It's Fall

. . . and this year, the trees seem to have synced up perfectly with the dates. The maple trees around here have turned bright red, gold, and yellow and it's very colorful.

As usual, autumn looks like it will be my favorite season out of the year. Weather to look forward, exciting things to do, projects to be finished, and holidays to be celebrated. Sure, it's busy, yet that's also a good part of the reason why I'm looking forward to the next few months.

What are you looking forward to this season?

*And in case you're wondering, no, that's not a picture I took. But it looks like that here.


-----The Golden Eagle

Random Things: CassaStorm, Autumn Weather, Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Colds, And Your Favorite Networking Platform

It's been a very long time since I did a post consisting of a random assortment of things I thought were blog-worthy. Since I'm attempting to get out of a slump, I thought I'd resurrect that old format just to get some words flowing. Here we go! (I know it's a bit long, but you can always skip to the categories you're interested in or ignore me entirely or take a snack break while you read this or whatever.)

**********

CassaStorm:

First, the news. Alex J. Cavanaugh's new book CassaStorm was released this week on the 17th, sequel to CassaStar and CassaFire, and has since reached the top 100 Space Opera books on Amazon. Huge congratulations, Alex!

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
     After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.
     Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

**********

Autumn Weather: 

Now that fall is almost officially here (well, at least in this part of the world) I've fallen in love again with the cool temperatures, brilliant blue skies, changing leaves, and the sharp, fresh smell of the air. I adore this time of year, particularly right now, which is just before the nights get so cold you turn into an ice block when getting up in the morning.

via Pixabay.

**********

Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

Up until two weeks ago, I'd never actually watched anything involving Monty Python (it took me only slightly less time to realize Monty Python was, in fact, more than one person). I'd seen references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail both knowingly and unknowingly, so when I noticed the library had the Holy Grail I snagged it.

Most of my response for the duration of the film was "Ah, so that's what the 'it's just a flesh wound'/Knights who say Nii/killer rabbits/airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow/knights with coconuts for horses" scene comes from!" because I'd absorbed those through the internet. Particularly the killer rabbits bit; I was especially confused before about what the heck was going on in that scene. LOL.

It's quite funny, at any rate. I'd recommend it, if you don't mind British humor.

**********

Colds:

I have a cold. Apparently a lot of people are getting sick right now, and I really, really sympathize with them because needing to blow your nose every half minute and having a sore throat isn't fun. Also having your brain start physically feeling like the mushy, heavy, oversensitive thing that it is; I'm getting headaches now and again, which has never really happened before, that I can think of. Sigh. Maybe I'll make soup later or something. (And keep watching copious amounts of Whose Line Is It Anyway?)

**********

via Pixabay.

Favorite Networking Platform:

I'm curious. Obviously, if you're reading this now and have any intention of commenting on it, you're somewhat invested in Blogger as an internet platform--but if you had to choose, which would be your favorite? Not necessarily in a "if you could only use one for the rest of your internet life" sort of way, just as a "which has the best features/layout/people in your opinion" type of query. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.

I like Blogger/Wordpress as blog hosts since they have a pretty open and welcoming atmosphere, at least from what I've experienced, and they give you the ability to post a huge range of content. But I'm not sure about many of the other "social networking" platforms (except for Tumblr, which is opinionated, fast-moving, and extremely image-based), so I want to know what you guys think. Preferences? Dislikes? Things you'd change about a platform you use?

**********

Read CassaStorm yet? Enjoying or disliking your weather? Watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail? (And if you have, any recommendations on what to watch next?) Have a cold? Don't have a cold? What do you think of networking platforms and their differences?

And if you've made it to the end of this post, here, have some virtual cookies and/or hugs. (Though seeing as I have a cold, maybe not a hug . . . how about a warm cup of tea?)


-----The Golden Eagle

It Snowed Yesterday. Geez.

It didn't accumulate much, and it's certainly melted away by now, but I usually think of there being more time from the start of fall to the first snow . . .

Ah well. It isn't nearly so bad that I'm going to be singing this again (that I'm reserving for March. Or even April) and a little snow in the morning looks rather pretty.

(SOURCE)

Do you get snow, and if so, have you had any yet? Do you like winter at all?


(And yes, I'm trying to come up with topics for the last stretch of NaBloWriMo. Only one day left in October, which is a fairly scary thing. Got to go work some more on my NaNoWriMo novel.)




-----The Golden Eagle

What I Did On My Summer Vacation Blogfest!

Guess what. I signed up for another blogfest, this one hosted by Michael Di Gesu at In Time . . ., whose blog you should definitely hop over and check out because it's awesome.

The objective?

"I want you to write a 300-500 word composition to what YOU did on your Summer vacation. Now for those of you who haven't had a vacation in years, I understand, but you can still join in the fun and post on what projects you worked on this summer.
Pictures are a must! I had posted dozens of my pics for all of you to visit gorgeous Canada with me. Let's relax and have a bit of fun. It could be about a great BBQ you had on the Fourth of July. Any memorable moment that took place over the summer."

So here's what I did on my summer vacation:

(Though I don't really get a summer vacation, per se. I'm homeschooled year-round, always have been, which I actually find is rather fun--I'd get bored if I didn't have stuff assigned.)

1. I went to my first dance competition.

I've been to Nutcracker auditions in the past, but hadn't competed in something outside of the dance studio before. So it was new for me, and I had fun. There were an awful lot of people there--hundreds of numbers, hundreds of people (though a lot of dancers had multiple dances, so there were quite as many there might have been). Everyone I knew placed, but what I really got out of it was the experience of being at an event like that. :) The studio is going again next year, and then I will be doing a pointe solo (cue nervousness). Yes, I do mean pointe as in ballet with shiny pink shoes and ribbons.

(SOURCE)

2. I started a new Science Fiction/Young Adult/Adventure novel.

I made a lot of progress during the summer. I'm still a few thousand words behind, but I plan on making that up this weekend and part of next week (if I manage to stick to the schedule), and then really moving into the home stretch during October.

(SOURCE)

3. I started building a website.

Just a summer project I decided to start, mostly because I wanted to find out about the nuts and bolts behind websites and play around with graphics. (My dislike of certain browsers *ahem* has increased with the knowledge that some follow World Wide Web Consortium (W3) HTML/XHTML/CSS rules and others do not.) No, I still am not going to tell you what the website's about. Though I do plan on posting on it once it's up.

(SOURCE)

4. Worried about flooding.

We ended up with a flooded basement. It wasn't that bad comparatively, but the furnace (which is huge and has oil in it) got lifted up and wedged into a corner . . . so it wasn't an insignificant amount of water.

5. Other miscellaneous stuff:

To end on a positive note, I randomly won a Barnes & Noble gift card from my library for writing book reviews. I pounced the second I learned they only wanted you to review things--after all, I do it already. As I was writing this post, what I ordered was delivered by UPS. Hooray!

And that was pretty much my summer . . .

What happened at your end? Anything noteworthy occur?


-----The Golden Eagle

Awards! And Tags! Hurray!

In the past couple of weeks, I've been awarded and tagged several times . . . and since today was a day when I didn't (miracle, I'm telling you) have a scheduled post, I figured it was time I posted them. :)

First, the 7x7 Link Award!

This one was awarded to me by Siv Maria at Been there, done that. and M Pax at Wistful Nebulae. Many thanks to both of them!

For this one, I have to list the Most Beautiful, Most Helpful, Most Popular, Most Controversial, Most Surprisingly Successful, Most Underrated, and the Most Pride worthy of my posts. Oh, this is going to be difficult . . .

Most Beautiful: A-Z Blogging Challenge: N Stands For: Nebulae
For the pictures. (None of them are mine, of course.)

Most Helpful: How To: Beaming Someone Up Into A Spaceship
All right, all right. So that wasn't what was meant. Maybe this one, then:
How To: Writing
What, you say? That's not really helpful either? Well fine. Here's a serious one:
Do You Have To Like The Setting To Enjoy A Book?

Most Popular: A-Z Blogging Challenge: W Stands For: Water
814 pageviews. The one with the most comments, though, was this one:
First Campaigner Challenge: 200 Word Flash Fiction
. . . with 87 Things People Wanted to Say.

Most Surprisingly Successful: Awards, Deck The Halls, Eclipse, Arctic Dinos, Congress, Christmas
33 comments, but it's my third most-viewed post of all-time. I haven't the slightest idea why.

Most Underrated: It Would Be A Stretch To Call Them Beautiful . . .
5 comments (2 of them mine), on a post about some fascinating birds (I might even go as far to say they're some of my . . . well, if not favorites, then I'm at least quite fond of them).

Most Controversial: In Which We Interrupt The Usual Posting Schedule To Rant About Politics
Just after Gabriel Giffords was shot. I was steamed. So I posted about it.

Most Pride Worthy: The Copenhagen Interpretation vs. The Many Worlds Interpretation
Two words: Quantum Physics.


Emily Rose at mist of the blossom rain awarded me the Lovely Blogger Award. Thank you, Emily!

. . . and technically, I'm supposed to list seven things about myself. But I was also tagged, so I'm going to combine the two into one.

Speaking of which, Susan Kane at thecontemplativecat and WB Terrien tagged me with the meme that's been floating about the blogosphere: listing 10 random things about yourself.

So, here I go:

1. I love fall. The smell in the air, the slight chill, the orange leaves, the start of a new school year. I'm looking forward to September 23. (And Michael Di Gesu's blogfest is another plus, of course.)

2. I have the urge to write a book with the title All the Shades of Gray. With a gray cover, of course.

3. I love cinnamon. Especially the smell, but it's wonderful on things like bread. Cinnamon raisin bagels are lovely.

4. I strongly dislike mint. Strongly. Which makes it difficult when in the dental aisle at the store, because most of the products are Mint. Or Peppermint. Or Cool Mint. Or Fresh Mint. Blech.

5. I'm finding a lot of discrepancies in my writing, for some reason. It's not something I usually do, but I keep coming across sections where I've said one thing at the beginning and wrote the rest like I said something else. For example, this morning, I'd mentioned the character had a breeze on their face as they were moving, but then continued with the character being in an enclosed truck. With all the windows up. (And no sunroof or anything, either . . . :P)

6. I plan to watch The Color of Magic for Terry Pratchett Month tonight and review it tomorrow for the scheduled post. It's rather long (I think it says 197 minutes on the back) but I've been reading some positive reviews of it . . .

7. I have never sent a text message in my life. And I don't intend on changing that anytime soon.

8. My website is coming along nicely. (You probably figured I'd forgotten about that, didn't you? I haven't mentioned it in over a month on my blog, I believe.)

9. I like cold much more than I do heat. For me, crunching through the snow is way more appealing than strolling down a hot, sunny beach.

10. I love my library.

Now, for who I am going to tag and award. I decided to try something a little different this time, just to see. (Don't panic yet.)

Here's the idea: for those commenters who land on a Fibonacci number (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233) consider yourself awarded. Or tagged. Whichever you please. (Basically, you can take any award, both awards, just the tag, a tag and an award, or all three. And can you tell I love the Fibonacci sequence?)

You can panic now.

Or not.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!


-----The Golden Eagle

Happy Halloween! (Plus: NaBloWriMo, NaNoWriMo, And Random)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Hallowe'en. All Hallows Eve. Whatever you'd like to call it, today's the day! Have fun trick-or-treating, partying, whatever. :)

*****

Today is also the last day of NaBloWriMo! I have posted at least once every day for the entire month of October! Even more reason to celebrate.

But, if you're like me and have participated in NaBloWriMo, don't do party too hard! Because tomorrow is *drumroll*dramatic display* NaNoWriMo!


I know that I've said several times that I wasn't planning on doing this event. For many reasons, I told myself. It wouldn't be good for my novel, I said. It would be better to edit, I thought. I don't think word-vomiting all over my document would be a really great idea, I consoled myself.

*sighs* EXCUSES. But you know what? I've decided to change that. Because of a lot of factors. So, basically, I am going to be doing NaNoWriMo!

(If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is by now, I'm seriously going to question where you've been for the past month.)

I'm kind of pushing the deadline to sign up here, but I did sign up to do it! This will be my first year. But hey, I wrote 40,000 words last month, so it's just 10,000 more than that. So, the thing on my mind right now is, I am going to kill this challenge with everything I've got.

Here's the link to My Profile. Buddy me, if you've got an account. (I can't find a lot of you, because there's no "search" for the profiles or anything like that.) At first I wasn't sure about linking to it, but I managed to disable the Home Region thing, which would basically tell you where I live. Boo. I didn't want to do that.

I'll update you guys over there and on this blog with one of those word count widget-y things. I think I'll use the potato man one:

Anywho. Just get geared up for the absolute writing frenzy--it's 50,000 words, after all!

*****

Interesting, because they don't come around here often, but I saw a bald eagle yesterday! Just perched. It was sort of far away, but I could see the characteristic white head and dark brown body. It would be nice if it stuck around . . . but I doubt that.

Ever seen one?


It was snowing a few days ago. SNOWING. It just wet the sidewalk a little, but it's c-c-c-o-o-l-d-e-r than usual now. Even for the beginning of November, people are not usually shivering in a winter coat. It's supposed to get colder and stay that way for a while, too.


Have a great Halloween, all!


-----The Golden Eagle

October is Still Here

Halfway through the month or so and 19 posts later, I've still managed to keep it up for NaBloWriMo!

Congrats to the others who are participating with me! I've seen consistent posts through October--let's keep it up, all! Type, type, type!

*****

I'm supposed to write a backstory piece of one of my characters. I haven't written a thing, and consequently the document is titled CURRENTLY UNTITLED AND PRETTY DARN UNWRITTEN.

Eloquent, right? I figured CAPS whenever I turn on the computer would get my attention . . . sadly though, my inspiration seems to have decided I'm not worth the effort. But I'll get something done--it's just that if I write down a particular character's past, then it's full of spoilers. Another person's history takes place in a military academy. Other people don't remember their history, and even if they did, it wouldn't make much of a story.

*****

I hate sloppy first drafts. I know, I know, I see in a lot of places "Don't worry about your first draft!" and to just write, (Zemanta is offering my an article that says "Get the damn thing done!") but if I don't edit/revise as I go, I end up stuck, with too many loose ends, impossible situations, and just general chaos--and I don't like the feeling. Kenneth Oppel (who is one of my favorite authors) actually suggests editing/revising the draft if you get writers' block, which I think is excellent advice. It's works for me, anyway.

Sort of. I've been working on my first draft for over a year now, and it still is not finished. I love writing it, don't get me wrong, but I tend to be astonished (and maybe a tad envious) when people say "I wrote this in _____ months!" because it's certainly taking me longer than that.


Do you think writing the first draft as fast as possible is the best idea, or do you like editing as you go along?

(Chopper rattling the windows right now--and pounding the eardrums. Very annoying. Might be some planes up there, too. Although, it's not all bad. There are helicopters in my story, believe me, so I guess it's just a another writing experience, eh?)

*****

Fall has almost definitely set in now. The heater is on, (boo--do you know how much oil that takes?) and the days are brisk. I love brisk, and windy too. There's a lot of wind these days, and it finally cleared up after half a week of rain; it's sunny, the trees are orange, and the sky is blue. Huzzah!

Another aspect to fall is the winter squash--my mom got some for free where she works and I can smell it baking right now. It smells better than it tastes, I'm afraid. I don't like squash, generally--I've never liked pumpkin, hubbard tastes blah (despite what the people at the senior center state), I'm not a fan of acorn. But zucchini can be okay.

*****

I'm done with the miscellany! I think . . . yes, that's it. Have a great Sunday, everyone!


-----The Golden Eagle

Flood Watch, Writer Things, and Coffee

I can believe it. It's been raining, raining, raining, pouring, dripping, sopping, and splishing all day long.

I realize that the last word isn't actually a word. Except I'm a writer--I've got creative license, right? Well. I say, very splishingishly, that writer's have the creative license to create new words.

But there is a lot of water. The street's sort of flooded and the gutters on the neighbor's house are pouring water. It's been dark, gloomy, and wet all day, but I'm content. I'm usually in a content mood when it's raining, and also because I've been successful editing-wise.

*****

Have any of you seen THIS POST? Or, THIS POST?

Yes? No?

Well, the second makes me laugh. Actually, the first makes me laugh because seriously, folks? If you're going to date a writer you should expect a whole different can of beans.

I don't actively lock myself up in my room or anything and write like some people do, (do you?) but I do tend to get crabby/irritable/fussy when my writing's not going right. And "writer's will remind you that money doesn't matter so much"? Ahem. A lot of writers go into the business because they're broke. I'll let you decide for yourself whether the other points are true. :D

*****

NaBloWriMo starts tomorrow! Hooray! I'm excited about this. It just seems like it's going to be fun, you know? Well, maybe I'm just overexcited. I already post pretty often . . . maybe it's the fact I won't be alone this time. :)

If you haven't joined yet, my armies are still waiting around for the next victim. (AKA you.)

*ahem*

*****

I never really liked coffee. I am repelled by the scent of coffee, especially really strong stuff; I like the smell of Barnes & Noble (one of my favorite smells) but I don't like just coffee. How do people drink it? HOW?

But apparently people do. At least according to a recent survey done by Careerbuilder and Dunkin Donuts. (I've never been to Dunkin Donuts--or Starbucks, for that matter.)

Huh. Oh, well. I plan on being a scientist; I'll just have to be a non-coffee-drinker one.

*****

End of September everyone! Can you believe it? Another month has disappeared. I think this month has gone rather well for me, since I got some stuff done . . .

What about you?

-----The Golden Eagle

The First Day of Fall!

Huzzah! 

(Image found online.)

I love autumn. It's cool, the trees are colorful around here, people are back to school, I love the way the air smells, I love brilliantly blue skies, and I also love the holidays that come with this time of the year. I also like this day in particular, because it means the days and the nights are exactly the same length. Isn't that an interesting thing? That the night and the day balance each other out?

Are you looking forward to fall? Hopeful about anything to come?

*****

I've also been tagged, so here are the questions, rules, my answers, and the list of people I'm tagging:

Your favorite thing about September:

Why September? By the time fall starts it's almost over. But I do like the sense of beginnings and endings.

What you wear in September:

Shirt, (long or short sleeved) pants, (capris or long pants, depending on the temperature) sweater/sweatshirt/sweatjacket, (light or heavy, again depending on the temp) sneakers, (preferably running or walking style) and I almost always have my hair in a ponytail. I don't like wearing by hair down.

Activity you do in September:

Write.

Your idea of how a fairy would dress:

Okay, this is probably from reading too much Fantasy/Paranormal, but I think of fairies as being tall, skinny, cruel-looking, and back-stabbing creatures that wear either tight jeans and sweaters or long gowns/medieval dress.

Your idea of how an elf would dress:

Ditto, although I usually associate them with a being a little less back-stabbing than a fairy, a little taller, and living in the trees or wearing lots of green clothes.

Your favorite tree:

Sumac!

Your favorite September color (orange, yellow, red, gold, brown, etc.):

Gold. That's one of the major things I like about autumn. I'm not obsessed with gold or anything! I just like it when leaves are that color. I don't like the metal.

Your favorite feeling in fall:

Breathing in cold air and crunching leaves. There's something satisfactory about crunching leaves.

And this tag involves adding another question, so . . .

Are you less or more cheerful in the fall as opposed to in the spring?

More, probably. :)


I tag everyone. Yes, this means YOU, but only if you want to do it.

*****

You know those things that aren't particularly funny but you find amusing despite it all? Well, severely bruising (possibly breaking) my second toe for 2010 did that for me. Especially since the irony of it all is the first toe I broke back in January just finished healing and I have a dance class later today. I was half-snorting half-grimacing after I banged it. :P

*****

My writing has been, for lack of a better word, flopping. I don't know why. I've tried plenty of stuff, closing my eyes, listening to music, arguing with the characters, revising my outline, but I think I'm just going to have to edit (I've got loads of editing to do) and see if anything strikes me while I'm doing it. Garrar. It's frustrating, since I've got ideas bouncing around (they're more like slogging around by now, though) in my head and I HATE writing ahead of where I left off. It throws everything out of balance for me, so I try and stick to writing everything out chronologically.

A final note: I have 87 followers! That is . . . very surprising and very gratifiying. Thank you, my lovely followers, readers, and whoever else is looking at this blog! I do appreciate it. :)

-----The Golden Eagle

Eh. {What Else Is There To Say?}

DARN IT.

I wrote a nice, long, miscellaneous post and BLOGGER DELETED IT. It said "Conflicting Edits" and said "Please hit the back button on you browser."

So I did.

AND I FOUND OUT IT DELETED THE WHOLE DARN THING.

*sighs*

Okay then. Well, I'll just try writing it again, although it's not going to be as great as the first one.

*****

Right.

How is your Labor Day going?

Good? So-so? Not on holiday? Irritated the the banks are getting another free day to make some profit?

I've been mowing the lawn, writing, reading Foundation (very interesting and complicated; except: no women! GAH!), blogging, and generally whiling away the day.

*****

You know that swamp I mentioned yesterday? Well, it's there because they couldn't build on the wetlands. Also, there's an issue with some toxic waste that they say doesn't harm anything, but they still can't build on it--I don't get that. I'm assuming it's doing damage somewhere.

But anyway. There's this set of stairs that go up high and you can look over the swamp and basically have a good time watching green gloop move with the breeze and the occasional duck dip its head into the green gloop.

Very fun.

Actually, I just liked getting an aerial view (Hello! Eagle here!) and climbing. I love climbing things, and have been since I was little. (I used to crawl out of cribs and bang my head against the bars if I couldn't get out. I also used to jump a lot. In fact, I still jump a lot.)

*****

Has it been cold recently? It has been here. 40-50s at night, 60s during the day. In the beginning of September! Sheesh. It's not fall yet, folks.

But I don't really mind all that much. I like cooler temperatures, and fall is my favorite season. Did you know that the foliage is changing quicker and earlier than in normal years? Yup, it's true. It's not quite that obvious here, but apparently farther north (Northeast, Canada, etc.) the leaves are changing.

I've spotted a few dark-orange trees . . . but nothing like the color explosion that occurs later in the year. It's very vibrant when that happens.

*****

I'd better go write that review of Prophecy of the Sisters. I said I'd post that today . . .

-----The Golden Eagle