Grah
25 May 2012 Leave a Comment
Been gone so long, and will be off for memorial day weekend. Sorry back soon.
xoxox
Amber
Dear WordPress,
15 May 2012 6 Comments
in Fun Tags: Blog, humor, Life
Why you no add auto check to recieve comments by email before implementing the alert system? Now my inbox gets flooded even worse than normal. Before, I panicked when I didn’t press the button. Now I do, when I do!
Love,
Amber*
* Proper update soon.
Eep
10 May 2012 13 Comments
in Life Tags: Blog, college, College Life, Life, Random Thoughts
-sheepishly walks onto the stage-
Uh, Hi! Sorry about the absence. I feel really bad about it. Things got a bit crazy the last week. Over the weekend, I ended up at my mom’s house and with friends. I didn’t update like I thought I would. Then, because of being down there and constantly away, I didn’t get to study for my finals! So, Monday when I got home, which was actually late afternoon, I feverishly got on it! Even with that, I finished one assignment right before I had to leave for the class! I’ve passed all of my finals, but two grades are still missing. I’m fairly sure they are A’s. I finished with a B in my science class I had trouble in. I was 8 points on the final test from getting an A for the course. I wasn’t to upset though (liar). Wednesday, I was in bed practically the whole day. So, here I am today! I didn’t wake up until 11. I need to get out of this cycle of so much sleep.
I’m happy it’s finally over. I do need to remember to do one more thing to try to get a scholarship, but that’s it. I’m nervous about trying, for some strange reason.
I’m fairly excited for this summer. I have so many plans. I still look forward to them, even though one big let down has already happened. Things happen, though. For a reason too, right? Right?
This summer is supposed to be really special. I hope it all comes out ok. I’m scared to get my hopes up too high, and scared of what will happen if I don’t. Hopefully, everything will line up how it is planned, but I suppose if it doesn’t then that isn’t how it was supposed to.
Abstaining from Permanence has been nagging me for weeks, to finish typing him. I’m also having ideas to make it better, and I’m gonna be using Scrivener a lot to make it work. I know some things already that I need to fix, and it’s exciting and scary.
I’ve mentioned my fantasy lit teacher before, and we had a funny conversation last week. I wish I could remember all of it, but this part had my sides splitting.
Me: It’s made of normal house-building stuff!
Teacher: -laughing but still sounding serious- And what is ‘normal house-building stuff’?
Me: You know, bricks and wood!
Teacher and friend, along with me, especially me, are laughing hysterically at this point.
Teacher: You need to work on your descriptions.
Me: I’ve been told that before.
That’s one example of things that are going to be fixed in AfP, by the way. ;)
I’m going to miss some things about school. I’ll have a few teachers again (including the above mentioned) and I’ll see some friends again, but what about when it ends after next semester? I can’t stay there forever, my friends won’t be there forever either. I wonder who I will see after school ends. I wonder if I’ll spend as much time with people. Even though I don’t always like it, I think it’s one of the things that is good for me. I also have the thoughts of who would want to see you again anyway, especially outside of a school setting? Those thoughts trouble me.
Must not let it get me down too much, but they are really good at sticking in my head.
Good and bad things are happening and on their way to happening. Now, it’s a matter of getting through everything.
But I have you all for help, don’t I? ;)
Love,
Amber S.
Heart Race Much?
29 Apr 2012 18 Comments
in Goals Tags: Blog, college, College Life, goals, Life, Writing
I just got over a hurdle and submitted my mermaid story to a magazine. For now, I’m only going to have it sent to this one place. In about two weeks if I don’t hear anything, I’ll send it somewhere else. I felt terrified to hit the send button on the email.
What if I didn’t format it right?
Did I include everything?
What if they reject it?
What if I made myself sound stupid?
In the end, I hit send, and now, I wait. And write, of course.
How my college finals make me feel.
Finals are happening for me the next two weeks. Pretty stressed about it, and pretty depressed. It’s a lot of work hitting me all at once, and the motivation simply isn’t there. It took 8 hours to write a 2 page essay today. 8 hours I could have been doing other work. But I didn’t. I just stared at the computer and pretended I was working really hard. Well, I did do one other assignment. I forgot about that. I feel a little better, but not much. I have quite a bit more work to do, and I may do it tonight. I sure hope I do at least.
Wishing everyone well with lots of love,
Amber Sherer
Awards, Awards Everywhere
27 Apr 2012 5 Comments
in Award Tags: Blog, creative, questions, Writing
I am finally going to do some awards I was given, and some questions I was asked to answer. Only about forever behind in doing this!
Both awards come from the lovely Nessa and the Questions come from the smexy Simon.
Questions first.
Rules: 1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!
1) If you could be any kind of cake, what would it be and why? Moon cake, because I’ve never eaten it but it looks yummy and I like to think people would enjoy something different if I were a cake they were going to eat.
2) Name 5 CDs that you would take to a desert island (which had electricity) with you. I… I don’t own any cds. Can I just bring my mp3 player?
3) What muppet best describes you? What’s a muppet? Kidding. But serious, I have no idea what each muppet is.
4) Favourite type of flower? Daisy.
5) Favourite cheese? Cheese @.@ Any cheese that isn’t nasty. Like gouda. Or brie.
6) If you had to, would you pluck a duck (not a euphamism) or pickle a frog? Plucking a duck would be easier, because you throw the bird in boiling water to pull the feathers out easier. I think at least. Pickling is a longer process.
7) What is the best type of biscuit? Hmm, you’re British so I’m assuming you mean cookie. All biscuits are good. Except for the ones that aren’t.
8) If you had one day to live, what would be the most important thing to you to do? Tell everyone good-bye.
9) Your celebrity look-a-like? Can’t think of one.
10) Where would you like to get married? In a forest.
11) What’s worse – being kicked in the nuts or giving birth? Is this even comparable? Don’t be daft.
Now to create my own questions!
- You’re going down a road. You see a sign that says cake. What do you do?
- What do you think is more important, chasing unicorns or fighting dragons?
- E-book or hardback?
- What is most important in another person?
- How do you deal with a stressful situation?
- Is Atlantis real?
- What about Aliens?
- Can you play a sport? …Can you pretend to play a sport?
- What is the last book you read?
- How would you outsmart a genie?
- What would be the most crazy-awesome book genre you could think of?
Instead of tagging people, if you see these and wanna answer them just go for it and leave me a comment link to the post. :) (Thanks for asking me these Simon, they were fun.)
Rules to this award:
1. Thank the person who gave you the Award.
2. Take your best shot at the 3 tasks listed below.
3. Nominate 5 people who recently followed your blog.
Thanks, Nessa!
First Task
Three weird things I / you do:
- I sometimes shake my head, usually when I’m not around anyone, trying to dislodge the bad thoughts.
- I don’t talk aloud to myself because I’m afraid I’ll get an outside answer.
- I hide from people even when I wanna be around them.
Second Task:
You must tell why you look at the “glass half full” scenario and ask “what? No coffee?”
- Well, first I must ask if the coffee is hot or cold. If it is hot, I must ask why is it not cold. If it is cold, I must say thank you for the delicious coffee, and then be able to stay awake through the day.
Third Task:
You find yourself in a desolate place when your car breaks down. You have no cellphone service, no Walmart, and only a candy bar for food. It is 150 miles to the closest town. What colour are your pants and why?
- My pants are bootie shorts because that’s all I wanna wear lately. At least I wear fishnets under them. HEY! This may come in handy hitchhiking.
Tagging:
If you wanna do it, go for it! Leave me a comment that you did it.
Rules to this award:
1. Link the Award image back to the one who presented it to you.
2. List six nominations.
Thanks Nessa. You are a lovely, lovely girl and I’m super happy that WordPress brought us together. You will go far far in life.
And who do I nominate for this one, you ask?
Every. Single. Follower. Because you all mean so much to me. It’s a wonderful joy to know so many people care. Everyone is so kinda and you all mean the world to me. It keeps me blogging, keeps me going. I don’t know what I’d do without you and and WordPress anymore. I just know I’m an extremely blessed and lucky girl.
Love always,
Amber Sherer
Russian Poetry
25 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in College Tags: Blog, Poetry, Russian Poetry, Writing
Yesterday, I was privileged to sit in on a lecture from a visiting professor. He spoke on poetry translation, specifically Russian into English. It was astounding to hear the translated poetry and the process. It simply was beautiful. And, well, I also loved hearing him speak them in the native tongue. I love language. It always fascinated me, even when I was quite a bit younger. Well, not so much younger I suppose. I think it started when I was about twelve. I want to speak and understand as many as I can. I think I ought to get to work, huh! I have, well, had, a rudimentary understanding to read Spanish but I’m not sure if I still could.
I never knew it before, but I understood once I thought about it, but poetry is the most difficult thing to translate. There are so many minute details to consider. Also, you have to keep the mother culture in mind when making the translation. I also learned that Russian poetry almost always rhymes, which is different than I see in the poetry I’ve been exposed to. The professor joked that what passes for poetry today in America, he doesn’t consider poetry at all. It was pretty funny.
I started wondering about translation and poetry in general shortly after the lecture. I once wanted to be a translator. I suppose if I still want it, I will do it someday.
It also reminded me I need to get to building that language for class. ;)
Epigram No. 3 – Kosma Prutkov (I think the professor translated this, Gerald Mikkelson)
By savoring the blossom’s nectar,
The bee provides us mead exchange;
Although your brow’s an empty lectern,
Diogenes, my friend, you ain’t.
There was a story to the satirical poem, but I don’t remember exactly what it was. I still liked it though.
Love,
Amber Sherer
Mermaids and News
22 Apr 2012 14 Comments
in Short Stories Tags: college, Life, Random Writing, Short Stories, Writing
Unknown, but one of my favorites
I’ll be needing to do this a lot these next weeks. I finished my first edit to another story I wrote today. I wanted to have it done earlier this weekend but man. The shit likes to hit the fan for me. I wanted to have the final edits stuck onto Beauty too, so I opened it after I did Mermaid (for lack of a better title right now), and I became seized by doubt and anxiety. I don’t know why I do that with every edit on her. People who’ve read it like it. It’s not like it’s a bad story. I guess just seeing mistakes pointed out. The people who’ve read it now say a few of the same comments, so I need to address them, I think.
I got one large assignment out of the way, and found out was graded 99/100. My first thought? What did I lose one point for? Insanity, I know.
Someone has already read Mermaid too, and they enjoyed it too. I know that I’m not a bad writer. Worry is mean. I want to shoot it.
Not done typing Abstaining from Permanence yet, either. Typing can be blah to me at times. Anyone know if those pens that make text files as you write work? Haha
Oh, I bought Scrivener. I haven’t messed around with it much yet, but I’m looking forward to it. :)
Looking forward to things seems to happen rarely, lately, but things will turn around again.
Here’s the first paragraph of the new short story, Mermaid. I think it sets an interesting tone.
In the February of my twentieth year, I lost my mind for a day. I’m not sure what happened or how much Philosopher Stone impacted this temporary insanity. I met a mermaid who showed me an entire new world. A world I could only imagine. In fact, I probably couldn’t imagine it because I am not a clever man. She dressed in gold and blue taffeta wraps that barely left anything to the imagination. It made her even more attractive then had she only worn a bikini. Her teal hair looked dull in the firelight. It seemed to almost be fading, as if she’d bleached it to add that color. Mermaid told me she was a party crasher. She said she saw the bonfire from the ocean and wanted to experience human life for a short time.
