So, I've been teaching tax classes for several weeks now. The taxes part is kind of boring, but the work itself reminds me of why I once wanted to be a teacher, and I'm thinking that if I get my student loans back under control, perhaps I'll finish up that teaching degree after all. Not that there are many jobs for social science/US History/Communications teachers out there. My one advantage, might be versatility. I was always planning in certifying in a truly staggering number of areas. The social science bit has about 9 different certifications of which I was planning on doing: geography, economics, political science, and world history, then there's the US history and I was probably going to concentrate on Speech Communications, thought the communications certification does also cover theatre arts. Time and money permitting I always wanted to tack on an English/Creative Writing certification. So, at least I'd be versatile.
And on to writing. I'm all signed up at
NaNoWriMo for the year. The site seems to be down at the moment, which is why I'm actually posting for a change instead of flitting about on the forums. I'm DMCole over there, and I'd give a link, but I don't remember what the format is, and I obviously can't go find out with the site down.
I've got a pretty decent handle on the project this year. I'm shooting for 100,000 words and I think I'll make it. I'm adapting my truly pitiful attempt at Script Frenzy. It is clear that I am not really meant to be a screenwriter, even though I still think this particular story would be told better in that way. I guess until we even the machine that can take the scenes right out of my head and put them together for other people to view I'll stick to noveling
So, big huge surprise here, I'm writing urban fantasy. On the boards I've been calling it one part urban fantasy, one part police procedural, and a dash of alt. history for flavor.
I think I'm up to a main plot and way too many subplots. My main character is Stephen Walker. He's a magic practitioner who has his own natural magic (in my world, and this is a universe I've been playing in for years now, there are people born with the ability to work magic. For them it's instinctual, and it is very different from the very structured, spell-based practitioner's art) as well. He'd been a cop for fifteen years when his eight year old daughter disappeared without a trace almost two years ago. His marriage is crumbling and he's on the verge of losing his job when he gets an interesting offer. Criminal magic has become big news in the last year or so (last year's NaNovel is pretty much they why of this), and the FBI is under all kinds of pressure to take care of it. They don't have many people with his skillset, they don't have very many practitioners at all, and most of them are either on the payroll as consultants, or use their craft for things entirely different from their job. Stephen is a specialist. He holds degrees in magical theory and forensic magic. He's also got experience leading a team. Despite his current troubles, he's about the best option they have for the team leader of a new regional task force on magical crime.
The job starts off with a bang, literally. At his very first meeting with his potential new boss, a magical bomb goes off, killing the boss. It's the first of many magical terrorist acts in the city (Kansas City, which I don't think I'd mentioned before). Now, he must struggle with a team that mostly distrusts the magic guy, a wife who wished he would have just retired, and the press and local cops that are waiting on him to fail. When all the clues start pointing straight to his daughter's disappearance, and one survivor's crackpot conspiracy theories start making sense, life really gets complicated.
This story brings back one of my very favorite characters from last year's NaNovel, and creates a protagonist that I already love more than any other main character I've ever created. I'm looking forward to November.
Okay, last topic is television. I've seriously pared down my viewing this season, mostly because I have other things to do, but partly because when I looked at the line-up I mostly realized that I just didn't care one way or the other about much of anything on television. I'm behind on White Collar, but I am still amazingly in love with it. I'm also toying with the idea of watching Covert Affairs which I saw one episode of when I was petsitting last month. It looked cute, and it has Sendhil Ramamurthy whom I could just sit and watch for hours and not even care about dialogue.
The only things I'm actually watching as they are are The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, and Castle. I'm behind on Supernatural, but I have been recording it, so I'll get caught up eventually.
I haven't decided yet if I'm going to keep watching No Ordinary Family. I really like the concept, and also I'm kind of loving Julie Benz in this show. This is clearly either some kind of curse affecting me, or I've completely lost my mind as I have previously not only disliked every character that Julie Benz has ever played, but had the irrational urge to reach into TVland and strangle the life out of her or stake her as appropriate.
Also, I've been watching Hawaii Five-0 online. This is not a show I intended to watch. I watched the première, just to see how it was. He wasn't why I watched Moonlight, but I do like Alex O'Loughlin and I'd been hoping it would be a good show for him. Mom hated Hawaii Five-0 from the instant it started, I think because it wasn't a carbon copy of the old show. Dad, liked it. I wasn't going to bother with it, but then I saw the last third of the second episode with my Dad and had to go and watch it online, and then I was actually anxious for it by the time the third episode rolled around. So much so, that I kept a window with the CBS website for the show open on it, and kept refreshing every ten minutes or so while I was home, until it came up.
The plotlines are mostly fairly predictable cop show stuff, but the characters are great. Alex O'Loughlin as Steve McGarrett is all kinds of screwed up, but he cares about his team a lot. Scott Caan as Danny Williams is neurotic, but incredibly sweet. Also, he's probably the only one of the bunch who has any concern with things like legal searches and due process. Kono isn't very fleshed out yet, but she's played by Grace Park whom I adore, and she seems cute and fun with a side-order of ass-kicking. I've been a fan of Daniel Dae Kim pretty much since I first saw him, but I think this rôle as Chin Ho Kelly is my favorite thing he's done so far.
The team is great, and they already have an easy banter between them. It helps that there's history with Chin and Steve and that Chin and Kono are cousins. Chin and Kono are the background though, the secondary players. This is seriously going to be the Steve and Danno show, and I'm really alright with that. I love that Danny followed his ex-wife from New Jersey, which he loved, to Hawaii, which he really doesn't so that he could keep seeing his daughter. I love how sweet he is with her. I also love that Steve takes care of the team in general, but Danny in particular, and that mostly means making sure that he has that time with his kid, whether it's a reservation at an expensive hotel or a visit from the governor to sort out his custody issues, Steve takes care of Danny and Grace.
And of course, there is the slash factor. I've watched a lot of really slashy shows in my lifetime, but this one...it's gold. I seriously don't know how else we're supposed to see them. Seriously you've got Danny complaining that some guy thinks he looks like a waiter followed by an appreciative full-body glance from Steve and the line, "They don't know what they're talking about." You've got Danny walking into Steve's house unannounced and bringing breakfast (even if it is fat and sugar-laden donut-like treats). They are in each other's personal space all the time.
This ship and this show just has potential that is drawing me in, and I don't think it's going to let go.