![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Day 1114: Social Life
Apr. 13th, 2014 12:52 pmBy some miracle, we got let out of training early on Friday, so despite my concerns about a repeat of Thursday night's exhaustion, I got useful things done and got to have a social life this weekend.
Friday training was pretty good. We started off the morning with a Paiute Drum ceremony, presented by some local young men who are from various Native nations but work together in presenting a particular local culture. It was narrated and conducted by older Native Men, one of whom is the GAL for a local tribe. It was beautiful and moving. Also, it made me think of my prison inmate penpal who, despite being a white dude, is very much interested in what he calls the Native way of life. He participates in Native religious ceremonies on a regular basis. Despite being a religious person myself, I am often skeptical of those who find religion while incarcerated. Being a WoC, I am also skeptical of white men who have an interest in non-Western culture. Often it screams Otherism, some form of orientalism, or cultural appropriation. But in reading some recent discussions about cultural appropriation versus exchange and reflecting on what my pen pal has told me about his pursuits, I find I must repent of my skepticism about his case because he is engaging in cultural exchange. All his participation in the Native way of life is guided by his Native American cellmates, and I commend him for being open-minded and culturally sensitive, as much as one can be in prison.
I received letters from both of my pen pals this week, and I am eager to write back. As ye sow, so shall ye reap. He or she who sends me letters will receive letters.
Friday training was also about the medical aspects of physical abuse of a child which, while grim, were good to know. Also, there was training specific to us GALs, which was helpful and clarified how I should do my job. Up to this point I've basically been tagging along with DCFS, but now I know that DCFS and I often have different goals, and I need to advocate for my goals better. Also, I found out that one of my clients was manipulating me, which is never a fun thing to learn, but now I know and can respond appropriately in the future. I know some people are shocked and a little horrified when I tell them that some kids can be in state custody up to the age of 21, but when it's a kid like this kid, who without treatment will probably be a serial killer, I don't mind that policy. He's old enough that he probably won't have suitable treatment before he ages out at 18, so keeping a kid like him till he's 21 is a good idea.
But hey, training ended early, and then work let out early because the office was too hot, and I came home. I got some cleaning and laundry done, and I even started to get the hang of this Tunisian crochet business. Also, I mastered the starburst stitch, and I plan on using it to make a blanket for my mom. Then Cody and I went out to dinner and watched the new Captain America movie, which was awesome. I have serious fondness for Sebastian Stan after his performance in Kings, which was a short-lived show but elicited some really good acting on his part (and on other people's parts). Also, he is kind of awesome on Once Upon a Time, so I look forward to hearing from him again. I liked the buddy cop vibe between Natasha and Steve, and I really dug the fight choreography.
On Saturday I did more house chores, helped Cody pour cement in the garden so we could set up some poles to put up a runner line for Dingo, baked two dozen cupcakes, and then we went to game with the gang. I like how gaming with the gang has become less about nerding and more about married people socializing. We ran our RP, which was interrupted by nostalgia, debate, and other grown-up talk (which made it hard to play a teenager), and afterward the others played a boardgame while BenTen and I had an informal stitch-n-bitch. She worked on embroidery, I worked on crocheting, and we talked about life, got caught up. Since I'm not working out of an office much anymore I am not on Gchat like I used to be, and so now we no longer have our fun debates. She showed me her Scrivener program. Even though I know I can afford it, I'm not sure I want to use it.
I had a revelation about my writing this week. Reading so many social justice posts on Tumblr, panicking about getting published, and other things has kinda put me off my game. Not that I plan on writing terribly discriminatory novels or otherwise sociall insensitive pieces, but in trying to be informed I've overwhelmed myself. So I am going to go back to writing the way I used to before I got married, before I worried about publishing or anything else (which is a pipe dream for me anyway). I'm just going to write. I'm going to write stories I love, and actually finish them, and then on the editing phase I'm going to cleam them up.
I wrote a novel last year (started it in 2012, actually) and I was convinced it was horrible. I edited it some, put it aside, and came back to it. Read it again. It was less horrible, but still the thought of overhauling it seemed too daunting, especially since in fanfiction I can usually get away without what amounts to a first draft with a proof read. But then I looked at it again, and I thought to myself, I'm going to overhaul the novel. I'm going to write it from scratch, same basic premise, but do it again, and I think I can write something better.
So that's my plan.
Of course, in sorting the week's maiul today (filing useful stuff, shredding junk, deciding what requires a response) I found some more crafting supplies that had come in the mail unbeknownst to me, so I have all kinds of crafting projects coming at me. Besides gifts I owe people, I think I am going to back off learning too much new stuff and get cracking on this story I want to write. I am a little nervous about letting my other novel fall to the wayside, but I am going to obey the muse.
Also, I ran into another lawyer who has a creative writing blog, CNF, 500 words a day, and it made me miss the 100 words a day I used to do. So maybe I will pick that up again. Who knows.
Here's to a better week.
Friday training was pretty good. We started off the morning with a Paiute Drum ceremony, presented by some local young men who are from various Native nations but work together in presenting a particular local culture. It was narrated and conducted by older Native Men, one of whom is the GAL for a local tribe. It was beautiful and moving. Also, it made me think of my prison inmate penpal who, despite being a white dude, is very much interested in what he calls the Native way of life. He participates in Native religious ceremonies on a regular basis. Despite being a religious person myself, I am often skeptical of those who find religion while incarcerated. Being a WoC, I am also skeptical of white men who have an interest in non-Western culture. Often it screams Otherism, some form of orientalism, or cultural appropriation. But in reading some recent discussions about cultural appropriation versus exchange and reflecting on what my pen pal has told me about his pursuits, I find I must repent of my skepticism about his case because he is engaging in cultural exchange. All his participation in the Native way of life is guided by his Native American cellmates, and I commend him for being open-minded and culturally sensitive, as much as one can be in prison.
I received letters from both of my pen pals this week, and I am eager to write back. As ye sow, so shall ye reap. He or she who sends me letters will receive letters.
Friday training was also about the medical aspects of physical abuse of a child which, while grim, were good to know. Also, there was training specific to us GALs, which was helpful and clarified how I should do my job. Up to this point I've basically been tagging along with DCFS, but now I know that DCFS and I often have different goals, and I need to advocate for my goals better. Also, I found out that one of my clients was manipulating me, which is never a fun thing to learn, but now I know and can respond appropriately in the future. I know some people are shocked and a little horrified when I tell them that some kids can be in state custody up to the age of 21, but when it's a kid like this kid, who without treatment will probably be a serial killer, I don't mind that policy. He's old enough that he probably won't have suitable treatment before he ages out at 18, so keeping a kid like him till he's 21 is a good idea.
But hey, training ended early, and then work let out early because the office was too hot, and I came home. I got some cleaning and laundry done, and I even started to get the hang of this Tunisian crochet business. Also, I mastered the starburst stitch, and I plan on using it to make a blanket for my mom. Then Cody and I went out to dinner and watched the new Captain America movie, which was awesome. I have serious fondness for Sebastian Stan after his performance in Kings, which was a short-lived show but elicited some really good acting on his part (and on other people's parts). Also, he is kind of awesome on Once Upon a Time, so I look forward to hearing from him again. I liked the buddy cop vibe between Natasha and Steve, and I really dug the fight choreography.
On Saturday I did more house chores, helped Cody pour cement in the garden so we could set up some poles to put up a runner line for Dingo, baked two dozen cupcakes, and then we went to game with the gang. I like how gaming with the gang has become less about nerding and more about married people socializing. We ran our RP, which was interrupted by nostalgia, debate, and other grown-up talk (which made it hard to play a teenager), and afterward the others played a boardgame while BenTen and I had an informal stitch-n-bitch. She worked on embroidery, I worked on crocheting, and we talked about life, got caught up. Since I'm not working out of an office much anymore I am not on Gchat like I used to be, and so now we no longer have our fun debates. She showed me her Scrivener program. Even though I know I can afford it, I'm not sure I want to use it.
I had a revelation about my writing this week. Reading so many social justice posts on Tumblr, panicking about getting published, and other things has kinda put me off my game. Not that I plan on writing terribly discriminatory novels or otherwise sociall insensitive pieces, but in trying to be informed I've overwhelmed myself. So I am going to go back to writing the way I used to before I got married, before I worried about publishing or anything else (which is a pipe dream for me anyway). I'm just going to write. I'm going to write stories I love, and actually finish them, and then on the editing phase I'm going to cleam them up.
I wrote a novel last year (started it in 2012, actually) and I was convinced it was horrible. I edited it some, put it aside, and came back to it. Read it again. It was less horrible, but still the thought of overhauling it seemed too daunting, especially since in fanfiction I can usually get away without what amounts to a first draft with a proof read. But then I looked at it again, and I thought to myself, I'm going to overhaul the novel. I'm going to write it from scratch, same basic premise, but do it again, and I think I can write something better.
So that's my plan.
Of course, in sorting the week's maiul today (filing useful stuff, shredding junk, deciding what requires a response) I found some more crafting supplies that had come in the mail unbeknownst to me, so I have all kinds of crafting projects coming at me. Besides gifts I owe people, I think I am going to back off learning too much new stuff and get cracking on this story I want to write. I am a little nervous about letting my other novel fall to the wayside, but I am going to obey the muse.
Also, I ran into another lawyer who has a creative writing blog, CNF, 500 words a day, and it made me miss the 100 words a day I used to do. So maybe I will pick that up again. Who knows.
Here's to a better week.
