Now We're Cookin'!

Hi-de-ho, lovely folks!

So what happened this week? Work was pretty normal. I was stuck at the mall cash register twice, and I had the night shift twice as well after a long time of nothing but day shifts. I also had second floor duty again. I think the best part of work this week was getting to go home really early after closing the store down. Usually when I'm working a night shift, it's close to 10:20, 10:30 when I can start driving home, but for one of the night shifts this week my boss let me leave at practically 10:05! It may have something to do with the fact it had started to rain as we were closing up and my boss didn't want us driving home in that weather, but I was grateful regardless of the reason, and I spent the rest of the night pampering myself with fanfiction and Youtube videos. :)

With the blog editing, I have two new writers! I still have Jasmine, who's always been good to me with posting her stuff on time and sending me things she may have forgotten to add, but for now, goodbye Sara and Alice! My other two are Courtney and Chrystl (and yes, that's how she spells her name), and they're very good at what they do. They're not perfect (otherwise I wouldn't be needed), but it's nice to be able to work with new people and see what I can do with them.

The big news this week is with my writing. I got a reply back from Leticia regarding my writing. If you've forgotten, a few months after Swamp Angel came out, my agent said we needed to wait for the demand of YA fantasy to come back if we wanted to get something published, and Rich-the-editor got busy with other editing stuff at Spencer Hill Press. But after talking to Leticia, she says we can start trying to push another manuscript! She said she did try showing it to Rich-the-editor last year, and though he liked it, he was swamped (pun intended) with work, so she sent it to the general Spencer Hill manuscript email. She'll try sending a manuscript to them again, but it's nice to get back to work!

Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: Another random act of kindness at B&N! I was at the front register on Martin Luther King Day when this little girl gave me a $5 dollar gift card to Panera as a 'thank you' for working on a holiday. It's from this group called Yes Way!, and though I couldn't find them on Facebook, I think they're some random act of kindness group. Either way, made my day, so thanks!

Like 2: Nerd Nest. My sister Allison introduced me to this; it's basically Pinterest for fangirls of anything from the Avengers to Harry Potter. The site's still in its beta stages, but I've registered, so I'm willing to give it a shot. Thanks, sis!

Dislike 1: Problems with my car. Gus (my car, named after his license plate) needed his first oil change this week, so I took him over to a Jiffy Lube and got him all fixed up. The car guys were nice, and it's good I don't have to worry about that stupid 'maintenance required' light going off, but that's some cash out of my wallet. :P At least I didn't have to buy new tires; that'd be even more expensive. However, Gus's inside lights aren't working. My grandpa and some tech friend of his went rooting around in my car trying to see if one of those built in garage door openers could be put in, and they couldn't, even though I made it perfectly clear to Grandpa that one of these couldn't be put in. Next thing I know, my car's indoor lights aren't working; they stayed on always, and not even setting the switch to 'off' worked. I ended up having to take the lightbulbs out, but now car doesn't light up when the doors open, and since Grandpa's unavailable they can't be fixed until a later date (the Jiffy Lube guys couldn't do anything about it). The moment my grandfather gets home, he's calling his friend and they're fixing his mess, and neither of them will be allowed near my car AGAIN. >:(

And quote!

"Common sense is not so common." -Voltaire (Nods head in agreement.)

Bye,
Colleen

Beep, Boop, Bop

(In robotic voice) Hello, humans and other semi-genius life forms.

So work was work this week; I hung out at the mall cash register and made myself busy by doing a lot of cleaning and dusting (because for some weird reason we have a serious dust problem back there), and I also got to work on the second floor doing customer service, which I wish I could do more often since that's where all the good books (fiction, fantasy, and comics) are. Saturday was front cash register day, and I don't know what happened, but I was GRUMPY. Not that this effected the way I treated the customers; I would never be rude to them. And it just came out of nowhere, too; all shift I'm feeling fine, and then maybe two and a half hours before my shift ends all I want is to be alone and not talk to anyone because I'm tired of interacting with people. I think it was because I wasn't expecting that day to be so busy; with Christmas over, I guess I thought ALL the days would go back to being somewhat slow, but I was wrong; maybe it was because it's a three day weekend, maybe it was because the weather was good, but for whatever reason, the store was packed, with long lines coming and going. This disappointment, coupled with the amount of stress that came from helping all those customers, probably contributed to my mood swing. I hope I don't feel the same way tomorrow, though, since I have an even longer shift then!

All's quiet on the internship front, though one of my writer's was late posting her work because of some event she took part in. Ironically, it happens to be the one writer who needs the most improvement out of the three, but it's not like she's another Megan (the one who never posted her stuff on time and I had to ask to stop editing for her). It's just a one time thing, however, so hopefully it won't happen again. And we're switching writers next week, so that's kind of nice as well.

No note from my agent or my editor. They've never gone this long without sending a reply, so I think something went wrong and my message got lost in cyber-space (it happens when my grandparents try to email me; I guess I was bound to do the same at some point). I'll get back with what they say, I promise! I've also resumed working on M.O.A-27. It's going a little slow, since it's been a while, but it'll pick up soon.

And here's the Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: Pokemon Omega Ruby! I got the game for Christmas, and I've started playing it. It's really hard to put down! I've always been a fan of the series (I like RPGs), and this one's just good with the training and the traveling and all the fun battles, not to mention all you can do that doesn't involve the main storyline. It's so much awesomeness. :) Thanks Mom!

Like 2: The name Arden. I needed a name for my character in Omega Ruby, so I was looking through my name dictionary and found this. It's English, meaning 'valley of the eagle', and it's what Shakespeare named paradise in his plays. It also sounds like the word 'ardent' which means 'passionate', and it's just a good sounding name. I'm adding it to the list of possible kid names (and maybe I should name a future character this as well).

Like 3: As of January 15th, I've officially finished all my grad school applications! I'll admit I'm a little nervous about getting accepted (and the waiting period isn't helping), but there's something to be proud about the fact I did this and got all that paperwork sent in. Keep your fingers crossed.

Dislike 1: Losing game data. I'll admit, there were a couple times this week when I did a lot of stuff in Omega Ruby, closed my DS, then lost it all because my game console ran out of juice when I least expected it to! The worst was it happening after I caught slew of monsters and beat two of the gym leaders (which are like boss battles, for those unfamiliar with this series). I had to do it all over again and catch brand new Pokemon too! Grrrrrr!

Dislike 2: The waiting game concerning my grad school applications. Can't help it. See Like 3 for more info.

And quote!

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other." -Audrey Hepburn

Beep boop bye,
Colleen

Keep It Rolling

Yo-yo, chumps and chicks!

So, after last week's giant list of stuff that went down, it's back to the regular format of stuff, then list, and finally the quote. So what happened this week? It was rather slow, actually. Work was good, minus the one grumpy customer I ran into working the cash register. After last week, you probably don't want to hear me ranting about rude people again (I can only imagine how old it can get listening to stuff like this), so I'll make a long story short. The guy got mad because I gave him store credit on a gift card for his return instead of cash or credit (despite me telling him that because he returned the item with a gift receipt, not a regular receipt, store credit was the only form of payment he could get back as store policy said), and when I asked him for his signature, he refused to cooperate because I "wasn't cooperating". Everything eventually ended without a problem, but there's one more person I hope doesn't come visiting any time soon. But other than that, work was great, and the fact the holiday season is over means less being busy and getting back to the nice slow lull that the store usually has. Can't complain about that.

The internship is still good. I actually got emailed from the boss asking me to hold off looking at two articles because their writer has recently had a problem with spacing; every piece she'd post would be one big block of text no matter what amount of editing be done. But Boss fixed it and said she'd tell the writer, so hopefully it won't be something I have to worry about for long.

I've emailed my editor and my agent, but I haven't heard back from them yet. The last time I did, they said we needed to wait for the YA fantasy craze to die down a bit so the demand could come back; I wonder if that's come to past? I hope so. As for my own writing, I STILL need to get back to it, but I will! I NEVER give up on a story, especially one like MOA-27, because in my mind, it's a masterpiece.

On to this week's list!

Like 1: Spaghetti. Had it for dinner this week, and I can't think of a better meal. Makes me wish I had some Italian heritage in my blood, because their food is the best!

Like 2: Seeing friends at the B&N! I saw my friends Elle and Sara just as they were leaving the mall entrance, and we had a good chat. They'd originally come to the mall to shop for bridesmaid dresses, but they were having a little fun first. I myself talked about my applications to grad schools and how I'm going to start job hunting again, and it was just good seeing them.

Dislike 1: The grumpy customer who didn't like getting store credit. See above.

Dislike 2: Waiting to see if I've been accepted in ANY grad school I've applied to. Don't mind me just dying of worrying here!!

And quote!

"You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear." -Sammy Davis, Jr.

 

See ya later,

 

Colleen

OMG, WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Um, hi?

I know, I know, it's been over a month since I wrote anything for this blog, but my reasons are sound! Between traveling, Christmas vacation, and applying to grad schools, I've been horribly busy and haven't had the time to write. But now the holidays are over, and the majority of my grad school applications have been sent, so I finally have some time to sit down and tell you all what's been going on. And there's a lot (at least there feels like a lot, so I'll being doing it in (Dis)Like list form.

Likes
1. Thanksgiving! My dad and sisters came out here to celebrate, and it was an excellent meal. I made sure it was, since I was put in charge of buying all the food and defrosting the turkey! I now know the stress that goes behind such an important meal, with getting the bird, the green beans (Dad had to tell me to get the fresh stuff), potatoes, and all the other stuff. But Dad did a good job cooking, and it was a delicious Thanksgiving meal (though it's hard to say which is better -- pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, or those Pillbury rolls which we didn't have last year since someone forgot. Yum!).

2. Christmas! There was a lot of traveling this year with seeing my dad in Colorado and my mom in California. The first five days were spent with dad, my sisters, and my grandma from my dad's side. We went skiing at Breckenridge and Copper Mountain, which was fun despite feeling at one point like my face was freezing off, decorated a Christmas tree, and generally relaxed. Then it was off to San Francisco to see Mom, my other grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins, and that was fun as well, with hiking and hitting the beach. There were delicious food eaten at both, and I loved the presents I received, from books and DVDs to some very nice clothing. I couldn't ask for anything better.

3. Pay raise! Work has been going well, with me running the cash register and helping customers find books, but this was a pleasant surprise. I was just getting ready to eat lunch when the boss came and told me about it. In the grand scheme of things, it's not big, but it's something, especially given the money I've lately been spending on sending in grad school applications and with licensing my car. Thanks, boss!

4. Persimmons! I tried some out in California during the Christmas visit because my aunt and uncle have a tree in their yard, and they're delicious. Do you know you eat them like an apple, skin and all? It's a different taste, being kind of mild yet somewhat tangy, but it's good. And the persimmon bread my aunt made was just as sweet.

5. New year! Hello, 2015! I don't know about you guys, but I had myself a quiet New Years Eve/Day watching Youtube videos and reading, which suits me more than a party, if I do say so myself. Looking back, 2014 was a good year, with me graduating from Knox and getting my job at Barnes and Noble, so here's hoping that 2015 is just as well. :)

6. Finished grad school applications! I've finished two out of three of them; one for KU and the other for Notre Dame. I'm hoping I get into one of them, but I'm not placing one above the other in importance; both are very good schools with programs I'd be happy to get into. And at this point, I'm just hoping I get into one.

7. Road trips with my sisters! We were driving back to Denver to get to the airport to fly out to San Francisco, but thanks to a bunch of snow and a train of snow plows, it was kind of a long trip. But, as I discovered, my sisters can be quite entertaining during long hauls like that. Yes, there were points when I put my headphones in because I couldn't stand the music they were listening to, but at other times I sang along and laughed with them. It was something small that made me realize all over again how important my sisters are. I love you guys!

8. I got to see some friendly, familiar faces at work. I saw my old teacher from high school, Mr. Restivo, with his wife and kid, and he's doing well. So are Ms. O'Neil and Mrs. Lyons, the former also from my high school days as an administrator, the latter the mom of one of my former classmates. Both looked well and told me how things were going for them, which was nice to hear. Thanks for the company and conversations!

Dislikes
1. Two nasty customers at B&N, one of which actually REPORTED me to my boss. The one who reported apparently thought I was being 'snobby' all because I insisted that gift receipts couldn't be attached to pre-pay orders. I said sorry, but she still reported me to one of my bosses, who actually pulled me aside into the back room for a discussion. I can at least say, despite the situation, the talk went well as I explained my side of the story (like how I DID NOT tell her to listen to me, because I didn't), and I was simply reminded that when either stuck with a difficult customer or not sure about something like gift receipts for pre-pay orders, CALL THE MANAGER. Bad karma on you, you nasty witch. :P They other lady didn't report me, but she was still awful. She came up asking if a certain magazine had a monthly subscription, except she said 'prescription'. I repeated it, like a question ('Prescription?') because it was one of those, 'Wait, what?' moments, but I think she thought I was correcting her, because the next thing I know she's going on this whole rant about how all the employees here have been nothing but rude and unhelpful, going as far as to say she was going to tell everyone she knew not to shop here (I was thinking, "If they're friends with you, than we don't want them shopping here." I DID NOT SAY THAT THOUGH.) What I did say was I was sorry if I offended her and asked for her input on what could be fixed that created her bad experience, but she simply said no, it was over and done with, wanting basically nothing to do with it. So at least with this person it apparently wasn't just me that pissed her off, but it still wasn't much fun. So bad karma on you too, you hag, and good riddance to the both of you!

2. Snow on the car. I didn't realize it was going to be that BIG a pain in the butt to scrape ice off the windshield until I actually had to do it. It takes actual power to get that ice off; who knew?

3. Incomplete grad school applications. I still have one to do, so there goes all my attention for the time being that's not being focused on work, my internship, and, now including, this blog. I can't wait until all the stuff is sent in and life can go back to normal. :P


And for things that don't fit on the list, aka, my writing and my internship, both are going well. I haven't heard anything from my agent or my editor, so I'm going to send them an email asking them what's up and stuff. Internship-wise, I'm still fixing people's mistakes while learning more about the fashion world and seeing some amazing clothes.

And quote!

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." -Alexander Hamilton

See ya later,
Colleen