After chatting with a good friend of mine (Death-chan), I’ve decided to try something new when it comes to my LiveJournal – something to make posting easier!  It’s something called “Windows Live Writer”, software that’s designed to make posting to blogs (a variety of blogs – not just LiveJournal!)  Although it’s still a bit early for me to give a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” for this software, I’m keeping my mind open as I give it a try for the very first time.

Just right off hand, though, I like what I see:  An “Insert” menu that includes things such as hyperlink, picture and photo album.  I’ve been wanting to include all of these things in my LiveJournal for quite some time, but just didn’t have the time to delve deep enough to discover how to do it.  Besides… Given the fact that I’ve had such difficulty with the <cut text> tag, I wasn’t ever sure I was up to figuring out something seemingly as difficult as inserting hyperlinks and pictures.  After talking with Death-chan this afternoon (and revisiting his blog to see what he’s added), I decided to give “Writer” a try.

So far, I’ve inserted a tag (that pesky <cut text> tag, hehe) AND a hyperlink (to Death-chan’s Web site which only seems fitting since he’s put a link to my LiveJournal on his blog – listed as “Torianna’s Blog”  Thanks, Death-chan!) with very little effort (or thinking) on my part.  The true test will come when I try to preview/post this entry and find out if the <cut text> tag and the hyperlink actually work as expected/intended.  In the meantime…  I’ll continue with the other “something” mentioned in the title of this post – the something needed.

I’m REALLY sad!  After begging another good friend of mine (madi) for help last night, I learned that “Lappy” (my faithful laptop) is ill – very ill!  :(  In fact, he needs major “surgery” (read: “a CLEAN install”).  While trying to protect Lappy from those nasty things he can “catch” from the Internet, I ended up doing more harm than good – damaging his internal “organs” AND making it so that I can’t print anything!  More specifically…. Somehow, “an unauthorized change was made to Windows"!  I’m not sure exactly how it happened OR what I did to make said “unauthorized change”!  All I know is that Lappy has been acting a bit strangely AND I CAN’T PRINT!  Do you know how frustrating it is for a writer NOT to be able to print?  VERY! 

However… Given the extremely busy schedule I’ve got for the next week, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get Lappy in for his “surgery”.  So, I’m REALLY hoping that he continues to work for me until I can get him in for that CLEAN install.  Unfortunately, other issues are associated with his install – issues for which I don’t have an easy fix.  The most irritating of these is that I don’t have the restore discs I’ll need in order to put MS Office back onto Lappy.  When discussing this with madi, I’d considered using open source software, but I’m not sure if I’ll actually go that route or not – primarily because all of my writing (to this point) has been done using MS Office and, you know, old habits die hard. 

Stay tuned in order to find out what I end up doing regarding this matter AND, of course, Lappy’s condition.  Btw… I’d be more than happy to pass along any “get well” wishes!  In addition, I’d like to hear any words of advice that you have to offer – especially IF they’ll prevent my experience with Lappy from becoming a “horror story.  So, what words of advice, hints or suggestions would you like to share with me?

Well…I think I’ve covered everything I’d set out to cover.  So…  I’ll close for now, but I’d like to encourage you to leave me a comment – if for no other reason, but to let me know that I’m NOT talking to myself whenever I do post!  I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon!  In the meantime…

Take care!

Current Location: At my "makeshift" desk
Current Mood: frustrated

While perusing (read: surfing) the Internet this morning -- when I really should've been doing something else -- I came across ( something fun )

Hope you have fun doing it, too! In any case, please let me know what you thought of it. Here's to wishes that come true.

Now, I'd better get to work on that "something else" -- before I get in trouble for taking a long time to do it!

"Better late than never" continues to be my motto. In my last post (04-05-09), I mentioned that I wanted to get back into watching anime. Well... almost exactly two months later, I have finally started watching a series -- and it wasn't even one of the series mentioned in that post! Instead, it is ( 'Gundam SEED', )

Anyway... I'd better close this post for now since I've got some anime to watch! :) Kira, here I come!

Current Location: At my "makeshift" desk
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: m.o.v.e - DEEP CALM

After virtually a year of very little (if any) time to watch anime, I'm trying to get back into it during the Spring 2009 season. However, I find myself in dire need of some input regarding which series I should watch -- and/or conversely, which I should avoid like the plague.

( This is where YOU come in... )

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get a bowl of ice cream and then start watching Gundam 00 -- Season 2. I've got some catchin' up to do!

Current Location: In front of my computer with that bowl of ice cream in hand
Current Mood: contemplative

1 April 2009

I can't believe that this is the first day I've written since my entry on the first day of 2009. SO much has happened between then and now, it's no wonder that this is the first entry since then. However, I'm hoping that I'll be able to post entries on a more regular basis -- starting with this entry.

( Anyway... Onto the topic of today's post -- butterflies. )

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I'm hoping to start posting entries in my LiveJournal more regularly. So, I do hope that you'll start checking back every now and then to find out the latest happenings in my part of the world. I also hope that you'll leave comments, too. I'm looking forward to hearing what you've got to say about my ramblings. In the meantime...

Take care AND enjoy the beautiful season called spring!

Current Location: At my "makeshift" desk
Current Mood: melancholy

As the subject line indicates, this is my "Happy New Year" post! I don't know about you, but I'm really glad that 2008 is now history. It was a very challenging year, so I'm hoping that 2009 will be much different. In other words... Since 2008 wasn't all that "great", I hope 2009 turns out to be "mighty fine". Don't get me wrong. There were many great moments in 2008 (especially during my summer trip to the East Coast), but I think the not-so-great moments far outweighed the great ones.

Enough of the negativity! I must think positively. Actually, this reminds me of a quote that I stumbled upon when trying to find out who said "Great minds think alike" (On an aside: Betcha didn't know that this quote has a second part to it!). Here's the stumbled-upon quote:

"You cannot escape the results of your thoughts. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." (James Allen)

Although it may seem a bit dry, I think this quote is quite appropriate for a New Year's Day entry. It reminds me to: keep my thoughts positive; keep my vision for a better life in mind; and keep reaching for the stars. I hope that you'll do the same throughout the new year so that 2009 will be a mighty fine year for both you and I.

On that note, I'm going to close this entry -- my first, but NOT last one in 2009!

Current Mood: hopeful

30 November 2008

9:24 p.m.
Hi! Just me again! As the "Subject:" line indicates, this entry is going to be an experiment -- to see if a simple "copy and paste" will yield the results I'm hoping to get in this "grand"... er... very simple... experiment this evening. So, here goes....

9:26 p.m.
Uh... Well, the experiment failed -- Right-clicking my "mouse" didn't give me any way to "paste" what I wanted to paste! This just means that I'll have to dabble in the html code a bit -- ugh!!

9:31 p.m.
Now... onto "Plan B" -- figuring out which html source code I need!

9:36 p.m.
Well... This isn't going to be as easy as I'd thought (read: hoped) it would be. So... At this point, my experiment can be considered a failure! However, this does NOT mean that I won't be trying the experiment again. It just means that I'll be asking for assistance!

9:38 p.m.
Now... Help! That's me "asking for assistance"! If anybody reading this entry knows how to add a JPG image to a LiveJournal entry, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you would send me the "secret" (I say "secret" because even though I'm sure practically every computer-literate person on this grand planet of ours probably knows how to do this, I don't!) to doing this simple, little task!

In order for my "experiment" to be a success, I need your assistance. Please! I'm REALLY counting on you!

9:44 p.m.
Now... The experiment will go public (sort of) as I post my "lab documentation" (AND the call for help!). Please stay tuned for further updates regarding this experiment -- as well as more information about what's happening in my life since I've FINALLY got more time available for posting!!!

9:49 p.m.
Btw... I love comments, so I'm looking forward to reading yours!

Current Mood: confused
Current Music: Feng Shui -- Wind (calm and soothing to ease my frustration after the failure)

30 November 2008

Hi, all!

This is just a quick (perhaps? perhaps not!) note to let you know that I won
this year's NaNoWriMo event. At 4:39 p.m. (local time), I hit the 50,000-word
mark (with 50,001 words, to be exact). However, I kept writing for a while
longer just to make sure that I gave those "official NaNoWriMo word-count
robots" enough words to count! (In years past, I didn't give 'em enough words
so I was scrambling in the very last minutes of the event! NO fun at all!)
Moving along...

Then, at 5:21 p.m. I surpassed the last of my "mini-milestones", my main source
of motivation this year, especially during the last five days when other writers
(including a couple of my NaNo Buddies) were already validating and winning. At
this point, I figured I'd go ahead and get started on the verification process
-- letting those robots loose on my scrambled manuscript.

After doing the afore-mentioned scrambling, I submitted said manuscript and
began the process of verification at 5:46 p.m.. Within a minute, the results
were in -- "You won!". I was then able to "Collect Winner's Goodies" -- which
included several official 2008 winner's logos (one of which you should see
posted in my LiveJournal soon) and an official winner's certificate which I'm
going to customize, print out, frame and display prominently in my new home!

Although my life has been chaotic this year, I still managed to "pull off" yet
another NaNoWriMo win. WooHoo! However, this year's win is extra special for
me as it marks the fifth straight year that I've participated in -- and WON -- a
NaNoWriMo event. It also means that I've participated in (and WON) HALF of the
NaNo events that have ever been held -- since this year NaNoWriMo is celebrating
its tenth anniversary! Because I actually have fun (yes, fun, believe it or
not) participating in NaNoWriMo events, this will definitely NOT be my last
NaNoWriMo event!

Every year, I learn new lessons (like "Mini-milestones" (250- to 500-word goals)
are a lot more effective than the daily (1667-word) goal is for me! The smaller
the numbers, the more able the goal is to keep me writing!) AND I'm reminded
about other lessons I say I've learned (like the very easy "Write before you
chat!") but haven't quite mastered -- if this year is any indication!

This year was, I think, the first year that I've ever finished so early. At this
point (6:51 p.m.), I'm usually sweating profusely while pounding the keyboard as
I try to crank out several thousand (well... at least one or two thousand) more
words. Of course, the main things that helped me pull off a victory this year
were the facts that 1) this month had not four, but five weekends in it AND 2) I
didn't have to work the last week of this month! Because I'm sure I won't be as
lucky next year, I will REALLY need to put into practice all of the lessons that I've
learned throughout the five years I've been participating in this event --
ESPECIALLY the "Write BEFORE Chat" one! It's been this one that's put me WAY
behind in word count the past couple of years!

Well... before I make it to 51,000 words written (if I haven't already!), I'm
going to close for now. To sum it all up... I WON!! Now, I'm looking forward
to hearing what you think of my victory because I know I couldn't have pulled
off another win without your support! So... before I do close, I want to say one
more thing because your belief in my ability to accomplish such a crazy goal
amidst the chaos of my "real life" has been one of the things that's kept me
going!! "THANK YOU!!" Oh... Sorry for "yelling" at you, but I'm just SO excited
about my victory! Now, I must go -- still have to figure out how to personalize
my winner's certificate. Ttyl... In the meantime,

Take care.

Current Mood: ecstatic

7 November 2008

Well.... Here it is Day 7 of NaNoWriMo 2008, and sadly, I've fallen into "the same ol' dull routine" (to quote a line from "the Pina Colada Song") when it comes to NaNoWriMo. By this, I'm mean that I'm slipping back into the unproductive "habit" that plagued me during last year's NaNoWriMo event. Although the "habit" is the same, this year's "modus operandi" is different.

The "habit" to which I'm referring is "chatting instead of writing". Last year, I chatted in IRC channels with the staff members of that group to which I belong and work as a QCer. Because being in the channels is how one took on assignments, I felt that I needed to be there -- just in case an assignment popped up. Well... This year, I'm happy to say that I've learned (sort of) this lesson. I'm not in the IRC channels TOO much any more (read: not every waking moment... er... not as much as last year).

Sadly, I've come up with a variation on the theme of "chatting instead of writing". This year, it's G-Talk (a feature of G-mail, my e-mail client), and instead of chatting with a lot of people, I'm chatting with just one person primarily. Although I've been trying, G-Talk is NOT as easy to ignore as the IRC channels -- because of that rather annoying beep I hear when that other person just entered text/said something. Whenever I hear the beep, I'm drawn right back into G-Talk -- just like a moth to light. I just can't resist it!

So... I'm again falling behind in my word count! By the end of the first week of NaNoWriMo, I should have written... OMG... THAT many words... and I've only written half that many? Boy, am I in trouble... UNLESS I learn how to ignore that annoying beep and flip that theme around!

From now on, my mantra WILL be "Write instead of chat!" OOPS! There it goes again... that beep! Must... resist... that... beep! Write... instead... of chat! I must remember to write instead of chat! Actually, I think I might change that to read "Write first and then chat." By doing this, I'll be able to use the chatting as a reward -- something to do AFTER I've finished my writing task of the day!

Although I didn't write nearly as much as I'd hoped this evening (which comes from only getting four hours of sleep last night... er... this morning), I'm psyching myself for an awesome writing weekend! The words are going to start flowing out of me like water over Niagara Falls -- which I was lucky enough to experience firsthand this summer! That was an awesome experience, so I'm hoping this weekend will be an awesome experience, too! Wish me luck... with a good... er... heaping measure of perseverance thrown in, too!

Current Mood: frustrated

3 November 2008

Well... I'm only three days into this year's NaNoWriMo event (the Giant Soul-Celebrating Project I mentioned in my 11/1/08 LJ entry), and I'm already behind! In fact, I've already been "scolded" because of this!

Although I was embarrassed when Ry, my very first NaNo Buddy, checked up on me tonight, I'm really glad he did! Since the "Author Search" feature of the NaNoWriMo Web site is currently not activated (since it takes up A LOT of the server's resources causing things to run slowly during this busy time of the month), I'm without my main NaNo motivator -- "friendly competition". His chat with me reminded me of a way to check on his word count.

Oh, my God! It wasn't until after I checked on his word count that I realized just how far behind I was a mere three days into the event! His word count was a whoppin' 3,371 words while mine was only 1873. So, I MUST get A LOT more writing done tomorrow! I've got to get back on track as far as word count is concerned because I DO NOT want a repeat of last year's NaNoWriMo performance! I refuse to put myself through THAT kind of hell again!

Thanks for checking up on me, Ry. I really appreciate it AND I'm glad you're still my NaNo Buddy! I KNOW I wouldn't have made it through many of the past NaNoWriMo events if you hadn't been there for me -- especially last year's fiasco! Thank you so much for being there for me! You're the best buddy a person could have!

One more thing.... Are you going to come up with some other words of encouragement OR will you keep asking, "What would Lockon do?" ?

Current Mood: depressed