50177. Hells yes.

That is all.

Word count: 32653 words

My computer is beeping. This will not end well.

It's just a beep every now and then, not enough to be obnoxious, but enough to be annoying. Just in case this spells doom, I've backed up my NaNo novel in multiple places (and luckily I've backed up all my other fiction recently).

Eep.

NaNo Word Count: 25360.

I have no intention of finishing in the next few days. Besides caring for my wrists (I still need a... I think it's a right wrist brace since my brother never gave back the one I let him borrow) I'm taking it easy over the next few days so I can figure out what on earth is going on with my plot, especially since aiming for 66666 words is a different story from aiming for 50k. I need to make sure I don't run out of story, especially since my entire story takes place in eight days, and I'm on day four now. Early on day four, but on day four. So word count wise, I'm right on track, especially since all hell will break loose by Wednesday or so novel-time.

However, thanks to my maniac-like writing on the first day, I won a halo from NaNoLanta, which makes me feel a bit better about not being able to donate myself.

Originally posted on the site. No, I won't be doing this for every entry. That'll get old really quickly.

You know how you're looking forward to an exciting event, and the countdown to the event is just as exciting (if not more so) than the event itself?

That's how the countdown to NaNoWriMo is. Sure, midnight the first is really exciting, but counting down the time until you can write and watching as others in time zones ahead of you start is what makes the event really exciting. I was on the forums this afternoon as writers in Australia and New Zealand were already beginning to write and update their word count. One writer already had nearly 7500 words! (FluffySilver, I commend you.)

Then there's watching fellow Twitter followers get excited and start. I follow NaNo Twitterers from around the world, from India to Britain, and watching them get excited and start writing only served to get me even more excited. Since some of us follow each other, we piggybacked on each other's conversations, creating an atmosphere of capslock and NaNo excitement.

Me? I'm taking advantage of the extra hour that living in the U.S. and the end of Daylight Savings Time provide and aiming for ten thousand words before going to bed at the end of the day. Sure, I'll lose time on the way to and from an evening write-in, though I can handwrite on the way and type in my words. However, last year Daylight Savings Time ended on the second, and I hit 10K by taking advantage of that extra hour. Perhaps I can do it within twenty-five hours this year instead of twenty-seven. Time shall see.

P.S. Two hours and twenty-two minutes!

(Originally posted at the site today.)

After poking around Chaotic Shiny's NaNoWriMo motivator for a few minutes, I moved on to the life motivator. (Seriously, give the NaNo one a try next month.) What exactly the purpose of the life motivator is, I'm not sure. Let's see what it spits out.

Do the hardest tasks first.
I'm a fan of doing the easy ones first. It gives me a sense of productivity to check the things off my to-do list.

Start work early.
Pretty good advice on the whole. If you're lucky, you can leave earlier. If not, then at least you're chopping away at what needs to be done and get stuff done. Besides, it's better than procrastinating.

Read for fun.
I like this one. I'm actually devoting most of my November commute to writing instead of reading, simply because it's a significant chunk of time and let's face it, I can get some good writing done.

Drink some water.
I have a mug of water next to me right now. Good job, self. In fact, that's my beverage of choice these days.

Think about the benefits, not the difficulties.
This one's hard for me to do. I'm not an optimist by nature, though I certainly try. It's usually a balancing act. "Yes, this could happen! Or this really bad thing could happen."

Do less.
Wouldn't that be great? Too bad my mind won't let me.

**
NaNo starts in almost 24 hours? Who's excited? I'm excited.

I have a plot. Let the rejoicing commence.

I am still alive, Internet.

NaNo starts in two weeks, and I have no clue what to write about. This could be the first year I go in with no plot whatsoever.

I've been writing on the site every day, no matter what. Even if I have nothing of value to day. There are no plans to leave LJ. The site is for non-life things. LJ is for life things. Again, there may be overlap.

I saw the editor-in-chief of Aurora before me at an Atlanta arts meeting last week, which was a good familiar face among strangers (though the strangers were also friendly).

I have a job interview on Tuesday. Wish me luck.

I've been cleaning out the files on my computer. When I got to my writing folder (which by the way, I am backing up, never fear), I came across this document.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS VITAL TO YOUR STATUS AS A HUMAN BEING. PLEASE READ IT ANYWAY.

Opening this document signifies your negligence to obey simple rules. You have now entered into territory so sacred that you are not worthy to set your mouse onto it. You have shown disrespect and shame toward a writer’s ways. I do not know why you did this, or why you even considered approaching my computer in the first place. All I know is that you must be punished.

I leave you with this. Do not approach the other documents in this folder. Violators will be punished by taking on the role of antagonist in my next fictional work, and I will make sure that everyone can tell that the antagonist is supposed to resemble the violator. Your best course of action would to be to exit this folder immediately. Unless I have given you explicit permission to be on this computer, then you must exit all programs and execute a proper shutdown of this computer. Do NOT, under any circumstances, pass go and collect two hundred CD-ROMs.

Thank you, and have a good day.
**
Something tells me I can delete this file now, but it's going here for posterity and future lulz.

There's a thread on the NaNo forums asking you to detail the contents of your pockets (or bag or purse). Here's my list. Man, I need to clean my purse.

Store receipts, old shopping lists, scraps of paper with random notes, ticket for two free meals at a restaurant after some bad service with no expiration date
three pens
one pencil
lip gloss
batteries
flash drive
big eraser
wallet containing transit pass, state ID, debit card, blood donor card, five-year-old card from college with emergency phone numbers, library cards, old college ID, phone cards that probably aren't any good, Kroger card, a Steak and Shake card for 10% off for more or less the rest of the year, a few business cards, some spare change (no cash though. Wow, I am poor.)
mailing from my bank confirming my change of address
my passport
a small notebook
my checkbook
an envelope from my grandmother with money in it (she gave it to me the day I moved out)
glasses
library card scanners that I can attach to key rings but never did
camera
iPod
whistle
sanitary pad
plastic bag containing condoms, dental dams, and lube (not that I have any plans to use any of these anytime soon. Besides, they're probably not too good anymore)

Pluses:
My internship is going well.
I had a phone interview this week.
NaNo starts in just over three weeks!
I've actually updated my website every day.
Today's Friday.

Deltas:
I think I'm getting sick. My throat has been sore all day.
I need to try to get my student debt deferred, which involves calling them for a deferment form.
I'm starting to worry that I'm unemployable.

Not bad, right? Right?

By the way, you can still help NaNoWriMo win $10,000.

My new goal in life is to get the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm already Time's Person of the Year, so I'm a shoo-in. Right?

This is one of my favorite threads in the NaNo forums. You simply list everything that's on your desk. Here are the contents of my desk right now.

* computer (including monitor, speakers, and actual computer)
* box of thumbtacks
* roll of blue tape
* notice of address change
* copy of The Kite Runner
* one of those little containers with sliding drawers
* a box with a pen in it
* a highlighter shaped like a flower
( It goes on. )

Also, help NaNoWriMo win 10,000 dollars! You can actually select the Office of Letters and Light from the dropdown menu now. Woo!

In other news, I may or may not have posted far too much on the forums already.

It's that time of year. Less than a month to go. More importantly, I can use my NaNo icons again! (This isn't just silly--have you seen how many NaNo icons I have?)

I wrote entry 2009 the day I graduated from Agnes. This is entry 2075. Wow, I haven't been writing much, have I?

I have been writing on my site, though for non-life stuff. Today was a non-entry, though. Exciting.

First, I have an internship. It's part-time in the late morning and early afternoon, meaning that I can use the rest of that time to look for actual jobs. Yes, the people there are aware that I am still looking for a real job. I need the experience and something to do, so this is good. I start on Monday.

Second, my website is up and running again! This time I'll actually keep it updated. My goal for this is real writing, where the LJ will concentrate on life. There will of course be connections between the two sites. See the first entry there, which is inspired by a real life incident--the Big Bang Theory marathon that the Society of Physics Students at Agnes hosted last night. I let slip to a couple of members that I had never seen it and that everyone and their mother had recommended it, and next thing I knew, I had no more excuses. I also ran into Dr. Riddle on the way to the observatory. Apparently several students tried to convince him to go too, but he didn't.

It has been raining on and off this afternoon. The rain started as soon as I put on my socks and decided I was going grocery shopping. Don't you love when that happens? The weather says it'll be sunnier tomorrow, so I can go then.

By the way, I love the show.

I was cooking corn tonight, and this recipe was on the can. I told Alok this and told him I'd reveal the recipe later but never did. Therefore, here it is now for public consumption, now devoid of brand pimping.

Chicken and broccoli chowder
Ingredients
* 1.5 cups broccoli flowerets
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 can (14.75 oz) creamed corn
1 can (15.25 oz) whole corn, drained (the recipe says gold and white corn, but you could probably use either one)
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup OR cream of potato soup
1 cup milk

Recipe
1. Cook broccoli, onion, and basil, covered, in 1/2 cup water in large saucepan for 3 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. DO NOT DRAIN (or else). Stir corn, soup, and milk into broccoli mixture. Heat through.
2. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with black pepper if desired. Eat. Enjoy. Tip your waitress on the way out.

**
In other news, today I killed a two-inch spider with a shoe and the Dekalb County Public Library's guide to September activities.

Also, Agnes Scott people, why oh why do you not you back up your email? Here's an easy way to do it if you don't want to mess with Thunderbird. Don't let the death of Agnes email affect you again. For all our sakes, please.