Life in the Slow(er) Lane

So first day into life beyond NaNoWriMo 2006. It's kind of nice to have a bit more time, not to have to rush home to write as many words as I can, to go back to some of my hobbies and interests that I ignored for the month of November.

First thing I did after finishing work today was go shopping, no not for me, although that is fun. I began my christmas shopping, I managed to get a few people marked off my list, it felt good as I was starting to stress over just how many people I have to buy presents for. I have to admit I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to presents, I always want to get the perfect present, and I like to see that whoever I bought the present for really liked it. If I can get a good reaction that means as much, if not more to me than recieving presents myself.

I am also going to have more time for the Group Reads I am involved with. This is good as the Tolkien one has been a bit quiet and I feel a bit guilty about not contributing as much as I would like. The North and South Group Read is going on quite busily as there are more people involved in it than in the Hobbit GR. I am just trying to keep up with the posts at the moment.

When I got home from work I indulged in something I haven't managed to find the time for in the past couple of weeks...BBC Radio. Yes ok, it is a bit of a weird addiction, but I love it, I listened to some Just a Minute, and some I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. They really are hilariously funny, I sit and laugh, if you like odd British comedy (think Blackadder, the Goodies etc) you should really check it out.

Now that I have finished my NaNo novel things can probably slow down a bit, but with the approach of Christmas probably not much. I have to do my Christmas shopping, and I would like to do some baking, Gingerbread for example. Thanks to cousin Jodie, who found them first, I found cookie cutters for a Gingerbread House, I made one a few years back, and I am hoping to make at least one again this year. I love to bake, even if I don't really like cooking anything else much. My Gingerbread House will hopefully look similar to this

I will take photos of mine when it is done, and put it up.

Lastly congratulations to one of my best friends, Hayley, who won NaNoWriMo as well, she finished her novel this afternoon. Hooray, we did it!

End of November...End of NaNoWriMo

Yes that is right, it is almost the end of the month, and so I should be just about done with my NaNoWriMo Novel, so am I? Well better than that, I am finished, I have uploaded my story to the NaNo website, and I have officially been told that I won. I finished it this morning, with 51063 words. I am so happy that I managed to finish, to win. There have been so many times in the past month that I thought that it was impossible to get there. Whether my novel is worth reading is another question, I think I will leave it for a couple of days before I go back and look over it again and see what it is like, and what needs to be done before I share it. I will hopefully write again tomorrow after work. I'll just leave you with one thing:

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

What two posts in two days! Guess I really did realise that I need to post more often.

The thing is, not much has changed since yesterday, except for one thing. I changed the music I was listening to. The other day, when I went to Borders, I bought an album that U2 have just put out of 18 of their singles. It is great, of course, but not what I wanted to talk about.

The title of this post is from a song on John Mayer's new album, Continuum. I have had this for a few weeks now, and have listened to it before. Now though I ripped it onto the computer and I was listening to it earlier while writing my novel (30000 words now by the way). It has just reconfirmed the amazing talent John has, for songwriting, singing and guitar playing.

Some of you may have heard the single that he has released off the album, Waiting on the World to Change I really like that song, but let me tell you the others I like more...

The first one to attract my attention, as soon as I got the album was Gravity it is very sad, but so beautiful. I was going to pick a favourite line, but they all fit together so well, I just can't separate one line from the rest.

The next one that I found that I really liked is actually the next track on the album The Heart of Life. I really love the tune for this one, but the words are georgeous too. But I know the Heart of Life is Good still kind of sad, but with an optimistic view this song.

Moving on, I found another one that I really like, hey actually I like them all, these are just my favourites so far, so stick with me. Vultures this one I have to move along to the music, I can't sit still and listen to it, I just can't. Great lyrics as well, as usual for John, he really knows how to string a sentence togther. Down to the Wire, I wanted water but I'll walk through the fire, If this is what it takes, to take me even higher.

The last track on the album I'm Gonna Find Another You is really sad, You got me crying, As was your plan. The music is quite bluesy I think, I like it.

Finally, although not in order the song with the same title as this post. I only just really got into this one tonight, and it was what prompted this post. Another sad one, some really beautiful lyrics in this one, so I think I will just give them to you and let you figure it out for yourself:

It's not a silly little moment
It's not the storm before the calm
This is the deep and dying breath
Of this love that we've been working on

Can't seem to hold you like I want to
So I can feel you in my arms
Nobody's gonna come and save you
We pulled too many false alarms

We're going down
And you can see it, too
We're going down
And you know that we're doomed
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room

I was the one you always dreamed of
You were the one I tried to draw
How dare you say it's nothing to me?
Baby, you're the only light I ever saw
I'll make the most of all the sadness
You'll be the bitch because you can
You'll try to hit me just to hurt me
So you leave me feeling dirty
Cause you can't understand

We're going down
And you can see it, too
We're going down
And you know that we're doomed
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room

Go cry about it, why don't you?
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room

Don't you think we oughta know by now?
Don't you think we should have learned somehow?

If you like this, it's so much better to music, go and buy the album, it is worth it, seriously!

November has been busy

Well I started writing a post probably at least a week ago, but I didn't manage to finish it. Hopefully I will do better this time around.

As I said in the title, this month has turned out to be very busy. A lot of it is my own fault though, as I just seem to keep signing myself up to do more things.

It probably wouldn't be so insane this month if it hadn't been for the fact that I have worked full-time for the whole month so far. One of the ladies at work left, and I agreed to take on part of her job. She was trained in Cytology and filled in when the ladies who do the preparation work went on holidays. I am now going to do that job. One of them is away next week, so I had a whole two weeks to learn everything I need to know. So I have been in Cytology for the last two weeks full-time, learning as quickly as I could. For those not in the know, Cytology is the area of patholoy that looks for abnormal cells in fluids, such as urines, pap smears and cerebro-spinal fluid (and what ever else comes in), my job involves making slides and staining them so that the cells can be looked at under the microscope to see if they are abnormal, such as cancer cells. That is the best explaining I can do, so if you still don't understand, I'm sorry, and maybe try google or wikipedia.

As for my spare time, most of that has been taken up with my NaNoWriMo attempt. I have now written 24000 words, and am hoping that I will be able to make it to 25000 by this evening. I will then be halfway through the word count, although I should be past that by now. I am hoping that I can catch up over the next week. I am having fun doing it, and am hopeful that I can reach 50000 words by the end of November. My novel even has a plot, of sorts, and I know where I am trying to end up.

Now to the other things that I have taken on to fill as much of my time as I can ;0) The Tolkien board that I am a member of, http://http://amanvalinor.proboards83.com/index.cgi, has started a Group Read of The Hobbit We were discussing two chapters a week, but we decided to up that to three chapters each week.

I have also signed up to another Group Read on C19, which is a website for people who like to discuss novels by 19th Century authors. The book we are discussing is North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. We are only reading two chapters a week, so hopefully I will be able to keep up. I was going to put a link to the website, but I am having trouble doing it.

Other news? I went to my sisters house last weekend for my nephew, Zachs birthday. It is hard to believe he is four already! They grow up so quickly.

We had a Borders bookshop open in Canberra recently. I have been to check it out. It looks pretty good, so many books, and quite a few that you don't usually see anywhere else. It also has a coffee shop inside. I think it is a good thing that it is at a shopping centre that I don't usually go to, or I would spend far too much money there.

Less than a month till Robbie Williams now. Hayley and I watched the DVD of his concert at Knebworth the other night to get in the mood. It was awesome, he is such a great performer. I am really looking forward to it, more now than I was before. It is scary that there is going to be 50000 people there, but I am sure it will be worth it.

I think I should write more often so that I don't have so much to write next time.