R&R

This week, I didn't do very much, and I didn't care. There are two reasons for this. One: I've started a six-day week in work. And two: I bought myself a Nintendo 2DS.

Let's go back a few weeks to explain the 2DS. And by that, I mean the run-up to Christmas. My brother told me, quite proudly, that he knew what he was going to get me for Christmas. He was going to get me a 2DS, because they were new, affordable and lovely. (He didn't use those words, exactly.) A few weeks later, he told me he'd found something else to get me. And so I knew I was to be without a 2DS.

Christmas Day arrived, and my parents gave me money as my present. I didn't buy anything with it.

So, I fixed that. I bought my new console, because I don't really get to use the PS3 in the house anymore, and I bought a couple of games to go along with it. Long story short, I've spent my free time playing Pokemon X, because I didn't get to use my parents' Christmas present until now - because I hadn't bought anything!

That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

It's been nice, though. I was tired, and I needed a way to unwind after publishing 25 Ways to Beat Writer's Block. I needed something for me, and so I reverted back into Childhood Mode. It's been wonderful.

The way things are looking, now, between minding my niece and working, I won't have a day off to myself until February. That's not really how I'd hoped things would be for me, but I do appreciate the fact that I'll be earning a bit more than usual thanks to these extra hours. I suppose I just don't want to be tired as a result of it all!

All of this emphasis on my relaxation and work aside, nothing else will really change. I'll still be posting up my weekly article. I'll still be writing Andrew McCourt's diary entries, and posting new poems on ParagraVerse, and writing new Friday Flash stories to post up, and I'll still be blogging. I'll just be tired while doing it all. Until February.

It feels like a long way away, but it's not. I suppose it's just that I don't really have a day off until then that's making it seem worse than it is. (Plus, you know, the fact that it's another 8 days of working or child minding ahead of me.)

My big goal for this week coming, aside from just surviving the shop, is to write a chunk of The Blood of Leap. I have a figure in my head, which I'll be putting up in my room, but it'll be staying there, nice and private. I want to enjoy this book, but I also want to complete it. I'm hoping I can balance both of those aims with my much needed rest and relaxation.

On a positive note to finish, I can officially tick Publish 25 Ways to Beat Writer's Block off my to-do list in my FiloFax! I've been so busy not doing anything that I didn't do that until recently. That's one big project down, which is always a nice feeling!

(PS If you're interested in reading my new book, you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HYMVZJ2

Day 29: Poetry, No Motion

I spent the day writing a bit less poetry than I'd planned to, but watching a lot more Buffy than anyone would consider healthy.

That said, I did write a few poems. I started with one addressing Milton and Dante and their versions of Hell. It was a fun one, but I can't help thinking I'll never escape the Dreaded Research Paper. It doesn't help that I later wrote one about the seven deadly sins.

The day's work also saw poems about relationships creep into existence unexpectedly. I don't think I ever really intend to write those sorts of poems. It requires trying to explain how life works with other people, and I'm not entirely sure I can ever really reach a conclusion about anything that happens. I mean, I can only ever say how I feel about how I perceive things, and that's not an explanation I can rely on.

Aside from that... just Buffy.

Season 4 was fun. Really fun. Between the college experience and the flashbacks, the Big Bad battle, the silence and the wicked dream episode, it definitely caught my attention a lot more this time around.

It did require a lot of not moving today, though. I think I'm okay with that. I got to drink tea, eat a brownie, relax, write the aforementioned poetry, and I was with out worry the whole time.

I could get used to days spent writing poetry all the time. I think I'm better off just letting them happen, though, for the time being. I'm nowhere near the writing-a-poetry-book stage, so I think I'm okay taking it easy.

A Day to Myself

In a normal day, I tend to want to do something productive. You know, like write an article or work on a chapter of a book. Today? I woke up after sleeping through the night without waking once, for the first time in at least three weeks. I didn't just sleep - I had a lie in! And it was then that I decided today would just be for me. No studying extra material, no writing things I didn't want to write, no forcing myself to do anything.

This? This is just for kicks. I call it celebrating the little things in life. A day to myself doesn't come very often. I don't let it. I have too many things to do to really afford days like this very often. It was a relaxing day, if not a little boring.

To sum it all up, when I woke up later and had my breakfast, I just played a game on my DS. A Game Boy Advance game at that. It's old school. I drank tea, and I talked to people on Facebook about comic book adaptations, and that was all there was to it.

It was the most easy going day of my summer. No travel, no time scales, no doing things for people that didn't need to be done, strictly. It was nice.

Of course, I missed working on things. I'll be trying to catch up tomorrow. As it is, I took the time to write an email to send out to my list later tonight, just so I feel like I've done something today.

Tomorrow, I've got a whole load of things to do to catch up on the week. Some fiction, some non-fiction, a review, some prep-work. Basically, my whole day is going to be spent working, unless it's not.

Confusing? You betcha!

I'll probably write an article explaining that fully... basically, I take breaks. I have to. My brain won't let me keep working and switching tasks around all day. Even my weird brain doesn't allow for that. No one's does. It's that simple.

Anyway, this has already felt like work. You may hear from this blog again tomorrow, if I actually find the time. In the meantime, take care!