My mom is voting!

No, you don't even know, you guys. She's never voted in a presidential election. EVER. And I didn't think she was going to vote in this one, either, because every time she's heard me make bitchy comments under my breath at political commercials and complain loudly about Sarah Palin she's just kind of sighed like she does when she's bored.

Except this morning she was telling me, "Oh, do you know where you're voting?" and I kinda had to restrain myself from saying something stupid like, "OMG YES AND I'M GOING TO TRY TO BE FIRST IN TOWN AND O HAI THEY GIVE YOU STICKERS!" so I said, "Yup, and do you know where you're voting?" and when she said, "Uh-huh," my brain skidded to a stop and I was like, "... wait, I was kidding."

Her precise words for why she's voting in this election when she's never voted before in any other election? "I don't want John McCain to be president." BWAHAHAHA. John McCain got my mom to vote for the first time ever and it's for the other guy. *dies* (Hey, it's not the optimal Obama-fanboying my brother has been doing the last few times I've talked to him, but it's a Pennsylvania vote for Obama so I'll take it.)

... um, HI. I may have eaten an entire SweeTart Squeeze before I left work today. *twirls like a spazz*

*

Also, I may have taken overtime for tonight, too. But it's okay, see, because I'm sitting in the internet cafe right now so that I can work on my NaNo. I plotted out a few scenes last night at work and everything! \o/

Okay, yes. Me ... with the writing. *scurries off*

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I worked a thirteen-hour shift last night thanks to daylight savings time. On the plus side, it's an extra hour of overtime. On the other hand ... *whimpers* SO TIRED. I was remembering last night how this one time when I had an eight-hour night job and had to work DST I was all, "Oh, however will I survive a nine-hour shift?" and now I kinda want to smack my younger self. Idiot.

Oh! Also, I finished Eclipse last night. You know what? I changed my mind. I like Bella. She's obviously a douchebag magnet, which is great because it means fewer of them are hitting on me. Also, I'm thoroughly convinced that for most of this series Rosalie and Emmett have been off somewhere engaged in a much more interesting storyline. (Oh, that reminds me -- I told Jess about Growing Up Cullen but I keep forgetting to print it out for her. I'll have to do that for tonight. HEEE.)

I'm going to pick up Breaking Dawn from the library tomorrow. It's a pity I'm only reading these things while I'm at work, because I think I'm definitely going to need to be drunk for this. I'm already getting weird looks because every time somebody walks past where I've hidden myself during my breaks so that I can read alone they can hear me yelling at the books.

I've got to remember to get somebody to text me the election results on Tuesday night when I'm working. I won't have access to a radio or TV so I won't know who won until the morning. (*crosses fingers for Obama*) Well, okay, I want to know that, who wins PA (I've been seeing more Obama signs than McCain signs lately -- actually, a couple have replaced the McCain signs that were already there -- so I'm trying to be hopeful but realistic), and how the vote on Prop 8 turns out. I probably won't be able to text back until one o'clock in the morning which is my lunch break, but whatev.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go feed a small child to a zombie. :)

Nearly Departed:



I'd like to write more, but I have to leave for work in about fifteen minutes. On the plus side, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing right now so at least with thirteen hours to kill I'll have plenty of time to come up with something.

I'm really close to having my main character just shoot someone for no reason. Or get shot for no reason. Huh.

I have to call work and tell them I can't come in for overtime tonight because I need to stay home and be a pillow for my cat to lie on.

... what? It might work.

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

Okay, look. Since the possible future vice-president of these United States apparently doesn't fucking understand the First Amendment, I'm going to reprint it here.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It's not really that complicated. They're not abridging your right to free speech, you idiot. They're letting you say whatever dumb bullshit spills past your lips. And since the four words right after that particular phrase guarantee the mainstream media's right to call you a jackass, shut the fuck UP. Seriously.

(Jesus hopscotching Christ, this person is a MORON. Has she been on Fandom Wank? 'Cause the longer this election goes on, the more she acts like someone who's been on FW.)

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SO. NaNo. I only have 310 words so far, but that's mostly because the first opening I wrote made me stall, and then I thought maybe I should try writing a new story, and THEN I went back to the zombie apocalypse and started somewhere completely different and it's working out much better. I think my main character hasn't been nearly bitchy enough yet, though. Hmm.

I'm usually really strict when it comes to NaNo. I don't start until midnight. I don't even plot out much most of the time. And I always work on an original novel.

I took overtime on Saturday and Sunday. I know I need money, but man, that's going to make a dent in my writing time.

Fifty thousand words. Thirty days. Half of those, I probably won't get anything written due to work.

Oh, and also I'm going to sign up for Yuletide and want to make dents in the other two novels I'm working on.

PITY ME.

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I need two thousand dollars worth of dental work. Two thousand dollars.

I'm not freaking out, surprisingly enough, possibly because two thousand bucks keels right over the line from "OMG WTF *CRIES*" territory into a number that mostly just makes my eyes bug out and then I giggle because ... seriously. Two thousand dollars. It's so sad that I'm like, "Oh, come ON. I'm never going to make THAT. Bwahahaha!" about two thousand bucks. It might as well be a million. Sheesh.

But, yes. I've got the cracked tooth and apparently the cavity I thought was in one tooth is in two, and I've got to call the oral surgeon to get my two wisdom teeth out. Meh. I'm really going to have to look for a part-time job, like, washing dishes in a restaurant or something. Just something monotonous I don't really have to think about.

*sigh* I'm not getting rich and famous nearly quickly enough for my liking.

*

Still haven't watched last night's Supernatural or this week's Gossip Girl. SPN can hold until tomorrow, and as for Gossip Girl ... well, hell, I think it's the Jenny stuff that's turning me off. Right now, I'm watching the 100 Scariest Movie Moments. (GAH. They just got to Poltergeist. Fuck, that movie scares the crap out of me. GYAAAH.) And then possibly T2 in preparation for NaNo at midnight.

NANO. WOOT. \o/

I need to come up with kickass chick music so I can have something vaguely resembling a soundtrack. Hmm.

*

I'm most of the way through Eclipse. In regards to Bella, I'd just like to express my complete disinterest and confusion over her personality or lack thereof in the immortal words of the great philosopher Heath Ledger, who said, "What is it with this chick? She got beer-flavored nipples?"

Seriously, y'all. WHAT THE FUCK. I not only don't get why either one of these guys is so freaking attractive (well, Jacob was for a minute, but that ended quick), I don't get what's the least bit interesting about her that five million boys are salivating over her. New hotness only lasts so long, presumably until the five hundredth offscreen gym-class faceplant.

And the studious avoiding of ever mentioning anything that might date it! Aw, it's so cute. I mean, I know there's a fine line between dropping so many pop culture references you'll be out of date in five minutes (House of Night books, anyone?) and being able to hang out in the spotlight longer but for crying out loud, people.

A little more than a month earlier, teacher Joyce Ben-KiKi had Aron and his classmates each send letters to a famous person as part of a language arts lesson. Ben-KiKi wrapped the exercise around well-known children's book character "Flat Stanley," so along with the letters, the children each tucked a Flat Stanley figure they had made into each envelope.

"I told them not to expect a letter back," Ben-KiKi said. "I told them these people are very busy and most likely will not write back."

The list of recipients was impressive: Yankee third basemen Alex Rodriguez; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz; Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John McCain.

[Barack] Obama was the only one to write back.

-- Jesus People Pray That False Idol Will Save God's Election -- Look, I know that these people make it blatantly apparent with everything they do that they don't actually read the Bible but fuck, they don't even cheat and watch The Ten Commandments, do they?

-- If You're Undecided, You're Not Paying Attention: Cecilia, when was the last time a politician brought a tear to your eye… moved you deep in your soul? Honestly when was the last time you really felt that Americans could do anything if we put our hearts and minds to it? I am an old lady. Most of my life politicians have moved me. Most of my life I have felt that Americans can do anything if we put our hearts and minds to it. It’s been 8 long years. I had almost forgotten what that felt like. Thank you Barack Obama. Thank you.

-- I think when I go into the dentist tomorrow I'm going to find out that the one wisdom tooth on top has a cavity in it. I'm not sure because I can't really see it or feel it, but I can feel a too-sharp bit and it hurts like hell. Oh, man, I hope this doesn't end up costing too much or else I'm going to freak.

-- NaNo starts in two days. I know what I'm doing and yet I have noooooo idea what I'm doing. I'm going to see what I can pull out of my ass tonight at work but I'm pretty sure even with twelve hours to work with it's not going to be enough. Yay for seeing just how nuts I can drive myself!

-- Tomorrow night I engage in my Halloween tradition ... getting drunk and watching Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments in a dark apartment. Of course, if I get my teeth pulled tomorrow, replace "getting drunk" with "being on bunches and bunches of painkillers."

-- I have to work tonight so I'm missing Supernatural. I still haven't see Pushing Daisies or Gossip Girl. I think I've been culling my TV-watching list down to the bare essentials and I didn't even notice. Heh.

Oh, for fuck's sake. If I wanted to be "entertained" by a dick-waving contest between two hot guys, I think I already have that porno on my computer. And at least the guys in the porno won't talk.

I know I say this a lot about, well, pretty much every fandom I'm in, but those two boys could save themselves a lot of frustration if they just cracked and made out already.

Dear Bella Swan,

Repeat after me. Mom and Dad. MOM and DAD. Mom and Dad.

Good. Now try saying them all the time like a normal person.

Sincerely,

Me

(Well, hell, time to make a new tag, I guess.)

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-- SNOW. UGH. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be sticking very well right now (*knocks on wood*) but I really wish whoever's in charge of the weather up there would do me the small favor of saving it for my days off. *makes faces*

-- I got my kitty hat! Is it weird that I'm wearing it right now? No? Excellent.

-- Heee. The Twilight reading saga continues, as Jess spent our entire shift last night asking me if I was done with New Moon yet. Heh. Nope, not so much, although I have moved on from wanting to hit Bella with a shovel to wanting to run her over with a steamroller. I'm at the part where Charlie's telling Alice how Bella behaved during those stupid blank pages. Aw, gee whiz, Charlie, that sounds terrible. It's a shame nobody bothered to WRITE THAT. *headdesk*

Also, somebody else at work I don't know spotted me reading it and said, "Oh, New Moon! How do you like it so far?" At which point I had to give a polite version of that wanting-to-hit-Bella-with-a-shovel thing.

-- I took overtime for Saturday. I wasn't going to take any overtime for November but ... well, I need the money. On the plus side, the boss on the other shift's a bit more lenient about me working on my writing while I work, and I still have the rest of Saturday to get a good head start on my word count for Nearly Departed. And hey, who knows? Maybe it'll get cancelled on me. *shrugs*

In other work-related news, I'm still not sure I want to switch shifts for the other job. All of my friends are on this shift, and while I liked the job in question well enough, I'm not sure I like it enough to not see any of my friends for a while, you know? And let's not even get into the fact that it's not so much that I don't want to do the job I'm doing right now anymore, it's that I don't want to work at the place I'm working at anymore. Sheesh. If I could afford to drop this job and ... I don't know, get a job at the new Subway in town, I totally would.

-- I have yet to get my hands on last night's Gossip Girl. *sigh*

-- Have gotten The Orphanage from Netflix. I was going to try to watch it today and get it out of the way so I could definitely have Audition for Halloween, but I think what I really need to do today is read smut and watch a Merlin episode or two. Especially considering I got maybe four hours of sleep and a scary movie is just not ON right now.

-- Someone come to my house and make me cheesecake? Pretty please? *pouts*

So a little deeper into what I'm writing for NaNo.

( Nearly Departed )

So, yeah. I bought Twilight and New Moon and passed Twilight onto Jess when I was done with it. She's already heard me rant about them, so she knows what to expect.

She just texted me to ask if I have the second book. And when I told her I do but I don't have the last two, she said she'd buy them.

Heh. Well, I won't have to worry about getting them this way.

Jacob's Gossip Girl TWoP recap this week is 32 pages long?!

It should not take longer to read the recap than it would for me to just watch the episode. Sheesh.

*

So my washing machine appears to be busted, which is great because it goes with my dryer which has also been busted for quite some time. Granted, I could live without my dryer because I have one of those racks to hang wet clothes on, so it wasn't a big deal, but now that I have to call the landlord for the washing machine I guess I can hit him up for the dryer while I'm at it.

(I swear, I'm such a doormat. If it's not inconveniencing me, I'm not about to put anybody else out, you know?)

In any event, I have to finish cleaning my apartment before I can bother calling. Le sigh.

*

I'm going to talk about NaNo and other writing stuff later, and possibly get up the nerve to dump the first three chapters of The Hollow Girl into the agent-shaped person's lap and make a run for it. (Hell, I've got ten thousand words done. Seems only fair, really.)

Also, I was thinking of starting a NaNo comm with, like, a dailly "taking a break" post or something. You know, like a link to a different game and writer's resource and a recipe and a funny YouTube vid or whatever every day, just to lighten the stress. I don't know ... I think the last thing I need in November is one more thing to do every day, but I'm tempted.