Monday, May 28, 2012

Je parle un peu francais

So I'm in the process of teaching myself French due to my trip to England (and subsequent side trip to Paris).  Not to generalize an entire country's population, but every person I talk to that's been to France says they're not too fond of Americans.  Am I going to hold that against them?  No.  But if I'm visiting their country, I want to be as respectful as possible and try to learn the basics so they know I've put an effort into this.

Here's my plan of attack: Every day, I'm reading one chapter of French for Dummies on my iPad and reading the French conversations in the book out loud.  I'm going to watch one movie a day I'm familiar with (or, if time is too restrictive, four movies a week) in French with no subtitles, I'm going to download some French music and I'm going to read fan fiction in French.

Now, I've taken two French classes before.  One was in eighth grade and one was my freshman year in college.  I have a pretty good grasp of the language and can read it relatively well.  It's the speaking part that gets to me.

I'll let you know my progress.

This should be interesting.

So far, I've watched: She's the Man and 10 Things I Hate About You.  Today, I'm hoping to watch Legally Blonde (since I know the entire movie by heart).

I've listened to:  Vanessa Paradis.  You might know her as Johnny Depp's long-time love (and no, they're not over).  I love her, but I'm going to need more.

I have yet to read fan fic.

We'll see how this turns out.

What do you guys think?  Have you attempted to teach yourself another language?  What did you do and did it work?

--

In honor of Memorial Day, me and my family went up to the LA Veteran's Cemetery yesterday in order to avoid the hoopla currently taking place (and I don't mean any disrespect by my choice in diction).  We like to avoid crowds and traffic and have time together with my grandparents and great-grandfather without worrying about being in the background of the news or being interviewed by a personality.

Please take time out to remember the fallen, to remember those who came back, and to remember those who are still out there, fighting for us.  Thank you.

Friday, May 25, 2012

International study

So this summer, I'm studying at Cambridge.  Cambridge.  In England.

I've never been out of North America before, and to say that I'm excited would be a thorough understatement.  I remember when I was in middle school and watched the second Harry Potter movie multiple times in theatres because I had the biggest crush on Tom Felton.  I wanted nothing more than to go to a boarding school in England.  Being the nerd I am, I actually researched boarding schools, made a pro-and-con list, came up with a packing list and presented it to my grandfather.  He listened to me and told me he would think about it.  (One of the best thing about my grandfather is he was never condescending and took me seriously, even when I was a kid.)  Obviously, that didn't happen but before he passed away, he promised once he got out of the hospital, me and him would travel all over the world.

Sadly, that never happened.

But this is happening. 

I leave in less than a month.

Sometimes, life doesn't work out the way you expect it to.  Sometimes, you get what you want in a different way when the time is right.

I am so grateful to explore England, Scotland, Ireland and Paris.  I am so excited to study at an amazing, historical, wonderful, timeless university.  I hope I represent the United States, California, my university, and me in the best, classiest way.

Most importantly, me and Papa will take our trip together.  It might not be the way we planned, but it's happening.  And this way, he'll be with me always.  

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Running dry

So, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, I finished my second manuscript on Sunday.  After a I finish something as massive as a manuscript, I tend to give myself a couple of weeks off to relax, take a break, and start over again with something new.  However, that doesn't mean I don't think about the next story and normally, I tend to outline during this time too.

Except, the story that I planned to outline just won't come to me.  I have the first six chapters covered, but then I'm stuck.  Of course, I have a feeling it might have to do with the fact that this is supposed to be a trilogy and perhaps the story is to narrow to span three books.  I want to add a third heroine too, but I'm still trying to fine-tune the details.  I'm hitting a wall right now, and I don't like it.  I'm going through what Natalie Imbruglia sings in her wonderful song "Torn": My inspiration has run dry... for this story, for now.

I still have a couple of weeks before I need to start writing again.  And, as someone who doesn't necessarily believe in writer's block, I have faith that my heroines' story - all three of them - will find me.  Soon.

It's just difficult when the story plays out in your head but the words won't come.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Lessons Learned

It's been over a year since Goatboy and I decided to stop seeing each other.  Up until April, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think of him without missing him, longing for what we had, and wondering if we would ever be together in the future.  I wound up finding him on Facebook and we had a couple of chats through texts but we haven't seen each other in a long time.  It was like we didn't have to try.  We still had that casual banter I missed so much and I was happy to have him back in my life and hoped that maybe, just maybe, we might get a second chance at being together.

I was talking to my guy friend about it - let's call him Lawyer - and he made me realize something: What I missed wasn't what we had but what I thought it might be if we had more time.  In other words, the reason I stayed with him for so long and why I continued to miss him when he was gone was because I was waiting for what could have been rather than seeing what we were.  Because what we were was fun, but not enough.  And that's okay.  That wasn't his fault or my fault.  It just was what we were.

It took me a day to let the words sink in, but when they did, I was immediately over Goatboy.  I can now look at it with fondness and I won't ever say I didn't love him - I loved him as much as I could with what was given to me - but I can't long for what I never had.  I can appreciate it for what it was: two people who liked spending time together, who cared about each other, who had fun being in each other's company.

Just because he wasn't The One, just because I never met his friends or family, just because he never told me he loved me (if he ever did) doesn't mean the time I spent with him was wasted or inconsequential.  Thinking about us now makes me smile because he taught me what I want in a guy, what I want in a relationship, and more about myself.  I feel lucky that I learned these lessons with someone like him, and even though my heart was smashed into a thousand pieces, I've managed to put it all back together.

Except I couldn't find a piece.  It's small but it's still a piece of my heart that will always belong to him.  Not because he took it from me, but because I gave it to him.  The small hole left will remind me of him, of our time together, and that's enough for me.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Beginnings, Endings, and Middles

Hello everyone!

Sorry for another absence.  School has been putting me through the ringer to the point where I can barely even read for fun anymore, but I'm going to try to update at least once a week.  I'm in the middle of spring quarter, with four papers due around the same time, so I'm slightly overwhelmed.  Please bear with me.  There are many things I want to tell you that I can't just yet, but I have a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT in August June 7, so be prepared for that.

I finished my second manuscript, entitled AWAKEN.  I can't get too much into detail about what it's about, but I will hint that it's about angels and demons and involves fan-favorites from my work on Fictionpress.

I have a tumblr here.  Feel free to follow me (if you mention you're a writer or found me on Blogger/Fictionpress, I'd love to follow back and get to know you better!) and ask me anything.  Also, be prepared for reblogs of superheroes, actors, musicians, television shows, and my many, many ships.

Follow me on twitter.  I'm @heathermyers22.  I'm going to try and use it more often than I do, but I'm a big hockey fan, so be aware that I will be discussing hockey.

For now, that's it, but I'll speak to you soon.  Have a great Monday!