Sorry for the lapse...

hey all you guys! i'm sorry to have been so lame with the updates as of yet, but i've been super busy! well, i actually am in the process of starting a new job which is SUPER exciting...more details to come, i promise! but i'm pinched for time at the moment, but wanted to at least break the cycle of non-posting days! i hope everyone is well, and i'd luv some comments or updates on wat ur all up to :) on a sour note, looks like we're gonna be hit with a heat wave, and i'm SICK of pitting-out my shirts :/ okay, sorry, not so feminine, eh? but to be honest, i'm more of a tom-boy anyways, and i challenge anyone to a spit-off :) hehe...just kidding! but don't get me wrong, i don't look like a dude, promise!! okay, i promise to write more later!

Spunkychick

My legs are tired...

And I'm back...

Well, I'm actually pretty tired cuz I did an 800 repeat workout that kicked my butt...and has since left my stomach gurgly...ugh. haha...oh well. newayz, not too much going on. my days have started to slip into a new routine of checking for postings for any writers needed and sending out e-mails. i found a fun one yesterday and submitted a humor post for these fake classified ad's this website is putting up. i heard back that they liked my submission, so hopefully it'll go up soon and i'll provide a link so you guys can read it too. and on Tuesday, one of the articles i wrote for a fellow blogger will be posted, and again i will provide that link for any interested parties :)

since nothing too incredibly exciting has gone on today, i thought i'd share a funny little story from a few months back, when i had to *ugh* go to stupid DMV to renew my tags. well, of course nothing but the finest America has to offer work at the DMV, and there are quite a few 'dandies' waiting in line as well, so there is always something curious afoot. well, while this one hellion of a child was running amok, pushing things over and such, he actually ripped off a plastic rod from the wall and so the mom picks it up and goes to turn it into one of the people behind the front counter and is like, "this is your guys'." she says it totally unaffected, ignoring the fact that her brat of a child has gone back to jumping on stuff, and doesn't even apologize. and then parents wonder why they have kids who are out of control and never listen to them! well, trying to ignore the screams and yells from said nasty child, my attention is drawn to a man standing at a different window at the counter. he has something wrong with his leg, and a severe limp, and his can is propped-up next to him. at the the moment he is in the process of going through an eye exam, and incorrectly 'identifying' one of the letters. in my mind, i'm sure that he is going to get his license renewal 'denied' as it rightfully should, and anticipate as to how he is going to react...could there possibly be a nasty scene about to unfold?!! well, to my utter horror and amazement, it is a dastardly scene none the less, but of a different nature so to speak. once the test is done the man behind the counter simply states, "well, sir, you have something going on with that right eye...here you go." he then passes the obviously vision-impaired man with a bad leg his new license! the guy getting his license lets out a deep throaty laugh, "yea, i know...HAHA." and then is on his way, probably off to go hit an old woman with his Buick, or some poor kid playing outside on his front lawn! (too bad it probably would end up being some nice, sweet child, and not the one still yelling in the corner!) anyways, i just find it crazy how people that can't identify the letter R from a Z are allowed on the road, i mean, sheesh!

well, that's about it for me, i'm tired and hot (again with these sporadic heat waves!!) and have the fan pointed at my face in an effort to not pitt-out my shirt!

Spunkygirl out!

Busy with Stuff...

hey hey my friends,
sorry of my lapse the past few days...i'm actually been kinda busy, which hopefully is a good thing, as i've been trying to get some work drummed up!! :) i've been dipping my feet into the freelance writing biz, and seeing what i can do there. i've been able to do a few things, but it's tough starting out, as i don't have much in the way of a writing resume to put out there...haha, and thus as it's hard to get jobs without prev. works, it in turn makes it hard to get a resume, and u see that fun little circle it creates...haha. but i've been thinking 'small' and hopefully by doing little things here and there, i'll get better, gain experience, and maybe get more down the road.

soooooo...let's see...i'm also happy cuz i got a lot done on that second book i was working on. got a bit OCD'ish and got out the rough copy, it ended up being 57,000 words, which for ME was a lot, and the longest thing i've ever written. after i got thru it, i took a huge gasp of breath and now i kno i've gotta go back thru it all and add/change/delete/tweak/etc. so by no means am i done...haha.

la de da...oh, and i was happy with my tempo run yesterday, was able to go 34 seconds faster than last week :) i hope i can keep improving at least a lil each week, and hopefully my fitness will get to some respectable level again...haha. looks like i will probably be forced to do those darn 200's tomorrow, so wish me luck...hehe.

well, time for the weekly run to the grocery, i better get going, so people, i hope ur all enjoying ur summer, and keep ur fingers crossed for me in the way of getting some income...haha!

Spunkychick

A bit of Poetry

hey howdy hey! (nice toy story reference, and you see they are coming out with a new one...gosh, movie productions sure is becoming fans of the sequels, and then three-quels, and how many freaking 'Land Before Times' do we REALLY need?!?!)

well, on to other things...today i'll share a poem i wrote, hope u like it and do feel free to offer any comments/feedback/critiques/etc.

‘Alone’

She sits beside her fireplace, quietly rocking.
Back and forth, back and forth.
Silently contemplating:
Lost in the past, ignoring the present, not yet ready to accept the future?
All is still, all is calm;
Nothing moves, not the slightest sound of life around her.
Her only companion, the potted fern,
Dutifully fulfilling its place in life,
Growing with water, seeking the sun, expanding its roots.
There it sits alone on the window sill;
While it’s master is seated in her own isolation.

What is she thinking, in time to the back and forth, back and forth?
Perhaps musing on memories past, opportunities taken or lost,
Regrets or shortcomings, elations or sweet accomplishments?
Maybe brought back to an era few still alive to recall,
Living life vicariously through lapsed memory.
Alternatively, she is mentally wandering among more of the mundane:
Chores, grocery list, errands, or bills.
No one watching to ask what could possibly occupy her thoughts,
No one there to care.

The clock ticks in time with her rocking,
Ever back and forth, back and forth.
Fire dimming just slightly,
Casting the only lighted shadows across the floor.
Moon having risen, stars slightly visible through scattered clouds,
Little light encompasses our mute persons.
Owls and bats fly freely outside,
Birds of prey in the endless cycle of predatory habits.
Blankly programmed slates simply driven by primal urges;
Next meal, next need, next act of survival.
Yet this seated creature much more complex,
Unable to simply live to exist.
More is beyond the surface, a prize yet a burden;
Not so simply this life to be lead.

Possible troubled angst on one side,
Potential happiness fulfilled on the other;
A pendulum to be swung one way or another.
Back and forth, back and forth.
At times resting on this journey,
Motion is halted and balance is found.
Yet constant changes quake this swing back to motion;
Choices, decisions, actions.
Not all are in our power-left to fate,
Others solely conscious, and put in motion by one’s own hand,
Still some simply repercussions combinations of two.

What twists of fate,
Or is it by personal regard does this heavy thinker rock
Back and forth, back and forth?
Could loneliness reside within that beating heart,
Aching for something lost or perhaps never fulfilled?
Conversely is it perfect contentment found in her present company:
A fern of no words.
What brews below this surface one wonders;
Troubled unease, aching pines,
Pleasant acceptance, anticipated hopes?
As each being is so layered,
Only obliged to share as much as one pleases,
One soul truly knows itself.
How well one may see another is only through the window they open
Decidedly as far to their liking.
What light they cast outwardly dimmed and brightened
Exclusively by their own kindling.

She sits beside her fireplace, quietly rocking
Back and forth, back and forth.
An enigma, a mystery to all the outside.
Sweetly contained in the safety of her abode but also her mind;
What weighs on this delicate soul?



hmmmm, well, other than that not too much to report. did some 800's repeats today and felt decent. went to the gym and saw 'barbie' throwing around her little 5 pound weights...hehe, aww, i'm just being mean. i think she looked cute in her ripped/off the shoulder/80's style belly shirt ;) okay folks, have a good one!

Spunkychick

Just another day...

well...i certainly think we have hit the Micheal Jackson saturation point in the media...my lordy!! it is kinda crazy how much coverage in every way from every angle it is coming. now, i am not going to deny the fact that he definitely made a HUGE contribution to and changed a lot in the music world and i'm not gonna lie: his stuff was AWESOME...billy jean, thriller, etc...but at some point we must stop the madness!! all-day marathon coverage of the memorial, tributes, his face on every mag...ee gags! it's just kinda crazy how interested people are in every facet of the man's life. special edition footage of inside that crazy Neverland, tracking down every living acquaintance/friend and hounding them for 'secrets,' and wat's actually sad are the people who try to profit off of the whole tragedy, and pimp themselves out for camera time/money/fame to offer some 'juicy' tid-bit to the press. oh well, that'll be the end of my lil' two cents.

newayz...had a good day so far, did my lil' tempo run and actually felt good running it today and was happy i went 33 seconds faster for the five miles than i did on friday :) even better, i haven't been stalked by the creeper man as of late, or had any midnight laundry room encounters :) got in some good writing time, and get to watch a little TBS 'kind of queens.' me likey doug! hehe.

i also noticed that crazy cactus lady has a new addition to her clan. i have yet to find out a name for it, but i will keep u all updated! i swear, if i end up a lonely spinster talking to plants in my old age, just end it for me!!

okay, not much to report today, sorry...

Spunkychick

*Ahem* i hope i'm not in YOUR way?!?!

okay folks...hope ur all doing well :) so i decided to get my butt out to the track today to do some of my LEAST favorite things: 200 repeats...ugh, too short. and since i have NO SPEED i always feel like a futz out there. i'd much rather just go longer and hold that pace forever, but i know that to get faster u gotta do the short stuff too...ugh. neways, thankfully it's getting cooler outside and i didn't sweat out like 20 pounds :) what i DO think sucks are the people who are completely oblivious of what's going on around them, and just meander through the lanes and into lane one when i'm trying to run by, and then decide to step in front of me RIGHT as i'm close to them, and have to swerve hella wide to avoid a collision! then, they either don't notice that they completely blocked the path, or just don't care and laugh, no apologies necessary i guess...haha. i seriously would like to just full-on not move one time and barrel into them. i saw this one hurdler do that once in a track race when some idiot person walked right into the track mid-race. the racer literally plowed thru the spectator and sent them falling to the track...it was hilarious and felt like runners all over got a little redemption :)

well, okay, so then i was able to get in some good time writing on a new novel idea i've been working on, and i'm really enjoying so far...but we'll see. and so now, i must go out to winco and get some groceries...HURRAY!! haha...my days are just so darn fun :)

Spunkychick

Happy 4th

"Things got awkward at the 'Barbie Dream House' when
the newly released Pamela Anderson doll moved in!"

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!! hope everyone has a fun day and doesn't blow off any body parts! where i live they don't have that many crazy cool fireworks, since we've got lots of trees and such, so i don't expect to be seeing anything too exciting, but that's okay. i can only imagine some the crazy stuff that states like Texas have. i remember visiting there with my mom, and we'd be driving down the freeway in our pathetic little PT Cruiser that had not get-up and go, and there would be trucks literally BLOWING by us going well over 100mph, they MOVE in Texas!! but,i digress, we'd see these HUGE warehouses selling fireworks, and i hear there is everything short of rockets being shot off all around there! that would be cool, but knowing me, i'd end up getting my eyebrows singed off or something. i was always the loser kid who ended up getting sparks shot on me and little embers from the little sparklers...so i think it's prolly for the best i won't be handling fire :)

okay, and it's disgustingly hot here...ugh. well, okay, even if the temp. isn't in the triple digits, for this area we're way above normal, and my apt. doens't have any air conditioning!!! sooo...it's pretty nasty. i'm sitting here with the fan blowing directly on me, and my cat's all irritable cuz he's so hot too. it's not fun waking up in the middle of the nite in a sea of ur own sweat! i feel like i should be slathering on a second dose of deodorant in the middle of the nite!! ugh...oh well.

sooooo, let's see, what i've been up to...well, trying to make this lil' blog of my purdy. i'm not the most computer savvy person, and am embarrassingly new at all this, so bear with me...i'm trying to get some stuff going! doing some writing, and running. i actually had a really good run (for me at least in my pathetically out of shape form!) and did a lil experiment and attempted a tempo run. like the first one prolly since last year, no joke...i mean, yea i run everyday but usually just at a comfy pace, but it felt good to go harder.

well, i'm out...but on the subject of working out and as i went to the gym to lift weights yesterday, i thought it'd be funny to share all the crazy gym people that seem to be in every gym. there was of course the man in luv with himself, who was literally lifting his shirt up to check out his six-pack after EVERY set of ab work he'd do. he was rubbing his stomach more than pregnant mother's do! then, the guy who has his iPod on, and would sparatically start belting out lyrics. and i mean, he'd do it loudly; it actually startled me in the middle of a few of my sets. but he's not as annoying as the dude who needs to grunt like a gorilla giving birth at the end of his reps. he would get to the end of his set, hoisting those huge ass weights then start to 'psyching himself up' and groaning and yelling until his last one and then literally drop the weights and send them crashing and banging on the ground. and my personal fav. lady is the one who looked like she stepped out of the miss America pageant, workout wear section of the contest. she's got more makeup caked on her than barbie, a sick shade of orange from her tanning lotion, her little bootie shorts, and she's on the StairMaster at like speed one, and doing her best not to sweat too much, god forbid her mascara run. it's always fun to spy around at the gym and see all these crazies in their own element!! okay well i'll talk to u guys later, and please keep coming back and spread the word to get some more people to come stop by and say hello!!

Spunkychick

The Wide World of Rejection :)

Well, well, hello my lovelies. i'm not really sure where this little posting will be headed today, but let us get started! well, to be honest, i've actually been working pretty diligently at writing this story i've been thinking about and am happy that i've been able to focus on sitting down and typing away as much as i have been! usually i get a bit ADD with things that are long and ongoing, and truthfully i've always WANTED to write a book, but have been daunted by the epic undertaking it seems. i get impatient knowing that it's not going to be finished, done, finito in a short amount of time and that the satisfaction of a job complete is months, possibly years down the line! i guess in short i kinda get overwhelmed with thinking how many pages and hours it is, and give up before i start! ugh..but u know what, that's NO WAY to do something and so i've set little goals for myself. right now i've decided to try to get in 1,500 words at least a day, and actually i've been able to do a lot more than that as i started writing on Monday and have hit the 10,000 word mark this afternoon. i know i'm gonna be waaaay more busy tho once i (hopefully get a job!!) so i'm trying to get ahead of the game figuring that i won't prolly be able to get in as much as i'd like in the near future.

along that vein, i had finished a 31,000 story not too long ago that i know is rough and needs some definite polishing, and as i've NEVER been published or anything and completely CLUELESS, delved into some hard core research. well, maybe not totally hard core, but i've been a bit overwhelmed with all that stuff and trying to take it bite by bite, but still finding i've bitten off one heck of a hunk of cheese that bigger than i can chew. but i sent out one query letter, and i was bummed that yesterday i got that beautifully automated denial :) haha...not that i didn't expect it, because i did, but still, u know, u hope. so i was thinking that since i'm so new at this, i'd post the letter i sent and would LUV any feedback, tips, and advice on how to improve it, and if u're really in a helpful mood, name any possible publishers to send it to, who you may know/worked with or in the market for that sort of thing...so here's the letter i wrote:

Dear (okay i wrote their names here):

I applaud your ‘green attitude’ toward submission queries, and am also a fan of both your site and blog. Having been given a rare opportunity to meet and befriend a diverse array of people through running and my job, I was inspired to write a 31,000 word manuscript entitled An Unsafe Haven, based on the lives of those living in Uganda. From personal stories related to me and additional knowledge collected, I have prepared something I feel would give readers a glimpse into an intriguing and troubled culture.

Growing up in tumultuous Uganda, a young girl is faced with the daunting task of caring for her younger sister and rebuilding their lives after losing her mother, brother, and most of her village to invading Rebel Armies. Cici must navigate her way from being an adolescent and into womanhood both prematurely and without the usual guidance of her mother to look up to. Being handed the sole responsibility of her young sister, whom she loves more dearly than anything else in the world, she views this not as a burden, but as an opportunity to give her young sibling a more sheltered and innocent childhood than she herself was able to experience.

Among the central internal conflicts and struggles of our young heroine, one is able to experience the numerous everyday tragedies, obstacles, and hardships facing the fellow villagers living in Uganda today. One can see the spirit with which these people undertake the sorrows that fill their days and capitalize on the possibilities of however small happiness, that each new day may bring. The dreams, aspirations, and success of a single member of the village can bolster the entire community and feed their souls in the way their meager food supply and belongings ever could.

While there are many different personal stories and paths of each character chronicled, they are all woven together, as life in such a close environment would. Despite the heartbreaking loss of so many lives and homes at the onset of the novel, which is all too common in present day Uganda due to such political unrest and violence, the human spirit works to triumph and once again find peace.

Although I have not yet become a published author, I have competed in scholastic competitions throughout my high school years, and competitions within my school. I am an eager learner and writing enthusiast and enjoy the challenge of improving my work and would be honored to be given your consideration.

Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

(Spunkychick)

well, folks i lay it on the cutting floor for u to dissect and welcome u to do so!! as i feel this post lacking in the needed humor department, i'll add a little tid bit. my favorite joke as a kid growing up, because i thought it was sooooo 'dirty' at the time, but now it's just lame, but what the heck:

'why did the elephant bring toilet paper to the party?'...

...'because he was a party pooper!!!!'

HAHAHAHA(insert charity laughs here, folks!!) okay, well it was an ongoing joke between my bro and i, and brings back good times....okay, hope ur doing well and at least surviving ur day!

Spunkychick