Sorry I didn't manage to respond sooner - I'd started a response and tried to save the draft when I was interrupted, but apparently didn't quite manage it...
Crushmaster - I do hope you'll join us for the month of novelling dangerously! Heaven knows I'll need as many taskmasters, er, companios as I can get. ~_^
Suiauthon - I've done a bit of poetry in my day, but most of my creative writing has a fantasy or fairy-tale bent. I wrote one semi-historical short story way, way back in 6th grade, but it was a miserable flop and I haven't felt inclined to try again.
Jonathan - That's good to know! What's your specialty?
Reiyen -
This should be the proper link. Somone took the time to use a Middle Earth atlas to figure out the distances between significant locations in Middle Earth, and I'm tracking the miles I walk at the YMCA with the goal of matching Bilbo's trip to Rivendell. Granted, he was able to rely on equine assistance a good portion of the way!
Philli - Thank you for the cupcake! I don't have anything up on YouTube at present, but if my sister and I manage to put together a decent set or two and start looking for gigs that could well change. Do you have a favorite Celtic artist or group?
Calen - Thank you for your kind wishes! I've got a chronically low energy level (thyroid condition, long story) so I tend to find exercise more draining than energizing, but one must do what one must, ne? If you're fond of both Celtic music and cello, I can definitely recommend the albums that Alisdair Fraser and Natalie Haas have released. Scottish fiddle and a lovely cello accompaniment. Back in 2003 I was within a year of testing for my black belt in Shin Nagare Karate - which is a mixture of American Freestyle Karate and Tae Kwon Do. After I got married something happened with my job situation that made three classes a week less feasible (lousy commute and lousy hours), and then some financial constraints came into play. Since then I've developed some back and ankle problems that make jump kicks and throws less than advisable, so the odds are slim that I'll ever get back into it. I consider myself a "recovering" anime addict because while I still enjoy it, I don't devote as much time (or as many resources) to it as I did in the past. Our friends in the local anime club were starting to vote in a greater quantity of salacious material for viewing at meetings than they had in the past, and we decided to stop going. I hope you'll give NaNoWriMo a chance! The beauty of it is that the goal is to get something FINISHED, without having to worry about whether or not it's any good - you can always improve on it once it's got a beginning, a middle and an end. ~_^
Airianna - Agreed about the Gettys! The fact that our current church was using a lot of their music during worship while we were visiting (with a violin/cello/piano trio) was definitely a contributing factor when we decided to join.
Elanor - I must know, what kind of puppy? *Revels in the glitter!* ^_^ Glitter is not something to be taken for granted, after all.
Emmelina - Thank you for your kind welcome. I know that I'll feel at home here!
Donn Quixote - I actually have to be careful about where I go in the NaNoWriMo forums in November, since I spent one November answering questions and barely got a thousand words down on my own story! Economy-sized cliff-divers, eh? Sounds like there's a story there!
Aldara - Cello, indeed! My sister had wanted to play cello when the time came for her to choose her instrument for the orchestra program at school, but my mother wasn't keen on having to lug one all over creation. So, of course, my sister signs up for violin. Then my mother makes a car-pooling arrangement with a friend whose son (in my sister's class) plays cello, and she ends up lugging one anyway. By the time my turn to choose an instrument rolled around, my sister was proficient enough on piano and violin that I - being a competitive little cuss - wanted to play something she didn't. Therefore: cello! I think I managed to make ammends by giving her the month's worth of lessons my mother had already paid for when my private teacher made me cry because she thought I didn't practice enough. (I didn't practice enough, I don't practice enough, but bullying isn't exactly the best method of encouraging me to change my ways!) I rented a cello from 4th through 12th grade, then bought an instrument to take with me to college. While I'll always be an amateur who plays for my own enjoyment, it's definitely been worth it having access to the cello. I'd definitely recommend trying to rent for a bit if possible, to give your sister a chance to decide if it's the right instrument for her before committing fully. ~_^ And I think it'd be wonderful to have a large stack of first drafts sitting around when you're thirty! I wish I'd had that - as it is, I'm 31 and will be quite pleased with myself if I have a single finished first draft on my hard-drive when I turn 32. Thanks for the kind wishes! This COULD be the year!
How did I miss this? *Surrounds thread with glitter*
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Welcome aboard Holy Worlds, mate!
