Apptitude Schmapptitude

Have I mentioned how bored I get doing accounting? How some days it feels as if my job is sucking the marrow of life straight from my bones? How the thought of adding up one more column of numbers causes my inner child to scream in horror and pull her hair?

Well, I've mentioned it now.

Today I decided to take one of those career apptitude tests again. I took one back in high school, but don't really remember much about the results. I seem to remember High School English teacher being pretty high on the list. I think the reason I didn't pay much attention then, was because I already had decided what I wanted to do, so I just tuned it out. What I wanted to do, was become an OB/GYN and deliver babies. Then, my senior year, right before graduation, I had second thoughts. I couldn't afford medical school and I wasn't sure my math and science scores were high enough. I mean, I had a 4.0, but still you have to have strong skills in that area. I decided to take a year, go to community college and figure it out. What I've figured out in the last 10 years, is that I would have hated the high-stress level of medical school, I hate taking college courses that seem pointless to my chosen goal and I'm better in math than I thought. I've also discovered that my love for writing could be used for financial gain. (Minimal so far, but the potential is there.) I also found myself with a career as a bookkeeper, something I NEVER would have chosen for a life career.

SO, today I decided to see if my desire to become a writer full time was really the way I should go, or if there was another career out there that could earn me a better living, and more quickly. Wanna take a stab at what my results were?

Writer/Journalist was my top match at about 98%. Medical science came in at a close second at around 95%, and Educational Instructor was third at about 90%.

Well, GEE, what a surprise. I would never have guessed that those would be my best fields. Sorry, that's sarcastic, I know. But, really. I guess what I needed was a test that could tell me how best to get into those fields and make a living without having a degree or a giant life savings to support me while I get my new career up and running.

This means, that for now, I must stay in my tedious accounting position while trying to write a bestselling novel in my spare time. (Ha! Spare time!) My now bald inner child weeps.

I suppose I should focus on the positive. At least I know I'm on the right track. Maybe 10 years from now, I'll be celebrating a long and productive career as a novelist, as opposed to this year when I celebrate 10 years as a bored numb bookkeeper.

Keeping the dream alive,
A.

Survey says...

I got another great email today. Usually these silly survey things are all alike. What's your favorite color? Favorite food? Do you cry? And as silly as they are, I answer them all anyway, because it's something to do. But today, I got a good survey. I liked it so much, I decided to post it and my responses here. Feel free to pass it on to your friends too. We need more surveys in the email world.

Okay guys, you know the drill. Copy and paste and send your answers to all your friends so they can know how daring and crazy you are!

1. Have you ever been or do you ever want to go hang gliding? I’ve never been and I don’t intend to. (Shudder!)

2. Do you have any interest in going spelunking (cave exploring)? Only if it doesn’t require repelling.

3. Been scuba diving? Where? No, but I absolutely want to.

4. Seen any ancient ruins? Where? Does my old ’86 Ford LTD count? No? Okay, I guess I’ve not seen any yet, but I plan to see them all – Italy, Egypt, Scotland…

5. Been on a cruise? Where? Not yet, but want to real bad. I'd like to start in Hawaii, but eventually end up in Japan.

6. Gone on a hot air balloon ride? No, and I’m unsure about this one. Angel wants to and I told her I’d go with her, but I may huddle in the bottom of the basket and whimper the whole time. :) Despite that very real possibility though, I would love to shoot some pictures from a balloon.

7. Flown a plane? Flown one? I’ve not even been ON one.

8. Bungie jumped? No way in HELL will I be doing this one.

9. Hiked through the wilderness and camped out survivor style? Does Skylark’s camping count? We learned how to do it, it’s just not been put into practice much. Although with a Dad like mine, I probably know every way possible to survive with just a tin can, flint and string.

10. Slept under the stars? Yes. And technically, I sleep under the stars every night, the roof just gets in the way of seeing them.

11. Slept on a boat on the ocean? Not yet. But I intend to. In fact, if I nail that cruise, I’ll have hit two birds with one stone.

12. Swam with the dolphins? Only in my dreams. This is the first priority on my list of things I want to do before I die.

13. Held a new born baby just hours after he or she was born? Yes, and she was beautiful. :)

14. Started a fire with no matches? Yep, I prefer lighters, they’re less hassle. :) Actually, I have started fire with a flint.

15. Been terrified that a wild animal was going to get you? Yep. When we lived in the country we had a pack of coyotes that lived in the woods across the road from our front door. One night they made a kill close to the road. They were so loud it sounded like they were on the front porch. I was scared to go outside for a week. I was sure a coyote was gonna carry me off. (Hey, I was seven. It could happen!)

16. Been lost in a foreign country? No, but it sounds like fun.

17. Met anyone famous? Yep, although you may not have heard of her, Wanda Dyson is a best selling author in the Christian Suspense Genre and I met her last May in Colorado. Very cool lady.

18. Accomplished something you at first thought was impossible? Most Definitely and I intend to keep doing so.

19. Did something you were terrified of doing and felt proud of your achievement? Oh golly, I do this all the time.

20. Ran a marathon? Nope - and not likely to either, not even if I was a skinny chick. Running is not my thing. Running so long that my lungs burn out in my chest and my legs turn to rubber, - MOST DEFINITELY not my thing.

I didn't do too horrible. I've done a few things. I think it's time to update my list of things to do before I die though.

How about you?
A.

I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor...

I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, and I don't like it much! Oh No! Oh No! He's swallowed my toe, he's swallowed my toe. Oh Gee! Oh Gee! He's up to my knee, he's up to my knee... .

How many of you can identify with that kid's song? ME! I can! It's been running through my head for days now. Only, I'm being swallowed by filing cabinets, and laundry and broken t.v.'s... . The list could just go on and on . I can't believe it's been this long since I posted, but Golly Gee! It's been a whang-bang few days.

Work has been elevated from a Rat Race to an all out Mad Dash for Disaster. If something could go wrong, it has. From computers crashing to equipment malfunctions and shorthanded staff. Friday, to ice my cake, we added ANOTHER filing cabinet to our office. Now, it's not that I didn't want or need it, I did. We were running out of room. But you have to understand what our office looks like.

I share this 10x12 cell with an office mate. He has two desks, I have one. His two desks are opposite each other, sandwiching his chair like a Oreo. My desk butts up against the desk facing me. I have two and half feet to roll my chair back before I hit the file room. Actually, it's just a row of filing cabinets (five now, to be exact) and a five shelf bookcase loaded with binders. I'm flanked by printers and filing trays have completely taken over one corner of my desk. I can't even hang a calendar, because the only wall space left available to me is actually a rock pillar. The path running beside our desks to the door is two feet wide (as long as my office mate hasn't left a filing drawer open. That shrinks the walk way significantly. And due to my absolutely inherent klutziness, I never see the drawer in time to keep from tripping over it or taking off a chunk of myself.)

Filing is my job for the most part and the bane of my existence in the accounting world, because we file EVERYTHING! It can get to be a feat of balance to file in the cabinet directly behind my desk, but I've learned to do the backbend and still get the files put away. As you can imagine, we're rather cramped. (Actually, to be honest, I think a clown car would be roomier, but I don't need any more office mates.)

So now that you have clear picture of how the layout goes, you'll understand my disbelief when my office mate told me he was feeling 'closed in' with the new filing cabinet in place. (Remember - him, two desks. Me - one, encased in a filing room.) I think you would agree that I had the right to laugh maniacally while repeating, "You feel closed in? YOU FEEL CLOSED IN?" Thankfully, he had the grace to laugh a little sheepishly and agree that it was crazy. He said it was because he had to look at them and it just felt like they were all looming down on him. I guess I can concede him that. But I absolutely put my foot down on any more filing cabinets of any kind. We put any more in there and I'll have to suspend a 'Johnny Jumper' from the ceiling and use it instead of my desk chair. Grant it that could be supremely entertaining for my office mates, but I do not want to know what this body would look like as it bounced and somersaulted around just to get drawers open and files put away. (Shudder!)

I was okay Friday though, despite our incredibly hectic day. Wanna know why? 'Cause "I got new Stargate, I got new Stargate!" (I sang this to Angel periodically throughout the day and she would respond with a resounding "Woo-Hoo!") Stargate's air dates are a little odd, they play half a season in the summer and the other half in the winter. We'd been bereft of Daniel, T'ealc, Sam and Cameron for three months. Needless to say, Friday I was psyched to spend the evening watching my all time favorite shows. (Numb3rs is on afterwards - it's like icing on the cake.) Imagine my horror when I turned my tv on Friday night to hear nothing but static. Yep, my new (used, but new to me) tv had died. I ended up watching it at Angel's and I spent Saturday hunting for a t.v. that was just right. (Just the right dimensions to fit my new cabinet, just the right picture quality and just the right price - cheap.) I found it at the third store. I'd conned my nephew into helping me haul the monstrosity home and set it up. That took quite a bit of wrangling. Those things are HEAVY!

SO, you'd think after all that, I'd be due an easy Monday. (Or at least a normally hectic one.) Nope the craziness continues. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. To make a long story short (I know, WAAAAYYYYY too late.) that is why (among other things), I haven't posted much lately.

Excuses, Excuses....

Just tryin' to keep up with the crazies,
A.

I'm my own twin...

Have you ever felt like you are two people in one body? A chimera of sorts, or conjoined twin without the extra limbs? A split personality (or maybe 2 or 3 or 4... ?)

On my best days I'm organized, effecient, articulate, driven and upbeat. (I said my best days - not okay days, so-so days or pretty good days.) On my worst days I can't find anything, I'm clumsy, (quit laughing Angel, I meant more than normal.) dazed and confused. I suppose most people have days like these, at least I hope so, otherwise I'm more of a freak than I supposed. (Patsy Clairmont says that Normal is just a setting on your dryer. I'm begining to realize she's hit the nail on the head.)

What gets me though is all the in-between days. The days where I have two little voices arguing back in forth inside my head.

"Go wash dishes before you read."
"Nah, I don't wanna. I'll do them later."
"NO, do it now. You're a grown-up, be responsible."
"I am a grown up. I can do what I want, you can't make me do them now."
"Wanna bet? I can guilt you till the cows come home."
"When did you start sounding like Mom?"

Am I the only one who carries on these little internal arguments? Even when my selves aren't arguing amongst themselves, I still find procrastination and perfectionism pitting themselves against drive and determination.

"I need to go work on the re-write for the book."
"Eh, you still haven't worked out the placement for all the plot changes yet. Wait until you do that. There's a good movie on."
"Yeah, but if I don't work on it, I'll never get it done."
"I'm not feeling inspired right now."
"But you will once you sit down and start writing."
"I sat in front of a computer all day, I don't want to now."
"You really need to do something. It won't write itself. You love to write, just go do it."
"Okay, I'll just check my email first... ."

What's up with that? I know writers say that they hear voices in their heads, but I always assumed it was the characters talking. My characters don't talk to me that way, but I think that's because I am all the characters. Some part of me makes up each of their different personalities. It just makes sense when they do things. I don't have to ask them why they do something. So if it's that simple, (which, it's not really, there's plot and voice and narrative and, well you get the picture) why doesn't it just flow like a river and flood my monitor? Then again, if I actually got my butt in front of the monitor more often, it might.

It's amazing how you can love something so much, like writing, and long to do it as a full time career and yet still dread actually doing it. Once I get started, the dread disapears and I get lost in the story. It's actually a blast, but for some reason I just have a hard time getting my butt in that chair.

That's why I've made a New Year's promise to myself (all of my selves) to have a set writing schedule this year. I'm sticking to it. I'm going to go do it right now - Just as soon as I check my email again... .

A.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone. Wow, what a weekend. Friday night I worked until ten pm so we could close out the year in the accounting office. Saturday started our 3 day weekend and Angel and I celebrated by going to our favorite restaurant (Bua Thai) and seeing the movie "Family Stone". Which was really good by the way. Very funny, but moving too. It was a great ensemble cast that really worked well together. I was afraid it might be another 'Royal Tannenbaums', which I totally hated, but it was so much better. Really, not even in the same category. I especially loved Luke Wilson's role. What a great actor.

New Year's eve was a girls night (including my 3 yr old niece). We played Hottie Bingo- my own board game creation that is getting rave reviews. Even the 3 year old played. She was quite intrigued by the different 'hotties' on her game board. It was very cute. Once she was asleep, it was on with a Hugh Jackman Chick Flick.

Sunday was a lazy day and Monday wrapped up the weekend for us when we saw "King Kong". Another incredible movie. Peter Jackson is the bomb. I love his work and he didn't disappoint. I know some of my friends were complaining that it took an hour to get to the island and see Kong, but I truly liked the setup. I've never seen the original (or any of the remakes previous) so maybe that's why the story set up worked well in my eyes. I think Jack Black was a fabulous choice, it was nice to see him stretch his acting wings a little. The CG is incredible and it's definitely one you MUST see on the big screen. No waiting for rental on this one. I especially loved the humor scenes. Kong was so real, you knew what his emotions were. Watching him laugh or tease with Ann was great and the ice skating incident is a great touch too.

So the holidays are officially wrapped and it's back to the grindstone. I've got a six month countdown until our next paid holiday. I guess that means plenty of time to work on those new year resolutions with out distraction. My biggest one this year is to get my latest novel from synopsis to completed draft. That should keep my plenty busy.

Have a great year!
A.