I'm exhausted, but decided to post to a) update you with my progress and b) prove that I am still alive.

The Sponsorship

Sponsors: 28
Sponsorship Total: £92.50
Money Owed: £63.50
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Page Count: 98

Proof I'm Still Alive

I dunno. Throw a peanut at me or something!

Anyway, writing the sponsored novel has been stressful. I'm just about managing 30 pages a day but god, it's difficult. I think of a storyline to keep myself occupied and then it just disintegrates into babble. I'm starting to just write a series of unrelated bits and pieces. If I'm really struggling, I'm writing bits from 'The Chronicles of Stan' or 'The Great Couch Happening of '69' to boost my page count, or ranting pointlessly when times aren't quite that hard.

Also, I got my guitar and clarinet! I managed to totally ruin the G and high E strings on the guitar (they were worn as it was, then I played for a good two hours yesterday) and I'm finding the clarinet impossible to get any sound out of. I fill my lungs with air, blow, blow, blow harder and then get a high squeak just as I'm going blue in the face. And Dad took it upon himself to put it together while I was doing something else yesterday - forgetting to grease the cork bits. Now I can't take the damn thing apart. Thanks, Dad.

I seriously didn't think the clarinet would be so difficult. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I will get it to work. I'm not spending £90 on an instrument so that it can gather dust on my desk.

So I think I have another malware thingy on my computer. WHERE THE HELL DO THEY COME FROM. There I was, happily browsing the Internet (or as happily as a TalkTalk user could browse, at any rate) when suddenly BOOM! The browser closes, and when I try to open it up again I get a pop-up saying 'install Vista Home Security 2011 OR DIE'. See, the thing is, it looks like a genuine Microsoft program. But then, so did ThinkPoint and Security Shield.

Also, this pop-up, while mostly well-written, contains a few subtle quirks in the language that make my malware alarm go wild. I quote word for word...

"Windows recommend Activate Vista Home Security 2011

Click "Yes, Activate..." to register your copy of Vista Home Security 2011 and perform threat removal on your system."

One: there are elements of Engrish to your writing. Two: I have no recollection of ever having a trial version or whatever of your program. Three: kindly go to hell and perish there a million times.

Methinks it's time to get Malwarebytes on its arse.

Anyway, I managed to write four pages on 'The Great Couch Happening of '69' today, as well as kick arse on Final Fantasy VII. Usually it's one or the other with me. I write and keep writing, or I play FFVII and keep playing. I even managed to listen to a few records, and work a little on my screenplay version of 'The Great Couch Happening of '69'. All in all a productive day. This journal entry will be my final productive act of today, if you don't count sleeping as productive!

Personally, because I'm a lazy sod, I do. It makes me feel better about myself. If someone says to me "So you didn't write or draw anything today?" I'll look them square in the eye and say "I slept. That still counts as doing something with my life!"

Ehem.

( And so the story continued and you all got bored and went off to do more interesting things... )

Wow - I haven't updated much, have I? Since my last entry, in fact, I've written a heckload of articles, seen the next issue of the Star go to print and, of course, said farewell to my work placement.

Yep, my work placement ended yesterday. I was only in until 12 because the team had to meet outside Student Services at college by 12:15. So, I wrote a couple of church fillers, a longer piece about the Friends of the Sacred Heart's £1000 donation to the North West Air Ambulance Charity, finalised that annoying college paperwork and went.

We'll have to wait and see whether I can continue the placement after the Prince's trust is over. Which, incidentally, it almost is. Three weeks left of the twelve. Blimey.

The main problem I can see with continuing my placement after the course is transport. I'd have to get a bus into town every day, and it's £2 one way. That's £4 a day, so £20 a week. I'd be spending £40 a fortnight just on transport, and I only get £102 every two weeks. A weekly saver would be £16, but that's still £32 a week out of the money I need to save to move to Ireland.

I expressed these concerns to Tim, the assistant team leader, and he said he'd see what he can do. Now, I've been put onto a company called TNG who works with the Job Centre on job skills and employability - I'll be going to these guys one day a week and my placement the other four, if indeed I can go back. I think something was said about a grant for transport.

Yep, I'll have to buy a weekly ticket on the first week, according to the e-mail I got, but they'll refund £12 of it. I also continue to get the normal £15 on top of my JSA, which means I can spend this on a weekly saver and put away most of my money for the move.

So, what else has been going on? Not an awful lot. Honestly, I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend.

(  Not a lot is under the cut )

Look at the time. I haven't even managed a page yet. Maybe about two thirds of one. I've just sat here for hours, scribbling the occasional line and listening to music.

I should probably call it quits for tonight and have another go tomorrow. I seriously can't focus, tonight. Today's been so drab that I just want a new morning, a new day. I'll try to make an effort tomorrow to fight the boredom. Maybe then, my muse will come back.

It's worth mentioning that I would love to learn this song ('And You And I' - Yes) on guitar; the rhythm section that I could play to accompany vocals. I wouldn't mind doing the vocals, either; i'm not a brilliant singer but I'm not tone deaf and it doesn't stop me loving a good yodel!

Right, then. Now to tidy up for bed.

I've finally started to practice guitar again, and I'm just taking a break while my fingertips recover. Today I've begun with the C Major Scale and chord, as well as having a shot at Paul Weller's 'Wild Wood'. I'm tackling the E Minor and A Minor chords, learning how to alternate between the two, before adding in the D Minor chord which will complete the basic chord sequence of the song.

I think I've noticed a slight problem with my scale book, though. The C Major scale has eight notes, right? Well, when I play the scale according to the tab in the scale book, two of the notes (fourth string, third fret and open third) are exactly the same.

It could be a mistake on my part, but I'm not sure. Maybe if I played the scale on my keyboard to hear it as it should sound, it might clarify things a bit.

Now, then... where's the adapter for my keyboard gone, again?