Goals
It's been a little while since I posted about my goals, so let's see how I've been doing.
1. Learning Swedish- we still don't have Rosetta Stone on Seth's laptop, so I haven't been using it, but Seth and I have signed up for introductory Swedish classes, which start in a couple of weeks.
2. Writing- I don't think I've done much on this at all. On Aug 27th my notes were packed up along with my laptop that has my novel on it, and I still haven't used my laptop or uncovered my notes. On top of all that, I've been reading things on the "Science Fiction and Fantasy Chronicles" forums, and apparently my manuscript is far too short (only about 17,000 words) for a novel. Manuscripts should be around 60,000 words, or so the professionals on the forum have written. When I reread what I've written, it does seem to me like it's too short, so instead of finishing my manuscript by the end of the year (which I think I'd need to work on full time to accomplish), I'm going to have to settle for a draft manuscript by the end of next year, and maybe 10 more chapters by the end of this one. I want to produce a professional-grade novel that can actually sell, and it's not like I haven't been working on this one for a long time now... a little bit longer is just what it's going to have to take.
3. Work - I've applied for a job in Munich, which I'm excited about, and I have started making inquiries as to how to get funding to pursue some ideas of my own. A lot of these ideas rely on working with other people's samples, so unless I get some cooperation they won't fly, but it is worth a shot. If I get the job in Munich (a long shot, but you never know), I'll be able to generate my own samples, and do a better job of it.
4. I've added a new goal to my list. Poverty and stress led to me letting myself go somewhat in Fairbanks, and I am starting to reverse that. I'd like to lose some weight (I've already started a diet), and I need to work on getting my hair back into shape. Yesterday I got it cut (first time in four months- I've been waiting until we had the spare cash), and it still looks like crap because we've been using cheap shampoo and conditioner. Seth's hair is frizzy too. I need to find discount beauty supply places that sell better brands at a reasonable price, and try some kind of intensive hair repair treatment for us as well. I've thought about dyeing my hair again (my roots are showing), but I am not sure I want to keep spending the money on it. I certainly don't want to keep using the store box dyes like I have been, which also aren't good for your hair. I can't decide if I want to let myself go grey or not. Would looking older help my career or hinder it? Seth doesn't care, so that's good, but it means I have to decide for myself, and while I like how I look when it's black, I also don't want to spend money on it.
That's all for now from Uppsala
1. Learning Swedish- we still don't have Rosetta Stone on Seth's laptop, so I haven't been using it, but Seth and I have signed up for introductory Swedish classes, which start in a couple of weeks.
2. Writing- I don't think I've done much on this at all. On Aug 27th my notes were packed up along with my laptop that has my novel on it, and I still haven't used my laptop or uncovered my notes. On top of all that, I've been reading things on the "Science Fiction and Fantasy Chronicles" forums, and apparently my manuscript is far too short (only about 17,000 words) for a novel. Manuscripts should be around 60,000 words, or so the professionals on the forum have written. When I reread what I've written, it does seem to me like it's too short, so instead of finishing my manuscript by the end of the year (which I think I'd need to work on full time to accomplish), I'm going to have to settle for a draft manuscript by the end of next year, and maybe 10 more chapters by the end of this one. I want to produce a professional-grade novel that can actually sell, and it's not like I haven't been working on this one for a long time now... a little bit longer is just what it's going to have to take.
3. Work - I've applied for a job in Munich, which I'm excited about, and I have started making inquiries as to how to get funding to pursue some ideas of my own. A lot of these ideas rely on working with other people's samples, so unless I get some cooperation they won't fly, but it is worth a shot. If I get the job in Munich (a long shot, but you never know), I'll be able to generate my own samples, and do a better job of it.
4. I've added a new goal to my list. Poverty and stress led to me letting myself go somewhat in Fairbanks, and I am starting to reverse that. I'd like to lose some weight (I've already started a diet), and I need to work on getting my hair back into shape. Yesterday I got it cut (first time in four months- I've been waiting until we had the spare cash), and it still looks like crap because we've been using cheap shampoo and conditioner. Seth's hair is frizzy too. I need to find discount beauty supply places that sell better brands at a reasonable price, and try some kind of intensive hair repair treatment for us as well. I've thought about dyeing my hair again (my roots are showing), but I am not sure I want to keep spending the money on it. I certainly don't want to keep using the store box dyes like I have been, which also aren't good for your hair. I can't decide if I want to let myself go grey or not. Would looking older help my career or hinder it? Seth doesn't care, so that's good, but it means I have to decide for myself, and while I like how I look when it's black, I also don't want to spend money on it.
That's all for now from Uppsala