Sunday, May 29, 2016

Weekly Update: 5-29-16 Potato Salad

Kitchen clean at last.
On sparkling counter, I mix
Potato salad.

Life Update: After letting my house go to pot for a month, I finally had the time to attend to my chores. I spent the week scrubbing, polishing and mopping the kitchen into an acceptable level of shine. Just in time, too; my cousin Mitchell was hosting a barbecue on Saturday. I whipped together my own concoction of warm potatoes, vinegarette, light mayo, fresh parsley, perfectly hard-boiled eggs, and the secret ingredient--raw, chopped apples soaked in cider vinegar and apple juice that gave it that surprise pop. It was the first time I'd been able to experiment with cooking for several months. Having spare time, I feel like I am discovering the simple pleasures of life once again.


Writing Update: Last week, I realized that Camp Nanowrimo, in July, was rapidly approaching, and if I didn't want to end up flustered and frustrated, I needed to start brainstorming now. In April, I wrote the first 50 pages of the second draft of Counterfeit Diamond, a trickster story of a girl with a diamond ring that can change her appearance. For July, I want to write the next 50 pages. As I brainstormed, I was amazed that the story practically plotted itself. I hardly had to do more than nudge it along. Also, for July, I want to type up a third draft of certain chapters of The Originals, the sequel to The Changelings. I'm currently hand-writing these chapters in my notebook. This week, one of my characters get into a battle of wits with the main antagonist. I spent Friday night re-writing said battle of wits 5 times before it looked remotely serviceable. To me, that's the definition of a fun Friday night.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Sorry for the Lack of Updates

Blame it on Cal-State Fullerton.
It's your fault!
The Spring 2016 semester sprang on me like a hungry tiger, and I reacted like a frightened rabbit, with sudden sprints and stops. Although my normal line of work is substituting, writing and its related activities keep me more than busy. Add in a full-time college work load, and I was scrambling just to keep up.

I'm now actively trying to become an English teacher. I have a BA in Creative Writing; what I need is a single-subject credential. Merely, to apply for the credential program in Cal-State Fullerton, I needed to assemble:
  • An application to Cal-State Fullerton (with fees)
  • An application to the credential program (with fees)
  • Essays for both applications
  • My college transcripts
  • Passing CBEST scores (general knowledge proficiency)
  • Passing CSET scores (specific area knowledge proificency)
  • CPR training certification
  • TB test documentation
  • Fingerprint live scan
  • Recommendation from 2 college professors
  • Personal recommendation
  • 4 Prerequisite courses with 45 hours of classroom observation
  • Pass an Interview
The despair is real.
The Good News: After about 8 months of hard work and studying, I've finally put together everything I needed to apply to the credential program. I even passed my four prerequisite classes with straight As.

The Bad News: I botched my interview and didn't make into the credential program for the Fall 2016 school year.

Supremely frustrating, isn't it? But I have a few options. I can spend fall taking 2 more classes they recommend (but not require) students take before entering the credential program and get those out of the way. I can then apply for the Spring 2017 credential program and hope and pray I get into that. This time, I might not limit myself to applying only at Cal-State Fullerton. I may branch out to other schools.

And maybe someday I'll actually become a teacher.
Anyway, that's my excuse for not updating this blog for 5 months.

However, now that summer is here, I hope to be able to have some more time to write, to do fun stuff, to breathe. We'll see how it goes, but I will try to update more consistently... starting tomorrow.