Best of Seth, Volume Three

When Seth came to visit me in DC, he came to the office one day so I could give him a tour of the Capitol.

And he took of his shoes to go through security in my building, which I would have paid to see.

Best of Messages (and Responses)

Grant starts to chat with me a bit this evening, while I am still working, and tells me that he “got my message” and cleaned the bath. The message: one morning, I was taking my bath and noticed how grimy it was getting (gross, I know), so I used my fingernail to scratch the words “CLEAN ME” to remind me to clean it. Only I’ve been taking baths just in the morning when I don’t have time to clean it, so THAT’S WHY I HAVE THE BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

Best of 2009

Man, this year just kicked my ego in the pants. (See all the posts about wanting a job but not being able to find one.) It was hard, and then it was worth it, and then it was hard again, and then it was worth it, and so on. I came out on top in the end, but listen up twenty-ten - I'd really like a year of coasting and enjoying rather than growing and fretting. Ahem.

What I did in 2009:
January - Attended (kind of) the inauguration of a new President (!!!!!!), packed up and moved an office, and started driving to Louisiana every other weekend.
February - Packed up my house and put it in a pod, took many trips to LA, and gave up drinking. Permanently.
March - Moved to DC (FINALLY!), and turned 28. Twenty-freaking-eight, people.
April - Grant arrived in DC!!!
May - Baked, read, and looked for a job.
June - Baked, read, and looked for a job. Got depressed about not finding a job.
July - Baked, read, and looked for a job. Gave up on finding a job. Found a job!
August - Tried to find footing in my new job, thankfully during recess, and watched two of my best friends tie the knot.
September - Grant turned 32.
October - Lost someone dear to me and worried about the health of my relatives.
November - Wrote a first draft of my novel, officially dated Grant for over 2 years, and celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time in DC (another first: cooked the entire meal myself).
December - Went back to Oklahoma, and celebrated Christmas for the first time in DC.

My resolutions for 2010 - edit my novel, exercise more (with my new Nike+ system), keep in touch with my friends, tackle more recipes that intimidate me, and make an important relationship official (hoping you can read between the lines on that one). Is it cliche to resolve to update my blog more regularly? Eh, I'll try to just post when I have important news to tell you. Or when I can make it funny. You know, the usual, but a tad more frequently.

Much, much, much love in the last few minutes of the aughties, and even more for the upcoming teens*!

(*Is that what we're calling it yet?)

Best of Writing

At the end of last month, probably around the time I started blogging again, Brigette asked me if I wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, with her. I foolishly agreed. I thought, "How hard can this be?" She told me I would need to write 1,600 words every day for the entire month of November, and I had wanted to participate in earlier years, but the month was always November, and November always meant an election. But not this year! Which is why I said yes.

After I sat on my bed to write on the second day, I wanted to give up. I told Grant I was going to quit, but I needed to figure out something to tell Brigette about why I couldn't do it. He talked me back into it, even after I told him how horrible the plot was (because it was non-existent) and how much I hated my characters because they were lacking in dimensions. He was right. If I wanted to write, I had to write.

That's what I've done this whole month. I sit on my bed, with my laptop on my lap, resting on Grant's pillow so I don't get too hot. Henry sits right beside me, ready to assist or nap, whichever is needed. I put in my headphones and play my writing music. (Thanks to the Avett Brothers, Radiohead, Patty Griffin, HEM, the Once soundtrack, my Christmas playlist, and, coming on stage for the first time tonight to see me hit 50K, the always loved Wilco. California Stars, indeed.)

There are parts of my book I still hate. I played around with perspective and voice at the beginning, and I haven't gone back to fix anything. I followed the suggested NaNoWriMo rules. Don't get more than a few days behind. Keep your inner editor and inner perfectionist locked up all month. No editing until December. Write, write, write, write, write x 10,000.

And I finished. I won. I have a first draft of a novel that's not quite complete, but it's more than I really thought I could do. I will finish the book, and I will edit it, and you might get to read it. Published, or not, I'm a novelist. I'm an author.

Best of Updates

Recently, a blogger I like to read, Katie, asked me if I would do a guest post while she traveled to New York City. I agreed, and she suggested I write about a trip (been there) or about my move to DC. She's in NYC now (Hi Katie, hope you're having a wonderful time!), and my post will go live tomorrow.

I wrote about just how not smoothly my move has been, but how just flat out good for me it is that I live here now. I read the entry to Grant last night out loud before we went to bed, and he encouraged me to start writing again. A good idea, right? Plus, I figured I needed a new entry here, and I hadn't realized how long it had been since I'd written. JULY EIGHTH?? And writing about my too-long job search?

Here's an update (and not in any particular order):
1) I have a job, and I love it! Ultimately, I'm glad I didn't get the other jobs for which I interviewed, but I sure wish I could go back and tell the girl who wrote that entry to hang on for just two more weeks.
2) I have been reading (as much as I can), and I just finished Dracula. One day before my deadline, I finished Infinite Jest. That book, the characters, and the author will stay with me for a long time. I'm a better person having read it, but I wish it had found me just one year earlier. David Foster Wallace wrote so aptly (and unfortunately) about depression and addiction. Biggest lesson I took from the book was from Don Gately: no single moment of life is unendurable. Holding on to that as tight as I can for the next time I need it.
3) I workout when I can and don't beat myself up for when I can't.
4) I'm very very very happily happily happily in love.
5) I'm glad I moved here, but I miss my loved ones in Oklahoma. I wish I were there this week to grieve with them over the loss of a good man.

Best of Goals

I'm sure you're tired of hearing about this, because I'm tired of writing about it (and tired of LIVING IT), but Court is still jobless. That means GOAL NUMBER ONE IS...

Find a way to make a living. I'm trying to concentrate on doing whatever I can that is within my control - namely, meeting with anyone who will talk to me here and applying for everything I am remotely qualified (or overqualified). And then trying to not freak out about what's NOT in my control - like someone actually hiring me.

GOAL NUMBER TWO: READ. This one is lots easier, except I can't really afford to buy new books. But. That's okay! I'm participating in Infinite Summer by reading David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest by the end of summer. That is taking a chunk of my time, but I am ahead of schedule. Also, I'm rereading all the Harry Potter books before the release of the sixth movie on July 15. Considering I started last week, and I'm on number 5, we're all good to complete this goal. This has the added bonus of me framing everything going on around me in wizard terms. (Like sometimes when I think about unemployment too much, I know the dementors are around. If only I had a patronus!) Lastly, thank goodness I have a Kindle. I can save up to $20 on new books coming out that I absolutely have to read RIGHT NOW.

GOAL NUMBER THREE: Workout. I KNOW I will feel better if I get some exercise, but I'm still tempted to not. Because I don't want to. I was hoping this would change, but it only changes after continuously exercising and REALLY KNOWING that it makes me happier and healthier, and I can spare 30 minutes or an hour out of my busy (see above) day. I'm on day 7 (in-a-row) of the 30-day shred, and I am actually seeing changes in my body. Added bonus: I can do a REAL push-up. Not that many of them, but still. This is progress. KEEP ME ACCOUNTABLE! That means you should ask me in 23 days if I kept up my end of the bargain. (Great deal for you, right, because you don't have to exercise - just make sure I do!)

Best of Drama

My ten-year high school reunion is this month. Up front, I'm not going. If I were still in Oklahoma, I'd probably make an appearance, but I'm not shelling out for a plane ticket now that I'm in DC. This is a good thing, actually, because I thought it was last weekend -- you know, since the organizer announced that on the reunion facebook page -- but it turns out it is June 27th. Anyone in Oklahoma is welcome to crash it at Eischen's that evening. MMMMmmmm, fried chicken.

Not only has there been the date mix-up (and the KHS alumni facebook pages have been lit up over that), which is a big deal for those of us who do not (THANK GOD) live in our hometown, but the only activity being held is at a bar. It is a very cool bar, yes, but it isn't actually in KINGFISHER, as one commenter on the group page points out. There's a bit of drama. Check it out below.

I'm a big fan of social media (obviously), but FB is the only tool that has been utilized for reunion organization purposes. Not everyone has a profile there (a la Grant Thompson), and there are only 38 members of the reunion group -- when we had 100 in our graduating class. Basically, it is a huge snafu.

To recap:
Date & time confusion
Not held in our hometown
Exclusive to FB members
People all worked up BEFORE going to a bar and seeing classmates for the first time in 10 years

As I said, I'm not going - but a girl can blog, right? We yellowjackets sure know how to plan a good event, full of drama. Just like high school.