My Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 29th, 2017 08:06 pmHad a great Thanksgiving break, all things considered. Got to hang out with my cats and also ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
melydia's cats. Dinner with parents was delightful (sister & her husband stayed in Colorado, because they're coming out in December for Christmas and can stay longer then).
On Friday, I woke up and wrote. Then I took care of cats. Then I wrote. Then I fed my cats. Then I went to Panera for a write-in and, yeah, wrote. I got to 50,000 words on my NaNo project, which is a motorcycle road trip with Ace & Pit from Strokes. The story is not done, but I feel good about some of the chapters. And I got to meet Pit's family, which was a fun surprise. Apart from a brief mention of Marty's mother's figurine collection and meeting Coyote's horrible step siblings, we haven't seen much of families outside the house (Olly's sister, neice, and brother-in-law don't count, because I consider them part of the core group, especially Maylyn). Anyway, I've been trying to write this story for YEARS and now it's finally sort of written.
I haven't started giftfics yet, except for three of them in my head. Scenes keep rushing around. I'm hoping to get a good start on them this week.
I went to Build-a-Bear on Saturday withcowboyguy and had the BEST TIME. I love being in my thirties and geeking out over stuffed animals and not feeling like a freak. Anyway, I ended up making a simply adorable bear I named Morgan. He's got a motorcycle hoodie in honor of my NaNo project this year. But he's also got a super warm gray hoodie and ripped jeans and is the perfect hurt/comfort-themed buddy.
It was also the afternoon of "questionable but probably bad choices that we do not regret" or something like that. The geek at the build-a-bear checkout told us to not regret anything, and so we didn't. (I call him a geek only because he stood there listing every Star Trek cast member he had ever met at a convention. This man was one of us, truly). We bought way too many wonderful things there. We also bought a lot of candy at this adorable store that had old fashioned candy and bulk candy and international candy. I bought a couple things as Christmas gifts and ended up with a free tiny, stuffed bear. WIN! So now Morgan has his own teddy bear to cuddle.
We went to Barnes & Noble where I bought three signed editions from their Black Friday shelves/piles. I also bought a Fantastic Beasts Tina figure, because I keep regretting not having her as part of the collection, and she was only $5. The book I was hoping for most wasn't there. But I'm thrilled about the others--Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, and Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I am kind of in love with Jason Reynolds, even though I've only read one of his books and own two others I haven't read. That one I have read, All American Boys, was what I was reading when the Charlottesville thing happened, and it really helped me cope with the fucked up state of race relations and personal/cultural assumptions and racism out there. I thanked him on Twitter and he liked my tweet, so I know he read it. He was actually at a local book store doing a signing at the very same time I was buying the book. I felt bad, it being small business Saturday, but next time he's in town, I'll have to have made a point of reading more than just the one book before I fangirl all over him embarrassingly.
Then we had dinner at the Shake Shack that has the BEST portobello mushroom burger I have ever tasted in my life. This thing was heavenly. I had a chocolate peppermint shake too, which was delicious, as expected. We sat outside in a strange space where there was a rainbow Christmas tree lit up, a giant wooden ship for children to play on, fake grass I had trouble walking on, and metal bird statues that kept surprising me as they were perched on the ground or on benches as though they were real. It was all kind of surreal. But I love spending time with cowboyguy in any capacity. And that burger. I'm telling you, it was amazing!
On Sunday, I did some online shopping. Then I went to a mall and got thoroughly depressed trying on 15-20 things I'm too fat for or that look horrible. I finally found a few suits, though, so that's good. I bought a bunch of Christmas presents for coworkers and my parents--so I'm pretty well done with them already! I just need presents for my sister & brother-in-law and then I'll be done. I also went back to build-a-bear (yes, on back-to-back days) and bought $60 worth of clothes for a future bear and some sunglasses for Morgan, so he can look cool when riding the motorcycle I didn't buy him because what am I going to do with a $25 motorcycle? (Yes, see, I'm trying to talk myself out of buying it still).
So, yeah. I didn't do any cleaning (my house gets INSANELY BAD during November, because I don't do anything but write all month). And I'm already freaking out about having 3 winter parties in the same week next week, two of which I'm hosting and the third of which I have to register books for still. AHHHH! But I'll get through it somehow.
Also, I started earreading the new David Sedaris book, Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002. He has an AMAZING diary/journaling style. I wish I could do that--I wish I could find the moment in a day where things felt most real or I felt most present and record it/describe it the way he does with such impact. He's so aware and manages to word things in such a unique way. I love it.
Last, I bought a Jughead cosplay hat from Hot Topic. My dearest desire right now is to put it on and take a selfie with a sign that's near my workplace. Because I work in Riverdale. And that would just be the best. But it also requires walking a bit of a way from the place I am allowed to park and looking weird while trying to take a selfie on a phone that isn't made for selfies (no front camera). So... it is still a dream, not a reality at this point.
Oh, also, I may have bought FOUR plaid shirts this month. I've decided that's going to be my style again. I went through a HUGE plaid shirt phase in middle school/high school. It's pretty much all I wore. I still have 3 from back then. But, I've decided, I'm bringing it back. Also, one of the new ones I bought is Harry Potter-related. The other three are Supernatural (and one was $60 from the Hillywood Show... which means it was more expensive than each one of the three suits I bought on Sunday. Questionable choices indeed).
melydia's cats. Dinner with parents was delightful (sister & her husband stayed in Colorado, because they're coming out in December for Christmas and can stay longer then). On Friday, I woke up and wrote. Then I took care of cats. Then I wrote. Then I fed my cats. Then I went to Panera for a write-in and, yeah, wrote. I got to 50,000 words on my NaNo project, which is a motorcycle road trip with Ace & Pit from Strokes. The story is not done, but I feel good about some of the chapters. And I got to meet Pit's family, which was a fun surprise. Apart from a brief mention of Marty's mother's figurine collection and meeting Coyote's horrible step siblings, we haven't seen much of families outside the house (Olly's sister, neice, and brother-in-law don't count, because I consider them part of the core group, especially Maylyn). Anyway, I've been trying to write this story for YEARS and now it's finally sort of written.
I haven't started giftfics yet, except for three of them in my head. Scenes keep rushing around. I'm hoping to get a good start on them this week.
I went to Build-a-Bear on Saturday with
cowboyguy and had the BEST TIME. I love being in my thirties and geeking out over stuffed animals and not feeling like a freak. Anyway, I ended up making a simply adorable bear I named Morgan. He's got a motorcycle hoodie in honor of my NaNo project this year. But he's also got a super warm gray hoodie and ripped jeans and is the perfect hurt/comfort-themed buddy. It was also the afternoon of "questionable but probably bad choices that we do not regret" or something like that. The geek at the build-a-bear checkout told us to not regret anything, and so we didn't. (I call him a geek only because he stood there listing every Star Trek cast member he had ever met at a convention. This man was one of us, truly). We bought way too many wonderful things there. We also bought a lot of candy at this adorable store that had old fashioned candy and bulk candy and international candy. I bought a couple things as Christmas gifts and ended up with a free tiny, stuffed bear. WIN! So now Morgan has his own teddy bear to cuddle.
We went to Barnes & Noble where I bought three signed editions from their Black Friday shelves/piles. I also bought a Fantastic Beasts Tina figure, because I keep regretting not having her as part of the collection, and she was only $5. The book I was hoping for most wasn't there. But I'm thrilled about the others--Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, and Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I am kind of in love with Jason Reynolds, even though I've only read one of his books and own two others I haven't read. That one I have read, All American Boys, was what I was reading when the Charlottesville thing happened, and it really helped me cope with the fucked up state of race relations and personal/cultural assumptions and racism out there. I thanked him on Twitter and he liked my tweet, so I know he read it. He was actually at a local book store doing a signing at the very same time I was buying the book. I felt bad, it being small business Saturday, but next time he's in town, I'll have to have made a point of reading more than just the one book before I fangirl all over him embarrassingly.
Then we had dinner at the Shake Shack that has the BEST portobello mushroom burger I have ever tasted in my life. This thing was heavenly. I had a chocolate peppermint shake too, which was delicious, as expected. We sat outside in a strange space where there was a rainbow Christmas tree lit up, a giant wooden ship for children to play on, fake grass I had trouble walking on, and metal bird statues that kept surprising me as they were perched on the ground or on benches as though they were real. It was all kind of surreal. But I love spending time with cowboyguy in any capacity. And that burger. I'm telling you, it was amazing!
On Sunday, I did some online shopping. Then I went to a mall and got thoroughly depressed trying on 15-20 things I'm too fat for or that look horrible. I finally found a few suits, though, so that's good. I bought a bunch of Christmas presents for coworkers and my parents--so I'm pretty well done with them already! I just need presents for my sister & brother-in-law and then I'll be done. I also went back to build-a-bear (yes, on back-to-back days) and bought $60 worth of clothes for a future bear and some sunglasses for Morgan, so he can look cool when riding the motorcycle I didn't buy him because what am I going to do with a $25 motorcycle? (Yes, see, I'm trying to talk myself out of buying it still).
So, yeah. I didn't do any cleaning (my house gets INSANELY BAD during November, because I don't do anything but write all month). And I'm already freaking out about having 3 winter parties in the same week next week, two of which I'm hosting and the third of which I have to register books for still. AHHHH! But I'll get through it somehow.
Also, I started earreading the new David Sedaris book, Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002. He has an AMAZING diary/journaling style. I wish I could do that--I wish I could find the moment in a day where things felt most real or I felt most present and record it/describe it the way he does with such impact. He's so aware and manages to word things in such a unique way. I love it.
Last, I bought a Jughead cosplay hat from Hot Topic. My dearest desire right now is to put it on and take a selfie with a sign that's near my workplace. Because I work in Riverdale. And that would just be the best. But it also requires walking a bit of a way from the place I am allowed to park and looking weird while trying to take a selfie on a phone that isn't made for selfies (no front camera). So... it is still a dream, not a reality at this point.
Oh, also, I may have bought FOUR plaid shirts this month. I've decided that's going to be my style again. I went through a HUGE plaid shirt phase in middle school/high school. It's pretty much all I wore. I still have 3 from back then. But, I've decided, I'm bringing it back. Also, one of the new ones I bought is Harry Potter-related. The other three are Supernatural (and one was $60 from the Hillywood Show... which means it was more expensive than each one of the three suits I bought on Sunday. Questionable choices indeed).
