They call it the Second Week Wall. That horrible, awful seven days where you hate yourself and want to die. When wordcounts peter off and fall by the wayside. When plot begins to manifest itself. When you find yourself writing about ninja monkeys and trenchers. I have faced the Second Week Wall and ran away crying, cowering in a littel corner while I pitied myself and bemoaned the fate of my novel.

And then yesterday, I wrote 11,000 words. I caught up every lost wordcount, and I've already finished tomorrow's quota. I'm more than halfway done, with more than half the months to go, and I still got to watch MacGyver, go out for supper and to a movie, and watch Enterprise. Life feels good again. Birds are singing. Fish are splashing. Children are laughing and dancing on the streets. The ground hasn't frosted yet.

*sees massive pile of history that needs to be done and the unwritten profile for WC, with the realization that midterms are on Monday* Well, crap.

Well, it looks like people are liking my novel . . . I actually meant to post that in the my NaNo blog, which can be found at http://nanowrimo.blogdrive.com. From now on, I'll be posting chapters of my 50k opus as they're completed.

Please to look forward to it!

Just got back from a religion retreat today. It was fun, despite complete non-subscription to religion in question. We sat around and chatted about school and university, our future plans, our favourite movies, our hopes and fears, Konrad's footlong bellybutton, sappy things like that. And wandering through the woods nearby, which actually took up most of our time. Keita found a huge old willow in the middle of a swamp and scampered up it in three seconds, leaving the rest of us to boost each other up. Or try to use a complex system of ropes and counterweights to get me up. Which never actually happened. Oh well.

We played those trust games, too. The one where two people are blindfolded and a third has to direct them on a nature walk. That was fun on the path where there was virtually a sheer drop on either side. There were many screams of "LEFT! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LEFT!" My ankle got jammed and bruisey from stepping in a hole. The other one we played was where we had two teams, each with a rope set about six feet off the ground. The object: get as many members of your team over the rope, without touching it, as possible. Our team got everyone except me over in about eight minutes, when the other team was struggling with their first. We dumped Mike over the rope bodily, then Melissa. Then Shawn went on all fours, I leaned on him, people used Sandy as a footstool to climb onto my back, and jumped over the rope. Then Sandy switched with Shawn so he could get over, then Sandy went over with Raymond as support. Then Raymond and Keita basically climbed onto my back and jumped over. I got a really nice back massage from so many people walking on it.

So that was my last couple of days. Now on Rostand's To-Do list: finish art history essay that was due on Tuesday, fill out application form for Sobeys and Price Chopper, and watch taped shows (2 episodes of MacGyver - the only man who can make a mullet look sexy - and its counterpart, Stargate, and the season premiere of Smallville). Plus Stargate tonight. And Queer Eye. How I love the Fab Five.

Geekfold Path updated today. W00t. Am tired. Sorry for lack of updateyness, haven't been feeling like myself lately. Mainly because I can't hear them any more. They all went away, and now I am lonely. Isn't it funny to be lonely when one is surrounded by people?

Got my first assignment back. Was craptastic. We shall not speak of it again. Must do assignment for tomorrow. Motivation = zero.

Made a prototype plushie doll yesterday. Charlie is about 15 cm tall, a bit floppy, has green hair and eyes, and black pants (removable!). He also looks like a possessed voodoo doll. Poor Charlie. I named him Charlie because I put him together a bit wrong I was in such a hurry. *waits for Stargate fans to get it*

Bleh. Father has official type people over, so actually have to get dressed if want to go anywhere in the house. Like to the basement for my gigantically huge bag of candy I bought to help me write. Also have to finish typing up the story that someone on Gaia commissioned from me eons ago. Finished today in WC. Bazerghi cool. We spend all class reading the newspaper or writing whatever the hell we want. Eng Lit is fun too. Spent most of today talking about graphic novels. And Billie Holiday. Philosophy was also spent in inanity, culminating in the teacher saying, "If you do not shut up I am required by law to kill at least one of you to quiet my rage."

Oh, Phelan. How quickly your ass would get fired if the superintendent sat in on a class.

Was going to post the rest of that quix thingy, but BLogdrive is down at the moment and I can't get it. Nothing exciting happened to me today, as I spent it either sprawled in bed or crouching over a toilet, gettting rid of the last possible smidgeon of food left in my stomach. On the upsaide, I managed to finish drawing all the Geekfold Path comics for the next two months! *dances* I'm not a total slacker on that front! Now all I have to do is ship them off to Keita for her photoshop magic, and finally, finally, finally update! *waves arms about* I just need to finish the cast page and figure out how to make an archives page and I'll be all set.

Essay on the Book of Ecclesiastes and whether or not it belongs in the Bible to do. Needless to say, I have a few solid hours of goofing off to accomplish before that. Hey', it's going to take me under an hour. So, I'm doing the random quizzy thing going around. Stick around. Ya might learn something.
i n f o r m a t i o n
1. name: Denise. Or Helene. Or Rostand. Or Kauri. I don't have identity confusion . . .
2. single or taken: Single. I will die alone and unloved and be found three weeks later half-eaten by wolves.
3. sex: Yes, please. Why does anyone even include this any more?
4. birthday: *muffled mutter behind hand*
5. Zodiac sign: Aries. Somethings so Aries it hurts.
6. siblings: The Child-Thing, four years younger and completely insane.
7. hair color: Red. Ish.
8. eye color: Blue with bits of hazel.
9. shoe size: 11W. I hate my monstrously huge feet.
10. height: 5'6-ish. Taller than Keita and shorter than Konrad. Although that's not saying much.

r e l a t i o n s h i p s
1. who are your best friends? Keita, Tsuki, Midori, Nox.
2. do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?: Nope. See aforementioned "will die alone and unloved" comment.

f a s h i o n s t u f f
1. where is your favorite place to shop?: *blink* Assuming this means clothes-wise . . . Frenchies. Salvation Army. Cotton Ginny. Penningtons, but it's scarily expensive there.
2. any tattoos or piercings: Earrings probably grown over. I wouldn't mind getting a tattoo on the inside of my wrist.

s p e c i f i c s
1. do you do drugs?: If you count Tylenol, ibuprofen, and anti-depressants in far too high doses, then yes.
2. what kind of shampoo do you use? Herbal Essence for normal to oily hair. Mmm, flowers . . .
5. who is the last person that called you?: Keita. Can't remember why.
6. where do you want to get married?: "Alone and unloved".
7. how many buddies are online right now?: 8. None I'll actually consider talking to.
8. what would you change about yourself?: Bredth. Not that I have weight issues, I'd just really like to be able to find clothes in my size without hunting for them.

f a v o r i t e s
1. color: indigoy blue
2. food: stew, Hamburger Helper, Cesar salad, fettucine alfredo, fried mushrooms
3. boys names: Alexander, Seth, Ronan
4. girls names: Devon, Maeve, Moonunit (okay, who can't resist a Zappa joke?)
5. subjects in school: History and English. Yes, I'm a nerd.
6. animals: bears, wolves, snakes, cats. I would get a Chow if I could.
7. sports: Curling, archery, wrestling

h a v e y o u e v e r
1. smoked?: Nope.
2. bungee jumped?: Nope.
3. made yourself throw up?: Pretended to - kept a mouthful of soup and spat it back into the toilet with suitable dramatic heaves.
4. skinny dipped?: Nope. Did, however, watch someone else skinnydip. Without seeing anything, I might add.
5: ever been in love?: Nope.
6. made yourself cry to get out of trouble?: Nope.
7. pictured your crush naked?: *shifty eyes* Nooo . . .
8. actually seen your crush naked?: Half-naked. And wet. Dripping wet. Trunks-plastered-to-body wet.
9. cried when someone died?: Yes.
10. lied: Yep.
11. fallen for your best friend?: Nope..
12. been rejected?: Nope. "Alone and unloved."
13. rejected someone?: I repeat - "alone and unloved".
14. used someone?: Some of them want to use you, some of them want to get used by you, some of them want to abuse you . . . *dances*
15. done something you regret?: Yep.

c u r r e n t
clothes: Baggy wrestling t-shirt and plaid cotton pants.
make-up: Don't even own any
smell: Vanilla.
favorite movie: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
desktop picture: Dannyboy in his adorable hat.
book you're reading: Ashes of Victory, the Illiad.
in your CD player: Lakewood Staff Soundtrack. *bops to 'Everybody'*.
in dvd player: Pirates of the Carribean. Mmm, Orlando Bloom . . .
color of toenails: Normal tanish pink. Adorable complimented by the crust of dead skin on my feet.

l a s t p e r s o n
you hugged: My mum before I left for school.
you imed: Keita
you yelled at: Sister. Only person I ever yell at. Though I almost blew up at an ass in my class.
you kissed: Um, Uncle Jack.

a r e y o u
understanding: Yes.
open-minded: I would like to think so.
arrogant: Not really. People say I have a bit of an inferiority complex, actually.
insecure: Sometimes.
interesting: I'm not boring.
random: *snort* Noooo, not at all . . .
hungry: No. Actualy, I feel like vomiting.

Part II to come when I'm not suffering from acute immediate post-prandial upper abdominal distension.

Well, here we are again, first weekend of school and I'm already using blogging to procrastinate on my homework. Go, dedication. Well, actually, I can't be that harsh on myself, as I did finish everything else and I need to get the assignment from Keita before I can finish it. I can always start on the Ecclesiastes paper for philosophy, but it's not due until Wednesday.

Isn't it odd, how when exciting things happen that really should be blogged about, I can never find the time, but when I'm doing nothing but boring-as-sin schoolwork I have all the time and motivation in the world to blog, yet nothing is happening. Ah well.

So the low-down on school. Looks like it's shaping up well. I start my day off with Warren-sama and Studies in Lit. Same homeroom as last year - always a good thing for early morning fried brains. Next up is Bazerghi and Writer's Craft. Never had her before, but it looks like it shouldn't be too bad. Except she has an annoying habit of putting the emphasis on the last syllable of words. I don't know how many times I can hear 'wri-TING' before I go insane. Then *drumroll* is history with Keita and Vella-sama! *dances in spastic joy* The Dream Team, together again! The Dionysian Duo, rampaging through the pages of time! And then last is philosophy with Phelan. Not bad. Kat is in three of my classes and Keita's in the other, so I'm always with someone. Already found another of Us - slash-loving otakus. Sits next to me in WC. This should be fun.

Went to Jack's yesterday for the traditional clan gathering. Good food, lots of amusing drunken people, some funky music, fire. It was great fun, especially as I got to bring Keita along. As I told Aunt Erma, Dan got to bring his girlfriend so why shouldn't I bring mine? I drove up there, too. Longest I've ever been driving for in one stretch, and it was pitchblack on the way back. Jo was completely smashed, so she was hugging and declaring her love for everyone, including the trucker in the coffeeshop where we stopped for a pee break. "Bye, strange man!" *snicker* To keep myself awake, I played Grandma's Cat with Keita while Dan and his girlfriend sucked face in the backseat. The first round was suitably odd, with Grandma's Cat ending up with both a penis and a vagina, as well as the KKK, a loofah, margaritas, and sundry other items/conditions. Then things got really wierd when we started playing the nerd version. Everything had to do with either chemisty or physics, so we aptly renamed the game. Schroëdinger's cat has Avagadro's number, a bottom-quark, Corvinelli and his boyfriend, a deranged friend, e=mc², the fourth dimension, a gluon, heavy water, inertia, a joule, potassium (think about it), lithium, a muon, a neutrino, oxygen, a photon, quantum mechanics, rigorous testing, superstring theory, a top-quark, uunumbium, vibrations, tungstun (also, think about it), xenon, a Yeerk, and 'zero, absolute'.

Ah, Grandma's Cat. What a fun game.

Anyhoo, history has waited long enough. I goeth to mine academic doom.