Good news is, I finally finished my first chapter! Bad news is, it took longer than I wanted...and I forgot to update that it was indeed done, hehe. Oops. So, You can go ahead and read the chapter HERE! Now that that it is finished it is time to work on chapter 2. I haven't come up with a name for it yet =/. I do have the outline ready...just laziness and the move kicked in and I haven't gotten into the swing of it quite yet. Plus there is the month long visit to attend to now.
For those of you who don't know, my daughter does not live with us. There are various reasons as to why this is but right now it is the best thing for her. She has a roof, is well feed (though she is a picky eater..and spoiled), and is able to go to school. These things,especially in the early parts of her life, would not have been readily available to her. But the home she is in provides these for her so even though we can manage her now, we will not be taking her back to live with us on a permanent basis.
But she is coming up to stay with us for a month! She likes basically the same things as us so its easy to get along with her. She likes Pokemon, Anime, Little Big Planet, and of course Fiesta Online. She even has her own level 10 Trickster called YoYoBoy (don't ask, I dunno). She is really looking forward to coming up and playing with us and sharing rare quality time. Who knows, maybe we will find yet more things we like that are in common. She is getting so big and so old so fast. I don't know where the time has gone.
Well that's it for now. Next entry should be filled with Fiesta Online adventures and maybe even an update about the book ;). Cya all then!
-Galdrath
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
In a rut...but hope.
Well. We went on a vacation 2 weeks ago and I came back...not fired up to finish the first chapter of my book. Its not that I don't have the idea and image in mind, its like I came back unmotivated. Its kinda weird. I brought my computer so maybe I should have continued to write in the evenings when there wasn't much going on. But the problem with that was I was having mini panic attacks due to all the people we came across during the days looking through shops as well as being in a new unknown to me house with people I have barely met before. It was the first vacation we have had in many years so it was kind of a shock to the system to be thrown into that fast.
I'm still out of it form that even 2 weeks later. I can't handle people at all, period. Its been a year and 5 days since my mental breakdown that sent me to the ER and all that has changed is I'm on a few medications and still not on social security. I'm not going to get it this time either so I will have to wait until I can get a real doctor to talk to me and I would love him/her to give me a paper stating that I am not mentally fit to work so I can get a new social security claim to pass and then I can get some better help. Whoo.
But aside from all that we have some positive coming through. It looks like we are getting our own place as soon as June! Its a small place but it would be ours with no roomies. No more sharing a bathroom, no more sharing a kitchen, no more sharing at all. Aside from 6 months and a few weeks of homelessness we have had roomies for 6 years. That is way too long for recluse people like us. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what Michael (our roomy) has done for us in letting us rent a room when we had nothing. It came at the right time and it has kept us housed for 2.5 years now. But we really need our own place. It will more than likely help out both of our bipolars when we have our own place.
So, I'm in a rut creatively and hurting mentally but we have hope for our lives. Maybe I can turn things around here real quick. I know some people are waiting to read the first chapter of my book.
Till next time
-Galdrath
I'm still out of it form that even 2 weeks later. I can't handle people at all, period. Its been a year and 5 days since my mental breakdown that sent me to the ER and all that has changed is I'm on a few medications and still not on social security. I'm not going to get it this time either so I will have to wait until I can get a real doctor to talk to me and I would love him/her to give me a paper stating that I am not mentally fit to work so I can get a new social security claim to pass and then I can get some better help. Whoo.
But aside from all that we have some positive coming through. It looks like we are getting our own place as soon as June! Its a small place but it would be ours with no roomies. No more sharing a bathroom, no more sharing a kitchen, no more sharing at all. Aside from 6 months and a few weeks of homelessness we have had roomies for 6 years. That is way too long for recluse people like us. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what Michael (our roomy) has done for us in letting us rent a room when we had nothing. It came at the right time and it has kept us housed for 2.5 years now. But we really need our own place. It will more than likely help out both of our bipolars when we have our own place.
So, I'm in a rut creatively and hurting mentally but we have hope for our lives. Maybe I can turn things around here real quick. I know some people are waiting to read the first chapter of my book.
Till next time
-Galdrath
Friday, March 25, 2011
Writing Down the Days
Its after 11pm, sitting here eating Nilla Wafers and trying to figure out what writing style to use for my second entry into a short story contest. See, the game I play, Fiesta Online, has what they call MVP contests on their forums. The contests range from writing, costume design, siggy design, and even dance contests. This particular contest is a writing about what we think the origin of their new class is in 300 words or less. This proved very hard for entry #1. I went all out and just typed the story I wanted. Checked the word count and it registered 415. Not too bad for a start, but gotta shave some fat off. After a few edits here and there I finally came up with a Finished Product. For something that took roughly 20 minutes to do, it isn't too bad if I say so myself.
Amazing how a simple thing like a short story contest gets the brain going with ideas. So many ideas and very little time to implement them. One good thing about the game I play is the introduction of its new class. The new class will be released sometime relatively soon. But the best part is, I have decided to basically write a book while I level up the new character. I will guide the character on a set path and it will correlate with what the book types out. I believe this will be very fun, challenging and engaging task for me. I have already posted my first official fanfic on the forums a while back. You can read it Here if you like.
One thing I do want to inquire about is fan written novels. You see games like Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft and Everquest with fan written novels in stores. I am really curious if Outspark ( the host of Fiesta Online) would allow me to pursue something like that. It would be a fun project to say the least. Who knows, maybe my fanfics will gain popularity and they will allow it out of sheer interest at shared profit lines. You never know.
I really would like to get back to writing my actual novel, but I haven't been able to focus long enough anymore. Stupid Bipolar. But maybe this project of mine will help out with finding a writing style that will work around my disability. That is truly what I wish for. A day in which all I do is write novels from my front porch as I look out over our land. Sigh. Enough dreaming. Gotta get focused.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The $500,000 Question.
A lot of the times, people ask you "What would you do with 1 million dollars?" You would more than likely go on a brief rant about the various things you would purchase. Things like shoes, cars, boats, big houses, boxes of wine?, large boulders, whatever is your fancy. Everyone does this at one point when the question is posed. Its a nice little day dream, a step away from your normal everyday thinking. But if it came down to it, most people would do just as they say and waste it on these types of things. Who is to blame them? You don't hear very often about celebrities saving money or investing it, you hear about the new mansion they bought or the private island they just rented for the month. There is no real role model to look up to for the every day normal person. Sure, you could study up on big time players such as Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Ted Turner...but are you really going to put forth that kind of effort with that amount of cash in hand? Yeah, I didn't think so.
Now that you have that in mind, I would like to step away and tell you about myself a bit, especially since this is my first blog entry and I assume you would like to know a bit of detail about whom you are reading. This will have greater meaning once I return to topic so keep that in mind.
As of this posting I am just shy of halfway to 31. I was married Sept. 7th 2001 to my lovely wife whom I call Avaly. We also have a daughter who is currently 8 years old (will be 9 in April). My average day consists of, looking at DeviantArt, playing Fiesta Online, talking with my in game friends and lurking the forums of said Fiesta Online. Yup, you be jealous. I'm incredibly intelligent and creative (not trying to be boastful) but at the same time lazy and easily distracted. I was not challenged enough in school so never took the time to properly introduce myself to a career path. Even when I got to college, I found it not worth my time and thus never put forth an effort. This has hindered me a bit finance wise but really, that was all. I have gained nearly all my knowledge from reading books, manuals, textbooks, and archives. Way more than I was taught in school. It has made me a jack-of-all trades so to speak. Good at a lot of things, but not so much that I stand out. I also have 2 glaring negative things about me and they hinder me more than anything else has in my entire life.
1. I am gullible. Plain and simple. I was the guy they had in mind when they put prizes in boxes, on cups. I'm the guy who has experienced every online gaming scam known to man. If you have a good story in the short amount of time I give you, you can even beg money off me. That doesn't mean I fall for them every time; I usually only fall for the same scam once. This has gotten me in trouble with the law a couple of times as well. Oops.
2. I am...Bipolar. I was diagnosed with it back in the early 90s when it was then just called Manic Depressant. Looking back at it from my standpoint now, it has hindered every aspect of my life. From my social behavior, to my judgement or lack there of, to my gullibility, to my memory, to...everything. I talk to myself, I ramble on about things that don't make sense, I talk to my "other" selfs, I believe whole heartedly that I cannot die of old age, I believe at one point I had special powers in my early teens, I rage out of control at a blink of an eye without provocation, and most of all, I emotionally hurt the ones I love. I cannot stop this disease, it only gets worse with age. Thanks to Bipolar, I have been out of work for nearly a year now after thoughts of suicide were so prevalent that I needed to check myself into a hospital so I wouldn't act them out. I am currently on meds as we speak but they are a lot less than what is really needed since I cannot afford the true amounts. I have been trying to get on disability but I have been fighting a losing battle on that front. Oh wells, life goes on I guess. If you want to know more about me please feel free to comment on this blog and I will get around to answering your questions as best I can.
Ok! Now that that has been taken care of, time to get back to the topic at hand.
Now for my side of this topic I am only going to use $500,000 as my guideline. Why? Because I want to show you what just 1/2 a million can do for a person that has only $830.00 a month to live on. My hope is that this will in some way make you look upon your own life and see what could be changed or made better to make your life more enjoyable. So the question is, "What would you do with $500,000?".
First and foremost, we would pay off all the bills and medical debts we have piled up since we cannot afford to pay them. Nothing hinders you more in this world than bad credit. Even if you have money, they still frown on you if you have bad credit. For this exercise I will say the total is around $80,000 I owe.
Second. We would purchase a permanent home. No more renting rooms, roommates, apartment tenants, non of that ever again. It would not be anything fancy, just a house with a fenced-in backyard for the dog to play.
I would say the house we would buy would be around $125,000. Nice roundish number.
Third. We would get a reliable vehicle. Would love to get something hybrid or electric(if they upped the distance they could drive) but if not, something like the Mazda3 would suffice. I have taken a liking to the hatchback version of that one. Ok, so that makes the car purchase around $20,000 bringing the current total up to $225,000. Just shy of halfway through the amount given.
Fourth. Furnishings. We don't own very many, heck, we don't own anything really. We have some bookcases, a TV, a PS3, 2 old and slowly breaking computers, a queen mattress (yes just the mattress on the floor) and some odds and ends. So I will say we splurge in this section and go $25,000 just to bump it up to $250,000. Have to deck our very first home out nicely don't you think?
....and that is about it.
I have 3 other things I would do with the money. I would invest $50,000, use $50-75,000 to start a business, and hold $25,000 just in case my daughter decides to go into college herself. We might be able to pay for her book, hehe. Prices for universities are crazy nowadays!
Alright. So If I maxed everything out I was able to cover $400,000. As you may have noticed beforehand, I mentioned that we survive on just $830.00. This comes from my wife's disability (she is Bipolar as well but at least she got approved or we would have been screwed, eek.). This isn't to say that we haven't received help in any way. We have had loving friends help us out numerous times and without them, we may still have been screwed. So <3 out to my friends.
That leaves $100,000 that we get to live off of. How long would this last us? Well, for starters, our daily life would not change so I am going to base what we would spend monthly off the same value. So, you take $100,000 and divide that by $830.00. That gives you a total of roughly 120.5 months or 10.04 years. 10 years of stability. That is not including my wife's disability, not including any investment gains, no profits from any businesses, nothing. To me and my wife, stability is our biggest worry. We don't know what tomorrow may bring. If we were given this amount of money, then stability from our side is guaranteed. I have studied a lot about entrepreneurship and a fair amount on investing; I would not let that opportunity go to waste.
So my questions for you are: What is your monthly total you live on? Are you striving to make ends meet or are you trying to live beyond your means? What could you change to make your life easier to live on? and the most fun of all, What would you spend that $500,000 on now that you have read my version of things?
Maybe some of your ideas have changed, maybe they haven't. Hopefully though I got you to simply think. Once you begin thinking for yourself, that is when you truly shine as an individual.
Thank you for your time and for reading.
-Galdrath
Oh yeah, in case you were wondering if the total had been $1,000,000 instead of only $500,000, we would have survived 723 months or 60.25 years.
Now that you have that in mind, I would like to step away and tell you about myself a bit, especially since this is my first blog entry and I assume you would like to know a bit of detail about whom you are reading. This will have greater meaning once I return to topic so keep that in mind.
As of this posting I am just shy of halfway to 31. I was married Sept. 7th 2001 to my lovely wife whom I call Avaly. We also have a daughter who is currently 8 years old (will be 9 in April). My average day consists of, looking at DeviantArt, playing Fiesta Online, talking with my in game friends and lurking the forums of said Fiesta Online. Yup, you be jealous. I'm incredibly intelligent and creative (not trying to be boastful) but at the same time lazy and easily distracted. I was not challenged enough in school so never took the time to properly introduce myself to a career path. Even when I got to college, I found it not worth my time and thus never put forth an effort. This has hindered me a bit finance wise but really, that was all. I have gained nearly all my knowledge from reading books, manuals, textbooks, and archives. Way more than I was taught in school. It has made me a jack-of-all trades so to speak. Good at a lot of things, but not so much that I stand out. I also have 2 glaring negative things about me and they hinder me more than anything else has in my entire life.
1. I am gullible. Plain and simple. I was the guy they had in mind when they put prizes in boxes, on cups. I'm the guy who has experienced every online gaming scam known to man. If you have a good story in the short amount of time I give you, you can even beg money off me. That doesn't mean I fall for them every time; I usually only fall for the same scam once. This has gotten me in trouble with the law a couple of times as well. Oops.
2. I am...Bipolar. I was diagnosed with it back in the early 90s when it was then just called Manic Depressant. Looking back at it from my standpoint now, it has hindered every aspect of my life. From my social behavior, to my judgement or lack there of, to my gullibility, to my memory, to...everything. I talk to myself, I ramble on about things that don't make sense, I talk to my "other" selfs, I believe whole heartedly that I cannot die of old age, I believe at one point I had special powers in my early teens, I rage out of control at a blink of an eye without provocation, and most of all, I emotionally hurt the ones I love. I cannot stop this disease, it only gets worse with age. Thanks to Bipolar, I have been out of work for nearly a year now after thoughts of suicide were so prevalent that I needed to check myself into a hospital so I wouldn't act them out. I am currently on meds as we speak but they are a lot less than what is really needed since I cannot afford the true amounts. I have been trying to get on disability but I have been fighting a losing battle on that front. Oh wells, life goes on I guess. If you want to know more about me please feel free to comment on this blog and I will get around to answering your questions as best I can.
Ok! Now that that has been taken care of, time to get back to the topic at hand.
Now for my side of this topic I am only going to use $500,000 as my guideline. Why? Because I want to show you what just 1/2 a million can do for a person that has only $830.00 a month to live on. My hope is that this will in some way make you look upon your own life and see what could be changed or made better to make your life more enjoyable. So the question is, "What would you do with $500,000?".
First and foremost, we would pay off all the bills and medical debts we have piled up since we cannot afford to pay them. Nothing hinders you more in this world than bad credit. Even if you have money, they still frown on you if you have bad credit. For this exercise I will say the total is around $80,000 I owe.
Second. We would purchase a permanent home. No more renting rooms, roommates, apartment tenants, non of that ever again. It would not be anything fancy, just a house with a fenced-in backyard for the dog to play.
I would say the house we would buy would be around $125,000. Nice roundish number.
Third. We would get a reliable vehicle. Would love to get something hybrid or electric(if they upped the distance they could drive) but if not, something like the Mazda3 would suffice. I have taken a liking to the hatchback version of that one. Ok, so that makes the car purchase around $20,000 bringing the current total up to $225,000. Just shy of halfway through the amount given.
Fourth. Furnishings. We don't own very many, heck, we don't own anything really. We have some bookcases, a TV, a PS3, 2 old and slowly breaking computers, a queen mattress (yes just the mattress on the floor) and some odds and ends. So I will say we splurge in this section and go $25,000 just to bump it up to $250,000. Have to deck our very first home out nicely don't you think?
....and that is about it.
I have 3 other things I would do with the money. I would invest $50,000, use $50-75,000 to start a business, and hold $25,000 just in case my daughter decides to go into college herself. We might be able to pay for her book, hehe. Prices for universities are crazy nowadays!
Alright. So If I maxed everything out I was able to cover $400,000. As you may have noticed beforehand, I mentioned that we survive on just $830.00. This comes from my wife's disability (she is Bipolar as well but at least she got approved or we would have been screwed, eek.). This isn't to say that we haven't received help in any way. We have had loving friends help us out numerous times and without them, we may still have been screwed. So <3 out to my friends.
That leaves $100,000 that we get to live off of. How long would this last us? Well, for starters, our daily life would not change so I am going to base what we would spend monthly off the same value. So, you take $100,000 and divide that by $830.00. That gives you a total of roughly 120.5 months or 10.04 years. 10 years of stability. That is not including my wife's disability, not including any investment gains, no profits from any businesses, nothing. To me and my wife, stability is our biggest worry. We don't know what tomorrow may bring. If we were given this amount of money, then stability from our side is guaranteed. I have studied a lot about entrepreneurship and a fair amount on investing; I would not let that opportunity go to waste.
So my questions for you are: What is your monthly total you live on? Are you striving to make ends meet or are you trying to live beyond your means? What could you change to make your life easier to live on? and the most fun of all, What would you spend that $500,000 on now that you have read my version of things?
Maybe some of your ideas have changed, maybe they haven't. Hopefully though I got you to simply think. Once you begin thinking for yourself, that is when you truly shine as an individual.
Thank you for your time and for reading.
-Galdrath
Oh yeah, in case you were wondering if the total had been $1,000,000 instead of only $500,000, we would have survived 723 months or 60.25 years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)