I went into a write-in tonight (at this point, yesterday evening), and got some awesome writing done! I came home raring to go, and my hubby <3 was still awake. So I sat with him for a few minutes, then when he went to bed I remembered that the reason I came home instead of going to see a movie was because I had two new NetFlix selections on top of our entertainment center. Which I need to clean.

Badly.

So I watched the second half of the mini-series, Andromeda Strain (which is of course is on TV today/yesterday - it flipping figures). And then, so I could write, I put in a background movie of Starship Troopers, also because the second NetFlix selection I have is Starship Troopers 2.

Have I gotten any writing done? NO!

My DWC (daily word count) when I started November was 3334. Now I’m getting almost 5000 DWC every couple of days, but can I catch up so I’ll only have a measely 3334 per day? NO!

To catch up by the 21st, I would need to write more than 6000 words per day. I seriously hope I can do it, but I need help.

Oh, I see the horrible awesomness of Word Press. It counts the words in my post for me. As of right NOW: 248 words and counting.

That’s 250+ words I could have just added to my novel.

*pulls hair*

Whether you voted for “the right guy”, “the other guy”, or Ralph Nader, your voice was heard. I can’t wait to see what the turnout percentage was, and I hope it blasts away previous years - or at least four years ago. :)

Chapter One

National Novel Writing Month

I am not cut out to take on a project large enough to require more than just me to complete it.

Besides that, I’m rotten at estimating timelines, apparently. At least I’m not the only one, though, so I’m trying not to take it too personally.

Six days until I said my project would be done. At this point, I don’t even care if I get paid. I just want it handed over to the clients so I can take a deep breath.

And never do this ever again.

Not likely after my two late-night sodas, one of which was a Mt. Dew, but a girl can dream.

As I was out today with my grandma, I saw something wonderful - a positive prediction I heard on the radio on the last day of September. Someone said that with the economic crisis here in the states, the foreign contries that control the oil we guzzle so liberally would actually lower their prices to keep us addicted. And sure enough, prices have dove from about $3.50 to the low, low price of $3.09 I saw at a gas station that happens to be on my way to work. I had just filled up at $3.15.

I’m glad I’m able to purchase gas at a marginally more reasonable price. I hope the lowering prices doesn’t put out the fire beneath the scientist’s ass that’s going to invent the newest, best, clean mode of transportaion.

I also got the opportunity to discuss my opinion about Ms. Palin and her chances in the White House - that there are more people who would be more upset about a woman - any woman - in a position of power in the white house than an African-American man. The lady behind the counter that I was talking with said she’d never thought of that. Really, though, how could you not?

Oh, and I stole my grandmother’s good fortune today. Her left hand was itching, and whenever that happens, she says good fortune comes her way. Well, I got it instead. I had been told on Friday about something that was to happen on Tuesday that I should have spent most of today working on - and I forgot about it until this afternoon. About a half-hour before I remembered, I was sent an e-mail that the Tuesday thing was canceled. Thank goodness! It was good fortune all around, for the people having the thing as well as I.

Well, my busy day is now over. I’m wired, and not at all ready for sleep, but I’d better try. Tomorrow is a regular day at work. Friday is an early day, both in and out. My mom is back from the hospital (it turns out it wasn’t serious), and there are still 17 days until the end of the month, and the date at which all major projects of mine must be completed.

The Manipulator -cool photos of celebrities, et al. I haven’t quite sorted out why Jill Greenbert is called “The Manipulator”, but I’m working on it as I type.

Missouri Skies -Gorgeous photos of one of my favorite states. Maybe it’s only one of my favorites because I lived there. At any rate, these are gorgeous photos that thrill my love for clouds.

(The sunshiney ones with puffy clouds are my favorites.)

The Adaption to My Generation -Eight years of pic a day taking? Wow. Dedication much?

David posts about what we could do with $700 billion. This definately puts it in perspective for me.

CHaze77 agrees with me that both sides are f’ing up. I really appreciate it when someone in a particular party can admit that their party is also partially at fault for something. Mud-slinging just because they’re on the other team drives me crazy.

Tom gives us ten (okay, 11) reasons why he doesn’t like the bailout. This gives me support points for the arguments I’m sure to get in soon, because I didn’t particularly like the bailout idea either, but I certainly didn’t have any concrete reasons why.

Sean, also of the Bloodhound Blog, talks about Wachovia’s failure yesterday, and points a little blame towards the mortgage industry. Thank goodness!

Simple Mom is simply giving me hope that I can still get my finances in order, while everything is seemingly falling down around my ears. (I don’t actually believe that - I’m of the “it’ll all be alright in the end” variety.)

I’m going to start posting my favorite Reads here, I think. I’m actually not as depressed or frightened or pessimistic as I think a lot of others are right now with how things are going. I actually want to link to a podcast of a radio show I listen to in the morning that gave me a lot of hope, but I’ll do that a bit later on.

And then I’ll throw it all out on November 7th or so. :)

FEAR

I don’t watch the news. I don’t read the newspaper. Right now I’m getting my information from the web and my mother (willingly and unwillingly, respectively).

I don’t watch the news because I know it will only depress me and make me very, very afraid of a situation that I can’t do a whole lot about. The market will crash whether I watch the news or read the paper or ignore it all. But in the meantime, I won’t be stressing.

Sure, I won’t be preparing, either. How should I prepare? Do I pull everything out (I think this is generally agreed to be a bad idea), do I add more in (also doesn’t seem like a real good plan if I’m about to lose everything), or do I rearrange the funds that are already in and hope for the best (I’m really not equipped for that)?

At any rate…

LOATHING

I loathe how the elections can make people so mean to each other. We’re calling each other liars, incompetants, pigs, and it’s mean. Is it naive to think that we should all play nice? Probably, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting it.

The closer we get to November, the more I look forward to National Novel Writing Month. (Ha! Thought I was going to say something else, didn’t you?) And the less I look forward to the damn election. The closer we get, the meaner people get, and in my life, the louder the insults and “proclomations of faith” get.

And I really do look forward to NaNoWriMo…I focus on that and forget that on November 2nd, my mother will kick my ass out of the house and not let it back in until I have an “I Voted!” sticker on my shirt.

At any rate, that’s my life right now. Nervous anxiety and disappointment in humanity.

Can’t we all just get along?

Thus, Nicki was overwhelmed. (And no, I don’t usually talk about myself in the third person - I’ll stop now.)

But I did live through it, and I don’t even think that there were any major hiccups. Sure, I may not have gotten everything completed, but I did manage to A) pay all the bills, B) get everyone paid, and C) not completely lose my mind.

Mission accomplished.