davetheanalyzer: (Default)
Near the end of the month and I still struggle with sleep and tiredness issues. Reading and writing can still get slowed down or stalled by the issue. For writing, it can become an endless “Yes or no” about editing choices and that caused such stress that I felt a pinching in my stomach and I decided to take the rest of a week off. That amount of stress is away for now but I still can’t get rid of the tiredness that comes when I read. My mom suggested staring at my laptop for much of the day might be the cause but I’m unsure. I’ve been staring at a screen for years and it hasn’t been effecting me like this before. Maybe it’s my new laptop? I’ve dimmed the screen a bit to test if that might help and the eye strain has gone away a bit. Last Thursday night/Friday morning, I couldn’t sleep, so I slept around the clock again. It didn’t help, as I read and wrote even more slowly, but I didn’t like the thought of sleeping even less to stay on schedule.

Starting school again might help in some way or complicate matters. I went to orientation to get some basic information straightened out and read through the syllabi, intimidated by the work ahead but reminding myself other syllabi have intimidated me before yet I was able to handle classes fine. I’ve begun both classes, Writing Portfolio and The Creative Process, on the 30th and it was a rather anticlimactic setup. For one, Writing Portfolio was about posting introductions on a forum and I was only one of a few others who posted on Wednesday. Granted, the class only has nine people total including me but it was a sluggish day. I also got an email from the professor for The Creative Process and wrote to him to clarify how long daily writing journal entries should be. He graciously said they needn’t be long, and can just cover about one subject per day. I’ll make my first 500 word online journey entry summarizing what led me to become a writer first, since that’s due tomorrow. I don’t know an exact reason but from assigned reading, Stephen King’s “On Writing,” I don’t believe that’s the point. Just to describe your experiences on your way to writing.

Then I need to critique a sample of someone’s work for Writing Portfolio, an echo of writing workshops at Quinnipiac, but fortunately we’re only going through one a week, so the workload mightn’t be huge for that until I submit and then revise my six pages of prose. With the nonfiction and poetry that would be also on display, it’s hoped our critiques from different subject areas would bring unique and valued feedback. Reading the forum, a few of my fellow students are those who are older and/or have families, so that’ll be a interesting experience I might explore. I might respond to some of the forum introductions and comments out of courtesy and to get to know them.

Talk of fic, juggling my free time with school, and spoilers for War for the Planet of the Apes )
davetheanalyzer: (Default)
 So yeah, still having trouble getting a full and restful sleep. I keep slipping between six and seven hours and the tiredness makes reading and doing other things a bit too slow. At one point, I couldn’t sleep for three hours and I was so tired of not getting the full eight up, I stayed up until 9 am, doing my usual writing things while I was there. Some vain part thought it might help but nope. I’ve been doing twenty minute walks in the morning, since I’ve heard not walking enough can leave behind excess energy that keeps you awake. But it doesn’t seem to be helping much. I’ve tried sleeping an extra hour, until nine, and that might have helped but not by much. I try go to bed at 9:30 pm but I don’t always meet that target. I hope this isn’t my new status quo, because it’s not fun to take too long to read something. Maybe it’s something to do with how I read things? IDK, but I hope I can take care of it by the time I start classes at Albertus Magnus.

Speaking of that, I’ve been happy to get accepted. Though there was an issue where the acceptance letter and email indicated they wanted meetings at earliest opportunities to book classes. But then for much of July, I got dead air about that and other things that are supposed to be set up. For the latter, it’s apparently a misunderstanding between Mom and I of when they are supposed to happen. For the former, they have a different definition of earliest opportunity than others, since much of staff have taken vacation. So I didn’t have to worry about the issue until they contacted me, which was a relief.

I got a Registration form on Friday and filled it out, more or less. Since I’m unfamiliar with filling out forms, I shot out emails to the MFA professor and a few others, which cleared things up for the most part. The only issue was if the two classes suggested to me, which add up to 5 credits in total, would be enough to get financial aid. My mom told me apparently I need 6 credits, but I want to confirm that with the Albertus Magnus Financial Aid office, or see if there were exception. I shot an email to them two hours before closing time but no response. I’ll have to wait until the beginning of August at least before I get a response and can send in the form. There was no due date mentioned for the form, so I hope I send it in before the classes get snapped up.

While dealing with that issue, I brought my laptop to the kitchen so Mom could see and comment on the issue. She was loading dishes into the dishwasher but that was forgotten by both of us. I got up with my laptop about to return it to where I usually do things but then I felt pain in my shins and tripped on the lowered dishwasher door and fell on the other side. My mom was very apologetic and frightened but other than the shins and maybe some places on my arms, I was pretty alright. I was able to get up and move back into the room with my laptop none the worse for wear. That was the most dramatic physical even that happened in a while. I’ve been fortunate to avoid major falls and injuries for much of my life. I did break my arms while I in elementary school but that was the worst that happened. Hopefully, I’ll better watch where I’m going in the future and not end up really hurting myself.

I’ve also finally started my volunteer job. I went through two of the three once-a-week days I selected and so far, it’s pretty okay. They’re pretty friendly. My first day was about unwrapping tons of pom-pom-like things and centering addresses on envelopes. I talked with some others there and my helper was also present to help but it was a bit boring. Fortunately, they gave permission for me to bring my computer and listen to shows there. My helper got a sickness that vaccines should have eradicated, so she couldn’t come, but Mom was able to drop me off with only a half hour adjustment in when I arrived and left. I mostly by myself stuffing envelopes with pamphlets, so I could listen to things mostly uninterrupted. I did just fine on my own, so my helper needn’t come up if she wants, though as she said, she doesn’t have much to do otherwise, so it might be better she does.

I’ve also been dealing with a bit of intrusive thoughts lately. They’ve worried me some but I know I haven’t thought those things before and I read some assurances that it’s better to accept the intrusive thought and that it doesn’t indicate action than to suppress it. Thinking that way has helped me a bit and apparently that might reduce or even vanish those kinds of thoughts. It might take a while but I’m glad I don’t have something else to really worry about for now.

writting babble and spoilers for Spiderman Homecoming )

That’s all for now. I’m writing on Monday night as my sleep schedule got out of whack yet again. I couldn’t sleep and stayed up until 9 am and slept until before 7 pm. I hope but don’t expect I’ll fix this sleep thing by the end of August. Until then, see you!

davetheanalyzer: (Default)
 Not quite caught up with the news but now I’m only a day behind as I try to get myself back on a proper sleep schedule. I tried to do so last week but from Thursday to Friday I tossed and turned for four hours before going “screw it” and getting up. I’ll have to endure nights where I barely get any sleep in order to accomplish this but not having a full night’s rest isn’t fun to go through, so sorting that out might take a while, if ever. At least I don’t have to stay up at all hours to catch up anymore and so I could leave myself plenty of wiggle room to watch the minimal I need to before I go to bed at a semi-reasonable time. So far, adjusting from the tiredness means I barely get through the minimal I do have, which is frustrating so far. I hope, if and when I can stabilize my sleep schedule, to be able to make time for other matters including shows, stories and writing. Fingers crossed that happens.

Speaking of the latter pair, I went to a barbeque for prospective students at Albertus Magnus College. It wasn’t a confirmation I was in but decided to go to maybe meet up with and socialize with the teachers and fellow students. I ended up being listless and demotivated through most of the stay. Maybe it was the loud music that made it hard to hear or be able to sit with most of the crowd or the slightly humid weather. Maybe I just don’t do well with those kinds of social settings. Whatever the case, I was just waiting for it to end so I could come home. We did a tour of the campus, which gave me some good exercise, and might be useful if I could remember it, but I have the sense I won’t be visiting too many of the sights we toured. Apparently, the MFA program takes place around one building, so I mightn’t move too far from that. At any rate, we’ll see how that goes.

And I speak as though I’m already confirmed because as of June 26, I got an acceptance letter. I was a bit happy but my parents were more thrilled. Sent emails accepting the acceptance to Albertus Magnus people and thanked the Quinnipiac professor for the recommendation letters. I just need to wait for information on the kinds of classes I can and should take in the fall as a part time student. I’m not sure what online and weekend classes will be like but hopefully I’ll better learn my craft as a writer. As I’ve said before, I haven’t been showing my writing much to anyone else, so writing and showing stories to others to improve them will be interesting. Until then, I’ll write as usual and find a new routine for it.

Cut for fic babble, and spoilery Wonder Woman and Captain Underpants reviews )

I’m going to leave the Appmon reaction for a future post. That’s all I can think of to talk about for now. I got a nice air conditioner in my room retrieved from a relative to help with the global warming heat. By the end of July, I’ll hopefully post another chapter of my We Will Hold On Forever fanfic, stabilize my sleep schedule, and arrange my Albertus Magnus affairs into proper order. Until then, see you! 

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