Geralin

I’ve been rather quiet on this front. One, since I’ve been writing, applying for jobs, submitting my novel to various agents, and just generally trying to get my affairs in order, I haven’t had a lot of time to spare. Two, I haven’t had much to say. Three, I’ve got a deal cooking right now and, while I have pulled the trigger, I’m still waiting to see if the bullet hits the target.

I am standing on the precipice of something great and I am both excited and terrified. I am not quite ready to make any announcements other than tantalizing teasers but I will say that I think that the future looks much brighter for me now than it did a few months ago. While I’m not in the vengeance or grudge-holding business, I must say, I think that I am about to surprise not only myself, but several other people.

I am easy to underestimate. I’m short. I’m not that good-looking. I speak with an atrocious Southern accent, soft on endings, liquid of vowels, and in no hurry to get the words out. I keep my mode of dress casual but clean and sturdy. Why? Because why waste a lot of money on designer outfits and haircuts when that money can be better invested elsewhere? I’m hard-working, creative, inventive, intelligent, and honest. I had a couple of bad years recently what with my brother dying so suddenly and unexpectedly and with his daughter’s mothers being complete and utter wankers.

But I have begun to come out of that haze. I have decided that there are three people who will have no part in my life. One of them is only a baby but in order to cut the other two out, I must sacrifice her as well. Such is the choice foisted upon me by unscrupulous individuals. Such is the price that will be paid. I have also decided to forge ahead with my own dreams. If that means taking up a burden that I never wanted to carry, then so be it. I will do it.

All my life, people have underestimated me. I have encouraged them to do this. It makes my life easier. It makes my eventual victories so much sweeter to see the looks of incredulity upon their faces and to know that there were signs all the while, there and easy to spot, for them to see foreshadowing what was hidden beneath the placid mask I show to the world.

A grand conspiracy has come into being with me at its helm and, once I am done, this world will never be the same. The trigger has been pulled. The bullet has left the barrel and is speeding through the air straight for the target at which it was aimed.

And so it begins.

For those of you who slept through Geekspeak 101 the subject translates as “Unemployed does not equal unproductive.”

Today is the first day of my unemployment. Actually, I prefer to think of it as the first day of my working completely for myself. And, in these first five hours (yes, I woke up at 7 am as per normal) I have:

1. Applied for three different jobs
2. Drafted a query letter
3. Begun a high-level proofing of Draft Three of Twilight of Lanar’ya
4. Read an entire chapter in my LSAT prep study guide

I took the weekend “off,” so to speak, to recharge my mental batteries. I mostly played Diablo II and did some work on Midnight of Lanar’ya. I did a touch of research for my mother’s site but have not completed the article there yet.

Am I scared? A little. But, as my parents are wont to say, I have tools and talents to weather adversity that most other people don’t. I live frugally so money is not a pressing concern. I am content to live life inside my head so missing out on social occasions does not bother me overmuch. I have always been fairly self-disciplined so setting my own schedule and sticking to it is not difficult. No, what I will really miss is the atmosphere at my former job and the people there.

At any rate, I will keep working on Alayne’s Story and my own works while searching for a job, studying for the LSAT, and keeping myself up-to-date on various other things.

And now, as always: back to work!

I’ve been dividing my free time (when I’m not working or raiding) into three parts: 1) working on Alayne’s Story or Midnight of Lanar’ya, 2) researching things for my mother’s site, and 3) studying for the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test). I’m cautiously optimistic that I will do well on the LSAT when I take it in December. I still need to check to see if the center near me offers the exam in English but I suspect it will. I’ll then register to take it and keep studying for it.

I think that, if I score well enough on it, law school won’t tap out my savings nearly as much as I had feared. I’ve been careful all these years and have managed to save up quite a bit. So, I can afford to go to law school, even if I have to pay the whole thing myself. However, if I can get scholarships to cover some of the tuition and course fees, then that will be so much the better.

I’ve never been a big fan of putting yourself tremendously in debt to get a degree. I am practically allergic to debt which is why I don’t own a car (and plan to try to get the best car I can for the lowest price I can find if I go back to the US) and why I don’t own a house (no way, no how. Nothing doing. I’ll rent until it’s worth my time to even think about buying a home and right now, the housing market is looking like it will take a while to recover). I don’t feel the need to take fancy vacations or go out to pricey restaurants. I make my clothes last me for ages and generally only replace them when they are so ripped and torn up that it’d be indecent to wear them in public. My biggest annual expenditures are trips to visit my parents in the US or the occasional computer purchase.

I live within my means and in less than 10 years, have socked away enough cash that I can think about three years of law school without wondering how I’d eat while in school. Apparently, not a lot of people my age could say the same thing. I think that’s weird because I’ve never considered myself to be terribly exceptional when it comes to money. I don’t have a massive salary or anything. I just…don’t spend a lot of money. Simple.

At any rate, I’m looking forward to taking the LSAT. I hope I do well on it and get offered a discounted ride somewhere. That would be awesome.

And now, back to work!