Month: December 2011

The Spiritualism Movement of the 19th century

I’ve always been someone seeking out knowledge on the paranormal.  I come by it honestly, my father is a strong believer and has amazing ghost stories.  I too have a few.  I’ve started back into my novel.  Oddly not horror, though I do need to add a bit of me into the story.  I’ve created a character who is a strong believer in the spiritual movement that took place in the beginning of the 19th century.  Though I LOVE doing research and doing it on the internet, I need your help.  I need your favourite websites, books and any info you might have on the subject.  Normally I post requests like this on Facebook, but have lost interest in that platform as of late.

If you can help me out, post here or email me at lizzieviolet13@gmail.com.

xo

Invoking the 5 rule…

I’m invoking the 5 rule.  What is the 5 rule you ask.  Well my ghouls and boils… let me tell ya.

Two years ago at Word on the Street, I was working the booth for a publishing house I was working for at the time.  A young girl came up to the booth.  She had $10 to spend and decided she wanted one of our books.  Before letting her finish the purchase, her mother said to her, “Honey, you know what you have to do first.”  The girl said, “Ok Mommy” and while looking at the book named off 5 reasons why she should have the book.  She was able to do it quickly and confidently.  Her mother told her that because she followed the 5 rule, she could buy it.  Curious, I asked the mother what the five rule was, the daughter interceded.  She told me point blank, “If you want something you have to say 5 really good reasons in under a minute.  If you can’t you don’t want it or need it bad enough.”  As I said at the beginning of this post… I’m invoking the 5 rule and adding a twist to it.

I’m at a standstill in my life and rather than be thrown into another depression, I am realizing I need to not only make some major decisions about where my life is going, in order to do it and do it positively, I need to purge.  I need to purge, material things, unnecessary distractions and people.  Anything that is holding me back needs to go.  I have too much unnecessary ‘stuff’ in my life.  I seem to have a difficult time purging, so am using the 5 rule to do it.  If I can’t name 5 reasons, in under 1 minute as why to keep something.  It goes.  The process slows things down, but at least this… built in guilt… won’t win out when I attempt it.  But isn’t using this rule for people a little harsh you ask.  When it comes to people, I will at least show some fairness.

How the people purge works, if I can’t come up with 5 reasons that they should still be in my life, and if following the rules, they would be purged, unless they can give me 5 good reasons they should stay.  I tend to hold onto people, no matter how negative they are for me, in hopes of fixing things, that things will change.  People don’t change.  They don’t know how.  We are the only creatures that keep repeating the same mistakes, hoping for different results.  I’m that creature.  I’m ‘Miss Fix It’ as my father so lovingly calls me.  I have always unselfishly put others before me, with little or no reciprocation.  Even Mother Theresa knew when enough was enough so, that part of me is getting purged as well.  I am no longer fixing people or situations, the only thing I’m fixing is me.

As hard as this next little while will be.  It has to be done.  Material things, I will sell or donate to charities.  The rest, well, the rest will have to work itself out and it will.

Muddling Through

I’m not even sure how to begin the first paragraph of this blog post. My mind seems to be in a million places these days, not to mention the last few weeks of my life have been odd, a puzzle, confusing and stressful.  In a mad mix of trying to fix my personal life, trying to get my professional life back on track, things have been well, a box of a 1000 puzzle pieces scattered all over the place.  Over the weekend I have started putting pieces back together and in the process have been also putting my mental 1000 piece puzzle back together.  Needless to say, I feel like all I’ve been doing is muddling through.

I’m not going to write about the dealing of my personal life here.  I’m still trying to figure that out, work in progress shall we say and leave it at that. Professionally, I was getting tonnes of work, editing, pr stuff, finally getting my writing out to calls and BOOM!  my hard drive failed.  Foolishly I hadn’t backed up in months, all my hard work… is on the hard drive.  I now have my computer back and minus a few glitches that I’m still trying to fix, it’s back in working order. Though Apple pretty much made the process even more painful for me (not ordering parts right away, almost losing my old hard drive, taking 3 weeks to fix it), they did add the latest operating system for me, something I was needing to do anyway… however, now my printer and scanner won’t work.  Both things I need to do my This Girl Friday work.  So… I need to go find a printer scanner combo… sooner rather than later.  But… but!  the most painful thing I’m dealing with… my files.

I’ve shopped around for quotes and have had $50 as long as the hard drive isn’t damaged to $1000 plus if it is.  I can’t afford to spend $1000 to get my files back and am at a loss as to what to do.  Three big projects I was writing are on there.  I can rebuild all my This Girl Friday Stuff, I can get all the last versions of editing back from clients… my writing, I can’t.  Is the universe telling me to go back and do it all over again from scratch.  Fortunately, a lot of my short stories were on my old laptop, I can take those and revise if need be, but the projects… UGG!  I have to make a decision on this.

I’ve learned a few things in the process of all this:

1. I hold on to things and people that I shouldn’t.  I need to do a major life purge.  I need to purge my apartment and my personal life.  I’m what’s know as a nurturer, a fixer.  I will keep trying to make things work until the worlds end and must stop.  Some things aren’t meant to be and some people just aren’t meant to be in your life.  I have to realize when things and people in your life don’t reciprocate, move on.  why the hell should I always be the one doing 90 percent of the work?  Especially when it comes to friendships and relationships.  Since the summer I’ve realized this and am becoming better at it.  Better at letting go, better and no longer doing the work.  If people are meant to be in my life, they will give back.

2. I have too much crap. My closets are full of it. Starting Sunday I will be purging material belongings. Growing up we made fun of my packrat father… I’ve now become just like him, keeping things just incase… Maybe I will fix it, that outfit will fit again one day… Um NO! Time to clean house! I used to be able to fit all my stuff in a couple boxes and some garbage bags… Now, not so much!

3. I need to work harder.  Yes, believe it or not, this work horse isn’t working hard enough.  I need to write more, try harder to get grants, get back on track.  Tomorrow I start the 12-8 shift, which is a blessing.  I’m a night owl and at my most creative when it’s dark.  I am also going to attempt to get up earlier in the morning and write for at least and hour then each day.

4.  I’ve come to the conclusion I do need to find a cheaper place to live, or get a roomie.  Am trying to come to a final decision on this.  This is a tough one for me. I have nothing but nightmare roommate stories. The only times it has worked is when I’ve lived with a boy… Relationship or otherwise. Not such a simple answer.

Time for a purging! Let the games begin!!!