Fall 2008 Playlist - Anna

I know, I know, three posts in one week. Actually, while I was writing the last post I was already planning to write this one.

I love playlists. I make one for every season, and damn if I don't go back to previous playlists and totally REMEMBER what it was like during those months. There are memories encoded in those mp3s, y'all.

Anyway, I just got started on Fall 2008 and I thought I'd share with you what's on it so far. Anyone else who does this, feel free to share as well.

1. Dispatch - The General
2. Adele - Tired
3. Adele - Chasing Pavements
4. Fort Minor - Remember the Name
5. Shakira and Beyonce - Beautiful Liar
6. Pink Martini - Sympathique (note: this song is in French)
7. Korn - Word Up!
8. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
9. Pink - So What
10. Amy MacDonald - This Is the Life
11. Little Jackie - The Stoop (note: this is a free iTunes download until Tuesday, October 7!)
12. Christina Aguilera - Keeps Getting Better
13. The Killers - Human
14. Lady Ga Ga - Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
15. Vampire Weekend - Ottooman
16. The Jerk Offs - Screw the Man
17. Lady Ga Ga - Just Dance
18. Neil Young - Long May You Run

The Procrastination Station

That is what my desk has become. I told myself I was going to finish editing Murder Burger, my second book, by tonight. I really want to send it off to my agent so that she can read it (or at least some of it) before I see her on Friday (unlike most agents, who live in New York, Joanna lives in Chicago), when we're having lunch with my editor and drinks after work. It'll be easier to talk about it if she's seen it, and anyway I'd like her feedback so I can address any major issues before sending it to my editor to look at at the end of October.

Seriously, I really planned to edit it this weekend. But as of now, I'm 140 pages in to a 288 page manuscript, and so far I haven't made any big changes. I don't know if this is because the book is so much better than All Unquiet Things, or if it's just because AUT was so complicated (two narrators, two chronologies, mystery elements, etc. etc.) and by comparison MB is so simple (one narrator, no flashbacks, etc.), or if it's because I didn't actually do a detailed synopsis of AUT before I wrote it and spent a lot of time smoothing over inaccuracies or changing plot points but I DID do a detailed synopsis for MB. MB just seems...better somehow? But I don't know, I could be totally, totally off.

Anyway, yesterday I did everything but edit. I watched three episodes of Dexter and an episode and a half of Pushing Daisies (Netflixed, natch). I fucked around on the Internet. I read some of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I did a load of laundry. I downloaded music (the Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack, which is amazingly awesome especially the new Vampire Weekend song "Ottoman", and a couple of songs by Lady Ga Ga, who everybody should check out). EVERYTHING BUT WRITE. Then I went out to watch the USC game with Cambria, Nikki, Jenny and Eric at a bar and got wasted and didn't get home until 2. Because I'm a class act.

Today I did do a little bit of writing, but I also finished up the disc of Pushing Daisies I have and read some more and downloaded some more music (actually, I just imported the Titanic soundtrack and Jenny Lewis' first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat, from CDs my coworkers had made me) and fucked around some more on the Internet. Then I went to NEW JERSEY FOR GOD'S SAKE to have Chili's with Jenny and a sadly hungover Cambria, who was more wasted than I was last night and didn't get home until 4:30 AM. What crazy New York lives we lead! Ahem, not really, we are losers.

So now I'm thinking I might not finish editing by tonight, which is really too bad. I poorly prioritized this weekend. But at least USC beat Oregon! Which should've been a foregone conclusion, really, but you know what happened last week with Oregon State, so...Also, I saw Chris March, the big lovable guy from Season 4 of Project Runway (the same season as Christian "Fierce" Siriano), again last night! He just walked right past us while we were standing outside Galway Hooker, the USC bar on 36th Street. I wonder if he lives nearby. I saw him a week ago at Cognac on 55th and Broadway when I was having lunch with my editor--he was eating with a friend right behind her! I think he's stalking me.

Sigh. Here's hoping I get my revisions done by tonight. Also, I just ate my Chili's leftovers, which I really should've saved for later in the evening. Oh well. Welcome back, thirteen pounds I lost over the summer--I have not missed you, and you are not welcome here.

I miss YOU GUYS though. So excited for Thanksgiving. Holla!

Nobody reads these blog post titles anyway, right?

So, as Carrie rightfully pointed out in her last post, things have been a bit...shall we say quiet around here as of late? And the funny thing is I think we actually posted more when there weren't a ton of things going on in our lives. Navel gazing is funny like that.

Anyway, big things have been afoot! I was just glancing at my goals list, that "25 things to do before I turn 25" thing, and I've actually managed to complete some of them, especially the big ones. Observe:

1. Read 80 books (I'm at 51 right now; I don't know how many I'll actually get to, it being October, but, well, we'll see.)
2. Redesign my blog (Eric is "working" on this, and when I say "working" I mean "not working on it at all because Jenny is visiting")
3. Get an agent
4. Get a book deal (ha!)
5. Finish my next book
6. Go on a date
7. Go to California
8. Go on an interview
9. Get a review published in Contrary (I'm pretty sure this is never going to happen, because the editor of Contrary blew me off months ago.)
10. Go to Chicago (Sadly, this will not happen before my birthday, but it will happen right afterwards if I have my way.)
11. Save $300 (The advance will pretty much make me go way beyond this.)
12. Pay off half my credit card debt (I'm planning on paying off all of it with my advance money.)
13. Send birthday cards to all my close friends before their birthdays! (fugged this up, maybe next year)
14. Write 1 letter a month and actually send it (again, maybe next year)
15. Get a raise (I'm hoping this will happen on my jobiversary in November)
16. Volunteer for Seeds of Peace (I just submitted a volunteer form online today)
17. Go to Boston (I guess not this year, no time)
18. Attend a concert
19. Attend a Broadway musical
20. Do at least one thing in each of the boroughs (Well, I've done this if you don't count Staten Island. If you do, I probably won't make it this year)
21. Lose 10 pounds (to start!) (YAR! 13 pounds and counting!)
22. Go to Atlantic City (did you know all the properties in Monopoly are named after Atlantic City streets?) (I, uh, don't even really want to do this anymore. AC is expensive!)
23. Cook real meals (I do this sometimes)
24. Go to a book signing for an author I really love (I'm going to give this to myself right now, since I'm planning on going to John Green's October 16 signing in New York)
25. Um, I guess this one's for me? Because I'm a lemming? (To tell you the truth, I have no idea what this one is. Whoops!)

Now, perhaps I should back-back-back it up a little. Book deal? "Ha!" as I said. Except that actually happened a few weeks ago. My lovely agent was able to sell my graduate school thesis (a young adult novel) in a two-book deal to Delacorte, an imprint of Random House. Very exciting, I know. I've already got a second book done, but now I have to edit it so my editor can see it and make a decision of which book to debut with (I'm going to take bets right now, and my money's on the first book, AUT). So I'm hoping to finish that this weekend and then send it to my agent on Monday so that she can read and comment so that I can incorporate her changes and then send it off to my editor in a few weeks. I'll probably get my editorial letter from my editor on the first book by Thanksgiving, so I'll probably be really frantic and ridiculous at Thanksgiving. Get excited!

So that's my news. Anyone else have any? MAGGIE PERHAPS?!

Anyone here?

Hello *echos*

Wow, who died in this place? lol

So no one has written in a long time. Everyone must have super busy and important lives. ;-) Anywho, I will update you all with what's happened with me:

1. New Job
I'm in my 4th week at Epsilon Systems Solutions, a defense contractor in Mission Valley. Good company, good people...by jove I think I've got it! It's a totally different industry for me so I am definitely learning a lot. I hope to get busier as I learn more about contracting. Oh and if you rolled your eyes when I said "defense contractor", yeah I understand, damn military won't leave me alone!

2. Navy
A few of you might not know this, but I am pursuing joining the Navy. I haven't decided if I will apply for Officer Candidate School or if I will join the reserves as an officer, but I am 99.9% sure it will be either or. I've taken the aptitude test, though, my recruiter has suggested I take it again; I shall. A lot of studying has to be done for me to get a competitive score, so wish me luck on that. I'd like to give my current job a chance, but I can't escape this call I have to join. I may just end up joining anyway. It's going to be a process, so don't think I will ship out to boot camp next week. I am putting myself on a training plan, which the Navy suggests for at least 6 months. I don't plan on dying 9or being humilated) at OCS, so working out regularly has got to happen. I'll keep you updated.

3. Church
I've found myself re-committing to church, finding a small group, getting my life right again with the Big Guy. I'm trying out a new small group on Thursday,
CO-ED...wish me luck (I'm nervous). I don't want to sound preachy or anything, but reading the Bible has really helped with all this frustration and pain the last week. I've felt very spiritually disconnected the last year or so and I am using my recent experience to draw closer. I'm pretty excited actually. :-)

Anywho, that's a brief rundown of me. I'd love to hear from you girls, I think about you a lot. Oh and Congrads Anna, I just found out about your big news!!!! I always knew you could do it - for serious. ;-)

Love you all!

Kim blogging? No way...

Hello all!!!

It's been approx. forever since I've blogged and I wanted to give you all an update on my life!

I don't normally blog unless something interesting has happened in my life, and since nothing fascinating has happened recently, I decided I just need to write about my boring life.

So...since I last posted...(which btw was June 10)...the following things have happened:

1. My friend Michael came to visit! Which was absolutely amazing. I'm so glad that I still keep in touch with him, since everyone else in my grad program has decided to completely ignore me. (whatever...I don't do the best job keeping in touch with them either...)

2. We went to NYC to visit Brizzle and Oh Henry David Not Thoreau. Jenny and I had a blasty in New York and I want to go back...like tomorrow. Unfortunately I won't have the money to go back until probably next July. The 4S reunion was amazing. I absolutely love spending time with everyone and I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving.



3. Maggie had a birthday! I went up for bowling and dinner for Maggie's 25th and had a great time! I played as Huebert, in honor of the that song Cambria and I finished for H&P The Musical while in NY.



4. Book Club. We read "The Corrections", which is an amazing book. You all should read it if you get the chance. And after bookclub, Maggie and I went and saw The X-Files movie, which was also good.

5. Work, work, and more work.

6. Eric came to visit Jenny! And I luckily got to see him as well.

7. Colorado! Dani and I went to visit Shannon in CO!



8. Work, work, and more work.

That's about it!

Work has been stressful (to put it gently). A lot of my fun coworkers have left (and the rest that I'm close with will probably be gone by my birthday), which makes going to work painful. But, the students start next week (in fact, today was the first day of Panhellenic Recruitment Counselor training!) so I'm glad to have them back! Our grad took a full time job at USD, which means I am also doing her job currently as well. I was at work until 8pm tonight, the first of many late nights!

I'm looking forward to it being my birthday, because it means that recruitment will be over, and Thanksgiving will only be two months away!

On a personal note: I'm doing Weight Watchers again and I've lost 12 pounds! I'm hoping to keep going! Here's to 10% by November 1! :) (that's my goal)

Miss you all terribly. (Except Jenny, who I see regularly...)

PS. I'm glad that Joe Biden has helped Bri realize that Delaware actually DOES exist.

Now with thought bubbles!

Just some mid-afternoon Picniking. Click for the big picture.

This is why we're hot

I post this only because A. it's really funny and B. mine is BY FAR the ugliest.