First...*pant drool gorgeous incoherent mumbling*...The new comic is beyond words.

Second...I am apparently doing two panels at writercon, which is made of yay, but I may need a bit of help...One of my panels is "Expletive Deleted: How Explicit is Too Explicit", I thought it would be a good idea to take a sampling of my own work to find some examples of 'way too much, just right, etc.' I'm thinking 'Show Me' and 'A Whole New Me' as not too much and 'Very Giving' as way too much. Other suggestions are welcome...all of my fic is here: http://www.fangedfour.com/strange/

Third...I'm leaving for Minneapolis at 7am on the 30th and get in around 4, and leaving Minneapolis at 10am Monday the 3rd. Can't wait to see all of you! We may also have room for one more in our room if CJ doesn't get his crap together and tell me if he's coming or not, haha. So let me know if you need a bed for one or all of those nights...

There is no fourth, the boy and I are in extreme homework mode so not really talking or hanging out right now, which is made of woe, but as they say, this too will pass.

So...18 years after getting my first college credits...I'M GRADUATING NEXT SPRING!!!!!

It's official! As of Winter Term I will have met all of my degree requirements, which means two things... a) I can take whatever I want Spring Term and b) that my life is FANFREAKINGTASTIC!!!!

OMG!

Also? According to Major Professor of Awesomonia the Ph.D. program I want to enter next year was pretty much tailor made for me...or I was tailor made for it.

Parlez Vous Wo0t!????!!!!!!!

*seriously* Come dance with me!!!

To recap the last few weeks:

School. Work. Softball. Therapy.

Moved apartments in 5 days (with 12 hour's notice)

Revelation: I have way too much stuff.

School. Work. Softball. Therapy.

Revelation: Men don't communicate as often as women.

School. Work. Softball. Therapy.

Revelation: I am a chaos magnet.

School. Work. Softball. Therapy.

Revelation: I need to be in Portland.

School. Work. Softball. Therapy.

Revelation: Asking for what you need and making sure you get it takes work.

So I finally got fed up with my neighbors...the neighbors on all sides of us, below, front, side, who smoke outside their apartments. The smoke in my apartment is unbearable, it's a 3rd floor apartment and very hot, extra hot when we can't even open the windows or doors because we are inundated.

I emailed the management group that owns our building and they have agreed to let us move to an apartment at the end of our building, a little further from the railroad tracks, and hopefully away from all toxic air. They called right back to say that the apartment at the end of our building is free, but that we have to start moving in tomorrow and be done by Sunday.

Guess who's moving this week?

I am a frakking retard.

*head desks some more*

So apparently writercon is looking to boost attendance. All I can say, is whether you are still 'active' in fandom or merely a not-so-innocent bystander...you will never have more fun in your life than you will at this event. Guaranteed.

Wrap up posts from my Writercon 2004 & 2006 experiences are here: 2004 recap...2004 Pictures...2006 recap...2006 Pictures

So if this doesn't entice you I can't imagine what will. Writercon is the perfect blend of drunken debauchery, intimate conversation, writer's workshop, brushes with fame, and tattoos. I'm sure everyone gets something different out of the experience, but for me, these 100 or so women (and a few men) that I love make for the very best of times, one I look forward to for YEARS!!

I hope you'll make it, and as part of the May Day Promotion, be sure to mention that I referred you...Register here: http://writercon.com/

You *know* you want to be there!!

Guess who just booked her flights to Minneapolis?

That's right baby! writercon here we come!

I'll be getting into MSP around 4pm on July 30 (Thursday) and leaving around 10:30am on August 3 (Monday).

luvxander, hermionesviolin, & alixtii take note!

Hotel & Registration are set, now just got to figure out the getting to the hotel logistics, but that seems to work itself out in due time.

Maybe I'll start getting excited now, haha!!

Guess who's a Senior?

*twirls like mad*

So I'm sitting at my desk. Reading the Onion while enjoying my asiago bagel and Mango Tango Odwalla.

I thought I'd give the juice a shake as it sometimes settles a bit.

I REALLY should have noticed I hadn't screwed the lid back on.

Before shaking it.

Over my shoulder.

An hour before receiving an award from the university's president.

In my favorite outfit. A wool pull-over that does *not* dry fast.

All over my chair, desk, floor, clothes, rug, keyboard.

And the BEST part?

Mango Tango kind of smells like vomit.

How's your day been?

Still coughing.

All of 250 words written.

17 pages to go by noon Tuesday.

Currently at war with William Faulkner.

I cannot believe I am still this shitty-feeling.

I think I'm a nice person, good karma overall.

This is so not fair...or productive.

I am the queen of procrastonia.

How will I ever get done?

When will I study for Tuesday's final?

Will this be the term that knocks me out of Summa Cum Laude status?

Oh I am fortune's FOOL.

< /doom and gloom >

I am still sick. No I mean SICK. My nose hasn't stopped running in three days. I'm now on antibiotics round two (amoxicillin this time since the zithromax helped the bronchitis, but not the sinus cold that has now creeped down into my lungs.)

I'm exhausted, so I'm bailing. I've been useless for three days and would have been better off never leaving my bed.

I shall now go home and dose myself with nyquil...at 3:30 in the afternoon.

I have now officially been sick for 16 days. That's just too damned long.

Did I mention the THREE papers I have due by Tuesday? How about the nuclear engineering test Tuesday night? Sigh.

I don't even think boyfriend glow could make this better. I just feel pooalicious.

Dammit.

* Sick again. Just got over the bronchitis (mostly) and now my right sinus is just...wrong. This is not my month.

* Homework again. 2 five page essays and one 7-10 page synthesis paper due Tuesday. Again. sick.

* Nuclear Engineering test looks to be a doozy. Will need at least a full-day to study, so a fair amount of stress going on there, as I'm just *barely* clinging to an A in that class. Sigh.

* Despite these stresses, life remains good. I'm unconvinced we're going to make it to San Francisco next week as the boy is having the dog put down (mercifully, THANK YOU E!!!) and will not be up for a fun-filled vacation. So we're playing it close to home and just going to maybe drive to the beach or up to Seattle for a day or two instead.

* I'm supposed to be planning baby brother's 30th birthday party for the first weekend in April and just can't decide on a place. It kind of sucks that my parent's house is so small. Just not a party-going house. I am also not keen on paying a big rental fee, so it's looking like a restaurant party instead of a pot-luck party, which is fun, just a very different vibe. Oh well, it will work out. Plus we're seeing Lisa Lampanelli that weekend, which should be insane...in a good way.

* Just so much going on, I have therapy tomorrow (assuming I don't still feel like crap) which will be nice since he's been out of town for a couple weeks. Plus, as hard as this continues to be, I'm just glad it isn't leaving bruises like my physical therapy, haha.

*twirls*

Life is good.

Bronchitis.

Can't go back to work until Wednesday, although I will have to go to class tomorrow night.

On Zithromax for 3 days to kick this thing in the butt.

Doc said I came in just in time, as we have a chance of keeping it from turning into pneumonia.

Also? I am such an idiot.

If I gave this to the Amazing!Boyfriend I'll just have to kick my own butt to boot.

Still no sign of my voice.

Also, Also? 250lbs according to the doc's scale.

I'll be over here------> killing myself.

Fuck.

Well actually, no. No it isn't.

I have lost my voice.

If you see it please ask it to return to me.

The Amazing!Boyfriend invited me up for Saturday night, and by the time I was half-way there...the voice was gone.

I'm feeling a lot better, the chills and weakness are gone, but every now and then the coughing returns. I'm going to the doc this afternoon just to make sure I don't have pneumonia (which we have all learned I am very susceptible to). But I think I'll be okay. More than anything I just want to be sure it isn't going to require antibiotics to get rid of this junk.

I'm afraid I have no other news. It's been all sick, homework, sick, homework. What a long week.

Although, in good news, the girls finally won a basketball game and ROCKED. So exciting. Plus they had softball tryouts on Saturday and they may move Bridgie up to Juniors so they can be on the same team. They've never played softball together, so that would be exciting! *fingers crossed*

I am having a really wonderful day!

Despite an annoying debit card mistake (not mine!) that will take a few days to remedy...things are going fabulous.

I got an A on my Wallace Stevens paper. In fact, not just an A, the prof completely loved it. So put that in your Wo0t box and smoke it!

My kids were getting along tonight.

I took a three hour bath and started reading The Lathe of Heaven.

Spent twenty minutes or so talking to the boy.

Watched Serenity with Gabby.

And now? I'm gonna eat a Fun Dip and then go to bed.

Yep, life is fine!

SO I'm sort of doing something different this year...I'm tearing my life apart in a *good way*.

With the encouragement of Em and the Boy, I am reducing my hours to 3/4 time at work and full time school. Money-wise I'll pretty much be right where I am now, a little more financial aid, a little less salary. I'm hoping the balance will be close to flush, but honestly, as long as I cut back on my ridiculous fast-food habit (which OMG I *must do* regardless) it should work out just fine.

Spring's classes are as follows:

BI 103 - General Biology + lab
SOC 499 - Focus on Culture
COMM 380 - Image and Myth in Film

Plus, I'm taking a one-weekend class at the community college on Human Potential. I find these sort of 'your body, mind and spirit; a user's guide' classes to be really helpful in a lot of ways. I'm lucky that they offer them here in town at the Benton Center. So 13 credits, but really only 11 for most of the term.

I'll have to re-evaluate my plans in the summer, figure out where I'm at and what it will take to get to the next step. I'm mostly excited because after Spring term I will only have 27 credits left to complete! Which means I'll only need to take 9 credits a term next year (even if I didn't take any summer classes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) There are no words for how joyful this makes me. I will GRADUATE in JUNE 2010. OMG *flails*

So, while I'm still a little panicky about taking my GREs this summer and applying to graduate school, I'm *this* close to my goal. Bachelor's degree before I turn 35. Yes, that's a big damned Wo0t!!!

*dances*

So last night I did my first all-night paper writing in a *really* long time. I did not like it.

I did not like the 45 minutes I got to turn the light off between 5:45 am and 6:30 am when I had to get up to go to the dentist.

I did not like the roughly 11 hours I spent writing about 'Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird' even though I find it a beautiful, thought-provoking poem. That's just too many hours of staring at a computer screen.

I did not like feeling guilty for talking to the boy for a few minutes.

I also did not like getting fillings this morning.

I especially didn't like that I had to stop them a few minutes in to have them give me more Novocaine.

I did, however, like the Nitrous Oxide. Although, having it three times in one week might not have been the greatest idea ever.

I really did not like going to class this morning since I did not finish A Light in August because I was writing, and now I have been spoiled for the end.

I think I will finish it, but the use of the N word has me so on edge I'm just frazzled by this book.

I most vehemently did not like getting to work this morning and finding my entire office thrashed, flipped, unplugged, and disoriented.

I was extra extra unhappy to learn that the 'mysterious burning smell' that led to this destruction was in fact a burnt out fluorescent light...in the lobby outside my office.

The upside of today was that at least when I got to work and finally sat down at my desk my shirt wasn't inside out (like it was yesterday).

Plus, Cute!UPS!Guy gave me a shoulder rub when he came in this afternoon. Apparently I had that 'OMG pain' look.

Which reminds me. I did not at all like going to the dentist instead of my physical therapy this morning.

I also did not like having to pay for my Paid LJ account today. Sigh.

***

What I DO like is that tonight is SciFriday and Em is coming over for Dollhouse, Sarah Conner, and BSG.

I DO like that I get to read Langston Hughes this weekend.

I DO like that the only homework I have that isn't reading is some blackboard posting.

I DO like that we've decided to go to San Francisco (or possibly Vegas) for Spring Break instead of to Canada. Now I don't have to rush to get the kids passports this week.

I DO like that I continue to be happy despite random bouts of unhappy moments. As a whole? Life is good.

***

Oh, and I DO NOT like that I still have to work for two more hours today. It's just cruel.

It's now midnight.

And I have less than one page of an 8-10 page paper written.

The paper is due in 9 hours.

I have a dentist appointment in 7 hours.

I've known about this paper for 6 weeks.

I am an idiot.

Infinity.

*kicks Wallace Stevens*

EDIT: 2:07 am...3 pages written.

The Ex called today to apologize for the girlfriend's behavior and to say that he was wrong in using our children's custody as pawns and that he would be happy to meet me this week to take them in to get their passport stuff dealt with.

Le sigh.

It's nice that we can talk like adults, but it really doesn't make me want to punch her out any less.

So I made it clear that for the foreseeable future they will only be going over there when she is out of town, which is basically every other weekend. This is the custody arrangement, so it's not a big deal except that it means he has four kids in the house at the same time...which you know, you want to marry a woman with two kids you better just get used to it.

****

In other news? Wesley the Hamster has escaped from his cage. I'm kind of freaking out about it. He was in there this morning, and not when the kids got home from school. He's my sweet baby so he better show up tonight when I get home. *has fear*

****

And now I must go check the mail and get some dinner before class. My nights for the rest of the week are all writing all the time...ten page paper due Friday morning. This wouldn't suck so hard if I hadn't had fillings this morning. I'm achey.

1. Refinance Car. Check. Payments reduced $150 a month, 2% lower interest rate on loan.

2. Children's story plotted out in head. Check. Planning to write it out tonight, illustrate tomorrow.

3. Wallace Stevens paper forming. Check. Looking at 13 ways of looking at a blackbird in 13 different ways. Hope to have paper mostly done by Friday.

4. Sick kid almost better. Check. She slept for 20 hours yesterday and spent most of today folding laundry.

5. Increased mobility in shoulder. Check. Twice a week therapy seems to be helping, still some kinks, but making progress.

6. Trigger book established. Check. Trying to keep track of things that make me cry, send me towards emotional outbursts I wasn't expecting, or that make me uncomfortable.

7. Clearing desk off. Check. Actually feeling like a made a dent in my work pile today.

8. Ficathon Story...well, not check, yet. But I'm actually thinking I will write it, so if time allows this weekend I'll start pulling ideas together.

9. Menu for weekend forming. Check. I'm thinking that Saturday night I'll try to make a kosher version of my chicken ring using turkey bacon.

10. Sci-Fi geekiness on. Check. I'm so looking forward to having Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, and Sarah Conner all in the same night. It's an overload of awesomeness.

I'm thinking the rest of the afternoon will be spent rearranging/cleaning my office a bit. I'm just feeling so out of sorts that it's time for my OCD to kick in a little and do its part.

I'm also going to have to bring up my shopping addiction with the therapist I think. As much fun as it is having all of these new dresses...well, I went a little overboard even for me. Add in books, CDs, and DVDs, and well, I definitely indulged too much this month. Sigh. That said...I'm really looking forward to my Mad Men DVDs arriving.

P is coming up for the weekend, so I'm really looking forward to a relaxing weekend with him. We have lots of homework and such to do while he's here, plus kids basketball and my great aunt's 80th birthday party, but it will be lovely to have him for more than a few hours. Wheee!

So you know, up, down, a little sideways, but I'm moving forward. This is all good.

Tax refund came earlier than I was expecting.

1. State Taxes Paid Off!
2. Lisa Lampanelli tickets bought.
3. Credit Card paid down a bit.
4. 30 shares of a new stock bought.
5. Passport forms for the girls, ready to file next week.
6. Email sent to credit union about refinancing the car.

I'm feeling very accomplished! It's a nice mixture of fun and necessary, practical and whimsical.

I'm also feeling pretty good about my midterm this morning. The one on Wednesday was a little less exciting, so here's hoping. One more take-home to do tonight, plus a few other things like a children's story to write tonight and some blackboard postings, then...Saturday night with the Boy!

Plus, I think rainkatt and I are on for tea tomorrow. Which is SO made of Awesome!!!

Sometimes, life just gives you a bowl of fabulous!

The Shrink's response...Wow, that's a lot. That's a lot of trauma.

2nd response...You mean, in 30 years you've never had any other therapy? You've never talked to anyone about this?

Does LJ count?

So all in all it went well, got to the point where I was able to stop crying (mostly) and just talk to him. Still so much work to be done. But I like this guy and he understands that I feel like I have to work through this stuff with a man if any of it's ever going to make sense to me. Seeing him again next week and we'll just see how it goes.

I'm at Cannon beach with my mom and her sisters.

It's the first time I've been invited to sister weekend.

These chicks is Crazy!!!

And now we're off to dinner and then back for copious amounts of wine and movies.

I listened to an audiobook of Light in August on the way here, so yay, I 'read' four chapters of my homework. I'm a good girl.

No really.

Muwah!!

You know how some days you just need a big damned pick me up?

This is that day.

Join me at the Love In Thread...

So mum just called to say that tomorrow is the day.

My baby cat, Brett, is being put down.

He's 19.

And still my baby kitty.

I'm really worried about my *other* baby kitty, Judybat. She'll be all alone now.

She's only 15, and really not old enough to make it on her own.

Time sucks.