There's not really a lot to keep up with - as in not a whole lot has happened - I just have trouble remembering to document anything that does happen.
Let's see.... since my last post, what's happened. *crickets*
That's what I thought.
My dad and I walked in the Father's Day Walk/Run for Prostate Cancer Canada. It was held, aptly, on Father's Day. My mom was supposed to walk as well, but after a health scare earlier in the week, we basically told her she wasn't allowed to and dad and I continued on without her, while she performed as photographer for us. Together, we all raised just over $1,400 and dad and I finished the walk in just under an hour, about 10 minutes faster than last year. We all say we're going to continue doing this particular 5k walk for as long as we are physically able. Which means, somewhere down the line, I will be walking alone...
I'm going to see Corey Hart perform live next weekend. To most, this would not be exciting. To me, it's a childhood dream. Corey Hart was my first ever celebrity crush. It began at the age of 8. And because I was so young, I have never had the opportunity to see him live. On my list of dream concerts, he's always been there, but toward the bottom of the list because he doesn't do music anymore. He retired from touring and making records to raise his children. Which I can totally respect. It's definitely a valid choice. It just made me sad that I would never have the opportunity. Until now. Apparently, some local(ish) DJ approached him to remix one of his songs, and Corey said yes. And it's now become a kind of Pride anthem, so he's performing as part of the Pride Festival. Which y'know, is a little odd, given that he's straight and all, but that's okay. I'm going to see Corey Hart live! And I don't have any issues with going to Pride to do it. I've been at Pride for much less of a reason than that before.
The next day, my friend and I are heading to Niagara Falls because she hasn't been in a very long time and would like to do a few of the touristy things. She's coming with me to the concert, so it's a perfect way to combine the two things. And we're both on vacation starting that week so it's perfect! It should be a good few days. So excited!!
In other updates:
I've begun going to a chiropractor, and I feel pretty good about it. I was having muscle issues in my right shoulder blade area and had been having recurring headaches that I could not get to go away. Since seeing the chiropractor I've had only one headache, and I think that it was caused by the adjustment and my body adjusting to the new position. Otherwise I've been doing really well. She's given me some exercises to do on my own as well, and those are also very helpful.
My weight loss goals are not going as well as I had hoped - I'm stuck at about 12 pounds lost - but I do feel healthier. I feel good about myself knowing that I'm being more active. And maybe my metabolism will at some point realize that I'm not going to stop walking and get itself in gear. There's no reason for it to be sluggish. I'm not starving to death, clearly.
I have a "face-to-face" for what could be a very interesting job opportunity on Wednesday. Part of me is freaking out because of the circumstances that make it interesting, and part of me is being very passive. Shrugging my shoulders and saying "Eh. Whatever happens, happens." It's a weird situation for me. I'm generally quite high-strung about prospective job stuff. I desperately want to find something new, and it's a very bad idea to let a prospective employer know that you want it desperately. So perhaps this will go better because I don't have that same feeling.
Some days I feel kind of like I'm drowning in the non-ness of my life. (Yes, I just made up that word.) I don't really do anything much, but I feel like I have no time to do anything, because I never get anything accomplished. It's a bit scarey. I'm hoping that maybe I can change my attitude a little if I change some of my current situations. I need to make changes, I think my psyche is scared that I'll end up somewhere worse than I am now. I'm too comfortable here. Even though I'm not really comfortable at all. But change is stressful, and worrisome, and who needs that? Every one does. I know. I just have to get myself comfortable with the idea of change, so that I'm a bit more willing to take a risk. And hopefully the right risk will present itself soon, while I've got myself in the right brain-place to take advantage of it.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Positive vibes please
Posting only for a completely self-serving reason: There's a job that I really want an interview for. As in really, really want an interview, because I really want the job. The posting closed today. So can anyone who might happen to be reading this please think about me getting an interview and ultimately that job? Please?!?
I appreciate any positive thoughts you can spare in my direction. From the progress the past few months, I can use all the help I can get.
I appreciate any positive thoughts you can spare in my direction. From the progress the past few months, I can use all the help I can get.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Holy Cow! I suck!
Just a quick post to say that I had no idea it had been quite so long since I'd posted on this blog. I am horrible at blogging!!
I really need to start putting my thoughts in here, instead of just ranting away to myself, and my cat. Because I don't think she really cares, and I just make myself angrier.
I really need to start putting my thoughts in here, instead of just ranting away to myself, and my cat. Because I don't think she really cares, and I just make myself angrier.
Google +
Okay, so I like the idea. The concept is good.
But I don't like that they are forcing me to put my full real name out there for all the world. I like my privacy. I share what I want, with who I want. I prefer to be known by my initial. It's not a crime. I don't share my location, I don't share my workplace. I'm trying to protect myself, and my identity. I'm trying to avoid crazy cyber-stalker types. I should be allowed to do that. I don't necessarily want any person who knows my name to be able to find me online. If I want them to find me, I'll let them know how. This should be my right.
Google people are you listening? I should be allowed to share only the information I want online. You shouldn't be able to force me to allow everyone to see my whole name. If you want to know my full name fine. But I should be able to be present on my blog, and on my google+ page with just a common, comfortable nickname.
Got it?!
But I don't like that they are forcing me to put my full real name out there for all the world. I like my privacy. I share what I want, with who I want. I prefer to be known by my initial. It's not a crime. I don't share my location, I don't share my workplace. I'm trying to protect myself, and my identity. I'm trying to avoid crazy cyber-stalker types. I should be allowed to do that. I don't necessarily want any person who knows my name to be able to find me online. If I want them to find me, I'll let them know how. This should be my right.
Google people are you listening? I should be allowed to share only the information I want online. You shouldn't be able to force me to allow everyone to see my whole name. If you want to know my full name fine. But I should be able to be present on my blog, and on my google+ page with just a common, comfortable nickname.
Got it?!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Fifty
I've just finished reading the E.L. James trilogy, beginning with Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm clearly not a reviewer or a critic, and I don't really have a leg to stand on as far as ever being published or having any kind of reputation that grants me the right to say anything at all about someone's written work.
But below, I'm planning to post my thoughts. If you don't want to know what I think. Stop reading.
Also, there will be spoilers, so anyone looking to avoid knowing what the stories are about, then you need to avoid reading this.
Are you still here? Okay.
And so, my thoughts:
I find it awkward to admit that I actually did enjoy reading these novels. And it's not awkward because of the content. Everyone who's heard anything about them already knows that they're erotica, and so there's no cause for any awkwardness there. I find it awkward, because I was often pulled out of the story by the writing itself. The awkwardness comes because I didn't find the righting very good. But I kept wanting to know where the story was going. Clearly, eventually they would both get past at least some of their issues, or there would be no satisfactory conclusion to the story, but when, and how. That's what I wanted to know.
The sex, while definitely graphic in moments, didn't tend to be superfluous. I found that after each encounter I had learned something about one or both of the characters that led to some revelation or other of their personality/character. That's a very positive point. Because often sex in a novel is just there for the fun of it. It doesn't actually tell us anything. The writing, by the way, was often much better in the sex scenes than in the more mundane scenes. Interesting.
The writing in the more mundane scenes was a bit lacking. It seemed repetitive, using the same phrases and words over and over, and throwing in overly large words, seemingly just for the sake of using an overly long word. And the character development in anything other than a sex scene was almost nil. We'd seem to get somewhere with a particular development and in the next chapter, that same character would be having the same issue again. I understand that people don't always grow the way that we want them to, but in this particular story, we seemed to be having the same conversations over and over, with no movement toward any resolution.
There were also editing issues. In one specific example, there's one person driving the car, and then three lines later, someone else is parking it. When did they switch? Is it a multiple personality disorder and there was only one person all along?
I read somewhere that this series was rushed to print. I would guess because they wanted to take advantage of a marketing situation of some kind. They likely would have done better to spend some more time on fleshing out the story and the characters. And editing. Making sure that the people in the end of the scene were the same people that were in the beginning. And that they weren't quite so repetitive.
I give the author props for managing to get published, though from the author bio, I would guess that she likely had some contacts in the industry that helped with that situation. But I found myself longing to rewrite many of the scenes to make them flow better, to avoid the repetition and to make everything more consistent in tone and content. This is probably a flaw on my part, but I don't often have the urge to do that to a novel, so I think it also says something about the work that I was reading.
Overall, as I said, I did enjoy reading it. The story was quite interesting, if not entirely unique. With a little more polish on the writing, I'd happily read something else that E.L. James had written.
But below, I'm planning to post my thoughts. If you don't want to know what I think. Stop reading.
Also, there will be spoilers, so anyone looking to avoid knowing what the stories are about, then you need to avoid reading this.
Are you still here? Okay.
And so, my thoughts:
I find it awkward to admit that I actually did enjoy reading these novels. And it's not awkward because of the content. Everyone who's heard anything about them already knows that they're erotica, and so there's no cause for any awkwardness there. I find it awkward, because I was often pulled out of the story by the writing itself. The awkwardness comes because I didn't find the righting very good. But I kept wanting to know where the story was going. Clearly, eventually they would both get past at least some of their issues, or there would be no satisfactory conclusion to the story, but when, and how. That's what I wanted to know.
The sex, while definitely graphic in moments, didn't tend to be superfluous. I found that after each encounter I had learned something about one or both of the characters that led to some revelation or other of their personality/character. That's a very positive point. Because often sex in a novel is just there for the fun of it. It doesn't actually tell us anything. The writing, by the way, was often much better in the sex scenes than in the more mundane scenes. Interesting.
The writing in the more mundane scenes was a bit lacking. It seemed repetitive, using the same phrases and words over and over, and throwing in overly large words, seemingly just for the sake of using an overly long word. And the character development in anything other than a sex scene was almost nil. We'd seem to get somewhere with a particular development and in the next chapter, that same character would be having the same issue again. I understand that people don't always grow the way that we want them to, but in this particular story, we seemed to be having the same conversations over and over, with no movement toward any resolution.
There were also editing issues. In one specific example, there's one person driving the car, and then three lines later, someone else is parking it. When did they switch? Is it a multiple personality disorder and there was only one person all along?
I read somewhere that this series was rushed to print. I would guess because they wanted to take advantage of a marketing situation of some kind. They likely would have done better to spend some more time on fleshing out the story and the characters. And editing. Making sure that the people in the end of the scene were the same people that were in the beginning. And that they weren't quite so repetitive.
I give the author props for managing to get published, though from the author bio, I would guess that she likely had some contacts in the industry that helped with that situation. But I found myself longing to rewrite many of the scenes to make them flow better, to avoid the repetition and to make everything more consistent in tone and content. This is probably a flaw on my part, but I don't often have the urge to do that to a novel, so I think it also says something about the work that I was reading.
Overall, as I said, I did enjoy reading it. The story was quite interesting, if not entirely unique. With a little more polish on the writing, I'd happily read something else that E.L. James had written.
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