Limping past the finish line

[cicer]

First term of grad school: completed

Sanity: intact (mostly)

Physical status: exhausted

I had a wonderful time this semester, but I am pooped. I get the next three weeks off, thankfully, but then it's right back into the madness. Things are going well, though. I'm enjoying my program. Like my classmates and professors. It's all good. I also (somehow) managed to do NaNoWriMo last month, so that was pleasing. Another 50k words added to one of my novels-in-progress!

I'm making real progress with one particular novel. I think I'll devote 2012 to really wrangling that sucker into shape. Part of the winner's goodies for NaNoWriMo included a code for some free printings of your manuscript over at CreateSpace, so if I can get a good solid draft finished by June, I'll get to see what my novel might look like all printed up all nice and shiny. That would certainly be good motivation to keep working at it and eventually looking for an agent/publisher. I'm learning a lot about all of that through my MFA program anyway, so it's all extremely helpful and encouraging.

...Eeesh. I keep feeling like there was something (undoubtedly many somethings!) I was trying to remember to post about, but damned if I can remember any of it now. I swear grad school has somehow lowered my IQ. Ack.

Hope you are all doing well and looking forward to whatever holidays you might happen to celebrate! Any news I should be aware of? Everybody OK?

Comments

[tucuxi.livejournal.com]

Congrats on getting through the first semester! That's totally awesome.

I'm a few weeks behind you, so I'm still in the downhill race against three deadlines.

And, yeah, I know what you mean about grad school lowering IQ. I swear, my short term memory has gone poof.

[cicer.livejournal.com]

Oh, dude, seriously. My short-term memory is just...gone. I don't know how this happened, but it did. Also, I keep just trailing off in the middle of conversations, staring into space, and going, "Sorry, what was I saying again...?"

I'm hoping this is due to grad school and not...you know, super-early-onset Alzheimer's or something equally dire. D:

Hang in there! You're almost done!

Why do I not have an icon of someone buried in books? This needs to be fixed.

[tucuxi.livejournal.com]

Here's one question: how much sleep have you gotten in the last few weeks? Lack of sleep plays all kinds of games with your memory.

Personally, I'm hoping it's the grad school effect: otherwise both you and I are suffering some very bizarre early-onset dementia.

Thanks! I'm almost done for today (507/500 words and 526/790 words right now, and going strong on the second one) so I get to go to sleep soon. :)

Re: Why do I not have an icon of someone buried in books? This needs to be fixed.

[cicer.livejournal.com]

I've actually been getting plenty of sleep. At least eight hours a night. Sleep is the one thing I cannot do without. I don't just get spacey, I...pretty much completely fall apart, and I'm no good for anything. So I always make sure to get enough sleep.

Unfortunately, that means I don't have sleep deprivation as an excuse! I'm going to choose to believe that my memory loss is just due to having too much on my mind and/or being too busy. Otherwise, I am in trouble!

(I used to have an icon of Tenpou being buried in books. I don't know what happened to it, but I need it again!)

Icon fix! I wanted Scieszka buried in books, but I couldn't find that screencap.

[tucuxi.livejournal.com]

Huh. I don't have sleep deprivation as an excuse either, actually -- seven and a half hours, minimum, because otherwise I just fall apart too. I watch my classmates as they go to sleep at 3 am and get up at 7 or 8 and I just ... I can't do that anymore.

I think your brain is full. That must be it. There's just not enough space for new memories because you've been jamming your head way too full of School Facts.

[terrayndian.livejournal.com]

Many congrats on getting through that first semester! I completely understand the exhaustion, though. I got that way whenever I did my graduate work. I think it's just recognizing the long road ahead of you and how you'll never know everything, but you still have to work your ass off. Try to do a brain dump during your time off, and maybe you'll be able to recover a bit. That's why I got into FF7 the first time in my undergrad years--2wks of the winter break spent on gaming. My roommate at the time thought I had lost it. XD

And wow, good luck with that novel! I'm so impressed with people who can put together something like that. Hopefully the first novel is the hardest and you'll churn out more after that. :)

[cicer.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Yeah, I definitely need a brain-dump.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you're done with the semester and hooray for the novel!

[cicer.livejournal.com]

So glad to be done! SO. GLAD. :D

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Blessed relief, you has it!