A little bit of statistics

Okay, not real math-like statistical analysis stuff, because honestly, I don't like that sort much.  After dealing with it for my undergrad thesis, I'd rather ignore it until I have to do another thesis.

I do, however, love my blog stats! I've started using StatCounter.com, and it makes me happy.  There are charts and graphs and lists, and it's all so pretty!

Did you know that, so far, 757 people have looked at my blog this month?  That's just... neat.

I also love the keyword analysis feature.  Of course, lots of people found me by searching for "something to write about" or some combination of those words, but there were some more... unusual search terms:
- why does debbie macomber 311 pelican court spell terrible as Teribly
- what's a diagram
- HBP stands for
- ending of one hour photo explained


Really? I swear, I don't remember writing a post explaining what a diagram is... How did you find me, blogglings?  Are you someone I know in real life?  Did you follow someone's link here?  Or were you the one looking for a diagram explanation?

Thank you, Bloggling Brains!

Anthropomorphism! Yes! Thank you for your help!

And in case you were wondering why I suddenly had the pressing need to know that word, it's because of a conversation I had with my parents. We were chatting via Skype and I had to go so I could take my dog outside before Morris and Adolph came out. Naturally, my folks asked who Morris and Adolph were. They expected me to say the neighbor's dogs, or maybe the random cats that sleep in my yard. No, Morris and Adolph are spiders. Morris spins his web in the corner of the overhang by the back door, and Adolph spins his huge web between the trees on either side of the path to the backyard.

My parents think I'm weird. Of course, then I had to tell them about Cassandra, the spider who spins a web in the backyard from the branches of the big tree to the ground. And Lewis, who has a permanent web in the holly bush out front (all the others take down their webs in the morning).

I don't know if it's a writer thing, or just me, but I name all sorts of things. My car is Ruby. My KitchenAid mixer is Kitty. My blender is Oscar. My grill is George. My computers are Trinsyn, Chionne, and Arra. My toilet paper doll is Nancy. And that's just a small sample.

Tell me, do you name things?

Dream a little dream

Before I forget, if I were you, I'd head over to read what Theresa had to say at edittorrent today - I was relieved to find out that I'm not just being a snob, I'm using the phrase properly!  And yes, I'm a grammar geek.

And now, onwards with my own stuff!

I had some truly messed up dreams last night.  I don't think I ate anything crazy, and I fell asleep watching one of the movies that I've watched hundreds of times, so I can't figure out why I had these dreams...

In the first one, I was at a restaurant downtown, and I was eating spaghetti (and twirling it with a spoon), and one of the doctors from work was sitting there, staring at me like I was crazy, because I was twirling my spaghetti.  Then I woke up.

Then I fell asleep again, and I dreamt about a prison, where there was a group of women who were in this big room, wearing very unattractive orange jumpsuits.  They were doing prison-y things, like hanging around and sitting on tables, until suddenly it was time for them to shower (GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!). One girl went in, and turned on the water but got distracted brushing her hair, so the next girl couldn't get her shower in time.  The second girl, who was inexplicably played America Ferrara, was stuck standing outside of the bathroom in a terrycloth bathrobe (which was waaay too nice to be prison-issue).  She got in trouble with the guards for not having a shower.  As she was getting hauled off, swearing that it wasn't her fault, I woke up.

Then I fell asleep again, and my next dream starred Charlie Sheen.  I was hanging out with him somewhere warm and sunny, beside a pool.  Next thing I know, I'm in the pool, and sliding towards the deep end as Charlie warns me that there have been unattended children in the pool, and that I should watch where my feet go when I touch the bottom.  Before I got to the bottom of the pool, I woke up.

Weird, no?  I really can't explain the random celebrity cameos, especially since I don't watch Ugly Betty, and I haven't watched Two and a Half Men for a while.  And I've got NO clue why a doctor was watching me eat spaghetti.

So tonight, I'll be watching Castle, eating chocolate, and crossing my fingers for some less weird dreams.

Let's Take a Trip

A guilt trip, that is.

I've gotta say, I'm tired of people trying to send me on guilt trips.  Hello, raised a Catholic here!  I've got lots of experience dealing with guilt!  I've even felt guilty for not feeling guilty about things.  How's that for a brain-bender?

Thing is, I'm completely capable of feeling guilty about things on my own.  I don't need (or want) someone else to try to make me feel guilty about something.  See, that has got an effect that is probably quite a lot different than what the person wanted.

Let's say that Bob wanted me to do something, but I had already made a commitment to Joe to do something at that same time.  I'm going to honor my commitment to Joe, while feeling a little bit guilty about not being able to lend Bob a hand.  However, I'll get over that guilt because I'm only human, and can only be in one place at a time (though it would be cool to be able to be in two places at once!).

Now let's say that Bob was unhappy that I had decided to honor my commitment and do whatever it was that I did for Joe instead of doing what Bob wanted me to do.  Bob decided to try to make me feel guilty about not doing his thing, telling me how hard it was to do without me, or how much easier things would have been if I had been there, or maybe just repeatedly making pointed remarks about how long it has been since he's seen me around doing things with him.  He's hoping that, by making me feel bad about not doing what he wanted me to, I'll give in next time and do what he wants.

Ha.  No, actually, here's what he's done: he's made me mad.  Like I said, I'm plenty capable of feeling guilty on my own.  But to have someone try to force it on me?  No way, buddy.  Now, next time Bob asks me to do something, I'll make up a reason not to.  And if he tries guilting me again?  Next time, the reason will be something really lame, like "I have to relace all of my sneakers, sorry."

'Why am she telling us all of this?' you may ask.  Well!  I have an answer that's related to my blog!  I want to incorporate this into a story somehow, but I'm not entirely sure how.  I like the first-person sort of style for it, I think.  It seems more, I don't know... familiar?  And I think that guilt is very hard to show from a third-person POV.

What I'm really looking for are opinions - would you want to read about someone like this?  What about someone who is like this, but doesn't consciously realize what she's doing?  Is this more of a female trait than a male trait?

All opinions/suggestions are welcome!

A Little to the Right

I walked outside with a friend tonight, and as we stepped out, she exclaimed, "Shit, it's raining!" - which is exactly what I was thinking.

Except it wasn't.

As we stepped out from under the awning, we didn't get wet.  Not even a little sprinkle.  But we could clearly hear the rain.  We looked around and realized that it was raining.  To our right.  About five feet to our right.

That was just weird.  Weather is made of crazy this year, I think.  How about you, blogglings?  Any crazy weather just to your right lately?

Random free stuff!

Apologies for missing my post yesterday - it was a crazy day, and I ended up being out super-late. However, today's post might make up for it!

Yesterday, one of the ladies at work gave me a bottle of wine as a thank-you for helping her with an uber-project (started on Jan 3, finished on Wednesday!). It was really sweet of her, and totally unexpected. Then another one of the ladies came in and dropped off a book for me. It was a book of knitting patterns, and it was a 'just because' thing - she saw it and thought of me.

That totally rocked! I love random free stuff!

And I'll be that a lot of you like random free stuff, too! So today, I'm gonna pay it forward and give away random free stuff. If you comment on today's post before midnight next Saturday (February 5th), you'll be entered in a draw for a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card!

How's it going to work?  Next weekend, after midnight on Saturday, I'll use a random number generator to pick from the comments on this post.  I'll announce the winner here, and then I'll email you to figure out the details of how to get your prize to you.  Sound good?  I hope so!

Happy commenting!

What's in a name?

In my journeys through other writers' blogs, I've noticed a trend.  A lot of people refer to the significant others in their lives by nicknames.  Meg Cabot refers to "He Who Shall Not Be Named In This Blog;" Tawna Fenske talks about Pythagoras (which I love as a nickname, btw!); The INTERN has her Techie Boyfriend, Hippie Roommate, and Vampire Roommate; Natalie Whipple has Dino Boy and Ninja Girl.  Someone out there keeps referring to her husband as Hot Stuff, but I couldn't find any references to him in my reader while I was searching today. (If you know who it is, let me know and I'll update this post!)

This got me thinking.  Why do we use nicknames?  Is it because we're worried about privacy? Is it because we're worried about what said nicknamed person will think?  Is it because the nicknamee has asked for it?  I know that I link to my friend Colby's blog a lot.  I don't have any problem referring to her by name, because all you have to do is click on her link and there you go - her name is not hard to find.  Conversely, I find myself referring to another friend as just "my friend" when I link to her.  I realized that it was because I had not seen her name on her blog, and I was wary of revealing her identity if she didn't want to be revealed.  Today, though, as I was thinking about this post, I decided to ask her if it was okay - and she said yes!  So from this point forth, I shall link to my friend Tanya's blog. (*waves*)

So what about me?  If you know me in real life, you probably know that my real name is not Danielle Lanois. I do have to qualify that with "probably" because there are actually a few people who are under the impression that 'Lanois' really is my last name. I have chosen to use a pen name for a couple of reasons, and I want to share them with you.

• I'm youngish, and still single.  There is still a chance that, at some point, I might get married.  If that is the case, my last name will likely change (although I'm still torn on that point - but it's all theoretical right now, so it doesn't matter).  Then I would have to choose whether I wanted to continue writing (and hopefully publishing) under my maiden name, or if I wanted to change.  By using a pen name all along, even if my real name does change, it makes no difference.

• I have been Danielle Lanois for years. It, or some variation of it, has been my screen name since 2000 (or thereabouts).  It has become my online identity, and if I were to use my real name, there are some who wouldn't recognize me.

• There are people in 'real life' who really do think that my name is Danielle Lanois. Well before I started blogging or writing with the thought of publication in my head, I was given the nickname 'Lanois.'  It happened, like many nicknames do, because a drunk guy at a party couldn't remember my name.  It stuck. It stuck so well that I have had wedding invitations addressed to 'Danielle Lanois,' because the bride really thought that was my name.

• Even though I know it's ridiculously easy to find my real name, using my pen name gives me an extra bit of confidence when I'm writing.  It's like I'm playing a part - Danielle Lanois is smart and sexy and glamorous and all the things I imagine a writer should be, instead of a mildly-insecure, slightly-crazy, yarn-obsessed introvert.

• My last name is Norwegian.  It's hard to pronounce.  And if you hear it, it's hard to spell.  There's something about French that just seems easier (to me, at least). 

What about you, bloggy-friends?  Do you use a pen name for yourself, or nicknames for other people?  What drove that choice?

Not at all myself!

I woke up early this morning. Like, 30 minutes before my alarm went off. Unfortunately, puppy is very attuned to my state of awakeness, and she didn't let me roll over and doze off again. As I slowly opened my eyes, a story idea came to me. I wanted to doze off, but I got up and fumbled for a notebook and wrote down the idea before my lizard brain could take over.

I got up, took puppy out for a walk, packed my lunch, then went back upstairs and decided that I was going to take the extra time and exercise. I did three sets of ten reps each of wall squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and back thingies, all with my big purple ball. Then I showered, dressed, and looked at the clock. It was 7:10. Normally, I'm done dressing at 7:35.

Somehow, I was 25 minutes ahead! So what did I do? I found a coupon for Chick-Fil-A, and went out for a free chicken biscuit for breakfast. Even with the drive-thru, I was still at work by 7:56! That's not me at all!

And now, it's nearly 2, and I'm still mildly functional. Who's taken over my body???

I hear voices...

I've read an awful lot about "voice" lately. It seems that the big thing in writer blogging these days is talking about voice. Everyone seems to have an opinion about voice, and advice on how to find yours.

But not me.

I don't really have any advice on finding a voice, and I don't really know how I managed to find mine. I do know, however, that one of my beta readers just compared my voice to Neil Gaiman!

I was super-excited to hear that - and then I realized that I don't actually know what his voice sounds like. The only novel of his that I've read is "Good Omens" with Terry Pratchett, and I've been told that Pratchett's voice is the more prominent of the two. Luckily, Cavid is awesome and lent me a copy of "Neverwhere."

Now I've got a dilemma... I'm in the middle of re-reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, because I still haven't read Confessor, but I want to review the whole series, rather than just jumping into the last book. But now I have "Neverwhere" sitting on the table, and I really want to read it! I'm afraid that it will interrupt the flow of the series in my head, though, and I'll have to start over. Maybe I'll just read really fast...

Finally, today is my 600th post on this blog! Hooray! In honor of that, I want to do something different. I want to give stuff away! That's right, post a comment for a chance to win a hamster bean, handmade by me. Deadline is 10 pm EST tomorrow! I need more exclamation points!!

EDIT: Here's a link to some hamster beans - the one I'm making is all multi-coloured and cute!

Random observation

When it gets cold out (i.e. below freezing), and I breathe through my nose, there's a part of my palate (the roof of the mouth) that gets REALLY cold. The rest of my mouth is a normal temperature, but that one spot in the middle of the roof of my mouth is noticeably colder. I'm sure it has something to do with the way the nasal passages fill the bones above that part of the mouth, but still... it's kind of cool, and it's something that I never really paid attention to before.

Warning: Do not read the warnings!

Have you ever taken the time to sit down and read all of that paperwork that comes with a new medication? It's a good thing (for the drug companies!) that most people don't - no one would EVER take ANYTHING! They pretty much tell you that, regardless of what the medication is, there's a chance that it might kill you, but it hasn't killed many people, so you'll probably be okay. Well, you'll be okay as long as you don't have asthma or heart disease or lung disease or diabetes or blindness or a pinky finger as long as your ring finger or an uncle who's balding or a cat or bunions. Oh, and don't even think about driving, because driving while taking medication will result in you falling asleep at the wheel and dying.

Did I mention I've been sick? I've barely slept in three days because I've been coughing so much, so I finally broke down and got a prescription for a cough medicine (the OTC stuff was not doing anything for me). And please note - I did NOT ask for antibiotics. Antibiotics work if you have a bacterial infection. There is a 99% chance that what I have is a virus. Antibiotics will not work. In most cases, antibiotics do NOTHING for a cold except breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria. DON'T DEMAND ANTIBIOTICS! *ahem* Sorry.

In any case, I asked for an antitussitive (anti-cough medication, for all of you non-medical types) because I just want to sleep. Just one night. So I picked up the prescription, and like a good little medical assistant, I read the product information. And now I'm really wary of taking this stuff for the first time while home alone... Because, apparently, I'm gonna die! Okay, it's not that bad, but it makes it sound like someone with asthma should not be using it unsupervised. *sigh* I wonder if I can teach my dog to dial 911 before I go to bed tonight...

Now with 80% less creepy!

The creepy red glowy cross isn't creepy and red anymore! It's now blue.

Less creepy, still glowy, still a cross.

Just thought you might want to know!

Sing along time

I've been in a singing mood this week. Today, my iPod apparently agreed with my decision. Every musical song in my playlist seemed to come on consecutively as I drove around to and from work and the theatre today - and no, I didn't have any sort of selection by genre going on. It was just set to full playlist, on random.

So yay! Now my throat's a bit raw, though... But totally worth it!

Shiny

Some words are just awesome.

I love the word 'shiny.' I blame Joss Whedon for this. If you've watched Firefly, you know what I'm talking about. But it's an awesome word. It's got the standard connotations and definitions - an object that gleams or has a lustrous finish. But it can also mean, well, awesome. It can be used an exclamation on its own, or as part of an adjective.

Also, I like 'blargh,' an expression of frustration. Don't confuse it with 'blergh,' an expression of disgust.

Bats?

I think I saw bats outside. It certainly didn't look like a bird... it was just after dusk, and the thing kept flying in circles. It was moving really quickly, but not very high up. It wasn't chirping or anything, although I suppose birds don't always chirp as they fly around.

It didn't fly like a bird, though. It seemed less graceful, more frenetic. I tried to strain and see if the wings looked like they were covered in feathers, or if they had that more transparent quality, but, well, it was after dusk and the thing wouldn't stay still!

I googled Georgia bats, and it seems that there are a lot of species that can be found here, so it's entirely possible. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) are common, and according to the stats that I found, they're about the right size for the critters I saw.

So I may have seen a real, live bat. Another first! Did I mention that I saw my first real, live lightning bug here? And unintentionally killed one on my bathroom door? (Loved the glowy guts!)

Little things

... can make me very happy.

I spent tonight baking and watching chick flicks. It was awesome. I used to bake a lot - it was a very good form of stress relief. Unfortunately, while I was doing "Chicago," I didn't have time to bake, despite having plenty of stress in need of relief! I can't believe how much better I feel now. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I also have a big ol' pile of cookies (five dozen minus one, to be exact). Even better, though, is that almost all of the cookies (except for the last eleven) are going to be given away, so that I don't backtrack on any of my resolutions for the year!

Speaking of, this seems like a good time to revisit them:

- Blog every day. Check!

- Finish at least two craft projects before I start another one. Umm... almost. But I'm finishing more things, or at least giving up and ripping them out! So the spirit is there, if not the actual exact action.

- Lose 20 lb. Down by 9 so far, which is not bad. Now that the show is done, I can start getting up and exercising again. It was REALLY hard to do when I was out at the theatre until 11 every night.

- Get in better shape. Yup! Not where I want to be yet, but better than I was. It's amazing what a skimpy costume will do to your will power...

- Read more. I've been reading at least a book a month, though I do want to read more. Again, with the show over, I'll have more time to do it.

So I'm not doing too badly! It helps to have achievable goals, too ;)

Over 200!

I have posted 201 consecutive days this year! How awesome is that?

And also - how scary is it that we're already 201 days into this year?? Where did the time go? I remember being a kid, and wondering why it was taking 36 years for it to be summer vacation, and why I was going to be in school for another 417 years before I graduated. And suddenly, I don't have that problem anymore.

I swear, it feels like Christmas vacation was just a few weeks ago, not six months or more. And while that time between 8:20 and 11:40 seems to take forever, as soon as that bit of the day is past, it feels like it's suddenly 5:00 and time to go home, then before I can blink, it's 10:00 and time for bed!

Yeesh. I'm sure it's all a relativity thing - time feels longer when you're younger because you've experienced much less of it - but that doesn't really make me feel better. Can we just slow things down a teensy bit?

So cold!

I have been absolutely freezing all day! It's been hot out - 66 degrees in the middle of the night here - but I've been freezing.

I think it's because everyone in the south assumes that you need to run the AC all the time when it gets vaguely warm outside. So I freeze. I wear sweaters and long-sleeved shirts outside in 102 degree weather because it's more comfortable to melt for a few minutes between car/work/mall etc than to freeze all day.

*Sigh*

The most irritating part? Everyone looks at me and says, "But you're from Canada! You're supposed to like the cold."

Can't... resist...

My dog is chewing on a beaver.

I don't know why I had to tell you that, but I couldn't hold back any more! It just sounds wrong... but I think it would be worse if I had a cat...

*pulls mind out of the gutter*

Anyways.

I've had a long freaking week. My creativity is sucked out of me. I don't even have the desire to knit. I just want to sleep. And it's a Friday night, and I'm being a big ol' loser and staying home. So I'm going to go to sleep.

BUT! Tomorrow, I promise there will be a new installment of Take Five! Because I know where my navy blue Sarasa pen is.

A little more reasonable

Note the lack of screeching. I did not walk into any spiderwebs tonight. I did, however, get to see the 'retarded dinosaur walk.' Walking like a lizard is way cooler.

Confusing enough for you? You should have been there - it wouldn't be any less confusing...

On a vaguely related note, I have decided that the blog tonight was sponsored by the number three. I'm enjoying the single digits... they bring peace to me... sort of.

I'm feeling very scattered tonight. I've slept about five hours a night for the last four nights, and it's getting to me. If left to my own devices, I will sleep about 9-10 hours at a time. Alarm clocks are not my friends. They are evil, evil inventions that force me to wake up at unearthly times (like 6:48 am). Unfortunately, they are a necessary evil, because without them, there is NO way I'd ever get to work on time. Ever. Of course, I consider work a necessary evil, too. Stupid rent. Stupid food bills. Someday, I'll be a published writer, and I'll make a living off of that, and it WON'T be evil! (Let me have my delusions. They're what get me through the day!)