Geeked Out and Fabulous

I Don't Even Know Anymore

linear_flower — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 02:49:16 GMT

The dreaded blogger hiatus. It affects even the greatest of bloggers from time to time. As for me, it hits me more often than I’d like to admit. I try to bring my various blogs back, but then something comes up and I make one post, maybe two. (And of course that one post is made up of, "I’m trying to bring the blog back, please bear with me, new content soon!" and then... radio silence again. It's a wonder I have any readers anymore.(I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that I didn't, actually.)

I get consumed by certain things, where it's what I want to do all the time, and that's what can affect what I'm blogging about. If I have a blog related to what I'm currently into, I'll blog about it. Otherwise, I won't. (Though, now that I think about it, I should use this blog for anything that doesn't follow the "rules" of my other blogs, since it truly is a catch all grab bag blog for everything else that doesn't fit on my themed blogs.)

Maybe blogging just isn't for me, I don't know. I used to really enjoy writing about my day, or doing blogging/journal memes, or just keeping this thing semi-updated back in the days when LiveJournal was really big. (The only reason I haven't moved from this blog is the history, to be honest. I created this journal in 2002. I loathe to start over anywhere else, and I also have this weird quirk that I don't want multiple blogs on the same platform. Like, my cross stitch blog is on Blogger, so none of my other blogs can also be on Blogger. It's why I have blogs on LiveJournal, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress, Weebly, and Postach.io.)

Now, of course, the next question that I inevitably struggle with is why have so many blogs? Why not consolidate them all and just have one blog? So if I want to blog about cross stitching one day, and about makeup the next. That way the blog stays current. And I've thought about it, I really have. And at one point, I believe I did do that here. But then I read those "How To Gain Blog Reader" guides that tell you to not have too broad of a subject matter otherwise you alienate your audience (people there for nail posts don't wanna read about cross stitch/crafty stuff and vice versa. Stuff like that.)

I find it funny that I do this, after making a blog post about a year ago on how to avoid this. I should learn to practice what I preach, huh?

We'll see.

Edit: Apparently this is my 900th post. Go figure.

I Uploaded a Vlog!

linear_flower — Sat, 23 Apr 2016 16:38:07 GMT

Blog Aggregation 9/6/15 - 9/12/15

linear_flower — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 20:51:17 GMT

I finally have enough posts (by which I mean I posted to every blog at least once!) and thus can finally do my first aggregation post! Check it out!

Geeked Out and Fabulous:

Monday: Battling Blogger Burnout

The Cross Stitch Geek:

Sunday: Flosstube #13: Showing Off My Digital Stash
Tuesday: Flosstube #14: Tags, WIPs and Bead Stash

The Write of Way:

Saturday: Character Building Question Meme (1/6)

The Polished Fangirl:

Saturday: Quickie Post

Pass the Bookmark:

Monday: Book Haul

Marshmallow Couture:

Monday: Trying to Get in the Swing of Things
Saturday: Cute Shirt

Battling Blogger Burnout

linear_flower — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 02:14:39 GMT

You would think that the fact that I have *counts* six different blogs across as many different categories (and as many different platforms) would mean I never have to worry about getting burnt out and then not blogging on any of them, but that's where I'm at right now. I've got a serious universal case of Blogger Burnout, and I'm trying to dig myself out of it. (As you can see, I mentioned weekly aggregation posts on this blog. Has that happened yet? Of course it hasn't. I haven't had any posts to aggregate.)

What Is Blogger Burnout?

Blogger Burnout is a term I first heard about in the nail polish blogging community, and in a nutshell is when blogging becomes more of a chore than a fun thing and it gets pushed back until you're not blogging anymore. I also add that the longer you put blogging off the harder it gets to start up again. (I equate it to cleaning house: if you keep up on it, it's easy, but the longer you go without cleaning, the harder it gets to get up and going and the dirtier your place gets. Yeah, it's kinda like that.)

How To Fix Blogger Burnout?

Honestly, I haven't quite figured it out myself, clearly. A lot of people say taking a break fixes it, and sometimes for me it can help (cause for me, I tend to get Blogger Burnout because I focus on one blog at a time, and my interests wax and wane. Right now my interest is mainly in cross stitch, so The Cross Stitch Geek is getting a lot of love. At the first of the year, it was reading so I was all about Pass the Bookmark.)

Writing prompts can help a lot, too. I love Writer's Block here on LiveJournal, because I have a guaranteed post if I can't think of anything else. I also love the themed challenges that the polish blogging community came up with (there's one going on right now that I could jump into at any time, and I'm trying to come up with one of my own). They also help for the same reason.

A media change can also help. Though I was still stitching, I was loathe to scan my work and write a post, so even The Cross Stitch Geek was suffering. I joined the YouTube cross stitch community (Flosstube) and started posting videos, also going ahead and throwing them on the blog. It helped.

In Conclusion

Blogger Burnout sucks, and can be tough to get out of. I don't consider myself an expert on overcoming it (or even relatively good at it. I only really know the basics), but I hope what little tips I could offer help. If even one person gets back in the swing of blogging based on my tips, then I've succeeded with this post.

It's Something, Maybe?

linear_flower — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 05:11:26 GMT

So I'm going to be doing a weekly aggregation of all my blogs, because I have so many. It's probably going to be mostly for my own benefit than anything else. (Me posting everything here weekly will hopefully convince me to try to post more often.)

First post is going to be Sunday, August 16, encompassing the week of Sunday, August 9 to Saturday, August 15. All blogs will be included (with the exception of Marshmallow Couture because it happens to be down. Again. Because Postach.io just so happens to be a paid service and I didn't find out until after I had secured the URL and set up the blog. I went back to start posting again and guess what! It was giving me "Your billing information is incomplete" errors upon login. I get my first paycheck from my new job on the 21st. I'm considering just paying for Postach.io's service - $10/month I believe - opposed to moving that blog to something free.)

So in short: Aggregation. Sundays. Yeah. *thumbs... up...?*

50 Questions I Haven't Been Asked Before Today

linear_flower — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 05:36:48 GMT

1. What's your favorite candle scent?
I love fruit scents and sweet scents, so anything like that. My absolute favorite scent of all time is Orange Vanilla, though.

2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister?
I... I don't know if I have an answer to that.

3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother?
Same with this one.

4. How old do you think you'll be when you get married?
*sigh* At this point I don't know if I'll ever get married. If everything works out the way I want it to (doubtful though), I'll be 30, almost 31.

5. Do you know a hoarder?
Nope.

6. Can you do a split?
Ahahahahahahaha lol no.

7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?
Eight.

8. How many oceans have you swam in?
Just one, the Pacific.

9. How many countries have you been to?
Just the good ol' USA.

10. Is anyone in your family in the army?
Nope, my dad was a Marine though.

11. What would you name your daughter if you had one?
Adele Elizabeth or Jeanette Alexandria

12. What would you name your son if you had one?
Quentin Nicholas or Simon Thomas

13. What's the worst grade you got on a test?
I'm pretty sure I failed a couple.

14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers

15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight?
I'm supposed to think back that far?! That was over 20 years ago! I think I was a cat or a bunny that year.

16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series?
No, actually. Only one I think would be of any interest to me is Hunger Games though.

17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent?
American. You Brits can keep your useless u's. ;)

18. Did your mother go to college?
Uh huh.

19. Are your grandparents still married?
Both my maternal grandparents are dead, but they were married when my grandpa, the first of them to go, died the year I was born. My paternal grandparents, however, are divorced.

20. Have you ever taken karate lessons?
No.

21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is?
There are people who don't?!

22. What's the first amusement park you've been to?
Disneyland! 8D

23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in?
Finnish.

24. Do you spell the color as grey or gray?
Gray most of the time, but I have used both spellings.

25. Is your father bald?
Nope.

26. Do you know triplets?
No. Know twins though.

27. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?
Seeing as I've only seen Titantic...

28. Have you ever had Indian food?
I have not.

29. What's the name of your favorite restaurant?
I'd have to say Golden Corral.

30. Have you ever been to Olive Garden?
Not yet.

31. Do you belong to any warehouse stores (Costco, BJ's, etc.)?
No, my aunt is a Costco member though.

32. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender?
Kevin Curtis.

33. If you have a nickname, what is it?
Eka.

34. Who's your favorite person in the world?
My mother.

35. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs?
Suburbs all the way.

36. Can you whistle?
No. :(

37. Do you sleep with a nightlight?
Nah.

38. Do you eat breakfast every morning?
Hahahahaha if I'm awake early enough for that.

39. Do you take any pills or medication daily?
Yeah, I'm on birth control.

40. What medical conditions do you have?
Nothing that I know of...

41. How many times have you been to the hospital?
None yet. *knocks on wood*

42. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?
OF course!

43. Where do you buy your jeans?
Anywhere with a good deal: Target, WalMart, Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshall's/Burlington, etc.

44. What's the last compliment you got?
My parents telling me they were proud of me.

45. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning?
They usually wake me up early enough for me to go back to sleep, so no.

46. What flavor tea do you enjoy?
I don't drink tea.

47. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?
Four.

48. What religion will you raise your children to practice?
They won't be raised religious.

49. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn't real?
Probably... 10 or 11?

50. Why do you have a blog?
Because I want to.

Answer for question 4176.

linear_flower — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 06:41:29 GMT

First off, hello Writer's Block, and welcome back!

Second off, what a good excuse to have something to post about to keep this blog going in the new year!

And now to actually answer the question... that's a tough one, and yes I will most likely pick a Backstreet Boys album because of course I will. If I had to choose, it would be Unbreakable. There isn't a song on there I don't like (which is rare for me, even when it's my Boys), and that's the album which houses my favorite song of all time, so yeah, I'd have to go with Unbreakable.

The Plight of the Fat Girl #blogactionday #bad2014 #inequality #oct16

linear_flower — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 18:01:55 GMT

I figured that this year I would write out my Blog Action Day post in advance, because the last time I participated, my post was less than stellar. In addition, this year's topic is something near and dear to my heart, so I really wanted the post to be something special. This post has been sitting for quite a while, waiting to be posted.

This year's topic for Blog Action Day is Inequality. Inequality is something that has been close to to me for a while. From the moment I became aware of the world around me, I've always thought we would all be better off if we treated everyone the same. I once wrote a (Writer's Block post) about polygamy and said that as long as all parties are consenting, who does it hurt?

But even with all that, inequality hits closer to home than even I imagined. It hits me when I walk into a clothing store, it hits me when I open up Vogue or Cosmo or Redbook, it hits me when I check Pinterest for cute photo ideas for the inevitable moments where I'm taking engagement, wedding, or maternity pictures.

In every store ad, every magazine, every cute photoshoot that goes viral, the people are thin. They're thin and cute and look good in a wedding dress or have the cute "basketball in the shirt" baby bump. Dresses don't flow out on me, and I'll barely have a bump, if at all. I don't think I'll see a cute viral image with a woman that looks like me.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg for me. There's also the "fat tax," the fact of life that a piece of clothing will cost $10 more in a size 20 than it does in a size 12. There's the look of contempt when I sit down to eat at a restaurant, especially when alone.

It's the fact that clothing companies think the only thing I want to go swimming in is a bulky swim dress. It's that I should never be seen in shorts, or a tank top. ("Why do you wanna display those fat arms/legs oh my God!")

It's the fact that people assume I am not worthy of love. Or sex. News flash: I have both. But I'm not "supposed to." I'm just supposed to live my life alone, probably with cats (unless, of course, I do decide to lose the weight. Then I'll be attractive.)

It's the people "concern trolling" and telling me I'll be much healthier if I just lose a little (or a lot, I have heard both) weight. Excuse you, I am most definitely healthy, thank you very much. I don't need you worrying about me, okay? You do you.

It's the fact that this is so perpetuated that for the longest time... I believed it. I believed that I wasn't beautiful, that I wasn't sexy, that I needed to conform in order to be either. I've been very fortunate that I was able to over it and feel beautiful in my own skin, love handles and all, but there are still people who are stuck in the cycle.

I have made many leaps of progress in my self-image, but there is still a long way to go. I no longer have to order clothing online (unless I want to) to find something in my size (I had to do that with my prom dress ten years ago. The mall trip leading up to that point was a nightmare.). I no longer think I have to drop pounds to feel sexy. But that was something I did on my own, society didn't help me much. We need to get to a point where every woman, regardless of size (or color or level of femininity) can feel comfortable in her own skin.

On Writing

linear_flower — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 21:53:17 GMT

I haven't been writing much lately. I've been trying, but there have been things preventing me from having the time to sit and write. My poor writing blog has been woefully neglected. I wrote a few things here and there, mostly for fanfic exchanges, and I do have a couple WIPs from my Martins universe I need to finish and type up. Maybe I'll do that this week, I dunno.

(As an aside, Aleria is a real place. Whodathunk it?)

I've been wanting to write more non-fiction, but I don't know how to start. My Blog Action Day post is going to read a bit like a memoir essay, which is going to be good, I guess. I signed up for Medium, but I haven't posted anything yet, for obvious reasons. Sometimes I think writing non-fiction is so much harder than writing fiction.

I've wanted to rebel as part of NaNoWriMo and write a non-fiction piece one of these years (this year is not gonna be that year, FTR. I will be writing fiction), but I think what's throwing me off is all the research involved if you're gonna write less than a short essay (and even then those can require citations).

What's the catch to writing non-fiction? Anyone know?

This Is Not The Right Moment to Write This Post

linear_flower — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 23:40:53 GMT

So I'm halfway through a bottle of 90 proof Peppermint Schnapps at the time of starting this post, and there will be more drinking as this post goes on. So this is a drunk post.

Alright, so what has Erika been doing since her last post?

Well, a lot of things. First we went to Disneyland and California Adventure (a year ago tomorrow, actually!), and that was super fun! I have pictures from that too:

Then in November, we got the worst call we've ever had: Tommy's dad died of a heart attack at the age of 48. (To put things in perspective, he's only 3 and a half months older than my mom. And I couldn't imagine losing my mom anytime soon.) So we ended up having to go back to Arizona for the funeral. We essentially never left.

We made it back to Denver for a few months, before Tommy lost his job and that caused us to go back to Tucson (his mom was selling us a mobile home). So now we're living back home which is nice because we're both close to our families again, but we miss the city life of Denver and hope to go back some time.

It hasn't been so bad, because I ended up landing my best job ever. It's a call center, which says a lot about the jobs I've had in the past. But putting the call center aspect aside (and boy, could I tell you stories), the fact that I have a guaranteed 40 hours, benefits (I actually have health, vision and dental insurance) and the ability to earn PTO and sick time (though I've already used all of it because of reasons) is more than I've ever had before. Which is nice.

I haven't been totally absent from the blogosphere though. I've been devoting a lot of my time to The Polished Fangirl, which if you haven't checked it out before I recommend checking it out. I have a post that I plan to write this weekend that will be kinda cool (my first review of a product I got as a press sample, so I'm super excited about it.)

So that's what I've been up to. I'm hoping to keep this blog more active (which I attempted last year but as you can see, it was a massive fail, we'll see what this year brings. I'm participating in Blog Action Day next month, so that's something.)

It's crazy what comes out once alcohol comes into play. I'd been sitting on this post for days. The lowered inhibitions must have helped. So, yeah.

31 Day Blog Challenge: Days 06-09

linear_flower — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:57:50 GMT

I am winning at this whole posting everyday thing. Not.

Day 06: Your Last Random Act of Kindness
Wow, since I work in retail I seemingly do RAOKs all the time, so this is a hard one to figure out.

Day 07: What's Your Dream Job?
I'd love to run my own business, actually. Either selling nail polish or hand/nail care kits, or nail art tools. Something related to that.

Day 08: Biggest Pet Peeve.
WHEN PEOPLE MISSPELL MY NAME. By far. It's not Erica, and it's not Ericka, and it's definitely not Arica or Eryka or any other spelling you can come up with. It's Erika!

(Note: nothing wrong with people who spell their names those ways, it's just not how I spell mine.)

Day 09: What's on Your Bucket List?
I want to travel the world. I want to get married. I want to have a family, with two kids, a dog, and a cat.

31 Day Blog Challenge Days 04 & 05

linear_flower — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:49:44 GMT

Missed yesterday, oops! So today here's a two-for-one!

Day 04: Best Childhood Memory
Wow, most of my memories I would consider my "best" memories happened when I was in my mid/late teens (*NSYNC at the Rose Bowl, Backstreet Boys at Glen Helen, Pagosa Springs), but I guess those would count when they were at ages 14-16 and I'm 27 now.

Day 05: Favorite Movies You Never Get Sick of Watching
The Social Network: By far! I could never get tired of this one, ever!
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The comics are far better, but the movie has a certain charm about it that I love
The Lion King: a classic

31 Day Blog Challenge Day 03

linear_flower — Thu, 02 May 2013 05:11:06 GMT

Day 03: What Makes You Happy?
What makes me happy?

1. My boyfriend. He makes me very happy.
2. My family.
3. My friends.
4. Nail polish.
5. Music. Of course.

31 Day Blog Challenge Day 02

linear_flower — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:37:04 GMT

Day 02: Favorite Quotes
I'll flat out steal these from my "quotes" section on Facebook, because yes:

"Live life to the fullest for the future is sacred" - Nick Carter
-----
"If you run out of dreams in your life, it isn't worth living." - Nick Carter
-----
"If he had an accent, I woulda picked him." - Brian Littrell (about Nick Carter)
-----
"I think Brian's hot." - Nick Carter (when asked if he'd be a Backstreet fan were he not in the group)

31 Day Blog Challenge

linear_flower — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:26:30 GMT

I found a challenge/meme on the Internets, and it's one I'm pretty sure I haven't done yet, so I'm going to attempt it now!

(Ignore that it says March 2013 on it, it was originally made to be done in March, and I wish I had discovered it then!)

Day 01: Self-Portrait and Five Random Facts About Yourself

(A front facing camera pic, forgive me.)

Five random facts:

1. Not a major secret, but I'm left-handed.
2. Up until June 2012, I lived no more than 10 minutes away from my parents. Now, I'm 16 hours away and it's killing me.
3. I'm a recent lover of all things girly, especially nail polish! I even run a blog for it! (As well as blogs for my cross stitch and writing, I'm a bit obsessed with blogs.)
4. My boyfriend (yes, boyfriend!) is teaching me to cook.
5. I go through phases with this journal/blog/whatever. Sometimes I'm meh about it, and only use the account for communities. Sometimes I get into phases of "I r srs blogger, this r srs blog." This is turning out to be one of those later times.

It's that time again

linear_flower — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:51:52 GMT

It's the time where my life is NaNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo is my life.

This year I'm delving into a genre I know little about: chick lit. My novel is titled The Geeky Girl's Guide to Having an Awesome Wedding and it's pretty much what it says on the tin. (Fun fact: This is the first year my novel's title has been more than two words.) It has decided to be part two of a trilogy, though whether or not the other two books get written has yet to be determined. (Hell, it took me eight years to write anything in my Alerian Chronicles verse, and I haven't actually written The Alerian Chronicles) So, we'll see.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

Wow, it's been a while.

linear_flower — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 04:29:54 GMT

And I'm sorry. Life's been crazy hectic as of late.

As anyone who has me added on just about every other social network knows, I've moved to Colorado and have been there for two months. We're finally getting settled so I can take a breather to update. I miss my family terribly (they're all still in Tucson), but being able to spend every day with the man I love, to wake up next to him every morning, has eased the blow just a little bit. We mesh so well together it's crazy. We've already gotten into a groove together and it's awesome. We're not in a permanent place just yet, but we're working toward that and the best part is that we're happy.

I also managed to get a job pretty quickly, even though it's only part time and that's been a adjustment (my last two jobs were full time, one in management and the other almost in management). I'm a register jockey at Burlington Coat Factory, and I must admit, the retail thing is much easier to handle at times than the fast food thing (and bonus, I can work with my nail polish on! Score!)

In other news, the whole being settled thing means I'm hoping to focus back onto my writing and other creative pursuits. I've started by updating and reviving my writing blog, and I've started a nail polish/nail art blog.

Well, that's what's been up with me. Yeah.

New default.

linear_flower — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:13:28 GMT

Because of reasons.

RIP Leslie Barbara Carter Ashton
June 6, 1986 - January 31, 2012.

A long overdue update

linear_flower — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:46:03 GMT

Okie dokie first of all, how did it get to be a week until Christmas? Where did this year go? I still need to do my shopping (I have to wait until I get paid next week.) I'm also slacking on all of the fics, but I'll get those done too, I always do.

Been working like a dog. Pulled two damn near 40 hour weeks, but it will make for a suhweet check on Friday. We've been short staffed, hence the extra hours. We also have this new girl, while I'm on the subject of work, who won't last much longer. She's rude, she's cocky, and she doesn't listen. Yeah.

I've been someone's girlfriend for eleven and a half months! Tommy and I are still going strong and it blows my mind. We've been long distance since July (him in Denver, me in Tucson), but it doesn't seem like it's deterred us in anyway (in fact I have plans, like definite plans, to move up there next summer. With a house and a dog and a cat and him and me. OMFG.) This is like, a dream I don't want to wake up from. We've thrown out the big m-word, and I just. I don't know. I can't with how amazing he is. I've been counting down the days cause he'll be down for Christmas, and by then it'll have been damn near six months since we last saw each other. Excited doesn't begin to cover how I feel.

*looks over tags to check what she planned to discuss* Oh, right! I've gotten the ball rolling to get back into school (about time, I say). First step is paying off my loans from the first time I went back, then I can reapply and get grants. Yay grants! Also, when I go back, it'll be straight into the bachelor's program, cause my AA concentration isn't offered anymore. Oh well, what can you do?

And lastly, I won my first NaNoWriMo with a week to spare! So excited still. Mind blown. Am I doing it next year? Fuck yeah.

So yeah, that's all with me. I will remember to keep updated.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

Soul Sister

linear_flower — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:45:09 GMT

So here I am. 5:35pm. On what would be your birthday. And it hurts. It hurts like fucking hell.

I don't stop thinking about you. I don't think I ever could. We had something special, something I don't think I'll ever be able to recreate.

It's the little things that make me think of you. Jordan tweeting. Nick tweeting. NKOTBSB. Finding a fic I had started for you and now regret never fucking finishing. Your IM accounts are still on my buddy list. Always will be. I can't bring myself to take them off.

There's so much I wish you were around for, and I know it sounds like I'm dwelling, but fuck it's only the second birthday of yours we've (I've) had without you. I know it'll get easier someday, and for the most part it has, but it's days like today and April 30th that will always be hard.

Anyway, happy birthday Sara and I hope that wherever you are it's treating you good, with all the hot boy band men you can have.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

post

linear_flower — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:05:02 GMT

Originally posted by subluxate at post

gandolforf's brother, Eric Lee Bark, pictured above, was last seen in Maquoketa, IA, on November 4, 2011. He gave no word to his family as to where he was going.

Eric was born December 19, 1987. He is 6'2" and weighs approximately 170 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair, and there is a 6" scar on the outside of his left arm, near his elbow. The last time he was seen, he was wearing a dark blue hoodie and blue jeans. His car is also missing; it's a green Jimmy with rust marks.

If you see him, please contact gandolforf at gandolforf@gmail.com, on Twitter at gandolforf, on Tumblr at http://gandolforf.tumblr.com/, or let me know. I will let A. know about anything as soon as I hear. You can also contact the Maquoketa Police Department at (563) 652-2468.

There is a Facebook post here; please pass it on if you can.

This post is public. Feel free to pass it on, in part or full, if you so choose.

Meet Kandâja

linear_flower — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:34:32 GMT

Who is Kandâja, you might ask? She is my plot bunny. Her name is an Esperanto name that means "made of candy" (totally fitting given her sparkles and bright colors), which has nothing to do with writing until you learn than that is also the name of the community where I keep track of my stuff for runaway_tales. Then it all makes sense.

Kandâja is going to help me get through NaNoWriMo and beyond.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

#safespace After Hours

linear_flower — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:42:00 GMT

Featuring steelneko, myself (Aeiouna), and a guest appearance by custardpringle (Snuggie).

Backstory: My NaNoWriMo 2011 novel is about a girl trying to write a novel for NaNoWriMo (so meta!). So, I've been scouring the Internet for a plot generator so I have the story my MC is writing (not entirely necessary, of course, as the majority of the plot involves her writing process, but I at least wanted it in the back of my head if need be).

And the following ensued:

[01:06] <@Aeiouna> This plot generator (since I don't need to ACTUALLY write it, I'm just gonna let a generator give one to me), is lulz
[01:06] <@Aeiouna> "When a village is threatened by bandits, a band of brothers go on strike."
[01:06] <@Aeiouna> "When they are sent into exile, a car load of lost hoodlums come up with a spell book."

...

[01:23] <@Aeiouna> So, because this plot generator I found (different plot generator) is awesome, my MC is gonna write a gay romance novel.
[01:23] <@Aeiouna> SHE SHOULD JUST BE ME I STG.
[01:25] <@Steelneko> Standard gay romance, or like space opera/feudal era/furry gay romance?
[01:26] <@Aeiouna> Standard gay romance, according to the plots this thing is generating.
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> Like so:
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> The main character's name is Matthew and he is attractive and naughty . He enjoys writing . His occupation is teacher and overall he is suffering a physical problem .
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> His hair is honey blonde and in a ponytail tied with a strand of leather . He is very tall and is built like a body builder. He wears as little as possible
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> He meets Samuel (the protaganist) in a Mansion . He is an actor, foreign and serious , and he enjoys playing a musical instrument. He appears to be suffering an emotional problem.
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> His hair is blonde and needs to be cut. He is 6'4" and is thin. He wears sexy shirts and expensive trousers, like a playboy.
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> Answer these questions:
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> Why do they meet there?
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> Why is the main character there?
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> Why is the protagonist there?
[01:27] <@Aeiouna> The obstacle to their romance that they must overcome is inheritance . When financial issues rear up it brings them to the realization that they can overcome the obstacle.
[01:28] * @Aeiouna might actually mix bits and pieces of these plots for this, TBH
[01:29] <@Steelneko> ...you plot generated a romance between Hulk Hogan and Neil Patrick Harris?
[01:29] <@Snuggie> hahahahahahahahaha
[01:29] * @Aeiouna is dying
[01:30] * @Aeiouna laughed at that far too hard for far too long
[01:32] * @Aeiouna might have to post that to Tumblr
[01:32] <@Steelneko> "Wrestling with the Doctor's Heart: A Love Story"
[01:32] <@Aeiouna> YES!

Signal boosting via gandolforf

linear_flower — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:51:42 GMT

One of my friends is being fucked over hard by SSI/SSDI and in danger of getting their medical coverage, which is desperately needed, cut off.

A few points from subluxate:

So this week, I received a notice that my Medicare premium payment is due. For, basically, July 1 through December 31.

This totals $807.80.

Right now, the last payment I received was in May, around May 3. That's four months without payments. Four months of asking my family and friends and complete strangers for help paying rent and bills. Four months that total $2,791.20 that Social Security has not sent me.

I'm not asking, at this time, for donations. I am, however, asking for advice. What should my next step be? Who should I contact? Do I need to email my state representative's office, too, about the Medicaid issue? Should I find a news outlet? What do I do?

ENTIRE POST with more information on what's happening and what they've done so far. Please read this, please signal boost this, please check out help_kelly and offer your fic, graphics, or anything (there's a miscellaneous post too). Please bid, too, if you can! A few dollars can really help. There's a post on Tumblr for reblogging here, and a Tweet to RT here.

Resetting up my Android app

linear_flower — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:56:57 GMT

Okay, so since the upgrade wiped all my stuff, I'm just fixing my settings on this. Go ahead and ignore.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.