Montana Sapphires!!

So, this summer, my family and I went to Montana on vacation. We went to a place called Gem Mountain where you can actually find your own sapphires (and other gems, but mostly sapphires). You buy a bucket of rocks ($15 for 1) and you wash them and search for them yourself. I know that it might now sound like a lot of fun, but the minute you find your first gem (looks like glass against everything else) you're hooked.

To find the stones, you are given a tray you use to wash the dirt off the stones and shake it so the sapphires sink to the bottom of the tray and directly in the middle. Then you take the tray to a table and flip it over. You should find the gems right smack in the middle of the rocks, shining in the light just like glass.

What you might not know, is that sapphires don't start out blue. Almost all of them are crystal clear. Some of them will be yellow tinted, or even a light green. They're easy to see if they're where you shook them. (Sapphires are actually heavier than regular rocks so when you shake them, they sink to the bottom.) The people that run the place give you a film canister with slits on the top to push the gems through so they don't go all over the place. (Which is really, really, bad.)

If you happen to look like you're not doing so good, some worker(s) will come up, as if you're finding anything... SO NO!! They will get you a whole tray full of rocks not in your bucket and clean them for you. I found 15 stones in one tray whereas it was rare to find more than 5.

One of the rare sapphires you can find is the pink sapphire. I found one. a 1.73 carat one. I was so excited when they said that I had found something. Unfortunately, it had a spiderweb crack through the middle of the gem.

Unfortunately, out of all the gems that my family and I, there were only three stones that were big enough (without any cracks on the inside) for us to be able to have fired (That's where they get their color), send to China to get cut (yeah, long way to get cut), and about 6 months later, you get a sapphire mailed to your house.

Now, you don't have a say in what shape the stone will be cut into. It just depends on the shape of the raw stone. The one that I got was cut into what's called 'Princess' style and went from over a 1 carat stone into a .44 kt beauty. Perfect for me, I know. ;) While my mom's was cut into a 'Round Brilliant' and was cut into a .34 kt gem. Both of the colors are a little different. My mom's is more blue and mine has more teal in the center. Under the right light, in the middle of both stones, looks crystal clear. It's pretty awesome.

So, since I've been talking about this, I thought I should add some pictures.

Using a macro lens, we're able to see the detail in the gem. Pretty, isn't it?

Then, using photoshop, we magnified it so you get an even closer look. Hehehe, I found that all on my own. I dug (not really, but it felt like it) it out of the dirt, cleaned it, and am able to call it my own. Oh, how it love it!!

If you want the address to the mine, you can access their website by the following link: http://gemmountainmt.com/default.aspx

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. aka: leave a comment, please. ;)

Snickers

Yesterday I posted a blog about my dog, Snickers, and I thought I should post some pictures of him.

Isn't he just the cutest?? :)

Puppies

Puppies are just so cute aren't they? They're so innocent looking and stupid and they just make you want to grab their cheeks and kiss them right on the nose. I had a Shetland Sheepdog and when he was a puppy, he was the CUTEST little thing you'd ever seen.

Snickers was his name, and being silly was his game. He loved to be around you no matter what you were doing and just wanted to be in the room with you (even if you're in the bathroom). He loved to chew on anything he could get too (socks, toilet paper, underwear, the wall itself) and would give you that look that says: "What did I do?" Hard to punish them when they're like that.

We had to put Snickers down last year (after 9 years of having him with us) because of cancer in his lungs and a mass in his intestines that made him not want to eat anything. I will miss him, since he was my first dog. How can anyone not?

When I grow up, and get my own house, I'm going to get a Siberian Husky and Belgian Shepard puppies. Why do you ask? Because:

One: They're just the right size that I want.
Two: They have enough fur so I don't have to worry about them getting terribly cold in the winter.
Three: They are just darn cute!

Of course there are other reasons why I would want them. But first things first... I need a house with a big fenced in yard.

Flute Amazingness

This is a video that my brother sent me, saying that I had to learn how to do this. I watched it and thought... wow, yeah right. This guy is really good and he's just fun to watch as he does this. Take a look:

"Message for ya sir!"

Well, I finally received word from the agency that I sent a query too. As I thought, they rejected it in a nice manner; saying that they "did not feel it was the right fit for [their] agency." Well, I was right to hope that they would send it after finals. I was so shocked to see that I got an answer from them. After 2 weeks.

I haven't let that put me down. I guess that's because I wasn't really expecting to get an instant acceptance. I have sent another [better] query to another agency and am hoping that this will go better than the last one. One of their clients is an author that I read and she has a book in the same 'genre' that mine it so I'm hoping that this one will have a better response. *Crosses fingers

Since Christmas break is here, I have more time on my hands and I have no idea what to do. I have ordered some books off of MEL so I can have something to read. Hopefully they will give me incentive to continue to write my other story.

Fear

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust" - T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land

We don't actually fear death; we fear that no one will miss our absence. That we will disappear without a trace. It reminds me of the bible quote, "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

What do you think?

Nerves Are A Killer

I've written before that I've finished a book. Well, I sent a query to an agent/agency. I don't know when I'll hear back from them, maybe in a week or so, but...

I'M SO NERVOUS!!!!

I don't really expect to get an answer saying they want to represent my book on the first try. But there's that hope that it will happen. Hahaha, yeah right. I just hope I don't get the rejection letter before finals. That would suck.

Even Stephenie Meyer didn't get an instant acceptance letter. She had to send letters to multiple agents before someone showed interest.

I can only send a letter to one agent at a time. I can't send a query to multiple agents, unless I tell them I am. But chances go down that they'll be interested in it. If this agent doesn't work out, I already have another one in mind. Both of these agencies have represented authors that I read. A coincidence believe me. I thought that must be a sign or something.

*Crosses fingers.

If I get a rejection letter, I probably won't send another right away. I believe I should have my second book more developed before I do that. I have a tendency to get bored with a book after a few months. Then I start/continue another book before going back to the other.

I believe this will change id I actually can get a book published. And that's a big if.

But I have confidence that I will. Sooner or later.

Starting Out

Why is it so hard to start a story? The ending and middle is so easy, but it's the beginning that totally kicks my ass. Maybe it's because of all the pressure that is put on that first sentence to draw in the readers--to get them interested. I think that sucks.

Here I am, staring at the words 'Chapter 1,' as I try to figure out how to start the story. I already know everything that's going to happen and how it's going to happen. But I can't figure out the first frickin' line. Or how to start this thing.

Argh.

FINALLY!!

Today was the day that I finished my story Prey: A Phantom Academy Novel. I can't believe it. I'm so proud of myself--this is the first book that I've finished that I haven't posted on the internet for anyone to read. This is the first one that I've actually considered sending to a publisher.

Well, technically, I have to get an agent interested in it to want to send it to a publisher. To be able to get the agent, I have to send them:

1.  A 1 sentence catch line for my story
2.  A mini-synopsis
3.  A "story biography" meaning: what made me write the story and if a character was inspired by someone in my life.

I still have my work cut out for me. At least I still feel accomplished.

Now, onto some other projects to clear my mind and get new ideas before starting the second book in the series.

Homework Should Be Illegal

It seems all that I do on the weekends is homework. Sure I know that it's expected, being in college and all, but it's extremely tedious. I'm in my junior year and am still surprised be how much professor's don't care how much homework they give you; or how much other professor's give you. Here I just finished writing two papers (both 5 pages) and correcting two more to turn in again. I have another paper due next Monday that has to be 3-4 pages on a Mathematician that's been dead for a very long time, and math homework that seems to be coming out of the woodwork.

Homework is a bitch and I don't mind admitting it. I don't personally know anyone that loves to do the stuff. It's like allowing someone to shove bamboo under your finger's voluntarily.

*Shakes fist at textbooks*

New Celebrity Status

When I first sent my story to my cousin, I didn't suspect that other people would want to read it. First it was just her roommate, then one of her other friends, then that friend's roommate. Soon, I'm being hounded for more chapters and questions about what's going to happen, who's the bad guy and if he's going to get what's due. I went to stay with my cousin on SAU campus. One of their other friends, that hasn't read the story, asks is I was the Katie that my cousin and co. were talking about.


Embarrassed, thy name is Katie.

I've never been popular in any kind of way in my whole 20 years of life. Family doesn't count. Now I seem to be a hot commodity here in Spring Arbor. Whereas in my hometown, I'm practically invisible. Why, oh why, hadn't I found people like these girls when my self-esteem was low and self-worth was practically nonexistence. I've been more excited in the past 3 weeks than when I open presents on Christmas Day. What does that say about my life? I don't know. I don't like trying to psychoanalyze my life.

The Beginning

Congratulations to me for finally getting a blog! I was coerced into getting one and I finally did it. Thanks to the lovely ladies at Spring Arbor University.

Well, now the question to ask is this: What the hell do I do now?

I guess that would be to explain what I'm doing, going to do, and what I did.


What I did:  For the past few weeks, I've been sending friends and cousins the book that I've been working on for almost a year. This is the first time that anyone would have read it. At first I was nervous, because I thought that I was actually a sucky writer and no one would like what I wrote and it was full of grammatical errors. As it turns out, my stories quite the hot item. I'm on chapter 30 and they're begging for more. You should've seen my face when my cousin e-mailed me for more. I thought that she was just saying that cause I am her cousin and she didn't want to hurt my feelings.  She tells me that she loves it and wants to show her roommate and a few of her friends. I say yes, and now they were on me like white on rice for more.

What I'm going to do:  Well, if I want to keep my skin in place, I'd have better start writing like there is no tomorrow. I love writing, don't get me wrong. I'm just afraid that I'll run out of ideas quickly, or use ones that have already been used. As my cousin, Elise, would say "You can do it!" She has such a way of getting my spirits up. I love her to death!

What I'm going  to do:  My plans for the next few weeks are too finish my story (only 2 more chapters to go!!) and get through Thanksgiving without gaining too much weight from the delicious food my mom makes. Bless her. To get back to the writing aspect, I plan on writing a second book in my series called "Skinned" it's still a title in process, but I think it fits. But predictable at the same time. Let's hope that someone likes my books so my self-esteem will go up from the help of my friends and family.

Here's to hoping!

Over and out.