Finished!

Hooray! Yesterday I reached 50,000 words on the Julnowrimo project! For this project, I worked on a story that I started a few months ago. It's kind of science fiction in that it's set in a time of intergalactic travel and seven galaxies of human civilization. However that's only a loose structure. The main character, Bennett Carsgrove, is named after Elizabeth Bennett, of course and (I hope) that she's just as strong-willed and intelligent as her namesake. Bennett is an architect who travels the seven galaxies creating amazing structures. At one point in the story, she goes to a planet called Transitania; a place largely covered in rainforest. I could say a whole lot more about this story, but even 50,000 + words in, I'm not ready to share more. Maybe if I manage to finish it, I'll share more info later.

4th of July/JULNOWRIMO

Today is the 4th of July! Yay! It's also a Sunday. The Legion and whoever else is in charge of the town celebration stuff has decided to have the parade and everything else today. The parade is at 11:00 so a lot of people will have to choose between going to the parade and going to church. I think this is really weird. Why not celebrate on Saturday? or Monday? The parade isn't super long, but it's a fun thing to see (I usually see a bunch of my kids there each year) so I'll be sad to miss it. I should be able to go to the fireworks, but it will probably feel weird to be having them on a Sunday. Oh well, I guess there's nothing I can really do. You probably have to live here for 30+ years before you have any influence over those kinds of decisions.

I always think about Aunt Kim on this day. I miss her. Slug bug red!

On another note, in my last post I talked about writing again. I did work on that story for a few days but nothing much ever came of it and I kind of quit writing again. Until yesterday, that is. JULNOWRIMO is on and I was already signed up since I did it last year, so I started writing yesterday. JULNOWRIMO is sort of like NANOWRIMO (national novel writing month in November where you write a 50,000 word novel in one month) but a bit more relaxed. You still have to write 50,000 words, but it doesn't have to be a brand new project. You can work on past pieces as well. I'm working on a very-loosely-based-in-science-fiction piece and I have about 2300 words so far. I'm way behind already, but that's okay. I have plenty of time to catch up. And to the three or so people who actually read this blog, no you can't read my writing until it's ready. And it might not ever be-not this piece anyway. We'll see.

Well, that's it for today. Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Writing Again

Yesterday, for the first time in four months, I felt like writing. The story that came into my head is totally silly and completely unlike anything I've written before but that's not the point. I wrote three pages last night. It was nice to just sit down and write again.

Awesome Things About Saturday

In keeping with my last entry, I'm starting with another quote from "high literature." In As You Like It, Shakespeare wrote, "And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything."

I've been trying to be more optimistic these days. Something that I thought was AWESOME about yesterday was that it was the first day that has started to feel like springtime is headed our way. I drove to Rock Springs and did a little shopping and it was beautiful weather the whole time. I know, not something earth-shattering, but oh well.

And while I'm on the subject of yesterday, here's some other awesome things: Bo took 5th in state wrestling, it looks like our high school team took 4th overall, I watched the Americans win gold in the bobsledding, I have almost half of the yearbook pages done, and (maybe the best thing) I watched Guys and Dolls starring the lovely Marlon Brando. :)

"I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal." -J. A.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every true Jane Austen fan will greedily snatch up and read every Austen spin-off or sequel. Lately, I've read three such books. And that's what I feel like writing about today.


The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton was the first one. This is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility. The basic commonalities were there. Three sisters and a mother try to survive life in poverty after the death of Mr. Dashwood. All the while, each sister is trying to 'catch a man.' It was a cute story, filled with British pop culture and slang. However, some of the plot lines seemed blurred when compared with the original. Oh well, nobody can write Austen like Austen! :)

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford was the second book. This author might just be a genius when it comes to marketing strategies. In today's publishing market, a combination of Jane Austen and vampires is a sure hit! Anyway, this book has Jane Austen, now under the name of Jane Fairfax (from Emma), running a book shop in modern day up-state New York and struggling to publish a novel she's been working on for over two hundred years. Imagine Jane Austen not being able to publish a book! Jane was made a vampire by an infamous poet from her day and she's been trying to live a normal life since then. This was a fun book!


The Watsons and Emma Watson are actually two books in one. Jane Austen began writing The Watsons before she died. Her nephew published it, but its only a few chapters long. It tells the story of Emma Watson who's been living with her aunt for 10+ years but is now returning to her father's home because her aunt's new husband doesn't want her around. Emma's father is ailing and she and her sister, Elizabeth, have to take care of him. In Austen's beginning, she sends Emma to an Assembly, where she meets Mr. Howard, the presumed male lead. Not much else happens before Austen's work ends.

In Emma Watson, Joan Aiken takes over the story and finishes it. She does a fairly good job with the writing, although its clearly not Austen. I liked the story she created, for the most part, and the new hero, Captain Fremantle, is awesome! My only big objection is the ending. She ends the book when Captain Fremantle arrives in Epsom and doesn't let him speak to Emma. Austen would never approve! Oh! Also, Aiken adds a post script in which she flatly states that Emma and Captain Fremantle send their children to be raised in Elizabeth's home. That doesn't fit whatsoever with Emma's character or Austen's style.

Jane Austen once wrote, "How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!" I suppose it could be argued that the whole Jane Austen market is based on this premise; that people will read these spin-offs and sequels because they're related to Austen, and that's all. Well . . . they're right! We're all predisposed to love these books because, as someone once said, 'a little Jane Austen goes a long way.'

Happily Single Day

I'm trying to update on Sunday mornings so that I remember to do this. Anyway, today is Valentines Day. I've decided, for my own purposes, to call this Happily Single Day. Today I celebrate the fact that I don't have to fight over the remote control, go see movies I know I won't like, pick up dirty underwear, keep to one side of the bed (I tend to move a lot in my sleep), cook big meals, visit in-laws, or constantly put up with one guy. Yeah me!

Facebook/Wrestling

I finally broke down and joined Facebook. Anna convinced me. I'm still quite green at it, but I have a few friends so far. I must admit that I don't know why people get so addicted to it. Maybe they're seeing something that I don't. Oh well.

I went to the high school wrestling meet tonight. We won-yeah! All of my boys kicked butt! I didn't get to see JT wrestle 'cuz he had a forfeit, but otherwise it was fun. It's pretty sad, though, that high school sports are my most exciting night life option. Ho, hum, life in the old west!

Once a slacker, always a slacker...

I have determined that this blog is just one more thing that I don't have time for. However, since I know that at least one person bothers to look at this thing, I'm going to try to be better at updating it. I have loads of stuff I could write about, but when I sit down to write it, I find I have no words. Pretty sad, considering I'm an English teacher and a writer.





Chelsea, it looks like I forgot to put the ketchup M&M's picture up after all so I'm adding it here for you now. Enjoy!

So I guess that's all for today. Unless I think of something brilliant during church, in which case I'll return. Happy Sunday!