Tremendulent!

Hullo! Apologies for the lack of posting - life got busy.

1. I've given my notice at work and I'm definitely moving back to the states this October. *panics* It's okay. I'm okay. My boss was pretty chill and they want to stay in touch. I'll most likely still do some work for them remotely when I first head back. A lot of what we do can be done online, and I'm happy to do it!

It's funny, actually - the blessing and curse of working for such a niche little company is that there are only about 30 of us in the entire world who know our product like we do. Which is cool! But sort of limiting? They haven't broken into the North American market yet, but I told them that if they do, to please look me up! My boss has already said that they'd rather send me to train someone than one of them have to make the trip. Who knows? I'm keeping all my options open.

2. I'm THIS CLOSE to finishing my WIP Big Bang. THIS CLOSE.

3. I'm still going back and forth about being excited and dreading moving back. It depends on when you ask me. I think the trick is to find things to do. Mom's already nominated me to help her church create a database to hold all of the research they've found out about their cemetery, so that's something. I'm also supposedly painting the porch? And maybe training her dog to be a behavioral therapy dog? Which I'm quite looking forward to. He's a sweetheart. A big, fluffy sheltie who looks just like Lassie.

4. I was nominated by my personal trainer (which sounds way more pretentious than it actually is!) to tell #myfitnessjourney for the local free magazine. So, I did? It's not that dramatic, really. I just exercise way more than I used to and it's paying off. (I'm currently wearing jeans that I'd put in the charity shop pile last year because they were too small!) The thing is though - I'm still round. I'll always be round. I am a curvy lady and I'm finally beginning to love that about myself. I started the exercise to get more energy and strength and I've got them. I feel good! Which is all I ever wanted.

5. Stuff I've watched recently:

Good Omens - very enjoyable although I'm not as wild about it as most of Tumblr seems to be - nonetheless, I enjoyed it.

Killing Eve season 2 - Good Lord. I shouldn't have binged it. I really should have paced myself. I think season one is a bit better written, perhaps? But this season was still full of wild and incredible moments. As always, Fiona Shaw is both terrifying and brilliant.

Fleabag season 2 - I do not have a priest!kink. I really, really don't. But damn if I didn't get chills with some of Andrew Scott's scenes. Dear Lord. And I LOVE the sisters.

I hope everyone is doing okay out there! Happy Wednesday! ♥

Hello! *waves* I've been neglecting this journal and I don't mean to. I'd like to post more, but the day always seems to get away from me.

So, here are my usual five things!

1. My husband and I have definitely separated and will be filing for divorce one of these days. It's been hard but also good. We still chat and email and things are actually pretty darn all right. We were having coffee one day, looked at each other and went, 'whoa, we've done the right thing, haven't we?' I feel positive about more things now and it's been incredible to just have time to myself and to relearn who I can be and what I can do without having to worry about him. I'm working really hard at my job and taking on all sorts of responsibilites and actually getting recognized for them, in fact...

2. I'M GOING TO NEW ZEALAND IN JANUARY!!! The company I work for is based there and we're the European branch. They've received some new investment money and will be making some changes and they want me to go over and sit down with the team. Eeeeeee! I'm going to Middle Earth!!! I'll be mainly on the South Island near Dunedin, but I've already looked at day trips in the area. I can't wait. I'm also hoping to stop in Melbourne, Australia to see some family there.

Things are happening in very cool ways for me and I'm feeling really grateful for all the hard work that I've put in. You do all these things. You show up. You put in the hours. You're supportive and you work hard and honestly, most of the time, I never expect to see any kind of reward for it. When a reward actually happens, my first instinct is to actually go: Are you sure? Has there been some sort of mistake here?

BUT!

I'm trying to squash that and just go with it.

3. I'm actually exercising. Yep. It's a 'boot camp' that's run two weeks every month from 6.30am-7.30am on the seafront and it's great. The ladies are wonderful and supportive and I have so much more energy and it's not in a gym. I mean, I still hate burpees and jogging, but I'd rather hate them outside than in a gym.

4. Oh, God, I'm so close to having this novel thing done I can taste it. I almost have it ready for some poor soul to read it. (If anyone wants to read this thing and be totally honest about what they think, let me know!)

5. That being said, I hope to finish that and then do something completely different for Nanowrimo. I have a standalone idea that I'd like to run with and see what happens.

I think that's enough for a Wednesday. All the positivity aside, things are still scary and I'm worried most of the time about the world and everyone in it. I hope you're all all right and making it through the days. Take care of yourselves! ♥

Hullo! I have things! Finally!

1. Yuletide story is almost done. I need to write another couple of paragraphs and then that's it. I think. Drumming up the motivation to write said paragraphs is another thing altogether.

2. I've actually finished all my Christmas shopping! All the boxes to family members in the States have been sent and I just need one more thing for family over here. Look what I bought my husband! Ghostbusters Legos! Not gonna lie - I kinda got this for me, too.

3. I took a cake decorating class yesterday and my cake looks pretty good for a beginner. I mean, the piping is shaky and I ran out of room to write Merry Christmas and went with Merry Happy, but it was fun? The start of the class was really rushed as there were people who had clearly used marzipan and rolled out icing before, which I haven't done. So that was a bit overwhelming. But the pace eased up and I think I might go back. Also - there is now Christmas Cake in the house! Woo!

4. It hasn't really stopped raining since the beginning of November and I think I might be catching a cold. My throat's all funky. This isn't a terrible thing though, it might get me out of going to my office's Christmas dinner tomorrow. Ugh, such a terrible thing to say, but I'm just not really in the mood for it? I don't really know everyone and there's always a lot of talk about sheep. Oh, I might need to clarify this. Actually, have I told you all about my new job? ( It's...interesting )

5. I just had a lovely mince pie and now I want lunch, hopefully there is soup somewhere in the house.

Happy Sunday! ♥

Things on a Monday!

+ I got my job offer in writing today, woo! SUCH a relief.

+ I got some lovely gift vouchers for my b-day to a nice shop in town, so today I got a really cozy dark red jumper with little buttons on it. I'm trying to expand my color palette and this seemed like a good color to try. SO comfy!

+ Writing continues, but I have a question for everyone! Seeing as this is October and I'm writing what is, in essence, a ghost story, I'm curious - what scares you? What are some 'tropes' that actually get your pulse running? Everyday things that give you a little bit of a fright?

For me, it's definitely having to walk out of a dark room at night. Ugh, gives me the creeps. Or passing by a staircase where I can't quite see the bottom step? *shivers*

So what unsettles you?

Happy Monday!

Didn't get the job. My references were 'glowing' but they went with someone who had more of a biology background which was not what they advertised for.

Feeling pretty crappy.

I hate looking for jobs.

Answer: Probably, but I like it and I wanted to use it. :D

Thursday Things!

1. The weather has turned and Happy Autumn Equinox to those in the Northern Hemisphere. Happy Spring Equinox to those in the Southern Hemisphere! (I find that SO cool. The fact that the earth has the amazing opposites occurring. Just nifty!)

2. Husband and I made beef burgers last night and I made a poor man's aioli that was really tasty. Get some mayo (or plain yoghurt), some hot sauce (Of your choice - we used Cholula) and half a lime. Add a bit of each until you have something that tastes good to you. In my case: ALL THE LIME, little bit of the hot sauce and enough mayo to make sure it wasn't just lime juice. Very tasty.

3. I have another job interview tomorrow. *sighs* I have no idea what the salary is, but if it's decent, then I think I'd like this one. It sounds busy and interesting.

4. I've had two really good writing days in a row! Over 2,000 words a day! Woo! I'm up to Chapter 8 and I have it all plotted out. Woo! The characters actually have voices and motivations! FINALLY!

5. Two writing links for the fun of it:

100 Random Storytelling Thoughts And Tips, Starting Now via Chuck Wendig's Blog. Serious warnings for NSFW language. The man has never met a curse word he didn't love. And I'm not sure if I agree with all of these, but it's a fun, entertaining read with some thought-provoking points.

Writing and Romance: The Basics of Fiction - this is Jenny Crusie's side blog. She's posting weekly points around fiction while she's contemplating putting together a how-to book. This week's is about Protagonist vs Antagonist. She doesn't go into extreme detail, but still a good resource with great pictures.

Happy Thursday! ♥

Things! I…think I can manage five of them.

1. So looks like the plan is to move back to Scotland by the end of the summer. Which I am very okay with! I really am. But, dear GOD, do I hate moving and giving notice and all that stuff. I’m actually off to Scotland tomorrow for an interview on Friday for a job that I’d actually really like to get. We’ll see!

2. Writing on my Het BB progresses rather steadily! I’m roughly halfway through, I think. I’m trying to get the bulk of it done as soon as possible because if I’m going to be moving soon, that’s going to drain me of energy SO fast. But I’ve got two 8 hour train rides ahead of me (there and back), so hopefully I can get some writing in.

3. I really want to go see Spy because I have an adoration for Jason Statham that I refuse to feel shame over. It stems from the first Transporter movie where he coated himself with oil and fought ten bad guys. I laughed until I cried, no lie.

Oh, heck, only three things. I can’t think of another two. Ah well.

Happy Wednesday! ♥

Wow! Hi! It's been a little while, hasn't it?

I started my new job and it's going well. It's very busy and I'm just trying to figure out what it's all about. It's mostly a lot of admin but I might be getting to assist a rather large county-wide project and that might be cool!

Sadly, we have the smallest desks in the world and the slowest internet access and everything is monitored, therefore very little fandom stuff gets to occur. I'm basically allowed two seconds to check my personal email. :P I also only have 30 minutes for lunch. :( Ah well. Once again, I have to figure out some time management because I really want to write but when I get the time to write, I'm exhausted. Argh.

And it's bloody hot down here! SO HOT! What is that strange bright orb in the sky that is sending light and heat down upon us all? Is it...the sun? Wow.

I also joined a gym! Hee! It turns out that I have about 40 minutes between the end of my work day and catching the train home and I need to get into better shape. So I joined this small gym that's right next door to my office. They're nice and they don't lock you into a contract and they pretty much leave you to it. I'm going to start off with just strict cardio and then actually do the machines. Sadly, their music selection is pretty crap and they play it really loud. (I just read that sentence and dear Lord, I'm old. Get off my lawn!)

Fandom-wise, I'm still digging From Dusk till Dawn and I still don't know how that happened. *facepalm* Although, I want to watch the Three Musketeers that aired on the BBC recently, so I might try that, too.

I hope everyone's doing all right! Happy Sunday! ♥

I think I have a job!!! The university job that I turned down because it was only part-time? They rang me this morning and said they've managed to get funding and they want me FULL-TIME!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEE!!!! They'll ring me back on Monday once they have complete and utter confirmation, but...JOB!!!! I still have interviews this week that I'm going to, but still...JOB!!!!

I've also written stuff! I wrote about 1000 words of a Darcy/Steve fic involving sci-fi tropes and also, um, some original stuff.

I don't have a title but I think I might play with these two a little.



This is a thing. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a thing. That I might write. Some day. There’s crime. And she’s an accountant because she likes numbers and VAT and forms and he’s a detective but he always wanted to be a sheriff because JAWS imprinted on him and his last name is Brody and it’s a thing. Maybe. They banter. And solve crime.

( A snippet that I half like )

Yeah, I don't know. We'll see. Happy Wednesday!!!

Things!

1. Welp. I’m definitely doing the het_bigbang with Emma Grayling and Alec Palmer. It’s kind of a novel experience – working with characters that have actually appeared on screen with each other. :P However, I’m going to do my best to do like for like. If I write 1000 words of fic, then I need to write 1000 words of novel. We’ll see how it all goes…

But the real, honest truth is?

I need something fun and low-key/pressure in my life. I really, really do. And Het BB is that for me. So. Yes. I’m going to do this.

Btw, with the way I’m writing this? You will NOT need to know anything about Doctor Who. Seriously. This is my modern(ish) gothic romance story a la Mary Stewart.

2. I saw Iron Man 3!!!! No spoilers, I promise (unless you’d like me to, feel free to PM me for details). I’ll just say that the first movie continues to hold a very special place in my heart, but this one was definitely entertaining.

3. Work is nuts. I’m so busy. And they’re still thinking of getting rid of my post. *rolls eyes* I’m picking up work from a lot of different people now. One lady (who’s just lovely) has asked me to do something for her and in thanks – she got me a slice of cake from the nearby café! ♥

4. I’m doing a Pedometer Challenge at work, too. Apparently, you should average 10,000 steps a day. I’m almost managing that every other day. I need to step up my game. Pun wasn’t actually intended.

5. Ooh! It's Wednesday! Have some pics of the two faces that are currently plaguing my writing brain. ( faaaces )

Happy Wednesday!