When I’m not missing my own book release deadlines I’m working on one of my other projects. Some friends and I started up a podcast this week – this one includes all of us nerding out over our favorites and recalling where we were during 9/11. Check it out!

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-123517/TS-666611.mp3

Busy busy these past few weeks. You’d think taking a nine hour semester would be easy and leave you  with lots of free time, but you’d be wrong. Last semester was dedicated to the long stream of homework; this semester is dedicated to many meetings and errands.

Granted, I do have my weekends back, which has been great. I’ve been painting on a regular basis again, and writing about what I want to when I feel like it. The book is still under revision – I had to make myself step away from it for a while so I could look at it more objectively. Still hoping to release it by Spring Break at the latest. I am trying to figure out CreateSpace so I can have printed copies as well as e-books.

I’ve been pretty involved with the public library this past year, which I love. I’m part of a class that teaches a creative writing club to elementary-middle school aged kids every week. I’m the student assistant this semester, which accounts for a lot of my meetings and errands. It’s a lot of fun and I love my kid partner. I’ve also been asked to run an activity for the older kids’ writing group this Friday. Still trying to figure out what I want to do, but it will most likely end up being some sort of awesome writing game.

Senoiritis has hit me hard. There’s one class in particular where I’m completely unmotivated because I’m taking it in hopes of gaining some extra skills rather than to satisfy my degree requirements. The class itself is very tedious right now and all I can do is sit there thinking “I don’t need this to graduate. I could just leave.” All I think about lately is finding a job and a new place and getting out of here. I spend at least an hour every day going through job ads. I just signed my graduation application form today. I’m incredibly paranoid – my mind keeps telling me that they’ll reject it and tell me I need more classes or something, and that I have to stay longer. I don’t want that. I’ve already agreed to sublease my apartment, so as of June I am gone. Boone and Appstate have been great overall and I’ve met a lot of amazing friends, but they won’t stay and neither will I. I’ve reached that point where I’m ready to move on and start something new. And get a puppy.

So that’s been the jist of my past few weeks. I hope everyone is enjoying 2012 so far. I’ll try to get a more interesting post up later 🙂

It’s been a very busy and possibly life-changing month 🙂

I originally wanted this to be the title of my blog. I had it all planned out. There was nothing I could write about that I couldn’t somehow link back to the fact that we are due for a zombie apocalypse. School stuff? I need to drop out because zombies are coming. Recipes? You know the person who can make anything taste good will be valuable once the apocalypse hits. Artwork? We all need some culture in our lives before we’re running for them. Should I rename my blog?

Anyway, let’s get serious here for a moment: Almost anyone in our generation has this  little thought (/wish) in the back of their minds that tells them zombies are coming. And that fascinates me. I honestly think there’s something to it. Why do we secretly want this to happen? Let’s explore…

1. The environment. We’re pretty much destroying it. Stuff will survive, but we will not. Unless some changes are made.

2. Politics. In the US, but all over the world to. Congress is a bunch of babies, on both sides. Political campaigns are centered around sticking it to the other side instead of addressing actual issues, and don’t get me started on all the issues.

3. My favorite soapbox: We’re disinfecting too much. Lysol must be trying to kill us. The truth is, being exposed to the scary stuff builds immunities. You know the .01% that isn’t being killed? That’s the strongest stuff. And now all it has to breed with is the other .01% from across the street, resulting in even stronger, more resistant stuff. Everyone’s so worried about the next big disease, which is ironic because we’re being extremely helpful in its production.

4. The economy. That is all.

So that’s the basics of my social theory, but really I think it all comes down to the innate fear of disease, and we’re due for an outbreak of something nasty. Remember how everyone flipped over swine flu? Yeah, that’s why. Researchers are actually running scenarios of a zombie outbreak – how it would function, spread, etc. and the general idea is that it will be a disease that affects the brain somehow. The research is helping with the studies of actual problems, which is awesome. I may look for some sources later to back myself up, but just do a search for this stuff and I’m sure you’ll find it.

What I can back up is that the CDC posted an actual survival guide for the zombie apocalypse that got so many hits they had to shut down the website temporarily when it was first released. It was the smartest thing the CDC has ever done, in my opinion. Will there be a zombie outbreak? Probably not. But people read the article anyway, and now they have basic survival knowledge for an actual disaster. Fooled you, America!

So there’s all the stuff you didn’t care about, now on to the fun part: My plan.

I actually have several, which I think is a good thing. My favorite is joining up with my friends and becoming nomads/gypsies. The zombies can’t corner us if we’re mobile. I’ve got scenarios for staying in Boone, staying in the mountains, and even going to the coast to become pirates (can zombies swim?) A few people have said they’d come get me and let me join their group. I think it’s because I can cook. Better start practicing those recipes, folks.