Happy New Year (Three Days Later)

[rusty_armour]

No, I didn't lose track of time completely or just wake up from a three-day hangover. I'm just posting this entry later than I intended. Originally, I was going to post it shortly after Christmas, but I was busying cleaning my apartment for New Year's Eve, reading fic and Stephen Fry's More Fool Me, and slacking off in general. Then, for a couple of days after New Year's, I had mini-migraines because of my period (and possibly the weather), so I didn't feel like posting either. However, today, I've been migraine-free (so far) and feeling pretty chipper (e.g. my hormones have levelled out), so I'm blogging instead of napping (like the last two days).

Christmas was really good - and not just because we had electricity this year. Ironically, I barely took any pictures. I snapped some photos of Barnaby and Tuppence on the second day of my Christmas visit and then failed to take any more. Maybe with electricity, I didn't need a camera to keep me entertained, but I think it was due to laziness more than anything else. Well, that and my sister, who does a much better job of documenting family events than I do and is a much better photographer. All the same, here are some of my cat photos for the cat people on my flist:




Barnaby and Tuppence watching squirrels. Or maybe birds. I think
it's probably squirrels considering Barnaby's level of fascination.




Barnaby perched on top of the TV




My brother laying down the law




Barnaby ignoring it


I should also confess that the reason why I took so few pictures is because my extremely generous parents gave me a tablet for Christmas. It was a complete surprise and something I didn't see coming at all. My mom said they got it because I'd been saying I would buy an e-reader when my iPod Touch (which jackycomelately kindly gave me when she upgraded to a new model) died. As my mom's friend had a Samsung Galaxy Tab4 (and highly recommended it), my parents went with that model. I've called it "Mine" (for pretty obvious reasons) and have fought the urge to keep it on constantly since Christmas. For example, I had a slight bout of insomnia on Tuesday night and ended up downloading new apps for over an hour before I realized how much time had passed. Anywaaaaaaaaaay, here are some pics of my baby:




Mine - complete with its attractive cover




Mine with the cover closed




So hard to keep the cover closed and the power switched off! You may have noticed the
fingerprints and the battery level. I blame it partially on this Primeval fic I
downloaded last night. I didn't think I was into Lester/Jess. Apparently, I was wrong.




Mine with its TARDIS wallpaper and some of the apps I've downloaded


Yes, I'll admit that I've been seduced by my new tablet, but that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful for everything else I've received, such as Christmas cards or the holiday greetings on my flist. And I received some other wonderful presents from friends and family. jackycomelately and E were very generous during our New Year's Eve exchange and gave me some fabulous goodies, including the CD I'm currently listening to. However, saying that, I can't help showcasing two of my gifts because they're really cool.




My sister gave me these fantastic Sherlock Holmes glasses that are now in my Sherlockiana Section!




The glasses in situ




dubghall made these!




I KNOW! I can't believe it either!


Despite all this blatant materialism, I've managed to score some tiny victories on the writing front this festive season. I finished a short story that I originally started writing in 2013. As I was finishing it off, I toyed with the idea of submitting it to the Toronto Star Short Story Contest. However, when I finished typing out the rough draft, I realized that it was more than 400 words over the 2,500 word limit. However, I think I've found a way to cut out those excess words without sacrificing anything I'm too attached to. In even happier news, I finally worked up the courage to return to my "novel" and did some writing yesterday and today. It's still a huge mess, but I don't think it's completely hopeless. I seem to say this every year, but I'd really like to finish the rough draft in 2015 (no matter how shitty it is) and then revise the hell out of it. *g*

Comments

[crimsoncorundum]

Happy New Year back!

Thanks for sharing the cute pics of your cats. :) Mine run away when I pick up my phone so I never get any good ones of them.

I can see that you're happy about your Christmas presents. Very cool stuff. :) I'm not that familiar with Samsung gadgets but I assume you can download Kindle and Wattpad apps and so on?

And hey - don't knock blatant materialism... I'm guilty of that too. You need to turn to something to keep your spirits up, especially during the winter. :)

Finally, that's great news about your writing. Good luck. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you'll win the story contest. I hope I can finish some of my stories too this year. Actually, I don't know why I don't write more (or read more) - oh, never mind. I will get round to it soon. I know I will. :)

[rusty_armour]

Happy New Year back!

Thanks for sharing the cute pics of your cats. :) Mine run away when I pick up my phone so I never get any good ones of them.

I'm glad you like the pictures! :-) I can sympathize with struggles to get cat photos. You may have noticed that I took that first photo when their backs were turned... *g*

I can see that you're happy about your Christmas presents. Very cool stuff. :) I'm not that familiar with Samsung gadgets but I assume you can download Kindle and Wattpad apps and so on?

You'd be absolutely right about the Kindle and Wattpad apps. I saw and downloaded them both. *g* I just haven't really had a chance to explore them much. Actually, I've got a lot of physical (as opposed to digital) reading material to consume, so I'm trying to put off downloading any e-books just yet.

And hey - don't knock blatant materialism... I'm guilty of that too. You need to turn to something to keep your spirits up, especially during the winter. :)

That's true. I'm sure that prezzies like my tablet will help keep my spirits up this winter. I just don't want to seem like I'm bragging or spending the holidays focusing on presents alone. *g*

Finally, that's great news about your writing. Good luck. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you'll win the story contest.

Oh, thank you! That's very kind of you! :-D I'm not likely to win, but the contest is a good incentive to churn out short stories. I submitted one last year that I'm planning to revise and publish (if possible).

I hope I can finish some of my stories too this year.

I hope so too! It would be wonderful if you could! :-D

Actually, I don't know why I don't write more (or read more) - oh, never mind. I will get round to it soon. I know I will. :)

I know exactly what you mean, though, in my case, it's usually for the following reasons: lack of time, lack of courage, lack of discipline and laziness. However, it's not always easy to be motivated or have confidence in yourself. It can really be a struggle sometimes and all you can do is try to push through it.

Of course, sometimes you just fall off the horse and/or need a break from writing. I know how passionate you are about your craft, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you get back to it. :-D