Perpetual Running to Catch Up With Myself

This will always remind me of Forest Gump. 

Hello again. I promised that I would catch everyone up on my life - not that it's all that exciting, but writing here makes me feel as if I'm being productive, if even for a little bit.

So for those of you who do read this blog, you've seen that I've traveled to a few places in the past year - Chicago, Berlin, and a quick jump to New York. I can now add DC to the list. The main reason to visit our nation's capital (other than the fact that I've never been there) was to meet up with my two best friends.

This about sums up our entire friendship. 

We were convinced that at some point the city of DC would drop kick us out and warn us never to return. That's just the type of shenanigans we usually get into. But we weren't banned from DC and I had a fantastic time.

Obligatory White House photo shot. Didn't get to see the Prez, unfortunately. 

Sitting precariously near the Lincoln Memorial. 

I've known these wonderful women for almost ten years now, and I've enjoyed every moment with them, whether it's taking photo ops with our neon yellow Johnny Depp tank top in highly inappropriate venues *cough with FDR's memorial cough*, or laughing about a little boy answering, "Conferences?" when asked by his father, "What do you think happens in the Capitol?"

The other big thing that's happened recently was that I graduated.

Yes, again.

Children's lit class of '14 - MA and MFA students pictured here. 

I am now officially the holder of a second master's degree, with a MFA in Writing for Children. It definitely was an odd mixture of excitement and sadness that I approached graduation. Excitement for the fact that I never have to write another academic essay ever, and sadness because I had enjoyed being back in school, working on my writing, meeting new people, and making new friends. But all good things must come to an end, and so must my career in academia.

The other big thing that has happened is that I have started a new job. No, not instead of my other one, but in addition to. I am now a bookseller at the fabulous Trident Booksellers & Cafe here in Boston. As one friend put it when I told her that I was working there, "Trident? That place is delicious." And delicious it is. I know I swore off retail after I stopped working at the place-that-shall-not-be-named *cough Bloomingdale's* but what I have found is that working in a bookstore is infinitely different and better than working in a department store. My job at the bookstore is actually very similar to what I did in my job as an undergrad, working in our library. Funny how ten years have passed, and I'm still shelving books. Not that I'm complaining, but it's definitely funny how life can come around full circle.

And lastly, the other noteworthy thing that has happened is that I started querying my manuscript. Finally. Querying is such a strange process. I've sent out many query letters and have received no confirmation that my manuscript is worth reading. Not one agent has said, "Yes, this might be something I'm interested in." Which has done wonders for my ego. I know everyone says that you have to grow thick skin when sending out your work into the world, and that you have to keep going, but it's difficult to do that when you get three or four or five rejection emails all back to back.

My critique group, the Ink Bombs, have been super supportive in helping me tweak my manuscript and for providing feedback, but I keep finding myself in the pit of despair that my work is worthless and that it'll just end up somewhere on my hard drive, unknown to the world. I volunteered for Mindy McGinnis' Saturday Slash, so I'm hoping that I will be able to keep whipping my query into shape, and that maybe some agent out there will at least want to see more of my manuscript. It's not Newbery worthy, by any means, but it's a good story.

I think.

Maybe.

And I know I should keep writing, but every time I sit down to write, I fall asleep, or I realize that my sock drawer needs organizing, or the people upstairs start jumping on their mini-trampoline in their foyer.

I should just move to somewhere remote for a year and then perhaps actual writing will be accomplished.

On I forge, with lots of bad writing, and some good writing.

Now that we're all caught up, kids, I think next time I'll divulge details regarding my adventures in online dating.

Until then...