The Bad Beagle

Sunday was good; I got to go to church.

Sunday lunch was a different matter.

We kids came home a while before our parents arrived, and Philip and I were glad to find that there were exactly two bagels left - perfect for bagel pizza. So, we set the oven to heat (because it may be new, but it takes forever) and we premade our pizzas.

And we left them on the tray on the island, not really thinking about it much. I noticed that the kitchen was out of tissues, and took the box to the recyclables. My brother scoured the kitchen for another box before realizing he'd have to trek upstairs. We passed each other in the hallway.

It was in those few seconds, that as I rounded the corner, I found Max, paws up on the counter, eagerly reaching for a slice of bagel-smothered-with-cheese-and-pepperoni (my brother's creation). I yelled, I even ran over and pulled him away from the counter.

But not before he swallowed the slice whole.

Of course, I sent him outside and refused to let him in, no matter what puppy faces he made, and when he finally was allowed in, he began ignoring me.

At dinner, he was still ignoring me. I actually asked him aloud, "Are you not speaking to me?"

And he got up and stalked off.

Our big bad beagle can hold a grudge.

The Apology

I intended to keep this up a whole lot better than I have been. I truly did.

And I haven't been. So, for that, I am sorry.

In other news, I went shopping on Wednesday! It was my first time shopping since before my birthday, and thus I finally got to use my Hollister Gift Card, which was muy exciting. I didn't even use my wheelchair going around the mall (we went to the one in Topanga), for the whole hour and half we were there! Of course, it's Saturday now and I'm still hurting for it, but it was worth the price.

Canst thou believe it's seriously December already? I still need to do more Christmas shopping (because we all know that one trip to the mall will not suffice, unless you're really stingy on your gift-giving), and our house isn't decorated (we don't really do much anyway) and the weather isn't wintry.

That being said, I realize that there's a whole lot more to December than just Christmas (or Channukah, or Kwanzaa, or Christmakkuh even, depending on how you celebrate).

Anyway, I'm determined to enjoy saying goodbye to 2007... and all the lack of memories it holds.

I FINISHED!

I quite seriously just did a happy dance, folks. To the groovy tunes of the Newsboys "Joy."

I passed the 50,000 word mark (currently, nanowrimo.org lists my wordcount as 50,550 words).

I wasn't entirely confident that I could do it - and I did! (Though I'll admit that, due to my limited focusing abilities, my independent studying has fallen by the wayside.) And even better - I'm not done! My story has quite a long way to go before I can confidently proclaim "The End."

Not like I mind that - and I'm looking forward to the huge effort that will be editing this messy project. It is entirely unlikely that no one may ever be allowed to read this (except for Laura, because she asked... any others volunteers?). What amazes me is that, on the whole, even if I don't like my story (though you really are your own worst critic), I have learned SO MUCH from this. Much about myself, about what I need to work on in my writing...

Of course, now I have to go, having just finished my novel and my blog in time to watch a much deserved episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Still plugging away...

Basically, my main object during the day is to write as much as I can, considering that the end of November is only a few days away.

And I'm still 15000 words behind. It's going to be a long haul.

A very long haul.

I just need to quit getting sick.

I had a happy Thanksgiving, and discovered that what I'm most thankful for is the fact that, despite all the craziness in my life over the past year, my family is still supporting me.

Now, onward ho! till Christmas.

And just when I thought...

So, just when I thought I was getting better... I get worse again.

We're wondering if we blame it on the meds, or if I'm just going through a rough patch that doesn't respond to meds.

All in all, suckiness.

However, I'm still having fun writing my novel. I admit, I had my doubts that I would stick with it, but I've caught up to where I need to be, we're almost at the halfway point, and I'm pretty excited. I've even realized that my novel is going to be much longer than the 50,000 word goal, which is a first, and thus even more encouraging.

Also, I've been entering scholarship essays since I've had the time off, and yesterday I got a letter in the mail from Elder and Leemaur Publishers saying that the essay I submitted for their scholarship is going to be published in a book of essays on the same topic! I got really excited, and my essay is still in the running for the scholarship, which is also exciting. But, yay! My first time being published (unless you count the school newsletter in junior high - which I don't - or the school literary magazine).

Sadly, it's almost 5 in the evening and I'm still in my pajamas. I woke up this morning at 11:30 and just had lunch, before going back to bed until 1:30, when I began watching TV (there's really nothing on) and then actually began doing some work - until a half hour ago when I lost my capacity to learn (sadly, something inhibited by the disease).

So... I will be sending out an email with my questions regarding college-life and things I ought to know. Reply, please - your advice would be appreciated.

And, anyone not in college who wants said list of advice, I'll willingly email it to you. I'm pretty sure we all need all the help we can get.

Moments in Life I'll Never Forget...

Not necessarily in order...

1. Me and Laura and Kirsten skipping around Magic Mountain singing "Sadie Hawkins Dance."
2. Bin Wang bowing down to me when I turned up at the All-District concert.
3. My first marching band competition... as bad as it was.
4. The Sporks
5. The oft-quoted earthquake at one in the morning wherein Melinda runs up the stairs and claims that "Edward will protect us!"
6. Walking into the house after my appointment with the plastic surgeon and finding all my friends in the kitchen - for my surprise 16th birthday party.
7. Walking into CityWalk with my friends... blindfolded.
8. The somewhat awkward surprise 17th birthday party - completely unexpected and really nice of them.
9. Mum asking me (in the hallway) if I would want to move to America permanently... and me saying yes.
10. Cracking my forehead open falling out the back door onto the foot-scraper. Coincidentally, the day I got my first bike.
11. The phone call telling Bekah and I that our brother had been born...
12. Finding out that I'd made it into Wind Ensemble.
13. Rededicating my life to Christ at Humelake, in seventh grade.
14. Coming home to see the blackened hillside, the day the fires came down the hill behind our street.
15. When I went to the winter concert after getting my hemangioma removed, and how nice everyone was about it.
16. Walking through the door, and all of a sudden, we had a dog.
17. Breaking down in 8th grade, over my father being very seriously ill, and a couple of my friends brushing it off.
18. Giving up marching band.
19. Finally admitting that I was sick, the day before I gave up marching band.
20. The first "big" argument Jessica and I got into - and how petty it seemed - and how quickly it resolved.
21. The goodbye party the people of Barnes Green threw us at Brewer's Fair in Bathgate.
22. Riding "It's a Small World" when I was two, fascinated with the boat - the only memory I have of the first time I visited America.

There are so many more... and there is no way that this list is in order... I have an excellent memory - moving around so much, I remember places and events and people really well. I remember the layout of every house I've ever lived in. I remember the schools I've gone to and the horrifying "first day at a new school" feeling. Some moments are small, seemingly so insignificant - but I remember so much. I remember what I was wearing on the day of my 16th birthday party. I remember Alabama and Mexico with clarity. But this list is the "Moments" list. Those days I've not yet forgotten.

The NaNoWriMo One

November is National Novel Writing Month, and I am participating this year. I didn't actually ever hear about it until this year, and that was through fan fiction, and so on Wednesday evening, I made a last-minute decision to take one of my story ideas sitting in my big binder of story ideas, outline it, and make a NaNoWriMo account to begin writing my novel the next day.

My biggest worry (aside from the disgusting nature of that previous run-on sentence), is that I won't reach the 50,000 word goal.

This is ironic, to those of you who have ever suffered a conversation with me. I talk, and I flesh out the story and digress and do all sorts of adjectiving and rambling as I do. But when I write, I find I get to the point quickly, and am no good with adding detail. My fanfiction, while I have improved and practiced my writing, is testimony to this sad fact.

With this in mind, I started out hoping to make this story long enough to really be a novel, without having to "cheat" and ramble and add in unnecessary information. I've only gotten to the fourth chapter, but I'm ahead of schedule (for 1667 words a day to make 50,000 at the end of the month). I was so surprised when I realized this evening that writing longer, more detailed and fleshed-out chapters was becoming easier, and required less concentrated effort. Imagine that! It's probably due to the intensiveness of writing so much in a short period of time, and since I'll be writing in this way every day for a month, imagine how much I can accomplish!

Of course, I realized very quickly that what I used to think was a brilliant idea is no way ever going to become a bestseller or a groundbreaking work. But, to me, it shows so much growth (compared to the last story I actually completed), and it is a good challenge and good practice and honestly, it just gets me excited.

I hope I'm not too busy or too sick next year to participate. I type quickly; 1000 words takes less than an hour if I've got it really flowing, and if I can be better prepared next year, it shouldn't take too much out of me (though I might have to time it differently, writing in blips of a few hours a couple of times a week, instead of every day).

Anyway, having discovered my surprising success, I had to share it with you.