside from my days that resemble a Cuddledown magazine, I've been keeping busy. I won't say that I've been busy, because then that makes me sound like I have real important things going on, but that's definitely not the case. I've just been finding things to keep myself busy. It's a very big difference.

Humphrey obviously takes up about 87% of my time, all the time, day and night. I've gotten past the frustration stage with him, where all he wants to do is chew on everything that's not any of his chew toys, and me tearing out my hair wondering if it's possible for me to cover everything in bubble wrap hoping that the popping noise scares him from touching anything in the house. We are now in the stage where he knows that he's not allowed to chew on the rocking chair, the table leg, the carpet, the lamp chord, the couch, etc and have now moved onto he only wants to chew on my hands. I don't mind cuts and teeth prints on my fingers - I do mind furniture that looks like a crumpled piece of paper.

Other than my pride and joy, Humperdink, I've been writing other things for other people. Well, there are my final two uni projects (they better be my final ones!), and while one project is pretty much finished, I have my other one that is part of the novel I've been working on for the past however many months, and that is taking up a lot of time. A lot of time because I've decided to change the story a little bit. Okay, a lot. I'm re-working the entire thing and adding more characters, working on all of their back-stories and adding so many details I won't know what to use and what to get rid of by the end of it all. My part-time lecturer who is working with me this time around with my story is actually really cool, really nice, really helpful, really motivating and really engaging. I'm really upset that I never had her as a lecturer while I was actually there.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I sent her everything I have for my novel thus far so I could catch her up on where I was and what was happening in the story, and she sent me this MASSIVE email back with a lot of constructive criticism that I wasn't expecting. But it was okay, because I didn't cry or feel like a complete loser. Instead I was really happy that she even took the time to read everything that I sent and talk about my story like it was real. I know, that doesn't make much sense, but when I used to get feedback from lecturers about my novel, they would say very vague things like, "it's too dialogue focused. You need more details." That didn't help me very much. Details on what? Why is too much dialogue a bad thing? I think my dialogue is funny!

They were rubbish.

But Judith (my awesome lecturer), she talked about my characters as if they're real people. How does Erin get to work? How did she meet Lily and Mary? Who are Erin's co-workers? Does she date any of them? What's her emotional journey from the beginning to the end? What does she learn throughout the story? Blah, blah, blah. All of that obvious stuff that I tend to overlook because it's so, um, obvious.

I know none of this makes sense unless you've actually read some of what I've written (hi, Erik!), but because of Judith's critique I know more about what I want to write now. I know the story that I want Erin to tell. I know what I want to change and what I want to add. I know what I need to work on and what I'm already good at. It's a good place to be for my novel right now.

So yeah, THAT'S sucking up a good chunk of my time, and so is another little project I've decided to do. I don't know if y'all remember back in the day I mentioned how I went to this networking group and won a bunch of free business cards? Well, back in the day (summertime-ish) I went to this networking group and I won a bunch of free business cards. It was pretty cool, the food was yummy and I met some nice people. I thought it was funny that I won the business cards, because I don't really have anything to put on a business card. I don't have a cell phone, a work address, my own business or anything worthwhile, so I was drawing a blank when I was told to think of what I wanted my business card design to be.

That's when I thought about this very blog and thought, "what the hell. I'm going to advertise myself."

And so I did.

Cate is the woman who runs the networking meetings, and also maintains her own networking website, and she is the person who was super awesome and hooked me up with these bitchin' business cards. They match my website perfectly, and I even love the fact that they aren't clogged with all of that "necessary" information like cell phone numbers and whatnot.

WELL, when I went to meet her to pick up my business cards, she asked me if I would mind writing a bi-weekly article for her website and talk about what it's like being unemployed in today's economy, the process of getting a job and all of that not-so-fun stuff. And because I have TONS of unemployment experience, I told her, "of course I'll contribute to your website about my six months of hell!" I have a lot of writing material.

So I'll post that link here at some point once it's up and running.

And that's what I've been doing to occupy my time. In between I've been harassing Human Resources for a start date (YEAH I'M STILL WAITING ON THOSE FUCKERS), teaching Mel how to drive so she can FINALLY get her driver's license, taking Humphrey on his daily walks, catching up on TV shows when I get some free time and making cupcakes.

Also, I went to the clinic last week to find out that I am actually free and clear of ALL STDs. Well, at least I am of HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea (so most of the scary ones). This only proves to me that Jesus does exist. TRUST ME. HE EXISTS.

But that's another post for another day. Right now I'm just going to eat a cupcake, rub Humphrey's belly for a while and keep cracking on with my days.