Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Overwhelmed

"I know you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed but can you  ever just be whelmed?" - paraphrased from 10 Things I Hate About You, the movie.

I am overwhelmed and have been since at least friday. And I'm going to tell you all why because sometimes in writing, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. Or maybe that's just me...
(Look below the overwhelmed talk for happiness and a blog award.)


School - I have one bachelor's degree but am getting an associates online in health science and then will apply for nursing school.  I have 3 classes left, 2 of which I'm in right now. The classes I'm taking are nutrition and pathophysiology. Each has 2-3 assignments due per week (which aren't mon-fri or mon-sun, they are thursday - wednesday) and a quiz, with one on day 5 and the other on day 7. And the assignments can take hours to do.

Work - hahahaha. Okay, so I'm lame-ish and don't have a job right now. I do help my grandma with anything she needs and despite me saying I don't need paid she gives me money anyways. I am working whenever we need someone at the medical supply store but that's it.

Blogfests - there was one on friday that had over 50 entries. Then saturday was a blogfest with over 20 entries. It took me three days to go through most of them, with a few that got missed or went without comment. If your blogfest entry is really really long then I am not reading it because I don't have the time.

Promises I've made - I was supposed to review/grade for a poetry class online. I managed one but the person running the academy, she knows who she is, did most the poetry reviews. I have a single synopsis to critique and each time I go to do it, homework gets in the way.

Writing - I've only managed to write for the 15 for 15 contest, which is 15 minutes writing and posting the end product for 15 days based upon a picture prompt. Today is about birds and the type of bird is a booby... ummm, yeah.  But no novel writing at this point. I think about them but that's it. *sighs*

So, I have a lot to do and haven't done much really, which makes it worse. Yet sometimes, when I'm overwhelmed I do my best work. Sure, I procrastinate and do everything last minute. I have to work on too many projects, but the writing somehow comes out better (or so the grades and teachers tell me abou the end product).


Thanks to miss Ashy, whom is the best except when she makes me deal with this stuff, I get to write about 10 things that make me happy. Oh boy. (x),(x)
1. Writing (yeah, that should have been obvious) because I love to write.
2. Painting. I may not have mentioned this or might have, but my bachelor's degree includes art and at least 3 of the classes were painting. I'm really not a good drawer but I love to pain with oils or acrylics.
3. Friends, who are almost all online. Okay. They are all online. Ashy (aka Twinnie), Mire, Tara, Harley, and so many others that I interact with on Writing.com, Twitter and Blogs.
4. My boyfriend. He can bug me sometimes, but he can also make me happy. It's so strange for me to have someone persue me in the way he had. We met on writing.com, so he's a writer too.
5. Books. Bookstores, books I own, libraries, reading books, owning books, all of it is fabulous. I want to have a library room in my home some day filled with books. Good think BF wants that too.
6. Animals. Pets and not pets, they all have a special place even if some are icky and kinda scary. I love my pets in particular. Cats are de best. I miss my dwarf hamsters, who have passed away.
7. Music. I listen to a variety of types, love most of them. Used to play clarinet, bari sax, alto clarinet. Performed in choirs and even studied voice for a year in college (soprano). Though, it's very rare for anyone to get to hear me sing.
8. Little kids and babies. Okay, this may sound weird but I love infants and toddlers. I'm really good with kids as they seem to really like me. I get all warm and fuzzy when any are around, well that or sad cause I don't have any yet.
9. Family. Some of my family is crazy and weird but my mom and some of my closes family members are just plain great.
10. Sleep. I like sleep. I love dreams, which occur when I'm sleeping. Yay for sleep.

Now for a blog award. Thanks to Melanie Golden and her blog for this award. Check her out at http://melaniegolden.blogspot.com/


Isn't it pretty? So, I have to answer some questions and then give the award to other people. On to the questions.

1. What is your favorite genre to read? Why?
I love to read fantasy. Most of it is from the fantasy/science fiction section in the book stores but sometimes YA. I like the type with magic, witches, mages, elves and stuff like that. I haven't gotten into the paranormal trends but have a few books to read in them. As for why, umm... I started reading it wehn I was in junior high or even earlier. It's fun with great characters and a good break from reality.

2. If you couldn't write in the genre you do, what genre would you write in? 
Umm, which one? I already write in at least 5 genres. If I couldn't do any type of fantasy then I'd do all the teen gay books or the coming out trilogy. 

3. Pepsi or Cola?
Gotta say Pepsi. I've liked it ever since reading The Outsiders, which is kinda dorky but I don't care.


4. How do you like to spend your Sundays?
Writing and sleeping.


5. Penguin or Giraffe?
Both. I love them both very much as I want to have baby rooms or the kids' playroom with penguins, giraffes and elephants.


6. What type of vehicle do you drive?
Dodge Intrepid, though the parents think it could die any time. Need a new vehicle.


7. Would you lick a battery if your life depended on it?
Well, since it doesn't say the voltage of the batter, then sure. Why not? As most the low end batteries don't really cause any damage.


8. When do you like to write - in the morning, in the afternoon, evening?
Evening is my prefered as I'm usually sleeping in the morning but afternoon works too.

9. Which do you like more - Facebook or Twitter?
Twitter. I am on it all the time but I rarely sign onto facebook.


10. If you get hurt (like a scrape on the knee or break your arm), do you ask for a band aid?
Depends on the injury. If it's a decent type of cut then I ask for a band aid. If I break my arm, going to need a little more than a silly band aid. 


People who get this award... 
Ann Riley at Simple Life, Big Joy
Kristie Cook at http://www.kristiecook.com/
Tara at Midnight Ink


That is all. Now to go do some fiction writing. Maybe.

12 comments:

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Congrats on your award! but so sorry you're feeling overwhelmed. It's amazing how things can feel so burdensome sometimes. It all just stacks up. Good luck with it all. I hope that soon the pressure will ease for you.

BTW, I was a pepsi girl for a long time, but now I'm a die-hard Coke Zero fan!

Kristie Cook said...

Thanks for another award! The ones where we get to know each other are always fun to read.

Penguins, giraffes and elephants! I love them all, too! It used to be pigs but I kinda lost interest when we had a very mean pot-bellied pig for a while. He was nasty. My aunt is the penguin collector, so I do giraffes and elephants (I think I only have 1 giraffe right now, tho, need to do something about that). I do LOVE penguins, tho, just don't want to take away from her fun.

As far as life goes...breathe, just breathe. And take it one day at a time. I know how you feel about being overwhelmed, but we can only do what we can do. Besides adding more time to the day to write novels, is there anything you would change? o.O

Melanie Golden said...

Good answers! =)

Sorry you're feeling overwhelmed, dear. I hope it passes soon.

xoxo
Mel

Dawn Embers said...

Carolina - Thanks. I used to be a huge fan of Dr. Pepper before I switched to Pepsi. And I do drink Coke sometimes, diet - regular - or zero. I just pick pepsi if I have to pick one out of the too more often.

Kristie - My mom collects elephants. But most her stuff is adult, breakable so I think having toy and kids stuff won't step on her collection. And I would change my classes. I mean, assignment 3 due before 2, that makes no freaking sense!? *is still grinding on that*

Melanie - hehehe. Thanks. :-)

Zoe C. Courtman said...

Wow - I'm finding a lot of posts today about productivity and being overwhelmed - and that includes my own! See, I'm popping over to let you know that I've canceled my Cognitive Dissonance Blogfest (scheduled for June 28) because I have GOT to get my MS finished, and have to clear out some distractions to make it so. Sounds like a lot of people are on the same productivity path!!

Susan Fields said...

I remember that over/underwhelmed quote from 10 Things I Hate About You - love that! Sorry to hear you're overwhelmed! My kids are home on summer break and I'm without my precious routine and feeling pretty overwhelmed myself. Congrats on your award - it is very pretty!

Dawn Embers said...

Zoe - I noticed, since I sometimes catch other people's blog posts and commented. It's too bad but I completely understand. It's a little better now except at grandma's house her internet doesn't work. Need a new modem. So, I'm limited with sis's verizon one. But I'm getting by okay.

Susan - :-) I don't like when my routine gets messed up. Once I have one I do great. I had a useful writing routine in March but by mid April things got changed and my word count dropped to nil. Aww, and thank you. It is very pretty.

Clara said...

Wow, you have the cutest blog EVER! I couldnt agree with you more, I too feel like that sometimes...Oh well!

Jean Michelle Miernik said...

Wow, you are one busy lady! It helps me to rethink my priorities every month--because they change based on what's going on in your life. If you want to do something you don't have time to do, ask, "What can I give up right now?" For me, sometimes that's certain chores (thanks to my understanding husband), sometimes it's blogging, sometimes it's working on my novel. But I shuffle them each month, so nothing ever gets set aside forever.

Dawn Embers said...

Clara - hehe, thanks. I like this background though it may change in the future.

Genie - Good idea. I do that with my goals because long term goals are good but it helps me to focus if I do monthly goals too. And some times I just have to take things on a day to day basis.

Lilah Pierce said...

I'm not actually here. I'm just dropping off the new address for my site. Its thoughtsbylilahpierce.blogspot.com

prashant said...

I'm limited with sis's verizon one. But I'm getting by okay.
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