Based on a True Story

Decision: Check!

2006-10-12T00:13:00.000+10:00

Well, with my amazing husband's help, I have made a decision as to what to write for NaNoWriMo. So I'm halfway there. I still have to come up with a character and an exact plot, but at least I've got a basic storyline.

So, what is it?

I came up with a sci-fi world and setting a couple of months ago, and am going to set the novel in that. The basic setting idea is:

The year is 2360, and the universe falls under the sway of the United Earth Government, who rule the UE with an iron fist. The Moon has been colonised, as has Mars and one of the moons of Jupiter. However, not all is as blissful as it seems.

In reality, the Moon was set up as a dumping ground for what the UEG considered "the dregs of humanity", and is halfway between a lawless playground for the rich and sinful and a prison for the poor. Mars is nothing more than an expensive, idealised holiday world for the rich and powerful. Only the settlement of Jupiter lies beyond the immediate control of the UEG, but even that freedom is tenuous.

The only choice available to those who don't wish to live within the constricted rule of the UEG is to save enough cash to buy themselves a berth on a spaceship heading OS (Outer Space). The time differentials involved don't permit return to Earth, but it's widely known that OS offers social misfits the chance to be themselves. But when a group calling themselves the New Anarchs pop up with proof that the starships heading OS are actually being destroyed, and that there is no promised land, the UEG's hold on society suffers a shocking blow.

So there you have it. I'm looking forward to writing it. I've still got to determine who my main character will be, and how he'll fit into this overall, but I'm now even more excited.

Getting in the Mood

2006-10-02T07:05:00.000+10:00

Well, it's the 2nd of October. Offically, NaNo sign-ups should have started. But they haven't. The site does say that they will be set up by midnight on the 1st US time, but still. I guess by tonight I'll be able to get set up to my heart's content.

So, to get us all in the mood for NaNo, here's Snoopy.

(On an unrelated note, I really need to get around to making this blog look pretty.)

My lovely husband bought me some candles for my birthday, which will be great. Last year I got into the habit of writing with a candle burning next to my computer. Somehow, it helped my creativity. I'm not quite sure how, but it did. And anything that helps... helps. (Yep, it's quality writing like that which will get me through November.)

Happy Birthday to Me!

2006-10-01T07:48:00.000+10:00

Well, it's my birthday. I'm now officially 30. Yay me.

My Big Birthday Bash isn't until next week, so in some small way I get to pretend that I'm still in my late twenties for another week yet. (Although deep down I know the truth.) So this is a week of limbo between real birthday and celebrated birthday. I can handle limbo.

On the other hand, it's now only a month until NaNoWriMo, so that's something worth celebrating.

Well, must go and prepare myself to spend the day at the husband's family's house being fussed over.

Really? Is it contagious?

2006-09-23T08:08:00.000+10:00

Oh. My. God.

I have a heartbeat in my tummy.

No, I'm not a two-heart-having-freak. I've just had full confirmation that I am, in fact, pregnant. It's been a long time coming (18 months since my miscarriage), but it seems that the time is nigh.

Of course, this is going to seriously affect my plans for a birthday piss-up in a few weeks. Ah well. You win some, you lose some. And this is definitely a win.

Now my lovely husband and I can start arguing about names. What do you think of 'Frenzel Mirkwood'?

I'm Baaaaa-aaack!

2006-09-18T07:18:00.000+10:00

Well, it's been about 4 months since I posted anything on this blog. No, I haven't died. I just did my usual thing of getting bored with a concept and never touching it again. This is, in fact, quite normal for me. My delightful husband describes me as manic. I choose to take that as a compliment.

So, why am I back?

Because I'm getting excited - it's nearly time for NaNo again!!!

If that means absolutely nothing to you, you can check out what I'm talking about here. No, go on. You know you want to.

For those people (who, I have to admit, are probably few and far between) who may have read my NaNo exploits last year, you will be pleased to know that I'm competing again - and I plan to share my highs and lows online once more. This time I'm aiming to actually finish my novel, not just write the standard 50K words.

Registration doesn't start until October (at which point I'll post a pretty NaNo icon. Yay!) but I'm excited again. Six weeks until I can start torturing myself with words. Woot!

Immortal Lust

2006-05-16T22:24:00.000+10:00

I've always found vampires to be incredibly erotic. Vampire stories, vampire movies, vampire roleplay games... There's something about the idea of vampires that is incredibly attractive.

There's a song that I like to listen to, actually, which has lyrics that appeal. If you ever get a chance, listen to 'Vampires' by Godsmack.

"Few creatures of the night have captured our imagination like vampires.
"What explains our enduring fascination with vampires?
"What is it about the vampire myth that explains our interest?
"Is it the overtones of sexual lust, power and control?
"Or is it a fascination with the immortality of the undead?"

What do you think? Eroticism impersonated, or hideous creatures of the night?

The Dangers of Living in an Apartment

2006-05-15T06:25:00.000+10:00

I've been living in an apartment on the first floor of a ritzy apartment complex for almost 2 years now, (I'm so not ritzy enough to live here) but this is the first time that I've truly become aware of the intringent danger involved in living here.

'Danger?' I hear you ask. 'What danger?'

Well, let me tell you a sad, sad story. Please try not to laugh too much.

I was on my way home from the gym on Saturday afternoon, feeling absolutely wrecked after my PT session. When I got to the building, I dug my keys out of my bag, and scanned my security scan-card to get through the door into the lobby. Then I approached the elevators and hit the button. The elevator doors opened. I stepped forward, keys in hand, ready to scan my scan-card so that the elevator would take me up to level 1.

But as I stepped into the elevator, I noticed something that, although I'd been aware of it, I'd never really paid attention to before that fateful day. Between the elevator and the lobby, there is a gap about an inch and a half wide. "Huh," I thought to myself. "I wonder what would happen if you dropped something down that gap. That's kind of freaky."

Then I stepped forward, forcing my incredibly tired body to move.

I stepped into the elevator. But as I did so, my hand convulsed slightly of its own free will, and my keys dropped free from my fingers, and fell straight through the previously mentioned gap. I heard a couple of muffled bangs, and they were gone. Nothing but net.

What do you do?

I had to go back outside and ask My Gorgeous Husband to buzz me in, but my keys are gone. My house keys, my car keys, my work keys.... Gone. So I have to make a call today and see if there's any way to get them back. I mean, I assume that it's not actually all that hard to get a tradesman of some description to position the elevator at ground floor or higher, head into the elevator shaft and find them. But, hell, who drops their keys down an elevator shaft???

Sountrack to my life

2006-05-12T06:24:00.000+10:00

I bought myself an MP3 player on the weekend, so that I can listen to music during my half hour walk to and from work. I think I may be one of the last people on the planet to actually do so, but there you go. Perhaps I'm just a bit slow.

In any case, I love it. I feel like I'm in a movie.

You know the start of a movie, while you've got the credits rolling, and some random person is walking/riding/driving through the city, background music pumped up to cover the sound of traffic etc - and then as they get to where they're going, the music either stops completely (when they open the car door), or tones down (when they walk into a building) for the action to begin? Well, I feel like I'm at that point. The point where the credits are rolling. It's really quite cool.

Did that even make sense?

Ice Age 2

2006-05-07T23:28:00.000+10:00

My Gorgeous Husband and I went to see Ice Age 2 on the weekend. I pretty much had to drag him along to see it. (He wanted to see MI:3, which opened last week.) In the end, he rather enjoyed Ice Age 2 - despite trying to pretend that he didn't. When you spend the entire movie laughing, and then spend the next hour quoting your favourite lines, it's very difficult to protest that the movie was "alright, I guess".

It was, all in all, "a fun romp". It was funny and even touching in parts, and (who's surprised?) I absolutely loved Diego again. Definitely worth seeing - even if not until video.

"If your species won't continue, clap your hands..."

Welcome

2006-05-07T11:49:00.000+10:00

Yes, I have finally decided to move my blog. I'm in the process of moving my past posts, which should be complete this weekend. And, of course, it doesn't currently look as pretty as my old one. But it will happen eventually. Give me time!

I was considering moving to a real Blogger site anyway, but when my other bog host decided to change their layout (thus screwing up my formatting) I decided that the time had come.

So welcome. I shall be posting more regularly now (hopefully!) and hopefully even making some more headway on my writing in the near future. So look out for snippets of a new novel that I'm working on.

It Lives!

2006-05-02T06:57:00.000+10:00

Yes, I'm still alive. Shocked? I think I am.

My new job is going quite well. But I have to admit that moving to a job where I use a computer all day has somewhat hindered my enjoyment of coming home to sit at my computer. I've started wanting to do other things. Like going for walks or even talking to My Gorgeous Husband. I know, shocking isn't it?
Anyway, other than the changes to my lifestyle caused by the new job, things are going well. And now that my "intensive training" has finished (we've already lost 1 person from my startup group), I will again focus my energies on making regular posts.

But I have to run off to work at the moment. Back later!

Remember, Remember...

2006-04-10T06:37:00.000+10:00

...the 5th of November...

I finally went and saw 'V for Vendetta' on the weekend. I'm really glad that I'm not a review-writer, because my entire reaction to the film would be 'Wow!' I loved it, plain and simple. There was laughter. There were tears. (Yes, I actually cried in a movie. That's twice this year. Either I'm getting soft or the movies are getting better.) And I came out of the movie deep in thought. All in all, an enjoyable movie.

I particularly liked V's last fight scene, with the flickering black and white-style people and the bright red blossoming blood. Very graphic-novel-esque, I thought. Nicely done.

Blondes Rejoice!

2006-04-01T09:02:00.000+10:00

There's no longer any need for all you natural blondes to feel scared. Apparently you're not about the die out. It's official.

Check it out here.

I find it amusing that there needs to be an official statement explaining that blondes aren't going to be extinct in the near future. You know, unless a giant meteor impacts the earth. In which case it will cease being important.

Politics, anyone?

2006-03-29T00:29:00.000+10:00

Found this quiz. It's vaguely interesting.

You are a
Social Liberal
(80% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(21% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

The Short History of an Alliance Schoolteacher - Part 1

2006-03-29T00:15:00.000+10:00

I have just recently started playing the Serenity Roleplaying Game which is, perhaps unsurprisingly, set in the Firefly 'Verse. It's a fantastic game system, and the game so far is amazing. I'll keep you up to date on how it's going. In the meantime, here's a short story based on my character, Mei.

Mei looked up and down the corridor and then proceeded confidently along its length. Her target was the last door on the left. She’d never been to this area of the building before, although she walked with the air of someone who had.
When she reached the door, she paused long enough to remove a small package from the bodice of her fashionable dress. Moving quickly now, she unwrapped the device and plugged it into the electronic lock next to the door. A few keystrokes later, and the door slid open with a hiss of hydraulics.
She bundled the electronic lockpicks back under her dress as she stepped into the room. A quick glance showed her that the office was empty, and she gently touched the button which would seal the door behind her. Her pace quickened as she moved to the desk. She’d been told that the chairman would be out of his office for the entire morning, but she wasn’t the sort of person to take unnecessary risks. The quicker she was out of here, the less chance there would be of getting caught.
Mei scanned the surface of the chairman’s desk quickly, noting the few papers that littered its surface were unlikely to be of assistance. She looked at the data terminal briefly, but decided against attempting to access his personal files. She knew enough about the cortex to access it easily enough, but not enough to successfully hide her own trail. Instead she turned to the drawers of his desk.
The first drawer revealed excess stationery, pens, a pistol, and an object that she could only assume was some kind of sex toy. With a slight flicker of distaste she pushed the drawer closed and opened the next one down.
A smile crossed her face as she saw the name on the file within. Without hesitation she removed the folder and placed it on the desktop. She reached under her bodice once more and removed a small camera. Once again she thanked the fashions of the Alliance for providing such a convenient way to conceal the tools of her trade.
As she carefully photographed each of the documents within the folder she allowed her attention to wander slightly. She’d never met the chairman, of course, although she knew that he was a friend of her father’s. The thought of her father made her frown. If he ever found out about what she was doing… She let the thought go. There was no way that anyone could trace her actions. And, if somehow they did, she knew that her family would distance themselves from her rather than come to her aid.
Within minutes, the composition of the Alliance force bearing down on the Independents had been recorded within her camera. She slipped the camera up the sleeve of her dress, carefully returned the chairman’s files to their place, and moved back to the door. She touched a panel beside the door, and it slid open seamlessly. Then she stepped back out into the corridor and walked confidently back towards the direction she’d come.
She turned a corner towards the direction of the elevators and a man fell in beside her. “You look lovely today, mei mei,” he said quietly.
Mei smiled to herself, and allowed the camera to drop back into the palm of her hand. “Thank you,” she answered the man with a smile. As they reached the bank of elevators they stopped. He reached out to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek and she dropped the camera into his hand.
A door slid open, revealing Ariel’s skyline through the glass walls of the elevator. “Are you going down?” the man asked.
Terror clutched Mei’s throat, and she backed nervously away from the gaping chasm of the open elevator. Although the skyline view was pretty from this position, she knew that if she stepped inside there would be nothing separating her from the dizzying drop to the ground except a piece of fragile glass. “No,” she stuttered.
The man simply looked bemused, and stepped inside. Mei squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her back firmly against the wall behind her, trying not to imagine her contact falling the forty storeys to his death. Once she heard the telltale sound of the elevator door closing she opened her eyes again.
A few deep breaths later and her calm was restored. She straightened her dress and turned towards the stairs. She knew that the information she’d retrieved would reach the Independents. Perhaps it would help them. A glance at her watch showed her that she had only twenty minutes to get back to her classroom before her next students arrived.
Mei pushed open the door to the stairs and walked inside. As she looked down at the spiralling staircase she silently cursed Alliance fashions for making staircases difficult to negotiate quickly. Then she simply shrugged and began the long trek down. Her students may not always enjoy her history lessons, but that was no reason to keep them waiting.

The End of the World as we Know It.

2006-03-26T00:45:00.000+10:00

I have finished working at my old job! Woot! And now I have a week off before I start my new one. I am incredibly excited. Especially now that I've stopped crying.

My last day was pretty good. Quite a few tears, but that was to be expected. As much as I was looking forward to leaving the job itself, I really regreat having to leave my team. They really are friends, rather than workmates, and how rare is it to work in a place where you honestly love every person that you work with?

Erin brought me in a beautiful bunch of flowers, and then emailed me pictures of everyone, so that I wouldn't forget them. And she made me a cute little doll that she imbued with good vibes to help me out in my next job. Lauren sent me the most gorgeous text message thanking me for being a great friend and mentor. And everyone put in to buy me a LoTR Arwen (morningstar) pendant in silver. I've got one in gold already (to match my LoTR wedding band), and often wished that I had a silver one as well. It's beautiful, and incredibly thoughtful.

On Friday night, we all went out to dinner for an official "going away" party. We had Thai, which was lovely, and drank a lot. Mind you, I should backtrack a bit. I spent the day with Amie (one of the other girls) watching Firefly episodes and drinking wine. So, really, I started drinking at 10am. By the time we met everyone for pre-dinner drinks at 6pm, I was already nicely toasted. Then we had dinner and drinks, before heading out for post-dinner drinks and dancing.

Highlights of the night:

Kelly (my ex-boss) was put on the spot to give a speech, which went something like this: "Thank you for everything over the last... How long have you been with us? Oh, fifteen months. Thank you for everything over the last fifteen months. We're all going to miss you a lot. You're a fucking nutjob and we still love you."

They gave me a card which read: "Thank you for your wisdom, kind words, and bondage baby." (Long, long story.)

I have a vague memory that after we'd been drinking in the pub for several hours, I agreed to play drums in a new band. I don't know how to play the drums.

Being hit on fairly severely by a man who used the incredibly convincing pick-up line, "So, what are my chances?"

Having the same man respond to my telling him that he had no chance (and I'm married) by saying, "Well, how about I give you my number in case you just want some great sex?"

All in all, in interesting night. And an interesting end to an almost 3 year stint with the company that I thought I'd always work with. Still, a new adventure awaits just around the corner. And I'm always up for a new adventure.

Unabashed Manipulation

2006-03-19T00:47:00.000+10:00

It was my last weekend at my current job (I finish up on Thursday), so what did I do? I used unashamed emotional blackmail to encourage my team to perform. Well, wouldn't you?

Rather than starting the day with some happy pep-talk about the importance of provising great service to our customers, my spiel went something like this:

"Well, it's my last weekend that I'm working here. So make it memorable. Make it fun. Make me proud. And prove to me that I've taught you something about customer service."

Surprisingly, the guilt tactic worked and we had the most successful weekend in months. Perhaps I should take note of this before moving on to my new career. Emotional blackmail is a great motivator.

Stream of Consciousness

2006-03-15T00:50:00.000+10:00

The day dragged on like there was never an ending in sight, nine o'clock fading slowly into 10 o'clock, though nothing ever changed. The mood in the shop was sombre, despite the laughter and play. We played ice-capades around the empty store, hoping that a customer would enter and allow us to entertain them. Anything to rid ourselves of the boredom of working 9 hours straight without any escape.

Bought coffee for everyone, just for something to do. Even the ten minute escape as I watched some fifteen year-old girl make bad latte was better than being in the shop even a moment more. And the customers we did have didn't help. "I love your earrings." "I'm just looking." It doesn't even make sense. But then we're not real people when we're wearing our uniforms, just shop assistants.

When four o'clock rolled around and I was rostered to leave, I signed off and walked out. The mood had lightened (maybe the effect of the bad coffee) but I couldn't wait to get out of there and maybe even see the sun. I got outside and walked to my car. The clouds rolled across the sun casting everything into perpetual gloom. I unlocked my car and got in. The petrol light flashed on. I would need to refuel.

The elevator from the basement took forever. Finally I was walking through the hall and letting myself into the apartment. At last. I took a deep breath. My husband was home. I was looking forward to seeing him and spending the evening with him.

He was asleep.

I waited forty minutes and then "accidently" woke him up. He was snippy at being disturbed. I cooked him dinner and he relaxed. Then I relaxed, and the night sped by. Soon it neared midnight, and I knew I'd have to be up in a handful of hours. So I came to record my thoughts before bed.

Hell of a day.

Who's the main character?

2006-03-12T00:52:00.001+10:00

Oh my goodness. I had a realisation as I was driving home from work yesterday. Marcus is the main character.

WTF am I talking about?

Some time ago, I was serious about writing my novel. Which was going great. And then I just stopped. There were reasons for it at the time (mostly the reason was that I didn't have any time!) but it's been a long while since I even mentioned my novel. I think the last time I talked about it was when I stated my New Year's Resolutions. And that was almost 3 months ago. But ideas jumped back into my head yesterday. Which can only be a good sign.

So here was the basic plot summary of Beneath a Darkened Moon (working title):

Raven was told by a seer that he would become the most powerful mage in all the land, and set out to seek his fortune. However, it was not to be. Sixteen years later, every magical order in the country had rejected him, and he was working as a tinker. Between treks through the country where he plied his trade, he spent his time with his friends in the capital city; Marcus, the wanna-be thief of an unidentified noble, and Nash, a retired soldier.

Unbeknownst to Raven, there was another prophecy in play. According to this prophecy, Raven would be responsible for the death of the king and the destruction of the three orders of magic. So Raven is forced to flee the city with his companions as the most powerful mages in the land attempt to either kill or control him. But forced to the edge of his endurance, he finds strange new powers at his fingertips. And the question is - will the prophecy become self-fulfilling.

So, as a recap, I've written about 75,000 words of this novel. And it's going really well. I participated in NaNoWriMo last November, which is where I wrote the majority of it. However, December became a little too complicated, and so I stopped writing.

But now - well, it came to me in a flash of blinding light last night! (Or it could have been the headlights of the other cars. Whatever.) Raven isn't the main character. I mean, he's not particularly personable. He's secretive, quiet, and moody. These things don't make for a good main character. The story is kind of about him, but he's not the one telling the story. No, the main character is Marcus - the cute little wanna-be thief who's in love with Raven. This should make things interesting

Thank goodness for...

2006-03-12T00:52:00.000+10:00

Small Mercies.

One of my workmates loaned me the EP Off the Record by Small Mercies. She generally has pretty good musical taste, and I was not disappointed. They're a five-piece rock band from Brisbane who formed in '99, and supported Little Birdy and Eskimo Joe last year. Their sound is kind of U2/Pearl Jam - there's a definite 90s rock bent to it. I'm rather impressed. So if you get a chance to check them out, do so. Well worth it.

Need some great entertainment?

2006-03-08T00:53:00.000+10:00

I just thought I'd share my favourite blog. I check this site at least twice a day, and am always entertained by the content. So if you're in need of a bit of a pick-me-up, or you'd like to kill the next few hours reading past posts, check out The Project 76 Blog. It's well worth the few seconds it takes to click on the link.

Muscle Woman

2006-03-08T00:02:00.000+10:00

Well, this is the exciting news of the day. I have a muscle. No, really. I discovered it (after much patient searching) in my bicep yesterday. Apparently this personal training thing is actually having an effect. Soon I shall look like this:

Or possibly not.

Personal training. It really works. Who knew that paying someone extortionist fees to physically torture you on a weekly basis could be so much fun?

But wait, there's more!

2006-03-05T07:28:00.000+10:00

Want more?

For my older posts, please visit my old blog here.