NaNoWriMo and ALB

Anyone who knows me well these days knows that the month of November is largely dedicated to the crazy trip that is writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

This, along with the fact that I spent the majority of last month finding a place to live, furnishing it, and delving into the realm of real adulthood is why I haven't posted for nearly a month.

So a brief update is in order.

I have started my new job as an Inventory Arborist. I'm in training right now - but the job consists of surveying trees in the Worcester County area for signs of the Asian Long-Horned Beetle. As you may or may not know, this invasive beetle causes terrible damage to our native trees (maples in particular). The USDA has launched a huge effort to get this beetle under control here on the borders of rural New England before it can get away from us and invade our hardwood forests, causing untold numbers of dollars in economic damage - not to mention irreversible aesthetic damage. The ALB arrived in this area in 2008 and since then the government has cut down nearly 30,000 trees in an effort to eradicate it. The contractor I work for is responsible for closely monitoring and indicating where damage remains or is spreading.

Above: Damage caused by the ALB - perfectly round exit holes and chewed areas where the female lays her eggs in the tree.

Below: The adult Asian Long-Horned Beetle. 

Alert the USDA immediately if you notice any of these beetles in your area or see this sort of damage on your trees! www.mass.gov/agr -or- 1-866-702-9938

So I've got that going on. And it's going well. I love that I'm working a job where I feel like I'm making an actual difference in the world. Wish me luck cause my first USDA test (only get two chances to pass this thing) is this Friday!

National Novel Writing Month is the other thing dominating my life right now. I've got what I think is a fantastic story this year. Mortal Coils is about a family of witches living in an old New England town. Told through the eyes of Noah Macpherson, a male scion of the family, there is lots of family drama, the problems with growing up different from everyone else, and mysterious dreams that seem to be plaguing Noah and no one else. Did I mention that he falls in love with a girl who houses an angelic spirit determined to kill him and his entire family as demon worshipers? It's crazy stuff. I've fallen behind this week due to adjusting to new work schedule and other things like an all day Lord of the Rings extended edition marathon on Saturday. But I am catching up today. 

I hope. 

Hopefully more normal posting will soon resume - that way I can feel like I really have a life again.

Green Pieces

A little self-service here.

In addition to my mighty works of fiction and ramblings about life and its many complexities... I also keep a science blog. The purpose of it is to demystify many of the issues we face in science and nature. Most people love science when they're young and gradually become disillusioned by the jargon and the math when they go through school. But science is a wonderful realm of amazing things and I think everyone deserves to regain that love they had when they were kids.

In my blog, I cover many things - the ethics of our political decisions about the environment, current scientific research, the pure joy of watching nature at its finest... There are amusing and fascinating nature videos every Tuesday. And my current project (inspired by my new job) is an in-depth look at invasive species.

The blog can be found here: Green Pieces For Everyone

Connected

I seem to go through these periods of wanting to be in touch with everyone and everything alternating with periods where I withdraw from most of the world and put myself out there in very limited ways. Right now I'm going through a phase of sort of loving my social networks (both real and internety).

November is going to be the beginning of a brand new chapter in my life. Having my own apartment and a serious job outside of university studies is probably exciting for anyone - but I have never taken the time to imagine this sort of life for myself. I clearly remember as a child picturing my life as a teenager, wondering about high school and boys and what sorts of classes I would take. As a teenager, I dreamed of college. I longed for it. I laid out various dreams in the shape of different majors and settings and friend groups. But as a university student, I don't think I did much imagining for my own life. It was all about getting to the next class. The next semester. The next dorm. Part of that was because I stuck myself in a long distance relationship and pinned all of my hopes for the future on being with this person - even though I think I always knew that it couldn't work out that way.

Well, now I've graduated from school. I have a serious long-term relationship with someone that I'm not constantly stressing about in terms of future plans. (I think we can call this "being content in love." Mutual love is nice, I've found.) I was finally hired for a job that not only relates to my major, but will interest me, make me feel like I'm making some kind of difference, and give me the freedom of mind I need to keep my writing up. And I just signed the lease on my first apartment.

I guess I'm beginning to feel more like a citizen rather than the non-entity you are when you're a child. And I never really imagined how that would feel. Frankly, I'm so excited about 'beginning' my life that I want to constantly write about everything I'm doing. I find myself self-narrating more than ever. (Anyone else do that?) And thinking about writing some autobiographical non-fiction.

To start though, I think I'll just keep up with my blogs some more... Stay in touch with people on Facebook (go see The Social Network btw it was genius writing)... And tweet about my writing.

To life! As boring as it sounds, the mundane details are endlessly fascinating to me. I'm ready to explore more.

...***Please check out my science/nature blog: Green Pieces. In addition to posting more about myself :D I'm also going to be posting more about issues in science that should matter to everyone. Plus there's an awesome video featured every Tuesday!***...

BTT: Rewrite

If you could rewrite the ending of any book, which book would it be? And how would you change it?

I'm always afraid that when I get published people are going to cite my books in answer to this. 0.o

Honestly, the idea of rewriting book endings seems anathema to me. But I'm a writer, and also obsessed with the process of writing. Movie endings - sure. That I could easily answer (the entire Star Wars prequel series to name one).

In general, I suppose I'll just say that I am in favor of bittersweet endings. Happy endings are usually too convenient. Blatantly unhappy endings leave me feeling unsatisfied. But endings that combine both happiness and misery are my favorite. I feel drained - but in a good way.

New Favorite Word

New favorite word followed by old favorite video.

CORNOBBLE: to hit someone with a fish

Take it away, Monty Python.