wish you were here

I saw Michael Jackson once, sitting across the arena from my family and me at King Arthur’s Tournament.

Seriously? Zachary Quinto acted better in 2 hours of Star Trek than he did this whole season of Heroes. What is that all about?

I will show up on time to the fill-in bassist gig at The Hard Rock next time, I swear. I don’t know what I was doing to make me so late. And I don’t even know all of your songs. But I’ll be there.

I haven’t even Twittered in like a week and a half. What’s up with that?

There are things happening. Here’s a little rundown.

–Slowly but surely, I’m getting back to running. It’s been hard with work knocking me in a satisfied way on my ass, and feeling too tired at the end of the day to run, but too lazy to go to bed early to do it, either. One mile at a time.
–I have 2 baby showers and a wedding in the next 4 months. I’m not sure how I feel about this other than fleetingly sad. I say fleetingly because I have other things that I’m working on that take up most of my mental capacities that I don’t think about that too much. Which on the one hand is wrong on so many levels because it implies hermitude, but yet right because I don’t dwell and get depressed about it.
–The novel is moving along, but is on hold (mostly) for the next few weeks while I work on a new story that has a May 15th deadline. Since Friday night, I’m about 3500 words in– and about 2500 of that was today alone. Yes I’ll be hounding you for Beta Reading.
–I’m doing the latest “Under The Influence” series on Thursday at the Jewel Box Theatre inside the Flamingo Library. I have a vague plan on who I’ll be reading and what of mine I’ll be reading. Mostly old stuff, but it will be fun. I’m excited.
–I want to play bass in a band again. Preferably not in a metal one.
–And, I (heart) Bat For Lashes.

I’ve been feeling more and more tired lately, though I’ve been getting enough sleep and eating (mostly) okay. I’ve been avoiding soda about 80% of the time now. And you would think that would be a great list of things to get me back into the gym, but I just don’t feel it right now. I can see and feel myself gaining weight and I’m just not. Motivated. It’s terrible. Today I just couldn’t get it together.

But then again, that might just be because taking over a new store can be equal parts taxing and awesome. Here’s a list:

The Pros:
–I’ve learned how to use 2 engraving machines, one of which still utilizes an Apple II floppy disk reader. Oh, nostalgia.
–Which means no laser, which means prettier plaques
–Smaller shop, meaning less likelihood of those pesky 200-plaque orders due in 10 days where the graphics for each plate are printed on paper, the plates cut for the main and border plates, then all assembled
–Closer to home– a 10 minute commute as opposed to the up-to-30 minutes it would take to come home from across town
–Meeting new customers

The Cons:
–Being part of a business (though it may be changing with the new owners) that’s entirely built upon the grocer’s apostrophe
–A girl like me who likes to learn things and get her hands dirty apparently impresses 70 year-old men
–Lots and lots of old people customers, who are likely to be short and possibly mean with myself and my 19 year-old co-worker (this is from someone who actually LIKES old people, for the most part)
–The possibility of working more now that I’m on salary

Everything has made it so that I’m very lax on replying to messages and emails. I’m a terrible person that way.

For some reason I’m on a Manchester band kick.

…though I’m not quite sure who I’ll be reading yet.

Since I’m not quite ever in the mindset to write a proper post.

1. The novel. I can seen the finish line, and it looks like before summer. But because it’s longhand, it might not be a proper draft 1.5 until Julyish. But we’ll see what happens. I’m feeling pretty good about where I want to take things, but even writing it so far, the characters like to change the story. That’s a Good Thing.

2. Work. So, this week I start my first official week as a Salaried Employee. I’ve never been salaried before. It feels weird, considering I haven’t been working there a year yet. It wasn’t a big raise, but it was a raise, and it’s desperately needed.

3. The gym, oh how I’ve missed you. Finally, last night, I had one of the best workouts I’ve had in months, and that includes the training during the half. I’m thinking I need to buckle down, especially on the weekends, and at least get a couple of miles in. I’ve gained a lot of weight (or, at least it feels like a lot of weight) in the past 4 months. And drinking. Plenty of that.

4. The current song on repeat. That would be Friendly Fires’ “Skeleton Boy.”

5. Pigtails. Right. In my attempt to try something different with my hair other than cutting it short again, I’m wearing it in pigtails more often lately. I know, I know. It’s bad enough that I look younger than I am, but I guess trying to make it worse might work out? I don’t know. My energy’s been so sapped lately that that’s the most work I can do on myself right now. Although, when I did straighten it about a month ago, it looked fantastic, so that’s also an option. I’m hoping when I get my credit card under control I can have a proper clothes shopping day. I think I’ve figured out that I give off almost too much of a tomboy vibe, and being the Year Of The Goddess, I think it’s time to tone it down a bit.

It’s busy season at the awards shop, which is good for letting the days go by. But I feel like once I get something done, it’s only the bottom of the huge mountain of stuff to do. That’s okay, though, because the folks who own the store bought another store. And two great things are coming out of this: they’re making me the manager! and it’s closer to my house, so no 20 minute commute everyday! Double woo!

Continue reading about – tired, but because I’m busy.