Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

And what a year it has been. I actually managed to keep this updated (toward the end, but I did start in August...), I sent in one--count 'em, one!-- application, added two model horses to my collection, and did a bunch of other stuff. I started planning for a NaNoWriMo novel--just this past week, actually. I won Champion in Open Hunter for the show season on TSSA. I got my horse to listen to me. I started applying to boarding schools. And I immersed myself in the model horse hobby.

There are a lot of other things but I think that's enough for now. All in all, a very productive year.

So now to look ahead. My goals are:
 1. Be accepted to all the schools I apply to. Chances of this happening: Slim to none.
 2. Compete on the CTHJA Summer Circuit with Jones and do well. Chances of this happening: Very slim to none.
 3. Plan the entire plot for this year's NaNoWriMo. Chances of this happening: Okay
 4. Start babysitting as well as riding, tutoring, and doing schoolwork. Chances of this happening: Just about zilch.
 5. Convince the Honor Council that I should be allowed days off school to go to the 2011 Sunshine Celebration in Florida this spring because my other excused absences were school-related (which, BTW, is 100% true). Chances of this happening:  1 in 5 trillion. Maybe.

And now for resolutions (AKA things I can make happen without the cooperation of other people).
 1. Make stuff for model horses to sell to pay for... more model horses.
 2. Organize my working space!
 3. Stop procrastinating.
 4. Wean myself 100% off Ponybox. Except to post articles and buy horse shirts.
 5. Write that NaNo novel!
 6. Break in my saddle properly.
 7. Blog about Jones more.

And if I do even half of those things I'll have had a productive year. There are probably a lot more things I will want to write down later but that's it for now.

So. About the NaNoWriMo novel. I was thinking about doing a kind of political intrigue... about horses. If you know me you know I've been reading the Lord of the Rings since I was tiny, so I had the idea of setting it in a place like Rohan, except where the better horses you have, the more influential you are politically. The king alone owns the purest strain of horses and whoever inherits his horses when he dies also inherits the throne. He dictates to whom the horses go. Something like that. Anyway, people are playing for power, murdering various lords to take their horses, etc. And there are romances. The way of proposal in this culture is that instead of a ring, the man gives the woman he's proposing to the key to a stall in which resides his best horse. If a person steals a horse, his sentence will go from jail time to loss of life depending on the strain and quality of the horse. Horse-thefts are so rare, the king decides on the sentence along with his advisers.

It needs a bit of work but I have some ideas for the plot. Which I will elaborate upon later.

I'm still working on applications. One more is almost done and ready to be sent, but after that I will still have to send in a graded paper with teacher's comments. And I left that at home. In my locker. At least I still have a fortnight left to send them in! But I want them in ASAP. So I'll probably mail that paper on Tuesday.

Yikes, that's a long post. It needs a picture.Or three. I introduce you to my three cats. They're a little over two years old, maybe two years and four months, and they're all from the same litter. I suspect Sarah had a different father than the other two.

Veronica:

Maricruz:

And Sarah:

And finally Lucie, my parents' old shelter kitty. They got cats when they got married and she's the only one who hasn't been put outside or lost. She is sixteen and rather grumpy, and I'm the only one in our house who I think she really likes. She sleeps on my bed or near my bed or in my closet at all times. My sister hates her but she's really quite a sweet cat.


Ignore all the ponybox copyrights. That was where I posted these originally.

So. Happy New Year once again!

6 comments:

  1. Oh, Eva. I loved how you used the word "fortnight." :D My New Year's Resolutions are to:
    - Write more.
    - Read more.
    - Sleep more.
    - Stop spending so much time on forums (like you. XD)
    - Win NaNo. (Meaning I'll reach the goal of 50,000 words... probably not gonna happen.)
    - Get into LASA. (And succeed in redecorating the school, if possible. :D)
    - Memorize every line of every Lost episode. Ever. (Kidding, kidding. That would be silly. And bad for my health. >.>)
    - Continue to boycott cereal.

    Oh, and your cats are incredibly cute, as always. :D

    ALSO. Blogspot notified me by email this time! Did you change something about your blog, or was it just a New Year's miracle...?

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  2. What, I like that word! :)

    Oh gosh, yes. Sleep. Maybe we should convince the schools to start one hour later? If only they would agree.

    Is LASA ugly? I think Zoe said something about it but I can't remember.

    Ooh, I know someone on Model Horse Blab who won NaNo. Well, know by sight anyway.

    Hey, we can already both change any conversation to the subject of Lost. Just admit it. I already did. It's a talent.

    The one of Maricruz was taken the day you, Zoe, and Kathryn came over for my b-day. In that same folder of pictures I also have one of Kathryn's flip flop.

    Yep, I added your email in BlogSend so every time a new post went up it would notify you. Do you want me to do the same with comments?

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  3. So do I!

    I have a few friends who go to the Ann Richard's school, and their school day doesn't start until 9. xP That alone almost makes me want to switch over. Almost.

    Not necessarily ugly, just plain. Which is why I'm going to *cough* convince them to paint murals all over it.

    I know people who have, too, but almost all of them are older than us. >.< Either that or freakishly talented writers. Then I read scary things like this --> http://community.sparknotes.com/2010/12/27/reflecting-on-2010-nanowrimo-made-me-go-crazy

    That's because you can relate everything to Lost! (According to my little brother, that's also the case for Spongebob. o_o)

    Haha, nice! That was the same day you took the crazy picture of your sister, right? We need to do that again. It was fun. (You're still free to come over for a sleepover next weekend, right?)

    Sure! And aww, I was hoping it was a miracle. >.> But thanks!

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  4. Stupid links that don't work... *grumble grumble*

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  5. Oh well. More time to learn stuff, I guess. I just hope next year we'll learn stuff that we actually use in our lives because honestly who ever cared what the exports of Turkey are who wants to be a vet?

    Wait... you've never mentioned what you want to do as your future career. Out with it! (Undecided is a good answer too.)

    Oh. The good thing about SAS is that it's tastefully decorated. The bad thing is that they spend their money on decor instead of good teachers. I had a nightmare last night that our new Science teacher was the teacher from the Black Lagoon. :S

    Haha, that's a funny post. The stages of tired...

    Can you? Do you have the skill? Of course you do. I'm sure of it since you started before I did.

    Yes it was. And yes we should. And yes, I am still free for that weekend. :)

    Okay. If only.

    It worked in the email that told me you'd commented. ;)

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  6. Ohh, I almost forgot you're in World Geography right now. Ack, I hear ya. Hated that class. (Or, at least the way it was taught.)

    Well, of course my dream career is to become a writer, but my parents don't exactly support that. They want me to go into engineering... I haven't really thought about scary things like careers much yet.

    XD She *is* the Walmart Teacher of the Year. I can't believe they're not giving Jesus the job. I mean, seriously? What is the world coming to?!

    It makes me reconsider doing NaNo for a moment. Then I take a deep breath and tell myself I'm going to do it, even if I have to write out those 50,000 words in blood. o_o

    Of course I do. Just ask anyone in my family.

    Cool! Can you come home with us on Friday? I have a cello lesson on Saturday night...

    *sigh* If only.

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