swordBeatsPaper

The Last Moon Elf: Chapter 1

October 4, 2015November 29, 2015paperbackdragon1 Comment

This is a novel that took me five years to write and edit. It then sat on my computer, untouched, for another five years. Only a handful of friends and relatives have read it. Now, I’ve decided that it deserves the light of day, because it’s not doing anyone any good just hiding on my hard drive.

I am going to post one chapter to this blog every week until I’ve posted the whole novel. Please tell me your thoughts! The only way for me to get better at writing is to write–and to receive and incorporate feedback.

Here is …

Book Review: The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman

September 28, 2015December 25, 2015paperbackdragon

Have you ever pushed on a door when it was supposed to be pulled? Or forgot to save your work on a document? Or had trouble using a new phone or app? We tend to blame ourselves when these things happen, but we shouldn’t. They’re problems with design.

The Design of Everyday Things is an excellent primer on how design decisions should be made, and why products tend to deviate from ideal designs. It’s essential for designers, and very helpful for engineers who often have to–or want to–take on design themselves. It’s actually an interesting read for anyone who wants …

Clothes Shopping!

August 29, 2015paperbackdragon

I got a chance to go clothes shopping with a friend last week–in person this time! Since the last Stitch Fix I got was disappointing, I had a hankering for new clothes. I also had some good ideas for what I wanted, since I’ve been pinning things on my fashion pinterest board a lot lately. I chose five items for myself and did my own kind of Stitch Fix, which I’m very happy with. Jeans and stripes FTW!

Jean Shirt – Gap

I really like the casual “working” kind of look that a chambray or jean shirt like this has. …

Stitch Fix #2

August 12, 2015paperbackdragon

For an explanation of what this service is, see my first post. And if you’re interested in the service, use my referral link!

This second Stitch Fix box was not my style. Here’s my fashion pinterest board for reference. I ended up with a different stylist, which maybe meant she either didn’t read all my feedback from before, or just didn’t understand my style well enough. Kind of a let down. These were the contents, from the top:

Quebec Embroidered Peasant Top

This was unfortunately not my style at all. Too billowy and sheer, and I’m not a …

Stitch Fix #1

July 29, 2015paperbackdragon

These days I’ve been too busy to go clothes shopping. Even when I do have time to go shopping, I’d rather do other things (like binge on The Witcher). I’m not the type to wear much makeup or spend a long time getting ready in the morning. As a software engineer, my workplace is very casual. Most mornings I just throw on a t-shirt, jeans, and a hoodie, and I’m good to go. But I’ve been getting bored with the same old stuff every day and wanted to try some new things.

In comes Stitch Fix. I heard about …

Catching My Excuses

January 29, 2015paperbackdragon1 Comment

I’ve been on a bit of a writing hiatus. Okay, more than a bit. I haven’t written anything other than technical docs at work and the occasional small Facebook post for at least six months, and really it’s been a lot longer since I wrote regularly. I’ve been asking myself why, and for a while I felt like writing was so much of a chore and a guilt-trip that I had been mistaken in my young aspirations to write. That I’m not capable of writing anything good, and that the encouragement I got from other people had just been …

My Struggle with Work-Life Balance

June 9, 2014paperbackdragon

I’ve been learning a lot over the past year about what it means to work as a software engineer. What “work-life balance” means to me–and how difficult it is to get there–is my current biggest challenge. I have a great job and a boyfriend that I love, but what does that leave time for? My introverted nature means that most of my social life involves spending time with my boyfriend and my cat, and the occasional excursion to visit my friends, most of whom live at least a little far away.

Spending time with these people means I get to …

Writing Again

August 18, 2013paperbackdragon1 Comment

This past week, I’ve felt the need to have something I focus on in my spare time. I may not have a lot of spare time these days, but I don’t have nothing, and I’m happiest when I spend that amount of time doing something fulfilling. I thought about getting into a video game I played a few years ago, and I even tried it for a few days, but I quickly remembered the reasons I put it down and decided against it. I’ve felt sad that I haven’t managed to do much writing these past couple months, and I …

The Problem With Critics

June 6, 2013paperbackdragon9 Comments

In February this year, I entered my book in a writing contest. I sent in two copies of the first 30 pages and a 1-page synopsis. The best part about it was that I’d get two critiques, no matter if I ended up a finalist or not. I hadn’t had an editor (let alone two) with no relation to me take a look at my work and give me honest advice before, and it was a great opportunity.

I found out sometime last week by email that I wasn’t a finalist. I was a little let down, but not heartbroken. …

The Downside

March 14, 2013paperbackdragon1 Comment

I am in a very unique position in life, and I don’t quite know how to deal with it.

Nine months after graduating with a BSc in Computing Science, I’ve moved country, got settled in a new apartment, and been hired into a well-paying, rewarding full-time job. This may sound great–and it totally is, mostly–but there is one big challenge that comes with it that I’ve really found difficult: my social life.

I am a young woman in a software development role. I am younger than literally everyone else at work (because I graduated a year ahead of most students …