Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Con


It's been a long few days -- reading facebook status updates, being jealous, trying to tame the envy, reading more updates, becoming more jealous, trying to keep a lid on the envy and failing...


Sigh.


I miss the Con (The Golden Crown Literary Society Convention), a four-day long event filled with exciting workshops for writers/readers/editors, award ceremonies, games, a dance party, and tons of impromptu merriment and debauchery. Put a ton of fun-loving ladies in a room and watch the fun begin.


For me, being there as a writer is only a small part of the event. Going is more about being with friends and peers. I love the workshops, but I love the meet-and-greets more. I love the awards, but I love the dance even more. In short, I really, really, really miss my GCLS Con buddies.


I keep thinking that I should be there. Why aren't I there? Why am I sitting in my room instead of having drinks poolside (even at 1 a.m.)?


Life forces you to make hard choices sometimes. And the choices I had to make this summer were good -- but very hard. I decided to be a teacher. That takes lots of training and commitment and can't be blown off. I've sacrificed a lot of time with friends and family around here. But it really just hit me today how much I gave up.


In the long run, I hope my choices will allow me to never miss another GCLS Con. I'll have summers off. I won't be horrendously broke. I'll be prepared.


So have fun, ladies. I'll see you next year. Please post pictures.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

What happens when you don't blog?

... You lose your password and have to spend an hour trying to figure out what it is.
I set up this blog under a special e-mail, too, one I don't access very often. In fact, that e-mail account has been deleted. Whoops. But I eventually puzzled it out.
In other words, I'm baaaaack!
Okay, here are some quick highlights:
I'm definitely not going to GCLS Con this year. It's a real bummer. I love being around my writing peers and lovers of lesbian fiction. But I have two good reasons for not going:
1. I simply don't have the cash. However, I'm saving for next year -- got $17.32 in the piggy bank so far.
2. I'm currently in training to become a middle school teacher.
Yes, you read correctly. Ladies and gents -- yours truly is going to be put in charge of educating future leaders.
Bwaaaahahahahahahahaha....
(That's right. I passed my content test for Generalist 4-8 (English Language Arts and Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science). I was terrified and didn't sleep the night before. My score: 286 of 300. That's a 95 average, folks. You only need a 240 to pass.)
Seriously, though, I'm really excited. I have a million ideas. Give me math -- I'll make them love it. Science? Heck yeah, we'll discover great things together. Language arts? You bet. Social studies? I finally memorized the Pledge of Allegiance and The Star Spangled Banner, so I'm ready to rock.
I've got my classroom rules all ready to go.
Except I don't call them "rules." Way too negative. Those laundry lists of do-nots always turned me off as a kid, and I don't intend to have any of those. My don'ts are implied in a much more positive statement.
Check it out:

CLASS EXPECTATIONS
Discover. Commit. Soar. Enjoy. Grow.

Come to class with a learning attitude
Be prepared, alert, polite, and eager to discover new knowledge.

Always do your best
Commit to working hard and never giving up.

Keep an open mind
Everyone wants to be respected, so be respectful. There are no bad questions and opinions in this class. Stretch your imagination, and let your ideas soar.

Have fun
Learning is easy if you have a positive attitude and are willing to enjoy sharing ideas.

Love your school
Be strong, proud, and productive for your community! We grow together as a team.

So there you have it. Good things are happening. My brain is being stuffed daily with tons and tons of information. I'm tired -- exhausted, really. Completely swamped. But this life-long love of learning all kinds of new stuff is finally going to be put to seriously productive work. And I can't wait.
Now, this doesn't mean I've given up on reading. Far from it! Having summers off is going to be fantastic for my writing ambitions. You just wait... I'll crank out a book or two annually. That's the goal. So hang in there. I'll give ya'll a short story here and there until next year.
Thanks for dropping by and have a fantastic week!!


P.S. I QUIT SMOKING!
Finally free, since June 1, 2009. I have previously "quit" but never really conquered the addiction -- always ended up sneaking cigs weekly at parties or with certain friends. I always used the crutch of "but cigarettes and alcohol" or "cigarettes and writing" go together. Not anymore. It's done.
I offically broke up with Marlboro Lights.