The Daisy Chain

Christmas part 2

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:16:40 GMT

Merry Christmas everyone!!

I hope you are all enjoying the holidays as much as I am. (And I am. I really, really am.) Let's just say I'm the proud owner of an Amazon Kindle *grin* and I'm merrily eating my way through our Chrsitmas foods. Haha.

Speak to you all soon.

Have fun!!

Christmas part 1

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:50:54 GMT

Because my sister is spending Christmas with her partner's family this year (they take it in turns) we are splitting the holiday in two. Today is Christmas 1. We're giving Katie and Mark their presents today and they're giving us theirs. On the 25th Mum, Dad and I are doing the normal Christmas thing - just without Katie. It's going to be so freaking weird. It'll be our first Christmas without her. So, Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas holidays!

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:49:19 GMT

Crazy busy week at uni is over and done with. In fact uni itself is done with. Yay! Four week holiday! *grin*

I'm back in Dorset with the parental units, wide open spaces, chihuahuas and good food (the cooking I mentioned in the last post didn't end so well...). *happy sigh*

Still got to finish up my Christmas shopping (I've got the little things but not the main prezzies yet) but I more or less know what I'm getting people. Okay, I know what I'm getting my mother but my father and sister are still up in the air. I'll figure it out.

Now that I've got an abundance of me time I plan on working on The Novel again - something I haven't been able to do all freaking term. (I've worked and I've slept for the last couple of months and that is it.) It's a pleasing prospect. In fact I think I might hop to it right now. :-)

Just a quickie.

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:39:22 GMT

Well the assessment failed to kill me. Only one (busy, busy) week left. *grin* Most of it's out of the studio - visiting the V&A a couple of times and I have a few lectures at the British Library. Once that's over I can get back to The Novel and Christmas shopping!

Oh, and I've gone nuts again - planning on cooking Real Food tomorrow. One meal to eat, one meal to freeze for later in the week. Don't worry, I have the emergancy services on stand by. Haha.

twitching like a ferret and grinning like a maniac

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:50:43 GMT

Hi guys!

Remember my nice peaceful weekend? Remember how I was suddenly free of uni commitments? How I was free to do and write as I wished.

Yeah, me too. Nice whilst it lasted wasn't it?

Just found out from a classmate that we have assessments this week. The your-degree-is-based-on-these-assessments-oh-to-hell-with-it-you-might-as-well-call-them-exams kind of deals. They may be on Tuesday. They may be on Thursday. We don't know when or where or what the topic is. We find out tomorrow.

The 'Hey, guess what? You have an exam tomorrow! But I'm not going to tell you what it's on! Good luck figuring out before zero-hour.... which you also have to figure out for yourself!' approach to exams is not going down well with the class.

Sod mutiny. We're plotting murder.

What's this? Free space in my schedule?

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:25:28 GMT

With my domesticity done for the week, I finally reloaded the printer and printed off draft #4 of The Novel.

I now have 313 crisp pages sat beside me, a sharp pencil and the print outs of scenes I'm going to be putting in when the correct changes have been made.

No uni work. No commitments. Nobody here but me.

*happy sigh*

God damn, I've missed this.

I'm sure I'm doing something, if not illegal, then certainly immoral. (Somewhere in the world.)

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:16:17 GMT

I have spent the last two days fondling the skins of the recently, and not-so-recently, deceased and squeegee-ing it to the classroom windows in some form of macabre window dressing.

Sometimes, I really, really love my course.

*grin*

Simply put, I'm in a three day workshop dealing with parchment repairs. The squeegee-ing it to windows bit still escapes me but it's fun and it grosses out the neighbourhood cat and the latest slew of open day-ers (we're culling the herd [haha] in a sudden show of solidarity with the current first years). Let's just be thankful we haven't had to explain what we're doing to any Hindus or members of Peta. I'm sure slapping wet bits of calf to our windows is offensive. Makes an obscene sound I'm sure would offend a lot of other folk too. *grins* I'm sure we're all getting far to much enjoyment out of this but the animals are getting their beyond-the-grave revenge by making our hands smell funny and being fucking awkward when we're trying to sew bits together... with strips of other parchment. Yeah. Totally normal.

Even the vocab is fun. The skins are strung out (a la The Rack of Medieval torture) onto something called a hurse and are then 'punched' with lunar knives. Seriously. You're totally envious aren't you? I know you are. I can feel it.

Anywho, I just realised the time and I've got to get going. You only get to squeegee dead things to windows if you get up early. (Sure as hell beats getting worms). I leave you with a quick list of highlights of other, not as gruesome, parts of the life according to Skarrah.

The essay is done. It is handed in. Never let us think of it again.
The laptop is broken, but working. (If that even makes any sense.) I'll be calling the repair guys on my next day off and will tear them a new one.
10 days of classes left! One manhandling the dead, nine mind-numbing drudgery.
I should have time to write again! Yay!
I've discovered new music! And rediscovered old music! Double yay!

Procrastination Party!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:10:12 GMT

I have roughly 2600 words to write before tomorrow morning. (Well, technically it was due in today but I'm going to fib about not having the internet up and running on the newly repaired Tosh.)

Procrastination is not your friend.

Especially when it's a grusome essay. (That, holy crap, I just remembered has a huge section I haven't even looked at the books for yet!)

I don't know why I do this to myself. I really don't. I've been telling myself since the moment I got this essay that I'll get right on it. But here I am, at the last possible minute. Again. Scrabbling to get the essay finished on time.

Can anyone say all-nighter?

*sigh*

Haven't done pulled one of those since college when I was too busy writing to do my coursework. (I aced it by the way. English A-level coursework = laughably easy)

In my defence it took ages to decifer the essay enough to find the correct lit on the damned thing. And I know all but one of my classmates has left it to the last minute as well. Still.... 2600 words all based in fact. Ugh.

Lets say it again my friends, procrastination is not your friend!

(And yes, I am very aware this counts as procrastination but this Vista Business POS doesn't have card games and that's how I usually take mini-breaks. Now all I have is the internet. God help me.)

Edited to add: 'the textblock throws up away from the spine covering'. Only in my line of work can you legitimately put this in an essay and actually get points for it. It reminds me all of a sudden why I actually love what I do. I get to stand there, straight-faced, and talk about things throwing up and getting knocked up to the most dignified of people. *grin*

It's back! And in one piece! ...Kinda.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:49:21 GMT

Well, the Tosh is back. Shiny new HD screen and everything. And Windows Vista Business.

Windows! Vista! Business!

Ugh! It's horrible!! Absolute utter crap! Wtf happened to my XP?!

*sob*

However, the good news is that all my word documents seem to have survived. Thank god for that! *utterly relieved* And I got it back in time to spend my weekend writing my essay. Joy. Lol.

Sat in front of a roaring fire, watching Star Wars IV and waiting for a lovely roast dinner to finish cooking. It's not all bad, for all my bitching. ;-)

Little Streak of Misery

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:54:35 GMT

(...As opposed to a little ray of sunshine.)

Sorry I've not been posting as much as usual folks. And I'm sorry I'm not a little more cheery. I think I can quite safely say that things have certainly been better. Uni is swamping me, my teacher is teaching us the joys of mutiny (she just doesn't know it yet), and the Tosh is still MIA. It all leads up to those little things that build up and weigh you down. (Indywrimo for example; the uni workload is such that I've only managed a few K and that kinda upsets me because I really wanted to set out on one of these things and bloody finish it.)

So, to try and counteract all the shit, a little list of the good things.

- My Star Trek 2009 DVD arrived! Yes, I'm a ageek. Live with it.
- Going home for the weekend. (Warm comfy bed! Home cooked meals! Puppy cuddles! More than enough room to swing a cat should the urge hit me! Dark nights!)
- Only 4 more weeks until the end of term!!!
- I have a clean house and clean clothes. (Thanks Mum!)
- My parents rock.

Number 3 is my favourite unless you failed to miss the subtle signs. ;-) I have a countdown going on because after 4 weeks I shouldn't have to put up with my tutor for 18 whole weeks!!! *hugs grin*

Half arsed.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:17:18 GMT

Well the laptop was deemed bad enough to be sent back to the manufacturer for on-site repairs. They say I ought to get it back by the end of the week. Somehow I'm not quite believing them. (It should be in my hands right now if their estimates were to be believed.)

Keep those fingers crossed for me, okay? We're probably all getting cramp at this rate but I still feel the need for all the good luck I can get for my writing files. (The buggers didn't back-up correctly. *sigh*)

I had planned on a longer post but y'know what? I'm tired, full of snot (TMI, right?) and the dog is barking at buses. I think I'll just call it quits and wish you all a good day. Or night.

Uck.

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:17:08 GMT

Uck. Think I've finally picked up Freshers Flu. Just when I thought I'd gotten away without it. I was one of only two people unaffected in class on Friday. Lol. Knew I should have worn that HazMat suit...

Sat watching The Aristicats on Channel Five as I write this.

(Everybody wants to be a cat. Because a cat's the only cat who knoooows where it's at.)

*grin*

Debating whether to watch Miss Congeniality or Die Hard 4.0 when it's over.

Parental units are due this evening. Mum's staying for a week whilst Dad's off on business. I'm thinking it's a good idea about now. *sniff*

Well I'm off to try and scribble a couple more words out for Indywrimo. (I'm rediculously far behind.) I hope all you indy/nano writers are doing far better. Lol.

Rant.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:11:17 GMT

It's come to my notice that everything that can happen, is choosing to happen now. I'm sick of the world conspiring against me these last few weeks.

World can therefore fuck right off.

Yes, that includes you university. Infact, that means especially you, university. I refuse to spend a month trying to research for one 3000 essay. Piss. Off. That goes for you too, inch thick pile of notes to be read for my next classes. And if I even hear the words 'wine' and 'nibbles' in conjunction I will scream. I am not a waitress!

This weekend I'm working on The Bloody Novel.

I don't care if the printer's broken, or I haven't got all the files, or half my plot line vapourised when my Tosh went tits up.

I don't care if the flat needs cleaning, the laundry needs doing, the shopping needs to be done or the dishes need washing.

I just don't care.

I'm locking myself in my imagination and don't you dare disturb me.

.
.
.
...

This kinda suggests I won't be on here for the next couple of days. I'll be checking my e-mails but that's it.

See you on the otherside. I'm going to go funnel all my stress and disappointment into a fucking top-notch fight scene. Whether the bloody story needs it or not.

Wish me luck!! (the good kind)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:57:06 GMT

The laptop is undergoing surgery as we speak (well...type) and I just got a call telling me they won't be able to save all of the memory!

*sob*

They asked for a checklist of the really important stuff they must save at any cost. You guessed it: "Omg! Please, please, please save the Creative Mind file!! I'll have your babies if you save that file!!!"

Subtext being, you'll never be able to have babies if you don't.

Keep your fingers crossed folks!

Also, in the good news of the day, there was a gas leak at uni and all afternoon classes were cancelled. Maybe even tomorrow's classes too. Yay! (I'm purposefully trying to not think of what we'll have to do to catch up.)

Minor Adjustments....

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:11:27 GMT

So, my dad's a real sweetheart. He's offered to convert all the Works file documents I use into Word when I get the Tosh back so I can get some writing done in the next few weeks.

Awesome, yeah? Then it occurred to me... doesn't he have to open the files to do that? To make sure it's not all little squares and jumbled up letters. Huh. Not too sure that's a real good idea... Because really, I'm his little girl (and I will be even when I'm 50) and there are just some things a father will never want to know his little girl is writing. No matter how old she is.

Maybe I'll uh... paste them into an e-mail and send it to myself.

EDITED TO ADD: It's check in day for Indywrimo so I figured I'd give you guys the stats too just for the hell of it.

2619 / 30000 words. 9% done!

Who wants to bet all the wordmeters crash by the end of the week? :P

Happy Halloween!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:56:51 GMT

I'm all stocked up on sweeties (for both me and trick-or-treaters) and I've got a gory werewolf movie ready to go. All set.

Happy Halloween everyone!

I bring these things upon myself

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:30:53 GMT

Ugh. All work and all play have been put on hold.

I cooked dinner last night.

Never. Again.

Gave myself (but not my sister! How the hell did she avoid it?!) food poisoning. Ugh. Never, ever, cooking again and if I say otherwise please come smack some sense into me.

*turns a funny shade of pale and bolts*

All work, no play...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:21:46 GMT

Still having a great time scribbling out my guilty pleasure. I figure it all balances out in the end. Writing flimsy = guilty pleasure. Writing obligation = university essay. See? Perfect balance. ;-)

Uni is trying to work us ~~into a ~~nervous breakdown~~~~ ~~down to the bloody core~~ ~~to out reight death~~ to the point of exhaustion by Christmas, I swear. We don't have reading week like normal folk. We get 10 solid weeks of standard classes, special classes, guest tutors, lectures, trips and volunteer work. ~~And we do all those in just one week!~~ All with homework and/or required reading. ~~Please, somebody put us out of our misery now!~~ Working a full term at the British Library (no pressure!) will be a cake walk in comparison!

It's okay... only 6 weeks left until end of term. *sob*

And because I have a masocistic strak a mile wide (seriously, just look at my current project. Weighs more than most children.) I've also signed up to do IndyWriMo (indywrimo.blogspot.com/2009/10/whats-indywrimo.html) with a couple of friends. It promises to be a lot of fun. (Think of it as a NanoWriMo for wimps/the overworked/the sane.)

Guilty Pleasures.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:55:15 GMT

You know those writing guilty pleasures? Those stories you really want to write and know you probably shouldn't? The ones you are never, ever going to show anybody but love none-the-less?

Yeah, I caved into temptation and started scribbling frantically during my lunch break today.

*big grin*

R.I.P. Tosh

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:03:34 GMT

Well, the Tosh finally packed in the game for good. Won't even start up anymore. (No more resurrections here.) Which leaves me with a horrible thought. I backed up my Writing... well about 99.97% of it. But did I back anything else up? Erm....no. My photos! My art folder! My music!

My university work....

*sigh*

My music is mostly safe on my MP3. The rest of it? Not so much. And my writing? Saved in files that are incompatable with my back-up computer.

*headdesk*

I knew I should have printed the effing Novel yesterday instead of leaving it until today.

This is what happens when you procrastinate.

Don't even get me started on my cookies...

Lets hope to god they don't snoop and can save my harddrive.

A Lesson For Us All

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:28:39 GMT

That's it. The Tosh is going to be sent off to be fixed ASAP. I could put up with the dicky screen but this time it's gone too far.

It's deleting my files.

My writing files.

So far I've discovered a total of 3 missing character folders. That's four complete short stories, two half written and one idea.

So, today's lesson kids is to back everything up. If I hadn't, there would be much crying and throwing of objects at my end.

Second lesson is look after your computer. Once one thing goes, the whole freaking lot follows. And where does that leave you? Back to the good old days of writer's cramp as you try and make your wrist keep up with your brain. *grin*

I couldn't resist...

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:29:31 GMT

I'll probably change this again soon to something that allows me to put avatars in with my posts but I just couldn't resist this new layout!

*grin*

What A Day...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:35:36 GMT

I've been worked to the bone and loved every minute of it.

Even the sticky bits.

And the sharp staby bits.

It's all book love baby.

*happy sigh*

The perkiness of me.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:15:51 GMT

Bad thing: I spoke to my tutor for about three minutes today. I wanted to throttle her before we reached our first.

Good thing: My new earphones arrived today. So did The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines.

Great thing: I have my imagination, a good book, and great earphones.

*grin*

Places to go, worlds to destroy. Busy, busy, busy.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:26:11 GMT

And for those not in the know, yes I'm quoting a book in the title. Nightlife by Rob Thurman. First book in the best goddamned series out there. Yeah, I know, weird. Serial book abuser able to pick a favourite without suffering an aneurism. ;-)

As it suggests I've been a busy girl. Productive too. Whilst my course leader is away at a conference she set us a heap of practical work to be done in time for our guest tutor next week. I did it. All of it. By the end of Thursday. Know what that means?

Four day weekend! Whoot!

And me being me (and my shoulders feeling somebody took a two-by-four to them thanks to working on the plough) I spent my bonus day off reading. :-D

And now that it's 11 minutes into Saturday I'm feeling a serious case of writers guilt. I feel like I should have spent the day writing, or at least some of it writing. Especially now that my mother is coming to stay and my flat looks like the Tazmanian Devil went ape-shit. I'll be spending Saturday tidying and cleaning and Sunday and Monday doing mother-daughter stuff.

Well, with Kaznowrimo (kaz_mahoney ) coming up I can push my writers guilt aside and whack out 30K on an un-as-yet-decided project. That ought to bring on that feel-good feeling. *grin*