Saturday, August 15, 2009

New Additions!

So, obviously this library job has kept me So busy, but I absolutely love it!
I shelve books, put books in order, make and distribute library cards and lots of other Sweet things that leave me surrounded by books all day! I love it! Did I say that already?? One more time! I Love it! My co-workers and bosses are fantastic and it truly is my dream job!

Among other things, I've finished summer semester classes, maintaining my 'fabulous' GPA :) And I'll be starting my second to last round of classes this fall, which is really the week after this coming one, and which will include more English and math classes and a Spanish class! Hopefully this time the language will stick with me, as French and Sign Language did not.

For the big announcements:

Lily starts second grade the day before I start school and Lochlan will be starting kindergarten the following week!! :) He's so excited! Lily's learned to ride her bike without training wheels and is now insisting on teaching Lochlan to do the same! So Cute! I remember learning to ride my first bike training wheel free - who'd a thought I'd ever teach a little person to do it!

In addition to our rat, Thasos, whom I love and who was named after a philosopher - roughly - we also have a little kitten, Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes) who joined us about a month ago - someone was dishing out kittens at the drum circle, and how could anyone say no to that face! :) And as of yesterday we've acquired a dog as well!! I love him! He's the exact kind I've been wanting for years! A little gray terrier with such a mellow, sweet, fun personality! His story is Awesome too! He was a stray who happened to wander into the library whilst I was working and again, who could say no! :) I've named him Hugo (Victor Hugo) ! One of my favorite authors.

What a summer! Hope yours has been as enjoyable!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Moi, un Bibliothécaire ?

So the absolute has finally happened! The Thing I've been working towards Forever! The Biggest news to hit my little miniscule-in-the-greater-scheme-of-things life has occurred! Are you ready for this???

I got the Job at the Library!!!!!!

I'm a Librarian!!

Or rather, officially a shelving-aid...I'm not sure what it takes to get to be titled 'Librarian', but I'm gonna find out really soon, lemme tell ya!

So no. I don't work at the Main Library, which I'm fine with, really, cuz the library I'm starting out at is much smaller and gorgeous and old fashioned and everything a library should be! Though I love the main library too. I'm working at a branch library that's about 5 minutes from where I live, so it's Perfect! And my official first day is Tuesday!!! YAY!!! I have a job! At a library! With Books! That would be a job With Books!! Seriously! Can life get any better????

School's almost over, another semester well done and wonderful which means I'll get to pick new classes soon, which I'm very excited about. I finished Chapter 7 of my novel last night!! YaY! And I have a job! At a library. With Books.

Okay, I'll stop now with that... if you want more specifics on which library it is exactly, contact me and I'll let you know. I don't like posting specs on here...never know who reads them blah blah blah.

So for those of you who don't know, this is pretty much one of my dream jobs. I have a list of three, maybe four, Dream Jobs: Librarian, bookstore clerk, working in a music box shop in Scotland, little hole in the wall place...uhuh... and Author/Journalist/anything to do with writing.

YaY! That's 3 of my four jobs I've actually been able to do now! So I'm not officially an "Author"...like as in had a book offiically published, but that'll come soon enough. Okay, so as I was saying, the backstory leading up to this job.

When I was 11 my dad took us to Maine for the first time, to a little tiny island which I immediately fell in love with, probably one of the most magical places on earth...and there's this building there, small and quaint, dance studio upstairs, concert hall on the main floor - if you can call it that - and a library on the main level, probably the smallest library ever. I can still remember how it smells...books mixed with sea salt from the ocean...doesn't get better than that! Does it? So my first time in that place I decided to myself, "I'm going to work here. I could be totally happy working in a library." And there it is! The dream I've had since I was 11 is now my real life!! :) Ooh! I'm getting chills all over! But that could just be my coconut rose smoothie making me freezing :)

Anyway, All is well in my world and I hope all is well in yours also.
I get to shelve books!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Festival of Colors, Slams, and Fun!

This past weekend was Awesome!

For the first time ever I went to the Festival of Colors at the Spanish Fork Hare Krishna Temple! It was Amazing!! I went with a couple of my friends and...okay, for those of you who aren't familiar with the festival: there was dancing and we fed the llamas and at 5:20 there was the bonfire and the throwing of the Color! Which is bags of food coloring-ed flour and/or cornstarch. There were roughly (supposedly) 15,000 people there and me and my two friends went somewhere in the middle of all of them - shoulder to shoulder crowd - and they threw their colors at everybody (we got there early but still didn't purchase color) so we got covered in color - and shmearing it works best :) After the color throwing, we danced for like an hour and had tons of fun and then went home. Only we didn't go home...

After the big festival event there was a big poetry slam at Baxter's Cafe. It was the biggest poetry slam of the year here pretty much. It determined the slam team who will go on to compete in nationals. A big group of my friends won and will be going on to compete in Tampa in August. It was all very exciting.

Other exciting things: I'm officially a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor's Society! My kids are older - I keep saying that, I just don't believe it... Oh! And it's April Fools Day today!! I might just get off with no pranks on me this year! Teresa, I still love the April Fools dinner you served those years back. Jello juice, potato meatloaf cupcakes, So Yummy!

Anyway, I think I should actually pay attention in my Philosophy class now cuz he's discussing projects that I guess we're supposed to do...

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Birthdays! Birthdays! Birthdays!

I'm going to stop feeling guilty for not blogging so often. Mainly because:

I've been getting serious work done on my novel! And Erik, I've been thinking about what you told me...something along the lines of how journaling, though important, doesn't get me farther along in my novel. I think as often as I once wrote in my journal is now as often as I work on my book, which is progressing in the most satisfying of ways.

We celebrated Lochlan's birthday last week! He's 5 !!! Amazing! It was So much fun! There was this one toy he'd been asking me almost daily for since Christmas. He had a picture of it which he'd carry all around the house and hung on to and occasionally he'd point to it and say, "Mommy, I really want that one!" :) I was super excited to be able to actually find him that exact toy and he was perfectly surprised! We had a small family party and good cake and it was So fun! Lily's birthday is in two Tuesdays, we can't wait! :)

And that wasn't the only thing I celebrated last week!! Congrats to my bestest Boston friend Emily (not to be confused with the author Emily :) She had her birthday the day before Lochlan (I tried to have him on the same day, he just decided the day after was better...) Anyway, she invited me to this awesome birthday dinner party with her brother and his wife and their new baby who I got to meet for the first time and lots of other people, including her boyfriend... who decided the party was a perfect time to Propose to Emily!!! So long story shorter, Emily's now engaged!! WoW!! And I'm so super happy for her! She's been dating him forever, so it was a long time coming. I was able to go with her to attempt to pick out a wedding dress - they were so pretty! And she's so beautiful! They'll be having the wedding in MA in May it looks like - good good good excuse for me to fly back there again!! YaY!

Oh yeah, and one more thing!! I just had my second interview with this library that I really really really want to work at!! Talk about my Dream Job!!! Seriously! I'll let you know when I get it, I find out the end of this week! There are three branch libraries hiring up here, so if I don't get this one, they'll send me over to the other one for another interview. But I think I'll get it...I hope I hope I hope! :) Wish me luck, anyway!

So, back to work on my novel! Spring break is next week!! - No School! Exciting! (Though my kids, I'm pretty sure still have school...)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

A few more words, A little closer!

So I didn't keep constant vigil over my blog at the Life the Universe and Everything conference (held at BYU) as I said I might. I was very busy surrounding myself with some of my favorite brilliant minds in literature, i.e. Tracy Hickman, Eric Swedin, Jessica Day George, James Dashner, Julie Wright, Brandon Sanderson, and so many more it would be impossible to list them all. It was so inspiring and exciting and Awesome!!

The panels I was on went very well, I thought, though I felt like I had to constantly remind myself of why I qualify to be a panelist. No, I haven't published a book - yet - but when it comes down to it, that's not truly what being a writer is about (though admittedly I have mixed feelings about this) Being a writer means seeing the world differently, hearing that voice describe the people and things happening around you as they're happening, making mental notes of things that would make great stories, being observant, albeit almost intrusive, on life. As Anna, and others, know, being an artist of any kind is very much like this.

And of course, the true benefit of any writer's conference, I have made significant progress already on my novel in the time that I was there! I worked on it periodically throughout the conference, and a lot last night after I got home. I finally wrote a new scene! I haven't written a new scene in far too long...I'm at the revising while writing stage, which is more difficult - and writers have their own takes on that process, but so far whatever it is I'm doing with it seems to be working very well. I'm excited about it, and when it comes down to it, isn't that what really counts?

Anyway, I'm really anxious to pick up where I left off with it last night. Just one thing, for those of you who attended the conference, it was awesome seeing you there and I'm interested in hearing your experience of it, so, as I say too often, leave a comment :) I look forward to the other upcoming conferences and seeing all of you there as well.

Until then, Write On!! :)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

okay, so maybe for reals this time...

My last post said I was back, back from a non-vacation...?
but really, being busy is my only excuse for the neglect of my blog...yet there are people far busier than I who still manage to keep up at least a little bit with theirs.

So what have I been doing...? Maybe I've been avoiding my blog because I've been avoiding Truth.
The truth about my life over the past year, the truth about what I've really been doing... (mwahaha :) In any case, what I haven't been doing - posting anything on here...again...is this just repeating my last blog? I don't even know...

But in any case, lets do a recap, and then I'll cling to my blog from here on and do regular updates like I used to just so as not to have to ever do another recap... and maybe most of you already know all this, so this will be very boring for you.

For reasons unstated, I've been a "single mom" for almost exactly a year now.
I'm still in school, with less than a year to go on my Associates of Science with an Emphasis on English (whatever that means)
I've put in my two weeks notice at wherever it is currently that I'm working, and so looking again for another job...there's a journey.
I'm writing for the SLCC newspaper - The Globe - under the alias of Tess Samuel
(my other writing name)
I'm deeply entrenched in the poetry society of Salt Lake (Salt City Indie Arts) - who all know me as Tess Samuel as well
I'm still writing my novel, more seriously than ever before
I'm still insistent on being a rock climber and I can't wait for good weather when I can climb and bike again

And, perhaps, an announcement...or something...

Almost exactly one year ago I attended LTUE, a conference at BYU, pretty much through which my start as an 'author' really 'began'...or maybe just began to seem real.

I met so many incredible authors and people there, most of whom are local, and a year ago, when I was there, I told myself - I belong up there, on the panels, with the speakers, someday I'll be one of them. Next year I'll be one of them. That was my resolve. So this year, it has actually happened. Yes, I will be a panelist at LTUE, with the great ones, Jessica Day George, James Dashner, Mette Harrison...

And I couldn't feel more inadequate...
Less qualified...

I've gone through all the emotions, absolute excitement - raving to everyone about it, extreme panic - what if I end up not saying anything? What if I have nothing to add? I'm not officially published yet! Countered and recountered with - but I am and I can and I will and it'll be amazing and great and fun and as with every conference I attend I'll be sad when it's over...as I know I've said before... and Denial, that the conference will ever actually start, that it's just taking so long to happen that it just won't...or something... but it will and it is and it's Tomorrow!!! WoW!

And after really doing some research and thinking and planning, today for the first time in days I'm truly excited about it again, jumping out of my skin excited and can't wait for it to happen!!

Hopefully I'll be updating my blog throughout the conference, mentioning breif happenings, or realizations, or whatever comes to mind - like usual.

Also almost exactly a year ago I conceived the idea for my current novel. And I've been working at it (albeit slowly) ever since. And in the process I have learned much and have enjoyed it greatly! and have hated parts of it, too, and wish I were done with it already and all the thinking that comes with writing a novel ...I'm in the middle - hmm, maybe it's time to scrap all of it and if I just start over, then it will be really great! yeah, all that.

But anyway, I've written a whole lot of poetry too, and have really been studying that and have found many friends with doing so. For more info or to see any of my poems, visit:
http://thegirlintheglasswrites.blogspot.com/
But that's almost as often updated as this one...something I will also work on upcoming.

Anyway...that's all folks! Till later this weekend, or earlier tomorrow, or something...

By the way, somebody please leave a comment, just so I know Anybody is still reading this at all...I feel like I'm talking to myself on here and it's really awkward... maybe you can tell that also... :)

Monday, January 12, 2009

I'm Baaaaack !!!

The tricky thing about that title is, I was never really away...
Was December as busy for you as it was for me?? Holy Ba-G-Cow!
In a 'nutshell' (though we'll see how this goes) in the middle of November: I was laid off from my job, school ended and right away I was able to miraculously find two jobs to replace both of those. At the same time I was fortunate to have the loving family I have who bought me a car! (all of which I think I've previously announced)

So December was filled with: me working those two jobs - which turned out to be approximately ten hours nearly every day! 5 at one job, 5 at the other, or a double at one, etc. - me preparing for Christmas - me missing my two kids who spent most of their Christmas vacation with their dad - me waiting (and waiting and waiting) for school to start again - me handling other ridiculous events in my life (most of you know what I'm talking about) - me still finding time to rock climb, be a cafe junky, attend poetry readings, host parties at my place, start 4 new books, sign up for new school classes... and then some...

What I didn't do: sleep...eat...maintain sanity...post blogs...write my novel... (though I spent a lot of time planning and plotting in my head)

Craziness!!

And now: it's January! So I quit my second job, today is my first day of school!!!!!!!! -- YIIPPPEEE!! Can I just say Again how excited I am!!! YaY! (I'm actually in my Phil. in Lit class right now!) (blogging on my first day, nice, huh?) and yet still able to hold meaningful conversations with the professor! ooh yeah! -- my kids are back home and in school again, and I'm settling into my life, again, after even more hecticness...

So, other classes include: Math - again, same teacher, so I already know I've got it nailed! - Astronomy, and Rock Climbing... my current drama as I may have to actually drop that one in which case rethink my whole semester...life...self...I don't know if I can handle that... It's a long story, but apparently I thought I needed that credit and now I think technically I don't... egh.
If I don't take rock climbing it would open up time and room for any other class which is required and money would be better spent that way... nnnnnoooooo! (we'll see what happens dundundun)

Uhoh. I just realized I have a doctor's appointment and have to leave in about 20 minutes...
(This class doesn't end for another 40 minutes...) so yeah, I'll be leaving class early on my first day...great, huh?

Alright, well that's enough for now. We'll see how January goes. But you can expect more entries for sure, since I'll be online everyday now and in class everyday : )
Hope your holidays were enjoyable! Be sure to leave a post and let me know what You did in December!! (maybe the craziest thing, or what you did for New Years, etc.)

I learned I'm a Narcisist...by nature.