Traditions (BEDS 001)

On September 1st, 2013, I took a walk to the nearest Tim Hortons, with my laptop in tow, and plopped myself down for a writing session that ended up providing me with more work than I originally anticipated. During my pre-writing procrastination session, I stumbled upon an event of sorts. The "Write Fifteen Minutes a Day" challenge (or WFMAD, for short) was started by miss Laurie Halse Anderson on her own blog 6 years prior. The goal was small and simple--commit to writing fifteen minutes a day for one month. Easy, right? At face value, sure. But when do I ever take the easy way out?

I accepted the challenge, but with my own twist. Under the assumption that one blog post would take me approximately fifteen minutes to write, I decided to upload a new post on my blog--which, at the time, had only been in existence for barely six months--every day in September. Little did I realize at the time that my poor blogging skills would result in much scrambling over the course of the month, and that this spontaneous challenge really deserved a lot more thought than I initially gave it.

But when do I ever think anything through?

Still, though, I perservered, and came away from the month with thirty new blog posts and the new appreciation for only having to upload once a week. (Of course, that quickly became twice a week...but that's another story for another time.)

A year later, the challenge returned--refreshed and revamped, I turned it into my own little event. From then on, I referred to the month as BEDS--or Blog Every Day in September. 2014 yielded a slightly less successful year, but I still walked away with 26/30 attempted posts going up more or less according to schedule.

In 2015...well, I kinda skipped 2015. We don't talk about 2015.

But now I'm back, with the Fourth Annual Blog Every Day in September Challenge! There will be tears, there will be laughter, there will be complete and utter chaos as I struggle to remain on course for the month--all while going to university, because yes, friends--I am that insane.

Mondays and Wednesdays will keep their regularly scheduled content, but every other day will be a complete free-for-all that will undoubtebly result in many, many shenanigans. So buckle up and prepare for the ride, whatever chaos it may bring!

Until tomorrow,

- Justyne

Blog Every Day in September! (BEDS #2)

Last year, I participated in WFMAD, or Write Fifteen Minutes a Day, which was a monthly challenge to write...well, y'know, fifteen minutes a day, every day in September. I modified it slightly, choosing to focus my daily fifteen minutes on this blog.

This year, I'm doing the same thing, except I'm giving it my own acronym: BEDS (Blog Every Day in September), which is exactly what I'll need by the time I'm done. (BEDS...bed...sleep...get it? Ok, right, that was lame.)

This month is going to be....interesting. For several reasons.

One: currently, I am in Disney World. Well, currently for you, anyway. As I'm writing this I'm sitting at home listening to the squeal of the dryer and procrastinating things that need to be done before this. But once you read this, I will be in Disney World. (Once you read this, it will also be my birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FUTURE ME!)

Two: I'm moving this month. About a week after I return, I'll be moving out of my childhood home and into a new house in Winnipeg, with four friends. This didn't dawn on me until I had already committed myself to doing BEDS, so...yay for lack of planning?

Three: I barely got through last September and truly have no idea how I'll scrounge up enough ideas for this month BUT WHATEVER IT'S TOO LATE NOW! BEDS IS A GO.


Each new blog post will be going up at 4 PM CDT (that's 5 PM EDT and 2 PM PDT, for you peeps who can't do time zone math). At least, they will for the first week or two. Once my buffer runs out who knows what'll happen. (Ah, it's like NaNo all over again.)

So until tomorrow,

- Justyne

Looking Back (WFMAD Day 30)

Well, this is it. The final post for WFMAD.

Despite all of the days I was stumped, uninspired, and quite frankly just didn't want to write a blog post, I have to admit that I had fun over the past 30 days. If anything, this challenge has made blogging way easier. (Although it may seem as though the opposite is true, as a lot of my blog posts have been posted at midnight or later...but I digress.)

I also learned, though, that blogging everyday puts a real damper on my other writing. In between the blog, work, and Sims (shut up, it's a necessity), I didn't have a whole lot of time to devote to my other writing projects. I was having fun, yes, but I was neglecting pretty much everything else. So while I may have 30 blog posts, 1500+ (!!!!) page views, and greater comfort in my blogging skills, everything else is WAY behind.

I'm sure I'll do this challenge again. I'm just glad this isn't a year-round thing.

It is going to feel SO weird not having to blog tomorrow. But you'll hear from me again, as always, on Friday. (And again on Sunday!) So until then,

- Justyne

Introducing Snippet Sunday! (WFMAD Day 29)

Today I'm going to start something that I've been meaning to start all month, but kept forgetting about it until now. I call it "Snippet Sunday", because it's Sunday and they both start with S and it sounds cool.

Basically what will happen is every Sunday, I'll post a little snippet of writing--it will either be something taken from an ongoing project, or something completely new, inspired by a roll of my inspiration dice. This will continue after WFMAD is over, so every Sunday you'll get an extra blog post, in addition to the one on Fridays. :)

In spirit of WFMAD, I'll roll the inspiration dice this week, instead of posting an excerpt from an ongoing project.

Genre: Fantasy
Character: Female child
Action: Explore

~~

It was dusk. The sky glowed with varying hues of pink, orange, and black, as the sun dipped below the grassy fields surrounding my home. I lay on the ground, eyes open wide as I waited.

One single, lonely star appeared above me in the sky. Then another. And another.

The sun was completely gone soon; the sky littered with thousands of tiny, twinkling lights. I identified the dozens of constellations my father had shown me over the past few years, each star placement as familiar as the layout of my house.

Except for one; one little star, whose shine dimmed and brightened inconsistently, who seemed out of place among the others. It flew in quick circles, and it was then that I realized it wasn't a star at all; it was a firefly.

I giggled and sat up immediately. It buzzed around my hea excitedly, before flying away in a flash. I jumped up and chased after it, my hair whipping behind me as the distance between me and my home lengthened.

I was simply an innocent child back then. I couldn't have known what my fun little chase would lead to; nor could I have known that what I was following wasn't truly a firefly.

Before I knew it, I was traipsing through the forest, with only the light of the tiny creature to show me the way. I hopped around tree trunks and jumped over roots like it was a game, smiling and giggling all the way.

Before long, we arrived at a meadow. Thousands of fireflies lit up my surroundings, their lights twinkling and sparkling and shedding light on the beautiful flowers around them. Excited at my appearance, and quickly gathered around me, circling around my body so fast that their lights all blurred together in one massive tornado of light. I had never seen fireflies before that night, but as one flew past my face, I realized something.

They weren't fireflies at all. They were faeries.

~~

I hope you enjoyed it!

Until later,

- Justyne

Christmas (WFMAD Day 28)

I am in such a big Christmas mood right now that I can't even handle it.

As I've mentioned briefly before (and as a good 90% of you will already know), I love Christmas. So much. I love absolutely EVERYTHING about it; the movies and TV specials, the music, the whole general atmosphere that surrounds that special time of year. I love decorating the tree and just about every other square inch of the house, and I love watching as the multi-coloured lights outside twinkle and sparkle against the ten feet of pure white snow that falls over Manitoba every year.

It is FANTASTIC.

As you can see, I get into the Christmas spirit really really early. I start obsessively counting down the days, and annoyingly blaring assorted Christmas music out of my speakers and throughout the house, and I just get super excited. I'm basically like a kid on Christmas morning...three months before Christmas morning.

The only problem with getting into the spirit so early is that no one else is getting into it. Aside from a couple of my friends (TAYLOR AND WENDY YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING), everyone gets annoyed when I start talking about Christmas in September.

But I just can't help it! I love it that much! I mean, not even the gift shopping gets me stressed out, because I genuinely LOVE planning and buying and wrapping everyone's gifts.

I think I'll end this now, before I start annoying you guys, too. Instead, I'll sit in my room, overly excited for a date that's still 87 days away (87!) and listen to Christmas music like it's already December.

Hey, on the plus side, it gets me in a good mood. :)


Until later,

- Justyne

Marathons (WFMAD Day 26)

I love marathons. The television kind, not the running kind. (I'm not built for running.)

The best kind of marathons are the kind I make for myself. I mean, official marathons on TV stations are great--I did get a Phineas and Ferb marathon on my birthday, after all--but have you ever cnoticed that most of them play the same four episodes over and over and over again? If I'm going to watch an 8-hour marathon, I'm gonna want some variety, thank you very much.

My favourite way to watch any show is to marathon it--to spend hours to days to weeks doing almost nothing but watching the series. Go big or go home, as they say. (Although I guess in this case I'm normally already home...but you get the idea.) 

The only problem with this method is that when it does come time to pull myself away--to work, to bathe, to get that valuable sleep that I so desperately need--it's extremely difficult. Never mind the whole laziness factor--because come on, the last thing you want to do after sitting on the couch for so long is get up--but after immersing myself in the story for so long, I just can't bear to pull myself away. Plus, there's the fact that every time I decide to stop watching, the current episode ends in a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger! How am I supposed to stop watching when the next episode is so readily available?!

The thing I probably marathon the most is YouTube videos. They're so short and funny and well made; it's impossible to "just watch one", and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

I do a similar thing with reading, too. I don't read nearly as much as I used to, but when I do, I finish my entire book in a day (give or take). I'll go without reading for weeks, then pick up a book and have it done within the hour. (Please note the exaggeration.)

It all comes down to the story being told, basically. If I like the story, I'll go through it quickly. If I don't like it as much, it'll take me a million times longer (if I don't give up on it entirely).

I mean, why take your time with an amazing piece of work when you can speed through it in a day and cry when it's done? (That should be my motto.)

Until later,

- Justyne

Different Paths (WFMAD Day 25)

One of the many, many things I love about writing is that there are virtually no restrictions to what you can do. Wanna make it up? Awesome! How about a recount of a true story? Perfect! Wanna talk more about yourself? No problemo, that's what autobiographies and memoirs are for! You can write novels, short stories, poems, plays, movies, TV shows, memoirs, biographies, how-to books, newspaper and magazine articles, comics, video game storylines...there is absolutely no limit.

Something I often like to do, when I start reading a new author, is read their little "About the Author" blurb. I like learning a little about the authors I'm reading--where they grew up, what their family is like, what else they've written...and, more importantly, how they got to where they are.

Because that, you see, is the most important limitless thing there is about writing. There is no "one way" to get there; you cannot google a step-by-step process to getting published. There are different ways of getting your story to the public; getting an agent, self-publishing, putting it on Amazon as an ebook. There are no restrictions or qualifications--all you need is passion, imagination, and, well, a finished story.

Is it possible to learn something if you take some creative writing courses? Yes! Can majoring in English Literature help you? Totally! But it can go the opposite direction, too.

I struggled with my initial decision to take English in school. I used to like English, really I did. But as I got older--particularly when the course name changed from "ELA" to "English Lit"--my fondness of the subject diminished more and more, until it eventually fizzled out into nothing. I never enjoyed the analytical portion of English--the part where you seemingly over-analyze every little word in an old book that you couldn't ever possibly care less about. (Did you know that the last time I read something for English I enjoyed was in 10th grade? 10th grade! We read like a million other books in class after that.)

I know it's probably weird, the fact that I hate English so much (with every fiber of my being, in case you weren't already aware). I mean, I like writing. I like reading. But even though English is composed of those two things, it is completely different, at least for me. I'm reading stories that I, quite frankly, hate beyond belief, and writing analytical essays that are composed of nothing but beaucrap. Two semesters of taking English in university, and not once did I ever have any idea what I was talking about in any of my essays. I was just making it up as I went. (How I managed to pull off an 80 in that class, I'll never know.)

I've heard time and time again that taking English Literature courses are supposed to "help" my writing, but truthfully, I didn't learn anything. Not. A. Thing.

I've considered applying to another school. I've thought about searching for schools with bigger creative writing programs; that actually offer enough that I can take it for four years. I know I'd enjoy it, and it could very well lift my writing to levels I can't even imagine.

But when I really, really think about it...I'm not sure if I really want to. Not right now, anyway.

Right now, I have other plans. Plans that involve my friends; some of the people I care the most in the world for. If I were to travel across the country, to attend one of the few schools I've found that allow programs I'm genuinely interested in...I'd be leaving my friends behind. Right now, that's not what I want. I'm not ready for that.

I don't need to follow some special path to reach what I want; what I've dreamed of for so long. And that's the best part--I can reach it my own way, be it through university or something else entirely.


Until later,

- Justyne

Blogging from Tim Hortons (WFMAD Day 24)

I'm doing the cliched writer thing again, and writing in a Tim Hortons. I find I have an easier time concentrating here, as I'm not distracted by the television. (Curse you, Netflix!! *shakes fist*) It also gives me an excuse to purchase a large iced capp, so everybody wins! (Or maybe I just win twice? I don't know.)

I had a bit of a...mechanical difficulty (?) on the way over here. Since I can't drive, I opt to ride my bike most places (so long as there's not ten feet of snow on the ground, which I can guarantee will be the case within the next two months or so). My plan was to head down to the bank, then on the way back to my house stop at Tims for a little writing session. Before I even got the the bank, though, the brakes on my bike kind of....broke.

Luckily, I wasn't riding down the street at top speed when it happened. I was stopped at an intersection, then when I took off to cross the street, my brakes got stuck. (Side note: trying to ride your bike across the street when your brakes are stuck is the most annoying thing in the world, especially when you know there's a car waiting for you to cross so they can turn.) Once I reached the other side of the street, I tried to get them unstuck, and I succeeded. Kind of. Now my brakes just don't work at all.

Sooo now I have to walk my bike all the way back to my house, which is a huge pain in the butt and I'm trying to dawdle around here for as long as possible because I am not looking forward to it. I only have 12% battery remaining, though (that's what I get for not charging my computer before leaving the house, I guess), my sandwich is almost gone and so is my iced capp, so I don't think I'll be here for much longer.

So, uh, Dad....if you're reading this...can you fix my brakes? Pretty please?


Until later,

- Justyne

People (WFMAD Day 23)

I torture my characters a lot. I kill their parents, put their closest friends and loved ones in utter peril, and just put them through extreme emotional termoil in general. It may be cruel, but it's part of my job description.

Characters are the most important part of the story, I think. Part of it is because, without them, there wouldn't be a story to tell--it'd basically be a painting. (Except with, y'know, words.) 

The other part of it--the bigger part--is that the characters create a portal, through which we can access these stories. Crafting characters when writing is incredibly hard, because the characters are the ones we're supposed to relate to. We're supposed to sympathize with them, understand their situation, and root for them as they move through the plot. In order for there to be a plot, things have to happen. It just so happens that that most exciting things are also the most tragic.

Think about it: a story about a character, whose life is nice and pleasant and enjoyable. Nothing bad ever happens; it always works out. Doesn't seem very interesting, does it?

Let's face it: if everything worked out all the time, if nothing actually conflicted with our characters to make them act out against it, our stories would be bland. Boring. Absolutely agonizing to sit through. We need our characters to experience the bad, the terrible, the heartbreaking. It's hard to sympathize with someone whose life is seemingly perfect; how many of us can actually say the same of our own lives?

(Put your hand down, you are full of crap and you know it.)

More often than not, the main character is forced to learn something; about themselves, and the world around them. If they learn nothing, or if there's nothing for them to learn, then their role as a character isn't given room for growth and change. Character development is key; it works with the conflict, with the everlasting tragedy that is the character's. The conflict challenges the character, paving the way for the story to take off. The development makes the story worthwhile; like something bigger than the original goal has been accomplished.

And without the characters, none of this is possible. It is those characters, with all of their quirks and traits, that truly makes a good story.

Until later,

- Justyne

Fangirling (WFMAD Day 22)

Okay so I wouldn't normally do this but it's late and I'm seriously low on ideas so here goes nothing.

I'm bringing my dorky fangirly-ness into this blog.

Tonight was the season premiere of Castle, aka the greatest and one of my (if not my absolute) favourite shows ever. I got home from work just in time to see it, and let me tell you, I went nuts.

I sometimes forget, over a summer or other extended hiatus, how much I love my television shows. This premiere literally had me squealing. Squealing, guys. (Okay, so that's not really new for me ever, but still. SQUEALING.) I could spend all night going on about the show; about how perfect it is, all of my favourite, itty-bitty little parts, and how excited I am for next week.

Without going into much detail, though, I will tell you this: it surprised me. Whatever I was expecting from the premiere, whatever spoilers I had read and whatever theories I had invented, were all tossed away, right from the beginning. I don't think I've ever been so surprised by an episode of anything ever before.

I think I'll end this here, before I start keysmashing. Keysmashing is more suited for Tumblr.


Until later,

- Justyne

Video Games (WFMAD Day 21)

As you may have already noticed, I am a huge nerd. (Or a geek. I've never been too sure on the difference, to be completely honest.) Part of my qualifications for being a nerd (/geek) is that I love video games.

I've never really been a hardcore gamer, per say. I never played first-person shooters like Halo or Call of Duty or God knows what else is out there. I never played online multiplayer games, or really any of the more popular video games. Most--if not all--of the games I got into playing were from the Nintendo franchise.

I love Nintendo. Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Mario...I grew up with these games, and playing any other system--like PlayStation or XBox--just feels weird. I had a PSP at one point--it lasted for all about two seconds because I quickly discovered that I couldn't play my favourite games.

My favourite video game series, I would say, is the Legend of Zelda series. (Okay, so maybe it's also tied with Sims, but I digress.) I have been in love with these games for years; ever since I used to play A Link to the Past on our Super Nintendo.

Ocarina of Time is especially a favourite of mine. Not only is its story one of my personal favourites, but it's also the first Zelda game I actually completed, entirely (okay, almost entirely) by myself; so it has a special place in my heart.

My favourite thing about video games is the way they tell their stories. They don't just tell you what's happening; you experience it. You're the one who rescues the princess, defeats the bad guy, saves the world. It's not just a story anymore; it's your story.

Until later,

- Justyne

Getting Lost (WFMAD Day 20)

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are a few things you can count on when my friend Kristen and I get into a car together:

1. She will be the one driving

2. I will be riding shotgun

3. We will probably get lost

And that is where we found ourselves tonight, at 9:30, after dropping off a friend at home. Lost.

We drove into the city today, to go shopping and visit a few friends. After hours and hours of fun, we decided to run through a McDonald's drive-thru before heading home.

That was our first mistake. McDonald's.

In our defense, neither of us had ever really been to that part of the city before. Our friend directed us as to how to get back on the main--and more familiar--road before we parted ways, but that didn't really help us when we came out the drive-thru into a massive parking lot with virtually no sense of direction whatsoever.

Leave it to us to get lost in a parking lot. 

Instead of panicking, though, or debating routes and looking up the directions to where we wanted to go, we started laughing. And by laughing, I mean tears-in-your-eyes, exploding-bladder-inducing, breathless-and-shaking laughing.

That is by far my favourite kind of laughter. It's the kind of laughter that lingers; that still has you giggling to yourself a good half hour later (as we were).

Moments like these are definitely embarrassing, but they make for good stories to tell.

They also give me something to blog about.

Until later,

- Justyne

Two Adventures with my Driving Buddy (WFMAD Day 19)

So earlier today, I asked my driving buddy (AKA my close friend Allison) what I should blog about. Her suggestions weren't exactly helpful, so instead I'm just going to share stories of a few of my favourite adventures with her.

1. Something you should really know about my driving buddy and I is that we go to Wal-Mart. A lot. Not quite sure why, to be honest; it's just our thing.

Anyway, last month we were on one of our many Wal-Mart adventures. We were sitting in her car, just down the street from the store, and there was this car driving in front of us. The car goes to turn left--a good meter or two before the actual curb. You'd think they'd stop, or swerve to avoid the curb (and the sign sitting on top of it), right?

Nope.

So the two of us watch, rattled, as whoever was driving the car honest-to-God MOWS OVER THE FREAKING CURB, driving over it AND the sign sitting on it like nobody's business, and calmly pulled to a stop in the parking lot across the street. The sign that had been placed legit bounced right back up after they passed over it. 

In retrospect, we probably should have stopped to check if the driver was okay--and God knows they wrecked their car doing that utterly pointless stunt--but we just kinda kept going and pulled into the parking lot, all the while laughing and freaking out over what we had just seen.

2. This next one dates back to our good 'ol middle school days, before we (read: her) could actually drive, therefore before we were actually driving buddies.

We were famous (read: not famous at all) for going on bike-and-scooter combo rides. Basically, she would ride her scooter, and I would ride my bike, because I was lame and didn't have a scooter.

For whatever reason, she had just recently developed an irrational fear of trains. Not exactly sure why, but either way she was terrified that some evil mastermind would drop a penny onto the train tracks and said penny would cause an incoming train to flip out and derail itself. Or something. \

So one day, we just happened to be down by the train tracks near our houses when we hear the whistle of an incoming train. Allison, freaking out, desperately tries to push her scooter away. Unfortunately, we were (for whatever reason) sitting in gravel / rocks, so her scooter would not push through them.

So instead, she lifts her scooter up over her head, and goes running down to the smooth pavement, screaming all the way.

Meanwhile, I am left standing in the dust, unable to get back on my almost-too-big bike and almost peeing myself because I was laughing so hard.

This remains my favourite story, like, in the history of stories.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these random stories of mine.

Until later,

- Justyne

10 Things You May or May Not Know About Me (WFMAD Day 18)

(I'm stumped and bored okay.)

If you know me in real life, you probably already know the majority--if not all--of the following facts. If you only know me through this blog, though, you might learn something.

1. I live off of chocolate milk. (If you are my friend and didn't already know this then I am severely judging you right now.) Seriously, though, if I ever became lactose intolerant, I would cry. And then get sick, because let's face it, lactose intolerance would never keep me from drinking it.
2. I am a nerdy, geeky, dorky fangirl. I watch anime and play Pokemon and get way too emotionally invested in television for my own good. (I think I already mentioned this but whatever.)
3. I love buying scratch tickets. Scratching scratch tickets is fun, okay? I promise that I don't have a gambling addiction.
4. The song Call Me Maybe is MAH JAM! One time I heard it start playing on the radio at the other end of the restaurant when I was working and literally ran down there to dance to it.
5. I have a slight addiction to painting my toenails. I'm actually about to paint them right now. I'd paint my fingernails, too, if I was ever allowed to have nail polish on at work. (The downside to working at a restaurant, I guess.)
6. I am not built for running. And by that, I mean that I'm lazy and hate anything that involves physical movement.
7. My favourite colour is purple. You can easily figure this out on your own when you see my bedroom.
8. My favourite food is macaroni and hot dog casserole. KD and hot dogs and sauce baked in the oven. IT IS A GIFT SENT FROM GOD.
9. I love Wal-Mart. Don't ask me why, I just do. I also have some fond memories of Wal-Mart adventures with a certain driving buddy of mine~
10. I built an office chair all by myself. Like last month. Or the month before or something. I consider it as my first real step to adulthood. (Aside from, y'know, graduation and all that.)

Can you tell that I was really running out of facts by the end?

Until later,

- Justyne

YouTube (WFMAD Day 17)

I have a slight addiction to YouTube. (And I think we all know just how "slight" my obsessions normally are.)

I've had an account on YouTube for quite a while now, but I've never been quite so hooked on it as I am now. I made a couple videos--really really bad videos that have since been deleted--back in middle school, but I haven't created anything for the website since. Instead, my addiction lies in watching videos.

This is a fairly normal addiction, really, as I'm sure everyone at some point has gotten hooked on watching viral videos for hours on end. But it's not necessarily just watching viral videos, though. I have found several different YouTubers--Jon Paula, Kristina Horner, Rooster Teeth, to name a few--that I have been following religiously for probably about a year now. They produce awesome material that I love to watch, and as of late I have found myself refreshing my YouTube news feed constantly, hoping that they've uploaded something new for me to watch.

I just love YouTube. Like, a lot. I love the ways that new stories emerge from it; how people are constantly discovering new ways to entertain everyone. Web series like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, personal vlogs from people like Kristina Horner, video game playthroughs from gamers like Jon Paula. Every time I log on to the website and see their videos, my heart soars; I love watching these videos, even if I probably spend way too much time doing it.

I'll be honest, a part of me has always wanted to make my own videos. I've had a blast making any videos I've produced in the past--no matter how cringe-worthy they may have been. I've never tried making a vlog--video blog, for those of you not up-to-date on your internet terminology--and it looks like fun. I mean, it's basically just taking a blog and turning it into a video, right? How hard can it be?

(Well, really hard, if you're trying to film with your crazy roommate in the room. Judging from my past experiences making school projects, anyway.)

I doubt I'll ever actually take the chance and film a vlog. I've got my hands full enough as it is; do I have time to spend painstaking hours editing weekly videos?

Well, that, and I look dumb on camera. I think I'll stick to my trusty old blog.


Until later,

- Justyne

Deadlines (WFMAD Day 16)

Let's face it: the only thing that could ever motivate me to finish my homework was the looming arrival of the test or assignment due date. (And if I'm being honest, even that didn't motivate me a whole lot this past year.) Deadlines, it seems, provide great external motivation.

The problem, I find, is that I suck at applying deadlines to my own personal projects. I tend to overestimate my abilities, and how much I can actually get done in a set amount of time. So when I do set deadlines, they pass easily without my project or goal being completed, which leaves me feeling frustrated and dejected and even more unmotivated than I was before.

The only exception to this, it seems, is this blog.

Aside from the brief period of time after the school year (in which I seemed to be unmotivated to do anything other than play Sims), I've been really good at updating this blog. I said I'd update every Friday, and for the most part, I've nailed it, every time. Even now, in the midst of a blog-a-day challenge, I have yet to fail. (Unless you count posting after midnight failing, which I don't. Cut me some slack!)

So what's the difference between this, and my other projects? Why can't my deadlines be as successful for everything else?

Maybe my other projects are simply too big. Maybe my deadlines are unrealistic; the work too big to complete in the given time. Maybe I need to develop a new routine, or a new method to working on my projects.

Or maybe, I just need to dive right back into it.

I'll be honest; now that I'm taking a break from school, and working mostly full time, the pressure is on. To make real progress on my writing, my art, and other creative projects. Before, with my focus always on school, this had always just seemed like a hobby.

It's not just a hobby anymore.

So maybe, despite all the times I failed before, it's time to give it another shot.


Until later,

- Justyne

Mornings (WFMAD Day 15)

(We have officially reached the halfway point for WFMAD! Woot!)

Mornings are the bane of my existence.

I'm not a fan of mornings. At all. I don't like getting up early, leaving the warm comfort of my bed and, you know, sleep, in exchange for having to stumble through a groggy state and actually be productive. Because let's face it: the only thing we ever want to do first thing in the morning is sleep, regardless of how many hours you've already gotten.

(Unless you're a hardcore morning person, in which case, you suck. No offense.)

The problem with mornings is that, without them, I get nothing done. During summer last year, and the year before (and probably the year before that), I developed a steady routine of sleeping in until noon every day, and staying up until 3 in the morning (normally watching anime or playing Sims). Aside from going to work and occasionally hanging out with friends, I got little to nothing done AT ALL, and it was the most frustrating thing ever.

I know what you're probably thinking. "Why, Justyne, if you wanted to get work done so badly, why didn't you start setting your alarm and going to bed earlier?" Well, smart guy, I tried. I set my alarm for 8. I set it for 9. I set it for 10. I had three alarms going off at one-hour intervals, hoping that at least one of them would get my sorry little ass out of bed.

Nope.

The thing you should realize is that there are two versions or sides to my personality. There is my normal, everyday, totally perky self, and my morning self.

The perky side of me is the one who is overly happy, always optimistic, who makes to-do lists and schedules and deadlines and who plans to go to bed by midnight and get up by 8:30 because hey, it's not so hard!

The morning side of me is the one who wrecks all of those plans by sleeping in three hours later than planned; whose first reaction when the alarm goes off is to hit the snooze and go back to sleep; who says, "Screw you, this is impossible" to the formerly optimistic plans made during the day.

It didn't matter what lengths I made to ensure that I wouldn't sleep in; I still would, without fail, until the day came when I had to start getting up at 6 am for school.

This year, though, things were different. I jumped into summer with the knowledge that I probably wouldn't be going back to school come September, and thus my one incentive to adapt a decent sleeping schedule would be null and void. I knew that this year, if I allowed myself to fall into my same old, messed up sleeping schedule, I would be stuck in that rut of unproductivity...forever.

(Okay, so maybe that's a bit dramatic. But we all know that I'd have a hard as hell time getting out of it again.)

So when I got home from PEI aaaaall the way back in April, I made a decision. A decision to get up at 8:30 am, every day. (Yes, even on Saturdays.)

I'll be the first to admit that I don't always follow through on this decision. Some days I sleep a little longer; some days a lot longer. Some days I wake up at 8:30, only to crawl back into bed and watch Netflix on my phone for a couple hours. (These days have been happening more and more frequently as of late.)

But for the most part, I've been pretty good about keeping my sleeping schedule intact. I've been good about not staying up too late (please ignore the fact that I posted this at one in the morning), and about starting my day BEFORE the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. I've been good about starting to get stuff done earlier, and as a result, have been getting more and more done during the day. My frustration is decreasing. And you know what?

I still hate mornings.


Until later,

- Justyne

Season Premieres (WFMAD Day 14)

It's that time of year again. School is up and running, the temperatures are cooling, and my favourite TV shows are starting to return at last.

The time for season premieres is upon us.

Last night was the first in the line of many returns and new arrivals on television this fall. Down in the States, the second season of The Legend of Korra premiered, and while I couldn't watch it live on television, some kind soul uploaded it online for us poor non-Americans to watch. I've been waiting over a year for the return of this show, and I REALLY enjoyed it!

Next up, this Monday, is the premiere of Dancing with the Stars is airing. I don't normally tune into this show, but Bill Nye the Science Guy is going to be dancing this season.

You heard me. Bill Nye the Science Guy. My childhood is screaming at me to watch this.

A week after that, on September 23rd, is the Castle season 6 premiere; which, after the finale back in May, I am absolutely FREAKING OUT about, you have absolutely no idea. (Unless you know me in real life, in which case yeah, you probably do have a pretty good idea.) I sincerely hope I don't work on this date because I'm 99% sure I will die in the prolonged wait a closing shift at the restaurant will cause.

A week after that, on September 29th, is the Once Upon a Time season 3 premiere. While I didn't enjoy the second season as much as the first, I'm still SUPER excited for its return. They're going to have Ariel, guys. Ariel. She's, like, my favourite princess ever.

And finally, on October 10th is the series premiere of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a OUaT spin-off. This is a new show, and one that I hadn't originally intended on watching...until I saw the trailer.

I mean, come on. It's a love story. This is ME we're talking about. I'm tuning in if it's the last thing I do.

Of course, there are also going to be new episodes of Phineas and Ferb airing occasionally, which I will DEFINITELY not be missing, because I love that show to death. The season finale of The Amazing Race Canada also airs the same night as the DwtS premiere, which I am equally stoked for.

What shows are you looking forward to watching this year?

Until later,

- Justyne

Rollerskating and Smelly Feet (WFMAD Day 13)

These are the things my family instructs me to blog about.

(My sister also suggested "the joy of working at MacDonald's", but that's her job, not mine.)

Since the day is basically over and I have yet to come up with anything better, I think I'll just roll with it. (Hehe. Roll. Get it?)

I suck at rollerblading about as much as I suck at ice skating (which makes sense, since they're basically the same thing in different seasons). I'm not too bad, I guess, considering that I can at least stay upright. But God forbid I go rollerblading on pavement that isn't brand-new and 100% smooth. I hit the slightest bump or imperfection, and I go flying.

My dad and sister talked today about going to a rollerblading rink. I really hope I get to go to this because come on, how many bumps or imperfections are going to be on a rink?

(There will probably be a lot just because I'll be there.)

I don't have much to say about smelly feet, other than the fact that I tell my sister that her feet smell a lot when they really don't.

(Oh no, my biggest secret has been revealed! *darts into refrigerator filled with chocolate milk because why not*)

Another random thing to add before I go: I spilt chocolate milk all over myself today. Not even kidding, guys. That's what I get for not putting the lid back on my Milk To Go cup between sips.

(I also got it all over the table and all over my chair at Subway.)

Really, really random blog post tonight, I know.

Until later,

- Justyne

In Which I Blog About Blogging (WFMAD Day 11)

I've been wangin' this blogging thing for the past six months now. (Seriously, though, it has not been six months already. It hasn't. I refuse to believe that, just like I refuse to believe my younger sister just entered high school, and that I, myself, graduated over a year ago. WHAT.)

To be completely honest, I still have no idea if I'm doing this right.

I find that my blogging tends to be all over the place. Sometimes, I give writing tips. Sometimes, I blog about writing in general. Sometimes, I ramble on about my life--which, I admit, is pretty boring. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm doing a good 99% of the time. Sometimes it's nice, to be able to wang it so frequently. Most times it's a pain in the butt, because I still have no idea what I'm doing.

It has its ups and downs, I guess.

But, since you're still reading this after six months, I must be doing something right.

Now, considering that I have blogged about a wide variety of topics, let me ask you: why do you read my blog? For the tips? For my day-to-day life activities? Answer in the comments below; I'm curious. :)


Until later,

- Justyne