Last week I focused on the whole ME concept. This is still an ongoing struggle, particularly as work gets busier and busier. This week is a short one at work for moi because I'm headed to Vancouver on Thurs thru Monday for my cousin's wedding. I am BEYOND excited, but also nervous b/c I have a LOT of work to do (yes, even while I'm there). I hope to balance play and work and not be stressed out the whole time!
Anyhoo, I did OK with last week's goals...
1. Keep my Friday nights sacred, and say no when you have to. And DON'T feel bad about it! - Check! Although the real challenge will be doing this from here on out.
2. Re-implement the 11 p.m. lights out rule, and set wake-up time to 7:30 a.m. (will be earlier next week if this week goes well). Give myself at least 15 minutes to do morning pages. Fail. I was good last night and went to bed at 10:30 - it was divine and so much easier to wake up this morning. Must do better...
3. Replace evening laptop time with book time. It's so easy to drag my laptop into bed with me, but I don't think it does me any good. And since I'm on a computer ALL day at work, it would be nice to indulge in my 20+ books instead of indulging in the internet. I did pretty well with this last week, and I'm going to continue. I love reading, after all, and I have beaucoup de livres to get through!!
WEEK 10 GOALS:
1. Journal daily, including making Gratitude Lists
2. Turn trip to Vancouver into one giant Artist Date. Take oodles of pics, write a lot, enjoy the scenery, and enjoy yourself even while working (I'm going to try and find a fun coffeeshop w/ free wifi so I can work AND indulge!)
3. Be better at responding to reader questions on my blog (I'm really bad about this!)
REWARD: 90 minute massage post-trip!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Vienna: Back in Barcelona for my last day of holidays.
I am back in Barcelona now, quickly writing from my sister's computer again. I first sat down with the intention of posting a summary of all my thoughts and (good) writing intentions for this new academic year. A summary of the struggles and reflective moments I've experienced all trhoughout my journey. However, I feel like I need to digest loads of things. I need to sit down with my own thoughts, write them down, think about them, put them into the right order. Again, make some clear space in my mind and my life. Understand. If I've missed one think during these days, it has been silence. For reasons I will later explain, I haven't been able to have one minute just for myself. There have been mistakes but also, new ways to cope with the consequences and some 'never again' situations. Live and learn, I suppose. Thus, at the moment I'll leave you with one of my pictures and I'll get back to you once I'm back in the UK. The picture shows one of the beaches in Nafpaktós in Greece (previously named 'Lepanto' by the Venecians and famous for its battle in 1571). Here on this chairs facing the Corinthian see I used to have my breakfast of Frappé (Greek iced coffee) every morning while we stayed in the town.
Thank you very much for your supportive comments. It has been great knowing that, in the distance, I still belonged to this fantastic SWIMmers team.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
gussying up week 2
i hope you all had a glorious weekend as i did. i'm writing this on sunday due to saturday being a very energy filled day. i took a reiki 1 class from 10 - 4. it was information packed and intense 6 hour course. there were just two of us taking the class. although the class was small, in all honesty, it couldn't have worked out more perfectly as far as i'm concerned. i have had energy work done before by the instructor and had some amazing results. i instantly clicked with the lady that was taking the class with me. it's as if i already knew her although i've never seen her before. i don't know if you believe in synchronicity at all or not but yesterday made me think a little more about it.
while we were sitting on yoga blankets in the floor in sukhasana i happened to look over at my fellow class mate and she had on the exact pendant that i wanted to get at our local bead store. it was a gorgeous tibetan pendant with turquoise around a tibetan symbol. later on i asked her, 'did you get that at the beadmonster?' and she was like 'yeah, how did you know?' and i was like 'cause i had my eye on it and was going to buy it but didn't have the money that day and when i went back to get it, it was gone.' we shared a laugh over it and she told me we could share it. :) i told her that it was where it rightfully belonged but that i was a bit jealous. we again laughed and laughed. it seemed to make our connection grow even stronger.
to finish up our session we got to practice reiki on each other. it was extremely powerful. it was a great experience and definitely left me curious for more. one day i hope to make it to reiki master.
i came home starving after my reiki class. i heated up some vegetarian chili that ryan had made the night before and ate that while telling him high points about the class and about meeting my fellow class mate. all of the energy i had expended earlier in the day left me longing for a nap and with my belly full of chili, that is exactly what i did. i spent the rest of the evening sharing an ice cream and book store browsing with ryan. after our running around we came home and shared the couch reading our new purchased material (him - 'the serpent and the rainbow: a harvard scientist's astonishing journey into the secret societies of haitian voodoo, zombis, and magic' by wade davis and me - the september of real simple magazine).
recap & outcome of week 2 goals:
- continue with 3 posts on gussying up the tuttle and 1 post for my morgantown musings - YES
- learn the bones of the body (in prep for getting ready to start massage therapy school in just a little over a month) this was a goal i set for myself for august. here it is the last week of august so i must get on this! - actually no. i know most of the major bones of the body but don't know them all. i spoke with a mentor about where i should start to help prep for my classes at the end of september and she recommended that i start with a massage therapy book that i have.
- continue morning pages if i feel that the quality of writing is good enough - i am afraid that i didn't do a single morning page but i don't feel a bit guilty for it either.
my reward (even though i didn't fully deserve it): real simple magazine.
week 3 goals:
- continue 3 posts on gussying up the tuttle & 1 post for my morgantown musings
- spend some time collecting my thoughts regarding my future as a massage therapist (start a notebook/file with thoughts and ideas)
- morning pages if necessary
- practice reiki on myself everyday and journaling about my experiences
i encourage each of you to give one thing this week - whether it be holding open a door for someone, pay someone a compliment, a hand written thank you card, even a smile. see how it makes that other person feel and subsequently how it makes you feel. it's so simple but yet so powerful. it can even turn your day around. i hope you all have a productive week.
while we were sitting on yoga blankets in the floor in sukhasana i happened to look over at my fellow class mate and she had on the exact pendant that i wanted to get at our local bead store. it was a gorgeous tibetan pendant with turquoise around a tibetan symbol. later on i asked her, 'did you get that at the beadmonster?' and she was like 'yeah, how did you know?' and i was like 'cause i had my eye on it and was going to buy it but didn't have the money that day and when i went back to get it, it was gone.' we shared a laugh over it and she told me we could share it. :) i told her that it was where it rightfully belonged but that i was a bit jealous. we again laughed and laughed. it seemed to make our connection grow even stronger.
to finish up our session we got to practice reiki on each other. it was extremely powerful. it was a great experience and definitely left me curious for more. one day i hope to make it to reiki master.
i came home starving after my reiki class. i heated up some vegetarian chili that ryan had made the night before and ate that while telling him high points about the class and about meeting my fellow class mate. all of the energy i had expended earlier in the day left me longing for a nap and with my belly full of chili, that is exactly what i did. i spent the rest of the evening sharing an ice cream and book store browsing with ryan. after our running around we came home and shared the couch reading our new purchased material (him - 'the serpent and the rainbow: a harvard scientist's astonishing journey into the secret societies of haitian voodoo, zombis, and magic' by wade davis and me - the september of real simple magazine).
tree at cooper's rock - photo by moi
recap & outcome of week 2 goals:- continue with 3 posts on gussying up the tuttle and 1 post for my morgantown musings - YES
- learn the bones of the body (in prep for getting ready to start massage therapy school in just a little over a month) this was a goal i set for myself for august. here it is the last week of august so i must get on this! - actually no. i know most of the major bones of the body but don't know them all. i spoke with a mentor about where i should start to help prep for my classes at the end of september and she recommended that i start with a massage therapy book that i have.
- continue morning pages if i feel that the quality of writing is good enough - i am afraid that i didn't do a single morning page but i don't feel a bit guilty for it either.
my reward (even though i didn't fully deserve it): real simple magazine.
week 3 goals:
- continue 3 posts on gussying up the tuttle & 1 post for my morgantown musings
- spend some time collecting my thoughts regarding my future as a massage therapist (start a notebook/file with thoughts and ideas)
- morning pages if necessary
- practice reiki on myself everyday and journaling about my experiences
i encourage each of you to give one thing this week - whether it be holding open a door for someone, pay someone a compliment, a hand written thank you card, even a smile. see how it makes that other person feel and subsequently how it makes you feel. it's so simple but yet so powerful. it can even turn your day around. i hope you all have a productive week.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Alison week 1 update
Thanks so much for the warm welcome.
This has been a strange week as we have all had colds and I have been running on a couple of hours sleep a night. Here is a review of my goals:-
*3 quality blog posts (at the moment I am typing them out exhausted when the little ones are in bed. I know the quality is not that great and would like to develop this area).
I have managed to complete this and am pleased that the quality is improving and I am regaining the blogs focus. I have also created some posts to be published when I am away.
*Get up to speed on my google reader account. I love to see what others are up to and it also offers inspiration to my creative journey.
Am now up to date (although I know it will be crammed full on return from my holidays but that's alright as that's just life!). I think that I will start to implement a system of reading blogs 3 times a week as opposed to daily as that seems more manageable.
I am writing this with my son asleep beside me and my rather wriggly daughter on my knee. Not the ideal environment for creativity but this is my life right now (which I love!) and until I return to work I will be the queen of juggling!
No goals for the next couple of weeks as I am in France but I am looking forward to catching up on my return. Have a fun and productive fortnight.
This has been a strange week as we have all had colds and I have been running on a couple of hours sleep a night. Here is a review of my goals:-
*3 quality blog posts (at the moment I am typing them out exhausted when the little ones are in bed. I know the quality is not that great and would like to develop this area).
I have managed to complete this and am pleased that the quality is improving and I am regaining the blogs focus. I have also created some posts to be published when I am away.
*Get up to speed on my google reader account. I love to see what others are up to and it also offers inspiration to my creative journey.
Am now up to date (although I know it will be crammed full on return from my holidays but that's alright as that's just life!). I think that I will start to implement a system of reading blogs 3 times a week as opposed to daily as that seems more manageable.
I am writing this with my son asleep beside me and my rather wriggly daughter on my knee. Not the ideal environment for creativity but this is my life right now (which I love!) and until I return to work I will be the queen of juggling!
No goals for the next couple of weeks as I am in France but I am looking forward to catching up on my return. Have a fun and productive fortnight.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
How do you decide how much to share?
Hello lovelies. I am sorry that it has been so long since I have posted here. The reason I have been so absent is that I had to attend to both physical and emotional health issues. Now that they have balanced out, I feel like I can dedicate more time here and to my blog.
I just caught up on all of your posts and you are all so lovely and inspirational. It makes me so happy to be a part of this community. I also wanted to extend a warm welcome to Melita and Allison.
I have a question for you lovelies. In your writing (for example memoirs or research papers on a subject that are near and dear to you) and on your blogs, how do you decide how much to share? I am currently having difficulty with my blog in deciding where I want to draw the line on what to share. I want part of my blog to be an honest depiction of what it is like to survive abuse and fight for justice. I just don't know how much about my story I should share. Do any of you lovelies have any suggestions or strategies for how much you share about yourselves?
I just caught up on all of your posts and you are all so lovely and inspirational. It makes me so happy to be a part of this community. I also wanted to extend a warm welcome to Melita and Allison.
I have a question for you lovelies. In your writing (for example memoirs or research papers on a subject that are near and dear to you) and on your blogs, how do you decide how much to share? I am currently having difficulty with my blog in deciding where I want to draw the line on what to share. I want part of my blog to be an honest depiction of what it is like to survive abuse and fight for justice. I just don't know how much about my story I should share. Do any of you lovelies have any suggestions or strategies for how much you share about yourselves?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tomato: Week 10
Bonjour, my darlings! Remember when I said I'd start my goals on Monday? Yeah, that didn't work out so well for me this week, now did it? Here it's already Wednesday - oops! Ah well, let's revisit those Week 9 goals, shall we?
WEEK 9 GOALS:
1) Write blog post on therapy avec Dr. G. Y'all have been so supportive about my decision to see a therapist, and I've been wanting to share some of the things I've discovered/learned about myself through my sessions with Dr. G. Le FAIL. But I will do it... soon.
2) Devote Friday night to crafting, creating & writing. Make it a lovely artist date complete with yummy food & fun jamz. I didn't do a ton of crafting & creating & writing, but I did keep it mine, which is what I intend to do from here on out. I need my Friday nights to myself!
3) 1 morning of morning pages (on a normal work weekday!) Oui, and it was divine, but I am still oh-so-struggling with my mornings... :(
I'm kind of having a rough time. Not sure what's going on. Part of it is that work suddenly got so busy, and I'm so not used to it. Part of it is that when my schedule gets more chaotic, I crave solitude even more and feel bad about saying no to social engagements and other obligations. Do y'all have trouble with this? I feel guilty about putting me first.
Last night, after a particularly rough day at work, I decided to have a ME night - no work, no obligations, no guilt. Instead of hopping on the treadmill, I crawled into my bed with My Life In France and proceeded to stay there until I finished. It was divine. I need more ME nights.
And with the whole ME concept in place, voila my Week 10 Goals:
1. Keep my Friday nights sacred, and say no when you have to. And DON'T feel bad about it!
2. Re-implement the 11 p.m. lights out rule, and set wake-up time to 7:30 a.m. (will be earlier next week if this week goes well). Give myself at least 15 minutes to do morning pages.
3. Replace evening laptop time with book time. It's so easy to drag my laptop into bed with me, but I don't think it does me any good. And since I'm on a computer ALL day at work, it would be nice to indulge in my 20+ books instead of indulging in the internet.
WEEK 9 GOALS:
1) Write blog post on therapy avec Dr. G. Y'all have been so supportive about my decision to see a therapist, and I've been wanting to share some of the things I've discovered/learned about myself through my sessions with Dr. G. Le FAIL. But I will do it... soon.
2) Devote Friday night to crafting, creating & writing. Make it a lovely artist date complete with yummy food & fun jamz. I didn't do a ton of crafting & creating & writing, but I did keep it mine, which is what I intend to do from here on out. I need my Friday nights to myself!
3) 1 morning of morning pages (on a normal work weekday!) Oui, and it was divine, but I am still oh-so-struggling with my mornings... :(
I'm kind of having a rough time. Not sure what's going on. Part of it is that work suddenly got so busy, and I'm so not used to it. Part of it is that when my schedule gets more chaotic, I crave solitude even more and feel bad about saying no to social engagements and other obligations. Do y'all have trouble with this? I feel guilty about putting me first.
Last night, after a particularly rough day at work, I decided to have a ME night - no work, no obligations, no guilt. Instead of hopping on the treadmill, I crawled into my bed with My Life In France and proceeded to stay there until I finished. It was divine. I need more ME nights.
And with the whole ME concept in place, voila my Week 10 Goals:
1. Keep my Friday nights sacred, and say no when you have to. And DON'T feel bad about it!
2. Re-implement the 11 p.m. lights out rule, and set wake-up time to 7:30 a.m. (will be earlier next week if this week goes well). Give myself at least 15 minutes to do morning pages.
3. Replace evening laptop time with book time. It's so easy to drag my laptop into bed with me, but I don't think it does me any good. And since I'm on a computer ALL day at work, it would be nice to indulge in my 20+ books instead of indulging in the internet.
And so I bid you adios....
School starts up again next week and I am in for a very rough semester. After my trip to Maine last week I did some long and hard thinking about how I spend my time, where my stress lies, obligations vs free time, etc. In all of that, I realized that I need to cut some things out. Unfortunately, writing here, as well as most free time type writing, will need to take a backseat until I graduate in May. I can barely keep up with Everyday Revelry (and may not even do that very often), so I need to cut back elsewhere too.
Well, my dear SWIMmers, it has been a great run with you all.
I hope to join you all again next summer. Until then, happy writing!
~Lauren
Well, my dear SWIMmers, it has been a great run with you all.
I hope to join you all again next summer. Until then, happy writing!
~Lauren
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Vienna: Another quick one.
Hi ladies!
I am now in Nafpaktos, Greece, and after a nice visit to the castle and a long stay in the beach, I've found an unsecured WIFI (thank you, nice neighbour) so I can quickly say hello and read your latest posts.
First of all I have to say I am thrilled Melita and Alison have joined us. Congratulations! It's amazing the way SWIM is developing!
As Revisionista wrote, instead of getting frustrated for my lack of writing opportunities, I am taking this time as part of the process I have to go through to find where I am now and where I want to be (and everything in between) in my writing life. I am considering the various spheres of my life from the academic to the artistic also including my yoga and personal life. I am trying to make the difficult process of establishing priorities (real ones, if that makes sense at all). Everything feels pretty chaotic right now but I trust everything will find its own place and time and I'll have the clarity of mind to see it.
Tomorrow I am heading towards the isle of Levkada. Apparently it looks like paradise. Good scenery always help good thoughts, don't you think?
Loads of love, X.
I am now in Nafpaktos, Greece, and after a nice visit to the castle and a long stay in the beach, I've found an unsecured WIFI (thank you, nice neighbour) so I can quickly say hello and read your latest posts.
First of all I have to say I am thrilled Melita and Alison have joined us. Congratulations! It's amazing the way SWIM is developing!
As Revisionista wrote, instead of getting frustrated for my lack of writing opportunities, I am taking this time as part of the process I have to go through to find where I am now and where I want to be (and everything in between) in my writing life. I am considering the various spheres of my life from the academic to the artistic also including my yoga and personal life. I am trying to make the difficult process of establishing priorities (real ones, if that makes sense at all). Everything feels pretty chaotic right now but I trust everything will find its own place and time and I'll have the clarity of mind to see it.
Tomorrow I am heading towards the isle of Levkada. Apparently it looks like paradise. Good scenery always help good thoughts, don't you think?
Loads of love, X.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Kiki: Goals and Rewards
Lightning fast post, because I'm hopping on the train to Edinburgh in less than two hours!
I accomplished my major goal of completing my final dissertation chapter last week - thank you all so much for celebrating with me on Twitter! It is such a load off my mind that the skeleton is now in place, and I can give it a break for a little while before going back with fresh eyes.
My reward for accomplishing that goal is five glorious days cycling around the Scottish border region with my guy while staying in this completely fantastic 16th-century tower without my computer.
That's right - this week, I am Komputerless Kiki. It's so exciting I don't even know where to begin!
Unfortunately, that means I won't be able to read and comment on your lovely posts until next weekend. But I'll be back in force, with lots of encouragement and inspiration in thanks for all the encouragement and inspiration you bring to me!
Thank you for welcoming Melita and Alison into our fold! I'm so thrilled that this little project that started off with just Revisionista and myself has grown into a real community.
See you next weekend! Love to you all!
I accomplished my major goal of completing my final dissertation chapter last week - thank you all so much for celebrating with me on Twitter! It is such a load off my mind that the skeleton is now in place, and I can give it a break for a little while before going back with fresh eyes.
My reward for accomplishing that goal is five glorious days cycling around the Scottish border region with my guy while staying in this completely fantastic 16th-century tower without my computer.
That's right - this week, I am Komputerless Kiki. It's so exciting I don't even know where to begin!
Unfortunately, that means I won't be able to read and comment on your lovely posts until next weekend. But I'll be back in force, with lots of encouragement and inspiration in thanks for all the encouragement and inspiration you bring to me!
Thank you for welcoming Melita and Alison into our fold! I'm so thrilled that this little project that started off with just Revisionista and myself has grown into a real community.
See you next weekend! Love to you all!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Revisionista: Update & Goals August 24-30
With Week 1 of classes behind me, I'm beginning to see that I'm going to have to revise how I'm going about some things to make sure that I prioritize my most important goals. As Kiki said in one of her blog posts, there's enough time in the day to do everything that's IMPORTANT, so I think I'm going to downsize my goal lists (taking a page out of Carolyn's play book) and focus on 3-4 Most Important Things.
Last week I managed to get 4 of my goals checked off (although the list was long, I'd aimed for checking off 4-5 items).
*Artist Date (no idea yet)
YES! *60min of writing practice (10min/day)
*5pp of intro for academic rsch book
*Add notes about changes to TS article
YES!*Finish 1 fun book
*2-3 blog posts
*1-2 Italian podcasts (I listen to My Daily Phrase Italian on itunes, Kiki)
YES!*Plant 1 or 2 new seeds in my metaphysical garden
YES!*2-3 days of journaling/morning pages
Let's see how I do with a more focused list this week:
*60 min of writing practice (10min/day)
*Freewrite 5pp of rsch book intro
*Artist date: shoe shopping & matinee next Saturday
*Play in my garden (this could include anything from planning my Italy/Paris adventure next summer, listening to Italian podcasts, and reading for fun to journaling, collaging, blogging)
It'll probably take a week or two for me to get in sync with my schedule this semester, but hopefully little goals like these will help me stay in touch with my writing priorities and some of the self-care rituals I started this summer.
Have a fabulous week, SWIMmers :)
Last week I managed to get 4 of my goals checked off (although the list was long, I'd aimed for checking off 4-5 items).
*Artist Date (no idea yet)
YES! *60min of writing practice (10min/day)
*5pp of intro for academic rsch book
*Add notes about changes to TS article
YES!*Finish 1 fun book
*2-3 blog posts
*1-2 Italian podcasts (I listen to My Daily Phrase Italian on itunes, Kiki)
YES!*Plant 1 or 2 new seeds in my metaphysical garden
YES!*2-3 days of journaling/morning pages
Let's see how I do with a more focused list this week:
*60 min of writing practice (10min/day)
*Freewrite 5pp of rsch book intro
*Artist date: shoe shopping & matinee next Saturday
*Play in my garden (this could include anything from planning my Italy/Paris adventure next summer, listening to Italian podcasts, and reading for fun to journaling, collaging, blogging)
It'll probably take a week or two for me to get in sync with my schedule this semester, but hopefully little goals like these will help me stay in touch with my writing priorities and some of the self-care rituals I started this summer.
Have a fabulous week, SWIMmers :)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
gussying up - week 1
is there anything better than fresh watermelon on a saturday afternoon?! i think i could eat my weight in watermelon but don't simply for the fact that i don't like running to the bathroom every 10 mins :)
i'd like to say thank you for all of your kind words. you lovely ladies are one of the main reason why i became a swimmer. my first week of swimming lessons went rather well overall. here were my goals and results:
week 1 goals:
- try to do morning pages every morning (regardless of whether or not i reach 3 pages) - not quite every morning but i still see this as a success. i skipped two days because i just didn't feel like writing. the other days (except one) i actually wrote 3 pages. i feel that the quality of the writing i did the days i did my morning pages made up for the two days i didn't do them. so i see this as a success.
- blog at least 3 times on gussying up the tuttle and at least once on my morgantown musings - i did rather well on this actually. i figured i'd knock out the three blog posts on gussying up the tuttle and barely get in one for my morgantown musings. what actually happened was i got just three posts on gutt and did three good quality posts on mmm plus one photo op post.
- implement a reward system like you ladies have set up - i am still working the details of this one out. i think rewards will vary from week to week. if i have something in mind that i want to work for then i'll post that ahead of time, if not, then i will just give myself a reward after i have met my goals.
- make my weekly check ins on saturday (or at the very latest sunday) - it is saturday so kudos to me :) this goal i plan on continuing with.
i feel that i did rather well on my first week of swimming so for this weeks reward: figs! yes, sweet, juicy figs. i am going to the store later and buying myself some black mission figs! :)
i'd like to say thank you for all of your kind words. you lovely ladies are one of the main reason why i became a swimmer. my first week of swimming lessons went rather well overall. here were my goals and results:
week 1 goals:
- try to do morning pages every morning (regardless of whether or not i reach 3 pages) - not quite every morning but i still see this as a success. i skipped two days because i just didn't feel like writing. the other days (except one) i actually wrote 3 pages. i feel that the quality of the writing i did the days i did my morning pages made up for the two days i didn't do them. so i see this as a success.
- blog at least 3 times on gussying up the tuttle and at least once on my morgantown musings - i did rather well on this actually. i figured i'd knock out the three blog posts on gussying up the tuttle and barely get in one for my morgantown musings. what actually happened was i got just three posts on gutt and did three good quality posts on mmm plus one photo op post.
- implement a reward system like you ladies have set up - i am still working the details of this one out. i think rewards will vary from week to week. if i have something in mind that i want to work for then i'll post that ahead of time, if not, then i will just give myself a reward after i have met my goals.
- make my weekly check ins on saturday (or at the very latest sunday) - it is saturday so kudos to me :) this goal i plan on continuing with.
i feel that i did rather well on my first week of swimming so for this weeks reward: figs! yes, sweet, juicy figs. i am going to the store later and buying myself some black mission figs! :)
this is my angel wing begonia. i thought these two leaves came together to show why it is named angel wing.
week 2 goals:
- continue with 3 posts on gussying up the tuttle and 1 post for my morgantown musings
- learn the bones of the body (in prep for getting ready to start massage therapy school in just a little over a month) this was a goal i set for myself for august. here it is the last week of august so i must get on this!
- continue morning pages if i feel that the quality of writing is good enough
week 2 goals:- continue with 3 posts on gussying up the tuttle and 1 post for my morgantown musings
- learn the bones of the body (in prep for getting ready to start massage therapy school in just a little over a month) this was a goal i set for myself for august. here it is the last week of august so i must get on this!
- continue morning pages if i feel that the quality of writing is good enough
Alison - an introduction.
I am so excited to become part of this group. My head is full of ideas that I am hoping to put into action. This sounds like a great place to share these ideas, gain support, keep motivated and offer support to other like-minded individuals.
Let me explain where I am right now. Currently on maternity leave from work until December so my computer time is a little hit and miss right now. I am hoping to develop my blog (and have a web-site under development). From a work point of view I have a couple of book chapters coming out in September (the book is available to pre-order on Amazon which I am getting such a buzz about). I also have a couple of academic articles pending publication BUT I really want to develop another side to my writing which is less academic and more free-flowing (if that makes any sense!). I am around 1 week before my holidays so will be back in full flow mid-Sept.
My goals this week:-
Let me explain where I am right now. Currently on maternity leave from work until December so my computer time is a little hit and miss right now. I am hoping to develop my blog (and have a web-site under development). From a work point of view I have a couple of book chapters coming out in September (the book is available to pre-order on Amazon which I am getting such a buzz about). I also have a couple of academic articles pending publication BUT I really want to develop another side to my writing which is less academic and more free-flowing (if that makes any sense!). I am around 1 week before my holidays so will be back in full flow mid-Sept.
My goals this week:-
- 3 quality blog posts (at the moment I am typing them out exhausted when the little ones are in bed. I know the quality is not that great and would like to develop this area).
- Get up to speed on my google reader account. I love to see what others are up to and it also offers inspiration to my creatove journey.
As for my reward.... that will be my holiday this time around (can I have that as my reward every week?!).
Looking forward to connecting with you on here.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Vienna: a thought before Greece.
Hi again!
This might be my last chance to 'mini-post' till next week, since tomorrow I am leaving Barcelona to fly to Athens. I am quickly using my sister's computer now so, again, I'll be brief. I am very looking forward to re-take my writing and blogging routine and catch up with all your blogs. I will definitely be using our new 'Swimmer's locker' since I'd like to share something which I don't necessarily want to make public but I feel like I need to write and share with you.
For now, just a thought: Writers need solitude. This sentence keeps popping in and out of my mind, like a mantra. I feel like every effort I made in July to create a space for 'my artist' is going to waste. However, I suppose I'm learning from my mistakes. I need to make time in my life for my writing. I need to put myself first for once and I will have to do it or my dream will never happen. My artist is screaming inside. From now on I am determined to listen.
This might be my last chance to 'mini-post' till next week, since tomorrow I am leaving Barcelona to fly to Athens. I am quickly using my sister's computer now so, again, I'll be brief. I am very looking forward to re-take my writing and blogging routine and catch up with all your blogs. I will definitely be using our new 'Swimmer's locker' since I'd like to share something which I don't necessarily want to make public but I feel like I need to write and share with you.
For now, just a thought: Writers need solitude. This sentence keeps popping in and out of my mind, like a mantra. I feel like every effort I made in July to create a space for 'my artist' is going to waste. However, I suppose I'm learning from my mistakes. I need to make time in my life for my writing. I need to put myself first for once and I will have to do it or my dream will never happen. My artist is screaming inside. From now on I am determined to listen.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Vienna: Still SWIMming!!!
Hi everyone!
Yes, I am still SWIMming and I've been thinking of you all this time. I am now in a little, isolated village in Spain and eventually I managed to find a computer with Internet connection. I have only a couple of minutes so I'm going to be brief for now. I have really missed the blog so much!
I am slowly reading all your posts; however, I will not have time to leave a comment for now. But I am here!!! Maybe invisible, but still here!
My writing goals and achievements are not going great (I'll tell you all about it when I get the chance), but I am still writing Morning Pages and I have diverted my creativity towards Photography, and I see it as a different way of telling stories. I have already taken about 1,000 pics!!!
I love Revisionista's private space idea. Thanks very much for doing that. I can't wait to pop in and have a look.
There are so many things I'd like to write!!! So little time right now!!! My next GOAL: To handwrite my next SWIM posts with a summary of my 'Writing' holiday experience and sneak into this Internet place I've just found to post it.
Bye for now and I hope to read you all very soon.
X
Yes, I am still SWIMming and I've been thinking of you all this time. I am now in a little, isolated village in Spain and eventually I managed to find a computer with Internet connection. I have only a couple of minutes so I'm going to be brief for now. I have really missed the blog so much!
I am slowly reading all your posts; however, I will not have time to leave a comment for now. But I am here!!! Maybe invisible, but still here!
My writing goals and achievements are not going great (I'll tell you all about it when I get the chance), but I am still writing Morning Pages and I have diverted my creativity towards Photography, and I see it as a different way of telling stories. I have already taken about 1,000 pics!!!
I love Revisionista's private space idea. Thanks very much for doing that. I can't wait to pop in and have a look.
There are so many things I'd like to write!!! So little time right now!!! My next GOAL: To handwrite my next SWIM posts with a summary of my 'Writing' holiday experience and sneak into this Internet place I've just found to post it.
Bye for now and I hope to read you all very soon.
X
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tomato: Week 9
I normally post my SWIM goals mid-week on Wednesday, but I think I'm going to move over to Monday's since it's truly the "start" of my week.
Revisiting last week's goals...
1) Write thank you cards for all bday wishes and gifts this weekend. Oui! I spent Friday night writing beaucoup thank you notes and even wrote facebook thank you's, haha.
2) 1 morning of morning pages (trying to be realistic here). Yes, but it was on a day that I planned to work from home in the morning, so it counts, but not really? I'm so struggling with creating a morning ritual, and this is one of the tasks I'd love to include in my ideal ritual. Boo.
3) Carve out time for some journal play avec Journal Bliss (the FABULOUS book recommended by our very own Revisionista). Loooove!! As you saw from the last post - YES! I really enjoyed Journal Bliss-ing out, and I plan to play more. I may declare Friday night to be my stay-in and do fun creative exercises night. ;-)
Now for my WEEK 9 GOALS:
1) Write blog post on therapy avec Dr. G. Y'all have been so supportive about my decision to see a therapist, and I've been wanting to share some of the things I've discovered/learned about myself through my sessions with Dr. G.
2) Devote Friday night to crafting, creating & writing. Make it a lovely artist date complete with yummy food & fun jamz.
3) 1 morning of morning pages (on a normal work weekday!)
I think I'm going to stick to 3 goals... with life being so chaotic and busy these days, I find myself much more likely to stay on task and complete these goals if I make them realistic and succinct. Bonne semaine, ladies!!
Revisiting last week's goals...
1) Write thank you cards for all bday wishes and gifts this weekend. Oui! I spent Friday night writing beaucoup thank you notes and even wrote facebook thank you's, haha.
2) 1 morning of morning pages (trying to be realistic here). Yes, but it was on a day that I planned to work from home in the morning, so it counts, but not really? I'm so struggling with creating a morning ritual, and this is one of the tasks I'd love to include in my ideal ritual. Boo.
3) Carve out time for some journal play avec Journal Bliss (the FABULOUS book recommended by our very own Revisionista). Loooove!! As you saw from the last post - YES! I really enjoyed Journal Bliss-ing out, and I plan to play more. I may declare Friday night to be my stay-in and do fun creative exercises night. ;-)
Now for my WEEK 9 GOALS:
1) Write blog post on therapy avec Dr. G. Y'all have been so supportive about my decision to see a therapist, and I've been wanting to share some of the things I've discovered/learned about myself through my sessions with Dr. G.
2) Devote Friday night to crafting, creating & writing. Make it a lovely artist date complete with yummy food & fun jamz.
3) 1 morning of morning pages (on a normal work weekday!)
I think I'm going to stick to 3 goals... with life being so chaotic and busy these days, I find myself much more likely to stay on task and complete these goals if I make them realistic and succinct. Bonne semaine, ladies!!
Journal Bliss
Bonsoir, mes amies! I'm up way later than I should be, but I wanted to post some pictures of my journal. Friday night I played around with Journal Bliss (uber fab book, I highly recommend it!), and this is what I created with acrylic paints, magazine cut-outs, charcoal pencils, etc. (Um yes, I attempted to draw/doodle despite my complete LACK of artistic ability. That's what Journal Bliss is all about, no?)
Be back later with my weekly goals!!
Be back later with my weekly goals!!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Revisionista: Update & Goals
First off, I wanted to thank y'all for your support and comments on my locker room post. As City Girl said in an email to me, I was mourning the loss of the novel. I think I was also mourning the loss of the version of myself that wrote the first draft & planned the second draft of the novel. I mean, going from a novel to a short story isn't that big a deal, but realizing that deep down the story I was trying to tell was much darker and more complex than the one I'd originally conceived of kind of shook me up.
I'm taking a break from that story until the Fall SWIM begins, but in the meantime, I'm having oodles of fun exploring what I want to write about next.
Classes start next week and I'm pleased to say that I'm feeling pretty good about the semester ahead. In the past, I've often felt as though I had to shift into professor mode, or put on my teaching persona when fall semester began. But this summer I think I've managed to integrate my research, fiction/creative, & teaching selves (under the heading of storyteller). So even though my vacation is over, the crafting, journaling, fiction writing, artist dating, reading, etc will all continue into the semester. I'm officially saying goodbye to the idea of separate selves/personas, especially since Kiki's fabulous series on work/life balance has given me new perspective: Life is just that, life. And right now my life includes teaching some days, artist dates others, advising thesis students, writing my academic book, learning the craft of fiction writing, cooking, playing, yogaing, running, etc etc etc
That said, I think I'm going to keep my SWIM goals focused on the writing and crafting I want to do each week. The teaching & silly admin stuff will get done because it has to. So, I want to reserve this space to advance the very important goals that can sometimes get neglected during the semester when seemingly more urgent tasks are distracting me.
Here's how I did last week:
YES! (14 hours!!)*Aim for 7 hours of novel time
YES! *Type last week's novel pages
*Freewrite 5pp of Intro for Le Rsch Book
*Notes on Vol. I of Estelle
*Add changes to TS Article
*Proof, copy, & BB 417 syllabus
*Proof, copy, & BB 310 syllabus
YES! (finished & posted a review of Spoiled) *Finish 1 fun book
YES! *Send City Girl pearl of wisdom
YES! *Artist Date: bookbinding workshop on Saturday
So, I didn't get to the teaching and research stuff, but I planted some important seeds in my metaphysical garden that'll hopefully continue to grow this semester.
This week I want to do the following:
*Artist Date (no idea yet)
*60min of writing practice (10min/day)
*5pp of intro for academic rsch book
*Add notes about changes to TS article
*Finish 1 fun book
*2-3 blog posts
*1-2 Italian podcasts (I listen to My Daily Phrase Italian on itunes, Kiki)
*Plant 1 or 2 new seeds in my metaphysical garden
*2-3 days of journaling/morning pages
I think I have 9 ideal goals listed. Let's see if I can accomplish at least 4-5 of them this week.
I'm taking a break from that story until the Fall SWIM begins, but in the meantime, I'm having oodles of fun exploring what I want to write about next.
Classes start next week and I'm pleased to say that I'm feeling pretty good about the semester ahead. In the past, I've often felt as though I had to shift into professor mode, or put on my teaching persona when fall semester began. But this summer I think I've managed to integrate my research, fiction/creative, & teaching selves (under the heading of storyteller). So even though my vacation is over, the crafting, journaling, fiction writing, artist dating, reading, etc will all continue into the semester. I'm officially saying goodbye to the idea of separate selves/personas, especially since Kiki's fabulous series on work/life balance has given me new perspective: Life is just that, life. And right now my life includes teaching some days, artist dates others, advising thesis students, writing my academic book, learning the craft of fiction writing, cooking, playing, yogaing, running, etc etc etc
That said, I think I'm going to keep my SWIM goals focused on the writing and crafting I want to do each week. The teaching & silly admin stuff will get done because it has to. So, I want to reserve this space to advance the very important goals that can sometimes get neglected during the semester when seemingly more urgent tasks are distracting me.
Here's how I did last week:
YES! (14 hours!!)*Aim for 7 hours of novel time
YES! *Type last week's novel pages
*Freewrite 5pp of Intro for Le Rsch Book
*Notes on Vol. I of Estelle
*Add changes to TS Article
*Proof, copy, & BB 417 syllabus
*Proof, copy, & BB 310 syllabus
YES! (finished & posted a review of Spoiled) *Finish 1 fun book
YES! *Send City Girl pearl of wisdom
YES! *Artist Date: bookbinding workshop on Saturday
So, I didn't get to the teaching and research stuff, but I planted some important seeds in my metaphysical garden that'll hopefully continue to grow this semester.
This week I want to do the following:
*Artist Date (no idea yet)
*60min of writing practice (10min/day)
*5pp of intro for academic rsch book
*Add notes about changes to TS article
*Finish 1 fun book
*2-3 blog posts
*1-2 Italian podcasts (I listen to My Daily Phrase Italian on itunes, Kiki)
*Plant 1 or 2 new seeds in my metaphysical garden
*2-3 days of journaling/morning pages
I think I have 9 ideal goals listed. Let's see if I can accomplish at least 4-5 of them this week.
Kiki: Check-in and New Goals
Last week, instead of setting specific writing goals, I set bottom lines. They didn't work as well as I would have hoped.
1) I will only do one thing at a time by monotasking with a timer to hold myself accountable for all things prone to attention splatter: dissertating, tweeting, reading blogs, writing my own blog, and doing Yogademia work.
This actually worked out okay. But I have to become even more focused on the monotasking within a task, like sticking with one webpage at a time instead of moving on to something else while I'm waiting for the site to open.
2) I will not postpone yoga because I feel I should be blogging or reading first. Practice first; blog after.
I didn't postpone it; I actually just didn't practice twice this week, but made it all other days. The first time it was because I was blogging, and the second was because an emergency bike repair offered Darcy and me the chance for a spontaneous mini-date while my bike was in the shop. I'm still not getting in the time I want to, though.
3) I will limit my tweeting to 30 total minutes per day, and limit e-mail time to a maximum of 90 minutes to be batch-checked ONLY at 7a.m. 11 a.m., and 4:15p.m.
With all the links people put into twitter, this doesn't really work. So I regrouped it into my daily inspiration-gathering time, but to be honest I fell off the timer wagon for that one as well. Batch-checking e-mail only at limited times is going pretty well though.
4) I will spend at three hours working on Yogademia daily, but NO LESS THAN two hours of that will be spent writing and drafting posts, and NO MORE THAN one hour on inspiration-gathering.
Crikeys, that was ambitious. I ended up spending WAY more time than that on Yogademia last week, and that really didn't work so well for my pursuit of balance. I need to learn to write shorter posts and spend time revising rather than perfecting. Perfecting has officially become a problem for me.
5) I will dissertate for five hours daily and cross 20,000 words this week (about 2300 each day).
I made it to 15k words, and really can't go any further for the moment. This is the conclusion chapter, but the problem is I'm still waiting for supervisor comments on three of the other four chapters I've written in the last six months. Without those comments and working through my other chapters first, I have to stop where I am for now. So the chapter will ultimately go well over 20k I imagine, but not for a good few months yet.
-------------------------
Sometimes I felt like rather a hypocrite last week, blogging about balance when I wasn't feeling terribly balanced myself for all the time I was spending on the computer. Saturday was spent doing a ton of post writing and drafting for the coming week and the last week of August when I'm away from my computer for five whole days. I didn't do my Artist Date (unless you count Saturday as an all-blogging retreat) this week, didn't sort out a reward (which, let's face it, I didn't earn), and missed yoga twice on top of all that. [Cue Bronx cheer.]
The problem is, because I spent so many years moving around for research, I started putting everything on my computer: yoga classes, blog, work, play, skype, music, running maps, fun creativity exercises, recipes, etc. Literally, my entire life is on the computer, and you can't write about life and balance and all those other wonderful things unless you're away from the computer. Well, duh, but why is that so freakin' difficult? The last thing I want is to be attached at the hip to my laptop, which I will admit is more true than not.
Any tips on how to step away from the computer? Without feeling guilty?
Goals August 16-22
1. Complete conclusion chapter draft and send out to advisor by/before Friday.
2. Complete Yogademia posts for this week by the end of Tuesday
3. Complete Yogademia posts for next week by the end of Friday
4. Begin a blogging-free week on Saturday
5. Daily yoga practice, with 75-90 minute practices at least three times this week, preferably four.
6. Move away from my computer as much as possible within all that.
Artist Date: an hour spent streetcombing
Reward: To celebrate the completion of my full dissertation draft! Five days of computer-free cycling holiday in Scotland with Darcy staying in a 16th-century tower (our original plan to cycle along Hadrian's Wall wasn't going to work out schedule-wise).
1) I will only do one thing at a time by monotasking with a timer to hold myself accountable for all things prone to attention splatter: dissertating, tweeting, reading blogs, writing my own blog, and doing Yogademia work.
This actually worked out okay. But I have to become even more focused on the monotasking within a task, like sticking with one webpage at a time instead of moving on to something else while I'm waiting for the site to open.
2) I will not postpone yoga because I feel I should be blogging or reading first. Practice first; blog after.
I didn't postpone it; I actually just didn't practice twice this week, but made it all other days. The first time it was because I was blogging, and the second was because an emergency bike repair offered Darcy and me the chance for a spontaneous mini-date while my bike was in the shop. I'm still not getting in the time I want to, though.
3) I will limit my tweeting to 30 total minutes per day, and limit e-mail time to a maximum of 90 minutes to be batch-checked ONLY at 7a.m. 11 a.m., and 4:15p.m.
With all the links people put into twitter, this doesn't really work. So I regrouped it into my daily inspiration-gathering time, but to be honest I fell off the timer wagon for that one as well. Batch-checking e-mail only at limited times is going pretty well though.
4) I will spend at three hours working on Yogademia daily, but NO LESS THAN two hours of that will be spent writing and drafting posts, and NO MORE THAN one hour on inspiration-gathering.
Crikeys, that was ambitious. I ended up spending WAY more time than that on Yogademia last week, and that really didn't work so well for my pursuit of balance. I need to learn to write shorter posts and spend time revising rather than perfecting. Perfecting has officially become a problem for me.
5) I will dissertate for five hours daily and cross 20,000 words this week (about 2300 each day).
I made it to 15k words, and really can't go any further for the moment. This is the conclusion chapter, but the problem is I'm still waiting for supervisor comments on three of the other four chapters I've written in the last six months. Without those comments and working through my other chapters first, I have to stop where I am for now. So the chapter will ultimately go well over 20k I imagine, but not for a good few months yet.
-------------------------
Sometimes I felt like rather a hypocrite last week, blogging about balance when I wasn't feeling terribly balanced myself for all the time I was spending on the computer. Saturday was spent doing a ton of post writing and drafting for the coming week and the last week of August when I'm away from my computer for five whole days. I didn't do my Artist Date (unless you count Saturday as an all-blogging retreat) this week, didn't sort out a reward (which, let's face it, I didn't earn), and missed yoga twice on top of all that. [Cue Bronx cheer.]
The problem is, because I spent so many years moving around for research, I started putting everything on my computer: yoga classes, blog, work, play, skype, music, running maps, fun creativity exercises, recipes, etc. Literally, my entire life is on the computer, and you can't write about life and balance and all those other wonderful things unless you're away from the computer. Well, duh, but why is that so freakin' difficult? The last thing I want is to be attached at the hip to my laptop, which I will admit is more true than not.
Any tips on how to step away from the computer? Without feeling guilty?
Goals August 16-22
1. Complete conclusion chapter draft and send out to advisor by/before Friday.
2. Complete Yogademia posts for this week by the end of Tuesday
3. Complete Yogademia posts for next week by the end of Friday
4. Begin a blogging-free week on Saturday
5. Daily yoga practice, with 75-90 minute practices at least three times this week, preferably four.
6. Move away from my computer as much as possible within all that.
Artist Date: an hour spent streetcombing
Reward: To celebrate the completion of my full dissertation draft! Five days of computer-free cycling holiday in Scotland with Darcy staying in a 16th-century tower (our original plan to cycle along Hadrian's Wall wasn't going to work out schedule-wise).
Saturday, August 15, 2009
gussying up for a swim
saturday afternoons were invented for napping . i say that because i just woke up from my sugar induced cupcake coma. after dreaming pleasant dreams i awoke to my beloved mini-mollohans napping away their saturday afternoons with me. who would have ever thought that sharing the bed with 2 cats and a dog would be so great.
shortly after waking, the mini-mollohans began abandoning one by one. i decided to follow suit and write my first post on swim. i am excited to be (finally) joining swim. i've thrown the idea around several times but thought, 'what do i have to say,' and 'i'm not a writer.'
i'm learning to swim (picture seeing me in bright colored arm floaties, like we used to have when we were kids) for several reasons.
first, i want to focus on the written word - my written word. i used to journal and then not so much. i am trying to remedy that and journal more. i also want to be more consistent with my morning pages. (question regarding morning pages below)
second, i am more than thrilled to be working in-cahoots with you lovely ladies. you all inspire me everyday. it was you that inspired me swim along. i just wish that i would have joined sooner but things have to happen when we are ready. just like when i started my own blog, it was reading all of your blogs that inspired me to do so. and i've had such a great time with it (even though i realize i have no specific niche but i'm ok with that).
and third, i want a little more creativity in my everyday.
now for my question. i was trying to get a better idea of how you all feel about journaling vs morning pages. do you do them both? are they a separate entity for you? what i mean is, when i do my morning pages it feels like i'm journaling. then when i go to journal, i feel like i'm rehashing what i said earlier in my morning pages. i'd love your advice, suggestions and/or input on this issue. thanks in advance!
week 1 goals:
- try to do morning pages every morning (regardless of whether or not i reach 3 pages)
- blog at least 3 times on gussying up the tuttle and at least once on my morgantown musings
- implement a reward system like you ladies have set up
- make my weekly check ins on saturday (or at the very latest sunday)
shortly after waking, the mini-mollohans began abandoning one by one. i decided to follow suit and write my first post on swim. i am excited to be (finally) joining swim. i've thrown the idea around several times but thought, 'what do i have to say,' and 'i'm not a writer.'
i'm learning to swim (picture seeing me in bright colored arm floaties, like we used to have when we were kids) for several reasons.
first, i want to focus on the written word - my written word. i used to journal and then not so much. i am trying to remedy that and journal more. i also want to be more consistent with my morning pages. (question regarding morning pages below)
second, i am more than thrilled to be working in-cahoots with you lovely ladies. you all inspire me everyday. it was you that inspired me swim along. i just wish that i would have joined sooner but things have to happen when we are ready. just like when i started my own blog, it was reading all of your blogs that inspired me to do so. and i've had such a great time with it (even though i realize i have no specific niche but i'm ok with that).
and third, i want a little more creativity in my everyday.
now for my question. i was trying to get a better idea of how you all feel about journaling vs morning pages. do you do them both? are they a separate entity for you? what i mean is, when i do my morning pages it feels like i'm journaling. then when i go to journal, i feel like i'm rehashing what i said earlier in my morning pages. i'd love your advice, suggestions and/or input on this issue. thanks in advance!week 1 goals:
- try to do morning pages every morning (regardless of whether or not i reach 3 pages)
- blog at least 3 times on gussying up the tuttle and at least once on my morgantown musings
- implement a reward system like you ladies have set up
- make my weekly check ins on saturday (or at the very latest sunday)
A little motivation
11 Reasons Writers Know More than Publishers
- Madeline L’Engle’s book, A Wrinkle in Time, was turned down 29 times before she found a publisher.
- C.S. Lewis received over 800 rejections before he sold a single piece or writing.
- Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind was rejected by 25 publishers.
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was rejected 121 times.
- Johathan Livingston Seagull was rejected 40 times.
- Louis L’Amour was rejected over 200 times before he sold any of his writing.
- The San Francisco Examiner turned down Rudyard Kipling’s submission 1n 1889 with the note, “I am sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just do not know how to use the English language.”
- An editor once told F. Scott Fitzgerald, “You’d have a decent book if you’d get rid of that Gatsby Character.”
- The Dr. Seuss book, And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected for being “too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant selling.”
- George Orwell’s Animal Farm was rejected with the comment, “It’s impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”
- The manuscript for The Diary of Anne Frank received the editorial comment, “This girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the curiosity level.”
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
SWIMmers' Locker Room
Hi Everyone!
After seeing some other people post about wanting to write about personal things but not on the public blog, I decided to create this space for us in case we would like to go into more detail about our lives or the writing we're trying to do. Everyone's who's been participating so far has access.
You should've received an invite to the Locker Room: http://swimmerslockerroom.blogspot.com/
If you didn't receive an invite, leave a comment here so I can resend it.
I just posted about how I burnt my novel to the ground today; there's nothing left of it but a tragic short story.
After seeing some other people post about wanting to write about personal things but not on the public blog, I decided to create this space for us in case we would like to go into more detail about our lives or the writing we're trying to do. Everyone's who's been participating so far has access.
You should've received an invite to the Locker Room: http://swimmerslockerroom.blogspot.com/
If you didn't receive an invite, leave a comment here so I can resend it.
I just posted about how I burnt my novel to the ground today; there's nothing left of it but a tragic short story.
Tomato: Week 8
Checking in from last week...
Week 6 Goals:
1) Attempt morning pages (actually in the morning) at least 2x/week - Only did 1 day, but it felt great. Eventually I want part of my morning ritual to be - sit in armchair and do morning pages while sipping freshly brewed coffee.
2) Work on planner pad - i love my planner pad, but i often don't use it as best i could. I'm going to try and carve out some time this weekend to really spend time planning the week ahead. Yes! And with my busy busy week, my planner pad looks crazy! ;-)
3) Write 3 snail mail letters/cards to friends. (I've been truly slacking on this one.) Ugh FAIL.
4) Post weekly SWIM goals in planner pad! Yes, and it's uber helpful to remind moi of what I need to be doing (and much easier/quicker to reference than pulling it up online!).
5) Write a difficult blog post for moi... has been on my mind for quite some time, but have been scared to write it. I think it will be good for me. FAIL but will do it when I have some more time.
Needless to say, time is on my mind these days. My schedule has become insanely packed overnight, and I'm not sure how to handle it all. I went from having all the time in the world at work to play/blog/tweet/write, and now I have more work than I can do in a day on top of everything else AND more obligatory & fun engagements ahead. Ahh! I'm trying to find a balance without overwhelming myself. Man, how do you guys do it? You all seem way busier than moi!
Voila my WEEK 8 GOALS:
1) Write thank you cards for all bday wishes and gifts this weekend.
2) 1 morning of morning pages (trying to be realistic here).
3) Carve out time for some journal play avec Journal Bliss (the FABULOUS book recommended by our very own Revisionista). Loooove!!
I'm sticking to 3 goals this week so as to not feel uber pressured by this lovely SWIM group that i *so* adore!!
Week 6 Goals:
1) Attempt morning pages (actually in the morning) at least 2x/week - Only did 1 day, but it felt great. Eventually I want part of my morning ritual to be - sit in armchair and do morning pages while sipping freshly brewed coffee.
2) Work on planner pad - i love my planner pad, but i often don't use it as best i could. I'm going to try and carve out some time this weekend to really spend time planning the week ahead. Yes! And with my busy busy week, my planner pad looks crazy! ;-)
3) Write 3 snail mail letters/cards to friends. (I've been truly slacking on this one.) Ugh FAIL.
4) Post weekly SWIM goals in planner pad! Yes, and it's uber helpful to remind moi of what I need to be doing (and much easier/quicker to reference than pulling it up online!).
5) Write a difficult blog post for moi... has been on my mind for quite some time, but have been scared to write it. I think it will be good for me. FAIL but will do it when I have some more time.
Needless to say, time is on my mind these days. My schedule has become insanely packed overnight, and I'm not sure how to handle it all. I went from having all the time in the world at work to play/blog/tweet/write, and now I have more work than I can do in a day on top of everything else AND more obligatory & fun engagements ahead. Ahh! I'm trying to find a balance without overwhelming myself. Man, how do you guys do it? You all seem way busier than moi!
Voila my WEEK 8 GOALS:
1) Write thank you cards for all bday wishes and gifts this weekend.
2) 1 morning of morning pages (trying to be realistic here).
3) Carve out time for some journal play avec Journal Bliss (the FABULOUS book recommended by our very own Revisionista). Loooove!!
I'm sticking to 3 goals this week so as to not feel uber pressured by this lovely SWIM group that i *so* adore!!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Lauren's Check-In
Hi all,
Thank you so much for your kind words regarding feeling stuck. I know that this happens to everyone at some point or another, but lately it seems like I feel stuck in all aspects of my life and not just with writing. I'm setting small goals for myself with the hope of not feeling too overwhelmed.
Goals for this week:
-Journal about my responses and reactions to this article from the Icing blog called "2009: Where Are You At?"
-Read Michael Pollan's article, "Out of the Kitchen, On to the Couch"
-Do the week 1 assignment for my freelance writing course (an introduction plus why I want to be a freelance writer)
-Write a draft of an essay for Birthright Israel's essay contest on what the trip meant to me (2 winners get round trip tickets to Israel! Second place is a $500 Amazon gift card and third is a $250 Amazon gift card!). I have been wanting to put words to my experience for awhile now, so I figure that this is my chance.
-Keep up with my Morning Pages
Reward: I leave on Friday to spend a week in Maine with my boyfriend and his family. My reward is the trip and the gift of free time. If I don't finish these things, I'll be doing them at a lake in Maine when I could be enjoying myself!
Thank you so much for your kind words regarding feeling stuck. I know that this happens to everyone at some point or another, but lately it seems like I feel stuck in all aspects of my life and not just with writing. I'm setting small goals for myself with the hope of not feeling too overwhelmed.
Goals for this week:
-Journal about my responses and reactions to this article from the Icing blog called "2009: Where Are You At?"
-Read Michael Pollan's article, "Out of the Kitchen, On to the Couch"
-Do the week 1 assignment for my freelance writing course (an introduction plus why I want to be a freelance writer)
-Write a draft of an essay for Birthright Israel's essay contest on what the trip meant to me (2 winners get round trip tickets to Israel! Second place is a $500 Amazon gift card and third is a $250 Amazon gift card!). I have been wanting to put words to my experience for awhile now, so I figure that this is my chance.
-Keep up with my Morning Pages
Reward: I leave on Friday to spend a week in Maine with my boyfriend and his family. My reward is the trip and the gift of free time. If I don't finish these things, I'll be doing them at a lake in Maine when I could be enjoying myself!
Monday, August 10, 2009
dharmagirl: goals august 10-16
sunset over Lake Michigan
Last Week's Goals
1. try to write a little something every day. mostly
2. soak up beauty.yes, yes, YES
3. wonder at the natural magnificence on the long drive. yes, until i was overcome by caffeine deprivation
4. ponder important, big things whilst driving. yes, yes, YES
5. enjoy my friend's company. yes, yes, YES
6. be in the moments. yes, yes, YES
Hello! I am so glad I made the epic drive (8+ hours each way) to go visit my best friend H and her family in Northport last week. We had a lovely time catching up, chatting, sharing our dreams and fears. And, this place is absolutely beautiful and magic. Every time I visit, driving the undulating roads through orchards with sapphire lake and sky peeking through, well, I can believe that *anything* is possible. My life seems full of absolute possibility and goodness, I think in poetry and love, and, well, it's just an amazing way to be.
And now I'm back home, and the inspiration still lingers, as I gaze at my photos from the trip. The inspiration grows as G and I watch Julie and Julia in the theater, and it continues to flow as I set aside my now-filled journal and start a new one, with new goals and dreams and directions.
My flexible morning rituals are coming along nicely. I like to practice a handful of sun salutations while my milk is heating for cafe au lait and my oatmeal is cooking. After breakfast, I'll often turn to my MPs or to my blog for the first words of the day. At some point I like to fit in a little walk. BUT, some days the walk or blog or even MPs might be shifted to the afternoon, and that's okay. The good news is that I'm so addicted to journaling that if I *don't* fit it in at any time during the day, something seems a little off. This is huge. I lost this addiction for the past few years, and in doing so lost a vital, alive, true part of myself. I think MPs keep me honest with myself, don't you?!?
Anyway, I'm rambling here. This week needs to be school focused, and that's okay. I'm actually feeling excited to be back in the classroom, hopefully sharing some of the inspiration I've gathered this summer with my students and anyone else who will listen.
Goals for August 10-16
1. read to page 109ish in The Time Traveler's Wife for book club
2. write blog entry about Leelanau
3. finish ENG 102 syllabus
4. choose films, TV, etc for LEC 100 class
5. find articles, etc. for WOM 203 class
6. MP's each day
7. try my hand at writing the lune
8. catch up on emails to far-flung friends
Reward: ?!?
Revisionista: Rewards, Update & Goals
Bonjour mes belles amies!
Let's talk rewards first since I finally went on my shopping trip for my CH 1 treat. And oh did I treat myself. Around this time of year, I usually head to the mall to find a couple pieces to add to my teaching wardrobe, but after browsing through Macy's, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor on Friday, I didn't really see anything to my liking. I think the current fashion trends are confusing me--BR is all about the bombshell 60s with pencil skirts and silky tops with whimsical bows and/or ruffles. Ann Taylor has gone animal print wild and all the rest is a throw back to the 80s, and while I love having a retro 80s dance moment, I'm not so sure I want to go back to the fashions (bomber jackets are apparently in). Plus, in general, I'm in the middle of figuring out what my classic/bohemian sides really like and if there are clothes that speak to both of them.
SO, on Saturday I decided to hold off on clothes shopping and instead go for a proper bra fitting to find a nice bra or two from Intimacy as my CH 1 reward. I'll probably go into more about the fitting on my blog, but a pic of the Aubade bra (from a Parisian lingerie house that's been around since 1875!) I bought is above. It makes me feel so chic and so fabulous and the color is just grand. Plus, it was really special to do something that decadent for my body because while I don't even blink when it comes to splurging on journals or fountain pens, I'm much more frugal when it comes to clothes and even more so when it comes to undergarments.
When I was walking around the other luxury stores at Phipps Plaza sighing oh la las at every other display, I realized that there is a Becky Bloomwood inside of me who's just dying to get out. I've gotta keep girlfriend in check for the moment, BUT I was thinking that I might write my way to getting some of those "desperately important" luxury items I'm now craving. So, I'm thinking that I'll treat myself when I finish completing the draft of Le Rsch Book, completing & typing a first draft of the novel, and for submitting query materials for the novel to agents. So, I have A LOT of writing to do in the next couple semesters so I can get my 3 decadent rewards!
Since I'm saving up for some serious indulgences, my weekly rewards will have to be much more modest.
So, let's see how I did this past week:
YES! *417 syllabus, BB setup, & first day brainstorm
YES! *310 syllabus, BB setup, & first day brainstorm
managed 4/7 *Aim for 7 hours of novel time
no *Type last week's novel pages
YES! *Gather materials for Le Rsch Book introduction
no*Read/skim vol. I of E for CH 5 of Le Rsch Book
YES! *Outline fall teach/research/novel agenda
YES! *Artist Date ~~had fun exploring new fragrances & I would say bra shopping counts as an Artist Date because I'm kinda creating myself
YES! (2) *2-3 blog posts
no*1-2 Italian podcasts
no*Start mapping out dream trip itinerary for Italy
no*Send City Girl a pearl of wisdom
Since I managed to get the syllabi drafted, which was the priority for last week, I think I've earned my reward of Season 2 of Mad Men through Netflix.
With the teaching stuff under control, I'm gonna spend my last week of vacay focusing on research and novel writing.
*Aim for 7 hours of novel time
*Type last week's novel pages
*Freewrite 5pp of Intro for Le Rsch Book
*Notes on Vol. I of Estelle
*Add changes to TS Article
*Proof, copy, & BB 417 syllabus
*Proof, copy, & BB 310 syllabus
*Finish 1 fun book
*Send City Girl pearl of wisdom
*Artist Date: bookbinding workshop on Saturday
Reward: take novel out to lunch or coffee later this week
This week I took Carolyn's smart suggestion & put my SWIM goals in my journal so I can look back at them without having to get online each time.
Sorry for the tres long narrative. I'm definitely hoping to set aside some time later today to catch up on what y'all have been doing. Until then, I hope you're all having a fabulous start to the week!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Kiki: Learning how to practice what I preach
Hello, my name is Kiki, and I have attention splatter. (Be sure to read part 2 and part 3 of the series!)
Specifically, I have difficulty with three things:
1) Focusing on creative output rather than blocking myself with all the goodies on the web
2) Spending too much time supposedly working on things that I am really completely splattered about
3) Not practicing what I preach in terms of priorities
Now that I am really committed to growing Yogademia, it is taking much more time. But I am also making it take more time because it is easier to claim reading other websites/tweeting/etc. as "inspiration-gathering" rather than just calling it by its true name: creative blocks and avoiding my creative output out of general creative fear and the fear of imperfect products (it's not me saying that; it's Julia Cameron). I've noticed that even my yoga practice is starting to suffer because of this, which tells me I am definitely not practicing what I preach.
----------------------
Check-in
*Get at least 10,000 words down on paper for this final chapter draft
Only made it to about 8500, but a pretty quality 8500 with some important translations.
*Spend 2-3 hours working on the book review for a complete draft
Made a good start, but the fact that I don't think too highly of the book makes it difficult.
*Draft at least five longer Yogademia posts to have in the arsenal for next week
I've started working on them in my morning pages, so they exist at least in idea format.
*Work on refining my Yogademia niche through better quality posts
This I feel I've actually made some progress on.
*Draft and post another episode of Beijing
Not even close.
*Come to terms with the fact that Beijing has to be my creative writing side project and that the book I really need to write is more in line with my Yogademia niche
Perhaps I've come to terms with this rather sooner than I expected given that I couldn't "find the time" to write Beijing this week.
*Daily Yogademia posts, yoga practice, and morning pages, of course
Missed Thursday's practice completely, and invested 20 minutes or less at least twice otherwise out of "busyness" that came from too much attention splatter. Posts and MPs are going strong, though.
-------------------
The Artist's Way has just been spot-on in its essays and tasks for every week. This week, "recovering a sense of self-protection," talks precisely about identifying your "deadlies" (those things that we actively choose as creative blocks) and battling them by setting a "bottom line" rule that specifically targets them. This week, in a variation of my writing goals, I am setting bottom lines:
1) I will only do one thing at a time by monotasking with a timer to hold myself accountable for all things prone to attention splatter: dissertating, tweeting, reading blogs, writing my own blog, and doing Yogademia work.
2) I will not postpone yoga because I feel I should be blogging or reading first. Practice first; blog after.
3) I will limit my tweeting to 30 total minutes per day, and limit e-mail time to a maximum of 90 minutes to be batch-checked ONLY at 7a.m. 11 a.m., and 4:15p.m.
4) I will spend at three hours working on Yogademia daily, but NO LESS THAN two hours of that will be spent writing and drafting posts, and NO MORE THAN one hour on inspiration-gathering.
5) I will dissertate for five hours daily and cross 20,000 words this week (about 2300 each day).
Reward: Good question. I'll have to get back you on that one.
Specifically, I have difficulty with three things:
1) Focusing on creative output rather than blocking myself with all the goodies on the web
2) Spending too much time supposedly working on things that I am really completely splattered about
3) Not practicing what I preach in terms of priorities
Now that I am really committed to growing Yogademia, it is taking much more time. But I am also making it take more time because it is easier to claim reading other websites/tweeting/etc. as "inspiration-gathering" rather than just calling it by its true name: creative blocks and avoiding my creative output out of general creative fear and the fear of imperfect products (it's not me saying that; it's Julia Cameron). I've noticed that even my yoga practice is starting to suffer because of this, which tells me I am definitely not practicing what I preach.
----------------------
Check-in
*Get at least 10,000 words down on paper for this final chapter draft
Only made it to about 8500, but a pretty quality 8500 with some important translations.
*Spend 2-3 hours working on the book review for a complete draft
Made a good start, but the fact that I don't think too highly of the book makes it difficult.
*Draft at least five longer Yogademia posts to have in the arsenal for next week
I've started working on them in my morning pages, so they exist at least in idea format.
*Work on refining my Yogademia niche through better quality posts
This I feel I've actually made some progress on.
*Draft and post another episode of Beijing
Not even close.
*Come to terms with the fact that Beijing has to be my creative writing side project and that the book I really need to write is more in line with my Yogademia niche
Perhaps I've come to terms with this rather sooner than I expected given that I couldn't "find the time" to write Beijing this week.
*Daily Yogademia posts, yoga practice, and morning pages, of course
Missed Thursday's practice completely, and invested 20 minutes or less at least twice otherwise out of "busyness" that came from too much attention splatter. Posts and MPs are going strong, though.
-------------------
The Artist's Way has just been spot-on in its essays and tasks for every week. This week, "recovering a sense of self-protection," talks precisely about identifying your "deadlies" (those things that we actively choose as creative blocks) and battling them by setting a "bottom line" rule that specifically targets them. This week, in a variation of my writing goals, I am setting bottom lines:
1) I will only do one thing at a time by monotasking with a timer to hold myself accountable for all things prone to attention splatter: dissertating, tweeting, reading blogs, writing my own blog, and doing Yogademia work.
2) I will not postpone yoga because I feel I should be blogging or reading first. Practice first; blog after.
3) I will limit my tweeting to 30 total minutes per day, and limit e-mail time to a maximum of 90 minutes to be batch-checked ONLY at 7a.m. 11 a.m., and 4:15p.m.
4) I will spend at three hours working on Yogademia daily, but NO LESS THAN two hours of that will be spent writing and drafting posts, and NO MORE THAN one hour on inspiration-gathering.
5) I will dissertate for five hours daily and cross 20,000 words this week (about 2300 each day).
Reward: Good question. I'll have to get back you on that one.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Lauren: Feeling Stuck
Over the past few days, I have felt all of the possible negative emotions related to blogging and writing--up to and including deleting Everyday Revelry out of existence. The worst part is that I am not exactly sure why.First, I am suffering from a terrible case of writer's block. I would sit and stare at the blinking cursor with nothing to say or comment on. I ripped up my list of brainstormed backup content ideas because I didn't like any of them. I can't escape the feeling that I need a niche for my blog.
Speaking of the blog, there are other things bothering me. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep up with it (and to leave comments on other blogs, which I consider part of the territory of blogging). It seems like a lot of energy for 11 readers. Those 11 readers mean a lot to me but with the sense of being overwhelmed that I was feeling, it just didn't seem worth it. I will have even less time in the next few weeks as the fall semester starts and things ramp back up at work.
I was also overcome this week with a sense of wanting to hide. I felt like I didn't want anyone else to read my writing. This wasn't just about the blog. I also got to thinking about Twitter and Facebook, as well as the LiveJournal I used to keep and my paper journals. I started to feel like I didn't want that stuff out there in the universe (or around my room, in the case of the journals), where others might seem them.
My Freelance Writing e-course starts next week and I am going away this weekend, so I think my goals for the week will be simply to keep up with yoga and my morning pages. I'm not sure I can handle much more than that at this point.
Any suggestions on how to get more followers and how to get good backup content would be appreciated!
Tomato: Week 7
Bonjour, mes amies! I am excited to be back on the SWIM bandwagon and love hearing all about y'all's writing experiences. It's so inspirational! I've been feeling a lot less pressure to write, and as a result, it's coming more naturally and easily. Work's been so slow lately also that I take advantage of that time to blog and journal. I just got put on a doc review so I'll be working a lot (hopefully). Figuring out how to squeeze in time for all my "fun" writing will be a challenge, but I welcome it with open arms. After all, isn't real life learning to balance work and play?
My Week 6 check-in:
WEEK 6 GOALS!
1) Experiment with fun journaling a la Revisionista! Don't worry about lack of drawing ability and just GO FOR IT! Haha um... I did do this, but not well. I need to take Doodling 101 or something! It's ridiculous!
2) Consciously set aside your Juicy Journaling assignments and come to peace w/ the fact that I can take those on at a later time. Yup - set up a gmail folder where all my juicy journaling emails go. It doesn't stress me out to see them piling up anymore!
3) Get feedback on ideas for Le Book (may need some of y'all's help on this one) and start notebook exclusively devoted to its conception. Right now Le Book is mostly an idea in my head, and I think I need more vision and guidance before I begin writing it full-on. I envision a notebook full of ideas as a good starting point. :) Check! Also bought a notebook for Le Book and plan to start exploring ideas and thinking about feedback there. Woo hoooo
4) Keep up with SWIM!! (because you ladies are FABULOUS and INSPIRATIONAL!) Check!!
Voila my Week 6 Goals:
1) Attempt morning pages (actually in the morning) at least 2x/week
2) Work on planner pad - i love my planner pad, but i often don't use it as best i could. I'm going to try and carve out some time this weekend to really spend time planning the week ahead.
3) Write 3 snail mail letters/cards to friends. (I've been truly slacking on this one.)
4) Post weekly SWIM goals in planner pad!
5) Write a difficult blog post for moi... has been on my mind for quite some time, but have been scared to write it. I think it will be good for me.
(No reward for moi this week. I've given myself enough rewards lately. ;-) )
{photo credit - Jennifer Emery}
Monday, August 3, 2009
Vienna: Mystery goals
Hi ladies!
While I write this post, I have already met one of my writing goals for the week: I have emailed my Greek friend explaining what I expected from the holiday, budget situation, writing time needed, etc. She replied and seemed understanding. Fingers crossed now!
I really don't know what to expect next week so I'll keep my goals simple:
1. Morning pages
2. Daily morning yoga.
3. Daily creative writing (I don't know what I'm going to be able to do, but I am going to 'protect' some writing time every morning, even if it's half an hour).
Well, next time I post I will be in sunny Spain since I'm flying on Wednesday! I'll include some nice pictures with my future posts.
Happy week and happy writing everyone!
While I write this post, I have already met one of my writing goals for the week: I have emailed my Greek friend explaining what I expected from the holiday, budget situation, writing time needed, etc. She replied and seemed understanding. Fingers crossed now!
I really don't know what to expect next week so I'll keep my goals simple:
1. Morning pages
2. Daily morning yoga.
3. Daily creative writing (I don't know what I'm going to be able to do, but I am going to 'protect' some writing time every morning, even if it's half an hour).
Well, next time I post I will be in sunny Spain since I'm flying on Wednesday! I'll include some nice pictures with my future posts.
Happy week and happy writing everyone!
Revisionista: Update, Goals, & Jedi Mindtricks
Bonjour belles mademoiselles!
First off, thanks for all the lovely comments you've left on my blog & twitter thread, re my finishing CH 1 of the research book last week. I think I've said it before, but writing, especially academic writing/research, can be such an invisible process (until tenure review of course when the powers that be want to see journal articles & le book). So, it's been a great motivator to know that y'all are out there reading along as I figure out how to make a book (and a novel). Merci beaucoup! As soon as I check some stuff on my to do list this morning, I'm looking forward to popping around to each of your blogs and SWIM posts for a happy dose of inspiration.
Now typically this is the time of year that I FREAK out that my summer has ended and I have to go back to school. But this year, I think I've figured out some strategery (as Bush would say) aka some Jedi Mindtricks that'll help me get ready for classes without the usual meltdown.
Jedi Mindtricks for the Start of School
1. While my vacation may be coming to an end, it's still summer until Sept. 21. So until that scintillating summer solstice lady sings & tranquilista has us drawing more petals to welcome fall, I'm going to continue enjoying all my summer activities.
2. Instead of waiting until the week before classes start to pull together syllabi, etc I'm going to do everything this week. That way I can return to my research and summer rituals next week and then roll into the semester the following week in a calm, mindful & chic way. (Plus, I'm totally treating myself to the 2nd Season of Mad Men if I can get all my teaching stuff done by the end of the week!). I'm hoping that by making the conscious choice to do this prep work, I'll move through it tranquilly and not get bogged down in procrastination and dread.
3. Once I get my teaching/research/novel writing agenda in place for fall semester, I'm going to stay in the moment and focus on the day I'm in. I have a bad habit, which started in grad school, of living in the future--ie wishing for winter break, spring break, summer break, etc. instead of finding contentment in the day I'm actually in. So while I have some awesome stuff to look forward to in the coming year (a birthday trip to New Orleans in the spring, turning this research book in to the publisher & going to Italy as a reward), there is much to enjoy and experience on Monday, August 3rd.
So, here's a look back at last week:
* YES! morning pages: continue to incorporate sketches, doodles, etc
* YES! ~~ CH 1 is complete! 15min/weekday on CH 1 of the research book
* Comme ci, Comme ca 15min/day on le novel But I did manage to finally burn the novel house down & get back to a place where I have no idea what happens next. I know where it starts, where it might end, and an ideal turning point in the middle, but other than that, who knows. (I'll post more about this on my blog)
* YES! 1-2 Italian podcasts I'm listening to *My Daily Phrase Italian* on itunes. Each lesson is about 3-5 min & you learn a phrase or two. It's TINY Italian. :) And it's free!
* YES! read for fun (am loving my book baths--such a great way to drift off into a book w/o interrupting self w/ internet, etc)
* YES! (2) 2-3 blog posts
I'm collecting my reward of a shopping day later this week.
Here's what I'm cooking up for this week
*417 syllabus, BB setup, & first day brainstorm
*310 syllabus, BB setup, & first day brainstorm
*Aim for 7 hours of novel time
*Type last week's novel pages
*Gather materials for Le Rsch Book introduction
*Read/skim vol. I of E for CH 5 of Le Rsch Book
*Outline fall teach/research/novel agenda
*Artist Date
*2-3 blog posts
*1-2 Italian podcasts
*Start mapping out dream trip itinerary for Italy
*Send City Girl a pearl of wisdom
It's time to get to getting as Miss Niecy says on Clean House. Here's to a good first week of August!
First off, thanks for all the lovely comments you've left on my blog & twitter thread, re my finishing CH 1 of the research book last week. I think I've said it before, but writing, especially academic writing/research, can be such an invisible process (until tenure review of course when the powers that be want to see journal articles & le book). So, it's been a great motivator to know that y'all are out there reading along as I figure out how to make a book (and a novel). Merci beaucoup! As soon as I check some stuff on my to do list this morning, I'm looking forward to popping around to each of your blogs and SWIM posts for a happy dose of inspiration.
Now typically this is the time of year that I FREAK out that my summer has ended and I have to go back to school. But this year, I think I've figured out some strategery (as Bush would say) aka some Jedi Mindtricks that'll help me get ready for classes without the usual meltdown.
Jedi Mindtricks for the Start of School
1. While my vacation may be coming to an end, it's still summer until Sept. 21. So until that scintillating summer solstice lady sings & tranquilista has us drawing more petals to welcome fall, I'm going to continue enjoying all my summer activities.
2. Instead of waiting until the week before classes start to pull together syllabi, etc I'm going to do everything this week. That way I can return to my research and summer rituals next week and then roll into the semester the following week in a calm, mindful & chic way. (Plus, I'm totally treating myself to the 2nd Season of Mad Men if I can get all my teaching stuff done by the end of the week!). I'm hoping that by making the conscious choice to do this prep work, I'll move through it tranquilly and not get bogged down in procrastination and dread.
3. Once I get my teaching/research/novel writing agenda in place for fall semester, I'm going to stay in the moment and focus on the day I'm in. I have a bad habit, which started in grad school, of living in the future--ie wishing for winter break, spring break, summer break, etc. instead of finding contentment in the day I'm actually in. So while I have some awesome stuff to look forward to in the coming year (a birthday trip to New Orleans in the spring, turning this research book in to the publisher & going to Italy as a reward), there is much to enjoy and experience on Monday, August 3rd.
So, here's a look back at last week:
* YES! morning pages: continue to incorporate sketches, doodles, etc
* YES! ~~ CH 1 is complete! 15min/weekday on CH 1 of the research book
* Comme ci, Comme ca 15min/day on le novel But I did manage to finally burn the novel house down & get back to a place where I have no idea what happens next. I know where it starts, where it might end, and an ideal turning point in the middle, but other than that, who knows. (I'll post more about this on my blog)
* YES! 1-2 Italian podcasts I'm listening to *My Daily Phrase Italian* on itunes. Each lesson is about 3-5 min & you learn a phrase or two. It's TINY Italian. :) And it's free!
* YES! read for fun (am loving my book baths--such a great way to drift off into a book w/o interrupting self w/ internet, etc)
* YES! (2) 2-3 blog posts
I'm collecting my reward of a shopping day later this week.
Here's what I'm cooking up for this week
*417 syllabus, BB setup, & first day brainstorm
*310 syllabus, BB setup, & first day brainstorm
*Aim for 7 hours of novel time
*Type last week's novel pages
*Gather materials for Le Rsch Book introduction
*Read/skim vol. I of E for CH 5 of Le Rsch Book
*Outline fall teach/research/novel agenda
*Artist Date
*2-3 blog posts
*1-2 Italian podcasts
*Start mapping out dream trip itinerary for Italy
*Send City Girl a pearl of wisdom
It's time to get to getting as Miss Niecy says on Clean House. Here's to a good first week of August!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
dharmagirl: goals august 3-9
Goal Update...
Goals July 27-August 2
1. write email to campus about Poetry event on Thursday yes! plus follow up email about how fabulous said event was and how lame people were for not coming (no, not really, exactly, but wanted to say that:)
2. select poems to read at aforementioned poetry event yes
3. craft ENG 102 syllabus yes--schedule all set. need some new prose, but have ideas in mind. will blend with existing syllabus prose
4. work on novel collaboration project yes--set up wiki and worked on characters a bit
5. read one hour each afternoon sorta. started reading Dracula, and read for longer at night too, a great collection of essays, Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume
6. create versions of morning rituals--flexibility is a key! not every morning is going to be/should be the same yes, and this worked really well
7. post two year anniversary blog on monday yes!
8. do something really fabulous and fun yes! spent lots of time with super awesome person
9. continue reading writing advice books for a) myself and b) for ENG 102 inspiration yes! digging Twyla Tharp!
10. check in with fellow bloggers yes, though not as much as I'd like. it's hard to keep up, especially when I fall behind. so if i don't comment, please know that i'm still paying attention to you and your conversations:)
11. MPs yes!
This past week was just the week I needed: a relatively quiet week, with no visitors and no travels. One major event, a poetry reading that I hosted, plus some fairly significant personal events/fun, still fit into my routine. I felt happy and accomplished all week, able to balance good eating and exercising with the work of writing and reading and thinking ahead to fall semester a bit.
In fact, this week went so well, that I was loathe to leave the routine for a fun break. Every summer I head to one of my best friend's parents' home in Northern Michigan for a few days of good girlfriend bonding time, shopping, eating, wine-ing, and beaching. It's a bit of a hike from here--an 8 hour drive--and I nearly discounted the trip because it would be a lot of driving and time away from my lovely routine.
But. Then I looked at my calendar, and the big START CONTRACT DATE near the end of the month, and realized these days where I can come and go as I please are coming to an end. I'll be in a much stricter routine soon enough, and should take this time for myself, and to visit my friend, and to enjoy the most beautiful, restorative place I know. And so, my goals for this week are simple:
1. try to write a little something every day.
2. soak up beauty.
3. wonder at the natural magnificence on the long drive.
4. ponder important, big things whilst driving.
5. enjoy my friend's company.
6. be in the moments.
Happy week, everyone:)
Goals July 27-August 2
1. write email to campus about Poetry event on Thursday yes! plus follow up email about how fabulous said event was and how lame people were for not coming (no, not really, exactly, but wanted to say that:)
2. select poems to read at aforementioned poetry event yes
3. craft ENG 102 syllabus yes--schedule all set. need some new prose, but have ideas in mind. will blend with existing syllabus prose
4. work on novel collaboration project yes--set up wiki and worked on characters a bit
5. read one hour each afternoon sorta. started reading Dracula, and read for longer at night too, a great collection of essays, Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume
6. create versions of morning rituals--flexibility is a key! not every morning is going to be/should be the same yes, and this worked really well
7. post two year anniversary blog on monday yes!
8. do something really fabulous and fun yes! spent lots of time with super awesome person
9. continue reading writing advice books for a) myself and b) for ENG 102 inspiration yes! digging Twyla Tharp!
10. check in with fellow bloggers yes, though not as much as I'd like. it's hard to keep up, especially when I fall behind. so if i don't comment, please know that i'm still paying attention to you and your conversations:)
11. MPs yes!
This past week was just the week I needed: a relatively quiet week, with no visitors and no travels. One major event, a poetry reading that I hosted, plus some fairly significant personal events/fun, still fit into my routine. I felt happy and accomplished all week, able to balance good eating and exercising with the work of writing and reading and thinking ahead to fall semester a bit.
In fact, this week went so well, that I was loathe to leave the routine for a fun break. Every summer I head to one of my best friend's parents' home in Northern Michigan for a few days of good girlfriend bonding time, shopping, eating, wine-ing, and beaching. It's a bit of a hike from here--an 8 hour drive--and I nearly discounted the trip because it would be a lot of driving and time away from my lovely routine.
But. Then I looked at my calendar, and the big START CONTRACT DATE near the end of the month, and realized these days where I can come and go as I please are coming to an end. I'll be in a much stricter routine soon enough, and should take this time for myself, and to visit my friend, and to enjoy the most beautiful, restorative place I know. And so, my goals for this week are simple:
1. try to write a little something every day.
2. soak up beauty.
3. wonder at the natural magnificence on the long drive.
4. ponder important, big things whilst driving.
5. enjoy my friend's company.
6. be in the moments.
Happy week, everyone:)
Vienna: A few Sunday notes
Hi swimmers!
Just wanted to write a quick post about a few important things:
1 I do apologise if anyone has felt excluded with the comment in Spanish Lauren and I exchanged in one of my posts this week. Thanks, Kiki, for pointing it out. It just happened as an spontaneous thing and we never meant to exclude or offend anyone. I have written the translation of my part follwing Kiki's comment. Sorry, again.
2. A HUGE THANK YOU to you all for your sweet comments and wise advice on my chaotic post. I am immensly happy to belong to such as creative, kind and supportive group as SWIM.
3. My REWARD this week came without looking for it. As I've mentioned on a previous post, last night I attended the premier of Kandahar break, a controversial film shooted in Pakistan and Tunisia, where R (my boyfriend) had worked as a script supervisor. I felt so proud of him watching the film. It was amazing to see how all the hard work had come together and the product was that wonderful and beautiful film.
This is the page of the film on Facebook. It includes trailer, a piece of news and an interview to David Whitney, the director. The film is on its distribution phase. I hope some distributors show interest, the film gets sold and we can watch it soon in the cinemas!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Kandahar-Break/89397491485
Have a nice Sunday.
X
Just wanted to write a quick post about a few important things:
1 I do apologise if anyone has felt excluded with the comment in Spanish Lauren and I exchanged in one of my posts this week. Thanks, Kiki, for pointing it out. It just happened as an spontaneous thing and we never meant to exclude or offend anyone. I have written the translation of my part follwing Kiki's comment. Sorry, again.
2. A HUGE THANK YOU to you all for your sweet comments and wise advice on my chaotic post. I am immensly happy to belong to such as creative, kind and supportive group as SWIM.
3. My REWARD this week came without looking for it. As I've mentioned on a previous post, last night I attended the premier of Kandahar break, a controversial film shooted in Pakistan and Tunisia, where R (my boyfriend) had worked as a script supervisor. I felt so proud of him watching the film. It was amazing to see how all the hard work had come together and the product was that wonderful and beautiful film.
This is the page of the film on Facebook. It includes trailer, a piece of news and an interview to David Whitney, the director. The film is on its distribution phase. I hope some distributors show interest, the film gets sold and we can watch it soon in the cinemas!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Kandahar-Break/89397491485
Have a nice Sunday.
X
Kiki: How do you prioritize?
And suddenly, it is August. Sigh. This post is therefore composed to the sounds of Brandi Carlile and Vienna Teng with a large glass of Merlot.
Wanting desperately to earn my rewards of a slice of Lush soap and a scarf last week was what kept me powering through a conference abstract, two paper revisions, chapter sorting, and drafting a review. And while technically I met all my other goals last week (missed daily yoga on Friday, when I kept thinking about it and thinking about it, and then just got caught up in helping Darcy prepare for his race), I'm left feeling like I'm not paying enough attention to Beijing.
Granted, between full days spent on professional writing, plus blogging and morning pages, I feel like do an imperial buttload of writing in the course of a week. So it's probably understandable that I spent several hours this weekend watching Hotel Babylon rather than writing Beijing. But I'm also returning to another book idea I had a while ago now that I'm refining my niche on Yogademia as well - hopefully that can be unveiled next weekend. While we have just enough time every day for what is important to us, sometimes there are just too many things that are important to me. In other words, I'm having difficulties with that prioritization thingy.
Oh, and this conversation with my parents yesterday was priceless:
Mom: "Why haven't you called?"
K: "Because I've been working - I'm trying to get the dissertation draft finished before September, and this week I had to revise the papers I'm giving in the fall."
Dad: "Have you finished your speeches then?"
K: "Dad, politicians give speeches. Academics give papers."
Mom: "Have you really been that busy?"
K: "Mom, what do you think I do all day? Sit around with my feet up eating bonbons collecting on the sales from my self-dissertating pens? Until that happens, I dissertate or do other work-writing nearly eight hours a day!"
Mom: "Oh, I didn't realize it took that much time."
K: "I'm beginning the seventh year of my Ph.D., and you're only just figuring this out now?!"
Mom: [silence]
Dad: [chuckle] "Busted."
ANYWAY.
Goals August 3-9
*Get at least 10,000 words down on paper for this final (dear lord, I hope so) chapter draft
*Spend 2-3 hours working on the book review for a complete draft
*Draft at least five longer Yogademia posts to have in the arsenal for next week
*Work on refining my Yogademia niche through better quality posts
*Draft and post another episode of Beijing (loved the Victorian serial reference, Revisionista!)
*Come to terms with the fact that Beijing has to be my creative writing side project and that the book I really need to write is more in line with my Yogademia niche
*Daily Yogademia posts, yoga practice, and morning pages, of course
Reward: Two-day Homemade Writer's Retreat next weekend, including taking my non-work writing out for a brownie and tea at Origin8.
Artist Date: two hours spent playing the guitar and singing at the top of my lungs without caring if the neighbors hear. Man, do I miss singing - using the Bon Jovi chant to close out my yoga practice only goes so far.
Wanting desperately to earn my rewards of a slice of Lush soap and a scarf last week was what kept me powering through a conference abstract, two paper revisions, chapter sorting, and drafting a review. And while technically I met all my other goals last week (missed daily yoga on Friday, when I kept thinking about it and thinking about it, and then just got caught up in helping Darcy prepare for his race), I'm left feeling like I'm not paying enough attention to Beijing.
Granted, between full days spent on professional writing, plus blogging and morning pages, I feel like do an imperial buttload of writing in the course of a week. So it's probably understandable that I spent several hours this weekend watching Hotel Babylon rather than writing Beijing. But I'm also returning to another book idea I had a while ago now that I'm refining my niche on Yogademia as well - hopefully that can be unveiled next weekend. While we have just enough time every day for what is important to us, sometimes there are just too many things that are important to me. In other words, I'm having difficulties with that prioritization thingy.
Oh, and this conversation with my parents yesterday was priceless:
Mom: "Why haven't you called?"
K: "Because I've been working - I'm trying to get the dissertation draft finished before September, and this week I had to revise the papers I'm giving in the fall."
Dad: "Have you finished your speeches then?"
K: "Dad, politicians give speeches. Academics give papers."
Mom: "Have you really been that busy?"
K: "Mom, what do you think I do all day? Sit around with my feet up eating bonbons collecting on the sales from my self-dissertating pens? Until that happens, I dissertate or do other work-writing nearly eight hours a day!"
Mom: "Oh, I didn't realize it took that much time."
K: "I'm beginning the seventh year of my Ph.D., and you're only just figuring this out now?!"
Mom: [silence]
Dad: [chuckle] "Busted."
ANYWAY.
Goals August 3-9
*Get at least 10,000 words down on paper for this final (dear lord, I hope so) chapter draft
*Spend 2-3 hours working on the book review for a complete draft
*Draft at least five longer Yogademia posts to have in the arsenal for next week
*Work on refining my Yogademia niche through better quality posts
*Draft and post another episode of Beijing (loved the Victorian serial reference, Revisionista!)
*Come to terms with the fact that Beijing has to be my creative writing side project and that the book I really need to write is more in line with my Yogademia niche
*Daily Yogademia posts, yoga practice, and morning pages, of course
Reward: Two-day Homemade Writer's Retreat next weekend, including taking my non-work writing out for a brownie and tea at Origin8.
Artist Date: two hours spent playing the guitar and singing at the top of my lungs without caring if the neighbors hear. Man, do I miss singing - using the Bon Jovi chant to close out my yoga practice only goes so far.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Tomato Pics: Collaging
Was doing some collaging yesterday and thought I'd share some of what I've put into my journal this past month. Also, I put up some of my Le Book collages on my bedroom wall to serve as inspiration. I LOVE collaging - it's so therapeutic for moi!
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