The Ontario Colleges have been on strike for the last few weeks so I have been lucky as far as missing school goes - with my broken heel and all. School resumes though, tomorrow. As I think about heading back I am uncertain that going into journalism is what I want to do with my life. I'll continue my studies, I've come this far already, but the time I've had off and spent alone has given me time to think about my life and what I'm doing. As I've been writing my novel and reading numerous novels by other authors, I've grown more and more passionate about becoming a full time novelist. I feel very strongly that this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life but on the other hand I know that one day soon my girlfriend and I want to get married and eventually start a family. I also realize how difficult it is to make a living as a novelist as one's success is determined by how much people enjoy one's work. I'd like to think that the novel I'm working on will be a good one but I need to convince others of that. Self-assurance doesn't get you very far in that business. I know also that, having no ties with the publishing industry, I am likely going to have to self-publish my first novel. That takes money of which I have none. My dad has published a book and I asked him who he got to publish it but he told me that self-publishing was the best idea. He said I would have to set up presentations at book stores and talk about what the book is about to arouse an interest in readers. I don't think he realizes how different publishing fiction is from non-fiction. Or maybe he's right. I think I have to research publishing a little more before I figure out which avenue I'll take. If I could do it though, publish a book, and keep publishing them...that would be a dream come true.

I've always been passionate about writing, since I was in kindergarten I've been writing stories and poetry. For a while though, I strayed and thought my heart was on the stage. I am still very passionate about theatre but I realized I had been deceiving myself. I was trying to convince myself that theatre was the way to go, that I should like acting more than writing. Why or how I did that, I'm not sure. Now I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that writing fiction is my greatest occupational passion. I have to make it work. Why shouldn't I be an author? Average people become authors no problem. Look at Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or John Saul. They must have been just regular people at one point. They decided though that they could make books and entertain people and stir emotions in people.

This has been helpful. I think I've managed to encourage myself a little.

Long time no blog...

My family went to Florida this past week leaving me to fend for myself in the rough terrain I call home. My Grandpa and one of my brothers stayed home so every now and then someone would be able to feed me or get me a drink. Actually, my brother was around most of the time. We just sat around playing video games for the most part. Productivity at it's best...

5 weeks until I can start walking on my foot. I use walking very loosely though. My right leg has almost no muscle left in it and my foot still doesn't move properly. Looks like a cane is in the not too distant future.

That's about all I've got to say right now...I suppose this is why I haven't written anything in a while...

There is a case going on right now involving two Quebec families and a Tim Horton's patron. The dispute is over a winning "Roll Up the Rim" cup. For any Americans who may be reading my blog, Tim Horton's is where it's at for us Canadians. Almost everybody loves Tim Horton's. It's a tradition and addiction all in one - a pleasant addiction though. If you want to see one place that always has a customer inside or in the drive-thru (9 times out of 10) you need look no further than a Tim Horton's. Now, every spring, Tim Horton's runs a promotion called "Roll Up the Rim to Win." You guys have something like it, I think you call it a lottery. Anyway, you play by purchasing a cup of coffee. Traditionally you'd drink your coffee then roll up the rim but some people prefer rolling up the rim right away just to get it over with. There are people who buy ten times as much coffee as they usually do just to increase their odds of winning. You can win cash, tv's, bikes, barbeques, a car or free coffee or cookies or donuts - the list goes on.

Back to the story...
So this guy bought a coffee and, forgetting to roll up the rim, tossed it out. Big no-no, Americans. Later that day some little girl finds it in the trash and, learning from the way her parents go bat-shit over this stuff, tries rolling up the rim. Apparently she couldn't do it herself so she got a little boy to help her. Together they roll it up and find that it is a winning cup for a Toyota RAV-4 (at least I'm pretty positive that's the car this year.) Now the kids' two families are arguing over who should get the truck. The man who threw the cup out in the first place is also now trying to reclaim his prize. His lawyer is even going so far as to ask for a DNA analysis on the cup to determine that it is indeed his clients. Apparently he was the only one to bring a coffee to work that day...

If I were Tim Horton's in this case, not that they get any say, I would just revoke the prize entirely. People should not be getting this worked up over what is essentially one company's propoganda. But again, Americans, this Roll up the Rim stuff is serious business. It should be a fun thing, though. It's fun to buy a coffee and look under the rim whether you win or lose. Personally I get really excited over winning a free cookie. I really get pumped when I win a coffee. I can't imagine winning a truck from a $1.50 cup of coffee.

Anyhoo, the whole thing has gone too far. I say whoever is in possession of the winning cup should just burn it. That would be sweet, sweet justice.

Chris...out.

It's been a while since I've posted but trust me, nothing has been going on. Life has been pretty dull as of late. But I'm making the best of it. I've read a lot of books and my writing is coming along nicely. I've now got two projects going on. One is the book I have been trying to write - ideas have actually been coming to me quite freely. The other is a short story for a writing contest out of a magazine. $3000 for 1st place. That would be pretty helpful - it could go towards a down-payment on a house in a couple of years.

I'm trying not to let my thinking get too wishful when it comes to a career in writing but I can't help thinking it's possible. I get so passionate about writing that it seems wrong when I'm not doing it. If that's the case, I might as well try to make a living out of it right? We'll see.

I saw the doctor the other day. He said my foot is healing nicely and as long as I stay off it, I should have a good foot in a couple of months. The pain has gone down significantly from when I first broke it although it does still hurt a lot. Most of the swelling is completely gone as well. Here's hoping for a successful recovery.

My guinea pig has died.

Being temporarily crippled, I haven't been able to go downstairs (where my room is) to take care of my animals. I have a guinea pig, a chinchilla and a rabbit - just in my room. We also have a dog and a bearded dragon. Since I haven't been able to get downstairs, my little brother has been feeding the animals in my room and my grandfather, who also lives with us, has been caring for the dragon.

My brother said that yesterday, my guinea pig was very active and seemed quite happy. When he came upstairs from feeding it this morning, he said he was not moving or going for his food. My mom went downstairs to check on him a couple of hours ago and said he had died. She and my grandpa cleaned everything up.

So I'll have to work a little harder on staying positive.

As much as I've tried to keep myself positive throughout this whole injury to my heel, I've begun to become embittered and started to worry about things.

For one thing, I am not working right now. I have no way of earning any income and I still have bills to pay. I am not eligible for EI, not that I think I would take it anyway. I have to find some way of remotely earning funds. I wish it was possible for authors to just make money - it's funny that all the things I love to do are the hardest ways of earning cash-flow. Literature and theatre are my two loves but both have almost no future in them. I am determined, though to make it as a full time author. I'd like to write at least thirty books by the time I die. I stray. Point is, I make no money right now. In an ideal world, I would send some of my writing in to a publisher and start making money off it. Alas, right now it still only remains a passion.

Sitting on this couch for two weeks is starting to get to me. I think I mentioned in a previous post that, on top of my broken right heel, I pulled a muscle in my left arm. I was hoping my arm would be better by today. My hopes were dashed. My arm hurts like the dickens and no therapy administered thus far has done anything to help. A lot of time, I'm sitting by myself in my living room with no one to speak to. At first, the solitude was nice. Now I feel twice as depressed when there is no one home. On the other hand, I feel bad when people sit around to keep me company. I know how boring it can get hanging out with a cripple.

I think I might be going a little bit crazy.

Once my arm recovers, I'll feel better. I'm just feeling overwhelmed right now.

Well, it's Saturday morning and that means there are only two days left til I have to go back to school. I am not looking forward to it one bit. My foot throbs if I stand up for more than two minutes (using crutches of course...it'll be a while with those.) My Mom tried telling me I should be getting a wheel chair but I made it abundantly clear that is not going to happen. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to get to school let alone move around within the school. I can't drive myself and there is no way on earth I am hobbling my way 2.5 km to the bus stop, especially in the snow - if it comes.

I have to find some way to make money too. There is no way I can pay my bills with no income. It's not like these are avoidable bills either. Bloody ridiculous.

I've been in pretty rough shape the past two days or so, although it's getting better. I guess I was wearing my sock on my good foot for too long and it wound up cutting off the circulation. My leg and foot swelled up nice and big. The swelling in my leg went down right away but my foot is still a bit swollen. It doesn't hurt or anything but it had me worried for a bit. It was cool though, I could push on the top of my foot with my finger and the indent would remain for about ten seconds.

Then yesterday morning I woke up and must've moved weird or something cause I pulled a muscle in my left arm. It got so bad that I couldn't use a crutch with that arm...my family found it pretty funny seeing me using one crutch and one leg with my left arm held in a weird position to keep it from hurting. The arm is getting better though, I actually think there is only a dull remainder of the pain that was there, nothing I can't handle.

I really don't like complaining about this stuff, I always feel like I am just sounding like an attention seeker or a drama-king. This is a blog though and I suppose that is what such things are for. I guess if I didn't write about my physical pain, I wouldn't have written much at all in the last few weeks.

I've got some friends coming over today which I'm pretty glad about. I haven't really seen anybody except my family and my girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I love my girlfriend very much (my family too) but I feel bad for her when she has to just sit around and watch me suffer. There's nothing for her to do and she gets restless easily so I try to encourage her to go out with her friends. I don't have to feel bad for my friends though cause this is their first time visiting so they haven't suffered too much yet. Again, I'm not saying anything bad about them - I don't care that they haven't visited. I feel bad for people who have to keep a gimp company.

The story I have been writing is developing nicely into a novel. Scary thing is, I actually have a plan to make it long enough to actually be a novel. I think it's a pretty decent concept too but concepts don't get published, presentations do. I just have to make sure I present it right. Then I have to find some way to get it published. I was actually thinking I might go through an American publisher, if it's allowed. When people think of Canadian anything, they tend to think lower quality. It also doesn't help that I'm young so I'll have to make the about the author as ominous a possible. I guess those are things to think of when I actually have a novel to publish though. I actually found a website that helps people to get their work published whether they be in Canada or America. For all you writer's...if anyone actually reads this blog, the website is http://www.authorhouse.com/
Just click on "Contact Us" I think and that takes you to the form to fill out.

That's all I got right now. Time to enjoy my coffee.

End transmission

I woke up this morning and my foot was in more pain than it has been in a few days. It was excruciating. I realized I had forgotten to take my pill last night and immediately downed one. After about half an hour, the pain subsided. The endocet is starting to work a little better. It actually takes away the majority of the pain provided I don't move my foot at all, which I've grown used to. Thing is, I want to be back in school by next week so I am going to have to get mobile and suck it up and live with the pain. I've been taking little trips around my house (inside of course) to get me used to the movement and the crutches. I can go like mad on the crutches but after a couple of minutes of being up, my foot starts to throb. I have to hope that goes away or it's going to be a painful time at school.

That's all I got right now...like I said before, uninspired.