Hi all!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
This week was not very productive, work-wise and writing-wise. On the other hand, I re-discovered a lot of music that I love, met an old friend, ate at a hole-in a wall Thai restaurant that served super-yummy food, cleaned the 'TV room' and vanity space. So, trying not to feel bad over stuff that hasn't been accomplished.
Week 2 Update:
1. Finish the paper today and submit it to my advisor. Today! Yes! (one of my few 'yeses' this week).
2. Resume working on my other experiment. Analyze data and collect some more. started reading some related stuff, but didn't accomplish much
3. Start outlining the dissertation proposal (related to 2) Nope!
4. Continue with Morning pages. I've decided to also use it for my academic work- to allow it to let me look at my research from different points of view and also think of my research creatively and not as if it was just 'work'. Yes- except on this weekend
5. Work a bit on the novel as outlined last week. No..:(..Actually I did write a few sentences, but that doesn't really count, does it?
6. Post on the blog once or twice. Yes- 3 times!
7. Incorporate exercise into my regular routine No- I really feel bad about this and need to figure how to do this
8. Start yoga again No- but will do so, once the new quarter starts
This week, I plan on being more focussed. Maybe waking up earlier in the morning and getting writing done, instead of going online
This week's goals:
Academic/Work related:
1. Finish a couple of chapters and a few papers connected to the new experiment. Analyze data based on that
2. Start thinking about the Dissertation proposal
Creative
1. Novel!!
2. Morning Pages
3. Blog posts
Other
1. Exercise!!!!! I would like to exercise atleast 3-4 times a week as well as do breathing exercises
2. I have been wanting learn French forever now. Will seriously think of how to take baby steps in that direction. Any suggestions?
3. Want to read the Upanishads. Might begin with isa Upanishad- I am curious about some of the older literature such as this.The bits I've accidentally come across, I love. So I need to read more.
4. I also want to resume Indian Classical Music classes. I've been trying to find a good teacher, but keep giving up. Will try again to find somebody to teach me (especially Hindustani Classical)
I know some of the above goals were not strictly writing goals, but thought I'd keep track of them here along with my writing goals.
Have a great week!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tomato is Back!
I apologize for my brief hiatus last week. As most of you read my blog, I'm sure you know that it's due to an impending deadline for a project at work. Boo. I worked ALL weekend, and now I'm confident I'll make it. And that means I can enjoy The Rachel Zoe Project tonight! Ha. I'm obsessed...
Anyway, let me revisit my goals from way back when. I've been doing the 3-goal thang for awhile now and find that it's so much more manageable for me, esp. right now.
1. Journal daily with gratitude lists - YES! Maybe not daily daily, but most days. Gratitude lists really are genius.
2. Finish Pink Heels homework by Saturday - FAIL. I had to push back my session another week due to work. The homework I have is FUN (creating a vision statement and a mission statement and expressing each of them creatively in some capacity), but omg, kinda hard no?? Have any of you created a vision and/or mission statement??
3. Finish The Guernsay Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - YES! And oh my gosh, I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The entire book consists of letters (which I thought I'd hate), and it's both light and heavy at the same time. I highly recommend it. (Sadly I was unable to attend the actual book club mtg. Boo.)
Now onto this week's goals...
1. Continue journaling daily with gratitude lists. Work on adding "art" to my journal via stamps (i have TONS of rubber stamps), stickers, markers, collages, etc. (I've gotten uber lazy about this.)
2. Work on creating a vision and mission statement throughout this week (as in don't put it off til Saturday). Find inspiration in others' statements.
3. Write locker room post. I had a really emotional and difficult weekend. This is normally the type of thing I'd blog about, but for privacy reasons, I cannot. That being said, I'm aching to get it off my chest and get some feedback. Voila the genius locker room! I'm SO glad we have this place to share such things in an intimate and private setting.
Anyway, let me revisit my goals from way back when. I've been doing the 3-goal thang for awhile now and find that it's so much more manageable for me, esp. right now.
1. Journal daily with gratitude lists - YES! Maybe not daily daily, but most days. Gratitude lists really are genius.
2. Finish Pink Heels homework by Saturday - FAIL. I had to push back my session another week due to work. The homework I have is FUN (creating a vision statement and a mission statement and expressing each of them creatively in some capacity), but omg, kinda hard no?? Have any of you created a vision and/or mission statement??
3. Finish The Guernsay Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - YES! And oh my gosh, I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The entire book consists of letters (which I thought I'd hate), and it's both light and heavy at the same time. I highly recommend it. (Sadly I was unable to attend the actual book club mtg. Boo.)
Now onto this week's goals...
1. Continue journaling daily with gratitude lists. Work on adding "art" to my journal via stamps (i have TONS of rubber stamps), stickers, markers, collages, etc. (I've gotten uber lazy about this.)
2. Work on creating a vision and mission statement throughout this week (as in don't put it off til Saturday). Find inspiration in others' statements.
3. Write locker room post. I had a really emotional and difficult weekend. This is normally the type of thing I'd blog about, but for privacy reasons, I cannot. That being said, I'm aching to get it off my chest and get some feedback. Voila the genius locker room! I'm SO glad we have this place to share such things in an intimate and private setting.
Alison week 3 - checking in!
Checking in to review my goals from last week and put down my thoughts for this week:-
*3 posts regarding my trip to France (which was fantastic). YES
*Sign up for this travel writing workshop. I know that I will never be able to give up my full time job to pursue this ambition but it would be fun to develop this on the side. YES - starts Sept 28th
*Purchase and read a digital photography magazine as I am getting a digital SLR for my birthday this month (birthday money and additional money from my savings). YES (not read it yet!)
*Meeting with a friend/work colleague to work on a professional article which has already been accepted in a peer reviewed journal (based on some previous work that we have done). YES - awaiting editors comments
*Writing an abstract (with same person) for a conference in October 2010 in San Antonio, TX. NO - but a date is in our diary to do this!
*Catch up on google reader which is about to explode after holiday trip away from the computer. YES
*Pick up a copy of the book which I have 2 chapters in (launched on Friday). NO as the launch date has been put back but I did not realise as I am not in the office right now!
My uni friends visited so we had yummy food, shopping and some wine - the perfect reward!
My goals will be simple this week as I have a crazy week with another meeting re) return to work that I need to prep for.
* 3 blog posts
* Plan return to work (and put info into diary)
*Update blog roll (VERY out of date)
Reward - hubbie is out on Friday night so I will get some yummy food in and make a meal for one (with a dessert and a glass of wine!).
Hope every-one is well.
*3 posts regarding my trip to France (which was fantastic). YES
*Sign up for this travel writing workshop. I know that I will never be able to give up my full time job to pursue this ambition but it would be fun to develop this on the side. YES - starts Sept 28th
*Purchase and read a digital photography magazine as I am getting a digital SLR for my birthday this month (birthday money and additional money from my savings). YES (not read it yet!)
*Meeting with a friend/work colleague to work on a professional article which has already been accepted in a peer reviewed journal (based on some previous work that we have done). YES - awaiting editors comments
*Writing an abstract (with same person) for a conference in October 2010 in San Antonio, TX. NO - but a date is in our diary to do this!
*Catch up on google reader which is about to explode after holiday trip away from the computer. YES
*Pick up a copy of the book which I have 2 chapters in (launched on Friday). NO as the launch date has been put back but I did not realise as I am not in the office right now!
My uni friends visited so we had yummy food, shopping and some wine - the perfect reward!
My goals will be simple this week as I have a crazy week with another meeting re) return to work that I need to prep for.
* 3 blog posts
* Plan return to work (and put info into diary)
*Update blog roll (VERY out of date)
Reward - hubbie is out on Friday night so I will get some yummy food in and make a meal for one (with a dessert and a glass of wine!).
Hope every-one is well.
Friday, September 18, 2009
gussying up week 5
week 5 - already!! my how times flies when you are swimming along. :) i am checking in early as i'll be away all weekend sans computer. hooray for disconnecting!
week 5 goals and outcome recap:
week 6 goals:
week 5 goals and outcome recap:
- i am going through a bit of processing some negativity out of my life at the moment so morning pages/journaling is key here. i thought about posting on the locker room but haven't committed. i'm still torn. um, yeah, my negativity hit me head on so hard that i in fact couldn't write at all. i am going to put up a locker post about this later next week after i sort through some details. i'm afraid it's going to be a terribly long post so my apologies ahead of time.
- since the tea trading fun is almost here, i plan on sending everyone who joined snail mail thank yous. now here is one thing i did and can be proud of! i got all of the snail mail thank yous mailed this morning in fact!
- seriously getting back into a regular reiki practice (and i mean it this time!!) again, boo for melita. have you all ever heard of a psychic vampire before? neither had i until my nerdy boyfriend pointed this one out to me. i will go into details about this in the locker room post but this is exactly why i've been a wreck recently and why i didn't do my reiki practice.
week 6 goals:
- try to forget about (yeah right!! ok minimize) the impact of my recent storm. yes, it is still rearing it's ugly head. i refuse to let it interfere with my fantabulous weekend!!
- work on a guest blog post that i have been asked to write (this made me incredibly happy!!)
- find some cute sailor terms so that i can use them in my posts to come :)
Kiki: Staying Grounded
I've just caught up on all your posts for the last week in one fell swoop. SO FANTASTIC! Reading about goals, rewards, Artist Dates, hopes, fears, troubles, and triumphs all together makes me feel really connected to all of you. We should seriously start thinking about having some sort of get-together in the future. Kind of like a Hip Tranquil Chick Retreat, SWIMmer's style. Rent a big place somewhere, do some yoga together, drink lots of tea...I'm sensing this might take at least a year to sort out. But I can't help dreaming big on this one!
Here's what happened this week:
1) Spent way too much time preparing for a job interview
2) Rocked the interview
3) First facial in several years (good, but I think the aesthetician overdid the Vitamin A mask a little)
Here's what didn't happen this week:
1) daily morning pages - I missed at least two days
2) yoga - actually, no real exercise at all
3) writing the research plan for my postdoc applications
4) Tidying up a writing sample for the same applications
And next week I'm back in the States for a month, flying madly up and down the East Coast over the course of four weeks. Things are going to get wackier before they get calmer.
This always happens when I get busy: the "non-negotiable dailies" fall to the wayside, which leaves me guilty for neglecting them, angry that I "don't have time" to do them, and feeling unmoored and ungrounded. I'm determined not to let that happen this time.
Goals 18 -27 September
*Finish postdoc app due 5 October (inc. research plan, class plan, writing sample, etc.)
*Complete draft of conference paper/presentation to be delivered 3 October
*Work up practice "job talk" to receive feedback when I'm in the States
*Begin revising dissertation (I see this happening on the planes)
*Try not to get worked up about not working when I'm attending my oldest friend's wedding
*Three dailies: morning pages, yoga, and something creative - Tiny, if necessary
*Think positive about the job interview
Here's what happened this week:
1) Spent way too much time preparing for a job interview
2) Rocked the interview
3) First facial in several years (good, but I think the aesthetician overdid the Vitamin A mask a little)
Here's what didn't happen this week:
1) daily morning pages - I missed at least two days
2) yoga - actually, no real exercise at all
3) writing the research plan for my postdoc applications
4) Tidying up a writing sample for the same applications
And next week I'm back in the States for a month, flying madly up and down the East Coast over the course of four weeks. Things are going to get wackier before they get calmer.
This always happens when I get busy: the "non-negotiable dailies" fall to the wayside, which leaves me guilty for neglecting them, angry that I "don't have time" to do them, and feeling unmoored and ungrounded. I'm determined not to let that happen this time.
Goals 18 -27 September
*Finish postdoc app due 5 October (inc. research plan, class plan, writing sample, etc.)
*Complete draft of conference paper/presentation to be delivered 3 October
*Work up practice "job talk" to receive feedback when I'm in the States
*Begin revising dissertation (I see this happening on the planes)
*Try not to get worked up about not working when I'm attending my oldest friend's wedding
*Three dailies: morning pages, yoga, and something creative - Tiny, if necessary
*Think positive about the job interview
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Vienna: Moving
Hi, everyone!
First of all just to say I don't have enough words to thank you for all your amazing support, advice, and well, for just being there fore me. It means the world. I absolutely love being part of this group. I was actually thinking, if we are still SWIMming in, let's say, a year or two, maybe we should organise a SWIMMERS CONFERENCE somewhere to meet each other. I would love to!
I will post the usual goal revision and setting here and I will also post a follow-up on the Swimmer's Locker room again. Just a short one, this time. The picture and title of the post refer to MOVEMENT. That's where I am right now. Moving. I read somewhere that suffering is being stuck. I only guess, the perfect medicine for suffering is then movement. I wrote a post in Ona explaining my little MOVES this week.
Last week's goals:
Give myself time to re-adapt at work and prepare for the new academic year. Yes! I have even written the Autumn term exams!!!
2. Yoga every day, twice. Yes! It has really helped so much. I feel so safe on the mat, and that'a a feeling I've tried to take with me to all areas of my life.
3. Breathing exercises. Magic! Even when it seems they are not working and you are wasting your time. You are not! Thanks to all your recommendations.
4. Journal writing + gratitude lists Yes! However irregular, short. Good tool to get rid of negativity.
5. Reading 'The Self on the Page', by Celia Hunt (A Creative Writing book for Personal Development). Yes! And I have used some of the exercises as inspiration in my new post in Writing in Spanish, my Spanish creative writing workshop, which seems to have more and more participants from all over the world. I love it!
6. Slowly get back into 'The Artist's Way' and both, MPs and Artist's Date. Ermmmmm... MPs have been mixed with journaling and all over the place, since the new academic year started. I didn't feel ready for the Artist's Way. I can see my main goal was to feel grounded again and, basically, to breath.
7. Re-assess my overall situation (financial, emotional, professional, artistic) through my Journal writing and re-plan the academic year in an accepting and self-supportive way. I suppose this is an ongoing issue. I'm still on it. I'm afraid I will have to say 'no' to some of my new academic year's plans. I'm still thinking the way around but I have managed to be supportive and understanding with myself since the opposite is not taking me anywhere.
2. Yoga every day, twice. Yes! It has really helped so much. I feel so safe on the mat, and that'a a feeling I've tried to take with me to all areas of my life.
3. Breathing exercises. Magic! Even when it seems they are not working and you are wasting your time. You are not! Thanks to all your recommendations.
4. Journal writing + gratitude lists Yes! However irregular, short. Good tool to get rid of negativity.
5. Reading 'The Self on the Page', by Celia Hunt (A Creative Writing book for Personal Development). Yes! And I have used some of the exercises as inspiration in my new post in Writing in Spanish, my Spanish creative writing workshop, which seems to have more and more participants from all over the world. I love it!
6. Slowly get back into 'The Artist's Way' and both, MPs and Artist's Date. Ermmmmm... MPs have been mixed with journaling and all over the place, since the new academic year started. I didn't feel ready for the Artist's Way. I can see my main goal was to feel grounded again and, basically, to breath.
7. Re-assess my overall situation (financial, emotional, professional, artistic) through my Journal writing and re-plan the academic year in an accepting and self-supportive way. I suppose this is an ongoing issue. I'm still on it. I'm afraid I will have to say 'no' to some of my new academic year's plans. I'm still thinking the way around but I have managed to be supportive and understanding with myself since the opposite is not taking me anywhere.
I think I will wait a bit to post my next week's goals. Having missed a week I feel a bit mixed up with the time! I caught a cold aswell (ayyyyyy!) so maybe after the weekend I'll be able to think clearer. In a strange way I am enjoying this cold. I am enjoying taking care of myself.
Just in case you don't visit Ona, I'll leave you here with the same song I posted there. It's called MOVING and it has been 'The Song of the Summer' in Spain. It's half in Spanish and half in English'. It's really uplifting. I think you can enjoy it. Here it is: MOVING, by Macaco.
Loads of love to everyone.
Have a great and creative weekend.
V.
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