Google... you both confuse and excite me...

So, I know I'm probably the last one to have switched to the new blogger that Google has offered us, but, well, I had a look at it a while ago, decided I didn't like change and switched back to the old viewing window.
Recently I decided that no, Sam, you will change. You won't get left behind, you'll move on with the rest of them and rejoice in the new world of Google. And that's just what I did... still not sure about it. It's nice, and neat and sure, I can see a lot of hard work has gone into making it the best it can be... but it's SO different. Still, I'm here now and there's no going back.

Talking of no going back. When I did upload the new blogger, I was prompted that my IE didn't properly support the new script, so I was prompted (very conveniently) to use Google Chrome as a browser instead. I ummed and ahhed, because I'd been contemplating changing browsers for a long time, but nothing felt right. Well, I switched and now everything feels right. Google Chrome is me. It's smart, fast, smooth looking... just like me! haha. I jest. But once I started updating I couldn't stop. I updated my Google Mail accounts and even signed up for Google Analytics for my website... there's no stopping me this week. Literally.

And talking of not stopping - I'm still fully invested in NaNoWriMo, despite my initial fears I wouldn't be able to do it. I'm currently at a word count of about 19201, and will be hitting and exceeding the 20k mark of my novel tomorrow, right on schedule. I'm loving the writing, and I think it will help me with my creative writing. It's helping me get out of myself, and learn to just write, and explore different techniques, voices, POV's and what not. I actually got my first assignment mark back for creative writing and got a 61, which to me is great! Over 50 for the 1st assignment is good in my eyes, because I will only be aiming higher and higher from now on. Got some really good constructive criticism and I'm taking it all in and rolling with it!

Speaking of rolling with it - my sister passed me the Vampire Diaries books to read the other day. This is the first time she has given ME a book to read, usually it's the other way around, but since she exhausted my book collection this year she's had to pass me something she's stolen from a friend. I always avoided VD because I watched the TV show before I read the book, and I don't like doing that, so if it happens I try not to get into the books because it usually ruins the TV show, with the book being better, but I can honestly say I prefer it this way around. VD the book is good, but I don't like the way it's written, and the verbal exchanged between the characters unbelievable. The TV show took all the good things about the show, added their own spin on it and made it 80 times better. So there you have it, the TV show CAN be better than the book!

And speaking of Tv shows - I've recently written an article on MY WEBSITE about cancelled Tv shows. Check it out - I'm looking for viewers and feedback - also contributors. So if you're interested in doing an article, or have any links you want to share to fun sites just email them to;
theswirlingvortex@gmail.com

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call progressional flow. I'm good at it - I even have a t-shirt with I <3 Progressional Flow on it. Yes, I'm that cool!


Bye now!

Sam
x

Spinebreaking Pottermore!

What a week! Not that I've been up to much, but I feel like this week has been manic. I think mentally I have been in turmoil, from worrying about my internet not working, to getting my 1st year grades (PASSED! WOO!), to finding out my boss (and really good friend) is leaving work next Friday (Is it wrong that I will miss my boss?!), to frantically trying to get early registration on the new Harry Potter website, Pottermore, to trying desperately to get involved in the website Spinebreakers (more on that below).

It's been one of those week where I feel like I have progressed... maybe not mentally, but in some way or another a progression has been made....

Yep - my internet stopped working this week, which was annoying for 3 reasons. The first reason was mostly due to the fact that I got the email from OU to say that my grade was available on the website for my first year... and I couldn't get onto the site to get it. I finally managed to get on the site after a few hours and saw the only word I needed to see - PASS - which made me quite happy, but made me realise I need to pay for my next year... which I don't want to do because I don't want to see that much money exit my account in one go! But... I know I have to... so I'll suck it up at some point and do it. I'm just putting off the inevitable!

Other things I have been internally stressing about for no reason what so ever is this new Harry Potter website Pottermore. I don't even know what it's all going to be about, but they were allowing 1 million people to submit themselves for early registration, so they can help with the development, point out bugs etc. and I just HAD to try to get in. It's not like I wouldn't have been able to join at the usual time in October, but... well, I didn't want to be left out. However the stupid website was putting up clues to be answered to win a space at the most stupid hours of the day. I.E when most people are at work, or asleep, so the only time I could actually try to get on the site was today, on the LAST day. And I managed it. I knew it was going to be between 12am and 3am that the clue would appear, and on Friday nights I don't go to sleep until about 3ish anyway, so I stayed on the site and got in there straight away! It's sad, how much I want this site to be good, and how excited I was when I signed up. But Harry Potter has been a huge part of my life - keeping me reading, and keeping me watching films and it's the thing that made me actually start my internet life - when I first signed up to Mugglenet and got on the forums, which led to working on forums making graphics for HP sites, and then being admin on a HP forum, and then watching certain people on Youtube who loved HP and made fan videos, and even setting up Blogger, because by that time there was no point not doing it because I was already living a seperate life via the internet anyway! So you see, I couldn't abandon HP now!

I've also been trying to join Spinebreakers, which is a website for Penguin books. It's a place where people review books and get the breaking news on new books coming out and it just seems like a great community. So I'm in the middle of trying to get into being a contributor and trying to get on the forums (which I can't get on at the moment for reasons unknown) - but as reading and writing are where I see my life heading more and more these days it's a place I really want to be involved in. Who knows - I'll try not to dwell on it until I hear from the admin folk, but it seems like such an exciting site I can't wait to get involved!

Well - I'm off to watch crap TV now, and for the rest of the day (Hello, The Audrina Show), and tomorrow I'm off into Manchester to watch Super8 at the IMAX (woohoo).

Have a good weekend folks!

Sam

I think...

Therefore I am...

Such a philosophical Q and A. I know... What's gotten into me? I have no idea.

What I was meant to write, was 'I think I've figured out why this damn blogger stopped letting me edit my blogs to make them all happy and shiny and colourful and stuff'. But my hands got in the way!

So, yessh. I only just discovered, when setting up a new blog (I'll talk about that later), that I was on 'old' settings of blogger. Heaven forbid I be told they have changed the editor software. No! Don't tell me you have to manually change which ever one you want to use. *HUFF* Technology, eh?

So, on a lighter note. I set up another new blog. But.. no... wait... don't tell me I'm being silly - just listen! I read a lot of books and thought it would be fun to write about them. So I started this to have fun with. I know I don't usually keep up with new blogs, but hey ho! When you have an idea, you should go with it until you don't want to go with it anymore. And THAT'S why I've done it.

I'm bored now and my dinner is getting cold - toodles!

Sam