Write Stuff: December 2017

Monday, December 25, 2017

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone who is celebrating this year has a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you the very best for a joyous 2018! We're having a very white Christmas here in Montana, but the sun is out today and it's a sparkly white wonderland outside :)

Much love to all my readers, from the House of Snow and Dogs!

After Reading: WATERFALL by Lauren Kate

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Eureka’s tears have flooded the earth, and now Atlantis is rising, bringing with it its evil king, Atlas. Eureka is the only one who can stop him, but first she must learn how to fight. She travels across the ocean with Cat, her family, and Ander, the gorgeous and mysterious Seedbearer who promises to help her find Solon, an enigmatic lost Seedbearer who knows how to defeat Atlas.

Once on land, Eureka is taunted by gossipwitches, a group of displaced Atlantean sorceresses, and ambushed by locals struggling to survive amid the destruction her tears have wrought. And she feels no closer to facing Atlas or saving the world when Solon lets slip that love is Ander’s weakness, and that any affection he feels toward her makes him age faster.

Trying to make sense of the dark world her sorrow has created, Eureka receives startling insight from an enchanted pond. Her bewildering reflection reveals a soul-crushing secret: if she’s strong enough, Eureka can draw on this knowledge to defeat Atlas—unless her broken heart is just what he needs to fuel his rising kingdom... (Goodreads)

So the first book in this series, Teardrop, was an okay read. Interesting and unique, with some weird flaws, but still felt grounded enough to keep me engaged. And then there was Waterfall. I'm not sure where to start. I don't like being negative about a book, mainly because I know a ton of effort went into it and it's still an expression of the author. But dang, this book was all over the place, with no logical flow or connection, no character development, and all sorts of details were omitted and made the whole thing confusing. Quite frankly I don't know why I kept reading--perhaps because I thought something would happen to bring it all together? I don't know. It certainly didn't. And it certainly did not wrap up well--well, other than that there's not another book in the series. Yikes. Not to be harsh, but I can't quite help it with this one. Eureka's character went from rather robust in the first book, to paper-thin here. There was magical abilities quite literally popping up everywhere. The dead came back to life in robots that were not really explained. And then there's Atlantis, which was never quite explained, nor the rationale of the evil leaders there. It was, well, a mess. And when put into contrast with the fantastic book I'm reading now, I wish I hadn't wasted my time.

Anyone ever just feel like they have to finish a book, even if they're not enjoying it terribly?

Final Exam Season is Upon Us #picturepost

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

So, most people this time of year are thinking about the upcoming holidays, purchasing gifts, enjoying the lights and songs and food. If you're a student or a professor, however, this time of year means one thing: end of semester exams and grading. Woot! :) I have a veritable mountain of exams and essays to grade. And because of this, and the review sessions I end up running for my students, I often end up hunting for amusing memes to make me laugh. Hope you enjoy (or enjoy knowing this isn't you!).

As is the caffeine consumption in epic proportions.

Yes. I must conquer the mountain of papers to grade or die trying. Although dying trying actually sounds like winning...so yeah, there's that.

(AKA how to REALLY PISS OFF YOUR PROFESSOR and ensure they talk shit about you. Just FYI.)

In a 1:5:20 ratio.

Being able to wear jeans and a flannel to work is the only redeeming quality of this time of year.

Okay, MAYBE this makes me evil. But I've done it before. Because I really love watching the student's reactions :)

#InkRippes: End of the year & already thinking about 2018 #goals

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by Mary Waibel, Katie L. Carroll, and Kai Strand. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on this page, and link back to their three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.

Okay, so I'll admit it: I'm terrible with resolutions/goals/whatever that often start to creep into the world as one year edges toward the end and a new one starts. I've tried it before. Made lists, checked

in monthly, tried to make lists that were more broken into manageable bits and pieces, blah blah blah. I've tried many different things. And so as I scramble through the rest of this year and try to plan ahead, honestly, I feel more like I'm just trying to keep my head above water more than anything else. Actually, not even my head; my nose above water--just enough to breathe :) (Not that I'm trying to bitch or anything, just the honest truth. It's been a pretty brutal year in academia...or at least the university I work for...)

But, this isn't to say that I don't have things I'd like to see happen next year. Some of which are out of my control: I'd love to see my employer get its shit together and no longer live under the cloud of fear that I won't have a job next year (god, I can't not complain about this--I'm sorry to my readers, but GAH it kills me!). I'd also love to see some major changes in politics. But, for the most part, there's nothing I can do about these things, other than vote and be active in doing my part for change.

On a more personal note, there are plenty of things I'd like to see happen that I do have more of a hand in: get tenure or find employment elsewhere (the latter being the option that is honestly more of an option, because, well, I'd love to work somewhere that heated my office--hell, at this point I'm surprised I have tp in the bathroom...). Apply for more funding, and work like hell to secure something. Publish more, both personally and academically. Make more time for my personal life (said the woman who has worked most of the weekend...), and tied in with this is be more active. These are the kinds of things that I'm thinking about for 2018. I probably won't write them down. I'm already striving toward them. Because goals are things that need to be met, lived, breathed. And as 2018 ushers its way into the world, I look forward to meeting it head on and working my ass off to make it mine.

Also, writing posts Sunday evening whilst in the midst of pre-Monday freak-outs is probably not the best. Well, at least I hope you find this post amusing on some level ;)