Publishers and the Adherance to Phantasmic Posulations

So there's this story that I've been working on lately. I've written tons of snippets, side stories, and notes for it. I've spent time obsessing, researching, and perfecting. You'd think that, with all the work I've put into it, I might get some money from it some day. Wrong.
My work does not completely belong to me. Why? Because the universe in which it's set belongs to Gene Roddenberry and CBS. That's right, it's a Star Trek fanfiction!
However, unlike most fanfiction, this one is going to be huge. About the size of an actual book. And the crazy part? All of the characters are original.
At this point, you're probably shouting at your screen in frustration at my stupid choices. Why would I relinquish almost all of my creative rights and write about a universe that already exists when I could just as easily create my own?
Because it's a challenge.
I'm being forced to write within the bounds of a pre-written universe. This means that I have to adhere to the laws of nature and heavily research everything. It means that, even though all the characters are original and I'm creating an entirely new species and planet, I have to do things like look up the appropriate uniform for their era, observe proper Starfleet conduct, and make sure that I know the starship's floor plan.
A lot of work is going into this and a lot of work will continue to go into this, and I'm probably never going to get paid (unless they want to buy the story off me). I know this, and I'm fine with it. Sure, it would be nice to see some cash flow from a published book, but that's not really the point of writing. Honestly, I'd be happy if just one person read it. As long as a single person finds themselves enjoying the story, if it opens them to new ideas or viewpoints, even just a little, then my work has paid off.
Plus, if it ends up being a hit, pieces of it may just worm its way into Canon! Did you know that Uhura's first name was created by William Rotsler, an avid Star Trek fan who wrote Star Trek II Biographies, a licensed Star Trek novel (basically a glorified fanfic)? Gene Rodenberry and Nichelle Nichols liked the name, so it was adopted as canon. However, Nyota Uhura's name was never mentioned in the Star Trek movies or show until the 2009 film, taking place in the Alternate Reality.
<takes breaths/>
Whew! Did not mean to geek out so much there. What was I saying?

Oh yeah!
So I'm making this super cool, super long Star Trek fanfic that will probably never make me any money, but I'm totally fine with that and I hope that you guys will read it someday.
Phew.

Logging out. Live long and prosper.

A Chain of Bad News, then a Bucket of Awesome

Right. So. Bad news.
Links have been adding to the chain of insanity these past weeks. Mom is a waitress and she hurt her knee in July. Weeks later, right before work, she broke (or fractured) her thumb. Then the restaurant she worked at closed. She's bored and out of a job. She's still looking, but she isn't finding much.
We had some plumbing problems last week. The seal around the toilet's base gave out, so Mom called a plumber. He was super creepy and called her 'mariposa' and 'carnitas', claiming to have forgotten her name. Before he left, he gave her his 'personal number' that she could 'call anytime.'
Aaaand he didn't fix the problem. The plumbing also backed up into the bathtub whenever we ran the washing machine.

So Mom called them again and had them send a different guy. He suggested that they blast out the pipes with a high-pressure hose (which would end up flooding our neighbor's house). Mom thought that he was crazy and checked his licence before he did anything. It had expired. She told him about this and asked if he had changed it or something. He replied that they did have a new licence number, but he was eating so he'd have to text her later... A while later, he gave her one that turned out to belong to someone else's company.
Mom reported him for not having a licence.

Just today, a water line (or maybe a fire hydrant? Not quite sure) broke in the street. The neighborhood probably lost thousands of gallons of water and they'll probably raise the price on our water to cover it.

Luckily, they just turned the water back on.



Bucket of awesome??
I met a person and traded contact info today. =)

Our neighbor was epic enough to give us a free pass to a week at the racket club, so we went over and swam in their pool. Actually, Alena swam and I read in the shade (I hate bathing suits so I swim fully clothed. That's fine for the creek or the reservoir, but not for a public swimming pool). Halfway through, a friend of mine (the Yugioh kid) came over, so I talked to him about Yugioh and tried to not let him splash me. Suddenly, a girl that I had noticed called out and asked "Hey! Girl in the skull shirt! Do I know you from somewhere?" I responded that I didn't think so. I went back to talking to my friend and got on the subject of The Hobbit (TRILOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!). She swam over just when I was fangirling (which meant squeeing and jumping on one foot while flailing my arms) and asked if I was performing some kind of 'Japanese pop dance move.' I said that I wasn't, but that I did like Japanesy things. Then she asked if I liked anime.
By the end of the day we found that we both liked Neil Gaiman, Monty Python, Hayo Miazake, Nyan Cat, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, fangirling, DeviantArt, and glasses. She's 15, lives near my Dad's house (For now. She's moving soon, but she's going to stay in town) and doesn't often make friends. We swapped DeviantArt usernames.

I think I'm taking huge steps toward being a bit more social. =)
Which reminds me!! I have decided that 'friend' is an appropriate term for people I know and get along with.
So the people that I previously called 'people I know' are now called 'my friends' and the people I previously called 'my friends' are now.... Actually, I haven't gone that far yet. I'm thinkin that I should apply each of these terms to Vulcan, because they have very distinct social hierarchies. Here are some words for friends (found 'em here):
t'hy'la- friend/brother/lover*
katravahsu- associate/friend
telansu- someone with whom you share a close platonic relationship
fainusu- someone that you know well
ne ki'ne- trusted friend/warrior

I think that my newly promoted friends will be called 'katravahsu' and my close friends will be called 'telansu.'  Cool? Cool. Cool cool cool.

*This happens to be Spock's very special name for Kirk. Oh, Gene. You are a sneaky bastard.