Week 10 - And thus the year almost ends...

Let's be honest: this year has sucked, oh so hard, creativity-wise. Aside from working on my cross-stitch, I've been at a complete creative standstill. I've felt exhausted for months. Gotten tired of the way my world looks. Little bit of life-hating thrown into the mix.

As of this week, my workhours were reduced after requesting it. Going from 28 to 24, though financially a dumb move, is a smart move on all accounts. After all, once you're spent (and it's gotten increasingly clear I am spent with how many times I've hurt myself the last few weeks), once you break, you're done. That's financially worse. So, thinking long-term, we went for the 24-hour week which, considering my job's physically and mentally demanding nature, was a necessary choice. I can't keep living like I'm not. I've given enough.

This said, my 10-days vacation is starting on new year's day ^______^ YAY VACATION OMG. And I plan on asking for some more in March and in June, because dear god I seriously deserve it (and, y'know, vacation time needs to get used).

Taking a little moment right here to say how long it's been since I sat down and took the time to write. Even if it is a blogpost. As said, this year has sucked. Majorly. And I don't know what 2016 will look like, but I think it'll largely depend on how much space I allow my job to take up in my personal life. I'm not in an emotional situation right now to judge how well I'll fare, so... We'll be getting where we want to get, one step at a time.

This end of year, starting yesterday, is all about setting the year I want into motion. Wait, what, yesterday?

That's right.

Yesterday was Within Temptation's Black X-mas concert in Tilburg, Holland, which we attended along with my bf's quickly-becoming-best-friend.

D'aww. Mine's the left one XD

It was so. Fucking. Great. To see my absolute favorite band perform live. For X-mas. Which was gothirific.

And I looked awesome, thanks to my oh so talented mother-in-law who managed to sew me a costume fitting the dresscode ('dark creatures') within a week!

Come, Children, and embrace the dark. X3

I can't begin to express -especially without freaking crying XD;- how much this evening has meant to me. How much it means to have watched Within Temptation live, to have had their music literally drum through my body and soul, to watch their energy and their love for their fans and their art filling the entire scene. I feel envigorated again, happy, ready to get that soul's blood pumping again through the music that has been with me since their breakthrough in 2001. Their music is quite literally my soulfood. I need it. And having gotten some live energy, accompanied by my two cute lil' Wannabe-Vampires, has made life good again.

So, with 2016 in sight, what have I accomplished this past week and a half?

Writing: no writing - but, as often, much thinking, and watching characters talk, hypothetical scenes unfold, and the world evolve into a yet darker version of what it once was. Necromancers play a great part in my story, and their influence has kept spreading in my mind from town to town, from corrupted rulers to greedy opportunists, with the world's asphyxiation as result. It's a dark, dark place to be in, with few sparks of light remaining. Dark, dark place. ... damn do I like these places << XD

Drawing: well, I've gotten a sketch done today for the Secret Santa over on a group I'm a part of on Deviantart - meaning I can't share it. I'm really late starting it, as is my bad habit, but at the very least I know what I want to go for, so I should be done in time for x-mas :)

Other: very little evolution on the stitching part, so I'm not going to share it for now. Nothing else to report.

Challenge: ehh I'm gonna refrain from issuing a challenge for the good reason I have a 6-day workweek coming up, from 26th to 31st, and I have still so much to get ready for the end of year party at our house. So I guess getting ready for that is my challenge XD