Say it ain't so!

Oh, but it is my friends. Yes, as a special treat to help make up for putting off Ep4 for so long, Episode 5 of Dreamfall is now available, a mere three days after I posted the last one! Cool, huh? :)

I also have some other fun things to share...

A funny YouTube video guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of any Star Trek or Monty Python fan.

And another interesting video for the writers out there...I think I want to be like him when I grow up. (NSFW)

Also, is this not the coolest sounding game? Almost makes me want to buy a PS3. (Almost.)

Finally, I suggest this podcast for anyone who wants to get in shape, or who needs a way to stretch out all the aches and pains of a physical job. (Such as cashiering) It's done wonders for me, and I've only been watching for the past three weeks or so. (I love my shiny new iPod with it's video capabilities, oh yes I do)

Also, I saw Hellboy 2: The Golden Army this past Sunday. (three cheers for having a short shift at work on a Sunday! w00t) Condensed verdict is that I really liked it, though there are a couple of things that bothered me. One I can't tell you about because it's a spoiler. The other is that Abe Sapien is no longer voiced by David Hyde Pierce! This makes me very unhappy. No offense to the new guy, but it really took away something from the character, at least in my opinion. He wasn't nearly as funny or sharp-witted as before. Instead he ended up being kind of bland and neutral, which is a shame, because Abe is probably my favorite character after Hellboy himself. But it was still a good movie.

That said, I can tell I've been spoiled by the hi-def plasma TV screen my mom bought for the family last month. When I got to the theater I couldn't help but notice how blurry and grainy the picture was, (which KILLED me because the graphics/costumes/etc. were SO EFFING COOL) and the sound was up so loud it was truly painful during action sequences. I can't wait for Hellboy 2 to come out on DVD so I can watch it at home and get all the gorgeous detail I missed in the theaters. From now on I don't think I'm going to bother seeing movies in an actual theater, unless it's so I can go out with friends. Everything looks better at home. (It's cheaper, too, and you don't have to put up with all those other people in order to watch your movie, even though the crowd at Hellboy was pretty well behaved.)

/ MAJOR LINK DUMP

Have a good day, everybody! =D

Episode 4 of Dreamfall is finally up! http://www.amandacales.com/dreamfall_ep4.html

Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I am a terrible, lazy person and should be mocked until I work harder. ^_^;;

Please enjoy the episode! I had fun with this one. :)

In light of the fact that I'm A) lazy and B) slow as molasses in February, I've switched Dreamfall off of a weekly schedule and onto more of a two-week release schedule. These episodes are a lot longer and require more editing than I'd originally planned on, so it seems fair that I give them the attention they need instead of constantly trying to force myself to crank out a new one every week. Also, just so you know, I've finished Episode 4, but it won't be posted for a little while longer. What I've got now is the rough draft, so I need to polish it a little before letting it loose on the world. I thought it would only be fair, though, if I made some kind of announcement so that y'all know I'm not totally dead and gone. :) Sorry, but work keeps me pretty busy. When I'm not hauling groceries to and fro, I'm so exhausted from hauling groceries that all I feel like doing is sleeping, eating, and watching TV. Bright side: I'm a human being with a working brain and as such I can do things like make the choice to listen to podcasts instead of watching TV, so that at least I can pretend to know what the heck is going on in the world around me instead of living under my dark, albeit comfortable, rock. :) So I'm catching up, I promise, but it's slow going. Bear with me, though. I'm trying really hard to get back into the writing groove and I'm determined to make it. [insert picture of a small terrier sinking its teeth into a chew toy and hanging on for grim death here]

At long last, Episode 3 of Dreamfall is finally up! Sorry about the long wait, everyone. But it's here now, and I'm going to do my best to make sure that sort of thing doesn't happen again. :) Enjoy!

After working another long week, (38 hours this time) I finally have a little room to breathe. I've got the next three days off to rest and recuperate, plus I'm taking some time off next week to go laptop shopping with my mom. We've both finally saved up enough money and I am SO excited to be so close to getting myself the laptop I've been wanting for over a year now. :) Plus, after I'm finished purchasing my lovely new Apple, I can start saving up for the other pieces of technology I've been craving, such as an Xbox 360, a new iPod, and of course lots of video games/music to go along with them. *squee* My poor 20-page-long Amazon wishlist has been sadly neglected over the past couple of months! It'll be nice to get back to shortening it.

Also, words do not describe how happy I am that the new Hellboy movie is finally coming out. I saw previews for it last night and I'm still squeeful. Unfortunately I haven't seen any of the other cool movies that have come out this summer, which is just terrible, but such is the danger of working life. (And not having a car) That's OK though, since I think we're going to go see Iron Man next week after laptop shopping has concluded. I'm amazed at how many interesting movies are coming out this year. Last year it seemed like we had hardly anything worth watching and now my list is so long, I can't keep up with it. On the bright side, maybe now we'll go see more movies since I can finally afford to pay for my own ticket, which makes it a little less expensive. (Though not if gas prices keep skyrocketing)

My writing hasn't been going so great, again thanks to my job. I'm so exhausted when I get home that trying to do anything creative is just too much for me to handle. I have managed to do a little work, though, and Episode 3 of Dreamfall is almost finished. I swear it's forthcoming, plus I'm going to use the extra time off this week to see if I can't get Episodes 4 and 5 done as well. No promises, though, because I've also got to spend time on other things, like catching up on chores and another project I've got going that I'm keeping under wraps for the moment.

The job hasn't been that peachy, either. All but a handful of my friends have left. Yesterday is probably the last time I'm going to see one of my best friends there, and it seems my superiors have decided that they just can't be bothered to train me for anything new and different, which means that I get to be a cashier stuck doing the exact same job day in, day out, from now until doomsday. I am not the sort of person who deals well with monotony. Especially not minimum wage monotony that's so exhausting and painful it's keeping me from my real work. Writers: don't quit your day job, but don't let your day job take over your life, either. Mine is dangerously close to doing so, not to mention I've developed a creeping depression because of it. Things will change soon-- I'll make sure of it-- but I am sad that a job I once enjoyed has so quickly turned sour. And I miss my friends. Not all of them are gone, but the ones I was closest to have moved on, and it makes me sad. Bright side: all this emotional turmoil will make for a wonderful story someday.

And that's your window in to the life for Amanda Cales for this week. :) Have a cookie.

Sorry I haven't been around much. A lot of people at work have either quit or been fired, which means that we're desperately short staffed this week, which in turn means that I'm working almost forty hours this week and I'm totally exhausted. That means I don't have as much time for surfing the internet as I used to. I've also been working hard keeping up with my real work, trying to make up for the fact that there was no episode of Dreamfall last week. Unfortunately I was so sick and tired (literally) after camping that trying to do anything creative was completely out of the question. But, I finished draft 2 of Episode 3 on Monday night, so I'll be posting the finished product it a little later on today. I had hoped to get two episodes out this week to make up for the delay last week, and I still might manage it, but I'm not going to make any promises. Today is my last day off and I've got a killer nine and a half hour shift this Saturday, so unless it gets done sometime in the next two and a half days, it's probably not going to get done at all. At least, not until next week. You wouldn't think that writing a weekly web series would be so hard, but of course appearances are deceiving. It also probably doesn't help that I'm a completely neurotic perfectionist when it comes to my work. =P

For those of you that don't know already, I'm taking a bit of a break from The Dead Robots' Society. I consider it a summer hiatus, to help me recharge my creative batteries and really focus on my writing. So far it's working, too. I won't be completely absent, of course. I've got plans for at least one or two special episodes, and you can still find me on the forums any time. I also plan to be present at Dragon*Con for at least a day this year, so I can meet my fellow co-hosts and properly heckle Justin when he's hosting his podcasting writers panel. XD

It amazes me how quickly the months are passing. It seems like only yesterday the air was chilly, everybody was drinking hot drinks and I was shopping for winter clothes. Now summer is here in full force, the air conditioning is running, and my 20th birthday is just around the corner. My life is virtually unrecognizable compared to where it was this time last year, and June also marks the four year anniversary of my family's move to Tennessee. Again, none of that seems like it was that long ago. Funny how time works, isn't it? Or maybe it's just the human perception of time that's funny. Who knows. (Doctor Who pun not intended.)

Well, that episode of Dreamfall isn't going to edit itself and I've probably blathered on about my life for long enough. If you're reading this, I hope things are going OK for you like they are for me. :)

A day late but not a dollar short, I am happy to present you all with Episode Two of Dreamfall! (Holy crap. I actually did something I said I'd do. SHOCKING.) My only regret is that it took me a little longer to post than I expected. Unfortunately I had some first draft issues that needed resolving. I'm glad I did what I did, though. Yet more proof that first drafts are allowed to suck, and that second (and third) drafts are very, very good things. :)

Happily I'll have plenty of time to recharge my creative batteries since I'll be going camping tomorrow and will have lots of time to rest whenever I feel like it! Yes, if anybody needs me, I'll be up in the Smoky Mountains wrestling bears, rabid squirrels, and Vols for the next two and a half days. Of course, blogging will occur upon my return, and I'll be sure to jot down any story ideas that the peaceful forest pops into my brain. In the meantime, please enjoy Episode Two!

OK. You know that super-secret project I've had going for awhile now? The one that occasionally gets me off my lazy arse and actually makes me write something? Well, this is me unveiling said project. You wanted me to put up work for critiquing? Here you go. I'm hoping it's the start of a weekly series, just a little something I post on the website on Wednesdays or Thursdays, something people can read quickly then comment on, a way for me to get more feedback on my writing style and keep my skills sharp. And, of course, I hope it's enjoyable to read. :) I've never done anything like this before in my entire life, but I...actually feel pretty confident about it, which comes as a surprise. I figured I'd be really nervous. It's been in the works for over a month now so I guess it's kind of a relief to finally get it out there. Plus this is going to help keep me honest, because of course I'll have so many loyal fans prodding me on and nagging me to get the new episode out there. How could I procrastinate with such a heavy responsibility? ;)

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Without further ado, I present to you Dreamfall.

Have fun. (I did.)

p.s. If all the pink is annoying, keep in mind I'll be revamping my website soon. I just really wanted to get this thing out before my mind exploded and, as such, didn't have time to de-fluff the place.

Look for weekly updates via The Dead Robots' Society homepage.

Damn. Do I know how to neglect this thing, or what? Heh.

Unfortunately most of the things that are happening to me at the moment I'd either like to keep to myself or share with close friends, so blogging about them publicly seems a little dumb. Suffice it to say I'm exhausted but happy, with increased hours at work, a little more money, and the same friends I've loved hanging out with ever since I started this job. Wednesday is going to be my 7 month anniversary, which isn't as pretty a number as 6 but there you have it. This weekend was awesome for various reasons, some of which involve large amounts of caffeine. (Well. Large for me. Since my sensitivity to caffeine is practically legendary the rest of you would probably laugh at how little I actually consumed, but whatever.)

Recently I've spent entirely too much money on clothing, though who can blame me when one of my favorite shops ever was absolutely bursting with $3, $5, and $7 racks full of adorable tops and jeans? You can't beat getting a great pair of jeans for $7, I don't care who you are. But the fact that my dad got a shiny new laptop and my mom got a shiny new iPod on Saturday, thus totally outstripping me on the technological front, has kind of made me realize I should probably start saving up if I actually want to catch up with the rest of the world and listen to my music on something that doesn't look and feel like a paperweight. On the bright side, I can occasionally borrow my dad's laptop when he isn't using it, which might help my writing productivity. I'm a little behind on my Cool Secret Project, mostly because of work, but I haven't abandoned it by any means so it'll be nice getting back to that.

I also went to my very first play on Saturday, and even though it was a high school production and I got there about forty five minutes late, I enjoyed it anyway. ^_^ One of the boys I know at work was in the play too, so I had a great time cheering him on. Next time I'll try and get there a little earlier so I don't end up camping out on the steps upstairs during the first act... *grin*

And that's pretty much all my news. :) Hope life is treating everyone well these days. It's been good to me the past week.

Lovely day at work today. There's a lot to be said for good weather and the presence of friends. :) I'm thoroughly exhausted, and not really looking forward to tomorrow much, but I'll cope. This week will be pretty light for me--only 20 hours--which is good. It's nice to have a little break every now and then. Plus there's a little camping trip my family has planned in late May to look forward to, as well as my dad's birthday coming up soon. I'm especially excited about the camping, since I've never been before in my life. It's going to be really cool. =D For now, my biggest challenge at home is to keep writing (I've got a new project that I'm very excited about--no details yet but it's going to be fun) without convincing myself that it's no good before I even get started. I've encountered a couple of small plot snares and they've been beating my motivation to a pulp, but I've decided to set them aside for now and fix them later. The answer will come to me, I just have to give myself a chance and not succumb to the urge to head for the hills. Hopefully I'm making the right choice by doing that and I won't end up with another gnarled monstrosity like TSW on my hands. I just can't think straight when it comes to that book. *shudder*

I love being busy. :)

Oh, and before I forget, this is my new favorite thing. These reviews are brilliant and funny and definitely not safe for work. >=D If you like video games at all, check this guy out.