Back to knitting

I haven't done much knitting during November since writing took up most of my free time, but now that the Nanowrimo challenge is over I went back to it. I've started a lace shawl (again) with the twig pattern (again) from the book Knitted lace of Estonia using a 4ply yarn by Posh Yarns (again - good recipes don't need changing :) ) in early November and I've finished it in a week . It's already  blocked and only needs the ends sewn in.
Then I've cast on for a green sock for my brother I've had in mind for years now, but somehow didn't felt like doing it. So started a hat for myself, since now my hair is so long that if i put it up, which i usually do when going outside, the bun is so big a normal size hat is just too small. I have a beret I've made some time ago but don't really like the dark purple colour so don't wear it really, but that one is perfect in size. So now i'm trying to make one like that in size and shape, but with a lovely merino-silk Posh Yarn (surprise, surprise...)
Actually I've spent the most of yesterday afternoon trying to write up a really really nice pattern with celtic style cables then this morning gave it all up so now I'm doing a basic 6-stitch cable pattern. I need a hat.

Done it

Finished. Wrote over 50 thousand words in a month. Validated it. It is official now: I did a challenge and very unlike me, I finished. Now I have a short, very very patchy and in a state of dire need of editing, but totally existing and developable novel. Whoa!!!
And, totally coincidentally, right now the song is playing I've chosen for title: December Flower, from the band In Flames. (Because I needed a title at registration... but the album was one of my main inspirations.)
So, as the little badge on the right hand corner says, 50136 words, as the NaNo validator counts. I deleted some date and time stamps and of course every text editor is different, but my official word count was 50466. I'll take the lower number though, still good enough :) Actually, got a bit cloudy eyed at the end, but what the heck, I finally did something quite impressive! Even if it's full with grammar mistakes, typos, word repetitions, and probably will be painful to read again all the blabbering I wrote when the only thing I was concentrating on was getting to the daily word count.
 That display might look quite checkered, but I was actually quite surprised how many times I could make myself sit down at around 8pm and write for two hours (after the full 8 hours work day).
Will be good to be back to regular schedule tho :)

Finish line

48209 words. Also, should be sleeping for an hour now.

Also another things are going on as well so had a pretty rough and nervous week. I will be happy to see November go :)

Marathon

I've hit 42K today. In words written. Actually, I did a bit of overtime and now I'm on 42997 words. At this rate, I will actually finish on time. wow. Feels good even if I know that I'll have to throw out a lot of the words later during editing and even some of the scenes as well, probably, but it doesn't feel a waste. I take it as "exploring the characters back-story and motivations" :)

7003 words to go.

Nothing to write here, move along

Really, there's nothing to wrote about I haven't written about in the last couple of days. Well maybe the only thing is that my cousin wants to build a doll's house for her goddaughter for christmas and now she's constantly thinking about wood, miniaturized lighting and measurements. At least it made the day pass a bit quicker as she came up with something different every time we bumped each other during work.

On the 13th

So, I've missed two days of posting. Not that I had set out to do a NaBloPoMo or whajimacallit but it went well for 11 days - then I thought, hey, today, I'm gonna write up seventeen hundred earlier in the evening, not starting at 8 pm, and then blog too, right before going to bed. So I did, and totally forgot to post. Yesterday I remembered, did write earlier again because I had the Hunger Games movie to watch (finally) and again, forgot to blog. Anyways, it's not important really. And so far, I'm doing well on the writing front, at least concerning the quantity. But the goal is 50k words, not 50k quality words, so that's ok.

And now, some knitting

I have started a new knitting project today. Bought a nice skein from Posh Yarn a couple of weeks ago but was a bit disappointed by the colour – the result of that „all computer screens are different” thing. It is a nice colour, of course, just different from what I expected. Initially I choose a different pattern: Madli's shawl but without the nupps, and even cast on for that, but then changed my mind and did a tweak on the pattern, putting in cables. Drew up the chart this afternoon and cast on, originally for 3 cable columns which meant 88 stitches. Got till the sixth row on the first repeat when realized that it will be too wide, so I probably wouldn't have enough yarn for a proper length. Ripped back and started again with 2 columns and 68 stitches. I'm still not sure about it since the cables look a bit weird, so might have to spend tomorrow's knitting time with ripping back and doing it again. And again.

Or maybe I will get fed up with that and will finally get over with sewing up that blanket.

Time zones

Well, I've run over the clock. As in, I put down the pen at 00:02 GMT, which means it's saturday. Had to change the time-zone setting on the NaNo page so it counts my friday's work as such. And yes, I'll have to reschedule this too (if I can...)
Also: off to the weekend, yeee-haaa.

And the night owl mode starts here...

Wrote the daily amount of ~1667 words, then had another thought, opened a blank screen, and wrote another 1500. Just wondering, how much will be actually useful of these?

What definitely won't be: going to bed at half past 11 instead of half past 10. Well. Done. :P

10k

I've hit 10 thousand words today. It could be more if I'd wrote anything during the weekend but i guess I needed that break. Don't know how far will i get though mainly because of the dentist appointment on the 20th. Aside of being obviously afraid of it, I'm worried it will be painful for more then one days... which could render me useless. But that's for later...

Election Day

The USA is voting for president today (and for a bunch of congressmen, senators and other officials as well). One of the few positive parts of Sandy The Storm was that it took off the focus from the campaigns. I had enough of listening to all that beeeeep. Now I can only hope and cross my fingers that the outcome will be something similar than it was four years ago and not like twelve years ago. Would hate a recounting again.
And where is this concern me, a Hungarian-living-in-the-UK? Well it's the same planet. That country is one of the most influential, in multiple aspects. What they choose, the way they First Guy talks, has it's influence everywhere. And I hope we won't end up wishing Bush back.


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On the writing front: after not being able to write a word during the weekend - aside of a few texts... - I've written over 2300 words both today and yesterday. Took the decision and jumped from the start of the plot to a middle where i had scene almost ready in my head. It was the right choice; the beginning is a very delicate time as I know since I read Dune, both the books beginning and the beginning few things in this challenge, I think. While i was plodding away with the start, trying to figure out how to set up things so I'll end up at the story I wanted to tell, I was just working. Thinking, redoing, planning, going slowly. Now I'm just writing, pulling out the story I already thought through from my brain as I write. I think i will have to keep doing this: writing down the bits I have already planned out and not following the time line. After all, the 50k is the minimum amount, not the amount the story has to fit in.

Bonfire weekend, afterparty

"Remember, remember the 5th of November" - I read today at many places. another very british thing: remembering someone who wanted to blow up their leaders. I think most other places would remember those whose stopped him/them, but not the british, who seem to love everything contradictory.
As for the fireworks, they were going off all weekend, especially at friday and saturday evenings, so i guess those were the big shows - today was much quieter compared to them.

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On a totally unrelated note, one of my colleagues made some baked pasta for the boys and was left with one more portion, so she gave it to me. I always eat her cakes when she brings them sometimes to the pub - I sooo miss homecooked food! Own made doesn't count - so i guess she thought i'd like it. I did aside of the sausage. Can't find proper sausage here.

English weather, again

This morning it had rained so hard i thought i won't be able to go outside at all. Luckily it got much quieter after 11 am so could go and have the groceries shopping done. I took this picture from the train on the way back. It's so typical here: it is raining, but the sun shines too at the same time.

Melodic Death Metal

... I'm back to listening to you. 'Cause I need some RROOAAARGGGGHHH in my life right now. Was looking for some background and/or inspirational music for writing and remembered those bands I used to  listen to about a decade ago, up until recent years. I barely have anything other then my ex's club and pop songs on this laptop, although have about 4gbyte of my own music on my old pc which is still in the loft. On thurdsay morning I remembered that i have some of them on cds as well. Ohmegosshhh. I haven't listened to one of my all time favourite songs for years but it is still as good as ever - Jester Race, from In Flames. NOT a mainstream track, at all (guttural vocals. Yeah, like Batman singing.) But i love it, that was the song which got me into heavier metal.
The other song which gave me goosebumps just as it did years ago: Alone, from Amorphis. I think i'll have to put that on my official TOP 5. So, currently on my playlist, in no particular order:

In Flames - Black Ash Inheritance / Jester race albums
Amorphis - AM Universum album
Apocalyptica - selected songs, mostly their own stuff
Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar, just to cheer up the mood

Already feel some Rammstein and Dimmu Borgir coming along the road. Maybe with a bit of Stratovarious and Sonata Arctica thrown in just to have some finns in there too.

With teeth

... or without. Today at last teabreak i took a bite of a chocolate bar (could have been a banana or a sandwich, wouldn't have made a difference) and my one of my front teeth broke off. The other just beside it grew at an angle so I always had problems with them. I went to my supervisor and explained what happened, and came home. Looked up local dentists but didn't had the composure to call any of them. Now I'll have to look up how this NHS thing works and what the heck can be done.
Like I wasn't ugly enough already.

And my dictionary still hasn't arrived yet. And I'm pretty sure I didn't get the grammar right in that sentence.


Now off to wrote another 1667 words.

An Attempt, Day One

The NaNoWriMo challange started today. After the usual limbo of the first three days of the week, which i spent with mostly just wishing it would be thursday already, I've finnaly setled on a plot idea yesterday evening. And today, altough I did get a bit of "writers block" early evening so didn't started till half past 7, I wrote my first few pages for a total of 1946 words.
Only time will tell, how long i will get.

About writing

Last week I've signed up for NaNoWriMo. I've heard about it before but never actually figured out what is about until i came across a link while browsing for language/expat blogs. Don't know if I can do it, partly because I work full time, and partly as i don't know i have enough ideas and enough stamina to keep on going. A couple years ago, or maybe ten and a half to be precise, I had a few months after dropping out of uni and finding any job or course so I was at home, doing the housework and writing and cross-stitching. I was so much into writing at that time that I actually did it in front of my mum and brother, and I'm usually keep the whole thing secret. I'd got a thick A4 notebook filled, every days entry written with a different coloured pen I picked depending on my mood.
Now, i should type it straight away on the laptop - don't think i will choose colours, but who knows. Another problem is, I have two days to figure out which one of my three ideas to use. Two is fantasy and the third utopistic. One of the fantasy plots I've always imagined as a manga so I don't know if I can or want to tie it down into a prose. The utopistic one might be too crazy and probably way too depressing to spend an entire month on it. And the other fantasy, well, it's fantasy, i might just get lost in my ideas and not get a proper story out of it. Also, none of them will be readable for the majority of my family and friends - probably my brother will have to be the guinea pig, on his own. But at least i know he will appreciate my effort!

How will I have time for all this writing and to continue studying Finnish (noun cases next - yee-ha!) and even to knit and do some Christmas-prep, I've no idea.
 

Suomi

 It happened after my ex-boyfriend moved out and I asked myself where is my life heading now. I thought about a lot of things to do - changing jobs, go on a Europe-wide trek on foot or by hitchhiking, move back to Hungary, jump in the Thames... I was also free to do things i didn't do while my boyfriend was around and could criticize and mock my quirkiness. I started watching movies and to knit while standing up and doing little leg-exercises, bought food he didn't tolerated like salami, and dug out my meager collection of snowboard movies. Which are either full with finnish guys or are made (partially) in Finland or both.
I've always had a soft spot for Finland and everything finnish. Being Hungarian, i knew from a very young age that the only country where they speak a language even remotely similar to Hungarian is Finland*.  I also loved the fact that they had beautiful forests and beautiful architecture, and the men are blue eyed and blond haired (which are relatively rare in Hungary so i always found them exotic ;) I ended up studying Swedish and Estonian at the university, then came to the UK to learn English - maybe i will write a post about these detours in the future. So this summer I asked myself what are the things I really want to do in my life, and staying here wasn't one of them. Going there, getting to know the country, learning or at least trying to learn the language was. That settled it. I bought a textbook and started to gather learning material on the internet, and started studying a month ago.
I haven't studied a language from the start in a long time and now remembered how hard it is. The one year of Estonian studies are helpful sometimes and a burden at others, both owing to the similarities between the two languages, since they are much closer to each other then either of them are to Hungarian, I'd say like English and German to Persian. It is also one of those languages which make me laugh all the time because they just sound funny for the unfamiliar ears, like Chinese, Swedish and English**. I also love the fact that it has a lot of words who mean something entirely different on another language, i think they are called homonyms.

These few I gathered today:

hinta - fin price, hun swing (the playground toy)
lanka - fin yarn, hun gentle slope
ovi - fin door, hun  kindergarten, nursery
te - fin you (2nd person plural), hun you (2nd person singular) - Hey, we are relatives after all! :)
on - is (to be, 3rd person singular)
helmet - pearls

So, here's for me doing something crazy and too big and completely non-sense again.

Hyvaa ilta! (Good night!)



*At that time, Estonia was part of the Soviet Union and not an independent country so nobody talked about them.
**  Yes, English. I remember i found it sounding ridiculous when i started to learn it at age 9 and dropped it because i felt too embarrassed to say all those funny words out loud in front of other people.

31

Yesterday, i turned 31 years old. I had the day off and spent it with doing absolutely nothing of worth :D Or almost nothing, as i did my food shopping and tested a telly and did opened a book...
I did go out later with my cousins and a friend who's visiting them and had a quite good night in my favourite (read: the only one which i can tolerate) club, then crashed at my cousin's place.
Best part of the night was when the other club opposite the one we were in had a firedancer performing on the street :) Thanks for the show :)

Get-together

 August 20th is a national holiday in Hungary and on that occasion we had a "little" get-together yesterday in the local park. Didn't knew there's so many of us living in the town! It was nice to meet with so many of them and speak hungarian. Everyone was supposed to take care of their own food only but as is good hungarian custom everybody bought more then enough and shared it with others (yummy meatloaf and cakes...) Of cousre we had some palinka too :) Most people stayed until the park closed but i left quite early so missed the fireworks. Also, this was the hottest day of the year so far (and probably will stay so) we actually hit 30°C!!!

Still alive

Still alive... knitting, working, the usual stuff.

Painted my nails on friday - first time in years :)

Current knitting project: a striped jumper. Bought the yarn at Hobbycraft last weekend for half price. There were about a dozens colours of this yarn (bamboo-nylon blend) and i couldn't choose so my cousins wife did it for me - she picked out pale pink, magenta and yellow. I do like this combination actually but couldn't imagine it on myself - so it's good someone else deciced on them for me :)

I'm using the Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan pattern again. Did a swatch beforehand, then washed it - and it grew to twice as wide as soon as i put it under water. It went from 24 stitches on 10 cm to 19! I was a bit surprised as i'm used to yarns grow lengthwise but not sideways, but then remembered this is a bamboo-nylon blend, not the usual wool.