It's gonna be a Happy New Year!

Yes, it's really been over a month since I've posted. I'm sorry about that. I don't have the lack of computer as an excuse anymore. There were the hectic holidays keeping me busy. The shopping, planning, cooking, cleaning, etc..., but really that still no excuse.
Honestly, my absence has been for a lot of reasons. I became unaddicted when I had to live without my computer, so I didn't have that need to post. Another thing is that a lot of my regular readers, who are also blog writers, haven't been posting on their own blogs as much or reading this blog as much. And sometimes it's just discouraging to write when it feels like no one is reading.
Honestly, though, the biggest reason I haven't written so much is because for the last year or so I've been working on something. Not a writing something but a personal something. And I don't regret the sacrifices I've made because I feel they've been worth it, but I think I've been putting it before myself and I've been down that road before. It's not a good one. So my New Year's resolution is to not give up so much. It's very vague but there's no way to define it in terms.
Last night, I think I made some head way in getting something I want that will help with my goals. I'm hoping that works out.
My goals for this blog are simple. Blog more, read more blogs and try to get some new readers.
Happy New Year!

WTF is Wiplebamle? And yes, the holiday stress is getting to me!

It's getting down to crunch time with that holiday business. I'm running around like a mad person so needless to say that writing is not happening. Unless you count the billion lists that I have written in hopes of not forgetting anything.

I'm done with shopping except for a particularly hard gift. It's always impossible to buy gifts for a person when you have no idea how to define your relationship with them and that is where I find myself. I wish the creative side of me would really shine through and it did for a second only to realize that the idea I had was somewhere between out of my price range and way the eff out of my price range.
The person I'm thinking of is a reader and I thought if I could just think of that one most amazing book but after searching the book store for hours, I came out with nothing.
Cash, gift cards, DVDs, CDs all seem too impersonal, unless I could think of something really off the beaten path on the DVD, CD list. Clothes and house stuff seem a little awkward unless once again it was something wicked cool.
I've got nothing. At least I have a few more days before I hopelessly fall back on one of the many 'I didn't know what to get you' gifts.

Also I'm having a Christmas Eve party and some people are already complaining and making ridiculous demands that tell me it's definitely going to be a night filled with stories for my memoirs, Turkey Thievery and other annoying family tales.

In more bummerish news another small book store is going out of business around here. I was able to get the first book in the The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Someone lent me a prequel to the series, Debt of Bones, that was pretty good so I decided to give the first one a try when I saw it on mucho clearance. When I get around to reading it is another thing. And yes I still remember the stack of unread Tolkien books.

I have two bigger submissions that have to be postmarked by the 31st so I need to get cracking on. The stories are done and have both been through writing group critiques, I just need to proofread them about a billion more times just to be certain, which means I'll be waiting until the last possible second.

And a big congratulations to J.K. Rowling for being runner-up for person of the year. I think it's amazing that a writer had a such an impact on so many people that it would actually put them in the running for being the most influential person of the year.

Now that I've shared my to do list, hopefully there will be some understanding if I don't post again for the next few days. Of course, it's not really unusual when I don't post for awhile so no one would have really think anything of my blog absence. In fact, it's more unusual when I post three days in a row. So right now people must be worried that I've come down with some crazy fever that causes me to write pointless blurbs about my life. I have people, it's called WIPLEBAMLE (WritIng PointLEss Blurbs About My LifE)(yes I just came up with that right this second. Why can't I come up with gift ideas like that?) and there's no cure. I just have to sweat it out. And it comes in unpredictable outbreaks. I've obviously had it before but never knew what it was.

Huh? I think I'm lacking in sleep and maybe overdosing on candy canes, twinkling lights and jolly music. I'm going to bed now.

Nauga research, library book suggestions and some goals. That's about it.

Sure I promised a much more exciting blog post this weekend but I'm just too boring. I have gotten work done on the "what the heck is Naugahyde?" page for BehindtheNaugahyde.com, but really that's about it. I miss not having worked on Behind the Naugahyde in a while so every time I get a chance to do a little side project it fills me with joy. I'm also excited that Jenni will soon be done with school. Then we can write like crazy!
Also during my research I found out that Naugahyde is actually a name brand of pleather/vinyl-coated fabric. I'm not sure if that is going to be a problem. So far everything I've found says we can use the name just not the logo, which would not be a problem at all.

I did go to the library this weekend as well. And I checked out a few books that seem to switch from one character to the next, which is what I had been looking for. I checked out A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby and The Stand by Stephen King. I looked for Lost books based on the t.v. show but they didn't have any. I'm not sure if they even made them. Those were all the books suggested to me by various people. Thanks everyone!

Since I haven't really done much work on writing lately I thought I would list a few of my short term goals and plans. If I write it out then I might actually have to act on it.
First, I would like to have another sci-fi story completed and ready to send to a contest by the end of this month.
Second, I'm thinking of submitting something to Glimmer Train magazine. It's quite prestigious to get published by them but also very difficult. They take mostly literary short stories. I have a few of those that need some editing and their next submission period ends on July 31. This is excellent because Jenni will be on summer break by then and will hopefully be able to help me out with some suggestions and editing. I will definitely need it.
Third, I would like to have my current novel, that I've barely made a dent in, done by the end of August.

There are a few other things that I have in mind. Comicspace.com is attempting to have a contest for writers, pencilers and inkers coming up soon so I'll have to keep my eye on that.
And I think tomorrow I'm going to do something really exciting regarding my writing but I don't want to say what yet in case I jinx myself.

Just saw: Knocked Up
Currently reading: Batman Year One and Batman Year Two (TPB)
Just read: The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini

Edit first!

My goal for today was to write a query letter and send some submissions to agents. Of course they want a synopsis of the book you are trying to get them to read. It makes sense to me so this is not a complaint. My trouble is that I realize I should edit the book first. I guess I should have figured that in the first place. Now I'll just have to send out different submissions for a while. I'm thinking my final story for creative writing.
Also, I'm a little sad I just found out they were raising postage and I have a lot of stamps that I have previously purchased. Now I have to get those crazy 2 cent stamps.
For the record, in case there is anyone but probably not, my blog is not blocked from anonymous comments. If you are not a member of blogspot you can still tell me I suck by clicking on 'comment'. Of course I'm being presumptuous that someone actually reads this. I'd make the joke "that someone other than my mom might actually reads this", but she doesn't either. That's how bad my writing is.