The winner is
OK, so by a fairly hefty margin, in my poll of what to do in the 100 things challenge, my favorite episodes of TV won. Coming in second was 100 vids I like, which maybe I'll take on in the future, who knows. The hard part is that so many things I like aren't online anymore after so many of us lost our streaming vids when Imeem went down.
I'm not sure if I'll start that before or after my vacation. So for the first time in about 15 years, I'm going on a real honest to god getaway to someplace exotic vacation next week, to Kauai and Lanai in Hawaii. After my dad died, I kept thinking of how stressed out I was, how much I had dreamed for years of going somewhere that wasn't for a convention or work, and I had the money to do it because of my dad's life insurance policy. So after I finished a couple of the big projects I was working on, I went into a travel agency (since I really couldn't cope with doing the research myself at all) and said here's what I'm looking at, what I want to do, and when I want to go, and the guy listened to me (I told him a little about things lately and how much work I've had, and how I wanted to carve out time to be warm, quiet, and focus on writing), and said, "It sounds like you need to relax, be taken care of, and pampered" and I exclaimed, "Yes! That's it! You can stop right there!"
I'm really looking forward to this. I haven't been to Hawaii since I was 21. I'm going by myself, so I don't plan to do a lot of adventuring, though I am considering taking a helicopter tour of the parks and beaches because I've never been in a helicopter, or possibly ziplining. No one believes that I want to just sit and look at the beach and palm trees and read and write. They all are practically daring me -- this kind of "there's so much to see and do and it's so beautiful, if all you do is sit there and work on your computer you're wasting money." But I mean... that's other people. I've always been content to just sit and enjoy scenery if I'm warm and comfortable.
And I should be pretty damn comfortable -- the place in Kauai is a rental villa thingie, so I'll have an entire flat at my disposal with ocean views at Poipu Beach. I'm planning to buy lots of food, and just hang out and enjoy doing nothing, with a few excursions here and there. The place has huge grounds with all kinds of things to look at, and two swimming pools, one with lagoons and meandering contours, and the other with waterfalls and stuff. I can walk to the beach, or drive, or go somewhere else, because I'll have a car. And on Lanai, there really isn't much to do at all, and I'll be at a full-service resort on a bay with a marine preserve there, so I can snorkel to my heart's content right at the hotel, and then sit on my ... well, lanai and write.
I feel very decadent. At one point I told the guy, "Money's not a big issue right now" because I just wanted to go all the way, and not do what I have always done which is to pinch every possible penny and stay in crappy places because I needed to save. It's very weird. But most of the ancillary stuff is taken care of in the package, so that's all paid for. I just got a new camera to take on the trip, too. It's pretty snazzy for a point and shoot. I have a shit-ton of books I haven't had a chance to read on my Nook Color, and hopefully I can regain this feeling of excitement I had back in the fall about writing this novel. I'm afraid I've lost the idea and the enthusiasm, which scares me a little, but if it doesn't come, well, I'm still in paradise.
I just eked out my Club Vivid vid at the last minute. I'm tired of doing this to myself. I hate working against deadlines, but lately I've been so busy I can't get the jump start on things I usually need. I think it's a bad vid, but that's what I get for waiting so long. Next up, Premieres. I also haven't contacted the vidders for my vid show because I've been so busy. I shouldn't be writing this, but... my eyes are so tired from reading so much today to get this book proofed that I just can't do anything but look at my keyboard.
A few months ago I volunteered to help SDWolfpup out with putting together all the vid files in a disc for Bitchin' Party's vid show. Me and tech are notoriously unmixy, and I had never even opened DVD Studio before. It was a terrifying experience. The only reason we even got a disc out of that thing was Killabeez, who came over and showed me what to do and gave me tips. And even then, some of the files just... would not work for love or money, and I got to a point where I was cursing all vidders and wishing them all dead. I have no idea how the tech people put Vividcon together. My mind boggles. I always had respect for them before, but now I have something more like awe. It is hard. It is unbelievably hard, because people send in stuff that's the wrong aspect ratios and glitchy video and the wrong files and everything you can imagine, and the technology is just all different for every single person. It's INSANE. And you throw in someone like me, who's completely incompetent... well, recipe for disaster. And yet somehow I got the disc done, and it worked, and the vid show was incredibly well-planned, and it was a huge hit. So go figure. It took me a while but I finally got to a place where I felt proud of myself instead of just embarrassed by how stupid I am.
In fact, this was pretty much me the whole time I was doing it:
Lessee, what else? Geez, I don't know. Life is weirdly quiet lately, with Dad gone and just being bogged down with work. I had a brief break, but it's started up again, and I have to keep turning work away, which is just weird. I think the dogs are the biggest excitement in my world right now.
I'm not sure if I'll start that before or after my vacation. So for the first time in about 15 years, I'm going on a real honest to god getaway to someplace exotic vacation next week, to Kauai and Lanai in Hawaii. After my dad died, I kept thinking of how stressed out I was, how much I had dreamed for years of going somewhere that wasn't for a convention or work, and I had the money to do it because of my dad's life insurance policy. So after I finished a couple of the big projects I was working on, I went into a travel agency (since I really couldn't cope with doing the research myself at all) and said here's what I'm looking at, what I want to do, and when I want to go, and the guy listened to me (I told him a little about things lately and how much work I've had, and how I wanted to carve out time to be warm, quiet, and focus on writing), and said, "It sounds like you need to relax, be taken care of, and pampered" and I exclaimed, "Yes! That's it! You can stop right there!"
I'm really looking forward to this. I haven't been to Hawaii since I was 21. I'm going by myself, so I don't plan to do a lot of adventuring, though I am considering taking a helicopter tour of the parks and beaches because I've never been in a helicopter, or possibly ziplining. No one believes that I want to just sit and look at the beach and palm trees and read and write. They all are practically daring me -- this kind of "there's so much to see and do and it's so beautiful, if all you do is sit there and work on your computer you're wasting money." But I mean... that's other people. I've always been content to just sit and enjoy scenery if I'm warm and comfortable.
And I should be pretty damn comfortable -- the place in Kauai is a rental villa thingie, so I'll have an entire flat at my disposal with ocean views at Poipu Beach. I'm planning to buy lots of food, and just hang out and enjoy doing nothing, with a few excursions here and there. The place has huge grounds with all kinds of things to look at, and two swimming pools, one with lagoons and meandering contours, and the other with waterfalls and stuff. I can walk to the beach, or drive, or go somewhere else, because I'll have a car. And on Lanai, there really isn't much to do at all, and I'll be at a full-service resort on a bay with a marine preserve there, so I can snorkel to my heart's content right at the hotel, and then sit on my ... well, lanai and write.
I feel very decadent. At one point I told the guy, "Money's not a big issue right now" because I just wanted to go all the way, and not do what I have always done which is to pinch every possible penny and stay in crappy places because I needed to save. It's very weird. But most of the ancillary stuff is taken care of in the package, so that's all paid for. I just got a new camera to take on the trip, too. It's pretty snazzy for a point and shoot. I have a shit-ton of books I haven't had a chance to read on my Nook Color, and hopefully I can regain this feeling of excitement I had back in the fall about writing this novel. I'm afraid I've lost the idea and the enthusiasm, which scares me a little, but if it doesn't come, well, I'm still in paradise.
I just eked out my Club Vivid vid at the last minute. I'm tired of doing this to myself. I hate working against deadlines, but lately I've been so busy I can't get the jump start on things I usually need. I think it's a bad vid, but that's what I get for waiting so long. Next up, Premieres. I also haven't contacted the vidders for my vid show because I've been so busy. I shouldn't be writing this, but... my eyes are so tired from reading so much today to get this book proofed that I just can't do anything but look at my keyboard.
A few months ago I volunteered to help SDWolfpup out with putting together all the vid files in a disc for Bitchin' Party's vid show. Me and tech are notoriously unmixy, and I had never even opened DVD Studio before. It was a terrifying experience. The only reason we even got a disc out of that thing was Killabeez, who came over and showed me what to do and gave me tips. And even then, some of the files just... would not work for love or money, and I got to a point where I was cursing all vidders and wishing them all dead. I have no idea how the tech people put Vividcon together. My mind boggles. I always had respect for them before, but now I have something more like awe. It is hard. It is unbelievably hard, because people send in stuff that's the wrong aspect ratios and glitchy video and the wrong files and everything you can imagine, and the technology is just all different for every single person. It's INSANE. And you throw in someone like me, who's completely incompetent... well, recipe for disaster. And yet somehow I got the disc done, and it worked, and the vid show was incredibly well-planned, and it was a huge hit. So go figure. It took me a while but I finally got to a place where I felt proud of myself instead of just embarrassed by how stupid I am.
In fact, this was pretty much me the whole time I was doing it:
Lessee, what else? Geez, I don't know. Life is weirdly quiet lately, with Dad gone and just being bogged down with work. I had a brief break, but it's started up again, and I have to keep turning work away, which is just weird. I think the dogs are the biggest excitement in my world right now.