EndBlog

The last time I updated this blog was June of 2011. It's been a while, you might say, yet I haven't missed it or even thought about it. This blog no longer serves a purpose for me, so I've decided to let it go.

I've put a great deal of thought into my online presence; I'll still make regular updates to my other blogs, Worlds of Tim and Biblical Proportions, and I'm thinking of adding a couple of new ones. Every now and again I get the urge to write about subjects that concern me, subjects that don't fit with the writing focus of Worlds of Tim. I would also like a place where I could post new short stories I've written. New blogs along these lines will be coming soon.

This is hardly goodbye. I'll leave this blog up for a few more months for reference purposes, and I'll probably poach posts from it to use elsewhere. This is the last time I'll be posting here, though. It's been a good run - 2007 to 2012 - and I've had good fun doing it. I learned a lot about the world of the Internet, made some fantastic mistakes, made a lot of online friends (some of whom I've had the pleasure of meeting in person!) and generally had a good time. I hope my readers have, too.

June Jollies? Jumpin' June? What's A Good June Title?

We're well into June now, and I've seen no less than four blockbustery summery movies. Those would be Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Priest, and X-Men: First Class. All four were enjoyable, with X-Men leading and Priest tailing in terms of quality. Next up for me: Green Lantern!

Work has slowed down considerably - I'm working most days, but rarely for longer than three hours. And I've been on the same survey for the last two weeks. Boooo-ring! I am good at it, however, and I've managed to get quite a bit of writing in. My current project, I, Suicide, is up to Chapter 8.

Mental health-wise, I've been doing a lot better. I'm also getting some exercise in - I walk to and from work every day.

May The 4th Be With You!

I will never get tired of this joke. Never.

New Work Location

For the last year I've been working downtown at the corner of Yonge and Bloor. Today, I start the same job at a new location at Finch & Keele. The company decided not to renew their lease on the more expensive downtown location, so all of my co-workers are in the process of being shipped out to the other three call centres in the city.

I've said some nasty things about this job. Nevertheless, I bid a fond farewell to many of my co-workers and supervisors. Things did improve for me over the last few months, and I became better acquainted with the people I worked with. I won't go so far as to say it was an ideal job, but it became a lot more manageable.

Rumour has it that the other call centres are more strict than the downtown location was. That would not be pleasant. I shall however try to hope for the best. This might just be exactly the change I've been needing.

I'm a Big Sickie

I've had the flu (or a really bad cold, it's hard to tell) for the last four days. My creative output has bottomed out, and I haven't been able to go to work, either. Naturally they want me to bring in 'documentation' to prove I was ill; otherwise, I could get a warning for all the work I've missed!

By happy coincidence I saw one of my doctors this week, and he gave me a note to smooth things over with my bosses. If I hadn't, well... the fact that I have to think about such things is frankly insulting. It's not like I'm wasting company money - I don't get sick days. In fact, because of the work hours I've missed, it's going to be really hard to make ends meet at the end of the month.

Hibernation

I've been hibernating - staying at home, sleeping a lot, not doing very much - for the last few days. Not the most exciting start for my new year, but there it is. I've done a little bit of editing on a few short stories, but I haven't written anything in four days. And that was just one sentence.

I haven't been completely inactive. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday, and Violet and I did the floors. That's something, I suppose.

I go back to work this week. I'm stating the obvious by saying I don't want to go. It's been nice, not being talked down to by teenagers with inflated senses of authority and importance. Still, it will be good to have a reason to get myself out and into the world. I just wish it was for something worthwhile, something that won't make me hate the working world, and myself.

I've got a long way to go to get back to mental health.

My 2010 Ups & Downs

So that was 2010. The year we made contact, according to Arthur C. Clarke. Things didn't exactly turn out the way he envisioned. Or me, for that matter.

Let's look at the positive, shall we? My wife and I survived another year of recession. I was more or less steadily employed for the whole year. I found a drug that is really helping. The French and German rights for Evil? sold, and I got a contract for my next novel, The Cupid War. Plus, I finished the first draft of A Walk-In To Remember, and wrote a number of short stories. And of course, this is the year Violet and I adopted Ron, our second cat. Good times.

On the not-so-positive side, otherwise known as the negative, I suffered a great deal from my mood disorder before I started getting the help I've been needing in the last couple of months. My job, though steady, has brought me to new heights of humiliation on an ongoing basis (the latest insult? One of my teenage supervisors dismissed a complaint of mine with a wave of his hand). And, Evil? has been bombing. Less than five hundred copies sold between January and June, while over a thousand were returned to the publisher for a refund. Career-wise, this is a disaster.

Every year has its ups and downs, and 2010 was no different. I can only hope that 2011 brings a little less struggle and a lot more fun.

Today Is The Day

My Birthday. A day of fun. It's not about aging for me, although that does certainly happen. For me, birthdays have always been a day of celebration. I've got plenty of time to feel old throughout the coming year. Today is about fun with friends and family.

I will see both groups today. I'm meeting my brother and sister for lunch, then I'll meet up with a large group of friends in a pub this evening. Good times will be had. I'm not working tonight, either, which is my present to myself.

I'm 38, with many more years to go. Three cheers for me!

My Month

December.

My month.

My Birthday month.

And Christmas is pretty nice, too.

I start this month in pretty good shape. My job is still boring, but I've still got it. The Welbutrin has really helped; my emotional state has more or less stabilized. And, I got some more money from the sale of language rights (German & French) for Epoch and Evil?.

Writing wise, I've been productive. I've written two short stories recently - I'll discuss them in more detail in my other blog. I've reached chapter 18 of my current novel project, a re-imagining for my character Rytis Maxwell. I've also done the first two chapters on a secret project... I'll announce what that is on Worlds Of Tim soon.

Concluding sentences for blog posts always give me trouble. Any suggestions?

Doing Better

The wellbutrin is really working for me. My wife has noticed a big difference, and so have the people at my depression support group. I finally feel more positive, less irritable, and more energetic.

My writing is back on track, too. I've done more in the past two weeks than I have in the last four months. I've written a couple of short stories, which I'll talk more about in my other blog, and I'm getting more done on my current novel project as well.

I'm still stuck doing telephone surveys, but it doesn't feel as bad as it used to. They don't bug me about having my notebooks on my desk (they just don't like puzzles, it seems), so I'm able to write in-between calls. It's still a boring job with uncertain hours and very little respect for employees, but it no longer feels like a prison sentence.

At last, it seems I am getting better. Yay!

It's been a week now since I started on Wellbutrin. While it is still too early to say for certain if it is working, I do feel a bit better than I did last week. The only side effect so far is that it makes me drowsy - the exact opposite of what I'd been told would happen. Medications really do affect everyone differently!

It hasn't affected my writing, for good or ill. I'm still producing at a slow pace, but I certainly haven't stopped. I'm nearly done the next chapter in my update of Rytis Maxwell, and have very nearly reached the climax. I've still got a few more months to go before the first draft will be finished, but I'm sure I will get there.

Work has been very slow this week. One shift was canceled, and the two I've had were only three hour shifts. I'm delighted about not having to spend more time there, but at the same time it means I am earning less money. Things are always slow at the end of each month, but this is the slowest I've seen it in a long time. I need to find a better job soon.

Well, But Rin

These last few months have been a trying, difficult time. My depression has gotten worse, and help has been inconsistent. But not non-existent. I'm seeing a new doctor for it now, and he's prescribed to me a new medication (Wellbutrin) to add on to my current pills. It's only been three days, but I've felt a lot better. At least until yesterday, when I got nailed at work for something stupid (again).

Work has been painful. I hate going, I hate it when I'm asked to stay late (even though it means extra money), and I really hate being called into the office so that some 19-year-old kid can tell me how to do my job. I've now been put "on probation" for not reading the survey scripts verbatim. I would make improvements to the flow of the script, making it sound better while cutting down the length of each question. The basic nature of the survey, and each question, was not changed at all. At least, that's what I thought.

But no. They say each sentence, each word has to be read exactly as it appears on the screen. Which is ridiculous, considering we are expected to improvise to get people to stick with the survey, or to answer their questions. They told me they can't show my surveys to the client, because of the things I've done. So all the surveys I've been doing for this particular client, for the last I don't know how long, have all been deleted. As if I wasn't even there.

The survey job is my only source of income (apart from my writing, but those cheques are few and far between). Nevertheless, I'm probably going to quit very soon. I just can't take any more damage to my mental health right now.

Work Woes

I scored twenty surveys a few days ago, a new personal best for me at work. Two days ago, I scored nineteen. Did anyone at work congratulate me? No. In fact, I got another warning the other day for not saying a couple of words during a survey (you're supposed to read every word VERBATIM), and yesterday I had a 'coaching session' because I'd been off the phone for too long. You have to be dialing consistently, they told me. Of course, the reason I wasn't dialing was because I'd run out of numbers to call, and I couldn't find a supervisor to report that fact to.

And speaking of supervisors, I have had to ask them repeatedly to keep their voices down when I'm on the phone talking to a respondent. The other day I was seated next to the supervisor's desk, and had to ask her to keep her voice down TWICE. The glare I got back could have frozen salt water. They like dishing it out, not taking it.

One of these days I'll be able to look back on this and laugh. And maybe use it for a story. Until then, my suffering for a dollar continues.

Jobs in August

My wife Violet was fired last week from her just-acquired job at a paint store. No reason as given, either. And after she'd helped them move store locations, too. She was hired for her customer service skills and knowledge of paint, and yet she spent the majority of her time lifting heavy things.

And then they fired her.

Just like that.

For no reason.

Needless to say, we're not very happy. Violet is pretty pissed off at them, and understandably so. I'm not too thrilled, either. Once again, I'm back to being the sole provider for the family. It doesn't help that I'm in a minimum wage job with erratic hours - not the sort of income you can depend on. I'd been hoping we could finally get ahead of our financial situation, and maybe treat ourselves to a luxury or two, like a trip to the dentist.

Being poor sucks. It really does.

Another Evil? Review!

And here's another review of Evil?!!! This one is from the blog Dreaming In Books, written by John Jacobson. Check out the review by clicking here.

I'm also doing an interview with John, so check back later to see that posted.

Yay!

Another Interview & Guest Blog!

I did a guest blog for TRT Book Club, the book club of Teens Read Too.com. I also answered a whole bunch of interview questions in my own special way. Do check it out here !

Cats!

I haven't done cat pictures in a long time. I have another cat now, you know... his name is Ron - short for Ronald Weasly. Violet and I adopted him from a friend who named all her pets after characters from Harry Potter. He's a lovely boy, and he's on my lap at this very moment!

Now, on with the pictures!

July

I have not been keeping my word. It's almost August now, and I haven't even touched on July.

It's been a good month. Better than most. I had a second job thanks to one of my temp agencies, and it lasted six weeks. I was therefore able to cut back on the hours at my phone survey job, which has been good for my mental health. Plus, one of the worst supervisors at that job has quit! Apparently he was upset that none of the other supervisors were trying to be as big of a jerk as he was. It will be easier to work there now that he's gone, but I still need to find something better as soon as I can.

Violet is working now! And as a bonus, it's at a place really close to where we live. It's a paint store, and there's a lot of physical labour involved, but she seems to be liking it. Not as stressful or as boring as her last job.

I attended Polaris, the big sci/fi convention I've been attending for the last few years. That was a blast; you can read all about my experience there on Worlds of Tim.

My writing has remained slow but steady. I've got nine chapters written on a new middle-grade novel, and I'm also well into a new short story in the Section K universe. I'm also contemplating sequels again; I have an idea for an Evil? follow-up, and The Cupid War is just crying out to be a series. And then there's my ideas for Epoch 2. I can see the story in my head; I just don't know if it's what I want to write next.

July's been good. Here's hoping for a great August!

June Blues

The less said about June, the better.

Well, okay, it wasn't that bad, but as you all have noticed I wasn't able to keep my promise of more frequent blog posts. I've been very busy, and very little of that busyness has been doing things I've enjoyed.

One thing I did enjoy was meeting fellow blogger Farida Dowler. Here's a picture of this epic blogger team-up:



The link to Farida's blog is in my list on the right. Do check it out.



So why am I so miserable? I'm currently working three jobs. That's right, three. Never rains but it pours. I'm still doing the phone surveys, though I've cut back on those hours quite a bit. That got me into trouble - I was given two written warnings for canceling one of my shifts. Apparently, the guy I spoke to didn't like my 'attitude'.

The second job I have came up suddenly from one of my temp agencies. It's a government position, proofreading documents for the Ministry of Health. You'd think that would be a fantastic job for me, but it isn't quite what you think. I'm looking at lists of drugs and drug numbers all day, making sure they are spelled correctly and noting any discrepancies. I'm doing well - they've extended my contract twice now - but it can be dull and hard on the eyes sometimes.

The third job, for those of you that need to be told - is my writing. That hasn't been going so well. Various life stresses have interfered with my output, and I've only been able to put pen to paper every other day. That includes my blogging, when I actually have time to sit in front of a computer. Things have picked up in the last week, however, and I'm feeling more creative again. My feeling is that July will be a lot more productive.

To end on a good note, I had the pleasure of spending Canada Day in Ottawa with my family. I took Violet to Parliament Hill to watch the fireworks - very crowded, but well worth all the trouble. I also got to introduce her to some of my old high school friends. All in all, a great four-day trip, and a positive cap to an otherwise less-than-stellar month.

More On May

May has been a good month for me. Work has been steady, with longer hours but unfortunately longer surveys. Tricky to keep people on the phone for half an hour, but I've been succeeding enough to keep my bosses happy.

My next novel, formerly titled Cupidity, is officially a go. Now titled The Cupid War, it is due next spring from Flux. I'm looking forward to working with their editors over the summer to polish it up.

I've finished the first draft of my latest novel, A Walk-In To Remember. While I am certainly happy with that accomplishment, the book will require a TON of rewriting and editing before it is ready to be shown to the world. Still, the basic story is down, and I know what needs to be done to improve it. If all goes according to plan, it will be a terrific followup to The Five Demons You Meet In Hell.

My writing attention now turns to my 'remake' of Rytis Maxwell. I've written five chapters, and so far it is going very well. I expect it will keep me entertained throughout the summer.

I'm also contemplating a return to Section K. My editor at Burningeffigy, Monica, would like another short story from me, to be turned into another chapbook/promotional tool for the main book. I'm working on an idea featuring the character Johnny Tall and vampires. Because everyone's doing vampires these days.

That's my news for this post. I'm going to try to blog a little more often, and I could use your help, readers! Keep bugging me for new posts! And tell all your friends to bug me, too.