Things I've learned about Nano this week

1. The first 500 words are the hardest, at least for me. But once I get past that, get the ball rolling, it just becomes easier.

2. Cats are terrible at taking dictation.

3. If I can't have Storyist, then Scrivener is a passable substitute.

4. I can't write and watch TV anymore. And writing with music is now a distraction as well. When did I get so old that I can only concentrate on one task at a time?

5. I Write Like is highly addictive. And when it tells me that I write like an author I dislike, it gives me motivation to up my word count and change up my dialogue and writing style to try to get a different response.

6. I've forgotten what sleep is. 

Annual Blogroll Rundown

It's been a few months since the last time I shared the new additions to my blog subscriptions with you all (Don't mind that list in the sidebar. It hasn't been updated in a while, and the actual list is far longer). So, if you're looking for something extra to read, here are my suggestions:

Knitting/Design:
Five Cats from Crazy Knitting and cats. Need I say more?
Pink Lemon Twist More knitting and the occasional kitty. Also, water balloons.
Knitting to Stay Sane 'Nuff said.
Stefanie Japel Knits Because I'm not just an author stalker. I'm a design stalker, too.
Ridiculous Knits The newest addition to my blog reader, this one has some great knits and a whole lot of sarcasm.

Art Nails:
Paint All The Nails! Mostly just inspiration shots.
Nails by Kayla Shevonne Inspiration as well as tutorials--and some downright amazing manicures.

Conservation/Art:
Ohio Archaeology The blog for the Archaeology department of the Ohio Historical Society.
Inside the Conservator's Art Because I'm a freak who thinks piecing together a shattered, crumbling, 3500 year old copper ewer sounds like fun.
Restorient While the project is now finished, this blog chronicles the conservation of two Japanese scrolls by the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin, Ireland (well worth a visit if you're in the area!).

Writing/Authors/Publishing:
Angie's Desk Written by one of the Torquere editors, this blog was pointed out to me by Missouri Dalton (whose writer and personal blogs can be found here and here), this blog features a monthly post of open anthology markets, and great information for writers the rest of the time.


Other:
Texts from Dog Imagine that someone taught Marmaduke to use an iPhone. Yeah, it's kind of like that.
Single Dad Laughing I don't like children. I have no intention of ever having them. But the daily posts on this blog are usually humorous and almost always touching. Share the love, man.
Reasoning with Vampires Tired of Twilight? Dana breaks down both the grammatical mistakes made in this book and why Edward Cullen is creepy and why no teenage girl should ever use Bella Swan as a role model.

Loose Ends

1. It's official: I will be attending the Steampunk Symposium in Cincinnati next month. Costumes are mandatory, and I suspect that a typewriter and possibly my spinning wheel will be tagging along.

2. I have become addicted to a Canadian series called The Murdoch Mysteries. As far as I know, it doesn't air here in the states, so I've been watching it on Netflix, but only season 1 is available on streaming. I might just break down and buy the boxed sets, though I was rather unhappy to discover that even though 6 seasons have aired, only 3 have been released on DVD and season 4, for some reason, is only being released as a region 2 DVD set. Frustrating.

3. I finished Missouri's embroidery project last night, but have not been home during daylight hours, so I haven't gotten a good picture of it yet. Maybe this weekend.

4. I really enjoyed doing that series on writing. As you might have noticed, it made it easier to for me to focus my thoughts. So if there's something else you want to hear about, let me know.

Mabel

Currently reading: Proven Guilty
In the DVD player: Iron Jawed Angels

I've been going through my extensive film library, trying to compile a list of movies and tv shows that include typewriters, and the makes and models where possible. Last night I got to watch one of my favorites: Iron Jawed Angels. For starters, the story is fabulous and made more so that it is based on the plight of real women leading the suffragist movement. Add to that a wonderful cast and some of my favorite film costumes of all time, and you've really got a winner.

One of my favorite character in the film has always been Brooke Smith's character, Mabel Vernon. When we are first introduced to her in the film, she says that she became friends with Alice Paul when they played hockey together at school (one of my favorite sports in gym class). Her costume usually involves a necktie, which I'm rather fond of on women, particularly when combined with Victorian era dresses. In the film, Mabel is the one people go to to find out what is going on, what the latest news is. She also seems to spend a good deal of her screen time battling with various pieces of office equipment, most notably the typewriter in her introduction scene.

The movie has another point of interest in that there are some really nice pieces of knitwear in it. (I choose to ignore the hideous, fringed, mustard yellow sweater Mabel dons at one point. We're all allowed to have an off day, fashion wise, and most of her friends were in prison at the time. Though come to think of it, that looks more like macrame or something than it does knitting.)

There are two typewriters that are featured in the film. The first is an Underwood that lives on Alice Paul's desk and is used to type all of her memos and editorials. It looks like a portable to me, but I can't seem to identify it (I'm still not good at identifying typewriters by sight. Sigh). The second is a Royal. It's also small enough that it looks like a portable, but it's hard for me to be sure.

I will be adding a page to the sidebar to list movies/television shows and the typewriters they contain at some point in the future (but not today). I want to make a similar list for typewriters in literature at some point as well.

Travel Tuesday: Being Sick Abroad

I'm not feeling so hot today, so I though I'd do a little travel blog to cheer myself up and share some of my experiences of being sick abroad. I'm one of those people that seems to get sick every time I leave the house, so I've got plenty of experience to draw from :)

A little disclaimer: I do mention a few specific medications and products in this list; please remember that this list comes from my personal experience only, and that you shouldn't take any medication without talking to your doctor first, and that I'm not a health professional or qualified to make direct recommendations in any way. This is just what I've found to be useful.

This is written from the perspective of an American abroad, but if you're traveling to the US a lot of the information could still come in handy.

• Something I always mean to do but forget: Take a multivitamin or at least a vitamin C pill starting at least a week before the trip, so that it can build up in the immune system. Travel weakens your immune system (between the stress, crappy airline food, close quarters, and the not sleeping), and trains, planes, taxis, and airports are basically giant petri dishes.
  
  
• Wash and sanitize your hands frequently to prevent illness, especially in unfamiliar places where you haven't had a chance to build up an immunity to the local bugs (what is considered the common cold in Florence always knocks me flat on my back. Don't assume that "the flu" is the same thing everywhere, because trust me, it ain't).
  
  
• Airport friendly, multifunction first aide kit: hand sanitizer (travel size), band aides, antibiotic cream (3 oz tube or smaller), ibprophen, and, in my case, Midol (you really don't want me to travel without it, trust me). I've never had any problems with this kit passing airline inspection. The hand sanitizer (especially if it's the spray-on kind) is basically pure alcohol so if I get a cut, say, putting my suitcase in the luggage rack on the train, I can disinfect it, put on the antibiotic barrier, and put a bandage on it. Yes, the hand sanitizer stings like a bitch but it gets the job done.
  
  I like the anti-inflammatory properties of ibprophen over other OTC pain killers, but that's my preference. If you can't take it, don't bring it, and again, consult your doctor.
  
  
• If I'm going abroad, I'll take my allergy medicines regardless of the season, since you never know how foreign pollen or changes in latitude will affect you. I also take one before I get on the plane because my ears don't pop and this helps with the pressure (but that's a subject for a different post). I've also learned to bring at least one or two doses of my preferred cold medicine with me (see #2).
  
  
  
• Keep all medicines in their original containers (even OTC meds and vitamins) or print off the drug facts from the manufacturers website website. That way, if you run out of say, DayQuil (as I did) you can just hand the page to the pharmacist and they'll be able to find a suitable substitute. This usually works, even if you don't speak the same language. If you need a prescription, though, I'd talk to a doctor (see below).
  
  
  
• Most guidebooks have a quick-ref in the back on how to say words like "doctor", "headache," or "vomit." Take it with you, just in case the specific medication you're looking for isn't available in the country your visiting. It is my experience that EU pharmacists are more helpful than American ones when it comes to recommending products for colds and every day ailments--so long as you at least attempt to speak their native tongue. Usually if you can at least describe your symptoms, they can tell you what's wrong and what might help.
  
  
• Most hotel or hostel (or university, if you're studying abroad) front desks can provide you with a list of the nearest English language pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals upon request. You can also check with tourism offices, as they sometimes are linked to clinics that offer low-cost services to travelers, even if uninsured.
  
  
• Lastly, don't overdo it. Relax. You're on vacation. Give yourself time to recover from strenuous activity.

I'm going to go take my own advice and lay down for a little bit. Happy trails!

Okay, so I lied about the knitting content.

It works!! So now I'll just stick the typewriter posts in as scans, and you can skip down to the knitting bits if you so desire. Just click on the images to make them bigger/readable.





Since the ribbons got here about two weeks (!!) before I was expecting them, I don't have a lot to say on the knitting front. There just hasn't been time for much because of the holidays (probably could have finished that sweater front last night if I'd had my knitting at the hospital. Darn). So, even though it's typewriter related and not knitting, here's a kitty fix for you. Hermes love the cover almost as much as I love the typewriter. Now that Henry is working, Hermes decided to get to know him a little better:

Semester Stats

Days until finals: 2
Number of hours spent studying: 0
Number of thesis pages written (10 due): 2.5
Outlines completed: 1 of 1
Exams taken: 1
Grade received: "A/A-" (What does that mean, anyway? It's one or the other.)
Days left in the semester: 5
Novels finished: 2
Novels started: 2
Books read: 18
Cities visited: 4
Pictures taken: 1,320
Items knit: 3 donation hats, 1 hat to keep, 2 doll outfits, 1 laptop cover
Photos of knit items taken: 0, except for one of the doll outfits
Illnesses contracted and recovered from: 3
Days until departure: 9
Days until arrival: 10
Packing left: all of it
Final assignments completed: 7 of 9 (hang on. Geek girl moment. ....Okay, you can move on now.)
Number of times the list of assignments due has changed in the past two weeks: 6 (so those last two assignments? Not getting done. Can't do them, because I didn't know I was supposed to)
Nerves frayed: All of them

And now I shall distract you with knitwear while I try to finish some of the items on my list.

The World Tour

This is a list I've had for a few years now, though its expanded greatly since last semester. The premise is this: Alice and I have become published, famous authors. We're going on a book tour, and can pick some (well, I guess more like ALL the cities) that we visit. We're each taking our mothers along. This is a list of the cities, and why I want to go there/what I want to do once we're there. It is arranged in this way: flying from Columbus, we stop first at City 1 (Toronto). From there, we fly to City 2, etc, until we've gone all the way around the world and end up back in Columbus. Hm. Well, I guess my geography is a little off, but whatever.

And just for the record, none of the three of them have ever seen this list.

The World Tour--Cities I want to visit and what to do there.
Beaches and shopping are a given.

1. Toronto--take pictures of sites used on Blood Ties, Henry's street.
2. Montreal--China Town, and all the other wonderful places there. Jazz and Comedy festivals. See more of the Reso.
3. Newfoundland--Just sounds like a cute, relaxed place.
4. New York City--Do I really need to say?
5. Pennellville--explore the city named after my family
6. Dublin--Because it's Irish.
7. Belfast--same as above
8. Cardiff-- Millenum Center. Try to find the "invisible lift" to Torchwood. Look like dorks. Take a picture of the BBC studio where Torchwood and Dr. Who are filmed.
9. Edinburgh--because it's one of the most wonderful places in the world and one week is not enough time. Go to JK Rowling's cafe, and explore other parts of the city.
10. Bath--because it's terribly haunted and historical and sounds like a lot of fun.
11. London--Go to West End performance, preferably one involving John Barrowman, Dan Radcliff, or David Tennant. Get good seats and act like fangirls. Get good British Tea. Walk down the street where Rowling lives.
12. Paris--Duh. Go to latin Quarter. Sit in a book store and drink tea all afternoon. Go to one of the free afternoon fashion shows. Go in June when everything is on sale.
13. Montpellier--a nice quiet place to relax.
14. Nimes--historical value.
15. Chartre--The Castles. The view.
16. Milan--Fashion show.
17. Rome--picnic in the Roman Forum. Spend more time on certain things.
18. Pompeii--follow Mom's lead.
19. Berlin--Follow Ashley and her mom
20. Hamburg--same as above
21. Budapest--take pictures of the stuff that was in Blood and Chocolate
22. Athens--Send the moms somewhere else and go worship in an ancient temple.
23. Beijing--Just explore.
24. Hong Kong--same as above
25. Okinawa--hot springs.
26. Osaka--explore.
27. Kyoto--historical sites. Cherry blossoms.
28. Tokyo--Akihibara, Harujuku,
29. Sydney--go to a performance at the Opera House. Beaches. Learn to surf. Avoid Vegimite.
30. New Zealand--Snowboard?
31. Honululu--Duh again. Beaches, hello.
32. LA--live like a rock star for one week.
33. Vancouver--a quiet place to recover. Explore. Look for things from Tony's books.
34. Houston--go to an ADV Cattle Call.
35. Chicago--Sneak off on own and go to American Girl Place. Apply for job (Hi. Geek. Loved those books when I was a kid).
36. Atlanta--history
37. Daytona--need I say?
38. Ft. Peirce--Is there really anything there except Aunt Connie and Uncle Neil? (by the way, my aunt, a cancer survivor, recently published a book. It's good. Go read it.)
39. Bahammas--Duh.
40. Savannah--historical value. Ghosts.
41. Williamsburg--just for the cheesy fun of it. Go in costume for extra dork value.
42. DC--visit all the places the school made us too late to visit. Go to a performance in Ford's Theater.

I Have Been Remiss

That adorable little demon is Hermes, our almost six month old kitten Alice and I (well, technically, just me) picked up as an end-of-term, we-made-it-through present to ourselves. He is utterly adorable, even when he's doing something he shouldn't (like sticking his head in our water glasses, which he does every chance he gets. Our dishes have doubled since we got him). He's absolutely spoiled rotten, and about the sweetest thing you ever saw.

He's deffinately a writer/knitter's cat. His favorite toys include: Yarn, Whatever I'm knitting, knitting needles, and pencils/pens. If you leave a book open and it doesn't lie flat, he'll swat the pages. If they do lay flat, then he'll lay on top of them. He's extremely cute, even when he's swatting me in face at six am because he thinks it's time for breakfast. He's the only cat I've had/lived with that gets spoiled this bad--a can of cat food in the morning and then dry through the day. We've had to ration him because he's a little piglet. We thought that the bag of dry food was up out of the way, but Alice walked into the laundry room to find him inside the bag. His whole body.

Oh, and he doesn't meow unless he's scared (like in the car). Otherwise, he squeaks or trills.

God is he cute.

Anyway, I've been remiss in other things, not just sharing photos. I figured I'd share my New Years Resolutions/Goals with you all.

Resolutions are things that take a lot of work and are intended to be life-long habits. Goals are things that while they might take a lot of work, can be checked off a list as "done" at some point.

Resolutions
1. Update the blog at least twice a week.
2. Journal at least three times a week.
3. Keep better track of finances
4. Work out a little (just stretches, sit ups, etc) every morning (well, except mornings I have to up super early. So about five times a week).
5. Update Etsy shop twice a month.
6. Eat Healthier (starting this afternoon. Chunky Monkey is a good breakfast right? I has dairy, nuts, and bananas in it. Right? RIGHT?)
7. Go to the Y more and get in shape.

Okay, so maybe 4, 6, and 7 could be combined, but whatever.

Goals
1. Finish/polish Fortuna Mulibris and send to a publisher.
2. Submit at least one short story to a magazine.
3. Save enough money for a down payment plus two months lease on a Toyota Yaris.
4. Get health and car insurance. (Stupid family plan runs out in May, when I graduate. Which means I get to spend spring break having my wisdom teeth removed. What joy.)
5. Read 52 books (three down so far, and I'm reading four at the moment).
6. Graduate with Honors.
7. Make Presidents list (3.4 gpa) for second half of senior year
8. Make thesis show a success.
9. Go someplace on my list. (there are 42 places in the world that I want to visit. It shouldn't be hard to pick one and go there)
10. Either go to grad school (probably Miami U) or move out of state.

Hm. Looks like a busy year.