Should I try to continue this story, The Helper? I didn't get much feedback from it when I originally posted it and I'm still not clear how I'd want to end it though I do know how I want the next few chapters to be.

I am intrigued by the idea of the Holostar book by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff that's due out in 2011. It's described as being a rags-to-riches story about an actor during the Rebellion. There's no information about if it's a male or female, human or not, at least none I've seen so far. And then there's Death Troopers which I am very much looking forward to. A combo horror/Star Wars novel, what could be better! I'm still in a vague shock about the Invasion comic book and have a I-have-to-see-it-before-I-believe-it feeling. There are two new main characters but the characters from New Jedi Order, Jacen, Anakin, Luke, etc., are still supposed to be included. What intrigues me the most is how these characters will be drawn. Luke we've seen just about every way possible, but we've only seen the Solo brothers on the book covers. Now there will be a new supply of images.:)

By the way, co-author of Holostar, Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (yes, her middle name really does have those two a's in it even though it looks odd), will be doing a weekly blog about her writing at Book View Cafe. Check out her post about Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force at A Padawan's Star Wars Journal, Entry #1: Writing in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. It sounds interesting and I bookmarked the page since I'm so forgetful.

It's been a while since I've had a genuine stomach bug that wasn't related to a cold or medicine or something. It's not pleasant. I had forgotten how it felt to be chained to the bathroom and staring at the same old battered tile floor.

I think I'm out of the information loop here but...what is Fanboys? I keep seeing that mentioned here and there and it sounds like a movie but I haven't seen any kind of previews of it. Guess I could click the brain to "on" and go and look it up...

Computer problems from hell, people. And I still don't think it's really fixed. I don't think they know how to fix it.

Hello, dear long lost journal. How awful of me to have been gone so long.

What have I been doing...working, working, and more working. Shuttling the kids here, there, and everywhere. Every moment is spoken for during most days it seems. I don't mind too much, especially during the winter, but once spring arrives, all bets are off. My mother is getting to where she's not able to get out much. She has such bad arthritis in her legs and hips that some days are very painful for her. I try to check on her as much as possible, even if it's only briefly some days. I have other family who live right next door to her and on the same street so they see her more than I do but I still feel guilty I'm not there more.

Work has been going well the past few months. Not that the pay is any better, it's definitely not, but I enjoy it a lot more. I feel like I'm doing something useful for other people as well as earning a paycheck.

Let's see...I'm still a Star Wars fangirl. Even more so now that I've been watching The Clone Wars every week. I still read every Star Wars book that comes along. I still like Supernatural, even though the writers have pretty much screwed up the brotherly relationship between Dean and Sam and twisted Sam into a different and almost unlikeable character. I also watch several new shows when I get a chance, if I don't sleep through them which I do an embarassingly lot of the time, Life on Mars, The Mentalist, Eleventh Hour, My Own Worst Enemy (already canceled!), and Fringe. Old favorites too when I can figure out what night they're on, Life, CSI, Smallville, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Prison Break, and Without a Trace. I've heard Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone have already been canceled.

I still read but it takes me days to finish a book now, a chapter or two a day is a great accomplishment. I haven't written any fanfiction, haven't even worked on the ideas and stories I started on 2 years ago. That kind of saddens me.

Should I write more of The Helper? That's my Darth Vader story that I haven't even worked on since last summer. Nobody really commented on it...maybe they could tell how lost I was.

I picked up two mystery books at the market with my food. It's a shame to have to pay $8 for a paperback book. I was thinking about reading all weekend and hiding. But I'd gotten a call from old boyfriend #2 and was invited to a little dinner get together thing with him and 4 or 5 others I went to college with. Do you know how much I do not want to do that? And they're nice people and had been good friends, even old boyfriend #2 cause he's NOTHING like old boyfriend #1 but that's another story, but I'm really not sociable right now.

I didn't go to work today. It was for my own sanity that I stayed home. Well, actually I didn't stay home the whole day. I tried to sleep late but the back pain kicked in and once that happens I might as well get up. I was starving and there was nothing that didn't require cooking and I was determined that I was not going to cook on my day off. Besides I'd cleaned the kitchen good last night and I wanted it to stay magazine presentable.

The cat was very confused. Poor old Chauncy hid behind the sofa in the living room. Apparently I interrupted his usual routine by being home on a weekday.

I finally got dressed about 11:00 after deciding there actually is nothing on daytime TV that I had to watch. And I wanted to make sure not soap opera came on and brainwashed me. My mom still watches them faithfully. She plans her days around them.

I went to a small restaurant/bar. Had a sandwich I didn't want...I can't stand that grisly stuff in the meat and some kind of cheap wine. That probably didn't go together but since i didn't really eat the sandwich, it didn't matter. Caught my stupid self looking around for old boyfriend #1, slapped my hand. No, no, NO getting involved even casually with him again. I had a heart-thumping moment thinking I saw one of the other girls from the office but it was just a lookalike, a prettier one too.

I walked on the riverbank, I went in the bookstore...sorriest damn excuse for one I've ever seen. Am I really the only one in the whole city that reads Star Wars books?

Then I went home and lay on the couch in my raggedy old nightgown and my favorite pillow and my cat who forgave me for messing up his schedule and a big glass of real Dr. Pepper...never, ever, ever try that berries flavored kind, you'll die...and felt GOOD. No work, no old or new boyfriends, no answering the phone.

I am living on ibuprofen. I'm sick of all these treks to the doctor's office and all his poking and nodding and I can't understand half the shit he says. Every painkiller he prescribes either doesn't work and/or makes me horribly nauseated. Hence the love affair with store brand ibuprofen.

And my ears are RINGING constantly. I try not to listen but sometimes it drowns out other noises. I had a bout with this a few years ago and I'm blaming some of the medicines I've had the past few months for triggering it once again.

And I keep running into old boyfriend #1. Every time I look crappy I can guarantee I will see him. I could bet money on it and make a fortune. Speaking of fortunes, this guy has some money. But unfortunately he's also crazy as a loon, you know there's always got to be a problem. But I have honestly been trying to steer clear of him and I did think all these meetings were accidental except that they're adding up at an alarming rate.

And did I say that I caught one of my bosses in the closet with a ditsy co-worker? I don't think they actually saw me, they knew someone was there but I made a quick getaway and I have the best poker face in town so they haven't even looked at me suspiciously. He's not married but he's engaged. The woman is married to some poor sap who works in the offices across the street. But they were being really nasty in the closet...enough I'll make sure I don't touch anything they touch. Since when have I fallen into some kind of trashy soap opera?

TITLE: The Helper, (Part 1/?)
AUTHOR: darthcaedus
FANDOM: Star Wars
CHARACTERS: Darth Vader, Kareth Drunsjek
TIME LINE: Not long after events in A New Hope.
RATING: Rated G
WARNINGS: None
WORD COUNT: ~950
DISCLAIMERS: I do not profit from writing this; Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and all things Star Wars belong to George Lucas; Kareth Drunsjek is my own made-up character.
SUMMARY: Kareth Drunsjek is probably the only one in the Empire who comes close to knowing the man behind Darth Vader’s mask.

( The Helper, Part 1 )

*A few words and punctuation changes done on 3/15/09.

Went with a couple of family member Sunday and saw The Invisible. Really excellent movie. I hadn't known what it would be about, someone else picked that to go see since we'd already seen Spider-Man 3 and Shrek was packed. A really haunting, moving film. I felt for all the characters, not just the "good guy."

The other movie was Disturbia, which we saw Monday evening, and I found it also very good though perhaps the actors were not as likeable as in The Invisible. I didn't regret spending my money on it though and it had several good scares which is always a plus for me.

I suppose I should try and get some sleep though I really haven't been resting well lately. It's bad when you have to work at trying to sleep but I'll be a zombie tomorrow if I don't.