Lunch with friends

I had lunch today with a group of friends who I know from very different places, but through a sort of circumstances that can only happen in real life, they all over lapped and it resulted in a good lunch with lots of laughter.

Earlier this week a couple of my friends who are married to each other invited me to lunch with them. They are also friends with my cousin, and she was going to be there. (My friends have been friends with my cousin since before I met them, and I became friends with them in circumstances not including my cousin) We’ve all hung out before so this part was completely normal.

Well my friend works with one of my friends from college, so when she and her husband invited me, I asked if my friend from college could come too.

So there were 5 of us for lunch. My friends who are married, my cousin, my friend from college, and me. And there were some introductions, and the occasional filling in that occurs when friends spend time and there are others around who were not part of original moments.

While we were eating, I realized that these are the moments I love. When my friends all get to meet each other and spend time together and become acquaintances. It’s really the only reason why I try to throw parties. In my head, all my friends know each other, so I do my best to have them all meet. It makes the stories I tell better when the friends listening at least vaguely know who I’m talking about.

Plus, I find my friends interesting, so I think that more people should know them. The only way I really know how to accomplish this goal currently is to introduce them to each other. And today, because I had two friends in 1 office, I got to introduce some more of my friends to each other.

Today was a good day.

Techdirt’s DMCA shirt

I found out about this shirt through boingboing and I totally want one. It’s my kind of nerdy. This is the reason I dislike being unemployed – I have to really think about how to get the money before they stop taking orders next week.

But I’m sure I’ll figure out a way because this is my kind of nerd:

I like that more and more people and companies are employing this kind of strategy. They are selling the product, but they are only making up what they sell. I’m sure it cuts overhead cost, and it makes people decide on the spot whether they want it. It won’t be available later.

And I think that I will be learning to live with regret quite frequently. These are tangible items taking on ephemeral qualities simply by being available for a limited time only. And while it means I will miss out on numerous items/events/moments, I find this evanescence rather fascinating.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. I cannot explain very well why I love this British holiday. Perhaps it’s because of the political nature of the holiday. Or it could be the really nifty poem that goes along with it. Or perhaps because it’s a random holiday for me to pick up from a country I’ve never visited.

Whatever the reason for my love of this holiday, celebrating it this year made it to the second spot.

Because this year, Guy Fawkes Day was also Christmas.

My parents are very kind, generous people, so when what I wanted was available for a good deal, they approved of an early Christmas. (I always know what I’m getting from them because I generally go shopping with my mom, and it’s difficult to hide the gifts in the cart no matter how many other gifts she’s getting. This is the first year that I’ve received the gift early.)

So this year, instead of plotting a party or heading to the beach for a bobfire, I watch V for Vendetta and set up my Christmas gift – an Asus Eee PC (a netbook [or as I call it, The Baby Computer]). It is pictured below with the big computer and the cousin BlackBerry.

And I love the new addition. It’s a lot of fun to set up, and it makes traveling and typing stories much easier. So thanks mom and dad! Best Christmas gift on Guy Fawkes Day ever!

653, or NaNoWriMo Day 1

It’s a sad word count to start, but that’s the number of words for my first day of my first NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

There are numerous excuses for why my word count is pathetic, but excuses are for suckers.

What I’m loving about this project, besides the forced deadline (which I will put off like all other deadlines ), is what I’m discovering about how I write non-school work. I know my process for short stories – write whatever comes into my head until something else attracts my attention and then come back to the story long enough to smooth the end into something I can live with.

The novel so far is running the same way. Since there is less to distract me currently, I am writing longer stories. But I have yet to hit my general word count for other stories, so I’ll see what happens when I work more tomorrow.

I know there are many other writers who are part of NaNoWriMo who have plans. I follow authors who actually have people buy their books in stores and they use this time to write first drafts of novels they will sell.

I am not in this category. Right now my story is dialogue. I’ve never written this way before. I have no idea who my narrator is. I don’t even know if this novel will be 1st person or one of the 3rds. 2nd doesn’t seem to fit. I don’t even know where the story is going.

It’s all rather fun.

I’m enjoying the discovery part. I have no pressure for this novel to work. I expect it to completely suck. So my plan is to enjoy this time and learn more about how I write and see if I can cobble together enough to refine it into a decent story. Oh, and listen to all those albums I’ve been hearing about recently and pick some up. Listened to The Dresden Dolls “A is for Accident” tonight; solid beat with words that only occasionally stood out. Music I’d like to learn the lyrics to sometime but too difficult to sing without more effort. Perfect writing music.

So here’s the beginning of my novel writing month. Because everyone should have that novel they wrote that one time in a drawer somewhere.