And Just When I Thought it Was Better...

I don't know the reason I've been annoyed by people all my life, but it's really awkward when every time I try to keep to myself and leave others alone, they suddenly have no respect for me. This time I'm talking about my neighbors. I don't play loud music, I don't slam my doors. Unless you look or listen carefully, I wouldn't be noticed at all. What do these people do? Throw dirt on my patio, make noise all the time, stomp til things fall off the walls, blow cigarette smoke into my home, scream in the hall... there's probably more, but let's leave it there. Oh, but I will add one more thing: none of them go to work--ever. At least in my last few apartments everyone had someplace to go during the day. I love having a quiet place to write and feel like I'm at a real job. Not with these people!

I know you know there's a point to this--at least more than random venting about my life. There is. Two things: first, young writers should take note of their surroundings all the time to get story ideas. Can you even guess what kind of stories I've been able to come up with from these people already? And second, it's motivation. I don't care how it happens, but I really need to leave to a more exciting place--permanently. No more vacation talk here. I've gotta get out of here, and it has to be soon. My nerves just can't take anymore of it.

I know what you would say though: these annoyances will be worse in a jam-packed city. I know that. But at least in a city you can leave your apartment and actually have someplace to go. Here, it's the grocery store or the parents house. Both are not the kind of places you want to spend a whole lot of free time. At this point I can't even sit outside because people are loud, pushy, and don't know that if my face is in a book, it means I want to read, not talk about the weather. (ok, here's the anti-social scaredy-cat coming out). People tell me I need to find a house instead of an apartment. No, I'm tired of being antisocial and that would make it worse. I need a place to meet people my age, with my interests. I'll never find that here.

Okay, rant is over.

Iffy Monday

Can't be a happy Monday--I almost forgot to post my regular Monday ramblings! I'm still very distracted with all the moving, trying to get back to the writing that I want to do, issues with old friends, and sparking new ones.

On the writing front, the good news is that I started the novel that I wanted to write using the old Royal Sprite portable typewriter I bought at a yard sale a month or so ago. Bad news? It is going to take forever. I might even pull a hand muscle if I'm not careful! :)

I might be distracted in my daily Internet duties because the only mess left from moving is in the office. That's the only place I can really hide things, so the piles of books, papers and sentimental junk will just have to stay here a little while longer.

It was actually the sentimental junk that got to me this weekend. It totally distracted me because it reminded me of an old best friend. I guess we can't call each other that anymore--she's getting married this weekend and I was not invited. There have been more than a dozen weddings of friends that I haven't been invited to over the past two years or so. This is the only one that has bothered me. I'll let people go through all the excuses about money, making tight guest lists, etc. Truth is, she just didn't want me there. I thought about sending a card, but the fear of continued rejection (no acknowledgment of the sentiments) will probably keep me from doing so. I guess it's for the best, right?

I will do my best to put this little hiccup in my emotional well-being behind me so I can focus again on what's important. Or I could just write a poem about it and get it over with!

I'm Back!

Moving was a lot easier than it was last time. I managed to get everything taken care of on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday I started going through my boxes, but there are so many that I don't even think I've scratched the surface yet. But once it's all unpacked, there will be a place for everything. I promise!

The move was so efficient that I even fit a few hours of work into my day yesterday. I read and wrote a review of The Kids in Ms Coleman's Class #6: Twin Trouble. Talk about your blast from the past! But I enjoyed reading a nice short children's book for a change.

Now I have to go back to the daily grind, but at least it feels like it's going faster with all of this chaos around me.

Getting Ready

I move in four days. Well, I sign the lease Friday, move in the important stuff, then finish the rest of it on Saturday. I managed to wrangle my brother to help, so we'll see how fast we can all get it done. Speed is the key, because I'm still working a full 6-day work week right now. That's to keep up with all the new expenses. Eventually I'll be back writing on the weekends instead of working, but for the immediate future it's money first, telling stories later.

This schedule also means I'm may disappear from the Internet for a couple of days--but don't worry folks, I'll let you all know when I'm settled in and ready to get back to the blogosphere.

Have a happy week!

Great News!

Finally, I have good news on the personal front. I found a new place to live! It was iffy for awhile because the place I wanted is apparently very popular, but I just signed on for a 2 bedroom apartment. And unless I get married or get rich, this will probably be the last place I will have to move to for the next few years. That makes me very, very happy.

Real life can take a back seat

Now that all of the packing is done, I just have to venture back to the old apartment tomorrow to let the movers in for the big stuff. My lease isn't up until the end of August, so I will have plenty of time to clean and pick up those last few pieces of mail that I didn't get forwarded.

All my attention can now be focused on my writing career. Not that it's spectacular in any way, it's just that when I want to make money, I neglect my fiction. Fiction is the one writing style that I'm hoping to get paid for one day instead of writing 200 words on a keyword that doesn't make sense in any sentence. My schedule is working, and I'm glad I have to the determination to stick to it this time!

I can't neglect other areas of my writing either--such as this blog. You all are a big part of my motivation. Knowing that even just a few of you read my blog on a regular basis has pushed me to write better, more informative posts. You are keeping me accountable for what I put on the Internet, and I appreciate it.

To continue to show my appreciation, I'm also developing those interview questions I have been promising for the last few months. Once they are complete (no later than the end of September), I will send out requests to interview writers who blog or bloggers who write, depending on how they seem themselves. Those will be featured on Friday's posts.

I am also contemplating a change in the ads that I post on this blog. Right now, most are through pay-per-blog opportunities. I would rather have ads that better reflect the needs of the freelance writer/blogger, so once I come up with a fair price to place ads here, I will let you all know.

Already thinking of another

I haven't moved to this new place yet, and I am already thinking about moving again. I think there's something wrong with me. But I know that the next move needs to be a house. I'm tired of living in apartments where I can't paint or totally remodel the 1970's kitchen. So I have been shopping around for real estate agents, but I haven't made a final decision yet. I'm going to have trouble with proving my income anyway... so I better have plenty of it when I search for a new home. It's still fun to look even though I'm not ready to buy.

The biggest distraction

I don't know what to say. My brain isn't working at the moment. It's day 3 of construction around my apartment complex. The note I received about this work only said that my balcony would be replaced. They never said anything about the concrete hallways being jackhammered away and new concrete being poured. Today they are working on the hall below me, which means I was not notified that I should probably leave. Now I can't get out of my apartment. The noise is shaking the walls and will continue to do so until at least 1pm (that's how long it was going on yesterday). I can't write, read, think, or even watch TV. My brain feels like it's rattling around in my head.

I am officially not recommending this specific apartment complex to anyone I know who thought about moving here.

Hectic week

This week has been really busy, even though I technically didn't decide to work this week. I spent all day today (Tuesday) packing up everything in my apartment that I don't need and watching the memorial for Michael Jackson. Tomorrow I have to finish a transcription job... and for some reason, I didn't realize how tough transcription can actually be. They speak clearly, not fast, and it's still taking me hours more than I thought it would. But it's a job. I even have to schedule this post because I know I won't have time to write my usually Wednesday post here.

But after Wednesday, things should calm down again. I should be back to my normal writing/research routine. And to think, I never really wanted a routine because it felt the same as being in a rut.

What's Your Style?

I have had some trouble with grammar styles lately. English grammar is complicated, I'll give you that. But because there are so many different style guides that a person can follow, I often find myself debating with editors and other writers about specific rules that vary from one style guide to another. And it's ridiculous because for work purposes there is one style to follow – whatever the boss wants. But there's always room for debate since some rules do change over time.

Most of my work is required to follow AP guidelines. Most of these guidelines are specific to how proper nouns and organization names are capitalized. Not a problem. I was a journalism major at one time and trashed my AP style guide because I used it so often. There are other styles out there, however, that tend to contradict this journalistic style. The rule I often remember between AP and MLA that changes is commas in a series. “Sally, Betty, and Sue” is MLA. “Sally, Betty and Sue” is AP. The last AP-specific job I had to do didn't want this. They wanted to mix MLA styles with AP styles and it was crazy. But again, you do whatever the boss wants, otherwise you won't get paid.

And then if you are really into research writing, you have follow APA. This I have done mainly for speech classes, but it varies a little from MLA, especially in citing sources.

And I'll be completely honest here: I have no idea how all of the styles listed above differ from Chicago or Turabian style. I've never used Chicago before, and I once had to use Turabian for a research paper. I didn't have time to research the style, so I just went ahead and used MLA and I didn't lose points.

My suggestion for the writing world is to pick one style and stick with it. I'm tired of having to know (or pretending to know) five different writing styles, when most of them only differ on source citations.

Little gears working

So... only 15 articles to do today (so far). I really want at least 20 done. But unless new articles pop up, I don't have to pull an all-nighter until Monday (I'm really wanting to do it).

And I've started looking for a new apartment. The city was the hardest decision. I gave up once again on New York City just because I'm not anywhere near the type of person that lives there. So I decided on Cleveland and started looking around. I found the perfect apartment for me, with a good price. But, I don't move until the end of July so I'm going to have to sit on my hands for a little while. Maybe plan a trip to Cleveland in June, if I can convince a friend to come with me. If I don't get out of this state on my next move, I'm doomed. So... it's off to Ohio. Not a long way away, but far enough.

And I've been a naughty girl, not working on my fiction. I feel bad. I started that comedy script and now I don't know where to go with it. I think I wrote four pages, which isn't a lot, but it has potential. I think.

I'm done rambling. It's breakfast, shower, work, work, and more WORK. Only 86 more to go.

Hump Day

Why they call it that, I'll never know. Sounds more like a dirty movie to me.

Anyway, it's 8 degrees outside right now. I am so glad I don't have to go out in it. But I'm also a little lacking in work (waiting for new titles from the company) so I'm getting a little antsy. I finished my family photo project, listened to most of my regular podcasts, and still. Bored as all I can be. I should be looking for an apartment, but it's still too far away. If I find a great one right now, I'll just be miserable that I can't move yet. And New York is still to expensive for me. I thought about Jersey, but... I'm not quite that desperate just yet.

But at least my computer is selling. Only 162.50 if anyone is still looking for a bargain!

Seriously

So, I just went to take out my trash. And you know what I found on my door? A notice about my apartment complex not being able to accept credit/debit card payments anymore. Um, do you honestly know how many winter evictions they just may have on their hands because of this?? Hopefully one of them won't be mine. I only gt paid once a month, so this is going to be ridiculously hard to figure out. I am sooo moving out at the end of my lease!

It's All Paid Off

Although I've been kind of moping around my apartment listlessly for the last few weeks when work has been almost nonexistent, this little holiday vacation has finally paid off. I just wrote a poem that I am extremely proud of. Although it is on its first draft, it's still a major accomplishment. It's not sappy first of all, which a bad habit I tend to repeat over and over again. It's also full of references that one day may need to have footnotes, which I've always loved when I study poetry. Until I show it to someone for critique and get my heart broken because no one understands it, this will officially b the absolute best poem that I have ever written (so far). Yay!

(By the way, I've had way too much cappuccino this morning as well, so take what you will from that.)

The New Apartment

By popular demand, here are some pics of the new apt.

Hectic Life

So I moved... and I have little unpacked, except what I need. But this is only because I recently started a new job and my life has been very hectic. Don't get me wrong... the pay is great for the amount of work, but I am frustrated on the first few that were kicked back. I'm just getting the hang of this, so it was expected, but it's still disappointing when you see it, you know? Anywhoo... tomorrow is my day off and I am going to enjoy it and not think about work for a solid 24 hours. Yay for Saturdays!

New Apartment, Day 3

Things are starting to come together. I have some pictures on the walls, my cabinets are organized, but I don't have a microwave, and it's really annoying. I can't reheat leftovers (well, at least fast enough). But... working here without any distractions (except sometimes the television) it great! Although I think it might get even better once I actually move my computer into my office. It'll be in the living room until the cable guy comes back tomorrow to run the line. It might actually stay out in the living room until the weekend just because I'm lazy... and I want to get my apartment set up some more before I go moving this thing for the third time in three days. But anyway... I had to quit job today. They still haven't paid me, and anyone who reads this blog religiously (I know there's at least one person out there!) knows that i have been dealing with these people for months. But no more. All I can do now is bug them about getting the rest of my money that the owe me. And I have no problems getting a lawyer on their ass... as long as they are willing to take a case that's well under $1000 bucks. Whatever. It'll get solved one of these days. Hopefully soon.

Something Interesting

While I was taking a break from work just a few minutes ago, I saw something really interesting. I was looking at the roof of the building behind mine and I saw a male cardinal hopping along the gutter. Not a minute later the female cardinal came along, chasing after the male. I just thought that was an interesting picture of nature...

New Apartment, Day 1

Okay, so its not perfect, but its mine. I have no lights in the bedrooms (I'll have to go and purchase some lamps), my computer it currently in the living room (will be fixed Tuesday), and my kitchen cabinets tend to come open, but other than that, this place it great. It's all mine, and as long as I can afford it, I think I'm gonna stay for awhile. My mind would be much more at ease if a certain company would pay me my back payments that are TWO MONTHS LATE. Grrr. But I won't let that get me down. I'm going to have a good outlook... and I need to get typing, because I gotta make some more money. :)

The Fun Stuff

I got started on packing today. Granted, 90% of my possessions are still in a box from my last move, but there were things still at my parents house of mine that they just can't wait to get rid of. Now they'll have a whole second walk in closet to fill up if they want to. And I have two bedroom closets and two halls closets to fill up in my apartment.

And I'm really excited about my new art project for decoration. I'm going to frame a bunch of old postcards that I got when we cleaned out my grandma's house and put those on the wall so no one has to look at my posters from high school and college any longer. I can't wait to get that started... all I need to do now is go and buy the frame... but I should probably wait to see how many more costs I incur when I call all of the utility companies tomorrow to get that stuff set up. Yikes... too much to do!