The month of words is coming to an end and I've succeeded in the two daft (given how much else I had to do) challenges. I'm both proud and very surprised - I failed NaBloPoMo very early on last November!
That said, today has been zombie-day - only managed about 3.5 hours' sleep last night, had to teach all day and then pick up the girls before finally passing out for a couple of hours. Now, I'm supposed to be working but have been catching up on my favourite blogs instead...
This "month" of words is actually going to be prolonged by about a week or so - I have two big texts to deliver on Thursday, then a shorter one next Monday and a shitload of student translations to mark.
But the holidays are getting closer, closer, closer. And my excitement levels are rising, rising, rising...
The tree will be going up on Wednesday, I'm planning on doing some Christmas cards really soon, presents are being bought (mainly for the girls, of course, but am working on the rest, too), and the Advent calendars will be brought out tomorrow.
Roll on December!
lundi 30 novembre 2009
dimanche 29 novembre 2009
Ground-breaking
Am feeling quite positively smug (and no, it has nothing to do with my "novel", about which I promise I won't be writing for ages, if ever again). Despite going to bed horribly late again last "night", I still managed to get up reasonably "early" (bear in mind, people, that all of this is relative) today and go out with D and the girls and a few friends for a late morning-early afternoon walk/picnic. It wasn't really warm enough for the picnic part, plus none of us were really prepared, so that was a little random, but still. Me. Out. On a Sunday morning.
Don't get me wrong, I feel like shit now and am dying to go to bed. Except of course that I have craploads of work to do, as well as all the usual evening stuff (including all C's homework... aaaarrrgghh) and - don't forget - the unmissable Zorro on TV.
But.
I have actually managed to get some work done this afternoon, and will continue till D brings C and L back from their respective playdates.
A productive day, and boy, do I feel smug!
Don't get me wrong, I feel like shit now and am dying to go to bed. Except of course that I have craploads of work to do, as well as all the usual evening stuff (including all C's homework... aaaarrrgghh) and - don't forget - the unmissable Zorro on TV.
But.
I have actually managed to get some work done this afternoon, and will continue till D brings C and L back from their respective playdates.
A productive day, and boy, do I feel smug!
Lucky number
Finished!
OK, not the actual story - still need about another 10,000 words, I reckon - but the challenge. I'm at just over 50,000 words as of 3 am this morning! I can't quite believe it, actually. I really did manage to write a "novel" (I'm still very hesitant about using the word - it's very short, in fact, 50,000 words, and I suspect much of what I've written is unadulterated crap) whilst working and teaching-working and being a maman and doing Christmas stuff and all that. I'm really, really going to try and finish the story (i.e. the first (very rough) draft) before we go away on holiday. Then, maybe in January or February (whenever I don't have too much work) I'll start editing. And then, who knows? To be honest, I don't have the least idea what to do with once I'm finished, but maybe inspiration will hit...
Anyway, in case you didn't notice, I finished my "opus" on 27 November. Not only is that 3 days ahead of schedule but hey, whaddya know, 27 is my lucky number (remember, I'm Magic27!)... My favourite, and much, much missed aunt was born on a 27th, both my daughters were born on a 27th (and one was conceived on a 27th too), D's father was born on a 27th... That number just keeps on coming up... And now, it's the date on which I finished my first novel... Maybe it will bring me luck, make it a best seller and me debt-free at last (cloud-cuckoo land, I know, but we all need dreams!).
I really am inordinately proud of myself! And I'm shouting it out because no one IRL has any idea that I even set myself the challenge...
Yeah me!
vendredi 27 novembre 2009
Temptation not resisted
Not just once, but twice.
If you've ever ploughed your way through my tedious archives, you might remember one of my confessions - Hello, my name is Magic and I am a stationery addict.
I just love to see nice piles of new notebooks, racks of new pens and pencils, art supplies, binders, folders, pencil cases... Hmmmmm
So, today, I had to buy a birthday present for a friend of C's and, as I didn't have much time, I went to a sort multi-store (books, stationery, cards, art supplies...) and picked something up there. And just went "to have a quick look" at the art supplies. And came out with a tube of paint and some gold ribbon to make candle holders for the school Christmas market plus the beginnings of the girls' Christmas present for my father.
First temptation fail.
Then, on my way to catch the bus to go pick up the girls from school, I walked past my favourite stationery shop in town, the Papéthèque. And that siren song lured me in yet again (the pretext being, "I wonder if they sell party invitations" (to which the answer is "no"). And though I didn't come out with any invitations, I did come out with the cards and envelopes I'll need to make my own (yeah, right, like I absolutely have time for that...).
Second temptation fail.
But oh, that just-bought-art-supplies high!
I still feel all tingly just thinking about my goodies. And of course getting down to work has been tough ce soir because I want to do my candle holders... or C's party invites... or even my Christmas cards...
Oh, and by the by, I'm just 1,500 words short of my 50,000 for NaNoWriMo... I may even finish tonight (not the story, I'm probably going to need about 60,000 for that, but the challenge). go me!
If you've ever ploughed your way through my tedious archives, you might remember one of my confessions - Hello, my name is Magic and I am a stationery addict.
I just love to see nice piles of new notebooks, racks of new pens and pencils, art supplies, binders, folders, pencil cases... Hmmmmm
So, today, I had to buy a birthday present for a friend of C's and, as I didn't have much time, I went to a sort multi-store (books, stationery, cards, art supplies...) and picked something up there. And just went "to have a quick look" at the art supplies. And came out with a tube of paint and some gold ribbon to make candle holders for the school Christmas market plus the beginnings of the girls' Christmas present for my father.
First temptation fail.
Then, on my way to catch the bus to go pick up the girls from school, I walked past my favourite stationery shop in town, the Papéthèque. And that siren song lured me in yet again (the pretext being, "I wonder if they sell party invitations" (to which the answer is "no"). And though I didn't come out with any invitations, I did come out with the cards and envelopes I'll need to make my own (yeah, right, like I absolutely have time for that...).
Second temptation fail.
But oh, that just-bought-art-supplies high!
I still feel all tingly just thinking about my goodies. And of course getting down to work has been tough ce soir because I want to do my candle holders... or C's party invites... or even my Christmas cards...
Oh, and by the by, I'm just 1,500 words short of my 50,000 for NaNoWriMo... I may even finish tonight (not the story, I'm probably going to need about 60,000 for that, but the challenge). go me!
Forward planning
I'm just starting to realise (yes, I can be slow on the uptake sometimes) that C's 8th birthday is looming large - one month tomorrow, in fact. We'll be in Scotland for the Big Day, but every year we give her a party. Nothing fancy (no "Acrochats" stuff for us - it costs a fortune and isn't (in my opinion, though it has to be said that kids love it) that great), usually just here at home. Not huge numbers of kids, either (L's birthday this year excepted).
The snag is that the Christmas holidays are also looming, which means the invites have to get done beforehand. As in, really, really soon. Along with the stuff I'm supposed to be making for the Christmas market.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH
Also, C's teacher will be celebrating all the December birthdays in class on 15 December, which means baking a cake or something...
I mean, I enjoy all this stuff, it's just that I have so much work stuff on my plate that I don't have time to enjoy it all like I should... I like making cakes, and making invites, and organising parties and what have you. I like handicraft activities, I like doing school stuff (oh, yeah, the school newspaper is looming, too). But really, I'm typed out right now (6,500 words today, which is MAMMOTH). And that pisses me off.
But. I'm going to try and work my arse off in the next few days (big translations all due next Thursday) and then try and ease up a little so I can prepare for Christmas like I want to!
Christmas preparations are such fun!
The snag is that the Christmas holidays are also looming, which means the invites have to get done beforehand. As in, really, really soon. Along with the stuff I'm supposed to be making for the Christmas market.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH
Also, C's teacher will be celebrating all the December birthdays in class on 15 December, which means baking a cake or something...
I mean, I enjoy all this stuff, it's just that I have so much work stuff on my plate that I don't have time to enjoy it all like I should... I like making cakes, and making invites, and organising parties and what have you. I like handicraft activities, I like doing school stuff (oh, yeah, the school newspaper is looming, too). But really, I'm typed out right now (6,500 words today, which is MAMMOTH). And that pisses me off.
But. I'm going to try and work my arse off in the next few days (big translations all due next Thursday) and then try and ease up a little so I can prepare for Christmas like I want to!
Christmas preparations are such fun!
jeudi 26 novembre 2009
Appropriate
I guess, given my feelings for my MIL, it was only natural that today, her birthday, would be a crappy, frustrating, stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off kind of day.
Don't worry, I don't intend to go into the details (way too tedious, even for this blog), but yeah, crappy day, really.
Don't worry, I don't intend to go into the details (way too tedious, even for this blog), but yeah, crappy day, really.
mercredi 25 novembre 2009
Words, words, words
I haven't started the 17,000 words I have to translate for next Thursday, but only because other, more "urgent" work keeps coming in. I've also just done a quotation for the translation of a really technical economics text and am kind of hoping it gets refused, just because it's so technical...
As for my "novel", well, I'm well over 45,000 words and actually have days to spare, which is great given how much else I have to do. I'm so proud of this achievement, even if it isn't actually finished yet. I'm hoping to hit 50,000 this weekend, and the end of the story at about 60,000. After that, who knows? I reckon I'll take a break in December then come back to it in January. We'll see.
I also have to start working on making something for the school's Christmas Fair. I'm not sure yet what to make - last year I made really cute tree decorations, but almost no one bought them (my sweet daughters did, though, bless them!), so I'll have to try and find something else. I wish I had more time - this is just the kind of activity I love!
Oh yes - I bought L's much-desired Lego Christmas present: it's a soldiers' fort with attacking pirates and a crocodile and a monkey and a little boat and yes, I know she's a girl, but she loves pirates and I'm sure she'll be thrilled. I'm excited as hell myself!
And Tom, well, Tom's being Tom - lying on the sofa, waiting for me to go and give him a cuddle. And once I've finished my remaining 800 words for today for NaNoWriMo, that's exactly what I intend to do!
As for my "novel", well, I'm well over 45,000 words and actually have days to spare, which is great given how much else I have to do. I'm so proud of this achievement, even if it isn't actually finished yet. I'm hoping to hit 50,000 this weekend, and the end of the story at about 60,000. After that, who knows? I reckon I'll take a break in December then come back to it in January. We'll see.
I also have to start working on making something for the school's Christmas Fair. I'm not sure yet what to make - last year I made really cute tree decorations, but almost no one bought them (my sweet daughters did, though, bless them!), so I'll have to try and find something else. I wish I had more time - this is just the kind of activity I love!
Oh yes - I bought L's much-desired Lego Christmas present: it's a soldiers' fort with attacking pirates and a crocodile and a monkey and a little boat and yes, I know she's a girl, but she loves pirates and I'm sure she'll be thrilled. I'm excited as hell myself!
And Tom, well, Tom's being Tom - lying on the sofa, waiting for me to go and give him a cuddle. And once I've finished my remaining 800 words for today for NaNoWriMo, that's exactly what I intend to do!
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