I won!!

I did it! I wrote in a 50,000 word novel in thirty days! Okay, so it's a 51, 277 word novel, I finished it on day 29, and I mostly hate it. But it is a complete work of fiction, I wrote every day for 29 days straight, and I feel good! Woo hoo! I printed out the certificate they give you, and although I have no idea why it has squirrels on it, it makes me feel like a winner!

Now, December is for revisions...

New Moon

I saw New Moon last night. Of course I had reread the book so I could bitch about the inconsistencies. But then I was pleasantly surprised. It was not perfect, but there were less glaring errors than I expected, and definitely less than I expected. It was actually pretty good. Of course, I still have issues with the casting...I think Jasper is the best. And I want to love Robert Pattinson as Edward, because I love Edward, and would love to have the right visual, but I just don't. He's not Edward.

I was not pleased by the audience...I know it's a teen girl flick, but I went on a Tuesday to avoid that, and it didn't work. I think I am getting older, because I have very little patience for teenagers these days.

So, grade for New Moon...B+.

ennui

I, like Kurt*, am filled with ennui.

I was really struck today, starting as soon as the alarm went off, with a sense of the mundanity of life. Actually, it probably started last night, when I realized the next day was Monday. Sunday nights suck.

My thoughts aren't new or unique, and I cycle all the time. I just think, sometimes, that we're doing it wrong. You get up, you go to work, you eat dinner, you go to bed. You shop, cook, do dishes, do laundry, clean the bathroom. You do it all again next week. Now and then, if you're lucky, you get a vacation. You try to fit all the fun in you can on evenings, weekends, random vacation. Then it's back to the grind again.

And it's not even the mundanity of my own particular life. I actually think I have one of the more exciting lives in my little circle. But it still has days like today, when I feel like a rat in the race who doesn't particularly see the point of getting out of bed.

Then I got home. I brought in the mail and the groceries I bought on the way. I fed the dog. I showered. I started dinner. I was about drowning in my lassitude. Then N got home. He thanked me for doing all the mundane things. He kissed me and called me beautiful. And I remembered how blessed I really am, rat race or not.


If you don't know to what I am referring, that means you are not watching Glee. And you should be. It's sublime.

D

I have this friend, D. I wrote about him recently, and I also gave him this blog address recently.

Let me tell you a little about D and me. We met in seventh grade. I and another friend used to bug the crap out if him in math class, just to be weird. Apparently he was into it, because we became friends. All through high school we were pretty tight. We sat on the phone together while watching MTV, did Spanish class dialogues together, went to the movies together the night of the junior prom, and actually went to senior prom together. Over the years, I had some confusing feelings for him. Mostly I pushed them down. But in college it really hit me, and I told him about it. He said he felt it too! Then nothing happened. As I wrote about before, he finally told me he was gay. The world made sense again.

So, we have a long and bizarre history. That's one point. The other point is that I love him. More than almost anyone, and in a way I love very few people. He's definitely on the short list. This is in spite of the fact that we live halfwat across the country from each other and hardly ever talk or see each other. We always pick up where we left off, which is one of the things I love about him. As a person who always feels guilty about being a bad friend and not keeping in touch with people, I really appreciate someone who doesn't let that get in the way. Other reasons I love him, I can't explain. He just wiggled his way into my heart years ago, and now he's there forever.

A few weeks ago, he shared a story with me about something that happened to him, and the aftermath. It was in an e-mail. It couldn't have been an easy story to tell. And I fear I handled that badly. I replied with a bit of a scolding tone. He hasn't written back. So maybe he's mad, or maybe he's just been busy. But the fact that I think it might be a reaction to what I said means I have some guilt over it. I should have just been supportive. It's just that his story hit too close to some fears I have for him. I'm such a worrier.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that other people play by different rules than I do. Even though he is a friend, I can't judge him by my criteria. And I don't want to judge him. He is one of the smartest people I know, and he doesn't need me to rub his nose in anything. So, D, I'm sorry. I love you. I hope you are okay.

EDIT 11/16: D e-mailed me today. Yay! He wasn't upset, just bad at keeping in touch like me.

sick day

19,053 words. I can't believe I even had that many words in me, let alone still have more to say.

Today was really weird. Last night I woke up several times with stomach pain. Nothing happened other than pain, thank God, but I was so exhausted when the alarm went off that I asked N for my cell and immediately called in to work. It's totally out of character for me to do that. I actually meant to call in late, just to give myself a few more hours of sleep, but when I woke up again at one o'clock I figured it was justifiable just to stay home. I dozed until 4, then N came home soon after and we went out to dinner and to the Timberwolves game. We ate at Murray's, a fantastic steak place with an early bird special. It was especially good, being my only food of the day. The game was sad, since the T-wolves didn't only lose, but lost by a lot.

I felt super guilty about going out after calling in sick, but it was already planned. And I guess I must have really needed the sleep. And I was worried about having time to get my writing done for the day after the game, but it worled out. Of course, now I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. Blah.

boring...

I love George Lopez, but Lopez Tonight is not quite right. He has weird timing, or something. Conan, on the other hand, is cracking me up.

Over 17,000 words. Yay!

I really want to blog every day, but after writing for a few hours and before folding a load of laundry, I have no inspiration. Sorry I suck. I'll try to come up with something good tomorrow.

The Full Monty

I'm over 15,000 words, right on target. I can't believe I'm still keeping up. I know I'm only nine days in, but I'm still excited that I've been getting my words in every day. Woot!

On Saturday night we saw The Full Monty, and it was awesome! The adaptation to a musical was done really well. The actors were all great, the songs were fun, everything was great. Except that during the scene when...SPOILER ALERT - if you haven't seen the movie, you may not want to read about this...

During the scene when two of the guys realize they are attracted to each other, I noticed a certain tension in the audience. I thought it was so strange! First, we're in the Twin Cities - a liberal area. Second, it's the theater, and a musical at that. You'd think the audience would be down with a little homoerotica. But maybe it's just me.

As I'm writing this, I'm watching Will and Grace. Hee hee.