Back Again

What I've been up to:

1. Work. This is a given.
2. Writing! Holy crap I'm proud of myself. I've made myself a goal and I'm trying very hard to keep to it. Three pages a day. Nearly 150 pages by May 1. That will bring me so much closer to finishing my book. No, I don't know when it will be done. I'll only know that when I'm done writing it. I am not one of those organized writers. I don't have all the chapters plotted out. I have ideas of where I want the story to go and some events that I want to happen and I just take it as it is. I go where the characters lead and work my stuff into their world. I am getting incredibly excited by where the story is going now and more excited where I think it will end up. I am currently writing chapter 16.
3. Music is my muse-ic. As ever. It relaxes. It inspires. It saddens. It cheers. But I'm starting to run my favorite songs down by listening to them too much.
4. My other blogger, the photo-a-day one is nearing its end. I'll soon be turning *gasp* 27...and my year of photos will be over. I'm thinking a year of haiku next. ;P
5. Finished re-reading Harry Potter a while ago. Started another series and have read 2/4 books. It's not bad. Also started Life of Pi and am picking up The Thirteenth Tale again after a long time of not reading it and stopping in the middle. Really wish I'd read it straight through because remembering the characters and plot has been slightly challenging.
6. Still trying to sort myself out. While I feel a lot better, internally I know that I haven't found a true balance between things yet. Money (namely not enough though I've heard too much also can be a hindrance) sucks.

So, that's it in a nutshell. Welcome Spring!

Music!

Sometimes, I want to live and breathe music. Not that I want to compose it; I've no talent for that. Nor even that I want to play it; though there are instruments I'd like to learn for fun. No. There's just a feeling I get when I'm listening to it, especially to certain songs or artists. Something inside just wants to get out, to move. I courses through me. I'll plug into my ipod and, for lack of a better coin of phrase, escape. I'm in my mind but I'm not. I'm in my body but I'm not. Almost like my soul, or some deeper part of me, beats in rhythm to whatever I'm listening to. Synchronized. It often evokes all sorts of emotions. I'll cry. I'll smile. I'll feel incredibly elated or determined or justified. Whatever emotion the song wants to pull out of me. Whatever emotion that I am most feeling that day can be found in almost any song. But it's the music that pulls it out. No matter what emotion, I always feel much more peaceful afterward. And inspired.

As I think back, music has always seemed to have this effect on me, whether it was good music or, what I now deem not-so-good music. Songs and bands I wouldn't listen to now, at one time evoked that peaceful feeling. I remember sitting in the family room of my old house, on the couch by the bay window and right in front of the pellet stove. I'd lay there with my CD Player (yes, an actual CD Player...made for playing one CD at a time!) and be in a different world. I'd visualize scenarios according to songs and have the characters and plot all worked out. I'd run it over and over in my head, though usually nothing would change much. It was addicting, these dreamscapes. Still is.

Right now I'm listening to a playlist I made for when I am working on my novel. It usually gets me in the mindset of writing that particular story, sometimes offering ideas for plot while other times sinking me into certain characters and the various things they have gone through or have yet to go through. Tonight it motivated me to write a blog.

I find it utterly amazing how music can have so much of an affect on us (I'm counting on my not being the only one to experience such things).



Some songs I'm in tune with:
'Atlantic' by Thrice
'Hide and Seek' by Imogene Heap
'Starlight' by Muse

Anyone out there have any songs that does this to them? Post a comment.

Been a while

This blog has been sadly ignored...guess I've been working on the other one so much I've forgotten about this one. Us wacky people with our more than 1 blogs. Wow...I just read that last sentence and it almost seems like I'm referring to myself as "us." Heh heh. No I don't have multiple personalities I'm just assuming there are other people out there who have more than one blog.

Anyway...

What am I currently doing in my life, you might ask? (And you might not but I'm going to tell you anyway). Let's see...

1. working. Do this a lot.

2. re-reading the Harry Potter series. I'm halfway through book 4 but I really just want to skip ahead to book 7 because I don't remember a lot of it. Oh well, I'll keep plugging at it.

3. attempting to eat healthier. This comes and goes. At least I've got my workday breakfast routine: yogurt, blueberries, and granola. With tea most mornings.

4. Listening to a lot of music. Okay...so I get on "music binges" some days when I get home from work and I completely lose myself in usually the same line up of songs, and I'll admit some of them are a little embarrassing to get caught up with but something about them hits me. I may post a list...sometime...

5. At times, continuing the ever-growing novel I'm writing. So I should be writing on this more but at least I'm doing it more than I did. I've reached 100 pages and I'm sure there's at least a couple hundred more to go. I'll get there. It's my goal to finish the book (well, rough draft) no later than June...so I can edit the shit out of it and hopefully start working on getting it published. Must have goals.

6. Trying to think more positively. This is a big one for me, actually. I've been in such a downward spiral completely dwelling on negative thoughts that it's affected me and brought out sides of myself that I don't find pleasing in the least. Time to brighten up the mind, lighten up the misery load, and make a better life happen. Negativity will just suck your soul out if you let it [as will other things =(].

So that's it. I'm 26 going on 27, I don't have a firm grasp on my life right now, but I'd like to think that I'm getting there. Slowly going the way of the turtle. Or perhaps snail? Which is slower?