Archive for May, 2010

May

Eating Healthier

May 23rd, 2010

There’s really no excuse for this. I’ve been a vegetarian for… how long? Almost ten years? Check. I’ve known about vitamin deficiencies for… ever? Check. I live in one of the best neighborhoods in one of the largest cities with some of the best and most convenient access to different foods ever. Check.

So it comes as a slight surprise that I have a vitamin B deficiency. But not much. I’ve kind of suspected that for a while and responded to that suspicion with a general, “meh.” I’m tired of not really knowing where my food comes from. I’m tired of lack of choices. I’m tired of paying a lot for not much. So slowly but surely, my laziness is being won over by my boredom with insufficient food options.

Of course, making such a change in habit is not easily done, and for me, it helps a lot to have fun accessories. Suffice it to say, I’ve been doing a lot of research, getting some ideas for super healthy meals, and of course, patronizing j-box. I recently ordered a new lunchbox, so that I can easily and fashionably transport my lunches from my home to my place of business. I also got a little tote so that I can actually lug it onto the trolley instead of carrying it with two hands. My god, my life is so challenging, isn’t it? And let’s be honest, I take the trolley entirely out of laziness and not at all out of necessity. Also, sometimes, it is chilly outside and I don’t want to get my feet wet. How spoiled am I? Tremendously. keep reading »

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May

Nerd Humor

May 21st, 2010

Today, I wore my style t-shirt, that has <style> written on the front, and </style> written on the back. When one of my coworkers noticed, he said, “I was thinking of getting a shirt that says <strong>,”

I looked at him and replied, “That’s a bold statement.”

Later that day, some other coworkers were discussing unusual HTML tags, and told me a story about how they’d seen a document that had <smoke></smoke> tags scattered throughout. Belatedly, I asked, “Did you find the <fire> tag?”

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About Me

I'm a professional web designer in Philadelphia, PA. I live with my totally excellent manfriend in a beautiful apartment. I love to cook, discuss web design, and analyze marketing, amongst other things. Want to know more?

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Book Progress: ?

50,086 / 54,000 magic words

93%

Chapter XI: The Bitter End

Book Progress

You're writing a book? For real?
Yes. It's a crazy undertaking, but no one else is going to write it, which certainly puts a somewhat flattering amount of pressure on me to commit the words to page.

What is the percentage based off of?
A completely arbitrary number: 54,000, which is a hybrid of the standard novel 50k word count coupled with the average number of words per chapter in J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book when coupled with the outline for chapters in my book. It's math... but it's made up math.

Why does the wordcount/percentage fluxuate?
I do a LOT of rewriting. Recently, I began writing the book from scratch, with strong notes, taking a lot of the work I'd already done verbatim, or using it as an outline to flesh out from. Consequently, the word count is not entirely accurate as a full account of everything written, but a literal inventory of the number of words in current chapters of the current incarnation of the book.

That's insane. How the hell do you manage to do that much work?
I literally think about this project all the time. I have to consciously stop thinking about it and literally deprive myself of paper and computers for designated periods of time (like my friend's wedding, as a perfect for instance) in order to shut off, but the rest of the time it's nearly impossible. When I'm too burnt out to think about the books anymore, I zone out by looking at real estate and IKEA furniture. No, I am totally not joking. Did you know that Minneapolis is enjoying a fusion of industrial chic mixed with upscale country living as an interior decorating trend? It's bizarre.

Do you have a deadline set?
Yes and no. I try to get a certain amount of writing done per week, but requiring a set word count or a hard date would be unfair at this point, simply because it's not about that. For me, it's about the process, enjoying writing the story as it comes. That being said, my goal is to have the book complete in its first draft form by the end of the year.

Will you try to get it published?
Probably. Right now, it's enough simply to be writing a book, but if I do complete it which looks pretty likely at this point, it would be silly not to try and get it published.

What's the book about?
Adventure, magic, time travel, love, friendship, loneliness, piracy, witches, and which dragons have the worst breath, regionally.

Why do you keep blogging about your book?
Mostly because it's what's on my mind right now. It's hard not to talk about it, or writing, or other stories I've been interested in, be they great television shows or books I've read. There are so many wonderfully talented writers (both of screen and page) that I admire and think about when creating my own characters and stories.

What will you do if you don't get published?
Keep trying, probably, but I'm not that concerned about it at this point.

What will you do if you do get published and make it really, really big?
Hey, anything's possible. While a part of me has always been wary of celebrity, I'm sure that if I make it really, really big I'll figure something out. My bucket list of things to do if I win the lottery, or make a fortune somehow is pretty much the same as the one if I didn't. I want a nice place to live, I want to redecorate our bedroom, and I'd like to get a dog. It would be nice to have some extra cash to pay off loans a little faster, and maybe travel a bit.

Curious to know more about my writing? Read my interview on whohub.

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