An Update On The Uni Downtime

I have to say that I’ve taken a real dive in mood recently. The only thing that has given me any real positivity of late has been my A112 module results for uni.

I have entered my first piece of creative writing prose into a competition but despite what the rules/guideline for entry states, I’ve had no acknowledgement of my entry so I am just slightly concerned that my email has gone into their spam folder and will never be seen. Yay!

I have another piece I’ve been working on for entry into a short story comp the writer’s magazine I’m subscribed to runs. I still need to iron it out. The deadline for that is on the 15th.

Yesterday I started on another one to enter into the Oxford Flash Fiction prize, but I am worried that what I have written for it is waaaaaaay too dark. I don’t want to say any more about it or give any detail on the story as it has to be unpublished work that is entered. 

So, yes, despite my low mood I have tried to keep myself focused on my writing and getting some stories developed, etc. It’s hard not to write darkly when you’re down. 

I guess the Simple Minds tour news hasn’t helped the situation but I am not admitting that to anyone else but myself (and whoever reads this – definitely not my OH or certain close friends read any of my blog stuff…and that’s okay. It lends a certain freedom to what I feel I can say here, if I need to air things) and I am trying not to dwell on it because there is no changing the situation. 

I was meant to go to a gig on Tuesday night but I felt so low and so dark I just couldn’t motivate myself to go out. Actually, I was in a state of panic thinking about going so I decided it was best not to as I was just trying to fight a nervousness that wouldn’t calm down – until I made the decision not to go. I then spent the rest of the night really down on myself for not having the strength to pull myself out of such an awful state of panic. 

So I am just trying to keep creative. I try to write every day, even if it isn’t much, or it’s for the blog (the other blog) or some other non-fiction writing rather than fictional prose or short story writing for competitions. Anything that means I am typing away and getting words down on a page, or on the screen. 

I’ve just gone over the halfway point of my uni break. I don’t feel like I’ve been as productive as I would have liked but I am at least writing and…I’ve entered a comp! Even if I’m worried that my entry has gone nowhere and I’ve had no confirmation that it was received. 

I’ll try my best to keep the old stiff upper lip – pull the old socks up and just…get on with things. 

Adios amigos.

Would YOU give 1000% to something?

Are you THAT committed? I’ve just been reading an article from the BBC News – Magazine section on their web site, about the death of using the term “giving it 100%” to signify you giving something your all. It’s not enough to say 100% any more. You have to say 110%, 150%, some, in the American version of The Apprentice are now using the over-assured 1000%!

I was trying to put this into context. Say you’re applying for a full-time job and you say “I give everything 1000%”. Would the employer snap you up on the logic that if you give “everything” 1000%, that perhaps you’d work 1000% MORE? Say the job was for 40 hours per week, does this mean you’re willing to give your employer 400 hours a week of work? There’s only 168 hours in a week?!

I’m really committed to finishing the post now. I think I’ll give it 99.99%! lol

To read the story, click the link below…

BBC NEWS | Magazine | The death of 100%

One For Facebook, One For Here!

Got this from Facebook. I did one on there already, so thought I’d do this one on my site.

Tis harder than you think!! Here is what you are supposed to do…and please don’t spoil the fun…copy and paste into your own note/blog, type in your answers using only ONE word and tag a bunch of people – I won’t be tagging though.

1. Where is your mobile phone?
Footstool

2. Your hair colour?
Chocolate

3. Your father?
AWOL (I hope acronyms count)

4. Your favorite thing?
Birds

5. Your dream last night?
Lots

6. Your favorite drink?
Mocha

7. Your dream/goal?
Happiness

8. The room you are in?
Living

9. Your fear?
Spheksophobia (fear of bees and wasps)

10. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Here

11. Muffins?
English

12. One of your wish list items?
Bed

13. Where you grew up?
Busby

14. The last thing you did?
Typed

15. What are you wearing?
(if it HAS to be a one word answer) Clothes

16. Your TV?
Dexter

17. Your pets?
Several

18. Your computer?
Armrest

19. Your life?
Mediocre

20. Your mood?
Reserved

21. Missing someone?
Sorta

22. Your car?
None

23. Favorite store?
Morrisons

24. Your summer?
Forgettable

25. Your favorite colour?
Pastels

26. When is the last time you laughed?
Yesterday

27. Last time you cried?
Past

28. Favorite food at the moment?
Cake

29. A place I would rather be right now?
Stamford

30. A person I know will respond
Wendy(?)

Pardon?

This is a picture of the word my computer opponent decided to put on the board whilst playing against them on my Scrabble game for Nintendo DS.

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