Resources for NaNoWriMo

This is a collection of writing tools and resources I've used this year for NaNoWriMo

Scrivener: http://literatureandlatte.com/

Zim Wiki: http://zim-wiki.org/

Map Creator Tutorial: http://calthyechild.deviantart.com/art/Fantasy-Map-TutorialxResources-258559867

Chaotic Shiny Generators: http://chaoticshiny.com/

Fantasy Name Generators: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/

Animal Groups: http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoryOverBC/status/529768543412568064

Doll Divine: http://www.dolldivine.com/hobbit-and-lotr-dress-up-game.php

SFWA Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/



Happy worldbuilding!

October 31: And Elsewhere on the Web

My story ran in other blogs as well this year.

First, there was Young Survival Coalition, which ran my story on their social media sites on October 13th, which is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

Metastatic From the Start, featured on METAvivor's blog

I was featured on Telling Knots, in a two-part entry: Part I and Part II


* * *

There were a number of good blog entries elsewhere on the web this month too.

Think Before You Pink

Pushing Up Daisies

Let's Stop 'Dumbing Down' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns

When TODAY Said I Was 'Not Bald Enough' 

Why some women with breast cancer dread October

Attack of the Pinktober Sharks

A Day in the Life of a Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer Patient

Project Metastatic Breast Cancer

The Problem with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month  

Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer - the MBC Edition

Living with Stage 4: The breast cancer no one understands


Having breast cancer means being ‘aware’ every day, not just in October 

Wedding Day!

This is scheduled to be posted automatically during the time of the wedding. I want to thank everyone for making this day possible.

First, thanks goes to Wish Upon A Wedding, because without them, none of this would be happening.

To Cindy Lange-Kubick of the Lincoln Journal-Star, for running a feature in today's paper to highlight Wish Upon A Wedding and the awesome people who made everything happen.

To Tina Schneckloth, my wedding planner from Kimera Wedding & Events, for all of her hard work getting everything coordinated and on board with this event. She's the reason everything is going so smoothly. And an extra thanks to Jen from Cherry On Top Events for helping Tina set everything up today and your assistance in seeing that it all runs like clockwork.

To the Willow Creek Glass Chapel and the Millard Plaza Ballroom for hosting the Ceremony and Reception, respectively.

To Shari from I Choose You Ceremonies for officiating the wedding, and writing up a beautiful ceremony for this special day.

To Andrea Erickson, for lending your powerful voice to a performance of Shania Twain's "From This Moment On" during the processional.

By Marla Austin Photography

To Scott from A Joyful Rose DJ Service for providing the music throughout the wedding and the reception, and having even a few obscure songs we wanted.

To Marla Austin from Marla Austin Photography for the beautiful pictures taken for the engagement and the wedding itself.

To Cali from A Sound Impression for the wonderful engagement video and the videography of the wedding and reception.

To Blush Makeup Artistry and the EQ School of Hair Design for doing the entire wedding party's makeup and hair, and working with my wig so I can wear my veil.

To Rhylan Lang for the stunning bridal jewelry gifted to the two of us to help make the day even more special (and sparkly!)

To Corum's Flowers and Gifts and Country Elegance for the flowers and decorations for the chapel and reception hall.

To the KROC Center Catering for a delicious meal, and to The Cake Gallery for a gorgeous wedding cake. A tasty note to a wonderful day from the both of them.

To M&M Advertising for the beautiful invitations, to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for the wedding favors, and to Memories For Life for the guestbook.

To Jone-Z Party Bus for the transportation to and from the chapel, and finally to the Hampton Inn and Suites for providing a room for Jen and I after the reception so we might have a chance to unwind in private. (We have 3 out of town guests currently staying with us over the week around the wedding)

It's an incredible day and it wouldn't be what it is without the contributions and help from each and every one of you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this, and may the coverage send paying customers your way. That's the gift I have in return for everyone's amazing generosity.

Still Waters

You know what they say. Still waters run deep. Right now I haven't been updating the blog because, well, I've been updating the blog. I have over twenty entries queued up to be published, one per day, throughout the month of October. I'm not done. I want to have one post for every day. I have a couple incoming guest posts (hopefully) and at least one interview with someone at METAvivor, hopefully two. (I haven't heard back from one of the ladies I've asked yet)

I also started a Facebook page specifically for this blog, for a few reasons. One, so people don't have to friend me (and vice versa) just to be notified when I update, and two, so I don't end up spamming my wall with posts, especially in October when I'll be sharing one post a day. You can find and like it at Metathriving on Facebook.

Things are falling into place for the wedding, along with an upcoming interview with Cindy Lange-Kubick of the Lincoln Journal Star which will focus on Wish Upon A Wedding, and run in the Sunday edition the day of the wedding, September 28th. I'll be sure to post a link as soon as I can, which probably won't be until the Monday after.

The sample demo our wedding planner put together

 

We have the catering menu selected. The two main dishes will be Madeira Chicken (Pan seared chicken breast kissed with a shitake mushroom Madeira sauce) and Pork Loin Roulade (Apple, cranberry, sage stuffing, cider-juniper veloute). Jen is getting the chicken, and I'm eyeing that pork loin hungrily. The cake will be a single layer cake with cupcake tiers, with dove cake toppers and decorated with snowflakes. This is a nod to both our deities. Jen is a daughter of Loki, who, according to Norse mythology, is a Frost Giant. (No, that's not just a Marvel movie thing, and in the myths, he's Odin's oath brother, not Thor's adopted brother. Marvel takes a lot of creative liberties with the myths) And I follow Yeshua, hence the doves.

We have a great DJ who Jen is working with to create the soundtrack for the evening. Our song of choice for the first dance is a bit unusual, but the song fits us so well. "Here's To Us" by Halestorm.

Stuck it out this far together
Put our dreams through the shredder
Let’s toast cause things got better
and everything could change like that
And all these years go by so fast
But nothing lasts forever

Here's to us
Here's to love
All the times
That we messed up
Here's to you
Fill the glass
Cause the last few nights
Have kicked my ass
If they give you hell
Tell em to go fuck themselves
Here's to us
Here's to us

Like I said, it's not a traditional choice, but it suits us and our history. That's more important than picking out some overplayed pop or country song because it's "typical". This is our wedding, and we want it to reflect us.

To recap, if you want to be notified of updates to the blog and you're on facebook, you can Like the page Metathriving. I also have a Twitter, and I try to remember to link updates there as well.

A wealth of Information

One of the things I like to do is collect information. A just-for-fun quiz on Facebook the other day said I was a Yenta. A total busybody who wants to know everyone's business. It's not quite untrue. I don't gossip or share other people's personal details, but I like being in the know, I like information. And when something happens, I hit Google and start searching for that information.

I found a wealth of things that were relevant to my breast cancer diagnosis. They either pertained to breast cancer directly, or they were part of the metastatic reality. I keep a public collection of these links available to other cancer patients, and some of them are linked in the righthand column of my blog, but I want to highlight a few of the information sites, along with some blogs, today.

The first is METAvivor which I've mentioned several times in the past. A non-profit group, 100% of their donations go to research specifically for metastatic breast cancer. It's run by people with or impacted by MBC, so they understand the importance of MBC awareness and advocacy. They are the creators of the Metastatic Breast Cancer ribbon and colors. seen to the left.

Next is the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. Like METAvivor, they funnel donations toward metastatic breast cancer research. They're also credited for making October 13 the National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. They are probably the most organized site for information on MBC on the web.

While not strictly metastatic in topic, I'd be remiss if I did not spotlight HIS Breast Cancer Awareness. With all the pinkwashing, men are so often overlooked for breast cancer. Men can and do get it, and because of the lack of understanding and awareness, it's usually stage III or IV by the time it's caught.

Another important source of information is Advanced Breast Cancer. They have a detailed FAQ as well as a comprehensive listing of various standard forms of treatment for MBC, listed by both trade and generic name, and the type of treatment.

By far one of the best sites of information and support for young women any stage of Breast Cancer, including the oft-ignored Stage IV, there's the Young Survival Coalition. With more and more women under the age of 40 getting a breast cancer diagnosis, there's a growing membership and their Navigator packets, which are free, are extremely helpful.

For research studies and clinical trials, there's the Army Of Women, which also welcomes men, and women who aren't diagnosed with breast cancer. You sign up and from time to time, if there's a study or clinical trial that you might qualify for, you get an email alerting you to this fact. It's entirely voluntary, just another source of information that you can choose to act on if you please.

If you find yourself in need of assistance with medication or treatments, visit the Patient Access Network Foundation. They cover far more than just Metastatic Breast Cancer, and they're an invaluable resource for many.

Another good resource that's free for use is the My Wonderful Life. It's a funeral planning website with a great deal of flexibility. And they also offer a program to allow you to pre-pay for your funeral. You can determine what you want to happen to your body on the event of your death, you can write your own obituary, you can write letters to loved ones that will be delivered after you pass, and give you the peace of mind knowing that you've worked out the details in advance so your loved ones don't have that additional stress of planning a funeral.

Wish Upon A Wedding isn't the only wish foundation for adults. There's also the Dream Foundation, which is the adult version of Make-A-Wish, and like WUW, it's not specific to breast cancer. On the specific-to-breast-cancer end, there's the Little Pink Houses of Hope, offering a week-long retreat for those with breast cancer and their families.

Before I move on to highlighting some blogs of other Metsters, there's another site that features a wide variety of links. Someone took the time to track down all the Breast Cancer Freebies and other support resources out there

Now onto the other blogs.

Telling Knots is a poignant and powerful blogger, with thoughts covering not just the metastatic breast cancer experience, but life in Israel in the middle of political and military conflicts.

Regrounding is a blog run by the president of METAvivor, Lori Marx-Rubiner, and covers many aspects of cancer, research, and advocacy. 

Uppity Cancer Patient is a blog from one woman with metastatic breast cancer, and discusses some of the realities and issues women with MBC face.

There are more blogs out there, but these are the ones I read, and the ones that deal with Metastatic Breast Cancer that I know about. Feel free to comment with links to more that fit the criteria of having a focus on MBC.

It's my hope that someone will read this entry and be introduced to a resource they hadn't previously known existed, and their life will be richer for the help and information it provides.