there was a young woman from boobville ...

So I did my tax return last week and it was about $1500, which is on the upper end of what I normally get, which made me happy. But then I got the paperwork for my college tuition the other day, which somehow slipped my mind. (Probably because thanks to my online health class, I'm now apparently on an exercise program I didn't ask for. Not that I didn't expect to work out, since it's kind of why I signed up for the class in the first place since I've gained some weight from working at home, but my teacher's got some annoying rules about where we're supposed to run that requires going outside. Which, as someone who owns a treadmill, means I keep putting off exercising. So, you know, that's a big help. :| )

Anyway, I looked into adding it into the tax info I've already filed, and it means I now get something like $1700 more back.

Uh ... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

Granted, I have to file an amended tax return seeing as how the first one was already accepted, and I have to wait until I get the first refund (which if I'm profoundly lucky will be this Friday) before sending it in, so I will probably not see the rest of it until March.

MORE MONEY. DON'T CARE. LA LA LA.

Oh, and working from home finally came in handy. La la la, writing off everything from rent to garbage tags, la la la.

Speaking of working from home, I *finally* reached quota this week! I think I figured out that I was too fixated on getting hours in, when what I really should be fixating on is my numbers. So instead of watching the clock last week, I basically sat down and worked until I reached 50 claims. Then I could take a little break, and then come back and do it all over again. And it works! I just put on QI episodes on YouTube or TV shows I haven't watched before on Netflix and the time flies by. :)

But, yeah. My refund's big enough that I can pay off my bills and still splurge on myself, so I'm getting two things I've been wanting for a while -- a new tattoo, and a pet snake. I'm actually thinking about getting two new tattoos, because one of the tats I want is "write something" in my own handwriting on the inside of my right wrist and that's not going to put much of a dent in my refund at all. I think this is my chance to finally get "this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper, which I will probably get on my back near my right shoulder.

Also ... yes, a snake. Because there will be a rat, a tarantula, and a snake, and now no one will ever come over my house again. MWAHAHAHAHA!

I've been wanting a ball python for the longest time, so if anyone's got any advice I'm all ears. I haven't had reptiles since I was a teenager and I've never had a snake, so I'll take all the advice I can get. God knows it came in handy with the tarantula. :) (Who is somehow still alive, to my tremendous surprise. Not because I'm a bad pet owner or anything, but ... c'mon, it's my first pet spider. Even though I know better, I'm still surprised I've had it over two years by now.)

I have two flash fiction pieces due for my fiction class this weekend, and I've been starting and not finishing stuff since last weekend. But I finished one! So, you know, yaaaaaaaaay.

*

( It's not titled yet, or edited. But guess what it is? FINISHED. \o/ )

Okay, I think I have reached the point of regularly checking the Lizzie Bennet Diaries tag on Tumblr where I'm equally as annoyed as I am at the hardcore Lyckham shippers as I am completely skeeved by almost every little thing Wickham does or says.

Seriously, there was someone on there yesterday going, "He said she was wonderful and she shouldn't listen to anyone who tells her otherwise! Would someone who's being manipulative say that?!" Uh, YES. That's how manipulation works. You say something nice now because you just said something utterly dickish and the person you're manipulating stops thinking, "Uh ..." and switches to swooning. Someone who's being emotionally manipulative isn't a total jackass 24/7, or else his attempt to manipulate you wouldn't work because you would run the fuck AWAY.

And don't even get me started on the "You just hate him because you hate book!Wickham!" shit going around. I literally had to sit down yesterday and post a list on Tumblr of every creepy, manipulative, lying thing George has done in the videos to show that no, actually, contrary to Wes Aderhold's very pretty face, LBD!George has done some appalling things in-canon. And we don't even know yet what he did to Gigi, whom -- I can only imagine -- the Lyckham fan will probably claim is lying when she finally reveals what he did. (Which I say as I suspect she's going to do so in tomorrow's video. The preview kinda looks that way.)

Ugh. I'm at the point where I want whatever big bad thing is going to happen TO happen because I'm really fucking curious to see how the Lyckham fans will explain it away.

I am just really, REALLY stressed out right now.

I wish I could just quit my job. It just doesn't pay enough and I can't afford to keep doing this. The job itself is fine, but the paychecks suck. And for all the resumes I've sent out for the past two months, I have gotten one call, unprompted, by one of those places that's an insurance sales scam. The whole situation is so stressful that I am having one of the worst low times regarding my depression that I've had in, like, a year. I've been struggling a LOT, not the least of which is with my writing, so that's part of the reason I haven't been able to send out "Monsters of Moosic" yet. I had to focus on getting close to quota and keeping my job through December, but now that I seem to be okay on that front, I've been pissed that I had to work my ass off to keep a job which is just making me feel awful.

School starts this week, which is making me feel somewhat better, but it's a small 'somewhat'. (Let's not even get into the fact that my online Health class teacher is very much "Let's start an exercise program and fight the obesity epidemic!". My depression-spawned fatigue and increased sleep patterns think your "obesity epidemic" can bite me.)

Oh, and I got a form rejection email from Harper Voyager the other day. Which is okay, really, because I've gotten rejection emails before, but I submitted two manuscripts and it didn't mention which one got rejected or if it's just supposed to be for both, so ... yeah, thanks, Harper. That helped. :|

I've been sitting here for the past twenty minutes trying to keep myself from having a panic attack -- it turns out reading the comments on a gun control article don't help with that; who knew? -- so I'm kind of drained. But I just needed to vent for a moment because if I didn't, I felt like I would fry a synapse or something.

Running away and joining the circus only works if you're Robert Pattinson, right? *sigh*

So it's not in the theaters anymore, the DVD doesn't come out until two days after the awards ceremony, you apparently can't buy it on Amazon Instant Video, and there isn't a DVD screener to be found on the torrent sites.

You're killing me, Joaquin Phoenix, you're goddamn killing me here.

Oh, hey, that's what I've been missing from every other theatrical slave-whipping I've ever seen! A good pop song on the soundtrack!

(Why, yes, I *did* make the face in my icon.)

EDIT: On the other hand, Christoph Waltz is earning the HELL out of his Oscar nomination.

Still, I just sat through a waaaaaaay too long scene mocking the KKK's hoods, so. There was that.

I didn't write about this the last time I watched it because I stopped about a half an hour before it ended, and then for some reason I deleted it, and so I had to download it again so I could finish watching it.

That said, I'm crossing my fingers for Quvenzhane Wallis to win Best Actress. I expect Jennifer Lawrence to win, and I wouldn't be upset if she did because while I haven't yet watched "Silver Linings Playbook" (I'm going to later today) I know from what I've heard that she deserves the recognition. That said, I think there's a decided difference between Jennifer Lawrence (who I think is an amazing actress, don't get me wrong) and a six-year-old first-time actress deftly carrying an entire goddamn movie. She's only a little girl, and she does better work in this movie than a lot of adult actresses do in their entire careers. Besides, I think Jennifer Lawrence will have plenty of other opportunities to win.

I'm also a little disappointed that the actor who played her father in the movie didn't get nominated for best supporting actor. He's another first-time actor and he also turns out a performance that's miles above what most other actors did last year. I always feel like I'm more impressed by the acting nominees who come from a less professional start because they're got farther to go.

I think what helps Quvenzhane Wallis is that the movie plays really well on the small screen. It's really intimate and rough, and I think the people who are watching screeners in their home theaters are going to have an easier time connecting with it than they would in the theater given that.

I just really, REALLY want Quvenzhane Wallis to win. If I can have one happy surprise on Oscar night, I want it to be that.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:

Amour (2012)
Argo (2012)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Django Unchained (2012)
Les Misérables (2012)
Life of Pi (2012)
Lincoln (2012)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln (2012)
Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables (2012)
Joaquin Phoenix for The Master (2012)
Denzel Washington for Flight (2012/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Emmanuelle Riva for Amour (2012)
Quvenzhané Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Naomi Watts for The Impossible (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:

Alan Arkin for Argo (2012)
Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master (2012)
Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln (2012)
Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained (2012)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:

Amy Adams for The Master (2012)
Sally Field for Lincoln (2012)
Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables (2012)
Helen Hunt for The Sessions (2012)
Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:

Michael Haneke for Amour (2012)
Ang Lee for Life of Pi (2012)
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Steven Spielberg for Lincoln (2012)
Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Nominees:

Brave (2012)
Frankenweenie (2012)
ParaNorman (2012)
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

So I started watching this a while ago and stopped halfway through because it's kind of "Leaving Las Vegas" with a different cast and a strangely happier ending, if that even makes sense. There's certain genres of movies that generally do nothing for me -- mob movies, James Bond, etc. -- and substance-abusing leads in a downward spiral is one of them. It usually doesn't do much for me unless everyone hits all the right notes.

I'm completely unsurprised by Denzel getting nominated, and I know he's kind of the guy who can get nominated for reading the phone book, but this performance is one of the best ones I've ever seen him pull out. He's completely fucked up, he's a complete asshole, and yet you *still* somehow manage to find sympathy for him. I'm always impressed by the lengths that he'll go to, and while I'm always a little "eh" when it comes to drunks in film confronting their demons, I really got the character thanks to Denzel's work.

I kinda wish John Goodman had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor for this. He's only in a few scenes but he steals every scene he's in. He's one of those actors I really wish would get recognition from the Academy for his film work. (I hear he also did great in "Argo", which doesn't surprise me, but ... well, I still have to see that one, too.)

I think my only problem with the movie is that the religious references do feel a bit heavy-handed at times to the point where I was afraid the end would be him having a literal come-to-Jesus moment. In the end, I was okay with it even though I sort of cringe away from a lot of the bang-you-on-the-head religious stuff in the movie, but I think they presented the religious characters in the right ways. You were supposed to feel a certain way in response to the characters -- as in, you were supposed to respond to them the way he does -- and you do. I felt for the people who were at the crash scene even though I don't agree with them, I thought the stewardess was very nice but I think if I knew her in real life she and I would both know I'm never going to her church, I sat there while he was visiting the co-pilot and his wife thinking, "Oh, man, these people make me want to drink."

I liked it, though. I did kind of laugh at myself, though, if only because as soon as the plane screwed up and started going down, I knew why. I think I may have watched too many episodes of "Air Crash Investigation", you guys. ;)

*

Okay, seriously, I can already see the screeners on the torrent sites. That was quick. :)

How to end up saying, "Wait, what?" over and over again for, like, five minutes:

1. Watch today's "Lizzie Bennet Diaries" ep.
2. Make a Tumblr post which only says, "Oh, my God, Lizzie, say 'I'm sorry' already before I reach through the computer screen and throttle you."
3. Check later on.
4. Notice the post got liked by one person -- the actress who plays Lizzie.

Well, at least SHE agrees with me. *snerk*

(Seriously, you should have heard me yelling GODDAMN IT LIZZIE at my computer screen this morning. I'm siding with Lydia Bennet, webseries. Look what you did, LBD. You BROKE me.)

I convinced my Math Throughout History professor to let my class watch an episode of “School of Hard Sums” — i.e., “The Dara-O’Briain-Does-Math-Problems-Against-Students-And-Other-Comedians-For-Funsies Show” — before we took our final tonight.

I feel as though I should get an A for that alone.

So yesterday I cleaned my apartment from top to bottom, and this morning I got the very nice check I've been waiting for since last week. (I got a letter last week from my DHL job from six years ago saying, "Hey, you've got a retirement plan with us that you haven't touched! What do you want to do with it?" and I could not call them up to say, "OMG I NEED TO CASH IT OUT!" fast enough.)

So I deposited the check this morning and since then:

-- I haven't been able to get in touch with the doctor or the dentist, both of whom I need to schedule appointments with
-- The cat spent the entire morning puking in every room
-- My deposit isn't registering as deposited into my account just yet according to every bill website I've tried to pay towards
-- Oh, and after stopping at the local grocery store, I hit one of the many, MANY potholes the guys currently doing roadwork and replacing our sewer system have left around town and broke my transmission pan.
-- Because of that, I now have no car either today or tomorrow, both of which I have finals during.

I'm really lucky I'm going to be able to afford to get it fixed and my brother's going to let me borrow his car for school, or else I'd probably be in tears right now.

(By the way, the car problem made telling my mother an "I told you so" moment, because she's on the town council and I complained to her not long ago that the roads were awful, since they're fixing the sewer system and then going back and paving the entire town at the end. You may have noticed that it's December, and that by the time they get finished with the sewers, it'll be January at least. You know, when it tends to SNOW. At which point, my mother informed me, they will put off paving the roads until spring. Because that's SMART.)

The book's still coming -- I swear!

Before I get into it, I just wanted to thank anybody who was able to help with my rent. I was lucky enough to get the money into my checking account before my landlord could cash the check, so I'm cool on that front. And tomorrow, thanks to my dad (who nearly popped a gasket when he saw just how bald my front tire is), I'm getting my stupid tire replaced.

In any event, I planned to hunker down and get "Monsters of Moosic" editing completed today, but considering I spent the last two whole days on the computer trying to get my hours in, I desperately needed a breather. I spent most of the morning working on it, but I took a break at lunchtime to go help my mom pick out a Christmas tree, and then went with my parents to my cousin's house to let her new puppy -- half shepherd, half Burmese mountain dog -- fall asleep on me (you know, now, while she's still small enough to do it without smothering me).

And now I am going to bake for a while, because baking is relaxing, and also because it'll give me something to eat this week while I'm finishing up finalizing the book. I don't have finals until next week, so it's literally all I have to do other than get my work hours in.

Er, let's not think about that last part. *makes face*

I'm still on track to finish the editing within the next few days, but I do have to get my work hours in for this week and, as per usual, I'm WAY behind. (Ugh.) So I'm setting the date when I will be finished and sending the book out (and posting it to Amazon, Kobo, and hopefully iPad, if Apple gets back to me sometime this century) as Sunday. I have my last major assignment for school tonight (my Japanese mathematics presentation -- cross your fingers and hope that not being able to stop yammering in front of an audience will make up for me being all, "Holy crap, HOW do I explain this problem again?!" last night when I looked at my Powerpoint), so as of 6:50 pm tonight, the only thing I have left to worry about school-wise are my finals.

Anyway.

Thanks to those of you who pre-ordered, because I'm broke as hell and that really, really helped with putting gas in my car and picking up a few groceries. If anyone else wants to pre-order:

I'm asking three bucks a copy, but if anyone would like to chip in for more, I'd appreciate it.

Here's the blurb I'm putting on Amazon:

My name is Sean Patrick Boggs, and people try to kill me all of the time. So do dragons, wizards, necromancers, werewolves, vampires, and every other conceivable creature in existence. See, I'm a latent. I'm just waiting for some traumatic event to trigger my repressed magic and give me control over the abilities I've been waiting my entire life to fully access. Until then, I'm a walking bag of very expensive spell ingredients and a future threat wrapped up in one poor tortured body. Now, one huge secret is about to make my life a whole lot more dangerous.

It's very snarky. Also, there is Scarlett. You will like Scarlett. Scarlett is adorable. And pointy. But mostly adorable, so it evens out.

1. I should be done with it on Friday, barring any unforeseen problems. I still have to do my stupid job and I've got a presentation in math class on Thursday, but I should be okay to publish by then.

2. I'm getting a cover! Which is good because I downloaded Photoshop, looked at it for about two minutes, maybe whimpered a little bit, then finally said, "FUCK IT," and almost flipped my laptop.

3. If you want to buy it and would like to pay for it early, that would be very nice and I would be eternally grateful, because I have quite literally no gas in my car and very little food in my house. Um. (One good thing about living in Pennsylvania is that I somehow made it to class last night because I pretty much coasted half of the way there and half of the way back. Yay for big hills, I guess.)

I think it's safe to say at this point I'm failing at NaNoWriMo this year, although I am unsurprised since I didn't do NaNo last year because precisely for the same reason I'm having troubles this year -- school + work + writing = AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

So basically, I'm holding onto "Heroine Withdrawal" until after finals. I can work on getting a good base started, and then when spring rolls around, two of my classes are weekender (and therefore every other weekend), one of online, and another is a Monday night class that doesn't start until the end of February anyway. Also, I've got my advanced creative writing class next semester anyway, and that perked my muse up this last spring, so that's probably a better idea anyway.

THAT SAID.

I'm currently trying to get "The Monsters of Moosic" edited ASAP to get it ready to self-pub by the end of the month. Firstly, I told myself I was going to self-pub again this year if I couldn't find a publisher or an agent (not that I've had the time to breathe, much less look for either) and I've got a perfectly acceptable manuscript to publish, so I'm publishing it. And also, I'm having a difficult time finding a new job and this one isn't getting any better, so ... you know, sell a book.

So I've got to get it edited and get it ready to post and dig up a cover and generally work my ass off for the next week or so. And I get to do it while finishing my paper on Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's new album for my jazz class which is due Tuesday and tidying up my Math Throughout History presentation for next week's class.

... kill me now?

This is my small hometown’s local newspaper office. Last week, the editor/owner posted this ginormous Romney/Ryan sign over all of his other signs, which has led to mockery in my own family.

In the next edition of the local paper, this same newspaper guy has to report that in the fairly red county in which we live, we were one of the few towns to go pretty decisively for Obama.

I may have giggled hysterically when I realized that last night.

I pass the time while working watching TV shows on Netflix. I just finished off CSI Miami the other day (god, I love how hilariously awful that show is), so I started in on a Buffy rewatch, to be followed by an Angel rewatch, to be followed by a Supernatural rewatch/catch-up.

OMG, it's hysterical rewatching Buffy when I haven't watched an episode in years.

-- OH THEIR LITTLE FACES. I want to pinch all of their cheeks. David Boreanaz looks SO YOUNG.

-- That said, the one thing that hasn't changed since when I used to watch it was that I would have been perfectly happy if Buffy had died in the first episode and everybody else spent the next seven years of the show learning to kick ass and fight vampires without her. Out of everybody on the show, she's the only one I rarely liked.

-- I love watching shows that started in the '90s where people are juuuuust on the verge on getting halfway decent technology but they're not quite there. I mean, seriously, in season one, Buffy has a beeper. There's some kid in one episode working off an enormous portable word processor.

-- I just reached "School Hard". Yay, Spike! :D