Thoughts on...no, reflections...whatever. Very rambly.

It's one of those days where I'm not sure what to do. Go outdoors in the summertime heat? (not likely) Stay inside and read a book? (That's more like it)

Write?

Ah, writing.

1. Writing

I read once that those who only write when they feel like writing are hacks. Real writers have to work hard and do it every day and they hate it but they love it. Today I'm going to force myself to spend hours throwing words out of my brain. It really is difficult to get started but I always look back at what I've created with pride.

Especially stuff I've edited. Check this one on my other blog that I barely use. I like this. I should actually post more on that blog...it's meant to be like a "look what I can do" in case I want to show publishers or agents more of my work...so far it has, um, not much. Of anything.

Since school ended I've been telling myself to write more. But then I had that transcription job on top of working at the tattoo shop full time, so any "free-time" was more like "Guilty time I should be spending on transcribing that video that was due two days ago".
I'd say I worked on those videos ten to twelve hours per week. And I was kind of slow at it, so I was maybe making just over minimum wage. But hey, at least it was convenient. (?)

2. The transcription job ended suddenly.

A couple days ago I received an e-mail:

Also, just to let you know first.

I will leave UVic the end of August, as I want to have a full rest...after all the work.

Once you have done the last video transcription, please hand in the invoice to me.

My supervisor is around this time, so once I get the invoice from you, the check should arrive sooner this time.

Sorry again for the delay.

And thank you very much for your great work.

I really appreciate it.

The girl I was working for has English as like a third or fourth language I believe, and so I had to write back and ask for a clarification...did this mean I was out of a second job?

Turns out it did. She's leaving town because her research is finished. BAM. Just like that. So I completed the final video and turned it in yesterday and...um, yeah. Now what?

3. Now what?

Thanks to my awesome first job, I'm not worried about the financial implications of losing ten hours or so of work a week. It all worked out juuuust fine.

And now I have these spare hours.

I knew this research was going to end, and I had a feeling it would be around now so it wasn't really a big surprise. What I didn't expect, though, was the crazy melancholy that filled me when I got on the bus leaving UVic yesterday after handing in my final invoice.

I have no more homework.

I have no reason to go back to UVic. Ever.

That was it.

I didn't realize how much it meant to me to be tied to that place. And now...no.

But then again, my life is really great right now without stupid UVic all up in my business and when I think about it, using my brain-power, I know that I never really want to go back to that life.

4. The A-Z of what I'm excited about right now:

A- I'm going on an airplane soon!

B-I have the best boyfriend ever!

C- Completely avoiding my ten year high-school reunion.

D-dead bodies...I'm going to the bodyworlds exhibit soon!

E-early mornings can be for relaxing, not scrambling to get work done!

F- FREEDOM to do what I want, especially creatively. No more wasting brain space on giving presentations or worrying about deadlines.

G-I love the German guest artists/friends who are coming in August. YAAY!

H - Having a computer that actually works. Thanks Gerry.

I - I can't wait to try the iron-on t-shirt transfers Sarah gave me...they really deserve their own blog post though.

J - Just being able to go with the flow a bit more will be awesome...no more "oh I have too much work to do"; I can be more spontaneous, which is what I prefer.

K - Being nore kreative. See that? I used a 'k' instead of a 'c'. Wow! I'm really good at that. (Oh my gosh, so kidding. SO KIDDING guys.)

L- More lomography! Using that Holga is so much fun.

M- I'm daydreaming of another trip to Mexico in the near future.

N - Not going back to school in the fall for the first time in a bazillion years. (although I might go back-to-school shopping anyway because... *sigh* notebooks)

O - I'm using my office for what it's meant for these days, not as a storage locker for books and receipts and dead computers anymore.

P- Ryan painted both the bathrooms in our house fun colors last week. Very fancy!

Q - Que hay un nuevo lugar en que se venden tacos mexicanos (pero vegeterianos)

R - Reading as much as I want and renewing my love affair with the library!!

S-I get to hang with my oldest younger sister in Alberta! She's great!

T - True Blood- watching dates with my man once a week.

U - Gaining some understanding and perspective of myself and who I am outside of 'what I do'

V- Having a new Vancouver friend to visit (although we're gonna miss him here!)

W - Writing. A lot.

X - Come on, nothing starts with X

Y - Yeah I should get a sweet haircut soon. Undercut? I think so!

Z-I think we're gonna hit up the Calgary Zoo next week!

I don't know, I feel cautiously optomistic about the next few years. Beyond thirty though, I have no idea.

It's like thirty is a ... landmark age? A cut-off for something?

Before thirty I'm "in my twenties" but thirty? Um, hello adult.

Then again, I thought the exact thing about twenty five.

Anyway I'd like to have something to show by the time I'm thirty. Something tangible.

I guess I have that whole 'diploma' thing, which is kind of hung in its cardboard blue frame-thingy it came with. I shoved one end behind my bulletin board in my office. Maybe I should get a real frame? Anyway I guess that's something to be proud of. Instead I kind of want to shove it under the bed and say, "Yeah yeah, finally it's over with. Now what? What's next?"

"What next?" indeed.

Aaaand yeah. That's where I'm at. More fun bloggy things coming soon. I promise!