Category: NoJoMo

I started doing this on the now-defunct OpenDiary in 2010. I’ve done it every year since.

Thirty

Today is the last day of the month. Free write about the month, and your experience writing this month.

Like so many things in my life, I don’t feel like I’ve had time to really concentrate on this. Even if I had, it still probably would have been pretty disjointed.

This situation in my life isn’t working at all right now, and I’m exhausted.

What more can I say?

I got through this for another year.

One

Who is your patron saint? If you are not a member of the global Papist conspiracy, explain a bit about what you know about Sainthood. (And the awesome Tegan and Sara album is totally acceptable, here.)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexisnedd/who-should-be-your-patron-saint#.yrW7g8vvMD

Obligatory BuzzFeed quiz says I got the guy who is the patron saint of the unemployed.

I’m not unemployed, but I’m more than a little dissatisfied with my current situation, so it might be appropriate.

So, today, in addition to watching the Saints’ game on TV (with the Redskins off?), I’ve been looking hard.

We shall see.

But another busy week ahead, I think. “Work,” finding health insurance for next year (since my company doesn’t offer anything accepted locally, and my current plan leaves much to be desired….and isn’t available next year), coming home Tuesday to vote, and….?

Let’s see if the Royals win tonight.

Prompts

Edit 10/31: Finishing up. If someone has a suggestion better than one I have, I’m still open…..
Edit 10/27: Added some. Still need more.

Sunday is All Saints’ Day, which means November is here….

I’ve been really bad about snarfing things for prompts. (I prefer to do my own, because it, like, makes me seem more into it, or whatever, you know? O.o)

Honestly, the reason is I’ve been feverishly looking for new employment, and making a bit of an attempt not to get fired from my current shitty gig.

With that, onto the prompts as I have them for the moment….

  1. Who is your patron saint? If you are not a member of the global Papist conspiracy, explain a bit about what you know about Sainthood. (And the awesome Tegan and Sara album is totally acceptable, here.)
  2. It’s the first Monday of the month. Please rank the level of sucktitude on a scale of 1 to 100, then describe your plans for the day.
  3. It’s okay when it’s in a three-way. Even with a honey in the middle, there’s no leeway. But what, if anything, do you buy in threes? Do you believe in the celebrity death trifecta?
  4. I have four relatives’ birthdays in the next five days. I’m blaming Valentine’s Day. Do you have any relatives with birthdays in early November? Write a bit about each of them.
  5. Write about your siblings. How many do you have? What’s the age difference between you and them? Tell a bit about where they live, and what they do.
  6. What are your plans for this weekend?
  7. Name something you used to have a problem with, but are kind of okay with now. (This was one I’d saved from a 2013 prompt, but have modified slightly…)
  8. Write a bit about what you do on a “normal” day. Where are you? What are you doing? Are you satisfied with the situation?
  9. Where do you think you’ll be this time next year?
  10. What are some qualities of bad bosses? What woudl you not do if you were supervising others? (No, I won’t aks for you to make your worst bosses, but you can write about why they sucked.)
  11. Libations. Do you partake? What has been in your glass recently?
  12. I’m trying to remember something about a real dozen. What was I like at age twelve? (Other than obese….) So, this may end up being a bit of free writing unless someone brings me a dozen cupcakes.
  13. It’s Friday the Thirteenth. What superstitions do you have?
  14. Does anything have you excited for next year?
  15. Halftime. When was/will be the halftime fo your life?
  16. Write a bit about your drivers’ licence. How old were you, where did you get it? What kind of car did you drive?
  17. Name a famous person to whom you are attacted, who is completely different from you “type.”
  18. What is your favorite holiday, and why?
  19. What opportuntities that you’ve passed up do you regret passing?
  20. Talk about your professors/teachers. What things they taught you have stuck with you?
  21. How about a list of things that’ve statisfied you this year, and a corresponding list of disappointments.
  22. Day of historical significance for “US Americans.” Do you know why? Were you alive? (I’m skeptical…) What do you remember? (Bonus on this one for readers from Soviet Canuckistan….)
  23. Write about being 23. Other than the fact that nobody liked you, write a bit about being 23. What were you doing? Where you were living? Relationship/who were you doing?
  24. It’s the final Tuesday of the month. Do you care?
  25. Thanksgiving is tomorrow in the US. Are you travelling? With whom will you eat? If you live somewhere where they celebrated last month, describe what you did. glares North If you live somewhere where they don’t celebrate, describe what you did on the most recent holdiay where friends/family/loved ones gather.
  26. The team that traditionally has had Thanksgiving football is the Lions. Write about Detroit. Have you been there? Would you want to go back? Do you know anyone who is from there, originally? Would you want to live there, yourself?
  27. What places hold particular allure for you; where might you like to live?
  28. Thanksgiving leftovers. How much? What did you do with them?
  29. What are you most proud of this year?
  30. Today is the last

NoJoMo 29

Since today is the last day of the month with a prime number, describe your last prime-numbered age. What were the highlights? What were the low point?

Let’s see; that would have been 31. Unfortunately, it didn’t mean World Class Chocolate….

Well, this one is actually pretty easy. Highlight: marrying my wife. Low point: losing my dad.

I’m trying to remember what sparked this prompt. Maybe it was just me looking for something to plug in after looking that the calendar. I have another prime number birthday before I become a man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjF93E4LjlA Thanks, coach. (And, I was going to say two, until I realized that 39 is divisible by three….)

Today is “Small Business Saturday.” After my body is ready, I’ll go shop some at my favorite small businesses. First stop is getting my hair cut, and facial hair trimmed. Then to the pharmacy. Then….? Maybe lunch at the brasserie across the street. Sadly, my friends in the grocery store across the street are gone.

NoJoMo 28

Today is “Black Friday.” Is this just a gimmick? Will you be shopping for $religious_observance?

Yes. Probably not much. After this hellacious year, I really don’t have any money to spend. That I bought myself a new laptop for the first time in seven years a couple of months back didn’t help that.

I also haven’t gotten the balance I still owe on my MRI back in October, either. Hopefully, the added expense of my new insurance policy will take some of the cost off of that next year.

I like my current insurer, but that policy won’t be renewed. *cough*thanksObama*cough*

I did put up a Black Friday post on the ITS757 site. I’ve decided to renew the business license for next year. Maybe customers will start flowing in. The sorts of stuff I’m doing at this temporary job are giving me some more ideas. It’s incredible how much money’s been spent on this stuff I’m manning, when it could probably done better…with a lot less footprint. “But you might break something!!1!”

*sigh*

But I am going to focus on shopping small. I’m really happy to see some progress made on a fellow Hatch member’s project. http://www.craftysnorfolk.com I tweeted to see if they’ve got anything for Saturday. No response yet, but, holiday.

So, early post today. Two more days, then I’m finished. While there’s some relief in that, , I feel like I’m just starting to regain my stride when it comes to writing. I have a lot to say, even if nobody’s reading it.

NoJoMo 27

Write about your day. For Americans, if you’re stuffed/drunk/sleepy, describe why. If you’re a Cowboys’ fan, we understand why you’re drinking, but please elaborate anyway.

It’s not even 8am. I woke up because I needed to take my morning medications, and I was cold.

We are headed to my mom’s house this afternoon for Thanksgiving dinner. My wife wants to watch the Macy’s parade, so we won’t head north until after that’s over. Unfortunately, that means I’ll probably miss a lot of the one game on that’s worth watching today.

We are going to my mom’s because she wanted to cook, and my brother moved to Dallas over the summer with his wife.

Also, what the fuck, NFL? Six NFC teams? Part of the draw of Thanksgiving football has always been that one game was a conference rivalry (often in-divsion), and one cross-conference game. Lett us not forget Leon in the snow at Texas Stadium.

I guess my brother is going to the game with his Cowboys’ fan wife. I can’t say I’m envious, really.

So, four days off, which I seriously need. Four days to finish up this edition of NoJoMo.

Maybe I should go back to bed.

NoJoMo 26

Describe what you’re doing for the rest of this year.

At this point, there’s very little I know for certain. There are some facts that’ll affect what happens, but I don’t know the actual course of events.

1. I guess I’ll try to get a Shmoocon ticket. Not terribly amused by their response when I asked how a half-blind guy could get a ticket. Oh, we can pair you up with someone else. Okay, I migh tsee if my wife could help, too. Oh, if your wife is going to help you, kindly go fuck yourself. Thank you!
2. Continuing my three-pronged pushes — ITS757, GS Job, and civilian job(s). The third prong, obviously, includes the crappy situation I’m in right now.
3. ???
4. Profit

Things are still very much up-in-the-air, unfortunately. Maybe something good will happen.

NoJoMo 26

Describe what you’re doing for the rest of this year.

At this point, there’s very little I know for certain. There are some facts that’ll affect what happens, but I don’t know the actual course of events.

1. I guess I’ll try to get a Shmoocon ticket. Not terribly amused by their response when I asked how a half-blind guy could get a ticket. Oh, we can pair you up with someone else. Okay, I migh tsee if my wife could help, too. Oh, if your wife is going to help you, kindly go fuck yourself. Thank you!
2. Continuing my three-pronged pushes — ITS757, GS Job, and civilian job(s). The third prong, obviously, includes the crappy situation I’m in right now.
3. ???
4. Profit

Things are still very much up-in-the-air, unfortunately. Maybe something good will happen.

NoJoMo 25

Describe your travel plans for the next few months. Is there any destination you’re really excited about? Any you’re dreading?

I currently have no firm travel plans over the next couple of months. If I somehow manage to score a Shmoocon ticket, I will go to DC for that, and likely take my wife with me.

Otherwise, there’s nothing.

I don’t know why I asked if there was a dread-worthy trip. October seems like last year to me, now. Maybe dreading funeral trips for relatives who weren’t doing well at the time. Who knows?

At the same time, it feels like I’ve been on the road for months, now. I sleep at my mother’s place the night before I’m at my office, then figure out how to get home on nights when I don’t have work the next day.

For the money I’m earning, I couldn’t more strongly recommend against it.

The preceding missive was written as decompression, but it’s still true for the most part.

How the fuck did I wind up like I am? I don’t think I did anything wrong, but I clearly didn’t suck up to the right criminals. So I get cast aside, only to be drawn back in for a pittance.

It’s fine; I’m not the one in Federal Pound-Me-In-The-Ass prison.

Even more, I can be proud of the things I’ve done.

NoJoMo 24

Write a bit about why you’ve chosen to write this (and past) years. How many years have you been at it? Art you satisfied with what you’ve written this year? In past years?

I’ve chosen to write, because I think the physical act of doing it keeps me on schedule. With so few things in my life actually being in sync at this point, thi sis something. the concept of a “normal day” has eluded me, completely.

And I’m a bit okay wiht that. I really don’t ever want to get into a routine wiht what I’m doing now; this shit sucks,

Maybe it’s slightly hypocritical of me to say that, when what I’m trying to ram down unwilling throats at work is standardization. I also want to measure how long it takes someone to run through those procedures, and how many errors they make along the way.That’s doubly-threatening. First, that anyone would dare analyze what people are doing to do their jobs is taken as an affront. That they’re being critical because of process tedious

But I keep doing it because it will give me a small sense of accomplishment when I’m finished. What did you do this November? Oh, I grew a beard, and wrote every single day. I also didn’t outright quit a job I loathe. And you?

“We know the requirements.”
So fucking write them down. (And do you have a tapeworm?)

Sealing your fate, there, guy.

I apologize for the rambling. As I said yesterday, I’m really past my breaking point. I could whine about it being unfair, etc., but I won’t. At the end of the day..the sun goes down in the West. And I can look at myself in the mirror, in spite of my failing eyesight.