One of those days.

What happens when a cold and a flu germ form an alliance in your body? It happened to me today.


I was feeling guilty for not being more fun for children due to all of us being sick. .

The milk was off this morning. I was so busy getting the children something with good milk I spaced on getting myself a new bowl of granola or a new cup of hot chocolate.

I spilled half my lunch on the floor. Apparently I can't turn around from the sink to the micro-wave without spilling a bowl of pre-scrambled scrambled eggs all over the kitchen floor.
This resulted in a small lunch after a small breakfast.
I know this is my fault for not eating more later.

General coughing and feeling dizzy.

Stressed out about grad. schools stuff.

Stressed about if I will be able to do my mono well enough in my acting class. It requires a performance of extreme emotional lengths.


Stressing out about not getting enough exercise combined with my habit of eating too many chips. (French Fries.) And what this combination is doing to my figure.






Student loans, while perfectly manageable, I hate being in dept.

Got sick to my stomach on the bus.

But. Despite this entire guess what I did do today?
I finished a draft of novel.
Which means for the first time in my life I am a National (Let's face it, it is international) Novel Writing Month Winner!!!!!
That's right. I completed (barely) over 50'000 words in one month.

 

Thanksgiving

Yes I am away from home this thanksgiving.

No this doesn't bother me.

Anyway today my host mom was like "Are you homesick today?"

Me: "No."

Host mom: "Not even a little bit?"


Me: "Not really. No."

Traditionally Americans play the grateful game. You sit around the table and take turns saying what you are grateful for. You know, before you wake up at an unholy hour the next day to bludgeon other people for new things.

My family never really did this because we take eating very seriously. We were much too busy eating and sleeping off what we'd eaten and eating more and possibly watching a geeky movie to bother with sentimental traditions.

But here we go. Things I'm grateful for in no particular order.

1. One of the few traditions we did have at thanksgiving was watching an old, recorded, episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats". The show's host with his wire rimmed glassed and cynicism could have been my dad's twin. So that was fun to watch him make the perfect turkey and be-little all his fellow cast members.

2. BBC nothing like good drama!!

3. The film class I have been taking and the very helpful tutors and coaches there.

4. Being in Ireland. 

5. Hot showers.

6. Bed.

7. That I finally graduated this year!

8. Swedish Fish. I haven't had them in a long time.

9. Scarves. They are possibly my favorite clothing article.

10. Cornelia Funke books.

11. Harry Potter.

12. Shakespeare.

Yeah that's really all the energy I have. My computer lost everything I did yesterday for NaNoWriMo so now I'm behind again.

NANOWRIMO

Those of you who know what NANOWRIMO is are wondering why I am writing a blog rather than working on my NANOWRIMO. But I ask you, what are you doing reading my blog rather than working on yours?

So, let's agree to not judge each other for needing breaks.

Anyway.

For those of you who don't know what NANOWRMO is this blog is an attempt to elighten you.

National-- Though it's pretty international now.

Novel  -- 50,000 words of fiction. I hate the label "fiction". As if epic poems, teleplays, screenplays and scripts are not "fiction" for the purpose of my defintion I am saying that fiction is anything that is not based in reality. The novel is 50'000 plus words in a book MS format. But I guess you got the book part worked out from the novel thing. Forget it. This whole defination was a waste of space. 

Writing-- Giving the truth scope!!! Or sitting your butt down and typing, scribbling and trying not to get sucked into Netflix... too often. I mean, we all need inspiration.

Month "one-twelfth of a solar or tropical year. " Thank you dictionary.com

Okay. Basically people attempt to write an entire novel manuscript in one month's time.Why? Because getting an English degree was painful. Horrible. Now we are so used to punishing ourselves with the written word that we can't stop!!!


No, really, it's because we want to write. And this is a month to prove to yourself that you don't want to write, but that you do write pretty fun and great.

Here is what I have learned in this expedition.

1. Art is time management.

This was the catch phrase of a professor in the art department I used to model for.

2. It's actually not that difficult to get 2000 words down a day.

3. It is EXCRUCIATING to get 2000 words done a day.

4. Headphones give me a headache. 

I think that's all I've learned. But it's actually really fun. I encourage all to try. Don't be inhibited that you have started late. Here's a calculator to help you figure out daily word count. http://www.intothelabyrinth.net/mystuff/nanocounter/ 

Also, I have a bunch of friends who already have a draft and are celebrating "Revise" version of Nanowrimo. They are editing like crazy this month instead of word vomiting.

Or, one of my favorite writers is celebrating this month by just writing whenever she can. Like she doesn't give herself a word count, but she still writes. Like non-organized NANOWRIMO.


So, not that's all I got. I have to go get a few thousand words written... or at least a few words.