Yay for sunshine

and for feeling good. I had a good nights sleep cos Dale did the night feed, and he’s looking after Jake today, so I’m getting a break and a chance to get on with stuff like washing. It’s certainly one big advantage to bottle feeding.

I went out for a “coffee” with a chick from my ante-natal class yesterday. It went really really good. I was pretty nervous cos we hadn’t actually talked at the class. I have talked heaps to her mum, cos she works at Baby Factory, and so she gave me her daughter’s cell number and vice versa, and now I have a new friend. lol. She’s keen to meet up once a week, and she’s a dancer and wants to get back into it, and I’ve always wanted to learn, so she’s gonna find a local class and we’re gonna go together, leaving our babies at home. Her little boy is almost as cute as Jake (she said Jake is nearly as cute as her boy. Bias still wins lol).

My little brother is coming over this afternoon and we’re gonna go pick up Jake’s cot. I can’t believe he’s ready to move into one already. I was hoping he’d stay in his bassinette for a couple more months, but I think he’ll be happier with more space.

I’ve still got heaps to get done today. I’ve got a hat for my neighbour to finally finish, and then I can get onto the one for Cassie’s new baby. I hope I’ve got lots of time to get knitting done, cos I don’t want the baby to arrive before I’ve sent it! (Pass that message on to your bump Cassie! )

Irritable Much

That’s what I’ve been since Jake woke me this morning. For no reason at all. He slept another full night, and consequently so did I, but I woke up ready to snap at everyone and everything and lots of deep breathing didn’t really help. Neither did hubby telling me he’s gonna apply for new work. Anywhere is better than where he is, but did it have to be now? I’m really trying to be optimistic, and it’s not that hard considering everything. He’ll no doubt get better pay and work incentives than where he is now cos you can’t get much worse!

My little man, who is for the majority of the time perfect, is refusing to sleep. He’s exhausted and I’m exhausted. All I want is a cup of tea in peace and maybe a couple of panadol, but the former won’t happen ’til he sleeps and the latter won’t happen ’til I can drag my arse off the couch, lol. We bought his cot today, picking it up in the weekend. I can’t believe he’s already moving out of his bassinette. He’s 10weeks tomorrow! Where did the time go??

I’m considering signing up for HalfNoC over at KiwiWriters, but I’m not sure. I think it would be good for me to get a routine that includes daily writing instead of just going all manic and writing oodles in one day (hypomania, technically). We’ll see how I feel in the morning. Now is not the time for making month-changing decisions.

Click!

Did you hear that? That was my life clicking into place

Over the last week, since we got home, I’ve had no enthusiasm for life. Things haven’t gotten done, cos I just haven’t cared enough about the consequenses to do them. It’s a very dangerous place for me to be in, and even though I recognise all the signs now I still can’t bump myself out of it because I don’t care enough to. It’s a vicious cycle.

But, last night Dale and I decided what we are doing with our lives, and I have my enthusiasm back . Our future is looking very exciting, although it won’t all be roses. We have to go to the bank and ask for a loan so we can actually shift, and I hate being in debt. We were meant to have a meeting today, but it’s Wellington Anniversary and because Palmy is too lame to have its own anniversary we sneak in and use theirs too. So we’ll do it next week.

For all those local writers who are out of the loop, we’re having a meet-up on Saturday at Robert Harris at 3pm. We’ll try nab the big table down the back.

And now off to use all that new found enthusiasm in finishing the assignment that is now late.

Plans for the Future

With my degree nearly over I’ve realised that I’m coming to a new point in my life. We’ve been tossing up ideas of what we could do. The current plan is:

In July we will move to Christchurch where Dale should be able to get his own store to manage. Although if EB doesn’t start treating him a bit better I can see him walking out again, and not going back. Last July I quit my job because he was told he would have full time work; now they have cut him back to 4 days a week, and they are not even all full days.

Dale is happy for me to get a job where I don’t use my degree as long as I keep writing and work towards getting published. I am stoked! I’m looking at doing a barista course in September so I am more employable and getting a job in a cafe, but who knows what will happen between now and then to change my mind.

Part of me wants to just move now and get on with the next part of my life. It seems stupid to stick around here for another 6 months when the 3 papers I’m doing to finish my degree are extramural anyway. I am so sick of full time study, of always having an assignment to do or a text book to read. But Dale says wait, so we will wait, not that we can afford to do otherwise anyway.

So that’s our plan, which will probably be tossed out the window as soon as we get bored with it and decide perhaps we want to move to Timbuktu (not that that particular destination is likely).

Full Time ’08

Ok, so I was planning to write this one up at some point yesterday, but didn’t really have a chance. Better late than never.

’08 was a full on year. I did 9 papers at Massey; had to kick out our flat mate; travelled down south for Easter; lost over 2 months to depression; wrote 17 essays (plus exams), 1 children’s story, 1 epic poem (that wasn’t very epic), 3 short stories, 2 novels and several poems. I also started a YA novel.

I think for writing ’08 has been the most successful year for me. http://kiwiwriters.org/ is a great site which helps to keep me focused on my writing. I also participated in NaNoWriMo in November for my second year. This time I was much more successful, and my draft was good enough to warrent having a second draft written (now titled Forbidden Knowledge).

2009 is going to be awesome! We are heading down south in 2 days, very excited about that now. Having Amber here is awesome, although today was lost as I lay in bed most of the day feeling sorry foor myself (stupid alcohol). I’ve invited a couple of friends around tomorrow night and we’re going to have a movie night.

At some point in the year (we’re looking at July) we are going to finally move out of Palmy! I think we’ll be going to ChCh. It’s going to be a huge move, and we’ll have to hire people to move everything because we’ve acquired so much stuff since we moved here. Most of it’s just junk, I will admit, but I’m a hoarder and just can’t help myself. You never know when you’re going to need something, and if you throw it away you are bound to need it.

’09 is going to be the year of finishing for me. I will finish my degree (yay), and I am determined to work through a lot of my writing and actually get some projects finished. Starting with the second draft of my novel.

Kiwi Writers has some great challenges for ’09. There is a full year one called ‘submit a book’ which I am thinking about joining. It will encourage me to get Forbidden Knowledge to a point where I will actually let others read it. I printed the first 2 chapters today, and when Dale started reading it I stopped him. I thought I’d be alright with it, but clearly I’m not. There is also the ‘collection challenge’. This sounds awesome, and I am hoping I will be able to find something to submit. I have until the end of Feb to find something. But first up is the ‘new year novella challenge’ which I have decided I will not join. I have heaps of work to do this month, and I’m away for almost 2 weeks, so it’s just not possible. If you do feel like writing a novella this month sign up at Kiwi Writers and get writing!

Yay, Chapter 2 done

And now I feel my novel is going to really work. The world seems much more real to me now at their language and culture is coming through in the writing. And having a culture and language to intergrate gives the world some real depth. Once I buy some more paper I am going to print the first two chapters. Then I’ll really feel I have achieved something. (I might even let Dale read it, but I am s**t scared of criticism when it’s only a draft still).

I’ve also managed to start the assignment that I really need to finish tomorrow. I just keep looking at the paper thinking it’s no big deal, it’s only 100 level, and it’s Greek Mythology which I know reasonably well as I have had an interest in mythologies since I was about 12. I can sit and do it in a few hours. But I know once I start it I will go off on tangents, and the essay itself will take quite a while to get written and edited. Mythology, I’ve realised, is the reason why I cannot be Christain. So much of what was collected and put down in the Bible was taken from other more ancient mythologies. Even the word Bible is from the greek word biblos, which meant papyrus.

Anyway, Dale is going to make some of his infamous fudge later on (YUM!!) while I continue to slog through this essay and add to my novel.

Bike Issues

On ANZAC day ’08 Dale’s silver road bike got nicked from behind our house. A cop came round & we gave him all the details, and despite his assertive “we will find it,” Dale & I gave the bike up for lost.

So it was much to my surprise and delight when the police station rang today and asked if we had lost a bike, “umm, yes, it was stolen ages ago & you have all the details.” Stupid question!

“What kind of bike was it?” OMG are you serious lady?

“A road bike. I dunno, it was silver. I can get the details, we kept them.”

“Oh, this one is red.”

Exciting we get the bike back & it’s had a paint job!

Ah, not so lucky.

Before Dale got his silver road bike he was riding a snazzy red & white retro style bike. It was cheap and cool. But it was crap; the frame’s metal was softer than the bolts holding the rear tyre on, so it would slip all the time. In short, very dangerous.

So when we moved house last October we left it in the good hands of my uncle who said he’d get rid of it for us. He took it to some scrap metal place (I trust him, he’s one of those good Christain types).

And now, over a year later, it has been found ditched on the side of the road on Tremain Ave. And because we bought it new, and Pedal Pushers record the serial no. & customer details of every bike sold, suddenly it belongs to us again & we have to go through the hassle of disposing it again.

So no usable bike being returned, and we still don’t know what happened to his good silver one.